good morning, dangerous discovery. sewing needles found in sandwiches on four separate flights to the u.s., at least one passenger injured. now the airline and fbi are launching investigations. scorched. another day of extreme heat from iowa to w hampshire making the worst drought in more than 50 years even worse. where is the rain? lifesaver. a seven-year-old girl accidentally plunges from a third floor window. lucky for her there was a hero waiting below to break her fall. we'll hear from him and her grateful family today, tuesday, we'll hear from him and her grateful family today, tuesday, july 17, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer. how about that video of the girl falling out the window. >> and how about the man there to catch her. >> incredible. then the story on the delta flights. needles found in turkey sandwiches on flights that originated in amsterdam and were headed to minneapolis, atlanta. >> can you imagine biting into those. one person did so and was injured. delta immediately ordered all its other flights from amsterdam to stop serving them. we'll have more on the criminal investigation that's getting under way. an exclusive and candid interview with music legend sir

elton john. he's written a memoir about his struggle at the beginning of the aids epidemic. we'll talk to him about all of that and why he says he has somewhat of a soft support for former president george w. bush. also, 6-year-old suri cruise, we've seen her out and about with her mother katie holmes. has she become an unwitting pawn in a public relations campaign. should the press back off? that's one thing to discuss with "today's" professionals. later we'll show you what happened when president obama and the first lady ended up on the dreaded kiss cam not once but twice last night at an exhibition basketball game. yes, they finally did kiss. >> one of the most embarrassing moments you could ever have. let's begin with a story a lot of people are talking about this morning. the sewing needles found in u.s. flights from amsterdam resulted in at least one injury.

correspondent pete williams has the latest on that. hi, pete. >> reporter: matt, hi. this is a strange and disturbing discovery. ordinary sewing needles like this one found in five turkey sandwiches on a delta flight sunday. fortunately no one was seriously hurt. all the flights were delta, amsterdam to thee u.s. cities, minneapolis, seattle, two to atlanta. four discovered by passengers, a fifth by a federal air marshall. only one was injured on the flight to minneapolis but declined medical treatment. another passenger said he bit into the sandwich and hit on the needle lying flat. flight attendants stopped serving them. death said it's taking it extremely seriously. once discover transportation security notified other airlines flying from amsterdam about the problem. the company that provided the food gate gourmet said it has increased safety and security measures. all the sand wimps made in their

amsterdam kitchens. the fbi is looking into this, so are the police in amsterdam. so far no reports of anything like this on other flights, matt. pete williams, thank you very much. now three minutes after the hour. here is savannah. all right, matt. thank you. we have stepped outside because it is going to be another scorcher today. heat alerts posted in seven states, 78 on the plaza already, al. >> it's just going to continue. 2005 million people affected by this heat wave. heat advisories to heat warnings stretching from the midwest to the northeast and new england. what we're looking for today as far as records are concerned. chicago, 101. it will feel like 108. st. louis, it will feel like 105. d.c. actually a little cooler than the actual air temperature. but new york city will feel like 105, boston 102. here is what we're looking at. the heat wave pattern. basically the jet stream way up north midsection of the country with a high upper-level ridge. well, as we look at this ridge

and the next week or so, that upper-level ridge stretches out, the jet stream stays to the north, no relief. when you look at not only the temperature, the drought a big problem. in fact you can see areas of extreme to exceptional drought where those big ridges of high pressure are centered. then look at the radar on top of the drought. you can see we're getting some rain in some of those drought areas but it's very light, very spotty and really no relief in sight for at least the next week for drought. the heat will break in the northeast tomorrow as the front pushes on through. savannah. >> all right. the rest of the stories in a moment but first a check of the other top stories with natalie at the news desk. good morning, everyone. damaging new evidence for george zimmerman as he awaits his trial for the shooting death of traffic martin. janet with more, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is evidence the defense

tried to keep sealed. telephone conversations and witness interviews, including one from a young woman who says george zimmerman sexually assaulted her. she's been identified as witness number nine, a relative of george zimmerman and has told detectives he molested her starting when she was six and he was eight. she described the incidents as kissing and groping that lasted on and off for ten years. i wanted to make it stop but i didn't know how, she said. the woman never before reported what happened. defense attorney mark o'mara wanted the evidence sealed saying it wasn't relevant to the case. >> keep from public view not because the allegations are true, they are not, but because we knew it would be another toward on the side you have to deal with. >> reporter: the woman also told authorities zimmerman and his family had a bias against blacks and only liked them if they, quote, acted white.

zimmerman is charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of traffic martin. he's pleaded not guilty. more than 100 jailhouse phone calls were also released monday, including conversations between zimmerman and his wife. >> you do so much good. >> in one call the couple talked about finding examples of how zimmerman helps people and they spoke of reading the bible. defense attorney o'mara says the woman had no basis to support those claims of racism. natalie, back to you. >> thanks so much, janet. let's head to wall street. courtney regan at the new york stock exchange. good morning, courtney. >> good morning. shaping up to be a busy day for market chair ben bernanke begins his congressional testimony for two years, starts today. a number of big companies reporting earnings coca-cola, johnson & johnson, goldman

sachs, yahoo!. speaking of yahoo! a surprise hire of google executive mayer. she starts as ceo today. natalie, back to you. >> at the stock exchange, thank you. athletes fresh off a flight to london, several buses ferrying competitors, including from usa, got lost on the way to the olympic village. it took four hours to make the journey as drivers could not locate their housing on a gps system. tsa kerron tweeted, not a good first impression. the president and first lady got the crowd at the usa basketball exhibition game hot and bothered. the pair minding their own business when malia caught them on the kiss cam.

they looked shocked and waved. the disappointed crowd there booed. but not to worry, they got a second chance when the kiss cam found them again. this time he delivered, planting a very presidential pucker on the first lady and the crowd went wild. savannah, matt, if you're worried about the game, team usa beat brazil. focus on that. >> mr. president, get a stadium. >> exactly. >> thank you very much. if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. took the jacket off the second time. >> teenager girls encouraging their parents to kiss in front of everybody. >> mr. roker back with his forecast. >> see what we've got for you. for today, a risk of strong storms. the relief from this system is going to be coming in the form of a cold front from buffalo to

caribou as a front passes through, we've got the risk of strong storms, maybe even isolated tornadoes as that system makes its way. you can see the rain pushing in behind it. temperatures will be in the 80s by late this afternoon into tomorrow. we're talking anywhere right around western new york, three to four inches of rain, >> looking to be another hot today. we are expected to move into the upper 90 possible later today. not as humid this afternoon. and that's your latest weather. matt. >> al, thanks very much. on the presidential campaign trial president obama and mitt

