it doesn't even look like a house anymore. breaking right now at 6:00. devastation in southern california as wildfires forced more than 100,000 people from their homes, many of those neighborhoods are now reduced to ashes and the death toll is rising. we have the latest conditions as desperate firefighters try to get the

upper hand. plus, a final farewell to jimmy carter. we are live in washington as the nation prepares to say goodbye to the former president. this is today in the bay. good morning to you on this thursday. thanks for allowing us to be a part of your morning. i'm marcus washington, and i'm laura garcia. let's get right to the situation unfolding in southern california. at least five people are now confirmed dead from the wildfires spreading on a massive scale from severe santa ana winds. the largest, by far, is the palisades fire. it is now grown to more than 17,000 acres. firefighters so far are only saying the number of homes destroyed is likely more than 1000. we have a live look at the eaton fire burning in altadena. this so far is the only fire where deaths are confirmed. confirmed. and today in the bay's kris sanchez joins us live in san jose with the latest developments. it's just heartbreaking to report all this. kris, there is still a

very tough battle for first responders, and we know that they're coming from throughout the state of california. reporter yes, and it is so eerie, laura, because it's so still here in san jose this morning. and yet firefighters are leaving these conditions and heading right into the front lines of that firefight. firefighters from san jose were the latest to leave and joined the 50 strike teams that the l.a. county fire chief was calling for, and they will have their hands full. we know that just last night, another fire sparked this one in the hollywood hills. it was so dramatic to see, and people were told to get out immediately. the hollywood hills were ablaze. the two. this is as the two first fires were still exploding in size. fortunately, here the evacuation orders were dropped pretty quickly. now our local crews will join exhausted l.a. county crews along the front line, some of whom have already lost their own homes. this is the eaton fire burning in altadena and pasadena, where, as

you mentioned, at least five people are confirmed to have died. in all, at least 10,000 or 100,000 people ar under evacuation orders, including in the palisades fire zone. this was the very first fire and still the biggest fire. this is where the l.a. county fire chief said there is a high number of people who were injured because they didn't evacuate in time. a bit of hope out of the worst fire, which was burning in the san fernando valley. there, firefighters were able to gain some containment. that means they have some control on some perimeter of the fire. firefighters from san jose, sunnyvale, santa clara county, also along the. among the latest to join that firefight. and they are committed for up to two weeks.s. oland, san francisco, fremont, alameda, contra costa and santa clara county fire fighters also sent crews along with oregon, nevada and washington state. we have camping gear. we have everything that we need to be

self-sufficient for 72 hours and also to camp out in the dirt if we need to, depending on where the fire front is. so you might be wondering what the impact of all of our local crews heading down to southern california might be on public safety here? rest assured that the departments don't send firefighters if they can't cover our own territory here. and that's even leading into the weekend, where we could start to see some of those windy conditions, as kari has been mentioning. now, by the way, there is a foundation that is setting up a fund already in case you want to help, because we do feel so helpless up here in northern california. it is the california community foundation. they've been in the nonprofit realm in l.a. county for more than 20 years. so they have proven track record, and they set up the wildfire recovery fund. there is a link on my social pages in case you want to see it, and you can also find it at cal fund.org in san

jose. kris sanchez today in the bay. it's really important to distinguish the ones that are doing the right things, because we always know that scammers can pop up at this time. thank you chris. i want to turn things over now to meteorologist kari hall. and kari, you've been monitoring those intense winds. not as strong as yesterday, but still very strong out there, still very powerful winds. and the red flag warning that continues u until 6:00 tomorrow evening. and it includes pretty much all of southern california, those areas that are at the highest risk of seeing more of those fires that are spreading. when we talk about the decrease of the wind, it's coming down from 100mph. that was the peak wind that we had in the san gabriel mountains in malibu was 85 for that peak wind gusts. and at the burbank airport, 83mph. and eve in the bay area in the north bay and mount saint helena, we had a wind gust at 84mph with this wind event, and currently we're seeing the wind in those areas in southern california, anywhere from 25 to

