we're live at the white house. surprise loss. chris cornell, a driving force in grunge rock, dies unexpectedly. ♪ black hole sun ♪ won't you come >> the soundgarden lead singer's death following a concert in detroit. his family and fans shocked. an investigation underway. and concussion controversy. nfl star tom brady facing serious questions this morning after this revelation from his wife giselle bundchin. >> he had a concussion last year. he has concussions. >> but the nfl has no record of them. did the patriots quarterback hide injuries to stay on the field? the nfl saying it wants answers today, thursday, may 18th, 2017. >> from nbc news this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today." 7:00 on the west coast on a thursday morning. savannah will join us in just a couple of minutes, but we want to start with this breaking news. roger ailes, the man who started fox news and then built it into a lucrative powerhouse before a scandal forced him to resign is dead at the age of 77. nbc's stephanie gosk is here with the latest. stephanie, good morning to you. >> hey, good morning, matt. fox news has dominated the headlines this year. that sexual harassment scandal led to roger ailes being fired. this morning that man who made fox news what it was has died leaving behind an enduring legacy and plenty of controversy. >> reporter: roger ailes, dead at 77 years old. ailes founded the cable network that would go on to change the media landscape in 1996, coining the now infamous motto fair and balanced. the broadcast pioneer brought together a line-up of conservative cable hosts, including bill o'reilly and sean hannity, that many say provided a conservative voice lacking in television news. in the last year sexual harassment allegations surfaced against ailes that ended in him being removed as head of the network. while he denied the accusations, the scandal cast a shadow on fox to this day. ailes was born in ohio in 1940 where he began his television career in in cleveland. his first foray into politics came in the 1960s when richard nixon asked for his help in navigating the new world of television. his political consulting career continued with both republican presidents ronald reagan and george h.w. bush. in 2016 former fox news host gretchen carlson accused ailes of firing her for rejecting his sexual advances. the allegation led to others. within a month 21st century fox removed him. ailes denied the charges. throughout his life, ailes suffered from poor health. today his wife released a statement saying, in part, "during a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment and politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions and so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life." >> we do not know a cause of death at this point. reporter gabe sherman who wrote a biography on ailes tells us he had struggled for years with poor health. he was a hemopheliac and kept hidden surgery for his prostate. >> thank you very much. speaking of politics there are new bombshells. reports that despite a warning with president trump's transition team, michael flynn, or that michael flynn, was under federal investigation. he was still named national security advisor. that news came just hours after former fbi director robert mueller was appointed as a special prosecutor in the russia investigation. we have complete coverage and we're going to talk to republican congressman jason chaffetz who chairs the house oversight committee in just a moment. first, let's begin with nbc correspondent peter alexander. peter, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. early this morning president trump complaining about that announcement about a special counsel in back to back tweeted writing, "with all the illegal acts that took place in the clinton campaign and obama administration, there was never a special counsel appointed." he adds, "this is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in american history." all of this as robert mueller, former fbi director, immediately takes over the department of justice's russia investigation with a broad mandate to focus on meddling in the investigation and also possible collusion between trump campaign aides and russian operatives. >> reporter: new this morning, yet another bombshell. the "new york times" reporting michael flynn told president trump's transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for turkey during the campaign. despite the warning, mr. trump made flynn his national security advisor before firing him 24 days into his presidency. it comes as the department of justice's russia investigation is now under new management. former fbi director robert mueller taking over as special counsel. the president who recently ripped into the investigation as a taxpayer-funded charade, releasing a measured statement insisting a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know. that there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity. adding, "i look forward to this matter concluding quickly." mueller's appointment blindsiding the white house that only learned about it after the order was signed by deputy attorney general rod rosenstein. rosenstein writing that he concluded, "it's in the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a special counsel to assume responsibility for this matter." late wednesday democrats and republicans praising the move. >> this is i think a positive thing for the american people. there won't be any reason to think that there's a conflict of interest from the hill, from the white house, or from within the justice department. >> reporter: and this morning a potentially explosive report that could strain the relationship between the president and republican leaders. the washington post reporting house majority leader kevin mccarthy told republican colleagues during a private conversation last summer "there's two people i think putin pays. california congressman rohrabacher and trump." when some lawmakers laughed, mccarthy quickly added "swear to god." the comment captured in a recording "the post" says it's listened to. paul ryan interrupts immediately saying "no leaks. this is how we know we're a real family here." ryan's office dismissing the talk as an attempt at humor. mccarthy echoing that line late wednesday to nbc news. >> if you listen to it, everybody laughs. you know it's a bad attempt at a joke, and that's all there is to it. no one believes it to be true. >> the president leaves for his first foreign trip tomorrow. president trump is expected to take questions from reporters during a brief news conference. his first time answering questions since we learned details about him sharing highly classified information with russian officials, those memos by former fbi director james comey, and now the appointment of a special counsel. matt and savannah, back to you. >> peter alexander starting us off. thank you. >> let's dive deep you are into robert mueller's appointment as special counsel to run this investigation into russia's attempt or alleged attempts to interfere in the presidential election. pete williams is nbc's justice correspondent. pete, as i say good morning, this all broke about 12 hours ago. tell me what's the reaction to mueller and can he truly be independent? >> very positive reaction from capitol hill and elsewhere. matt, the justice department wanted somebody with instant credibility, had prosecutorial experience and knowledge of how the fbi works. he has it all. now, it will take him a little while to get up to speed on this, but it's hard to think of anybody who could do that more quickly. he will have all the powers the u.s. attorney would. he can approve avenues of investigation, authorize getting subpoenas for witnesses or documents and even file charges. the last independent counsel was kenneth starr. he was the whitewater prosecutor in the clinton administration, but the law allowing the appointment of independent counsels like him lapsed in 1999 partly because congress was concerned that their investigations could be too free-wheeling. as special counsel, as you might guess, he has less independence. for example, if mueller wants to expand the investigation, he will have to get permission from the deputy attorney general, the person who appointed him. and a special counsel can be fired by the deputy attorney general for misconduct or violating justice department policies, but congress has to be told why, matt. >> all right, pete williams in washington. peterson, thank you. >> that brings us to republican congressman jason chaffetz, the chairman of the house oversight committee. he has invited james comey to testify before that committee next week. i know it's early there. thanks for getting up with us. we appreciate it. >> sure. >> let me ask you about the appointment of director mueller. do you have confidence in him? do you expect to accept his results, whatever he finds? >> i think he will be broadly supported. he has impeccable credentials, a storied history. ten years leading the fbi in both the bush and the obama administration. it couldn't be a better choice. he is at the latter part of his career. he has nothing to prove. i think he will do a fabulous job. >> is this a textbook case of when you need a special prosecutor? >> i don't know that i would have necessarily done that. i mean, i have not seen evidence of actual collusion, and so it does beg the question, why did they need a special prosecutor? what are they actually trying to prosecute? the department of justice made this case. there are a lot of people that wanted to see it. particularly in the democratic side of the aisle. now it's in place, and i think he will do a good job. >> i mean, just, isn't it fairly straight forward if there was an investigation going on by the fbi and then the fbi director gets fired by the person who is at the center of the investigation, his campaign, isn't that a pretty clear case of needing a special prosecutor? >> some have made that case. i disbelieve that there are thousands of fbi agents, men and women, who also have impeccable credentials. what i like about the selection of director mueller is he used to run that organization. he will get a running start. he won't lose the benefit of the work that has been done over the last several months. he will be able to take up that baton and continue on. >> congressman, i got to ask you about the story that's breaking overnight. the "new york times" reporting that michael flynn goes to the transition team for trump before taking office and says, look, i'm under federal investigation for possibly secretly working for turkey during the campaign and despite that information being given to the trump transition, he is made the national security advisor and given access to the most sensitive secrets of this government. does that make any sense to you? >> well, i think one of the questions that also needs to be asked along that way is the white house itself does not make a determination as to whether or not somebody gets a security clearance. that goes to the office of the director of national intelligence. >> but you are putting him in that position where he has access to all those secrets, and you know he is under federal investigation for secretly working for another country. >> well, that's why -- it wasn't necessarily a secret. if he is actually disclosing that. our committee, the oversight committee, has made a reference -- a referral to the secretary of the army for final determination because general flynn should not have taken money from turkey, nor should he have taken it from russia, but the person -- or the group that actually makes the determination is to whether or not they get a security clearance is the office of the director of national security. >> hiring him as the national security advisor, does that sound like good judgment in your opinion? >> well, look, they took that into consideration, but they also look at the odni as to whether or not he has the proper security clearances. i do think that donald trump did make the right decision in that he let him go 24 days into it, and i think the president did make the right decision. >> should he have been hired in the first place, i guess, is the question. >> you can argue that he probably shouldn't and maybe in retrospect knowing what we know now, he probably shouldn't have. nevertheless, he did hire him. he was there for just over three weeks, and then he did dismiss him. >> congressman jason chaffetz, thank you so much, and keep us posted if you hear from director comey whether he will testify. >> yes. >> thank you. let's bring in our nbc news analyst, nicole wallace, hosts "deadline white house" on msnbc. jeremy bash serve as chief of staff for both the defense department and the cia. good morning to both of you. nicole, we'll talk about robert mueller in a second, but this appointment of a special counsel happened on the 119th day of this administration. a lot of those days have been very rocky. if you are the president or you're a surrogate, how do you put the best face on what is happening right now? >> listen, everything i know from trump confidantes inside white house and outside the white house is that they have gone from tense to something a little more dire in the last 72 hours. i think at some level -- i know jeremy described this as a darker cloud over the white house. this is sort of when people call it lawyering up. people retain private counsel to protect their own equities, everyone including the president maybe in that situation. i think in some ways being able to turn this over to someone -- bob mueller is a national treasure, and to be able to turn this whole sort of case file over to someone bho is trusted by both sides is in some ways the first turchlt the white house has to begin to turn the page on this story. >> to you, jeremy, about director mueller, we hear pete talking about this issue of i understand pensi-- independence. is there any question in your mind that bob mueller will be able to conduct this investigation independently and go wherever it leads him? >> no question at all. i know bob mueller. i have worked with him and his team in the past. he is fearless but fair. he is the triple threat. he has independence, credibility, and the experience to not only lead the case agents, the fbi agents who are running this matter already, but he also under the rosenstein order has a very broad mandate. there's no time limits set on it. he can investigate not just ties between russia and trump, but any other matters that arise. that's a very expansive phrase, savan yark as you know as an attorney. that gives him broad mandate