good morning. growing threat. new nears this morning about the percent virus as a third person tests positive in the united states after contracting the illness right here at home. could this be the sign of a growing health epidemic? gaining the upper hand. finally a break for firefighters in california. calmer weather now helping them get control. but officials warn we could be in for a long, dangerous wildfire season. we're live on the scene. and racing for the triple crown. kentucky derby winner california chrome makes it two for two at the preakness. >> on the outside, ride on curlin. california chrome has won the preakness! >> leaving just one race, the

belmont, between him and horse biggest prize. today, sunday, may 18, 2014. ay, sunday, may 18th, 2014. from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in and welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> and i'm lester holt. if you have a ticket to the belmont stakes you are sitting pretty because we may get a triple crown. >> you said your father-in-law got tickets? >> he fought four tickets right before the race just in case and it actually worked? >> it was so much fun to watch yesterday. it was exciting. >> my kids and i went into the bar area of the restaurant. >> my eight-month-old is like "is california chrome going to win this race?" that's how excited everybody was. >> at least your eight-month-old wasn't racing to the bar.

[ laughter ] >> you've got to train them early. i'm just impressed that harper knows house to say california chrome. >> she enunciated it perfectly. she knew. we begin with our top story which is the new concern about the point of the spread of the mers virus here in the u.s. and we're learning more about this third case. it's an illinois man who health officials say contracted it where from a business associate even though he has tested positive, he hasn't shown any signs of being sick. here's more from our chief medical editor dr. nancy schneiderman. >> an illinois man has tested positive for mers anti-bodies. two other state-side cases of the middle east respiratory syndrome in indiana and florida have also been reported over the last month. >> about two years ago, persons having close contact with camel either in caring for the camels or in particular consuming camel products began to develop this infection. >> reporter: the virus now apparently spreading from human to human. the previous patient, a u.s. resident who traveled from saudi

arabia for business reportedly met with the latest illinois man on two separate occasions. worldwide as of friday there have been 572 laboratory confirmed cases in 15 countries. 173 people have been died. >> we have to be very careful about just giving people this false sense of security, but at the same time right now we have to also state that the problem is largely limited to the middle east. >> reporter: at least 20% of patients are asystematic but most have developed severe acute respiratory illness with fever, cough, and shortness of breath. but all reported cases have had a link to countries in and near the arabian peninsula. >> the potential for mers to cause a larger threat is very clear. and also the possibility that infection control can play a substantial part in reducing that risk i think is also very clear. >> reporter: as of this morning, public health officials are continuing to investigate the spread of mers at home and

abroad. >> and dr. nancy in princeton, new jersey, this morning, good morning, nancy. >> good morning, erica. >> the person in illinois showed no symptoms. that would seem somewhat concerning. >> what's concerning is that we have now documented spread from one person to another. it's somewhat, i would say, encouraging that he hasn't had symptoms but it shows this is a virus that now can travel from one place to another just by people traveling internationally. dubai is now the world's largest airport so if you start to follow air travel from that airport around the globe and one person is carrying that virus out of the middle east, you start to see concentric circles of people who have been affected. so the real chase for the cdc now and other organizations like the world health organization is to track down everybody who's come into contact with someone who's tested positive. it does show in this country you can be exposed to the virus, get

anti-bodies but not necessarily get ill. the question in illinois now is whether this person who has tested positive can go ahead and spread the virus to other people. >> so as they're watching that -- and you just touched on this -- but the two men with the serious cases of mers in the u.s. are recovering well from the virus. is that encouraging? >> it is. i think this is going to be the kind of virus, at least right now, that has a high death rate in the middle east, but it may not be as infectious as something like influenza. you hay be able to transmit it but it just doesn't have the same kind of continuous spread. it may not be a smart virus that will keep mutating but that's what officials are looking for. it's a reminder that if you come down with something like fever, cough, chest pains, shortness of breath, things i can that look like influenza, remind you that we're not in flu season anymore so if you traveled in or out of the middle east and someone has

