tonight from the giants. >> come on, let's do that. the dodgers taking on the giants who are there in l.a. we are still rooting them strong here in the bay area. >> don't forget, the shipping industry starting again in san francisco. have a great morning! airlines canceled nearly 2,000 flights over the long holiday weekend. passengers stranded from coast to coast. >> unbelievable. people are frustrated and aggravated. >> the airline blaming weather anair traffic control problems, but this morning, the question whether the airline's vaccine mandate caused pilots to stay home. what the pilot's union is saying, just ahead. breaking news, the covid pill? this morning, merck asked the fda for emergency approval of its drug to treat the virus. research showing it slashed the

risk of severe infection by half. just ahead, could a pill be the shot in the arm to finally end the pandemic? selling secrets, a nuclear engineer for the u.s. navy accused of trying to pass classified information to a foreign country, even placing a computer card inside a half eaten peanut butter sandwich. the arrest, the fallout in a quiet virginia neighborhood. >> it was incredible. out of a movie. >> and why the alleged wife also stands accused. storm alert, tornados rip through the midwest overnight. damaging homes and knocking out power. >> that's crazy. >> the threat of more severe weather now shifting east. we'll have your full forecast. those stories, plus breaking overnight, british police suddenly drop their investigation into sex assault claims against prince andrew. what that could mean for the case here in the u.s. and buffalo gets revenge. >> and allen takes it into the end zone.

>> the bills blast the chiefs after kansas city kept they want out of last year's super bowl. and star quarterback josh allen making a big statement today, monday, october 11th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." so nice to have you with us on a monday morning. and it's a really special monday morning. >> it sure is. it's a holiday fort a lot of people. it happens to be international day of the girl. hi, guys. we're outside. we're going to start this day. we're going to mark it in a big way. >> yeah. we have some amazing girls and women this morning with us and

we're putting the final touches on the plaza. hundreds of girls joining us for a morning of inspiration and empowerment and this year we are putting our focus on one group in particular, the girls and women of afghanistan who now face, of course, an even more uncertain future. >> we will introduce you to young women who recently fled the country. we'll talk to former fish later laura bush and nobel peace prize recipient malala yousafzai. we're happy you guys came to visit us. thank you. >> we have a special morning just ahead. let's get to our top story and it's that holiday travel weekend fiasco. southwest airlines left more than 2,000 passengers stranded and in some cases canceled flights. >> southwest canceling more than 1800 flights over the weekend

and flight aware this morning listing more than 300 cancellations. the company, savannah, is blaming severe weather in florida on friday and air travel control problems, but other companies dealt with the same conditions and fared a lot better. a weekend of turbulence for southwest airlines. >> unbelievable. people are frustrated and aggravated. >> from san francisco -- >> we haven't been able to talk to anyone. it's just been delay. >> to denver where impossibly long lines stretched through the airport. >> they told us there was no flight crew. >> nationwide, thousands of passengers stranded and desperate to find a flight. southwest forced to pull the influencing plug on more than 2,000 flights over the weekend. the company said we experienced weather challenge at our florida airports over the weekend. travel conditions made worse in the same region triggering delays and prompting significant

cancellations. >> the faa quick to fire back on twitter, no faa air traffic shortages have been reported since friday. over the summer, the airline faced widespread delays due to staffing shortages and networking issues. >> what's going on is southwest scheduled too many flights. they are struggling with pilot recruitment. they have a very complemented route network. >> customers like lewis means, who went to florida for his son's engagement and then had to drive nine hours back to houston want answers. >> when we called customer service and we went ahead, i said let's go ahead and keep the phone on. after six hours, we finally took it off. >> you were on with customer service for six hours? >> six hours. >> andrew sprogue and his family forced to sleep overnight in the honolulu airport waiting on a connecting flight for their family on a muy vacation. >> you could up and down the screens, canceled, canceled, canceled. >> american airlines canceled 66

main light flights saturday. >> american are, delta, frontier, jet blue and spirit all have sizable operations in florida. none of them are reporting any cancellations or many cancellations. >> sources familiar with this situation say that things are improving exponentially by the hour. more today and more tomorrow. the southwest pilots were calling out sick because of a mandatory covid policy. the pilot's union says that is absolutely not the case. back to you. >> we hope it's a better day for passengers. breaking news in the covid fight, merck now requesting emergency use authorization for its pill to treat covid. overall, cases, hospitalizations and deaths are pointing in the right direction nationwide. kathy park joins us from boston where another positive sign is playing out. the boston marathon returning for the first time in 30 months. hey, kath, good morning. >> hey, hoda, good morning to you. the boston marathon is back and

>> kathy park joins us from boston. another positive sign is playing out, the boston marathon returning for the first time in 30 months. good morning. >> hey, hoda, good morning to you. the boston marathon is back and in person with more than 18,000 runners coming from around the world. and, obviously, because of covid, things are looking different this year. there will be staggered start times for social distancing. as you mentioned this morning, another major step forward for merck. the drugmaker announcing that it has applied for emergency use authorization for its pill. this morning, merck says it's now applying for emergency use authorization of its new anti-viral drug. showing the pill cuts the risk of hospitalization and death in half. this as the country's race to get back to normal takes off in boston. >> whew. let's go! >> marathon runners lining up for the first time under strict covid protocols. the number of racers reduced by

40%. each required to be vaccinated or show a negative test. their starts staggered to improve social distancing. >> it's really exciting. nobody has ever done this before. >> similar protocols in place at the chicago marathon sunday. but with cases still rising in states across the plains where temperatures are falling and more people are congress degree gating inside, experts fear a new wave of flu infections leading to a possible twin-demi cancer this winter. >> because less people are getting flu shots and more people are out and about, we could see a winter surge of both covid and the influenza virus creating even more strain on the health care system. >> police unions in seattle and tucson bristling at their shot

requirements. and in los angeles, a sheriff is flat out ignoring a county order to vaccinate his force. >> there are entire groups of employees willing to be fired and laid off without having to get vaccinated. i don't want to be in a position to lose 5%, 10% of my workforce overnight. >> reporter: and while the pandemic starts to loosen its grip, 1700 people die every day from covid. and back here at the boston marathon, to the 18,000 runners, another 29,000 runners will be running this race virtually. hoda. >> oh, virtual. thank you. the texas abortion ban was temporary prayerly halted in texas, but now it has been reinstated. the twists are leaving many patients and doctors confused. morgan chesky has the details. >> reporter: good morning to you. that law once again back into

