good morning. breaking news. tropical storm hermine forms in the gulf of mexico overnight, and it's taking aim it at the border between texas and mexico with the potential of dangerous flooding. we're tracking the storm. labor pains. president obama hitting the road today hoping to persuade the nation his administration can get america back to work even with unemployment on the rise. can he help save the jobs of democrats in congress? and adult supervision. craigslist removes its controversial adult services section, but is it enough? will it come back? questions are still swirling, "today," labor day, monday, september 6th, 2010.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and a happy labor day, everyone. welcome to "today" on this monday morning. i'm natalie morales. >> and i'm lester holt. the two of us are sitting here together, it means one thing, it's a monday holiday. we're laboring away. matt and meredith will be back tomorrow. always good to be with you. >> the "b" team. no, we're the "a" team. >> b-plus. anyway, this time last week, of course, we were watching tropical storm and then hurricane earl made a real close pass to the east coast and now we're looking back in the gulf there is a new storm to worry about today. >> that's right. it's tropical storm hermine which formed in the gulf of mexico overnight. it's the eighth named storm of the season. tropical storm warnings have been posted already for northern mexico and south texas, which could get hit with severe flash

flooding. we're going to get the very latest on the track of the storm in just a moment. then, it has happened again. another woman has had acid thrown in her face, the second time in less than a week. this time the attack occurred in arizona. once again, it was another woman who did it. was it a topee cat attack? we'll ask an expert coming up. >> unbelievable. plus an nbc news investigation, why you might want to think twice before asking a store clerk to see if you have a winning lottery ticket. >> but we want to get started with that breaking news of a new torl, this one in the gulf of mexico. the weather channel's stephanie abrams is filling in for al. stephanie, what's the story? there's a huge plume of moisture associated with hermine hean tdretrt tinis schetgch anywhere from mexico, but guess what, the system is heading rate towards the texas coast. as we head over the next couple of days, it could make landfall near brownsville on tuesday. it could bring flooding to texas but also the good news is that we need the rain in texas. we certainly don't need it here in mexico. as you can see the moisture associated with hermine caused

some significant flooding and a lot of evacuations here as well. hopefully we do not see scenes like that in texas. lester, back to you. >> stephanie, thanks. we'll go back to you shortly for the rest of the nation's forecast. right now it is 7:03 and here's natalie. lester, today is no holiday for president obama as he hits the road trying to sell the administration's jobs plan. this with the jobs of a lot of congressional democrats in peril this fall. nbc's mike viqueira has more. good morning to you. >> reporter: it is all about the economy this week for president obama. he is set to up veil some new initiatives designed to boost employment and help democrats in congress keep their jobs in the bargain. with summer drawing to a close, the campaign season is now in full swing. pour the president, it promises to be an all-out political fight. >> i think if weigh voted tomorrow, we would do very well. >> reporter: republicans sensed big victories this fall and are on the attack against mr. obama and his party. >> he's covering from the left

and has turned his agenda over to the liberals in the house. months before the election and it's all caught up with with him. >> reporter: the number one issue, the economy. with growth still sluggish and the jobless rate high. >> i don't want a pink slip. i want a paycheck. >> reporter: many democrats are in danger of losing their seats with some running away from their own leaders. >> that may not be what the washington crowd wants, but i don't work for them. i work for you. >> reporter: angry voters in swing states like ohio want more presidential poe cuss on the economy. >> we're about to lose our house and they keep talking about all these things that they can do to help you. if you don't have a job, they can't help you. >> i don't have to tell you this is a very tough time for our country. >> reporter: this week mr. obama will respond. today he travels to another swing state, wisconsin, for a labor day address. then in what is being touted as a major speech, the president goes to cleveland on wednesday where he will unveil a new plan to spur growth including more tax breaks for business.

and on friday mr. obama holds a white house press conference where the economy is expected to be the major topic. >> i will be addressing a broader package of ideas. >> reporter: meanwhile, the president and his allies are hitting back at the gop's economic record. >> they drove us into the ditch and if we give the keys back to the people who did this, it would be like giving herbert hoover the keys in the mid-1930s. >> reporter: and, lester, we're learning more details this morning about the president's speech today in milwaukee, that labor day address. he's going to propose billions in new infrastructure spending on roads, railways and runways. lester? >> mike viqueira, thanks. howard fineman is also "newsweek" magazine's senior washington correspondent. howard, good morning. it's great to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> republicans have been mocking the president saying what happened to that summer of recovery? you've seen the unemployment numbers, 9.6% last week. in the past the president has said, look, it took us a long time to get in this mess. it will take us a long time to get out of it. now he's saying at least we've stemmed the bleeding.

what is he going to say to placate people who are still out of work? >> well, lester, i'd like to say that being a political worker here is like rocket science. it's not. the unemployment rate was 7.6% when he came into office. it's now 9.6%. eventually is now. for people in places like clefld, where i was last week, this is the time he's got to say, i'm going to act further than i have. it's not a good bumper sticker, lester, to say it would have been worse had i not been here. the president needs to say, here's what i'm going to do next, which is the infrastructure spending, the business tax cuts. he has to have some things to say on the campaign trail this fall and he's going to start this week. >> the campaign trail is the point. it is an election year and that taints everything. he's going to talk about small business tax cuts, something republicans would typically support but they're not in this case right now. are they going to basically oppose everything? >> yeah, i think so. everybody has criticized them for being the party of no. right now the party of no looks like it's going to win big in

november. you're right, this is something republicans would normally be for but the president's relationship with the republican party is completely poisonous and nonproductive. the president will go out there and talk about these things. with the democratic party strategy it's much different. it doesn't feature barack obama. it's hand-to-hand combat in each local district. personalities in the district, house stimulus spending has been spent in a particular district. that's what they're going to focus on. you won't see national ads featuring the president. you won't see national advertising about the health care law, which people are skeptical of. you won't see it about financial services reform which people are skeptical of. it's all local. >> you talk of hand-to-hand combat. some democrats are trying to save their own skin, running away from the president, running away from nancy mroes kri, basically trying to save their seat. what will democratic leadership do to try to get all their folks on the same page?

what's the mantra? >> well, it's not going to be on the same page. it's going to be, you do it locally, emphasize your own personality, emphasize the parts of the stimulus plan that resulted in actual jobs and actual projects in your district. that's going to be one feature of it. attack the republicans. but i think the democrats understand that spending a lot of time talking about the bush administration is just not going to work. it's been 19 months now. the unemployment rate has gone up. the democrats have to go on their own and go local and the other thing democrats are going to do is go to districts they can defend. rather than prospect, they're going to retreat, make the perimeter smaller and try to defend with money and individual advertising those districts that they have a chance to keep. because what the democrats don't want is to lose more than 40 seats. if they do, they lose the house. >> howard fineman, have a good labor day. >> you, too, lester. it is 7:08. here's natalie. lester, thanks.

and port-au-prinfor more, madam good morning and happy labor day to you. >> happy labor day, natalie. >> it is all about the economy right now and the biggest indicator continues to be those unemployment numbers as we heard on friday, sitting still at 9.6%, the private sector gained 67,000 jobs. the public sector lost over 110,000 jobs. i know those numbers were somewhat expected given the layoff of the temporary census workers. but, madam secretary, can you honestly say the situation really is improving? >> you know, if you look back where we were when this president took over, we were losing well over 740,000 jobs. in the last month alone, we've added 90,000 jobs on average. we're putting pry vac sector jobs back and the report that i saw tells me that we saw growth again in construction, 19,000

jobs there. i.t. and technology and obviously in manufacturing. we know we have to do more. this is a good effort on the part of the administration and i'm sure the president, as you know, will be speaking more about that later in the week about some other developments to help improve the economy and create jobs especially with the private sector and small businesses. >> as you mentioned the president traveling to cleveland on wednesday where he's expected to unveil a variety of measures designed to stimulate the economy including a $100 billion tax credit for businesses. but there are many small business owners who continue to remain worried about the tax increases that the bush tax credit expires at the end of this year. so will the president be -- what will the president be proposing to ease concerns and encourage job growth? >> he's also going to be talking later today at our visit to milwaukee about infrastructure and the need to create jobs in that area. we lost so many jobs in

construction and in the trades area, and there's a proposal that he'll be talking about later that would provide for front loading, at least for the first six years, about $50 billion for highway, high-speed rail, transportation projects, that we really need to concentrate on. that will put people back to work immediately. these are projects and efforts that have bipartisan support that we know could possibly get support in the congress and the senate. >> and there's been some talk as well about perhaps a secondary stimulus package. when money from the first stimulus plan has yet to be fully spent, do you think that a secondary stimulus package might be necessary in order to help speed the recovery? >> i don't think we're talking about second stimulus. what we're talking about is looking at some projects that are already out there right now in the senate. we're wait to go pass the tax credit for small businesses and open up more lending through community banks. that's so important. everywhere i go, that's the scene that i keep hearing over and over again and obviously the

infrastructure effort is something that's ongoing in congress. having been a member there, i know how important it is to continue funding because we know that that provides jobs immediately and both members of the house and the congress, as a former member, we all agree those things put people to work. they help our economy and they also help to put people there in good paying jobs. i would say that's really the focus of where this administration is going and, as i said earlier, the president will talk more about it later on in the week. >> all right. we're going to be hearing much more about it. hilda solis, happy labor day. and once again here is lester. natalie, thanks. now to the disaster in the gulf. the worst oil spill in u.s. history. today investigators are examining the failed blow-out p preventer that allowed millions of barrels of crude to leak into the gulf of mexico. it was pulled to the surface over the weekend. anne thompson was there. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning,

lester. for federal investigators looking into the cause of this human and environmental disaster, i can tell you this was no holiday weekend. that blow-out preventer was secured on the vessel that pulled it up to the surface, the fbi began gathering potential evidence. it emerged slowly from the gulf of mexico, a 1 million pound metal sea creature pulled up. as the sunset on the scene of the biggest oil spill in american history. the final 500 feet of the failed blow-out preventer's journey from the sea floor were the longest. once again hydrates, the crystals that foiled several attempts to cap the well caused trouble. the well site leader. >> the hydrates as they come up, they melt and they gas off. so as it's coming to the surface, we have to make sure that we're taking all of the safety precautions necessary so that gas is contained and held

and let off properly. >> reporter: the structure was hoisted through the center of the vessel. hanging in the dark, the emergency brake that failed the night of april 20th when the deepwater horizon rig exploded in flames. now it's a 50-foot-tall piece of evidence that may yield clues to why this disaster happened. though the men and women working on this operation insist it is just another job, they are well aware the world is watching. some think not of the pressure but of the 11 men who died working on that rig in marvin morrison's thoughts, his friend, blair manuel. >> i think of their families. i think of each and every one of them, even blair. i think these guys, they deserve this. they deserve this to come up. we need to find out not only for them and their memories but for the industry. i know they would want it no other way. >> reporter: now along with the

team of piefy evidence technicians also onboard was a team of bp attorneys. the blow-out preventer is heading for a nasa facility here in louisiana where it will be placed along with other evidence from the deepwater horizon rig. lester? >> all right. anne thompson in new orleans, thank you. and now a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from amy robach who is filling in for ann at the news desk. good morning, everyone. militants linked to al qaeda and the taliban are intensifying their attacks in pakistan, a key u.s. ally in the war on terror. this morning a suicide bomber rammed a car into a police station in northwest pakistan killing at least 19 people including two children. bombings last week claimed nearly 100 lives. nato says an american service member was killed sunday in eastern afghanistan, the fifth u.s. combat death so far in september. me meantime, the taliban is vowing to attack polling places during afghan elections starting in just two weeks. for the first time since the

u.s. combat role in iraq ended last month, american troops there have been drawn into a firefight. sunday's battle began with a bombing at an iraqi military headquarters. american forces provided covering fire for eiraqi soldies but no americans were injured. a state of emergency has been extended for another two days to aid the earthquake cleanup in christchurch, new zealand. demolition crews began tearing down the 500 buildings ruined during the 7.1 magnitude quake. despite the heavy property damage, there was no loss of life. and continuing rainfall in guatemala has forced the temporary halt to rescue operations following weekend mud slides that claimed at least 38 lives. many more people are still missing. flooding in southern mexico has forced the evacuation of at least 5,000 people, heavy rainfall caused major rivers to overflow their banks there. and a woman admired by millions around the world is now being honored by the u.s. postal

service. a new stamp on sale this week commemorates the work of nobel peace prize winner mother teresa born a century ago this year. it is now 7:16. let's head back to lester, natalie and stephanie. >> well-deserved honor. thank you, amy. now a check once again with stephanie abrams from the weather channel in for al. great job last week covering hurricane earl. you're keeping busy. on to the next one. >> severe weather, unfortunately, throughout the midwest including minneapolis, down to des moines, otherwise looking phenomenal on this labor day from the northeast to the a live look at oakland, clear skies. it will be pretty nice today. right now in the mid 50s throughout the entire bay area. by noon, mid 70s and even the 80s. things will be warming up. we'll be in the mid to high 90s in the inland areas and along the coast we're in the mid to higher 70s. it will be a great, beautiful labor day and things will cool

down by wednesday. get outside and enjoy. natalie, over to you. >> thank you, stephanie. there's been a sudden change to the website craigslist, under fire for its racy ads. a controversial section is now gone, but why now and is it permanent? here's nbc's jeff rossen. >> reporter: nestled among the ads for real estate, antiques and jobs, there's the other side of craigslist, the highly controversial adult services section featuring in some cases thinly veiled offers of prostitution. suddenly over the weekend the adult services link was removed and replaced with this. censored. a little black box that leads you nowhere. >> we are thankful that craigslist has shut down its adult services section, and we believe that act really lessens the suffering of so many girls who are being sold for sex. >> reporter: craigslist won't say if this block is permanent, temporary, or a message to its

critics, of which there are many. last month attorneys general in 17 states wrote a joint letter to craigslist demanding they remove the adult services section. >> craigslist is operating an online red light district as obvious and in plain view as times square was back in the 1970s or '80s. >> reporter: the website came under fire last year after the arrest of phillip markoff, the alleged craigslist killer. police say he attacked women who posted adult ads on craigslist. markoff was charged with murdering one of them. markoff later killed himself in jail. craigslist promised to remove sex ads. so, just months ago, we rent add hotel room and put craigslist to the test here on "today." hi, i saw your ad on craigslist and i wanted to know if you're available tonight. our hidden camera investigation revealed women were still offering prostitution on the site. nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you, too. >> reporter: this undercover

video is exhibit "a." in fact a new report finds craigslist makes millions on those adult service ads. $36 million this year alone, triple what it made last year. >> i do hope this has been shut down and is not a game of semantics. >> reporter: critics worry those suggestive ads will creep into other sections of craigslist. we logged on and found several. for "today," jeff rossen, nbc news, new york. and we should note craigslist did not respond to our repeated request for comment. coming up, it's happened again. another woman has acid thrown in her face, the second time in less than a week. so was this a copycat attack? we'll take a look. >> ...berber carpet. it was a whole bowl of stew. nooo. why? i could have saved this one. i could have saved this one. ♪ call 1-800-steemer

coming up, should you race to the stores to take advantage

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peggy? anncr: want better customer service? switch to discover. ranked #1 in customer loyalty. it pays to discover. good morning. it is 7:26. i'm kris sanchez working here on this labor day along with ria tar me taormi taormina. >> it will be lovely, no clouds along the coast. a little cool, 53 in oakland, 58 in san jose. by lunch time things will be warming up quite nicely from the 70s to the 80s. look at these numbers, inland mid to high 90s. 80s in the bay area, topping out at 80 in san francisco. 85 in oakland. 90 in san jose. even the coast in the mid 70s.

