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tv   Today  NBC  January 25, 2015 6:00am-7:01am PST

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good morning. >> good morning. bracing for a blizzard. the northeast closely watching a topotentially historic storm with up to two feet of snow from new york to boston. we're looking at the potential impact. bill belichick calls a press conference offering a scientific take on why the patriots played with under inflated footballs last weekend. >> air pressure is a function of the atmospheric conditions. >> will the nfl and football fans buy his explanation? we're live in arizona at the site of superbowl xlix. the feud over american sniper is uglier. michael moore sending tweets and
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sarah palin firing back. >> screw hollywood who can't under what it is we see in someone like chris kyle and all of our vets. >> as the social media battles shows no signs of letting up. the daddy bowl advertisers aiming for your heart strings. tender moments of fatherhood in superbowl adds. >> what kind of dad do you want to be? >> this kind. >> we'll give you a sneak peek today. sunday, january 25th, 2515. >> from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erikaer erica hill live from rockefeller center. >> welcome this morning. yesterday's snow was drive by compared to what we're about to
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get. >> talk about keeping dillon busy this week. we know where you're going, somewhere cold. >> i have a feeling new england is calling my name. >> it is our top story. blizzard watches in effect for several cities while the ripple effect of traffic woes stretches across the country. millions of people from pennsylvania to massachusetts. how bad will the next one be? here we go. >> i'm standing for a reason. i'm going to the weather wall. this is a classic meteorological nor'easter. we have the cold air with arctic high pressure to the north, wind coming out of the northeast and low pressure that's going to bomb out near new england. this is going to create a possibly historic nor'easter for new england. this is moving toward the great lakes and pennsylvania. tomorrow morning, should stay to the northwest of washington d.c. monday at 5:00 p.m. we're going to see lighter snow showers kick
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in. then the storm is called bombogenesis when the low pressure drops to the lowest point, atmospheric pressure drops to the lowest the strongest it's going to be and we could see one to two feet possible. wind gusts up to 50 to 60 miles per hour. combine wind gusts with the heavy snow and you will see blizzard conditions, especially along the coast. that could create white out conditions and travel on tuesday will be nearly impossible. how much snow are we going to see? keep in mind there are several computer models that indicate different snowfall amounts. either way, it's widespread one to two feet with most of the snow across eastern new england. that's where we're going to see perhaps as much as 24 maybe 30 inches of snow. >> can we go back to bombogenesis? i wrote this down. >> every once in a while, we have a meteorological storm. it's when the pressure drops to
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its lowest point. it bombs out. it's becoming its most intense. >> b-o-m-b genesis? >> yeah. >> it'll be a catch phrase this week. the superbowl is one week away. the nfl's all stars hit the field for the pro bowl tonight. while they may be ready to play, the controversy over deflategate is far from over. bill belichick called a press conference playing the role of science teacher. nbc's ron mott is in arizona this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. another twist in this odd saga we've been covering this week. bill belichick holding a hastily arranged news conference. he talked a little bit about football and a whole lot of football science. with another day of deflategate
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research behind him, he is convinced there was no deliberate attempt to cheat last weekend. >> i have personally and we as an organization have absolutely followed every rule to the letter. on behalf of everyone in the organization. >> reporter: often called a football genius he tried his hand at football science. >> we know pressure is a result of the atmospheric conditions. >> reporter: trying to explain how his team played with under inflated footballs. injecting pop culture. a reference to "my cousin benny." >> it wasn't often in the air until '64. >> reporter: while trying to keep his team focused on the superbowl, he told reporters chilly air may have been the
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culprit culprit. air pressure dropped. softer footballs are considered easier to throw and catch and a wall street journal shows the fumbling rate. >> either bill belichick knows the patriots didn't do anything wrong or he believes the nfl knows nothing. >> reporter: in the meantime by comparison the seahawks p continued press, as "sesame street" re-aired an episode with the word of the day. >> what does inflate mean? >> when you fill something with air. >> reporter: the word on the street is bill belichick says he's done talking about deflategate. he will not talk about it this week when the team comes out here. they're due to land here tomorrow. the seahawks remember them, that's who they're playing, they get here today. >> he says he's done talking about it. give us a sense around there, what's the feeling on the streets? has the comments helped or hurt
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him? >> reporter: i listened to a number of national shows here and it's mixed. if you're a patriots fan, you think this has helped his case but some people think he was trying to essentially take some of the pressure off of tom brady. some people felt he threw tom brady overboard, and maybe this is a chance to get the heat off of brady so he can focus on the game next sunday. >> we like to pick it apart. thanks. nbc is your home for the superbowl. we'll have live coverage and we'll talk coverage all day long. kicks off next sunday, february 1st. >> reaction from the world is pouring in after the murder of a japanese hostage. >> good morning. new demands from islamic state terrorist for the release of a japanese hostage. the japanese prime minister is astonished. one of hostages was showed after being beheaded.
