a full slate of jurors now sworn in -- what happened last night -- i'm going to do my job.

i'm not deterred. effectively they are putting out defective airplanes. ♪♪ good morning and welcome to "sunday today" on this april 21st. i'm willie geist. after months of costly delay, the house of representatives passed a series of bills giving aid to america's allies in their times of war. the house authorizing nearly $100 billion in aid for ukraine, israel and taiwan. but, those votes could cost speaker mike johnson his job as extreme members of his party threatened to remove him. details on that and house passage after potential ban for tiktok. a live report from washington just ahead. and later, we will turn to our "sunday focus" on the explosion of legal sports gambling in america and the impact on games themselves after the nba this week gave one of its players a lifetime ban, and

major league baseball grapples with the betting scandal surrounding one of its biggest stars. then our "sunday spotlight" on the new graduates fulfilling a dream as they join the very exclusive club of nasa astronauts and prepare now for a trip to the moon. plus a new "sunday sitdown" with emmy winning star of "ted lasso," hannah waddington and the "ted lasso" cast initial doubts about the beloved show that would change their lives. >> hilariously myself and brett goldstein stood behind the craft truck. he and i both went, i don't think this show knows what it is. >> really? he was like, we're not going to be doing a season two, are we? oh, well. we're kind of signed off with each other. >> a "sunday sitdown" and another "life well lived" later

in the show. let's begin with the house passing $95 billion for american allies, the money going to ukraine, pleading for american help as russia continues to advance. but will that vote cost house speaker mike johnson his job be? nbc's julie tsirkin was in the middle of the action on capitol hill yesterday. julie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it only takes a single member to call a floor vote to oust the speaker. after johnson forced the foreign bills through, any representative furious with the speaker could trigger a vote that forces him to give up the gavel. this morning speaker johnson's job in jeopardy. >> he's already a lame duck. he did this [ bleep ] here on the house floor, foreign war package that does nothing for america. >> reporter: after the house passed a series of crucial funding bills in a rare saturday session. >> the house will be in order. >> reporter: among them, $630

billion to war torn ukraine in its fight against russia. $26 billion for israel in its war against hamas with billions more for humanitarian needs in gaza. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: and $8 billion to taiwan. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: hard line republicans say they feel betrayed accusing johnson of prioritizing helping ukraine over funding for the southern border. >> when we had members of congress in there waving the ukrainian flag while we're doing nothing to secure our border, i think every american in this country should be furious. >> reporter: the speaker's support for the aid an about-face. after his trip to mar-a-lago for former president trump's blessing last week. >> i think he's doing a very good job. >> reporter: the trump photo-op not enough to quiet at least three conservatives putting pressure on johnson to resign. pressure that is only growing after democrats carried

johnson's agenda over the finish line. >> the house has worked its will. >> will you commit to bringing a motion to vacate on the floor if speaker johnson doesn't resign? >> i'm pretty sure one will come to the floor if he doesn't resign. >> reporter: but johnson says he's not going anywhere. >> i don't walk around this building being worried about a motion to vacate. i have to do my job. >> reporter: and, willie, now that the house has passed three foreign aid bills and one on a potential tiktok ban, the senate will take it up in one package as soon as tuesday. and president biden says he'll sign it into law when it passes. the president over the week signing another piece of legislation renewing and reforming a surveillance program within fisa. willie? >> a flurry of activity on capitol hill yesterday. julie tsirkin in washington, thanks so much. kristen welker is the moderator of "meet the press." kristen, good morning. your timing is impeccable, your interview with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. he's been pleading for this aid

