? good morning. let the games begin. all eyes on rio with the opening ceremony of the 2016 olympic games now just hours away. the american flag raised over the athletes village as crews put the final touches on iconic nearly 5,000 performers, 11,000 athletes, all getting ready, and over 1 billion people set to watch around the globe. we have your exclusive sneak peek today, friday, august 5th, 2016. team usa has won back-to-back gold medals! >> another strong finish by phelps! >> announcer: from nbc news,

"today at the olympic games" with matt lauer live from rio de janeiro, brazil, and savannah guthrie live from rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everyone. welcome to a split edition of "today" on a friday morning. savannah, it's great to see you. we have reached the final hours of our countdown to tonight's opening ceremony of the 2016 olympic games. and i'll be honest with excited, i'm nervous, i'm all of the above. >> you're nervous? what? you don't have to do a back flip, do you? >> no, you know what, that's actually right. you know, we are hosting the opening ceremony. what do we have to be nervous about? we're not competing in the olympic games. i have to tell you, savannah, you've been to the olympics, you know sometimes in the morning when the crowd gathers here at an olympic set, you have wonderful, little moments, unexpected moments. i had one of those a second ago. i was walking around talking to

on copacabana beach, and i walked up to this guy right here, and i said, hey, love the t-shirts, team usa, you've got the simone biles faces there. who are you here to see? he goes, oh, she's my sister. that's ron biles right there. >> hi, everybody. >> this is his friend, brandon. >> brandon, yes. >> are you nervous? >> yes, definitely nervous, but excited to be here finally in rio, so. >> is she nervous? >> not yet. >> no? >> she said's than ever, just excited to compete, so we're looking forward to it. >> it's nice of you to come down. thank you so much. i'm going to steal that. thank you very much. >> simone's one of those names that's going to be on everyone's lips by the time this two weeks of the olympics is over. by the way, we've got some excitement here, matt. we've got blake shelton in concert, and we've got a great crowd getting ready for that. and we have a lot of news this morning, politics, of course, including our "today" exclusive with governor mike pence. he's running for vice president,

their first sit-down together. matt, back to you for now. >> savannah, thanks. let's begin with what you can expect to see tonight. nbc's peter alexander is seven miles to the north of copacabana beach at that stadium. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, matt. good morning to you and welcome to the iconic maracana stadium. how do you like my portuguese? we've been practicing for like 48 hours to make sure we get that right. this is where they'll be hosting tonight's opening ceremony, already being touted as an brazilian culture. but in this country that's still in the midst of a political and economic crisis, the budget's going to be just a fraction, about one-tenth of the opening in london four years ago. still, it's expected to showcase this country's warmth and hospitality. the city of sombo welcoming the world. at athletes village, the

american flag raised, something they expect to see more of. >> now that you're here representing your friends and family, it's about the whole country. >> a profound sense of patriotism that i've never felt before. >> reporter: tonight, the highly anticipated opening ceremony, expected to be watched by more than a billion people around the globe. among its themes, tolerance. the ceremony's creative directors saying this year's less about opulence and more about passion. >> we have social problems, but even when you go to very poor to smile and they're friendly and are happy, and i guess the spirit is in the ceremony. >> i think there is something very special about brazil, which is, i call it this location for happiness. >> reporter: that happy nas now extends to 271 russian athletes officially cleared to compete. but in the wake of a doping scandal, more than 100 others from the country's original

is no place to hide for cheats. >> reporter: hitting the court, nothing but net. the u.s. men's basketball team eyeing another gold, headed up by four-time olympic carmelo anthony. >> for us as players representing the united states, this is the best way that we can go out there and send a message is by winning a gold medal and showing the world that we're united through all the turmoil that's going back on in our country. >> reporter: here in brazil, a country obsessed with soccer, the brazilian men's opening performance not sitting well with the [ booing ] >> some jeers from these fans. >> reporter: a scoreless draw against south africa for a team facing intense pressure to rebound after its disappointing silver medal finish in 2012. and tonight, 207 delegations will take part in this parade of nations. that includes the team of refugees. they will be beneath the olympic flag with no country and no flag to call their own, demonstrating

lighting the cauldron tonight, still a tightly kept secret. a lot of speculation right now that it will be pele. but frankly, matt, we still don't know. >> and by the way, we've been there for two rehearsals, peter. we don't know. we have no idea. thank you very much, peter. here are my fellow hosts for tonight's opening ceremony, hoda and meredith. ladies, good morning. >> good morning to you. >> good morning, matt! >> i think that refugee team when they come into the stadium, they'r response. it will be very emotional. let's just try and tell people what else they can expect to see. >> well, as they were saying in the piece, you know, they didn't have a lot of money for this olympics, so they went low-tech, which is actually a good thing, because nothing can go wrong. there's no machine to break, except the projector. >> low-tech, high-heart. >> big heart. it's all about the energy of the people. they are the heroes of the ceremony. >> and i think it's fun. if you like dancing and partying and just to get up off the

