we will continue our live coverage throughout the morning. next update at 7:25. >> thanks for joining us this morning. good morning. breaking news. tragedy in arizona. 19 members of an elite fire fighting crew killed in the line of duty. >> emotionally? we're devastated. we just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet. the fire destroyg hundreds of homes and still burning out of control. we're there live. back in court. >> a tough first week for the prosecution. the lead investigator in the george zimmerman case expected on the stand today. why was his recommendation to charge zimmerman with manslaughter ignored? cher's world, the legend opens up about life, love, her return to the stage, and --

>> i have a big anounment today, monday, july 1st, 2013. >> from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning everyone. welcome to "today" on a monday. it's 7:00 on the west coast. >> i'm willie geist in for matt with natalie morales. we're following the tragic story out of arizona. one of the worst disasters in decade. >> 19 members of a so-called hot shot crew were digging a fire break northwest of phoenix when heavy winds pushed the flames on top of the group. we wanted to get to nbc's miguel almaguera at the scene. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. this is the deadliest wild fire involving firefighters in

decades. the group, the hotshot team, was an elite unit. at this hour they say it's too early to tell exactly what went wrong. fanned by hot whipping winds the deadly blaze exploded out of control sunday. flames overtook a team of 19 firefighters, trapped with no time to escape. >> 19 firefighters were killed in probably the worst disaster that's taken place in history here in the state of arizona. we grieve for the families, we grieve for the department. we grieve for the city. >> reporter: the victims were members of prescott's elite granite mountain hotshot team. this video last year shows the group training. the unit often deployed ahead of the fire building containment lines and protecting homes in the face of danger. fire officials say the crew deployed their fire shelters, a tent-like blanket to shield from flames and heat but the blaze was so intense the team never

had a chance. >> i can only tell you that right now we're an organization and city in grief. >> reporter: sparked by lightning friday, fuelled by drought like conditions and erratic winds, the so-called yarnell hill fire destroyed 200 homes. half the city decimated. today hundreds are evacuated. many will have nothing to return to. >> the house was on fire when we left. everything was there but it was on fire. so it's gone. >> reporter: ranging out of control this morning, up to 400 firefighters will battle the blaze today. the president called the victims heros. a tight-knit group, all members of the prescott fire department. >> we're devastated. we lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet. i mean, right now, we're in crisis.

>> let's turn to ken bennett. good morning to you. >> hi, savannah. >> i know you are secretary of state and your family lives there. did you know some of the men who were killed on sunday? >> yes, i did. in fact, one of their wives was at church with my mother, sister and son and daughter-in-law yesterday. they were talking outside the chapel about how andrew was at the fire at that very moment, and julianne was concerned for his safety, of course, but he had returned every time before, and then a few hours later we get word that he didn't this time. so pretty tough. >> it is a tough day for your community. these were an elite group of firefighters. what would you want people to know about them? >> well, we're also waiting word for my two sons played high school soccer there in prescott, and several of their teammates

went on to the hotshot crews, and they are some of the best people you will ever mean, and it's hard breaking to know their family will suffer the worst. there were some women on some of these crews, and we are waiting to hear which others might have passed and have been taken, but some great young people. truly a devastating accident for the whole community, the whole state and our country. >> i know these are the early hours, and we expect a news conference from officials there in arizona later this morning, and as far as you know, what may have led to this in as i understand it, there was a very quick change in the conditions that they were facing? >> from what i can understand, there was some very quick changes in the wind pattern, and this crew just have been on the

side of the shower and trying to protect the town of yarnell, and when the wind changed it probably blew the fire back on them. i can remember as a boy scout, one of the leaders said when the wind changes the fire can explode on you and that must have been what happened because they are some of the most elite firefighters in the country and they could and gave their lives to save the people and property of yarnell. >> what can you tell us about the conditions firefighters are facing today? we know that we have been reporting about the incredible heat arizona has pwpb fabeen fa. >> yes, yarnell is quite a bit higher than phoenix so it's a bit cooler, so i am sure they are working in 100-degree temperature, and you add the fire and i am sure it's unbearab unbearable. they are doing heroic work, and they paid the ultimate sacrifice, and my heart breaks for the fire chief that you probably heard from prescott and

many others that i am sure i know personally that have to swallow the pain of what happened last night and yesterday and go on fighting the fire today. i am sure they are doing the best they can in a very difficult situation. >> it's a tight-knit community and i know it's such a loss. arizona secretary of state, ken bennett, thank you so much, we appreciate it. >> hot and dry conditions in arizona, but really across the west. maria is in for al. she has fire danger coming in the next few days. >> we will continue with temperatures approaching 100 degrees. the humidity is incredibly low. the winds 5 to 10 miles per hour, and the overall pattern, the ingredients leading up to it is still there, high pressure blocking any cool air or wet air or wet storms and thunderstorms moving in, so that will not help over the next few days. excessive heat warnings and advisories pushing into places

like portland, and they will be approaching 90 degrees today. >> thank you very much. we will get to the rest of your forecast in just a moment. >> and then we have natalie with us. >> it has been a rough morning commute for some people in the san francisco area today. bay area rapid transit workers walked off the job overnight after contract talks broke down. no trains were running this morning leaving many looking for alternatives. they expected 60,000 more vehicles than usual clogging roads and bridges. we have breaking news out of cairo where unrest again has boiled over. the violence there has turned deadly? >> reporter: good morning, natalie. a day after millions took to the

streets asking morsi to step down from power, many have been killed. it was one of the most intensive clashes last night, and they have been angered by morsi for how they have been running the country over the last year, and the president defended his term in office saying he is trying to lead the country into a democracy, and nonetheless people will continue to protest and will continue to do so until morsi steps down and that's something he says he does not plan on doing anytime soon. >> thank you. today president obama is spending his last full day in africa in tanzania before heading home tomorrow. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, matly. a very elaborate welcome ceremony for president obama

here in tanzania. he has had three regional stops in africa, and he started in west africa and spent three days in south africa, and ends the visit here in east africa south of where his father was born in kenya, and it was almost a homecoming of sorts the way he was treated by locals, and you with the president's face on it, and they renamed the name drag here, barack obama drive, and they will hold a roundtable here, and then tomorrow morning he will meet with another president, former president george w. bush are in tanzania, and he and laura bush are opening a women's clinic, and former president bush will join current president obama at the u.s. embassy where they will lay

a wreath to remember the victims of the 1998 bombing. and wall street, what is moving the market. kay law joins us. costs are going up for a lot of people today. >> the first day of the month could be tough on some wallets. college graduates with student loans will see their rate hike that congress deferred last summer for a year and failed to prevent before this week's recess. drivers in california will also see price hikes on their gasoline. lawmakers raising the tax on gas to some 72 cents a gallon, and those gallons above $4 a gallon, and so we're off to the best start in 1998 on wall street. and then the major play in the minor leagues. in aaa play sunday, the third baseman for the braves went all out to chase down the pop-up. he crashed over into the dugout

railing and tumbled head first on to the concrete floor was saw there, and amazingly he caught the ball and held on and managed to stay in the game. mvp for that move right there. >> that should bring you from the minor to the major leagues. >> there is an unwritten rule, if a guy comes up to the dugout you help him not fall, and those were his own teammates. i wish i had better news for folks out west where high pressure continues to dominate. nearly every spot on the map, reno, salt lake city and las vegas will be nearing a record again today with temperatures well over 100 degrees. seattle, 88. eugene, oregon, 98 degrees today. we will get to your local forecast in about 30 seconds. whd to give meals to people across america. mike's bike gets him to kate's house. his shirt looks great.

