good morning. women democrats. president obama hits the road with less than two weeks to go before the election, telling female voters what his policies have done for them. can a reshaped message change the outcome in key battleground states? tight-lipped. brt favre sidesteps questions about what he told nfl investigators looking into suggestive messages and photos allegedly sent to a former employee of the new york jets. this morning, new details on that story. monkey business, a chimpanzee roaming free in a neighborhood. when police tried to catch her, she smashed their car's window. we'll tell you how she got out and how police finally caught

her today, thursday, october and how police finally caught her today, thursday, october 21st, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> in for meredith, i'm ann curry. good morning. president obama is in the midst of a four-day long campaign swing, the longest of the season. >> and his focus is out west, and it could be the best chance democrats have to retain control of the senate. his message is focusing on women voters. do they hold the key to who will win on election night? we'll get the latest straight ahead. also, in this day and age, you would think people would be lining up to just to get any job. when it comes to being the police chief in one of mexico's most dangerous town, no one wanted position.

guess who decided to take it? a 20-year-old college student and mother. find out why she agreed when no one else would, coming up. here's a question for you. do you watch "glee?" >> yeah. >> a lot of people do. one of the most popular shows on television. it's set in a high school. there's plenty of singing. it airs at 8:00, but is it right for families? a lot of people think it's too racy for kids, maybe even for teenagers. we'll have some advice for parents on what their kids should be watching. >> there are other videos that might indicate some of that you're describing. first, the top stories of the morning with natalie morales. welcome back, natalie. >> welcome back. >> thank you. good morning to you all. good morning, everyone. we begin with new and chilling details about a terror plot last year targeting dallas, a plot that ended with a jordanian man being sentenced this week to 24 years in prison. as nbc's miguel almaguer reports, evidence has been released by prosecutors. >> reporter: his anti-american diatribe lasts nearly 6 1/2

minutes, a home video he hoped osama bin laden would see, at one point saying the date of the blessed strike, september 11, was a celebration for us. so let us make another date become a celebration for us that history will mark. a short time later, smadi drove to a dallas skyscraper in a truck he thought was loaded with 550 pounds of explosives. instead, the vehicle and fake bombs inside were decoys given to smadi by undercover federal agents who had been tracking him since he wrote anti-american postings on the internet. >> thank goodness he was found, thank goodness we were able to successfully investigate and put together evidence. >> reporter: an fbi agent was by smadi's side when the jordanian national tried to trigger the fake bombs with a cell phone in 2009. he refused earplugs because he said he wanted to hear the blast. his target, the 60-story

fountain building in dallas was filled with thousands of people. the government called the 20-year-old ice cold, ready to commit mass murder. in court this week, smadi apologized for his actions. he'll now spend the next two decades in prison. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. toyota is recalling 740,000 cars in the u.s., including lexus, avalon, and other models to fix brake fluid and fuel pump problems. toyota has recalled more than ten million cars and trucks worldwide since last year. overseas markets are mostly high they are morning as wall street keeps it's focus on easternings. trish reg sentence at the new york stock exchange. >> good morning, natalie. all about earnings. investors are really hungry for good news on the earnings front. they did get a little after the closing bell from the tech sector, netflix and ebay reporting stronger than expected results. keep an eye on technology today. the other thing to watch, the other companies that will have a big sway on the market include caterpillar and mcdonalds.

these companies rely not just on domestic sales, but international sales, they're a really good barometer of the overall international economy right now. >> we'll be watching. thank you. tonight it's game 5 in the national league championship series was the san francisco giants up three games to one after beating the phillies last night 6-5. in the american league the rangers now lead the yankees 3-2 after a 7-2 win by the yankees on wednesday. game six in that series tomorrow night. and for the playoffs to poodles. you might call it a canine congo line in pennsylvania as some trick dogs put on a show wednesday for spectators in philadelphia. that is talent right there. there you go. 7:05 right now. we turn it back over to matt, ann, and al. >> how do they hold on? >> those dogs are born with opposable thumbs. >> with rhythm.

they're born with rhythm. >> wow. >> why did that come from? that's just weird. >> it's going to be raining cats and dogs, oddly enough. sdoo that's a transition. >> we're going to be stepping in poodles all day. >> to the weather. >> sorry. i couldn't resist. anyway, as we look out to the west, we've got a risk of some strong storms stretching from new mexico into west texas from amarillo down to sanderson and out to roswell. we have showers and thunderstorms already firing up. rainfall amounts generally about one to two inches. especially in northern texas on into oklahoma and here in the east we've got a cool front moving through. that will bring showers into the northeast. rainfall amounts generally an inch to two inches of rain. bigger deal is the temperatures. temperatures anywhere from five to ten degrees below normal. normal. that's what's here's a look at san francisco right now. clouds overhead and plenty of clouds that upon keep the temperatures down for most of

the day. game tim is close to 60 and may have a few sprinkles heading towards the evening thanks to the system you see that brings in a chance of showers late or tonight. temperatures looking at upper 60s and low 60s in oakland and north bay in the 60s and for the weekend, keep the umbrella nearby come sunday. moderate rain moves through the bay area. now to the voice mail left for anita hill by clarence thomas. virginia thomas wants an apology for the sexual harass am allegations hill made against her husband 19 years ago. andrea mitchell has the latest on the story. andrea, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. virginia thomas's surprising voice mail request seeking an apology from anita hill reopened a deep wound in the national psyche reminding us of the raw emotion that clarence thomas's confirmation hearing 19 years ago. leaving her home, anita hill did not want to revisit the feud with clarence thomas and now his

wife. >> i am on my way to teach my class, and i don't have any comment at this point, and i really would like for you to get out of the street, because i don't want anybody to get hurt. >> reporter: virginia thomas, now a tea party activist, acknowledges leaving a voice mail for hill saying, "i would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband, so give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did." thomas says she meant it as an olive branch. hill and her allies call it inappropriate, saying she will not apologize because she told the truth. >> it dredges up, you know, 19 years of what's happened, and it's really unfortunate that we have this bizarre behavior on the 19th anniversary of what was a tragic experience for professor hill. >> reporter: it was nearly two decades ago. a supreme court confirmation hearing that would forever change the way america views charges of sexual harassment.

>> he would turn the conversation to a discussion of sexual matters. >> it is a high-tech lynching for ep ety blacks. >> reporter: virginia thomas, her husband wrote three years ago in his book "my grandfather's son." it hurt me to know that they were being blaired around the world and virginia shared that pain with me. >> reporter: clarence thomas has been the least vocal of the justices since his confirmation hearing, but his wife is outspoken and unusually partisan for a supreme court spouse. a high-profile fundraiser for the tea party movement and other conservative causes. >> washington is sick. it's corrupted. there's a bubble over it. >> reporter: her sharp criticism over president obama and refusal to disclose her donors has gotten attention. 11 days ago on the front page of the "new york times". that story appeared on the 19th anniversary of her husband's senate showdown with anita hill. that same morning virginia thomas called hill's office.

>> i don't know whether the story, you know, had anything to do with provoking her to call, but it's an interesting coincidence. >> reporter: the controversy interrupted the secluded life hill now leads at brandeis university. >> the matter has already moved past us. >> reporter: before learning that virginia thomas was, indeed, the caller and not a prankster, the university had called in the fbi. now the fbi says there is nothing to investigate because no crime was committed. so we are left with a story about the deeply personal and long-lasting effects after public humiliation years after. >> that's right. andrea mitchell, thank you so much for explaining it all to us this morning. it is now 7:10. here's matt. >> all right, ann. thanks very much. now to politics. with just 12 days left until the midterm elections, president obama is in the middle of his longest campaign swing yet. nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd has details on that. chuck, good morning to you.

>> well, good morning, matt. the president is out west today trying to help democrats hang on in some reliably blue states with the house, of course, on the brink for democrats. the white house has hoped for any "victory" on election night is simply saving the senate. that begins and ends with senate seats out west. >> reporter: the president began his four-day western campaign swing in portland, oregon, a state where democrats could be in trouble. >> nationally if they win this election, the chair of the republican campaign committee promised to pursue the exact same agenda that they did before i took office. >> reporter: this trip is the white house's attempt to build a western firewall to protect the democratic majority in the senate. if the party can hold washington, california, and nevada, the republicans cannot win back senate control. part of that strategy, the president plans to focus on women. today arguing in a new report that his policies have helped

women get through the recession. >> we know we've got a lot of work to do, but theç economy i growing again. >> reporter: the white house denied publicly that today's focus on women and the economy is political, but with democratic senators patty murray of washington and barbara boxer of california in tough battles, it's not hard to make the connection. according to the latest nbc news-wall street journal poll, women -- just 51% are more enthusiastic about voting this year, while 62% of men say they are. hoping to increase those numbers last week, the president was in pennsylvania trying to fire up democrats, and it seems to have worked. in the hotly contested senate race, both parties nowak knowledge republican pat toomey's lead has nearly vanished. >> the pennsylvania u.s. senate debate. >> reporter: wednesday night the two disagreed over government bailouts and social security, and the most heated exchange was over federal funding for abortion. >> the extreme view is the view

held by the tiny minority in congress in pennsylvania and american society that believes there should be no restrictions whatsoever. taxpayers should fund abortions as joe add slow indicates. >> i voted against taxpayers fund it, and you know it. >> no, you did not. when you are being dishonest, joe, i'm going to call you on it. >> congressman, may i have my time back? >> go ahead. >> i voted against it. >> joe, you just seriously are misremembering or simply are being dishonest. >> reporter: well, in fact, both men are right, and both men are wrong. joe voted for the health care law that did not include federal funding for abortion, but congressman did not vote for the called so-called stupak amendment and what was added to the health care law before the second time that congressman voted. at this point, matt, i turn it over to you to figure out from both candidates where they stand on that. >> thanks, pal, for that. chuck todd in washington this

morning. chuck, thank you very much. as chuck just mentioned, the senate race in pennsylvania, one of the tightest in the nation. both candidates, democratic congressman and republican are with us this morning. gentlemen, good morning. we will begin with you. >> great, thank you. >> all right. i'm going to go past the funding on abortion issue, and i'm going to move into this race in general. it's seen as somewhat of a bellweather on the eastern coast for what might happen to democrats across the country. a pollster in your state says this is idealogical trench warfare. is in a the way you see it? >> no, absolutely not. look, you saw last evening when sarah palin, who hadz endorsed congressman toomey, someone two comes in -- in fact, dick armey said he was the founder, the father of the tea party movement. we have somebody who is really extreme that believes, for example, corporations should pay

no taxes and he says in his book it's an unfortunate tendency. the military after 31ç years, what we bleed around liberals. we don't breed conservatives. we breed problem solvers. i had to go to washington the year the recession began and fix the problem he left behind by doubling our debt. >> last night in the debate on a number of occasions you use the name christine o'donnell in the same sentence with mr. toomey, and are you trying to do some labelling here. christine o'donnell is not running in pennsylvania. she's running in delaware. why do you keep trying to draw her into this race? >> well, because when congressman toomey was a lobby gist for clubs for growth, the wall street founded firm, actually it was called club for shrinking by many because he went out there with personal attack ads, mainstream republicans. if that senate continues to get people like a team toomey,

o'donnell, someone who actually believes that you should kick out of your own party mainstream republicans, how is he going to work with the rest of us? that extreme view that has no defense, we can't have in the senate that is already pretty broken. it will go into a deep freeze if he gets there where he actually wants to kick out mainstream republicans. >> you have a bit of a problem here. i mean, mr. toomey spent ten years in congress, and, yet, he -- you have spent three years in washington, and people are calling you a washington insider. how did that happen? >> well, actually not in pennsylvania, as you well know. from the president on down, they try to set me to sit down in the primary when they endorse the establishment in washington and harrisburg also. they said, hey, sit down. don't run against senator specter. i am talking to you now because i bucked the party. i'll always be an independent like i was in the military. i will always side with pennsylvanians and what's needed for them. these are tough problems we have

from immigration to how do we have an energy policy, to how do we compete with china? all congressman toomey seems to say is let's go back to the past which got us into this mess. nto. >> let me move on then. congressman ses ttak, thank you for your time. i want to move onto mr. toomey. good morning to you. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> you had a six or seven-point lead in this race not that long ago. most polls say it's a dead heat. what happened? >> actually i think it's always been a close race. it still is a close race. i need to correct you on something. you said that i served for ten years in congress. that's not true. i pledged to serve no more than three terms in the house. i served three terms and then i left the house. >> i should have said almost. i apologize on that. >> that's all right. >> you have a good deal of backing from the tea party. dick army who is one of the organizers of that party said when george w. bush backed arlen specter, moderate republican over you back in 2004, you being

a fiscal conservative, that the tea party was born. are you happy with that description? >> i think dick army is entitled to his opinion about that. here's what's really going on, right? the tea party movement is a group of ordinary americans who are very worried about this country's future. they see too much growth in government. too much spending. a staggering amount of debt and they are worried about the future of our country. i've been fighting against too much spending when i was in congress. i've been worried about the level of debt. i've been supporting a free enterprise system for a long time. >> when you have been critical of mr. sestak for endorsing president obama's stimulus plan, $29 billion of that stimulus money went into pennsylvania. some of it created some jobs there. would you have turned that money down? >> i think that stimulus bill absolutely did not work at all. they told us unemployment rate wouldn't go above 8%. it went to 10%.