romney are trading jabs over the economy and job creation. nbc's peter alexander in washington with more on that. hi, peter. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you. right now it is all about controlling the political conversation. obviously mitt romney hasn't been able to do that very well lately. today he's going to try to shift attention back to the president's record, accusing president obama of giving political payoffs to some of his biggest donors as the president heads to texas on the fund-raising trip trying to keep up with the romney money machine. >> hello, cincinnati. >> reporter: president obama is ratcheting up his attacks. at the first town hall in ohio the president hammered mitt romney for tax policies that a new report says would encourage companies to outsource jobs. >> we don't need a president who plans to shift more jobs overseas or wants to give more tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas. >> reporter: the romney campaign calls that report biased, dishonest, linking it to an

obama supporter. >> what does it say about a president whose record so is poor all he can do in this campaign is criticizes me. >> tax havens, offshore accounts, mitt romney has used every trick in the book. >> reporter: romney's aides insist americans aren't focused on his tax returns or tenure at bain. even the candidate's singing hit a sour note, becoming a point of contention. both candidates at times delighted their audience by singing. >> you know that song? ♪ obeautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ i'm so in love with you >> reporter: both sides mocking the other in political attack ads. ♪ i'm so in love with you >> reporter: the latest, the

romney campaign with this web video accusing the president of showing more love for wealthy donors than middle class families. ♪ obeautiful for spacious skies ♪ >> reporter: that follows this ad from the obama camp hitting romney's jobs record. ♪ above the fruited plains >> reporter: ultimately voters will be the judge. it's hardly a scene from "the voice." the intrigue is growing around what may be romney's most important decision, matt, before election day. who he picks as running mate. there's a lot of speculation a pick could be announced as early as this week. among the front-runners here they are senator rob portman of ohio, former minnesota governor tim pawlenty and louisiana governor bobby jindal. on monday a top romney adviser tried to downplay this talk insisting no decision has yet been made. matt. >> peter alexander in washington. peter, thank you very much. stephanie cutter is the

deputy campaign manager for president obama's campaign. stephanie, good to see you. good morning. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> if you listen to what we've heard over the last week, it's been a preview of what can get ugly over the next three or so months. if you think about what your candidate is out there on the campaign trail saying and compare it to what he was saying as a candidate four years ago about changing the atmosphere in washington and bringing hope to people who are having a hard time finding hope, are you proud of the message he's out there delivering? >> matt, if you look at what the president is saying on the campaign trail, it is about how we're going to move this country forward, how we're going to break the stalemate in washington and do what we need to do for a strong middle class and sustained growth. >> as of late it's been an awful lot about mitt romney and tax record and offshore accounts and his time at bain. >> right. the president talked yesterday about the need to bring american jobs back here to america instead of outsourcing them

overseas. that's a legitimate discussion to have in this campaign, especially when the president has put real incentives on the table to bring jobs back and closing loopholes that send jobs overseas. that's the president's policy. mitt romney has a different set of policies and i think that's part of the discussion we're having. >> when you look at the last week, stephanie, would you say the president has run an exceedingly positive or exceedingly negative campaign? >> i think the president is laying out the choice. elections are about choices. we have two very different directions that we can go in this country. that's what the president is communicating. we can build an economy from the middle out or we can build an economy from the top down. president obama has a set of policies that will strengthen the middle class, move the economy forward. mitt romney has a set of policies that will continue building the economy from the top down and we know that doesn't work. so that's the discussion on the campaign trail. >> but you're saying this is about policy and it's not personal, because i want to give you some of then candidate obama's own words from the 2008

campaign. he said this, quote, what you won't hear from this campaign is the kind of politics that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge but enemies to demonize. then in accepting the nomination at the democratic convention he said, quote, if you don't have a record to run on then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. you don't feel president obama in the last week or so has done just that? >> matt, i think that in talking about mitt romney's record -- we're happy to talk about the president's record. the president is out there every single day doing that. if we're talking about mitt romney's record that's a legitimate discussion. if we're talking about taxes, there's a reason for that. one, he put bain capital at the center of his campaign his rational for president he can fix the economy because of this experience. it's only natural people would look at what this experience was to see if it qualified him. part of that is to look at where

he's invested his money, made his money. from what we know from the one year's tax return release he's invested in foreign bank accounts. i think the american people want to know, is this a potential president who has been investing his money in offshore accounts and what does that say about the type of presidency he would have, how he would run this country. these are legitimate discussions. part of the election process is to give voters a lens into how presidents would make decisions, what judgment and perspective and motivations that presidents would have. i think where mitt romney invests his money in an offshore bank account, shell corporations in bermuda will affect the types of decisions he makes. that's the discussion we're having and i think the american people are getting a lens into how mitt romney would make those decisions. >> i believe you've answered my question. stephanie cutter, i appreciate your time this morning. thank you very much. >> thanks, matt. it's 7:17. once again, here is savannah.

>> thanks. a lot of americans taking advantage of record low mortgage rates including the very wealthy. in fact, facebook founder mark zuckerberg just refinanced his california home at a rate of just over 1%. nbc's mike in l.a. this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. mark zuckerberg's neighborhoods in palo alto one of the wealthiest in silicon valley. apple's late founder steve jobs owned a home there. when he looked to redo his $6 million mortgage he got a refi rate of 1.5%. anyone would say, what, mark zuckerberg getting an adjustable mortgage refi rate so lie it almost doesn't exist. >> if his rate stays at 1%, less than the rate of inflation, he's

essentially getting the money for free. >> free money from a visionary who when he took his company public in may became the 40th richest person on the planet. is zuckerberg's deal unusual. a palo alto realtimer said his super rich clients looking for low refi rates and getting them because there are better ways to invest cash than paying off mortgage. even if they are adjustable rate mortgages and spike up, these aren't real risks. >> these are clients in the $50 million to a billion dollar range. therefore, to pay this off is easy for them. >> i think this is really big. >> reporter: zuckerberg isn't merely wealthy. when he married priscilla chan the day after taking facebook public, the modest ceremony in the backyard of his 5,000 square foot home his fortune was estimated at $15.7 billion, another level of super rich, which raises the question why have a mortgage at all. >> i'm frankly surprised he's borrowing money period.

