have a few surprises for our be loved friend today, sunday, september 29, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm lester holt alongside dylan driver and craig marvin. >> it is a very special day around here. we're excited to celebrate your tenth anniversary. i know you don't always like the spotlight on you and it's well deserved. >> i like it on me when i'm doing that stuff. >> or that stuff. >> or that stuff. >> a couple of these i swear i don't remember. >> has it felt like ten years? >> absolutely. >> in a good way, right? >> ten and more. >> i tweeted this morning, it's

one of the great jobs in television. i've been honored to have it. i think the longest running on this show. you've been here almost one year. >> almost one year. don't try to put the attention on me. it's all about you. >> i'm sure whatever you do in the second half will be things tasteful and small. >> low key. >> we'll get to that. thank you for the good wishes. want to get to today's top story, the potential government shutdown that is now just two days away. a rowdy debate on a bill to fund the government stretching the the wee hours this morning. it ended with pes saj of the bill that would delay obama care's implementation for a year. democrats say that's just not acceptable. kristen welker is live at the white house. kristen, where is all this going? >> reporter: lester, good morning to you. it seems like the only thing democrats and republicans can agree on today is that a government shutdown seems increasingly likely after the house of representatives passed that piece of legislation overnight, mostly along party lines.

it is a bill that the white house has threatened to veto. meanwhile, across the country there is anger and frustration. >> you can yell all you want, but you're not silencing -- >> reporter: it was fireworks on the house floor saturday night. >> mr. speaker, the house is not in order. >> reporter: as the debate rages in washington, a thousand miles away they're watching it all closely at the everglades national park in florida. if the government shuts down, the park would close, more than 250 employees likely furloughed. >> we have a lot of dedicated national park service employees that are concerned about being on an extended furlough. >> reporter: a shutdown seems more likely by the minute after the republican-led house passed a bill overnight that would delay obama care by a year. >> tonight the republican majority will vote to shut the government down! >> all republicans are asking tonight is give the nation a year to study a 2500 page bill

that even speaker pelosi hadn't a clue what was in it. >> reporter: the white house quickly fired back releasing a statement saying any member of the republican party who votes for this bill is voting for a shutdown. how would a shutdown impact you? you can forget your trip to the national parks because they would be closed. thinking about getting out of the country? your passport better be up to date. those applications will stall, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would likely be furloughed. if you want to mail a letter, you're in luck. the post office will remain open. don't worry, that check will still be in the mail, the social security check, that is. across the country, mounting concerns. >> we're really hoping that it can come to a conclusion and keep us working and keep these great places open to the american public. >> reporter: that bill now goes to the senate which not back in session until monday. majority leader harry reid says he will reject it out right which means lawmakers will have

less than 24 hours to try to sort this thing out and try to avert a government shutdown. >> kristen, thanks. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning. >> as we look at this this morning, what is in this for the republican party? what do they gain with this shutdown? >> they get an issue. that's about the best they can get, an issue they want to campaign on again next year. there may be individuals that may want to ride it to the nomination of the republican party in 2016. they want to cast more attention on this. they are not moving votes. the bill is already unpopular according to most polls, the law, that is. they're not even gaining extra ground there based on what we're seeing this far. >> the cruz caucus, as it's coming to be known, seems to be setting the agenda. you mention this could help them as they push into the next campaign season. does that cruz caucus hold its weight moving forward? >> we'll have to seechlt senator

cruz is my guest this morning. i'm curious what he does next. the goal of defunding or delaying the obama care is nowhere in sight. the protests can continue through a government shutdown, but the goal of changing the law is nowhere in site because they're not actually engaging -- they're not suggesting ways to improve upon the law or change the law substantially, that conversation hasn't happened yet. >> david, real quickly, complaints from the american people is that it seems the only way to get anything done in washington so to bring it down by the wire, if not threaten, then end up shutting down government. is that the only way things get done now? >> it seems to be, it's government by crisis. you had defense secretary hagel saying the country is becoming ungovernable by the way washington is behaving. the staring contest moves forward and the political chips will fall as it does. >> david, thanks. we'll check back with you in a