a beautiful week ahead. mainly in the 60s. things cooling off before they bounce back up next weekend. no. we'll have more news after the break.

in a half hour, police and volunteers will be back at the landfill in the east bay city of pittsburg searching for the body of a missing man. it will be the fourth straight day looking for frederick sales. the 35-year-old disappeared last week, if his body is found he would likely be the fifth victim

of a killing spree last week. investigators believe efren valdemoro is responsible for that killing spree. chp officers in richmond shot and killed him last tuesday after a high-speed chase. there is a memorial fund set up for the sons of one of valdemoro's victims, cindy tran who was his girlfriend. if you are interested in donating, go to any wells fargo bank and mention cindy tran memorial fund. more local news in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

7:30 now on a monday morning, september 6, 2010. it is labor day. all those kids out there probably are here on this labor day and the treat we have in store for them, a live concert from teen actress and singing star miranda cosgrove. we're delighted to have her here. that's about an hour from now. inside studio 1-a i'm lester holt along with natalie morales. matt and meredith will be back tomorrow. talking about playing the lottery, millions of americans do it every day. if you rely on a clerk to check to see if your ticket is a winner, you may wind up a loser.

wait until you see the results of our undercover investigation. also ahead, is it just as good an idea as a submarine with a screen door? we'll take you aboard a glass-bottomed balloon. that's right. you have to have a stomach of steel, i guess. later, a truly touching story 41 years in the making when a nurse here in new york city went to meet her new patient. well, the name sounded familiar to her. then when she met him, she realized it was her long lost father who hadn't seen her since she was a baby. and now, of course, they're catching up on some lost time. such a great story. really makes you believe in fate. >> touching and poignant story because he is terminally ill so they're making the most of the time they have together. we'll get to all that. fir first, it's happened again. a woman in mesa, arizona, was attacked with a cup of acid on friday just days after a woman in washington state of assaulted in the same fashion. nbc's miguel almaguera has more. she just looked at me with these eyes as if she was saying

something. >> reporter: from her hospital bed, derri velarde recalls the moment she was ambushed and when the acid hit her face. >> but it immediately started to just burn. i was on fire. >> reporter: the 41-year-old mother says she was just outside her home in mesa, arizona, when a woman approached her in her parking lot and flung a cup full of acid at her face. she says her attacker never said a word. >> i just kept screaming, somebody poured acid on me, call 911. >> reporter: the attack on velarde is similar to another in vancouver, washington, just days before. >> i could hear it fizzling. once it hit me, i could actually hear it bubbling and fizzling my skin. >> reporter: 28-year-old bethany storro had been on her way to starbucks when a woman assaulted her saying, hey, pretty girl, would you like to drink this while throwing a cup full of acid in her face. >> if i saw her, i would instantly know. i would know right away. >> reporter: neither victim knew

her female assailant and no arrests have been made. investigators say they think velarde's attacker singled her out specifically. >> it appears it's not a random act. it appears this is someone who was waiting there for her to specifically attack her. >> i can't see myself like i did before. >> reporter: in 2008 former british model katie piper was brutally raped and doused with acid that left her permanently disfigured and blind in one eye. she has spoken out about her ordeal. >> it was in split seconds, the pain was so phenomenal that i knew it was a substance of something like acid. >> reporter: a horrific form of attack, perhaps even more disturbing because in both recent cases neither woman had any clue why she was targeted. >> in time i'm going to forgive her. >> it could have been so much worse. it could have been so much worse. i'm lucky. >> reporter: against the odds both s it torro and velarde say they're determined to recover

and move on with their lives. for "today," miguel almaguera, nbc news, los angeles. >> nbc news analyst clint van sandt. we're all shaking our heads here. this whole scenario is so disgusting. it's likely, possible, in these two cases different motivations but the fact it was the same method of attack, something as rare as assad, any doubt in your mind this was a copycat? >> no, i think it probably was, lester. realize that just this last friday, the same day the woman in mesa, arizona, was attacked a beauty contest entrant in columbia, south carolina, was attacked in the same method. again, that harkens back to perhaps one of her competitors, like a tonya harding/nancy kerrigan olympic skater type of thing. when we see this, this is not just trying to injure someone, lester. this is permanent. these are permanent injuries to the face as well as to the psyche.

i mean, sometimes we even see these victims, they wind up, they won't come outside anymore, and we even see them pushed to the point of suicide because this is the way we identify with people. this is the way lester says hello. we see your face. your face speaks volumes before we ever open our mouths. >> we've heard of these kind of attacks before, primarily abroad. we've heard a lot in asia, usually perpetrated by men against women. in the two cases we were discussing here the attackers were women. so what do you take from that? >> well, so far i think in the first case the one in washington state, this is probably going to turn out to be someone with either a substance abuse issue or mentally ill and realize that was just a random attack. the victim just happened to pull up in front of a starbucks. the assailant happened to be there. she couldn't have timed that to tray to get this specific woman. whereas in mesa, the assailant

wa waited for 1:00 in the afternoon when the victim was coming home. now realize this is a working mother. she has two jobs, four or five children, and someone still chose to specifically attack her. >> and we hear of all kinds of ways people hurt each other. you noted the face obviously has so much importance. when you see that kind of crime, what does that tell you about the specific kind of motivation, the hatred behind such an attack assuming it wasn't some kind of disturbed person? >> when we see the anger, the rage, i mean, this is someone perhaps an assailant in the second case who feels disempowered and she's going to get back. she may not be able to equal the victim in some areas, but she can, you know, throw acid in her face and she can really take away this person's femininity. she cannot only destroy her face but destroy who she is as a human being. lester, that's not just breaking a window on a car. that's shattering our whole image, one that cannot be put back together.

>> and of course the fears we hear about, there could be other copycats. we can't ignore the attacks. they're out there. do you fear that others may adopt this method? >> yeah, i do, lester. as an fbi agent, i used to work bank robberies and when we knew we had one bank robbery, we knew there would be two or three more. in the case of acid in the case, a lot of people sit on the edge of the abyss. they're angry. they're rageful. they want to commit some tape of act against a person to get even. when they see something like this that's receiving international coverage, they may adopt this but, lester, this is nothing new. in the last ten years, just in my research, i found about 3,500 similar attacks around the world and there are probably more we don't know about. again, this is not just attacking my skin. this is attacking my very being and you're literally destroying me by doing it. you know, there are some societies, lester, when you do that, if you're caught, the penalty is to have acid dripped in your eyes.

now we may not want to see that in america, but had is really such an attack it ought to be considered, you know, attempted murder and we ought to prosecute people along those same lines. >> well, it is absolutely just horrifying. clint van zandt, thank you for talking about the subject. we appreciate your time. >> thank you, lester. >> one more thing to be vigilant of as well. now a check of the forecast from the weather channel's stephanie abrams. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by advil. make advil your number one choice. and we have some girls visiting us from new jersey. how early did you have to wake up in order to get here in time? >> 2:30. >> was it worth it? >> yeah. >> it it was a little cool when you woke up this morning, wasn't it? those temperatures on the chilly side this morning in the 60s in the northeast a. look at our afternoon highs, a spectacular day into the northeast. but look at those 50s and 60s there through the northern plains. otherwise we'll see the sunshine and the 90s all the way through the south.

let's look at what's happening outside. there are no clouds in the sky. sunshine abounds. right now in the 50s pretty much everywhere. that will be warming up. it will be beautiful at lunch time, 70s into 80s. our highs of the day, gorgeous. inland at the mid to higher 90s. along the coast, mid 70s. san francisco's high, 80. oakland, 85. san jose, 90 degrees. get outside and enjoy. for your concert forecast 24 hours addai, go to weather.com. lester, over to you. thanks. and coming up here, making the most of today's labor day sales. we'll tell you where to find the best bargains if you hit the mall today. up next, if you like to try your luck at the lottery, the odds may be worse than you thought. if you try to cash a winning ticket with a dishonest clerk. the results of an undercover clerk. show-stopping.

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back now at 7:42. with a warpining for you if you play the lottery. you probably think if you have a winning lottery ticket you're going to get paid, right? chris hanson is here to tell you that's not always the case. >> reporter: we've been at this for a while now.

tonight a brand-new investigation, a hidden camera investigation, as we folliclecal lottery investigators as they check the honesty of their retail clerks. we're back on the road with california lottery investigators and we're about to confront some of the clerks who may have tried to steal winning tickets. our first stop is a bowling alley in san jose where three months earlier an undercover investigator presented what should have been $1,000 winning ticket. but that's not what the clerk told her. one of the employees at the bowling alley, nick garcia, told the investigator none of them were winners when, in fact, one was one of those $1,000 winners. >> am i a winner? no? >> reporter: it was a woman names monique who mailed in a claim for the $1,000. investigators have confronted the lottery clerk, nick garcia, when we arrived. chris hanson with nbc. >> are you serious? >> reporter: garcia appears taken aback.

>> i love your show. >> reporter: thank you very much. >> i'm a fan. >> reporter: garcia admits he stole the ticket but says he has never done this before. let me show you one thing that i think you're going to want to see. >> i already confessed to everything. there's nothing you can show me. i know. >> reporter: so she comes in -- >> no, i know. i've seen this already. >> reporter: did you know it was a winner? >> no, i didn't. >> reporter: but, remember, it wasn't nick who tried to cash the ticket. it was that woman named mo'nique. who is mo'nique? >> that's my girlfriend. i don't want to talk about this. >> reporter: later garcia pleads no contest to three felonies, attempted grand theft, receiving stolen property, and perjury. he's sentenced to 45 days in jail, three years' probation and fines. in consideration for garcia plead i pleading to all the charges against him, the case against his girlfriend is dismissed. of more than 600 stores they've checked all over the state, california investigators found that clerks mishand kled the

winning ticket more than 70 times. but a funny thing happened clear across the country. we told the lottery here in new york we wanted to see if any of its clerks are ever dishonest. the new york lottery said it doesn't do stings like california. but wait until you see what happened when we tried to conduct our own test of new york lottery clerks. the lottery got wind of our investigation and sent out this alert to every lottery retailer in the new york area. it said, warning, nbc news is trying to trick lottery retailers into stealing winning lottery tickets. we thought that was odd, so we pressed on with our investigation in new york city. and later, the new york lottery director, gordon medinica, was not too happy when we asked him to comment on our results. can i show you the video? >> no. >> reporter: don't you think it would be good to show people in new york what you're doing to protect the integrity of the

lottery? >> it's more important we protect the integrity of the lottery system and our players. we are interested in protecting our players not creating a reality tv show. >> reporter: well, the reality is that the director of the new york lottery interfered with our investigation, as you saw. we will show you the results of our investigation here and what was on that hidden camera video tonight on "dateline." >> best advice for people? >> check the tickets yourself. we all get lazy and especially people who play the lottery and have a big stack of tickets, it's easy to give them to the friendly clerk, hey, check these for me. you see the guy, one out of every ten or 20 times pitch it, to go back and get it knowing it's a winning ticket and they take the money. >> it's your job, your responsibility. go online. i don't think that chris garcia is loving your show so much anymore. the fact that they recognized you and yet there you are investigating them. >> exactly. >> thank you, chris.

as chris mentioned, you can see the full story tonight on kgs dateline" at 10:00 right here on nbc. coming up next, we'll take you up, up and away in a glass-bottomed balloon. [ female announcer ] new dove go fresh. now with nutriummoisture. adding nourishment to freshness. so you can revitalize your mind and nourish your skin. dove go fresh with nutriummoisture. fresh at its best.

