immediately. then within an hour, the man selected will emerge out on that balcony and the identity will then be known to the entire world. >> catholics all over the bay area are keeping a close eye on developments innovate can city. some say it doesn't matter to them who becomes the next pope, they just want the best for the church as a whole. >> i want the holy spirit to be the guide. i don't have any preference. my preference is god, that everything will prevail according to what god wants to happen. no politics, no influence of that, just the holy spirit. that's my prayer. >> meanwhile vatican officials say pope emeritus is doing well and watching the conclave closely. a side war from way out in left field. former nba star dennis rodman has now joined the cardinals in role. why is he there? that's a good question. he says he's in rome to show

support for the man he hopes will become the next pope. that story dock up for you about 10 minutes from right now. the minute a new pope is elected, we will break in for a special report. nbc bay area news is tracking everything happening innovate can city all day long. you can also stay up to date online at nbcbayarea.com. in other news, this just in, santa clara county district attorney has set an arraignment date for morgan hill teacher accused of spiking children's drinks with a sleeping aid. police say 59-year-old deborah gratz admits she put sominex in several children's sippie cups at the daycare center. the tampered cups were taken away before the kids could drink from them. today police are investigating both statements much deeper. gratz looks after ten one to two years old. parents we spoke to say they are

shocked and concerned. one mother said she still has faith in the daycare. >> i think this particular one incident. i do believe in his teachers doing a good thing. they have been taking care of him. so i trust them. >> i would never picture anybody doing this to kids. >> kiddie academy immediately fired gratz. the district attorney's office said gratz will be arraigned on child endangerment charges on april 26th. pleasanton, a threat found on a school campus. extra security on hand at foothill high school after threatening graffiti was found apparently spray painted on the wall of one of the girls bathrooms. that threat reportedly made towards the school aimed for tomorrow sometime. school officials say safety a top priority but the campus will remain open tomorrow despite the threat. >> we want students to feel safe. if for them that means staying home, that's okay.

we would prefer them to come in. we're close to testing and the report card period, that sort of thing. we would like education to go on as normal. that's their prerogative. parents are welcome to keep their own kids home as well. >> so far no world on exactly who spray painted that threatening message. there is an anonymous tip line set for for anybody who has information. menlo park setting up patrol near behm haven elementary on the lookout of a man accused of approaching three young girls who were on their way to school. police say the man tried to ask the girls a question but they were smart. they kept walking. he was last seen driving a white colored work van. police say the suspect may be the same man wanted for exposing himself to a young girl in the same area last month. the upscale city of los altos finds itself the victim of five armed robberies in five weeks. the bank of the west was hit twice. surveillance cameras show two

different masked gunmen robbing the teller and walking out of the bank. so far no arrest in any of these cases. in south bay san jose police asking for the public's help catching two purse snatchers. the victim and suspects seen in these pictures got off the light-rail train. the female suspect you see there, described as hispanic and in her early 20s allegedly punched and kicked the woman until she fell to the ground. police say the male suspect held the female suspect while they took the purse from her hands. they then took off on bikes. the robbery happened in early february. new details about a world renowned restaurant in berkeley rebuilding after a fire. chez panise is not expected to reopen until next month. we can see white smoke

coming from that chimney there on top of the sistine chapel. you can hear the crowds cheering. that's signifying a new pope has been elected. so this is monumental news all across the globe. some 1.2 billion catholics right now have reason to celebrate. we should soon find out who the elected pope is. again, white smoke coming out billowing from the chimney on the sistine chapel. 1500 cardinals have, in fact, elected a new pope. that is monumental news. we're telling you to stand by for news from nbc news. >> we're going to break in with that special report coming up. yes, breaking news coming out of vatican city with that white smoke billowing out of the sistine chapel chimney there. a very historic day. the bells are ringing. >> you can hear them. >> absolutely. as jon mentioned, 115 cardinals

have selected this pope. we are now waiting to find out who this individual is. now, the two american popes, one from boston, one from new york, timothy dolan, they are considered as potential, though, you know, the american candidate not the top candidate. we'll have to wait and see. you can see. look at the crowds. >> they have been packed in there. it's been rainy, wet. they have been waiting, anticipating hoping today would happen, those crowds there. you can hear them chanting, cheering, umbrellas out, cameras flashing. this is a monumental moment. it happened fairly fast. it's been 100 years, taken five days. this one happening on the second day. it will be interesting and intriguing to find out who will emerge as the new pope to lead that catholic church. >> you mentioned the rain. look at all those umbrellas, but they don't care. >> at this point. they are probably just happy they timed it.