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they're demanding a prisoner exchange for the remaining hostage. president obama called the japanese prime minister to express condolences. obama is in india working on agreements. the white house correspondent is with the president in new delhi. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is seen as an important role. president obama and prime minister modi have developed this unexpectedly close rapport. we saw this morning in a break with protocol modi met president obama at the airport and gave him a hug. for a decade modi wasn't allowed in the u.s. there was a lavish welcome ceremony, visit to a memorial for gandhi. the question is whether this will translate to tangible action. the leaders today worked for almost four hours, talked about climate change came to an
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agreement on nuclear power, trade discussions are coming up that will include american ceos. also they share concern over safe havens for terrorists in pakistan. they capped it with a news conference where modi talked about their personal chemistry. tonight, the hottest ticket is a state dinner and all the speculation in local media is over yes, what will michelle obama wear. >> i can't say i'm surprised. thank you. atlanta's heart filled jackson airport opens after a bomb scare closed it down on saturday. passengers were showed off after credible threats were made. the threats were made against a delta flight from portland oregon and a southwest plane from milwaukee. nothing was found. a fire turned into an overnight battle for firefighters in southern
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california. flames broke out in california last night. santa ana winds drove the blaifze into an inferno. the smoke could be seen from 20 miles away. no injuries have been reported. two american women are celebrating gold medal performances. ashley wagner blew away the competition in taking her third u.s. national figure skating titles. she says this one takes it. at 23, she is the oldest women to win in a decade. at 14 this snow border is the youngest to win gold at the x games. born in the year 2000 kim was too young for the last to limp pix, -- olympics. she's 14. >> i love how the other girl was the oldest at 23. the old maid. congratulations to them both. >> dillon has another check of
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the weather. the rest of the country has sunshine. >> the southwest is fantastic. we have high pressure keeping things warm. the santa ana still in effect. the clipper system could pro good morning. 6:11. beautiful day. we are starting off a little chilly, back in the 40s. 41 in the south bay. 43 shall, the north bay a little patchy fog. a little warmer today. 76 for the south bay. 73 for the peninsula. san francisco at 71. the north bay, 74. the tri-valley 75 degrees. hope to tell you more about this warming trend. >> latest forecast. >> the race for president getting into full swing this morning. on saturday, many of the
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republican hopefuls spoke to a crowd of the faithful trying to spur them into action. nbc's kelly o'donnell is in des moines again this morning. >> good morning. good morning, lester. any of the republican potential contenders are in high demand. tonight, the gop donors, the koch brothers are hosting top three candidates. more than two dozen republicans addressed a hurnlgge gathering of conservatives. the first race of 2016. this iowa marathon. >> look each candidate in the eye and say, don't talk. show me. >> nine hours of speeches. a tryout day for potential republican candidates. wisconsin governor scott walker. >> if your not afraid to go big and go bold you can get results. >> chris christie had something to prove, that he is
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conservative enough for iowa. >> being pro-life is not a political liability anywhere in america. one loud disruption. >> secure the border now. overrooid this president's order. while some of the most direct jabs came not from expected candidates. >> hey highiowa can anyone stop hillary? >> sarah palin and donald trump who sized up the field saying this about two of the four governors not in iowa this weekend. >> you can't have romney. he choked. you can't have bush. donald trump told this crowd in iowa he too is thinking about running i spoke to the iowa democratic governor and the gop
