good morning. breaking news. another violent storm system roars through the south spawning even more powerful tornadoes. at least 13 people killed in three states. criminal charges. the justice department has given prosecutors the go ahead to charge former presidential candidate john edwards. could he be sent to prison for allegedly using campaign contributions to hide an affair? and royal reception. president obama and the first lady honored at a state banquet thrown by the queen, a lavish affair that included a rather awkward moment during the president's toast.

>> to the queen. >> so what happened? we'll explain today, wednesday, may 25th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to a split edition of "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer in new york. >> i'm meredith vieira in los angeles. once again, parts of the south are picking up the pieces from violent and deadly tornadoes, matt. >> this is one of the twisters that caused widespread damage on tuesday, this one near cole, oklahoma. hundreds of families have been left homeless from oklahoma to arkansas, all of this, of course, comes on the heels of that massive tornado that leveled much of joplin, missouri, over the weekend. we'll have the latest in a live report.

meredith? and the bombshell dropped by casey anthony's defense team during opening statements at her trial. they claim caylee anthony was not murdered by drowned in the family pool. and they say anthony's own father helped to cover it up. but the prosecution telling a much different story. we'll have details and reaction from one of casey anthony's former attorneys coming up. >> and this is the day fans of oprah winfrey have been counting down to and, of course, dreading, her final show after 25 years. we'll hear from people who were in the audience for the taping of today's emotional final show. let us begin with the latest outbreak of deadly tornadoes. mike seidel is in piedmont, oklahoma, for us this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. here in oklahoma, the state was hit hard yesterday. a total of almost three dozen twisters across the country, another deadly day, at least

nine killed here in oklahoma, and it was all caught live on television in oklahoma city. >> going to drop a huge tornado. >> reporter: a series of tornadoes roared through oklahoma city on tuesday. this was the scene in grady county as a large tornado chewed up the landscape. >> it could be an f-5. >> reporter: nbc station kfor, news channel 4, was on the air covering the fast-moving events. >> folks, get under ground. this tornado is headed your way. >> i'm 15 miles west. oh, my gosh. it's bigger than before. >> reporter: one of the meteorologists caught in a storm driving to safety as power poles danced in the air around him. >> oh, my gosh. >> it's a half mile wide. another killer tornado. it went across highway 81. it almost got us. it intensified right on top of us. amazing. >> reporter: from the air chopper footage captured the

devastation as the terrifying scene played out. >> look at this tornado. this is unbelievable. just unbelievable. look at it tearing up the ground. look at the debris. that's a roof. it's taking roofs. >> reporter: in the aftermath, the grim reality was striking. these survivors took shelter in their basement and escaped with only cuts and bruises. >> that's our house. it's just gun. >> reporter: propane leaking from the wreckage of what was once their home and their truck flipped on its side. in shawnee, drivers caught on the road while another tornado tears through the area close by. in guthrie, a veterinarian barely escape with his life. >> we jumped into the kennels where we keep the dogs and it proceeded to blow everything away. >> reporter: others are not so lucky. there are heartbreaking stories coming to light. in piedmont, a mother and her children took refuge in a bathtub and were buried when the

storm hit in the debris. >> we suspect they were in the bathtub, which is sitting right here now. >> reporter: the mother and two of her children badly injured while searchers look for a thirty child still missing after being pulled from her mother's arms. this morning there are many facing the daunting task of rebuilding. >> i came around the corner, saw that my house is gone and my cars. everything was just a loss. >> we're safe. that's all that matters. >> thank you for the warning. you saved our lives. >> reporter: back here in piedmont, this morning, these pictures looking much like we've seen in recent days out of joplin. this entire street has been leveled, cars flipped on one another. the only thing standing are some trees, so this is probably ef-3, maybe ef-4 damage, because these were brick houses. meanwhile, just coming in this morning in the last hour, more damage in illinois from tornadoes. matt, back to you. >> mike seidel in piedmont, oklahoma, this morning. mix, thanks for your reporting.

al is just back from joplin, missouri. heels upstairs with more on the latest round of severe weather and what we can expect today. al, good morning to you. welcome back. >> thanks a lot, matt. sthanks, matt.ing at another strong low level jet stream. moisture from the gulf. you combine the two and we have a big risk area to show you right now from little rock, memphis into central indiana. the potential for large tornado tornadoes, widespread damage and hail in the area. we have a slight risk from texas to buffalo, new york and up to chicago. we've got a wide area today under the gun for severe weather. you can see the rotation around ane system. upper level low. we have a tornado watch from missouri into illinois. rainfall amounts anywhere from one to three inches of rain out of this system. yesterday i got a chance to go into a blackhawk helicopter.

to give you a sense, this is a seven-mile-long stretch of hurricane -- i should say tornado damage. if you think about your neighborhood, you get in your car, drive for 30 miles, givesesgiveses you an idea how long that is. we have had four ef-5s this year. last time we had this many ef-5 tornadoes was 1974 when we had six. by the way, while we were in joplin, missouri, we met john degraaf. he was looking for a friend feared lost in the rubble. take a look. your missing neighbor? >> larry. he's 73. i know he was home. >> turns out larry survived the tornado, left and stayed with friends because he couldn't stay

in that house. larry was quoted as saying, the fact is he didn't know so many people cared about him, matt. there is a silver lining in the story. >> absolutely. it's an important follow up. al, thank you very much. we'll check in with you in a little while. dr. greg forbes is a severe weather expert for weather channel. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> we look at the frequency of the tornadoes that we are seeing this year. more than double the average number of tornadoes year to date. is there a simple explanation as to why we are seeing so many? >> it's really the pattern that we got into in april and then have come back to for part of may. april was about four timese the average number of tornado. it was a record for any month of any year. the pattern has been way above average temperaturewise. all of the areas east of the rockies have been above average. that helps fuel instability. then in combination with that there's been an active jet

stream up into the great lakes, the northeast, sometimes going into the southeast. that combination of instability and strong winds aloft fuel the thunderstormse and give them wid shift needed to rotate. you get tornadoes, big disturbances that trigger the tornadoes. >> do you see anything that shows you the patterns of warmer than usual temperatures and the jet stream may be disrupted in the near future? >> it looks like for the next couple of weeks, that is going to continue to be a favorable pattern. later into the summer we get into less tornado threat. june is a pretty active month but it beginses to ta to taper the fall season. we can get thunderstorms and

damaging winds become a threat in june and july. >> thank you very much, dr. forbes. i appreciate it. it's nine minutes after the hour. back to meredith in los angeles. >> matt, thank you very much. now to more on the devastation in joplin where the search for survivors of sunday'ssundnado is entering its third day. nbc's kevin tibbles is there. good morning to you. >> reporter: meredith, rescue crewses here, when weather permits are busy combing through the debris and miracle rouloumio more survivorses were found. >> everybody down. >> reporter: sirens blared in joplin. this city now stands in ruins. >> this used to be in home and now there is nothing left of it. >> reporter: with hundreds of businesses and more than a thousand homeses destroyed the

newly homeless are finding refuge here at a red cross shelter at missouri state southern university. there is a clinic full of volunteerses from across the country helping those injured in the storm still haunted by wh b they saw on sunday. >> it's the most evil-looking thing you have seen in your life. >> reporter: eager to get the word out that they survived. >> i want to let my sister and my daughter know that i'm alive and well and only in minor pain. >> reporter: with an unknown number of people missing in joplin they come seeking news of loved ones, praying they are on the red cross's safe and well list. >> it's heart wrenching to not be able to be in contact with your loved ones, especially through such a traumatic event. we want to facilitate that reunion. >> move to the side so that the dog doesn't smell you. >> reporter: even civilian rescue teamses have been out in full force, with two people

rescued. rebuilding this once vibrant city will have to wait. >> we are thinking ahead and developing plans but our first focus is search and rescue. that's what we are concentrating on at this point. >> reporter: one desperate family waited and prayed as rescuers searched for a young boy ripped from his parents' arms when the tornado hit. they were injured. he remains missing and the parents hope to be reunited. >> i just want to fine him. >> reporter: at the red cross shelter, for close friends sh good new s. >> she's like another child. >> reporter: a friend spotted jane bryson. >> i want to take her home with me. she's alive. that's all that matters. >> reporter: perhaps adding insult to injury the violent storms did pass thrgh here last night. fortunately for all of us, no twisters touched down.

matt? >> kevin tibbles, thank you very much. sourcese close to the investigation tell nbc news that the justice department authorized prosecutors to proceed with criminal charges against john edwards. the case stems from his a to cover up an extramarital affair. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers has details on this. lisa, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. these sources tell nbc news that the justice department has green-lighted criminal charges against edwards for alleged violations of campaign laws related to more than a million dollars provided by wealthy supporters, money used to cover p up his affair. sources say an indictment is expected very soon unless edwards agrees to a plea bargain rfrnlts john edwards may soon face criminal charges, but last weekend you'd never know it. >> hey! >> reporter: here on a baseball field in north carolina, the former presidential candidate was being a good dad, watching

his son jack play ball. no visible sign of the big trouble ahead. ironically, at the same field that day, 100 feet away, the government's key witness against edwards, his former aide andrew young. young claims edwards directed the cover-up of his affair with campaign videographer rielle hunter, who edwards has a daughter with. young kept hunter in hiding and provided voice messages to prosecutors. >> andrew, hey it's john. i had a wonderful conversation, long and wonderful conversation with bunny. i think we can completely count on her. just wanted you to hear that and once again to tell you i love you. i really love you, andrew. >> reporter: rachel bunny melon is the now 100-year-old heiress and ard ant edwards supporter. her decorator brian huffman said he sent her checks totalling

about $700,000, one enclosed in a fancy box of chocolates. checks he then forwarded to andrew young. >> payments were being made to keep rielle hunter happy and payments being made to keep the story from ruining job edwards' presidential campaign. >> reporter: huffman and melon, through their attorney, say they were asked to help edwards with a personal problem but had no idea what it was. rielle hunter was hidden away in lavish homes, flown around in a private jet. much of that was paid for by edwards' campaign finance chair fred barrett who claimed, just before he died, that edwards didn't know anything about it. >> i've never paid a dime of money to any of the people that are involved. i've never asked anybody to pay a dime of money, never been told that any money's been paid. nothing has been done at my request. it thank you! >> reporter: now sources indicate the government can prove otherwise. arguing the money contributing by two wealthy donors was not a gift but a form of political

contribution used illegally. a source with knowledge of the case says this could still end with a plea bargain. however, we're told that prosecutors are insisting that edwards plead to a felony, which friends doubt he will do. we're told action is likely in the next couple of weeks, and, matt, the edwards team had no comment. >> lisa myers from washington this morning, slees sa, thank you very much. let's get a check of the rest of the top stories. ann is at the news desk with the rest of those. good morning. we begin with what may be a sigh of relief for air travelers in europe. eruptions from the iceland volcano are dying down. still some 700 flights are expected to be canceled today in germany. remaining ash clouds are disrupting arab traffic at berlin's airport. on tuesday, a senate committee was informed of two incidents of air traffic

controllers sleeping on the job in texas and california in january. that brings the official number of lapses so far this year to seven. a wreckage of a helicopter used in the raid on osama bin laden is back in the united states. pakistan returned the pieces after repeated demands from the pentagon. a surprise victory for democrat kathy hole kell who won a special new york house election last night to replace chris lee, the republican congressman who stepped down after topless photos of his surfaced. the race hinged on her opposition to a republican-led plan to make deep cuts in medicare. shuttle "endeavour" astronauts conduct their third space walk today to tie up loose ends from their previous outing and conduct a robotic crane. this is the mission's third space walk and as astronaut mike fink said emerging from the station's air lock, wow, it's great to be back outside. interesting images. it is now 7:17. back to al and matt.

al, welcome back. >> thanks. we've got a check on good morning to you. we've got some rain in our neck of the woods but not a lot of it. let me step out of the way and show you what's happening. the south bay, san jose kind of clear right now, partly cloudy conditions. the peninsula getting their first round of rain right now, pretty steady line here, but the bulk of the moisture is on the way and will pass through before we hit noon today. high pressure still in control will bring our temperatures back up into the 70s as early as tomorrow. your futurecast shows you by noon we're done with that rain. and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. president obama and the first lady woke up this morning in buckingham palace. they spent the night there after attending a star-studded dinner in their honor hosted by the queen. michelle kosinski is at the palace this morning. good morning to you, michelle. >> reporter: hi, meredith. the white house has come to buck house, as they call it here.

this is the second state visit by a president that the queen has hosted and it's generated a lot of press. things like dinner mishaps, ping-pong and the fashion statements. >> reporter: not always easy being a visitor in the realm of ancient protocol. president obama tries to toast the queen at a star-studded white tie state dinner at the palace. >> to her majesty, the queen. >> reporter: but she doesn't touch her glass. and they play the music over him. ♪ >> reporter: he gets it. and waits. >> to the queen. >> reporter: a long day for the president and first lady starting with nice handshakeses this time. none of the controversial semi-hug that dogged michelle obama in 2009. but this time the british press didn't like her outfit calling it clashing, prom style, even a faux pas saying she must have

tried to dress to please the queen who kind of matched. and that brutal british wind was kind to no one. >> the prince of wales had a bad hair day. >> reporter: but then william and kate appeared fresh from their honeymoon looking tanned, relaxed and not an ounce heavier. kate's dress also talked about, not only being from a regular store but a tad fitted and above the knee. >> she's making her own choices, her own style. this possibly was the wrong sort of dress to wear, but she wore it well. >> reporter: though the obamas were not at the royal wedding they get to stay in the suite where the couple spent their wedding night. different bed, say it s the pal. the message wrote a touching message but accidentally dated it 2008. they dropped in on the prime

minister, a trip to a school and table tennis. >> oh! >> reporter: two world leaders s quickly wiped out by teenagers. ending with a glittering night. for michelle, a second chance to shine. another hard-won american victory. today it's serious. president obama will address parliament and will meet with david cameron on libya and afghanistan. meredith? >> okay, michelle kosinski. thank you very much. just ahead, the bombshell bombshell accusations made by casey anthony's defense team as her trial gets under way. first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, did arnold schwarzenegger use his power to keep his affair a secr matt? >> details on oprah's final show after your local news.

