breaking news. a levee breach forces emergency evacuations in a parish south of new orleans this morning as hurricane isaac hammers the gulf coast. torrential rains stretching from louisiana to florida. hundreds of thousands without power. we're live across the region. heart and hard truths. ann romney and chris christie delivered two very different speeches at the republican national convention. >> no one will move heaven and earth like mitt romney to make this country a better place to live. >> our ideas are right for america and their ideas have failed america. >> but will their words impact voters.

why did governor christie's speech rub some republicans the wrong way? what was the mission? new details coming out from the controversial book about the osama bin laden ra written by a former navy s.e.a.l. was there ever any intent to capture the terror leader, or was the plan to kill him on sight. we'll have details from the pentagon today, wednesday, we'll have details from the pentagon today, wednesday, august 29th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> good morning. welcome to a special split edition of today on wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer in tampa florida their. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. matt, hard to believe, seven years ago today hurricane katrina was coming to shore. take a look at new orleans again

this morning, the city dealing with another hurricane. this is not katrina but this storm is very dangerous. it remains a category one storm at this hour. wind speeds at 80 miles an hour. more than 420,000 people are without power in louisiana alone. >> if there's a real problem this morning, it's that this storm is moving very, very slowly. that means even more torrential rain will fall on that region over a longer period of time. combine that with the storm surge and widespread flooding is expected. we're already seeing some of that in parts of louisiana, mississippi, and alabama, savannah. >> all right. we have three reports this morning from the storm zone beginning with lester holt who is in new orleans this morning. lester, what can you tell us? >> well, savannah, i guess it's a lot worse than when we left last night. we're about 100 yards from the mississippi river. the levees are holding in new orleans. the system of pumps and levees are doing their job. there is a lot of localized

street flooding. you may have heard plaquemines parish, the area to the south that sticks out toward the gulf. they did get an overtopping, not a breaching, but overtopping of levees. they are going door to door get people to higher ground. we understand there was some people waiting on a ferry landing. the winds are gusting. it's calm then we get them again. we aren't getting 80 miles an hour sustained winds but we are getting gusts. people who sheltered in place, i was listening to local radio this morning, they say somehow this feels worse than katrina. some are expressing regrets they stayed. city officials believe it was the right call there was no mandatory evacuation in louisiana. we have seen no serious damage in our movement around here. lots of power out. several hundred thousand customers in new orleans and southern louisiana out of power right now. i think what worries folks the

most right now, this will go on for a while. we were getting hammered here last night. we're getting hammered now. my understanding, we haven't reached the center of the hurricane. it's almost stationary, moving very, very slowly, dumping a lot of rain as they feared. this was the fear here, the thing would hover and drop tremendous amounts of rain and cause flooding. the important headline and focus everyone was worried about, the levees are fine, the pumps are fine. right now things are as good as they can expect here in new orleans. >> lester holt, in the port of new orleans. let's get to the weather channel's jim cantore. he's on canal street in new orleans. jim, good morning to you. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, savannah. we're taking it big-time with these winds. you've got several streets where the wind can funnel through like this one in through here. the fact this is going to be such a long duration event means we will deal with this pounding for a good and better part of the day. you're talking about horizontal rain in through here. we have already had debris

coming down in terms of the lights, bus stations, people wait for cars, plastic ripped out of those. other than that, the power is out on canal street. several hours of this now, three to four, in fact, making it very hard to stand up in these horizontal rains. again, confirming what lester is saying. some of the heaviest rain has actually been right in this area here. the pumps are taking whatever mother nature is dishing out right now. that was the biggest concern going in yesterday and the biggest concern throughout the day today. but relentless wind, relentless rain. eventually there will be water intrusion in these buildings. it's absolutely unavoidable with the kind of wind we're getting here. we're taking the right side of this hurricane, unlike katrina when we took the left side. when all is said and done, more rain and higher wind gusts by the time it pulls out. another 12, possibly 18 hours before all is said and done.

savannah, back to you. >> jim cantore on canal street. let's check in with al who is also there. al, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. as you've heard, this storm has really caused big problems. 430,000 in louisiana alone without power according to entergy, the power company here. u.s. 90 in mississippi, a large chunk of that has been closed. we even have a problem at the national weather service in new orleans has lost power so there's no radar coverage for this area. isaac is just getting warmed up. after charging up the gulf of mexico, hurricane isaac's massive 600-mile wide expanse brought heavy rain and fierce winds from the florida panhandle to the louisiana coast. winds of up to 80 miles per hour sent storm surges reaching up to 11 feet along the gulf coast causing severe flooding in some areas, beach erosion in coastal

towns like orange beach, alabama. >> it's like a blizzard here, like sand getting whipped through the sea oats. >> isaac making its first landfall in southeastern louisiana 6:40 central last night. >> we're in the teeth of this thing and will be for quite sometime. >> then it headed out to sea off the southern louisiana coast making another landfall this morning with storm winds battering surrounding areas. coming down in sheets, sustained 30-mile-an-hour wind. the rain is relentless. isaac dumping rain across the gulf on the seventh anniversary of katrina, the costliest hurricane in history that left 80% of new orleans under water claiming hundreds of lives when the city's levee and pump systems failed. there's been a multi-billion dollar repair to the system now being put to the test by isaac. >> not many towns i know that can take 12 to 20 inches in 48

hours, much less one that sits below sea level. >> hundreds of thousands of residents of new orleans, louisiana, and the gulf coast are waking up with no electricity, still feeling the effects of isaac. >> all right. now, isaac has been stationary for about the last three hours. we're getting updates hourly from the national hurricane center. here is the latest on isaac's position, strength, and movement. right now it's 50 miles south southwest of new orleans, maximum sustained winds still 80 miles an hour. the good news is it is moving to the north northwest at about 6 miles per hour. latest now on the projected path, we expect isaac, which is still a category one storm, to start moving inland around 1:00 this afternoon. winds of about 75 miles per hour. by early thursday morning, it is just to the west of baton rouge with 60-mile-per-hour winds. the storm surge again, a big problem. we are going to be looking at 6 to 12 feet above sea level,

above normal. as you get to panama city, about 2 to 4 feet, 3 to 6 feet back through western louisiana. we also have flash flood watches in effect, flash flood warning, and we also have tornado watches in effect for the entire gulf coast region. and, of course, the rain. it is coming down at the rate of about one to two inches per hour. this is going to last at least another 12 hours. we're talking about anywhere from five to seven inches of rain. but 10 to 15 inches will be more the average. there's some regions that are going to pick up at least 20 inches of rain, savannah. >> al, thanks. we'll continue to check back in with you. as we mentioned to you, the impact of isaac felt across the southeast. nbc's janet sam lan east of new orleans in pass christian, mississippi. good morning to you. >> good morning. pass christian is getting a pounding this morning. tropical-force winds.

