quite possibly the most advanced suv ever. from mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. good morning. breaking news. dozens of dangerous animals including tigers, lions and wolves on the loose near columbus, ohio, after apparently being set free from a preserve, their owner found dead. this morning schools are closed, residents are being told to stay inside, and the hunt is on. we'll go there live. sin city showdown. things get nasty between mitt romney and rick perry during the debate. >> i'm looking forward to finding your facts on that. >> rick, i'm speaking. i'm speaking. i'm speaking.

>> so when the dust settles, which candidate has the best chance against president obama? donald trump weighs in and talks about the meetings he's had with the gop hopefuls. and dangerous dad. the father who used his 9-year-old daughter as his designated driver faces a judge, and the little girl's mom speaks out in her husband's defense today. wednesday, october 19th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, welcome to "today." it's 7:00 a.m. on the west coast on this wednesday. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. a lot of nervous people in ohio this morning and plenty of questions as police armed with shotguns hunt for those escaped animals. they've killed 30 of the nearly 50 so far. one tiger was just put down a

short time ago. >> when detectives first arrived at the scene, they found all the cages at the preserve open and the park's owner dead. now investigators want to know if that man intentionally set the animals free before allegedly taking his own life. >> let's now get right to nbc's john yang in zanesville, ohio weather more. john, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. investigators are telling nbc news this morning that the inld cases are that terry thompson, the man who owned this wildlife preserve, did take his own life, and they ear operating under the theory that he did intentionally release these animals before he committed suicide. at this hour, at least two wolves and six tigers are still at large. but overnight, officials say that they took down, shot about 30 to 35 of those animals. these are wild animals, wild animals that you would see on tv in africa. >> reporter: it's like a scene

out of "wild kingdom." authorities attempting to contain an animal situation of epic proportions. >> right now we're shooting to kill. >> reporter: lions, cheetahs, wolves, tigers, grizzly and black bears, 48 animals in all escaped from a private preserve in zanesville, ohio, tuesday night. authorities say they received at least four sightings miles away along interstate 70 as early as 5:30 p.m. >> we don't know how much of a head start these animals had on us. >> reporter: sheriff's deputies arrived at the private wildlife preserve and found the owner, terry thompson, dead, all of the animal cages were open. staff from the columbus zoo have joined the search and are attempting to capture the animals alive. this isn't the first time privately held exotics have made headlines. in 2003, police removed a 500-pound bengal tiger and a 200-pound alligator from a new

york city apartment. and the 2003 chimpanzee attack on a woman raised wareness. >> this has been a bad situation for a long time, and there needs to be some legislation to change on how these things are going on in the state of ohio. >> reporter: authorities say thompson did have permits for all the animals on his ohio property. >> it's a very dangerous situation and we're taking all the precautions we can. >> reporter: authorities say these animals are mature, big, and greszive. there are signs on i-70, the main interstate, warning drivers to stay in their vehicles, and at least four school districts have canceled classes today. ann? >> john yang, thank you so much. let's bring in the sheriff of king county, ohio, joining was jack hanna, director emeritus of the columbus zoo and involved in the search. gentlemen, good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> sheriff, i understand with daybreak you're capturing more

animals including a tiger a short time ago? >> yes. this is before i came down here, we were able to take down another animal, tried to tranquilize it first. however, due to its aggressive nature and the way it started to run away, we had to put it down. >> are you saying you are trying to take these animals without having to kill them? is that now the new mand day-to-day? >> yeah. sure. once daybreak hit and we were able to evaluate the situation, we've had roving patrols around the property, we did find this animal laying in some very, very dense cover. these are not your normal pets. this is a 300-pound bengal tiger. we was able to get close to get a tranquilizer dart in. the animal became aggressive, started to leave away from us. he was already outside the property line laying in some brush, so it had to be put down. >> jack, you know about these animals. which animals cause the greatest danger? how many more do you think you have out there? >> we think there might be a few

tigers out there still, obviously concerning the sheriff and myself. the sheriff has tried to do everything he can. we have our best tranquilizing people, our veterinarians, keepers. they know what they're doing. a good friend of mine, a veterinarian in the 1970s, was killed in a zoo when two tigers got out. he tranquilized him and the tiger jumped on him and he was gone. the point is these are wild animals. even though they're captive. the sheriff has done everything to protect human life first. of course we all love animal life. we're trying to help the sheriff, the minute we find one, trying to tranquilize them, have the crates to get to the columbus zoo and handle these animals in a professional way. right now, the sheriff knows the people that work for me, they were in abominable filth, and that's something we cannot put up with. i've talked to the governor's office. we'll meet with him later today. we'll pass a bill in this state that will stop this hopefully in a in few months. >> ohio kwumcurrently has some

the weakest restrictions. mr. thompson i understand got out of prison just three weeks ago, sheriff, and informs he was serving a one-year sentence on firearms charges, had a prior conviction for cruelty to animals. was he on your radar? and if not, should he have been, sheriff? >> well, yeah. i mean, we know mr. thompson far long time. i've been in law enforcement for almost 23 years and we have been there several times since '04, '05, especially, probably close to 35 times from anywhere from animal complaints, animal cruelty complaints to inhumane treatment. you know, we've been there several times. we've brought professionals in to inspect the grounds and, you know, we've done what we could do. fortunately, animals haven't got out prior to today. i don't want to lose focus the fact that we believe they were turned out on purpose. that doesn't solve our problem, but, you know, we have -- we've had this on the radar for a long time. >> was there a suicide note? i know you're operating under

the theory that he opened the cages then killed himself? sheriff? >> we're not prepared to release any of that information right now. >> and currently your message to people who may see an animal? >> well, the message is pretty simple. don't run from a tiger. if they see a tiger, stand there, yell, scream with your buddies and try to get in your house. captive tigers, they'll leave. >> jack and sheriff, thank you so much. here's matt. >> thank you. for the presidential race, things got heated last night in las vegas. nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd has the blow by blow. chuck, good morning to you. >> apology for the cliches, but last night at the republican debate, the gloves came off and it turned into a good old-fashioned fight night in vegas. >> because you hired illegals in your home and you knew about it for a year. >> reporter: struggling to get back into the race, rick perry

took an answer about hiss health care record to level a personal attack on front-runner mitt romney that caught everyone off guard. >> the idea you stand here before us and talk about that you're strong on immigration is on its face the height of hypocrisy. >> reporter: perry referring to this 2007 "boston globe" report that romney for a full year used a lawn service that employed undocumented workers. >> rick, i don't think i've ever hired an illegal in my life -- i'm looking forward to finding your facts on that because -- >> i'll tell you what the facts are. >> rick, you had the floor. i'm speaking. i'm speaking. i'm speaking. >> the newspaper -- >> i'm speaking. you get 30 seconds. this the way the rules work here and then you get 30 seconds to respond, right? >> they want -- >> anderson. >> you knew you had illegals. >> would you please wait? are you just going to keep talking? let me finish what i have to say. >> reporter: the exchange was

raw and personal. >> i thought republicans followed the rules. i's been a tough couple of debates for rick, and i understand that, so you're going to get testy. [ applause ] but let's let -- i'll tell you what, let me take my time and then you can take your time, is that all right. >> have at it. >> we hired a lawn company to mow our lawn, and they had illegal immigrants that were working there. when that was pointed out to us, we let them go. you have a problem with allowing someone to finish speaking and i suggest if you want to become president of the united states you got to let both people speak. so first, let me speak. >> reporter: the debate began with everyone taking shots at herman cain and his 9-9-9 tax plan. >> herman, i love you, brother, but you don't need a big analysis. go to new hampshire where they don't have a sales tax and you're fixing to give them one. >> this is an example of mixing apples and oranges. >> so then governor perry was right --

>> no, he wasn't. he was mixing apples and oranges. >> and i'll get a bushel basket with both apples and oranges in it because i have to pay both taxes. >> you don't have credibility when it comes to repealing obama care. your plan was the basis for it. >> this is something crafted for massachusetts. it would be wrong to adopt this as a nation. you're shaking your head -- >> that's not what you said. you said you're speaking for everybody. took it out of your book. >> let me -- >> your last -- >> i tell you what -- >> you're allowed to -- >> rick, you had your chance. let me speak. rick, you had your chance, let me speak. >> you're out of time. you're out of time. >> he ate into my time. [ boos ] >> rick. >> i'm sorry. >> i haven't had a chance to respond because you interrupted me the entire time i was trying to speak. >> well now you understand why these next poll results are about to debut are what they are and what happened at last night's debate. these any nbc news/marist polls in south carolina. her maine cane is ahead there.

rick perry trailing badly at 11%. in florida, another important primary state, mitt romney at 30%, her man caine at 29%, neck and neck, rick perry at 9%. you understand why rick perry felt he had to go after romney and why everybody felt they had to go after romney and cain. >> chuck todd in washington this morning, chuck, thank you very much. donald trump flirted with a white house run earlier. since then a steady parade of gop presidential hopefuls has made their trip to new york to meet with him. and on tuesday, in an exclusive interview, i asked trump to explain what happens at those sit-downs. when you sit down with these people, what do they want? do they want your money? do they want your megaphone, your stamp of approval? >> they want an endorsement. the reason is i believe i bring a lot of people. when you look at what's going on i bring a lot of people. >> what do you want from these meetings? do you want to be the king maker of the republican party?

>> no, i don't. i want this country to be great again. this country is in such trouble. i want this country to be great again. >> i was surprised because recently you participated in a teleconference town hall for michele bachmann. now, this to me seems to be a little bit crossing the line. no longer are you just meeting and greeting. this seems as close as you can come to endorsing a candidate and participating in her campaign. are you endorsing michele bachmann? >> no, i'm not. >> why not? shoo she's a really nice woman. she had breakfast with me. she said will you do me a favor? she said it's not an endorsement. would you do a teleconference? i said, do i want to do it, no. will i do it, yes. >> let's do a little republican candidate word association or laundry list. so let's talk about michele bachmann. she started off with a lot of attention. fell to the bottom of the pack. >> right. >> very tough. i think it's going to be very tough. i even said it during her conference. rick perry really knocked her

off the perch. >> since you bring up rick perry. he has lost more than half of his support in the last eight weeks. what happened to him? >> i think he did poorly in the debates, and rick perry is a much different person in person than he is -- in fact, he called me and was talking so forcefully and so strong and so good, i said why can't you do that during the debates? he said, debates aren't my thing. >> herman cain is now, according to some polls, the front-runner on the republican side and yet some call him as they called michele bachmann and rick perry, the flavor of the month. is herman cain the flavor of the month? >> no, i think he's got great substance. the fact is he's a really -- got a great personality. he's got a great way about him and people relate to him and 9-9-9, whether you like it or you don't -- >> a lot of people don't. a lot of conservative economic experts say it's a disaster. >> but it's something, okay. it's something. he's putting something out there. other people are putting out 97 pages -- >> wait, wait, wait, do you agree with 9-9-9?

>> no, i don't agree with it. >> so if he puts it out in and it's wrong just because it's something, does that make a difference? >> he's not just catering to me but catering to a lot of people and understand the simplicity of it. it's simple. it's concise. it's easy to understand. now, i will say this. i think the sales tax part of this is very tough. do i like being brought down to 9%? i love it. will sales tax affect me? not too much. >> do you agree with a lot of conservative experts who say this takes the burden completely off the wealthy and buts it squarely on the shoulders of the poor and middle sclasz? >> i think he's going to amend it. i don't think he's completed it. now, he says he has experts. i said -- i told him, by the way, you have to come through with these expert. >> could you vote for herman cain? >> i don't think i could vote for anybody, anybody that we've been talking act, including governor romney who has made a great impression at the debates. but i could vote for anybody over president obama. president obama has been a total and complete disaster.

>> mitt romney is the eveready bunny. for the last seven years we've been talking about him, close to the top the pack. he's right there again this time. can he win the nomination and presidency? >> i think last time was different. i really do. i think this is a different age, a different time. i think the country is certainly in more turmoil than anybody has ever seen. >> there are people in the streets here in new york. >> we haven't seen that in a long time. >> in other cities around the country and around the world. does the republican party, if they ignore the occupy wall street group, do they do so at their own peril? >> i think so. i think it's bad for obama and he's feeling it. i believe ultimately it's more dangerous for president obama. but the republican party sees what's going on. i see what's going on. there is -- this country -- a friend of mine used an expression today, this country is blowing up. we're blowing up. >> you are never shy in expressing an opinion. i want you to express a heartfelt opinion. you talk about the country as

not great and needs to return to its greatness. of the candidates you see on the republican side right now which one is most likely in your opinion to return this country to its greatness? >> i will be saying that but i can't do it today. >> why not do it today and give somebody a leg up? >> i would give somebody a big leg up. it's not fair to the candidates. i told some i will not be making a decision. they're all up here, calling. >> reporter: sooner or later you have to dance with somebody. >> and maybe i'll do it with you, just not now. >> when? >> sometime prior to the primaries. >> how much impact will it have. mr. trump thinks a lot. for one of the candidates. >> we'll find out. meantime, a check of the morning's other top stories from savannah in for natalie. hello, savannah. >> good morning to you. in the news today another person has died in connection with that deadly listeria epidemic linked to cantaloupes from jensen farms in colorado. 25 people have died and some 123 others have been sickened. this is the nation's deadliest food poisoning outbreak in 25

years. it's killed people in a dozen states. social security recipients are getting their first cost of living increase since 2009. for the average recipient the expected 3.6% hike will mean an extra $40 for them per month and will take effect in january. good news in the fight against heart disease. hospital stays for heart failure fell by 30% over the past decade saving medicare about $4.1 billion. medical experts credit better management of risk factors. now to wall street. cnbc's melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning to you. a stunning miss for apple on the earnings front. keep in mind revenue was still up 40% versus a year ago, but the company only sold 17 million iphones. the street was looking for about 20 million. they said people were waiting for the new iphone. still that stock is getting hammered. at the same time we're watching the biggest protest in years over in greece as the eu tries to hammer out yet another rescue deal making markets nervous as well. savannah, back to you.

