strength, as partial remnants of isaac reemerge in the gulf of mexico. and, oops, a building implosion goes off without a hitch until a huge cloud of debris engulfs a crowd of onlookers. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" at the democratic national convention with matt lauer live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza and savannah guthrie, live in charlotte, north carolina. >> and welcome to a special split edition of "today" on this thursday morning. good morning, i'm savannah guthrie at the democratic national convention in charlotte. >>nd i'm matt lauer in new york. savannah, you look at that implosion video. someone clearly for got to do the old which way was the wind going? meanwhile president obama already had a lot of pressure on him with his speech tonight. now he's got a really tough act to folw after what was an enthusiastic and powerful endorsement from former president bill clinton. >> this was a speech that was supposed to last about 28 minutes. it went on for 48 minutes. that's because he ad libbed quite a bit it have. i'm told by those who worked with him he added back in things that had been taken out for time. the former president vowed the economy would get better in a second term. chelsea clinton was in the audience. hillary clinton was traveling and did not see the speech live but later watched it at the ambassador residence on a computer by a sling box. i was told can you see the picture of her expression there that she may not have blinked during the entire speech. she didn't know president obama was coming out and nearly jumped out of her chair, i'm told, when she saw it. the democrats formally nominated president obama. can the president electrify the crowd like he did last year? and we'll have another "today" exclusive. we will reveal the new ad from the romney campaign aimed at voters who have fallen out of love with the president. >> it's amazing that president clinton doubled the length of the speech. it's kind of like you in the opens. i'm kidding. >> we'll talk about parents allowing their kids to play football and the other are these laundry pods and that it may look like candy to kids. and we'll have an interview with jessica simpson and the difficulty in losing her postbaby weight. >> david gregory is moderator of "meet the press ". good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. bill clinton simply owned the room here, stayed longer than he was supposed to but nobody seemed to mind. this was a speech that was a pitch to swing voters. he makes a positive reference to president bush about aid to africa but it was also brutally partisan. he talked about the hatred the republicans have for this president. above all it was an appearance that was the height of political stage craft. this was the moment, a surprise showing by the president and a political embrace for the predecessor designed to speak volum volumes. here, he voued for president obama. >> i want to nominate a man who is cool on the outside but who burns for america on the inside. >> president clinton mocking the republican pitch for change. >> we left it a total mess. he hasn't cleaned it up fast enough so fire us and put us back in. >> criticizing governor romney's plans. >> as another president once said, there they go again. >> clinton, his voice weaker than in years past, was nevertheless happier than ever in the spotlight, covering the broad sweep of campaign debates and speaking longer than his allotted 28 minutes. he ad libbed often, here taking on paul ryan for attacking the president's medicare cut, while incorporating that same cut in his own budget. >> you got to give him one thing, it takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what you did. >> and with the first lady looking on, he hailed the president for embracing his rivals. >> heck, he even appointed hillary. >> through it all, the economy was the focus. clinton argued the president needs more time. >> president obama started with a much weaker economy than i did. no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years. >> and promised millions watching on television that he believed with all his heart americans would feel an economic turn around in an obama second term. >> if you want a winner take all, you're on your own society, you should support the republican ticket. but if you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility, a we're all in this together society, you should vote for barack obama and joe biden. >> so tonight it is president obama's moment. aides say he is going to lay out some of the pillars are a second term, try to become a little bit more specific. republicans i spoke to after the clinton speech said this is a president who still has to answer for poverty in the country, historic job losses and president obama will deliver that address now here in the hall because of the threat of severe weather. they don't want to do it in the stadium anymore. >> david gregory, thank you. it's a big morning for davids around here. david axelrod and david plouffe, white house visoadvis advisers. some had said he made the kate for president obama better than president obama makes the case for president obama. >> you want the strongest spe h speeches. he talked about how it has been, how his policies affected the country and president obama's policies and where we're going from here. he set up that choice. now the president can talk about the future, having cleared some of that underbrush out of the way. >> when you see the president, former president clinton ad libbing about that, you're a famously disciplined guy, are you biting your nails, david plouffe? be honest. >> not at all. that was a remarkable speech about the job the president has done. could have gone another 10, 15 minutes. we were captivated by the argument he made. >> one argument that stood out was no one could have repaired what the president found in just four years. he said if you renew the president's contract, you will feel the economic recovery. does that basically boil down what president obama's argument is, hang tough with me and the economy will get better and is that sufficient? >> i think you'll hear the president talk about where we need to go. the bigoint that president clinton made is there are things we need to do to move things along and shore up the middle class. >> is the president going to be specific? you don't hear an firm tiff case of the unfinished business. david brooks wrote ilt not clear what he will do if elected. >> i think it will be clear where he thinks we need to go and this whole week has laid out a choice, which it's a