good morning. fantastic finishes. american lilly king out duels her russian rival for gold in the 100 meter breaststroke. ryan murphy striking gold in the 100 meter backstroke. divers david boudia and steele johnson with the best u.s. finish ever in synchronized 10 meter platform. silver.

women and simone biles prepare to go for gold, "today," tuesday, august 9th, 2016. >> kerri gets the final block. >> murphy took off like a rocket right there. look at him go! >> they made it look so effortless. from nbc news, this is a special edition of with matt lauer live from rio de janeiro, brazil, and savannah guthrie live from rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everybody. welcome to a special edition, split edition of "today" on a tuesday morning. we're in great company here in rio de janeiro. want to say hi to some folks who have come down to our set to join us. in the background here we have david boudia and steele johnson

and kathleen baker, and other team usa swimmers that took home medals after another intense night at the aquatics. we're back here along copacabana beach on a nice morning and another event today. this one is a birthday. happy birthday to you. >> thank you, guys. >> isn't it fun having these medal winners here. something about turning around and seeing them holding their hardware which is awesome. >> yeah. >> by the way, we're here in rio. we're missing sa back in new york city. savannah, you have a lot cooking there as well. >> yesterday you guys had the oiled up flag bearer from tonga and the samba band. >> yes, we did. >> not to be outdone. this will last all morning long. raising a glass to you, hoda, for your birthday. >> thank you, savannah. >> our big story will be another rough morning for delta passengers. hundreds of flights canceled again today. the airline is recovering from that mass outage that grounded

guys, back to you. >> all right, savannah. thank you very much. on this tuesday morning, let's start with your olympic highlights. natalie is here with a roundup. >> good morning once again. from triumph to heartbreak to new rivalries, team usa had another wild night in rio. this morning two more u.s. swimmers are basking in the golden spotlight. lilly king going head to head efimova in the 100 meter breaststroke. >> king has the lead. she's going to win it. she did it! >> king taking the gold medal over efimova who's been caught up in a doping scandal. on sunday, king took the russian to task, mocking her owe poent for claiming she was number one. just moments before last night's race, the women refused to acknowledge each other but after her victory, king didn't hold back. >> we can compete clean and do

>> murphy stretching to the wall. gets it! >> in the men's 100 meter back stroke american ryan murphy dominated, earning gold and a place in history. >> welcome to the club, my friend! >> murphy's parents celebrated their son's win cementing him as one of the world's most elite backstrokers, an achievement the 21-year-old has had his eyes on his entire life. i hope my swimming life continues and i become an i hope i'll break the world record. i want to be the best swimmer in the world. and tonight the drama will be centered on michael phelps, competing in the 200 butterfly against his nemesis, south africa's chad le clos. monday night phelps shot a nasty look at his rival, who was shadow boxing shortly before their semifinal. phelps doing his best to stay focused. >> it's like he's going through

like, are you kidding me? >> bill johnson, the father of olympic diver steele johnson, was fired up. watching his son and diving partner david boudia take silver in men's synchronized diving. the best result team usa has ever had in the event. the men becoming emotional after their final dave, celebrating the moment with their coach. but for the u.s. men's gymnastics team, heartbreak. failing to make the podium. finishing fifth in the team final. sticking together despite the fall. and in jude yo brazil's rafaela silva came out on top. earning the first gold medal of the games for the host nation. her victory an inspiration for for the hometown crowd. growing up in poverty in one of rio's most dangerous neighborhoods. a fairy tale ending for the inspirational young woman.

one more note from the pool. katie ledecky qualified for tonight's 200 free final while missy franklin who dominated in london failed to advance. looking at the medal count. the united states holding strong increasing their lead with 19 total through monday followed by china, japan and russia. matt, great start. >> it really is, natalie. thanks very much. let's bring in those divers behind the best u.s. finish ever in men's synchronized 10 meter platform. silver medalist david boudia and steele johnson. guys, good morning, congratulas. don't you want to wear those? >> these are heaviest medals i've seen. >> do you mind? >> please, it would be my pleasure. >> those are fantastic. can i repeat what i just said. the best u.s. finish ever in this event. how does that feel? >> it's actually pretty cool. to do it alongside this guy. we've created such a brotherhood. we've trained day in and day out. it's pretty neat. >> steele, we got a kick watching your dad go crazy at

what i like most about this silver medal is you guys had your best score on your last dive so when it was all on the line, you came up with your best dive. >> typically that's a dive that doesn't go well in training. i'm so tall it's hard for me to make. the fact that we were able to do it as well as we did, it was exciting for me. >> i want to warn our camera man about this. you mentioned you're so tall. would you guys stand up for a second? i just want to show something. at fir l perfect match physically for synchronized diving. you can sit again. why does it work so well? >> i think growing up we had the same coach and now we train at purdue university and we have the same mechanics and obviously height doesn't matter. we walked away with a silver medal. it works for us. >> when you get the medal, do you stop and go back to all of the early mornings, all of the

to the pool, all of the family sacrifices. >> that's what's so hard about training for the olympic games. it's a daily sacrifice but this is a reward. my wife and my daughter and my family has been so supportive. >> you're a couple hoosiers. who do you want to say hi to home. >> specifically boilermakers. >> no, i mean hoosiers as in the state. boilermakers is your university. >> a lot of my family is here but boilermaker nation is out there and they've been supportive of us. >> what's up. >> david boudia and steele johnson, great job. let's go over to hoda. >> really great job. now to some of team usa's swimmers who won medals on monday. kathleen baker took silver in women's 100 meter backstroke. david plummer is the bronze medalist in the 100 meter backstroke and katie meili scored a bronze in the 100 meter breaststroke. good morning you medal winners. how are you? kathleen, how did it feel?