reported to your doctor so it can be tested appropriately and report that to the public health officials. >> dr. nancy, nice to have you with us this morning. thank you. >> you bet. now to the latest on the wildfires raging in southern california. calmer winds and cooler temperatures are finally helping firefighters get the upper hand on the blazes that have scorched more than 25,000 acres near san diego. and there are serious concerns this morning about what could be a very dangerous fire season ahead. joe fryer is in escondido, california, for us this morning. joe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. as crews assess the damage, the number of homes lost continue to rise, temperatures are still making great progress, but thanks to a three-year drought the fire danger this season is not going away any time soon. the air attack is not over above camp pendleton. nbc news road along as a sea knight helicopter dropped water on the stubborn flames still burning here.

the pilot lives in this area, so the mission is personal. >> let me get back to the town that's let me be part of their community. they've taken care of me, i want to be able to contribute back by taking care of them. >> reporter: the skies are looking much better than they did just a few days ago when flames tore through the region threatening thousands of homes. at least 60 houses and condos did not make it. >> losing the house, but at the same time you're thinking my family's with me, everybody's safe and all my friends are out and that's what matters. >> reporter: a dozen fires have burned through 27,000 parched acres north of san diego this past week in what's likely a destructive prelude. >> this is the first time since we've been doing the drought monitor where we have 100% of california in drought. >> reporter: it's not just california. in wichita falls, texas, absolutely no outdoor watering is allowed and car washes are only open five days a week. >> everybody knows it's easier.

everybody's concerned that we're going to run out of water by the end of this year. >> reporter: a newly released report reveals the federal government expects to spend $1.8 billion fighting fires this season. that's at least $470 million more than what's available. expecting the worst, california hired 300 additional firefighters just days before the san diego fires. >> it's made a huge difference because it allows us to have the extra hands on deck and put the fires out. >> reporter: most of those evacuated have now been allowed to return. the cocos fire, which appears to have caused most of the damage, is now 80% contained. the slope that it will be totally out very soon. lester? >> joe fryer, thank you. new details surrounding the controversy of the firing of the executive editor of the "new york times," jill aprogram son. the paper's publisher is speaking out explaining why he let her go and he claims sexism has nothing to do with it. we have this report from wake

forest university in winston-salem north carolina. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. yes, she's going to address some 4,800 graduates at wake forest university. this will be her first public appearance since that controversial and abrupt firing that sent shock waves through the media world. what really reignited long-standing debate across this country about whether women leaders are held to a different standard than men. we have not heard from abramson yet but as you point out, the publisher of the paper has tried to make his case even clearer by releasing a statement saying in part "i heard repeatedly from newsroom colleagues, women and men, about a series of issues including arbitrary decision making, a failure to consult and bring colleagues with, inadequate communication and the public mistreatment of colleagues." sulzberger dismissed this had anything do with a pay dispute saying her latest pay package

was 10% more than her predecessor and, according to sulzberg sulzberger, abramson had been advised before she needed to change her management approach. from abramson's side we have tried to contact her but no report from her yet. but her daughter is releasing a picture of her mother, you can see it, her mother is in boxing gloves with the hashtag "pushing." she posted this on instagram just last week. meanwhile, back here at wake forest, some 500 miles from where the "new york times" is published, preparations are under way for the graduation ceremony on monday. and the university's president saying "i cannot think of a better message for the class of 2014 than that of resilience." and we wait to hear what jill abramson will have to say to these 4,800 graduates, erica. 50% of them are women, 50% of them are men. >> and plenty of people who aren't at the graduation will be listening as well.

thank you. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning to you. >> good morning, lester. >> throng that "new york times" statement, it seems they got a little bit behind. has that allowed the story to take off more than they expected? >> it's all very unfortunate. it has taken off. i think the "times" is on the defensive. it's getting buffeted around by outside folks who were saying what the narrative was here and what the issues were at play so the "times" felt it was necessary to come out and made very clear not only about the pay issue has been raised here but to be more specific about what it is that was the basis for jill abramson getting fired so these things can get ugly. especially when they get public and that's happened here. >> we are already seeing signs that 2016 can be rough and tumable in the race for president.