and his blanket gets him a datet also gives 24 meals. his shirt gives 20 meals. and his bike gives three hundred and twenty. so now sarah gets lunch. a family gets dinner. and lots of people smile. mike did a great thing. and the people he feeds will too. thanks mike. enjoy the bike. 7:13. good monday morning. it is going to be a scorcher. mostly clear conditions already across the san francisco bay and we're in the 60s and 70s already. headed toward the triple digits later today. 105 on the way to livermore. 92 in fremont. 95 getting very hot in san jose. 79 in san francisco. and 88 degrees today down in santa cruz. even hotter tomorrow. then we're going to slowly start to cool off. 100 degrees for the 4 lt.3 of july. at a look at your weather. savannah. >> thank you.

new developments in the hunt for ed in regard snowden. he is beginning his second week inside a moscow airport this morning. a new report tied to him reveals the nsa spied on leaders in the european union. jim is in moscow with the latest. jim, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. edward snowden may have gone rogue inside the moscow airport but he is still making himself strongly felt on the outside. holed up allegedly somewhere inside a vast airport transit zone which includes a number of four-star hotels, snowden dropped another bombshell over the weekend. leaking secret u.s. government documents to the german magazine revealing they bug main offices in washington hacking phones and e-mail. the leak set off furor across western capitols. german prosecutors are preparing

a criminal investigation. >> why? give us a just indication? are we enemies? are we not allies? >> the u.s. government said the u.s. gatherers foreign intelligence just like any other nation. snowden whose u.s. passport was cancelled had apparently planned to fly to ecuador, and that looks unlikely. they cannot even consider the request now until snowden reaches ecuador or its embassies. it's up to the russian authorities if he can leave the moscow airport for an ecuador embassy. vladimir putin is keeping snowden inside of no mans land and out of reach. he ruled out expediting the fugitive and that has triggered anger in washington. >> they thumb our nose at us and it's no matter what the issue is, and we should deal with it

realistically, not as in the cold war, but realistically with vladimir putin. >> but there is a lot of buzz here today with rumors that the visiting venezuelan president will be meeting with snowden and could even fly him out of the country on his presidential plane and back to kwith him as y as tomorrow afternoon. so willie, stay tuned and back to you. >> we will. jim, thanks so much. now to las vegas. new details on the death of a cirque du soleil performer that fell to her death during the popular "ka" show. all performances are cancelled until further notice. gabe gutierrez has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. this is the first time in cirque du soleil's 30-year history that a performer died during a show. today we're learning more about the victim and what happened. >> the terrifying 50 foot fall during the show's finale left the audience stunned. >> it went from just watching

the show, being very normal, to did we just really witness somebody fall to their death. >> her stage name was sassoon but in reality sarah was just 31 years old. a seven-year veteran. >> somehow her rope or the harness holding her up. i don't know if it broke or what happened with it. >> the horrifying accident happened during the grand finale of "ka" at the mgm grand in las vegas. on the same night, another show premiered on the vegas strip, michael jackson one, a tribute to the late king of pop. but in a video posted online "ka's" production manager described why this show with its unique moving stages was so different. >> this was the show where all the restraints were thrown off and they said let's build something we've never before. >> reporter: pushing the envelope draws audiences.

who could forget when roy was attacked by a tiger on stage. now another tragedy. cirque du soleil's founder says the troupe was devastated and we're reminded how extraordinary our artists are each and every night. sarah tkpwleaves behind two children. >> i heard her screaming on the way down. >> a haunting performance for a tragic reason. >> more than a million spectators have seen the show since it opened on 2004. no word on when it will re-open. back to you. >> a terrible story this morning out of las vegas. thanks so much. coming up, as the george zimmerman trial enters it's second week now, a key witness is set to stake the stand today. what will the lead investigator say? >> and our interview with a true legend, cher on her love life, her loves and her new album. >> i have done exactly the songs

that i like and there's lots of dance but then there's -- it kind of goes off into other areas, you know? so i think if i was a cher fan, which i'm not, but if i was, i would be very happy. >> what do you mean you're not a cher fan. >> i have said this and i mean this, i don't think -- like if you said -- i can't think, some artist and said are you a fan of yourself, they would think are you crazy? >> we had a great time with cher and if you're wondering, yes, she was wearing her pjs. >> where were yours? >> if i would have known -- she said it was a morning show and i'm wearing my jammies. more with cher on her big announcement. but first this is "today" on

firefighters. >> and jennifer lopez being called out this morning for singing at a dictator's birthday

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pores...shrink 'em down to size! [ female announcer ] pore refining cleanser. neutrogena.® ♪ good morning to you. 7:26 now. breaking news. we continue to follow. b.a.r.t. workers on strike. trains not moving. let's go to live to christie smith in oakland where picketers have been out all morning long. christie? >> reporter: good morning to normally about this time, you see commuters running, kind of late, to hurry up and catch that b.a.r.t. train. but no trains are running this morning. instead, union workers out here on the picket line. they have been since midnight when their contract expired. they're at stations across the bay area. this after talks broke down between b.a.r.t. and its two largest unions. 400,000 riders now struggling to find another way to get to work or just work from home today. buses and ferries have beefed up service to try and relief congestion. b.a.r.t. says it is ready to talk again, keep those negotiations going.

but a union spokesperson tells me at this point no talks are scheduled. reporting live in oakland, christiety smith, today in the bay. those riders have got to go somewhere. we want to check in with anthony in for mike this morning. >> yeah, we are talking about a slow go across most of the bay area. from the bay bridge toll plaza, the approach slow. the fast track lanes getting by, but quite a bit of traffic. in fact, from richmond on 580 and 880 northbound headed into oakland. so a very slow commute regardless of where you have to go, even especially in the east bay. let's get further south and you can see on 880 southbound, fremont and northbound moving very smoothly there. good news. but the bay bridge toll plaza our trouble spot. we'll have more on this for you, with b.a.r.t. being on strike, we want to urge commuters to use cal tran and, of course, ac train. christina, hot day today. >> ac transit and ac in general. good morning to you, anthony. good morning to you at home.

105 degrees in livermore today. 92 in fremont. 95 in san jose. it is going to be a scorcher. we're talking about potential records right here in the bay area. and look at where we're headed. up to 108 degrees by tuesday. 103, sizzling on wednesday. and by thursday, 4th of july, our nation's birth day, starting to drop off but staying hot. laura, back to you. >> try to keep cool. because it's flex alert day, as well. to conserve energy. another local update in half an hour. hope to see you then. good morning! wow.

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7:30 now on this monday it's the 1st of july, 2013 and it's a sad morning in arizona where 19 firefighters have died battling an out of control wild fire. the president released a statement over the night calling those men heros. good morning i'm savannah guthrie along side willie geist and natalie morales. matt and al have this morning off. as we mentioned earlier, the 19 that died were part of an elite group called hot shots. this tragedy highlighting the dangerous work they do. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning. hotshot crews were the best of the best tasked with containing some of the most dangerous

fires. the men and women you're about to see were not involved in sunday's tragedy but they too put their lives on the line. the firefighters killed sunday in arizona were part of an elite crew known for working the front lines of the region's worst fires including two others this season. >> this was a hot shot crew. the hot shot crew were the people that literally go out on the fire line and attack them with tools and other implements. >> hot shot firefighters across the country fight the types of fires most can't and others won't. the most experience blaze battling units in the nation, they're sent to the front lines with shovels and chainsaws, a face to face fire fight. hot shot crews are more than just firefighters. they're part paramedics, part lumber jack. they go through weeks of special training and not everyone makes the cut. >> just go, as this fire did it can just go for miles and miles and sometimes a fast pace. you have to keep up with it.

