we are back with more of "today" on a tuesday morning, 7th day of february 2012. we're saluting these nice people who stuck around on a beautiful morning here in new york city. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and savannah guthrie. coming up in this half hour, disturbing new details in the horrible story we have been talking about. josh powell, the father of two who set his house on fire, killing himself and his two young boys. >> that's right. of course he was considered for the disappearance of his wife susan. he's killed himself and his two young boys and police say it appears he was planning it for

some time. that he even took the kids' toys and donated it to charity. even before the boys were killed. so we'll have more details coming up. it's such a sad story. >> also ahead, we turn to health news f. you find yourself exhausted all the time it may not be just the wear and tear of daily life. it could be anemia, depression, diabetes. we'll examine some of the most common symptoms, common causes of exhaustion. >> coming up a little bit later on, joy bauer is here. valentine's day just around the corner. guess what. chocolate is, of course, the right thing to do if you want to stay healthy and have some treats for your sweetie. we'll transform your favorite comfort foods into healthier versions with a couple simple swaps. >> she says we can eat chocolate! i love that joy bauer. >> not a pound.

>> oh. >> and a certain kind. >> natalie has the headlines at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. disturbing new details in the murder-suicide of josh powell and his two sons. nbc's miguel almaguer is in graham, washington, with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. police are working to retrace josh powell's steps in the days and hours before the fatal fire here. when a social worker brought his children here they say it was clear he wanted to kill his boys. when police removed the bodies of josh powell and his children, a hatchet was nearby. the boys suffered so-called chop wounds to the head and neck but the deaths they say were cause bid the fire. detectives believe powell used ten gallons of gasoline to soak the home in a care friday planned execution that included getting rid of the boys' toys. >> boxes of toys and books and

donated them to goodwill over the weekend. this was a deliberate, planned out event. >> reporter: investigators say powell sent out e-mails moments before igniting the fire. one to his lawyer reading only, i'm sorry, good-bye. another saying he couldn't live without his boys. among the last, a message to a pastor and family members. >> they dictate what to do with his money, certain aspects of his life. >> reporter: police say none of the e-mails mentioned susan. monday night utah detectives arrived at the crime scene, the same investigators who named josh a person of interest in susan's 2009 disappearance. >> the case is still active. we are not closing the case. >> reporter: the night susan vanished josh told police he took the boys camping in freezing conditions. susan was never seen again despite multiple searches for her body. now a lawyer says young braden recently began talking about the night they went camping when his

mom vanished. >> charlie and braden were in the back seat. their mother was in the trunk. the boys reported she and their father got out of the van, went for a walk and their mother got lost. >> reporter: after susan disappeared josh moved with the boys from utah to washington state. together they lived with josh's father steven powell but after steven was arrested on child pornography charges and voyeurism custody was awarded to susan's parents chuck and judy cox. in august josh powell told nbc news his boys were his life. >> some days i don't know how i get through the day. except for my sons. >> reporter: sunday charlie and braden said a final good-bye to their grandparents. a social worker was taking them to see their father. it was the last time chuck and judy cox would ever see the boys alive. >> they're innocent children that were killed by their father. they are back with their mother

now. his act was a cowardly, desperate act. >> reporter: utah detectives say they want to speak to josh powell's father steven powell. he's in jail awaiting charges on voyeurism and child pornography. they now call him, steven powell, a person of interest in susan's disappearance. last summer when we spoke to him, he denied involvement in her disappearance. natalie? >> miguel almaguer, thank you. earlier on "today" ann spoke with chuck and judy cox. they say the boys had only recently began to open up, telling them what they recalled about the night their mother disappeared. >> they basically kept saying how they went on a vacation in the desert camping and mommy and daddy, they stopped at some place and mommy and daddy left and then only daddy came back. >> there was some discussion about mommy being in the trunk of the car. is that right? >> yes.

