lots of options for you to get there, and they all end at the great america station. the "today" show starts now. "today in the bay" continues now wherever you stream. join us now, or whenever it fits into your schedule. >> that schedule is long. keeping the news going. >> we are always here. >> we are. >> thank you for being with us every morning here on "today in the bay." that does it for this portion of ♪ hi, there. happy thursday it's a promising one in hollywood. >> yeah, could the writer's strike finally be coming to an end? it is september 21st, this is "today." signs of progress. a major breakthrough over the talks in the massive walkout that's halted production and tv shows and movies for months. top studio executives now

joining the negotiations with a new round set for today. we'll have the very latest chaos in congress. lawmakers once again facing a deadline to avoid a government shutdown with less than ten days to go, can a deal be reached in time? how will you be affected if they cannot we're live murder suspect being accidentally let out of jail >> this was an error >> this should have not happened >> this morning, the outrage over police waiting nearly a week to warn the public and the race to get that fugitive back behind bars. fact or fiction. the utah mother and children's book author charged in the fatal poisoning of her husband pushing back against allegations of witness tampering from behind bars. what she is now saying about the handwritten letter found in her jail cell and why prosecutors are not buying it. those stories plus authors

versus ai. some of the world's most popular writers fighting back. >> my book had been taken and i didn't even know about it. i wasn't asked about it. >> inside the legal battle over artificial intelligence that could shape the future of the industry. and crank it up! ♪ do you remember the 21st ♪ >> it is the day that gets everybody singing and dancing. ♪♪ and we're ready to celebrate today, the 21st day of september, 2023. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. good morning! good to see you, with a thursday morning. so glad you're with us. oh, do you remember? >> i remember. it was the 21st day of september. anything to play that song.

>> over and over. >> this is the day that we get to just celebrate earth, wind, and fire, one of the greatest songs of all time. do you remember when they were on our plaza? we don't, because we weren't there. it was 2005. >> we wish we would have been. >> we've got to get them back. >> yeah. >> that's a good idea. good plan. first, we're starting off with positive signs in hollywood over the writer's strike. cnbc is reporting this morning that studios and writers are nearing an agreement to end this months-long walkout. >> sources telling our sister network that the two sides met and hope to finalize a deal today. but they stress, of course, nothing is certain and adding in if a deal isn't reached soon, well, the strike could last through the end of the year. >> nbc's chloe melas is joining us with these breaking details. hey, chloe, good morning. >> good morning, hoda and savannah. that's right, it's been 142 days since the writer's guild of america went on strike. and yesterday, those formal negotiations resumed after more than a month without any progress. now, we are hearing that we can expect some new developments

today. could there finally be an end to the months-long writer's strike that's ground hollywood to a halt? both sides meeting again today, and this morning, there's new hope for progress, after major studio heads came to the table for the first time wednesday, signaling a significant shift in the talks. a source close to the negotiations telling nbc news that talks on wednesday were productive. and that they're hoping for more progress on thursday. >> there's hope in the air for the first time in a long time. >> reporter: late wednesday, the writer's guild of america, which represents more than 11,000 writers, issued a joint statement with the amptp, which represents streaming services and studios including comcast, the parent company of nbc universal, saying simply that both sides met for bargaining and will meet again thursday. but sources close to the negotiations tell cnbc that after wednesday's meetings, writers and producers are near an agreement and hope to finalize a deal today. the source is also telling cnbc

that if a deal is not reached, the strike could last through the end of the year. nbc news learning that top executives attended the negotiations for the first time, including disney's bob iger, netflix's ted sarandos, discovery's david zaslav, and nbc universal's donna langley. those talks are usually led by labor relations representatives and top amtpt staffers. >> i'm really hoping that they're really coming in good faith. >> reporter: online, skepticism from some wga members. one posting, i'll believe it when the wga tells me they've reached a deal. the main sticking points between the two groups remain. wage increases, residuals in the streaming era, and the use of artificial intelligence. >> this has been devastating as a wga writer, on strike. >> reporter: the effects felt by hundreds of thousands as hollywood has been shut down, with actors also on strike in a separate dispute. now from the picket lines to a-listers, many urging both sides to move forward. >> i feel as if everybody understands that it's time to

get on with it, but we're all in support of a decent and fair wage. >> it was surprising to see that all the studio heads from all of these different places gathered together. how do you think that came to be? >> because they have to make a deal. it has been 142 days. and people are running out of money, some people already long surpassed have dipped into their 401(k)s, they're savings. the last time these studio heads got together was an informal meeting in august at a hotel, where they were potentially going broker these one-off deals. netflix and our parent company, nbc universal, they all have different bottom lines. david zaslav at warner brothers discovery will have probably different interests than what netflix is wanting. the thing that is so interesting is that they're all in a room together and trying to make this happen and have one uniform deal. and hopefully if we see a deal happen this week, we'll see sag-aftra, that represents over

100,000 writers, follow suit. but again, just -- you know, if there is a deal made, it doesn't mean that things just snap back to normal. this is, you know, to get these shows and everything back up and running, it's going to take months. >> yeah. >> all right, chloe, thank you so much. >> signs of progress. haven't seen that in a while. other news now, ukraine's president is heading to washington today after delivering that high-stakes address to the u.n. general assembly. he plans to lobby lawmakers and the president for more help in the counteroffensive against russia. nbc's senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez joins us with more. gabe, what are we expecting? >> hey, there, savannah, good morning. ukrainian president zelenskyy will be here at the white house later today alongside president biden who's expected to announce more security aid as part of a p previously passed package. he'll also head to the pentagon and capitol hill whereby zelenskyy will meet with lawmakers. he's trying to convince some republicans who were skeptical of passing the $24 billion in new aid that the white house is asking for. but we're already seeing pushback this morning.

a new republican letter from 23 house members and six senators rejecting that proposal. meanwhile, overnight, russia launched major attacks, striking at least five cities across ukraine. it comes after zelenskyy called the invasion a criminal and unprovoked aggression at the u.n. security council, savannah. >> meanwhile, big story, especially here in new york. the biden administration has decided to implement some new rules for hundreds of thousands of migrants who have seen these record border crossings. we see it coming now to the northeastern cities, getting a lot of complaints from mayors like mayor adams here in new york to the white house. so walk us through what's happened here? >> that's right, savannah. there's also new developments at the border. the small border town of eagle pass, texas, has declared a state of emergency, after more than 4,000 migrants arrived in the last two days, overwhelming the city of nearly 30,000 people. the mayor there is scrambling, saying facilities are strained and migrants are having to be released on to the streets, as part of a recent rise in overall border crossings that hasn't been seen in months. and meanwhile, as you mentioned, the biden administration

announcing overnight new rules allowing hundreds of thousands of venezuelan migrants who have arrived in the country before july 31st to live and work here legally for 18 months and temporarily protect them from deportation. that follows pressure from new york officials for them to be able to work and move them off of social services, which has also been overwhelmed. but these latest developments are sure to be cited by republicans who argue that the president's border policies are not working. p. >> all right. gabe gutierrez at the white house, thanks, gabe. another major story out of washington, the looming threat of a government shutdown. lawmakers are scrambling with just nine days left now to pass new funding legislation. nbc's senior capitol hill correspondent garrett haake joins us now. he's got the very latest. hey, garrett, good morning. >> reporter: hey, hoda, good morning. house republicans met for more than two hours last night, trying to come up with an agreement among themselves on a path to keep the government open. now the speaker says that they may have a plan, but the clock is ticking and the votes are not assured.

>> reporter: this morning, chaos in congress as the government lurches towards a possible shutdown over amid a battle over spending with no clear end in sight. >> nobody should be leaving town until we've sorted this out. >> reporter: the federal government runs out of money at the end of september. without congressional action, it shuts down on october 1st, for the first time since 2019. >> look, it's not september 30th. the game is not over. so we continue to work through it. and i've been at this place many times before, and we'll solve this problem. >> reporter: democrat and some republicans have argued for a stopgap plan to buy more time to pass bills to fund the government through 2024. but house republicans backing away from a deal struck with president biden earlier this year are demanding steep spending cuts of roughly $300 billion. slashing budgets, including education, nutrition, and environmental programs. but this week, they have struggled to pass anything at all. the stalemate frustrating even house republicans. >> what do you say to people back home who may not follow

this closely, but just expect you guys to get this very basic function of your job done and fund the government? >> we're dysfunctional. >> it's just that simple? >> it's that simple. we are so dysfunctional. >> reporter: a government shutdown would force hundreds of thousands of federal workers to be furloughed, or to work without pay until the shutdown ends. national parks would be closed and government services like food safety inspections, passport applications, and small business loans would be slowed. democrats and president biden hoping to lay the blame for any shutdown at the gop's feet. >> they're back at it again. breaking their commitment, threatening for more cuts and threatening to shut down government again this month. >> now, the house plans to work a rare saturday session to see if they can find some way to break this logjam. the senate has been handling its work on a bipartisan basis, but they stumbled late this week, too. next week is shaping up to be a very busy week on capitol hill. hoda? >> we'll keep your eye on it.

