money. the today show starts right now. we hope you have a great friday. we will see you back here on monday morning. good morning. breaking overnight. ready to deal? the u.s. and russia now set to discuss a prisoner swap after wnba star brittney griner is sentenced to nine years in prison. just ahead the outrage from fans and fellow players overnight and what russia is demanding now. public health emergency. the u.s. makes it official as monkeypox cases continue to skyrocket. this morning, who is most at risk, the danger to the wider population, and are there enough vaccines? one-on-one with the white house

dr. ashish jha. senate breakthroughs, democrats reach a deal with holdout kyrsten sinema on the massive economic plan and what got dropped from the deal to get her vote and what happens now. brutal heat. the hot temperatures intensify across the country, breaking records across the northeast. >> today is the hottest day ever. >> and extreme storms including the lightning strike near the white house that sent four to the hospital. >> it's surreal. i have never seen anything like this in my entire life. >> al's forecast straight ahead. all that, plus to lease or to buy, a touch choice for car shoppers facing record prices. this morning, what you need to know before you head to the dealership. and camera-ready. exclusive and adorable new images of the cincinnati zoo's newborn hippo. we will take you there live to tell you how you can name this very big baby, today, friday, august 5th, 2022.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with savannah guthrie, and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." it is friday morning. 7:00 a.m. on the west coast. and boy, it's like applebee's. >> steak -- ♪♪ >> oreo shakes. with some whipped cream on the top, too. and "fancy like," we have walker hayes, the crowd has been bouncing and the perfect way to kick off a friday. >> perfect day. perfect song. luckily walker knows all the lyrics even if we don't. new developments this morning concerning brittney griner and a new movement toward a possible prisoner swap with russia. >> that country's foreign minister saying overnight russia is quote ready to discuss the topic. secretary of state antony blinken responding a short time ago saying the u.s. will be quote pursuing it. >> let's get to nbc chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this is the case the administration says should have never have gone forward. griner's sentenced after pleading guilty saying she left in a hurry and packed cannabis oil vape cartridges less than a gram into her bag when she flew to russia earlier this year. the biden administration says it will be working around the clock until she and paul whelan are back on american soil. overnight, a signal from russians they are willing to talk. wnba superstar brittney griner staring down a lengthy sentence for drug possession and smuggling, and nine years in russia's penal colony shy of the maximum. despite her pleas for leniency. >> i had no intent to break any russian law. i made an honest mistake. and i hope that in your ruling, that it doesn't end my life here.

i know everybody keeps talking about political pawns, and politics, but i hope that is far from this courtroom. >> reporter: back home, her team the phoenix mercury pausing for a moment of silence before the tip-off thursday night. fans responding with shouts of "bring her home." the focus of her fate could lie in cambodia where secretary of state blinken and russian counterpart sergei lavrov are at a security forum. overnight, lavrov saying moscow was open to further talks on a prisoner swap. blinken responded. >> they are prepared to engage through channels we've established to do just that and we'll be pursuing that. >> reporter: caged in the courtroom, griner also speaking directly to her fans in russia, where she plays in the off-season. >> i want to apologize to my teammates, my club, the fans, and the city, for my mistake that i made, and embarrassment that i brought to them.

>> reporter: president biden calling on russia to release her immediately so she could be with her wife, loved ones, and friends and teammates. >> i couldn't imagine being in that situation and she was so courageous. >> reporter: the president has approved a proposal to trade convicted arms dealer viktor bout and paul whelan, an american businessman who already spent four years in a russian jail. >> not a great environment and i think he needs to focus on the day-to-day survival. >> reporter: russia's counteroffer long with bout, russian spy also jailed in germany for murder. >> we think this is a bad attempt by the russians, knowing it is not a serious counter offer, just to cloud up the wares. -- the waters. >> reporter: griner's team plans to appeal the decision which they say is absolutely unreasonable. now the question, is vladimir putin ready to make a deal for griner and the jailed american businessman? savannah? >> andrea, thank you. we move now to the rising concerns about monkeypox in america. it has now been declared a public health emergency by the

biden administration. that move comes on almost two weeks after the world health organization did the same. and in the last week, three states have issued their own emergency declaration. with more than 6600 cases, the u.s. is facing the largest outbreak in the world. the total cases have doubled about every eight days, since may. so that brings us to dr. ashish jha, the white house covid coordinator, here with the public health emergency, and they say 6,600 cases, the probable alarm, and wondering what does this mean and why is it a public health emergency. can you explain? >> absolutely. good morning, savannah. thanks for having me back. a public health emergency declared by the secretary of health and human services allows us to speed up vaccines and make treatments available, allows us to gather more data more efficiently.

and really this is about the government taking this very seriously, about putting more tools into our toolbox, as we fight this fire, but as you said, 6,600 cases, we will see that increase as we ramp up testing and make testing even more widely available. but thankfully, no one has died of that in the united states and we will do everything we can to both get the cases under control and obviously make sure that people don't end up getting particularly sick. >> you mentioned the toolbox, the w.h.o. have unlocked that toolbox by declaring a public health emergency and the united states doing so. >> are we playing catchup here? >> the w.h.o. is obviously looking at the situation across the whole world where this is out of control in many countries. obviously, there are specific states where the cases are more concentrated. we're looking at it across the country. and we're looking at across the nation, when is the appropriate time to make that declaration. the secretar human se he made

and whatever progress we need to make that it was appropriate to declare a puiclt emergency. >> the cdc director says the highest risk population in the u.s. amounts to about 1.6 million people. as we understand it, we only have enough vaccines for about a third of those people. so how concerned are you about vaccine supply? >> so we have enough doses of, first doses for about two-thirds of those people, and we're working on getting additional. to remind people, there is one small company in denmark that makes all of the vaccine for the whole world. and we have secured more doses than the rest of the world combined. we've got to do more. so we're looking at and not just looking at, we're working on expanding it to american manufacturers who can make those vaccines, and we are going to quickly ramp up vaccine manufacturing here in the u.s. and elsewhere, to make sure that there is global supply, and certainly make sure that there is enough supply for all americans who need it. and right now the group that needs it is a very specific population, gay and bisexual men

and we want to make sure we get vaccines out to that community. >> i was going to mention that the federal health authorities are saying it is primarily affecting this population of men who have sex with other men, and how concerned are you that it could spread into the wider population and what is your message to that community this morning? >> so my message to the community of gay and bisexual men, we obviously take this very seriously, part of the reason that the administration has declared a public health emergency, and we will continue to work very closely with that community. not just to get vaccines out but make sure testing is easily available and make sure people are getting treated when they get it. but the broader community, what i would say obviously we're going to continue monitoring. about 93% of cases, so pretty much every case, most cases, are in that community. so i think for the rest of us, for the rest of america, let's keep watching and see as far as whether it spreads much beyond that community. but right now my hope is that we continue to do what we are

