years behind the weekend anchor dec desk. we look back at a few surprises for our friend today, sunday, september 29th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today." with lester holt, and erica hill, live, from studio 1a from rockefeller plaza. >> welcome on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm lester hill. let's get right to the news headlines. >> in just a moment. it is a very special day around here. we're all excited to celebrate your tenth anniversary. i know you don't always like the spotlight on you, but it is well deserved. >> i do like it when i'm doing that stuff. >> or that stuff. >> a couple of these -- sorry. >> in a good way, right? >> no, i tweeted this morning, it's one of the great jobs in television. i've been honored to have it. i think the longest running on this show. you've been here almost one year. >> almost one year. but don't try to take the attention away from me. >> i'm sure whatever you do in the second half will be tasteful and small and not over the top. >> low-key, today, yeah. >> we'll get to that. but thank you very much. we want to get to today's top story. the potential government shutdown that is just two days away. a rowdy debate that stretched into the wee hours this morning. it ended with passage of a bill that would delay obama care's implementation for a year. democrats say that's not acceptable. kristen welker is live at the white house. kristen, good morning, where is this going? >> reporter: it seems the only thing democrats and republicans can agree on is a shut down seems likely after a house of representatives passed that piece of legislation overnight. mostly along party lines. it is a bill that the white house has threatened to veto. meanwhile, across the country, there is anger and frustration. >> you can yell all you want, but you can't -- >> reporter: it was fireworks on the house floor saturday night. >> mr. speaker, the house is not in order. >> reporter: the debate rages in washington. a thousand miles away they're watching it all closely at the everglades national park in florida. if the government shuts down, the park would close. more than 250 employees likely furloughed. >> i've got a lot of dedicated national park employees that are concerned about being on an extended furlough. >> reporter: a shutdown seems more likely by the minute after the house passed a bill overnight that would delay the obama care for a year. >> tonight the republican majority will vote to shut the government down. >> all republicans are asking tonight, is give the nation a year to study a 2,500-page bill that even speaker pelosi hadn't a clue what was in it. >> reporter: the white house quickly fired back releasing a statement saying any member of the republican party who votes for this bill is voting for a shutdown. so how would a shutdown impact you? you can forget that trip to a popular tourist site, because all national parks and museums, even the national zoo, would close. thinking about getting out of the country? your passport better be up to date, because those applications will stall. and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would likely be furloughed. but if you want to mail a letter, you're in luck. the post office will remain open. and don't worry, that check will still be in the mail, the social security check that is. across the country, mounting concerns. >> we're really hoping that you can come to a conclusion and keep us working and keep these great places open to the american public. >> reporter: that bill now goes to the senate which is not back in session until monday. majority leader harry reid already said he would reject it outright. they have less than 24 hours to sort this out and avert a government shutdown. >> kristen welker this morning, thanks. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning. >> good morning. >> as we look at this this morning, what is in this for the government party? what do they get? >> they get an issue, that they want to campaign on again next year, maybe individuals who want to ride it to the nomination of the republican party in 2016. and they want to cast more attention on this. they are not moving votes. and the bill's already unpopular, according to most polls, the law, that is. so they're not even gaining extra ground there, based on what we're seeing thus far. >> the truth caucus, as it's coming to be known, you're mentioning this could be helping as they push into the next campaign season. does that truth caucus gain weight as it moves forward? >> i'm curious to know what cruz does next. because the goal of the funding or delaying of obama care is nowhere in sight. so the pro tetests can continuel the way through a government shutdown. but the goal of changing the law is nowhere in sight. they're not actually engaging -- this is a complaint from democrats i've talked to -- they're not looking to improve the law or change the law substantially, that conversation hasn't happened yet. >> the american people, it seems to be the only way to get anything done in washington is to bring it do you know to the wire this, and not end up shutting down government. is that the only way things get done now? >> you know, it seems to be. it's government by crisis. you have defense secretary hagel that the country's becoming ungovernable by the way washington is behaving. so the staring contest moves forward and the political chips will fall as it does. >> all right. david, thanks. we'll check back with you in just a bit on "meet the press." we've seen powerful new pictures from inside the mall in kenya that was the scene of that deadly terror attack. ron allen is in nairobi with the new images. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, lester. we just obtained these pictures exclusively. some were taken in the past 24 hours. as you will see, they are raw, they are graphic and they show the utter destruction of the mall in its aftermath, the aftermath of the four-day siege that left 67 people dead. keep in mind when you look at these pictures it happened on a saturday afternoon in a mall that looked before this like any typical mall in suburban america. there were stores, a children's cooking demonstration going on, very young kids. five gunmen were killed. was that the entire militant force that was there? so many questions remain. what happened to the hostages who were there. we were told 1,000 people were rescued. we never were told what happened to the people that were held hostage up to the final day. there are reports this morning as well that the government had advanced warning about this. was that intelligence followed up on. did the government have the capability to act on that. again, so many questions. the death toll at 67. the investigation continues. >> ron allen this morning. ron, thank you so much. in the pacific northwest this morning, it is a very soggy morning, to say the least, after record-breaking rain fell on saturday. that nasty weather is expected to continue into today. dylan has a closer look on all of that for us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. this area is used to rain, of course. but nothing this big, this early in the season. we saw 50 to 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts snapping tree limbs and sending -- toppling the trees down into homes. we cer certainly did see the da reported out in portland where 16,000 people lost power. and over in seattle we ended up with a record amount of rainfall in olympia as well. parts of the state are still under a flash flood watch at this time. you can see the size of this storm system, it is a big one moving in off the pacific. as the jet stream comes in like this, the moisture just streams right in here. and we are seeing the threat perhaps of another several inches of rain. in fact, today is going to be even worse than yesterday. another perhaps five to seven inches of rain is possible. especially right along the coastline. we still could see wind gusts up to 65 to 75 miles per hour. lester? >> all right. dylan, thanks very much. questions still lingering three months after one of the nation's deadliest wildfire killed 19 men, part of an elite hot shot team. on saturday investigators released a report about the fire but in many ways there are more questions than answers. we get more now on this from miguel almaguer. >> reporter: this video posted on youtube of the granite mountain hot shot team was taken minutes before 19 men lost their lives. investigators now say during the raging yarnell hill fire, radio communications were challenging. crew updates, brief, informal and vague. there was a 33-minute communication blackout before flames swept over the team. >> there was a period that we don't know. we don't have all the information. >> reporter: the three-month investigation placed no blame. it says the hot shots were in a safety zone atop a ridge when for unknown reasons, the team desended into a valley. when a thunderstorm spread the blaze, the men were trapped in a ball of fire. temperatures exceeded 2,000 degrees. >> no directed them to move from the location they were in. obviously they made a decision based on the information that they had. >> there's a lot of me that's still unsettled. >> reporter: julianne and her four children lost andrew. the report, she says, leaves many questions. >> nothing bring them home. so i knew going into it that all that i want in life is one moment with my husband again and that's not going to happen. >> reporter: this morning the investigation is over. for some, closure and answers will never come. for today, miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. time to get caught up on the other headlines from overnight. >> craig melvin is here with that. good morning. >> good morning. we are now learning that the national security agency may be mapping your social connections. for almost three years the nsa has been matching data it collects from gps locators, bank codes, voter registration rolls and facebook profiles. the details are part of a new report from "the new york times" which is based on documents from nsa leaker edward snowden. they will not say how many americans were caught up in the effort but says all the work has a foreign intelligence purpose. bond is set at $1 million for a man in louisiana accused of shooting a pastor to death during his sermon. police arrested 53-year-old woodrow kerry and charged him with murder after he called 911 and admitted what he had done. he walked into the church in lake charles friday night and shot pastor ronald harris twice. police still do not know why. a former army secretary nicknamed rambo pleaded not guilty to charges in an alleged murder for hire plot. he was arrested in thailand and appeared at a new york federal court to face those charges. hunter was in the army from 1983 to 2004. he is a contract killer who plotted to kill a dea agent, and import cocaine. the number two navy officer in charge of all u.s. nuclear war fighting forces has been suspended from duty this morning. the admiral is under investigation in a case involving counterfeit gambling chips at an island