question for the american people, who with you trust to build the kind of economy that's going to work for the middle class. we think the republican ticket of romney and ryan are going to bring us back to what failed the middle class. but president obama's on the right path, wanting to stick with it. >> you two are the architects of the 2008 campaign, the hope and chang campaign. four years ago the president said change happens because the american people demand it, rise up and insist on new ideas, new leadership and new politics. guy, we do not have a new politics. are republicans right to hold him accountable for delivering that new politics. >> what he also said is change is hard, chang tax time, we have to are persistent, we have to stick with it. a lot has been accomplished. we ended a war, health care reform, financial reform and we stopped the freefall, as president clinton said, in our economy. we do have work to do in our politics and we think the on november 6th is going to help change that. >> you had to move this venue indoors, it was unplanned. there will be no balloons as i understand it. are you searching for something festive since you've had to move inside? >> we think this is going to be the perfect capstone of a tremendous convention. i think the american people are getting a clear sense of where we are, where we've been and where the president will take the country. we think democrats and independence and republicans will be energized. >> the president will provide the festivities. >> i was just going for an answer about the balloons. >> on the republican side, the romney campaign is not laying low this week. they're out with a new ad that we are showing exclusively this morning and here it is. >> listen, this just isn't working. it's been four years. you've changed. your spending is out of control, you're constantly on the golf course and you're always out with hollywood celebrities. you think i didn't see you with sarah jessica parker and george clooney? your jobs council said you haven't showed up in six months. you're just not the person i thought you were. it not me, it you. >> no doubt about who this is targeting, single women voters. >> there's no question. they understand in the romney campaign that it's crucial to try to mitigate that as best they can. single women are going to be an important voting bloc, they always are. i think there's a larger part about this, savannah, those voters who like president obama great deal, are skeptical and don't think he can deliver the change he's talking about. that's a big target of opportunity for goff romney, those loosely committed voters. that's who he's trying to reach. >> mitt romney will be david's exclusive guest this sunday on "meet the press." you can see president obama's speech here at the democratic national convention tonight starting at 9:00 eastern time, 6:00 pacific. we want to go back to natalie morales with the top stories at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. a federal court has now cleared the way for the most contentious part of arizona's controversial immigration policy. officers can now check the immigration status of people during legal traffic stops if they have reason to suspect they're in the united states illegally. critics who call the pressure "show me your papers law" say had will lead to racial profiling. >> two bank robbers are on the run after they kidnapped a bank manager and strapped what they said was a bomb from her waist. a bomb squad detonated the device which turned out not to be an explosive. fortunately no one was injured. >> officials in costa rica are assessing the damage from a 7.6 magnitude earthquake. the quake damaged buildings and roads and blew out windows. at least 20 people were injured. >> dramatic video from china this morning. a young girl riding her bike became pinned beneath a bus after it went out of control and hit her. rescuers had to carefully dig beneath her head to pull her to safety. amazingly, she escaped unharmed. >> and kayla tausche . >> traders expect a measured, not blowout solution to be announced. meanwhile here at home it a big week for jobs today. the number of americans filing for unemployment benefits is expected to fall ahead of tomorrow's all-important jobs numbers. traders looking for a hint in president obama's speech tonight. >> thanks so much kayla tausche. >> now to france where a crowd watching a standard building demolition got a little more than they bargained for where the wind changed direction, pushing the dust toward them. spectator tateors began running for cover with their hands over their mouths and noses just trying to breathe. >> the cowboys waited all year for another shot at the new york giants and last night they got it, beating the super bowl champs, 27-14 and a stellar performance for tony romo who threw for three touchdowns and 307 yard. >> it's not the way he wanted to end his professional career but andy roddick bid an emotional good-bye to fans. holding back tears, he waved to the crowd. and his wife covered her face as she watched sadly from the stands. classy guy, he did a lot for u.s. tennis but he does get to go home to brooklyn decker. >> always looking for the silver lining. >> i just said what you guys wanted to say. >> i'm glad you said it. >> much better. >> mr. roker,roker, what's happ? >> a couple systems to talk about out into the atlantic. we have michael, which is a category 3 storm. that's not going to cause any problems. we are watching laeslie a category 1 storm that could become a category 2. 140 miles south, southeast of bermuda. track of the storm will bring it over the weekend, close to bermuda. it's also going to be causing dangerous rip currents up and down the eastern seaboard and this is actually remnants of isaac out in the gulf, if it becomes a tropical system, it will become nay dean. that's white house whauts what's going on around the country. >> around here, early morning showers storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson. let me get you over to radar and the showers to the west of us. an area of heavy rain right now coming through areas of culpeper county into areas of culpeper and remington. even the possibility of some lightning. 