doing, we will be able to contain it. >> all right, thank you so much. appreciate your time. >> thank you very much. and an overnight break through on capitol hill, a bill aimed at reducing inflation appears to be headed toward passage after democrats finally reached the deal with holdout arizona senator kyrsten sinema. nbc white house correspondent peter alexander joins us with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. politically speaking, this is one of the biggest cliff-hangers of the summer. kyrsten sinema announcing late yesterday that she was support moving forward with the climate, tax and health care package. that announcement came after days of lobbying from fellow democrats.ea this is a big deal. it clears the way for a shrunken down version of president biden's domestic priorities to get through what is a 50-50 senate. remember just last month it seemed like the president's agenda was dead. well, sinema negotiated some changes to this deal, but it would still include the largest climate investment in the country's history, it would

lower the price for some prescription drugs and expected to reduce the deficit and perhaps most importantly, democrats and many economists say it will help bring down inflation, but republicans dispute that, hoda, they are united against it. >> let's talk time line for a second, peter. if democrats do have all of the votes they need, how soon may it be before we see this bill passed? >> reporter: that's a good question. the top senate democrat, chuck schumer, he said he would move forward with the bill tomorrow. he wants to get this passed next week. i think simply speaking for democrats, this would be another huge legislative win going into the midterms this fall. to be clear they are still facing plenty of political head winds, historic inflation, high gas prices, even though those are starting to come down, and of course the president's bad poll numbers but it would give democrats something to run on with a series of popular policies. hoda? >> peter, thanks. to a frightening scene that happened at a ceremony in new mexico, a large suv driving through the crowd injuring

multiple people. nbc is on the story this morning. hi, erin. good morning. >> reporter: the small city of gallup, new mexico, is reeling this morning on what was supposed to be a celebration of native american culture and heritage, turning into a nightmare, and it all happened in a matter of seconds. sounds of celebration eroding into screams and chaos as an suv drove through the crowd during a ceremonial parade in new mexico thursday. panicked parade-goers seen running for cover. >> it came straight towards us. the vehicle. >> reporter: the terrifying moment during a celebration of native american culture and heritage in the small city of gallup about two hours west of albuquerque. >> i want to state to everybody, and thank them for their quick action, getting out of the way,

our police officers telling everybody to get out of the way. a lot of the folks that were in the straight-away, they are all okay. >> reporter: city officials say no one was struck by the suv, but according to the new mexico state police, multiple people were injured in the ensuing panic. including two police officers who were treated at the scene. officers seen surrounding the vehicle, pinning two people on the ground. authorities now say all three people inside the suv have been detained. with the driver in police custody. thursday's incident just the latest example of community parades targeted by violence. last november, in wisconsin, an suv plowed through the crowd during a christmas parade. crashing into people head-on, fatally striking six. and just last month in illinois, a fourth of july parade turned deadly when a gunman opened fire, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others. gallup city officials say there was a secondary report of shots fired but police say no weapons were found in the vehicle that drove through the parade route. the investigation is ongoing.

savannah? >> all right, erin, thank you very much. 13 minutes past the hour. craig joins the table. >> good morning, good friday morning, folks. it is going to be another scorcher today. for tens of millions across the country, after they saw numerous records broken here in the northeast. mr. roker is ready with today's forecast and the weekend outlook, but first, nbc's sam brock is in dallas, a city that is coping with nonstop heat and, get this, no rain for two months. is that right? >> reporter: good morning, and it's true. month of no rain and heat. it is never a good sign when the temperatures don't even drop below 80 degrees overnight in dallas. which is now, craig, looking at its 41st triple-digit day of the year so far, or roughly double the annual average. and it comes as the northeast right now is seeing record temperatures that they have not seen in a decade.

this morning, texas is bracing for another torture, temperatures in dallas expected to break 100 degrees again today, marking three straight weeks of triple-digit highs. >> it's been forever. >> it's been forever. >> you have to keep cool. >> reporter: but that's been a struggle. the heat and running the ac, pushing power usage past 78,000 megawatts during peak hours. not quite reaching the record of 80,000 benchmark that many feared could strain the aging grid. and the relentless heat is stretching out across the lone star state. the humidity levels cranking the feels-like temperatures up to 111 in some areas. san antonio and austin, both tally 54 100-degree days this year. the most either city has ever recorded. rising temperatures are baking the northeast. albany, new york, reaching 99 degrees, the hottest it has been there since 2011. and a heat emergency declared in boston, which at 98 degrees thursday, breaking a record set almost a century ago.

>> it is hot out here. today is like the hottest day ever. >> reporter: the heat index in dc climbing to 105 thursday, despite heavy storms. >> there was a loud boom. and some lines sparked. >> reporter: this morning two people dead and two in critical condition after an apparent lightning strike in lafayette square, near the white house. just a mile away, this earth cam video taken at the washington monument showing strikes around the same tim >> it was raining while we were giving chest compressions. and just an awful thing. i hope and pray that these people survive. >> reporter: and as for historic floods, washed out power in kentucky last week, some 3,000 people are still living without energy. as temperatures there rise, too. >> we burn up at night. >> reporter: with a substantial cooldown not expected until next week, millions are trying their best to beat the heat. and only days ago, a teenaged girl in chicago was critically injured by lightning. in a typical year, maybe 20 people will die from lightning

strikes, but already so far this year, there have been nine deaths, five more who are critically injured. the odds of being struck, less than one in a million. >> sam brock for us in texas, thank you. al's got his eye on the heat once again. but he's not in the studio. he's in new york harbor. he's across the statue of liberty aboard the coast guard majestic tall ship eagle. historic ship. aboard a legendary ship. our legend, mr. roker. how is that for an intro on a friday? >> reporter: hey, thanks, guys. i got to spend the night here with all of these coast guard crew men and women, and it has been spectacular, we'll show you what we have been doing. but in the meantime, i've got to tell you, it is beautiful out here. nice cool breeze. even though's about 80 degrees. the rest of the country, not so good. and in fact let's show you what we are talking about. 63 million people from the plains into the northeast looking at heat advisories and heat warnings. as it the heat is not going anywhere unfortunately.

jet stream to the north. big dome of high pressure. you can see the feels like temperature in dc, triple digits, in maryland, richmond, virginia, approaching that in new york city, and boston, and a little on the cooler side, but still 92 degrees. and then for tomorrow, we're looking at that heat in the triple digits, feeling like tulsa, memphis, near that, nashville, st. louis, feeling like 102, 107 in omaha. in fact, as we head into next week, look at these temperatures, upper 80s, to low 90s, for louisville, and 90s for new york city, and dallas again, right near the triple digits, and in fact, as we go into the week after, we still have more of the same record-breaking heat possible, much warmer than average, in the central plains, all the way up into the upper mississippi river valley. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

wayfair always delivers small prices for big dreams. ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need ♪ happy friday to you, i am meteorologist, kari hall. we are seeing a few clouds. the sunshine is coming through the clouds, making for a nice day. as high temperatures go to the upper 60s, we have upper 70s in hayward. we have low and mid 80s for some of the all right, guys, so the

coast guard started 1790, alexander hamilton, alexander hamilton, didn't throw away his shot i'm not going to throw out my shot, and we will be here all morning long, at least i think i am, they may actually push me over the side because i've been pretty annoying. >> never >> we look forward to it, al we will check back with you coming up. an emotional and hard-fought victory in court, a decade in the making, for the parents of sandy hook victims we will have reaction and what it could mean for other trials going forward. and then later on, car shoppers facing a tough decision, tell us, vicky, should we buy or should we lease? righn >> it is a red hot market with record highs right now, so i will break it down for you whether it is better to buy or to lease and what to do if you savannah lease right now savannah lease right now for years, california's

