Disappointed so many. Both refusing to step down. This amid allegations of more bizarre coverup attempts caught on tape. A vietnam vet comes facetoface with a bear at his home and calls on his military training. Dont ever stop fighting. If i was to stop fighting, i would not be here today. He will share more of his incredible story. And sidelined. Michael sam, the first openly gay professional football player, announces he is stepping away from the game for now. His surprise announcement and the reason behind it. Today, saturday, august 15th, 2015. Announcer from nbc news, this is today live from studio 1a from rockefeller plaza. Im erica hill. Im craig melvin alongside dylan dreyer and sheinelle jones. Kensington palace asking to stop publishing unauthorized pictures of the prince. A lot of reporters across the pond are doing unscrupulous things to get shots of the prince. They just want to live their lives as privately as possible. This is a child. Scary. Really scary. He is so darn cute. That is not justification. We will get to that in a bit. Our top story is the race for the white house. Hillary clinton and donald trump are stumping at the iowa state fair. Iowa, a crucial early battle ground. Nbcs Kelly Odonnell is in des moines. Good morning. Reporter good morning, erica. The summer heat is not only about Hillary Clintons day at the iowa state fair. There are democrats who are watching and worried. Some are saying there is time for another democrat to emerge in this race with hints that joe biden or al gore should jump in. Hillary clinton should not only go after republican rivals. Sometimes a family reunion. Hillary clinton is the best. Reporter brings uncomfortable tensions to the surface. For Hillary Clinton, her email controversy is making some democrats nervous. It would be nice to have somebody else to put their foot in. Reporter friday night, clinton tried to smooth anxiety. Joking about her new social media account on snapchat. I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves. Reporter at this iowa summer party, called wing dings, four democrats appeared on the same stage. A surging Bernie Sanders bragged about his big crowds. We have been generating an enormous amount of enthusiasm all over this country. Reporter clinton came out fired up and defiant. Explaining she turned over her private email server to the fbi. But blamed republicans for playing politics. I wont get down in the mud with them. I wont play politics with the national security. Reporter at the iowa state fair, republican jeb bush told me clinton needs to quote come clean. Mrs. Clinton seems not to be able to have integrity and tell the truth. If she has not done anything wrong, be honest. Reporter and donald trump amped up the rhetoric. I dont think it will be hilla hillary. Reporter trump said the email controversy could force Hillary Clinton out of the race. This has been brutal for hillary. I think at some point she perhaps will not run. It will have to end her campaign. Reporter thats a pretty bold statement, but that is what you might expect from donald trump. Hillary clinton was particularly energized last night saying she is in it to win it. So imagine this, erica, Hillary Clinton will be touring these grounds and meeting voters. Donald trump will be here too. He is expected to arrive in the area by helicopter, that one with his name emblazoned on the side. While he is running for president , he will be reporting for jury duty on monday in new york. I bet he is excited about that one. Yesterday, we heard chances of Vice President joe biden may run for president. A rumor of less than 50 50. Now there is more meat here there is more strategy behind the scenes. What are you hearing . Reporter Vice President biden has given a timeline publicly. He would make a decision by the end of this month or early september. He has days off with his family in south carolina. That may be part of his strategy. Those close to him reaching out for potential donors who have not committed to Hillary Clinton and a pathway in New Hampshire where clinton and Bernie Sanders are showing a lot of strength. The Vice President considering his options and looking for political will, but is there a map to get him in the race. We will watch it. Today he will go to chattanooga, tennessee to honor the Service Members who were killed in the attack. Kelly odonnell in des moines. Thank you. Extreme heat is fueling the dangerous situation out west. Fuelling the number of wildfires and forcing firefighters to battle them in triple digit temperatures. It could be the start of the difficult few months as the godzilla el nino ramps up. This is the area where people are used to extreme temperatures. That el nino could play a huge role in what we see happening in california in the fall. Ill get to that in a second. Before we talk about that, we have the huge dome of High Pressure sinking air and causing it to warm up. We are seeing outrageous temperatures. Yuma, arizona, 117 degrees today. The old record is 115. Phoenix should hit 116. Breaking the record of 112. Watch what happens as we go into the next several days. The heat to continue in sacramento which will stay above 100 degrees as we go into tuesday. Same for las vegas. 110. Will we see relief in california with the drought . Normally you have warm quarter down near the equator in the pacific ocean. The trade winds weaken and the water is not pushed west in the el nino. It lines up along the equator and changes the pattern across the globe. One pattern is the increased jet stream. In california, that is good for storms, but might not be cold enough for snow. That is what helps california. We will see how that plays out in the winter. We have a chance for texas to have a wet ter winter. Elsewhere across the northern half of the country is drier and also warmer. We might not see as many snow storms. Maybe more ice storms this winter. It is amazing how that effects everything. This could be the biggest one we have seen since 1997. Dylan, thanks. Turning to china where the death toll is climbing in tianjin. Nbcs ian williams and his team evacuated that scene. He joins us from beijing. Good morning, ian. Reporter good morning, erica. The authorities ordered evacuation of everybody within 1. 