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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. he has risked his life in hot spots around the world, but what really scares nbc's martin fletcher? you're about to find out. ♪ wouldn't you like to ride in my beautiful balloon ♪ >> reporter: from these magnificent men in their balloons to me. i'm afraid of heights. the world record for going up in a tethered balloon is 10,000 feet. christian brown did it. mao he's invented a glass floor and he isn't much help. it's terrifying. >> it really is terrifying. when you look down it's a shocker. >> reporter: they say ballooning is perfectly safe, though, well, apart from this and this. >> over ireland things went

wrong. >> reporter: the first flight was in france in 1783. since then balloons have crossed the atlantic, circled the globe, reached great heights and speeds. and one of the great tourist dreams. now a new thrill, a see-through floor. what can go wrong? ♪ come fly with me let's fly let's fly away ♪ >> reporter: i'm in good hands, richard turnbull. he's had 2,000 hours of balloon flying. standing on glass is like standing on air, or maybe like you're about to fall through the floor. it's a heavenly feeling drifting like a cloud, quiet, sereme. by the time we get ready to land, i've even forgotten to be scared. they say there's nothing like landing, just a controlled crash. that's not true. >> bend the knees. >> reporter: you heard him. we're going down. >> are you okay? >> reporter: we're down.

>> sorry about that. >> reporter: that's all right. i think this is called a controlled landing. so that was a controlled landing, i'd hate to know what a crash landing is. look how close we came to complete disaster, water three yards away. so, as it turned out, going up wasn't so bad. coming down was the problem. for "today," martin fletcher, nbc news, northampton, england. >> i'm glad he at least enjoyed the ride because the landing not so much. >> you think of all the things martin has done, laying his life on the line in war zones but that looked pretty serious. >> he could have been right in that canal. >> coming up, a reunion more than 40 years in the making. a nurse discovers her new patient is her long lost dad. >> grab the kids. miranda cosgrove will be here on the plaza. [ female announcer ] stay once...

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and save on refills. good morning to you. it's a couple minutes before 8:00. if you're up this early and looking for a forecast, i hope it's because you are off this labor day holiday. >> yes, it's a beautiful day to have off. clear, sunny skies, couldn't be better throughout the bay area. right now, things are cool. 53 in oakland. 55 in san francisco. 58 in san jose. the first pitch forecast, oakland a's playing the mariners at 1:05, sunny, clear skies in oakland. up to 81. let's look at the seven-day forecast. it will be hot, hot, hot today pretty much everywhere in the 90s inland. 80s around the bay, even the coast will be warm, mid 70s. tomorrow is the big schocooldow then it bounces back for the weekend. more news after the break.

[ bell rings ] what are you doing, friending somebody?

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40-hour work week. the governor's lawyers have argued that the state constitution allows him to order furloughs to address the budget crisis. >> the chp has amped up patrols this past holiday weekend, and as of 6:00 a.m. this morning, 990 drunk drivers have been arrested, 67 more than the same period last year. deaths are also up, eight people have died over the labor day holiday stayed-wide. one of them here in the bay area. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning.

♪ 'cause when i'm kissing you my senses come alive ♪ 8:00 now on this spectacular monday morning. september 6th, 2010, labor day. makes it a day off for all these wonderful folks who have joined us today. a huge crowd. in half an hour they're going to get to kick off their holiday with one of our concerts with miranda cosgrove, our last of the summer. and as you know miranda cosgrove is a tv star from "i-carly." listen to her hit single, time to wake your kids up to tune in

for this concert coming up. i'm natalie morales outside along with lester holt. coming up in this half hour, you have a really touching story. >> touching, poignant story about a nurse here in new york city. as she was preparing to welcome a new patient into her ward when she heard the man's name and she froze. it was her father who had left the family when she was just a baby. when she told her father who she was, he said, i knew you were my daughter. after 41 years they're getting to spend some precious moments together before it is too late. there is a sad twist to this. we'll tell you more about it and talk to her coming up in a few minutes. >> it was meant to be. also ahead, today is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. so coming up in a little bit, we're going to tell you if some deals seem to be better than others. we're going to tell you which products are the ones you should be going for today. lester, what was your first job? >> my first job i was in distribution for a major publishing company. i was a newspaper boy.

>> really? i'm like, what? >> i was in distribution. i was a paper -- >> you have that aim down, on the doorstep. >> the beginning of my journalism career. >> and you pursued lots of jobs in journalism. >> knew what i wanted to do, yeah. >> well, start iing here tomorr on "today," matt, meredith, ann, al and i will revis the our first jobs and see if we still have what it takes. matt did just what you did, lester, distributing papers. still got that aim, you can see that. >> where is his bicycle? >> well, he gets on the bicycle, too, not to worry. coming up again, "today's" first jobs tomorrow on "today." now let's go inside and get a check of today's top stories from amy robach in for ann at the news desk. good morning, natalie and lester. good morning, everyone. america is marking labor day with 11 million people out of work and a national unemployment rate at 9.6%. president obama is going to milwaukee today where he'll try to convince union members the jobs are being created just not fast enough.

the president will also campaign for democrats who are being blamed by republicans for the nation's joblessness. new zealand's prime minister is warning his country's economic recovery will be hurt by saturday's powerful earthquake. the 7.1 magnitude quake destroyed up to 500 buildings and wrecked roads and rail lines in the city of christchurch. no one was killed. a state of emergency is in effect until wednesday. the pakistani taliban is claiming responsibility for today's suicide bombing that killed 19 people including at least nine police officers. the taliban says it's targeting police because they encourage residents to set up anti-insurgent mill iitias. u.s. troops in afghanistan's volatile kandahar province came under fire today. no americans were killed or wounded but a nato spokesperson says a u.s. service member was killed sunday, the fifth u.s. combat death so far in september. and just days after the u.s. formally ended combat operations and praised iraq's ability to defend itself, american troops

battled heavily armed militants. the militants assaulted an iraqi military headquarters in the center of baghdad on sunday. residence in nova scotia on canada's east coast are cleaning up after tropical storm earl. it brought heavy rain and strong winds to the region over the weekend knocking down power lines and uprooting trees. well, 69 cow pokes in mexico set a guinness world record over the weekend for the most people lassoing at the same time. men, women and children twirld their ropes for nearly three minutes to beat last year's record of only 23 people. set in texas, the event was part of an annual festival in guadalajara. >> that takes some talent. let's get a check of the weather right now from stephanie abrams who is in for al. hey, steph. >> i know i-carly is a big deal but also this cold weather is a big deal, too. are you ready for it? >> i so need a couple more days of it. >> a couple more days of heat before we get into the colder

temperatures. >> 45 degrees this morning and i'm ready for 80s. >> forget about it. let's have a look at our forecast in our pick city. i'm going to take you into michigan, bay city, michigan. 77 degrees with a few scattered showers. otherwise look at the cool air from montana, wyoming, but still hot deep into the south. and here's a live look at san francisco and the bay bridge. and take a look out there, folks. there aren't any clouds because we have clear skies today pretty much everywhere. things are warming up quite quickly. we have gone up about 3 to 5 degrees in the that's hour, and it is going to be a beautiful day. things will be in the 70s to 80s. and as the week goes on, we are into the 90s for today and cooling off tomorrow into the 80s. so get outside and enjoy. natalie, back to you. >> all right, thank you, stephanie.

they've been here since 4:00 this morning. thanks, guys. good job, girls. still to come, we're going to visit how pets are not just tolerated, they're welcome with open arms. but up next, a father and daughter reunited after 41 years. it's a touching story. thanks to the venture card from capital one, we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned an l.a. getaway twice as fast. we get double miles every time we use our card. no matter what we're buying. and since double miles add up quick... romans! get em! [ garth ] ...we can bring the whole gang. [ sheep bleats ] it's hard to beat double miles. whoa -- he's on the list. but we're with him. [ male announcer ] introducing the venture card from capital one with double miles on every purchase every day. go to capitalone.com. [ indistinct shouting ] what's in your wallet? [ children shouting ]ing ] come on, kiddo, let's go. [ laughs ] hold on a second... come on up here where your brothers sit. [ birds chirping ] wow!

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we're back at 8:09 with a touching story about a surprise family reunion. wanda rodriguez is assistant head church at calvary hospital in the bronx. last week a patient with terminal cancer was admitted with a familiar name, victor peraza, the same name as her estranged father who vanished from wanda's life more than 40 years ago when she was just a baby. wanda went to the man's hospital room and both instantly recognized each other. in a moment that neither will ever forget. wanda rodriguez joins us now. wanda, good morning. thank you so much for coming on and talking about this. >> good morning, lester. >> tell me when the last time

you saw your father -- i understand that you never saw pictures as you were growing up. what did you know about him? >> that's correct. i knew that he -- he basically left, you know, when i was an infant. and that i resembled him and that my parents just basically split up when i was younger for their own personal reasons. >> so you're at work -- >> and that's all i knew. i never knew anything else. >> the name of this patient and you recognized the name. when you walked into that room and you saw him, can you describe the flood of emotions and what you were thinking? >> i walked into the room and he looked right at me and i saw his eyes and i kind of knew at that moment but i just wanted to make sure. so i just asked him shortly after i welcomed him if he had any children. he said, i have a daughter named gina and a daughter named wanda.

and the minute he said that i just -- i just burst into tears and ran out of the room because i just couldn't take it. and shortly after that, i came back in, after i was a little more calmer, walked right back into the room and looked at him and i said, hi, i'm wanda. i'm your daughter. and he looked at me and he said, i know. i know you're my daughter. he said, i knew that when you walked out of the room. i said, that's my daughter, wanda. and it was an awkward moment. i held his hand, and within less than five minutes i just embraced him and just gave him the biggest kiss because i was so happy. >> what a moment you describe, and, you know, i think about this story and i think you could have been angry because he left you or you could have found this forgiveness. >> absolutely. >> you chose to find forgiveness. i know your father has terminal cancer. how do you view these days that

you have together? >> i'm just cher ishg every moment with him because i know that i don't have much time left. it's very sad that we're meeting under these circumstances. he said that to someone the other day, what a moment to have met my daughter in this way, but how sad it is that i'm meeting her now that i'm dying. >> and, wanda, i know this is difficult. you have three children. they've had a chance to meet their granddad. how has that been for them? >> it's a bittersweet moment. my kids were very happy to see him, welcomed him as well with open arms and i bring them every day when i can just so they can enjoy the little time with their grandpa as well. >> and i know because he's a family member you're not allowed to actually take part in his care but you spend a lot of time in the hospital with him. can you tell me the kind of things that you two share and what you talk about, what

memories you may have in common? >> we just basically talk about things that just come up in conversation. i don't ask him questions directly. of course i'm curious but i try not to ask him questions that i really don't care to know the answers about, just catching up on, you know, the person he is. i want to know what we have in common, what are his likes, what are his dislikes, and i found out recently that he has a love for pets. he loves dogs. i happen to love dogs. he loves classical music, which i do as well. and he's just -- i'm very much like him i realized in the past few days. i realize i'm very much like my dad. and i'm glad i had the opportunity to find that out. >> well, you two are lucky to have each other and certainly cherish these moments. wanda rodriguez, thank you so much for coming on and sharing this tale for us. appreciate it. >> thank you, lester. >> all right. we're going to take a break and will be back after this. whatcha doing, little bite?

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i drove the '92 camry. i drive a 2007 camry. i was expecting the 2005 camry, and my sister got it. i was driving the '94 toyota camry, and my dad surprised me with a 2005 toyota camry. [ julie sighs ] i drove all of them, but i drive the 2009. [ interviewer ] why camry? reliability. yeah. affordability.

[ male announcer ] share your toyota story on facebook.com/toyota. this morning on "today's consumer" labor day sales. if you're on the hunt for bargains you may want to call off the afternoon bsh cue and head to the shopping mall inste instead. janice lieberman is here to tell you why. good morning, janice. >> good morning. we have to get rid of the summer clothes. retailers want you to say good-bye to summer and think fall. many items are on sale today. if you know where to look. we hit the stores to find out what you should buy now and what items you should wait on. the beach wear is barely packed away and retailers want us to shop. how can they get us to put down our burgers and barbecue and hit the mall? run a sale. >> labor day has really become an opportunity for retailers to put opportunist products on sale, many even calling it their

biggest sale ever. does it mean good deals for the consumer? absolutely yes. >> introducing hassle-free pricing. >> in need of new wheels? car dealers are rolling out the deals. >> the automobile industry lives on the fact that they're getting all the new models so they get very aggressive in selling the current year's models to clear the inventory. >> this family in search of new wheels. >> got tired of my minivan and being a soccer mom. we saw the commercials and i was bugging him to come and look and it was a great deal that we got today. >> there's zero percent financing on several vehicles or possibly cash back up to $2,000. >> reporter: you'll need a new car to take home all the bargains that are out there especially for home decor. >> celebrate on all styles you love. >> labor day is going to be a good time for the home sale product opportunity. >> reporter: a good deal on mattresses, furniture, and

anything to do with the home. now is the time. >> now is the time. >> reporter: expect to find sales up to 70% off mattresses and furniture and once they get you in the mall, retailers want you to shop for clothes. and what about jeans, marshall? >> jeans are really a great opportunity for the consumer to save right now. the stores have been building up inventory in premium denim, $75 and over, so you can see 30% off on selected brands. but, you know, as we go and see the stores continue to get more competitive with each other, they're going to continue to put denim on sale. >> reporter: dresses at a bargain. >> these are some of the choices that i have. some of them are on sale. >> reporter: these dresses are not summer and they're already on sale. >> the retailers get out of the dress business mao. the consumer wants dresses all year round. this is a great time to go out and buy and build your wardrobe. every day dresses, special occasion dresses, all of them are going to be on sale right now. >> reporter: we like dresses. come on. >> you might like dresses.