bit. we're seeing powerful new pictures this morning from inside the mall in kenya that was the scene of the deadly terror attack. ron allen is in nairobi with the new images. good morning. >> good morning, lester. >> we obtained these pictures exclusively. some were taken in the past 24 hours. as you can will see, they are raw, graphic. they show the utter destruction of the mall in the aftermath, the aftermath of the four-day siege that left 67 people dead. keep in mind when you look at these pictures, that this happened at sat afternoon in a mall that looked before this like any other mall in suburban american. hundreds of shoppers, restaurants, cafes, a children's cooking competition going on that involved dozens of very young kid. five gunmen were killed. was that the entire militant force that was there? so many questions remain. what happened to the hostages that were there? we're told 1,000 people were rescued. we never were told about what

happened to the people held hostage up to the final day. there are reports this morning as well that the government had advanced warning about this. was that intelligence followed up on? did the government have the capability to act on that? the death toll at 67, the investigation continues. >> rob allen this morning, thank you so much. in the pacific northwest this morning it is a very soggy morning to say the least after record breaking rains fell on saturday. that nasty weather expected to continue into today. dylan has a closer look at that. >> good morning, erica. this area is used to rain, of course, but nothing this big this early in this season. we saw 50 to 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts, snapping tree limbs and sending those trees toppling down into homes. we certainly did see the damage reported out of portland where 16,000 people lost power, and over in seattle we ended up with a record amount of rainfall in parts of olympia as well. now, parts of the state are

still under a flash flood watch at this time. you can see the size of this storm system, it is a big one, moving in off the pacific. as the jet stream comes in like this, the moisture just streams right in here, and we are seeing the threat perhaps of another several inches of rain. in fact, today is going to be even worse than yesterday. another perhaps five to seven inches of rain is possible, especially along the coastline where we could see wind gusts up to 65 to 75 miles per hour. lester? >> dylan, thank you very much. questions still lingering today three months after one of the nation's deadlyist rest wildfires killed 19 men, part of an elite hot shot team. on saturday investigators released a report about the fire. but in many ways there are more questions than answers. we get more on this now from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: this video posted on youtube of the granite mountain hot shot team was taken shortly before the elite unit

was killed. 19 men lost their lives. investigators now say during the raging yarnell hill fire radio communications were challenging. through updates, brief, informal and vague. there was a critical 33-minute communication blackout before flames swept over the team. >> there was a period that we don't know, we don't have all the information. >> reporter: the three-month investigation placed no blame. it says the hotshots were in a safety zone atop a ridge when, for unknown reasons, the team ascended into a valley when a thunderstorm changed the intensity and spread of a blaze, the men were trapped in a ball of fire, temperatures competed 2,000 degrees. >> no one directed to move from the location that they were in. obviously they made a decision based on the information that they had. >> there's of me constituent unsettled. >> reporter: julie ann ashcraft

lost andrew. the report leaves many questions. >> nothing would bring them home. i knew going into it that all i want in life is one moment with my husband again and that's not going to happen. >> reporter: this morning the investigation is over. for some closure and answers will never come. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. time to get caught up on the headlights from overnight. >> craig melvin is here with that. we're learning the national security agency may be mapping your social connections. for almost three years the nsa has been matching data it collects from gps locaters, bank rolls, and facebook profiles. the details are part of a new report from "the new york times" based on documents from nsa leaker edward snowden. the nsa will not say how many americans were caught up in the effort. it did say all its work has a foreign intelligence purpose.

bond is set at a million dollars for a monday in louisiana accuse ofd shooting a spas store during his sermon. 53-year-old woodrow kerry was arrested when they say he walked into the church in lake charles friday night and shot pastor ronald harris twice. police still do not know why. a former army sergeant nicknamed rambo pled not guilty to charges he recruited other soldiers in an alleged murder for hire plot. joseph hunter was arrested in thailand and appeared in a new york federal court. prosecutors say he's a contract killer who plotted to kill a dea agent and import cocaine. the number two navy officer has been suspend friday duty this morning. navy vice admiral tim di giana

was suspended more than three weeks ago but it was not publicly announced until now. ready for relay. the olympic flame lighting ceremony for the 2014 winter games went off without a hitch in southern greece. the torch is set to make its way to russia. it will arrive in moscow october 7, then journey some 40,000 miles across russia's nine time zones before the games officially begin february 7. that's 130 days from now. that's the news. >> i didn't know you had that in your newscast. do you know erica, one of her fantasies is to carry the olympic torch. >> it's on her bucket list. >> you did it with a broken footed, too. >> my goal is to get you with the torch -- >> start of the campaign. >> i'll sign up for that campaign. thanks, lester holt. you guys are the best.

