baseball. >> it wraps up some of the biggest stars, according to espn the suspensions could happen by the all-star break of this season in what has become a growing scandal. according to espn and the associated press, alex rodriguez and ryan braun of the milwaukee brewers are just two of 20 plus players who could face 100 game suspensions for their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs obtained from an anti-aging clinic. >> in the years 2001, 2002, 2003 i experimented, i stopped taking it in 2003 and haven't sean it since. >> reporter: that was alex rodriguez in 2009 admitting taking drugs from 2001 to 2003. tony bosch, the founder of the now closed clinic biogenesis of america reached an agreement to cooperate with major league baseball's probe. bosch is expected to tell

investigators how he supplied players with performance-enhancing drugs or peds. with bosch's testimony mlb could suspend braun, melky cabrera and rodriguez. a-rod said he'd never used performance enhancing drugs in 2007. >> for the record have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance? >> no. >> have you ever been tempted to use any of those things? >> no. >> reporter: these latest allegations come at a time when baseball is trying to turn the page on the steroid era. >> you know what i worry about? i worry about baseball being affected as a game, the whole thing, and what it's been through in the last 15 years, and that's my concern, but i always worry about my players, always. >> reporter: and fans like these in milwaukee are worried, too. >> i'm so disappointed because he is the celebrity love of my

life. >> i'll still support my team but you know, if he's done something wrong he's got to own up to it. >> still very early in this investigation. the report from espn just came out yesterday. we're not sure exactly what bosch will tell investigators but matt this will clearly take over the sports world and perhaps the news world for the next few days. it's not based on positive tests. it's just a notebook held by this guy bosch down in florida. >> willie, thank you very much. let's bring in veteran sports columnist mike lupika from the "new york daily news." good morning. it seems you're uncomfortable with the reporting at this time. >> well, matt, they have an agreement in place for tony bosch to flip, but as of this time they don't know what he's going to tell them, and who he's going to tell them about, so until they sit down with bosch, unless he gets squirrely now

because of these news reports, they could be -- matt, they could be talking about 100-game suspensions or 1,000-game suspensions or 1 million game suspensions. they don't know what he's going to say yet until he does flip but he hasn't flipped yet. >> are you comfortable with the names that are out there, like alex rodriguez and ryan braun, the people who are said to be associated with anthony bosch? >> yeah, because i don't think they wrote their own names into his ledgers in his books. this goes back to the original reporting on this story about this, i'm putting air brackets around this "anti-aging" clinic down there in south florida and "miami new times" had all these names and so these names have been out there. what major league baseball is looking to do is confirm what they think those names were in there for, which means getting baseball drugs from this guy. >> if they do confirm that, mike, what's the impact on the sport? >> the impact on the sport will be epic, because they've never

had the kingpin flip like this, and then all of this labor piece that we have had for so long in baseball, the players' union is going to fight any sorts of suspensions against a-rod or ryan braun or anybody else. this is just the beginning of the story. again, depending on what bosch gives up. >> and let's concentrate quickly at the end on alex rodriguez back in 2009 he admitted to using those substances while he was with the texas rangers. now he's trying to come back from an injury. if he is implicated in this scandal again what is the result and the impact on his career? >> oh, i don't think he can come back from this, you know, because he lied once about his use of drugs. he came up -- matt, he came one a preposterous version that he only used them for those three years in texas because doing it apparently more than that would have been wrong, wrong, wrong, and i think the yankee also try

to find some way to get out of paying a big chunk of the $114 million they still owe this guy. >> still waiting to hear what anthony bosch tells investigators from major league baseball over the next couple of days. mike lupica, thanks very much. we have breaking news out of the white house at this hour. u.n. ambassador susan rice is going to become national security adviser replacing tom donelan. we get to nbc's political director chuck todd. this is long rumored but quite significant. tell us about it. >> it is significant in the timing and how it's coming. this is an open secret susan rice was going to replace the national security adviser. the question was when would tom donelan gdecided to leave. it's surprising on the timing. the announcement is going to

come today, the white house, the president is going to do this and nominating susan rice who had become a republican punching bag during the whole benghazi controversy and the whole idea of the talking points, you're going to hear a lot of republicans chiming in about susan rice. at the same time this is not a senate confirmed position and this is a bit of a defiant move by the president to his republican critics. >> chuck let's love to a poll, it shows the president's job approval rating essentially holding steady but if you dig deep into the numbers as i know you have, you see some ominous signs for the president. >> it's lift the hood looks fine on the surface but underneath not so good. major erosion, the president's support among independents has gone from 41% dropping down to 29%, an ominous sign, and if you look at certain presidential characteristics and you sort of see how these trio of controversies in washington,

irs, benghazi, have impacted the president, his ability to handle a crisis, confidence, all down, strong leadership qualities, down, being honest and straightforward, down, all of these areas not looking good as far as the public is concerned and this is the way you can see the public is not happy with how the president's running the country. >> his approval rate is staying steady which i suppose you attribute to his numbers on the economy have gotten better. let's dive into the trio of scandals because it does show there is an impact on the president. >> it is large majority, these scandals raise doubts about the obama administration, what's interesting, we had 58% on benghazi, 58% on the irs. they don't touch the president personally. you only see core republicans seeing president obama was personally involved in some of

these controversies so there is a separation. the public is sitting there judging, not happy with how the obama administration is handling these events, not happy with their involvement in it but not yet personally blaming the president so he's got some time here. the public has a wait and see attitude. >> very quickly, chuck, i ask you about chris christie's decision to schedule a special election in october for that vacated senate seat. that's a decision that seemed to please almost nobody. >> a little too cute, essentially chris christie made a decision in the best interest of chris christie and the new jersey republican party and oh, by the way, national democrats. they're happy because getting a senator sooner rather than later, democrats are heavily favored to win that special election in the senate seat but what chris christie avoids is a popular democratic and newark mayor cory booker being on the ballot at the same time as him. why does this matter? chris christie wants to have a bunch of republicans win state

legislative seats at the same time in november and by having booker not on the ballot that will drain some democratic enthusiasm. >> chuck todd with all the political headlines, thank you. towns along the mississippi river are scrambling this morning to deal with some very dangerous flooding. it's already led hundreds of homeowners to evacuate. nbc's kevin tibbles is in west alton. kevin, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, i'm standing pretty much at the confluence of the missouri and mississippi rivers, and while people around here probably thought the flooding season was over, all these storms and all the rain they've dropped are making otherwise. once again, they are manning the barricade as long the mississippi. >> we're just going to get our stuff out of here and vacate the premises. you can't really predict the river. >> reporter: voluntary evacuations are in place here in the town of west alton, missouri, as the rising waters

now threaten this tiny community, about a half hour drive from st. louis. local casino was closed as a precaution. >> me and other cousins are going to take the kids and get away from danger. >> reporter: outside town, a 150-foot very much stretch of a levee gave way as emergency teams worked to get residents to higher ground. the u.s. army corps of engineers says the inis miss is above flood stage in many stages and ten feet above normal in st. louis. >> to help out in some way. >> i think it's just really good for all of us to get out and help everybody. >> reporter: and with more rain in the forecast, many of these communities may indeed have some more sandbagging to do. matt? >> kevin tibbles, you talk about that forecast, al's following the flooding situation and the threat of more severe weather today. al, good morning to you. >> good morning, guys, and it is not looking good. we have warm, moist air coming