he's a phenomenally wealthy. i don't think there's a house big enough he can't just write a check and buy it for cash. >> reporter: for the 99%ers who aimed their anger at the 1%, mark zuckerberg getting a 1% mortgage seem like another reason to growl. while he got a great deal financing his home with its pool and sun rooms, there's nothing illegal or even surprising about that deal. in the rarified air here it happens. >> banks seeing a low risk customer. he's able to use his money better else wrchlt all in all it's a win-win financially. for the rest of us, we don't get it but that's how it works in a capitalistic system. >> reporter: no comment from facebook or zuckerberg himself about this story. it seems to be a new take on the jazz era refrain, the rich are different than you and me, they have no money. even, it seems, a young rich guy

wearing a hoodie. >> getting all musical on us. thank you. it's 7:20. here is matt. the frightening plunge in brooklyn, new york, a seven-year-old girl fell from a third story window and fortunately was caught by a neighbor. remarkably she only suffered a few bumps and bruises. here is nbc's katie tur. >> 30 feet in the air, hands on the building, legs swinging on the side. a 7-year-old girl stood, swayed and seemingly danced on top of an air conditioning unit. three stories below steve st. bernard waited for what looked like the inevitable. >> please let me catch her. please let me catch her. that's all i could say. let me catch the little baby. >> reporter: catch her he did with the little girl suffering only a few bruises. >> i picked her up, carried her, was holding her, rubbing her. she more or less looked around. she never closed her eyes,

didn't lose consciousness. >> reporter: the father of his own 7-year-old daughter st. bernard was getting back from his shift driving a new york city bus when he heard screams from the building. as he ran up he saw the young girl teetering and strategically placed himself beneath her. they tell nbc news the young child has autism and may not have fully understood the consequences of jumping. >> he definitely did our family a favor today. >> reporter: as the young girl's family thanked their new hero, his daughter said this was just her dad doing what he does best. >> the child was almost like naive. he always carried me. i guess probably he'll be able to catch her. >> reporter: he tore a tendon in his shoulder, an injury well worth the life it saved when he was in the right place at the right time. for "today," katy tur, nbc news,

brooklyn new york. >> not only is she lucky she didn't get injured, he is, too. if he was in the wrong spot. >> a 7-year-old girl, a big girl to catch. just ahead the search for two young cousins in iowa. just 8 and 10 years old they vanished. we'll get a live update but first this is "today" on nbc.

reflects on his life in an interview. >> this mystery couple photographed at a very big moment in their life after your local news. poppable pieces of tender chicken breast seasoned with just the right amount of spice, but just for a limited time the simple joy of spicy perfection. ♪ something to me

♪ that nobody else could do >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. the ravens loch up ray rice for the next five years. he signed the five-year, $40 million contract on monday. that makes him the highest-paid running back in franchise history. he is only 24 years old and, hopefully, lots of playing years ahead of him. it is all about the main break

down downtown. sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> additional delays downtown, because light street remains closed between midwood and lamarr. watch for additional delays on fayette. also want to watch for disclosure, not oil between north and charles. that is in advance of artscape. 28 mi. per hour beginning at liberty. crash of to the side. quick live look at traffic. we will update you on j.f.x. into coldspring. we will show you what is going on on lombard. we have closures that remain along light and the lombard. over to you, ava.

>> warm start to the day. 76 of the airport, 84 downtown. humidity running high right now. the one saving grace is that it turned a little bit fire into the afternoon. although it is is going to be extremely hot, it will not be extremely humid. that combination makes things worse. a little bit better than it could be today. hundreds are likely to be hundreds are likely to be downtown we expect to

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the question is do you recognize that happy couple. a tourist snapped those candid shot shots of what appears to be a marriage proposal in washington, d.c. coming up we'll talk to the woman behind the lens about her online campaign to find these two people and share with them her touching photos. i wonder if they want to be shared with. tuesday morning july 17th, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie. if you're trying to eat healthy you may think seafood is a healthy choice. >> david is going to throw cold seawater on that. some of our restaurant favorites aren't that good at all,

including one that has the calorie equivalent of 39 slim jims. imagine my shock, slim jims aren't slimming. >> what's your point. i grew up on them? >> they look delicious. >> our candid interview with sir elton john. find out why he says between the aids epidemic and his addictions he's lucky to be alive. also ahead, should suri cruise be off limits, her life with katie holmes. we'll get into that when today's professionals join us later on. we begin with the desperate search for two young cousins in iowa. they have been missing since friday. their bikes found at a lake. kevin tibbles with us in evans dale. >> reporter: volunteers spent days conducting extensive searches for the girls. authorities are in the process of draining this lake but so far

they say they have no new leads. late monday members of this tight-knit community gathered for the vigil as the mother of one of the missing girls prayed for their safe return. >> therefore i have hope because of the lords great love. >> reporter: prayers of hope for 8-year-old elizabeth collins and her 10-year-old cousin lyric cook missing now since friday after heading out on a bike ride. one veteran sheriff in town said it was as if the girls simply vanished. >> we have two missing girls and we have no idea why. >> reporter: the girls were last seen leaving their grandmother's house tuesday afternoon. >> it's very difficult. we're trusting in the lord and just trying to be patient and let everybody do their job and do a lot of praying. >> reporter: the two bikes and a purse belonging to the girls were later found along a nature trail near meyers lake on the outskirts of town. on monday authorities stopped cars heading in and out of

evansdale asking if anyone had information that would lead them to finding elizabeth and lyric. >> just awful. we have kids of our own. me and my kids have ridden around that lake. it hits close to home. >> reporter: since they vanished there's door to door searches and volunteers showed up in nearby woods and corn fields. those public searches have been called o authorities scoured the area by air and dredged the lake in hopes of finding a lead, so far to no avail. now the decision has been made to drain the lake of its water. >> it is our opinion that we should be 100% sure. and in order to be 100% sure we're going to have to drain that lake to do that. >> reporter: now as the search enters its fifth day, a community waits for any news that might see these two girls reunited safely with their families. it could take two days to drain this lake. water levels are going down

about three inches an hour. but the authorities say with the dry drought conditions here in iowa, it could be emptied out sooner than that. meanwhile the family is quoted as saying they are preparing for the worst but hoping for good news. matt. >> kevin tibbles on this story in iowa for us. kevin, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather. >> al roker joins us now with more on this heat wave. >> that's right, savannah. it continues. some folks from virginia, upward bound, starts at that end and goes all the way around the horn here. we've got about 157 members on upward bound. pretty cool. let's see what we've got for your weather. this afternoon the heat wave continues, 100s in the breadbasket of this country, all the way into the southwest. 80s and 90s through the gulf coast. 60s and 70s in the pacific northwest, a few interior showers there. we're looking at also a few -- some sunshine through the northeast, also expect to see

plenty of heat in texas. risk of strong storms making its way through the upper plains and new england as well. that's what going on around the country, herun >> another hot day in store. upper 90's by this afternoon. a very hot outside. and that's your latest weather. matt. >> all right, al. thank you very much. up next when seafood can make you fat. including one dish that's the same as eating more than 10 hot dogs. later was ambien really to blame forakerry kennedy's car crash? we'll talk about that right after this. continues in washington...ate

