good morning. diving for gold. an incredible photo finish wins the women's 400 meters. >> it will be a dive by miller for the line. >> allyson felix edged out of the g first leap but a silver medal making her the most decorated female track star in u.s. history. >> oh boy. >> in gymnastics, a bobble on the beam dashes simone biles's chance of winning a record five gold medals in rio. laurie hernandez haking silver. biles settling for bronze. she'll have one more shot at gold "today," tuesday, august

>> he makes it look easy right now. >> and the united states is onto the quarterfinals. >> this was a tremendous routine. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" at the olympic games with matt lauer live from rio de janeiro, brazil, and savannah guthrie live from rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone. welcome to a split edition from rio and new york. can we start by saying it's a beautiful day. can we show you a shot of the most decorated u.s. woman in olympic track and field history. that is allyson felix. she now has -- [ applause ] a dramatic finish to the 400

also it was the finish that people will be watching for a long, long time. >> it was a dive that ended in basically a photo finish. >> today is also the final day of gymnastics. simone biles is looking to bounce back on the floor. she finally proved by the way that she's human, all right. she lost her balance on the beam. ende you have to give it to 16-year-old laurie hernandez. she made the most of her lone individual event nabbing the silver. they hugged it out afterwards. hear from both of them in a little bit. a pretty dramatic night yesterday. >> ups and downs. let's head back to new york and savannah joins us now. what have you got cooking there? >> good morning. we have a big story here. they call this the worst flooding since superstorm sandy. the latest on flooding going on in louisiana right now.

bird's-eye view of the damage and destruction as new communities are put on alert for water that is still rising. we'll have that in a moment. >> all right, savannah. thanks very much. let's bring in natalie in for a look at the olympic action from a day that saw the u.s. not winning a gold medal for the first time, first olympic day since the 12th day of beijing. >> wow. >> i know. it's incredible. you mentioned that dramatic track finish and a rare sli from simone biles. there was also weather and technical issues that made monday a day to remember. >> a dive by miller for the line. >> in the women's 400 meters, a photo finish. shaunae miller winning gold and upsetting allyson felix in her signature event. >> now felix. >> catching up to miller, felix

threw herself over the line. despite the second place finish, felix is now the most decorated woman in track and field history winning her seventh medal in what could be her last olympic competition. >> it's been a fight all season. i gave it all i had tonight. >> the dramatic race capping an already chaotic day here in rio. heavy rain delayed several events. earlier in the day, an camera broke away from its cable at the olympic park causing seven minor injuries. when the events resumed, kenya's david won his second consecutive gold in the 800 meter. american clayton murphy took bronze. in pole vault, another bronze for the americans. sam kendricks rocketing over the bar earning the u.s.'s first medal in the event since 2004

frustration and heartbreak. a false start in round one of the 110 hurdles. tearing off his bib as we left the track. his olympic hopes dashed. for gymnastics superstar simone biles, a rare misstep. slipping on the balance beam nearly falling off. the 19 year old finished strong but it wasn't enough to come heavily favored to win the event, biles came away with bronze while her teammate 16-year-old laurie hernandez took silver. her first individual medal. edging out the americans. sanne wevers of the netherlands. biles, who already has three gold medals, will have another shot later today in the floor exercise. for men's beach volleyball, it's

phil dalhuasser and nick lucena falling to brazil after a dismal first set. the americans came back, forcing a tiebreaker. >> and he puts it away! >> but the brazilians rallied, cheered on by their hometown fans. >> brazil has beaten the united states. >> tonight april ross and kerri walsh jennings will compete in the semifinals with jennings two victories away from her fourth straight olympic gold. here's where the medal count team usa still with a commanding lead followed by china, great britain, and russia. highlighting today's events, again it is the last day of gymnastics, including that floor finals for the women. in track and field men's high jump final and usain bolt back in action in the men's 200. and beach volleyball, team usa the women taking on brazil. semifinals. let's go. >> it's midnight. >> al and i were at the men's game yesterday.

can we bring in somebody we love on this show. allyson felix who was just denied gold by that dive in the 400 meters. good morning. nice to see you. >> good to see you guys. >> did you know who won at the end of the race? were you sure? >> i wasn't sure, no. i was staring up at the board trying to see how it would sort out. >> take me through the last 10, 15 meters of that. >> i just dug deep. to me this year has been all about fighting and so i knew i was just going to give allad that. you know, i left it all out there. >> not every day you see a dive like that in track and field. is that something that as a track athlete you're used to seeing or does this happen every now and then? >> not used to seeing that. it happens every now and then. it's not too common. >> you have said to us in the past that the 400 meters is a beast. >> it is. >> from start to finish, you said i left everything out there. you have no choice. how did you feel during the race?