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good morning to you. 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a southern california mother is coming forward and defending her son against charges of beating giants fan bryan stow. soledad gonzalez says her son, giovanni ramirez is willing to take a lie detector test to prove he was not at dodgers stadium the day of the attack. in fact she said her son wasn't at the opening day game because he was in relatives in l.a. >> please, to be sure to check all those videos, all those videos on the stadium, on the dodgers stadium. please check, be sure it is not

my son. >> police are still looking for a second beating suspect and a woman who drove the getaway car. in the meantime the stow family is filing a lawsuit against the dodgers, claiming the team did not provide enough security on gameday. so far no comment from the dodgers. barry bonds is reaching out to help the stow family. he's offering to pay for both of stow's children's college tuition. the stow family's attorney told nbc bay area the news yesterday. both of stow's children are currently in grade school. bryan stow is divorced and was taking care of his children at the time of his attack. very generous. let's check the forecast with christina. i think by midafternoon it's going to be okay. >> yeah, but right now not so good. we've got a lot of rain coming in especially in the north bay, also the peninsula getting west as well as oakland. watch out for that for the next few hours, that will be the case. high pressure will shear this thing apart. it will break apart by about noon. at that time the sun will come out and our temperatures will climb into the 60s.

but as you can see your futurecast shows you clearing by 11:00 a.m. let's talk to mike about your drive. we have some slowing 101 coming from capital expressway up past the airport. sunol southbound 680 getting down to the area also showing some slowing coming down out of pleasanton and in past the express lane. the bay bridge toll plaza, the backup continues to build there coming off of the maze and slowdown through emeryville as well but not a major issue. and then antioch, there is some spreading for highway 4 all the way over towards concord. >> thank you very much. another local news update in half an hour. the "today" show back in less woan t minutes. t

♪ 7:30 parg 7:30 on this wednesday morning, may 25, 2011. a funny morning in rockefeller plaza. if these people come back friday they will be treated to a live performance from pop superstar, rihanna, as we kick off the summer concert series. just ahead, matt, casey anthony's explosive defense. >> her team went on the attack alleging the death of her 2-year-old daughter caylee was a tragic accident, not murder. that was just one of the surprising allegations they made

but the prosecution is telling a very different story. we'll have the latest from the court ahead, meredith. >> also, matt, how could arnold schwarzenegger keep an affair and child secret for so long? did he use his power and influence to bury negative headlines leading up to his gubernatorial election? headlines coming up. >> and oprah ends her 25-year run today. what did she do for the finale? we give you a sneak peek. we begin this half hour with the opening day bombshells at casey anthony's murder trial. nbc's kerry sanders is in orlando with details. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. casey's defense attorney said he would tell the full story when he got to court. it's a shocker. he told the jury that casey anthony never murdered her daughter but rather her 2-year-old daughter caylee anthony accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool.

casey anthony, at times in tears, listened as her lead defense attorney jose baez spelled out what he says really happened to 2-year-old caylee. >> you're going to find that this is not a murder case. this is not a manslaughter case. this is not a case of aggravated child abuse. this is none of those things. caylee anthony died on june 16, 2008 when she drowned in the family swimming pool. >> reporter: baez then admitted to the jury there may have been a disconnect in logic. why would casey have waited a month to tell anyone her daughter was dead. baez said there was a deep family secret. >> it began when casey was 8 years old and her father came into her room and began to touch her inappropriately. >> reporter: the defense claimed the alleged ed incest youous

relationship warped casey's judgment, submissive to her father and his fury when he said he found caylee in the pool. >> shortly afterward he yelled at her, look at what you have done! your mother will never forgive you and you will go to jail for the rest of your frickin life. >> reporter: caylee's remains somehow wound up in the woods. prosecutors detailed a far different story. >> casey anthony is guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree. >> reporter: a party girl who would rather be at a hot body contest that at home raising a daughter. in a gut-wrenching moment, prosecutors showed the last photo ever snapped of caylee alive, side by side with a picture of her skull found in the woods. how was caylee murdered? prosecutors say with duct tape. >> three pieces of overlapping duct tape covered the nose and mouth of caylee anthony indicating that caylee's killer never intended that it be

removed. >> reporter: late in the day the state called its first witness -- george anthony, casey's father. >> have you ever sexually molested your daughter casey anthony? >> nos sir. >> reporter: he denied >> no, sir. >> reporter: he denied he was there when defense attorneys say caylee drowned in the pool. >> i would have done everything humanly possible to save my granddaughter if what was stated prior would have happened. there are some unanswered >> reporter: in the story presented here by the defense there are some unanswered questions like did cindy anthony, casey's mother, know about this alleged drowning? later this morning the prosecution continues to lay out its case, one they say will indeed prove she's guilty of first-degree murder. matt? >> kerry sanders, thank you very much. linda kenny bodden worked on stacey

anthony's team for years. savannah guthrie is our lead correspondent. linda, you did work on the case for about 22 months. the defense is saying it wasn't murder at all. this was an accident that caylee drowned in the family's swimming pool. did this defense surprise you at all? >> it didn't surprise me at all. i have been in the case. you know, matt, as early as 2008, october, before the body was found, people were saying that the child may have drowned in the pool because of the whole incident with the ladder. no one investigated, took water samples from the child's bones to see if she could have drowned. >> the defense says george, casey's father, found the little girl, found caylee, but they didn't say what happened in the six months between when the little girl allegedly drowned in the swimming pool and her body was found in the woods. aren't they going to have to explain that? >> i think the prosecution has to explain it. the prosecution also didn't say what happened in the five hours before george said he left. i don't think that's a defense burden. i think that becomes a

prosecution burden. >> if you believe the defense side of this, you have to believe that george anthony knew about the little girl drowning in the swimming pool, lied to cover it up even while people were searching for his granddaughter. you have to believe this other bombshell that he sexually abused casey anthony, warping her sense of right and wrong. >> absolutely. but you know what. when does the defense tell you anything? but usually when the defense opens they say nothing. he's gone beyond his burden and put a defense out there. >> the prosecution called george anthony as their first witness, indicating they knew it was coming. they wanted to nip it in the bud, right off the bat. did they succeed? >> in one sense what they have done is removed doubt for jurors compelled by what jose baez said in opening statements, they have an answer from george anthony. they are not going to sit there and listen to the entire prosecution case and wonder, i wonder if he really did molest her. i agree that baez is out on a

limb here. this raises the question of whether the defense intends to call casey anthony to the stand. you have george anthony denying abuse. if they want the evidence in the trial, tai have to put it in the courtroom and casey anthony is the one person who can tell the story. >> let me stick with you on this. the opening statement on the part of the prosecution was dramatic. they talked about what casey anthony was doing during 31 days before she admitted to anyone that caylee anthony was missing, talked about partying and drinking and they juxtaposed pictures of caylee anthony alive with that photo that we won't show, of that skull with her hair visible. how do you knock that image out out of the jurors' minds if you're the defense? >> it's tough. you can see why they had explosive allegations in the courtroom. it may explain casey's behavior but as a practical matter it creates sympathy. if jurors believe casey anthony lived in a house of horrors it will create sympathy for the

defendants. >> how powerful was the opening statement? >> very powerful. they have to put george on the stand and suggest he's the one who put the body there. >> appreciate it. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >>thanks, matt. as you look at temperatures, it is warm in the east and southeast with temperatures 80s and 90s. 60s and 70s in new england. 90s and 80s through the southwest. we have a risk of strong storms through the mid ohio and mississippi river valleys today. rain in the pacific northwest. windy in nevada. we are looking at sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard with temperatures getting up into the 80s and 90s for the second day in a row. well, we told you it was coming and the rain has arrived, especially up in the north bay. steady rain all the way from marin county through santa rosa right now. this system will continue to slide south as we head through the next three hours or so. as it does so, we are going to see some improvement for the second half of your day. the sun will come back out and

warm us up substantially. high pressure still in control. cold air will move in. that will keep our daytime highs a little on the cool side. upper 70s for san francisco today, but as you can see by noon completely clear. >> al, thank you very much. up next, arnold's secrets. did the former governor influence media coverage leading up to his election? we'll have details after these messages. we'll have details after these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] doctors have been saying it forever. let's take a look. but they've never actually been able to do it like this. let's take a look. v-scan from ge healthcare. a pocket sized imaging device that will help change the way doctors see patients. that's better health for more people.

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fallout from arnold schwarzenegger's admitted affair and son. how did it stay out of the headlines for so long? peter alexander has been looking into that. good morning. >> good morning to you. it is unclear when arnold schwarzenegger first realized that mildred baena's son was his. in 2003 schwarzenegger was one of the world's biggest movie stars starses, a public figure and a near shoe-in to be the future leader of the state as long as his past didn't come back to haunt him. >> i am going to run for governor of the state of california. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: by the time arnold schwarzenegger threw his hat into the ring for california's top job he knew he wouldecome a target for political attack. >> i know they're going to throw everything at me and they're going to say i have no experience and that i'm a womanizer and a terrible guy and all of these things will come my way. >> reporter: gary south was a long-time consultant for gray

davis. they were well aware of allegations around arnold schwarzenegger's past and calculated they would derail any political aspirations. >> the thought was there was no much out there about the guy that trying to do an opposition research project as a political opponent was unnecessary. >> reporter: allegations of his inappropriate behavior on movie sets and rumors of affairs had become regular fodder for tabloidses like the enquirer and star magazine. >> at that point the lesson in arnold schwarzenegger's camp was what? >> the moral of the story was make friends with your enemies which is what he did. >> reporter: in 2004, investigative journalist anne marie rd researched a story on arnold schwarzenegger's political rise. she reported on business moves with the help of an old friend that got the tabloids off his back. that friend joe weider is

credited with modernizing modern body building and turning schwarzenegger into the face and body of the sport. weider convinced him to come to america. he won titles for the next seven years. it was the beginning of a profitable relationship between arnold schwarzenegger and the weider magazine empire. >> arnold credits the weider family with helping launch his career and he gave them all the credit they deserved, rallying to their side. >> reporter: in 2002 weider sold the seven magazines and a collection of archived photos of arnold schwarzenegger to american media, the parent company of the enquirer, star and the globe. arnold schwarzenegger discussed lending the magazines his name and image but david packer said he never offered immunity from

the tabloids. still, in the months leading up to california's recall election bardak says the flood of tabloid coverage quickly turned to a trickle. >> they had allegations of affairs. they had allegations of multiple love children. why did none of this come out? >> arnold schwarzenegger was partners with american media. david packer said to me, i'm not going out of my way to dig up dirt on my partner. so suddenly he had a partner. >> reporter: three staffers who worked for american media at the time tell nbc new s that after arnold schwarzenegger announced his bid for governor, few new headlines. instead tribute issues including a special edition called "arnold, the american dream." schwarzenegger's poll numbers rose. it seemed to be smooth sailing.

five dayses before the election the los angeles times dropped a bombshell,ing six women who claimed arnold schwarzenegger groped them. >> i have behaved badly sometimes. >> reporter: schwarzenegger acknowledged some of his past behavior may have been inappropate. his wife maria shriver came to his defense. >> you can listen to people who have never met arnold or who met him for five seconds 30 years ago or you can listen to me. i advise you to listen to me. >> reporter: the final bomb dropped two days before the electionses when britain's daily mail dropped a story about a supposed love child. the national enquirer followed up with its own headline reading arnold love child scandal. the story claims schwarzenegger was the father of one of this woman's children. tammy was a flight attendant on schwarzenegger's chartered jets in the '80s and '90s.

the same rumors hounded her before mildred baena was revealed. she's denied the claimses for eit years and says she has the paternity tests to prove schwarzenegger is not the father of her son. on the night schwarzenegger was elected governor mildred baena's son had celebrated his 6th birthday, a secret schwarzenegger kept for seven years in office. when you hear the headline that arnold schwarzenegger admitted to an out of wedlock child you must have said -- what? >> well, it was about eight years too late to have any effect on the recall in 2003. [ cheers and applause ] >> for his part mildred baena's ex-husband has spoken out for the first time since the scandal broke. he called the situation a betrayal. he said schwarzenegger was his hero. he thought the boy was his son

all along and only found out it wasn't a week ago. >> what a mess. thank you very much. still ahead, simple changes to on gas.ndreds. gas first, these messages. [ male announcer ] when mike rowe heads home, his family knows what to expect. hun, mike's coming -- let's get crackin'. [ male announcer ] but what mike rowe doesn't know is that his parents have armed themselves with unquilted viva® towels. place looks great. [ male announcer ] mike doesn't know that every concentrated viva roll is made of strong, fiber packed sheets, making it one tough towel. but his mom sure does.

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and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] university of phoenix is proud to sponsor education nation. because we believe an educated world is a better world. just ahead, a preview of oprah's farewell show, matt. >> after your local news. at i'v. vo: so to show her what she's missing, we built a pc store in her house. julie: (gasp) employee: thanks for dropping in!