effect. that means about a half dozen clinics that have temporarily resumed services have stopped. in the meantime, the justice department now has until tomorrow to respond to a federal appeals court to address its calling unconstitutional. this morning, a highly restrictive abortion ban was reinstated late friday after the justice department sued texas, arguing the state's law violates the constitution. the doj now has until tomorrow to respond. >> we'll have to wait and see what the full appellate court subsides, but we are optimistic that this ruling indicates they may be favorable in that ruling. >> that law bans most abortions before six weeks, before many women know they're pregnant, and it allows citizens to sue anyone involved with abortion services. since taking effect last month, clinics in neighborhooding

states have seen an uptick in women traveling from texas for abortion services. the ruling prompting nationwide protests. and already in florida, a bill that mirrors the texas law has been introduced. with the gop lawmakers and other states considering similar measures. the ultimate fate of the texas law likely lies with the nation's highest court, which previously refused to block the law from taking effect without ruling on its constitutionality. >> but we are suffering in texas and the supreme court must do its job now. >> reporter: and later this year, the u.s. supreme court will take on a case that will be a direct challenge to the landmark decision of roe v. wade. when it hears arguments in december over a mississippi law banning most abortions at 15 weeks.

savannah. >> morgan, thank you. turning now to washington, where the stakes remain high for president biden as he tries to get hits signature economic agenda through congress. some in his own party protesting its massive price tag. the president is facing attacks from the man he replace dollars in the white house. hallie jackson is there for us with the latest. >> reporter: facing down a self-impose dollars end of the month deadline, democrats are working out what to keep and what to cut in that social spending bill as they look to move president biden's agenda forward. >> negotiations intensifying this morning over just how big the bill, packed with the president's priorities should be. >> the ultimate price will be around $2 trillion, but it's the policies that really matter. and as a caucus, we agree on those. >> reporter: but not everyone agrees on the details. moderate joe manchin wants spending to be based on the

lowest paid incomes. >> the price tag comes out of what we want to do >> reporter: it would mean major cuts to the ten years worth of climate and social programs included in it signature policies president biden campaigned and won on. >> these are all important programs and they're going to be hard choices to negotiate in the coming weeks >> reporter: as democrats work to further the president's agenda, republicans hammering it >> hello, iowans >> including former president trump in iowa. >> joe biden and the radical left have brought our nation to the brink of ruin. >> reporter: not so subtly hinting at a 2024 bid. >> make america great again. i don't know >> a new poll shows only 44% of all republicans nationwide want

him to run again next cycle as mr. trump continues to cling to his lie that the election was stolen, even though it was not >> never conceded. no reason to concede >> reporter: his grip on his party, still powerful, demonstrated by one top republican leader dodge ago straight out answer to this straightforward question >> do you think the election was stolen >> what i said is there are states that didn't follow their legislativively set rules. >> i understand you think there are irregularities and things that need to be fixed? do you think the election was stolen >> and it's not just that. they didn't follow the rules they were set to follow. >> reporter: liz cheney responding to that moment tweeting millions of americans have been sold a fraud that the election was stolen. she said republicans have a duty

to tell the americans this is not true back to you. >> hallie, thank you lots more to get to including a good morning to craig. what are you following this morning? >> good morning to you this one is stunning and alarming a nuclear engineer for the u.s. navy and his wife arrested on espionage-related charges. stephanie gosk has been following it over the weekend. >> reporter: good morning, guys. federal court documents in this case were just unsealed, the justice democratic claiming jonathan toebbe was trying to sell top secret information to a foreign power, but he was actually talking with an undercover fbi agent >> this morning, secrets allegedly leaked from within the u.s. navy. a navy nuclear engineering and his wife selling information about policy jonathan toebbe, who began working with the navy in 2012 and has top secret clearance tried to send a package containing military documents

and other files to an intelligence agency in a foreign country. instead, they ended up in the hands of the fbi toebbe left the package at a dead drop location in west virginia containing an sd card the sd card was wrapped in plastic and placed between two slices of bread on a half of a peanut butter sandwich during a separate drop, another sd card was placed inside a band-aid inside a clear plastic bag. fbi agents intercepted the packages and struck up a relationship with toebbe the documents accuse his wife, diana, of helping to conduct surveillance they will trying to pass on details about the nuclear propulsion systems that technology is closely watched by russia and china. toebbe asked for $100,000 in crib toe currency for payment. cryptocurrency for payment

residents in their maryland neighbors say jonathan and diana toebbe kept to themselves. >> wow no, it's pretty incredible it's like out of a movie, you know >> it's a quiet neighborhood and everybody is very law-abiding, so it was a little surprising. >> the investigation is still under way. the couple is scheduled to appear in federal court tomorrow that should be an interesting appearance just a half a peanut butter sandwich it is now time for a check of the weather al is not here dylan is out but we are so lucky. janis is here, meteorologist at wnbc hey, girl, we missed you >> i miss you guys let's get to the weather because it's been wild across the central portion of the country today and last night this video coming in from parts of oklahoma, around shawnee of lightning, tornados, gusty winds, damaging winds and large hail across that region. they've seen up to 11 reports of

tornados just last night from the severe weather rolling through that part of the country that is now moving towards the east tonight, today. here is a low spinning up south of topeka. we can see this spreading towards st. louis into parts of iowa, too. this first storm that's over the plains now moves towards chicago tonight and then there's another threat of tornados from the weather from the second storm that moves out of the rockies. that same storm is going to produce a big snow event, a major winter-thyme type storm there. so 23 million people at risk today for damaging winds, large hail, tornados across the region we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds d dan wher spending is trending. just ask fifth class this week rashida... rashida: dan, no pain, no gain. okay? dan: yeah i know, it's just...hello? claire, what? fire? ...or always road tripping on empty dan... rashida: i told you this would happen. dan: the light was not even on. no, it was on.

dan: what? with the new citi custom cash℠ card it pays to be you. from fitness clubs, gas stations, restaurants and more, earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. good monday morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. we are under a microclimate weather alert as a red flag warning continues for all the areas shaded in red. that will continue until tomorrow evening. very gusty winds and a high fire danger out there, be careful. for san francisco, expect highs to reach into the mid-60s but low 70s by the end of the week. >> that's your latest weather. back to you guys >> thank you, janis. coming up, a dream delayed william shatner's trip to space put on hold for at least one

more day, but still, a lot of excitement at blue origin' launch site in texas tom coss setello there with the latest craig, you have an exclusive interview. two huge names in sports >> yeah. when bubba wallace earned that win last week in nascar, he did it with michael jordan and co-owner denny hamlin. we talked to them about their push to change the face of

coming up, big plaza event for international day of the girl, right after your local news i'm here to save you. i have dunkin' so i'm good. cool. i think we should see other people. why don't you let your hair down so we can talk about this face-to-face? no no no no no... if you can let your hair down, just a little bit down? no no no no! what!? you're so far away can't hear ya! huhh.