dylan is back now with a check of the rest of your weekend forecast. hello again. >> you have to figure out which time zone you want to run through. seven time zones? >> let's do all through. >> let do all nine. we'll see this huge storm in the pacific northwest affecting seattle and areas in portland, oregon, too. in the center of the country, this cold front is moving eastward, heavy rain from michigan into texas. it won't be as heavy in texas as it was yesterday. chicago, 84 yesterday. only topping out at 71. today. now here's a peek out your window. good sunday morning to you. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. we're in the mid 50s in downtown washington. most of the suburbs are in the 40s this morning. 48 in gaithersburg and 43 in manassas. 51 in falls church, stafford and quanti

quantico. your sunday afternoon after a nice cool morning, high temperatures reaching into the low to mid 70s for a brief time, between 2:00 and 5:00 this afternoon and cooling back down >> that is your latest forecast. erica? >> dylan, thanks. turning now to the latest chapter for amanda knox, accused of killing her british roommate in italy. tomorrow she faces yet another battle in court. chapman bell is live in florence this morning with a preview. chapman, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. it was about two years ago when amanda knox was acquitted in perugia, italy. it seemed like her legal troubles were over. tomorrow a new case gets under way for her and her former boyfriend in italy, this time in a different city with new prosecutors. she and her co-accused won't even be in court here tomorrow. it was a criminal trial that captivated the world. amanda knox and her former

italian boyfriend raffaele sollecito charged with the murder of meredith kercher. the four spent almost four years in italy, held behind bars before their trial began. they were convicted of murder and sexual assault in 2009 and sentenced to a quarter century in prison. she was freed on appeal in the same court almost two years later. in march the high court overturned the decision and sent the case back to trial. those hearings will take place at this florence courthouse. earlier this month on "today" knox told matt lauer she was not going back. >> i was in prison as an innocent person and i just can't relive that. i'm not -- i don't think i'm going to be put back in prison. i think that we're going to win. >> reporter: even if she comes out on top in this newest battle, it may take a while for knox to truly be free.

>> they can get another acquittal. the prosecutor can appeal the acquittal again. it can go back to the supreme court. the supreme court macon firm the acquittal or send it back for another evaluation. this is what you call judicial ping-pong. >> reporter: potentially leaving the seattle native in legal limbo for even longer. italy's high court sent this case back to trial citing the need to re-evaluate certain elements that led to their acquittal, including forensic analysis methods and the question of motive. both knocks ax and her former boyfriend still maintain their innocence. >> chapman bell, thanks. fans getting ready to say good-bye to one of the most acclaimed tv shows of all time good-bye to one of the most acclaime[ female voice ]l time oh no. here we go again. ♪ oh dear. i need a little help here. ♪

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>> reporter: the drama of amc's run-away hit for seven years has had viewers on edge folwing walter white's spiral from a teacher and family man to a meth-cooking drug lord and villainous killer. >> you killed -- >> reporter: a jaw dropping plot and a character fans love to hate. what the last episode delivers is all the buzz on blogs and online. it's the most-watched series on cable and the last episode is expected to draw some 8 million viewers. >> people discovered it on netflix and itunes, other sources. friends said you have to watch this show. and the bachbd wagon has gained speed. >> when it comes to fin nall lease it's often hard for writers to meet expectations. "the sopranos" now famous fade to black along with the final

episodes of "seinfeld" and "lost" fell flat with fans. but for other be loved series like "m.a.s.h. wrshl and "the bob newhart show." actor brian cranston who plays the despicable walt summed it up. >> the ending is perfect, unapologetic, perfect "breaking bad." >> just the bad ending fans are hoping for. for today, michelle franzen, nbc news. i'm not caught up in the show and i think i got something spoiled for me there. >> we'll make up for that with good stuff later in the show. sorry about the spoiler. still to come on a sunday edition of "today" -- wait a minute. i'm not reading this. >> we'll come back and celebrate lester's ten years, which he