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good morning to you. it's 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. san jose city leaders are putting off a vote to declare a fiscal emergency until june 21st. if a fiscal emergency is declared, mayor chuck reed would be allowed to reform employee pay and retirement benefits. the mayor says the change is necessary to curb retirement spending. it went from $63 million in 2000 to $186 million this year. it's projected to reach a quarter of a billion dollars in 2012. the sun will come out, we know tomorrow, but what about this afternoon? let's check with christina. >> thank you, annie. good morning to you. we're looking really good right now. if you're waking up in san jose, you're going to walk out your front door and find partly cloudy conditions. but if you're headed to san francisco, oakland or the north

bay, you will encounter some pretty wet conditions out there so give yourself plenty of time. take it easy out there. wherever you're headed, the showers are expected to clear by noon. let's find out how these showers are affecting your drive. you know they are. it looking? >> the low clouds definitely will be an issue crossing the bridges, so watch for that. the north bay you pointed out some rain. haven't seen any major slowing there. yesterday and today we've seen highway 4 in the westbound direction slow through antioch as you would expect. a big slowing through pay bay point approaching the walnut creek interchange. one of the accidents has cleared and that's why more traffic is heading south through walnut creek and towards san ramon and danville. there's a smooth drive through the rest of the maze but big slowing coming through hercules for westbound 80. speeds below 20 miles per hour heading down towards the merge. smoothing out through berkeley and emeryville approaching the toll plaza.

the rest of the roadways from the south and the east looking pretty good approaching the maze. we'll look at oakland because christina is talking about rain coming through the area. there's gray clouds and the slowdown start at high street. that's typically what happens right about 8:00 and that looks like what's building coming up past the coliseum right on schedule. >> i got a good taste of the bay as we traveled around the bay. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. i'll be back with another local news update in half an hour. have a great wednesday morning. [ flashbulbs popping ] [ giggles ] hey! owww! right here! right here! one for me! one for me!

ahh not much, got a new hat, might run for president...oh!w bass boaand my new 3 taco combo. i'm serving up three awesomely delicious tacos, crispy golden fries, and an ice cold drink for only $3.49. wow, there is such a strong family resemblance! yeah, we all got nana box's nose (chuckles).

in one word, describe your cohorts on the show. matt. >> jerk. >> wow. >> all kidding asize, my hero no one better in the business. no one better in the business. >> ann. >> ann. what can i say. stole my job i guess. i'm kidding. she stole my heart and everybody else. she's great. >> al. >> spandex. >> that is our friend meredith, having a little fun at our expense with our other friend, mr. jay leno, last night. meredith in los angeles, painting the town red, doing all kinds of fun things. did you have a good time out

there, meredith? >> i had a great time. i'm a little tired today, but no reason to complain. he was fun. you did something despicable to me that we'll show later on. >> again? >> totally surprised me. >> despicable? >> you know what i'm talking about. >> wow, that's not the only reason that meredith was out in l.a. another terrific reason as well. meredith accepting a gracie award. congratulations, for outstanding news anchor last night. awfully great. that's a terrific honor, sponsored by the alliance for women in media to recognize outstanding women in their field and there is nobody who deserves it more than you, my dear. >> oh, al. thank you very much. i feel like i sort of stole this thing, to tell you the truth, since i'm leaving. i thought they were going to confiscate it as i got off the stage. but i thanks everybody, and i forgot to thank natalie in my acceptance speech, and i just want -- obviously i want

everybody to know how much i love her, even though people sometimes say is she your daughter, which, i mean, she's gorgeous, but talk about dating me, you know. and by the way, i also want to congratulate dr. nancy snyderman and carrie zimmer. they won for their reporting from haiti and anne thompson won for her work on "nightly news with brian williams." a wonderful evening. i'm very proud. meanwhile -- >> congratulations. >> go ahead. >> well done. >> thank you very much. meanwhile, from here in los angeles, what does oprah have in store for her big finale? a preview. >> check this out, meredith. celebrating the 60th anniversary of the ms. usa pageant. the reigning ms. usa and this year's competitors. >> all right. we've got a lot to get to. first, let's head inside.

ann curry with headlines. >> congratulations from me to meredith. tornadoes brought more death and misery to the nation's heartland. 13 people killed when tornadoes struck in the evening rush hour in oklahoma, arkansas, and kansas. meantime, the death toll from this week's violent weather in missouri has risen to more than 120. president obama speaking to both houses of the british parliament today and met with prime minister david cameron to discuss the wars in afghanistan and libya last night, president and mrs. obama were guests at a state dinner hosted by president and mr queen elizabeth. strauss-khan, resigned from the international monetary fund resigned last week, and new candidates are emerging. and gerald lautner, a

hearing is being held to determine if he's competent in the shooting of gabrielle giffords and six others. a very brief hearing, with all sides in conclusion. gerald lautner will not face trial any time soon. the 22-year-old lautner is accused of meticulously planning the deadly shooting rampage at a tucson shopping mall. but at present, is he able to understand the 49 charges against him and insist in his defense? former arizona federal prosecutor kurt altman. >> as we stand here today,ith my position that he is not competent to stand trial. >> reporter: he points to two letters sent to judge larry burns, reportedly complaining to his defense team and two evaluators who interviewed lautner over the past five weeks agree. his mental issues now make him

unfit to stand trial. but he will continue to be re-evaluated and medicated involuntarily with the intent of getting him where a jury in a death penalty case. >> i would xexpect the system t be very persistent to restore him to competency. >> reporter: when he stands trial or stays in the hospital i definitely, makes no difference to one of his victims. >> as long as the man who did this is not walking free, i don't really care what kind of a place is holding him. >> reporter: the experts say given the notoriety of the case, an extra effort will be made to restore lautner to competence to stand trial, but there is no guarantee and it could take years. ann. >> thank you, mike tie intiabi.

the last known photograph of hughette clark was 75 years ago. his empty sprawling estate maintained by her lawyer and accountant are under investigation for mishandling her finances. she died on tuesday at the age of 104. a family in slovenia that lovingly adopted an orphan bear will have to give it up. the cub may be smaller than the family dog for now, but the family won't be able to properly shelter it when it's full grown and could reach 600 pounds. family members don't want to give up their bear. they don't want to say good-bye to the get, despite the fact that it's wreaked havoc on doors, trees, and flowerbeds. 8:06. now back outside to matt. >> thank you very much. mr. roker here on a busy weather week. >> absolutely. weather spectacular. a gorgeous day today. nice folks here hanging out.

who are you saying hi to? >> my grandchildren. >> interesting names. very cool. let's see what's happening. we'll show you today -- these are strong storms. low-level jet stream, a lot of moisture out of the gulf, causing the risk of strong storms from littlerock to indianapolis into central illins, a sght risk of strong storms from texas to w york., from chicago to parts of central wisconsin. tornado watches for much of illinois today to the early afternoon and looking at a lot of heavy rain from illinois into indiana and parts of ohio. 3 to 5 inches mu good morning to you. well, we have some pretty steady rain coming down in the north bay but high pressure is really breaking up the solid line of showers. as i zoom in for you take a look

at what's happening here. as the front collides with the big, dry ridge of high pressure the showers break apart. the cold air will reach the south bay. upper 50s and low 60s today. 60 degrees today in oakland. after that, though, we are going to warm up nicely thursday, mostly sunny and 70s. your weather, any time of the day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. meredith. >> al, thank you very much. it is a sad day for fans of oprah after a blockbuster 25-year run. the last episode airs today. we are live in chicago with details. good morning, mara. >> reporter: this final show has been shrouded in secrecy, the big question, who will the final guest be? audience members say there were no guests and no surprise giveaways. just oprah talking to her

viewers. she called it a love letter to her audience and plenty of love in the audience too with celebrity friends like maria shriver and tyler perry, joining oprah's most devoted fans. though at first they had no idea what to expect, audience members for the final taping of the oprah winfrey show got exactly what they wanted. an hour of conversation with their old friend. >> a final show was all about talking to the audience and reflecting on the past 25 years. >> it was more than i could have ever hoped for. it was just very warm. just very personal. >> reporter: the finale couldn't have been more different than the previous two shows. where 13,000 gathered for a splashy, star-studded extravaganzas at chicago's united center. in the end, oprah opted for an intimate affair. >> she walked and hugged people

and you saw the tears, the emotion. i mean, then the audience, we all got emotional. she was emotional. it was -- and in the very end, she got to her office, and the dog was waiting for her, and she picked him up and hugged him. oh. >> reporter: a fitting farewell as the daytime diva's connection with her audience is what made the show a hit to begin with. >> welcome to the very first national oprah winfrey show! >> reporter: since it's national debut in 1986, oprah has given a generation of women friendship, comfort, and guidance. >> you are our warrior of the year. >> oprah winfrey came along and suddenly there was a warmth, emotion, int intimacy to daytim television. >> reporter: she shared her own struggle, including with her weight. >> this is what 67 pounds of fat looks like. >> reporter: and personal family

secrets. she got celebrities to let loose, creating iconic tv moments all along the way. with a met worth of more than $2 billion, oprah has become one of the richest and most influential media moguls in the world. expanding reach beyond television. her book picks become best sellers. her political pick became president. >> there will never be another oprah winfrey. part of who she is is different and unlike anyone who has gone before her andke anyone who will come after her. >> reporter: in the moments before the last show began taping on tuesday, crews put up a sign for the newly designated oprah winfrey way. one woman leaving her mark on a city and countless people around the world. now, audience members say oprah did get teary at points and they were crying too. oprah is not calling it quits, she will fully devote herself to the oprah winfrey cable channel.

>> thank you very much. we have a pop culture experts and a senior writer for "entertainment weekly." good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> 25 years is a very, very long time on television. what do you attribute her staying power to? >> a combination of her compassion and honesty. she's -- she's clearly comfortable with just being herself, and i think that authenticity really, really captured the audience, something they had never seen before. willing to talk about sexual abuse, willing to having talk about lost a child, a secret sister, her weight loss, her romances. so open with audiences and people really responded to it. >> it's interesting, no matter how rich and famous she got and she got both of those in spades, people still related to her as a girl frend. >> absolutely. that's why it's so fitting to her talking to the last audience.

the other daytime shows are too tacky, too salacious or too nice and too boring. she was able to connect, but got jennifer hudson to say how many pounds she lost on weight watchers. >> 80 pounds. >> you still remember. >> absolutely. >> when she first started on the scene, men were running the daytime talk. >> it was phil donohue. we have seen a lot of people come and go. montels, sally jesse rafaels. all gone. oprah is still standing. >> you think about dr. oz, dr. phil, rachel ray, gayle king, nate berkes. >> she doesn't tell us what to read, what to buy, who to vote for, she tells us basically who to be friends with. dr. phil, dr. oz, nate berkes,

these people feel like friends to the audience. 25 years of time feels like trust. >> she has a magazine, a network. but without that daily show, can she retain the influence she has? >> i think that oprah is -- i mean, i think she's -- i don't think she needs the show anymore. she's oprah. she's an institution. she'll have just as much power as before. >> she has lost audience over the years. >> losing that platform will be huge. once she starts putting more time and energy into her own network, though, that tv channel will only get better. i've been in the room with her and got know a chance to interview her. she's that rare person where you just feel the magnetism, just sitting with her. she sat on the couch with bare feet, and i'm thinking this is a special person. people will follow her wherever she goes. >> there is that hole in daytime.

can one person fill it? >> i think it will take a lot more than one person to fill oprah's shoes. anderson cooper coming along, katie couric coming along and dave and i were in the makeup room and we think you should fill her shoes, ms. meredith. >> that's very nice. i don't think so, but -- >> syndication are where it's at. anderson cooper, if he can let his personality come through on his new daytime show, so appealing and katie couric, we're biased, but she has that strong connection with her viewership, the female viewership watching during the day. >> will people be hungry for it still? or is it the oprah phenomenon? >> people will miss her, and look for that kind of feeling in the daytime. >> people will miss their girlfriend, like you said, dave. she was the nation's girlfriend. and now she's gone. i suspect a lot of people will be tuning into the repeats, though. >> and today it's going to be an event today. >> what do you think the audience will be today?