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chairman say they both expect jeb bush to be competing here but neither has heard from mitt romney. chuck todd joins us this morning. rom iowa it's safe to say, because all eyes are going to be focused on california for the billionaire brothers running their invite only seminary known as the coke pr primary. how does this stack up in importance? >> reporter: >> you're seeing jock i caneying. you have your establishment parts, the insider guys the traditional republican party, jeb bush and mitt romney. in iowa yesterday, we saw a lot of the social conservative candidates making their case. the mike huckabees of the world. the coke brothers, what they have been pushing for is an
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anti-washington, outsiedder conservative. they seem to like a guy like scott walker the wisconsin governor but you have others that are going to be at the event in california that are also trying to curry favor with them. the different wings, different fields and at some point, there will be a candidate from each of them that end up facing off in the middle of the primary season. >> let's turn our focus back to washington. house speaker john boehner inviting netanyahu to address congress in march. the next thing we hear is the president won't be meeting with the prime minister because he doesn't want to in his words, influence the election happening there later this month. what's the impact of the with the already strained relations between the u.s. and israel? >> i think the impact is going to be more acute in israel itself. this is about prime minister netanyahu, in an election year and one of the criticisms he has
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is strained relationship with president obama. this isn't helping anything. now unnamed administration officials say netanyahu spat in the face of president obama. the white house chief of staff who is on meet the press later today says he doesn't believe anyone said that in the white house. that said it's strange thatining it even more. the next time prime minister netanyahu needs a favor from the president, he's not going to get it. >> we'll tune into meet the press. and you'll have mike huckabee so looking forward to that. thanks, as auslways. don't tell the kids but schools may consider with doing away with snow days. the horror. we'll explain after this. >> just ain't right. " and "sheesh, i wish i'd looked some more." that's why walgreens makes it
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with t big storm headed into the northeast this morning. a lot of kids are hoping for a snow day on tuesday. why shouldn't day? will that soon be a thing of the past? >> one school district in illinois is working on doing away with the snow day. it could become a trend sweeping the nation. >> reporter: a school snow day. >> it's all you want during winter. >> in fifth grade, it was four days in a row. it was snow day after snow day and so fun. >> they're going to make a snowman, and everybody must help. >> reporter: that was then and
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this is now. the idea of a snow day is fading away and it has nothing to do with the piles out here. >> if you don't have your ipad for some reason you can direct your attention to the front of the classroom. >> reporter: it's the pads in here. >> in most classes, we have our assignments right on the ipads. >> reporter: technology is slowly killing the nostalgic snow day. >> johnny wants to slide first. >> we would build snowmen and snow forts. >> reporter: in a high school outside of chicago, 75% of her classmates now have school district issued ipads. >> work work work. >> snow days will be nothing more than a telecommuting day. >> for better or worse. >> reporter: teachers can send assignments home through the web, and kids can turn in their papers just as easily now. >> does that clarify a little bit? >> reporter: already happening in this english class. >> class is going to continue with or without you being here essentially. when i was in school 10 or 15 years ago, we didn't have the
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accessibility. >> the next generation is missing out. >> reporter: the joy of that snow day has faded like an old educational film. >> i have the buttons. any questions? >> reporter: one of many. >> some kids don't have the internet access at home. >> as a teacher, you have to maintain a consciousness to that. you have to be understanding and reasonable. >> reporter: there's still a digital divide so for the next few fleeting school years, the snow day lives. >> would you rather work on a snow day or extend the year into june when it's beautiful or nice? most kids take the work on the ipad now instead of giving up a day of the summer. >> reporter: it's not just a hard choice to make. it's an idea that's catching on not just here in illinois but in other cold states like minnesota. for "today," dave malkoff in chicago. we called in an expert to weigh in second grader, weston my son. snow days going away thumbs up