joe sestak voted for everything that's come down the pike. he lies about my background because he can't defend the record he has of voting with nancy pelosi on everything, stimulus, cap and trade, government run health care and only criticism is that these things don't go far enough. joe is way outside of the mainstream of pennsylvania and that's why he's got a problem here. >> you picked up an endorsement yesterday in your senate race from sarah palin who mr. sestak mentioned earlier. do you like that endorsement? will that help you? >> i have endorsements from republicans all across the country and pennsylvania and independents and democrats. joe sestak can't defend his own record so he wants to run against somebody else. he's not going to be able to get away with that. >> are you going to win this race? >> yeah, we're going win. >> mr. toomey thank you for your time. it's 19 minutes after the hour. once again, here's ann. it was a job south of the border that no one else wanted. the police chief of a mexican border town where drug wars are

raging. you will never guess who just stepped up to accept the position. here's nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: this 20-year-old college student and mother might be the bravest mother in mexico these days or perhaps as some worry the most fool hearty. she's agreed to become the police chief of a tiny town. in a news conference, she said i accept because i like the project. i want to cooperate. i want to live with my people, my family, my community. but the town mayor sitting by her side said it was a job no one else wanted. it is just down the road from el paso, texas. it's considered the most dangerous city in the world now because of the drug related murders there. 2,800 last year alone. >> most by now have witnessed a

killing, an execution, a body found in an alley or a ditch or street and i think they are traumatized. >> reporter: other villages nearby have become ghost towns. the residents pushed out by traff traffickers. it this woman says she's too young to be police chief but she won't be intimidated and wants her son to grow up in a safe town. she also says she won't fight drug trafficking leaving that to other authorities. instead she'll concentrate on crime prevention in a region where crime is out of control. for "today," mark potter, nbc news. >> and just ahead, new details on the sexual harassment scandal involving brett favre and how he's now met with nfl investigators and the woman who allegedly received suggestive texts and photos has lawyered up. this is "today" on nbc. and i approved this message. he worked his whole life, served his country

defending our freedoms, and depends on social security. so, who would want to privatize it? corporate lawyer david harmer. harmer's social security privatization plan would cut guaranteed benefits and gamble with social security on wall street. while we worry, harmer's wall street friends would make billions in profits from privatization. david harmer. a social security privatization plan we can't afford. ♪ they've all been wearing shirts ♪ ♪ which caused a trend alert ♪ and everyone ♪ saw everybody ♪ tell'em all ♪ tell'em something, where to go and what it's all about ♪ ♪ tell them how to feel when they shout it out ♪ ♪ tell everybody else ♪ and everyone ♪ tell everybody else

coming up, news you won't want to hear. why you'll pay more out of your own pocket for health insurance. and a chimpanzee caught on tape and the damage she caused. with patented sonic technology philips sonicare is the number 1 recommended power toothbrush by dental professionals it's no wonder philips sonicare is the toothbrush america loves switch now and if you're not 100% satisfied, we'll give you a full refund.

and the life you want to live. with rheumatoid arthritis, there's the life you live... fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic medicine for ra. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, and other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis. ask your doctor if you live or have lived in an area where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure,

or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. and help bridge the gap between the life you live... and the life you want to live. time is 7 tim time 26. we have an update on the breaking news. san jose police are still on a standoff with a shooter on king road and seminole way. bob redell has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. this is over three hours now that police surrounded a man wanted for attempted murder. he is a 34-year-old man from san jose. take a live look for a better sense of the perspeckive. this is a couple of blocks in a car right now. he has been there since after 4

this morning. police tried to arrest him and there was a shootout. 40 to 50 shots and flying glass hurt officer and sent him to the hospital. he is expected to be okay. was the suspect hurt? he has been crying out for help and officers have been trying to coax him to come out, but that has yet to happen. he is surrounded. about 15 people have been evacuate fride va evacuate friday their homes.

we want to update your commute with ways around the standoff. >> if actually actually takes you to 101, don't do it. to the south or the north or the 680. the slowing on 101, the typical pattern and avoid the surface streets. actually is the king for the time being. >> more local news in a half hour. the "today" show in less than a minute.

7:30 on a thursday morning, the 21st of october, 2010. i see smiling faces out on rockefeller plaza. overcast morning here in the northeast. hopefully it gets better. not too cold out. nice day for them to be out there. we'll go out and say hi in a couple of hins. inside studio 1a. matt lauer with ann curry, filling in for meredith this week. is too tham it's that time of year again. we're talking about open enrollment for health insurance. the cost has gone up significantly and many people are discovering they are paying more in 2011. what can we do to lower our costs? something people don't like to think about?

there are stat iflt -- statistics that indicate people spend more time planning a vacation or cell phone plan than they do on their health insurance. not a good idea in this economy, matt. >> we'll talk about that also. a police officer in missouri in need of a new windshield after his vehicle was attacked by a chimpanzee. that will leave a mark. coming up, more on the rampage and how the chimp was eventually captured. >> look at that. a pretty strong guy. you may love them but are shows like "glee," too racy for children? what to do if your 6-year-old wants an ipad. coming up advice for parents on what's age appropriate and what's not. >> first, new details on the nfl's investigation of brett favre over sugt suggestive messages and photos he allegedly sent a former jets employee. >> reporter: good morning. brett farve himself has officially met with investigators.

they want to know what really happened here. did he in fact send her those nude pictures and voice mails and invite her up to his hotel room? she's hired a lawyer and brett favre tries to focus on football. >> that's a lyieague issue. >> reporter: brett favre stayed on message. >> once again, you know, i refer that to them. i just know that my focus is on green bay. once again, you know, that's a league issue. >> reporter: that is the ongoing nfl investigation into his alleged sexting scandal with this former model who appeared in "playboy." jenn sterger met favre in 2008 when she worked as a sideline reporter for the new york jet. favre was the quarterback. the report is he got interested

and started leaving her suggestive voice mails. >> i'm going back to the hotel to just chill. send me a text because i'll be in the building for a couple of hours. love to have you come over tonight. >> reporter: sterger was sent texts with nude photos of man's private parts. nbc news haven't been able to verify the authenticity of the photos or voice mails. favre's image is a league staple and until now was pristine with lucrative endorsement deals. sterger now hosts a cable sports show won't comment but she just hired a lawyer. >> there are two possible reasons she's hired a lawyer. number one, the nfl is investigating and high profile investigation it's nice to have a lawyer. number two is that she might be

considering a lawsuit against brett favre or the jets for sexual harassment. >> reporter: sterger's manager says there's been no discussions about a financial settlement and still trying to decide if she'll meet with the nfl. favre met with the league this week and with everything swirling, he still kept it light wednesday joking about his age. >> i look old, gray and weary. crow's feet and that stuff. >> reporter: the nfl is digging deep for information here. the website that first broke this story with the photos and voice mails now reports the same nfl investigator who interviewed brett favre this week reached out to them asking for the source of their materials but that website says they won't give that up. >> jeff rossen for us on this story. appreciate it. let's get a check of the weather now from al.

>> good morning, everybody. i want you to meet this young lady. what's your name? >> joy casino. >> you were away during world war ii. thank you for your service. you used to come up to new york and stay at the uso. god bless you. thank you for being here. we salute you. guess what? las vegas, nevada, yesterday, they got heavy rain up to a foot and a half to two feet of water in streets knocking out power to over 5,000 people. a real mess there. and as we look at what's going on down in the caribbean, could have a real mess as well. we've got tropical depression number 19 if it becomes a storm could be richard. 160 miles south-southeast of grand cayman. we don't know where this thing is going. could affect the gulf coast. afternoon temperatures 40s and 50s throughout the northeast on into the great lakes. 80s through the gulf coast. 70s out west. and afternoon weather for you

today, plenty of sunshine here in the east and what rain moves in later and sunshine through the gulf coast and slight risk of strong storms texas on into new mexico. that's what's going on around the view from san bruno over to san francisco, we have clouds to start off the morning and drizzle or mist at times all the way through about lunchtime. offshore we have the system approaching weakening as it arrives closer to the bay area. with that for the north bay areas north of san francisco, we see a chance of showers. your seven-day forecast brings in a much better chance of substantial rain for the weekend on sunday across the north bay. that's your latest weather. now back5tt to ann. now to a chimpanzee who got away from his owner and got away on tape.

>> the chimp wreaked havoc, trying to get in one house and pounding on vehicles and even tangled with the cops. the 300 pound chimpanzee escaped from its owner and ran rampant through a kansas city neighborhood. suko, the chimpanzee is lovingly called sue by her owner. but on tuesday, sue scared her neighbors. >> the chimpanzee comes out of nowhere, and i'm thinking, get to the house. >> reporter: sue also made a house call. >> really loud, we're like, what's going on, looking through this window and the next thing he comes over here and tries to open up the door. he does and opens it up and starts doing this. i ran in and locked the door real quick. >> jumped on the car, looked through the window and started punching the sunroof. >> he's a smart monkey, smiling and laughing and starts pointing at us and gets down and starts running and ran and jumped to tanya's car and opened up her

door and she got out. >> reporter: tanya's car wasn't the only one damaged. after pushing a trash can down the street, sue climbed on to a police car. the officer jumped inside for protection, and, pow, sue smashed in the windshield. the dashcam captured sue's rampage before giving up on the police car and running into a field. animal control fired a tranquilizer shot. psewas not hit but she ran for the trees. her owner was able to calm her down and get sue under control. >> sue's owner said he locked the chimpanzee in a semi tractor-trailer parked in a vacant lot and somehow sue escaped and he was cited because in kansas city, it's illegal to have a chimpanzee in city limits and soon sue will have a new home at the kansas city zoo, where she belongs. >> thanks. the rising cost of health insurance, why you could be shelling out a lot more for your

health coverage next year. ♪

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employees to choose or make changes to insurance benefits and many people are discovering they will have to pay more in 2011. we have details on this. gene, good morning. first, let's explain, if you could, the despairty in the numbers. the cost of health insurance is up over 14% from last year, about $4,000 a year, though the cost to employers is up 3%. what's happening here? >> it's not a $4,000 increase. let's make that clear. that's the total cost of family care. what's happening is that employers are passing along more of the cost of health insurance to you and your family. >> and they're allowed to get away with doing that because? >> because they are saying, where he can't afford it right now, the economy is bad. if we want to continue to offer health benefits to our employee, you, the employee will have to foot more of the bill. >> if this trend continues, the cost for employees could actually rise again significantly in the coming year. >> that's actually what we

expect, employers will continue to move along some of the costs, which makes it very, very important for you to shop for the right plan. >> let's talk about the right plan. that's really the thing. people don't want to think about this. there was some statistics that indicated people actually spend more time planning a vacation or choosing a cell phone plan than talking about these options but they really have to think about it. you single out coinsurance, where you pay a percentage of the overall cost, versus co-pays you pay a flat rate. >> this is one of the big changes we're seeing in the plans, employers are putting in these coinsurance premiums. you go to the doctor, $200, rather than paying a flat $20 or $25, you might be paying 10 to 30% of that. 20% of that $200, that adds up over the cost of 10 visits, 20 visits a year. >> you also have tips including starting with weighing all the costs. >> you have to look at not only the premium you're asked to pay, what has the deductible, what's the coinsurance, the co-pay,

cost of insurance. look at how often you went back to the doctor last year and see what it would cost you this year in the plans you're being offered. >> i can hear people thinking, oh, gosh, sounds like a tedious thing. >> it will be a little bit of work, i will not kid you. >> what's the game? >> the gain is you could ends up spending significantly less. make sure you are paying for health care you're actually using. one suggestion we have for people is look at less expensive plans. that may mean a health savings account which allows you to put away pretax money to fund a fatter deductible but you will have a lower premium cost down the line. a good option for younger people and healthy people. >> you also say spouses should look at each other's plans, especially now. why especially now? >> changes are not coming consistently via employers. if my spouse has a plan, his might be cheaper to cover me, cover our family than mine. you might want to divide and

conquer, you stay on your plan, i'll stay on mine. you have to go through all the things you're being offered to figure out what makes sense. >> you talk about changes. how much does the health care legislation affect this? >> a bit. employers are having to cover people, depends up to age 26, having to cover for well care. it is affecting it some, but it is not everything but some is employers affected by the economy. >> you want to talk about new rules concerning what's called flexible spending accounts. >> under the new health plan, you're allowed to use dollars in your flexible spending account. 85% of large employers have these to pay for things like deductibles and co-pays. that's a benefit. if you put it in pretax, you can save one-third off your bill. you have to remember, this is use it or lose it money. if you put in too much, you will lose it in the back end. try too figure out what your health care costs are before you fund that account.

>> figure it out. it could save you hundreds, thousands? >> possibly thousands. >> thank you very much. up next, the roman coliseum opens its gladiator dungeon to the public for the first time. we will take you inside, right after this. it's our honeymoon.

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to a place many have heard of but few seen, the place where gladiators fight. in rome on a very cool assignment, michelle, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. it's breathtaking even to imagine the scale of what went on here. sometimes they would flood the coliseum to reenact sea battles, they'd bring in wild exotic animals, gladiators, all this put together nearly 2,000 years ago, from the stone tunnels

painstakingly built underneath. the coliseum still captures human awe and horror. >> it's great but at the same time, horrifying. >> reporter: inspiring plenty of modern imagination. before the gladiators clash, before the wild beasts were loose, before 50,000 screaming fans, it was all set up way down he here. >> lots of people going up, up and down, animals. they'd be waiting down here to perform. this was a place where you really can feel fear, because animals and people knew that probably, they would die. >> reporter: the gladiator, some slaves fighting for a chance at freedom, prepared for that moment here. tunnels and stairwells,

perfectly pieced together. >> this is the original floor we have. >> reporter: nearby, the cages for lions and bears, dozens of pullies would lift them up through trapdoors and wooden stage floor. there's even a natural spring for a sewage system that, yes, still works. and fed the private lake of the bloodthirsty emperor, nero. >> it's strange to imagine nero was here. >> he was swimming here. >> reporter: if these walls could talk, what kind of emotion would they tell us about? >> very difficult for people now, very dramatic. i think we cannot imagine the way of life. >> the emperors knew how to rule and keep the masses from thinking and give them bread and circuses. >> reporter: and not far away, gladiator school, gives an all

too up close feel. >> i won't let you push me around anymore. if sword and shield don't grab you, turn your back, a trident and neck. >> away! . just a tiny taste of the savagery that was. in this now eerie monument and some of the most silent spaces, and the emotion. there's a medieval saying when the coliseum fell, the world would end, now modern romans, to enormous expense are preserving it to keep it standing for everyone. >> we have to give a thumbs down to your gladiator fighting there. >> reporter: i'm doing sideways. >> i don't know. you didn't look like you were into it that much.