karl rove came under fire for suggesting hillary clinton and the concussion she suffered in 2012 might have led to a traumatic brain injury. clearly she knows that if she decides to run it's not going to be easy. but is this a bit of a shot over the bow get ready? >> get ready and maybe get out before you get in. republicans are trying to figure out their way forward. they have an excellent opportunity here after two terms of one party in the white house, historically the other party has a pretty good shot. they're trying to figure out who their nominee could be, what the qualities are that they want in their nominee. and i think what was striking about what rove did and it seemed very calculated was to say not only be this will personal but we'll raise these questions about what you're hiding, what you're not telling us. that will be the nature of the attack on hillary clinton. a lot of playback to the '90s and a lot of play it forward based on her time as secretary of state as well. >> david, we'll come back to you in a little bit and find out what's coming up to "meet the

press." let's look at the rest of the morning's headli looinheadline. russian cargo planes carrying food, generators and rescue boats landed in serbia today. tens of thousands of homes are without electricity there and in neighboring bosnia. president obama has tapped jewel han k julian castro to take over as secretary of housing and urban development. he's considered a rising star in the democratic party and there's speculation he could be a vice presidential pick in 2016. a dramatic scene in portland at the american heart association's annual heart and stroke walk. a man taking part in the event suffered a heart attack. emergency crews had a heart time getting to him but other walkers, including a cardiologist and emt started performing cpr. the man is recovering at a local hospital. kraft foods is recalling more than a million cases of cottage cheese products because

they were stored improperly and they might make people sick. they include knudsen, breakstone, simply kraft and daily chef. the products have code dates from may 9 to july 23. for more information, go to nbc news.com. and for more in-depth look at another recall we've been following here, tune into cnbc tonight for the hour-long documentary "failure to recall: investigating gm." you'll hear from victims like that young driver. >> i was driving to work and the car just lost power, it was like it just shut off. there was no power steering, i couldn't accelerate, there was no brakes. >> the documentary airs tonight at 10:00 on cnbc. and reason 508 why it's a good thing dinosaurs no longer exist. a team of scientists in argentina discovered the remains of the largest species of dinosaur to the debate. what to the what was that they said when they found it.

experts say the new species is estimated to have been 80 tons and weigh the equivalent of more than 14 african elephants and the length about as long as two semi trucks. big. bi big. >> good reason they're not around. >> you missed the whole story but that's cool, dylan. that's cool. >> maybe in local weather you can give her a recap. >> i will. you guys take it away. i'll tell these guys. >> sorry about that, jenna, that's all my fault. >> just a little bit. >> we are talking about cold temperatures to start off your sunday morning in parts of ohio and western pennsylvania and west virginia. we have an area of high pressure, clear skies, calm winds, radiational cooling has caused temperatures to drop. we are looking at frost advisories to stay in effect through the morning so any plants that might be out on your porch might not survive. we are looking at temp temperatures in the 30s and 40s.

45 in pittsburgh, but we should warm at least into the 60s and lower 70s. a little warmer than it was yesterday. nice weather up and down the east coast except for showers in northern maine and also spotty showers, maybe an isolated thunderstorm, across the southeast and up into montana we could see isolated stronger >> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. now to that thrilling victory for california chrome

who won the preakness on saturday. the thoroughbred is now just one run away from grabbing horse racing's elusive triple crown. jenna's been following that. >> such a fun race to watch, right? so exciting. so california chrome came into the preakness as the overwhelming favorite after winning the kentucky derby. didn't run a great kentucky derby, still won, but he comes to preakness and he proved when it comes to the biggest race, he's right on the money. >> they're off in the preakness! and california chrome had a great start. >> reporter: all eyes on number 3, california chrome. at the start of the second leg of racing's triple crown, the preakness. the kentucky derby winner carrying the hopes and dreams of all those who'd like to see a horse make history in the sport's three biggest races. his jockey, victor espinoza, settled california chrome near the front of the pack at the start on the outside right where he wanted to be. >> for california chrome, he's in a perfect spot. >> it was tight for much of the race but when the pack hit the