>> the audience already up 50% compared to the whole season. sky is the limit. it is truly an event. >> and everybody came to kiss from the ring, everybody from tom cruise to tom hanks to will smith. halle berry, acknowledged oprah. they love her. >> she knew they would. >> thank you. let's go back to matt in new york. >> meredith, thank you very much. this morning on "today's consumer, talking about saving money on gasoline. memorial day weekend kicks off the summer driving season. unfortunately, gas prices about $1 per gallon than they were this year at the same time. kevin tibbles conducted a small experiment to see if making little changes in the way you drive could save you big money. >> reporter: when i get behind the wheel, i'll admit, sometimes i'm an angel. and sometimes i'm not.

but it turns out some of my bad habits are costing me money. so to see how much i was wasting, i challenged myself to a little competition. driving two identical chevy cruises, i set out on the same route from the leafy burbs to wrigley field. ready, set, go. oh, wait. how about a cup of joe for the road? for every 15 minutes your car idles, you burn a quarter gallon of gas so that $2 cup of coffee just cost you $3. skip the drive through, you're better off parking and going in. back on the road, i have to get downtown. cruising speed, 70. but at 60, i could save four miles per gallon and at 50, another four miles per gallon. i'm not that good. pedal to the medal?

wait, traffic this is chicago after a afterall if you are hard on the gas and hard on the brakes, you'll lose money. dimension the junk in any trunk, yeah, that one. if you use your trunk as a storage unit, you are wasting gas. you reduce fuel efficiency by 2% for every 100 pounds. i'm cruising now. a third of your fuel is used to overcome wind resistance, even these little flags can have a big impact. i make good time. how about mileage. 24 miles per gallon, not a lot. >> no, that's driving very aggressively. going way over the speed limit and also carrying all this extra weight and tire pressure down. so, yeah, absolutely not the greatest. >> with the help of my pit crew, proper tire pressure, my load lighter, steady on the pedal and a little define guidance to help

me calm my bad habits. ♪ just call me angel of the morning baby ♪ >> i took to the road a second time to see what i could seay. this time, over 36 miles per gallon, that's a savings of $840 per year. that gets me three prime seats at wrigley. kevin i believe tibbles, nbc ne chicago. today, the federal government is unveiling new fuel economy labels that you soon will be seeing on all new cars. ray lahood is the second of transportation. mr. secretary, great to have you, good morning. >> good morning. >> talk about this label in a second. 3.81 the average for a gallon of gas across the country. how much pressure on the administration to get that number down? >> gas prices are killing family budgets, the president gets it. part of the president's plan is

these new labels to help people save money at the pump. that's what people want to do. gas prices are killing people. the president gets it. this is part of the plan here. >> this new sticker looks different. 2013 model years. tell me what's different about the label? >> it immediately tells you what kind of miles per gallon you will get, how much you will save over five years and the annual cost. very quickly, you can read if you have a smart phone, you click on this little thing here, and you can also see how much save over a long period of time. >> you want consumers to make smarter choices and help them do that. >> absolutely. >> this is the ford focus. let's take a look at this car. it's electric and gasoline. the chevy volt, and look how this jumps up right here. >> absolutely. people are looking at opportunities for electrified, hybrid cars. the volt, a hot-selling car.

people can save a lot of gasoline. this tells you the equivalent of using an electric powered car, how much people will save. >> how does the industry feel about this? >> they are coming along. they want to be able to advertise this. these new stickers really tell people quickly what they will save. either electricity or gasoline. >> when you look at these numbers, these are great. you want people to buy the cars. isn't the reality when gas prices are high, interest in cars like these, and when prices come down, interest wanz? >> we want gas prices to come down and while they are as high as they are, we want people to have this opportunity. the president understand that high gasoline prices are killing people's budgets and this is part of the president's plan to really give people the options. >> you will start to see stickers on 2013 model year cars. just around the bend. mr. secretary, thank you very much. let's go over to al,

natalie, and ann. >> that's right, matt. you are on the wrong end of the plaza. we'll make the note that 2011 marks the 60th anniversary of the usa pageant. and this group of contestants is in town to celebrate that and the 70th anniversary of the uso. they stopped by the plaza with the reigning usa. rhema mckee. >> thank you so much. >> when you were named, you were the first muslim american. >> and the first arab american. >> ever to win this. >> thank you. >> and do you think that possibly because of that major milestone, whether or not you think it eased intolerance? >> i think i have broken barriers and what's really good about being part of the ms. universe family and ms. usa, this is what you do as ms. usa, have you personal growth, break barriers, have you so much to do

with being fearless. that's what i've done, given a lot of people hope. not only muslims and americans, but people from america. they can do anything. and i hope all these girls felt the same way when they watched me. >> as you are getting ready to hand over the crown to one of the lucky ladies here. >> june 19th. >> i hope have you a lot of great memories. >> i can't believe it's been a year. i remember the first week, i was right in this same spot talking to you guys. >> that was clearly the highlight. >> and this guy too. he'll be wearing my new diamond -- >> thank you. i'm so proud. thank you so much. i'm quite honored. that would be perfect to throw to willard scott. he'll check things out. >> matt, you're invited to the world famous strawberry festival. sky meadows park and stables. saturday and sunday. also have strawberry preserves from our friends at smucker's.

how sweet it is. our birthday buddies. ida alberta, north wales, pennsylvania. loves challenging crossword puzzles. lillian feldshuh, from scarsdale, new york. right outside the city. 100 today. and loves to do all kinds of charity work for people. still a good heart. and walter welker of roseburg, oregon. beautiful roses out there. 100 years old. life-long cattle ranchers. those guys making money for a change. that's good. we love you. happy birthday. david redlus of marlton, new jersey. 100 years old today. worked as a podiatrist for years and never stepped on anybody's toes. i just threw that in. anyway, lorain schutz of

kalamazoo, 100 years old today. loves to play bridge and is full of a good spirit and happy heart. ester strachman from west bury, new york. 100 years old. an avid boston red sox fan. a member of the red sox nation. and helen swoboda of freeport, new york. loves to socialize. everybody crazy about her. used to dance ballroom dancing from her husband. that's it from washington, d.c. back to new york. >> willard, thank you very much. forgot to say one very important thing. >> catch us at planet hollywood las vegas live at 9:00 p.m. on nbc. >> sunday, june 19th. thank you very much. >> thank you, matt. >> back with much more on a wednesday morning. first, your local news and weather. o,

good morning to you. 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. oakland's controversial jonestown memorial heads to court today. a judge will determine whether to stop further work on the memorial. a senior pastor in los angeles filed a lawsuit to stop construction saying it's not fair to the family to honor jim jones that led more than 900 followers to commit mass suicide. 30 of her relatie in south america. quick break. weather and traffic after this.

good morning to you. well, the bulk of the moisture has come through the north bay. all the showers are torn apart. the front being torn apart as it collides with a big, dry ridge of high pressure and nudging the front back to the north a little bit so the south bay might not see sunshine today. pretty mild along the peninsula. 59 degrees in san francisco. cool air moves in. let's check your drive right now. >> we have an accident right here. westbound highway 4 at interstate 80 involving a car

and a tanker truck. propane tanker truck. doesn't sound like damage to the tanker or injuries to people at the scene. slower down the east shore freeway. slow on many of the feeder routes. here's the big issue. two accidents southbound 880 heading down towards san leandro and slow off the castro valley wise. >> thank you for the update and thank you for joining us. i'll be back with a local news update in about half an hour. hope to see you then. have a great day.

8:30 on this wednesday 8:30 on wednesday morning, may 25, 2011. a nice-sized crowd in rockefeller plaza. expecting a bigger group come friday when rihanna kicks off her summer concert series live on the plaza. some lucky fans will win

on-stage tickets courtesy of li nation. bring your biggest and best rihanna sign. easy enough. i'm meredith vieira in los angeles. matt, meredith and ann on the plaza. another moment on leno last night that came as a complete surprise to me. >> jay, you have known me for a long time, i'm a creature of habit. so is meredith vieira. i leave my dressing room about 6:15, and i walk over to meredith's dressing room, knock on the door. normally she's in the red bathrobe and the clogs, but sometimes i open the door and the room seems empty, and i'll say meredith, meredith, and then from the bathroom i hear her say, can you come back later. i'm changing. and then i hear --

[ toilet flushes ] >> the toilet flush and then she comes out and scurries out in the red bathroom and the slclog. meredith, changing, really? >> oh, my lord. >> they sent me a script and asked me to do that. >> how juvenile. i'm not like you, matt. i don't wear depends so i have to use the bathroom. you know -- >> this is unraveling at a fast pace, meredith. anyway, we're just trying to spice up your appearance. coming up, a woman who is proud to be called the biggest loser, olivia ward got that title on "biggest loser couples." she lost half her body weight. we'll talk to olivia in a couple of minutes. >> two sisters. they both did very well. >> that's great. and why more and more women are shying away from the title

grandma. baby boomers are coming up with new and different ways to identify themselves while still enjoying the privileges of becoming a grandparent. we'll explain in just a little bit. >> that's right. also coming up this morning, you may have heard this story of a group of freelance journalists held hostage and held 44 days. one of them was a young woman, a first time reporter in a war zone, and she will share her harrowing experience. very concerned about what would happen to her over those 44 days. >> all right. >> a lot coming up. first, mr. roker. >> yes, i want to share these folks here, take mental health to heart. take mental health to heart.com. what is your organization doing? >> we are doing a campaign to support the mental health and wellness of the nation's military. go to take mental health to heart.com and send an e-scarred and for every card sent, we'll

donate $1 to the national meant tal health association. >> let's check your weather and see what's going on. risk of strong storms in the mid mississippi and ohio river valley. rain in the pacific northwest, up and down the northeast. 90s in the southeast texas to the southwest. tomorrow, a risk of storms, stretching from alabama all the way to western new york and much of ohio and showers back to the mississippi river valley. rain in the pacific northwest. plains, sunny and hot from texas well, we have kind 0 of an overcast set-up right now but it's all going to change. the sun will shine and cool day with the result of the added cloud cover. the front is pushing in. we have steady rain coming up down in the north bay right now but for the most part it is torn apart. 67 degrees in los gatos. 65 degrees in san jose and 67 in fremont. 4:00 p.m., i would say between noon and 4:00, a great deal of

clearing across the bay area. and then by tomorrow we are back in the 70s under sunshine. you can g and don't forget, get any weather information you need on cable on the weather channel or weather.com. >> the great charity going on. you can go to that website and get information on how to cope if you're a family in need. up next, the biggest loser weighs in on last night's big win. we'we' up with her, but, first, this is "today" on nbc. california should be proud.

we were the first to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives. we've done a good job. but even if you were born today, you'd still grow up in a world where tobacco kills more people... than aids, drugs, alcohol, murder and car crashes... combined. we have a lot more work to do.

♪ we're back at back at 8:37. on "get fit today," the newly crowned winner of "biggest loser couples." the scales tipped in favor of olivia ward. the 35-year-old opera singer lost 129 pounds to become the fourth woman to win the title.

olivia, good morning. congratulations. >> good morning, thank you so much. >> after all the hard work you've been through over the last several months, are you supposed to be able to sit in a comfy chair and relax. you jump on a plane, flown all night to be here. how do you feel? >> i feel fantastic. if i could bottle this feeling and put it in my back pocket, i would be fine for life. >> you started this journey at 261 pounds, and you are now sitting at 131 pounds, half your body weight. you have struggled to lose weight for a long time. tried losing weight with varying degrees of success. why was this time so different? >> this time for me, i really worked from the inside out. i realize that weight loss happens in the mind and inside first and if you're faithful then with exercise and diet, that part is science, the body will follow. but for me, i just thought i had to grind my body into the ground with exercise and diet without

thinking about what was going on on the inside. >> and because you started on the inside and worked your way out, is this something you are confident you can maintain, that you won't suffer a bounceback that so many people suffer once they've lost a lot of weight? >> absolutely. i mean, i think it's something i have to keep before me at all times, it's a challenge. i'll make that decision every day. i'll struggle with that decision every day. but because i made the change on the inside, i know that's the rock i can lean back on. >> let's talk about some of the issues you've dealt with in the past because of weight, related directly or indirectly. you were diagnosed with something. help me how to say it, polycystic ovarian syndrome. and because of that and your weight, there was a high likelihood you would not be able to have children. have you been re-evaluated? >> yes, i have a clean bill of health and hopefully with this

new body and all my systems back in order, my husband and i will hopefully be able to have children. >> i can't imagine. what better benefit could you reap from this kind of information. your husband, ben, also lost a lot of weight. >> 113 pounds. an incredible family effort. it continues, because your sister, you two were the first sisters to get in the composition. how much did she lose? >> off the top of my head i don't know. i believe in the 120s. i think 126 maybe. we were really close. >> a new way of life. there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands watching right now who are struggling wildly with their health, and their weight. is there a piece of advice that you would offer them this morning? >> i think the biggest thing is that you just don't look at the whole entire -- you know, journal journey in one bite. you didn't get this way overnight. it's not going to come off

overnight. make one good decision a day, an hour, a minute, until you get to your goal. >> i mentioned you are an oprah singer. you have lost some jobs in the past because of weight? do you think that will change? >> i hope so. i'm so ready to play the roles that i always wanted to play. i'm ready to take on the beautiful women of oprah. >> you look fantastic. congratulations on winning "the biggest loser" and thank you for making the effort to fly across country this morning. >> of course. up next, don't call me grandma. more baby boomers are rejecting that classic name when their kids have kids. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning o this morning on midlife today, what is in a name? the word grandma can evoke images of sweet old ladies knitting and baking apple pie. but a growing number of baby

boomers are rejecting the monicker for fresher and more mod were titles. celebrities are leading the way. they're gorgeous, glamorous, and they are grandmas. just don't call them that. >> why should i be happy about being a grandmother? >> most people don't really equ equate grandma with sexy. that's why you see women celebrities shying away from the label. >> my, you are very accomplished. >> reporter: women are coming up with new names as a way to distinguish themselves and shake the stereotype associated with gold, old-fashioned grandmothers. >> they should think of another name. second mother, mother once removed. >> experienced mother. >> solid gold mother. >> mother, the sequel. >> reporter: celebrities like goldie hahn, that goes by

glam-ma. lalu, and nama. >> it's a little harder for women to accept the grandparenting label. >> nan ya gave me a new nickname to call me in front of the navy. >> what was that? >>sis. >> the role of grandmother is a cherished one. dale atkins, a psychiatrist, and barbara coke rihn today's realistic contributor. both are glam-mas. >> good morning. >> barbara said that's what's wrong with grandmothers. >> i say it's a mistake my being here. >> we associate sugar, spice, and everything nice. why is there this sort of loaded

i guess, you know, image of what a grandmother is? >> because of the old image. my idea of a grandmother is an 80-year-old lady in a house dress cooking for her kids every day, never got out of the house a day in her life. that's not who i am. >> who are you? >> i'm someone who is old, trying to parade myself as somebody young, and that's why i don't like the word grandma. >> so you have a 6-year-old grandson. >> and a 5-year-old daughter. a little little confusion. >> and a 17-year-old as well. how did that work for you in terms of trying to explain, you know, the relationship that you have? >> my plan went awry when i had my babies so late. i wanted to think i was so young by having young children, and the grandchildren came along and spoiled the whole image. >> you have a good image. don't worry about it. >> why is there this rejection of the notion of the grandma being the sweet, but older --