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association debunked rumors that pilots were calling in sick to protest the covid vaccine policy. the national weather service issued a red flag warning for the east bay hills behind me, the north bay mountains, the santa cruz mountains. that's in effect until 5:00 tomorrow night. there are two concerns, wind gusts, 40 to 60 miles per hour, and drying conditions. those two factors combined makes it very dangerous for wildfires, and if there were a new fire it could be moderate to rapid in spreading. it's time to get a look at the forecast for you. meteorologist, kari hall, has been tracking that for you and the red flag warning. >> all of these areas shaded in red including in the red flag warning once again continuing through tomorrow evening with high wind gusts and low humidity. our temperatures stay fairly cool for the start of the week

and we will warm up by the end of the week with valley temperatures reaching the mid-80s, marcus. >> thanks, kari. another local news update coming up in half an hour. i'll see you back here then.

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it's a monday morning, october 11th, 2021. look at this, we've got a party going on our plaza. international day of the girl, one of our favorite dates of the year. we can't wait to get on the plaza, big crowd, inspiring crowd. we're starting a celebration. you're looking at the people who grog to change the world out there. >> first, facebook plan toes introduce new safety features for kids, including ones that prompt them to take a break from

its photo share app instagram. another feature will nudge them if they look at repeatedly harmful content. it comes in the aftermath of damning testimony on capitol hill last week from a former employee who claims the platform is damaging to children and that the company knows it. they're planning to introduce new parental controls. more than 80 marathoners were rescued over the weekend after the area got hit with up to 18 inches of snow. it happened north of salt lake. search examine rescue teams were called in and the 50 mile race was suspended. all the runners are accounted for. several participants were treated for hypothermia and released right there at the scene. turning to football now and a huge game on sunday night football. the bills and chiefs in a rematch of last year's afc championship game, but this one had a different outcome. >> allen is stepping up. flexed out. directs traffic.

fires it wide open. knox. and he's in for his fifth touchdown of the season. >> josh allen finding dawson knox in a 53-yard touchdown. buffalo, they won it by 14 just before halftime. the bills won easily 38-20. buffalo now looking like the team to beat in the afc. josh allen, best quarterback in the football. how incredible. how is young dell? >> it's a good thing he was asleep last night. >> he's a mahomes fan. >> yes. we're two days of seeing the most famous star fleet command in history leave for space for the first time. william shatner is lifting off in a jeff bezos blue origin ship now wednesday. tom costello is in texas for the historic launch. tom, we talked to william shatner last week.

we know he's pumped up. he's ready to go. >> yeah. i talked to him just a few minutes ago. he also admits he's a bit nervous here. imagine how big of a deal this. you're the world famous star fleet captain. you've jumped from galaxy to galaxy, but you've never been off the planet. so he and three others, two of whom paid a lot of money, were supposed to go tomorrow. that's now delayed until wednesday because of high winds. >> this morning, william shatner and the rest of his shepherd crew are waiting one more die to reach their final frontier. high winds have delayed the launch of the jeff bezos blue origin ship. originally scheduled for tomorrow now slipping to wednesday. but that hasn't dimmed the crew's excitement. over the weekend, shatner arriving at the astronaut village in west texas. as one of the most storied commanders in the galaxy, it seems hard to believe that captain james t. kirk has never left planet earth. >> gentlemen, beam me aboard.

>> on wednesday, that changes. >> max q is confirmed. >> as he joins three other crew members for a quick trip to zero g. we talked to shatner and his fellow space travelers earlier this morning. 75-mile-per-hour winds coming through west texas, how does that make you feel about a rocket ride to the edge of the space? >> the 75-mile-per-hour winds is like overwhelming. that's close to hurricane. i don't want to be on a rocket on top of a rocket in 75-mile-per-hour winds. and neither does anybody else. so we have -- they have canceled the flight. it was supposed to go up tomorrow morning. it's now scheduled to go up on wednesday morning. and we've got our fingers crossed.

the thing i really want to do is coming back down. space, the final frontier. >> it was 55 years ago that captain kirk first appeared on america's tv screens. >> to boldly go where no man has gone before. >> beaming across the galaxy. >> command and start, two, one -- >> now at 90, shatner will become the oldest person ever to fly to space on what would be blue origin's second launch with crew members. alongside blue origin executive audrey powers and two other paying customers. >> i'm terrified. i'm captain kirk and i'm terrified going to space. >> as for applying his vast experience as captain of the enterprise, shatner says not so much. >> do you think there was a connection subconsciously with playing the role of captain kirk and, i don't know, getting you

to this point? >> i'm so sorry to disappointment you. >> to connection? >> but all that was fiction. >> unlike the enterprise's five-year mission, this trip will last just 11 minutes with three minutes of weightlessness, but poignant nonetheless. >> i'm going to see the -- the vastness of space and the extraordinary miracle of our earth, how fragile it is. >> i admit it. i'm a bet of a trekky. i think it's kind of cool. and shatner says there's some poetry to this because 535 years ago, he was destitute in los angeles. couldn't get a job. looked up at the stars and within a day or two got called to be on "star trek." so his life is coming full circle now 55 years later. >> now the stars are calling him. we have to wait one more day. >> we're going to bring you live coverage of the blue origin launch on wednesday. coming up next, michael jordan having a big impact on in nascar, as co-owner behind that historic win by bubba wallace. >> it's very rare, but it inspires me that you're making a

