good morning. monster in mexico. patricia comes ashore as the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the western hemisphere. thankfully, it hit in a sparsely populated area, no deaths reported, and it is weakening rapidly this morning, but it's not over yet. texas already dealing with massive flooding, now bracing for another round from patricia. we're live. political roller coaster. hillary clinton riding high after her benghazi testimony. >> i had my whole team come over to my house, and we sat around eating indian food and drinking wine and beer. >> as jeb bush hunkers down in texas this weekend, his campaign

and donald trump lashes out at a rising ben carson. >> we informed ben, but he was sleeping. prison attack. colorado movie theater shooter james holmes jumped behind bars. this morning, the inside story. and royal flush! >> royals win the pennant! >> the kansas city royals knocking off the toronto blue jays in the american league their fans. and that, of course, means the world series is set as the royals prepare to face off with the new york mets, today, saturday, october 24th, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. this saturday morning. i'm erica hill. >> and i'm jeff rossen. happy to be here with you and alongside sheinelle jones and dylan dreyer. and you're tracking the top

we have our team fanned out across the country, both here and in mexico. category 5 storm hitting overnight, the eye narrowly missing the resort area of puerto vallarta, where tens of thousands of americans were believed to be before the storm made landfall. >> and while it is too early to tell just how widespread the destruction is, sunlight will help us with that. here's what we do know at this hour. patricia weakened to a category 1 hurricane early this morning with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour. it is expected to turn into a tropical depression as it crosses mexico's mountains. now, incredibly at this hour, no reports of any deaths. and just over the mexican border, much of texas, as we know, is under a flood watch with what's left of patricia, the concern there that it will bring, of course, even more rain to a state that has already been pounded. >> our correspondents are on the ground in mexico and texas on storm watch. want to begin with nbc's joe fryer in ecstapa, south of where

hurricane patricia made a direct hit. joe, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. hurricane patricia has weakened considerably with many breathing a sigh of relief up and down the coast, but the mexican government is warning people to not let their guard down as this history-making storm moves through the country. with the grace of a sledgehammer, hurricane patricia reached land, winds swirling at 165 miles an hour. images taken by tourists hunkered down in hotels showcase the driving rain, swelling seas and turbulent winds. damage reports quickly surfaced. washed-out roads, toppled trees and uprooted highway signs. some of the most dramatic video comes from manzanillo, a resort destination about 50 miles from where the hurricane first made impact. while the most violent part of the storm appeared to hit sparsely populated areas, it was still a wild ride for tourists stuck in the popular beach town, puerto vallarta. >> we have our water, we have

our food, we're going to be in meditation and sending prayers for the area. >> reporter: hurricane patricia is not just strong, the storm is huge, spanning a 170-mile stretch of mexico's popular coastline. more than 7 million people in this storm's path. stunning images from space show patricia's size, while images from inside the storm show patricia's violent fury. hurricane hunters flew through the eye, collecting valuable data right before patricia reached land. at one point, winds had reached 200 miles an hour, the strongest storm ever measured in the western hemisphere. even though it weakened a little, patricia is still the strongest hurricane to ever touch down on mexico's pacific coast. the extent of damage, especially in isolated areas, won't be known until later today when crews can assess everything in the daylight. overnight, mexico's president said that the first reports indicate that the extent of damage is less than expected so

far for a storm of this magnitude. jeff and erica? >> joe, thanks so much. certainly could have been so much worse. we'll check back in with joe later. >> we will. joining us by phone is diana park-alfred, an american in puerto vallarta this morning. diana, good morning. >> good morning. >> so, give us a sense. we know you were evacuated from your hotel yesterday, but then actually back there by 9:30 last night, as i understand it. what's the damage like that you can see, both at the hotel and on that ride back from town? >> so, we expected the worst, and everybody at the hotel evacuated us early in the morning. they were supposed to keep us in the ballroom. however, local police authorities had been ordered to send us out, so we had to evacuate to the nearby university, and the damage was very minimal, very surprisingly. we feel very blessed. but in about 11 hours, we were able to head back on the buses