this is a community that's under a mandatory evacuation, all 4700 residents. i will tell you, many of them, if not a majority of them, boarded up but stayed in their homes after what happened here during katrina. let me show you the marina behind me, which was newly built after katrina seven years ago today. it has essentially been wiped out at this point. water running over the parking lot, pier and into the street behind me, which is u.s. 90. pass christian is essentially a peninsula. it's six miles long, one mile wide. u.s. 90 is pretty much the big carrier through it and it is flooded out right now. there's no way to get down that road. they are -- have rebuilt here and spent the last seven years doing so. i will tell you, this was supposed to be a rain event, that is not the case. we have tropical force wind. there's debris down in the street. a lot of stuff down in the street. it looks like we're going to

have tropical force winds like this for several hours to come. savannah. >> janet sam lan in pass christian, mississippi. a tough morning on this seventh anniversary of katrina. we'll have more updates on isaac throughout the morning. for now 7:11, back to matt in tampa. >> thanks very much. here at the republican national convention paul ryan set to deliver his biggest address of his political career, this after rousing speeches from mitt romney's wife ann and governor chris christie. chuck todd is our white house director and political correspondent. how are you? >> good morning. the first full day of the republican convention is in the books. while team romney is ecstatic about the job ann romney did last night, there are questions about whether the choreography between ann romney and chris christie really worked. preparing to accept the republican nomination mitt romney gave a sneak preview greet his wife on stage after her prime time address.

>> i know this good and decent man for what he is, he's warm and loving and patient. >> reporter: often called her husband's greatest asset, ann romney had one objective, help voters get to know her husband better. >> no one will move heaven and earth like mitt romney to make this country a better place to live. >> reporter: ann romney tried to combat the notion that she and her husband have lived a life of privilege. >> i read somewhere mitt and i have a storybook marriage. well, let me tell you something, in the storybooks i read, there never were long, long rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. and those storybooks never seem to have a chapter called ms or breast cancer. a storybook marriage, no, not at you will. what mitt romney and i have is a real marriage. >> reporter: as polls show governor romney trailing among women, ann romney aimed to close

the gender gaps. >> it's the moms who always had to work harder to make things right. moms, single, married, widowed, who really hold this country together. >> reporter: her speech, personal and political, was sealed with a kiss but the night wasn't over. striking a much different tone, new jersey governor chris christie's keynote address took the fight to the democrats. >> i know this simple truth and i am not afraid to say it. our ideas are right for america and their ideas have failed america. >> reporter: and christie's first reference to mitt romney didn't come until after the midpoint of the address. >> we have a candidate who will tell the truth, lead with conviction and a running mate who will do the same. mitt romney and paul ryan, the next president and vice president of the united states. >> reporter: the buzz on the convention floor was that many of christie's lines seemed to point towards his own presidential run. >> i will not be part of the

generation who fails that test and neither will you. >> reporter: christie's new jersey did take center stage early wednesday night as the state that put romney over the top in the roll call. the biggest cheers in the roll call came when wisconsin governor got a welcome after beating back a recall led by labor unions. >> i'm governor scott walker. >> reporter: it's a packed schedule tonight. some big names. former 2008 nominee john mccain. former secretary of state condoleezza rice. and of course, matt, paul ryan in the biggest speech of his political career. >> all right, chuck. thank you very much. senator from florida marco rubio will be the guy who introduces mitt romney at the convention tomorrow night before governor romney accepts the nomination formally. senator, nice to have you here. >> welcome to florida. >> thank you. good to be here. so in a convention, you get a chance to define a candidate on your own terms. you're going to get to do that as you introduce him tomorrow night. let's say you're talking to people who haven't been paying

attention, who don't know who mitt romney is, what are three things we need to know about him. >> he's a success person. i know he's successful in business but a success person. a success father, a successful husband, a successful member of his community and church. everywhere he's gone he's made things better for people around him. he's a modest guy. he doesn't like to tell that story. he doesn't like to brag on himself. that's an important thing to know. i think they will know that. >> you mentioned a successful member of his church. he had not talked about his face quite a while especially during the primaries where his faith was seen as a negative. he's talking about it more now. it's not by accident, it's a deliberate strategy. do you like it? >> i think it's important for people to know mitt romney. i think you heard last night in miss romney's speech he doesn't like to brag about things he's done. >> that's different than talking about your faith. >> he doesn't like to talk about what he does to help others. he feels it's a privilege, not

something to brag on himself from. i've seen him interact with his sons. his most important jobs are what he does in his house, not what he's done in politic. he's done a great job here. >> talk about his accomplishments he recently said he's very proud of the health care plan he passed as governor of massachusetts. as you know, conservatives, members of the tea party, for example, who don't want him to talk about it all that much, because they think it resembles the obama health care plan they want to repeal. do you like to leer him talk about health care in purchase. >> he was a successful governor. it's important, an distinction between what he did and president obama did. it was a state initiative. one state. if people didn't like this initiative, they could go someplace else, also they could influence it, they are closer to the capital than washington, d.c. that's much different than government intervention into health care, a one size fits all for the country.

>> on the subject of abortion, it's a matter for the court and been settled some time in the court. you called row v. wade the most egregious example of a court that weighted into policymaking. do you agree with mitt romney that it has been sellinged by the courts? is that the view of the republican party. >> from a legal point roe v. wade is the law of the country from other points of view there's a strong disagreements in the country about whether roh v. wade should be the law of the land and a constitutional discussion about it. >> mentioned there's a gender gap of 10 points. i want to mention mitt romney has been chipping away at that. it started out at 25 point advantage for president obama. it's come down to 10 or 12 points. do you think the abortion issue as problem closing that gernd gap all together. >> that goes to the point there are women pro-life as well. that's an issue men's are divided on, not just women and not just men.

i don't think it's simply on the gender issue. there's a lot i don't know. i'm not a political analyst, we'll leave that to chuck todd to look at the polls. americans are concerned about the future and their families and would like to be better off than what they are today. these are two views what government can do to make it better. >> 29 electoral votes for grabs in your state of florida. right now president obama has about a 4% lead here. can governor romney win this state? >> absolutely. i expect he will. i think once the argument is clear about the differences between republicans and democrats on the economy, i expect to win florida. plus the folks that have been visiting this week have been leaving great tips. that's great, too. >> always a silver lining. i like that. florida senator marco rubio, good to have you here. >> thanks for having me. >> back to new york and get the headlines from natalie. >> good morning to you, matt. good morning, everyone. a new book from a former navy s.e.a.l. is now raising questions about the raid that

killed osama bin laden. chief correspondent jim mikal j miklaszewski. >> reporter: in this case plenty of confusion about the killing of bin laden. in this first person report by a navy s.e.a.l. who was there, he reports osama bin laden was unarmed. when he first poked his head out the door, one navy s.e.a.l. shot him twice and other navy s.e.a.l.s moved in and pumped additional bullets into his body as he lie dying on the floor. initially the white house reported he was armed and a threat and this was a kill or capture mission. but frankly, the ugly truth about special operations raids like this is that u.s. forces almost always immediately open fire and shoot to kill any military age male, armed or not. by the way, there was some concern that this book would reveal classified information, but defense and military officials who have read it said