>> reporter: when you can't lift the sword or the shield. >> not good. kind of leaves your head exposed. michelle, thanks very much. coming up. what about watg "glee"? ♪ [ female announcer ] nutri-grain -- one good decision... ♪ ...can lead to another. ♪ ♪ ...made with real fruit and now with more of the whole grains your body needs. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day. nutri-grain can help you

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time is 7:56 and another update on breaking news. police are in a standoff with a shooter near king and seminole way. bob redell is moving, getting closer to this car in question where the suspect is holed up. he is joining us by phone. >> the suspect is still hunkered down in this red car where he has been for almost hours now wanted on attempted murder. san jose police tried to arrest him. we are trying to arrest him this morning when this man allegedly pulled out a go uh and started firing on police. flying glass hurt one officer and he is in the hospital expected to be okay. not clear whether this man has been hurt. we understand at one point he

was yelling for help. police told him to come out and drop his weapon and he has not done that. they still have him surrounded. not clear on the communication going on, but part of the neighborhood, 15 people have been evacuated as they wait for police to handle the situation. today in the bay. we will have more news after this.

know update on the commute. a sigalert in sunol. >> three southbound laning blocked coming in past the express lanes that tied things up and only left about 15 minutes, enough to make the back up go past 580 to the scene. highway 84. we are sorting out things on the express lane. we have another incident on the peninsula side of the bridge. two lanes are blocked on westbound 92 on foster city boulevard. that is causing a distraction and a slow drive over to the peninsula. >> more local news in a half hour. see you in a bit.

we're back now. 8:00 on a thursday morning. the 21st day of october, 2010. kind of an overcast day in the northeast. we have a really big crowd of nice people gathered on our plaza, one man doing a pantomine thing, saying you're engaged. is that it? you're married? cool. talk to you in a second. meanwhile, here they are, newlywed couple or newly engaged couple? >> newlyweds. >> newlywed. there you go. i'm matt lauer in with ann curry while meredith is taking time

off. we ask these questions all the time, what is the appropriate age for our children to do certain things? for example, what about watching the very popular show, "glee," about high school. is it for high schoolers, children's younger than teenagers? what about shows like "hannah montana," do they feature -- >> what about technology? what's the right age to use certain high-tech gadgets, we'll talk about that in this half hour. we will meet a woman who made a very bold decision and battling cancer and decided to have a head shaving party and didn't want her little girl to see her hair fall out while going through chemo. she was very emotional but taking charge the only way she could. a lot of parts of cancer is going to the doctor, but hard to talk about the emotional changes and dr. nancy will speak on

that. and every year, we throw a heck of a party around halloween. this year, no exceptions. if you're in the area, rest up, join us on the plaza for our annual costume contest. that's coming up. there's a blast from the past. >> oh, no. >> that's the first one. >> there's a problem with that. it lasts forever! >> happy halloween today. >> why the way, a little piece of business. the economy is in trouble, a lot of people are hurting. but remember we had the neiman marcus christmas book on. one of the big items was the 2011 chevy convertible, 111 made, $75,000 apiece. when they went on sale, all 100 sold how long? >> 180 seconds? >> three minutes. >> you got to be kidding me? >> 100 of them sold in 3

minutes. $75,000 a pop. >> oh, my gosh. somebody has some change. all right. let's get a check of the news, shall we? we have natalie morales at the newsdesk. >> good morning. president obama campaigns in washington state and california today where democratic senators are in tight reelection races. the president is now focusing on women voters as democrats struggle to preserve their senate majority. in last night's senate debate, joe sestak and republican pat toomey portrayed each other as extreme and out of touch with voters. the fbi has released chilling evidence in the plot to blow up a dallas skyscraper. videotape reveals would be bomber smadi was more beloved to him than his own parents. smadi from jordan even took a photo of the office building he bombed that turned out to be an fbi decoy. he pleaded guilty and sentenced this week to 24 years in prison. wednesday marked six months

since the deep water horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and triggered the worst offshore oil spill in history. it polluted the gulf of mexico. a judge raised bail monday for the missing mother of a girl calling her a flight risk, and saying she wrote a misleading letter. and they released a photo of her stepdaughter, last seen in public more than three weeks ago. a kidnapped worker was released and in good health by his captors. local leaders negotiated the release and no ransom was paid. a harvest of good health as first lady, michelle obama picks veggies from the white house garden. the big stars were the sweet

potatoes, one of them weighing more than four pounds. that is a sweet potato. 8:05 now, time for a check of the weather and al. "today"'s weather brought to you by advil. make it your number 1 choice. good morning. we have friends here from green bay. >> yeah, packers. >> how they doing this year? >> yeah! >> all right. do it all together. let's check your weather on what's happening. huntsville, alabama, waff. sunny and mild, 78 degrees, nice there. not so nice here. we have showers working their way in all around and have that pesky upper low in the southwest causing big problems, plus flooding yesterday in las vegas. strong storms, texas to new mexico today, rain and snow showers in the northeast. tomorrow, we have snow showers

in northern new england and risk of strong storms, texas to nebraska and sunny and mild mid-atlantic states through the southwest. we have a birthday girl right here. what's your name? >> tory. >> happy this just in from our traffic center, we have big problems here. westbound sanateo bridge. an accident on the foster city side being cleared. you can see the backup trying to head westbound. another alternate could be the dunbarton bridge for you. showers across the north bay and approaching san francisco later this evening. rain not too heavy out there. keep the umbrella on stand by. heavier rain this weekend. especially in the north bay on sunday. we have a cutie right here. what's his name? >> his name is jack. >> and you have one on the way.

congratulations. oregon, the number one ranked team has a big game tonight, not to play favorites, but, go ducks. coming up, talking about singing and dancing that airs at 8:00. but is "glee" too racy for our children? coming up after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol® to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil®. what if something bad happens? so what happens if someone gets my credit or debit card and buys a ton of stuff? that would be... really, really bad. [ male announcer ] with bank of america's zero liability guarantee,

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♪ ...is folgers in your cup man: everybody knows you should save for retirement, but what happens when you're about to retire? woman: how do you go from saving to spending? fidelity helped us get to this point, and now we're talking about what comes next. man: we worked together to create a plan to help our money last. woman: so we can have the kind of retirement we want. now, you know how this works. just stay on the line. oh, yeah. fidelity investments. turn here. michelle. we're back now at 8:10 with parenting today. when is it okay for your child to watch certain television show, say for example the popular show, "glee," it has dancing and airs 8:00 in the evening, so-called family hour but is it really a good show for

everyone. t from weekly magazine and the psychologist and contributor to health guru.com, good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> this show has a lot of buzz, "glee," let's start there. 8:00 hour, singing dancing, high school students, is it a family show? >> "glee," there's a misperception about it. it is a family show but a family show for the middle to upper teenagers in the family and adults. it's a very sophisticated, very racy satire about life in high school. it's not high school musical. >> what is the target audience for the show. what do the producers think the target for the show is? >> i think upper teens, 17 -- really, 18-49 is who they want to reach. 18-30 who is they're speaking to. >> if you're the parent of a 12, 13-year-old out there and they say all my friends are watching

"glee," jeff, this is one of those opportunities for good parenting, you have to sit down and watch the show and make an individual decision. >> as a matter of fact, the producers of "glee" have said that. they want the parents to sit down with their kids and explain some of the more adult situations and even the satire it seems a lot of adults are not picking up. my family, i have a 7, 8-year-old, 17-year-old, and they all watch "glee." >> no problem with the younger ones watching "glee"? >> no. i sit down and watch it with them. of course, i have to have a shot of scotch to watch it. >> if a parent decides the show is not age appropriate for their child, that 12, 13-year-old, do they owe their child and explanation as to why? >> they should talk to them about it but shouldn't make a big deal about it. the more you put it down, the more they're going to watch it. if you want -- >> like colombntraband. >> exactly interor substitute

something else they can watch. >> "glee" is not a y7 show, like ike harley would fit into that group. how do you think parents would handle that situation. that's an interesting case. those shows on nickelodeon and disney channel have teen stars much older than a lot of their fans, when they're 17, 18, 19 years old, they will engage in professional or personal behavior -- >> outside the show. >> you have to explain to the kids. >> provocative behaviors and videos, as we've seen with miley cyrus. we're finding her fan base, were the tweeners are now dropping out. she's graduating up but we want to stay with what we see on "hannah montana." >> even my 4-year-old watches those shows and is interested in them. i'm not quite sure why because the other kids are seeing it. he likes watching it. >> my kids pick up this sassy thing, sarcastic thing, not that

that's the worst thing in the world, but not what a lot of parents want. computer magazine nominated the apple ipad as the children's toy of the year. you know what caught my attention on this. that thing conferences a lot of money for a children's toy. >> absolutely. i hear very few parents actually buying the device just to give their kids. it does happen. it's helped my son how to read and identify colors. but it's up to the parent to control the content that's on the device. you can't just hand it over, you have to check the settings. even google has settings. you have to make sure the content is appropriate for your child. >> i think you're making a great argument for apple to sell more of these things. technically, you don't want to hand your child your ipad. >> that's true. >> you have things on your ipad that might not be appropriate. >> you don't want them to break out in song. there are school districts around the country now getting these ipads and putting them for kids to be able to use and learn, kids with disabilities,

adhd, focussing better. the problem is what you said, the cost, they don't have enough of them in each school to go around. >> we don't have a label on technology, like we have a label on movies and tv shows. >> and the parent has to be the label maker and they have to reinforce it. easy to hand over the pacifier and be like, here, hang out for a second. it's our responsibility to take it away after an hour. you can't let them play all day. >> it's our responsibility as a parent to play with them with this thing. a lot of these programs require the supervision of a parent to show the kids how to use it and interact with one another. >> jeff, are you kidding? my kids see something like that, they know how to use it, like dna. they know right off the bat. i'm the one who needs the lesson on the thing. thank you very much. coming up next, a brave woman's choice to take control after being diagnosed with breast cancer. i will share her story right after this. ♪ i loved you, sweetness

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this morning on "today"'s health, taking control. hair loss is one of the emotional challenges that often comes with breast cancer treatment. we recently met a woman who decided to beat her treatment to the punch by getting her head shaved. here's her own story in her own words. >> my name is meredith israel. i was 35 when i was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. when you are told you will go to chemotherapy, the first thing you think about is losing your hair. i decided i would shave my hair off on my own terms. i wanted to be in control because the cancer had won everything else so far. i decided to have a head shaving party with some survivors and my family.

>> i will cut the ringlet off. >> we put out food, we talked. i don't know, the room just felt so surrounded with love. >> i had a good cry in my shower this morning, i didn't want to wash out the tham spoo. >> i just remember seeing the hair and ponytails. >> that was my hair! >> it was really tough day. i love my hair. hair makes you feel pretty. >> you have a great head shape. >> do i? >> yeah. >> i was washing it in the shower. >> within two weeks, it will be all gone. walking into a room where there was a mirror was just scary. >> it's horrible. my big guest thing about losing my hair was my daughter. i didn't want to scare her. i needed to still be her mommy. your partner will still look at you as you're beautiful. i have no regrets i did it this

way. this is me. >> and meredith israel is joining us now along with dr. nancy snyderman. welcome to you both. just watching that makes you relive all of this. before we get to that, how are you doing now? >> i'm okay. i have a new tumor in my liver and i'm on chemo, two weeks on, one week off. but i live my day, it's normal, i get tired and otherwise, i'm alive and i keep going. >> this head shaving party, you say you have no regrets about it. but watching you go through it, it clearly represented more than just to lose your hair. it seemed to represent something deeper. what is that? >> i wanted to do it. i have a 3-year-old. i didn't want to scare her. emotionally, i did not want to have my hair shedding. i think for women, people don't realize how hard it is to lose

their hair. so i just wanted to tell women we could do this and it's hair and it's a hard day, but i wanted to do it my way. i did not want to wake up. at this point, since my hair is currently shedding now, i, every morning wake up to the words, mommy and immediately feel my head to say, when will i have to shave it again. to tell women of all ages, you can do it. it grows back, as much as it makes you self confident, it doesn't identify who you are. >> not like it gives you a lot of strength, taking control, shows your own courage that you've become this lawyer stawa standing up. >> i did. i have warrior on my tattoo. i did. i stood up to it. i wasn't waiting a day to do it. the day i knew i was going on chemo, i shaved my head. >> watching you watch this piece was this ownership. you surrounded yourself with strong women who loved you and

nurtured you. you decided you were going to define it. that's an extraordinary moment of strength. >> one of the things i noticed with people i know who have gone through cancer, specifically breast cancer, there's so many attention paid to doctors, so many kinds of doctors you have to deal with, not as much maybe attention paid to the emotional -- the doctors you need to talk to or people you need to have around you for your own emotional support. is this the -- >> there's science behind this. decades of science, looking at quality of life issues in women and men who have had breast cancer and gone and got treated, maybe not length of life issues but quality of life. and they say, i plan to be a survivor. that quality of life is important. and some say i want to be a survivor and others say i will shave my head and others have

gone out and bought the most expensive silk scarfing and wrapped their head in it. >> i have never worn one. >> and i bought a wig. >> and some people do decide to do it. >> i'm not meant to be in the wig. i respect the women who do it and aren't comfortable enough to shave their head. i think each hospital handles it differently. i think i did it my way by having my girls around me and my family and doing it. >> you found your cancer, i know, through self examination. your fight has really been, in many way, out of love for this 3-year-old daughter. >> it is. i want naomi to know what i did. i want women to do self exams, it's free and you're going to the doctor and say, i found a lump, can you check it, nothing wrong with doing it. >> you're brave. >>

good morning once again, everybody. time now is 8:26. we still want to update you on that breaking news in the south bay. san jose police still in a standoff with a shooter near king and seminole way in san jose. police changing your location out there, bob, so you're on the phone now. >> reporter: good morning, brent. they just shut down king between seminole and waverly if anyone is driving through this area. just because they realized that was in the line of fire, so it's a safety issue. they just deployed a robot to go to the car where this man has been hunkered in since just after 4:00 this morning. they have a video camera and a

microphone and speaker on that robot in an attempt to try to talk to this man. the s.w.a.t. team has been trying to coax this man to come out of the car. that has not yet happened. it was just after 4:00 this morning that police were trying to arrest this man for an attempted murder charge that happened some other time. he's a 34-year-old san jose man. when they attempted this there was a shootout between them and him. one officer taken to the hospital. not life threatening injuries. apparently hit by flying glass. no word on the condition of the man. we know he's still alive. whether he's injured or not police don't know or aren't saying. we'll have more news after this.

