news update. >> join us for news at 11:00 as well. have a great day. good morning. breaking overnight, deadly earthquake. a massive 8.2 magnitude quake rocks chile and triggers a tsunami in its wake. at least six are dead and hundreds of thousands are evacuated. as dawn breaks, we will get a report live from the scene. grilled on the hill, gm ceo facing tough questions about faulty ignition switches. what they knew and when. >> i need to get the results of the study to make all determination. i want to know the answers to the questions you're asking. >> today she's back in the hot seat for another round of tense questioning as we get the reaction from one family who lost a loved one in an accident.

passengers cleared. the criminal investigation into malaysia flight 370 enters a new phase now focusing solely on the crew. this as one top official warns, we may never know what happened to that plane. and pass the salt. after years of being told to keep the salt intake down, a groundbreaking new study shows it may not be as bad for you after all today, wednesday, april 2nd, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. and it looks like it's going to be a busy news morning. >> breaking news out of south america this morning to tell you about. >> it's that powerful earthquake in chile. the true scope of the damage probably won't be known for a while as people are beginning to assess the damage as daylight begins to break. nbc's mark potter is in los angeles this morning. mark, what can you tell us?

>> well, matt, good morning. nothing terrifies chileans more than an offshore earthquake and a tsunami. this led to large scale evacuations. fires raised overnight with the powerful 8.2 earthquake striking in the pacific ocean. the epicenter off the mining cost in northern chile near the border with peru. the quake was followed by tsunami warnings up and down the pacific coast, even as far away as hawaii. hundreds of thousands were evacuated along the chilean coast including homes for the elderly leading to a series of traffic jams from fleeing residents. >> this earthquake occurred in an area of plate convergence where one plate subducts underneath the other. it's similar kind of earthquake to what we have seen in japan and in sumatra in the last few years.

>> chile's long, narrow borders are situated along the ring of fire. the area encircling most of the pacific ocean that is home to the overwhelming majority of the world seismic and volcanic activity. >> much of the pacific ocean is growing. it's been producing new crusts and moving it out and on the edges of the ocean, that crust has to go down under the continents. and these very large faults where this happens produce the biggest earthquakes of the world. the biggest of all are in chile. >> just four years ago, chile suffered a magnitude 8.8 quake that killed over 500 residents. it is also the victim of the largest earthquake in recorded history, a 9.5 quake in 1960 that killed several thousand. >> so the whole country is sitting on top of magnitude 8 to 9.5 earthquakes. >> power outages and landslides blocking roads also reported. about 300 female prisoners escaped from a jail during the quake.

and the big question now, is this it? or will another earthquake follow soon as has happened there in the past? for now, tsunami warnings have been lifted. many people are going back home. matt. >> mark potter, thank you very much. joe hinchliffe is the editor in chief of the "santiago times" is here. joe, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> i know sun is coming up there. people are able to look around and see the damage, have you been able to speak to people in the areas impacted the most by this? >> we have been. we are more than 1,000 miles south of the epicenter. we didn't feel it here in santiago. we spent the evening reaching out to those in the affected areas in the north. by all reports, it was a very scary night, a very strong earthquake, and the rest of the night everyone was on high alert for the resulting tsunami. >> and what about aftershocks? often times a quake like this is followed by dramatic and powerful aftershocks. have there been reports of those? >> absolutely, more than 20 and not just aftershocks, minor

earthquakes, as well. some up to six points on the richter scale. and that's the reason that the tsunami alert ran through the entire night. it was lifted 50 minutes ago, before 7:00 a.m. local time. the tsunami alert was finally lifted for the entire country. people were up all night because of those aftershocks. and then, of course, the unpredictability of the tsunami. >> joe, talk to me about the epicenter and the area most impacted. is it a rural area? an urban area? what can you describe? >> we're waiting to hear the full extent because of the rural areas that would have been impacted. the sun is just rising here. and people trying to make contact with some of these fishing villages with older style adobe houses which may well have been impacted. even more strongly by this quake. but the major urban centers are two cities in the north, iquique and arica. iquique in particular spent most

of the night without power. there was a jailbreak, in fact, of 300 -- more than 300 female prisoners who were being evacuated from a low-lying prison. there was reports of looting although the government claims everything was under control there now. the first two or three blocks of the city, it's a city on the coastline were flooded by the resulting waves after the quake. and pictures are starting to filter through via the people we've spoken to and also images and footage on social media that is showing significant damage to houses, collapsed walls, damaged infrastructure in the streets. >> right. clearly it is a developing story. joe hinchliffe, the editor in chief of "the santiago times," thank you for your reporting, i appreciate it very much. >> thank you, matt. >> savannah? thanks. and now to the second day of questioning for gm's ceo about why the car company did not recall more than 2.6 million vehicles sooner.

the ceo mary barra was grilled for seven hours on tuesday about the faulty ignition switches on some of gm's vehicles. she's headed back to the hill for more today. nbc's tom costello has the latest from washington. tom, good morning. the senate hearing will start shortly. this has been a heartbreaking experience for dozens of family members who came to washington demanding answers from gm about why their loved ones died and a frustrating experience for members of congress also demanding answers from the ceo but not getting much in the way of answers. >> if today's appearance on capitol hill is anything like yesterday's, gm's ceo mary barra is in for yet another grilling. >> why did the company not announce the subpar switches may have been installed in those vehicles in the first place? >> do you think there was a cover-up or sloppy work? >> seven weeks after gm issued its worldwide recall, both democrats and republicans are demanding to know when gm knew it had a serious safety issue.

>> it came to light to me on january 31st, 2014. >> that's totally irrelevant to the people who lost their lives. >> reporter: in the audience, family members of some of those who died in gm cars. officially, gm says it knows of 13 deaths and 32 crashes connected to its faulty ignition switches and air bags that failed to deploy. but consumer advocates say there may be many more. nick and kim langley came for their son scottie asking why gm didn't order a recall more than a decade ago before he died. >> it's far beyond us what they thought. obviously they weren't thinking about the american people. >> gm admits it ordered a fix for new cars in 2006 but never told existing customers that they might be at risk. and government regulators say they were never told either. >> our ability to find defects, also requires automakers to act in good faith and provide

information on time. >> while barra has reiterated gm's apology. >> especially the families and friends who lost their lives or were injured. i am deeply sorry. >> she struggled to say why the company waited so long to order a recall and she had few specifics when asked by lawmakers. >> i need to get the results of the study to make all determinations. and i want to know the answers to the questions you're asking. those are the questions i want to answer. >> this morning, still more questions than answers about a huge failure at the nation's second biggest automaker. >> gm has launched an independent investigation and hired ken feinberg, the man who ran the 9/11 fund, to look at what steps gm should take for its customers now. so far, it's not committed to a financial settlement. we'll see if that comes out in the next couple of days. >> tom costello in washington, thank you. renee trautwein lost her daughter sarah in an accident five years ago, that accident involving a 2005 chevy cobalt.

sarah was killed instantly when her car went off the road and hit a tree. her air bags never deployed, a sign the ignition on her car may have switched off due to the faulty part at the center of this this gm recall. the trautweins are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against gm. the cause of their daughter's accident is now under new investigation. renee is here along with phil, who was sarah's brother. good morning to both of you. mo. >> good morning. >> renee, i watched you watch that piece and you were there yesterday for the testimony of the gm ceo. how did it strike you? did you find any satisfaction? >> none. in fact, it made me more upset. >> why is that? >> because she was scripted. no answer. no answers were given. it's a cover-up. a terrible cover-up. it's obvious. i think what amazed me the most, we are new to this. we just found out last friday. and there was a front impact. but the fact that everyone from gm is still there to me is amazing.

>> five days ago, a week ago, you were still believing that your daughter sara had fallen asleep at the wheel five years ago. then you started hearing about this gm recall. what made you suspicious? >> it was haunting me. like sara was saying, mom, i didn't fall asleep at the wheel. because i'd been mad at her. and i think she's finally saying, mom, stop. anyway, we looked into it, i brought the kids into it. i called my brother and said i have one question because i've never seen the car. i've been really weak through all of this. and i asked him if the air bags were open. and he said no. >> what's it like to have this wound reopened? you both have suffered this unfathomable loss i'm sure is with you every single day. but to think that perhaps the circumstances of her death were different, that it may have been caused by this faulty ignition switch, what is it like to go through that and think about that? >> it's hard.

because we thought we had an answer. and we were coping with the fact she died peacefully and while she was sleeping at the wheel. and now, for us, as a family, we have to think about what was her last thought. was she fighting for her life? was she trying to get out of the car? and for us, that's something we'll never know. and that's when gm took away from us. so for us, it's tough. >> you were at the meeting the other night, mary barra sat down with some of the families here. do you give her credit for holding that meeting? or did you find her to be sincere? >> no on both answers. again, it was scripted. no dry eye in the room except mary. her lawyer offered her a kleenex, which she never used. no, i was not -- i felt it was a waste of my time. i felt i was there more for a group parent session of our

grief than anything to do with gm trying to make up to us for it. >> and quickly, you are part of a class action lawsuit against gm, what are you hoping to come out of it? >> i'm hoping criminal charges. i'm hoping these cars mostly right now are taken off the road immediately. there are still 2.5 million of these automobiles. i want gm to get on breaking news, tell everyone to take their cars now, don't drive them anymore. >> renee and phil, thank you so much. again, so sorry for your loss. >> thank you. >> appreciate your time. the focus of the investigation into malaysia air flight 370 is now down to just 12 people. this morning, one police official announcing that every passenger onboard that plane has been cleared in their criminal investigation. and now their attention turns solely to the crew of that plane. katy tur with more on that. katy, good morning. >> reporter: officials came out

today and said they have cleared all of the passengers of any wrong doing. that means they don't believe they sabotaged or hijacked the plane. now it's a criminal investigation. that's the first time you're hearing that word officially. a criminal investigation into the crew. >> overnight, malaysian police announced the focus is narrowed on to the cabin crew including the pilots shah and hamid. >> only the passengers have been cleared. the rest, no. it is a criminal investigation. >> last week, officials announced they found, quote, nothing sinister on the flight simulator. the daily mail reported the family called sahari disturbed. his daughter called it a lie writing you should consider making movies since you are so good at making up stories and

scripts out of thin air. may god have mercy on your souls. meanwhile, day 26 and crews 1,100 miles off the coast of australia have still found nothing. >> it's a very inexact science at the moment. >> outside of kuala lumpur, the family of chinese passengers met with high-level malaysian officials. but there was little to report. >> it is a closed-door meeting. >> this as malaysia airlines claimed once again they know as much as the public. >> we are not the originators of information. there are at least 24 countries now involved in that search for the aircraft. there is no way to keep information hidden. >> in that same news conference with the police chief said they cleared all the passengers. he said they will continue investigating, conducting interviews, but conceded for the first time they may never know what happened to this plane. this could be a mystery that they just will not solve. matt? >> katy tur this morning, thank you very much.

>> let's turn to natalie with an update this morning with a search of the victims of the mudslide in washington. we are seeing dramatic new satellite images from space. they showed just how massive and devastating that mudslide was that took dozens of lives in washington state and wiped out an entire neighborhood. also, the search there for victims continues. some previously flooded areas are drying out. and that isn't allowing searchers to move in to look for more remains. at least 28 people are officially listed as dead with another 20 still missing. some frightening moments in missouri today when a school bus full of kids rolled into a ditch, more than two dozen students hurt in the accident. about 200 miles northwest of st. louis. the bus driver ran off the road, overcorrected and drove into a ditch and flipped over. five students suffered serious injury, and investigation is now underway. president obama confirmed tuesday that more than 7 million americans signed up for the affordable care act.

the president and vice president made the announcement at a ceremony in the rose garden. president obama says the law has not fixed the health care system but it has made it a lot better. he says there is no reason to go back in a reference to republican efforts to repeal the law. congress sent a strong message to russia today to cease further moves against ukraine. the house voted to provide $1 billion in loan guarantees to cash poor ukraine. also discouraged vladimir putin from taking any further military action in the region. the bill now heads to president obama's desk. it wasn't difficult for some georgia residents to give police a description of a suspected burglar because the man was wearing just a cowboy hat, nothing else. surveillance cameras caught the naked suspect in the act, as you see there. police say during a day long crime spree he stole a car, tried to steal a motorcycle, broke into two homes, he allegedly drank a beer, made himself a meal and watched baseball on tv.

he faces a list of charges. >> can i say i'm happy that mug shots are just a single shot of the face. >> thank goodness for that. baseball season in full swing. and you might be lucky enough to catch a foul ball or perhaps even a bat. take a look, tampa bay hosting toronto on tuesday and when he went down swinging, his bat goes flying off into the stands. two men caught the opposite ends of the bat. question is, who gets to keep it? nothing better than rock paper scissors to settle things, paper covers rock, you have a winner there. he gets the bat. >> and the other guy hit him over the head with it. >> no. >> could've done the hand over hand. >> or 2 out of 3. >> natalie, thank you. >> al's off today. we'll see him hopefully by the end of the week. dylan dreyer -- >> sorry you're stuck with me. >> no, no. >> you're in trouble now. >> folks in the midwest getting

rained on. >> a lot of rain, too. we could see some strong storms. today and tomorrow afternoon where we could end up with strong storms. i say especially one more time. but it's down near arkansas. we are looking at a line of heavy storms from st. louis over into cincinnati and moving towards pittsburgh. and this is the area where we could end up with strong storms large hail and damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes are possible. up into paducah, kentucky. and this is going to be the threat later on this afternoon. tomorrow, we are looking for the threat further to the south. that's a look at the weather across the

