good morning. breaking news. a passenger jet from new york to mao could you deverted to iceland after a report of a bomb on board as investigators begin their search of the play. >> and a winner in last night's $337 million jackpot, the largest prize in history. >> and how did they survive? dramatic new video of that terrifying race car crash in colorado. they'll tell bus their unforgettable ride in an exclusive live interview today, thursday, august 16, 2012.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer. a bomb scare on board a moscow-bound flight from new york's kennedy airport. also ahead, we'll have a question to parents that's tied to flying. would you let your child get on a plane alone? >> a california couple did and they thought they had ensured their daughter's safety. they even paid united airlines extra to watch over her. now they are demanding answers after the girl failed to show up at her final destination. it took the airline an hour to find her, according to the parents. we're going to hear from them. >> there are other elements to that story that will infuriate a

lot of people. and take a look at graceland where elvis fans are gathering to mark today's 35th anniversary of his death. it was an emotional team last night when priscilla and lisa marie attended the yearly candlelight vigil for the very first time. natalie morales is live inside graceland and later will take us on a tour of the king's home. >> then it's al's turn to get a "today in history" moment. we have recreated the beatles on abbey road. matt is still chafing after doing his best as air jordan, natalie and her son did charlie chaplain and the kid and this morning al roker is recreating man's first step on the moon. >> do you know who has the best selling album of the year? is it justin bieber, adele? believe it or not it's lionel richie and he is here for a live concert out on our plaza this morning. we're looki forward to that. let's begin with that single winning ticket in the third

largest lottery jackpot in u.s. history. wdiv joins us from lapier, mir began. what can you tell us? >> a little town called lapeer, michigan, just outside of michigan, one ticket worth $337 million in the powerball game sold right inside the sunoco station i am standing in. the powerball jackpot, there were so many sales overnight the jackpot number jumped about $27 million. people are seeing all the media, they're whipping out their tickets. they're thinking one of their neighbors is getti up, they're checking their numbers. they want to see if they have

won. if they do the lump sum, $241 million is what somebody is waking up to this morning. there is no winner yet but i have to tell you the city manager just stopped by. he is keeping his fingers crossed the winner lives within the city limits because they're going to get some income tax, he hopes about $2 million. he said the timing couldn't be better. >> 6, 27, 46, 51, 56 and the powerball number was 21. in michigan do winners have to come forward? is it required? >> just got off the phone with the lottery officials. they say, yes, you have to come forward. you cannot stay anonymous. you have one year to do so but the lady i talked to said the offices are open over in lancing, michigan. they're waiting for the winner to call. >> exciting moment there. sean, thank you very much. >> i really enjoyed you giving the lottery numbers there and the powerball is what? >> all we needed was the little

wheel. >> let's get a check of the morning's other top stories. tamron hall is filling in for natalie. >> a plane carrying 266 people, an anonymous bomb threat was called in this morning. all passengers have been safely evacuated. the worst outbreak of west nile virus in years has spread to more than 30 states. in dallas, texas officials have declared a state of emergency there. good morning. >> tamron, good morning. this is the epicenter of the epidemic. a third of the nation's cases of west nile is right here in dallas county. tonight something they haven't done since the 1960s, spraying insecticides from small planes. in dallas county the west nile virus has led to a full fledged state of emergency. >> 6% of the west night virus

cases in america would be in southern dallas county. >> tonight health officials will start fighting back with aerial spray, hoping to slow the outbreak, which has so far affected more than 450 texans and killed at least 17. >> i think people are correct in being concerned about it and certainly when i have that many fatalities, it's something that bears our attention. >> 14-year-old jordan connor was watching her dog when she was bitten by five mosquitoes. doctors say that led to encephalitis, a swelling of jordan's brain, terrifying her mother. >> we have to do neurochecks. you have to wake her up and make sure she's alert. >> reporter: her mother is still very worried about jordan. officials say texas is on track to have the worst year ever from west nile, caused by an unusually warm winter followed by a rainy spring, perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

neighboring states are reporting higher rates of infection this year, too, and cases have been reported in almost every state in the nation. >> it would not be surprising over the next month or two if we saw other outbreaks occurring in totally separate areas of the country. >> reporter: and the cdc says while this is serious, only one of every 100 people who are infected will develop an illness. tamron, back to you. >> thank you very much. the suspected gunman who shot and wounded a security guard is now in fbi custody. floyd lee corkins ii broke in and shot the building's guard when he was confronted. he's being held on charge of assault with a deadly weapon. >> wildfires have residents of two small towns in idaho evacuating. meantime in california, washington state and oregon,

thousands of firefighters are battling growing blazes fueled by dry conditions and hot weather. now to wall street. mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange. good to see you. >> good morning. we're hoping to break out of a very narrow range here in the markets. if you like tech gadgetry, listen up. samsung is revealing new gadgets. it hopes to set itself apart from ipad with a sty lus. exciting stuff, tamron, back to you. >> prince phillip is back in the hospital after a rrence of that bladder infection that sidelined him earlier this summer. the 91-year-old will likely be hospitalized for several days. that according to buckingham palace. and it was a perfect game for seattle mariners pitcher felix

hernandez, aka king felix on wednesday. it's the 23rd perfect game in major league history and led the mariners to a 1-0 victory over the tampa bay rays. up see there spelling out king it should have been, it is now 7:09. for your nbc sports trivia of the game, how many perfect games this season, just this season? >> three. >> good. >> even when you win you lose with him. >> up north they have these things called newspapers in the morning. it's right there on the back page. >> that's called a softball, savannah. >> mr. roker, what's up? >> she's very bitter. >> yes. >> let's see what we've got. we are looking at strong storms that are going to be firing up stretching from kalamazoo all the way back to tulsa. damaging winds, a lot of rain, hail. we're already seeing that activity firing up from traver

city back into kirksville. we're also looking temperaturewise at big changes. ahead of the front 91 in cincinnati, 90 in st. louis. behind it minneapolis will have a high today of 69, >> we are off to a quiet start this thursday and it should turn out to be a nice afternoon, a little on the warm side but the humidity in a comfortable range and we e and that's your latest weather. >> thank you. now to a growing scandal inside the department of homeland security. more men are coming forward saying a top aide to secretary janet in a politano made lut