final turn, california chrome turned on that extra gear and left his competitors in the dust. >> california chrome comes into the final furlong with a two-leg lead and on the outside trying to catch him, california chrome reaching for the wire, another 16th on the outside. can't get him. california has won the preakness! >> california chrome's owners in tears, but the celebration won't last too long. the prep begins for the belmont stakes just three weeks away. for those of you keeping score at home, there has not been a triple crown winner since 1978. since then, 12 horses have won the kentucky and preakness but failed to come out victorious at the belmont. by the way, in a sport where owners spend millions on their horses, california chrome's owners bred their colt for $10,000. that's it. you can see california chrome go

for the triple crown in the belmont stakes on nbc on june 7. it will be one of those all eyes on this kind of race. very exciting. >> i love watching the slow motion shots. i don't know anything about horses but the slow motion shots when you see the muscles on those horses. >> they are just beautiful animals. magnificent is the word that comes to mind. that and we should all go to the belmont. i'm just putting in a plug. we work weekends. >> i can get hats. >> i could probably get you drinks so with hats and drinks we should have a great time. >> listen, we bring the charm, you bring the drinks and the hats. good, we'll see you there. up next, a hilarious season finale of "saturday night live," including what really happened in that elevator between jay-z and solange right after this. nigh soof our new bush's bakednk beans video game? i think i'm getting the hang of it. okay, now pick up the specially cured bacon! hit it with the brown sugar! now roll that beautiful bean footage!

yes! bush's baked beans are slow-cooked according to our secret family recipe for a big flavor. high score! you get to put your name on the wall of fame! whoa! game over . . . aww, you're no fun. enjoy bush's baked beans. still made from our secret family recipe. just take a closer look. it works how you want to work. with a fidelity investment professional... or managing your investments on your own. helping you find new ways to plan for retirement. and save on taxes where you can. so you can invest in the life that you want today. tap into the full power of your fidelity greenline. call or come in today for a free one-on-one review. "saturday night live" ended its 39th season last night with

with as many laughs you would expect from the a season finale. >> one of the biggest acts came from an opening sketch, making fun of one of the larger celebrity news items this week. >> this was the jay-z, solange beyonce elevator opportunity. if you haven't seen it, it was hilarious. take a look. >> as god is my witness, i would never do anything to hurt you. >> okay. you know what, and to prove it we have an exclusive look at the video, this time with the audio completely. >> it shows a completely different story. look. >> man, what a great party. >> i know. yup! >> oh, my god. there's a spider on you? >> what? get it! i got it. oh, great job. i love you, solange. >> i love you, too. >> former cast member came on a few seconds later as beyonce.

it was hosted by'd sandberg marking his first time as host since he left "saturday night live". he took on nicolas cage. and he was full of other surprises with snl alum. they all took part in the same sketch. now that the season is over, we want to know who would you like to see host next season? let us know using #orangeroom. i'm sure you will come up with good ideas. >> funny stuff. a campaign for lester holt. >> yeah. because i don't have time in my schedule. a man i wanted to call my biggest fan. he serves this country proudly and turns to his music to help him through his toughest times. we

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you're looking live at the bay bridge toll plaza. thanks for joining us. i'm kris sanchez along with rob mayeda. san jose looking nice. >> we have clouds out there this morning. looking over downtown san jose, 57 degrees and mostly 50s outside, including around san francisco. we have patches of low clouds pumped in by the onshore winds and high clouds over the bay area system. this is part of a weather system that come tuesday may bring us showers but at the end of the weekend is bringing us high clouds and it will insure our temperatures will stay fairly cool, add least cooler than last