you get out of the water and you look up and see your family right there on the railing. what was it like during that moment for you? >> i think it was just pure joy. i couldn't be happier. i wasn't expecting to medal at all so coming into this it was like a complete surprise. i'm happy that i swam this well. >> what was the ear big deal about this was earring gate. when you were swimming in the trials one of your earrings was lost and then some scuba diver found it and it became sort of just a story here. did you end up swimming with two earrings for good luck or how did it work? >> i went to see my sister after prelims 100 back and i asked can i please borrow your earrings? i need to swim with pearls. i always do. so she's earringless right now and i'm wearing hearse still. >> congratulations to you. this has been a long time coming. you wanted to be in the olympics for 12 years. i think in london you missed going to the olympics by 0.12 of a second. how sweet was it winning bronze this year?

amazing to be part of the greatest team of all-time and it's awesome to be here. >> you have kids. you have two and then a newborn, right? >> i have two. >> one and a newborn. do you think your kids will hop in the pool early? >> i think we might. we'll let them decide. hopefully they enjoy it as much as i do. >> katie, first olympics for you. you hit the bronze. you're on the medal stand shared with lilly king. >> we found out afterwards that no two u.s. women have been on the podium together in the breaststroke in the history of usa swimming. to have that moment and to share it with her, and i mean we really pushed each other to get better over the past two years so it was really cool to be able to experience that with her. >> congratulations on your medals. we're so proud of you. your country is proud of you. thanks for coming.

>> let's turn to gymnastics as we said the u.s. men finished fifth in the team competition. the women will get their turn at gold tonight. and here now with a look back and ahead nbc sports analyst and olympic gold medalist tim daggett and nastia liukin. ladies, gentlemen, nice to see you. let us start with the men. a little disappointing. a lot of talk they had a chance to get to the podium. they finished fifth. was this about the other competitors being better or was their performance substandard yestery? >> without a question the u.s. men were capable of winning a medal and contending even for gold but they started off really rough on the first event on floor exercise and then they kind of got it going and right at the end danell, who i never would have imagined he would come off the bar like that. he qualified for the individual event finals. he's tremendous there. it just didn't get going. it ended poorly as well.

stayed down on the mat for so long, my first thought was he hurt, it was really that he couldn't believe what had just happened. >> he was in complete shock and devastation because he was the anchor. he was the last one to go up. they thought maybe they had a chance to at least clinch the bronze medal. so i think he just had no idea what was happening in that moment. >> can we talk about the women, nastia, for a minute tonight? it's a big night. they're so far out in front. everyone is expectin. is that what you see happening? >> they finished qualifications ten points ahead of the next country. that's never been done before. it just goes to show how dominant they are. they continue to be so dominant. >> have you ever seen anyone like simone biles? by the way? i mean you've seen it all over the years. how does she rank? >> she hasn't lost a single competition in her last four years. just like team usa as a whole, simone biles, the world has been waiting to see her on the olympic stage.

the pressure is so high for her. she's expected to win. she delivered when she needed to. >> tim, let me ask you about that. nastia talked about the lead they had. if you're coaching the women's team going into this competition tonight, what do you tell them -- how do you tell them to handle this mentally? >> take it one step at a time and do exactly what they did day one. this team from the very beginning they have been put under so many different situations, so much stress, so much pressure. day in and day out. it's not a new thing for them. know how to rise to that occasion. they truly are the most dominant team in gymnastics ever. simone biles is the greatest gymnast that ever walked this planet. >> no pressure. no buildup. >> i think she's going to go away from these games with five gold medals. there are only six to be had. >> wow. >> high praise from a couple of people who really know the sport. nastia, tim, thank you so much. we'll hear from simone biles

women's team go for that gold along with michael phelps and katie ledecky during nbc's prime time coverage at 8:00, 7:00 central here on nbc. right now let's send it back to new york and savannah. >> let's start with the presidential race. election day now just 90 days away and our new poll just out this morning shows hillary clinton opening up a double digit advantage. 51-41 over donald trump. this is clinton's largest lead yet in our nbc news survey o she's above 50%. nbc's hallie jackson is in north carolina where trump has two events today. hallie, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. as we look at those new numbers, we're also looking at donald trump losing more support from inside his own party. another member of congress now saying she can't back him. it's a move that could open the door for others in the gop to break with their nominee. the newest never trump senator,

collins writing there will be no new donald trump, just the same candidate who will slash and burn and trample everything and everyone. her scathing op-ed on the heels of a different warning from 50 national security experts that donald trump would be the most reckless president in american history. the experts, including former cia and nsa director michael hayden, and tom ridge and michael er making a statement as trump now makes one of his own. politically motivated, he calls the letter, written by the ones the american people should look to for answers on why the world is a mess. trump on defense online too attempting to link hillary clinton's e-mail controversy to the execution of an iranian nuclear scientist who spent time in the u.s. trump's running mate working to show the candidate can grow.

and offensive things for the next three months? >> well, you know, i'll tell you, this campaign is head down going after it hard. >> trump is going after the middle class vote now in detroit unveiling a new streamlined tax plan proposing a moratorium on regulations and a plan to renegotiate trade deals taking aim at his democratic rival. >> one common feature of every ll punishes you for working and doing business in the united states. >> reporter: trump is getting a bit more competition in this race today, too chlt with a new independent candidate looking to throw his hat into the ring. former congressional staffer evan mcmullin looking to put up a bid but with zero name recognition, virtually and ballot deadlines come and gone in about half the country, savannah, it's a long shot, to

have an impact nationally. >> hallie jackson in battleground north carolina for us. thank you. in the meantime, the parents of two americans killed in the 2012 terrorist attacks in benghazi, libya, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against hillary clinton. the parents of sean smith and tyrone woods say her use of the private e-mail server contributed to the attack. in response to the suit, a clinton campaign spokesperson says none of the multiple evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of hillary clinton. another big story. delta canceling nearly 250 more flights this morning as that airline tries to recover from a monstrous system outage on monday that saw nearly 900 flights canceled. tens of thousands of passengers stranded.