all those people get there today. it wasn't black smoke, it was white smoke on the second day today. getting set to count down, nbc network news taking over. they have a live report coming your way. stick with us. about to see white smoke. having that conversation and then here we go. this time and brian you remember what it was like eight years ago. we saw the smoke inconclusive. there was quite a delay before the bells. not this time. the white smoke started bi billowing. the crowd already in st. peter's square. people under umbrellas. they have been out here for hours on a cold, rainy, drizzly night in rome. they serge forward drowning out almost the bells in their excitement. people have been waving flags, patiently. children under umbrellas. now they see the white smoke.

we're told this will go on for several minutes. if there was any doubt about the color of the smoke, it's reenforced by the bells ringing loudly. we hear bells every quarter hour, but not like this. >> george is with you. he had just an inkling this might be proceeding that we might have something tonight rome time. george, what can we glean from the fact that this comes at the hour that it arrives? >> reporter: brian, it's a surprise. i think we have to say. most people expected a longer conclave. i certainly did. but early this afternoon, i got word from a friend that things might be moving a bit faster than anticipated. i think what it means is that a

consensus was very quickly reached on what is needed for the church in the 21st century. that's a good sign for the future. this wasn't going to be a long drawn-out and difficult process. there was fairly quick agreement on what was needed and who would best fill that. we may be seeing some history of a very dramatic here later tonight. >> ann thompson is in the square on this rainy night, but a jubilant night right now. ann, tell us where you are and what it's like right now. >> reporter: brian, i'm in the center of st. peter's square. when people realized that the smoke was white, the first thing everybody was did was hold up the cell phones and try to get a shot of it. they yelled and then they serged forward toward the basilica. we have seen all kinds of people out here. they have waited for hours in this miserable day.

we see brazilian flags, french flags, american flags. i talked to three students from temple university in philadelphia. they said they just had to be here. they felt so lucky to be studying in rome at such a historic time. now we hear the bells going out. we hear some of our friends behind us. it's an exciting moment here, brian. >> if we can take the shot from ann's camera to show where ann is in the square and the fact that if we widen out, ann, it really is -- to get a sense of perspecti perspective, it's quite visible. while the sistine chapel is behind the basilica, it's quite visible to all without even the big screen tvs that have been set up. >> reporter: right. you can see if you look to the right of the basilica. and that group there, that's the sistine chapel where the smoke is. if you come down here to the center of the basilica where

those red drapes are, that's where we will get our first glimpse of the 266th pontiff of the catholic church. >> and again if tradition holds, it usually is about an hour, sometimes it's been significantly less, sometimes a few minutes more between now and when we learn who the cardinals have elected the 115 cardinals from their own ranks. father robert baron has been with us listening to all of this. he's up with lester and george. and father, tell us what procedurally is going on now. >> well now, if the pope has been elected, he's asked if he's willing to accept. then he will be going to the famous room of tooers and be

fitted. . and eventually make his way up. there's also time for the cardinals to greet him and to make a certain gesture to him. all that's kboing on now between this appearance of the white smoke and the appearance of the new pope. >> and george, the part of the announ announcement, first of all, is identifying the new pope, which experts like all of you can do from sight. but the second part is the name they have chosen. to put it in plain english, do those who are believed to be on the short list have that in mind going into a conclave? >> well, brian, i would think in this case which reading backwards from this moment, things really started moving this morning. you would have to think that

whoever this is who is going to come out spent a little bit of time during the lunchtime break and the post lunch break not taking a nap but thinking about how he wished to be called, what he would say to this enormous crowd, which will only grow larger over the next 45 minutes. >> the sprawling city of rome which during moments like this can seem much more like a small town. say what you will about social media, which will greatly assist in spread iing the word, but there's nothing like the bells to draw people near, even given the inclement weather. it's cold, it's a kind of miserable, steady drizzle. but the square will become even more packed with people. there have been police on standby at the perimeter all evening long as they are during

any grand public event for crowd control and barriers set up. we were told the smoke would go on for about seven minutes and those predictions have held true. that white smoke still coming from the chimney. again, set up for conclaves, there's the tiniest bit of a stove pipe, a valve that is flush with the roof level of the chapel, but they set this up every time there is to be a conclave. lester holt, there's been so much speculation about a first. a first pope representing all kinds of different global constituencies and ethnicities. >> reporter: the church, of course, growing in latin amer clearly americans have askd would we see a north american, an american pope. there were two cardinal o'mally of boston and cardinal dolan of