casino. he was suspended more than three weeks ago but it was not publicly announced until now. ready for relay. the olympic flame-lighting ceremony for the winter games went off without a hitch in southern greece. the torch is now ready to make its way to russia. it will arrive in moscow october 7th. then it will journey some 40,000 miles across russia's nine time zones before the games officially begin february 7th. 130 days from now. that's the news. back over to you. >> that's very cool. >> i didn't know you had that in your newscast. did you know erica, one of her fantasies, is to carry the olympic torch? >> that is on my bucket list. and you did it with a broken foot. >> my goal is to get you to the torch before -- >> you guys are the best. now a check with the rest of your weekend forecast. hello again. >> you have to figure out which time zone you want to run through. we are going to see the huge storm in the pacific northwest. still continue to affect parts like seattle and up into areas in portland, oregon, too. in the center of the country, we still have the cold front moving eastward. we have heavier rain from michigan down into texas. it's not going to be as heavy in texas as it was yesterday. look at chicago, 84 yesterday. only topping out at 71 and we're seeing temperatures mostly in the 50s right now, and some light rain across mendocino county moving off to the north of you. that line will drop a little further south into sonoma county later today. we will see vasty different temperatures. 60s and 70s in the north bay. we should manage 70s and 80s in the south bay. that rain line should drop further south for monday and skies clear for the middle part of the week and warmer for the second half of the week. >> that is your latest forecast. erica? >> dylan, thanks. turning now to the latest chapter for amanda knox, accused of killing her british roommate in italy. tomorrow she faces yet another battle in court. chapman bell is live in florence this morning with a preview. chapman, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. it was about two years ago when amanda knox was acquitted in perugia, italy. it seemed like her legal troubles were over. tomorrow a new case gets under way for her and her former boyfriend in italy, this time in a different city with new prosecutors. she and her co-accused won't even be in court here tomorrow. it was a criminal trial that captivated the world. amanda knox and her former italian boyfriend raffaele sollecito charged with the murder of meredith kercher. the four spent almost four years in italy, held behind bars before their trial began. they were convicted of murder and sexual assault in 2009 and sentenced to a quarter century in prison. she was freed on appeal in the same court almost two years later. in march the high court overturned the decision and sent the case back to trial. those hearings will take place at this florence courthouse. earlier this month on "today" knox told matt lauer she was not going back. >> i was in prison as an innocent person and i just can't relive that. i'm not -- i don't think i'm going to be put back in prison. i think that we're going to win. >> reporter: even if she comes out on top in this newest battle, it may take a while for knox to truly be free. >> they can get another acquittal. the prosecutor can appeal the acquittal again. it can go back to the supreme court. the supreme court macon firm the acquittal or send it back for another evaluation. this is what you call judicial ping-pong. >> reporter: potentially leaving the seattle native in legal limbo for even longer. italy's high court sent this case back to trial citing the need to re-evaluate certain elements that led to their acquittal, including forensic analysis methods and the question of motive. both knocks ax and her former boyfriend still maintain their innocence. >> chapman bell, thanks. fans getting ready to say good-bye to one of the most acclaimed tv shows of all time good-bye to one of the most acclaime[ female voice ]l time oh no. here we go again. ♪ oh dear. i need a little help here. ♪ i'm sorry. i don't have a usb port. oh snap. you have a real keyboard too? 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"the sopranos" now famous fade to black along with the final episodes of "seinfeld" and "lost" fell flat with fans. but for other be loved series like "m.a.s.h. wrshl and "the bob newhart show." actor brian cranston who plays the despicable walt summed it up. >> the ending is perfect, unapologetic, perfect "breaking bad." >> just the bad ending fans are hoping for. for today, michelle franzen, nbc news. i'm not caught up in the show and i think i got something spoiled for me there. >> we'll make up for that with good stuff later in the show. sorry about the spoiler. still to come on a sunday edition of "today" -- wait a minute. i'm not reading this. >> we'll come back and celebrate lester's ten years, which he you like to keep your family healthy and fit. do the same for your dog. introducing purina dog chow light & healthy. it's a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend... ...with 20% fewer calories than dog chow. new purina dog chow light & healthy. real fruit plus real nuts plus real multigrains equals real delicious! quaker real medleys, your on-the-go burst of goodness! quaker up. still to come, also lester's tenth anniversary of "weekend today." you may have heart, anniversary of ex-lentz. you may have heard we're celebrating with friends and family. hey, who is that guy? >> that's my replacement. >> that's your son. >> people from chicago might recognize him. >> anchor of nbc 5 chicago news. >> that's the first of your surprises. >> i made the sign for you. >> you have privileges here. we'll bring you in. >> check that out. we all have our little tricks. mom swaps one of my snacks for a yoplait. i don't mind, i mean it's orange crème. and when mom said bobby was too edgy... 