from the united states but held up in the congress for months now. now $60 billion worth of it. how critical is this money toward that ukrainian war effort? >> willie, it is good to be with you. that will be my first question to president zelenskyy, what is the significance of this $61 billion in aid that they have been asking for for the past six months? and, willie, what has happened over the course of that six months is that ukraine has suffered significant setbacks on the battlefield. they are out of ammunition. 650,000 men who are in the age of being eligible to fight have fled ukraine, and there are reports morale is at an all-time low. so what is the significance of this new aid? will it get to ukraine in enough time to make a difference? and, willie, just zooming out, is this aid going to be enough to help ukraine win the war or just to help ukraine stay in the war? so those are among the top line

questions. this is a huge victory for president biden. he's been asking for this for the past six months. he has argued that this is not just about helping ukraine but about defending western democracy. so we are going to talk to president zelenskyy about all of that coming up on "meet the press," willie. >> we look forward to it. russian attacks just this week and president zelenskyy saying we can't stop them. perhaps now they'll be able to. thank you so much. we will look for much more on "meet the press" with the interview with volodymyr zelenskyy. as we mentioned a moment ago, the future of the popular social media site, tiktok, is in jeopardy this morning after a rare bipartisan vote in the house on saturday. aaron gilchrist has details. >> reporter: the clock may be ticking on tiktok with the house passing a bill saturday afternoon to force the app's chinese parent company to sell the platform. the measure would give bytedance

nine months to do that and allow the president to extend by another 90 days. tiktok could be banned in the u.s. >> save tiktok! >> reporter: tiktok has 170 million active users in the u.s., some of whom have long railed against the possibility of a shutdown of the app. >> call them and tell them to stop the ban. >> reporter: but this new move in the house looks to have enough support in the senate that it will reach the president's desk. president biden was asked about a ban last month. >> mr. president, do you still support banning tiktok? would you sign the bill? >> if they pass it, i'll sign it. >> reporter: the biden administration has said the app represents a national security threat with the owners having close ties to the chinese government, claims its ceo has repeatedly denied. tiktok has been banned on federal government devices but -- >> trump or biden? >> are you kidding? >> reporter: the biden presidential campaign has an

account. >> you wouldn't be able to update or distribute the app. >> reporter: tiktok releasing a statement to nbc news repeating criticism of a bill, quote, would trample the free speech rights of 170 million americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the u.s. economy annually. >> a tiktok ban would absolutely affect the millions of americans that use tiktok to kill time, to watch dance videos. but the real hard part would be for the people making those videos, people who earn income by either sponsored or ad content. >> reporter: democrats have acknowledged banning tiktok in an election year could alienate young voters. whoever occupies the white house around this time next year could have to deal with the fallout of tiktok potentially going away. willie? >> aaron gilchrist, thank you very much. just about 24 hours from now former president donald trump will make history as the first american president ever to face a criminal trial.

the jury is in place and opening statements are scheduled to begin tomorrow in new york. the former president was supposed to hold a rally last night but was canceled because of severe weather. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. after about a week of jury selection tomorrow is day one, a historic day for the former president and for this country as well. the first of four criminal trials to move forward, possibly the only one before the november elections. as you mentioned yesterday, he came here to north carolina for a campaign rally. the first time to connect with voters. he had to subsequently cancel that campaign rally due to weather. his campaigning is going to be severely difficult for the former president throughout this trial. he will be in trial every single day except wednesdays when court is not in session. opening statements beginning tomorrow for the prosecution

followed by the defense. and then on day two, we'll get a ruling on the gag order from judge juan merchan keeping the former president from talking about anybody involved in the trial. let's talk about witnesses here, potential witnesses here. star witness, michael cohen, the former president's fixer, along with stormy daniels, also known as stephanie clifford, who says she had sex with former president back in 2006, in which donald trump denies and says she was paid off to remain silent in 2016. when we talk about charges here, willie, 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election. willie, if, in fact, he's found guilty at the end of this trial, he could face up to four years in prison. >> and it all begins tomorrow in new york. yasmin, safe travels back. we'll see you soon. round one of the two-month run to the nba finals is under way this weekend. last night denver's two-time mvp

