have you been living here? can i have dinner at michael's house? they're having meatballs. don't be back too late. you know it gets dark when they shut off the lights. okay. i can stay. you know, you can just buy the sofas and take them home, today. for a limited time, get up to 15% back on select seating. ikea, the life improvement store. good morning. terror trial. in a day filled with intense emotion and defiance, the alleged masterminds of the 9/11 attacks are arraigned on charges. this as families of the victims watched and the defendants stage a protest. without a trace. hollywood movie executive vanishes, leaving police with few clues, while the manhunt continues. his family says they have no idea why gavin smith disappeared. and out of nowhere! >> coming for the lead, i'll have another! on the outside is closing in. >> in one of the most exciting kentucky derby finishes, i'll

have another comes from behind deep in the stretch to beat front-runner bodemeister and win the 138th run for the roses. the owner and trainers will join us live today, sunday, may 6th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe. remember last week, you took the redeye back from los angeles because you got your "doctorate"? >> yep. >> and i had no sympathy for you. you know, you were up all night, you were exhausted. i had no sympathy. last night, i got in from the derby around 1:00 a.m. i'm exhausted. i apologize profusely for how tired you must have been last week. >> no, no worries. tell me about the derby. >> unbelievable. >> can you get the same sense of the come-from-behind thing when you're watching in person? >> absolutely. you feel it.

you get excited. you know, you feel like you're racing along with them. and you should see the people in the audience. they're whipping at random things and they're yelling and screaming. it was such an explosion of excitement to be there. i advise everyone to get to one of these triple crown races at least one time. just an unbelievable experience. >> it was very cool. how they know when to make their move. >> a lot of strategy. >> nice to have you back here. also ahead this morning, president obama officially kicked off his re-election campaign saturday, campaigning with the first lady in swing states with six months before the election. how will this campaign shape up in the months to come? we're going to talk strategy with david gregory, coming up. meanwhile, it's been more than two weeks since 2-year-old callie harrison disappeared. her family says she disappeared playing on a beach, plut there's another story. also, a sinkhole 100 feet wide has forced a family to evacuate their home in florida, and some other homes are at risk

there. the family of six, we can tell you, they're safe and sound, but they're going to join us live to talk about their harrowing ordeal. >> that video is unbelievable. you read about it, it's nothing until you actually see it and then you realize. >> walking off your back porch. >> really. and lester, check out this video. it's enough to make me cringe. this is a lion at a zoo in oregon who set his sights on this adorable little toddler while the mom videotaped it nearby. the big cat might have mistakenly thought the baby was obviously a zebra, we're thinking, thanks to the sweatshirt he was wearing. we are happy to say everybody is okay and alert. we'll meet jack coming up. jack probably has no idea. but when that's played at his wedding years from now, he'll remember. >> played over and over again. but we start with guantanamo bay, the trial of the alleged 9/11 mastermind, khalid shaikh mohammed, and others got under way on saturday, in what could prove one of the most important war crimes trials since neuron bourg. michael isikoff is joining us now with the latest.

michael, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. here at guantanamo it was a difficult day for a military judge and a painful one for the families of the victims of 9/11. khalid shaikh mohammed and four co-defendants were back in the military courtroom at the u.s. naval station in guantanamo bay for their arraignment on charges they orchestrated the attacks that killed 2,976 people on 9/11. but mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators were defiant, refusing to answer judge robert pohl's questions, look at him or even wear headsets to listen to translations. the judge was irritated. "one cannot continue to refuse to participate and disrupt the proceedings," he snapped. "the reason he's not putting the earphones in his ears is because of the torture that's been done to him," his lawyer told the judge. another accused disrupted the proceedings, by standing up to pray and later shouting out that there had been threats on defendants at guantanamo bay. "maybe they will kill us and say

we have committed suicide," he said in english. judge pohl ordered him to sit down, saying he would address such issues later. during a court break, mohammed and the other defendants could be seen leaning back, laughing and chatting, apparently pleased with their tactics. but family members, some watching here at guantanamo and others on closed-circuit tv at seven sites around the country, were infuriated. >> they have nothing but contempt for our values and our way of life. >> so many people were killed that day, so many good people. >> reporter: defense lawyers said in court what they've been saying publicly this week, that their clients' protests were aimed at highlighting the injustice of their treatment by the u.s. government and the unfairness of the proceedings before military commissions. >> despite the claims of reform, the military commissions are an unjust system. >> reporter: despite the disruptions, the judge moved the case forward but agreed to one defendant's request to read aloud all 87 pages of charges against them, laying out the entire plot. when he granted the request,