and scratch your chin and go, isn't that nice? this is a get up, get in it and almost participate. >> it's carnival. >> i feel lucky. my parents loved the bossa nova growing up, tom jobine, they played it in our house. i guarantee you after you watch this opening ceremony, you're going to want to download a lot of this music that gets stuck in your head, and it really gets you in the spirit. >> and the people here are just -- you know, the news has been for months about the negative. i came here with six cans o haven't seen a mosquito until this morning, one -- >> in the car when we were on the way over here. >> exactly. it was in the van, actually! >> we almost died in the van. >> but you get here and the people are lovely, the spirit is fantastic. we talk about pressing the restart button tonight on brazil and the olympics, and i think it's going to be a wonderful moment. >> you know what's funny? it reminds me, kind of oddly, of when new orleans was in the super bowl, and it was after katrina and everyone walked up to everyone from new orleans and said, are you okay, is it okay? and all of a sudden, on the big

they won the super bowl, and everyone saw it. and you sort of feel that way here, right? people are concerned and worried, but you hope at opening ceremony, the game will begin. >> great dancing. huge names like michael phelps walking in with the american flag, leading team usa. another major superstar will be involved in the show tonight. >> major. >> we'll tell you a little bit more about that in our next half hour. >> and matt will be wearing a speedo throughout the opening ceremony. >> no, undery >> and more fun like this begins tonight at 7:30 eastern and pacific right here on nbc. and coming up in our next half hour, we will have that exclusive sneak peek at what you'll see involving one of the world's biggest stars. savannah? >> okay, looking forward. guys, thanks. here at home, hillary clinton is expanding her lead in the presidential race. take a look at the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" national poll. it shows 47% for clinton and running mate tim kaine.

mate, mike pence. it has been a rough week for the republican ticket. almost daily missteps, some fiery criticism from republican party leaders, and yes, almost daily jabs from president obama. we've got two reports this morning, starting with nbc's hallie jackson. she's on the campaign trail this morning in wisconsin. hallie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah. good morning to you. and this morning, donald trump is now responding to president obama's latest remarks, tweeting overnight "the t the dnc how they rigged the election for bernie sanders." trump leaned into his controversial rigged system critique as president obama leans into his own attacks, too. on the president's birthday, no surprises. >> i don't even really know where to start. >> reporter: as he tears into donald trump yet again, this time for these comments -- >> i'm afraid the election's going to be rigged. i have to be honest. >> of course, the elections will not be rigged. what does that mean?

i don't think anybody would take that seriously. >> reporter: the president in disbelief, the gop in disarray, to some. house speaker paul ryan now saying out loud what many republicans have been whispering about trump. >> he's had pretty strange run since the convention. you would think we ought to be focusing on hillary clinton, on all of her deficiencies, and it is distressing that that's not what we're talking about these days. >> reporter: even after trump refused to endorse him, ryan's still supporting the pence, of course, some calling him the clarifier in chief, trying to show a different side of the trump ticket. >> my name is matthew and i'm 11 years old. >> reporter: but even the youngest politicos wonder about pence's purpose. >> i've been noticing that you've been kind of softening up on mr. trump's policies and words. is this your role -- is this going to be your role in the administration? >> i couldn't be more proud to stand with donald trump, and we

campaign, my friend. >> reporter: now, this morning, signs that loyalty among trump's staunchest supporters is starting to slip. for the first time since january, clinton's leading trump with men, long considered his base. and while he has the edge with white voters overall and those without a college education, his advantage with those key demographics for him is shrinking. trump hopes staying on attack will help close the gap. >> hillary's made tremendous >> reporter: but in new web video sparking its own mini firestorm, look at what the trump campaign spells out over clinton's words. >> we are going to raise taxes on the middle class! >> but shut your eyes and listen again. does she say "are" or "aren't" going to raise taxing? >> we are going to raise taxes on the middle class! >> the clinton team calls it clear, she says "aren't," pointing to her longtime tax

in this case, everything. a trump aide tells me this morning the campaign stands by that video. and in the meantime, the clinton camp is taking aim at trump on something else. when asked what women he would put into a cabinet in a potential trump administration, they named only two, the one interviewing him, jokingly, and apparently more seriously, savannah, his daughter, ivanka. >> hallie jackson, thank you. and his wife, karen, will join us for their first interview together since he joined the ticket. that's a "today" exclusive next hour. in the meantime, the clinton campaign is picking up new support from a former top official at the cia. he is making the case for clinton and against donald trump in a strongly worded op ed in today's "the new york times." nbc's andrea mitchell has more on that. andrea, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. with the candidates attacking

former top cia official has endorsed hillary clinton with the startling charge that donald trump has let himself become the unwitting dupe of russia's president vladimir putin. donald trump attacking hillary clinton thursday for her private server, saying she shouldn't receive the classified briefing to be given to both candidates. >> hillary clinton, furthermore, can never be trusted with national security. you can't brief her. >> reporter: asked if trump should be trusted with the classified briefing, the president saying -- >> if they want to be president, they've got to start acting like president. >> reporter: in a searing "the new york times" column endorsing clinton today, mike morell, former deputy cia director, says trump would make a "poor, even dangerous commander in chief," citing traits including "his obvious need for self-aggrandizement" and his "overreaction to perceived slights." the former intelligence official under george w. bush and