>> melissa, thank you. last day of the president's bus tour through north carolina and virginia, but it hasn't been all business for the commander in chief. at a virginia high school he sparked a giggle fest and even managed to break some hearts. >> did you have a question for me? >> look at those faces. the president asked if they had any other questions for him. they didn't. itis 7:19. the president crushing bieber fever one teenager at a time. >> threw him right under the bus. >> savannah, thanks very much. mr. roker, what's going on? a lot of rain. >> looking at this rain stretching up and down the eastern seaboard. we have a risk of strong storms from wilmington to harrisburg. possibility of three tornadoes.

we had three tornadoes down in florida last night. you can see that rain stretching from miami all the way up into new york city back as far west as chicago. look at these rainfall ams from chicago to alpena, anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of rain. along the eastern seaboard, 1 to 3 inches of rain possible in the next 48 hours. good morning to you. taking a live look at san francisco. you can actually see the fog rolling in. we have flight delays out of sfo due to low ceilings. same for lax. temperatures will be comfortable due to the cloud cover. temperatures only in the low to mid 70s, even the warmest cities across the bay. 73 in redwood city, 65 in san francisco. mild through thursday. we warm up for the weekend. ann? >> all right, al, thanks. just ahead new developments in the disappearance of kansas city baby lisa irwin. why police have now locked down

the family home. first this is "today" on nbc. t.

coming up, the latest on the search for dozens of dangerous animals including teashin o b e osfrloom c olumbus, ohio. at jcpenney we're giving you a big thank you this friday & saturday. get an extra 20% off when you use your jcpenney rewards credit card. don't have a card, you still get an extra 15% off. no exclusions. go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. jcpenney.

i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. 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. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ 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. [ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke. if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com.

tlems and conditions apply. emotional hetlretl?tl aren't you getting a little industrial? okay, there's enough energy right here in america. yeah, over 100 years worth. okay, so you mean you just ignore the environment. actually, it's cleaner. and, it provides jobs. and it helps our economy. okay, i'm listening. [announcer] at conoco phillips we're helping power america's economy with cleaner affordable natural gas... more jobs, less emissions, a good answer for everyone. so, by reducing the impact of production... and protecting our land and water... i might get a job once we graduate. to help get omega-3 dha into your kid's diet. flintstones gummies plus omega-3 dha is an excellent source of this key nutrient. ♪ we are flintstones kids, 10 million strong and growing ♪ aflac... and major medical? major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do. aflac!

pays cash so we don't have to fret. [ together ] ♪ something families should get ♪ ♪ like a safety net ♪ even helps pay deductibles, so cover your back, get... ♪ a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aflac! [ male announcer ] help protect your family at aflac.com. [ beatboxing ] good morning to you. it is 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we continue to follow breaking news out of san francisco this morning. a fiery crash of a big rig shut down highway 11. we know at least one person was injured in the crash. this is new video coming into our newsroom of a man being taken into the hospital. we don't know his condition as of yet. we do know the crash caused a mess through the city and all the way across the bay bridge. bob redell joins us live from the scene of the crash with more. bob? >> good morning to you, laura. we're on the surface streets of 16th and san bruno underneath 101 southbound that takes you

out of san francisco. 101 southbound out of san francisco is still shut down. it has been since this accident happened about 2 1/2 hours ago. you can see the reason why. you're looking at one of the tankers of a double tanker big rig that turned over on southbound 101 around 5:00 this morning. three other vehicles were involved in that accident. the good news is one of those tankers has been uprighted. you can see that from our live shot. they have a big boy tow truck out there. they're putting yellow straps around these tankers and trying to lift them up. they've gotten one lifted up. they're in the process of trying to lift the other. we don't have an eta of how long it will take to get southbound 101 reopened. if you're to guesstimate, you're looking at probably at least another half hour, hour, perhaps even longer. in the men time your alternates will be southbound 280 if you're trying to get out of san

francisco. we do know the fourth street on-ramp to eastbound 80 is also open. laura. >> taking some time to clean that up. we can take a live aerial picture here. you can see how the backup -- it's moving a little bit. mike has details. >> better for folks between the bay bridge and the city streets there. but southbound 101, they've moved some of the closures. so a complete closure towards cesar chavez. the b.a.r.t. system is a great alternate. you can see howtacan v southbound the 280. >> we'll continue to follow it. "today" show is next.ac look, every day we're using more and more energy.

the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet?

natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ 7:30 on this wednesday morning. it's the 19th d 7:30 on this wednesday morning. it's the 19th day of october, 2011. you're looking at some umbrellas up, but yet the crowd is happy as they join us this morning in rockefeller plaza. glad the rainy weather didn't keep them away. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. just ahead, the michigan father who used his 9-year-old daughter as a designated driver has had his day in court. what a judge ordered him to do and what the girl's mother is now saying about this arrest. also ahead, more of our hidden camera investigation on car repairs as we put some very popular national chain stores to

the test. but we begin this half hour with more enthat search for the dangerous animals including bears, tigers and lions that escaped from an animal prefsh in columbus. tom is involved in the search. good morning. >> good morning. >> 43 animals have been captured or killed. some six or receive reason still on the loose. what do you still have out there as far as you can tell? >> well, we are searching right now -- i do believe that there are at least two wolves, tigers. i'm not sure on the amount of tigers. i think -- well, we know for sure at least one or two and also bears. the columbus zoo is working with the sheriff's department and trying to locate the animals. once located, then our veterinarian staff at the wild as well as the columbus zoo are trying to sedate them. >> i understand one big cat was hit by a vehicle and a number of these animals had to be killed. why are you not using

tranquilizer guns instead of shotguns to take down these animals? >> well, we are trying to use sedation, and by using tranquilizer guns, we have to be in a clear, open area. and once the animal is darted, it takes about 8 to 10 minutes for the drugs to take effect so it can be done properly. what we're doing is our veterinarians are traveling with the sheriff's department so we get an opportunity to shoot the tranquilizer gun and capture the animal, you know, safely. it's a very dangerous situation out there. the ground is -- ice been raining for hours. it's very wet. it is a forested area. and it is not flat. so when we're out looking, we're using atvs and different vehicles and doing this in a safe manner. >> these animals have been on the loose for at least 15 hours now. how wide an area at sh point are

you searching? >> most animals, when they are out of their enclosure, are very scared and they stay around their enclosure. it seems that the animals have been staying around the property. only a few reports have been out that they've moved. unfortunately, though, as we move towards them we're pushing them out. so we have to do this correctly and surround that area and try to contain them, work together. and the number-one priority for the columbus zoo and the wild is safety. we want to make sure the public is safe, the emergency health is safe as well as our staff. we're dedicated to take care of these animals and get them back safely. but we have to make sure that the public is safe. >> the bottom line is people should stay indoors. you've got schools that are closed. very important information from you this morning. 7:33 pacific time. here's matt. ann, thank you. let's turn to the search for lisa irwin, the kansas city baby

who disappeared more than two weeks ago. police have now obtained a search warrant for the family home. nbc's peter alexander has details on that. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. even as we speak, police are executing that search warrant here at the home of baby lisa irwin. her parents are not allowed to freely enter the home right now. they've been locked down by police. this is video shot within the last half an hour showing these crime scene investigators in sterile suits as they try to gather new evidence. and there are other searches for evidence that have been happening nearby. investigators swarmed this wooded area tuesday even temporarily setting up a no-fly zone above for their fourth search at this site just blocks from the irwin family home. >> we developed it and unfortunately didn't pan out. >> reporter: the site is near this dumpster where firefighters tell nbc news they responded to a fire an hour and a half before lisa's parents reported the baby missing from her crib. lisa's mother, deborah bradley, says police showed her burned

clothes during questioning. the tense relationship between kansas city police and lisa's parents shows little side of cooling. the police say the parents have not agreed to an unrestricted interview for 11 days after deborah became uncomfortable with the questions and ended their conversation. >> deborah, do you think you'll be arrested? >> i don't know. i hope not. i had absolutely nothing to do with it. it's a waste of time, money, a waste of energy and focus and people should be looking for her. >> reporter: returning to a relative's home tuesday lisa's parents ignored reporters' questions. still, new scrutiny is focused on apparent inconsistencies related to deborah's time line from that night. the couple's attorney tuesday on "today." >> obviously, she wasn't marking the time down when putting the baby to bed. >> reporter: two days earlier deborah told me she was. when was the last time you saw your daughter? >> when i put her to bed that night. >> what time? >> 6:40. i looked at the clock and she had been in bed.

>> reporter: we watched home videos of lisa from earlier this year. it's hard to watch that, isn't it? she's adorable. >> it makes me feel good, but it makes me overwhelmed at the same time because i don't know if i'll ever have more than those videos. it's a scary thought. >> yeah, it's hard. that's her. there she is. that's how she always was, happy and talking to everybody. >> reporter: again, right now, we are outside the home of lisa irwin where investigators are executing that search warrant. they have just gone inside the home for the first time. i was behind the home a short time ago where we saw investigators taking photos of a drainage creek. peter alexander in kansas city this morning, thank you very much. lease get a check of the weather from al. today's weather is brought to you by party city. this halloween, party city wants to know who you gonna be?

party city. nobody has more halloween for less. >> as we take look show you what's happening for today, we've got frost and freeze warnings from today into tomorrow morning stretching from northern texas all the way into nebraska. we are looking at temperatures anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees below normal for highs today, 40s into the plains and 50s and 60s out west. we're looking at 90s in the pacific southwest and during the day today, heavy rain slight risk of strong thunderstorms, mid-atlantic states. the heavy rain stretches from chicago into the northeast. western half will be gorgeous with plenty of sunshine. few scattered showers in the coastal pacific northwest region. other than that that's what's happening in the country. good wednesday morning to you. we have a lot of fog right at the coast. so if you're waking up with us in that area, you want to take it easy, give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. the fine mist and drizzle is the case this morning. the futurecast shows at noon we'll get a break from all that

low cloud cover. at noon the sun will sunshine and warm us up to the low 70s. 75 in gilroy, 72 in redwood city. we warm back up for the weekend. >> al, thanks very much. ann and al, i want to mention some sad news. for the better part of 20 years jack sturm was a friend to many of us attitude today and nbc news. he picked us up for work each morning and got our day off on the right foot. he was the first person some of us saw every day as we dragged ourselves out of bed in the wee hours of the morning, which i always thought was great for us, not such a treat for jack. jack passed away tuesday morning after a battle with cancer. he was a great guy, and we want to pass along our condolences to his wife, donna, his children and his grandchildren, and mornings will not be the same without jack. >> one of the most dependable, humble, nice guys and good guys. anyway, we're right back. right after this. trying to stay on track?

[ female announcer ] start the day off right with a protein-packed breakfast like the sunrise subway melt. try it with juicy tomatoes for a breakfast that stands out from the pack. subway, the official training restaurant of apolo ohno and athletes everywhere. [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] that's awesome. you can read that? ♪ [ female announcer ] the accufit digital system, exclusively at lenscrafters... is about 5 times more precise

than manual measurement techniques. lenscrafters. quaker oatmeal is a super grain. ♪ it gives me warmth. ♪ [ boy ] it gives me energy to help me be my best. quaker oatmeal has whole grains for heart health. and it has fiber that helps fill me up. ♪ [ male announcer ] great days start with quaker oatmeal. energy. fiber. heart health. quaker oatmeal. a super grain breakfast. a big thank you this friday & saturday. get an extra 20% off when you use your jcpenney rewards credit card. don't have a card, you still get an extra 15% off. no exclusions.

go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. jcpenney. i know you're worried about making your savings last and having enough income when you retire. that's why i'm here. to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there, every step of the way. call or come in for a free portfolio review today. back now at 7:41. the this morning on "today" we investigate popular automobile repair stores. when you take your car in for service, what's the truth behind those pricey bills? jeff rossen has the results of his eye opening investigation. back for more. hey, jeff. >> always coming back for more. eye opening for a lot of

reasons. these results also surprise you for maybe not the reason you expect. on tuesday here on "today" we showed you what our hidden cameras uncovered at auto dealerships. most billed for repairs we didn't need. this morning we're taking the same car to national chain stores -- pepboys, midas, meineke. how would they do? our hidden cameras are rolling again. name-brand mechanics under our hood charging us big money for repairs. what do you make of this? >> it's terrible. >> reporter: we set up service appointments at top national chains, some of the most trusted names in the business. our car, this 2007 jeep grand cherokee. under 40,000 miles and out of warranty. first we took it to a mechanic certified by two top auto repair groups. he inspected every system of our jeep and gave it a clean score. >> everything looks fine. everything is good. >> then we asked him to rig a simple problem.

he used this small part in the air conditioner. it's called the relay switch. so what are you doing here? >> i'll take your ac relay out and i'm going to replace it with a defective one. >> reporter: and that makes the air conditioning blow warm air. >> yes. >> reporter: quick and easy fix. he says he'd charge only $100 to fix our problem. so what would these name-brand shops do? to find out, we installed hidden cameras inside our car and under the hood. >> so almost $2,000 to fix it. >> reporter: on tuesday here on "today" we showed you what our hidden cameras uncovered when we took our car to auto dealerships. four out of five tried to charge us hundreds, up to $2,000 in what experts say were unnecessary repairs. so would these chain shops be any better? once again, we sent this female nbc producer with this same jeep to five stores, a random mix of city and suburban locations.

>> yes. it's blowing warm air. >> reporter: our hidden cameras were rolling as she drops the car off at this midas in new york. within minutes the mechanic diagnoses our bad relay as the only problem. >> so this was the part that was bad in my car? >> yep. >> pretty simple. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: and pretty cheap. the charge, only $91. same great result at this meineke in new jersey. the bill only $90 to fix our ac. and if you think that's impressive, this pepboys in new york is even more helpful. they find our bad relay. then the manager confides, we don't need them to fix it. we can go buy the relay and do it ourselves. for just 25 bucks. >> that's something i can buy. >> yes. >> in an auto parts store. >> yes. ask for an ac clutch relay. >> ac clutch relay. >> reporter: but our good results are about to take a turn.

at this midas in long island, they quickly find our bad relay, but then say fixing our ac requires some extra services, an a/c recharge package. >> the charging of the system is $189. >> reporter: and a brand-new air filter. >> your cabin air filter is dirty. it would be $59.99. >> reporter: but our hidden cameras show they never checked the old one and the charge we needed, our mechanic checked our a/c pressure before every shop and it was always fine. total charge at this midas, $464, up to five times as expensive as the previous shops. the franchise owner later told us though his technician didn't follow company standards in documenting the inspection process, he believes the tech correctly diagnosed and fixed the problem. based on our car's mileage and his knowledge and experience. >> it looks to me like what he's

doing right there is using the little bit of knowledge he has to try to convince you you need some things you don't need. >> reporter: we showed our undercover video to two experts. paul di giuseppe, one of the top a/c repair mechanics, and phil reed, senior editor with a leading auto site. while they can't comment on these shops' practices, many may push cheap fixes like new fluids and filters even when you don't need them. >> this is easiest go-to place. for them to make money. >> reporter: when i think $50, but that adds up. >> it does. and over the course of the lifetime of the car that's really up to thousands of dollars. >> reporter: but it was at this meineke in new york where we got the biggest surprise of all. our hidden cameras show the mechanic never even checks our relay. instead, he comes up with a much more serious problem. >> this valve is leaking. this [ bleep ] been leaking for awhile.

>> then he breaks the bad news to our producer. >> i have a leak. >> right. >> reporter: how would you rate his work? >> horrible. terrible. i'm sorry to see this. >> reporter: that mechanic isn't done yet. >> we have to replace the part then we recharge the system again. >> how much is this going to cost me?  >> the total down here is 393. >> $393 to fix my air-conditioning. >> reporter: nearly $400 for repairs that experts say were completely unnecessary. >> people like this, they give us all a bad name. there really are a lot of good people out there. >> reporter: the franchise owner later told us this mechanic misdiagnosed our problem and his shop won't tolerate bad practices. in fact, he told us he's received other customer complaints about his shop and as a result has now hired all new managers and mechanics. in the end, good practices seem to prevail. experts say three out of five shops charged us to fix the real problem. nothing more.

as for the others -- >> they're abusing our trust because in many cases they appeal to us as the trusted adviser and yet they're actually picking our pockets. >> reporter: in a statement midas corporate told us it does not tolerate what happened at the store that charged us too much and our investigation is already getting results. midas will now require additional training at that specific store. both midas and meineke said most of their stores do a great job but each store is independently owned and makes its own employment decisions and the best advice get a second opinion. most of these shops charge you just to check your car. call around before you even leave your house. >> be careful about that. thank you very much this morning. coming up next, the father arrested for having his 9-year-old daughter act as a designated driver faces a judge riheghr te.afisth g right after this. ut right after this.

keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from.

keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is. we're back at 7:51 with a court appearance for the michigan father arrested for allegedly using his 9-year-old daughter as a designated driver. stephanie gosk has the latest. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. hours, the qwikmart is pretty the gas station is open 24 hours, the qwikmart is pretty well stocked. at what point is it not worth it to take a trip to the store? friends say he's a good father but he made a very big mistake. in court shawn weimer looked

tired and emotional, accused of drinking too much and making his 9-year-old daughter drive him around town. anyone watching the scene must have done a serious double take. all caught on surveillance video, a very large van pulled up at the gas station at 3:00 in the morning and a very small driver popped out. how could that little girl possibly have driven there? but inside the diminutive driver's dad was eager to brag. >> 9 years old. 9. listen, we're leaving and she's driving. i'm drunk. >> 9 years old in the truck she drove all the way here. i got a 9-year-old chauffeur. >> reporter: and the 9-year-olds chauffeur, she got a candy apple before getting back behind the wheel. weimer's free on $25,000 bail but for now the single father is not allowed any contact with his daughter. >> you can not write her, call her, or see her.