garrett haake at the capitol. garrett, thank you. today marks day seven of the united autoworkers strike. with 24 hours until the union set to expand that strike, more pain is rippling through the industry. two of the nation's big three carmakers announcing thousands of layoffs now. and this morning, a fourth is being hit with walkouts. nbc's maggie vespa on the story. she's on a picket line in toledo this morning. let's start with those layoffs. maggie, what do you know? >> reporter: yeah. savannah, basically a tough warning for so many families and automakers unequivocally blaming the strike. first it was stellantis who laid off a combined 350, non-striking employees from a plant here in ohio and two in indiana. then it was gm, who announced they're temporarily closing an assembly plant in kansas, immediately and indefinitely, sending home close to 2,000 non-striking employees there. in a statement, gm saying, this is, quote, a negative ripple effect of the strike and

pointing out that that plan -- that support gets parts from a plant currently shut down by the strike. in the face of all of this, the uaw holding strong against its demands sticking to that noon deadline by tomorrow saying if they don't see serious progress, more workers will walk out of more sites. but in a possible glimmer of hope, they also say they've gotten a new offer from stellantis, they're not revealing details on what exactly is in that offer, but it's just proof that as we knew, these talks are continuing. >> and maggie, there's word of a new strike, this time by autoworkers in alabama. what's the latest there? >> reporter: yes. so we should point out, this is a different dispute, a different contract. but uaw tweeting, quote, autoworkers across the country are on the move. this time, we're talking about close to 200 uaw members in tuscaloosa, alabama, walking out against a company called vf, which is a supplier for mercedes-benz. a lot of the demands in this one mirroring the strike we're seeing in the big three. we're talking about pay disputes and wanting to get rid of pay

tiers. vf saying they are committed to continuing these talks in good faith and mercedes-benz saying they're monitoring that situation, savannah. >> maggie with all of the latest headlines, thank you. 7:13. a lot more to get to. we welcome craig to the table. >> hoda, savannah, good morning. good morning to you, as well. a massive manhunt is unfolding in indiana this morning for a murder suspect mistakenly released from jail because of a clerical error. just two days after his arrest. an internal investigation is now underway as police are turning to the public for information that could lead to his re-capture. nbc's kathy park is in indianapolis for us. kathy, what happened? >> hey, craig, good morning to you. yeah, the suspect kevin mason walked out of this jail behind me last wednesday and took officials near lay week to notify the public about his release. they say the extra time was all part of their strategy to locate him, but this morning he's still on the loose and his girlfriend

is now in custody. >> reporter: this morning, an urgent manhunt in indiana, for murder suspect authorities say was accidentally set free from jail. >> our plan is to look throughout the city with this uniform presence and making it uncomfortable for anybody who might be keeping him. >> reporter: the marion county sheriff's office says 28-year-old kevin mason was mistakenly released last wednesday, just two days after his arrest due to faulty records review. >> so far, two inmate records clerks involved in this mistake has been terminated. this was an error. this should have not happened. >> reporter: mason was wanted on three warrants in minnesota, including a second-degree murder charge for his alleged role in a shooting in 2021. firearms possession, and a parole violation. and now deputies say that they've arrested his girlfriend, desiree oliver, who they say picked him up after he walked out of jail. >> she then went to obtain a new cell phone, which is the

deceptive type of behavior that we would expect of somebody when they're assisting a criminal. later she went to walmart up there on north keystone, purchased some men's underwear, a travel kit, and some men's slippers. >> reporter: local officials waited six days to inform the public about mason's accidental release, a decision the sheriff's office stands by. >> we have used this time as a tactical advantage for us. we have used this time as the quietness of the situation to not further run him underground. >> reporter: this latest search comes just days after the capture of danelo cavalcante, the convicted killer who was arrested following nearly two weeks on the run after escaping a pennsylvania county jail. back in indiana, another community on edge, with residents demanding answers. >> someone made a big mistake. >> it upsets me that it puts the community in danger. >> and it's worth noting that

officials have been chasing leads overnight and they do believe that the suspect has ties to indianapolis, but it's unclear if he's still in the area. they're also reminding the suspect he can still turn himself in. they will arrange for a safe surrender. craig? >> kathy park for us in kathy, keep us posted. thank you. >> let's turn to the weather. al is enjoying some time off. dylan, we're enjoying having you here this morning. >> i enjoy being here. i wish i didn't have to give you such a bad forecast for the weekend, but we are watching a storm system off the southeast coast. there's a 40% chance that this disturbance here could develop into a subtropical system. now, what this means is, it's not really set up like a regular tropical system, but it still has the potential to produce really heavy rain and really gusty winds, too. so this is going to kind of meander off the coast through the day today. and then push westward as we go into tomorrow. that means heavy rain is expected especially out towards the outer banks and north carolina, moves up to virginia overnight, heavy rains

especially along the coast. winds get gusty, too. on saturday, up through the d.c. area, new jersey, pennsylvania, then eventually moving up into new england. this is going to ride right along the coastline through saturday. and kind of linger into sunday, perhaps even into monday morning. so again, it's not just a really heavy rain, but also the wind gusts along the east coast, we could see gusts up to 35 to 45 miles per hour. so it's going to be real nasty going into friday and saturday. and we could see up to 6 inches, especially down across the carolinas into virginia and the mid-atlantic, too. that's a look at the weather across your country. we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. portioned for your dog. and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food. get 50% off your first box at thefarmersdog.com/realfood

ing good thursday morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. we continue the microclimate weather alert due to the poor air quality. you can smell smoke. it will remain unhealthy for sensitive groups throughout the day and we are expecting improved air quality tomorrow into saturday. our temperatures remain comfortable as we welcome in fall. we will see that happening this week and that's your latest forecast >> all right, dylan. thank you so much. coming up, was it witness tampering or a work of fiction what the utah mom and author accused in the fatal poisoning of her husband is now saying about that handwritten letter that was found in her jail cell. also this morning, stephanie gosk is here with a new wrinkle in the battle over artificial intelligence it's got some popular authors fighting back, and steph, they're suing.

>> yeah, they are suing. in the words of best-selling crime author, michael connelly, they're being ripped off we'll tell you why these authors say ai is stealing their say ai is stealing their intellectual property coming up. thursday night football on prime.

it's on. welcome to thursday night football. thursday night football is on! it's daniel jones, holy mackerel. up against christian mccaffery. for a touchdown! as the new york giants take on the san francisco 49ers. stream thursday night football. only on prime.

you didn't choose cat allergies. your hairline. or that thing where your knee just gives out for no reason. but... you can choose your doctor who will care for all the things you didn't choose. kaiser permanente for all that is you. just ahead, the new look at halloween spending that might leaving you feeling a little spooked. >> from the candy to the costumes, this year's bill is going to cost you more vicky nguyen will break down ways to share and save after your local news. this painful, blistering rash can disrupt your life for weeks. it could make your workday feel impossible. the virus that causes shingles is likely already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older, ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles.

your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire whaaat?? it's super hero day at school... ♪ tiktok song ♪ sfx: [tea kettle] sfx: [ding!] ♪ l'eggo with eggo. can we... the citi custom cash® card automatically adjusts to earn you more cash back in your top eligible spend category. hi. you don't have to keep tabs on rotating categories... this is the only rotating i care about.

...or activate anything to earn. your cash back automatically adjusts for you. can i get a cucumber water? earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle with the citi custom cash® card. i love it. bro, one more time. with the citi custom cash® card. ♪♪ worth of drip, but... ( inaudible rapping ) jif peanut butter. it's that jif'ing good, ludacris changed his flow for it. oh yeah, that is them. (that is howard) yeah, that's on howard's campus. ohhh, she's so powerful, she carried on the family legacy. we were blown away. (chuckles) i not only was a student and an undergrad, but i've been a professor there for twenty years, so it's really a special moment to know that i had a family member who over a hundred years prior have walk these grounds. it's deeply uplifting. yes, it is. we're walking in their footsteps.