to investigate obstruction of justice and other matters. >> that's an important point also. do you think as part of this investigation he might subpoena donald trump's tax returns? secondly, can he control leaks because leaks coming out of an investigation can undermean the credibility of the person conducting that investigation. >> i think he will subpoena not just tax returns, but any banking or financial records that show connections between the trump organization and russian officials, whether in the putin government or private sector. i think that's an elementary evidentiary issue in this case. i think he will be able to control leaks. he has shown he has been able to do that in the past. >> let me turn to you, nicole. the reaction from the white house and the president himself is notably measured. he released a statement. we haven't seen a tweet on this. do you think the message has gotten through to him that not only does what he say carry political significance, that in this context potentially it carries legal significance as well. >> i think the message started to get through to him early yesterday. i know that was the effort underway at the highest levels of the white house. again, inside and out. they were trying to make clear to him that this question that hangs over him is going to prevent him from doing anything else he wants to do on a legislative agenda, on the world stage, or anything else he wants to communicate will be impossible until he starts to lift this cloud and these questions. >> all right. nicole and jeremy, thank you so much. nicole, show plug. we will have more on msnbc at 4:00 p.m. "deadline white house." check it out. we want to get to the sad news for music fans. rocker chris cornell has died. he was best known as the front man for soundgarden and later audio slave. cornell died in detroit wednesday night after performing a sold out concert earlier in the evening. the grammy award winner helped architect the 1990s alternative rock movement out of seattle. cornell was also involved in philanthropy and started the chris and vickie cornell foundation to support children facing homelessness, poverty, and neglect. the official cause of death has not been released. he was 52 years old. let's get a first check of the weather now. dylan is in for al. >> good morning, matt. we are seeing a pretty nice weather up and down the west coast. a little disturbance will bring scattered showers into the seattle area, but from oregon right down into california temperatures will be nice and comfortable. in the 60s and 70s. we'll see a lot of sunshine. big difference if you go a little farther to the east where we have a big storm system affecting the rockies. the eastern slopes of the rockies could pick up 36 inches of snow. it is running temperatures are running about 15 to almost 20 degrees below average. denver only 42 degrees today with about two to four inches of snow possible. look at these temperatures. boise, 65. medford, oregon, 77 degrees. 65 in san francisco. l.a., nice and comfortable at 75 degrees. phoenix even not too bad with temperatures in the upper 80s. now, we do have some very strong storms expected today right through the middle of the country. a tornado outbreak is possible. long track tornadoes in areas like kansas down through north-central oklahoma. we'll also see hail greater that two inches in diameter, and torrential downpours are possible as well. we have scattered showers and storms expected across parts of the ohio and tennessee river valley, but in the northeast temperatures will be well above average. 10 to 20 degrees above average. high temperatures could break records in new york city. the old record is 90 degrees set back in 1936. we're forecasting highs in the lower 90s today. we're looking at 80s down through the south as well, and florida, although we could really use some significant rain, we're going to see more sunshine again today. that's a look at the weather across the country. across the country. your local ♪ ♪ ♪ good thursday morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have a lot of sunshine and comfortable weather in san francisco. low 70s today and sunshine throughout the weekend. up to 76 degrees on sunday. inland areas will get really hot. the warming trend gets under way today. up to 85 degrees and 89 tomorrow. some 90s for the weekend into the start of next week and then our temperatures will gradually start to come back down between now and next wednesday. that's your late dylan, thank you. patriots fans, listen up. new controversy for nfl superstar tom brady. his wife giselle bundchin revealing he has a history of concussions. did the patriots quarterback keep them quiet to keep on playing? >> then great white sharks spotted dangerously close to shore on both coasts forcing some beaches to close. what's now being done to track those sharks and keep us all safe when we swim. first, this is "today" on nbc. nb (man) hmm. what do you think? ♪ 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[classical music] for a whole mouth clean with a less intense taste... ahhh. try listerine® zero alcohol™. also try listerine® pocketpaks for fresh breath on the go. we start with breaking news in the east bay. amtrak )s capi good morning, it's 7:26, i'm laura garcia-cannon. amtrak's capital corridor service is being slowed after a train struck and killed someone on the tracks in pinole. trains s are trade system wide. firefighters are not calling an early morning fire suspicious. it started at 3:00 a.m. at a former o'reilly auto parts store on white and story road. firefighters say it started in a dumpster. no one was injured. because the building was empty, firefighters say there were no chemicals or flammable products inside. i want to check the forecast as things will be heating up. that will be what everyone is talking about as you head out, the heat that's going to be under way as we head into the weekend, but at least now it's still nice and cool. we're at 47 degrees in the tri-valley, 52 in the peninsula and 51 stepping out the door in san francisco. heading into later today we'll be up to 79 in the peninsula, south bay 81 degrees and 83 in the tri-valley. north bay also up to 83 degrees while 70 in san francisco and 73 degrees in the east bay. for the weekend, we are looking at highs in the 90s inland. while it does stay nice and comfortable, slicely above average into the weekend in san francisco. let's head over to mike for an update on the commute. looking at a light flow of traffic around the bay today. look at fremont. no major concerns. zooming over here towards san leandro we continue to follow this crash, 880 both directions reporting the same details for a crash around marina or davis, obviously northbound shows some slowing, nothing excessive but you will have your slow lane blocked in one of those directions. slowing for the top of your screen, the upper east shore freeway, 40 minutes to the bay bridge toll plaza where the metering lights are on. back to you. i'll be back with another local news update in half an hour. see you then. on september 9, 2010, pg&e learned a tragic lesson we can never forget. this gas pipeline ruptured in san bruno. the explosion and fire killed eight people. pg&e was convicted of six felony charges including five violations of the u.s. pipeline safety act and obstructing an ntsb investigation. pg&e was fined, placed under an outside monitor, given five years of probation, and required to perform 10,000 hours of community service. we are deeply sorry. we failed our customers in san bruno. while an apology alone will never be enough, actions can make pg&e safer. and that's why we've replaced hundreds of miles of gas pipeline, adopted new leak detection technology that is one-thousand times more sensitive, and built a state-of-the-art gas operations center. we can never forget what happened in san bruno. that's why we're working every day to make pg&e the safest energy company in the nation. ♪ >> 7:30 now on the west coast on a thursday morning. it's the 18th of may, 2017. as you look down on the plaza, it's the hottest day of the year so far here on the east coast. we're heading into the low 90s in new york city. we should mention we have a great concert tomorrow morning here on "today." mary j.blige will be here. if you are in our area, get down here early. it's going to be a great crowd. let us get a check of the headlines on this thursday morning. former fox news founder roger ailes has died. the 77-year-old created that network in 1996 and built it into a cable news force, but he resigned last year after a series of sexual harassment claims. the cause of death is not yet known. a jury has acquitted an oklahoma police officer charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black man. betty joe shelby shot and killed 40-year-old terrence crutcher in tulsa after she says he failed to comply with multiple commands. crutcher's family outraged by the verdict. and according to the "new york times", a report weeks before the inauguration michael flynn told the trump transition team that he was under federal investigation for working as a paid lobbyist for turkey. of course, flynn was eventually hired as national security advisor anyway before being fired just a few weeks later. nbc's peter alexander is at the white house with more on that and many other stories. peter, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. among those other stories, the appointment of the former federal fbi director robert mueller, who is now a special prosecutor in the russia investigation. so much for measured response from the president. this morning tweeting the following, writing, "this is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in american history." his earlier statement read in part "a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know. there was no kcollusion between my campaign and any foreign entity. i look forward to this matter concluding quickly." robert mueller immediately takes over what is the justice department's investigation of russian interference in the 2016 campaign. that would be the man rod rosenstein. he is the one overseeing the doj's investigation after the attorney general jeff sessions recused himself. justice department spokesman tells me the white house counsel's office was informed about the appointment of a special counsel after the order was signed. the president, we should note, leaves for his first foreign trip tomorrow. first stop, saudi arabia. this afternoon he hosts the president of columbia. president trump scheduled to hold a news conference here today. his first time taking questions since there was word about the memo written by james comey, about his sharing highly classified information with two senior russian officials, and since we learned about the appointment of a special prosecutor as well. matt and savannah, back to you. >> all right, peter. thank you. also this morning we're following a new controversy swirling around nfl superstar tom brady, and it's triggered by something that his wife has revealed in a new interview. we've got nbc's stephanie gosk on this story. stephanie, good morning. >> good morning. it's not hard to find people who still want to talk about tom brady and the patriots 2016 football season. love them or hate them, it was pretty remarkable. what has people talking this morning is what giselle bundchin has to say. has her super bowl mvp husband suffered concussions he never told anyone about? >> reporter: these days tom brady and wife giselle bundchin have a lot to smile about. the patriots quarterback overcame a four-game suspension for deflate gate to pull off the greatest comeback in super bowl history. >> patriots win the super bowl! >> reporter: did the super bowl mvp suffer a concussion in 2016 that no one knew about? >> he had a concussion last year. i mean, he has concussions. we don't talk about it, but he does have concussions. >> reporter: the statement made in the morning on wednesday set off a firestorm. nfl rules state no one is allowed to play with a concussion. not even tom brady. last year he reported injuries to his knee and thigh, but no concussions. the league wasted no time putting out a statement by the afternoon saying there were no records of a head injury or concussion. adding, "we have been in contact with the nfl players association and will work together to gather more information from the club's medical staff and mr. brady." the nfl players association said it would look into the matter. either brady or the patriots are not commenting. commissioner roger goodell spoke to matt about concussions at the beginning of last season. >> do you think the fans care? >> yes, i -- very much so. i hear from our fans on this. they care about our players. they care about them today. they care about them in the future, and they want to know that we're taking care of them. >> reporter: some observers worry players may not always be honest about their symptoms. >> if it's a severe concussion with big symptoms, they passed out, they had a seizure, they can't remember things, that's easy to detect, but if it's more subtle, if they're having headaches or they're nauseous or sleepy, those are easy symptoms to hide. >> reporter: bundchin has always fiercely defended her husband, like after this loss to the new york giants. >> my husband cannot [ bleep ] -- >> reporter: the couple has been married since 2009 with two kids. brady, who turns 40 this summer, has no plans to retire. >> if it was up to my wife, she would have me retire today. she told me that last night. three times. i said too bad, babe. you know, i'm having too much fun right now. >> reporter: giselle clearly worries what the hits on the field will mean for their future. >> that cannot be healthy for you, right? i'm planning on having him be healthy and do a lot of fun things whoo we're 100, i hope. >> reporter: 100. a big part of his longevity is his plant-based diet, and that came straight from giselle. you know, guys, football is brutal. one big hit, and his career could be over. >> that raises really important questions. a strict new protocol in the nfl. are there ways to get around it? especially if you are a high profile player like tom brady. >> that's a good question. >> this is where we turn to dylan, and she says i love tom brady. the pats are the best. >> he is so dreamy. >> yeah. just do the weather. >> all right, all right. let's take a look at the heat that we are going to feel up across the northeast. temperatures most likely will break records with highs ten to 25 degrees above average. new york city, the old record was 90 degrees set back in 1936. we're forecasting a high of 92. close to a record in philly, down near washington d.c. in the lower 90s. hartford, 94. that should break a record. on the flip side of that, we have temperatures unseasonably cold back through the rockies where highs are only in the 30s and 40s. we could see on the eastern slopes of the rockies, up to 36 inches of snow. feels like anything but summer out there. also, focussing on a possible tornado outbreak later on this af good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. you can see the sunshine as we get a live look outside at tiburon. it's nice and cool, temperatures starting out in the 40s and 50s. now 53 degrees as you head out the door in oakland. then as we go through the day, temperatures warming up, especially inland. in the valleys in concord up to 96 degrees -- rather that's 86 degrees. 