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and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. look at today's top stories, including breaking news out of oakland. a large fire is burning in a building at a local area, burning your edgewater drive. this is just off interstate 880, near the coliseum. we have video from a citizen app, showing large flames and smoke in the air. the responding firefighters said other recent fires have broken out at the same. so far, no injuries are

reported. activists have been occupying an oakland elementary school will speak later this afternoon, at noon, to discuss what happened yesterday in a confrontation with school officials. members of the public try to push their way into parker elementary school. there was commotion and shoving. people were yelling at school security to let someone go. parker is one of dozens of schools in the district plans to close or merge. the community has been fighting hard to keep it open. they say the closure affects students of color. will check in with our meteorologist, kari hall, for the weekend forecast. we have really nice weather in the inland areas. antioch will be in the mid 80s today. we will continue to see that weather throughout the weekend, with lower humidity. that will be the key to make it feel nicer. san francisco and the culture areas will see highs in the

60s. we have sunshine during the weekend forecast continuing next week. a that looks beautiful, thank you. i will be back in another 30 minutes with another news update for you. we hope to see u then. yo

♪ come ♪ it is 7:30 friday morning 5th day of august, 2022. come sail away the coast guard just turned 232 years young. to mark that dedication, al is aboard the hoerig eagle, crew with the cadets hoisting the sail they call it hauling the line. >> hauling the line. >> al is right there in it >> wow >> oh, it's happening. >> ho, ho, ho. >> heave ho.

>> go, al. keep going i mean oh, wow it takes all my discipline not to make a crack about that >> i know. oxygen oxygen >> al is going to tell us all about -- there he goes. >> we'll get to all of that in just a little bit hate to say goodbye to al but we will be back with him in just a second. let's head to our 7:30 headlines. we begin overseas. china announcing this morning it was halting cooperation with the united states in a number of areas, including dialogue between senior level military commanders and this comes in retaliation for the visit in taiwan this week by house speaker nancy pelosi china's foreign ministry announcing sanctions against pelosi herself and the speaker's immediate family, in addition beijing says it will halt climate talks with the united states.

former vice president dick cheney is calling former president donald trump a coward in a new television ad supporting his daughter liz cheney in her re-election campaign. >> in our nation's 246-year history, there has never been an individual a greater threat to our republic than donald trump. >> cheney goes on to say trump, quote, he tried to steal the last election using lies to keep himself in power. and that comes with liz cheney in the hotly-contested race between cheney and harriet hageman. exciting news for football fans w previewed yesterday, the nfl is back pre-season action kicking off last night right here on nbc and the annual hall of fame game >> loving that tonight third and 8 for stidham. he's got space to run for the first down and runs for the touchdown. >> that was the las vegas raiders backup quarterback the 12-yard touchdown run.

the raiders beat the jacksonville jaguars 27-11 by the way, the other 30 teams in the league kick off their pre-season next weekend. it is very interesting, now until the middle of february, you have college football, pro football, every weekend. >> happy campers out there >> craig, thanks. now to a trial that has been closely watched and a lega victory for parents who lost their young son in the sandy hook shooting. >> a texas jury ordered the far right conspiracy theorist alex jones to pay more than $4 million for his false claims calming the massacre a hoax. >> that number could go even higher with jurors weighing other damages today. nbc's anne thompson is on the story for us good morning. rip the vote was 10-2 to make alex jones pay for his lie, the money falling far short of what the parents asked for but their attorney says it's a good start. this morning, a victory for justice, in the defamation trial of conspiracy theorist alex

jones. >> i will accept this as the verdict of the jury. >> reporter: a jury ordered infowars host to pay $4.1 million for the lies he told about the 2012 sandy hook school massacre that took the lives of 20 children and six educators. >> sandy hook is a synthetic, completely fake, with actors, in my view, manufactured. >> reporter: alex jones did not show up to hear the verdict but the parents of 6-year-old victim jesse lewis did, the same parents jones claimed were so-called crisis actors and who brought the suit against him for the pain caused by his unfounded tale that it was all a hoax. >> i can't even describe the last years of the living hell that i and others have had to endure because of the negligence and recklessness of alex jones. >> jesse was real.

i am a real mom. there is nothing that you could have found, because it doesn't exist, that i'm deep state, it's just not true. >> it was during the trial that jones finally admitted - >> 100% real. >> hours after the verdict, jones took to his infowars platform with this response. >> i admitted that i made a mistake. i admitted that i followed disinformation, but not on purpose, i apologize to the families and the jury understood that what i did to those families was wrong. but i didn't do it on purpose. >> reporter: jones went on to claim that's why he wasn't ordered to pay even more neil heslin and scarlett lewis asked for $150 million in compensation, the jury's $4.1 million falling short of that number but still far more than the $8 offered by jones' attorney a dollar for each claim. >> it's really, really nice to be able to turn and look at my clients and say he can't get off scott-free for this.

he can't. >> and this could be the beginning for legal problems, this is just one family suing. >> he's got other lawsuits that he's facing from the other families he also has two potential areas of real trouble from this case one of the potential a perjury charge for lying on the stand and the other the attorneys for the family said that he had been contacted by the january 6th committee, which is looking into jones' role in the rally and riot that happened at the capitol, they want those text messages that his attorney mistakenly turned over >> perjury is potentially a criminal charge. >> exactly. >> ann, thank you. coming up, we'll take a bit of a turn here we have that breaking news yesterday, roughly around this time, about the arrival of cincinnati zoo's new baby hippo. this morning, we're there live with some brand new images of that newborn. first, vicky is here with money-saving advice, if you need a new set of wheels. >> to buy or lease is the big question i'll tell you where to find the

