good morning. dangerous and desperate. an intense manhunt in yellowstone national park this good morning. dangerous and desperate. an intense manhunt in yellowstone national park this morning for two escaped convicts and their accomplice after police connect the group to a brutal murder of a couple in new mexico. on the road again. president obama begins two days of campaigning ahead of the mid-term elections with a rare stop in texas, as his wife returns home from a luxury spanish vacation that critics say was inappropriate during these tough economic times. and ceo scandal. hewlett-packard's no-nonsense chief suddenly resigns after

settling sexual harassment allegations and we now know who made the complaints, a former reality television contestant. how will wall street react? we'll find out today, monday, august 9th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television live from studio 1a in and good morning. welcome to today on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry in for meredith this morning. good morning, everybody. this manhunt that you were talking about earlier is obviously unsettling for the thousands of people who flock to parks. in fact my son is expected there in a couple of weeks. it's very unsettling. >> it reallies. the men escaped from a private prison in arizona back at the end of july. the police have tied the two along with their female accomplice to the murder of a husband and wife in new mexico. that happened last week. and now they believe that this

group is trying to fully to canada. also ahead, exclusive video as police are carrying out a new search tied to the kyron horman case in a wooded area just a short disappearance from where the 7-year-old boy was last seen. we'll get the latest coming up. a little later in the show, an emotional union 34 years in the making. a mother says she received a call back in 1976 that her two children had been killed in a tragic accident. take a look, this morning they are together again. just ahead, they'll tell us how it all unfolded in an exclusive live interview. but we begin on a monday morning with that intense manhunt for two escaped inmates and their female accomplice. nbc's george lewis has the latest on this story. george, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. law enforcement officers throughout the west are looking for the three fugitives and they warn these are extremely

dangerous individuals who have killed before and who could kill again. police say inmates tracy province and john mccluskey broke out of prison in arizona with the help of casslyn welch, mccluskey's cousin and fiancee. there's evidence tying the fugitives to this crime scene in santa rosa, new mexico, a burned-out trailer where police found the charred bodies of linda and gary haas from oklahoma. since then, the two escapees and the woman are believed to have traveled to the area around yellowstone national park, although investigators now say province may have split off from mccluskey and welch. >> we want the public to understand and be aware that they are violent and extremely dangerous. >> reporter: the two inmates got out of this privately run medium-security prison in kingman, arizona, last month. a third inmate involved in the escape, daniel renwick, was captured a week ago after a shootout with police in

colorado. now the question, why were such dangerous men in a medium security facility where they were able to cut through the perimeter fences? >> it appears to have been a human error on the part of several of that staff. >> reporter: an error that had deadly consequences for an innocent couple from oklahoma. authorities are offering $30,000 in reward money for information leading to the capture of the fugitives. they're warning people if they see anyone who looks like the escaped prisoners, they should call police immediately. matt. >> all right, george lewis on this story for us this morning. george, thank you very much. now let's get a check of the rest of the top stories from natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning to you. today secretary of state hillary clinton will speak out about the weekend murders of medical workers in afghanistan, including six americans. nbc's tom aspell has more now from kabul. tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. well, a hail of bullets ended of lives of foreign aid workers in

northern afghanistan last week. the international community here is in shock. the bodies of ten murdered medical volunteers, including six americans, have been flown by helicopter to kabul. the taliban has claimed responsibility for killing them, claiming they were trying to convert afghans to christianity. >> these were selfless volunteers who devoted themselves to providing free and much-needed health care to afghans. >> reporter: the dead americans have been formally identified. they are tom little, an optometrist from delimar, new york, who had been working in afghanistan for 30 years. >> we lived with danger all our life there one way or another. >> reporter: another victim, sheryl beckett, from knoxville, tennessee, had spent six years in afghanistan. dr. thomas grands quit his dental practice in durango, colorado, four years ago to work full-time in giving free dental care to children in nepal and

afghanistan. glen latt was a nurse from lancaster, pennsylvania, along with brian cardarelli and dan terry. they were killed in a remote area of northern afghanistan last week. a british doctor and a german national and two afghans were also killed. the medical team was sponsored by international assistance mission, which intends remaining in afghanistan despite the tragedy. the bodies of some of the medical workers will be flown in in the next few days, others will be buried here in afghanistan. natalie. >> such a tragedy. tom aspell in kabul, afghanistan, thank you so much. contradictory testimony this morning at a war crimes trial in the netherlands where actress mia farrow said naomi campbell told hershey received a huge diamond. campbell testified she received dirty-looking pebbles but did not know where they were from. taylor is accused of taking diamonds in return for weapons

that were used in massacres and mutilations. new details this morning about the sudden forced resignation late last week of hewlett-packard's ceo mark hurd. melissa francis joins us with more. melissa, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. yeah, we're learning more about the woman at the center of the scandal. her name is jody fisher and she was formerly a reality show contestant turned hp marketing consultant. she apparently greeted people at ceo functions from 2007 to 2009. she sued mark hurd for sexual harassment and that suit was settled but the probe revealed expense irregularities. hurd resigned and is walking away with $34 million. the stock was hammered 10% on friday. he was a well respected an fiscally respected leader until this and stockholders are wondering what is next for the company. natalie, back to you. >> we'll have to wait and see what happens today. melissa francis, thank you. and an incredible sight caught on tape in western minnesota. take a look at this. a tornado ripped through an area near the north dakota border

destroying a farm and a house and sending debris flying through the air. the house was fortunately empty at the time. there were no reports of injuries. that thing is huge! that is scary. it is now 7:07. back over to matt and ann. >> thanks, natalie. here's a problem. al is off today. >> right. >> stephanie abrams. >> supposed to be here. >> his partner, is here. we have an empty chair here because, see the building across from us over here, 30 rock. stephanie is stuck in an elevator in that building right now trying to get to the studio. stephanie, good morning. >> hi, guys. we do "wake up with al" from 6:00 to 7:00 on the 6th floor. we get in the elevator on the 6th floor. all of a sudden it jostled around around dropped and we all kind of grasped. it did that on every floor. all of a sudden we got stuck on 1m in "a" car. we're just sitting here hanging out. we're fine but just sitting now

waiting. >> could you do the forecast anyway, steph? >> why not. >> go ahead. >> here we go. we're talking about the heat wave that's returning around the country and it's going to be hot, above 100 degrees for a lot of you today. it will feel very, very warm. triple-digit readings from basically the mid-mississippi river valley all the way down to the gulf coast. that's where it >> how things look outside the elevator this morning. san jose, out towards city hall. we have lots of clouds off to the east, and some drizzle in a few spots this morning. 50s outside. clouds and drizzle along the coast this morning. clearing inland today. that all-day long sea breeze, temperatures having a tough time getting into the 70s inland. upper 70s around the tri valley. 60s for oakland and san francisco. trending a bit warmer heading towards the weekend. >> all right.

so, matt and ann, we're just hanging out here. hope free i'll see you at 7:30. i'm trying to post pictures on twitter and facebook. >> worst case scenario, you're stuck there four or five days. at least you have your hair and makeup people. you'll look great when they rescue you. >> great point. >> actually that worked out pretty well. thanks a lot to stephanie for that. now let's make a turn to politics. president obama hitting the campaign trail with less than three months to go until the mid-term elections. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd explains, however, that it's been a little bumpy out there for the president. chuck, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, ann. that's right, it has been. but that doesn't mean the president isn't a political asset when it comes to fund-raising. so he's off to texas today to raise money in austin and dallas. now, don't expect any major texas democrats like bill white who's running for governor to be seen with the president. you don't want a photograph with him this close to november. it's actually a big week politically for the white house. a bunch of primaries tomorrow,

including one in colorado, where the white house's choice for senate is struggling to survive a primary. [ bell ringing ] >> reporter: with what appears to be a stalled economic recovery and the unemployment rate stuck at 9.5%, republicans see an issue to rally around for the fall campaign. >> the american people are screaming at the top of their lungs to washington, stop! stop the spending, stop the job killing policies. and yet democrats in washington refuse to listen to the american people. >> reporter: but returning to the campaign trail today, mr. obama is expected to hit the themes he's been trying to drive home again and again for weeks. that republicans put the car in the ditch and don't deserve the keys pack. >> when you get in your car, when you go forward, what do you do? you put it in "d." when you want to go back, what do you do? you put it in "r." you don't want to go in the reverse back in the ditch. >> reporter: the president's

weakening political strength gets a major test tomorrow in colorado, where the white house is pulling out all the stops to rescue freshman senator michael bennett. >> i've never run for office before. i've spent my life turning around distressed companies and then most recently working in local government. >> reporter: bennett is facing a tough liberal challenge from former state house speak er andrew romanoff who claims even though his opponent has been in the senate less than two years, he's already become part of the establishment. >> i would have fought for the public option. my opponent did not. i would have voted for banks becoming too big to fail. my opponent voted against that proposal. >> reporter: before first lady michelle and daughter sasha got back from a private visit in spain, a trip that's got panned by some for looking out of touch, the president got in some quality basketball time sunday with stars joakim noah and derrick rose of his beloved chicago bulls, lebron james and magic johnson were also there. it was followed by a white house barbecue that included gulf

coast shrimp. the president with his family in tow returns to the gulf later this week for a mini vacation to show the country that the region is coming back and is open for business. now, it's not all politics today in texas. in austin the president is going to give a major speech on education, touting his goal to get -- to be the leading country in the world when it comes to college graduates. by the way, also tuesday, wrestling executive linda mcmahon finds out if she becomes a republican nominee for u.s. senate, matt, in connecticut. >> chuck todd at the white house. chuck, as always, thank you very much. former virginia governor tim kaine is the chairman of the democratic national committee. governor kaine, good to see you. good morning. >> matt, good to be back. >> so the president is out campaigning for some candidates, others don't want anything to do with him. i want to take you back to election night 2008 and that scenic grant park when the president walked out on the stage. can you imagine back then, democrats had to hope this was going to be a president who was going to open up new political

territory for the party and here you've got a president and some candidates don't want to be seen with him. what happened? >> well, i think the candidates who are worried about it are making a mistake because i think this president still is doing the great work that the americans expect of him. the president and i met a month after that in grant park and we talked about the fact that mid-terms will be very tough because they always are, since teddy roosevelt was president, the average mid-term involves the party in hour losing 20 house seats, four senate seats and it's a tough time economically and that means it's volatile. but the democrats have been doing the work necessary to get the country going again. as the president says the car was in the ditch. we're getting it out of the ditch with new strategy. >> you bring up jobs, let's talk about that. here's what frank rich wrote in the paper over the weekend concerning the democrats' prospects for the mid-term election. he said, quote, they are doomed to fall short if they don't address the cancer in the american heart, and that's joblessness.

we saw the latest figures come out, 9.5% unemployment as of friday. even if there is a series of small miracles between now and the mid-term elections, governor, you know that number is going to be unacceptably high when people go to the polls so why shouldn't they hold democrats accountable? >> because, matt, look at what is the alternative? when the republicans were in control during the lost decade, americans lost eight million jobs. we joined 700,000 private sector jobs this year, we're growing again. what is the republican strategy? they're saying they just want to go back to doing what they did during the lost decade, relax regulation, tax cuts for the wealthiest and stand by as the economy collapses. that's no strategy. we built a ladder we're climbing. we have to keep climbing and we're going to do it with smart investments and a green energy economy, infrastructure investments. america needs to go forward, not backward. >> we've just heard from you in the last few minutes and from the president as of late what seems to be the developing

strategy for the last three months of this campaign season. in many ways -- >> right. >> -- trying to attach the republican party to the more extreme elements of the tea party, but also as the president has said, there's a lot of blame bush going on, looking back to those eight years. is that what the voters want to hear in your opinion? >> well, i think, matt, what they mostly want to hear is the record of accomplishment. so whether it's health reform that helps the middle class with medical bills, credit reform, wall street reform or recovery that's investing in green energy and made in america jobs, we always lead with the things we've done. but you have to draw a contrast. when the republican party says that their main strategy is to go back and do the things that put the american economy in a freefall, the election in november is about a choice. it's a choice between going forward or embracing the policies that put the american economy in the ditch that we're still climbing out of, and that's the choice that we're going to make clear. >> real quickly, governor, i'm going to give you a new job. you are now a political travel

agent. if you had the chance, if you had a do-over here and could have planned the first lady's vacation with sasha, would you have planned the trip that we've just seen her take, given the current economic conditions or do you think that was much ado about nothing? >> matt, i think it's wrong to talk about the first lady's family vacation as a politician. she's a mom. and you know, look, i've been in elected office and political life for 17 years and i've got a wife and i've got three kids. when you're in office, you don't give up being a mom and a family member too. this was an opportunity for michelle to join friends and friends' daughters with a vacation with her kids and give them some exposure to a part of the world that they hadn't been before. i don't think you talk about that, give it political analysis. i'm glad that both the president and first lady are so focused on being good parents. >> dnc chairman tim kaine. governor, thanks so much for your time this morning. appreciate it. >> you bet, matt. it's 17 after the hour. once again, here's ann.

>> matt, thanks. oregon police spent the weekend carrying out a new search for missing 7-year-old kyron horman in a spot very close to the school where he was last seen nearly ten weeks ago. miguel ais here with the story. >> reporter: ann, good morning. detectives won't talk specifics about their investigation so we don't know what was or what wasn't discovered during this weekend search. we do know officers are clearly following new leads and are focused on a small group of people. sunday investigators searched this property, a heavily wooded area just ten minutes from the elementary school where 7-year-old kyron horman was last seen back in june. according to kgw, the nbc station in portland, this is where dee dee spicher, a good friend of kyron's stepmother, terri horman, told investigators she was gardening the day the 7-year-old vanished from school. >> on june 4th, kyron disappears. terri is gone for a period of

time. dee dee is gone for a period of time. you have to connect all the dots. >> reporter: according to kgw, on the day kyron disappeared, witnesses at the property where spicher was gardening say she disappeared for an hour and a half and didn't answer her cell phone. >> dee dee is a real central figure in this case, and i think that more is to be revealed. >> reporter: authorities also searched spicher's home last month. at that time she was also called before a grand jury. back then spicher's lawyer said she was cooperating with authorities and denied any wrongdoing. >> she was not in any sort of communication with terri horman by cell phone when she was at the property where she was doing some gardening. >> reporter: spicher's lawyer couldn't be reached for comment on this weekend's search. so far authorities have not named any suspects in the case, but kyron's parents have become more and more vocal in pointing the finger at spicher's friend, terri horman, the last known person to see kyron before he

disappeared. >> i believe she's been involved the whole time. >> i feel that she has information that she's not sharing. whether or not it could wring him home, i don't think we know. >> reporter: but horman's lawyer has called speculation about the case a witch hunt. dee dee spicher and terri horman have been close friends for years. in fact when kyron's father moved out of the home he shared with his estranged wife, dee dee spicher moved in for several days. ann. >> all right, thank you. it is now 7:20. once again, here's matt. >> all right,ann, thank you. now toeanup crews in the gulf that are touching lives all around the world. nbc's anne thompson is in venice, louisiana, to explain this for us. an anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the war in afghanistan and the oil disaster are some 7,000 miles apart. two major news stories with seemingly no connection. until a bottle was discovered along the gulf coast. amid the tar balls on the beach

of horn island, mississippi, cleanup workers found a weathered sambuca bottle filled with memories of a young man gone too soon. >> all the letters inside were individually wrapped. >> reporter: and each written to 21-year-old james prosser. the young man from wales died fighting in afghanistan last year. the letters told of james's courage and his family's pain trying to go on without him. >> james's mother, in one of her letters, she remarks about how it is each of our rights and responsibility to try and make this world a better place. and we were almost in tears reading these letters. and we wrote her back a letter. and we were trying to convey, you know, how we were trying to make a difference down there in the gulf. >> for me, it was just writing down my feelings about james and just, i don't know, hoping in some way that he'd see them,

hear them. >> reporter: sara adams wrote those words about her son last christmas. >> he was just thoughtful, you know, he was just kind. >> reporter: unable to face the holiday without james, the family went to barbados but could not escape their grief. they put their letters in that sambuca bottle, sealed it and cast it in the ocean. it traveled 1,300 miles. >> greetings from horn island, mississippi, usa. where a bottle of messages washed ashore on the 15th of july, 2010. >> reporter: and with them some of james's spirit, embodied now by the crew in mississippi. >> we decided that as a team, we're going to let them know how we feel and show them that respect and let them know that somebody does care. >> we're trying to clean up the environment, make the world a cleaner place, a better place through a tragic event. and james lost his life fighting, you know, doing a brave, remarkable thing. >> reporter: last night the crew celebrated the man in the family they had never met but who are now a part of them.