7:20 now. i'm meteorologist christina loren. the showers are finally clearing out of bay area. more rain on the way. a whopper storm system towards 8th, 9th, 10th of the month. today, showers clear out of here. temperatures are chilly to star the day. we will end up in the mid-60s before the day is done. warmer, more sunshine today. a round of rain returns as we head throughout late thursday into friday. 80s as of monday on next week. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan. thank you very much. coming up, why the archbishop in atlanta is now apologizing for his new multimillion dollar home. and perhaps some good news for those of us who like to put a little bit of salt, by a little, i mean a lot on our meals. >> and tamron in the orange room. >> good morning.

we will discuss this selfie that just has twitter all abuzz this morning. boston strong in d.c. we're going to show you more images of when the sox went to the white house. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, how would you like to be in the middle of this impromptu performance? we'll have more on the surprising inflight singing. and are moms relaxing too much during play dates? an eye opening story about women who deal with t man: i know the name of eight princesses. i'm on expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for, because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners,

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good wednesday morning. 7:26. i'm peggy bunker. the san francisco firefighter accused of hitting a motorcyclist while driving a fire truck drunk is set to be in court. michael quinn arraigned on three felony counts.june, he was behil when this happened the fruk slammed into the motorcyclist. he was serious hurt but did survive. amazing story of survival to tell you about. this man, 25-year-old abraham finklestein was found alive one day after he vanished while snowboarding in the sierra back country. authorities say they spent most of the time walking until he found a house and was able to call his family. he was taken to the hospital for

minor frostbite. and a massive tree fell overnight during the storm, crushing several cars below. this taking place in oakland. near mcarthur boulevard and fairmont. power knocked out. crews spent the night cleaning up the mess. no within was hurt. checking in on your forecast with christina loren. >> all of the shower activity pressing into the central valley, farmers need it. you can see the bay area, starting to spin out when it comes to steady activity. you'll need your jacket, want to bring your umbrella as well. 40s to start. only going to end up in the low 60s for most of the day. 63 in the peninsula. 62 the high in the east bay. 58 that's in in san francisco. getting sunshine throughout the next couple of days, more rain in the forecast late thursday into friday. then we hit 80s by sun. mike and your drive. >> looking toward fremont, looking for the smoke reported

on chp's report. but they didn't -- i didn't find it neither did chp, good news. traveling southbound 880 past the scales into the south bay light volume of traffic in the northbound commute direction. lighter build around the bay. spring break for the tri-valley schools, affecting the bay observe the next few weeks, lighter flow. look at cash lanes, clear right now. good stuff. >> another update in 30 minutes. see you then.

>> move! move! >> that could definitely happen. 7:30, wednesday, april 2nd. you know what that is, "sharknado" from last year. >> you might want to cut away. it was made for tv about a freak hurricane hitting los angeles, flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. >> guess what, "sharknado" is

coming to new york and a lot of people are jealous. you and al have a cameo in "sharknado 2"? >> we did. we sh we shot our cameos right here in studio 1-a. >> it's a twister with teeth. enough said. >> enough said, indeed, al, thank you very much. >> aaahhh! >> we're back live. >> we want to thank you for watching the "today" show. we now resume our regularly scheduled programming. >> let me explain the green pillow. >> why don't you go into acting? >> i can't believe we gave away the whole climax of the movie. that is the pivotal scene in the entire movie we just gave away. >> you were dirty?

>> i was wrestling a shark for 20 minutes in the studio. you would be dirty, too. >> the golden globes are next summer. who are you wearing? >> just in time for oscar -- >> oh, my gosh. >> jealous. >> very jealous. 7:32. six people have died in that powerful earthquake that rocked chile last night. it was followed by a tsunami, several aftershocks. and a tsunami advisory remains in effect out of an abundance of caution in hawaii. >> gm ceo mary barra will be back on capitol hill for another roubd of questioning about when gm knew about the faulty ignition switches and why nothing was done sooner. in washington state, they say 28 people were killed from that massive mudslide. meantime, this satellite picture shows just how damaging the mudslide really was. >> still to come this morning, the great salt debate. for years we've been told to limit our intake but now a new

study says too little salt could pose a health risk as well. dr. nancy snyderman will be here to explain that. four months after his death, one of paul walker's final projects is about to hit theaters. take a look at how the student joe handling the delicate release. we'll begin with an apology with roman catholic priest from atlanta. gabe gutierrez is in atlanta with the story. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. a spokesperson for the archdiocese says plans for the home in this neighborhood had been in the plans for years and the priest only lives in a small portion of this home. $2.2 million, 6400 square feet, and now -- >> i think it's offensive. >> reporter: -- a lot of

backlash. some of the faithful at atlanta's cathedral christ of king are furious at the new home built from the estate of the nephew of margaret mitchell. author of "gone with the wind." archbishop gregory left his older, more modest home two months ago to make room for the six priests living there. not all parishioners are against the move. >> given that all decisions are made, you know, thoughtfully and prayerfully. >> reporter: others say it contradicts the teachings of poach francis who drives humbly and simply. just days ago he removed a german clergyman nicknamed the bishop of bling for a $43 million home. >> when you're in religion and

politics you're held to a different level of accountability. >> in "the georgia bulletin" he apologized. faithfully respond year after year to my pleas to assist with funding our ministries and services. >> he wanted to be able to entertain at the house, including barbecues and including pizza parties and sometimes it's just gatherings for tea. >> i've been a parishioner for 33 years. i've never been inviteded to anything at the archbishop's home. >> reporter: he says he will consult with throws over the next few months and if it's the will of the people, the house will be sold. >> gabe gutierrez in atlanta, thank you very much. >> you may have noticed that al is not with us this morning. he is actually having rotator cuff surgery. he just tweeted this out. we can see. right over there.

in the meantime, dylan is filling in. i think the reason we can say this now is because al is under. he's under, so we know he can't be mad at us, but we wish him well. we'll get to talk to him this afternoon. >> let's get a check of the weather. >> i shouldn't have tweeted al is enjoying the morning off. yeah. we are looking at strong storms today and tomorrow. tomorrow's storms could produce more of outbreak possible. you can see in red, the area on thursday from st. louis into extreme louisiana where we could see strong storms, especially isolated tornadoes, large hail and wind gusts. it's the clash of warm air out ahead of a storm and cold air back behind a front. cold air is where winter storm watches are in effect for

tomorrow, especially into the minneapolis area where we could end up with 9 inches of snow from the 7:37. you made it to the middle of the work week. most of the shower activity is well to the south of the bay area. you can see here, just light scattered activity. as we head throughout the day, that's all we expecting. temps cool. 50s to 60s. peninsula 6 about. 62 east bay. 58 in san francisco. a's game rained out yesterday. they have a doubleheader today. 12:30 looks good. 54, not expecting a rain delay. light showers. 6:00 p.m. for the second game. p track of you can keep track of your weather any time 24/7 at the weather channel or weather.com. did you ever think of those

blankets from airlines washed? >> what about the tray tables? how often are they cleaned? >> up next, a surprising study about salt and why you could pour more on your dinner and we'll talk to dr. snyderman about that. also, the effectiveness of mammograms. but first, these messages. with waffles and laughs for our family of four. the pool is waiting, don't you dare fret. there's no need to ask, "are we there yet?" be a weekender at hotels like hampton and embassy suites. book now at hiltonweekends.com

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>> significantly higher. my gut for years has been we've made too big of a deal out of salt for normal, healthy people with normal, healthy kidneys. the institute of medicine came out last year and said 2,300 milligrams, the american heart association has always skewed very low. 1,500 milligrams, which i thought was really hard for the average american to stay on. this study is saying, look, you can go higher, and if you're healthy, you're going to be fine. and you raise a question about dropping too low. >> what if you go 2,300 milligrams a day, is it dangerous to your health or neutral? >> i don't think it's neutral. for some people it may be. but you need salt for your cells to function. and sodium and potassium, you know, keep fluids moving across your cells, important that you have low blood pressure and you don't get enough salt, you can feel lousy. so for people who are over 50, african-american, bad kidneys, diabetes, high blood pressure, you're a select group. you have to watch how much sodium.

but if you're normally healthy, i think you can back off a little bit and relax. >> let's talk about mammograms, another health topic this morning in a study published in the journal of the medical association. looked at 50 years of research on the topic. what's the headline there? >> the headline is, i think it's a very important headline, we may be touting the benefits and undertalking about the downside. the imaging now is so good and the radiation exposure so low, we're finding things that may not be cancers which leads us to false positives. biopsies, unnecessary surgeries, stress. and stuff we never talk about, the economic hit to the american health care system and the responsibility we all have to play. >> just to highlight the numbers you talked about, it said that more than half of the women between the ages of 40 and 50 who have mammograms over a ten-year period have a false positive at least one time. >> which is significant. five years ago, task force came out and said if your normal

family history, no risk factors, you don't have to start screening at 40, you can wait till 50. people hate the message, don't like it. but the reality is, the statistics are the statistics. if you are one of those women who is found to have breast cancer, you know, it's 100% for you. but nonetheless, the data is real. so what we're saying to women is sit down and say to your doctor, look, my age is a risk factor, my family history's a risk factor, what should i do? and recognize any time you have a test, there's an upside and downside. age will be the determining risk factor. how many people in your family and your genetic hit, i would have to say those are the three big drivers. >> important information. >> two big controversial things. i want everyone to know matt.lauer. >> no, it's nancy -- nancy's going to be taking your questions on salt and mammograms at 1:15 eastern on nbcnews.com. you can send your questions

using #asknbcnews. >> thanks, matt. coming up on "trending," a round-up of the best and worst from april fool's day. including an entire movie about rotisserie chicken. up next, tamron's in the orange room talking about a trending selfie. ♪ ♪ new hershey's spreads. bring the delicious taste of hershey's chocolate to anything - everything - you can imagine. explore the endless possibilities of the delicious chocolate taste that only hershey's can deliver. with new hershey's spreads, the possibilities are delicious.

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president. look at all the smiles there. i've got a quiz for you, can you tell me who this is? >> that is -- one second. >> you got it? >> can you put it up for one second? >> that's chuck todd. >> that would be funny if it was chuck todd. now, this is white house press secretary and red sox superfan jay carney. >> oh. >> he wore the beard in honor of the team. the president joked he didn't recognize the red sox because they'd all shaven. but i've delayed long enough. because this is the moment everyone was talking about. big poppi with the president preparing to take his official photo. then, he went rogue. >> looks like it might fit him better than me, though. >> all right. let's get a good picture here. >> do you mind if i take my own? >> oh, he wants to do a selfie. >> yes, sir. yes, sir. >> big poppi selfie. >> and you can bet it was trending. over 33,000 retweets.

and this was the end result. look at those smiles there. a good day in washington. the other moment everyone's talking about. johnny gomes. guys, it's true, he wore, i think, the cleanest jacket in town that day. the flag there. we asked people to tweet us their patriotic outfits. look at these cutis and the pups there. exciting day in washington, d.c. red, white and blue all the way. >> it's a big sports week in washington. >> setting a precedent for the selfie. >> yeah. absolutely. get ready for one of the most breathtaking roller coaster rides ever. we'll show you more of this jaw-dropping plunge in "trending." and our good friend maria shriver talking about how moms are coping with stress by picking up a drink or two. >> a ♪ ♪

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good morning. er 7:56. i'm scott mcgrew. a federal grand jury indicted pg&e on 12 criminal charges surrounding the san bruno explosion and fire. the fire killed eight people, destroyed 38 home, 3 1/2 years ago. the indictment filed yesterday, claimed pg&e knowingly violated federal law saying employees and regulatory agencies gave multiple warnings to the utility about insufficient recordkeeping of its gas pipeline. it also charges that pg&e, quote, willfully violated a minimum safety standard for pipelines carrying natural gas and that led to the explosion. but, pg&e maintains that its employees did not intentionally violate federal law and those criminal charges are unwarranted. let's check our weather this morning with christina. good morning. >> it is a good morning, scott mcgrew. we have finally a break from the

heavy rainfall but it's not the last round that we're anticipating as we head through april. 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, another big system comes through. dry for today. same deal for tomorrow. then a light round of rain tomorrow into friday morning. and overall, temperatures are going to be on the climb, wrapping up numbers in the 60s today and 80s into the end of the week. we'll have the seven-day forecast at the bottom of the screen throughout mike's traffic report. >> towards the san mateo bridge, a live look at westbound, travel direct. commute lightening up. only lasted really in earnest for about 45 minutes, traveling over from the haywood side. folks on the peninsula. there's your slowing on north side of 92 both directs at 101. bay looking good. you have your typical trend for slowing in the area but was lighter than typical volume, san francisco and tri-valley schools on vacation this week. northbound build for the south bay, light, scott. back to you. >> thank you much.