while it does reveal some navy s.e.a.l. tactics, it does not revolley any deep, dark national security secrets. natalie. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon, thanks very much. for parents with kids with neurological disorders, epilepsy, intellectual disability face a higher risk of death from the flu. this after a study that revealed two-thirds of the children who died in the h1n1 epidemic had disorders. voting map discriminatory. the ruling found evidence the state's gop legislature drew the congressional and state district senate maps with, quote, discriminatory purposes. the state attorney planned to appeal the decision to the u.s. supreme court. a salmonella outbreak in california has been traced to mangos. this according to state public health officials. 73 people have been sickened by the tainted fruit and officials are working to identify which

mango brands or sources are london, england, to the outbreak. a 250 pound american bomb from world war ii was detonated early this morning in a controlled palace right in the heart of munich germany. every year some 200 tons of unexploded ordinance are found. a determined hitchhiker in australia as a kuala jumped in a creek and paddled its way to a canoe. marsupials aren't usually big fans of swimming but he had to go for a ride. the tourists later released the koala at a golf course that's known to be a popular koala hangout. very cool ride for those tourists in the canoe. 7:21, back to savannah. >> what was in the boat, eucalyptus, something delicious. let's go back to al in new orleans and get the rest of his forecast. hey, al. >> hey, savannah, besides having isaac to deal with, we have a

scorcher to talk about out west, eastern slopes of the rockies, bismarck, 103, 107 in rapid city, minneapolis 91. rest of the country big areas of high pressure around the great lakes, beautiful weather in the upper midwest, northeast atlantic states, showers move to the extreme pacific northwest. look for gorgeous day in california. 106 in phoenix. that's what going on aroun >> good morning. it is a beautiful start and we expect a lot of sunshine today.

and that's your latest weather. we'll have more on isaac coming up in the next half hour. savannah. >> thank you, al. still ahead as al mentioned, we're going to have more on this powerful storm pounding the gulf coast this morning. but first this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, how much will mitt romney talk about his mormon faith tomorrow night. >> more on isaac after your local news. shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it's the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate. alabama. alaska? with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. dude's good. dude's real good. dudes. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service. you know i've been out there trying to focus with a headache and i can't do my job.

bayer headache relief takes care of my pain fast. it definitely works for me. helps me get back to doing my thing. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news i baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. just minutes from now, divers are expected to resume their search for a missing 52-year-old man in middle river. sky team 11 was over the quick route by 4:00 yesterday afternoon, where a man jumped in to try to save two swimmers. swimmers made it back to the book at them and who tried to help them never resurfaced -- but the man who tried to help

them never resurfaced. >> in the area of glen burnie, point pleasant road, we have an accident that does involve a motorcycle. in pasadena, mountain road and alton road, delays in closures due to a crash. delays are in place big-time on the out from under 40 down to edmondson. 18 miles per hour on average from saw on 795. southwestern boulevard is shut down due to emergency road work. police street is closed at light street due to the grand prix. 31 on the north side. live view of traffic in the area of 83 at padonia. delays are developing approaching padonia down to the paul rya. -- down to the beltway. over to you, tony. >> beautiful start for us this morning. dew points have dropped into the upper 50's and low 60's.

64 at b.w.i. lots of sunshine as we head into the afternoon. high temperatures range from 81 and 86 degrees. nice weather bostick around for the next couple of days. 85 in the afternoon. warmer on friday. some of the computer models bring what is left of isaac in here over the weekend, others don'

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7:30 on this wednesday morning, the 29th of august, 2012. you are looking live at pass christian, mississippi as hurricane isaac battered the gulf coast on this the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. a slow moving storm packing high winds, a powerful storm surge and flooding rain. we're going to get to al live in new orleans straight ahead. meanwhile studio 1, a, i'm savannah guthrie, matt is in florida covering the republican national convention. hi, matt. >> hey, savannah. they are using this to pain the picture of mitt romney they hope will bring in the swing votes in november. one issue a lot of people have questions about is romney's mormon faith. he plans to talk about it in his

speech tomorrow night. as a matter of fact, organizers say he insisted to be able to talk about it. is it the right call? how much of an impact does his faith have with voters. we'll get into that coming up, savannah. >> we'll switch gears. we've all heard the expression people can be two faced. they don't mean it as a compliment. we'll meet a cat that is two-faced, half black, half gold, two different colored eyes. we'll introduce you to venus and talk to her owners. breaking news, the impact of isaac over the gulf coast. made a second impact over the coast of louisiana. nbc's lester holt is in louisiana. lester, good morning again. >> savannah, good morning. getting hammered outside the port of new orleans. lots of localized flooding in new orleans. trees down, lots of power. levees, however, are holding. they are not having any problems there. they are having problems to the south in plaquemines parish, a

rural area. kind of that finger in louisiana that sticks out of the gulf. they have an 18 mile section of earth and levee there over top. the water is flowing over. their homes are standing in 12 feet of water. there are folks awaiting rescues standing on levee tops. the coast guard in the milling of this trying to get those people out of there. some of that area had been under mandatory evacuation order because of the fear. i was in the plaquemines parish command center yesterday. we were feverishly doing aarithmetic trying to figure out if they had enough levee to accommodate a 6 to 12 foot storm surge they expected. this thing isn't isn't moving. that's what's making it difficult, a lot of rain. we heard forecasts up to 20 inches. if you've been here as long as we have, can you believe it. wind is coming down, blowing, deteriorating. right now new orleans levees consisting of pumps seem to be

doing the job. savannah. >> that is good news. lester holt, stay safe out there. we want to get to janet shamlian in passes christian, mississippi. good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning to you. i just spoke with the pass christian fire chief and the mayor here to try to get some type of damage assessment. they told me, frankly, it's too early to do that they cannot see outside on the streets now. there is a tornado warning in the area they are concerned about. when they feel like the damage is going to be more than expected. first predicting the winds do this much damage. as i was talking about earlier, there is debris on all the streets. u.s. 90 is a major thoroughfare in pass christian. it is impassable in places. because of the nature of this community six miles long, one mile wide, it is basically cut off. we almost could not get here today because all the roads coming here have to pass over a small creek, savannah, that has been flooded at this point.