50mph. so it is still very gusty and we're expecting the winds to stay up throughout today and then gradually starting to calm down just briefly for the weekend. but look at 7:00 tomorrow morning. there's still winds at 50 to 60mph. so unfortunately this threat will continue. back to you. thank you very much. and our coverage of these devastating wildfires continues both on air and online. make sure you stay up to date by downloading our free nbc bay area app. well, in washington this morning, people from across the country are paying their respects to jimmy carter, former president. right now, we want to take a live look. you can see outside of the u.s. capitol, where the former president was laying in state. well, now he is being taken out of the rotunda. he was there since tuesday afternoon. he is only the 13th president to do so. carter died december 29th at the age of 100. friends and family, as well as dignitaries from around the world, are expected to attend the former

president's funeral at the national cathedral later this morning. we'll bring you live coverage of that shortly. but in the meantime, today in the bay's chris pollone is joining us live from the u.s. capitol this morning. and, chris, the entire nation certainly are going to pay their respects to the former president. yeah, that's right, marcus. and just moments ago, you might still be able to see some smoke behind me. cannons fired off a 21 gun salute on the south side ofhe capitol. just behind me here. president biden, of course, has declared today a national day of mourning in honor of the 39th president. throughout the night and into the early morning hours, mourners by the thousands came to the capitol to pay their respects to president jimmy carter, each with his own reasons for coming. i think president carter and rosalynn carter deserve all the respect and that the world can muster. it was a minor sacrifice on my part, you know, to fly up here in the cold weather. they waited in line for hours in frigid temperatures just to spend a few

moments with a president who touched their lives in some way. i definitely revered the man. i mean, he's definitely done a lot, you know, as a human being. and for the world. throughout the day, political leaders and celebrities joined the masses. the president elect and his wife, a supreme court justice artist, trisha yearwood, and the late president's funeral at the national cathedral today. president biden will deliver a eulogy for his late friend. and after that special air mission, 39 will take the 39th president home to georgia for a private service at the church where he taught sunday school for decades. then burial next to his beloved wife, rosalynn. as they waited, mourners reflected on what they'll remember most about jimmy carter. decency. i think that's the adjective everybody uses for him. respect. selfless,

willing to do what was right, even if it wasn't popular. now, a nation prepares for its final farewell to a former president and jimmy carter's vice president and longtime friend walter mondale also wrote a eulogy for the late president. but mondale died in 2021. his son, ted will read that that that eulogy aloud today during the funeral service. marcus, it's amazing he's still abl to be a part of this service there. chris pollone in washington for us this morning. chris. thank you. and today is a national day of mourning. as such, federal offices will be closed along with the u.s. stock markets. but federal workers will still be paid. banks and schools will remain open. nbc news will have full coverage of the former president's funeral starting in our next half hour. now it's scheduled to begin roughly at 630, at which point today in the bay will stream online. you can also find that at nbcbayarea.com

or wherever you stream. it is 609 and here's a live look at sfo where happening today. tsa security screeners are organizing a protest and rally. workers claim they're owed millions in back pay. and we know a rally is scheduled for noon. remember, screeners at sfo are contracted out, in this case to a company called covenant aviation security. we tried to reach out to the tsa early this morning but are still waiting to hear back. we know at least one san francisco supervisor, connie chan, plans to attend. taking a live look outside, this time from the south bay overlooking downtown san jose, kari has got a look at our forecast for this thursday morning. and we are seeing the rain. it's also mainly clear and a look at our current temperatures. temperatures vary widely because of the high winds that we're seeing and some of the hills, those gusty winds create more friction and warmer temperatures. so calistoga is starting out at 65 degrees, while santa rosa iat 36

degrees. so you can see the big range that we're seeing over a short distance as we take a live look outside in dublin this morning. as you're heading out, all clear, start to the morning, but it is chilly. we're in the mid 40s right now. we may dip a few more degrees, but the sunshine helps warm us up and we'll see those high temperatures in the mid 60s for today, even upper 60s for san jose and low 70s possible for santa rosa, ukiah, san francisco today up to 66 degrees. and we'll be tracking more of the warm and sunny weather. we'll talk more about that coming up. mike has a look at where you can fill up for a bit less. yeah, trying to help folks will start with our best price in the bay area. contra costa county has 355 in concord. at concord. super stop on vasco road. next price here is in vallejo. it's our north bay rep with the low of 359 at central gas on springs road, and finally in the south bay. cupertino's best is 363 at aria gas and market on stevens