back to the resort. and the damage -- i mean, it's pitch black out here, but there's not a wind blowing in the palm trees right now. handled? you're an american. i know you've watched reports of different storms of varying magnitudes affecting the u.s. but as you're dealing with the response there in mexico, how do you think it was handled? >> so, i think that the staff of the hotel, they were very helpful. we were very impressed with everybody. a little bit of confusion, obviously, so the mood was excited and scared and nervous, and they did a very good job of facilitating everything. it was unbelievable, though, how the u.s. is getting so many different reports and stories, and we're getting texts from family and phone calls, and we were just anticipating the worst. so, i'm not sure how that correspondence happened, and everyone's saying it's the worst, it's the worst, and we

not too bad of any of the 200-mile-an-hour. >> so, dodging a bullet there. it did move a little bit and didn't end up hitting puerta vallarta, as you mentioned. you mentioned how wonderful the staff had been at the hotel. had they talked at all about their families or locally, if they were able to check in with some of their loved ones and let you know the sense that they got from them? >> yes. so, i mean, they gave us updates as often as they could while, you know, serving food. and the general manager of the hotel shared with us that he was away from his family. his son was still at the hotel. they were making sure that everything was okay here so that we could get back. so, they did always ask for us to pray for the people who got hit hard. from what we understood it was manzanillo. so, we were very blind out there, working on whatever we could, getting updates, but we felt pretty sheltered from there. >> well, glad to hear that everyone who was in your

and that the folks there who live there year-round are doing okay, too. diana park-alford, thanks for your time. >> thank you. >> good to see she's okay. as we said, mexico's not alone this morning. residents in texas are dealing with what forecasters are flooding. overnight, police have been rescuing stranded vehicles and telling drivers to get off the roads, find a parking lot and even sleep in their cars. as hurricane patricia is going to turn things from bad to even worse. nbc's janet shamlian live in dallas with the very latest. janet, good morning. >> reporter: jeff, good morning to you. we are getting hit by another band of heavy rain right now, 16 inches in the town of corsicana last night. it shut down a portion of interstate 45 for a while, impacted thousands of people who are traveling through the city's two airports, and now we are awaiting for what's next. and despite the warnings for people not to drive through the water, rescuers' lives were put

insisting, or at least try ing ing to do it. heavy rain and flash flooding soaking cities across texas. this is corsicana, about an hour south of dallas, where high water shut down interstate 45. around the city, rescue after rescue. >> i was pretty much holding around her waist and then holding on to the metal on the bridge, and then just trying not to let go. >> i have a female and her 3-year-old daughter, she's advising that the water is up to her vehicle. >> reporter: across the north and eastern parts of the state, a deluge. some motorists ignoring the warnings, ateam tempting to drive through the rising water. >> you can see how the rain just never stops. >> reporter: the system hobbled air travel. more than 500 flights canceled at love field and dfw airports with a ripple effect across the country. as much as 10 inches of rain. texas has been dry for months, so it's not all bad news. >> here in dallas, they've had more rain in the past day than they've picked up since july 4th. the drought came roaring back

late summer, so this is a big help for the farmers and lowers the fire danger. >> reporter: but this morning, a second, perhaps more dangerous threat -- the remnants of hurricane patricia could deliver flooding in southeast texas and along the coast. houston has gone to a level 1 alert. >> it is a dangerous event. we will have a lot of rain in a very short period of time. >> reporter: a hard-hit region now bracing for what could be round two. so, what happens now? well, this system is supposed to be moving out. we haven't seen that yet. and the focus moves to southeast texas, places like houston. while patricia has been downgraded to a category 1, it still could bring flooding to the coast and to cities like houston and beaumont, because it takes nothing at all for it to flood there. we'll be watching it from there, coming up. guys, back to you. >> all right, be safe there. janet shamlian, thanks. dylan is back now with more of a forecast for patricia and what it could mean for the folks in texas, as janet was giving us little bit of a preview there. >> yeah, keep in mind, since this was the third strongest storm ever on earth, it has a lot of moisture with it.