i guess from a good news perspective, we're not seeing anybody out on the street except law enforcement officials because there's a mandatory curfew in effect. i will tell you, this is one of the most visible signs of what we're seeing right here. this is a brand-new marina that's been built. these were filled with boats 24 hours ago and docks you can walk down. basically it's now become parts -- >> i think we may have lost janet shamlian. we want to get to al in new orleans on the path of isaac. al, are you there? >> i am here, savannah. i'll tell you, we are in this for a long time. this has been a slow-moving system. it's not going anywhere. as it sits here, keeps dumping rain. the good news is we are seeing a little movement with isaac. it had been hanging out. now it is moving to the north northwest about 10 miles per

hour, which is good news. 80-mile-per-hour winds, about 50 miles, 60 miles south southwest of new orleans. path of the storm, it now made landfall again. it's making its way inland. still a category one. will probably be a category one storm until later this afternoon and late tonight on into tomorrow morning it becomes a tropical storm, still capable of dumping a lot of rain. until it gets well on shore we have to worry about the storm surge, big deal. 6 to 12 feet along the louisiana coast, 3 to 6 feet along the alabama coast and rain is going tab big deal, too. flooding a problem. 6 to 10 inches generally but 10 to 15 inches not out of the question. some regions especially in northern louisiana on into much of southern mississippi and parts of alabama will probably see 20 inches of rain. that's what going on around the country, here is what's >> good morning.r neck

it is a beautiful start on this wednesday. the humidity is gone. we expect a lot of sunshine. and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> al, we have to mention we just lost our shot from janet shamlian in mississippi. she is okay, our crew is okay and we'll be checking back with her as the morning goes on. we want to head back to tampa and matt. >> savannah, thank you. here at the convention mitt romney has been formally nominated as the republican nominee. when he accepts that on thursday, he'll become the first

mormon to be given that honor. peter alexander with more on that story. peter, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning. most people know nothing about mitt romney's mormon faith, something he almost never mentions by name, mentioned ones in the last nine months we traveled with him. that's about to change. his deep faith and leadership within the church just indicates several important qualities they say voters will come to embrace. one night each week at their home in salt lake city, they practice a semple rice old mormon religion, strengthening their relationship and faith by taking time for song and prayer. >> what do most americans least understand about mormons? >> that we're not weird. we're just lying everyone else, raising families, trying to make ends meet. >> a volunteer position residing over several mormon

organizations in his community just as mitt romney did several years ago in boston. >> he's an honest, hardworking person whose focus is on his family. so we're proud of that. >> reporter: while romney once called mormonism one of the greatest treasures of his life he's been reticent to discuss it on the campaign trail. that might be easing a churchgoer invited reporters to go to church in new hampshire, last month told nbc news his faith is a part of his life. >> without question i'm a member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. >> reporter: this has faced questions and scrutiny about unique doctoral teaching including the church's ban of alcohol and caffeine, a belief that the garden of eden is in missouri and the church's past embrace of polygamy, disavowed

more than a century ago. while they consider themselves evangelical christian, most disagree. one influential baptist pastor called romney a good moral person but not a christian. during those primaries, romney struggled most in southern states with large blocs of evangelical christian voters. philip barlow was one of his counselors, a close confidant in the congregation he lead. he recalls member, his help for a member that was damaged in the storm. >> he looked at us and said i'm not doing anything more important than that after this meeting, are you, brothers? he's very hands on as a bishop. >> i am a mormon. >> the nation's fastest growing religious group is spending millions with an ad campaign showing a diverse base on its 6 million chum members. while mormon officials insist their outreach is unrelated to

the candidacy. a prominent member said the message was orchestrated, in his words, to stay ahead of the romney curve. in the months ahead as romney battles to become president, he's already making history as a religious pioneer. tomorrow on the same day mitt romney addresses tens of thousands of americans his campaign will be embracing his mormon faith. the in vocation will be given by a mormon church member and we'll hear from several members of romney's congregation, members that will share stories about his leadership. >> all right. peter alexander at the convention. thank you very much. joe scarborough, the host of morning joe on msnbc. good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> campaign advisers say mitt romney insisted speaking on his faith and religion, the mormon religion will be front and center in a way we haven't seen in the last several months. this is clearly a strategy

shift. why are we seeing it? >> i think they understand mitt romney can't run away from who he is. he can't run away from mormonism, the fact he made a lot of money at bain capital, his record in massachusetts. it's good news for governor romney he wants to talk about who he is. he needs to get a lot more personal in this campaign. there's no doubt from people who have known him his entire life that mormonism is at the foundation of who he is. his faith is such a huge part of his life. >> but does it even matter, joe. a recent pew research show 860% of voters are comfortable with it. is it an issue? >> no, it won't be an issue. i'm from the deep south as you know, campaigned in the deep south. there's no doubt evangelicals

saw mormon as their allies. i remember growing up in meridian, mississippi, deep south, my parents taught me that mormons -- they don't drink caffeine. we don't understand some of the things that they believe, but they are good people. they are hard workers. with all due respect to televangelists who say they aren't christians we grew up in the deep south believing they were christians, too. we may not understand everything about them but they walk the walk and talk the talk, too. i think it will be great for mitt romney, theology aside to be comfortable in his skin, be just as comfortable as a politician as he's been as a businessman in the last 20, 30 years. >> in the last 30 seconds i have, joe, give me a take on the two different speeches we heard from chris christie and ann romney. >> andrea mitchell pointed out to me these speeches were supposed to be on different

nights. because of the hurricane the schedule was compressed together. because it was compressed together, there was a mixed message. you heard ann romney talking about love and then chris christie talking right after about, hey, you don't need to be loved, you need to be respected. guys like chris christie and me talk about all the time. perhaps we're trying to make up for the fact we're not quite as loved. but still, i think it worked. mitt romney got what he needed last night out of ann romney. i think a lot of people inside the hall were absolutely mesmerized. the the base was excited. i think it's positive. as far as chris christie goes, as tom brokaw said earlier today, chris christie talked about big ideas. he wasn't berating reporters. he talked about sacrifice. he talked about compromise. he talked about making hard choices. that may not have played well on twitter last night. i suspect over the next four years it will do pretty darn well for the republican party. his brand has been tarnished over the past several years and

for chris christie hielf. >> joe scarborough in tampa. joe, thanks for your time. i appreciate it. >> thank you so much, matt. appreciate it. >> again you can catch nbc's prime time convention coverage tonight at 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific time here on nbc. still ahead from new york, a celebrity trainer lashing out at moms who take too long to lose their baby weight. up next we'll talk about that and this little critter live in our studio. a cat with two faces right after this. [ male announcer ] there's everyday chicken and then there's juicy chicken with hellmann's ♪ hellmann's is the secret to making parmesan crusted chicken... [ bell dings ] ...so crispy so juicy so delicious it's your secret to making dinner disappear hellmann's. bring out the best

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back now at 7:47 with a cat that's got a very unique look. it's become an internet sensation. one side is black with a green eye. the other side is calico with a blue eye. she is here along with owners christina and chris. good morning to all of you. this was love at first sight. you heard about this cat in north carolina. you live in florida.

what happened? >> basically my friend, her husband works -- doing some work on a dairy farm, snapped random pictures, put them up on the facebook site. we had an orange cat and black tuxedo at home. i said oh my gosh, she looks like a combination of both cats. we didn't at that time see both cats. chris's first reaction was we do not need any more animals. at the time we had three other animals. when we saw the eyes we were awestruck. we were like we have to have this cat. we got permission from the farmer that we could have her. he was happy to have her go to a good home. took her to the vet, got her cleared for everything. >> looks healthy. >> you put the pictures up. it's gone viral. there are stkeptics out there

saying you photo shopped. >> dyeing her face. >> we can verify she's 100% kitty, no dye. >> this is the way she was born. that's it. >> i know you've asked vet raerns, no one knows. >> she has not been dna tested. a few events, people personally known to us and her own vet have said that because of whiskers on one side being plaque ablack an on the other side she's calico underneath, tortoise shell and black tuxedo, she does appear to be more like that. others say it's -- >> you say that better than we could say that. technical term. she's cute. >> exactly. >> venus, thank you very much. >> thank you. still ahead steve harvey opens up about ending his stand

