nbc's janice mackey frayer reports from toy land. >> we'reng. it's okay. coming. >> reporter: none of the boys ghow how to swim. they need to be t and need to learn some diving skills in order to swim out in at are very narrow passageways that are a challenge for even experienced divers. >> it's confined spaces, it's almost zero visibility. here's currents to battle against in places. it >> reporter: 's why experts say this could take eks, even months to pull it off safely, so they are taking in food, fresh water and medicine to keep the boys stable. >> they have been isolated. it's dark. no food. there's not only like physiological considerations but probably psychological considerations. >> reporter: they are apparently in good health. thsere are nore injuries. they are being cared for by medics, but they are exhausted and hungry. they haven't eaten in over a week. rescuers moan while are working around the clock. they have hugeumps trying to contain the water levels. the biggest thing working against them is the weather. is the rainy season here, and wh

nbc's janice mackey frayer is f joining uom thailand and will join us with an update later this hourgain on "nbc nightly news" at 7:00. >> justllmazing they are s alive. >>> president trump is moving to abandon diversity considerations in college admissions. during president barack obama's time in office universities wer advisednsider race as a factor. critics say the policy went further than the law required. "new york times" reports today's reversal will restore the policy as it w set under george w. bush. he encouraged the use of race nutral methods school admissions. the supreme court has narrowed but not banned the practice of considering race as a means of increasing diversity in schools. >>> it's been 45 years since the u.s. supreme court handed down the hand mark ruling on abortion in roh moo-hyun. a new poll suggests the vast majority of american women want th next supreme court justice to uphold that law. jennifer johnson is tracking the search for a new justice. >> reporter: late word from the white house today that the president spoke to three potential supreme court nomi

nbc's janice mackey frayer has e story from thailand. >> reporter: tonight a first glimpse at the boys after that daring three-day rescue mison appearing relaxed wearing face from and gowns, waving their hospital beds. their families kept six feet away behind glass to prevent infection. health officials say the 12 boys are in good condition, mainly because of their coash. the last person out and was thees we 'apologized to the boys' parents. >> i happy happy. >> his aunt telling us she's relieved. his uncle still worried. he must feel remorse that he went there with th, kids he said. but what's done is done. is the incredible mission a half mile underground each boy sedated to eas anxiety. tethered to divers to get them through the dark narrow passages new video showing parts of e rescue, the boys carried on stretchers. >> we knew that if we didn't act when we acted, then there was not to be a successful rescue. >> reporter: and just after the last person was out, the main water pump failed. ooding the cave sending rescue workers scrambling to escape. by then the boyshe and t coach wer

nbc's janice mackey frayer has the latest. >> reporter: after that miraculous discovery -- >> how manyilliant. >> reporter: thai officials say the 12 boys, ages 11 to 16, and their coach are all in stable conditiit con. the huge challenge, getting them out. one option, starting the rescue now. oxygen tanks have now been placed along the exit route.on but of the boys knows how to swim. so they're scrambling toeach them diving skills to navigate tight tunnels that are tricky even morers experienced di two rescue divers would be assigned to help eac a boy on dangerous 2.5-mile trip at some points too narrow toea scuba gear, other parts needing a steep hive. >> of looking through a glass coffee cup. where there's no visibility. then on top of that there's very narrow passageways. so the divers needed toun nes in order to be able to get in and get out. >> reporter: the group appearing thin. they're now getting high proteid liquid foo that's easily digestible. this official tells us a team of medics is there too . only four people can be in the cave with the boys tone sure there's enough air

nbc's janice mackey frayer reports from thailand. >> reporter: from their hospital beds the boys sent thanks to thv rescuers who them. >> now i am ver fine. i'm very thank you for helping me. in reporter: heard for the first time s they are strong, hungry, and grateful. my health is good, sd dom, who had his 13th birthda oinside the ca day after the boys and their coach were found.ea the tm had gone into the cav late last month to explore for no more than an hour, then came e rain and the rush of water. dom's uncle, who raises him, to us the rising water forced the boys to scramble deeper into the cave, where they used their bare hands to dig for an air pocket. the rescue mission wh 200 divers at timedangerously close to failing. australian doctor ricrd harris was the last member of the rescue team to get out. >> some moments of significant fear, i have to say, and then a great result and some really joyousts mom to finish. >> reporter: then he learned that his father had died. the incredible rescue thrusting this quiet mountain area into the spotlight. and now hollywood has come call

