Transcripts For WRC Today 20100426

rescued. nadia bloom is speaking about her ordeal for the first time, "today," monday, april 26th, her ordeal for the first time, "today," monday, april 26th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and in for meredith, i'm ann curry. boy, that nasty weather in the south. get this number. 85 tornados in four days are being reported but none as severe as the one that hit mississippi, matt. >> you can see how powerful this storm was in this storm chaser video. emergency crews say this is the worst tornado to hit that area in decades. 160-mile-per-hour winds, at least 10 people killed by this twister alone. hundreds of buildings were destroyed. we'll talk to a man inside a church that was destroyed when that tornado hit and get the latest on all the dangerous weather in the south over the weekend from al, straight ahead. >> that was the church right behind him. it's amazing he survived. also ahead this morning, a good samaritan left to die. it was captured on surveillance video. the man lie iying on the ground just been stabbed after helping a woman that was being mugged. another took a picture, but more than an hour passed before anyone called police. by the time authorities arrived, it was too late. we'll get much more on this very sad story. >> very disturbing story. let's begin with those deadly tornadoes down south. nbc's kerry sanders is in the hard-hit town of north wweir, mississippi. >> reporter: r a dozen people were killed here in mississippi. more than 700 homes were damaged or destroyed, like this one. one of the twister that is touched down here was huge, a mile and a half wide. it was monster. >> it's a beast. it keeps changing shape, bigger, wider. >> reporter: and the storm chasers were just a little too close. they made it out alive, but others were not as lucky when as many as 30 tornadoes touched down across the southeast. yazoo city, mississippi, was hard hit. and nearby in mill springs, some of the worst destruction. j.w. carter lost two grandchildren when they were ripped from their father's arms. >> he said he tried to get on top of them, put them all in his arms but the wind picked them up. >> reporter: amazing stories of survival. victor ann steel remembers hearing the wind and rain but didn't think it was a tornado. >> we dropped to the floor because everything was just -- everything was off the wall. everything was flying around, debris, insulation. we were just covered in trash, but we held on, just laid down on the floor. >> reporter: nextdoor, her granddaughter was in another trailer that disappeared in the 160-mile-an-hour winds. the house explodes. you're on the phone. next thing you know, you're in the air and then what? >> i felt a tree and grabbed on to it. >> you just reached down and grabbed a limb? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: they're still reliving the nightmare here. >> i had a few seconds and when the patio furniture and all the furniture was coming through the house and hit me, i was able to get into the bathroom and get on top of them before the top went. we're blessed to have our babies still with us. >> reporter: still, he knows he's one of the lucky ones. >> lives can't be replaced. these things can be replaced. >> reporter: officials here say residents are fortunate the tornado struck in the middle of the afternoon, when people were aware of the danger. >> we had five fatalities all together in the county, but it could have been so much worse, so much worse. >> reporter: national guard units are now on patrol. while over the weekend, pari parishiners gave thanks at the sight of their heavily damaged sanctuary. >> you know, we're resilient. we're a tough community and we have a lot of faith in god. so, we get up the next day, shake the dust off and realize that we've got to go on. >> reporter: the twister that touched down here may turn out to be a record. early calculations are it was on the ground for 97 miles. ann? >> kerry sanders, thanks. dale thrasher was inside the hillcrest baptist church in yazoo city, mississippi, when it was destroyed. good morning to you, dale. >> good morning, miss curry. >> you were working alone inside the church as you normally do on saturdays. how much warning did you get and what did you do? >> well, my wife called from vicsburg, mississippi, and said she heard there was a tornado coming toward little yazoo, which was south of here. she asked me to go look out the door and i did, it didn't look too bad. then the building started shaking and it was like a giant cloud on the ground with swirling wind and rain and i knew then that i was in trouble. i run down the hall and the lord directed me to the sanctuary. we had a communion table there at the pulpit. i went under that communion table and about that time all the glass in the church started blowing out, the building started shaking and collapsed around me. all i had time to do was ask the lord to save me and he did. >> this communion table, i understand, was really small. you had to skrunch yourself up to get underneath it. when you look at what's left of your church, dale, how do you think you were able to survive? >> miss curry, the honest thing i can say is the good lord did it. back in 1970, he saved my soul from the devil's hand and saturday he saved me from death. i can't tell you why he saved me except maybe to tell the people how god loves them and he can save them, because he saved me from a life in hell, eternity in hell and he gave me a chance to tell the people of the world about it. and i praise him for that and i just feel so bad about the lives that was lost. i can't explain that, except by saying that god -- he's on the throne. he's merciful and he's there for those people and he loves them if they'll just cry out to him. >> you talk about the lives lost. ten people in your community have died including a woman from your wife's family named nikki carpenter and i understand she died protecting her two sons? >> yes, ma'am. she died in a mobile home and she was over the children, trying to protect them. >> meantime, i understand for a time, you were buried under sheet rock and two-by-fours. so, how badly were you injured? >> i had three scratches on my left thumb and a coffee burn where i reckon it was sliding me and the table around a little bit. if you look at the center of the church where that table and i were, everything else was destroyed and moved around except for me and that table. the lord just blessed me, put his arms around me and protected me. >> i know that you and other church members still had service on sunday, despite not having a church. dale thrasher, thank you so much. good luck to you in helping your community rebuild. >> thank you, miss curry. >> of course, our thoughts are with all the people down south who suffered through that tough weather. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. natalie is at the news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning, everyone. an ohio man is facing charges this morning after police say he showed up with a gun in asheville, north carolina, saying he wanted to see the president. chuck todd joins us. what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, natalie. a few minutes after president obama left asheville on his way to west virginia for that memorial service for those dead west virginia miners, police started questioning and secret service started questioning a man by the name of joseph sean mcvey. he was sitting in his car and when he got out of the car, he was listening to radio scanners on a transistor radio and had a sidearm on him. he said he wanted to meet the president, wanted to speak to him. they decided after questioning him to arrest him since he was armed and was in a police car. his driver's license turned out to be invalid, his ohio driver's license. and also in the car, they found formulas for a rifle scope, which are used to measure distances. he makes his first court appearance today in north carolina and he is being held on $100,000 bond. secret service and other law enforcement officials say the president was never in danger and these things do happen sometimes where you have some suspect, unsavory individuals hanging around where the president is going, but they say he was not in danger. natalie? >> chuck todd for us at the white house. thank you, chuck. after leaving asheville, the president then spoke at a memorial service for the 29 miners who were killed in west virginia. he told the families that the u.s. will honor their memories by making mines safer. crews are trying to stop a significant leak coming from the oil platform explosion in louisiana. ann thompson is in new orleans this morning. how big of a threat is this to the shore line? >> reporter: it's a significant threat, natalie. the oil slick is some 600 square miles. if it comes ashore, it could do severe damage to the breeding grounds of shrimp, fish and bird s here along the gulf coast. now some 50 miles out to sea, crews are working to stop that oil leak. they have sent down remote operated submersibles. think of it as the emergency brake on the oil flow. they've got another 12 hours to pak that work. if that doesn't happen, they're bringing in rigs to drill relief wells to seal off the original well. the problem there, that's a process that could take months. the next 12 hours are crucial. natalie? >> we'll be watching what happens there. ann thompson for us in new orleans, thank you. close call for britain's ambassador. he apparently narrowly escaped a suicide bomber attack on his car. new york yankees will be honored today, last year's world series champions. seems like that was ages ago. good honor for them. >> he will shake good morning. we have a cloudy and cool start to this monday. temperatures in the 50s and on radar, light rain in western howard into frederick and the panhandle of west virginia. downpours in stafford county. passing showers and sun later this morning and afternoon thunderstorms, some of which could be producing damaging winds and hail and a small chance of that from 3:00 to 8 >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. to the controversial new law in arizona that allows police to see documentation from anyone they suspect to be in this country illegally. it's the toughest anti-immigration law ever. thousands of protesters took to the streets in phoenix on sunday, argue iing it amounts t racial profiling. they called on president obama to help overturn it. joe arpaio is the sheriff in maricopa county, arizona, known as the toughest sheriff for his crackdowns on immigration and petty crime. sheriff, it's good to see you. good morning. >> thank you. >> let me give you the results of a recent poll. 70% of people asked say they are in favor of the tough new immigration bill but, get this, 53% of those same people say they worry that it could lead to civil rights violations. are they worrying for nothing? >> yeah. you know, 60 days into the obama administration, he sent his justice department down to the phoenix area to investigate me for alleged racial profiling. it's been a year and a half and nothing has happened. so, we know how to enforce the illegal immigration laws without racial profiling. >> but this law does demand, in some cases, that law enforcement officials do everything within their power to determine if someone is in this country illegally. why won't that result in law enforcement officials walking up to people on the street, questioning them simply because of their appearance, because they appear to be hispanic? >> well, first of all, that's not going to happen. i know they -- pursuant to their duties. they're not going to go on a street corner and grab people because they look like they're from another country. we haven't been do iing that fo the past three years, and i know law enforcement officers will not do that. those are the critics. some politicians use that as an excuse because they don't like law enforcement enforcing illegal immigration laws. >> is it going to distract law enforcement, though, and take valuable resources away from cracking down on more serious crimes? >> you know, we have a lot of -- 8,000, 10,000 people booked into our jails. 50% are misdemeanors. that's another fallacy where law enforcement and some politicians say that will affect their operations, they only go after violent criminals. law enforcement goes after everybody that violates the law, or they should. >> critics are having a field day with this, sheriff arpaio, as you know. some are calling for a business boycott of the state of arizona. homeland security secretary, used to be the governor of arizona, says she doesn't like this bill. here is a cartoon where a guy orders nachos and is immediately surrounded by police for probable cause. are you worried that it affects the image of your state? >> no. i think more people will move here since when we raid private businesses and arrest illegal aliens working there with the mantle with phony identification, we're making more job openings by getting rid of those that are here illegally and maybe people here that are here legal will be able to find a job. we do have an economic problem across our nation, including the phoenix area. >> maricopa county sheriff, joe arpaio. thank you for join iing us this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you. it is 16 after the hour. once again, here is ann. thanks, matt. goldman sachs executives are set to go on the hot seat this week to answer questions about how they do business and some surprising new e-mails. lisa myers is in washington with the latest on this story. lisa, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. goldman sachs now is fighting the government on two fronts, s.e.c., which charged the company with fraud and now a senate subcommittee. e-mails in which goldman executives seemed to cheer as the housing market collapsed. with its reputation on the line, wall street's most powerful and most profitable firm is trying to explain away damaging e-mails. it's the fall of 2007, the housing market is collapsing and investors are suffering big losses. yet a goldman executive seems pleased. sounds like we'll make some serious money, he wrote. that, as some families were losing value in their homes or even losing their homes entirely. >> to watch them lose everything and cheer, you wonder why the american people are furious at wall street, that e-mail alone may explain it all. >> reporter: in another e-mail that fall, goldman ceo says they made money on the housing market, then lost more than they made. >> not going to win any popularity contest when over a period that ordinary americans' pension, houses were collapsing in value, they were making significant money off of it. >> reporter: however, a spokesman for goldman says the firm actually lost $1.2 billion on residential mortgage investments over 2007 and 2008. and goldman put out 70 pages of documents itself, arguing that the firm didn't really know which way the housing market was going and consistently tried to hedge its bets. goldman also released e-mails of the young trader charged with fraud by the s.e.c., fabrice tourre. in one, tourre compared the product to frankenstein turning against his own inventor. in another, he quotes a goldman exec as saying the subprime business is totally dead and the poor little subprime borrowers will not last so long. a goldman spokesman said obviously the content of the e-mail sincere highly embarrassing, but we've found no evidence of wrongdoing. >> we've got to end, once and for all, the casino atmosphere of wall street. >> reporter: tomorrow, as you said, ann, seven current and former goldman executives testify in front of a senate subcommittee. it's reflective of how concerned gold mman is about public perception. ann? >> lisa myers this morning, reporting. thanks, lisa. it is now 7:19. wops again, here is matt. >> thank you, ann. prosecutors in mexico say they are closing in on an arrest of a brutal murder of a california woman at a popular cancun resort. miguel almaguer has that story. we've been following it. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. investigators have said for weeks they won't be rushed. now a signal that their investigation is nearly complete. monica beresford redman's murder is now three weeks old. during the investigation, her body was considered evidence. today the coroner's office in cancun says it will release her remains so her family can finally bring monica home. >> we need to bring the body there so that all the people that love her can really, you know, say good-bye. >> reporter: in her hometown of los angeles, monica's family joined nearly 100 others in a rally outside the restaurant she owned, demanding justice, an arrest in the case. monica's husband is a former producer for cbs' prime time show "survivor," and police in cancun say he's the only suspect in his wife's murder. he remains in mexico, the focus of the homicide investigation. meantime, court documents now show his parents have filed to be guardians of the couple's two children, writing, quote, we will be able to address questions that arise from our grandchildren, despite the tragic loss of their mother. monica's family may also want custody, but because her parents are from brazil, legal experts say bruce's parents may have a better chance, even with the possible murder case against him. >> there's always a possibility of a messy fight when you have a lurid murder allegation. but the fact is unless there's some evidence that the grandparents have any kind of problem or are unfit in any way, almost certainly they are going to get custody of those kids. >> reporter: after meeting twice with investigators in mechanixi monica's family shared documents and e-mails illustrating a troubled marriage between the victim and suspect. prosecutors call the information, including accusations of infidelity, important to their case. >> translator: if the information we get that there was an antagonistic relationship between bruce and monica would affect the investigation. >> reporter: prosecutors hope it will end with an arrest this week. awaiting forensic results, investigators say that's all they need to close what has been described as an iron-clad case. matt? >> miguel almaguer in cancun this morning. thank you very much. just ahead, the 11-year-old girl lost in a swamp for four days, nadia bloom still ahead, a good samaritan left to die on the street after he was stabbed trying to save a woman from a mugger. why did nobody save him? runaway mom from ohio. if she were a run away dad, would people be talking about it? i'll take this. ( crashing ) double miles add up quick. and all of those. so we brought the whole gang. one adult, one goat please. it's hard to beat double miles. everyone knows two is better than one. introducing the venture card from capital one... with double miles on every purchase every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? oh, poor baby. go to capitalone.com. eating healthy is important, but only vegetables can give you vegetable nutrition. one of these will get you more than half way to your five daily servings. v8. what's your number? look in the glove box. [ children laughing ] suitcase? huh? ♪ where do gummy bears hide? under the seat. look! yeah! ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] the all new chevy equinox. [ man ] guess who? dad! [ man ] enjoy the trip! okay, daddy! [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it takes you farther... and brings you closer. >> our time 7:26 on the 26th day of april. people in virginia, mare lap and the district told us they are receiving strange phone calls at all hours. no one seems to be able to figure out who is dialling or why. the phone number has a wyoming area code. when they answer, there is silence on the other end of the line. receivers reported the problem to level three communication, but all attempts contact the company have been unsuccessful. we will look [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] achievement has its own patch of grass. ♪ achievement unleashes hidden potential. ♪ all right! achievement looks forward to dinner at home. achievement enjoys newfound freedom. i love you. [ male announcer ] mortgages, home equity loans, and lines of credit from pnc. helping achievers borrow with an eye towards the future. pnc. for the achiever in us all. >> it's cloudy and cool in the 50s. showers north and west of washington as well as south of dale city. could get thunderstorms early this evening and drying out after tomorrow morning. how is the traffic? >> time to take a live look. struggling to recover from an accident which has been cleared to the 14th street bridge. a sampling around the beltway near george avenue. travel lanes are open for the moment. to the north it's a different story. >> news 4 today 7:30 now on a monday morning, the 26th day of april, 2010. all these fine folks out there perhaps dodging a couple of rain drops out on our plaza this morning. looks like it's a nice crowd outside. we'll be out in a couple of minutes. i'm matt lauer. ann curry is filling in while meredith is off today. a small survivor, nadia bloom, who vanisheded in a florida swamp earlier this month, is speaking out for the first time about her ordeal. >> it was four day, right? >> four days and four nights. a good samaritan stabbed, as he tried to help a woman who was being mugged on a new york street. surveillance cameras record him lie tlg and dozens of people just passing by. one even stopped to take a picture, matt, but no one tried to help him. much more on that, coming up. the growing trend in this country of the very wealthy running for office. is it a good thing or bad thing? can an average joe even stand a chance in a campaign these days? we'll get into that, just ahead. let us begin this half hour with the 11-year-old girl who was lost in an alligator and bug-infested swamp in florida for four days. we'll talk to nadio bloom and her parents in a moment. but first, her story from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: nearly two weeks after she was rescued, nadia bloom and her family are getting back to normal now. at a church service on sunday, they stood before the congregation. >> we are so happy to have you back. hey, nadia, how are you doing? >> reporter: 11-year-old nadia disappeared april 9th after wandering into dense woods near her home. for four nights she was lost there. after she was located and carried from the woods on a stretcher, she had stories to tell. >> you know what? the whole reason i even went into thighs wood sincere because i really wanted to see nature and, i mean, i really did get to see nature. >> reporter: police have  described the woods where she was lost as very thick and hard to get through. >> you wouldn't believe what i saw. i got to see this snake. it was a water moccassin, but i kept my distance from it, fortunately. >> reporter: for her family, nadia being lost in the woods was terrifying. >> when you go through something like this, and i pray that nobody else does, you do get a lift in your spirit when you have a family like this, like you all, that encouraged us and, you know, did all that you did. >> reporter: nadia is now back in school and is recovering from her cuts and bug bites. >> for nadia's safe return, we say thanks. >> reporter: sunday, the family joined in prayer. >> and for that, we do say thanks. >> amen. >> thanks, guy. >> see ya. >> reporter: for "today," mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> nadia is with us now, along with her parents, tanya and jeff bloom. good morning to you all. nice to see you. >> morning. >> morning. >> good morning. >> nadia, from what i understand, when they found you, you had a lot of bug bites, from head to toe. have you recovered from all of those or are you still itching a little bit? >> i'm still itchy, but i've recovered from most of them, but it's still itchy and i have to use aquafor, which i hate. >> i know, that's not pleasant stuff. you went in there, you wanted to see nature. we heard you say that. how long were you in there, in those woods and in that swamp, nadia, until you realized you couldn't find your way out? >> about an hour. >> did you immediately get scared? >> yeah. >> you know, i was trying to think, nadia, of my oldest son, who is 9 years old. you're 11. the part that got me most is how he would have been handling that first night, when it started to get dark in those woods and dark in that swamp. how did you handle that? >> well, i tried to think somebody would rescue me, but i had to sleep in this bush. >> was that first night one of the hard eest times? >> which was itchy. yeah, because i missed my family. >> yeah. jeff and tanya, what about you on that first night? i know you weren't allowed to take part in the official search. as parents, it's unbearable when your child is missing. >> yeah. >> as you see it getting dark on that first day, it had to be just really awful. >> yeah. that's especially when it was hardest, when it gets dark and you just don't know, you know, if she's crying, scared or what condition she's in. it's a terrible feeling. >> we had to leave at 2:30. when we left at 2:30, that was the hardest walk home ever, when they had the helicopter up and they told us to go home and get a little bit of rest. we were back maybe a couple of hours, two or three, but we were back. it was very difficult to walk away. >> nadia, i know you didn't get much sleep in these four days. did you find any food to eat, any water to drink? it was a swamp but you have to be careful about what you drink ierk imagine. >> there were these plants on the first and second day and they were spongy kind of, and they had water in them and you could eat them. they were kind of like food. >> so, you ate a few of those and made it through? >> they were water plants. uh-huh. they float. >> can you describe the moment when you heard mr. king's voice calling your name after four days and four nights? >> i was excited. i mean, i've never been so excited in my life. i knew i was finally going to get found and i was finally going to be out of these woods. >> yeah. that's very exciting. tanya and jeff, when you heard that news and you heard from the police your daughter had been found alive, i mean, can you describe that moment? >> ecstatic. >> yeah. >> just really praising god that she was found and that she was okay. >> it was like all the darkness flowed out and, you know, sunshine came just rushing in. that's how it felt. to describe it i guess. it's hard. >> in the end, it turns out nadia was only about a mile away from home when she was eventually found. these woods are right close to your property. any new rules in place when it comes to nadia and her nature exploits? >> she knows she's not supposed to go without anyone that's not a grown-up and she's not going to do it again, she's assured us. >> most importantly, we're happy that this turned out well. nadia, we're happy you're okay. we appreciate you talking to us this morning. okay? >> thank you. >> thank you. nice to meet you. tanya and jeff, t good morning. it's cloudy and cool around the region. we are in the 50s. radar sheing showers advancing from the southwest towards the north and east. we have one shower in prince william county continuing to move to the north and east about to move into southern prince george's county in the next few minutes or so. highs near 70 and might get showers and strong storms into this evening. >> >> don't forget. to check your weather any time, day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. surveillance video from here in new york, a goo samaritan who just thwarted a mugging left to bleed to death on a busy sidewalk. no one tried to help him. jeff rossen has details now. >> reporter: the surveillance tape is chilling. just off camera, this woman is mugged. that's when police say a good samaritan jumped in to help. the mugger stabbed him and ran away. the injured samaritan chases him before collapsing on the sidewalk. over the next hour and 20 minutes, more than 25 people pass by and did nothing. in one case, a man took a picture on his cell phone camera. another lifted his body and walked off, leaving him for dead. by the time emergency workers arrived, it was too late. when you saw that video, what went through your mind? >> i thought it was sad. we shouldn't be cruel to each other, at the minimum someone should have called 911. >> anybody that would do that, just leave him there to die, that's -- no morals, you know. no more or less, no conscience. >> reporter: it's happened before, a 78-year-old man was hit by a car on this busy road. at least nine drivers and countless pedestrians passed him by. he later died. in brooklyn, new york, a patient in a psych ward collapsed face down, unconscious in the waiting room. staff and other patients ignored her for nearly an hour. she also died. in seattle earlier this year, security guards stood by as this girl was beaten by a group of teenagers. psychologists say there's an explanation for this, something called a bystander effect. believe it or not, the more people around, the less likely it is for someone to help you. >> there's an assumption that someone else must be helping out. we're motivated to try to fit into our social environment. we want to do what others do. so, if we see people walking by, our behavior will follow. >> reporter: he says we're hardwired to look away and it may have cost this man his life. for "today," jeff rossen, nbc news, new york. still ahead, exclusive new video of that runaway ohio mom and whether she plans to go back to her husband and 1-year-old daughter. coming up next, with political campaigns now looking more like lifestyles of the rich and famous, does a little guy actually stand a chance? we'll explore that, coming up after this. bye momma. i love you. i love you. bye-bye. you be careful on your way home. -happy mother's day. -okay. bye-bye. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] this mother's day, give her something she can hold on to. a card. it's the biggest little thing you can do. claritin-d helps me breathe in and out. nothing works stronger, faster, or longer to relieve all my symptoms... ...including congestion without drowsiness. get claritin-d at the pharmacy counter. live claritin clear. what do you guys want to do? both: make rice krispie® treats! how many cups is it? six. oh, that's not six yet. whoa. where's the pan? both: over there. ( laughter ) push it down. push it down. thank you for helping. it's amazing what you can make out of a rainy day. childhood is calling. we're back now at 7:44 with a new kind of millionaire's club. wealthy americans using their own money to fund their own political campaigns. "today" national correspondent jamie gangel is in washington with more on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. the amount of money being spent in some of these races is staggering. but in the end, will it help or could it hurt? in politics these days, so many millionaires are running for office, it's beginning to look a little like -- ♪ lifestyles of the rich and the famous ♪ >> reporter: especially in connecticut, where there are so many rich candidates, stanford advocate recently ranked them by their cars, mansions and the size of their boats. thanks to a fortune made from her family's business, republican senate hopeful linda mcmahon was a contender with an impressive 47-foot sports yacht. but the smackdown winner was gubernator. a. l candidate tom foley, all of which raises the question, when millionaires can spend their own fortunes, what possible chance does a candidate like this have? can i ask you how much you're worth? >> how much i'm worth? >> reporter: yeah. >> with my '93 pickup thrown in? couple hundred thousand bucks, i think. no, my mortgage is bigger than that. i might be negative in value right now with the housing crisis. it's not about what you're worth. it's what you're passionate about, what you care about. >> reporter: former social studies teacher mark boughton is running for governor of connecticut, but his life is nothing like his opponents. >> i say yacht. you say -- >> dingy. >> reporter: some of your competitors have mansions. you have -- >> i have a house on a pond and i get water in my basement. >> reporter: with just $40,000 in donations, boughton can't afford fancy ad campaigns. instead, he goes door to door and relies on facebook, twitter and a handful of extremely dedicated volunteers. how much do you guys make? >> extra large pizza. >> on a good night. >> reporter: even so, boughton believes he can beat the millionaires, yachts and all. do you really think you can win against the big bucks? >> i'm going to win this race. >> reporter: election experts agree it's possible, pointing to famous big spenders who went down in defeat. >> you can spend all the money in the world advertising yourself, but if you don't have that fundamental quality that's appealing to voters, your money just won't buy them any votes. >> reporter: that said in the california governor's race, meg whitman isn't taking any chances and has donated $59 million to her own campaign. >> what you can do is get your message out and i hope that the voters will like what they hear. >> reporter: meanwhile, back in connecticut, mayor boughton believes he has a message and something else. >> life isn't about money. life is about relationships that you build. it's about helping the community. that's really what it's about. it's not about what's in your pocket. it's about what's in your heart. >> and -- go ahead. >> way behind in the polls now, but he says remember david and goliath and for the record, he wants everyone to know, matt, he had his pickup truck before scott brown. matt? >> that pickup is becoming the hot item on campaign trails. jamie, thank you. >> sure. still ahead, teenage girls speak out on the pressures they feel to be thin. you may be surprised at what they reveal. first, these messages. but five minutes ago, i took symbicort, and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so, today, i've noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing more of what i want to do. so we're clear -- it doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort, and it's significantly improves my lung function, starting within five minutes. symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing. now more of my want-tos are can-dos. as your doctor about symbicort today. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. you need listerine® whitening® vibrant white™ rinse. the mouthwash that gets teeth four times whiter than the leading toothpaste. and kills bad breath germs. listerine® whitening vibrant white™. at the same time, voilà, book your flight and hotel and kills bad breath germs. you could save up to 450 bucks. and that could come in pretty handy. where you book matters. expedia. against pollutants and damaging environmental factors. new eucerin daily skin balance body lotion with ph buffer strengthens your skin's protective barrier. new daily skin balance only from eucerin. the white house has now picked the finalist for its firstn hfr commencement challenge. six high schools competing for the chance to have president obama give their graduation day address. >> which is a cool thing. each school has made a video to explain why they deserve a presidential visit. take a look. >> spirit makes me proud of northwest, makes me proud to be a husky and i take that pride in everything i do. >> i am the first one in my family to go to college. >> me, too. >> me, too. >> me, too. >> i got accepted at georgetown university. >> stanford, princeton, columbia. >> duke, dartmouth. >> we learn by doing. we are setting an example for our community starting at our campus. >> where giants thrive. >> the home of kalamazoo, four years of public community college tuition. >> i got accepted into university. >> i was the first person in my family to go to college. >> let's explain how this works. ultimately, the president himself will choose the winning school, but you get to narrow the field down to three schools. here are the contenders, blue valley northwest high school in overland park, kansas, clark montessori in cincinnati, ohio, the denver school of science and technology in denver, colorado. >> the environmental charter high school in lawndale, california, kalamazoo central high school in kalamazoo, michigan, and cast from california. you can head to our website to find out how to vote. todayshow.com. >> you know who was my commencement speaker? >> who? >> geraldo rivera. that runaway mom returns home. the exclusive video and the latest on why she took off. >> first your local news. ♪ presenting the new toyota avalon. it's one smooth ride. it has lots of space for you... and all your things. i got mine with voice activated navigation. so we can get to the city. [ male announcer ] there's no finer way to travel. the new toyota avalon... comfort is back. ♪ bring me a dream comfort is back. as long as there's sun, you and your family can go have fun. because banana boat blocks up to 96% of harmful uva and uvb rays. so you can go, go, go, confident you're protected from sunburn and long-term skin damage. banana boat. we've got you covered. ♪ [ female announcer ] when is it okay to lose the cover-up? ♪ when you can. take the special k challenge... and lose an inch from your waist in two weeks. so lose your cover-up, and show off your confidence. design your plan at specialk.com. we helped keep your skin clear. now we have a solution for wrinkles. neutrogena anti wrinkle with retinol sa smoothes even deep wrinkles. it works...beautifully. neutrogena. good morning. 