nikola jokic led the defending champion nuggets to a 114-103 victory over lebron james and the los angeles lakers in game one of their series. earlier in new york a scary moment in the knicks/sixers game when reigning nba mvp joel embiid slammed home his own pass off the backboard but then fell to the ground in pain, aggravating a knee injury. he did return in the second half and played well. the knicks were sparked by josh hart to a 111-104 win to take game one. meanwhile, the minnesota timberwolves blew out the phoenix suns, 120-95 thanks to 33 points from their electrifying star, anthony edwards. and in cleveland, the cavs' all-star guard donovan mitchell dropped 30 points on the orlando magic in an easy, 9 good sunday morning. the time is 6:12. temperatures starting out in the

mid 50s there in oakland. beautiful in walnut creek with a clear start. little to no fog towards san francisco and the coastline. speaking of the coast, maybe your day trip will take you out to behalf moon bay. overall, a mostly sunny day with temperatures in the 60s. 80 straight ahead, the highs and lows of the week including a new uniform already selling out for the great caitlin clark as she caps her record-breaking year in college by graduating to the pros. and behind-the-scenes footage of the "saturday night live" sketch that became an "snl" classic as it went viral thanks to the inability of one cast member in particular to keep it together. but, up next, our "sunday focus" on legal sports gambling in america as the league is doing business with betting sites

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on any travel purchase. what's in your wallet? on wednesday the nba took the extraordinary step of banning one of its players from the league for life. porter is alleged to have impacted his own games for the benefit of gamblers and himself.

the league commissioner, adam silver, saying, quote, there's nothing more important than protecting the nba competition. how are the major sports leagues now in business with the betting industry they once shunned working to maintain that integrity? nbc's adrienne brotus has our "sunday focus." >> reporter: porter knew how to make plays on the court. it was a series of plays off of it, according to the nba, that has him banned for life. porter accused of betting on 13 games and passing confidential information about his own health to nba bettors. >> it's a cardinal sin. >> reporter: even limiting his own game participation for wages tied to his performance. >> he gets into a game against the sacramento kings and takes

himself out saying he's sick so he junt performs. they win the bet. >> reporter: those bets netted porter $22,000 according to a league investigation. sports gambling taboo in most places. >> you can't go there no place, no way, no how. >> reporter: legal in 38 states. >> we'll match your bet. >> reporter: the former vice president of the green bay packers says the more sinister part of gambling is prop bets. >> that means individual bets on a player so the player has to get a certain number of points, of rebounds. >> reporter: a problem for high stakes players like tyrese haliburton. >> to half the world i'm helping them make money on draft kings. i'm a prop. >> reporter: sports gambling scandals are nothing new. shoeless joe jackson immortalized in movies. >> don't we need a catcher? >> not if you get it near the plate, we don't. >> reporter: after the baseball

legend and seven other players from the chicago white sox were accused of throwing the 1919 world series and banned for life. 70 years later the hit king, pete rose, banished for betting on baseball. and earlier this month, show hey shohei ohtani's interpreter accused of stealing to pay off gambling debts. >> there's more accessibility, more action, more availability and that is inevitably going to lead to a surge in problems. >> reporter: he says they've seen a sharp rise in problem gambling since 2018, the same year sports gambling became widely legal. >> $200 instantly just for betting $5. >> reporter: the major professional sports leagues did something once unimaginable, teaming up with big gambling companies. the american gaming association says it's one of the most regulated industries in the u.s.

and always puts a focus on responsible gambling. the largest gaming companies are coming together to promote best practices. >> we're glad to see the industry is stepping up, but make no mistake, there's enormous amounts of money at stake and will never solve a health problem. and good morning. so the nba did move quickly to ban the raptors' player to assure fans of the integrity of the game. are sports leagues worried about the consequences of their recent embrace of betting? >> reporter: willie, many in the sports world say, hey, this was bound to happen and the leagues need to do something to stop it. they use data scientists and lawyers to investigate bets. that's how jontay porter was caught. sports books like draft kings watch for unusual movement and share that information with the leagues. the nba players union provides all players with training materials and additional education.