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use the dumbarton bridge as an alternate. we're still seeing a tie-up. avoid westbound 92 for the time being if you can. >> more local news in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning.

8:30, the 21st of october, 2010. the wind is making it feel colder than 52 degrees. >> there is a front coming. >> there is a front coming. >> it has definitely picked up.

>> there is a wind blowing. >> out on the plaza, matt lauer with ann curry, while meredith takes time off, natalie morales, here after two weeks in chile. and mr. roker joining us as well. taylor swift, with music and she's coming tuesday, and will perform on our plaza tuesday morning right here on stage. that's a big show. >> where did the series go for the summer, my goodness, keep ongoing, month after month. >> dean kayman is the guy behind the segue and scores of other inventions. he lives on his own private island, they call it inventor island! we will talk to dean. >> also coming up this morning, meeting remarkable children

using photography to change the way people view their neighborhood. you can see jenna bush hager caught up with them and has a story about them coming up. >> who's ready to ollie? i don't even know what that means. skateboarding legend, tony hawk is in the house. >> whoa! >> whoa! >> we have a lot more tricks than that. >> that looks pretty good. >> yeah. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? go and get on that board. >> i don't think so. this is the only ollie i know. anyway, here's a look at oakland. overcast skies as we switch over to the satellite view. high clouds approaching from the west. first band of showers

approaching. we'll eventually see a chance of scattered showers approaching the bay area as we head toward the afternoon. temperatures today mostly mid to upper 60s. tomorrow starting off with scattered showers. the weekend, stronger systems spilling rain out of the north bay across the rest of the bay area. some of that heavier on sunday. now to uncle willie. >> from washington d.c., my hometown, always a pleasure, this is very nice. take a look, if you will. a disabled american veteran and this is their silver dollar. it goes to a good cause. i can have one, good tip for the holidays coming up. go u.s. mint.gov on your little machine, about $44. very nice. happy birthday from smuckers, how it is. we have birthdays you will love. this is dr. george boguslavsky, from durham, north carolina.

and just sell wacelebrating a t year wedding anniversary. how about that? doak wright, anthony, florida, 100 years old, remodeled a house at 92. i would no more try that at 42. god bless him. anyway, marion hodgson, from annapolis, maryland down the road from us, one of the pretest towns and celebrated her 0.01 birthday with a male dancer at a party, where they were going crazy, jumping up and down and singing songs. ralph gozio, from paterson, new jersey, 100 years old, goes to college for astronomy courses

and physics courses. how about that? never stop learning, you will live forever. and glen johnson, from ft. worth, texas. attributes longevity from dancing. clarice mathis, from paducah, kentucky, 100 years old, started bowling at 97 and working locally, showing her bowling skills to the public. she teaches others to bowl. that's all from washington at this time. now, back to new york. >> all right. thank you so much. coming up next, the man who invented the segway, takes us to a mysteriou

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science and technology, entrepreneur, kamen is known for inventing the segway and will talk about how science can solve some of the biggest problems. >> good morning, matt. on the show, dean takes us on a sightseeing tour of some of the most cool inventions of science and technology always thinking of innovation for the future and the future of innovation. arriving at adventurer dean kamen's secret island is like visiting a different country. >> you are now an ndi diplomat. congratulations. >> reporter: it has its own stone hinge and population of one. >> what's your favorite part of this island? >> all of it. >> reporter: okay. this isn't really another

country but kamen's private island off connecticut does feel like another world. for a man who lives to create, this is a life-sized lab. these days, it's buzzing with the sounds of energy production. >> reporter: this is not your average basement. >> this isn't a basement. this is a control setting. >> reporter: dumpling is one of the most energy efficient places in the world making all its own power with a wind turbine and solar panels. >> we make more energy than we can use. >> reporter: with is island and helicopter he pirates himself, the eccentric multimillionaire has been described as a mix of thomas edson and bruce wayne, modern day batman. chunk out invention after invention from his secret lair. he has been creating things a long time. before dropping out of college he invented an insulin pump,

robotic wheelchair and robotic arm and then invented the segway. what kamen wants to create more than anything, more inventors like him. one of hiseste invention, first a non-profit career for science and technology, making it a sport and drawing kids and thousands of students from all over the world. >> these kids realize the most ultimate sport for kids to compete in is the muscle hanging between their ears, the only sport all kids can participate. >> reporter: a mansion and his private lighthouse. >> you can see, i have a lot so i have to give back a lot. >> reporter: always on the look-out for the next thing. >> reporter: kamen hopes this program and the next show will help science and technology pave

the way for big inventions for tomorrow. >> thank you for that and dean kamen, congratulations. this first competition looks like fun, the super bowl of technology, meant to be fun and enticing but comes from a place in your heart where you're worried. >> i'm very worried. unless this country maintains its lead and innovation in the world, we will not remain a country with a high standard of living, a high quality of life, health care, education. we've taken it for granted lately, but we have to create a generation of kids that are as passionate about innovation as football. >> with this new show and the first episode highlights something called microbots and nanobots, just the name sounds catchy. in layman's terms what are they? >> the first episode tomorrow night at 9:00, shows you what you can do with microannan no devices in the world of

medicine. micro, a million. shows a robot that goes into an eye and does essentially surgery we could never do. and then we go 1,000 times smaller to the nano bots that float around in your bloodstream carrying chemotherapy directly to cells. >> these are out there now? >> in laboratory research right now and using them on animals. we watched the nanobots deliver chemotherapy to the cells without touching the rest of the body. >> you know if you can get something out first, you stand a chance to make fortune off of it. over your career, have you felt that incredible pressure and have you ever been scooped just as you were about to release something? >> you know, i don't think we've ever been scooped because we typically work on stuff other people don't work on. our passion to get it out mostly is to see people with better lives. to me, making the fortune is the result of great innovation, not the cause. >> i'm a parent of three kids.

what advice, one small piece of advice would you give parents out there in terms of inspiring their kids to get more involved in this sort of thing? >> i would tell parents somehow in our culture, we convinced kids they can all do it in sports and all get better. in a free culture, you get what you celebrate. i would tell all the parents, convince all your kids, particularly girls, science and technology and engineering and inventing, it's for everybody. it's critically important, accessible and fun, and as you said, you can make a fortune. >> dean kamen. we want to tell people, the dean of invention premiers tomorrow night on "planet green." changing a city one photograph at a time. fi

[ male announcer ] everyone is hurting. republican. democrat. independent. your party doesn't matter anymore. it's fixing this mess. boxer's been there twenty-eight years. and, look what we've got. when bickering ends, solutions begin. i'm prepared to oppose my party when it's wrong. we can change washington but first you have to vote, to change the people we send there. i'm carly fiorina and i approve this message.

to change the people we send there. kamen. a group of children in philadelphia are using

photography to change the way people see their beloved neighborhood. we have contributing correspondent jenna bush hager with details on this. good morning. >> good morning. i was super impressed with the talent of these young photographers. it was their ability to find beauty in everyday objects that really amazed me. >> philadelphia has long been known as the city of brotherly lo love, a symbol of american freedom. a predominantly latino neighborhood, on its northside, presents a very different picture, rusted gates, rundown row houses and cracked sidewalks dominate. i will give you your cameras today. >> reporter: this group of students, all under 12 are trying to change perceptions of their philadelphia, one photo at a time. it's an area known as the "badlands," streets in transition, once riddled with

gangs, violence and a culture of drugs. a decade old program called the "good land" is trying to change that. a non-profit and after school and summer art program try to counter the negative stereotype of these streets. >> it's just a vision they see through this camera hole. when they take pictures, it's their world, their time to show the community and everybody out in the community what their neighborhood is. >> reporter: students explore their streets, camera ready, taking pictures of everything from flowers to unsightly litter, looking for and finding good. >> reporter: why is it important to take pictures of the neighborhood? >> because people will know how to be good to the world and see how it feels like to be here. >> reporter: others, like

grader anthony molera look for the unusual, graffiti covered walls, he dreams of change. >> tell me what you have taken pictures of today? >> graffiti. >> reporter: why graffiti? >> i want to show how the violence is in philadelphia. i want to show how negative it is. >> reporter: you don't like the graffiti? >> yes. >> reporter: do you want to try to clean it up? >> i will try. >> reporter: you are going to? instructor grace believes her students see their home differently through the camera lens. >> reporter: in some ways, you think the kids can see the good of the neighborhood better than adults? >> yeah. their perspective is so innocent and so pure. >> reporter: take this photo for example. most see a man hole cover. a 9-year-old named it "a gray sun," or this one, most see a girl in a yellow tank. if you look closer, you will understand the title, "running to water."

these children prove beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. >> got it. >> my favorite picture was a bee sucking nectar. >> my favorite picture was a dog with a smiley face. >> reporter: and their efforts have paid off. leading to something most photographers can only dream of. a show at a gallery, where their visions are the main attraction. >> reporter: so this is it? >> yes. >> reporter: i can't wait to see! the pride in their art lights up their faces. >> that one is mine. >> reporter: that one is yours? capturing the wonder of their community, a life long lesson in seeing beyond the surface. >> raise your hand if you're going to study art in college. and are you definitely going to college? yes.

you? not yet. you have to finish first grade first, right? they have an after school program partnering with the local school system so the kids are still snapping away and making change. >> beautiful. i hope this whole idea spreads. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> a really beautiful story. coming up, matt will go for a spin with guess who? skateboarding legend, tony hawk. first, this is "today" people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims! it's time for new school banking, bubbie. interest plus savings at capitalone.com. why earn bupkis, when your savings can earn three times the national average!!

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tony hawk started riding a skateboard when he was 9 years old and parlayed his action into one of the most successful sports action careers of all time. now, writing a new book, how did i get here? the ascent of an unlikely ceo. good morning. >> thank you. >> it's the best definition i can think of, of the american dream. you have become successful, wealthy and done it doing exactly what you think is fun and love to do. >> absolutely. that's not lost to me at all. i did it so long to no appreciation and no income as well, i just loved doing it. it didn't a matter me. >> you write this book and try to offer advice to others in similar situations. one of the things i felt in the book, you feel it's crucial people stay crucial to themselves and their message. why is it so important? >> especially coming from a

sport like skateboarding, to me, i consider a lifestyle and art form, i want to be true to that and represent it well. people see me as the face of that in some way, i want it to be exactly how it should be portrayed. >> when you transferred from the skateboarder to ceo, did a lot of people not take you seriously? >> yes. marketing agencies, they don't want to be told what to do, they have their own pride in what they're doing and i say that's not how we represent skateboarding, they say, i went to college for this. >> you have a savvy business mind. when you had a skateboard come out, your agent said, you take money up front, less risk involved. you defied it. said, no, i want a piece of the action. projected sales for that game were 500 to 700,000 units? >> yeah. >> how many did you sell? >> millions. >> 7 million. >> through the series as well, it's really changed my life. it's been amazing. luckily, i was in a position to

say, i don't need money up front right now. i want to go through. >> there are a lot of people struggling right now c the economy is tough. if they have a credream, may ha to take on a risk to make it come true. how do you tell them to take risk? >> if you have something you love, you will do it regardless whether you make money or not. to minimize whatever your costs are and your living and just make it through, but stay true to what you love doing because you'll make it. it will be great. >> you made this little game behind us look pretty easy a second ago, a new version of the skateboard, tony hawk shred, is that right? we will see if it's really that easy. we have mr. roker on the one fake knee. >> ow, that hurts! . >> what's new about this game? >> a board-based controller so it has every emotion. >> do something, you're in mid-air. >> yeah! >> that's going to leave a mark. >> it's really like getting a

physical experience of what you're doing on-screen and you emulate that on the board. this game is more geared towards big stunts, big levels, big tricks and things like that. we included snowboarding in this as well. >> al, scale of 1-10, is this easy? >> if i can do it, that ought to tell you. >> and created a me character just for himself. >> that's right. look at all the hair i have. >> there you go. >> good luck with this game. most importantly, i think it's great you're passing along advice because you have really done what a lot of people dream of doing and you've done it with great style and grace along the way. >> thank you very much. >> tony, good to have you here. al, nice job. >> thank you. >> the book is "how did i get here," and tony hawk shred. back to your local weather. how do your knees feel, al? >> pretty good. look out! oh! [ male announcer ] we went to germany's nurburgring

to challenge ourselves on the most demanding track in the world. with us, in spirit, was every great car that we'd ever competed with. the bmw m5. and the mercedes-benz e63. for it was their amazing abilities that pushed us to refine, improve and, ultimately, develop the world's fastest production sedan. [ engine revving ] the cts-v, from cadillac. the new standard of the world. good morning, everybody. time 8:56. i'm brent cannon. we continue to follow breaking news from the south bay. want to check in as san jose police are still in the standoff with a shooter near king road and seminole way. live pictures of that very active scene still under way. bob redell is there with the very latest. >> reporter: brent, we have not

confirmed this with police. but we believe that this standoff has come to an end. within the past half hour or so, san jose police sent a robot to talk to a man who is hunkered down in a car who had been in a shootout with police earlier. apparently he complied to give up. and you saw an ambulance leaving the scene. that ambulance was here within the past 15 minutes. i just saw them haul away a person on a stretcher. i could not tell if that person was covered with a sheet. but they just took that person away and just judging by the stance of the merge, the s.w.a.t. team standing around there, they obviously look much more relaxed. they're not in their perimeter positions which makes me think that this has ended. this is happening right now. we have not been able to confirm that. by all appearances, that appears to be what has happened. reporting live here in east san jose, bob redell today in the bay. we're going to have more news after this.

more coverage of that standoff at nbcbayarea.com. "today" show up next. he worked his whole life, served his country defending our freedoms, and depends on social security. so, who would want to privatize it? corporate lawyer david harmer. harmer's social security privatization plan would cut guaranteed benefits and gamble with social security on wall street. while we worry, harmer's wall street friends would make billions in profits from privatization. david harmer. a social security privatization plan we can't afford.

we're back now with more of "today" on a thursday morning, the 21st of october, we're back now with more of "tod "today" on a thursday morning, 2 1st of october, 2010. a nice crowd on our plaza on a chilly day. they don't seem to mind on the plaza with them, i'm matt lauer with al roker. >> and the approaching ann curry. >> somebody asked me the best shoe stores in the city. i was giving some advice. you know, people have come from out of town and we're like, i'm sorry. >> if you want that information we'll put it on our website. todayshow.com.