creek boulevard. you can check prices around you gasbuddy.com. let's look for movement on the roadway. a smooth flow of traffic around most of the bay. lighter than monday and tuesday this week. but the problem is on the peninsula west 92 still restricted down two lanes. you're too slow. too fast. lanes are blocked by a crash approaching that 101 interchange. that is a problem getting across the san mateo bridge toward the bay bridge.o problems. and at the toll plaza, the backup is there. back to you. thank you. mike. well, a computer, nothing like your average desktop. in fact, our nuclear stockpile relies on it. so coming up this morning here on today in the bay, we're going to talk about this new supercomputer at lawrence livermore lab. and economists worried about new inflation. i'll tell you what's causing the price hikes. plus, i'm sorry i'm late, but rocco had to go to the potty. rocco's just a rock. well, rocco needed a bathroom. oh, well, elmo's glad you're here, because now elmo and zoe can start our playdate. a big

celebration on sesame street. but before that, they're taking over rockefeller center. we're going to show you what the muppets are up to this morning ahead of their big season premiere. keep it here. you're watching today in the bay.

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a cooler start. we're at 50 degrees. still at 9:00. and as we go throughout the day, a nice warm up as our temperatures hit the mid 60s and a lot of sunshine with a very comfortable day. we'll get a look ahead to the weekend and some things we're watching coming up in a few minutes. and right now we are watching oakland 880 moves smoothly. the freeways great over by the coliseum, but getting over to the oakland airport nearby on bart there is a delay. just like yesterday. they've got some mechanical issues, so there will be a delay for the bart to oakland shuttle. you can take ace train ac transit. i'm sorry. ac transit number 73. look at the signs. they'll redirect you. well good moing. very happy thursday to you. so the numbers on the board today are going to be frozen. the markets are closed as part of the national day of mourning for president carter. wall street journal reporting that constellation energy will try to buy out calpine. calpine has lots of energy plants here in

the bay area, including that natural gas plant along 101 in coyote valley. looks like president biden will call for more restrictions on nvidia chips beyond just a ban on sales to china. the white house could announce as early as today it will limit the number of powerful ai cps that can be sold overseas, even to friendly countries. bloomberg, the first to report that full allies like canada, australia and most of europe can still buy all they want. the fed once again worried about inflation, and while it's not naming names, it's worried about inflation caused by donald trump's policies. two specifically, the deportation of hundreds of thousands or millions of workers, which will drive up labor costs and huge tariffs that he's promised against canada, mexico and china. tariffs are inflationary. the federal open market committee on tuesday released the minutes from its most recent interest rate meeting and said they were worried about, quote,

stronger than expected readings on inflation and the likely effects of potential changes in trade and immigration policy. we get the big jobs report tomorrow. also tomorrow, the u.s. supreme court will hear emergency arguments over the ban on tiktok. tiktok set to cease to exist a week from sunday. its parent company, bytedance, will try to argue the ban is a violation of american free speech. american lawmakers worry china is using tiktok to spy on americans. there's case law that supports both one not banning something, you know, because of the idea of free speech, and also previous bans that the american government has made in the name of national security. as we were talking earlier, as we listen to these arguments tomorrow, do keep in mind everyone talks about tiktok being a threat. nobody's ever been able to prove it. it's never been documented that tiktok spies on people. must be something there, though. i mean, it's a lot of talk about it.

yeah, a lot of talk. no action so far. so far. all right. thanks, scott. well, happening today. leaders in science and technology will help dedicate a new brand new, huge supercomputer at lawrence livermore lab. last november, we first told you about el capitan. it's about 7500ft in size. it will help scientists ensure the safety and security of the nation's nuclear stockpile by using threeimensional, high resolution simulations. it's about 20 times faster than its predecessor, a supercomputer called sierra. it's expected to have a lifespan of about five years before the lab will have to swap it out with new technology. technology just keeps changing, getting bigger, better, faster to keep up with it. well, trending this morning. cookie monster may commonly say c is for cookie, but today it might as well be for celebration. yeah, that's because, believe it or not, the street hitting the big five five. yes, 55th season of sesame street. starting one week from today. the new show airs on max