so, even though the storm is weakening as far as winds are concerned, it still has a lot of moisture, and that's going to run into texas. now that the storm, though, has made landfall, and it's moving over the mountainous terrain of mexico, winds have now dropped to 75 miles per hour. it's picked up forward speed, it's moving northeast at 21 miles per hour. and as this area of low pressure continues to get closer to southern texas, that's when we're going to see heavy bands of rain today, through the morning on sunday, then eventually it moves off into louisiana, where we could see some flooding in low-lying areas as well. the rain that's moving through texas right now is all associated with a stalled front. austin. in some areas, we've already picked up more than a foot of rain, so we do have flash flood watches in red. we have actually warnings in red, flash flood watches in the greener color there, because of the torrential downpours that remnants of patricia make their way eastward. so, we could end up with as much as an additional 7 to 10 inches of rain in some areas. coastal flooding will be an

pushed onshore, so we could see some concerns right along the coast as well. jeff? >> all right, dylan dreyer, thank you so much. now to our other big story, the race for the white house. hillary clinton trying to keep the momentum going after what political analysts say was a very good week for her, while on the republican side, donald trump is on the attack yet again against another rival, as jeb bush is searching for answers. we have two reports on this busy morning. we begin with ron allen, who's covering hillary clinton. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, jeff. that test is in iowa, a huge democratic party gathering later tonight, the jefferson jackson dinner, where the candidates will try to pack the room with supporters and make a huge political statement, as hillary clinton tries to build on what some are saying could be a huge step forward for her campaign. >> hello, everybody! >> reporter: in virginia, hillary clinton enjoying what looked like a victory lap after leaping several huge hurdles. that congressional hearing about the attack in benghazi, libya, that left four americans dead.

of you put together. >> reporter: that after vice president biden decided not to challenge the former secretary of state. two other competitors have dropped out, and an endorsement friday from the union that represents government workers. all following what many say was a strong showing by clinton at that first democratic debate. >> it's great to be here with you. >> reporter: last night in an exclusive interview on msnbc, rachel maddow asked clinton what she did after that marathon benghazi hearing, some 11 hours on the hot seat, more than 300 questions. >> i had my whole team come over to my house, and we sat around eating indian food and drinking wine and beer. >> reporter: but today, no kicking back, as clinton returns to iowa, where the last time she ran for president, clinton lost a lead in the polls and ended up losing to barack obama in the first state where voters actually voted. history that bernie sanders, now in a tight race with clinton in iowa, hopes to repeat. last night, sanders trying to get some momentum going at a so-called "feel the burn" rally.

>> if we win here in iowa, and i think we've got a good chance to do it, and if we win in new hampshire, and i think we've got a good chance to do that, we have a road to victory. >> reporter: and for clinton, benghazi still is not over, with the fbi probing whether classified information was mishandled during the investigation. and another challenge for clinton, polls like a recent nbc news/"wall street journal" survey saying only 26% of those asked gave clinton high marks for honesty and trust. jeff, erica? >> ron allen, thanks. turning now to florida, where republican contender donald trump lashed out at a rally in florida overnight amid new polls that say he's losing his lead to ben carson, this as jeb bush's campaign begins to show cracks with a reboot and a staff shake-up. and there is word he's hunkering down with his brother and father in houston this weekend. nbc's hallie jackson is in jacksonville, florida, this morning. that's where trump is holding another campaign event today. hallie, good morning.

side. >> reporter: yeah, definitely a busy morning, erica. today we're seeing donald trump taking the gloves off against ben carson. and today we're also getting some new reaction from team carson about all this. at his rally in miami, we saw donald trump, despite repeated interruptions by protesters, press on with this speech in which he talked about not just ben carson, but about his poll numbers specifically in iowa, where carson appears to be surging. that's what we've seen in a couple new polls, including the bloomberg/"des moines register" poll showing carson up about nine percentage points over trump. trump took aim not just at carson, but at the polls, too. listen. >> i don't believe those polls, by the way, because both of those pollsters do not like me. we have a breaking story, donald trump has fallen to second place

we informed ben, but he was sleeping. ben carson is super low energy, right? it's super. he's super low. super low energy. we need -- >> reporter: well, today the carson team is responding. a top campaign aide telling me that dr. carson was not just awake but wide awake when the results of those polls were announced. low energy, of course, is an insult that we've heard before from donald trump against jeb bush, and now bush himself is dealing with some campaign issues. he's on a kind of course correction, cutting salaries, shifting around staff and resources, a sign that his campaign is acknowledging that the strategy used so far simply isn't working. and it puts some pressure on bush at next week's debate. that's turning into a real make-or-break moment for him. he's got to show that he can move the needle. in the days ahead of that debate, erica and jeff, we've learned that he will be holding some private efforts with supporters in texas, and he's getting some presidential star power, too. his brother and father, the joining him. guys?