>> that was based on a picture drawn by braden at preschool. he drew a picture of the minivan. the day care providers asked him who the people were. he said that was his daddy, charlie and himself and that mommy was in the trunk. >> chuck and judy cox said they had begun to fear that josh could turn violent against the boys in one of the scheduled visits and made their concerns known to police. mortars raining down on homs, syria, as international pressure increases to stop the crack down. the russian foreign minister is in damascus this morning, one day after the u.s. closed the embassy there and the uk, france and belgium pulled their diplomats out. how's this for a moving tribute? a film maker spent 382 days living on a bicycle to honor his

father, a dedicated cyclist who logged more than 75,000 miles in his lifetime. he rode all over montreal proving even the most extraordinary tasks can be extraordinary on two wheels. spectacular. it's seven minutes past the hour. now outside to al with a check of the weather. >> amazing he wasn't too tired. sorry. >> you're clearly too tired. >> not tired enough to do that joke. we have nice folks out here. where are you from? >> new jersey. >> going to the parade? >> yes, sir. heading out to met life stadium afterwards. >> say hi to the giants for me. let's see what's going on as far as your day. it's dry in california. three inches below normal rainfall. 7 and a third inches for san francisco. they will get rain today stretching from the oregon/california border down to san diego. rainfall amounts especially in southern california, two to

three inches along the coast. florida is looking at wet weather as well. stationary front there bringing rain and anywhere from one to three inches from miami up to in between orlando and jacksonville. >> good morning. it will be a nice day today. things will change tomorrow. a mixture of sun and clouds. and that's your latest weather. savannah! >> okay, al. thanks. this morning on today's health the real reason you could be tired. we blame fatigue on the hustle

of everyday life but there could be a medical condition to blame. doctor, good to see you. >> good morning. >> before we start assuming the worst there are things you can do to address fatigue and maybe eliminate common causes. what do you suggest? >> you first need to look at your sleep cycle. get at least eight hours a night. look at your diet. a lot of us skip meals on the run so eat throughout the day and look at your schedule. a lot of us are overscheduled and sometimes scaling back a little bit, especially for a few weeks can help ease tiredness and fatigue. >> one reason fatigue hangs on is people who are anemic. how do you know if you have this condition? >> anemia is a common cause of tiredness. it's basically a condition where we don't have enough red blood cells. so the entire body locks oxygen. my patients tell me they feel they are fighting for air, they can't get a breath in. it is a serious cause of

fatigue. some symptoms are palpitations, chest pain, headache. a lot of trouble focusing or concentrating. just this overall sense that you're weak. the flight of stairs at work is more difficult to go up or you get out of breath. >> you need to have a blood test if you have the symptoms? >> the best way to diagnose anemia is through a blood test. >> another culprit, the thyroid. we have talked about it a lot on this show. often it's a sign of if you have weight loss or weight gain, the thyroid could be the culprit. >> the thyroid gland sits in the neck and has many powers. hyper thyroidism which is too much hormone is the body on overdrive. you have a very high body temperature. it's easy to lose weight. you're going to the bathroom frequently. you're weak. hypothyroidism, the body is slowed down. low body temperature where you are cold all the time.

it's easy to gain weight and also weak. >> you can ask for your thyroid to be tested at that time doctor? >> it's a blood test and your physician will do it for you. >> is it resolved with medication? >> typically, correct. >> another culprit could be depression. this is really hard to diagnose. you will see why. you're sleeping too much or too little. it's ambiguous. >> it's tough as physicians. we don't want to overdose somebody with depression or under diagnose it either. you're looking for changes in sleep, in appetite, in your relationship. you go from beg extro victor tt isolated. and having bad feelings about yourself and low self-esteem. >> what do you suggest if depression could be the cause. >> again, get help. either talk to your doctor, somebody close to you. engage your physician in the conversation. they are looking for five symptoms over two weeks to see

if you fit the criteria for depression. changes in sleep, appetite, mood, negative thoughts and changes in focus or concentration. >> it could be changes in either direction in this case. >> exactly. >> another thing is diabetes. a lot of diabetics and that's often the first sign -- exhaustion or fatigue. >> diabetes is on the rise. it prevents with fatigue because you have flip-flopping with blood sugar. we end completely exhausted. it's important to understand the symptoms. excessive thirst, hungry all the time, losing weight without an explanation. yeast infections and blurry vision. of course the fatigue. the best way to diagnose is through a fasting plasma glucose where you fast for eight hours and we draw your blood glucose level or the ogtt where we have two measures of blood sugar