computer systems to crash. delta says it will hand out refunds and $200 travel vouchers to affected passengers. the airline urged customers who were flying today to check the status of their flights on their website. or it's mobile app. three girls were injured after falling from a ferris wheel at a county fair ground in greenville, tennessee. the girls fell between 35 and 45 feet. two of them were taken to the hospital by helicopter. another one by ambulance. all three are alert this morning and said to be talking to hospital staff. still unclear how this happened. and in the meantime, in kansas city, police say that a boy who was killed sunday while riding down the world's tallest water slide died from a neck injury. two adult women who were in the raft with him suffered minor facial injuries. authorities still don't know what caused that accident. it's 7:18. you're up to date. let's send it back to the folks in rio. >> sad story, savannah. thank you very much. al is here with a first check of the weather.

what's been going on along the gulf and a real mess. look at some of this video out of st. petersburg just in. you can see the flooding just massive amounts of rain. guy hanging around is going to spend time in the drunken clam because of the heavy rain. it's going to continue. look at the radar. we have heavy showers and thunderstorms stretching from the big bend area of florida all of the way south of new orleans into friday. this gulf moisture high pressure off the east coast pumping up that moisture. we could see rain totals approaching a foot of rain before it's over. it continues through tomorrow, thursday, and probably comes to an end around friday. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. poor foster kid black

small muslim the only label that matters is olympian. >> and that's your latest weather. >> something cool just happened. on the beach, a guy walked up to our little fence area here, over

randy stocloss. he made beach volleyball famous along with his partner. he's one of the iconic figures of beach volleyball. he looks like he could still spike you across the net, al. >> the guy next to him looks like that. the little guy next to him. >> good to see you, randy. coming up, gymnast simone biles will ope a focused and grounded, her signature move and her celebrity status. prus plus, what swimming sensation katie ledecky thinks when she's called the most dominant swimmer ever.

just ahead, what stands out to you in these images from the

when things went wrong? because for every tornado... there's a twister. for every crash... an even bigger collision. for every robbery... a heart that's been stolen. for every fire... a dozen flames. and for every tailspin... state farm understands that getting the most out of life doesn't just mean being there when things go completely wrong. it's about being here... here... and here... in all of life's moments. when things go perfectly... right. ?? sfx: "boop"

easy-open with a strong, quality seal, $4.46 save money. live better. walmart i'm anne howard and i'm michael howard. we left on our honeymoon in january 2012. it actually evolved into a business. from our blog to video editing... our technology has to hang tough with us. when you're going to a place without electricity, you need a long battery life. the touch, combined with the screen resolution... a mac doesn't have that. we wanted to help more people get out there and see the world. ?

we're back now. 7:30 on a tuesday morning, august 9th, 2016. 8:30 in o. keeping us company on copacabana beach. >> yes, we do. that's a rocking crowd. there's a woman there, do you see her there with a big cut out face of her daughter? her daughter is playing basketball for serbia and they are both u.s. air force vets. cool story. >> thank you for coming down

today's olympic headlines. more medals for team usa in swimming last night led by ryan murphy's gold and a new record in 100 meter backstroke. lilly king did the same in 100 meter breaststroke. >> just down the beach, kerry wsh jennings >> and men's rugby returns to the olympics. technically they are the reigning champs. they'll face argentina. >> okay. we've got a lot to get to. another american in the spotlight. katie ledecky swims for another gold medal tonight. katie ledecky already one of

watch in rio. >> likely not the last time katie ledecky will stand atop the medal podium. >> do you mind if i read you some of the things i've read about you lately. most dominant swimmer in the world. greatest swimmer of all-time. greatest athlete on the planet. i don't have a question but what's your reaction to that? >> that's kind of crazy for me to hear. i just having fun in the pool. >> 15-year-old katie ledecky. >> at 15 years old, a young katie ledecky made her olympic debut and she remembers it as if it were yesterday. >> it was amazing being in london. i got to go to opening ceremonies. i walked into that stadium and saw all of the lights and it just took me back to watching on tv the olympics when i was 11 or

>> it was a surreal experience. >> at age 10 katie was competitive not letting setbacks stand in her way. >> in fourth grade i broke my arm playing basketball in gym class. one of the first questions i asked can i keep swimming? can i still be in the water? he gave me this special plastic bag that was tight on my arm and i could wear that and kick with the kick board. >> she looks like a bird >> now 19 and already a two-time gold medalist, katie comes to rio with a target on her back. >> can you swim fast with that big target attached to your back? >> i don't think there's a target on my back i'll just flick it off. it's not going to weigh me down. >> but the ledecky threat is real as katie excels in short and long distance events. in the 2015 world championships,

800 and 1,500 meter races. >> one of the most dominant forces in the world in any sport from any country. >> i always like to ask athletes before they head off to the olympics, write the headline for me. write the headline that you would like to read, katie, as you swim your last race in rio. >> katie ledecky has fun in rio. i don't know. that's all i want to do. i want to have fun both competing and just enjoying every moment. >> isn't that what it's all about? just having fun. medals come, great. but just have a good time. >> it makes you love her. i didn't think i could love her more until that last answer. that was awesome. >> katie told me she doesn't have any plans to turn pro after

fall and compete at the collegiate level. >> wow. that is pretty awesome. really great. >> the interesting thing, we consider her a friend of the show, and she's been around a long time. i mean, check out her appearance on "today" more than 18 years ago. >> where is this little one from? >> maryland. 16 months. katie ledecky and michael ledecky. can we say grandparents? >> everybody got hellos. >> i look like i swallowed katie ledecky. >> it's so cool. i said this a couple times. katie's uncle john, we went to high school together. dear friend of mine. >> that's amazing. >> that's how old i am now. people who are adults were

showed up on the "today" show. fantastic. all right. here's your weather. before they had satellites i was working. look at the weather we're expecting over the next several days here in rio. gorgeous today. sunny, 81 degrees. showers tomorrow about 74. thursday partly cloudy. temperature about 71 degrees. that's what's going on around the

weather any time you need it. check out the weather channel on cable. up next, gymnastics star simone biles will try to live up to very big expectations as we are live from rio right after this. ?? olympic glory doesn't just belong to athletes. and it doesn't just happen every four years. it happens one morning at a time. and one cup at a time. folgers, proud sponsor of team usa. hey, you're clarence! yes, sir. you know, at the model year end clarence event, you can get a great deal on this 2016 passat. steve. yeah?

