the forecast. we're going to channel 20 and hope to see you there. take care, bye-bye. good morning. stunning loss. >> agatha puts it away! >> kerri walsh jennings and april ross defeated in beach volleyball semifinals, the first defeat of walsh jennings' career, as gymnastics wraps up with a bang for team usa. >> oh, my! >> two silver medals for danell leyva. a record-tying fourth gold for simone biles, this time in the floor exercise. and aly raisman takes silver, but that was just one memorable moment for the final five. zac efron showing up in rio to surprise his biggest fans, and

don't know if i've seen him do quite that good ever! >> and that may there and then have been the gold medal jump. >> that one just about perfect! >> 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. and good morning, everyone. welcome to a special split-edition of "today." [ cheers and applause ] hoda, we're here to covering the olympics, so it's all about the athletes. we're going to be talking about a lot of medalists this morning, but with we could give out an olympic gold medal for sportsmanship and supporting team usa, the guy standing down on the deck, zac efron, would

angeles here to surprise the final five. >> he's been watching simone biles tweet. he was keeping up with all of it. he said, what am i doing at home? he got on a plane. there was a lot of cloak and dagger. we're going to show you the epic surprise in a little bit. we love this guy, huh? >> yeah, we do. so does the crowd. we'll talk to him in a little while. surprise hoda just talked about, we were in the arena watching simone and aly compete. we caught up with them moments after they received their medals. we'll have that for you as well. >> wow, that's also a great, great moment. plus, we mentioned that heartbreaking loss for kerri walsh jennings and april ross in beach volleyball. natalie, al and billy were all there and natalie's got kerri and april's reaction right after the match. all that is coming up from here in rio. back to you in new york. >> pretty exciting, guys. we've got some breaking news here out of california, a massive wildfire, and it is

bernardino county. look at that. more than 82,000 people being told to evacuate today. we will be there live. and we're also going to have the latest on this historic flooding in louisiana. officials are now saying 40,000 homes have been damaged. and we could see new communities inundated today. the crisis is not close to being over there, guys. we'll send it back to you in rio for now. >> all right, savannah. we'll see you in a couple of minutes. natalie joins us now with your "olympics roundup." it was a busy day. >> oh, a busy day and a long, tough night for some americans. team usa racked up a slew of medals on tuesday. we're going to start, though, that showdown in the sand with kerri walsh jennings and april ross' disappointing loss. overnight, a shocking upset in women's beach volleyball. americans kerri walsh jennings and april ross knocked out in the semifinal match. >> brazil has upset the united states! >> reporter: after losing the first set, team usa struggled

players ever, at one point serving into the net. >> very uncharacteristic. >> and every time the americans tried to rally, the quicker brazilian team had an answer. >> ross, blocked! >> the loss the first ever in olympic play for walsh jennings, who had won three consecutive golds. >> it's really disappointing. it's really heartbreaking, but the great thing is that we earned a right to fight tomorrow and to make it better. >> in gymnastics, am simone biles delivering another near-perfect routine, this time in the floor exercise. winning gold for the fourth time during the games. her teammate, aly raisman, taking silver for her sixth career olympic medal. >> dismount. >> on the men's side, american danell leyva won silver in the

same on the high bar. u.s. gymnastics team leaving rio with a combined 12 medals, the most since 1984. >> right now! ah! >> out on the track, american christian taylor leaping into the air and past the competition, winning his second consecutive gold in the men's triple jump. his teammate will claye came away with silver. >> and that's another big effort. >> moments later, claye had another reason to celebrate, proposing to his girlfriend, 2008 track and field olympian queen harrington. >> today was the day. i just knew today was going to be the best day of my life. >> in the women's 1500 meters, jenny simpson became the first american to medal in the event, taking bronze behind ethiopia's genzebe dibaba and the gold medal winner faith kipyegon of

simpson falling to the ground after crossing the finish line, her mother watching from the stands in disbelief. >> set. [ shot ] >> and earlier in the day, usain bolt advanced in the men's 200 meters. after winning his third gold medal in the 100-meter dash earlier this week, he's looking to do it again, aiming for his third gold in the 200 meters. all right, so, here's where the medal count stands. the u.s. up big after picking up nine more medals in all on tuesday, followed by china, looking ahead to today, it's a busy day in track and field, including the start of the men's decathlon and the u.s. men's basketball team plays in the quarterfinals. of course, also beach volleyball, gold medal match tonight for the women, also the bronze for the u.s. women. >> wow. >> so, against the other brazilian team. it's going to be a tough one for them, yes. >> what do you say we turn back to gymnastics for a second? simone biles capping her historic run in rio with that gold medal in the floor exercise, her fourth gold, fifth

taking silver. and we talked to both of them after the medals ceremony. >> it is the final event in women's gymnastics. >> the usa's women's gymnastics team dominated once again. >> this will be remembered as one of the greatest dynasties in gymnastics history. >> 19-year-old simone biles twisting and tumbling her way into olympic history. >> she sets herself apart because she makes everything look so easy. >> with a record fougo woman has ever won in a single olympic games. >> and once again, obliterates! >> did you have any fun at all today? >> yes, i had tons of fun. it was very exciting. >> biles was hoping to leave rio with five gold medals, but that ended on the balance beam monday night. >> oh, don't touch!

down, it's whether you get back up. you didn't have your best day yesterday. how did you gather yourself? >> well, it was pretty easy, because if you think about it, like, i fell on beam and still got a bronze, and how often do you see that? >> clearly, it did not stop the pint-sized powerhouse from making the most of her final golden opportunity. >> power and dynamics that take your breath away. >> cranking out a nearly flawless floor routine. her score a half point ahead of the rest of the field. >> aly being the reigning olympic champion is hoping to defend her title. >> aly raisman finishing a strong second. >> jam packed with difficulty. tremendous. >> the 22-year-old team captain and self-proclaimed grandma of the final five was all smiles after the 1-2 finish. congratulations, grandma. how do you feel? >> i feel very good. i feel very young. >> you do? >> yes, i do. i'm very happy. i lost my voice a little bit because i was cheering so loud for the other girls the other days. >> i was screaming. did you hear me? >> i did. i did hear you. >> you just captained the most successful u.s. women's team ever.