week. 73 today in san jose. upper 60s and low sfepts around the puneneninsula and san franc with the bay to breaker, breezy conditions. temperatures in the 60s for that, and the giants game at 1:05, temperatures in the mid-60s, and for the north bay and trivalley, warmest temperatures, mid- to upper 70s. inland toward pleasanton. speaking of san francisco's iconic bay to breakers race, it's drawing 10tens of thousand of runners and spectators. the 7 1/2 mile race is now a tradition more than 100 years old, but this year, there are noticeable changes to the race. let's start with the closing of alamos square, which has long been a popular place for participants to stop in the race. after years of complaints about public intoxication, trash, and people urinating everywhere, the

city will no longer grant access to the southern part of the park. instead, the perimeter is lined with port-a-potties. there's a nudity ban that is not in effect for bay to breakers. also this year, san francisco police say they're increasing the number of officers patrolling the race by 20%. new this morning, san jose police are asking for the public's health this morning in finding a man who wandered away from his assisted living home yesterday afternoon. 52-year-old joseph left that care facility in the 500 black of clanton drive around 4:00 yesterday afternoon. he has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old and is considered at risk because of his need for daily medication. he was last seen wearing a red shirt, gray sweatpoints and a brown baseball hat. a south bay politician is out of jail but still not out of trouble. last year, george shirakawa pled

guilty to several charges. a person connected with the case said he was released from alameda county jail after serving seven months and a day of a one-year term for perjury and misuse of public and campaign funds. now the focus is on a separate criminal case against him. he was indicted on false impersonation. coming up at 7:00 on today in the bay, encouraging young ladies to have an interest in science and math. a great interview with a remarkable young woman coming up at 7:00. ♪ [ barks ] whoo! mmm! ♪ ♪ oh, yeah [ whistling ] [ male announcer ] discover your new orleans. start exploring at followyournola.com.

[ woman ] and i love new orleans! ♪ ♪ shake it up baby >> i've been watching the "today" show since i'm a little girl. this is wonderful! >> good morning to all our grandchildren. >> in wheaton, illinois. >> and ours -- >> in bloomington, illinois. >> look at me, mom! >> congratulations, stephanie! >> good morning, oklahoma! we are back on a sunday morning, may 18, 2014. what a fun crowd on our plaza. we appreciate them taking time to stop by and see us. this is a pretty fun crowd sitting here with me on the desk as well. >> we are a good crowd. we like to dance. >> we have a good old time.

for more, look at jenna's instagram account. >> we are good dancers. >> and we have a lot more coming up. >> and thank you. [ laughter ] >> and you're welcome. we do want to quickly get you caught up on the morning's top headlines. a third person has tested positive for the potentially deadly mers virus here in the united states. it's the first time researchers have been able to document that it was actually spread from person to person here in the united states. meantime, calmer weather is helping firefighters gain the upper hand on those wildfires near san diego. as many evacuees who left at the height of the fires are finally heading back home. and california chrome one step closer to the triple crown after winning the preakness on saturday. he will track for the triple crown at the belmont in three weeks. still to come in this half hour, we've really enjoyed spending time with our biggest fans these last several weeks. this morning i'll introduce you to casey who loves music and uses it to get through very hard times in his life. he answered the call for someone

who wanted to jam with me and we did just that. we'll share our session and maybe try a little live performance. and how often have you been in a new town and thought "i wish where somebody could tell me where the best restaurant or store was" all of the above. so? we have the man o-to-help. >> mario armstrong says he has the perfect app for you. he'll show us an easy way to tapp into your social network for great tips to what is all around you. >> am i going to have to cue you guys? dylan, you go now. later the biggest jeopardy money winner ever is here. we'll talk to brad rutter who recently won the battle of the decades on "jeopardy" and then he's putting us to the test with some "today show" trivia. no pressure and i think pronunciation is part of winning, right? >> it is. and if you only knew, our names are blazing on the prompter. it says "lester" right now. >> so this would be your read?