new york. they became serious contenders in the views of many who follow the comings and goings at the vatican. we saw it during the mass prior to the conclave yesterday when cardinal dolan took the oath, there was an eruption of cheers among his supporters on st. peter's square. you see the flags. there are people proud of their cardinal for their country. hoping to see some sort of change, perhaps a different face, perhaps a noneuropean face. we will all find out within the hour if this follows the script that we recall from a year ago. but i think what i'm stunned by is we watched last year, it was once the smoke started -- not last year, eight years ago. once the bells started ringing, people from all across rome began making their way here. this time they were here at the

start of the afternoon session. they crowded in and they waited patiently as the rain fell around them. cold, miserable, damp night here. they waited patiently, all eyes on the chimney and on the tv monitors that have been set up by vatican tv. and you see the faithful and the curious who are chanting. and brian, i have to tell you, this is the second time i have witnessed a conclave. it's incredibly emotional to watch. watch the faces of people who were here. they got what they came for. soon they will learn the the name of the new leader of the roman catholic church, the new pope. >> one in four americans identify themselves as catholic. we keep saying over 1 billion people around the globe. we can safely report the chimney system in the sistine chapel appears to be working gang busters. it hasn't always. there have been times when it's been clogged filling that

beautiful space with smoke to the point of needing to open the doors for ventilation. but it appears modern technology is working. we remarked over these past several days, say what you will about all that we use social media for and learn from it these days. ann thompson, this is a point you were making yesterday. it is quaint and it is tradition that the vatican still communicates their greatest news via smoke signals. >> reporter: you have millions of dollars worth of technology out here to capture this very ancient symbol of white smoke. and two of the people who were here from dallas, texas, you guys have been standing in the rain since 5:00 this afternoon. why endure a rainstorm to see a puff of smoke? >> it's history. you got to see it happen.

you never know what the pope is going to either die or step down. it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. >> reporter: you're both catholics. what do you hope from the new pope? what are you looking for when the man steps out on the balcony? >> courage. we don't want to see who is convicted. stands for what's right and really leads the catholic people. >> lead the catholic church like it should be led. >> reporter: what did you guys do when you saw the white smoke? >> first, the first 5 seconds, we didn't know the color. then everyone started screaming and jumping up and down. >> reporter: thank you very, very much. you're here studying, right? >> student exchange. >> reporter: and patrick you're here on spring break? >> vacation, yeah. >> reporter: what a moment you have seen. how close are you going to try to get to see who the next pope

is? >> i can zoom on my camera. >> reporter: thank you very, very much. i think you know, brian, that's what we have seen here. people have come out here to see history. and that's been the feeling in this city ever since pope benedict xvi announced that he was going to retire. people knew this was a very unique, very special moment in the history of the church. and truly in the history of the world. and they come out to see it. hopefully in the next hour, we will see who the new leader of the catholic church will be. brian? >> as we said, really -- the the catholics do this unlike any other religion. and it must be said, the era of the big screen television on the plaza has changed things a little bit. in the past, conclaves that you and i remember, it was very

difficult when the new pope comes forward to see. and the crowd relied on word of mouth spreading back and the loud speakers eventually. now at least in high definition television, when those curtains open, when those doors open, these thousands of people, especially those who have memorized their charts of the short list, will know who this is. >> reporter: you know, brian, people have their one, two, three, four big screen tvs that i can see within my eyesight here. but really tonight all eyes were focused up on the roof of the sistine chapel. i mean that's where people were looking. from our vantage point here, we have a pretty clear shot. i can tell you now, they are all going to focus now on what's the blessing where we will first hear the french cardinal come out and he will announce who the

choice is for the new pope. he will explain, he will give his cardinal's name and tell us what name he has chosen as pope. minutes afterwards, we will see the new pope. >> back up to george weigel. george, the new pope traditionally, correct me if i'm wrong, speaks for a short time. this is not, however, used as any statement of policy, any statement of direction. it is a cursory thank you and ble blessing to the city and the church? >> brian, there's a couple things that will go on in a moment. i think the name itself will be something of an indication. the name can sum up a program. he wanted to begin to recapture the missionary ferveer of the early church. they wanted to honor his two