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or thumbs down? one of each? >> he's going to be a politician. okay. >> he's got a future. thanks, buddy. i'll make you a hot chocolate on your snow day. >> still to come saturday night live takes on deflategate. of course they did. first, these messages. really... i guess i did take some risks. anncr: bode, bode miller!!! trained a little bit differently. a little too honest sometimes. the media is useless. you were out of control. but not always. [bassist] two late nights in tucson. blew an amp.but good nights. sure,music's why we do this,but it's still our business. we spend days booking gigs
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then we've gotta put in the miles to get there. but it's not without its perks. like seeing our album sales go through the roof enough to finally start paying meg's little brother- i mean,our new tour manager-with real,actual money. we run on quickbooks.that's how we own it. leave it to our friends at saturday night live to stay up with the news of the week. >> good morning. with all this talk about deflated footballs, you knew that was going to be on snl and they'd tackle it. of course the show took on deflategate. >> good evening. as you can tell i'm taking this very seriously. that's why i got dressed up. i came here today to tell you that i have absolutely nothing to do with deflating those footballs, and that's all i have to say on the matter.
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i'm sure you have questions but i'd rather leave the questions to the person who did it tom brady. [ applause ] >> hey, guys. thanks for being here. i just want to address the elephant in the room. this is a vintage hat. pretty cool right? all right. laters. >> tom, hey, tom? did you have anything to do with deflating these footballs? >> me? absolutely not! honestly i wasn't even aware that footballs could be inflated or deflated. >> that was a funny one. i'll send it back to you. >> thanks. still to come, jason marz heads back to school. after these messages. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil.
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good morning. 6:26. a live look outside from sfraeps. cameras on the san bruno mountain. thanks for waking up with us. i'm vicky nguyen along with anthony slaughter. a check on your forecast. please tell me we are going to get a continuation on that. we are talking about another warm day, warmer than yesterday by a few degrees. you can see in san jose clear skies, no fog even at the coastline. we talked about temperatures yesterday in the mid-70s. up 20to 76 yesterday. another stellar, summerlike day.
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73 in the peninsula. even the tryi-valley, up to 75. napa, only 60 yesterday. up to 70 today. 74, pet ta loma mill valley. at the coastline, 71 degrees. you can't beat temperatures like that in january. looking forward to it, anthony. thank you. flu season hasn't yet peaked in california. another person in the bay area has died from the illness. napa county is reporting its first flu-related death of the season. that is now five deadly cases here in the bay area. one flu death in san francisco, one in sonoma county. two in san mateo county. all five were adults under the age of 65. doctors are urging people to still get their flu shots, wash their hands frequently and avoid touching their eyes nose and
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mouth. all southbound lanes of highway 85 in sunnyvale are back open after a fatal crash. a bicyclist died after colliding with a car on highway 85. it happened just north of the fremont avenue on ramp in sunnyvale at about 2:30. when officers arrived on the scene, the bicyclist was pronounced dead. two lanes were blocked as officers investigated. wild boars, they rip up lawns and destroy them. a temporary law has made it a little less in neighborhoods. the san jose city council is deciding whether to make the law permanent. wild pigs tear up golf courses and homes. the san jose voted to allow homeowners to hire a licensed trapper to catch and kill the picks. a total of 14 have been caught
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and killed. they will decide whether to continue the ordinance. the temporary law is set to expire february 2nd. coming up on "today in the bay," an amazing moment for a standard graduate. the documentary he made was nominated for an oscar. >> that plus all your top stories. anthony slaughter will be back with all the complete forecasts. join us and we'll take you back to the "today" show.