>> reporter: the judge may not give him a break but his friends are willing to. >> the way they post his picture on the news, i mean, looks like he's a criminal. he's not. he's a good dad. >> reporter: weimer's daughter is staying with his mother and tells the detroit news that the 39-year-old is a good father who made a bad choice. she also wants to know how her daughter learned to drive. i have no clue how she reached the pedals. well, however she did it it seemed to work. notice the smooth parking job. slightly off center but many licensed drivers do worse. still a 9-year-old driving a van raises some red flags. a concerned citizen phoned 911. >> is the vehicle staying on the road? >> yes, she's driving pretty good. i'm telling you, i can't believe it. >> reporter: the only thing that shocked the girl was that she got pulled over. when the officer came to the window she simply asked, why did you stop me? i'm a good driver. that may sound kind of cute, but

this is a very serious situation for shawn weimer. he faces 15 years in prison for this. on his way out, he had no comment and his lawyer says they need to investigate before he enters a plea. >> stephanie, thank you very much. just ahead, is there a link between fertility and breast cancer? you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ do you believe in magic? ♪ ♪ it's magic ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a comfort that comes from the only caramel worthy of being wrapped in gold. ♪ do you believe in magic? [ male announcer ] werther's original caramel chocolate. what comfort tastes like. a big thank you this friday & saturday. get an extra 20% off when you use your jcpenney rewards credit card. don't have a card, you still get an extra 15% off. no exclusions. go to jcp.com to see everything on sale.

jcpenney. [ female announcer ] starbucks via® is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. ♪ it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via® ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. look for it at starbucks stores and where you buy groceries. [ cellphone rings ] cut! [ monica ] i have a small part in a big movie. i thought we'd be on location for 3 days, it's been 3 weeks. so, i used my citi simplicity card to pick up a few things. and i don't have to worry about a late fee. which is good... no! bigger! bigger! [ monica ] ...because i don't think we're going anywhere for a while. [ male announcer ] write your story with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com.

ss. good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we continue to follow developing news out of san francisco where traffic is still backed up. crews were able to get one of the trailers upright about a half hour ago. southbound 101 is still closed. bob redell live at the scene. what's the latest now? >> reporter: there's two issues that could be delaying the reopening of 101. we're at 16th and san bruno underneath 101. you can see there was debris knocked down from the crash. apparently there was a piece of concrete still hanging over southbound 101. that could be an issue four caltrans. that's issue number one.

let's take a live look at top of southbound 101. you can see the one tanker truck supp. there's a big rig tow truck trying to right the other tanker truck. then they'll be able to clear the street. we've seen then lay down powder to clean up whatever liquids were spilled. the accident happened about 5:00 this morning. three other vehicles involved. the big rig cab caught fire. fortunately the fire was contained to just the cab. one person in the accident was transported to the hospital. no word on their condition. >> thank you very much. now let's check in with mike. >> because of the closure for southbound 101 we have the slow traffic between westbound 80 getting off the upper deck of the bay bridge towards cesar chav chavez. heading over to 280, southbound 280 extension, use 6th or king. that can take you clear of all the accident activity.

the surface streets will be an issue. a backup across the bay bridge. a slow drive there. an accident ton eastshore freeway held folks up towards carcinas and pinole. more folks now heading towards the san mateo bridge as well causing more congestion for 880 as well as across 92. christina has a look at the forecast. >> pesky clouds but making for a gorgeous sunrise over the city of oakland. 70 in oakland, 72 in redwood city. 65 in san francisco. right now we'll send you right back to the "today" show. hope you have a great day. >> thank you very much. we'll be back with another local news update in half an hour. new fiber one 80 calories... ...with its sweet honey taste, 40% daily value of fiber... ...and 80 calories per serving... ...you may want to tell a few friends. ♪ or all of them. ♪

i'll go get my bowl. [ female announcer ] new fiber one 80 calories. yes, you can actually love breakfast. ♪

greetings on this wednesday morning, 19th day of october, 2011. it's cold outside here in new york city. lots of umbrellas up for good reason. we thank those people for hanging in there sticking it out and getting a little wet with us on this wednesday morning. hopefully things will clear up by friday when one of the biggest bands on the planet, coldplay, stops by the plaza for a live concert. by the way, you don't have to wait until then for great music. coming up in our next half hour,

we've got sting live in our studio. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry. just ahead, more on the hunt for those dangerous animals on the loose in ohio. how hard is it going to be to track them all down? we're going to talk about that with animal expert jeff kor written. also this morning, e!'s giuliana rancic was here to reveal for the first time she had breast cancer. it was discovered while she was getting treatment for inf infertili infertility. people are wondering if there could be a possible connection. we're going to get answer on this. we want to begin this half hour in ohio where dangerous animals have escaped and police have warned residents to stay inside. nbc's john yang is in zanesville. john, good morning again. >> reporter: good morning, matt. authorities hearsay they think they're down to three animals unaccounted for. only three. a mountain lion, a grizzly bear, and a monkey. the others have either been killed by sheriff's deputies overnight or they were living in

the house, in this man's house and are safe. most of those are small monkeys, primates. just this morning a bengal tiger was killed. they tried to sedate it with a dart gun. hit her with the dart gun but then darted off into the woods so they had to take it down. is the sheriff is here, confirming that terry thompson, the man who owned this animal refuge, did kill himself with a self-inflicted wound. they now believe he was the one who released the animals. they are now turning to investigate what his motive is, why he did this, as they now move into the compound once the animals are taken care of. matt? >> john yang in zanesville, ohio, for thus morning. thanks, as always. msnbc science and environmental expert john corwin is the host of "ocean mysteries" and the author of "100 heartbeats." jeff, good morning to you.

how dangerous a situation do you think this really is? >> matt, this could be incredibly dangerous. we're talking about very powerful animals. carnivores ranging from bears to lions, and that's why it's so important that this situation needs to be managed immediately. if not for the protection of the public, for the protection for the animals themselves. as you can see, really, the worst case scenario has happened here. >> you know what, you're right. public safety is the number one concern, but i can't help but think this is just such a tragedy for these animals that did nothing to deserve this. >> incredible tragedy, matt. this brings up the point about private people keeping exotic animals as pets, especially powerful creatures like these large cats and bears and wolves. these are animals that, in normal situations, in states like massachusetts and other parts of the country, there are strict state regulations when it

comes to keeping these animals in captivity. that is not the case for ohio, and now we see what's happening. >> it seems ironic, jeff, in ohio you do need a permit to house a native animal like a bear. you do not need a permit to house a non-native animal like a lion or a tiger. it just doesn't seem to make sense. >> it does seem a little ironic but basically, matt, how this law was put into place, it really wasn't put in place to manage exotic animals but managing the natural resources of the state. so if there are species of special concern in the state of ohio, they're protected. unfortunately, the loophole here is it doesn't recognize the need to ro tekt people and wildlife when it comes to exotic creatures. in places like texas and ohio where these regulations are incredibly loose -- in fact, ohio has really no laws in the book to -- when it comes to keeping these animals in captivity, this is what can happen. >> jeff corwin joining us on

this subject, thanks very much for your perspective. we appreciate it. now let's get a check of the rest of the top stories from savannah guthrie. >> good morning. in politics this morning the latest republican debate last night in las vegas was a no holds barred slug fest. all the counties ripped herman ca cain's 9-9-9 flat tax plan as a straelt tags increase for everyone but the wealthy. and mitt romney and rick perry engaged in a heated and sometimes personal exchange over leadership and immigration. lindsay lohan once again faces the possibility of being sent to jail. the troubled actress is due in court again today in los angeles. nbc's miguel almaguer is there. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. today's hearing get to get under way in a few hours has been scheduled for quite some time. we now know prosecutors say they plan to drop the hammer and argue lindsay lohan should spend more time behind bars. the walk into court has been a

familiar one for lindsay lohan. but if the los angeles city attorney's office gets his way lohan will walk out in handcuffs. today prosecutors plan to tell the judge lohan was, quote, terminated from a woman's center where she was supposed to serve community service. it's been reported the hollywood starlet rarely showed up. a violation, say prosecutors, of her probation. in april the judge gave lohan one year to complete 480 hours of community service. >> she's not going to get five minutes more than the one year to do it. >> reporter: probation for a 2007 drunk driving case and a misdemeanor theft case from this year. mark geragos doesn't represent lohan but he notes the actress still has six months to complete her court-ordered service. >> the odds of her serving time in jail in none. >> reporter: just last week lohan tweeted, i am working hard in fulfilling my obligations every single day. while she has been spotted doing some community service, in

recent weeks she's made headlines while working and playing in europe. but earlier this month, some of her pictures raised eyebrows and questions. >> what experts are saying is that she probably is living an unhealthy lifestyle. just not taking care of herself. >> reporter: but in court the question will be did lindsay lohan take care of her community service. today she'll be in front of a no nonsense judge and more calls for her to return to job. >> miguel almaguer, thank you. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. susan sarandon under fire from catholic and jewish groups for calling pope benedict a nazi. the actress and activist made that comment over the weekend during an interview at the hampton film festival. unclear whether she was talking about the pope's policies or the fact he was a member of the hitler youth movement in 1941. and the speculation has gone wild online over just what exact li is being built on the white house north lawn.

construction crews have been digging a massive mystery hole right by the west wing for at least a year and a half. white house officials saying they can't reveal what it is because of national security. many people are left to guess perhaps a new underground bunker, giant swimming pool, or outdoor bowling alley or perhaps a top secret presidential man cave. check out this video from boulder, colorado. a house cat came nose to nose with a slightly larger variety of the species, a mountain lion. the two separated only by that sliding glass door. the mountain lion eventually left but not before getting the stare-down from the cat named zeus. >> not in ohio. it was a different place. look like the big cat wanted to play with the little one. >> little cat didn't seem too ups upset. check of the weather from al. >> thanks, guys. a little on the wet side. got a lot of pharmacists year. it's pharmacist week.

know your pharmacist. let's check your weather. oh, doctor, it hurts here. atlantic city, new jersey, nbc, 40, rain and wind, 70 degrees. and you can see where that rain is coming from. all part of a system making its way to the south. another big system back to the west in the ohio river valley. two will merge and means a wet week or wet couple of days in the northeast and mid-atlantic states and slight risk of storms along the mid-atlantic coast. western half of the country, fantastic. a little on the cooler side with temperatures in the 40s through the plains. 60s back through the rockies and low 60-degree readings in the pacific northwest. that's what's going on a good morning to you. taking a live look at alcatraz. you can actually see pretty clearly here. slight delays reported because of low ceiling fog out there this morning. in san francisco, also have major delays ut of lax this morning. check with your carrier. we'll not be dealing with that low-cloud cover all day long. by noon, that marine layer starts to push back out to sea. 73 in los gatos today.

we keep on climbing in terms of your temperatures all the way through the weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. thanks so much. up next is there a link between fertility treatments and breast cancer? dr. nancy snyderman weighs in after giuliana rancic's diagnosis. right after this. ou need ♪ ♪ for the big race. daughter: morning mom! are you excited? ♪ as you finish every mile... ♪ how rewarding are those smiles... ♪ [ cheers from the crowd ] ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ mommy, you did it! ♪ is folgers in your cup. two. three. one. two. and, three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card,

earn more cash back for the things you buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% cash back on groceries. 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. it's as easy as one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. [ sponge ] you've suffered some real damage. cheesy crusting. 3rd degree noodle trauma. the prognosis is bleak. you may need to soak overnight.

nurse...! dawn power clean? it'll never work. [ female announcer ] dawn power clean with micro-scrubbing enzymes can give you the power of an overnight soak in just 5 minutes. [ sponge ] i give you a sparkling clean bill of health. it's a scientific miracle! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore. a big thank you this friday & saturday. get an extra 20% off when you use your jcpenney rewards credit card. don't have a card, you still get an extra 15% off. no exclusions. go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. jcpenney. [ female announcer ] start the day off right with a protein-packed breakfast like the sunrise subway melt. try it with juicy tomatoes for a breakfast that stands out from the pack. subway, the official training restaurant of apolo ohno and athletes everywhere.

are hidden in the contours of your teeth & tongue. introducing a breakthrough for aquafresh. new extreme clean pure breath action. its micro active foam penetrates those hard to reach places. and it now contains a mineral compound that captures and neutralizes bad breath odors giving you 80% cleaner, purer breath. for all the confidence of pure breath try new extreme clean pure breath action from aquafresh. constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps.

thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue... 37-year-old giuliana rancic was here to talk about her battle with infertility and announce she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. news that is concern for some whether there could be a link between the two. >> giuliana -- >> reporter: television viewers have come to know skrooul giuliana for her work on the e! network dishing the latest celebrity news. >> they say their biggest secrets for us. >> reporter: but giuliana was the one making news monday when she appearedn "today." >> we sadly found out i have early stages of breast cancer so and it's been a shock. >> reporter: her news spread quickly and questions were raised among some about whether her illness is related in any way to the treatment she shas

undergone. >> start thinking about having a kid again. >> reporter: on their style network reality show "giuliana & bill." they have watched them struggle to conceive including one miscarriage. >> you know, why are we being punished in a way. >> reporter: they saw them embarking on their last ivf attempt at a well-known clinic in colorado. >> bye. >> reporter: it was a doctor there who asked giuliana to get a mammogram before he would go ahead with the procedure. >> i said, why, i'm 36 years old? i'm too young. he said i don't care if you're 26, 36, but i will not get you pregnant if possibly the small risk you have cancer. if you get pregnant it can accelerate the cancer. >> reporter: on tuesday she under went a lumpectomy in both breasts and now recovering. we wish her the best and are bringing in dr. nancy snyderman. good morning. is there any known link between fertility treatments and cancer

specifically breast cancer, nancy? >> no. >> at all? >> no. in vitro fertilization and birth control pills both forms of hormones that women take have been studied and there's no known cause and effect. what we do know is that women who are older usually ask for ivf because they're having a harder time getting pregnant and women who are holdolder have a higher chance of getting breast cancer so there is an age relation but not a hormonal relationship with cause and effect with ivf. >> what about the treatments, the pills and injection that is women take regarding boosting their hormone levels given we know estrogen fuels 80% of breast cancer. >> in some tumors. so let's assume you're diagnosed with a tomb their feeds off some hormone. doctors say let's put your hormones to the side whether it's hormone replacement therapy until we treat the tumor then we

can talk about individualizing whether you get pregnant. interestingly, we do know that moms that that are pregnant can get chemotherapy because the chemotherapy doesn't cross over to the fetus and moms usually do very, we very, very well. you take this case and we have to be careful to recognize this is one case. and we cannot extrapolate and say, okay, now everybody should get mammography. the screening guidelines for mammography are no different than those women who are not undergoing ivf so starting at 40 for some women, starting at 50 for other women but there must have been something either in her family history or a gut feeling with this doctor to want her to get a mammogram at the age of 37. >> her aunt had breast cancer yet when i asked her is it part of your family history she said, no, no. family history is not just your

mother to you or your grandmother to you, it's also the extended family. >> own by about 8% of cancers have a true known genetic link. those of these are just accidental or familial. your aunt may have it and you may get it but that doesn't necessarily mean your daughter will get it. we don't know the root cause of breast cancer. whether it's a certain environmental trigger that turns something on but for women who want to go have ivf they should be very comforted by the fact this is very safe and trusted and known. i have a bigger concern for the college girls who are going out there and i'm getting a lot of drugs or harvesting eggs. we don't know how t follow them 30 or 40 years out. for the average woman take this case as a standalone and don't necessarily apply it to yourself. >> all right, dr. nancy snyderman, thank you very much. coming up next, what indy car driver dan wheldon and his wife did to honor each other the night before he was killed in

that fiery crash. that's right after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] 20,000 btus produce a delicate sear. double-oven range makes dinner and dessert -- at the same time. turbo-charged advantium oven cooks more than twice as fast, in this culinary powerhouse. dan. yes? molé sauce. [ male announcer ] with ge's most advanced cooking technology, the café line takes food further. you kids almost ready? i've got breakfast waiting for you. whoo! uh-oh. what? mom's doing her exercise video again. when mom's on a health kick, all of us are. and now she's made us breakfast. uh-oh. ♪ [ male announcer ] eggo nutri-grain waffles. you know it's made with 8 grams of whole grain and is a good source of fiber. all they know is it tastes great.

eggo nutri-grain waffles. simply delicious. ♪ for the big day ahead of you morning. big day, huh? morning, mom! are you excited? ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup. no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. hey, aren't you... shhh. i'm researching a role. today's special... the capital one venture card. you earn double miles on every purchase. impressive. chalk is a lost medium. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. was that really necessary? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition. what's in your wallet?