now the former vice president of the green bay packers told me some leagues have signs hanging in locker rooms outlining what players can and can't do. rules are specific to each league. major league baseball players are allowed to bet on everything but baseball. so it's a tough hand to play. the league is trying to benefit from betting and guard against potential pitfalls, willie. >> as a big sports fan, it's amazing how quick from it being taboo to full embrace from the leagues in just a few years. fascinating. thank you so much, adrienne. we appreciate it. up next a new "sunday sitdown" with the talented and charming hannah waddingham on the long climb from being a leading lady on stage to a breakout star on the hit series "ted lasso." and then "a life well lived." one of the brooklyn dodgers' famed boys of summer and a close friend at the side of jackie robinson as he made american history. and, as we head to break, our photo of the week is a cano

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what's in your wallet?

good morning. thanks for joining us on this sunday. it's april 21st.

a somber day for oakland's police department. a former officer died yesterday from injuries in an on-duty crash nearly five years ago. officer jordan wingate was 28 years old. he joined the force in may 2018. just a few months later, he was badly hurt in a crash at the port of oakland. he was responding to a call about a suspicious person when his patrol car collided with another car, then the car careened into a parked semi. he's been dealing with injuries ever since. he had to retire in 2020. he died surrounded by family, including his father, who is an oakland police captain. happening tomorrow, a major road closure is expected to reopen. that's early monday morning, just in time for the commute in the north bay. caltrans shut down part of 37 from vallejo to sears point in

sonoma. let's map it out for you. green is how you get around it. red is the closure. detours are directing drivers to alternate routes. highway 37 will close four more times in the next month. caltrans knows that crews are hoping to wrap up their work before people flock to wine country. cinthia has a quick look at the forecast. >> good morning, everyone. lots of people want to do things after we have had a couple of soggy weekends, but this weekend has been nice and sunny. we're going to continue that trend for today. mostly clear start around the bay area. walnut creek in the mid 50s. towards san francisco, also a beautiful start in the city at 53 degrees. oakland and along the east bay, dealing with just a few patchy clouds, but they should dissipate through the mid morning and later on this afternoon. down here in san jose, also clear start down here in the valleys at 52 degrees. let's go to the north bay,

checking in on novato. clear skies, 48 degrees. by lunchtime, 74 degrees as we go into the 1:00 hour. we'll continue with that sunshine for today. if you wanted to take those sunday plans out towards the beach, they're going to be warm and sunny. comfortable in the upper 60s to the valleys. highs in the 80s. so another day of those warm temperatures. we'll keep the party going for tomorrow. it's going to be a struggle to want to return back to work seeing all the sunshine. later into the afternoon, it's going to turn windy. that's going to start a cooling trend later on into the week. the temperatures are going to climb back down to the 60s and even that chance of rain in that extended forecast. i'll show you coming up at 7:00. >> cinthia, thanks. sunday, living up to its name. we love it. coming up on "today in the bay," the bay area is preparing for earth day. san francisco, for example, is hosting a climate week. we're going to show you how you can join events to protect our planet. we're also going to save one

viewer a couple hundred dollars. please join us. that and the top stories coming up at 7:00. ♪♪ ♪ you've got a friend in me ♪ ♪♪ ♪ you've got a friend in me ♪ ♪♪ ♪ you just remember what your old pal said ♪ ♪ boy, you've got a friend in me ♪ ♪♪ it's a celebration of friendship & beyond. from the new parade to together forever - a new nighttime spectacular fireworks show. pixar fest. at the disneyland resort for a limited time. starting april 26th. hey, boss, what are you doing down here? >> i just wanted to tell you that i believe in you, ted. and i know that i've been