>> the teams can spend all summer fighting fires, eating meals together, sleeping in tents and living out of their backpacks for weeks at a time. the long days and dangerous conditions are not for the faint of heart. >> everyone gets scared, but, you know, you just trust the buddies you have and hopefully you're able to get home safe. >> reporter: the hotshot crew involved in sunday's tragedy was made up of 20 men, and the sole survivor was a lookout. he was several miles away on a mountain top. willie. >> always dangerous work. in this case, for 19 of them fatal. miguel, thanks. >> well, the weather has been a big part of this story. we want another check of that with maria who is in for al. good morning again. >> good morning. it has the same blocked pattern that's been giving the heat across the west and kept the east muggy and warm, too. you see the area of low pressure

along with the high pressure off to the east, the bermuda high, is funneling the moisture and has the tropical connection from the gulf of mexico to the atlantic ocean. that's a lot of flooding potential. we have all of the flash flood watches and warnings clear up through maine for the next day or so at least. speaking of the next three days, take a look, the wide area of two inches plus in the orange and the red here stretches all the way from florida. again, clear on up through new england. flash flooding likely in a lot 7:33. good morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren with a live look. beautiful start to the day, although that's all that's left of the low cloud cover to keep us cool in san francisco today. a scorcher, 105 degrees inland. 80 at the coast. ridiculously hot tomorrow as we heat you up to 108 degrees inland. that's the peak. by wednesday, starting to cool off a little bit. and then by the 4th of july, remaining hot, but triple digits. 100 degrees inland.

i want to say a big congratulations to high school graduates from texas. you can get your weather 24/7 at weather.com. >> coming up next, the key witness taking center stage at the george zimmerman trial. what will jurors hear from the lead investigator in the case? >> and coming up on trending, what lead one professional golfer to fire her caddie in the middle of a round? we'll have that story but first, these messages. . they weren't looking at me. ♪ i can't believe i still have acne at my age. i feel like it's my acne they see...not me. [ female announcer ] acne is a medical condition that can happen at any age. fortunately, a dermatologist can prescribe aczone (dapsone) gel... fda approved for the topical treatment of acne, and proven in clinical studies with people 12 years and older. talk to your doctor about any medical conditions you have,

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sanford police department's chris sereno made it clear early on that he believed george zimmerman committed a crime. >> the night george zimmerman killed trayvon martin, the lead investigator was called to the scene was the sanford detective. you see him here talking to george zimmerman as he re-enacted what he says happened 37. the tape was recorded the day after trayvon martin died. >> face down. >> face down and i was on his back. >> the officer could testify as early as today in the second degree murder trial. prosecutors will talk to him about his investigative report that shows the detective wanted to charge zimmerman with manslaughter. in the report he said the armed neighborhood watch captain's actions were inconsistent with a person that stated he was in fear of another suspect. he wrote zimmerman had at least two opportunities to diffuse the circumstances surrounding their encounter. >> back there they said are you following him? >> reporter: despite the

detective's conclusions, the state attorney chose not to charge zimmerman, and that sparked protests around the nation. florida's governor appointed a special prosecutor and 44 days after trayvon martin's death, zimmerman was charged with second degree murder. zimmerman pled not guilty saying he acted in self-defense. >> the state versus george zimmerman. >> reporter: in court on friday the jury heard from a state witness that called 911. >> okay you can hear somebody yelling for help? >> i'm pretty sure the guy is dead out here, holy [ bleep ]. >> reporter: the defense attorney play acted what the witness said he saw. trayvon martin on top of george zimmerman in a style popularized in mixed martial arts. >> the person you know to be trayvon martin was on top. >> correct. >> and he was reigning blows down on the person on the bottom, george zimmerman,

right? >> that's what it looked like. >> reporter: who was on top may be critical to the jury in determining who started the fight, and meantime the officer is no longer a detective kwreuf with the sanford police department. he is back in uniform and on patrol off and on night patrol. savannah? >> kerry sanders, thank you. he is known for serving as casey anthony's defense attorney and also represented the lead investigator we were just talking about. good morning to you. it's good to see you. >> good morning. >> let's talk about your former client. i would assume he would be a good witness for the prosecution as he was the first to hear the first claim of zimmerman and apparently he doubted it? >> chris did an extremely thorough job, and as you see it unfold there is little criticism about the investigation and the specific work of chris.

he did exactly what he was told throughout the course of the investigation and it became out right political. >> i know you said as you look at this case, you look at the evidence in the case, do you think it's really the defenses to lose. why do you say that? what do you mean by that? >> i think a first year law student could win this case with the evidence they have. that doesn't say that george zimmerman is innocent or guilty. i just think that the lack of evidence that this prosecution has to be able to -- actually with the inability to rebut the claim of self-defense is going to be the defense's case to lose. however i have seen them do an excellent job with what little they have. >> we do have testimony on the conflict. at one hand we see the prosecution witness who was almost turned into a defense witness saying it was george zimmerman on the bottom and trayvon martin on top and there's another witness that describes the opposite. if there's a conflict in the evidence like that, does the doubt go to the defendant?

that's reasonable doubt? >> it does if it's presented in that way. however, if it is presented in the way that the jury is supposed to find out who the initial aggressor was, and that's the key issue. who was the one that started this fight? who was the aggressor? who was the one that made this completely -- this was a completely avoidable incident, who turned it into an unavoidable incident? and if the jury can reach that conclusion they'll either vote for guilty or not guilty. >> one of the key witnesses we saw last week was rachel jeantel. she was the young woman on the phone with trayvon martin in the moments before he died. some thought she wasn't a good witness and others thought the defense overplayed it's hand being too tough on cross. what's your take? >> i agree. i think this person's testimony cuts both ways and it all depends on how this jury is going to look at it. now, these are six women who will either look at this witness as a very unsophisticated young

girl who is, as we found out, illiterate thanks to the cross examination of the defense. now, if the jury looks at it from that perspective that the defense went a little too hard on her, it could have been a great turn off to that following up on that knock knock joke from the early opening statements wouldn't look good for the defense but the prosecution is doing an excellent job on keeping it together with what little they have and trying to put the piece of the puzzle right there for the jury. >> jose i'm out of time but i'll ask you for a yes or no answer. would you put george zimmerman on the stand if you were his defense attorney? >> no. i don't think it's going to be necessary, especially given the statements he already made. >> we'll leave it there for now. jose baez, thank you for being with us. >> thanks for having me savannah. >> coming up, how big was your last raise? wait until you hear what ceos are making, even after the financial collapse.

and one-on-one with cher. she has big news to share, but first these messages. i think farmers care more about the land than probably anyone else. we've had this farm for 30 years. we raise black and red angus cattle. we also produce natural gas. that's how we make our living and that's how we can pass the land and water back to future generations. people should make up their own mind what's best for them. all i can say is it has worked well for us.