>> hallie jackson for us this morning. hallie, thank you. turning now to new clues in the hunt for the gunman in that deadly shooting at tennessee state university. >> good morning. police have released newly analyzed footage of the attack at tennessee state university that left one person dead and two wounded. the video from university surveillance cameras shows two people opening fire outside the campus center. police are still searching for some of those involved. they say it's not known if the person killed was one of those shooting. the incident was said to have been sparked by a dispute over a dice game. there are new accusations against bill cosby, as two more women come forward with claims of sexual assault or misconduct by the star. the attorney for the two said that she has also been contacted by even more women prepared to come forward. the two women joined more than 50 who have come forward so far with allegations dating back to the 1960s. bill cosby has denied previous allegations and has never been criminally charged. prison authorities are

theater gunman james holmes. according to a corrections department spokesman, holmes was assaulted by fellow inmate mark daniels while the two were being moved within their colorado penitentiary. no injuries were reported in the attack. holmes was sentenced to multiple life terms for the massacre at an aurora, colorado, theater wounded. and in major league baseball, it will be the kansas city royals taking the american world series. the royals beat the toronto blue jays 4-3 before a hometown crowd to seal the deal in game six of the american league championship. kansas city will now face the mets, hosting the new york team in the first game of the world series on tuesday. guys? >> i remember when i was a kid, 1986, being in my living room with my parents. i grew up on long island. it was a big moment when the mets were in. let's go mets! >> i'm watching kansas city. wait! >> that's good. it will make for a nice rivalry. >> there you go. "today." thanks.

dylan's got a further check of the weather. yes. we are looking at cooler temperatures to start working into the middle of the country. there's a cold front moving in, the same front that's been causing all the heavy rain recently in texas, and then with patricia moving in, we are looking at more heavy rain. we could even see some scattered showers around the great lakes, then it cools into the 60s behind that front. still not all that cold for t good saturday morning, everyone. 39 degrees in boston. 40s down through the south shore, the cape and the islands. closer to 30, though, north and west of town, where we've had clear skies. mainly dry, though, thought the -- throughout the day today. we've had clouds backing in off the ocean. at times partly to mostly sunny skies. even inland we'll see more clouds into the mix. temperatures couple degrees either side of 50. passing shower or two tomorrow morning. then dry and mild for the afternoon. we are back into the 60s tomorrow afternoon. brighter skies on monday and tuesday. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thanks. still to come on "today," catching you up on the week in news, from oscar pistorius

leaving prison to that shocking video of a driving smashing into a motorcycle, and a big week for all the "back to the future" fans. 30 years after the movie became a cult classic, we've got a look at all of it and a few more things in "the download." but first, this is "today" on

back now on a saturday morning with "the download," our chance to take a look back at the week's biggest stories. >> here's a recap quickly of the headlines that grabbed our attention this week. a week to remember in washington. hillary clinton on the hot seat, testifying about benghazi. >> you know, i would imagine i've thought more about what happened than all of you put together. i've lost more sleep than all of you put together. >> the former secretary of state trying to keep her cool over an issue that's dogged her presidential campaign. while potential rival, vice president joe biden, announced

he's not running. >> i believe we're out of time, the time necessary to mount a winning campaign for the nomination. >> and congressman paul ryan finally threw his hat in the ring, but for house speaker. >> my greatest worry is the consequence of not stepping up, of some day having my own kids ask me, when the stakes were so high, why didn't you do all you could do? in south africa, oscar pistorius walked out of prison and into house arrest. >> he'll serve the last four years of a five-year sentence at his uncle's house. >> he will go to work, he will come home, he won't have access to guns. back home, road rage turned deadly in albuquerque, new mexico. a 4-year-old girl shot and killed. >> lilly was shot in the head as her father drove her home from school. >> if i would have let her move her seat over six inches.

six inches. and in ft. worth, texas, a jaw-dropping video. >> the driver of a car that veered into a motorcycle on a texas roadway, sending its two riders tumbling, has now been charged. >> you hit them! >> i don't care. in denver, a passenger pleaded guilty for trying to catch his flight in a very unusual way. >> this man missed his plane, so obviously, he decided to burst through an airport emergency door, run on to the tarmac to stop the plane. strike three called! >> flying high. the new york mets, as they clinch their bid to the world series. >> they haven't been to the world series since 2000, and the mets are on their way back. >> the win spoiling a "back to the future" prediction made 30 years ago this week. >> wait a minute. cubs win world series. >> the cast joined us to celebrate the movie's anniversary.