>> reporter: and coats, what about winter coats now? >> i'm scared to look at the prices. i'm terrified. >> reporter: but marshall says it's actually a good time. i am so not thinking about coats right now. >> this is the perfect time to start to think about buying a coat. you have the full selection and already they're on sale. this is the time now to take advantage of the best assortment at a discounted price. >> reporter: if you can't be convinced to think cold, think hot, as in summer stuff on clearance. >> summer stuff is going in and the fall stuff is coming out and hopefully you'll have something good on sale. >> reporter: how did i do, marshall? >> great deal. now is the time to go home, plant them, get them in the ground right away, and then let's go have a barbecue right at your house. grills are on sale. the perfect time to take advantage of it before they take them off the floor. lots of renovations going on because people haven't been able to sell their house so outdoor furniture, this is the perfect time to take advantage of it right now. >> reporter: got to go plant.

bye. >> the must buys and the must waits. electronics, is it a good time to buy? >> some of them, the tvs, this is an l.e.d., but a lot are on sale, too. wait for those. plasmas they want to get rid of because they're phasing them out. >> computers? >> not really. i was surprised. >> back to school, i guess. >> back to school and the new models will come out in december/january and that's when they have to get rid of the old ones. so right now not such a great deal. >> footwear here. we have snengers and boots. sneakers are a good time to buy, right? >> sneakers, yes. they thought they would do better for back to school and they really haven't. they want to get them out of the inventory. feeling out the market to see what people spend and want. >> i buy the boots in summer and sure enough they go on sale. bulbs, now is the time. >> anything to do with outside barbecue. christmas ornaments, wait. they want to see what's out there. you'll start to see them.

>> seeing them already is scary. >> if you missed today and you don't get out, there's columbus day sales. >> true. >> it seems like every few weeks there's another reason, a hallmark reason to have another sale. >> so overall it seems there's a lot of inventory out there so you are going to see a lot of good sales. >> they're feeling out the market. they want people to get excited. you're almost expecting a sale. >> they expect a deal. >> that's right. >> janice lieberman, as always, thanks so much. now here's lester. natalie, thanks. heading off to college for the first time can be tough. leaving your friends and family behind. for students at one small women's college in missouri, one piece of them can go with them. here's nbc's john yang. >> reporter: meet members of steven's college class of 2014. so what's your major? some are a little standoffish. a little camera shy are we? actually they're not students,

their owners are. >> this is linda. >> this is chester. >> this is cory. >> reporter: this allows pets on campus since 2004. around here bags aren't always for books. the school's first dorm entirely populated by more than 40 students and their pets. pet central. there's a doggie spa in the basement. standard equipment in this dorm, a lint roller. freshman megan magill is away from her family for the first time. what does it mean to have your pet? >> kory, come here. >> reporter: nicole crow is cory's foster parent while he waits to be adopted from a local animal shelter. a transfer student from iowa state university. did you have a pet there? >> no, i did not have a pet. i had a roommate. >> reporter: which do you prefer? >> the pet. nothing against the roommate i had. >> reporter: classrooms are pet-free zones. when it's class time for

students, pets can come down here to doggie daycare for a little play time with their dorm mates. hey, know of any good parties this weekend? it promotes the pet-friendly policies in its marketing. college president diane lynch has three dogs and two cats says there's more to it than that. >> we find that students who bring their dogs or cats or rabbits to campus actually are among our most responsible students. part of it is time management. part of it is responsibility. >> let's go for a walk. >> and part is having somebody to come home to at night when you've had a tough day who loves you at face value no matter what. >> reporter: for freshmen such as kimberly, the most important thing was that first night in the dorm. >> you realize you're away from home and this is it and daisy was laying right next to me and just cuddling with me and i was like, i'm not alone. it's going to be okay. i've got her. >> reporter: and that's a nice feeling for anybody. time for your close-up, daisy. for "today," john yang, nbc

news. miranda cosgrove live in concert on our plaza.

good morning to you. it is 8:26. i'm kris sanchez. maybe you are up and early because you have something on the smoker, something delicious. your forecast for that? it will be a beautiful day for a barbecue or really anything you might be thinking about. clear skies along the coast and throughout the entire bay area. inland we'll see some high temperatures in the 90s. along the coast we'll be in the 70s. right now it is 61 in oakland. 60 in san jose. 59 in san francisco. at lunchtime things are warming up nicely to the 70s. take a look at our week long forecast from the 90s to 80s by tomorrow. and we'll have more news after the break.

it is beautiful weather to go to the beach and thousands of people are expected to spend labor day there. and if this week is any indication, to recent shark sightings are not keeping surfers away. they say last week they saw a shark attacking a sea lion. and a kayaker was attacked recently near san mateo county. experts say the sightings of

varieties of sharks are common along the northern california coastline and in the bay this time of the year. >> it is not uncommon for them to come to the bay, particularly right underneath the golden gate bridge into the mouth of the bay. they come to feed off sea lions. >> experts say that shark attacks on humans are very rare and the recent shark sightings should be a reminder to those going into the water to just be careful. we have more local news coming up in a half hour and the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning.

♪ can we bring yesterday back around ♪ 8:30 on a monday morning, september 6th, 2010. we have a huge crowd starting the labor day with us. in a few minutes they will be treated to a live performance from miranda cosgrove. if her name isn't familiar, ask your it tweens. she's the lead character on the tv show "i-carly."

her first album in just a few minutes. >> she has it all. that's right. she can act, she can sing and probably dance, too. also coming up, a lot of you may be planning your end of the summer cookouts. forget the hot dogs the forget the hamburger. we have great gourmet options for you from steak to pork. we'll show you how to kick it up a notch. and coming up later if you're tight for cash these days we have some options for earning some extra money online, everything from being a customer service representative to selling your craft. it can be a great way to make extra money. of course, as always, there are pitfalls as well. we'll show you some of the best options out there. >> we have a busy half hour. another check of the weather and stephanie abrams for the weather channel in for al. is this not the best birthday present you've ever had? >> it's great. >> did she sing everything you wanted her to sing? >> yes, pretty much.

>>o itas worth waking up early? >> yes. >> let's have a look at your weather forecast here. maybe it's your birthday and you're about to head out the door, we are salino icg re nlye weather here in the northeast. also down throughout portions of the south, otherwise the threat pour is severe weather through midwest today. and here's a live look at oakland. look at those beautiful clear skies. there aren't going to be very many clouds to speak of at all. it is already 60 degrees. and things are going to be warming up from there. oakland is seeing a high of 85 today. san francisco a high of 80. san jose, 90. and the inland areas are looking at the mid to higher 90s. and the coast is looking at the mid to higher 70s. a big change tomorrow as we drop down 10 to 15 degrees depending on where you are. things will cool off but then warm up by the weekend. natalie, back to you! >> all right, thank you, stephanie. coming up next, last-minute recipes for your labor day bash. n

this morning in "today's kitchen" back to basics for the traditional labor day cookout. if you've been enjoying the last blast of summer and don't know what to make for your big backyard blast, our chef has just the answer. alex is a judge on the food network and is the host of alex's day off. good morning, alex. good to see you. >> i hope you're hungry for a little protein breakfast. >> the smell is amazing. >> we have skirt steak going there. you marinaded it. tell me about it. >> i did something different for a little labor day fun. just mix some garlic cloves, way too many, i love garlic. >> you have like six. >> with some toasted fennel seeds and some fresh rosemary.

for a little bit of a different twist we sear the skirt steak which doesn't break the bank and is so tasty. >> you sear it before you marinade it. >> and then put this on and let it sit. right before you're ready, give it another quick sear. >> does that help keep the flavor? >> i thought it sealed in flavors and then i had a colleague who said, yeah, absolutely not. >> but it just works. >> how long did you sear it? >> just a minute on each side. but what you get an amazing brown, nice steaky taste that we love. >> love that. >> leave that on just a few minutes in the actual marinade. >> that i'll pop back on the grill after it rests a little bit. we cut it across the grain. i notice you guys getting quieter which means it's about time to bite into the steak. and it's so tender. you just cut it across its natural grain and then to finish

it we just put a little bit of it right on a plate. >> you don't want to overcook it because then it gets tough. >> mig in particular when you're picking one out? >> i look for a vibrant red color which means the meat has oxygen in it be a then a red wine and a vinaigrette with feta over it and just give that a little drizzle over the top for that last bit of freshness. which i love. >> this whole thing shouldn't take very long at all. >> so quick. >> that's the whole point. when enjoying the holidays we don't want to spend the whole time in the kitchen. i dent exa i don't exactly create date food. >> what are we working on? >> pork chops, which i think really need some fun, some liveliness. so i toasted some coriander and caraway seeds and you can do this in the food processor with just a pinch of sea salt and you

just really grind that around and you can feel when you're doing this you're breaking everything up. >> i have so many spices i never know which to mix together. now is your time to explore, get creative. >> if you'd do the honor, add some paprika in there. way, way, way too much. four tablespoons. go for it. >> that much? >> this is a spicy moroccan chili paste i'm crazy about. as you grind it together all the spices come in. please pour some olive oil. >> some chili peppers as well. >> and some garlic. >> it's going to be spicy. going to have a kick. >> a little more. let her rip. we're going for broke. a little bit more and you see how this becomes like -- >> beautiful color. >> it has that deeply toasted paste look. which i just think is so tasty. and then we just pop a little bit of that. once you take them right off the grill, what i like to do is put

a little bit of len right on them. that's the italian in me. and then a little bit of the spicy paste. you don't have to use a lot or you can be crazy and add a ton. >> that's definitely not date food. >> this is a total wake-up call. >> that's amazing. that looks great. >> wonderful. >> and you can see what we have here, a little -- get over here behind you. >> my papers. don't mind me. >> i know we all have different kinds of desks, right? >> this is your desk. i wish i could be at this desk every day. >> more feta there. >> exactly. i was keeping this one fresh for you guys because i love that last minute. >> does this mean we can finally try it? >> you have a couple other items you prepared in advance. >> i did bring a couple other friends to the labor day party. >> a baked potato salad that is baked instead of boiling the potatoes so they don't get waterlogged. they get a wonderful roasted taste and i used all different kinds of poe tatoes with parsle

fresh basil and then a blueberry pie because it's almost time for apple pie and thanksgiving so we're getting our last end of summer blueberry hurrah. >> the spices are amazing. >> it's perfect. >> doesn't the feta -- i think the feta is why you want to keep on eating. >> do you mind if i try the pork chop? >> i would love it if you did. >> just stand ten feet away from me the next couple of segments. >> not date food. >> this can be fiery. >> so good. >> water? need water? >> no. >> checking him out. >> eyes are going to start watering. >> great to have you here. now i'm feeling it. there it goes. >> see. >> there it is. >> sneak attack. >> a real pleasure. have a great labor day. thanks for sharing these recipes with us. up next, miranda cosgrove live in concert. [ male announcer ] we went to germany's nurburgring

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♪ >> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. she is a tv favorite as the star of "icarly" but miranda koss degree of has quite a singing voice, too. here she is performing "kissing you" off "sparks fly." ladies and gentlemen, miranda cosgrove. ♪ sparks fly, it's like electricity ♪ ♪ i might die

when i forget how to breathe ♪ ♪ you get closer and there's nowhere in this world i'd rather be ♪ ♪ time stops like everything around me is frozen ♪ ♪ and nothing matters but these few moments when you open my mind to things i've never seen ♪ ♪ 'cause when i'm kissing you my senses come alive ♪ ♪ almost like the puzzle piece i've been trying to find ♪ ♪ falls right into place you're all that it takes ♪ ♪ my doubts fade away when i'm kissing you ♪ ♪ when i'm kissing you it all starts making sense ♪ ♪ and all the questions i've been asking in my head ♪ ♪ like are you the one should i

really trust ♪ ♪ crystal clear it becomes when i'm kissing you ♪ ♪ past loves they never got very far ♪ ♪ wall's up made sure i've got in my heart ♪ ♪ and i promised i wouldn't do this ♪ ♪ till i knew it was right for me ♪ ♪ but no one no guy that i met before ♪ ♪ could make me feel so right and secure ♪ ♪ and have you noticed i lose my focus ♪ ♪ and the world around me disappears ♪ ♪ 'cause when i'm kissing you my senses come alive ♪ ♪ almost like the puzzle piece i've been trying to find ♪ ♪ falls right into place you're all that it takes ♪ ♪ my doubts fade away when i'm kissing you ♪ ♪ when i'm kissing you

it all starts making accepts ♪ ♪ and all the questions i've been asking in my head ♪ ♪ like are you the one should i really trust ♪ ♪ crystal clear it becomes when i'm kissing you ♪ ♪ i've never felt nothing like this ♪ ♪ you're making me open up ♪ no point in even trying to fight this ♪ ♪ it kind of feels like it's love ♪ ♪ 'cause when i'm kissing you my senses come alive ♪ ♪ almost like the puzzle piece i've been trying to find ♪ ♪ falls right into place you're all that it takes ♪ ♪ my doubts fade away when i'm kissing you ♪ ♪ when i'm kissing you it all starts making sense ♪ ♪ and all the questions i've been asking in my head ♪ ♪ like are you the one should i

really trust ♪ ♪ crystal clear it becomes when i'm kissing you e♪ thank you. >> miranda cosgrove, thanks. we'll have more music in just a moment. [ female announcer ] we know jerry brown was mayor of oakland, but what were the results? fact: brown promised to improve schools. but the drop out rate increased 50%, and the state had to take over the schools. fact: the city controller found employees paid for 22,000 hours... they never worked.

fact: brown promised to cut crime. but murders doubled, making oakland the 4th most dangerous city in america. jerry brown. he just can't deliver the results california needs now. he just can't deliver the results sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

miranda cosgrove was only 10 years old when she appeared on tv as megan parker on the nickelodeon show "drake and josh." fast forward seven years and cosgrove not only has her own successful show "icarly" but is cementing her reputation as a bona fide rock star and singing sensation. her new album "when sparks fly." great first song. you have the rock star moves down. so this is your first album. took you three yaers to put it together. you started writing when you were 14 years old and now 17 years old. what kind of music were you inspired by? >> my mom got me really into the beatles at a really young age. >> wow. >> but also i'm really into other people. >> did you find your sound?