7:55 and low hanging cloud this is morning. good morning to you. in the news today, the virginia supreme court will hear the case of a business that did not want to be taxed for the dulles rail project. they are arguing they should not have to pay a tax to establish the funding. the lawyer said it believes that taxing commercial property owners and in the residential property owners violates the constitution. the cavs are in canada where they play game six against the canadienes. they lead 3-2 and the win will push them into the second round playoffs. if they win game seven, they will play wednesday night here in good morning. all the thunder and lightning is gone and we have lingering showers south of washington in the shenandoah valley. temperatures climb under a mostly cloudy sky and could get storm this is afternoon and this morning. how is the traffic? >> plenty of wet pavement north and south of 95 through the city. notice all the road spray. same story along i-270. both cases right now, travel lanes are open, but do be careful. >> get the news when you wake up at 8:00 now on a monday morning. it's the 26th day of april, 2010. it's a little bit dreary here in the northeast. we've got some overcast skies, had some rain overnight. it's continuing to maybe drizzle or sprinkle here a bit. nice crowd of people. that's always something that ma makes us happy. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry, who is in, while meredith is taking the day off. mr. roker joins us as well. coming up, we've got some new video of ohio mom, tiffany tehan. this is, what, about a week after she returned home -- or disappeared after running off with another guy. >> that's right. she has a 1-year-old baby at home. she ran off with another guy. we'll find out what the story is, whether she plans to go back to her family. the man in that video is the other man. we have exclusive information. we'll be getting to that shortly. also ahead, an honest and open talk with teenage girls about things like weight, body image and the pressure to stay thin. they're very open in this discussion. what they say, i think, is going to surprise a lot of parents. so, we'll be talking about that and then giving some advice to parents, what they need to know as they deal with their teenage children. not only girls, by the way. boys as well. >> absolutely. we'll reintroduce you to an amazing family, who bravely faced the loss of their little boy, elliott, who died of a rare disease just 99 days after he was born. they made a moving video. we shared that with you last year. this morning, the mooneys are back and will share more of their story. it's a real story of human compassion and of faith. it will move you. >> it's touched a lot of people. >> it has. >> some of this has been on the internet and the response has been pretty strong. >> we will bring that to you. first, let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk with a look at the headlines. good morning to you. >> good morning matt, ann and al. mississippi is cleaning up today after weekend deadly tornadoes, the state's worst natural disaster since hurricane katrina five years ago. ten people were killed in mississippi along with two others in alabama. mississippi's governor said more than 700 homes were damaged or destroyed. a court appearance today for an ohio man, who police say brought a gun to a north carolina airport, just as president obama was leaving. according to police, 23-year-old joseph mcvey told officers he wanted to see the president, who was vacationing in the area, before the president attended a memorial service for 29 west virginia coal miners. robot submarines will try to shut the valves on a leaking oil well today, one mile beneath the gulf of mexico. officials say up to a day are leaking from the site where a drilling platform exploded off the coast of louisiana. bret michaels remains in critical condition today with a brain hemorrhage. >> reporter: sunday night on ""celebrity apprentice"," rocker turned reality star bret michaels did his best to stay in the board room. >> he's a big rock star. >> reporter: the episode was taped months ago. and in real life, michaels is fight iing to get out of the hospital. thursday, the former front man for '80s hairband poison was admitted to the hospital after complaining of an excruciating headache. doctors found he had suffered a massive brain bleed. now on his facebook page, lighthearted posts have been replaced with medical updates, his staff writing bret remains in icu under critical condition, under 24-hour doctor's care and supervision. he continues to suffer from splured speech, blurred vision and dizziness, the latest in a series of recent medical problems. just ten days earlier, michaels was rushed to a san antonio hospital for an emergency appendectomy. he has also spoken openly about his lifelong battle with diabetes. and he was injured at 2009's tony awards when hit by a moving piece of the stage. >> he obviously has had ""celebrity apprentice"," touring, working on another show as well, developing that. he has been undergoing a period of stress and that may have contribute contributed to this. >> we are going for absolute broke on this. >> reporter: tv boss donald trump says he is deeply saddened about michaels' condition and described him as a great competitor, one now fighting to regain his health. nbc news, los angeles. >> we, of course, are hoping and praying for him as well and hoping he recovers. it's 8:04 right now. let's go back outside once again to matt and ann. >> natalie, ann will be here momentarily. she's involved in a photo-op over here. with some people from ireland. we appreciate that. good morning. at this hour we are cloudy and cool and scattered showers in the low to mid 50s. showers moving southwest to northeast into prince georges county and a few other showers into howard county as well as the panhandle of west virginia. these are continuing to move off to the moerth and east. maybe sun too breaking out later today. highs near 70 and could get storms. mid-to late afternoon and drying out tomorrow. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. when we come back, exclusive new video of that runaway ohio mom and her explanation as to why she ran away to miami with another man. first, these messages. . it's not rocket science. [ frog croaks ] three's more than two. i'm not even gonna answer that question. [ female announcer ] there you have it. three is more than two. and quilted northern ultra plush outperforms the ultra rippled brand. it has two layers for softness and a third for absorbency. quilted northern ultra plush. experience three layers for yourself. if you're not satisfied, we'll give you your money back. would we eat better? [ rewinding ] at hellmann's, we search for the best sources to make our mayonnaise. we use eggs, vinegar and oil rich in omega 3. ♪ for the quality that could only be hellmann's. hellmann's. it's time for real. and, now introducing hellmann's light. it's made with 100% cage free eggs. miracle-gro results ever? spectacular plants without all the weeds. with miracle-gro shake 'n feed plus weed preventer. just a few shakes stops weeds before they start. plants grow twice as big. with almost no weeds. even in your vegetable garden. want three months of feeding, without all the weeding? ♪ all you need... is shake 'n feed plus weed preventer. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time. time for new zyrtec® liquid gels. they work fast. so i can get relief from the pollen that used to make me sneeze, my eyes water. with new zyrtec® liquid gels, i get allergy relief at liquid speed. that's the fast, powerful relief of zyrtec®, now in a liquid gel. zyrtec® is the fastest 24-hour allergy medicine. it works on my worst symptoms so i'm ready by the time we get to the first hole. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. back now at 8:10 with exclusive video of that ohio mom who ran away to florida last week with another man, leaving her husband and 1-year-old daughter behind. jeff rossen is here with the latest on this. good morning. >> good morning to you. a lot of people are wondering how could a mother just up and leave her family, especially her baby? this morning, new answers from the runaway mom herself. now she says she wants to stay with her new boyfriend for good, telling nbc news, "we're in love." over the weekend, our first look at tiffany tehan, the runaway mom, with her new boyfriend, tre hutcherson, back in ohio. >> tiffany, why did you run off? do you guys have anything to say? >> no comment right now. >> are you sorry f what happened? >> yes, of course. >> reporter: tiffany and tre are both married to other people. in fact, tiffany's a new mom to 1-year-old lexi. last weekend, she went shopping and never came home. police launched a nationwide search. her family fearing the worst, was tiffany abducted, hurt? officers found her green ford explorer in a local park, keys in the ignition, doors locked, a flat tire. >> for the car to be abandoned, we're very concerned. >> reporter: then a twist. days after she vanished, police released surveillance shots of tiffany and tre at a convenience store a month earlier. no one knew they had an affair and had run off together unt until -- >> she was found in miami beach, florida. she is safe. >> reporter: safe, with another lice found tiffany and her new boyfriend together in this miami beach motel, 1,000 miles away from her family in ohio. tiffany's husband, david, still stood by her. >> she may have made some mistakes, but everyone does. and i can't blame her for any of them. >> reporter: but now, tiffany tells nbc news she wants to start a new life with her boyfriend. >> i think it's pretty crazy. i think she's an unfit mother. she left her child. >> if she wants to go to florida and have a good time, it's her business, nobody else's. >> reporter: sunday at tiffany's hometown church, the pastor focused his sermon on tiffany and urged the congregation not to judge her. >> we may not understand the choices our loved ones make, our friends make. the unknown will always be with us. >> reporter: the unknown force that drove this mom away from her baby daughter and into the arms of another man. >> tre, what are you guys doing now? >> we're going to an undisclosed location. we'll be in touch with you when we can. >> reporter: tiffany's legal future is unknown, too. police spent $5,000 searching for her nationwide. they may want that money back. so far, ann, no criminal charges have been filed. prosecutors now say they're reviewing all the evidence and may even subpoena tiffany and her family to get the full story out of them. >> jeff rossen, thank you so much. we've got gail saltz, psychiatrist and "today" contributor and jeff gardere, a psychologist. good morning. >> good morning. >> can we rule out some psychiatric force here? >> definitely not. postpartum depression can be diagnosed up to a year afterbirth. i would say that doesn't really sound like that situation. other forms of depression, anxiety issues, issues of unresolved early trauma or abandonment and how that might play out. >> for the woman you're saying? >> for the woman. >> for the woman. >> could all be factors. >> you're saying it's common when a woman does this sort of thing, there is something in her history about her childhood? >> often there is something psychiatric or psychological going on that has predispose d her to abandoning her child, be because that is a very unusual situation. not necessarily so. >> so, is it deeply uncommon for a woman to leave had her family? we see men leave their families. >> men can leave their families because they're not giving birth to their children. what we're talking about here is the connection, the emotional, visceral, physical connection with a baby, a person who can do that is a person who, i think, probably has some deep emotional issues. so, when women do this, we look at something maybe pathological going on. what is happening that she would do something so inappropriate? she could have filed for a separation if she had issues just with her marriage. i think there's a lot more going on here. >> let me stop you there. this raises the specter of women being judged differently than men. there has to be a reason for this. is it fair for women to be judged more harshly than men when they leave their families? gail? >> i don't know if we can talk about fairness so much as the reality of the situation, which is women, you know, have the equipment to bear babies. they are hardwired differently than men. we have oxytocin released at various times that is the chemical of bonding, that has to do with bonding with your child. that is why women more often are primary caretakers. is it fair? i think fathers should be held just as accountable if they abandon their child. >> absolutely. >> but there is a hard-wired reason why women -- >> i don't think we should be more harsh on women. we should judge them at times differently because of this hardwired connection. there are different reasons men do it as it regards to when women do it. >> the bottom line is, you know, it's not okay to abandon your child. if you've done so, you need to look at whether there's some explanation. it's not just about judgment. is there an explanation? do you need help? are you overwhelmed? >> let me ask you something that might be more useful. what can be done now to minimize the damage to this child, who is 1? >> the child is preverbal. the child probably doesn't know specifically this is exactly what happened, yet a 1-year-old can feel abandoned and a 1-year-old can become quite depressed and despondent at a loss for mom. >> as quickly as possible, get family around this child, make sure mom gets back with the child. we need to find out what's happening with mom. this doesn't have to do with her getting together with another guy who happens to be married to someone else. this is about psychological issues she's having to do this. >> i hate to interrupt. we're out of time and obviously this got you charged up. jeff gardere and gail saltz as well. >> thank you. coming up next, a revealing conversation with four teenage girls on weight, body image and self esteem, right after this. 9 decks above the boardwalk. l meanwhile, 3-year-old axel rode his first carousel at sea. taylor from florida went surfing somewhere in the middle of the ocean. and finally, the turners and kratzes enjoyed dinner in central park. that's the news. i'm stilt walker christy piper, on royal caribbean's oaoasis of the seas. why aren't you? soak our yards in color. get our hands a little busier. our dollars a little stronger. and our thinking a little greener. let's grab all the bags and all the plants and all the latest tools out there. so we can turn all these savings into more colorful shades of doing. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we've made a special buy on perennials. 5 for just $10. we've made a special buy on perennials. it's tough to reach that five servings a day if you don't always like the taste of vegetables. good thing v8 v-fusion juice gives you a serving of vegetables hidden by a serving of fruit. [barking] . what's your number? parents magazine and edmunds.com called it "one of the best family cars of 2009." the insurance institute for highway safety calls it a "2010 top safety pick." consumers digest has called it a "best buy" two years in a row. and with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty... we call it peace of mind. chevy malibu. during the spring event, qualified lessees can get a low mileage lease on this new malibu ls for around $199 a month. call for details. see your local chevy dealer. >> announcer: take it off "today" is brought to you by truvia sweetener. honestly sweet. this morning on take it off "today," teens weight and self esteem. one in three teens in the u.s. is considered overweight. joy bauer worked with "seventeen" magazine for a special report on the obesity epidemic and recently sat down with four high school girls for a candid discussion. >> do you ever feel pressure to be thin, either from your family or from your friends or from thi mea? >> i definitely feel pressured to be skinny all the time, like from my friends, family and media especially. >> it is very, very difficult to be -- look in the mirror and think, okay, i'm skinny. this is good. but it's not skinny enough. >> i think it kind of hurts when i see people that are like half my size complain about how big they are. and that's just like a slap in the face. i don't think i ever look in the mirror and am completely happy with what i see. >> all my friends are skinny, like all the models and all the people on tv you see are skinny. i feel like i'm constantly being pressured to lose weight. >> i sometimes feel upset about -- i would rather be a little thinner than the weight i am now. >> what are some of the foods that you eat? what are some of your favorites? >> i love kit kat bars. in the supermarket, i'll buy them in the pack, six or seven of them in a pack. i'll keep them in the top of my closet or actually on the windowsill, because they get cold. it's like sometimes when i'm trying to fall asleep, i can't fall asleep and i'll be like, i have a kit kat on the windowsill. i don't care if it's 2:00 in the morning. >> you get home and open the fridge. there's food. i'm not hungry, but, hey, i might as well eat at least ten of those things in there. >> we do mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and we have junk food like cookies, chips, milk shakes. >> i'll weigh myself and be like, oh, my gosh, i have to lose five, ten pounds. >> i weighed myself and was like, oh, my god, this isn't good. >> i hate weighing myself. i try not to. just whatever number i see always brings me down, like it's not the ideal number. >> joy bauer, good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, matt. >> every one of the girls you talked to said that she wished she could be thinner. >> right. it's upsetting but it's not surprising. it's important to point out that some of this sort of insecurity is a normal part of development. >> do i fit in with my friends, that sort of thing? >> exactly. but it certainly doesn't help that the media is bombarding them with these ultra thin models and celebrities who are celebrated and at the same time the girls are presented with exorbitant amounts of junk food. it's a hard mixed message. they want to be thin but they're overeating the wrong food and often are overweight. it's a recipe for girls that just don't feel good about their bodies. >> when you say some of this is normal, what would be a normal healthy comment for a teenage girl to