comments to male subordinates. >> just months after the department of homeland security was rocked by allegations that secret service agents procured prostitutes before a presidential trip to columbia, nbc news learned that congressional investigators are looking into sensational new charges of misconduct within the department, this time that a senior female official presided over a culture of intimidation directed at men. a top aide to homeland security secretary janet in a politano has stepped aside as department officials investigate new allegations that the female deputy was sexually offensive to male subordinates. suzanne barr, the chief of staff of ice has voluntarily placed herself on leave pending an internal review of alleged live lewd and sexually charged comments at work, a spokesman

confirmed tuesday. the allegations first came from james hayes, jr., the special agent in charge of ice in new york. s hayes as filed a discrimination lawsuit. he claims barr's actions were part of a frat-house-type atmosphere at ice. >> if is highly unusual to see a male complaintant bringing a lawsuit. >> hayes alleged that bar played sexually charged games, in one 2009 incident moving the office computers, telephones and name plates of three male employees into the men's room, that she called another male employee in a hotel and screamed at him

using a sexually vulgar term. his lawsuit accuses homeland security for gender discrimination for replacing him in a top top job in washington and retaliating against him when he filed a complaint. an ice spokesman said the lawsuit is unfounded and said "ice will respond directly and strongly to this lawsuit in court." a key republican congressman tells nbc news he intends to look into the charges. >> we're going to conduct our own investigation into the charges. they're so egregious and disturbing that if accurate, i think it poses serious problems for the department. >> homeland security officials tell nbc news the hayes discrimination complaint is belied by the fact he continues to hold his high ranking position in new york and most of secretary in a politano's top aides, including her chief of staff, are men. one official acknowledged at least one of the allegations that suzanne barr moved male

employee's computers into the bathroom is true. it was, officials said, intended as a joke. >> thank you. it's 7:14 now. here's matt. >> if you thought president obama and mitt romney would ease up on their war of words on the campaign trail, think again. nbc's kristin welkers is at the white house with more on that. >> president obama is back at the white house this morning after a three-day campaign swing through iowa. with polls showing a tight race there and nationwide, he enlisted the help of his most powerful weapon, the first lady. in this week marred by mud slinging on both sides, president obama was in florida with his wife, michelle. >> we all know who my husband is and we all know what he stands for. >> reporter: the president on the offensive as mitt romney has been hammering him for running a

negative campaign. >> take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to chicago. >> reporter: mr. obama responded in an interview with "entertainment tonight." >> i don't think you or anybody who has been watching me campaign would suggest that in any way that we have, you know, tried to divide the country. we've always tried to bring the country together. >> reporter: still, the president continues to use strong language to refute republican claims on medicare. republicans say the president's health care reforms slash more than $700 billion from medicare. in fact, according to the congressional budget office, president obama's reforms and the paul ryan medicare plan slow medicare growth by $700 billion but do not cut program benefits. ryan, campaigning in ohio, isn't backing down on medicare. >> we need this debate and we will win this debate. >> reporter: meanwhile vice president joe biden doubled down on being outspoken.

>> i know i am sometimes criticizing for saying exactly what i mean. it's not going to chang. . >> reporter: biden still taking heat from republicans for comments tuesday about romney. >> he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules. unchain wall street. they're going to put y'all back in chains. >> reporter: romney slammed biden's comment. >> an unfounded charge and a metaphor that is not uplifting, not uniting. >> reporter: in an interview with "people" magazine the president defended his running mate saying "the truth is that during the course of these campaigns folks like to get obsessed with how something was phrased, even if everybody personally understands that's not how it was meant." but then wednesday the vice president had another slip of the tongue. >> where is it written we cannot lead the world in the 20th century in making automobiles?

>> reporter: it took just moments for the romney team to start mocking that mistake. earlier this week, former vice presidential candidate sarah palin suggested that the obama team should swap out vice president biden with secretary of state hillary clinton. president obama dismissed that idea during his interview with "entertainment tonight." now, one more point, matt, the rnc is out with a new web video today entitled "anger and division, " a sign the contentious tone of this campaign shows no signs of letting up. >> we've heard a lot this week about mitt romney's new running mate paul ryan but his real running mate is his wife ann. she traced her roots to the welsh village of where her father was born. >> reporter: in southern wales, found how the ann romney's

well-to-do image has obscured her inner toughness, a grit that my rival her coal mining forbearers. she fierce live defended the romney's decision not to release tax returns from before 2010. a lot of people still are asking why not be transparent and release more than the 2010 and the estimates for 2011. >> have you seen how we're attacked? have you seen what's happened? >> it's been in the press quite a bit. should you not be questioned about your taxes? >> we've been very transparent. the more we release, the more we get attacked. the more we get questioned, the more we get pushed. we've done what's legally required and there's going to be no more tax returns given and there's a reason for that and that's because of what happens

as soon as we release anything. mitt's financial releases were huge when he was governor if anyone wants to look and see what he has. he's honest, his integrity is golden. beyond paying our taxes, we give 10% of our income to charity. we have no issues that way. the only reason we don't disclose anymore is we'd just become a bigger target. >> so it's just because you'll continue to face more questions? >> it will just give them more ammunition. >> you're so pretty, magic. >> yet i also saw a surprisingly playful side to the 63-year-old would-be first lady. her affinity for animals or animals' affinity for her was obvious when we happened across a welsh upony. and it was a surprise to hear rare kind words between the

rival camps of 2012. clearly the campaign has gotten to be so negative on both sides. is there a positive that you see in president obama and the first lady? >> you know, i love how family-oriented they are. i think her initiative is wonderful. i think obesity is a huge problem in this country and it's great to see her caring about that but to also see the role model of a strong mom and a dad and two darling little girls. you know, i love seeing that. >> what about president obama? what can you say positive that we don't often hear? >> well, you know, i think all of us are so proud that america backed him and i think that piece of it is never going to go away, that america is a place where anything is possible and anyone can dream whatever they want and anyone can accomplish anything they want and he is the embodiment of that and i think it's a thrill for all of us to have him as president. >> mrs. romney also talked very

candidly about her own diagnosis with ms. can you see the full interview on "rock center with brian williams" at 10:00 here on nbc. >> still ahead, the two men inside this crash miraculously survived and are with us for

just ahead, the investigation into three mysterious deaths in the last year at a rehab center linked to scientology. >> and a child doesn't reach her destination. why did it take the airline so long to find her? [ female announcer ] quaker yogurt granola bars.