8 miles of the blast area. They are afraid of chemical contamination. This follows reports that police have found a large stack of sodium cyanide, which is a particular volatile and toxic chemical. It also underlines the fact they dont know what they are dealing with. Officials have said at this point, they dont know what dangerous cocktail of chemicals were in the warehouse that exploded. And today an alarm with fresh explosions and fresh fires. This appears to be cars bursting into flames and not chemical explosion. Another survivor today. This person, 56 years old, was found in the wreckage of the shipping container. He was taken to hospital with severe respiratory burns. Many firefighters died in the blast, 21, many are injured. We saw a protest today as relatives of fire workers demanded more answers. Erica. Scary stuff. Ian williams, i appreciate the update. Sheinelle is here with a look at a tragic accident at Yosemite National park. Yosemite National Park is filled with sadness when a tree limb fell on two campers as they slept. There was nothing the family could have done to avoid the accident. The park closed a second campground after squirrels with bubonic plague. There was a wild shootout in a new york city neighborhood with police and high ranking gang member. It started over probation violation and turned into a sixhour standoff and the suspect grabbed a gun and shot a firefighter responding to the scene. The suspects mother in by helicopter was brought in to talk him out. It ended in a shootout with the s. W. A. T. Team. The suspect was killed. New details about kayla mueller. The american aide worker in syria. The 26yearold was repeatedly sexually assaulted by the terrorist leader. Kayla mueller was kidnapped in 2013. The u. S. Confirmed she died in isis hands. The 19yearold College Basketball player was shot apparent killed by a Rookie Police officer in texas. Video shows Christian Taylor at the dealership, but the investigation is not yet complete. The u. S. Flag flies over the embassy in cuba as the two countries take the next steps in the relationship. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez joins us from havana with the details. Gabe, good morning. Reporter sheinelle, good morning. Now the u. S. Flag flying at the embassy in havana for the first time in 54 years, diplomats are set for talks next month. The u. S. And cuba disagree on democracy and human rights. Secretary of state john kerry during his historic visit on friday, said he hopes progress would be neighborhood. The u. S. Trade embargo which only the congress can lift. That is not expected to happen soon. Many travel restrictions in place. More americans are visiting cuba. The number is up 54 this year. The u. S. Is authorizing more sea invoivoyag voyages. On fridays flag raising ceremony was symbolic. In this country, following decades of mistrust, symbols matter. Secretary kerry saying the u. S. Now considers cuba not an enemy or rival, but a neighbor. Thank you, gabe. A store video is getting played this morning from florida. On it a woman and girl appear to show the young girl being coached, if you will, in the technique for shoplifting alcohol. She puts the bottle behind her back and then scoots out of the store. Officials are looking for the two. Here in new york, hundreds gathered in times square to recreate the iconic world war ii image of the sailor killing excuse me kissing. That would be horrible. Kissing a nurse on the day japan surrendered. The couples came about and many seemed to enjoy reenacting the scene as often as possible. That is the trek i take to work off the train. It is an attraction. Huge. People were around it. I dont know why i tried to change the story. We knew what you meant. Dylan is back with a closer look at the weather. It was wild at the pga championship. Jordan spieth was on a roll, but look at the scoreboard. The winds gusted up near 50 miles per hour. I think tiger woods is all right if that scoreboard went down. Just saying. A lot happening to him. A lot of debris as the storms hit and play suspended at 6 30 yesterday. It will resume today. The weather is fine in wisconsin. Really most of the upper midwest. You go back to the northern plains. We could see isolated storms and to you. Im meteorologist anthony slaughter. Waking up to sunshine this morning. Its going to be a hot weekend. Hope youre prepared because were talking about temperatures in the 80s, 90s and triple digits this morning. Were waking up to clear skies later on this afternoon. Temperatures 90, south bay 95, 86 for peninsula, 93 for east bay. Even San Francisco going to be up to 80, 99 for north bay and trivalley topping out 101. Take it easy if youre working outside, remember to drink plenty of water. Thats your latest forecast. Major announcement in the world of sports. Michael sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an nfl team, saying he is stepping away from the game. Most recently, he has been playing in canada. Now he says the pressure is just too much. Nbcs Gadi Schwartz has the story. Michael sam reporter in college, michael sam rumbled with confidence. Fast and powerful. He made history as the first openly gay player drafted in the nfl. The st. Louis rams select michael sam. Reporter he celebrated with a kiss. Suddenly he was pushed into the spotlight accepting the arthur ashe award for courage. The same award Caitlyn Jenner received this year. After the disappointment with the rams and cut and then the canadian football league, he pulled back and said the last 12 months have been difficult for me and to the point i became concerned with my Mental Health. Because of this, i will step away from the game at this time. Online, many responded with the same hate sam has faced for years. It takes full health to be focused on a sport. Reporter but sams concerns over his Mental Health show he could be facing something more dangerous. In his tweet, he says he hopes to be back on the field soon, but experts say that will be tough. It is unfortunate to say that, but i think in order for it to stick and work, the next openly gay player will have to be a superstar. Reporter among his supporter, his love of football has changed the game. For today, Gadi Schwartz, nbc news. The Prime Minister of britain is offering support this morning to the royal family. The royal family is taking on the paparazzi again. 