please welcome back to "a late show, willie geist! ng ovation in post. >> stephen: 100%. we'll have confetti coming down. it's going to be great. it's nice to see you. we've talked before on the show. you've been on the show before but i usually associate you with charitable events. the people at home may not know this, but willie geist is very giving of his time for well-meaning charitys. i see you backstage all the time. you're the next guy going on to give a speech forsing money you're a very nicrson. i ink that's why we see each other, whether a veteran's group, if we have a little bit of a platform, it's the nice thing to do. >> stephen: i'm there for the open bar. >> i suspected. >> stephen: congratulations on five years of "sunday today." i assume it has flown, especially the last year. >> yeah, it's been-- it's been wild. it really has. it's this mix of we're doing the news for the first half hour. so we're consumed with coronavirus and the trump years and all those things. and then we turn to sort of become a magazine show in

. >> sweet willie geist. >> he is going to help us celebrate a milestone for the show we're goingholding the wheel, not holding the phone. it's a busy world out there, and we're all in it together. go safely, california. you buckle up, start the car, put it in gear and take off. next thing you know, the phone is in your hand. stop! you should be holding the wheel, not holding the phone. it's a busy world out there, and we're all in it together. go safely, california. >>> welcome back almost exactly five years ago at this very moment, our dear friend willie geist launched his "sunday today" program. >> in five years since that very first show, he's eaten tacos with anthony bourdain, sat down with everyone from george w. bush to ice cube. >> he even landed one of the last interviews with the amazing chadwick boseman here's a look back >> mind if i take you to lunch >> let's do it >> we're making a film, it's called "willie and al. go see it. >> tell me more about the beard. >> you tell me about your toupee >> are you a little nervous? no nerves? perfectly calm >> you make me calm. y

i'm willie geist. happy easter to all of youce ma this morning, offering a message of hope during a second easter under this pandemic. a live report in a moment. >>> last night's final four of the ncaa tournament saw one of the greatest, wildest games in college basketball history. undefeated gonzaga hitting a buzzer beater in overtime to knock off ucla and keep their undefeated season alive. the incredible highlights ahead. >>> former presidents obama and trump weighing in on saturday on major league baseball's decision to pull the all star game out of atlanta in protest of a controversial new voting law there. the latest and talk to chuck todd. >>> our sunday focus on the next multi-trillion dollar plan from the biden administration. will a single republican get on board? who will pay for it? >>> plus, on this easter sunday, a look at church in the time of coronavirus. how houses of worship have adapted to survive during a time of shaken faith. >>> later, a new sunday sitdown with academy award nomin

i'm willie geist. as the acceleration of vaccinations has states across the country loosening covid restrictions this weekend, the united states still is facing big challenges with coronavirus this morning. a production problem means the supply of johnson & johnson's vaccine will drop this week as covid variants are contributing to an increase in cases in more than half the country. the latest in a live report just ahead. >>> our sunday focus on vaccine passports. should you be required to prove you have been vaccinated to enter a restaurant, concert or the place where you work? we will have the debate around an idea some states already have banned. >>> in our sunday spotlight on this world parkinson's day, the extraordinary man who received his diagnosis and then packed up for the appalachian trail. >>> later, a new sunday sitdown with oscar nominee amanda seyfried on her career from teenage years on soap operas to "mean girls" and now the dream role that earned her an academy award nomination. >> i w

i'm willie geist. it's another busy sunday morning with closing arguments in the trial of derek chauvin set to begin in minneapolis epartments country on alert for possible violence in the aftermath of that decision. we are live in minneapolis with the latest. >>> our sunday focus on the sudden pause this week of the johnson & johnson vaccine. with six cases of serious blood clotting among 7 million johnson & johnson shots, did officials make the right call? how will that announcement affect people already hesitant about vaccines? >>> later, a celebration of this morning's fifth anniversary of "sunday today" with a look through our library of sunday sitdown conversations and cameos from some of our favorite guests. >> willie, five years, congrats! >> cheers to many, many more, honey. >> our fifth birthday party. plus, another life well lived all a bit later in the show. >>> let's begin this morning in minneapolis and the country bracing for a verdict as closing arguments begin tomorrow in the murder tr