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still to come, also lester's tenth anniversary of "weekend today." you may have heart, anniversary of ex-lentz. you may have heard we're celebrating with friends and family. hey, who is that guy? >> that's my replacement. >> that's your son. >> people from chicago might recognize him. >> anchor of nbc 5 chicago news. >> that's the first of your surprises. >> i made the sign for you. >> you have privileges here. we'll bring you in. >> check that out. we all have our little tricks. mom swaps one of my snacks for a yoplait. i don't mind, i mean it's orange crème. and when mom said bobby was too edgy... 'sup girl. i just swapped him out for tyler. 'sup girl. mom never questioned bobby again.

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i'm terry mcauliffe, candidate for governor, and i sponsored this ad. for 30 years i've worked as an obgyn, my job is to protect the health of women. so i'm particularly offended by ken cuccinelli. cuccinelli wants to make all abortion illegal ... ... even in cases of rape and incest. ... even to protect a woman's health. i want a governor who's focused on schools and creating jobs, not someone who wants to do my job. who's ken cuccinelli to interfere in the lives of women across virginia? good morning. i'm adam tuss. 8:26 on this sunday, september 29th. a look at their top stories we're following for you today. the countdown is on. until the government shuts down, congress has until midnight tomorrow before the new fiscal year starts and the funding stops. house approved a temporary bill just before midnight last night

with a 231-192 vote. the bill is on its way to the senate. if passed, possibly to the president's desk. the temporary bill would delay the affordable care act known as obama care until next year. the white house has promised to veto the bill. the redskins will take the field facing off against oakland in california, raiders coming off a loss from last week. if the redskins don't get a w tonight, they'll have to wait two weeks till they get another chance. all stations come over to mission a for a final go. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it.

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let's get a check of the weather from chuck bell. looks like a nice start to the day. >> you betcha, adam. give it another hour or two and the fog will be gone. plenty of sunshine will lead to a little bit of cloud formation late morning into the afternoon. rain chances remain zero for today. clouds, yes. rain drops, no, for your afternoon. temperatures right now starting to warm out of the 40s and into the low and mid 50s. it will be a nice day. sunshine, more cloud cover back this afternoon, much like yesterday. nice and cool with a pleasant breeze. today's afternoon high temperatures in the low 70s. next couple of days, a warming trend on the way. low to mid 70s today. mid 70s tomorrow and 80s to start off october, adam. >> news 4 back at 9:00 am with

90 welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm campbell brown. >> this is our big debut. are you nervous? we'll be fine until i pull my first practical joke and then the relationship will really get started. >> wow, i lost my sight, lost my hair and i lost weight. >> it is sunday, september 29th. we just saw a little bit of lester. right now you're listening to the smooth sounds of the brown stone jazz ensemble. >> just for you, lester, our house band this morning. i know you recognize them because you've played with them before. >> i did. i did a story not long ago. they play in this great brownstone in brooklyn. >> we've got them all. we'll be hearing a little more from them coming up in this half hour.

we saw when we came back from break at the top of this half hour, you saw your first day ten years ago as co-an who of "weekend today" with campbell brown. what's it like watching that? >> i just remember the two of us, she came from the white house, i was coming from msnbc, suddenly thrust into morning television, figuring it out as we went along. janice was part of the team. wow, i did have more hair and it was darker. >> well, these things happen. >> that's what this job will do to you. you look younger now i think. >> i'll take that. what a blast. i have been blessed by having great co-anchors and weather people and a great family of fellow cast members. it's been wonderful. >> i'm glad you feel that way. we're going to be watching a lot more of those ten years. >> that's also what we have coming up ahead. we'll look back at lester's last ten years on "weekend today."