binalshibh grinned widely. then while they were read, the accused 9/11 plotters appeared to pay little attention. in the end, prosecutors said they're prepared to start presenting their case in august, but the defendants declined to enter pleas and their lawyers asked for a delay for up to a year. the judge said that issue and others will be on the table when the court reconvenes on june 12th, one more step in the case that many lawyers say can drag on for years. lester? >> nbc's michael isikoff, thanks. the 9/11 terror trial got under way on the same day president obama officially kicked off his re-election campaign. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> let me first start with the trial. we're reminded of two things, that the administration originally wanted that trial held in new york city and had to back down under political pressure. we are also reminded the administration, the president had promised to close guantanamo bay. that didn't happen. at least, is this awkward for

the administration, the timing of this, in an election year? >> well, i mean, it was going to be awkward no matter when it happened. what it really underscores is how complex this situation is, that you have terror defendants that, against whom cases are difficult because of some of the means that they gathered evidence because the trail is so cold, as it were, in terms of the evidence they have against them and because of the political context, which is where do you try them and do you use civilian courts? you've seen what they've already done in a military tribunal, disrupting the proceedings, et cetera. it makes it difficult. and that's why the issue of what to do with these defendants has been so vexing for the previous administration and this administration as well, which is why guantanamo is still open, that it's not altogether clear about how to both offer justice and access to our criminal justice system while also protecting important secrets of interrogation and just basic

safety. >> we noted just six months to go now until the election that the president officially kicked off his campaign, key battleground states, virginia, ohio, trying to fire up young voters. >> right. >> is he trying to tap into the same sense of rock star excitement that he generated during the first run in '08? >> well, he is, and it will be more difficult this time around because there will be a lot of people, particularly younger voters voting for first time, with disillusion. a lot of people losing faith in our big institutions, whether it's media or the banks or government, and i think that's what's playing out in this election campaign. but you heard the president say, in effect, hang in there with me on the economy. and by the way, be afraid, be very afraid of the alternative, because mitt romney doesn't have real ideas to get the economy kick-started. that's a theme you're going to hear over and over again. >> he also says mitt romney is out of touch. is that going to be part of the theme? is that how he'll differentiate himself? >> differentiate or tear him down? there is no question that the president intends to disqualify romney as an acceptable

alternative to the american people. it is what president bush did during his re-election with senator john kerry. i think we're going to see a very similar strategy here. >> what have you got coming up on "meet the press" this morning, david? >> an exclusive and rare interview with vice president biden. we'll talk about all of these issues, including the jobs numbers last friday, so a lot to get to. >> we will see you then. thanks. >> thanks. all right, we're going to get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from courtney regan at the news denim. hi, courtney, good morning. >> good morning, jenna. and good morning, everyone. we begin with the search for a missing tennessee mother and her three young daughters. two unidentified bodies have been found in a mississippi house associated with the 35-year-old adam mays. he has been described as a family friend but is suspected of abducting 31-year-old joanne baines and her children last month. the fbi believes they're in extreme danger. homicide detectives are at churchill downs after an unidentified body was found there early this morning. the body was discovered in one of the barns on the back side of

the downs where the kentucky derby ran on saturday. and a rare tornado ripped through a city about 40 miles northeast of tokyo today, destroying dozens of homes and buildings, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more. strong winds and lightning added to the damage. well, french voters are choosing a new president today. polls suggest socialist candidate francois hollande could defeat incumbent president nicolas sarkozy. the presidential runoff will decide who leads france for the next five years. and voters in greece are also casting ballots today in a general election that could determine whether the country faces more austerity measures or defaults on its government debt. well, the biggest and brightest full moon of the year lit up the sky last night. nbc's charles hadlock explains. ♪ when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore ♪ >> reporter: if the moon seems a little bigger -- >> it's more romantic than staying home and watching television.