say about her own physique and where is the line and what would be healthy? >> a couple of comments here and there are normal. there are some red flags that people need to know about. if your child is excessively complaining and talking about their weight, either with you or with friends, red flag. if they're restrictive with their food -- in other words, they're not eating that much or they're compulsive. they're eating out of control, it's another red flag. if they're preoccupied with that scale -- teenagers should not be preoccupied. jumping on and off the scale. >> by the way, it can start even earlier than teen years. i know, i've heard my daughter come home from school and say -- >> how is your daughter? >> my daughter is 6 and she says so-and-so says i have a big belly. that doesn't sound like much but if they start hearing that, that's not a good thing. >> as parents we have to start empowering our kid with his positive self talk from the get go and compliment them on their talents other than appearance, writing. >> what if your daughter truly is overweight? how do you broach that subject without causing emotional harm? >> it's tricky. most girls will openly complain about their body dissatisfaction. instead of bringing up a sensitive conversation like that out of the blue, wait until your teenager complains and then use that complaint as a launching pad to initiate a sensitive, supportive conversation. the good news is that there are so many terrific resources for teens who need to lose weight. you can contact the american dietetic association. eatright.org. find a local registered dietician in your area. that "seventeen" spread is on stands now or talk to your local pediatrician about community programs. there is a lot of great stuff out there. the starting place is that supportive, gentle talk. >> also it's important, family dinners. get around the dinner table together. >> absolutely. >> great place to see what's happening with your kids. >> it should be a mandatory event. >> joy bauer, thanks. >> thanks, matt. the family that drew inspiration from the short >> 8:26 is your time and cloudy skies in the nation's capital. tom will have the forecast after the news. if you use the woodrow wilson bridge, expect extra traffic. crews will be paving the ramp between 9:00 and 3:00 and in the overnight hours. during that time there will be lane closures on the inner and outer loop and the ramp leading to telegraph road. we will have the weather and traffic when we i'm done with all these lists. and driving all over town. i want one list. for one store. [ female announcer ] at safeway, you get it all. great quality and great prices. so you just need a safeway list. [ male announcer ] with thousands of everyday low prices you'll save all over the store. [ female announcer ] plus we have great club card specials like oven joy bread is just 89 cents and safeway apple juice only $1.79. [ male announcer ] quality and low prices. so there's one stop for everything. [ female announcer ] at safeway, that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. >> radar showing scattered showers and it's cool. we are in the 50s. occasional passing showers and a thunderstorm with highs near 70. a small chance a storm could produce wind damage and hail. >> a quick check on the outer loop. an accident reported and more stop in virginia along i-95 and dealing with wet pavement. it's slick out there. be careful. >> thank you. get all your news, weather, and traffic earlier. we're back now, 8:30 on a monday morning, the 26th day of april, 2010. as we've been saying all morning long, it's not the nicest spring day we've ever had around here. kind of chilly, 50 degrees. couple of drops of rain in the air. as always, a nice crowd is gathered at rockefeller plaza. we're happy about that. i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry, natalie morales and al roker. coming up, you'll reintroduce us to a family, i think, we first met about a year ago. >> that's right. their names are matt and jennie mooney. they made a touching video of the 99 days they got to spend with their son, elliott. it was a sensation and touched a lot of people on the internet. he was born with a rare disease. now the family is growing with the edition of another son. so, we'll catch up with them. >> lovely family. also ahead, one of the stars of nbc's hit new show "parenthood" is here, talking about a big family dealing with a unique set of trials and tribulations and lauren graham will be joining us. >> i love her. >> thank you. >> she is so talented. >> it would have been bad if you said she's not my favorite, she's sitting right there. >> i tell you what i really think. i'm telling you, i just love her. >> i don't think we could have gone without knowing that. >> yeah. >> that's quite all right. in the last half hour, matt was talking about body image in young women. >> yeah. >> are you skinny fat? that's one of the things people are worried about when they're looking at their appearance. they may appear to be in great shape but, in fact, on the inside you're a little on the unhealthy side. we'll talk about that and show you simple ways to improve your overall health. >> lots to get to. we would also love your weather forecast. >> that's right. we would love that. really? >> we would love some sun good morning. it's cloudy and cool on this monday. temperatures in the low and mid 50s and on the radar we had scattered passing showers and thunder and lightning in southern prince george's county into northern calvert county. this will continue throughout the rest of the day with passing showers and maybe thundershowers this afternoon between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. that could produce damaging winds and hail. a small chance of that. drying out through the end of the week. >> that's your latest weather. get your weather any time of the day at weather.com or weather channel. inspiring story, a family that made the back at 8:35 this morning on "today's" update, a remarkable family that's had a big impact on millions of lives, with the emotional video they created about their son, elliott, who lived just 99 days. >> dear elliott, you were born today, weighing in at six pounds. you're already a miracle to us. your mom is doing well and it looks like we'll be hanging out here at the hospital a little longer. dear elliott, i don't know if you've noticed, but you're connected to some tubes. the doctors say you we have to keep these in to get oxygen for you to breathe. we feed you every three hours and it takes an hour and a half to do it. it's 11:00 at night and my feeding shift has just begun. mom is asleep and the best part of my day has just begun. dear elliott, you now weigh seven pounds, three ounces. you're growing and your food has been bumped up because of your good appetite. you continue to find new ways to steal our hearts. dear elliott, you have now passed the three-month mark. you also have your first cordless pictures taken today, no feeding tube, oxygen or stickers. this was no small accomplishment, but we got it done. have i told you lately that we are so proud of you? >> matt and jenni mooney are here with their 18-month-old daughter, hazel and 3-month-old son, andrew. good morning. i noticed how much you were looking at that video. you've seen it over and over again, but you're looking at it. clearly, you've added to your family now. you have anders, whose almost 3 months old. it must have been so poignant to you, to give birth and have another child. >> i think it's always special to have a child, but just walking through what we walked through, if you could ever take it for granted, we can't. we're happy to have them here and always kind of enjoy and try not to take for granted what we've learned with elliott and learn that every day is beautiful and special and live that out with them. >> to get to this point with anders, you had some scary moments. i understand you were on bed rest for a long time, for three months. >> yeah. >> it must have been pretty scary, given all that you've gone through. >> well, i think elliott kind of -- through him, we don't really have the luxury to think that nothing could go wrong. so, when we had a scare with anders, we were very aware that anything could happen. you know, bed rest was not fun, but, you know, it's worth it because he's here, and he's healthy and doing great. >> he's healthy. it's huge. he's a big boy, really strong. he's curious and looking around. i know he's not showing his face to the public so much right now this morning, but that's okay. at 3 months, let me ask you, he's really getting -- this week, isn't it, he will be reaching the three-month mark, which is the mark where elliott passed. is that right? >> that's correct. so, he will be approaching the 99-day mark here real shortly. you know, we kind of measure things in days. that's the way we look at it. we know that day is coming up and that's special to us. >> that's right, hazel. >> and special to hazel. that's definitely special to us. yeah, that is coming up. we'll mark that. we try to celebrate every day, just like we do with elliott and enjoy them. it looks different, because it's chaos these days, but it's still worth enjoying. >> you're going to eventually want them to know about their brother. >> absolutely. we've seen ourselves as a family of five. that's the way that we've kind of handled what we walk through. people do it differently. however they do it is fine by me. we see ourselves as a family of five. we have pictures of elliott up in our house and parents remember their kids and we're no different. >> one of the things in which you are different is that you have made a point to reach out to people through the internet and you've been blogging. would you describe the response you've been getting from people, blogs and video that you saw? >> it seems quite beyond us. we think that he's -- we think elliott was a spectacular little boy. it was neat to put his story out there and have other people think that as well. it's kind of overwhelming. >> i know. i know. well, you know, that's right. there's a cheerio. there you go. >> when it doubt, bribe 'em. >> and when elliott died, you talked about -- and you also have talked about this in your video. you released 99 balloons, one for every day of his life. and now you have started an organization, is that right, to help people? >> yes. we started an organization called 99 balloons and we work with special needs families locally and nationally. a respite need. families can come, drop off their special needs kids and siblings. we like to think of it as a romantic night, date night, but they usually go to walmart. it's not a night that elliott could have ever gone to, but it was a place where we came out -- we had tons of people who helped us. they helped us so we could take care of elliott. so, coming out of it, that's not everybody's story. so we want to help. >> you're obviously helping a lot of people. the last question i have is for anybody listening now, who has a very sick child and has been told, as you were told, that your child may not make it, what do you want to say to those people? >> well, that's hard. there are a lot of things i would want to say to them. when elliott was here, our big thing is i don't know what will happen tomorrow, but i'll have today. i think that's a great way to live, even now with these kids, whether your kids are healthy or sick. we're not promised tomorrow, but you have today, so just to enjoy life, every moment that you have. >> be connected with them, relish. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> you are some family, i will say. anders is fantastic and so are you, hazel. >> say thank you. >> you're fantastic. nice to meet you. oh, better not do that. okay. she knows now not to shake hand with his strangers. the mooney family. thank you so much. we're back with mor we're back at 8:44. for seven seasons, lauren graham endeared herself as laura ly. this time on nbc's new dramedy "parenthood." >> this is your junior year, the difference between paging dr. braverman or do you want fries with that. >> dr. braverman, really? >> it's possible if you just -- >> hang on. i think it's going to be this one. >> five school, amber. why is it so hard? that's cute. wear that. >> lauren graham, good morning. she's a little intense. >> the daughter or me? >> no, the mom. the you. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. she has a lot going on. she's living with her parents at 38. that's not -- >> something's wrong here, no question about it. >> exactly. >> congratulations, just got renewed. >> thank you, yeah. >> that's a nice feeling. >> especially in today's world. it's hard to keep a good show on the air. so i'm happy. >> with "gilmore girls," have you ever had those moments of nail biting? >> you never know. on a smaller network, you don't worry about the numbers quite as much. but, you know, you never know what's going to happen. >> here at nbc, we worry about the numbers a lot. you'll learn that. >> you always worry. they put so much faith in us, we didn't want to disappoint. we're glad to be back. >> single mom again. >> yeah. what's the deal? >> now did you look forward -- i wasn't going to put it that way. but what's the deal? >> it was not my attention. i was like, i'll play a lawyer now or something, who doesn't have kids. it was such a good part and all the elements of the show, ron howard producing and the creator of "friday night lights." and it was a part i loved. she's a different character. >> i was spending time on articles about you yesterday. >> how was that? was that fun? >> it was raining. a quiet day. >> nothing better to do. >> this story has been told a gazi gazillion times, stop me and i'll still have you tell it. >> okay. >> but your own life experience was quite different. >> i spent a lot more time with my dad, who raised me. and i think as an actor, it just gave me freedom in a way to not feel the pressure of what a traditional mom relationship is. >> in other words, you didn't fall into a stereotype. >> yeah. >> you just went with what you felt? >> yeah, and took the given circumstances and everything and didn't bring some stereotype to it, i guess. >> i mentioned "gilmore girls." that was a career-changing role, i would imagine. >> uh-huh. >> hope i'm not overstating that. >> uh-huh. >> where were you before that show and where do you think it left you? >> i had done a lot of series, but nothing that had really caught on. i think i'm still learning and still understanding how that show captured people's imagination. i think it was really well written and really specifically written. it just really had a sound to it, that sort of rat-a-tat-tat style that that writer excelled at. it was just an interesting chemistry of writer and actor. and that's what i was looking for in doing this show, because you just want someone who is writing for you. that's the main thing. >> that ended, what, three years ago, i guess. >> yeah. >> i know you've read a lot of movies. >> uh-huh. >> you also went on broadway. >> uh-huh. >> you read, i found, it's somewhat terrifying. >> yeah. >> you were in guys and dolls? >> i was in the revival of guys and dolls. i loved so much. it had been a childhood dream of mine. i did all the musicals in high school and i thought that's what i would end up doing and my career took a different path. it's incredibly terrifying. there's no immediate feedback like a live audience and they are telling you if they are enjoying you or not. >> it's not summer stock. this is broadway. >> really a lot of pressure. i love that. i love the opportunities i've gotten in this career to, you know, really challenge myself. and it was humbling. it just reminded me that my work as an actor is to entertain and give people, you know, an enjoyable experience. and it's not about me, it's about them. >> if i put the piece of paper down in front of you and hand you a pen and said if you could fill in the blank that lauren graham's next big project will be -- >> it's sort of, you know, continuing to do better and better versions of the same thing. i mean, what's frightening is in terms of that initial list, i have met it. do you know what i mean? i have had a wonderful tv series. i got to do a great broadway show. so now it's just about being a better version of myself in that -- you know, the next time. i would love to come back and do theater in new york. i hope this show can be something special, like gilmore girls was. so it's just more of the same, matt. >> you can do theater in the future. right now you're stuck with us. >> i love it. couldn't be happier. >> for another season of "parenthood." lauren graham. >> thank you. >> catch "parenthood" tuesday night at 10:00 pm here on nbc. this is "today" -- you get to keep the mug. this is "today" on nbc. now to an eye-opening look of what life is like for women in saudi arabia. good morning. >> good morning. as you know, it's not easy to get into saudi arabia as an american and it's hard to get access to women who will discuss the challenges that they face. we recently found a mother and daughters who started a magazine and were willing to let us into their home. this is saudi arabia in 2010, segregated restaurants, segregated banks and no women behind the wheel. this spring on "millions poet," similar in style to "american idol," saudi arabian won first place. there's no question limiting women holds the middle east's biggest economy back. women are half the population, but only 10% of the workforce. >> in a few days it will start? >> reporter: some women are starting to change that. this woman and her daughters started "oasis," a magazine about saudi culture. >> some of my friends tell me it was my dream since i was very young. >> reporter: her daughters are in their mid 20s, only a year apart. have you guys been sort of best friends since you were little? >> i think so. >> yeah. >> we ended up always in the same room. >> and everybody thought we were twins. >> we were kind of stuck together. she's very quiet and i'm kind of -- >> reporter: after receiving a degree, basra realized there weren't any jobs in that area in saudi arabia, but she wanted to come home. >> i wanted to see my family. >> reporter: in starting "oasis," they joined 30,000 businesses. there are more than 8 million women in the country but basra think women are on the rise. >> you have more chances as a woman than you have as a guy, i think, right now. >> reporter: really? >> people prefer to hire women than a guy if they have the same qualifications. >> reporter: why is that? women are hard workers? >> yeah, they are. >> reporter: an artist herself, her paintings hang on every wall in the family home in riad. >> you never took any art classes? >> no, i didn't. >> reporter: you were just born with this? >> i guess, yeah. it's a gift. >> reporter: she wants to change the negative views americans have about her country. >> they have misconceptions. that's why the magazine is so important. >> reporter: all the women we spoke with tried to convince us that the ban on women driving are superficial and the west focuses on them too much. does a limitation on driving annoy you? >> for me, it's not an obstacle. >> it's just a piece of cloth. if that's going to limit you, you're not strong enough as a person to do what you want to do really. >> reporter: not everything is foreign. >> when we make a decision, we keep a voting. >> reporter: in the house? >> they always work it out, but i follow. >> that would be one vote always on your side. where women still can't leave the country without a man's permission. >> this is about snow falling in the desert. like saudi women standing in the desert and snow is falling. clouds are all around them. so, they can't really escape what's happening. but at the end of the day i think it's why it's snow and, to me, it's a good change happening. >> reporter: three women succeeding in business is change, indeed, for saudi arabia. since the first issue of "oasis" rolled off the printing press, they've gone from printing 5,000 c copies a month to 10,000. while they move ahead, a lot of women who we met in saudi arabia, believe it will take another ten years to end that ban on driving, the most glaring example that treats women as second class. >> five years? >> they might not asv as big an issue on the ban on driving because they can afford someone to drive them. >> many women cannot. nadia bloom talks about her four-day ordeal in a swamp. 