good morning. back on the offensive. israel's military firing into gaza again today after a cease-fire ends and hamas launches a series of rocket attacks. now what? we're live in gaza city. in mourning. an entire community comes together to honor and remember three young siblings killed by fleeing carjackers. their mother also left clinging to life as police hunt the people responsible. weather extremes. a raging wildfire burns out of control in california, sending hundreds of residents fleeing while millions across a large portion of the rest of the country prepare for another day of severe weather including a storm threat of tornadoes. and coming home. a military mom who lost her marine son in iraq receives an

unexpected gift and a small piece of comfort, nine years after his death, today. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm tamron hall alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. that marine mom, putting life in perspective, an amazing story. >> we'll share that with you later on. a lot of other news going on. >> we want to get right to the day's top story, the end of the cease-fire in the middle east, the relendless attacks picked back up today despite a humanitarian truce for people in gaza to bury the dead and assess the damage. now hamas is calling for another 24 hour truce.

ayman mohyeldin is following it all from gaza city. good morning. >> good morning, tom ramron. the israeli cabinet decided to resume offensive operations and after that came out from the cabinet, the mitary began pounding gaza hard. we heard the sounds of artillery shells, fighter jets flying above overhead and we're getting reports of some of the initial casualties as a result of the strikes. this began late last evening after a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire expired. hamas rejected extending that cease-fire and fired rockets into israel. some of those were intercepted by the israeli defense system known as iron dome. but at the end of yesterday, at the end of the 12 hours, palestinians had a chance to assess the damage. officials here say more than 147 bodies were recovered from the rubble throughout the day, that's during calm. now that pushed the death toll to above 1,000 palestinians killed since hostilities began. and today they're back in their

homes as the fighting once again resumed, tamron. >> of course, many want to know how this back and forth talk of war and peace is affecting the people of gaza and israel. >> well, we're going into one with of most important religious holidays tomorrow. palestinians across the territories here would normally be celebrating it, out buying food with their families, hosting families, having dinners and buying stuff for their children. but today it a very different atmosphere, very somber atmosphere. people we have been speaking to say they're going to spend the day mostly just checking up to see if relatives have survived the past couple of weeks of the attack, to assess the damage, try to find out which relatives survived, which didn't, and whose homes were destroyed. it is a very different atmosphere. and one that is marked by tremendous amount of sorrow and grief and loss, tamron. >> ayman mohyeldin, thank you. today we're learning more about why all the americans working at the u.s. emy? l embassy in libya were forced to evacuate and get out of the country. kristen welker is at the white

house with the story of their dramatic flight. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. today all u.s. embassy personnel from tripoli are conducting business from other parts of the region after they were evacuated yesterday. security in the capital had deteriorated, following two weeks of clashes between militia fighters. the violence became so intense that according to one u.s. official, quote, mortars were flying near the embassy and it wasn't safe to stay. the u.s. embassy in tripoli sits empty this morning. a quiet contrast to the violence from militias that rages around it. the decision to evacuate was made when talks with the warring sides negotiated by the u.s. ambassador fell apart. >> when it came to a time that it looked like it was very serious, and we weren't sure about collateral fire, whether we could protect americans, it was decided that we would leave the embassy. >> reporter: the operation took about five hours for a caravan of 158 u.s. embassy personnel including 80 heavily armed u.s. marine guards, to cross into

tunisia, about 100 miles away. they left the embassy compound in suvs and buses. f-16 fighter jets and unmanned drones flew overhead shadowing the group. dozens of u.s. marines, a rapid response force, in tilt rotor ospreys were in the air, positioned nearby to respond to any threat. once safely in tunisia, the americans boarded commercial airlines at a civilian airport. >> as unfortunate as the withdrawal is, it looks to have been done in incredibly good fashion. >> reporter: lawmakers said they were briefed on the operation beforehand, with some republicans calling for more action on the ground. >> we want to see the united states do a better job of leading, of bringing the different factions together, inside libya. >> reporter: security in libya is a sensitive issue for the obama administration, after an attack against the u.s. consulate claimed the life of ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans in 2012. officials say the embassy is only being suspended, not closed, but it comes at a