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allow us to reintroduce ourselves, folgers. which side are you on? americans who believe liberty and justice are for all, or traitors inciting violence against our country and trying to take away our freedoms? which side are you on? people who work for a living and care for our families, or the trump republicans who block everything our families need? this november, it's time to show which side you're on. vote for democrats. ff pac is responsible for the content of this ad. we're back with today's "consumer confidential," a series exploring the many things that are impacting our wallets these days >> yeah. it has been one road block after another for car buyers recently, and now even an option that a lot of people turn to, which is leasing, is starting to get out of reach. >> yes, nbc's consumer investigative correspondent

vicky nguyen is here with a look at what is behind it and what you can do about it. >> hey, good morning, craig, hoda, and savannah leasing, it is a really popular short-term alternative to owning two years ago, prices were at rock bottom. now, they're at record highs we're finding fewer deals but with a little planning and resilience you can still drive off in the car of your dreams. chip shortages, empty lots and high demand, the formula adding up to record car prices in july, 2020, the average lease cost $466 a month. two years later, and it's a record high, $594. that's a 27% increase. the average new car's monthly payment is $686. experts say consider leasing instead of buying if you want a lower payment, you don't expect to put on a lot of mileage, and you like changing cars every few years. >> i like how small it is. i love the gas mileage >> taylor is a flight attendant in new york who needs her honda

civic to get around. >> back in august, 2020, i got an amazing deal, it was zero dollars down for $250 a month. >> but with only one year left on her lease, she is already struggling with how to replace her car. >> what are you finding now when you go back into the market? >> i am finding $3,000 down for maybe $350 to $450 a month for the same car >> and at the end of a lease, what would the price difference be >> right now, at the end of my lease, i am going to have to pay $9,000, and currently, if i were to start another three-year lease, i will pay anywhere from 21 to $23,000 dollars. >> the company for edmunds that crunches national sales numbers for consumers. >> if you go back into the environment for leasing, it won't look the same. >> he says don't expect dealer incentives this is a seller's market. if you're shopping, check manufacture websites for monthly lease specials they do exist. be flexible on your make and

model. compare the dealer quote to prices on edmunds and kelly blue book to make sure it is in line with the market average, and most importantly, plan ahead, at least three months in advance of when you need the car. >> today, inventories are depleted cars are already spoken for. number one, look ahead to the future see what is available. and you might even need to order something before it shows up at the dealership. >> and one tried and true method - can you negotiate at all in this environment? >> you might be looking at prices that are 5 or 10,000 dollars msrp those are asking prices and in some cases you might have to take those, and the old adag if you don't ask, due get. >> leases also come with interest but it is called a money factor so be sure to ask the dealership to convert that number to an interest rate so you know what you're paying, especially with rates on the rise broadly speaking, are sedans or suvs or trucks cheaper to lease? >> you know, honestly, there

really isn't a great place to find a leagues even though w have seen gas prices shot up, you would expect that the large suvs, their values would plummet, and incentives involved, and that is really not the case >> fortunately, if you're like taylor and your lease is expiring you may be in a good position, especially if you trade in your car early, and almost certainly worth more than it was a few years ago >> so what's the best advice for folks who are in the car market right now? should we buy now, should we wait for later, are prices starting to come down? >> if you're buying now, you absolutely need to shop around like we talked about each dealer will have different incentives and you can pit them against each other if you're going to wait, you're going to wait about a year to 18 months it will take about that long, but they feel pretty good that things will normalize in the next 12 to 18 months if you can, absolutely, you'll get a better price, but if you need one right now, shop around. and shop early. >> a year and a half >> yes. >> thank you, vicky. 7:44 let's get another check of the weather. mr. roker, how are things

looking at new york harbor >> so far, so good we are anchored right now, just off the statue of liberty. and you can see, this ship, it is about the size of a football field, 295 feet, three massive schooners and these coast guard cadets are checking the steering when we come into new york harbor, we will be basically parallel parking, so they got to check the steering and make sure it is all going well and so far, so good. all right, let's talk about what is going on as far as your weather is concerned we've got some severe weather to talk about we've got flooding flood watches out in the southwest. where they're getting monsoonal moisture in the ohio and mississippi river valleys, we are looking for flood watches and flash flood warnings heavy thunderstorms now already firing up on top of already saturated ground this stationary front is going to hang around, bring locally heavy rain possibly today. flooding also possible tonight

into tomorrow as it stalls across the ohio river valley rainfall amount from two to thre inches back through the plains you can see the clouds rolling over the bay. san francisco is nice and sunny. temperatures are in the 60s and 70s. you can see clouds in mountain view. it is reaching 79 degrees. we have low 80s in san jose. as you look at the seven-day fo guys, three massive schooners, the tallest mast, 150 feet, that's like a 15-story building it is unbelievable and we're just getting warmed up we have more coming up a little bit later. back to you. >> beautiful, al

we will see you in a little bit. coming up next, the new pride and joy of cincinnati. we will be live at the zoo there. an adorable hippo, baby hippo, not even two day old, already taking the world by storm. the hippo cam is live this morning after this for what? a trip to bora bora? bora boring. okay, you know what? i'm in. she's all yours. want some tacos? -eh, i'm not really in the mood. -yeah, you're right. so messy, all the napkins, those different toppings. -actually, i'm in. -yeah, you are.

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zoo. >> the in depth investigation continues. take a look, guys. exclusive new images still no name yet but all accounts the adorable little guy or girl, we don't know, and with mom, bibi, of course, they are doing very well. >> joining us with more is jenna wingate the senior hippo keeper at the cincinnati zoo. good to see you. you were present, am i right, you were present for the birth you witnessed it tell us what you can >> i witnessed it with my ears, so i was lucky to be in the barn and trying to and trying to give bibi her privacy so i was watching with the camera and i heard a plop, an i ran in and observed the baby was alive and kicking and got out of there quickly >> fiona was premature, and this baby is pretty much to term, right? is she healthy we don't know if it's a boy or girl, though i'm calling her she.

he or she? >> correct we do not know the gende yet, but this baby is strong and healthy, considered completely full term and we're so excited to watch her be a mom this time and do it on her own. >> is it true she was on birth control? >> that is true, yes, a true statement. >> we were puzzled >> two females pregnant who were on birth control scientists are looking into it >> a younger man, right? >> he's a stud yes, he is 19. >> that makes bibi a cougar. >> okay, okay. >> what's the deal with the baby naming how can people get involved in that >> yes, so if you check out the cincinnati zoo website, we have a banner that you can click on and we are taking suggestions right now. that's all we know for now but we would love to hear your suggestions. check out the zoo's website and send those in. >> you will get an avalanche from our folks here, jenna are you feeding them

is it feeding time >> yes, so this morning, tucker and fiona are enjoying yellow squash and romaine lettuce, they had their grain earlier, they eat a lot of timothy hay but fiona here is going to grab some squash >> a big old scoop thank you. guys at home, if you want to help the baby, go to today.com, submit your favorite. >> love it. >> thanks, jenna. >> thank you. >> hoda the hippo. >> hoda the hippo. >> okay. >> why do you think that would be good? >> because it's great name >> cincinnati. >> i just blocked it out >> walker hayes is here. >> walker hayes is here. with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months... and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year,

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♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ good morning, on this friday morning. here is a look at what is happening now.>> reporter: we are live in san francisco, [ indiscernible ] is set to start. there are no vaccine requirements needed. that does have some people raising red flags, especially with the ongoing covid-19 surge and monkeypox outbreak. the mayor, city health officials, and organizers say, let the music way. three-day passes are sold out this weekend. there are still single day general admission of tickets available. for those going elsewhere, let's check in with meteorologist, kari hall.

we have a mix of sun and clouds as you go out the door this morning in walnut creek, and all across the bay area. we are seeing temperatures that are starting out mild, but headed for the low 80s today. it has been cooler than recently. it will reach 79 in martinez. san francisco will be in the upper 70s throughout the weekend. some of the warmest spots will reach into the upper 80s. you will notice we have lower humidity throughout the weekend. san francisco will continue to get highs in the upper 60s. we will be back with another local news update in half an hour. we hope to see you then. until then, we send you back to

large out-of-state corporations have set their sights on california. they've written prop 27, to allow online sports betting. they tell us it will fund programs for the homeless. but read prop 27's fine print. 90% of profits go to out-of-state corporations, leaving almost nothing for the homeless. no real jobs are created here. but the promise between our state and our sovereign tribes would be broken forever. these out-of-state corporations don't care about california. but we do. stand with us.