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nascar history last weekend, he had michael jordan in his corner and denny hamlin michael jordan's goal is to make his number 23 iconic in nascar along with denny hamlin. its driver, rising star bubba wallace. we talked with him about bubba's big win, nascar and a little basketball, as well. >> to see the emotions from bubba, tells everybody how much he put into it, how much he wanted to win. and i dropped a tear because i know he's passionate >> bubba wallace, now officially a winner at talladega. >> reporter: denny, you were there. you were there at talladega. i understand you were in pit row. >> i started getting emotional

when i saw the emotion that they had. you get more proud and happy for them than what you do for yourself>> reporter: wallace bet the second black driver to win a nascar race, the first since wendell scott in 1963 when michael jordan was just nine months old what does it mean for michael jordan to win at this level as a black man in nascar? >> it's very rare, but it also inspires me that you're making a difference in a sport that, you. know, no one really thought could even happen. i feel gratitude, but i feel

energized, too let's keep this thing rolling. let's have other bubba wallaces winning. >> reporter: bubba wallace goes to racetracks and he gets booed. why do you think that is in change and it has started the progress of changing you know, and maybe people are not cheering for him but he has to dig within himself. you're fighting from within, you know, to achieve something and when you achieve it, it's far more gratifying than you can even imagine and it's inspiring to people that really start to understand what the fight is about approximately. >> reporter: the challenge of

entering a sport with little diversity and where the confederate flag has been commonplace for decades is one where jordan is willing to take head on. >> when i chose to get involved in nascar, i knew what i was diving into. but i wasn't afraid of it. i was looking forward to the challenge. >> reporter: denny, i understand that you encouraged bubba to avoid social media at some point early on why? >> well, i think my message was pretty simple to him you will not change a hater's mind you need to get out there and get your motivation to want to make the people that support you proud. >> reporter: jordan is determined to overcome challenges of inequality through his extensive charity work, as well >> just did last two years, he's

pledged more than $110 million of his own money and from his jordan brand to black social charities and to build community health centers >> what's driving michael jordan to give away so much of his money? >> actions speed louder than words. i want to make a difference. >> reporter: we have an nba season that tips off about a week from now, roughly the hornets notwithstanding, who do we like this season >> it's hard to knock out milwaukee. i'm a firm believer if you're a champion, someone is going to have to knock you off the pedestal my old team, chicago, made some big, big changes so they may compete in the east, as well. the lakers are going to come back whoever can battle the covid infections that they may have in the course of the year is going to give their team the best chance staying healthy is our biggest thing for us >> reporter: you mentioned staying healthy and the covid vaccine. are you tall concerned about the protocols? >> not at all. not at all i am total in unison with the league and i think everybody, you know, has been speaking about the vaccinations i'm a firm believer in science and i'm going to stick with that and lovelily everybody abides by whatever the leak sets the rules. i think once everybody buys in, we're going the be fine. >> reporter: while today's teams are vying to start a new dynasty, the block burst docu series, "the last dance" still has fans comparing today's stars to jordan's iconic bulls were you surprised by the reaction to "the last dance" >> yeah. i always thought that people would not understand my passion for the game, my passion for winning. >> how do you think it changed

the way that people viewed michael jordan >> i think they saw my desire to win on a consistent basis, you know and every time i stepped on the floor, i represented my family, you know, the chicago bulls, the nba, because my desire was strong >> you know, it's a couple years ago when i asked him about "the last dance," they were finishing up the edits he said i think people are going to look at me as a jackass he didn't think people would fully understand what it took to win at that level so he was pleasantly surprised at the beginning of the nascar season, he said to bubba wallace, we don't write checks for losers it turns out it was the inspiration bubba needed >> and i'll check into whether we can say that on morning television been. >> well, it was a quote from jordan >> it was. it was a direct quote. >> i didn't interpret it >> janet, keep it clean over there.

>> clean always, yes all right. so let's talk about the weather. we've got winter weather out west yeah, the calendar says fall, but it's all winter. you have a major snowstorm, the first one of the season and it's a little early to talk about this much snow over the rockies. temperatures are going to drop 20 to 30 degrees below average with strong winds and mountain snow, above 6,000 feet you're talking about maybe two feet of snow here. the front will shift out of the rockies and then when it enters the plains tomorrow, more severe weather expected there so look at the snowfall amounts here around cody, bozeman, parts of wyoming, that's why they're looking at more than 6 inches of snow probably more likely they're going to see up to 14 inches on the ridge tops there and the snow goes down into utah so winds are out west with temperatures in the 40s and 50s and 60s. meanwhile, it's summer in the east temperatures are in the 70s and 80s for the next couple of day a high of 36 in billings, 43 in vail meanwhile, 77 in kansas city

good morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. we are under a red flag warning continuing until tomorrow evening. extremely gusting winds and low humidity, and we will see that continue through tomorrow. in our 7-day forecast, we're looking at highs in the 70s for today and tomorrow, and the warming trend begins on wednesday and we will continue to see warmer temperatures in the forecast through the end of the week with mostly sunrise, while san francisco will see highs in the mid-60s. watch out for the wind gusts, especially this afternoon. >> and now here is savannah. still ahead, a new twist in the investigation surrounding prince andrew. why did british police drop their probe overnight? we'll have live news in a report straight from london story of t. michael: my great-great- grandfather, rachmaiel. gigi: pinky and rocky. simi: there was an uprising in poland. david: and then the family broke apart.

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we have a look at your updated headlines. i am marcus washington. here's what's happening. >> i am bob redell here in dublin. the next 36 hours could be dangerous for the bay area when it comes to wildfires. that's why the national weather service has issued a red flag warning for the east bay hills behind me, the north bay mountains, the santa cruz mountains. that's in effect until 5:00 tomorrow night. there's two concerns, wind gusts of anywhere from 40 to 60 miles per hour, and drying conditions. those two factors combined make this very dangerous for wildfires, and the weather service is concerned if there were a new fire it could be moderate to rapid in spreading.

it's time to get a weather forecast. >> the east bay up through the north bay, especially in the upper elevations and some of the hills, we will see some of the higher wind gusts, and it will be windy all-around the bay area with wind advisories in effect. as we look at our temperatures, low 70s, so not warming up just yet but a warming trend will get under way by the end of the week. we are headed for the mid-80s in the inland areas, and cooler for the weekend, and for san francisco expect highs in the mid-60s for the next few days and then make it into the 70s. another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. see you back here then. the couple making massages affordable for everyone.