'sup girl. i just swapped him out for tyler. 'sup girl. mom never questioned bobby again. two can play at this game. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. and everybody wins. yoplait. it is so good. you work. and you want to get an mba. but going back to school is hard... because you work. now, capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job and focusing on what you need to know so you can get a degree at your pace. and graduate at the speed of you. flexpath from capella university learn more at capella.edu good morning to you. waking up in foster city, here is what you might see out your window. a beautiful start to the day on this sunday. thanks for joining us. i'm kris sanchez a lot with rob mayeda with a forecast with a little bit of rain a little wind. >> not too much rain, but in the north bay you will probably see at least a little bit of shower activity as we go through the day. right now 56 in santa rosa and san jose and san francisco. got to show you what's happening to the north. that's the pacific northwest. that's the outer fringe starting to get into areas north of santa rosa. 60s and 70s there. look at san jose south. we'll still see some 80s today in parts of the south bay and then the showers drop in on us as we go into monday. tuesday we clear out in the second half of the week warm up, back into the mid-80s inland thursday and friday. >> thank you. the father of a dodgers man who was stabbed to death is set to speak later today. michael montgomery walked out of jail after san francisco district attorney george gascon said he's not ready to file charges. he's still waiting to hear from witnesses in the stabbing death of 24-year-old jonathan denver. gascon says he wants to hear from investigators about whether montgomery could have been acting in self-defense when a fight broke out between dodgers and giants' fans not far from the ballpark wednesday night. legal analyst steven clark says the fact that montgomery was released does not mean he won't be later rearrested and charged. the victim's father is expected to speak outside at&t park before the giants game against the padres around noon today. new this morning, apt i don't think police are investigating a shooting last night in which one person was killed and another injured. officers say they responded to reports of a shooting in the home at a 2200 block of banyan way about 10:00 last night. when they arrived, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. both victims, a 24-year-old oakley resident and a 20-year-old man were transported to a hospital. the 24-year-old was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. the condition of the 20-year-old man was unknown. police said no arrests made in the shooting. anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the antioch police department. the search is on this morning for this woman who vanished from a hospital room. 57-year-old lynne spalding was being treated for an infection when she disappeared a year ago. spalding is very thin and somewhat frail and was on medication and was very confused when she was last seen. spalding is 5'7" tall, weighs about 105 pounds. she speaks with a heavy british accent. police are asking anyone with information to call the san francisco police department. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," medical marijuana dispensary in the south bay doing something a bit out of the norm this weekend. we'll show what you they're doing to prove to critics that pot dispensaries can be good neighbor. that and all the day's news coming up right here at 7:00 on "today in the bay." welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm campbell brown. >> this is our big debut. are you nervous? we'll be fine until i pull my first practical joke and then the relationship will really get started. >> wow, i lost my sight, lost my hair and i lost weight. >> it is sunday, september 29th. we just saw a little bit of lester. right now you're listening to the smooth sounds of the brown stone jazz ensemble. >> just for you, lester, our house band this morning. i know you recognize them because you've played with them before. >> i did. i did a story not long ago. they play in this great brownstone in brooklyn. >> we've got them all. we'll be hearing a little more from them coming up in this half hour. we saw when we came back from break at the top of this half hour, you saw your first day ten years ago as co-an who of "weekend today" with campbell brown. what's it like watching that? >> i just remember the two of us, she came from the white house, i was coming from msnbc, suddenly thrust into morning television, figuring it out as we went along. janice was part of the team. wow, i did have more hair and it was darker. >> well, these things happen. >> that's what this job will do to you. you look younger now i think. >> i'll take that. what a blast. i have been blessed by having great co-anchors and weather people and a great family of fellow cast members. it's been wonderful. >> i'm glad you feel that way. we're going to be watching a lot more of those ten years. >> that's also what we have coming up ahead. we'll look back at lester's last ten years on "weekend