and later hits pbs. but to kick off the celebration, grover, elmo and abby are stopping by studio one to talk about their excitement. we got to sing a song with miss sosa. wow. and we also. oh, and samara joy. oh, my. chris stapleton. we sang a song with him, too. yeah. and mr. michael b jordan came by. oh, that was cool. that was really wonderful. okay, can someone tell me how to get to sesame street? i want to go. yeah. no kidding. right. i've been looking all these years. i've been trying to get to sesame street. all right. look. not only can you see the cast of sesame street, but you can also catch hoda kotb on her second to last today show ever as co-host. yes, the week long hoda continues. that's on today show following today's special report from the national cathedral. a lot going on. all right. well, we found it. that's the closest you're going to get to sesame street. i love it here. i know, as a kid, though, didn't you

want to go? like always? mr. hooper's store and all that. snuffleupagus. i know. the works. right. childhood dreams. oh, you can make it if you just stick with it. see? we're here. there you go. we made it. now let's get to weather. weather, weather. remember that. yes. yes. all right, well, great memories, but let's talk about what's going on right now. just got an update of the drought monitor. and across much of the country and the south, we are seeing the drought conditions expanding. take a look at california. no surprise that we are seeing the drought conditions worsening for southern california. and from ventura county down to san diego, we've seen it go from a moderate drought to now a severe drought. that's the orange highlighting we're seeing there for the bay area. we're still abnormally dry for the south bay and east bay, but not yet getting into those drought conditions. and look at the disparity in the rainfall from

northern california to la. we've seen over 26in of rain in santa rosa since october 1st. that's double the normal value. but then for southern california, they've only had about 4% of their usual amount of rainfall. and the santa ana winds kicked up. and that's going to continue through tomorrow morning at least, as well as the very dry conditions. and then for the poor air quality due to all the fires, people in those areas are having to wear n95 masks. so now we look at our air quality and just yet. now that the wind is a little bit calmer, we are starting to see that smoke spreading around and it is moderate for us, not yet unhealthy. so that's the good thing, is that we are seeing just enough of a breeze that we are still dealing with some good to moderate air quality. and also down in southern california, that wind is blowing directly offshore. the red flag warning continues through friday evening and then ahead we may see the wind picking up once

again going into the weekend. we're still not watching out for any rain until possibly the end of next week. the rain for tomorrow gets so close to northern california, but then it just kind of falls apart before it gets here. so we are remaining dry for quite a while in what's usually our one of our wettest months of the year. so as we go through the forecast, it's also going to be very warm, at least for today. we're going to see temperatures about ten degrees above what we typically see. and continuing with the warm and dry weather through next week. mike, you're seeing a problem still on the peninsula. this continues as you come off the san mateo bridge into foster city. you're going to tap those brakes and then just sort of ride on them. approaching 101 just shy of that connector, we have a crash blocking your two left lanes. it's been there for a while, so this continues to be the snag on your commute across from the east bay. the dumbarton bridge is clear if that is your choice. great drive toward 101. it's 101 itself, not showing any major issues. in fact, no major

issues around the rest of the bay. back to you. all right, mike, thanks. 623 right now and a new chapter for the city of san francisco. daniel lowery sworn in as the new mayor, just ahead on today in the bay. the packed celebration following his inauguration and his promises to the city going rward. we'llfo

a new era begins in san francisco, and with it, celebration. check out the scene last night in chinatown. that's where thousands attended the celebration for new san francisco mayor daniel lurie. it included a free show by grammy nominated electronic musician and san francisco native deja vu. the new mayor last night also helped light fireworks outside the far east cafe on grant street, before addressing a crowd of roughly 800 supporters and dignitaries inside. i'm feeling very calm. i'm feeling like, okay, it is a new era here in san francisco, one that is going to be defined not only by change, but accountability. attendees at the reception included police chief bill scott and attorney general rob bonta, who both promised to work closely with the mayor in

response to his emergency declaration to combat the fentanyl crisis. i definitely feel that there's a lot more progress that will be made. you know, we'll see with the emergency order. when that happens, it can speed things up to bring those to bear here in san francisco to work on tackling some of the organized criminal groups involved in peddling fentanyl. the same with human trafficking, with gun smuggling and gun trafficking, hate crimes, organized retail crime. in a separate address at the public night market, the crowd applauded when he said no one should define the city. but san franciscans. well, we've got a lot more ahead for you this morning at 630, including the latest developments in southern california. we're going to take you to the front lines of the largest wildfire burning this morning. an update on the conditions firefighters are facing. and don't forget, in just moments, nbc news will have full coverage of former president carter's funeral that will start here on nbc bay area