out of the south, cold front to the east. you can see the heavy thunderstorms heading toward west alton and the mississippi and missouri rivers. that's not good news. here is the risk area we're looking at stretching from arizona all the way into arkansas, along the mississippi river. super cells, possibility of tornadoes. rainfall amounts over the next 24 hours we're talking about one to two inches throughout parts of the midwest including the mississippi river valley, the central mississippi river valley, plus we have new detail this is morning coming up, the latest on the tornado, that what was an ef3 tornado in el reno, oklahoma, it is now categorized an ef5 tornado, and it is a 2.6 mile wide tornado, that is the widest tornado ever, and it's the first time there have been two ef5 tornadoes within a 100-mile radius in two weeks. so this is one for the record books, and when we come back,

we've got development down in the gulf. could this be our first tropical storm? we'll have the details coming up. >> all right, al, come on down. see you in a couple of minutes. new details on a controversial deal for a soldier accused of a massacre in afghanistan. >> good morning, everyone. that's right that, army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 afghan villagers is expected to plead guilty today when he appears before a military judge. nbc's mike taibbi is outside the base in seattle. good morning. >> reporter: this plea deal is controversial in afghanistan, there's already talk of reprisals. prosecutors said they will seek a sentence of life in prison for bales without the possibility of parole. 39-year-old staff sergeant robert bales has never denied that he alone carried out two separate nighttime rampages in kandahar province last march opening a fire on sleeping

civilians, most of them women and children, killing 16 and wounding six others. his lawyer says bales is thankful the plea deal will spare his life and that he has another motive or admitting to everything. >> he thinks it will be better to have closure for his family, for the military, for our government, for the afghan government, for the afghan people. >> reporter: but the plea deal isn't a lock. the judge will likely spend hours questioning bales on every detail of the allegations against him, a potential tripping point, according to former j.a.g. lawyer, charlie swift. >> what could undo the entire deal if the judge says no. >> reporter: when the story broke it strained belief that a lone soldier in a remote outpost fueled by alcohol, steroids and sleep aids could carry out two separate murderous rampages. his wife told matt it couldn't be her husband, the father of their two children. >> it's unbelievable to me.

he loves children and he would not do that. >> reporter: but he did, and will say in court that he did, not blaming ptsd or drugs or alcohol or four deployments and accept fexcept for his final sentence his case could be over. >> to say he remembers everything is a stretch. does he enough to admit guilt to each one of these allegations, yes. >> reporter: at the sentencing trial scheduled for august bales will look for the possibility of parole after only ten years but even his lawyer says that is not likely. >> nbc's mike taibbi, thank you, mike. chrysler is refusing a government request to voluntarily recall about 2.7 million jeeps. highway safety officials say the cars are at risk for fuel tank fires in rear end collisions. the recall request covers jeep grand cherokees from 1993 to 2004 and jeep liberties from 2002 through the 2007 model

year. chrysler insists the cars are safe but the government is asking the company to reconsider. after three weeks of bitter fighting, syrian tv is reporting this morning that the government has regained control of qasar, a strategic town in western syria. opposition forces had been in control of the town since the civil war began there back in 2011. let's head to wall street. cnbc's kayla tausche is at the new york stock exchange, good morning. >> good morning. amazon is branching out yet again this time into groceries. the website for the so call amazon fresh boasts same-day delivery for food and beverages. here on wall street, the stock market will look to rebound from its first tuesday in the red since january, as the stock market rally hits a pause, interest rates are going up, good for savers. looking to get a mortgage the rate on the 30-year fixed is now nearing 4%.

>> kayla tausche, thank you. the first lady of the united states isn't one to take heckling likely. at a democratic event at the nation's capital a gay rights activist began shouting at mrs. obama during her remarks. she left the electric tern and told the audience "listen to me or you can take the mike but i'm leaving. you all decide. you have one choice." well the audience begged her to stay and the protester was then escorted out. very different way of handling it than the president handled that heckler about two weeks ago. i think a lot of people are like, you go! >> she definitely had the crowd, a democratic fund-raiser, wasn't a hard choice. mr. roker's got more on some severe weather moving up the east coast perhaps? >> that's right a rainy weekend for the east coast and maybe our first tropical storm of the season. this is investigation area 91-l located near western cuba moving north-northwest at 5 miles per

hour. you can already see that rain making it in the west side of florida. rainfall amounts over the next 72 hours, talking three to eight inches of rain and look what happens during the late week on into the weekend along the eastern seaboard anywhere from two to four inches of rain. you can bet there will be flash flood watches and flood watches going up in the next 24 hours. we'll have your local forecast in just 30 seconds. n picks up t? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope hs saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there. >> good morning.

it will be another beautiful and states today. we expect a high temperature in the upper 70's and low >> and that's your latest weather. >> mr. roker, thanks very much. if you use one of these devices, a keyless entry fab, to get into your car, we have a story you are going to want to see, thieves that found a way to mimic this device to break into your car. the video that police would like to you check out, coming up. and then the suburban mom accused of living a double life, funding her lifestyle in scarsdale, new york, by running a marijuana enterprise. we'll have that story and more

but first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, too aggressive or a much needed reality check, doctors talking to women when to start a family. and new pills that some claim will make you smarter and more productive at work, after your local news. 164 measures to go. oh my gosh. i've never even seen this record, i've only read about it in books. uh-uh, absolutely not. membership has a card for every character. i'm carrie brownstein and i get to be whoever i want. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. look the samsung galaxy s4. phones it's like what i've got. look how big the screen is! that is big. and, walmart will give you a $50 gift card when you get the phone. sold! get the latest smart phones on t-mobile's nationwide 4g network,

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i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your future? we'll help you get there. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. a bay bridge worker remains in serious condition at truck, after he was struck by a five- gallon hate can. the mdta says that the attacker was working on a painting project -- the contractor was working on a painting project.

the bucket of paint was being lowered down to him when the handle broke. thevictim fell 15 feet to roadway. he was taken to shock, with what appeared to be non-life- threatening injuries. here is kim dacey and traffic pulse 11. >> still something delays from an accident. the accident is moved off to the shoulder as you can see from our camera. very slow traffic has passed lombard street going into the tunnel. 895 debris and reported in the roadway there. south on 95 just past the beltway, moved off to the shoulder but you can see the big. out of 12 miles per hour there. -- down to 12 miles per hour there on the beltway. here is a look at the delays from the caton avenue camera. traffic is just crawling. extra time is needed this morning. philadelphia and hamilton, we have a crash coming into us there. out of the blast site is checking in with delays all the way down the outer loop to 95.

18 minutes there. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. beautiful start for us on this wednesday morning. a few high, thin clouds out there. plan of sunshine during the day. 55 in parkton. we should be able the climate in the upper 70s to around 80 this afternoon. you see the high, thin clouds i was talking about but no precipitation in the forecast. at the end of the week that will change. for today, another nice one. humidity will be in the comfortable range. 30% chance for rain showers tomorrow but pretty good chance for rain at the end of the week on friday and saturday.