putting an awfully lot of pressure on you to win today. i just want you to forget all about that. just be yourself and have fun. >> that is hannah waddingham as rebecca welton, the owner of a british football club on the beloved hit series "ted lasso." the feelgood show premiered at a time when we needed it desperately in the depths of that stay at home covid summer in 2020. over the course of three seasons a group of relatively unknown actors along with creator and star jason sudeikis became family to millions of viewers and to each other. waddingham, a striking actress who had commanded theater stages for years, quickly became a breakout star earning both an emmy and a s.a.g. award for her performance on "ted lasso." now the single mother of a young daughter makes another leap in one of the most anticipated movies of the year. hannah and i got together on a

rainy day in new york just across the street from the theater where she made her broadway debut. hello am. >> hi. >> it's so nice to see you. >> willie geist. >> if you were introduced only recently to the many talents of hannah waddingham, you are not alone. people who discovered you in "ted lasso" are working backwards now. oh, my gosh, did you know that hannah waddington could sing? >> i call them the back catalogers. it's really lovely. >> waddingham's role on "ted lasso" has made her a global star. but it came after two decades as a leading lady on london's west end. a long road that brings her now into the company of hollywood's biggest stars in the new movie "the fall guy. ". >> it is a massive, respectful bow and hug to the stunt community. >> ryan gosling is the stuntman, emily blunt a sci-fi film director, and waddingham plays a

ruthless movie producer named gayle mier. >> i like finding why she gets carried away. she has a point, has to get the job done. her roots are slightly dubious. you're a stuntman, no one is going to notice whether you're here or not. no offense. >> well, i mean, some taken. >> you and ryan and emily have a great chemistry on screen. >> yeah, yeah. >> was it that way off camera? >> even more. >> was it? >> i have total respect for them both, but they are both still, regardless of their huge status, they are actors first and stars somewhere very much down the line. >> the 49-year-old waddingham was born and raised in south london. her mother was a soprano in the english national opera. growing up and seeing your mother like that, do you say, i want to do that? >> i've always been a bit of a vocal mimic. i would always be able to sing

in different styles, even when i was kind of 9, 10. i don't remember having such a planned out stream of consciousness like that at all. it was a foregone conclusion to me that i would just do it. >> after a start in dinner theater, waddingham made her west end debut in 1998, a decade later, she arrived on broadway. ♪♪ starring as the memorable lady of the lake in "monty python spamalot." >> i feel quite at home. >> does this feel like london? >> yeah. yeah, it does. it feels like when i was here in 2008, it was constantly bloody raining. how many years on are we? >> 16 years. can you believe that? >> ugh, she's getting on a bit now. >> despite her success on stage, waddingham was offered only

small parts on screen. >> if you were in theater, tv at the time, you'd go into a meeting, and they'd go, oh, you do some singing theater singing thing. and at the time i'd had ten years of being a leading lady in the west end. >> her break came as the shame nun on hbo's mega hit "game of thrones." >> confess. >> waddingham made an impression on the show's creators who insisted she be hired for the job that changed her life. >> it was almost like them allowing me in made everyone else perk up a bit. i got david benioff and dan weiss to write an email to the powers that be. the subject was, what are we even discussing? it was such a beautiful, quiet, genuine endorsement of let the girl play. ♪♪ >> that email was sent to the producers behind a new series

called "ted lasso," created by and starring jason sudeikis. waddingham was cast as rebecca welton, owner of the afc richmond football club. >> i heard jason recently in an interview, and he said you walked in the door, shook hands. that's her. >> he doesn't give compliments lightly. when he said, i saw rebbe first and then i had to get to know hannah, that was just gorgeous. >> am i a mess? >> of course you are. that's why we get along. >> did it feel special on the page "ted lasso" when you read it? did you love rebecca? >> it was the weirdest thing of feeling her rippling through my bloodstream. people wouldn't have expected me to have that verbally abusive relationship with someone. it was hugely cathartic as well for me. >> you could get some of that out on set? >> so much out. i want to torture rupert. >> what was it that went into that that just made it blowup?

