high alert. tropical storm isaac lashing florida as it enters the gulf of mexico where it's expected to strengthen into a hurricane. look where it's headed. straight for new orleans. as that city gets set to mark seven years since katrina devastated the area. we're live across the region. deadly tragedy, two american soldiers killed by yet another member othe afghan army. this morning the very latest on the investigation. and runaway suv. a mother's frantic call to 911 after her accelerator jammed, the car barreling in and out of traffic at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. what it finally took to slow her down today monday, august 27th,

2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to a special split edition of "today," monday morning. i'm matt lauer in tampa, florida. >> good morning. i'm savannah guthrie. matt, i know you felt some of the effects of isaac early this morning but it sure looks like the storm is saving much of its strength for other parts of the gulf coast. >> no question about it. about 4:00, 4:30 it was raining crazy in tampa, coming downside ways, a lot of heavy winds. take a look at the flags behind me, savannah, not really blowing that hard. in fact, we've got broken clouds, no rain falling in

tampa, the clouds moving off to the west where, of course, isaac is now in the gulf. i'm not sure whether it's that we're in between bands of this storm or we showed you on that animation of the projected path of the storm that isaac is simply too far away from tampa right now to have any impact. but i will tell you that a hurricane warning is in effect from destin, florida all the way to morgan city, louisiana. states of emergency have been declared in alabama, mississippi, and louisiana as people there are bracing for a potential hit as early as tomorrow. we're going to get a live report from new orleans coming up straight ahead, savannah. >> all right. meanwhile, as you know, the threat of isaac has forced republicans to have to rearrange their convention schedule in tampa. >> actually it's going to officially begin this afternoon and then it will immediately be called to recess. of course the events today were canceled by the organizers, i think, out of an abundance of caution, given the fact 2300

delegates, 2300 alternates, tens of thousands of volunteers and journalists are expected in this city for this event this week. of course, travel would have been a major concern. the question now is how will isaac further impact this very important event for the gop. we'll talk about that with the chairman of the republican national committee coming up in just a couple of minutes. right now let's get the very latest on tropical storm isaac. as we said, we've got complete coverage around the gulf coast beginning with al, who is a little south of me in key west. al, good morning. >> that's right, matt. you are in between bands right now. there is quite a bit of a circulation still over a good portion of florida. yesterday florida really took the brunt. southern florida really got hammered. key west, a lot of wind, a lot of rain damage as we made our way into parts of southern florida. on the mainland we saw anywhere from five to eight inches of rain. massive flooding, power outages. a lot of big problems.

miami airport, over 700 cancellations. they shut down the transit system. it is just opening up this morning. as you can see we are looking at now on the satellite, this is the latest on tropical storm isaac, 180 west of ft. myers, moving northwest at 14. you can see it's a sprawling system, 350 miles in diameter. can you see heavy rain now starting to continue to make its way into the center of what we're talking about central florida on into northern florida. we have hurricane watches -- tropical storm warnings from morgan city, louisiana, all the way down bo southern florida. heres the path of the storm. it starts to strengthen later on late tonight, early tomorrow to a category one storm, stays a category one storm. slows up. there are no steering currents as wegs close to shore. that's going to be the big problem. as this thing comes on land, even though it's a category one. we're talking about potentially 24 hours of hurricane-force winds and heavy rain. storm surge going to be a big,

big problem. six to 12 feet above normal as under the circumstances into new orleans, panama city about four to seven feet. the rainfall is going to be an issue as we. anywhere from seven to 15 inches of rain over a 24-hour period once that starts falling. again, the path of the storm going to be very critical. if it does make landfall a little to the west of new orleans, that puts new orleans in the northeast quadrant and that's the worst place for the storm. matt. >> i'll take it, al. thank you so much. nbc's lester holt is in new orleans this morning where the city is preparing for isaac's survival ahead of wednesday's seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. lester, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning. folks around here have seen this movie before and they didn't like the ending. officials will tell you this not the same new orleans that got hit seven years ago. they have vowed they will not be caught flat footed. parts of low-lying parishes are

already under mandatory evacuations. officials in new orleans say if the time comes to evacuate this city, there will be no official place to take shelter. residents lined up for gas days before isaac is expected to reach new orleans. the city's mayor hopes lessons learned from katrina will save the city the same mistakes. >> out of the abundance of caution, we are asking everybody to begin to prepare. >> reporter: with hurricane warnings now stretching from louisiana to the florida panhandle, isaac could become a category two hurricane, strengthening over the gulf of mexico. >> once it gets out of the gulf of mexico, out of this region, we think the environment will become more moist and allow isaac to strengthen. >> potentially making landfall along the gulf and striking the city of new orleans seven years to the day after hurricane katrina came ashore as a category three storm. it was the costliest hurricane in u.s. history. $110 billion in damages. it was also one of the deadliest, killing more than

1800 people. in new orleans severe flooding claimed many lives when levees around the city failed, leaving 80% of e city under water. residents flocked to the city's convention center and superdome to take cover in what became the city's shelters of last resort. but on sunday, mayor landrieu urged residents to take extra precaution, warning unlike seven years ago there will be no shelter if the city is evacuated. >> let me say clearly to everybody. neither the airport nor superdome nor convention center is going to be an emergency -- shelter of last resort. >> officials here will be standing up their emergency operations center on a 24 operation later today. they have spent an enormous amount of money offer the last serve years strengthening the levee here. savannah, all eyes will be on the pump system as this storm is expected to dump an enormous

amount of rain on the city of new orleans. >> must be tense times for sure, lester. thank you. public schools have been closed in jefferson parish as the area prepares for isaac. john young is the parish's president. mr. young, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah, how are you today? >> i'm good. i wonder how you feel looking at that forecast. the storm track heading right towards new orleans what is your level of concern right now? >> we're just preparing. we're ready for it. we've been monitoring for a week. we're much better protected today than we were at the time katrina hit. billions have been spent raising our levees, fortifying our pump stations. obviously the threat is going to be storm surge and rainfall. so pump operators on 24/7, clearing the streets of debris. we're asking residents to plan. if they have plans executing that plan. if their plans include leaving, that's fine. today is a good day to evacuate.

low-lying area, outside of the protection center, part of jefferson parish, we've issued mandatory evacuations for those communities starting at 9:00 this morning. >> you mentioned there are some voluntary evacuations. what's the threshold for that? what do you advise people about whether they should leave? >> what we do, right now, trigger point is usually a category three for upper jefferson. certainly we have stressed for the last six months for our citizens to make their own personal plans. if their plans call for evacuation, if they are concerned about the storm, obviously if they have the means and place to go, certainly we encourage them to execute on those plans. if they decide to stay, secure outside furniture, get food, water, batteries, shelter in place for the duration of the storm. we can assure them public services will be available. we'll have our pump operators out there. obviously we're also going to anticipate some power outages.

