Transcripts For WRC Today 20110831

their side of the story today, show repeatedly prepare to share their side of the story today, wednesday, august 31st, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning. i'm savannah guthrie in for ann this morning. when you see images like these from patterson, new jersey, you realize just how long it's going to take to rebuild entire communities. >> unfortunately those flood waters are actually rising in some areas, not falling this morning. vermont has its own dire situation to deal with. those thousands of people stranded by washed out roads and bridges. and fema, the agency that deals with these disasters, is running into a serious money crunch because of irene and in-fighting in washington. i'm going to have more on that in a live report. also ahead, we showed you this terrifying x-ray on tuesday. it's an arizona man who was impaled by pruning shears while he was gardening. now he's speaking out about how it happened, how close he came to dying. we're going to hear from him coming up. it's amazing that he lived to tell the tale. plus, a warn for parents on the potentially deadly hazard that lithium batteries pose for your kids. but let's begin this wednesday morning in the aftermath of hurricane irene, we have it all covered. nbc's michelle franzen is in patterson, new jersey. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. one of the latest towns, latest counties in new jersey dealing with flood waters caused by the rising rivers along here, thanks to irene. we're along the passaic river here. you can get a sense of just how high these flood waters have reached by that vacant building back there. the water is slowly receding after the river crested in the last few hours. but certainly it's not receding quickly enough. this water has already seeped into this town. they had to evacuate more than 1,000 people here. it is same story up and down with different rivers throughout new jersey here. once those waters recede, matt, it is all about clean-up in this area. devastating clean-up. many people who have lost everything, it was in their homes or they have sustained a lot of damage in that area. and tour that area and the damage today throughout new york and new jersey will be homeland department of security janet napolitano along with fema, the administrator. and they are expected to survey the damage here in new york and in the new jersey area. just devastating scene after scene, matt, that we are seeing all throughout new jersey. >> yeah, and michelle, since irene moved out of here we've had through beautiful dry days in a row. a lot of people may be shaking their heads at just how high that water still is. michelle, thank you very much. three minutes after the hour. here's savannah. >> other parts of the northeast are trying to cover from irene. the national guard has used helicopters to get food and water to thousands of people cut off by the historic flooding in vermont. "today" national correspondent amy robach is in rutland, vermont, this morning. good morning. >> good morning to you. this is one or was one of three roads that leads to hillington, a popular ski resort and summertime getaway. you can see what happened. what was once a babbling brook turned into a raging river during tropical storm irene. unfortunately all three roads look a lot like this, which cut off the people who live up on this mountain as well as hundreds of tourists. and while this scene behind me is dramatic, unfortunately it is all too familiar across the northeast. >> this is my daughter's trailer. and this is -- >> reporter: real heartache lasts more than a day. for major sections of the northeast, the pain from this once in a lifetime storm is going to be around for a long time. >> i never thought the scope of it would be this bad. but it's pretty devastating. >> reporter: towns in vermont remain cut off. the roads leading into them, impassable. the national guard supplying them with essentials. known as a winter time playground, killington resort looks more like a war zone. 1,000 people, mostly vacationers, are stuck in the area. new jersey mother karen nilo is one of them. >> three miles to our west is a washout. three miles to our east is a major washout. no way out. >> reporter: but she's caught a lucky break. today the road will be open for one hour and she will be able to drive home to her new jersey town that's under water. to the west of vermont, upstate new yorkers are looking at a tangled mess of downed trees and road closures. the rugged hills funneled irene's rains, taking away both livelihoods and homes. >> nobody was prepared for all of this, at all. nobody knew this was going to happen. >> reporter: on sunday some connecticut residents were rescued from their homes by boat. today 1,000 roads remain blocked. half a million people have no power. governor dan malloy says the issue is being addressed. >> there has never been this many people working on a power issue in the state of connecticut's history. >> reporter: while cities and towns rebuild the infrastructures that make them go, the victims of this massive storm have no less rebuilding projects of their own. >> basically i lost everything when the road flooded up. there are probably about 6 1/2 feet of water in my apartment. >> reporter: he lived in this basement apartment. >> everything from furniture, clothes, basically my whole being is gone now. >> reporter: back here in vermont you just heard, there will be one hour for tourists to get down this mountain. it won't be along this road, however. it's a little bit too unsafe. authorities have built back up part of this road. this is being used now for emergency crews to get back up the mountain. they are bringing much needed supplies, food, and water to those remaining on top of the mountain. back to you. >> amy robach, thank you. savannah, thank you. as rescue crews deal with the immediate impact of irene there are new questions in washington about whether fema has enough money to deal with this disaster. we're going to talk about that with the agency's administrator in just a moment. first, nbc's tom costello is in washington with more. >> this comes just as hurricane season actually heats up. simply put, fema is running out of money. the shortfall could climb to $5 billion. so, it's putting a temporary halt to pay for rebuilding projects in other disaster zones, from joplin to tuscaloosa, even katrina. with irene's path of destruction stretching from north carolina to vermont, president obama offered a promise on tuesday. >> as a government, we're going to make sure that states and communities have the support they need so their folks can recover. >> reporter: but in a year of mounting national disasters, from snowstorms and historiced floods to catastrophic tornadoes, fema's budget is stretched thin. now less than 0$00 million in te disaster relief fund, and everyone is lining up for help. >> like any town in any county, our coffers are a little bit bare at the moment. we didn't really budget for a major clean-up like this. >> reporter: so to pay for the food, water, and ongoing emergency operations associated with irene, fema is freezing new requests from state and local governments rebuilding from past disasters. that means if there were a new request for a school in tornado ravaged joplin, a bridge in tuscaloosa or a project in katrina's wake, all would be on hold for now. >> for any projects that have not come in for approval, we're not going to be able to fund those at this point. we're going to postpone those. >> reporter: postpone, not cancel. you can blame politics and the new budget realities. republican-controlled house already voted to get fema another $1 billion this fiscal year, but that increase is tied to budget cuts elsewhere. so senate democrats haven't acted. house majority leader eric cantor on fox news. >> yes, there's a federal load. yes, we're going to find the money. we're just going to need to make sure that there are savingses elsewhere to continue the to do so. >> reporter: in one week, cantor's own state of virginia was hit by both a earthquake and a hurricane. >> there's wide spread damage from vermont to south carolina. this is going to be a big project. >> reporter: while no one is suggesting fema doesn't need the money to respond to this year's mounting disasters, it may come at the expense of other government programs. the senate is expected to take up fema's funding when it returns next week. for republicans this is a matter of paying for the emergency but cutting back elsewhere. matt, 33 times in the past congress has approved money for disaster relief without cutting other areas of the budget. >> craig fugate is the adm administrator of fema. thanks for joining us. >> good morning. >> you don't have to be a math whiz to realize the numbers don't add up here. you have $800 million in the disaster fund. bills from irene are already coming in at estimates of some $7 billion. so if i have been flooded out of my home in new jersey or i lost a business in vermont, can i count on fema? >> for the individual citizens, yes, we have not stopped doing that. what we have done is permit repair work. doing the emergency work, life-saving activities and all of those activities are still ongoing. >> you need congress to act and get more money into your coffers. but as we see lately, although tom costello says 33 times in the past, congress has increased fund for fema without cuts. we know that these are different times. and congress doesn't act quickly on anything dealing with spending right now. are you worried about that? >> i'm worried about the people that we're working to help right now begin the immediate recovery. we've got a job here to do at fema. we're going to stay focused on it. work with the white house and the funds we need. we're working right now in the initial response and being prepared for the next disaster. >> i understand that and it is the people that need the help that you should be paying attention to. but what is your message to congress when this comes back up when they come back from their vacation? >> in this country, americans have always come to the aid of other americans in a crisis and disaster. that's our job. that's what we do. that's who we are. fema is doing its job. we're going to keep working and supporting the governors and citizens in surviving this disaster. we're doing our jobs. >> in the past when fema run short of funds before, congress generally comes through. does the system itself need to be changed or fixed so that this doesn't happen in the future? >> well, in this country, again, we look at these large-scale disasters as something that's hard to budget for. this is a question that's best left to the appropriators and to those that deal with these issues. fema is doing its job. we're working. again, americans have always come to other americans, whether it's katrina, the hurricanes i went through in florida, the earthquakes in the west coast, all disasters when they get to this point we've always as a country have come to each other's aid. >> you've been to vermont and looked at the damage. you've been through upstate new york and see what happened there as a result of irene. i know you're going to be spending time in new jersey today. what's your overall assessment? >> that this was not a coastal impact. this was a flood events and a power outage. and the flood damages here are very dramatic. and again, we're working hard with our state partners as they focus on life safety as we get ready to support the recovery. >> fema administrator craig fugate. thank you very much for your time. >> thank you. 13 after the hour. here's savannah. >> matt, thank you. to the uprising in libya. inside look today at the lavish compound of the daughter of fugitive dictator moammar gadhafi. stephanie gosk is in tripoli this morning. stephanie, good morning. >> good morning, savannah. since tripoli fell people have been flocking to and looting gadhafi's home, enincludes his compound here in tripoli, and a beach escape. people here believe the family plundered the country's wealth to fund their expensive lifestyles. it seems an unlikely neighborhood for a luxury home, but behind the concrete walls he lived in grand style the top of dictator's daughter was a lieutenant general in the libyan army and a lawyer. she was part of the defense team that represented another toppled dictator, saddam hussein. the arab named the 35-year-old bleechd blond the claudia schiffer of north africa. who has now firmly in rebel hands looted and damaged, but the lavishness is still plain to see. there isn't just a pool, it's a separate pool house with showers and a hot tub. inside the main home, a golden mermaid throne designed in her image sits at the bottom of a long marble staircase. this opulence is on display publicly for the first time, only fuelling the anger that average libyans feel toward the gadhafi family. by the time the rebels got here she was gone. nine months pregnant. she escape with her mother and two brothers to neighboring alger algeria. the government there said she gave birth with her fourth child while crossing the border. pictures are scattered and picked over in the master bedroom, including those from her wedding day. her husband ahmed, a general in the libyan army, was allegedly killed in a nato strike in july. the valuables have been looted from the house. but the stuff that's left he behind tells you a little bit about the family. there's this book "living in style paris" and then this one, "the secret life of saddam hussein, from the palace to the cave." the occasional passerby is let inside to wander the rooms and marvel at the riches, like this basement beauty salon complete with everything needed for a high-tech facial. back out on the street the resentment spills over. gadhafi pretended he lived in tents, this man says, when in reality he lived in palaces, while the libyan people are hungry. the gadhafi family is on the run. the palaces are no longer theirs, and now neither is the country. quick update on the hunt for gadhafi. one theory is that he has escaped to one of two strongholds. serte, his birth place to the east, or to the south. they have given them an ultimate numb, gave up or we will have an attack. let us get the rest of the headlines now from natalie stand tath news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning, everyone. parts of texas and oklahoma are battling a natural disaster of their own this morning. raging wildfires have forced hundreds to evacuate and dozens of homes have been engulfed by the flames. officials say persistent drought conditions and searing summer heat wave are likely to blame for the wildfires. $60 billion in u.s. funds have been lost to waste and fraud in iraq and afghanistan over the past ten years of war. this according to an independent panel. the commission on wartime contracting reported to congress that wide spread corruption and faulty planning are to blame for much of those losses. as the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, the federal government is ratcheting up security nationwide. officials say there is no specific terror plot being investigated but that americans can expect more security at airports, mass transit, government buildings, and even major athletic events in the coming weeks. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange this morning. >> the month started out working for the first month but ending relatively calmly. even weaker than expected news on the economy recently hasn't really deterred the buyers in recent sessions because investors are increasingly convinced that the u.s. is going to step up to the plate and do more to try to foster a stronger recovery. as the gas prices, you may have noticed it's starting to go up ahead of the holiday weekend. national ainch op average of $3 a gallon. >> we are always looking for a silver lining around here. amanda drury, thank you. you might say she made quite a splash. daryl hannah was getting arrested in front of the white house where she was protesting an oil pipeline from canada to texas. the 50-year-old movie star and environmental activist was later released after paying a fine. this is her third protest-related arrest. it is now 7:18. let's turn it back over to matt, savannah, and al. >> most people don't get applause when they get arrested. >> but if you're daryl hannah. >> did you notice how the cops went right over and got her out of the line? >> exactly. >> not the others. >> chatting with her, too. >> mr. roker, how are you doing? >> keeping an eye on katia in th >> mr. roker, how are you doing? >> we're keeping an eye on katia. too early to tell what it will do. 385 miles west of the cape verde islands. west-northwest movement rocketing at 21 miles per hour. it will stay north of the leeward islands, get caught up in a trough coming off the atlantic coast and then will turn to the east of bermuda. we still have to keep watching this. it will be a major hurricane by early next week. >> good morning. another autumn like start here this last day of august. right now we're down into the 50s throughout most of the region. later today into the lower and mid-80s. not very humid. few clouds around. more of the same on thursday and friday. over the weekend, more heat and more humidity. saturday and sunday highs near 90. might >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. now an arizona man who is really lucky to be alive after he impaled himself on a pair of pruning shears. he's got the x-ray to prove it. nbc's lee cowen is in tucson with this story. lee, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. you don't often hear of gardening accident that is quite this serious. if it weren't for that ct scan to show where the shears ended up in his eye you might not believe that it happened, let alone the fact that it was survival. for all those times your mother warned you not to run with scissors, this is why. but for 86-year-old leroy, there was no running me says he simply lost his balance while trimming his neighbor's bushes and ended up falling eye first on his trusty pair of pruning shears. >> i tell you i have never had pain like this in my life. >> reporter: it down through his eye socket, nasal cavity, and ended up in his neck, right next to his carotid artery. >> i could have pled right to death. >> minutes to get inside his house where his girlfriend of 12 years found him bleeding into the sink. >> i saw this strinstrument in face and i just said, leroy, honey, what have you done? >> reporter: he was rushed to tucson's university medical center where doctors were shocked. >> i've seen things like branches, nails, glass, but this was -- i call it a one in a million kind of thing that you see. >> reporter: the doctor who worked on congresswoman gabby giffords after she was shot in the head in january saw reason to be hopeful. >> we were able to loosen it enough to slide it out carefully. >> reporter: he reconstructed his eye socket with a titanium match. remarkably the eye itself hadn't republican churd. >> i can see all of you just as good with this eye. >> reporter: he does, however m double vision. something doctors hope will go away when the swelling goes down. >> for this kind of direct impact, next to his eye, he's very lucky. >> reporter: as for any future gardening, well, leroy says those shrubs, they may just be neglected for a while. >> i'm not going to be doing any prune work when i get home. >> this wasn't leroy's only brush with head trauma. he once walked through a blat glass window and ended up with 240 stitches all over his face. some call him accident-prone me just calls it survival. just plain lucky. >> we're just shaking our heads over this one. that was amazing. >> he should buy a lottery ticket. he's lucky. >> lee cowen in tucson for us this morning. thanks very much. coming up, new details in the suicide of the estranged husband of a "real housewives" star, we have the 911 call to report his death is released. but first, this is "today" on nbc. 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[ male announcer ] get to a better state. still ahead, could the prime suspect in the disappearance of a maryland woman in aruba be released from jail today? we're live with the latest in a key hearing in that case. plus, prince harry kicks up his heels and really dives into his summer vacation. that story after your local news. hey parents, it's going to be a big school year. see, i'm not just teaching woodwinds and strings. i'm teaching attitude! if your kids want to sound cool, they have to look cool! so, here's what they'll need: denim, graphic tees, leggings and tunics, more denim, backpacks, headphones, hair gel, denim, converse one star shoes, denim, shaun white hoodies and denim. school takes a lot. target has it all. this flat-out delicious -- the new $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty 6-inch flatbread breakfast sandwich and a 16-ounce cup of freshly brewed seattle's best coffee. all for just $3. build your better breakfast today. that story after your local news. good morning it's 7:26. the the 31st day of august. there is a burned car with a body in the trunk of the car, a dead body in the trunk of that car. the picture shows how badly burned the car is. police on the scene say they are not sure whether the person snud man or a woman. we do have a crew there and we'll bring an update when we check out traffic. good morning another cool start. we have a blanket of fog over the potomac river. elsewhere sunshine. temperatures will climb out of the 50s to the 80s later today. not very humid. over the labor weekend hotter more humid storms sunday. how is traffic? >> maryland branch avenue an accident there now in the shoulder lane. 7:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 31st day and last day of august, 2011. folks who have come down to rockefeller plaza this morning might think they're in the wrong part of the country. that's because we've turned our plaza into a country fair, full of games, animals, all the fried food you can eat and much, much more. we're going to head outside to enjoy that in just a little while. meanwhile, inside studio 1-a i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. ann is off today. the a story the parents are going to want to see. >> lithium batteries are used to power your pda to kid's toys. it can be deadly if your child swallows one of them. plus, authorities released a 911 call in the suicide of russell armstrong. he was the estranged husband of a w"real housewives" star as bravo reveals their plan for the new show. we're going to begin this half hour with the new details in the disappearance of robyn gardner in aruba. today is the deadline for prosecutors to prove they have enough evidence to keep holding the prime suspect in the case. nbc's jeff rossen is in aruba this morning with the latest. jeff, good morning to you. >> hey, savannah. good morning to you. yeah, key hearing in the case today. we're watching that very closely. a judge will decide whether prosecutors have gathered enough evidence in this case to continue holding the prime suspect gary giordano behind bars here in aruba or release him. he could be released back to the u.s. as early as this morning. as we watch that we're also watching the search for robyn gardner. nearly a month, they don't know where she is. as soon as she went missing police checked the beach where she vanished and checked around it. there's a huge chunk of it they haven't searched at all, remains untouched. this morning robyn's close friends are urging police to cover more ground. it looked impressive last week. dozens of invooestigators and volunteers combing aruba's sweeping shoreline and hidden caves for robyn gardner. no sign of her, not a body, not so much as a piece of clothing. coming up on a month, the active search is now over and robyn's boyfriend in maryland doesn't know why. >> it's been nearly four weeks now. obviously i'm frustrated. what i would like to see happen, canine, more people, more searches. comb the island. look under every rock, under every leaf, and find her. >> reporter: this is where it all began, on the south end of aruba. giordano says he and robyn were snorkeling right here, right in this area in front of me around 4:00 p.m. he reported her missing around 6:00 p.m., leaving two hours unaccounted for. police sent divers into the water as soon as robyn went missing. but after four days of searching and no sign of her, they gave up and haven't been in the water since. which leaves the rest of aruba's rugged terrain. >> this is my side of the island. >> reporter: dan is a novelist living in aruba for nearly two decades. >> aruba is 17 miles long, about 7 miles wide. you drive the entire island from one end to the other in an hour. >> reporter: he drove us just 15 minutes from the spot where robyn vanished. he says police still haven't been here. >> typical location. hundreds locations like this across the island. back in the car we're moving again. >> if you wanted to get rid of something and have it never found, it would be relatively easy. >> reporter: this spot is just 20 minutes from robyn's last known location. apparently untouched by investigators. it's a long way down, choppy water here. >> it's at least 50, 80 feet down to that water. knocking up against the rocks, will they find anything here? >> i don't think you would ever find anything that fell off of here. >> reporter: police suspect gary giordano has something to do with robyn's disappearance here in aruba. locked up as the prime suspect. though he denies any wrongdoing. aruba's top prosecutor. >> what is the plan to search for her going forward? >> we have no concrete plans to start a large search again. we first want to concentrate on other parts of the investigation. >> reporter: piecing together robyn gardner's final moments while trying to build a case against gary giordano. >> most important here is finding robyn. that's the only thing that matters to me right now. that's number one. >> reporter: so here's what will happen today. the judge will go to the prison, hold this private hearing behind closed doors. prosecutors will present evidence, and that judge will decide whether they can hold gary giordano another 60 days. that's what prosecutors want. or release him. we'll let you know what happens. back to you. >> jeff rossen in aruba. joe is a trial lawyer who represented joran van der sloot during the natalee holloway days in acueruba. giordano has been held for a period of eight days and another 60 days. today the judge will determine whether he can be held for 60 days. how much does prosecutor have to show to keep mr. giordano incars rates? >> very little. all they have to show is that the investigation is continuing and progressing and they have some evidence to suspect that he's involved. and it could simply be that his story, that his statement that he gave is falling apart, that witnesses are coming forth to sort of rebut his snorkeling defense, if you will. it's a very low standard. as a matter of fact, it's not even a hearing. they're not in the courtroom. there is no tribunal. there's no defense. it's really a judge going to the jail speaking to the prosecutors and making a determination that will later be published. >> so it's a low threshold to keep him for the 60 days. but at the end of this period, if authorities haven't charged him with a crime, does he go free? and if he leaves and goes back to the united states how difficult would it be for the aruban authorities to get him back to aruba to ultimately face trial? >> it would be difficult. foreign jurisdiction. they would have to go through procedures hathe hague conventi. >> do you think the prosecutors have a 60-day clock on them to charge this case or it's over? >> yes, but again, if they uncover new evidence, they could make an application to the judge, as they did in the previous aruba matter. they could make an application to the judge to detain him based on newly discovered evidence and it happens all the time there. >> your assessment, is there enough under aruban law right now under authorities to charge him with murder we know there's not a body in this case. there doesn't have to be one, although prosecutors would like that evidence. is there enough to hold him and charge him? >> we have seen things coming out about this guy's personality, background, which is clearly not one that was stellar. his story seems to be a little incredible in a lot of ways. witnesses are starting to say things he's saying. that being said, this time around the eyaruban authoritiesi believe they have a lot more than what they're saying because they seem relatively confident in proceeding here. >> good to have your perspective. thank you. it's now 7:37. here's matt. >> all right, savannah, thanks very much. new developments now in a real life tragedy for a reality show. natalie has more on that. >> russell armstrong, estranged husband of one of "the real housewives of beverly hills" was found dead tuesday. police released audio from the chilling 911 call moments after his body was discovered. a warning though, this call is disturbing to listen to. >> tell me exactly what happened. >> my friend just hanged himself, do you understand? come over here right now. stop asking questions. >> reporter: frantic pleas to police come from the friend of russell armstrong, the husband of "real housewives of beverly hills" taylor armstrong, found dead earlier this month. taylor was at the house when the body was discovered. the caller tries to comfort her as she sobs throughout the heartbreaking 911 call. lapd were called out to this upscale home where russell had been staying with a friend. russell had not responded to friends and family for three days before he was found. >> is it obvious death or is he -- did he just hang himself? >> yes. >> do you think he's beyond any help? >> no. there's nothing you can do. it's -- there's nothing we can do. >> reporter: russell and taylor armstrong's frequent bickering was a big part of the drama throughout the first season. the couple had a 5-year-old daughter who was frequently seen on the show. the 911 call reveals that she was also in the home when her father's body was discovered. >> have her go away as soon as possible. the man's daughter is here, so we have to get her out of here. >> that's her dad? >> that's her dad. >> did she -- did she find him? >> she's fine. she's fine. she doesn't -- she doesn't know of it. >> reporter: in june tabloid photos show russell and taylor out in public and seemingly happy. but last month 40-year-old taylor filed for divorce to end their six-year marriage as russell was reportedly swimming in debt. regardless of the state of their marriage, there is no denying that taylor is absolutely devastated. >> come here, taylor. come here, taylor. it's all right. it's all right. it's all right. it's all right. >> it's not all right. >> there's nothing we can do. there's nothing we can do. >> armstrong's untimely death raised many questions and concerns about the well being of people who expose their lives on reality tv. the producers of "real housewives of beverly hills" are now scrambling to reedit the show with the second season set to launch this coming monday. and the president of bravo media tell us they have taped interviews to address armstrong's suicide. that will air before the premier. >> no winners there in that situation. >> hard to hear that call. >> it is. natalie, thank you. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right, thanks so much, matt. and we continue with the heat down through the >> let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right, thanks so much, matt and we continue with the heat down in the southwest. dallas 10 degrees above-normal. as you go up into the plains look at these high temperatures. 100s and 90s all throughout the southwest in the plains. the good news is we're watching some development in the eastern caribbean that could head into the gulf later, moving into the gulf of mexico, that could bring showers and cooler temperatures, making its way from mississippi all the way into texas with some beneficial rain. not enough to bust the drought but to give people a little bit of a break. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. sun is up. mostly clear skies. high clouds from the west. bank of fog over the potomac river. temperature in the 50s throughout much of the region. 64 at reagan national. later today we should make it in the low 80s with low humidity and light wind. more of the same on thursday and friday. now into the labor day weekend, hotter more humid on saturday >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you very much. coming up, potentially deadly hazard that lithium batteries might pose to your kids. that's right after this. this is the network. a network of possibilities. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. 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[ male announcer ] it's been a good year for the chevy silverado. and not because of the awards or the accolades. no, it was good because you told us so. the chevy model year wrap up. get in on our greatest model year yet. just announced -- celebrate labor day with an additional $500 bonus cash. with all other offers, including the all-star edition discount, that's a total value of $6,500. ♪ our greatest model year yet is wrapping up. back now at 7:44 with a potentially dangerous hazard to your kids. it's probably in your home right now. talking about lithium batteries. nbc's aditi roy has details. aditi, good morning. >> good morning. every year 3500 cases of lithium battery ingestion are reported to poison control centers in the united states. most of the victims are young children. at first the batteries burn the lining of the throat. but if they remain undetected, those batteries can be deadly. you might not know it to look at him, but just a few months ago he was near death. this whirlwind was anything but. >> sick, couldn't move, couldn't do nothing, throwing up. >> everything had collapsed because he was so dehydrated. his blood pressure was really high. his heart rate was really high. >> reporter: doctors were stumped. they thought it was a flu or the roto virus. >> the doctors thought he would get better in a couple of days. >> reporter: but he didn't. and for four days cason was in and out of the hospital until finally doctors took a chest x-ray and found one of these. cason had swallowed this lithium battery. it had been launched in his throat and was slowly eating away at the lining of his esophagus. >> it probably was in there for five days. if it had stayed in much longer he could have died. >> reporter: lithium batteries can be found in everyday household devices and toys. wh what makes them especially dangerous for kids, when they are swallowed the symptoms mirror common illnesses. but they can be fatal. >> they're deadly and they're dangerous and they're everywhere. >> reporter: kara george knows the risk all too well. her daughter brenna was nearly 18 months old when he swallowed a button battery and died. >> all we can say is that we had a beautiful happy, healthy baby girl and she was and always will be our true joy. >> reporter: cason was lucky, he survived. but after seeing and spent three weeks in a hospital recovering his family wants to help others. >> it's important that we get the word out to -- for everybody to realize how dangerous those batteries are. >> scary. we had no clue about the battery. i don't even think the doctor did at all either. >> reporter: and because of that dr. carry says physicians need to be more vigilant. >> i think in children under 6 it has to be very high on your differential for a child that has come back multiple times to the doctor, multiple times to the emergency room. most patients always need a second thought. >> reporter: while swallowing batteries has occurred for krae years, 20 t. develop chlt of larger and stronger has increased the risk of severe complications, making cason's case all the more common. >> he is lucky, very lucky. >> although it's still rare the dangers of lithium batteries prompted the consumer product safety commission to issue a warning back in march. battery manufacturers are aware of the issue and they're working with the government to find a solution. savannah? >> aditi roy in los angeles, thank you. and coming up next, prince harry shows off his dance moves and makes a big splash on a summer vacation, right after this. ♪ i'm a film star. well, i'm a film, left behind by a floor cleaner i thought was going to take me places. wait! now life is dull... darling! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer wetjet's new upgraded solution loosens and lifts off dirt to help prevent streaks and residue. and reveal more shine than a mop or your money back. you had me at "bzzzzz". you carry them around everywhere. yes i do, because cravings are everywhere. would you take a craving for me, cartwright? how would i -- exactly. [ male announcer ] nicorette mini goes wherever you go, to help make quitting suck less. ♪ jif to go goes anywhere ♪ jif to go goes here, goes there ♪ ♪ jif to go goes everywhere ♪ goes here, goes there ♪ jif to go, wherever you go we can't guarantee ♪ goes here, goes there she'll always mind her table manners. but we can guarantee that petsmart grooming will make your dog look great. with our look great guarantee, you're happy... ...or it's free. petsmart. happiness in store.™ it's been kind of a busy year for prince harry. he was the best man at his brother's royal wedding, declared himself single and spent time doing charity work all over the world. now it's harry's summer vacation turning a few heads. nbc's michelle kosinski has details on this. >> you know the mention of single and prince could send flocks of young american women over here looking for him. but just in case you have been asking yourself what has prince harry been up to lately, we have this for you, complete with some fascinating new royal dance moves. ♪ what's this? could these be the unleashed dance moves of the third in line to the throne? why, yes. when one is holidaying in croatia, one of the hottest spots known to clubdum, oh, yeah, prince harry is so into it, he then hurls himself into the pool, fully clothed, thank goodness. >> when you look at that, the footage of being, do i really want to marry somebody who is such a bad dancer? very cute. everyone is dancing badly. there's an element in a way that he thinks, maybe i could trade him. >> reporter: and, no, harry and pals did not arrive via anyone's daddy's swanky private jet or the apache attack helicopter, again, thank goodness, he traveled on the most unroyal easy jet flight. and avoided the vip area. you can't blame the guy for having a good solid break because harry has been nothing but good lately. best man in his bro's wedding, trekked to the arctic with wounded warriors where he also threw himself into the water. he seemed to enjoy that one. he's been doing all kinds of charity work, and has declareded himself 100% single. with all of his army apache attack helicopter training, he doesn't have time. not for on again off again fling chess si for this underwear model he reportedly dated for a spell, but it's all just increased harry's cache. >> he's like any young guy in his late 20s now. he just wants to have fun. i think he actually does forget that he's possibly now one of the most photographed bachelors in the world. >> reporter: and the busy prince is about to embark on some serious work. a couple of works pilot training in the u.s. with some of america's top guns in hope of returning to duty in afghanistan. hey, maybe this guy deserves some serious croatian nightclub duty. all the crazy moves he can muster, on land, air, and sea. ♪ sometimes labeled those harry moves dance, he's high he respected here for his military service. he will be in the u.s. both in california and arizona starting in october. and hopefully will learn some evasive maneuvers to stay away from all of those young american women, matt. >> michelle, show me those harry moves one more time. >> okay. that's enough. that's enough. we're back after your local news. livi ng w ith the pain livi of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ...could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you... ...with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra,... ...humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, blood, liver, and nervous system problems,... ...serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist how you can defend against... ...and help stop further joint damage with humira. ♪ for a snack like you ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. thiñ good morning it's 7:56 on this wednesday moaning. i'm joe krebs. let's get the forecast now from meteorologist tom kierein. looks like a nice day, tom. >> last day of meteorological summer. feels like autumn with temperatures down in the 50s to the 60s. ronald reagan washington national airport on the warmer waters of the bay. around the region low humidity in place with highs reaching low and mid-80s. few clouds around. into the labor day weekend, though, getting hotter and more humid saturday and sunday. could get some storms late sunday afternoon and evening and good morning. traveling north on bw parkway report of an accident period beltway. traveling bw parkway making your way south from laurel to the beltway slow commute. same thing on i-95 pretty bad here as you make your way from 198 and head south towards the beltway. continuing on to the beltway those delays right along right with here on a wednesday morning, 31st day in august, 2011, we've got a little banjo music, guitar music, fiddle music out on the plaza because we have turned this plaza into a country's hottest country fair. >> oh no! >> that is a fair right there. we're going to have a little fun as we take you to the country fair. >> did you see that frog? >> i didn't think it was that big. i didn't know. >> are you serious? it's just a little frog. >> i'm okay. >> we're going to have more fun with savannah and the frog in just a couple of minutes. >> he's break making a break for it! >> into the world of beauty pageants. whoo! what else is coming up? go ahead, al? >> kids in the digital age can disaster. today's teens are plugged in 24/7. but it can come with bullying. we've got important information for parents and teens coming up. >> i smell personnel coming up. anyway, lots to get to. let's go inside. natalie morales standing inside at the news desk with a check of the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. flood waters from hurricane irene have forced a new round of evacuations. nbc's news chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson is live in a chopper above patterson, new jersey. anne, what are youing looking at there? >> good morning, natalie. we are seeing just incredible sight. take a look at this. the passaic river is supposed to run under the bridges of patterson, new jersey. this morning we have seen that river run through those bridges. we have seen playgrounds, neighborhoods, cars, school buses, businesses, all swamped by the passaic river. now, why has this happened? the river drains north of new jersey. and new jersey had already suffered its wettest august on record before irene came. and then irene came and brought another 11 to 12 inches of rain. and it's just been too much for this area to handle. the ground was already saturated. the rir wver was in saturated. now the water is in places where it shouldn't be. in passiac crested yesterday. as a result, they've evacuated on 1,000 people in this city of 150 now. there's no word yet on when these people will be allowed to go back home. >> anne thompson there, thanks so much. general david petraeus who won praise for his strategies in the iraq and afghan wars bids farewell to the army today after a 37-year career. he will be sworn in next week as the director of the cia. dispute of muslim head scarves led to 15 arrests last night at a suburban amusement park. they were at the park to celebrate the end of ramadan. scuffles broke out when they enforced their safety policy. the head gear can get snagged on rides. here's brian williams with a look at the news. >> long time no see. coming up here tonight on "nightly news" it's got kids excited and parents a little worried, a four-day school week. it's an education nation report we have for you tonight. inside a controversial experiment, that's tonight on "nightly news." natalie, we'll see you then. >> thank you, brian. it is 8:03. let's go back outside to matt and savannah. get a check controversial experiment. that's tonight on "nightly news". we'll see you then. >> all right, brian. it's now 8:03. let's go two st dire got harris weather from al roker. >> we'll get things started off. we have two show stoppers direct from the maryland state fair. we got john harrison and his champion 1,001 pound boar and bradley and his son jack and their first place award-winning 1313-pound watermelon. john, what's the difference between a boar and a pig? >> a boar is a male pig. >> there you go. as opposed to being just boring. he's at 900 plus pounds. how much bigger will he get. >> he can get up to 1,200. >> 1,200. what will happen to this guy? >> he'll live out his life on our place until his demise and then be buried. >> how much does he eat a day? >> about five pound snipe eat more than that. and bradley and jack. how do you grow 133-pound watermelon. >> a lot of time. watering it at nighttime. >> where you guys from? >> maryland. >> that's fantastic. all right. i understand bowser likes watermelon. all right. thank you so much. that's what's going on around.6 neck of the woods. >> temperatures now just past 8:00 are beginning to warm up? to the 60s. at 69 at ronald reagan washington national airport and going to continue to warm into the lower and mid-70s later today. another day with low humidity. should be partly cloudy and calm wind and tomorrow and again on friday not much wind, low humidity, highs mid-80s. as we do get into the labor day weather. >> stu very much whp when we come back, how long young is too young to compete in a beauty pageant. inside the world of "toddlers and tiaras" and today's country fair, right after these messages. hey parents, it's going to be a big school year. see, i'm not just teaching woodwinds and strings. i'm teaching attitude! if your kids want to sound cool, they have to look cool! so, here's what they'll need: denim, graphic tees, leggings and tunics, more denim, backpacks, headphones, hair gel, denim, converse one star shoes, denim, shaun white hoodies and denim. school takes a lot. target has it all. ♪ hershey's chocolate syrup. stir up a smile. vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. i didn't understand it. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means, i can feel better and do more of what matters. 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♪ and all my ladies got pride today ♪ [ female announcer ] take the special k challenge. drop a jean size in two weeks and slip into size sassy. so many delicious ways to get started at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose? back now at 8:10. with baby beauty pageants. the crowns may be small but the competition is dpeerfierce. just look at the hit tlc reality show "toddlers and tiaras." >> when she wears the fake boobs and fake butt, it's an extra bonus. >> we see her blond hair and her blue eyes. her favorite movie is "peter pan." madison. >> i'm not having fun yet! >> mother/daughter team lindsey and barbara jackson is features in tonight's episode. barbara entered lindsey at the tender age of 9 months and now passed it down to her granddaughter mahdi. we're going to see maddie in a moment. let's get right to it because you know a lot of people watch these competitions and think it's kind of over the top. how do you explain the interest in doing this? >> you know, it's for each individual child. some people like to be in a group and on cheerleading teams, some people like to do gymnastics. with anything, some things -- people are going to think things are over the top. but with gymnastic or dance or competitive cheerleading you wear hey, you wear makeup. to some people it's over the top, to us, it's just what happens. it's normal. >> barbara, you had lindsey doing it when she was little and now your granddaughter, too. did you have any hesitation in having her involved in something that requires them to wear kind of adult hair and makeup? >> no, never. it's just always part of the competition. it never was anything derogatory to us. >> do you see how it's changed at all -- >> oh, yeah. >> -- versus when lindsey did it versus when maddie did it? >> when lindsey did it we didn't do the big hair. she just did the natural hair. there are the natural competitions now but also the glitz. >> we have to meet maddie. are you ready to come out? you look great. >> okay. you've got your little cows on you're out fit. maddie, do you like being in the competitions? >> i think that's -- that's a big old yes. and, so lindsay, how did you get her involved in it? did she express a desire to do it? >> well, actually, i wasn't going do compete her when she was first born. i was just going to let her do whatever she decided to do. and -- and we went to visit some friends and i took some pictures with her and from the moment she was a baby. if she was on stage and people were cheering and clapping for he her, she was waving and blowing kisses. i told mama, we'll start her. if she desires to stop at any moment, that's fine. if she wants to play soccer, baseball, we'll stop pageants at any moment. >> what do you think of lindsey when she was little and maddie now, what do they get out of this? >> they win money. madison will tell you she wins toys. that's her biggest thing. scholarship money for school. >> yeah. >> do you worry, lindsey, at all about the fact that the emphasis is on the external appearance, the hair and makeup and everything on the outside? >> i don't worry about that with her because i explain to her that we use the hair pieces to keep her hair from being processed and sprayed on. her hair is in a bun underneath it and has no hair separatiospr. i haven't touched her hair today. >> what do you like about competing? what's the best part of it? >> toys. >> toys, okay. we heard it there. maddie, lindsey, and barbara, thank you for being here. we appreciate it. you can catch an all new episode tonight on tlc. coming up next, challenges and dangers of raising girls in the digital age. but first, these messages. i'm carla, and this is my cvs. we look out for patients by offering care 1 on 1. we help them save money with generic prescriptions. we talk to them about prescription safety and -- help them save money. plus we discuss possible side effects and -- help them save money! we help them save money. get care 1 on 1 and talk savings, safety, and side effects when you transfer or fill a new ongoing prescription. i'm carla, and this is my cvs. and his, too. i've never tasted anything so delicious. richard, why are you wearing grandpa's jacket? i'm not richard. i'm grandpa smucker. male announcer: tim and richard smucker always looked up to their father and grandfather knowing that one day they too would make the world's best jam. grandpa says it like, i've never tasted anything so delicious! i've never tasted anything so delicious! tim: [ laughing ] you got it! male announcer: for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. this flat-out delicious -- the new $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty 6-inch flatbread breakfast sandwich and a 16-ounce cup of freshly brewed seattle's best coffee. all for just $3. build your better breakfast today. ♪ look around, it's happening ♪ oh, yeah ♪ imagine that ♪ imagine sunshine always shining ♪ ♪ ♪ imagine that ♪ you feel it working, so you know it's working. and that means you're good to go, for whatever the day brings. new crest complete. unlike ordinary toothpaste, you feel a deeper clean. it's a signal that tells you your whole mouth is clean. you're also protected. because most of life happens outside the bathroom. feel it working, know you're covered. with new crest complete, life opens up when you do. and, just like toddlers, puppies need food made for them. that's why there's purina puppy chow... with all the essential nutrients your growing puppy needs. purina puppy chow. your favorites, in pieces. the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal. they steam and bake the actual whole grain while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. back at 8:18. this