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we're back now at 7:48 with the rich getting richer. the average american salary has risen by 5.4% since 1978. over that same period the growth of a ceo's compensation has skyrocketed 875%. for companies with revenues over $1 billion the highest is larry ellison. it rose to 96.2 million in 2012. 24% increase in the salary. oracle's return to investors was down 22%. the ceo of avtivision was up too. it increased to 64.9 million in 2012. up 680% while his shareholders lost 12% on their returns. the highest ranking woman,

marissa mayer earning $36.6 million last year. is this >> good morning, willie. >> how do they justify this? how does oracle say $96.2 million is a fair price for larry ellison despite the fact that our shares are down 22%? >> there is no justification. this is just a process that's hijacked by ceos much more powerful than the compensation committee. i think it's outrageous. ellison's done nothing for you, nothing. >> how did the board come at these prices? most of us, we go to h.r., we get a deal of some kind. we have a compensation committee and board of directors that come up with a number. how do they arrive at it? >> they look at what other ceos are making in the industry and say, you know, we should aware our ceo the same thing. and in ellison's case, he founded the company. i think there's a great affinity between the board members and ellison. this is one that i think was just insane, frankly. i was shocked to see that he was the leader. i mean, he has been -- say he has just been horrendous for

shareholders. >> if i'm a shareholder or an average worker at oracle, i see my pay has stagnated, i see our shares are down 22%, what's may recourse? what can i do about the fact that the boss is getting a raise? >> quit. i would not work at that company. i think -- first of all, the company is completely going nowhere. second, there's a lot of tech companies doing better. and this is the kind of egregious act that makes americans hate ceos. a lot of ceos make you money with their stocks going higher. this happens to be one of the worst cases i've seen. >> you bring up a good point. some of these high salaries can be fair. you look at them on paper and go, oh, my god, that's a huge number. when you look at the revenue the company's bringing in, it shakes out pretty well. >> if they're making a lot of money for shareholders, i got no beef with that. when you have a stock down deliberates and the -- double digits and the guy making the most money, that's unfair to americans. you would think congress, the irs would get involved and say we've got to stop this. the compensation committees are not reining anybody in.

>> the rich clearly getting richer. jim cramer, thank you very much. you can see "mad money" weeknights on cnbc. coming up, the dog who got too close to the action at the tour de france. then savannah's revealing interview with cher. and an exciting announcement for her fans. are cleanses really good for you or the latest health fad? l? important new information after your local news. e of chance. but what if the odds could be in your favor? e of chance. botox® is an fda-approved treatment that significantly reduces headache days for adults with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. it's proven to actually prevent headache days. and it's injected by a doctor once every 3 months. the effects of botox® (onabotulinumtoxina) may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be a sign of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache.

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good morning to you. 7:55. i'm laura garcia cannon. breaking news we follow, your drive to work hectic this morning, to say the least. b.a.r.t. workers on strike. no trains are running. nbc bay area's damian trujillo is at the b.a.r.t. station where they are getting off buses instead of trains. >> reporter: a couple hundred people have boarded buses like the one behind me, and gone to oakland and own over to the city. there are roughly six or seven buses waiting until 9:00 a.m. to take people into the city. the buses will first take you into the west oakland b.a.r.t. stationrr from there, you'll have to jump on another chartered bus which will take you into the city. the other stations with chartered bus service are el sorrito del norte, walnut creek and pleasanton. they run until 9:00 and start at 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. from the city back to oakland. back to you. >> all right. buses, ferries, the works.

let's check that morning commute with anthony. >> yeah, definitely wanted to make sure you use alternate routes. use the b.a.r.t. as one of your main route sources of transportation. bay bridge toll plaza still slow all the way back to richmond and really every direction approaching the bay bridge. you can see past the coliseum on the 880, things are slow. all that red coming through the caldecott tunnel, slow-going through 880 southbound and is there an accident there at hayward. otherwise, it's hot outside. right christina? >> those without air conditioning, make sure you prepare for hot day ahead. 105 degrees on the way to livermore. 107 in fairfield. 92 in fremont, 29 in redwood city and 79 in san francisco. not even a peak of this heatwave, that's tomorrow. 1 100 degrees inland.

>> thank you, christina. another update in half an hour. see you then. filtering process for our water. we don't need it. because crystal geyser is made by nature, not by man. crystal geyser is always bottled at the mountain source.

you said you said that tom cruise was -- >> i know that. >> he was in the top 5 of your last lovers. >> yes. >> this only raises more questions. >> well, it doesn't for me, you know? i only care what i know. >> that is the always honest share opening up to us in a wide ranging and dare i say it, a nosey interview that we conducted. we hit on her love life and talked about her son chaz and her relationship with him and much more. good morning everyone. i'm savannah guthrie along side willie geist who is in for matt. >> did we get the top score in the interview? all in her pajamas, as well. also coming up this morning, jennifer lopez taking heat by performing at an event hosted by a dictator.

we'll have her explanation of what she was doing there to begin with. >> then we have the cleanse. a lot of people are doing these. they're supposed to make you healthy and detox your body. are they good for you? do they really give your body a fresh outlook on life and do they help with weight loss? we'll get to that. >> before we get to that, let's go inside to natalie with a look at the rest of the day's headlines. good morning, natalie. >> good morning. president obama is praising the courage of 19 elite firefighters killed sunday while battling a wildfire in arizona. miguel is in prescott, arizona with the latest. good morning miguel. >> natalie, morning. this is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in decades. as you mentioned 19 firefighters were killed in this incident. it was a hot shot crew that was deployed. these are highly trained, highly skilled firefighters that go into some of the most difficult

fires anywhere in the country. we are told those 19 firefighters all deployed their fire shelters, thin foil aluminum blankets that protect heat and are flame resistant. they are only to be used in critical and dire situations. they did not save the lives of those 19 firefighters. there was one survivor in this group of 20. he was a lookout about a mile away. the president today saying this is a tragic day here in arizona. he's certainly called the victims heros and expressed sorrow not only for this country, but the world. back to you. >> miguel, thank you. president obama has arrived in tanzania. the final stop on his three nation african tour. on sunday in sou president and his family visited robben island where nelson mandela had spent most of his 27 years as a political prisoner. round two of an intense fight over abortion gets underway here in texas.

governor rick perry called another special session so state lawmakers can vote on a measure stopped in part by a high profile filibuster. janet has this story. jan net, good morning. >> good morning to you. after state senator wendy davis derailed the abortion bill and became an internet sensation in the process, texas lawmakers will be back at it today and both sides are promising they won't back down. >> we will fight as we begin the session again on monday. >> wendy davis appeared on meet the press sunday. poised and ready for round two. >> even if this bill passes, obviously there will be challenges to it going forward. >> you're already seeing wendy davis's filibuster as a cry for democrats not only in texas but also around the country. >> she was thrust into the national spotlight last week. >> i'm rising on the floor today. >> following an epic 11 hour filibuster that helped prevent a vote that would have effectively closed most abortion clinics in

texas. >> taking this choice away from these women is gut wrenching and wrong. >> access to abortion care. >> davis spoke on. >> now we got two of them -- >> and on. >> an exception was made -- >> and on. filibuster rules preventing her to break or even sit but eventually it wasn't her own voice but support from protestors, so loud the vote was stalled past deadline. davis in her pink sneakers became an internet sensation. governor perry's attacks got personal. >> she was a teenage mother herself. she managed to eventually graduate from harvard law school and serve in the texas senate. it's just unfortunate that she hasn't learned from her own example. >> i think some of the comments that he made really demeaned the high office that he holds. >> early speculation suggests this may be just the first between davis and perry. >> this is not the last we have