♪ that was a big moment for us, okay. legendary singer lionel richie rocking our plaza, that was like a dream sequence for us. we cannot wait for lionel's epic return to our concert stage this friday on "today". al, have we been rehearsing our next number? >> no. >> i can't believe he's coming back here. >> 7:30 now on a wednesday morning the 5th of june, 2013. i'm savannah guthrie along with matt lauer, al roker and miss natalie morales. coming up, a lot of people are looking for that competitive edge and we told you about

school aged kids who take the adhd drugs to help them study. >> a growing number of adults are turning to new so-called smart drugs, more able to focus, to see things with a different perspective, but does that outweigh the potential health risks? we're going to be talking to a doctor about that in a couple of minutes. then on "what's trending today" taco bell taking quick action against their famous shell-licking employee. >> infamous. let's begin with a suburban mom from one of the country's most affluent communities accused now of running a giant marijuana farm. natalie has more on the story. this is going to get quite a reaction in that community and other communities. >> the woman described as a polite suburban mom of three was living a double life as a drug dealer operating a multimillion-dollar illegal enterprise. >> you're scary, you're this

scary lady drug dealer with thugs. >> that's me. go get the money. >> reporter: think the show "weeds" about a soccer mom turned drug kingpin is far-fetched? think again. andrea sanderlin is a 45-year-old mother, equestrian and resident of the affluent westchester county of scarsdale, new york. federal prosecutors also say she's the head of a massive marijuana ring. criminal complaint filed in federal court charges that sanderlin, along with others, did knowingly and intentionally conspire to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 or more marijuana plants. >> these charges are really serious. she's facing a schedule one federal felony, which is a minimum of ten years to life. >> reporter: federal agents followed sanderlin multiple times to this warehouse in queens which allegedly housed thousands of marijuana plants with a street value of over $3

million. the massive warehouse which sanderlin confirmed to dea agents was hers drew suspension over its high electric bills as high as $9,000 a month, always paid in cash. >> one of the main differences between state court and federal court is that when you get a federal court sentence you're required to do 80% of that term. >> thug means never having to say your sorry. >> reporter: an affluent suburban lifestyle that could go up in smoke. now sanderlin's lawyer says she is a full time mother who had never broken the law. sanderlin could face ten years if convicted of of felony narcotics trafficking. >> we have a senior producer, let's call her debbie k., who lives in scarsdale and says the town is flabbergasted by this story. >> i believe she said abuzz. >> and wants us to know they

hang out in different circles. >> likely story. >> let's get a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by k-9 advantage ii. k-9 advantage ii helps prevent fleas and ticks from bugging your dog. >> debbie k. has a till in her basement, bottling stuff. where are you from? >> texas. >> having a good time? >> awesome. >> awesome, and you can see everybody getting ready we have a cooking segment, bianca and lish are getting ready. what's on the menu? >> flank steak. >> we have the jet stream dipping down to the south going to bring temperatures cooler there but as we check out northwest and into the southwest, look at these, spokane 81, 92 in medford, oklahoma.

the rest of the country we have risk of strong storms from arizona into much of arkansas, rain ming its way into the ohio and mississippi river valleys, beautiful weather out west, though, sunshine in seattle and 78 degrees. that's what's going on in the country. th >> good morning. it will be a beautiful day today. a mixture of sun and clouds. high temperatures into the low 80's >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thank you. we have a rossen report's crime alert, a new wave of auto thefts that police frankly can't figure out. jeff rossen is here with more.

jeff, good morning to you. >> hey, savannah, good morning. this is a real mystery. look, when you lock your car and set the alarm on it, you think your car is pretty safe but as we're about to see, criminals have designed a new high-tech gadget giving them full access to your car. police are so baffled they actually want you to watch this video to see if you can help crack the case. long beach, california. watch as this thief moves in, approaching this locked suv in a driveway. police say he's carrying a small device in the palm of his hand. you can barely see it, but he aims it at the car and pops the locks electronically. he's in. with access to everything, no commotion at all. then his accomplice shows up and hits another car using that same handheld device. deputy police chief david hendricks is mystified. >> this is bad in the sense that we are stumped.

>> reporter: you're stumped? >> we are stumped and we don't know what this technology is. >> reporter: he says it's almost like the thieves are cloning your car remote which is virtually impossible to do. here's why, on most cars when you hit the unlock button it sends a code to the car. that code is encrypted and constantly changing, and should be hack proof, but yet these criminals figured out a way to hack it. >> clearly. >> reporter: jim stickit has watched the tapes and he's stumped, too. >> this is really frustrating because clearly they figured out something that looks really simple and whatever it is they're doing, takes seconds to do, you look and go that should not be possible. >> reporter: it's happening from california to illinois. >> angry and i felt pretty unsafe. >> reporter: that's michael shin, his home security camera caught this crook breaking into his honda accord using a similar device but you'd never know it. he looks like the owner of the car, unlocking the doors remotely and silently.

the thieves stole cash and an expensive cell phone. >> it was shocking, just opened magically without him having to do anything. >> reporter: adding to the mystery, police say the device works on some cars but not others. these thieves tried to open a ford suv and a cadillac, no luck, but this acura suv and sedan popped open and they only seem to strike on the passenger side. investigators don't know why. >> we've reached out to the car manufacturers, the manufacturer of the vehicle alarm systems and so far nobody seem ens to know what the technology is. when you look at the video and you see how easy it is, it's pretty unnerving. >> unnerving indeed. this is still so new police don't know how widespread it is yet. how do you protect yourself? here's the takeaway. police say don't leave anything valuable inside your car, even if it's parked in your own driveway, that includes your garage door opener because if the thieves get that, they're

suddenly inside your house. also keep your car registration in your wallet, do not leave it in the glove compartment. police say with that information on the registration like your home address, criminals can steal your identity. but right now no question about it the priority for police is finding this device so they can take it apart and figure out what it is. if you have any information that could help, go to our website, today.com and go to the rossen reports section. our viewers are smart and know a lot about electronics, maybe they can help police. >> so many people, the car registration in the glove box. >> not after today. smart drugs that are supposed to make you more focused and productive but are they safe? what would it cost to you spend the day working for beyonce, but first these messages. ( telephone rings )