janice mackey frayer, nbc news, thailand. >> they thought they would have to rideheir bikes home. >> home. they can eat lked ofd. f anything anywhere they want this thaila. >> goodore them. >>> starbucks opening up the first sign language store in the u.s., and it's right here in our backyard. >> it's near gallaudetiv sity. gallaudet is a school for the deaf. starbucks is hiring 20 deaf ployees who are proficient in sign language. they will wear aprons with starbucks spelled in sign language and other baristas will have pins that say i sign. the store is set to open in october. ol. hat's very >> very >> check out these incredible pictures come out of the big apple, a nearly century old steam pipe in that town explodes. >> mud a debris spewed into the streets,ge but b concern is the possible release of asbestos in the air. >> going on a trip? might be time for a new piece of lugage. how do you choose? consumer reporter susan hogan breaks it down for us. plus -- >> you cannot silence the strong >> more than 100 game fast with gut-wrenching stories ofbuse standing tall. >> and enjoy the

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nbc's janice mackey frayer has a look now at what's next in thepp drama that g the entire world. >> when that last ambulance was coming down the streetit presumably the coach inside, there was cheerg. poem genuinely happy and of course relieved that this ordeal is over. the 12 boys and the coach will nowe in isolation in the hospital. they could be there for up to a week as doctors continue to continue to monitor them for signs of bacterial infection, pneumonia, hypothermia and, of course, try to get their nutrition back on track. th have each lost about five pounds. they are now said to be easingc into normal foods, including bland stuff like porridge,ut they did today ask for an upgrade to ♪ >> as for the rescue effort thee chief of rescue mission is hailing everyone who was f volved more than 1,000 military and,course, the volunteer divers who really did make this all happen. >> we have finished successfully something that nobody ever thought it could be done. it's the first time in the world. ♪ >> reporter: janice macke frayer, nbc news, chiang rai thailand. >> doctors are not lettin

janice ms mackey frayer brings us the latest. >> reporter: too much water, not enough air and torrential rain on the way, all conditions that could spell disaster for the children and their coach if not rescued soon. the options are few and risky. one involved a so-called buddy dive. each boy tethered to a skilled diver. it's an incredibly treacherous task. an experienced diver running out of air and dying this week. the three-mile journey through the cave's tunnels takes an experienced diver about six hours. some spots too tight for scuba gear. another option, inserting a giant flexible inflatable tube. >> it will be as big as 17 centimeters in indictme as long as it needs to be to get the kids out. >> reporter: for days divers have been placing oxygen tanks and teaching the kids the basics. the worry, that they're weak and once underwater, could panic. >> the best plan is we can bring them out. >> reporter: for the first time, letters from the cave handwritten by the boys to their families, messages of love. one boy writing to his parents, i love you both. don't worry, i can take care

and janices mackey frayer is there. good morning. what's the latest? >> reporter: good morning. this is the day so many were looking for to see and here the boys and their coach. after missing 10 days in the flooded cave, now out of the hospital and going to be right here in front of us healthy, they're looking strong, and they're talking about it. revealing details of the ten days missing with no concept of time and nothing to eat. they said they licked the caves walls to drink water, their minds tired thinking only of food. then out of the darkness two british divers found them. i was surprised he was a foreigner, he said. i said hello and he said hello back. it was a miracle. and across the town where the boys lived families are getting ready for a homecoming like no other. the boys were saying when those british divers popped out of the water they thought it was a hallucination and told each other to be quiet because they thought they heard talking but just couldn't believe it was real. the next step for the boys is an unusual one. going to a monastery ordained as monks, wil