do they have willie geist sweatpants in that nbc store? >> they should.ug for "sunday today" and slippers, but you can get the full complement of "morning joe" here in that store. the commerce tree is great, but i think there's no substitute, maybe it's just me, for the silhouette of the antenna up against a rising sun on a beautiful spring day. you just can't beat it. >> there it is. so you've got the eiffel tower, right? you've got when the sun is rising behind the pyramids in egypt, right? that's number two. i'm thinking this is -- i think this is number three. look at that. hold on! it's gorgeous! it's beautiful, as the guy said at the end of "raiders of the lost ark." boy, i can't wait to get pack to new york city so we had a basketball game last night. of course, with i was busy watching the red sox begin their 159-game win streak. let's talk about the basketball game last night. because man, baylor, you talk about finishing strong not just last night, but also against houston. i don't think i've seen a team finish as dominantly as this baylor team

this sunday marks the fifth year of "sunday today" with willie geist. he and his team have helped transform the show by creating the popular segment "sunday sit-down" where he talks with hollywood stars like jerry seinfeld and kerry washington and what motivates them. we talked with mr. geist this morning about how the show has evolved the past few years. >> i think what's really changed is our guest list and our ability to attract people to come on the show who as these things work, they see somebody they know on the show or see somebody they respect or admire and agree to do it is a well. >> set your dvr. you can watch the five-year anniversary show live right here on nbc bay area sunday morning starting at 5:00 a.m. before "today in the bay" at 7:00 a.m. >>> happening today, a napa county native is returning from space. kate rubens has been on the international space station for six months. the vintage high school uc san diego and stanford grad was the first astronaut to sequence dna in space. she and two russian cosmonauts are flying back to earth a

willie geist, i liked that governor justice, man. that guy knows -- you know, my parents used to say, if i actually studied, they'd let me have dinner. he's doing sort of the same thing. get a vaccine, i'll give you 100 bucks. >> your meals were contingent on studying. also, sucker for a guy with a whiteboard. just getting some ideas up there, seeing what sticks. a hundred bucks if you're 16 to 35 in west virginia. whatever it takes, i guess, if the money's there. >> i think it will stick. >> the best part is, he's always sitting down. i hear in his last 20 years in governor, chairman mao would sit by the pool with a phone and order people around. he never left poolside. that's of course in pursuit of evil. here we have a guy, he's like, okay, i got an important thing to say. i'm not standing up. he just sits there in his chair. >> casually. i like this guy. i think we need to have him on the show. >> let's have him on. >> i think that would be fun. right now, we're going to get to the headlines. president biden is expected to announ

. >> willie geist, a lot going on right now. there are about three or four candidates who are.ls. we remember, though, back in mayor de blasio's first race, he came out of nowhere at the end to win. >> to nick's point, this is a city that tends to go to the city. it's not a huge surprise to me that andrew yang is leading. if the position that the school is open should be controversial, let me share with you, it's not among parents in this city. they want the schools open and they wanted it open since september. >> michael steele, what do you see as you look in this race? obviously, it's very early. obviously, the primary comes up in june, it's relatively early. what do you see as you look at andrew yang as a phenomenon and this group of more classic progressives behind him? >> you know, it's an interesting question. you know, here's a guy who came out of nowhere in the presidential race, put together a campaign that connected with a wide swath of americans across the country. was in the game for quite some time. has been able to now translate into a race for mayor. and i think,