i felt like it got a little bit away from me and coming home is when i just tried to give all i had. it's outside of my comfort zone. i feel like i'm a sprinter and it's stepping a little bit outside of what i'm used to. >> can we point out that with the silver medal you are the most decorated track runner, olympian, in u.s. history. have you been able to get your head around that title? >> not quite. you know, it is something that i am definitely very, very proud of. it's been so many years and so much hard work and something that to be in the same sentence as jackie joyner-kersee that's going to take time to sink in. >> talk about the journey. there have been ups and there have been downs and yet here you are with another medal in 2016. >> it's been a wild year. in april i had a crazy accident in the gym. i had this ankle injury. at that moment i thought that i wasn't going to be here at all. >> you came to the "today" show

ago or something like that. >> it was pretty crazy. and then from then on my beloved chloe passed, my dog, and then just before i left from the states, my grandfather passed. it seemed like everything was happening. like i said, it was time to just fight. >> a lot of young girls look up to you and watch you and the way you held yourself after yesterday's race and the fact speaks a lot about you. what do you hope to communicate to young kids watching you? >> i hope i can get across that you're going to have obstacles and adversity. let your spirit shine through. keep fighting no matter how the cards are stacked against you. don't let that get you down. >> how many olympic games for you now? >> this is number four. >> in our history with you, you have shown class every single time. >> thank you. >> congratulations. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> allyson, thank you.

let's turn now to -- [ applause ] >> you can clap. >> we'll turn now to drama in gymnastics. simone biles and aly raisman will compete in the floor exercise on the heels of monday's drama. as we said biles took the bronze on the balance beam while laurie hernandez nabbed the silver. i was there, i had a chance to talk to the medal winners when they left the podium. >> american simone biles has already made usa gymnastics history. record five gold medals ended on the balance beam. >> she's so fantastic. she's so consistence. >> she started off strong. >> beautiful. >> then uncharacteristically faltered midway touching the beam. >> oh, boy. >> seeing that mistake, dutch gymnast sanne wevers adjusted her own routine. >> that is so hard. >> doing something less difficult, and winning gold.

>> laurie hernandez took silver and biles got bronze. >> are you okay? how did you feel about -- >> i'm disappointed in how i performed my beam set. not in the medal that i got, because it's fine. but if you think about it, i'm the only gymnast out here that has done this as many times as i have. so i have to give myself props for that. >> hernandez was the silver lining for team usa. >> great form. >> just 16 years old competing in her first ever international meet, hernandez followed wevers with a rock solid routine full of jumps, flips, turns. >> wow. >> nailing her dismount and walking away with her first individual medal. a silver. >> this was a tremendous routine. >> this is your first individual medal at the olympic games. when you did your dismount, did you think to yourself, i think i got something here? >> yeah. i mean, i've been training so hard. i'm glad i just did the routine i've been doing in practice. i have no regrets.

>> kind of. i thought i was going to throw up. that was the most nervous i've ever been before a meet. once i got on the beam i was more calm than usual. >> you were? >> yes. >> very nice. >> how happy are you for laurie? i saw you wrap her arms around her and hug her with that megawatt smile. >> i couldn't be more proud of laurie in how she performed tonight and how she held herself this whole olympic experience. you would think it's her second time at the olympi i'm so proud of her. >> friends from way back now silver and bronze medal winners with biles already looking ahead to her floor routine. one more tomorrow night. do you feel good about tomorrow? we love you. >> we love it. thank you. >> look at you right in the heart of it. >> i was so into that. one of the most fun things i think we get to do on the show

we have tony and wanda hernandez, laurie's mom and dad. by the way i told laurie that you guys were going to be here in the morning and she was so excited. she was looking around for you last night or yesterday afternoon. tell me what you guys talked about after her win. >> it was just an incredible feat. it still hasn't hit us to be quite honest. it's just one of these things that it's so surreal. it just hasn't hit us yet. >> just before she competes, you guys hold hands and do a little prayer circle. i could see you before each -- tell us why that's important. >> we think faith before everything. we are so grateful and humble for the experience and laurie to go out there and to shine with her usa team and the comradery of the team of usa, the coaches. we're just so grateful for the opportunity for laurie to be here and just to see her big

>> thanks for coming by this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you so much. coming up, we'll hear from the final five aly raisman and you'll see both aly and simone compete on the floor exercise tonight during nbc's prime-time olympic coverage starting at 8:00, 7:00 central. >> more to come from rio. right now we want to go to new york and check in with savannah. >> thank you so much. >> we move to that desperate situation unfolding right now in louisiana. some of the worst flooding in morning even more communities are facing a danger of new flooding. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in baton rouge again for us this morning. hi, gabe. good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah. the death toll has now climbed to at least seven. more than 20,000 people have been rescued. as we take a live look from this drone, you can see many areas are still inundated. the red cross now calling this the worst flooding disaster in

four years ago. this morning more communities are bracing for historic water levels as louisiana's record rainfall moves downstream. >> this is an unprecedented historic flood event. >> the army national guard giving us a firsthand look from the sky. there is plenty of water in wide swaths of louisiana but thankfully the water in some places appears to be receding. >> the rain has eased but other areas south of baton rouge are rising rivers. right now we're over one of the hardest hit areas. some parts got more than 31 inches of rain in just 48 hours. the residents here tell us they've never seen anything like this. >> a couple hours we probably had six foot of water. >> reporter: mark barely escaped with his wife and kids as the water rose in watson.