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> still some accidents that are wrapping up. westbound 100 and telegraph road, causing some westbound delays and pretend towards 97. again, watch for the enclosures westbound. point pleasant road, we have an accident involving a motorcycle. we also have a crash at route 26 and oakland mills. be careful there. major delays on the north and west side. harford road, procter lane, watch for an accident.

you a live view of traffic. but it in the area of padonia road. heavy from padonia to the beltway. we are looking at delays in both directions to and from i-95 on the northeast corner. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> beautiful start this wednesday morning. lots of sunshine and comfortable humidity. temperatures 64 degrees. high temperatures will range between 81 and 86. very comfortable. average high temperature is 83. light northwest winds at 10 miles per hour. we will start out in the 50's. 85 in the afternoon. over the weekend, some of the computer models take what is left of isaac and put it north of here. other models have it west of us.

we will have to wait what happens on the short.

8:00 on wednesday morning, the 29th of august, 2012. take a look at the images. we're seeing widespread power outages and dangerous flooding in parts of louisiana and mississippi as isaac slowly comes ashore this morning. this is a storm that could dump close to 2 feet of rain on some areas over the next day or so. we're going to have the latest on that storm straight ahead. i'm matt lauer in florida, tampa republican national convention. savannah as you can see is outside studio 1a, here in new york city. here at the tampa bay times forum the buzz it about tonight's speeches by paul ryan and secretary of state condoleezza rice. there's also talk about a

mystery guest slated to address the convention tomorrow night. a lot of guessing who that might be. a lot on that tomorrow on "today" and get bill o'reilly's take on the convention when he joins us. >> matt, we'll look forward to that. also ahead here a bit of controversy stirred up by tracy anderson. she made comments about how quickly women should get into shape after they have their babies, causing quite a stir. a lot of women are outraged. we'll check in on that later on. before that, the latest on hurricane isaac. lester holt in the center of it all in new orleans. lester, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. the levee is holding in new orleans. lots of localized street flooding. we're here at the pier and i want to show you, give you an idea of the wind surge. we get caught up in the category one, two, three tropical storm. but this, no matter how you categorize it, is bad, enough to blow down this concrete barrier.

you might be abled to it, it was holding up the fence. that's the force of the winds here, a category one storm, plaquemines parish, levees. levees over top, flooding of homs, pulling people out, hancock, mississippi, rescued some folks in a houseboat. the levee is holding in new orleans. everyone believes isaac has overstayed its welcome already. >> that's for sure, lester holt. jim cantore on canal street in new orleans. jim, good morning to you. what can you tell us? >> good morning, savannah. this is one of those areas on canal street near decatur where we're standing on a street the air is funneled through and accelerated, a hand-held shows 84-mile-an-hour winds with this funneling effect. you know, if it's happening here, it's happening on other streets as well. that's what's allowing some of these buildings here to take a

very long time. it is this way across the entire city. i think it's a pretty good example of an 80 miles an hour hurricane. this is what they are liked. this is sustained winds at 80 miles per hour here. as you can see, it's very, very difficult to stand up. it hurts, to be quite honest with you. so far, where i am and in relation lester five or six blocks away, the streets are taking the rainfall right now. so very, very good news. the wind is definitely the big issue here. got to think after a while there's going to be some water with these type of winds. this is just brutal. savannah. >> all right. jim cantore who is in new orleans this morning, obviously just getting battered by that storm. we want to get a check of the other top stories. natalie morales at the news desk. natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. good morning, everyone.

mitt romney's running mate paul ryan addresses the republican national convention tonight. last night ann made a pitch to female voters declaring it is the moms of this nation who really hold the country together. in his keynote address new jersey governor chris christie says republican ideas are right for america while the democrats' ideas have failed. you can watch coverage of the republican national convention including paul ryan's vice presidential acceptance speech 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific right here on nbc. the families of some of the 12 people killed in the colorado movie theater massacre are upset over the way relief money is being distributed. at a news conference tuesday they said fundraisers have collected $5 million so far. they said survivors and the families of those killed have only received $5,000 apiece to meet their immediate financial needs. the obama administration is announcing new gas mileage standards for cars and trucks. new vehicles would have to get nearly 55 miles to the gallon by

2025. that is almost double the current standard. former fbi director louis freeh is defending the investigation of the handling of the jerry sandusky child abuse scandal. faculty members used freeh of using scant evidence and layers of conjectures to support his scathing conclusions. the group also said the ncaa's conclusion to fine penn state $60 million unfairly punishes the entire school community. now for a look at what's trending today. a quick roundup of what has you talking online. now that he's made up with rose o'donnell, donnell trump may have found a new liberal punching bag on twitter, "huffington post" founder arianna said she's unattractive, inside and out. no wonder her husband left her

for another man. the first glimpse of snooki's little man shows a head of hair thick enough for gel or a blowout or the snooki poof. snooki spotted outside the hospital. these little girls love to dance in unison whenever their daddy picks up his guitar. ♪ >> adorable. the girls are only 11 months old. just wait until they grow out of those booster chairs. they are so cute. it's six minutes past the hour right now. let's go back to al with another check of the weather. he's in new orleans again. hey, al. >> hey, natalie. we've got the latest in from the national hurricane center. right now isaac is 20 miles southeast of houma, louisiana, 50 miles south southwest of new

orleans. sustained winds 80 miles an hour. moving north northwest. the projected path, we see isaac staying a category one storm as it finally starts to make its move on land sometime later this afternoon by late tomorrow -- late tonight, early tomorrow morning. it's a tropical storm but still dumping a ton of rain. storm surges 6 to 12 feet throughout much of the louisiana coast. 3 to 6 feet as you make your way toward alabama. we've got flash flood watches and tornado watches in effect for this region, louisiana, mississippi, alabama. they are going to stay, those tornado watches through this afternoon. the rain is going to be a big deal. as you might imagine we're talking anywhere from 7 to 20 inches of rain. so flooding is going to be a big problem. that's because this system is going to keep dumping this rain for at least the next 12 to 16

hours. that's what going on around the country, here is what's >> good morning. it is a beautiful start and we expect a lot of sunshine today. and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> al, thank you. coming up next, a celebrity trainer blasts new moms for letting their bodies go after giving birth. we'll talk about that and some healthy ways for you to get back in shape right after this. a world without breast cancer is a world with more birthdays. and signing up for the making strides against breast cancer walk