morning on parenting today, raising girls in the digital raise, research from cdc says girls instant message and text more than boys. that can potentially lead to young women feeling even more peer pressure in cyberspace. we met up with three teenagers at dylan's candy bar here in manhattan to see what they love and loath about technology. >> about 100 texts a day. >> i was in like four different conversations texting people. >> i go and look, 300 messages. wow, like i really was talking to her through texting for that long? >> it's kind of addictive, you know. you go on facebook and stay on it for a really long time. >> stare at the screen because something is going to pop up and something is going to happen. >> you feel great, you feel great about yourself. >> we have like literally 200 likes on their profile pictures and hundreds of comments. >> they are like wearing a bikini. >> people do it to see what everyone else's reaction will be. if you're at a friend's house, somebody goes and say, can i check facebook quickly? i do that sometimes and i feel kind of bad about it. it's like this constant urge to be connected. >> we had a facebook when we were in like sixth grade. >> middle school is awful. people are so mean. >> my mom started off saying, you should show us your facebook every month. but then they kind of stopped after a while. >> formspring is really where you see a lot of bullying and stuff like that. >> the posts are anonymous or can be unless you choose to say who you are. >> it's easier to write negative and mean things and bully people when you're not to their face. you can type it in. >> and rachel is author of "odd girl out," just been revised and updated after ten years. good morning. >> good morning. >> a lot changed in those ten years. the site formspring, this is where comments can be left anonymous from users and we have statement from the company i want to put out there. at formspring we place priority on the safety of our users. we provide users with the ability to control many aspects of questions they receive including weather they want to receive anonymous questions. they prohibit abuser of harassing, intimidating or threatening other users and we take action against users who violate these terms including terminating their account. rachel, the problem really is any online site. if parents are not really monitoring their teens and their usage. >> there's no question that parents have to play a role. with a site like formspring, even if the intent is cruelty, t. there's an epidemic of cruelty. they have to take responsibility for it. >> they say they monster the site but i'm sure you can't monitor everything out there in the cyber world. >> you can't. and millions of kids are bullying each other on that site. >> we are seeing cyber bullying at epic levels. >> huge change. used to be able to go home from school at 3:00, close the door and you had refuge. now that bull ilying is going to follow you. >> talk about teens and you're usage, these girls are sleeping with cell phones at night. they're waiting to find out, you know, what's going on in the middle of the night. >> they are. we know that girls are online more. texting more. it's because they're really addicted to their relationships and technology gives them access to relationships. on the one hand it makes them feel good because i have all of these likes on my facebook page. on the other hand it makes them feel left out when they see photographs of a party they weren't invited to. >> when it comes to parental involvement you say it's time for parents to get mean. what do you mean? >> we cannot let kids define the use of tech use. parents know that they feel in their gut it's wrong. i say it's time to be a little bit harder. it's time to set the all radiru yourself. remember that thing your parents said no to but you hated and now -- >> you're not getting a cell phone until you're 15. >> this is that thing. your child will thank you later for setting the rules now. >> some of those rules, you say, is beginning with your daughter's never too old to share her password. does that mean your going to be spying on them? >> spying? that's a safety issue. you need to know what conversation she was having if something happens to her. when your child leaves the house, you don't say bye to you later, come back when you want. having her password is part of that conversation online. >> that's on usage, obviously. no texting at night or sleeping with a cell phone. >> yes. when girls are texting at night they are not rational. much more likely to get involved in drama. we also have a parking area in the house to put their phone down. girls are always complaining my friends are texting when they come over. park it when they come over. >> again, the book is called "odd girl out." you can read an excerpt on our website. hey, willard, good morning. >> you are the best of the business. we are doing once next week, remember that. >> i hope so. >> thank you. hey, listen. god bless you, i pronounced it wrong last week. took me ten years to say la hoya. happy birthday to the wonderful people of john deere. i have two at home. happy birthday to one of our favorite people in the whole wide world, beautiful betty kollar of north olmsted,ohio. 103 years old today. loves to read. a beautiful lady. and anna lucenti, 107. a former and talented dressmaker. and everybody is crazy about her smile. edith reese is 105. enjoys reading her bible every day. you can't go wrong with that. no, you cannot. and we have rae schneeweiss, hollywood, florida. 101 years old today. loves to travel all over the place. and elisabeth ely, 100 years old. she loves to dance and is a very, very happy lady. also, we have harriet venzie of marlton, new jersey, 100 years old today. still drives her car. that's it, that's all. god bless you everybody in the flood. it will all work out. >> thank you. just ahead, a country fair on the plaza, complete with frog racing and a list of fried foods. look how big that frog is. but first, your local news. plaza complete with drag racing irst youras. burn wednesday, august 31, 2011. good morning, i'm eun yang. we're following breaking news out of prince george's county. a body was found inside a burning car along jeffersoning height drive in fairmont heights. this picture shows how badly the car is burn. police on the scene say they are police on the scene say they are not sure if america's favorite coffee is now available for america's favorite single-serve brewer. try new dunkin' k-cup packs and enjoy the freshly brewed signature taste at home. it's a beautiful thing. come in today for all five dunkin' k-cup varieties, available only at dunkin' donuts stores. america runs on dunkin' coffee. ku good morning. we got the sunshine now and temperatures are climbing into the 60s throughout most of the region and later today we'll be hitting the low to mid-80s and should be partly cloudy with low humidity and a light wind and more of the same on thursday and friday. then over the weekend the labor day weekend we'll have heat and humidity, and maybe some afternoon or evening storms on fro 8:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 31st day of august, 2011. hit it, boys! ♪ it is that time of year again when everybody is rolling out their bails of hay or they're setting up their ferris wheels and they're getting ready for the town, the county, the country, for the state fair. whether it's right down the street or all the way across the state, some 150 million americans are going to head to a fair this late summer or early fall. maybe it's for all the milk you can drink or for that famous fried food on a stick. what was that? >> i have no idea. >> neither do i. or maybe it's for those great midway games like the water race. this one over here. >> win a prize! >> got them all. >> you're a winner! all right! one at a time, son! one at a time! >> or maybe it's an outdoor race or a frog jumping competition. i want this one. can i hold him? thank you. all right. that's right. let's go over here. or maybe it's a chance to meet one of the biggest farm animals. where are you going? young lady, where are you going? >> look that the pig. get that frog away from me. >> 1,000 pounds? >> yes. >> you don't eat a pig like that all at once do, you? >> no. >> we decided to bring the country to the city today in today's country fair. come on, savannah. come on over here. al, come on over here. i got to give this frog back to this guy over here. there you go. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. he is a beauty. all right. now you can come near me. >> okay. >> not a problem. we've got all the elements of a country fair gathered in our plaza today. matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, ann is off today, too bad. >> yeah, she's missing out. frog jumping, husband call? that's a new one on me. >> do you have any purell on you? >> no, i don't. >> let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> thanks, matt. we have the on me. >> we've got a lot to get to but first let's get a check from on the weather. >> we've got here the sleeping man banjo boys. they have a passion for fast picking. the band pi tommy who is 14. k we got 9-year-old joh banjo. tell me your mom wanted you guys how did you move into this? is artists. and we really liked some of their stuff and that's how we started picking. >> now that banjo is pretty big. can you handle it in. >> it's big. >> why do you like the banjo? >> i don't know. it's happy sounding. >> robby, how about your fiddle? the violin, the fiddle is not easy to lay. >> thanks. i started on classical violin. my teacher gave me a fiddle book and i liked it. >> i do suzuki with my daughter. it's not easy. can you play something for us while we do the weather? thank you. go ahead, hit it, son. whoa. ry, on and ry, on and about. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good. all around here we got still some county fairs going on and we have temperatures, a beautiful last day of august. low to mid-60s throughout much of the region with low humidity and later today climbing in to the mid-80s with partly cloudy sky and low humidity and more of the same thursday, friday. >> that's your latest weather and sleepy man banjo band rchlt. >> thank you. what better way to kick off a fair than a good old-fashioned competition. what better competition for savannah guthrie than good old-fashioned frog jumping. >> yeah. >> i'm going to be running the other direction. >> he's from the state of california frog jumping contest. we have four frogs here. a little icky. >> we invite people to a festival to celebrate and they had a frog jump. 10,000 people showed up. it's been that way ever since. >> what's the tip? >> you can spray a battle to avoid touching the frog. you can tip over ia box and mak him get out of there, like in the morning. >> always does that for me. >> and press their back legs together when they're on the ground and that will help them jump. >> these are american bullfrogs. >> american bullfrogs from staten island. >> all right. >> okay. >> it's true that they sleep backwards? >> yes. when they're frightened, they do kind of eemit toward the rear backwards. we're going to give you and al the first frog. >> thank you very much. i got that. >> and we're going to counting down. and then you can put them down and you guys release them. >> okay. >> you can just set him right there. >> okay. >> do i have to touch him? >> no. >> quickly, mine is getting antsy. >> yeah, they're getting antsy. >> four, three, two, one. go. >> go, go, go. >> go, go, go, go, go. >> now, the winner gets -- >> that was really good. >> that was incredible. >> incredible. >> he really took off. congratulations. >> natalie! >> put on that frog hat. >> congratulations. >> i'd like to thank my bullfrog. >> you look like one of fergie's daughters at the royal wedding. coming up next -- oh, my gosh! stop it. stop it. >> this is "today" on nbc. we are back now with "today's" country fair. you can't escape a fair without eating something on a stick or something deep fried. we've got aka the deep fried king. he's ready to tempt our taste buds. so, you're so successful at this, and you only work a few weeks a year, right? >> oh, yeah. yeah, i've been very lucky that all i do is text state fair. it's been great. >> what's your claim to fame? >> fried butter, has to be. it's the biggest seller out there. deep fried butter. >> do you start with dough, obviously? >> it's simple. if you can't complicate fried butter. what you do is you start off with some dough and butter, 100% pure butter. you kind of just wrap the dough around the butter, really simple. >> yeah. >> and you come out with it like that. and then it goes into the deep fryer. >> does the bread melt? >> no. it's fried so it stays liquid in the center. you've got a nice toasted like roll on the outside. so, you know, a lot of people think it's really like a stick of butter but it's not. this is actually really good. and we top it off with cinnamon sugar and honey. >> you fry just about everything. even coke? >> yeah, deep fried coke. >> everything? >> it has to be good. that's the key. we won't fry anything unless it's good. >> what's the one thing you fried and said this is heinous. >> that it was terrible? >> yeah. >> the cotton candy. that was awful. >> really? >> terrible. we could not make it work. it's all part of the fryer. terrible. >> you have mystery items for us to sample. >> we thought we would play a game with you and try to guess what it is that's fried. >> okay. >> so there's some -- this is the -- this is the butter. these are really -- if you want to try one of those and guess what it is. >> this is good. >> savannah, do you want me to try that one? >> yeah, i do. >> and this is a mystery? >> yeah, that's a mystery. >> we're supposed to guess. >> fried spam? >> spam. >> excellent. excellent. >> this is fried popcorn? >> fried caramel popcorn. >> that's correct. >> very good. >> are these peppers? >> those are not peppers, no. >> spinach? >> that's what it looks like. >> right. >> wow. >> that's really good. >> chocolate. >> that is -- those are actually fried cherry -- chocolate covered cherry candy. >> you're on to something. >> you don't have any frog legs in there, do we? >> no. >> we asked you to do fried starbursts? >> not so good. it was like plastic. >> what did you ask for? >> i asked for fried peanut butter. >> not so good. >> what did you ask for, al? >> fried sardines. >> oh, yeah, that was not good at all. >> i was trying to be healthy. fried fruit salad. >> wow! >> natalie won. >> it's a big winner. this was the fried fruit salad if you want to try it. >> fried fruit salad. have you ever tried fried pizza. >> i have. >> natalie, your trophy collection grows. >> wow. >> this is embarrassing. we've got to turn it around here. these are really good. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. appreciate it. we're going to have more of "today's" country fair, but first, this is "today" on nbc. it would not be a country fair without contest and competitions. we have a few of the best in the land with us here this morning. >> that's right. property ji official iowa state fair butter musher. that's what you do. you actually have a butter club centennial. tell us about that. >> we celebrated this year the 100th birthday of having a butter at the iowa state fair. we start with a frame underneath and add the butter on and the process begins to mold it and shape into it, today, a chicken. >> obviously involves a lot more butter, right? >> right. >> how much butter do you go through to make something like this? >> something like this would be 10 or 15 pounds. >> and how do you get to be so good at doing something like this? >> i was so honored and fortunate to apprentice with my mentor at the iowa state fair for 45 years. >> wow. that is impressive. that's beautiful. >> thank you. >> i imagine you keep it very cool. >> 42 degrees. >> that's perfect. thank you. matt? >> we are here right now with the oldest man ever to win the national -- say this slowly, matt, this is a career ender -- corn shucking contest. bob, good to see you. >>. >> hi. >> you didn't start shucking corn until you were 71 years old. >> that's before i was in a contest. i shucked a lot of corn. i was born and raised on a form in iowa. consequent, i shucked a lot of corn. i got back into it at age 71. >> wow. >> and i won the state contest all but three times. >> so what's the secret to shucking corn? >> well, grab the ear like this. open it up. when i go over here, it works easier over there. no not as bad. >> this is for the thumb. >> why don't you show us. >> this is not the kind of corn you eat. this is field corn, right? >> this is field corn. >> does it make it easier? >> yeah. >> all right. so we're going to put how much time on the clock? >> 20 seconds. >> 30? >> 20 seconds. >> 20 seconds. >> bob, are you ready? >> i'm ready. >> countdown. in three, two, one. go, bob. ♪ >> eight, nine, ten, 11 -- >> time's up. >> bob, time is up. >> wow. >> what's the record? what's the most you've ever done in a period of time? >> well, i have a video out that i took at a contest. i got 42 in one minute. >> wow. >> 42 in a minute. >> i understand you lost a contest one time by 44 kernels. >> 22. >> here's a competition that i really like the name of it. husband calling. you are the reigning 2010 iowa state fair queen of husband calling. begs the question, what is husband calling? >> well, they are out in the field and you had to call them in for breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever. you