level, one before drinking glucose and one after. >> the final condition that can cause exhaustion is sleep apnea. you think, i slept eight hours but you still feel tired. >> it's often missed in patients. you wake up without a good night's sleep. the brain is constantly waking up because the airway is shutting off, not providing oxygen. it's a feeling that you are not getting air, enough oxygen. patients wake up exhausted. one symptom is snoring. if it's left untreated it can progress on to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke. it is important to get it diagnosed. we like it diagnosed through a sleep study which is done at a sleep clinic. and a polysomnogram is a good way to see what you're doing as you sleep through the night. >> good information. appreciate it. thank you. >> no problem. thank you. >> up next, healthy treats for valentine's day. plus, cutting the calories and

keeping the taste in joy's diet s.o.s. straight ahead. and less than model behavior from supermodel gisele bundchen. what she had to say after her hubby's super bowl loss coming up after these messages. [ male announcer ] this is big. new chicken mcbites from mcdonald's. juicy, poppable, premium chicken breast with homestyle seasoning. but they're only here for a limited time. the simple joy of really big fun. ♪

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when eaten 3 times a day. i knew lisa would love her new normal. ♪ activia love your new normal and discover the deliciously fruity taste and silky smooth texture of new activia harvest picks. this morning on joy bauer's diet s.o.s. answers to your daily diet dilemmas. joy bauer has answers from your chocolate cravings to healthy foods. good morning. >> good morning, al. >> we have a valentine's day question from pam in new york joining us via skype. happy early valentine's day, pam. >> thank you, you, too. >> hi, pam! >> what's your question? >> i'm looking for healthy chocolate or treat ideas for gifts for valentine's day. do you have fun suggestions? >> i was so excited when i heard you would ask the question. i get to show off my gift for my "today" show valentine al roker.

>> ooh! >> i call this chocolate trail mix. it took me hours, al. but it's so simple. >> i'm not listening. >> you will layer healthy chocolate treats. i have dark chocolate trips, cocoa dusted almond, chocolate cereal. and we have whole grain pretzels covered in dark chocolate. this is the 365 brand. happy valentine's day, al! >> thank you. it's already open. >> but uneaten. >> so there's a great idea, pam. >> there are so many other ingredients you can play with. if your recipient loves caffeine you can have dark chocolate espresso beans and i found dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, cherries, kcashews. >> you have been busy. now from hillary in boston. she says she has a big sweet

tooth, always craving something chocolate. what's something i can keep in my college dorm room to satisfy the craving but isn't totally unhealthy? >> another chocolate question. good timing. there are so many clever chocolate creations that will keep your health in check and satisfy a craving. when it comes to a dorm room i love the mini chocolates. you want to go dark but because they are portion controlled the milk chocolate is fine. you can jazz up nonfat greek yogurt. add a pact of low fat hot cocoa and you have protein pudding or a vanilla and sprinkle on chocolate chips. also meringue cookies are low in calories. one of my favorites is a chocolate coconut. it's naturally free of sugar, artificial sweeteners and makes the room smell delicious. even chocolate covered granola

bars. >> we have kathleen from cincinnati. she has a question for us. >> hi, joy. >> hey! >> i'm looking to lose a few pounds and i was wondering how to turn our family's favorite meals into a healthier, low calorie version without losing flavor. we like pasta, chicken, pork and especially chili. can you help? >> i can help. there are four simple tweaks you can make to just about every recipe that will healthify and maintain flavor. first, use lean ground turkey or chicken, at least 90% lean instead of fatty ground beef. when a recipe calls for cheese, use the 2% reduced fat cheese. third, swap in whole grains instead of the white stuff. so if a recipe is a pasta recipe use whole wheat or whole grain pasta. if it calls for rice, use brown or white rice. when you have the opportunity you will stuff in vegetables and

more vegetables. anything goes. for your pastas, make the whole wheat noodles and add vegetables to poof up the volume. for chili use kbround lean turkey and add a couple cans of fiber rich beans and more vegetables. for pork, roast a tenderloin. it's ultra lean. it's super low in calories and high in health. you can add an interesting blend of a rub of any herbs and seasonings. >> great! thank you. >> just to clarify, just because it's whole wheat or brown rice doesn't mean it's lower in calories. >> it's better for you because when you are eating whole grains you get fiber and antioxidants but watch your portions. >> thank you. >> happy valentine's, al. >> still ahead, how women really feel about their sex life after they get married. happy valentine's day!

