Since the death of his dear friend, Robin Williams, to talk life, loss and laughter today, tuesday, september 16th, 2014. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. And good morning. Welcome to today on a Tuesday Morning. Im matt lauer, along with hoda kotb, al roker, Natalie Morales. Savannah remains on Maternity Leave and this is the highlight of my day. That was uncalled for. I mean the highlight of my day. It really is. Great color on you. Weve been having fun with this all morning. This is how he has been highlighting his notes, rubbing them right here. And it works. Nice to have you for day two. Its nice to be back here for day two. Savannah will be back soon, hopefully. Having that much fun . A serious story out on the west coast. A destructive wildfire thats threatening an entire town in northern california. Its just one of a dozen major fires that are now burning across that state. Nbcs Miguel Almaguer is in weed with the latest. Miguel, good morning to you. Reporter matt, good morning to you. This used to be the entrance to a very recognizable and historic church. After the socalled bowl fire ripped through here, it liter literally changed the face of this community overnight. All thats left here is bricks and a cross. The fire was relatively small, only 350 acres. But in a matter of minutes, it wiped out much of this town. Flames didnt just race through weed, california. They exploded out of control. Shooting hundreds of feet into the air, this blow torch igniting this tiny town in minutes. Hopscotching from one neighborhood to another, at least 100 structures are gone. 1,5 h 1,500 people forced to flee. I seen the flames heading up towards the school. Reporter anna widener watched the inferno engulf her entire block. Im thankful im alive and my children are alive. Reporter with 45mileanhour winds, this billowing monster is feeding on bonedry land ready to burn. Beneath the smoke, the blaze reportedly destroyed a church and a lumber mill. One of the towns biggest employers. Theres a strong south wind right now pushing the smoke, and it definitely doesnt seem encouraging for a lot of this whole area. Reporter this community, just the latest disaster zone in a region battling a brutal heat wave and a devastating drought. A dozen wildfires are now burning in california. The heat and humidity were expecting again today with those dry conditions, it causes extreme fire behavior. Reporter nowhere is the threat more extreme than here in weed. This morning, the damage is still being tallied. But in a fire like this, many have already lost it all. With this blaze now, 15 contained, crews say theyve made a lot of progress. They believe theyve stopped ahead of this fire. Still, it is a winddriven blaze. Later on this afternoon, we could see 40mileanhour gusts kick back up. Matt and hoda . All right. Miguel almaguer, thank you very much. That wind is not good news. No, its not. And the bonedry conditions and temperatures that are going to be record breaking. We are looking at red flag warnings for a good portion of Southern California into the north. Also heat advisories, excessive heat warnings. Look at these temperatures. Its going to feel like over 100 degrees from riverside, 97 in santa ana, santa clarita. This continues today on into tomorrow. There is no break. Weve got 93 in santa paula. Santa ana, 93. Temeculah will feel like 101. And were going to be looking, if we could just get some of this moisture from Tropical Storm odile, right now 25 miles west of santa rosalia, mexico. 65mileperhour winds. This thing is coming right up over the gulf of california. Warm water, 90 degrees almost. Its not going to weaken. Its going to stay with all this moisture coming up into the southwest. And as you watch that track, it stays a Tropical Storm as it makes its way into the southwest, becomes a tropical depression, but it brings a ton of rain. We have flood watches and well probably see flash flood warnings coming up. In fact, you look, this is odiles moisture. This is what odile did in cao o san lucas. They say the airport wont open up until october 10th or so. Thousands of homes without power. It is a mess there. Were looking for moisture coming up from odile back into the southwest. Look at the rainfall were expecting. One to two inches in a few hours. We could see five to seven inches possible, record rainfall amounts throughout tucson, los gatos. Their soil is so porous, it will cause massive flooding. Well be watching this over the next 48 hours. Al, thanks so much. Now to the Domestic Violence scandals dominating the nfl season. The league is bringing in new help to address the issue while one star is now speaking out about his case, as he gets set to return to the field. Nbcs Peter Alexander is here with more. Good morning, peter. Good morning, hoda. Adrian peterson will be back in uniform even as his lawyer denies reports, not verified by reports, that peterson injured another son while disciplining him. The nfl is trying to get a handle on what has become a pr nightmare. Nfl coaches found themselves talking about much more than xs and os. Were probably not going to get away from it and probably rightly so. Reporter Adrian Peterson will get a chance to score touchdowns again, announcing he can rejoin the team after benching him when he was indicted for injuring his 4yearold son while disciplining the boy. He released a statement saying i am not a perfect parent but i am, without a doubt, not a child abuser. Rick spielman says the team has seen evidence authorities have in the case. We have seen everything thats in the file and all the information that weve been able to gather as of today. This is the decision we felt was best. If they believed