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♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ it's 8:00 on "today. coming up -- it's 8:00 on "today. coming up -- >> it's time for world leaders to stand up for women's rights in afghanistan >> leading voices from around the globe, malala yousafzai and former first lady laura bush speaking out >> all women want the same things, happy lives for themselves and their children. >> on this international day of the girl, they join "today" as we debt indicate a special hour towards the girls of afghanistan and the future now we're live where thousands of refugees await their next step,

including two aspiring young women who risked everything to flee kabul plus, the support they're finding here >> you are not alone you are important. you are valuable your voice matters >> led by the powerful voices of young women who came before and refused to be silenced >> so far, what has your life been like here >> i have a lot of dreams. >> to have a voice >> yeah. >> to have the power >> to have the right >> and it's all about to kick off live on the plaza with hundreds of inspiring girls to mark this international day of the girl today, monday, october 11th, 2021 >> today is all about sisterhood

>> using our voices. >> lifting each other up >> sharing our stories >> living our truth. >> it's international day of the girl whew >> good morning. welcome back to "today." we've got a good one for you it's monday morning and we promise you will leave inspired today as we gear up to mark international day of the girl. >> so much better in this moment than it did five seconds ago after watching these young ladies they came from all over, schools, organizations, girls inc, girl wonder, so many groupd nearly 2,000 flights over the outside. it's going the be a lot of fun >> we're going to get outside in just a few minutes >> and boys are including. >> of course i'm a girl dad, too. >> lots so celebrate here. let's get to your news at 8:00 southwest airlines is struggling to explain why it canceled

nearly 2,000 flights over the weekend stranding angry travelers from hawaii all the way to new york. sam brock is at the airport with the latest on what went wrong. good morning >> reporter: good morning. that's right 1800 flights over the weekend. so far, about 350 canceled today according to flight aware. the company is saying it's a combination of severe weather that popped up in florida on friday, compounded by air traffic control issues but industrial experts, savannah, tell us if you look at other companies facing the exact same conditions, they saw a fraction of the cancellations. now it is worth noting southwest pilot's association filed an order in court to try to get a federal judge to block a covid vaccine mandate issued by the company. there was rampant speculation online that pilots might be calling out sick because of it but the pilot's union says that is absolutely not the case savannah, back to you. and thank you so much. london's metropolitan police announced they are dropping their investigation of prince andrew in the jeffrey epstein's case, but the prince's legal troubles are far from over molly, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning. they basically said they're dropping it because so much of the investigation will focus on prince andrew's activities

outside the uk take a look. this morning, the met police have dropped their investigation into prince andrew while authorities in the u.s. continue to look into the royals. london police announcing sunday they would take no further action after review ago documents related to virginia giuffre's ongoing cyst lawful. in august, giuffre sued prince andrew under new york state's child victim act she alleges he abused her for the purpose of gratifying his sexual desires and says the duke knew she was a victim of sex trafficking by jeffrey epstein and that she was a minor under u.s. law she described one of the encounters with savannah

>> what happened >> i was so young. he woke me up this morning and said you're going to meet a prince today i didn't know at that point that i was going be trafficked to that prince. >> reporter: prince andrew denied the allegations >> i have no recollection of ever meetings this lady, none whatsoever >> reporter: even suggesting this photograph was photo shopped. in august, the met said it would review its earlier decision not to investigate the allegations related to epstein >> no one is above the law >> reporter: met officers questioned giuffre, but the review is now complete and it will continue to liaise. the met police said in this same statement that they won't pursue any further action against ghislaine maxwell. she is set to begin her u.s. court days on november 29th. it is boost time, people two best friends in virginia have not seen each other for six months because of the pandemic so their moms arranged a secret meeting on the playground. here is how it went down

take a listen. >> oh. >> put on your masks to protect yourself, both of you. >> happy birthday, michaela. >> oh, those two, by the way, inseparable since they first met three years ago. so they kept in touch on social media. but, you know, when you see your bestie in person, come on, nothing like it. >> i love girls scream nothing like international day of the girl. >> i was going to say, it's appropriate for today. >> so cute we are ready to celebrate with this enthusiastic crowd on our plaza. we are going to get things started with an eye opening and inspiring conversation with malala yousafzai, right after this and made them run on the same thing that turns the lights on. we took the original zero-to-sixty head turner.

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>> announcer: international day of the girls on "today" is sponsored by citi, committed to enabling progress for girls and women around the world welcome back, guys welcome back, guys get ready to kick off a spectacular hour on this plaza it is dedicated to international day of the girl. >> oh, we have some incredible young ladies with us we're going to meet some remarkable young women who come here from afghanistan to create new lives for themselves but before we get into this inspiring hour we have for you, let's go to janice huff who is in for al this morning >> good morning, everybody we're here on the plaza where the weather is pretty nice it's not all that cold and it's not all that hot, just right but in the middle part of the country, severe thunderstorms rolling up through the plains and into the midwest today as well as the mississippi river valley

maybe more tornados and large hail and also some flash flooding it's a mild, fall day in the east especially the southeast you'll be in the 80s across the carolinas, georgia, down to the gulf coast and a winter storm. it's kind of early in the west, but yo good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we look at the forecast today. we are under a micro climate weather alert due to the high-fire danger today. it's going to be very windy. our gusts may kick up to 40 or 50 or 60 in the highest elevations. we have temperatures that are cool in the 70s today and tomorrow and the red-flag warning will expire. temperatures will heat up. valley temperatures in the 80s by the end of the week. san francisco with highs in the 60s. >> now back to savannah and hoda and now international day of the girl >> we are dedicating the next hour to sharing stories of afghanistan's women who now face an even more uncertain future and those who are left with

starting a brand new life right here in the united states. >> and i had a chance to talk to malala yousafzai who was shot by a taliban gunman for wanting to attend school. she won the nobel peace prize and she started the malala fund and she had a lot to say about her fears and hopes for afghanistan. for malala yousafzai, the fall of afghanistan to the taliban was heartbreakingly familiar and painful. all the more so because at the very moment it was happening, she, herself, was still recovering from the taliban attack that changed her life at the age of 15 been. >> malala, when afghanistan fell so quickly to the taliban, i

could not stop thinking about you, wondering how you felt about those images and i came to learn that you were in the hospital with your sixth surgery, still recovering nine years later from a single taliban bullet how did that strike you in that moment >> i could not process what was happening in afghanistan because in that very same week, i was going to a surgery that was part of my -- that long-time recover from that one bullet and for me, it was just a reminder that if for one individual, it takes that time surgeries and that many years to actually fix the scars from just one bullet we cannot imagine the millions of bullets that the people of afghanistan and people in parts of pakistan have taken in the past three to four decades >> they have invested more than 2 million in afghanistan for the education of girls taliban is saying we changed,

we're not that taliban that committed all those atrocities >> the taliban are known for this political ideology that they do not accept women they announced that boys can go to school, but not girls we do not see a single woman there. women have suddenly disappeared from that public social political life >> we have seen a few brave women go out and protest and we've seen the taliban come in