sorry, lester, also some low lights as well. >> speaking of. >> you know what? any time there's a story, lester holt is the guy that goes. that's kind of your m.o. we'll talk to your family little bit about what it's like to share lester holt with the rest of the world as well. >> you're going where? when? oh, they're there. >> carol, stefan and cameron. we brought everybody in so you have the whole family here. this may come as a shock to you, but that's not your only surprise. and there's more. >> and there's more. >> a free ego trip for one. >> there you go. just four payments of $19.95, a dvd of this show. it's going to be great. first a final check of the weather from first a final weather from dylan. >> sunshine, we have a couple of

clouds in northeast. also in the northwest, where we have this huge storm system affecting the pacific northwest from washington state right back into parts of oregon and even northwestern california. we've got wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour right now and we could see gusts as high as 65 to 75 miles per hour. the rain will continue throughout the week. the worst of it should be today. this cold front is bringing showers and thunderstorms from michigan into texas. although those shouldn't be as bad as yesterday. look as that storm stalls out tomorrow. we will still three sooe a threat of showers and storms across the gulf coast states. now here is a peek out your window. >> a beautiful sunday morning here in the nation's capital. temperature now 56 degrees at reagan national airport. 52 in rockville and bethesda. 52 degrees, falls church, fair fax city around 53. a chilly start. sunshine this morning will lead to a little cloud cover coming

in later this afternoon. temperatures today generally up into the low we've got a huge turnout for lester's big tenth year anniversary. look at the size of the crowd out here. this is all for you, lester. we'll send it back over. >> and the lengths i go to to get fans. >> came for the swag. >> i can't believe you printed these up yourself. >> is that tacky? >> not at all. we have such an outpouring of love for lester on the plaza, really every week end morning, but especially today. coming up we'll take a look back at hurricanes to spending so much time with our troops overseas, making a stop with the pit crew for a race, we look back at lester's ten years. first, a special message from jay leno. >> hey, lester, happy anniversary, ten years hosting the "weekend today" show. don't worry about job security. that doesn't happen until your

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weekends to anchor the broadcast, whether in the stewed ye or out in the field. he's also a trusted common voice of reason at least until we make him do something odd, goofy, kind of stupid. a look back at a decade of lester on "weekend today." >> welcome to today on a saturday, on a sunday, i'm lester holt. >> he is just part of the family and fabric. >> he personifies you would want anyone in this building to be. >> he's so dedicated to getting the story right. he's a true journalist. >> here is the mosque where the taliban was established. >> he challenges what we're doing. he wants us to be the best show possible. >> i can't imagine everything he's experienced in ten years on the "weekend today" show alone. the stories he's gotten to do, the people he's met. >> whether he's doing recipes in the morning or hot yoga on "weekend today" or whether we

see him in the midst of a revolution in egypt -- >> what we are experiencing is a taste of freedom. >> very few people are able to do what lester does. >> the fighting continues here in lebanon. >> a beating is the word right now. i don't know where to start, so much is taking place. >> he is one of our absolute weapons we can use to cover any kind of story. >> we want to turn now to the ground zero. >> the haitian people know something about resilience. >> lester can be the serious newsman we know he sand yet he can also make fun of himself. i know that if you've watched the show with any regularity, you know he's afraid of snakes. >> no, don't do that. >> the comfort level you get i think from watching lester comes from knowing he's flown these

missions. >> another thing people might not know about lester, he's a ginormous plain nerd. >> less do it. that's what i'm talking about. >> okay. >> very few people say, lester holt, that guy is hilarious. you want to know something? he's actually hilarious. >> we've got a life preserve very on, so if it rains, you're out of luck. >> the best sense of humor. >> if anyone wants to purchase the brooklyn bridge, please see me at the end of the tour. >> my favorite lester moment was halloween. we were the kardashians. >> technically i'm a jenner. >> susan boyle. >> you know what the situation is, this is the situation. ♪ >> when i stop by his office, do you know what he's doing? playing the bass. >> he gets down.

he's cool. lester is cool. ♪ ♪ >> listen to this man. ♪ >> we were all given the assignment to pick our favorite teen idol. who did lester choose? the male cast members of the partridge family. what? on a side note, lester when he finally met danny bonaduce, you're the reason i play bass, man. >> never played a note. never even had a lesson. >> you've totally destroyed me. >> we had fun in survival school. they plopped us down in the middle of the desert. we were given two instructions. survive.