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♪ what i like about you, you hold me tight ♪ ♪ tell me i'm the only one, want to come over tonight ♪ >> it's our first time in new york city, and we're at the "today" show. >> it's my first day "today." >> it's our anniversary today. >> you're looking at a gold medalist. >> i'm celebrating my 20th. >> it's my 50th. >> coach k day. hi dad, i love you. >> we love nyc. we are back on a sunday morning, january 25th 2015. it's a calm before the storm at the plaza. lots of energy out here which we love. nice work. first timers right behind us.
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a big storm is headed our way, keeping dillon busy telling us about bombogenesis. it's a real term. >> it's a fun one. >> help us get it trending on twitter. check out my twitter account. dillon is holding it up. >> i'm not holding us bombogenesis. >> that would be creepy. >> we don't want to get you in trouble trouble. >> near blizzard conditions are expected to slam into the northeast as early as tomorrow night. could be an epic storm with a potential to drop two feet of snow in some areas and potentially a nationwide effect for travel delays. >> from sports coach to science guy, the head of the new england patriots taking air out of deflategate. bill belichick saying it was part of the weather. that'll happen at a press conference on saturday. the nfl's investigation
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continues. president obama is offering condolences to japan after an online video claims one of two japanese hostages have been murdered. this as both nations demand the immediate release of the last hostage. the best part of the superbowl is the commercials. we'll give you a sneak peek at how the modern dad is celebrated. jason mraz is one of nearly three dozen celebrities helping to inspire struggling students as they learn to march to a different beat. he'll take us into an initiative with arts education in a traditional curriculum. we'll talk live to donald trump about the miss universe pageant. we begin with the latest shots fired in the ongoing war of "american sniper."
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this time, it is sarah palin joining the feud. >> reporter: the country's biggest movie about a real-life american sniper again has celebrities trading fire. after film maker michael moore went out another series of treats. what would jesus do? i know what he would do. hide on top of a roof and shoot people in the back. his comments were hours after someone posted sarah palin with a sign directing unkind words to moore. we took another swipe, referencing the navy seal the movie is based on. >> america needs a hero again, and chris kyle is that man. screw the lefts in hollywood that can't under what it is we see in someone like chris kyle and all of our vets. >> reporter: that backlash against the hollywood elites was not extinguished with seth rogan's comparison of american
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sniper to a nazi propaganda film. >> we have to take sides, whether the american sniper is a real hero. >> bill mahr is comparing the film to "hurt locker." >> it made $17 million, and this one is just american hero. he's a psychopath patriot, and we love him. >> this film is generating buzz and controversy, and that goes to fuel all those who want to fight themselves. >> reporter: the iraq war movie making headlines, now raging comments online for days. right now, it's time for another check of the weather. we got some big snow coming this way. >> we do. i'm also hearing a lot of giggling over here. i need to know what is so funny over here? you're just having a good time? >> yeah. >> where are you from?
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are you ready for a snow day on tuesday? >> yeah. >> the snow days are still happening in massachusetts. tuesday does look like that's the day we are going to get hit hard by blizzard conditions from boston to rhode island, southern connecticut, 50 to 60 miles per hour wind gusts. one to two feet of snow is possible. the time frame is monday night and throughout the entire day on tuesday. starting right now, a clipper system moving through the midwest. we have some snow across chicago. that will move through pennsylvania overnight, and then tomorrow we'll start to see lighter snow in the mid-atlantic and then it will develop into heavier snow by monday night. the rest of the country is enjoying nice weather, 50 we are starting off clear in san francisco bay. you can see the open waters bridge there. the sunrise starting to peak. we are talking about very warm temperatures once again today.