>> how does that feel? >> you're the only person to actually say that out loud. i hadn't thought about that, but it feels amazing. it's crazy. i can't believe i have six olympic medals. so it doesn't feel real. if you told me that when i was a little girl, i would have thought you were crazy. >> two athletes at the top of their game but leaving the future wide open. will you be in tokyo? your coach says you're as strong as ever. >> up until now, i hadn't been thinking about it, but i'm going to take a vacation, take some time never say never, you know. i'm definitely thinking about it. >> how do you improve for tokyo? >> i don't know. that's a really long ways away. we'll see. >> and just when you thought they left all their moves on the floor, they managed to save their best moves for last. every time hoda has interviewed you this week, she has gotten you two and the rest of you to dance. >> we looked for her in the stands. we couldn't find her. is she here? >> oh, they played her song whenever we finished. ? michelle pfiefer, that white gold ?

asking is do a happy dance for hoda. ? >> oh. and by the way -- >> little did they know, the reason i was there in the mix zone doing the interviews is because you were setting up this huge surprise. >> the happy dances that we've had prior, this will not compare at all to the surprise. i want to check zac efron's hearing, because that scream was so loud, you could hear it can't wait. all right, as we mentioned, the u.s. beach volleyball team of kerri walsh jennings and april ross was defeated overnight by one of the teams from brazil. >> that's right. it is the first loss at the olympics for kerri after 26 straight wins and three gold medals. and natalie, you were there to talk to her afterwards. >> what an incredible career they've had. the crowd was so rowdy. hard to compete in the stands,

night. >> reporter: the trouble started brazil coming out strong. leading the u.s. right out of the gate. >> and she smacks it on the line. >> reporter: walsh jennings and ross trying to hold on. >> and she puts it away. >> reporter: but brazil's agatha and barbara, the number two ranked team in the world, wouldn't let anything go. >> agatha puts it away! >> reporter: it was a in the stands with billy, me and al. >> oh! >> reporter: the hometown crowd going crazy. the brazilians taking set one. >> the brazilians have taken the first set. >> reporter: and did not let up. brazil won the second set. >> they can win it here. >> reporter: ending walsh jennings' 26-match winning streak. >> that's it! brazil has upset the united

>> reporter: her first loss at an olympic event. >> and heartbreak for the americans. >> we just never had the mojo today, so it's really disappointing. it's really heartbreaking. but the great thing is that we earned a right to fight tomorrow and to make it better. >> reporter: it was about the fiercest fight i've ever seen. how would you characterize the brazilian girls? >> i mean, they're relentless. they're very sound and they're very scrappy. they made the digs and we didn't. >> reporter: did the booing rattle you guys at all here? >> it was, it was -- i loved it. you know, you come into brazil, they're passionate about the game, they want their team to win. >> reporter: despite the loss, the 38-year-old walsh jennings doing what she does best, setting her sights on the next match. you have "joy" written on your hand right there. is that a reminder to yourself to in these moments just keep what's important in mind? >> in all moments, for sure. when life is tough, absolutely. when life is great, absolutely, be grateful. yeah, i'm a blessed woman and today doesn't make me any less blessed.

and april. they'll be playing for bronze tonight against brazil's other remaining team. will it be kerri's last olympic match? that's anyone's guess. so far, though, she hasn't ruled out tokyo in 2020. i've got to say, they are such a class act. after the game, they both went around, they were shaking everybody's hands in the stands. >> wow. >> like, all of the people that worked the sidelines. it was amazing. >> how deep is brazil? the team they'll play tonight are incredible. >> very incredible. the brazilians awn >> thank you very much. along with that beach volleyball match, you can also see usain bolt's return to the track in the 200-meter semifinals. that's tonight, nbc prime time olympic coverage. let us go now for some breaking news to savannah in new york. >> that's right, guys. we have two big stories to follow this morning, including a raging wildfire in southern california that exploded overnight.

unprecedented flooding has now damaged 40,000 homes. curfews are now being enforced in several parishes. let's start with nbc's gabe gutierrez in sorrento, between baton rouge and new orleans. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. the magnitude of this disaster is staggering. at least 11 people are confirmed dead, thousands are in emergency shelters, and eight more parishes have been added to the federal disasterla while officials are warning that the threat is far from over. this morning, a desperate scramble. >> it is horrible. >> reporter: the toll of louisiana's historic flood growing by the hour, that record rainfall now rushing downstream, inundating new communities. how long have you lived here? >> all my life, 50 years. >> reporter: have you ever seen it flood like this? >> never. >> reporter: at least 30,000 people rescued, more than 40,000 homes damaged. in livingston parish alone,

are destroyed. powerful before-and-after images of schools and neighborhoods are emerging. this baton rouge movie studio has now become a massive makeshift emergency shelter. today as some prepare for the worst, others are already living it. >> pictures of my daughters. we'll never get things like that back. >> reporter: bob gatley, a retired firefighter who he hurricane katrina victims, just returned home. >> it's all right. >> reporter: to a loss that can't be measured. just a heartbreaking loss. now, the waters have largely receded up near baton rouge, but as we mentioned, there is still plenty of waters in areas like this, in sorrento and communities to the south and to the west of here are bracing for even more flooding today. all that water not expected to clear out until later this week. savannah? >> all right, gabe. a foggy morning there as well. thank you.

out-of-control wildfire that's happening in southern california, consuming homes and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. nbc's jo ling kent has the latest for us this morning. hi, jo. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. hundreds of firefighters here fighting this blaze overnight as more plan to join them from across the state of california as this wildfire continues to spread. a devastating blaze tearing through southern californi overnight, moving fast, tripling in size and engulfing more than 18,000 acres of land. more than 82,000 residents have evacuated. >> i looked outside and i saw the flames, and it's ready to go. >> reporter: as air workers worked tirelessly to douse the flames. >> oh my god, look at the flames. >> the blue cut fire started tuesday east of los angeles, close down a major interstate and roadways as it tore through,

and down the street and telling us that we need to get out. and i guess it's really moving fast. >> reporter: the fire is the result of a punishing heat wave and strong winds. it's still 0% contained as hundreds of firefighter crews battle the fast-moving flames. >> hopefully, we get to come ti. so, hopefully, it will still be standing. >> reporter: now, two firefighters have been minorly injured in this fire so far, but thankfully, they are doing okay and they are out of the hospital. but red flag alerts across the state of california right now, and that means imminent extreme fire danger over the next 24 hours, savannah. >> all right, jo. thank you so much. and now for the race to the white house. with less than three months to election day, donald trump's campaign undergoing a major staff shake-up this morning.

trump had a rally there last night. hallie, good morning. tell us about it. >> reporter: hey, savannah. good morning to you. yeah, this is serious stuff from the trump campaign, this shake-up now with less than three months to go before election day. we're talking about two new names added to the top of donald trump's team. one man once described as the most dangerous political operative in america. that's steven bannon. he's a top executive with the conservative breitbart news. he will be stepping into the role of campaign ceo. kellyanne conway, who's already been a senior adviser, will now become campaign manager. these moves signal a shift that paul manafort may be losing some sway, no longer calling all the shots. i'm told this morning by a senior adviser that the decision-making came from donald trump himself, all of this meant to make him more comfortable, and he hopes stop him from sliding further to hillary clinton in the polls. savannah? >> all right, hallie jackson. thank you. one more note on the election -- we have an exclusive interview with hillary clinton's running mate, tim kaine and his wife, anne, airing in our next

to rio to hoda, matt, and zac efron? oh, no, it's al. >> not yet. >> sorry. sorry. >> you've got that heat out west. >> oh, my gosh, it's not going to help the firefighters out there. let's show you what we've got. a big dome of high pressure. you see all the active fires. red flag warnings stretching just to the east of san diego up into los angeles, and we are going to see temperatures that are going to be brutal, anywhere from 95 to 100 degrees in some sens california, that is repeated. in fact, this record-setting heat moving all the way up into the pacific northwest right on into the weekend. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. poor foster kid black immigrant

the only label that matters is olympian. and that's your latest weather. guys? >> all right, al. thanks so much. coming up, so excited, how we pulled off our big surprise

efron. >> and zac is here on copacabana beach live hanging with the crowd.