mcbride, it's willie geist. so, i think so much of this is out of habit at this point. we were talking yesterday about wearing masks outside. i'm walking around new york city last night, almost everyone has a mask on outdoors. in your view, is that still necessary? and how do we break these habits we've all fallen into? we think for our own health, but also as an unselfish act to not get other people sick. how do you start to break those habits and get back to normal life? >> sure. so we have been marinating in stress hormones for 14 months. we have been in fear, protect mode for so long. and as i wrote in the washington post a couple weeks ago there is a phenomenon called fear of normal, phono i'm calling it. it's a fear based way of thinking to let's live our lives again. we don't need to wear masks outside. it doesn't make sense. there is no one in medicine, epidemiology or virology that is recommending outdoor masking unless, of course, you're in mumbai in a crowded situation, right. but in the united states where we're doing extraordinarily well, we're getting 3.5

>> me, too >>> next up, on a busy friday, dwayne johnson, the rock he sat down with our buddy willie geistfrom an opportunity with the canadian football league to pursue a career in pro wrestling, following in his father's footsteps. >> i felt in my gut, willie, that i had something to offer in the world of pro wrestling i had just gotten a call from the coach, my coach, at the cfl, to come back and try out for the team, the next season. i said, i appreciate it, coach, thank you very much, but i'm going to close this chapter of my life. hung up the phone. my dad asked, who was that we had the biggest fight his thought was, i love you as my son, and look around. we're in a little apartment that i can barely pay for i want more for you. but, eventually, he agreed to train me through a lot of hard work, and a little bit of a blood and a lot of sweat, the rest the history. >> rocky johnson was his dad in the '70s and '80s. wrestlers weren't making as much money as they do now, hence his concern for dwayne to enter the ring at all. luckily, as we know, it all worked out for the rock. you can ca

tune in tomorrow when my guests will be willie geist and actress maria bakalova.

willie geist by the 1990s band bush and everything then. i don't believe elvis is dead. >> wow! >> listen to it. it's a great song. >>> that does it for us. stephanie ruhle probably really confused what we're talking about. >> she is. >> but she picks up the coverage. who wouldn't be? i'm confused. now it might be best to turn it over to stephanie ruhle, who picks unthe coverage right now. stephanie? now stephanie? >>> she is confused. hi, there, i'm stephanie ruhle. it is tuesday, april 6th. here's what's happening this morning. in the next hour the trial of derek chauvin is set to resume for day seven of testimony. in 30 minutes, the judge will hear a motion about a potential witness. and next hour the prosecution is expected to call its next witness to the stand. it comes after what was arguably the most consequential day in the trial thus far. the minneapolis please chief taking the rare step of testifying against his own former officer. telling the courtroom that chauvin kneeling on george floyd's neck after he was no longer resisting, and especially once he was no longer r

i've got to give it to willie geist's new york yankees, who unfortunately topped, shut out, my orioleswe all want normal these days? not in this particular case. thank you for getting up "way too early" with us on this tuesday morning. don't go anywhere. "morning joe" starts right now. >> with all of his complaining about cancel culture, this guy is trying to cancel more culture than anybody ever. if you listen to donald trump, you would have to cancel baseball, coke, delta airlines, viacom/cbs, citigroup,

happy to be on it. >> my kids love a good willie geist interview? >> oh, do they? ome to the wonderful world of tray. >> i love it. >> i was, if you can imagine, a very dramatic child. >> i'm shocked, kerry. i'm shocked. >> i try not to force my children to watch my -- >> have you ever considered wearing a hat in battle. >> no, his hair's too important. >> you do your research. >> i don't know. that's a good question. >> you've done your homework. >> is that a blast to play that character? >> no. >> it's not? >> no. are you kidding me? >> it's uncomfortable, it's hot. i hate the wig, the pantyhose are pulling the hair on my legs. but i love watching the audience's reaction to it. >> my dad's answer ex-cop. he was a very tough man. when he walked into a room, the oxygen could leave like that. so i used to diffuse that with ways to make him laugh. >> i've always felt a sense of responsibility. >> i enjoy surpassing people's expectations. i think all women do. >> is it snowing? how romantic! >> it's magical! >> what did the band look like at first? did it resemble what