another local news update for you in a half hour. ♪ ♪

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♪ it's 8:00 on "today." and coming up, mother's little helper. when does the casual glass of wine cross the line? maria shriver is here with a special report on moms, stress and alcohol. then, gone too soon. four months after his death, one of paul walker's final projects is about to hit theaters, and we have an exclusive behind the scenes look. and this is what you call in-flight entertainment. the cast of lion king gives an impromptu performance as passengers wait to take off. ♪ today, wednesday, april 2nd, 2014. ♪

>> nashville, tennessee! >> here we are celebrating our 25th birthdays live on the "today" show! >> all the way from california, happy birthday, kira! >> whoo! ♪ >> hello, illinois! >> virginia! >> kentucky in the house! we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning, it's the second day of april, 2014, and you know for one of the first times in a long time, we're going to say it's going to get kind of mild in new york city today, maybe 60? >> that would be fantastic. that's very possible. >> sounds downright pleasant. >> it's really good. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. dylan's in while al is undergoing a little surgery on his rotator cuff.

and tamron hall joins us, as well. and a lot to get to this morning. and we'll talk about the 16 things you may have never known about flying on a plane. some may gross some of the germ folks on the show out. >> once you know them, you can't unknow them. >> right. >> can't unring that bell. natalie's over at the news desk. >> good morning to you all once again. dozens of aftershocks have rocked chile this morning following a deadly overnight earthquake. mark potter is in los angeles following the latest on the quake's impact. mark, good morning. >> good morning to you, natalie. the magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck off the northern coast of chile and triggered a tsunami with 6 to 7 foot waves hitting the shore. so far, at least six people reported dead, most dying from falling walls or heart attacks.

t some 300 female prisoners escaped from a penitentiary during the quake. the chilean president declared it a disaster zone bringing in troops and police to maintain order. chile was hit by a much bigger quake four years ago. and the question now is will this latest earthquake be followed soon by another one as has happened there in the past. natalie? >> mark potter in our los angeles bureau. thank you, mark. we're getting a firsthand look now at the massive mudslide that took dozens of lives in washington state. a slide so big it can be seen from space as this dramatic new satellite image shows us. and the search for victims enters the 12th day. miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: this is our first upclose look at the damage where 28 people have died. and this morning, 20 are still missing. from this higher elevation, you can see the hillside that just sheared off. and look at how much ground it

covered. 1 square mile slid down this mountain. >> the hill didn't just slide away, the bottom blew out with an incredible amount of energy, came across this debris field and pushed all of this material. >> you can see this huge tree that's been toppled over. looks like clothes from a family draped around it. pieces of everyday life strewn everywhere. this is one of those ominous signs work crews look like they found something. they've discovered another body here, so we're going to stop shooting. it's heartbreaking work here. the teams are combing through people's lives, picking apart this area stick by stick. it's pain stakingly slow. this is what you find at the entrance to the search zone, a tattered flag pulled from the rubble, a symbol of hope. and for now, of recovery. for "today," nbc news, oso, washington. well, the new head of general motors faces a second day of tough questioning today before congress. on tuesday, ceo mary barra said she didn't have enough

information yet to explain why gm waited a decade to warn the public about a faulty ignition switch used in millions of small cars. at least 13 crash deaths have been blamed on the problem. documents provided by gm shows a cost of replacement switch was just under $1. a pennsylvania tree trimmer survived a horrible accident, has the x-ray to prove just how bad it was. james valentine was pruning a tree on monday when his chain saw kicked back. the blade cut into his shoulder and lodged into his neck. doctors say it missed a major artery by 2 inches. valentine plans to get back to tree trimming in a few weeks because he says, that is what i do. brave man, though. well, now we know why they give lottery winners those big checks. the sole winner of february's $425 million jackpot. the northern california man accepted his prize on tuesday, but he hid his face behind the check. he would not reveal his age,

address or what he did for a living. he'll use his lump sum payment of $242 million to help set up a charity for children. doing some good with that money. 8:06 right now. let's get a check of the weather right now with dylan in for al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by taco bell breakfast. wake up, live mas. >> thanks, natalie. good morning, everyone. we have a budding meteorologist here. this is beth. do you know what the weather's going to be like for new york city today? >> cold. >> it is cold right now. and just when you thought al roker took the day off, there he is in the crowd hanging out with us today. one of the most realistic looking pictures i've ever seen. i've got to get that printed. we are looking for chilly temperatures in new york this morning. it will warm up. we just have a couple of clouds. but it'll be nice and sunny further south down into ft. myers, florida. we are looking for temperatures today in the mid-80s. looking fantastic with morning lows in the 60s. elsewhere across the country, our warmest temperatures will be

down across texas where we'll get into the 90s today, 70s and 80s through the southeast, but 20s and 30s and snow expected in parts of minnesota as we go into tomorrow. we could see strong storms today. possibility for isolated tornadoes, hail and gusty taking a live look at the radar this morning. showers are starting to deteriorate, but you still want to keep your umbrella handy as we have a little chance for isolated showers and thunderstorms throughout the day today. thursday mostly dry conditions and a little warmer in san jose tomorrow. then another round of rain late thursday into friday. by saturday we really kick in that warming up to 80 degrees by sunday. >> and that is your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thank you very much. coming up, you might rethink how you feel about flying when you hear 16 secrets about what

happens onboard. all right, we're going to hear these from airline professionals. then maria shriver's here with a look at moms who deal with the stress of their kids by drinking on play dates. i just heard a yes for that. we'll talk to maria about that. plus, behind the scenes of the late paul walker's new movie. but first, these messages. you will never guess who's loving taco bell's new a.m. crunchwrap. i'm ronald mcdonald. i'm ronald mcdonald from verobeach, florida i'm ronald mcdonald and i am from easton, maryland. i am thee ronald mcdonald. got an a.m. crunchwrap here. mmmmmmm real good. it has everything i like. i've got sausage. i have eggs. hash browns are crispy. it's not messy. i have to eat on the run, so things like this make a big difference. wow

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we might as well just start here, okay? the alarming list that will change the way you look at flying, all right. "huffington post" gathered shocking airline secrets from flight attendants and experts. here are the revelations that we found most surprising. your blanket, right, the one they give you in that little bag. no, it has not been washed. >> it's in the bag. >> blankets and pillows get refolded and stuffed back into the bins between flight. >> how do they seal it? >> they must put another bag around it and -- >> they have a sealer standby? >> pack all your belongings and suck the air out of it with the thing -- >> i cover my face with that blanket. >> last night, i had it right up to my nose. >> not after today. >> you're all going to have to get over this. don't even ask about your tray table. okay. now, you can be upgraded to first class after you takeoff. one flight attendant says it helps if you're very nice, pregnant, tall, or good looking

or all of the above, savannah. that would work. if you're extra thirsty during the food service, you have the right to ask for the whole can of soda. >> my mom demands the whole can. >> flight attendants don't mind that. and finally, don't drink the water unless it comes from a bottle. >> why? >> well, apparently -- >> why? >> where else would you drink the water? the bathroom? >> well, you definitely -- >> there's apparently the portable water and the person who reseals the water and deals with the lavatory -- >> it's toilet water? >> no, but sometimes -- makes it toilet water. >> you watch them crack open the bottle of water. >> all the poor flight attendants today are saying thanks a lot, guys. >> more shocking than that 43% of pilot admitted they've fallen asleep in the cockpit. that's pretty scary. >> i'm flying later today. i'll be remembering all this.

>> well, you get the water and wipe off the blanket. well, no secret that a lot of people hate to fly, but how would you feel if something like this happened on your flight? take a look. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> yeah, the cast of the "lion king," during a flight to sydney. happened just before the flight took off. >> that's my favorite disney movie. >> yeah. >> good stuff. i love that. >> for about 20 seconds. >> quiet down on this flight. well, the internet is full of april fool's day pranks yesterday. we all personally know, savannah

guthrie, what a fail some can be, but there were others that were successful. but believe it or not, there were a few hits, netflix is winning wide praise this morning for its new rotisserie chicken documentary. it was out there. the film features 73 minutes of a chicken spinning in a rotisserie in reverse. >> i would watch that. >> it's mesmerizing. >> it is. >> you love food. >> my mouth is watering. >> here's the film's description. in the tradition of the curious case of benjamin button. witness a return to one's origins that stokes the imagine in addition. but one fake review snarked that the film made poor use of thyme. >> that chicken was a better actor than you and al in sharknado. >> i am hungry. >> that is what's trending today. coming up next, maria shriver on a special report on women who are drinking to relieve parenting stress.

>> well, now to some moms relieving stress with alcohol. some have made wine and cocktails a part of their weekly routine even on play dates. when does that cross the line? maria shriver's here with this debate. good morning. >> good morning, savannah. well, when we took a survey on today.com, nearly 40% of moms said drinking helps them cope with their stress. but behind this trend, experts worry that more moms are abusing alcohol than ever and putting

themselves and their kids at risk. >> an afternoon play date for these california moms full of chips, flips, and juice. >> cheers, happy friday. >> not just for the kids. >> this is our liquid therapy. >> it makes me feel human again after i've been beaten down all week. >> it's kind of like the sex and the city but with kids. >> for moms like these, alcohol has become a go-to antidote for anxiety. drinking is now celebrated in parenting blogs. there are even wine brands for the stressed out mom from mad housewife to mommy's time-out to, yes, even mommy juice wine with sales up 25%. >> moms should be allowed to relax and kick back and take care of their kids and have their mommy juice and not be judged for it. >> but is this cocktail culture a slippery slope? while these moms practice moderation, no more than one

drink per play date and everyone walks home, experts say more and more anxious moms are drinking to excess. she runs the largest group of alcohol rehab centers. >> i'm seeing it widespread across the country. an increase of moms, particularly with young kids, coming into treatment. >> according to the cdc, women ages 25 to 34, 1 in 5 admit to frequent binge drinking. consuming four or more drinks at once. >> i'm a mom. i can't say i have a problem. >> from the outside, stephanie wilder taylor looked like she had it all together. a successful writer, wife and mother of three girls, and a regular at cocktail play dates. but behind all the fun, stephanie was hiding an alcohol addiction. drinking up to six glasses of wine a day. >> i was on very high level anxiety all the time. and i felt like it was necessary. >> and it was also socially okay

as far as you were concerned? >> yeah. the moms -- we would all talk about it and we would go, wow, my drinking, i've really started drinking more since i had kids. >> do you think this is a big kind of national secret, the truth about women? the truth about moms? >> yes, absolutely. >> it wasn't until her husband caught her coming home drunk with the kids in the car that they realized she needed help. >> i had seen her drinking, but it didn't jump out to me as a big problem. she was entirely functional. and all it takes is just one sort of escalation and suddenly your kids are at risk. >> all of a sudden, i was like, i don't have an off switch. i cannot always promise i'm not going to accidentally get drunk. and i realized right then, i have way too much to lose. >> so you've been sober for almost five years now? >> yes. >> since giving up alcohol, stephanie says she's less anxious and busier than ever. hosting this parenting tv show and running her blog, "booze

free brigade" where thousands of moms have shared their secret struggles with drinking. >> what would you say to women who are having wine and say to themselves i have a picture of an alcoholic in my head and that's not me. what would you say? >> i would say an alcoholic looks just like this. i wish that more people that are like me would come forward and go, yeah, i drink too much, and i got help and i feel better. >> stephanie says drinking has become so socially ingrained among moms, some now exclude her from play dates simply because she doesn't drink. she says she's seeking out to help other women recognize they may have a problem and they should not be ashamed to ask for help. and i think that's her big message. do not be ashamed to ask for help because she was until she actually asked for help. >> yeah, a lot of moms like to blow off a little steam. and that's okay. but at some point, it gets dangerous. we actually asked moms in our survey, how many alcoholic drinks do you consume weekly?