>> thank you for your service in afghanistan and serving honorably. >> reporter: toasting james and his family with, what else, sambuca. >> for making a difference. >> making a difference. >> reporter: now, the crew in mississippi still has those letters, and they say they will do with them whatever james's family desires. matt? >> all right, anne thompson in venice, louisiana, thanks for that story. we appreciate it. coming up on a monday morning, an american mother charged with murdering her own children in scotland. charged with [ son ]ng her own i'm a good son. dependable. i call my mom every week. i even bought her a computer with my new citi forward card. then one day... have you seen this? she "friended" me.

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so we've used the jaws of life and have sprung stephanie from an elevator. welcome back. >> thanks. ygood, m looksgood, though. >> that's all that matters. i was hoping for some hunky

firemen to rescue me. that didn't happen. >> a lot more coming up. first your local news. fr folgers. bold flavor. exceptionally smooth. good morning. time is 7:26. i'm brent cannon. felipe has a couple of new accidents to tell us about. >> first southbound -- northbound 280, south bay is causing some slowing, some debris in the roadway making its way -- still being cleared up at this hour. also this is out in oakland, an earlier accident at washington avenue, northbound on 880. that has been cleared up. as you can see, the commute nice and smooth making its way through. as far as the weather, let's check in with rob. >> a lot of clouds over oakland.

we will hang on to the clouds. high 60s for san francisco. 70s for san jose. this mild pattern we have been stuck with will stick around for the work week and then trending warmer for the weekend ahead. [ male announcer ] how can rice production in india, affect wheat output in the u.s., the shipping industry in norway, and the rubber industry, in south america? at t. rowe price,

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not related. one was near the ruby sky nightclub on mission street, the other on folsom street near the 1015 nightclub. two women were short early this morning near the 1015 club. they are expected to survive. the other shooting happened last night. one woman died, another woman and a man were taken to the hospital but they will survive. police are looking for the suspects in both shootings. more local news in a half hour. the "today" show in less than a half a minute.

it's 7:30 now on a monday morning, 9th day of august, 2010. we had a chamber of commerce style weekend here. some of these folks got an extra day for that weekend. we'll go outside and say hi to them in just a couple of minutes. >> lucky them. >> lucky us that we're here. i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. meredith will be back tomorrow. stunning new research that american girls are entering puberty younger than ever, some at the age of 7 or 8 years old. what's going on? we'll get into that coming up. >> that's actually very

dangerous and makes them vulnerable to diseases later in life. also coming up, we expect criminals to cover their faces when they're about to commit a crime, but this is ridiculous. take a look. bank robbers dressed up as everything from darth vader to catwoman to commit their crimes. we'll have more on what appears to be a trend just ahead. also ahead, a moving family reunion more than 34 years in the making after a bitter divorce back in 1976, vickie just wanted her children back, but she says she actually received a call that they had been killed in a car accident. well, now more than three decades later, they are finally together again. we're going to talk to them in an exclusive live interview to find out what went on for these past 34 years. >> wow! that must have been something. let's begin this half hour with a heartbreaking story about an american mother accused of murdering her own children in scotland. we have nbc's martin fletcher in london with the latest on this story. martin, good morning. >> ann, good morning. it is tragic.

she's still in serious condition in the hospital, but she's been arrested and charged with murder killing her three children. >> reporter: it appears to be a tragic tale of divorce and desperation. a mother who rather than surrender her children chose to allegedly kill them. sources say the woman from bakersfield, california, slit the throats of their twins and their 5-year-old sister, cecilia. her husband, the children's father, an oil executive, has asked for privacy, quote, at this difficult time. she said in a statement, our family is struggling to come to terms with the immense and tragic loss of three beautiful children. an autopsy was carried out on the children friday. the results have not been made public, but following the autopsy, teresa riggi, 46 years old, was charged with murder. reports indicate that after killing the children, she caused a gas explosion, hoping a fire would conceal the murders, then jumped 40 feet from a balcony.

in america, her mother said teresa, an accomplished violinist and doting mother, feared she'd lose custody of her children. in scotland where she took her children riding, instructors couldn't believe it. >> we didn't understand it, but i don't know if anybody does. >> reporter: the parents were going through a bitter divorce. after teresa riggi failed to turn up at a custody hearing last week, the judge warned the children may be in danger. but social workers said by the time they received the judge's instructions, the children were already dead. friends and family say they can't understand it. they say teresa home schooled her children. her whole world revolved around them. ann? >> martin fletcher, thanks. former profiler clint van zant joins us now. good morning. >> hi, ann. >> three beautiful children, a mother charged with their murder. based on your experience and what we know from this case, what do you think happened here, clint? >> well, unfortunately, what we see happens a lot of times, ann, three to five children are

killed every day in the united states by their own parents. 200 women kill their children every year in the united states. and at least a dozen of the 50 women on death row in america are there because they killed their own children. so even though you and i say, you know, as parents, i mean, we would give up our lives to save our children, there are, unfortunately, others out there who wouldn't. and, in fact, in a case like this, may use the death of the children to punish the other biological parent. >> you know, the statistics, let's take a pause here. those statistics are chilling. >> chilling. >> i think most americans have no ideas that the numbers are that high. what other factors play into this? i mean, especially given that we've just heard from martin's report that this mother was so dedicated to her children, she actually home schooled them, that she loved them so much, and that's what everyone says about her. >> sure. well, we look back at famous cases, susan smith, the south carolina mother who put her two children in car seats and drove the car into a lake to drown the

children so she would be more marketable to her new boyfriend. and andrea yates, the texas woman who drowned her five children in the bathtub, believing in her own challenged mind that the children were going to have problems later in life. so in her mind, she thought she was saving them by killing them. so there are various reasons. but we can even go back to, you know, third century greek tragedies where the wife of jason, of jason and the argonauts, killed her two sons to punish her husband because he was having an affair with another princess. so this goes back in antiquity and forward the challenges. but the terrible thing is that innocent children wind up being pawns many times in these terrible battles between biological parents. >> well, clint, if this happens so often, let's talk about what signs we should be looking for. the people who know teresa -- obviously, she's charged. we don't know the outcome of that case.

>> yeah. >> they say they found no signs. but are there signs? is it possible that there wouldn't be signs before something like this happens? >> i doubt that seriously, ann. just like the case last week of the man who killed eight coworkers in connecticut in a violence in workplace, in a situation like this, there are always signs, increased pressure, signs of mental and physical challenge. we just choose to overlook them. we choose to miss them. in this woman's case, we know that about a month ago she grabbed the three children, and she ran away from the family home. she hid someplace else. her husband knew she was experiencing challenges. in fact, told the court eventually that the children could be in danger. but by the time that information was conveyed, it was too late by the time they were located, the children were dead. >> it looks like it was, from what we've been able to gather, just the day before they were found that he made that report. clint van zandt, thank you for

your perspective. now let's get a check of the weather from stephanie abrams who is in for al and actually here. >> we're on the plaza now. girls week here. and how is the weather? you guys are from colorado. is this too hot? >> it's a little hot and humid for me. yes. >> i love it. >> you love it. but it was a lot hotter last week, you were saying. >> it's much better. >> so glad to be here. >> we're glad to have you here. >> thank you so much, stephanie. >> let's have a look at the weather across the country. we're going to start in florida where we have low pressure bringing a few showers to the sunshine state. now, here's the thing. this could be our next tropical entity. we're going to follow it as it heads into the gulf. otherwise the heaviest of rain will be in the here's a look at san francisco. we have the familiar sight of low clouds, mist and a cool start to the morning. let's show you the temperatures around the bay area through 8:00, 50s everywhere. clearing around lunch time. yet again, don't expect a warm day inland. in fact t will be breezy and

cool into the santa clara valley with highs in the 70s. not much change through mid week, then perhaps warmer approaching the upcoming weekend. >> and and ann, i think i'm going to change it to here's what's happening outside your elevator. coming up next, the brave teenagers fighting back against obesity at a boarding school on weight loose. we're going to talk to them coming up right after this. come on up here where your brothers sit. [ birds chirping ] wow! did i ever tell you what it was like growing up with four sisters? that sounds fun. yeah...fun for them! [ male announcer ] chevy traverse. a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it seats eight comfortably -- not that it always has to.

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emotional journey of five teenagers at wellspring academy, a weight-loss boarding school in north carolina. take a look. >> my heart breaks because i know. i had something to do with it, you know. i know i did. >> i really need this in my life, and i just -- i want this so bad. >> i can't be the one to do it. he needs somebody other than me. >> we're joined now by two of those students, 14-year-old scotty basso and his mother, susan, and 17-year-old tanisha mitchell and her mother. >> good morning. >> emotional, scotty. we watched you in that tape, and it's very clear this has been an emotional journey for you. how are you feeling? >> i'm feeling really good about it. i have a jersey here that i couldn't fit in before i came, and i can now fit into it.

you know, it's been really hard, but it's turned out good so far. >> so far you've lost a little more than 60 pounds, is that right? >> yep. >> four months at the school. you say it's been hard. what's the hardest part been? >> the being away from home and a lot more of the exercise and getting up in the mornings. >> a little discipline? >> yeah. >> yeah. tanisha, you have lost more than 150 pounds. >> yes. >> in four months. talk to me a little bit about how this has changed your life. and you admit, you've got more to go. >> oh, yeah. >> but how has this changed your life so far? >> it's changed it a lot. i'm definitely more active now. i just have a whole new freedom with my movements. i feel really good. >> you have a disorder. is it called -- is it blunt or blount? >> blount. >> blount disorder. tell me exactly what that is. >> it's a growth disorder in my tibia, leg bone.

and that causes my legs to bend outwardly. >> and so weight and excess weight on top of that disorder cannot be a good thing. >> exactly. >> so already by losing 150 pounds, have you seen -- has that disorder gotten better? >> yes, definitely. >> let me go to the moms here for a second now. melody, i think a lot of parents are probably sitting at home and they're saying, how did it get to this point? how did these two young people in their teens get so overweight? how do you answer that question? you know people are asking that. >> sure. of course, they probably are. i think mostly tanisha's did stem from her blount's disease, her being bedridden for a while because she did have a lot of surgeries. >> so couldn't be as active as other teenagers and other children? >> yeah. she was not active at all with her blount's disease. >> susan, you say -- you were candid on the tape. you say your heart breaks

because you know you had something to do with it, talking about scotty's weight gain. >> ours came a lot from the types of food we ate. and knowing that it probably wasn't the best, but it was what we could do for the family. but then when scotty's depression set in, we danced around it instead of hitting it head -- you know, head first. >> susan, this susan now, working with young people, is it easier than working with adults in terms of getting them to change their lifestyle and the way they think about their health? >> well, i think it's a different approach where with teenagers, you want to show them and let them make it their own as opposed to just tell them. with adults, you can talk about it, tell them, but with kids, they need to be shown and see it for themselves so they can take it and run with it. >> what kind of success rate do

you have with people of this age? >> we have about 70% of the kids that leave our camps keeping the weight off and continuing to lose weight. >> scotty, is there one thing you would want to say to other teenagers out there who may be watching who are dealing with similar weight issues that you've dealt with? >> just that i know it's tough, but if you try really hard, you can do it. and you've just got to stick with it. >> how much more do you want to lose, scott? >> pretty much as much as i can, really. >> you think you can do it? >> oh, yeah. i know i can do it, actually, if i just keep to it. >> tanisha, can you do it also? >> yes. i'm going to try. >> good luck to both of you. all right? moms, thank you very much as well. susan, thanks for being here. appreciate it. >> thank you. :too fat for 15, fighting back" premieres tonight at 8:00/7:00 central on the style network. up next, the wild and wacky cast of characters robbing banks these days. we'll find out about that.

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cloups, famous entertainers, even darth vader. what do they have in common? they're part of a new fashion trend for bank robbers. our jeff rossen is here to explain this. jeff, good morning. >> good morning. my 4-year-old plays dress-up. now the criminals are, too. it helps the fbi. the weirder the costume, the better chance of catching them. think about it. would you pay attention to the headline man robs bank or the underwear bandit robs bank? this morning halloween comes early for the bad guys. >> reporter: decades ago, it was bonnie & clyde. >> we rob banks. >> this here is a stick-up! >> reporter: today the legend lives on. in just the past few weeks, we have darth vader, a cross-dresser, a backstreet boy and the robber obsessed with fresh flowers. in pennsylvania, police just

caught this man who hit banks dressed in a blond wig, fake breasts and a toy gun stuffed in his clown pants. then there's the catwoman, knocking off shoe stores in manhattan. yes, that's really her police sketch. how about this woman, the underwear bandit who held up a mcdonald's drive-through in oklahoma, grabbing cash out of the register with underwear over her face. then there's the darth vader bandit. he held up a bank in new york armed with a gun and that famous mask. he's still on the loose, but with attention like this, maybe not for long. >> today the bank's manager issued a statement saying, catch him, we must. ♪ >> reporter: in boston, check out the backstreet bandit. this guy dressed up like he's a member of the backstreet boys. pretty close. >> they do it to mask their identity, but it actually helps us identify them.