just had to really project. you had to make sure they could hear you so they could come? >> and i understand you also hog call, all kinds of calling. >> i wanted to do it all. i wanted the experience. i haven't been in forever. i live on dauphin island, it was a really long drive. >> show us what you got. >> okay. henry! henry! henry! >> does that work? >> oh, yeah. >> i thought i would try it all. i think i'll do an anchor call. can we do it together. like -- no? okay. no? >> even lenny ran the other direction. >> broke the glass at rockefeller plaza. >> career ending. terrible. okay. so good to have you here. coming up, we have more xooi excitement. hay bail race. exciting competition here. >> and kathie lee. >> this is "today" on nbc. we've got one more competition on this wednesday morning. it's the hay bail race. this is apparently very big at country fairs all across the country. if fo the four of us are going to work as a team. the object is to roll a bail of hay down to that cone, around it, and back to the other side. here to call the race is frank van horn, the warren county, new jersey, farmer's fair president. nice to see you. >> pleasure to be here. i can tell you that, matt. we've been coming in here. started out at 2:30 this morning from warren county. we're ready to get this race on the way. >> big deal, hay bail race? >> this team with us today is first team that's ever one the 200-yard race in less than a minute. usually push over concrete wall, telephone poles. we take these hay bails where nobody has ever put a hay bail today. >> how much do they weigh? >> this year we brought in straw bails for you because we know you're not professionals. probably 650 pounds. hay bails are 800 or so. >> key advice, tips for us? >> the key advice here, when you're going down, make sure you don't get in front of the bail because it will spin you around like a little cheap toy. >> like a road runner commercial. >> i don't want al hurt. he's in my age bracket now. i don't want to have a lot of people hurt. >> now, the route here is we're going outside going inside or inside to the outside? >> you're going to the outside and back in here. my money is over here. let me introduce the members. we are team a. >> right. >> and we have team 1-a over here. come on out. we have kathie lee gifford. you're going to call this? >> i'm going to call it. >> okay. >> getting ready to go. >> do not get in front of the hay. >> you've got two different types here now. you have the guy on the outside and a turner. matt, you're a turner. you're a turner. you're called the rounder. you're called the rounder. you're a roller, you're a rounder. when you pull that back, you're going to be pulling that back. you're pulling back. matt, you're twisting it. >> pulling and twisz iting. >> countdown for everybody. ready, set, go! here they go. go around the corner. going to the hen house. they're going around the corner. pulling it pretty hard here. going back. the girls are in the front. the girls are in the front. come on, ladies. let's go, let's go! back around here. they're coming in. the winners! yes! >> i knew it. >> you knew it? >> i knew it! >> congratulations. we've got to get the trophy. here you go right here. >> jenna wolfe down. >> pretty exhausting. >> i want to tell you, when you do this for a minute, we actually do this, as i said, the team is here today that did it in a minute. this is the best workout you can ever have. i know you guys all go to the gym. do you want to come up to our place and roll hay bails arounda minute. this is the best workout you can ever had. i know you guys go to a gym. you want to push hay baels around. 8:56 is your me now on this wednesday, august 31, 2011. good morning i'm eun yang. :! forecast. another beautiful 70 iny# you'l see m bs next.3tvt good morning. dfll yos passing i-66 make being your way towards 270. those delays continue. here's a live look at robinson terminal. you can see we're bumper to bumper in this towa mormon temple, are finally here! america's favorite coffee is now available for try new dunkin' k-cup packs and enjoy the freshly brewed signature taste at home. it's a beautiful thing. come in today for all five dunkin' k-cup varieties, available only at dunkin' donuts stores. america runs on dunkin' coffee. we are back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, 31st day of august 20,, 2011. if you just watched the hay bailing, you watched a team of kathie lee, hoda, jenna beat us. did you train them? did you teach them how to do that before we got here? >> highly trained. >> as much as i can teach women to do anything, i did it. >> frank, you're digging in deeper here. >> you gave them a trial run here? >> we actually showed them how to do it. they caught on pretty fast. >> you know what? one word. rematch. >> right. >> you disappoint me. why do you hurt me this way? >> matt, i just said, meet me here today. we would love to have you come up here and race around, we have a round racetrack. >> good deal. go get that fro ttrophy back. thank you, frank. welcome back to "today." i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. ann is off today. comi coming up with a more serious note, new jersey, new evacuations were ordered there and there's still something like 11 towns in vermont that have been cut off by the flooding from hurricane and then tropical storm irene. we're going to bring you up to date on what's going on with that coming up. also ahead, we have "today's" money 911. our financial experts are here to answer your questions, everything from finding a rent to own home to what to do with a 401(k) if you've been laid off. and also ahead, the secret to glowing skin, using the right products. we have a variety of products that work. we have options and prescription products for every skin type. >> great. lots to get to. let's go inside. i think she has changed back into her work clothes. natalie is at the news desk. >> hay in the hair. >> thanks, guys. good morning. er is use news to report this morning after irene moved out, millions on the east coast are still without power. and new evacuations were ordered overnight in new jersey and dozens of towns in vermont are cut off. "today" national correspondent amy robach is in rutland, vermont. amy, good morning. >> natalie, good morning to you. here behind me is one of three roads that lead up to killington. very popular ski resort in the winter. a popular summer getaway right now. you can see what's happened to this road it looks a lot like the other two, washed out by what was a babbling brook turned into a raging river when tropical storm irene washed ashore. it cut off many people who live up in the mountain and thousands of people vacationing here. unfortunately, it's an all too familiar one across the northea northeast. >> this is my daughter's trailer. and this is -- >> reporter: real heartache lasts more than a day. for major sections of the northeast, the pain from this once in a lifetime storm is going to be around for a long time. >> i never thought the scope of it would be this bad. but it's pretty devastating. >> reporter: towns in vermont remain cut off. the roads leading into them, impassable. the national guard supplying them with essentials. known as a winter time playground, killington resort looks more like a war zone. 1,000 people, mostly vacationers, are stuck in the area. new jersey mother karen nilo is one of them. >> three miles to our west is a major washout. three miles to our east is a major washout. there's no way out. >> reporter: but nilo has caught a lucky break. today the road will be open for one hour and she will be able to drive home to her new jersey town that's under water. to the west of vermont, upstate new yorkers are looking at a tangled mess of downed trees and road closures. the rugged hills funneled irene's rains, taking away both livelihoods and homes. >> nobody was prepared for all of this, at all. nobody knew this was going to happen. >> reporter: on sunday some connecticut residents were rescued from their homes by boat. today, 1,000 roads remain blocked. half a million people have no power. governor dan malloy says the issue is being addressed. >> there has never been this many people working on a power issue in the state of connecticut's history. >> reporter: while cities and towns rebuild the infrastructures that make them go, the victims of this massive storm have no less rebuilding projects of their own. >> basically i lost everything when the road flooded up. there are probably about 6 1/2 feet of water in my apartment. >> reporter: he lived in this basement apartment. >> everything from furniture, clothes, basically my whole being is gone now. >> reporter: natalie, at this hour the trapped tourists are heading down single file in a caravan. on the other side of the mountain construction is going on right now to try to make this road pass for emergency crew to get up to get the people much needed supplies. >> amy robach in rutland, vermont. thanks. with the effects of hurricane irene still being felt, forecasters are keeping a close watch on katia, another storm brewing far out in the atlantic. they expect it to get stronger and become a hurricane today. but say that it is too soon to tell where it may go. wildfires have destroyed dozens of homes in texas and oklahoma and burned thousands of acres. more than 100 other homes have threatened. hot, dry conditions are making it tougher for firefighters. a new study shows infant mortally rates are higher in the u.s. than they are in 40 other countries around the world. researchers say america is not keeping up with progress being made in other countries. and researchers say they have found a chemical in the core of australia's great barrier reef that one day may lead to a pill to prevent sunburn. they are close to simynthesizina pill. now what has you talking online. job hunter with a green thumb, posted by the none other than the queen of england. she's seeking a gardener for her royal it state in scotland. living quarters are included. fans are googling chris brown, his rolex. the star flung the watch in the crowd and hoped to it get back later. and he did. it was returned by an honest audience member. he earned him some twitter recognition from lindsay lohan asking, quote, want to meet? bieber's ferrari fender bender. don't worry, nobody was injured. police didn't even bother to take a damage report. it is now seven minutes past the hour. let's go lindsay lohan asking quote, want to meet. and justin bieber had fans atwitter. nobody was injured andn i seven minutes the hour. let's of the weather. >> a little bit more right now on cakatia. 65 mile-per-hour winds. it's moving fast west-northwest. 21 miles per hour. and as we look at the path of katia, right now it's going to strengthen today, become a hurricane. by monday morning early it could become a major hurricane. we're hopping a trough will come east off the continental united states and turn that thing so it goes east of bermuda, but of course we continue to watch it. that's what's going on around the country. >> another wonderful late summer day and this final day of august, right now we're climbing to around 70 throughout much of the region and it will continue to climb in the low to mid-80s later today. few clouds around. not very humid. light wind. looks like we'll repeat this on thursday and again friday. but as we get into the labor day weekend, saturday and sunday are looking more ♪ time now for "today's" money 911 where we answer your questions. so-called rent to own real estate, from borrowing from your own 401(k). experts are ready to help. jean chatzky is "today's" financial money editor and sharon epperson is cnbc's finance correspondent and contributor to credit.com and author of "psyche yourself rich." good to see you guys. >> good morning. >> we're going to go to the phones right off the bat. check in with linda. she is calling in from texas. linda, good morning. what's your question? >> good morning. my husband and i are trying to fix our credit with little income. we're paying rent. we feel like we're wasting money by paying a rent payment that is as much as a mortgage payment at times. and getting no credit for it. we were wondering if rent to own if these options are for real options. >> it's not a bad time to be thinking about it because there are plenty of properties for sale. it's not that easy. you have to put down between 3% and 7% typically of the value of the property in order to rent to own. you've got to get some homeowner who has had a property on the market for about three months to six months to agree to do it. just know, though, that if your income is tenuous, i would really rather that you put the money in the bank and save it in the form of an emergency than go the this route because if you're unable to make the payments in the future you could lose that 3% to 7% that you put down. >> good luck. jean, you've obviously got one of the frogs in your throat. >> i do. >> all right. let's go to the phones again. we're going to go to colorado. this time we've got a call in from diane. hi, diane. >> hi. >> what's your question? >> i am 60 years old and just lost my job. i have a 401(k) with the company that has an outstanding loan against it that i use for medical procedure that the insurance company declined. should we go ahead and let that loan go into default and be counted as income or should we take out a loan on my husband's 401 to pay it off? >> that sounds like compounding money problem with another. >> i don't like the idea of taking a loan from your 401(k) if you can help it. of course, diane, in your case you did have to take this loan. you took this loan from your 401(k). and now it should probably be taken as a distribution and counted as income. if you do that, because you're 60 years old, you're not going to have to pay the late distribution penalty. that's the good news. the bad news is you're going to have to pay ordinary income taxes on this money. if you have the money to pay it, go that route before taking a loan from your husband's 401(k). this may to the be the best time to take any money out of that 401(k) at this particular time, particularly if he's suffered some loss necessary that 401(k). you want to be able to use this money for both of you for your retirement. so i would advise probably to take the distribution. >> all right. now let's go to doris. we're going to go to skype in florida, joining us live. doris, good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> i have just one credit card which i've had since about 1994. it carry nies no balance. i used it for airline miles. i just received a week ago a letter from the company stating that they are no longer offering the product. so is canceling my credit card on september 15th. i'm currently unemployed and i'm worried about two things. will the credit card cancelation impact my credit report, and is there anything i can do to avoid that impact? >> tough situation. >> yeah, i talk to a lot of consumers right now, credit card getting canceled. as we talked about on "money 911" you don't want to close credit card accounts, especially if you have had them for a long time, especially if they have high limits. and whether you do it or the creditor does it, the affect is the same on your credit score. it could potentially ding you eventually because credit history and credit limit are very important variables for your credit score. for you because you're unemployed, i want you to be secure. go out back in the marketplace and get a credit card. see if they will reissue another card that is circulating and maybe you don't even have to apply for it. now, the fact that you're unemployed may make it a little difficult to qualify for credit right now. so you run into some closed doors. here's another tip. maybe go get a secured card from a credit union. you don't have to have a credit check to qualify for a secured card and you can still re-establish credit. okay? good luck. >> one more question in here. e-mail question from jesse. i recently checked my three credit card scores and was happy to see that two of them were both well over 700, 758 and 745, respectively. what is the possible reason for the difference and is there anything specific i can do to increase that report? i want to try to buy a house in the next year or two. >> essentially what's happened here is all of your creditors are not reporting to all three of the credit bureaus the same information. you need to pull the credit report to see what's missing or what's on that third report that's sending your score down. and then work with the creditor in question to try to get that information removed from your report. that should help. >> all right. >> don't tell the other ones. >> no. right to the creditor, not the bureau. >> jean chatzky, sharon epperson, thank you so much for joining us. for those of you on the east coast, good news, she's going to be answering more of your questions during a web chat in the next hour so. that's on today.com. coming up next, the trick to having younger looking skin. the best products for your skin type. and getting ready for fall with style staples in leather. leather, baby. but first, these messages. ♪ sun in the sky ♪ you know how i feel ♪ freedom is mine ♪ and i know how i feel ♪ and this whole world is a new world ♪ ♪ and a bold world [ female announcer ] weight watchers, rated #1 best plan for weight loss by u.s. news and world report. join for free. [ female announcer ] and, if you join by september 17th you can get a month free. weight watchers. because it works. while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. took some wild risks when i was young. but i was still taking a risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more, and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol, stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39 to 60 percent. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. 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[ male announcer ] ooh, bad choice. capri sun 100% juice. this morning on "today's" health, the secret to a glowing complexion. not all products are right for all skin types but one thing dermatologists say that everyone should do is exfoliate. which product is right for you? new york's dermatologist is a contribute to "women's health" magazine. good to have you here. exfoliating is a buzzword you hear so much. why is it important? >> it's important because it's an easy way to look brighter, clearer, younger in a matter of minutes. turns your cells over. >> is it for everyone or do you have to be concern fed you have different skin type? >> you do have some concern regarding skin type and age. >> does that affect it, as well? >> aenge and any medical conditn that you may have. >> this time of year going from summer to fall, more reason to do this then? >> some time people feel their skin looks duller from summer to fall, it's a nice bright pick me up. >> sunburns and tans are fading. even out the brown spots. let's get going. you have a lot of great products. again, knowing your skin type is the most important thing. let's start with oily or acne-prone skin. that's where exfoliation is beneficial. >> it's a great way to decongesting the skin and cleaning out the clogged pores, reducing oiliness. >> you like this neutrogena natural product? >> it has small jojoba beads in it. >> it's not going to aggravate oil glands or anything like that. >> exactly. >> it's going to be more gentle. >> if over the counter stuff is not working you can do a peel? >> salisylic acid peel is down with very little downtime. reduce the size of pores. works effectively. >> does it help with blemish snes. >> everything, ranging from white heads, black heads, clogged pores. some of this can be done as much as six weeks or once a season. >> all right. let's move on now. if you have normal skin. here i think your skin can probably tolerate a little bit more. you can be a little bit more aggressive? >> you can be a little bit more aggre aggressive. wider range of things you can do and use. for example, the clarisonic brush. >> it helps with the motion to exfoliate. >> it exfoliates, brightens. >> can you do that every day? >> you can use something like this every day. depending on your skin type. but also start by doing exfoliation once a week. >> you have the olay cleanser here. >> a very wonderful cleanser you can use on the skin that's gentle, yet effective, at exfoliating the skin. if you need something stronger, discuss with your dermatologist, prescription strength vitamin a. i love this because it's gentle on the skin, increases cell turn yoer. helps clear the pores, clear the skin. stimulate collagen production, as well. >> it has retinol in it. >> yes. avoid when pregnant. >> good to point out. over here, for people who have dry or sensitive skin. i wouldn't think that you would want to ek foaxfoliate too much >> exfoliating is very important because you want to get that dead skin off so the moisturizer or products that you use over it will penetrate effectively and it removes dead, dull skin. >> so you have a couple of products that you like to use in office. clarins, generally one of the more gentle companies. >> it's a favorite of ours in women's health because it's gentle yet effective and yet won't irritate the skin. >> philosophy has a product called help me. >> help me is over the counter form of vitamin a which is effective. it's time released particles in there. gentle on the skin but you get all the benefits of vitamin a on the skin. >> if you want something that goes a little bit deeper -- this is something you put on, is this before, the skin barrier i'm fu? >> people with exema, it compromises with people. wonderful moisturizer. >> check with your dermatologist if you have issues. >> always. >> thank you so much. great information. >> thank you. still to come this morning, toning up your arms. we're going to show you the best yoga poses to get you fit. but first, these messages. bye sweetie! you'll do great. 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[ female announcer ] new from neutrogena naturals. 9:26 is your time now on this ñ3kcsa 9:26 is your time now on good morning, i'm eun yang. we're restoriuñ tom, good news once again. >> sure is good news for the crews out restoring power and cleaning up tree damage. right now low lumt in place and temperatures throughout much of later in the low sa s. sunday.< ktzfingaswversion=14.d2i88 goodá wek]i.úu spur hqr spur. g#us? dir >>] morweather,]$ing 270, very ♪ lenny kravitz, aka al roker's cousin, has been called a retrorocker but he's cut his own path for warped and picked up four grammys and a pile of hits on the way. he will be on the plaza to kick off your labor day weekend this friday on "today." so glad he's coming. >> can't wait. >> meantime, we've got, also, he's photographed often wearing leather, as you know. so this is where we segue and make a really cool transition. >> speaking of leather, natalie, it is a fall fashion stap. this morning we're going to focus on boots and jackets, real leather and the faux stuff. we're going to show you some of the best bargains, hottest trends for the cool weather that is coming upon us. in "today's" kitchen our chef is wearing shoes made of leather. farm fresh cooking. we're grilling chicken under a brick. >> wow. cooking. we're grilling chicken under a brick. that's coated in leather. and some seasonal fries. >> butfirst, al, are we in for some leather vs gulf strong storms, risk of strong storms in the northern plains today. ckweather through the gu coast. weekendhedkv coming up next, the must have leather trends for fall. we like leather. right after this. nted it to end. well, hey, at least the pasta's never ending. really? yeah, you choose your pasta, choose your sauce, as many times as you want! a dish i create and it's never ending. i'm in! i'm in! the never ending pasta bowl is back. for just $8.95 try new sauces like roasted mushroom parmesan and hearty pizzaiola meat. enjoy any sauce and pasta combination, then try others. have all you want along with our unlimited fresh salad and warm breadsticks all for just $8.95. try it tonight at your olive garden. when you're here, you're family. step on it! you only have 4 days to enjoy extra savings at the petsmart labor day sale. save up to 50% on hundreds of items. and select tropical fish are only $1 each. at petsmart®. you know that comes with a private island. really? no. it comes with a hat. you see, airline credit cards promise flights for 25,000 miles, but... 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[ female announcer ] s.c. johnson. a family company. hi! i brought champagne. wow! the best in the world. ...some chocolates swiss! ah...the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon. really? wait until you try it. so creamy thick and fresh tasting dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2:1 in a national taste test. mmmm... this may be the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt possibly the best yogurt in the world. this morn oing on "today's" style, we have leather, real and faux. kate is a fashion director of "people style watch." leather is always in. anything in particular about this season that we're seeing as far as trends in leather? >> one thing we're seeing is more color. it's not just about black leather anymore. we're seeing more neutrals, blush tone, different colors and different shapes. still seeing the great classics like riding boots in leather. >> the first one is from old navy. it's not real leather. >> $50. 2 this is what i'm talking about. this is the motorcross shape. this is so cute with anything from a little dress to a tweed pant. love this jacket. >> and always good with jeans. >> exactly. another one from express, called minus the leather. faux and proud. >> we call it leatherish jacket. this is $118 from express. again, this is something you might see on halle berry. it's that great blush color. this is sort of new. and the shape is great. i love the quilted detail. >> the next one is around $50? >> yes. this is your more casual, weekend leather jacket. again, super cute and a lot of sometime for that price tag. >> you have a hoodie under it? >> the hoodie comes with. >> cute. all right. next one is total bargain basement price, which is awesome. >> no, here. >> this is super cute. love it with this little dress. you're right. $32.80. i mean, what's not to love? and this is such a like, if you don't have a leather jacket yet, this is a great shape to add to your wardrobe. >> it looks like most of these are short. is that the style this year? >> it is. it kind of goes with we're all about accenting our waist this season. a shorter leather jacket is going to do that for you. >> let's get to shoes. leather shoes, boots. >> i like those for the wardrobe essential. we've seen taylor swift wear them with cute little dresses. it's an easy look to pull off and comfortable. >> these are libby, $169. i love the mix of leather and suede. it's an updated riding boot. >> okay. our next one from target. >> target. >> tar-jay, as we like to say. >> how much style for $40. i love these. i love all the detail and the caramel color is? >> if you're doing riding boots like this, do you put them over the jeans or under? >> it's an over. i'm sorry. >> over the jeans. >> okay. exactly. >> what are these next ones? >> these are from aldo. this is another big trend. this two-tone treatment of the brown and black together. it makes them really, really versatile. >> can you wear these kind of riding boots with skirts or pants and jeans only? >> again, taylor swift is all about that cute little sweet girly look. then you add a riding boot and it gives it an age. >> these look to be over the knee, motorcycle feel to them. >> from jcpenney, like mary-kate and ashley olsen do. definitely wearing these with a jean or a legging. but again, $60, amazing. >> detail. and then our final pair of boots. >> these are from mia. this is a little bit more of a distressed look. it's a little more rugged. it's great. and again, they're about $100. great price tag. a lot of style. >> all right. beautiful stuff you've got. thank you so much. good to have you here. still to come, we're doing indoor grilling in "today's" kitchen with chicken under a brick. that's coming up after he's messages. like many chefs today, i feel the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. and that's what they do with great grains cereal. see the seam on the wheat grain? same as on the flake. because great grains steams and bakes the actual whole grain. now check out the other guy's flake. hello, no seam. because it's more processed. now, which do you suppose has better nutrition for you? mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. hi! i brought champagne. wow! the best in the world. ...some chocolates swiss! ah...the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon. really? wait until you try it. so creamy thick and fresh tasting dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2:1 in a national taste test. mmmm... this may be the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt possibly the best yogurt in the world. [ gasp ] [ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter. bounty can clean the mess with less. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo, 1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface as clean as 2 sheets of the bargain brand. ♪ dance cooking? bring it. super durable. super absorbent. super clean. bounty the 1-sheet clean picker-upper. and try bounty napkins. while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. i never saw myself here. i didn't. but with weight watchers, i can't see myself anywhere else. ♪ i'm feeling good you can be here too. go on join for free. weight watchers pointsplus. because it works. all-natural benefiber, the fiber supplement that's taste-free and dissolves completely. so you can put it in whatever you like, even water. benefiber. makes taking fiber easier. almost ten years ago nearly 3,000 people died on 9/11. among them, doug gardner who was working in the north tower of the world trade center. he left behind his loving wife jennifer and their two young children, michael and julia. now jennifer has written a deeply moving book about love, loss, and rebuilding her life. it's called "where you left me." jennifer gardner, thank you. >> thank you. >> you have a new last name. we'll get to that part about finding new love in a moment. first, take me back to that day almost ten years ago now. you were woman who had it all, great career, two wonderful kids, one was just going off to school, first day of school, michael. and you and your husband doug were taking him to school. how your life just changed on a dime. >> yeah. it was -- you know, it was a typical tuesday, first day of school. my husband went to work early that day because we were going to have a first dinner at a grown-up restaurant with our 2-year-old and our 5-year-old that night at 5:00. so he went to his meeting. i went to school. and the world ended so quickly. and before i knew it i'm watching tv in my kitchen and i see the towers come down and everything changed. >> you can still see that moment so clearly. >> right at the surface. i'll never forget it. >> always. i know. as you mentioned, you have two beautiful young children, now teen aagers teenagers, 15 and 12 years old. you said you wrote this book. you've been documenting the last ten years. really for them. why did you do this? >> this was never going to be a book. after he died my first panic thought was how am i going to give him to their kids, how are they going to know their father when they asked? by the time they asked he could be abstract, a ghost, memory diluted by time. i'm a lawyer. i said, okay, i have to document everything. i just wrote notes and i spoke into a handheld tape recorder and i put all of these memories in a box. it was a mess but it was their personal archive. one day they wanted to know their dad they would know him realtime and how we felt at the moment of his loss and how we felt afterwards and who he was. >> what do they remember of doug? >> my son, who was almost five, remembers a lot. we call him an old soul. he really remembers going to diners with his dad and watching him play basketball and sitting and watching the games. my daughter was only 2 so she doesn't have memories. but we have given her quite a few. and she can tell the anecdotes as they happened to her, as well. >> you say that you lived really with this scarlet w, the widow name, you said you did not want to be called widow, widow, widow, in the book. how hard were those first couple of years for you to recognize what had happened to your life? >> it was very hard, first of all, to consider yourself a widow because i was 35 years old with two kids. and the word at that time, who was widowed at 35. then 9/11 happened and 3,000 people were killed and there were a ton of us. >> a club you never wanted to belong to. >> it was horrible. and -- but, also, panicked me was that doug, who he was, was getting diluted by all the memorial services and tributes. i didn't want him to be one of the many. i know he was but i needed him to be mine. and our loss and what happened to our family. and also sadly because he worked at canner, we lost so many people. two members of our wedding party, so many good friends. the people who would be in my living room normally if something like this happened, they were all dead or damaged. the name widow which became almost a brand, it didn't feel like me. >> you have, though -- this is about reinventing yourself. finding new love. this book is not all about living in that moment. it is about how you choose to live now. and you found new love. you found derrick, who is your husband now. and he actually asked for derek -- for doug's parents -- >> i do that a lot, too. >> there are not many people in your marriage. >> no, absolutely not. >> you did ask for doug's approval before he proposed to you. >> yeah. it took a long time for derek and me to really, first, to have a relationship and where is it going because i sat at doug's funeral, you know, he loved me enough for a lifetime, don't worry abiliout me, i'm done. i was really truly done. but that's what happens. life turns on a dime. at the proposal he had hidden the ring in a halloween candy bag. it was halloween night. my daughter spilled it on the floor and there's the ring. my first thought obviously after he asked me to marry him was how am i going to tell doug's parents. derek said, don't worry about it. two weeks earlier he went and had drinks with them in their living room and ask his father their blessing. if i didn't love derek before, that just floored me. he always showed such respect and such a deep love for the kids that he really took such good steps to make sure that we were comfortable and that doug's parents knew that he would take care of us. >> i know this book was part healing for you, but also great for your kids to have. >> it was great for my kids. >> they know about their daddy. >> daddy still exists. that's