83 degrees today in livermore and 82 degrees in morgan hill while san francisco will be up to 0. >> and for your forecast any time, check out the weather channel on cable. >> always good information. dylan, thank you. coming up, are we entering a new summer of sharks? >> hi. good morning. i'm jeff roczen. coming up new shark sightings on both coasts spotted right near swimmers just feet from the beach. our cam ares 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[ laughter ] ♪ america ♪ all come to look for america ♪ all come to look for america life's as big as you make it. the all-new 7-seater volkswagen atlas with america's best bumper-to-bumper limited warranty. so i trust nature made vitamins. health and life. because they were the first to be verified by usp for quality and purity standards. and because i recommend them as a pharmacist. nature made, the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. coppertone sport versus the sun. coppertone sport stays on strong when you sweat and is strong enough to stop up to 98% of the sun's damaging uv rays. coppertone. because protection matters. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. we're back. 7:42 with rossen reports this morning. new shark sightings leading to beach closures, and it's happening on both coasts. >> rescuers are racing to tag some of the sharks to see why they keep choosing to hang around certain beaches. correspondent jeff rossen is out in los angeles. he has more on this. jeff, good morning. >> hey, guys, good morning. we had quite a day. she's sharks are swimming in shallow water right off the beach. i went out with researchers on a boat to see if we could spot them, to see if they're back, and, boy, are they ever. this morning where they're going and how to stay safe at the beach before you get in the water. >> reporter: new this morning. sharks spotted off the coast of south carolina. the beach packed with people. the sharks just feet away. across the country in california -- >> the shark is right there. >> we spot them too. >> here's the fin in the water. you see the fin in the water right there. there is the shark right there. >> reporter: great whites just feet off long beach, and it's not just one. shark after shark. >> i have another one. i have another one right over here. >> reporter: spotted in shallow water just off shore. >> i mean, this is where we swim. this is where our kids swim. this is about as far out as i would come with my kids. >> reporter: there have been several recent attacks. if florida a shark attacked this teenager, biting his foot and his ainkle. in hawaii this man narrowly escaped after a 12-foot shark attacked him. >> his leg was completely mauled. crazy. >> reporter: in california this mother of three attacked. a great white dragging her under nearly killing her. >> i see a fin. >> reporter: now researchers from the cal state long beach shark lab are trying to track the shark's every move, and they've invited us along. >> reporter: when the sharks get close -- >> feed net. go, go! >> reporter: they spring into action. >> the researchers are putting the net in the water. we have eyes on the shark. i mean, look how close we are to the beach. the beach is right here. the shark is right over here. they're going to try to capture the shark in this net. >> reporter: they coral a great white to the side of our boat. >> we got it. we got it. >> reporter: thrashing around. but they're not done yet. >> now go. lift. >> reporter: transferring her to a special water bath for tagging. >> what they're doing right now is they're going to put this tracker on to the shark. what does this do basically? >> this is basically a fitbit for sharks. >> reporter: okay. >> it's a little backpack that we made. it will measure every single motion the shark makes. >> reporter: it tells you which beach these sharks are going to. >> it's telling us what the shark is experiencing on a moment by moment basis. >> they're even a camera. >> it logs six hours worth of video today so we can see what the shark sees. >> reporter: and that's not the only video under water. researchers now deploying cameras for facial recognition. that's right. as the sharks pass, they can tell which one it is. turns out, they actually have different faces. this summer they have eyes in the air too. arming local lifeguards with drones to spot sharks from above, warning swimmers earlier and closing beaches faster. as for the baby great white on our boat, they release her. >> there she goes. >> all right. you'll be able to track her starting right now? >> we'll be able to track her. we'll be able to follow her movements along this beach, and wherever else she goes tonight. >> this is going to protect us, keep us safer? >> the more we know, the safer we can be when we go to the beach. >> they're doing great work there to help all of us. the researchers say most sharks, they're not looking to attack you. they'll swim right by, but as we have seen, not always. i'll tell thank you, the thing that surprised me most, guys, it's really hard to spot sharks right on the water. sometimes they come to the surface where you can see the fins, like the movie "jaws" but so often they're down under water. you wouldn't see them until they're right up on you. that's why those trackers and the drones are so important. >> why didn't you get in the water with that facial recognition camera? >> you don't want to see me without a shirt. that's why. >> all right, jeff. thanks. coming up next, we have a warning for all parents on a potential danger from those popular fidget spinners. we have the story right after this. ♪ hit it! ♪ ♪ now look what you made me do ♪ ♪ you and me baby it takes two ♪ ♪ bringing new moves to the old school ♪ ♪ time for the whole world to enjoy the view ♪ ♪ we can go left they can go right ♪ ♪ save me a dance for the end of the night ♪ ♪ when i'm with you it's a party ♪ ♪ don't care where we're going ♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3 get loose no♪! ♪ it takes two to make a thing go right ♪ ♪ it takes two to make it out of sight. ♪ ♪ (cover of chainsmokers 'don't l♪ me down') ♪ ♪ the issues we care about can weigh on us. so lift the weight of caring, by doing. visit state farm's neighborhoodofgood.com to volunteer in your community. lergies with nasal congestion? 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[ upbeat music ] strut past that aisle for the allergy relief that starts working in as little as 30 minutes and contains the best oral decongestant. live claritin clear, with claritin-d. welcome back. a real warning. a dangerous experience that a family had with this pretty popular toy. >> yes. good morning. these hot new toys are called fidget spinners, and they're the latest craze captivating kids. now one texas mom is sharing an important warning about the gadgets. kelly rowe said she was driving her 10-year-old daughter home from a swim meet when she heard her making an odd noise from the back seat. she turned around to see her daughter's face turning red and drool coming from her mouth. now, it turns out her daughter had removed one of the metal parts of her fidget spinner, which is about the size of a quarter, and it was lodged in her throat. look at this. an x-ray clearly revealed that to be the case. her daughter went into surgery to remove the object. she's now safely back at home. she writes from this i wish to offer some word of caution to the parents. the bushings pop out easily, so if you have young kids under 8 years old, keep in mind that these present a potential choking hazard. now, fidget spinners come with various instructions depending on the manufacturer. some note that they are suitable for kids over 10, while others have a clear choking hazard warning on the laebl and say they are not for children under the age of 3. we should say we reached out to the makers of the popular toys for comment and have not yet heard back. cases like hers are rare, but hopefully, guys, this can serve as a warning for other parents out there. it can happen. >> yeah. i would have never even thought of that, but it's a good warning. thank you. coming up, can you trust the label on your favorite sunscreen? the new warning from consumer reports. and i'm going to say this twice. shake shack's secrets revealed. shake shack revealed, secret burgers. you help ensure that children in the u.s. and around the world are safe, healthy and educated. this red nose day, swing by walgreens and get your noses on to help end child poverty. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. (nathan) secondhand smoke caused measthma attacks, infections and lung damage. and i never smoked. (announcer) if you or someone you know wants free help to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now. yet up 90% fall short in getting key nutrients from food alone. let's do more. add one a day men's complete with key nutrients we may need. plus heart-health support with b vitamins. one a day men's in gummies and tablets. at pmore than one flavor, orh texture, or color.ing. a good clean salad is so much more than green. and with panera catering, more for your event. panera. food as it should be. atblue diamond almonds wein our almondmilk.ia-grown and we're proud of that. but the whole "care-and-nurturing" part? that idea... ...we borrowed from the experts. blue diamond almond breeze. the best almonds make the best almondmilk. (vo)well, it's not one look.... ethan allen is about the freedom to design your look. free shipping, free delivery and up to 20% off everything. design your look today. before fibromyalgia, i was a doer. i was active. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. she also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. woman: for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can be more active. ask your doctor about lyrica. ♪ wx toss to traffic traffic toss traffic ==traffic maps full== it's 7:56 with sunshine all around the bay area as you get ready to head out the door. temperatures in the lower 50s now getting a look from san francisco toward twin peaks. our high temperatures will be up to 70 degrees, so still nice and comfortable, the inland areas will feel warmer temperatures today, in some spots 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. up to 81 in san jose, concord 86 degrees and 84 today in napa. and then over the next several days, we'll see some mid-70s in san francisco and then, of course, the cool down next week. but today the warming trend gets under way with a high of 85 inland, up to 92 saturday. the hottest day of the week will be sunday and then it starts to dip just a few degrees each day, by next wednesday we'll see a high of 80 degrees. let's get an update on the commute from mike. >> kari, we're looking for the bottom of your screen south bay 280, 85 northbound, not so bad there and not as bad as we sometimes see out of san leandro but northbound still jammed up. earlier crash in a now busted up lane northbound marina, southbound jammed up towards the san mateo bridge. palo alto looks great, south of the san mateo bridge, vta has just restored full service for lines 25 and 71 past white and story. the overnight fire, back to you. hamming now, amtrak's capital corridor service is running behind after a train struck and killed someone on the tracks in pinole. trains are delayed system wide. one man is in custody after a police standoff that ended in el sobrante. it started with a dispute involving gunfire. link to the latest on our home page. an east bay man is expected in court accused of a string of car fires in contra costa county. go to our local news section for details about that investigation. another local news update in half an hour. have a good morning. . it's 8:00 on today, coming up what did they know? a new report says the trump transition was warned that michael flynn was under federal investigation but hired him as national security advisory anyway. this as the justice department puts a special prosecutor on the case. plus, throwing shade. a new study revealing some of the top sun screens in america may not be protecting you as much as they claim. what you need to know before heading to the beach this summer. and girlfriends' guide to fun. >> welcome to camp! so happy you're here. >> natalie and jenna kick off a new series about letting looz and enjoying life. first stop, summer camp for adventure. today, thursday, may 18th, 2017. ♪ >> it's hometown thursday, where is everybody from? >> knoxville, tennessee. >> great falls ohio. >> jacksonville, florida. >> okay, ladies, you've got everything on your list? >> a picture with the today show cast. >> today show. >> today show! >> wait a minute, you look familiar, have you been here before? >> 20 years ago. >> 20 years ago. wait a minute there is matt, al, two good looking guys. where you from? >> virginia beach? >> naperville, indiana. >> shoutout to wichita kansas, we have fifth graders, do you want to give a shout out to your school? >> good morning, everybody, welcome back to today. i know, very warm thursday morning. and i got to say, the crowd is getting a special treat today because look who has returned to us. natalie morales. >> a group hug, i missed everybody. >> emotional. >> good to be back. >> the triumphant returns. >> you should have been the hugging in the hallway. >> you're here on a perfect day. shake shack. we've got the founder and the culinary director, standing by. up in studio 1a. they're going to make their most beloved burger, and tell you the recipe, kind of, so you can make it at home. >> cannot wait. first, we mentioned that hoda and kathie lee are in bermuda. thanks for investigating, what's going on? >> it's a bermudian beautiful day. >> can you believe we're here? this place is spectacular. >> these flowers are from the garden