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with those winds being very calm this morning, i believe we can actually make some progress, turn a corner and start to build

some containment on these fires. breaking right now at 630, a chance to turn the corner on the destructive wildfires in southern california. we're live on the front lines with the changes crews are seeing this morning. this is today in the bay. good thursday morning i'm laura garcia. and i'm marcus washington. multiple wildfires still raging in southern california. overwhelmed first responders now dealing with new fires that sparked yesterday. one of them a fast moving fire in the hollywood hills. this is near the hollywood sign. had a lot of people nervous. mandatory evacuations were quickly ordered, but those have now since been lifted and that fire poses no threat. now here is a map of the largest fires burning at this hour. the palisades eaton hurse fires so far, those fires there. we do know that in the eden fire, five confirmed deaths related there. we have a

live look at the palisades fire as well, which leveled pacific palisades. cal fire right now says more than a thousand structures are just reduced to rubble now. it's so sad. this will no doubt be the most destructive fire in los angeles history. we get some of the latest on the ground right now from la based reporter brittany hope. good morning from malibu. we're standing right on pch right now. the closest landmark is dukes, an iconic restaurant that's been here for decades. i'm seeing home after home this morning that has been destroyed. this is on the north side of pch right now on this property. at least two cars are burned. the only thing really left standing is that foundational wall there on the back. and that brick chimney, the property next to it, seeing the exact same thing. and it looks like a third property as well. we have to tell you, we're pretty far west right now of where the fire

reached. we're now officially in malibu. yesterday, the heart of the fire was in the pacific palisades. but thoseinds pushed the flames here. homes on both sides of pch. over here is the ocean. we're using these flashlights just because it's so dark. there's no power. homes destroyed, even motorcycles just left on the side of the road. power lines here as well, but home after home, a lot of it. still smoking this morning. there's little embers. we've counted dozens of homes in malibu along pch so far as we make our way. just feeling so deeply for the thousands of people who have lost everything in this right now. hopefully, as the sun comes up, we'll be

this is a special report. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> announcer: the funeral of jimmy carter. here are lester holt and savannah guthrie. >> hi, everybody. good morning. we come on the air th morning with live coverage of the nation's farewell to its 39th president james earl carter jr., jijimmy cart as he was known. it's a week of commemoration and remembrance. >> the carter family is accompanying the former president's body as it arrives at the washington national cathedral, five miles northwest of the capitol where the state funeral will be held. >> all five living presidents, including president-elect trump, are ex pected to come together n a rare moment of unity.

president biden will lead the tributes today after president carter asked president biden to give today's eulogy. >> we'll also see dignitaries from across the country and around the world gathering in washington to remember a man who won the respect of so many during an incredible century of life. >> supreme court members, members of congress, families, friends and colleagues by the thousands have paid their respects as well, a somber moment of history as president carter laid in state. craig melvin is outside washington cathedral for us. craig, set the scene for us this morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. we're just moments away from president carter's casket arriving here at the national

cathedral. it's a cold and blustery morning here, reminiscent of president carter's inauguration about 50 years ago. when the service starts here at roughly 10:00 a.m., we're expecting an hour, hour and a half of songs and tributes. president biden delivers the eulogy. we just saw andrew young. andrew young is one of the first speakers. jimmy carter appointed andrew young as ambassador to the united nations. he'll be one of the early speakers. there will be a number of folks singing, including garth brooks and trisha yearwood singing "imagine." after he leaves the national cathedral, he'll be taken to