important for them. and they have a lot of support that they can love both. because i don't think you have to close the door in order to live in the present. i think you can carry it all with you. and somehow, at least they're proof of it that joy can find you. >> what a great message. en jennifer gardner, it's been amazing getting to know you. the book was beautifully written and truly moving and important, i think, for people to remember as they mark the tenth anniversary of september 11th. the book is "where you left me." again, thanks. >> thank you. we're back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc. with more in "today's" kitchen, what's for dinner? we have the chef at the barn and farm house restaurant in be bedford, new york. good to see you. >> thank you. >> this is a great alternative to what you might do on the barbecue this weekend. especially weather in the northeast not looking all that great so you may be stuck inside. chicken under a brick. how do you prep the chicken? it's in the enflattened out her >> we keep the leg and thigh attached and take everything else out. and if you didn't, just taking the breast and having it separate no, problem at all. >> you do that, then what do you do? >> put it into a brine, a way to make sure it stays moist. you can pull it out of the brine right there. >> any kind of salt that you like to use? >> we usually use sea salt. any salt you have is more than fine. >> all right. >> if you dry that off, that would be great. we have a marinade. you want to toast your spices, a little aromatic. so you can smell it. put it into a spice grinder. we add in orange slices. >> like a coffee bean grinder? >> that's exactly what it is. clean it out or have one separate. if you have one separate for spices only, that's great. olive oil, orange slices, and if you want to add chicken into this pan here. >> okay. >> we just mix all this stuff up. you would just mix all this. let this marinade. >> for how long? >> i would say overnight. you can go just a couple of hours. no problem at all. and then from there, move over into having it on to -- you can do it outside on the grill. >> basically you want to cover the brick in foil? >> cover the brick in foil. >> dirty brick, you can use iron, if you want. whatever you want. >> how long do you cook it on each side? >> probably about 20 minutes. and we took most of the time on the skin side so you have that really crisp skin. that's what you really want. >> as a side you do something interesting with broccoli. >> officially this weekend family weekend, maybe your kids don't love broccoli, if you char it it brings out some sugars and caramelization. it's amazing. >> did you blanch this at all? >> raw. straight broccoli. garlic. >> smells great. >> it smells amazing. a little bit of salt. and then put it in a very hot oven, 400, 500 degrees. >> very interesting. >> one goes in, one comes out. >> in the bowl we have cheili, you can use chili powder, whatever you have. >> very nice. >> toss that in. >> okay. >> yummy. >> what do you do with the brick? >> the brick is -- >> wait. we're all wondering, al. >> you take the brick off the chicken. you don't eat the brick. >> just checking. >> a little bit of orange juice and lemon juice. >> mushroom, yum. >> what do you top the chicken out with? >> roasted corn, great time for corn. >> that smells fantastic. >> really easy, right? >> thank you so much. >> thank you. thank you for having me. >> great job. >> we're going to get into this. coming up, hoda and kathie lee, yoga moves to tone. they don't need it the way they move those hay bails around. >> that's all after your local news and weather. i think they cheated. >> they did. they practiced beforehand. >> cheaters! on twedneshõpú le go stra toj power good .h treeí]k eun yang. ther possibility scatte stormslut;rnoon watching. up around 90. ro area bridges. let's the american n accid or maj state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm. captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford" and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> middle of the week, everybody. wines day wednesday. august, 31st. so glad that you're with us today. we've alreadiy had a busy day, haven't we, hodi? >> hodi? >> we were on the plaza today with the rest of the crew. so you're with the competition. it was a country fair kind of day. look what happened. it was me, kathie lee, savannah and sara, look at matt. really trying. wait, look what happened. we almost lost jena. >> we almost lost you. >> you and matt were rubbing up on each other. >> well, it happens. not as often as i prefer, but once in a while it does happen. >> we beat them and it was in record time. in fairness we did get a practice run because we were concerned about my neck. >> that bale of hay weighed on on. >> 650 pounds. >> it you were in front of it, you could be road kill. >> we risk our life to bring you the news. that's what we were doing there. bringing the news. >> one of the subjects we're talking about on the show today involves women and take com. limits. >> we're not very good at it, are we? >> if someoned to you, hey, i like your dress. what do you say? $15 at loehman's. >> right. you know, people that go, thank you, i don't like. >> you know why? if i said to someone i love that spot you did on tv. thank you, i worked really hard of it and i'm proud of it. i can't stand it. there's a difference -- i liked your "dateline" the other night about having this for real. and you say? >> i would say to you, i worked with a great bunch of people. i feel uncomfortable because most things are a group effort. very few things you do in life you do solo. there are people that say thank you. thank you. >> well, then what are we supposed to say. thank you. it's bad to not just be gracious because you feel the complimenter feel crumby. >> apparently, we do everything wrong in this world. >> my father used to say surround yourself by people that are smarter and more talented than you are and you'll look good. he's right! people don't realize that we don't live together. >> what are we going to do with this? hero who's going to take the hay? ha-ay! >> i'm married to frank gifford, do you think there is room for my awards? >> by the way, frank gifford's awards is something to behold. >> it's unbelievable to see that stuff. >> every week he makes me stand there and look at it for about an hour. >> uh-huh. >> we apparently made some news yesterday, i don't know why. >> anyway, but we do love "the huffington post." love them! >> we did a little thing called beat boxing and where you go into a little thing and start spitting. listen to this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> that's that great group. ♪ ♪ >> you see? that was fun! >> they were the cutest guys. they were committed. everybody in the competition for the sing off, and they have a record out. >> i think their cd will do great. they are very talented. >> they are amazing. >> speaking of talented kids. how about prince harry? >> what's he talented at? >> he was vacationing in croatia. apparently he's not that great of a dancer. >> he fell. he didn't miss a beat and he's still dancing. >> he does his own thing. >> you know he's going get criticized and he knows everybody has a cell phone and a cell phone camera and you know what? there he is, drenched and having fun. >> he's a young guy. he's in the army or the air force or something over there. he's blowing off a little steam and nobody got hurt. >> we love it when royals act like commoners. they get drunk, too, and fall in pools. >> right. there's a new thing out there called photo bombing. >> yes. >> it's not really new. >> phyllis diller did this to my family years ago. we were taking a christmas picture and phyllis diller just photo bombed and she sent out our family christmas card. >> you poke your head into the back of someone else's picture. >> justin bieber did this to katy perry and russell brand. >> oh, they're making out and he's right there. there he is right in between. >> oh, they know he's involved. >> they're trained professionals. they know what's going on. >> a little fender bender yesterday, too. >> nobody got hurt. >> are there other pictures of photo bombing? we hear there may be some. >> kim and kris. >> we happen to be bookending them. >> how strange and beyonce and her baby bump. >> we were there with harry. you would never have been there -- >> hey! hey! hey! >> if i had been invited to that royal wedding -- if, i would have had my lid blown. i'm just saying. >> your lid blown! >> i would have. should we photo bomb our great people. >> we have meg ferris. wwl tv in new orleans. she's in the house and also -- wait! >> no, no, no, my friend sarah dorman and this beautiful young man is walker, he is billy graham's great-grandson. we are delighted to have you here today. >> we are so glad. >> send a whole bunch of love to billy, and i love to think billy is at home in north carolina watching us every morning. he's had some tough years, but we love you, billy. one of the most wonderful -- >> yeah, you're fond of him. >> most wonderful god ever made. >> when the group was here yesterday because you guys are like the new take six. i remember i'd done a christmas special with take six up in my nows connecticut and it was the only time ever in billy graham's life that he did a so-called secular television program, and it was a dream for me to have him at our house. i'll never forget. i put him up in the guest suite and i said reverend graham and he said no, no, no, call me billy. i said is there anything at all i can get you. he said anything? he said can i have a big mac? and from that time he would stay at the marriott and i would send up a big mac. i'll do it for him right now. >> breaking news, victoria beckham was spotted -- she was photographed. >> wait a minute, did she not have a baby yesterday? >> but look how thin she is. >> is she that thin after having that baby? >> you what? no, iy think that's photo bombed. that's not possible. >> they say she has a slipped disk and that's why she is in flats. >> i wish her all of the best in the world. >> sometimes i do find myself minus the back problems, wearing heels. >> if anyone can wear flats it's you. >> i don't like flat, i don't know why. when you have larger feet flats don't look cute. >> hoda's so much taller than jay. i said no, she's not. >> i'm not. i wear heels. >> why tower over the man you love? that's just rude! >> i have short ones on today. >> how tall is jay? >> he's taller than me. i'm 5'9". i think he's 5'11", maybe 6'3". >> something you might want to consider. a man notices that. >> jay doesn't mind. jay doesn't mind anything. i say that word for very rare occasions. and he's beautiful to behold. >> he's a sweet guy. there are new words to add to the websr's dictionary. >> one of them. here are the new words in there, social media and tweet have been added. >> i think social media would have been in there. >> bromance. a close, non-sexual relationship between men. cougar. >> that's what i thought this morning when the three guys, george clooney and randy gerber and who was the other person? they all went off on a bromance -- what do you call it? motorcycle trip. they went very romantic -- find out who the other person was, and they were matching motorcycles. that's the thing that gave it away, you what i'm saying? >> another one is crowd sourcing and the practice of painting info from an entire crowd. >> it's call red search. taking a survey. >> helicopter parents. >> not me! >> you know who you are. >> boomerang child and the parents know who these kids are. the ones who go to college and come back and live at home because they don't have any money and stay there for a long time and then fist bump. that's now in the dictionary and boink, apparently, is in there. we wanted to pick a word to make it our own, but apparently it was in there. >> i never thought it was vulgar. >> but it is. >> it's in there, it's vulgar and it's in the dictionary so every time you've been saying it. >> i was right, but i didn't know. hoda, i'm going to be spending a lot of time on planes, and i think this will solve my situation, as they say. it's called a grab a nap. it's a pillow, muscler and earmuffs so you can sleep any time anywhere. you'll look like an idiot, but you won't care. it's cozy. that better be one of mine. >> next time you play a lullaby, can you maybe make it one of mine? i don't ask for much around here. >> this is great. >> can i have the brown one? >> by the way, i like your hair with the curls. >> it was heyday. >> did you see what just happened? i gave you a compliment and you said thank you. that's what we're talking about. why can't women take compliments and by the way, your dress looks beautimous. it is each time you see it anyway. >> i'm not saying anything. >> we'll be right back. ♪ ♪plogic. ♪ four pounds of sirloin. but only wrap half... i'll just throw it out anyway. [ male announcer ] we throw out over $500 in food every year. help save more of it with ziploc freezer bags featuring the smart zip seal. edge to edge protection you can hear. now that's ziplogic. ziploc freezer bags with the smart zip seal. get ziploc. and get more out of it. now get 2 box tops from ziploc. [ female announcer ] s.c. johnson. a family company. [ sighs ] can't wait 'til morning. wait, it's morning in china... [ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's® crunchy nut™. it's morning somewhere™. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's® crunchy nut™. wait a second... with olay challenge that. new regenerist wrinkle revolution... relaxes the look of wrinkles instantly, and the look of deep wrinkles in 14 days. ready, set, smooth... regenerist. from olay. someone pays you a compliment? do you say thank you, play it down or try to prove them wrong. >> here to get us to the root of why women can't take a compliment is leslie goldman, blogger at "all hell is breaking loose" and developmental psychologist and auth offer "good girls don't get fat." >> i don't think we even realize that we're not taking them very well, do we? it's all part of our dna. >> it's ingrained in us from an early age. >> by the way, nice cleavage. and what do you say in response? >> thank you. you just made my day. >> you blogged about this because -- why? >> i was out a few weeks ago identifies my friend's boat and there was a woman there who i'm friendly with and we were in bathing suit and she said i've got great legs and how did i respond? i didn't say thanks. i launched this full-scale assault of trying to prove to her how my legs were not great. and look at these veins and it was like i had to prove to her that she was wrong. >> are you doing that because you don't want her to think you do have good legs and you're trying to play down? >> i think it may be that. >> why didn't you just say yeah. >> yeah. >> i think that women are just kind of raised to seem humble and maybe i thought that if i say wow, i really appreciate that. they are great that she thought that i would be arrogant. >> there are two things going here and when speaking to women audiences i identify two reasons and one is we have the inner body bull they tells us we're not thin enough, we're not good enough and not worthy enough to take the compliment and so we downgrade it. the other part is even if we think that the compliment is true we want to demote it or push it off because we don't want other people to think that we think we're all that. we downplay our strength and accentuate our weaknesses. >> the right thing to do when someone pays you a compliment. >> we like your glasses or a haircut and we say thank you, that would be nice. you can give a little. thank you. i kind of like the style. >> no, see, that's too much. that's macy's for 20 bucks. >> no, but then we downgrade it. >> i think it's good to say it, but once you start bragging about it. >> if you say -- if you say i like your dress, i like this color purple. that's not bragging. that's just saying what you like about it. >> that's boring. >> is it more boring than saying, oh, no, it's so cheap and it has a hole on the left side? >> i like that better. >> that's a woman problem, then. >> no, but i think we like people more who don't think as much of themselves. you know what i mean? >> but also i think there's a difference if someone's paying you a compliment on something physical versus something about your character and personality, when someone tells me your writing made me laugh, i say thanks. i appreciate that. i never say oh, no it was a horrible story. >> in the opening we were talking about that so much in life is collaborative and nothing worse when someone takes total credit for something when other people had a part in it. hoda is terrific, we have such fun together. >> that's a little -- >> and the crew -- >> and your hair looks great and i haven't showered in three days. >> moore did a great job. >> we have to claim those strikes, every time a woman says no, no, that's not true. we're saying something bad about women. >> what if a guy comes up to you and says hey, baby, you're hot. >> then he's a little creepy. >> that is nice pip think you're supposed to say thank you. >> if a guy comes up and says something to you. a nice compliment, then you can say thank you. >> guys have no trouble accepting a compliment. there are so many women rules we need to follow. we want to connect and we definitely don't want to seem boastful so we do push it off. oh, you have such nice legs. oh, no, they're ugly and they're fat. oh, no, you think you're fat? i'm