of the man who owns this beautiful resort we're going to be broadcasting from. >> guess we who hang out with most of the day? >> i shared him at the very end. michael douglas. >> what? >> it's incredible. >> yeah. his mother was born here in bermuda. his families goes back to the 1600s he shows me a tour the likes of which i may never recover. >> tell you the difference, i love michael douglas, i was checking out the boat and car. those are nice. >> that's so sad. >> that is pathetic. >> is that matt who just said that? michael wants to play golf with you. >> we'll get it done, i love michael. all right. >> we go on bonding trips like that? we need to do that. we look forward to catching up with you. natalie is going to take over trending. here's the news at 8:00. >> we begin with the death of roger ailes, the former ceo of fox news. this death was an accident that ailes fell and hit his head. roger ailes created fox news in 1996. developing some of the biggest stars in the business. bill o'reilly, sean hannity, but in 2016, his storied career at the network came to an end after former host gretchen carlson accused him of firing her for rejecting his advanced. the accusation which ailes denied led to others and within weeks he was fired. he was born in 1940, starting in television in cleveland before moving to philadelphia. his first forray into politics came with richard nixon who needed help navigating the world of television. he would go on to consult multiple presidents including ronald reagan and george h.w. bush. his wife released a statement, during a career that stretched over more than five decades his work in entertainment and in politics and in news affected the lives of millions. even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life. matt. >> all right. stephanie, thank you very much. now to the mounting scandals and controversies around president trump, his administration and the on going investigation. kristin welker is at the white house, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, the white house is grappling with a series of controversies today, including the one you mentioned, centered around ousted michael flynn. this comes from "the new york times" which is reporting today that flynn told the trump transition team in early january, before the inauguration, that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for turkey during the 2016 presidential campaign. now, the white house has yet to respond but they're reacting to the other big breaking news. the deputy attorney general appointed a special counsel to oversee the russia probe. that will be former fbi director robert mueller, mr. trump this morning lashing out on twitter. tweeting with all of the illegal acts that took place in the clinton campaign and obama administration there was never a special counsel appointed. this is the single greatest witch-hunt of a politician in american history. in capitol hill, a different reaction. there is bipartisan praise for the investigation and for mueller. the president will have a chance to respond to all of this when he holds a joint news conference >> thank you very much. coming up next when it comes to your sunscreen, are you getting what you paid for? just released results of an alarming new study from computer reports. the big stars during the opening night of the cannes film festival. >> then the girlfriend's guide to fantastic fun. they know what they're talking about. their first adventure, sleep away camps for grown ups, but first these messages. they...are...awesome. they really are. yeah. even though we've only won once. i'm karen, i'm a teacher.olfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried about joint damage. my doctor said joint pain from ra can be a sign of existing joint damage that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common, or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. joint pain and damage... can go side by side. ask how enbrel can help relieve joint pain and help stop joint damage. enbrel, fda approved for 18 years. ♪ standby. hey katy, let me show you how behind schedule we are. yeah. are those the pyrotechnics that are gonna startle me from a distance? yep. and my impractical wardrobe changes, those all set? not even close. oh, this is probably going to shine in your eyes at the worst possible time. perfect. we're looking at a real train wreck here, am i right? wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi® double cash card does. it lets you earn double cash back with 1% when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double. ♪ ♪ ♪ back now, 8:10, with new concerns being raised about the sunscreens you use on yourself and your children. >> this is important and it's coming from the folks at consumer reports. joleen kent has more on this, hi, jo, good morning. >> good morning. beach season is just around the corner and a new study by consumer reports is out this morning trying to help sunscreen buyers avoid getting burned. a lot of the spf numbers on the label are much higher than the actual protection in the lotion and sprays inside your bottles. a major notice on sunscreen just in time for summer. a new study says the advertised level of spf protection on labels could be critically off. in a report released this morning, consumer reports says that some sunscreens failed to provide the level of protection promised on the package. of the 58 lotions, sprays and sticks evaluated by consumer reports this year, 20 tested at less than half their labeled spf number. >> you potentially have the risk of really damaging your skin if you're relying on it to protect yourself. >> reporter: according to the study, five products labeled with an spf of 50 or 50-plus had an actual level between zero and 9. consumer reports called out natural sunscreens as well. >> we found that the natural sunscreens, and those are the ones that contain tie they yum oxide or zinc-oxide do not consistently perform as well as the chemical active ingredients. >> reporter: the fda reportedly does not text sunscreens on the market leaving the responsibility to the manufacturers themselves. the fda echoing that policy in a statement to nbc news, saying, manufacturers of all drug products, including sunscreens, are subject to fda inspection and may be subject to fda action if they are found to be not in compliance with federal law. also troubling to consumers? inconsistency within brands themselves. >> we had some products that of one particular brand that did very well in our tests and came in higher than our ratings. and others that didn't. >> reporter: the personal care products council which represents many popular sunscreen brands disagrees with consumer reports findings saying in part, it appears that consumer reports testing methods are not consistent with those used by the fda and therefore are not the same testing as required by the product manufacturers to assign the spf designation. several products got high remarks. the sunscreen milk and trader joe's spray spf 50-plus got perfect scores. walmart brands equates sport lotion 50 and coppertone babies 50 rated excellent with 85% of advertised spf. however, copper toentone's high performance spraz wy was found find 49% or less than was on the label. it goes beyond what the fda requires in the comprehensive testing program that includes the evaluation of our products by pediatricians and scientists. now, experts say there are a few things you can do to make sure your sunscreen is as effective as possible, even though it doesn't say it on the label, experts recommend to shake the bottle to make sure the active ingredients are evenly distributed. and always make sure you're storing it at room temperature. guys? >> good advice there, jo. thank you very much. and this is going to be a day here on the east coast you will need a little sunscreen. >> yes, especially with temperatures well up into the 90s. and we have a risk of very strong storms, not only across the eastern great lakes, but especially back to the southern plains. southern kansas, central oklahoma, tornadoes can stay on the ground for a long time, large hail in exsays of two inches, and there are 27 million people at risk for strong stormsle. not only in that zone but in this whole general area. tomorrow it shifts to the east a little bit. st. louis, we'll see some possibility of strong storms, but still right through kansas back down into oklahoma, we still have the risk of large hail, damaging winds and all the other things that go along with the severe storms. as for rain, we could see some brief flash flooding because we can see two to three inches of rainfall in a short period of time. here's a peek out your window. >> today and temperatures reaching 70 degrees. for san francisco, some mid 70s for the weekend and it cools off next week into the lower 60s. inland areas are going to see the most dramatic shift in the temperatures from 85 degrees today, to 92 degrees saturday and sunday will be even hotter and then we'll start to see the temperatures slowly coming back down next week, but over the next several days it is going to be very hot. make sure you're prepared for summer like weather. >> and that's your latest forecast. all right, dylan. >> you just leave that to us. it's time for "trending." look who is here, natalie morales, jenna bush hager, sheinelle is here. >> we like to call ourselves team trouble. >> what could possibly go wrong? >> everything. >> we have been getting a little bit of an early taste of summer this week. so raise your hands if you love iced coffee. >> oh, yeah. coffee season. >> no? okay. >> i'll get some sweet & low for you. >> now raise your hand if you hate it when your iced coffee gets diluted because the ice starts to melt. starbucks, really? >> you like it when it gets diluted? >> the coffee can be a little strong sometimes. it's like scotch, i like it watered down. >> that pretty much takes away this story. starbucks has a solution, getting a lot of buzz, coffee ice cubes. >> brilliant. >> ice cubes made of coffee instead of water. they don't dlut the drink when it melts. starbucks is doing a trial run in select areas. you can opt for coffee cubes. and they are going to charge you an 80-cent upgrade. >> that seems high. >> why, it's coffee, you pay for a coffee drink? >> coffee can be in the cubes. i mean, that's expensive. 80 cents, doesn't that seem high to anybody? >> how much would you pay for a straight coffee? at least 80 cents. >> you have to put less coffee in to put a bunch of ice cubes in. it's all the same amount of coffee. >> well, but so is an ice cube displacing coffee. so it's the same amount of water but it's coffee. but it costs money to make those. oh, my goodness. >> you said logic in "trending." we'll change the subject, a lot of us love the ikea furniture. i hate that wrench. if you were one of the stores early customers, and i mean an early customer -- >> i thought you said wench. >> that's another story. you could be sitting on a gold mine if you went to ikea early. look at this chair, it was called the mushroom or clam chair. it was released back in 1943. how much do you think it is worth today? >> $74. >> a lot more than the $2 it cost then. according to "the daily mail" art collectors paid $55,000 per chair at an auction recently. turns out there's a huge demand for vintage ikea furniture. one of the reasons is it is old and cool, but a lot of the furniture designers got their start at ikea. so the rare pieces may have a famous designer. >> would mine be worth that even though it is missing one of the little things? it didn't come with it, i swear. all right. are you surprised to hear ikea has been around since the mid 1900s? >> do you remember that? >> i'm glad you're here today. because one of the top "trending" moments on twitter this morning involves your dad, the former president, george w. bush, was at a texas rangers game when he photobombed a reporter. take a look. >> what has been the difference? >> if you slow it down, and we have the audio, he says, you know jenna bush hager. >> oh, my gosh. all i have to say is i landed from a flight that was heavily delayed. and every time i land, i feel like my dad becomes another meme. i was like, dad, at the inauguration, be on your best behavior. there he is with the poncho. i can't take him anywhere. but i actually texted him and was like, dad, photobomb somebody? and he said, what's a photobomb? he had no idea. what do you mean, did it happen at a baseball game? >> that's when you're old and call it a cameo. not a photobomb. >> that's good. >> very nice. all right. now "pop start." >> we begin with the cannes film festival. all eyes were on the 78th annual event where the biggest shtars showed up in glitz and game more. and this is bella hadid. and julian moore. look at her stunning gown with intricate details. and naomi harris shining a beautiful rainbow gown made by gucci. and check out susan sarandon. and reese witherspoon stopped by "ellen." and guess who was in the audience? reese's mom. they talked about inappropriate texts. >> so betty sends inappropriate texts. and you share them with everyone. >> on my instagram. >> do you mind that she shares them? you know what you're saying, right? >> yeah. >> she was telling the kids the other day she went to the apple store to update her computer. and she said to the guy, he said, well, do you have any storage left? she said, don't worry, i keep all my nude selfies in the cloud. >> the entire audience broke out in laughter. she says, she hopes that's not true. that's your "pop start." >> ellen gets you in trouble all the time. my mom just texted, what is the cloud? let us turn to the ongoing series called uncovered. we're bringing you the stories you don't see in the headlines. >> ronan farrow is on the fight against america's addiction. >> a little bit of a tone change here, you guys. we all know just how serious the opioid crisis is in america, right? the last few years, deaths from overdoses of these kinds of drugs skyrocketed. now some across the country are turning to a solution you might find pretty surprising. >> i would say if it wasn't for cannabis, i would be dead right now. >> reporter: jim creston is an army veteran, firefighter and emt. here in winthrop, maine, he and a group of vet verans are adjusting to life-threatening illnesses. >> i have had friends who died of opioid addictions. >> i have used cannabis to come off opioids. >> reporter: they brought together the vets, other addicts and support staff. >> how are you doing? >> good. >> reporter: today they have a new patient, jesse, addicted to heroin opioids after a motorcycle accident. >> just