79 is our temperature right now and go up to a high today of 92 >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you very much. an alarming new study is out that says nfl players are dying at a much higher risk of alzheimer's and other brain diseases. here's nancy snyderman. >> reporter: america's game kicked off last night. a study published online this month shows nfl players have a significantly higher risk of dying of of the degenerative brains brain diseases alzheimer's and als, commonly known as lou gehrig's disease. >> the common theme is repettive head injuries. by the time you're at the national football league, they've added up to many, many thousands if not tens of thousands of blows. >> reporter: professional football has long been a violent game. in recent years the nfl has taken aggressive measures to protect players from some of of the more serious head injuries and upped the ante to those who break the rules. wednesday on "today," roger goodell announced the league's partnership with the u.s. army and nih to study the effects of traumatic brain injuries. >> we're going to be funding $30 million to fund new research that will hopefully help and accelerate the understanding of brain injuries. >> reporter: but for some players the research comes too late. steve gleason, formerly of the saints, has als, as does ex-nfler kevin turner. once forces on the field, they're struggling to make it through the simple tasks of daily living. this doctor wants to stop the disease. >> they have coaches that are least experienced, they almost never have any medical personnel on the sideline. >> reporter: as kids across america suit up to play like their nfl heros, parents have to consider the implications of this recent study. the price of playing today could man a tragic struggle tomorrow. for "today," dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. >> mike is a radio host and columnist for the new york daily news. good to see you. this is a tough study. football players almost four times more likely to die than the general public from als or alzheimer's. what's the impact on the sport sp. >> it's profound. this is me is the single greatest health crisis in sports. it's not going to go away. if you were buying a car and somebody said this is a great car but if you buy it you're four times more likely to die, are you going to buy that car? >> but you listen to the commissioner. he was here announcing a $30 million grant for the studying of brain injuries. first of all, was he trying to get out ahead of bad news with good news? and, secondly, how do you change the game itself to prevent this in the future? >> you can build space age helmets. they talk about all the improvements at the helmet companies, it's still going to be a violent sport. the tipping point is going to be when parents start saying i am not allowing my child to play this game anymore. >> does a study like this in your opinion take a lot of parents and push them over that line? >> oh, i think without a question. there's a great loon that arthur ashe once had about john mcenromcenro mcenroe's tennis game. he said "a nick here, a nick there and pretty soon you're bleeding to death." you're going to suffer over time. >> you can make the helmets space age but the fact of the matter is the culture of the sport is about dominating and intimidating your opponent if physically. that has to change? >> how many hits where the guy still leads with his head? we've had three suicides of ex-football players. concussion sounds like a benign expression. eight brain wound. you get practically one a game now in the national football league. >> 190 last year for 320 games played. >> any rational person looks at boxing and says why does this sport even exist? we're not there obviously. adam schefter from espn said there's one thing that can kill the golden goose in the national football league and it's what we're talking about. >> always good to get your perspective. thank you very much. >> it's 22 after the hour. will these findings make you less likely to allow your child to play football? let us know on today.com and we'll have the results tomorrow. >> coming up, another important warning for parents about so-called laundry pods that can look like candy to your kids. what's being done about it? look like candy to your kids. what's being done about it? i'm a professional stylist but styling my friend's is my favorite. they all love the latest trends but none of them want to pay full price. they each have their own unique style, so t.j.maxx is a great place because they have such an incredible mix of designers for so much less than the department stores. when my friends feel beautiful i just feel like i scored. fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. i'm a maxxinista and now so are all my girls. t.j.maxx. let us make a maxxinista out of you. still ahead, jessica simpson's revealing battle about losing her baby weight. >> plus we'll talk to the woman behind michelle obama's dress. and we'll have the school on her nail polish as well after your local news. 12 grams of whole grains and a creamy yogurt flavored coating. quaker yogurt granola bars. treat yourself good. the next generation and then countless more. how do you kill them? frontline plus. it uses two ingredients. one to kill adult fleas and ticks. plus another to eliminate flea eggs and larvae, annihilating the next generation of fleas. and, frontline plus works non-stop for thirty days. no wonder it's the number one choice of vets for their pets and yours. ask your vet about frontline plus. accept nothing less. ask your vet about frontline plus. try our new lunch-size grilled chicken fajitas, with sauteed onions and peppers, served with soup or salad. lunch break combos, starting at 6 bucks. enjoy them with friends, because a lunch together feeds the friendship. breaking news at 7:26. just into our news room, the baltimore ravens confirming that the former owner art modell has died. the team said the 87-year-old died of natural causes. good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. croften woods elementary school is closed today because it has now power. veronica has your forecast. >> looking at some rain out there, aaron. generally showers coming into fairfax county and prince william county and heavy a rain sliding out of eastern orange and culpeper. we're at 79 degrees right now and going up to a high today of 92. most of your rain should be before about 2:00, 3:00 today. aaron? >> thank you, veronica. traffic is next. anncr: it'll start out as concrete and steel... but it'll become so much more. a new world-class resort casino in prince george's county. two thousand construction jobs to build it. four thousand permanent, good-paying jobs when it's done. hundreds of millions for maryland schools... real oversight to make sure the money goes... where it's supposed to. but none of it will happen unless we vote for... question seven this november. vote for question seven. and help build a better futur