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♪ i'm on my way ♪ get ready 'cause here i come ♪ every day >> good morning, everybody. i'm stan stovall. here's a look at one of our top stories. police in and around the county arrested the brothers for growing marijuana farm in the backyard. police say about 26 plants growing in the pasadena property of 41-year-old ronald and robert clodfelter. police say the plans were ranging in height from 3 feet to 9 feet tall. time to get a check on the morning commute. here's the sarah caldwell. >> good morning. unfortunately heavy delays on 295.

normally delays from right around 100 toward 32. but additional delays due to some police activity that we have often decides at 175. all lanes are open but watch for those delays. you may want to take an alternate an accident in the city at wicomico street at austin -- . slow going southbound 95 -- making your way down to the fort mchenry. a disabled vehicle is gone. outer loop on the west side is heavy from liberty down to edmonson. a live look at the delays on 295 and the police activity to the right shoulder, stretching from 195 down toward 32. 95 at o'donnell, southbound in these toward the fort mchenry. over to you, tony. >> a beautiful start this thursday morning. 66 at the airport. lots of sunshine. dew point in the low 60's, comfortable.

high-pressure. the nearest precipitation in chicago, which will arrive here friday night. sunshine to start. a few clouds may develop this afternoon. warm but comfortable. i temperatures between 86-91. increasing clouds tomorrow. scattered showers and thunderstorms late friday into saturday morning. i think most of the week and will be ok. will be ok. high temperatures both i'm drinking dunkin'. medium iced, cream and sugar. dunkin' iced all day long. dunkin' keeps me going. it gives me the boost i need. dunkin' iced keeps me moving and grooving.

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this is a terrifying view. this is what it looked like for the guys inside a race car when that car slid off a cliff on colorado's pikes peak. what were they thinking what were they saying? it's morning tv. we can't say that. and how did they survive? we're going to ask them. they're here and relatively unscathed. that i am join us for a live interview. 7:30 now on a thursday morning, the 16th of august, 2012. a date, by the way, that has a special place in history for music lovers. >> 35 years ago today elvis presley died. natalie is live at graceland this morning. coming up, her interview with priscilla and lisa marie presley. she's going to take us on a tour

of the singer's famous memphis home. >> and a drug rehab program is linked to three mysterious deaths in oklahoma. agonizing moments for a couple. they put their 10-year-old daughter on a flight unaccompanied but she didn't show up on time. diana, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. letting your child fly without a parent is a white knuckle moment for any mom and dad. they're always thinking that something might go wrong. that fear came true for one family. >> i got a frantic phone call from the camp counselor saying phoebe's not on the flight from chicago. do you have any idea what happened? >> reporter: in june 10-year-old phoebe left san francisco bound for summer camp in traver city,

michigan. she was supposed to change planes in chicago. her parents paid an extra $99 fee to united airline to make sure she was accompanied to her next flight. that never happened. >> all the worst possible thing goes through your mind as a mom when you think you have no idea where your child is and she's 2,000 miles away. >> reporter: when mother, annie, finally got someone from united on the line, it only got worse. >> they said, no, she's in traver city. that point was when i really knew that they had lost her. on some level they didn't know where she was. >> reporter: and then she says they put her on hold. what annie and her husband didn't know is the person hired to escort her daughter to her next flight never showed up and that person did not work for united. the airline outsources the service. phoebe missed her connection and an united employee walked her to a waiting room for unaccompanied minors. >> i asked several times to call my mom because i knew she'd be worried because nobody knew

where i was but they kept saying hang on a minute, we're beneficially. >> reporter: her mother said it took an hour to get through to somebody at chicago's o'hare airport. >> she came back and said i can't sort it out and i'm going off my shift and my husband asked her if she was a mother. she said yes, i am. each said how would you feel if you couldn't find your daughter f for 45 minutes? >> the pleas worked. >> i don't understand why the agent didn't do something, hand her a cell phone and say call your moment. >> reporter: it took six weeks and an investigation for united to finally respond to complaints. they say they contacted the family to apologize and are reviewing the matter. "what the klebahns describe is not the service we aim to deliver to our customers.

we are redepositing the miles used to purchase the ticket back into his account and in addition to refunding the unaccompanied minor charge. >> we should mention that to avoid any problems on the return flight home, phoebe and her parents flew back on a different airline. nbc news has reached out to the company hired to escort phoebe and so far they have not responded. >> thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> thanks very much, matt. we have a lot of big lionel richy fans out here. >> you're just married? >> just married. >> and lionel richy will ie wi singing to you. >> he's going to be serenading me! >> which has an even different

meaning if you're just married. >> they're going to look at breaking the record in eugene. the rest of the company not as hot. hundreds int. >> it is going to be warm and comfortable, the dew point, down sec evidently from yesterday. sunshine this morning and a few clouds developing this >> and don't forget, check that weather any time you need it. go to the weather chant on cable, the weather.comline. >> al, thanks. to a heart stopping crash we

showed you earlier in the week. jeremy foley and yuri kouznetsov ed off pikes peak.uri kouznetsov both men managed to walk away virtually unscathed. they're with us this morning we're happy to say. i know u dislocated your shoulder. how are you feeling? >> feeling good. if you saw the wreck, good to come out with just a couple of bruises and this. >> you both have redness in your eyes. you've got some bumps on the way down i imagine. >> yes. >> you've seen that video probably a hundred times. is it hard to watch? >> it's definitely difficult. it's never enjoyable. >> what goes through your mind when you watch that and say i was in there. >> you try not to too much. the last few moments was pretty much a lot what you remember and then it's a big washing machine of pain and violence and then just coming back to it in a