>> exactly. so let us begin this half hour with a growing trend. celebrities coming back to the stage and screen after their deaths. tonight the billboard music awards is promising a history-making performance from michael jackson. kristen dalghren is here with more. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. believe it or not the king of pop will be back on stage singing something from before his untimely death. five years after his death, michael jackson can still sell. his new al bem xscape is vying for the top spot on the charts and later today moojackson hims will be back on stage -- sort of. producers plan to use a 3d hologram of the deceased singer performing his new song "slave to the rhythm." it's not the first time technology has brought a beloved

performer back. in 2012, a hologram of ropper tupac shakur took the stage with snoop dogg at coachella. more than 15 years after his death. an image of elvis appeared on "american idol" with celine dion. and last week cher talked to tamron hall about performing duets with her late ex-husband sonny. >> so i thought, you know, wherever he is, he's going to be watching this and thinking "yes, finally." >> reporter: advertisers are cashing in on the technology, too, from audrey hepburn hawking chocolate to charlize theron in an ad with screen legends like marilyn monroe. >> we keep them alive in more sophisticated ways and it makes more money for the estate of these brands of people who have been dead for a long time. >> reporter: of course, some due it the low-tech way. >> hi, el zblis how are you doing? >> reporter: like this dutch beer commercial featuring aging

celebrity impersonators. in an industry where image is everything, superstardom and life, it means big bucks, even when you're gone. in 2013, michael jackson topped for "forbes" list of dead celebrities meaning tonight is likely not the last we've seen of the king of pop. of course it can backfire. remember the orville redenbacher commercial? there are there can also be lawsuits but it's a trend we're likely to see more of. >> put me in the creepy category. just saying. let's head outside the the plaza, final check of the wetter from dylan. hey, dylan. >> good morning, guys, we're saying congratulations to stephanie. where is she right now? >> stephanie is at work. >> she graduated from fordham university. >> and she's working so this works out fantastic. wonderful, congratulations,

stephanie. we are looking for some decent weather across the country. we have spotty showers up across montana and into the northwest and also down across parts of mississippi and alabama and into atlanta. we could see some isolated stronger storms but it doesn't look like they should be all that severe, just hail and maybe some wind gusts, then on monday a few showers up across minnesota and into wisconsin and iowa but elsewhere run of the mill thunderstorms. nothing going on for

and as we've been telling you all week, universal studios themed resorts are coming up with a new attraction, the wizarding world of harry potter. i's opening this summer and we're giving 25 winners the chance to check it out. you'll be able to follow in harry potter's footsteps to travel on the hogwarts express and step inside the goblin-run bank. the price includes a trip for four, passes to all three parks and hotel accommodations at the brand new cab that bay beach resort. the moment you have been waiting for. al has the final clue. >> reporter: what's the name of the wizarding bank that harry, hermoine and ron break in to to steal the hufflepuff cup? >> do you know? go to our web site to enter and see all the official rules. lester? >> up next, our tech expert

mario armstrong with a new way to ask all of your friends for advice on just about anything right after these messages. here you go. dinges for everyone! when i get hangry anything within arm's reach could be part of my number 20. hm, this is potpourri. mmmm. the new amex everyday credit card, with no annual fee. it's not food. make 20 or more purchases in a monthly billing period, and earn 20% more rewards. and a coat. it's membership that rewards you for the things you already buy, everyday. what's your 20? [ female announcer ] we eased your back pain, you turned up the fun. tylenol® provides strong pain relief

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on mario's top 3, a new way to ask your nearest and dearest, for advice on anything. and how to take your party outside this summer with the latest bluetooth speakers. mario armstrong is going to show us how to do all of this. he is trying frantically to get on wi-fi because it's not working. >> it's not working. >> for the first thing we are talking about you don't need wi-fi for it. what you need is just some sort of network connection. if you're in a new city and you're looking for the best bagel around. >> that's right. >> you have yelp, google. this is google meets yelp,