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back now at 7:40 with eat this not that today. if you think fish is always a healthy choice, david says think again. he's the author of "eat this, not that." the no diet weight loss solution. good morning. >> good morning, savannah. >> is fish not safe. there's no safe harbor? >> no, i don't mean to sound like sheriff brody in cue the music from "jaws." it's gussied up with oil, breading, cheese. restaurants turn it into nutritional sea monsters that will sink your diet. >> there is good fat in fish. that's not what we're talking

about here. >> there's good fat but buried under all this other stuff. >> what's that? >> p&l f. chang's, they have taken the fish, the smallest thing on the menu, battered, fried, drowned in cream sauce and sugar encrusted. ends up at 1400 calories being the calorie equivalent of 10.5 hot dogs. so when you're at p.f. chang's you want to get sichuan shrimp. you'll be saving 1,000 calories, a third of an entre. red lobster, crispy calamari and vegetables. the problem is this squid is going to wrap its tentacles around you and pull you under. this is salt with a side of fish recipe. it's 1500 calories, 100 grams of fat.

it is like eating a bag and a half of fun yuns. >> why did you choose that? >> it's fun, except when you're having a bag and a half. 70% of americans when they go outing to a seafood appetizer are getting shrimp. 60% of the time they are getting crab cakes or coconut but this is healthy. cheesecake factory, shrimp and chicken gum bo. the problem here, we've got 1600 calories, 37 grams of saturated fat. that's two days worth of saturated fat, savannah. it ends up being the calorie equivalent of 39 slim jims. >> even if you love slim jims. >> i grew up on them as you did. >> the alternative looks good. >> shrimp creole, again, saving 1,000 calories. makes all the difference when

you're going out. you just need to be aware of what you're eating. >> if you want to do mexican style, i love fish tacos but you don't love these. >> i don't like these you get the fish and all the saltwater they have swam in their entire life. dos equis, they are quu can believe this 2200 calories, 32 grams of fat, 142 milligrams of sodium. >> where does that come from? they are breading the fish. >> drowning it in sauce and oil. you know, the rice in oil. it ends up being calorie equivalent of 32 taquitos. >> we should get what? >> barbecued salmon, saving 1600 calories with this. this is captain's catch, 2400 calories, more like the

deadliest catch. >> everything is fried. >> sea of beige. french fries, fried onion rings, fried clams and fried shrimp and fried cod. you get the picture. 2400 calories, the equivalent of 65 fish sticks. when you really want to have the seafood derby get dlapia, till it's 700 calories. >> we will talk to the woman who took these pictures and is looking for the couple coming up right after this. just one glass equals two servings of fruit. very "fruit-ritious." or try ocean spray light 50, with just 50 calories, a full serving of fruit, and no added sugar. with tasty flavors like cranberry pomegranate and cranberry concord grape, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. [ splashing ] just, you know, demonstrating how we blend the fruits.

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call me... this summer, we're finding you the perfect place - plus giving you up to $100 at hotels.com . we're back now at 7:46 with a romantic and intimate marriage proposal caught on camera. now it's led to the amateur photographer who captured it wanting to search for the couple in the picture. we're going to talk to her in a moment but first natalie has her story. natalie, good morning. >> angela golic was attending a conference in washington, d.c. earlier this month when she took those pictures now capturing the attention of hundreds of thousands of people on line. at night, our nation's capital can be quite a romantic place. earlier this month the district of columbia war memorial proved to be a very picturesque location for one couple, like a scene straight out of a hollywood romance. >> there's a fence between myself and this rotunda and i

couldn't get to it, but i wanted to take some pictures. >> angela golic was visiting washington, d.c. and was out taking photos when something caught her eye at the monument. she zoomed in with her camera lens to get a better look. >> i noticed there was a couple standing in the middle of the rotunda. i watched unfold before my eyes him grab a ring from his pocket and grab her hand and place it on her finger. >> angela tried calling out to them but they did not respond. but the experience so moved angela that she made this video, determined to find her subjects. in it she tells viewers she could feel the love through my camera. >> just want to give them their pictures. i hope i haven't disturbed their life too much. >> but the mystery has only added to the story's appeal. the video has gone viral. >> americans have this fascination with weddings and proposals. yes, we hope it's the fairy tale story. but honestly, we really don't

know. >> on "huffington post," more than 1,000 people have commented on the video, some touched by angela's efforts. what a beautiful gift to give to this couple. while another commented, this is just creepy. it's voyeurism. >> i hope that they know i'm being good hearted with my intentions and i just want to give them their pictures. >> while some couples prefer privacy, it's not uncommon nowadays for certain folks to make their marriage proposals extremely public. >> you have flash mob proposals, singing and dancing in the park. the idea of proposals has really changed. >> angela hopes this couple doesn't mind their moment in the spotlight. >> it's a beautiful image. it does make you stop and captures a little bit of your heart. >> we'll just have to see if that couple comes forward. people are watching angela's video. it already has more than 217,000 views. matt and savannah. >> all right, natalie. thank you very much. a lot of people seeing this.

angela golic is the amateur photographer who captured the photos of the mystery couple. thank you for being here this morning. >> thank you for having me. >> here is what worries me, 217,000 people have seen it online, posted the photos since saturday. the guy is pretty recognizable in his uniform, i'm wondering if there's a reason these two aren't coming foshd. have you thought about that? >> i have. very much so. i considered not posting the pictures. i have them, and i don't need them for myself. it's such a beautiful moment, i would think any new bride would want them for her scrapbook. >> is this one of those things when you took the picture you knew i have a moment or did you get back to your hotel room and think, this is quite a moment. >> i don't know how to use the camera that well. i took a total of five photos. when i got back to my hotel room i thought they would be blurry.

these are the only two that came out decent. >> you couldn't pay a wedding photographer enough to take that picture. i agree with savannah, if i were this couple i'd want that photo on my wall. i'm not sure i'd love it if you came up to me yelling i took that photo. i might have turned and walked in the other direction. >> we stood there and waited and waited for the moment to play out. when i saw that they were kind of wrapping things up, so to speak, is when i tried to get their attention. we cheered first like, yea -- >> like get a room. >> that's what you would have yelled. >> i asked, did she say yes? it was like they could hear us. they did look towards our direction. because it was dark they didn't see us. >> for you this is kind of about giving them the chance to have that photo. are you okay if a few days pass and you don't hear from them. you're not going to keep searching for weeks and years. >> be on this show every bay. >> you're not going to stalk

them, right? >> no. i actually have a quite busy life i need to get back to. so no, i'm excited. there's a couple leads. so we'll see where this takes us. >> let's see if we can help. if you are that couple or if you know that couple and you recognize them and want to reach out to us, you can go to our website to find out how you can get in touch with angela. just ahead a revealing interview with elton john. >> we have today's professionals coming up after your local news. if you're thinking about shopping just anywhere for home appliances, think again. think sears. with more selection.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check of the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. not a good day, sarah. >> downtown we're seeing additional delays due to the closures at light street and lombard. may find some delays and not royal and charles street closures in effect in in advance of artscape. 19 minutes to get you through that stretched on the west side. 17 on the northeast outer loop.