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yesterday, a few records across the bay area. same deal for today. 76 for the south bay. that's your high for today. 73 for the peninsula. 75 for the high. san francisco, after a chilly day yesterday. in the 60s for most of us. north bay, same story. mid-70s for daytime highs. we'll talk more about this warming trend at 7. sadie hawkins day coming up. you asked nick and what did he say? guys? >> thanks very much. with one week to go till the superbowl, we're getting a sneak peek of some of the commercials that will air during the game. this year a lot of the advertisers are going straight for the heart, with a few ads that feature dad in a more thoughtful way than we usually see. craig melvin takes a look. >> reporter: they are the tender moments of father hood. every day dads and children depicted in a superbowl ad by dove. another commercial from toyota will air during the big game.
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>> always felt like what i was doing was the most important thing. >> reporter: current and former nfl players talking about the influential men in their lives. >> sees how i am with my kids, how loving and nurturing i am with them. >> the superbowl is watched by millions of impressionable young men, and to show, this is what guys do now, it's to be taken seriously. >> 111 million watched the superbowl last year. 30 seconds of air time going rate about $4.5 million. now, more companies are taking a new approach using the time to shine away from the stereotypes of the fumbling. >> give me a little bit. i don't need a package. >> reporter: and bumbling dad. >> don't rub your head on stuff. >> reporter: and portraying participatory generation of fathers. >> both of the ads seem to be targeted at males and females.
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there is a strong father figure and that's going to speak to women. whereas, men are going to see this and they're either going to think of their own fathers or their own children. >> reporter: a recent study found 9 out of 10 men see their caring side as a strength. yet only 7% say they can relate to the way media depicts masculinity. >> it's not the 1960s. guys love taking care of their kids. >> i love you so much. >> it's not a fad. fatherhood is not going anywhere. >> i like the message. sometimes we're portrayed as bumble bumbling sometimes deservedly but i like it. >> it's a great message. up next with junk drawer how you can get a head start today after these messages.
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nature valley crunchy granola bars give you energy from 1/3 of your daily whole grains so 1/3 of this commercial is dedicated to what you could do with all that energy. energy to take the road less traveled. you park your car. as you walk away crunch! a garbage truck backs into it. so,you call your insurance company, looking for a little support. what you get is a game of a thousand questions. was it raining? were your flashers on? was there a dog with you? by the time you hang up you're convinced the accident was your fault. then you remember; you weren't even in the car. at liberty mutual we make filing a claim as stress-free as possible. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance
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this morning in "start today," we're getting you ready for week ahead with expert tips on what you can do to get a head start on the week. >> get a head start. >> get a head start "today." >> "today." >> "today." >> "today." >> what are you saving for? it's really important that you know that you have an actual goal whether it's a house, or a vacation or a car. and you put that picture someplace that you're likely to see it again and again and again. you'll be much more likely to be
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successful. >> get a head start "today" with motivation. nothing motivates me more than great music. so every sunday night i take a few minutes and i put together a new play list. new songs, old songs, but a new list. so come monday morning i've got brand-new musical motivation to last me through the week. >> well now it's time to organize one of the most disorganized places in our home -- our jung drawer. take your extra chargers and headphones put them in plastic bags. get fun folders. organize all your papers so you know what you are looking at. then your keys and your mints, get little bins at a mass market store. they're under $1 each. when you open your junk drawer you can actually find some of the junk you are being looking for. . save a ton of calories with your breakfast by swapping out dense cereals for light, flaky cereals. when it comes to the sandwich
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forget about the regular full-fat mayonnaise. instead tomorrow your sammy with hummus mustard, kampetchup or even light mayo. and switch out the soda for light sparkling water. start "today." >> "today." >> i like the junk drawer thing. jenna, joy, jean and jill will be back next week for final week of our "start today" series. >> good stuff. and now you have something to do today. you really have four junk drawers? >> i have one in each room. >> we'll tackle that next month. >> we'll have an intervention next. students at some failing schools are actually seeing a new tune thanks to stars like grammy winner jason mraz.
