them beating each other

up. we see them throwing stones. tear gas is in the air. this is why i'm using this mask and these goggles, because the air is thick with tear gas. it's painful. on the ground, you can bet a lot of the protesters also are wearing gas masks, as well. >> you were covering, as i mentioned, this story from early this morning. there were large crowds before the vote. did things heat up considerably after the lawmakers actually passed these austerity measures? >> reporter: it has gotten more violent. it has been violent for most of the morning, but definitely it has gotten worse. the vast majority of people are gone. there's probably about a thousand left. there were thousands and thousands of people here earlier, and we saw scuffles with police and tear gas being thrown from the morning time.

however, there are still, as i said, about a thousand people down there, and they are still facing off with the police. >> you know, these protesters are well aware of the dire financial situation that greece finds itself in. are they just mad ta the measure passed, or are they offering any options to these tax hikes and spending cuts? >> reporter: a lot of them are very angry. they believe that they didn't have to pass this bow-out in this way. what they wanted to see was more tax hikes on the rich, for example. but greece has a terrible problem with tax evasion at all levels. and it was extremely difficult to bring in more tax revenue. they're really angry about privatization of state industries, so the utilities and the water companies and things like that, those are going to be privatiz privatized. that means a lot of people will lose their jobs. they don't come up with any alternatives, and i'm not sure aware when a country runs out of

borrowing money they don't have too many choices. >> a developing story. michelle caruso-cabrera, thank you very much. here at home, the wildfire in los alamos, new mexico, has grown to more than 60,000 acres in just 48 hours. and as those flames are creeping closer to the city's nuclear weapons lab. nbc's janet shamlian is there this morning. janet, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning. this is still a large fire with just 3% containment, but a bit of good news for firefighters. the fire has slowed and overnight it didn't advance further closer to the los alamos national laboratory. that said, there's growing concern about the safety of that lab and the hazardous materials inside. this is the out-of-control fire lapping at the border of the los alamos national laboratory. and this is the front line of the fight. hundreds of firefighters battling a blaze that went from small to life threatening in a

matter of days. it is now extremely close to the lab where dangerous radioactive material is stockpiled and where officials insist those materials are safe and secure. >> our facilities and nuclear materials are protected and safe. >> reporter: but they offered no details. the sprawling nuclear lab remains shrouded in secrecy. authorities did admit there is fire all around it. and all around the city of los alamos, under a mandatory evacuation, many say they would have left anyway. >> as the smoke was coming in, it became basically just too much. we were having trouble breathing. >> reporter: thousands went to stay with friends and family. hundreds are in shelters like this one inside a casino. >> actual stress of getting out of los alamos. >> reporter: it is full of people and anxiety. as many here know this could be home for a while. >> i learned that through the last fire, that you don't put your hopes up too high. >> reporter: every tool has been

brought in to the front lines to battle against a blaze that could trip until size. >> this is the highest-priority fire in the united states right now. >> reporter: having already scorched the fringe of los alamos, officials say the winds could carry it in any direction at any time. the lab will stay closed through at least tomorrow. ann, back to you. >> thanks for that warning, janet shamlian, thank you. it is 7:06. here's matt. >> thank you. we're only halfway through 2011, but the 2012 presidential race is already intensifying. and some key players have been focusing a lot of their attention on the key battleground state of iowa this week. nbc's kelly o'donnell's in pella with the latest. kelly, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. we've been talking to voters here around the state who say this is really an ideal time for them to get to see and size up a number of candidates and would-be candidates. that's sure happening among republicans. but another candidate who knows how valuable iowa can be to a

white house run was back, and that's the president of the united states. >> hello, iowa! >> reporter: iowans expect to hear plenty of this. >> you know, i know you've been seeing a lot of politicians around lately. >> reporter: warmly courted by . >> reporter: warmly courted by the president, who stopped by an aluminums manufacturer to talk jobs. >> reporter: a few hours away, sarah palin brought her brand of celebrity to a movie premiere. >> a wonderful story about american values. >> reporter: shot documentary style it depicts palin alaska. >> sarah had the courage to try. she had taken on the system already. >> reporter: made by conservative filmmaker steven bannan, who says palin cooperated but had no control over the film's content. >> i think this film plays to the core values of the tea party and tea party movement, and i hope it energizes people to get

actively engaged. >> we're still thinking about that. >> reporter: palin was asked about bristol's comments that mom has already decided whether she will run or not. >> she definitely knows. we've talked about it before but some things just need to stay in the family. >> what's said on the fishing boat stays on the fishing boat. >> reporter: just-declared candidate michele bachmann -- >> you are the first people in the united states to see the bachmann for president bus! >> reporter: who made stops in new hampshire and south carolina tuesday faces new candidate scrutiny including financial records for a family business. >> i'd like you to meet my husband, marcus bachmann! >> reporter: the couple owns bachmann & associates, a minnesota mental health clinic run by the congresswoman's husband, who is a clinical therapist. while bachmann campaigns for less government spending and opposes an expansion of medicaid, nbc news obtained state records that show the bachmann's clinic received

government funds, $137,000 in federal and state medicaid payments, since 2005. that money considered reimbursement for treatment provided to low-income patients. and that's the kind of thing that many health clinics do do, and there's no suggestion that there's anything improper about that. we reached out to the bachmann campaign for specific comment. we did not hear back. but michele bachmann will be coming back to iowa for her first bus tour as a candidate officially in just a couple of days. ann? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you very much. rachel maddow joins us now. good morning. >> hi. >> sarah palin, how much longer can she swatd before she announces her decision? >> i think a long time. i think what the candidates are doing right now is essentially introducing themselves to a public who may not remember who rick santorum is or who michele bachmann is for that matter. sarah palin does not have that problem. nobody in america doesn't know who she is. i think she can wait a long time. we're a half year away from the iowa caucus.

>> so if she waits that long or not, if she announces she'll run, how will that change the republican race? >> well, i think that as long as mitt romney is the unquestionable front-runner, there is going to be some hunger among a significant number of republican activists, in particular for somebody else with a big name to get in. there's dissatisfaction with mitt romney as the front-runner. and so as long as there's nobody challenging him, and it looks like tim pawlenty does not pose any threat of doing that, i think that the race is going to remain quite wide open. >> michele bachmann seems to be considered right now a front-runner. i'm wondering, it seems to me it might be argued that she's taking some of the support that sarah palin would want from the tea party. so one might argue -- and there are those who are arguing that those two are going to have to confront each other at some point. do you agree with that? >> i don't think there's any reason to think of sarah palin and michele bachmann competing for the same voters any more than there is to see that sort of competition between herman cain and rick santorum or between jon huntsman and tim pawlenty.

i think we're sort of past that. people have to compete. >> that point well taken. we are still talking about tea party favorites, right? >> sure. but there's a lot of competition for that. i mean, tim pawlenty wants to be seen as a tea party favorite. we just heard in that report michele bachmann tried to make the case that she's a purist tea party candidate despite the fact she has this hypocrisy problem with having been fitted herself with so much government spending. >> i want to get your take on something chris christie said about the president and the democratic side. let's take a listen. >> i think he's so concerned about making sure everybody likes him that he's paralyzed to be able to make decisions. and i think that's what it does when you're worried about being liked. you don't want to decide anything because you know you're going to aggravate somebody. >> does the new jersey governor have a point that the president is making mistakes because he wants too much to be liked? >> i think chris christie is really good at polishing his own brand.

and his brand at this point is i'm the guy who screams at my own constituents. when he was asked recently by a constituent whether or not there was an issue of fairness with him sending his kids to private school when he was cutting public education so drastically, he screamed back at that constituent, that's none of your business. that's his brand. >> ad hominem. let's talk about obama specifically, though. do you think he's trying too hard to be liked? >> chris christie is auditioning for vice president. he would like to be taken seriously on the national stage. that's why he's embarrassing himself in his own state, taking a state helicopter away from his son's baseball games so he can go meet with iowa republican donors. he is auditioning. and his brand is i will be rude. and rudeness is actually what he's trying to sell as a form of political authenticity. so to attack the president on that ground is to invite a favorable comparison with his own style. >> you're saying he doesn't have a point, okay. >> well, he has a point for himself. >> there also seems to be, however, growing discontent in

the left at president obama, a discontent over his position on libya, afghanistan, the budget. is this something his campaign needs to worry about as we move towards the election? >> we'll see some of it today, the president hosting a gay rights reception at the white house, still sort of sitting uncomfortably on his assertion that he does not support same-sex marriage. the gay community very excited about same-sex marriage rights having been extended in new york and that tension between the president's position and what the community sees as a victory. i think the president's going to have to worry about the left when it comes time to rubber meeting the road and organizational enthusiasm on the part of the democratic base being important to get out the vote. it may be too early for him to really be courting the left, but we'll see it in terms of his strategy. >> rachel maddow, thank you so much. sorry to spring the latin on you, but i knew you could handle it. >> i enjoyed it. thanks. >> you can catch "the rachel maddow show" weeknights on msnbc. let's head over to the news desk where natalie morales has a check of the morning's top stories. >> good morning. good morning, everyone.

in a dramatic standoff at an international hotel in kabul has killed at least 11 civilians. a team of heavily armed taliban fighters stormed the intercontinental tuesday night and battled with security forces for several hours. nato helicopters took down three gunmen on the roof. and afghan security forces ended the standoff on the ground. meanwhile, clashes have erupted in cairo for a second day as the families of those killed during the uprising against the former egyptian president called for swift prosecution of officers believed to be responsible for the violence. riot police used tear gas against protesters who responded with fire bombs and rocks. a senate panel has voted to give the president limited authority to continue the operation in libya without the use of u.s. ground forces. this after the house rejected a similar resolution last friday. and a federal panel votes today on whether or not to revoke approval of the top-selling cancer drug avastin. the fda says recent studies show

the drug is ineffective despite impassioned pleas from breast cancer patients who says the drug keeps them alive. to another developing story in the world of medicine and reports now that the surgeons conducting clinical trials of medtronic's bone growth protein widely used in spine surgery did not report serious complications and some reportedly received payments. our chief science correspondent robert bazell joins us live. good morning. >> good morning. this is a big battle today. a prominent group of spine surgeons is charging another group of spine surgeons wrote research papers that hid serious side effects of this drug. the drug is called infuse, and it is made by the medtronic corporation. according to the curremedtronic corporation. according to the current issue of the journal "spine surgery," the doctors writing the papers got payments from medtronic as high as $23.5 million and as little as a half million dollars. infuse is used during some spine surgery to make bone growth. side effects include male

sterility, pain and death. a doctor at the university of wisconsin said that much of that money came from medtronic for patents on devices he developed, but it did not influence the papers he wrote or edits. other doctors say the same. medtronic says it told the fda about the side effects and warned them on the label. the doctors writing about this say it reveals how much money can be paid to doctors who write about certain drugs and devices. natalie? >> we'll be hearing much more on this story on "nightly news." johnson & johnson is recalling more than 60,000 bottles of tylenol extra-strength caplets due to a moldy odor. the smell is caused by trace amounts of a chemical that can cause stomach upset. an update on a warm and fuzzy story we brought you earlier this week. the polar bear has now arrived at her new home in louisville, kentucky. she was found after being abandoned by her mother on an alaskan oil field.