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coming up, gisele bundchen throws her husband's teammates under the bus. >> plus, are married women happy with their sex lives? >> and a greek specialty after your local news. hands that feel soft and silky smooth! ooh...she's got the look. what's her secret? the gloves? dawn? i don't believe it. [ male announcer ] it's a dishwashing sensation... dawn hand renewal with olay beauty. it contains revitalizing proteins to help smooth skin on hands -- improving their look and feel in just five uses. [ sponge ] soft, smooth... fabulous! you're quite the trendsetter. [ male announcer ] dawn does more... [ sponge ] so it's not a chore. [ laughs ] ♪ [ female announcer ] hey, ladies. here's a little something you'll find irresistible. cinnamon toast crunch, with a delicious cinnamon and sugar taste that's amazing. crave those crazy squares.™

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news update. >> another nice day, a lot of sunshine expected until the late afternoon hours. a few high, thin clouds drift in. not at this time of year. a mixture of rain and snow developing late in the morning developing late in the morning tomorrow into the

i remember my first posting. house like this. not one single visitor. but i remember rule number one. you are responsible for your house guests. i'm your house guest. the clock is ticking. >> two-time academy award winner denzel washington. this looks intense. he stars as a renegade cia agent in the new thriller costarring ryan reynolds called "safehouse." ryan was here earlier today. denzel live in studio. here we are with safe driving lessons. tomorrow on "today." >> ow! >> oh, boy.

>> can't wait. >> all right. talking about a train wreck a little bit. coming up, we have supermodel gisel bundchen. she stood by her man but what she said when some giants fans heckled her is getting her in hot water. she blamed brady's teammates for the loss. it's got the internet buzzing and of course it was all caught on camera. >> oops. >> all right. you know the old joke about sex after marriage -- there is none. well apparently it's not true. most women are happy with their sex life and they think their spouses are, too. we'll share the results of a revealing new survey ahead. >> and there is one thing you can do for your spouse. cook them a delicious mediterranean meal. we're going greek with lamb stew and authentic side dishes. looks good. >> tzatziki. >> i love it. >> how about a check of the weather? >> let's show you -- tabbouleh!

no, let's show you what's happening. we have the super bowl parade in the canyon of heroes. 50 degrees and breezy. the confetti will be flying all over. showers along the mid-atlantic coast. heavy rain and wind. inland as well, light snow through the upper midwest. >> good morning. it will be a nice day today. we will make it into the upper 40's and low 50's. i meant to say spanakopita.

>> thank you, al. let's say hello to nancy, the latest contestant to have the scales tip against her on "the biggest loser." >> good morning. >> you started at 217, lost 21 on the ranch. how much have you lost since then? >> 45 total so far. >> good for you. >> congratulations. >> what are you doing at home? >> thank you. well, i do work out. i do more exercise and swimming. i love to swim. i try to make sure i get it in at least five days a week. >> and you have 13 kids and 55 grandchildren? >> yes! >> chasing them probably burns calories. >> it's busy. ordinary people with ordinary lives trying to do the extraordinary which is to take time for yourself. >> how has this changed your lifestyle? >> it's huge. you have to -- if you love yourself you have to give yourself time. i'm not used to giving myself a lot of time. loving everybody else but not having time for myself. now i'm spending more time for

me. >> and your trainer was tough on you on the ranch. what was your opinion? >> i don't think he was tough on me. >> no? good. >> i think he had a ton of patience. working with me, you know, was a challenge for him, i'm sure because i had to be shown two, three times sometimes the same things until i would get it and all that. he was great. i liked him a lot. >> nancy, you should be very proud of yourself. we're proud of you. keep it going. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> looking good. >> "the biggest loser" airs tonight at 8:00/7:00 central on nbc. up next, supermodel gisele bundchen stands up for tom brady but take as dig at his teammates. her controversial comments coming up next. >> yikes. urance, people feel lo. that's a dead end. don't know which way to turn. this way. turn around.