he model year end becky event? that's no good... stevent! that's just vandalism. whatever you want to call it, don't miss the volkswagen model year end event. hurry in for a one-thousand dollar volkswagen reward card and 0% apr on a

clean food. words you don't often hear. words we at panera live by. because clean food is food as it should be. with no artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, and no colors from artificial sources. we think clean food tastes better, feels better, does better. 100% of our food will be clean by year's end. every bite will be food as it should be.

going to the skate park today? maybe... you can make it gr-r-reat! ?? kellogg's frosted flakes gives you the sweet spark to go all in and let your great out. they're gr-r-reat! cking up for kyle. here you go. you wouldn't put up with part of a pizza. um. something wrong? so when it comes to pain relievers,

yes, yes! live whole. not part. aleve. there's nothing like trying something new. especially when it comes to snacking. with the laughing cow's nine flavors of creamy cheese, there's no end to what you can discover. the laughing cow. reinvent snacking. although just 4 foot 8, simone biles is not to be underestimated. refined, concentrated power. that's why she trusts tide pods. she knows small, can be powerful. tide. number 1 rated. >> announcer: today's athlete to

find the tide that's right for you at tide.com. if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. >> we're back now on a tuesday morning in rio with "today's" athlete to watch which is not the same thing as hoda and natalie checking out david boudia. >> you can't take your eyes off david boudia. >> that's a different athlete to watch. we're talking this sime about simone biles taking to gymnastics and new heights as she leads the u.s. women's team to the finals tonight. >> natalie is here with more. she's such a breakout star. >> she dominates. her near perfect performance helped the u.s. dominate on sunday and even before she goes for gold, she's already being compared to olympic legends like michael phelps and usain bolt.

you have to represent team usa. >> simone biles isn't just conquering the bar, she's raising it. >> i think the fun of the sports in knowing how wide range it is. we can do anything really. >> this 19-year-old phenom is on fire. the first female gymnast to win three straight world championships. three-time world champion at 19 years old. how do you even get your mind around that? >> it just because in the gym and outside i'm still just simone. >> and just simone is in a league of her own. a 4'9" powerhouse dominating the field. you were just 6 years old when you got started in this sport. i thought it was kind of cool. and then as our day care field trip we went to the gym and i saw girls in the back working

>> her playground now the olympic stage where a spring loaded simone delivered a near flawless performance during rio's qualifying session sunday night. a combination of power and precision earning her event high marks on the vault, the beam and the floor where she wowed the crowd with her signature move, the biles. >> it's a double-a with a half turn so i'll flip twice in the air straight body and ae >> as a little girl her gymnastics prowess stood out and her natural ability was off the charts. simone started homeschooling at age 13 to go full speed ahead. in 2013, she burst onto the international stage after winning her first u.s. championship at 16. >> my favorite event is floor. >> that's where you really shine? >> that and everyone gets to show a little bit of their personality and everyone can have a different type of music

>> on the vault, simone is considered one of the best ever scoring against gravity. what goes through your mind before you take off on the vault or you're getting ready to do your floor routine? >> i tell myself confidence and i remind myself how many times i've done this vault and that it's kind of autopilot as soon as i start running. i don't overthink anything. >> simone trains with borman. what's your hardest event? >> bars. you can power through it. since i started late, bars, i didn't have basics that i needed to start. floor, vault and beam came easier. >> for all of her strength when simone is out with friends, shed a am it's to one big weakness. >> we all love shopping just because we're girls. that's what we like.

tell me about this obsession with zac efron. >> i think he's hot. he has a good body. >> is there somebody you look up to and admire most? >> my parents. especially my mom just because i'm just like her. that's what my dad tells me. you're just like your mother. >> in rio as to add to the journey. what advice would you give someone that wants to be like simone biles? >> i would say have fun. that's when your best memories are made. i always kept it fun. i think that's where my passion from the sport comes from. >> she's clearly having a lot of fun here already. mary lou retton calls her the most talented gymnast she has ever seen. one day she may go into the

that's in the future. for now, focusing on gold is key for her. >> let's focus for a second on her crush. she talked about zac efron. he tweeted her. he wrote so phenomenal. a skill's named after her. congrats on sticking the biles and qualifying for the finals. i'm sure she screen saved that one. it appears that she also is head over heels for the brazilian gymnast. the message with a kissy face emoji. by the way, she's also having such a great time. you can tell with her post and with the girls. she's enjoying herself. >> 4'8" and the height she gets off the floor. >> crazy. defies physics. >> coming up, billy bush is in the orange room with what people

?? epic there's nothing like trying something new. especially when it comes to snacking. with the laughing cow's nine flavorful varieties of creamy cheese, there's no end to what you can discover. and once you get a taste for the new, chances are you won't stop there. the laughing cow. reinvent snacking. how does a girl go from this... oh, shut up. ...to this. [ beeps ] i'm pregnant? you have no idea which of us is the father?

e? or the ex? bridget, i've missed you. oh, god. how would you like to give birth? quickly. [ moaning in pain ] just think away the pain. ahhhh! oh. just think away the pain. rated r. september 16th. ? ? yeah, we go left right here. (woman vo) great adventures are still out there. we'll find them in our subaru outback. (avo) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. get zero percent on select subaru models during the subaru a lot to love event, now through august thirty-first. hey. hi. you're that guy from verizon who switched to sprint. i used to ask if you could hear me now, but it's 2016 ...and sprint's network reliability is now within 1% of verizon.