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we are back now at 7:43 with an interesting question. if you could take a pill and it would make you smarter, would you take it? an article in this month's edition of "details" magazine says a new generation of so-called smart drugs is being used by people looking for a competitive edge. is it a miracle or is it too good to be true? here's nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> you know how they say we can only access 20% of our brain. >> reporter: in "limitless" bradley cooper plays a depressed unproductive writer until a little pill gives him super focus. >> a tablet a day and i was limitless. i finished my book in four days. >> reporter: jonathan riley says for him that's real life. >> i would get to work and be on fire. >> reporter: the 41-year-old bioengineer take provigil. it increasingly used as a

generation of brain enhancers called nootropics or smart drugs. >> it makes me feel alert and i was able to see more possibilities, i was able to look at something and see more than just kind of my limited scope before. >> reporter: where high stressed professionals once turned to coffee, energy drinks, even add medications -- >> recently the academy of neurology has called this a gray area in terms of prescribing pat teshs among ifses and their patients. >> reporter: the doctor says the drugs aren't addictive but can cause side effects if not taken properly. >> i'm not against the concept of building a smarter brain. what i am against is people that just haphazardly go in and just try to pretend they're chemists and do things to their brains that could be hurtful in the end. >> reporter: the company who makes the medications says the

drugs are not recommended for cognitive enhancement, but the search for smart drugs is nothing new. some call it human nature. jonathan riley says he's tried going off the medication, just calls it smart. >> i think i really enjoy who i am more when i'm on it. >> reporter: for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> dr. jeffrey lieberman, good morning to you. >> thank you. >> i read this script two or three times and something about it doesn't feel right to me. i don't seem to think this is a great idea. how do you feel about it? >> well, with human biology, like everything else, there's no free lunch and if you take something which boosts your performance, the question is what downside or what are you going to pay for it. it's completely understandable that people in this competitive world and our increasingly competitive society would seek things that can enhance their performance whether it's in sports, whether it's in school or whether it's in business. however you have to understand

what is the science behind it and if you do avail yourself of it, what are the risks. >> and if the company that makes the drugs that we talked about in that piece right there comes right out and says they are not recommended for this purpose, should it give people pause? >> it definitely should but on the other hand, matt, many medications that have fda approval for the specific indication are often used for other purposes because their pharmacology allows them to medically be helpful to people and doctors cannot be restricted to just those fda indicated drugs. on the other hand they can't be used recklessly and particularly with drugs that affect brain chemistry there are real downsides. >> if you're the ceo of a company and got an employee saying i'm taking these things and gives me new perspective, i feel more effective. >> i would refer him to your doctor. have you consulted him, is he prescribing? you have to get the substances from a doctor, not a dealer. the other class used are

nutriceutical drugs, nutritional or naturally occurring substances. i don't want to label the whole industry with one brush but there's no evidence that any of these things work for any kind of performance enhancement. >> one thing's for certain we're going to be hearing more about this in the coming years, not less. doctor, thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> my pleasure. still ahead, why more hotels are now going no frills to get a low rate but what else do you get? will your wallet see the benefits? but first, these messages. we went out and asked people a simple question: how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪

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like snacks and sunscreen, right here. at the corner of happy and healthy. >> this is wbal tv 11 news in baltimore. .> good morning i am mindy basara. here is kim dacey and traffic pulse 11. headingif you're towards the j.f.x., consider and take an alternate route t the north side is close between cold spring and northern parkway for a vehicle fire. traffic is completely stopped. on the southbound side in the same area of cold spring, the left lane is blocked for an exit in. only two lanes are getting by. we are seeing delays southbound as well. you want to avoid the j.f.x. if it all possible, at least for

the time being bid specially on the northbound side. south on 95 and the beltway on the southwest corner, an accident is just cleared but we delays leading up to the scene. 23 miles per hour. in the city, eastern and president, we have a crash. another one at rosedale and hamilton. in glen burnie, oakwood road, crash with possible enclosures. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> at least the weather is nice and quiet. another nice day today. temperatures started out in the low 50s in many neighborhoods. it is now up to 66 and the airport. there is a little bit of high, thin cloud cover this morning. the cost will be with us often on for the day. partly to mostly sunny. -- much expect many precipitation today. the chance for rain will go up by the end of the week. partly to mostly sunny skies. 80s. 70s and low

terrible winds at about 10 miles an hour. chance for rain up to 30% tomorrow. that is most likely in the afternoon. storm system out of the gulf of mexico may visit us in the mid atlantic on friday and saturday. chance for heavy rain both days. chance for heavy rain both days. clears up on sunday with a h new honey bunches of oats greek yogurt and whole grain. here we go. honey cornflakes and chunks of greek yogurt. i'm tasting both the yogurt and the honey at the same time. i'm like digging this yogurt thing. i feel healthy. new honey bunches of oats greek.

♪ it's 8:00 now on a wednesday morning, it's the 5th day of june, 2013. we've got beautiful children and beautiful weather out on the plaza this morning, temperatures going into the 70s today. it's a perfect spring morning and we thank these people for stopping by. we've come outside to enjoy the great weather. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and mr. al roker, and coming up, apparently there's some kind of a hollywood baby boom, a lot of celebrities announcing that they are expecting and we'll be talking about that in just a couple of

minutes. >> all right then speaking of having children we'll take a serious look at the subject, a lot of women are delaying child bearing until later in life. that has led some doctors to start having a rather difficult talk with some of their female patients about the consequences of waiting to have a baby. we'll get into that. look who just walked out here, paula deen is here. roar went up from the crowd. look out, a force of nature. >> we are grilling with her. >> that's right. we're used to the no frill airlines. are you ready for no frill hotels? what people are willing to give up to save some money. >> one major hotel here in new york just announced no more room service. >> can you bring your own sheets? we'll find out. we've got a lot to get to. natalie has a check of the headli headlines. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with a shakeup at the white house this morning, president obama is naming u.n.

ambassador susan rice as his next national security adviser. she'll replace tom donilon who is resigning. last december rice withdrew her name as consideration as a nominee of secretary of state after republicans criticized her initial response to the attack on the u.s. consulate in bean e benghazi, libya. president obama will nominate samantha power to replace rice as u.n. ambassador. major league baseball fans are bracing for a massive scandal involving some of the sports' biggest names. espn's "outside the lines" is reporting that professional baseball wants to suspend about 20 players, including yankees' superstar alex rodriguez and milwaukee's ryan braun for as many as 100 games. sources say tony bosch the founder of a closed miami area clinic has reached an agreement with major league baseball to detail how he supplied players with performance-enhancing drugs. in 2009, a-rod had admitted to using those drugs in the past,

but said he stopped taking them in 2003. the fate of a 10-year-old girl who needs a lung transplant led to a confrontation tuesday on capitol hill. national transplant rules don't allow the child to qualify for adult lungs. nbc's tom costello is in washington with more on this story. good morning, tom. >> hi, natalie. 10-year-old sarah murnaghan spent the last ten months waiting for a lung transplant. because she's not 12 she must wait for a child's lung. the nation's top health administrator says she can't change the rules for one patient. ♪ how i wonder -- >> reporter: for sarah murnaghan every breath is a struggle. cystic fibrosis has filled her lungs with mucus and moved her to the top of the transplant list for children but there are very few children's lungs available and national transplant rules created by surgeons don't allow a child

under the age of 12 to receive surgically modified adult lungs, even though sarah could benefit. >> thank you, madam secretary, for coming. >> reporter: on tuesday, lawmakers urged the secretary of health and human services to override the rules. >> the study will take over a year. this young lady will be dead. >> reporter: but secretary sebelius declined to intervene. >> the worst of all worlds in my mind is to have some individual pick and choose who lives and who dies. >> reporter: sebelius says there are already 40 patients 12 and older in pennsylvania alone waiting for an adult lung daughter. sarah's mother says the sickest patients should be at the top of the list. >> the sick don't get any higher for my child. she is 10 years old, has weeks to live, she is struggling and fighting with each breath and we have no greater chance of getting lungs today than we did when she was fairly healthy six months ago because the severity of her illness doesn't matter. >> reporter: for three months sarah has waited at children's hospital of philadelphia for a