pivotal time. >> officials will be working the phones hoping this new government that is supposed to be seated in a week and a half can actually function in some fashion. >> reporter: still, there is not a lot of hope that a new government will be able to quell the violence. experts say it is the worst they have seen since the fall of moammar gadhafi in 2011. state department officials say the embassy personnel will return as soon as it is safe to do so. lefte lester? >> kristen welker, thank you very much. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. americans fleeing libya because things are going south there, peace broken again in the israel/gaza, you have ukraine, isis in iraq, a lot on the foreign policy plate of the u.s. makes you wonder about the limits of u.s. influence overseas these days. >> right. and what the u.s. can really get done, how it uses that influence. these are huge questions right now for president obama. he's trying to get a cease-fire in gaza. but there is no lasting endgame

for the united states right now other than preventing the unraveling. and i think it is interesting, when you look at the facts on the ground in libya, what is the sense of american responsibility in countries that it has a hand in decapitating politically, to try to save from the ruins what happens to these countries? and that's an ongoing question for the administration and has an answer. >> with regard to libya, no doubt we saw the pictures, there was real danger there from fighting, danger to the americans. at the same time, the decision had to be made with what happened in benghazi in mind. how much influence do you think that had? >> i think it is huge. i think that's true all over the world now, the lessons learned from benghazi are top of mind. think about baghdad for a minute. look how perilous iraq is right now, even as we look at pictures from benghazi. and you realize that's an outcome that nobody wants. there is a lot more protection of embassy staff in baghdad right now as a result. but some of these other outposts do not have that, which is why the government is not going to

take any risk and get people out. but it does raise the bigger question of is libya becoming a failed state that the u.s. feels it is going to have to lead on, provide some support for, even after all the money that has been poured into there from the united states government. >> and secretary of state john kerry in paris, trying to pull together some kind of deal to stop the fighting in gaza and israel. what are the chances of the u.s. finding an opening here? >> i don't see one right now. i mean, you got temporarily lulls. i think the real question for israeli prime minister netanyahu, who will be on "meet the press" this morning, is is there actually a military solution that he sees to deal with the hamas problem. i think the answer to that in his own mind dictates what israel is prepared to do. >> these are not easy problems. david, thanks very much. we'll check in with you later and get a preview of what is coming up on "meet the press." now to the huge storm system that could hit 1 million people in 21 states is moving east this morning and it do very well spin off potentially deadly tornadoes

today. dylan is following it all for us. >> yesterday we had more than 150 reports of severe weather, mostly hail and wind damage. but today we are going to keep an eye out for the possibility of tornadoes. it comes in two difrent rounds. this is round one. you can see these areas of thunderstorms, these being near severe, but not officially severe in nature by the national weather service down near southeastern indiana, moving into parts of eastern kentucky. these will all move eastward. you see right in through here, where it is nice and sunny, that's going to help fuel more storms that will develop later on today. so we are going to see our first round of heavier downpours, cloud to ground lightning and some higher wind gusts. but these are not yet severe in nature. but it is later on today, from parts of kentucky and tennessee, all the way up into southern new england, where we could see those storms that produce the large hail and the damaging wind gusts. but we have a slight risk of strong storms in the areas in red here, but in orange, from southern ohio, eastern kentucky,

and west virginia, this is where we could see most of our tornadoes, especially later on this afternoon, and into this evening. so right in orange, that's where we have to a close eye out for the thunderstorms later on today. they'll move east as we go into tonight and we should see improvements and cooler temperatures work in as we start off the workweek. lester? >> dylan, we'll check in with you in a moment and get the full national forecast. now to a heart breaking story in philadelphia we have been covering as a memorial grows for the three children killed after being hit by a vehicle involved in a carjacking. this morning, the search for the man responsible is widening. kristen dahlgren is in philadelphia for us. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. and with the six figure reward on the line, the tips are coming in while here at the scene where it happened, those young lives are being remembered. in philadelphia saturday night, a community came together to mourn. >> put a little teddy bear, gave a little respect.