that little bit right there. >> reporter: it will slowly wean him off the other drugs using cannabis. >> i used to be a dare mom, just say no to marijuana. and now years later we are teaching people it's not a gateway drug, it's an exit strategy. >> reporter: like opioids like heroin and prescription painkillers are lethal in high doses, the national academy survey of 10,000 scientific abstracts did not find a single documented case of an adult overdose caused by marijuana. advocates like katherine and glenn say it's a life-saving alternative. they're not alone. this is where the weed lives. this is not your father's rehab. >> this is not your father's rehab. >> reporter: across the country in l.a., high sobriety lives up to its name. >> it's helped me get off heroin. >> reporter: addicts like nick try to get off doses of marijuana several times a day. >> that was, when i first saw that, excuse me, advertised on the website, i thought it was a joke. >> reporter: it's the brain-child of joe shrank, a social worker and alcoholic who never touches cannabis himself. he's been helping people get off opioids and weed for years after trying rehab programs. >> total abstinence is the only thing presented. but in my view that's not ethical. >> reporter: there are people who say you're enabling further drug use. >> we're enabling safer drug use. handing the baton to something that does not have a lethal dose is a major, major change. >> reporter: the approach runs head-long to a new administration getting tough on weed. attorney general jeff sessions announcing tougher sentences for drug sentences and putting this front and center in his fight against crime. >> i have seen a line in "the washington post" today, marijuana is a cure for opioid abuse. give me a break. >> reporter: there's the very real possibility that sessions as attorney general -- >> cracks down federally. >> reporter: yeah, enforcing federal laws. >> go ahead, let's do it. let's have this conversation about marijuana at the federal level. >> reporter: many in the medical establishment also consider the idea fringe. deputy drug director tom mcclellon fears they will use opioids and marijuana. >> it would be a supplement. >> reporter: but some new research suggests marijuana may encourage people to get off harder drugs. according to johns hopkins, states where medical marijuana has been legalized have seen a 25% reduction in opioid overdose deaths. isn't that persuasive? >> i have to say that's remarkable. >> reporter: you lost your son to an overdose. does part of you wish you had tried an approach like this? >> there's very little i would rather believe in my life than that to be something that would have reversed that. could it work? i can imagine a scenario that it could work. is there evidence at this point? no. >> reporter: joe shrank wants more research, too. >> as long as cannabis is a schedule one drug, the same as heroin, we can't do clinical trials. >> reporter: if there are unanswered questions, how do you feel confident endorsing this as treatment? >> it really comes down to used be taking drugs or alcohol, or used to be using heroin. now i smoke medical cannabis. that's a massive improvement. >> it's not fori )m ... ==topvo== san jose firefighters right now are calling an early good thursday morning. i'm sam brock. san jose firefighters are calling an early morning fire at a strip mall accidental. we brought you this morning on today in the bay. it started at 3:00 in the morning at a former o'reilly auto parts store on white story road in east san jose. firefighters say the fire sprang up in a dumpster and that nobody was injured. because the building was empty firefighters said that there were no chemicals or flammable products inside. this is the second time in one year that firefighters have been called to the same spot. last june a grass fire damaged some cars and also a small section of that same building. mike inouye has his eyes right now on the roadways and mike you're tracking something in the mountains. >> that's right. overall we're seeing a lighter volume of traffic. a little trouble in san leandro. we'll talk about that. the south bay is still good in traffic in the northbound direction, lighter than typical on a thursday. a stall around the res sorry and a fender bender maybe folks coming from santa cruz, but the southbound side the distraction doesn't seem to be an issue. continued recovery from an earlier crash at 238 and 880 through san leandro. travel time causes a slowdown towards the bay bridge but things are improving, the bay bridge still slow. back to you. >> thank you very much. that will do it for us right now. back with more news coming up in 30 minutes. back to the "today" show. nobody told me to expect it. intercourse that's painful due to menopausal changes. it's not likely to go away on its own. it took my most honest friend to help me do something about it. she told me premarin vaginal cream can help. it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use it if you've had unusual vaginal bleeding, breast or uterine cancer, blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis. estrogens may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots, or dementia so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogens should not be used to prevent heart disease, heart attack, stroke or dementia. ♪ ask your doctor about premarin vaginal cream. ♪ we're back now, 8:30 on this thursd thursday, may 18, 2017. if you had to pick a summery day, this would be it. just 23 hours from now, the third big concert of the week, mary j. blige here tomorrow morning on the plaza. coming up, something fabulous is happening. we have milkshakes and burgers, the shake shack guys are here. they're going to tell us the secrets of making your shake at home. and i have to say, i have to leave a little early to go on assignment -- >> so you got a shake. >> that looks like heaven in a cup. and more with natalie and jenna as they begin their girlfriend's guide to fantastic fun with a unique camp all about bringing women together. and we have naomi watts here to talk to us about her brand new movie, what she can talk about, that is. there are a lot of histories in that. and we want to remind you on the special father's day series, "backyard barbecue with al." does your dad love a backyard barbecue? and does he deserve an unforgettable father's day? tell us on today.com. and he may receive a surprise from al. >> i literally missed the straw. i went like this -- >> it happens, you know? also ahead this morning, more of the drop ten series. joe bau joy bauer has a perfect plan and thousands of you have joined on board. >> she's in the orange room with a one-minute on the clock. joy, take it away. >> so now that the weather is getting warmer, everybody is asking about smoothies. so i'm going to show you a fuss-free formula to whip up a delicious smoothie for less than 200 calories. here goes. first you're going to start with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fruit and half a banana is half a cup. three-quarters a cup of milk. stick with low-fat cow's milk, almond milk or light coconut milk. toss in a few ice cubes and whirl it up. by adding fruit and powerhouse ingredients, you can make all sorts of amazing flavor combinations. this is a tropical pina colada smoothie with frozen pineapple and shredded coconut. amazing. this is a mango peach smoothie. i put some fresh ginger root that elevates the flavor. and this is a chocolate peanut butter smoothie. it is chocolaty, it's creamy and only 170 calories. and no added sugar. >> joy, thank you. >> that was longer than a minute, but that was me. >> you deserve it, joy. for the full drop ten "today" ma meal plan, head to today.com. all right, miss dylan, a check on the weather. >> it's heating up in new york, that's for sure. we could break record-high temperatures. the record is 90. we are forecasting 92 degrees. most of the big cities up and down the east coast will see temperatures today near records, in if lower 90s. we're also looking at severe storms with a possible tornado outbreak getting started later this afternoon and this evening, back especially through kansas and into oklahoma. tomorrow, it's the same area that could still see some severe storms. but today is the man din day we watching. still warm and humid in the northeast and midatlantic. snowfall through the rockies. some areas could pick up 36 inches of snow. but look at the west coast, we are looking at nothing but sunshine with temperatures in 80s. >> a look outside, we have temperatures that will be trending to the low 80s for the inland areas. even mid 80s for spots like concord and concord and 76 in oakland. san francisco and half moon bay 70 degrees very comfortable and we keep the 70s in the san francisco area into the weekend but the inland areas will start to heat up. from 85 degrees today to 89 degrees tomorrow and our highs will be reaching into the low 90s for the weekend into next week. >> and we've got a huge crowd out on the plaza. where are y'all from? and what grade are you guys in? >> fifth. >> fifth grade on a school trip in new york city. awesome. matt? dylan, you're doing the y'all because jenna is here? >> it's catching on. >> now something new called girlfriends' guide to fantastic fun. as we mentioned, it features our was dense adventure seekers natalie morales and jenna bush hager. >> did y'all go to camp? >> kenny brooke. >> don't you miss the fun and the adventure you had? for some of you, for others, not so much. we went to camp, but it is camp powerment to be exact. it has "oprah magazine's" stamp of approval. it has us saying wow. >> we did say wow. sorry, matt, it is for women only looking to learn, grow and have lots of fun. and as you'll see, we experienced it all. camppowerment, a three-day sleepaway camp. >> welcome, glad you're here! >> reporter: where women come to unwind. >> we bring women here to disconnect, reconnect and play. >> reporter: reunite with old friends, meet new friends -- >> jackie, nice to meet you. >> reporter: and become 12 again. ♪ i said a boom chick-a-boom >> reporter: tammy fuller, the ceo chiefempowerment officer started the camp to recreate the feeling of her childhood. >> i feel like women don't play enough. we don't have fun and kick it up and dance like no one is watching. >> it's one and two. >> reporter: so that is just what we did. >> some people should not do this. >> reporter: playing camp games like we did when we were kids. and we have to admit, it got a little bit competitive at times. >> you are so going down, jenna. you don't even know. >> no way jose. >> reporter: in the end, we came together for some team-building exercises designed to challenge and develop trust. >> what i do for natalie. >> reporter: 50 feet above the malibu hills. >> i will say, the view is spectacular. >> okay. mommy! >> mommy! >> i'm sweaty in places i didn't know. >> oh, my gosh, we're freaking out right now. >> i don't like this at all! >> just stay. >> how sweaty are my palms? >> they are sweaty. i got you, we're good. okay, ready? >> oh, my god. >> we got this. >> oh, my god! >> we got this. just slowly, walk. >> i'm shaking like a leaf. >> shh, relax, breathe. don't pull me down. >> i don't want to go back. >> we're good. >> mommy! >> use your butt. >> i don't know how! >> jenna! jenna! >> put your hands up, up, up. >> okay, ready? >> jenna, lean in. >> okay. >> reporter: bringing us closer than we have ever been before. >> that was fun, though. >> i peed a little bit. here goes nothing. and with encouragement from my new friends and from one of my dearest girlfriends -- >> relax. >> reporter: i was able to rise above my fears. >> take a bigger step, jenna, bigger step, you got it, jenna. >> hallelujah! >> you got to share the rope, girl, share it. >> reporter: with natalie coaching me every step of the way -- >> one, mamacita. this is a big one. hi. mommy! >> reporter: i was able to do something i never thought i could. >> mamacita. oh, gosh. oh, gosh. >> focus. focus. you got this. almost done! >> reporter: mission accomplished. >> go big or go home! i'm flying. ♪ i believe i can fly >> we came, we saw -- >> we conquered camppowerment. >> until our next adventure. >> yes, my friend! >> we could watch that all day. >> we are so empowered now, matt. >> i could watch that again. that's horrifying. >> that was so lovely. >> i felt like her birthing coach all the time. i'm like, come on, jenna, focus, you can do it, hold my hand. >> why can't we go on one thing where we are not on the top of something together. >> did you feel empowered? >> no, i feel humiliated. >> the camp is amazing. it is about bonding with your girlfriends. >> listen, when you're that close on the top of a really high place straddling each other, it's a bond that you'll never forget. >> there's nothing i can say about that that won't get me in trouble. so let me just say, how many times do you think jenna said, mommy! let's cue the tape. >> mommy! mommy! >> mommy! mommy! mommy! one mamacita. mommy! mamacita. >> she went from mommy to mamacita. a big shout-out to tammy and the team for having us. such a great place. we should mention, camp empowerments are all across the country. if you get a chance to go, you should. check them out online. we posted some of the photos from our adventure in the "today" show app. >> coming up tomorrow, three words for you, magic mike live. channing tatum and us do the sprinkler with the man behind it, channing tatum. this is my speed. this i can do. >> thank you very much. up next, another hollywood star, naomi watts, live in studio. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ ♪ award-winning actress naomi watts is known for diving into characters. she's doing it once again in her new movie called "the book of henry." shes stars as a single mother of two young sons. their lives get complicated when they get involved with some trouble, next door neighbors. take a look. >> oh, my munchkin. oh, geez, henry, just say no. >> surprise. >> sheila! >> oh, hello, peter. hank. >> it's actually henry. i think you would be able to retain one simple name somewhere beyond that haircut. >> nice goggles. they go well with your misshapen head. >> don't you two start already. i'm going to pretend all this didn't happen because i've had a hell of a day and sheila and i are just going to hang out a little, okay? >> naomi watts, good morning, good to see you. >> hi, thanks for having me. >> i'm going to talk about "the book of henry" in just a second, but i want to start with something else. they give me all kinds of information when someone like you comes through here. i'm going to put up a picture i saw from this weekend, mother's day, we celebrated mother's day. i love this picture. that's you and your children. and you as a little, as you put it, tomboy. >> yes, there's quite the difference. there's quite the haircuts going on there, like who wore it better? >> you wrote, amazing how this young tomboy ended up with these two beautiful children. couldn't be happier. that's fantastic. now we'll talk about the movie, and i'm stalling, because you have to help me here. there are a lot of things i can't say about this movie because your movie company will be mad at me. >> yeah, we don't want to give too much away. it's hard to talk about because there are some great twists and turns. and you want to keep the suspense going for the audience. and it's one of those movies that you can't put in a box. you're going to be on a fun ride, there's emotions, there's suspense, there's drama, there's a little bit of fun. >> let's try and talk about the big theme. what do you think it's about? >> basically a family, a small family that's missing a parent, obviously, and she's just trying to do her best on her own with these two boys. something is going horribly awry next door. and they take the situation into their own hands. >> it's kind of worlds colliding. i think if you expanded even further, you could say it's a little bit about the divisions we're all dealing with these days. am i getting too far here? >> no, that's a fair comparison. >> i don't want to cross the line here. >> that's a fair comparison, yeah. they try to do everything in the right way and reaching out to have, you know, the professionals take care of it. and they're not listening. and so they take matters into their own hands. >> it's the most cryptic movie interview i've ever done. >> i can do better than that. in "twin peaks" it will get more cryptic. >> but it is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster ride and you're great in it. it's always great to have you here. >> thank you so much. >> "the book of henry" opens june 16th. and up next, the secrets -- >> do you like burgers? >> we are going to do shake shack's famous burger in your own kitchen right after this. >> great, thanks. in your own kitchen right after this. >> great, thanks. we're back now at 8:49 on the east coast. we come back on the air with breaking news, former fox news ceo roger ailes h >> they've written a shake shack cookbook filled with recipes and tips you need to make one of their famous burgers at home. guys, good morning. nice to see you. >> are you going to give the secret recipe away for people to make at home? >> for all those people who don't have a shack near their home town we gave away to do it. we didn't give away with the exact recipe. we gave you the recipe with ingredients that you have in your fridge. >> you have a secret sauce >> we want to make this very easy for everyone to make at home. we have some mayo. to that we add ketchup and dijon mustard. okay cayenne pepper and pickling liquid. the one you have in your fridge you keep the liquid in. save it. it's gold. we'll add that in. great acidity to our final sauce. >> if you were making that at shake shack what other ingredient would you add >> we're not going to tell you. >> tlc. >> you mix up the sauce. natalie head over to the buns. >> we love the good pilloey soft potato bun. little bit of butter on that. >> when this comes off you want the inside to look lightning french toast. golden brown. crispy. soft bun on the outside pillowy but outside crispy. >> no antibiotic. whole muscle. go to your favorite butcher. four ounces. all beef. whole muscle. >> we want to smash it pretty thin. >> push down. keep going. keep going. that's good. that's great. what we're trying to do is put that meat directly on that hot surface -- >> a beautiful crust. lock in all the juices. all about the contrast of flavors. burger right here topped with cheese. >> once you do it the first time, one it starts to cook and get juicy you don't do it again. >> at the very beginning all that juice is on the inside of the meat. it's not liquified. once you cook on it if you press on down the juice pushes out of the burger. >> when you're at our outdoor grill you're pushing the meat down and losing the flavor. in the book we tell you to do it on a flat top griddle. >> so we have some once. put some burgers in there for you guys. >> my favorite. i've been waiting all morning. >> add some sauce at the top of the bun. >> secret sauce. >> all the way around. >> the sauce looks different than the shake hack. what's missing. >> up guys are good. >> one ingredient missing. >> we'll take a piece of lettuce. greenleaf. place it on top. have it come out ooh little bit. >> so beautiful. >> the shack burger very visible, very simple. then what we'll do is top it with a little bit of tomato. there you go. put it towards the top. one. then two. so delicious and fresh. >> you like a double burger. >> how about the hinge. >> thing of these potato once is key. once you shut the bun. you have a hinge. when you bite into it all that juice is captured in the hinge. >> that's your last bite. totally good. >> you guys could have chosen when you started this any kind of french fries you wanted. what kind of research went into deciding you would be the crinkled french fry people. >> it's controversy for years at shake hack. it takes you back to those old side burger stands. classic crinkle cut fries. in the book we tell you how to make them at home in a three step process. >> it's very complicated to create a crispy fry. we first below average them in water to get the cooking process started. we let them dry out. fry them twice to create a nice crispy crust. it's a lot of work. but it's the best way to create a french fry. as soon as it comes out of the oil add the salt so the salt melts in. >> so hot and so greasy. >> cheers. congratulations on the new cookbook. appreciate it. >> and for more of these recipes and the shake hack cookbook head to today.com/food. we'll be right back on nbc. ails quin was crazy about curls. but it took a twist of fate to find a high-end curler at such a head turning price. and that's the beauty of a store full of surprises. you never know what you're gonna find, but you know you're gonna love it. ♪ many. he was a patriot. he worked hard to rise and to give back. she goes on, during a career that stretched out over morning five decades, his work in entertainment and politics and in news affected the lives of many millions and so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life. that is the statement from elizabeth ailes just this morning on our breaking news that roger ailes, long-time chairman of fox news and pioneer in >> much more to come but first your news and weather. ==topvo== the man authorities have called the "arsonist" behind good thursday morning. 8:56. i'm sam brock. the man authorities called the arsonist behind contra costa car fires is expected to be arraigned today. last saturday an arson task force arrested james bishop iii. he was at a mcdonald's in ven knee shah less than a mile away from a car set on fire. bishop faces numerous charges in connection with the string of car fires across the county including seven last week alone. investigators say surveillance video was key to provide the clues that led to an arrest that included images of the suspect's car. bob riddle is at the courthouse and will have a live report for the news cast and bishop's family spoke last night and find out what they had to say in the local news site. one person in the hospital after a stabbing at san francisco's dolores park. police say the victim was attacked by a group of young people. for more information link to that on our home page. on our facebook page the surprise death of one of grumg's leading men in the '90s chris cornell. what authorities are saying about the investigation into his death. we'll see you with more news in 30 minutes. (man) hmm. what do you think? ♪ (stranger) good mornin'! ♪ (store p.a.) attention shoppers, there's a lost couple in the men's department. (vo) there's a great big un-khaki world out there. explore it in a subaru crosstrek. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. this morning on "today's take," two huge stars, robert de niro and michelle pfeiffer with a sneak peek on their new movie. and which dinner will be the winner? the ultimate cookoff begins right now. >> from nbc news, this is "today's take," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, may 18th, 2017. we're listening to "don't worry" by matt kahn. matt has a deserved morning off. >> it's a girls morning. >> am i supposed to have a straw? i feel like the man out here. >> sorry about that. >> this is not coffee. i just do that for -- >> i have lipstick all over this. >> you have a wild adventure. >> i just got back from new d t newfoundland. and we went to hunt for icebergs. they break off the glaciers up near greenland and flow down these coastal cities in newfoundland. there's one behind me. that was a small one. the guy in the middle is our captain, that's billy, he's with iceberg quest tours. and, oh, my gosh, it was so cool to watch these. i mean, this is -- >> is that you? >> this is my getting screeched in, something in newfoundland. there's a rum called screech. and you're supposed to take a shot of the rum and then kiss a codfish. weapon didn't have a codfish, but i kissed a doll instead. >> this looks like a tough assignment. >> this is iceberg beer made from the water from the melted icebergs. these icebergs are 20,000 to 50,000 years old. >> by the way, was the little child science nerd in your so excited. i can imagine dylan has a little child. >> if these could tell stories and the world they have seen and the changes they have seen, and we actually collected some bergie bits, and i pumped before i took all the shots and everything, so i was using chunks of 20,000 ye-year-old pis of ice to keep my milk cool in the cooler. it was an experience. >> how was the beer? >> the beer is amazing. if you take a pieglass of tap water, this is way more pure and as pure as it gets. >> pretty impressive. >> again, i pumped before i did the beer and the rum and everything, just to make that clear. >> the fact that you're breastfeeding and traveling like you are, you're awesome. >> it's a labor of love, for sure. >> hero. >> cheers. >> this is hot water. cheers to you, there you go. >> then you get breastmilk. >> this is not breastmilk. since al is not here, we can get into that. i went to bed last night, i was nervous. i don't get nervous about too many things, especially if it is a fun shoot, but i'm tap dancing later today in harlem. i'm getting my tap shoes ready. i was watching all his clips on instagram. that's about it. my 7-year-old is watching and said, i'm going to tap with him tomorrow. he said, him? my 7-year-old goes, mommy, you need to practice. >> you do need to practice. >> i can't wait. >> i still have my tap shoes. i bought a new pair. >> do they still fit? >> they do still fit. you'll see my tap shoes look little, they don't have the ribbons in them, but they look child-like. >> you kept your tap shoes all these years. >> and for a moment like this. >> at the apollo theater, are you kidding me? >> we are talking about it and my heart is pounding. i'm really excited. let's talk about your picture. breaking out of your comfort zone. >> i could watch this all day. >> i could never watch it again. first of all, i just went to camp, camppowerment with nat, and it was so much fun to be reunited with her. but first of all, it was humiliating. >> what are you doing? you are totally into it. >> i was into it. we had a lot of fun. but every time i'm with her, we have to go up -- we have to go to heights like this. >> what is the point? >> the point is to be empowered, to be with girlfriends, to reunite and feel like you can do anything in the world, to have all the confidence. but it showed me no confidence. it showed me -- it was fun. >> jenna, it looks beautiful. >> it was beautiful. but when you're up that high, i was looking down thinking that i could possibly die, which i know is -- i couldn't have. we had a lot of fun. always, natalie, has ice running through her vaeins, she's so relaxed and chill. >> you were shaking like jelly. >> do you feel like you accomplished something? >> no, but i had fun. >> what does your mom think when you're scaring her name in these scary situations? >> she thinks i'm a nut. she's so proud. >> i did have confidence. speaking of that, kelly clarkson discovered a whole new level of being confident after becoming a mom. she se says, i've always been a confident person, but i think that is just texan. >> do you agree with that? >> yes, girl. i think being a mom has brought another level of confidence. basically the things a mom does daily without adding a job is pretty insane. >> i agree on that. i tend to be nervous on everything i do, every time i'm on tv, i'm constantly nervous. sometimes when i really need to calm myself down, i think of val calvin. he just wants me to come home and smile and that is really all that matters. >> i feel that i used to -- i didn't like to get in a swimsuit. my kids will drown without their momma. so i don't care about myself. i love that it is about them. it's so refreshing not to think about yourself all the time. >> kelly clarkson talked about the point she realized her own streng strength. after my twins were born, i felt like my abdomen split in half. like the read sea. the fact that i can go through that and come out okay and raise the babies okay, you realize, you know what? cheers. >> cheers. >> let's talk about the cougar mom over here 12 years older than her husband. >> will you stop saying 12? i'm not 12 years older. >> i'm so jealous you can call yourself a cougar. >> i might create a fact. i think you are more refined -- >> you are more like a puma. >> a puma momma. >> did you know it is pronounced puma? >> again, remember how i told you i always envisioned dylan has a sixth grade science nerd. that proves my point. say that again, please? >> which part? >> the science theater 3,000? >> no, i have not seen that. >> it is back on feet flix. y netflix. you should watch it. >> there's an article raising an important question, do older men and younger men make the perfect match? >> i think so. as someone who is 6 years older than my husband, at first we were friends for a long time before we started dating. and i had an issue. i was like, no, brian is younger than my cousin. there's no way. >> did you have a crush on him? >> we were really good friends, but it wasn't the thought in my mind because he's so much younger than me. and then, i don't know, something just switched and we went on a date. and i was like, i love hanging out with him. he was fun, vibrant, energetic, he wants to do things. he has older brothers and sisters so he kind of got my humor and knows the movies and stuff that i like. >> you are the best couple. i don't think it matters. once you hit a certain age -- >> where did you find that picture? that's a good picture. >> y'all look like babies. >> once you get older, i don't think it matters. i'm two years older than my husband. when i gradual waited from college and he was in college, and i was working in tv. that was back when we did instant messaging on aol. i was like, where are you? he's like, i'm going to a party. i'm going to work. send. >> you are a beautiful couple, sheinelle. my goodness. >> thanks. >> my husband is old. but he's cute. >> so you disagree with the study. >> when i met henry, a friend of ours -- >> i love the pictures. >> i think he's so cute. when i met him, an intern, my friend was his intern, i said, i'm bringing a friend. and i was like, how old is he? he was 26 at the imtoo. too old. i was young. that was back in the glory days. 23. but it worked out. >> it totally works out. cheers to love. >> it doesn't matter how old. >> age doesn't matter. speaking of love, would you pick your pooch over your partn partner? the surprising results of a new survey. if he's cute enough. plus, robert de niro and plus, robert de niro and michelle pfeiffer with one of thirsty skin? 