>> reporter: perhaps even a little brighter -- >> awesome. >> reporter: that's because it is. >> the event is called super moon, and because it happens once a year, this makes this a somewhat special moon. that's why we call it super. >> reporter: this weekend, the moon is closer to the earth than at any other time this year, an event known to astronomers as parogy. >> it happens that the parigy is taking place at the same time as the full moon. that means that we might be able to see the moon appearing a bit brighter. >> reporter: and larger than a normal full moon. and when it's seen near objects on the ground, like poseidon's temple in greece or a cathedral in russia or a fisherman in florida, it's even more breathtaking. astronaut andre gophers tweeted this from the international space station -- >> super moon sinking beneath the earth's atmosphere. >> you can see all the shapes and crevices. it looks like sparkly diamonds all over it. it's just beautiful. >> reporter: make sure you take a good look. the next time the moon is this

close will be 2029. charles hadlock, nbc news, atlanta. and finally, he may not be a natural born comedian, but eli manning made people laugh last night as the host of nbc's "saturday night live." the new york giants quarterback tebowed and took some indirect shots at brett favre's texting habits, but he saved his best shot for his older brother, peyton. >> maybe now you'll learn to treat your younger brother with some respect, peyton! >> my name is not peyton! >> whatever. >> manning joked that after his two super bowl wins, this was definitely the third most exciting night of his life. i think we've got a new tag line. after i win the super bowl, i'm going to host "snl." >> that's what a lot of people want to do. >> i'll bet you he was more nervous to do that than he was before he came out to play the super bowl. >> you think so? >> oh, yeah. different domain. >> it makes us nervous. >> yeah. courtney, thanks so much. and we've got a check of the weather. crystal egger is here from the weather channel. nice to see you. >> good to see you. we were talking about the super moon and how we couldn't quite get a glimpse of it.

>> not around here. >> not in new york city with the clouds hanging around. but boy, the big picture is showing a large area of severe weather from the southern plains to the upper mississippi valley as we head into the afternoon today. that means large hail, damaging winds, even isolated tornadoes, the threat of perhaps flash flooding because of the storms in south-cesgatedãcf1 flooding2e92 and especially in south central texas moving slowly. here is what is happening where you live. >> and good2 morning. i am storm 4 meteorologist, chuck bell. a full deck of clouds and drizzle and fog this morning. the drizzle and fog won't last all day but the cloud cover will sunshine challenged - >> and back to you, jenna. >> crystal, thank you very much. now to massachusetts, where the search continues for a missing 2 1/2-year-old girl

whose mother said disappeared while playing with her siblings. nbc's michelle franzen has that story. >> reporter: it's been more than two weeks since kayley harrison disappeared on this stretch of beach near rockport, massachusetts. so far, investigators have turned up few clues following an exhaustive search in the water and along the coast. the gloucester toddler vanished, her mother says, while she, cayleigh, and her 4-year-old sister were playing near a footbridge. >> cayleigh was just gone. there was no sound. >> reporter: her parents appeared on "nancy grace" this week and said she looked away for moments to pick up a ball. >> she was just gone. >> reporter: in an earlier interview, cayleigh's father says his 4-year-old remembered seeing a mean guy with a scruffy face when she went missing. >> in my heart, i feel like she's alive and i'm not going to stop looking until we find her.

>> reporter: but police say there is no evidence supporting the 2 1/2-year-old was abducted. the girls were last seen playing near a rocky and sandy creek bed, an area investigators say can be dangerous during high tide. >> yes, the tide was receding at the time. in that particular area, it empties out very, very quickly, very rapidly. so, if somebody were in there, it's a possibility that they could have been swept out. >> reporter: authorities are not ruling out anything, but experts say this case could turn out to be a tragic accident. >> the most likely event here would have been to fall into the water and being carried out to sea. that's not what the family wants to believe, but unfortunately, that may be what happened here. >> reporter: still, cayleigh's parents and police are not giving up their search. for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. up next on "today," i'll have another takes the crown at the kentucky derby. the proud owner and trainers

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talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. simple pleasures shouldn't hurt. talk to your doctor about cymbalta. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. depression hurts. ♪ abracadabra. new hershey's milk chocolate with almonds in pieces. your favorites, in pieces. the kentucky derby is called the most exciting two minutes in sports for a reason, and yesterday's 138th running lived up to the nickname. going into the home stretch it was one of the favorites, bodemeister, bob baffert's horse, with the lead. it was the morning favorite, but i'll have another came charging back from the pack to take a thrilling run for the roses. let's let him cross the finish line, and there it is.