she'll be living at the glacier exhibit where she's expected to thrive in a chilly state-of-the-art facility. looks like she's enjoying herself already. she's made herself quite at home. 7:16. we'll turn it back to matt, ann and al. >> what do you think? let's go see that bear. >> road trip! >> let's go. i want to see that little bear. >> that moldy odor with the tylenol. >> we have one of those on the set. >> we might have to recall this whole studio. mr. roker is here after a day off with a check of the weather. >> we've got our first atlantic tropical storm of the season. tropical storm arlene is going to be c tropical storm arlene is going to be causing some problems for mexico. but not so much for us. in fact, as we take a look, we'll show you we've got this system right now, about 190 miles east of tampico mechanic mexico, 45-mile-an-hour winds, west northwest at 8. the path brings it into mexico,

no rain to speak of for our friends in southern texas who could use the rain. makes landfall sometime tomorrow. as we look at the rest of the country, your going to see we're expecting strong storms, heat continues in the southwest, beautiful day in the east. that's what's doing on around the country, here is what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> well, good wednesday morning to you. we are done with the rain and our temperatures good morning to climb into the mid-60s. by noon we'll end up in the low 70s. warmest spots across the bay today. upper 60s elsewhere, 69, 71 los gatos. the rain is done, cold air pulling in behind it. even under full sunshine today, not all that warm. our temperatures are really going to climb as we head toward

this week, upper 90s. as no

time to move out of the way. instead, the six astronauts including two americans got the order from mission control, climb into the escape capsules. >> the probabilities are still in the red threshold. and we are still planning to have you shelter in place. >> reporter: space junk is manmade debris like pieces of satellite orbiting the earth. some of it passed within 1,100 feet of the space station. that's around three football fields away. the closest encounter ever tracked. >> this was really an emergency situation because the object was following an erratic flight path. so the crew had to take shelter. >> we've got debris. >> reporter: feels like the

movie "armageddon" around here. space junk, asteroids, what a week. >> the value of seeing these things in advance is that you can at least give warning because an object of this size, the size of a house, could have been an explosion as big as a military bombing attack on a county. >> there is a scary new reality here as well. nasa is closing up shop on the shuttle program. the final mission is scheduled next month. if space junk or an asteroid were to hit the international space station and there is no shuttle to fix it, experts are worried the massive complex could fall uncontrolled down to earth doing some serious damage. but matt, before you hide under your bed or your anchor desk, experts say we're actually safer now than we've ever been before, able to spot these asteroids sooner with better technology. >> that whole story didn't make me feel so safe, jeff. it's nice of you to say that at the last minute there, but thank you -- >> it could be a disaster. >> disaster. >> still getting over the flower

pot getting knocked off my house. coming up, it was a tense day at the casey anthony murder trial as the defense hammered away at the man who discovered caylee's remains and also hammer add way at casey's father. we'll have details. first, this is "today" on nbc.

denny's new tour of america menu. 50 star cuisine. the new tour of america menu. starting at $4.99. only at denny's. america's diner is always open.

still ahead, the royal family's pr nightmare. why britain's prince andrew and his questionable friendships are raising eyebrows. also ahead, stop the competition. yoda, the ugliest dog in the world, is live in our studio. yoda's the one on the left. but first, your local news and weather. in the weather ♪ ♪ there's a change in the sea ♪ so from now on ♪ there'll be a change in me ♪ and my walk will be different ♪

♪ my talk and my name [ male announcer ] rust-oleum ultra cover 2x gives you twice the coverage, twice as fast as any other brand. ♪ ...changes made for nearly 100 years, we've been giving people the power to change. ♪ ...changes made it's not ready yet. (announcer) every smucker learns to wait for fruit to reach the peak of perfection to make extra delicious jam. to come and try coffee-mate's new cafe collection flavors. then we asked them to show us how the taste inspired them. new rich caramel macchiato. one of three new ways to add your flavor. with coffee-mate, from nestle.

good morning. it's 7:26. i'm marla tellez. well, if you have a flight to catch, the weather is causing some flight delays at fran international airport this morning. arriving flights at sfo on average are about 30 mince late. we're going to have more on weather in just a bit. meantime we're following developing news from san francisco where the coast guard was called in to help a capsized commercial fishing boat. "today in the bay's"'s christie smith is live near the cliff house with the very latest. good morning, christie. >> good morning to you, marla. in about 30 minutes the coast guard is expected to do a

fly-over and see if there's any diesel fuel in the water. the boat was filled with 800 gallons, a 49 foot commercial fishing boat that capsized near san francisco tossing three men bought cold water. the coast guard saying they rescued them, had them out in under 30 minutes. one man on board said that he believes that because the boat was loaded with crab pots and some of the weight shifted, he believes that may be the cause of why it capsized. two of them resting this morning. one was taken to a hospital and treated for hypothermia. reporting live in san francisco, i'm christie smith. marla, back to you. >> christie, thank you for that live report. we're going to check the forecast with christina. good morning. >> good morning to you. we don't really have any weather in san francisco. could be low cloud ceilings. that's due to a little bit of fog. really, no major weather. those delays, i wouldn't worry about those. check ahead with your carrier as

always before flying. the system is pulling out, a great deal of sunshine in the bay area, temperatures in the 50s. we're not going to climb all that much even in full sunshine. that's it in santa rosa, 62 in san francisco, 69 in santa cruz. back to you, marla. >> okay, christina, thank you for that we'll be back with our next news and weather update at 7:56. .

.

♪ baby baby ♪ ooh baby baby 7:30 now on this wednesday morning june 29th, 2011. we have an energetic crowd with us this morning. but as they say, you ain't seen nothing yet. friday we're throwing a party on the plaza to get ready for the fourth of july weekend. hitmaker will be here live and he's bringing along a bevy of his favorite friends along with marc anthony, t-pain and ne-yo. that will be something to watch. i'm ann curry along with mr.

matt lauer. some new drama at the casey anthony trial. we'll be live with some tough questions the defense had for casey's father and also for the man who found caylee anthony's remains, matt. >> we'll talk to savannah guthrie and star jones about that in just a couple of minutes. also, he earned the nickname randy andy in the british tabloids. now the new profiling is prince andrew's controversial behavior including a friendship with a convicted sex offender and the unusual relationship with his ex-wife, sarah ferguson. we'll talk to the man who wrote that profile in just a little white. and take a look at this. a face only a mother could love. we'll introduce you to yoda, the newly crowned ugliest dog in the world, just ahead. but we'll begin this half hour with some serious news. there were some highly confrontational moments at the casey anthony trial on tuesday. nbc's kerry sanders is in orlando with the latest. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. for six hours on tuesday, the

defense zipped through six witnesses, but two were especially combative. the meter reader, roy kronk, who found caylee's remains in the woods, and casey anthony's father, george, who the defense claims helped cover up not a murder but rather an accidental drowning. george anthony on the stand for the fourth time. this time exasperated. defense attorney jose baez was hammering casey's father, demanding an answer. did he take up with this woman, crystal holloway, a volunteer, who joined the search for caylee and in an intimate moment reveal a secret? >> you never told crystal holloway, while the two of you were being romantic, that this was an accident that snowballed out of control? >> objection. assumes a fact not in evidence. >> reporter: the defense claims 2-year-old caylee was not murdered but rather she drowned in the backyard swimming pool, and casey's father, george, helped his daughter cover it up. >> so the record to be clear,

the answer is yes or no, mr. anthony? >> would you ask that one more time, please? >> you never told her, this was an accident that snowballed out of control? >> never did. >> reporter: george left the stand, looked at his daughter, casey at the defense table barely acknowledged her own dad. george and his wife, cindy, awkwardly face each other. moments later, their son, lee, testified he believed his sister's story that caylee had been abducted by the nanny. >> you were completely sold on the lies that your sister had told you? >> yes and no. >> reporter: all three members of the anthony family seated in the back row of the courtroom. george and cindy as far apart as possible. cindy glaring at her son. >> i was a meter reader for orange county, sir.

>> reporter: the defense has suggested meter reader roy kronk who discovered caylee's remains in august is their key to reasonable doubt because he rediscovered those remains in december. >> i noticed something that looked white. and there was a, like, a gray bag down there. i don't know what it is. i'm not telling you it's caylee or anything of that nature. >> reporter: kronk said he was distracted by a snake he found that day in august. but four months later, it was the same roy kronk who testified he went back into those woods and he found caylee's skull. the defense wants the jury to believe kronk's multiple visits were suspicious, and his credibility tainted. >> if you go on "good morning america" show? >> yes, sir. >> and did you get paid for doing that? >> i was paid for -- i was paid for a licensed picture of a snake, but i knew that there would probably be an interview involved. >> were you paid $15,000 for doing that, sir? >> i was paid $15,000 for a lan licensed picture of the snake,

sir. >> reporter: the alleged mistress, crystal holloway, is expected to take the stand today. and the lawyer representing roy kronk has been told he may also be re-called again today. >> kerry sanders in orlando. thank you very much. star jones is former prosecutor and former host of "the view." savannah guthrie is our legal correspondent. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> roy kronk, we have issues on the stand with roy kronk. what is the defense trying to prove here? >> they're trying to show that he has no credibility. i think they made a real mistake -- i don't know about you, savannah, but i find that when you have a witness like roy kronk, why not treat him not as a hostile witness but just get the information out that you need, like yeah, i moved the skull around. if you can establish the chink in the chain of the forensic evidence, then you can get the death penalty off the table, take the needle out of the arm. >> i agree with you. it seems the defense missed the boat on roy kronk, instead of indulging itself in conspiracy theories, maybe kronk had the

body, hid it for several months, something there's absolutely no evidence of. when right in front of them kronk is testifying, yeah, i may have poked that skull a little bit. >> which contradicts that first story, it rolled out of the bag. >> which also suggests somebody's messing with that skull. >> if the duct tape is not found on the skull, then premeditation goes out of the window. >> and again, the two words we have to keep in our mind here, reasonable doubt, okay? always in the back of our mind. let's talk about casey's father, george. he's asked if he's had an affair with a woman involved in the search. he denied that. and then denied telling her that caylee's death was, quote, an accident that snowballed out of control, end quote. has the defense managed to score any points with the theories they put forward in their opening arguments? or statements? >> in some sense, i thought george anthony, in contrast to his testimony earlier in the case, looked a little squirrely as to whether or not he had had an affair with crystal holloway,

aka river cruise. he acknowledged he sent her a text saying i need you in my life and had been over to the house. but in some ways that's just a sideshow. these got credibility problems, too. >> that's an understatement of the century. >> first she said she had an affair, then she didn't. >> as i think about it, i've covered these trials for now, what, 20 years at this point. there's always a whackadoo that attaches themselves to the family of the victim. and this is a cuckoo for cocoa puffs kind of girl. she's out there talking about an affair that has not been testified to. we can't call her a mistress. >> she changed her story on that issue herself. >> she's not testified yet. >> not yet. >> until it gets into the courtroom, it's not evidence. >> who wants to take me through this family disagreement. >> it's all yours, star. look at her. >> we have casey's mom going on the stand followed by casey's brother, lee. what was the major contradiction here? >> the major contradiction is did the mom get an investigator

to go out and look in a specific area -- >> in the woods. >> -- in the woods suggesting that she knew that was the area where they could have found the baby's body. >> she says she did not. lee then took the stand and said no, in fact you did, and we had an argument about it. >> what's so odd about it is, what is the point of this testimony? either "a," the defense did not adequately prep their witnesses and didn't know there would be a disagraemt or is it just trying to show how dysfunctional this family is? if so, mission accomplished. >> i want to save time for this last thing. you didn't hear me, obviously. >> i'm sorry, matt. i apologize. >> i want to save time for this last thing. >> i'm done. >> the question we've been asking since the case began, will casey take the stand? the judge said in court that he wants to talk to casey personally and ask her the question, is your decision to testify or not to testify yours and yours alone? so where is this leading us? >> there's obviously disagreement in the defense strategy from the attorneys and

the defendant. and i think at some point the court wants to make sure that there are no appealable issues. >> as star knows, this is something that happens in every criminal case. when the defendant chooses not to testify, the judge will make a record, have this colloquy with the defendant. is this your choice? are you making it voluntarily? but the plot thickens because i think many of us think casey wants to testify. so the judge is going to make sure, this is your decision. so get on the record and say if you're really not testifying, why? >> and that is all the time i have. remember when they used to give you cues on "the view"? >> now. >> same thing. star and savannah, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> thank you very much, mr. lauer. we've got some nice friends here hanging out. i've got the woo woo going here. where you from? >> where are you from? >> hello, chattanooga, tennessee. >> whoo!

let's check the weather and see what's going on. hey, man, some high heat and humidity from oklahoma to indiana, heat warnings, advisories, rapid city, 102 degrees. rest of the country, it's down right balmy in the northeast with temperatures only getting up into the 80s and 70s, 60s around western new york. we've got more heat out west, some showers and thunderstorms move into the pacific northwest with a risk of strong storms there through the plains. wet weather along the southeastern atlantic coast, sunshine, great lakes to the southwest, beautiful in the mid-atlantic states as well. that's what's going on around the country, heres what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good wednesday morning to you. it's not going to be all that warm today as we had has cold front that came through yesterday bringing about record rainfall in san francisco. 62 degrees, that's it for you today, as a result of that cold air trailing behind the front. it's going to take a while to mix out. by tomorrow back in the 80s, 71 in los gatos, 69 in san jose.

take a look at this warm-up we're headed into, 90 by friday. up to 98, triple digits in the warmest spots. er >> don't forget to check your latest weather gorks to the weather channel on cable or weather.com. we'll take you on a tour of new york's narrowest house. plus we'll meet the ugliest dog in the world, yoda. but first, these messages. thanks to the venture card from capital one, we get double miles on every purchase, so me and my lads earned a trip to san francisco twice as fast!