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the new york giants celebrate their super bowl win today with a ticker tape parade downtown. >> it's no party for tom brady after post game remarks made by his supermodel wife gisele bundchen. >> as if tom brady didn't have enough reasons to be disappointed after the loss some people are taking jabs at gisele for being too vocal. moments after losing super bowl xlvi to the new york giants. >> they put a lot of pressure on us. we came up a little bit short. >> reporter: a deeply disappointed tom brady was comforted by his supermodel wife. last week gisele called on friends and family to pray for her husband whom she affectionately calls tommy. but the prayers weren't enough. as she exited the stadium another side of the brazilian bo bombshell was caught on tape by

theinsider.com. a giants fan heckled the beauty and she shot back. defending her husband while placing blame on his teammates saying she couldn't believe the receivers dropped the ball so many times. >> it's not what you would expect to happen with a high profile figure like brady, especially considering his wife is a supermodel and she knows what it's like to be in the public eye. you're supposed to be a support group, not someone shouting statements. >> reporter: the glamorous couple who have a son together began dating in 2006. some say she's transformed the nfl star from his high fashion wardrobe to his ever changing hair styles. brady is a regular fixture in fashion magazines. outside the fashion world brady's fans are concerned with the gridiron more than the flat iron and the boston sports world has been speculating about a

gisele jinx for years. >> here's the thing for boston. they care about only one thing -- winning. they know since gisele has been with brady he hasn't won a super bowl. >> reporter: speculation that began in 2008, the last time the patriots faced the giants and lost. gisele was in a sky box looking less than interested sipping red wine, not beer -- a no-no among sports fans. the boston herald called it the curse of the baby-no. most agree her comments crossed the line. >> you deal with a problem in the locker room, with your coach, with your teammates. there is a code among players and teams. you keep it in house. >> reporter: a code that now has to be extended to supermodels. well, we reached out to gisele bundchen but she had no further comment on her remark. >> i think she was defending her man. somebody got in her face and she was passionate. >> it was unfortunate that it reflected on the other teammates. >> and was on camera. >> emotions high after the big game.

>> very much so. up next, what married women really think about sex after marriage. >> right after this. [ male announcer ] we asked real people if they'd help us with an experiment for febreze fabric refresher. they agreed. [ experimenter 1 ] relax, take some nice deep breaths. [ experimenter 2 ] what do you smell? lilac. clean. there's something that's really fresh. a little bit beach-y. like children's blankets. smells like home. [ experimenter 1 ] okay. take your blindfolds off. ♪ hello? [ male announcer ] and now new and improved febreze fabric refresher with up to two times the odor elimination so you can breathe happy, guaranteed. with up to two times the odor elimination [kids talkhot potato!ing] hot potato ♪i got a fever, it's goin all around♪

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good sex life is important to their relationship. kelly, good morning. >> good morning. >> this survey was 1,000 women between 18 is and 49. what does it show us about attitudes for sex and marriage? >> the most surprising thing is when most people think married sex they think no sex. once you get married, no sex. wrong according to this survey. nearly 60% of women said they are happy with their sex life. an equal number said their spouse is, too. they are actually having sex. >> 75% say it's key to a good relationship. >> exactly. >> what's the barrier that's getting in the way of them always getting what they want? >> no surprise here. the big barriers according to the survey are stress and exhaustion. i interviewed a mom with two 3-year-old twins. she said the moms are in bed at 8:00. she's lucky if she makes it to 8:30. she said when they have sex it's

wonderful. it may be quality versus quantity for married women. >> valentine's day is around the corner. people thinking about how to please their spouse. what should we take away? what's the big turn-on in the bedroom? >> this is the big message. attention, husbands out there. when we asked women what gets them in the mood, 70% said when their husband shares loving feelings with them. about 50% said when their husband says nice things to them. more than when he talks sexy, cleans the house or cooks them dinner. it may be just as easy to say, i love you, you look beautiful. >> pay a compliment. >> and you may get more action in the bedroom. >> how often do women want sex and how often are they getting sex? >> in our survey women said they had sex about six times a month. then there was a stat we found surprising. about a third said they would rather have sex with their husbands than go to the movies, to a spa, go on facebook or chat with their friends.