it is a tragedy, you know. touched my heart. i cried all day yesterday. >> reporter: even those who didn't know the family touched by the deadly crash. >> they were, you know, younger kids. i'm a parent myself. and, you know, it was just a senseless, horrible accident. >> reporter: 7-year-old terrence moore, his 10-year-old brother thomas reed, and their 15-year-old sister keiara williams were all killed, mowed down when two carjackers lost control of an suv they had just stolen. their mom, keshia williams and family friend and the woman who was carjacked were seriously wounded. the family was selling fruit for their church to help build a new playground. but as this community's anger grows, so does the manhunt. the suspects fled on foot and the city is offering $100,000 reward. the fraternal order of police, another $10,000 if an arrest is made by noon on monday. >> all i can say is if you know

the persons that did this, you have to be able to look yourself in the mirror and say do the right thing and turn these folks in. >> reporter: now, police say they are confident they will find these suspects. they have been looking at surveillance video from the area. they have also been able to talk to that carjacking victim. she remains in the hospital in critical condition as does that 34-year-old mother, lester. >> such an incredibly sad story. kristen dahlgren, thank you. jenna has a look at the rest of the morning's top stories for us. >> hi, everyone. we're learning this morning that an american doctor working to stop the spread of ebola in liberia is now infected himself with the virus. janet shamlian has the latest. janet, good morning. >> reporter: jenna, good morning to you. kent brantley is a doctor from texas. he was treating patients who tested positive for the deadly virus. he's the medical director for samarit samaritan's purse, a relief organization, and was working in liberia's capital city monrovia. photos show him in white

coveralls he wore while treating patients. brantley earlier this year said in past outbreaks, many of the casualties were health care workers treating those infected. this disease has already killed 672 people in four west african countries since the outbreak started earlier this year. now, his wife and children had been living with him in africa, but currently they are back in the u.s. jenna, back to you. >> janet shamlian, janet, thank you very much. another new york city police officer has been put on modified duty, the second cop this month. this amateur video, take a look, appears to show officer joel edward stomping on the head of a drug suspect during an arrest on wednesday. he has sineerd surrender his badge and gun and the nypd is reviewing the incident. this comes a week after an officer was placed on modified assignment after allegedly putting this man eric garner in a choke hold. garner later died. we turn now to the raging wildfire in northern california. the so-called sand fire tripled

in size in a matter of hours saturday night, spreading east of sacramento and prompting new evacuation orders. some 12,000 residents are now out of their homes in several buildings have burned. more than a thousand firefighters are working to battle the fast moving flames. the fire is only 20% contained. the costa concordia completed its final voyage today. the wrecked italian cruise ship entered the port of genoa for scrapping. the ship struck a reef off the italian island of giglio in january of 2012 and capsized killing 32 people. the ship was halled upright last september, nuon dine days ago refloated and towed. dismantling it may take as long as two years. the scene out of a movie on a nevada highway. a small plane was making an emergency landing and just as it touched down, it hit a pickup truck. miraculously the two people inside the truck and the two people in the plane walked away with minor injuries. officials say the plane had just left the reno airport when the

engine died. minutes after landing, the plane burst into flames. and finally, i'm going to go ahead and bet after seeing this video you're going to wish someone got this excited to see you. check this out. this adorable schnauzer was so overwhelmed to see its owner it got itself into a frenzy, a tizzy, that it fainted. literally passed out. >> oh, no. >> the dog's owner, rebecca eog posted the video of this emotional reunion online. apparently the two hadn't seen each other in two years. now, the dog owner is quick to write in her tweet, posted that the schnauzer went to the vet, the vet saw the video, everything is okay. we're able to have some fun with this adorable little schnauzer. >> i have a schnauzer and they do get that excited. they get real low to the ground and wiggle and their little

tail -- >> and faint. >> no dinner, no snacks, faint. >> that's funny. jenna, thanks very much. >> i'm sorry. we're all smiles and grins around here. dylan is keeping track of pretty some severe weather that may take our smiles off for a little bit. >> this afternoon and into this evening. right now we have scattered showers and storms moving through indiana, moving off the england. later this afternoon we could see perhaps a tornado outbreaks especially southern ohio into parts of eastern kentucky and into west virginia. that's where we have to watch out later on today as the storms start to redevelop. it's cool back behind that front. temperatures i upper 70s and lower 80s and heating up out west again. looks like it is going to be another long week of high temperatures well above average for firefighters in california. we should be well into the 80s and 90s. that's a look at the weather across the country. here's a peek out your window. >> good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell.