today." sorry, lester, also some low lights as well. >> speaking of. >> you know what? any time there's a story, lester holt is the guy that goes. that's kind of your m.o. we'll talk to your family little bit about what it's like to share lester holt with the rest of the world as well. >> you're going where? when? oh, they're there. >> carol, stefan and cameron. we brought everybody in so you have the whole family here. this may come as a shock to you, but that's not your only surprise. and there's more. >> and there's more. >> a free ego trip for one. >> there you go. just four payments of $19.95, a dvd of this show. it's going to be great. first a final check of the weather from dylan. >> we are delivering up okay weather. that is one thing i had no control over here, nothing but sunshine. dwoe have a couple of clouds in the northeast, also in the northwest where we had this huge storm system affecting the pacific northwest from washington state right back into parts of oregon and even northwestern california. we've got wind gusts up to about 45 miles per hour right now and we could see gusts as high as 65 to 75 miles per hour. the rain is going to continue throughout the week. but the worse of it should be today. this cold front is also bringing showers and thunderstorms from michigan right down into texas, although those shouldn't be as bad as yesterday. look at that storm stalls out tomorrow. we will stil as dylan mentioned, here is a closer look at the weather system that's spinning high clouds our way. you can see the main effect of that big storm system is across washington and oregon, but later today for the north bay, you will start to see a chance of showers mainly in sonoma county and areas north of the golden gate. tomorrow morning, that's when we think the showers will move farther south. north bay with more clouds, 60s and low 70s to wrap up the weekend. showers kick off the workweek, and then we warm up for the second half of the seven-day forecast. we've got a huge turnout for lester's big tenth year anniversary. look at the size of the crowd out here. this is all for you, lester. we'll send it back over. >> and the lengths i go to to get fans. >> came for the swag. >> i can't believe you printed these up yourself. >> is that tacky? >> not at all. we have such an outpouring of love for lester on the plaza, really every week end morning, but especially today. coming up we'll take a look back at hurricanes to spending so much time with our troops overseas, making a stop with the pit crew for a race, we look back at lester's ten years. first, a special message from jay leno. >> hey, lester, happy anniversary, ten years hosting the "weekend today" show. don't worry about job security. that doesn't happen until your 22nd year. you're safe for a while. ♪ howdy partner. you're not linda. i'm filling in for officer owens. she used double miles from her capital one venture card to take an early vacation. buckle up. let's go do cop stuff. 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[ female announcer ] no timto plan? there's still time to whiten. new crest 3d white whitestrips 1 hour express. now, in just one hour you can have a noticeably whiter smile. new 1 hour whitestrips from crest. life opens up with a whiter smile. ♪ oh dear. i need a little help here. ♪ i'm sorry. i don't have a usb port. oh snap. you have a real keyboard too? this isn't going to end well for me. is it. nope. definitely not ending well. do you still think i'm pretty? ♪ that's a nice touch. i just want to say that. >> i like it. the past ten years lester has woken up early on the weekend, whether he's in the studio or out in the field, he's always a trusted common voice of reason. at least until we make him do something odd, goofy, kind of stupid. a look back at a decade of lester on "weekend today." >> welcome to "today" upon a saturday. on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> he is just part of the family and fabric. he personifies everything we would want everyone in this building to be. >> he's so dedicated to getting everything right. >> here is the mosque where omar established the taliban. >> he wants us to be the best show possible. >> i can't even imagine everything he's experienced in the ten years on the "weekend today" show alone. >> the stories he's gotten to do. >> let me tell you about the one that got away. >> whether he's doing recipes in the morning, or hot yoga on "weekend today" or whether we see him in the midst of a revolution in egypt. very few people are able to do what lester does. >> the fighting continues here in lebanon. school bus tossed about. i don't know where to start. so much is taking place. >> he's one of our absolute weapons that we can use to cover any kind of story. >> we want to turn now to the ground zero disaster. >> the haitian people know something about resilience. they'll gather here tomorrow to elect a new pope. >> he can be the serious news man that we know he is, but then he can also make fun of himself. >> i know that if you watch the show with any regularity, you know he's afraid of snakes. >> no, don't do that. >> the comfort level you get, i think, from watching lester comes from knowing he's flown his mission. >> cooper walks down these stairs. >> another people might not know about lester, he is a ginormous plain nerd. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> okay! >> people say, oh, lester holt, that guy is hilarious. but you want to know something? he's actually hilarious. >> i've even got a life preserver on so if it rains, you guys are out of luck. >> the best sense of humor. >> at the end of the tour. >> my favorite lester moment was halloween. we were the kayakers. >> you know what the situation is? >> what's the situation? >> what's the situation? this is the situation. >> when i stopped by his office, you know what he's doing? playing bass. >> he gets down. you know, he's cool. lester's cool. ♪ >> look at this man. >> we were all given the assignment to pick our favorite teen idol. who did lester choose? the male cast members of the partridge family. what? and on a side note, lester, when he finally met danny bonaduce, he said, here are the reasons i played bass man. >> never even had a -- >> you totally destroyed me. >> we had fun at survival school. they plopped us down in the middle of this desert. we were just given two instructions -- survive -- >> wow, i made fire. >> -- and get along. and if you don't get along, just survive. >> this was not meant to be a competition. at least by them. but it was for me. >> he wants to be athletic. >> watch this! whoa! >> i didn't know he was a ringer at ping-pong. >> we had a rather interesting first workout. it was a near-death experience for lester. >> come on! >> the second workout didn't come out nearly as well as the first. you're not even halfway there. >> we're not halfway there? >> arms up! >> jamaica was an incredibly successful bonding trip. there's a great part of jamaica in both our heritage. lester went back there with his mother. >> it's like, now i'm home. this is just unbelievable. >> most people today are going to talk about him as a professional and broadcaster and journalism. but he's a great husband and a great father. >> he is the nicest, most genuine person i've ever met. mr. nbc. they should have a contest. he would win. >> the wonderful thing about lester is he is exactly the person you would imagine he'd be. he's fun, he's funny, he's incredibly smart, he's so kind. >> lester has held every chair he's ever sat in for a long period of time with great stability and care and skill. and ten years anchoring "weekend "today" i congratulate you for it. >> oh, wow. i'll say it again, best job in television. you have to get up at this hour, and be here with people that you love, and people that -- you know, family that supports you. you need to have that when you do what we do. >> your wonderful family is here with us this morning. so nice to have you all in the studio. >> my lovely wife. my replacement. >> not so fast. >> this one has been a running joke. cameron, he didn't know i worked mornings because i would come home, and be in jeans with a cup of coffee by the time he'd wake up. so it's been a running joke, did you know dad works mornings? >> i didn't know dad worked. >> he was up late watching football. i'm glad you made it. it's lovely to have my family here. and my other family here. >> you've had to sacrifice a lot over the years. married 31 years? >> 31 years. >> i know plenty of times, even recently, that he's off to somewhere. you've gotten to join him on some of those trips, too, which has been a nice perk. >> i do. i go on some of the fun trips. but not where the bombs are dropping. where i have to wear body armor. >> that was in beijing. >> beijing. you did a little turino, too. that part's worked out fairly well, in terms of the sacrifices. cameron, what is it like watching your -- well, apparently not watching your dad, but when he's always away on a story and then he comes back home? >> it's fun that he works on tv. if i ever want to watch him, i can just turn him on. >> a lot of folks main not know this, but you're actually the anchor in chicago at wmaq. at what point did you realize, you know what, i want to grow up and do what dad does? >> it's funny to be back in the studio. this is the first time seeing it since it was redone. but as a high schooler i used to come on "weekend today" and i would be watching and absorbing everything. not realizing that, maybe this is something i could do professionally. it wasn't until about college, i asked my dad, you know, i think this is what i want to do. >> and you didn't talk about it? >> no, no, i'm proud. i just want them to be successful. i'm glad we got him over to the nbc family. >> you anchored together, too, which we loved watching. you came back and -- to watch you talk how wonderful your son is. >> we were sitting there on the set and suddenly the father took over and i said, you know, i said -- and i realized, no, he's a professional. >> i got the job, dad. that's great. we really appreciate all of you coming in this morning to help us celebrate. the ten years wouldn't be possible without your support. >> thank you all for your support. it's been important. your sense of humor. >> as you know, we have more to come after these messages. more. first though, these messages. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] reveal light bulbs from ge. ♪ [ dog barks ] ♪ unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, they filter out the dingy yellow tones... ♪ ...bringing the true beauty of your home to life. ♪ reveal light bulbs from ge. nice! it out. at&t's samsung galaxy s4 active. what's active? it's like the s4 but it can get dirty and it's water resistant. so i can take it to the pool and the beach? yeah. awesome! get a $40 gift card when you buy a samsung galaxy s4 active on at&t. walmart. ♪ we are back on this sunday morning celebrating lester's ten years as the anchor of "weekend today." we've been talking about the reasons why we love you. >> stop. >> we've been asking people that, too with the hash tag of why i love lester. dylan and craig are in the orange room with responses. >> people love lester. with the hash tag why i love lester, we had to first get jenna in here. she says after all these years he's still so beautifully curious about life. might explain why he's always snooping around my office. classic jenna, making jokes even when she can't be here. there we go. >> this grandmother, my 81-year-old grandmother has been calling lester her boyfriend since she first laid eyes on him. classic love for lester. >> lester has tweets, too. >> we have pictures over here, tweets as well. here are some of his pictures and tweets he's posted as well. lots of cool stuff. you can go online and check that out. i'll send it back over to you guys. >> all right. we'll take it. there are great things you can read online. you said yesterday you feel awkward reading them, people are so nice. it's all this attention. >> it's a privilege, but i have to peek late here and there. >> always peeking a little. as we celebrate this anniversary, one fan couldn't be here die but did want to help mark this milestone. >> from one music man to another, here is his tribute to you, his friend. >> i remember going to the housing works book shop starting my country career not knowing what i was going to happen. i was ready to play my show. you walk in as a fan and a friend and sit there and listen to the whole show. blown away by your professionalism and proud to say you're my friend. since i know you started in skun tri radio, a song for you. ♪ driving down the highway, lester was a deejay, i found a spot on the side of the road, he'd play something on the radio ♪ ♪ like a feel real good song we'll know it when it comes on we didn't have no money, no place to go ♪ ♪ all we needed was a radio happy ten years, man. i can honestly say i'm so proud to call you my friend. if i ever need a bass player, i know who to call. >> i've been telling you that for years. darius rucker. >> he also sent this beautiful electric base. he signed it. he wants you to sign it. it's going to be auctioned off to the charity musicians on call. >> one of the great guys. i asked him, why is everybody so nice in country music? darius said to me, even the jerks are nice in country music. he is one of the great guys. that means so much to me, darius. >> we'll have you sign that so it can be auctioned off for musicians on call. we'll have more from our house band this morning. it appears they may need another member at some point? >> that's what i'm talking about. >> maybe we'll get a little live music with lester holt. stay with us. there are cameras,, police, guards...ds us. but who looks after us online, where we spend more than 200 billion dollars a year. american express can help protect you. with intelligent security that learns your spending patterns, and can alert you instantly to an unusual charge. so you can be a member of a more secure world. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. say revlon colorstay makeup. breakthrough time release technology keeps skin balanced for a continuously fresh look. 24 hour wear. flawless results. [ male announcer ] some people lift your spirits... the same way the smooth, creamy taste of coffee-mate... makes coffee and your day better. coffee-mate. coffee's perfect mate. you see the gray. try root touch-up by nice 'n easy. just brush our permanent color matching creme right where you need it. then rinse. in ten minutes zap those grays and get on with your day. nice 'n easy root touch-up. real fruit plus real nuts plus real multigrains equals real delicious! quaker real medleys, your on-the-go burst of goodness! quaker up. ♪ it is time to raise a glass and toast lester's first ten years on "weekend today." congratulations. it's an incredible run, incredible career and we know you're not done yet. >> thanks for being such a great partner. >> you are wonderful. >> a true honor working with you. i have to say that. >> a role model on camera and off. >> thanks. thanks to my lovely wife and my gorgeous boys. sorry, gorgeous wasn't the right word. >> it's okay. you're their dad. you can say that. >> we'll toast you and you may play a little music for us? >> if you insist. >> the band awaits. we'll check in quickly with david gregory for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." >> i feel sort of left out of the party. good morning. congratulations, lester. more on the threat of a government shutdown with baem care at the center of the fight. with me exclusively this morning, the senator leading the standoff, texas republican ted cruz is my guest. our political roundtable as well includes msnbc's chris matthews coming up on "meet the press." >> without further ado, lester holt with the brownstone jazz ensemb ensemble. our new house band. have a great day everyone. ♪ good morning. i'm kris sanchez. coming up next on "today in the bay," the father of a dodgers fan killed after a giants game is taking action today. what he plans to do outside at&t park. and we're just hours away from a possible government shutdown. what house republicans did to turn up the heat on the president's health care plan. and showers on the way, but will they dampen your sunday plans like they did last week? rob mayeda times it out for us today. this is "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." and we are looking live at san rafael, a very nice start to the day. a few wispy clouds but we know some moisture is on the way. let's find out what that means. thanks for joining us.

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