coming up, a collision on the track putting the olympic i'm batman! i'm batman! i'm batman! i'm batman! sfx: "boop"

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coming up on channel 20. >> i'm corey rose. here's a look at what's happening on channel 20 for 9news 7:00 a.m. the 16th mall getting more security . we are looking into what security is being offered and the types of changes mall visitors will see. aurora is working on the issue of homelessness.

confident she can make aurora home for all who need it. let's check weather and traffic with amelia and becky. >> one problem after the next today. so many issues. our views outside have been stacked solid. northbound drains leading up to 20th -- delays leading up to 20th with a new crash along i- 25. here's where it sits south of the mousetrap and north of colfax. i-70 dealing with a wreck. the univerty is seeing 15 to 20 minute delays because of some issues at the crossings between union station and dia and we are continuing to check in with rtd and get their updates and share them with everyone. becky. >> at least it's supermild outside this morning. >> yes. >> temperatures right now are in the 60s, we are going to be warming back up into the low 90s today and we are very sunny, beautiful view there over the flatirons in boulder. showers will begin in our mountains shortly after 11:00 a.m., they will become

could cross i-25. doesn't look very promising for storms here in the denver metro area but a couple of spots could see some brief periods of heavy rain, storms not expected to be severe today. high in the city 91 greeley, 91 ft. collins, middle 90s on the eastern plains, 60s and 70s up in the mountains. winds today out of the southeast at five to 10 miles per hour. tonight everything calms down

? all right, we're back now, 7:30 on a wednesday morning. it's the 17th day of august 2016. can you believe that view? >> no, i cannot. >> that is a view from the copacabana beach on another perfect day here. we're loving day 12 of the olympics. >> yeah. there are a lot of reasons to love day 12, but we'll get to the other reason in a minute, won't we? >> why the beach just got better for you? >> yeah, just got better for all of us. >> let's talk headlines, shall we? here we go. the drive for the fourth gold medal for beach volleyball star kerri walsh jennings is over. she and her partner, april ross were defeated in straight sets late last night by a team from brazil. kerri and april will play in the bronze medal game against another team from brazil a

americans christian taylor and will claye take gold and silver in the triple jump. it marked a repeat of their appearance in london four years ago. we're going to talk to them in our next hour. and the final day of artistic gymnastics was a very good one for team usa. danell leyva won silver medals in both the parallel and horizontal bar, while simone biles and aly raisman finished one-two in the floor exercise and then had even more fun. >> yeah, because during the working on a big surprise for simone and the rest of the final five with zac efron. this is going to be so -- >> notice how her voice goes up like four octaves when she says that? >> this is part of our special real edition of "make your today." take a look. in rio's olympic arena, simone biles was getting ready for one

>> when she nails it, like she normally does, it's just fun. >> but little did she know just how good it was going to get, because just a stone throw's away, zac efron, her crush whose life-size likeness she has in her bedroom, is here to surprise here in rio. it's happening. you're here at the olympics, and you know who's going to totally freak out. >> simone. she's awesome. >> we're going to sneak in there, we'll watch her, then we'll do the surprise after. >> cool, cool, awesome. >> are you ready? we had to hide zac in a room in the national broadcast center near the venue where we watched simone perform in the floor exercise. >> now simone biles, floor exercise. she's been doing the same routine. >> come on, girl. >> she's good. >> holy shnikies. >> we've seen some of these

this, though. >> oh, my god. she gets so much air. what the heck is in her legs? she looks happy. look at that. >> look at that score. 15.9! >> oh, my gosh! she crushed it! >> she did! >> oh, man! >> high-five her. come on. okay, i think this might be time for our selfie. where's simone? >> there they are. >> okay. >> and here coe emotional. ? >> so crazy. >> but moments later, things were about to get crazier. >> over here -- >> we heard your song at the arena. >> while zac was hidden away, the entire gymnastics team showed up thinking they were just doing another interview

when we did the interview last time, you said that if a certain person showed up -- >> stop. d up -- >> stop. >> -- you would need a defibrillator? >> yes, stop. >> do you remember that? >> yes. if you bring him out, i'm going to pass out. >> do you remember that? >> stop. >> wait, do you remember that? >> stop! >> do you remember that? [ screaming ] >> is that the final five? >> just realized. oh, my god, stop. >> wait, i want a hug, too. >> how are you? >> good. >> how did you do this? >> oh, my goodness! >> simone just said, can i ask you one question? what's going on right now? >> i'm shaking, i'm so scared! >> i'm the one with butterflies. >> how did you make this happen? pinch me, i'm not crazy.

monitor every move -- >> i didn't even do my signature move. >> will you do it time for him now because he's got time. >> when i found out you guys were fans, i was like, what am i doing sitting here on the couch? like, come see you, come hang out and support you guys. i immediately got on the plane and came out to see you guys. >> he's so much more gorgeous in person! >> you guys are like america's heroes right now. >> you need to put your arm around that little girl, because -- >> come here. you're the best. >> thank you. >> awesome. >> she's always like super calm, by the way. >> give me a high five. high fives. >> i was going to say, i've never seen -- you're super calm when the whole eyes of the world are on you, when you're about to perform a routine. and in this moment, you're totally dying! olympic gold medalist. but on this night, just teenagers at heart on top of the

>> are you ready? >> yeah. >> oh! >> whoo! [ applause ] >> you are awesome! that was great. >> that was great. >> that was really, really great. >> it was so fun to meet them. >> what was it like for you walking in the room? we kind of got to see it from their perspective, but what was it like for you? >> it was interesting. they just got off the world's biggest stage. they won gold medals. entire olympics. and i was, like, hiding in a closet waiting to come in, so i didn't know what to think. i was kind of getting nervous myself. but it ended up being amazing. they're so sweet. >> you had spent seven hours locked away with hoda waiting to do that. >> yes, we were. >> before you got to walk in. i loved what you said, zac. you said, i'm watching this unfold in rio, and i'm asking myself, why am i sitting on a couch at home? i've got to get there. >> yeah. i mean, i've been a fan of the

coming to see the world's best of the best come together and compete in their individual events is amazing. and then their story just blew my mind. when i found out simone and the team was a fan, i was like, what kind of guy am i if i don't show up? >> now, how did you first become aw aware, zac? she's not just a fan, simone, she's a crazy superfan. i know you had a twitter exchange, but how did you know the extent of it from her? >> i kind of startea various people started telling me she was a fan. so i started watching all the gymnastics. i typically wouldn't start watching gymnastics first, i'd say, in the olympics, but i was mediately captivated by these girls and what they were doing. >> one of the things he was worried about -- or she was worried about, simone was, is she kept saying she smelled bad. she kept going, oh, my god, i'm sweating! i'm so nervous! >> but they have such heart, and there was clearly something special that was going on. and so, i was really excited. >> i don't think you even

those young ladies. so i just want to say, from the "today" show, thank you so much. >> no, thank you guys. thank you. >> zac, we love you. >> i love you, too. >> we love you. >> thank you to the girls. >> all right, zac efron, guys. >> that was great. >> let us get a check of the weather from al. wow, that was terrific. >> that was awesome. >> that was great. wasn't that spectacular? >> that was really special. >> that was really great. all right, we've got all of our friends joining us here. let's show you what we've got going on, besideshe we have the big story, again, flooding continuing through texas, gulf moisture, southeast a texas, 11 million people under a flood watch or advisory. you can see the rain continues to train along this stationary front. rainfall amounts, we're still looking at anywhere from 3 to 5 inches from central texas into central arkansas and parts of northwestern louisiana. but locally, we could see upwards of 5 to 6 inches in some

and that's your latest weather. now time to go to our new anchor, zac efron. >> that's right. we're not letting zac leave. >> i'm in the middle now. >> it was great until this moment right here. i was like, you can go, zac, it's time. >> it feels good. i've got all the notes. >> you'll take care of it. >> yeah, i'm loving it. coming up, a fall, a true

>> and next, danell leyva has two medals. we're going to talk to him right after this. >> very cool. poor foster kid black immigrant cancer patient small muslim the only label that matters is olympian. ?