>> yeah, that's why it was so hard to figure out what i wanted my album to be and it took me a long time. i'm happy i took the time. >> now you have a song called "kissing you" we just heard and that song, i understand, was about a crush that you had. >> yes. >> does the guy know that you wrote a song about him? >> i told him. >> how do you feel? that's pretty cool. he must have felt like, yeah, i'm the man. >> i was a little nervous. >> he's a stud now, i'm sure. and you're going to be touring with the new album soon? >> yes, i am. >> and speaking of the new season, the premier of the new -- the first episode is september 11th? and i hear there's a special guest star. >> jean lynch. >> from "glee." she's amazing. we love her. so what can we expect? how do you balance your future plans, you have "icarly" that you're shooting now, you're touring, you're singing, and what about college? >> i do want to go to college

really bad. i want to go to nyu. >> all right. do you hear that, nyu? you have your next star right here. all right. well, miranda cosgrove, this is called "about you now." ♪ maybe i'm wrong you decide ♪ ♪ should have been strong yeah, i lied ♪ ♪ nobody gets me like you ♪ couldn't keep hold of you then ♪ ♪ how could i know what you meant ♪ ♪ there was nothing to compare

to ♪ ♪ there's a mountain between us ♪ ♪ but there's one thing i'm sure of ♪ ♪ that i know how i feel ♪ can we bring yesterday back around ♪ ♪ 'cause i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ i was dumb i was wrong i let you down ♪ ♪ but i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ all that it takes one more chance ♪ ♪ don't let our last kiss be our last ♪ ♪ i'm out of my mind just to show you ♪ ♪ i know everything changes ♪ and i don't care where it takes us ♪ ♪ 'cause i know how i feel about

you ♪ ♪ can we bring yesterday back around ♪ ♪ 'cause i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ i was dumb i was wrong i let you down ♪ ♪ but i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ not a day passed me by ♪ not a day passed me by ♪ when i don't think about you ♪ and there's no moving on 'cause i know you're the one ♪ ♪ and i can't be without you ♪ can we bring yesterday back around ♪ ♪ 'cause i know how i feel about

you now ♪ ♪ i was dumb i was wrong i let you down ♪ ♪ but i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ can we bring yesterday back around ♪ ♪ cause i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ i was dumb i was wrong i let you down ♪ ♪ but i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ yeah, i know how i feel about you now ♪ ♪ yeah, i know how i feel about you now ♪ thank you. >> miranda cosgrove, thank you. we'll have one more song from

mir anda a little bit later but first your local news and weather.

good morning. it is a couple minutes before 9:00. i'm kris sanchez working on this labor day, but the good news is the forecast is very nice. it is a beautiful day. just look out your window. no clouds in the sky, it is gorgeous and quite nice. 61 in oakland. 60 in san jose.

57 in san francisco. and by lunchtime we'll be in the mid to upper 70s and into the 80s. the seven-day forecast is nice. today inland areas are the mid to high 90s. and the coast high 70s.mo more news is coming after the break. women who walk into a pregnancy crisis center have the right to know up front if the information they are provided comes with a bias. and clinics advertising services they don't provide should be stopped by law. that's the stand we took in our latest editorial. a stand for a woman's right no to know all her options. a viewer like paw sa paula says using inaccurate information to coarse women we as a society should not add. red adds health clinics use truth in advertising. and one viewer shared her painful story.

have you ever had an abortion? i have and regret having the abortion every day of my life. i wish i had gotten all the information. thanks for your thoughts. join us online at nbceditorials.com. but deadly on fleas. so arer rifor advae,ag the flea specialist, for effective, but gentle flea control. former hewlett-packard ceo mark herd is landing on his feet. he was in talks to take over a top executive post at oricle. he is going for another position. herd resigned from hp in august when he failed to disclose a personal relationship with a contractor. we'll have more local news coming up in 30 minutes. and the "today" show returns in

just one. have a great labor day and a great week.

back with more of "today" on this monday morning, labor day, september 6th, 2010. a beautiful day on this holiday and this lucky crowd just got treated to a great show from that young lady there, 17-year-old miranda cosgrove, meeting and greeting some of her fans and she's going to have one more song for us coming up a little bit later on. and coming up here, thanks to the band, guys. you were great, too. thank you. and still to come i'm natalie morales along with lester holt. if you're looking for an easy way perhaps to earn extra cash, nowadays you can actually point, click, and earn.

we're going to check out five different ways to make money online, making the most of your hobbies to offering you advice for extra keys. how to do it and what to look out for before you do it. a lot of pitfalls. the school year is getting under way. we have some advice to help the kids avoid some of the nasty germs. they're going to get sick. it's inevitable. to lessen the odds, some surprising places those nasty critters could be hiding. >> back to school, here we go. back to the germs. before we get to all of that, let's go inside one more time and get a check of your top stories from amy robach who is in for ann. good morning again, amy. good morning, lester and natalie. good morning, everyone. president obama is going to call today for new investments into the roads, railways and airports. the president will discuss his infrastructure proposal at an event in milwaukee marking labor day. the six-year plan which would cost at least $50 billion is another effort to get more people back to work ahead of the critical moef elections.

investigators looking into what went wrong in the gulf of mexico oil spill are a step closer to answers. they've retrieved the 300-ton blow-out preventer that should have sealed off the flow of oil after the deepwater horizon rig exploded last april. fbi agents escorted it to a nasa facility where investigators will analyze why it failed. bp is proceeding this week with the relief well designed to intersect the blown well so it can be permanently capped. building inspectors in philadelphia are trying to figure out what caused a backyard deck to collapse during a holiday weekend party. seven people were hurt when that deck fell onto nearby cars. police in los angeles county are pressing their certificate. for the gunman who opened fire at a weekend house party. a teenage girl were killed and six others wounded. nato says an american service member was killed in afghanistan sunday, the fifth u.s. combat fatality in the past week. this year is already the deadliest for american forces since the 2001 invasion. and there is no letup to the

latest wave of terror in pakistan. a key u.s. ally is dealing with massive flooding. this morning a taliban suicide bomber rammed a car into a police station killing at least 19 people including two children. u.s. troops in iraq were drawn into a firefight sunday for the first time since their official combat role ended last month. american forces provided covering fire for iraqi soldiers during a battle that claimed 12 lives. the u.s. military says no americans were injured. today is the national day of mourning in guatemala after more than a dozen landslides killed at least 38 people over the weekend and left many more missing. rescuers were able to dig out several survivors before continued bad weather forced authorities to suspend rescue effor efforts. more evacuations were ordered in christchurch, new zealand where hundreds of buildings were destroyed. despite the heavy property damage, there was no loss of life. a state of emergency has been extended until wednesday for

ruined homes and businesses can be safely demolished. george clooney is the american was a crack shot at the box office this weekend. the drama about a globetrotting assassin grossed an estimated $13 million to finish first. last week's "takers" took second place with "machete" in third. back to lester and natalie in the crowd. did you ladies like the concert? >> yes. >> have you met her yet? >> not yet. >> not yet? we'll try to swing her over here your way. >> thank you. >> let's get another check of the weather right now. stephanie abrams is just over there in the crowd. >> yes, we are state side. what was it like being that close to miranda? >> awesome! >> well, unfortunately, not so awesomeea weather in the tropic. we need to talk about a new tropical storm, hermine, that is going to bring lots of moisture into texas. the bad news the tropical storm is heading to brownsville. the good news texas could

actually use some of this rain. it looks like it will last there all weeklong. how much rain? very heavy amounts as we look down towards mexico and also into brownsville. otherwis and look at what's happening in san francisco. not much. a beautiful live shot of the bay bridge as well as the city. and it is warm right now. it is about 58 degrees in san francisco. it is about 60 in oakland. 65 in san jose. we'll take a look at the seven-day forecast. the mid to high 90s in the inland areas. even along the coast we are warm in the mid to higher 70s. a big cool down tomorrow, about 10 to 15 degrees depending where you're at. another cool down on wednesday, but things bounce back up for the weekend. amy, back to you. >> stephanie, thanks. this morning on "today's money" how to rake in the bucks on line. from offering advice to on-call nursing it can can be as simple as turning on your computer and surfing the web. the editor in chief of "women's

day" magazine has some practical advice in its latest issue. good morning. >> good morning. >> so we've all heard about youtube sensations where they make it big, from how-to videos or random talent show acts become instantly famous. the internet is providing more and more opportunities for people to work online, people looking for ways to make profit without having to leave home, sta stay-at-home moms. >> and you can do it on your own time. so huge growth. i get a ton of letters for people asking for this kind of information which is where the story came from and irony on labor day when we're all thinking about getting back to work tomorrow. but starting off with crafts. there are a lot of people out there if you're a candle maker, if you're a quilter, there are so many sites you can go to to sell your wares. fc is one of our favorites. for 20 cents you get to list the item. you get to list it for four months. when the item sells you pay 3.5% commission. then there's another site, jewelrywonder.com, it's totally

free. you need at least 30 items to open up an online store there. and there's also artfire.com which is also great. that site is wonderful because it links to a lot of different -- you can link into your blog, you can link it to fc so you can develop. a site like that offers you a lot of marketing and a lot of merchandising online tutorials so they are helping you. >> from making crafts to just using your talent, whatever that may be, there is a website for you. >> i love this site, fiver.com. basically for $5 you can list -- you can get paid to do any number of things like leaving a crazy message on an answering machine. it's a great place if you're a poet and good at poetry. somebody can pay you $5. $4 you get to keep. $1 goes to the site. >> that's fair. >> really fun. >> one on a more serious tone, though, what about on-call nursing online. >> it's huge. if you think about it when you call your doctor's office on off hours especially pediatricians, nine times out of ten the person

you're going to get is going to be probably from a company like phone med.com. you need three years' clinical experience. these sites are serious. you really need the credentials. you need to be licensed in the area which you're receiving the call but you can make up to $27 an hour and these companies offer benefits, so they're real jobs. >> wow. that's fan ttastic. >> and for the writers out there, there are opportunities about writing, editing, and proof read iing online. >> if you think about the amount of content, all of these websites are getting their content from somewhere. so associated content.com is one of them. they're paying you for $15 to $100 to write an article and then on top of that if your article gets picked up even if it's a video on youtube, you can earn money, $1.50 for every 1,000 impressions. so you really can make money that way. >> the next one is unique about giving advice. you can make money giving advice

online? >> just answer.com. the experts are hard core. if you are an expert in mechanics or financial services, a lawyer, you can list your services. you can be an expert for them. somebody writes in a question and says how much they're willing to pay, you get matched up and then the person who has to pay a percentage back to the justanswer.com. >> you can't give relation advice or something, you need to be a professional -- >> you really do. i will tell you the questioning and the things you have to go through to be an expert are quite rigorous. so really, i mean, if you have any expertise whether it be medical, like we said, there is a place for you. >> it's nice for people who have retired, perhaps, and have that expertise that are not going out in the workforce and using it. they can get mobby from home. >> or if you have been laid off, this is a great place to go. >> all right. let's talk about providing customer service. people should do this you say at their own risk, though? >> these are legitimate companies that are offering -- when you call a catalog nine

times out of ten you are going to be talking to someone from one of these companies, alpineaccess.com, they really go through -- you go through training. this is a real job. >> customer service is tough because when people are calling, they're usually upset about something. >> not only do you have to have great phone skills but you have to be very adept at your computer because you might have five windows open at a time. really when you go to these websites and you want to check out and you're doing your research about working for one of these companies, they're all very clear about what the requirements are. just go in, there are career opportunities and you can find out what criteria you meet. >> and it's interesting because you mentioned this on one of the sites but a lot of these websites or online gigs provide fous 401(k) or health insurance. >> these are real, real companies workingsolutions.com is a great one. it's based out of texas. they offer a lot of customer support. they will give you everything that you just named and you can work 20 to 40 hours. some of these companies, the other thing is you could work 24

hours if you want to. live ops, for example, you could be working days and nights straight through. >> and you want to make sure the companies you're choosing to work for, that you're looking for employment from are legit. there are scams out there online. >> there are scams and we did a list of them in the magazine. i know you can get them online as well. i think they will be linked to your website. there are scams that you want to -- repeated language over and over. >> is there something to look for? >> we did a listing of them. if it's like typing from home and you have to actually pay to get the information, that is not a good thing. you are not pay to go get one of these jobs. they should be paying you. >> good job. we appreciate the advice. great tips. and there is more information as eliz bit pointed out on todayshow.com. coming up, bullying. school bullies are more than an annoyance these days. in massachusetts authorities say one teen was bullied to death. we'll tell you what's being done. but up next where the germy things are. a warning for parents about where those nasty germs are hiding right after this.