♪ “dirty deeds” by ac/dc ♪ (♪♪) ♪ dirty deeds (done dirt cheap) ♪ ♪ dirty deeds (done dirt cheap) ♪ thursday night football on prime. it's on. welcome to thursday night football. thursday night football is on! it's saquon barkley, holy mackerel. up against christian mccaffery. for a touchdown! as the new york giants take on the san francisco 49ers. stream thursday night football. only on prime. (♪♪) man, pass me a lipton? sure, t-pain! ♪ ♪i know it's up for me.♪ ♪if you steal my sunshine♪ open summer with lipton green tea citrus.

i think i got one! ♪if you steal my sunshine♪ ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ non-drowsy claritin-d. knocks out your worst allergy symptoms including nasal congestion. without knocking you out. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. claritin-d. (nicole) welcome to blue buffalo's one taste is all it takes. wonderful time of the year. (jeremy) she won't eat anything she doesn't want to eat. there's no faking it with her. (nicole) we sent you blue tastefuls dry food... (jeremy) she loved it. (nicole) what's for dinner tonight? (jeremy) it's tastefuls from blue buffalo for this little girl. (vo) pick up blue tastefuls today. 7:26 for you this morning. good morning to you. i am marcus washington along with laura garcia. we're moving you forward with a look at our top stories. we want to start with the breaking news in san mateo. all lanes of highway 92 are open again after a chp cruiser struck and killed someone. >> it happened last night just after 10:00 p.m. the chp says an officer was

driving eastbound and the unidentified victim ran across lanes near the delaware street off-ramp. the person died at the scene. the chp shutdown lanes for a few hours to investigate, to try and reconstruct exactly what happened. a live look across the bay area. you can see this morning the lingering smoke and haze prompting today's spare the air alert. a live look at levi where tonight the 49ers open the home portion of their schedule against the new york giants. some fans may be wondering if the bad air will impact the game. the team did spend out a reminder of the league's policy when it comes to air quality, and it states a air quality measurement 200 in the immediate vicinity of the statement. kickoff is scheduled for a little after 5:00 tonight. >> in the meantime, a lot of kids could be concerned because of recess and sports.

>> yeah, all of those outdoor activities need to be moved inside today. the temperatures for the inland areas head for the upper 70s. we are looking at some improvements in our air quality tomorrow. fall begins late friday night into early saturday. we will have mild weather for the weekend. san francisco will see smoggy conditions and highs in the upper 60s for the next few

♪ 7:30 we are counting down, 24 hours and counting until our next big concert on the plaza why have us say the name when steve carell can do it so well >> oh! kelly clarkson

>> kelly clarkson, yes >> never gets old. >> it doesn't. >> never gets old. >> i love that >> anything to play that clip. but yes, she will be here tomorrow >> she is going to bring it. >> a heck of a show. we have a busy half hour starting with some new developments in that case we've been following for months now. the utah mother and children's book author charged with fatally poisoning her husband. >> she's been accused now of witness tampering after a prison guard found a suspicious letter in her jail cell well, now she is addressing that discovery. nbc's erin mclaughlin joins us now with details hey, erin, good morning. >> guys, good morning. while the prosecution claims that handwritten letter contained instructions for her family and friends and was an attempt at witness tampering, kauri richins now says that note was about a fictional story about her time in a mexican prison >> reporter: this morning, the woman known for writing a children's book on grief >> my husband passed away unexpectedly last year >> reporter: now accused of

spinning a very different tail kauri richins accused of killing her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl says this letter is an excerpt from a fictional mystery book she's been writing in prison, that according to the latest documents filed by the prosecution. the drama began on september 14th, after guards found a six-page handwritten letter inside richins' jail cell, in which prosecutors allege richins attempts to direct her family to spin a false narrative about her husband's drug use, telling them, bring me home. the d.a. calling the letter evidence of witness tampering. this morning, the prosecution doubling down on that allegation and raising even more questions. its latest filing includes a partial transcript of a jailhouse phone call between richins and her mom, lisa darden, where they say lisa tries to explain the letter. according to the filing, richins telling her mother, when i first

got in here, i was telling you how i was writing a book those papers were not a letter to you guys, they were part of my freaking book adding that in the fictional story, i go to mexico and i'm like trying to find these drugs. >> defendants who are incarcerated and know their calls are being recorded try to help their case by spinning part of the narrative >> reporter: complicating the narrative, in an interview with "the daily mail," richins's mom seemingly echoed talking points also found in the letter saying, i know two occasions that eric bought drugs in another country and put the stuff in kauri's bag although it's unclear if her mother ever saw the letter or some other version the defense is arguing the letter qualifies as attorney/client privilege in its disclosure violates the gag order. but prosecutors are pointing between the jailhouse phone call to counter that argument nbc news reached out to her attorney for comment as well as

her mom but is yet to hear back. >> all right, erin mclaughlin, thank you. we have a programming note "dateline" nbc will have an in-depth report on this case tomorrow night 10 right here on nbc. a new battle is brewing this morning over artificial intelligence a group of best-selling authors have filed a class action lawsuit against open ai, the maker of chatgpt nbc's stephanie gosk is here to explain. good morning >> this could be a big deal. this is an issue that people and so many different professions are worried about, particularly the creative community so many have raised concerns, including comedians, actors and most recently writers. that's because artificial intelligence relies on content that was originally created by people and now some of the most famous authors in the world are suing, saying they're victims of what they call systematic theft on a

mass scale >> my books have been taken. i didn't know ability. i wasn't asked about it. i didn't approve it. >> reporter: best-selling authors michael connelly says he and thousands of other writers have been ripped off >> there's no denying ai, it's going to be in our future. what is the structure that makes sense for authors? >> i think it's about consent. our books were just set into the big mall of ai >> reporter: now connelly and dozens of other authors are suing open ai, the maker of chatgpt, for mass copyright infringement according to the suit, chatgpt has already been used to create complete unauthorized versions of books by a number of authors, including george r.r. martin, creator of the novels which "game of thrones" was based on, and who is also part of the lawsuit. >> it's just not fair.

why should i take a year to write a 400-page novel if in 15 minutes it can be stolen and redistributed? >> reporter: other writers in the suit include john grisham, author of legal thrillers like "the pelican brief," and romance superstar, ellen hildebrand, author of "the perfect couple. ai systems rely on something usined large language models those models are, quote, trained using massive amounts of text. open ai doesn't publicly say where it gets all the material that it has fed into the system, but according to the suit, at least some of it is copyrighted. >> the reason they can write so well is because they've ingested hundreds and thousands of books. and they've done this without permission, without payment. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news on the latest lawsuit, open ai says that it is working with authors to discuss their concerns, writing, we respect the rights of writers and authors and believe that they should benefit from ai technology in response to a previous similar lawsuit, open ai argued the case be dismissed in part because courts have recognized

that the use of copyrighted materials by innovators in transformative ways does not violate copyright. connelly and the other writers say they don't buy it, saying that ai threatens not only novelist, but creative work of all kinds. >> i think it's a threat to the spark of creativity. i think there's something mystical and magical about it. and if you believe that, like i do, you also believe it can go away >> is there any money to be made for people who do these ai books? >> well, they are being sold where, you may ask amazon and authors got upset that these derivative works were showing up on amazon, went to amazon, and now amazon says, if you're going to publish something and sell it on amazon and you have used ai, you have to let buyers know that you have >> you've got to disclose it >> exactly >> which is probably just the beginning. >> a hard thing to police, i would think. >> all of this is hard to police right? they're trying to rein in ai, but the genie is out of the

bottle, guys so it will be interesting to see where this goes. >> thank you, stephanie. coming up on this thursday morning, an inside look at game-changing new research that could help us feel healthier and live longer and it all starts with these little mice right there that you see there and it's something that's found in all of us. folks, they are called zombie cells. that's what they're called but first, vicky has got a few tricks up her sleeves that will save us some money for her halloween treats >> good morning, hoda, savannah, craig. the leaves are barely changing colors, but halloween shopping is well underway why it's expected to be a record-spending year and some easy ways you can still save money and have a beautiful holiday. that's next right here on "today." and on an amazing network.

(sean) and i don't have to ruin anymore birthday parties! (jason) yeah, that ship has sailed... let's go get you the iphone. here we go, come on hon. (vo) trade in any iphone in any condition for a new iphone 15 pro on us. only on verizon. as the world keeps changing, so does covid-19. that's why this season's covid-19 shots have been updated. they're one of the best ways to help protect yourself against covid-19. learn more and schedule at vaccines.gov ♪it's father nature♪ oh hey hun, i'm making you a snack with smucker's natural raspberry. the first ingredient's fruit and it tastes great, it's like killing two birds with one... [laugh track] i'm sorry, paul. [laugh track] since the citi custom cash® card automatically adjusts to earn me more cash back in my top eligible category... suddenly, life's feeling a little more automatic... oooooohhh... automatic sashimi! earn cash back that automatically adjusts to how you spend with the citi custom cash® card. ♪

(vo)n cash back that cinnamon toast crunch. a whole family of products, blasted with cinnadust. [ "am:pm" by notd begins. ] when you can save on good & gather groceries in all the fall flavors. when quality ingredients bring more to the table. and when you're serving up taste they love at low prices. [ "am:pm" by notd ends. ] that's totally target. take a moment, to be present... like henry. milk-bone comfort chews. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition

for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ you're in a hurry. i'm off to america's best i heard what you said about not overpaying for glasses. two pairs and a free, quality eye exam starting at just $79.95? the exam alone is worth... 59 bucks. i mean, people deserve breaks, right? yeah, brakes...! [out of control] book an exam today at americasbest.com. for your most brilliant smile, crest has you covered. ♪♪ (laughing) nice smile, brad. nice! thanks? crest 3d white. 100% more stain removal. crest. (bridget) with thyroid eye disease 1i hid from the camera.. and i wanted to hide from the world. for years, i thought my t.e.d. was beyond help... but then i asked my doctor about tepezza. (vo) tepezza is the only medicine

that treats t.e.d. at the source not just the symptoms. in a clinical study more than 8 out of 10 patients taking tepezza had less eye bulging. tepezza is an infusion. patients taking tepezza may have infusion reactions. tell your doctor right away if you experience high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, shortness of breath or muscle pain. before getting tepezza, tell your doctor if you have diabetes, ibd, or are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant. tepezza may raise blood sugar even if you don't have diabetes and may worsen ibd such as crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. now, i'm ready to be seen again. visit mytepezza.com to find a ted eye specialist and to see bridget's before and after photos. i got a quarter. >> i got a rock.eat!