willie geist has a special anniversary coming up tomorrow as he celebrates five years of his show "sundayon nbc. congratulations, willie. >> huge congratulations. we love you, willie. can't wait to watch tomorrow. at does itth my retirement plan with voya keeps me moving forward... even after paying for this. love you, sweetheart they guide me with achievable steps that give me confidence. this is my granddaughter...she's cute like her grandpa. voya doesn't just help me get to retirement... ...they're with me all the way through it. come on, grandpa! later. got grandpa things to do. aw, grandpas are the best! well planned. well invested. well protected. voya. be confident to and through retirement. >>> south san francisco welcomes back thousands of students for the classroom. the new technologies in place aimed to help keep them safe from covid. >> plus closing arguments in the derrick chosen murder trial monday morning. ♪♪ >> announcer: this is an nbc news special report. remembering prince philip. here are savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. >> good morning, everybody. so glad to have you a

. >> willie geist, take a look, who has that rooster? >> well, it ain't me.ika. >> mm-hmm. >> i don't really see any candidates. i guess, jack, because we haven't heard him as often as our other guests. >> it's not jack! >> and the correct answer is! michael schmidt. >> whoo! >> michael, you need to tell the roosters to pipe down. >> let me tell you, i had a rooster named graham and it didn't end well for him. >> if you look at michael, let's get the michael shot. little known, if you haven't been to the lincoln memorial since the covid, they are actually raising roosters in the lincoln memorial right now. it's very exciting. with that, john -- >> can i go? can i go now? >> you've got to stay. we want to hear the rooster again. john heilemann, you have a question for our farmer mike. >> yes, please, mike, if you could keep the rooster quiet while you try -- >> there it went! >> -- i was intrigued while you were talking about garland the last time, just a couple of minutes ago. and you know, it's obviously true that it's been quiet over there. and he's been ab

. >> speaker boehner, it's willie geist. rning. >> willie, nice to see you. >> you as well. how do you explain the conduct and behavior of people you know, people who you are friends, people you have worked with a long time, around january 6th. i'm thinking of kevin mccarthy who continued to perpetuate this lie that drove people to the capitol on january 6th. how would you explain their behavior? have you talked to any of them and what would you say to them now if you have not to yet. >> i have not talked to them and there's no question for me to question their behavior. they're in office. they've got a tough job to do. my book was not intended to be critical of -- well, a few people, but not many. and listen, when i was leader, i had people shooting at me every day and it made my job harder. >> you're talking about legislative fights and fairness. but what we're talking about is the integrity of the election. when you had the leadership of the republican party all the way up to the president saying that joe biden was an ille

i'm willie geist.ing the conversation, nbc contributor and so much more, mike barnicle, pulitzer prize winning author and presidential historian, dorris kearns goodwin, economic and policy analyst, heather mcgee and the great donny deutsch is with us as well. joe and mika have the morning off. let's dive into some new polling giving president biden a positive approval rating, strong marks of the four crises that these identified under his presidency. the coronavirus, climate change, racial injustice, and the economic downturn. in the latest reuters/ipsos poll, 55% of americans approve of the president's job in office. 40% disapprove. on his handling of the issues, 55% approve of biden's handling of coronavirus, 29 disaprove. on the environment, 54% approve, 33 disapprove. on racial inequality, 51% approve, 37% disapprove. on the economy, 52% approve, 39% disapprove. on gun violence, 46% of americans approve of the president's performance, 48% disapprove. and on immigration, 42% approve while 48% disapp