30% said they would rather have sex than anything at all. four of five women said they were in the mood to have sex in the last month. this counters the thinking in pop culture that married women are dead. >> and only men want it. >> women want it, too. >> technology plays a role as well in sex lives. what did the survey show? >> no surprise. women are embracing technology. 22% said they sexted at one time with their husband. 18% said they have e-mailed flirty messages. 16% said they have watched porn on the internet with their partner. digital is changing married sex, too. >> women are getting more creative and less inhibited. >> in the survey, half said they tried something new in the bedroom last year. an equal number said they initiate sex as much as their husband initiates. i think the message is, you know, women know sex is important and that they are interested in making it better.

>> they are making time for it. >> when they can. when they're not stressed and exhausted. >> a quarter of married women think sex is not a priority in the relationship. what does that say about love and marriage in america? >> ask any marriage expert and they will say sex is important for intimacy, the emotional connection and people probably need help. help can be on the way. we started a better sex challenge at ivillage. people get daily tips and advice from a sex expert, from other women. they can sign in by going to ivillage.com. >> there you go. getting us ready for valentine's day. now we know what everybody wants. >> exactly. >> it's about to get steamy in the kitchen with a classic greek stew. first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ this morning in today's kitchen, greek cuisine step by step. jim is chef at one of the city's most popular greek restaurants. good morning. we're making lamb stew or -- >> [ speaking greek ] translated as red or with wine. we're going to roast it in the pan. nothing in there except the spices. that wakes them up. wait for a puff of smoke. they will turn a little bit of color. >> toasting the spices. >> toasting them. right into a bottle of wine. we'll put in vegetables there. celery, onions, carrots, bay leaf, smashed garlic. we reduce it all the way down. we put the vegetables in to extract the flavor. we bring it to a rolling boil, let it go down. we get the essence of the wine

with no alcohol. >> any red wine will do? >> something greek or something like cabernet. >> greek is better. okay. >> greek is better! very good. >> we have the lamb. it's all cubed here. >> it's cubed. >> can you buy it pre-cubed out of curiosity? >> you can get lamb in the supermarket. try to get stew meat or leg meat which is what we are using here. drizzle olive oil. grab some salt and pepper. this is one of the sections on our menu called greek classics. we just finished an 18-day renovation. it was a race to the finish line. this is one of the new dishes we have along with a completely new look. >> wonderful. let's check it out. >> take the lamb meat, place it in. sizzle, sizzle, that's what you want. >> the oil was hot. >> don't move the pan. that's where people make the mistake. you need caramelization. >> what do you mean? >> let it sit.

let it rest on that side. nice, intense heat. the smoke, not pleasant. that's what you are looking for. >> do you turn it over? >> let it get to this point. see how you have nice even caramelization? >> yeah. >> that's what we are looking for. the way to get it is without moving it around much. in the pot after we sear the meat and take it out, onions, garlic, tomato in the pot. let it goat get nice and caramelized. from there the wine is reduced down. >> that had the spices in it. >> goes down. take another sachet with the aromatics. put in the lamb, stock. >> that's loud! it's like ten decibels of sizzle. >> put it in the oven at 350. right there. >> don't burn yourself. for crying out loud. looks great. >> egg noodles. you can make them at home or buy them. just like this.

you have a chance, cut them into strips, little pieces. >> can i do that? >> we have some in the pot already. >> that made me feel better. >> you can practice. >> what makes you think i need practice? >> if you don't want to make egg noodles you can use kilopitas. very greek. and here is the finished stew. halfway through the cooking, pearl onions inside. toss it up. add aged cheese like a pecorino. take it to the plate. nice and buttery noodles like mother used to make. >> yeah. >> put it on the bottom. >> delish. tell us about the side dishes in our 45 seconds. >> we have eggplant salad, tzatziki. >> i love that. >> greek salad which we love. >> you are drawing a crowd here. >> we always do. >> nice and fresh for you. >> yummy! >> always with a little toasted

pita. >> wonderful. >> you're all ready. >> thank you. how do you say it in greek? [ speaking greek ] >> exactly. what e he said. >> kathie lee and hoda after your local news.