lung transplant. the ethical question are strict guidelines standing in the way of sarah and other children from getting a chance at life? >> of course the parents want the exception made. we always have to remember that the statistic of the other couple hundred people on the wait list who are adults, you know, parents of children, husbands, wives. >> an online petition urging the government to change the policies to allow children to receive adult lungs has already garnered 335,000 signatures. meanwhile sarah's parents are pleading with any family who suffers a tragic loss to consider a direct lung donation to sarah. natalie? >> we wish them the best, tom costello, thank you. about 100 high school students are crying foul after they were booted off an airtran flight from new york to atlanta on monday. airtran's parent company southwest airlines says the students wouldn't sit down and put away their cell phones before takeoff. the teens were all seniors at a

jewish high school in brooklyn where administrators say they're looking into the matter but don't believe the flight crew was justified in kicking their students and chaperones off the plane. it is 8:05. you're up to date. let's go back outside to savannah and matt >> thanks very much. it's wednesday the 5th of june. you know what that means? it's linda's birthday. linda, happy birthday. nice to have you with us. >> i wonder if mom is across the plaza. >> that's her daughter is across the plaza i think. okay. >> i'm so confused, anyway happy birthday. >> mr. roker is down the plaza. >> i am, what high school is this and the song you got? >> it's "ya-ya-yo." >> let's hear it. ♪ ei yi yo ♪ come on let's go >> and they're doing scooby-doo,

too! what we have for today, pick city, new york city, nbc 4, greatest nbc station in the nation, we're looking at sunny, pleasant conditions, 76 degrees. when tomorrow's nbc station comes up i'm going to say that, too. lot of wet weather, possibility of a tropical system in florida, risk of strong storms today down in the lower mississippi river valley, wet weather up into the ohio river valley, western third of the country is going to be spectacular today, portland, oregon, 85 and sunny, 69 l.a. and we're looking at beautiful >> good morning.rthern new it will be another beautiful and states today. we expect a high temperature in the upper 70's and low

>> i got the folks from team challenge, crohn's and colitis. for more information go on their website. sarah and matt? coming up, how would you like to work for beyonce? apparently you can if you're willing to pay. we'll explain in "trending." also ahead is it a scare tactic or harsh reality, why some doctors are having very frank discussions with their patients about the best time to have children. and we'll do some grilling with the deen family, but first these messages. tapia brothers produce stand where we've switched their fruits and veggies with produce from walmart. it's a fresh-over. that's great. tastes like you just picked them. so far, it's about the best strawberry i've had this year. walmart works directly with growers to get you

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back at 8:11 with "what's trending today." trending on msn right now, turns out mom was right, it does pay to eat your peas and carrots. vegetarians live longer than meat eaters, experiencing 12% fewer deaths, more researchers found men benefitted from a vegetarian diet than women, lower rates of heart related conditions. i just read that script cold, i have to tell you. i feel everyone does die eventually but i guess you dilator. >> when you eat vegetables you die more often. >> if these people are dying that should have been our lead at 7:00. >> that would be trending. >> we looked at each other say what? >> what? >> okay, let's try this one on

for size, trending on huffington post, an update on a story we talked about on tuesday, with he showed you the picture of what seemed to be a taco bell employee licking a stack of taco shells in a prank. update time, the fast food chain is confirming the man is an employee, at least temporarily that's right or was. he's in the process of being fired. taco bell adds the shells were not sold to any customers. >> i hope so. also trending on yahoo! a lot of celebrity news to bring you up to date. jennifer love-hewitt is expecting her first child with her co-star in the tv drama "the client list." check out the birthday girl, angelina jolie, she celebrated her 38th birthday in that beautiful strapless dress. it's been less than a month since she announced she had a double mastectomy to stave off

breast cancer. how zoo you like danny zucco showing up at your wedding? john travolta showed up unexpectedly, travolta met the cuppal parentally the night before at a bar and after the ceremony he then posed for pictures with the couple and their wedding party. might have wanted to dress up. >> apparently they said we're getting married tomorrow in the area and he took it upon himself to just go by and get in the photos. he photo bombed them. >> that's pretty cool. did a vince vaughn, wedding crashers. trending on google, how much would you pay to work with beyonce? for $25,000, the star is offering you a chance to be a member on her style team. that's right, during her mrs. carter world tours l.a. stop next month you can help style beyonce. bids right now are $11,500, proceeds benefit beyonce's

charity to end hunger. that's pretty nice. >> that's nice. i'm glad to hear she's doing it for charity. we were teasing, you can pay to work for me. just a little more of the story. >> and that's "what's trending today." >> thank you, al. more doctors are raising the issue of when to start a family with some of their older female patients. nbc's mara schiavocampo has more on the story. >> good morning, savannah. thanks to advances in fertility and gains in the workplace, many women are having children later in life but some doctors worry they may be wait too long late and are making a point to talk to their patients, not just about general health but also fertility. callie irwin loves being a mom. but this all happened sooner than she planned. the 37-year-old wanted to put off parenting until a fateful visit with her obgyn who advised her not to delay starting a family. >> he gave me a real kick in the pants.

i think i was a little bit shocked. i'm always kind of surprised by my age. in my mind i'm still kind of 22. >> reporter: call it a new version of the talk, more and more doctors initiating conversations about fertility with their 30-something patients. it's not without good reason. growing number of women, about 20% wait until after 35 to have their first child. >> i mention that there may not be a perfect time to get pregnant, and that sometimes it's better to pursue things earlier than waiting until later when miscarriage and infertility may be an issue. >> reporter: a controversial first response ad campaign in the uk also focuses on fertility. preview in "the telegraph" features a much older woman heavily pregnant. the message, don't wait too long. concerns about fertility aren't

new. >> my biological is ticking like this! >> i'm pregnant. i never met the right guy and i thought if i waited any longer i might miss my chance. >> reporter: doctors worry advances in fertility and images of pregnant 40-something celebrities like halle berry and kelly preston may be sending some women the wrong message. >> you want to truly assess what you want to do as far as getting pregnant. 40 is not the new 30 when it comes to a woman's reproduction. >> now doctors aren't just having these conversations with women in relationship. many are also discussing fertility options with single women in their 30s as well, which increasingly includes freezing their eggs. savannah? >> mara, thank you. this topic caught our eye in the "wall street journal" over the weekend. here is dr. evelyn maniah, board certified ob/gyn. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is a hot potato of a topic. do you think that women need to hear this talk?