. >> kate, it's willie geist. it's great to see you. we cannot wait to see you back on broadway.sic center is doing where you had broughtway perform ergs behind glass singing numbers. but in some ways, it's sort of heartbreaking. you want those people out from behind the glass and doing what they do up on stage. how are you all looking at the future? how soon will you be back and how many people will you expect in the theaters? >> i think it depends on a lot of hurdles. vaccination is far more widely available than it was even a few weeks ago. vaccination is going to be a gauge changer. but i think you're right. i have friends who have participated in those pop-up performances in different places. while they're definitely craving the ability to make music or perform for a live audience, it's not a substitute for what live entertainment is across the country. i know you all talk about sports a lot. i am a long time listener, first time caller here, but i follow along at home. and, you know, broadway alone typically generates more revenue than all of the new york sports teams combi

. >> reporter: johnson also spoke to willie geist about presidential ambitions for an upcoming "sundayoal to unite our country. i also feel that, if this is what the people want, then i will do that >> reporter: but is johnson too fast, too furious to be president? >> daddy has to go to work >> i am passionate about making sure our country is united, a united country, as we know, is strongest. i want to see that for our country. >> reporter: of course, plenty of celebrities have been elected to office, including former pro wrestler juesse ventura who was once governor of minnesota >> appreciate that see more of willie's interview on "sunday today" in the near future. >>> "saturday night live," this was hilarious. bowen yang made a splash when he stopped by "weekend update" as the iceberg that sank the the to talk "titanic." to talk about the anniversary of the historic sinking the iceberg got a little upset >> i thought this was clear, i'm not here to talk about the sinking, okay? fine, you want to do this? let's do this. first of all, you came to where i live, and you hit me it was mi

can relate to that after the last year of social distancing >>> finally, andra day, our buddy willie geistholiday. she is phenomenal in this film plays the iconic singer who happens to be her personal idol. in their interview airing this weekend, listen to this, willie got to surprise her with a visit from the former teacher who first introduced her to holiday's music. >> i think we have somebody joining us on the call mr. doyle, are you there, sir? >> oh, my gosh this is crazy. >> you've been busy since i saw you last. >> what made you think that billie holiday would be a good fit for andra? >> she wasn't your normal musical theater high school girl she was this sultry, sophisticated rawness in her voice. you know, you'd sit back and sing a song, and it was like, if you want to come up here and listen to me, that's cool. if not, no big deal. >> i love it so much it goes to show the lasting impact teachers can have on their studentstoday. >> willie always does good withr easter sun >>> good morning, 8:26. i'm marcus washington. police in fremont investigating a deadly shooting by one of it

watch more of that, in fact the entire interview, this weekend on "sunday today" with willie geist.carkerry sanders. >> he just landed on my head it's crazy >> it was a little crazy why that little guy perched on kerry's head has a lot to teach kerry's head has a lot to teach us about the world around us kerry's head has a lot to teach us about thsome days,ound us you just don't have it. not my uncle, though. he's taking trulicity for his type 2 diabetes and now, he's really on his game. once-weekly trulicity lowers your a1c by helping your body release the insulin it's already making. most people reached an a1c under 7%. plus, trulicity can lower your risk of cardiovascular events. it can also help you lose up to 10 pounds. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. it's not approved for use in children. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swellin

. >> senator, it's willie geist. good to have you on this morning.ffort, as you mentioned, you're working with chuck schumer on that one. i want to ask you about some more bipartisan work you're attempting to do. on an infrastructure bill. you can call it a group of moderate senators met yesterday to talk about a way forward. mitt romney was in the room, susan collins, dick durbin, jon tester, joe manchin among many others. what was the discussion like? obviously, we've heard from mitch mcconnell that republicans will not vote for the plan put forward by the biden administration 2.2 trillion. they don't like raising the corporate tax rate. so what's the discussion yesterday? and do you believe there's a bipartisan way forward on this big infrastructure plan? >> well, i do think there's a bipartisan way forward. in fact, we've already passed some surface transportation bills through the united states senate, just in recent years. we have water legislation that's been crafted in a bipartisan way, that's been passed through the senate. we can look to pa