predecessors. john paul ii in a more urgent situation after the 33 days of john paul i signalled continuity. so the name itself will tell us something about where this pope intends to lead the church in the 21st century. the habit of giving a little statement, a greeting to the people of rome, for after all e he is their new leader. they will be here in hundreds of thousands. it began with john paul ii. previously the pope would come out. there's a ritual formula for the first blessing. but john paul ii knowing how traumatized people were by the sudden death of john paul i and how stunned the romans would be by the fact he's the first n

nonitalian said something about himself. asked him to correct his italian when he made a mistake, and won the hearts and minds of the romans in the first ten minutes before bestowing his first blessing as pope. >> george weigel who has studied and written about the catholic church for decades upon decades. part of our team at the vatican for the viewers domestically just joining us, perhaps having just heard of the white smoke above the sistine chapel, it is indeed true. the bells have been ringing. the people flooding into the square. awaiting what can be any time now because precedent doesn't always hold true in these cases. awaiting the announcement, the first sight of a man who will be the new pope. we're going to pause just a moment here as some of our

stations break away to go back to normal programming. until such time as we know the identity of the new pope. we are back and that is a live picture of the vatican to the right and up the hill a bit. the white smoke has started to fade. but it was unmistakable and clear and visible to all who have gathered. 2:06 p.m. east coast time, we looked at the chimney and staring at it all morning. started off as gray. that is usually explained away by the initial burning of the ballots. the ballots written in secret but read aloud during the ceremony. then the chemicals added to make the smoke unmistakably white. we have been through several

other votes and we have seen the bill billowing black smoke. there was no mistake about this one. lester holt heading up our team over there at the vatican. lester, we rely on experts like george weigel to guide us on this. it was thought to be impossible all of our lifetimes to even discuss an american pope. you mentioned this a few minutes ago. we should go through at least the possibilities, the men who are on the the list. >> reporter: think about it. even the men who have been talked about as the potential american popes discounted it. timothy dolan of new york told savannah guthrie when asked about thoughts of becoming the next pope, he said i have the same chance as taking a-rod's

place on third base for the yankees. we'll certainly find out in the next several minutes. but i think it took all of us by surprise that over the last week, suddenly his name cardinal o'malley of boston, names suddenly put out there from folks who have some knowledge of all this, that they could be serious contenders. but we have seen north american pope, i think you would see a reaction beyond what you're witnessing right now if that were to occur. we will all find out. we have gone down the list of front runners. there's been so much speculation by folks in the know. and a lot of us who simply aren't as we train to gain all this. this was a secret process known by the cardinals who met at the chapel. perhaps had discussions over dinner last night. more discussions over lunch. when it got down to the voting,

each filling out a name on a ballot. they have apparently taken two ballots tonight. a total of five ballots. that takes longer as pope benedict xvi. we'll find out more about this process as we go along, but right now, the crowd simmering down a bit. the rain has stopped interestingly enough. it's been a miserable night here. still very cool, but the rain stopped shortly before the smoke appeared. everyone has been look iing for sign. one of the signs we should note and it's getting all kinds of traction on social media was a seagull that camped all afternoon on top of the chimney. that opened up a lot of funny comments. some people finding it it as a sign of god. others making their own assessments on it. but that distracted the crowd for a lot of the day. now you hear people chanting.

sending out their tweets and messages. speaking of tweets, a lot has changed since we elected the last pope. the the vatican now has an iphone app, which i have given up hope on right now because there's so much internet traffic that you can barically get a message out right now. just another example of how things have changed. at the end of the day, we're all looking at a pipe and watching smoke. from the morning session, there were two votes and there was smoke. it was like a deja vu from eight years ago as we sit here thinking, kind of looks black. could be white. but it was, of course, black. but tonight, unambiguous as we saw the white smoke billowing from the top of the sistine chapel, punctuated by the shouts of tens of thousands who have gathered here now. no more stirring sight than what we have witnessed here tonight.

>> it is a beautiful shot we're looking at now. and let's hope for the benefit of all gathered that what we've been told is a clearing trend for the weather in rome chooses tonight to arrive. what a stunning, stunning sight. one of the great traditions in all of organized religion. george weigel, we don't want this to delve into the normal. but i'd like a gut check from you since we are watching with an american audience. five hours behind you, i would love to know what you think the real chance is of, a, a north american pope, and b, an american pope being named. >> i think the chances are very good, brian. in addition to cardinal dolan and cardinal