37% said more than seven drinks. >> i think any time you're wondering yourself, am i drinking too much? that's a flag. if you're asking a friend, do you think i drink too much, stephanie says you should reach out. >> but also timing is important. if you're having a drink in the evening to release the stress of the day, that's one thing, but if you're doing it at 2:00 in the afternoon, 3:00 in the afternoon, that's another thing. >> and with your kids on a play date and you know you have to get in the car to drive your kids home. stephanie says women absorb alcohol differently than men. and she never thought she would actually drive after having something to drink. she's saying you have to moderate yourself and probably better not to do it at all. but women are under a lot of stress. i think that's also the big headline of this. moms who are trying to do it all do face a lot of anxiety. >> something else interesting from our survey. when we asked people, do you

think you have any mom friends who have an alcohol problem, 34% said, yes. when we asked them, do you think you have an alcohol problem? only 15% said yes. >> i know. that tells you a lot about women, i think. but it also tells you that people want to think it's somebody else's problem and not their own. so i think you are seeing, as we said in the piece, more and more women going to rehab centers, dealing with alcohol, dealing with prescription drugs and really dealing with the anxiety of measuring up. >> it's good to be open about it. >> maria, thank you. >> and we're going to turn now and talk about the late actor paul walker's new movie. it's been a little over four months since he died tragically in a high-speed car crash. this morning, we're getting a look at the next film. >> walker was still shooting "fast and furious 7" when he died, but he had fully wrapped "brick mansion" before he left. full of energy, full of life, paul walker is throwing punches

in the first look behind the scenes of his new film "brick mansion," the first movie to hit theaters since his death in a car crash last november. >> i think there will be an uptick in the awareness of this film. it's a very small film. it's not the kind of movie that is normally going to get a giant budget for marketing. and i think because of this factor, it's going to be increased interest. >> in the film, walker plays damian, an undercover cop looking to bring justice to detroit. >> he gets set up thinking he's doing an honorable deed looking out for the best interest of the community and finds out, basically, he's been played like a card. >> this high energy action was a familiar big screen setting for walker who rose to fame in the "fast and furious" movies. the seventh installment of that $1 billion franchise was in production at the time of walker's death. filming resumed just this week with director james juan tweeting this photo from the set on monday. according to reports, body doubles and cgi graphics could

be used in scenes that walker hadn't finished shooting. with two walker films premiering after his death, some experts say the key is in the marketing. >> the best strategy that has been shown is to go ahead with the marketing, do it and be sensitive to the fact he's no longer alive, but don't try to exploit that fact. >> this, of course, is not the first time hollywood has had to deal with posthumous movie roles. heath ledger died before "dark knight" hit theaters in 2008. his portrayal of the joker earned him an oscar, which his family accepted on his behalf. the 2012 movie "sparkle" was whitney houston's last role. and "enough said" hit theaters three months after james gandolfini died.

>> "brick mansion" hits theaters on april 25th and "fast and furious 7" from universal pictures comes out next april. it's a tough dance. you don't want to be seen as exploiting the death, but at the same time, paul walker's fans want to see more, want to know where they can see him. >> willie, thank you very much for that. coming up, jason brown is out on the historic rock center rink. he's going to skate and we'll talk to him. but first, a look at these messages, your local news and the nice spring weather forecast.

good morning to you. it is 8:26. a stage one water shortage emergency is no in effect in mountain view. it took effect last night. restaurants, for instance, are only to serve water to those customers who request it. it also encouraging more restauran residents to be more thoughtful in their homes. we see the lighter volume taking effect because the rain has eased up. san francisco schools and the

tri-valley schools are on spring break so a lot of parents not going into work. a new crash at the san mateo bridge. that is causing a bit of a back up at 880. here is your south bay, northbound routes, and notice it, the 101 slows toward the airport. 85 and 280 not really a problem in the northbound directions. a little slow out of coopertino.

♪ 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, it's the 2nd of april, 2014. and boy, did we have a great spring day out on the plaza. and for once we have spring break-ish weather. nice and warm as we walk out and say hello to the fine folks who have come here. good morning, everyone. nice to have you with us on a wednesday morning. what is this? >> nice. >> beautiful. ♪

♪ >> beautifully done. >> beautiful. >> they sing that. >> the kentucky derby. >> very good. >> i thought you were going to say the preakness. coming up, we've got gluten-free meals that are not difficult to make. we'll have some recipes including the best substitute for wheat flour and a hearty lasagna. and we loved him in sochi, jason brown is in new york and he's warming up for a live performance on the rock center rink. nice. >> and also working hard, natalie, you are training hard with just a few weeks left before the boston marathon. and you're doing it for an important cause. it's part of "shine a light," our yearlong series. >> and i'm running on behalf of the victims of the boston marathon bombings. raising money for the challenged

athletes foundation. gives prosthetic limbs as well as athletic equipment to those in need. we've raised over $9,700. so i'm asking you to keep on helping, if you can, to help raise awareness, as well and help raise money. if you want to donate, go to www.crowdrise.com/natalie. and we do have great prizes for everyone who does donate. you can perhaps run with me in central park, which is a good one. >> can i donate and not have to run? >> after the baby, you can run with me. and also, backstage pass on "today" show. >> speaking of backstage, hoda, what's shaking? >> okay. here's the great news. this is a fun thing we do every wednesday. we find fans, take them backstage. and since jason brown is here -- all right. i have the magic card. ready? this is who is going to watch him skate.

two lucky backstage passes go to nikki from highland park, illinois, her husband randy and her stepdaughter sidney. come on out! come on out! are you ready? where are your vests? we're going to put these vests on you. where is -- okay. we've got everybody. where's randy? >> randy! >> randy, come on. come on. you guys ready? are you ready? we're going to go to the ice skating rink and we're going to watch him skate. oh, come on. >> they couldn't have just walked over there by themselves? by the way, we also have some great news this morning, another surprise wedding in our family. savannah is not the only one recently got married yesterday, willard scott and his long time

partner tied the knot. they were married in ft. myers, florida. willard and paris have been together for 11 years. congratulations to both of you. we love you both. >> well done, willard. >> yeah. >> and dylan, let's get a check of the weather. >> eventually, it's going to turn into a nice day around here, we're going to see warmer temperatures, but out ahead of a stalled front, we are looking for a chance of severe storms, especially later on this afternoon. we could see isolated tornadoes and also damaging wind gusts and torrential downpours in the area in red. tomorrowio tomorrowious, we have a stronger risk, but we are looking at snow through minnesota. we could end up with about 6 to 9 inches of snow through the night thursday into early friday morning. the east coast, though, will start to cool off a little bit, but today in new york city, should tap out in the 60s and a couple of showers right down into northern california.

and it is hot in southern texas. temper good morning, 8:35 right now. we are clearing out nightly. we have nearly two inches of rain and we're finally done with that. today sunshine across the board. you notice the numbers are chilly. only in the low 60s in our inland valley, so you need that jacket, a late season blast for the cold air. 80 in san jose by sunday. >> and in case you didn't notice, a lot of us are wearing blue today. it's autism awareness day. and i'm joined, you guys have started autism speaks, right, in 2009? tell us about your charity. >> we've been partners with autism speaks since 2009 and we've raised over $2,000 for autism speaks. today's autism awareness day.

we're here to raise awareness and shine a light on autism. >> what can people do to help? >> we'd like for you to join us in turning awareness into action. light it up blue by lighting up your homes and businesses blue, make a donation to autism speaks or do an act of kindness for someone with autism today. >> thank you so much for everything you've done over the past five years. back to you, matt. >> thank you very much. we've got more this morning on our exclusive look at "rocky" the broadway musical. the year 1976 when sylvester stallone boxed his way to the top and won a best picture oscar for "rocky" the movie. two stars of the musical are with us. good morning to both of you. yo, adrienne, i had to say it. first of all, gold stars, you have two shows to do on broadway today. >> that's what you have to do. live the rocky spirit. get up early. >> toughen up. this is your broadway debut. >> it is.

>> where were you? what were you doing before this during the audition process? >> before this, i had a lot of part-time jobs. i was babysitting quite a bit. i was running a homeless dinner on wednesday night and i happened to be babysitting when i got the call. >> the call of a lifetime? >> yeah, it was great. it was pretty amazing. >> how long was the process of auditioning until you found out you actually scored the role? >> yeah, i had nine callbacks. >> oh, my gosh. >> for the show. >> that's torture. >> it was great. five or six, i was like, i guess something's going pretty right here. it was amazing. >> this is not your broadway debut, but it's your first leading role. >> yes. first big leading role and what a leading role it is. >> what's it like to step into rocky's shoes? >> having the time of my life, taking on this icon could scare people away. for me, there was something that felt right about doing the show and doing this role. >> there are some fight scenes, obviously, as any rocky sendoff

would. but there's also romance, a relationship, after all, we remember from the classic movies. and rocky and adrienne have a nice relationship. how would you describe? i wonder if the women's point of view and the men's point of view change. >> yeah, absolutely. how would you describe the relationship? >> i think "rocky" in itself is a love story. and you know, you have the amazing boxing at the beginning and at the end. but in the middle, the whole story is these two kind of broken people who have the opportunity of finding each other and they both go through a transformation because of that. and it's a really exciting thing, i think, for the audience. they forget it's this love story. >> yeah. is it as tender for you as it is for her? >> it's everything. rocky wouldn't be able to fight the last fight without the love story. he wouldn't be able to do that without adrienne. and he -- because he finds all this dignity and this love that gives him something to stand on as far as a human being and face

all the challenges he goes through. so it is very important. so we earn that final fight at the end. >> there is the fight. and there is. you do this eight times a week. >> yeah. >> you fight a prize fight eight times a week. how are you holding up physically? >> i feel like i'm doing three shows in one every night because i finish a song and then i have to do a quick change to do the final fight. and while i'm changing, i'm telling my dresser keith who works here, as well. >> he does, you're right. he dresses savannah which is a fight in its own right. >> he's throwing gloves on me and we're getting ready to do this and it's almost like i have to start a new show every time i get to that ring. >> everybody is talking about the whole show, but the last 15, 20 minutes, they say is an experience that nobody has ever really had on broadway before. is there any part of it you can share with us without giving too much away? >> sure. everything.

i mean, as far as -- you'll be able to see something you've never seen before, especially with this show. and i've been told that over and over again because our ring does actually come out into the audience. >> it's like a full experience for the audience. i think that people start thinking, you know, am i at a sporting event? am i at a piece of theater? is it intimate? a spectacle? it's all these things wrapped in one. people are screaming, standing up. >> it turns into madison square garden. >> and if this goes for a long time and you're lucky enough to be with this show for a long time, do you have any idea how many people are going to walk up to you on the street and go, yo, adrienne. >> i cannot wait. it's great. >> that would be the best thing to come out of this. >> yeah. all the time. >> congratulations, andy and margo and thank you for spending so much time with us this week. and willie really enjoyed the backstage boxing. >> thanks for having us on. >> it was cool. up next, chris kimball from america's test kitchen is going to show us how easy it is to

prepare gluten-free meals. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

"today's kitchen" is brought to you by blue diamond almond breeze almond milk. >> we're back now at 8:43. this morning on "today's" kitchen, gluten-free meals. we're about to show you. chris kimball is out with a new book "how can it be gluten-free cookbook." good morning. make us believers. it's going to be tasty? >> well, here's the problem. you can't use wheat flour. you have to make your own mix or buy the supermarket's. that's just the beginning. because once you do that, you have a lot of other things to overcome. this is the mix we use, actually. >> that's interesting because

what you've found is essentially mixing a bunch of different flours is a better building block for tastier food. >> yeah, we use two kinds of rice flours, white and brown, potato starch, tapioca starch and dry milk powder. the problem is, though, if you substituted this one for one for regular flour, you still got a lot of problems. this is complicated. but that's a good start. >> okay. >> somebody who doesn't want to do the whole blend, is there an over the counter flour to buy? >> there's over-the-counter to buy in the supermarket, couple of brands. but then you have to think about other things. the proteins in flour when they're hydrated with water create gluten and creates structure. >> let's make chicken pot pie, one of my favorites. pressure on you here, what do we do? >> you also order the roast chicken. so we started with the classic method. we have chicken stock, we also have vegetables we sauteed. we used 1/3 cup of our own mix to thicken.

this does a great job of thickening like regular flour. we poached chicken breast in it, took about 20 minutes. >> well, they came out today and said salt's okay for you. >> yes, we did. >> i knew that already. so little parsley, we'll mix that up. >> okay. >> that's standard except we switched out the thickener. >> okay. >> and this is going into a pie plate. now the trick with all of this is what do you do for the top? because you need pie pastry. so what we did was come up with our own method. this, actually, was one of our best methods. we used a little vinegar, little sour cream. the problem is they're very tough and we added a little bit of kind of glue to keep things together and you prebake it and put it on top and this goes back

in the oven for ten minutes. >> another toughy because of the noodles. >> e yeah, the problem is you he to buy a brand of noodles. there is a brand we like out there that worked pretty well. you barely cook them, six or seven minutes, the rest is fairly standard. the one thing we found is we pureed the tomato product so you didn't have big chunks of tomato. >> so it won't break the noodles. >> mozzarella and parmesan, you put that in a hot oven for about 25 minutes, finish it at 375 for another 25 minutes. >> am i supposed to dive right in here? >> yeah. go right ahead. >> seems inelegant. >> i'll help you. >> i'm going to go right for it. actually mentioned the recipes are on today.com. if you're gluten free, this is going to be, what? a revelation? >> it was a revolution. >> okay. >> the hardest thing we ever did. but these recipes, we did chocolate chip cookies, we could not tell the difference. >> is it good?