those are the decision points people have to look at when they make those decisions. we're going to continue to monitor the storm. the good news is right now it hasn't even gotten to hurricane status. obviously we anticipate, the national weather service anticipates a category one, possibly category two. obviously we're going to continue to monitor it on a minute by minute basis. >> of course thoughts go back to that day seven years ago when katrina hit. you sound much more confident about the flood protection measures that are in place now. >> yeah, billions of dollars have been spent, savannah, fortifying our pump stations, raising our levees. obviously we have flood gates, especially on the west bank of jefferson parish. we have a floodwall and now the world's largest pump station with the flood gate that will close to protect all of upper jefferson. our main concern is obviously the rainwater, power outages in upper jefferson. those outside our levee protection system storm surge. again, these protections are in

place. again, we're much better protected. but again we're preparing for the worst and hoping and praying for the best. >> we are, too. john young, the jefferson parish president. thank you for your time, sir, and keep in touch with us. >> thank you very much. >> it's 11 minutes after the hour. back to matt in tampa. >> savannah, thank you very much. obviously this area has been spared any real damage from tropical storm isaac but it has wreaked havoc with the republican national convention being held this week. the organizers have canceled basically everything scheduled for today, so now they have to cram four days of events into the remaining three days. nbc's chuck todd is our political director, also our chief white house correspondent and he is here in tampa with me as well. chuck, good morning to you. >> well, good morning, matt. look, this is the most important week of mitt romney's political career. the idea that it's getting off to a late start is not something that makes the romney campaign happy. organizers here are hoping they don't have to delay things further as they keep an eye on

isaac as it insurance toward the gulf coast. preparing for his big week in the political spotlight, the soon to be republican nominee has one eye on his acceptance speech and another on isaac's impact on the gulf coast. >> we're worried about the people. >> reporter: the 2008 nominee, senator john mccain's whose own convention was soot -- cut short by gustav said it would be a loss. >> unfortunate for the party but a long-standing tradition of three or four days of political campaigning so the republican nominee can make their case. >> reporter: the specter of hurricane katrina which was damaging to president bush.

it's a series that has gotten mitt romney off his forum. the false claim about women's chance of becoming rape. >> rare. if it's a legitimate rip, the female body has ways to shut that down. >> reporter: no shortage going into the convention. >> they basically have one message. the economy is not where it should be and it's obama's fault and there will be variations on that theme. i think when voters step back, what they are going to be looking at is who can move us forward. >> reporter: former governor bush called it a critical week for romney. >> he has a chance to reconnect with people, set the stage for the general election, and show who he is, what's in his heart. >> reporter: and romney himself underscored those stakes. >> i feel like, wow, a lot of

people are counting on me. they are hoping i'll be able to win and i'll be able to get america on track again. >> reporter: tonight's prime time speakers were supposed to be south carolina governor hail y, former presidential candidate mike huckabee and former governor jeb bush. they have been slotted in, haley tuesday night, huckabee wednesday night and jeb bush thursday night. the hope here is they hope they don't have to delay tuesday night. >> chuck todd in tampa as well. thank you very much. reince priebus, good to see you. >> good morning, matt. >> i'm looking behind me. the flags are bearing blowing, there's no rain in the air right now. did you make the right call postponing today's events. >> have you to make the call days before today. we've got thousands of volunteers. when emergency services say they can't ensure the buses can

safely travel across bridges over open water. you've got the secret service that have now taken all the tents down in front of the arena, which means our guests would be waiting outside potentially for over an hour in the rain. >> right. >> i think you're between bands. the call has to be made, matt, and we have to air on the side of safety. there's just no way around it and i'm sure y'all understand that. >> we'll still see the fundamentals of this convention in place, the roll call of delegates, of course, the formal nomination of your candidate. but conventions are also about emotion, about momentum, about a buildup of energy to that acceptance speech on thursday night. do you worry the condensed schedule will take away some of that? >> no, i don't think so at all. we had -- i think the dnc has got a shortened schedule next week. three-day convention, we can have a great week. all of the speakers that you alluded to will be absorbed into

the rest of the week. you know what, matt, our message is a positive message for this country. obviously we want to pray for anyone who is in the path of this storm. but the message is still the same that all americans deserve a better future and that this president, whatever you think about him, the one thing that's true, everyone can agree on, he didn't fulfill the promises he made in 2008. he made some big promises about jobs and the debt and the deficit. >> let me just stick on the storm for a second. are you now worried about you have to compete to get that message out if a major hurricane or category one hurricane is headed toward new orleans over the next couple of days. that's a very big news story and you worry that it competes for headlines with what you want to accomplish here in tampa. >> well, i mean certainly it's an important story. so i think it is what it is. the main thing is that the people that could be in the

pathway are safe. our message is the same. the nice thing about where we sit as republicans is that no matter what barack obama says, we have the facts on our side. these are facts that continue to move forward regardless of what happens out there in the world. it's a terrible thing. we certainly hope it doesn't develop into something stronger. but we have to tell the mitt romney story. we have to prosecute the president, what he promised and what he delivered. at the same time you all have to report on this storm because it's something people need to know about. >> here in tampa, obviously, big, big week for republicans. thanks for your time this morning. >> you bet. thank you, matt. >> nbc news will have complete coverage of the republican national convention starting tomorrow night at 10:00, 9:00 central time. that's right here on nbc. let's head back to new york,

studio 1, a, natalie has the other headlines of the morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. good morning, everyone. overseas the deaths of two u.s. troops in afghanistan this morning are under investigation. nbc is in kabul, afghanistan, with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. saying another insider attack, that's when afghan soldiers turned on u.s. and coalition counter-parts. there are some afghan official say these deaths happened on accident, an afghan soldier tripped and fell accidentally dislodging his weapon, shoog these americans and killing him. that's when he was flightened, officials say, and ran away and he was shot and killed. they are still investigating. >> in kabul, thank you. rebels in syria shot down an army helicopter this morning as it was bombarding a damascus neighborhood. this comes as new evidence mounts there's been a new massacre on civilians just outside of damascus. the death toll there ranges from

more than 300 people to as many as 600 people. hundreds of small to moderate earthquakes are rattling southern california. the so-called quake storm has caused only minor damage but has residents on edge. experts say the swarm of tremblors could last several days. meantime el salvador, a quake issued a tsunami warning in the region. it was resended and there's no reports of injuries. parts of denali closed after a grizzly bear mauled a man. miguel almaguer is there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. investigators may never know what triggered the attack, the first fatal bear mauling in a 100 year history. the attack happened along a river bank, a scenic spot where grizzlies often feed. park rangers said the 49-year-old victim had been