prior to that, those delays are coming out of the white marsh area. live view in that area. that is the pace of things from southbound to the beltway northeast. live view of lombard and light, you can see that lamarr traffic is getting by. not the case along light street where it meets lombard. over to you, ava. >> 81 at the airport, 84 downtown, 70's towards the eastern shore. 60s in the western point of the state. dew point temperatures will drop out in the afternoon. it will be extremely high -- today high extremely hot today. record today at the airport is 101. i don't think the airport will hit 101, but downtown could. very hot into tomorrow and it

becomes a lot more humid by tomorrow afternoon. cold front approaches to area cold front approaches to area and that bri

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we're checking out the top of the rock in new york city. down here on the plaza we've got a happy crowd. not too hot yet. gearing up for some high temps. a bit later on we'll catch up with elton john. >> we caught up with him outside his home in london. if you know sir elton john you know he's extremely candid. he says what's on his mind. he opened up about his life, his addiction, his decision to come out as a homosexual, talked

about princess diana and elizabeth taylor. that coming up in a few minutes. kerry kennedy expecting in court today for a weekend crash, driving while impaired. could ambien have something to do wnlgs. hot topics for today's professionals here, ready to hat. >> no assembly required. later on michael vick became enemy number one when he admitted to his role in dog fighting. he's here to talk beauty his road to redemption. he'll be live in our studio in just a bit. >> we've got a lot to get to. natalie standing by at the news desk. good morning, natalie. >> reporter: good morning. fbi investigating food tampering. officials say sewing needles found in five turkey sandwiches served on four separate flights from amsterdam.

one passenger heading to minneapolis bit into a needle but declined medical treatment. the company that provided the food said all the sandwiches were made in amsterdam and safety measures have been increased. police in tuscaloosa, alabama have released video of a shooting in a bar overnight that left 17 people wounded, four of them seriously. police used their official twitter feed to alert the public to the violence. a catastrophic drought is now the worst to hit this country since the 1950s. crops are drying out in the fields and ranchers are selling off hurd of cattle as hay fields wither. this as temperatures with no end in sight, counties declaring drought disasters. grocery prices are set to rise. now a quick roundup what has you talking online. yahoo!'s ceo a new topic on twitter. marissa mayer, a top executive

at google when her surprise hiring was announced last night. she has another project in the works. mayer reveals she's pregnant and plans to take maternity leave when her baby arrives in october. a naked version of cowboys versus indians. the naked cowboy has been a times square fixture for years. the newcomer, naked indian, has been invading his turf. the cowboy has given his foe and ultimatum. join forces or face a lawsuit. a young golf fan commit add huge no no sunday when he picked up a ball hit into the trees at the john deere classic. realizing what he had done the boy dropped the ball which madison needed to complete the round. madison ended up losing to johnson in a sudden-death playoff. big whoopsy there. >> in fairness we should say that happens around here a lot,

people drop the ball. >> wow, you went a long way for that one. >> pretty quick. >> you were in the rough on that one. >> mr. roker has a check of the weather. >> golf humor. sorry, i'm missing it. >> so are a lot of us. let's see what we've got for you. we've got some singing going on back there. very nice. amarillo, texas. our pick city today, kmar nbc 4, isolated storms, 96 degrees. we've got some wet weather around the florida peninsula, also some showers making their way through the gulf coast of texas. heavier rain and thunderstorms pushing down into new england. that would bring relief. until then a risk of strong storms there, also in the northern plains. a few showers along the coastal pacific northwest. everywhere else sunny, hot, humid, oppressive. that's what going on aro >> looking to be another hot today. we are expected to move into the upper 90 possible later today.

not as humid this afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right. mr. roker, when we come back, has 6-year-old suri cruise been unfairly exposed in the press? how about sleeping in separate beds. does it help or hurt your marriage? today's pros will hash over those subjects and more but first these messages.

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for multi grain flakes that are an excellent source of fiber try great grains banana nut crunch and cranberry almond crunch. back now at 8:09 with today's professors, star jones, danny deutsch and dr. nancy snyder here to take on the buzz of today's stories. let's start with politics. anthony weiner, remember him. the former congressman that got on twitter and accidentally twittered a picture of himself. there are some reports he may be looking to get back into local politics in new york city. has a campaign war chest and told reporters he was interested. too soon or does he deserve a second chance in politics. >> help me. >> here is why he'll get a second chance. i made a mistake. in the world of scandal

continuum. since then i've had a baby. i paid my price. i lost my job. i was humiliated. i was humbled. i'm here to spend the rest of my life as a public servant. he's a good politician. >> you think people will buy that? >> i think donny is right. i've interviewed him several times. he's cuckoo smart, health care, nobody understands the problems better than he. he's a little wonkish. people do believe in redemption. >> i don't think he can get over that unfortunate name connected with him. weiner, couldn't be better. >> as the "new york post" knows. >> i think people will forgive him but he will still be a laughingstock. i think the joke was always -- >> i don't know. >> when he runs against somebody, they will keep bringing it up. then anthony weiner says doesn't my competitor have anything else to talk about. >> redemption is one thing but

does it have to be public redemption. >> he's a public servant. he's very smart. if he serves the people well and says, look, i really made a stupid, stupid, stupid mistake. give him a second shot. >> let's move on to suri in the spotlight. everyone following katie holmes divorce. you see kathy holmes out and about an awful lot with suri. couple of questions. do you think suri should be off limits. >> every time you see her it's a calculated move. the child is not off limits. >> that's so unfair. i think she should be able to take her kid to get ice cream, go to the petting zoo, to do all the things every young mother does with her child. it's unfair for us to say, no, she can't do that and she has to be more protected so the paparazzi don't invade her privacy. >> you think she's doing it on purpose. >> i think a lot is orchestrated very much. the move here, mother daughter out. i don't disagree with you she shouldn't be preyed upon. >> listen, whether it's on purpose or not, once you take

pictures with your baby in "people" magazine, once you seen that contract with the devil and say this is part of my public persona, it's open season, unfortunate. i feel terrible. by the way, they have done calculated uses of her to show the family couple. after that, unfortunately -- >> i agree. i've heard from people who know their entourage. in central park, people notified ahead of time, orchestrated. i don't think those photos happen accidentally. once you buy into it, you're in it. >> once you invite them into your bedroom, your home, they stay. >> you're suggesting she would do it for pr benefit. >> they have done it. initially there's pictures of the baby. once you do, that i'm sorry. you set the table. >> another story in the news, ambien excuse. kerry kennedy arrested for driving while impaired over the weekend. she has a court appearance today. her lawyer said she tested

negative for drugs or alcohol. there was a report she thought maybe she had taken ambien by accident. i guess check with her doctor first. could ambien have that effect. >> unless you carry ambien and tick tacks in a pocket, i don't know how they are mistaken. >> that's dumb. don't put your prescriptions in the same bottle. this is a powerful prescription medication. if you're going to yit, you take it, brush your teeth, go to bed. it's not for daytime use. it does have a hangover effect. until there is a toxicology effect i don't know. >> i have ambien sickness. i cooked an entire breakfast on ambien in my house. i knew it because i saw chopped onions in the morning. i'm not supposed to take ambien. knowing what why would you get into a car. >> does this feel like one of those celebrity excuses. >> i'm tired of the kennedys.