your favorites, in pieces. [ inner voice ] establish connection. give me voice control. applications up. check my email and text messages. hands in position. airbags. ten of 'em. perfect. add blind spot monitor. 43 mpg, nice. dependability. yeah. activate dog. a bigger dog. [ male announcer ] introducing the reinvented 2012 toyota camry.

it's ready. are you? ♪ we are back now at 8 ooch:2 the tributes pouring in for dan wheldon. savannah has the latest. >> good morning, matt. wheldon leaves behind a wife and two small children. now we're learning about something special he shared with his wife the day before his fatal crash. a family grieving quietly in private following a very public

and shocking death. >> oh, multiple cars involved. oh, my. it looks like dan wheldon may be involved. >> reporter: dan wheldon died doing what he loved but the very night before his final race he went out with the woman he loved and got matching tattoos at that las vegas parlor. >> i met him for an hour or so and he was just a really good-hearted really nice, nice guy. he said, he definitely would rather be racing than getting tattooed. more squared to get tattooed. >> it shows the new ink, susie's initials inside his left wrist. >> two people very happy, very sad. >> reporter: susie has not made any public statements but wheldon's father clive thanks fans and friends for their support. >> he was a true champion and gentleman on and off the track. the world is a better place

because of dan. thank you for allowing us to grieve in private. all our thoughts and prayers means so much to our family. >> reporter: he grew up in england where he first made a name for himself racing go-carts. >> just come off, stay on, get as many points as possible and go for it in the final. >> reporter: wheldon moved to the united states in 1999 and quickly made an impact on the di car circumstan indy car circuit and married his personal assistant. they reached victory lane this year at the indianapolis 500 celebrating together with their two young son, sebastian and oliver. wheldon's father said he was born to be a racer. his fellow drivers say he wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way. but that doesn't make it easier for the loved ones he left behind. >> my wish for now is for his family, for his kids, for

everyone around him because certainly the ones that suffer most of it will the ones that stay here. >> reporter: his number 77 car was owned by sam schmitt a former indy car driver partially paralyzed in an accident 11 years ago. >> his wife susie and then having the kids subsequently, it changed him dramatically the last five or six years grown up quite a bit and turned into a real class act. >> reporter: among his final acts leaving a lasting mark on the woman he loved. and a public memorial to remember dan wheldon will be held sunday at conseco fieldhouse in indianapolis. matt? >> all right, savannah, thanks very much. up next the stunning work of art and literature, the first illuminated handwritten bible in some 500 years. after these messages from your local news.

good morning to you. it is 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we're going to check the morning commute with mike inouye right now. it's been a very busy morning. >> that's right, laura. we'll take you up to the maps and follow the continuing saga of the closure for southbound 101. two trailers have overturned, just been righted or the second one is about to be righted. hopefully, we'll have a are report from bob redell who is on the scene and giving me updates. slowdowns getting into the city, very slow across the bay bridge from the san francisco side. here 880 moves slowly up toward the downtown area as well. a new accident at 5th which

you'll have to contend with as well. problems on both sides of the bay. big! big, big. big big big big? big big big big big. big big...big. ♪ big big big -big. -big! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ big big big -big big. -big! -big -big! -♪ big -big. -big big big. big big big. big big big. small. big big big big. small! [ male announcer ] the space-saving, eco-friendly, totally unique smart. unbig. uncar. ♪

traffic is still backed up from a major crash, involving a semi and several cars. let's check in with bob redell at the scene with the very latest. >> reporter: goot good morning to you, laura. 101 southbound is shut down. live look at our cam. they have one of the double tankers that is still stuck up there. double tack tanker big rig involved in an accident 3 1/2

hours ago, three vehicles involved. one person taken to the hospital. they just uprighted the second tanker. now it's a matter getting that on to a flatbed so they can clear out the road itself. here is the other hiccup. at street level you can see debris on the street underneath the overpass and caltrans engineers inspecting the damage to the road. we don't have a clear time on the estimated time this will be open, laura. >> check the structural integrity of that as well. keep you updated on this story.

8:30 on this wednesday morning, october 19th, 2011. right now as you can see everyone is gathered in rockefeller plaza for one of sting's many hits. he's now celebrating 25 years as a solo artist and here to

perform live in our studio in just a moment. the crowd is very excited. makes them happy. >> i have to figure out what this guy eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 60 years old. he looks like 40. >> i'm telling you. lighting a fire this morning. this morning talking about that, why not light the fire for our kids on this halloween. >> martha stewart is in the house. great treats to make for kids of all ands. we'll check with martha in a couple of minute. >> also ahead something that hasn't been done in 500 year, the queen's ka lig grapher completed an illuminated handwritten bible that took 12 years to finish. we'll see it up close coming up. also, another exciting thing, the world series begins tonight and the rangers are taking on the cardinals and look what we have, the world series trophy right here in our house and it's here along with the hall of famer and former cardinal lou brock and mlb

network analyst and former ranger mitch williams. good morning, guys. you both played for the -- in a world series game. what does this trophy mean to players? >> well, actually it means bragging rights in my hometown, really better than your hometown. that's what happens in world series. >> you got to brag twice, lou, didn't you? >> i bragged a few times, a couple of times i got caught bragging. >> mitch, talk about the intensity in a game, world series game versus a regular series game. >> for me they were all the same, matt. i treated every game i played in the same way and the world series to me, it was inside just another game. it was a game i happened to lose on the biggest stage, obviously, in the world. it was a more painful game but they're intense. >> texas has had some up and down times and got to the series last year and didn't win it. there was a tragedy with the

father who fell out of the stands trying to catch a ball. that son, by the way, 6-year-old cooper threw out the first pitch. what would it mean for them to bring it home. >> me having broke in the rangers in 1986 and knowing what that organization has gone through and i'm getting nolan ryan involved in the ownership group, the tragedy that happened there earlier this summer, i think this would really be an awesome culmination of a great ball club full of a great bunch of guys getting together and kind of rallying around what was honestly a tragic situation. >> what would it mean to get this? >> st. louis is perhaps the foremost team in the flat league winning championship other than the yankees in baseball, so certainly to be another feather in our cap. we would love to be inspired to catch the yankees. so i know that the texas rangers stand before us.

good ball club, going to be a good series. we got some hitters in both clubs, outstanding particularly hammerton and pujols. >> may the best team win. okay, guys. enjoy the world series, thanks for coming by this morning. what a pleasure to see you guys. >> thanks for having us. >> now a check of the weather with al. >> all right. thanks so much. ann, as we show everybody back here bright in their nice green. check the weather. starting with today a mess in the east all the way back into illinois where chicago and parts of northern illinois, high wind watches, all around the central great lakes, beautiful out west, the western two-thirds of the country although a little on the cool side. tomorrow the heavy rain continues around the central great lakes. the upper ohio river valley into the northeast and new england, a few showers in the interior pacific northwest. sunny and hot, mild along the gulf coast with plenty of sunshine.

good morning to you. we'll have to wait for that sunshine in the city by the bay. mostly cloudy conditions across the entire bay area from san francisco to livermore. it's not going to last all day. futurecast shows you by about noon, cloud cover moves back out to sea. we'll get a nice, dry break. that drizzle we've been dealing with all morning long at the coastline should stop at about 10:00 am. 70 in san rafael, 72 in fremont. we continue to warm up thursday and friday. and, yes, mid 80s on saturday. day like today check your weather any time of the day or not with the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. savannah? >> al, thank you. coming up next martha stewart shows you how to add a homemade touch to your house for halloween. first this is "today" on nbc.

martha on today brought to you by macy's. ♪ werewolves of london >> back now at 8:37 and "martha on today." halloween treats for all ages. martha stewart has been doing up some devilishly good ones in "food" magazine. good morning. >> fun things for halloween. >> what is the most fun at your house? i can't think of anybody else's house i'd rather be. >> halloween is fun because it's a night where you can get dressed up and be somebody else. >> and you can be a kid again which is great. >> gore and blood. >> all kinds of gait stuff. >> this first thing you'll make, you've got broken glass cupcakes. >> oh, they look kind of scary when you put -- you make caramel, melt sugar to the hard ball stage and put it on a

buttered baking sheet and break -- >> why doesn't it get darker. >> you can make it darker. >> it looks great clear. >> looks more like glass. >> stick it in the top of cupcakes like that. you can eat this. totally edible and delicious. cherry jam melted to look like blood dripping down the glass. >> cute. >> borderline growtesfue. >> how cute these scaredy cat brownies. >> you bake these mint patties right in the brownie mix so you see we have one layer of brownie batter and then put your little mint -- >> girl scout cookies. >> oh, they are. >> are you kidding? >> do you know when i buy them i put them in the freezer, just

the chocolate mints because -- >> you like them cold. >> no, they keep for a year. >> yeah, delish, ght. you're not using a mix for the brownie. >> no, you make your own brownies. >> stupid question. >> you could use a mix. bake 375 for 35 minutes. when they come out put more mint chocolate cookies on top. they get soft and deck indicate. buy these candy eyes. >> where do you get them. >> at the craft store. they're edible too. >> you can make your own, little white frosting if you want and then you use a pastry tip for the little teeth. makes them a little scary. >> they're actually more cute than scary. little red mouth and chocolate chips for the ears. >> make it good. she'll criticize you. >> this is fun. >> a punch made out of ginger beer and apple cider and it's

very delicious, fresh cranberries floating in it. >> can you make a pg-version of this and adult version. >> of course. >> how would you make it adult? >> we just made a great one on my show. we made apple cider, best bourbon, lemon juice. >> sounds good. >> delicious. delicious. so here you hold the rubber glove. >> okay. >> i don't want to get anything on your beautiful dress. >> thank you or on you. >> is that food coloring. >> and water. we'll just make -- >> on your hands. >> just fill that up. secure the top either with bulldog clips or rubber bigs. you know those big black clips you can old together. >> that would be easier. >> look at that. >> then rubber brands, okay. >> don't drop it. freeze them like this. right out of the freezer. cut this off and release the

rubber glove. >> seriously, you're going to spill on yourself. >> all on white. >> i know. >> you could -- can't you leave the glove on. >> i know but for now. >> i would take it off. then float them and look like hands floating in your punch. >> you have a warped -- >> and then look at this. this is a warming plate. in the magazine, "martha stewart living" a whole page of phobia is. do you know what the phobia is beads is -- >> do you have any? >> i have a phobia of everything. of -- no, i don't. i don't want to be afraid of anything but there's triskaphobia of the number three all the phobias. these are coffin boxes filled with candy corn as treats. that's out of my new entertaining book. >> happy halloween. >> all kinds of gait stuff. >> cute. very cute.

martha stewart, thank you so much. the queen's calligrapher shows off the first illuminated bible in 500 years. this is "today" on nbc.

500 years ago newton's printing press gave the first mass produced bible. illuminated version a work of art as much as a religious text. but st. john's university in minnesota and donald jackson, the queen's calligrapher are bringing back the tradition with a bible 12 years in the making. donald, good morning, great to see you again. i saw you about 12 years ago. >> yeah. >> you described this as your life's dream and you've been doing it ever since. was the experience what you thought it would be. >> no. >> how was it different. >> it was a lot harder, a lot longer, a lot more stressful and actually i find it far more like

myself than i ever needed to know. >> was this an everyday eight-hour a day day ordeal or did you put it down for awhile, pick it back up? how did you work on this. >> first of all it was a team effort and i had to train people to work -- they were experts but just like musicians they have to work together on this and they have to agree that the text was, you know, what like to do and so the text was all written out and then the spaces were illuminated and illustrated to bring out the meanings of the word. >> this is a reproduction of your masterpiece. we look over here. this is one of the first pages you d it's done on skin with 130-year-old chinese ink, the pens were made of quills from burs and reeds. did you use any modern technology. >> modern technology, a computer to lay out all the text that we knew where every line was going to start and where every line was going to finish. didn't stop us making mistakes,

of course, but we did try. >> tell us about this, one of the first pages you did. >> well, the techniques are ancient. i mean the gold on here which you might catch is raised and burnished gold leaf on it but the ideas come from that. they come from everyday -- >> you muttput a modern twist o this ancient work? >> yes. so when i want to create an idea of one space and time i'm using images from the hubble telescope which weren't available to the monks in the old days but they were trying to do the same thing. they were trying to make these words look important. feel important. and your experience of it. >> as we move over to one of the later pages that you did over here, we're talking about a generation these days where people have kindle. they have an ipad and push a button, everything they want pops up instantly.

do you think people will even be able to grasp what you went through to create it. >> i do believe that because i think, you see, when you use a quill, because it is a delicate instrument and it picks up you. i mean as you write, every breath you take, heartbeat, just like a musical instrument, it guess into that and i just do believe that on one level people pick up on that energy. seven volumes over 1,100 pages. >> when finished it's 165 pounds, something like that you've called it your sistine chapel. how do you top that? >> well, my wife thinks retirement would be a good idea. but i'm kidding. i have no idea. i just don't know. there is no -- i don't feel relief. i just still feel the cage door has been opened but i'm not quite sure how or where i'm going to go when i go through there. working still on this wonderful series of printed interpretations of this which

is -- >> it's spectacular. it's a masterpiece. donald jackson, what a pleasure to see you again. coming up next a live performance by sting but first this is "today" on nbc. [ man ] it's big. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better.

[ man ] it's big. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better. ♪ if i ever lose my faith in you ♪ >> the toyota concert series brought to you by toyota.

back now at 8:50 with musical ledge scend sting, a career that earned him a pile of multiplatinum albums and 16 grammy awards and to commemorate the occasion he's releasing "sting: the best of 25 years" and just celebrated his 60th birthday. sting, happy belated birthday. >> thank you. >> boy, you make 60 look great. how do you do it? is there a special thing besides yoga or all that. >> 50% vanity, 50% discipline. >> well, i think all the rest of us need some of that and by the way i just noticed your guitar. this has been something you've had for about as long. >> this is from 1955 or '57 so it's slightly younger than me but it looks in worse shape. >> well loved. you say going back through your years of work, for this new box set was a bit like archaeology. did you find the excavating fun? did it teach you something about

yourself? >> well, i rarely listen to my own music. i hear it by accident but for this project i had to go back and listen to stuff i did 25 years ago. i was pleasantly surprised by decisions i made as a younger man. it was pretty good. so it was worth bringing out. >> you're also right now still very busy with that as well as the new tour that you've got, yet another one as well as a play with music that you're writing. do you sometimes allow yourself to fully take in how happy your music has made us over all this time. >> i'm sort of happily taking in my own life and tasting it and it tastes really good at this point in time. so if other people like that i'm even more happy. >> i think other people love that, sting. i know the song you're singing for us is "all this time" appropriate. thank you so much for being here. ladies and gentlemen, sting. >> one, two. ♪

♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ i looked out across the river today ♪ ♪ i saw a city in the fog and an old church tower ♪ ♪ where the seagulls play ♪ i saw the sad shire horses walking home in ♪ ♪ the sodium light ♪ two priests on the ferry october geese ♪ ♪ on a cold winter's night ♪ all this time the river flowed ♪ ♪ endlessly to the sea

♪ blessed are the poor for they shall inherit ♪ ♪ the earth ♪ better to be poor than a fat man in the ♪ ♪ eye of a needle ♪ and as these words were spoken i swear i hear ♪ ♪ the old man laughing ♪ what good is a used-up world and how could it be ♪ ♪ worth having ♪ all this time the river flowed ♪ ♪ endlessly like a silent tear ♪ ♪ if i had my way i'd take a boat ♪ ♪ from the river

♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ all this space ♪ they built a wall and a temple ♪ ♪ an edge of the empire garrison town ♪ ♪ they lived and they died they prayed to their gods ♪ ♪ but the stone gods did not make a sound ♪ ♪ and their empire crumbled till all that was left ♪ ♪ were the stones the workmen found ♪ ♪ all this time the river flowed ♪ ♪ in the falling light of a northern sun ♪ ♪ if i had my way i'd take a boat ♪ ♪ from the river ♪ men go crazy in congregations ♪ ♪ but they only get better

♪ one by one yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪ [ applause ] >> lucky to have sting this morning in our studio. much more of "today" on a wednesday morning. but first your local news. good morning to you. 8:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. crews are still cleaning up a major crash on 101 this morning. a big rig crashed, caught fire around 5:00 this morning in the southbound lane. southbound 101 was shut down as crews put out the fire.

at least three cars were involved in that crash, one person injured, taken to the hospital. at one point, traffic was backed up clear across the bay bridge, but it appears that backup has so far cleared. right now, we have crews with both trailers upright. you can see the engine completely burned out there. we'll get the latest from mike on road conditions coming up in a minute.