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tide. number 1 rated. >> announcer: "today's olympic start" is sponsored by kellogg's. what gets you started. and we're back now with "today's olympic start." this morning, the u.s. gymnast who went from an alternate to a star. >> yes, he certainly did. danny leyva scored two silver medals on tuesday, one for his nearly flawless routine on the parallel bars, the other on the horizontal bar. and he is with us now.

>> congratulations. >> how are you? congratulations, honey. >> i mean, you weren't even going to be here. you were an alternate, and you end up walking away with those two silver medals. who's going to play you in the movie? i mean, this is really, it's like a fantasy. >> hopefully, i play myself in the movie. that be cool. >> did you feel like you had something to prove, that you needed to prove, you deserve to be here? >> um, in a way, you know. i wasn't really -- that wasn't really my mind-set. i wasn't coming here trying to work as best as i could, you know, and enjoy it, like my friend and somebody that i admire a lot, and she's an amazing role model to me like simone biles. she's out there and you can tell how much she's enjoying what she's doing. and that's what i try and emulate. >> well, you're doing the parallel bars. there was a lot of hand-wringing, wasn't there, matt? you were at the match. >> he went first. he went first. he put up a great score, but then you had to sit there and

to see if you could hang on to a spot on the podium. >> yeah that was a little bit stressful. >> did you watch the other routines? you had a towel over your head for a little bit. >> i did. i did. i would put it over my head for a while because i was like, all right, all right, calm down. because i was reminding myself, i still have another event. >> and it wasn't long after you had that second event. did you have time to get your head in the right place? because you were probably on a high from this. >> yeah, absolutely. but we still had the girls competing on the floor, so i had some time to bar and get ready for the competition. >> your stepdad has been your coach for what, 20 years? >> yeah, basically. >> a long time. what was it like to share this moment with him? >> it was amazing, honestly. as soon as i was able to get back to the back gym, especially after the parallel bars, i grabbed my medal and i put it on him as well, because it's like just as much his medal as it is mine. >> well, danny, i lost hair

congratulations. >> we're so proud and happy for you. thank you, sweetie. >> appreciate it. all right, coming up, after the fall, a true display of olympic spirit during a race that has the world talking. but first, these messages. ? ? any morning. one jar; so many delicious possibilities. nutella - spread the happy! 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. uh oh. yeah. oop! there's the rescue text from my roommate saying she needs me.

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coming up on channel 20. >> good morning, i'm corey rose with a look at what's happening on channel 20 for 9news 8:00 a.m. centennial airport and dia preparing for the worst today. they are running drills in case of a plane crash or national disaster. several crews are expected to participate in both. we will have the details for you on channel 20. denver's heroin problem is increasing. now a big investigation just busted a heroin ring with

the latest from rio including a touching mural honoring the first ever refugee olympic team. let's check weather and traffic now with amelia and becky. >> we are going to start off with the delays associated with the train to the plane issue. so university of colorado a line, go out to our maps here, the train is experiencing 15 to 20 minute delays because of false activations at crossings. that's the official term for what rtd is working on and riders really between union station and dia have experiencing delays this morning. part of the problem is a crash at university, 70 is crowded, 23 minutes but not the worst drive been seen out to the west and then 13 minutes across our 270 commute. i would say we are starting to improve. if we can get the train wrapped up, we are good to go. >> thanks so much. out there this morning, lots of sunshine a little bit of haze over ft. collins. we are going to stick with sunshine until late this afternoon when isolated showers and thunderstorms will be possible.

periods of heavy rain, a lot of lightning, small hail but that will be the extent of it. they will be between 3:30 this afternoon and about 8:00 tonight here along and east of i-25. highs climb back to 90, 90 here in denver, 91 greeley, 90 for ft. collins, eastern plains but hotter with highs in the middle 90s, we will see highs in the 60s and 70s in the mountains. winds today out of the southeast at five to 10 miles per hour. overnight tonight we drop to 59. isolated storms that are out there fizzle quickly push onto the plains and then a cold front moves in on thursday, 86 our high thursday, friday we will see a chance for rain with a high of 80, just isolated storms over the weekend.

? it's 8:00 on "today." and coming up, stunner on the sand. kerri walsh jennings and april ross beaten by a brazilian team in the beach volleyball semifinals. >> it's really disappointing. it's really heartbreaking. but the great thing is that we and to make it better. while in gymnastics, simone biles and aly raisman dominate on the floor. another gold for biles, as raisman takes the silver. and on the men's team, danny leyva wins silver in the parallel and horizontal bars. ? i'm gonna stand by you ? plus, true sportsmanship. heartbreaking fall during the 5000-meter race. >> there we see abbey d'agostino

>> and the uplifting moment that followed, warming hearts around the world. ? and natural wonder. keir simmons goes inside brazil's spectacular iguazu falls, including an amazing look at the exotic birds that call it home, today, wednesday, august 17th, 2016. ? hey, that's what i like, i like about you ? >> from family and husband in california! ? how you do, how you do, i like about you ? ? come on, now, hey ? >> qualified for team usa in wrestling! go, usa! >> christian taylor! go medal winner! >> going today, track and field. go usa!

all right, we are back now, 8:00 on this wednesday morning, 17th day of august 2016. grab your boogie board, come on down to copacabana and join the crowd. lots of red, white and blue on another great morning here during the olympics. >> a beautiful morning. if you guys are thinking about getting in shape after you've been watching all of these athletes do their thing, well, we have jill martin's "steals your alley. so you'll check all of that out. hey, savannah! >> hi, guys. good to see you. also ahead from here, politics. our exclusive interview with vice presidential candidate tim kaine and his wife, anne. kaine opening up about donald trump, hillary clinton's e-mail investigation and the perception among some voters that his running mate can't be trusted. our exclusive interview and all of the news just ahead, guys. >> all right, look forward to that, savannah. thank you very much. first, the olympic highlights of the morning. for that, we turn to peter

peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, matt and hoda. good morning to you. what a bummer on the beach for team usa. kerri walsh jennings suffering her first loss after 26 straight olympic wins, including three golds. the americans have all sorts of things to celebrate today. the women's gymnastics team making history, winning its most medals, nine, in a single olympics. a stunner on the sand. >> that's it! brazil has states. >> reporter: u.s. beach volleyball superstar kerri walsh jennings and her teammate, april ross, falling to a tenacious brazilian duo. >> for kerri walsh jennings, her first match loss in olympic play. >> reporter: walsh jennings eyeing her fourth consecutive gold will now go up against another brazilian team for the bronze instead. in gymnastics, golden girl simone biles cementing her historic run. >> it's simone's party and everyone else is just a guest. >> reporter: pulling off a