>> reporter: a few pop-up showers are expected today but not enough to add to this flooding. the concern is the water that's already here moving downstream. thousands of people are packing emergency shelters. many schools are closed and roads, major roads, are shut down, savannah. >> thank you so much. turning now to the presidential race hillary clinton and donald trump trading new attacks on the campaign trail with vice president joe biden getting in jabs of his own and trump is causing a new stir with a co nbc's andrea mitchell is on the story this morning. andrea, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. hillary clinton will be campaigning here in philadelphia today where she needs to run up a huge vote to offset donald trump's strengths elsewhere in pennsylvania. this critical battleground state. a campaign faltering, donald trump is trying to shift gears. >> extreme vetting. >> reporter: going beyond his

ideological test for would-be immigrants. >> in addition to screening empathizers of terrorist groups, we must screen out hostile attitudes toward our country. she also lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on isis and all of the many adversaries we face. >> reporter: clinton enlisting trenton native vice president joe biden to challenge trump's fitness to be commander in chief. thoroughly unqualified to be president of the united states of america. >> reporter: while clinton leads trump in philadelphia and its suburbs, he is gaining among white working class voters in places like scranton. >> friends should not let

>> reporter: what do you say to white, not college educated men in pennsylvania in scranton? >> take a look at the facts. take a look at what he's talking about. take a look at what we're talking about. >> reporter: and in our new nbc news survey monkey online poll out today, hillary clinton continues to hold a nine-point lead over donald trump nationally but a majority of voters continue to hold unfavorable views of both candidates with hillary clinton only slightly less unpopular ban donald trump. >> andrea mitc o thank you. a programming note, later today we'll sit down for an exclusive interview with hillary clinton's running mate tim kaine and his wife, anne holton. we'll have that conversation for you tomorrow morning on "today." for now, we'll send it back to matt, hoda and al in rio. >> we look forward to that interview, savannah. thanks very much. you have more on that flooding back home. >> more rain there and that rain is going to make its way up into the mid plains and eventually

you can see it's meandering stationary front from texas into the great lakes with low pressure running along it. heavy showers and thunderstorms. flash flood watches for texas. three to four inches possible from mississippi on into texas and that wet weather makes its way into the northeast. not enough to alleviate the drought conditions there but we could look at two to three inches of rain. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next

>> that's your latest weather. guys? >> thanks so much. mom speak out about harsh criticism over why she didn't put her hand over her heart during the national anthem. >> they're undefeated. why have the games been so close for the men's u.s. basketball team? we'll get into that but first

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we're back now 7:30 on a tuesday morning. it's the 16th day of august. it's good morning. a spectacular one on the beach here in rio. a nice crowd gathering before it gets too hot around here. >> the crowd keeps building. we have a lot to get to this half hour starting with this today's olympic headlines in track. it was a wild end to the women's 400 meters. miller of the bahamas pulled off the upset over allyson felix by diving head first over the finish line. a silver for felix made hert most decorated u.s. woman in

seventh medal so far. >> we had a chance to talk to her in our last half hour. emma coburn was the first woman to medal in the women's steeplechase. she took home the bronze. and men's will 800 meters got a bronze. >> and it is going to be rowdy tonight at women's beach volleyball. kerri walsh jennings and april ross will face the semifinals. gold medal is on the line. we'll be there. >> we're going to hear that all night long. >> yes, we are. >> let us begin though this half hour with the star athlete from team usa being forced to defend herself. natalie has more on that. >> guys, good morning. gabby douglas won gold as a member of the final five. however, she is also now facing rather harsh criticism online from people questioning everything from her

but now gabby and her mom are having their say. she was one of the breakout stars of the 2012 games. as a member of the fierce five, gabby douglas won gold along with the hearts of millions. here in rio, her graceful moves helped her team win gold but it's something she didn't do on the podium that put her at the center of the social media firestorm. >> you go from people's adoration to being the brunt of all tri her nature is so giving and so kind. >> the backlash began whether douglas caught up in the moment didn't put her hand on her heart during the national anthem. cyber bullies pouncing on twitter. on the one hand, so proud of the final five gold win, on the other hand, so disappointed gabby douglas didn't salute the flag. douglas tweeting, in response to a few tweets i saw tonight, i always stand at attention out of respect for our country whenever

i never meant any disrespect and apologize if i offended anyone. the criticism intensifying after douglas was accused of not cheering on her teammates during the individual competition. earning her the nickname crabby gabby. the tweets flooding in, i mean at least act like you're happy that your teammates won. #crabbygabby. and be a role model and show good sportsmanship. douglas later telling reporters i apologize if i seemed really mad in the respect them in everything they do. i never want anyone to take it as i was jealous or i wanted attention. never. i support them and i'm sorry that i wasn't showing it. the attacks leading to accusations of cyber bullying with support rallying behind douglas online including actress and olympic super fan who had her own cyber bullying scandal. i just heard gabby get ago

>> she was deaf statd. she tried to push it off and not focus on it. but in the end, she couldn't understand it. >> the way to respond to the haters is show your support. a lot of people online doing. that #loveforgabbyusa trending. true story yesterday. my 3-year-old announced her her name is now gabby douglas. love for gabby usa. so love for gabby usa. >> when you know gabby douglas, you know she meant nothing by >> i know. caught up in the moment. it's so tough to be a competitor at the olympics. >> yeah. >> natalie, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> we've been talking about that heat that continues in the east. and we're going to be seeing it out west as well. also, take a look. we got a risk of severe weather today. isolated tornadoes possible. western new york and parts of pennsylvania. we're watching this 51 million people at risk for severe storms later this afternoon and into

pressure pumping up. oppressive temperatures. feels like conditions up and down the eastern seaboard. it feels like well over 100 degrees. and we got a wildfire danger out west that continues as well. the heat will continue to plague parts of california where their drought continues as well. that's what's going on around >> and get that weather any time you need it.

cable. >> good advice always. still the dream team. why the u.s. men's basketball team loaded with all those nba stars isn't blowing out the competition. plus, a real cliff-hanger. how natalie and jenna managed to pull that off. but first, these messages. 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. at&t and t-mobile rates. that's why millions 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.