>> it's good. >> and you're not acting, right? >> no. it's really good. all right. coming up, the fans and hoda about to get a great show from jason brown. he'll be here live. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ >> "today" at the rink is brought to you by smucker's, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. >> we're back on a wednesday morning on "today" at the rink with jason brown with his smile and energetic performance in sochi, he won millions of fans. he also helped the u.s. team bring home a bronze in that team figure skating event. and he joins us now at the rink. good morning. >> good morning. how are you doing? i'm so excited to be here. >> i'm excited to have you here. it's been five weeks since we saw you in sochi. it went pretty well.

you got that bronze medal, you finished ninth overall after finishing second at the u.s. nationals. how did you feel about your time? >> it's been amazing. the entire experience, it's surreal, i still don't believe it. i don't understand i'm holding this, i'm at the "today" show next to you. none of it makes sense to me right now. it's so amazing. >> the hits keep coming. you're kicking off a busy week. heading to washington this week. tell me about that. >> yeah. i'm heading -- actually, right after i leave here, there's an awards show tonight the best of u.s., which i'm really excited about. it's amazing to be reunited with all the olympic teammates. i'm so excited. >> there's a little event, by the way, you're going to go to the white house and meet the president. >> yes! crazy, it's crazy. i don't know how i'm going to handle it. >> i don't know. i have no idea what i'm going to tell him. i'm going to be shaking so much. >> and then you've got a nice show coming up, stars on ice? >> i am, 12 of the 20 shows they tour all around the country. i'm so excited to be doing it with my teammates. it's going to be a great show. if you're around, please come out. >> i hope in the near future you

find a way to become a little more enthusiastic. >> thanks. >> can i hold the bronze medal? >> yeah. >> i'll hold that. and what are you skating to today? >> i'll be doing something from riverdance. >> ladies and gentlemen, jason brown. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪

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♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> all right, jason brown. jason, thank you very much. have fun in washington, we're back in a moment, this is "today" on nbc. . . . .

all right, guys, what's coming up next hour? >> we'll take a look at some of

the big health headlines. everything from the new study on mammograms you talked about earlier as well as could you -- good morning, everyone. 8:56. major ed lee rolling out the welcome mat today for the much anticipates return of air lingus. they are launching a new nonstop service from dublin ireland this afternoon. it's part of a new major transatlantic expansion. let's check our weather with

anthony. a lot of rain over the last few days and today it's drying out and it's all about the sunshine. temperatures will stay cool. the system moves through tonight. we're only expecting 50s at the coast. look at this warm up by friday, saturday, and sunday. 60s, 70s, and 80s return with sun.

from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today," it's wednesday morning, it's april 2nd, 2014. good crowd outside on the plaza on a day that's really starting to warm up a little bit. >> yea >> you can feel it. spring is in the air. >> i'm willie geist along with natalie morales and tamron hall. al is actually out today as he gets rotator cuff surgery. throwing too many innings. >> probably under right now as we speak. >> here's the tweet al sent out this morning. people asking where he is. rotator cuff repair this a.m. thanks to dr. riley williams and his team, back to pitching middle relief for the yankees before you know it. >> when you give a shoutout to

your doctor. you know it's a good sign. >> he thinks he's going to get a deal on the bill or something. >> a deal on the rotator cuff. >> that's not how it works. >> feel better. >> feel better, al. we'll see you when you're ready to get back. meanwhile, we're all wearing a little bit of blue today, a lot of blue in your cases. it is seventh annual world autism awareness day. autism organizations around the world mark the day with fund raising awareness raising events. do you know that 1 in 68 u.s. children now has an autism spectrum disorder. 1 in 68. that's a 38% increase from 1 in 88 just two years ago. doesn't necessarily mean it's more common. the rise is most likely from more frequent diagnosis. we know more about it, people are looking for the signs. the study has found that the brains of autistic children show abnormalties that are likely to have arisen before birth. more research is needed. >> and we have a segment coming up. a couple have two children who have autism. we have a doctor on, as well, who is going to talk about warning signs as well as new

therapies out there and how parents are, you know, helping get their kids to be mainstreamed and getting all the tools they need to be able to deal with it. >> i've got to tell you, we've tweeted out pictures of us in the blue. willie and i were in the orange room which is blue. i was touched by the number of parents who sent pictures back of their children. this is a step. and thank you to everyone who sent tweets to us, facebook, as well, of your child in their blue appreciating the help. i think so often, in any case, you can feel alone. you feel like no one cares. one parent said it's tough, but this is my kid. and i love him. it's so sweet. thank you so much. and it means the world. means the world to these families to show we're a team. >> it's great how much the organization has done the seven years it's been around to be able to raise awareness. >> and it spawned other organizations. every day, there are small communities, small groups doing the same thing. big ups to them. >> it's a tough disease for a parent to handle.

hopefully we'll get some tips later on. a big news story we've been following today. a powerful 8.2 quake that struck off the coast of chile and triggered small tsunamis there. the epicenter 26 miles off the coast of chile. at least five people confirmed dead. hundreds of thousands were evacuated, though, overnight along the chilean coastline. a lot of people not able to sleep because of the warnings, as well. power outages, landslides blo blocking roads that were reported. we still aren't sure the extent of the damage as you know, of course, we're trying to ascertain how much happened overnight. but as we mentioned, tsunami warnings still along the coast there. also, there was a tsunami warning that extended all the way to hawaii. and that is still in effect, although they're saying probably not likely that there would be a tsunami in the state of hawaii. >> yeah. >> story we're watching, keeping our eye on. >> and sheer number of people in chile who fled the coast all at

once. almost 1 million people getting this warning and fleeing. >> they're used to, unfortunately, they're used to earthquakes there. just four years ago in 2010, they had the tragic 8.8 earthquake, over 500 people killed there. certainly they're used to it. a lot of the buildings are built to withstand earthquakes. when i was in santiago, chile, you could see the extent of the damage in 2010, but the buildings were still standing. but certainly smaller towns and areas outlying areas are not going to have that infrastructure. >> massive, 8.2. >> we'll keep an eye on that. i've decided that from here on out, we can never say we had a bad day at work. now, never ever ever. >> i haven't seen the photograph yet. i'm bracing myself. >> i know i use the word bananas a lot. this applies in this case. take a look at this. this is an x-ray. >> no. >> that is a real person. it is a chainsaw embedded in a

man's neck. before i tell you anymore, let me pause and say he survived, ladies and gentlemen. he has quite a heart, get it? he's a tree trimmer -- you don't like that joke? james did because it's funny. well, monday afternoon, james was working in a tree and he was struck in the neck, if you can believe by that saw. another worker helped him down, his co-workers, the presence of mind not to panic and pull. they let the saw stay in place and transported him to the hospital where he had emergency surgery. he's in good condition. here's our learning moment of the day. do you take out an object if your child, for example, falls? and a pencil -- >> steve irwin was impaled by the sting ray thing and he pulled it out and they say that's probably what killed him. pulling it out because it opens

the wound even further. >> that's exactly right. if you are impaled with something, especially in a major core of the body, leave it in place. if you pull it out, causes severe bleeding. but having the presence of mind to remember what we knew and also what dr. samson says is a different thing. your natural instinct if you're a parent and you see your child has fallen on a pair of scissors is to pull it out and put pressure on it. that's wrong. so this guy survived because his coworkers knew what to do. it is some story. >> he's talking, up and awake and probably able to talk about it, which is -- >> the question is also, has he seen that x-ray? >> i don't want -- >> it's like i don't want to see that. >> he went back to tree trimming because it's what he knows how to do. >> i said, it can't be a real chainsaw. that's a full-size gas-operated chain saw. >> almost his entire chest. >> p i can't look at that without cringing. >> it's incredible he's up and

around back to trimming trees. you guys are as excited as i am about "sharknado 2"? right now, they're filming the sequel to the cult hit "sharknado," ian zehring and tara reid. >> i have not seen this. >> watch zehring, into the shark with a chainsaw, speaking of chainsaws. >> reid is concerned. >> zehring apparently no long with us. we're setting up the drama now. >> do we want to see it? >> yes. >> it's not real. >> it's not real. you just ruined the movie for me. >> he cuts his way out. >> he cuts his way out? >> and survives and back to being him. >> what's even better, al and matt have a little cameo in

"sharknado 2." >> is this okay? >> yeah. >> i haven't seen it. >> al and matt have a role in the sequel. here it is. >> let's see. >> think of it this way, this is a twister with teeth. s

the parents. not going to be on exhibit, though, until they're stable enough to face the public. >> stable enough to eat at the picnic table. then it'll all be fine. >> the world will be right after this. >> as we mentioned, al's out recovering from a little surgery, dylan dreyer in for him this morning. >> good morning, guys, it is going to be a nice day in new york city where it's not going to be nice, though, right back through st. louis and into cincinnati. we have this stalled front here, and to the south of it, we have this warm air that's coming in. and to the north, we have this

really cold air. we're talking about 70s and 80s versus 30s and 40s and 50s. so it's that clash of air masses right in between that is going to trigger very strong storms. and st. louis, you can see the sun for now. but we will start to see some of those storms fire up later on this afternoon as temperatures get into the mid 60s. this area from northeastern parts of texas right over into pennsylvania du paducah, kentucky, we could see strong storms later on this afternoon. we could see isolated hail, also isolated tornadoes and very heavy downpours. we'll keep an eye on t . yes, we are finally done with all of that kind of weather. we're expecting sunshine for the rest of the day. you see on the radar, not seeing any rainfall across the bay area. sunshine expected by this afternoon in every single microclimate but it will be chilly. you may still see a brief shower

with some of these low clouds passing by t. the trend is sunshine and warm conditions for the weekend. there's new controversy on that question this morning. plus, a simple test that could rule out a heart attack. that's all when we break down the biggest news in health after this. this season's most l'exclusive haircolor. the preference paris lumiere collection. inspired by the city of light, glowing, spectacular shades crafted by l'oreal master colorist, christophe robin. new shades come alive with light... golden iridescent blonde glitters... chic auburn brown aglow with multiple tones... sparkling black sapphire. luminous color - up to 8 weeks. the preference paris lumiere collection. the latest from over 50 luxurious shades. only from l'oreal. because you, cherie, are worth it. ♪

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want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. ♪ ♪ there's new guidelines to tell you about that could affect the way you're being treated for high blood pressure. >> plus a controversial new study on mammograms and a test that rules out heart attacks. here with more on all of these health headlines is a "today" contributor and assistant professor of medicine at nyu. >> also the director of gynecology at norwalk hospital. good morning to both of you. all right, doctors, let's get started with our first headline.

and this is that controversial new study out about mammograms. and what does it tell us? >> this is a review of the last 50 years on mammograms and basically what it's telling us is there's probably more harm than we previously thought due to mammograms and probably less benefit to them. so we know that guidelines have changed and now it's no longer recommended by some groups to start mammograms at age 40. and this study underscores that. the fact that over half women that will get annual mammograms for ten years will have false positives. that means they're going for more tests, maybe even biopsies and a lot of the anxiety that's associated with that. >> that's the thing, i had a false positive. i had a biopsy, the whole scar experience. i'm 43, i've had three doctors tell me three different ages over the last few years. >> there's a lot of confusion. the problem is this, do mammograms save lives? yes, absolutely for almost any age group. the question is, at what cost? for someone in their 50s, it can take 1,300 mammograms with false positive rates of 8% to 9% of those women getting a biopsy at one point to save a life.

where is that risk balance? if we're talking about my daughter? what am i willing to spend, to do to save her life? millions. but how do you balance that for a society? to create guidelines that work. we all have different levels. some people have more level of stress about cancer, other people have more level of stress about the unnecessary biopsy. how do you balance that? there's no answer. we need to stratify the risk. show women what the risk is and let them make a personal, educated decision. >> seems every new study creates more confusion. what do you tell women watching today? >> the take away from this is you need to have a discussion with your doctor about your individual risk. and your personal beliefs about how much you want to know or are you more of a watchful waiting person? because we don't have clear data saying that absolutely mammograms should start at age 40. >> you saw your mother die of breast cancer, you're probably more willing to accept the false positive. >> i was talking to savannah earlier, and all three of us ladies have all had false positives.

we've all done the biopsies. we're in that group. it's important to be watching it, and i go every six months and get checked as a result of it. important -- raises your awareness. >> let's look at the next study how a bad night's sleep can affect more than your mood. what are we talking about here? >> i love this study. it's talking about how poor quality sleep can actually age your brain. and what they did is looked at older men over the age of 70 and measured the quality of their sleep and then they tested them three to four years later on their cognitive function. memory and concentration. and those with the poorer quality sleep did have a decline in their brain function. >> wow. >> what was equivalent to aging five years. so we're always talking about how do we feel younger and act younger? well, something as simple as getting a good night's sleep can make a difference. >> let's move to this chest pain test. to rule out a heart attack. >> millions of americans are showing up in emergency rooms something like 15 million people

show up throughout the year complaining of chest pain. most of that is congestion, muscular pain. but most of it is not a heart attack. the e.r. doctors have a tough job figuring out who do we take seriously? who do we admit? many people are admitted unnecessarily. this test looks at a new, more sensitive, better test which is a byproduct of degradation of heart muscle during a heart attack and looks at a typical ekg and tells us who we can send home and who we need to keep in the emergency room. >> a blood test, right? >> a blood test and it's a typical ekg. they send home 9,000 people with negative test in this study, none of those people died from a heart attack. it shows us that a very accurate test can save a lot of time in the emergency room and a lot of money in the health care system. >> we wanted to mention new guidelines for blood pressure. >> that's right. new guidelines came out in february that actually relaxed the level at which we should treat blood pressure. so instead of 140 over 90, 150 over 90 for those over 60. a lot of cardiologists and doctors don't necessarily agree with these guidelines, but this study said if we do follow them,

about a quarter of americans who are currently taking bluepri ll pressure medications would not need to be treated. you never stop your medication on your own, talk to your doctor. but for people taking a lot of medicines potentially with interactions, they may not need the blood pressure medication. >> all right. lots of big health headlines here to discuss. thank you so much. coming up next, get you caught up on the news you need before you leave the house this morning. and you ever wonder how an ad for that pair of shoes you browsed for online suddenly pops up now on your facebook page? >> i wondered that this morning. we'll show you how to stop that. plus, other tips to keep us from overspending after this. rom overspending after this.