anyway, out on the plaza, we know that money is tight. the economy is in difficult straits right now. and for families, every penny counts. so when you end up getting stuck paying fees like that $2 or $2.50 or 3 bucks every time you use the atm or the $1.50 every time you call information on the phone. that can add up. how to avoid those needless fees. >> it's flu season. o lot of people wonder who should get the shots. dr. nancy snyderman is here, part of vaccinations 101. did you know, for example, not only kids should be getting booster shots? or shots you need while you travel? >> adults, too? >> adults need them as well. she has the lowdown on what we should know about vaccinations. then a little later we'll talk about a 300 pound chimpanzee breaks free from her

owner and terrorizes a neighborhood in kansas city, baging on doors. we'll show you what happened. there's a police car she slammed the window of. >> she's moving furniture. for goodness sakes. >> let's go inside. natalie has the headlines. >> good morning, mad ann and allen. 12 days to go before the midterm elections president obama focuses on women and the economy. he campaigns today in washington state and california. two states where democratic candidates are in tight races. in oregon on wednesday he claimed his policies helped women get through the recession. meantime, more than 3 million americans have cast early ballots. it appears republicans have turned out more early voters than two years ago. although they still trail democrats in that area. the labor department says first time claims for unemployment fell by 23,000 last week. that's the third decline in four

weeks. toyota's recalling 740,000 cars in the u.s. including the lexus, avalon and other models to fix brake fluid and fuel pump problems. toyota recalled more than 10 million cars and trucks worldwide since last year. it has been six months since the deadly explosion on the bp oil rig in the gulf. the start of the worst oil spill in u.s. history. on wednesday environmental groups filed a lawsuit against bp saying the spill inflicted ongoing unlawful harm on endangered wildlife in the gulf. another round of violent protests today in france. where the government is vowing to pass a pension reform bill tonight or tomorrow. students have joined striking unions to oppose raising the retirement age from 60 to 62. big bucks for a big ring. last night a diamond ring made of a 10 karat clear diamond and 11 karat blue diamond sold at auction in new york for more than $15.7 million. that is a record.

las vegas was hit with torrential rain wednesday flooding a number of roads and leaving thousands of people without power. forecasters say odds are there could be more showers there today. it is now three minutes past the hour. let's get another check of the weather from al. you like the odds are. >> odds are very nice. >> i knew you did. >> i bet you would say that. let's chec your weather see what's going on. a risk of strong storms, that same system causing strong storms from texas, amarillo, roswell, new mexico. see we have rain already firing up in parts of eastern new mexico now. as thunderstorms embedded in there. and in fact anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain possible. here in the east, a front moving through. it's going to bring showers. nothing too heavy. maybe a half to a quarter inch of rain. the big news is going to be the let's show you the satellite view. you can see we have a system approaching the coast, kind of taking a negative tilt to it.

kind of bending back to the left at the top of the screen. that's the sign of a weakening frontal system making its way towards the bay area. probably still kick off scattered showers, especially across the north bay. mid-60s today. what's left of the showers getting out of here tomorrow morning. the weekend looks wetter with stronger systems dropping in through the north bay. and now "today's" money and the fees you shouldn't be paying from annual fees on credit cards to roaming charges from your cell phone, little fees can add up. the author of "money 911." good to see you. >> nice to see you. >> in a sense it's a difference between convenience versus savings. >> and you're not even losing that much in convenience. if you know the small, subtle tricks to play to get yourself out of paying these fees to begin with. >> let's start off with directory assistance, when you call 411 on your cell phone.

>> this is my pet peeve. no one in my house is allowed to call 411. we call 1-800-free-411 and listen to a commercial and get direct free assistance for no money or go on the computer and google the name, town or area code of whatever you want. >> which you can do on your phone. >> some prepaid cell phone plans have started rolling directory assistance into their plans. you can call 411. >> if you go to an atm not on your bank's network it can add up. >> you can pay $3, sometimes if you're in an airport or cruise ship or casino it can be $5. instead, make sure you are with a bank or a credit union that has machines that are convenient to where you work and where you live. if you can't do that, look for a bank that actually refunds, rebates atm fees. a lot of banks are out there that do that and if you go to a website like bankrate.com you can find one.

>> then, look, we've seen the overhaul of the credit card industry. they've lost fees. so they're trying to make it up in other ways. overdraft fees. >> overdraft fees are a huge business for banks. before they had the change in the law that allowed people to say, no, i want this, to opt in, they were a $38 business. so right now banks are going through a process where they're sending you a lot of mail and saying, we want you to up it, you need this quote/unquote protection. you don't need it. you should opt out. going to a register and having somebody say it's denied because you don't have the money is -- >> that's embarrassing. >> it's really not all that embarrassing. i'd certainly much rather be a little embarrassed than pay a $35 fee. >> the dreaded annual fee. you say if -- you can find cards that don't have that annual fee. >> you absolutely can. and again, a lot of credit card -- credit cards out there that have rewards are the ones that tend to charge you an annual fee.

if you don't use the rewards you can get a lower interest rate, low fee credit card. go to billshrink.com and run yourself through the credit card finder to find the card that's right for you. >> can you sometimes call the credit card company and see if you can negotiate? >> annual fees if they're going to impose it are not typically as negotiable as interest rates. but if they want to keep you as a customer, if you can point out, hey, i charge a ton and you don't want to lose my business, they'll work with you. >> we go to the cell phones. there's a new phone, you want to terminate your fee, terminate your contract, get another different phone. that can add up. >> it can be $150, $175 to terminate a contract. what you need to know is there are ways to get people to take over your contract for you. there are websites with names like cellswap.com. try to do that rather than get -- paying the $175 annual fee. >> and then of course, holidays are coming up. people are going to be buying big ticket items and the sales people are always pushing extended warranties. >> you know why they push them? they get extra commissions for

pushing them. in most cases you do not need an extend eed warranty and if for some reason you feel you have to buy one, don't pay more than 20% of the purchase price and try to negotiate the price down. >> good advice. good to see you. >> you too. coming up next the shots you and your family should be getting. we're going to talk to dr. nancy snyderman. she's going to answer your questions about that in just a moment. later, a chimpanzee goes on a rampage terrorizing ah missoui . to we're going to show you what happened. first, these messages. then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh, boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay down our balance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. slate from chase gives you extraordinary control over how you pay for life's surprises. trip...lets... slate customers pay down their balances twice as fast with blueprint.

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this morning on "today's" daily dose, vaccinations 101 part two. most people don't enjoy getting shots but there's a tool to prevent deadly diseases. what shots do you and your family need to get? dr. nancy snyderman is here to answer your questions. >> good morning. >> we had a huge response after last week's segment and thought we need to have you back. an e-mail was sent in, she asks, i recently took my 14-year-old daughter to get updated on vaccinations. one of the vaccines they gave was the chickenpox booster. why was this vaccine booster necessary? tell us when these kids get the vaccines. >> many vaccines start at 2 months and people think, why do you start so early? the child's immune system can take. vaccines, these are simple shots that prevent diseases that can kill you.

what's so great about her question is she's already thinking about boosters. web you and i were little the idea was you got a shot maybe it lasted forever. now we know they don't last forever and some shots require boosters. polio, if you're traveling around the world. we talk about tetanus and chickenpox is one of them. we don't think of chickenpox as a diller but chickenpox can cause a serious disease and land you in the hospital. >> when we were children we didn't have the chicken box vaccination. it's important to get it as a child then the booster later in life? >> the assumption is if you get chickenpox -- >> you're safe. you don't ever get it. >> not necessarily. so knowing that there are new immunizations out there, knowing when to get them, and the american economy of pediatrics and cdc have great websites for the schedules. i want to assure parents, again, while it sounds like it's a lot, there's a lot of good science around, the safety, the fact that it works and there's really

a rationale behind the schedules. >> does this mean if you get the chickenpox vaccination and booster you not going to get chickenp chickenpox? >> it's unlikely. once you get the chickenpox in your system, like we did the regular old infection, that virus stays in your body for a long period of time. that can be shingles later in life. the idea -- you're ahead of the game. >> next, let's get to a question from caroline in columbia, south carolina, on skype this morning. good morning to you, caroline. what's your question for dr. nancy? >> hi, caroline. >> my husband and i got the h1n1 vaccine in january. should we get this vaccine now or wait until january 2011? >> get it now because they're out now. last year we were scrambling with the regular flu vaccine and h1 h1n1. h1n1 is going to be wrapped up boo this regular vaccine. it's available, there's a lot of

it, it's safe. especially of women of reproductive age, if you're pregnant or think you're going to get pregnant, get it because it's protection for you and your fetus. last year pregnant women had higher incidence of getting hit with flu and higher death rates. get it now, caroline. >> they have enough doses this time around. we planned well. >> okay. also, a lot of viewers writing into our "today" show facebook page. one question from joyce was, my question is about adult vaccinations. as a child we were given vaccines and told they were good for a lifetime. now i'm hearing they may only be good for ten years. should we be getting vaccinated again as adults? >> it is a great question and goes to the central core of the fact medicine is constantly evolving. when we started immunizing for polio and measles and mumps we gave a shot hoping that it would last forever. of course, things ware off. so you and i know because we travel in foreign countries all the time that when you go to a

place where there's a lot of polio or lot of measles, make sure your vaccines are up to date. there's a schedule for getting boosters. for adults and kids out there, know it, yes, get your boosters. >> okay. speaking to that, traveling and all of that, kick posted a question on facebook, she asks do you need to get vaccinations to travel overseas? if so, how far in advance of traveling should they be giving and what vaccines are required? it zee fiend on the country. >> i brought my passport in today. i have something on the back of my passport you probably have too. i carry in my passport my immunization list. every time i get a shot i not only know the date, what it was given, but where it was given. for me yellow fever, malaria, hepatitis, all these things that protect me, you know, depend on where i'm going, i know i'm up to date. i can take this to any customs person, any person at the border and say, i'm safe to come into your country. sometimes it can be sticky, and if i'm falling behind i can take this to my doctor and say, tell

me. am i up to date? people will know. >> that's a good idea, then, before your annual physical every year, look through your immunization records, talk to your doctors, make sure you're up to date. >> think about you the way you would think about your toddler. am i up to date on everything? for me every year i'm going to get the seasonal flu vaccine but make sure there are other things i'm going to be up to date on. this time of year, too, when you put kids back to school, meningitis, get your meningitis vaccine and for children before they become sexually active there's gardasil and other vaccines for human papilloma virus. these are not go have sex vaccines, these are anti-answca vaccines. it's time for us to put our smart hats on and protect our kids. >> thanks so much. on the next edition of today's daily dose, your healthy travel checklist. what do you need when you head overseas?

what should you know about your destination before you get there? go to todayshow.com and send us your questions and dr. nancy will be back next week. still to come, from your ce tofaour nails, how to stay fashion forward without spending a fortune with our own b.t. ex-tress, bobbi thomas in the house. first these messages.

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coming up we're going to dip into bobb es i's beauty bag. bobbi thomas going to share her tips for looking good on a budget. a chimpanzee went wild, this time in kansas city, broke free from its home, terrorizing a neighborhood. we're going to show you what happened. in time for cooler weather, we're going to head to "today's" kitchen, we have delicious potato dishes perfect for holiday dishes. >> first, though, your local news and weather. >> i do like tator tots. >> is that what that is? >> not quite. i still like tator tots. >> these are gourmet tator tots.

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good morning. 9:26. want to get an update on the commute with mike. >> over at the scene with the police and is shooting and all that's going on on south king, don't have confirmation that south king has been opened. lines are affect eed -- take capital expressway if you're going to 680 through 101. avoid king. the rest of the south bay, traffic starting to lighten up. 101 and 85 with your slowdowns. golden gate bridge moving very nicely. we had the northbound slowdown. that's clearing up as well as

those skies. >> sunshine for the next hour or so. clouds spilling in from the west. showers for now approaching mendocino county to the north. most of the focus of the incoming weather system will be aimed in on the north bay. a little bit later on into the afternoon. highs today, mostly mid to upper 60s as clouds spill in. we'll see a chance of showers late in the evening, mainly to the north and early tomorrow. more rain off and on for the weekend ahead. time right now is 9:27. we'll go back with more news. >> i've got an update on the breaking news that mike had mentioned previously. we had reporter bob redell live at the scene where san jose police wrapped up a standoff with a shooter near king road and seminole way. the suspect was transported by ambulance away from the scene within the last 30 minutes. he was wanted for attempted murder in a different case. san jose police tried to arrest him just after 4:00 this mo morning. they say that's when the man pulled out a gun and started

shooting at police. this is video from earlier this morning. we're going to have more on this story tonight at 5:00. another local news update for you in about half an hour. our kids can't afford another four years of crippling cuts to public schools. class sizes are too big, and all the standardized testing just isn't working. so classroom teachers looked closely at the plans of both candidates for governor. and we're supporting jerry brown. brown's plan focuses on a well-rounded education... with history, science, and the arts as well as english and math. schools where teachers and parents work together.

and that's why we urge you to vote for jerry brown, a leader we can trust to make our public schools a priority again. the military don't ask, don't tell policy is still in place this morning. a judge froze the policy last week. it prevents openly gay people from serving in the military. the obama administration argued that while it favors congressional repeals, don't ask, don't tell, doing so right now would create tremendous uncertainty in the status of service members who reveal their sexual orientation. another local news update for you in about half an hour. hope to see you then. carly fiorina changed all that. [ cheri ] fiorina laid off 30,000 people. and she shipped our jobs to china. and india. i had to pack my bags and i was out the door that night.

we even had to train our replacements. she didn't need 5 corporate jets. [ farrell ] one hundred million for herself. fiorina never cared about our jobs. not then and not now. [ boxer ] i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message. keith richards comes clean ainu memoir about life as a rolling stones and called the book a game changing account, a man everyone has known and loved for 40 years, his brutally honest assessment of everyone including mick jagger. we will hear all about it tomorrow. can't wait. that will be very exciting. >> a legend. >> in house. and coming up on fall

beauty. bobbie thomas is sharing secrets to update your look without spending a lot of money. also ahead, where does a 300 pound gorilla go? anywhere it wants. getting loose from its owner and terrorizing people before the animal control unit was able to control her. and in your kitchen, potatoes are a staple and right now, they're at their peak and we will show you recipes for a stand standby. >> first, a look at the weather. >> absolutely. first of all, as we head to the weekend, we are looking for beautiful weather up and down the eastern seaboard, risk of strong storms from texas to missouri and look for wind and rain in the pacific northwest, then on sunday sunday, we're looking at more rain from the great lakes to the mid-pacific river valley and snow

here's a nice view of the golden gate bridge where you certainly need the sunglasses driving southbound this morning. that might be going away in the next hour or so. clouds creeping in from the west as a weather system, a weak one at that, but still enough lift and enough moisture out there. think we'll probably wring out a few showers. especially across the north bay as we get out of the morning and head into the afternoon. highs today mid to upper 60s. tomorrow maybe a lingering shower early in the day. clearing friday afternoon. more rain drops in, though, midday saturday. that's your latest weather. thank you, al. coming up next, bobbie thomas shares her beauty tips for a fresh fall look, right after this. ♪ i'm not your fool i won't just sit here and drool ♪ ♪ i'm tired of sharing you this is the end ♪ ♪ so i found a new vea ov♪ ♪ that comes from a leaf green and bright ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ my soul sings with joy and delight ♪

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this morning on bobbie's beauty bag, if you want foundation or bold lips, bobbie is here to show you her secret.