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back now at 8:0012 what comment from celebrity fitness trainer tracy anderson that has some women up in arms. it was aimed at new moms. mara schiavocampo, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. anderson is taking heat for saying mothers have let themselves go. while celebrities have many advantages to get camera ready, some are asking what are real women supposed to do. the celebrity mom. she's glowing, gorgeous and

bouncing back to her prebaby weight almost instantly. some celebs get back in shape with help from trainer tracy anderson. >> pregnancy as you know is a whole different ball game. every single stage of pregnancy you feel different. >> >> reporter: now anderson's comments in the issue of du jour magazine about how women handle pregnancy are sparking controversy. anderson said a lot of women use pregnancy as an excuse to let their bodies go. adding i've seen so many women come to me right after having women with disaster bodies that have gone through hell or they come to me years later and say, oh, my body is like this because i had three kids. >> i think what she was saying, not that it's terrible women do this to themselves but terrible women feel this way about themselves. there's a difference there. >> anderson has high-profile clients like pamela anderson,

jennifer lopez as well as a video, gaining 60 pounds in her own pregnancy. >> this video means so much to me. not too long ago i was in the same situation you were right now. i was very panicked i would not have a good body. >> reporter: after giving birth to her second baby in may, she lost all her baby weight, 30 pounds this time, six weeks after giving birth. >> it's a hot button topic, there is this impossible standard women feel they have to aspire to. >> reporter: doctors say a realistic amount of time to lose that baby weight is another nine months. savannah, as a new mom, can i tell you, it can take a while. >> you look fabulous miss mara schiavocampo, thank you. >> author of the new book "how to look hot in a minivan." dr. nancy snyderman, good morning to you. i'll start with you, you just had a baby, how does that strike you? do you think the outrage is

justified? >> listen, anyone that has a new baby knows it's an incredibly stressful time at home. you feel so insecure. as a mother today you worry about all sofrts things. are you feeding your child the right way. is she sleeping the right way. then lou in the mirror and feel all insecure about everything all over again. i think with mothers, everyone knows you need to lose the baby weight. i don't think anyone is going to argue with that. i think what mothers don't like is the pressure, being judged for yet another thing when we live in a very judgmental culture when it comes to mothering. >> is this tough trainer talk or did she cross the line? >> it's a little bit of both. i get what she's saying. you can't say i've had a baby and therefore my body is not responsible for being healthy anymore. talk to any woman that has a baby, we will tell you, your waist changes forever, your hips change forever, your body has to be healthy, with a different set point.

it's unrealistic to think you can walk down victoria secret catwalk three or four weeks later. the reality is most mothers do go back to work, have kids, worry about peanut butter sandwiches, don't have celebrity trainers coming into your ecosystem. >> if we wonder why new homs feel pressure, look no further than celebrity examples. janice, as you well know, you were editor of "us weekly," this was bread and butter, these baby bumps and amazing transformations within weeks to these bodies. do you think that's why this touches a nerve? >> listen, at that point in mind, it was interesting what happened with celebrity mothers, used to be when you were an actress you went bo hiding, disappeared when you were pregnant, almost something to be embarrassed of, ashamed of. it was liberating, fun to see them embracing motherhood. a new way to get publicity on themselves. i think what came confusing down

the road was this fantasy of hollywood, we cover hollywood that way, became confused with reality. it's like watching "the voice" or "american idol" and thinking you should be on the radio singing. that's their reality, not ours. absolutely these images change the way people feel about pregnancy. we've never seen pregnant celebrities before and suddenly they were everywhere. to think these women who had won the genetic lottery to begin with are somehow representative of what happens to you after you give birth, it's fantasy. >> i was going to say, i love how you call them genetic aberrations. it seems like it's an either-or. we either put these celebrities on a pedestal or eviscerate them for not losing it. >> we talk about the skinny celebrity, how they do it. there is something interesting when you're pregnant, you're the center of your own universe and it's stunningly fabulous. the week after you give birth and you're in sweatpants and the

world passes you by, you're like huh. you must give yourself a year to get your body back. it's a slow process. every step is supposed to be enjoyable. it's not supposed to be self-loathing and not supposed to be like jennifer lopez. >> let's keep it real. dr. nancy snyderman. great to have your perspective, too, appreciate it. coming up next, steve harvey on his new talk show and his final standup comedy routine after this. 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, and end up some place beautiful. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. behr ultra. now with advanced stain blocking, only at the home depot, and only $31.98 a gallon.

are you a fan of demoisier? [ thinking ] demois-a-who? okay, you know you're smart. you just ordered a premium roast coffee and a savory sausage mcmuffin for only a dollar each off mcdonald's dollar menu at breakfast, so... he has a certain... je ne sais quoi. my brother doesn't look like a heart attack patient. i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i'm a fighter and now i don't have that fear. the blissful pause just before that rich sweetness

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back now at 8:22. as a comedian, actor, author, steve harvey knows how to make people laugh. he knows how to navigate the peaks and valleys of marriage, parenting. take a look at his advice to one young man whether it's okay to break up via text. >> did you meet her via text? when you were trying to hug the woman, kiss the woman, caress the woman, hold the woman, was any of this via text? >> no, it wasn't. >> that's going to be close to one of the dumbest things. >> steve harvey, we are ready for you. you are making sense. we know you've conquered books. you've got a radio show. what made you want to get into a radio talk show? >> it's something i've always dreamed of doing. i thought it was nighttime tv a while back. my life changed and i evolved as

a person. daytime empowerment i've taken with my book, it seemed like a pretty natural fit. >> you call it the heat seat, your timeslot. is it because there's so much competition? >> a lot going on. a lot of people launching shows and stuff but there's only one steve harvey show. >> give me your pitch. what have you got they don't? >> i've got me, 6'2", 230 pounds, i smile harder than anyone on tv and i'm funnier. >> you are funnier. >> i bet you that. >> you're giving a little bit of advice. >> i've had an interesting life. my life has been full circle. a lot of people don't know but comedians, most of their humor comes from a lot of pain. my life has been an evolution of a lot of things, a parent, husband, unemployed, homeless, poor, successful, you know, so it's a lot in there. >> i know you don't want to have a lot of shows where it's endless celebrities parading in

with newest projects you want to talk to real people. >> no. they show up. you don't have to put pink m&ms in your dressing room, black robes. where are you getting this stuff from in regular people are interesting, more relatable. i want to show the viewers relatable. i want you to tune in and be able to relate and laugh about it. everything is not life or death. we can laugh at some of this staff. >> if you're a family man, seven kids, two teenagers at home. they ask you for advice, too. >> that's why i was doing the segment you did earlier about the segment where women thinks you're supposed to drop weight after babies. after seven kids i still haven't dropped my weight. every time i have a bobby i gain a little more weight. >> your hips haven't. >> they never leave the house. >> no one coming to your house to pick your daughter up for a date. is she not going to be allowed

to date? >> i'm a father. my daughter is 15. i mean, she's not going anywhere right now with you. you coming by my house is a waste of gas, time. and where did you get a car from. my daughter is 15. you're not picking my daughter up in a car taking her anywhere. my daughter is talking about, dad, when can i date? i don't know. whenever i decide. >> are we talking decades. >> could be, possibly. 20, 21 i was thinking. that would be nice. she's my little girl. i don't want to -- i know guys. i don't want to turn her over. >> i don't blame you. will we be seeing your lovely wife on the show. >> from time to time but not every day. you've got seven kids. she's fine. lord. >> steve harvey, look forward to the show. distributed by nbc universal domestic television premiers december 4th. just mead martha stewart.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a check of your morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> crash in the area of ritchie highway. delays developing there. delays at old harford and procter lane due to an accident. north side of the outer loop, that stretches back to bel air road. southbound 83, if you are heading out on the j.f.x., you are looking to be slow in the area of ruxton. at philadelphia road and ash for drive in aberdeen, watch for an accident.