joint base andrews in maryland. from there he'll be flown back to plains, georgia, where he'll be laid to rest next to his wife rosalynn carter. she, of course, passed away in november of 2023. as we watch the casket pulling up here outside the national cathedral, behind the hearse members of president carter's family. his grandchildren will be serving as pall bearers. >> we'll be seeing decades of history in the faces and the eulogies. this is outside the cathedral where the former president's casket will soon enter for the beginning of this funeral. i want to bring in kristen welker, hallie jackson and

senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell. kristen, let me begin with you. your reflections here as the nation says good-bye. >> reporter: i'm struck by the fact you have all the past presidents coming together, this rare showing of bipartisanship to honor the life and legacy of the late jimmy carter, the 39th president of the united states who, of course, served one term. he left after a defeat by ronald reagan. inflation was high. there were american hostages in iran. but his post-presidency in some ways, i think, has become such a critical part of his legacy. his focus on human rights, his focus on community, the carter foundation, building homes for those in need, fighting diseases. in fact, stomping out one

disease throughout africa, and really having that be a model of what he wanted to be remembered for. and he really made the presidency, by the way, a shift towards one focussed on human rights globally. i think that will be a key part of the carter legacyas will, i think, the tone he tried to set here in washington. he didn't enjoy politics particularly, but he enjoyed policy. he understood the importance of it. he is also known for the camp david peace accords of 1978 between egypt and israel which still resonates to this day. i think we'll hear president biden, when he gives his eulogy, talk about that, talk about his accomplishments in and out of office. and the fact he was someone who tried to strike a note of decency throughout his political career. president biden becoming the

first senator to endorse him in 1976 when carter ran for president. back then the two have a long friendship, a long relationship. at times disagreeing and i think some of these past presidents would say they at times disagreed with his penchant for speaking out, for making his perspective known. one final point, i went back to the "meet the press" archives to get a sense of what carter had to say over the course of his 11 appearance. in an interview with tim russert, tim asked him about civility in the age of 2000. he talked about his campaign with the late ronald reagan. he said it wasn't an accepted thing to run a negative campaign. for him, civility, decency, human rights were key. >> let me bring in ie

jackson. we talked about the post-presidency of jimmy carter. can you reflect on how he treated politics after he left the white house, how he inserted himself or didn't insert himself in the political debates of the time. >> reporter: he saw himself as someone who worked on humanitarian causes, somebody who worked to promote peace around the world. somebody who had a post-presidency that in the eyes of historians was more productive than his presidency. when you talk to people close to him, they would tell you that was a misnomer. he did a lot as a president. he's known for habitat for humanity after he left office. walter mondale, his son delivering a tribute this morning, talking about how history will judge jimmy carter differently in the decades after he leaves office than they did while he was in office, given how he left in 1980. he had one of the lowest

approval ratings for any president. look at these images, lester. i'm struck by this moment of bipartisanship for washington. we talk a lot about how that can sometimes be rare in a town like this. i'm looking closely here and i think the front rows are still empty. you'll see the former presidents filing in, different political parties. we saw it at the u.s. capitol as president carter has been laying in state. top democrats, top republicans coming together. former vice president mike pence there, a notable moment as we expect to see president-elect trump and melania trump. it's the first time these two will come into close contact since leaving office four years ago. jimmy carter, we talk about his time after leaving the white house. he was exceptionally close to gerald ford. we'll hear from gerald ford's

son delivering a tribute. jimmy carter talked about how one of the greatest lessons of his life was this bipartisan friendship that meant so much to him. that's the theme and part of the tone you'll see at the washington national cathedral today. >> thanks. >> never forget it was gerald ford and jimmy carter who were political opponents in the 1976 election, which of course jimmy carter prevailed. later that formed a tight bond and gerald ford's -- the eulogy will be read by his son. this is washington in this moment of ritual. in a month of ritual, we saw the january 6th certification, in 11 days we'll inaugurate a new president, president trump. president biden will step down. we're seeing these rituals, kelly, which you have covered for years now. when you see individuals come across the aisle and see the

levers of government, you see the supreme court clerks, you see the members of congress all there paying homage to a former president. talk about the mood in washington right now as we watch these pictures. >> reporter: what is striking is that this is reverence for the institutions that are the foundation of our country. that's part of what will be on display today. every american presidential family of recent generations is represented going back to the granddaughter of franklin d. roosevelt, the family of eisenhower will be president, the children of richard nixon and lyndon johnson will attend. the presidential families, that's one of part of it, they come together and show respect for the office and the man. so much of what is striking about jimmy carter is that he weaved together those two strandnds, the life of a man an