>> reporter: it almost feels like it can backfire on them, their need for fame and attention can also get them caught. >> exactly. exactly. >> reporter: because the weirder the costume, the bigger target they become. the fbi comes up with those catchy nicknames so the media picks it up, you pay attention, and help nab them. >> on the arrest of the so-called barefoot bandit. >> reporter: a bunch of fbi agents sit around in a room and say, underwear bandit. >> sometimes you folks name the bandits. >> reporter: we're very creative. it's almost like the criminals are trying to one-up each other. take this robber who got his nickname for obvious reasons. they arrested him two weeks after the heist. in fact, most criminals are caught. with bank robberies, the fbi has a 75% arrest rate. and by the way, despite all these stories, bank robberies are actually down this year. >> what the robbers are really doing is bringing attention on themselves. they're not really hiding their identity. they're allowing law enforcement, the media and the public to focus on them. and you don't commit too many

robberies dressed like darth vader before you get taken off the street. >> the fbi says 80% of bank robbers are first-timers, amateurs who think those weird get-ups will help keep them out of jail. ann, not working. >> jeff rossen, thank you so much. up next, a mother reunites with children more than 34 years after she was told they were dead after your local news.

i'm from the gulf coast. i vacation here, my family spends a lot of time here. i have a personal, vested interest in ensuring that we get this job done right. i'm keith seilhan. i'm in charge of bp's cleanup on the gulf coast. bp has taken full responsibility for cleanup in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. you may have heard that oil is no longer flowing into the gulf. there's less oil coming ashore every day, but we still have thousands of people ready to clean it up if it does. when oil is spotted, we get right to work. we're working with the coast guard and many other government agencies. summer is the busiest time on the gulf, so every day, we're working with residents and local business owners to make sure beaches are clean and that they can stay open. and our efforts won't come at any cost to taxpayers.

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good morning, everybody. time is 7:56. i'm brent cannon. choking the commute with felipe in for mike. a car fire to tell us about. >> a car fire in marin this has cleared up significantly in the past few minutes. 101 southbound at spencer avenue. things are starting to clear up making their way southbound into san francisco. another accident southbound 680 at andretti. degree blocking three left lanes, reported blocking completely the number two lane. give yourself some time heading southbound 680. a look at bay bridge toll plaza. look at that. real smooth commute. no big delays or anything. a lot of people on vacation this week. it's a good monday morning commute. as far as the weather, maybe a

little cold? >> yeah. it is cold out there. no need for the sunglasses around the bay area. for the afternoon, clearing inland. looking at 70s in the warmest places. san jose, livermore. if you like this weather, you will love this work week forecast. not a lot of change even on the coast socked in with clouds and drizzle at times as we jump ween things warm up. more news after the break. woman: did you bring the camera phone? man: i did. do you wanna go first? i've been waiting for this all day.

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drilling for the fourth bore of the caldecott tunnel in the east bay starts in a few hours now. the $420 million project would create a new tunnel for traffic heading into san francisco. right now only two tunnels go into the city, four come out. the fourth bore will mean four lanes in both directions at all times that will only ease traffic for the reverse commute. there can be big back-ups on weekends when people are trying to get to san francisco. that project is scheduled to be complete in about three years. more local news in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

it's 8:00 now on a monday morning. it's also the 9th day of august, 2010. kind of a pleasant morning here in the northeast. we're at about 75 degrees or so, going up into the mid-90s. but we've got a nice group of people before it gets too sticky here on the plaza. we thank them for stopping by. >> summer. we can't complain. >> hope you had a nice week off. >> i did. it was really nice. i visited family in oregon. it was really fantastic. >> good to have you here while meredith's taking the day off. meredith's back tomorrow. coming up this half hour, a remarkable story.

vickie had just gotten a divorce back in 1976 when she received what had to be the worst phone call any mother could receive, that her two children had been killed in a tragic accident. so imagine vickie's surprise when she received another call just last month saying, in fact, those children were alive. they are back together, and they're telling a remarkable story to us exclusively in just a little while. >> amazing. and also this morning, we're talking about some new research that's actually quite alarming. it's basically saying that girls as young as 7, 8, 9 are showing signs of puberty, matt. and this is not just sort of unusual. it's also incredibly dangerous because the younger you go into puberty, the more likely you will have breast cancer later on in life. so we're going to find out why this is. it's really a red flag. and there are some environmental factors according to the researchers. so we'll get into some of that this morning. also ahead, economics. the average cost of a year of

college right now, you know what it is? $18,000. so how can average families afford to send their kids to college? if you're the parent of a young child, how do you start saving? we'll have advice on that as well. a lot to get to. let's go inside. ann's out here. that means natalie's at the news desk with all the headlines. good morning. >> good morning to you. the manhunt for two escaped murderers is focused this morning in and around one of the country's most popular national parks. u.s. marshals say tracy prov in, john mccluskey and a female accomplice may be in yellowstone national park. they escaped from a prison ten days ago. one of them has been linked to a double murder in new mexico. a christian medical aid group says it has no plans to leave afghanistan despite the massacre of ten members including six americans. the taliban says the relief workers were killed because they tried to convert muslims to christianity. a claim rejected by friends and family members. germany today shut down a

hamburg mosque once frequented by some of the 9/11 hijackers. officials said it was being used again as a meeting point for islamic radicals. israel's prime minister testified today as a commission looking into may's confrontation that killed nine people on ships trying to bring aid to gaza. benjamin netanyahu says he is certain the inquiry will show israel acted legally. floodwaters that killed at least 11 people in central europe are now receding. heavy rain sent rivers over their banks in germany, poland and the czech republic. bridges and roads were washed away, and some areas were left without electricity. officials intensified their search over the weekend for kyron horman, the 7-year-old oregon boy who disappeared more than two months ago. on sunday investigators searched a heavily wooded area near the grade school where kyron was last seen back in june. and at the box office this weekend, "the other guys" took over the top spot, the will ferrell, mark wahlberg film took in more than $35 million

according to early estimates. "inception" ended up in second. and "step up 3d" was in third. it is 8:04. let's go back outside once again to matt and ann. >> i really want to see "inception." >> i thought you were going to see "step up 3d." stephanie abrams has freed herself from the stuck elevator. >> eight people, one tahoe, wisconsin to new york. where do you sit in this tahoe? >> we sit in the back, us three. >> what's it like? >> it's very squished. and the floors are high, so my legs almost touch the other seats. >> but you have fun anyway, right? >> yes. >> i say that you guys keep going south maybe to tampa, florida, and we are going to see some nice weather there today. 92, a few scattered thunderstorms. hopefully have your bikinis packed there. and let's have a look at the and awe view of san francisco shows you a cloudy

start to the clouds. all the way inland. look at the temperatures around lunchtime. 60s and 70s for most of the bay area. in fact, by 4:00, warmest time of the year still talking mid-70s. oakland and san francisco, we're still locked into the mild pattern for most of the work week and going a little warmer inland as we approach saturday and sunday. people from visiting from all over. we've got hawaii and south dakota in the house. ann, over to you. >> thanks so much, stephanie opinion. and also a cool breeze is blowing our way which is really nice. coming up just ahead, a mother reunites with her two children more than 34 years after she was told they had died. their incredible story, an exclusive live interview coming right up after this. frankly, the idea of owning a minivan

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a mother back together with a son and daughter she thought she had lost in a deadly car accident. we'll talk to them exclusively in a moment. but first, natalie has their story. natalie, good morning. >> hey, matt. vickie and her children say they have waited a long time to be together. it all began more than 34 years ago when vickie was separated from karen and scott's father. >> he wanted the divorce. and i said, i'll give you that, but i want my children back. >> reporter: it was the fall of 1976. vickie's divorce to her husband, jimmy, had just been finalized. victoria says after months apart from her children, karen and scott, ages 8 and 5 at the time, were on their way back to her. >> i was excited. i couldn't wait for them to come back home. >> reporter: but instead, vickie says she got a shocking phone call. there was a terrible car accident. her ex-husband in critical condition and her two young children dead. >> i was distraught. i said, well, where did this accident happen?

click went the phone. >> reporter: devastated by determined, vickie says she tried to track down her ex-husband, jimmy, but vick ski said he vanished and so did any information about how her children died. >> not being able to see my children's bodies and not being able to bury them just devastating. i couldn't say good-bye. >> reporter: but karen and scott, the two children, were very much alive, living in new jersey. they say they were enduring a mystery of their own. >> i used to ask my dad, you know, questions like, "where's mom?" >> reporter: they say their father told them, "mom had abandoned the family." >> he said, she didn't want you. she dumped you on my doorstep. >> reporter: after searching in vain, vickie, living just six hours away in rochester, new york, said she hired a private investigator. >> i couldn't find any answers. and i needed answers. >> reporter: meanwhile, all the kids wanted was stability. >> my dad constantly moving us from school to school. >> we didn't stay very long anywhere. >> reporter: vickie says her

private investigator never got a good lead, but she found hope in the gaps of information. >> i truly believed in my heart that they were still alive. >> reporter: meanwhile, karen and scott were growing. and so were their suspicions about their father's story. >> he never gave us a straight answer. >> you keep hearing so many conflicting stories, you've got to find out for yourself. >> reporter: last month with the help of an internet-savvy friend, karen and scott went looking for their mother. and in just days, they found vickie. they reconnected first over the phone. >> i felt like this void, this emptiness i had in my heart, it's just filled up instantly. >> i just had so much i wanted to say, so much i wanted to hear from her. >> it was definitely one of the better days of my life. >> reporter: less than a week after that call, vickie made the drive to georgia where her grown children now live. the reunion happened before she could even get out of the car. >> my daughter and my son came running over to the car, opened up the door, and hugged me.

i wrapped my arms around them. the fullness in my heart, if it were a balloon, it would have been burst. just being able to hug my daughter and my son was a dream come true. >> and we reached out to karen and scott's father, jimmy black, who currently lives with scott. and he tells us after the divorce, vickie never called asking for the children back. he also maintains that he had no knowledge of that phone call that vickie says upended her world decades earlier claiming they were all dead in a car crash. he says he moved his children because he was trying to put them in better schools. matt? >> natalie, thanks very much. vickie and her children, scott black and karen cason, are with us. good morning to everyone. tears all around here. you must, in some ways, feel like life has begun again. >> yes, it has. you live your whole life being told one thing, and you find something else out. the person that was taken away from you at an early age, you finally get them back. >> i would imagine there are people right now, despite what

they've just seen, shaking their heads at home. at the time you were going through this separation and divorce, vickie, was there no custody agreement? was there nothing legal in place that you could have used to help find these kids? >> nothing. the only thing i had in my divorce decree was that custody and visitation rights would be decided by the new york state family court system. and when i met karen and scott after all these years, they said their father had told them that he had legal custody. so when we talked on the phone, they told me that, i brought a copy of my divorce to show them. your father never, ever had custody of you. >> you went to the police. the police could not help you? they couldn't track down this man and these children? >> i went to the -- we had several incidences in jersey city. and the police said, that's a matter for family court. >> and family court, then, didn't step up and they couldn't

help you either? >> well, i went to family court, you know, where i live in rochester with my lawyer. and he says, we need the children in order to pursue this in court. i told him, i can't find my children. >> yeah. when did you two begin your own search? you obviously had questions. when did you actively start the search for your mom? >> i started searching -- it had to be in the mid-'90s. and it led to dead ends. and i didn't have -- you know, the internet wasn't back then what it is today. and social security administration told me, well, you know, if you can give us an unsealed letter, a letter with an unsealed envelope explaining why you want to find her, we can track her down through whatever information you have. they never forwarded it. i guess they didn't feel it was a good enough reason why. >> karen, you were told by your dad your mother abandoned you. she didn't care about you. was it only after a certain amount of time that it just

didn't add up to you? >> after a certain amount of time, you know, my father would always tell me different stories. he said i told, you know, my father said, i told your mom you were dead. she's in the army. she's in the peace corps. his story always changed. >> at any point -- and it's hard to ask this question with you here, vickie. i apologize for this. at any point, then or now, do you think perhaps your dad is telling the truth and vickie's not telling the truth? >> i always look at it this way, you know. both parents have their own version of the story, okay? and i have to give her the benefit of the doubt. i have to try to give him the benefit of the doubt. >> the truth perhaps somewhere in the middle? >> when she tells me the story, and we talked about it three or four times over the past couple weeks, it always seem s to be te same. over the past 30 years when i asked him the story, it always changed. >> here's the thing that jumps out at me most, scott, for you is you live with him now.

you're going -- he's watching this. and you're going to go home there tomorrow. there's going to be a lot of tension in that house, isn't there? >> well, there was already tension because my wife doesn't understand why i still let him live with me after i found out the truth. but the one thing i see is, no matter what, he's still going to be my father. and the second is he's a person. i can't put him out on the street with no place to go. he's on a fixed income. what he gets isn't enough to support himself in a regular apartment. i have a room in the back of my house. i rent him a room back there. >> quickly, what's the future of this relationship between the three of you now, vickie? >> oh, i will never, never lose my children again. never. and, you know, when i talked to them on the phone, when they first found me, and even when i got down to scott's house in georgia, i said, if i did not love you and i abandoned you and left you on your dad's doorstep, i said, it would have been very easy for me to say for when she

called, i am not the victoria you're looking for. and i certainly wouldn't have driven all the way down here to come and see you. >> we wish you luck. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> with the rest of your story. appreciate you joining us this morning. >> thank you so much. and up next, a new survey on the rising cost of college and tips on how to pay for it, especially in these very difficult economic times. but first, these messages. and truck we make with a big fat red pencil. because they know a family's going to be inside. a teenager. a guy on the way to the job. the engineers of chevrolet. just another reason why we can offer a 5-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. and another reason why a chevy's a chevy. and get this year's colors up on the wall...this year. let's get better prices... and better paint.