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. it's 8:00 on it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, summer scorcher. tens of millions under heat advisories once again as extreme temperatures take over much of the country. parts of texas hitting triple-digit highs for three straight weeks. >> you have to keep cool. >> coming up, your full weekend forecast including when relief might be on the way. plus, al aboard. >> heave ho. >> mr. roker hitting the high

seas on the "eagle." the legendary ship used as a classroom to show cadets the rope. >> you learn more about yourself. >> the inspiring story of this vessel and how old-school training helps young sailors embark on their next mission. ♪ and fancy friday, country music star walker hayes set to make his debut. the crowd is revved for a fun concert. grab your bourbon street steak with the oreo shake because it all starts now. "today," friday, august 5th, 2022. ♪♪ [ cheers ] >> here on today from illinois! >> shaker heights, ohio! >> cape floral, florida! >> south dakota! >> it's my 18th birthday. >> from frederick, maryland. >> for walker's alma mater. birmingham southern college. go, panthers! >> walker hayes! >> celebrating the birthday --

>> mother/daughter trip. first concert ever. >> walker hayes! ♪♪ >> good morning, everyone. welcome back to today." welcome to friday. that was a crowd and for good reason. >> we've got walker hayes in the house. he's going to play a little "fancy like," a little song that -- for you, mr. craig. a song called "craig" each though you called me -- even though you called me hip open. that's how i real. >> that's big news. yes, we'll get outside in a minute. something else, by the way, that's special and unfolding here in new york. al roker woke up this morning on the u.s. "eagle." the true there observing morning colors, as they get ready to set sail. a live look here at colors being observed on the ship. we're going to have more of al's adventure, as well, coming up in a few minutes. >> what a beautiful inside look we're getting. a real treat. we'll get back to al in a

minute. in the news, it's 8:00. and unfortunately, no relief from the record-breaking temperatures that have so much of the country living under heat advisories. nbc's sam brock is in sun-baked dallas, i should say sun-cooked. no rain for months there, sam. >> reporter: it's not a great combination, savannah, of no rain and all of this heat. the projection today in dallas is 103 degrees. under normal circumstances that might generate quite a reaction, but not for a city that has already seen 40 days so far of triple-digit temperatures. that is also true for cities like san antonio and austin. they're at 54 for the year. new benchmarks for those cities. if there is some good news in all this, it's the fact that texas' aging electrical grid so far has perched well. -- performed well. they had extra capacity of 4% or 5% even with the usage. there were no calls for conservation. up and down the east coast, the stories now, soaring temperatures and storms at boston's logan international airport.

they saw a 98-degree day yesterday. the highest such mark in almost a century. and in washington, d.c., the heat index climbed all the way to 105 as there was a lightning strike right across from the white house. we've now learned two people have been killed. two other criticly. the two who died, a 75 and 76-year-old couple visiting from wisconsin. it seems like more lightning strikes this year, there have been. 11 killed, three other critically injured this week. back to you. >> thank you. stay cool. appreciate it. the fate of wnba star brittney griner could depend now on high-level talks about a possible prisoner exchange with russia. a russian judge convicted griner on drug charges yesterday. sentenced her to nine years in prison. griner made an emotional plea for leniency just before that verdict. she said she accidentally packed cannabis oil vaping cartridges when she traveled to russia in february. secretary of state antony blinken will be talking with his

russian counterpart about a swap to free both griner and accused american spy paul whelan. in the breonna taylor case, shower current and former louisville police officers have now been charged in connection with her 2020 death which touched off nationwide protests. nbc's ron allen is here with the latest on this. ron, good morning to you, sir. >> reporter: good morning. it's the first time any police officer has been charged directly in connection with taylor's death. kentucky state prosecutors have said the officers who opened fire acted in self-defense, but now four face federal charges for allegedly violating taylor's civil rights >> it still hurts. >> reporter: tamika palmer, breonna taylor's mother, has been counting the days hoping for just >> i've waited 874 days. >> reporter: federal prosecutors have charged four current and former louisville police officers with civil rights offenses, unlawful conspiracy,

unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction in connection with the killing of breonna taylor [ chants ] >> reporter: her death igniting a storm of protests across the country. the 26-year-old emergency medical technician killed in a hail of police gunfire during a botched drug raid at her apartment. >> breonna taylor should be alive today. >> reporter: attorney general merrick garland accused three officers investigating a drug case of lying to a judge to get the search warrant being executed that night. wrongly claiming there was a connection to taylor's residence, but neither taylor nor her boyfriend were involved in the case. >> we allege that the defendants knew their actions and n falsifying the affidavit could create a dangerous situation, and we allege these unlawful acts resulted in ms. taylor's death. >> reporter: the fourth officer accused of violating her rights by using excessive force, firing into her apartment through blinds covering a window and door he had been found not guilty earlier this year in state court, only charged with

recklessly firing into a neighbor's apartment [ chants ] officers with her death said in a statement, "i'm proud of the work of our investigators and prosecutors. >> he was dead wrong it didn't start with him, but he had the first -- he had the right to do the right thing, and he chose not to. y'all learning what we've been seeing, what's the truth, that they shouldn't have been there and that she didn't deserve that >> supporters remain angry that the officers who shot taylor are not among the four charged the justice department continues a wide-ranging investigation of the entire louisville police department, its policies and practices. so there could be more fallout from this case that has caused so much outrage. >> stunning development yesterday. ron allen, thank you thank you. we'll move to the story of three new jersey boys who did not have to spend a night lost in the woods thanks to a dog with a good nose

the friends, they were age 7 to 9, decided to go exploring they rode their bikes down a path and walked a couple miles along a creek. then they realized they had gone too far. one of their worried grandmas called the police and a k9 unit went to work he found the boys' shoes and tracked down the explorers shiloh was rewarded with a treat, and the boys, they were grounded yeah >> that's the way it goes. how she locked herself out dad she went through a teeny, tiny opening in a window. take a look. >> the window -- >> right >> i'm going boost you >> i don't know if - >> wait. >> what is she doing >> okay, got a little complicated. didn't know where to land once

she did get through. after several minutes, the sisters seemed to accomplish their mission. it turned out to be kind of for nothing because then dad got home >> what -- she gets in, right? >> oh! [ laughter ] >> come on come on. >> oh, my gosh >> right then -- >> my gosh >> okay. you know, dad showed up thankfully one of the sisters had set up their phone to record it because as she says, she knew it was going to be good which it was >> by the way -- laughing about that for years they're going to be telling their grandkids about that >> hilarious like, hi, i'm homees it in, he's what's going on? >> he was probably like, what? still ahead this morning, we're going to get to "pop start" and will big newsk"joker.