s have switched. make that millions plus one. can you hear that? don't let a 1% difference cost you twice as much. switch to sprint today. (vo) combine the right things. and something amazing happens. that's our inspiration for fancy feast medleys. wild salmon primavera. tastes amazing. also in pate.

you both have a perfect driving record. perfect. no tickets, no accidents... that is until one of you clips a food truck ruining your perfect record. yeah. now you would think your insurance company would cut you some slack, right? no, your insurance rates go through the roof. your perfect record doesn't get you anything. anything. perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident.

we're back now. bill you why bush is manning our orange room while carson is out manning "the voice" booth on the west coast. >> before last night's 200 meter butterfly semifinals we were given a glimpse into the ready room. south warming up with shadow boxing. phelps shoots him a look that's classic. hashtag phelps face took off online as people started making memes of the staredown. bobby posts, when you pour a

that came to play. boomer phelps was spotted in the stands with a game face of his own. that's not edge. here we go, come on. was that our lunch? sfx: "boop" oscar mayer turkey & american cheese basic lunchable, made with white meat only, on rollback for $1 save money. live better. walmart ?

(dog bark) we are all athletes. if she can score, she takes it home. and we are all fans. life is a sport. ? we are the utility.

hi! hey! i've made plans for later in case this date doesn't go well. likewise! but, funny story. on top of that? my mom is my best friend. yeah. oop! there's the rescue text from my roommate saying she needs me. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi double cash card does. it lets you earn double cash back:

? hey, is this our turn? honey...our turn? yeah, we go left right here. (woman vo) great adventures are still out there. we'll find them in our subaru outback. (avo) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. get zero percent on select subaru models during the subaru a lot to love event,

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, swimmers strike gold. >> with the kickout. king dominates the breaststroke. >> murphy stretching to the wall. >> and david boudia and steele johnson snag a silver medal for usa. now the american women in gymnastics looks to take home gold. we take a trip to see rio's

>> finally can look down. >> but would mother nature cooperate? and branching out. >> down. >> keir simmons with an adventure in the amazon. climbing high to get a bird's eye view. >> the view is just stunning. >> today, tuesday, august 9th, 2016. s ?? >> from new york to rio, watching the "today" show. >> live from rio de janeiro on the "today" show. >> we're on the "today" show in rio. ? cake by the ocean ?? >> happy birthday, hoda!

this tuesday morning. the 9th day of august, 2016. another great crowd on the beach. beach volleyball in the background. another sunny and beautiful morning. >> what happened to your sweater? >> that sweater was a really good idea at 6:30 in the morning. wasn't so good when the sun came up. >> what is the temperature, al? >> about 80 degrees. it's gone up. showers tomorrow. >> here in rio, perfect sleeping weather. the sound of beach volleyball and temperature of 65 degrees. meanwhile, we're still in the opening days of the olympics. the aquatic stadium is a cool place for team usa. let's head to peter alexander at olympic park. peter. >> matt, good morning. a warm one here at the olympic park and things are going to get heated at the pool this evening

formation of at least one fierce rivalry and setting the stage for the culmination of another. on day three of the olympic games, determination and destiny. >> best turns in the world. >> over at the aquatics center. >> they are bunched up. >> poetry in motion. ryan murphy clinching gold in the 100 meter backstroke. the sixth time america won the event. with his teammate david plummer grabbing bronze. plummer is the oldest in the race since 1904. he spoke to hoda earlier. >> to be part of the greatest team of all time. it is awesome. >> reporter: lilly king ahead of yulia efimova to grab gold in the 100 meter breaststroke. the 19-year-old beating out efimova in a race that seems to

mocked her finger wagging in the semifinal on sunday. the russian caught up in a doping scandal, but cleared to compete. king not holding back after her victory. >> i'm proud to represent the usa and be successful knowing i'm completing clean. >> reporter: all eyes on michael phelps and katie ledecky tonight. phelps facing off against chad le clos who tried to psych him out. >> le clos continues to look over at phelps. >> reporter: and ledecky goes for gold in the 200 freestyle. while missy franklin failed to make the cut. missing the podium for a fifth place finish is the men's gymnastics team. a heartbreaking fall from the high bar from leyva.

an upset. >> austria has upset the united states. can you believe it? >> reporter: as americans jake gibb and casey peterson lost to austria. kerri walsh jennings and april ross. >> i'm proud of us. now we go. >> reporter: he doesn't compete until saturday. usain bolt announcing the rio is his last olympics. >> i think this is awesome for sure. i've done enough. i have proven myself over and over. i'm looking forward to this one also. >> reporter: and one of the best moments of the games so far happened late yesterday. brazil's first gold in judo.

growing up in poverty and one of rio's most dangerous neighborhoods. let's see the medal count. team usa fortifying their lead. well ahead of china, japan and russia. there is a full plate of action today. including some of the biggest names. women's gymnastics squad. they are favored for team gold. and katie ley the 200 freestyle and michael phelps is looking to regain his crown after missing out in london. then the 4x200-meter relay as well. matt, back to you. >> peter, thank you very much. >> we have a lot more from rio in a moment. first, savannah is back with the top stories from new york. good morning.