enough. go home. >> drug problems, mental illness. >> robert kennedy, jr., what he did to that poor woman who took her life. i'm ashamed of the woman. >> people make that deal with the devil. there's always been that, father made a deal with the devil. >> a curse. >> it really may be something to the addiction aspect of a certain gene pool. if that's true and there's a familial dicks issue. drugs and alcohol, not going to go near. time for that generation to have a conversation with her children. you may not have wiggle room with experimentation. >> i find in this world of class warfare, we have kennedys, trash, known as trailer trash, their behavior. >> other people might be in prison. >> according to the foundation, 25% of couples sleep in separate rooms and for various reasons

because somebody snores, they sweat, too loud. good for marriage? a marriage saver or ruiner. >> i just happened to have dinner last night with my two divorce lawyers. we're still good friends. they say -- >> two lawyers? >> i needed them both. when i presented this topic, they said if you sleep in separate bedrooms, you're coming to see them. >> whatever works for a couple. >> more married female friends who after sex one of them goes to a separate room. >> found tolerance. >> donny says, sweetheart, it's time to go home. >> i did that once. >> donny and nancy, thanks as always. coming up, a candid interview with sir elton john. coming up after this. i am you

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legend elton john. he's called "love is the cure on life, loss, and the end of aids." we sat down outside his home in london. as always elton was outspoken and opinionated. ♪ >> elton john's career spans four decades, over 250 million records sold, six grammys, a tony and even an oscar. ♪ but he says one of his life's greatest achievements is the elton john aids foundation which has raised more than $275 million in the fight against aids. >> i wasted such a big part of my life when this epidemic was beginning to happen in the early 1980s and i was a drug addict and self-absorbed. i was having people die right, left and center around me, friends, and yet i didn't stop the life that i had, which is a terrible thing about addiction. it's that bad of a disease. >> here is how you write about it in the book.

i was consumed by cocaine, booze, and who knows what else. i apparently never got the memo that the me generation had ended. >> yeah. >> do you feel guilty about it? >> don't you think you've made up for it. >> i'm making up for it. there's so much more to be done. >> so he says he's speaking out about a disease that has claimed too many lives. he wants to fight the stigma associated with aids and discrimination against homosexuality. elton john revealed his own sexuality in 1976. you had known you were gay for a long time. why did you wait so long. >> when he asked me from rolling stone, i'm going to ask a question, if you don't answer i'm going to turn the tape recorder off. i said you're going to ask if i'm gay or not. how did you know? i've been waiting. i live with my manager, openly gay outside, do not have a girlfriend. i thought it was common knowledge. >> did you have any fears about how it would impact your career?

>> no, i didn't. to be honest people burned my records for a minute, people didn't play me but nothing like the dixie chicks when they made the anti-iraq statements and their career was ruined. me saying i was gay in the '70s didn't have any effect on me whatsoever. >> i want to go back to something we were discussing during the early days of the aids epidemic. you were this rock star but you write you were not living a life practicing safe sex. >> no. >> weren't you afraid? >> you know what, when you take a drug and you take a drink and you mix those two together, you think you're invincible. >> you didn't wake up some mornings thinking what did i just do. there is an epidemic of disease out there. >> i couldn't remember. i came out of this hiv negative. >> there but for the grace of god. >> yes. i was the luckiest person in the world. >> lucky to be alive and determined to make a difference, elton john pays tribute in his

book to his heroes, those who inspired him. he says it was a young kid from indiana who changed his life. ryan white was just 13 when he contracted hiv from a blood transfusion. he died five years later. his story captivated the nation and the heart of a troubled rock star. >> i just felt for him, this kid, just because he had the hiv virus and his family were being discriminated. he was forced to move to another town, bullets through their window, fire bombs in the letterbox, wasn't allowed to go to school, had to have home schooling. >> do you blame it on venom or just a simple lack of information in the early days of the epidemic. >> i blame it on ignorance, lack of information and panic. rumors spread, you can get it from a toilet seat, touching someone, all nonsense. people were afraid. it was an unknown disease. i never once heard ryan complain or be bitter about his illness. he never despised people

horrible against him. >> elton writes about other people he loved and lost. >> elizabeth was the most glamorous woman, underneath was a caring, compassionate, funny woman who cared deeply. she got the government to stand up and take notice. she was the first person to do that. ♪ seems to me you live your life like a candle in the wind ♪ >> princess diana. you reveal something in the book that just before she died, she had decided she wanted to work with your foundation. >> she wanted to do something desperately for the aids foundation. she was amazing. she was the first person of the royal family to go into the aids ward and hold people and hug them at a time when people are like don't touch me, might get aids. she was fearless in that respect. she was fearless in anything she did whether it came to land mines or aids, she was genuine and so 150% behind the cause. >> elton champions those he

feels made a positive impact on the aids epidemic but also takes to task those he believes caused harm. he doesn't hold back. let's play a little game of political word association. give me a brief answer to each of the names i'm going to throw out. just your first reaction. ronald reagan. >> overrated. >> bill clinton. >> fantastic. made some big mistakes but, god, he's a fantastic man. >> george w. bush. >> i have kind of a soft spot for him in a way because he was very -- what he did for aids was fantastic. but i'm glad he's not in power anymore. >> so for one issue, he was the guy -- >> he was fantastic with aids. >> not long ago president obama in an interview said he supports gay marriage. as a gay man, how did you feel about it? >> i think it's wonderful that he did that. the law, don't ask, don't tell, you can't do things overnight. i really appreciate what he's

done. >> do you think he said it for political reasons? he was forced into a corner by joe biden. not only joe biden but some holding back financing and fund-raising money. >> it's the right thing to do, ratification of our rights. >> elton john is incredibly outspoken. he does talk about singing at ryan white's funeral. that was one of the things that got him to go get sober. he saw his image singing and realized how troubled he was. >> it seems like in some ways with this book he's sort of seeking redemption for the way he lived, was carols in the early days and now i want to remind everybody about this. >> few people would argue he's done an enormous amount since that time. >> very revealing, candid. >> the book is "love is the cure" and it hits the stores today. more about elton and his family and will show us a special place he built on his property. back after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> dealing with water main break-related closures on light street, redwood, and lombard. extra delays in that area and they are expected the next few days. mount royal and charles, closures in advance of artscape. eastbound i-70, reports of an accident. another one and falls and

coldspring, mlk and madison. jackson boulevard, accident coming in. let's give you a live view of traffic. 95 in the white marsh area. south of white marsh, you are experiencing delays towards the 895 split. let's look at it a section. lombard is open, but light street shut down at lombard. over to you, ava. >> temperatures are quickly heating up. 87 degrees downtown. low 80s across the eastern shore into ocean city. high-pressure system builds into the east, with a clockwise flow around it. humidity will be increasing as well. pretty humid started the day, but slightly drier air into the afternoon. that is the silver lining, as it is going to be extremely high. -- hot. opera 90s to low 100, with mostly sunny skies. tomorrow, just as hot and

becoming more humid. cold front wednesday night into thursday. >> we will have another update at 8:56.