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proven to hydrate dryness, illuminate dullness, lift sagging, diminish the look of dark spots, and smooth the appearance of wrinkles. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. taking a look at the headlines, chrysler is recalling almost 870,000 suvs because of potential brake problems. the recall involves 2011 through 2014 jeep grand cherokees and dodge durangos. chrysler says joints in the brake boosters can ka rode and if they do, the brakes are harder to use. too little salt may be as bad as too much. a study in the american journal of hypertension also found for healthy people the optimal range of daily sodium consumption is between 2.645 -- 4,945 milligrams that is considerably higher than recommendations from the cdc and the american heart association. amazon has rolled out a new service that lets customers

return merchandise by using big lockers placed in public places. lockers have been used for deliveries for customers who don't want items sent to their home or office with amazon giving them a code to open that locker. now they're beginning to be used for returns, as well. and amazon says it's about convenience. new research is raising questions about vitamin d and whether it offers any real health advantages. a study looked at the effect of vitamin d on more than 100 health conditions and found no clear evidence of any benefits. the results even raised questions about whether vitamin d is as important as previously believed. but another study found low vitamin d levels were linked to an increase risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. and experts say more research needs to be done. only fools rush in, especially in las vegas and even more so on, of course, april fool's day. more than 500 couples pulled a fast one on family and friends participating in fake weddings at the mgm grand.

those couples that posted photos of their prank weddings and they waited for the reactions to stream in. shock all over the place, no doubt. we're back after your local news. ♪ have your next burger with a side of awesome. the one-of-a-kind, creamy blend of sweet and tangy. miracle whip and proud of it. with even more of what you love in every bottle. ♪ because more of what you love is a beautiful thing. the new tide plus collection. what's your tide?

good morning to you. it is 9:26, i'm peggy bunker. the firefighter accused of hitting a motorcyclist while driving a fire truck drunk last year. in june, he slammed into the motorcyclest in the market neighborhood. he was seriously injured but survived. an amazing story of survival, this man from san francisco was found alive one day after vanishing while snowboarding in the sierraback country. he spent most of the time

walking until he found a house. and this massive tree was a victim of the storm there, crushing several cars below. power was knocked out to that entire area. no one was injured

. welcome back, we don't have any more rain moving through the bay area, just clouds. a dry day today and a little cool for the standard this time of year. we may see a brief shower in the foothills, but overall we're done with the rain and temperatures will be a little cool today. you will need the jacket. and as we go into the weekend, beautiful conditions. 70s at the coast. >> other parts of the country are not impressed.

even though it is slow northbound 880, looking at the map it is not that bad. slowing near 980. san francisco and tri-valley schools are having spring break so we see less commuters on the road. as you see the rest of the commute, even the slowest of all, and that is a late slow down there. and jamming up a little bit. it is just slowing a little. peggy back to you. >> thank you, mike. we'll have another local news update for you in half an hour. see you then.

welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning, it's april 2nd, 2014. i'm willie geist along with natalie and tamron. al, as we mentioned, is out today having a little rotator cuff surgery. if you're watching, al, we wish you well. hope he's doing better. >> he can't deck any of us for a while. >> exactly. he can't get that shoulder up to throw the right cross. okay. we're talking this morning about songs that for better or for worse get stuck in your head. i don't think it always has a negative connotation. it means you can't stop singing it to yourself, right? so "let it go," huge, massive hit from the movie "frozen" is everywhere. >> now it's stuck with me. thanks, guys. again. i just got it out of my head. >> so popular is this song that now scientists are writing about how to get it out of your head if you want it out of your head. >> this song? >> yeah.

it was spurred on by this song. "time" magazine science editor add aed a few tips, included chewing gum could interrupt the rhythm. listen to another song, that's an obvious one. keeping busy with work, exercise or a crossword puzzle. i know you were looking for one. distracts the brain and briefly silences the tune in your head. >> still in my head. >> how many times have you seen the movie? >> oh, i've seen it, by now, i think 10, 20 times. >> really? >> yeah. you like this song. this is your ear worm. >> no. yeah, this is -- this is "blue." by eiffel 65. do you know this one? >> of course. >> it just says blue -- >> please stop. >> and it goes on and on and on. >> are those the actual lyrics? >> yeah. >> that was a lot of work to get rid of the song in your head, though. it's like, go exercise, no thanks. go do some other things, no thanks.

>> but happy is one i like. i haven't seen "frozen," somehow i haven't seen it. >> you haven't? >> i know. >> we're at the point now i watch it via skype with my nieces. hey, guys, go to school. now we're at the point we've watched it so much. we dressed in princess costumes. so i have a robe with a glitter belt and they're dressed in princess costumes. >> you skype and watch the movie. >> that's how bored they are but we keep watching it to take it to the next level. >> can't help yourself. >> yeah, you can't help yourself. >> it's a great movie. >> science tip of the day -- >> check of the weather with dylan dreyer. ♪ let it go >> the problem is if you chew the gum to the beat of the music. >> it makes it worse. >> it does. >> and crossword puzzles at the same time. try that. >> chew gum and crossword puzzles. and do the weather forecast while you have it. >> even chew gum and walk is a challenge. but we are talking about some very severe storms tomorrow in parts of the midwest, especially down into arkansas.

you can see in red here. that's where we have a very strong risk of our most severe storms. in orange, from houston up to cincinnati, that's where we are looking for very strong storms, and that we'll see an isolated tornado, damaging hail and damaging wind gusts. it's in red where we could see more or less the tornado outbreak. it's not a definite, but something to keep an eye on as conditions are very favorable for that to happen tomorrow. to the north of this stalled front, though, we have very cold air and the possibility of a winter storm. because of that winter storm watches are in effect today and thursday. 7:00 in the morning, the snow starts to get going in minneapolis. it gets real heavy, especially just to the north of minneapolis through the night thursday, into early friday morning, and we are looking at measurable snow. look at some of these snowfall amounts. minneapolis itself could see 9 to 12 inches. higher amounts as you head up into duluth and across northern parts of wisconsin, we could see about 12 to 15 inches of snow. but for today, again, our biggest threat will be for strong storms right through the plain states. that's a look at the weather

good morning. 9:33 the time. anthony slaughter here. we're talking about a nice day after all. we're done with the shower activity for today. the clouds hanging on across the south bay across the foothills is where we could see a brief shower. by this afternoon, we're going to be done with the showers. it will be cool with a brisk breeze, have a good one. >> and that is your latest forecast. willie and tamron? >> all right. thanks a lot. if you plan on sneaking in a little online shopping at work today or hitting the mall on the way home, we're going to help you to keep from overspending. >> i'm with you. we've been outed. here with bad spending habits you can break right now it's huffington post senior editor and retail analyst, good morning. >> good morning.

okay. is this rehab? hi, my name is tamron and i have an online shopping addiction. i kind of don't want to cure it, but i want to save money. so that's my confession. >> brie's like, you need help. >> all right. so we're going through the list of some of the problems. first of all, brie, click spend while on break. i admit i just bought a belt upstairs while natalie was leading the news. >> no, you did not. >> i did. >> that was a tight window, too. a short newscast. >> what do i do? >> it's everywhere around you. you go on facebook, the "new york times" and magically, you see these ads tailored to you with that belt you were just browsing for. >> so the impulse clicking is something we're all susceptible to. >> yes. it seems like a great deal tailored for you. >> once you've bought something, these ads kind of follow you around wherever you go online. what can you do to stop that? >> well, willie, the good thing i'm here to tell you, the great thing about humans, we have choices. we can disable this one click shopping. and the reason why it's so easy

for you, tamron, and everyone else, because our credit card data is stored in those, you know, zappos, gilt.com. what we can do is disabled that. you could get rid of your credit card information or with your web browser, you can disable your cookies. so basically cookies is we were discussing bread crumbs of where you've been and shopping and that's how these social networks track where you've been shopping. >> kind of clear the cache, right? >> exactly. you want to go down here go into settings. >> okay. >> you want to scroll down here. usually it's almost hidden in a weird way. you want to go to advance settings. >> okay. >> you want to go to -- go to privacy here. and then all you do is clear browsing data and you have all of these browsing history downloads, cache images and cookies, hit clear browsing data. by the way, this could happen for chrome, safari or internet

explorer. >> okay. i'm doing that right after this. now, daily deals and coupon sites. why are they no good? >> seems like a great thing, to get a 50% off a massage today only. so, of course, we buy them. we're busy people, forget about it and the money stacks up. >> what do you do about it? what's the answer? >> take a breather, scroll down the e-mail -- >> take a breather. >> just unsubscribe from these e-mails. that's one way to do it. or what you could do is organize these daily deals in your g-mail or a different server for your e-mail. so it comes in at a certain time during the day. so on you see it either weekly or at the end of the day. there's ways to organize that. >> okay. cash reward credit cards, why would that be a bad thing? >> who wouldn't want cash back on everyday purchases? sounds like a great thing. but having that little reward of 1% cash back everywhere actually inspires you to do more shopping. and what's worse about it is increases the amount of debt you're carrying month to month. you're not making the minimum

payments. so that 1% cash back doesn't outweigh the benefits. >> what do we do? cut the credit card? >> no, i actually like cash back. but you have to do it within your means. let's say your credit card's giving you cash back on restaurants, gasoline, starbucks, i don't have a car, i don't go to a lot of restaurants, but i do go to a lot of starbucks and spend a lot of money there, you know, admittedly. but what ends up happening, if you're spending within your means, you could get almost to $150 back, which is what happened to me last month. >> feel better? >> no. >> i'm going to practice it. inspired to do better. thank you for the great advice, and i will use it. thanks. up next, why more kids are being diagnosed with autism. obviously we're going to bring awareness. >> we're going to talk to an expert and parents raising two children with autism. it's an important segment for you, right after this.

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new data from the cdc finds 1 in 68 children is now living with the disorder. a 30% increase just from two years ago. >> what is driving this increase? and where do we stand with research and treatment? the ceo and founder of the mcharten center, and lois and danny have two children with autism daniel and chloe featured on the cover of this month's "parents" magazine. good morning. dr. mcmartin, let me start with you. 1 in 68 children. are we starting to see? is this a public health crisis we're dealing with? >> i think it's being recognized as that. although, it's been this way for a long time. the numbers have been increasing continuously over the past 10 or 15 years. but this should be something certainly that alerts them. if it's a public crisis, though, we need to do more. and that's really the problem. we have to do more in terms of identifying the children, and we have to do more in terms of giving them interventions, the

proper therapies they need. >> we have seen incredible leaps in these percentages year to year. is this because we're more aware of it because a parent looks at a child and knows about autism and can go to the doctor and say we think this might be the problem? >> i think there's been a huge public awareness about what is autism. the media has sparked this. there's educational programs, doctors recognize it more, teachers in school, nursery school teachers. i think that's a big part of it. also, though, i think that years ago there were children who we didn't understand had this syndrome, and we identified them in other kinds of ways. so they may have been intellectually challenged or they may have been having emotional problems. and now we understand that their kinds of symptoms fit into this package we call autism. >> because it is such a wide spectrum now. there's so many varying degrees. >> yeah. >> exactly. and speaking of that, as danny

and lois as we mentioned 2 of your 3 children have autism. what are some of the greatest challenges for you all as parents? >> for us, it's been communication since daniel, my 5-year-old is nonverbal and chloe has -- since january is beginning to gain words. but her verbal skills are still limited. so just how to communicate better with them and how to know what's going on with them, if they're sick, hungry. what we use at home, we have visual aids at home, we reach out to their teacher and therapist to better bridge what they're doing at school to doing it at home so there won't be that type of shock to their system once they're home. >> when did the disorder become apparent to you in each of your children? when did you know something wasn't quite right? >> when they were around 2 years old and they were interacting or playing, you know, with other kids or not really speaking and, you know, stuff like that. >> how have you dealt with that emotionally as a father? >> it was very tough. especially with a boy, you know.

>> yeah. >> i want that communication, that bond. my daughter at least she's speaking now. my son, i would like him to say i love you or talk one day. and i hope that day comes. >> it's rough. >> we just take it one day at a time. >> i see how hard it is. but you all have been so great with intervention and getting treatment to your kids so they can have the tools they need. and dr. mcmartin, going back to the research, we're finding now that scientists have found they can identify autism in children early on while they're still in utero. is that right? as their brains are developing? >> that was the study that just came out last week, and it's very exciting. but i think even the main authors of that study say now the obligation is really, first of all, to find some way of identifying them and then, of course, moving in very, very quickly with intervention. because if we know this is occurring in the prenatal period, then we can intervene

earlier. >> lois, you've been in this fight for several years now, what would you say to a parent watching who is just beginning it? >> just continue to fight. fight for thes services, fight for everything that you can. because they're worth it. >> and there are really good intervention programs, for the most part. >> they do. >> you have to know about getting them. >> and you really have to advocate as these parents have done. >> and we see how hard it is. yet, you guys are such an incredible couple and an example of -- >> and a beautiful family. three beautiful children. >> you do. >> thank you for sharing your story with us. >> dr. mcmartin, lois and danny. coming up -- and if you do have a question about autism, go to facebook.com/todayhealth and have a question about autism, go to facwhat's my advice forh and healthy looking radiant skin. a good night's sleep...