there was going to be such strong evidence, they might just cut their losses at this point. But rick spielman, the general manager, made it clear what Adrian Peterson has meant to the community has earned him some benefit of the doubt. Greg hardy, appealing his decision for assaulting and trying to kill his girlfriend, is back with the panthers. If you play him and you win, then you dont have a conscience. You play him and you lose, hes a distraction. Reporter meantime the nfl deciding a good offense is the best defense has hired three women to head up its crackdown on Domestic Violence. Among them, a former top sex crimes prosecutor in new york city. They had to do something. They took some really talented women, women who were wellknown in the field, who understand what theyre doing. This is not a womens issue. This is a human being issue. A human being issue. Its also a business. In the wake of the peterson case, minnesotabased Radisson Hotels says its pulling its sponsorship. You saw it behind the general manager in that pace. Radisson takes this matter very seriously particularly in light of our long standing commitment to protect children. Thank you very much, peter. President obama travels to the centers for Disease Control in atlanta today for a briefing on the Ebola Outbreak spreading unchecked in africa. He plans to announce some new step that is the u. S. Will take to try to contain that virus, including sending more military personnel to the region. Nbcs tom costello is in washington with more on that. Tom, good morning. Hi, matt. The World Health Organization now predicts 20,000 people could be infected before this outbreak ends, stopping it from spreading beyond africa has become a u. S. National security priority. On the ground in west africa, the emergency grows worse by the day. The entire Health Care Systems in liberia, sierra leone and new guinea have been overrun as the ebola virus spreads unchecked. The death toll is now 2,400 and climbing fast. Patients cant get into hospitals. When they get into hospitals, theyre often on palettes on the floor. Reporter in his interview with Nbcs Chuck Todd when the president sais said containing the outbreak is now a matter of u. S. Security. Well have to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there. The u. S. Has spent 175 million dispatching Health Care Workers, food, water, equipment and a 25bed military field hospital. Now, president obama wants another 88 million to do even more. And plans to send up to 3,000 military personnel with the command center in liberia, 1,700 more beds and global coordination. I wont minutes words. The situation on the ground is dire and growing worse by the day. Reporter so far, four americans working in africa who contracted the virus have or are recovering, including dr. Kent brantley, who talked to matt. I dont think they ever said, kent, youre about to die, but i felt like i was about to die. Reporter later today, brantley will testify before congress. Meanwhile, this morning, good news about another american being treated for ebola at the nebraska medical center. Dr. Rick sacras wife says he tires easily but is getting sharper mentally and doctors are pleased. Doctors are very encouraged that an experimental drug worked on dr. Brantley and a colleague but they ran out of that medicine. It hasnt been fda approve buddy because it apparently works there is talk of waiving the traditional drug approval process and expediting the rampup of that drug. Backtoback. Natalie is here with more on the plan to destroy isis. In hopes of giving lawmakers a better feel for president obamas strategy to combat islamic extremists. Andrea mitchell joins us with the latest developments. Good morning. Good morning, natalie. It went on offense against isis for the first time monday night, striking targets near baghdad, a mission that goes beyond humanitarian rescue or protecting americans. With intelligence that isis has grown to an army of 30,000 fighters and is holding at least two more americans hostage, they carried out president obamas orders to escalate the fight. Today, the president and Vice President will meet with general john allen, former commander in afghanistan. Now putting together an Operational Plan for the campaign against isis in iraq and syria. But what is the end game . What happens after the fighting stops . What happens to the future of iraq and the future of syria after the bombs are dropped . Thats what congress, back from a long break, is asking today. This wont be a blank, open check. Were going to have to have specificity and a real understanding of what this strategy is. Reporter the Administration Even tried to forge a military alliance with iran against isis. At a war summit in paris monday, secretary of state kerry said the u. S. Had reached tout iran. But irans Supreme Leader rebuffed the u. S. , tweeting i rejected u. S. Offer to iran about isis. Kerry is flying home today to prepare for hearings tomorrow. But some leading Democratic Senators are telling me based on what they have heard so far theyre not going to vote for what the white house is proposing. Andrea mitchell in washington, thank you so much. You bet. A suicide bomber attacked a military convoy in kabul, killing three Coalition Soldiers and injuring 20 more soldiers and civilians. Targeted a convoy near the u. S. Embassy. The taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Two heroes from the vietnam war have received the nations highest honor. President obama bestowed the medal of honor to Army Specialist donald p. Sloat. His brother, william, accepted the medal. Army command Sergeant Major benny g. Atkins, as he ran through enemy fire to rescue fellow soldiers. Some