>> and once again obliterates seems like the right word. >> reporter: earning her fourth gold medal of these games. >> her first tumbling run jam-packed with difficulty. >> reporter: her teammate, aly raisman, adding to her medal count as well, tumbling her way to a silver. for the men, american danell leyva taking home two silver medals for the high bar and the parallel bars. >> dismount? oh, my! >> it really is a dream come true, man, honestly. >> ah! >> reporter: in track and field, american christian taylor taking gold again in the triple jump. his teammate, will claye, winning silver, then taking an even bigger leap. just moments after medaling, claye jumped into the stands, stunning his girlfriend, now fiancee, queen harrison. in women's basketball, team usa extended its undefeated streak with a blowout victory over japan. >> u.s. 6-0 after their 47th

competition. >> reporter: the spanish women with a breathtaking buzzer-beater over turkey. >> can she get it off? she does. >> oh! >> and it counts! it counts! game over! spain wins it! >> reporter: securing them a spot in the semifinals for the first time. finally, in women's soccer, brazil suffering a devastating loss in its semifinal showdown. >> and she scores! sweden are into the gold medal match! >> reporter: in front of a deafening hometown shutting down brazil in an intense shoot-out, advancing to friday's final against germany. after the game, an uplifting display of sportsmanship. the swedish players consoling their heartbroken brazilian rivals. for the final, sweden versus germany in women's soccer. this morning, here's your medal count. the americans dominating the games with china, great britain and russia, as you can see, trailing well behind. 16 more medals up for grabs

the men's decathlon kicks off today. argentina tries to repeat its 2004 upset of team usa in men's hoops. then back on the beach, kerri walsh jennings and april ross will play for bronze. this one's going to be a battle. they will face the top-seeded brazilian team, matt and hoda. this is a match that most people expected would be the one for gold. back to you. >> actually, peter, you and i and a bunch of us, we've seen that top-seeded team play in person, and they are extremely tough. peter, thank you now to some other stories in the headlines this morning, and for that, let's go all the way back to new york and check in with savannah. >> all right, guys. in the news this morning, more than 80,000 people in southern california have been ordered to leave their homes as a fierce, new wildfire spread quickly overnight in san bernardino county east of los angeles. the blue cut fire, named after the trail where it started, was first reported on tuesday morning. by nighttime, it had burned 28

governor jerry brown has declared a state of emergency. two firefighters suffered minor injuries. parts of louisiana are starting to recover from historic flooding this week that damaged 40,000 homes there, but other areas are just now being flooded as the runoff from heavy rainfall travels downstream. when floodwaters receded in baton rouge tuesday, searchers found several more victims, raising the level of fatalities to a about 8,000 people remain in emergency evacuation shelters. in politics, donald trump has announced a major shake-up in his campaign team. steven bannon, an executive at the conservative website breitbart news, is now being brought in as campaign ceo. and trump is promoting adviser and polster kellyanne conway to campaign manager. it's not clear what those changes will mean for campaign chairman paul manafort, but he is keeping the title. the campaign also confirmed its

in ohio, florida, north carolina and pennsylvania. six children are recovering from an apparent electric shock they received from an amusement park ride tuesday in new london, connecticut. the most seriously injured was a boy who had minor burns on his hands. the riders and the operator all said they felt a tingling sensation. this is the fourth reported case of injuries at fairs, amusement and water parks in the u.s. in less than two weeks. and some moscow residents found a way to make the best check this out. the streets were flooded after 18 hours of torrential rains. so, as cars inched along through the water or plowed through the water, yes, a wet suit-clad riderride y rider towed by an suv displayed some wakeboarding skills. not a bad way to get through the commute. by the way, the rainfall levels broke a 130-year-old record there.

guess. back to rio. >> savannah, thank you very much. we'll check back with you in just a little while. well, the big tax bill that team usa athletes along with their medals are going to be having to deal with. does that need to change? we're going to talk about it. plus, how people are reacting to our big zac efron surprise for simone biles and the rest of the final five. and the inspirational moment after a midrace crash that captured what the we'll talk about that right after i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried about joint damage. my doctor said joint pain from ra... can be a sign of existing joint damage... that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections,

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sfx: "boop" ziploc? sandwich bags, 180 ct, easy-open with a strong, quality seal, $4.46 save money. live better. walmart ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? all right, we're back now in rio. it's time to trend and billy bush is trying a new tactic, new strategy.

the perspiration can be delayed a little bit. >> don't sweat. don't sweat. >> don't sweat. >> talk yourself through it. >> all right, do you guys want to know what it means to be a true olympian? are >> yes. >> watch this next video. keep your eye on the far left of your screen, all right? that guy is hurdler jeffrey jemlis of haiti. he stumbles on the first hurdle, right? tumbling over, falls on the ground. he's clearly disappointed. so you know what he did? >> he won? >> no, he gets up a going. jeffrey finished the race. >> you go, jeffrey! >> an impressive performance in london where he didn't make it beyond the heat. so, he was going to hit that finish line. >> he finished the race. >> number eight on the scoreboard, number one in your heart. >> there you go. i'm curious to hear what you guys think of this next story. >> okay. >> check out this image going viral. it's from the women's marathon. it shows twin sisters from germany holding hands as they cross the finish line.

some calling it one of the most uplifting of these games. but you know who disagrees? the head of germany's athletic federation. >> what? >> he criticized the sisters, saying they were just trying to get attention. >> no. >> and since they finished the race 15 minutes behind their personal best, the official also said they weren't trying hard enough. >> oh, come on. >> they're training partners! they're sisters. come on, they wanted that moment together. >> what do we say, thumbs up or thumbs down forhe >> thumbs down for germany. >> boo! >> get off the stage! all right, the folks at getty have just released their official portrait of michael phelps, the greatest of all times, wears all the medals he's won here in rio, five gold and one silver. like other medalists, michael also receives a cash bonus for all the hardware. guess what? he's going to have to pay taxes on every single medal -- >> what? >> -- and every single bonus. it's called the victory tax.

bonuses are considered income, you pay taxes. so michael could end up paying $55,000. >> what? >> that's crazy! >> big brazilian boo! >> thumbs up or thumbs down for the taxes? >> thumbs down! >> boo! >> thumbs down. but this morning, the "wall street journal" says there is a new move here to give olympians a tax break. >> come on. >> yes. yes on that. >> give them a break! all right, bill, are you ready for "pop start"? >> i am ready for "pop start." this man is a picture of cool. >> don't talk in third person. >> we've been talking about it all morning and so has the rest of the world. zac efron's surprise for the women of the final five. the moment was a top trender on google, facebook, instagram and twitter all night long. one tweeter said, "zac efron flew to rio and surprised simone biles. she's crying. i'm crying. everyone's crying."

someon . and we like the headline on "time" magazine's article, "see zac efron fulfill his olympic dream of meeting simone biles." >> i like that! that's a good line. >> right. get him a poster for his wall. >> that's the headline. >> the gold medal swimmer's getting in on the push-up challenge. we told you about this yesterday in the orange room. it's a social media campaign to raise awareness for vets. stars like anna s pratt and scott eastwood have all participated. in his video, dwayne "the rock" johnson called out two-time olympic gold medalist simone manuel, and this morning shas ee responded. >> hi, the rock. thank you for the shout-out and challenging me to the push-up challenge. i have fellow swimmer ryan murphy here, gold medalist and world record-holder, and we're going to do 22 push-ups. >> all right. want to count them out? >> yes.