heard from wendy davis. you can expect her to be a statewide candidate at some point. >> the republican majority expects this bill will eventually pass, but serious debate on it could be put off until after the 4th of july. natalie? >> all right janet. thank you. a high school boy used his cell phone camera to prove he did really see a partially deflated hot air balloon land on a california median over the weekend. by the time police arrived there was no trace of the balloon. officials suspect a chase team on the ground was following the balloon and was able to drive away with the evidence. it's 8:05 right now. let's go back outside with savannah and willie. >> no arguing the evidence, guys. >> savannah and willie. >> thank you. look at this bucket list. the statue of liberty, ride the subway, meet savannah guthrie. >> we did it. >> wow. done. >> thank you so much. >> we have met twice now

actually. >> she really has to raise her standards on bucket lists. >> you're just sorry you're not on the meet willie geist list. hey maria. >> i have a bucket list here too. where are you from? >> north dakota. >> check that off as well. beautiful sam and linda. how are you doing? >> doing just fine. >> heading home today to celebrate. >> wonderful to have you here. thanks so much for being here. we have a mess of weather across the east but it's all about the heat in the west. our pick city today is phoenix, arizona. extremely hot. dangerous heat. 114. record for today 115. average high is 107. pretty amazing that it gets to that record level. you have showers and thunderstorms in the southwest. but the torrential rainfall continues across the eastern half of the u.s. basically the i-95 corridor with flooding possible. that's all because of the boundary and area of low pressure. meanwhile, sunny and beautiful

in the midwest and of course the pacific northwest seeing their fair share of heat. temperatures near 90 degrees from portland to seattle. that's the look at the weather . 8:07 now. good monday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. the golden gate bridge, a beautiful start to the day. temperatures are still bearable but if you want to go somewhere where it's comfortable, near the water it's going to be 105 on the way to livermore. 92 in fremont. east shore getting uncomfortable. hottest point of the day is between 4:00 and 5:00. 108 degrees inland. 103 by wednesday and 100 for the fourth of july. quickly, girls you have been through so much. happy to have you here in new york. >> thank you. >> over to you. >> thank you. coming up on trending, the dog that almost caused a massive pile up at the tour de france. >> then one-on-one with cher,

her music, her relationship and her big announcement. >> and the products come with bold claims but do they really improve your health? the truth about cleansing. so many of you are doing it. that's right after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] fight pepperoni heartburn and pepperoni breath fast with tums freshers.

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that many consider a dictator. the leader of turkmenistan, a former soviet state, has been accused of torturing critics, and the country is notorious for its brutal human rights record. lopez performed there. in a statement her team said, "had there been knowledge of human rights issues of any kind, jennifer would not have attended." of course, lopez is not the first star to find herself in this kind of trouble. we all remember hilary swank, beyonce, dennis rodman, have been called out for rubbing elbows with dictators and their supporters. >> and they get paid millions and millions, but they don't seem to learn to google them. see what's going on. >> it's called the google. >> the handlers have google. that's all it takes. not difficult vetting process. >> no. trending on google this morning, canning the caddy. 20-year-old golfer jessica korda is one of the top search terms after she fired her caddy in the middle of the third round of the u.s. women's open over the weekend. she took the unusual step after several disagreements with that seasoned caddy. so she hired her boyfriend on

the spot, johnny delprett, a professional golfer. she turned and said, "johnny, grab the bag. let's go." the spinach seemed to work. she improved her position and tied for sixth in the u.s. women's open. >> good thing he's a golf pro. didn't go with the first guy she saw. trending on today.com, a first-of-its-kind experiment that could help you lose weight. research published sunday in the journal "sleep" confirms what you've probably suspected. the later you stay up, the more you will eat. when study participants went to sleep at 4:00 a.m., they consumed about 550 calories. in just the five hours before bed. that is roughly a quarter of the caloric intake recommended for the entire day. people who slept four hours a night ended up gaining 2.2 pounds after just five nights. this does not bode well for all of us. >> not surprising, though, right?

isn't that why we stay up? >> to eat. or we get up early and keep eating to keep our energy up. also trending on people.com, great news for jessica simpson. the singer and fashion icon gave birth to son ace kanut johnson on sunday via scheduled c-section. second child for the 32-year-old jessica and her fiance eric johnson. last winter, jessica tweeted this photo of daughter maxwell drew, who just celebrated her 1st birthday in may. congratulations to the whole family. >> wow. then trending on the web site of "usa today," the small dog that nearly caused a big crash. it all happened during sunday's second stage of the tour de france. less than three miles from the finish line -- >> oh! >> that little white dog sprints free from the sidelines, into the middle of the course -- >> oh, no. >> goodness. speeds reaching 50 miles per hour, a man tries to grab the panicked pooch which darts out of the way just in time, as you saw, before the racers comes hurdling dunn the road. you're fluent in french, would

you like it do color commentary in french? >> chien. those guys are going so fast, they cannot stop on a dime. if one stops, you'll lose 50 ridere rid riders. >> that's trending today. ahead in our 8:00 block, the truth about cleanses. are they a good way to promote weight loss and improve your health? do you really need to detox? that's ahead. first, our candid interview with cher. for the first time in a decade, she's about to release a new studio album. we sat down last night to talk about her life and career. do you think about the fact that you've been in this business now almost five decades? >> would you think about that? >> do you floekt reflect on it? >> never. >> do you ever think that's it? you went on tour in 2002, and you were saying that's it. that's the farewell tour. >> yes. >> is it the farewell tour? >> probably not. you know, probably not. ♪ >> in fact, at age 67, cher is

out with new music. a new album out in september. she recently debuted her new single "woman's world" on nbc's "the voice." ♪ >> you hadn't performed live in how long? >> fourscore and seven years ago. >> so was that nerve-racking? >> yeah. it was -- it was frightening. i mean, i tried to explain this to my mother who said, "sweetheart, what's the matter? you're so good, this is so easy. you've done this all your life." i said, "mom, this is how it goes -- in three minutes i'm either the greatest reincarnation of myself or i'm get yourself to a home. you're too old." ♪ >> people loved you. >> yeah. >> they lived your wig. >> yeah. not everybody. >> whatever that was. >> my friends said it was my 4h chicken. i thought it was beautiful. it -- i'm not going to make any apologies for it. you know, art is supposed to provoke conversation. and it did what it was supposed to do. >> you have something exciting

to announce about the "today" show. >> no, you have it -- you announce it. i just heard it as i walked through the door. >> okay. i'll tell you -- you are getting up very early in september. >> yes. >> are you a morning person? you're going to perform on our show. >> no. we both know that i'm not. i went into this business so i could work at night. >> the show starts at 7:00 a.m. >> i know. i'm going to have to stay up all night. roll in in my make-up and not in my p.j.s. >> this is not something you've ever done before. >> no. >> is there anything we can provide? i don't know, coffee, doughnuts, croissants? >> a stretcher. >> it's interesting because if you look at the arc of your career, there's a time when we feel like we're seeing you all the time. then -- >> i go away. >> years pass, you go away. >> i'm too hot. i'm taking off my shoes. sit -- >> i'm taking mine off, too. they hurt. >> okay. yeah, too hot. >> all right. so -- you kind of go away -- >> yep. >> what happens during those periods? >> i just goof off. >> what does that mean? >> i see my friends, go to the