hillary clinton has opened up a ten--point lead and our surveymonkey tracking poll is out. yesterday, donald trump unveiled his plan for the tax code to stream line deductions. and just this morning, maine senator susan collins is the latest republican to not support trump and 50 top republicans, including two homeland security secretaries have circulated a letter saying they will not vote for trump. three girls are recovering after falling from a ferris wheel. all three were taken to the hospital where they were conscious and answering questions for investigators. firefighters had to rescue other riders stranded on that ferris wheel when it was shutdown. kansas city police say the

water slide died from a neck injury. it revealed that the body of caleb schwab was found in a pool at the end of the ride. two adult women with him in the raft suffered minor facial injuries. the park has not released any other details about the accident. other news now, it is hard to tell who enjoyed this golf outing more. president obama or his guests. the president, a well known basketll hosted nba's steph curry along with dell curry who also played in the nba. last year after losing to president obama, curry joked he was distracted by all the secret service agents and by the president's trash talking. and dopey the dwarf will never shake it off. dopey in green on the upper deck of the steamboat stumbling down

fortunately, goofy was there to break his fall. both cast members were checked out at the scene and released. please tell me that al roker is there for daffy duck's reaction. >> donald duck. you got the wrong studios. >> sorry. >> anybody know what this duck is saying? >> was he checked out by doc after the fall? >> he was feeling a little grumpy. savannah. savannah, thank you very much. up next, the science behind simone biles dominance in gymnastics. and what happened when we took a trip to the christ the redeemer statue. and why am i hanging almost 200 feet in the air? find out coming up on "today." 200 feet in the air? find out coming up on "today." w. right now there's a really, really good deal at verizon. what kind of deal? up to 4 free phones.

16 gigs. all for only a hundred and fifty dollars. and no surprise overages. sweet. i know. and it's all on america's best network. 4 free samsung galaxy phones. 4 lines. 16 gb. all for a hundred and fifty dollars. only on verizon. did you hear that? going to the skate park today? maybe... you can make it gr-r-reat! ?? kellogg's frosted flakes gives you the sweet spark they're gr-r-reat! good is in every blue diamond almond. good is a catalyst, good is contagious. and once it gets going

proud sponsor of the us swim team creamy swirls of pure indulgence. silky sifts of total transcendence. tempting accents of sheer pleasure. introducing "unicorn whispers." this should be the name. or something more like "golden gold." or maybe, "mmmmmm mmhmm."

i work as professional mountain guide and the surface pro 4 allows me to actually operate my business from everest. i help clients achieve their dreams. being able to go between having a laptop and having a tablet is really important to me... i couldn't do that with my mac. 's the durability...the reliability...it's incredible. megan and louie have impeccable taste; in shoes and shoe boxes. so they choose new meow mix bistro recipes, made with real chicken to make mealtime taste like a reservation for two.

we could brag about what's in new light & fit yogurt. but we'd rather talk about what's not in it. like no artificial colors or preservative ingredients. and with 70 calories... maybe we're kind of bragging? new light & fit. g when your symptoms start... doctors recommend taking ...non-drowsy claritin every day of your allergy season. claritin provides powerful, non-drowsy 24 hour relief... for fewer interruptions from the amazing things you do every day.

but i sure know where i've been and i've made up my mind, i ain't wasting no more time ?? ? here i go again on my own ? ? goin' down the only road i've ever known ? we're back now. this is a great time for a rio edition of "trending." >> absolutely. >> all the talk in rio has been about simone biles and her

"the new york times" took a look at the science behind the superstar gymnast. she designed a move that's one of the most difficult seen in the sports. it's called the biles. it's a double lay out with a half twist and blind landing. simone first performed it back in 2013. no other gymnast has even tried it in competition. so, hoda, how does she do it? simone's starting run is harder and faster than others so she can take fewer steps and generate more power. that enables her and do more with her routine. while she stands at only 4'8", simone reaches double that height in her floor program. experts also say she has probably better wiring in her nervous system giving her better motor skills. >> incredible. >> my system gets nervous when i watch her. >> exactly. did you happen to see that sweet

on social media. it shows his grandma back home in a nursing home. she's 95 years old. look at what she's carrying. her very own olympic torch. ryan saying she's representing team usa and no doubt she is going to be watching tomorrow night when ryan swims the 200 meter individual medley. proud grandma right there. diving a trending topic this morning not just because team usa won silver in the synchronized event. look at these images from competition. do you notice anything unusual? just hold that for a second. anything unusual back in the crowd? anything. >> they're nude. >> it looks like censorship thanks to strategically placed graphics. it makes it look like they're nude. >> music change here.

>> al, you would go there. >> what's nice is that some of them needed larger graphics than others. i know i said it, al, but you were thinking it. >> not about the size of the graphics. >> speaking of diving, earlier we talk to david boudia and steele johnson. they're back with us and they have a surprise. guys? ?? >> look at the coaster. >> david, come around here. steele, come back here also. >> can i try it on? >> it's your birthday. >> are you allowed? >> still competing.

>> we wish you a happy birthday. >> thank you. >> hoda is not having any fun in rio. >> thank you so much. congratulations. >> our pleasure. thank you. happy birthday. >> i need that. >> i'll take that back. >> right about now. >> share the wealth. >> have you met her? >> she can't run far. >> billy, you want to "pop start." >>up talked about yesterday. leslie jones has become the most spirited cheerleader of team usa and now all of her hard work has paid off. >> guess who is going to rio? guess who is going to rio? >> she's not lying. leslie is rio bound. she's formally accepted an invitation from nbc olympics

come on by. say hello. and the girl from ep epenama streamed more than 30,000 times a day. 1,200% increase for a song released in 1964. can't get it out of my head. >> that's the second most recorded song. >> very relaxing. >> i need to calm down. >> you have another competition when? >> 11 days from now. >> we'll be rooting for you. >> i don't know the song.