the view out over reston town center still mostly cloudy sky in place but the rain drops have primarily come to an end now. we'll have many dry hours between late morning into afternoon. another little wav of showers coming into southern prince william county, over the next couple hours. i think from lunch time to 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon we will have dry weather, temperatures 70s now, reach the mid to upper 80s today. watch out for severe weather 3:00 to >> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. up next on "today," are people searching for hidden riches at a famous national park going too far? a warning from authorities. we'll tell you about it after this. welcome to the corner of and "getting major kudos." just look at you. you're being healthy, even in little ways. that's worth celebrating. that's why walgreens created the first program that gives you rewards points just for healthy behavior. so stick with it.

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visine® gives your eyes relief in seconds. visine®. get back to normal. yellow stone national park is one of our country's greatest treasures, but it is a search for hidden treasure there that has park rangers very upset. they claim searchers are doing damage to the park and even putting themselves in danger. once again, here's janet shamlian. >> reporter: with wildlife roaming, and breathtaking views, the crowds are back at yellowstone. but some visitors aren't here to sight see. they want what may lie below the surface, a multimillion dollar treasure of gold coins and jewels, hidden in the rockies by retired art dealer forest fen. they're coming in with what, shovels, metal detectors? >> metal detectors, camping illegally without permits, boats in closed areas, a variety of things.

>> reporter: yellowstone's chief ranger says aggressive hunters are turning parts of the park upside down, looking for the treasure. in this pristine wilderness, several people have been arrested in the last few weeks. one group of hunters was so convinced that the treasure was here, they actually tried to cross this fast moving river. they ended up needing park rangers to come save them. in restaurants, just outside yellowstone's north entrance, the hunt is the talk of the town. >> people get a little crazy when it comes to gold. it is like kicking the jukebox, everything goes silent when you mention it, everything wants to know what you know. it is out there. >> reporter: he says he hid the treasure several years ago, somewhere in the mountains north of his home in santa fe. he says whoever finds it can keep it. metal detectors are illegal in yellowstone, but they're a hot item at this store in bozeman, montana. >> that's for gold. >> reporter: including one seing for almost $6,000. why are you selling metal detectors? >> because of the thrill of the hunt. people really seem to like what is below ground and it helps them see what's down there.

>> reporter: owner patty albrecht says she makes sure customers know it is not for use in any park. as vacationers arrive, park rangers say yellowstone is full of treasure, but it is all above ground, a feast for the eyes. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. >> so by the way, rangers caution even if treasure was found here, it could not be claimed by the finder. it stays and belongs to the state. so you're doing it for nothing, i guess. still to come -- speechless from that? >> no. looking at the shot. >> skydiving without ever jumping out of a plane. who else, but jenna, will dive into this one. but first, they're all here. carmax is the best with a quick written offer, right on the spot. perfect for jeannine, who prefers not to have her time wasted. ...and time! thank you. your usual. she believes life's too short for inefficiencies.

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good morning. it is 8:26 on this sunday, july 27th. i'm kristen wright. a federal judge has ruled d.c.'s ban on carrying guns in public is unconstitutional. in other words, d.c. police now

cannot enforce that law. no word on whether the contradict's attornegera will appe the decision. tomorrow former virginia governor bob mcdonnell goes on trial for corruption. he and his wife are accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from the former ceo of a dietary supplement company. news 4's northern virginia bureau chief julie carey will be in the courtroom. a special day at redskins training camp today. the team is honoring all current and former members of the military with free t-shirts and v.i.p. passes. they're also raffles with prizes including autographs and tickets. today's practice in richmond ends at 6:00 tonight. you should know it is a weather alert day. chuck has the timing of today's storms. stay with us.