>> myself and brett goldstein stood behind the craft truck. he and i both went, i don't think this show knows what it is. >> really? >> yes. he was like, we're not going to do a season two, though, are we? we were like, oh, well. and kind of signed off with each other. neither of us had seen what i think is mainly responsible for it, the most beautiful kismet casting of anything ever. and then a writer's room that was awash with female and male feminists. so all of that coming together just produced something that when i watched it, i went, i'm in a massive hit. >> the show won 11 emmys over its three seasons including one for waddingham in 2021. >> are those the moments you go,

pinch me? how did i get here? >> yes, dream come true, ridiculousness. ♪♪ >> and the pinching continues with a bafta nomination for her recent apple tv christmas special. a role as the villain in the new "garfield" movie. and a blockbuster part alongside tom cruise in the next installment of "mission: impossible." you know a lot of people are really happy for you because when they hear your story and they know how hard you've worked and that your talent and all the things you've talked about have been rewarded in this way, people just root for you. >> you make me get emotional. i feel it. >> it's true. >> people going congratulations for everything is really lovely, and i don't take it lightly and it hits. >> she is so great. "the fall guy" from universal

pictures is in theaters on may 3rd and "the garfield" movie on may 24th. our big thanks to the restaurant in the new york theater district for hosting our conversation. don't forget to subscribe to the "sunday sitdown" podcast to hear the full, extended interview with hannah waddington. there's a lot more in there including stories from the set of "ted lasso." you can find that on apple podcast or wherever you get yours. and next week a "sunday sitdown" with basketball icon steph curry on his rise from a lightly recruited high school player to become one of the greatest of all time. steph curry good sunday morning. the time is 6:39, a beautiful sun rise at walnut creek. temperatures at 56 degrees, and mostly through the tri valley in the 50s as well as down here in san jose. we go into the 40s up into novato and santa rosa at 47 degrees. if your plans are taking you up

into the wine country, beautiful out there. bring the sun hat and ahead on "sunday today," our highs and lows of the week including the circus elephant who slipped out of the big top to do a little sightseeing in town. but, up next, our "sunday spotlight" on the next generation of nasa astronauts leading the united states into a new era of space exploration. we are back in just 30 seconds. homequote explorer lets you easily compare coverage options so you don't end up overpaying. good, because we've spent a lot on this kitchen. oh, yeah, really high end stuff. sorry, that's our ghost. he's more annoying than anything. oh, a decal that says "kitchen." good, i forgot where i was for a second. [customer service rep] discover customer service, this is maya. jennifer: oh, hi maya. you robots are sounding more human every day! [customer service rep] at discover, everyone can talk to a human representative.

jennifer: alright, prove it. [customer service rep] wait, are you a robot? 24/7 u.s.-based customer service. jennifer: how would i prove that i'm not? this week a u.s. government public job posting closed. the gig, astronaut. to conducted operations in space including on the international space station. as nasa sifts through the resumes, a new class of graduates has joined the exclusive club of men and women who have led the united states into space over the last 65 years. nbc news senior correspondent tom costello meets some of them in our "sunday spotlight." >> reporter: no matter what you do for a living, these guys have the coolest jobs on the planet. >> falcon 9 --

>> >> reporter: or off. >> a big round of applause. >> reporter: now, after two years of training, nasa has graduated its newest class of astronauts as it prepares for another giant leap for all of humanity. >> today the moon is calling us again. >> reporter: the moon, mars, a new lunar space station all in the works. >> we're all extremely excited. you can feel the emotion, sense the emotion. >> reporter: major marcos berrios, a fighter pilot from puerto rico with a ph.d. in astronautics whose schoolteacher mom taught him to love math. >> math is so universal that i was just drawn to it. i like the problem solving anyway tour of math, like solving a little puzzle. >> reporter: nicole ayers from colorado who led the first all-woman in combat. this has been her lifelong dream.