update on our camera. j.f.x. and ruxton road, you will see some delays stunning to dissipate just a bit. live view of traffic on the northeast corner. still holding on to these delays in the area of 95 over the outlook towards the horse herd expressway. inner loop tied it prior to 95. >> beautiful start for us with a bang-wise. humidity has come down significantly from yesterday. temperature is 70 degrees with lots of sunshine. mostly sunny skies expected. comfortable, high temperatures in the low-to-mid-80's. we will start tomorrow morning in the 50's. it will feel like autumn on thursday morning. still dry on friday. is in the upper 80s to 90. some of the computer models bring what is left of isaac to the mid-atlantic, others to the

west of here. for now, chance of showers and thunderstorms. >> another update at 8:56. >

8:30 now on this wednesday morning. a happy energetic crowd at rockefeller plaza. if they come back tomorrow they will get a great concert, former "x factor" sensation will be here. i'm sg alongside natalie morales. al covering the storm. a lot more music.

>> friday morning grammy winner jason mraz with special guest. a cool half hour of music. bring a sign because jason will give one lucky free tickets. on monday a special labor day concert, hit band gears up for release of their new album, the first in five years. looking forward to that. >> great to see those guys. just ahead we have martha stewart here. she has the i deal meal plan for your labor day celebration. if your weekend plans, we'll give you reasons to reconsider. things that annoy us most about travel. jenna wolfe here. >> a long story probably. al is in new orleans covering this storm this morning. al, good morning, again, to you. >> joined forces with jim cantore. jim, i don't think a moment too

soon. if i didn't come along, you'd be halfway down canal. >> i appreciate you coming by, al. it's amazing, you and i have been standing here and all of a sudden within seconds the wind picks up. wind gusting 80 miles an hour in this wind zone. >> easy. it's a stinging rain. >> yeah. i wanted to thank mother nature for this free derma brags here. >> the fact is, we expect this to continue like this for at least another eight, ten hours. >> if we're taking this beating, there's others taking it, especially the building. there's going to be water intrusion. the fact is, this storm is just too big to wind down quick. >> that's right. >> hasn't reduced its intensity yet. >> everyone gets caught up in the idea of category one, category two. this can still do a lot of damage. >> i think it's good we're out here in this, just to show really what a category one does. the winds are 80 miles an hour. probably wind gusts to 84.

here is what a real cat one >> good morning. it is a beautiful start on this wednesday. the humidity is gone. we expect a lot of sunshine. >> all right. so savannah -- oh my gosh. back to you. >> you guys keep holding onto each other. >> stay safe out there. still to come this morning, up next martha stewart is here. she's going to help us with our menu for your labor day bash this weekend. first this is "today" on nbc.

>> back now at 8:36 with martha on "today." a labor day menu for summer's last hurrah. martha stewart sharing delicious recipes from the current issue of martha stewart living. good morning to you. >> i was just asking if you liked mussels. and -- >> i said yes. a little bit. >> this is like a little cooking lesson for you. what are you going to do on labor day? >> i'm going to do this. >> are you working? >> i have labor day off. >> this is a delicious pasta with mussels. >> what's the degree of difficulty? >> probably two out of ten. >> great. >> timewise very fast. i am just sauteing shallots and

parsley. the leaves of the parsley have been chopped. the stems can be chopped up. they are very nutritious and good for you. a little olive oil and white wine. three-quarters of a cup. saute that and red pepper flakes. >> that's a nice touch. >> it is a nice touch. then your mussels. mussels, have you to choose them carefully. if you're out in the hamptons, great fish mongers out there. they are everywhere. if a mussel is open like that, leave it at the store. it might be dead. >> okay. >> if they are beardy like this. >> i wouldn't take that one. >> that can be cleaned. that's a natural thing in a mussel. you pull that off with the knife. scrape the shell of the mussel, make sure they are nice and clean. this is cracked. leave it. this is a nice, clean mussel. you want to scrub them, ought all the mussels to the pan like

that. >> how long does this take? >> that's about three minutes. >> okay. >> then cover and three more minutes you have your mussels already done like this. >> wow. >> see how they have openedened are plump and nice inside. >> beautiful. >> now add lemon juice. just the juice of half a lemon. add the zest of half a lemon. >> okay. >> and lots of parsley. >> that's it basically. >> do you let that cook for a little bit? >> make sure it's hot before you mix your pasta. one pound of spaghetti already cooked. stir that around in the pan. pour that onto a servi plan and you have i think a spectacular spaghetti with mussels. >> doesn't seem too difficult. could you use any type of pasta? >> linguine, whatever you like. i want to show you a way to eat the mussels, very cute. you have the hinged mussel

shell. take this and pick out with your fingers like that and eat the mussel. >> that's cute. >> that's your little fork. >> cute. >> very nice. that's your very simple ten-minute at the most pasta, except the pasta may take 12 minutes to cook. >> this looks fancier. >> sliced tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes. you keep layering with salt, pepper, olive oil. all these ingredients. you can layer the tomatoes if you like. this is called tm. >> going right over the top. >> this is provincial dish. it's one of the most tasty dishes. put it in the oven and bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. >> did you put anything in the bottom of the pan, oil or something? >> a little bit of olive oil.

all together about six tablespoons of olive oil. >> should i space my tomatoes out? >> you need more tomatoes than this. okay. salt, pepper, keep layering. look what comes out. >> delicious. did you tell me how long to bake it, 30 minutes. >> 45 minutes at least, 450 degrees. >> great. >> you keep layering until you're fin wished all your vegetables. this is what your lovely meal will look like. >> beautiful. >> your pasta, tm, for desert, annes or rosemary infused honey, blue cheese. >> what cheeses? >> blue cheese as well as goat cheese, slice bread like this. figs are in season. a huge article in the "new york times" today about figs. do you like figs? >> not really. >> oh my goodness. you must come to my house for dinner. >> what's this? >> orange, basil, a sweet wine,

club soda. >> you're so fancy, martha. you're classing our act up around here. tastes delicious. >> happy labor day. >> you have a lot of work to do. up next travel troubles. things that annoy us the most when it comes to leaving home these days but first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:43 this morning on what's annoying today. travel, millions of americans will be heading out to the long labor day weekend. there's a good chance your journey will include plenty of traffic and delays. our correspondent jenna wolfe is here with more. you get i, right? >> this is not that much fun. you know the saying, half the fun is not exactly the same anymore.