good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell last night's showers pulling out, still a few showers towards culpepper, luray, blue ridge, towards the northern neck and southern maryland. current temperatures low to mid 70s. i think our skies will brighten and a little sunshine from lunch time into early this afternoon. that won't help very much because any additional heating will help intensify storm chances. severe storms possible from 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon through about midnight tonight. cooler weather with clouds and showers rolls in tomorrow and the rest of the week is looking great. be on the lookout for severe storms later today.

kristen? >> thank you, chuck. more news and weather 90 minutes worth coming up in our next half hour. join us at 9:00. ♪ everybody dance now hey, y'all. from memphis, tennessee. >> kentucky too! >> my mommy loves lester. >> we're from louisiana! >> i'm 16 today. >> celebrating my 8th birthday! okay. can i say that was an epic open? goodness. >> i want to party with those people. >> that mom. >> we are those people. >> you and lester are the example. >> we are back on this sunday

morning. july 27th, 2014. i was going to say hot. not. it is steamy, but nice. couldn't ask for a better crowd to be out there this morning. our thanks to them for sharing their pictures with us. we'll join them outside in a few minutes. i'm going to interrogate that mother. >> no, no. we'll be out there and see them all shortly. let eight guess caug let's get caught up on the morning's headlines. another barrage of attacks started just hours after a temporary cease-fire ended. this as secretary of state john kerry continues to meet with other war leaders trying to help broke are a peace deal. hundreds of people came together to remember three young siblings killed by fleeing carjackers. their mother is now left clinging to life. and right now there is a $100,000 reward to find the people responsible. and a wildfire is burping o burning out of control in northern california leading to the evacuations of million thei. strong storms and tornados in

some spots. still to come, the inspiring story of one man's journey from sleeping on the streets of san francisco to running through them for the annual marathon. >> a great story. and sky diving without jumping out of a plane, yes, and yes, you can do it. i did it. and it is pretty incredible. i'll show you my adventure in the fearless little kids who showed me how it is done. young kids who are out there doing it. >> looks like -- and coming up later, they wowed the judges on "america's got talent," and now the musicians will take over the plaza. they have something special up their sleeve for lester. >> i was warned. they're going to blow us away with whatever trick they're going to do. let's begin with one mom's reunion with a small memento to honor her son, a fallen marine. it was all thanks to one good deed that helped lessen the pain of her loss. here's joe fryer with the story. >> reporter: the sight of a flag

carries so much meaning for the mother of marine lance corporal fred maciel. >> that's my son. i'm proud of my son. >> reporter: patsy maciel deeply cherish the flag draped over her son's coffin when he was killed nine years ago in a helicopter crash in iraq. now comes news of a different flag, one she never knew existed. >> that's all i think of right now. i can't think of anything else. >> reporter: this treasure is what another family found bure gl yed in a stack of flags at a flea market in texas. >> we didn't know what it was but knew we had to take it home with us. >> reporter: because it was covered in writing with a black marker, they got it for five bucks. when they showed it to their son, a marine, he said it is a tribute flag for a fallen marine signed by everyone in his unit. the recipient, lance corporal fred maciel. >> it is priceless. >> reporter: it is a mystery how

this personal piece of red, white and blue ended up where it did, but using facebook, the browns were able to track down patsy. >> i can't wait to meet them. i can't wait. >> reporter: rather than mail the flag, they decided to meet in person saturday at the cemetery where maciel is now buried. >> piece of my son, coming back to me, you know? that was great. i loved him for that. >> reporter: two marine moms now bound by one priceless flag. for "today," joe fryer, nbc news. >> amazing how that all came together. >> it is. we talk about social media in many ways, got and bad, but without social media, they perhaps would have never found one another. it is amazing. >> that last photo is stunning. >> flag is beautiful. >> let's get a final check of the weather now from dylan. >> good morning, guys. good morning, everyone. we're going to watch out for stronger storms later on this the heat is building down south. that's going to help fuel some of the storms that will fire up later today. we will be well into the 100s through texas.