bahamas, i -- you know, i learn how to paddle board and do junkie stuff, go hiking, go to nepal. things. >> is it about not being cher? >> cher? it's very difficult to get away from her. she's such a horrendous [ bleep ] that follows me everywhere. ♪ >> but her fans can't get enough. just last night, cher took the stage headlining new york's gay pride celebration. ♪ do you believe in life after love ♪ >> following a historic week for gay couples everywhere. what did you think of the supreme court's ruling on gay marriage? >> i thought it was amazing. i mean, it -- it should never have been a law. it should never have been anything. shouldn't have been a thought. shouldn't have been a passing thought. >> you have been pretty open about adjusting to and getting used to your own daughter's transition. and you've been open about how that wasn't that easy at first. >> no. it was really difficult. because it's hard for like 40 something years to have this little girl and then all of a

sudden -- and you get used to. my pronounce. i screw up on my pronounce so often. chaz cuts my slack. i'm old. >> you are in a good place, though. >> yes. oh, yeah. we -- yeah. i'm crazy about him. and we are getting along better, i think, than ever. >> so you made a few headlines recently. >> i did? >> did you hear? >> no. ♪ >> you said that tom cruise was a -- >> i know. that i said it. >> yes. he was in the top five of your past lovers. >> yeah. >> this only raises more questions. >> it doesn't for me. you know, i only care what i know. you know, i only care what i've experienced. that's my experience. >> i was wondering, so like are we talking five or one or three -- >> no, come on. come on. later if you want to know, okay. not now. no, i mean, you know, in the top five is enough. >> is there anything interesting going on in your love life these days? >> you know, this is something i have to say. the moment someone finds out about what's going on in my love life, it's a nightmare.

i have no -- i have no privacy anyway, but i have no peace, no privacy. it's really difficult to keep an affair going. so i try to keep it down low as long as i can. >> yeah. >> so i'm not telling. >> great. right? >> valiant effort, savannah guthrie. >> nosey. yes, she was wearing her p.j.s. it was cute, she said, "this is a morning show. i'm wearing my pajamas." >> she's not wearing those when she comes here in september, right? >> no. we're excited. she's not a morning plaza, but said she'll stay up all night. we'll remind you, monday, september 23, i think we'll have a huge crowd. perhaps you should come tomorrow and camp out. >> legendary on the plaza. that's awesome. >> she looks great. sounds great. she looks like fun to hang out with. >> she is. she's a real charmer. and totally unassuming. here she's somebody who spent almost five decades in the business. she's done everything, won every award, these nice as can be. >> if you are cher, you can roll up to an interview in your pajamas because you're cher.

>> we'll have cocktails later because i feel like i would have learned even more. she's awesome. >> we'll look forward to that, september 23. when it comes to your health, cleanses are among the fastest growing and controversial trends. those who love them say they're life changing. an article that's getting attention, some doctors are saying not so fast. the cleansing trend is a booming business with juice and home grown concoctions. they promise to rid the body of harmful toxins. blend it, shake it, buy it, and profit. in his los angeles kitchen, martin moto concocts his version of the master cleanse. replacing food with up to 90 ounces of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and aguaave for ten days. >> the first ten days are the toughest. that's when you're most hungry.

if you can get beyond three days, you feel the toxins just seeping out of your body. >> this one definitely has more nutrients and vitamins. >> reporter: the cleanse trend is fueling a variety of prepackaged programs. >> we're not doctors, and we don't claim to know everything about how the digestive system works. we just know that -- how we feel and how our customers feel -- >> this one. >> and how much this product makes an impact on their lives. >> reporter: at the pressed juicery, they're marketing three to five-day juice cleanses. >> it purpose of the cleanse really is to give your digestive system a break for a few days and hit that reset button. >> the basic problem is, this is an unbalanced diet approach. >> reporter: many experts say the detoxing claims are hard to swallow since there's so little scientific evidence. >> there's no way that a three-day detox i do set going to remove toxins that you may or may not in v in your body. >> reporter: the doctor says the kidneys and liver already filter out toxins. a short cleanse is not bad. >> maybe a day or two or three

as a jump-start to a diet because mentally it's sort of like throwing down a package of cigarettes. >> reporter: for the true believers -- >> you feel fantastic. you have more energy, you sleep better, and you go through what is almost the spiritual experience. >> reporter: now it's important to note that almost all of the companies that market their cleansing solutions do recommend that you talk to your doctor first. willie? >> all right, mara, thanks. we'll talk to one now, as a matter of fact. dr. rashini raj is a "today" contributor and gastroenterologist with the nyu center. good to see you. this is a $5 billion a year industry. celebrities endorse the cleanses. is there anything wrong with trying a cleanse for a few days? >> there could be. some are extreme and incorporate very few ingredients in them. you're really limiting yourself in terms of not getting enough protein, potentially not enough fiber. all the -- even healthy fat that you need. it is potentially dangerous especially for anyone with any medical conditions, taking any prescription medications, pregnant women, children, or the

elderly. >> the promise is that they will rid the body of taxins. do they actually do that -- toxins. do they actually do that in the ♪ >> they don't. there's no scientific evidence for that. we have as we saw kidneys, livermo liver. three days of sticking to a certain juice will pull out toxins in the blood doesn't scientifically make sense, hasn't been proven. >> people dive in thinking i'm not going to eat for three or five days, i will lose weight by definition. is this a good way to lose weight? >> it's very temporary water weight that you're losing. it's not going to persist. you're going to eat more later because you're hungrier. in general, it's not a balanced approach to weight loss. this notion that you can sort of eat whatever you want and cleanse for a week and -- get rid of all the bad effects from the prior, you know, poor eating doesn't make sense. you want to, of course, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but have a balanced diet. you need a long-term plan, not just a three day or six-day cleanse. >> we checked in with viewers. we asked at today.com have you ever tried a cleanse.

35% of viewers said yes, i've tried one. 65% say no. do the numbers surprise you at all? >> no. i mean, 35% is a large number. i see a lot of my patients, you know, asking about the cleanses or trying it. everyone wants to lose weight. they want to feel healthy. and they think this might be an option. if you find yourself even thinking about a cleanse, that's probably a sign that in general you're not happy with the way you're eating and you might want to talk to someone about a balanced approach that's a more long-term solution. >> let's go through some of these. there are a bunch of types of cleanses. probably the most popular one, the one we hear a lot about is a juice cleanse. what does that do exactly? >> yeah. well, what it purports to do is it helps with your immune system, it helps detoxify. the truth is you're just getting a lot of fruits and vegetables which is a good thing. but in exclusion of everything else, not so great. you want to have fruits and vegetable in your diet for sure. but you also need protein. you also made it healthy fat. some of these juice cleanses are a lot of sugar which is not good either. so i don't mind having, you know, a juice drink instead of

one meal per day. but when it's three meals for several days, it's not a good idea. >> adding supplements to the cleanse quickly, advantages there? >> well, i don't think there's an advantage. actually, there's a disadvantage. often it's herbal supplements, not sure how they will react with the body or other medication. >> how about the raw food cleanse? >> again, if it's just raw fruits and vegetables, it's too limited. you're not eating enough of other things. >> doctor, these are popular. this is important information. thank you very much. >> thank you. coming up, icarly all grown up. we'll catch up with miranda cosgrove. and taking the art of fine dining to a whole new level. mi crossgrove and the art of fine dining to a whole new level. that's after your local news.

good morning to you. 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. b.a.r.t. workers are on strike this morning. 400,000 riders are having to find other ways to get to work. instead of manning ticket books, b.a.r.t. workers are out with picket signs. b.a.r.t. has chartered some buses to get people around. there's also extra ferry service. the typical slow spots continue to back up. this has been the way it's looked since 5:30 this morning and the slow backing goes through richmond and even past the coliseum as we get through 880. you can see as we switch over and to the peninsula, things are moving slowly. there has been some backups as

we have seen all morning long. otherwise, fremont, 880, we have one accident to tell you about. it's right in the castro valley from 238 over to 580. there's a car fire. things have slowed at the 580 connector. laura? >> certainly busy out there. thank you, anthony. we'll have another update for you in a half an hour. try to give you alternatives for the b.a.r.t. service. have a great morning. [ female announcer ] safeway presents real big deals of the week.