photographing the grizzly for at least eight minutes. some of the final images show the bear looking slightly agitated according to park officials who recovered the victim's camera. in the last two photographs, the bear is moving toward the photographer. >> the bear changed from feeding on the vegetation to deciding to attack this individual. spanning more than 6 million acres, denali national park is home to countless bears, wolves and wildlife. the mauling was first reported by hikers who discovered the backpack, clothing and blood. >> i wouldn't be real brave and try to get up and take pictures or anything like that of a bear. i'd just gaetane room. we're in their backyard. >> reporter: when park rangers discovered the so-called kill site, the grizzly was found sitting on the victim's body. the bear was shot and killed. today rangers say the park is

safe in a region known for its natural beauty. a permit into the park required to hike there required to tsa a bear safety course, as for the section of denali park that's shut down, it will reopen after the investigation is complete. >> denali national park in alaska. thank you. a botched restoration of a 19th century fresco is now a tourist attraction. we first told you about this story on friday when an 80-year-old woman decided to help out her local church by fixing a crumbling painting of jesus. now visitors are flogging to the church after the restoration went viral. it's making it's way in the art world, mona lisa, the scream, pretty crazy. 7:21. back over to savannah. license to have fun. >> the scream is appropriate when you look at that restoration. >> exactly. >> nat, thanks. we want took head to key west florida where al is to get the

rest of his forecast. hey, al. >> thanks a lot, savannah. we are looking at some severe weather that's going to be plaguing the midsection of the country, probably cause some airport delays. can you see we've got showers stretching from michigan all the way back bought missouri. some of these storms could be strong. we're talking anywhere from one to three inches of rain, central indiana on into central new york. generally about one to two inches throughout the area, sunshine along the northeast coast, beautif

and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> all right, al. thanks. much more on isaac straight ahead plus a terrifying ordeal for a mom whose accelerator got stuck on the highway. how she managed to control the car at speeds of up to 120 miles an hour and eventually got it to slow down. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, we'll have much more on isaac's path and its impact on the gulf coast, savannah. >> the mirror fast. women who stopped looking at their reflections after your local news. oes beyond. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete. in absolute perfect physical condition and i had a heart attack right out of the clear blue... i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables.

[ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. he's my success story. [ laughs ] >> this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> the time is 7:26. a man is sent to johnsopkins hospital with stab wounds over the weekend. he was attacked at plainfield road in dundalk. that was about 3:45 sunday morning. officers are working to determine what led up to that stabbing. let's check on the morning commute. a school could have an impact on the roads. >> we are starting to see the normal delays fall into place after a nice break from the

summertime weather patterns. we're reporting on an accident in the forestal region. if you're traveling there, watch for that. eastern ave, watch for crashed in rosedale. on a side, delays developing from harford towards dulaney valley. watch foreclosures in the city from hanover street to. and lombard. monument street shut down towards patterson park. accident just in on southbound 97 just prior to general's highway. quick live look at traffic. heavy volume from belair road all the way over to dulaney valley. we will switch over to a live view of the j.f.x. running smoothly from the beltway down into town. >> 72 at martin state airport, pikesville, 71.

71 degrees in pasadena. the 70's for the kids to head off to school. we're checking high temperatures in the mid-80's. a few clouds in the sky and a chance for thunderstorms. that is what we have to watch for especially in the afternoon. a few showers possible into tonight and may be a lingering showers from tomorrow morning. then the front clears by and we will see beautiful weather on wednesday

7:30 on monday morning, august 27th, 2012. that is the calm before what could be a very dangerous storm for the city of new orleans and other parts of the gulf coast. isaac is slowly bearing down with a hurricane warning in effect right now for more than 300 miles from florida to louisiana. good morning, again, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie in new york. matt lauer is in tampa where the republican national convention was supposed to get started today. right, matt? >> that's true, savannah. obviously we are not feeling major effects from tropical storm isaac, just a rainy morning and some wind as you can see from the flags behind us. the good news in this area is potentially bad news for people living in alabama, mississippi,

louisiana. in fact, the number of elected officials from those states have decided not to attend the convention here in tampa. we're going to have more on that and talk to the head of fema about what they are doing to prepare for isaac as it approaches landfall somewhere along the gulf coast, savannah. >> matt, thanks. a story from here. imagine driving down the highway when your car suddenly starts to accelerate on its own, 80, 100, 120 miles an hour. this happened to a mother in missouri. it forced her to weave in and out of traffic for more than 30 minutes at those speeds. the whole thing was captured on a police dash-cam. we're going to have more on her story. bradley cooper is going to be here to tell us about his movie and some other projects he's working on. >> all right, savannah. let's get the latest on the path of tropical storm isaac now. as we mentioned al is down in key west, florida, to the south of us here. he has the latest. al, good morning again. >> good morning, matt.

again, this is a pretty sprawling system. about 350 miles across. right now it's 180 miles southwest of ft. myers, florida, 65-mile-per-hour winds moving northwest at 14. path of the storm system going to be making its way up and into the gulf. as it does, we are going to be looking at starting to intensify to a category one. as it gets closer to land, it's going to slow up. there's really very little in the way of steering currents to push this thing along. we're talking about the potential of a 24-hour period of sustained hurricane situations. that includes storm surge. that's a big, big concern. anywhere from 6 to 12 feet above normal in and around new orleans and on into mississippi and alabama. bower 4 to 7 feet as you make your way on into the florida panhandle. rainfall going to be another big problem, anywhere from 7 to 14 inches of rain over the next

several days once that rain starts falling. it is going to be a mess. as you can see right now, we are getting these intermittent showers in and out. that's what we're looking at. now let's go back to savannah. >> all right, al. thanks. we'll check back in with you in a bit. the storm has gulf coast homeowners on high alert especially in new orleans. nbc's lester holt is there for us. lester, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning. the hurricane warning covers the new orleans metropolitan area as of this morning mandatory evacuations will be the order of the day for low-lying southern parishes. at least part of those par i issue including plaquemines parish, which you may recall seven years ago this wednesday, that's where hurricane katrina slammed ashore. schools are already closed in preparation of the storm's arrival. new orleans itself is under a state of emergency. they will not call for a mandatory evacuation here unless the storm hits a category three

force, which they do not anticipate. that said, they are urging people to consider voluntary evacuations, urging them to secure outdoor furniture, consider the fact there will be power outages and likely lots of localized flooding because of the heavy rain that al just spoke about. in the meantime, they place great confidence in the upgrades to the levee system that occurred over the last seven years. they have raised levees in many spots. they have created a flood gate system and very, very large pump system. they are confident that will prevent a repeat of katrina seven years ago. there's no illusions here, this will ab rough ride for new orleans if this storm continues on its path. >> must be tense times indeed, lester, thank you. 7:34, want to head back to matt in tampa. >> we want to bring in craig fugate, the administrator of the federal emergency management agency, or fema, craig, good to see you. >> good morning.