what he could do in service and in community, and the office of the presidency. what he did in governance is to be judged by many over time, but he's also teaching people that you're not simply defined by the office that you hold. it is the span of your life and the impact and what he wanted to do was to take the carter center to the global humanitarian level that it reached. to eradicate a terrible disease in african, which had housands of cases and caused i mmense pan and suffering. now there's just a handful of cases. jimmy carter was a man of humility, but very much a man of ambition. not someone who was overtly politically driven, yet he knew the influence of office was a way to make change. he certainly connected with people who would not be likely

comrades if you will. he went to donald trump as a business man and said i need a substantial donation from you for the carter foundation. they had a civil, pleasant relationship. not the kind of relationship he had with joe biden which was long and personal and politically aligned. president carter said george h.w. bush let him in. he would call jimmy carter and consult with him. other presidents didn't do that so much in the sense that jimmy carter was an outsider and he left the office in his 50s s an went on to at times be critical of the office in contemporary moments. that didn't always sit well. clearly today the respect they hold for him is evident. >> he was an extraordinary individual. to himself, unique in many ways as we've been talking this morning. his humanity and decency and the

model of a servant leader. his faith meant so much to him, teaching sunday school well into his '90s in plains, georgia. as we await the ceremony to begin, we remember the words that have come to mind for so many -- humility, faith, family. the former president's final resting place in plains, georgia. we're about to hear from his son chip with nbc. >> it was a home fit for a future president, jimmy carter's first after leaving the navy. public houses, one bathroom, three bedrooms. >> that was my brother jack's bedroom. >> reporter: chip carter was the middle son of the president. >> my brother jimmy carter was the favorite. he had a room to himself. i had to share my room.

>> reporter: chip and the former president had some bumps along the way. >> i wasn't his favorite son. >> reporter: including problems with addiction. >> i wake him up and say dad, i'm strung out on speed. i need help. he told me to stay in my jeans in the corner and go buy a suit and i travelled with him during the campaign there while he was giving speeches. ♪ on the road again ♪ >> reporter: part of that cure together using music to inspire. >> do you remember the last song the two of you shared? >> it was willie nelson. >> reporter: the former president and chip shared moments that changed the world. the 13 days chip spent shuffling the briefcases of his father and how chip sat by his father's side as he met with mlk sr. and others as the former president

set new policy. the president that never forgot his roots in plains and his roots and family to the end. >> we became friends and we could joke with love in our heart. >> reporter: for six years chip spent days caring for his father. >> we never really had time before that. this was the time i wanted. >> reporter: five days before his father passed, chip learned his father's heart was losing power. >> they all came to me. >> reporter: the former president had given chip the power to make decisions for the family and those times of not being the favorite son, as willie nelson said, it's funny how time slips away. >> to walk the farms with him, he would make steps and never slow down going across the peanut field. it's what i grew up with. >> reporter: and maybe to help him keep up, the president had a reason for planting each peanut row 32 inches apart. >> i have a 32-inch stride too.

>> ichard joins us now. this is the moment outside the national cathedral. we expect e hearse to be brought in for our the state funeral for jimmy carter to begin. richard, to get to sit down and talk to chip about his memories of his father. >> reporter: one of the memories we don't know about, this president was the first to live in public housing in modern history. this evangelical president took the lesson of public housing the way he raised his family, the way he did politics and the way that he worked in family. something that chip shared deeply, that love of working hard to get things done. >> as they say in church, you don't just talk the talk, you

walk the walk. we're seeing president-elect trump and former first lady melania trump entering in. we'll see the former vice president mike pence sitting nearby. vice president gore will be there. former vice president quayle, president bush, president clinton, president obama. it's a who's who of former presidents in this solitary moment where everybody gaers to honor the individual and the office. >> let me bring in "washington post" columnist eugene robinson now. we see president-elect donald trump about to take his seat, greeting mike pence. eugene, your thoughts. >> that's quite a moment, isn't it? as you know those two men have not been close since the trump presidency. i believe this is the first time they've met and spoken since

january 6th, 2021, which was a day we all remember. you know, this is -- it's interesting because today it looks remarkable to see of these republicans and democrats, former presidents, former vice presidents who have such differences. to see them altogether. that seems remarkable. i think back to when jimmy carter was in office, which was a long time ago, it was almost 50 years ago. it would not have been remarkable then. >> i'm going to point out president obama, vice president al gore, dan quayle. >> yeah, and, lester, it would not have been remarkable to see this during the carter years.