. sant alone for treating unresolved symptoms of depression. talk to your doctor about seroquel xr. then visit seroquelxr.com for a free trial offer.

call your doctor if you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children,teens, and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking seroquel xr . . other risks include decreases in white blood cells, which can be fatal, seizures, increased cholesterol, weight gain, dizziness on standing, drowsiness,impaired judgment, and trouble swallowing. use caution before driving or operating machinery. for more help putting distance between you and your depression, ask your doctor about adding seroquel xr. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

back now at 7:43, they say size isn't everything. a house that just hit the market here in new york city seems to prove that. it's barely wider than your living room sofa. here's "today" real estate contributor barbara corcoran. >> reporter: new york's west village has always had a unique flavor of its own. bohemian, artistic, and for the past few decades, expensive. celebrities like sarah jessica parker call this neighborhood home. and one distinct house has been captivating the imagination of tourists and residents for over 100 years. located at 75 1/2 bedford street, past residents include cary grant, john barrymore and

the poet edna st. vincent. real estate broker paul bolson recently gave me a tour. i understand the whole house is built on a carriageway. >> it was, yes. >> is that typical of its time? >> it's not. this is an atypical house. everybody in new york wanted to use the space they had. >> and they squeezed this little house -- >> they squeeze the this house between the two houses that were here before. >> reporter: i had to measure the house myself just to believe it. 9.6! >> i told you! >> reporter: at 990 square feet, it's a little like living in a dollhouse. >> when you come in here, it's like entering the rabbit hole. your mind expands the room and it's just a great space. >> let's see if that works on my mind as i squeeze through this little kitchen here. >> reporter: four working fireplaces, original beams and a communal garden make up for some of the home's shortcomings. what is this, an ez-bake oven? it's so tiny.

so do the details justify the price tag? >> the current owner did put in a million-dollar renovation. >> reporter: what? $1 million? what do you spend $1 million on 990 square feet? >> that's a gut renovation. >> reporter: i want to see those receipts. a narrow staircase links all three floors for a total of seven rooms. >> welcome to the master bedroom. >> reporter: this is the master bedroom? where would you fit a bed? >> we've got a bed right here. cary grant used to live here. >> reporter: okay. why not? and then there's the not-so-private bathroom. >> prettiest room in the house. >> reporter: no doubt. a nice clawfoot tub. what about these windows? you've got to be kidding. you'd have to be an exhibitionist to be in this tub. >> a little bit of a free spirit, yes. >> reporter: still, bo believes someone out there will appreciate the novelty. you're asking $4.3 million for this house. >> yes, we are. >> reporter: how would you justify that price? >> for under $6 million, you

really don't get anything in the west village. >> reporter: and who, bo, do you picture living in this home? >> i think somebody who definitely has to have an open mind. >> reporter: you're goingrháhp & need somqját with a really fat wallet to buy this skinny little home. >> that was "today" real estate contributor barbara corcoran. next, the world's ugliest dog. wait until you hear where yoda's owners found her. that's coming up right after this. ♪ yes! ha ha! ♪ [ clicking ] dad, what happened? power went out, want a hot dog? [ female announcer ] oscar mayer selects are made with 100% pure beef and have no artificial preservatives. they're a great way to re-connect with your family. dad, how come the nelsons' lights are on? ♪ it doesn't get better than this ♪ my old contacts would sometimes move and blur my vision. then my eye doctor told me about acuvue® oasys for astigmatism. he said it's the only lens of its kind

designed to realign naturally with every blink so now, i'm seeing more clearly. [ male announcer ] learn more at acuvue.com.

the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal. they steam and bake the actual whole grain. while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis

and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. yoda! yoda! >> the ugliest dog of 2011 is -- yoda! >> it gives me goose bumps. that was the big moment at the sonoma-marin fair in california. yoda is here with us this morning along with her owners, teri and nicole. my heartfelt congratulations.

let's give the backstory. this was kind of a sad thing. wasn't this dog found in a bag in kind of a lot? >> yeah. >> so someone clearly didn't want yoda. >> yeah, i guess not. they never claimed her. >> but it's a story with a happy ending. when you first laid eyes on yoda, did you see big things in her future in terms of ugly dog competitions? >> no. when i first laid eyes on her, i saw big things in terms of getting her to the doctor. >> you thought yoda was a rat at first, right? >> there's all kinds of -- i thought she was bringing me a dead field rat. >> nicole, when your mom said, put the dog down -- well, she didn't know what it was, but what did you -- why did you insist on keeping it? >> i don't know. >> you were just a little girl. >> i was little and i was, like, crying. i wanted her. i don't know why. >> why does yoda keep her tongue out like that, by the way? >> she always has-now that she's gotten older, she has no teeth. >> oh, so it just falls out.

there's nothing to hold the tongue in. so you hear about this competition, and you entered. did you think you were a shoo-in or that you were going to face tough competition? >> honestly, i was going just for the experience, more or less. i figured maybe she might get a ribbon and that would be nice. >> and you got more than a ribbon. you got this trophy here that's, what, about ten times -- well, more than that, i think, bigger than she is. and also i think you got some time of monetary award as well. and you got to be on the "today" show. so if i gave you a coupon that said you could have a free jill rappaport makeover for yoda so she would no longer be the ugliest dog, would you take that coupon? or do you like her as she is? >> we love her just like she is. >> that's good because i don't think you could do anything with her. jill's pretty good, but i'm not sure. anyway, what's in the future? are you going to enter more competitions? >> i'll definitely go to next

year's. e. mclre tai titl ucgo l k with that. yoda, nice having you here. we're back after this. i'd like one of those desserts and some coffee. - sure, cake or pie? - pie. - apple or cherry? - cherry. oil or cream? oil or cream? cream. some use hydrogenated oil. reddi-wip uses real dairy cream. nothing's more real than reddi-wip. it's trade-up time. 'cause the prices we've been waiting for on those features we've been looking for... are here. which means we can finally kick out the old

and pick out the new. we've got 'til july 6th. let's snag some serious savings. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get this maytag refrigerator for 698 bucks. that's two hundred dollars off. try finding that price somewhere else. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood all the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans. with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved

to manage chronic musculpakel tain. ll e pion a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer.

it is 7:56. good morning. i'm marlin ark tellez. police are looking into a spree of robberies in san jose. there are four robberies. they happened from valley fair mall to little saigon. officers say these range from gunshot to grab and go. one man robbed at knifepoint on blossom hill feet away from the reese family's doorstep. >> even on a busy street it's scary something like that could happen. a side street or alley, you might expect that but not on blossom hill road. >> san jose have not made arrests in any of these

robberies. they don't think the robberies are connected. now we switch gear and check in with christina for your forecast. good morning. >> good morning to you. we still have moisture hanging around. quite a bit of fog, cloud cover in places like san francisco this morning. flight delays with people trying to get into san francisco have a 30-minute delay. if you know someone arriving here in the next few hours, i would go ahead and check in with your carrier or their carrier before you pick them up. 54 in san francisco, 56 in sunny vail. we're headed towards a pretty cool day. not as warm as we traditionally see this time of year. 69 in nap ark, 69 in santa rosa. we have to wait until 4:00 p.m. for temperatures to climb. keep climbing until tomorrow. 82 degrees, 90s in the mix on friday, upper 90s on saturday. a little too hot. see you how the traffic is

treating you with mike. >> southbound 8880, told you about the earlier accident. even though the lanes cleared, kicked off slowing. very slow from south of san mateo continuing to interchange down to newark, union city and fremont, speeds below 20 miles an hour there. san mateo bridge a good volume westbound, away from us slowing across the flat section as well, marla. no incidents but slow across to the highrise. oakland north of 880, jams up around high street. the build traditionally at 8:30 happened a little early this morning. >> check us out at nbc bay area news on facebook. we'll be back at 8:26. we'll see you then. . test test.

good morning to you. yeah, we still have some of that morning fog lingering, kind of hugging the coast this morning. it's not all that bad. as a matter of fact, this system of low pressure is on its way out of here. the showers we had yesterday are a thing of past today. however, the cold air is trailing in. the temps are only going to climb from the mid-50s, where we

are right now, into the low 70s in some spots. 61 in los gatos, a big warm dlds up on the way tomorrow. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you very much. as we say hello to our friends from marietta, ohio. when we come back, a look at prince andrew and why he can't seem to stay out of the headlines. that righ af bo ar tht haesright afe tethese messages. ious! i've never tasted anything so delicious. richard, why are you wearing grandpa's jacket? i'm not richard. i'm grandpa smucker. male announcer: tim and richard smucker always looked up to their father and grandfather knowing that one day they too would make the world's best jam. grandpa says it like, i've never tasted anything so delicious! i've never tasted anything so delicious! tim: [ laughing ] you got it! male announcer: for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good.

now use the best suncare recommended most by dermatologists. neutrogena®, with technologies like helioplex... it provides the highest average spf and unsurpassed uva protection. get the best. neutrogena®. took some wild risks when i was young. but i was still taking a risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack.

diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more, and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol, stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39 to 60 percent. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. lets go... haha. if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor.

back now at 8:10, with mounting troubles for a member of the royal family. nbc's peter alexander joins us with details. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. the royals are still basking in the afterglow of prince william and kate who leave for their north american trip today. but royal watchers say for years buckingham palace has struggled with a major pr problem, that's how to handle prince andrew. fourth in line to the world's most celebrated throne, prince andrew is both affable and outgoing. the proud father of two young princesses, beatrice and eugenie.