>> tell me a little bit, as you watch the projected path of this storm and look how broad the storm is and how slowly it might move across louisiana, what are your biggest fears? >> obviously storm surge, but the heavy rainfall. again, i think we need to remember, don't fork us on a point. this is a very large storm so impacts will be far to the east as well as to the west where it comes ashore. when people focused on tampa, as we saw, it's hard to say where it will make landfall, morgan city, louisiana, to major metropolitan area of new orleans to destin florida, you need to be heeding evacuation orders today. >> mr. fugate, we're in the middle of the murk season. is it safe to say the resources you would need to deal with this situation have been prepositioned in the gulf coast area? >> yeah, we've been moving stuff. earlier we were down in the puerto rico, virgin islands.

fortunately not much impact there. florida. now looking at mississippi, alabama. our teams are with the state teams. we've been briefing the president and he's been contacting first governor scott. but as we talked with the other governors we're trying to anticipate what they are going to need and be ready to support them when they ask for it. >> you're in direct contact with city and state officials. are you comfortable with their plans for evacuations as they stand right now, mostly voluntary evacuations at this moment? you happy with that? >> yeah, i think right now it's the prudent thing to take, a lot will depend on what intensity we think the storm will come ashore at. as we get more updates today, you'll see things adjust, what's required, if evacuations are given, be ready to act. >> craig fugate, the administrator of fema. mr. fugate, thanks for your time this morning. i know you're busy.

>> thank you. >> all right. let's head back to al in key west for a look at the weather. >> all right. matt, thank you so much. again, as we look ahead to the week ahead, a lot of this is going to be dictated by isaac. as you can see along the eastern seaboard, we're going to be looking at wet weather. out west the early part of the week above normal. as wets in the middle part of the week, affected by isaac as it makes its way inland. northern tier above normal, wetter than usual conditions as you make your way into the mississippi river valley, cooler than normal out west in the pacific northwest. again, you can see a lot of wet weather through the southeast lower gulf where we're looking at a lot of effects from isaac. the northeast will be warmer than usual. in fact, much of the country warmer than usual for this last unofficial week of summer. thal

and that's your lateth weather. savannah. >> still ahead, how long could you go without looking at your own reflection. why some women are going on the so-called mirror fast for a month at a time. up next, a contentious issue for many parents. should newborn boys be circumsized. the new recommendations coming up. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back.

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back at 7:42 for recommendations for newborn baby borns. an influential pediatrician's group say the health benefits of circumcision outweigh any risk. dr. nancy snyderman, good morning. this a controversial topic. >> it is. >> let's get to it. what does the american academy of pediatrics say. >> they endorsed male circumcision because of risks. look, if boys are good about

hygiene, the risk of cancer drops. now there's new evidence, this from a report out of johns hopkins that says, look, there is a real cost to boys and girls, men and women of uncircumcised men. the numbers are pretty -- >> a medical costa financial cost. let's talk about medical cost, increased infection. >> urinary tract infection, risk of hiv, 12%, human papillomavirus, lethal and nonlethal kind goes up. this is under the umbrella of an 80% circumcised population in the '70s and '80s in this country that has dropped to about 56% now. the concern is that if the circumcision rate continues to drop and goes down to 10%, which is what is in europe we will see those cancer risks rise and infection risk rise. we'll see a financial hit.

that's pretty huge. >> the numbers you just showed, the one we're about to show envisions a 10% circumcision rate, far below what we have now. >> a trend we're going to see if we continue. the financial risks are huge. per person, anywhere from $300 to $400. you start to talk about million costs in the billions of dollars. that means costs for treating infections are cost for treating cancers. the cancer rate is to men and to women. i know it's controversial and there are parents and doctors who say, hey, look, this is mutilation. if god gives a boy a foreskin, why would you remove it. for years it's been because of these concerns. the data right now comes out of uganda. as we know there's been a huge hiv population in central africa. the ugandans have said they are going to start circumcising young men and following them

long-term. and because of their studies, because of their data, we have for the first time a real idea of what it means for uncircumcised boys and the health risks. before parents jump on me, i just want to say, this is a decision between a doctor, parent and the doctor should be the ob-gyn and pediatrician. but recognize there are health benefits for most people for male circumcision at birth. >> the study certainly bears that out. dr. nancy snyderman, good information. thank you very much. coming up next, a life threatening ride for a mom when her car's accelerator got stuck of the terrifying video as she dodged traffic at speeds up to 120 miles an hour. we'll have the story right after this. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news

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kia sorrento completely out of control and gaining speed fast. the accelerator jammed. >> are you able to hit your brakes at all? >> i've tried everything. >> okay. have you put your car in neutral. >> i can't get it to move. >> reporter: the car was unstoppable. she worked erratically to avoid other cars. >> i'm coming up on a bunch of cars. >> okay. >> i am so scared. >> okay. calm down. >> reporter: her car continued accelerating hitting speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. >> oh god i have two semis. >> okay. calm down. >> oh god. >> within minutes, state police arrived and attempted to divert traffic out of her way. >> okay. do you see them? they are in front and one is in back of you? >> reporter: for 59 miles and 35 minutes, she desperately dodged traffic.

finally trooper advised she pull the accelerator and hit the brake at the same time. a winning combination that brought it to a halt. amazingly she didn't hit a thing and no one was hurt. she finally climbed out of the car shaken by safe. >> reporter: now in a statement kia motors said they inspected the car but can't figure out what happened. they say it appears to be an isolated incident but will keep investigating and work with her to solve the problem. >> thank you so much. can you imagine that? >> scary, going so fast for 59 miles like that. crazy. >> i'm amazed she could get on the cell phone and have the presence of mind she and to have. >> good good lessons, i would never think to step on the brake and pull the accelerator. the different steps she had to take. hopefully we never find ourselves in that situation but good to know. >> scary, scary.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> looking like a rush hour as folks head back to school. ellerbe bypass, we're tracking an accident. and carroll island road. outer loop northeast side, you are in the red from belair road towards dulaney valley. 18 miles per hour on the west side outer loop. watch for crash at windsor mill road. another 1 eastbound 32 and 9-95. southbound 97, 17 miles per hour

perching general highway. it is also affecting northbound traffic. 295 and 175, saw and delays in place down towards 32. live view of old court, that is with the west side delays begin. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> clean temperatures right now, low seventies, as kids head towards the bus stop. 71 in pikesville. cuts in place. we have some showers in cecil county. some of those are spending to fall apart now. things are going to change in the afternoon. another one is on the way. cold front moving across the midwest. this will be moving into the mid-atlantic. stand a chance for thunderstorms. -- scattered chance for thunderstorms. has he taken into the seven-day