to you all the time, christopher? >> oh, "where we're going --." >> we don't need roads. >> and finally, another classic making waves this week, "star wars" out with a new trailer from "the force awakens." >> the force, it's calling to you. >> are you going to see "star wars"? >> oh, you know, i hadn't thought about it. i'm sure i will. my kids want to see it, so we'll go. >> does anybody have tickets yet? did you wake up and -- >> no, but i have a lot of friends who did. brian did, didn't he? >> he waited in line? >> no, he did not. just so he's not a total -- >> but he got his tickets. >> not yet. >> not yet? you'd better get him some. >> we just went to our high school reunion. did you go to yours? >> i'm into mine, i am. but if you miss your flight, you'll just have to get the next one. >> it's fascinating because you hear such mixed reactions from people on reunions. like, you really want to go that badly that you're busting on to the tarmac? >> he might have a really cool

job that he needs to show off. >> here's the deal, everybody knows what's up with him now. now we all know. >> he was the nerd in high school and now he's making it rich, yeah. still to come on "today," supermodel heidi klum getting ready for her favorite holiday of the year, halloween. this morning, a sneak peek at her costume. >> for the girl scout meeting. okay. for the soccer team. for the girl scout meeting. how many meetings are you having? stop & shop just dropped prices

on thousands more items. which makes the checkout lane, victory lane. my stop & shop. >> announcer: this is 7 news now. >> a cold start to our weekend. chris lambert has a check of the forecast for us. >> nancy, a lot of clouds in boston. we have most of the clouds, temperatures the warm theft morning, 30s and 40s. clear skies well off to the north and west. more clouds backing in off the ocean, so at times partly to mostly cloudy skies throughout the day. temperatures averaging into the wer 50s. now tomorrow morning we'll start off with a couple of passing showers, including out there detail gate at gillette. we'll dry out in the afternoon, including for kickoff. temperatures in the low 60s. chris, thank you. now to the day's top stories. a fiery crash on the cape overnight. police say a teenage driver

crashed into a tree on great marsh roaded in centreville around 2:00 this morning. the pickup truck then burst into flames. fire officials say the teen was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. no charges have been filed. and police are searching for an escaped prisoner in bourne. they say 24-year-old man slipped out of his handcuffs, got out of the cruiser, jumped over a fence and then ran away when they arrived at the station last night. police had arrested him on outstanding warrants after a traffic stop. he is not considered dangerous. and methuen police arresting two students accused of threatening to shoot at tenney middle school. some students told staff members a 14-year-old told them not to come to school monday because he was going to shoot the school up. police did not find any guns at

back now on this saturday morning, october 24th, 2015, with images for you of hurricane patricia in mexico. it is now weakening. patricia's weakened to a category 1 storm. authorities warned tourists and residents, though, they are not out of the woods yet. there is still a threat of killer mudslides. the storm's remnants are also making their way toward texas, so a lot of people really focused on that. at this point, though, no reports of death, which is very, very good news. we begin our coverage with nbc's joe fryer, who's on the ground in ixcapa, mexico, just south of where the hurricane made a direct hit. joe, good morning.

>> reporter: good morning, erica. the storm has weakened considerably. overnight, mexico's president saying the first reports seem to indicate that the damage is not as extensive as many might have feared or expected with a storm of this magnitude. still, we really won't know the full extent of the damage until daybreak, when crews can get out and take a look, especially in isolated, low-lying areas, and there are a number of those up and down this coast. when the hurricane made an hour. that's a major category 5 storm. still, it was less than the 200-mile-an-hour storm that had been measured earlier in the day. the storm made landfall about 50 miles north-northwest of manzanillo. the strongest part of the storm appeared to hit sparsely populated areas. still, lots of damage reported. we're hearing about downed trees, flooding and landslides. hurricane-force winds covered 35 miles of the coast, but in the popular tourist town of puerto vallarta, where many were unable to evacuate, there is a lot of relief. people there were bracing for