but the duke of york's indulgent lifestyle and controversyial acquaintances have also made him a frequent of the tabloids. in the draft issue of august's issue of "vanity fair." >> the trouble is andrew, as all our mothers used to say, people judge you by your friends, and he's been very indiscreet with his friends, even self-destructive. >> reporter: among andrew's less than savory friends, american billionaire jeffrey epstein, a convicted sex offender who admitted soliciting an underage girl for prostitution. as britain's trade ambassador, he met with moammar gadhafi and has dined with the president of kazakhstan. both visits, the palace said, made as part of his official duties. >> he does do an effective job, things come back and bite him. and this is the problem with him. he just seems to be unable to shake off scandal. >> reporter: perhaps his most scrutinized relationship, that

with ex-wife, sarah ferguson. britain's disgraced debt-ridden duchess who 15 years later still shares a home with andrew. and in 2010 was caught as part of a british tabloid hidden camera sting, trying to sell access to the prince. >> 500,000 pounds when you can, to me, open doors. >> reporter: ferguson later apologized and said prince andrew was never involved. andrew, a war hero, has benefited by the unconditional support of a very powerful ally, his mother, the queen. despite the scandals, this march she awarded her son with britain's highest possible honor. >> that was a signal to everybody that the queen was bestowing on andrew her protection that he was untouchable. he's her favorite child. so he can't do anything wrong. >> reporter: but elizabeth can't be queen forever. and observers say andrew has very little in common with his more serious and introverted older brother, charles.

that relationship may be the most significant of all as royal watchers say, andrew's future role in the monarchy could be up in the air. and a palace spokesperson told me last night that the prince's meeting with that man, jeffrey epstein, here in new york in december was to use his words, unwise. they would not, however, comment on sarah ferguson and the duchess of york. >> peter alexander, thank you. ed kline who you just saw in that piece as a contributor editor to "vanity fair" magazine, he wrote about prince andrew for the august issue. good morning. >> good morning. >> as i remember, princess margaret, also then the number two in line. >> that's right. >> also got into all kinds of trouble with the press. this is sort of similar in some ways. >> well, you know, number two always seems to be getting into trouble in britain. >> you know, there's a lot of pressure on them. of these charges, these accusations, against prince andrew, which do you think is the worst or most difficult for him and why? >> i think a picture of him with his arm around one of these underage girls that jeffrey

epstein had flown to london set off this terrible, terrible scandal in britain and made his mother, the queen, step in and give him a tremendous knighthood to signal to the whole country, he's under my protection. >> is there anything that he's done that actually, though, crosses the legal line, or is it really simply appearances? >> well, that's a good question and hard to answer because no one has yet proved that he, in fact, attended naked pool parties with jeffrey epstein or had massages from these underage girls. but we do know that he has gone around the world raising money for his ex-wife, sarah ferguson, from some very dodgy characters. >> well, you raise sarah ferguson because, of course, we all know about the scandal in which she was videotaped sort of trying to sell access. so she's apologized to her ex-husband.

she's taken the blame for this. is there any reason to believe that he's dirty in this particular way, really? >> well, she claimed that he actually knew that she was selling access to him as the british trade ambassador. his problems are two women, farrah ferguson on the one hand who gets him into trouble all the time and his mother who covered him up all the time. >> you're getting psychological here. has it affected his ability to be the trade ambassador? are there enough questions now being raised? because he's not just a prince, he's the face of britain when it comes to raising trade money. >> that's right. and there have been calls in the house of commons which is really unusual when it comes to the royals to fire him from that job. >> you've raised some questions in the piece that we just saw that peter did about how long this protection can last. it really sort of begs the question sort of how bad is his relationship with his older brebre brother, charles? >> that's a good question. because as his mother, the

queen, who is 85, starts to recede, charles is going to start to take a greater and greater role in the royal family. and he's made it very plain that he wants to streamline the family, make it much smaller, which means that andrew and his daughters, beatrice and eugenie, are not going to be on the royal dole for much longer. >> so he wouldn't be british trade ambassador any longer? you're saying he's going to leave him without any money? >> well, i think they'll keep him on a very short leash, take him off that royal -- that trade ambassadorship, not make his daughters working royals who are going to be supported by the royal family. this is something he's tried to prevent for years. >> wow, sounds like the prince has got to get a job. ed kline, thank you so much for joining us. by the way, the august issue of "vanity fair" hits newsstands later this week. and coming up next, guess who's here. we've got oscar winner tom hanks, one of our favorites here in our studio right after this. [ female announcer ] we asked coffee lovers

to come and try coffee-mate's new cafe collection flavors. then we asked them to show us how the taste inspired them. new rich caramel macchiato. one of three new ways to add your flavor. with coffee-mate, from nestle. one of three new ways to add your flavor.

your favorites, in pieces. you carry them around everywhere. yes i do, because cravings are everywhere. would you take a craving for me, cartwright? how would i -- exactly. [ male announcer ] nicorette mini goes wherever you go, to help make quitting suck less. express hydration. the fast absorbing body lotion with breakthrough 24 hour hydraiq. absorbs in seconds. lasts fohours. express hydration with hydraiq. nivea. express hydration with hydraiq. the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal. they steam and bake the actual whole grain. while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal.

[ female announcer ] now, just pop, click, switch your lids whenever you like! choose from over 20+ colors and designs. the new dell inspiron r series laptops with switchable lids, powered by the 2nd generation intel® core™ processor family: not just smart, visibly smart. call or click to get this fully loaded and totally protected inspiron 15r today! ♪ [ intel bong ]

two-time oscar winner tom hanks has been an actor, writer, producer and director. now he is doing it all at once for his latest film which is called "larry crown." hanks plays the title character who heads to community college after losing his job. and that's when sparks start flying between larry and his professor played by julia roberts. take a look. >> you ready for your final? >> well, we'll find out. >> i drew the order last night. >> and? >> you're last. >> lucky me. >> thank you, by the way. >> what did i ? >> kept our secret. >> oh. i don't do many things well, but i can keep a secret. >> gentlemen do. >> tom, welcome back. >> thank you. that's the sum total of what i do well. what you just told me, matt, will never leave my lips and the headsets of the entire crew. don't you worry about that. >> you were one of the biggest stars in hollywood. i've told you that often. you've told me that also.

julia roberts is one of the biggest stars in hollywood. so when you guys want to talk about a project, is there a super-secret phone line? is there a phone booth off the ventura freeway? what happens? >> there is a preamble that goes along with it, whenever i can track her down. she was either in india, indonesia or italy when i first talked to her about this. she was making the three "i" movie, "eat, pray, love." i don't know what time zone you're in or what the kids are doing, but look, this is official business call in which everything drops. all right. >> but, see, you called her -- again, you're producing directing, you called directly. there are no casting agents, agents, nothing like that. >> we warned her her phalanx of operatives that i would like to speak to her, and they okayed it. and then i got one of those 18-digit numbers, 051163701322. >> is that a 3?

>> i'm not sure but i had to dial it, like, nine times. >> did she say yes immediately? >> no, i will send this to you. i wrote it i'd like you to be in it, i would like to be your boss, but only if you think there's something there. if you hate it, just say it ain't for me and all will be forgotten. >> larry crowne goes to community college. you're of the same age so it isn't one of those creepy teacher/student relationships. >> it could be. we always started off -- the other teacher is george takei. we flipped a coin and said, where will the romance begin? man, luckily it came up heads because otherwise, we're talking to a whole different mass audience, i'm telling you right now. timely, without a doubt, but a different audience. >> you'd be with kathie lee and hoda. >> i think we might have been part of the gay pride parade which i would gladly be on the float for. >> chemistry. everybody talks about it when you get to big stars taking part in a movie.

it didn't seem to be much of an issue. >> well, i don't want to blow out any secrets, but in a lot of ways chemistry can be faked in motion pictures. >> do you really think it can be totally faked? >> if you don't actually like each other, you have to have a huge amount of respect for each other and you've got to identify with the material. but julia and i met about 12 years ago on a photo shoot. and i thought she was everything she was cracked up to be. and then we would work together on "charlie wilson's war." thank you. thank you. thank you. yeah, yeah, yeah. it never works the way it's supposed to work. the applause is supposed to begin before i say "thank you." but we became really good pals. i mean, honestly, we laughed a lot. working together on this, i think she trusted that i would try to establish as the boss the same ease of working atmosphere as we had on that. >> watching you promote this movie and you've been around doing it, you seem to be having a lot of fun which is unusual

because you're not usually that much fun here. so when you have been like on univision, doing the weather, this video has been making the rounds. >> let me tell you. >> what was going on here? >> first of all, i was told i was doing the weather with tiki delgado. who hasn't wanted to try to master the samba. there i am. and then trying to speak in spanish. not easy to do as al roker, but i had a feeling that if this had been me and al roker trying to point out the weather, not exactly the same. no offense. no offense, al. i believe-- and tiki delgado is a former miss venezuela. and you are a former mr. new jersey. >> i'm a miss new jersey. >> whatever. >> so when you're doing the dance, you're thinking this screen spouts off. >> you can't do this for any movie. you can go around the world and have a good time promoting it

which, by the way, i think our press junket is getting damn good reviews which makes me feel great. >> but you wouldn't have done this, for example, for "charlie wilson's war." >> no, i don't think so. >> it didn't work the second time either. >> mercy applause. scattered mercy applause. >> real quickly, you were just with the queen. >> yes, i was. >> oprah. >> of the other country. >> how was that? >> that was everything it's cracked up to be. you know, 172 people in buckingham palace, bagpipers and a nice cut of lamb. nice chunk of lamb. you know, good piece of meat for dinner. i had no complaints. >> it's always fun to have you here. >> thank you, matt. pleasure to be here. thanks very much. >> "larry crowne" is in theaters m's ba in cka moment.t. me

good morning to you. the time is 8:26. we're following breaking news in san francisco. police are responding to reports of a shooting. this is at ellis and goth happening right now. no word on whether someone has been hit. we have a crew on the way and we'll have more information for you just as soon as it becomes available. turning now to the state budget, governor jerry brown will sign a new plan. both houses approved the plan with little debate. the budget was worked out between brown and democratic lawmakers that will have enough to pass without the republican

support. the budget eliminates a $26 billion but no tax increases. uc schools will see more increases because of the plan. the budget has a total loss of each school system. >> a check of the weather and morning commute right after this.

good morning to you. we have a great looking day on tap. on the cool side but we're done

with the rain showers. 69 in santa rosa and 62 in the city where we had record rainfall. we really start to climb up in temperature. 98 by sunday. let's check your traffic. mike, it's busy. >> slow across the bay bridge and the breaking news going on right now, closure after a reported shooting. a lot of police activity. this is a closure at gough and ellis street. use franklin, laguna. the chopper is on the way to the scene as well as an nbc bay area crew. i'll keep you updated on twitter as well as facebook. come back for another update in half an hour.

friday, pit bull live with marc anthony, t-pain and ne-yo. four hot performers, one cool concert. th"toyota summer concert series" only today on nbc. ♪ pump it up and back it up like a tonka truck ♪ 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 29th of june, 2011. as we say hill low thello to ou friends on rockefeller plaza. and guess what. on friday, if they come back, pit bull has been featured in j.

lo's latest song. he'll be here live on the plaza and getting help from marc anthony, t-pain and ne-yo. those four hot performers on stage here on friday on stage. >> maybe he'll bring j. lo. >> wouldn't that be nice? >> and that outfit. >> i'm ann curry with matt lauer, natalie morales and al roker. >> some people are going to plan some kind of major patriotic bash for the fourth of july. how can you make yours the best that can be? who better than that lady, martha stewart. wouldn't you like to be invited to that picnic? martha will have creative ideas coming up. later, jenna bush hager taking us into cajun country and show us the time she had with crawfish, gators and a few other critters just ahead. i could not keep them waiting any longer. we've got patrick dempsey and josh duhamel, two stars.