8:56 is your time. rain out there in the nation's capital. tom will have the forecast after the news in the news 4 today, virginia will hear the case of a business that doesn't want to be taxed for the dulles rail project. they argued that it should not have to pay a new property tax established for the extension. the company's lawyers said they support transportation improvement, but believe commercial property owners and not residential owners taxes violate the constitution. >> the cavs are in round 1 and play game six tonight. they lead the series 3-2 and a win would push them to the second round. if they win, game seven will be played wednesday in washington. go cavs. we will take a break not that long ago, many families were priced out of an overheated housing market. but the times have changed. get the facts at remax.com. it's a great place to see all the listings in thousands of cities and towns. with lots of houses to chose from and down-to-earth prices the dream of owning a home seems more attainable than ever. find out what an experienced re/max agent can do for you. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. >> scattered showers and rumbles of thuner earlier. we will have showers and maybe thunder this afternoon. how is the traffic? >> an accident with a tractor-trailer is on the outer loop in the local lanes just before you get to the wilson bridge. police are en route and fire and rescue as well. >> get the news as soon as you wake up. news 4 today begins at we're back now with more of "today" on a monday morning, the 26th day of april, 2010. dreary weather to start the week. but, don't worry about it, it will get nicer by wednesday. at least a nice end to the week. that, according to doppler al roker. i'm matt lauer with ann curry and al roker. the latest on some terrible weather that affected people down in the south over the weekend. >> hundreds of people across six southern states are assessing now what's left of their homes this morning, trying to salvage what they can. storms are being blamed for at least a dozen deaths. we'll listen to some amazing stories of survival, matt. >> speaking of survival, how about this for a survival story? 11-year-old nadia bloom, remember her? the 11-year-old, as i mentioned, florida girl, who got lost in a swamp, alligator and bug-infested swamp for four days and four nights. she was found okay, but basically covered in bug bites. nadia is now talking. we'll find out about her ordeal and talk to her parents as welcoming up in a little while. on a different note, what it means to be skinny fat, to look normal sized on the outside, but on the inside body mass index is showing that you're obese. joy bauer began working with a woman eight weeks ago, because that put her at risk for health problems and chronic disease. this morning, the results of her healthy makeover. >> i wonder if this actually is a problem that increases as you get older as well. we'll find out about that. >> i don't know. we'll ask joy. >> a lot to get to. first, let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk with a check of the headlines. hi, natalie. >> good morning again matt, ann and al. good morning, everyone. from mississippi to the carolinas, people are assessing the damage from the weekend storms that killed at least 12 people. kerry sanders is in hard-hit mississippi. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. upwards of 700 homes were damaged or destroyed here in mississippi, like this one. one of the twisters that touched down here was huge, a mile and a half wide. it was a monster. >> it's a beast. it keeps changing shape, bigger, wider. yeah. >> reporter: the storm chasers were just a little too close. they made it out alive. but others were not as lucky, when as many as 30 tornadoes touched down across the southeast. yazoo city, mississippi, was hard hit. and nearby in millsprings, some of the worst destruction. j.w. carter lost two grandchildren when they were ripped from their father's arms. >> he said he grabbed the kids and tried to get on top of them, try to put them all in his arms but the wind ripped him off them. >> reporter: also amazing story of survival. >> we had a communion table up at the pulpit. i went under that communion table. the glass started blowing out, the building started shaking and collapsed around me. >> reporter: victor ann steel remembers hearing the wind and rain but didn't think it was a tornado. >> we dropped to the floor because everything was just -- everything was off the wall. everything was just flying around. debris, insulation. we were just covered in trash and -- but we held on, just laid down on the floor. >> reporter: in connection done granddaughter was in another trailer that disappeared in the 160-mile-an-hour winds. the house explodes. you're on the phone. next thing you know, you're in the air. then what? >> i felt a tree and i grabbed on to it. >> reporter: you just reached down and grabbed a limb? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: local officials say residents are fortunate the tornado struck in the middle of the afternoon, when people were aware of the danger. national guard units are now on patrol. while over the weekend, parishioners at the millspring baptist church gave thanks at the sight of their heavily damaged sanctuary. >> you know, we're resilient. we're a tough community and we have a lot of faith in god. we get up the next day, shake the dust off and realize we have to go on. >> reporter: early indications are this may be a record tornado for mississippi. early calculations show when it got on the ground, it stayed on the ground for 97 miles. natalie? >> so scary. kerry sanders in north weir, mississippi. thank you, kerry. the man who police say brought a gun to an airport sunday just as president obama was leaving appears in court today. police in asheville, north carolina, say 23-year-old joseph mcvey told them he wanted to see the president, who was vacationing in the area. meanwhile, the president spoke at a memorial service sunday for the 29 miners killed in west virginia earlier this month. he told their families that the u.s. will honor their memories by making mines safer. this could be a critical day for crews trying to shut off a leaking oil well off the coast of louisiana. if they cannot close emergency valves using underwater robots, they'll have to drill a second relief well, which could take weeks. up to 42,000 gallons of oil a day are leaking from a site where a oil rig platform exploded over the week. "how to train your dragon" took first place over the weekend taking in $15 million. "the back-up plan" came in second and "date night" came in third. players of the alpine girls' softball association set a world record for the youth softball game, 142 players, 190 innings, and that's two sleepless nights. the final score, 291-272. good for them. now five minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to matt, ann and al. >> they're not watching this morning, because they're sleeping. >> no, they're sleeping in. >> hey, can we all say -- let's say ho otemogen. >> from belgium. >> what do you call waffles in belgium? >> if it's tuesday, it must be good morning. we had passing showers and even a little bit of thunder this morning south and east of washington. that has broken up a bit and a fou more showers on the way as the day progresses. into the mid-afternoon, sun breaking out and cloudy and highs in the upper 60s and 3:00 to 8:00 we could get thunderstorms. a small chance at an isolated storm. lingering showers and dry after that, warming up by the end of >> where are you ladies from? >> connecticut. >> oh, did i surprise you about that? >> yes. yeah. now let's go back inside to natalie. >> al, thank you. now the latest on the 11-year-old girl who was lost in an alligator-infested florida swamp for four days. nadia bloom is back home and speaking out for the first time since she was rescued. we'll talk to her and her parents in a moment. first, mark potter has more on how nadia has been doing. >> reporter: nearly two weeks after she was rescued, nadia bloom and her family are getting back to normal now. >> is it safe to say a new normal? >> reporter: at a church service on sunday, they stood before the congregation. >> we are so happy to have you back. nadia, how are you doing? >> reporter: 11-year-old nadia disappeared april 9th after wandering into dense woods near her home. for four nights she was lost there, as searchers looked through swamps. she had stories to tell. >> you know what? the whole reason i even went into these woods and because i really wanted to see nature and, i mean, i really did get to see nature. >> reporter: police have described the woods where she was lost as very thick and hard to get through. >> you wouldn't believe what i saw. i got to see this snake -- a snake. it was a water mocassin, but i kept my distance from it, fortunately. >> reporter: for her family, though, nadia lost in the woods was terrifying and they thanked all the friends who supported them then. >> when you go through something like this, and i pray that nobody else does, you do get a lift in your spirit when you have a family like this, like you all, that encouraged us and, you know, did all that you did. >> reporter: nadia is now back in school and is recovering from her cuts and bug bites. >> for nadia's safe return, we say thanks. >> reporter: on sunday, the family joined in prayer. >> for that, we do say thanks. amen. thanks. >> see ya. >> reporter: for "today," mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> earlier this morning, matt spoke with nadia and her family and asked her if she had fully recovered or if she was still itchy. >> i'm still itchy, but i'm -- i've recovered from most of them, but it's still itchy and i have to use aquaphor, which i hate. >> yeah, i know. that's not pleasant stuff. you went in there and wanted to see nature. we just heard you say that. how long were you in those woods and in that swamp before you realized, nadia, that you couldn't find your way out? >> about -- about an hour. >> and where -- did you immediately get scared? >> yeah. >> you know, i was trying to think, nadia, of my oldest son, who is 9 years old. you're 11. the part that got me the most is how he would have been handling that first night, you know, when it started to get dark in those woods and dark in that swamp. how did you handle that? >> well, i tried to think that somebody would rescue me, but i had to sleep in this -- in this bush. >> was that first night -- >> which was itchy. >> -- one of the hardest times? >> yeah, because i missed my family. >> yeah. i mean, jeff and tanya, what about you on that first night? i know you weren't allowed to take part in the official search. as parents, it's unbearable when your child is missing. >> yeah. >> and as you see it getting dark on that first day, it had to be just really awful. >> yeah, it -- that's especially when it was hardest, when it gets dark and you just don't know, you know, if she's crying, scared or what condition she's in. it's a terrible feeling. >> nadia, i know you didn't get much sleep in these four days. did you find anything to eat, any water to drink? it's a swamp but you have to be careful about what you drink, i would imagine. >> where, there are these plants on the first and second day, and they were spongy kind of, and they had water in them and you could eat them. and they were kind of like food. >> so, you ate a few of those? >> they had water in them. they were water plants. uh-huh. they float. >> can you describe the moment when you heard mr. king's voice calling your name, after four days and four nights? >> i was excited. i mean, i've never been so excited in my life. and i -- but then i knew i was finally going to get found and i was finally going to be out of these woods. >> yeah. so, that's very exciting. and, tanya and jeff, when you heard that news and you heard from the police your daughter had been found alive, i mean, can you describe that moment? >> ecstatic. just really praising god that she was found, that she was okay. >> it was like all the darkness flowed out and, you know, sunshine came just rushing in. it was -- that's how it felt. to describe it i guess. it's hard. >> in the end, it turns out nadia was only about a mile away from home when she was eventually found. so, these woods are right close to your property. any new rules in place when it comes to nadia and her nature exploits? >> oh, she knows she's not supposed to go without anyone that's not a grown-up and she's not going to do it again, she's assured us. >> she's doing great. that's matt's interview again earlier this morning with her parents, tanya and jeff. being thin on the outside, does it mean you're healthy on the inside? we'll have one woman's transformation after this. have you ever climbed a rock wall in the middle of the ocean? or tried something really wild? why not? it's all possible in the nation of why not. royal caribbean's floating nation where you're free to do anything you want. which may be nothing at all. royal caribbean international. visit royalcaribbean.com today. from crystal light. the first fitness drink with no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or preservatives. new purefitness... from crystal light. a pure way to water your body. we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a ski trip twice as fast. we get double miles every time we use our card. ( thuds ) i'll take this. ( crashing ) double miles add up quick. and all of those. so we brought the whole gang. one adult, one goat please. it's hard to beat double miles. everyone knows two is better than one. introducing the venture card from capital one... with double miles on every purchase every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? oh, poor baby. imagine that kind of vitality... in your skin. aveeno introduces ageless vitality. as skin ages, elastin fibers break down. this exclusive biomineral concentrate system... has active naturals ingredients shown to multiply... elastin's elements. i'm impressed. the study showed improved firmness, texture, wrinkles, or spots in 100% of women. how uplifting is that? new ageless vitality. save $15 at aveeno.com. that's the beauty of nature and science. save $15 at aveeno.com. can you believe how fast kids grow these days? and since 90% of bone strength is developed before adulthood... it's so important that they get enough calcium every day. that's why there's new danonino. danonino! unlike leading kids yogurts, danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d. so it's power packed for healthy growth. and its rich creamy taste is... yummy! so they can start building strong bones today... for stronger bodies tomorrow. new danonino from dannon. power packed to help kids grow. this morning on take it off "today," a follow-up to the health phenom dubbed skinny fat. back in february, we told you about a study that warned of the dangers being fat on the inside, even if the scale says you're skinny. eight weeks ago, we met nancy faruggio, a woman, for all intents and purposes, was thin on the outside but had 22% body fat making her obese on the inside. joy bauer has been helping nancy get back on track to better health. joy, good morning. >> good morning, al. >> this is really -- we got so many e-mails and calls about this. >> a cool segment. >> remind us what skinny fat is. >> skinny fat is when you look thin on the outside, you have a perfectly normal weight when you hop on the scale, but when you don't eat well and you don't exercise at all, you're riddled with fat on the inside. you have a high body fat percentage, which then puts you at the same risk for obesity-related illnesses. >> give us nancy's numbers to remind us what she was at. >> ultimately, you want women to be under 25% body fat. nancy was 27% body fat. so, this was eight weeks ago. which, again, drove up her risk for metabolic syndrome, type ii diabetes and heart disease. >> let's go into those risks a little bit more. what are we talking about? you see nancy, you think she's in great shape. >> looks fabulous. >> how can this be? >> she was genetically blessed with a thin body. she never worked at it. low and mold, she had this high body fat percentage. because it's on the inside, it increases inflation throughout the body. you don't see it, but her organs are feeling it. metabolic syndrome, heart disease, increases the risk of certain cancers. it's not good. >> do you feel it? do you physically feel it? >> no. >> no? >> no. but when you talk to her now, after what she's been doing, she's going to tell you she feels markedly better. she didn't realize before she didn't feel so great. >> before we bring nancy in, tell us, what are some of the things you worked with her on? >> first, we started an exercise program. i had her do cardio at least 30 minutes five days a week. i walked with her. she walked on her own outside. i did a few zumba classes with her. that helped to burn some of the body fat off of her. i had her meet one on one with exercise physiologist jeralyn smith, who took her body fat both times. jeralyn devised a simple, manageable strength training regimen that she did at home without barbells and weights. it took about 15, 20 minutes and she did it two to three times a week. that drove up her muscle mass. so, we got rid of body fat, increased her muscle mass. in terms of diet, i just educated her on portion sizes. for starches, things like pasta, potatoes. >> did she change what she ate? >> i did. we added a lot of vegetables. i didn't omit deserts. this wasn't about weight loss. i made her more mindful, made her think about it. it was to clean out the fat on the insides, but leave her weight alone. >> let's bring nancy in here. how are you? >> hey. >> you had your body fat tested. you don't know what the numbers are yet? >> no. >> all right. joy? >> remember, before she was 27% body fat. >> eight weeks ago. >> yes. >> now, nancy is -- >> drum roll. >> -- 22% body fat. >> yes! >> high five, nancy. >> nancy is going to town. >> remember again, we just wanted her to be under 25%. she's an overachiever. 