>> i don't think the rejection is sweet. i think the rejection is more about the stereotype that barbara is talking about, and not wanting to be associated with the old, infirm, more invalid type person not really able to do a lot of things that many younger or modern grandmothers are doing. >> 60 is the new 40, right? >> it is until you are running around with your grandchildren up the stairs, and then you realize it's not. aside from that, there are many roles that grandmothers have, and although they may have in the past what the big role that they want to have is not appearing to be older than they are, and not being slotted into a role of grandma, it's not betweened by them. >> what do your grandchildren call you? >> they call me nan ya. one of the reasons i chose that, i had such a wonderful relationship with my grandmother, who was nana. i wanted that association and try to recreate that loving connection and also the other

grandma was also already grandma. so that was taken. >> and that's the thing. once have you your grandchildren, do you determine have them call me -- do you have to establish that with your kids? >> if i might say. >> go ahead. >> the key to that one is calling it early. the minute you know that kid is pregnant, you say this is what i'm going to get called. you claim it, because you have a lot of grandmas with second and third families and you just don't want anybody snapping up the best label. >> i think that's absolutely true. and the issue is that, again, you talk about sweet. the role of the grandmother is so precious and so few roles like that. >> it depends. i had a mean grandmother. not always as precious as it's made up to be. >> let's talk about the ideal we might like to have. the sugary sweet, spicy grandmother. >> it's about passing on the legacy of the family, sharing stories and having wisdom in a way that only someone from another generation can have and share. >> a love like no other. it's what a parent can't give a

child. >> when people are choosing a name, they aren't only rejecting the role. >> we'll leave it just like that. a perfect way to end it. >> for the record, i'm not supposed to be here. >> she's holding firm. >> barbara, the glam-ma or not. the journalist detained in libya 44 days will share her story with us. first, this is "today," on nbc.

back now with the dramatic story of journalist clare gillis. she was on her first assignment as a journalist in libya when she was captured and held 44 days before she was released a week ago along with some other jourmists. she joins us exclusively. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> first, welcome back. second of all, you are a ph.d. in medieval history. >> yes. >> you go to libya on your first reporting assignment, your first time in a war zone. what were you doing there? >> well, you know, you could say the middle east is kind of medieval in some senses. this is a joke we make. what was i doing there? i had been studying history from a distance of 1,000 years for a number of years to write my dissertation. i was really excited to see what

looked like pro democracy uprising in the middle east which is a region people have been so used to seeing autocracy and corruption there. to see this historical change happen in front of my eyes it seemed a precious opportunity and one that i was, in fact, in a certain way well trained for. it's the same basic procedure. things happen. you consult all the sources or consult all the people who saw it and put the stories together to figure out what happened and what's the logic of the story people tell themselves. >> on the day you were captured you went with your fellow -- most freelance journalists. >> three others, yes. >> you were with a contingent -- a rebel contingent in their vehicle. you went toward brega. what happened? >> we sent our taxi back to benghazi when we got to the

first or second checkpoint. then we rode with different rebel cars. you know, they're on the highway preparing the counter offensive, preparing to attack or just having tea, having some breakfast. we spoke to them and rode with them for a while. then we got out of the car again and we were given the information that gadhafi's ground troops were 300 meters up the road. we just looked at each other and thought, no way. they're not. we don't trust the information. the fact is they have such long range missiles that they have been clearing out rebels to advance on the ground. >> the rebels you rode with left you. >> they left, yes. >> you were running because you knew at one point they were coming. >> we heard shooting coming from behind. we saw the rebel cars, you know, book out of there and then we saw more trucks behind them

shooting. that's when we ran into the desert to take cover in the very sparse trees ahead. >> one of your group, anton hemeril. you saw him shot. >> yes. we heard him call out "help." we knew he'd been hit. jim called out, "are you okay"? he said, "no". >> you knew how serious it was. >> it was the way people talk about it. it was like it was in a movie and i was watching the movie happen. i heard anton, you know, that he was hurt. there was still shooting all around us. the bullets were flying over our heads. we were flying flat in the sand. when the truck pulled up jim stopped and said stop, press, press. they stopped shooting but started hitting us, dragging us into the car. i looked down at anton as i got in the car and i just saw him with a very severe wound and a lot of blood.

i just -- i have no words for that moment. >> he was left behind for 44 days. >> yes. >> you were held in captivity. >> yes. >> at times you had a tv, at times you had a computer. >> yes. >> i know your greatest fear was being assaulted sexually. you were not. >> my greatest fear was that for the first, about eight hours. while we were being held just with soldiers guarding us i figured that was the danger zone for something like that to happen. once we were transferred to a military facility and put in cells, i wasn't so worried about that anymore. >> we're glad you're safe and we're glad you got to have the burger. >> thank you very much. [ asst mgr ] what are you doing?

fixing the name. it's fiber none. looks like one. well, i know. i put an "n" there. ah! fiber one honey clusters cereal! that's really good! it tastes good, so there can't be fiber in it! it's actually got about half a day's worth of fiber. [ asst mgr ] it says so right on the box. [ fiber seeker ] really? try it. [ mr. mehta ] honey, touch of brown sugar, crunchy clusters -- any cardboard? cardboard no, delicious yes. so where's the fiber? maybe it's in the honey clusters. [ male announcer ] fiber one. cardboard no, delicious yes. good morning to you. it is 8:56 right now. part of the 408 is now the 669. santa clara's board of supervisors voted to implement the new area code with the overlay method. that means people signing up for new coverage get a 669 area code. all existing numbers stay the

same but everyone will have to dial ten-digit numbers for local calls in silicon valley. the new number isaddedextec added next year. we'll have a quick look at the forecast after this.

good morning to you. it's still raining in the north bay but the showers are really fizzling out before they make it to the south bay. looks like you stay that way in san jose, dry. we're expecting a whole thing to fizzle out by about noon. 4:00 p.m. a mix of sun and clouds. 67 degrees in fremont. 65 degrees today in san jose and 68 in gilroy. as we head through tomorrow, the sunshine will be back and back up into the 70s and then holiday weekend looking good.

laura? >> all right. thank you. 8:58 right now. thanks so much for joining us. the "today" show continues next. i'll be back with an update for you in about half an hour. see you then. [ yawns ] [ magical chime ] ♪ [ people cheering ]

[ girl ] whoo hoo! we're back with more of "nbc nightly news" on a wednesday morning, the 25th day of may 2011. it is the sensational day in new york city after several days of kind of iffy weather. nice people gathered on the we thank them for stopping by. lots going on in new york city this morning. as a matter of fact, i think it is the beginning of fleet week here in new york. >> absolutely. >> you're looking at some of the ships making their way into new york harbor. members of the armed forces like the people aboard that aircraft

carrier are going to be headed in. maybe that's not an aircraft carrier. >> i think it is. >> looks like something else. anyway. >> there's a frigate. >> we welcome the members of the u.s. military to new york city as we always do this time of year. >> i love this time of year. >> nice to see them around town dressed in uniform. give them a warm hello. >> i'm matt lauer on the plaza along with natalie morales and al roker. al's back from joplin, missouri, where you witnessed the devastating tornado. >> i have never seen anything like it, matt, especially from the air. incredible and this being one of the deadliest tornado seasons we have seen in a generation. this twister we are going to show you is near cole, oklahoma. it was brutal. a violent storm causing widespread damage on tuesday. more than a dozen people died. hundreds of families homeless from oklahoma to arkansas. we'll go live to oklahoma in a few minutes to look at what's ahead as far as the severe

weather. in fact the national weather service expanding the high risk area for parts of the ohio river valley. >> it continues. all right. also coming up, it's wednesday so our money 911 panel is here to answer your financial questions. everything from maintaining your credit rating to whether you should rent or buy when you retire. our experts have advice for money emergencies. on the health front it's critical for women to have the latest medical information before going for your annual gynecology change-up. we have new developments and new findings in the medical research and what questions you should be asking your doctor. >> important. ann is standing by with the headlines of the morning. hi, ann. >> good morning once again, everybody. in the nupews, devastating weatr has claimed at least 13 lives in oklahoma, kansas and arkansas overnight. this as residents of joplin, missouri, pick up the pieces

after more than 120 were killed this week. mike seidel has more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning. another deadly day yesterday. this outbreak produced at least 36 twisters. that's the preliminary count. at least eight people died in oklahoma. the tragedy unfolded live on television. a series of tornadoes roared through oklahoma city on tuesday. this was the scene in grady county as a large tornado chewed up the landscape. kfor, news channel 4 was on air covering the fast-moving events. >> i'm 15 miles west of el reno. >> oh, my gosh. it's bigger than before. >> reporter: one of the meteorologists caught in a storm driving to safety as power poles danced in the air around him. >> oh, my gosh. >> it's a half mile wide. another killer tornado. it went across highway 81. it almost got us.

it intensified right on top of us. amazing. >> reporter: from the air chopper footage captured the devastation as the scene played out. >> look at this tornado. this is unbelievable. just unbelievable. look at it tearing up the ground. look at the debris. that's a roof. it's taking roofs. >> reporter: in the aftermath the grim reality was striking. in shawnee, another tornado tears by nearby. in piedmont, a mother and her children took refuge in a bathtub and were buried when the storm hit in the debris. the mother and two of her children badly injured while searchers look for a third child still missing after being pulled from her mother's arms. this morning there are many facing the daunting task of rebuilding. >> i came around the corner, saw that my house is gone and my cars. everything was just a loss.

>> thank you for the warning. you saved our lives. >> reporter: back here in piedmont this morning the streets have been levelled like in joplin. these were brick ranch houses. this is probably at least ef-3 if not ef-4 damage. so far we have had 53 killer twisters, ann, this season. in a year we normally see 24. another sad and deadly statistic. there's more severe weather on tap today. >> it tells us again why the warnings are so important. thanks so much. air travellerers in europe may soon breathe a sigh of relief as eruptions are dying down from iceland's volcano and ash clouds are beginning to dissipate. flights will be cancelled in germany where remaining ash clouds are disrupting air traffic at berlin's airport. today in utah elizabeth smart will confront her kidnapper for the first time. she's expected to speak at the

sentencing of brian david mitchell who was convicted of holding her captive for nine months beginning in 2002. mitchell faces up to life in prison. president obama is back to discussing weighty global issues on his trip to great britain which may help him forget tuesday when he spoke over the british national anthem while toasting the queen, signed the guest book at westminster abbey with the wrong date of 2008 and was defeated at ping-pong by a pair of teenage schoolboys. police were on high alert in rural england when they received reports of a tiger on the loose. a nearby golf course was evacuated and residents warned to stay indoors as the helicopter was dispatched to track down the animal in the field. that was when police noticed that the supposedly dangerous tiger was actually a large stuffed toy. the chief inspector of the town says the tiger is in police custody where officers have a lot of questions.

hmm. it's now six minutes past the hour. let's go to al for a check of the weather. >> and the sad part is it killed a stuffed antelope. we'll show you what's happening. again, we have another day of severe weather to talk about. a low level jet stream with a lot of moisture. warm moisture out of the gulf and the strong upper level jet and we now have a high risk of storms from memphis, tennessee, to paducah, kentucky. southern illinois and indiana as well. a high risk from little rock -- strong risk from little rock to almost chicago and then we've got the risk of storms really fr lufkin, texas, to buffalo. the potential exists for tornadoes. we have tornado watches out for much of illinois into late t t morning. you can see the rotation around the system. rainfall amounts from two to three inches stretching from wichita over to cleveland with some areas picking up up to four inches o

good morning to you. well, we are still watching that front come in. you can actually see it now. live picture shows you marin county here. just face the north and see that front coming in. take a look at it from space now. this is your radar imagery. just getting torn apart as it collides with a big ridge of high pressure. we are not seeing any activity in the south bay now. steady rain expected here in the north bay for a couple of hours. everywhere expected to be clear by noon today. hope you have a great one. 911 ♪ now today's money 911. answers to your big financial questions from our panel of experts. "nbc nightly news" financial editor jean chatzky is the author of "money 911." david bach is the founder of finishrich.com and the author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson is a personal finance correspondent for cnbc and

cnbc.com. good to see you. let's get started. we'll go to the phones to say good morning to joan. she's calling from grand rapids, michigan. good morning, joan. >> caller: good morning. >> what's your question? >> caller: i use a credit card consistently for the convenience and i pay off the balance every month. i'm considering a new card to take advantage of the travel reward points. i would like to cancel my current one but i hear you say closing an account negatively impacts your credit score. i don't understand why that would be. would you explain it, please? >> good question. >> we love, joan, that you listen. let me say that. we like that. here's the deal. 35% of your credit score is based on your utilization which is the percentage of credit you have available to you that you're actually using. when you close a credit card, you shrink the amount of credit that you have available to you. since that's such an important