>> hello there. >> you know it's a michael bay movie when you have cars exploding. how much fun was it acting in this film? josh, this is your third "transformers" film. >> yes. it's a full day's work. >> i had the best time i've ever had. everything is so larger than life all the way through the production. >> so 300 cars destroyed. so this is a chick flick? is that what this is? >> damage cars. >> they were going to be crushed anyway. we helped them along in their process. >> i got it. >> "transformers: dark side of the moon." you show your dark side. >> i get to play a different character and i had a blast doing it. >> he's a good villain. people don't know this. >> they don't know that. >> quite a turn from "grey's

anatomy," right? >> right. i like the balance of all that. >> you are really good at it, in fact. and you are really good playing a soldier. i've got to tell you, at one point in the movie, you actually made me cry. >> aww. >> because the two of you really embody this kind of courage that the soldiers need to stand up against terrible evil and difficulties like patrick dempsey. >> i appreciate that. thank you. >> all the guys you were with are military men, aren't they? >> yeah, all the guys in the movie who are active duty who are back from iraq or afghanistan. >> of course, josh, you're from minot, north dakota. and kind of the face of helping flood relief. >> i'm doing what i can to raise awareness. it's pretty devastating what's going on there right now. you know, it's a very resilient community. if anybody can handle something like this, it's them. but they need help right now. i'm just trying to raise, you know, awareness and as much money as i can. there's a website on my facebook

page, minot area community center has a fund that all the funds will go directly to the people trying to restore their lives. >> and today.com as well as the dempsey center. i know you're involved in a charity as well. >> yeah, a wellness center for people with cancer. i give them as much support as possible. we have a nice bike ride and run in october. we've raised $1 million in the last couple years. that money goes directly back into the community and hopefully the people whose lives are affected. >> it's nice to have you here. >> couldn't wait to be here. >> check out the new "transformers," blowing up 300 cars! >> what damaged cars? mr. roker. >> that's what's going on around good morning to you. as you can see, we have a few spotty spots moving on shore. there are isolated showers and a lot is evaporating before it even reaches the surface.

watch out for a possible strength in the activity. by noon, completely clear conditions. that system is high tailing it out of here. 62 degrees, though, as we have cold air trailing behind it. we're only going to rise in temperature to upper 60s, low 70s today. 71, los gatos. up to 82 tomorrow. tack on additional 20 on saturday. hello to big willie scott. you are looking fantastic, sir. >> getting better like you, baby, every day. 500 pounds a day. you're the best. meredith vieira, i wasn't here to say good-bye. good-bye, her zimeredith. we check the old jam jar. here is edna yoder, mennonite name. south hutchinson, kansas, 100 years old. loves her family, loves to quilt, do all kinds of home things. plude blackmon of montgomery, alabama, 100 years old today. proud volunteer, does all sorts

of things, meals on wheels. he's a fabulous man in the community. they love him. take a look at ella mae pratt from decatur, illinois, 100 years old today. she is proud to say that one of the first batches of chicken she ever made was with colonel sanders right in the kitchen. good old louie, sweet louie neff of zephyrhills, florida. he's a huge fan of nascar. you know more people watch that than any sport there is? and volunteers with local hospitals, too. can't beat that. on the birthday list, monica kuntz from circle, montana, cowgi cowgirl, 100 years owed today and loves to watch rodeos, especially bull riding. we're sort of in that business here at nbc. yes, we are. bull something. i forgot. anyway, paul lovell, and he is from bridgeport, west virginia.

i want to go back to west virginia. did i say that right? and 100 years old today. a proud ww ii veteran and was once taken as a prisoner of war in the battle of the bulge. that's all. and ann, i'm so proud of you. i love you. everybody loves you. >> willard, i love you so much. that is so sweet. coming up next, jenna bush hager's adventure in cajun country. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ we're back now at 8:39 as we kick off a special series "america the beautiful." it's our way to celebrate the beauty and the culture of the country's various national parks and heritage areas. "today" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager is here with her very first destination. i like this series. hi. >> today we're taking you to

atchafalaya swamp in louisiana, the heart of cajun country. although this country requires no passport. >> reporter: right here, just 100 miles beyond the city of new orleans, you'll find a wilderness of winding water, soaring cypress and curious creatures. the atchafalaya basin, the landscape bountiful and mysterious filled with twisting bayous and backwater lakes. sometimes for boating but always majestic. a land rich not only in nature but in the unique culture. >> i lived here my whole life. 71 years. if you can find where you belong, i think that's the key to it, then this is where i belong. >> reporter: the cajun people, descendants of french canadians, fled here to the swamp over 250 years ago where they built a new

life, fishing and hunting. and for crawfisherman roy, he contributes today. hello. have you been fishing? >> been trying. >> reporter: a tradition he tried to teach me. so we're going to try to fill this back up, right? >> oh, yeah. we'll fill this back up. >> reporter: they don't look too happy. >> i don't blame them. >> reporter: for roy, the waters are a road, a home and a living. look what i got. some crawfish. four pounds of crawfish. that's enough for dinner, right? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: whoa! coming out hot. and i soon learned not just a cajun way of life but a cajun sense of humor. natural? >> natural mess. >> reporter: that's a mess? >> oh, yeah, you wouldn't make it. >> reporter: i wouldn't make it? >> no, too slow. most of the cajun people are happy and jolly and real friendly. look at me. >> reporter: get out, sir. come on.

it's time to go. he'll be fine until i put a little cajun spice on him. that's so sweet. a flower. when you think of the word "swamp," you might think of someplace spooky or scary. but as we traveled further, another word came to mind, magical. >> nature tells a story. it's not something you have to speak in words. >> reporter: david allemond has lived here his whole life. the last few years have not been easy. a hurricane, an oil spill and epic flooding. >> i've had to leave twice in the last ten years. but we get up every day. we do what it takes to make our day go. and we keep on keeping on. and that's what cajuns do. the cajun way of life is the joy

of life. we don't take anything for granted. >> reporter: especially when a nine-foot alligator is hot on your tail. >> it's okay. ♪ >> reporter: it's become clear that these cajuns have learned that even the worst disaster is made bearable by sharing delicious food, dancing to infectious music and savoring a cool evening breeze on a hot atchafalaya knit. >> jenna, i invite everybody to come to the basin. >> except for my little crawfish friends, we all had a wonderful time down there. tomorrow we head from the swamps of louisiana to the wild west of texas. and we visit big ben national park. >> i've never seen you move faster than when that nine-foot alligator was there. >> that thing was huge. >> that's a big alligator. >> it scared me. i have to tell you the truth. >> jenna, thank you very much. up next, martha stewart's ideas for adding a touch of

style and patriotism to your fourth of july party. there's martha going at it right there. first, this is "today"

"martha on today" is brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available only at macy's and on macys.com. >> this morning on "martha on today," a fourth of july celebration. you don't need fireworks to make your guests ooh and ah this weekend. you might want to try inexpensive crafts and decorations straight from the pages of "martha stewart living." good morning. >> good morning. >> you are just in time. the holiday's coming. a lot of us have no idea what we're doing. >> it's so much fun. it's three days. you have to time to make all these simple but very effective cookies and decorations. candy favors like this. m&m's and these little swizzle

sticks. they're so cute. napkins. just find fabrics. >> so fun things that are red, white and blue and put them together. >> i love these little rockets filled with candies and fine patriotic red, white and blue candies, tie them up. these are sort of like crackers, candy crackers. >> so that done, but let's talk about the spectacular idea. >> firework cookies. now, these look impossible to make, right? >> they do. let's show people what they look like close up. you can see they're frosted cookies. you've taken frosting -- >> everybody's buying it to figure out how to do it. >> you're saying people can do this at home. >> yes. >> show us how. >> the first thing, flood your cookie with white icing. >> i like that word, flood. >> just use a squeeze bottle. just get the consistency of your royal icing which is basically confectionary's sugar and egg whites and a little flavoring of

lemon juice. just a tad. and you just spread the whole cookie. keep squeezing until you get a nice flood. we have it covered here already. so you can pick up one. you want to do red or blue. >> i'll do red. >> now, you start in the middle and just put a dot. >> a dot. >> then do eccentric circles all the way around. you can alternate red and blue or just read. >> circle. >> you're doing well. they do not have to be perfect circles. this takes a little elbow grease, as i always say. >> you have to squeeze pretty hard. and you can find one of these tubes anywhere. >> i want to make sure you have one that's all done. >> okay. is this a competition? because i'm going to get going here. >> get those concentric circles. this is an old baker's technique from france. remember on the tops of napoleons? >> oh, yeah. >> you know, they had those little beautiful drawings. >> beautiful designs, right. >> so then take -- yeah, you're

doing okay. that's enough to show the technique. then take the point of the bamboo skewer and pull from the center out just lightly. and see what happens? >> like you're making a little pie. like you're cutting a pie. >> but lightly, just do the top service and you get those beautiful designs. even though mine was kind of like not perfect. >> clean the tip of your bamboo. >> mine is so pretty. >> it is perfect. but as you get more adept at it, you get more and more, do complicated, beautiful designs. >> you could spend so much time. >> now, striped tablecloth. this is a drop cloth from home depot. it's a canvas drop cloth. use a fabric paint. tape off -- masking tape. tape off lines and then just -- >> down the line. >> dab like this. then let it dry and pull off the tape and you have stripes like that. >> we've run out of time, just leave the tape on it. >> no, no, no. and then decorating your kid's

bike or your bike. do you have a bike in >> i do have a bike. >> they're so much fun to decorate. all the clip art is in our magazine. >> how did you do that? >> we show you how to do these spoke covers, how to do the wheel cover. this goes right on the wheel. it's very simple. >> this would be great at getting kids to get on the bike but get the whole family out on the bike. >> and do your own little parade or take the bike to your fourth of july. do you have one in your town? >> i do have one in my town. >> these are so much fun. just make sure you keep anything that's hanging away from the wheels so that you don't have an accident. >> martha stewart. putting ai smi smile on the hol. >> do you want to ride? >> i do. >> can you do it in your skirt? i have a skirt on. be careful as you shoot this. first, this is "today" on nbc!

it is a pleasure, and we mean that, to welcome back our good friend, len berman. he's here to catch us up on the wild and wacky moments from the world of sports. lenny, welcome back. >> i can't go on. you guys are too kind. all right. well, the last couple of months feature the kentucky derby, the dallas mavericks and the boston bruins. but what were truly the top sports stories? let's go spanning the world. ♪

>> unbelievable! >> all right. on your mark, get set. in south carolina high school soccer. that's a goal. play ball! everybody flipping out. as cabrera for cleveland, paul konerko for chicago. got him. pitcher ross for texas. ditto. the guy on the left at indianapolis. look out. in italy, the penalty kick goes off the crossbar. the goalie celebrates. but look at the ball. bounce, bounce. that's a goal. just another case of premature exhilaration. >> oh! >> in france. a motorcycle mishap. ♪ here we go 'round the mulberry bush ♪ ♪ this goes on for a while. speaking of bush, the former president was at the game. and look out, sir.

the dodger fan dropped his kid, he didn't get the ball either. but tiffany goodwin shows how it's done in "the richmond times dispatch." ball, kid and nobody got hurt. time for a brek in the action. at clemson during the rain delay. the game of choice was bowling. and converting a rare 7/10 split. but their rain delay activities, jousting. back to the action. evan longoria for tampa bay being interviewed. take it away. >> wow! >> all right. so it was only a commercial. but that's a pretty cool grab, don't you think? our an mimals of the month. fans were chanting, "jump!" and he listened. our fans of the month. you know, i'm not sure that's

going to work. you know? oh, yeah. our athlete of the month. in new zealand. this is the world's first triple backward bmx flip. and you're asking, how does that look on helmet cam? well, makes it look queasy. and at the president's race in washington, teddy roosevelt finally won for the first time, but he was disqualified for using a segway because in president's racing, you're not allowed to ride softly and carry a big stick. >> oh! >> that's why he only shows up every two years. >> i can't believe you're groaning. you're groaning. >> exhilaration. >> that was good. >> hdtv. it's in color, right? >> it is. >> and it actually went out over the air. unbelievable. >> come back soon. >> great to have you back. we're going to be back after

your local news and weather. they had a camera some whoa!! the really big chicken sandwich combo is back! and it's as big as ever. i'm gonna jump it! you can't jump that! it's two chicken patties, topped with bacon, and melting cheese plus seasoned curly fries and a drink for only $3.99! what do you know? your only a baby! vrrrrooooom! i'm t-rex and i came out of extinction cuz i heard the combo was back! and that got a million hits? yep. why do we even make commercials anymore? 'cause you like to be in them. and 8:56, we are following a breaking story in san francisco. one person has been shot. no word on possible suspects.