>> good morning. >> good morning. >> is it time to change up your colors? >> i like to say it's the season of the painted face. we love exploring with makeup, the holidays are coming. add a little glitz. i'm not paying a lot obviously. the first category is prep and prime. >> this is all about foundation, right? >> yes. it's smart to start with foundation. i'm a big fan of this. you have a color corrector, brightner and nourishing agent and have everything in one. sometimes people shy away from primers and worry it will build up and peel off. this is a great way to have just enough of each and start your foundation. >> it makes your foundation last that much longer. >> oil control, minimizes pores. >> and i'm a fan of tart. it's called a natural eye primer, acts as a base and

tightens the skin and helping diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. >> multi-purpose for fine lines and age preventer. >> because primers have done so well and come a long wayne technology, the drugstore offers a great selection. loreial offers studio secrets, things we used to use on photo shoots and they have a range of color correctors as well. >> explain color correctors, green is for what? >> reddish problems. they have an anti-dulling in light and dark. you have to read the package, it will list all the benefits for you. >> if you tend to have more dull skin coloring, a little more pink? >> you don't have to use as much makeup on the top and don't pack on the powder, which is great, when you have a powder. >> the next category, my favorite, as all these beautiful shades, pucker up, ladies! hot for lips this fall. >> bold lips are here to stay,

we've been hearing about them for seasons. i love the shade finder tool. >> i have the hardest time finding the right shade of lipstick. this is a good idea. >> i never wear color, usually wear a nude lip and i have -- >> can you do that again for the camera? perfect. >> and this tool under makeup forever, there's a link on our website you can find this, pick your skin tone, olive, i have it here, hair color brown and within that, shows you your perfect pinks, reds and mauves. >> i'm not a big pink fan. nor you, bobbie. i don't know. i'm using the monitors. >> there you go. reuge artist has a nice pigment and works with your complex. >> i have a hard time with reds

and works with deep purples. but if you want to control it a different way, i love beniten, like the pocket pal. a cherry tint you can control and layer on as much or little as you want. >> reminds me of cherry gloss as kids we used to get. >> on the other side of the gloss, you can add shine throughout the day. >> let's talk about hair and strand. lots of curls. curls are big for fall. >> one of the biggest ways to change your look is tuck up your hand and tuck in the loose pieces. it looks messy. but to have that messy perfect look, i love it. go for something matte. the shiny bobby pins reflect into photos. this has been a backstage secret for years. >> great for every hair color. >> great for hair color. you can find them at ricky's and

this is for the ponytail, wrap it around and hook it as you need it. and the new curling irons an sul tress bombshell by con air, at the drugstore. you take this and wrap your hair around it for a loose natural curl. >> no more crimping. >> the clip gives you a loser wave. make sure you use the gloves so you don't burn yourself. >> very important. >> your new way to wave are velcro strips you can form any way you want. see them on the packaging. >> it gives you a wave? >> gives you a wave in new kinds of waves and doesn't have to look so banana curly like a 5-year-old. >> next, dress up your digits. >> your fingernails. there are a lot of hot polishes right now. i am such a fan of nail art. i had my nails done last 99 to show you this ro cocoa, gold leaf. >> that's gorgeous. >> it's a cool 24 karat leaf you

can do in color or do it on bare nails. from opi. affordable, a little glitz. we've seen dark matte nails and matte has been selling out left and right, a few left that's like a chrome. >> meanwhile, somebody has a big birthday. happy birthday to you! >> thank you. >> for your fingernails, actually, the new cupcake look. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> coming up next, monkey business in missouri. >> take a bite. that's a lot of mpgs. sure is... know what else you get with every new toyota?

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it was a little more than monkeying around in a missouri neighborhood when a chimpanzee went on a rampage. >> it was pounding on vehicles and tangling with the cops. >> reporter: the 300 pound chimpanzee escaped from its owner and ran rampant through a kansas city neighborhood. suko, the chimpanzee is lovingly called sue by her owner. but on tuesday, sue scared her

neighbors. >> the chimpanzee comes out of nowhere, and i'm thinking, get to the house. >> reporter: sue also made a house call. >> really loud, we're like, what's going on, looking through this window and the next thing he comes over here and tries to open up the door. he does and opens it up and starts doing this. i run downstairs and locked the door real quick. >> reporter: the chimpanzee even pounded on passing cars. >> jumped on the car, looked through the window and started punching the sunroof. >> he's a smart monkey, smiling and laughing and like pointing at us and gets down and starts running and ran and jumped to tanya's car and opened up her door and she got out. >> reporter: tanya's car wasn't the only one damaged. after pushing a trash can down the street, sue climbed on to a police car. the officer jumped inside for protection, and, pow, sue smashed in the windshield. the dashcam captured sue's rampage before giving up on the police car and running into a field. animal control fired a tranquilizer shot. sue was not hit but she ran for

the trees. her owner was able to calm her down and get sue under control. >> by the way, you're not allowed to have a champ in kansas city, missouri, where this happened. the owner's violating laws there. the chimp will end up at the zoo. >> that's good. >> there will be a happy ending to all that. >> thank goodness. still to come, the potato. [ male announcer ] how can you retire at age 55?

just ask jerry brown. he gave california state employees collective bargaining powers. since then the unions have grown stronger and stronger. now state employees can retire at 55 with much of their salary for life. and taxpayers are on the hook for one hundred billion dollars in unfunded pension liabilities. no wonder those unions are 100% behind jerry brown. he'll just spend, and spend, and spend. no wonder those unions are 100% behind jerry brown. do i look like someone who's at risk for heart disease? well guess what, i am. heart disease took my dad's life, but it doesn't have to take mine because 80% of cardiac events in women may be prevented if we make the right choices. eighty percent. you may not know you're at risk, but one woman dies every minute from this largely preventable disease. help bring a voice to this silent killer. speak up to save lives at goredforwomen.org

this morning in "today"'s kitchen, perfect potato dishes. they're available year-round but at their peak now. and the 121st anniversary edition of the "good houskeeping" cookbook, 1275 recipes from america's favorite test kitchen. god see you.

>> same to you. thanks for having me. >> this is not the book? >> this is the first edition. we've come a long ways, this is cool, one of the first ones that laid flat and each spread had a place to write your own notes. >> what are we going to make? >> accordion potatoes, which are really cool. we will slice through. i have chopsticks here and go nice, all the way down and it helps you go through and you go all the way through. we will stuff these with herbs. we roast them and stick them in the broiler, a little bit of milk and butter on top. really nice and yummy, perfect with a roast and stews. >> is there any particular type of potato you would use for this recipe? >> i use reads because you don't have to peel them and look nice and finished when they're roasted. >> can you use a variety of

different herbs? >> i like the hard herbs, like rosemary and thyme and brush it with a little bit of butter and use olive oil. we will have this tray full really. do pepper on here. and salt. >> throw that in the oven? >> put it in a low oven. we did interest a low oven because it could accompany a roast. you do it in a low oven about an hour, and then you can broil it for a few minutes to get the top nice and crispy. >> it comes out looking like this? >> comes out looking something like this. and garnish with parsley and nice chives that goes nicely with potatoes. >> how do you eat these? do you play them like that? >> you kind of peel them down. >> okay. >> really simple. >> what's the next thing we're making? >> the next thing is sweet

potato, my new england take on candied sweet potatoes, new england syrup and no fat. >> really simple. >> you can boil them ahead, slice them up, layer in the casserole, heat the mabel syrup, pop in the cranberriecranberriem in the oven and done. these are all five ingredients or less. >> okay. this looks very elegant. >> it does, doesn't it? a simple hors d'oeuvre, my favorite red potatoes. we zapped these in the microwave, cut off the end so they will stand up. this has a little bit of olive oil drizzled and have some already grilling there. you grill them for a few minutes on each side, obviously in the summertime, you can do this outdoor grill as well. all we will do is do a little bit of sour cream. get you a hot one.

i heard you were liking tater tots. >> it doesn't matter whether it relates to what we're talking about, if it's a funny line, we go with it. from a movie. >> put a little salmon. a little dill. >> is that smoked salmon? >> smoked salmon. >> these are really simple. >> great hors d'oeuvres. >> they look really elegant. >> i dropped that. that's a good one. that's it. >> wonderful. are you kidding me? we're in. hmm. >> a simple potato and so good. >> the "good houskeeping" cookbook. good to see you. still to come this morning, mother-daughter country music duo, may o duo, naomi andngy. ain ping by. and i approved this message.

he worked his whole life, served his country defending our freedoms, and depends on social security. so, who would want to privatize it? corporate lawyer david harmer. harmer's social security privatization plan would cut guaranteed benefits and gamble with social security on wall street. while we worry, harmer's wall street friends would make billions in profits from privatization. david harmer. a social security privatization plan we can't afford.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. good morning to you. it's 9:56 right now. i want to check the commute with mike. something's coming up at 10:21.

>> all over the bay area, all over california. >> for a reason. >> for under a minute they will halt all service as a response to the simulated earthquake going on in the bay area. wanted to let you know about that. they'll tell you about that throughout the stations and on the trains. keep that in mind, in case anyone is wondering, that's what is or has happened. we're showing lighter volume. things are moving slowly down through pleasanton. high clouds approaching the coast. the actual front that may generate showers lurking right about there. we'll see it showing up as we head through the afternoon and early evening. so for today, at least for the first half of the day, maybe a few showers north of santa rosa. high temperatures today as the clouds spill in. mostly mid to upper 60s. a few widely scattered showers into tonight and early tomorrow. plan on some rain saturday afternoon and heavy rain for the north bay on sunday. laura? >> thank you very much, rob. moms for marijuana?

they are out there. bay area moms are joining forces to encourage voters to support legalizing marijuana. proposition 19 would tax and regulate california's cash crop, making it legal for people over 21 to have the drug. the group, moms say yes to prop 19, believe regulating pot would help get it out of the hands of teens. we talked to a san francisco mom and sociologist about why she is pushing for legalization. >> well, i'm supporting it as a mother because i could see when my kids were growing up that, number one, they had more access to marijuana than anybody. that i could see a system that was anything but controlled. >> the mom supporters admit there are a lot of regulatory details that will still have to be worked out. opponents maintain any tax revenue gain would be spent on addiction services. the feds are promising legal action if proposition 19 passes. another local news update

for you in about half an hour. "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great morning. you know it's bad when the press asks if you'd take a lie detector test. meg whitman didn't tell the truth about not voting or about how long she lived in california. she got caught in insider deals at goldman sachs. she changed her story about physically abusing an employee. she campaigned as tough as nails on immigration knowing her housekeeper of 9 years was undocumented. her tv ads have been condemned as false and misleading. and even her hometown newspaper said meg whitman has demonstrated "a loose relationship with the truth"

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. it is thirst day, october 21st, just ten days until halloween, but it's a very big day around here. very big day, because guess what. >> what? >> uh-huh. hoda is a "new york times" best seller. yes, she is. >> isn't that nice? thank you for that. wow! >> publisher's clearinghouse. >> you guys are insane.