>> trick or treat! >> i got a candy bar >> i got three cookies >> i got a package of gum. >> i got a rock. >> trick or treat. >> it's just not right always gets a rock that's one of our favorite holidays, too. halloween. >> and when it comes to spending, americans are expected to break a record this year. so how can you avoid that scary situation for your wallet? >> nbc's vicky nguyen joins us with some tips you've got some ideas. >> hi, good morning to you all can you believe we're already spending halloween is more than a month away but experts say, start your shopping now everything from candy and costumes to decorations is expected to cost more this year. with a little planning, you don't have to pull any tricks to get some cheap treats. >> it's not yet fall, but halloween plans are revving up, and so are the shoppers.

♪ >> a new report from the national retail federation says nearly half of consumers plan to buy before october >> one of the biggest ways consumers can save money this halloween is by getting an early start. >> our spooky spending is expected to hit $12.2 billion this year. a new record part of the reason for the hike in spending, inflation candy prices are up 9.4% and more americans say they're going to participate in halloween this year. some 73% of people say they're going to do something. that's up 5% from last year, with the average person spending about $108 most of it on costumes >> total spending on costumes for adults, children, and pets is expected to reach over $4 billion this year. >> what are some ways consumers can save money >> consumers are thinking about prices right now start figuring out what you need, so that you can pick up items when they're at the best price for you.

subscribe to your favorite retailers, ads or follow them on social media or follow them through their app. >> reporter: but you can also save right at home >> this whole thing is like entertaining under $30 >> reporter: maureen is a lifestyle expert who says she shops her own closet >> i could make this costume something very '80s by adding a little eyeliner and some teased hair or i can simply add to it a mask or a headband like i have a here >> reporter: and check your kids' closets, too >> my son plays football, so grab the football helmet, a varsity jacket, maybe a cheerleading uniform things that you might already have in the house, that dress you up without spending a dime >> if you want a specific costume, buy early before stock runs out for kids, the most sought-after looks include spider-man, a witch, and mario for adults, barbie, batman, and a vampire. and the most popular costume for pets pumpkins, bats, and hot dogs you're a hot dog for candy, shop early from bulk

stores like sam's club or costco and for decorations, get creative at your local discount or dollar store. >> these are branches from my backyard that i simply spray painted black. i love black spray paint it's an inexpensive way to make anything spooky. >> and you can look for costume swaps in your community on facebook marketplace or next door that's a great way to get a fresh look without spending any money. and it's more sustainable to reuse those costumes one of my favorite hacks craig calls it lazy, i call it cleveridentity you go on the internet look for a word play identity theft that's your normal clothes and put name tags, or smarties candies on to your jeans >> one guy dressed up as a blind date, had a hefty bag, put on glasses and had a walking stick, i said, what are you, he said, i'm a blind date >> that's pretty clever. >> under the sink, done. >> have you picked out your costumes for this year

>> my 11-year-old's scarecrow. >> i think halloween's for kids. but i'm looking forward to the "today" show halloween >> so are we >> thanks, vick. >> thank you let's head over to dylan and get the forecast >> i did get my costumes in august, because i knew the sizes weren't going to be around anymore for the kids >> i'm shocked >> i was actually just like totally on it this year. and we've worn them several times already, so there's that we've got a severe threat of storms in two spots today. one across the nebraska area, and one down through oklahoma and into texas we could see some large hail, softball, baseball-sized hail. not out of the question. wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, too. but isolated storms will pop up. and tomorrow, it kind of joins those areas and we're still looking across the central plains to see those possibly damaging wind gusts and also the large hail, too. something to keep an eye out for. temperatures are still well above average, we're running 10 to 15 degrees above average. minneapolis, 82 today. omaha, nebraska, 82. 79 in detroit. that's nearly 10 degrees above average.

tomorrow stays nice and mild, although cools off a touch we'll see those high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s. and as we go into the weekend, stay in the 70s in chicago, looks beautiful. cleveland, lower 70s up in the boston area, we have that rainy day expected for saturday and sunday, so temperatures only in the 60s i am meteorologist, kari hall. we are under a microclimate weather alert due to the unhealthy air quality that continues today. every now and then can you smell the smoke. we are looking forward to improved air quality by tomorrow morning afternoon into saturday. our temperatures reach into the low 80s while we will see our coastal temperatures in the upper 60s. expect . forecast >> thank you, dylan. >> thank you very much still ahead, more confusing questions for ticket master. this time over the rollout for olivia rodrigo's big tour. >> carson will break it down for

us and your morning boost, coming up right after this quick shave? respect the process! it ain't my dad's razor, dad, it's from gillettelabs. gillette...labs? gillette's ultimate shaving experience. this green bar releases trapped hairs from my face. gamechanga! while the flexdisc contours to it. lookin' smooth. feelin' even smoother. how 'bout hookin' me up with some gillettelabs? check your texts. you're the best. nah, you're the best. the best a man can get keeps getting bettuh. the next generation of shaving is gillettelabs. ♪ “dirty deeds” by ac/dc ♪ (♪♪) ♪ dirty deeds (done dirt cheap) ♪ ♪ dirty deeds (done dirt cheap) ♪ this is a craft 170 years in the making. (sniffing sound) for bold, smooth flavor in every batch of black silk. it's something we pride ourselves on

at folgers... ♪ i don't give a med bout' my reputation ♪ yeah, i said folgers. (bill) we made a promise to our boy blue that we would make the bout' healthiest foods possible... ...with the finest natural ingredients and real meat first. and that's our promise to you and your dog or cat. because when you love them like family you want to feed them like family. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck,

severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. the citi custom cash® card automatically adjusts to earn you more cash back in your top eligible spend category. hi. you don't have to keep tabs on rotating categories... this is the only rotating i care about. ...or activate anything to earn. your cash back automatically adjusts for you. can i get a cucumber water? earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle with the citi custom cash® card. i love it. (vo) when i got to a fancy restaurant, with the citi custom cash® card. i like to order off the menu. garçon, i say, bring me soup in a can, with a progresso label on it. and he says no.

and i leave. progresso soup. you simply must taste it. we are back and hoda, it feels like a good time for a boost. >> does it let's do it! so three friends from atlanta, they went to nashville because they were going to see a concert. but when they got to their hotel early in the morning, there were no employees there so they couldn't check in. the phones were all ringing off the hook, so what did they do? they got to work they answered the phones, helped guests solve some problems when hungry guests started arriving at the dining area for breakfast, the three friends made sure they had options they found the master key in the kitchen, restocked the cereal, the yogurt, the biscuits, the waffles. turns out an overnight staffer left work early and didn't tell anybody. several hours later, another employee did show up, order was restored the hotel thanked the trio for their help

even set them up for a free room >> that's the least they could do >> that's what girls do! they get it done coming up on pop start, guys, the 'n sync reunion. it is heating up with the beloved boy band visiting hot ones a sneak peek, but first on a thursday morning, your local news and weather [sfx: phone ] ♪ what? tween milestones like this... may start at age 9. hpv vaccination, a type of cancer prevention... against certain hpv-related cancers... can start then too. for most people, hpv clears on its own. but for others, it can cause certain cancers later in life. embrace this phase. help protect them in the next. starting at age 9, talk to your child's doctor about... hpv vaccination. take a moment, to be present... like henry.

milk-bone comfort chews. i've always been prone to hair thinning. i'm genetically predisposed. i just gave birth. i was under a lot of stress. i started taking nutrafol. we test our formulations with the highest rigor of clinical trials and we're the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement. i noticed it becoming... stronger and thicker. nutrafol has taken me back to the hair i was meant to have. i am back to me. start your hair growth journey at nutrafol.com the citi custom cash® card a different kind of card that automatically adjusts to your spending earn 5% cash back on your top eligible spend category up to $500 spent each billing cycle learn more at citi.com/customcash [ "am:pm" by notd begins. ] when you can save on good & gather groceries in all the fall flavors. when quality ingredients bring more to the table.

and when you're serving up taste they love at low prices. [ "am:pm" by notd ends. ] that's totally target. bro, one more time. ♪♪ worth of drip, but... ( inaudible rapping ) jif peanut butter. it's that jif'ing good, ludacris changed his flow for it. somedays, i cover up because of my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now i feel free to bare my skin, thanks to skyrizi. ♪(uplifting music)♪ ♪nothing is everything♪ i'm celebrating my clearer skin... my way. with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. in another study, most people had 90% clearer skin, even at 5 years. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms,

had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to clearer skin with skyrizi - this is my moment. there's nothing on my skin and that means everything! ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time. ask your doctor about skyrizi, the #1 dermatologist-prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save. al very good morning to you. it's 7:56 right now. i am laura garcia. here's a look at what is happening now. >> reporter: i am bob redell outside levi's stadium in santa clara. the game will be during the spare the air alert. the 49ers are not commenting about the air quality but did spend us the small see from the nfl that says a air quality over