22%. >> nancy, since these changes, what have you physically noticed? >> i have a lot more strength. my body is stronger. i have core strength and i feel like i'm energized. i feel like i have a lot more stamina. and i feel healthy. i do feel healthy. >> her family is eating way better as well. >> everybody. everybody. >> what's the biggest change you made diet wise? >> the biggest change i made diet wise -- it was not a big change. it was a small change that made a huge result. i love pasta. my family loves pasta, my children. joy educated me. now it's whole grains. i added whole grains, more vegetables. and so eating better throughout the day, i'm not craving my desserts as much. i still have them but i think twice. i'm more conscious. >> what's the overall message for people like nancy, who are out there? >> that weight is not the end all ind karicator of health. whether you're heavy or whether you're thin, everybody needs to eat well and move more. >> how do they get their body fat tested? >> you can go to a gym. you can get the caliper clippings, an underwater weight. there are all sorts of machines and also home scales do the cal abrasion calibration as well. if you move more, eat less and eat better, your body fat automatically will go down. >> joy bauer, nancy faruggio, congratulations. >> thank you. thank you, joy. her latest role takes her far from wysteria lane. dana delany tells us about her new film. for example... scott naturals. you get the high-quality performance you need... and just the right blend of recycled fibers. best of both worlds. i like that. yep, it's like having your cake-- and eating it too. exactly. it's green done right. do you know scott? scott naturals are green done right. kids are hungry after school. that's why i always have totino's pizza rolls. big pizza taste. in a bite size roll. kids can't resist their delicious pizza flavor. totino's pizza rolls. the pizza way to snack. new anti-aging eye roller. reduces puffiness immediately -- and also helps with lines and wrinkles. not surgery. this is our way to do your eyes. new regenerist anti-aging eye roller. so my old contact lenses would sometimes move out of place and blur my vision. my eye doctor said there's great news for people with astigmatism. acuvue oasys for astigmatism. they work with the way my eyes move and blink, which helps them stay in place. and this is the only lens of its kind made with hydraclear plus. i'm seeing more clearly, crisply, comfortably, all day long. now life doesn't have to be a blur. [ male announcer ] for a free trial pair certificate, go to getacuvue.com. acuvue oasys for astigmatism. wait! that'll give you gas. try new beano meltaways. they prevent gas so you don't have to use a gas reliever later. mmmmm.... [ indistinct conversations ] [ mindy ] take beano before and there'll be no gas. still to come on "today," why ditching your sweatpants could save your relationship. you should have something on under them. >> yes. making your cake, talk of any party with one unexpected ingredient after this. so it's a special place for me. i'm so comfortable in my jeans. i love the progress. looking back and saying, "wow, look at the difference." and it makes me love myself that much more. i win. and you can, too. ♪ win, win, i win ♪ i win and you can join for free. weight watchers. because it works. and you can join for free. why do women like you love activia light? sometimes i have no choice but to eat on the run... and to eat whatever happens to be around. heavy greasy food that's hard on my diet... and my digestive system. so i eat activia light every day. activia light, with bifidus regularis is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. mmmm. the new taste is better than ever. and with only 70 calories activia light helps make it easier to watch my weight. it helps me feel good and look good too! ♪ activia! 9:26 is the time. what will the rest of the day look like? the forecast after the news. in the news this morning, if you use the woodrow wilson bridge, expect traffic. crews will demolish the ramp. they will go through 3:00 in the afternoon and crews will work day and night and through overnight hours. be prepared for lane closures on the inner and outer loop. we will have the weather a ♪ sprd little love today ♪ sprlittle somethin' to remember ♪ ♪ spread a little joy and see ♪ need a little has be ♪ ♪ living the life with me philadelphia cream cheese and i are looking for the next big cooking stars! four y'all will get $25,000 each. so send in those cooking videos. go to the real women of philadelphia on pauladeen.com and spread a little cooking love! tom is with us with rain in the area and storms possible tonight? >> could be later on this afternoon. we have the atmosphere very unstable. we had a little thuner and lightning this morning south and east of washington, but that dissipated. other showers are advancing towards the area out of the south and west. that will be approaching in the next couple of hours. during the afternoon by mid-afternoon highs reaching the upper 60s and might have passing thunderstorms between 3:00 and 8:00. a risk of wind damage and hail. how is the traffic? >> a live look on the beltway and slow for a stretch as you make the trip towards the wilson bridge. looks like construction workers are poised to close the lanes. we will watch them throughout the day. the top side is struggling to recover from the earlier accident. >> thank you. get all your news, weather, and traffic earlier. we begin at i can't believe a gave my panties to a geek. >> wow, our director joe michaels said that just yesterday. classic line delivered by the "it" girl of the '80s, molly ringwald. she has a lot going on these days. perhaps you caught her on the oscars this year. we'll catch up with her tomorrow here on "today." meantime, another former teen sensation. remember the group, hanson? >> yeah. >> that's right. we've got a huge crowd outside. they're taking pictures with them. the boys have grown up a bit. but they're still rocking it out, the brothers from oklahoma. they have a new album. they're here to talk about it, coming up in the next hour. speak for yourself. also, it's a dog eat dog world out there, but not around here. we're looking for "today's" top dog with your help -- sorry. are you okay? you've already sent three talented pooches to the final round. we've got three more semi finalists for you to vote on. this is the last round. >> all right. after a long day at work, really tired, go home. do you put on the sweats to get comfortable? >> yeah, absolutely. >> comfortable clothes? >> totally, yeah. you're going to tell us it's a bad idea. >> the folks at cosmo say your sweats could be killing the mood, if you know what i mean. mfortable but it's also a big e turn-off in the romance department. we'll hit the streets of new york to see what people think about that. >> i don't know about that. do you think that's true? depends how they fit. >> i was going to say. >> if it's a little too comfortable, probably not a good thing. also, we'll be checking out classic american desserts, including a chocolate cake and we'll tell you the surprising ingredient that you can actually use to make your cakes extra moist. we'll get that coming up in a bit. first, al, you have a check of the weather for us. >> i do. >> if you are just about to head out, passing showers throughout the day. right now on radar, the areas moving green and blue and light rain showers are moving through northern virginia and maryland. later on they could be heavier. by mid-to late afternoon, there is only a slight chance that an isolated storm could produce damaging winds and hail. tomorrow morning maybe a lingering shower. dry lieu the end of >> and that's your latest weather. >> okay, al. thank you. coming up next, whatnot to wear to heat up your romance in your marriage. first, these messages after this. that question. [ female announcer ] there you have it. three is more than two. and quilted northern ultra plush outperforms the ultra rippled brand. it has two layers for softness and a third for absorbency. quilted northern ultra plush. experience three layers for yourself. if you're not satisfied, we'll give you your money back. love to see kids' spirits shine. superstar and mom, martina mcbride and sunnyd shine on sunny taste. sunny spirit. sunny d. ♪ [ female announcer ] when is it okay to lose the cover-up? ♪ when you can. take the special k challenge... and lose an inch from your waist in two weeks. so lose your cover-up, and show off your confidence. design your plan at specialk.com. (announcer) we all want to stay active. we don't want anything... ...to slow us down. but even in your 30s... ...your bones can begin to change. overtime, you can begin to have bone loss. calcium and vitamin d work together to help keep your bones strong. and yoplait gives you... ...20% of your daily calcium... ...and is the only leading yogurt with vitamin d in every cup. keep your bones strong every day... ...with yoplait. air wick i-motion. the only continuous air freshener that detects movement, releasing a burst of fresh scent inspired by nature. so day, after day, your home always feels welcoming. and freshmatc compact with i-motion makes even the tough spaces welcoming. try the full i-motion range. air wick. release the freshness of nature. >> announcer: "today's" relationships is brought to you by hershey's kisses, delightfully delicious. one of a kind kisses. >> i don't know what happened. >> this morning on "today's" relationships, causing your sweats to heat up your marriage. we all love the comfort and ease of a nice pair of sweats. could they put a damper on your love life? we hit the streets of new york to find out. >> we've been married 24 years and as far as sweatpants go, on the weekends, maybe after work, i'll come home and change into my sweatpants and lounge around. >> they kill the romance. not very sexy. turns you away from a hottie. >> but they're comfortable, but they're not sexy. they probably kill the mood. >> i think she looks good in anything, so i tell her you look so cute in your -- she's wearing her regular old comfy pants but -- i don't think they're a mood killer at all. nothing is really going to stop that. >> we've been married 35 years. there are so many other types of attire that are much more stimulating and attractive than sweatpants. >> i think what he's trying to tell you is that it's not my best look. >> so, are your sweatpants killing your sex life? kate white is editor in chief of "cosmopolitan" and robi ludwig is a psychologist. this is a subject in the may issue of "cosmo." one of your writers bought a pair of sweatpants for herself and her husband. what happened? >> hey, it's comfortable. you're married, you can relax. sweatpants are what you wear when your butt needs a hug. but she found that the sexual energy of the relationship just kind of nose dived because sex -- there's something so unsexy about sweat pants. they almost seem to say am i man or a woman? and they take away that sexual energy that you need. >> even though they were staying in for their movie nights, it wasn't really staying in and heating things up? >> right. and it isn't just that they're not sexy. they take away a sense of mystery, too, if you get into the rut of wearing them over and over again. you need that sense of mystery and excitement to keep that juiciness in a marriage. >> right. there's one thing being very comfortable with your partner. it's another thing to be too comfortable, to the point where you're not really trying. >> right. >> right, robi? >> don't you love me even though d.look like i just walked out of it's really the effort and what message that sends. it's like, i don't really care how i look anymore. i don't care about turning you on. and men are very visual and women are visual, too. and, you know, a lot of it is also how deliberate are you? certainly people can wear sweatpants and try to look sexy, but that's not what we're talking about. >> yoga pants. >> right. i wear that all the time. >> yoga pants are sexy, right? >> it's really saying i don't care how i look anymore and you should just love me no matter how i am. and that doesn't really work. we need to put effort, because it sends a message. i care about how you see me and i see myself as sexy. it's hard to feel sexy in sweatpants. >> you want to feel comfortable with your partner, but it's another thing when you're getting to the point, again, you're not putting in that kind of effort. you say sales are down for women, up for men. what is that telling us? >> thanks goodness. if men are starting to wear them, they have to understand we want to see his pecs, his body. >> they have to try just as hard. >> it's important for us, too. >> we're visual. >> i find guys sexy in sweatpants. i must be that unique, very small category. >> i was thinking the same thing. it depends on what's beyond the sweatpants. >> how low they are, i think, is important. >> okay, kate. >> tight jeans are preferable. >> when it comes to, you know, making things a little more exciting in the bedroom, you have to put a lot of effort into that. i mean, even though you may have your weekly movie nights, how do you spice things up a little more, but still keep it comfortable? >> you have to think, what is sexy? what make mes me feel sexy? what you wear sends a message to your brain and contributes to your behavior. if we're putting on tight pants and putting on our makeup and we feel beautiful and we feel sexy, we want to engage in sexy acts. sometimes you have to take the action before you can have the right feeling. especially if you're married for a long time. >> we're talking about this in a lighthearted, tongue in cheek kind of way, but it's time to take a good look at your relationship. >> when it comes to relationship advice, we always recommend as therapi therapists, do something nice for yourself. get a new outfit. experience yourself differently so your partner can experience you differently. listen, we all need to shake things up a bit. we can get bothered. >> and if you're going to wear the sweats, wear them low, says kate. >> or wear them tight with makeup. >> thank you. i learned a lot today. coming up next, our final semi finalists in the search for "today's" top dog. who is battling now for the last spot, right after this. why do women like you love activia light? sometimes i have no choice but to eat on the run... and to eat whatever happens to be around. heavy greasy food that's hard on my diet... and my digestive system. so i eat activia light every day. activia light, with bifidus regularis is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. mmmm. the new taste is better than ever. and with only 70 calories activia light helps make it easier to watch my weight. it helps me feel good and look good too! ♪ activia! eggland's best eggs. the best in nutrition... just got better. even better nutrition -- high in vitamins d, e, and b12. a good source of vitamin a and b2. plus omega 3's. and, 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs. but there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. better taste. better taste. yum! [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste -- and now even better nutrition -- make the better egg. ♪ ¿por que no probamos esto? [ male announcer ] old el paso. a special blend of seasoning for especially delicious tacos. feed your fiesta. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time. time for new zyrtec® liquid gels. they work fast. so i can get relief from the pollen that used to make me sneeze, my eyes water. with new zyrtec® liquid gels, i get allergy relief at liquid speed. that's the fast, powerful relief of zyrtec®, now in a liquid gel. zyrtec® is the fastest 24-hour allergy medicine. it works on my worst symptoms so i'm ready by the time we get to the first hole. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. >> announcer: "today's" top dog is brought to you by the makers of zyrtec. love the air. >> this morning on "today's" top dog, our last group of semi finali finalists, last friday, the 9-year-old shepherd rottweiler mix has a ton of tricks up her sleeve. now it's time for us to round out the group. >> that's right. first up, bowtie, 8-year-old pekignese from connecticut that has a list of talents. too cool for school tricks. this dog is a math whiz. >> three plus four. [ barking ] >> very good. two plus two plus two. [ barking ] >> very good. >> all right. >> yeah. okay. next one -- >> wasn't a hairball. dogs don't do that. >> one great friendly pappillon that can bring smiles to everyone's face, she has a way about her. >> this is our 7-year-old papillon, emma. >> she waves, whether you're coming or going. wave to meredith and matt. >> 22-month-old fluffy, doberman pinscher is changing the way guard dogs might be perceived. also has a good singing voice. >> are you sing for me? >> second verse. oka okay. >> what was the song? >> i don't know what the song was. but man that's good. >> he's still going. >> can't wait to hear the dance mix. which one of these three will make it to the final round? log ton to todayshow.com or text your vote to 622639. press one for bowty, two for emma and three for fluffy. >> held his lips, it was so funny. >> was it indigestion or was it singing? next, we'll meet our four finalists who will all receive a photo shoot for the pages of ladies' home journal. >> they also get a chance to compete -- >> right. >> a vacation to the hotel palomar in atlanta for their pooch and their owner and a guest. i think we got that out. i hope that made some sense. >> thank you, ann. >> are you okay? coming up next -- >> the secret to making a moist, chocolate cake. want a little chocolate cake, this morning on "today's" kitchen, the cake with its secret ingredient. from a moist, gooey chocolate cake to a good old-fashioned vanilla bundt cake, here to share some recipes, dede. good to see you. >> you, too. >> that chocolate cake, everybody is going nuts. >> i know they are. we're holding them off. >> let's get to it. >> first of all, this is a three-tiered cake, big, gorgeous. >> three-tiered. >> no more difficult than a single layered cake. one of the reasons this will be so deep and dark, we're blooming the chocolate and cocoa. >> blooming it? >> it's spring. in boiling water. this is going to release the flavors of the cocoa. you know how some recipes have buttermilk or milk? >> right. >> dairy dampens the chocolate flavor. this will let the chocolate flavor just pop, pop. >> all right. >> dark brown sugar and white sugar. >> interesting. >> a really rich flavor. we have to -- the reveal. >> okay. >> ta-da. we're ready. whoa! okay. >> mayonnaise? >> mayonnaise. >> mayonnaise. >> the secret ingredient that's not so secret, maybe unusual. >> not miracle whip. >> no. >> but mayonnaise. >> yes. because, when you think about it -- you can add this to the bowl for me, if you like. mayonnaise is a mixture -- al. >> missed. >> oil and -- of course, in baking, amounts are very important. >> right. >> for goodness sakes, put it in the bowl, al, not outside! >> oil and eggs. that's why this works. >> excuse me just a second. i have to lock this. >> i'll keep going. we locked the door, okay. so, oil and eggs. we do some extra eggs. >> right. >> we've got the sugar. this is why you don't need butter or oil. we're using the mayo. >> it's not any more fattening than if you did it with butter? >> exactly. exactly. >> okay. >> while that mixes, we want to cream that together. >> right. >> we have our dry mix, which is flour, baking soda, baking powder. we do not need salt because there's salt in the mayonnaise. >> this is a cooled version. >> bloomed chocolate. >> this is the bloomed chocolate. so, we would alternately add -- you can put some of this in. let me give you this one. maybe you'll do better with that. >> a little less messy. >> we would put these in a little bit at a time, mix it up, et cetera, et cetera. you put it in the cake pans. >> bakes 350 about 30 minutes. here we have this luscious frosting. this is the same 60% chocolate, deep and rich, butter and confectioner sugar, little vanilla. that's it. it's incredibly smooth. now scoop some more on for me. that would be really helpful. when i decorate cakes, i love to use a turntable. it's very helpful. little bit more. you can use, if you have a lazy susan at home that's holding your spices or something in the closet, you can use that. i use an icing spatula to push the frosting around. don't let it dip down on to the cake. it will bring up the crumbs. >> here they come. >> it looks pretty good. >> did they give you the key? >> no. >> you had to bust through the door. >> coming in. >> all that matter sincere how it tastes. >> exactly. >> go ahead and have some. i'm going to do this. >> i love it. >> this is how it turns out. >> three-tiered cake, chocolate. we have a fork for you. hi, natalie. >> hi. >> we have a vanilla bean bundt cake, real vanilla bean that we scraped into a little bit of bourbon. >> i would never know there's mayo in that cake. >> no, you would never know. it is rich. it is moist. >> new york style crumb cake? >> this is crumb has dark brown sugar in it. it's really rich and crunchy. >> sounds great. >> dede wilson, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. who would guess? coming up, hoda and kathie lee catch up with hanson for the new album. >> would you like a bite? >> dana delaney, after your local news and weather. y, afterl news and weather. 9:56 is the time. we have more rain and storms later today. the forecast after the news. in the news for today, the cavs will try to win round woun of the playoffs. they play game six against the canadienes tonight. a win will push them to the second round. if the canadienes win, game seven will be played here in washington. hope there is no game seven. kind of wet out there. >> we should showerings and thunder occurred about an hour 1/2 ago. we have other scattered showers towards the metro area and that will be moving in in the next hour or so. by mid-afternoon, sun breaking out between now and then. by mid-afternoon, more storms developing. sim lawyer to last night. hail and a small chance of an isolated storm around 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. we will dry out and in through the end of the week. how is the traffic. >> right at the 14th street bridge, something we don't get to enjoy. all lanes are open and photographic moving along nicely. see if our luck holds. we will be traveling to 270. be forewarned. the rain is coming down. be cautious this morning. >> get all your 92s, weather, and traffic earlier. we hope you will join us then. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody. it is fun day, april 26th. we hope you had an awesome weekend. we're so glad you're here with us. >> we are so glad. there was one sunny day and one icky day, but it was still nice. >> when you know there's four days like this coming, you really make the most of that day, don't you? >> did you stay outside? >> i stayed outside, but unfortunately moved lawn furniture all over the place. i ordered it, and when it gets there, it doesn't look like it did in the pictures. >> you had to send it back? >> i hate to, but hey, i have to. you can't do it with husbands, but you can do it with lawn furniture. not that i would want to. love my man. >> hats off to my sister-in-law who ran ten miles in a race. >> colleen? >> yes. hats off. >> good for her. this time of year so many things like that for good causes. that's why i also hate to see a washout on a weekend. so much money is raised for causes. >> "more" had one this weekend, and i know it was a rainy sunday. >> but people still come out. >> you're being honored today. >> another day, another honor. >> this one is city of hope. >> and you're tomorrow for the albert einstein. >> but today let's talk about you. let's live here. >> and we want to thank kay unger. i think she's outfitting everybody today. >> i have way too much cleavage in mine. >> you've got to flaunt it. i regret that i didn't show 'em. after 50, hide them. our favorite things? >> it is time. i started making this salad. >> this is all i keep hearing about. >> all you need are three ingredients. avocado, a special mango, and croutons, and balsamic vinaigrette. this is the mango. it's not the big stringy ones. >> the reddish ones. >> this is either an indian mango or a champagne mango. >> the seeds? >> it's like one big pit. i cut the mango, cube it, chop up an avocado, put it in, croutons, drizzle it. i was going to make one, but we didn't have one. >> they couldn't run out? >> no, it wasn't time. it's healthy, refreshing. >> you are like with food the way you are with a man. >> i know what i like? >> and you go for it big time. >> but then i get sick of it. >> i know. >> that's true. that's what's going to happen with this. i've had it for five straight days. >> let that be a warning to you guys out there. she will love you for a little while, and then bye-bye. this is cool. i did not know this woman goes to the church that i go to designs beautiful, beautiful jewelry. this is called romerodesigns.com. it's all personalized. so you can see on this -- that's a tiny picture of cody and cass. it's perfect for mother's day. here is one for you, a key chain, with the two of us. >> because that's what i want. >> here's one of you and me, this is for sara. and then i think for father's day, they're tiny, but they're elegant. you can give those to a father. >> are they affordable? >> very. yes, they are. anyway, i've never met her, but i think her designs are beautiful. >> aren't you nice to give her a shoutout? >> i was touched by it. it's lovely and affordable. once you've done everything for your mother and father through the years, you can't get them one more thing. this is unusual, i thought. >> sara this is yours, baby girl. wait a minute. sara has one. >> mine's easy. how do you go from meaningful to lip gloss, but mine is infallible from l'oreal. it's not sticky and the colors are great. this is a new bottle, because i wanted it to look like, but this is the color petal that mary puts on me every day. you can buy it at drug stores. >> and who knew it's national -- they come in all sizes, shapes and flavors. >> this one is a pepperoni pizza flavor. you t it at the aunty em's. that's a national show. this is the jalapeno cheddar flavored. >> i can't believe they didn't give me mustard. we're cutting back here. >> those are great. >> so what went on in the world over the weekend? >> the terrible devastation in mississippi. my god, our hearts go out to all our friends in mississippi. i just had dinner with sam haskell and his wife mary. he was my agent for 30 years, one of my dearest best friends in the world. they left l.a., have moved to oxford, mississippi action and we're having dinner together friday night, because their daughter's a very talented musical theater star, went to her show. the next day i see what's happened in mississippi. >> they had about -- they were talking about nine states and 30 tornadoes, which it just hit like a hammer. >> now it was 61 tornadoes -- 61. >> yeah. okay. >> look at the size of that thing. >> the width of it, i mean -- that's what got it. here's the thing. there were i think ten deaths, and some of them were children. it was so tragic, but i saw this story. a 12-year-old girl was on the phone talking to her grandmother. and the grandmother hears her 12-year-old granddaughter scream. the storm picked her up and threw her out of her trailer. she live in yazoo city, mississippi. >> which was hit the worst. >> she held onto a tree. this is a tornado that lifted cars and twisted metal. they interviewed her. it was astonishing. she said, how did you do it? she said, i knew i had to hold on. >> that survival city. also in yazoo city there was the story of a man in the sanctuary of his baptist church. it started going like crazy. he got under the communion table. the entire church just demolished around him. he had a little rug burn on his arm. he was thanking god, but for those who lost family members, our hearts and prayers go out to you. >> absolutely. >> did you see last night, i thought the president and vice president were so eloquent at the miners ease memorial. again, our prayers for those families. >> that's such a difficult thing to even watch. it was so painful. >> did you see the 29 crosses with the helmets? then they sang "this little light of mine" and they lit each one. i was like, okay. >>. so we have a winner. >> it was hard. >> we have to narrow it down. >> this is the derby hat contest that we had you guys do. we asked you to send us a picture of your favorite hat, and if you won, you get to go to the kentucky derby with a friend. >> and drink a lot of mint juleps. >> these are the finalists. >> you know, look at that. very clever. >> karen knitted the horse from stuff that was laying around her house. >> violet used 15 different boxes. is she under there? >> i think that's her chin. >> christy's from toledo, she put kathie lee and me on top of her posterboard hat. >> i'm drinking a mint julep. >> and the winner of those four is christy from georgia. i guess when you put us on your hat, that's automatically what happens. >> hey, are you there, christy? >> i am. good morning. >> congratulations. >> my goodness. thank you so much. >> who are you taking with you to the derby? >> my daddy. >> are you going to wear our hat? >> absolutely. wouldn't dream of going without it. >> take a picture of yourself at the derby. >> or take some video. let us hear from you. >> absolutely. thank you so much. >> congratulations. all righty then. what's up, miss sara? >> a couple things. junior williams said to hoda it's a champagne mango, i guess he works in produce. >> the champagne one looks so small. >> or a special mango, as hoda calls it. samantha wants a reminder, what is the website? >> romero designs, i think it said. aren't they lovely? >> they're beautiful. we've got a big show for you. these guys have a hot new album. >> i listened to it last night. i was stunned. >> five sold-out concerts. they're all grown up. >> and they have like 62 children among them. we'll catch up with the charming and handsome hanson brothers right after this. . [dinner bell chimes] simple high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon, white meat chicken, or sea bass and shrimp in a delicate broth, prepared without by-products or fillers. fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment [music, talking, laughing] what makes hershey's s'mores special? hershey's chocolate goodness that brings people together. pure hershey's. - hello! - ha! why don't you try a home cooked meal... with yummy hamburger helper? oh! tada! fantastically tasty, huh? ummm, it's good. what would you guys like? hamburger helper. what?! one pound... one pan... one tasty meal! ♪ [ female announcer ] when is it okay to lose the cover-up? ♪ when you can. take the special k challenge... and lose an inch from your waist in two weeks. so lose your cover-up, and show off your confidence. design your plan at specialk.com. would we eat better? at hellmann's, we make our mayonnaise with eggs, vinegar and oil rich in omega 3. for the quality that could only be hellmann's. hellmann's. it's time for real. and now, cheer presents: next time on "brighten bay"... who's the angel that saved sandy? and more importantly, how does he get his whites so bright? find out with cheer. surprisingly bright at a new lower price. that is the 1997 hit song by the then trio hanson, and isaac, taylor and zach have been hot ever since. >> yes, they have. they've recorded five studio albums. the latest is "shout it out." it drops in june. the first single, you've got to hear it. it's called "thinkin' about something." it has more than a million hits. take a listen. ♪ i've been thinking about something ♪ ♪ i've been thinking about something ♪ ♪ you >> the total album is fantastic. i put it on last night thinking i would listen to a bit of it. i loved it, an old lady like me. i hope that doesn't ruin your career. >> we actually struggled with the concept in this particular video. we were re-enacting an incredible scene from "the blues brothers" and so we were actually, wow, we're going to dance? what's going on here? >> if john belushi can do it -- >> you all had long hair back in the day. >> who was the first? >> i think i was the first to truly cut it. >> all i know is i was the last. >> but you left a whole lot. it's just going a different direction. >> the hair is long on this cover, actually. >> we're all married, all have kids. >> how many kids? >> we like to separate them. i have the most. i have four, isaac has two. >> and he was within. >> first one married? >> and first one to procreate. >>. >> are all three of your wives from -- are any of them from the music world? >> they're all southern belles that are luckily -- >> we sooned them from stage, it's true. >> really? were they fans? >> well, no. we met them all at concerts. >> in the sense we pretty much do music 24/7/365. >> they weren't -- >> i think it's interesting you all still live in tulsa. you chose not to go the hollywood route or somewhere else. why did you decide to stay? >> we have a record company and it's been based in new york since we started, but tulsa has always been home. there's something about being from somewhere. having roots and that's where your kids go to school. it kind of keeps the reality check. also, i think, it's just nice to go out in the world and come back. >> it was a level of sanity, too. you're very ambitious young people. you go out, have the success you dreamed up, and you want to find a sense of normalcy and kind of groundedness. >> for your children, i would think. >> absolutely. >> you're the rock stars, they aren't, and they deserve a childhood. >> well, they don't know that. they think the other way. they think we're the groupies of our children. >> and my oldest son talks like he's talking but a p.a. anyway. >> so they have the gene, you think? >> he could be a performer. >> you guys, as you get older, do you find your fans are, too, or do you still have the same kind of young group? >> i think our fans are what they've always been. people first knew the band when i was 11. we had fans that were 11. now i'm 25, and most of our fans are kind of that also. so they just have grown up with us, and thankfully we've been able to evolve and still be relevant. both they have evolved and we have evolved. >> recently we've also got the fans who are coming to shows for the first time and they're teenagers, which has actually been kind of a bit of fun. it's like, wait a second. how old were you? well, you know, i was 4. >> there's a certainly amount of time being the youngest people in the world and now you realize, yeah, you were 3 when our first record came out. >> you've got to get the kids so you can be the new osmonds? something to think about. >> anyway, thank you so much. >> the album is terrific. and it drops june 8th, called "shout it out." up next, we've got budget vacations for the entire family. it's tough to reach that five servings a day if you don't always like the taste of vegetables. i'll be right back, okay? okay. good thing v8 v-fusion juice gives you a serving of vegetables hidden by a serving of fruit. v8. what's your number? now try refreshing new cranberry blackberry v8 v-fusion juice. ♪ ♪ i got troubles oh ♪ but not today ♪ 'cause they're gonna wash away ♪ ♪ they're gonna wash away ♪ ♪ ♪ they're gonna wash away ♪ gonna take them away [ quacks ] ♪ doo doo doo woman: there's only one disinfecting wipe with a low streak formula. clorox disinfecting wipes. against pollutants and damaging environmental factors. new eucerin daily skin balance body lotion with ph buffer strengthens your skin's protective barrier. new daily skin balance only from eucerin. nutri-grain -- one good decision... can lead to another. ♪ made with real fruit and now with more... of the whole grains your body needs. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day. all right. school's almost out, the kids are bouncing off the walls and you are pulling your hair out. sound familiar? time to think about your summer plans. instead of sending your kid off to camp, why not plan a family adventure. >>" budget travel" has "the smart family's passport. it is a whole different thing to travel with children. great to see you again. >> thanks for having me. >> i'm kind of allergic to camping. lots of people love it. >> well, you know, this isn't camping camping. what we have is five camps around the country where it's not just about sending your kid off, but it's about a whole family experience, and everybody's really looking for ways to really connect as families, and these are great ideas. >> over hot dogs at a campfire? yeah. >> new england, that's your first stop. >> there's a classic camp called sandy island family camp. this is in new hampshire, about four hours north of boston. it is a 66-acre private island resort, a ymca camp, and this is all manner of water sports. you can go canoes, go sailing, you can also do things like crafts, and there's really fun kind of line dancing activities every night. generations have been coming here as families. so there's a great tradition. it's $2300 for a family of four for the whole week, all-inclusive, and what's a really great stip from small family passports that relates is there's a shared bathhouse, so one thing you can do to keep everything organized is have your kids with their own fanny pack with all their toiletries, so it tidies up the whole experience. >> let's go to the midwest. this place is called the wolf ridge environmental learning center. >> thanks for that. it's kind of tough to say. the wolf ridge environmental learning center is all about nature. it is 18 miles of walking trails, and its naturalists will lead kids say, age 3 to 6 looking for deer beds. the parents can go on wildflower walks, and the emphasis is on environmental education. so one thing you can do to keep your kids engaged all along the way is to set sort of goals, so if you see a deer, you can say, you know, you can -- we'll say, okay, we'll give you $5 to spot a deer. this one is $1,100 a week for a family of four. incredible value. it's a fun way to be out together in nature. >> there's a place called trout lodge? that's down south? >> sort of midwest, 75 miles south of st. louis, this is great for horse lovers. there are all manner of horseback rides, hay rides. pony rides. every saturday there's a horseshoe demonstration, so you can learn how to throw horseshoes. even if you're not that the into it, there's a golf course nearby. you've shown everything but horses. you've got to take our word for it. >> that's the thing about these camps. there's everything to do. >> and yellowstone is one of your spots. that's always beautiful. >> this is no national park lovers. the amazing thing is there's a family camp in yellowstone national park. it's called yellowstone for families. >> that freaks me out just looking at that. >> you stay in this 1930s lodge, and you can spot elk. >> and buffalo or bison? >> so people from the yellowstone association institute will take you on walk toss lesser-known corners of the park, so you get an intimate experience. this is $1,400 for four days for the family. all national parks have junior ranger programs, so your kids get passbooks, and they can put stampness them and get engaged. >> you do make memories that last for a lifetime. >> absolutely. >> nina, thank you. >> nobody does it like nina. up next, even skinny girls have cravings. then we have the lovely actress, dana delany. >> yes, we do. dove invited women to a test. some washed mirrors with soap. others, dove. ( water running, gasp ) soap leaves soap scum. you can't see it on your skin, but you can see it here. dove is different. skin is soft, smooth, soap-scum free. on the days that you have arthritis pain, you could end up taking 4 times the number of pills... compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength to relieve arthritis pain all day. key lime pie, pineapple upside down cake, raspberry cheesecake... ...yeah, every night it's something different. oh yeah yeah...she always keeps them in the house. no no no, i've actually lost weight... i just have a high metabolism or something... ...lucky. [ wife ] babe... ♪ umm, i gotta go. [ female announcer ] 28 delicious flavors at around 100 calories each. yoplait, it is so good. indulge in new blueberry pie and new red velvet cake. yoplait light. it is so good. terrible twisters rip through the south, destroying homes and killing more than a dozen people. we will have the latest. plus we will let you know about the storms we could be getting here in the washington area. the phone ringing in the middle of the night and no one is on the other end. what you need to know about how to stop the annoying calls from telemarketers. the news welcome back to "today." curbing your cravings, that's right, because it's going to ruin your diet, and you've got to get in your thong by memorial day. >> it's almost thong time. chocolate chip cookies to chicken wings, you can give into temptation without the guilt. beth anyfrankel is the author of "the skinny girl dish." >> i was going to wear my thong today. i decided to wait. >> you look adorable. >> when are you due? >> june 6th. you will have a stomach just like this if i eat everything i tell you to. >> you look barely pregnant compared to -- well, you know who you are. >> if you want salt, this is what we usually go to. >> this is my mock-amole. you have to star thinking it differently. >> what's in here. >> it's a regular guacamole recipe, but use peas. >> it's very good. >> this is just a regular chocolate chip cookie and cherry garcia ice cream. instead i have the low fat, but use a ram kin or bowl for portion control. >> even the cookie is bigger, too. >> this is even a big cookie, but this is probably about 200 calories. it has oat flour, raw sugar instead of white. just make little substitutions. >> are these on the website. >> it's in the book and the website. >> i wish i could have a bite of that. >> you could just scoop this out and then toast it, or get a smaller bagel. i like to use these laughing cow cheeses. >> those are great. >> because they spread. this is like a substitute -- >> i heard the old adage was if it's spreadable, it ain't edible, because sometimes it's more caloric. >> i agree, but you could scoop that and toast it, which is what i usually do, a whole wheat bagel. >> this is your downfall, hoda woman. >> this is better, and i'm not kidding. these are baked. they have parmesan, parsley, and zesty, amazing, crispy, and i use greek yogurt. i still use the bleu cheese, but greek yogurt, an these are baked po at a timer wedges. the differential isn't that huge. you won't be much happier. >> and how much do you save. >> oh, you know, in a serving probably 3, 4, 500 calories. >> that's delicious. here's what's smart about it. if those two are sitting side by side and you want that, but you start on that, you're going to say, you know what? i'm very happy with that. >> some things like fat-free gluie products taste terrible and you want the real thing, but this is so close you don't need to. these are baked potato wedges, just amazing. you have to use seasonings and herbs. >> but you know how to cook. >> but these are like three ingredients. i take decaf coffee with skim or soy milk, and have them blend it, and maybe a little bit of hot chocolate. just substitute part of it. >> jill and the whole housewives, what is going on? >> you know, it's over. i'm in a different place in my life. i'm having a baby. i'm married. i don't want that nonsense anymore. >> but she says she doesn't either, she wants to be friends. she was here just last week. >> you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes. >> are you going to teach your baby to forgive? >> i do. we're just in different places. >> you'll see the whole thing. do you watch the show? >> i've never seen it. >> by the way, your book "party animals" we've been reading the lucy goosy story. okay. we're getting ready. >> i just don't watch tv. i don't watch us. >> if i see her, i'll be nice. it's not the right time. >> and we keep seeing you every week. we'll see you next week, i'm sure. coming up, emmy -- >> dana delany is downstairs. >> she has a new movie. we'll talk to her after this. , the missouri river is this way! lewis and clark expedition of 1804. oh, he'll never get this. magellan, 1520. awww, my 8 layers must've given it away. help keep your kid full and focused with 8 filling layers... of whole grain fiber found in kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. this is one giant leap for mini-kind. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. hoo hooo! but look below the surface. your mouth is no different. brushing leaves teeth looking clean, but millions of plaque and gingivitis germs are left behind. a quick 30-second rinse with listerine® antiseptic cleans deeper. [ boom! ] its unique penetrating formula destroys germs [ boom! ] brushing leaves behind. [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] ...for the deepest clean and the healthiest mouth. listerine®. clean deeper. get healthier. [ bottle two ] i'm pretty sure there's not much we can do about it. ugh. he's not even trying. he is actual magic. not impressed. [ gasps ] no! can we even clean a leather shoe? what do you mean? what is a shooee? he's cleaning things that we don't even know what they are. gloves? brush? chime in any time here. [ male announcer ] effortlessly removes more grime per swipe. with the mr. clean magic eraser extra power. now try our bigger and stronger bath scrubber with a built-in cleanser to easily cut through soap scum. [ bottle two ] that's new. [ male announcer ] it's rollback time at walmart. now even on faded glory, which has been completely re-engineered for quality with soft, organic cotton... better fits... and lockstitch seams. and because everyone deserves clothes guaranteed for quality, we've rolled back the price. faded glory. one of thousands of rollbacks at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. kids are hungry after school. that's why i always have totino's pizza rolls. big pizza taste. in a bite size roll. kids can't resist their delicious pizza flavor. totino's pizza rolls. the pizza way to snack. i want you to take a look at it and tell me what you think. >> i can't. >> why not? >> it scares me. >> that is dana delany in "multiple sarcasms." she plays the wife of a very frustrated architect who decides to write about the sorry state of his life. >> it made me mad. he has such a good wife, and dana delany plays his wife. were you as frustrated making that movie as we were watching it. i wanted to smack him. you have one blessed guy and you're going to screw this all up. >> he does, doesn't he? it was set in the '70s when people were finding themselves. >> no, people were selfish and it was condoned. >> don't you think? >> what was it like with timothy? >> he's very present, honest, very talented. >> we both love the young girl who plays your daughter. i've never seen her in anything before. >> yes, she has a big future ahead of her, definitely. >> she is so believable. >> very real. >> you could see the pain in her about what's happening to her family. and i know she's a real actress. i can't stand watching myself on screen, and she said she can't. and at 13 if she feels that way, that means she's good. >> obvious when we have actors, they never want to see the clip. >> i'm very hard on myself. >> somebody loves it. you keep winning emmys. >> yes, i'm lucky. >> do you have a lot of projects going? >> i have so much going on right now. >> the movie is out may 7th. >> and i just did a pilot, i might be in a new series. >> is it a network that might be hometown for us? >> not this one. >> you've got to work. >> and i have my charity stuff. i've got involved with child hung eer ends here. it's conagra and feeding america joined together, and go to the website, they can get involved, because 1 in every 4 children in america doesn't know where their next meal is coming from. >> isn't that shocking? we do so much for people overseas, and we should, but we do neglect the neither of our own children. >> i think we're embarrassed. the figure is embarrassing. people don't want to admit they can't feed their own family. last year, feeding america fed 14 million kids. that was 50% more than the year before, because of need. they think it will be worse this year. >> "desperate housewives" still a hit. >> my goodness, i had e best ride this year. i became a lesbian. >> it happens to me about this time of year. spring comes and you just want a little fling. >> i'm in paris with my stripper girlfriend. >> who isn't? >> it must be fun, though. >> i've been very lucky. ip not been been typecast. it's good. what's your dream role? >> well, you would understand this. my biggest fear in life is singing in public. it's something i want to get over. at some point one night only, a cabaret act, just invite my friends and sing, even if i'm terrible. >> can you sing? >> a little bit. >> everybody can learn how to sing. >> that's what they say. >> if you can -- absolutely. >> after six months -- you know, the two guys in lend me a tenor right now, tony shalhoub and anthony la palma. -- >> i saw "american idiot" yesterday and totally loved t i wanted to be on my feet the whole time. i just admire people who can do that. >> we wish you the best. >> we admire you, too. thank you for all you're doing. >> go online. everybody in your community can get involved and the money goes back to the food bank in your own community. >> again, the movie "multiple sarcasms" opens may 2nd. can you believe how fast kids grow these days? that's why there's new danonino. new danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d. so it's power packed for healthy growth. yummy! new danonino from dannon. power packed to help kids grow. to start losing essential nutrients? not long. in fact, green beans lose half their vitamin c in a week. that's why green giant freezes them within 8 hours to lock in nutrients. ho ho ho green giant sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. [ female announcer ] a better start to a better day begins with a balanced breakfast. country crock has 70% less saturated fat than butter, and 30% fewer calories. add multigrain toast, fresh fruit and low fat milk, and they're off to a good start. ♪ country crock. we're back, and in "today's style." it's that time of year when horse race lovers adorn outrageous hats. >> we're going to help you get dressed for the occasion with jen fallic. >> i know you love the last name. would i make that up? no. >> it's still very cool when you go to the derby to wear hats, but you can wear them other places. >> thee very on trend. when i'm feeling gutsy, i would wear this out, but it's fun for the derby. the trend has come and gone, but the hat is a derby staple. >> easter sunday, only one wearing a hat in church until the end. it was like a sisterhood, but mine was about as big as this. maybe i overdid it a bit. >> no such thing. have fun. >> this is if you're going to a derby party. we have kim. tell us about this. >> i love that dress. >> we wanted to bring in florals. that's alls a big derby thing. this has a bit of tulle underneath. it's under $30, from charlotte russe. red hat, red shoes, that has spf in it, too. it protects her face a bit. and some fun julie. you have the flowers, but it looks like a fun pattern. >> thank you, kim. let's say you're going to a sports bar. you don't want a big hat, but you want to be festive. >> this is like a classic southern look, a southern gentleman look gone lady-like. a seersucker suit, you tie it around the neck. >> very pretty, very feminine. >> and i love this hat. you don't have to go giant. you can go with a little hat. >> and it's all pretty affordable. >> yeah, you have some affordable pieces mixed in with some splurges. >> and you have stuff right here. >> when you're at the derby, some things to put in your purse, these eyedrops, these like allergy season everywhere. you don't want to be red and blurry. one drop totally brightens up the whole eye. these are my favorites. anyone who knows me, i sweat profusely. these are mini deodor ettes. you put them in your bad. you can dab on. >> up -- you know, just a little refresh, and it smells delicious. >> these sole mates, so you don't ruin your shoes, and these are a little bronzer blotting papers, so give yourself a glow through the day. >> our next model, if we're heading to the infield. >> lots of drinking, lots of party this is dressier. notice lots of pockets on the shorts. we did the fun metallic sandals. they're from american eagle and stay on your foot. i love the horse charm around her neck. this hat is $6. if you have a few too many in the infield -- >> who cares? remember to bring your horse home, you know? >> finally if you're up in the grandstand with all the -- >> go bold. first -- this is from jay got freed, and we have the yellow shoes. >> every primary color. >> if you can sit conferrable. it's long enough for the to reveal anything you don't want to reveal. and short suit here. all together it's definitely an out there look, but you can break it up for every day. we did the flower purse from, nude shoes are a huge trend. bright hats. it's all about the color. >> a newt shoe like her will make your leg look five times longer. she has lovely long legs, but if you have a problem there, that's a good thing to remember. >> we could all use a little longer legs. >> not hoda. >> then you're one of the lucky one. >> and she has gorgeous feet. it makes me sick. >> ladies, thank you all. thank you, jen fallic. it's been a pleasure to meet you. i'm so bad. bravo at the kentucky derby. >> the bravo ladies will be there? >> 5:00 p.m. eastern and pacific. and continuing on saturday with complete red carpet race coverage on abc sports beginning at 4:00 p.m. and natalie will be there as well. we'll be back in a moment. on this rainy fun day, we're going to check in with miss sara. how are you, baby? >> we're talking about food substitutes. jennifer wrote in half a teaspoon of nutella on a rice cake. >> it's delicious. >> nicole se applesauce instead of syrup on pancakes. do you guys do anything? >> i don't cook, so i don't know. >> that was a bad question for you. >> i just try to avoid things that i know are the things that add pounds to me, you know? >> when you can fill -- everyone does say the applesauce. they say the cake mixes, too. >> nikki wrote in something about rather than bread, wrapping things in lettuce. >> i love that. we'll be doing the jimmy fallon -- >> remember what she said? he never got the toilet seats. >> he never got a thank-you notes. we sent him the seats. >> he said he never received them. so kathie lee, stay up let, set your tivo. brooke shields is with us tomorrow, and molly ringwald. >> plus a menopause makeover. just in time for booze day. >> have a good one. >> have a great day, everybody. bye-bye. >> ...berber carpet. it was a whole bowl of stew. nooo. why? i could have saved this one. i could have saved this one. ♪ call 1-800-steemer