2yearold Prince George is being stalked with tactics that have gone too far. Nbcs Kelly Cobiella has more from buckingham palace. Good morning. Reporter good morning, erica. Prince william does not make it secret he wants his family to have a normal life. It seems the paparazzi have followed them to the country. Just recently, one spotted hiding in the trunk of a car all day long near a playground waiting for Prince George. His parents say these photographers have crossed the line. Prince george is only 2 and already the paparazzis number one target. Kensington palace is accusing them of harassment releasing a scathing letter saying they are going to extreme lengths to get the money shot and creating a Security Risk and using tactics. People hiding in trees and camouflages them selves. It is unacceptable. Reporter they lured other children to get Prince George in the frame. It sells magazines. We use a picture showing george or charlotte and sales rise 30 or 40 for that week. Reporter unofficial shots can sell for thousands. Sometimes tens of thousands of dollars. To magazines in the u. S. And australia. As long as the picture is taken in public, it is legal. Thats the thing. None of them are breaking the law. They cant be arrested. Reporter it is not just about privacy, but also security. Prince williams mother died while chased by the paparazzi. Long lens are involved. The entrapment of using other children. How sick is that as a project to do that in the first place just to get a photograph . Reporter the palace says georges parents will happily share family pictures with the world. In return, they want george to be allowed to play in peace. The palace realizes their hands are tied legally. They hope to appeal to the better nature of publishers and you and me. When we see a cute picture on the magazine and we know what is behind it, we will be less likely to buy. Erica. Kelly, thank you. Up next, a look back at the weeks biggest stories from the giant shark caught on camera ton the sketch comedy of tom brady. We will look at this morning in the download we catch you up on the biggest stories. From jimmy carters cancer announcement and the spill of toxic chemicals in the waters. We begin with the deadly explosions in china. Deadly explosions ripped through the port city of tianjin, china. A warehouse storing Flammable Materials exploding not once, but twice. Hospitals, Emergency Services overflowing trying to cope with the hundreds wounded. Daybreak revealed a post apocalyptic waste land. At 22 , eight points higher than ben carson. Still the clashes continue. I probably identify more as a democrat. Rand paul released an ad on the tycoon for being a phony conservative. And releasing more barbs at Hillary Clinton. It is a criminal situation. Meantime, the clinton camp doing damage control. Agreeing to turnover the private email servers after top secret information. A very personal message from former president jimmy carter. I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body. Earlier this month, carter had a small mass removed from his liver. Since he left the white house in 1981, he has done anything but retire. My wife and i have been lucky enough to be leaders. Gossip girl Kelly Rutherford in a real life drama. The judge ordered her children back to europe where her husband has raised them since 2012. Rutherford summoned in court after keeping her kids four days past the court deadline. The environmental disaster in colorado where a toxic spill turned the animas river yellow. 3 million gallons of sludge released from the gold mine in colorado. As the epa, the very agency tasked with protecting the environment, triggered the breach during clean up. And surfacing on the web, stunning footage of video shot several years ago of what is believed to be the biggest shark caught on camera. The female shark so close, you can see her sharp teeth. Shes known as deep blue. About 20 feet long and 50 years old and very pregnant. And tom brady, an internet sensation, once again. Brady in federal court appealing his fourgame suspension, but it is not what he said. It is the picture. Here is brady going in to court and here is the sketch. To compare the two is not close. The internet went wild releasing the memes of the sketch. Here he is as e. T. And then the thriller video. I have to apologize to his fans because i did not make him pretty enough. S that with a the funnyest story. I dont know if you can make a sketch of him pretty enough. He didnt look like that. Pressure was mounting. The other thing she said, she said it was hard because he was looking down all of the time. It i kira 2shotoodorning,m announcer youre watching today in the bay. 5 56, beautiful look at san jose, clear and mild as we head into the weekend. Good morning, im kira klapper, anthony slaughter has a very hot microclimate forecast. If you havent her, a very hot week. 70s and 80s at the coast. 90s in triple digits for inland valleys. My goodness. Get ready, our shot from San Francisco. No fog to report. It is crystal clear. As we move through the day, it is going to warm rapidly. T