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what gets you started. >> we're back with "today's" olympic start. the u.s. men's basketball team has advanced to the quarterfinals. they'll be in action tomorrow against argentina. >> you know what? they were actually busy on the beach on their day off on monday trying their hand at volleyball. however, there's a question following this team around. why aren't they dominating on the court? nbc's keir simmons is here with that. keir, good morning to yo they're young. they're having fun. if they're going to get serious, now would be a good time. the nba has some of the biggest names playing but the last three games have been close ones against mundane competition and that has some fans very quietly worried. they won every game. 100-97 victory. undefeated. >> the united states escapes with a victory.

>> they've been playing not as well as they should but he had should win gold. >> coach k. has to get it together. >> expectations are high. u.s. basketball has medaled in every olympic since 1984. this team confident ahead of the games. >> i enjoy competing and enjoy playing basketball. >> but barrel surviving three-point nail biters against serbia and france. >> if our defense stays this bad as far as team usa goes, they could get upset in the round. >> off the court they've been team usa's biggest supporters congratulating michael phelps, cheering at beach volleyball. singing happy birthday to kerri walsh jennings. and there's so much else to do in rio. sightseeing. going to the beach. even trying their own hand at beach volleyball with the locals while casually sipping from coconuts. going into the quarterback

a week ago jimmy butler did put an instagram photo from here. playing football. wrong sport. and in a line outside of the nba house -- >> you're wearing a klay thompson jersey. >> big fan. >> we need you to make sure that not drinking too much. >> i will. >> that's a relief because their fans -- >> want to support my u.s. team. >> think gold should be a lay-up. the men's team could take a cue from the u.s. women. they won their group games by an average of 40 points. or they could look at how british basketball team has been doing. >> you're welcome on our team any time you want.

tirico, host of nbc's daytime coverage of the olympics. what's going on with the men's basketball team? >> they need to do what the women's team is doing. they had a game where they had 24 field goals in the first half. 22 of them were assisted. the women's team shares the ball. these guys do not. they play hero ball. they need to play better and work together. >> when you look at the outcome over france, serbia, australia, is this a team that hasn't gelled yet, >> the talent is down. now, they are tremendous players like carmelo anthony and kevin durant but they need to play within more of of a team system. >> yesterday simone biles had that bobble. did that take the pin out of the pressure so she can go on the floor tonight and say let's let

she can walk away with four golds. because she had potential and could win five because of what she's done on the way to rio, it almost feels like a bit of a letdown but four goals would be something special. >> let's end on the dive in 400 meters yesterday. allyson felix edged out by shaunae miller of the bahamas. you need to be all in >> we don't see it very often. american fans were disappointed, is that fair? however you get the torso there, that's the difference maker others people would put hands out to break the line. you do that a few times, it's not really going to get your body back. >> that's going to leave a mark. >> a real mark. a golden mark for her. good for her.

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with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa, nutella adds a smile to any morning. one jar; so many delicious possibilities. nutella - spread the happy! welcome back to rio on a sun is working on. he's in our rio orange room and carson is busy working on "the voice." >> if "the voice" were a yelling competition or cheering, leslie jones might win. nobody has shown more olympic spirit here in rio than leslie jones. her infectious nationalism knows no bounds and team usa is trying to tap into that enthusiasm. the women's basketball team took to twitter with a special

cheerleader. >> we hear you are traveling seeing a lot of events. we want you to come check us out. please come check us out. who? >> leslie jones! >> who? >> leslie jones! >> jones had a response online within the hour. >> i can't come to your event but i'm'm sending you slay all day. go out and somebody better dunk too because i'm going to be disappointed. >> look for brittney griner to dunk against japan. the rock is completing the 22 pushup challenge raising awareness for veterans. in this video, he's calling out a certain olympic superstar. >> kevin hart, jj watt, simone

there -- >> simone, it looks like four olympic medals so far isn't enough. the rock needs you to drop and give him 22. back to you. >> all right. >> we'll see if that happens. just ahead, the captain of the final five aly raisman on how she kept her team loose in rio as they prepares to go for individual gold tonight. >> we've got a dog that surfs hydrate even the thirstiest hair with wholesome, quenching moisture. new whole blends by garnier. into new hydrating haircare. paraben-free formulas infused with coconut water & vanilla milk extracts. whole blends hydrates, replenishes, and softens. for hair that flows effortlessly, whole blends is truly quenching moisture. new garnier whole blends coconut water & vanilla milk. wholesome loving care blended for naturally beautiful hair. find your blend. packed with flavor, one hero was on a mission to save snack time.

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it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, thrills and spills. >> a dive by miller for the line. >> team usa's allyson felix misses gold by a nose coming in women's 400-meter race. while gymnastics superstar simone biles has a rare misstep on the beam as she takes home the bronze and teammate laurie hernandez wows to win silver but with team spirit. >> i think all of the girls agree there's nothing as amazing and special as being able to win that team gold medal.