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vacation, you may be looking at the all-inclusive resorts. >> a lot of times you do need to read the fine print. >> here with what to look out for is the senior editor at travel and leisure. good to see you. >> good morning. >> thanks for having me. >> big advantage, obviously, to go to an all-inclusive resort. you pay one time. what else do you like about them? >> yeah, basically with an all-inclusive, your meals, drinks, certain activities, tipping is all included. so there are no surprises at checkout. you know what you're paying up front. also, if you were to itemize what you were spending at another property on breakfast, lunch, dinner meals, you'd actually see that sometimes by staying at an all-inclusive, you're going to save a lot of money. >> keep your eye on hidden fees as we mentioned. some of them being, perhaps, alcoholic beverages. if you're going to buy the high-end drinks. >> yeah. >> it's a good rule of thumb. always read the fine print. so typically, you know, house drinks included, but you'll have to pay extra for the fine wines, premiums, champagnes, spa

services are usually extra. sometimes with meals, they might charge you to dine at one of their specialty restaurants, certain activities, a good rule of thumb, the nonmotorized sports are included. you can take out a kayak, but pay for a jet ski. >> let's start with the dominican republic. >> yes. this is in the dominican republic, one of the top hotels really there for adults. rates start at $193 per person per night, you're there to sit out on the beach. 700 yards of prime ocean front. absolutely gorgeous. right from the beach, you can go sailing and snorkeling and kayaking. they have so much to offer in terms of activities, too. you can take dance lessons, movie nights on the beach. >> little closer to home here in the states, family resort in vermont. >> this is actually located in high gates springs in northern vermont. it's seasonal, open may through september. and it's great because for both kids and adults, there are tons

of activities, zip lining, guided hikes, canoeing and every guest gets their own bike to use throughout the course of the stay. >> and for those who like the dude ranch experience, the white stallion ranch in arizona. >> this is great if you love horseback riding, but they accommodate all skill levels. take a horseback ride out through the winding trails and experienced riders -- >> sign me up for that one. >> thank you. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

♪ kathie lee and hoda coming up next. look how blue we are. >> we are. >> yeah. >> coming

good morning, everyone. 9:56. pg&e has been charged with federal charges for a massive

fire that happened thr three-and-a-half years ago. the indictment says they knowingly violated federal law. saying they had insufficient record keeping of their gas lines. it also says they willfully violated a minimum safety standard for pipelines carrying natural gas and that ultimately led to the explosion. pg&e says their employees did not ip tensionally vi-- intenti federal laws. we're down with the showers now and we will see a dry day. they are hanging on tightly. this is where we have low cloud cover that could bring us a shower, very brief if you live aross the foothills. and this will be the trend as we

go through most of the day. it will be chilly today. we're heading towards a warm up this weekend, but another storm is set to come. clouds will increase on friday. not going to be a whole lot, nothing like we saw this past go. but through the weekend you will notice the temperatures really warm up by saturday. highs on sunday will be near 80 degrees on the south bay. san francisco while it won't be overly warm, we will return to seasonal averages and back close to 70 degrees. another local news update in half an hour. [ mom ] hi, we're the pearsons, and we love chex cereal.

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[ all ] we're the pearsons, and we love chex! . from nbc news, this is "today." with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. it's "winesday wednesday," april 2nd. hoda is officially losing it today. we'll tell you why in a second. we're all wearing blue to support autism awareness day. >> we have breaking news on our program. it's going to be heartbreaking for a lot of people out there especially in the washington, metropolitan area. >> the meat market is going to be different. >> yes. another wedding on our today family. willard scott and his longtime partner paris tied the knot. isn't that lovely?

>> they dated for 11 years. >> yes, married in ft. myers. when asked what honeymoon plans are, she says our whole life has been a honeymoon. >> willard, by the way, who's 80 years old lost his wife back in 2002. he spoke about her, loved her. it's so terrific when you've had a great love in your life and at 80 years old you announce it again. i think it's terrific. >> we're so happy for him. literally the first time i was ever on television it was with willard scott. he was playing a character called captain tug. i was nine years old in washington d.c. >> remember when you came up to him recently in the makeup room? >> yeah, probably not the right day to tell that story, but go ahead. by the way, people think we're feuding about yesterday. we're have a smackdown, the two of us. it's very serious. >> i finally said something after six years. >> and sent my mother to the hospital. >> i went after her. >> thank you. >> that was not me. >> yes, it was. >> no, it wasn't. >> i don't know if my mom has a

tv on. she was rushed to the hospital last night. mommy, i send you my love. if you need me, i'm coming. but so far, everybody says she's good. better take good care of my mother down there or you'll hear about it. if you enjoy the "lion king" you're going to love this. imagine sitting on a flight and there were passengers flying from brisbane to sydney. the entire cast of "lion king" decided to break out in a spontaneous performance of "the circle of life." take a look. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> where is he? apparently there's one guy that >> it's a nicethat would be d.

by the way, i went to see "beautiful" the musical, for the fourth time last night. that's the carol king musical. it's like being in a concert. they're like, what are you doing here again? i can't help it. >> i had a guy come nine times to see one. we were there ten days and he came nine times. be grateful. >> it's so much fun. happy 92nd birthday to jimmy speaking of broadway. i couldn't make hi dinner the other night. i've got the neck pain right now. some people are feeling no pain. tell them. here's a question for you -- are you a member of the mile-high club? >> if you know what it is, you might be. it's something that happens when you're up on a plane, with someone -- you don't have to love them, someone you care about sort of. >> i always had to. i don't know about you.

>> anyway, how many times have you done it up there? >> here's the thing. an la entrepreneur decided to make money off this concept and created the love cloud. it's an airplane specifically made for people to have their mile high moment. okay. so they have a bed. and it's a cessna, all equipped -- >> that's cheesy. >> what are you talking about? it's a hard-shaped pillow. >> that's pretty. >> anyway, they have music. i guess the pilot wears noise cancelling headphones when flying. >> how do we know that? i don't believe anybody anywhere about anything anymore. >> $799 for 40 minutes. here's the thing about the mile high club for those of you who are in it. the whole point of the mile club is the -- >> danger. >> secretive, no one knows it's happening. that's the magic. >> supposedly. this guy apparently is booked through may or something like that. >> if you're in the air and everybody knows that's what is for, what goes on?

>> i don't know what the thrill is. i just know that there's a market for absolutely everything. the guy says he's given about a half dozen flights so far. i bet he has. this is important. there's a professional cleaning service after each trip. >> all right. let's talk about "the voice." this is always fun. battle rounds were last night. battle number one from team blake. let's take a look. ♪ everything he can ♪ you know it's a man ♪ c'mon. ♪ ♪ this is a man's world ♪ but it wouldn't be nothing ♪ not one little thing ♪

♪ this is a man's world >> no she's about to prove it's a woman's. >> she just proved it's a woman's world. >> i'm going with cassandra, too. >> who did blake pick? >> blake picked sisaundra. biff went home. >> we hope it's a lovely hope. >> we're sorry, biff. >> he was very, very good. >> why didn't he pick biff? >> because you pick -- >> i know. morgan versus stevie jo. stevie jo is in the red pants. ♪ story of my life ♪ i spend her love until she's broke inside ♪ ♪ the story of my life ♪ story of my life ♪ story of my life

>> okay they sound exactly the same. >> i can't see who's in the red pants. >> stevie joe is in the red pants. . >> i don't know the one that looked more like a rock start. >> i picked the guy with the pony tail, you picked the other guy. who won? >> i pick stevie joe. >> stevie moves on to playoffs representing team usher. >> which one is stevie joe? >> in the red pants. >> morgan is available to steal. >> thank you, morgan. best of luck to you. >> he wasn't picked? i still want to know what's with usher's hat. >> something is about to happen.

>> can you do that after the time is up? okay. that was exciting. >> they're milking it aren't they? >> that's the feeling of it's over and then not over. so exciting. excellent. like willard is feeling. >> it's now henceforth to be known as a willard moment. we have a big thing happening. >> we do. american express is sponsoring something called everyday moments. do you know what today it? >> what? >> the kickoff to an american express contest for the epic get everyday getaway. >> you submit photos of your mom inspired everyday moments. >> what does that mean exactly? >> you've been here before. >> photos like this one when your child -- when you give your child bananas and he uses them as hair gel. that's a good one. >> today is peanut butter and jelly day. yes, i remember those days. what can a person win? >> you can't win a trip to new york city with your best friend with lots of

efund, including a private maroon 5 coner. >> private? go to our website to find out. press the convex connect" button. >> this is a big day. this is peanut butter and jelly day. but most important, on the first wednesday in april, it's national child abuse prevention month. today is child health national day of hope. i used to go every year. it's when we remember that now five children a day die of either abuse or neglect. when i first started working with sarah, i think there were two wicks for the two children. these statistics go in the wrong direction. they've been doing child care, child health for 55 years. they think it's 9 million children they have saved in that amount of time. so just get involved if you can. remember, if you see something, do something about it. coming up, he hit number one with his latest hit. he's singing it for us.

frankie ballard is here. >> are other people's stressful lives starting to stress you out? are of people's stressful lives starting to stress you out? >> we have that and how to avoid it. >> maybe that's what's wrong with my neck. >> maybe that's what's wrong with mahhh, number 1 of my 20 is for chacne. you know, chin acne. uh-huh. not to brag, but i have the chin of a teenager. here you go. dinges for everyone! when i get hangry anything within arm's reach could be part of my number 20. hm, this is potpourri. mmmm. the new amex everyday credit card, with no annual fee. that is not food. make 20 or more purchases in a monthly billing period, and earn 20% more rewards. and a coat. it's membership that rewards you for the things you already buy, everyday. what's your 20? marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and a good source of fiber to help support regularity.

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and it tastes? it's real milk! come on, would i lie about this? hello. [ female announcer ] lactaid. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for a 100% real dairy snack you'll 100% enjoy try lactaid® cottage cheese. . all right. does this sound familiar? your husband comes home from work complaining about his job. your friend calls you just to vent. >> while you're lending an ear, you know stress is contagious. they could be spreading theirs to you. >> take a look at this scene from friends when rachel starts to stress about planning monica's shower. >> we can't do this by friday. we have to find a place, invite people, get food. we cannot do it. we cannot do it. >> rachel, calm down.

>> you're right. i'm sorry. >> calm down woman. >> i already did. >> then i need to calm down. >> i love that show. it's true. >> here our stress management expert and jonathan alpert author of "be fareless and change". >> it is contagious. >> joy is, the opposite. >> that's a good point. it is totally contagious. we are programmed for that because it saves us. if one of us is stressed we need to feel that to know how to protect ourselves. >> here's an example. you're at a dinner table at a restaurant. one person realizes how late the food is. everyone is just talking. suddenly everyone gets jacked up going where's the waiter, what's taking so long?

>> that's a good point. this winter, everyone talking about how cold it was and start add asking when is the winter going to end? >> that's a chemical thing in people. i have it. it did last much longer than usual. so how do we counter act dr. >> bringing attention to it is part of the problem. bring attention to things that make you stronger and build resilience. i call it space suit you put on when around people that are toxic and bring you down. make your boundaries and keep yourself whole inside there. >> i feel if you see someone in stress you immediately stress for them. >> that's how we're programmed to do that. that's how we relate and connect to people. if you're with someone who's complaining about their job or relationship, listen, be em pathetic but try to direct them to a more positive place.

they don't want to hear it, but they're reinforcing the negativity. >> what if it's not a friend you can avoid but a family member? you're basically stuck with that individual. >> family is different. redirect them, be em pathetic, be supportive. maybe ask, have you thought about doing xyz. by doing that you show support and love. >> should you push -- you can't push family members out -- but other people constantly stressing you out. is it best to say i'm shutting this down because i know how i feel around these people? >> there's a point of surrounding people that support our life. if you have a choice, if it's not your best family member or someone -- your boss or someone you have to encounter, there's a point to limiting activity with that person.

proactively set your boundaries and say i know this person triggers me. i'm going to take a breath, take care of myself. >> they say you attract what's in you. >> people most vulnerable can't take care of their own needs and put everyone else's ahead of their own. these are people pleasers. >> i just prayed. i find that works. >> that's important. that's going to the bigger picture. >> it's too big and i can't deal with it. here you go. >> that's one of the best stress management tips. >> thanks guys so much. thank you. from sewing to folding. now i'm starting to feel stressed. home ♪

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roselyn got the performing bug early. just two months after high school she recorded her first album. >> she's been entertaining every since and joined her sister barbra streisand. the first time the siblings ever sang together publicly. >> now she's back in new york on a solo tour. >> she's going to be in the great room called 54 below. used to be studio 54. >> exactly.