this is the best party ever. >> yes. how about that, hoda? you have earned it. you deserve it. you wrote a great book and now people are -- >> oh, they're playing "brickhouse." i like this song. >> first of all, thank you. and sara -- >> let me get sara in on this. she's under -- >> dear friend, wonderful writer, big thank it is to jane. i can't believe people bought the book. >> it's a good book. >> that's just so nice. i just want to thank everybody for buying that book. i'm still shocked. >> still buy it, because it's still available. >> yes, it is. >> thank you. >> she's going to continue -- you're going everywhere still. >> i'm going to atlantic city tonight. get your coins and get to atlantic city and chaching. >> and you'll be back in time to

do andy cohen's show at 11:30? >> it's 11:00, i think. >> the woman is a maniac. i missed you yesterday, because you're far too busy to go to theater with me anymore. i saw a brilliant play, "the pittman painters." heard a lot of buzz about it. i knew it was about painters but guys who work in the pit, the mines in england. but it's such a universal story of how art transforms lives. and whether it's theater or paintings or music. i believe we're made in the creator's image and when we are creating ourselves, there's something god-like about it. this is a beautiful painting -- painting. you cannot believe the art work that came out of them with just no training at all. >> i want to see that. sounds very cool. >> just beautiful. >> if you are sitting in front of a tv today, and you just

happen to be -- >> you're on martha. >> i'm attempting to do crafts. i'm so bad with craft. >> she takes hombrage with anyone who doesn't know how to do crafts. >> we made a shawl. it will be on later today. all these reports are out that beyonce is pregnant. >> we saw her a couple of weeks ago when we saw her on our show. she certainly did not look pregnant then. >> look. >> i see no baby bump at all, none. >> take a look again. >> just so you know -- >> look at you, hoda. >> i was astonished. we didn't know she was coming. her mom went on "ellen" yesterday. her mom, tina, said the rumors of beyonce being pregnant are untrue. sources say she and jay-z have been wanting a child and she is

pregnant. i believe tina. >> i believe beyonce will do it her way, her entire life. when she is pregnant and she is ready to tell the world, she will tell the world. >> she will. >> and she will be very classy about it. >> i agree. >> everybody is looking at everybody's stomach to see if they have the baby bump. >> you can't wear like a baggy shirt. >> i've got to admit, i'm guilty of it. when you and i covered the emmys recently, a couple of years ago, i thought that eva longoria-parker might be only because we see her in form-fitting things and she was wearing something a little flowy and stuff but there's a new video out of her, right, that shows that she's definitely not. >> she is in her 30s. >> yes, young. hello. >> and she's talking about this eminem -- she's kind of mocking eminem, i think, in this video. >> i believe she's about to host -- do we not have that video? >> we might have killed it. >> sorry. we'll bring it to you tomorrow

because -- >> we forgot. jay-z has decided to take a young rocker -- or young singer under his wing. willow smith. this is -- >> will smith and jada pinkett's kid. >> crank it up. it's called "whip my hair." ♪ when you're doing nothing wrong i'm just tryin' to have fun so keep your body jumpin ♪ >> very talented. she's only, what, 9 years old? >> almost 10. >> almost 10 and this is her singing. >> people forget that will started out as a rapper. >> i like his music. >> such a great family. >> i have to tell you, this is a fun video, i whip my hair back and forth, paint flying around. >> you whip your hair. ♪ i whip my hair back and forth ♪ there is a high school that

is in ft. worth, texas, just outside of ft. worth, texas, and i guess they saw our show when there was a no makeup show. >> i don't know why, because they're in school, but they saw it. >> right. they decided that they, too, would go no makeup. >> nearly 200 girl. >> and itthey thought a few peoe would join in. it turns out every tuesday, no makeup. local authorities covered it. >> it's every tuesday? >> did you wear makeup in high school? >> you know what? mascara. i was allowed to wear mascara and a little lip gloss, but nowhere near like these hookers go to school now. it's unbelievable. >> it is true, though. people wear the full deal in high school. i wore lip gloss, too, and a little blush. >> we found it frightening at first, felt very vulnerable and then we found it to be very -- >> empowering. >> empowering, to not wear makeup on the air. you forget. you actually forget until you

pass a mirror and then you scream. >> or you have a guest that wears full makeup. remember? >> yes, sophia from modern family. she says i was born -- >> i came out of the womb full makeup. >> full makeup. she's adorable. >> i decided -- it's time for my ihoda playlist. if your heart has been broken and you wonder what's ahead of you, this is the love song for you. it's called "bless this broken road" by rascal flatts. it's a beautiful love song. let's listen, shall we? mellow. ♪ i set out on a narrow way many years ago ♪ >> here we go. ♪ hoping i would find true love along the broken road but i got lost a time or two

but my kept pushing through ♪ >> this is it. >> ready? here it is. ♪ every long lost dream >> i love this song. ♪ led me to where you are others who broke my heart they were like northern stars pointing me on my way ♪ >> here is the point -- >> i know. >> here it is, the last one, and we're done. >> i love it. ♪ this much i know is true >> here we go. everybody together now ♪ that god blessed the broken road that led me straight to you ♪ >> here is what i love about this song. i hear this song every single morning coming out of my daughter's room. >> she plays it? >> yeah, yeah. rascal flatts is amazing.

>> northern stars leading you to him. >> i might play my recording of a song for you tomorrow called "on my way to you." that is one of the great, glorious songs you've ever heard as well. >> is it as good as this one? >> yeah. >> okay, good. just checking. should we check in with miss sara? >> what have you got going? >> what have we got going? >> wait, we've got to get to our choir. >> we are. we're going to do. we have to get to sara. >> i feel honored to work with both of you because we have two "new york times" best selling authors now. >> stop it. >> this is quite a crowd to be part of. now we all have to go write books. guys, get on it. >> sara, you need to write your book is what i said yesterday. and i said that to hoda a year ago and you said the same thing. >> war zones and bad hair and amazing life moments. >> what would i write about? that's exactly what you said. >> maybe some day. ♪ because everyone -- >> i can assure you, it would be

a small audience reading it. >> we are going to give away, in honor of this amazing best-selling -- >> book. >> -- author, we'll give out five books on random on klgandhoda.com. the phrase is congratulations hoda. we'll pick it at random. you may just win a signed copy of hoda's book. >> now we have to ask if we're go iing to our showdown. is it time? all righty. we've been telling you guys about our big show choir showdown. we were a little nervous at the beginning. we put the call out. send us in your video. >> no one did. >> and the universe yawned. >> but then -- >> all of a sudden, they all came in at the end like many, many, many. >> lots to choose from. so, we'll take a listen to our four finalists. >> which group will get flown in to perform on our show? >> you have to vote today. >> listen to these four choirs.

♪ ♪ ♪

>> what the heck. >> i like them. >> all of them. they're wonderful. >> we want to go through them one more time. here is the deal. you have to vote -- >> today! >> -- today. first butler headliners from kansas. >> second, dimensional harmony from boyton beach, high school in boyton beach, florida. >> third, ball state university singers. that's right, ball state university in muncie, indiana. >> finally, celebration show choir from mars hill bible school in florence, alabama. >> oh, gosh. i wish we could see them all. it's hard to vote. >> you've got to do it. >> i guess how many people text their friends and neighbors to say get us to new york. go to klgandhoda.com. vote for the choir you like best before 8:00 am eastern time tomorrow, tomorrow. you can only vote once and we're going to announce the winners live on our show tomorrow.

yes, it's contractual. >> is it okay or not okay to work with an ex? kathie lee says, is it okay? yes. is it comfortable? no. >> hoda says it's okay if the breakup was amicable, better if you have the senior position. everything is in quotes with hoeda. do you notice? >> you put them in air quotes. >> all righty then. a big show is coming up. >> yes, we do, best-selling author. >> oh, my gosh! >> we do, we do. they know a thing or two about having a hit record. >> the judds are here. love both of them. >> they're going back on the road. >> yes, i know.

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no. yes. no. [ female announcer ] make halloween the most fun night of the year. walmart has this candy for an average of 20% less than other stores. save money. live better. walmart. walmart has this candy for an average of 20% less than other stores. get flawless skin, even in harsh, unflattering light. revlon photoready™ makeup. revlon's photoready™ formula bends and reflects light to help diffuse every flaw. revlon photoready™ makeup. find your perfect light. progresso. oh yes hi. can you please put my grandma on the phone please? thanks. excuse me a sec. another person calling for her grandmother. she thinks it's her soup huh? i'm told she's in the garden picking herbs. she is so cute. okay i'll hold. she's holding. wha? (announcer) progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

♪ it's a girls' night out honey there ain't no doubt i'm gonna dance every dance till the boys go home ♪ earning five grammys and

selling more than, get this, hoda, 30 million albums since they began performing together. >> whatever. >> they have a brand new single out this month. anyw naomi and wynonna are getting ready to kick off their first road tour in a decade. hello, ladies. >> did you ever swear at any point, this is it for us. >> every tour. >> just like cher, right? >> i'll never do another -- you're confined in a bus for six months. >> we decided to do this because we're healthier than we've ever been, relationship wise. we have a life coach that we continue to talk about. we're the family in a process, aren't we, mom? >> yes. >> we don't interrupt. we have boundaries. we have separate buses. >> like a marriage. >> so this life coach has really helped you guys? >> he's a genius. >> a lot. >> really? >> if he can work with our family, he could do -- he should win like the nobel peace prize.

but seriously, we've worked how long, ten years? >> not listening and being so brilliant and alpha and -- when we do our music, i'm the lead singer and she's the harmony. and yet when it came down to it, she's the boss, mom, and i'm the daughter. but when we sing together, it's an equal thing. and the rest of it was tumultuous, trying to figure out where i end and where she beg begins. >> because when do you ever stop being a mother? >> never. >> never. >> never. >> you're one now, though, so you know. >> for all the moms out there, the biggest thing i've learned from my life coach, come see us on tour, by the way. >> oh, yeah, we're touring. we're talking about relationships. >> we actually can fulfill and manifest all this. i'm not reactive. >> as reactive. >> it's a process. >> it is. but it goes back to your mother

and every -- we really don't have enough time for you guys. let's get to the -- >> we need a couch. >> breaking the cycle. my daughter and i's relationship was to do differently than my mother and i did. >> how old is your daughter? >> 14 and i say gracy, the answer is no in a complete sentence and she says okay because she knows i mean -- she didn't take me seriously, but i learned a lot from her, what to do and whatn not to do. she didn't have the tools i have. we have more information today. we have new clothes, new attitude, new hair. >> always changing. >> i have bangs again. did you notice? >> the classic. you got married to or divorced to. >> your classics? >> yeah. no, we're going to do -- >> we're going to do "brickhouse," okay? >> i love "brickhouse," by the

way. >> i love that -- >> you do not. >> someone help me. >> wait. you actually have a new cd coming out, too, right? >> i have a new cd coming out in the spring with her, eight solo songs, four judd songs. this is at cracker barrel. >> love cracker barrel. >> one of the greatest corporations i've ever worked with. giving back to soldiers who come back wounded. >> you've lost a lot of weight. >> yeah. >> you look great. >> i lost my mind, then i lost weight. >> you guys have been through the wars. >> we've been to hell and back. >> there's a victory that started the day after thanksgiving in green bay, wisconsin. >> a lot to be grateful for. >> when you're as thick as your family -- >> bring your mother to see my mother. >> it's about the music. >> the fans. >> with kids, you'll get this,

new generation of judd heads are about to be born. 25-year fans will bring their kids. >> i love it. >> we love having you guys on. >> that's it? >> that's it. >> this is it. although you're so fun, it could go on forever. >> judd.com. >> kicks off right after thanksgiving. a?dll to come,hod a?ho winter coats, after this. with all the equipment you use to stay fit, you might want to try lifting one of these. in recent years we've added a unique natural sea salt to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so if you're ready to eat a little better, grab your spoon and do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ [ baby crying, teapot whistling ] everything's fine. [ male announcer ] of all the things that happen on your wooden surfaces,

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still to come, how to boost your metabolism. please, god. plus, wrapping yourself in warmth for under 100 bucks. taking a knife to your jack-o-lantern, ways to decorate your pumpkin, after this. pped a. [ air traffic controller ] okay, 245, proceed to your next cleared altitude. [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] today, truecourse flight management systems from ge allow for fuel savings, lower emissions and less noise...

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two servings of vegetables into every half-cup of healthy, delicious sauce. new ragu has the taste your family will love. ragu. feed our kids well. 10:26. another sigalert. >> at the toll plaza, this shot looks clear. the map shows you at foster city boulevard another accident blocking three lanes. there's a motorcade travel might be a delay later on this afternoon. b.a.r.t. after the shake-up and stop of trains, no delays reported after the earthquake drill we participated in

throughout california. longer trains also will take you over to the giants game. keep that in mind. avoid parking delays. rob? >> right now we're watching clouds moving into the bay area right now. we had sunshine over the last hour or two. you can see high clouds off to the west and perhaps a few sh showers here lurking offshore, mainly aimed in across the far north bay. today's temperatures, mid to upper 60s. fair fairly warm. tomorrow maybe a lingering shower for the morning. it's the weekend that unfortunately looks pretty soggy. especially across the north bay midday saturday. sunday, thettest day of thit week with temperatures in the 60s. time right now, 10:27. more news right after the short break. she's for risky new oil drilling that could threaten our jobs. fiorina's plan would mean slashing social security and medicare, which would devastate seniors. and she'd make abortion a crime. no wonder fiorina is endorsed by sarah palin.

carly fiorina. just too extreme for california. [ boxer ] i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message. meg whitman. cut administrative overhead. put more money in the classroom. more charter schools. jerry brown? his union backers want to make it nearly impossible to fire a bad teacher. they oppose reform. oppose charter schools. oppose change. jerry brown: no changes in education. meg whitman: more money in the classroom. more charter schools. a chance for change.

a win tonight puts the giants into the fall classic. tonight's game will be a rematch between the pitching as for both teams. tim lincecum and roy halladay will get the start. the giants provided another thriller last night. seesaw game ended when juan uribe hit a walkoff sacrifice fly. >> i got a lot of emotion, you know. i'm kind of happy today, you know. helping my team. >> with their pitching staff and the way they can just instantly turn their bats on, we got some good pitching as well. but they're never out. that's a good team over there. >> it was a good time.

halladay versus lincecum, round two. if the giants win they're going to move on to the world series for the first time since 2002. tonight's game starts right around 5:00 p.m. thanks so much for joining us this morning. "today" show continues next. see you tomorrow morning daray ha a great day. we're back on this thirst day with "today's" woman. we're talking about a thing we all have to deal with, metabolism. >> it's so frustrating. what is it, how does it work and, most importantly, how do you boost it? joy bauer has all the answers, as she always does. we have been talking about this subject. as we get older, it gets frustrating. you can eat a cracker, it feels like, in a day and stand on the scale and gain weight. is our metabolism slowing down every year? >> there's a little bit of truth to that. metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. starting at the age of 20, every

decade of life our metabolisms tend to decline about 1% to 2%. so, as you -- >> then we die. >> but as we get older, we are getting somewhat of a slowdown. but at the same time, think about it, we slow down. we're not running after kids. we're not doing so much sports or -- >> sitting in front of a computer, tv or something like that. >> and we emotionally eat as well. there's a lot of things going on but i think it's a misconception that all of our weight gain can be blamed on metabolism. >> because there's stuff we can do, right, especially after the age of postmenopausal. i don't know anyone who is, personally, but for those ladies. >> definitely. one of those things that you can do is increase your lean muscle mass. as we age, part of the decline in metabolism is due to our muscle mass going south. >> it's called gravity. it happens. >> it's a normal aging process. >> so, if you -- let's say -- so i should lift weights and that

will speed up my metabolism? >> it definitely will. but you need to do both aerobic activity -- that can be as simple as walking for 30 minutes every day. it doesn't even have to be continuous. do ten minutes in the morning, ten minutes in the afternoon, ten minutes in the evening. because that burns calories. but the bigger piece is the weight -- the strength training. 15 to 20 minutes two to three times a week is going to increase that lean body mass. it doesn't really have to be weights. it could be push-ups, planks, lunges, anything that uses your body's resirchs. >> you don't feel like -- you feel you're doing something but you don't feel windy and i always think i wonder if anything is happening when i do that. >> it's working. it's definitely working. you can do the cardio also with it. that's key. but the strength training, when you increase that lean body mass, you know that lean muscle mass burns about three times the amount of calories that fat does. >> wow! >> it's a slight boost but we'll take anything we can get.