mr. roker standing by to take us aboard the only active duty sailing ship in the nation's military. you manning that thing yet >> reporter: talk about manning, we're talk about -- look at that, manning the yard this is how they traditionally greet their -- their friends and family as they come into port. i'm going up there no, i'm not. we're going to show you what it takes to sail america's tall ship when we come back don't go away. then i saw something that got me thinking. i'm still feeling depressed. what do you think about adding rexulti? it could help. when taken with an antidepressant, rexulti was proven to reduce depression symptoms an extra 62% compared to the antidepressant alone. so, you can stay on your current treatment and keep moving forward. rexulti can cause serious side effects. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. antidepressants may increase suicidal thoughts and worsen

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this 239-foot, 95-foot, three-masted schooner. it is unbelievable it's a legendary ship. not just for the coast guard but for america's armed forces it's where these cadets learn to be the future leaders of the sea. and as they say in the coast guard, this is where they learn to be always ready >> heave - >> ho! >> this is america's tall ship built in 1937, it's sailed the world. serving as a sea-going classroom for more than 100 trainees at a time every cadet who attends the coast guard academy spends at least five weeks at sea literally learning the ropes >> you learn more about yourself than you will ever learn anywhere else. >> on board, cadets put into practice what they've learned in the classroom, including specialized training in navigation, sailing, and engineering, all while learning

to work as a team. how long does it take you to get this all shined up >> super quick >> pretty quick. >> reporter: this unique experience is meant to challenge young cadets admiral linda fagan knows these challenges all too well. once serving aboard the "eagle" when she was at the academy. >> i wanted to serve in the coast guard. i knew i wanted to graduate, be an officer that was my plan and somehow now, 41 years later, here i am. >> reporter: in june, she was named the new commandant of the u.s. coast guard, making admiadmira fagan the first to lead the u.s. military you are the first female head of one of our armed forces. what does that say >> i still haven't completely internalized the significance of it i understand it. we graduated the first class of women from the academy in 1980 i arrived at the academy in '81

and started -- this has been a journey that i've been on. >> reporter: a journey that started with hoisting sails just like this. the "eagle" is a three-masted sailing ship with more than 20,000 square feet of sails and six miles of rigging >> basically this is sweat equity that you see. it's a beautiful day, there's not much wind. this will be pretty easy imagine a dark, stormy night with a lot of wind and people up having to handle the sails it's a little more exciting then >> reporter: and set sail under captain jessica rossy oaks >> welcome to the bridge >> reporter: thank you here on the stern, the captain works with cadets navigating the ship from steering - three wheels >> three wheels. >> reporter: i mean, this is old school >> it is it is. it's not a joystick. >> reporter: to plotting the ship's route using paper charts. >> the cadets will plot this while we're underway to make sure that we know where our position is. >> reporter: i would think your weather briefings are pretty

important. >> very important. every morning at 7:30 we have someone that gives us a weather report so they'll stand in front. us, they'll be looking at the charts, you know, give us what the sea state is, where the high pressure, low pressure system. as a sailing ship, we need to find the wind. >> reporter: right with smooth sailing ahead, this class of cadets is ready to embark on their next mission >> i'm excited for the organization i'm excited for the country. we got an incredible group of talented people that are stepping up to serve and ensure that we -- we are safe as a nation >> reporter: and joining me now is captain jessica rossy oaks. thank you so much for having us here as the first female captain to lead this ship, what does it mean for this team of cadets as you help shape them, as they move forward in the coast guard? >> well, i'm truly honored and blessed to be -- follow a long distinguished line of commanding

officers of "eagle." the coast guard is an incredible service. we're on board to help inspire those future leaders that are going to serve in the coast guard. and really to serve this nation. what an incredible experience. >> reporter: in fact, i'm wound one of those who believe the coast guard doesn't get the credit it deserves you have so many missions that have to be done to help protect our country. >> you're right. the coast guard really is everywhere anywhere you look out along the coast of the united states, i think the coast guard is there and every piece of america i thinks that the coast guard's there. not a lot of folks know what we do, you're right we're proud of what we do. we have an incredible group of coast guard. >> reporter: it's been since 2017, since the "eagle" has made it into the port of new york that's got to be special >> it is it is really special so 2017, we're back in one of america's greatest cities. we're anchored here off the statue of liberty, and it's a special time for us. >> reporter: all right captain, thank you so much for having us.

let's take a quick look, show you what's going on as far as your country's weather is concerned as we look at this gorgeous ship. you can see for today -- we'll be looking at strong storms later today in the northeast more flooding, though, unfortunately for our friends in the mississippi river valley severe storms in the northern plains record high in the second -- the central plains and look for gully washers cont good morning, i am meteorologist kari hall. we will be slightly cooler today with low humidity. as we go throughout the weekend, we are looking at more of the same. we have an early start next week. san francisco is not seeing any changes in the weather. we have a mix of sunshiny clouds with highs in the 60s. that will continue into the middle of next week. we should see by the way,

>> by the way, it's no coincidence we're in the shadow of lady liberty here about 43% of the cadets on this ship are female. so - >> wow >> reporter: a lot of diversity here in the coast guard. and especially on the "eagle." >> awesome >> and a special shout out to my brother-in-law who's watching now who greeted from the coast guard academy, lieutenant commander andrew zarniak >> cool. >> thank you, mr. roker. thank you so much. by the way, if you have creative kids at home you want to check out saturday today. peter alexander has a great story for us it is about a company that turns your kid's works of art into stuffed animals and he was there when a big group referred their -- received thei finished products for the very first time tomorrow morning. are you all ready? best time of the day >> best time of the day. >> ladies and gentlemen, "pop start," lady gaga, the singer and actress just landed her next big role she is headed believe it or not

to gotham city and stepping alongside joaquin phoenix in the upcoming joker sequel. she confirmed the big news yesterday on social media. this is what she shared on social media yesterday take a look at this. ♪ >> let's not give it away to much with the trailer but we know the film is called "joker: folie a deux." >> french. >> thank you very much. >> madness together is the translation. i practiced all morning. shared madness unfortunately you will have to wait a while to check this one out. days it is scheduled to arrive october 4, 2024, five year exactly to the day after the first movie made its debut it's going to be a good one. >> is she like the girlfriend, do we think? >> we don't have a lot of information. >> je na sais quois. >> yes