200 in the immediate vicinity is unhealthy. so far they have remained under that benchmark. kari has been watching the forecast. >> yes, you need to limit your time outside for children and the elderly and anybody with a breathing problem. you will have to deal with this throughout the day as we can already see it in dublin. at the same time, we are dealing with the high fire danger in the north bay. if fires do start, it could spread quickly in these areas. we are watching out for that as we try to enjoy the last day of summer. fall begins tomorrow night, and the first full day of fall on saturday, and maybe watching out for rain early next week. a lot going on in this forecast, laura. >> the changing seasons. >> the changing seasons. thank u,yo

(♪♪) rsv can be a dangerous virus... [sneeze] ...for those 60 and older. it's not just a cold. and if you're 60 or older... ...you may be at increased risk of hospitalization... [coughing]

...from this highly... ...contagious virus. not all dangers come with warning labels. talk to your pharmacist or doctor... ...about getting vaccinated against rsv today. we made it! bmo has arrived. hello? you said it. hello to more ways to save money, grow your wealth, grow your business. just what we needed, another big bank. not so fast. how many banks do you know that reward you for saving every month? he's got a good point. did i mention bmo has more fee-free atms than the two largest us banks combined? uh, b-m-o? just "bee-mo", actually. quick question, will all this stuff fit in your car? ( ♪♪ ) should i get rid of the mug? ♪ bmo ♪ - [narrator] every day, our lives are filled with choices, both simple and life-changing. what's not a choice? addiction to opioids like fentanyl. but even with opioid use disorder, you still have a choice. by choosing treatment, you choose family, your career and your life on your terms.

choose change, california, and find medically proven treatment options at choosechangeca.org. ♪ it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, signs of progress nearly 150 days after the writer's strike began, new reports of a possible breakthrough >> there's hope in the air for the first time in a long time. >> with both sides set to meet again today, will there be a hollywood ending we're live with the latest

then, for the ages, we go inside new research into the aging process. >> zombie cells. sounds kind of freaky. >> it does sound freaky. so these are cells that have experienced a lot of damage. >> so could they hold the key to living longer and aging better the details, straight ahead. plus, 2000s fun. the early 2000s are making a comeback >> why is this a thing?! >> 'n sync in the hot seat for their first interview together in years and brittney back on the big screen the full y2k revival in pop start. and happy little clouds of cash the first painting bob ross ever painted on tv now on sale for millions so just how much would it cost you? we'll find out today, thursday, september 21st, 2023 from south dakota! >> shout-out to midland. >> and laredo, texas

>> from san antonio, texas >> celebrating my mom's 71st birthday >> good morning to my sister, ernestine. >> visiting today from appleton, wisconsin! >> and sterling, illinois! >> hi to my nahna in new smyrna beach, florida >> giving love to our 11 grandkids. >> back in topeka, kansas. >> from parker forest, pennsylvania ♪ >> today i am 75 >> welcome back to "today. a lot to get to. welcome in, thursday morning nice crowd, beautiful day, right right in the heart of midtown manhattan. can't wait to get outside and visit with everybody >> thanks for waking up with us. a quick note, an exclusive interview to tell you about next week >> on monday, we'll be sitting down with emma hemming willis, the wife of beloved actor bruce willis it will be her very first interview since he was diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia

we'll be joined by susan dicker,son they'll help us shine a light on this devastating disease, raise some awareness, much-needed research, and we are so looking forward to our conversation. you'll see it right here monday only on "today." >> so important. >> absolutely. meanwhile, let's get to your news at 8:00 on a thursday morning. hollywood writers and producers are meeting for a second straight day and there are signs that progress is being made towards ending this strike that's dragged on for well over four months now. nbc's chloe melas on this story for us hey, chloe, with good morning. >> good morning. in just a few hours in los angeles, some of the heavyweights of hollywood are going to be getting together the people that literally put the shows and the movies on the air that we watch. we're talking ted sarandos from netflix, david zaslav from warner brothers discovery, donna langley from our parent company nbc universal which is part of comcast. so they are going to be talking about artificial intelligence

with the writer's guild, residuals, and cnbc is reporting that a deal could happen as soon as today now, a source that i spoke to who is close to the negotiations says yesterday was really productive they are expecting more progress today, but this is not simple. all of these different studios, they have a different bottom line they all have different things that they want to achieve. and obviously, so many people are hoping that they are going to see a paycheck again. that they are going to have a job again. that this has been hard on so many people. we are at 142 days since the writer's strike began. >> so fingers crossed that there's a happy hollywood ending here sooner rather than later. chloe, thank you >> thank you, chloe. meanwhile, there were some fireworks on capitol hill yesterday, as attorney general merrick garland faced off with the republicans in a hearing before the house judiciary committee. they're accusing the justice department of playing politics with sensitive investigations into both donald trump and hunter biden nbc's justice correspondent ken

dilanian watched all of it yesterday. ken, good morning to you >> hey, good morning, craig. as the justice department moves forward with prosecuting president biden's leading political opponent and the president's son, attorney general merrick garland walked a careful line as he tried to refute charges that those cases had been tainted by political interference he said he's confident the probes are being handled by the book, but declined to address those claims by irs whistleblowers that the president's son got special treatment. >> reporter: facing intense political attacks, attorney general merrick garland delivering a blunt message to congress >> i am not the president's lawyer i will add, i am not congress' prosecutor the justice department works for the american people. >> reporter: garland appointed the special counsel, who indicted the president's son, hunter biden, last week on felony gun charges, after a plea deal fell apart. hunter biden says he intends to plead not guilty, but chairman jim jordan, who's leading an

impeachment inquiry into the president, blasted garland for not prosecuting felony tax charges related to income from hunter biden's overseas business dealings >> what i'm wondering is, why you guys let the statute of limitations lax for those tax years that dealt with burisma income >> this investigation was being conducted by mr. weiss, an appointee of president trump you will at the appropriate time will have the opportunity to ask mr. weiss that question. >> reporter: with former president trump indicted by special counsel jack smith for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents, pleading not guilty in both cases, republicans are arguing the doj is engaged in prosecutorial overkill >> the fix is in >> reporter: democrats defending garland, saying the republicans can't back up their claim, facing hours of intense questioning, garland, who's often talked about his jewish heritage, flashing anger in

response to a question about whether his department is targeting conservatives, including catholics. >> the idea that someone with my family background would discriminate against any religion is so outrageous. >> reporter: also refuting the charge by mr. trump that president biden ordered his indictments. >> excuse me biden, political indictments >> he has said he had nothing to do with that -- >> he said to the attorney general, indict him. >> no one has told me to indict and in this case, the decision to indict was made by the special counsel. >> a judge last evening denied hunter biden's bid to plead not guilty over video link, saying he has to show up in person like any other defendant. mr. trump, meanwhile, has asked the judge in his election conspiracy case to recuse herself, arguing that she is biased against him craig? >> justice correspondent ken delan yan, thank you new research has found new evidence of a link between large amounts of highly processed food

and depression the study looked at women 30,000 women between the ages of 32 and 62. those who had more than nine servings a day of chips and soft drinks, ready-to-eat meals, they were 50% more likely to develop depression than those who ate a few servings the negative effects even greater in those who ate a lot of artificial sweeteners a forest of happy little trees could make a minneapolis art gallery owner extremely happy. the very first painting done by bob ross on his long-running tv show, "the joy of painting," it is now on sale guess how much >> how much? >> $10 million sit called "a walk in the woods. it was created during the show's debut episode in 1983. it was sold a few months later during a pbs station fund-raiser. well, gallery owner ryan nelson bought it last year. he doesn't expect a quick sale but he wants to share the painting with a larger audience, plus $10 million >> that's an expensive tree! >> i know.

just ahead, 'n sync in the hot seat on hot ones but share a little bit more about their plans after that big reunion at the vmas. last week. carson will give us a sneak peek but first, jacob soeb rof has a fascinating story in our stop the clock series all about the science of ageing. what's up, jacob >> reporter: you're not going to believe what i just saw. i'm just back from the mayo clinic in minnesota where they are doing incredible research that could hold the key to a longer, healthier life and it involves 3-d printing and all kinds of experiments you're not going to want to miss it stick around, everybody. wild! and i don't even have to activate anything. oooooohhh... automatic sashimi! earn cash back that automatically adjusts to how you spend with the citi custom cash® card. [mind blown explosion noise]

i brought in ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! uuuhhhh... here, i'll take that! woohoo! ensure max protein, 30 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar. enter the $10,000 powered by protein max challenge. ♪ ♪ ♪it's father nature♪ sweetie, what's a word for an animal that never forgets? oh, smucker's natural with real strawberries? steve, you always remember what we like. now, what animal never forgets... [laugh track] ♪ i gotta good feeling about this, yeah ♪ ♪ i'm with it ♪. ♪ i gotta good feeling about this ♪ ♪ yeah, ♪ ♪ so let's get it ♪ ♪ i'm feeling good vibes ♪