the fat one and it goes on and on. it's a ridiculous thing. >> we've not evolved much at all. i think we have to teach our girls how to take a compliment. >> all right. >> especially compliment other women. >> absolutely. >> you guys look great even though it's inappropriate for the morning. >> up next, funny photos that will have you saying what the what? she's kidding. >> no, i'm not. >> no. too much.th my s, and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some of these can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix affects you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. ♪ my benjamin, he helped me with the countdown. "5 days, mom. 10 days, mom." i think after 30 days he got tired of counting! [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about chantix. over 7 million people have gotten a prescription. learn how you can save money and get terms and conditions at chantix.com. vo: a breakfast worth learn waking up for.ve money and get terms and conditions enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. if you think occasional irregularity is no big deal, think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me! >> we're back with one of our favorite segments called "what the what." sara sifted through the photos you sent in and she has made her choices. what are they? let's get right to it. it's the first photo sent in by nina walters from north carolina. it's time to change the sign or the name of the store. would you go to a mattress store called bedbug. the next sent in from sue from michigan. that's a better deal than going to the dollar store. i'm sorry, but if they're only 99 cents do you really want them? >> it's for menu. >> the u is a crucial letter in that. >> the next one is from david douglas from germantown, tennessee. he sent in this photo. when you have to go -- what? worry about doors or the mom, dad and three kids that pulled up behind you. it's an outside urinal. they should just be hidden so we don't have to see them. >> what? >> it's at a stop. yeah. that's actually at a gas station. >> that is strange. >> and disgusting. >> what have we come to as a culture. >> a little expose. next up, we have a photo from hillary knapp from chappaqua, new york. >> lice, beer, nachos, margaritas, wings and burrito. >> the lice is better with beer. >> you get all of the letters on. >> i know! who's dropping the ball here, sign people. we have francisco from redondo beach, california. so -- >> which one is it? >> you choose your own adventure on this one. >> get a ticket. >> you're kind of in a stinker either way. finally, maria from edgarton, wisconsin, submitted this photo. is that a reflection? if you have photos don't forget to go to klgandhoda.com. >> and we love you, miss sara. >> straight ahead, what do you really know about labor day? we'll take the who knew quiz and find out. >> does that mean i'm going across the street? >> how to transition your makeup from summer to fall. >> and pairing your wine. leslie and ray. it's going get ugly. [ male announcer ] heard this one? listen to this. three out of four americans don't get enough vegetables. so here's five bucks to help you buy v8 juice. five bucks. that's a lot of green. go to v8juice.com for coupons. you can count on us. ♪ ♪ unleash the hidden power of bisquick. imagine your teeth are giant glass sculptures covered in yellow graffiti. ♪ most whitening toothpastes only remove stains from the surface of your teeth, but there's also a layer beneath called dentin. dentin discolors over time. rembrandt deeply white toothpaste uses the same enamel-safe whitening ingredient dentists use to noticeably whiten teeth from the inside and out. rembrandt deeply white. whiten inside and out. for the second day in a row, confusion over which schools are opened in prince george's county. yesterday it was central high school, today it was a couple of. elementary schools. coming up we'll hear from upset parents. good morning i'm eun yang. also coming up could your teens late night hours be more than just bad habit. a sleeping disorder that could hurt your yeah, i'm married. does it matter? you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪ we are back on this wines day with our weekly ho"w knew" series. this coming monday is labor day and we thought we'd give you labor day trivia. kathie lee is at the nbc experience store and she'll give $100 bucks to those who answer correctly and those who don't get a cd. she's the project editor at "travel & leisure." are you ready? >> it's a beautiful day for trivia. >> say i had to sarah. finish the lyric, ma'am. these people are visiting from canada. finish the lyric to donna summer's hit "she works hard for the money." ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and she's going treat you right. >> oh, mom! >> what? >> what did you say? >> they're going to treat you right. >> that's close enough isn't it? >> yeah. so, yeah. >> you better treat her right. >> in 1983, actually donna summer herself was born on another holiday, new year's eve, ladonnaa gain. >> her real name is ladonna? >> what is the highest grossing labor day weekend movie of all time? it was "going the distance," "halloween," "the american" or "super bad." >> i knew you'd get a cd. stop it, you're going love it. >> so the correct answer "halloween," surprising. >> and that's not the original 1978 film. that was the 2007 remake. it came in its opening weekend with $36 million and it grossed $08 million and considering it only cost $15 million to make that was a profitable movie on labor day weekend. >> back across to kathie. >> which city in the u.s. was the first to celebrate labor day? was it new york, new york, boston, massachusetts, chicago, illinois or baltimore, maryland? >> new york, new york. >> yeah. yeah. yeah. >> so the first to celebrate was, in fact, new york city. she got it right. >> new york, new york. i'm sorry, i'm going take this out. new york was the first city to celebrate labor day and it was on a tuesday in 1882, the first day it was designated the first monday in september was in 1884 and congress passed it into law in 1894. so we've been celebrating it for 129 years this year. >> do you have a photographic memory? >> no. >> you know everything. >> and she never makes a mistake, ever. >> we've been trying to catch her for three and a half years. >> you're hot, too, honey. finish the lyric to the classic "nine to five." ♪ ♪ ♪ >> that's when you know they don't know when they go -- oh, you know -- this is so good. you're going to love it. i wrote all of them. ♪ ♪ >> taking and no giving. >> this is the title song of the movie that came out in 1980. dolly pardon was very common and jane fonda. the typewriter in the background was the clacking of her acrylic nails. >> ew! really? back a cross kath. >> lovely lady from new brunswick, canada. what's the most popular way american trafrlers will get to their destination this labor day weekend? even though you're canadian, you might know this. plane, train, car or boat. listen to your friend. >> car. >> yeah. why am i feeling so generous today? i don't know. >> car is the way most people go around. >> 27 million people will be hitting the road. that'sa 87% of the 31 million travelers that will be going. a 4% increase over last year and a great trip is rental car rates is 7% less than last year, an average of 4 $43 per day. if you're looking to hit the roads and don't want to put the mileage on your car, be smart. >> thanks, sarah. >> how to transition your makeup routine from summer to fall. important info right after this. on a recent trip to france we discovered the inspiration for a totally new yogurt. activia selects french yogurt. so silky and smooth with lots of juicy fruit. it was a grueling trip! try new activia selects french yogurt. 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[ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutelyelicious. kellogg's® crunchy nut™. it's morning somewhere™. we're back with "today's beauty" and with fall just around the corner it's time to change your dewy, summer skin into a look for fall. >> mally roncal is here to make it easier with your makeup regimen. >> you are always so perfectly put together. >> oh, gosh. what am i supposed to say? thank you. >> so we're supposed to say good-bye to dewy? >> well -- >> i'm still waiting for dewy. >> there's dewy. yeah, you what it is? in the summertime we're out there and we're running around and we need to make sure we do moisturize our skin, bring the health back, but you know, for fall let's bring it back to a little more satin finish. something where your skin is going look -- >> matte. >> a little more matte, but not, like, 1983 matte. 2012 matte. >> you don't want your face to crack when you smile. >> thank you. you want to stay away from the nasty translucent poweders. this is something special. it's a clear powder. it will mattify your skin and it will give you a fresh, modern matte to your skin. hello? >> i like that. >> here you go. >> i love this show. >> which really does make you look dry and caky. you want something that will make your skin look modernly mattified and beautiful and fresh. >> so beautiful. >> doesn't she? >> you're beautiful. >> that's the story of the day. so we'll talk a little bit about a bronzer/blush combo. we'll start to lose the healthy glow to the skin and that's when we need to than bronzer will still be our friend. so you want to on use something that doesn't have sparkle so you don't look like an orange disk owe ball, but just remember to give a beautiful, beautiful warm glow. >> what did you put on there? >> this is a warm tan color. and then the secret is -- >> pop the cheeks. >> it makes you look ten years younger instantly. >> give me that. >> and it will also, again, make your bronzer look a little more believable. >> that's good. >> very natural. >> what do you say? >> thank you. >> you're doing very well. okay. so smoky eye is always huge. >> i love a smoky eye. >> the harsh lines are not good on anybody. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> no, thank you. >> so we're going go for soft, smoky, like taupes with lots of metallics in it, but something that's really fun that adds instant fierceness. hello? i'm going turn you around. >> you're going inside? >> we're going in! >> don't go in. >> i'm going in with the black. that is a great way not only to make your makeup look fierce for fall, but it's a great day to night. look at how sexy that is. >> if you have contacts? >> i do it all day every day. >> thank you. >> no, thank you. >> that's right. so, another great tip for fall especially because summertime you've been running around. go for it, miss. she'll do a little bit. >> that could be on the vampire diaries. >> golly, gee! >> go for it. because it's all about gloss which we love -- >> but you wear it yourself, missy. >> i know. but it's not fall yet. when fall comes there's nothing wrong with going with a strong lip again. everybody always says that red is just for young girls. absolutely not. it brings a pop. >> pop it. >> girl! >> you see what i mean if i put on. ugly. >> thanks to everybody. >> up next, what's the right wine to pair with your barbecue. >> wine and barbecue, and they do pair great. >> leslie and ray. bring it! bring it, people! >> they'll be great. or wrong way. every baby plays by his own rules. and they need a diaper that lets them do it. new pampers cruisers with 3-way fit adapt at the waist, legs and bottom ♪ with up to 12 hours of protection for all the freedom to play their way. pampers. it's time to play. i brought champagne. oh wow! best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon. so creamy thick and fresh tasting dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2:1 in a national taste test. mmmm... this may be the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt. vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. [ male announcer ] get five dollars in money-saving coupons at v8juice.com. we are back with the right wine to spice up your barbecue for labor day. we pitted two wine experts to each other to see who can pick our favorites. in one corner is the author of "wine for women." and ray our executive wine editor from "food & wine" magazine. >> nice cleavage. >> thank you! thank you very much! >> it feels different if i say that. >> we've got four dishes and we each picked a drink and not always one to go with these for the labor day weekend. this is a cat fish, this is very spicy. this is a pinot greek, an alternative to chardonnay. this is a beautiful pinot noir. >> the spritz, a classic d.r.i.p. dri drink of venice and verona. aperol, a little prosecco and club soda. perfect summer drink. >> which is which? >> i think zee we have to continue. >> we have two chickens. one of them has spiciness and one of them is sweet. what i did -- this one is sweeter and this first one's spicet and second one is sweet. i went with the spicy and i went with the beer. >> that's how you roll. >> it's been 100 degrees in houston and you have a beer, spicy chicken and this is a brown ale. nice and rich. >> i did with the sweeter instead of doing a wine, i did jack daniels and it's his birthday tomorrow, the old jack daniels. >> happy birthday, jack. >> he would be 161, but this is his honey -- this is the tennessee honey and a little whiskey and i put with a little ginger and some lemonade and it is refreshing. >> isn't that good? >> it is good. >> and as a slushy, man, you'd be happy. >> so next, we -- so for this one we thought it was a veggie option. you have veggie kebabs. >> what is that? >> portobello mushrooms. >> it looked like something else. >> what i suggest is the veggies because you have to have sparkle wine and it's the last gas for summer here. prosecco, and that one will get hoda's vote. i know she loves prosecco. this onin inno franco and great with barbecued veggies and anything like that. >> that's a perfect labor day wine anyway, but i did is a rose which is for barbecue. >> this is so main opt. you are so -- >> i'm not proud of that, but i did it. >> this is actually from australia and this is yalumba. i thought with a balsamic it would go great and it is a dry rose. >> some people are disappointed when they get a dry rose. they expect it to be bubbly. >> look at the glasses. these are go vino glasses. you take them to the beach. >> we only have a minute. >> you cannot absolutely do barbecue without beef and so i pick kind of a beef place. this is the hearst ranch grass-fed beef and they started some new wine and this is the three sisters because i have three sisters and this is the kumbe, and a little sera and ganache. >> i love it when you talk dirty, leslie. >> nice ganache, baby. >> it's really scary. >> wow! that is nice! >> you're in trouble. >> i went with cabernet sauvignon with the steak. and this is a washington state cabernet. >> they have beautiful wines there. >> a little less than napa valley with the same kind of quality. >> we only have one second. >> and i don't want to breathe in your face. >> is it auto on i don't know. >> that one. number four? okay. >> okay. it's a tie! >> it's 2-2. and there were five. >> oh, well, then three. >> oh, wait, do we get a prize? no, we get it. >> it's a kathie lee and hoda 2011 cabernet sauvignon. >> do that again. close-up on leslie -- no, back up a little bit. i'm trying to show leslie in all her gloriness. there you go! there you go! >> that is kathie lee and hoda. nice cleavage! thank you! >> we're talking yoga moves to tone up your arms. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪ ♪ summer may be coming to a close, but toned arms never go out of season. >> here with great yoga poses that will have you showing off your guns is celebrity yoga coach our own precious gwen. >> you're a motivator, but you make it doable for all of us. >> yes. >> even in dresses and manolos, right? >> for all women. >> so economic -- anyway, take it. >> so sara and i are going to do with a three-legged dog. >> no comments. >> i did one of those once. >> she'll bring her left hand to her low back and believe it or not, it looks easy, but just being here. >> careful, careful, careful. >> and you can switch it and you can hold it because it just puts more pressure that shoulder, so you're building stability. and i picked moves that would be multipurpose. >> how long should you hold that, gwen? five, six, breaths each side, keep switching. >> you have great arms. >> next one she'll be in down dog and it's called the down dog push up and the hands will stay flat and all she will do is bring her head to the ground. it's good. it strengthens the shoulders and building her arms, triceps and biceps. >> how many of those? as many as you can. i like to set my timer and do it for a couple of minutes. >> in the beginning you can just do a little bit. >> and by the way, she doesn't have that body because she's never had kids. >> and next go to plank pose. >> side plank. >> oh, not side. >> and then she'll circle the arm around. >> it's fun to watch somebody else doing it. and because she's circling the arm around we're using the abs. make it count, baby. >> working! working! >> and then she can switch sides. >> look at you, sarah. >> and you can lift your leg and be fancy. >> no nail polish on your toes! >> she hates it when she doesn't have nail polish on her toes. >> coming up tomorrow, how to handle awkward situations. >> and we have amazing stories for you tomorrow. you don't want to miss that. >> we're going to see poly. >> yes we are. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com