component of your score it can take your score down. the other thing that comes into play is how long you have had the credit card. if you have had it for a long time it's good for your score. getting rid of it is bad for your score. so get the new card first. if it provides you with as much credit as you're losing and you have an annual fee on the card that's okay as long as you don't apply for a big loan like a mortgage or car loan in the next six months to a year. >> thank you, joan, for the question. >> caller: thank you. >> now to skype. this is from john, westminster, maryland. good morning. >> good morning. how are you? >> we're great. what's your question? >> my wife and i are both in our early 50s. we have a 4% fixed mortgage rate and are due to pay off our house in nine years. just so happens that in nine years our youngest will be done with her first four years of college. we have been saving for retirement and i will partly retire in nine years. the question we have is after our house is paid for we plan to

move to a warm southern climate. what are some of the financial advantageses and disadvantages of either renting a home or buying a smaller home? >> that's a good question, john. >> awesome question. you're doing everything right which i love. you have a fixed rate at 4%. you're going to have a debt free home in nine years when the kid goeses off to college. when your son goes to college don't rush out and buy a retirement home. here's why. so often when people retire they go out, sell their home, move to a new location before they have tested it out. i recommend that you rent in the new retirement community for at least a year, maybe two full seasons. make sure you love the new community and keep your home. you can always rent your home out while you have moved to the new community for a year. the rental income from your current home could pay the cost of your new house. so try out the retirement community first before you buy. then if you're ready, go ahead and buy the home. you will be in great financial

shape. >> don't load up on debt in retirement. if you need a big mortgage for the retirement home that doesn't make sense. the point of enjoying retirement is to be debt free. >> and you will have a home free and clear so you have lots of options. >> enjoy the retirement. we have an e-mail from a viewer, simone in alabama. she said, i have a poor credit score and i got just got approved for a master card. i plan to rebuild my credit by using it and paying it t on time each month. is it true? how long will it take before i see improvement in my credit score? >> this is what jean was talking about. the credit utilization is key. what you want to do so you don't hurt your score is keep it at 30%. if you have a $300 balance, that's something to consider. to improve the score, keep it less than 10%. so that means you only want to

charge $30 a month and pay it off at the end of every billing cycle. realize sometimes they check in the middle of the cycle. in terms of whether you want to have a card, if that helps you it depends how many you have, how long you have had them, whether you pay bills on time. all the things we talk about are critical. >> now to the phones. this is natalie from kerry, north carolina. good morning, natalie. what's your question? >> hi, good morning. i recently checked my credit report and there were some accounts that were charged off and noted as bad debt and then some were noted as paid. i wonder if these accounts are going to stay on my report forever and continue to affect my credit score and how can i get it cleaned up to better my report? >> all right, natalie, jean has the answer for you. >> stay on your report for about

seven years. they will not come off. anybody who says they can repair your credit or get them off is lying to you. but they will start to pale in comparison to the newer things on your report. keep your nose clean and two years from now you'll be fine. >> all right, jean chatzky, david bach and sharon epperson, thank you very much. david will be available to answer more money questions in a live web chat starting at 9:30 eastern at nightly.msnbc.com. che -- today.com. coming up, what you need to know before you go to the doctor. later on, what was it like inside the studio for oprah's final show? we have details coming up after these messages. free flight. you know that comes with a private island. really? no. it comes with a hat. you see, airline credit cards promise flights for 25,000 miles, but... [ man ] there's never any seats for 25,000 miles. frustrating, isn't it? but that won't happen with the capital one venture card. you can book any airline anytime. hey, i just said that. after all, isn't traveling hard enough?

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you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. that's how splenda® is sweet...and more. this morning on be well, be healthy, new findings for women. one of the most important doctor visits for a woman is her annual trip to the gynecologist. going armed with questions and information on up to the minute findings can only make it more productive. dr. raj is a "today" contributor and editor for "health" magazine. why is it so important to schedule that visit? >> for many women this is their only point of contact with a health care provider. many women only see a gynecologist. this is a great opportunity to

talk about any medical issues but you will get the breast exam. breast cancer is the number one cancer killer of women. the annual pap. these things are important for preventing cancer and other diseases. >> you say going armed with knowledge is very important now. what kind of questions should you ask? what should you be prepared to ask? >> make sure you have taken note of changeses in your cycle, in your breasts,s how they are feeling. your doctor sees hundreds, if not thousands of patients. there is only one of you. you have a better idea of what's going on. you can't expect your doctor to necessarily remember what you were like six months ago, but you can judge a change. making sure you know the changes is important and being up to date. there are a lot of options out there. >> and write down your questions so you don't get intimidated or forget. you realize your doctor doesn't have much time. >> you're in the drafty paper gown. it's easy to forget everything. it's an uncomfortable situation.

write it down. you will remember all your questions. how many timeses have you gone to the doctor and you get home and say, oh, wait, i forgot to  ask. >> let's get to the findings. you say there is a new finding when it comes to women who suffer with a very heavy menstrual cycle. >> this is called menoragia. this can make you feel fatigued, tired. there are options. we used to say, try the birth control pill, hormones or surgery. now there is a new prescription drug called tranexamic acid which helps your blood to clot more. it can help people. there are side effects but it is an option to discuss. >> that's a good one. the next has to do with hormone replacement therapy. s there is new research which says for some women it may be good. who are those women? >> it's been a confusing issue. >> controversial.

>> first we thought hormone replacement therapy was great for heart disease. then we thought it might produce strokes or cancers. now we find for certain women estrogen hormones only may help prevent breast cancer, help with menopause symptoms and not have additional risk. we are talking about a specific group of women. these are women in their 50s who already had a hysterectomy. if you fall into that category you may want to discuss hormone replacement for menopause. >> okay. the third finding has to do with fibroids. first explain what they are. >> fibroids are benign growths that grow out of the lining of the uterus. they can be from the size of a pea to a grapefruit. they can become large. they are very common. three-quarters of women will have them at some point in life. >> genetic? >> it can be. if you have a family history you are more prone. african-american women tend to get them more. they can cause no symptoms at

all but they could cause pain or bleeding. traditionally the treatment was surgery. either surgically remove the fibroid or the uterus. >> hysterectomy. >> but there are options that don't involve surgery. one is uterine artery em bollzation where particles are put in cutting off their blood supply so they slink or there is a focused ultrasound which can heat or kill the cells of the identifibroi fibroid. great options that don't involve cuttings. >> much morer information on today.com as well. thank you, as always. >> thank you. >> from the inside to the outside, the five biggest skin care sins. what they are and how to put a fresh face on your beauty routine. first, these messages. [ sniffs ] bacon?! gotta get that bacon! bacon?! bacon! smokey bacon, meaty bacon, tasty bacon! bacon? ohh, la, la... oh, i say, is that bacon?! oh, good heavens! bacon! bacon! bacon!

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>> and asian goodies on a stick. perfect for your memorial day cookout. >> food on a stick. nothing wrong with that. after your local news and weather. good morning! ♪ [ female announcer ] nutri-grain -- one good decision... ♪ ...can lead to another. ♪ ♪ with real fruit, more of the whole grains your body needs, and a good source of fiber. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day. fill an entire community with joy? maxwell house believes so. that's why we've partnered with rebuilding together to help revitalize communities in need. vote for your community at maxwellhouse.com. and a heaping handful of real fruit. when has "good for you" made you feel this good?

new mcdonald's fruit & maple oatmeal. freshly made for you. that's what we're made of. ♪ good morning to you. 9:26 right now. two days and still no sign of alison ballis, a teen that took off on her bike and never came home. volunteers fanned out in the shadow of the golden gate bridge not far from where the bike was found yesterday. the 15-year-old's family says they searched the computer and found directions from the home to bart to the bridge parking lot. they say they're worried she planned to hurt herself. rescue crews will continue to search for her tonight. est bay officer is out of a job after being charged for stealing charges and selling them on the street.

the police chief says he is not a city employee any longer. he was on administrative leave after being charged for stealing cash, drugs and guns from the police locker. the leader of the team is facing drug charges along with an east bay private investigator. take a quick break and be back with a look at the traffic.

good morning to you. well, interesting things happening right now. we still have rain coming down steadily in the north bay but look at the line of showers here. was once completely diagonal and turning vertical at this time because the big ridge of high pressure is nudging the front back to the north so we'll deal with light spotty showers for a couple of hours mostly to the north of golden gate bridge. by noon, clearing, 55 degrees and the sun by 4:00 p.m.

let's check your drive to the city with mike. >> we're looking at the smooth drive approaching the bay bridge. slow and jammed. east shore freeway at the racetrack. no major accidents there. better news i guess. the east bay shows slowing 101 past the airport. again, past the merge with 87. folks just north of there, as well. a police investigation going on at monterey road and southside drive. there's a pedestrian that was hit earlier. no word on the extent of the injuries but an investigation at the intersection and watch for slowing there. back to you. >> thank you very much. we'll have an update in a half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning.

you can show off. >> sorry. >> that's a scene from "m-men first class" the latest installment of the popular comic book saga. this one goes back to before they were enemies and traceses the roots of the heroes and villains. the cast will be here to talk about it tomorrow on "today." that's exciting. >> great. >> coming up in this half hour oprah winfrey saying good-bye, signing off after her talk show.

after 25 yearses of tears, cars, trips, laughter and learning. we're going to hear from some of the folks who were inside the final taping. then we'll look at her legacy. >> you didn't mention the hair styles. >> lots of them. >> also this morning your skin and protection from the elements. are you protectsing yourself? we'll tell you the five most common mistakes and how to correct the bad habits according to allure magazine which tasks reporters and dermatologists on the subject for us. >> okay. very good. plus, later we are looking ahead to the memorial day weekend. are hot dogs too dull for you? how about dinner on a stick. we'll show you how to make fun and dlishelicious dinner on ske with asian dipping sauces. >> here we go. >> you had me at stick. >> dinner on a stick. >> how about the weather? is it too early to know what the weather will be like for memorial day? >> depending where you are it

will be good. >> somewhere in the country. >> you tried that before. it's not working. >> that's all i've got. sorry. here's what we've got for the next 48 hours. today, a high risk of strong storms stretching into the mid ohio river valley. we have a strong risk through the outer ohio river valley and then a slight risk from the mississippi river valley to western new york. rain in the pacific northwest. tomorrow the risk moves east from the central gulf all the way up into western new york. more rain in the pacific northwest. the heat and sunshine goes from texas into the southwest. it will be sunny and warm up and down the east coast. good morning to you. well, golden gate bridge and areas north we kind of had a mix of fog, mist and light showers expected to clear out before we hit noon today. high pressure keeps us nice and clear as it's already breaking apart.

a lot of activity that did try to push into the south bay. relatively dry. 59 degrees in san francisco later on today. the cool air impacts everybody, about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. but hey, 70s back in the forecast as of tomorrow. bring a jacket to tonight's game. that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. up next, oprah bids farewell to her daytime talk show. we'll tell you what bwase le ine to be in the studio for the final taping right after this. h. i want someone to bring the make-up counter to me. i want to be the first to discover the latest. and get a little advice from my avon representative whenever i ask. this is beauty that delivers from avon. see how avon can deliver extra income for you. go to avon.com or call 800 for avon to become a representative. every bite of a hebrew national hot dog

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for fanses of the oprah winfrey show it's a sad day. the last episode airses today marking the end of a television era. mara schiavocampo is live in chicago with the details. ma are good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. as you know the final show has been shrouded in secrecy and the big question, who would oprah's final guest be? audience members said there were no guests and no surprise giveaways, just oprah talking to viewers. she called it a love letter to the audience. there was love in the audience, too, with people like tyler perry and maria shriver joining oprah's most devoted fans.

though at first they had no idea what to expect, audience members for the final taping of the oprah winfrey show got exactly what they wanted -- an hour of conversation with their old friend. >> the final show was all about talking to the audience and reflecting on the past 25 years. >> it was more than i could have ever hoped for. it was just very warm. just very personal. >> reporter: the finale couldn't have been more different from the previous two shows where 13,000 gathered for splashy, star-studded extravaganzas at chicago's united center. in the end, oprah opted for an intimate affair. >> she walked and hugged people. you saw the tears, the emotion. the audience, we all got emotional. she was emotional. then in the very end she got to her office and the dog was waiting for her. she picked him up and hugged him. >> reporter: a fitting farewell as the daytime diva's connection with her audience is what made the show a hit to begin with. >> welcome to the very first national oprah winfrey show!

[ applause ] >> reporter: since its debut in 1986 oprah has given a generation of women friendship, comfort and guidance. >> our warrior of the year! >> oprah winfrey came along and suddenly there was a warmth, intimacy and emotion to day time television that hadn't been there before. >> reporter: oprah shared her our battles including her struggles with her weight. >> this is what 67 pounds of fat looks like. i can't lift it. >> reporter: and personal family secrets. she got celebrities to let loose creating iconic tv moments all along the way. >> you get a new car! you get a new car! >> reporter: with a net worth of $2 billion oprah is one of the richest and most influential media moguls in the world, expanding her reach beyond television. her book picks become best sellers. her political pick became president. >> there will never be another oprah winfrey. part of who she is

she's different and unlike anyone who has gone before her and like anyone who will come after her. >> reporter: in the moments before oprah's last show began taping tuesday, crews put up a sign for the newly designated oprah winfrey way. one woman leaving her mark on a city and countless people around the world. now, audience members say oprah did get teary as she left and they were crying, too. natalie, it looks like even the city of chicago is crying on oprah's last day here. >> oh, appropriately enough. i know what i will be doing this afternoon. we'll all tune in to watch oprah say farewell. mara schiavocampo, go get dry. thanks. up next, the five biggest t in care sinses and how to correct them. first, these messages. [ female announcer ] think you need a harsh chemical peel for smooth skin?