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carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. back now at 8:21 with the question being asked by a lot of parents and students these days, how will we afford college? well, tomorrow gallup and sally mae release their annual how america pays for college survey. here with a first look at the findings is cnbc's sharon epperson. sharon, great to have you here, as always. >> great to be here. >> the numbers tell the story. 70% of those in the survey agree that a college degree is becoming more important. but still, three-fourths of the same people in the survey don't have any plan for paying for college. and college costs are becoming more expensive. >> increasingly more expensive. and what this survey found was astoundingly people are saying that they're paying even more, 17% more, for all of the college expenses than they did even a year ago.

they're looking at nearly $19,000 that they're saying that they're paying for college with everything included without financial aid. and that compares to about $16,000 a year ago. now, keep in mind, people are looking at all of their expenses. and they may not be considering the grants and scholarships and things that they're getting. this is a heavy price tag, but they're willing to pay it. >> at the same time, to help parents dig deeper to save, you say for people with younger children, they should really consider this 529 college saving plan that we've been hearing about. but why do you say that given that especially as the market has gone down, this can actually take a knock. you can actually lose your savings. >> it can take a knock if you have a lot of it in stocks. if your child is 16, 17, even 15 years old, you want to reduce your stock holdings in 529 plan. what the 529 plan does, a lot of folks do it by age allocation. and so as your child gets older, it gets more conservative. make sure that the 529 plan that you're in has 15% or less

invested in the stock market as they get to those late teen years approaching college. and know that you can also have that invested just in money markets and cds. it does not have to be invested even in bonds. >> and you can have other family members contribute. >> that's a great thing to do. >> for people who have got kids going into school this fall, you say a lot of them don't realize there's something called a hope scholarship tax credit. what is that? >> a lot of people don't understand, that's $2500 tax credit you can get. >> how do you get it? >> you put it on your federal income tax form. you make sure that you apply for that tax credit. again, that's a dollar-for-dollar credit for tuition, books, supplies. that's something a lot of people forget about. >> the only way to get access to federal and state grants and loans is submit what's called a free application for student aid. now, how do you do that? what's the deadline? can that work for this fall? >> that's a form, and that's surprisingly, this survey found, one out of four families did not apply for this form, did not fill out this form, thinking that they would not get any

federal grants or aid. this is what you need to fill out to get state grants, to get federal grants. it's not too late. normally you really need to do it right after january 1st. you want to make sure you have that all together. but it's not too late to do it now. >> for this fall. >> there are a lot of programs you can do. >> where do you get this form? >> you can go online. >> where do you get it? >> fast fund. f-a-f-s-a. >> interest rate on federal loans is actually pretty good. >> always do federal loans first. they're usually better repayment programs and cheaper terms. do those first and then do private loans. those are variable loans. that's why you want to do the federal loans first. >> there are free searches online for scholarships. >> never pay for a scholarship. do fastweb.com. there are so many scholarships available there. also salliemae.com.

also online, buying used books or buying books that are several editions ago. check with the professors, of course, first to make sure you can buy these. >> there's also a website to help you learn how tove sa good morning. it's 8:26. i'm brent cannon, checking in with filippe, in for mike. for monday, new accidents cropping up. >> little accidents that don't seem to be causing too much of a problem. take a look here. nosh and southbound 888. there is an accident 888 at the cleveland on ramp. also another accident 880 where it leads and a look at the san mateo bridge. as you make your way up across that. up to the bay bridge, your metering lights across the toll plaza, and going in both directions as you make your way

across the bridge. as for weather, we've got a lot of clouds throughout, filippe. you'll see how much the bay area is going to warm up. not much. 60s and 70s. maybe upper 70s, but that's about it. the mild pattern we've seen much of the weekend is going to continue for the work week. time right now is 8:27. more news after the break.

>> i 42-year-old woman will make her first court appearance for allegations she had sex with two boys starting when they were just 13 years old. police arrested christine hubbs thursday. the mother of one of the alleged victims said she found a nude photo of hubbs on her son's cell phone. these being held on bail. more news in half an hour. and "today" show returns in less than a minute. v a great monday. see you back in a bit.

8:30 now on a monday morning. it's the 9th day of august, 2010. we're outside saying hi to all the nice men and women and boys and girls who are joining us on the plaza this morning on a pretty summer morning. we're happy to have them here. and out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry who is in while meredith is taking

the day off and joined by natalie morales as well. coming up, more research parents will want to hear. >> it is amazing. researchers are saying children as young as 7 are showing signs of puberty. and not only is something sort of maybe predictable like the obesity epidemic a factor, but there are environmental factors as well. so we're going to take those topics one by one because this is very serious. this actually opens up a child -- a girl to having -- be more vulnerable to diseases like breast cancer. so we really need to face this thing now. we all have kids. your kids good eaters? >> no, horrible. terrible. yes. >> mine are finicky. it depends. it depends. they're not little babies either. >> terrible. nothing green. >> well, we're going to talk this morning about the five foods that your kids simply must be eating. and this goes for adults as well. >> what, cookies? >> that's actually a different kind of cookie. that's a healthy cook we. >> ah.

>> we'll talk about that in just a second. bean brownies, yum. >> that works. okay. plus, the eight hidden benefits of being middle aged. >> there are. no, there are. >> it's got to be some good part of it. >> okay, take it from me. i think getting older is underrated. we're going to talk about it coming up. >> i think getting older is one of your choices, basically. al's not here today. stephanie abrams has a check of the weather. steph? >> usually moms try to hook up the kids with a man, right? but a little opposite today? >> it's opposite today. we're looking for a man for our 90-year-old mother. >> mom, what are you looking for in a man? >> somebody younger with money. >> hey! happy birthday to you. let's have a look at the weather here acrosshe t country. and maybe you'll find a man here in new york city whileou're visiting for your birthday. beautiful weather. maybe at central park. a lot of people out there running. you've got to get a guy that's

let's take a look right now. golden gate bridge. you got fog. misty skies throughout. you can see the windshield wipers at times going on the cars. 50s and 60s right now. you know what, the savran not going to warm up a whole lot. mid to upper 70s. even the hilltops are going to be cooling down today. notice not much change to the pattern. we'll be waking up to morning clouds. turning a bit warmer as we head towards the weekend. and for your birthday forecast, all you have to do is logon to weather.com. speaking of birthdays, we want to head over to willard and see who's celebrating today. willard? >> wear your bathrobe and check out those meteor showers. we've got quite a few this month. you might say they're the dog day showers. as a matter of fact, we will say. happy birthday from smucker's. how sweet it is.

how fantastic they can be, it depends on the weather. herbert moore, mt. vernon, missouri, 100 years old today. celebrated his anniversary being a d-day war veteran. got his driver's license renewed until he was 103. i can't even do it at 80. rose lindney of west milford, new jersey, 100 years old. changed the tire on a model "t" ford while women couldn't even drive. can you believe in our generation, in our lifetime women couldn't drive cars. doorny juntunen. and she is from lyon mountain, new york, 100 years old. avid yankees fan, attends church weekly. we wish her a happy birthday. lou batori of glen arbor, michigan, 100 years old. still ski races and is honored by nastar and shovelled his own driveway during the blizzard of last year. how about that? you've got to be careful with that, though.

cleo garman, quanah, texas, 103, cancer survivor. how about that. encouraging? you bet it is. lives independently. god bless her. and finally, we have elmer harris. takoma park, maryland, our neighbor across the street. 100 years old today. takes no medication. can't beat that. seventh day adventist. fantastic. that's it. that's all. now back to new york. >> willard, thank you very much. when we come back, why girls in this country are entering puberty earlier than ever before. some as early as 7. we'll talk about that. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] jobs leaving.

a budget disaster. california on the brink. jerry brown's plan? you run for office and the assumption is, oh, i know what to do. you don't. i didn't have a plan for california. [ female announcer ] with our state in crisis, we need a governor with a plan. you need a real plan, something i'll acknowledge i did not have. [ female announcer ] jerry brown. no plan then. no plan now. meg whitman. a plan for jobs. log on. learn more.

back now at 8:37 with "today's health." a new study out reveals that girls in the u.s. are entering puberty at earlier ages than they have in the past. some as young as 7 years old.

dr. iva horn is a pediatrician with children's medical center in washington. dr. horn, good morning. >> good morning. >> so this study included 1,239 girls of various races. it found that at 7 years old, 10% of children who are white, 23% of children who are black, and not hispanic, and 14% of hispanic girls had attained what's called breast stage two, which is a sign of puberty. >> yes. >> as a pediatrician, as shocking as this is, this is not surprising to you. why? >> it's not surprising because we are seeing the trend in our practices. and i think that this is consistent with a previous study, but it's telling us that unlike the previous study in 1997, more girls are developing at the age of 7 and 8. >> one of the chief researchers in the study is calling this a warning flag. because -- and the findings cite the most probable cause for this

is this rising obesity epidemic in our children. >> absolutely. >> now, why is that? why is there this link? >> because girls who are obese have increased hormone levels. and particularly they have fat -- increase in fat cells and fat increases hormones. and so these girls who are developing earlier are also having earlier exposure to estrogen, higher levels of estrogen. and studies have shown that link of estrogen and breast cancer. >> okay. let's talk about that. you know, we don't want this. we do not want our girls to have puberty early because of this link. is it a strong link that these girls later in life are more likely to get breast cancer? is it a strong link? >> there is an indication that that may be the case. we have to follow these girls longer. the study is just the beginning. we have more work to do. and that's the great thing that the investigators are doing. they are looking at these girls.

and they're following them over time to see if this early breast development leads to greater risk in the future. >> but these investigators don't think obesity is the only explanation. they believe that there are environmental factors. >> absolutely. >> like? >> well, there are chemicals and other things they are not certain of. >> in the environment? >> in the environment. and that's why we have to follow these girls over time so really get a better understanding of what this means. >> some parents are going to be worried about all the controversy regarding hormones in milk. because that has been something that was really debated when hormones were allowed to be used in milk production. are we still gray on this, or is there any greater information that links that as a problem -- probable factor in why girls become prepubescent? >> this study does not give us more information in that regard.

i think what investigators are doing is following over time, and that's going to give us more information. this is just the beginning. but it's a great beginning for us to learn about what those future causes are. >> in addition to being more vulnerable to breast cancer, these children are more likely to be involved in sexual activity at an earlier age. because they've been in puberty. so what is the message that we should give parents, first of all, about how to prepare children who are showing these signs for what is to come? what do we say to them? what do we do? what is your advice? >> sure. when you have a 7-year-old and her body is developing, she still has the mind of a 7-year-old. just like if you have a 2-year-old and that 2-year-old happens to be tall for their age. you treat them like a 2-year-old. and it's really important that parents continue to treat their children in an age-appropriate way and that they look at who their children are being exposed to because especially if kids have older siblings, they may be exposed to older kids. and the activities and behaviors

of older children. but it's really important to make sure that that 7-year-old remains a 7-year-old. >> bottom line, though, is this is yet another reason to make sure our children -- that we do everything possible to make sure our children deal with obesity, that we don't allow our kids to remain obese if they are, that this is a real risk. and we look at the environmental factors. it's hard to know what to do. but i'm sure a lot of parents will be looking for some ways to protect their girls from this kind of problem. >> well, absolutely. and parents should really talk to their girls about what's going on in their body at an age-appropriate level. but then also encourage their child to have a positive image of themselves and positive self-esteem because that's going to go a long way in the future as they're developing maybe sooner than their friends are. >> hopefully we'll get more information on what may be causing this. iva horn, thank you so much. great to see you. coming up next, the five foods your children should be eating.

first, this is "today" on nbc.

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♪ it's your life ♪ do it right we're back now at 8:44. this morning on "eat smart today," five foods your kids should eat. poor food choices and overreceipting, two critical reasons why childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic. simple dietary changes can drastically the way they think, move and feel. nutritionist joy bauer is also a "today" contributor. good to see you. >> good to see you, matt. >> going to help out a lot of parents this morning and probably aggravate a lot of kids. let's start with -- by the way, adults too should be eating. the first right off the bat is seafood. it's brain food. >> that's right. and not all seafood. it's the coldwater, fatty fish. and that's because it's loaded with omega 3 fats. and we know through studies that omega 3 fats, it's a critical

component of cell membranes in the brain. and people that eat a high diet that's rich in omega 3 fats optimize brain performance. it's that important. >> give me names of the fish. you say the coldwater fish. for example. >> salmon, sardines, anchovies. >> not exactly the things that kids are going to warm up to. how do you get them to incorporate it into their diets? >> my best advice is to make a sweet delicious sauce. over here this is my hoisin glaze sauce. it's on the website. all it is, it's hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar and a little ginger. >> it tastes good and they're getting the fish at the same time. >> another thing you could do is pick up canned salmon and swap out tuna salad. tuna doesn't have as much omega 3 fats as the salmon. >> and if your kid is one who's saying i'll eat seafood, mom, i want fish sticks. the kind that are trade. you don't make that trade. >> it's not the same benefits. you don't want to fool yourself. don't give up. >> the second food kids and

adults should be eating, beans. >> beans. and that's because beans help to stabilize our mood. they come packaged with fiber. and when we eat beans, the fiber helps to blunt the absorption of carbohydrates so we don't get these volatile spikes in blood sugars. we're more even tempered, and it could really help the crankiness and irritability. >> beans have become almost a bun punch line. once we feed them beans, will we be sorry that we did it? >> no. don't expect you're going to get a lot of tooting. even if you get some gas, the benefits really do outweigh some of the down side. but don't expect it. >> ways to get beans into their diet? >> hummus. i love hummus. it has a nice mild, luck yxurio taste. >> you don't want them dipping potato chips in the hummus. >> i went out on a limb and wanted to show you the extreme versatility of beans. i took a can of black beans, rinsed it in a colko colander a

it in a brownie mix. true. >> it tastes like a brownie. >> doesn't it? it's still a fudgy treat, but you get a shot of nutrition and fiber. sorry, guys. >> that's easy. all right. oats. another thing kids have to be eating. >> it's a great complex carbohydrate. and because it's a little bit hard to digest, it delivers long-lasting energy throughout the morning. and it's not just about a morning bowl of oatmeal. you can use oats as a binder instead of bread crumbs in recipes like meatloaf and meatba meatballs. >> cookies. >> yeah, these are oatmeal cookies. >> as long as there's not a lot of butter and fat. >> i use applesauce, pull back on sugar and adding dark chocolate chips and dried fruit. you could even eat with for breakfast with a cup of skim milk. >> you like eggs and you don't like them just for breakfast. >> eggs are a high-quality, complete protein. it helps to strengthen and maintain our muscles.

and for people looking to lose weight, the whites are great because they're only 17 calories, and they're pure protein. but even though the yolks get a bad rap because they have saturated fats and cholesterol, they also have vitamin d, selenium and choline. i think people should mix it up. some whole eggs mixed with egg whites. it doesn't have to be just scrambled eggs. this is an egg burrito. >> my kids, they love eggs. >> and you could add beans. >> and hummus. and finally, you like spinach. >> i love spinach because it has the trifecta of ingredients for enhancing eye health. it has beta carotene, lutein and xeazanthin. they've been shown to reduce the risk for macular degeneration. >> why are you showing a burger? >> i take a pack of frozen chopped spinach, i nuke it, drain it and mix it in with lean ground turkey meat and a taco packet. >> seasoning? >> yeah.

this is loaded with spinach, and kids really like it. >> five good ideas. >> everyday foods. very easy. >> joy, thank you. we appreciate it very much. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. with high-speed internet from at&t, you can connect to the internet at blazing fast speeds. wow, look at that! so you can go online and check out the news, or you can just catch up with old friends -- hey buddy. you can download videos and -- wow, that was fast. you can do it all from the comfort of home. so, as you can see, it's a -- whoa. i'm gonna just go grab a sandwich. [ male announcer ] introducing our fastest internet with speeds up to twenty four megabits per second. switch to high speed internet from at&t and get one-hundred dollars back via promotion card.