"encyclopedia brown". >> it's all three put together. this is jelly. this app was created by one of the co-founders of twitter. i was using the app recently. because i was going on my first camping trip. i was asking which mosquito repellant i should buy. a bunch of people were answering my question. this connects to people on social media and friends of friends that can answer the quick questions you have. >> who sees your answers in it only stays in that little group of friends and friends of friends or does it go public? >> it can go public depending on your settings. the way i have set it up, i want as many people as possible to answer my questions. >> yeah. >> and if you have the skill or expertise, you can answer other people's questions and get thanks for that. i found myself of this hole of being in jelly for an hour because i was answering a lot of people's questions. >> they were like, oh, you're

mario armstrong. i can answer your questions for you. >> you're building it up. >> and i think we might be talking bluetooth speakers. >> new ones are coming out. everything is always changing for the summer. these are mini jam boxes. super lightweight. right? can't you feel this? just drop it into your purse real easily. >> i could easily drop this in my purse. >> the difference with these is these two can connect in stereo. so when you are playing music from your phone. >> we can have them across the room. >> you can have them across the room or really close you can do exactly that. and more than one person can connect to them and actually change the audio that's playing from them. >> which could be good or bad depending on what point you are during the night with multiple deejays. >> how does it sound? they're tiny. >> they sound incredible. you are getting a durable speaker that is smart. and it does sound great. the other one, good battery life. the other one i like is the

deck. the good thing about this, it's very durable. indoor and outdoor mode. >> real quickly, you have a new website to keep washington in check. >> countable.us. it is basically cliffnotes for legislation. you can find out what your representatives are voting on you pull up the app and you can see what you want to yea, nay, or skip on. your representatives see how you feel. they get an e-mail message from the app. >> you don't have to read the entire bill. they tell you what it really means. >> the pros and cons in english. it is cliffnotes for legislation. >> i'm going to book mark that one. always good to have you here, with or without wi-fi. >> i have wi-fi. i don't know why this didn't work. just ahead, lester jamming with his biggest fan. but first these messages.

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we are back on a sunday morning with weekend's today's biggest fan. >> we had a terrific afternoon together out in illinois. this is casey, very talented, very nice guy. we're foggy to talk to you in just a minute live.

but first i want to share our story with everyone and a look at our day. take a look. >> my name is casey lord. 26 years old. my wife and i moved up to lincoln and i started at lincoln christian university as a worship major. it is music, performance degree, with god at the center. music is an escape, a band-aid for whatever is going wrong in the day. it's the best medicine somebody can have next to laughter. i came to this program after four-year stint in the u.s. army. i was deployed for one year in iraq. it was a pivotal time for me not just musically but as a person spiritually. it was a very dark year for me. i struggled with a lot of stuff and saw people hurt and other soldiers lose their lives. that was a hard time for me. i had a rough day on a convey, i could come back and pick up my guitar and play. >> i have really been looking forward to meeting casey. he sounds like a bright, young

guy. he is turning that passion into his livelihood. i'm a little afraid. i heard in some of his clips that he is better than me. >> lester holt, i saw him in his 10th anniversary on the "today" show. my jaw dropped. and i said i could never play like him. he's phenomenal. he claims he's not a professional. i think he's lying. yeah, it's exciting. i'm excited. >> let's just figure it out. i think we're going to be a good match musically. hey! casey. >> good to meet you. >> good to meet you as well. >> i appreciate it. appreciate it. >> what do you want to play? >> there's always how great. ♪ >> you sent some clips. >> yeah. >> and there was a song on there. >> sazio. >> i love.

did you write that? >> yeah. it was a thing, just for the girl. 90% of the good songs are written about a woman. it's like a guy likes a girl and he writes a song to win her. it's the peacock effect. >> you heard her. >> that's right. i got the girl. ♪ you're the one i want, you're the one i need ♪ ♪ you're the one i want, you're the one i need ♪ ♪ say you love me please >> guys, thanks very much. what a blast it was. a pleasure. thanks so much. we're also available for parties, small weddings, barmitzvahs.