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beauty" the five biggest skin sinses, but there is good news. you can correct mistakes and your skin will bounce back looking better and younger than ever a cording to allure's latest issue. linda is the editor in chief. you can bounce back and be better than ever? >> i would not lie to you. >> you are using dermatologists and reporters. >> we looked at studies and dermatologists. they say the most insidious skin problems are ones you don't pay attention to, you make by mistake. we identify the ones you can fix. your skin bounces back. >> we're glad you did the research. let's look at the five thingses on the list. number one on the list is when you get a breakout, don't overwash. don't blast it. >> right. the first instinct is to say, get rid of this thing. then you're left with flaky

skin. go gentler. as your skin is older you have less oil so you don't have to deal with the oil. use milder products and moisturizers. one of the fist things is a cleanser with salycilic acid and moisturizer in it. we love aveeno clear complexion. it has soy, too, so it's gentle. apply the spot treatments but when you were a teenager you may have used -- not you because you have perfect skin but 10% ben zoil peroxide lotion. now only 2.5 and it does the job without blasting it away. this on the spot treatment is a good one. doctorses love it because it's mild. then apply moisturizere which yu think is heresay but if you have one with anti-redness ingredients it helps. cera-v is $14. it's fantastic and reduces redness and takes care of skin at night. >> very useful.

adult acne is a problem. number two is not using the right products at the right time. what do you mean? >> there are so many products out now. they are confusing and you don't know when to use what. use antioxidants in the morn when they can product against environmental hazards like pollution and son. at night use rhett knopeels and retinolss, things that can go to work as your skin is resting. this is one doctors love so much. put it on before sunscreen and it protects your skin more. so do that in the daytime. at night, you can use a retinol product like roc protection skin cream. that takes care of all of the things you want to repair and anti-aging. you don't have makeup or sunscreen to get in the way of them working. >> you mentioned sunscreen a few times. very important. but that's as mistake that we

don't use it everywhere we need to. >> everyone knows they should use sunscreen but they misapply it. doctors are finding a lot of skin cancer on the hairline and ears. women pull their hair back and don't protect it and there's the problem. the idea is to forget your vanity. make sure you apply it all over and to your chest and hands as well. the one we love now is shiseido urban environment with spf 35 with uva screens which is important. those are the ones that cause damage and the aging and skin cancer. >> this is related to the next point which is about rhett to s tolls -- retinols. >> it's confusing. they are the proven anti-aging ingredient according to

dermatologists. they fight wrinkles build collagen, get rid of spots, even help acne. so there are all these great things in one perfect package. if you get an over-the-counter one at the drugstore, the department store it's much milder than one you will get from a prescription. still, they can cause irritation, so be sure to use it correctly on dry skin and use a pea-size amount. don't layer it all over. less is better. then let it dry and then apply moisturizer afterwards. use it every other day so your skin isn't red and irritated. >> quickly on the last one. this is mistake number five. always buying the next big thing. >> right. that's coming from me who edits a magazine which writes about new products, but it's true. we hop from product to product and don't give things to work. take it easy. be patient. use ingredients that are proven. >> all right. linda wells, looking especially

beautiful this morning. the june issue is on newsstands now. up next, a new way to grill up fish, meat and vegetables. we'll share some easy recipes. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ woman ] everybody's looking for deals these days,

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this morning in today's kitchen a festive menu on a stick, step by step. just in time for memorial day a cookout, easy recipes for meat, fish and vegetable skewers. we have the executive chef of coy restaurant in new york city. nick, good to see you. >> pleasure to see you. skewers are easy, no fuss, no muss. >> they cook quickly? >> real quick depending on what size the skewers are. >> we're starting with tuna? >> this is sushi grade tuna starting with skewers soaked in water so they don't burn on the grill. >> how long do you soak them?

>> half an hour or so. cut three-inch pieces of sushi-grade tuna. >> you're going to marinate it? >> yes, in a citrus soy. obviously you don't want to marinate it too long or the citrus breaks down the proteins. >> and starts to quasi cook it? >> yes. the acids start to cook it. >> how long should it stay in? >> ten minutes or so. start with soy sauce, orange juice and lime juice. this is lime zest. >> okay. >> orange zest. garlic puree, puree of ginger, minced scallions and chopped cilantro. >> fragrant. >> and summary, nice and light. >> how hard is it skewering? sometimes when i try to do it, the meat doesn't get in there right. >> it's a barbecue, family style. it doesn't have to be perfect. go ahead and skewer those if you want. >> okay. >> here we have our finished,

cooked tuna. we're going to plate it up with a little bit of spinach and water it is melon salad. >> how long do they cook on each side? >> i like my tuna rare. maybe a minute or two. not long. plate it up with salad. >> what kind? >> baby spinach and watermelon with sesame seed. this is a soy dipping sauce. soy and sugar brought to a boil. >> if you like vegetables? >> barbecue is a meat dominated season but we have a vegetarian option. we have japanese eggplant skewered up. this is a sweet miso glaze. sugar, japanese rice wine and miso. >> nice. >> so we'll go ahead and grill one side, flip it over and brush a little bit on top. >> what kind of salad is this? >> just a basic salad with mezuna, baby arugala if you

can't find the mezuna. strawberries, black sesame seeds. >> are those hard to find? >> strawberries? >> no, the seeds. >> you can use regular sesame seeds. fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil. salt. and pepper. >> what do you use for the dressing? >> just the lemon juice and -- >> that's it? >> simple. >> nice. >> that smells amazing and we are hungry. >> going to plate those up. >> wow. >> just in time. >> want to get back here. >> these are the finished product back here. these are the tuna skewers. these are beef skewers. >> what's for dessert? >> obviously dessert?

banana chocolate spring roll. pick it up, eat it with your hands. >> thank you so much. well done. >> much more coming up including kathie lee and hodao t to lucy liu. >> after your local news. o

good morning to you. 9:56 right now. this morning, a southern california mother is coming forward and defending her son against charges of beating

giant's fan bryan stow. she says her son is willing to take a lie detector test to prove he wasn't there the day of the attack and says her 31-year-old son was not at the opening day game because he was with relatives in los angeles. >> please, to be sure to check all those videos, all those videos on the stadium. on the stadium, please check. be sure it is not my son. >> police are still looking for a second beating suspect and a woman who drove the getaway car. the stow family is filing a lawsuit against the dodgers saying they didn't provide enough security on game day. no comment from the dodgers. let's get a check of that forecast with christina. >> getting better out there, laura. good morning to you. we have a front but take a look at the light at the end of the tunnel. clearing, almost completely through now. the areas to the north getting a break. that will be our break as of noon. mostly by 2:00 p.m. seeing the sun shine through and then

getting a good round of rain over the peninsula, over hi of 08 80 and oakland. >> all right. slowing though coming down off the merge. we're seeing a couple of accidents reported around central avenue just off of the area past the racetrack and alameda from the giants game, you can't take the ferry. there's dodamage to the dock. we'll get a live look at the golden gate bridge. the rain easing off the area and mist and drizzle going on. the wipers being used as they should. the headlights on coming down out of marin county. a little bit slippery. watch it there. not bad with the volume of traffic. >> that's true but a gray day in the city and the north bay. clearing by this afternoon. the sun will come out tomorrow and no, i won't sing. another update in a half an hour. the "today" show returns in about a minute.

the "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great wednesday morning. c chevron with techron. care for your car.

from nbc news, this is today, with kathie lee give today and hoda kotbe. live from studio 1a. >> hello and welcome to winesday wednesday. it's may 5 and finally a truly beautiful day. you and i are going to be indoors all day long. >> we have got a marathon day today. what is more exciting than our day is the fact that today is our big day. we have been talking about our own personal voice contest.

>> are they going to sue us? >> we have made the studio in our own studio. >> you have no idea what a small budget we have. this is huge. >> it is the real deal. we are going to have a performance on that stage. >> and our first three contestants are here. they are hidden away. >> i can't wait. last night it was a fun night to watch. we had the little girl on with us. >> she did very well. >> she was kicking it. >> let's watch. ♪ ♪

>> so the duo won that little round. the guy who -- entertainment weekly was not kind to them. >> they love his singing but they called him -- what's his name? devin. >> they called him that because that is his name. >> they called him chicken little. >> he is adorable and has got a lot of talent. and they picked the girl with the hat, not the girl with the hat. >> you think they picked well? >> i do. and i can't wait to see what happens now. >> i don't care any more. it's all about us. we're in control.

>> matt went into her dressing room -- >> we should do this. she was on leno to talk about her new life that is coming. >> are we going roll it? i was going to tell them. he did a whole thing about her bodily functions. >> meredith looked cute. >> in one word describe your heart on the show. >> matt. >> jerk. >> jerk? >> all kidding aside, there is no one better in the business. >> ann? >> stole my job, i guess. kidding. she stole my heart and she will everybody else. >> and al? >> spandex. >> alluding back to the time when they were doing the bobs d

bobsled. >> matt was on the bottom. >> so meredith was in la to win another award. they wrote for -- >> the stuff in haiti. >> she is having the time of her life. she is staying up late, partying. she knows it is coming down to the wire now. >> it is. >> this morning there was a story about etiquette that struck me when i saw it happen. president obama went to london. he was with the queen. there is etiquette and protocol. all i know is that the president

raised his glass to the queen and the room went radio silent and they brought music up. watch this. >> in the words of shakespeare, to this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, to the queen. >> oh! >> oh. >> that was painful. >> what happened? >> not yet. not yet. >> the way it was supposed to go. first of all, let's have -- i think manners should rule the day. >> we are all for them. we don't always exercise them. >> here is the issue. apparently first the anthem was supposed to play, which you heard. and after the anthem he was supposed to toast. the anthem was kind of going, he was sort of toasting and

everyone was staring at him and he toasted later. that was painful to watch. >> at that point if i had been the queen, i would have said thank you so much. i don't know. >> don't leave him hanging. >> don't leave the leader of the free world hanging. he has got a lot of his mind. >> the fact that there is an order to everything and a protocol and a way to do everything. >> we would have no show if that was true around here. >> fireworks flew on jimmy fallon right? >> watch. >> hoda and kathie lee are downstairs. i co-hosted with them and they said you did as well? >> i filled in for kathie lee. i had a blast. hoda is such a pro. i have not been proffered that much alcohol since a high school

keger. >> have friends will travel. >> they are both welcome back here any time. >> you were busy yesterday weren't you? >> i was. we left here and i had a big meeting and then i went on to the big book fair yesterday. >> at the jacob center? >> yes, goes all this week. my second children's book comes out. this is the second one. same illustrator. i never met the man. he lives in copenhagen. that's michael storings. i tease him all the time about his balls. >> of course you do. >> he makes the most beautiful christmas ball ornaments you have ever seen in your life. our conversations, you are screaming they are so funny. >> we should talk about the

doll. this book is about a messy kid, basically. >> yes. it is about the messiest kid in town. i wrote it a long, long time ago in song form. my daughter said you can't make the main character a girl. everyone will know it's about me. >> it's such a fun read. >> guess what? this one is for her. >> she gets the first one. lots of toots and boogers in it. >> and the illustrations are fabulous. >> he is wonderful. there is a fan, her friend celebrated her birthday in style. >> had something to do with this.

>> we all remembered that. my big one is coming up. that is sweet. >> that is really cute. >> we have news this morning that kim kardashian is engaged. >> is that true? >> we heard it like everybody else. a boyfriend of six months. plays for the new jersey nets. she was waiting in her -- he was waiting in her bedroom on bended knee with four words written in red rose pe talls. >> how many karats? >> 20.5. that's an ice cube. it's good to be her. we are happy for her. >> if you stayed up for dancing with the stars and you were pulling for kirstie to win it all, hines ward took the honors. he lights up a room.

adorable. >> kristie lost 38 inches since the first show. >> she was always one of the best dancers. such great rhythm and grace. i say she is the main winner. >> i do, too. >> the person who comes out having lost 38 inches is the winner. >> i didn't realize she was 60 years old. she looks awesome. >> i am happy for her. >> that is inspiration for her. you got take them off. >> exactly. >> the real housewives of new yo

york. >> they are going lose weight in their eyelashes that way. >> lucy lu has plans for your kids this weekend. it involves a panda. >> and get the blindfolds out. those chairs are going to help us find cetoday'sv voice. woman: till all the books are read... man: and all the pens are put down... woman: and everything there is to learn is learned. man: till the heroes retire and the monsters return to their dens... woman: and all the plots are wrapped up. man: till that day... boy: by hook or by crook... girl: by book or by nook... woman: i will read.

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along with jack black and angelina jolie, kung fu panda 2 has an amazing cast of characters. >> that includes lucy lu. she is the voice of viper. they are all on a new mission to defeat the peacock villain who is scareyer than you might think. >> hi, lucy. you are a sweet viper. >> i am.

>> you love po. >> she is very supportive. she is not born with advantagev. >> what did you do to get into the character? >> they wanted me to have the same natural voice. they didn't want to change it, higher or lower. they didn't want the tones to be different. >> isn't that the way to make a living. you are beautiful. >> actually, sometimes i was doing a movie at the time and i came straight from work. but the great thing is they can work around your schedule. so if you have a day off or half a day that you are working, you can work, sort of still get that in there. >> it is more fun, more energy, more chemistry but you have to go with it. it is good and bad. >> sit an acting exercise. you see what the other actors are doing.