>> wow, i made fire. >> get along. if you don't get along, fine. just survive. >> we came here and this was not meant to be a competition, at least by them. it was for me and i'm kicking their butts. >> touts himself as being a fairly fit guy, really wants to be athletic. >> whoa. >> i didn't know he was a ringer at ping-pong. >> we had a rather interesting first workout. it was a near death experience for lester. >> hold it tight. >> the second workout didn't come out nearly as well as the first. >> we are not even halfway there. >> arms up. >> jamaica was an incredibly successful bonding trip. there's a big part of jamaica in both of our heritage. for lester, he went back with his mother. >> it's like now i'm home. this is just unbelievable.

>> most people today are going to talk about him as a professional and a broadcaster of journalism. he's a great husband and great father. >> he's the nicest, most genuine person i've ever met. >> mr. nbc, they should have a contest, he would win. >> the wonderful thing about lester is he is exactly the person you would imagine he would be. he's fun. he's funny. he's incredibly smart. he's so kind. >> lester has held any chair he's ever sat in for a long period of time with great stability and care and skill. ten years anchoring "weekend today" is an enormous accomplishment. lester, i congratulate you for it. >> oh, wow. >> pretty nice, huh? >> i'll say it again. best job in television. you have to get up at this hour and be here with people that you love and have a family that supports you. you need to have that as you know when you do what we do. >> your wonderful family, your

wife carol, sons stefan. >> my lovely wife, my replacement -- this one it's been a running joke. cameron, he didn't know i work mornings because i would come home and be in jeans with a cup of coffee by the time he'd wake up. it's been a running joke. >> i didn't know dad worked. >> he was up late watching football, his team. glad you made it. it's lovely to have my family here and my other family here. >> you guys have sacrificed a lot, too. carol, you guys have been married what? 31 years? >> 31 years. >> i know there are plenty of times, many recently where he's come home and he's off to somewhere. you've gotten to join him on some of those trips which is a nice perk. >> i do. guy on some of the fun trips but not where the bombs are dropping or i need body armor. >> that part we leave to him. >> that was in beijing. >> beijing, olympics, beijing. >> a little torino, some safari.

that worked out well. >> worked out fairly well in terms of the sacrifices. >> cameron, what is it like watching your -- apparently not watching your dad. >> dvr. >> but when he's always away on a story and he comes back home? what's it like? >> it's tough with him always on the road. but it's fun, if i ever want to watch him, i can turn him on, he's usually on the air. >> somewhere to find me. >> stefan, you're actually the morning anchor in chicago at wmaq. at what point did you realize, i want to grow up and do what dad does? >> it's fun being back in the studio. this is my first time seeing it since it's been redone. as a high schooler i used to come here on "weekend today," i would be behind the scenes watching and absorbing everything. not realizing but maybe this is something i can do. it wasn't until about college, i said this is what i think i want to do. >> you didn't talk him out of

it? >> no, i'm proud. cameron is making his way in the world of finance. i'm glad we got him over to the nbc family. >> you guys anchored together last thanksgiving which we loved watching. you came back, to watch you talk about that, how wonderful your son was doing, but what that moment was like for you? >> it was. right before they go to us, we're sitting there on the seth, suddenly the father took over i said, you know, right here when it says two shot -- they're going to show both of us. and then i think, oh, he's a professional. >> we appreciate all of you coming in to help us celebrate. this ten years wouldn't have been possible without your support. >> thank you for your support. it's been great. your sense of humor. >> a healthy dose of that. that's not it for surprises, of course. as you know, more to come. first though, these messages. ♪ ♪

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years as the anchor of "weekend today." we've been talking about the reasons why we love you. >> stop. >> we've been asking people that, too with the hash tag of why i love lester. dylan and craig are in the orange room with responses. >> people love lester. with the hash tag why i love lester, we had to first get jenna in here. she says after all these years he's still so beautifully curious about life. might explain why he's always snooping around my office. classic jenna, making jokes even when she can't be here. there we go. >> this grandmother, my 81-year-old grandmother has been calling lester her boyfriend since she first laid eyes on him. classic love for lester. >> lester has tweets, too. >> we have pictures over here, tweets as well. here are some of his pictures