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it's 8:00 on monday morning. it's the 27th day of august, 2012. looks like a gorgeous day in new york city. start of a new workweek. a lot of kids back in school. we say hi to the folks gathered at rockefeller plaza. not quite as nice here, i'm matt lauer in tampa, florida, the home of the republican national convention this week, an area that dodge add lot of weather issues from tropical storm isaac. savannah guthrie as can you see up there with lenny and the good folks on the plaza. al in key west area. that's an area that got winds and rain. we'll check in with him in a

couple of minutes. >> see you in a bit. a story that has a lot of people talking. can you imagine going one month without looking at a mirror. one woman did that. she called it a mirror fast. we'll check in with her and see how that project went. we have a big star in the studio, bradley cooper is here. he's busy. he was just here last week. he's back for more today. we'll check in with him. for now, matt, back to you. >> savannah, thanks very much. we want to go down south to al roker in key west. although we're not feeling much of the effects in tampa, everybody is watching what happens in the gulf and even the new orleans area, al. right? >> that's absolutely right, matt. this tem while not powerful is still going to cause some problems continuing in florida. here is the latest just in from the national hurricane center. right now isaac is tropical storm 185 west southwest of ft.

myers, sustained winds 65 miles an hour. moving west northwest at 14 pickup. you can see the circulation on the radar. it's getting better organized. an eye is starting to form again. we're looking at heavy rain in central florida. this will eventually move up into northern florida. we're talking about another anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of rain from northern and central florida as this system gets itself together and starts moving away. here is the path. we look forric to become a hurricane sometime late tonight, early tomorrow morning. it's making pretty good forward speed. then as it gets close to the gulf coast, it's going to start to slow. there are no steering winds to really get it going. that means wherever it comes on shore, they are looking at anywhere from about 18 to 24 hours of hurricane conditions. this is a widespread storm. the conditions spread out, about 350 miles from the center. we're going to be looking at

issues, including storm surge, anywhere from 6 to 12 fee especially along the mouth of the mississippi, louisiana and mississippi coastlines as you head toward the panhandle of florida, looking at storm surge, a little less. rainfall, up to 15 inches of rain as this system makes landfall. it is going to be a slow mover, so it is going to just drop tons and tons of rain. matt. >> when you talk about the volume of that rain, al, that has the full attention of the people in the new orleans area. lester holt is there this morning. lester, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. the anxiety is compounded here bit fact that wednesday will be the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. those lessons not lost on officials here who say they will not be caught flat footed. the systems of levees has been strengthened. flood gates, they spent billions on that. much larger pumps. also, this storm is not

anticipated to be as large as katrina. nonetheless, along the coastal parishes, those areas outside the levee protection system, they will be under a mandatory evacuation order later this morning. here in new orleans, they would only trigger a mandatory evacuation if it got to a category three storm. if that happens, they say there will be no official shelter place in the city of new orleans. no superdome, no airport, no convention center, if a mandatory evacuation order were to come, everyone would be expected to leave the city. again, they don't anticipate it will get that bad but they are preparing for everything here, matt. >> lester holt, new orleans this morning. lester, as always, thanks so much. isaac making many of the headlines this morning but other stories as well. natalie at the news desk with those. good morning once again. >> good morning. nato says it's beefing up security after an afghan soldier

shot and killed two american troops today. they are still investigating whether it was intentional a sharp increase in attacks by afghan allies has killed at least 42 nato coalition members so far this year. the gunman behind friday's shoot-out at the empire state building has recently been told he was being kicked outfit his manhattan apartment so the owner could do renovations. 58-year-old jeffrey johnson was gunned down by police after he shot and killed a former co-worker. officials say nine bystanders were wounded by police gunfire including ricochet bullet fragments. johnson had been laid off last year from his job in fashion design. tributes are pouring in for astronaut neil armstrong who died this weekend at age 82. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more now from los angeles. kristen, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. to say neil armstrong is an american icon really is an understatement. it was the world watching in 1969 as he took the first steps on the moon. in doing so he gave us one of those rare moments where anyone

who was watching or listening remembers exactly where they were. >> it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. >> reporter: it is the phrase that will forever define neil armstrong's storied spot in history. after a hair-raising final descent, millions held their collective breath as armstrong set foot on the surface of the moon, sealing his role as a pioneer of spaceflight and a true american hero. buzz buzz al drone was with him that day. >> a great responsibility was put on him and he filled it to the maximum. he did the right things. you could count on him. >> reporter: over the next years armstrong didn't seek out the spotlight. in 1984 he gave credit to the entire nasa team. >> i think it was about 99% dedication of the people who put our spacecraft together and

ensured it worked the way it was supposed to work. >> reporter: at 82, armstrong's death from complications after heart procedure came as a shock to many. a legend that for so long seemed larger than life. even armstrong recognized what his legacy would be. his biggest accomplishment wasn't leaving a footprint on the moon but an impression here on earth. >> young minds in our own country and around the world now believe they can do great things, and they can. >> reporter: truly an incredible life. there have been calls for strong by a full state funeral for armstrong but, natalie, a smaller funeral in his home state of ohio. >> probably more to his liking. kristen dahlgren, thank you, kristen. a quick roundup what has you tweeting online. rupert murdoch saying people should give prince harry a

practice after being photographed nude. "the sun" was the only paper to publish. mid september, the launch of apple's any iphone. it's rumored to have a larger screen and a different charger port. speculating the new ipad mini, a screen smaller by two inches will be out in october. and snooki has got a new little man in her life. the "jersey shore" star gave birth to a baby boy sunday. she tweeted i'm so in love with my son lorenzo dominic, healthy at six pounds. he's my world. daddy is snooki's 24-year-old fiancee. congratulations to them. 8:08. back outside to savannah. a little more company at the "jersey shore," diaper duty for them. >> working on the poops.

back to al. good morning again. >> hey, good morning, savannah. i want to go back to talking about isaac because in lester's report he said a lot of folks are feeling better because of, a, the levee system, and,b, it's not as strong as katrina. the thing about katrina -- as we look at the radar, the thing about katrina as it came on shore, a lot of dry air filtered in. they didn't see a lot of high wind. they didn't see quite as much rain. if this system, because it's slowing down, it may put out stronger wind as it comes on shore than katrina. when it comes to the levee system, there's a lot of folks who are not protected by the levees. this thing is going to dump tons and tons of rain over a 24-hour period, if the track we have holds true. there's a lot to be worried about still as far as tropical storm and then

and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> al, thanks. coming up next, have you heard of the mirror fast? we're going to meet a woman who decided to stop look at her reflection for 30 days. we'll have that story right after this. "that looks hard" to "that didn't take long". let's break out behr ultra. .. ...the number one selling paint and primer in one, now with stain blocker. each coat works three times harder, priming, covering, and blocking stains. let's go where no paint has gone before,

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nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help. how long could you go without looking in a mirror, any mirror, anywhere where you go. a so-called mirror fast saying good-bye to her reflection for an entire month. >> all right. this is it. one month from today i'll see myself again. it's been really, really hard. there's been a lot of stress in my life. and what's been happening, i've been using the mirror as a way to center myself and help me deal with a stress. okay. at least there's one thing i know is there i can kind of

check in with myself. i don't have that anymore. when i'm not looking in the mirror when i'm working out, i feel like i do better. i'm not thinking how do i look, do i look silly. the point of working out is to feel good in your body, to live in it and inhabit it and not judge it. so distancing myself from anything has been great. nerve out about something or not knowing how i look, once i'm out here, i look around and think no one is looking at how you look. they are here to have fun. this is a place to have fun, be in the water. i'm actually not self-conscious at all. here is the water. >> you look really good. >> all right. okay. that's the winner. prettiest category. it's just gorgeous. >> i love it. >> all right. okay.