20, 21, 22. >> and now we challenge michael phelps with his 23 gold medals to do 23 push-ups. >> ooh! another one for michael. >> medals on? >> that's the challenge. >> a little harder. >> we'll take their word for it that they actually got to 23. all right, simone calls out phelps. will he frespond? we'll find out. that is your "pop start." >> billy, you know, give us 22 i >> three, four, five, six, seven. >> oh! he did the clap. >> 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22! >> billy bush! >> now you're sweating, right? >> perspiration. >> almost? almost. >> that's the way the pros do it! >> not sweating. >> that was good. >> can you end the segment right now? because i can feel it rushing. there's a rush going on.

weather. >> nice job, billy. >> no, i want to wait a minute. and that's your latest weather. >> billy, breathe in, breathe out. let's go back to new york. savannah has more of her exclusive interview with hillary clinton's running mate, tim kaine, and his wife, anne. >> we caught up with him and talked about a number of topics in the presidential race, but we

polls. i remember the president saying that democrats ought to run scared. >> yeah, we should. >> is there any danger of overconfidence here? >> none, because i see no complacency on the team. i have been in a lot of races. this is the ninth ballot i'll be on. and i've won every race, but barely, usually. and the way i win is say be an underdog until they call you the winner. >> do you expect it to tighten up? >> i do. look, this has been a season of surprises, so there will be twists and turns, and i think that's going to happen. call you the winner. >> donald trump gave a speech yesterday. one of the things he said is that hillary clinton lacks the mental and physical stamina to be commander in chief. what did you make of those remarks? how do you interpret that? >> i have no idea what he's talking about. i mean, did you see the incredible amount of work that hillary did around the world? her travel schedule as secretary of state. and look at the grueling nature of this campaign. >> what do you think is really going on, if he questions her physical stamina? >> he's trying to deflect attention.

commander in chief and to be president. and voters see that. they sense that. >> trump is now calling for an ideological test and so-called extreme vetting of immigrants into this country. do you consider that a softening of his muslim ban, his previous position? >> you know, it might be. he might be trying to package it, make it prettier, but i mean, this is a guy who has proposed to treat muslims as second-class citizens, whether they're entering into the country, that muslims who are here should have to take some kind of a pledge that they're not going to follow sharia law. we do not need to go down a path where we treat people differently because of their religious beliefs. >> do you support the public release of the fbi notes and notes of interviews regarding the e-mail investigation? >> savannah, you asked the question really well, do you support public release. yes. anything that the fbi gives to congress they should give to the public, because what we've seen is this lengthy, multimillion

highly partisan, where they've wanted to leak out this or that to try to make their case against hillary clinton. let the public see what the fbi decides to let congress see. >> this is something that dodged hillary clinton, whether or not people trust her. if you look at what she said, i can count at least four statements that just turned out not to be true. has she earned that mistrust? >> savannah, if you ask somebody a question 150 times times, you're going to be able to find that they don't use exactly the same word every time, and there's going to be variations and then people are going to play on those, but -- >> she did use the same verbiage, it just happens to not be true. >> here's what i've heard her say. i've heard her say i've made a mistake and i've learned something from it, and i wouldn't do it again and i apologize. >> she has acknowledged mistakes with respect to the e-mail practices. she hasn't acknowledged a mistake with regard to what she has told the american people.

says i made a mistake and i've learned from it and i've improved and i'm going to do differently. when has donald trump during the course of this campaign or in his life said i've made a mistake and i'm going to do better and learn from it and grow it? >> secretary houlton, you up until recently were a secretary of education in virginia, a former judge and attorney. was it hard to leave your post as secretary of education? and why did you decide to do that? >> yes it was hard. i loved my job. i loved working education better, to make better pathways for especially those who need them the most. and so, i love that work, but i'm having a great time on the campaign. i'm a huge hillary fan. you know, her whole career has been about helping children and families, and i like to think that mine has, too. >> well, if the democratic ticket is successful, your husband becomes vice president, there will be an opening in the senate. and the governor of virginia appoints the senator. are you interested?

very much. you can make news with that. >> our conversation a little bit earlier with senator tim kaine and his wife, anne houlton. and we'll send it back to rio. >> announcer: "today's olympic moment" is sponsored by walmart. save money. live better. >> savannah, thank you very much. let's get to "today's olympic moment." we love these. the true spirit of these games onul qualifying heat for the women's 5000 meters. take a look. a sudden misstep taken in stride. >> oh, that looked really awkward. >> team usa's abbey d'agostino and new zealand's nikki hamblin tripping over each other in the women's 5000-meter prelim. >> abbey d'agostino clipped nikki hamblin from behind. >> an unexpected obstacle testing their athletic ability and their character.

helping nikki hamblin back up. >> without hesitation, d'agostino stopped to help hamblin back on her feet before collapsing herself to the ground. >> abbey d'agostino has clearly hurt herself badly there. >> hamblin then returned the favor as d'agostino urged her to catch up with the pack. >> heartbreaking sight. there's no other way of expressing it. >> then with her olympic dreams seemingly dashed, d'agostino somehow stood up. >> you see anguish on her face. >> relying on her grit and determination to power through a mile of misery. >> valiant effort to cross the finish line. >> d'agostino finished the race last but still came out on top, alongside hamblin, who greeted her with a big hug. >> superhuman effort. >> two opponents, one inspirational moment, having nothing to do with country loyalty and everything to do

okay, i may have just pushed zac efron to the second spot, silver medal. >> i think you might have. >> incredible. by the way, those two runners are going to join us live here on the beach tomorrow. we'll be back right after this.

coming up on channel 20. >> good morning. i'm corey rose. here's a look at what's happening on channel 20 for 9news 8:00 a.m. drug use and violence a growing problem on the 16th street mall in denver. now businesses and the police are teaming up to do something about it. how they are tackling the issue in a multistep plan to clean up

unexpected place, rio de janeiro, how locals are welcoming some of the refugee athletes during the summer olympics. sometimes a very necessary thing, glasses, with back-to- school around the corner some kids need them but can't afford them. a new program is changing that. we will check in with tarhonda thomas for a closer look at the program. check weather and traffic now with amelia and becky. >> just about to get through the morning rush and get into the midday drive so we will talk about a few little issues here and there. 25 southbound has a crash at university so we are southbound stretch at about 20th down towards c-470, views up to the north, though, getting a whole lot better and here's the big one, university of colorado a line, the train to the plane still on 15 to 20 minute delays as they work to fix the activators at the crossing arms all across the route. now, both directions are seeing those delays so i would plan ahead unless you don't have any scheduled but usually when you're flying, it's -- >> you're on a tight schedule. >> it's kind of important. >> a little bit.