it will feel like we're around 110 degrees with the humidity. strongest storms tod will be in southern ohio, eastern kentucky and west virginia. tornadoes are certainly possible. otherwise, the cloud to ground lightning is dangerous. keep an eye to the sky. damaging wind gusts and the possibility of hail as well. tomorrow, we are going to see a slight risk of strong storms along the gulf coast and into the southeast. we're also looking at scattered showers lingering to the northeast and it does start to cool off 71 degrees in chicago for a high tomorrow. well below average without much humidity. that's a look at the weather across the country. here's a peek out your window. >> good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell still dy outside in the metro area and rain showers from culpepper to fredericksburg. that shoulberagff over the next couple hours. low to mid 70s, warm and humid first thing this morning. highs reach mid to upper 80s with 80% chance of

thunderstorms, some likely to be strong to severe, this afternoon and into this eve. a weatheale aday on nbc 4. complete check >> and for "today's" top spot, it is around the corner. we're heading over to readington, new jersey, the 32nd annual quick check festival of ballooning in readington, new jersey, taking place this weekend. just look up to see how cool this one is. there will be more than 100 special shaped hot air balloons taking part in one of the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festivals in the country. get this, joan jett will also be there performing. looks like a great event in new jersey. i'm loving the ribbons here. this takes a long time to curl, all these ribbons. you're 16 today. where are you from? >> illinois. >> having a good time in new york in. >> yes, ma'am. >> where did you find the bbon? >> the dollar store. th >> this is the already precurled ribbon. >> she's 16 and said yes, ma'am. you don't hear that often anymore, right? >> you're a texas girl. >> yes, we require.

new york central park turned into something of a water park on saturday when hundreds of people showed up, ready for battle. >> jenna is over in the orange room to explain. >> hey, guys. here is the deal. this was a water fight of epic proportions, kids, adults, pets, anyone who could hold a water gun could stand getting soaked and took part in this annual tradition and showed up. the water fight in central park took place on the great lawn. people only learned the time and place through facebook. this is inside water fighting. only the people connected knew about it. look how many people showed up to get wet. >> we love water fights. >> i got my backpack ready and loaded. >> just my super water gun. the only operation. >> today is awesome. watch out! >> i don't know if you looked closely in the back, i swear i saw tamron, running -- that was you, right? you had three backpacks on. >> that was me, three backpacks

and a swimsuit. >> and, lester, i don't know why you felt like you needed to wear the speedo, but i thought worked well. >> listen, that wasn't me, but we were sitting here, we wanted to take part, but we're not on facebook. >> it is like an inside thing. you'll know for next year now. let me tell you who was there. people and new yorkers who decided it was important enough to dress up in costume, this was a way to obviously protect yourself from frizziness in the hair, so they did this. over here, look how many people were involved. these people were into it. this guy has a mask. these guys were really on board with the whole thing. water fight nyc hash tagged over here. they had a great time. but in addition, this was also one other thing, it was national dance day because you can't have dancing without the water, obviously. they go together. as you can see, getting your groove on in the living room. people had a lot of fun. the splits, clearly, is very important. a really fun day. send us more of your picks, #orangeroom. this is important. i got to go here. so i'm not going to say who's

getting these, but hold this one second, let me grab one more. there are two of these. one of our four person anchor team will be the recipient of these fun, fun, fun little toys. >> what are those? >> it may run -- i'm not saying anything. all i know is the balloons here, they're very thin. very thin. >> why can't we just do the dance and not the balloons? >> because my name is jenna, tamron, that's why. >> next year, we got to do the water thing. >> get ready. >> the pillow fight thing. >> okay. we got to make a list. okay. i'm ready. >> clearly so -- >> dealing with some childhood issues here. >> we'll wait for the show is over. >> we'll see which of the four of us will get the balloon. thank you. a few fearless kids show us a thing or two about zero gravity.

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being the new kid on the block can be intimidating. take your kids on a walk through the online neighborhood. show them sites you feel are acceptable. teach them how to deal with cyber bullies and encourage them to navigate safely. the more you know. so skydiving sounds like so much fun, but it is the jumping out of the airplane part that i think is a -- >> why waste a perfectly good plane or what is your line? >> a perfectly good airplane, yeah. >> i'm going to tell you why. brace yourself for the name of this crazy sport where you don't skydive outdoors. it is called indoor skydiving.