parents tend to bend the rules when it comes to their kids and seat belts. According to safe kids worldwide, one in five parents of Young Children admits they dont always enforce the rules when carpooling, letting children ride without car seats, booster seats and sometimes even seat belts. Also, Safety Experts say many parents are ditching booster seats too early. Children should stay in them until theyre big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. Campfire song one oregon man wont soon forget. Take a look at this scary incident. Yes, that is a bat. Derek stowe, camping with family and friends. In the middle of a jam session, he was attacked by a bat. It tried apparently to attack him a couple of times until a friend shot it with a bb gun. The bat was tested and it did, indeed, have rabies and he has started injections. Thats my nightmare right there. The bat leached on and he way to end with a smile there, natalie. Yeah. Wow okay. Mr. Roker . Little kicker with a snake attack. Boa constrictor. Right now, weve got wet weather in the southeast, gulf coast into the southwest. Temperatures cooler in the pacific northwest, look for morning showers moving through Northern New England and lots of sunshine through the plains. Were going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. Good morning, im first alert meteorologist brittney shipp. As we head to the rest of your Morning Hours, still dealing with showers but clearing up just in time for lunchtime. Temperatures stay below average ranging between 76 and 73 degrees. Gradual clearing by the afternoon. If you take a look at our sevenday forecast, we stay below our average of 78 degrees for this time of year, but we warm back up, again, as we head into the weekend. Thats your latest weather. Al, thank you very much. Here is a question. Should scotland declare its independence from Great Britain . Its a question that will go before voters thursday. According to the poll, the answer appears to be too close to call. Nbcs Kelly Cobiella has the answer on this. Kelly, good morning to you. Good morning, matt. If were just talking population numbers, this is the equivalent of texas breaking away from the united states. A lot of scots have had it with politicians here in london and they think they can do it better. From rallies to catwalks to the highlands to the low lands, the United Kingdom is a little less united this morning. In two days, scotland will decide whether to say yes to independence or stay part of the union. The polls are dead even. Were all making reporter and the Prime Minister is desperate. We care passionately about this family of nations and we would really be desperately sad to see it torn apart. Reporter celebrities are lining up on both sides, paul mccartney, susan boyle and this week, david beckham, begging scotland to stay while gerar butler and the original 007 sean con n conner connery want them to break away. If you were given the chance to change things and take your country off in a direction that you thought were better, would you take it . Reporter would the union jack lose its scottish blue . Would they still pay bill with his the british pound . The queen, who has a castle in scotland weighed in, telling a well wisher outside church, i hope people will think very carefully about the future. On thursday, the world will be watching, to see if this small country of 6 million will remain loyal to the crown or go its own way. And just about half a million scots are still undecided. And, matt, just like everything in this country, you can place a bet on this. Bookees giving slight odds to the no vote. But it is going to be a close one, kelly. Thank you very much. Can we still get scotch . Yeah, no problem with that. In honor of that vote on thursday, the orange room will declare its independence from the rest of our show. Whoa see you nice knowing you, folks. Carson. Happy birthday. Thank you very much. I have one gucci tie and im wearing it in honor of our big day today. Its not your birthday but the orange room. Big oneyear anniversary. We take the orange room a little too literally sometimes. The carpet is orange. Courtney sleeps here, literally, in the orange room. Matt hasnt seen his girlfriend since he met her five years ago and brittany is the brains behind the whole thing and plus we have a crew upstairs. Menu for the oneyear anniversary party. We have surprise guests, little music. Behind the scenes. Were going to be live on the webcast. Go to today. Com and check us out. Check out some of our moments. Weve had nice, fun moments here. Go to today. Com. Bunch of options for you to select what you want to see. Were going to go back. Seeingorange. Take your photos there. Guess the guest. Here is your first clue. This person is really comfortable behind an anchor desk. Any guesses . Is that an easy clue . Its misleading. You never know. So it is not will ferrell. Will we know the person when you actually reveal the person . Its a famous person. More clues to come. Oh, i think i know. You do . Dont say it out loud yet, al. Its our birthday. Dont ruin it quite yet. Massive manhunt intensifying for a gunman accused of ambushing two pennsylvania straight troopers, killing one of them. Well have the latest on the investigation. Plus Billy Crystal will be here for his first interview since the death of his close friend, Robin Williams. First this is today on nbc. All right. Coming up, blurred reality. Why robin thicke admits he didnt actually write his want to change the world . Create things that help people. Design safer cars. Faster computers. Smarter grids and smarter phones. Think up new ways to produce energy. 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