the worst, but so far, no major damage reported there. still, this storm is not over, and this morning, mexico's government is urging people not to let down their guard as this system continues to move through the country, a history-making storm. erica? >> joe fryer for us this morning. joe, thank dylan is out on the plaza with another check of the weather. good morning. >> the weather moving through texas is really a cold front moving through the area. patricia will move through later of it. the cold front is cooling things down through parts of the midwest and into the northeast as well. we are seeing a whole blank map there but you can tell by those blue arrows on the right side of below-average temperatures, and to see. on! we've got temperatures, highs only in the 50s today in new york. it should be about 58 degrees back through the midwest. temperatures will be above average through nashville, into memphis, where we're in the 70s, but then it will cool off, especially as we go into

tomorrow. we are looking for this front to trigger a couple of showers and storms, especially through the eastern great lakes, stretching into the northeast on sunday, but they fizzle out a lot as they move eastward. today, though, the focus will be down through texas. and then as we go into sunday, the heaviest of the rain will start to move into louisiana with some areas picking up an additional 5 to up to 10 inches of rain. and keep in mind, parts of southeast texas south of dallas have already picked up 18 inches of rain. so, flash good saturday morning, everyone. 39 degrees in boston. 42 in plymouth. it's cold north and west of boston, especially across southern new hampshire. there. that's where we've had mainly clear skies. more low clouds have been backing in, though, off the ocean across far eastern mass, down through southeastern mass. mostly cloudy skies. apple picking this afternoon, cool day. lower 50s. we'll have a couple of isolated showers out there for tomorrow morning. should dry out in the afternoon. tomorrow is a warmer day.

a bit cooler again but and we have a special guest out on the plaza. this is julie nelson, one of our favorite anchors from nbc's kare 11 in minneapolis. today is make a difference day. >> hi, dylan. we're excited to be here today to get the word out about this wonderful day. millions of people are waking up getting ready to serve their communities for make a difference day. it was started by tegna and gwinnett, which own television stations and newspapers across the country. it's a way to give back to the communities we serve, but it's grown into the single largest day of service in the country. so, different things going on around the country. in minneapolis/st. paul, good morning, kare 11 viewers, lots of folks are waking up to serve the homeless. the nbc affiliate in phoenix, kpnx, they're partnering with a local non-profit to help students who speak english as a second language navigate the college loan and application process. and the station in grand rapids are spear heading a bone marrow drive. so, all kinds of things going on around the country and it's not too late to get involved.

volunteer. >> it's fabulous. go to makeadifferenceday.com, type in your zip code and you can find out what's going on in your community. a heartfelt thanks to the millions out there today making to live. so, thanks for the time to promote it. >> thanks so much for being here, thank you for all you're doing, thank you to all the volunteers who are helping so many people in need across the country. it really is a wonderful day, make a difference day. >> fabulous. thank you, dylan. >> good stuff. >> dylan, thanks. up next, controversy over a florida. it's the first of its kind in

coughing...sniffling... and wishing you could stay in bed all day. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better.tm to the used car buyer who's worried about getting taken for a ride... don't worry. the only rides you'll get taken on at carmax are the ones you take yourself. but just in case that absolutely 100 percent perfect choice... ...turns out to be... less than perfect... your mind.

sorry. softer, smoother skin after just one shower? dove body wash with a breakthrough formula. just one shower gives you softer, smoother skin. my skin is really silky smooth. dove body wash.

look at you, saving money part d prescriptions. at walgreens, we call that "carpe med diem." that's almost latin for "seize the day to get more out of life and medicare part d." from one-dollar copays on select plans... ...to now reward points on all prescriptions, walgreens has you covered. so drop by and seize the savings! walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning at 38 minutes past the hour. this morning, for the first time in decades, more than 3,300 hunters will be out in florida looking to kill black bears, and it's legal. state officials say the controversial hunt is needed to reduce an overpopulation of aggressive bears.

but as nbc's kerry sanders reports, critics say it's not helping, it's just a slaughter. >> reporter: the gunfire and the crossbow arrows this morning are aimed at florida's black bears. up to 320 bears in the crosshairs, because wildlife officials say too many now wander from the wilderness into populated neighborhoods. >> oh, he's got a bag of food! >> reporter: in some cases, trapping residents in their homes. >> oh, my gosh, he's huge. >> reporter: or worse, leading to bear attacks. >> i saw this large bear charging at me. >> reporter: terry frana spoke to nbc news last year after being confronted by five bears at her orlando area home. >> and then she opened her jaw and clamped down on to my head. i could just hear her teeth marks going through my scalp. >> reporter: florida game officials say with an estimated