we'll update you as information becomes available. in other news, a market owner is dead in fairfield after he was robbed. last night police received a call from the market owner asking for help. emergency crews responded and found a man on the ground. the victim told the officer that three suspects attacked him inside the store. he was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries. witnesses reported seeing three black males in their teens enter the store at the time of themi ske ing grobbery. mike is going to explain how the shooting in san francisco is affecting traffic right after the break. chevron with techron. care for your car.

welcome back. it's 8:58. we're looking at police activity in san francisco. a chopper showed us that there

is still a closure at ellis and gouth because of the shooting. it is causing backups on the geary area. the "today" show is coming up next.

we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 29th day of june, 2011. and we've got a big crowd sticking around our plaza on a beautiful summer day. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry. al roker and savannah guthrie. coming up, we're going to have more on a trial that just seems to get more unusual and controversial every single day. >> that's right. and there were some very confrontational testimony yesterday. we're talking about the casey anthony trial. also ahead in today's "money 911," it's never too early to start thinking about retirement. we'll have some tips for you. we're also going to give you

some low-risk investment options if you're trying to grow your money but don't like the low interest rates that banks are giving these days. our experts will all weigh in. we've all heard about honeymoons, but have you heard about babymoons? it's all the rage for expectant couples. they go, they take a trip, recharge, relax before the baby is born and that little bundle of joy turns into a bundle of nerves for the parents. so we're going to have four different babymoon getaways to tell you about. >> that's a good idea. we've had people in our crowd come out having babymoons. they know something we're just catching up to. let's go inside, natalie morales with a check of all the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. with the entire financial world watching the greek parliament, approved tax spikes so violent they touched after violent protests today. they demanded the austerity measures before they provide

more bailout funds before they provide catastrophic default on its debts. as a fast-moving wildfire continues to threaten the nuclear facility at los alamos, new mexico, residents downwind are concerned about a potentially hazardous smoke plume. should flames reach the radioactive material stored above ground. lab officials say they don't believe the 95-square-mile blaze will reach the thousands of barrels of waste. independent forensic experts are disputing much of the evidence collected against amanda knox. according to a report obtained by the associated press in italy, the report says that the dna evidence used on the convict the american student in the murder of meredith kirchner may have been contaminated and is, quote, unreliable. a dramatic standoff at an international hotel in kabul has killed at least 11 civilians. a team of heavily armed taliban fighters stormed the intercontinental hotel tuesday night and battled with security forces for several hours. nato helicopters took down three gunmen on the roof, and afghan

security forces ended the standoff on the ground. highly confrontational moments at the casey anthony murder trial in florida. nbc's kerry sanders is at the courthouse in orlando. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. for hours tuesday the defense zipped through witnesses, but two were especially combative, roy kronk, the meter reader who found caylee's remains in the woods, and casey anthony's father, george, who the defense claims helped cover up not a murder, but rather an accidental drowning. george anthony on the stand for the fourth time. this time exasperated. defense attorney jose baez was hammering casey's father, demanding an answer. did he take up with this woman, crystal holloway, a volunteer, who joined the search for caylee and in an intimate moment reveal a secret? >> you never told crystal holloway, while the two of you were being romantic, that this was an accident that snowballed

out of control? >> objection. assumes a fact not in evidence.. >> reporter: the defense claims 2-year-old caylee was not murdered but rather she drowned in the backyard swimming pool. and casey's father, george, helped his daughter cover it up. >> you never told her, this was an accident that snowballed out of control? >> never did. >> reporter: the defense has suggested meter reader roy kronk who discovered caylee's remains in august is their key to reasonable doubt because he rediscovered those remains in december. >> i noticed something that looked white. and there was a, like, a gray bag down in there. i don't know what it is. i'm not telling you it's caylee or anything of that nature. >> reporter: kronk said he was distracted by a snake he found that day in august. but four months later, it was the same roy kronk who testified he went back into those woods and he found caylee's skull. the defense wants the jury to believe kronk's multiple visits were suspicious. and his credibility tainted by the process. >> did you go on "good morning

america" show? >> yes, sir. >> and did you get paid for doing that? >> i was paid for -- i was paid for a licensed picture of a snake, but i knew that there would probably be an interview involved. >> were you paid $15,000 for doing that, sir? >> i was paid $15,000 for a licensed picture of the snake, sir. >> reporter: roy kronk's lawyer says he expects to be called back to the stand again today. natalie? >> kerry sanders in orlando, florida, for us, thank you, kerry. and seattle police are investigating how a police assault rifle was left on the back of a squad car monday. good samaritans flagged down officers to alert them, and somebody posted a pkicture on a blog. a police spokesman would not say if the weapon was loaded. pretty scary. it is now five minutes past the hour. let's turn it over to al with a check of your weather. >> i've got my doughnut, my coffee. what am i forgetting? >> hmm. >> thankfully nothing happened. let's check your weather, see what's going on. we've got the latest on tropical storm arlene.

right now it is about 175 miles east of tampico, mexico, winds at 40 miles per hour, winds northwest at eight. no danger for the southern u.s. however, we could use some of that rain where we've got drought-stricken areas. the rest of the country, we've got a few showers along the southeastern atlantic. rain in northern new england. slight risk of strong storms throughout much of montana. showers in the pacific northwest. the heat is on again in the southwest. bad news there in los alamos, new mexico, where the winds will be picking up again tonight out of the southwest anywhere from 10 to 20 miles per good morning to you. still have a bit of a residual shower activity. it's clearing the east bay and we have this little cell. we're going to see clearing throughout the day today. by noon, the sun will shine through, even over the city of san francisco where we had really thick fog earlier this morning. 62. that's it. cold front making for a nice cool day today. 71 degrees in los gatos.

enjoy it, though. the temps start to climb tomorrow, up to 98 on sunday. ♪ money money money time for today's "money 911." our experts answer some of your questions. we've got jean chatzky, the author of "money 911." dylan ratigan is the host of "the dylan ratigan show." and alexa is founder of a personal website, finance website, for women. good to see you guys. >> fleiss nice to see you. >> we're starting off with skype and kelly from massachusetts. good morning, kelly. >> good morning, al. i'm looking for the best option for myself and my husband for our retirement. i'm a union rn for a local community hospital which offers a 403b and a pension plan. my husband is unfortunately self-employed due to the recent economy. and i'm wondering what should i do? should i go with my pension plan

403(b) or open a roth i.r.a.? >> you want to go with your 403(b). >> what's that? >> it's just like a 401(k) except it's offered to a different group of employees. it works the same. it has the same limits. you can put up to $16,500 a year in there. if you can do that, that's fantastic. often you'll get matching dollars for making those contributions which is why it takes precedence over an i.r.a. your husband, even though he's not working, he can have a spousal i.r.a. or a spousal roth i.r.a. you can shove another $5,000 in there for him even before he goes back to work. and this is really, really important for anybody who has a stay-at-home spouse. people don't take advantage of the fact that they can actually save for that person, too. really good to do. >> all right. thanks so much. good luck, kelly. now let's check in with susan from new york. she's on the phone. good morning, susan. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> my 87-year-old mother

transferred most of her money into an irrevocable trust last year, so they would be eligible for a va pension to help her with her assisted living expenses. and i'm the trustee. and i'm concerned that there is little or no return on about $200,000 which is just sitting in a regular savings account, not really even earning 1% interest. is there something else i can do with this that will not be high risk and yet still give her more interest? >> dylan, what should susan do? >> two things. one, there's a myth that has understandably come to be that having all your money in cash is in some way safer than anything else. it's a psychological thing. i've got my money. that's my money. but the reality is right now, what we're doing with currencies around the world makes having the cash actually more risky than you would think. that's the first point. to that point, there are other things like inflation index bonds that are at least indexed to what's going on with the consumer price index. or for that matter, money market

funds. >> money markets, cds. you should go to a website calls ratesbrain.com which will clue you into the highest interest rates available throughout the country on low-risk investments. we're talking about an 87-year-old woman. we don't want to be taking a lot of risk. a little more than just a savings account is fine. >> all right. glad your mother's doing okay, susan. >> thank you very much. >> have a great day. now let's get to a viewer e-mail from jennifer in seattle. my husband and i have got $20,000 in savings and don't currently owe anything. we are capable of saving half of our monthly income. what's the best low-risk way to invest this money? it is currently sitting in our savings account, not gaining much interest. alexa? >> the first thing i would do, jennifer, congratulations on being out of debt, having a nest egg and being thoughtful on how to make the most out of your money. before you go straight to investing, let's make sure you have an emergency savings account that has at least nine months of your overall expenses. then make sure you're contributing to your retirement amount and taking advantage of

any 401(k) matching programs. after those boxes are checked, then think about when am i going to need this money? if you're willing to part with it for call it about ten years, then you're ready to invest. at that point i'd open a low-cost brokerage account and sit down with a financial planner and really understand what your risk tolerance is and your time horizon. that would be the best plan. >> all right. good advice. we've got a viewer who sent in a video. this is from charice with her son, austin. >> in the last few years our family has been through the financial wringer. we lost our long-term investments in a ponzi scheme. then both my husband and i are unemployed. my husband has a new job that more than meets our financial needs. how do we go about rebuilding financial stability and maybe make room for some more? >> california. jean? >> it's great that this is how people will emerge from the recession. you do want to start to rebuild.

you've got to start, as alexa said, with that emergency cushion and then put yourself on a budget where you're saving at least 10% but you've got buckets that will allow you to pay for those things that you want as well as those things that you need. as long as you're saving, you can give yourself a little flexibility on the other side. >> one more viewer e-mail here. this is from kate in california. i have about $6,000 in my 403(b) from lie mast full-time job. we don't have time for that. i'm sorry. we do. okay. i'm working part time so my 403(b) is just sitting. should i convert it to a roth i.r.a.? and if i get a job with benefits in the next six months, can i convert it? >> do both. >> if there's a point you're at a corporation with benefits, roll it over. do both. >> i couldn't ask for better. all right. jean chatzky, dylan ratigan and alexa, thanks. t.tch dylan on "the dylan ratigan show" on msnbc. if you've got more financial questions, head to today.com. alexa is hosting a live web chat

at 9:30 eastern. next, taking a trip for two before baby makes three. great idea for babymoons. the latest at-home fitness craze that will give women the perfect abs. we're getting a workout from p90x creator tony horton! but first, these messages. an antidepressant and n for at least six weeks, you're frustrated that your depressive symptoms are still with you. seroquel xr, when added to an antidepressant, is approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder. for many, taking seroquel xr with an antidepressant was proven more effective than an antidepressant alone for treating unresolved symptoms of depression. talk to your doctor about seroquel xr. then visit seroquelxr.com for a free trial offer. call your doctor if you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children,teens, and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking seroquel xr

have an increased risk of death. call your doctor if you have fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, as these may be signs of a life-threatening reaction or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with seroquel xr and medicines like it and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. your doctor should check for cataracts. other risks include decreases in white blood cells, which can be fatal, seizures, increased cholesterol, weight gain, dizziness on standing, drowsiness,impaired judgment, and trouble swallowing. . about adding seroquel xr. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. . use detergent, plus the advanced whitening formula of clorox bleach.

right? get out. i know! who knew? i mean. exactly! really. that's what i mean.