>> tan and lovely. does it ring a bell? >> no. >> youth. isn't that great. billy, thank you. al, a check of the weather. let's show you what we have happening for you today. we are looking at more gorgeous weather here for the women's beach volleyball. usa versus brazil today. that will be a big one. 3:30. sunshine and 76 degrees. a spectacular day. we've also got heavy rain through the gulf. we all have to go to th through the gulf. rainfall amounts could see another 12 inches of rain along the big bend of florida and just to the east of new orleans. we're watching a lot of heavy rain through that area. that's what's going on around

>> announcer: "today's" rio is sponsored by coca-cola. open a coke and >> this morning on "today's" rio, the most iconic image of this city. >> that's right. of course we're talking about christ the redeemer. hoda, al, natalie and i were scheduled to take a trip there on monday and while the forecast did not look so good, we decided to take a chance and we just may have witnessed a miracle in the making. take a look. it is the jewel of the rio de janeiro skyline.

famous statue of jesus. it rises 125 feet in the air surrounded by a spectacular view of the city. except on this day. let's do a starting selfie. natalie. when we got to the tram down below, little did we know at that moment there was no view at the top. >> >> i'm good. i'm good. >> a rail separating us. i'm not kidding. >> look at that. the racetrack. >> wow. we're right on the edge of clouds. >> lean back. don't lean -- weight this way. >> we made it. >> finally can look down.

the foggy reality started to sink in. just in time to be completely fogged out. >> fogged in. you can almost see it. >> how about over there? >> that's more fog over there. if you look up there, that should be christ the redeemer. >> what are we looking at? >> i think this is a good time for a team photo. >> we had come all this way to see one of the magnificent monuments. he's there. we decided to just keep doing what we had planned to do. take pictures. enjoy the scenery. lay down on the ground and take in the view. and wave to the helicopter camera we hired which couldn't see us. >> chopper. come closer. up higher. and just when we were about to

>> look at that. it's perfect. >> how perfect is that? >> we were welcomed high above rio with open arms. >> that's unbelievable. unbelievable. >> whoa. >> it was great. >> perfect timing. >> see what happens when we all get together and -- it works. i told >> beautiful. you have to pay more for that. that's phenomenal. now to "today's" olympic moment. >> announcer: "today's" olympic moment is sponsored by walmart. save money, live better. >> with a few quick steps and flash of her blade, muhammad fenced her way into history becoming the first american

the muslim american became an instant star leading into the games bringing new diversity to team usa. her defining moment monday as she stepped on the strip and donned her mask and sealed her first bout with a victory. >> muhammad comes up with the touch to move on to the table of 16. >> and got off to a strong start in >> great fighting spirit. >> the hole just got deeper. >> her dreams of gold quickly came to an end with a devastating loss to france. >> she's off the strip. she got driven out of bounds. >> her dream of an olympic medal comes to a halt.

something bigger. keeping the faith for a new

?? we're back now 8:30 on this tuesday morning. it's the 9th of august, 2016. those are some of the team welcome dancers who perform for athletes at the olympic village around here. we're happy to have them with us on copacabana beach. >> by the way, they have moves.

we're right here. >> i'm good. >> see how cold it is. >> it's not that cold. >> find out. it feels great. >> how are you? nice to see you. >> that's lovely. fantastic. >> coming up, i hear you guys are going to experience cupping, right? >> cupping is this thing that leaves these round welts or bruises on some of the athletes. it's a form of physical therapy and we're going to figure out exactly what it's all well. also, keir simmons is going to take us to the amazon. the nut goes 200 feet up in a tree. >> looks beautiful. >> here's something to get excited about. it's time for al's portuguese class. all right. so team usa doing so well, how

if you want to say i won gold, it's el ganhei ouro. to cheer on team usa. natalie? and that's "today's" lesson. >> we should call this natalie's lesson. w the weather. >> let's see what's happening as far as "today" is concerned. first of all, women's soccer will -- usa taking on colombia. 87 degrees. closer to home, a lot of wet weather from the southeast, gulf coast, florida. could be upwards of 12 inches of

northwest. tomorrow we have more wet weather moving into the northeast. some monsoonal moisture continues in the southwest and sunshine returns on the pacific northwest as well. that's what's >> that's your latest weather. >> can you believe this is where we do our show every morning. >> we have a surfer. >> beautiful.

slightly smaller than the u.s. and population of about 200 million, there's a lot to see in brazil. >> we sent nbc's keir simmons out to explore the country beyond rio. how was it? >> i was genuinely scared filming this. honestly frightened. our trip began in the amazon. the heart of the jungle. our goal to get a bird's-eye view of trees but what we got was the amazon. a vast 2 million square miles of awesome, largely untamed nature. an estimated 390 billion trees. i'm setting out to climb just one. it's a monster. how tall is the tree we're going to climb? >> 180 feet. >> my guide, leo, knows the forest well.

of preventing insect bites. >> i can smell it. >> covering yourself with dead ants. they bite you. they do bite you while you're trying to stop other insects from biting you. and the jungle's predators. that's where jaguars climbed the tree. >> don't think if you want to run from a jaguar if you climb a i don't think i climbed a tree since i was a boy. definitely not like this. and don't look down, right? >> you can look if you want. this is halfway. soon leo's 9-year-old daughter

good way to stop me from thinking of the fact i'm hanging from a rope about 100 feet in the air. leo was born in the wrong place high up in the french alps. we found his true home here in the jungle with his wife, vanessa. their children were born on this deck. all three homeschooled. they playfully call their dad the guru but he's worried. last summer was the driest ever, he says. he fears his forest is incrsi global warming. and you're teaching all of this to your daughter. >> sure. >> back in the tree, she's confident. i'm increasingly not. i'm officially quite frightened. finally reaching the top. don't look down. don't look down. i can't actually believe that i have got up here. honestly my legs are shaking even though i have this rope

with the sounds and smells of life. >> look around. just look around. >> the experience of a lifetime, exhilarating and a little exhausting. later in the week we'll go prana fishing. >> great. thank you. >> up next, billy bush, al and i are going to get cupped live. >> really? >> that doesn't sound right. >> let's walk back to the tent.