>> i went to space camp. i group up in the shuttle era. >> reporter: and there's dr. chris williams from maryland, ph.d. in physics in m.i.t. and an expert in radiation. >> i have a distinct memory of being -- must have been kindergarten and painting a picture in arts and crafts of a space shuttle. >> reporter: it's a select group, only 360 astronauts since 1959. >> that was one heck of a ride, thank you. >> reporter: today they're riding spacex, 53 years after "apollo" a new space capsule called orion. the pilot will sit here. orion is fully automated. either commander or pilot can take control right here. they each have the same controls on either side and orion is a lot lighter than "apollo." they've gotten rid of the kablg and have computers.

>> we'll have four crew inside and this vehicle is unique in that it's good for 21 days in space. >> reporter: nichole ayers can't wait. what is that like to be in this class that could walk on the moon? >> i think exciting is an understatement. it's such a fantastic time in human space flight. >> i absolutely hope it's me. >> reporter: some of america's best and brightest truly living their dreams. >> our next giant leap starts today. >> reporter: for "sunday today," tom costello, houston. >> tom, thank you. and congratulations to the new class of astronauts. this week we highlight another "life well lived." on monday major league baseball celebrated its annual jackie robinson day marking the date in 1947 when robinson broke the league's color barrier. a pitcher was robinson's teammate and close friend through the daily trials of making american history. the great brooklyn dodgers teams

of the 1940s and '50s were dubbed the boys of summer in a 1972 book by roger kahn. they won five american league pennants, and the 1955 world series with a lineup that included duke snider, robinson, peewee reese and hodges. erskine was an all-star pitcher with a devastating curveball throwing two no-hitters and striking out a then record 14 batters in game three of the '53 world series against the yankees. >> carl erskine to strike him out and he did. his 14th strikeout of the game, a new series record. >> born and raised in anderson, indiana, erskine joined the navy after graduating from high school in 1945. after the war, he signed with the dodgers and was called up to the big leagues in july of 1948

to pitch at ebbetts field. he befriended robinson, march marveling under the taunts of fans. he wrote a book quauld "what i learned from jackie robinson." on april 19, 1958, he pitched the dodgers' first home game in los angeles. after the team moved west. carl and his wife of 76 years, betty, had a son named jimmy, born with down syndrome. the erskines founded their own organization to raise money for the special olympics where jimmy was a swimmer dedicating their lives to helping people with special needs. carl erskine, an all-star pitcher and humanitarian, died on thursday in his hometown of anderson, indiana. anderson, indiana. he was 97 years old. [meowing] (♪♪) hi, what's your name?

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it is time for the highs and lows of the week. our first high to caitlin clark mania moving east a couple of states after the record-breaking superstar was pick first by the indiana fever in this week's

wnba draft. her new teammates watching in indianapolis went crazy when the long-anticipated pick was announced holding up fever jerseys already with that famous number 22. clark's rookie contract pales in comparison to those in the nba, but the star reportedly is set to sign an eight figure deal with nike including her own signature shoe. clark's new jersey sold out across the country this week, but country superstar tim mcgraw got his hands on one and rocked it on thursday night during his concert at clark's new home arena in indy. some of clark's iowa teammates attended the draft in brooklyn to support her, and, wouldn't you know it, one of them got drafted. kate martin said she was hoping to hear her name called at the draft but admittedly was a little surprised when she was chosen 18th overall by the two-time defending wnba champion las vegas aces. good for her. a big night for the hawkeyes. our first low goes to the