we're back now at 8:30 on tuesday morning, the 17th day of july 2012. it's going to be hot, temperatures in the upper 90s so plan accordingly. we have a big crowd on the plaza spending time with us this morning. we thank them for that. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie, natalie morales and al roker. coming up in the studio a guy who is a controversial figure. >> no question about it.

quarterback michael vick who lost a lot of fans and a lot of respect when he pled guilty to a dog fighting ring. he's back now and got a second chance not only at football but has become an advocate for dogs and won over the humane society with his work educating people about this. we'll talk about his road to redemption. on a much different note, who does the cooking in your house? turns out more and more it's the guys doing the cooking so we brought in noted chef bobby flay to share his must have tools to make guys better cooks. >> all comes down to the gadgets. >> but basics. >> good knife sharpener. later on, call him the little drummer boy. you'll meet this amazing sensational young man, 7-year-old jackson. as you can see he has impressive drumming skills. they turned him into quite a bit of a sensation, jaming to a foo

fighter song. >> can we bring in gary ullman here. he plays commissioner in the movie. those are bumping shoes. those are cool. exactly right. >> the guys talking about that. very nice. >> commissioner gordon should be in a great mood. crime is down in gotham, it's been down for a while. yet the commissioner is harbo harboring this secret. what does he want to tell us? >> he has the secret of how it began, batman, what really went down in the last movie and has been carrying around -- he's sensationally lied to the people of gotham, which is against character. >> it's time for him to get that off his chest. >> yeah. he's about to. and pauses and decides not to.

then, of course, all hell breaks loose. and gets in the action and tries to redeem himself again. >> one of the things we all love about the batman movies is, of course, the characters but also the toys. commissioner gordon, do you ever think how come i can't ride in these things? >> i don't really get to ride -- i don't get to ride the -- i don't get the toys, no. i'm in a hospital gown in this one. that's very sexy. >> wow. hang out in a catsuit or anything. >> gets to kiss all the girls. >> you get to ride the bat, though, fly in the bat. >> don't give anything away. >> natalie. >> the premier, do you still get nervous when you see a movie in front of an audience for the first time. >> i've seen a preview.

when you've seen something before hand it takes the edge off the nerves. it was wonderful to see it at the imax screen. it's the size of an apartment. >> it's a very, very powerful movie. gary, always good to see you here. bring your shoes back. >> i'll tiptoe back. >> check out "the dark knight rises." mr. roker. the temperature rises today throughout much of the country. temperatures in the 90s, 100s, into the plains, risk of strong storms in the northern plains, new england as well. as we move into tomorrow, we are looking at sizzling conditions in the mid-atlantic states, slight risk of strong storms, cooling cold front comes down in the northeast. showers in the midsection of the country with hit and miss thunderstorms sizzling from the midwest into the southwest. that's what going on a >> another hot day in store. upper 90's by this afternoon.

a very hot outside. >> don't forget get that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel, on cable or weather.com. up next michael vick opens up about his life and career. next on nbc.ca

back now at 8:37 with a long road to redemption for nfl quarterback michael jackson vic. he seemed to have it all before pleading guilty in 2007 in his local role for a federal dog fighting ring. he was allowed back in football where he's worked to rebuild his

image on and off the field. he shares his story in a new book "finally free." good to see you. >> nice to see you. >> you could have remained quiet, which you have done largely. you could have let your play on the field and off the field speak for you and not get into a lot of the things you write about in this book. why did you write it? >> i wrote it because each and every day i'm very personal with my fans. each and every day because i try to live a normal life, i'm out in the public. i get so many questions asked. so many people won't to have their own opinions of what they thought should have happened, their perception of the situation. you know, whether or not they know about the origin of what i was into. they just -- they get it wrong. you know, i want to help them get it right. >> you talk about the origin. you talk about being exposed to dog fighting at 8 years old. at the time you thought it was fascinating. yet as you get older, michael, and you watched it and

participated in it, did you ever stop and think it could lead to my ruin? >> yeah, i always thought about it and it was always in the back of my mind. but very naive to the consequences. that's what i don't want to happen to our young kids today. you know, i feel like that was the main reason i became an advocate and trying to bring awareness to dog fighting is to help the young kids realize that, you know, that's not what is important and the path they should take. >> i want to talk about your work as an advocate in a second but i also want to talk about something you write about in the book. you said of all the troubles you went through, surrendering millions of dollars and part of your career and your freedom, you'll never forget actually talking to your son and having him see this. you're watching tv together. your son says -- i believe he was 7 at the time -- we watch a clip of me playing football on the screen and then came across

the news, michael vick could be sentenced to prison. he burst out uncontrollably. i don't want you to go to jail, he screamed. i was ashamed, hurt. how did you explain it to him? >> it was tough. i really couldn't explain it. the only thing i could do at the time was console him. there was no explanation. it was very deep and very farfetched for his brain, too farfetched for his brain to understand what i had done. the only thing he knew was i was going to jail e knew the c. he knew the concept of that. it was a situation money couldn't get me out of, feelings or emotions, none of that. >> you got out of prison after 19 months, you were allowed back into football, played with the eagles. went to the playoffs. they awarded you with a very big contract. it seems as if you are on the road to redemption. yes, you're doing work, becoming an advocate for animals and there are yet still some people, michael, that say this is a

great public relations campaign by a guy who needs public support. how do you respond to that? >> you know, i'm just trying to do what i think is going to not only help myself but help masses of people. i think that's what's important. i can't try to change people's perceptions of me. the only thing i can do is try to help the people i think may need help in the category that i failed in. so you know, that's why i'm part of the humane society. that's why i continue to work with them. you know, at my discretion. it's something i want to do. >> you've won them over. they were among your most vocal critics during the time when you were in prison and when you were involved with dog fighting and now they have release add statement saying michael vick was a role model for many young people and he lost everything because of what he did to dogs. his story is the strongest possible example. just as drug addicts reach

people with former addiction, former dogfighters are some of the best to fight this crime. they feel you have done what you need to do and are continuing to do what you need to do to send the right message. >> the president and i have a great relationship. that's been developed over the last three years. we've campaigned to get the most out of the people we can reach, the kids we can reach and teach. you know, that's what means the most to us. >> what got my attention also was nike dropped you after your problems. they have since signed a new endorsement deal with you. i don't think they had ever done that before. quickly because we only have a few seconds left. do you still feel like you have more to prove? >> i still feel like i have more to prove each and every day. i think every person should feel that way. you always have something to prove. you never know it all. you should always be striving to do better and be better than you were the day before. i think all the supporters, all the people who have been very instrumental in my success, they