i'll leave my card. tell people the truth of what happened. my flights getting there were horribly late. i got stuck in chicago for hours. we had about 25 minutes. we literally sat down and said what do you want to play in let's do it. >> it sounded like you had been playing together for hours. >> good musical chemistry you guys had. >> and we had the military connection. you were in the army. 101st airborne. >> my mom -- i'm sorry. my dad's father actually served in the 101st in world war ii. my mom's dad served at pearl harbor. >> and i played with 101st in afghanistan. we were sharing that story. >> we are waiting. you guys have the guitar. >> we are going to go to a break. i fly away was the one we played in g. do it. ♪ ♪ oh, i fly away, old glory, i

fly away ♪ >> everybody, now. ♪ when i day, hallelujah by and by, i fly away ♪ ♪ oh, i fly away, old glory, i fly away ♪ >> that is good. ♪ when i fly away, hallelujah, i fly away ♪ take it lester. fly away ♪ take it lester. ♪ so say hello to ocean spray 100% juice. and goodbye to added sugar. i thought we weren't adding any sugar. oh. okay, nobody use these cranberries over here. turn to roc® retinol correxion®.

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if you've been watching jeopardy the last few months, you have seen a lot of familiar contestants. the popular game show brought back its best and brightest for the battle of the decades. >> only one can win. that was brad. he beat out ken jennings for the $1 million prize. the win lets him hold on to the record for the most money ever on jeopardy. brad, good morning. great to have you here. >> looks like i won for the goofiest face ever on television. >> was that the fact that you're up to 3.4 million or i beat ken jennings? a little bit of both. the way the final jeopardy shook out, ken had to get it wrong for me to win. i didn't anticipate that. >> you had initially planned with this new $1 million prize you were going to buy a pore. alex trebek said absolutely not. >> he sandbagged me originally.

i was no way that the guy before me said i was going to second my five kids to college. and i'm like i'm going to buy a pore. he did forbid me. so i will buy an army sherman surplus tank. >> how would you like to play host for a little "today" show trivia with us as contestants. >> i would love it. the category is "today" in history. it's a pun. it's not really about may 18th. it's about the show "today". >> we have buzzers. >> we have bells. >> budget bells. >> i'll trying to figure out which one of you rings in first. >> if that's what you're trying to figure out, we took care of that. >> question one, starting as a freelance producer, her voice was initially kept off air. >> barbara walters -- who is barbara walters.

>> that's correct. >> you have been here 35 years. >> i wasn't here then. >> number two. are we ready? the father created today, and the daughter, was this actress who went on to fight -- erica? >> we're looking for the name of the daughter, right? >> right. >> sigourney weaver. >> absolutely correct. >> wasn't jennifer garner in there? no? >> this is especially for you, dylan. a look outside our window years ago may have shown this former president strolling by on his morning walk. and you can all ring in. >> i was going to say al roker. but it's a president. reagan? >> it's not roosevelt. i actually didn't know this one. >> harry truman. >> oh, lester! >> what is -- who is?

>> thank you. really great having you here. >> a lot of fun. >> once again, with the host of meet the the press, who is david gregory. >> thank you. thanks so much, erica. good morning. gop attempts to take down hillary clinton politically after an attack from karl rove, will they try to keep her from running in 2016. the firing of jill abromson and the growing scandal at the v.a. is the government failing to give veterans the care they were promised? it's all coming up on "meet the press".. >> it for us on this sunday morning. >> the only show with school bells. i'll see you tonight for "nbc nightly news". have a great day, everyone. nightly news". have a great day, everyone. thanks for watching.

good morning. i'm kris sanchez. coming up, tens of thousands of people starting to line the streets of san francisco as one of the bay area's biggest events gets set to go this morning. we'll tell you what you need to know if you're heading to bay to breakers or want to steer clear. >> plus, a disgraced south bay politician is out of jail but still not out of trouble. the legal problems still ahead for the former santa clara county supervisor. the crowd goes wild as a california pony does it again to put himself on the verge of history. what people in the bay area are saying about this cinderella story. this is today in the bay. good morning to you. looking live at a very pretty pi