>> next up, we're talking about lizzo. we all know the grammy winner loves to make music we can dance to, and she did it on the plaza this summer, one of the greatest concerts we've had, and a sweet tiktok, lizzo is sharing her emotional reaction to see one young fan attempt to match her dance moves from the "abou damn time" video look at this ♪ okay all right ♪ ♪ it's about damn time ♪ >> oh, as the song says, the little girl, she is crying, because she loves you. she shared this with the caption, this is is exactly why i do what i do, it's the beauty, no one can stop you. >> love that >> all right, coming up next, get ready, straight ahead, walker hayes, and we're going to get a great treat just ahead

walker hayes and family. >> oh, yes >> first a check of local news and weather after these messages good morning, the historical research commission could consider eight landmarks for federal or historic designation. that does include san francisco's palace of fine arts, built as a temporary installation for the world's fair back in 1915. also under consideration, the site of the marina shipwreck located in the waters in sonoma county. the ship sank in 1926, after serving in world war i. if approved, the designations at the state level can lead to

more funding, modified building codes, and more tax advantages. you want to get out and enjoy these events. absolutely, we will have nice weather this weekend. we are taking a live look outside of san francisco. you can see the low clouds in the distance. that will keep temperatures cooler. we are headed for the upper 60s near the coast. on your way inland, we have a break from the high heat. san jose is reaching 81 degrees. we have mid 80s for livermore. in the seven-day forecast, we have a nice weekend. it will be cooler near the coastline with more clouds and fog. thank you, we have more local news coming up in just a half hour. enjoy the

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♪ fancy like applebee's on a date night ♪ >> this is the moment we were looking forward to all week. a full half hour full half hour of music.

ladies, walker hayes [ cheers ] he is ready to treat us to an unforgettable concert. >> man >> we love you we are huge fans you know hoda is probably your number one fan i was going to ask you for a favor. you know it's her birthday this -- next week >> everybody, it's hoda's birthday next week >> let's go. >> ready. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ happy ♪ happy birthday dear hoda ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ [ cheers and applause >> thank you, that was super sweet. i'm very touched >> we'll never sing with walker hayes again. by the way, we will stick with the country theme on the third hour and not only will walker be back, but a special place where

city kids are getting a taste of the ranch life and important lessons along the way, all the result of one viral moment you guys got to see this. idris have stars lined up for next week. idris elba will be here talkin about a rogue lion and beast, and jimmy fallon will stop by, we'll have a good time with him, and he is rebooting the iconic gave show "password. >> and we have another first class concert next week as well. jack harlow. jack is going to be on the stage. one week from today. and this young lady will be staying on the plaza, it is a very big week here on the "today" show be sure to tune in every day this week. >> okay, but walker hayes is the man of the hour, and he is coming up, now, look, we got to check in one more time to see if the eagle has landed al is aboard the "eagle" ship, the coast guard ship what is going on >> hey, guys it's happy birthday, hoda.

love you let's show you what we've got going on as far as your weekend is concerned we start off with tomorrow, and we are going to see scattered storms in the mid atlantic, northeast, heavy rain to the northern plains. sunshine along the west coast. and then sunday, sunday, we are looking for the sun to return to the northeast. the heat continues unfortunately in the plains. heavy rain in the upper midwest. and more heat again out especially in the western plains and into the pacific northwest that good friday morning to you. it is going to be a nice day. some of our warmest spots inland will race into the mid-80s. the lower humidity will make it feel much more comfortable. early next week, cooler before it heats up by the middle of next week. in san francisco,

>> and that is your latest weather. guys, i want to thank our terrific crew that put this all together, our technical crew, our producer, aaron farley, and our production manager, ms. kate, and so all of these fantastic folks who were able to put this magnificent piece together here on the "eagle. guys, back to you. >> it is amazing. >> thanks, al. >> thank you, al >> we will see you next hour. but first, it is time for rocker walker hayes, he is about to get this plaza rocking. we'll be back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc ♪♪♪

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the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi.

>> okay, guys, walker hayes, fans are lined up since early this morning all for one moment and now that moment is here. >> the country music star is about to make his debut on our concert stage. >> walker, but before you do your thing, let's check out walker's rise to the top ♪ >> it was the song that became a tiktok anthem. ♪ fancy like applebees on a dat night ♪ walker hayes' fans poste videos, walker hayes posted videos with his kids, charming his way right up the charts. >> that's how we do, how we do. >> since then "fancy like" has been streamed nearly 200 million. ♪ >> spent more than six months at number one on the billboard hot country chart. the country music singer-song writer of more than a decade landed a breakthrough hit an

his first grammy nomination. ♪ >> it was not an easy path before his success, hayes struggled to make ends meet, working at costco in nashville to provide for his family. ♪ he and list wife were high school sweethearts, they have six children now, walker is on his way to becoming one of the biggest names in country music, with songs like - "aa. ♪ >> "you broke up with me." ♪ >> and his new single. ♪ >> this fall he' headlining his first arena tour, the "glad you're here" tour, and now one of country music's fanciest stars is here, making a stop on our citi concert stage okay, are you all ready?

[ cheers ] singing his new single, for the first time on national television walker hayes >> come on baby. let's go ♪ small town y'all town double dutch in the park ice-cream truck failing that emissions test hard got that blow up grinch in the yard and it's march ♪ ♪ high school kid like james hart and while limousines to the te ♪ got olive garden on prom night ♪ ♪ living ya'll life, ya'll life >> come on ♪ ya'll them dads tell them boys, son, walk it off ♪ ♪ ya'll them mamas tell them girls, better keep your legs wh the olive garden ♪ ♪ on prom night, it's good

crossed ♪ ♪ let's go crawl ♪ ♪ living ya'll life, ya'll life. and fun and fun ♪ hey come on. let's give it up for these dancers right here, y'all. ♪ you're the best to walk it of mamas tell the girls let's cross all the men in the stands for quarter point toss lord please we want to ♪ ♪ all about the third row in search on the third row with your arm around your girl like a fur coat ♪ ♪ on a sunday, come monday ♪ we be living that y'all life ♪ rolling in the south ♪ ♪ where it's all football and jesus ♪ ♪ barbershop talking like nah ♪

♪ shut your mouth, my ma's swee tea's the sweetest turn that base up show them how ♪ ♪ ya'll we raise up and, ya'll, we going down, down, baby ♪ yo street in my bronco ♪ i'm talk to you real slow ♪ said where the crawdads crawl ♪ said living that ya'll life, ya'll raise up hands up everybody hey ♪ y'all life y'all life y'all m ♪ i'm talk toa real slow come on takea away y'all ♪ ♪ no thanks but a chicken wing come on ain't no thing but a chicken wing ♪ ♪ living at y'all life y'all rolling in the south all football and jesus ♪ ♪ barber shop talking like ma shut your mouth mama's sweet tea is the sweetest ♪

tennessee we raised up we going down now baby ♪ note yo street in my bronco aim talk to you real slow ♪ said living that y'all life y'all ♪ >> walker hayes, we'll chat with the star of our concert and get more music this is "tod

♪ it's on. my favorite song friday morning, walker hayes fans are here. we just wanted to catch up with you now. you are having an amazing moment >> and not only are you having a moment, your whole family. is you have laney, you have all of your kids here. >> they're all there. >> what's it like, by the way?