>> this week, my friend's wedding. it's interesting not looking in a mirror does as far as not making you look better. it's not my birthday or wedding, this is a day about people. not being able to look in the mirror, it helps put that in sharp focus. >> autumn is with us now along with nbc's chief medical editor nancy snyderman and linda wells, editor in chief in "allure" magazine. ladies, good morning to all of you. autumn, you really did it, no cheating. >> no cheating. >> are there any exceptions? how did you put your makeup on. >> i've been putting many on every day for 20 years. your fingers find their way around your face.

i ab stained from liner pencil. i tried before and it was like baby jane. >> did you have any friends over and said, hey, you've got lipstick on your teeth. >> no one told me but who knows. >> you did this to prove a point to yourself but also to see what impact it would have psychologically. what was it like. >> i was surprised. i felt calmer, for the second half i felt cammer, more self-centered. for the first time-of- part, it was difficult. every time i met up with a friend i really wanted to look in the mirror, sometimes even at home. i had been using it as a way to center myself. felt more calm and serene. >> did you feel less critical of yourself? >> yes. that wasn't really the purpose. when you can't see how you look, you can't criticize yourself. >> the thought of somebody who looks in the mirror a lot, that cliche is they are so vein. they are looking in the mirror

thinking i look great and the opposite is true, looking at imperfections. >> i find myself coming down on both sides of this issue. we're so self-loathing. the mirror isn't meant to look at your imperfections, it's many for affirmation. you should look and say, i'm ready to go or, yikes, that skirt is too short or the blouse belongs in the trash pile. it's meant to check in. it's a visual society we live in. how we present ourselves opens up the doors for job interviews, dating, et cetera. so that hate relationship with the mirror, i don't get it. i get it but i don't. >> you're editor of a beauty magazine. >> i do think by making it a fast, you're almost giving it too much importance. there is a way to look at yourself with self-compassion.

psychologists have studied this and said look at the things you like about yourself and don't focus on the things you don't like. you would do that when looking at a friend, you look at the good parts, not the bad parts. >> for every woman don't go to the bathroom on a plane and look in the mirror. >> never. >> if you were on a mirror fast, are you now on a mirror diet. have you noticed you don't look at it as much. >> you know, i kept the shroud over my mirror, actually, because i just like moving it aside when i want to look at myself. like you said, is everything okay, together. it wasn't about do i look good, do i look bad, it was cutting off self-observation. >> time for women and young girls to feel good about themselves. different shapes and sizes, we all need to look good. >> thanks for telling us about it. good to see you guys. coming up next, one of the hardest working men in hollywood. we're going to catch up with bradley cooper. there he's looking in the mirror

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new pencils, new books... new backpack...looks good. just trying to look our best. gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh we had a good breakfast, so we're ready. gonna be another great year, huh guys?! you bet your 8 layers! yeah! long distance high 5. whoa! oh, careful. y, watch it. [ female announcer ] packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains, kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full and focused all morning long. now available in touch of fruit raspberry. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused.

bradley cooper can go from action to comedy to drama in the blink of an eye. in his new movie, "the word" he discovers an old briefcasoon his honeymoon in paris. what he eventually finds inside will change his life forever. >> oh, that's nice. what do you think of it? >> i think it's old. >> i think it's great. i feel like if we clean it up, you can use it for work. classy. >> yeah? >> i'm going to get it for you. >> thank you mrs. janson. >> bradley cooper, good morning to you. we didn't watch the clip but i saw it over the weekend. >> i've seen it, too. >> you know how it ends.

you were just here a week ago. >> too much? >> no. >> no personal life. >> like the "today" show. >> willie geist, morning joe. >> starts at 5:30. i totally got you on that. >> they made drinks at the republican convention. willie geist, some drink they made up for him. watch the tape. i watched it. >> now we're on nbc, we turn the channel because here we are. let's talk about your movie, "the word." what interested you about the role. >> many things. my buddy, best friends since we were 10 years old. when i first moved to l.a. i slept on his couch. i remember they were doing a reading of that movie. twelve years later he's directing it and we're getting it made, which is incredible. >> an interesting story, very

intriguing. about a writer, maybe a good writer, average writer but not a great writer. >> yeah. >> he plagiarizeses, finds this story, passes it off as his own. you do play him sympathetically. >> good. >> could you identify not with the plagiarism but just the struggle of it. >> certainly dealing with rejection, that's something you have to become used to as an actor. not that he's a bad writer. he's a good writer but im patient. he doesn't allow the time to pass to see if he can create something. he comes across this manuscript. because his wife thinks he wrote it, he's not man enough to say he didn't. she's looking at him in a way he's always wanted. >> you were here with his friend zach shepherd. isn't there a rule about not working with your friends. >> if i can't get hired after this. >> your friends have to hire

you. they are required to hire you. great cast. >> incredible. >> i hear you do a great jeremy irons. >> this is going well. >> you don't want to do it. >> i do not do a great one. i remember when jeremy called and said he would play the old man. he's not an old man, we call it the old man. on the speaker, irons, jeremy irons. not great. >> i wanted more. >> just a little tease. teasers. >> i always here you cook. >> i love the therapeutic nature of cooking, actually. do you cook? >> no. you obviously watch this show. i don't cook. we were going to try to get you to do a cooking segment. >> i have to go to philly. >> i've heard that.

we're making lobster. >> okay, i'll stay. >> i'm kidding. "the word" eeps friday s >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. here is sarah caldwell. >> back to school for many kids, so that means back to the delays around the area. we had a crash on southbound 95 at o'donnell street. you can see the end results. mayfield ave and windsor mill road, we have a crash. delays from 795 down to edmondson. hollins ferry and hammonds ferry, accident. washington boulevard in elkridge, we have an accident clearing.

another one wraping up just prior to general highway. here is what it looks like, 50 on maryland it to ritchie highway, accident in the westbound direction. all of to the right shoulder. one vehicle in the right lane. state to the left. the switchover to a live view of traffic. everything moving towards fort mchenry. >> temperatures are currently in the 70's right now. downtown at 75. randallstown is one of the cooler spots. looking into the afternoon, temperatures in the mid-80's. a chance for scattered thunderstorms. maybe some lingering storms tonight. then i pressure moves in to the end of the week. this will bring moisture to the east. until that happens, look for sunshine on wednesday and thursday. >> we are back here at 8:56.