>> natalie catches up with the final five's team captain as aly raisman gets set to defend her gold medal in today's floor exercise finals. and over the edge. >> be careful. >> natalie and jenna's latest daring stunt. a real cliff-hanger in rio, "today," tuesday, august 16th, 2016. ?? >> from the big apple to the shores of copacabana, it's live from rio! >> a shout out to dmv d.c., maryland and virginia and across the united states. >> shout out to pennsylvania. >> westchester. >> pittsburgh. >> go usa! >> we're back now 8:00 on a tuesday morning.

we sound like a broken record. it's another beautiful day here at the beach. we're walking down the promenade. we're having a usa parade. coming up, billy and natalie attempt surfing. one of them did really well. the other not so much. >> we also -- we teased this earlier. we have a surfing dog in the house. >> make sure you get that right. no question about it. we'll check bono out in just a little while. let us start with the latest olympic news. nbc's peter alexander is over at olympic park with all that. peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. they have music blaring this morning. olympic park already filling up. team usa looking to get back on track today after going a full day without a gold.

beijing in 2008. it really was an evening of upsets and some surprises including american allyson felix barely missing out on her fifth career gold by fractions of a second in women's 400-meter race. >> as they hit the home straightaway, here's allyson felix. miller has the lead. felix is second. >> a sprinting sensation upset at her only individual shot at gold 400 meter with a headfirst dive, shaunae miller edging out allyson felix at the finish line. >> a really tough loss for allyson felix. >> so close officials needed a photo finish to determine the winners. the silver, felix's seventh career medal making her the most decorated female track and field athlete of all-time. passing jackie joyner-kersee. >> i wasn't sure. i was staring up at the board seeing how it would sort out. >> reporter: colorado native

becoming the first american women to earn a mendal since it debuted in 2008. >> and crossing the line realizing i got third is unbelieve ability. >> in gymnastics, simone biles suffering her first major slipup faltering on the balance beam. >> oh boy. that's half a point. >> winning the bronze but ending her chance to take home a record five golds in rio. her teammate ki her first individual medal. biles will go for a fourth gold today in the floor exercise where she's favored to win. >> i'm disappointed in how i perform my beam set. if you think about it, i'm the only gymnast out here that's performed as much as i have. so i have to give myself props for that. >> americans up against the second match point for brazil. >> brazil coming up big on the

phil dalhuasser and nick lucena. the men's indoor volleyball team steam rolling ahead. advancing to the quarterfinals. >> to hang together and come back with two monster victories and take care of business. >> and a powerhouse performance in the pole vault. a new olympic record set becoming the first brazilian man to win gold in rio. clearing 19'19". >> i don't believe what i just saw. diago is on another planet. >> hard to say who was more excited about the victory. the pumped up athlete or the overjoyed hometown crowd. and not to be forgotten. and sam kendrick second lieutenant in the army reserve to win a bronze in that pole vault event. with 27 more golds up for grabs today. here is where your medal count stands. team usa fortifying its giant

britain and russia. great britain and russia together combining for just about as many medals as the u.s. has. on top today, simone biles and aly raisman in the women's floor exercise. on the track tonight, the men's high jump and then back on the beach, april ross and kerri walsh jennings face off against the reigning world champs from brazil with a trip to the final on the line. u.s. women 3-1 against brazil head to head. matt and hoda? >> it will be a good one. >> a barn burner. peter, thank you. savannah back in new york city with the other top stories of the morning. savannah? >> guys, good morning. in the news, the red cross says the flooding disaster in louisiana is now the worst since superstorm sandy four years ago. search teams found more victims in the baton rouge area on monday raising the death toll to at least seven. about 11,000 people are now in shelters and louisiana's governor is urging them to stay there until crews are able to clear the roads.

of baton rouge now as rain swollen rivers surge toward the gulf of mexico. a man described by police as a serial arsonist has been charged with setting the wildfire that destroyed more than 175 homes and other buildings in northern california. nbc's jo ling kent is in the town of lower lake this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. 17 counts of arson. also developing right now. a suspect has been named for being a serial arsonist. his name is damin pashilk. he'll be booked in court tomorrow. this may lead to answers for a community that is hurting after 175 homes and businesses burned to the ground. more than 1,000 firefighters

this community has been lucky in the past from wildfires, but this week, burned through downtown and main street. a lot of questions surrounding the anniversary of the wildfires last year. including the valley fire. does this arsonist have anything to do with the smaller fires started around that anniversary here in lower lake, californias? here we are 20% containe w face a new day ahead. savannah. >> jo kent, thank you. in politics, hillary clinton has a nine-point lead over donald trump. in our survey monkey tracking poll, that is down from last week. hillary clinton is campaigning in philadelphia today. she was joined by vice president joe biden in his moment town of scranton. he told the audience trump is

vetting of immigrants to keep out any who are hostile to the u.s. and like a house of cards, the hotel and casino came crashing down in las vegas this morning for more convention space. the riv closed after 60 years after hosting headliners of liberace and dean martin. as well as "oceans 11." guys, back to you in rio. thank you, savannah. >> how many olympic games? >> 18 consecutive one? >> the first one was? >> yugoslavia. >> she is our winner. >> you have students here? >> i'm here with the george

>> coming up next, a major new honor for simone biles and the stars of team usa swimming. michael phelps and katie ledecky. you will see first here on "today." and the captain of the final five. hang on, lisa. aly raisman on her gymnastics success and what she cannot do. and more of jenna hanging around in rio. but first these messages. poor foster kid black immigrant cancer patient small muslim