today. looking outside where we are enjoying beautiful sunrise at least, a gorgeous view over boulder and the flatirons, showers will be showing backup but give it until after 11:00 to see them start back up in our central and southern mountains. and then they quickly become scattered. and we will have pockets of heavy rain falling near places like fairplay, all the way down into telluride. after 3:30 some of the storms will try and cross i-25, we will see more clouds than anything else but isolated storms will be possible between 3: tonight then they fizzle out and we have a calm evening ahead. highs back in the 90s, low 90s here through ft. collins, greeley and denver, middle 90s on our eastern plains with 60s and 70s in the mountains, look for storms late this afternoon, they are done by tonight, lows will drop to 59, then a cold front moves in on thursday. that really changes things for us. highs over the weekend are all

? ? we're back now, 8:30 on this wednesday morning, 17th of august 2016, and we're back with

i'm going to get out of this young lady's way. >> pretty cool, right? >> they're fantastic. >> amazing! >> by the way, we're walking along the promenade. lauren, will you come over here? look who we have here, lauren fen drikz of u.s. beach volleyball. great competition. did you have fun? j it was amazing energy here in brazil. an honor to represent team usa. >> glad to have you here. >> we're happy to have you he the u.s. boxing sensation looking to make history here in the ring in rio. and then, a stunning sight. keir simmons visiting the remarkable natural wonder of the igauzie falls. and then, we are combining two loves. we've got food, we've got cocktails into one delicious brazilian-themed dinner. >> pretty cool. but first, let's bring in some more medal winners from team usa. >> why wouldn't we?

triple jump. christian 17.86 meters, earning him the gold just ahead of will. guys, good morning. >> good morning. >> good to see you. actually, they got mikes. you hold that. 17.86. when you made the jump, did you think it would hold up for gold? >> absolutely not. i thought this would be a special day. we talked about the world record all season and said this is the day. >> the two of you are buddies, but also fierce competitors. how did it feel being on the medals stand get t >> oh, amazing. we've been competing against each other since '07 when we were in high school. so, this is something we're used to each year. christian said i've got to be on my "a" game. >> by the way, wasn't this your personal best? >> my personal best and best jump. christian and i just had a fire going into our competition. and the first jump was so big, we were thinking that the word rorld was in sight. >> you had something else in your sight, didn't you? >> yeah. >> after you got that medal, you

happens to be here. where is she? >> queen! >> come here. >> queen, come here. >> queen harrison. olympic athlete. >> wow! >> what do you think during that moment? >> i was stunned. i mean, my voice can tell it all. i was screaming. he jumped his personal best on his first jump, so i was going berserk in the stands. so then for him to do that, i was like, what are you -- wait, no, wait, you're not doing this. he did. and i mean, one of the best days of my . know ha he said. how did he propose? >> you know, some things you've got to keep private, but he said all the right things and i was just blessed for him to share such a special moment. >> i like that you keep it personal. christian, what did he say, quick? congratulations, guys. gold and silver. >> thank you so much. >> and something -- >> and a diamond. >> -- to be proud of. oh, that's right, and a little ring there, too. >> a beautiful diamond! >> we know you're going to jump in -- do you want to jump in

>> yeah, let's do it. >> should we take the medals so they don't get in the way? >> you might not get them back. >> all right, lauren come over here. ? ? ? >> look at that! >> yes!

>> announcer: "today's athlete to watch" is sponsored by citi, proud partner of team usa, proud sponsor of progress. >> did that really just happen? >> that happened. it was good! >> now to "today's athlete to watch." boxer claressa shields won gold at the london olympic games, and here in rio looking to become

champion. jenna bush haeger has her story. >> i just want to go down in history as one of the best woman fighters to ever live. >> reporter: olympic gold medalist claressa shields is on her way to reaching that ambitious goal. shields earned her first gold medal in london in 2012 when women's boxing was introduced to the olympic games. what was it like standing on that podium? >> i went crazy. i wanted to jump off the podium and run all over t just like, this can't be real. >> reporter: shields is now looking to repeat that performance in rio. >> i have a record now of 74 wins with 1 loss. i'm just ready to, you know, break these records and become the first american boxer to win two olympic gold medals. >> reporter: shields has traveled a long way from her hometown in flint, michigan, saying her biggest fight began outside of the ring. >> my life before boxing, i was in a dark place. i had been raped at 5, molested

like my biggest thing i had to deal with was being neglected, but also, i was a protector of my family. in boxing, i did my biggest match ever to help deal with the anger i had, the sadness i had, just everything i had went through as a child to help me get over it. >> reporter: at the age of 11, she found refuge at the bursten fieldhouse, a neighborhood community center. >> then all of a sudden, god just snatched me into this place that's full of sunshine and great people, and you know, people getting hit and each other. my former coach, jason, took me in as one of his own kids and fed me and was like a father figure to me. >> i said show me what you've been working on. she showed me. i said, oh, you've got to come with me. i said you've got to come with me. >> reporter: their partnership was captured in a documentary released earlier this year. >> you've been listening better

you're going to win. it's just a matter of time. >> reporter: do you think you were born a fighter? >> oh, yeah, of course. i always tell people i've lost enough in my life to lose in boxing. now it's time to win, win, win, you know, object a roller coaster of just wins. >> reporter: her family reunited to watch her win that first olympic gold, and her victory made her the pride of flint. >> i walked into this hugero i was speechless. but now i have a better speech prepared for after i win this one in rio. >> reporter: now at the age of 21, shields says she's ready for her next olympic moment and nothing will stand in her way. looking forward to it? >> oh, yeah, i'm definitely looking forward to it. there's a couple girls on my hit list, a couple of them. >> reporter: i hope i'm not! >> no, you're safe.

this tall, they're going to go down, every last one of them. so, i really look forward to it. >> i'll bet she does. >> awesome. coming up, the beauty and power of one of the world's natural wonders. keir simmons pays a visit to iguazu falls.

? >> announcer: "today's rio" is sponsored by coca-cola. open a coke and enjoy the games. and we are back at 8:41 with "today's rio." our resident explorer, keir sim simmons, is here with his latest adventure. keir, where are you off to? >> hey, you guys. this is awesome. iguazu falls. legend has it that a god created these falls, furious that his

rival for his affections. and you know, he must have been pretty angry. before you see it, you hear it. iguazu, in native language, the name means big water, a waterfall twice as tall as niagara and miles wide. we take a boat across the rapids to one of the wonders of nature. this is the largest waterfall system in the world, so huge, it cuts across two nations. over there is brazil. this side, argentina. disgeorging the contents of five olympic swimming pools every second, the center of the falls, called bevel's float -- you can feel the sheer power of the falls! our little boat is getting buffeted around, and there is a

but we're still not wet enough for these guys. not even close. they're about to take me right under the falls. whoo! millions visit iguazu, but close by is another magical place many folks miss. 400 species of birds live in the national park that surrounds the falls, s yara helps run a local sanctionry. >> in brazil, most here we have around 5,200 animals. half of them came from conservation. >> reporter: endangered like this macao and parrot are confiscated from traffickers across brazil who sell them abroad, including in the u.s.

sought after. yara says part of changing that is reaching hearts and minds. >> we receive in this park 800,000 people all year. we'd love to think that most of them leave here. >> reporter: people come from all the world to experience the thrill of the wild and leave knowing a little more about how to protect nature. and there in t the power of nature. with the birds, you see its vulnerability. it's incredible. >> by the way, that was amazing. you've had quite the trip. hasn't he? >> going to have a hard time getting him out of brazil. keir, thank you. all right, coming up, jill martin's here with the perfect "steals and deals," if these games have inspired you to get first.