8:30 monday morning, the 28th day of august, 2012 and you're listening to british pop sensation sarah lloyd, her infectious new single "want you back" and former "x factor" contestant is really blowing up in the united states. she's going to be here live on thursday for a concert here in

rockefeller plaza. but that is not all. we've got grammy winner jason moraz. be sure to make a sign. he's going to give free tickets to one of his upcoming shows. i'm savannah guthrie alongside natalie morales. a lot of good music to look forward to. >> sure do. >> matt is in tampa. you're about to sign off for the morning but we'll hear a lot more from you on the republican national convention. >> tomorrow morning we'll come to you from inside the building where the convention is held. we'll sit down with a live interview with new jersey governor chris christie, one of the big stars of the republican party, always outspoken. we'll hear what he has to say as he prepares to deliver the keynote address tomorrow night. that's tomorrow on "today." we'll see you then. natalie. >> we'll check back with you in a bit. >> from here if you want help

with back to school bills, we'll show you how to get great deals on supplies, even free stuff for kids. >> good deals on haircuts also. looking for a kaci tasty dinner we'll check in with our italian chef. >> al roker, good morning again. >> good morning, guys. as we look at the rest of the country's weather for today we have a risk along gulf coast of florida into louisiana for strong storms today. can't rule out tornadoes. this system can generate them. looking for beautiful weather in the pacific northwest, sunny and hot in the southwest, showers in the upper ohio and mississippi river valleys into the northeast. for tomorrow look for sizzling weather in the plains, down into texas, on into the southwest. more of a risk of strong storms down through the southeast. sunny and mild in the pacific northwest. new england on into the northeast. mild conditionhe

and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> al, thank you. coming up next we're going to cook an italian feast with lobster in "today's" kitchen. but first this is "today" on nbc. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol

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classroom brought to you by kellogg's frosted mini wheat cereal. >> back now at 8:35. this morning on "today's" classroom, back to school deals and freebies. according to the national retail association, the average family will spend more than $688 on school supplies for the new year. "today" contributor elizabeth is here with secrets how to drastically cut that cost and even find stuff for free. good morning. >> good morning. >> expensive to send kids back to school. let's start with a deal on haircuts. >> free. jcpenney, free haircuts through august. jcp salons, go in -- i suggest you call before hand. they have done over a million haircuts. so the news is also that starting this fall, it's been so popular that they are going to probably continue it on into sunday. just check back. i've got my son charlie here. >> look at this gorgeous face. >> who was away at camp and much

in need of a haircut. thank you, nick. >> we'll check in with you at the end of the segment. now back to school deals on jeans. first day of school, kids want to wear brand-new clothes, everything. >> kids and teens alike, abercrombie & fitch and hollister. abercrombie, $29, $20 at the kids store, hollister, $25. a personal back to school promotion. so when you walk in these good looking models hand awe card. text the number on the back immediately and they are giving away thousands of apple products, everything. merchandise, trips, you name it. >> wow, make sure you go in and check it out. next you found these t-shirts. great deal prices. about five bucks. >> $5 at children's place. everything at children's place is on sale. graphic tees just happen to be appealing.

through labor day. >> next they will be lugging books everywhere. you found a deal here. >> kohl's is offering 65% off, even big names brands jansport, adidas. go in and find the right one for your kids. huge deals at kohl's going on specifically on backpacks. >> if you have 88 cents, anywhere from pencils to handbags. where? >> walmart has an 88 cent deal on more than 100 products. go in. you name it. pick up these things. fill a bin. 100 products and $88. they have partnered with toshiba for this hard drive back-up. it's usually $120. you can get it at walmart for $60. >> a satisfaction guarantee. >> they have introduced this year any apparel you buy at walmart, if within 90 days your kid hates it, jeans aren't comfortable, shoes hurt, bring it back for a full refund, just bring your receipt.

>> big box stores but office supplies also a good way to go. >> staples, you can get number two pencils if you're going to be taking any kind of exam like an s.a.t., they are a penny for eight. what can you get for a penny. sharpies, you can get them for free with a $4 rebate. you name it, everything. also they have got great deals for students on computers like this hp laptop. usually $699, they are selling it for $499. but if you buy it now with your student id, you get $100 visa cash back. >> that's fantastic. what else over here. >> amazon. amazon is a great place to go, as we know for electronics. >> everything. shop online. >> galaxy tab 2, special student bundle. that comes with the keyboard and usb adaptor, which is usually like $100. that's for 249. then you can get any hppc with beats audio.

you see them. >> dr. dre headphones, special deal with that with 50% off or $50 off. >> for teachers, there are good deals as well to be found. teachers have to get back to school and they want to be wearing comfortable shoes. what is aero soles doing. >> 15% discount for teachers. they just need to bring in a pay stub or id if they have it. then everybody needs a good night's sleep. a parent, teacher, a kid. i love that garnet hill is doing two-for-one deal on pillows and also throwing in free shipping. it's everything from their prima lot of to feather pillows. >> i need new pillows. good timing. elizabeth, thank you. thanks so much as always. good stuff. i've got to go shopping. haircut looking good, charlie, right? great. good job, nick. that's so much. >> that's a haircut for free. that's good. up next, a new workout for

kids, dangerous sports injuries. first this is "today" on nbc.