♪ “dirty deeds” by ac/dc ♪ (♪♪) ♪ dirty deeds (done dirt cheap) ♪ ♪ dirty deeds (done dirt cheap) ♪ (nicole) welcome to blue buffalo's one taste is all it takes. (jeremy) ruka likes food that tastes good. she won't eat anything that she doesn't want to eat. she's a headstrong little lady. there's no faking it with her. (nicole) we sent you blue tastefuls dry food, and... (jeremy) she loved it. i was super surprised. i want food that's healthy, nutritious, and something she'll love. (nicole) what's for dinner tonight? (jeremy) it's tastefuls from blue buffalo for this little girl. (vo) pick up blue tastefuls and find out why one taste is all it takes. available in dry, wet, and singles. (psst! psst!) ahhh! with flonase, allergies don't have to be scary. spray flonase sensimist daily for non-drowsy long lasting relief in a scent free, gentle mist. flonase all good. also, try our allergy headache and nighttime pills.

we're going to have real fun today, lane. did you guys remember career day last year? yes! lane hartzel came as a hershey's taste tester. well, i told hershey about that. at hershey, we have our newest taste tester. you're great lane! seeing the way that hershey's has really just kind of embraced lane... and made the dream of being a taste tester come true, has just really been exciting. there's a job for everyone and a purpose for everyone. you just got to find it. thank you, lane! ♪ [explosion] ♪ ♪ karangailyg ♪ ♪ kara ♪ ♪ hovaa ♪ ♪ o, ♪ ♪ dyngyl - dyngylda-a-ai ♪ ♪

to give your teeth a dentist clean feeling. start with a round brush head. add power. and you've got oral-b. round cleans better by surrounding each tooth to remove 100% more plaque. for a superior clean. oral-b. brush like a pro. ( ♪ ) freaking roots! did someone say roots? magic root cover up by l'oreal paris i can cover your greys in 3 2 1 yes! it's magic. magic root cover up by l'oreal paris we're worth it ♪yeah, yeah, yeah♪ real fruit... and whole grains. ♪yeah, yeah, yeah♪ doing something good for yourself has never been this easy. just do what's delicious. kellogg's special k. ♪ pass me a lipton? gotcha t-pain! ♪ ♪ i know it's up for me ♪ ♪ if you steal my sunshine ♪ open summer with lipton peach iced tea. ♪ if you steal my...♪

♪ back at 8:13, we have more of our special series, stop the clock. we're exploring the science behind the quest to live longer and healthier lives. >> we love the cranberries, but this is about zombie cells researchers saying this could be the key to aging better. nbc's jacob soboroff joins us with that story. hi, jacob. good morning >> spoiler alert, savannah, good morning. i went to the mayo clinic's center for aging in rochester, minnesota, and an up-close-and-personal look on what the science world is focusing on certain cells that we all have that are at the very center of the aging process. and they're called zombie cells. you got it exactly right >> we can see it >> reporter: this is what it looks like studying what might be the key to living healthier, longer dr. nathan and his team at the mayo clinic have honed in on one of the most important aspects of aging. zombie cells

>> zombie cells. >> reporter: sounds kind of freaky >> it does sound freaky. so these are cells that have experienced a lot of damage and they're so damaged that they don't work properly anymore. and they wreak havoc on surrounding cells and tissues, but they're no so damaged that they die so they have this reputation of being zombie cells, because they look dead. >> reporter: zombie cells are known in the medical field as sinessen cells and as we age, the worse your health could be. research is being done to see if there are ways to kill off these cells or even change them, which in a way would stop or slow the ageing process >> as we age, these cells are not effectively cleared from the system and as they accumulate, that's when they really cause damage and harm >> reporter: mayor clinic researchers are learning a lot in the lab using mice of the same age to compare those with a lot of zombie cells and those

with fewer zombie cells. the difference is dramatic >> this one hasn't had any medical intervention, this one has, they're the exact same age, so -- >> that's right, really kind of a mix of age-related conditions we see in humans, with changes in the eyes, changes in the posture, changes in the muscle, and reductions in function, physical activity. >> reporter: dr. lavrasr says physical activity and healthy living are crucial to naturally ridding ourselves of these zombie cells >> what's the best way to avoid them in the first place? >> i'm not going to surprise you. the fundamentals, exercise is number one i'm an exercise evangelist in addition to that, healthy eating behaviors, sleep, other things are really critical to optimizing the biology of aging. >> reporter: that's because healthy habits can prevent zombie cells from occurring, and the research has now advanced enough to bring actual humans into the mix the teams currently studying senior citizens tracking their cells and health susan is 73 years young. >> has participating in the

study made you think differently about aging compared to when you started? >> it has in a way what it has done is made me realize that i am aging. i don't think about that normally but, yes, it has put me in that generation with others that now can say, we're aging >> we're all aging >> that's okay >> we're all aging >> reporter: aside from human studies, one of the latest developments in aging research is on skin here dr. sirania shows me that older skin heals more slowly than younger skin. but wait until you see what kind of sci-fi stuff she's doing. >> this is where we print the skin >> oh my gosh, so now i'm looking at it and realizing what i'm holding. when you say those are skin cells, is that actually skin >> that is skin. >> that's skin growing in my hand >> correct >> first of all, this is entirely freaky and totally crazy, but also awesome. what are you looking for exactly?

>> we're looking for changes that are histologically seen we can model different ages of skin based on the zombie cells if we were to put 10% zombie cells versus 25% zombie cells, we can mimic a 30-year-old's skin versus a 50-year-old's skin >> all the research they're doing isn't to create a fountain of youth, but to keep us healthier until the very end, no matter how long you live >> our goal is not to help people live until they're 120 and feel like they're 120, the goal of aging research is really to extend human health span. 80% of our medical resources are given to 20% of the population if we could extend human health span and really delay age-related diseases as a group, that would transform society >> so, yeah, i'm sorry to report that this is not a fountain of youth, but dr. lavrasour says if we can figure out a way to get rid of zombie cells, alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease could be put off until the final stages of life instead of people getting sick and living like that for years

and years, the idea is that we will live healthier lives and only potentially get very sick at the very end, which when you think about it is really truly amazing stuff that their doing there, you guys. >> yeah, definitely. >> cool! >> thank you, jacob! >> talk about the quality of life as well towards the end you look skeptical >> i would like to see this tv show, zombie cells, a companion show for "the walking dead," it plays like a movie in my mind all of this stuff. that's crazy let's get to "popstart" or weather first perhaps. i have so much to say. >> hey, dylan. >> almost forgot about you >> we have other important things to talk about we have another beautiful day across the northeast temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s, low humidity, bright sunshine, down across florida, we have some scattered showers and storms isolated storms back through the plain states some could be severe with large hail and damaging winds, the biggest threat we have that mountain snow across parts of montana into northern idaho along the west coast itself, good thursday morning.

i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's still smokey out there, and you do need to limit your time outside. it's also going to remain smokey into the evening. we should see improvement tomorrow. fall begins late tomorrow night. our temperatures will once again set on repeat, reaching the upper 70s and low 80s. next week we may be watching out for some rain chances late monday into tuesday. in san francisco, we'll see and don't and don't forget, you can find us on "today" show radio, sirius xm channel 108. and carson, i'm going to do more weather. >> i'm sorry, they handed me 50 pounds of pop start in a 10-pound bag so i was eager but lovely weather, dilly. thank you for that we appreciate it let's start "popstart" wit olivia rodrigo, it's brutal out there for fans trying to score tickets to the singer's upcoming guts tour with another round o a lot of confusion at ticket master

this time, users on "x," formerly known as twitter that they never got the access code for the ticket pre-sales earlier this week. the online retailer sending out a message last night saying, even after the tour added 20 additional dates to meet demand, there are still more fans who registered than there are tickets available. as a result, a limited number of fans will get access to the sale, based on ticket availability and the majority of fans will be placed on the wait list the message went on to say, no codes will be sent during today's sale, but if there are any tickets leftover, some folks will be taken off that wait list on friday. >> i understood half of that >> i don't -- i'm going to quiz you all by the end of day. >> half of america knows exactly what you're talking about. >> of course, they do. >> next up, 'n sync, the beloved boy band has been hanging out a lot lately ahead of their release of their new single "trolls 3," their latest stop at the end of the month their latest stop, sean evan's hot ones and how they handled all of those spicy

wings. >> if you swallow a 2006, does that help? >> nope. a thing?! >> my lips are on fire! >> i don't think i've ever seen you like this. >> you know what i mean? >> wait until you breathe. >> i don't think so so either. >> you know what i mean? >> are you all right >> i'm going to make it. i'm not all right. >> together, we're on the same wavelength >> you know, we're all -- we're all n. 'n sync >> it is a thing, this hot ones. >> oh, yeah. >> a-list celebs -- people do -- >> you just reveal -- >> it is fun to watch. it's oddly, and sean does a great job. it's a lot of fun. >> would you do it would you do hot things? >> he was actually here a couple of weeks ago and he was talking about -- >> did he bring wings? >> no, but he talked about the people who lined up for it the list is so long. so the question is, would they

get us >> people beg to get a-list celebs, yet there's a list of a-list celebs begging to get their mouth set on fire. catch full episode streaming later today on youtube next up, we'll stay in the 2000s. britney spears' big-time hit is headed back to the big screen. ♪ i'm not a girl ♪ yet a woman ♪ ♪ all ♪ not yet a woman ♪ moment that is mine ♪ >> that's "not a girl, not yet a woman" from "cross roads" and featurs britney and zoe saldana. 20 years it's going back into theaters. celebration of her highly anticipated memoir release special cinema events will be set for october 23rd and the