utter blasphemy of cutting off billy joel in the middle of piano man or any song for that matter. cbs aired a special broadcast of joel's 100th consecutive sold-out show at new york's madison square garden. but the sing-along ended abruptly for viewers in the eastern and central time zones. ♪ the piano sounds like ♪ >> next, donald trump's criminal trial hours away. >> oh, no. local news apparently not in the mood for a melody. the outrage was swift and widespread. cbs said a network timing error ended the special broadcast two minutes early so the local news just cut right in. the network redeemed itself by reairing the show on friday night in every last second of its entirety. the unwelcome cutaway drew comparisons to an infamous incident during a 1968 game between the oakland raiders and

new york jets. oakland scored two touchdowns in nine seconds to beat the jets, but no one saw it. with just 65 seconds left in the game, nbc cut away and played the movie "heidi" instead. 56 long years later all of us at nbc would like to apologize again for the "heidi" game. our next high to the growing legend of last weekend's beavis and butt-head sketch on "saturday night live." >> i'd really like to move on and discuss a.i., so would you like him to move? >> yes, thank you. the man with the gray shirt and exposed gums. >> sir -- [ laughter ] >> "snl" cast member heidi gardner broke and broke hard and who could blame her during the sketch ryan gosling played the man who really resembled beavis

and a guy who looked like butt-head. the contagious cracking up began days earlier as the sketch went viral this week. "snl" released behind-the-scenes footage of the runthrough and dress rehearehearsal. >> sir, can you kindly move seats? [ bleep ] [ laughter ] >> can you move? >> i was at that dress rehearsal last weekend. i can confirm the cracking up began before the sketch as gosling took his seat dressed as beavis. our final low to the elephant show drivers in butte, montana, were treated to this week. viola the elephant getting a bath in a parking lot before production of the traveling world circus in butte when a truck backfired startling viola and sending her on the run. she made her way out into busy

harrison avenue where stunned locals steered clear. my gosh. viola strolling in and out of traffic and, yes, past a casino until her handlers caught up to her and brought her back to the circuit after a 20-minute adventure. like so many of us, all viola wanted was a (qb) this is it. one play. this is when we find out... (luke) hey, quick question. student body math proficiency, would we say it's good? fair? satisfactory? (player 1) what? (luke) like a percentage, if you had to guess. (players) hey, get out of here man. get off the field. (luke) understood. (players) security! grab him! (marci) great student-teacher ratio... (luke) marci! we've got to go! marci! we have got to go! we bring you the real, in-depth school info. (marci) what were you thinking? (luke) i don't know. i. don't know. (vo) ding dong! homes.com hey! asthma's got you going through it? grab nucala for fewer asthma attacks. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems.

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we have more of your "sunday today" mug shots. starting across the top with ray celebrating his last day of chemotherapy treatment in st. paul, minnesota, with his wife jennifer and daughter tiffany at his side. we are so very happy for you, ray.

how about bob, hillary, greg on a family vacation on the italian riviera. that just looks incredible. oh, man, shawn in wilmington, north carolina, with new dog charlie. no bigger than mug. congrats on up new buddy, shawn. randy and garrison at the taj mahal in india, one of the new seven wonders of the world. thanks for bringing us along. down along the bottom, robert on his final day of deployment in kuwait for the u.s. air force heading home just in time for his birthday. happy birthday to you, robert, and thank you for all you've given the country. david celebrating with kristen at the finish line of the boston marathon this week, big congratulations to you. that race is no joke. and george and lauren on a father/daughter trip aboard the golden train in interlochen. 40 years after he starred in the iconic movie "footloose" kevin bacon returned to the high school in utah where the film

was shot after a very public campaign by the students there. kevin telling "today's" kaylee hartung one student put things in perspective. >> one of the greatest things when i was on the tour was, you know, a young woman said to me, you know, my grandfather was in school here when you were doing the movie. i went, your grandfather. >> it's been 40 years. can you catch kevin bacon's return to that famous "footloose" high school tomorrow morning on "today." thank you for spending participate of your morning with us. we will see you right back here next week on "sunday today."

good morning. it is sunday, april 21st. it is 7:00 on the nose, and that