we are joined by owner paul reddam and his wife and trainers doug and dennis o'neill. good morning to all of you and a big old hearty congratulations. thanks for being with us, you guys. >> thank you. >> mr. reddam, let me start with you. it's probably been about 12 hours now. has this officially sunk in, what happened yesterday? >> you know, it sunk in a little more this morning than last night, and confirmation that i'm not dreaming is i have no voice left. >> that's a good thing to hear the next morning. doug, you trained this horse. can you put into words what it means to have trained a kentucky derby winner? >> it's incredible. and you know, it's a real -- i've got to give a shout out to southern california racing, you know. this horse won his preps at santa anita and all his major foundation was done there, and just santa anita, del mar, love it. >> sure. >> just incredible. >> take me through the final 30 seconds here. you had bodemeister coming down the stretch. looked like he was in good

shape, although he came out to a very fast start. where was your confidence as you guys were coming to the last couple seconds? >> for me? >> yes. >> for me? yeah, i was watching it on the rail, so on ground level. and you know, i thought we were going to run second, and it wasn't -- as i could see him get near the wire and passing, it was just all surreal. i could see him stretching out and going for the wire, and mario looked like calvin borel out there and just, i was going nuts. that's all i know. >> hey, janice, this horse comes in at 15-1 odds. you guys were in the 19 position. no horse had ever won from the 19 position before. were there any doubts before this race started? >> no, not really. i know big brown won there a couple years ago and won from out there. so in a way, it's a good spot to be because you avoid a lot of the trouble and everybody gets kind of crowded inside. we actually had a perfect trip. mario gave him just an

unbelievable wide. he was only two or three wide going into the first term and mario did a super job and it worked out great in the end. >> doug, quickly, after the race we talked you and spoke to your son and you asked your son what he wanted after the kentucky derby and he said a hot dog. i guess this is a big deal in your family? has he been wanting a hot dog for a long time? >> it is, it is. we don't have a big enough yard for the pool, so the next best thing is a hot tub. that's all they've been talking about, and to be honest with you, i didn't think we'd be buying a hot tub, but we're going to go shopping here in a few days. so we're all pumped. >> a few seconds left. mr. reddam, quickly, is it too soon to look ahead to the preakness? >> no, it's not too soon. doug was talking about his plan this morning. the good news is the horse came out of the race in great shape. so we'll enjoy today. i think he's going to go to baltimore in a couple more days and we'll look forward, not backwards. >> that's good stuff. i'm sure none of you got much sleep last night, so we'll let you do that now.

paul and zilla reddam, doug and dennis o'neill, thank you so much once again and congratulations. >> thank you. still to come ahead, a hollywood movie executive goes missing. where is gavin smith? first, these messages. my turn. ♪ [ dad ] what's that? you got mommy a mother's day present? from where? whoa. nice. oh, i totally agree... ...she is the best mommy... ever. ♪ it's beautiful. [ male announcer ] save up to 30% on these diamond fashions for mom at kay jewelers. just one more reason kay is the number-one jewelry store in america. what's that? give daddy a great big kiss? ♪ every kiss begins with kay no. you quit? i'm trying nicoderm cq. [ male announcer ] nicoderm cq, the patch with 24-hour smart control technology, lets you celebrate a little win every time you say no to a cigarette. nicoderm cq. quit one day at a time.

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still to come on "today," a massive sinkhole force as a famy from their home in florida. they'll join us live. plus, this video might make you think twice about dressing your toddler in a zebra-like sweatshirt on your next trip to the zoo. first these messages. the capital one cash rewards card

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cloudy start. we will check the forecast in a we will check the forecast in a minute.sw 6th. ! ú breast3 a/39-mile94ipants walkj miles or a 39-mile marathon and a half. (zu2nz. a are starting line is at freedom. indepen are3v to traffic, including maryland and independence avenues. that race starts at 9:00. all roads should re-open around 11:00 this morning. weg5ãwus.v-

good sunday morning, frpb everybody. in spite of all the clouds and fog, there is no around today.ßu a little drizzle aroun first thing this morning. ^tty zd highs will

highs and low 70s. mostly cloudy day coming up tomorrow before the humidity returns we're back on a sunday morning. it's may 6th, 2012. our thanks to the great folks who are spending part of their sunday morning with us out here on the plaza. i'm jenna wolfe alongside lester holt. let's get to everybody here, give everybody a chance to be on tv. they made the effort to come out. still to come in this half hour, we're talking about a real-life hollywood mystery. >> police in los angeles are looking for a fox movie executive. his name is gavin smith. he was last seen driving through his neighborhood on tuesday night. his son has gone on twitter to ask for help. we're going to talk about the search and the mystery going on