can we just say being on tour, they are part of your act, they're part of the show. >> well, it's a lot of laundry and honestly, i don't do it, laney, god bless that woman but it is so good having them out and honestly i feel like i'm getting a little spoiled, when they don't come out, i'm a little lame, i don't perform as well. >> they will perform in a couple of minutes, right? >> they will get up and do that "fancy like" dance. >> that song just exploded we sing it, i think, probably every morning here it's a pump up song for the show were you surprised how it took off? >> you know, my team has video of me calling it like saying hey, this is going to go quadruple platinum, but i didn't mean it. >> and what about a grammy nod for that, too. >> yes >> and it is crazy. >> what was it like performing, this is the first time you've performed "ya'll like" on national television. what does that feel like >> great it pops off live and again the crowd, the energy brought it life and those dancers, too. >> of course you love it

>> your name is craig. >> take it away. ♪ ♪ >> let's go. hey. let's go ♪ ♪ i met craig at a church called redeeming grace ♪ ♪ it's like he understood my "i don't want to be here" face ♪ ♪ i didn't bow my head and smelled like beer he shook my hand, said i'm glad you're here ♪ he says well, we'll all be judged ♪ but he wa never judgmental ♪ and even though my songs don't belong in no hymnal ♪ ♪ he'd quote me my lyrics, slap me on the back ♪ ♪ said man, you've got a gift, how you write like that? ♪ yeah, i know, he sounds cool, right? ♪ not the typical kid from sunday school

i still ain't figured out church yet. even though my songs don't belong but craig i get it ♪ ♪ lyrics, slap me on ♪ just like the man ♪ ♪ now as bright as day just might be tight with it is ♪ >> let's go. mercy me ♪ when you lose a record deal, yeah, all the perks fade fast ♪ dealership said, we're going to need to get that minivan back ♪ so we were down to one car ♪ and broke as i felt ♪ my wife and six kids and only five seatbelts ♪ i needed help but couldn't admit i was struggling ♪ ♪ said craig it is all good but he knew it wasn't hay man i'm praying for you would have been sufficient but nah ♪ ♪ he took a roadside astones a

who other level to sacrificial heights ♪ ♪ slowed up at the ballpark after my son's game one night ♪ in two cars, with his wife laura watching from the other ♪ i sai what in the world are ya'll doing here brother he just laughed inside that old chrysler town and country van with the keys and a title, and a pen in his hand. said man, all you got to do is sign and it's yours ♪ i said no no way ♪ but he wouldn't take no for an answer ♪ he said please do ♪ somebody did this for me once, just let me do this for you ♪ we argued about it for a little while ♪ then i teared up craig smiled ♪ ♪ yeah i know he sounds cool right ♪ ♪ buddy just might be tight witn answer ♪ he said a man that day ♪ ♪ he just might be tight with a man that day ♪ ♪ then i teared up and craig smiled ♪

♪ yeah, i kno ♪ yo baby. hey! ♪ i know sounds cool right not your typical kid from sunday school right ♪ ♪ still haven't figured out church yet but i get not without it hey but he just might be tight with a man that did ♪ ♪ now he ain't the light of the world but bright as day just might be tight with a man that did ♪ ♪ my pride was way too ashamed to be adequately grateful at the moment moment ♪ but i signed the dotted line, and i drove the kids home ♪ and when the cop pulled up beside us ♪ at the light, they didn't have to duck ♪ because thanks to craig ♪ they were all buckled up ♪ >> how good was that walker hayes still going strong and one of

his best coming up next. but rst, this is "today" ofin

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♪ you can't crash my we are back with walker hayes. >> this crowd is going wild for this guy >> what song do you love >> walker hayes. >> what's the song >> "fancy like." song? >> "fancy like". >> well done ♪ hey! whoo come on, new york. help me out! [ cheers ] ♪ my girl banging she's so low maintenance ♪ don't need no champagne popping entertainment ♪ take her to wendy's can't keep her off me she wanna dip me like them fries

in her frosty ♪ come on ♪ but every now and then when i get paid ♪ i got gotta spoil my baby wit an upgrade ♪ ai, ai, ai ♪ yeah, we fancy like applebee' on a date ♪ got that bourbon street steak with the oreo shake ♪ get some whipped cream on the top too ♪ two straws, one check, girl, got you ♪ bougie like natty in the styrofoam ♪ squeak-squeaking in the truck bed all the way home ♪ some alabama-jamma, she my dixieland delight ♪ that's how we do, how we do, ♪ fancy like, oh let's go ♪ fancy like oh come on. ♪ fancy like, fancy like oh, ♪ don't need no tesla, to impress her ♪ my girl is happy rolling on a vespa don't need no mansion to get romancing

she's a supe fine double wide slow dancing ♪t yeah we fancy like applebee's on on a date night got that bourbon street steak with the oreo shake ♪ ♪ get some whipped cream on the top too two straws one check girl i got you ♪ ♪ bougie like natty in the styrofoam squeak-squeaking in the truck bed all the way home ♪ ♪ som alabama-jamma she my dixieland delight ♪ that's how we do, how we do, fancy like ♪ my new, clean blue jeans without the holes in them ♪ country kisses on my lips ♪ without the skoal in them ♪ yeah, she probably going be keeping some victoria's secret ♪ ♪ maybe a litttle maybelline but she don't need it ♪ help let's go yeah we fancy -- ♪ on a date night got that bourbon street steak with of oreo shake ♪

♪ get some whipped cream on the top too the kit two straws one check bougie like natty in the styrofoam ♪ squeak-squeakin in the truck bed all the way home ♪ some alabama-jamma, she my dixieland delight ♪ that's how we do, how we do, fancy like applebees on a date night got that bourbon street steak with the oreo shake with some whipped cream on the top ♪ ♪ two straws one check bougie like natty in the styrofoam squeak-squeaking in the truck all the way home ♪ ♪ with your alabama jamma dixieland delight that's how we do what we do fancy like ♪ [ cheers and applause >> you can sing! >> hi, guys. >> that was awesome. >> walker, thank you >> my kids are here. my mom is right there in the corner my sister is here. everybody came to see you. so thank you

thank you so much. that was fun >> how good was that >> was that fun? >> yeah! >> can i have the microphone >> sure. >> walker you're the best. >> thank you >> fancy, thank you, guys, thanks so much a big thanks to all of you guys. what did you think about walker hayes? [ cheers ] >> thank you >> one more song coming up in the third hour >> a check of your local news and weather. good morning. it is 8:56. music lovers will descend on golden gate park. it will be one of the largest summer festivals on the west

coast. 200,000 fans are expected and they will watch which adds up to more than 100 musical acts. post malone and green day. happening now, we are talking with organizers about what is happening to not only a possible covid surges but the growing monkeypox outbreak. she will have a live report

this morning, in the third hour of today, sweating it out. another brutally hot day across the country. records falling in the northeast, tens of millions are seeing dangerous temps. what to expect heading into the weekend. plus, something to cool you down. dessert. joy bower making super food fro-yo with two classic kid's favorites. and a country kind of morning. we'll visit the urban car girl ranch that is changing lives by putting city kids in the sadd