>> joy, i have found that at a certain age i always did that stuff all along and it wasn't working anymore. i needed to do more. >> right. >> and i needed to cut out more in my diet. >> you need to be tighter with your food. another interesting thing is that when we eat, we actually burn calories. you have to eat calories in order to burn calories. so, what i tell people to do is to make sure that you're fueling your body every four to five hours. you don't need to be picking every two to three hours. that is sort of counterproductive. >> they always say this food helps to boost your metabolism. are there foods that do that? >> green tea gives you a very, very slight edge. it's so slight that if you put a packet of sugar into the green tea, it's sort of going to undo the metabolism benefit. >> we do that every morning. >> it has so many other health benefits so i'm glad you're drinking it. but all food, carbohydrates, fat and protein will rev your

metabolism but protein has a greater rev. as a woman who is trying to rev their metabolism, you want to make sure that there's protein with each and every meal. >> what's on the table? >> for breakfast, this is some scrambled egg whites with chopped tomatoes. the egg whites are pure protein. i'm also only portioning one serving of starch with each of the meals because the other key thing is you have to be tight with your calories. for lunch, you see strength. that's the protein. and, again, one serving of brown rice and a whole lot of vegetables. and a snack over here, ounce of cheese, reduced fat. calorie controlled but protein again, metabolism revved and some fruit. 1,200 to 1,600 calories, eating every four to five hours and protein with every single meal. it's going to work. >> you know how you want to hold me down and put gum in my hair? >> yeah. >> sometimes i want to hold joy down and stuff food in her face. >> i like tirimasu.

i love m & m's. >> thank you, joy. want a coat that will keep you warm and leave you with money left over for your gloves, hoda woman. ♪ and i feel like... [ female announcer ] kellogg's wants to make kids happy one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need, that's why froot loops, apple jacks and corn pops have 3 grams of fiber in every yummy bowl. they're the cereals your kids love and the fiber their tummies love... which makes for a whole lotta happy. froot loops, apple jacks and corn pops, an oh-so-good source of fiber. kellogg's® makes fiber fun. with stelara® for adults. stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated

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first timers, old pros, heated rivals, you can't do the wave by yourself. and just like we mix and mingle, so do the delicious tastes and textures in every handful of chex mix. we're made to mix. i'm home. toilet's fixed. [ 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. clorox disinfecting wipes. with all the equipment you use to stay fit, you might want to try lifting one of these. in recent years we've added a unique natural sea salt to over 40 campbell's condensed soups.

it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so if you're ready to eat a little better, grab your spoon and do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ oh, hello. hoda? >> oh. >> it's time for "today's" style. winter coats for under $100. >> they do exist and they are much easier to find than you might think. here with proof is tracy. >> apparently she has friends in high places. >> tons of great coats for under $100 for every body shape, style and they'll keep you warm.

this will carry you through absolutely every single occasion in winter. it's really warm. it's from old navy and it's only $70. and what's great about this coat, it's great for petites. a lot of petite women think they can't wear a long coat. the way to wear a long coat is have a belt. cinch your waist, break your body up in two distinct sections and give the illusion that there's more length there than there actually is. >> this is great for really cold weather. >> right, bundle up. >> isn't that cute? $90 from toole. when you have curves, you want to balance them out by wearing something really tailored. it's double breasted and has a strong line to offset the curvy factor. what's great also, it has this knee length. she can still show off her fabulous legs. >> what's great about that,

people say i don't have enough money. i want to get one coat. it's inexpensive enough. >> it's only $90. >> red coat, i'm not going to wear it all the time. >> you'll stand out in a sea of black, navy and gray coats. >> you think it's better to wear a shorter coat if you're bustier? >> yes, you're drawing attention to the assets you want to show off and away from the ones you don't. >> for a night out on the town, leopard is in. >> leopard is. >> this is cute. >> adorable little crop faux fur jacket from american eagle. it's $99. great way to have fun. obviously you won't wear this to the office. this is not your most conservative coat. this is for having a great time, friday night out with your girlfriends, throw it on with your little black dress and a little cute flower hat on top. >> is that more youthful, that coat? >> definitely more youthful because it's cropped. it has a full swing to it. >> we see little old ladies

wearing those types of things. >> i think when you get to be a little old lady you revert back to your youthful style. when you get that age you want to wear anything you want. >> this caramel color, which i love. this is krista. >> the must-have color. >> it's so classic. >> it is. this was on the runway at chloe, michael koors, gucci. >> that looks like michael koors. >> it does but it's h & m and it's $90. >> sorry, michael. >> it's fully lined. it's warmer than your average cape. the camel color, as you said, is a classic. if you buy it now, it will never go out of style. >> i love how that works on any body type at all. >> cocoon, cape shape. >> thank you, darling. >> the little black coat and lisa is coming out. oh, that's cute. >> adorable. >> everyone needs -- your basic black coat. everyone needs a versatile coat.

you can wear it to work, for play, absolutely anywhere. it's $99. it's from zara. >> three-quarter length sleeves? >> either layer up. we have a long-sleeve shirt but gloves are a big statement this season. buy the long gloves, get something that's elbow length and still be cozy with the three-quarter sleeves. >> adorable. >> let's bring all of our models out for one last look. >> ladies, thank you so much. >> all under 100. >> all under 100 bucks. >> nice job. >> thank you so much. coming up next, ending the morning mania in your house with some calm and cool thnecftiques.er after this.

with all the equipment you use to stay fit, you might want to try lifting one of these. in recent years we've added a unique natural sea salt to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so if you're ready to eat a little better, grab your spoon and do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ imagine what it can do to your skin. but dove isn't soap. it contains pure 1/4 moisturizing cream because, everyday moisture is the key to beautiful skin. and who knows moisture better than dove. because, everyday moisture is the key to beautiful skin. mmmmmm. mmmmmm.

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he worked his whole life, served his country defending our freedoms, and depends on social security. so, who would want to privatize it? corporate lawyer david harmer. harmer's social security privatization plan would cut guaranteed benefits and gamble with social security on wall street. while we worry, harmer's wall street friends would make billions in profits from privatization. david harmer. a social security privatization plan we can't afford. i was supposed to retire there. carly fiorina changed all that. [ cheri ] fiorina laid off 30,000 people. and she shipped our jobs to china. and india. i had to pack my bags and i was out the door that night.

we even had to train our replacements. she didn't need 5 corporate jets. [ farrell ] one hundred million for herself. fiorina never cared about our jobs. not then and not now. [ boxer ] i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message. not then and not now. our kids can't afford another four years of crippling cuts to public schools. class sizes are too big, and all the standardized testing just isn't working. so classroom teachers looked closely at the plans of both candidates for governor. and we're supporting jerry brown. brown's plan focuses on a well-rounded education... with history, science, and the arts as well as english and math. schools where teachers and parents work together. and that's why we urge you to vote for jerry brown, a leader we can trust to make our public schools a priority again. >> announcer: "today's" moms is brought to you by walmart. moms, head to your local walmart today to find ways to save money, live better. we're back with "today's"

moms to learn how to tame morning mania. you probably started off the school year with the best intentions but just getting the kids up and out of the house is becoming a total nag fest. i like that word. >> how to get parents and kids back on track, the founder of positive parenting solutions. >> and she actually really has some. a lot of people talk about it, but she shows up and actually givings you great advice. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> a lot of parents end up nagging their kids, especially in the morning. they're late. the bus is out there. >> i think most parents wake up, intending it for it to be a really good day but then it turns into this big nag fest, nagging and reminding their kids to do the things they already know they're supposed to do. >> get dressed. >> get dressed, eat, get your homework, lunch box. then they feel like another day that started off on a bad note for everybody. >> what should kids do without being reminded? what are the things they should

do, for sure? >> by the time they're 4 or 5 years old, they should be able to get themselves up on their own. remember all the daily things they need for school and get out the door on time without reminders from mom and dad. >> you talk about the fact that we enable our children in some bad behaviors by your child is chronically late and you keep making it okay for them or your child forgets something at the house all the time and we're in the car and we -- what should we do in cases like that? >> there are a couple of strategies that we can use. the first one is implementing what's called a when/then routine. it requires that all the yucky stuff, things that you remind them to do every day, that has to happen before the more fun parts of the routine, like breakfast or play time or tv time. it sounds like when you're dressed, your bed is made, your hair is combed, your backpack and lunch box is by the door, then come join us for breakfast. if they doddle, then the consequence is, they might miss out on breakfast or play time.

>> you don't want to send your kids off to the school day without breakfast but you have to be consistent. >> they might be a little uncomfortable the first day but they're not going to starve to death. i promise you the next day, they'll be getting through the morning routine quickly to get it all done. >> some parents do charts that they make sure their kids follow along. is that a good idea? >> that's a great idea. that's setting them up for success. use this when/then routine, develop a chart with pictures or words so they can see what they have to do. put that on their bedroom door or wherever they'll see it as a visual reminder. >> how do you feel about the tv or computer in a bedroom? >> i don't really advise that at all. number one, it's a distraction. >> makes them late half the time if they're on the computer. >> and then -- you're also not able to monitor it very easily when it's in their room. so that way, if you can kind of have all the yucky stuff done, all the things they have to do before you allow them to have any tv time. >> what about when your kids get older? sometimes you end up nagging your kids long through junior

high and high school not for lunch boxes but other things. >> i text my nags now. don't forget, church, sunday morning. >> but for the school morning, a great way to handle older kids is to implement what we call the no rescue policy, what you were talking about earlier. no rescue policy puts the child totally in charge of the morning routine. >> and their own destiny. >> that's right. we'll sit down with them and say you're really growing up and part of growing up is taking responsibility for yourself. now you're going to be in charge of the morning routine. it's your job to set your alarm and if you don't set it or you sleep through it, i'm not going to wake you up. you're going to have to explain to the principal why you're late. if you forget your homework or your lunch box, that's going to be your problem. and that takes courage. >> it is. you also don't want them to think you're a bad mother because you're not helping. >> right. >> it is such a -- >> to that point, we kind of do worry about what teachers think. you can always bring them into the loop and let them know what you're doing. >> thanks so much. up next, the art of pumpkin

carving. first this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] how can you retire at age 55? just ask jerry brown. he gave california state employees collective bargaining powers. since then the unions have grown stronger and stronger. now state employees can retire at 55 with much of their salary for life. and taxpayers are on the hook for one hundred billion dollars

in unfunded pension liabilities. no wonder those unions are 100% behind jerry brown. he'll just spend, and spend, and spend.

with halloween just ten days away, it's time for a lesson in pumpkin decor. >> carving up eyes, a nose and mouth isn't good enough for amy corman. she's brought along some friends, like jacqueline here. >> we wanted to think outside the box in terms of pumpkin carving. we brought some white and gray pumpkins. certainly a farmer's market or do it the affordable way. get orange pumpkins and spray paint them white after you do the carving. this is a scary skull pumpkin we have here today. >> jacqueline is doing a fine job. >> yes, she is. >> she has been working so hard. the idea with kids is to keep

the design simple but have high impact. it has ten incisions in it. the trick here is to use tweezers to pull out. >> you worry wiabout kids with sharp objects. >> this is great for kids 8 and older. all the kids we have today are 9. >> and a little blood on halloween, what the heck. >> thanks, honey. >> next is hannah. she is working on our stackable ghost pumpkin. have them fine pumpkins that can be placed one on top of the other for good balance. she is working on the face of the top pumpkin, the middle pumpkin says boo and the last is solid, which we draped with a cheese cloth, very affordable. >> that's very cool. >> you don't want to light any candles in those. >> no. >> no. >> you could do led lights if you want. >> now you're talking. >> i like the dimension and little bit of add add height. >> look how michael is working. >> julie brown has an amazing

idea she did with her son. we're all about using things you have around the house. two things. paint and glitter. that's all you need. michael has been painting away with his paint set to which we add some glitter to our painted pumpkins while the paint is wet and it just sticks. >> no glue required. >> sorry, michael. excuse me for interrupting. look at that. >> nice job. >> you can use several to dot down your dining room table and they're lovely. they're modern even. using things that you have already around the house. >> sophia is doing some creepy stuff down here, i think. what has she got going on? >> our creepy crawly caterpillar. >> they don't come this color. they look like tomatoes. >> exactly. except we're not going to eat them. she glues on a face and a mouth. add holes for pipe cleaner, dot them down your walk leading up to your house. these last two crafts didn't

involve any carving or knives. >> for the little ones. >> even a 2-year-old who likes to paint and get messy can do it. >> every kid likes to paint and get messy. >> thank you very, very much. happy halloween, everybody. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. >> thank you. tomorrow, dean caine, superman. we'll see you tomorrow. >> have an awesome thursday, everybody. >> have an awesome thursday, everybody. we'll see you. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i was supposed to retire there. carly fiorina changed all that. [ cheri ] fiorina laid off 30,000 people. and she shipped our jobs to china. and india. i had to pack my bags and i was out the door that night. we even had to train our replacements. she didn't need 5 corporate jets. [ farrell ] one hundred million for herself. fiorina never cared about our jobs. not then and not now. [ boxer ] i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message.

he worked his whole life, served his country defending our freedoms, and depends on social security. so, who would want to privatize it? corporate lawyer david harmer. harmer's social security privatization plan would cut guaranteed benefits and gamble with social security on wall street. while we worry, harmer's wall street friends would make billions in profits from privatization. david harmer. a social security privatization plan we can't afford. just ask jerry brown. he gave california state employees collective bargaining powers. since then the unions have grown stronger and stronger. now state employees can retire at 55 with much of their salary for life. and taxpayers are on the hook for one hundred billion dollars in unfunded pension liabilities.