and tweets he's posted as well. lots of cool stuff. you can go online and check that out. i'll send it back over to you guys. >> all right. we'll take it. there are great things you can read online. you said yesterday you feel awkward reading them, people are so nice. it's all this attention. >> it's a privilege, but i have to peek late here and there. >> always peeking a little. as we celebrate this anniversary, one fan couldn't be here die but did want to help mark this milestone. >> from one music man to another, here is his tribute to you, his friend. >> i remember going to the housing works book shop starting my country career not knowing what i was going to happen. i was ready to play my show. you walk in as a fan and a friend and sit there and listen to the whole show. blown away by your professionalism and proud to say you're my friend. since i know you started in skun tri radio, a song for you. ♪ driving down the highway, lester was a deejay, i found a

spot on the side of the road, he'd play something on the radio ♪ ♪ like a feel real good song we'll know it when it comes on we didn't have no money, no place to go ♪ ♪ all we needed was a radio happy ten years, man. i can honestly say i'm so proud to call you my friend. if i ever need a bass player, i know who to call. >> i've been telling you that for years. darius rucker. >> he also sent this beautiful electric base. he signed it. he wants you to sign it. it's going to be auctioned off to the charity musicians on call. >> one of the great guys. i asked him, why is everybody so nice in country music? darius said to me, even the jerks are nice in country music. he is one of the great guys. that means so much to me, darius. >> we'll have you sign that so it can be auctioned off for musicians on call. we'll have more from our house

band this morning. it appears they may need another member at some point? >> that's what i'm talking about. >> maybe we'll get a little live music with lester holt. stay with us. there are cameras,, police, guards...ds us. but who looks after us online, where we spend more than 200 billion dollars a year. american express can help protect you. with intelligent security that learns your spending patterns, and can alert you instantly to an unusual charge. so you can be a member of a more secure world. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. say revlon colorstay makeup. breakthrough time release technology keeps skin balanced for a continuously fresh look. 24 hour wear. flawless results.

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♪ it is time to raise a glass and toast lester's first ten years on "weekend today." congratulations. it's an incredible run, incredible career and we know you're not done yet. >> thanks for being such a great partner. >> you are wonderful. >> a true honor working with you. i have to say that. >> a role model on camera and

off. >> thanks. thanks to my lovely wife and my gorgeous boys. sorry, gorgeous wasn't the right word. >> it's okay. you're their dad. you can say that. >> we'll toast you and you may play a little music for us? >> if you insist. >> the band awaits. we'll check in quickly with david gregory for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." >> i feel sort of left out of the party. good morning. congratulations, lester. more on the threat of a government shutdown with baem care at the center of the fight. with me exclusively this morning, the senator leading the standoff, texas republican ted cruz is my guest. our political roundtable as well includes msnbc's chris matthews coming up on "meet the press." >> without further ado, lester holt with the brownstone jazz ensemb ensemble. our new house band. have a great day everyone.

♪

down to the wire. while you were sleeping, a major vote on capitol hill now pushes the federal government to its first shutdown in 17 years. what's next in the spending debate? reaction from all sides. >> can we get one? all we want is just one win. we need that w. redskins trying to avoid an 0-4 start. hurts to say that. look at some of the challenges for today's game against the oakland raiders. first, good morning, everyone. i'm angie goff. >> and i'm adam tuss in for richard jordan today. high honor for cap star alex ovechkin overseas. what he got to participate in. the sun is up, burning off some of that fog we drove here

in. >> the sun is eating away at ta fog very quickly. temperatures in the low 60s in a few spots, downtown washington, 61, down toward waldorf. 50 for reston still. sunday planner, a little hint of some fog is still remaining. mainly sunny in and around town. cool and dry start this morning. temperatures area wide will be in the low 60s by 0k am. low to mid 70s today. just like yesterday we'll have clouds around to deal with this afternoon. they're not rain makers. most of the coming week may be warm and dry, too. we'll talk about that in your seven-day. possible government shutdown looms. new from overnight, republican-led house approved a temporary spending bill that delays the affordable health care act until next year. >> because of that condition, the white house has promised to veto the entire bill if it reaches the president's desk. lawmakers began voting just before midnight. the bill passed 23 -19