and shut those protests down >> so the taliban's narrative that islamic thing that women cannot be equal. women are challenging that this is why we need to listen to the voices of afghanistan women and girls. >> are you disappointed with the way the biden administration and the u.s. handled this withdrawal from afghanistan >> i wish that the biden administration and other world leaders had done more to protect women and girls, but it's never too late for negotiations. you know, recognizing the taliban government they must be conditional on the fact that the taliban recognized women and girls' right to education. >> malala's own education, a priority she almost died for after she was shot by the taliban. she was flown to the uk for medical treatment and has lived there ever since last year, completing her own schooling with honors from one of the top universities in the

world, oxford. >> remember, you said i just want to be a regular college girl how did it go? you graduated now. how was that experience? >> as a girl in my early 20s, trying to get her education, but almost make friends and socialize. i enjoyed my time in beautiful colleges and libraries of oxford and i made some great, amazing friends there. >> malala clearly enjoyed being just another student, but to countless girls worldwide is a role model fighting for their future this is the day of the girl. there are a lot of young girls that look up to you. what is your message >> believe in yourself believe in your voice. believe in the dedication and determination that you hold for the things that you believe in you can make it happen >> we're so thrilled to have two malala contributors joining us

now. assembly of the malala fund vocationation. if people hadn't been standing holding the signs, i may not have survived. what does this mean to you >> to me, assembly is a world where girls come and share their perspectives and their motivations and what motivates them to get up in the morning and rally and organize in their communities. so i really found a home, an assembly and sharing my opinions and reflecting on my experiences. so it's just been great collaborating with other girls and reading their stories. >> and you came to this country, your dad told you learn ten words in a day and you did you ended up being on the debate team in the finals you gave the commencement address. first in your family to go to college. education, education, education, how important is that? >> education is always seen as a tool to basically give me that tool, that knowledge, to be able to be independent, to be able to

break the cycle, whether it could be the poverty, whether gender equality. i just see it as a tool to give me voice to become who i am today >> we are so incredibly proud of both of you ladies before we go, to mark international day of the girl, our sponsor, citi, is making a $50,000 donation to the malala fund in addition to their ongoing education campaign helping young girls get an access to education. so it's what you guys have been working for. >> it's inspiring work and you guys do give us all hope for the future thank you so much. >> thank you >> and they're going to be back capturing the third hour we'll talk more about their own histories, their important and life changing work meantime, out here, we have jenna bush hager, joining her mom, first lady laura bush, a long time advocate for young girls and women to help share their stories.

>> the strength and courage of these women is remarkable. they risked everything to make the journey to this country from afghanistan so they could one day raise their own daughters without fear and with the freedoms and rights every girl deserves >> it must be really hard. >> jamila and her sister sharifa arrived in the united states three years ago, refugees from afghanistan. this past summer, they watched in horror the scenes of chaos unfold in kabul, the afghan capital not knowing where any of their family was and if they were safe. >> when you see the images on tv of your people in your country flocking to the airport -- >> yeah, i cry a lot, a lot. >> it's sad. so sad >> my mom has been fiercely passionate about advocating for the girls and women of afghanistan since her time as

first lady in the white house. >> the plight of women and children in afghanistan is a matter of deliberate human cruelty. >> in november 2001, she became the first person other than a president to deliver the weekly presidential radio address she used the opportunity to discuss the plight of women in afghanistan. >> american women wanted to help they really did. they looked at their afghan sisters across the world and worried for them and many, many women started programs >> like break bread, break boarders here in the u.s., a culinary training program for refugee women to help them find jobs in the food service industry >> cooking is a still. power. >> jen whang did this as a working in a kitchen is a super power. >> jen whang did this as a tribute to they are grandmother who would hire other immigrants to work in a restaurant. >> this is what it means to be

an american to us, to always do the right thing, to be a good neighbor, and to practice kindness and compassion every day. >> hi. how are you? >> and to share traditions as the sisters did for me and my mom, showing us not only how to make afghan dumplings. >> jenna, this is how it's supposed to look, see like a little envelope. >> i know. >> typical >> but also teaching us the songs they would sing growing up in afghanistan while cooking with their own mother. >> so beautiful. >> what is your dream for your country? >> one day my country is going to be like other countries

the people, all of them happy, together, all countries. they are living. they are not scared for something to happen to the children in this school or the home >> that's what we all hoped for afghanistan. >> we still hope it. and hope is why this young afghan woman risked her life to come to america as the taliban took over her city we had to conceal her identity over safety concerns for her family still in afghanistan. >> every time they have called to me saying please, my baby, help us. they don't have money. they don't have food they don't have water to drink

>> are they scared for their safety >> yeah. they are jobless they don't have jobs now >> and are they scared to leave the house? >> yes if the girls like -- doesn't have a hijab, they will beat him. beat her yeah >> so far, what has your life been like here in the united states >> the best life i have a lot of dreams >> to have a voice >> yes >> to have the power >> to have the right >> to have the rights. >> yes >> and like jamila and sharifa, she hopes to use her right to work, something she was unable to do under the taliban. >> why should women here care about the women in your country? >> why not all women want to live happy lives for themselves and their children >> and for these women, it meant leaving behind a thousand memories to find their future. >> oh, it was so humbling to meet these incredible women and to hear what they had to go through to get here. >> by the way, that song was beautiful that they were singing. >> yeah. it was the song their mom sang while they cooked. but i just couldn't get over the

fact that on one hand, they have all of these hopes and dreams for their own children >> yeah. >> their 4-year-old son and the woman on spoke to, we are safe now. at 4, he knew that, but at the same time, they are so worried for their sisters in afghanistan. >> and for them to put voice to, like, the hopes and the aspirations of what our country is supposed to be, you know, the women you spoke to saying, in america, you do the right thing. >> it's a good reminder. >> being welcomed is so important. because they are so it's really important >> i think a lot of people want to help. they will probably see there is a way to help out. >> what a good day to help, right? let's use our voices all of them will receive assistance setting up their new lives in america and there are many organizations mobilizing support. one of them, welcome.us is a bipartisan initiative aimed at helping and welcoming thousands of new refugees. to find out how you can help, visit the website at the bottom of your screen >> and we're going to have a lot more tears, stories and inspiring hope he for the

international day of the girl. but first, your local news and weather. good morning. it is 8:26. i'm marcus washington. a micro climate alert is in effect in the bay area with the red-flag warning that is not set to expire tomorrow. kari hall is tracking the conditions. how is it looking? >> we have winds picking up for the upper elevations. the red-flag warning will continue throughout the day for all of the areas shaded in red. this is where we may see the gusts in parts of the north bay and east bay hills. up to 60 miles an hour.

we have extremely dry vegetation and very low humidity headed our way. we will continue to monitor that. our temperatures are still on the cool side. we will see that continue for us today. tomorrow, more of the same. by 5:00 is when the red-flag warning expires. after, that the winds calm down and temperatures head up. we will see warmer air headed into the bay area for the end of the week and first part of the weekend. for san francisco, we could see gusts reaching over 35 miles an hour. already breezy. it will stay windy throughout today and then warming up by the end of the week. marcus. thank you. we will have another local news update for you in 30 minutes. i'll see you back here then.