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8:30 on this monday. it's the start of a new week, start of a new month, july 1st, 2013. we have a great crowd on a sticky monday morning here in manhattan. good morning everyone, i'm savannah guthrie along side willie geist in for matt and natalie morales. >> do you like fine dining. >> of course. >> do you like flying. >> yes. >> what if i told you i could put both together? fly over a world class city and

have a great meal athe same time. >> wow. >> we'll take you to an experience unlike any in the world. >> you just can't be afraid of heights. >> that's right. >> if you can't get a crane and fine dining, we'll show you how you can impress your guests with affordable ideas including a simple recipe for a savory cheesecake and i'm smelling lots of bacon as you see up there. >> i didn't even know there was such a thing but we'll learn how to make it coming up. >> but first we want to say hello to miranda cosgrove. she lends her voice -- good morning to you. >> good morning. >> margo is back and she has grown up and is interested in boys now. >> my character is older and it was fun getting to do the scenes for the sure. >> the movie already made more than $50 million overseas before it even opens over here. what is it you think people latch on to so well. >> i don't know. there's unique characters and it's imaginative.

the minions are a big part of it and steve carrell's crazy voice. >> the minions steal the show as they're doing here on our plaza. speaking of growing up, you have done a lot of growing up. a lot of us know you from your icarly days. now you have your own house and you're at usc. how is life treating you? >> it's good. i'm on summer vacation but i finished my first year of college. i love it. usc is great. >> you enjoying the college experience? >> yes, it's been fun seeing what sorrities are like and going to football games and the whole experience. >> good morning. it's great to see you. good luck to you. >> thank you. >> "despicable me 2" opens in theaters wednesday brought to you by our sister company universal pictures. >> two thumbs up from my kids. they saw it already. it's great. >> maria is here for al. good morning. >> good morning. a good movie day for families out there because of all the

rain. take a look, it looks a lot like yesterday's and the days before. you have the rain taking over the east coast to the ohio valley. the southwest, that's the extreme heat. that's going to continue tomorrow as well. where we're seeing the beautiful picture perfect weather. sunshine, temperatures are fairly comfortable but as you see tomorrow, sizzling heat continues across the west with the showers and thunderstorms, flooding rai 8:33, it is going to be a scorcher. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. in san francisco we don't have an excessive heat warning posted. most of the stateñ.' of califor does. we zoom in and show you the greater bay area. it's going to be hot through wednesday. we're going to keep the warning in place. highs today are hotter than yesterday. 105 in livermore. by tomorrow, 108 degrees inland as we peak. cool off a touch for the 4th of july. you can check out your weather 24/7 at weather.com.

>> thank you so much. we want to say hello to a champion. she just won the u.s. women's open in golf over the weekend. good morning to you. >> good morning. in the process she became the first woman since 1950 to win the first three majors of any year. congratulations. >> amazing. >> this has become an old hat to you. just another trophy, right? >> no, it's not ichl. >> it's such a big thing for me winning u.s. women's open and something nobody has done for like 60 years. so it's great to be one of -- put my name on the trophy and has been such an honor and very lucky as a golfer. >> one of the things you're known for other than playing great golf is you're very calm on the court. they call you the queen of serene. is that how you feel inside? >> no, i'm a human and i feel the emotions everybody else feels. i feel the pressure and i feel everything that other people do, but when i'm on the golf course. it just makes me really calm and

makes me able to concentrate. >> you mentioned -- this is the first time since 1950 that a woman won three major titles consecutively and what is your hope for women in the sport? >> i don't know. i mean, there's too many things happening at the moment and i mean, just to put my name next to a lady like that is such a big honor and i mean, as a woman's golfer, i have just -- just in a good position to be in and i just tried not to put too much pressure on myself and just enjoy what i'm doing and just be a happier person. >> final quick question, i'm having a little trouble with my nine iron. we'll talk about that. >> take a lot more time than we have. >> congratulations. >> congrats to you. >> coming up next, fine dining with a view.

but first this is "today" on nbc.

do you ever dream about flying? how about dreams of a gourmet meal in europe? the next time you can make both dreams come true at once. here's michelle kosinski. >> reporter: how do you get to know a new city? get down into the streets, explore, sample the food, however there is a way to do things a little bit differently. >> wow. i feel like i'm on a roller coaster. hopefully not. >> okay everybody. are you ready? >> reporter: this might seem a perfect way to lose your lunch. suddenly we're rising high above the city. >> they warn you when you get on be careful not to drop anything over the edge. luckily there's no one below us,

sort of. >> reporter: the view below, yes, dizzying. >> sort of outdoors window. >> reporter: in front of us, promising. two chefs, also strapped in, each with two stars whipping up incredible imaginative food once you get the liquid courage. >> i'm not sure what is weirder, looking up and seeing the tiny cable holding us or looking down at the ground. >> does the thing rotate in the wind, absolutely. are there bathroom breaks? no way. but the concept has taken off, now in 47 countries. as you might imagine, their insurance costs are sky high. so here the cost to you is about $350 a person. >> after awhile, it just feels good. it feels very free but not too free. >> reporter: it all makes for some of the strangest views and pictures you'll ever get from a

slightly boozey lunch in the r aristot aristot aristot air. for today, michelle could skosi the sky above brussels. >> get a little dizzy. >> coming up next, how jenni rivera is helping people overcome personal troubles even after the plane crash that took her life. we'll hear from her sister, but first this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:42. the sudden death of mexican-american superstar jenny

rivera last year shocked her fans. now thanks to her family's perseverance, that book is becoming a reality. maria, good morning. >> good morning, jenny was very open with all of her fans who follow her life like the episodes of telenovella. now they can read her story in unbreakable, a tell all book as complex and authentic as the diva herself. i had a chance to sit down with her sister in california. >> reporter: mexican-american singer jenni rivera sold out massive stadiums. the first in her family born on u.s. soil she achieved huge success in both countries selling more than 50 million albums worldwide. >> unforgettable baby. >> i love jenni. >> reporter: the multiple latin grammy nominated artist had her own reality show and was a judge

on mexico's version of the voice. but just last year, a plane crash in northern mexico suddenly took her life. >> jenni rivera was killed yesterday. >> morning the tragic death. >> death over the weekend in a plane crash in mexico. >> reporter: she was 43 years old and on the verge of cross over fame. she left behind five children, two grand children, her parents and five siblings including her sister rosi. >> i think of all the people in her life you were probably the closest to her. >> i like to think so. i am blessed to be her little sister but a long life we became really good friends. we always say god made us sisters but our hearts made us friends. >> friends and fans alike close to jenni who was open about her personal struggles detailed in her new auto biography. >> why unbreakable? >> if there's one word to describe this woman, she is