[ mom ] what? shut the front door. right? seriously. who knew? hello sir. bingo! mahjong! for realz. woop-woop! franklin delano! [ male announcer ] hey, there's oreo creme under that fudge! oreo fudge cremes. indescribably good. this morning on "today's travel," babymoons. you may not have heard of them, but according to a recent survey, 59% of expectant parents have taken a special vacation during the pregnancy. and we caught up with one set of soon-to-be parents who just got back from their trip for two. >> my name is janae. >> i'm michael.

>> we've been married three years. mike and i are expecting our first child. we're having a girl. >> we're over the moon excited. like most working couples, we just don't get to spend as much time as we'd like to during the workweek. and with the baby due, our weekends fill up quickly with birthing class. >> prenatal yoga. >> child cpr. putting together the nursery. >> my husband surprised me with a babymoon. >> babymoon is vacation that a couple takes before they are about to give birth. couples spend some time together and come back refreshed and ready to welcome the new baby. >> i decided that we would go to turks and caicos for a quick getaway. >> it was the most magical, amazing place. this, for me, was all about just relaxing. sitting back, relaxing on the beach and taking a few moments for myself and kind of recharge my batteries a little bit. >> because we know come the end of august when the baby comes, it's going to be a roller-coaster ride. >> we were just able to bond with each other and just reconnect with each other. >> we were able to talk to a number of different topics that

you kind of have pushed off for the last few months. >> like names because we don't have one. >> names, day care versus nanny. >> we were able to do it in a setting that wasn't high pressure. >> so now we're ready for the homestretch. >> we're back from the babymoon. and we are ready to meet our daughter. >> and kate maxwell is the article's editor for "conde nast traveler." she's here with a few of her favorite babymoon destinations. >> good morning. >> it's something fun you and your partner do before you have baby and baby makes three and then it's all about baby and forget about house. >> it's the last trip before your life is turned upside down before the arrival of the child. >> there's some precautions before you book your travel. >> most doctors don't advise flying after 34 weeks. call the hotel and find out what medical services there are in the area and explain that you're pregnant. then when you're on that flight, maybe take some of your favorite snacks in case of cravings and keep hydrated, wear comfortable clothes and move around the

cabin. >> get up and stretch every once in a while. let's get to great babymoon destinations. first, we saw the couple enjoying turks and caicos. >> a few weeks ago, i saw a couple happy babymooners. 91 rooms. right on a stunning beach. and it's really set up for babymoons. it's got a gorgeous infinity pool. if your partner fancies something more active, there's great scuba diving and snorkeling. the exhale spa has great prenatal treatments. >> it really is all about pampering yourself beforehand. another great getaway, the ritz-carlton in st. thomas. a little pricier, but this is the last hurrah before baby. they do have a special deal for you as well. >> this is $359 per night. and $100 resort credit. and again, a really wonderful spa. we love that yummy tummy treatment which is a bit like a facial for your stomach if you're worried about stretch

marks. >> everybody needs a yummy tummy treatment. >> again, a gorgeous beach. a very romantic destination. that's another caribbean option. >> well, if the beach isn't your thing, a place that i've been to is fabulous, pregnant but active, you know, mom-to-be. >> right. >> there's the arizona enchantment resort and spa. >> in your second trimester when women tend to have a bit more energy, you want a little adventure, perhaps, it's very high on ouronde nast travelers spa poll every year. they have really good prenatal treatments and hiking. >> incredible hiking. >> a wonderful stargazing. a really go ahead all-around destination. >> it is absolutely fabulous. lastly, unexpectedly, las vegas is always a fun place to go. but i don't know, the casino, the lights, all of that a little too much for a pregnant mom? >> yeah, you might not think of it as a typical kind of babymoon destination. and maybe you're not going to be reenacting scenes from "the

hangover." >> let's hope not. >> gambling and fantastic restaurants in vegas, great shopping. >> great shows. >> great shows. the cosmopolitan, we love that. rooms start at $195 a night. at this time of year. >> looks like a nice spa, too. >> and a really good spa. again, really good prenatal facilities. >> kate maxwell, as always, thanks so much for coming by. still to come, that special bond between fathers and daughters and how it impacts your life down the road after these messages. the 4th of july mattress spectacular is on now!

get an extra ten percent off mattresses already half off. and instant savings up to three hundred fifty dollars on select mattresses. head to sears to talk with our mattress experts, or shop our largest selection online. hurry, it's all on now! sears.

you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat

yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day. look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif.

still to come. the special bond between dads and daughters. >> and the abs from the creator of p90x. >> plus giada dil ah urentiis. nn in creamy parmesan sauce. ♪ family affair or with sauteed shrimp for $12.95. both with unlimited breadsticks and salad or homemade soup. a great meal sure to end with a smile. olive garden. when you're here, you're family.

you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. at 9:26 now shlg, we continue to follow an officer-involved shooting near gouth and ellis. christy, what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning to you, marla. the shooting happened about 8:30 this morning. the police had been looking for an armed and dangerous man for about three days. they got information that he was staying in a garage near gough and ellis street. there was a shootout and the suspect was wounded and he

crashed that car into another one. the man has nonlife threatening injuries. no officers injured in this shoot-up. they did recover, they are telling us, two weapons from the car, including an ak-47. the police chief is here right now. he is talking with the media. we're hearing that the streets will be closed off for several hours as this investigation is still developing. we're going to try and check in with the chief. he's expected to release more details this morning. that's what we have for now. back to you. >> just to clarify, did you say gouth and eddie or gouth and ellis? >> right where we're standing is gouth and eddie street. >> i was saying ellis earlier. thank you for that live report. we're going to have more for you right after the break. [ male announcer ] how do you say... welcome to the neighborhood.

♪ [ male announcer ] how do you say... can you believe it's been 20 years since college? ♪ [ male announcer ] nothing says "you're special" like boursin, a creamy, crumbly blend of real cheese and savory herbs, boursin makes any moment more memorable. even if you're saying... my mother has the kids tonight. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you say boursin? good morning to you. we still have fog sitting over the coast. now that the sun is out, we're headed towards 69 in san jose and the warmup starts tomorrow and kicks into high gear over

the weekend. the gps doesn't know that gouth is closed but mike has your alternates readying to. >> that's right. because of the police activity, van necessary s bordered by franklin and laguna. still slow on the incline heading over to the city. the metering lights are keeping things nicely through the area. very nice from san leandro through union city. we never quite recovered. back to you. >> thanks, mike. for the latest traffic and news updates, check us out at nbc bay area morning news on facebook. we'll be back at 9:56. see you then.

♪ that is miami-born music star pit bull burning up the charts with that miami heat. actually, he's doing better than the miami heat. >> that hurt. >> he'll be bringing his rapping style to our concert stage. he's got some high-profile collaborating, t-pain, ne-yo and marc anthony friday only on "today." >> that is going to be huge! >> what, am i wearing something

weird? oh. we'll get to that in a minute. meanwhile, coming up, we'll be talking about the special bond between dads and daughters. i've got two girls. and it's an interesting relationship. and it's one you're always working on. we have the story of one dad who showed his love through words and actions by reading a story to her every night for nearly a decade. it's awfully sweet. we'll show that father/daughter relationships. muplus, my mouth is waterin already. giada is here. she's making a light summer meal she whipped up when i visited with her recently. it's brussels sprouts and the shrimp cakes she's making. i went home and tried to replicate everything she made. mine, not so good. hers, amazing. she's going to show us how it's done the right way. and i'll show you how to work off that meal. there's a reason i'm wearing

this outfit. fitness phenom tony horton will whip us into shape. skbl >> what do you mean, us? >> the hugely successful p90x workout. this is just frightening. >> jump right in, girlfriend. warm-ups. >> a little of this. >> to the right, to the left. shake the hips if you want. >> right, left, okay. >> that's the easy part, savannah. >> how about the weather? >> it's kind of like she's on the dance floor there. >> it is. go do the weather. okay. >> let's check it out, see what's going on first of all for today. we've got showers and thunderstorms to talk about in the southeast where we may see a little rain there. sunny skies through the gulf coast on into the great lakes. risk of strong storms in the plains. wet weather in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, record highs from texas all the way up into the northern rockies. we've got sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard. a few showers and thunderstorms. maybe a little light rain down in southern texas.

remnants of arlene coming on shore tomorrow. but down in texas. and then we're looking at the heat to continue in the southwest. good morning to you. our neck of the woods seeing a lot of improvement over yesterday at this hour. we had showers covering the entire bay area. right now, just a little bit of spotty activity and it, too, is clearing out of here. we're going to see a nice second of your day with temperatures climbing into the low to mid-70s and mostly upper 60s throughout the coast as we head throughout the remainder of the week and into the weekend. the temperatures climb up to the triple digits by saturday. and then on sunday, warmest day of the week, we're talking about potential records. weather. >> thank you, al. coming up next, how a daughter's bond with her father can affect her future relationships. and then savannah is hard at work on her washboard abs with tony hortdeon. the p90x workout right after

this. work it, gi, rderharder.wo ha, erharder. ontacts are so annoying. they're itchy, dry and uncomfortable. i can't wait to take 'em out, throw 'em away and never see them again. [ male announcer ] know the feeling? get the contacts you've got to see to believe. acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus technology, keeping your eyes exceptionally comfortable all day long. it feels like it disappeared on my eye. [ male announcer ] discover why it's the brand eye doctors trust most for comfort. if you have astigmatism, there's an acuvue® oasys lens for that too, realigning naturally with every blink. ask your doctor for acuvue® oasys brand. but i've learned a lot from patients who use flexpen. flexpen comes pre-filled with the insulin i take and i can dial the exact dose of insulin i need. i live my life on the go and need an on-the-go insulin. i don't need to carry a cooler with flexpen. novolog is a fast-acting, man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. do not inject novolog if you do not plan to eat within 5 to 10 minutes after injection

to avoid low blood sugar. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. the most common side effect of novolog is low blood sugar. other possible side effects include reactions at the injection site. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat or sweating. ask your healthcare provider about novolog flexpen today. learn more about the different insulins available in flexpen at myflexpen.com. flexpen, insulin delivery that goes with you. ♪ hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in a little drop of chocolate. pure hershey's. i just transferred a prescription to cvs because they have care 1on1. it's where the pharmacist stops and talks to me about safety and saving money with generic prescriptions.

laura, let's talk about possible side effects. it's all about me. love that. get care 1on1 and talk savings, safety, and side effects when you transfer or fill a new, ongoing prescription. i'm laura, and this is my cvs. it's all mine. lose those lines for up to a year! juvéderm® xc is the gel filler your doctor uses to instantly smooth out lines right here. temporary side effects include redness, pain, firmness, swelling, bumps, or risk of infection. ask your doctor about juvéderm® xc. this morning on "today's family," the father/daughter bond. an extraordinary tale of one dad's dedication that began with a nighttime story and lasted nearly a decade. >> reporter: a marathon of sorts where jim read to his daughter, alice, for 3,218 consecutive nights.