>> so nice to meet you. >> you're adorable. >> you're gorgeous. does everybody know you're barbra streisand's sister? >> most do. people hit me up on the street and say my god you sound just like her. this cute waiter came over to me and said you look like strie sand. i noticed with the check he didn't charge me for my vegetables. i said sweetheart you didn't charge me. he said i didn't because i felt like a fool. when everybody came in earlier they were told you were going to be here. they were prepped. he didn't know because he was late. i said that's nothing to be embarrassed of. >> that's an incredible compliment when someone says you sound like barbra streisand. for once i would love that. have there been times it was

frustrating for you? you are uniquely beautiful and talented on your own. >> the beginning was stressful. you want to be successful for who you are. even though you're a sibling, we are unique to ourselves. >> you are very similar to your singing. your mannerisms and your nails. >> the important thing. >> your mom was a singer right? >> yes, our mom had a beautiful voice. she never went after it. >> she didn't encourage you either? >> no. i was supposed to go into the school system. my mother was a school secretary. i was going to be a math teacher. in seventh and eighth grade i used to mark the teacher's papers. >> do you have purple in your hair? >> yeah. >> look how cool. roselyn is not just kind, she's

cool. >> what kind of songs are you going to sing? >> many things. standards, show tunes. >> going to mix it up? >> yeah. >> you've got to. >> inside of me i'm more than one song, one person. >> do you like happy days? >> i like it, but i'm not going to sing it. >> that's a famous duet she did. >> trying to get you to sing something. i know. >> she saves her voice. she's wise to do that. can't blame us for trying. see roselyn at 54 below here in new york april 26th. >> thank you for coming on the show. >> glad to be here. thanks for having me. we're going to play a mad version of "who knew."

[ ding ] now serving 24. that was my age when i walked in here. [ ding ] the only thing that's been sitting here longer than us is that turkey. [ ding ] that meat gets passed around more than blame at a congressional hearing. [ ding ] i already have the deli meat, frank. well, there's my ride. [ male announcer ] oscar mayer deli fresh. made with 100% turkey breast, real spices and no artificial preservatives. sealed at the peak of freshness. it's freshness every time. it's oscar mayer. they have more time to travel back in time. try new children's zyrtec® dissolve tabs. children's zyrtec® is clinically proven to relieve kids' allergy symptoms for a full 24 hours. new children's zyrtec® dissolve tabs. ergens? eww! eww! [ moderator ] how would you deal with them? umm... ninjas. [ male announcer ] no need for ninjas. reduce up to 95% of inanimate allergens becoming airborne from fabrics with new, dermatologist tested,

febreze allergen reducer. with new, dermatologist tested, new hershey's spreads. bring the delicious taste of hershey's chocolate to anything - everything - you can imagine. explore the endless possibilities of the delicious chocolate taste that only hershey's can deliver. with new hershey's spreads, the possibilities are delicious. good morning to you. 10:26, i'm peggy bunker. the san francisco firefighter accused of hitting a motorcyclist while driving a fire truck drunk last year is being arraigned.

quinn was behind the wheel of a fire truck when it hit the motorcyclist there. he was severely hurt but did survive. and this this man was found alive one day after he vanished while snowboarding in the sierraback country. he came upon a house where he was able to call his family. he was taken to the hospital for minor frostbite.

welcome back. 10:29 the time right now. no rain in sight. we're done with the showers. let's show you what it looks like in san jose. we still haveclouds. we're clearing out nicely. in san francisco, skies nice and blue there after that rain that moved through and picked up about two inches of rain and we'll have all of those totals for you this morning at 11:00. the highs will be chilly today. low 60s will do it for the inland valleys, even san francisco. as we look ahead, temperatures start to warm up as we get into the weekend. the next chance of rain coming

on friday. details at ñr11:00. more local news when we start at 11:00 a.m. this morning. have a good day. we are back with more of "today" on this winesday wednesday ready to play our trivia game we call "who knew." we are getting in on march madness. even though it's april. testing your knowledge of all things mad. okay. kathie lee is across the street at the experience store. she's going to hand out $100 to anyone that gets the questions right. to those that dorngn't, they ge the kathie lee cd. how lucky are they? >> here to help me, michelle tan. >> this is this adorable boy's 13th day boy. this is his mom.

this weekend marks the culmination of march madness. which of the following teams is not playing for the championship? the florida gators, connecticut huskies, michigan state spartans or kentucky wild cats? >> c, the spartans. >> yes. >> yes, indeed. $100 for her. they are out out. >> university of connecticut took them out. uconn takes on florida. they have not lost a game since december 2nd. rounding out is connecticut versus wisconsin. >> that's exciting. a cinderella story there. let's go across to kathie. >> another birthday girl, this time from tennessee. what were the that i means of the characters played by paul reiser and helen hunt? >> i'm going to say d.

>> oh stop it. >> that is a tony nomination baby. enjoy. >> the answer is paul and jamie. >> mad about you was a popular series. it chronicled the recently married couple here in new york city. it has won four golden globes. >> back across to kathie. >> the tv series mad men is set in the late 1960s and centered around -- you tell me. >> a television network. >> no. not everybody watches mad men. okay. >> so sad. all right the correct answer is advertising agency. >> that's right. mad men is returning for it's final season on sunday april 13 ths. fans are anxious to see what happens. we've been focussing on this ad

agency. fans are anxious to see what happens in this final chapter. >> will be just say. back to kathie. >> another tennessee lady. in 195, leonard stern created the word game "mad libs" while he was -- >> who would know this? probably not you. what do you think? >> a? >> yes. >> oh my god. that was unbelievable. >> all right. so the tv show the honeymooners. >> this is a great story. who doesn't love mad libs? he was coming up with a word to describe the nose on the show. his friend was throwing out randran adjectives. >> another birthday. she's 18 today. in "alice in wonder land" what

kind of hat does the mad hatter throw? >> yes. >> kat i bet i can guess her name. >> her name is mega. >> how do you know that hoda? >> i know everything. >> all right so that was the right answer, tea party. >> that's right. the original novel in 1865. it's been a huge and timeless classic. that was the animated movie in 1950 and recent movie in 2010 that starred johnny deb as the mad hatter. >> i saw her on the plaza and already sang happy birthday to her. >> you get around baby. >> thank you everybody. we've got the best selling author. the things you learn on our show like how to fold a fitted sh

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all right. home economics macy bring memories of high school. if it's been that long, you're about to get a refresher course. >> we asked where you needed to brush up on skills? we found it for you. >> stephanie is real simple

negotiate. >> so these are basic things we might need a refresher course on. shall we get started? >> absolutely. i'm going to show techniques to mend your garments. first place to start threading the needle. it seems simple but is sometimes challenging. the troiick is to cut. >> without my glasses it doesn't matter. i've sewed all my life, have sewn all my life. >> cut the thread at an angle. lick the thread. put it through the eye of the needle. >> it's unsanitary. >> there are also tools you can use, basic supplies at sewing supply store to help you thread it threw. >> buy glasses before you try. >> understand you have the needle threaded -- you want to

replace a button. the key is coat your thread in bees wax. look for a gadget like this. take your thread, run it through. >> what does that do? >> puts bees wax on your thread more stability so your button won't fall off. you can use a candle at home if you don't have this. >> or lip gloss. just kidding. >> next you cut off tags on your shirt and accidentally cut the fabric. you have a hole in your shirt. this is called interfacing. one side has a dried glue. put that on the wrong side of your shirt. the iron activates it it stays in place. then you can do a zigzag switch to keep it in. next is hemming pants. keep the distressed hem on

you're jeans. flip your hem up. you've got the fold. sew around the inside. >> then pull it back down. once you've flown, you have that original hem. >> so good. i wasn't for this segment, but now i am. >> this is something everyone has been asking about. how do you fold a fitting sheet? it's not easy. the lady at people's magazine asked me. i said i don't know. >> it's about the corners. fold your sheet horizontally. put my finger in, stick it in the bottom. make a pocket. do that with both corners. if you have the gathered edges, tuck those under.

make a square like a sheet. bring this side up to other corners. >> wow. >> what are you talking about? fitted sheets look like wads in your closet. >> my father was in the navy. he taught me to do sheets. >> that's awesome. >> very well done. let's do the pink one now. >> now for towels, save up to 30% of your drawer space by rolling towels like t-shirts. >> also when you pack your clothes. >> as we're rolling we have to scoot down. thank you so much. >> all right chef. >> we are learning to measure things correctly and follow recipes right. first thing, people don't know how much pasta to make for how many people. we have this intention you open it upper person. you stick it in there. >> one of those is a real pig. >> what i do, it's good.

>> so rice. a lot of people get nervous about how much rice to do, cooked before or not. if it says cooked before the rice, cook it then measure it. if it doesn't, measure rice or pasta, anything dry, just raw like that with a cup. okay? so if you have an egg and want to split in half. you first crack it. how do you split in half if the recipe calls to measure it. whisk it up. look at it and eye it. >> we've got to run. thank you so much. okay he's graced the stage with taylor swift and kenny chesney. >> now he's [ ding ] now serving 24. that was my age when i walked in here. [ ding ] the only thing that's been sitting here longer than us is that turkey. [ ding ] that meat gets passed around more than blame at a congressional hearing. [ ding ] i already have the deli meat, frank.

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imagine spending your whole life living in fear the man that killed your husband would be back for you and your child. that's a taste of what's to come in the latest thriller by

best selling author, of "i've got you under my skin." >> good morning mary. is this your 33rd? >> 34th total. >> 33rd thriller? >> five with the memoir and other things. >> did the ideas keep coming by the way? >> fortunately. >> you like to write about the city called manhattan very much. you always have our favorite restaurant in it. >> jimmy is part of the book. there's always at least a two page scene there. >> this one is shorter. i did read this book. it is fun. he got the short in this one. you'll make it up in the next one. >> he's in. the waitress is in. a plot point is in. >> there you go. where do ideas come from? you're such a nice human being. how do you come up with these plots? >> i read a lot of crimes.

>> real life ones. >> real life crimes. i've gotten several from the post, page three. just the dna of it chl. not about those people. >> dna has change everything in a sense. so many crimes are solved that would otherwise be a mystery. >> i've never had a series except in the series kaicarol ai do together. >> i see. every time we turn around you have another book. how quick do you write these? you write quickly don't you? >> my contract has been to do one a year for years. the minute i get this out of my soul -- >> you start the next? >> michael says let's have lunch and talk plot.

>> do you write them long hand or on the computer? >> this year i had shingles and my hand was weak. i wrote them long hand. >> wow. >> that's a little harder than it used to be. >> no kidding. >> she keeps turning them out. this is so much fun. hate to say this, i had my shingles vaccine yesterday. over 60, you have to get it apparently. >> i had it two years ago. >> that's not good news. >> mary, thank you. >> it was only about 65% of people with the shot don't get shingles. >> good luck with that kathie. >> thank you so much. more good news. suspense is over. frankie ballard sings us a hit. >> this is

the toyota concert series on

"today" brought to you by toyota. >> he has toured the nation with super stars like kenny chesney and taylor swift. he has a new single. >> it's called "helluva life." ten years you were playing honky tonks. you don't look old enough. >> how old are you by the way? >> 31. >> all right. now that you're a country star, how does that feel? >> i'm still working on it. i'm so blessed to have this song we're going to play for you. >> when you first heard it, did you know this was going to be you're number one? >> i hoped. people made this song their own. the lyrics, attached their own stories and journeys. >> sing what you know about

honey. with whisky and women. let's hear it. ♪ saturday night and a six pack girl ♪ ♪ big stars shining on a big town world ♪ ♪ it's a helluva life ♪ kc lights on a dirt road dancing ♪ ♪ it's a helluva life ♪ buy gas and long neck bottles ♪ ♪ barefoot country girl swinging ♪ ♪ a song playing on the radio station ♪ ♪ bad times make the good times better ♪ ♪ look in her eyes and you're gone forever ♪ ♪ on a helluva life

♪ something about the night girl ♪ ♪ you got the right girl sitting beside you looking at the sky ♪ ♪ here we are all i know is ♪ pennies make dimes and dimes make ♪ ♪ buy gas and long neck bottles ♪ ♪ the song is playing and the world start as fading ♪ look in her eyes and you're gone

forever ♪ ♪ on a helluva life it's a helluva life ♪ if you got the right girl sitting right beside you looking at the sky ♪ ♪ thinking about why we're here and where we're going ♪ ♪ all i know is pennies make dimes ♪ ♪ dimes make ♪ song that's playing ♪ perfect combination ♪ bad times make the good times better ♪ ♪ look in her eyes and you're

gone ♪ ♪ it's a helluva life ♪ ♪ ♪ it's a helluva life >> whoa. thank you. good for you hun. >> tomorrow guess who we've

that breaking news is this scene as you see from these live pictures in pittsburgh. crews are trying to save a driver who crashed their car into a canal. you can see the back end of that car poking up from the water way. this is a view from right above the scene. this is from the delta view golf club. the driver's condition is unknown at this point. we're trying to figure out who is in that car, if anyone. we'll bring you more details as we get more updates. good morning to you. thank you for joining us, i'm peggy bunker.