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this morning on "today's family" where the germy things are. school is back in session and kids are touching and playing with just about everything they can get their hands on. you may not know some of the secret hot beds for germs. with the surprisingly germy places is i-village pregnancy and parenting center. good morning. so school is one of the germ nest places there is out there.

so before we get our kids out the door, what are some things to remind them to do while they're at school? >> it's really basic common sense. you want them to watch their hands at least 15 to 30 seconds. we like to say to have them kind of sing happy birthday for the duration so they know how long that is. >> wise. i heard sing it twice through? >> or once slowly. it depends. teach them not to take their hands and put them in their mouths or rub their eyes, that kind of a thing. and use an anti-bacterial -- >> send them off with one of those. >> exactly and you can attach to their backpacks with these little sticky things so they don't have to dig in their backpack to find it. honestly know kids get sick. they're going to get colds. school-aged kids get up to 12 colds a year. you want to protect them as much as you can but don't worry if your kid gets the sniffles. >> other places and you need to be cleaning and talking about it, lunch boxes. why are they so germy? >> you're taking your kid's -- there's sandwiches, little

crumbs gets caught in the crevic crevices. be vigilant about cleaning it, putting it in the dishwasher, the washing machine every night or if you're lazy like i am and have multiple in your house, have one in the cabinet, one in the dishwasher and one in your kid's backpack and rotate them through. >> do they get cleaned most often? >> a lot of schools don't have the budgets to disinfect the way you'd like. protect your kid by sending them to school with whatever personal accessory or instrument that you can. >> you must have good kids, though, they really listen to you. >> i try, right? get them guitar picks. recorders are cheap. you can buy your own recorder and anything that they're going to be putting their mouths on you don't want them sharing. >> now computers, of course, are tools that kids are using every day in the classroom and they put their hands on their mouth but i imagine that's another hotbed right there. >> think about the sick kid, wiping his nose, clicking,

wiping his nose, then that kid goes to math class and your kid sits down to that same computer touching and clicking away. train your kids between classes to use that hand sanitizer, get them in the habit of using that. >> another place i didn't suspect were library books. who knew? >> yeah, library books, think about how they're stored really close together especially with little kids, there's lots of handling when it comes to library books. if they're kept in a humid area there could be a little bit of mold developing. not a huge risk but all the same mom and dad even at night you might want to wash your hands before and after reading the books to your kids. >> now moving on outside of the classroom and actual ly when you're going to the grocery store these reusable shopping bags that we all think are great for the environment but they also can be pretty germy, right? >> and they are great for the environment. you want to make sure you're keeping them clean. think about all the things in your own life that you throw in that thing, right? it's like produce from the grocery store. it's your gym clothes, maybe your kids' toys, all of that stuff leaves residue in the bag.

we just don't clean these things as much as we should. throw them in the washing machine. use bleach if you can and get them clean. >> we all have kids who, of course, wander the grocery aisles and there's another area you should be careful about. why is that? >> grocery store floor especially can be a pretty icky place. people who are kind of walking through the store are tracking raw food and raw produce on the bottoms of their shoes into the cereal aisle, into the toy aisle, where your kid is melting down and writhing on the floor. >> that would be my kid. >> my kid, too. so if you just don't have them touch the floor. if they are melting down, get their hands it shall. >> we tell our kids to wash their hands as part of the protocol. if they're washing with a cold water faucet, the cold water, too, the faucet has germs on it. >> we think about the toilet seat as being the icky place in the bathroom. think about what happens right after you leave the stall. you go -- the first thing you touch are those knobs, right?

so after you've taught your kid to wash their hands 15 to 30 seconds, take a paper towel -- some of them have the auto shutoff which are great. take the paper towel and really shut that faucet off with the paper towel in your hand. >> when they are sick with their about 12 colds, you take them to the doctor's office. the doctor's office is one of those places, too. >> it sure is. >> sick kids go to the doctor's office. two things you really want to do. if your kid is there for a well visit or even not, keep your kid away from anybody who is kind of coughing or has any visible rashes, that kind of a thing. also, those toys in that doctor's office are covered. don't let your kids play with the toys or the puzzles or the magazines because those really aren't wiped down as much. keep your own stash in your purse or in your bag and bring your own toys so your kids can play and keep them on your lap until it's your time to see the doctor. >> i thought those toys took the sting out of going to the

doctor's office but not if they're going to end up getting sick. great information. thanks so much. and for more information as always go to ivillage.com. and coming up still, we welcome the newest member to the joy fit club who went from a pants size 30 to a size 6. that's unbelievable. she will share her secret to losing 150 pounds and how she kept it all off. plus, one more song from "icarly" star miranda cosgrove. [ male announcer ] this is america. and this is our cheese.

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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. coming up on "today," a no fail crowd pleaser. how to create the perfect lobster roll for your friends and family. >> plus one more song from miranda cosgrove. for dessert lovers.

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good morning, everyone. time is 9:26. it is labor day, so if you got up and got ready for work, maybe you don't have to go. i'm garvin thomas. now we'll look at the forecast. it is a beautiful one. clear skies outside, even along the coast no clouds to speak of. look at this, we are at 65 already in oakland as well as san jose. and in the city in san francisco, it is just about the same. look at the temperature change from yesterday. we are up pretty much throughout the entire bay area. and it is going to really be warming up as the day goes on. look at the noon forecast. we are in the 80s in most areas. and in our seven-day forecast, for today we are in the mid to

higher 90s out in the inland oaong the c along the coast we are in the 70s. more news after the break. st

in san francisco lawmakers are considering a proposal to increase taxes on alcohol. tomorrow the board of supervisors set to open on a plan that would place a fee on alcohol distributors. the plan would add a couple of cents to a bottle of beer, a glass of wine or well drink. the idea is to cover some of the $17 until unreimbursed health care costs related to alcohol abuse. the fee applies to wholesalers who sell alcohol in san francisco, but critics say the sales will be passed on to consumers. the man accused of shooting a fremont police officer and then trying to flee to mexico is due in court this week. the 20-year-old is scheduled to be formally charged in an oakland court on tuesday. the man shot the officer several times last month when he was trying to arrest him.

he was arrested 30 feet from the mexican border after investigators tracked him through his cell phone. he told police he didn't know the man he shot was a police officer. young was in plain clothes the day of the shooting. young is now recovering from a string of surgeries. people are celebrating labor day today in different ways across the bay area, and you can still get in on the fun. there's a festival starting at 10:00 this morning. for $10 you can take in some art and take in food as well. we'll have more news for you in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

i would come down, the first thing is open the bundle and then fold them by opening a section and folding the other section into it and then slamming it down. >> times are hard. now you know why i'm here. matt is not here today. he's had to move on. that's mr. matt lauer on his paper route. i guess he didn't have enough to do here. matt, meredith, al, ann and natalie are all trying their hands at their first-ever jobs all had week on "today." natalie, what did you do? >> i worked at a pet store before going off to college. i wanted to be a veterinarian. i thought let me go and make sure i love this and am passionate about it. >> you learned about the body

functions. >> i learned about cleaning cages. >> and learned you didn't want to be a veterinarian. >> i got to play with the puppies and here i went to a petco and got to play with their pets. it was quite fun. i had a lot of things stuck in my hair at the end of the day. >> i can think of worst first jo jobs. >> it was actually great. >> we're looking forward to this series coming up. >> on a much more serious note coming up, school bullies. with the death of teenager phoebe prince this year, allegedly bullied to death, educators are starting to take mean girls and mean boys a whole lot more seriously. we're going to tell you what's going on in the schools. that's an important message. on a lighter note, how to make a show stopping, end of the summer meal, featuring a fresh lobster roll. how can you go wrong? >> wake up your teenyboppers. one more song from 17-year-old "icarly" star miranda cosgrove who has been rocking the joint this morning. fun to have her around. but before we get to all of it, another check of the weather

from the weather channel's stephanie abrams. >> amazing out today, right, guys? >> perfect. can you keep it going? >> yes, actually i can. just for you, natalie. we're also going to see very pleasant weather in the south. look at atlanta, only 87. severe weather. that whole system basically shifts eastbound into tomorrow but it will be warm and sunny up and down i-95 corrid and we've got some beautiful weather outside. a live look at oakland airport where the planes probably won't have troubles getting in today. things are warming up in the last hour. temperatures have gone up 5 to 10 degrees. 65 in oakland. 65 in san jose. when you look at the rest of today, it is going to be hot, hot, hot and plenty of sunshine out in the inland areas. we are in the mid to higher 90s along the coast. we are in the 70s where things will cool off dramatically tomorrow, but we'll warm back up this weekend. believe 50s and 60s for highs in the northern plains. >> summer is officially over. >> true. it's labor day.

>> thank you, stephanie. up next the rise in school bullies and what is being done to stop them.

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with kids starting school this week, some leading educators have been focusing on

what used to be thought of as just a playground problem, school bullying. not anymore. today's cyber bullying, verbal and even physical harassment appear to be on an upswing turning school in a place of it terror. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it was last january's suicide of 15-year-old phoebe prince in massachusetts that many believe was the ultimate example of school bullying. having just emigrated from ireland, phoebe killed herself after allegedly being tormented for months by six fellow students who are now facing felony charges. >> called her names, followed her home, smart remarks, dirty looks. >> reporter: across the country, principals, teachers, and psychologists say something's changed in america's schools. >> the prevalence of abuse of children and other children is getting worse. >> reporter: the department of education agrees. recently in washington it gathered the first national school bullying summit.

>> i have to tell you i have very little patience with the arguments kids will be kids and there's not much schools can do to make their environment safer. >> reporter: the government reports nearly one out of three students in middle school and high school reported being bullied during the 2007 school year. one out of nine high schoolers, 2.8 million students, said they've been physically abused or spat on during the last year. and 900,000 reported being cyber bullied. 11-year-old stokes got so fed up with being bullied in her philadelphia school, she wrote president obama asking for his help. >> it's very hard to be a kid because, like, when you know you're going to school, you're trying to get your education and you still have to worry about, oh, i have to run from this boy because he's going to keep on calling me names. >> reporter: she has now started her own no bullying campaign hoping it will catch on nationwide. the reasons for the increase in bullying are many, a more crass,

less polite society, meanness on telemaco he vision and increased tension at home. phil says it's virtually impossible for any child to thrive in a school when they feel threatened. >> it's not so easy to shrug off insults and it's impossible to shrug off physical violence. >> reporter: all the more republic, say educators, the time is now to adopt a zero tolerance policy on bullies. for "today," tom koss it tell l costello, nbc news, washington. >> the perfect end of throll allor rollte [ woman ] i had this deep, radiating pain everywhere... and i wondered what it was. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain.

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oh, it's original little bite. we're off to practice keeping 'em full and focused. yeah, we've got big shoes to fill. this morning in "today's kitchen" lobster rolls. the executive chef for the usta national tennis center overseeing all the menus and

fans for the u.s. open is under way here in new york. it's busy these days running five restaurants, 60 concession stands and 100 suites at the tournament. michael, good morning. i'm exhausted just listing that whole resume. wow. >> yeah. >> i know we're making lobster rolls but i want to talk first about what it's like to do all of those things, to make all of this food for all of these people. what do tennis stars really like to eat? >> just for the tennis stars, they have their own dining room and it's set up in a series of stations. pastas, lean protein, brown rice, smoothies, omelets in the movie. >> dessert -- do they like dessert? >> sushi is big. we added that this year. >> it's all very diet friendly, they have to keep their physiques. >> and they have a lot of different ways they eat, too, so we break it into stations they can pick and choose what they like to eat. >> pretty impressive. our lobster rolls today. this is a signature dish at the open? correct? >> we serve this in suites and in food village so it's served

in a lot of areas. it's been there since i've been a kid going to the event. born and raised on long island it's a signature dish of the event and it's near and dear to me. >> i think a lot of people might like to get it when they go to a restaurant but don't think they can can do it at home. you're here to tell them they can. >> it's really easy. we'll show you how and we have a view variations that would work well. >> let's start. >> do you want to help me with the mayonnaise? we have garlic and i'll add the cayenne. a little garlic, lemon zest. >> is this part of -- i heard there's a lemonioli. >> i put in the cayenne pepper. >> but just a pinch. and this you just do at home very easily and you mix it all up. >> and add it to the lobster. i'll season it. >> and you just boil the lobster and cut it up. >> cook it for about 12 minutes. it might be something, too, people might be intimidated about. you can get it in the seafood

shop or a store cooked already. >> that's easy, then you don't have to boil them. >> you boil them for 12 minutes and let them cool. >> cool. you add it in? >> yep. about half that. >> okay. all right. here we go. so far this looks pretty easy if you can get the lobster already cooked. i'm liking that. >> you keep everything really, really cold. >> okay. >> add a little bit of celery. >> yum. >> tarragon. >> a little pinch? >> and a little extra flavor. like licorice. >> it does smell like that. >> a little chopped romaine to give it a little crunch. >> these buns you toast them in butter. >> clarified butter -- >> what's that? >> clarified butter is where you simmer the butter and it removes the milk solid so it's almost like oil so it won't burn. at home you can do whole butter, too. >> okay. that's great. lots of mayonnaise. you have to like mayonnaise, right? >> and you'll see there's a

little trick with the crab roll so it's not so heavy. >> as you mentioned you have a couple other varieties. if you're not a lobster fan you have the shrimp roll. >> we use the same base. the basics of lobster roll are mayonnaise, shellfish and a soft bun. so this one we added a little safronioli. like a bouillabaise. we have more celery and tarragon. >> same thing, just throw it on a roll. what kind of roll? they are like little pieces of bread. >> they make them and a lot of kids eat them, too. >> put a hot dog in that one, too. i like it. >> again, this is fennel. so that's common. >> all right. >> and a little bit of saffron in there. this is to show a little variation. there's no rules with this stuff. it's whatever you like. >> and then you have a crab roll

and you have a cilantro mint. >> this one we had fun with. so we have the one that is not as heavy because it's half mayonnaise, half sour cream. >> okay. i love the color. >> and then we jazz it up a little bit with some avocado, shaved radish. >> okay. >> and a little bit of micro greens. >> they look like little clovers. which is your favorite? >> this one is. this is created just for the show and people at home just so we can show -- >> speaking of favorites, do you have a favorite to win the u.s. open? >> unfortunately my favorite lost already, roddick. roddick is out already. >> too bad. >> i'll pick another one as we get closer. >> thanks for sharing your u.s. open secrets. it looks fantastic. i'm sure everyone will be flooding the kitchen. >> we have plenty for everybody. coming up next, teen pop sensation miranda cosgrove has one more song out on the plaza. [ male announcer ] when meg whitman arrived at ebay,