>> shakespeare, dickens, agatha christie. >> reporter: the streak began when alice was 9, reading from oz and continuing through middle school and high school every day ending on her first day of college with one more reading from "oz." >> here's another one. >> reporter: from there alice turned her experience into her own book called "the reading promise." >> it's about stories from our lives sort of woven together by the reading streak. >> reporter: stories and lessons that many of us can learn from. >> i figured the only relationship you have, it's yours to blow it, is with your children. >> reporter: that actions speak louder than words. >> i won't say i love you to anyone. i never say that. it's all about action. it's not about saying it. >> i always think of my dad as a superhero. whatever the situation, there's no doubt in my mind he's kind of come up with a way to fix it and he probably will. >> reporter: and most importantly on spending quality time together. >> i think the point of the

readings was that nothing else came before it. and in doing so, it made it clear to me that nothing else came before me. >> so what makes a father/daughter bond so special? peggy drexler is the author of this book. and rachel is the co-founder of the ladies institute. what surprised you most when you started looking into this? >> that women have not liberated themselves from the need for their dad's approval. >> but should they? >> well, i think that it's surprising because these are successful women. these are women who have had all the opportunities that men have had and have done very, very well. and still, it's their father who gets a pass. the father is never is blamed. the mother is a blame magnet. >> really? wow! >> yeah. >> when you look at this, sometimes women are a little -- moms are a little threatened by this relationship between dads

and their daughters. >> well, they can be. i think that's totally true. but when girls fight with their moms, it's great for them to have dad to go to so they're not running out to their friends who say your parents are so horrible. it really keeps them away from the self-destructive influence of their peers. >> back in the '50s and '60s, it was the traditional dad. comes home, reads the paper, lights the pipe up, don't bother dad. but our roles have been evolving over the last 10 to 20 years. >> absolutely. and i think this has brought fathers and daughters much closer together. that they have so many things that they can share. and so the bonding is much, much more intense and special than it's ever been. >> in fact, when it comes to emotional stuff, are girls now going to their dads more than they were before? >> well, i think partly guys are now understanding that just because it's a girlish u does i doesn't mean it's a mommy issue. a lot of times the moms can freak out when girls have problems with their friends.

the dads say chill out. it's going to be okay. that's a different way of thinking about it. >> one of the things as a dad and i know i've been guilty of this with my older girl, courtney and my middle daughter, lela, when they come to me with a problem, i want to fix it. a lot of times they just want you to listen. >> absolutely. women like to process things. and they like to process their feelings and their thinking. and men tend to get to the bottom line with a solution. and that can cause some problems as well. >> i think also, though, this is the 21st century dad. we've got a generation of dads that wants to be involved and do housework and be part of the child bearing. that's a different expectation of man and i think it's redefining masculinity. it's an exciting time. >> and one of the things dads can do for their daughters, you said you noticed in this research is that girls want their dads to help them foster their independence. >> absolutely. a girl wants to be seen and heard.

by her dad. it's very important. and so that she then will have confidence in herself and her own abilities. and her dad -- and this is happening -- is treating her and teaching her everything he would do with his son. >> yeah, definitely. i think girls really have so much to learn from their dads. >> we have a lot to learn from our daughters. peggy drexler, rachel simmons, thanks so much. and read an excerpt from peggy's book at today.com. next, a light summer dish from giada de laurentiis after savannah shows you how to work it off with p90x creator tony horton. pick it up, savannah. wow! look at the violence. [ female announcer ] now, just pop, click, switch your lids whenever you like! choose from over 20+ colors and designs. the new dell inspiron r series laptops with switchable lids, powered by the 2nd generation intel® core™ processor family:

not just smart, visibly smart. call or click to get this fully loaded and totally protected inspiron 15r today! ♪ [ intel bong ] [ male announcer ] for the most slam-dunk whites, it only takes three-quarters cup of clorox bleach. in the game. [ cheers and applause ]

with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine,

or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. ♪ this morning, we are cooking with giada, "today" contributor and chef giada de laurentiis. i have to say, i'm so excited because giada made it for us recently. we visited her out in l.a. giada, i tried to make this. it did not turn out exactly like yours. apparently the missing ingredient, you told me, giada's spit. but now you know.

sorry, folks. >> no, wait a second. wait a second. you told me you tried to make it without the recipe. you need the recipe, natalie. you can't do it after a couple glasses of wine. you won't remember. >> okay. >> okay. you take the brussels sprouts. you. >> peel them. kids can actually get involved and do this. >> you can. cut into them to make it easier. i discovered that. trying to peel. what? >> so you peel all the brussels sprout leaves off. and then you end up with these, the cores, which you can freeze, put it soups, stews. >> for later. >> if you're trying to do this in a hurry, you could quarter them and be done. >> once we have them in leaves -- >> put them in boiling water. >> this is the other crucial mistake that i made. i overboiled. >> yeah, you can't overboil them. they get soggy. >> just a minute. like flash boil for a minute. >> just a minute to tenderize them ever so slightly. >> okay. >> and then you take them out. >> you take them out. >> just like this. and you put them in ice water.

>> aha. >> just until they cool. okay? >> you blanch it to keep the crispiness and the green color. >> which you said you had a problem with. >> right. i didn't do it exactly as i should have, too. surprise, surprise. i didn't have the recipe. >> you can do this ahead of time. the dressing say quarter cup of fresh lemon juice. and a bunch of olive oil. do a quarter cup or half cup. salt and pepper, that's it. okay? there you go. look at her. look at her. oh, look at natalie making dressing. i love it. >> you told me you're going to put me to work. then baby arugula and endive. >> crisp texture. >> add the brussels sprout leaves. after they're cool. top it with the dressing. >> top it with the dressing. >> all over. and then some sliced toasted almonds. a little bit of nuttiness and crunch because this makes it a meal. remember, that's all you had

that night. >> three bowls of this. you have fish. and also shrimp cakes behind us. >> i like peccarino. you could use parmesan cheese. >> this, i'm telling you, is unreal. it's great for fourth of july. you have to make it. >> and with burgers. >> so good. now you're going to make us these shrimp cakes which also i could not stop eating. >> you really love this one. i was quite surprised at how much you loved it. a pound of shrimp. then you saute mushrooms, shallots and carrots. and it really doesn't matter the size that you chop it to. >> you can use frozen spinach as well because you're grinding it all up. >> you could do whatever you want, really. and bread crumbs just to hold it together. one egg. lemon zest. a little bit of salt. a little bit of pepper. and you put it all in here. and the food processor does everything. let's see if this thing works. there you go. >> all right. show folks back here what we have. >> this is what it's looking like. stand over here and i'll show

you. we take a little bit of this. it gets a little sticky so you might want a little water. you kind of make them into whatever size you want. and then you put them directly in. >> we don't have much time left, 30 seconds. >> three minutes. flip it. >> you make a really good ginger butter. >> butter, ginger and a little soy sauce. >> and the giada spit in the butter. okay. and then the salad here and then this great dessert is -- >> this is really easy. peaches, strawberries and mango. >> on shaved ice. >> shoo >> shaved ice. like a snow cone. >> you got it. >> can i eat now? >> you can eat. do whatever you want. >> while savannah has to go work out. ♪ baby baby >> yum. natalie, bring the salad down. natalie, bring cocktails. >> i'm coming. i'm coming. >> go, go, go! >> first, this is "today" on nbc. sure, pulling the mold, mildew, and grime from

out of the porous caverns of grout takes the right tools, but it also takes a gentle, caring touch. before you can deep clean, you learn to get a feel for its trouble spots. and hey, if you can't listen to grout,

you can't truly know its wants...its needs...its dreams. ♪call 1-800-steemer.

♪ this morning on "get fit today," getting those washboard abs for summer. you can kick, punch and crawl your way to a perfect stomach, tony horton, the author of "bring it c: the revolutionary fitness test for all levels." we're going to put that to the test today. people are borderline obsessed. why has it been so successful? >> p90x zombies all over the country. >> it's a cult. >> part of it, it works. we're asking you to work out six days a week and eat healthy food. that's the combination that really works for most people. i was on a flight coming in. and the pilot said, thank you so much. this is the first thing where i've been excited and it works. >> abs. what's our first one? >> our first one is a little standing kick crunch. you ready for that one? >> yeah. >> yeah. so let's bring the left elbow to

the right knee. here we go. and kick it out. and kick. and kick. so you're twisting and kicking at the same time. engaging sort of your whole body. >> but you do knee and then kick. >> bring the knee up first. that's your crunch. then work your hip flexors. >> and how many reps would you have to do? like four? >> 20 to 30. four wouldn't be enough. >> 20 to 30, several times. >> several times. >> what's our next one? >> a little hook uppercut knee grab. in rehearsalrehearsal, you kill. let's see it. hands up. come across. >> yeah. >> underneath. grab. and bring them in. left leg. yeah, put that right one forward. there you go. here we go. hook. uppercut. grab. pull it in. nice. other side. let's do it again. hook, uppercut. grab. hook, uppercut. grab. >> all right, good. then you've got to do the other side. >> do the other side. and that you would do 20 or 30

depending on your fitness level. you want to wrap your thumb. ow. >> what's our next one? >> so now we're down on the floor. so this is a little plank crunch. these are hard. these work your entire core. you've got to work on your weaknesses, right? bring it in. >> my leg doesn't go up that high. >> that was good. other side. and then back. >> okay. >> and again. and back. do one more on this side. >> okay. >> here and back. how was that? >> it's good. you're obviously holding in your tummy. >> yeah, you want to pull in your core, squeeze the buttocks. you're nice and flat which is great. you would go back and forth at this speed. >> got it. >> and our last move. >> there's more? okay. >> you see the sweat coming already? >> yes. >> three simple moves? >> al's over there laughing. laugh it up, al. enjoying that brussels sprouts segment. >> they're over there eating cheerios. what's going on?

>> i know. >> so you bring the knees in. all right? a little row your boat. hands out. when the feet go out, the hands come in. >> so we just row. >> you don't even have to make that sound. all day long. >> we could have a cocktail while doing this. >> well, you could. you could smoke a cigarette if you like. no. >> do your taxes. are you saying people have no excuse for not doing this? you could do this in your hotel room. >> i'll join you. you could go all day long. oh, now you come in. al, in that beautiful suit. i would get down if i were you and join us. >> you're not me. that's why you're you. >> fair enough. >> people are obsessed with p90x. excitement and variety. >> a lot of folks are struggling with their fitness. they're not managing to finish. they start, stop and do a diet program. >> got to be committed. >> that's right. >> tony horton, thank you so much. >> my pleasure, my dear.

>> i may try this again. >> wimbledon coverage coming up right after this on nbc.

good morning. it's 9:56. i'm marla. we have new information on the developing story that we've been

following in san francisco. police officers say they shot and injured an armed and wanted man. it happened just after 8:00 this morning near gouth and ellis. investigators have been trying to track down a man wanted on a $75,000 warrant and this morning they found him. when plain-clothes officers confronted him, he began shooting and the officers fired back injuring the man. no officers, though, were hurt in the shoot out. the man was armed with a gun and a holster and two other weapons in his car, including an ak-47. all but one of the victims killed in last week's amtrack crash are now identified. authorities identified the fifth victim as a person from utah. six people died in friday's crash about 70 miles north of reno, nevada. and searchers found new information about the truck driver that hit the train. it found two more speeding violations by that driver. now, those are in addition to

the four reported by the nevada department of motor vehicles. that train was headed for emeryville at the time of the crash. and now here's christina with a look at your wednesday's forecast. good morning. >> good morning to you. yeah, we're actually looking pretty good right now. all of the showers that we had hanging out over the bay have cleared the area. there is going to be low pressure off to our north and east. as we head throughout the next few days, high pressure builds in with a vengeance. temperatures today in the upper 60s, low 70s. we'll turn over to the low 80s by tomorrow. thursday, the 90s and friday, mid-90s over the bay area. 98 degrees on sunday. that's the warmest day. we have a jam-up approaching 238 because of a disabled truck approaching castro valley and slow through 880 through hayward. finally recovering through livermore. a live shot of the golden gate bridge, i want to show folks what it's like.

still low clouds hanging on. >> thank you. that's it for us. wimbeldon is next. thenl , we'll be back tomorrow morning. 'l