out there. then, take a look at this. a florida family is forced to evacuate their home in florida thanks to a gigantic sinkhole. the pictures are absolutely incredible of this. it came within a few feet of their back door. it's actually still growing. we're going to hear from the family live coming up in just a few minutes. >> a pretty terrifying picture. and they had only lived in the house for just a know months when that happened. >> wow. then here's another piece of video we've been talking about all morning long. you may have seen it on youtube. it's a big cat that eyes this toddler on the other side of the glass. could the lioness have mistaken the baby boy for a zebra because of the sweatshirt he's wearing? baby jack and his parents are here. they're going to join us to talk about it all live in just a few minutes. >> i don't have kids, but that would terrify me. as a father, did that -- isn't that just sort of spook you a little bit? >> it did. i mean, you know the glass is there, but you're like, how strong is the glass? >> right! >> and that cat, especially when the cat opens its mouth, kind of sizes it up. >> i'm glad he's here to tell us all about it. i think at 13 months, he'll be able to describe it in full

detail. we want to get one more check of the weather with the weather channel's crystal egger. hey, crystal! >> hey, guys. here on the plaza, we have tons of birthdays this morning, including mandy, turning 35, celebrating in the big apple. have a fabulous time. the clouds are going to break up eventually as we head into the afternoon. expecting a cooler than average day here, but not across the majority of the country. record heat possible across the southern plains up through the mississippi valley. those temperatures 10 to 15 above normal, and then we're also country.4wrd heate ns.zf;c áweather once px ,

clos >> and back over to you, jenna. >> crystal, thanks. authorities in los angeles are searching for a fox movie executive who vanished nearly five days ago without a trace. now his family is making a public plea for help. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: the mystery began wednesday morning when movie executive gavin smith didn't show up for work. >> it's so out of character for gavin to just be off the grid. >> reporter: chris aronson is his boss at twentieth century fox, where smith has worked for almost 18 years. >> he's one of our key players on domestic distribution. >> reporter: smith worked at the fox offices in calabasas, just outside los angeles. he managed theaters in dallas and oklahoma city. he was last seen tuesday night at a friend's house in the nearby suburb of oak park. also missing, his black mercedes, similar to this one.

>> he's never done anything like this before. >> reporter: 57 years old, a married father of three with a successful job. smith's family says they have no idea why he disappeared. his son, a basketball player at the university of southern california, tweeted, "please help me find my dad, gavin smith. more people looking, the better." >> we all miss him, we want him home and we want him home safe. >> reporter: so far, investigators aren't saying much, only that they need the public's help. do you suspect foul play? >> right now, it's a missing person situation. >> reporter: the case of a movie executive caught up in a real-life hollywood mystery. for "today," gabe gutierrez, nbc news, los angeles. >> and now once again, here's lester. jenna, thanks. imagine looking outside your window and seeing a gigantic sinkhole in your backyard. it happened to one family of six in florida who were forced to evacuate when the 100-foot sinkhole came within a few feet of their back door. luckily, they escaped. lou and denise lambboros arose

of their children join us from windermere, florida. good morning. >> good morning. >> lou, it's terrifying to see that sinkhole so close to your home. what's it like for you to see that and know that your kids played in that backyard? >> we're a couple days removed from when it happened. just coming back here is, it's almost frightening for me. it's just because, like you said, i know that my kids played back there. but you know, we feel truly blessed because we believe god spared us from a tragedy. you can look at it as, you know, a natural disaster, but i call it a natural blessing, because you know, i'm thankful i have all of my children. the neighborhood kids used to come over here and play. and you know, i just feel totally blessed that, you know, nothing worse happened. >> well, it's a great attitude to have, and i'm wondering, has it grown any since it was first discovered? >> from the original point, when