daze. >> let's walk through what happened. you're on this racetrack, you're going around what's known to be a very tough corner, right, i think they call it devil's playground. we actually have video of the moment where you lose control. did you know, jeremy? you were in the driver's seat. did you know? >> i did. there was a moment where the tires did not grip. you hear it in the audio where they squeal. as a race car driver, you know that sensation and feeling that the car is not doing what you want it to do. >> what amazing me is you were conscious the entire time. what went through your mind? >> a lot went through my mind. i thought this was it, game over. >> you told us you weren't really a religious man but there came a time did you pray. >> i did. prayed before the race and i prayed during the ordeal it

would come to a halt. >> yuri, you lost consciousness. what do you remember? >> i remember everything to the point where it slowed us down. the moment i dislocated my shoulder, i remember that. i grabbed the belt and tried to grab it out. what goes through your mind is please stop, please stop. >> i hope those of us who see this hope you're secretly in shock and you don't feel every bump but that is not what happened. >> i did, i felt every single bump, every single impact. >> painful. >> indeed. extremely. >> when you think about getting back behind the wheel of a race car, is there any doubt in your mind you'll keep us with it? i know you've been doing it for eight years. >> i think we both want to get back in the car. we're both a little hesitant i think to do it tomorrow but with time we'll both certainly be racing in the future. >> one of the things you were really worried about was yuri.

>> i was. that was my first concern. his life was the responsibility of mine and i felt extremely guilty and saddened to know that i may have caused him some harm. >> we're so happy to see that you're both okay and that you're here to tell us about it. be careful out there. i know you feel the roll bar and some of the safety equipment that we see here really saved your lives. >> indeed, indeed. the helmet here was worn by yuri. you can see there are multiple cracks on the helmet, indicating he suffered some severe impacts. luckily my helmet was left marked up but it shows those safety devices did keep us alive. >> jeremy foley and yuri kouznetsov, thank you. >> coming up, a drug rehab program linked to scientology under fire. ccent ] 50% more simoleons.

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scientology writings by l. ron hubbard and those deaths happened an their flagship facility in oklahoma, all within the last year. >> we are the authorities on the mind. >> reporter: famous scientologists like tom cruise have targeted their value. a crew from "extra" captured john travolta and kelly preston hoepsing a fund-raiser for their hawaii facility in 2007. >> compared to other rehabs, we're the best. >> i can't believe it, it works. >> reporter: their method of rehabilitation is unorthodox. patients are call students and they study eight books based on the writings of l. ron hubbard. its unconventional methods

include being in a sauna for five hours a day. many graduates have told us the program helps them lead drug-free lives. but three people in the past year have died under mysterious circumstances while in the care of narconnon's flagship facility. stacy murphy 21 old, hillary holton, 21, gabriel graves, 32 years old. they all died inside narconon arrowhead. gabriel's mother and stepfather want answer. did you feel like they were completely forthcoming with you on the phone in terms of who they were, what their procedures were? >> no.

no. i number one said i do not want my son indoctrinated into scientology here and i mean it. and we don't do that. >> they said -- >> they said we do not do that at all. when i talked to gabe about it, he said that's their whole thing, trying to get us to be scientologists. >> really? >> that's what gabe said to me. >> ceo gary smith says the church of scientology has supported narconon since its inception but insists it's a non-religious program. as for the death, smith said he can't comment on specific cases due to federal privacy laws but he says our deepest sympathies go taught those families and our prayers are with them. >> it needs some type of monitoring. i mean, what the heck's going on? >> narconon international declined to do an on-camera interview with us since they

have done plenty talking with us over the last month or so. they say the detox is part of a larger plan of life skills training. the church of scientology says it is committed to help people free themselves from the ravages of drugs adding narconon has an exceptional record of helping people recover from addiction. >> you can see the entire report on "rock center" with brian williams tonight at 10:00. >> and coming up, natalie goes to graceland on the 35th anniversary of elvis's death. but first these messages. ch ili'

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miguel sat down with missy "the missile." >> today is her first day of her senior year in high school. next year she hopes to go to college and swim as an amateur. but with so much money if she turns pro from speaking endorsements to engagements, it could be a deal too lucrative to turn down. >> reporter: at just 17 years old, franklin has already reached the pin california of her sport. from her-faced enthusiasm and bubbly personality have made her one of the rare athletes capable of crossing over into the world of mainstream celebrity. she's already gone from the pool -- >> we welcome missy franklin! >> -- to "the tonight show." some say missy could make millions as a pro swinger, but if she did, it would cost her her dream of swimming for a

college team. what are you thinking >> right now i'm still very set of swimming in college but my decision has become extremely difficult. there are so many pros and cons to consider. it's definitely hard. >> missy came out of the games as one of the most affable athletes. >> missy lab wwill be a winner, either way she decides to go. >> she has her own journey. >> reporter: a journey will little down side, even if she remains an amateur. swimming is a sport with few career-nding injuri career-ending injuries. and four years ago in rio, she's likely to be a star. >> i think she's a great swimmer who will be a long time. and those opportunities might even be greater going into the olympics. >> for a high school senior, a huge decision to make.

will the teen-ager with so much fame now pursue fortune? swimmer's golden girl with golden years ahead. >> some of the numbers must be jaw dropping. do you fantasize about it? >> absolutely. you have to think about it. turning down this amount of money is unheard of. it's an amazing amount of money. >> she will be able to walk away from a couple hundred thousand dollars from medals earned in the olympics. not chump change but a fraction of what she'd make as a pro. she'll make her decision in the next few weeks. >> it's a hard decision for her. >> it's hard to contradict what she's been saying up to this point because she's always said she wants to swim in colle. shes going to get a lot of attention. >> i hope she follows her heart. we want to know what you think. you can cast your vote on today.com.