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how he's ♪ is it the insightful strategies and analytical capabilities that make edward jones one of the biggest financial services firms in the country? or is it 13,000 financial advisors who take the time to say thank you? 'night jim. gonna be a while? i am liz got a little writing to do. ♪ it's why edward jones is the big company that doesn't act that way. i vow to wow my family with a vacation they'll never forget. it's royal caribbean's vow to wow sale, and there's no better time than now, to book your vacation. book today and get 50 percent off your second guest... ...and more money to spend on board. i vow to break the ice with my father-in-law. i vow to fly like supermom. i vow to make vacation history. it's our richest offer of the year. royal caribbean's vow to wow sale. book now and get 50 percent off your second guest. call 1-800-royalcaribbean today.
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♪ it cannot wait i'm yours ♪
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>> that's jason mraz "i'm yours." while the multi-platinum singer/songwriter is busy with his music, he's also finding time to bring a positive message to some classroom. >> he's one of nearly three dozen arts ambassadors. they're helping build an arts-based curriculum which is having an impactful difference. schools are seeing vast improvements in not only their test scores but how these children are learning. i met up with mraz at the school he's helping in san diego. >> reporter: there is a new rhythm to learning at san diego's burbank elementary school. ♪ >> reporter: and a new cheerleader. >> what's up burbank? welcome back to school. ah school. school! school! i'm jason mraz and i'm super pumped up to be your arts
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ambassador. >> reporter: the grammy award winning singer/songwriter added arts ambassador to his resume last spring when he signed on to work with with your bank elementary as part of turn around arts. when you are using your imagination and getting creative there is no wrong way to do it. >> reporter: the program combines traditional learning with art as part of an overall plan to boost failing schools. in this math class, this means adding ukeleles and song writing. for mraz the equation clicked immediately. >> we learned our helping verbs, and to this day i can recite all these helping verbs because they were paired up with a melody. i'm not a musicologist. i can't tell you exactly the phenomenon that that is but it works. and it's exciting to see turn around arts embracing that. >> reporter: less than a year ago, burbank was one of california's worst performing schools. nearly half its students were in below their grade level in math. more than 62% below grade level
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in english and language arts. attendance was also a major issue. yet, in the four short months since burbank signed on with turn around arts that's all begun to change. >> we've noticed an increase in kids actually wanting to spend more time on task be more motivated to come to school. our daily attendance rates have really improved. >> and you attribute to bringing this arts education to school? >> yeah i think so. . >> reporter: turnaround arts says math scores in its eight pilot schools were up 22% over two years. reading scores saw a boost of more than 12%. perhaps most importantly, the students are the first to say they notice a difference. >> it is like way better and much funner and really made me like math more than how i usually do. >> i love math now because i do songs and math together and that's what makes it fun. >> the arts alone cannot turn around a school but what we are seeing is the arts provide this essential part of the toolkit.
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>> we currently have 6 million kids in the united states that don't have arts in their public schools. that's a lot of missed opportunities. >> what do you think the biggest misconception is about arts education today in the united states? >> the biggest misunderstanding about arts is that it serves no purpose. it is that it is just play time. >> reporter: each of the 35 turnaround arts schools has a celebrity ambassador like jason mraz helping to boost the school's profile. >> it changes the way the community sees the school. the school feels special which it hasn't felt in a long time. >> reporter: mraz has made his involvement a priority working in the school garden over the summer offering words of encouragement before a recent holiday concert. >> let me tell you what it means when you're nervous. means you really care. >> reporter: and cheering along at the main event. >> i think they feel the connection right away. he's just a genuine down to earth guy who really wants to make a difference in the world. >> i just want to put a hug around this school. that's the best way to put it. i want them to remember that i'm on their team. >> reporter: a message his team
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has received loud and clear. >> so the program is in a number of different schools around the country and they do have some big flames tied to it. they were a little nervous in the beginning if they brought in the celebrity, they'd think it was just a photo-op for the celebrity. forest wlithitaker, sarah jessica parker yo-yo ma they're really xlited committed to their schools. >> i was not a stellar student but music really kept me involved. it was an important part of my schooling. >> they also bring in arts and theater. the schools all do a school musical and it just really unites the community in a great way. >> it gets your brain going. i had band first hour. you leave charged, ready. stimulated. >> like we said he still remembers his helping verbs from english when he was singing them. >> love his music, too. . now let's send it over to dill be in the orange room with
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today's "plaza fan of the day." >> caylee is turning 18. bonnie roe from newport, new york. take it away. >> still to come on "today," live from miami, it's donald trump. but first these messages.