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today. are you ready? >> ready. >> first up, can we show you this new photo that features three great olympian and champions this morning "sports illustrated" giving us the first exclusive look at their brand new cover. you'll recognize these faces by now. ledecky, phelps and biles. headline, the greatest and they say during the photo shoot which took place sunday night, apparently michael phelps was really good at lining up all of those medals. even showed katie ledecky how >> he has practice. >> i know he does. at the time he won 14 medals between them and that issue will hit newsstands tomorrow. >> picture that one flying off the shelves. a nice story about michael phelps and katie ledecky. we had them on the show and we asked them to recreate a photo they took ten years ago as young fan katie got michael's autograph. this time it was michael who got

been number one on today.com. they have a cool bond those two. >> so special. wow. >> very cool. all right. you guys know the sport of dressage. it involves a horse. horse dancing. you might think it sounds a little stuffy but i want you to listen to this. some of the songs olympians are using during their routine and a rider >> love the song. >> smooth moves on that horse. >> is the horse moving to -- that's impressive. >> not to be outdone, team usa's

schoo by vanilla ice. >> that horse has some moves. >> look at that. love it. >> so when it comes to celebrating, everyone celebrates success a little differently. olympians are no exception. here are a couple examples flying around the web this morning. check out this weight lifter. he shattered a record. breaks out into a move. chicken. it's an old folk dance in case you're wondering. then there's a wrestler from cuba that won a third straight gold. how does he celebrate? body slamming his coach of course. he puts him down like he's a doll. toss that guy around. nice way to celebrate. >> all right. billy has "pop start" from the beach. >> we'll begin with hugh jackman if everyone is okay with that.

native australia. >> to the aussie team and those who have competed and those about to compete, we are so proud of everything you've been doing. it's been amazing. keep going. >> did he do that as part of the witness protection program? it's a little dark. >> not so enthusiastic. hugh captioned the video aussie, aussie, aussie and folks down under are doing okay in the medal count placing in ten. not bad. some of the best olympic themed movies. "the new york times" singled out titles. among the paper's pick, "cool running" a 1993 classic and "chariots of fire" back when men

glory." rival skaters who decide to team up. >> that has to be in there. spielberg nominated for an oscar in that. mr. roker, it's a little close out here. >> i don't know whether billy sweat through his shirt yet but >> it's early. >> let's show you what we have as we move through the day. wet weather stretching from texas into the great lakes. a lot of flooding going on around detroit, michigan, this morning. a lot of roads closed as well. this system will push to the east bringing with it the threat of severe weather in the northeast and parts of new england and more flooding from texas on into arkansas. out west, the heat continues. 97 degrees today in portland, oregon.

skies tomorrow but then rain on thursday. that's wha >> and you can take us with you wherever you go. sirius can xm channel 108. >> announcer: "today's" athlete to watch is sponsored by p&g.

>> now let's check out "today's" athlete to watch. gymnast aly raisman won team gold and a silver in the individual all-around here in rio. >> today she's going to try to repeat as the olympic champion of the floor exercise. natalie, you have a lot more on her. >> sure do. 22 years old. aly is the elder statesman. some of her teammates call her the grandma. when i talked to her, i quickly regular kid at heart. >> that is an olympic gold medal winning moment. >> all of the girls agree there's nothing as amazing and special as being able to win that team gold medal. whatever else happens, the rest is just kind of icing on top of the cake. >> aly raisman, no stranger to that sweet taste of victory. she took home two golds and a bronze back in london and a

trip i've ever been done. we had so much fun together. we used to have a crush on all of the swimmers. we would try to plan our meals and go to dinner around the same time as them. >> one of my favorite moments from london was seeing your mom going stick it! stick it! stick it! >> funny when i watched the video after the meet, my mom and dad's video they had more views than my floor routine did. it's funny. i didn't know they would get that nervous. >> back to recharge. now she leads her team in fierceness and fun. when you guys get a chance competing but just to hang out together, what is it like at night? what do you do? >> we are really hyper. we're running up and down doing cartwheels in the hallway and jumping on beds and going crazy. we're always laughing. >> after winning silver in the all-around last week, raisman has one more chance at gold

dinner. i speak portuguese. i thought i would help you out with a word or phrase. >> we all eat so healthy. after the meet we're going to want to know where the pizza is. we'll just say pizza. everyone wit get it. >> routine is arguably the best at the games but there are skills she's yet to master. i hear that you think you're uncoordinated. >> i can't snap. i can't whistle. >> not at all? >> can you show me an example of what whistling looks like to you? >> i don't know. just blowing. i don't know how to do it. do you know how to whistle? >> yeah. thank god you can do everything else perfectly.

gymnastics. >> there is something she can't do well. snapping and whistling. i'm sure she'll do well on the floor exercise tonight. >> by the way, it has begun. >> here it is. >> the arms. the pectoral area. and the back. >> when you talk about it, it helps me cool off. >> wearing a dark >> natalie, thank you. >> announcer: "today's" olympic moment is sponsored by walmart. save money, live better. >> this morning on "today's" olympic moment, an epic crash and tearful triumph in track cycling. >> a crash course in the true meaning of the olympic spirit. >> comes right down. takes the korean rider out.

sixth and final race considered the most gruelling event in track cycling. one of three cyclist dropped from his seat creating a tangled mess on the track while korea's rider was taken away on a stretcher, he seemed unfazed by the collision. pedalling a replacement bike toward an emotional victory. a thrilling end who becomes the first italian to win olympic track cycling gold in two decades. >> what a dramatic race.

causing the crash and took home the silver. first ever olympic medal. billy bush just ran away dripping in sweat. >> we'll have natalie and jenna hanging by a thread right after

?? >> we're back now 8:30 on a tuesday morning. you're darn right that's a surfing dog. bono showing off his skills in the waters off copacabana beach. he is incredible. >> they've been surfing together for a long time. >> billy and i also tried a little surfing. >> how did that work out? >> not as well as bono's surfing.