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fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. >> "today's" health brought to you by prevacid 24 hour. prevents the acid that causes frequent heartburn. ♪ >> back now at 8:43. this morning on "today's" health, helping your kids avoid sports related injuries. american academy of pediatrics developed a new dvd workout, home-based strength training for young athletes. doctor, good morning, good to have you back. >> great to be here. >> johnson & johnson did a survey in 2012 shows that one out of every three athletes actually gets injured. this is a workout you're saying can prevent injuries. >> that's right. american academy of pediatrics came out with a position state saying strength training for

kids is a great idea. the problem is most parents have no idea where to go, how to do it. the idea is we know strength training makes stronger bones, muscles. the idea is this program is for parents to train and train with their kids at home. >> i think a lot of parents may be concerned that strength training too young can stunt your growth, you hear these things, stunt their growth, they could, in fact, end up injuring themselves. that's not true. >> the opposite is true. strength training makes healthier, we can start at eight. we'll see a bunch of kids today, 8, 9-year-old kids doing strength training. i want parents involved. >> this should be a family activity. you should be monitoring this. >> do it with them, even better. >> we've got kids helping us out. you're going to take us through a couple different workouts. >> i'll grab my weights. >> sophia and greg. nine and 11 years old. they are working with light weights. >> high reputation lightweight training. guys, we're going to be doing upper bodywork. two exercises. the overhead push press and dead

lift high press. why don't you guys give me five of each of those. >> what's the benefit of these. go ahead, guys. show how you're doing it. >> upper body strength. the whole workout is a kinetic chain workout. we're strengthening the entire body at once. these guys are starting with upper body. the concept lightweight high rep whole body every few days for kids. >> how often do you recommend they work out. >> strength train, two times a week is about right. >> a lot of reputation as you said. >> she looks like she's been working out. she's got muscles there. >> she's a gymnast. >> greg, what do you play, baseball, right? >> baseball. >> okay. looking good. >> you guys look great. you guys can stop. >> move to 12-year-old grace and 15-year-old steven. you guys have the workout mats, i'm not going to get on that

with my heels on. core workout. >> these are middle age, a little heavier weights. the two exercises for them, i'm going to get down on the ground, show you what's called row and plank. hold their bodies nice and stable. they are going to pull up one side and the other side and flip on their back and do what's called legs down just like that. the idea of these, guys. do five of each of those. >> simultaneously do the one and other. >> this is what's called the super set. we're doing commitly movements. again, high reputation, lightweight. the idea is strengthen those muscles in the middle. i want to emphasize i want parents to actively do this. if you're a 45-year-old mom with an achy back, these are as helpful for you as the 10 or 12-year-old soccer player. >> they are working with higher weights. >> we want kids to lift 15 repetitions very comfortably. most parents watching this

aren't comfortable with kids lifting weights but they definitely can. >> the core, that's what you're working here. that's to prevent the injuries which are so common. >> any sport you play. a soccer player and football player here. but it doesn't matter. >> swimming and tennis as well. >> each sport you need those middle muscles for anything. >> let's move on over to our older kids here. 17-year-old christopher and 18-year-old amanda. they are going to be showing us my favorite plyo metric jump squats. >> you remember these, your buddy from a long time ago. >> i still feel them. >> these are great for anybody who does a running sport. spread shoulder withwidth, hands straight out here, squat here and easy jump up into the air. guys, let's go ahead and get started with those. we'll talk about these. >> really squatting down. >> this is body weight strengthen, "plyo metric, gets longer and shorter. high reputation exercise to

build strength. all this, just a pair of dumbbells. amazing to do. this builds strength. >> it hurts. this does help injury, overall joint conditioning. >> i explain to my patients of any age. strong muscles are like scaffolding around a building. the stronger the scaffolding, the less loading. >> this is something you encourage whether you're a casual athlete to somebody who is a varsity athlete. >> i've had people say my kids were couch potatoes now i love it for both of us it's exciting. >> we had my 8-year-old doing the insanity workout. he loved it. got to get them tough. great job, guys. you played along well hopefully preventing injuries. up next, some carbs to go with the workout. heading to "today's" kitchen and cook up an italian feast but

first this is "today" on nbc. i

back now at 8:50 with "today's" kitchen. what's on the menu, a mouth water feast, the owner of the new york city restaurant, the lion's crown. he's about to open another

restaurant. this seems like a fancy recipe. >> lobster, it's not expensive right now, it's really good. >> is there a season for lobster. >> lobster, corn, tomatoes, all together. all those. >> i have to tell you i'm intimidated by chopping up this lobster. >> i'm going to do this for you. we blanched this guy, put it in water and shocked it in ice water. we cooked the claws separately from the body because different cooking times. >> okay. >> so i'm going to take this thing right here. stand back. >> he's looking at me now. >> just -- this is all you want to do. cook this guy. see this, a lot of people, that's the row. >> i don't like this, the green stuff. >> don't avoid it, eat it. it's very delicious. >> really? >> we have it here, i'm going to season this. will you put make pepper on me? >> that i can do.

look at that. >> i'm going to put olive oil. >> presto. >> a little butter. >> only half the lobster there. >> the other half we'll chop up and use in our sauce. >> i have this here, i'm going let that smoke a little bit. i'm going to put this face down. this will get nice and brown. all that favor from the row will be in the pan, in the sauce. >> that's why you want to keep it in there. how do you spell that, r-o-e. >> is that a trick question? i don't know. roe. i've never actually spelled it. onions, chili, garlic, heirloom tomatoes, cognac. you can see half that is gone. i don't know how that happened. >> that explains a lot. >> olive oil. nice and brown.

>> how long do you need it in there? >> i just need it to get brown, probably two min, depending how hot your stove is. >> it's already cooked. >> only do the one side. >> so now furks don't mind, put onions in there. now garlic. >> my lack of cooking skills. >> chili. >> butter. >> no butter. >> i was on a roll there. >> then cognac. gently, gently. >> wow. >> that's good. >> is that it. >> that's it. that's perfect. >> some fish stock to add. >> gently? >> always gently when cooking. >> okay. >> perfect, good. >> got it. >> you mel it now? >> i do. smells and looks delicious. >> tomato, please. >> half.

>> half. >> do you want to use this? >> if you recommend. >> please. right there. okay. >> i feel so accomplished. all right. >> now that's going to cook. that's going to cook for, i don't know, 15 minutes let's say and it's going to look like this. see that? >> i do. looks good. >> that's the sauce. >> if you don't mind, i'm going to remove this and drop the pasta in the water but turn this up a little bit. >> are you somebody who salts the water. >> absolutely. >> and oil? >> oil is not really necessary, although my grandmother did it, so i sort of think it is. scientifically they say it's not necessary. >> all right. so what we've done also from that lobster we've cooked, chopped it. >> all that practice over there. natalie we are cooking up a storm in here. >> i've been told roe is r-o-e.

>> thanks goodness. i should really know that. i'm sorry. >> you're here to cook, not spell. i sometimes like to imagine what the word is like. >> it smells amazing. >> perfect. >> more. >> we have it. >> if you wouldn't mind tearing it up. >> you really are keeping me busy today. i appreciate the confidence i can do this. >> that's a lot of confidence. >> something else, i don't know. >> john, that's it. we're done. >> we've got to eat. >> that's what it looks like when you're done. >> more on isaac's path.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. baltimore city firefighter is one of four people recovering after being injured by a fire in southwest baltimore. nearly 100 firefighters had to be called in just before 8:00 last night. three people inside were rescued from the building, and au ve

>> 1 storm is gone, but looks like another cold front is on the way. for that reason, a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms through the afternoon. looking at the seven-day forecast, front clears by tomorrow. >> we are back here at 9:2