switch to high speed internet from at&t the kincaids live here. across the street, the padillas. ben and his family live here, too. ben's a re/max agent, and he's a big part of this community. there are lots of reasons why re/max agents average more sales than other agents. experience, certainly. but maybe it's also because they care about the markets they serve and the neighbors who rely on them. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. when you think of jousting, you probably think of knights going head to head on horseback. as you might remember, matt,

meredith, al and i gave it a try at medieval times earlier this year. "today's" jenna wolf has given it a different try. >> why did you guys go so slow? >> they slowed down the tape. >> i thought so. this is a different twist on that ancient sport. we're not talking about jousting for entertainment, battling someone else, but instead competing for pure sport. >> reporter: armor, lances, battles and blood. that's jousting. but believe it or not, so is this. here in the shenandoah valley, though it's much tamer, a form of the ancient sport is still very much alive. >> once you ever sit the horse and go down that track, you're hooked. >> reporter: getting hooked involves a wooden lance, dangling rings and some pretty key hand/eye coordination. >> it's speed. it's agility. >> reporter: mona banden is the

president of the national jousting association. yes, there is such a thing. >> at a jousting tournament, i'm known as maid of midway. >> reporter: she's been at it nearly 20 years. what are the rules of jousting? >> you start your horse at the start. it's an 80-yard course. ♪ saddle up saddle up >> reporter: you have eight seconds to make it down the course. the object is to catch each ring hanging from all three arches. ♪ saddle up saddle up >> reporter: get every one, and you move on to the next round. there are four skill levels in competition. and the better you are, the smaller the ring gets. so this is the scale of ring size. >> you work your way through and keep on getting smaller and smaller. >> reporter: and this is the smallest? >> right. >> reporter: because after this, it's called invisible, right? >> pretty much. >> reporter: jousters like george cadet, an orthopedic surgeon, consider this the perfect hobby. generally when you tell somebody you're jousting, what is the reaction most often? >> the reaction is they're waiting for me to put on my suit

of armor and knock somebody off their horse. >> reporter: people think if you're jousting, it's something to do with medieval times. >> yes. >> reporter: no doubt. that's because it all dates back to the middle aimings in europe where people jousted against one another. today's sport is considerably more family friendly. the youngest jouster here is 3. 9-year-old ashley was just 5 when she learned. what is the feeling like for you when you go through and you catch all three rings? >> it feels like you're very -- it's your lucky day. >> reporter: i knew exactly what she meant. yes! keep going! we've got one, baby! at 40 miles an hour, an exhilarating feeling. >> it's not an expensive sport. the national event cost you 6 bucks to sign up. you don't have to have fancy equipment. >> reporter: the equipment may not be fancy, but it is rather big. in fact, here it's byoh. yeah, you've got to bring a horse.

what's the draw? >> i think for the riders, the draw is the adrenaline of riding down the track and get the horse to do what it's supposed to do. >> there are about a dozen jousting clubs in this country. the season starts in the spring and goes through october with the national championship tournament in leesburg, virginia, matt, just on the off chance. >> that i want to get down there? >> that you want to get down there. >> how big a ring were you working with? >> mine was that big. it was actually a life preser r preserver. >> that looks like fun to me. >> it was a lot of fun. >> big team sport? >> why not? they're doing it in high schools all across the country. coming up -- >> eight hidden benefits of being middle aged. >> yes! >> but first, your local news and weather.

good morning, i'm brent can. we do want to check in with philippe. every time, you've had a new accident and another one this morning. >> a minor accident, westbound 880. not too many cars on the roads but the ones out there are getting into an accident. approaching buchanan also on the

right shoulder, it's clearing. taking a look out to oakland. things are slow from 992. also slow from 66 to embarcadero. there was an earlier accident with debris on the road. as you can see, things moving slowly there. out to the bay bridge, 41 miles per hour average speed making your way through there.

we are still waiting to find out if same-sex marriages can resume across the state. there is a stay to find out whether or not prop 8 is appealed. governor schwarzenegger and jerry brown are waiting to see

if a decision goes ahead. another update in half an hour. "today" show returns in half a minute. have a great day. see you later on. last week, nbc bay area agreed with redwood city. viewers are split, some think cash, property tax and fees will eliminate the city deficit and restore many services we're currently using. environmentalists feel disaster. over 800 miles of football field will be paved over. the obvious rise in ocean levels will inundate any landfill. use your head, save the day says continuing to study that the salt pond should be paved, but

later restored. but if it's good for the environment, good for the community and a good option for job and housing we seriously need. join the debate. logon to nbc editorials.com. we are back now with more of "today" on a monday morning, august 9th, 2010. it's going to be a scorcher here in the northeast today. temperature up in the 90s. guess what? the humidity also cooking, but doesn't seem to bother these people. they're hanging out with us on a bright sunny monday morning. so is ann curry who is here with us in this half hour as we always love this hour. >> that's right. we also want to mention, meredith's off this morning, but -- >> al is also. >> he is, but he'll be back tomorrow. a long weekend for them. we've got a lot coming up. >> yeah, the latest on the search for kyron horman, that

missing 7-year-old boy out in oregon. the search seemed to intensify over the weekend with police searching a wooded area just a few minutes from the school where he was last seen. were they acting on new information? we'll have the latest in a live report. as we were coming around here, some women shouted at me, "we're middle aged! we're middle aged!" >> we don't get that every day. >> we have a segment this morning about the eight hidden benefits of middle age. that's right. she's showing me her biceps over there. there's a lot of benefits including fewer migraines, greater self-confidence, wisdom, clearer skin. things you may not be necessarily attributing, and we'll get to the bottom of it. also, speaking of migraines, if you suffer from them and you know they can really hurt you and stop you in your tracks, we've got some common triggers we're going to go over including unfortunately chocolate and caffeine. so we'll be talking about that and how to prevent migraines. >> all right. a lot to get to. let's go inside. natalie's standing by at the news desk with the headlines.

hi, natalie. >> good morning again, matt and ann and to you. a massive manhunt is under way for two men who escaped from an arizona prison and a suspected accomplice. officials say at least one of them is linked to two murders in new mexico. authorities say they may be near yellowstone national park. officials stress the group is armed and extremely dangerous. six american medical workers murdered in afghanistan are being remembered for their decades of service to the afghan people. the taliban claims they were killed because they tried to convert afghans to christianity. u.s. officials call them selfless volunteers. contradictory testimony this morning at a war crimes trial in the netherlands where actress mia farrow said naomi campbell told her she had been sent a huge diamond by former liberian leader charles taylor. last week, though, campbell testified she received dirty looking pebbles but did not know where they were from. taylor is accused of taking illegally mined diamonds from insurgents in sierra leone in return for weapons that were used in massacres and mutilations.

new developments this morning in the almost ten-week-long search for kyron horman in oregon. miguel almaguer is in portland, oregon. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. detectives won't talk specifics, so we don't know what, if anything, they found during this weekend's massive search. we do know they are clearly following leads and focusing on a small group of people. sunday investigators searched this property, a heavily wooded area just ten minutes from the elementary school where 7-year-old kyron horman was last seen back in june. according to kgw, the nbc station in portland, this is where dee dee spicer, a good friend of kyron's stepmother, teri horman, told investigators she was gardening the day the 7-year-old vanished from school. >> on june 4th, kyron disappears. teri's gone for a period of time. dee dee's gone for a period of time. you have to connect all the dots. >> reporter: according to kgw, on the day kyron disappeared,

witnesses at the property where spicer was gardening say she disappeared for an hour and a half and didn't answer her cell phone. >> dee dee's a real central figure in this case. and i think that more is to be revealed. >> reporter: authorities also searched spicer's home last month. at that time she was also called before a grand jury. back then spicer's lawyer said she was cooperating with authorities and denied any wrongdoing. >> she was not in any sort of communication with teri horman by cell phone when she was at the property where she was doing some gardening. >> reporter: spicer's lawyer couldn't be reached for comment on this weekend's search. so far, authorities have not named any suspects in the case, but kyron's parents have become more and more vocal in pointing the finger at spicer's friend, teri horman, the last known person to see kyron before he disappeared. >> i believe she's been involved the whole time. >> i feel that she has information that she's not sharing, whether or not it could bring him home right away, i don't think we know.

>> reporter: but horman's lawyer has called speculation about the case a witch hunt. dee dee spicer and teri horman have been good friends for years. in fact, when cane horman moved out of the home, dee dee spicer moved in for several days. natalie? >> miguel almaguer from portland, thank you. caught on tape in western minnesota, a tornado that ripped through the area near the north dakota border destroying a farmhouse and sending debris flying through the air. fortunately no reports of injuries there. it is now five minutes past the hour. let's go outside once again to matt. >> natalie, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather now. al's off. we've got stephanie abrams in with a look at the forecast. steph? >> matt, i have newlyweds here. and the thing is, he's wearing a boston red sox hat. you still have your veil on. but you're a yankees fan. how in the world does this work? >> well, we have fights sometimes during baseball season. >> yeah. but you can make up after the fights. so all is good, right? >> absolutely. >> let's have a look at your

forecast here. if you're in the center of the country, that's where it's going to be really hot from minnesota down to the gulf coast. we do have heat advisories. afternoon temperatures are going to read in the 90s. but it will feel well above 100 and here's a look at oakland 880. clouded in right now. you can see overcast skies, wind's still blowing in the temperatures. it's the temperatures today not living up to august standards. inland. we're in the mid to upper 70s. los gatos, livermore. your seven-day forecast looks very mild for this time of year, turning a bit warmer by the weekend. >> ann, over to you. ♪ the fountain of youth stephanie, thanks. this morning on "today's

fountain of youth," eight hidden benefits of middle age, wrinkles, hot flashes and gray hair. guess what? there are several things to look forward to like time, for example, to focus on herself. we have the editor in chief of "women's day" and dr. holly anderson, internist at new york's presbyterian cornell hospital. did i say that right? >> weil. >> i thought i got that wrong. anyway, also the director of education and outreach at perlman heart institute. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> the bottom-line message you've compiled from the magazine is that getting older is underrated, elizabeth? >> well, we want to totally debunk the myth that it's all bad and all going downhill because actually, research -- i'm sure holly can talk to that -- proves the exact opposite. throughout several issues we're going to be talking about what it means to be middle aged and a woman now. it's so much better than you think. >> we've sort of been bombarded with all this sort of

information about why it's bad and tough. so let's talk about what -- and you're a doctor. you know, you should know, for example, one reason -- reason number one on your list, elizabeth, you have more time to focus on your own health. dr. anderson, have you seen proof of this? >> i take care of so many fabulous women in their 60s, s,. we totally have to rethink menopause and post-menopause. post-menopause is a rebirth. we're no longer just here to bear children. and there are incredible health benefits of it. and self-confidence is a big one. now we have a little bit more time in our lives to focus on ourselves. we're not focusing on everybody else's needs first. and it can be extraordinarily rewarding. >> right. so that's reason number two that women are more likely to have self-confidence. and why is this essentially? because they're able to think about themselves more? >> well, there's something, "a," about wisdom. you all of a sudden can juggle things. you can come to solutions better. you just have more experience. you also, as i said, have more

time. you have more time to take care of yourself. for someone like me, my kids are getting to the age where i now finally have the time to exercise because they are more self-sufficient. i'm taking better care of myself. plus as we get older, we've all been told you've got to work out, lift weights, do all this stuff. otherwise you will decline. >> and it's so true. when you have more time and you can focus on yourselves, you get your needs and your desires paid more attention to. and as far as working out, we have scientifically shown that women derive the same benefits of exercise, albeit high-endurance exercise or just a little bit of exercise as we did when we were younger. there's no time that's too late to start exercising. and i know i'm jumping, but as far as memory, cognitive decline, what everybody's worried about, you know, increasing your physical activity as you get older improves your cognition and delays memory decline. >> in fact, one of the reasons you say that it's one of the hidden secrets about getting

older is that women are more likely to basically have improved brain function. now, that sort of belies the common idea that we actually become forgetful, men and women. but we are becoming forgetful. that is true, right? but what is the brain function thing? >> you go downstairs to find the toilet paper. and by the time you get down there, you forget what you were looking for. you can't find your keys. those are smaller things. but science is actually showing -- and there was a huge study in the university of california berkeley with a big group of women -- showing that they actually have improved brain function because their minds are making bigger connections. again, it goes back to that experience. we're better at juggling finances. we're better at having an argument and coming to a clear conclusion because we have that experience. and all of the brain functions are working together. we're better bigger problem solvers. but the one thing is when you have more time and self-confidence, what you really need to do is change it up. you need to challenge yourself which is why we're even showing

the biggest number of gaming people are, you know, people playing online games are women in their 40s, 50s and 60s. they're challenging their brains. sudoku, anything to get your brain to relearn is very important. >> also on your list, women who, as they age, have clearer skin. that's because of hormonal changes? >> there are a lot of hormonal shifts as far as memory. when you go through menopause, sometimes hormonal shifts do make you a little less ability to concentrate. but that goes away post-menopause. as far as skin, yes, as you're going through menopause or even beforehand, you know there are parts of skin have acne where other parts are very dry. after the menopause, everything becomes more uniform and easier to manage. >> you don't have pms anymore. and you also -- another good thing is that you can have sex without fear of pregnancy. >> that's true. >> kind of a nice little plus, radioity? >> another good one is you don't

have to wash your hair as often. the oily glands tend to stop producing as much so you can go more days without washing your hair. to me that's surprising. >> women don't change their patterns of behavior. so they wash their hair too often. their hair becomes too dry. therefore it may cause some hair loss. you don't have to do as much. and your hair may look better. >> and also, adding to all of this, you have fewer hormone-induced migraine headaches. that's a pretty long list. that's also because of hormonal changes. really, compiling all this together, really what it means is we've got less to worry about. less children. less monthly, you know, having to worry about our periods, less all of that, and we can really focus more on ourselves and think and be wise, as you're talking about. all positive. >> women are actually smarter. and one thing that's also very interesting is that each generation of middle-aged women get smarter than the next one. so we are probably smarter than our mothers. >> we really do have to change the notion that it's bad. it's a rebirth.

it's something to look forward to. it's going to be a great time in our lives. >> all right. well, thank you so much. elizabeth and holly for being here this morning and giving us this full list. who knew? >> good news. also coming up next, the pounding head, the sensitivity to light and noise. sound familiar? we'll be talking about migraines coming up and how you can prevent yourself from having them. and also a little bit later, easy ways to make over your laundry room and save money and time. but first, these messages. simple high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon, white meat chicken, or seabass and shrimp in a delicate broth, prepared without by-products or fillers. fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment. ♪ three decadent flavors. 60 caloes.

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pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. activia is better than ever! hey, you guys. want to try activia's great new taste? today is your tasty lucky day! sure, why not? isn't this the yogurt that, you know...