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>> good morning. i'm lisa robinson. time for a check on your morning commute. here sarah caldwell. >> good morning. unfortunately still dealing with heavy delays on 295 making your way south. first, an accident on southbound 95 at keith avenue which will add to the delays that of a stretch back to prior to the why marsh exit. southdown 895 pass lombard, right lane closure. 90 miles an hour on the west side began approaching 795 toward edmonson -- 19 miles an hour. tapping a great sport 29. 295, average speed 16 miles an hour from 1952175. all of this left over from

police activity which is clear. 295 heading south down, still very heavy all the way down toward 32. we will switch you over to a live view of traffic 95 south of the beltway ne coming toward us, southbound delays all the way down to the fort mchenry and adding to that accident at o'donnell. tony, over to you. >> good morning, everyone. beautiful start for us. lots of sunshine. the humidity down from yesterday. 70 at the airport, dew point only 63, that is what makes it feel comfortable, nice area of high pressure control and weather in the east coast, thunderstorms just west of chicago -- east of chicago which will visit us but not until late friday or friday night. the forecast today is a good one, starting out with sunshine, if you fairweather kim macleod, warm but comfortable with high temperatures in the upper 80's to around 90. a chance of a few showers and thunderstorms late today tomorrow, and it will turn

cooler over the weekend. leftover showers saturday but generally dry. a lot of cloud cover, though. high

8:00 now on a thursday morning. it is a picture perfect start to the day here in rockefeller plaza. in our next half hour, they're going to get a treat from a concert from one of my favorites, lionel richie. alongside matt lauer and al roker. >> it goes like this. going to make it real awkward. >> you have to have a certain amount of distance between the bodies. >> like in catholic school, leave room for the holy ghost. >> it's a big day in music history. >> 35 years ago today, elvis presley passed away, the king of

rock 'n' roll. as mark says in his great song "walking in memphis," there's a pretty little thing waiting for the king in the jungle room. natalie morales is at the king's home in memphis. she has a big interview with priscilla and lisa marie in a while. >> and on monday we transformed into the beatles on abbey road, matt attempted to be like mike, natalie and her son struck a pose of charlie chaplain and the kid and today bang, zoom to the moon as i attempt to recreate an iconic image from the first lunar landing. >> i thought you were going to be the honeymooners. >> we did that already. >> tamron hall is at the news desk fors us. >> good morning. a military helicopter has crashed this morning in southern afghanistan. three americans and eight other coalition service members have been killed. the cause of the crash is right

now under investigation. >> someone in michigan is feeling very lucky this morning after a single winning ticket has been sold in the $337 million powerball jackpot drawing. the odds of picking that winning ticket 1 in 175 million. and the worst outbreak of west nile disease is leading to drastic action. dallas declared a local state of disaster and will begin aerial spraying of pesticides tonight to combat mosquitoes that carry the virus. >> a parasailing accident has claimed the life of a connecticut woman on vacation in florida. officials say 28-year-old kathleen mesko was parasailing

with her husband when her harness broke. >> and actress mayim bialik was in an accident. her husband tweeted that she will keep all of her fingers. >> here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on nbc "nightly news." >> coming up tonight, baby elephant orphans are desperately seeking a mother. chelsea clinton went to nairobi and introduced to us a woman who dedicated her life to this cause. we'll have it all for you in our "making a difference" report tonight. >> for a look at what's trending today, actress jody foster is supporting her former panic room co-star kristen stewart, who admitted to cheating on robert

pattinson. she writes if she was a young actor growing up in today's invasive media culture, she would quit because she doesn't think she could survive it emotionally. >> and this youtube parity is sung by a look alike of the mohawk guy. ♪ i got stars on my 'hawk and i ain't afraid to show it ♪ we're nasa and we know it >> nasa approves, tweeting for fans to take a look at the video. >> and to celebrate becoming a man, sean sperling honored his favorite woman madonna. ♪ come on, vogue, let your body

move to the music ♪ come on, vogue, let your body go with the flow ♪ you know you can do it >> the 5,000-year-old rite of passage never looked so fabulous. i don't know what's better, the crowd reaction or sean. we got to catch up with this kid. where is he in the 90s? still voguing. it is 8:05. al, break it down. >> watch him, he grew up to be david gregory. that's what happened. hey, air force week. very cool. what happened? >> we're kicking off this week at the "intrepid." >> we are expecting to see burlington, vermont getting a gorgeous day, lots of sunshine, mild, a high of 80 degrees. as we look on the radar, strong storms firing up through the

midwest. another sizzler for the pacific northwest with temperatures getting into the mid to upper 90s. it's going to be hotter in seattle than in san diego today. a thunderstorm through central >> we are off to a quiet start this thursday and it should turn out to be a nice afternoon, a little on the warm side but the humidity in a comfortable range and we e >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> thank you, al. coming up next, natalie talks to lisa marie and priscilla presley on the 35th anniversary of elvis

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we're back now at 8:09 on this 35th anniversary of elvis presley's death. natalie is at graceland where she talked to presley's ex-wife priscilla and their only daughter, lisa marie. good morning again. >> good morning, matt. this is the first time priscilla and lisa marie have sat down for an interview together here at graceland. i began by asking them if they ever thought this place would become such a sacred place for elvis fans. >> we've had maybe some visitors, but not to this extent. i mean, i was told that elvis passed and that, you know, he'll be forgotten the next couple of years and life goes on. thank god i didn't listen to any of those people. >> lisa marie, what feelings do you get when you come here?