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ba bam! know the rules. keep your eggo. l'eggo my eggo. okay. if you've got a life, you gotta swiffer we are back with more of "today's take." here's a hot topic for you, a new survey reveals surprising stats on how much dog lovers really love their dogs. 54% of people will consider ending their relationship if they thought their pup didn't like their partner. >> could that mean also they don't really like their partner? because maybe they are not that into their partner. >> this is dating, right? this isn't marriage. >> it's not marriage. >> this is dating. you know what, though? you have been with the dog maybe longer -- you just met the guy. >> the dog came first. i think so. >> did your dog come first? >> no, brian and i were together and got bosco. >> i can totally understand if this is your little guy and have been with him for years and bring in a guy and help doesn't like him. >> i think dogs also have an instinct, a sense of people. >> my mom used to say this when we were little. anybody that doesn't love animals or doesn't treat animals well has something kind of cruel. and not that they don't love animals, but animal cruelty, those type of people are not the type of people you want to be with. >> or you come in, you have a dog that you have had since college, and then the dog adores them. the dog gets extra points, right? >> i had a cat, bernadette. my husband is not a cat person but he loved me so much -- look at that beautiful cat. he lives in texas but he's a beautiful cat. >> i'm allergic to cats. >> me, too. >> and you still have him? >> that's why he lives in texas. but he's so sweet. >> look at this, 54% respondents would consider ending their relationship if their partner didn't like their pup. >> it went bosco, bosco, bosco, now it's calvin, calvin, calvin. a throwback thursday. >> we dug up pictures, summertime heat, summer pictures. we have gone into the vault. mine was readily available. this is me -- why is my hair not moving? isn't hair supposed to flow in the water? >> it's a bull cut. >> do you remember we showed the picture and had to guess whether the kid was in the water or out of the water? >> oh, yeah. >> your cute little -- what is that game? >> i don't get it. >> do you know what i'm talking about? >> no. >> this is one of me also by the pool in the summer. with the '80s haircut. i don't know why, my mom can't believe that mila's hair is so long. i'm like, that's because you always cut ours into a bull cut. >> didn't you? >> my hair was always cut. yeah. >> that was fun. what about you? >> so i found a picture playing in the fire hydrant. i'm on the far left. >> i love your outfit. >> gavin says that all the pictures that you post, you can't even see you. >> they didn't love me. just kidding, i'm kidding. i'm with my cousin and siblings are like, oh, sheinelle. >> in the summer in the city, don't you remember doing that? >> i think it was wildwood. >> we used to go down into the sewers to play. >> wait, why? >> jenna. >> you start something -- he holds up a sign that says weather and you say that. how do we not? >> we used to roller blade down into the drain sewers of dallas, texas, and splash. >> not like city sewers, sub you are s-- suburb sewers. >> >> they weren't open. >> not like teenager ninja mutant turtles. >> i was a little like splinter. >> i don't get it. >> splinter, he would play in the sewers, he was a rat. >> oh, my gosh. let's take a look at the weather. it's going to be a stormy day back through the plains. we have a high risk of very strong storms through kansas and into north central oklahoma. long track tornadoes are possible. those are the ones that stay on the ground for a long period of time. we can also see hail up to two inches in diameter along with the cloud-to-ground lightning and also heavier downpours. many the northeast, we're looking at record-breaking high temperatures. the record high in new york city is 90 degrees. we should come close to that if not break that record. and philadelphia jus good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we've got a lot of sunshine and also some cool temperatures to start. it's 59 degrees on the peninsula, 58 on the tri-valley. and the east bay now at 60 degrees. but then we'll see those high temperatures today reaching the low 70s in san francisco. it does stay fairly comfortable as we go throughout the weekend and early next week. inland areas will really be heating up, though. and in the valleys, we're up to 92 degrees on saturday. sunday, 93 degrees. and then it slowly starts to come down by next week. we'll be in the lower 80s by next wednesday. next, from e-street to midtown manhattan. record steven vansant is in the house. find out what he's doing it's the biggest news ever at olive garden introducing new giant stuffed pastas starting at $12.99. pastas so big you could share them, but so delicious, you won't want to. giant stuffed pastas. for a limited time at olive garden. what bad back?gels work so fast you'll ask what pulled hammy? advil liqui - gels make pain a distant memory nothing works faster stronger or longer what pain? advil. heare you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® it's starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®. hey, l'eggo my eggo. i don't see your name on it. really? ba bam! know the rules. keep your eggo. l'eggo my eggo. okay. you'll be amazed what happens when you pu♪ your red nose on. you help ensure that children in the u.s. and around the world are safe, healthy and educated. this red nose day, swing by walgreens and get your noses on to help end child poverty. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. new jersey rocker steven van zandt will forever be tied to the boss, bruce string steen, as one of the legendary members of the e-street band. >> and rerocked out for his song "bitter fruit." and he starred with james gandolfini in "the so pray knpr >> he's out with his new song called "soul fire." what took so long? >> i know. i have no excuse, really. i started acting and bruce started touring again and 20 years went by. i really, you know, it was really the last few years the fans have been wanting the old records to come back out, also, which i hadn't remastered. so i'm remastering the old ones to come out this year and said, let's do a new one, also. >> so it's "soul fire," most of the songs you wrote or co-produced during your four-decade-long career. >> easy on that. >> easy. >> you should be like, yes, sheinelle. that's right. >> in a few years. >> talk to me about "soul fire." >> well, i hadn't written an album in 20 years, so it is not something you do. i said, i will just cover myself. i did eight songs i had written for other people and a couple covers, james brown's song, and i was able to reintroduce myself in a way i had never done before with a blues record, a duwop record, some jazz. it's a nice new introduction of myself. that i have never done before. >> and some may say, why would you mess with perfection? you have to recreate the great songs. >> well, it's a little tricky when you produce the first ones also. but that said, i kind of got this right, you know? so it was just some tricky moments. like the song that i was about to record, i'm on my way to the studio and it comes on the radio. i'm like, i can't beat this. this is fantastic. so i combined it with some instrumental think i had done for the score of "lily hammer." i did that score for three years and have a lot of music there. that will be re-released this year as well. so i attached some instrumental thing to the gary song and it made it new. in some cases you can make it new. in some cases the arrangements are similar. >> we have 30 seconds as we crank it up and go to break. tell me this, they said you had so much fun making this record, is that true? >> yeah, because we did it live first, which is unusual. we put the band together for a blues festival in london. and then came home and took that energy right into the studio. so we did the whole thing in five, six weeks. >> that's awesome. steven, thank you so much for being here. i have been working in oral health care for the last 12 years. there is a perception amongst dentists that whitening toothpastes are not good for people with sensitive teeth. some are quite abrasive. what we've developed in sensodyne true white is a product that is 10 times less abrasive than many of the whitening toothpastes that are out there, and especially designed for sensitivity sufferers. it's different, there's nobody else out there that i'm aware of that has developed whitening for people with sensitivity in this way. live we begin with breaking news out of times square--- where good morning. 9:26 right now on your thursday morning. i'm sam brock. we begin with breaking news out of new york and times square. what you are looking at right here, clearly a picture of a car on its side and blocked off in the middle of times square. this after we have learned that that car struck several people, speeding through the area, possibly hitting a pole in the process. you can see that right next to the vehicle. we are just getting word that one person has died and at least half a dozen more are injured. now, the latest coming from new york, from the new york police department is that this was, in fact, accidental, although it is a very fluid situation at this point. we're just getting more information as we track this. again, live pictures from times square and an area, as you can see, clearly cut off there from pedestrians as firefighters and emergency responders and police work the scene right now. all of this happening within the last 20 minutes ago. again, you are seeing a sedan on its side that apparently sped through the area here and hit a group of people and at least one person has been killed. now, we do know that the driver of that car is in police custody right now. and is being questioned. and again, we are just learning within the last several minutes that police are calling this accidental, although it has proved to be a fatal accident in the middle of times square. we are working with our desk in new york to get you more information. and as soon as we have it, we'll bring that to you. this is a scene from san jose and this happened overnight, as there was a fire that broke out right off of story road and white road in east san jose, that was in an abandoned building. and as you can see, the flames were quite vicious at about 3:00 in the morning. firefighters say it all started in a dumpster and that nobody was injured. because the building was empty, firefighters say that there were no chemicals or flammable products inside and they have been monitoring it all morning for hot spots. coming up right after the break, we will have more weather and traffic for you. stay with us. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's going to be nice and comfortable in san francisco. highs reaching into the mid-70s in time for the weekend, but it's going to be hot inland. up to 85 degrees today and 93 degrees on sunday. and it gradually cools down early next week. let's head over to mike for an update on the roads. >> all right. well, we're looking at a smooth drive. i want to talk about a crash that's been sticking around for quite some time, waiting for a tow truck north 101 at great american parkway. still slow over there heading through san jose as well, and south 880 through fremont. we'll get you right back to the "today" show. earlier this week you saw al go undercover to surprise unsuspecting fans across the street. >> today it is sheinelle and it involves a hair net? >> that's right. i rocked one but let mel the you, it was a blast. i got to go behind one of my favorite restaurants in the world in the great city of philadelphia. take a look. ♪ >> reporter: philadelphia, it's the city of brotherly love. for nine years i called philly home, enjoying its history, its culture and its food. when it comes to food in philly, of course, everyone loves their cheesesteaks, but for me, i love tony lukes. so if i'm going behind the counter during the lunchtime hour, this is where i want to be. for 25 years tony luke's served up mouth-watering cheesesteaks and fries. >> hot fries. >> reporter: what better place to go undercover for a couple of hours. assisting me in my quest, tony luke's general manager, darrell thomas, who outfitted me in an official june form. >> only for you, philly, i'm putting on the hair net. >> reporter: they made me the honorary employee for the day. >> i'm dizzy and i'm ready. ♪ after learning the art of how to make a proper cheesesteak, it was time to take my position behind the counter where lines can sometimes stretch for an entire block. here's a little secret. >> thank you, have a good day. >> reporter: i never waits re reed -- waitressed in college, so this is my first time at bat. but after a while, i got the hang of it. >> accept payment. boom, aren't you proud of me? well, sort of. i was just starting to feel like a regular when it happened. >> quick trip for you today. >> you are not supposed to know. >> reporter: cover, blown. and then another customer who remembered he from my early reporting days. >> hi. how did you know, i was in disguise? yeah. and some selfies, too. >> i want a selfie with her. >> let's do it. >> i used to watch you in philly and now watch you in new york, too. >> oh, thank you. >> reporter: not sure what was the big thrill, getting to know wonderful customers who recognized me or raking in the tips from perfect strangers. >> a $3 tip, that's my record. >> reporter: if they thought i did a good job, or maybe they thought i knew how to rock a hair net. >> did you see the one man gave me $4? do i have to share this? >> no, that is all yours. >> reporter: just kidding. a day behind the counter is harder than it looks. >> i just looked up and there's a long line, i'm going to take a bit of a break so i don't mess up. but i wouldn't have traded it for the world. what could be better, great people, great eats. so good. man, that was fun. how did i do? >> you did great. >> reporter: if the news thing doesn't work out, can i come back? >> sure. >> reporter: thank you so much. you did a good job. >> you did a great job. >> thank you. >> i want to make sure i'm looking when i see the tip jar. >> you can do that, too. somebody gave me 4 bucks. isn't that nice? >> did they know you? >> no, because i was that good. full disclosure, i shared it with the whole crew. >> you bought somebody a cheesesteak. >> cheesesteaks on me. shout-out to everybody in philadelphia and the folks at tony luke's. we had such a fun time. >> you smell like cheesesteak for the rest of the day? >> and i was eating it all the way home. up next, two of the biggest stars team up for a movie everyone is watching this weekend. robert de niro and michelle ph what are you doing? watching this breath savers protect mint neutralize the plaque acids in my mouth. i can't see anything! that's because it's working so hard. hey, what are you guys doing? karen. we're neutralizing. maybe i want to neutralize. you ever think of that? 