in other words do you think they're laboring under the misimpression that they'll remain fertile in perpetuity? >> you mean to tell me i'm not 26? you got to be kidding me, yes. i think it's a sensitive topic and i this i that most of us don't think that in general we're very healthy people, why can't our eggs then function. so if you're 35 but feel like you're 26, running marathons, doing your 5ks, why not but unfortunately your biological clock is ticking and your eggs are 35 years old. >> mara mentioned it but do you think now we see older moms, celebrities, look so young and beautiful having babies well into their 40s is giving a false expectation? >> i think that's the whole thing. it's the expectation of things, and that's what our role is as physicians to give you realistic expectations, and with all due respect to those women, they don't tell you that some of them are not even their eggs, so if you see a woman in their 40s, the likelihood that it's her own egg, it's a little diminished. >> we'll give you the scoop then

here. at what point does fertility drop off? what is the substance of the talk you are giving to women in their 30s? >> it depends on your lifestyle. already at 30 it starts to drop off. about 20% of women have a problem getting pregnant but that means then 80% of them can get pregnant on their own. at 35, you add miscarriages, you add infertility, even more infertility issues because of the age but it's not only that. it's also your time, your lifestyle. do you have time? are you jetting off somewhere and your husband is somewhere else? so that has a lot to do with it as well. >> genes and stress also a factor into whether you're fertile at any age. >> absolutely. absolutely and also what you do for a living and especially stress. >> i have to ask you, this has got to be a fairly sensitive topic as you mention. i know a lot of women in their late 30s or early 40s who would love to have a baby, they have not met the right person and a conversation like this with their doctor would probably put them over the edge. what do you say about that? >> first of all you should have a relationship with your doctor that shouldn't put you over the

edge. i think honesty is the best policy and again realistic expectations. i encourage my patients especially exactly that scenario, 35, 37, single still, why don't you freeze your eggs, if you are financially sound to do it or you could be a single mom as well, as long as you have support. >> is that effective? there was a time when it was unclear whether or not freezing your eggs was a good idea. >> right. >> whether you get your money's worth because it is expensive. >> it is expensive and insurance does not cover it. so yes, but now that we have really advanced technology, it's definitely an option. >> doctor, good conversation to have. thank you for being here >> thank you. >> over to matt. if you've traveled lately you know some airlines are taking more of a no frills approach, fewer bags aloud, less leg room, and brace yourself, because hotels are now jumping in on that trend. mark is "travel & leisure's" international editor. welcome. >> thanks, matt. >> this no frills to life a runaway train, are companies doing this because customers are

telling them they like it or doing it to save on the bottom line? >> they're trying to save on the bottom line. this is a cost conscious decision but on the other hand there are people who don't want a lot of the extra services. in fact over the last ten years the number of limited service hotel rooms increased by 16%, the number of full service hotel rooms increased 6%. >> customers are saying cut back on frills, give me a better rate. the new york hilton recently announced no more room service. how is that going to go over with customers? >> i think that the leisure traveler is probably not going to care so much about room service as the business traveler. what's interesting is the new york midtown hotel that is cutting room service is very business traveler friendly, one of the biggest hotels in the country, and certainly the biggest in new york, they love business travelers. to not offer that to business travelers is dicey. >> other hotels are cutting different luxuries, fewer amenities in the rooms and you

might not have a valet to carry your bags when you check in. >> that's right. you might not even have a check-in clerk at the front desk. >> kind of one of the airline terminal things in. >> a lot of hotels are starting to have like atm machines where you check in that way, doing away with business centers, doing away with a lot of the frills, front door valets are a thing of the past in many hotels. >> it worries me because you're losing jobs, people who used to be valets and check-in people are losing their jobs. are we going to see the savings, in other words, as these hotels do away with some of these amenities, are they going to pass on the savings to the consumer? >> you're probably not going to see so much reduction in rates as getting other amenities for free. what people really want when they go to hotels most people would be free wifi, free parking, free breakfast. you'll see those things incorporated into your rate while we see things like room service go away. >> let's go to the airlines for a second, they seem to be the pioneers in this no frills type of difference, you pay for leg

room, extra bags, sometimes a first bag you pay for, a meal on the flight you pay for. i saw a recent survey where some airline customers punished one of the low fare airlines for all these add-on costs. >> these days with the internet it is so easy to get your voice heard as an individual consumer. so people are making their opinions well-known. airlines are kind of taking a beating on all of these extra fees. people do not like them. >> united airlines is doing what they call bundling the market, okay, basically they've become the first carrier to offer one year subscriptions. what does this mean? >> they're offering a one year subscription on baggage fees. you pay $349, you don't have to pay any additional fee, $25, to check your bag. >> you make sure you fly on that airline a lot during the year. >> at least eight times to break even. if you fly eight times you're probably an elite member in which case you get a free checked bag anyway. that's a tough sell.

>> mark, thank you very much. downstairs to savannah. >> i'm sitting with the woman who attempted to channel her inner martha stewart for an entire year, really. >> annen tire year. >> did it work? >> some things went very well and some things went horribly awry. >> fantastic tease. we'll send it out to al. >> i've got the deen family here, bobby, jamie, paula, everybody. by the way, you look fantastic. you guys, this goes to the whole family, your husband michael, how much weight has he lost? >> he's lost 60. >> you look spectacular. >> that's very generous. >> wow! a little burn from the boys. >> you should hear the things he says to me. >> so what's coming up, what are you cooking for us? >> they're like true stepsons, right? what am i going to be cooking? i'm going to be cooking you a molasses marinated frank steak

with finishing butter. >> plenty of flavor but not a lot of fat. we love that. that's pretty good. and since he's lost the weight is he even feistier now? >> she's so sassy. >> yes she is very feisty. >> as sassy as i can ever remember seeing her. >> we've got all that coming up, but first we're going to have your local news and weather here on "today".

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara trade here is kim dacey. >> things are pretty busy out there especially on the j.f.x. crash southbound on northern parkway. northbound between cold spring and northern, we have a vehicle fire. we still see intermittent delays. it is open again. it was close for a time being. still seeing some delays from time to time on the j.f.x..

on thebris in the road harrisburg expressway at warren road. also some debris on the outer loop of the beltway around 795 as well. we have a crash coming in to us on southbound 95 at the beltway. another one to watch for on eastern. route seven remains close between hamilton and joe sacco avenue for a crash there. take an alternate route if that is on your way erie it delays on the outer loop west side, pretty typical for this time of morning. plenty of sunshine on the traffic cameras there. we might see a few high, thin clouds during the day, but generally mostly sunny skies. we started out with temperatures in the low 50s. warming up fast. 66 at the airport, 64 in westminster. we will see high, thin clouds from time to time. partly to mostly sunny during the day. humidity is in the very comfortable range.

high temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s. 30% tomorrow. best chance for rain will be on friday and saturday. >> back with another update at 8:56.