>> i'm always really happy when i was here. it always reminds me of when i was the happiest i think in my life. it always just brings me right there when i come back. >> priscilla, in an interview i believe you said when you were talking about graceland that you have feel like elvis is going to come down the stairs any minute. do you feel his presence throughout still? >> absolutely. i've always said that. this was so much a part of him, this home. he loved this home. he always came back here no matter what. his presence is all around, sitting and talking or playing the piano, early morning hours, the kitchen, that's where we all congregated, lots of laughs. i can sometimes hear laughter. ♪ return to sender >> what did you call your father, lisa marie? >> daddy. >> never elvis? >> i did say it a few times and he wasn't too thrilled when i would call him that because i kept hearing it being yelled by women. i would giggle and start saying

it back to him. or would i call him like the fans would call him when i was really little. he would giggle but he preferred that i called him daddy, i suppose. i loved being with him before he'd go on stage and then being in the audience, i was awe struck watching him. >> your own father watching him, you're awe struck? >> of course. there was really no difference from him on and off stage. there wasn't a persona. the word would be awesome, his dynamic, how big he was. what he projected was just as much off the stage as it was on so it wasn't any different. >> good evening. elvis presley died today. he was 42. >> tell me about that day 35 years ago, priscilla. do you remember getting the call? >> i do. i'll never forget that day. i walked outside and i said, my

god, something's not right. lisa was in memphis at the time and i first thought about her. i wasn't able to function for a while without him because i just, you know, in my head i just thought what do i do without him because she was always there for me. >> lisa marie, you were 9 at the time, you were at the house i understand here at graceland. did you know what was going on? >> i knew something was going on. i was in my room right next to his bathroom. so i anywknew that something wa very wrong, all the commotion and everything. i was a wreck, i was a mess. i was confused. just the pandemonium that happened afterwards was a little bit confusing. >> for the first time you're actually going to participate in the candlelight vigil? >> yes. >> why? >> it just seems like it's the right time. >> when you come here and you see now on the 35th anniversary,

i mean, there are just massive people outside for a candlelight vigil, are you somewhat struck with awe that people still decades later -- >> absolutely. >> -- come here to honor elvis this way? >> absolutely. that's the force of elvis. i remember elvis saying that he didn't really know if he gave up singing, if he did want to retire, he felt that people would forget him. and to see this every year, it's like my gosh, you were wrong, look at this. i mean, look what you do every year, look who you bring. and it brings a smile to my face, it does. if he only knew. ♪ falling in love with you >> and the memphis police department estimates some 75,000 people were here last night for that candlelight vigil. later today there lab special

tribute concert for elvis and lisa marie will reveal a video performance of her singing alongside with an image of elvis, matt. so a very special celebration for his life and legacy. >> and you're not done there. you're going to take us on a tour in the next hour? >> that's right. coming up i'll show you all the hidden places in graceland. >> up next on "today in history," al takes a walk on the moon to recreate the historic photo of buzz aldren. that's right after this. ♪ look out baby 'cause here i come ♪ ♪ and i'm bringing you a love that's true ♪ ♪ so get ready ♪ so get ready ♪ gonna try to make you love me too ♪ ♪ so get ready ♪ so get ready

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♪ and i'm bringing you a love that's true ♪ ♪ so get ready ♪ so get ready [ male announcer ] sometimes, it's hard for james to make up his mind. but corolla was an easy choice. over 80% of all corollas sold in the last 20 years are still on the road today. ♪ it's a choice well made. dang, son! [ male announcer ] another reason you can always count on corolla. from toyota. ♪ right now it's 8:18. all this week on special series "today in history" we recreated some memorable photos. >> i think those are pretty

impressive but i'd have to say mine is out of this world. >> up two, three, four -- >> blasting off into outer space. a mission to the moon. going where no man has gone. things i dreamed about as a kid. but back then my dreams were the stuff of science fiction. >> this nation should commit itself -- >> until 1961 when president kennedy challenged america to achieve the goal -- >> of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> turning fiction into reality. >> we are go with all elements of the mission at this time. >> no matter who you are, what you believe in, you can believe in this. >> this is the story of a dream. it's the story of challenge, it's the story of a nation working together. >> ignition, sequence, start. >> to achieve an impossible goal.

>> three, two, one, zero. liftoff! we have liftoff! >> within a decade, three american astronauts, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin and michael collins soared up, up and away on a mission to the moon. >> look at that. do you ever get tired of seeing something like that? >> no. used to be a stranger. it's become a friend now. >> you're one of the closest friends the moon has. astronaut buzz aldrin still hosts full moon parties to pay his respect to the old friend he visited over 40 years ago. >> the actual descent to the surface of the moon was a battle. >> apollo 11 flight director gene krants coordinated the landing from 240 miles away. >> we locked the control room doors and those doors would

remain locked until we either landed, crashed or aborted. >> i was huddled around the tv along with the rest of the planet. we were all in the living room, we were all watching and my mom had made jiffy pop popcorn. we're all waiting. the descent was riddled with issues. the proposed landing site was strewn with boulders. >> he didn't say anything. he just leveled the spacecraft off. people on the ground were wondering why he leveled off. >> everybody was sucking air. i mean, it was about as tight and tense as you could get. >> it was quiet. you'd hear this his in between the word and transmission, the crackling. and he uttered those words. >> tranquility base here. the eagle has landed. >> tranquility, we copy on the

ground. you got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. we're breathing again. thanks a lot. >> that's one small step for man -- >> one giant leap for mankind. >> i had the chance to look up, almost straight up about 24 degrees. i could see three quarters of the earth was illuminated. just to realize that we were the only people up there was a sense of pioneering, that we're really alone. >> and nothing captured that historic moment, the sheer will, better than what they now call the vizor photograph. zit still to me an amazing picture. >> it's candid because i was walking toward the landing gear and neil said, hey, buzz, stop a minute. i stopped and it was just kind of perfect. that picture represents the very fact that we did have a human, an american, on the surface of

the moon. this is representative of mission accomplished. >> people ask me why is this so famous? and i say i got three words, location, location, location. >> we keep our area clean. >> for inspiration, buzz brings me to one location where i can get a little closer to the real thing, nasa's lunar sample laboratory. it's like a lending library for all of the lunar rocks buzz and the astronauts brought home. >> we're going to go into this little room. we're going to take an air shower. >> going in. >> okay, guys. this is the pristine sample lab. so we are going to be looking in the apollo 11 cabinet. >> buzz, did you get to keep any rocks? >> no. >> no? >> no. >> good answer.