unbreakable. she went through everything you could in life and through every one she would smile. she would find a way to get ahead and nothing ever broke her. >> reporter: a straight a student who became pregnant at 15, jenni went on to raise five kids on her own. >> she had a rough life. >> it was tough. she went through a lot of things. her name is delores, which means pain. i love about her that she never allowed herself to stay in pain. >> jenni took that pain and made music that resinated with her fans and in her book writes about very personal family patterns. >> she was raped. she talked about her divorce. about domestic violence at the hands of her ex-husband. she talks about the sexual abuse

by her ex-husband who ended up incarcerated. were you okay that she wrote about these things that included your own personal things? >> definitely. with time after i had begin to heal she let me know if you're going to go through something we have to help others. this can't just be our story. this is another little girl or little boy's story but no one speaks of it. let's be brave. let's talk about it. >> jenni was the butterfly of the neighborhood. >> she was the single mother that was going to take it no matter what it took. >> "unbreakable's" official release is tomorrow, the day that jenni would've celebrated her 44th birthday. this is a dream of a lifetime for her come true. a book she hoped would help others and she couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. >> you'll have a lot more interviews with her mother as well.

you got to spend time with the sister and the mothers as we saw. how are they doing? it was such an unexpected loss. >> interestingly enough, right after her death, they seemed to be handling it very well. they're people of faith and had to deal with the fans that were also mourning, but i think with time, the pain has become deeper. she now knows jenni's not going to come out of the door any day soon, she cannot speak to her ever again and it's starting to hit them. >> and jenni was about to become a break out star. >> huge. >> a cross over artist. she was recording a pilot television show for primetime when she passed away. >> what did she mean for the hispanic-american community. >> above and beyond her incredible talent what she was great at is that she taught women it was okay to be a size 14. it was okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. she is a hero when it comes to

being able to overcome adversity in the worst of times and come out stronger and better. >> this book is going to resinate so well with her fans still missing her. >> it's going to cross language and everything. >> thank you so much. coming up next we'll switch gears and head upstairs to the kitchen and inexpensive ways to spruce up your next summer get together. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ruce up your next summer ge together. but first, this is "today" on nbc. crystal geyser is always

bottled at the mountain source. crystal geyser. crystal geyser. crystal geyser. then we deliver it directly to you.

today's kitchen is brought to you by philadelphia cream cheese. philadelphia sets the standard. >> back now with today's kitchen. you can do this. are you looking for easy ways to entertain this summer? well, today contributor elizabeth is shewing away flies. she has a few suggestions. take a look. >> hi, i'm going to share some of my entertaining secrets to throw great fun, festive and easy party. come on in. >> for centerpieces, i like to have what i call two-fors which is two uses and one centerpiece. my flowers are not cut flowers. i went to the nursery and picked

up a lot of pansies so you have centerpiece and flowers for outside. i buy these long tapers birthday candles. stick them in the cake and you have a really beautiful presentation and then when it's dessert time you light the candles and you have got your dessert. >> next, candy. candy has a similar purpose in that your guests can also eat it. i like to send my guests home with a little goodie bag. >> all the plates and glasses are all white for a couple of reasons. it looks better on white. think of every rest rantd you ever go to. everything is almost always served on a white plate. the other thing, it always goes together. i have glasses from ikea and plates from target which are great to have when you're entertaining family because they won't break. >> as a former caterer, i know that entertaining is all about the food but you don't want to be stressed and you don't want to spend a lot of money, so a couple of ideas i have for you.

let's start off with my pesto cheesecake. i love that it's not expensive. cheese platters can cost a lot of money by the time you get all of those different varieties. another thing you can do is use your bacon that you might have for tomorrow's breakfast. so just take the bacon, toss it with brown sugar and some mustard. put it in the oven on a rack. it gets nice and krispy and then you just stack it. so this is it. see how easy that was? you too can do it. >> but isn't there like a -- >> good morning. i just want to point out that we started with 8 pieces of bacon here and there's now 4. >> you got demolished by bacon. what do you do with this bay coy con. >> take brown sugar and dijon mustard, put it in a plastic bag, add your bay is on in, put it on a foil lined cookie sheet, cook it and it gets krispy.

i like to do this tower of bacon and the reason it's so good is it's smaller pieces so i cut them in half so it's great for a person to take a bite but height looks good on a plate. instead of eating it all you can stack it. >> right. i assumed that was for us. >> i like a little garnish. green is a little nice. just prop a little bit. >> we're doing a savory cheesecake. not a sweet one. >> one of the reasons i like this is it's inexpensive to make. >> when you said tower of bacon i lost control. >> cheese can be very expensive. when you go buy a bunch for a lot of people, this is a way to feed a lot of people and make it easy. first thing you'll do -- >> eat the bay is on. >> use parmesan and bread crumbs. pour the whole thing in and swirl it around so you cover it. you just don't want it to stick. this is already butter.

>> oh, you already have butter. >> you shake it and then you can just dump out the excess into the sink. >> yeah. >> now, the next thing willie, we'll take two pieces, two hunks of cream cheese, 8 ounces of cream cheese. >> put it right in. >> just go for it. dump it right in. it's so easy. you cannot go wrong. then add the parmesan. >> add a pinch of cayan. >> not the whole thing of salt. a pinch of salt. >> oh okay. >> it's very savory and then the bacon flavor. >> add the egg. try to get them in. do one at a time. one at a time. >> bacon, bacon, bacon. >> i didn't get any bacon. >> i'm just going to take it out now. >> that's sweet bacon. >> we're off the rail here. >> okay. if you can, get that thing off.

>> forget it, you twist it but that's okay. we take that, we mix it up. then what you're going to do is take half of this, once it's fully mixed and you're going to -- i'm going to pour half of it in there and if you can add the pesto to it. >> right in there. >> the whole thing. >> right at once. >> you can mix that up. >> mix it all together. >> natalie, would you mind passing me -- what, we're doing this together. >> go back to the pan. >> bring the pan over. >> here we go. >> what do you do? bake it or what's the deal. >> pour that into this. >> layer. >> natalie you can spread that. so i use the spatula and you cover the whole bottom, you got it? you're fine. >> we're going to finish this. it looks delicious. we'll be back with more today. >> bake it 325. >> look at today.com. >> power of bacon.

good morning to you. 8:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >÷ b.a.r.t. is on strike meaning more drivers are on the road this morning. how is it going? >> things are still very slow. things slow back past richmond on 80. so if that is your route, you definitely want to make sure that you try to find an alternate route. the chopper cam broke down on the bay bridge itself on the

treasure island off ramp. bogged down, as i mentioned, past richmond. you can see how slow it's going in the other direction things not so bad. we still have that accident right at 238 because of a car fire approaching 580 and in the south bay, not too bad. things are slow approaching palo alto. good morning! wow. want to start the day with something heart healthy and delicious? you're a talking bee... honey nut cheerios has whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol. and it tastes good? sure does! right...

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good song. one republic. great song. welcome today on this monday morning. it's the first day of july, 2013. great crowd outside on the plaza starting july with us. inside studio 1-a i'm willie geist with natalie morales. al has the day off. >> welcome back. you came back from vacation. you spent time in hawaii. >> we did. we went from the grand canyon where we watched a man walk the tight rope. >> you would think that would be the best of the best right there. >> yeah. >> but then you got to spend lovely time with your wife. >> i did. it was our 10th anniversary last