21st, featuring bonus sing-along footage of "i'm not a girl" and "overprotected," that's never been seen in movie theaters. those tickets go on sale one week from today. next up, ed sheeran and john mayer this week two superstars teamed up for a special duet of this classic ♪♪ ♪ ♪ >> cool to see those two together doing the tom petty classic. there's a back story on that one. john filled in for his opening act at gillette stadium back in july after a last-minute dropout and this was ed's chance to repay that at a john mayer show. >> very cool next up, peacock, today peacock and jetblue are

unveiling a brand-new co-branded airplane celebrating the company's exclusive streaming partnership on all jetblue flagts. >> wait, what? >> we made the announcement in december but it officially took flight on jetblue's planes just last month customers can now access peacock's entire catalog including the original series, live sports, movies, fan favorite shows, news, from their own devices using jetblue's free and unlimited wi-fi on every flight just a reminder, peacock is part of today's parent company nbc universal. finally, migration we made the story. this has been in popstart all this week. gotten killed at the end here it is "migration" from universal pictures upcoming animated movie is getting the word out about apple's latest update and here is why the new ios 17 is putting a stop how auto correct will change certain four-letter words to duck, duck with a d. so migration's duck teamed up

with the internet's beloved dude with sign for this little fun colab. holding a sign called today is the last word our phones will auto correct to duck then little gwen mallard brings out their own piece of card board that just says just say duck so be careful with your typing, everyone the duck has spoken and migration hits theaters in december >> that's cool >> that's the best promotion >> we have to get outside. you know who is out there? a very good morning to you. i'm laura garcia. control teams in alameda county prevent the spread of west nile after contaminated birds were found in livermore. crews will spray around jack williams park and neptune road.

interstate 580 alongside collier county road will have spraying in the late night hours. the county asks people to stay indoors and shut your windows while it's going on. take a look how hazy it is. usually we can see the hills from this view, but low visibility and a lot of smoke drifting around. it's unhealthy for sensitive groups. you don't want to be out for prolonged periods of time. we expect improvements as we head into the weekend a shift in the the wind direction. turn the air-conditioner on inside the car on recirculate. our temperatures will reach the upper 70s today. we're also watching out for rain chances early next week. laura. >> oh my. seasons are changing. we'll be back with another local news update in half an hour.

we are back!

we are back at 8:30 on this fri-yay eve! and that also means that it's concert eve on the plaza here. >> oh, it's going to be good >> it's going to be a great one tomorrow from our multi-talented grammy-winning friends, your good pal, kelly clarkson >> can't wait. >> is there anything better than kelly clarkson it's hard to find anybody. >> you remember how we said there was queso on the plaza look who decided to race on down she said she won the queso contest. >> that's what people are saying >> i have to say, jenna legitimately makes a great queso. >> it's all i have and there's somebody from midland, texas, right over here. chassie post will be here in a bit. she'll reveal her fall favorite trends from outfit ideas, we have makeup, accessories, the whole magilla. >> and then it's today loves football we'll be eating well this morning, thanks to great chef,

rick martinez who is here and a great little spin on frito pie and coming up on the third hour, nascar legend dale earnhardt jr. is here days after an impressive race and a pretty scary fire in his car. we'll ask him about that and a fun new project your kids are going to love. all right, now to the reason that jenna has joined us she's got some special bookmarks for the crowd to celebrate the first two episodes of her read with jenna podcast y'all, jenna has a podcast you've got some great guests >> oh, my gosh, i am so thrilled and thank you for the bookmarks. you guys, we're so excited we sat down with colleen hoover. you know what, craig, you're always sharing your mic, who everybody loves, y'all she, of course, wrote, "it ends with us," "it starts with us," "verity. she outsold the bible last year. that's how good of an author she is >> is that a good thing? >> for her

and we sat down with the author who wrote the moving memoir "solito. >> and colleen hoover hardly does interviews, but jenna got one. >> i hope you'll listen along with us. >> it's very cool. >> you can hear both conversations by searching "read with jenna" wherever you get your podcasts and make sure you follow, because she's got new episodes each thursday you're busy. >> we're dropping two this weekend. is that what they say in the podcast world? i'm just asking one who knows. >> dylan, let's get a check of the weather. >> is it dramatic that i'm shivering. >> it's chilly >> it's a little chilly out here and will stay chilly in the northeast going through the weekend. i want to take you into friday, where that coastal storm system will bring some heavy rain to the coast of the carolinas, also up into virginia some isolated severe storms through the middle of the country, and then going into saturday, that coastal storm is going to make a mess of the mid-atlantic from virginia, delaware, maryland through new jersey, pennsylvania, up across new york and southern new

england, too we'll see some heavier downpours, gusty winds, temperatures only in the 60s still a little damp on sunday for the northeast coast. also, we're looking for more scattered showers and isolated stronger storms back through the midwest, the southern midwest, but looks beautiful back through the rockies and out towards the west coast, where temperatures will be in the 70s with a good amount of sunshi good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we are still under a microclimate weather alert due to unhealthy air quality, more smoke in the forecast for today and temperatures inland reaching the upper 70s. fall begins late tomorrow night. we're not going to see much of a change in temperatures in the near term, but we are looking forward to some improved air quality as the smoke gradually clears. then we'll be looking out for rain chances early next week on monday and tuesday, while san all right. let's talk a little football now, folks the lights don't get any brighter with notre dame stadium

as the backdrop for a matchup built for prime-time the ninth-ranked fighting irish hosting number six, ohio state that is on saturday night, coverage starts at 7:00 eastern on nbc and on peacock. >> the irish look good this year that's going to be a great game. >> can we quickly shout out all of our birthdays we have so many birthdays. today, you're 75 your name? >> betty hendrickson >> who else has a birthday >> my mom, kathy from crawford >> who's got a birthday? what's your name >> edward kallas 70 >> all right we've got a lot of birthdays, y'all. we want to shout out everybody coming up next, chassie post is ready with some of fall's latest fashion trends, but first this is "today" on nbc.

we made it! bmo has arrived. hello? you said it. hello to more ways to save money, grow your wealth, grow your business. just what we needed, another big bank. not so fast. how many banks do you know that reward you for saving every month? he's got a good point. did i mention bmo has more fee-free atms than the two largest us banks combined? uh, b-m-o? just "bee-mo", actually. quick question, will all this stuff fit in your car? ( ♪♪ ) should i get rid of the mug? ♪ bmo ♪

we've got a rocking crowd. we're so happy to be outside.

we have a sneak we've got a rocking crowd. we're so happy to be outside we have a sneak peek of a brand-new streaming episode of shop all day it's all about the latest fashion and accessories that you'll want to put in yard cart. and here to share her fall haul, shop all day contributor, chassie post to get everything you want, just scan the qr code we're ready for fall we have fall clothes >> we are ready! >> let's go! >> you have a denim skirt? >> yes, hoda this is the hottest trend in denim. you'll see them everywhere it's the denim maxi and midi skirts and check this out it's the comfort of a skirt with a cool factor of denim, because, i mean, my jeans don't always feel as comfy as this. and this is from american eagle. it's got great stretch it's an easy silhouette. >> and i love this sweater you've got with it >> it's cozy and perfect >> it's perfect with this skirt, because the skirt is four season skirt. and i love this sweater. it's a striped sweater, hoda >> y'all like it

it's modern and classic. and i love a french girl's chic stripe so this is my secret weapon. $36. >> get some shoes. >> we've got two must-haves. first, loafers have been huge. this is a hybrid this is a loafer flat. soy love this sleek design, right? and feel that insole >> soft inside >> so comfortable. >> and the brand says it's two times as cushy, two times memory foam and what i love is the cool color. so you've got metallics, leopards, which is my favorite neutral. i promise -- >> how would anyone ever know? >> it goes with everything and red is a huge color for accessories this fall. and these are $36. okay, the perfect wear every day little western booty and these are from life stride they're a faux suede what i love about them, too,

that heel is 1.5 inches. a little lift, still walkable, and also really cushy, if you can feel inside. and hoda, we've got a special deal for "today" viewers, 30% off with code today 30 jewelry, i love that layered necklace trend these are gorgeous from mint & lily check it out these are little pave initial pendant necklace >> these are cute! how much are those >> just $39, and you can add to your stack, this is a zodiac charm. i'm an aries, you can choose your sign or your initial, $29 plus 30% off >> we have a bag that's very versatile. >> i love this bag i love it so much, i brought mine from home it's a two-in one belt bag, and a little adjustable hook here, so you can wear it as your belt bag. how cute is that >> so cute >> or if i feel like i want a cross onbody, and really, really love the little quilting and

gold chain it looks like a high-end designer bag without the high-end designer price. it's just $29.90 >> all right, take us to our final item >> fall beauty this is the elf flawless finish. $3.30, hoda. and it's a medium coverage, so it's never -- >> what did you say? $3.30. >> $3 for foundation >> yes >> i've never heard of such a thing! >> it's medium coverage, never caky and vegan so you don't have to worry about toxins. 20 different shade >> how do you apply it >> lastly, this is the kabuki brush. have you ever felt anything softer 270 million tiktok views this is a tiktok star. and it's so great for like giving you that --