>> we're back in rio with large circles that are talk of the town. >> we're not talking about olympic rings but bruises you see on a lot of athletes as a result of a healing technique called cupping. dr. kevin pierce is with the u.s. olympic medical team. dr. pierce, good morning. quite a phenomenon this is. does it really work? >> the idea behind it is thatt promotes blood flow to the area. it's for healing. so the athletes using it today if they have restriction of motion, they use it. it could be for soreness or just feeling tight. a lot of it is more for healing effects. >> we see bruises. is it painful? >> sometimes it's painful.

seconds. it intensifies. >> that does not look good. >> i have a legitimate calf cramp from running the other day. i hope this is good for it. >> this will give it relief and reduce tension that's on there. the accumulation of tissue is rising to the surface is blood flowing to the area. it will leave a nice little bruise. sometimes a bit of accumulation of blood in the area. that's the dark circle you get. it can through motion that intensifies the feeling you feel currently. it brings -- >> where are you going? right there? >> we use cream first. this is more traditional now. >> traditional chinese at first. it's more modern because we don't use cups. these are plastic. more durable. easier for us to transport.

>> a little cream. soothing massage. we find a place of stiffness. we can cup it and control the amount of tissue that comes into the cup. >> how long do you leave them on for? >> two to three minutes up to ten. if we do a static hold, it could be up to ten. >> how long does the bruise or welt last? >> three to seven days. depends on the duration it's on for. >> if i wouldn't leave a bruise? take it off. >> look at billy's. that's going to leave a nice bruise. >> i will walk down copacabana and he must be on the something team. >> any studies about ethicacy of this? >> research is inconclusive. athletes are seeing an increase in range of motion.

or leave it on? >> there's some psychological effect. >> you can torture billy more if you would like. >> take it off. >> one, two. >> that's lovely. >> i want wait to go for a walk today. can't wait. >> aren't you part of the women's beach volleyball team. thank you so much. you think after will go crazy? >> there are many professional teams that use this therapy. it's been going on. thousands of years. a lot of professional sports use it today. >> wait until you see what happens now that this guy has it. thanks so much. >> coming up, we have your morning coffee fix. best brews that brazil has to

? ? ? you live life your way. we can help you retire your way, too. financial guidance while you're mastering life.

- you start your day with it, you end your day with it, and it's always there when you need it: water. srp works with partners to restore our northern forests, the source of the water we deliver to the valley. our commitment to protecting our forests from devastating wildfires ensures that water flows, day in and day out.

welcome back, everybody. did you know that more coffee comes from brazil than from anywhere else in the world? >> the good reason for that, rich soil, high altitude areas that makes the perfect bean. many grown on family owned farms. jenna bush hager is here with more. >> it's an integral brazilian culture. the land of coffee where java flows like water. roasted, brewed, bold or flavored, close to 500 billion cups of joe will be consumed worldwide this year and vast majority of it comes from brazil's many coffee farms like this. this harvest season beans are

of coffee. brought to brazil in the 18th century, brazil has led the world in production for close to 200 years. the farms here harvest coffee beans which are served on cafe counters across the country where brazilians grab, drink and go. a hint of chocolate brewing brazil's best in every coffee cup. i did a shoot yesterday. the coffee was lovely. it was strong, which we need. they like it sweet. not as sweet as we like it. she likes coffee mate in hers. >> a lot of people drink it

>> don't you think it's great? >> it's a smooth cup. >> think of it as a birthday present. >> coffee for birthday.

welcome back to rio

olympics, we like to try out an olympic sport. a few years ago we we want back to the first sport that we attempted and we had some team usa athletes what to do this time around. here is what they said. >> the next sport that they should do is synchronized swimming. >> rugby in rio first year being introduced. >> bmx but they may not make it into work. >> judo and volleyball. it would be interesting to see volleyball, but i would love to see them throw each other. >> gymnastics to get in the tight little uniforms. >> i would say soccer.

shorts. you can stick with them. >> well, we're going to be in rio and beach volleyball is very iconic and there's some things involved. >> gymnastics. that's what i do. that's just some more tights for them to wear. it would be fun. >> it would be the funniest thing is if they did swimming and in a speedo. i would would love to hear about it. >> all right. go. >> i don't know about those. >> the synchronized diving would be fantastic. >> are you crazy? >> what if we did a jump with hand gestures? going up to the middle. they're not high. >> synchronized cannon ball. >> cannon ball, that's it. easy. >> okay.

had some people that have been entertaining us. they're the welcome dancers and entertain us and others across the olympic village. when you walk in, you get to see them dance. will you show us a little bit of the dance moves? will you show us? >> okay. we're going to get a quick one. okay. we're ready. >> okay. >> side, front, side, back. >> okay. do it again. >> side, front, side, back. side, front, side back. side, front, side, back. >> can we have some music? we're ready. okay. let's get the music.

?? ?? >> okay. now what? >> that's it? >> swiveling and hip shaking. >> you going to the back? wh >> okay. i can do that. ?? ?? >> we want to thank the teams and olympic athletes here at the beach. a lot going on. we have beach volleyball and much more.

>> bye everybody. [ applause ] ?? >> we've got a great crowd keeping us >> we have a great crowd here. >> tomorrow all of the high flying moments from the woman's gymnastic in olympics 2016 when the games begin. >> more watch nbc news more than any other news organization in

(jet engine reving up) that's the sound of our summer sale firing up its engines with fares as low as 69 dollars one-way. so get ready to take off ... because sale prices as low as these don't happen every day! book your low fare now at southwest.com. low fares. nothing to hide. that's transfarency.

still ahead of the world record, she's going to break it! >> ledecky is on her way to history at these rio games. ?? > a look from high above at the stunning shoreline of rio de janeiro. and on a warm and sunny olympic tuesday, copacabana beach is where the competition begins. from our home on the beach, welcome along. i'm rebecca lowe. last night saw plenty of excitement in the pool, headlined by gold medals for first time olympians ryan murphy