3,000 bears now in the state, a hunt is the best and quickest solution to the overpopulation problem. critics who pushed for trapping and then relocating bears, rather than hunting them, lost in court. >> it's more than a hunt. it's a hunt and it's a slaughter. we need to restore their habitat first before we can draw a conclusion to say there are too many bears. >> reporter: bears were first lured to the neighborhoods by rotting garbage. now they're accustomed, say some animal behaviorists, to eat food that's been left out, like at the feeding stations set up by deer hunters, spots bear hunters can use today. >> i'll look you in the eye and i'll tell you, i kill ducks, i kill deer, i'll kill a bear, if i get a chance. but also, when i go to the grocery store, somebody killed that steak. >> reporter: those with permits say today's hunt will include male bears, which have been known to cannibalize cubs when they're stressed. >> when there's an overpopulation, the male bears will kill the cubs.

then, by killing the bears, you're saving the bears? >> you are saving a lot of cubs. >> reporter: a controversial hunt for florida's black bears that two decades ago here were nearing extinction. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, longwood, florida. up next, why actress kate winslet insists on keeping it real, demanding her photos not be retouched, as teen star zendaya puts a fashion magazine on blast for the very same issue. it's all a

emerge restored. fortified. replenished. emerge everyday with emergen-c packed with b vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. why not feel this good everyday? emerge and see. feel a cold sore coming on? only abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. it penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells.. don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. abreva. next up at the plate... chobani flip. greek yogurt with a flip of tasty goodies on the side. it's the break, you make! to love this life is to live it... naturally.

when your cold makes you wish... ...you could stay... ...in bed all day... ...you need the power of... rnew theraflu expressmax. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better. with the pain and swelling of my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ordinary objects often seemed... intimidating. doing something simple... meant enduring a lot of pain. if ra is changing your view of everyday things orencia may help. orencia works differently by targeting a source of ra early in the inflammation process. for many, orencia provides long-term relief of ra symptoms. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with

another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you're prone to or have any infection like an open sore, the flu, or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd. if you're not getting the relief you need... ask your doctor about orencia. orencia. see your ra in a different way. back now on a saturday morning. feels like the perfect time for a little "trending," does it not? >> yeah.

has a new feature called fright-geist. it tracks the most popular costumes. so, if you want to make sure you're on trend or if you want to be a little different. this is what you want to avoid. the feature pulls google trends to get the top costume searches nationally and in a city near you. what are this year's most popular costumes? >> what are they, erica? >> you're in luck, kids, here bego! the dc comics character harley quinn is number one. she is the joker sidekick in the "batman" comics and also a main character in next year's "suicide squad" movie. so, these people really ahead of the curve. rounding out the top five costumes, star wars, a superhero, pirate and batman. overall, it seems like a superhero, comic book trend this halloween. >> seems like the same costumes have been popular for years, the superhero, star wars. >> they've got staying power. >> all right. have you heard the term hangry before? >> i've never heard of hangry before. >> yourhildren don't get hangry? >> now that i know what it is.

before the show. >> my husband's like, you need to eat something. >> yeah. hangry, it's sort of when you're so hungry, it makes you just downright angry. blame for this. according to scientists at the f of -- you're off the hook. it is a survival mechanism that may have been genetically passed down from our ancestors. your great grandfather was hangry. >> he might have been a caveman and had this issue when he was hungry. >> in prehistoric times, if you let other people eat your food and you were polite about it, there was a chance you wouldn't eat. so, the more aggressive people had a survival advantage. the study also found that hunger is a signal the brain needs for more fuel, and if your brain doesn't have enough of it, well, that makes you cranky. >> understandable. >> there we go. >> yeah. >> hangry. >> so, the next time i tell you to eat something, children in my house, eat it. >> yeah. finally, what's a "trending" segment without that sweet, little aww moment?