101 from i-80 down to cesar chavez, trying to get to the 280 extension. janelle lang just called me and said 280 moved smoothly. her husband called from the san

mateo bridge and said it's congested on the bay area bridge as well. san mateo bridge heavier flow westbound because of that traffic. it will be slow heading around the peninsula.

w we're back now with more of today on a wednesday morning. it's the 19th day of october, 2011. not the nicest weather. we've had rain on and off all morning long. we've got a little let-up right now. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker, we have neglected you poor people. >> i'm sorry. >> some of us have been outside. >> we, meaning the we, ann and i, have neglected you people. >> sorry. >> anyway, coming up in this half hour, more on that dangerous story out of zanesville, ohio. a lot of animals, some 48 or 50

out of a wild exotic animal preserve were apparently let go and they have now escaped into the surrounding community. police have hunted down some of them, killed dozens. but there's still some on the loose. we're talking lions and tigers and wolves and bears. also, remember the man, video camera showed us, let his 9-year-old daughter drive the van that they were in because he said he was drunk? well, he's now appearing before a judge. so we're going have the latest on his case. and also what the young girl's mother had to say about all of this. and also coming up this morning, this as we all know is breast cancer awareness month. so as a result, we're going to talk about what every woman needs to know. it's a good time to do that. it's wednesday. that means it's time for "today's" money 911. our team of experts will be answering we questions on everything from when to buy a new home, if you've been to a foreclosure, or where to look for your children when they need

more money for college. >> so much to get dripped on. anyway, the news. >> savannah guthrie is filling in fortunately. hi, savannah. >> eastern ohio, exotic and dangerous animals that escaped from a wildlife preserve there. nbc's john yang is in zanesville, ohio, this morning with the latest. john, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this is one of the most bizarre hunts that's being going on in central ohio. eastern ohio area. investigators tell nbc news that they believe that terry thompson, the man who owned this exotic wildlife reserve, killed himself, took his own life and they believe that he may have, himself, released these animals before he took his own life. these are exotic wild animals that thompson rescued, kept at this farm. there were lions, tigers, primates, wolves, black bears,

grizzly bears. they are now hunting them down. overnight they were able to take out 30 or 35 of the animals. there are still some at large. and there are still some on the farm itself that they the -- the columbus zoo officials are planning to try to -- try to take alive and take to the columbus zoo. meanwhile, now that the sun is up, officials are being able to get out into the area to see just what they're dealing with, how many animals still at large as this hunt continues in eastern ohio. savannah? >> john yang in ohio for us. thank you. politics, republican presidential candidates took the gloves off and let each other have it last night. rick perry accused mitt romney to hire illegal immigrants to do landscaping last year. the candidates all took turns ripping herman cain's 9-9-9 tax

plan. social security recipients are getting a raise. for the average recipient the hike will mean almost $40 extra per month. that increase takes effect in january. good news in the fight against heart disease. hospital stays for heart failure fell by 30% over the past decade, saving medicare about $4.1 billion. medical experts credit better management of risk factors. tensions are high today in britain. police in riot gear used sledgehammers to evict dozen of people known as the irish travelers from an area 30 miles outside london, a site where they've lived illegally for ten years. protesters set fires and clashed with police. two protesters were tasered. it's about to cost more to mail a letter. deep in depth the u.s. postal service is raising the cost of mailing first class letter by a penny in january to 45 cents. those forever stamps will remain good even after that increase.

the postal service lost $8 billion last year. and it's a viral video that fights cancer. scientist, students, and lab techs rocked out in their white coats at the cancer research center. you can help out, too. their sponsor is making a donation to cancer research for every hit that video gets online. you can check it out on our website, today.com. it is now 9:05. here's al with a check of the weather. >> what a great video. thanks so much. we've got a lot of wet weather to talk about along the east coast. severe storms possible from wilmington all of the way up to harrisburg and back into theapp. looking at a lot of rain. heavy rain from chicago back into the midwest. you can see that rainfall. we're talking anywhere from one to three inches. as much as five locally from chicago to michigan, right along the coast in rhode island and new england. anywhere from two to three inches of rain over the next 48

good morning to you. taking a live look from high atop san bruno, you can see we have high clouds hanging out overhead. that wind is going to help to clear out the cloud cover. we're expecting to see the sun in the city by the bay. hitting 75 in san jose today. staying mild for thursday. temperatures start to climb as we get closer to the weekend. lots of sunshine forecasted sbatd sunday. ♪ time now for today's money 911. our money experts answer your big financial questions jean is here. money 911. david bach is getting a little inappropriate. he's the founder of finish rich.com and the author of debt-free for life. you got to show sharon epperson some love too. she's a personal financial

correspondent to cnbc and cnbc.com. >> nice to see you. >> before we get in any more trouble, let's go to skype. we have deb checking in from connecticut. deb, good morning. what's your question? >> good morning. we resntly found out that fha decreased the maximum loan limit effective october 1st. we've been planning on purchasing a home this winter. we live in an area where fha loan limits have decreased by $119,000. how long do you anticipate that it will take for the housing market to adjust to the new fha loan limits? we don't want to pay current market prices if the market is going to adjust to the new fha terms. >> good question. >> it's a really, really good question. but you have it kind of backwards. the fha has adjusted because prices have already gone down. as long as you pick a home where you think the block is good, the schools are good,the value is good, it's fairly priced and you're planning to live there for at least five years because we know that you don't want to

be moving sooner than that, in case prices go down a little bit, you should be just fine. but the fha is adjusting because prices have fallen, not the other way around. >> thanks, deb for the question. we got an e-mail question comes in from lauren. she writes, my daughter is in college. needs more money. she's been working several jobs but often does have enough money. she's tried to get loans and needs a co-signer which we can't do. >> i like free money. >> who doesn't? >> how do you do that? there's a program called the federal pell grant program. that is you can get a grant from the government for up to $5500 for student needs. you have to try to qualify. the website to go to is fafsa.ed.gov. that's a true grant. not a loan. the other thing is a perkins loan. it's a low interest rate loan. she's got to qualify for it. she probably can. she should go to that website, again, to check out both options.

the best one is obviously the grant because you don't have to pay it back. >> the better one is a scholarship. lock look for tons of scholarships and start early. figure out to you to get your resume up to speed to qualify for the scholarships. >> behl put all the websites on today.com. this one from jennifer. she says we pay all of your bills in full each month. what we don't do well is save. i don't know where to start. what's a good rule of thumb to save each month. i'm looking on-line for budgeting tips and software and completely overwhelmed. at least they know they need to do it. >> necessity know they need to do it. we talk about this all the time. the importance is having a goal. you have to know what you're going to save for. what it sounds like is they have long-term savings, stocks and bonds. they don't have short term. that's where you start. where are you going to put the short term savings. at least 10% from your paycheck, put that in a savings account.

automated. you don't have to think about it. bank rate.com. money rates.com. other good websites is to figure out what has the best rate. look at the budgeting software or on-line tools out there. i like minute.com, bundle.com is another one. the real point is to save for something. that's what you need to do a rainy day is a good way to start. the emergency fund. >> the deal with saving money and the reason that 401(k)'s work is because the money comes out first. if you can't see it and you can't touch it, you won't spend it. move it first. >> that's how they build wealth. they don't know what to do. max out the 401(k) plan. we have kristin calling in from tucson, arizona. good morning, kristin. >> good morning. my husband and i have debt on five different credit cards with interest ranging from about 8% to 19%. as we pay them off, which option is best? on all five cards increase our

payment as indicated on our statement to pay them off in three years, making sure to maintain the same payment for the 36 months, or make the minimum payment on all the cards and put the additional funds towards one card at a time? and then once that card is paid off, use that amount for rollover. >> the second way gets you out of debt faster. put additional money toward not just one card. but the highest interest rate card and once that card is paid off, you want to move the additional money towards the next card with the highest interest rate while making the minimum payments on the rest so that you're never late. i love that they now have guidelines on credit card statements that say if you want to get out of debt in three years, pay this much money. it's a great guideline. >> they're doing something good. >> they are. but pay off the highest rate card first. it gets you out fastest and cheapest. this is marie calling in from virginia. good morning, marie. >> good morning.

hi. in 2008 due to the economy my husband's family business which he was the vice president, had to close and subsequently he was unemployed then underemployed for quite some time. obviously we suffered huge financial losses, but we were fortunate enough to obtained a home loan modification under the making affordable. we're working hard to get debts current. we have a bad credit score and would like to improve it to relocate and buy another house in maybe three years. >> marie, let's see what david thinks. >> here's the thing. two primary things to do to get a credit score up. the number one inning is pay your bills on time. it represents 35% of your credit score. the second thing is reduce your debt. those two things make up 65% of improving your credit score. the third thing is the length of credit history. leaving those old accounts open once you pay them off, if you focus on those three things. we have five of them there for

you. you can see,again, paying on time, paying it down and leaving the old cards open once you pay them off. your score will go up 50 to 100 points in less than a year. great. thank you very much. we, of course, want to thank our guests. on the east coast, sharon will answer for money questions during a live web chat coming up at 9:30 on today.com. still ahead, up next, breast health 101. what every woman needs to know. later on, in today's home, get a high priced look with low-cost items. my recipe for french toast.

take toast. spread with i can't believe it's not butter! add jacques. he's french. oui. ♪ mmmm. oui like. [ male announcer ] i can't believe it's not butter! has irresistible fresh butter taste with 70% less saturated fat than butter. [ kim ] you can have it all. [ male announcer ] i can't believe it's not butter! ♪ [ guy ] ring, ring. progresso... i love your new loaded potato with bacon. that's what we like to hear. ring, ring. progresso... ...switch our phone service? ...no, i think we're pretty happy with our phones. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ca jun raw seafood pizza parlor french fondue tex-mex fro-yo tapas puck chinese takeout taco truck ee fr range chicken pancake stack baked alaska

5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at restaurants. it pays to discover. [ female announcer ] find yourself sometimes cleaning up after your dishcloth? bounty extra soft can help. it's super durable, and in this lab test bounty extra soft leaves this surface three times cleaner than a dishcloth. even with just one sheet. super clean. super soft. bounty extra soft. in the pink pack. and try bounty napkins. s, hearty pasta stuffed with a blend of italian cheeses. for just $11.95 try them with grilled chicken in a roasted garlic alfredo.

or for just $9.95 try them with sausage in tomato alfredo. at olive garden. [ sighs ] can't wait 'til morning. wait, it's morning in china... [ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's® crunchy nut™. it's morning somewhere™. ♪ my hump my hump >> all about breasts, from thighs to surgery and cancer screening we have all your questions covered. dr. carrie peterson is here. good morning. >> good morning. >> half the population has breasts but people still have

questions so let's get right to it. we know breasts are made of fatty tissue. a lot of people ask, wait a minute, just because it's made of fatty tissue we saw small women with big boobs explain. >> they're made of milk ducts and glands and connective tissue but skinny girls can have big boobs. if you gain weight they'll get bigger and if you lose weight they'll get smaller but baseline it's genetic. >> a lot notice one breast appears to be larger s this common. >> it's common. it happens -- starts in puberty, breast asymmetry and when you hit puberty girls start to make estrogen and each breast responds to it differently so may grow at different sizes. now generally they'll even out but in about 25% of women, there's a visible difference in size as an adult. that's perfectly fine. >> what determines breast size. one imagines it's hereditary but moms and daughters do not share that feature. >> that can be frustrating if

your mom has big boobe bchbes a don't. it doesn't always reflect just your mom. >> pregnancy, what happens to a lot of women while their pregnant. the breasts get larger. what happens afterwards. >> after pregnancy they deflate as many women know. once you finish breast-feeding they can be soft and droopy because the skin around them is still so loose but in time if you have good skin eelasticity, it should get down to prepregnancy state. >> a lot have breast implants or reduction and augmentation. many wonder if it affects breast-feeding. >> possibly. it depends on what was done in the surgery. if you've had nerve damage to the nerves around the nipple or

the areola, it's possible it can limit your milk flow but if the nipple and areola are intact attached to the underlying breast tissue you should be fine. >> okay, let's talk about breast cancer screening because this is breast cancer awareness month. what are the signs to look for? >> risk factors, let's start with age. so the older you get. the greater likelihood of your risk. one in eight women under 45 will have invasive breast cancer but two in three women over 55 will have invasive breast cancer. >> you mention some of the risk factors. you have cole use, childbirth. i think i read if you delay childbirth that can increase your risk. >> that's correct. if you've never given birth or have children after 30 that also increases your risk of breast cancer. >> it's the second most common cancer diagnosed in women in the u.s. >> yes, it is. >> let's talk about the various ways you can try to prevent it. the first is self-exams. i mean every time you go to the doctor, they're harping on you to do self-exams.

has this been effective in catching breast cancer. >> what is recommended has shifted slightly. first up you should have a doctor do a breast exam on you in your 20s and 30s every three years and after 40, every year. but breast self-exams are considered optional now. because they're not completely proven to be a benefit as a screening tool but at women's health we do feel if you're comfortable with it, go ahead. that way you learn what's normal for your breast. >> a lot have lumpy breast, right, isn't it hard to determine there is something wrong there. >> it is. that's why it's important to know what your baseline is and if it's changed. that's the key. >> the bottom line on mammograms, so much conflicting advice the last few years. >> there has because the united states did make changes but still the general consensus from the american cancer society, get one every year after age 40. unless you have a family history, in that case discuss it with your doctor.

>> all right, dr. carrie peterson, a lot of questions and answers, thanks so much. the michigan father who allegedly let his 9-year-old daughter be his designated driver. he will get his day in court. what he said to pe rht after these messages. ♪ baby i love you ys. guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to the table faster. sunday morning ideas made easy.

and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes, i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ keep on going in this direction. take this bridge over here. there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪ [ male announcer ] write your story with the citi thankyou premier card, with no point caps, and points that don't expire. get started at thankyoucard.citi.com.

♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8.

how long have we known each other. >> years. >> explain this. >> great video. thanks so much, savannah. samantha -- >> all the way up to harrisburg. >> i knew -- >> i didn't want to disappoint you. >> all right. i was going to go with susquehanna. >> behind the scenes al always teases me about my name. i knew it would catch up with you. >> see the difference between high and low-cost item >> t theheulf the ambush makeover. look we're all racing with the guys from cars !

dad: look at 'em ! here's your guy benny ! younger boy: i got lightning mcqueen ! i got mater ! dad: hi honey ! ready ? now ! older boy: i got 'em ! dad: here comes lightning mcqueen! boys: woah! oh did you see that ? ♪ we sing along younger boy: yeah ! ♪ to all our favorite songs look how far he is ! ♪ we can make 'em up younger boy: watch out lightning ♪ 'cause we were made for each other ♪ toy sfx: go go go ! older boy: lightning wins ! ♪ for always boys: woo hoo ! toy sfx: see you soon amigos ! those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. [ sighs ] can't wait 'til morning.

wait, it's morning in china... [ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's® crunchy nut™. it's morning somewhere™. good morning. the time is 9:26. i'm jon kelley. san jose police say they dug up the body of a murdered hell's angel leader in hopes to find evidence in another murder. they say steve tausan was killed. police thought ruiz may have been killed and buried in the grave at that funeral. investigators did dig up the grave but did not find anything. our traffic situation and updafn that crash on 101 in san francisco. aaron, you're all set. great, thanks.

mike, thanks for doing that discount double check. you saved us hundreds. what was that? the discount double check? it's when we comb through your policies and make sure that you're getting all the discounts you deserve. no, i get that part, but you guys are doing my move. the discount double check move? that's my touchdown dance. so you're a dancer? no, i'm a quarterback. oh, a quarterback. mrr. i'm a robot. mm, mm. ee, er, ee, er. get out of here. [ male announcer ] aaron rodgers got his. how about you? rodgers! discount double check! [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

welcome back. we're still following that closure for 101 southbound after that early morning accident. still have those rigs on the roadway. although, they have been stood up. still have to be cleared and check the integrity of 101 south between i-80 and cesar chavez still closed and surface streets are jammed. bridge has remained clearç the past few hours but likely people are hearing about this and avoiding the area. that is a wise choice. walnut creek, 680, accident there. taking a look at 880 past the coliseum. northbound still causing problems after we had, actually, a sigalert at high street an hour ago that never recovered. it's still very slow there. haze in the air as well there, christina. >> we actually have flight delays to add on top of all those delays you're going to find on the roads this morning. 45-minute delays, trying to get in and out of sfo due to low ceilings.

a pretty clear picture of the city right now. really dense fog this morning, right along the coastline. as you head throughout the day today, your temperatures will climb into the mid 70s. 74 in concord, 65 in san francisco, 74 in los gatos today. your seven-day outlook shows you there is a warm-up on the way. we'll be back to the mid 80s saturday and sunday and that means the 90s in places like livermore and concord as we head into your weekend. right now, back to you, jon kelley. >> christina, thank you very much for the update. latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area morning news on facebook. i'll be back in one half hour with more local news.