>> all right. we've been showing you dramatic photos all morning. these are ones of natalie and jenna hanging out on this rock. did you wonder how did they get there? they're going to explain the shenanigans after this. >> there has to be shenanigans because natalie could get there. no way jenna would go there. >> he's right. >> i can't rock on a cliff. >> and our buddy keir schooling us on basketball and now catching man eating piranhas. >> this morning we have the perfect steak. you have had it. it's amazing. we'll sample that coming up in a little bit. >> but right now we have some

clayton murphy, bronze medal winner in 800 meters and sam kendrick took gold in the pole vault. >> get in the middle. >> what was it? 1992 since an american has medaled in this. you take home a medal. have you gotten your arms around that? >> no, tonight. they make you wait for a while. ng >> what do you think that medal ceremony will be like? >> someone asked if i ran it through my head. i have but i don't know what i'm going to think. don't trip and fall. don't do anything to embarrass yourself. that type of thing. >> you hung out in the middle of the pack until you broke out. was that your plan all along? >> the plan was to be toward the front. it was so fast. that's the fastest ever out in the 800. that was relatively close to what he ran the world record in

so i was farther back. wanted to hang. i kind of left it all out there. >> all right. it's been since 2004 since an american took a medal in this event in pole vault. how are you feeling? >> i feel really great. it's been a lot of fun to come out here and compete and be here on the beach and watch clayton run on the track as i was competing. i get to be out there in the middle of things for so long. it last longer than a equipment delays for over four hours. i got to see the whole track meet. >> your dad was in the green room. hello, dogs. >> they don't surf. >> your dad was in the green room and said you're not only great at running, you're a good pig farmer. >> i did grow up on a pig farm until i was a junior in high school. i showed pigs. yeah. >> we're proud of you guys.

our country on two fronts. god bless you. >> thank you. >> we appreciate it. guys, congrats. >> all right. it's time now for natalie's portuguese class. let's call it what it is. i have nothing to do here. it happens to be kathie lee's birthday so how do we say happy birthday kathie lee? >> we have something that we have to toast it is kathie lee's birthday. >> i don't know if you're allowed to do these. >> we'll drink for you. >> no. >> you're not allowed. how do you say we miss you? >> all right. what are we doing? >> i'm sorry. and finally something kathie

>> we've been saying that a lot. >> happy birthday, kathie lee. that's the portuguese class for today. >> these sore good. >> really are. i don't care about doing the weather right now. we'll do it anyway because i happen to be here. let's show you what we have going on. looking ahead starting with today, we'll be seeing heavier showers and thunderstorms. the risk of strong storms up into the northeast and southern new england. western third of the country very toasty. a high. look for wet weather down through texas and then next day for tomorrow, mid-atlantic states, wet weather continues in texas and the western third of the country plenty of sunshine

>> announcer: "today's" rio sponsored by coca-cola. open a coke and enjoy the games. >> all right. rio. our producers don't try to harm us although sometimes they would like to and made an exception this week. did you hear my comment about jenna? >> i heard it, too. >> she came on the beach and immediately dug this for me. i'll be in there. >> we want you to take a look at pictures. these are natalie and jenna hanging on a cliff. >> if you were wondering, that

kids, please explain how that happened. >> we have bruises to prove it. it's a real adventure. hanging off a cliff real or not real we hiked up a treacherous path called telegraph rock and put our lives at risk. >> all in the name of good tv. >> are you ready? this is apparently the beginning of our death defying hike. >> the stairway to nowhere. i don't like to do adventure things with you. >> all i know doing death defying. a photo-op at the top. one of us have to hang off a cliff. >> typically that's me. >> we'll find out. let's go. >> do we have to run the stairs? is there a reason you have to run? >> i think we have to workout, girl. this is our workout of the day. >> every time i do something with you it's some sort of torture. >> be careful. >> give us a ride.

>> i am sweating. >> you have ice in your blood. >> i do have ice in my veins. >> i have hot chocolate. >> we're almost at the top. i feel it. >> this is the third time you said that. you know what happens at the end? you're going to be flung off a rock. the. >> look at that. it's incredible. >> this is where we hang. >> that's where you'll hang off the cliff. we're up where the birds fly. >> ready? >> time for you to climb. be careful. it's treacherous. be careful. >> legs up. legs up. do these look good? >> you're fine. if you look down there's rock all around you. >> what?