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dr. katherine henry is a neurologist at new york university lango medical center and also the author of "100 questions & answers about migraines." dr. henry, good morning. good to have you here. >> good morning. >> some 30 million people suffer from migraines, but a lot of us have severe or serious headaches. but what are the actual symptoms of a migraine? >> well, i think the most common symptoms that people have are things like sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise, also migraines are severe. they're more severe than you usually see with a typical tension-type headache. or the run-of-the-mill headache that you might have. >> they tend to last a little longer, too, right? >> they can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours. >> and they can be really debilitating to the point where you just want to close yourself in a room. >> absolutely. a lot of women go to bed, shut their eyes, stay on the side. stay on the sidelines. have somebody else take care of their kids, do the cooking. >> yeah. so what are some of the things that can trigger migraines? you hear a lot about foods. >> right. well, it's basically the good things in life.

it's chocolate, caffeine, alcohol. so those are the things that most migrainers find they're more sensitive to. so if you like chocolate or you like caffeine, you need to really moderate how much you have. if you have a problem with migraines. >> but it's also hormonal as well. and as you mentioned with women, it's a lot more common to have migraines. >> women have probably three times as many women as men have migraines. so it's usually around the period and actually one of the reliefs for migraine is pregnancy. so the hormones change during pregnancy. and with that change, with the increase in estrogen, a lot of women feel a lot better. >> and can stress also be a factor as well? >> absolutely. i mean, i think a stressful lifestyle, poor sleep patterns, that can also do it as well. >> and women, as we said, do they suffer more, is it because of hormones, but they're more

prone to getting migraines than men? >> well, probably it's the changes in the estrogen. estrogen peaks and cycles during the menstrual cycle. so it's the amount that the estrogen goes up and drops. and it's the amount -- if it's up and it's staying up and then it goes down, that can precipitate a migraine. >> now, do you -- are mood swings generally associated with migraines? i mean, there are some who say they get very depressed during the time they have a migraine. and when they come out of the migraine or when finally it's all gone, they're elated in the sense of yeuphoria. >> they feel really good. what happens is depression and anxiety are both associated with migraine. so they run together. they're what we call co-morbid. a lot of women suffer from these problems. and around the menstrual cycle, a lot of women can become a little bit sad. they can actually predict their headache is going to come on.

>> what are some things you can do to help alleviate or prevent a migraine from coming on? >> well, i think it's watching the triggers and making sure that you don't indulge in things that are going to give you a migraine. everything in moderation. making sure that you stay rested. you have good sleep/wake cycles. staying away from too much alcohol. things like that. i think also making sure your stress levels are down. having good things to relax. >> right. >> so meditation, yoga, things like that. >> and how do you relieve, if you do have a migraine, i mean, there are a lot of prescription medications for it, i'm sure. but is medicine always the best thing? >> well, we have a lot of medicines on the market that we use. and a lot of people use medicines as well as some alternative options. so there's things like butter burr and fever few and b-2. those things are also really helpful. >> so supplements can be

helpful. >> absolutely. >> dr. katherine henry, thanks so much. good information. >> thank you. and still to come this morning on "today," the newest member of the joy fit club. a 31-year-old mother and waitress from tennessee. and get this.1 she lost 141 pounds. she's going to tell us how she did it and show off her new look. but first, these messages. great. it's super stylish. oh, and the available dual-view entertainment center? awesome. hold on. i just finished episode 8. oh, boy, if i wasn't married. [ laughs ] i tell my husband the more time i spend in it, the less stressed i feel... and the fewer headaches i get. honey, mommy's having a timeout, ok? [ male announcer ] meet the family and the toyota sienna on youtube. ♪ so join the sunnyd book spree. on youtube. as a mom i believe books brighten a child's future. when your child's class collects 20 labels... they get 20 free books. go to sunnyd.com and help us make classrooms sunnier.

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for dimension that takes you from drabulous to fabulous. nice 'n easy. your right color. good monday morning to you. it's 9:26 right now. we have a look at the track this morning. not a good scene on the peninsula. >> no, coming southbound 101, north of 92. hit a pole. it's clear right now, making it across eastbound on 92, you'll spend some time there. giving you a look at the peninsula times going up and down there. for the most part, pretty smooth as you can see up and down 101, a lot of cars. also, take a look outside right now, this is the bay bridge.

rob has a little more. >> yeah, we're waiting for the sun to break through on the bay bridge toll plaza. not seeing it. san hose say, managed to get some sun, but that's pretty nice, temperatures have managed to warm up. 76, sap jose, 60, san francisco. if you like today, pretty much going to like the work week. not much change until we warm up some for the weekend. time now for news after the break.

one woman is dead, four people hurt after two overnight shootings outside of san francisco nightclubs. they happened about a mile apart but police say they're not related puns were near the ruby sky nightclub on mason street. the other on fulton street 19 the 1015 nightclub. two women were shot this morning near the 1015 club. they are expected to live. one woman died and another woman and man taken to the hospital, but they will survive. police are looking for a suspect in both shootings.

if your kids host a party and alcohol is given to a minor, you might face stiff penalties. the act is on governor schwarzenegger's desk. it would allow parents to sue party hosts if serving alcohol to minors. currently, anyone over 21 can be sued even if knowingly given alcohol. it would not apply for licensed or commercial alcohol vendors. i'll have another update in half an hour or so. "today" show returns in less than a minute. have great monday morning.

♪ born in los angeles, raised in nashville, kesha with a dollar sign, she's now riding high on the charts. she says she uses the dollar sign instead of the "s" because when she was starting out, she didn't even have enough money to buy a taco. so we're going to talk to her about that. of course, things have changed quite a lot for her. she'll be here. our live concert friday on "today." so if you're in the area, come out here for a good time.

that song always reminds me of al because he knows all the words. every time we hear that, he's doing this little dance. >> his daughter is a real fan. meantime this half hour, i don't know about you guys, but your laundry room might feel like it's a disaster area sometimes. people don't like even doing the laundry because of that. >> a lot of the insulation. >> you can actually organize your laundry room and not spend a lot of money. we'll show you how one family gave their laundry room a makeover. does everything get a makeover these days? >> yes. >> there's six things you can do to improve your space. if you're too tired to cook a big meal, lucky for you, in "today's kitchen," we'll show you how to make a mexican sandwich for a fast, friendly meal. first, a check of today's weather. al is off this morning. we've got stephanie abrams here in a pretty blue dress. we're both admiring your dress. >> i think i'll start doing an

"s" with a dollar sign for my name. let's take a look. unfortunately there's a threat for severe weather today throughout the northern plains. otherwise the northeast and nort and here's what the san mateo bridge, still socked in by clouds as you said towards san jose. that's where the sun's breaking through. you notice the temperatures today not living up to what you would expect. mid-70s, san jose, san francisco to oakland, not much change expected with the deep marine layer and sea breeze. temperatures may warm up some, probably not until friday and the weekend ahead. we'll see mid to upper 80s inland saturday. and not only does al know every word to that ke$ha song, also, katy perry, the rap part, he can lay it out, too. it's awesome. >> he's going to be here, i believe, on friday. so that's good. we'll have to get a close-up of

him mouthing the words. thanks so much. coming up next, there are six ways to make over your laundry room. we'll tell you how to save money and save space right after this. it's simponi™, and taken with methotrexate, it helps relieve the pain, stiffness, and swelling of ra with one dose a month. visit 4simponi.com to see if you qualify for a full year of cost support. simponi™ can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious and sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, cancer in children and adults, heart failure, nervous system disorders, liver or blood problems, and allergic reactions. before starting simponi™, your doctor should test you for tb and assess your risk of infections, including fungal infections and hepatitis b. ask your doctor if you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, or develop symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start simponi™ if you have an infection. [ female announcer ] ask your rheumatologist about simponi™. just one dose, once a month.

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this morning on "today's home," a laundry room rescue. for many people, doing the laundry can be a dreaded time-consuming chore, but it doesn't have to be if you learn how to make the most of your space. and "today" contributor george oliphant recently turned a couple's drab dungeon into a safe space for the pafamily. >> i'm christina. >> i'm sara. >> i'm dennis. we need help. >> the problem with the laundry

room is that there's a lot of exposed insulation. >> we have exposed wiring. the pipes get hot. and the insulation, we tell them don't ever go near that wall and touch the wall. >> and it's easier to just keep them out of the room. >> i just don't want to go down there because i'm scared. because it scares me. >> jeff, so glad to have you on this rescue, man. >> good to see you again, george. how you doing? >> i'm doing great. as you can see, this is a disaster. >> the insulation is installed the wrong direction. the paper should be out. >> christina was totally justified in being afraid for her children that they shouldn't be down in this laundry room. >> absolutely. >> well, let's make it safe and give them a great laundry room. >> let's do it. ♪ >> becky, what are we going to do with this laundry room? >> well, we're going to make it the ultimate laundry room and pantry. tons of storage. everything's customized just for this space.

>> up high, my friend. >> great job, george. >> picture-perfect laundry room. >> love it, man. >> thanks for all the help. i'm going to get the family. check out your new laundry room. >> oh, my gosh. this is incredible! >> oh, my gosh! this is amazing! i feel like i'm in a totally different house. i am so grateful. i'm blown away. i'm speechless. >> i'd love to do laundry. and george is here. great job on that rescue. >> thank you. >> well done, as always. >> if you have a laundry room like that, it makes you want to get in there and do lawnry. >> it can be easy and not so expensive. >> no, not if you do it the right way. obviously, you have to spend mope, but a lot of it you're going to get back. >> let's talk about stars of the laundry room, washer and dryer. >> if you don't have a washer and dryer in there, it's not really a laundry room. the beautiful thing, you want to go green. that's what we always say. green is universal.

and if you get energy star, which you can see right here, energy star appliances. doesn't matter what appliances. as long as it's energy star. you're going to save water actually over the course of the machine, you're going to save enough water to fill three backyard pools. the electricity you're going to save will actually pay for the washer and dryer itself for the life of the washer and dryer. these washers no longer have agitators. remember the old ones. those are supposed to beat the dirt out of the clothes. all they did really was beat up your clothes. by using less water and not having the agitator in there, you can actually wash more clothes, less loads. >> and lifetime of your clothes. >> right. you pend a lot of money on your clothes. you want them to last. >> you want them to last a long time. >> also, i forgot, they use less detergent. >> saving a lot of money. this is a custom -- this is something you can do in any space in your house, right? >> this is the do-it-yourselfer's dream. it's easyclosets.com. and you give them the measurements. you tell them what you want. you go on their website. >> pick out the specifics.

>> they send you everything and give you a whole detail map. and you install it yourself. >> easy to install. just a bracket in the back. >> it really is just brackets in the back. everything hangs on brackets. everything has castors. >> this is great. >> this is my favorite. look at this. >> this is amazing. who knows what to do with the ironing board. and there you go. >> clear the clutter. an organized space, whether it be your laundry room, pantry. >> let's talk about organization. we've got shelves we've built here. >> you want to make sure that you utilize all the space in your laundry room. they're usually tight. shelves, places for hanging. >> up, right? >> you want to hang your delicates, shirts, hang your pants. not everything goes into the dryer. >> right. >> also, utilizing all the space. definitely go all the way up to the ceiling. we actually painted this a nice seafoam green. >> i like that. >> a lot of laundry rooms are in the basement. there isn't a window. >> it's dark and dreary. >> brighten up the room. also if you can, add light to the room because it's going to make your laundry-doing

experience a lot better. >> going to make you want to spend more time in there. of course, you have to rely on your family to keep the organization. >> they're going to have baskets. they're not going to have the towels all folded like that. but yeah, the more baskets, the better. darks, your sports equipment, your rags, whatever it is. break it up as much as possible. it's going to make your life easier. >> let's talk about flooring options. it's really important to think about you're going to have heavy equipment on top, the washer and dryer. you want whatever your flooring you choose to last. >> right. wood floors are not going to last in a laundry room. they're going to get beat up. concrete floors are ugly. the best to use are porcelain tile floors. they're harder than a ceramic tile. they're dent and chp resistant. they can take washers and dryers. this one is glaze. it's shiny and smooth. but the unglazed ones have a little more traction which is nice because you come in. your kids come in, they rip off all their wet clothes. >> or they can be kind of wet sometimes if there's, like, water on there. >> these are i allot easier to clean. >> great.

george oliphant, as always, job well done. come and do my laundry room. >> that's next on my list. >> in september, george will be helping out even more homeowners when his show "open house presents: george to the rescue" premieres september 25th on select nbc stations. check your local listings. and also go to todayshow.com to find out how you can get the man, george, help you rescue your home. coming up next, spicing up your summer with the flavors of mexico right after this. ♪ ♪ da da-da, da, da, da-da ♪ da-da, da, da, da ♪ da, da, da-da-da, da, da-da-da, da, da-da ♪ [ female announcer ] there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. ♪ hidden valley ranch. makes vegetables delectable. discover four more ways to make vegetables delectable with farmhouse originals from hidden valley.

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♪ south of the border this morning in "today's kitchen," quick summer meals and south of the border flavors. hot chef marcella is the host of the food network's "mexican made easy." and she's going to show us how to make traditional mexican food. it's great to have you here. >> thank you. i'm excited to be here. >> this has an italian influence. >> it does. and you'll see that even in the seviche, that was a technique brought over by the spanish and we stole a little bit from the italians. as you can see, it's a very

traditional mexican dish. >> you have chicken breast. >> some chicken breast that's been pounded just a little to make it nice and thin. and then we're dredging it in a little flour. you need it so the egg will stick. >> you peppered it. >> just a little salt and pepper. >> straight eggs. >> maybe a little water and that's going to help thin it down a little so that panko will stick. >> international food. >> chipotle. we're making it mexican. that's what this show is all about, keep it authentic and give it nice mexican flavor. >> you're cooking it in what kind of oil? i think we need to turn it. >> just some veg oil. it's nice and golden. this still needs a couple minutes. that's going to flip. here we have chicken that's nice and breaded. >> we want to put it on a paper towel. >> to get the excess oil off. >> by the way, you don't want to have it sit in there. >> goodness no.

then your chicken's going to dry out. >> how long did you say? >> maybe three minutes perseid. till it's nice and golden and completely cooked through. we're making a chipotle mayo. you want to scoop that in there? >> where did you get this? out of a jar? >> this is the can, the chipotle. and chipotle is a pickled jalapeno. it turns nice and bright red and comes in this vinegar sauce called adobo. >> i normally use it as a powder. it's probably better out of a can? >> you get a fresher taste. it's more of an authentic taste. fresh lime juice. one teaspoon of lime. we've got you cooking this morning. >> i love that. you have no >> all right. the time for me when i was a kid. it's one of my favorite sandwiches. >> look at this. >> so easy, right? in mexico, it's a little more crusty but you can use a baguette or even a ciabatta and just spread that in there. if you have a couple extra minutes, spread of mayo and toast it in a pan to melt the

mayo a little bit. >> you put the mayo on and put it open face in the pan. >> yeah, it will melt the mayo a little bit. and then we put our piece of chicken -- i'm going to just use my hands. >> do it. >> a little piece of chicken. >> you have to cook with your hands. >> that's how i would do it at home for my son. it totally works. he's 6. >> he likes this. >> he loves all the mexican food. >> who doesn't, really? i mean, really. the mexican food is very fresh. >> yes. >> it's discernible. you can tell what the food is, which a lot of kid s want to knw what they're eating. >> well, my son will eat it, believe it or not. this is not too spicy. this kids can hamgndle, especiay if you toast it a little. the pickled jalapenos you maybe want to leave for the adults. you're absolutely right. just a couple of those. >> and then boom. >> and then boom, you just slice it up. some of the avocado will fall

out. watch your fingers. >> good. beautiful. look at that. >> you've got a beautiful, big mexican torta just like my mom used to make when i was a kid. >> there's many different kinds. >> there's many different kinds. >> you can make it with beef. >> beef, shredded chicken. when i made this for my show, my sister said, why didn't you put cheese in the torta? >> your favorite food. people have their own ideas about how to make it. >> exactly. this is how my mom made it for me when i was a kid. that's what the show is all about. it's about my family recipes growing up in mexico. lots of authentic stuff. >> seviche. what is your best advice ? this is made with tilapia. >> tilapia. making a seviche, let's keep it safe. what you're doing is cooking is in citrus. the lime reacts with the fish and cooks it through. as you can see, it's nice, white and opaque.