♪ >> seven-time grammy winners coldplay dominated the charts to 50 million albums worldwide. a new album coming out. if you want to hear some of their hits tune this friday when coldplay performs live on the plaza for an entire half hour. cannot wait. >> so excited for that. >> that's right but meanwhile, coming up in this half hour a story that has a lot of folks shaking their heads.

the michigan man accused of using his 9-year-old daughter as his chauffeur. his designated driver. made his first court appearance tuesday on child abuse charges. he was caught on surveillance tape actually admitting he was too drunk to drive and got his daughter to do the driving for him. unbelievable. >> amazing story. also ahead it's that time of year again where we like to do some holiday entertaining so may want to spruce up your home decor. how you can do it but on a budget and we'll put all of you to the test to see if you can tell the difference between the high cost items here and the low cost ones. and then later -- what are you doing over there, guys? i mean -- >> wow. >> what's going on. >> improve your decor, get rid of brian. >> no. >> aw. >> aw! >> later in "today's kitchen." we got some delicious -- spit it out. that's what i get for making fun of you for calling me samantha. seasonal recipes that will impress your guests. first, how about a check of the

weather? >> man, that looked good. what's happening first today we've got the wet weather in the northeast. slight risk of storms along the atlantic midcoast. western half of the country beautiful, windy around the lower great lakes. tomorrow the heavy rain and winds continue around the eastern great lakes. the rain moves into the northeast and new england. few showers in interior sections. showery and cool through the mid-atlantic region. beautiful weather through the southwest with sunny skies and a lot of heat. good wednesday morning to you. taking a live look from san bruno. you can see mostly cloudy conditions all across the bay area from san francisco to livermore, even san jose. completely cloudy right now. by 9:00 am, you can see mostly cloudy conditions over the entire bay area. we stopped the clock for you at 12:00. that's where you're going to get a break. the sun will shine over novato, warming temperatures up into the 70s.

73 in fremont and 74 in napa. even more substantial warm-up on the way. 85 on saturday and sunday. r. >> all right, al. we want to say hello to elizabeth olsen star of a new film. good morning to you. so that is quite a title. i saw the trailer for the movie last night. it looks really spooky. that's about that title refers to all four character, all of you, right? >> and a larger metaphor of this young woman's story. >> basically she's part of a cult. >> yes. >> escapes and then ends up living with her estranged sister. >> yes, and she takes place over the couple weeks she is reis simulating posttraumatic stress of this cult. >> scary looking film. looks like a real thriller. complicated part to play and you're a relatively new actress. was that intimidating to take on. >> it was more exciting because

you don't get to seize those opportunities too much as a young new actress so i got very lucky that the director wanted an unknown actress for the part. >> and for those who may not know you've got two sister, people may have heard of, mary-kate and ashley. >> maybe. >> have they imparted any advice to you, given you any tips. >> not really. it's just they lead by example. they have really strong work ethics and never stopped working their entire lives so just knowing it's all about the work and following your passions. >> wow. >> have you adjusted to the fact that you're on magazine covers now and you're kind of the "it" girl in hollywood. >> you know, what's funny, it hasn't really changed much. i still am in college at nyu and still taking classes and not one person turns a head. so -- >> your chances to use the magazine -- hey, professor, i couldn't study last night, hook what i was doing. hook at this. >> no, they have been kind in giving me extensions when i need them. >> i hope they give you some

credit, school of arts for your movie. >> i get no credit. if i went to gallitan, i would. except for experience. >> great to meet you. >> thanks for having me. >> we we mind "marcy may marlene" coming up. the dad accused of using his 9-year-old daughter as a designated driver goes before a judge. getting a high private low budget.our home but on a a but first these messages. starbucks via® is planted the same...cer ] ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. ♪ it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via® ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via® taste promise.

look for it at starbucks stores and where you buy groceries. [ female announcer ] pillsbury chocolate chip cookies with hershey's chocolate chips. for a moment of warm, gooey, togetherness. chocolate chip cookies... from pillsbury. aflac... and major medical? major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do. aflac! pays cash so we don't have to fret. [ together ] ♪ something families should get ♪ ♪ like a safety net ♪ even helps pay deductibles, so cover your back, get... ♪ a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aflac! [ male announcer ] help protect your family at aflac.com. ea [ btboxing ]

[[ male announcer ] help protect your family at aflac.com. fresher less processed foods introducing freshpet recipes so fresh the only preservative we use is the fridge freshpet fresh food for fido [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] that's awesome. you can read that? ♪ [ female announcer ] the accufit digital system, exclusively at lenscrafters... is about 5 times more precise than manual measurement techniques. lenscrafters.

now to the latest on the manager father arrested for allegedly use his 9-year-old daughter as a designated driver. on tuesday he faced a judge for the first time and stephanie gosk is in browntown township with the details. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: at this gas station it's open 24 hours a day and the quickmart is pretty well

stocked. at one point is it just not worth it to take a trip to the store? shawn weimer's friends say he is a good guy. he's just made a very big mistake. in court he looked tired and emotional. accused of drinking too much and making his 9-year-old daughter drive him around town. anyone watching the scene must have done a series double take. all caught on surveillance video, a very large van pulled up at the gas station at 3:00 in the morning and a very small driver popped out. how could that little girl possibly have driven there? but inside the diminutive driver's dad was eager to brag. >> 9 years old. 9. listen, we're leaving and she's driving. i'm drunk. i swear to you, 9 years old, in the truck. she drove me all the way here. >> and i parked. >> i got a 9-year-old chauffeur. >> reporter: and the 9-year-old chauffeur, she got a candy apple

before getting back behind the wheel. weimer's free on $25,000 bail, but for now the single father is not allowed any contact with his daughter. >> you cannot see her. >> reporter: the judge may not give him a break but his friends are willing to. >> the way they post his picture on the news, i mean just makes him look like he's a criminal. he's not. he's a good dad. >> reporter: weimer's daughter is staying with her mother who tells the detroit news that the 39-year-old is a good father who made a bad choice. she also wants to know how her daughter learned to drive. i have no clue how she reached the pedals. well, however she did it, it seemed to work. notice the smooth parking job. slightly off center but many licensed drivers do worse. still a 9-year-old driving a van raises some red flags, a concerned citizen phoned 911. >> is the vehicle staying on the road? >> yes, she's driving pretty good. i'm telling you, i can't believe

it. >> reporter: the only tinge that shocked the girl was that she got pulled over. when the officer came to the window she simply asked, why did you stop me? i'm a good driver. that may sound kind of cute but this is a serious situation for weimer. he is charged with two counts of child abuse, second degree and fourth degree and also a charge of habitual -- ha birth whalley -- habitual oweffender d could face up to 15 years. his lawyer said they'll investigate before he makes his plea in early november. >> all right, stephanie, thanks so much. coming up next decking out your home with the season's hottest trends without breaking the bank. but first these messages. [ female announcer ] today is the day... ♪ ...you make a change

with best foods. ♪ make parmesan-crusted chicken. ♪ surprisingly crispier... juicier... mmm. yummier. find this and other recipes at bestfoods.com. made with real simple ingredients. best foods. make it real. make it different. carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. tonight we're setting the table with something new. come in for olive garden's new stuffed rigatonis,

hearty pasta stuffed with a blend of five italian cheeses. for just $11.95 try the rigatoni with grilled chicken in a roasted garlic alfredo. or for just $9.95 try the rigatoni with sausage in tomato alfredo. both served with our unlimited fresh salad or homemade soup and warm breadsticks. so grab a table tonight at olive garden. when you're here you're family. ban ca jun raw seafood pizza parlor french fondue tex-mex fro-yo tapas puck chinese takeout taco truck free range chick pancake stack baked alaska 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at restaurants. it pays to discover. as a researcher, i refer to her as "that woman with the great gums." because great gums are a foundation of a healthy smile. so she uses crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most.

crest pro-health clinical gum protection. because healthy smiles are built on healthy gums. life opens up when you do. ♪ i thi nk i'll grab me ♪ i a bowl and spoon now ♪ ♪ crispy flakes calling my name ♪ ♪ yaaaaaaay! honey bunches of oats. four grains come together for nutrition in perfect harmony with great taste. honey bunches of oats. 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. this morning on "today's home" the high/low game. everything you need to get ready for holiday entertaining but some items cost four, five, six times than a cheaper look-alike. can you tell the difference? can i. sabrina is here, the host of "the high/low project." let's start with this. i've been inspecting. mirrored furniture is a big trend. i'll take a look. i'm going to say this is the higher priced one. >> you would think because it's

a lot bigger but this one is. >> really? >> yes. it's hand painted. the front's mirror is thicker. if you still want that look, you can get it lower this. is bigger for a fraction. >> what's the difference in price. >> this is 800 and this is 300. >> table lamps are big. these look almost identical. this will be tough. i'll say this is the more expensive one. >> no. >> i'm terrible at this game. >> this is lower. handcut crystal. this is crystal and acrylic but you can get the look. this is a little heavier. >> does this mean i have cheap tastes? >> no. you can get the look. >> even up close. let's talk about acrylic chairs. what's the -- what do people like about them. >> what's great about them is the modern take and doesn't visually take up space. you can get seating and a nice modern updated look. >> i would think this would be

more expensive because it's more complicated. >> this is authentic and this is way more expensive, $410. if you want the acrylic look -- >> can you tell the difference. >> i still you can get the look. great for indoor and outdoor use. >> bold pillows. tell us about these. these look absolutely identical. >> this will be tough. trend, ethnic prints all throughout 2011. >> these are two different pillows. >> yes. >> this is a toughie. this is more expensive. >> this is $180, this is only $50. bought online. this is just somebody at home making pillows. this is a diner pillow. this doesn't have the same color. >> i don't believe it. this pattern is identical and the quality feels the same too. >> this is bigger but exact same fabric in the front. this comes with an insert. the low doesn't have one. >> another big fad in decorating

is mini bars. why are people getting into these? they must change up a room. >> you could close it up. doesn't take up a lot of room in your dining area. >> all right. so guessing which is which, i have to really inspect here. how am i doing? -- >> you're doing really well. i'm going to say this one on the left is the more expensive one. >> the one on the right -- >> i should do the opposite of my instincts. >> you have to look up close. better hardware. the front has the insets where this doesn't. this comes assembled. with the low you have to assemble itself. >> we're talking over a thousand dollars and this is just a few hundred. >> room dividers, decorative but can be functional. tell us why do people like to use these. >> you could divide a room and use it for a big wall but which one -- i mean this is a little bit -- this is -- >> i mean this one is bigger so -- >> okay.

>> i know. sherlock holmes with the high/low project. this one is low. then we have here the wall decorations which can really snap up a room. >> you don't have to do the entire room just an accent wall but it's still a huge trend going into 2012. >> this is wallpaper. >> a wall covering. >> okay. >> i'm going to say that's more expensive. >> stenciling project is a do it yourself which is low and you got it half right. >> the big part is it's a bargain. >> you're saving thousands of dollars. sometimes you should splurge if you want the look you don't have to spend a lot of money. >> $3300 between our high and low. a big difference. >> i may be the biggest loser. sabrina, thank you very much. it's on hdtv 8:30 p.m. starting next week "the high low project." easy and tasteny meal coming up but first this is "today" on

nbc.

♪ this morning on "today's kitchen." what's for dinner? easy seasonal recipes. andrew carmellini. his new cookbook is "american flavor." a big old rack of pork here. >> it's autumn. getting cold so i'm thinking roast and apples. >> man, you're brining this. >> because i put the cider glaze i don't put sugar on it. just salt and water. cracked pepper on it. we can put a little bit of salt on there, again, it's been in the brine. doesn't feed a lot, just a little bit and damp it to get some of that brine off. >> puts it in a rack in a roasting pan that will go in the oven 50 or 60 minutes. >> you have apples in there with

it. >> we put it in there because we want roast apples. apples, cider, pork, kind of the idea for fall time. after about 50 minutes you got the rack coming out of the oven and we are going to make this glaze to go with the pork. >> what goes in the glaze. >> cider, autumn falltime and really sat down to a sticky syrup. >> cook it down until it loses a lot of the liquid. >> get the apple concentrated and apple cider vinegar, sweet and the sour. >> cut ss it a bit. >> sweet and sour and bring it together and take that and we're going to paint the pork up. >> ooh. >> just kind of like -- >> glazy like that. >> that's nice. >> nice and shiny. >> do we put this back in the oven once you get the glaze on. >> put a little glaze on, put it back in the oven for five minutes, take it up and mop the whole thing up again. >> you put a rub on afterwards. >> kind of like if you get the

barbecue, they put the spices on when it comes out. kind of like the idea, you get the sweet and smokey. >> oh, man. >> cumin in there and paprika. >> why do you like doing it with the bone in as opposed to boneless roast. >> sunday, you'll make a big supper for everyone, makes like a nice presentation in the middle of the table. >> i like that bone in. you saw gnawing on that bone. >> it just tastes better. >> cranberry -- >> kind of like pilaf, quinoa and wild rice and fix them all together, toasted pecans inside there. i got some green onions inside there. >> the thing that kicks this up, cranberries but do something special to them. >> i know, dried cranberries but earl grey tea inside it. put the tea bag inside. this is my favorite part. i put a little whiskey inside. >> savannah is just here in

time. >> whiskey, pork, apples. what fall is all about. put the whole thing inside, the water and the whiskey and mix it up. >> wow. >> then we'll go ahead and eat that over here. >> yum. >> with some plates already. i have the pork with the glaze and the rubs, the post apples in the bottom pan and then wild rice pilaf inside. >> that looks great. >> get some whiskey. >> i meaay not need to eat for week. >> get everyone around the table. a little sunday supper. >> fantastic. andrew, thank you very much. >> thanks for having me. >> that fells fantastic. >> do you think i can do the tease with food in my mouth. >> let's find out. >> youot gt igood. >> oh, my god. what a nice day.

good morning, everyone. the time is 9:56. i'm jon kelley. occupy protesters are bringing more problems to the downtown

area, business owners say. some business owners are complaining rats are now infiltrating the area and some protesters are using drugs and alcohol. the demonstration against corporate greed, entering its second week in oakland. protesters say, hey, they don't see a problem. >> city activity. you have to pay for these things. and i don't know if they're thinking about potentially trying to push us out. i hope not. if they want to do that, i hope they realize a lot of expense is involved in like a police action as well. we want to be peaceful. we want to just be here, work toward our goals of making the country and the world a better place, and oakland. we hope they're on our side. >> meantime, some of the demonstrators have relocated to snow park. tents are set up. many say they plan to stay there indefinitely. let's get a check on the roads. mike inouye is following that latest tanker crash that brought traffic to a complete halt on

101 this morning. still bringing traffic to a very slow drive in the northbound direction. but then traffic coming toward us on the other side of the screen, right side, that's empty. that's because there is that closure still going on just after the bay bridge. off i-80 toward cesar chavez, a full closure because of the early morning accident. truck fire and cleanup. they have to check the integrity of the roadway as well. slow on the 280 extension and city streets getting there as well. east shore freeway, early slowing into berkeley still continues as well as 880 through oakland, christina. rough, rough morning. the fog is starting to clear. from visible satellite imagery, thickest fog is down in the santa cruz area. over the course of the next two hours, between now and noon, that marine layer will be pushed out to sea. 74 in concord. you'll hit about 75 in san jose. we warm up as we head into your weekend. 85 on saturday. and then dry, breezy weather as

it kicks off next week. back to you, jon. back in half an hour. the "today" show is next. n our . [ male announcer ] act for kids, with maximum fluoride for up to 40% fewer cavities act. stronger teeth and better checkups in every bottle.

from nbc news, this is today with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. captions paid for by nbc-universal television guess what, herb? it is wines day, wednesday, october 19th. we're excited. >> we're hopping on a plane and coming out west. >> pike place market. 7:00 a.m. we'll do another show after that around 8:30, okay? >> come and stick around. >> where the first starbucks is right down near there. >> good.