. 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, it's the 5th of june 2013 and what a pretty day, i guess we still call it spring, not summer yet, but feels like spring as we say hello to the crowd here on rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer, natalie morales and al roker and coming up, we'll pose

the question could you if you wanted to live the way martha stewart lives for an entire year. >> think about it, you throw flawless parties, you decorate beautifully for every holiday, that includes those fabulous jack o'lanterns at halloween. this woman tried living like martha stewart and turned out to be quite an adventure. we'll find out more about that. >> except she didn't have any horses. it's close enough. this lady is from brazil. >> i follow you! >> it's nice to see you. >> it's nice to see you, too. it's great having you here. >> you know who is not from brazil, paula deen and her boys. that's right, they are here ander this going to share some simple grilling techniques that you can use inside or out. and a sad story a family

potentially facing a deadly health crisis, five of their children all need heart transplants but they're handling it with such grace and they're an inspiration to all of us. >> i can only imagine that. >> a lot to get to. let's get to a check of the weather. >> today we have got a gorgeous day up and down the eastern seaboard, that may be changing though, we've got in the tropics investigation area 91-l, 25-mile-per-hour winds moving north-northwest at 5. you can see the rain is already overtaken southern florida. whether this becomes a storm or not it's going to be a big problem for florida, we're talking anywhere from three to five locally up to eight inches of rain throughout much of florida, and then during the week, on into late friday, look at the rain from chattanooga, atlanta, wilmington, d.c., upstate new york, anywhere from one to three, maybe four inches of rain, and that is going to cause problems right on into saturday, good news is, much of it should clear by sunday.

that's what's nd >> good morning. it will be a beautiful day today. a mixture of sun and clouds. high temperatures into the low 80's >> that's your latest weather. where are you from? >> new york. >> what's your names? >> vince and nate. >> nate. >> you guys big fans of the weather channel? yes. because you can get your weather any time you want, nate, go to the weather channel or go online at weather.com and you're a big fan of willard scott. >> yes. >> here he is. you luck out. >> from sunny southwest florida, where the sun always shines, even at midnight, that makes it very unique, happy birthday from

smucker's to our birthday buddies out there, take a look if you will at eugene zimmerman from edmond in the great state of oklahoma, when the wind blows free. 102 years old today, and he loves to dance, line dance, tap dance, you name it, he dances. here is mildred, i like that name, mildred marr from springfield, mass. she's 101 years old today. she loves her family and they love her. they get together all the time. that's awfully nice, so many people live so far away, they can't do that. good old lewis bradley from stuarts draft, virginia, i know, they have a cheese shop there, menonnites, incredible food, 100 years old today, and he loves cows. drinks his milk straight from the cow, no pasturization, nothing, good for him. and annie mae charles of galveston, texas, is 100 years

old today. she is a lovely lady who likes her bacon crisp every morning. i do. i love bacon, crispy bacon. good old sylvester dolinar from pittsburgh, pennsylvania, one of his favorite pasttimes he makes money doing is yard work. you see progress. i like yard work. he's 100 years old today. happy birthday, and ruth lacher, she is from wells, minnesota. she is 108 years old today and she can make the greatest pickles in the world, and speaking of getting pickled, i think i'll go back to little old new york city. >> all right, pal, thank you very much. when we come back, could you do it? we meet a woman who devoted an entire year of her life to living just like martha stewart but first this is "today" on nbc.

have you ever felt like life

is so chaotic you don't know how to get a handle on things? one woman decided the solutn was to devote an entire year living according to the advice of martha stewart. jen lancaster writes about that experience in the new book "the tao of martha." we'll talk to her in a moment. first a look at how hard this was. the flowers are set. >> our goal should be making these look as festive as possible. >> reporter: the drinks mixed. >> random margaritas is ready. >> jen lancaster is greeting her guests like a party pro. her inspiration? >> we're getting ready for cinco de mayo, pretty daisies in the conch shell. >> i love her so much. >> she vowed to follow martha stewart's way of living for a full year which wasn't always easy for her. >> one of my most cherished holiday traditions an easter egg hunt. >> i did a big easter egg hunt

for all of my friend's kids. we only had two children that went to the er that day. that was not my intention. >> i like to put beautiful glittered pumpkins on my table. >> i glittered things for three hours to the point there was nothing in this house that wasn't covered in glitter, including the dog. that never comes off. >> being neat and orderly is an important part of everyday life. >> everything labeled perfectly, this is straight out of martha's playbook, i've got my different flours, all purpose, cake, bisquick, self-rising, there's fish, chicken, pork, boxed burgers, beef, ice, ice baby, breakfast, sausage and stew meat. i always had the idea homemade gifts were cheap. no. i started knitting this year and the scarves that i was making between time and the material, they're worth about $8,000 each. the dogs did well every holiday. i did poses with them in whatever holiday costumes they had.

>> as happy as the dogs were. did "the tao of martha" rub off on their owner? jen lancaster joins us. good morning. >> good morning. >> i'm so impressed by your refrigerato refrigerator. >> thank you. >> does it still look like that? >> yes. i had roasts eight pounds that would fall and hit our feet and that was a big source of conflict between my husband and i that i kept hobbling him every time he wanted to get an ice cream. >> the larger question why did you decide to take on martha stewart's way of living for a year? >> i had a bad 2011 not for any big reason just a thousand little things that went wrong and i wanted to go into 2012 with a plan, and i thought about doing a happiness project, something very oprah, but oprah is more about all your thoughts and your feels and i thought this isn't going to help me. i need somebody like a drill sergeant and who better than martha stewart. >> martha is a tough customer and her projects every time

she's here i have no idea what to do. >> i started looking at her projects and all seem complicated. everything is broken down into steps that people can follow, and i never knew until i actually tried, so i was surprised at what i could accomplish. >> how did your family react, what did your husband think when he saw you excessively glittering and labeling things. >> my husband said this is the greatest thing that happened in the 18 years of our relationship that i could finally find things because he's ex-military man so he's very organized but too organized. we would organize our spice cabinet by countries of origin. i didn't know if oregano was mexican or italian so i did it alphabetically. it works really well. >> it is a great idea. did you find this to be difficult in terms of, i guess keeping it going, because i could imagine doing one or two projects but to do this for a whole year. >> i kept doing different projects and once i would accomplish something i would try something scary. the scariest thing for me is halloween. i've been terrified of halloween

my entire adult life to the point we used to put garbage bags over the windows. this year i had to to. the house was decorated, i was in a costume, the puch kin pum glittered. we stat there with full sized candy bars and not one kid showed up at my house. >> martha you love her so much. what do you think is her philosophy of life, you read every book and article. what is the takeaway? >> the big takeaway is you have to try. you can't fail if you don't try and there were some things that went horribly awry but the things that didn't were shocking. it was shocking there are dishes that i can took now, so much more inexpensively at home than what i used to buy. it was shocking that i could create a scarf for somebody for christmas and have them actually like it and not say, wow, this looks immature. there were a lot of great aspects of the project.