that means it's cooked through. that's what you're looking for when you're making a ceviche. we've added chopped cilantro, tomatoes, salt and pepper. and then a splash of tequila. of salsa blanco. you know, a little tequila and a little bit of triple seco. you'll get a nice kick from the tequila. you put tortilla chips in there, scoop it up. >> you could serve it like a salsa continue you can't leave it out for too long probably. >> what you can do and my mom used to do all the time is used to spread a tostada with a little mayo and scoop some of this on there and the mayo helps anchor it so it's not falling all over the place. and the lime mixes with it and you get a nice saucy bite every time you bite it which is so delicious. >> marcella, we are going to taste this in just a few moments. so stand by. we'll be back in just a minute. this is "today" on nbc.

margaritas. >> yes. found out there was tequila in the ceviche this morning. >> in the bowels of the earth where i was, they said get your butt upstairs. >> and you're here because it's a great day. >> it's a happy day! >> ffiesta. >> it is. we're going to have a fiesta on the show. >> rob schneider is with us and a woman who lost 100-plus pounds. >> hilarity will ensue. >> and i'm sure there will be a cake involved. make sure you smell that cake, hoda. >> every time. >> happy monday. much more coming up right after this.

good morning to you. and good morning, rob. we're going to get to the forecast coming up in just a little bit. a little secret behind the scenes action this morning. we've got a look at the morning commute.

>> caldecott tunnel. we'll tell you what's going on there. to give you an idea, there's construction starting at 10:00 a.m. around 60, as you're making your way westbound on 24. things are looking good. take a look outside coming across the golden gate bridge. foggy, but as far as the commute, it is loose. and nothing major to report. it's a really easy commute. thought too much to report out there. >> now, we got clouds behind us. oakland, low clouds. san jose, breaking out with sunshine. thanks to the sea breeze, we're going to stay cool. 60s and 70s. 60s, san francisco, this pattern is going to be locked in probable by the start of the weekend. a bit warmer by saturday. and with the caldecott tunnel and east bay project

starts in just a few manipulain. two tunnels are open for commuters headed west in the city in the morning. four are open to leave at night. it will simply mean four lanes will be open in most directions at all times. it will be easy for traffic in the reverse. >> well, it's an awful lot of money. and it's really going to help the reverse commute. the morning commute from arenda towards the city, it's going to be as bad as it's ever been. same at night, when it's even worse, coming up the hill into the tunnel out of the city. >> the reverse commute can see major backup when people are trying to get to san francisco. the project was scheduled to be finished in three years. i'll have another local update in half an hour. "today" show starts in about a minute. have a good monday morning. e yo.

quote and compare in about 8 minutes. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, everybody. you have no idea what you're in for today. you don't know that this is a very special fun day. it's august 9th. it's also hoda woman's 46th birthday. >> thank you. >> 46. >> and yours is a week from today. >> why are we celebrating with the stinkiest cheese. >> i can't breathe. i need a clothes pin. i need one for my nose. >> wow. what did you do this weekend? >> i went to the beach with some friends in the hamptons, and

there was a beautiful leo's roar party where a bunch of leos got together and they had six little cakes and six people celebrating. there's a picture of the minicakes for everybody. it was a really fun party. everyone blew out their candle. this is the collective dinner, but there's a lot of people at the end of the table at chris' house. this is just a fun group of -- >> they might as well be on our show the way that looks. >> it was a fun weekend. i got these most beautiful earrings from you this morning. i love them. beautiful. >> i can't remember the name of in nantucket where i was celebrating -- >> i saw it on the box. pokey's, something. something with a p. >> we will have it for you by the end of the show. i'm not sure that you got the picture that i sent. i was in nantucket celebrating with cassie and a couple girlfriends for a birthday. we went over to -- that's chef

fred at nantucket at the white elephant. it's called the brant point grill. he's coming on in september, and so he brought out -- i don't know if you can see it. >> what are you drinking? >> he makes these lobster -- this is what he's making on our show in september. lobster bloody marys, and he carried them out to us. there's big chunks of lobster, right? just carrying them out. everyone in the restaurant wanted to order that. the other say watermelon and cheese salad. that's grilled watermelon. >> i want that right now. >> it was a beautiful weekend. >> one of the nights, saturday night, at this party there was this guy who i want to give a shout-out to named jimmy maaz, he plays neil young music, and he played so beautifully, james taylor stuff under the canopy of stars. everybody singing. >> you were in love? >> i was in love with him.

>> he sang a good song. >> he was so great. if i hear someone sing, i'm totally in. >> something about the way they play a guitar. >> stop it. >> you hear me. >> did you know that your incredible personality was established by the time you were in first grade? >> is that what the study says? >> that's what we've said around here anyway. if you don't teach a xhild by the time they're six to say please, thank you, i'm sorry, forgive me, those important things, it takes the rest of their life to not be so screwed up anymore. >> i agree with that portion of it. when i was a kid, my teachers were always saying you should -- god, with that picture again. when i was a kid not in that picture but in previous ones, the teachers said use your play

ground voice because i was always very shy and soft-spoken and whatever. that's gone. i don't think that was my real personality, but during the early years i was afraid of everything. i was quiet. i sat in the back. i didn't want to be noticed. >> ate lot of that was cultural for you. your parents coming from another nation and stuff. feeling like you're an outsider in some ways. wouldn't you? >> i don't know. i just felt -- well, i think when you have like -- >> you have to explain your name and why your parents have an accent. >> yeah. we love you around here hoda, woman, and we want to wish you a happy birthday and talk a walk down memory lane with you, just a little. actually not memory lane, just some people who love you. i think. >> hoda, happy birthday. this is the third one we've shared together, and i really could hate you if i didn't love you so much. you have the legs of giselle. you're a giselle. >> hoda, here's to you. happy 25th birthday.

who are we kidding? >> happy birthbirthday. i love you. i'll be home late tonight. >> here's a toast to you. on your irt day let's enjoy it together. >> hoda, happy birthday. for your birthday i'm picking up a show for bravo called "hoda getting married." >> haeb birth da to my buddy hoda kotb. it's hard to believe that you started doing "the ten commandments" sh-- the today sh when you were 13 years oemd. >> i thought it was cute when you said kathie lee is old enough now to be your mother. i think that's adorable. >> what you know this means when you celebrate a birthday at the today show. you having to through the spanking tunnel. i didn't know there was one until you came up to me yesterday and said can you create a spanking tunnel in a

hurry. we can do that for you, hoda. happy birthday. see you right after the show. >> she has the biggest heart out of anybody i know. i wish you the happiest birthday ever and i hope all your dreams come true this year. happy birthday, honey. >> i thought i'd say something. i couldn't. i got all choked up about my hoda woman. >> thank you. >> i'm so happy you're nye joyful place in your life now. your hair looks so much better. let's do a split screen. this is what you haved to happy about, hoda. you no longer look like this. this is how you look now. >> look at the difference. wow. wow. >> let's move it on, shall we? so remember i was complaining about ants in my apartments and you were saying what's wrong with your apartment, blah, blah, blah. it turns out this is an epidemic. ants are reported in record numbers all summer.

>> there's a scientific reason for it. >> any say the temperatures are so high and the ground is so dry they're seeking out moisture. so they go -- >> you're lucky they're only in your kitchen. do you know what i'm saying? >> seeking out moisture. they could be anywhere. >> what is she talking about? first of all, you're sick. i don't know what goes on up there. >> they could be in your mouth, ears. >> i'm getting what you're saying. here's what you said in the make jum room earlier you were saying, what's wrong with them? they're cute. they don't have germs. who cares? >> they don't carry disease. it's not cockroaches that carry diseases and things like that. you don't have any of those? >> no. >> it's new york. everybody has cockroaches. >> after the fume gator, nothing is alive. >> we don't have all the information about, but we should talk about it tomorrow.

arpaio lugs is not bad for your lungs nouchl they discover it's bad for your brain, bad for your heart. bad for everything. >> we're talking about that tomorrow. >> yeah. >> let's do our favorite things. >> i've got these really cool things, guys. they're lip balms. i think you'll love these actually. they're called sugar, and they're by this company called fresh. the main ingredient is sugar. you put it on your lips. they have a new flavor, and it's called plump. okay. so do you want to try one? >> what's the point of? >> it makes moisture. it has aloe. >> no, ants will come. >> put it on right now. so good. sugarplum is the new one. it keeps moist all day. it's 22 bucks and it's terrific. plum is the new flavor by fresh. what do you have going on? >> i promised i would try the

freeze fat thing last week. there i was trying it in the backyard. >> drinking the wine. >> i'm not that chunky. you put those ice packs in this thing and wear it for half an hour. i missed two days because i was here in the city so i doubled it up this weekend for an hour around the house. >> what's the verdict? >> i think it's psychological. i'm sorry. i'm going to try it a whole other week. i do kind of like it. >> what does it do? >> you just feel like you're thinner, and i think it's psychological, although my belt is on one thing nighter. >> maybe it's the pants. >> maybe it's the fact i ran my brains out all weekend long. >> i know what sarah's favorite thing is. we've been smelling it. >> maytag blue cheese. the fans are crazy about the happy birlt day. it's from my hometown in newton,

iowa. most is made from goat's milk and this is from cow's milk. you can order at maytagdairyfarms.com. at restaurants and stuff it will say maytag blue xheez if thchee say it. can you taste the stink? >> i like blue cheese on something like a salad or something. >> take a little bite. you can order for -- this is only four ounces, but for two eight-ounce wedges it's 16.95. seriously the best. >> it's really pungent. >> it's delicious actually. i can see what you're saying. it's world famous because it's strong. >> got an extra wedge for your birthday. >> they serve the wedge at a restaurant, which is the iceberg lettuce. ♪ make them laugh >> we have funny rob schneider

with us. >> he couldn't wait until we were finished? he's droling. we'll be back right after. this ♪ yes! ♪ look, they fit! oh my gosh, are those the jeans from last year? how'd you do it? simple stuff... eating right...whole grain. whole grain? [ female announcer ] people who eat more whole grain tend to have healthier body weights. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories. more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. ♪ [ dog panting ] [ dog sniffs ] [ cat meows ] [ cat meows ] ♪ [ male announcer ] cats everywhere are using fresh step with carbon because it doesn't just mask odors, it eliminates them. so don't be surprised if your cat needs help finding her litter box.

fresh step, the only clay litter with carbon. it's paw-activated, to eliminate odors. so it's almost like not having a litter box. [ mom ] walmart has low prices on not just a few things, but on everything on our back-to-school list. guaranteed. so we didn't have to shop around. that means we got home in time for just a little more summer. and for one last night of lightning bugs. ♪ save money. live better. walmart. ♪ and only two things can get me out of the water. pruned toes...

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audience laugh on "saturday night live" n. grownups rob schneider hasn't stopped. >> you can take rob with you wherever you go. this is his first comedy cd called "registered offender." >> it's a little dirty. >> it's a little dirty? hi, rob. how are you? >> good to see you. >> why is it so filthy. >> happy birthday hoda. you were great in the empire strikes back. that hair helmet is beautiful. >> fut yo >> put your hand in it. >> i wish i had enough hair to have a helmet. >> talk about this offensive cd you have. >> first of all, i waited before i came out with the cd until

there was no music to be made in the contract industry anymore. now is the perfect time. they were nice enough. it's very dirty. >> it has some songs on it. >> it has dirty songs. john reese wrote this from "rocket from the crypt" back in the '80s, a band from mtv, remember? we wrote a song, and it's fun. it's getting some air play at some radio stations that don't mind playing offensive stuff. >> who didn't want to put it out at first that you offended so deeply? >> there was a record company i don't want to say their name but it rhymes with mock factory. they don't to -- there's bait on there about yoko ono. when john lennon was assassinated and his sun julienne came. pick up stuff and guitars, whatever you want. what happened she didn't give him any of the guitars that john lennon ever played.

so i do this whole sketch about julien. they didn't want to make her angry. it was a song back in the late '70s or something and they're going to release that and try to still make money out of him. >> your comedy comes from truth in your own mind. you can be a very sweet guy. >> we've heard. >> you really can be. the times i've been with you, you're a sweet guy. have you ever regretted anything you've said or done? >> for the first time, i'm starting to. it used to be you have to have an attitude when you first start. now i understand. i see what they're trying to do. now i understand. when critics would say bag things about me, roger ebert and stuff. i remember roger ebert, i loved it. if it wasn't for them i wouldn't have discovered foreign films as a kid. they champion these things because they love movies.

i understand, but for a while you take it personally. >> in your personal life congratulations are in order. engaged to be married. >> beautiful woman, her name is mexican, patricia. i think that's how you pronounce it. i just run by quickly in the morning. >> you're going to have maybe another family? >> i hope so. she's very quick, though. she moves away from me very quickly. i have to like, you know. >> congrats on everything in the movie "grown-ups." the cd is in the stores now way warning. >> it's a warning. if you have young kids, don't let them listen to it. >> or if you're squeamish about anything? >> i'm glad the "star wars" movies worked out for hoda. thank you. you look beautiful. remember kauai, 1997, you and me. don't tell frank nothing.

>> frank was there, too. that's complicated. ig'sth aplhter this. my "me time" is when i thought i parked on level 2. or maybe 8? my "me time" is when there's a 10% chance of rain! [ cellphone rings ] my "me time" is when he doesn't get the hint. ♪ my me time... [ bang ] is when everybody's takin' shots at me. [ male announcer ] discover you time anytime. mccafé your day with a mcdonald's frappé. smooth and icy caramel or mocha blended just for you and topped with a decadent drizzle. "me time"! [ male announcer ] the simple joy of a frappé. ♪ in the fridge it's a light and fluffy mousse... ...but put it in the freezer... and... ...voila! yoplait whips becomes a luscious frozen treat. yoplait whips, it is so good. ♪ ♪

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[ laughs ] this is it! [ all ] 10...9...8... a new school year has so much potential! any resolutions? my resolution is the same as always; keep her full and focused with my fiber. [ all ] 3...2...1... happy school year! [ female announcer ] this school year, make a resolution to give your kid kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. an excellent source of fiber from 100% whole grain. that helps keep them full so they can focus on the day ahead. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused.

lisa ling most recently made headlines fighting to her her younger sister laura a journalist to get out of north korea after being held captive. >> now that sister has a brand-new baby, and lisa is on the more and new exciting projects around that keep her traveling around the world. li lisa, it's great to see you. congratulations on your little niece. >> thank you. i have something for hoda sitting right there. little sunflowers because i saw on twitter this morning it's your birts dhday. i find out everything there. >> thank you so much. what a sweetheart. you are so sweet. you've been very busy miss world traveler, and actually traveling the nation doing documentaries for the oprah winfrey network?