janice mackey frayer is in shanghai with this progress. >> reporter: the boys continue to improve and doctors say they could be released from hospital within days. in the meantime, the world got its first look at them. the boys recovering and relaxing after that daring three day rescue mission wearing face masks and hospital gowns, waving from their beds still together now that they're free of the their families wiping away tears from behind glass separated from their children to prevent infection. the healthy team a remarkable change from the haunting scene of 12 boys and their coach gone, hungry and trapped. the boys are doing well mainly because of their coach, 25-year-old. he was the last person out and was also the weakest. sharing his rations of food and water to keep the boys going, a former buddhist monk he also taught them meditation. in a letter he apologizized to the boys' parents. his aunt telling us she's relieved. his uncle proud telling us i will hug him and cheer them up and tell them to keep the fighting spirit. just up the road the cave has been sealed off still floo

more on theirst boys to be brought out of the cave andh howy're doing this morning, we go to janice mackey frayer, also in thailand. she's got tha part of the story. good morning. >> good morning, savannah. just moments ago, t ambulance with the fifth boy brought from the cave passed behind us. side, they would have checked his vital signs, looking for signs o hypothermia as they take him to the hospital where his recovery can begin. at this hospit, the entire eighth floor is reserved for the teens' care. it's where the four exhausted bo are in a sterilized isolation unit, being medically assessed and allowed no physical contact with theirie famil until doctors say so. hospital officials won't veal how they're doing, but the condition of one is said to be causing concer, these fo the first of the 13 trapped there to be ten out because a medic inside the cave said they were the healthiest. but after so many days of darkness, cold, andittle food, they still face a tricky recovery. >> they're lucky t be in there together. 13 boy together. and if they are in there alone, it wou m be verore desperate.

janice mackey frayer is in thailand with the latest on this, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. this is day one out of the hospital for the boys and their coach and it's a day to celebrate. there's a bit of rain but they're spending the time with family. they're eating a lot and they're coming to terms with being in the spotlight. the team's first day back at home began here at a monastery for a ceremony to pray for protection and offered thanks for a second chance at life. after an emotional good-bye to their caregivers at the hospital. >> translator: i'm so happy to be at home and sleep in my own bed. >> what did you guys talk about? >> translator: we talked only about food. the more we talked about it, the hungrier we got. >> reporter: they're extraordinary story of being lost and found, rescued now reunited has kept the entire world rooting for this team. appearing relaxed for the cameras yesterday to reveal how they survived, that they licked water from the caves walls. >> how many of you? >> 13. >> 13? >> yes. >> brilliant. >> reporter: until day ten when two british

we want to go right now to jan miss mackey frayer of nbc news who is standing by at that hospital. janice, can you confirm yet, is the hospital preparing to receive at least two of those boys that were trapped? >> reporter: we don't have the official confirmation yet, alex. there's so much speculation. the world has been staring at this cave entrance for 16 days, wondering when those boys will start to come out. we do have many of the thai sources saying two of them are beginning to be transported. to try to paent the scene around that cave entrance, when each of the boys when each of the boys is going to be brought out, there are 13 fully staffed medical teams standing by. each one of the boys and the coach is going to have their own doctor, two nurses, a paramedic, an ambulance, a helicopter. they're going to be checked for first their breathing, signs of hypothermia, a condition known as cave disease which is bacterial infection before they are prepared to be transported to hospital. this is the hospital behind us here. there's been an entire floor that's been reserved for their care.

janis mackey frayer is on the ground in thailand with more on their conditions and the effort to remove the remaining players and coach. janices i understand it, you're outside that hospital. a whole floor has been reserved for the survivors who have been removed from that cave. what are doctors telling you? what's the hospital saying about the condition they're in, how they have weathered the rescue effort so far? >> reporter: well, they're being very secretive about the condition of the boys. they want to ensure that they get the privacy that they would need, having emerged after 15 days of darkness, being reunited with their families after these incredibly difficult circumstances. they were met by fully-staffed medical teams that were waiting at the cave entrance. each boy assigned their own team, doctor, nurses, paramedics. they were checked first for their breathing, because the oxygen levels in the cave had been such a concern these past few days. also checked for signs of hypo they we hypothermia and cave disease, a bacterial infection. they will get their nutrition back on track, making sure that solid food is properl