>> it's going to be fun. >> if you're youtube fans you may have heard of justin and jeremy. they're 5 years old. they have the wii game. their dad put the video up online and it got a million hits. this is what it looked like. ♪ >> this is the new one. this is the new one ♪ today i don't feel like doing anything, i just want to lay in my bed ♪ >> they're so cute. ♪ don't feel like picking up my phone, leave a message at the tone ♪ >> oh, my god. his hands are in the pants like in the video! ♪ i ain't gonna brush my hair,

cause i ain't going anywhere ♪ >> by the way, his hands are in his pants just like bruno mars in the video. like the lazy guy sitting on the couch. not gross like you're thinking. >> you think i sit around and watch videos, hoda woman? i wouldn't know what he had his hands in his pants for. i could imagine. i didn't know. you learn something new every day. >> yes, indeed, you do. >> do you ever get a song in your head? who am i talking to. of course you do. there are certain songs. i don't know what it is about them. they stick in your brain and they will not leave you. >> apparently there's even some kind of scientific sort of -- i don't know. there's something that every single catchy song has in common. >> it must be intervals or something. >> here are the ones that they are saying are the catchiest. ♪ we are the champions, my friend ♪ >> by queen. "we are the champions." that one gets stuck.

a little droney. ♪ y-m-c-a >> village people. ♪ living on a prayer >> before we play mine. it's like a worm song. it gets in your head. it never gets out. i'm even afraid to play it. i want to apologize. you're going to be thinking about it all day. here it is. i'm sorry. it's a britney spears song. keep it going. ♪ >> there's something about it. every time i hear it i regret it because i think about it. i want to tell you so we regret it together. yours is a little different. >> i win the most -- it's not toxic by any means. it's a sweet little song when you're actually on the ride. when you're riding home and you

can't stop listening to this. ♪ it's a world of laughter, a world of tears, it's a world of hope and a world of fears ♪ ♪ it's a small world after all >> oh, my gosh. ♪ it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all ♪ >> who do i dance for? >> vito! >> come on, vito! sing it at home, baby! ♪ it's a small, small world >> all right. >> they have everything you can imagine on craigslist. everything you can imagine. they even have this thing. it's called the $5 website. it will tell you -- if you want anything for five bucks, go on there. it'll tell you, like, i can get a gift for $5. i can clean up your twitter account for $5. here are some of the examples that you can find on craigslist if you have five bucks. >> fiver.

fiver.com. >> whatever. >> it's not craigslist at all. >> f-i-v-e-r.com. >> i heard about some of the things you can get on craigslist. some of those things don't turn out so well if you've been reading the headlines recently. >> so on fiver.com, you can get -- >> who's the one who's jet lagged? me or you? >> sounds like me. someone will proofread your resume for five bucks to make sure no typos. those things can get in the way. what's the next one? >> someone will create a fan page for your business. >> for five bucks. >> make you a cosmetic case. write your message in the sand on a tropical beach. >> for $5. i will give you instant relief from sadness or stress for $5. >> yeah. >> all right. anyway. >> that one would probably be worth it, you know? >> go to fiver, f-i-v-v. so it's -- >> or go to craigslist and have a ball. >> anyway.

this freaks me out. it's called holy smoke. it's a company that loads human ashes into ammunition. so if you're undecided on how you want to spend your afterlife, you could do this. my holy smoke has come up with a new use for your ashes. >> anyway, you put them in, like, a shotgun shell, i guess. if your loved one wants to be -- his ashes spread over maybe a mountain, i don't know, maybe you just shoot the shotgun up there. i don't know. it seems a little weird. >> you had another idea for it before we got on the air. >> you don't love your loved one, you might want to go hunting with it. okay? that's all i was saying. >> i just think that's bizarre. it's supposed to be the best way to go out of this world. >> a lot of men are watching -- and women, too, of course, are watching football and enjoying it. >> yes. but if you tend to lose your guy to a football game, they've come wup a great, great, great idea. the nfl now has team apparel but for ladieladies. >> first we'll show our cute little things we got. they're cut right. they've got a little cleavage.

the whole thing is happening. >> if you don't wear any pants with it you'll get a little -- you'll get some -- he might actually look at you. >> all right. cafe mom is offering some advice for women who are at home and feeling bored when their husband is watching the game. they say tip number one, when the team scores a touchdown, you get 15 minutes of your own time with your husband after that touchdown. >> okay. >> something sexy, apparently. tip two, after a change of position that happens as a result of a fumble, you get to wrestle. you know, this is never, ever happening at anyone's house at all. okay? after every fight -- >> let's move on to wine nerd. more our style. the wine tasting game. here's the first question. >> do them from here. >> i can't read them. it comes with these little cards. >> it's a drinking game. when you get the question wrong, you drink. >> or right. >> or right.

depending on whatever. >> okay. how might a foxy wine be described? very attractive? beautiful flavor? or musty. or red and furry. >> i'm going to go with red and furry. >> musty. >> i hardly even said the word. you win. >> is it musty? it is. imagine that. >> i get to drink when i lose. >> it's not complementary. >> wine is believed to have originated in one country? iran, france or romania. >> iran. >> i'm going to say -- iran. this is a great game. you're winning. and so am i. >> jerry said i'd get every one of these. >> the largest wine bottle size is, a, a magnum, b, a what? it's a magnum. >> it's a magnum. it's a -- >> you mean there's something bigger i don't know about? >> it's the second one. >> nevakanezer.

it is huge. holds the equivalent of 20 bottles of wine. >> maybe it's what we saw when we were in aspen. that big huge that. >> you're right. if a wine is described as hot it most likely means it has too high an alcohol content -- that's not possible. is spicy flavored or is served at warmer than room temperature. >> i'm going with spicy. >> spicy flavored. what? drink anyway. too much alcohol content. this is a negative trait. says who? okay. all right. >> there's some more. let's continue drinking. typically, about how many classes can you get from a standard-sized bottle? eight to ten? five to six? two to three? >> i always thought it was four classes. so i'm going to go to five to six. >> i'll go two to three. the kind of glasses we have. >> that's true. i use a fish bowl at home. >> at academic wine tasting why

do the tasters sometimes spit the win out. they don't like the wine. they can pick up flavor. they spit out the wine to avoid becoming drink. >> it's b. no? what? is that true? no. how do you know, sara? >> lastly. here's the last one. the tie breaker. >> what? >> doesn't matter. when the cork is presented to you at a restaurant, you should look at it and touch it, bite it to determine the cork's subtle flavors or smell it. >> smell it. >> what? i'm against this entire quiz. >> what's the answer? look at it and touch it? >> lick it. up next, they're done with hair and makeup. >> the amazing results of today's ambush makeovers, right after this. lick it. let's do it. ♪ ♪

♪ hey! it says just take one! i can't read. ♪ [ male announcer ] walmart has low prices, every day for halloween. from bags of candy to bigger bags of candy. backed by our ad match guarantee. save money. live better. walmart. just having some tender chicken and some tasty noodles. let's see...south western vegetables...60 calories. ya' know those jeans look nice. they do? yup. so you were checking me out? yup. [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. new intense shadowblast from covergirl. [ drew ] what's the latest in eye couture? the news? it's eye shadow with primer built-in so it lasts! rich color that's fadeproof, waterproof, totally ignore-proof! oh yes! with new intense shadowblast eye couture is ready to wear for hours! and here's a tip: to make an even bigger statement wear with lashblast fusion mascara lashblast and new intense shadowblast

from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. yeah ! ♪ you are exactly one of a kind ♪ ( boy giggles ) 10 ! r ! s ! ♪ i see your face when i see mine ♪ blue ! ( boy giggles ) ♪ we sing along to all our favorite songs ♪ g ! got it ! ♪ we can make 'em up 'cause we were made for each other ♪ ( boy screams and giggles ) ♪ for always ♪ oh ! oh ! yeah ! you kids almost ready? i've got breakfast waiting for you. whoo! uh-oh. what? mom's doing her exercise video again.

when mom's on a health kick, all of us are. and now she's made us breakfast. uh-oh. ♪ [ male announcer ] eggo nutri-grain waffles. you know it's made with 8 grams of whole grain and is a good source of fiber. all they know is it tastes great. eggo nutri-grain waffles. simply delicious.

we're back on this winesday, wednesday, a special edition of today's plaza pam bush makeovers where we pluck two ladies from the ground and surprise them with a brand-new look. >> here is our crack makeover team, "today" contributor and stylist to the stars, luis licari and "today" and "us weekly" contributor and -- >> author. mother. >> jill martin. we'll explain this adorable baby. tell us about the baby. >> not mine. >> babies don't need makeovers, do they? perfect the way they are. >> perfection. >> our first lucky lady happens to be her daughter. jennifer dice, 38 years old from heartland, michigan. gave birth to the baby girl annika you just saw 10 months ago. she doesn't have a lot of time to focus on herself. >> i think annika is taking over my job here which i'm more than happy to give her.

we couldn't help but spot you in the crowd because of her. why does jennifer deserve this? >> jennifer is a single mom by choice. she works full time. she has this beautiful baby girl. and she just definitely deserves a mommy makeover. >> mommy makeover. we're on the hunt, right? we're looking for the handsome, fabulous man out there? >> yes, yes, i am. definitely. >> ready to go? >> i'm ready. >> ready, annika? >> she lit up when she saw her mommy on the screen. >> jennifer is friends with lisa. we're going to first just show jennifer. here is jennifer's before picture. are you ready, annika? come on out. let's see the new you. oh! >> oh, yeah. okay. i think it might be time. mommy, spin around and take a look. >> i love it. >> amazing. >> spin around here.

>> i don't think your daughter recognizes you. >> tell us about this. >> jennifer, new mom. and one of the basic problems, what happens when you have a baby, you have all those little baby hairs that start to grow in within the first four to six months. when her hair was long they looked like broken hairs. jennifer lawrence gave her this great haircut that incorporated those little baby hairs that will soon grow in within the next year or so. of course, i made her hair color a little brighter. >> of course you did. red. which you love. >> just a little warm. >> annika, what do you think of mommy? >> tell us about the outfit. >> the worst thing you could give a new mother is a white shirt. but she is looking for a new man, isn't she? what a great button-down shirt. >> i love the lace at the top. >> so pretty. >> white house, black market. statement jewelry from kohl's. under $25. >> the bracelet is fantastic. >> jennifer, stand over here and

turn your back if you wouldn't mind so you don't see your friend coming out. our next lucky lady. >> her friend is lisa porter. she's 40 from south lyon, michigan. her two children keep her so busy all she has time to do is throw her hair up in a pony tail in the morning. she begged us to give her a brand-new glam look. let's listen to her story. >> victim number two. now it's lisa's turn. why does lisa deserve this? >> lisa deserves this because she is a mom of two children. she's a stay-at-home mom. she just really deserves it. >> i need it. >> she needs it. she wants it really bad. >> are you ready for a sexy new look? because you tell me your hubby is. >> yes, he is. i'm sure he is. eight years of marriage. >> okay. so let's take one last look at lisa before. >> don't turn around. >> no, no. don't try it, jennifer. wait a second. let's bring lisa porter out brand-new!

>> lisa! >> oh, my gosh. >> should we do the double reveal? >> should we let her see herself first? >> you've got to see yourself. >> lisa, look at yourself. >> wow. >> is that a good wow. >> it's a good wow, yeah. >> face that door for a second. on three you guys are going to turn around. hold on. you guys ready? all the cameras ready? all right. one, two, three, turn around. >> oh, my god. >> wow. you look great. >> yeah. you do, too. >> what did you do, luis? >> okay. again, she just wanted to look, you know, a little sassy. 40, sexy, perky, all the things you want to look when you're turning 40. she has great hair. we didn't want to cut it off. made it fluffy and sexy. of course a little bit of makeup. >> tell us about that outfit. >> gorgeous dress. this is a color blocking story.

look at the green earrings and green bracelet. i love that for fall. purple and green. people don't think you can wear those together. another example. >> you've proven you can. >> what do you guys think of your new look? >> i love it. >> you do? that baby, by the way. that baby! >> thanks, everybody. up next, i can't see it, but it must be something about a it must be something about a [ female announcer ] today is the day... ♪ ...you make a change with best foods. ♪ make parmesan-crusted chicken. ♪ surprisingly crispier... juicier... mmm. yummier. find this and other recipes at bestfoods.com. made with real simple ingredients. best foods. make it real. make it different.

i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke -- and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery.

common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. these are the reasons i quit smoking. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. i'd like a decaf 360 calories please. i'll have a triple iced 410 calories please. you know what... i'll have this instead. [ female announcer ] swap one thing a day for a yoplait light at around 100 calories. it will add up to amazing. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. and for healthy, beautiful hair, try nourish plus haircare. only from aveeno.

we're back with one of our favorite segments called "what the what?" >> ms. sara has sifted through all the fphotos you sent in. >> michelle holloway from essex, ohio. check out lucky number seven? thou shalt commit adultery.

the pastor noticed it. they changed it very quickly. >> that is funny. unless you know it in your sleep like kathie lee, really, that's on the list of things to do? our next photo was sent in by lori mcmahon from rockaway, new jersey. ugh. i wish it was wednesday. my husband could have saved me 10%. no joke. this is at a doughnut shop. if you have issues with your hair, you might now have issues with your weight. >> hysterical. >> this one was sent in from diana wogoodwin from kentucky. this photo. just the way i like them. i think it was supposed to be "menu." >> try our deep fried men. >> i would have taken them grilled or roasted. fried sounds good, too.

our next one was sent in from michelle flanagan from georgia. who's hungry? >> roadkill cafe, baby. >> there's a raccoon in there! >> mcdonald's or roadkill cafe. we have a photo from linda kelly from glenview, illinois. is there at least a life guard on duty? the beach is open. it might kill you. but the beach is open for swimming if you'd like to take that chance. >> it's so beautiful, lake michigan. it's worth it. >> finally from washington, is this a subliminal message? >> please see our other location. incontinence! >> that is not nice. all right. thank you, sara. still ahead, a monster mash. a who knew quiz about halloween

movies and songs. handling problems with your babysitter. singer/songwriter chris isaak sings us a new classic. >> when? >> whenever he wants to. after your locals an wer.atheurat hey, check it out. she's using the mr. clean magic eraser bath scrubber. i've heard of it, but i haven't seen one up close. what's the word around the sink? that it removes 3 times more soap scum per swipe, and it came from outer space. it is not from outer space! no, man, it's from outer space. they're aliens on an intergalactic cleanliness mission. they're here to clean up the universe. oh, the kitchen scrubbers are aliens, too? yeah, look at that greasy kitchen mess. everybody's in on the cleanspiracy, man. i can't even trust myself. [ male announcer ] mr. clean magic eraser kitchen and bath scrubbers. the clean is out of this world. that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

she's supporting breast cancer programs for her neighbour's tennis instructor's daughter's 1st grade teacher who's also her mom. help fund breast cancer programs in your community. redeem your lids today isn't just a great way to clean wood. pledge is also gentle on leather. safe on stainless. missed a spot. great for shining motorcycles... wood? come on. it's pledge. car seats and dashboards. hey there! it cleans laminate furniture... or whatever that was. even granite. today, pledge shines a whole lot more than just end tables. [ male announcer ] for a quick dusting, try pledge wipes. [ female announcer ] sc johnson, a family company. good morning, everyone. the time now is 10:26. i'm jon kelley.