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when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by comcast business. powering possibilities. ♪ this girl is on fire ♪ >> oh, they are singing our song it is monday morning, we are celebrating international day of the girl "this girl is on fire," man, we have remarkable groups here from new york and beyond on the plaza. we are shining a light on th women of afghanistan >> we're going to share more of their stories, just ahead. >> and, again, one of the organizations aiming to ensure

that they are welcomed, supported and get the resources. they need is welcome.us. in you would like to learn more, scan that qr code on our screen. less ahead, we're going to talk to afghan refugees who are now graduate students. they're living in america and they decided to take what they've learned to start a podcast aiming to help others just like them coming up in a few minutes on the third hour, the celebration continues. two of people's girls changing the world, that's coming up in a few minutes on the third hour of "today." but before all of that, miss huff, how about a check of the weather. >> the weather here is quiet, but not over the central part of the country. now moving into the mississippi valley, severe storms today. watch out for isolated tornados, hail and flash flooding. on wednesday from a different

storm, the same one bringing winter weather to the rockies today will move into the plains and the upper midwest on wednesday. fantastic weather in the east at the end of the week it will be near 80 degrees in new york city good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. red-flag warning in effect and that continues until tomorrow evening. a fire could spread quickly in these conditions. we have to be really careful. winds may gust in the upper elevations up to 60 miles per hour. temperature wise, it is not too warm. we are continuing with the weather from the weekend in the 70s. it is warming up for the end of the week and weekend. san francisco will see highs in the 60s. warmer by the end of the week. >> and that's your weather today. >> thank you, janice and coming up next, two afghan refugees who fled kabul amid the chaos just weeks ago.

they're going to share their experience and their goals and

we are back on the plaza on the day of celebrating girls >> in a moment, we're going to take you live to ft. mccoy and take a look at how they got here >> after a 20-year military presence in afghanistan, u.s. troops withdrew back in august and the taliban swiftly took over the country, igniting fear and mass evacuations desperate to leave, thousands of afghans were air lifted by our troops as part of operation allies welcome now 53,000 refugees are being held across bases in the u.s. waiting to be processed before heading to their new homes in

america. nearly 13,000 are station the at ft. mccoy u.s. army base in wisconsin, the largest group of u.s. refugees being hosted on a base 35-year-old nahiid and 24-year-old marzana are two of the brave refugees who escaped nahiid made several attempts to leave kabul, battling crowds at the airport. and marzana is a paralympic athlete on the women's wheelchair basketball team >> my legs messed up i can't go to my college and study and i can't go to my basketball it's so, so hard for me. >> each of them now hope for a brighter future here in the u.s. >> and we're so pleased to be

joined now live from ft. mccoy ladies, good morning to you both the. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> marzana, we are sitting here marveling at you you came all the way from afghanistan by yourself. you were a paralympic basketball star in afghanistan. what was your journey like and what gave you that courage to leave? [ speaking foreign language ] leave? [ speaking foreign language >> it was a difficult trip to come into usa. and i think the six days to come

in here and -- >> it was difficult for her to reach the u.s. she made several attempts. she's feeling fine right now, but until she got to the base here, she had gone through many difficult things >> marzana, we were just marveling at your story. we were picturing you going through the airport by yourself in that wheelchair gone through difficult things. >> marzana, we were just we're so happy that you're here safe and nahiid, you had left afghanistan prior. you got your education in india, got your master's degree in germany. you came back and you found

yourself fleeing once again. so i'm just thinking as you sit here today and you reflect on what's going on, what thoughts go through you when you think of your home country of afghanistan? >> thank you so much for that. that is a very important question in that how all girls, all young girls and my age are thinking about we went back home to serve our country, to reconstruct, to have part in developing afghanistan in the past 20 years and once again, i think when i i -- when i -- when kabul fell, i saw building shattering to its foundation that's how it felt today as i'm sitting here, i'm still thinking about thousands and millions of women, especially girls who are deprived of education right now. and it has been 23 days since girls have been able to go to secondary school

and it's -- i really think it's so shattering to think that women and girls in afghanistan are deprived of their basic rights and as a girl who has received education and this is my second time leaving my country. the first time, just the reason that i left afghanistan is i could not go to school and i have had the chance to be educated it's just -- it pinches me so far to say millions of girls could not have that opportunity to be where i am today in a couple of years from now if the situation continues to be like this >> and what are your hopes for this new life, what your hopes .

are, what her hopes are, nahiid. [ speaking foreign language >> i wish i could start my basketball again and i can make a good future for myself i think i believe in myself. >> we believe in you, too. nahiid, what's your dream now? >> my dream, it's not only about my dream, i think. as an educated afghanistan woman, i have my responsibility as a person and as a nation, i want to have a professional life in usa but be empowered enough to help people back home that's my only wish. >> you are well on your way, both of you. thank you for your voices. thank you for your time. thank you for your courage it was lovely to be with you this morning

>> beautiful thank you ladies so, so much we have a lot more ahead, including two sisters from afghanistan eager to show other refugees they are not alone. the important message they want to share with the world. to share with the world. but first, this is "today"n o i drop off and pick up my kids from school so, i can't work early. or late. and i need to make enough to make it worthwhile. i can only work two days a week. and it can't interfere with my other job. i can do full-time. just not daytime. and i need benefits. good ones.

and you know, it would be nice if you paid for my tuition. like all of it. ♪ ♪ ♪ alright, here we go, miller in motion. wha — wait, wait, is that a... baby on the field?? it looks like it, craig. and the defensive linemen are playing peek-a-boo. i've never seen anything like that before. harris now appears to be burping the baby. that's a great moment right there. the ref going to the rule book here. what, wait a minute! harris is off to the races!