>> the director will tell you what she is imagining and you have to go with it and just -- >> yeah. >> use your imagination. >> we didn't hear what happened after. tell us about last night. he was doing some kung fu on the carpet. which was so cute and the kids went absolutely crazy. >> he did it for us yesterday. >> that was his famous move. >> look at him. he is so adorable. he is quite flexible. he is working his inner peace right now. oh my god. >> this is the one that killed me. >> it's a movie called man with

iron fists. russel crow is in it. >> it was really great. >> kung fu panda is a cartoon version of china. they did a lot of research. they dpbegan with detail. if you look at the landscapes they are incredible. they did an incred nl when you watch the movie, you almost want to go out and reach yoir hand out and touch the fur and feathers. a lot of the when there is action there is a lot of stuff flying towards you.

it is fun for kids. >> because they battle this ferocious peacock and all his ugly min ons. >> i had a friend who brought a 2-year-old yesterday, which is young, but i think he enjoyed it. there were a couple of things that scared him. there was another child who was four and enjoyed it. if you know your kid, i don't think there is really -- more than anything the adults seem to enjoy it as well. >> we were surprised at the emotion at the end. >> we had tears coming down. >> just sobbing at the end. it st about something important. >> it has such. >> thank you. >> it is so great to see you and have a drink at this hour.

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we're back with our digital segment called what the what? >> sarah sifted through your photos that made her say what. >> here we go. our first photo was sent from arkansas. stores really do sell everything now. that looks a lot easier than pregnancy. our next photo was sent in from wisconsin. meet me at the corner of what? i thought it said huge when i

first read it. i literally read that. two gentlemen, mr. butts and mr. dickie. do you think anyone thought about that? >> no. >> moving right along, we have got our next one up. boy, they sure are cheap with this one. it is an interesting way of saying open your mouth when you go through that car wash. >> it was the car wash. >> biscuits and gravy car wash. >> but they misspelled biscuit. >> it's a double what the what. >> that i don't get but we are happy for them. what else? >> and finally a photo from dallas, texas. wow, the swiss must really love their fish sticks. >> crack sticks?

>> just go straight with the name. they are delicious. >> crack sticks? yay. >> these are going to be good. >> how many crack sticks do they sell every day? would you buy a crack stick? >> i would have skipped a fish stick but a crack stick? i'm in. >> we're beating a dead horse. >> first, our quest to land on the cover of weekly entertainment. >> entertainment weekly. >> that's right. and today's voice competition begins after your local news. [ male announcer ] a venus razor, covergirl makeup,

olay anti-aging cream and rubber spatulas. what's that for? helps me look younger. does it work? mm-hmm. [ snoring ] grandpa's gonna be so happy when he wakes up. yeah. he's gonna look like a baby.

[ groans ] [ male announcer ] only walmart has low prices every day on everything to keep you looking young. backed by our ad match guarantee. save money. live better. walmart. good wednesday morning to you. it is now 10:26. san francisco lawmakers are thinking about putting a leash on professional dog walkers. under a proposal, canine caregivers would undergo training, limited the number of dogs it walks and pay a registration fee. many say the fee isn't the problem but the proposed limits could cost $20 an hour per dog. the park managers proposed similar measures on government-run land and limit dog walkers handle six canines at a time. tonight's game is a fund-raiser for 16-year-old giants fan kenan

cahill. you may remember this video. he actually has a rare disorder that stunted his growth. fans at tonight's game will get a ross is boss t-shirt. he certainly is. people can see it here. the coverage starts at 7:00. some of the soccer stars of europe will be here in the bay area. news conference this morning will give us details and what we know is an international premier match will be played in san francisco in july. the international premier league is made up of teamse manchester united, chelsea and arsenal. a quick break.

good morning the you. well, we still have this front pushing through and not doing much in terms of bringing significant rainfall amounts. we picked up the most rain so far in the north bay area. santa rosa over a tenth of an inch. south bay haven't had any action. this is on the way to you. get ready for the first showers starting in a half hour. >> right now focusing on an issue. not rain related. this is an accident that happened in some wetter spots with the sprinkles coming down. richmond and the san rafael bridge. a lane blocked for 20 minutes or so. just about to merge coming off the richmond bridge. the bay bridge toll plaza, slowing from the berkeley curve.

and the golden gate bridge, this is where you have the slow downs. may not be rain officially but it's wet on the roads. >> take it easy out there. thank you very much. thank you for joining us. the "today" show continues next. i'll see you tomorrow mostartin. have a great day. we're back on this winesday wednesday. sarah is going help us out as we listen to three singers in the first of three blind auditions. >> our backs are going to face the singers and in our case the first one to turn around after he hit our buzzer will -- we will pick that person. >> sarah what else? >> t re going to be three weeks of three contestants. by the end you need a team of three people. >> so we have to be really sure because we don't know what is coming the next two weeks. >> it is a gamble.

>> turn your chairs around. >> we have to do it manually. >> this is "today show" fourth hour style. are you ready? let's bring out contestant number one. you look beautiful. >> thank you. >> i'm not cheating. ♪ ♪ ♪ you give me fever ♪ in the morning ♪ fever all through the night ♪ fever ♪ i'm on fire ♪ fever all through the night [ applause ]

>> i am from pennsylvania. >> you are adorable. i actually love your voice a lot. i was trying to get into the groove. it takes a little more than 30 seconds to feel it. >> i thought you were terrific. >> why didn't you buzz her? >> i was like waiting. is it over? >> i think you might be the first so we don't know what to expect so, you know, gosh, you are adorable. now i wish i had. >> you just had a concert on the "today show." that's not bad. >> so let's walk them around, ladies. thank you so much. now we're going bring out contestant number two. >> i'm so nervous. >> okay ladies. be ready. get the hands on the hot button. >> okay. ♪

♪ we could have had it all ♪ rolling in the deep ♪ you had my heart inside your hand ♪ ♪ but you played it ♪ to the beat >> you are so for me. >> three notes out i was like that. >> i wanted something automatic to happen. i loved it. i loved it right when you started. i knew from the first note. >> you were adorable. i knew i shouldn't waste a vote. >> i picked first.

>> she already picked you. >> don't take that as a rejection. i like to hear longer. >> where are you from? >> from new orleans originally but i live in tennessee. >> you are from new orleans? >> there is already a connection. >> there is something happening. >> great job. thank you so much. >> we have got our last -- turn the chairs around. walk them back. >> i knew there was a new orleans connection. >> you felt that. turn her button off. contestant number three, let's do this. >> she has got good energy. >> i feel it. ♪ ♪ you think that you love me ♪ say you love me ♪ if you don't ♪ just let me go ♪ teacher, there are things that i don't want to learn ♪ ♪ oh the last one i had

♪ made me cry ♪ i don't want to learn to hold you ♪ ♪ touch you ♪ think that you're mine ♪ there ain't no joy ♪ for an uptown boy ♪ whose teacher ♪ has told him good-bye >> that is beautiful. >> a lot of heart. a lot of heart. >> that's great. >> you're hot. >> had we known. hello. >> i had make-up put on. >> what's your name? >> john from mississippi. >> you were terrific. i really really enjoyed that. >> i did, too. there was a lot of heart and soul in it. i think i'm going to be moved y

by -- i am afraid by what's down the road. it is not a reflection on you. it is a reflection of my nervousness. >> you just got a minute in front of 2.5 million viewers. >> my mom is watching, too. >> we're a big show. >> we wish you all the best. so nice to see you. >> thank you so. now we're going have them all come out again. come on out. you guys were amazing. "today show" concert series right here. >> i will see you next time. >> this is hard. i like it. >> coming up next wednesday we're going to bring you three more voices. >> next we play who knew right after this. m: we have a pretty big family,

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i always keep it in the house. that and boston crème pie, white chocolate strawberries. [ female announcer ] yoplait light -- over 30 delicious flavors at about 100 calories. babe, what are you doing?! ♪ ♪ >> it's time to play who knew, our weekly quiz game where no

one leaves important handed. kathie lee is across the street quizzing the crowd on fun facts about summer health. those who know get 100 bucks and those who need help get kathie lee's cd. aren't they lucky? david is here, the editor in chief of men's health magazine. very important. how do you think we will do? >> we'll see. i'm not very hopeful but we will see. >> let's go across. >> we have three beautiful girls visiting from nashville. they might know which summer fruit can help boost your skin's natural spf? >> oranges. >> no, but you know what? you three can have a cat fight over my cd. there you go. >> which can boost your skin's natural spf? >> the mighty melon, water melon. it's 92% water and 8% licopine.

>> interesting. i didn't know that. plus it tastes bester than coppertone. >> ladies from texas and louisiana. true or false. urine will help ease the pain of a jellyfish sting. >> true. >> definitely true. >> it worked for her. >> so the answer -- that is mean, it worked for her. the answer is false. she is not much of a health wiz. >> you see them do it in movies. >> vinegar is more effective. if you don't like the person, urinate on them. >> what about sand? >> no. but vinegar is good at neutralizing the sting and cleaning it out. >> they are all wearing t-shirts that say take mental health to

heart, which we always do. here it is. which common household item can help relieve sunburn? orange juice, milk, bread, our butter. >> we're going to go with milk. >> smart for a connecticut boy. take the ladies out. >> how does milk help? >> the lactic acid has anti-inflam tory properties. it fights the inflammation? >> you just apply it? >> start with a mustache and keep going. >> visiting from texas, true or false. an spf 60 sunscreen as twice as p protective as an spf of 30? >> false. >> good for you. >> you would think it would be. >> it couldn't. it takes you from 97% to 98%. you know what is 100% effective?

a shady tree. >> we have time for one more? we don't. okay. kat's going come back across the street. >> we are on a mission to land on the cover einertament entert weekly. we will see how we did after this. all you pantene 2-in-1 lovers, this is your lucky day. pantene's 2-in-1's are customized, with 5 new versions. find yours and love it or twice your money back. that's the smart beauty guarantee. 2-in-1's from pantene.

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in this wild and craze yeah job we have we have been affording many opportunities but there is one thing that seems just beyond our reach. the cover of entertainment weekly. >> they have poked fun at us on "saturday night live." >> so what does it take? we dropped by the offices and managing editor did not know what hit him. take a look. >> we are no closer to the cover. >> we heard a rumor that we were going to be on the cover and then low and behold someone else

was. >> we had to go through 20 some pages to get to our article. >> i think we need to take everything into our own hands and show them some female power. >> we are the so-called geniuses. >> we are sensing a lack of zip in the magazine. >> they had an opportunity. you remember? >> you had an opportunity. >> enough about your sex life. >> put in twhat are the hunger ? >> a huge book. >> this is the problem. if we don't know what it is,

america doesn't know. >> i will tell you what is going to be the biggest seller. hoda's paper back coming out on july 19. >> kathie lee and hoda are walking in there you go. there are your cocktails. >> sasha is a surprise. >> what's happening in music week? >> i think i should come up with a 16 cd compilation of all my work. >> everyone has a story, a beginning, a middle and end ♪ >> and hoda? >> go on. i can't wait. >> the music editor is right here. >> he could cover you any time

you want. >> no fuzz in his belly button. what is the -- >> that's -- >> that's cute. >> yeah. >> and he is a safe swimmer. >> yes, he is. >> cute. >> that's important. >> who do i walk to? >> can you listen to them? >> it has been a long time. >> you know what? you don't hurt my cd. >> this is the -- >> we could save you some trouble. we could. we are here. wait a minute. we could save you a little bit of trouble. >> there you go. >> we really love something that week it goes in the center. >> just answer that question. >> because you are here.

>> i think that's a wrap. i think it's pretty much a wrap. >> waste of time? i don't think we changed anybody's minds. >> i need a drink. >> okay. so they sent over the new -- >> the real cover. >> which we are featured in, but not on the cover. let's see who made the cover. i think it's going to be jason bateman. >> why? >> i have no idea. >> here is the magazine. thank you. >> thank you. >> we are in here somewhere. >> page 8020 -- forget it. >> i don't think we are even in here. >> that was a waste of time. >> next up your memorial day party. but first it's today on nbc. sure, pulling the mold, mildew, and grime from

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if you have not planned your memorial day party, don't panic. >> all you have to do is get the goods. >> you are so cute. >> sweating out of every part i could possibly sweat on. >> everything on the grill? >> hamburgers and hot dogs are great but let's grill things we wouldn't normally think of. >> and since it is healthy week here. >> i made them a little naughty because i put bacon on them. >> these are peaches. >> great for dessert. you put a little dallop of cheese, mint, and honey and it is a great dessert. grilling before is a great way to prep things before guests arrive. because that leaves more time

for the fun stuff. >> this is genius. >> instead of lemons and limes, i like fresh herbs. lemon aid with vodka. >> my guests do. >> i give you a little trial so you can see what you want to commit to for the night. it's like a first date. that's the grapefruit jalepeno. >> can you hand me a a grapefruit one? >> i'm sorry. >> oh. >> i all right want to get you ladies a little buzz. >> i actually like the other one better. >> that is delicious. >> hoda woman, there you go. and it's healthy because it has grapefruit in it. thank you. >> if you want drink umbrellas.

steve martin never drinks without an umbrella. he's a jerk. remember? >> okay. so the recovery portion. >> we will get to the recovery. first the fun. you can still have fun at a dinner party. it's not a board meeting. laughing hostess, laughing guests. we set a gorgeous table and then we put out little funny gifts. great ice breakers if your guests don't know each other. >> oh no. >> what is funnier than this. >> maybe jerry wearing them. >> if you want to -- >> that is ridiculous. >> and that is your drink -- it is drink glasses. >> it is drink goggles? >> one in the drink and that goes in your mouth. >> is it happening? >> what is better than that?

>> how is it? >> those are great. my new favorite thing. >> or you give a guest this. >> nine seconds. >> we're going to roll. >> hangover to.ts ow>> ytomorrow.