>> finally, under the watchful eye of the lab curator, i donned three sets of protective gloves and take my own trip to the moon. amazing. it really is. >> don't drop it. >> no. i am holding a piece of the moon collected from apollo 11. >> been there, done that. >> yes, you have. ♪ fly me to the moon >> now for my trip to the moon, i head home to recreate that epic shot. west 18th street, new york, new york. just doesn't sound as authentic as lunar surface, milky way glassy. but since nbc wouldn't spring for the flight, i made do. finally, i'm ready for my not so candid homage to the moon. for one giant leap for a weatherman and a lot of work for

one photographer, mission accomplished. >> great, got it. >> all right. so of course let's do it, let's show you the photo that's of buzz aldrin on the moon. and now my photo on the moon. because the vizer is up, all the air was subjected out and now i'm dead. >> we wanted to share some of the best ones that we got. here's a good one. this is michael phelps. the famous e.t. phone home. >> iwo jima. there's some lifeguards recreating that picture. >> and this is from kelly fm west lynn oregon. used her family to create famous faces from the world of music and movies. from queen. >> oh, yeah.

>> and you a drew hepburn. >> buzz aldrin is >> good morning. i'm lisa robinson. let's get a final check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> good morning, everyone. unfortunately still some problems. a disabled vehicle on the topside of the outer loop backing up traffic all the way to 95 -- southbound 95 pretty back up as well out of the white marsh area and unfortunately the delays are passed a 895 split prior to the fort mchenry. matthews avenue at cockeysville, accident with lane closures. outer loop west side pretty heavy approaching 79 -- 795 down to edmonson. watch for delays is down -- in a move 97 an accident and lingering delays southbound to

95 getting you down to 175. let's give you an live view of traffic. not far from the disabled vehicle. pretty heavy leading up to what in the outer loop. it is live view of traffic -- we are stacked approaching white marsh down to be on the split. that is the latest. john collins with a look at the forecast. >> sunny out there. the temperature is 70. light west in northwest wind. snowstorms nearby. between storms. one in new england and one in the midwest. -- two storms nearby. between storms. but today's forecast is a good one. in a mixture of sun and clouds. a few scattered clouds this afternoon. all in all, a very nice day with a relative low humidity making for pleasant conditions. like north northwest wind. closer to 90 tomorrow, more humid and thunderstorm chances.

we should try out and be a little cooler to figure -- finish out the seven-day. >> thank you for joining us. back with another up that -- update at

. ♪ ♪ it's 8:30 on a thursday morning. it's the 16th day of august 2012. it's a beauty here in new york, nice blue sky, big crowd out on the plaza. they're here for a great reason, because we've got the music of the one and only lionel richie coming up in this hour. here along with savannah guthrie, al roker and tamron hall, who is here while natalie is gone enjoying some time at graceland. we're going to catch up with her

in just a couple of minutes. >> we have one more concert for our big week-long series of concerts. nick lashea and the boys are getting back together. and next thursday, guess who's going to be here. >> who? >> hit it, boys. >> we may have to sing it. >> there we go. that worked well. >> "call me maybe," her relentlessly catchy hit. >> meaning you're not over it, right? >> no. and on friday we've got chain, one of your favorite bands. >> and we have the one and only kelsey grammer. this year he won the golden globe for best actor in a drama for his portrayal of a ruthless mayor on "boss." not only his new role as a great mayor, he's also excited about being a new dad. we'll talk to him all about

that. each is looking good, looking fit. >> yes, he is. and today's professionals are hanging with us this morning, chiming in on the hot topic, including this picture of tim tebow causing quite a stir. people are reacting to it. we'll tell you why and find out what they think. >> first let's say high to three olympic gold medalists, helped the usa women's rowing team win gold in london. it's good to see you again. good morning. you three would get a lot of attention walking through the streets of new york no matter what. but with gold medals around your neck, you're really going to get attention. what kind of reaction have you been getting? >> it's great to be home. the biggest reaction is when you see somebody hold it and their eyes light up. >> and you're getting married? >> yes, i'm getting married in september. i need to be driving out west and fixing knick-knacks. >> how did you wedding plan and

train to get a gold medal at the same time? >> i don't know. i guess i'm kind of a little control freak. >> rowing is in your blood. your mom just won in 1994. how does it feel being in the family? >> i ran home and put my medal around her neck. both my parents train and it's great doing it from them. >> and i'm from new york. it's a small town and everybody will be there. >> you're going to be in a convertible, that sort of thing? >> i don't know. >> do you know the wave? >> i did. we went to windsor palace so i've been practicing. >> are you retiring? >> yes, i'm going to work with

tons of programs for kids. >> and the ladies throw you in the water. the tradition here in new york is you throw her in the hudson river. hey, congratulations. it's great to see you here in new york. >> thank you. thank you. >> which is different than our tradition, which is to throw someone under the bus. that's another story. >> mr. roker. >> let's tell you what we've got. for lionel richie, his hometown tus tuskegee. for saturday, more wet weather along the southern states. sunday, sunday, more rain through central texas, >> it is going to be warm and comfortable, the dew point, down

sec evidently from yesterday. sunshine this morning and a few clouds developing this >> and coming up, kelsey grammer talks about his clinically acclaimed new show "boss" and about being a dad. t

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back now, 8:37. kelsey grammer gained fame as dr. frasier crane on and "cheers" as frasier.

but he now plays the mayor on "the boss," who is secretly battling a disease. >> the tremors can be hidden for a time but without awareness -- you're not god. you don't want to shake. how do you feel about seeing monsters or believing you can fly? your personality, your judgment, the way you look at the world, all those things will be compromised. >> purpose. i have purpose. >> mr. mayor, you have to know your best days are behind you. >> kelsey grammer, good morning. nice to see you. >> good to see you. >> they were nice enough to send me an episode last night. i watched it. this guy is a contradiction. on one hand he's ruthless, manipulative and will do anything to hang on to power. on the other hand he's broken, he's dying.