>> i feel like she's going to like it. i don't know why feel that on your hand >> oh, yeah. >> isn't that good >> you've got great makeup, and i was like, i bet she'd like -- what's your name carol? >> here, carol it's a present from us >> and it will give you that fabulous air brushed finish, under $7 everybody's loving it. >> you can purchase all of these items, scan our qr code or head to today.com/shop. check out today all day, fall haul streaming at 10:00 a.m. on today all day. chassie, you're the best let's send it over to craig. >> now that we've shopped, it's time to eat. it's beginning feel like football season and chef rick martinez has a menu full of craft pleasers, including these corn fritters for the watch parties, for the parties, taco meat but first this is "today" on nbc.

we are back with today food

loves football and this morning, we're celebrating hispanic heritage with fun twists on game fay favorites. and to do it we flew in chef martinez from mexico just for this it's an ode to flavor of mexico. chef martinez flew in just from mexico to do this. so thank you for doing that. >> my pleasure >> one of the things we enjoyed about your approach to cuisine, you want to make sure that folks understand that the food of your people isn't just quesadillas and tacos. >> amen. and the thing about football, we wanted to bring things we are familiar with in the u.s., but incorporate some mexican twists. >> this weekend, sunday night, the steelers taking on carson's raiders coming off that nasty loss steelers coming off their first victory of the season. should be a pretty good game sunday night on nbc. so let's start with, i guess, we'll start with the corn fritters for which team?

>> for the steelers. >> all right so what we're going to do is make some mexican street corn, so i've got poblano, throw in some onion and garlic. that is chili, a little bit of powdered fire. >> powder fire >> be careful with that. >> exactly >> powdered fire we're going to saute this up and then when this gets a little bit soft, we'll add some corn and you can use fresh corn -- >> or frozen >> or frozen or canned, just drain it really, really well we'll throw in some cilantro and a little bit of parsley or oregano and just let this go >> smells good smells amazing >> we want to cook that down until it gets nice and toasty, and now we're basically going to make a hush puppy batter we have corn meal, flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, some melted butter, an egg.

>> what is this? >> buttermilk. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> buttermilk! >> got to have a little tang in there. >> you keep working. i'm going to taste >> all right i'll just stir this up, mix this all together those -- i have to say, i love those -- those are so good i used to work -- >> these are delicious >> hush puppies with corn. >> we're so happy! >> you love it >> it's beyond >> you don't even know it's so good >> you mix the corn with the hush puppy batter? >> this is mexican street corn we'll throw that in, fold this into the batter. make sure you don't really overwork it, just make sure that it's all nice and evenly incorporated and then, we have this, which is my batter. we have hot oil. one of my favorite tricks is using an ice cream scoop i think ice cream scoops are great for cookies, meat balls, hush puppies >> ice cream >> oh, yeah, that. so just take a scoop and

carefully drop it in and this makes perfect-sized hush puppies >> how long do you cook that >> these will be about 4 minutes. >> let's move down i want to make sure we get to this frito pie it looks like the tasting table is thoroughly enjoying it. >> we're inhaling. >> this is insane. >> some football food when the raiders win tonight. >> you can use this for shredded chicken, for pork. basically, what we're going to do we have some chicken stock simmering here we'll throw in some chilly, which are dried mexican chilies. they're pretty mild. >> easy to find? >> yeah, these are pretty much in every grocery store this is achiodo paste. if you can't find this, you can sub in tomato paste. that's totally fine. we have orange juice for some heat, we have smoked chill morita, which i adore. salt, garlic, obviously. and this is a little agave syrup, because we need a little bit of sweetness

>> and could you just use row sisry chicken here >> this is rotisserie chicken. we'll bring that to a boil once this gets soft, about 20 minutes later we're going to puree it in a blender. >> comes out looking like that examine. >> like this and this, we'll add into our chicken. >> easy enough >> yep >> i love the presentation >> i know, i know. >> look at this! it's so cute >> and we can do individual frito pies, which is pretty traditional. but if you're having a big game day party, go to costco, get the giant bag of fritos, cut it down the middle and make a big centerpiece. >> that could serve as a centerpiece and eventually you just start to -- >> this would serve one for me, but, you know. you get the big bag. >> what are you doing with your queso? >> this is the most amazing queso ever this is basically all of my favorite things, a really nice chili con queso with taco meat,

pico degallo, sour cream guam moe lay mix it all together. >> chef, what's your cheese? what cheese do you use >> you can use cheddar you don't want anything too sharp or it will break up. >> with meat on the bottom it's so good >> well done, chef >> thank you for coming in from mexico >> and i feel like these are actually approachable. we can actually make these >> totally >> that is unbelievable. >> chef, you want these recipes. >> the ground beef underneath all of that. >> mix it all up mix it all up. >> yeah, yeah. >> i didn't know that! i need a do-over >> don't miss sunday night's clash. steelers, raiders, coverage starts at 7:00 eastern here on nbc, streaming on peacock. we're back in a moment this is "tod" on nbc ay at cretors, we handcraft every batch of our delicious popcorn.

like our cretors cheese and caramel mix. great on their own, even better together. try cretors, handcrafted small-batch popcorn. you didn't choose cat allergies. you didn't choose your hairline. hot flashes, the flu, or that thing when your knee just gives out for no reason. you didn't choose your bad back or this. or... that. you didn't choose depression, melanoma, or lactose intolerance. but with kaiser permanente

you can choose your doctor who works with other best-in-class specialists to care for all that is you.

guys, we're still sitting here ingesting the deliciousness. >> hoda moved over to take all of my stuff. >> there's more down here. easier access. >> you have birthdays? >> we certainly do we have a great bunch of birthdays to celebrate so spin around that smuckers jar and let us wish a happy 100th birthday to max click, a skilled carpenter from tucson, arizona he ran a pecan farm before opening a skate rink and a record store mary robertson of baltimore, maryland, is 100 years old she volunteered for five decades as a sunday school teacher that's awesome happy 100th birthday to harry mens, a jigsaw puzzle whiz from janesville, wisconsin. he served during world war ii. angelina centrella is from philadelphia and lived in the same house for more than 70

years. so cool. agnes ann tracy from inkster, michigan is 100. she never leaves her house without being dressed up from head to toe. beautiful. and bob and norma carmichael are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary. bob says he won norma over by getting her 14 red roses on her 14th birthday and guess what, he's done that for her every birthday since smart man. >> good guy. >> that was perfect. >> guys, chef, we love you >> thank you so much >> come back in october. >> i'll be back and take requests >> just make the same thing. we have a great bunch of people out hereeye. what are you doing? >> we're hold on. so, these ladies caught my eye what are you doing >> we're celebrating a birthday. >> so was it barbie themed >> we're going on the new york city tea party bus today so we're all dressed as matching

birthday we're from nebraska. iowa, south dakota, and connecticut. >> it's a barbie party i hope you enjoy celebrating we love you. thanks a lot we have a lot coming up, guys, on the fourth hour, we're catching up with emmy winner katherine heigl. first, though, "3rd hour" actor and comedian lily singh will join us live. we'll continue to eat our queso. thanks for coming in from mexico >> hey, girl >> we will be back after your local news, a little weather, and these quick messages

a very good morning to you.

it is 8:56. i'm laura garcia. let's take a live look outside across the bay area. that lingering smoke and haze prompting another spare the air alert today. tonight, the 49ers open the home portion of their schedule against the new york giants. the team did send out a reminder when it comes to league policies about air quality. an air quality measurement of 200 in the immediate vicinity, signifies very unhealthy conditions in which vigorous exercise is not recommends. happening now, bob

with the weekend around the corner, we are tracking air quality and how soon we can see improvement. and then navigating around

this morning on the third hour of "today," deal or no deal, hollywood writers and major studios reportedly closing in on an agreement to end the month-long writer's strike. we're live with the latest on the talks and the possible sticking points that remain. boo or bust? halloween spending expected to skyrocket this