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(sound of confetti cannon) seize your poise moment at poise.com. bernie madoff was the masterbehind behind the biggest financial fraud scheme in history. he is currently serving 150 years in prison. >> it's the scandal that caused financial ruin and fierce public hatred toward his wife ruth and two sons mark and andrew. >> now he's the subject of a new hbo film starring robert de niro and michelle pheiffer. we sat down with the stars to talk about the film. >> have you talked to the boys? >> no one speaks to me, except my sister. joan even offered for me to come stay with her in boca. >> well, she's your sister. >> yeah, but considering she and bob lost everything they had, it was a war with you, it meant a lot to me. >> yeah, that was unfortunate. that's why i was hoping to have the extra few days to make sure everyone was taken care of. >> robert and michelle, good morning. >> good morning. >> when you say the names, bernie madoff, and to some extent, ruth madoff, do you take those names into account? >> there were times when people would ask me about it and there was definitely the court of public opinion was that ruth and the boys were -- were in on it and part of the whole conspiracy. and they were -- this is anything but true. so i felt like this responsibility to defend her. and i felt, one of the things i'm most happy about with the finished product and was my biggest concern was that, you know, we told the truth about these people and that they came out, that their truth and their story was told and revealed. >> in fact, michelle, you got to meet with ruth, or bob, you didn't meet with bernie, did that change how you played him? >> no, i didn't meet him because the feeling was, it would have been difficult to meet him. it maybe would have been somehow not variety to me, i don't know. and i met so many other people who knew him and worked with him, his lawyers, friends, blah, blah, so i felt that was okay. of course, it would have been great to meet him, but i didn't do that. >> was there anything after researching him and playing him that you would have asked him, had you been able to meet him? or many things you would have asked him? >> of course i would ask him a lot of things. i don't know how honest he would want to be or -- you know how he would rationalize certain things we see in every day, the present administration. one thing i feel strongly about is that for the movie, the kids nor his wife knew about it. i feel strongly about that. >> michelle, al mentioned that you got to meet with ruth, how did you find her and how did that change the way you hoped to portray her? >> i was planning on not meeting her. i had made a choice not to meet her. i felt like she had been through enough. she certainly didn't need me kind of coming in and, you know, probing into her life. and then, so we started shooting, and then i started getting kind of messages from various people that she might be open to meeting me. and so i did. and i was really glad that i did. i only spent about an hour with her. you know, we just spent time talking. and, you know, we drink the same wine. and she was lovely. and, obviously, guarded, somewhat guarded, but really, really gracious. >> well, it's a fascinating movie. a real interesting look into it and what happens to a family when something like this happens. >> when deception takes over. "the wizard of lies" premiers this saturday on hbo. you have weather for us? >> yes, and very hot weather. we are looking for temperatures to break records up and down the east coast. and we are looking at a tornado outbreak through the middle of the country starting later this afternoon into early this evening where we could see long-track tornadoes. we also have heavy snow falling across the eastern rockies. the one place that is just fine and par for the course is out west where we'll see a lot of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s and the 80s. the severe storms will start to spread eastward tomorrow. still affecting states like kansas and into oklahoma where we could see more tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. the heat and humidity stick around across the northeast. and we'll see scattered showers and good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have a lot of sunshine and temperatures are still comfortable. it's 60 degrees in san jose and 58 degrees in the tri-valley, looking live at our pleasanton camera. and san francisco, 58 degrees and 59 now as you head out the door in the north bay. our highs in san francisco will be in the low 70s for the next couple of days. and this weekend, not bad, either. up to 76 degrees on sunday. but where it will get very uncomfortable will be the inland areas, up to 93 degrees on sunday. >> and that is your latest forecast. coming up next, not one but two dinner delicious recipes. whose can you love wearing powerful sunscreen? yes! neutrogena® ultra sheer. unbeatable protection helps prevent early skin aging and skin cancer with a clean feel. the best for your skin. ultra sheer®. neutrogena®. hi..and i know that we have phonaccident forgiveness.gent, so the incredibly minor accident that i had tonight- four weeks without the car. okay, yup. good night. with accident forgiveness your rates won't go up just because of an accident. switching to allstate is worth it. hey, l'eggo my eggo. i don't see your name on it. really? ba bam! know the rules. keep your eggo. l'eggo my eggo. okay. breatry new flonase sensimist allergy relief instead of allergy pills. it delivers a gentle mist experience to help block six key inflammatory substances. most allergy pills only block one. new flonase sensimist changes everything. hthat's why new downyl can saprotect and refresh conditions fibers to lock out odors. so clothing odors don't do the talking for you. lock out odors with new downy protect and refresh. first it was the battle of the breakfast, then the appetizer and salad. now it's time for the main event. the ultimate cook-off, the entree. we have rick price from pennsylvania. everybody give him a round. he's a single father of two who loves to cook. he's making his famous pineapple chicken. and then to my left we have stephanie brown. give her a round of applause. she's from charlotte, north carolina. stephanie, an air force captain, is graduating this weekend from johnson & wells culinary school. she's making red wine brazen short ribs. rick and stephanie, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> let me put this in here, already chewing and sitting at the tasting counter. dylan and jenna are the judges. >> let's start with you, it looks healthy. >> it is. obviously, there's chicken, pineapple and broccoli. but i lose a little brown sugar and i use soy sauce and make up a roo of flour and butter cooked together, break that down. that's the thickening agent. so what we do is, we heat up the chicken with some butter and some garlic, get that going, brown it up, sometimes i cut these up, they are better. >> okay. >> once that gets going, then you can add your pineapples. >> easy enough. >> and some juice. >> juice. >> this is pineapple juice, you can get it in a can, that makes it easy. soy sauce, brown sugar, let it semier down. you want to get it a little thick. use a spoon and put your finger through the spoon. and if it stays separated, then you're good on the sauce. >> do you bring it to a boil? >> bring it to a boil. >> can i try it? >> don't overcook the broccoli. just blanch the broccoli as it continues to cook in the pan. >> my kids would love this. and it is somewhat healthy. >> top it off with onion and celery seed and bam! there you go. >> all right, momma. did i just call you momma? >> that's fine. >> we'll talk about the ingredients. >> we have veggies and aeromatics. the celery and onion, you want to cut those big. >> you said used that word in life but that's okay. >> we have the chicken stock. i like to use chicken stock because the flavor is so much better. if you prefer beef stock, that's perfectly fine. the short ribs have already been seared and taken out of the pot. then we have our vegetables, they have been browned. and what we're going to do next is add some flour. and what this does is this is going to help thicken up the sauce later. and we're going to give it a stir to cook down. and once it cooks down, going to go ahead and add your wine. >> can that be any red wine you have around the house or cooking grade? >> i use a $7 bottle of caber n net and that is fine. let the wine simmer until it cooks out. after that,ed a yo add your chi stock. throw the short ribs in, toss it in the oven for 375 for three-and-a-half hours. >> three-and-a-half hours? >> it's a slow braise. >> here we go, let me try. oh, man, it is almost too different. they are both yummy. >> this is really hard. >> it is so hard. >> they are both really good. >> do we have to choose? >> you do. but don't worry, it's all good. >> we don't want to choose. everyone is a winner. >> we have been conferring on this because we really do love them both. >> there's the drum roll, make a decisi decision. >> it is 90-something degrees out today so the refreshing nature of the pineapple chicken is the winner. but they are both so good. >> i've been eating both back and forth, back and forth. >> here's the thing, you don't have to worry, because everybody is going home with something. congratulations. thank you to williams sonoma. the winner is going home with the professional non-stick ten-piece cookware set. it is guaranteed to never crack, peel or break down. and, my friend, you are going home with a williams sonoma signature touch professional blender. so you can make smoothies and all those fabulous things. thank you so much for coming. thank you for entering this contest. we are back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. how far should pure alpine spring water have to travel from its source to the bottle? ♪ how about less than a mile and a half? crystal geyser is the only major us spring water bottled at the mountain source. how fafrom its sourcelpine spring to the bottle?travel ♪ how about less than a mile and a half? crystal geyser is the only major us spring water bottled at the mountain source. okay. up next, y'all, guess where kathie lee and hoda are? >> where, jenna? >> have you gone into game show mode? >> she's getting into tap dancing. >> they are in paradise in hamilton, bermuda. i was there last week with them, it was fab. >> they are going to be dancing, there's music, don't want to miss kathie lee's personal island tour with michael douglas. >> sounds fun. grab a cocktail, it's 5:00 somewhere. join the fun all coming up right after your local =wx sot!!= o temperatures start to warm up today with a lot of sunshine and the south bay heading up to 81 degrees. the peninsula will stay in the upper 70s, while the tri-valley looking at a high of 83 there, also 83 in the north bay. nice in san francisco, 70 and 76 degrees in the east bay. over the next few days, our warming trend continues, inland valleys expected those highs to reach into the mid-90s. i'll have more updates on that. mike's now keeping us updated on the commute. >> and it's kind of a repeat of the last report. we're looking at all of the smooth drive around the bay, taking you down into the south bay, northbound 101, still waiting on them to clear that rain at great american parkway. still slow up towards the airport and the merge off the northbound 87. still slow at southbound 880. a crash, a second in the area, it sounds like, looks like from our speed censors and the live camera shows a slower drive right here down past tesla. back to you, chris. >> thank you, mike. first, happening now. one person is dead, up to 13 other people are injured after a car slammed into a crowd of people in new york's times square. these are pictures of that red sedan. that is the car in question. it happened about an hour ago. investigators say the crash appears to be accidental in nature, but the driver is a 26-year-old man from the bronx with past dui arrests, suspended licenses, and he is in political custody, being questioned right now. investigators aren't ruling out any leads to terrorism. we'll continue to follow that for you. we have more local news for you, too, coming up in a half hour. . >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" can kathie lee giff is "today" with hoda kotb and kathie lee gifford. >> what a ride. thank you so much. that was unbelievable. thank you. thank you so much. >> thank you. guys. what a beautiful ride around the island. take care of yourself. >> there you