who doesn't love to play air guitar to their favorite song? well, it's not just the air guitar. check out this adorable baby who is now being called an air piano prodigy. >> wow. >> seriously. >> that's mozart. >> that's some good editing. i like that. >> wait, editing? >> i mean, like, to the music. i mean, it's -- >> but i mean, he's really doing it. >> oh, he's really -- >> what came first, the piano music or the -- >> that's my question, was he just tapping the table like cute babies do, then they added the music. >> oh, i thought the music was playing, so he was actually on beat. >> i guess they added it, but -- >> whatever, he's so cute. >> he's adorable. >> and he's looking at something -- >> he looks, like, excited and into it, intense. turning now to grammy-winning singer adele, out with her first album in years.

winslet saying no to touching. >> we all know adele sent fans into a frenzy yesterday with the release of her new song "hello" from her upcoming album "25," but it almost didn't happen. speaking to bbc radio 2, adele admitted she struggled writing this album, thinking she'd dry up, if you will, even considered retirement. i think i speak for fans everywhere when i say we're certainly glad she didn't throw in the towel. and speaking of fans, in less than 24 hours since the fan's release, someone created a mash-up of her song "hello" with lionel richie's song "hello." hello hello, is it me you're looking for >> i love it. >> all right, let's talk about kate winslet now. she's taking a stand for herself and the next generation. kate is a spokesmodel for lorel cosmetics and she just had it written into her contract that her image cannot be retouched in

any way. she told "e!" news she needs to set an example. this is on the heels of zendaya speaking out after her cover spread was photo-shopped, posting on instagram the retouched photo on the left and then the original on the right, saying she was shocked. look at this. and these are "the things that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have." the magazine has since removed the pictures, but a lot of actresses saying they don't want to be retouched anymore. >> love it. and it's no secret that supermodel heidi klum loves halloween. take a look at her previous outrageous costumes. by the looks of things, she won't disappoint either. she gave fans a sneak peek of her costume for her halloween party, showing two men attaching prosthetics to the supermodel before fitting enter had a gold gown. any ideas? some speculate heidi is going to remake kim kardashian's infamous break the internet spread, here you go. but all the supermodel will say is "this year's costume is sort of a male's fantasy." >> oh, lord.

>> sorry, when you -- >> there you go. >> into my monitor, i'm like, heidi klum. >> she doesn't even need the costume. she can just go as heidi klum, right? >> just go as heidi klum, yeah, that's true. just ahead, we'll take you back to mexico. we'll get you a live update on hurricane patricia. also, we'll let you know what people in nearby texas can expect in the coming hours. but first, this is "today" on nbc. leadership isn't given.

ahead on "today," yet another death on the field for a high school football player. is there a way to prevent these tragedies? plus, the manhunt for a modern-day bonnie and clyde wanted for robbing banks up and down the east coast. now police are warning the

public to be on the lookout. so jill, i know the markets have taken a hit lately. mmm hmm. we came to manage over $800 billion in assets, through face time when you really need it. it's how edward jones makes sense of investing.

coughing...sniffling... and wishing you could stay in bed all day. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better.tm i need new carpet. ok. i have two dogs. and a husband. house trained? my husband? no, the dogs. sometimes. i'd suggest stainmaster pet protect carpet. why? incredibly durable and stain resistant. that's why they call it master it's... i got it. purchase stainmaster carpet and pad by 11/2, and get basic install by thanksgiving for free. i've smoked a lot and quit a lot, but ended up nowhere. now i use this. the nicoderm cq patch, with unique extended release technology, helps prevent the urge to smoke all day. i want this time to be my last time. that's why i choose nicoderm cq.

did you know that good nutrition is critical for brain health? brain food, hmmm. ensure has b vitamins that help support brain health - now that's smart nutrition. ensure's complete balanced nutrition has 26 vitamins and minerals and 9 grams of protein. ensure. take life in. (door bell rings) trick or treat! hello, don't you look so cute! happy halloween! (door bell rings again) trick or treat! you two again. thank you! (bell rings... yet again) (announcer) this halloween, whether it's a little fun or full-on festive, petsmart helps you celebrate your way! save 50% on all halloween toys

you. 7news "today in new england" is

strong rain and heavy winds hit mexico. >> a teenaged driver gets a treat. a prisoner escaping custody and how he was able to get away. the crews rush to find el face faro before the batteries run out. more on how this boy's wish was granted. those story plus your weekend