it is insane. if you don't mind being tossed around in 180-mile-per-hour winds, then this is for you. it is the latest extreme sport and anyone can do it. are we ready to do this? they call themselves the little ninjas, a group of elementary and middle school aged kids who have traded in their nunchakus for the rush of indoor skydiving. yeah, that's indoor skydiving. if you have to convince people you really do this and they say, you don't indoor skydive and you say, yes, i do. and it all happens here, a vertical wind tunnel that uses four fans to create a column of air moving at speeds of up to 180 miles per hour. what time is lunch? how many of you guys actually want to skydive, jump out of an airplane when you're old enough? 10-year-old cody says he's mastering his technique indoors, so he can jump outdoors once he turns 18. cody, it is like you have to be

very controlled with your moves, right? >> every movement does something. you have special movements. either go up or you'll just go crazy everywhere. >> reporter: and fourth grader laura's philosophy -- from her lips to my ears, no time like the present. should i be scared, you guys? should i be scared? not that fear or nerves ever stopped me before. what will you teach me? what are you going to teach me, june? >> flips. >> reporter: with last minute prep from darren dos santos -- >> what is this hand signal? >> reporter: just touch it lightly. i was up, up and within seconds away. ♪ that was amazing. that was the coolest thing i've ever done.

exaggeration aside, i can understand why doing this once is far from enough. i may not be on their level quite yet, but they gave me the seal of approval regardless. ninja style. first of all, i've done a lot of amazing things, and that took work. these are 6 and 7 and 8-year-olds in there with the skill and the talent level to maneuver and navigate around. >> have you done real skydiving? >> i've done real skydiving before. i like this a lot better. real skydive, you got your free fall, your chute and then you get to enjoy it. this was speed and you're whipping around, it was so much fun. >> did you get to flip? >> flipping is hard. that takes a couple of weeks of practice. but if you're up for something like this, they'll help you through this. you have to do it. one of my top five things i've ever done. >> i'm tempted now. >> really? >> tempted. i have to get to the next level. >> coming up next, an inspiring story of perseverance from one >> coming up next, an inspiring story of perseverance from one young

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thousands of people are running through the streets of san francisco today for the annual marathon there. and everyone lacing up for the 26.2 miles has a story about why they are out there.

and that includes one man who hasn't taken any of those steps for granted. hallie jackson has his story. >> reporter: ronnie goodman's an artist who draws inspiration from what he sees when he runs in his hometown of san francisco. running makes you happy in. >> running -- i love running. running by the water, seeing the bridge, i feel like, wow, you know, i'm free, it feels -- it is exciting. >> reporter: from a distance, ronnie looks like any other athlete training for the city's marathon. but look closer. those sneakers, donated. all of his gear is. see, ronnie runs on the streets of san francisco, but he sleeps on its sidewalks, one of the city's estimated 6,000 homeless. he may have solid footing today, but ronnie has stumbled before, drug addiction, a burglary arrest, prison time. >> you're not going to change unless you change yourself. >> reporter: so he did.

ronnie's been sober for more than a decade. >> i started exercising. i started running. i started to do creating. >> reporter: creating art, with the help of hospitality house, a nonprofit that gives ronnie and others supplies and helps them sell their work. it is not enough to live on, but it makes a big difference. >> they really help people out that needs help the most. >> reporter: and now, so does ronnie. as pt of his half marathon run, he's raveling off a self-portrait, not to raise money for himself, but to give back to hospitality house, to help them help others. people have already donated thousands of dollars because of ronnie, who might represent a different face of homelessness. >> ronnie is exceptional in a lot of ways. he's an exceptional artist. he's an exceptional person and he's not the exception in terms of homeless people. >> reporter: ronnie lives like he runs. one foot in front of the other. homeless, but not hopeless.