know who they are. i would name them right here but, of course, philadelphia eagles, nike, gave me great support. i give credit to the people around me. >> michael, "finally free" thanks so much. good to see you. >> thanks. >> it will be released september 4th. up next bobby flay with must have gadgets in the kitchen for men but first this is "today" on nbc. #f#f#f#f#f#f#f#f#f#f#f#f#f#f

back now at 8:45 in today's kitchen, how to be a better home cook. this morning we're focusing on men because the kitchen is quickly becoming the new man caver. it's happening in homes across the country. they are sharpening their tools and preparing for battle. "there will be blood," fire,

and, of course, bacon as men everywhere invade the kitchen. >> ten or 15 years ago there was a stigma against guys liking cooking will guys were only allowed near the grill but that's changed. we're actually allowed inside the kitchen now. >> recent studies show married men are cooking a whopping 34 meals a month, that's roughly eight meals a week. still a bit behind their female counterparts but the gap is closing quickly. >> there's something that really appeals to the male mind about the primal nature of cooking. >> dan is married with two kids. he decided early on to trade changing diapers and bath time to front burner, a modern day division of labor for the two-income households. >> there was this choice, diapers, knives. that wasn't a very hard decision for me. >> his new book "how to cook like a man" documents his cooking obsession from duck to

bone-in prime rib. dwayne has his own blow torch, meat loecker and a small arsena of knives. >> the kitchen is definitely my man cave. >> some think the shift came from the cooking show. men are flipping through the channel and tuning in to watch bobby flay command the kitchen. >> 50% of people that watch my show are a men. a guy said to me i used to watch espn exclusively and now i watch you on the food network. don't tell my wife. >> cookware retailers are sitting up and taking notice. after all, if there's something men can't get enough of is gadgets. >> we like to think of ourselves as a hardware store for people who like to school. >> food republic, mantested.com,

masters of their own kitchen stadium. bobby flay with must have gadgets for men. bobby, good morning. >> good morning. >> should we beat our chest? >> not necessarily. i just think men are finding their place in the kitchen and why not. it's really like a sporting event. >> our first gadget, an apron. >> i like these bistro, they are long aprons. it gets me in the mood. >> not too frilly. >> simple. >> at the top, a knight knife sharpener. >> if you want a sharp knife, you need a knife sharpener. it's diamond steel, made with particles of diamond. all you have to do is very carefully -- when you see chefs do this, it looks impossible to do, on each side like this. you realign the blade to keep it nice and sharp. >> like this knife. >> this knife is great.

wow, i can't even speak today. this knife is great as well. you want a knife, this knife has a beechwood handle to it. this is a forged knife, which means it's actually made out of one piece of steel as opposed to putting together lots of pieces. >> how often do you sharpen your knives. >> once a week. once a year you want them sharpened by a professional. go to a store. they will let you try out the knife. >> feels manly. >> your choice. >> exactly. didn't look like you were ready to start cutting steak. you want something like this. this board is beautiful, looks like a piece of furniture. i have this in my house. it's an amazing piece of furniture, made out of walnut wood. >> a thermometer. >> a lot of people are like i don't want to let people see me taking the temperature. this is a stealth-like thermometer. okay. you can have it in your pocket.

put you it in the chicken, press a button, it will tell you 155 degrees and you're done. >> here is a man's blender. >> to me, there's only one kind of blender. this is it. this thing will actually blend up anything you need. in this case if you wanted to make a smoothie for instance, bananas and fruit, blend it up really quickly. we'll turn it on. it's an incredible machine. it goes 240 miles an hour. >> twenty seconds left. greatest gift grilling ever. >> if you want to light a grill, chimney starter, put paper in the bottom, charcoal in the top. fill it up, light it. you light the paper. the paper lights the charcoal. in 15 minutes you have perfectly lit charcoal and you're done. you're ready. >> fire, knives, meat, baby flay, thank you. >> my pleasure. coming up next, best selling author on his new

this morning on today's sizzling summer reads, return of master spy and world-class art store, in the new vatican thriller, "the fallen angel" they investigate the death of a woman and black market

antiquities ring and a master plot. welcome back. how long did it take you to plot out the opening scene of this book? >> it's a scene i've been thinking about for a long time. i always wanted to start a thriller in st. peter's basilica. >> with a dead body on the floor. >> i've been to st. peters basilica. it takes your breath away every time i walk into it. there's also something terrifying about the beauty of the place. there are also elements and symbols of death everywhere, to the crypts underneath the basilica. seemed a great place setting for a murder. >> a great place to take him. he's an art restorer, there on legitimate business, what he calls his day job. asked to restore a masterpiece. >> he is restoring one of my favorite paintings and his favorite paintings, deposition of christ in the permanent vatican collection. for this job, gabrielle alan has

to report to duty and walk in with a badge on, something i've always wanted to do. >> we kid you a lot. people by now know you're married to our national correspondent. as research for a lot of these books you take the family on the road. so where did you actually jump off to and travel to in preparing for this book? >> well, this book -- >> besides rome. >> well, it flows on the jerusalem to rome axis, historical axis. it goes backwards on that axis. we started at the vatican, the top of the dome, under the basilica, in the sistine chapel, restoration labs of the vatican, got to go and see what they looked like. we med backward through history and ended up underneath the old city of jerusalem in the tunnels down there. >> inside the vatican. >> when you're a writer it's

great when you sell a lot of books. it's also nice when prominent people give you a shout out. bill clinton was on this show and talked about being a huge fan of your character. he says he thinks it's his favorite fictional character. that had to feel good? >> it feels good every time people say that to me. i have a great deal of respect for bill clinton. he's a voracious reader. knows more about the middle east than any statesman alive. if i did something to make him feel real to him, i must have done something right. >> let's do something for other authors. you've decided to give us your three sizzling summer reads. one in each different category. let's start with what you're recommending to our viewers in the at the beach category. >> impeachment of abraham lincoln by stephen l. carter, great writer, legal mind. perfect person to write this book. >> next category is for a rainy day. you have chosen one of your favorites.

>> the quality in stipgt by maxwell anderson. a lot of us, not you, of course, wander around in a daze inside museums. maxwell tells us exactly what makes a painting or piece of art great. >> you want me to read that on a rainy day. lastly under the covers. >> spies against armageddon. i write about fictitious israeli intelligence officers, they write about the real things. no one knows more than these two guys. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. major traffic delays downtown as crews worked to repair it the wesmessy water main breaks at light and lombard streets.

last year's grand prix was plagued with financial troubles.

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