>> both hanging. >> did we get it? >> we got the shot. >> all that hanging around you might think there's rock under you. >> we have bruises. >> i thought those were from surfing. >> and by the way, my abs the next day have ever been that sore. id >> yeah. a man ahead of us broke his leg. >> for those that are afraid of hikes, it is frightening. my hands were sweaty. >> we got the best picture. >> so proud of both of you. >> thank you. glad we could do this for you. coming up next, another wild

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illusion. this is where two massive rivers come together. one black, one brown. they form the mighty amazon. among the many animals, 3,000 species of fish. some notorious. we're on a fishing expedition like no other to catch piranha. he now runs tours of the ancient river. >> it's like >> magical place? >> magical place. >> piranha will eat any meat even rarely humans. to attract these underwater killers, he mimics a distressed animal in the water. >> they like noise. >> this is less like fishing and more like hunting. >> would it help if i cut my

those are some sharp teeth. >> come closer and i'll bite your face off. >> day one over, we caught one fish and a hunter can only eat what he catches. she wanted to eat me. this is my revenge. >> right. >> it tastes like cod kind of. >> freshwater fish. >> tastes like a >> not very much meat here. very bony. it's day two and we try another fishing spot. this time i have more luck. yes. all right! i didn't think i would be able to do that. looks like i wasn't the only one to target this fish. piranhas prey on each other.

hold it here. >> i think you should do this. i don't want to cause her anymore pain and i don't want to cause myself any pain. our fishing expedition somewhat successful, there is a final surprise as i wade in he assures me there are no piranhas here but we're soon surrounded by the amazon's they are rubbing against our legs. it's it's credible. people here believe that these dolphins are princes. >> dolphins are mythological animals for the amazon. according to legend after midnight they become the handsome boy to chase the girls

blame it on the dolphin. >> they are no threat to us but it turns out the fish they eat include piranhas and in the amazon, every animal depends on another. the power and beauty of this river and its inhabitants both stunning and humbling. >> wow. >> you had the greatest time here. >> i'm just pleased they didn't send me fishing for dolphin swimming with piranha. >> that was a great story. straight ahead, surf's up. one of the most talented dogs you'll meet here in rio and what happened when natalie and billy tried to catch a wave here.

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back now on the beach on a tuesday morning. we told you the international olympic committee decided to include five more sports in the 2020 games. one of them is surfing. >> before it arrives in tokyo, i'm scared, natalie and billy decided to hang 10. >> not a good idea. >> soccer may be number one sport in brazil but look at the beaches. gorgeous. surfing is another popular choice of the situation and we got a lesson from two of brazil's best pro surfers. rio de janeiro is known for its beautiful beaches. and surfing is gaining popularity here so we thought we would give it a try. >> have you gotten up on a surfboard before? >> i have. >> all the way, baby. >> we have the best of brazil's surfing champions here with us

are pro surfers and surfed some of the biggest waves in the world. we were hitting slightly smaller waves here in rio but only slightly. first thing is dry lesson. >> first of all, safety. >> if you fall, never fall headfirst. we will do strokes together and then waste. perfect. that's good. >> on land it's easy. >> that's the feeling. go, go, go. perfect. >> let's go. let's go. ?? >> i love you, mom. >> love you guys. we're crazy. we're going to blame it on rio.

there were some big waves. and a few attempts to get up. finally billy had his moment. ?? >> i found an easy way shore. >> never, ever, ever, ever again. >> clearly we didn't have a lot of success. we had to bring a dog to surf for us today. >> you got up. >> when you have a still photographer with you that takes

looks like you were up. >> it's hard. it's hard to get up there. billy "the bull" bush. >> he doesn't quit. >> we're going to grill steak up brazilian thanks to our surfing dog ought here much he's been out here all morning for us. but first -- >> this is "today" --

and we are back with today's food in rio. brazilians take great pride in their cuisine particularly the barbecue. >> they lot of meat here. this morning, thanks to our chef swreshgs a delicious recipe for grilled steak. alberto, good morning. >> most popular guy on the plaza t being a chef here in brazil. >> yes. yes. start ag career. but we're getting there. >> what are you making today? >> i'm making, i know you're big on steak. it's like a traditional brazilian cut. it is starting to have that in america as well. i know there are some specialty meat shops they have it. but it's very traditional here. >> what is different? >> it's just -- you have the rump of beef. we slice it a little bit. >> want me to help you?

>> olive oil. >> okay. >> how long do you cook up the meat in the pan? >> the thickness, two or three minutes. it depends on the thickness of the meat. >> and just sea salt, right? >> yes. >> nothing else? >> nothing else. for me, like way spend so much time and money on good ingredients, i try to keep the flavor as pure as possible. so put a little bit of melted butter here. >> yes. so we have a lot of different varieties of flour. this one is like a flaky one. it's lighter. >> you learned to love this. >> it makes it crunchy. >> yes. it does. >> very slow cooking process. we're going to leave it here. we adjust it here. >> let's serve this up and taste. >> of course, it's here. that's ready for you guys. i'm going to finish this off. it's just like a lemon juice and olive oil and a little bit of

>> that's amaamazing. >> alberto. >> by the way -- amazing! >> this is fantastic. alberto, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> nice and rare. >> we can put this recipe up on the website today.com/food. we're back with your local news

>> first man in history to win 300 meter olympic crowns in a row. tuesday morning in rio. we look down at olympic stadium, the centerpiece of the second week of these games. it's been a high for the climate there with much more ahead today. and from our studio on copacabana beach in rio, good morning. i'm rebecca lowe. it seems there's a memorable moment from track and field every evening.