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twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. coming up, hoda and kathie lee look at the dating lives of the stars. do they have a harder time finding love? a woman who dropped 150 pounds shares the secrets of her success. but first, one more song, we know you've been waiting for it from miranda cosgrove in concert. ♪ never thought i'd fall in love now i stand corrected ♪ ♪ never thought i'd feel what i feel never been so affected ♪ ♪ now i know what i know ♪ but right now it seems so subjective ♪ ♪ you surprised me

hypnotized me ♪ ♪ found my weakness then you creeped in bam ♪ ♪ took my heart then, bam ♪ oh, you started to make my whole world just explode ♪ ♪ bam, my life has changed ♪ bam, can't concentrate ♪ bam, i was okay until we met that day then ♪ ♪ bam, i am obsessed ♪ bam, can't get nowhere ♪ bam, ever since we met i think i know what love is, bam ♪ ♪ i felt so secure with these walls around me ♪ ♪ boys would take me out but bring me back where they found me ♪ ♪ and there's no harm, no foul ♪ 'cause they never got a chance to know me ♪ ♪ you surprised me

hypnotized me ♪ ♪ found my weakness then you creeped in bam ♪ ♪ took my heart then bam ♪ oh, you started to make my whole world just explode ♪ ♪ bam, my life has changed ♪ bam, can't concentrate ♪ bam, i was okay ♪ until we met that day then ♪ bam, i am obsessed ♪ bam, can't get no rest ♪ bam, ever since we met i think i know what love is ♪ ♪ and if i had to walk a million miles to find your smile i would ♪ ♪ you know i would, babe ♪ and if you took a trip to costa rica and told me to meet you, i would ♪ ♪ bam, my life has changed ♪ bam, can't concentrate ♪ bam, i was okay million we met that day then ♪ ♪ bam, i am obsessed ♪ bam, can't get no rest

♪ bam, ever since we met i think i know what love is ♪ ♪ you surprised me, hypnotized me ♪ ♪ found my weakness then you creeped in, bam ♪ ♪ took my heart then bam ♪ oh, you started to make my whole world just explode ♪ ♪ bam thank you.

good morning, everyone. 9:56 is the time. it is labor day. i hope you have the day off. i'm garvin thomas.

we are going the look at your holiday forecast. if you do have the day off, it is a great day to have it off. we'll have a beautiful one. no clouds in the sky. the weather is phenomenal in the mid-70s along the coast. this is a live look at the bay bridge in san francisco. and it is absolutely lovely outside. in fact, right now we are quite warm. it is 65 in oakland. 65 in san jose. close toll 60 in san francisco. and let's take a look at the first pitch forecast. it will be 81 in oakland at 1:05 when the first ball is thrown out. we'll be in the mid-90s in the inland areas. back to very garvin with the news. police are back in pittsburgh searching for the body of a missing man. it is their fourth straight day looking for frederick solis. he disappeared last week. if his body is found, he would likely be the fifth victim of a killing spree last week. investigators believe they know who is responsible for the

killing spree. they shot and killed the man after a high-speed chase last week. people gathered in baltimore last night to honor cindy tran, ricardo solis and ricardo smart. they want the community to use this as a lesson to reach out no neighbors who are struggling or on the verge of hurting themselves or others. >> we are not here to pass judgment or judge people for what they are doing or have done. we are here to promote peace. >> his life was complex for him and he just cracked. and that doesn't make him a bad person. >> police say two of the victims were romantically linked, but the woman's son says rumors of a

love triangle were false. more local news for you in a half hour. see you then.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello. everybody. it is fun day, monday, september 6th, labor day, unofficial end of summer. >> it's over! >> we have like three more weeks of summer technically. it always feels like it's the end of summer. >> it does. once you hit september, you start to see the leaves change and know summer is in the rear view mirror. it's depressing. >> you know what's depressing? frank and i went for a walk in our backyard and the leaves are

falling before they even turned. they're brown and falling off. something with this past summer. the only way to get through fall is the beautiful foliage. >> that's the fun. >> i know, hoda, once again, things are not turning out the way you want them to. >> i know they're not turning out that way. >> you know i go to the gym. i try to go to the gym everyday. >> you're maniacal and very devoted. >> i'm very conscious about gym locker room exposing. >> yeah. and hygiene. >> and hygiene. number one, they say you can catch a lot of -- >> mostly exposing. >> i'm more scared about being seen without being clothed. >> there are satellites in the sky. >> here's the deal. you can catch some things on your machines, if you don't wash them or put purell. and that i'm moderately concerned about. i go early and try to change fast in case someone's coming because i don't like to be

spotted that way. i'm just amazed at the women who walk right through naked, don't care about anything. they put on their makeup naked, they blow their hair up naked. you don't, you know you don't. >> i've never been naked, my entire life. maybe one of these days, i'll try it out when i'm 95. >> i have to say the confidence of those -- >> that's what i am jealous of. i'm not jealous of much in life. some of the people you see on beaches and stuff -- they don't care, they are just flaunting it, baby! it's attitude. >> there was a woman on one of those ellipticals, i'm just saying she was really huge. i looked at her and she was like this, omp, i wanted to be her. >> can we get a close up? >> omp, it was like this, she so loved herself, she was in -- i wanted to hurry and get out of

sight, move it out. but there's something about that brand of confidence. >> i don't know where they get it. i'm really truly jealous. i would love to have one bit of that kind of confidence. >> there's a gym at 30 rocket and it's odd you often see your bosses. >> jeff comes through stark naked, lifting a few weights, how you doing? great ratings the other day! stay away from your business gym. >> i think if you work out where you work, it's always probl problematic a little bit. >> i got to say. >> i don't know if you guys were traveling this summer. >> the point of the story you were about to tell -- >> the picture -- >> the diseases you can get. >> you can get mursa. >> you can also get athletes foot, boils on your feet. a lot going on. you have to wear flip-flops. they say most women wear flip-flops and don't like to

shower at the gym. i don't mind showering at the gym, i don't. there are separate showers and you shower and get out. >> do you take your cloth and purify everything after you used it for the next person you might give mursa to? i purify from the person who left their leftovers from behind. diet for myself because i can't trust the person did it. >> they should do it for you after you -- excuse me -- i just can't eat cheese. and then you are supposed to be considerate of other people, hoda. >> you have to expect the following person will do it for theirselves. how do they know a considerate person will do it before them. >> let's just talk about ways to offend people in different countries. >> i like that. if you traveled overseas anywhere, sometimes you don't know gestures you should and should not use. >> just a matter of ignorance, you don't know what is considered correct in one society and culture and another. let's give examples.

>> if you are in greece, you are not supposed to thrust your palms like that at somebody because it means -- >> with fingers extended. >> who does that? >> well, the supremes. stop, in the name of love ♪ you cannot go to greece and sing that. >> according to -- you have to be careful. in southern italy, you're not supposed to -- >> like mama. she home to, hoda. >> you're not supposed to stand and talk to somebody if you have jeans on, it means something bad. >> it means -- >> you're threatening to beat them up. in thailand, you're not supposed to point your foot at a person. >> especially if they're an older person. don't you deare point your foot at me. >> the lowest point of life, which is that. don't do that. >> in the uk? >> in the uk, you're not -- you know how this is peace?

it's not fair. in the uk, this is still peace. this, a table for two, that's a no-no. we apologize for the brits watching. >> that's like giving them a middle finger. if you go to bangladesh and who doesn't, don't give them one of these. don't flash. >> that is the double bird. >> we just like to be helpful. >> it's labor day. >> we have trivia. my question is why do we honor labor day? we're honoring the working people in america by people not working. >> that's the whole point. here we go. here's some questions for you. >> which is most of america right now, not working. >> the currently a bore secretary is hilda solis. who was america's first labor secretary. >> did you know that? >> of course i know hilda. we are like that. >> don't do that in greece. >> who was the first? j.p. morgan, george meanie or

frances perkins? >> i will go with frances perkins. frances perkins, appointed in 1933. >> did you cheat? >> no. i thought it was a guy but it was a woman. newly created post. who knew. that's interesting. >> where does the labor secretary stand in the proposal line of succession, a., last, b, 8th, and c. 11th? >> you go this time. >> i might go with 11th. >> it's 11th. >> i wonder what last is. how many are there? >> agriculture. >> when was the water cooler invented? early 1900s, 1920 or 1950? i'm game. i don't even care when it was in presented. >> i'll say 1920. >> i love that. >> that is rude. >> i was going to say early 1900s. >> since it just came up as the winner. i didn't realize that. >> early 1900s. frank would remember.

little joke. so is my mother. >> that's terrible. >> it's not terrible. it's the way you survive in life. if frank can life, you could. makes me want to show the picture of your -- don't even tempt me. >> if your kids are going off to college and they probably come up with their major, these are the lowest paying majors, according to pay scale.com. number 8 on the list is culinary arts. the median pay there is 35,900. >> you won't be ramsey or something like that. >> so the mid-career median pays $50,000, which actually pays 50 grand around the country. >> a lot of people would love it. >> education, 35 thus 100. >> number 6 is horticulture. that starts out at 35 grand. >> i don't know what horticulture is, do you? >> i don't. does landscaper count? >> no. i believe it would say landscaper, hoda. >> i don't know.

it could be a derivation. >> religious studies at 35. >> i import them because they don't make any money at all. >> interior design is $34,000. >> wouldn't that -- let me tell you something, you want grunt work, really hard work? interior design, pew are on your feet all day long and luging samples, tile samples add up. that's a lot of hard work, also rewarding. i could never be an interior designer. >> you know what you like. >> you don't know whsnoknow -- other people like. >> not usually. >> recreation and leisure. i guess camp counselor. $35,000. >> you get to play with other kids and they have runny noses and toot a lot. i'm not sure. >> athletic coaches, $32,000. >> unless you work for the nfl. >> then you're loaded. >> the number one lowest paying position in the country. >> but it may be the most

rewarding. >> is social work, median pay, 31,400. mid-career, $41,000. >> note we did not go into social work. >> all those jobs, you dad said this, too, you do something you love. >> you have to be called to it. people that do social work around our country, god bless them, they're some of this happiest people i know. they work really really hard and they see the reward in the lives of the people that they touch, unlike you and i. >> but a lot of people pick jobs, they took it for the paycheck. that means every other thursday on payday, they're happy and other days of the week they're thinking, i'm trying to grind through this. >> i know a couple of billionaires, i won't name them here, some of the billionaires i know are some of the most unhappy people i have ever met in my life. >> why? >> because it's never enough. it's not ultimately -- it might

make you comfortable but doesn't make you happy. >> that's good advice. >> i should go into social work with billionaires. >> yes, you should. should we talk about our favorite things? >> we have to. for labor day, you brought in -- >> you have yours. >> mine is about labor. this is a bicz-4 roller pen, black ink, $4.94 nor a pack of four. it writes, i do everything with it. i write musicals and books and rewrites and poor christine has to read my scribble. try it, hoda. >> i love pens. >> it writes itself. >> you don't even have to do anything. it wrote my name. it's so weird. i do love that pen. >> all righty. >> i get asked a lot about -- i wear two watches over and over. this is the one i wear most of the time. a jennifer miller watch. it's a little pricey. it's one of those pieces -- i didn't think i would like a big watch on me. i really like it. it's 300 bucks an can get it at

jennifermillerjewelry.com. >> what about you and jennifer, people are talking. >> they should. it's a good deal. >> everything she does is beautiful. she does a lot for charity, too. what is your favorite thing. >> my favorite thing is this cargo eye lighter. you put this little -- you will hate me for shooting it, literally, you dab it on the inside of your eyes. i say it makes me feel like a princess. the words they use on the website is it lightens and brightens and makes your eyes look bigger. >> how come you get it and we don't? >> because i'm hoarding it. >> this is not the only one. >> and you can get murs from it. mursa. whatever you call it. if you put it on naked while you're in a gym. >> terrifying. coming up, bobbie thomas, jill martin, the chef and all

here. >> because they are among our favorite people and will be here with their favorite things. celebrity breakups in the headlines. >> why can't these people just find love? the air. now, febreze gives you a whole new way to eliminate odors and get noticeably longer freshness than a cone. new set and refresh! slide in the cartridge, and click. ♪ the slow release of scented oils provides freshness that lasts 30 days! and set and refresh tackles odors -- so your home stays fresh longer. replace your old cone with febreze freshness. new set and refresh, from febreze! hey, little dude. "dinner's" my middle name. how 'bout some hamburger helper? oh, my, but your mouth is gonna love it. and your wallet's gonna be pretty happy, too. now this is the deal of the day. hamburger helper...one pound, one pan, one tasty meal.

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for better or worse, we all root for celebrity couples to make it but headlines are consistently showcasing big name breakups. >> they are. why don't celebrity relationships last. rob is a celebrity goes stip columnist. hi, rob. 50% of marriages don't work. >> that's with normal pressure. >> when you add celebrity to that mix, it's craziness. this is a hard place to be and fall in love when you're famous. >> do we know the statistics? do we count it as both in it or one? >> that's higher. when both are in show business, the statistics are even higher. the chance of two famous people making it is awfully slim.

>> you're talking about two huge egos. >> not always. >> one huge ego. >> that's rob, okay. >> that's one reason why they don't make it. celebrities are very very full of themselves, very talented, have a lot of people telling them they're very talented. >> selfishness, that's why. >> to get into a relationship like that. a lot of couples don't get together or don't last because of these egos. >> a lot of them that do last or seem to last is one celebrity, matt damon and his wife is not. >> a good example. remember julia roberts dated benjamin bratt. it didn't work out. this relationship looks really solid. >> and the stability of a so-called normal life? >> i think so. also, too, remember it's very difficult to be mr. jessica simpson or mr. reece

witherspoon. >> easier to be mrs. george clooney. >> i think mean have a real trouble even in real life having a relationship with a lady very powerful and successful. in show business, that's even worse when you're carrying someone's purse down the red carpet. >> how do you explain brad and angelina? a huge power couple that works. >> one reason is several, one is they keep out of the spotlight as much as possible. we see them all the time but really only on the red carpet. >> or at airports. >> that's when we catch them. they really have a low-key life out of the camera. >> they live in a high wall. >> that's a problem for celebrities. when he you're single, it's hard to meet a guy or girl, your world is quite closed. they go out to a club, in the vip room and not mingling. >> they're always having their picture taken. >> never. and first dates are hard enough.

if you're in the spotlight, it's difficult. >> that's why i feel bad for jennifer aniston, the woman can't go out on a date. >> men said the spotlight of dating jen is crazy and when you're dating behind closed doors, you can go quite slowly. the moment you're on the cover of "us weekly," you're a couple. >> everyone seems to be dating the same people. remember, it was derek jet jeter -- not derek jeter. >> bradley cooper. >> the world is closed. they really only meet people through work. that's why so many couples hook up on sets. they're not going out that much, do go to clubs, they're really not mingling. >> i think it's a trust factor, too. people that well-known are wondering why you want to be with them. you have a paranoia about you. if you're out with bradley cooper, he's worried about the same things, you can come miss rate about. >> it's like a catch-22. what happens is they date their

own. if you're bradley cooper, you wonder why people are dating you and you date another celebrity. >> wondering why they're dating her. >> then they get married. >> and then they break up. >> and then they date jennifer aniston. >> it's very tricky in hollywood. we all think about being a star and how great it would be. it's really difficult. really difficult. >> who figured it out? who has done it right? >> heidi klum and seal. they are a beautiful couple, try to stay out of the spotlight, have equal levels of fame and works really well. tom hanks and rita. >> why do you think that works? >> i think they met their soul mate. take away celebrity and they really are people. i think when you're best friends, whether or not you're famous or you're not. if you met your best friend, you've made it. >> and you treasure it. >> right.