you know, nostalgia is -- you know, we have to look to the future. we have to look to the present. but there are things that we have lost from the past and one of them is this -- we have become so polarized, our political culture has changed so much that it's almost stunning to see this sort of commentating and common purpose. >> let's pause for a second. this is a remarkable picture we're looking at. >> if you're a body language expert you're having quite the moment. we saw former president bush come in. president obama stood up. >> president trump a cordial greeting. >> between obama and trump it looks like some words. i don't know if there's been any

reaction between former president bush and president-elect trump. there's no love lost there. >> here coming the clintons. former president clinton and presidential candidate hillary clinton, former senator. it's one of those rare moments in washington where we see these close and personal interactions among people who have led and will lead our country. >> eugene, wondering who among them was influenced by jimmy carter in their presidency. >> you know, i guess in a way they all wewere. certainly bill clinton, fellow southerner. obama and trump too in the sense that they were -- trump especially was an outsider coming in to washington. several of these presidents were annoyed by president carter at

various times during his post-presidency when he spoke out and disagreed with what the current president was doing. they all -- i think all have this amazing respect for him because he was such a significant figure in our history. >> this exchange between president obama and president trump continues there. sharing a moment. of course, president bush there to his -- to president obama's right. >> let's turn to kristen welker as we watch these scenes unfold. it's an extraordinarily chatty moment between former president trump and former president obama. if you've ever attended one of these kinds of services, it's quiet in there. you walk in one by one. they're awaiting the family.

this is a funeral after all. you know, sometimes a little bit of chatter, but mostly it's what you see right there. everyone waiting for this solemn event to get under way, kristen. >> reporter: savannah, when you talk about a body language expert you're reminded how extraordinary what we're witnessing is. the fact that you have president-elect trump and former president obama in this sustained conversation, exchanging pleasantries and smiles, these are two leaders who have taken barbs at one another for years. former president obama, some of his sharpest language for president-elect trump, referring to him as a threat to democracy and vice president kamala harris and second gentleman doug emhoff entering.

you're reminded of the fact that the president's club is so exclusive and so unique, that despite all of the bitter back and forth between obama and trump, they're able to sit there together and exchange what appears to be pleasantries. >> kristen, many have observed in that so-called president's club, jimmy carter was not the -- member of this club. we've seen that the obama and bushes are fond of each other, the clinton and the bushes. there are these relationships. you see images of this from the oval office with all the former presidents gathered, jimmy carter is almost on the outside. he never wanted be part of that club. he never thought of himself as a political insider. he came to washington and left washington and devoted hihis li and post-presidency to service. >> reporter: that's right, savannah. i'm reminded of that image when

former president obama took office and all of the past presidents came to the oval office to deliver their counsel, their support for the nation's first black president, how powerful those images are and were and the fact that president jimmy carter, yes, did give counsel to barack obama, he also was quite outspoken on his middle east peace policy. that created some tensions between the two leaders. he was not a creature of washington and those who knew him, those who worked with him said that that was one of the things he struggled with, the politics of being here, of getting his legislation passed. he was very focussed on the substance. he was not afraid to speak his mind. he was a plain spoken person. that's part of what distinguished him. again, you think back to that moment when president obama first took office. jimmy carter was among those

there to give counsel, to give support. >> it's remarkable. i'll bring in kelly here. it's remarkable to watch the front row there and various presidents. we see vice president kamala harris in the same week that she presided over the certification of the election that she lost. >> reporter: something she called a sacred duty.forward wi that without any personal difficulty having to announce her own name and the fact she had fewer electoral votes. al gore did that as well. he of course is seated among this group. three presidents, bill clinton, george w. bush, and donald trump, were born in the same summer. the oldest among them is donald

trump.