is he like anybody you've played before? >> no. it's extraordinary. >> did you know about this before taking the role? >> no, it's still relatively unknown and his disease is misdiagnosed a lot of the time. it gave us a lot of license because it does have hallucinations. some of them are very benign and lovely. one person i know whose mother had it had been a school teacher and she spent most of her time talking to young children and teaching them during her hallucinations. >> i don't know if people are aware, he wants to hide this from everyone. he doesn't want anyone to know this is going to happen because it would take away from his persona. >> exactly. and his power base, yeah. >> it's been called a shakespearean tragedy, a story about a king who has to lose his kingdom, who is now thinking about his own epitaph. if his epitaph were written today, it would be pretty rough. >> what they know. if we get the seasons we want to

get, the story is laid out that just when it's too late people will say, oh, what a shame. >> i want to mention it's on stars. does that give you a lot of leeway when it comes to violence and nudity and language? >> there's a lot of nudity. >> you're nude in most scenes. does it give you a lot of leeway? >> it does. i always think that it has to be earned. this guy would use the f word quite a bit because that's the situation he's in. but the nudity thing, i think we've actually done it, it's character based now. >> it's based in politics but it's not overtly political. >> you've been talking in the past a little bit about your own strong ideas and political beliefs. you still toys at all with the idea of running for office

someday? >> maybe someday down the road. >> what office would suit you best is. >> lord only knows. >> small town mayor maybe? >> maybe so. >> not only is this going for you and going well, you had this transition in your life. you went through a very public divorce that was played out over a long period of time, you are remarried and you're a new dad. >> yes. >> do you find fatherhood at our age energizing or exhausting? >> this is just what i like. it's what i'm good at. i've wanted to have more children for a while. i love getting to know these people who come into the world. they come of their own volition i believe and they have some idea of what they want to do already and it's my pleasure to watch them blossom. >> i know you're a hands-on dad and i can see from the smile on your face that you're loving it. kelsey grammer, it's great to see you. >> thanks, man. >> you can catch the season

premiere of "boss." that's friday night on stars. >> up next, lionel richie live on the plaza. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ all night long, all night long ♪ this is the plan for back to school.

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get your student a samsung galaxy nexus for $99.99. i know he likes the sound of this. he has the best selling album of the year and we are delighted to have him on our concert stage. ladies and gentlemen, lionel richie! >> here we go. come on! come on! come on! come on! come on! everybody, come on! ♪ i said what is happening here,

something's going on, not quite clear ♪ we're going to have a party, it's starting tonight ♪ oh, what a feeling, as we're dancing on the ceiling ♪ whoa what a feeling, we'll be dancing on the ceiling ♪ some of my friends came back from the neighborhood ♪ it looks like everybody is having a ball ♪ whoa what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling ♪ whoa what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling ♪ whoa what a feeling when we're

dancing on the ceiling ♪ whoa what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ everybody starts to lose control when the music is right ♪ if you see somebody hang around don't get uptight ♪ the only thing we want to do tonight ♪ is go around, around until we're upside down ♪ >> are you ready?

i can't hear you. are you ready? one, two, one, two, three! ♪ whoa, what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling ♪ oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling ♪ oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling ♪ ♪ oh, what a feeling ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> that's how you do it. lionel richie, thank you. there's much more music ahead. but first this is "today" on nbc.

♪

lionel richie has sold more than 100 million albums, winning an oscar along the way. his latest album "tuskegee" is a top seller this year.

good morning to you. >> it is too early in the morning. do you this all the time, huh? >> yeah, you get used to it. >> hello. >> is it me you're looking for? >> you're exactly who i'm looking for. your songs, people love them so much, it's almost like the sound track of their lives. you must have people coming up all the times saying this is what's happening. >> yes, and i get details all the time. i don't need to know the details. "lionel, i made love to you all the time." i don't need to know. >> "tuskegee" is kind of a reinvention of these songs. it's not immediately evident to everyone that it would be such a hit but it is. >> i did not realize when i was writing for the people between new york and l.a. that those people happen to be partly country. when i asked tim mcgraw and

kenny chesney if they'd like to come along, they said we've been singing these songs all our lives. it was basically a tribute to the melody. i had the best time of my life doing this album. >> i know you're going out on a european tour. how long has it been out since you've been out and done a full fledged tour like that? >> it's been two years since europe. we're planning on starting in february to come across america which have i not done in the last eight, nine years now. >> are you ready for life on the road? >> life on the road is probably where i live best anyway. but when you're playing with the kids and now the grand kids, i have to show them what pop-pop does for a living now. when harlow says for a minute, my daughters sophie and miles say what do you do for a living,

dad, i have to show him. >> how is al roker's dance moves? >> al has not changed in years. he has that side to side move. al, stick to the day job. >> this is where i live. >> he's added an air guitar. >> lionel richie, we'll let you do the singing and dancing. take it away. good to talk to you. >> here we go. ♪ i know it sounds funny but i just can't stand the pain ♪ girl i'm leaving you tomorrow, seems to me girl you know i've done all i can

♪ yeah, that's why i'm easy, i'm easy like sunday morning, yeah ♪ i feel so easy, yeah, i'm easy like sunday morning ♪ >> sounds good out there, guys. ♪ why in the world would anybody put chains on me ♪ i've paid my dues to make ends ♪ everybody wants me to be what

they want me to be ♪ i'm not happy when i try to fake it, oh, no ♪ that's why i'm easy, i'm easy like sunday morning, yeah ♪ i feel so easy, yeah, i'm easy like sunday morning ♪ i want to be high, so high, i want to be free to know the things i do are right ♪ i want to be free, just me, oh baby

♪ that's why i'm easy, baby, well, i'm easy like sunday morning ♪ i feel so easy, so easy, yeah, well, i'm easy like sunday morning ♪ come on, that's why i'm easy, so easy, yeah ♪ i'm easy like sunday morning, yeah, oh, yeah ♪ i'm so easy, i'm easy, yeah, i'm easy like sunday morning ♪ [ cheers and applause ]

>> sounding so good, lionel richie, thank you. he'll be back with one more song a bit later. but first, your local news and weather. ♪ i'm easy like sunday morning >> good morning. i'm lisa robinson. here's a look at one of our top stories. if that will bring proceed judge has approved the sale of the sparrows point steel mill to a liquidator. it was bought for $72 million. the location was put up for auction after its owner rg stee l of the brink of say. they will try to find a new operator for the plant which would avoid permanently

>> good morning. 70's and sunny this morning. beautiful out there. lots of sun during the day and pleasant with low humidity. high temperature, 86-91 degrees. tomorrow a chance for rain. more on that coming up. more on that coming up.

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