apparently the glamorous travel days are long gone. now unruly crowds and general chaos are the norm. before you take off, you better pack your patience. remember the golden age of travel? neither do i. >> it's very frustrating. >> planes, trains, automobiles oh, my. >> traveling is not a great experience. >> no matter who you're getting there, you better suck it up. getting out of dodge is pretty much as annoying as it gets. your road trip seems like a good option from a to b. buckle up. before you hit the road you're emptying your wallet, filling up your tank. add on those tolls, who can forget road raid inducing traffic. >> with this traffic i could have walked there in half the time. >> so the drive is driving you to tears? take flight, it's faster, right? >> long lines and having to deal with a lot of people. >> first you schlep through security. but you're hardly in the clear.

want to charge your phone good luck trying to find a free outlet. of course delays in flights can strike any time. >> to georgia and then to florida, back to georgia. >> don't even get me started about the boarding process. maybe the frenzy is about finding space for your bag in the overhead compartment. what a joke, right? the whole journey wouldn't be complete without this. >> traveling by air is the worst. >> you'll stick to the ground, try the train perhaps. >> i get there. there are 9 million people doing the same thing i am. everybody is standing in front of a big forward. >> everyone carrying their bags all at once. i keep tripping over everything. >> all aboard. when you finally nab a seat, one inescapable travel hazard, stranger danger. everyone has to get on the cell phone as soon as you get on the train. can't you just keep it down a

little? how about going track-free and taking a bus. you know that's a gamble. broken wi-fi or avoiding a back row bathroom seat. but there's nothing worse than this. >> what is that smell? >> i mean, come on. you've got onbring that on board? >> it stinks. >> stinks is right. so when your trip gets trippy, remember, you're not alone. it's just part of the journey. soon enough you'll be back home. >> like to get there. >> can i quote natalie on a second. i'm never going anywhere ever again. >> everyone canceled their labor day plans. >> no, no, that's definitely the worst. >> the outlet thing at the airport. that's annoying. >> you get on the plane, it's freezing. i know it seems like we're complaining but just taking all the tiny complaints and packing it into one convenient. >> then unpack. >> my secret of packing is never

to unpack. just work out of your suitcase. >> that's a correspondent's way to do it. it's still in you. >> jenna, thanks. up next a back to school bow to wow on nbc.

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>> back now with from bow to wow where we clean up shelter dogs and find them new homes, 100% placement so far. our animal advocate jill rappaport with a kid friendly group today. >> we are calling this our bow to wow back to school special. today's lesson not just for kids but everyone. every animal deserves a loving home now so adopt. >> go in for your close-up. how about a little salt with pepper. >> this is pepper. he is a 2-year-old mix. >> rescued as a stray. >> considering that, he's in great shape. good weight. we should stress these dogs are great with kids. >> they are. >> very gentle and extremely mellow as you can see. he's like, are we done yet? >> this little angel is a girl named snook ums. >> snookums is a five and a

half-year-old terrier mix. >> very sweet considering she's just meeting us for the first time, a stray abandoned. very receptive to affection. a great family dog. >> this tan and white special nestled between my knees is buttons. >> button is a 4-year-old cocker spaniel mix and he was found tied to a tree in one of the parks in the city. >> you know, he is such a darling, beautiful boy, but very mad at being left unkept and uncared for. we're going to give you a beautiful grooming and fix you up. last but certainly not least we have shu shu. i have to turn shu shu around to show what a beautiful girl you are. >> shu shu is a 4-year-old mix. >> with a little shih tzu thrown into shu shu. try saying that one fast. >> she's a little cuddly muffin.

>> found in a carrier left in the park. >> look how sweet she is, considering what she's been through to be this affectionate. what an angel. >> richard with care and control in new york city. let's get to our dogs. a lot of beautiful dogs. the first dog is pepper walked out by drew. pepper is that little black and white shih tzu we saw in the video. hey, he's perfect for you. >> he's walking slow because he knows he's got to go back to school. >> tell me about pepper. >> he loves to take naps but also loves to have his ears scratched. he's been great around kids, just wonderful. >> he is so calm, natalie. he's been in the shelter, just fell asleep in my lap. >> drew, what do you think? do you like him? >> do you want to take him to school with you? >> thank you, drew. next we have snookums led out by

talia. snookums is a stray. loves to be held. >> loves to take naps in your lap. >> richard is shy but talia is richard's daughter. >> thank you. >> she's gorgeous. >> thank you. >> what do we know about this dog. >> snookums when she's outside, very exploratory, curious, inside she's a napper. >> very good with kids. >> again, we want to stress look how calm and sweet she is. everybody can pick her up, she melts in their hand, lap, whatever. >> you did good, talia. your dad is proud. >> next button with alexa. look at this gorgeous dog. the cocker spaniel tied to the tree in the park. >> matted, great grooming.

perfect for summertime, back in time for the winter. energetic dog, curious dog, loves to meet other dogs. >> loves to sprawl out. as you can tell, very relaxed. >> before they get adopted. >> very cute. >> love the belly rub, too. thank you. you guys are great. next tomas, alejandro with shu shu. this is a brussels griffon mix. she was found in a carrier in the park. >> look how sweet she is. >> she did extraordinarily well in a foster home. she would be a great dog but probably in a house by itself without other dogs. with kids it would be great but for now by herself. >> one dog per family. >> what do you think? you like him? >> i love all the bows shu shu is wearing.

>> again, we talk about 100% success record. people call up and say i really wish i could have gotten that dog. our men is, if you love these, there are so many more in shelters across the country. go adopt a wonderful animal. >> finally, a little surprise for our cat lovers. italia is bringing out lucky, a sweet little kitten. thank you alejandro. >> come on over here and show us the kitten. >> now we have lucky. >> so many cats that need placement. >> it's a more dire situation in the shelter than the dogs. we really need help with the cats. >> the number of cats coming in is extraordinary. >> look how cute. >> lucky. he's seven-month-old. all the dogs and crowds and noise. >> she's been doing well. >> likes to be held. >> i have one question for you. why is it your child got to walk out twice?

>> i don't know how that happened. >> okay. >> we need the catwalker. >> you did great, talia. >> jill rappaport, thanks so much. to learn more head to our website.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake has tapped mayor anthony batt -- dr. anthony batts as the commissioner- designate. his says he willeduce violent crime and increasing community policing. he repla

>> it is in beautiful start this wednesday. the dew points have dropped into the upper 50s and the 60's. a lot of sunshine this afternoon. high temperatures of 84. it will feel like autumn on thursday. >>. >>. but it'll become so much more. a new world-class resort casino in maryland. two thousand construction jobs to build it. four thousand permanent, good-paying jobs when it's done.

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