>> i have. the network launches in january, and all summer long i've been shooting mostly all over this country. i just returned from colombia. it's been a very hectic schedule, and we've already shot five of the six documentaries we'll be doing. >> how long are they in length? >> they're an hour. i feel so grateful oprah is placing this trust in me to do this. this media landscape is changing to be provocative work in an hour form. >> that's what you've loved the most, and that's why you left "the view." >> i was in my late 20s when i left "the view," and i knew if i didn't go then, i might not travel as much later on. i wasn't ready at that age to be in the studio every day. >> what sort of topics are you tackling lisa. we can't get into specifics. there are big topics that affect our couldn't. >> i can't talk too much about it because the network is not even launching until january.

ky do a lot of expectation on faith-related issues, because they're issues increasingly more interesting to me. i'm intrigued by a lot of them. >> i've watched your reports and you've traveled the globe to dangerous places. how do you handle all those situations that you find yourself in? >> we certainly take a risk assessment of every trip, and certainly what happened with my sister has changed the dynamic quite a bit. >> do you finds yourself more hesitant to make a commitment? >> not hesitant to make a commitment. i'm much more cautious, of course. by the same token, especially given what happened to my sister, i feel more passionately than ever that things need to be exposed sxun covered. my sister feels differently because she's calming down a little bit, just had a baby. she was held captive and i wasn't. >> imagine going from the north korean prison to the wonder of a brand-new baby in your arms. >> that's the thing.

a year ago she was -- she never thought that she would be able to have a baby, and now she looks at her baby in the morning and it's pretty amazing. >> she named her after you and president clinton, right? >> she named her li after me. and jefferson is her middle name after president clinton. >> that's beautiful. i was reading on your time off you want to spend it with your niece. >> that sounds familiar. >> ir know. >> we wish you such great luck. > when you launch tell us more. incredible campaign. >> go to the network on the web. but sometimes after a busy day and a heavy greasy dinner... my system needs some tlc. now there is something new. introducing activia dessert. rich, silky, smooth yogurt with desserty flavors like strawberry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, and peach cobbler. and because it's activia, it helps regulate my digestive system.

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with a look that's most likely to be you! we got the beat! there's smart and there's kmart smart. good mopd morning to you. 10:26 right now. laura garcia-cannon filling in this morning. the caldecott tunnel, we've been talking about the construction project that started at 10:00 a.m. to give you a view of that comes out of there, 60, clear coming through. not too bad. it's uneventful commute. looking at oakland up and down there. kind of slow in usual spots. not too bad. after going over the bridge which is also nice as well. san francisco, with a look at the weather. 50s and 60s. we've got low clouds with temperatures towards oakland. san jose, it's cleared out.

santa clara valley, probably one of the warmer spots. that's a relative term. noid upper 70s, inland. 60, san francisco, 65, oakland. more of the same all theay w through the end of the week. time is 10:27. more news after the break. ♪ [ laughing ] saying no to my kids when they want to load up on fattening foods is hard. but, to see them get teased about their weight would be even harder. [ mom #2 ] asking the local store to carry more fruits and vegetables, yeah, it can be hard. but finding out one of your kids has type 2 diabetes would be a lot harder.

[ mom #1 ] realizing it was time for a change, now that wasn't very hard at all. here you go, mommy. [ female announcer ] be a champion for your children. be a champion for change. to learn more from moms who have made healthy changes, visit us online. san francisco is poised to become a lot more bike friendly today. mayor gavin newsom is set to launch his first project in the city. a court ruling friday ended the four-year legal battle over the

city's plans to make streets safer for cyclists. the decision will lift a 2006 court ban after a man claimed the ban wasn't environmentally sound for drivers. san francisco can move forward on 35 bike projects which would double the lanes from 50 to 80. back to school. school leaders say school will start as scheduled on august 16th. the massive fire destroyed a classroom building that has a school library. portable classrooms will now house students. school leaders are raising money to help rebuild it. you can help out by going to the website nbc bay area.com. electric car owners could be can having access to charging stations. the bay area access center paid $5 million for two public charging stations throughout the bay area. the stations will be located so people can recharge them running errands or while shopping.

thanks for joining us. "today" show is next. have a great day. we're back with more of "today" on this fun day, hoda's birthday with today's buzz and the scoop on everything. >> here's to fill us in on all of it is andy cohen. he's got the 411. >> you love it when you sing my song. >> he has the cool show called "watch what happens live." >> you think whknow what stinks? i was going to give you blue cheese but you got the wheel. >> we had the housewives of d.c. on. >> for 25 minutes. you could host a real housewives reunion show. i think you did. you did a pre-reunion show.

>> the tension was palpable. these women really despise michaele. >> this is something i watched. you stayed with it. you stayed with the story and kept going. the show did great. it was a huge launch for a real housewives premiere city. number one show in washington for the night. everyone in washington. the press of saying who in washington is going to watch this? it turns out everybody in washington watched it. i think people were surprised by the tone of the show, because it's not a table-flipping type show. >> it has its own personality. >> it has its own personality. the first episode ended with cat defending the honor of george w. bush saying he was a good man. that was kind of the tenor of the argument. >> her husband had been photographed with president

bush, so they knew him. boy, the tension on our set between michaele and the rest of them. >> they say how much they hated it when we asked are you going to do another second season, everybody was all in. >> we read about rosie. it sounds like rosie is coming back. >> oprah winfrey's network o, and oprah has hired rosie o'donnell for a daytime talk show, which is interesting on two counts because i wonder which rosie will be on this show. she's really with her radio show, i mean, she is uncensored and saying her opinion as you know. her radio show is a lot of fun to listen to because it's interesting she's thinking. this is an uplifting talk show during the day on o, and we know rosie can do uplifting really well. i'm interested as a program executive that they're

developing shows for the daytime. daytime on cable is typically not a place where you invest original programming money. i think it's interesting. >> you don't get rosie o'donnell cheaply, either. >> you don't. >> it's a long time since she's been on tv, but that was a different rosie that america fell in love with. so it will be interesting. >> it's true. tc it was a different rosie on "the view." >> yes. >> when is this happen singhapp? >> rosie will happen late next year. >> it will take a long time. >> o isn't happening until next year. >> mary hart, sounds like she's leaving et. >> because she wants to. they're not pushing her out? >> that's the question. she's been there 30 years, and there were rumors she had to take a pay cut lass year. i hate to hear a broadcasting legend takes a pay cut. she's gotten blonder every year.

>> careful, careful. >> she still looks great. she's a very sweet woman and a lot of people love her very much. she has access to a lot of interviews because people trust her. >> you have gotten quite blonder over the years, yes? >> yeah. you no longer wear shoes. >> i kept the dogs out. >> who kept the dogs out. >> here's the thing. >> my dogs need to breathe during the heat of the day. this is the beginning of the day. >> we have the maytag cheese thing happening. >> my feet are pristine and clean. >> i'm glad you don't buff your toenails. >> we're not into that. >> up next we're going to say good-bye to you unless you want to show us something else. >> we have a minute. what are you doing? >> that was the natural out for her. she's done.

i don't want to talk about it. what's next? >> the last one real quick. did naomi campbell know or not know she had diamonds in the sack. >> i'm obsessed with her blood diamond and the hair she wore to testify the other day. she looked amazing. she got great reviews from all the fashion press on her outfit when she testified. >> yeah, when she goes to jail for perjury she can't do her hair like that. >> her ex-agent or manager is testifying today saying naomi knew the blood diamonds were from the former president of liberia. mia farrow will take the stand. >> did she testify against her? >> she said she knew. >> interesting. not nice to lie. >> i don't have the 411 regarding that. >> you have very nice feet. >> you have very nice hair. >> wlab me? i got nothing? >> happy birthday.

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♪ we're the kids in america time for "look at me now" the joy fit club and the induction of a newest member from smyrna, texas. >> her name is tamara fortune,

and before we meet tamara, let's meet her story. >> my name is tamara. i'm 31 years old and a wife and mother of two fabulous children. i work as a waitress in a busy restaurant. i have always been the big friend, the one who made all the jokes about being fat in order to hide behind my weight. i didn't like to go anywhere by myself. i always took my children with me because they were cute, and everyone can look at them instead of looking at me. in august 2008 i weighed in at my all-time high of 278 pounds. one busy morning i got off from work early to celebrate my daughter's birthday. by the time i got to her party, i was exhausted. my husband had to handle the party by himself. my feet hurt so bad i couldn't move. it was that day that i decided to do something about my weight. my friend, april, asked me to check out a website called

myfitnesspal.com. using this website changed my life. i have lost a total of 141 pounds. i live for my children and my husband. i want to be healthy for them and now my life couldn't be more perfect. >> before we ask tamara to come out, our girl joy bauer is here to tell us more. >> happy birthday. >> tell us. >> i love her story, because she just reinforces you don't need a fancy program or pills or potions. she counted calories and slowly started to exercise, and 140 pounds fell off. >> amazing. >> she had the support of her husband. >> he loved her through thick and thin. >> whether yyou can see what th were. >> they lived on fast food. she never cooked and ordered in everything and it was all unhealthy. >> very addictive.

>> this was a glimpse of her top ten foods. sugary cereals and whole milk and soda and cookies. she picked up those reese's cups when she first got there while she went through the aisles. look at her grocery cart now. it's filled with clean food. she's very clever and comfortable in the kitchen now. she cooks up a storm for her family, for her kids. when it comes to treats, she buys portion controlled things that she knows she won't go overboard with. >> these are hear are very good weight watchers. >> yes. those portion control pops, you can't overdo it. >> you can get another pop if you want. >> let's see tamara's before picture before we bring her out. all right, tamara, let's see the new you. >> oh, my god. >> hello. >> tamara, you look amazing. >> look at the difference in

those picturese. how long did it take? >> 11 months and 5 days. >> i love how did you it the old-fashioned way. everyone wants the magic bullet. >> it's hard work and determination and a lot of family will power. >> what's your family say to you now? >> you look amazing. keep it up. great job. we're super proud of you. >> how about the kids? do they even -- you must have so much energy to be with snthem? >> i run with them. i started a walking group on monday and my 5-year-old rides her approximate bike with me, while i run the 6-mile. >> it's totally and completely gir given you a brand new life. >> all her friends want her help and secrets. >> what advice do you give people? people don't think they have the will power and do it? >> get out and move a little further and do more. if you walk five minutes today, do seven minutes tomorrow. every little bit helps. it doesn't take an hour and a

half of xer stexercise to do whe done. >> enjoy the beautiful world you're outside in this time of year when you take the walks. >> congrats and congrats to your hubby, too. if you or someone you know should be on the joy fit club you can go to our website for details. while you there you can read some of tamara's story and get joy's terrific advice. up next, how to celebrate your birthday and your favorite cause all at once right after this. thanks, skyler. let's go to last night's highlights. there's mom and dad cleaning up. and there's the meatloaf. yuck. look what sometimes happens with the ordinary bag. it slips. oh, bingo, falls in. mom was mad. mom should have used glad forceflex with the stretchable drawstring that grips the can and stays in place. plus, it has the stretchable strength of forceflex. that's all today for glad tv. [ both ] don't get mad -- get glad!

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traditionally your birthday is the one time during the whole year that is all about you, your presents, your party, your 24 hours of attention, right, hoda woman? >> you got that right. especially during the tough economic times giving can be more rewarding than getting. kate atwood is here to share charitable ways to share your birthday. >> happy birthday.

mine was just last week, so i'm fresh off celebrating my own. >> what did you do? >> i started a few years ago this really great way to give back your birthday online called firstgiving.com. i put up a little page. i raise money for my favorite cause, kate's club, it's the nonprofit i found. i ask people to give my age. it gets higher each year. it's a reasonable amount. >> yeah, you're not my age. you get to be my age, it's costly. >> you can have a favorite number. >> i like it. a lot of people choose to take a vacation on your birthday, and you have a more charitable alternative than going by yourself and laying on the beach or going with family and friends. >> a really popular thing is taking a trip abroad where you're able to give back. there are a lot of sites out there to help you find that magic vacation for you.

goeco.com is an awesome site. it's way to have a cultural and nice kind of experience, but also use that time to help a humanitarian effort. >> i like how you talked about there's a group of women who decide to give back through habitat for humanity building something. did they invite the friends over? >> this is what was great. they got an invitation. this happened to a friend of mine, and they got the invitation. all it said is wear yard work clothes. >> what a fun party. >> there was no alcohol involved? >> well, you can have your alternatives, but they brought out the hammer and nails and built a little shed around a local school and finished it all in one day. they had a really great time. it became kind of humerus. what was built from the experience was built. >> will it last through the winter? >> it's still standing. >> i like the issue of sponsors an animal at the zoo instead of taking your kids to the zoo and

saying let's walk through, you give back in that way, too. >> yes. the zoo is a great venue for parties, it's a great way for animal lovers to get involved and you can sponsor certain animals at the zoo. a lot of zoos have that opportunity. especially if you do that for kids, it's really cool. they can go and kind of own that, you know, as their birthday gift. >> you talk about giving an actual pet as a gift, but experts say don't do that if it's going fob a surprise to the person on the other side. >> if you want to do that, treat yourself to adopting an animal. it's a great option for giving back. 6 to 8 million dogs and cats go into homeless shelter as a year. an alternative to that is there's foundation sites and organizations that allow you to sponsor an animal so you don't have to bring the pet home, but you can make sure that that animal -- >> i did that for joan

embrey's -- it was a llama. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. happy birthday. >> we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc.

we ran out of time before she could tell us about a new campaign called inspiration in your eye. >> submit a photo or someone you find inspirational and you might win a trip for two. we've been waiting for this moment. >> happy birthday. >> we love you, hoda. there's not a sweeter person in the whole world. we love you. >> thank you. >> tomorr

>> we have cake. >> i have to make a wish. >> hold on, hold on. >> we know you've got the hot air for that, hoda. come on. >> that was good. >> this is the best cake. it is red velvet and cheesecake from the cheesecake factory. >> have some. >> it tastes better than blue cheese. i'll tell you that. >> there you go. >> i'll take a bite. >> thank you so much. >> have a great day, everybody! >> bye. >> wait a minute. >> bye. >> wait a minute. >> you're crazy. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> my mom used to make this all