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and we're back with a special rio edition of "steals & deals." if the olympics are inspiring you to achieve your personal best, well, game on. "today" contributor jill martin brought some hot fitness deals to the copacabana beach. a lot of people want to work out. we're getting inspired. >> healthy here. i think we're all doing that, in addition to eating chocolate all morning. first, we have malia and katie. >> hi, katie. >> our ladies modeling our activewear. >> y'a l >> $48 to $80. all kinds of pants and tops. go to today.com. >> what's the deal? >> the deal is up to 80% off. >> yes, nice! good job, kids. >> okay, you're going to be into this. >> what is this one? >> armbands and waistbands. the retail $49.98. it's a light-up. you can't see it, but these light up. >> yeah. >> a light-up phone holder and fitness belt waistband, which

keys. >> very efficient. >> you're a big runner. >> the deal is $15 for the two-piece set, 70% off. >> nice job, jill. all right, headphones. >> all right. ear buds, it's bluetooth, four colors with a built-in microphone. the retail $69.99. the deal $21, 70% off. >> they're great, and they're the kind that sy in, because that's muy importante. >> so, this is aat retail $350 to $550. everybody's been eyeing these. some are water-proof, some water-resistant. the retail $350 to $550. the deal $59. >> what? >> 89% off. >> that stha what we've got? >> that's what we've got. >> we'll run through the products one more time pap activewear, belts and arm bands, earbuds and watches. for more information, guys, head

brazil without the chow? but first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right, we're back with "today food in rio." this morning, a quick and delicious dinner, what else, brazilian style. lifestyle and culinary expert

laticia, good morning. >> good morning. >> thank you so much for having me, guys! >> we're already staring down the food. >> looks really good. >> what exactly are we making? >> we're making a grilled shrimp with a vinaigrette. it's kind of like a new take on a new brazilian cuisine, a fusion between brazilian flavors and american cuisine. >> oh, terrific! >> let's get cooking. >> all right, what should we do? >> i'll get you guys to help me. >> o al, what do you have? >> lime zest. cashatsa. >> that's the magic ingredient. >> and a bit of sugar. >> okay. >> and then drizzle some olive oil. and then we're going to create this vinaigrette that looks like this. >> okay. >> then i'm going to take actually a little bit of olive oil here, hit our grilling pan. >> you like that nice and hot. you want to sear these, right? >> exactly.

pepper. >> that's it, no other seasoning. i like that. >> that's it. very simple. then we grill this, and then we gather -- you cook the shrimp until they're, you know, opaque. >> yeah. >> about two minutes on each side. >> okay. >> then they look like this and we gather with the vinaigrette. >> ah. >> then. >> oh. >> this is it. i can see you guys cooking this on your barbecue. >> easy! >> so simple. >> right? >> easy. >> well, brazilian cuisine is very simple. i want you guys toas >> that's actually a little myth about brazilian cuisine that, you know, you have to hunt for the ingredients. >> thank you. >> here, we're passing. >> have the shrimp. >> now, you have the side salad here, too. what is that? >> this is a side salad, which is a shallot with a creamy mustard vinaigrette. so easy, refreshing, you know? and shyot is a vegetable that's appearing more and more in the u.s. states.

>> good. >> you don't have to go hunting for the ingredients. you can shop local and eat global. >> i love that. >> you know whose mouth is watering right now. sava savannah's. she's back in new york. >> we miss you! >> we're almost done. you know the craziness we have in studio 1a followed us here to rio. you know bob yager, our cameraman with all the puns. >> of course. >> he said, i've been watching gymnastics so much it made me try the parallel bars. so i had a drink the roof, then i went down and had a drink at the bar in the lobby. >> my man! >> he hasn't changed a bit. >> i miss him. >> that's our boy. >> bob, i missed you most of all! >> savannah, just a couple days left and we're waiting to come home and see you. >> i cannot wait. >> we miss you, savannah, big time! >> please bring home a capadinya milkshake for me. without alcohol! without alcohol! >> how's val?

she misses you guys. >> oh, happy birthday. >> happy birthday. >> we love val. >> all right, savannah, we'll see you in a little while. >> all right, guys. >> tell me, you were born here? >> i was born and raised in rio, and i moved to the u.s. when i was 22. >> to where? >> to connecticut. >> really? >> what street? >> right next to kathie lee's house. >> i went to study cooking. and then when i got married and had kids, i went to connecticut. >> okay, wonderful. >> thank you so much. >> this is ou >> thank you so much, guys. so happy to be here. >> by the way, we have big things planned for our return to new york. next week we're going to keep the olympic energy going. in fact, you'll be able to go for gold right for yourself on the plaza. >> it's going to be great. plus, a special series called "today's originals," where we pick design and bring a product to market for good cause. and get ready, we're adding a new, special member to our family. >> hmm. >> is that a four-legged one? >> a little furry?

>> that's a little sweaty. >> oh, yeah. >> that's different. all right, we've got much more ahead from rio after your local news and weather. >> a silver day for danell leyva. ? >> if we could give out a gold medal, an olympic gold medal for sportsmanship and supporting

this is 9news. >> hi, everyone, i'm gary shapiro with this 9news update. in a couple of hours we are going to learn more about a multistep plan to clean up a popular tourist destination in denver, talking about the 16th street mall. police, business owners are teaming up to try and get drugs and crime off the street. today privately employed security guards will be patrolling, that's their plan for now. they are not armed and they can't arrest people but the idea is their ce a visual deterrent to trouble makers and, of course, dpd has increased security down there too. becky joins us now with the weather forecast. going to be a nice day today and then getting ready for a change this weekend. >> yes, 70s for highs. how about that? that's a huge change coming our way. we are expecting to see lots of sunshine for the first part of our day, second half will bring in a few more showers. most of the rain stays over the mountains today. we will see pockets of heavy rain but not a chance for severe weather, at least not a big one.

and around the denver metro area, they will be very isolated and they fizzle out by tonight. highs reach 91 here today, 41 greeley, 41 ft. collins, middle 90s on the eastern plains with 60s and 70s for the mountains. the chance for isolated storms rolls in late this afternoon, sticks around through early this evening and we will have partly cloudy skies tonight. overnight lows drop to 59 degrees. tomorrow a cold front expected to push through, 86 the high, storms are much more likely ow today. and we have a chance for some scattered showers friday, 80 and then look at that, 72 saturday, 76 on sunday. >> how about that.

usain bolt, still invincible. >> first man in history to win three 100 meter olympic crowns in a row. ? beautiful weather is no surprise in this olympic city. and today temperatures are headed for the upper 80s here in rio during a very busy day on the track at olympic stadium. from our studio on copacabana beach, good morning. it is day 12 of the rio games. we have seven hours of daytime coverage ahead. we take you straight to track and field today.