we originally came down in the morning, it has grown tremendously. i try not to look directly at it too much. but you know, it, just from images that i've seen on tv, it has grown from what i've seen. now, i don't know if it's grown recently. it's hard to tell. >> it's estimated to be about 50 feet deep, 100 feet wide, as we said. denise, i understand you discovered it. how did you come upon it? how did you realize what was happening in your backyard? >> i just went to take the dog out to go to the bathroom, and that's what -- i went to the door and saw just the earth open huge and just huge chunks of dirt falling in. i witnessed a tree slide down into it, and it took me actually a minute just to stand there to realize what i was actually seeing, comprehend it all. >> you could actually hear this happening as well? >> i did. actually, i did hear something unusual when i first got up, but i thought it was my daughter downstairs, maybe slamming a door, but little booms, little shuffling noises. but it got a little louder as i

was going down with the dog, and that's when i discovered it, and it was unreal. >> and then you go tell lou, and lou, you're probably not quite believing or comprehending what she's telling you. >> she came up, i was still in bed. in fact, she woke me up and said, "lou, there's a hole in the backyard," and i told her, it's probably a warthog. i don't know why it's a warthog, but -- >> i said, no, there's a hole. >> she was shaking. and then when i saw her shaking and the panic in her face, we both ran downstairs, and as we ran down, it was collapsing, the ground was collapsing into itself, and -- >> and very quickly, you guys are out of a house. you had only lived there about three months and you're out of your home. what's your status and what happens now? >> we're doing good. you know, the community support's been great. i've got to say that orange county fire department has been unbelievable. when they showed up, they basically were counselors for us. because you know, you don't expect to wake up and have to move out of your house

immediately. >> instantly. >> yeah, sure. >> and they were basically guiding us through the whole process. they moved us out of the house. they basically took off their fireman's hat, put on their mover's hat, and picked up everything, took it out for us. and they have been so great. orange county, everybody around here, the community has been unbelievable. >> well, listen, you obviously have what's important, and it's standing around you right now. denise and lou lambrose, your family, we're glad you're okay. thanks for talking to us and best of luck to you. >> thank you. >> thank you. up next, little jack's mom thought it was cute, but was the lion thinking lunch? jack's parents will join us next after these messages. when we walk together, we are bigger than cancer. join the world's biggest fight for more birthdays,

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that you look up to me. tell me you like spending time with me. ♪ that i'm doing this right. even if i'm doing it alone. tell me you are proud of who we are. just -- tell me. [ female announcer ] for everything moms need to hear, there's a hallmark card. ♪ a lioness at an oregon zoo may have thought she found the perfect meal. check out this video that's gone viral of the big cat getting just a little excited when she saw baby jack wearing stripes, which i guess resembles a zebra on the other side of the sglas glass. so, what were jack's parents thinking? they're here to tell us. clint and heather baltzor are here with baby jack. >> good morning. >> what are your thoughts when you're actually watching that video now sitting here? >> it's crazy!

we just thought it was a funny video we were going to share with our family, and now it's everywhere. >> does it make you nervous at all to watch it as parents? are you like, ooh, ooh, be careful, be careful! does that make you nervous in any way, especially when she opens her big mouth like that? >> no, we trusted that the zoo had an engineer, you know, properly make the enclosure. so, it doesn't worry us at all, no. that's -- if we thought that he was going to be injured at any point, we wouldn't have taken him there. >> were there other people around that were watching this as well? were they laughing? i mean, were zoo officials a little concerned in any way? >> no. there weren't any zoo officials nearby, but there were other kids around, but the lion just likes jack. >> and what about other parents? were parents worried that maybe you should pull jack away, even though there was this glass? >> not really. it seemed like as soon as it started happening, a lot of people started crowding around and then trying to get their kids up there to get their kids close to the lion, so.

it's amazing. >> as a mom, when you see your kid right there and then you see this lion open its mouth as it's trying -- doesn't that get your heart going just a little bit? >> that was crazy. >> and jack didn't even really respond. he was unfazed. >> no, he likes the cat we have at home and he's an animal person, so. >> wow. either you have a really big cat at home or -- and did other animals come over or just the lion? >> other animals did come over. he got to see the jaguars and the alligator came over. >> now, did this all happen because you put him in a zebra-looking sweatshirt? did you do that on purpose? >> no, of course not. >> you didn't? >> i mean, we all own striped shirts, so -- >> so that was just by coinciden coincidence? >> we didn't even realize he was in a striped shirt until one of our friends posted it on facebook, that he looks like a zibba. >> awesome. well, your video obviously went viral. people are very engaged in this. jack, any final thoughts before we go to break?