>> final quick question, are you going to sustain it? are you going to live like martha forever? >> i'm going to try. i spent the last five months writing two different books so a lot of things went by the wayside so when today came to film me, i still had to shove crap in to drawers. >> so you remain human. >> i remain human. >> jen lancaster, "the tao of martha." martha will be here tomorrow, she'll fill us in on her match.com date, we look forward to that. coming up, a family facing an unimaginable health crisis, five siblings who may all need heart transplants. we'll have their story but first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:45 with a

family coping with a life and death health crisis, facing all five of their children. >> as nbc's keith larson explains they're doing it with remarkable strength and incredible attitude. keith good to see you. >> good to see you. good morning. life was just about perfect for this family, good career, beautiful home, happy kids, and then one of them gets a tummy ache, a trip to the doctor, and it changed everything. >> a group hug. >> reporter: what is happening to the bingham family, jason and stacey and their five children is an intensely personal and terrifying odyssey. in 2006 the bingham's eldest daughter sierra was diagnosed with heart failure, 6 at the time. sierra had a heart transplant and survived. just in case, her parents had the entire family tested for heart disease and all the rest of them were given a clean bill of health. >> they all came out normal, so we thought, good, rule that out,

that's not an issue then. >> reporter: but by summer 8-year-old lindsay got a tummy ache and the bingham's world fell apart. her parents learned she, too, needed a heart transplant. she was life-flighted to the hospital and put on a mechanical heart pump to wait for an organ donor. >> we were sat down and told of our five children that all of them either had cardiomyopathy or flaggers that they watched. >> reporter: the doctors were astonished, too. all the bingham children, every single one will be confronted with the distinct possibility of one day requiring a heart transplant, because of a deadly condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. the family waited for a heart for lindsay. christmas came and went. and then -- after nearly eight months of waiting the family

learned a match, a donor heart had been found. >> guess what? >> i have it! you have it? >> you have a heart! >> you do! >> yeah! >> reporter: with her baby blanket transformed into a superhero cape, she is ready to face the scariest event of her young life. >> love you lindsay lou. >> reporter: lindsay got her new heart on valentine's day. >> everything went very, very smoothly. >> reporter: but lindsay's transplant is just the beginning, both she and sierra face a lifetime of expensive medication, constant testing. her brother, gauge, who is just 4, already has a pacemaker and most likely he'll need a transplant, too. but for the moment, the bingham family is celebrating what they have. >> we've walked away twice now two children still alive, and that's more than some parents

can say and we can go home with five children. >> go. >> this is a family that decided to let us in intimately to witness everything they went through, the uncertainty, the terror, the triumph and most amazing in the midst of all that trouble, the happiness and gratitude. it wasn't just the binghams who have changed by what happened, guys, it was kind of all of us who watched them. >> we can see why. keith it's an amazing story. see more on the binghams tonight on "dateline" that's at 8:00, 7:00 central time on nbc. coming up next, we will take a turn and go outside and do some cooking with the deen family, but first this is "today" on nbc.

all right, this morning on requesting today's kitchen" we are grillin' and chillin' with the deen family. >> we've got paula here along with her sons jamie and bobby. we are going to do some grilling outside, this could be done outside or inside, right, guys? >> right. >> simple question. >> i can't trick you. >> it wouldn't be that hard to trick me, let's be honest. who does the cooking when you get together? >> mama. >> we usually all go over to mom's house. >> i cooked sunday i had all my children over and i cooked ox tails in rice, and ribs on the

grill, potato salad, fresh green beans from my garden, tomatoes and onions and cucumbers from my garden and jamie fried this most incredible squash blossom. >> we're starting with flank steaks. why do you like this cut of meat? >> i like this because it's lean but it has good flavor and i like to marinate it, matt, in molasses, red wine vinegar, a little olive oil, rosemary, garlic, mustard and soy sauce. >> how far in advance do you marinate? >> about four or five hours. >> okay. >> that helps break down the piece of meat because it is a cheaper cut of steak. >> once you cook it and you don't have to cook fralank stea very long. >> no. look at that, beautiful. what makes this so good, matt, i know you're going to find this hard to believe but i have been

trying to cook with less butter. >> uh-huh. >> who is laughing down there? >> not me. it was your sons. >> i'm trying not to cook, to use butter during the cooking process, but i wait until the end, and then i put the finishing butter on it. >> by the way that still counts, all right? >> it only counts once instead of like six times. >> go ahead, savannah. >> wait, wait, wait. i'm going to give it but i got to do this. >> il eat that. >> you eat that. all right. >> what are you making for us? >> we're doing a pearl barley and broccoli salad. we took our barley down from maybe 25 or 30 minutes, added the broccoli the last few minutes, drain it. over here we've got some oil and toasted oural monds. y almonds. turn the heat off and add spoked

paprika. we stir this in with vinegar and this is our finishing dressing for our salad. >> your mom is distracting me over here, sorry. this is so good. all of these recipes are on your show, "home for dinner. request. >> right. our second week's show just came on and it was so much fun to do. we'll add arugula, any cheese, we're using white cheese, but my boys really like cheddar cheese. you can toss this and got a lot of flavor in it, good for you, super simple. >> love it. i might eventtempt that. thank you. >> thanks, savannah. >> i'm here with bobby, bobby said the siren that just went by was the ambulance coming to take me to the hospital after all the butter his mom put on my steak. >> corned cob, we slice the corn off the cob. >> did you put something on the

corn? >> olive oil and jalapeno peppers, avocado, tomatoes, oni onions, some lemon juice. >> salt and pepper. >> and all the jalapenos, top that together, beautiful simple corn and afrivocado salsa. >> as a side dish or with chips? >> absolutely with chips. >> are you feeding people, paula? >> natalie you got to try the butter flanked steak. >> try the butter with flank steak. >> here we go. >> that was really good though that butter. >> what do you put in the but thor? >> it's a compound butter. this is lemon chive. >> it's great. >> i love the lemon in the chives together. wonderful. >> and this is a mouthful of

love, paula. >> you're going to put this in with the lovely vegetables and barley. jamie, bobby and paula deen thank you so much. coming up an interesting discussion what makes women successful, but first a check of your local news and weather. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. later the baltimore ravens will crash the white house. president obama will welcome the super bowl champions at noon today, congratulating them on the second win in franchise history.

gerry sandusky will be in d.c. with the team today and we will have live reports tonight at 5:00 and 6:00. it's like lightning in a snowball. it's like an iceberg volcano. it's like a hot chocolate coolatta! i just read the cup. hot chocolate goes chill with the dunkin' donuts hot chocolate coolatta. hurry in and cool off today. america runs on dunkin'.

to the juicy part yet. i have. it's tender, too. yeah? so he texts back, "spring break '05," like that narrows it down. everyone's talking about dunkin's new juicy chicken sandwich. grab one with barbecue or bacon and ranch today. america runs on dunkin'. >> good morning. hi, thin clouds, but that is about it. we will make it into the upper 70s this afternoon. chance for rain will go up by the end of the week. >> back with another weather update at 9:25.

♪ welcome to "today" on this wednesday morning, june 5th, 2013. good looking day outside, no rain, not too hot. >> not a great day for vampires. >> why is that? >> this is vampire week. >> sorry, the song was "vampire weekend" see how we wove that

in? >> orchata in spain it's this wonderful milkshake and made with beans it's sort of like a vania tasting drink. >> it's a song about a milkshake. >> i'm thinking it's that, at least that's the spelling of it. >> we're going to talk about our favorite summer songs. >> there's a whole reason. >> a little in block tease. our first take on take three is the major league baseball scandal, new reports from espn major league baseball set to suspend about 20 players, headlined by yankees' superstar alex rodriguez for using performance-enhancing drugs, could be the largest drug case in american sports history. they're saying the suspensions could be as long as 100 games for some of these guys. >> that's a lot of superstars. >> that's a lot. a-rod, ryan braun, who is a big star, melky cabrera on the blue jays. this goes back to they call it an anti-aging clinic in miami allegedly supplying perf