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the world's most beautiful women will be together tonight for the miss universe pageant. the man behind it knob other than donald trump joins us from miami where miss universe will be held. nice to have you with us this morning. good morning. >> hello, erica.
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>> we know you were talking with some folks in iowa yesterday. we have to ask you off the bat with be can you give it to me in a yes or no? you going to run in 2016? >> well i'm looking at it very seriously. the country is in very serious trouble. we're making so many mistakes and certainly i want to make america great again and i am looking a the it very very seriously. i got a great reception. there are those that say i got, by far, the biggest reception yesterday, the most standing ovations because of what i said. and i am looking at it very seriously. >> you made your way from there to miami for the miss universe pageant. there's been a little bit of controversy in the past several weeks over the selfie miss israel posted on instagram with miss lebanon. miss lebanon got beat up by a tv station there saying she shouldn't have appeared together with miss israel because lebanon and miss israel are enemies. from a pageant side what's transpired since and what's your take on all this donald? >> well, its a he very sad to see this happening. it is very very sad.
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it will be interesting to see who are the final 15. wouldn't it be interesting to see miss israel and miss lebanon standing together as the final 15? ? i don't know that that's going to happen but let's see what happens. but i will tell you, it is very sad. we're in miami right now. we're at trump national doral. i'll tell you what the place is so abuzz with what's going on with miss universe. the venue, as you know is totally sold out. you can't get a ticket. it is really lot deal and i think it is going to be a great production tonight for three hours on nbc. >> why are beauty pageants still relevant in 2015 in your opinion? >> well it's the age-old thing. it is never going to die. magnificently beautiful women. these are the most beautiful women in the world. i got to see them yesterday. there are no women as beautiful. the miss universe pageant is known to have the most beautiful women in the world and that's what it is. and i think whether we like it or not, whether it's politically correct or not, who cares? it's a formula, lester that
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will never die. and, by the way, your son interviewed me and he may be as good as you, lester. he interviewed me in chicago. >> that's a high compliment. >> he interviewed me -- no. he interviewed me in chicago. he was very very good. >> well trained, lester. you did well. >> thank you, donald for that. >> that's fantastic! so we do want to ask you, too, about "celebrity apprentice." this season is a lot of turn. we really enjoy meeting some of the folks and talking to them here on the "today" show. what do you think sets this season apart? >> well i think a lot of things. i think one of the reasons it's doing so well is we have the one-hour shows which are really better than two-hours with be which are so long. i think cast has been fantastic and so good and is doing so well as you know that nbc is just extended it for another two shows which is not easy. butguess we're going live for a period of time. it's just been a great season and nbc likes me very much. >> there's a lot to like. nice to have you with us thanks again.
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just to remi
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good morning. i'm vicky nguyen. wild pigs destroying property and creating a mess. decision that faces a south bay city. downtown san francisco shut down. tens of thousands take to the streets. the message they wanted to be heard. springlike conditions continue here in the bay area. anthony slaughter will let us know if it will be another record-setting day. you are watching "today in the bay." this is "today in the bay." good morning, you're time now is 7:00. we're giving you a live look right now

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