>> can you say hi? >> he is mesmerized with that iphone. high five? clint and heather and jack, thank you for being up early with us this morning. let's send it over to lester. now a question you may or may not have considered -- would your kids speak up if they witnessed discrimination? natalie morales is here with a preview of her latest report in her ongoing series for "dateline" -- "my kid would never do that." natalie, good morning. >> good morning to you, lester. well, the parents you're about to meet brought their teens to a demonstration about racial stereotypes in the hopes of teaching us all a very important lesson. it's a subject many parents don't know how to talk about, racial and religious discrimination. >> like, he could be illegal. >> yeah. >> she's a terrorist. that's what people think. >> those negative stereotypes impact each and every one of us. >> reporter: melissa harris perry is a professor of race, gender and politics at tulane university and an msnbc host.

>> we have to give our kids the social tools for how to push back against racial bias when they experience it, because it's not a natural thing to be able to do. >> reporter: hoping for a learning experience, these moms have agreed to be a part of a "dateline" demonstration. they're watching on hidden cameras as their teens are asked to eliminate one of three players for a game called "smart, smarter, smartest." >> elijah? >> seneca ball. >> correct. >> reporter: the girls don't know the kids next to them are actors we've hired to discriminate against this boy, elijah, who is also working with us. how will they react? >> yeah, i think elijah just doesn't look smart. >> doesn't look -- >> whoa. >> doesn't look like he -- >> oh, my goodness. >> -- cares about this. >> yeah, probably wouldn't even be a good team player. >> reporter: they laugh at some of the racial stereotypes but look uneasy. >> look like he might go to inner city schools or something. >> reporter: especially now, decision time. >> i think -- i vote off elijah.

>> i think i'm -- >> elijah. >> reporter: interesting that your daughter, her gut seemed to say this is not right, what they're saying. >> right. >> but then -- >> she's not speaking out. >> exactly. >> do you agree? >> yeah. >> wow. >> reporter: mom. >> wow. >> reporter: it's not what these parents hoped for, but they can see what a tough spot their teens were in. >> she is not going to, like, correct somebody. >> reporter: right. >> i mean, it's very forward to do that. >> it's the laughter, it's definitely nervous laughter. >> reporter: we're doing a show about how kids react in situations where there may be racism or discrimination going on around them. they seemed relieved to find out that the kids next to them were just acting. >> oh, that's why you were so mean about it. i was like, oh, my gosh! >> reporter: i bring in rosalind wiseman, an expert in team dynamics. >> i have like this nervous kind of laughter thing. >> i didn't say, that's not okay, like you can't say that, that's racist.

>> what i would do in a situation like that where people are making coded messages about race, is i would look them in the eye and say, "what exactly do you mean by that?" and let them answer. >> it's one thing to say i don't bring up stereotypes. it's another thing to say, when somebody else brings them up, i am the voice of reason that pushes back against them. and the fact is, most adults would fail that. >> i love you. >> lester, you see there the effects of peer pressure. these are obviously very good kids brought up in really good homes. the parents who really care deeply about this issue, and that's why they were willing to allow their kids to participate in this discussion. but truly, this is an eye-opener for all parents, an opportunity to discuss how we talk about racism. >> this has been a great series, and i know you focus on kids, but a lot of this applies to grown-ups. i mean, the same thing, peer pressure at work. you see something, doesn't feel right, and this is a good point for us to ask ourselves, would we stand up? what would we do? >> that's exactly right. how often do we hear jokes using

stereotypes? and that's what the experts say, the most important message you can send kids is by standing up. if you hear a joke or something that doesn't sit well with you, for you to take a stand and say, hey, maybe not the best thing to say. and in that example, you are sending a strong message to your child. >> once again, provoked an important conversation. >> thank you. >> natalie, thank you so much. you can see the full report tonight on "dateline," 7:00/6:00 central on nbc. just ahead, for years she cracked us up on tv as alice. now linda lavin is doing it again, playing the matriarch of another family, this time on broadway. she'll be with us. first, these messages. something. [ heartbeat ] tell me i'm ready. that you look up to me. tell me you like spending time with me. ♪ that i'm doing this right. even if i'm doing it alone. tell me you are proud of who we are. just -- tell me.