crews cleaning up a major crash on 101 this morning. a big rig jackknifed in the southbound lanes and caught fire around 5:00 this morning. chp had to shut down the entire southbound 101 while crews were out there, trying to put out the fire. at least three other cars were involved in this crash. one person was injured and taken to the hospital. right now, we have crews -- actually, crews there have both trailers upright. you can see the truck engine completely burnt out there. now the concern turns to the overpass itself. a big chunk of concrete looks like it may have broken loose from the edge where the truck actually hit it. bob redell will bring us the latest coming up at 11:00. a it's 10:27. weather and traffic after this break. honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my internet cord. oh, i'll borrow hailey's.

you're downloading movies. fast! from here? where is her cord?! we switched to at&t high speed internet and got wireless access. no more cords. wireless, okay, honestly, can i just get a cord, please? dad, the cord's invisible. [ female announcer ] call at&t today to get high speed internet for just $14.95 a month for 12 months with a 1-year price guarantee. it's the fastest internet for the price. oooh. videos online? here? how much is that? nothing. at&t high speed internet at home includes access here. our invisible cord is really long, dad. oooh. [ female announcer ] get access to the entire national at&t wi-fi hot spot network for no extra charge. so call today to get high speed internet for just $14.95 a month for 12 months with a 1-year price guarantee. aren't you glad we switched to at&t? yes...but i want my own invisible cord. you already have one. oh. ♪

welcome back. that closure jon told you about, we still have slowing in the north bay at the san rafael bridge right where i'm circling. not a whole lot of traffic, but more than usual at the golden gate. closure southbound 101 from the split off the bay bridge down toward cesar chavez as well. city streets are jammed through the area. live look at the hospital curve. northbound side. there you go, the slowing for spectators. watch for the cleanup that continues on the side. it's sunny there, at least. >> as long as mike likes it, i'm okay with that. a full deck of clouds in your futurecast. we're going to see a lot of that cloud cover break apart and push

off to sea. 72 in redwood city. we'll warm up as we head toward the weekend. back to you, jon. >> good-looking forecast. check out nbc bay area morning news on facebook. then join us tomorrow morning n thht and early for >>"tay iod 4: aba30.t od we are back on this winesday, wednesday, ready to play our weekly trivia game, "who knew?" today is about halloween movies and songs. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc experience store ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who get the question right. to those who don't, you know what they get. her cd. billboard magazine's ed toir director, bill wordy. are you ready? >> i'm ready. >> lovely sisters, one from oregon, one from idaho. in which film did johnny depp have his first major role? edward scissorhands, donnie

brasco, nightmare on elm street or sleepy hollow. >> scissorhands. >> what are we going to do? they'll have to live together so they can listen to my cd. >> the correct answer here is, "c" a nightmare on elm street. >> he got his big star playing glenn, trying to keep his clueless girlfriend from getting sliced up by johnny krueger. >> back to kath. >> which halloween song has sold over 4 million copies and made it on to the billboard charts three times. purple people eater, the monster mash, this is halloween or witchy woman. >> i'm going to go with monster mash. >> good girl! >> that's one of the songs that gets me. monster mash. tell me. >> one big, big hit.

famously played frankenstein in all the movies. the mashed potato dance. you remember the mashed potato. >> who doesn't remember it? do you know how to do it? >> i do. but you're going to put me on the spot. >> i would not do that to you. back across. >> lovely ladies from south carolina. true or false. the origin of the superstitions about friday the 13th came from the movie "friday the 13th." >> false. >> you're a smart one. >> she's a smart cookie. the answer is false. it did not come from the movie. it was there before the movie. >> there's a lot of theories about where this actually came from dating back thousands of years b.c. there was the 13 people at the dinner of the last supper. it seems like it may have come from friday the 13th, a book in the early part of the 1900s about wall street crashing. that really seemed -- it was a best seller. it really seemed to set the tone for this. >> didn't know that. back across to kath. >> another lady from south carolina. what is the chorus to this song. listen. ♪ you start to breathe and

someone looks you right between the eyes, you're paralyzed ♪ >> thriller. >> give her the money. >> all right, all right, all right. >> that's all anyone knows from that. >> when you do it you've got to do the thriller dance. >> yeah. >> one of seven top ten hits from the album "thriller" for michael jackson. the greatest selling album of all time. >> of all time? >> that's right. >> wow. good info. back across. >> from indiana. what is the highest grossing horror movie of all time? jaws, the exorcist, the mummy, or the blair witch project? >> i would say the exorcist. >> wrong. but it was a lot scarier than the winner, i think. >> i agree, the winner, which is surprising, is jaws. >> i was terrified. i was a kid when jaws came out. all my friends were scared to go

in the bathtub because of jaws. >> isn't it weird watching it now? it looks so dumb now. >> so fake. jaws was the first movie that did this massive, massive, simultaneous release. it became a cultural phenomenon. grossed almost half a billion dollars. >> ms. indiana's mother. here we go. what movie is the following theme song from? we're going to listen to this. ♪ >> is it nightmare on elm street, halloween, poltergeist or hoe kus powe kus? >> i would guess halloween. >> wow. ms. indiana. >> that lady's playing it cool like she doesn't watch all the horror films all the tile. john carpenter wrote not only that song but the movie. one of the most terrifying sounds you can ever hear. my hair on my neck is up. >> bill, thank you. you do have hair on your neck. >> hey, easy.

that's my halloween costume. coming up next, the best ways to handle a sticky situation with your child care provider. we're going to have all that and more right after this. if you think occasional irregularity is no big deal, think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me! well... 'cause i could pay a little at a time... that would work. actually we do -- the kids would just be like, "no way, awesome!" we -- we do! all that! layaway baby! [ male announcer ] layaway's back for christmas in our toys, electronics, and jewelry departments. but i learned that i don't have to use a vial and syringe as part of my daily routine anymore.

my doctor showed me the novolog mix 70/30 flexpen. flexpen is discreet and comes pre-filled with my insulin. flexpen goes with me and doesn't need refrigeration. and it's covered by most insurance. if you're still using a vial and syringe, ask your healthcare provider about the benefits of flexpen. flexpen is a discreet, pre-filled, dial-a-dose insulin pen. you can dial the exact dose of insulin you need. and inject insulin by pressing a button. novolog mix 70/30 is an insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. do not inject if you do not plan to eat within 15 minutes 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. most common side effects include reactions at the injection site, weight gain, swelling of your hands and feet, and vision changes. other serious side effects include low blood sugar and low potassium in your blood. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions including body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, sweating, or if you feel faint.

flexpen is made by novo nordisk, a healthcare company committed to diabetes care for nearly 90 years. i've made flexpen part of my routine just like spending time with my family. ask your healthcare provider about novolog mix 70/30 flexpen today. learn more about the different insulins available in flexpen at myflexpen.com. flexpen. insulin delivery that goes with you. ( men vocalizing ) there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. hidden valley ranch makes vegetables delectable. 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

now on "parenting today" child care etiquette. what should you do if your sitter or day care won't follow your instructions. or what if your friend asks for your babysitter's phone number? >> here to help with the sticky situations with your child care provider are debra shidly, author of "the go-getter girls guide". >> and chandra turner. >> executive editor of "parents" magazine. there are sticky situations when it comes to babysitters or nannies or whatnot. an e-mail from a friend. she's been looking for a full-time nanny. she wanted to, quote, borrow your part-time nanny. do you give her the secret phone number or not, debra, what do

you think? >> no. because good people have been known to still babysitters. it happens to the best of us. this actually happened to me. i didn't give out the information because i was afraid she was going to maybe like her more. all of a sudden, you know, i'd be without my great sitter who i love very much. >> you say no. >> you say no. >> all right. here's one for chandra. this is the question. what if your nanny who you love asks for a raise and you guys really can't afford it. there are tough economic times. people can't afford to give raises. >> a lot of people aren't getting raises these days. you can't afford to give one to your nanny. your nanny probably knows. be very clear and honest. tell her, you know what? we can't afford it right now. maybe we can give you a couple hours off here and there. maybe you can take a vacation day. something else. make her feel appreciated. >> what is the going rate anyway

these days hourly for a babysitter? i wouldn't know. >> it depends. you can type in where you live and it can show you actually what the going rate is in your neighborhood. usually at least $15 an hour. >> i would say between $10 to $18 an hour, depending on how many kids you've got, how experienced the babysitter is. the 15-year-old town the street is probably going to be a lit bit cheaper than having, you know, 50-something, very experienced nanny. >> what do you do if you don't have a sitter but you have in-laws or family members who are watching your kids and you don't like what they're doing. you feel like, well, they're helping out. you don't want to go, hey, don't do this, do this. you had should you give the dos and don'ts? >> if it's an in-law let it go for the most part. usually that's a temporary situation. if you're not paying, then you kind of, you know -- >> you get what you get. >> yeah. >> as long as the kids are safe. >> i can't keep my mouth shut.

i'm trying to put myself -- no, that would not work. thanks for asking. >> sometimes the babysitters -- you have instructions. you want your child in bed by "x" time and you want to have this kind of food. it doesn't work out the way you have asked. >> yeah. >> how do you deal with that kind of a situation? >> i think 99% of nanny or babysitter issues can be solved with a written agreement. whether it's a contract -- >> what? >> yes. this is what i expect out of you. >> written agreement? >> yes. >> you do? >> yes. it works. there's no disagreement. we know exactly what we need. >> they know what the expectations are. >> is that common to have a written agreement? >> it is. and some have actually a contract with their nanny in a lot of these situations. let's say it's a temporary sitter. when you have to find someone you can trust to follow your instructions, 80%, if you're not there, you can't have expectations of being perfect. moms, we're not perfect, right? you can't expect -- >> some of us are. >> i do think a lot of times because you're not there, you have this added kind of guilt

that goes along with it. >> you're overcompensating, sometimes. >> all right, ladies. thanks very much. >> thank you for all that. >> i'll never need a babysitter again. that's why i got a puppy. up next, so-called naughty foods making a waist whittling comeback. >> what? >> ask kerry. she knows. >> right after this. jenna shared her recipe with sharon, who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy, who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson.

the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson. [ female announcer ] find yourself sometimes cleaning up after your dishcloth? bounty extra soft can help. it's super durable, and in this lab test bounty extra soft leaves this surface three times cleaner than a dishcloth. even with just one sheet. super clean. super soft. have you tried this yet? save on bounty extra soft and other innovative products with your p&g brandsaver. new fiber one 80 calories... ...with its sweet honey taste, 40% daily value of fiber... ...and 80 calories per serving...

...you may want to tell a few friends. ♪ or all of them. ♪ i'll go get my bowl. [ female announcer ] new fiber one 80 calories. yes, you can actually love breakfast. ♪ is made with artificial did upreservatives?ite yes, you can actually love breakfast. ♪ so get real. try sierra mist natural.

naturally sweetened with real sugar and nothing artificial. for lemon lime taste. deliciously refreshing sierraist natural. the natural one.

good news. some of your old favorite foods may be just what you need to help trim your waistline. >> keri glassman is a registered dietitian and contributor to "women's health" magazine. you're here with good news for us. >> i am. a lot of these foods have gotten many dirty looks over the years. i am here to tell you that they all have a place in your diet in moderation, of course. >> all right. egg yolks. people always say high cholesterol. be careful. you say what? >> exactly. an egg. 70 calories, 6 grams of protein. people turn their nose to them

because of the cholesterol found in the yolk. the yolk is also aside from having the cholesterol packed with nutrients. iron. zinc. vitamins a and d. and choline, associated with a reduced risk for breast cancer and associated with brain health. i love eggs. >> bananas. you think of those as sort of high sugar. good for you. >> but full of potassium. >> there are full of potassium, full of nutrients. people say they're higher in calories and carbs than other fruits. a tiny bit higher than a medium apple. they have something called resistant starch. it's a type of fiber, like other fibers, is not absorbed. we don't get the calories but we get full. a by-product of that resistant starch may help burn fat. you need to eat bananas that are slightly green. firmer. >> oh. >> just make sure they haven't turned brown. >> not going to happen.

>> okay. coconut oil also got dirty looks because of it being high in saturated fat. but it's a specific type of saturated fat called mcts. that type of fat is more readily used as fuel and less likely to be stored as fat. coconut oil is still a little controversial. however, research has also shown that when supplementing your diet with you, you may reduce abdominal obesity. i actually keep a jar of this coconut oil in my shower. i add it to moisturizer. i put it on my body. >> red meat. >> a lot of people won't eat it at all. >> if you don't eat red meat, you don't necessarily need to start adding it into your diet. if you do, there are lean options. top round. we know that. two grams of saturated fat for a small blackberry or iphone portion. grass-fed beef has something called cla. cla has also been associated with reduced risk of cancer and

heart disease. and new research, so we have to keep our eyes open here on this, but new research also has associated with a reduced risk of -- reduced storage of fat. >> okay. >> that's really a problem. >> that really is. >> again, portion control. >> peanut butter. please. tell me it's good. >> you said you love your peanut butter. for overall health and for dieting, peanut butter is your best friend. loaded with -- just throw that back there. monosaturated fats. mono and saturated fatsy acids have also been associated with less belly fat. but it's so satisfying. two teaspoons with some celery for a snack or small apple or a banana. a green one. >> thank you very much, keri. up next, a performance by singer/songwriter chris isaak. first this is today on nbc. "tod. [ male announcer ] at the safeway pharmacy you can get a flu shot

with no hassle at all. i don't even need an appointment. [ male announcer ] it's about as easy as flu shots get. get your groceries and a flu shot, all in one trip. at safeway.

and you'll get a bonus. you get 10% off your groceries. [ male announcer ] save 10% on your groceries when you get a flu shot. that should make you feel better already. safeway. ingredients for life.

singer/songwriter chris isaak first fell in love with rock 'n' roll while listens to his parents' 45s. >> memphis home to the likes of elvis, johnny cash, and the place where chris and his band recorded his tenth studio album, "beyond the sun." >> good to be back. >> this is the album you say you've been wanting to make your whole life, right? >> whenever you're playing the show, before the show you do a sound check or something. this was always the music we would always play at sound checks. if we'd keep playing late and throw in more songs, through in a few of these. it's still amazing. i'll play "wicked game." i'll look out, there'll be some guy sitting in the audience with his date looking at me, yeah, "wicked game." kick into johnny cash, "ring of fire." i see, it's like, hey, this guy's pretty good, you know. >> you're going to sing a song for us.

what song are you going to sing for us? >> a tour deforce by the man not named on this record. we made a mistake and left his name out. >> say his name. >> scott plunket. >> i know scott plunket. >> "great balls of fire." >> take it away, chris. thank you. ♪ you shake my nerves and you rattle my brain, too much love drives a man insane ♪ ♪ you broke my will, what a thrill, goodness gracious, great balls of fire ♪ ♪ i you came along and moved me honey, you're all mine, goodness, gracious, great balls of fire ♪ ♪ kiss me baby, it feels good, hold me baby, i want to love you like a lover should ♪ ♪ you're fine, so kind, got to

tell this world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine ♪ ♪ i cut my nails quiver my thumb, i'm really nervous but it sure is fun ♪ ♪ come on baby, you drive me crazy, goodness gracious great balls of fire ♪ ♪ ♪ kiss me baby, that feels good, hold me baby, i want to love you like a lover should ♪ ♪ you're fine, so kind, got to

tell this world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine ♪ ♪ i cut my nails and i quiver my thumb, i'm really nervous but it sure is fun, goodness gracious great balls of fire ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

♪ a couple years of up all night ♪ ♪ and a few thousand diapers later ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪ he loves that little girl [ male announcer ] all her life, she's been coming toward you. now that she's driving, she's going the other way. ♪ there goes my life [ male announcer ] thanks to state farm's steer clear program, teens learn safer driving and parents gain peace of mind.