>> i think the best is yet to come out of me. i kind of feel like this is just the beginning of my life. >> reporter: a life of giving back. marathon sunday just the start. for "today," hallie jackson, nbc news, san francisco. >> now let's send it over to dylan in the orange room. she's with "today's" plaza fan of the day. hey, guys. >> good morning. we have lori ravenhorse here, getting married on friday from saratoga springs, new york. and her friend angela chambers from right here in new york city. on your wedding week, take it away. >> still to come on "today," two magicians are taking over the plaza. >> but first, these messages. start with the best writing experience.? make it incredibly thin. add an adjustable kickstand, a keyboard, a usb port,

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back now on a sunday morning with one of the hottest acts on nbc's "america's got talent." david blotter and lehman parker have been wowing the judges so far with magic and comedy. we're going to talk to them in just a minute. great to have you guys here. seems like we have some sort of issue. >> sure. on the way over, we bought a souvenir deck of cards, put them in his mouth and lit them on fire. pictures or numbers. >> pictures. >> they're burning. jacks, queens are or kings. >> the one you name is the one we use. keen queen of clubs or spades? >> queen of clubs. >> do you want to change your mind? >> fold it and paper clipped. the one and the only, the queen of clubs. >> wow! okay. >> i'm so glad that worked. >> me too. >> souvenir for you.

>> in my mouth, okay. >> i'm impressed. i can see why you're on "america's got talent" and doing really well. >> yeah. >> so far, so good. >> a lot of magicians produce doves. >> a dragonfly. >> it could be a cia drone, i don't know. when you realized you made it this far a the judges liked your act, what was the response? >> it was amazing. we got told by heidi klum that we're moving on to the live rounds. and she would come out and, be, like -- she kissed us on the cheeks. >> big moment for us. >> we messed it up a few times so we had to do the take over and every. >> you were able to bring it to the next level. are you ready for the whole thing? >> that's the plan. >> that's the idea. >> what would you do with the money if you won? >> we would do a touring show, buy bigger stuff. >> i read you guys have used magic in creative ways, picking

up food, picking up women, picking up -- i was trying to get to the -- and you have, right? >> no comment. >> you're not full time magicians. you're a high school philosophy teacher. and you're a barista? >> right. >> you want to do this full time, though? >> yes. baristaing is my passion, but -- >> we can't wait to see how far you guys go. hope you go all the way. great to have you here. congratulations. that was a heck of a trick. >> thank you. >> i know. i'm still looking. >> you can see how david and lehman do this week for the first live shows of "america's got talent" tuesday and wednesday night at 9:00, 8:00 central here on nbc. good luck to them. >> let's check in with david gregory for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning. heavy focus on the war in gaza. there is another temporary truce, but can there be a

lasting solution to the gaza crisis? i'll speak with benjamin netanyahu about all that next. plus, former vice presidential candidate paul ryan, some of his ideas for fighting poverty, perhaps a signal of where the republican party will go next. he joins me in a sunday exclusive. all coming up on the program this morning. >> as promised. >> that does it for this sunday. for some reason, they decided -- >> oh! >> that was supposed to work -- >> better them than us. i'll see you back here tonight for "nbc nightly news." no water balloons, we promise. >> no. i'm not turning my back on you.

the rain is moving out and we're waiting on round two now. when it will get here and what you can expect, we are tracking it all. >> good morning. and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm adam tuss. >> i'm kristen wright. it is sunday, july 27th and yes, it is a weather alert day today. storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell is watchi this very closely. good morng >>oomoin kristen and adam and good morning, everybody. overnight ra showers and thunderstorms you guys mentioned are now pulling out of the area. still plenty of clouds around. we'll see breaks of sunshine late this morning into early afternoon. that will help to destabilize things once again. we're under the gun for potentially sevaer later on this afternoon. it is a weather alert day here at storm team 4. what does that mean? more frequent updates on air,

on-line and on our app as well. the timing 3:00 to about midnight all type of severe weather is possible today. damaging winds, large hail and a risk of a tornado today as well. if you're planning to be outside like many do on a summer weekend know where you will go. if you're not going to be at home know where your safe place may be in case severe weather threatens you when not at home. a slight to moderate risk of severe weather today. in fact, a tornado outbreak in eastern ohio and west virginia is likely. for us, showers around this morning. our time fra as i mentioned will come in later this afternoon. mid 70s for out of door weather today. high temperes to upper 80s. showers and stor begin after 3:00 or 4:00 and could be severe. more about e breakdown in the timing when i see you in a few more minutes. back to the news. >> chuck, we know you'll stay on top of it. new this morning the rules are changing for guns in d.c. after a new ruling by a federal dg