>> thank you, rob. >> a bit of romance. >> very sweet at the end. >> let's talk about your juicy sex life. >> you know it's good. >> let's talk about that for a while. >> unfortunately, we can't. a few of your favorite things. here they are! ever seen anything like it?

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still to come, the latest inductees of the joy's hit club tells us how she lost 150 pounds. and our regular guests, one thing they can't live without. >> so excited. >> i can't wait. ring ring. progresso.

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everything's fine. [ male announcer ] of all the things that happen on your wooden surfaces, disinfecting has to be one of them. clorox disinfecting wipes. safe on wood. hard on germs. good morning, everyone. the time is 10:26. i'm garvin thomas. i hope you are enjoying your labor day. we have a very nice labor day forecast as well. from the coast all the way inland, it is a beautiful day. a live look at the golden gate bridge in san francisco. look at that, folks. no clouds. they are not going to burn off because they didn't exist today. the numbers are pretty toasty. they have gone up in the last hour. 67 in oakland. 70 in san jose. a big jump up from 24 hours ago throughout the entire area. 14 degrees warmer in livermore.

and we are going up higher from there, the mid to high 90s inland. a the coast. there's more news after the break.

after seven years without any baby flamingos at the san francisco zoo, things have changed. here's a look at three chicks that have hatched over the last few days. and there are more than a dozen eggs left. kurators say it is hard to get flamingos to meat in captivity, but this time they found a strategy that works.

>> we brought in a new group of ten flamingos from phoenix and gave them ten of ours to try to excite the group. it seems to have worked. this pairing of a couple of our birds with theirs have produced chicks this year. >> the new chicks are so popular two male flamingos are squabbling over the babies, both are trying to feed the baby. to celebrate the new arrivals, guests who wear pink get a dollar off the admission price this holiday weekend. the giants are back in it just a game behind the padres in first place. they will spend labor day in arizona. juan uribe provided most of the offense after this two-run shot in the seventh making it 3-0. that's what it ended up being in the final. the giants are taking advantage of the horrendous slump of the padres. they have now lost ten straight games. the padres have led the division almost the entire season with a

6 1/2 game lead on the giants. thank you for joining us this morning. the "today" show continues next. every monday, kathie lee and i share our favorite things with you at the top of the show. we always get a pretty big response so we thought -- >> huge, huge! >> we thought we would do an entire segment based around it. >> we enlisted our regular guests on the show, they feel more like family. >> bobbie thomas, chuck martin, joe rice and the doctor are here to help us out. happy labor day. >> i had to think of my favorite thing and i dug into my underwear drawer. >> of course you did. not surprising. >> this is called a makeup

protector hood. it's not going to look as sexy as i would like it to. >> this is the front? >> you put this on before you get dressed. >> hold on. hold on. >> doesn't everybody. >> how's yours look? >> i think we should rob a bank. >> you put on your clothes but getting your makeup everywhere. and when you take off your clothes at night -- >> i can't breathe. are you claussttrophobic? >> is this for safe sex? >> how much are these? >> $5. you can look it up on google, makeup protector hoods. you pull them over and wipe it off. >> you are the cutest. >> what have we got? >> speaking of safe sex -- no. >> these are eagle eye bracelets to keep away the bad spirits. these are from jennifer miller jewelry.

i know you're a big fan. these, you can put in a gift bag. they're $20, rap them, great for the kids to give away as a give away and they have these bracelets. jennifer made mini hodas because you wear these all the time for kids to wear. >> i got one for hannah, i did. >> everything under $20, jennif jennifermillerjewelry.com. >> mr. knight, what did you bring us? >> this is something i never leave the home without. believe it or not, it is spf 50 plus sunscreen. >> see, people think if you're darker complected like chuck and me, you don't need it. >> i know i'm black, but the sun does not. just because you're black doesn't mean you don't need sunscreen. >> why do you like kiels? >> it's so thin and goes on

without being greasy and you don't know you're wearing it. for me, i'm a man and don't want to feel like i'm wearing makeup like i'm wearing right now. >> you're awfully cute. >> i'm the doctor and need to be healthy. this is my golden snack, golden raisins. i have a sweet tooth. i don't feel like a meal is complete unless i eat something sweet? >> you eat raisins? >> i can't do chocolate chip cookies anymore. i'm not in my 20s. >> get in there. >> i can't wait to get to anthony. i like my grapes fermented. >> there's something else good about these? what is it, fiber? >> a great source of fiber, you're regular and antioxidants and fight cancer. >> thank you. >> they're great. >> and anthony. >> we saved anthony for the last. >> this is a great product.

this is an ear itaerator. you tend to open up a bottle of wine and let it breathe for a while. this allows you to open it up and have it breathe through this unit. >> is it a snorkel? >> a gurrigler. there is a hole on the side everybody need to remember, don't cover it or it will be all over the place. you let this pour through and you will hear -- >> it is gurgling. >> it will aerate. it works, i promise you it works. does it work? >> it works! >> it looks complicated. >> it's wonderful, not expensive, available everywhere, in the $20 range. lastly, this is from the area of piedmont, absolutely delicious. the grape makes it red. and i'll pass it around.

it is a great starter. you know when you go to a party, kathie, you go to a party and don't know what you want to drink, you're starting with something. >> i always know what i want to drink. >> you say, don't have that, have this, $13.50. it is absolutely terrific. 375 and this is the same price. this is a little deeper. >> happy labor day, everybody! >> happy labor day! you like it? >> really good. great starter and finisher. great with desserts. >> that's really nice. but i love you. up next -- >> she went from a size 30. >> yes. >> to a size 6. >> we will meet the latest inductee from the "joy fit club." amazing messages. running there? dancing there? flying there?

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new from pillsbury. time for look at me now, the "joy fit club" and the newest induction, a 47-year-old mother from seattle, washington. >> her name is rose cowen and she lost 150 pounds. before we meet her, here's rose's story. >> my name is rose and for years i lived the life of an obese and miserable woman. at my heaviest, i weighed 310 pounds. i wore a size men's 4 x t-shirt. no matter how heavy i got, i

just couldn't lose the weight. in january, 2006, my doctor sent me to the hospital. i was in danger of having a massive stroke. for the first time, i realized that my fat was not just a layer, that i wore like a big oversized jacket, but it had become invasive and it was actually killing me slowly. the day i got home from the hospital, i put on a pair of my son's old running shoes and i started walking. i researched how people had achieved massive weight loss. and most importantly, how did they keep it off? i had my moment of clarity and decided i love my children more than food. with this mantra, i was able to lose 150 pounds. today, i am the mother of my seven children i always wanted to be both inside and out. >> all right. before we ask rose to come out, we have our wonderful nutritionist, joy bauer here to tell us about her eating habits. >> i love how she said, i love

my kids more than i love food and she said that throughout her entire weight loss journey. one thing i will show you so many people who struggle with their weight can relate to. in her heavier day, she ate nothing during the day. all she did was drink diet soda, nothing. >> she's wondering why the what's not coming off. >> after the kids went to bed, she would eat nachos, ice cream, chips, cookies, refried beans. she was consuming 2400 calories just after everybody went to bed. now, she eats throughout the entire day and addicted to these protein shakes she put together. have a protein shake with beach for breakfast and lunch, protein shake with light dressing and snacks on cottage cheese and beans and peas and the idea is she's fueling throughout the whole entire day. she went from 2400 calories to

1600 calories. >> it adds up. >> you think if you're drinking diet coke the whole day, you can afford fopig out. >> it's the whole mentality. >> it's also full of chemicals. >> we have to cerose. this is rose before. let's see the new you. >> whoa! >> my gosh, wait a second! wait a second! are you serious? >> and you're very different, too. the whole deal is different. how long did it take you to drop all that weight? >> it took me 12 months to lose my first 100 pounds. i continued working. a lot slower. the second year, i lost another 50. >> how did you stay focused, one of the things you could easily fall off the wagon. >> when it hit me the moment of clarity, people talk about, the ah-ha moment, it was a light switch, and akontiously had the idea i love my children more than food. i wrote it on my microwave and

put it on my refrigerator and walked with that thought as a mantra and say no food tastes as good as healthy feels and kept my kids and every moment i could live more and breathe more. >> what do they say to you now? >> it's really funny. i show my kids pictures, heavy pictures, my children are like, mom, you weren't that big. do you think i photo shopped this? >> that's the trouble when you have a lot of weight to lose, it's hard, isn't it? >> yes. i started being only able to walk two blocks because i had a bad back and continued to say, i will win and increased that slowly to where i started walking and running and started switching it up with weights on alternating days. >> you're a rock! >> congratulations. >> good for you. >> if you know someone who should be a member of the "joy fit club," go to our website and

let us know. >> we'll be back with much more on nbc. ♪ this one thing i'll eat, any time of day ♪ pancakes! ♪ from dawn 'til sunset, i'll never walk away ♪ ♪ blueberry pancakes are so good ♪ [ male announcer ] bisquick. pancake lovers unite. hey. dinner. [ male announcer ] of all the things that happen on your wooden surfaces, disinfecting has to be one of them. clorox disinfecting wipes. safe on wood. hard on germs.

that answers the big questions... about cinnamon toast crunch. like, am i gonna bliss out over this? spoiler alert: yes, i will! mmm! mmm! [ gasps ] i'm ok!

mmm! mmm! we're back with today's call of the wild and sea garden's ambassador, julie dar dean -gar. >> and some of the animals she rescued. >> we worked with 18,000 animals. please rescue that one so it doesn't fall off the table there. >> those are gopher it tortoise an endangered species, really important specie, 350 species live at or around the burrows these guys dig. even though these numbers are going down, we're doing everything we can to try to protect them. this one was hit by a car, this

one had to be moved because of a development happening so often. this one and this one will probably, hopefully, be able to be reintroduced back into the wild, find a good place, redig their burrows. trouble is they like living in the same spots as humans like building because it's dry sandy soil. >> we have a lot of that around here. >> okay. >> what do you have there? >> this is olive. she fell out of her nest as a little nestling. many people don't realize most birds don't have any sense of smell. this is a really unique type of bird. they're very very smart. does this remind you of a dog, basically, the way she just went down there and tried to walk herself with that leash. they spend a lot of time on the ground. she will actually go through and dig through sand to find worms. she was rescued and a lot of

people don't realize you can put baby birds back in their nest as long as it is reachable and the momma bird will take them. >> i heard they wouldn't. >> they really don't know, have no sense of smell. look how she's digging in that soil right now for food. isn't that cool? she was taken in by the audubon center for virgin prey. >> wow! >> she is very very attached to people. unfortunately, she won't be able to be -- >> whoa! there we go. she says, leave me alone, i'm digging for food. >> grubbing. >> she's a great ambassador for us, such a unique species, so many people have never seen it before. >> a lot of air-conditioning there. >> the pelican was orphaned as a baby, two to three weeks old. how old do you think she is? >> 10 1/2. >> 6 1/2. >> she is three months old.

>> oh! >> how old is she? >> she is just three months old. birds don't -- people don't realize, birds grow so so fast. karen is her caretaker. look how big her pouch is. it can actually hold three gallons. >> how come she wants to eat me and not the fish? >> she's looking at it. >> that's a 3-year-old -- >> three months. so she does almost all her growing right in the first few months of her life. >> look, it's stuck in there. >> she's trying to get it down. >> a baby bird. >> regurgitated it. >> all the way down. >> it's down but god only knows if it will stay there. it might come back. i'm telling you -- >> look, what's going on here? >> she can stay there if she's

comfortable. >> she's like linda blair and the exorcist. >> she's a great little one. >> nowhere to go. >> another animal -- >> she will fly right off -- >> we actually -- we actually work with local wildlife rehab places as well. these came from bush wildlife sanctuary. if they're not releasable, these are little possums. you know when they're firstborn, you know when they're firstborn, they're the size of tiny little bees. you can fit a dozen of them on a tablespoon. >> they're very rodent looking. >> they're marsupial. >> they look freakish. >> if it's a female, they will have the pouch and the mom can raise 13 at one time. if mom gets hit by a car or chewed by a dog, then basically, we need to come in, take care of them and a lot of them end up as our ambassador animals.

>> thank you, julie. >> thank you very much. >> aren't those the cutest? >> yeah, they really are.

love our sara. it's time for her once again. >> hi. we're talking about people intentionally offending people. connie wrote in when ever she and her husband are eating and get a waiter with a foreign accent and the husband starts to talk unintentionally with that accent. >> that's bad. >> i do that and it mort fis my children. >> you don't mean to. >> i mean to. i studied dialects in college. i love, if there's a russian guy -- speaking russian -- and he doesn't think it's funny. like the dog, i trained that way. >> my mom in brazil, my sister explained you don't use this sign in brazil because it means

a. my mom gets there and the first meal we have, my mom is like, good, thank you, sandy, hey. >> and hilarity ensues. >> we have jamie curtis. >> activia!