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broadway legend and '70s

sitcom star linda lavin is back in the great white way starring in "the lions," a role that's already gained her critical acclaim. but for fans, she will always be known simply as alice. ♪ there's a new girl in town >> in 1976, there was a new girl in town. >> hello. >> yes. >> it's margaret. >> linda lavin was the right person for the right time in the right role during a time when women on television were starting to make a name for themselves. >> reporter: for nine seasons, audiences knew her as alison. >> tony, i don't want you to eat junk food. >> but i like junk food! >> then eat here. >> reporter: a single mom working as a waitress at mel's diner. >> you didn't tell me i was going to go on television dressed as somebody ooze lunch. >> she was sassy, she talked back. linda lavin's delivery of the sarcastic wisecrack is common gold. >> do you read lips? >> yeah. >> reporter: after alice's story

ended, linda lavin went back home to broadway. >> she landed a great play, "broadway bound," and after alice, she won a tony award for best actress. >> i'm so glad you like my work. >> reporter: now she's starring in a new play on broadway called "the lions." >> i'm dying. >> i know, but try to be positive. >> this play givens linda lavin so many great one-liners, so many great zingers. >> you wanted to kill me. >> it was a whim. >> but it also really speaks to something very personal to her, this desire to restart your life, to find your own identity after being a mother and a wife. >> reporter: a performance nominated for a tony award this week. linda lavin, good morning and congratulations! >> thank you. >> six nominations now. six tony nominations over your career. >> yes. >> and you were laughing watching the clips, because -- >> i was. >> clips from "alice." do you miss doing television? >> i loved doing that show.

i loved doing, having a job every day. >> there's that. >> there's that, and that was nine years. and then in the life of an actor, you never expect to have a job that lasts that long. >> you're so at home on broadway and you're having such a good time in "the lions." i have to read a little bit of ben brantley's review in "the new york times," because he talks about, this is about a family, about a dysfunctional family. he says "whiney, denigrating, vicious, self-centered, recrim entry," but he points out that once again we're going to identify with this family. >> yes. >> tell me about your role. >> my role is a woman who's been married to this man for 40 years. the curtain goes up and we're sitting in a hospital room. he's lying in bed, hooked up to all kinds of machines, and he's dying of cancer. and we haven't told our children yet because we didn't want to bother them. they're very busy. >> we should point out, this is comedy. >> this is a comedy. >> yes, okay. >> this is a very dark comedy by the great writer nikki silver, and a wonderful company. dick la tessa plays my husband. and as you just saw, he says, and i'm looking at home

decorating magazines because i want to do the living room over. and i say things to him like, what do you think of a marikesh scene? and he says, i don't care. and she goes, i know you won't be there to enjoy it, but i like to think you'd like it. >> ooh. >> i know, ooh, but people are exploding with laughter. >> what do you think when you're handed a script like this? what do you do? >> what i look for and what i found by page 5, i started reading it out loud. when you read a script, you want to read it out loud. you want it to jump off the page. that's when you know you want to do this part. >> you want to be that character. >> yes, i do. and i feel connected to this character. i know women like this and she's very alive in me. i feel very connected to her, and so does the audience. and that's what ben brantley said. he said, you know, look a little further, he said, look deeper. >> you are a singer also. a lot of people don't know that. >> i am, yeah. >> and you came up with your first album last fall, "possibilities"? >> yep, just launching it now. >> it's a lot of standards,

great american song book. i was listening to your version of "deed i do," which is terrific. >> thank you. >> you're playing in clubs as well as broadway. >> yes. i've been touring and playing clubs in new york and around the country for about seven years, and i want you to come play bass with us. >> you're playing sunday and monday. i might stop by. >> yes, i would love that. >> linda lavin, what a great pleasure. great to see you and congratulations on all your success. >> i appreciate it, thanks. >> we'll be right back. rostate . i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. you know that, right?

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♪ will you remember the times of your life ♪ we leave you this morning with "today's life illustrated," our weekly look at a page out of your family photo albums. this week, your best friend, the furry kind. >> keep submitting snapshots

from your lives to our website, today.com, or on facebook and twitter. you might see them on the show in the near future. >> that's going to do it for us today. we'll see you next weekend. i'll see you back here tonight for "nbc nightly news." until then, have a great day, everybody. so long. >> bye-bye. ♪ ♪ you've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me ♪ ♪ when the road looks rough ahead and you're miles and miles from your nice, warm bed ♪ ♪ you just remember -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

♪ ♪ you've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me ♪ ñ÷wv mytha >>2e6ñ a justice as police continues the" searchv