. >> it's willie geist.ridges and roads, but what would this bill mean for the city of boston? >> this boovt would be amazing for boston. i think the broadband is -- we're doing that in the city of boston now. we saw it during the pandemic. real big gaps in technology and connectivity for families in poorer communities and communities of color that quite honestly couldn't get on the zoom, couldn't get their kids consistently on zoom. that's a big one. upgrading the infrastructure for water is a big one. you know, there are 400,000 buildings that would be impacted by this legislation. we're talking about the electric grid. we're working, preparing for the future. we have companies in america that will be making electric vehicles and having a good strong infrastructure there is important, as well. and the job training. you think about for boston at least, we have a lot of tech companies moving into the city of boston. and we want to prepare young people that are in high school right now and going to college th

zplst willie geist, we talk about how difficult it is to give the response to a president's state offficult in america is pitching for the new york mets. this guy's era is 0.51. he has given up two runs this entire season. the mets lost both of those games. and i re-tweeted the answer to the question, what is the greatest sports rivalry right now? it's degrom versus the mets. >> it's incredible. he's having one of the greatest single pitching seasons in the history of baseball. and he's 2-2 through april, 0.51 e.r.a., two losses where he allowed one run, and he got a no decision where he pitched six scoreless innings. at some point, you have to wonder if he asked out of the place because what's happening to his statistics because of it. he can't get a win in new york with the mets. but my goodness, jonathan lemire, this guy is being compared to pedro in '99. he's got as many strikeouts through five games as nolan ryan in 1978, which would be a record. and look at this number. tonight is the 33rd time jacob degrom has given up one run or less in a game in which he will not receive a w

. >> congresswoman omar, it's willie geist. great to you on the show this morning., they think of defund the police movement, they think of your comments after the murder of george floyd where you said the minneapolis police department needs to be disbanded. you know that president biden, former president obama, jim clyburn, bernie sanders, the list goes on have dismissed the idea of defunding the police. let's just be clear about your vision for policing in america through this bill and broadly. what do you think a good minneapolis police department, for example, would look like? >> yeah. thank you actually for that question. you know, minneapolis right now is engaged in a rigorous process of trying to re-imagine what public safety looks like for all of us. we all realize that our police department has not been an adequate police department where people have full faith in that police department. half of our homicides go unsolved. there are cases reported where rape kits have been destroyed. i remember witnessing my first police shooting as a teenager where minneapo

. >> jake, it's willie geist. good to have you on the show this morning. what do you say to some of the veterans who i was context texting with last night and people we've heard from publicly, yes, of course they're happy it's winding down. 20 years of their lives they've lost. their friends, their lives have been forever changed by the war in afghanistan. they don't want to be there forever, more than anyone. but they just said, as a matter of fact, we'll be back. it may not be me, but maybe somebody younger than me. we'll have to go back to afghanistan, because it is what it is and the taliban will be what it is and was before we ever got there, 20 years ago. so what do you say to them, who are fully expecting that they'll have to go back to afghanistan? >> the first thing i would say is just to thank them for their incredible service and bravery over the last 20 years. i had the opportunity to join president biden yesterday when he went to arlington national cemetery and it was an incredibly powerful reminder of their service, their sacrifice, what they

willie geist, what do you have planned for sunday today? >> another good one for you this weekend. sat and talked and went out and walked his dog. his rescue pit bull, kuma. went for a walk around the lower eastside. a super charming, smart dude. obviously he's a great actor. he's in the mosquito coast based on the famous novel written by his uncle. and, of course, was married to jennifer aniston. so it was interesting to talk to him about being this somewhat well known actor who stepped into this crazy celebrity spotlight and what that meant for his life and how jarring that was. really great conversation with a fun, smart, cool guy. and kuma was with us at the bar the entire time. >> so cute. i love that. thank you. >>> still ahead, nasa and spacex team up to help end america's reliance on russia by launching four astronauts toward the international space station. we'll play for you the moment it happened this morning. >>> and mourners gather to remember the young father who was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop. we'll speak with the reverend al sharpton w