we don't need any more trick plays. touchdown!! but we could all use more ways to save. are you kidding me?? it's going to be a long bus ride home for the defense. switch to geico for more ways to save. we are back on this international day of the girl. scan the qr code and learn more about welcome.us. that's an organization that helps refugees. >> and we're hearing some stories of some aspiring afghan girls and women. but others who have had similar experiences are not always eager to share them. but there are two sisters living here in the u.s. and they are wanting to change that. >> it was very much survival mow

mode. >> growing up under taliban rule in afghanistan, they were no strangers to fear. >> we all had to change our name. >> for years, their family was forced to live in hiding, their ethnicity making them targets of the tally boone. >> had they found you, they would kill you, take you somewhere, you wouldn't know where. >> they were able to get out. zarah, 20 years old, lena, only 18 when they left their family in afghanistan to start new lives. both women now pursuing their masters degrees. zahara at george washington university, lena finishing her studies at oxford in england while living in washington, d.c. >> i saw with education i could change my life. >> and wanting to share stories of other afghan women. >> i had to leave.

i had no other choices. >> it's not easy to start life from scratch in a foreign country. >> the sisters creating a podcast last spring. >> generally, women don't have platform in afghanistan. >> there needed to be a space to hear other stories of women and for women to see their stories in those adjourn niece of you are not alone. you are important. you are value. your voice matters. >> their mission taking on new importance in the wake of the taliban's recent return to power in afghanistan. back in august, zahara and lena franticly worked to get their family out, fearing each call with the other sister still in kabul would be their last. >> she just screaming her kids almost died. >> their family eventually made it to a military base in new jersey and have been there ever since. lena and zahara are still waiting for the day they can all reunite. for now, they want to make sure

the choice of other afghanwomen and girls are louder and more empowered than ever. >> lena and zahara are here with us. ladies, before we get to everything, i've noticed it's been such an emotional day for you today. tell us why. >> it has. it's incredible to see the inspiring stories of so many afghans shared here and having a platform, but also it's heartbreaking to see what's going on in our country, to see girls not having access to education and over three weeks now the girls from secondary school cannot go to school. so it's heartbreaking to see what's going on. >> and both of you were refugees, you left the country, you've been here for six years, zahara, for ten, but to see a young refugee who has been here a matter of weeks, she's learning the language, does that bring back memories of your own experiences? >> it does. when i moved to america, it was

very difficult because you're away from the culture, the things that you know you're learning something as simple as something new and it is bringing -- i'm just finding myself thinking back to the time when i just felt lonely, very frustrated trying to learn different things, the culture and so many different things about america. so, yes, it is bringing memories. >> one of the beautiful things that you sisters are doing is you're amplifying the voices of african people, afghan women especially. how do you know that your message is touching people? how do you know that? >> first of all, we've been given such an opportunity for us to be connected to researchers to have the platform to amplify these voices and to uplift these voices. we're getting message of support of how incredible our episodes have been, our guests that we have had and just yesterday, we saw ladies tag each other on linkedin. you should be on this podcast.

i want to be on this podcast. so we're really seeing people find ago sense of community and a sense of hope in each other's messages and each other's stories. >> i love the title of it. which means tea and cake. have some tea, tell your stories and other women can relate to that but to alleviate some of that sense of loneliness. i imagine you all are resources, as well, for one another. this is how i did this, this is how you go after this challenge, that kind of thing. >> we hope that we are we are doing is helping other women not to go some place in america, but to realize that what we all go through, we all have in common. we leave our home country, we go to a new country. all the feelings, the sadness of leaving the joy of maybe hope in future, all of that is normal and we're trying to bring a picture to that that people can relate. >> one of the last pieces of the puzzle for you guys was seeing

your family. you haven't yet been able to see them. they're at a military base in new jersey. any word on when that day may come? >> so we're getting news that hopefully they will be resettled this week and they can leave the base but, of course, a lot of things are still moving so we don't know if that is for certain or not. but we're hoping to see them either this week or next week so we can -- the reunion is going to be beautiful because we have been away from them for so long. >> oh, it is. it will be so sweet. thank you so much. i'm glad you have each other and for sharing your voices and to connect with other refugees. the experience is shared and i'm sure it's so meaningful. >> and both of you will be back as we continue on this morning with our coverage of internatiol day of thena

and there you have it-

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want to say how thankful we are for this phenomenal international day of the girl crowd who came this morning. >> she showed up early. they had all this energy. we thank you. and, craig, we didn't forget the girl dad. craig is over there with another group. >> you talk about some energy, this is a lively bunch. and here is the thing. it's a school holiday. you ladies could have slept in and you decided to come out. so thank you. this is the mary louis academy. is that right? raise your hand if you're part of the mary louis academy. first of all, what's your name? >> olivia. >> how does it feel being here this morning? >> it's absolutely amazing. i'm surrounded by so many young girls every day and to have the opportunity to come here and listen to everyone's stories, it's a day i'll never forget. >> how old are you? >> i'm 17. >> my god, you sound like a 32-year-old. >> so impressive all morning. and i -- first of all, what's your name? >> adriana. >> and today is an extra special

day for you, i understand. >> it is. it's my 16th birthday. >> 16. sweet 16. i stepped up and you asked me to do something. >> i did, actually. i asked you to sing happy birthday to me. >> which i've never done this on television, but for you. ♪ happy birthday to you happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ happy birthday, adriana happy birthday to you ♪♪ happy birthday. you're going the do great. happy 16th. thank you. thanks for all you ladies are doing and best of luck to all of you. okay? >> thank you. >> send you back over to my two favorite ladies. >> thank you, craig. that is beautiful. any other birthdays in the crowd? raise your hand. happy birthday to you, too. >> a copy of hoda's podcast is

available now. >> it's a powerful conversation about lye and love so hope y'all enjoy it. >> our coverage is still continuing. we want to make sure that you look at that qr code if you can get involved in the refugees and their placement and what it's all about. we'll be back here after these messages.

good morning. it is 8:56. i'm marcus washington. red-flag warning in effect for the bay area. meaning higher fire danger. this also means pge is planning to cut power to reduce the risk. 25,000 customers may lose power.

it includes people in the five bay area counties. alameda, sonoma and napa county is expected to have the most outages with 2,500. the red-flag warning is expected to remain in effect until tomorrow afternoon. bob is monitoring the shutoffs. you can check our twitter feed for the updates.

one east bay county taking measures to avert misinformation. >> a red-flag warning in effect. join us tomorrow morning at 4:30

to 7:00.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> good monday morning to you. welcome to this third hour of "today." it's monday, october 11th. i'm craig melvin. our cousin of the show is here. it's going be a special morning. >> i know we speak for a living. i wish i had better words. i wish i could describe the energy here on the plaza this morning. >> how cool is this? >> how cool is this?

>> the celebration of international day of the girl.