putin, a former high-ranking kgb officer, played upon mr. trump's vulnerabilities by complimenting him. he responded just as mr. putin had calculated. trump often bragging about praise from the russian president. >> and you know, putin called me brilliant. he said donald trump is brilliant and donald trump is the leader and he said nice things about me. >> reporter: morrell writes "in the intelligence business, we would say that mr. putin had recruited mr. trump as an unwitting agent of the russian federation." trump also blasting president obama and hillary clinton for a controversial decision to return $400 million to iran on the same day iran was releasing four american detainees. however, clinton was long out of office, and the president said it was not ransom. >> we do not pay ransom for hostages. >> reporter: trump is drawing fire himself for claiming he saw video of an unmarked cargo plane delivering that cash to iran. >> the tape was made, right? you saw that, with the airplane

known video is of a smaller plane bringing the prisoners home. this morning trump tweeted an acknowledgement, it was the prisoner plane. the former cia official's startling accusation comes even as russia is trying to swing the election to trump by allegedly hacking democratic campaign websites. we've reached out to the trump campaign, which so far has not responded to this column. savannah? >> andrea, thank you so much. other news this morning. health officials say there are travel-related zika in miami but no new homegrown cases have been reported, this as the president weighs in on that outbreak, calling the need for funding critical. nbc's kerry sander has the latest on that. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, savannah. health officials say the zika carrying mosquitos here can be traced to an area that's about the size of a new york city studio apartment, 500 square feet. still, for women in the state who are pregnant, they're still

zika virus. this morning health officials in florida are bracing for thousands of women expected to want zika tests. florida governor rick scott touring the center of the zika outbreak in miami's wynnewood neighborhood pledged free tests will be given to any pregnant woman who wants one. >> we'll do everything we can to get as many test kits as we can and make sure we can meet all of the demand. >> reporter: but the rollout is slow. at several health department offices, women were told no tests yet. >> i am >> reporter: expectant mother yolan baptiste is one of the lucky ones. >> thought it was very important for me to get tested, just in case. >> reporter: tracy tol-humphrey decided not to wait and went to a private lab instead. >> i was concerned about zika, since i live very close to the area where the outbreak is, and they said no problem. >> reporter: federal funds to fight zika are stalled in congress. president obama is urging action. >> the situation is getting critical. >> reporter: the head of the cdc says this is no time to be

spreading anywhere, pregnant women should take steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites. >> reporter: it was about this time yesterday morning that a plane was flying overhead, spraying a chemical insecticide over the city. mosquito control officials say while it's a little early, they're getting positive results. they believe it has been effective. savannah? >> let's hope so. kerry sanders, thank you. turn now to al. and boy, new orleans really got it yesterday. >> i'll tell you, it's very rare for them to see tdo but a waterspout came onshore. it became an ef-0 tornado in new orleans' 7th ward. the area is still affected by katrina and the treme yea area. this thing was on the ground for about a half mile, 80-mile-per-hour winds, and you can see the damage from it was fairly extensive. luckily, no major injuries reported, but big problems now in the cleanup as that continues. and we're concerned about the

week. you can still see showers and thunderstorms, especially off the florida nature coast. there's a meandering low pressure system, deep tropical gulf moisture, no steering currents, a high pressure system that's setting up off the southeast coast. so, next three days, some areas could pick up 5 to 7 inches from cedar key down to tampa. but look at what happens over the next seven days. there could be 10 to 15 inches of rain in central california -- florida, i should say, and heavy

good morning, everybody. another gorgeous forecast for our friday. mostly sunny, low humidity, 83 to 89 for highs this afternoon. now, we will have to keep an eye out for storms and scattered showers into tomorrow, midday into the afternoon, due to this front that will push through the area. so tomorrow's a day to be weather-aware. and some of those storms could be strong to potentially severe. again, that threat here's a look at the 7 on 7 forecast. keeping >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> all right, al. thank you. still ahead, how can donald trump's campaign right the ship after a rocky week? his running mate, indiana governor mike pence joins us, along with his wife, for an exclusive, live interview. matt? all right, savannah. we have just completed

beach. and coming up, hoda catches up with the u.s. women's gymnastics team to talk about the pressure they feel going for gold and what they're doing to unwind here in rio. but first, this is "today" on nbc. four hundred million dollars. that's how much charter schools will drain from massachusetts public schools this year. four hundred million siphoned from local districts that desperately need it. four hundred million that won't fund more science and technology, arts or preschool, four hundred million unavailable to the ninety-six percent of students who don't attend charter schools. let's improve public schools for all students, not just a select few.

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alliterations, absolutely fantastic forecast. back into the 80s. lots of sunshine, and high pressure ensures it sticks around. and then we turn to this front tomorrow afternoon. it could fire up a few showers and some scattered storms. christa? >> brie, thank you. now to your headlines on this friday. the area of broadway and bee beech -- beechum street, where the rig went up on the curb and no injuries were reported. a construction worker is recovering after he got his foot stuck in a cement mixer. this happened in newton. a co-worker unplugged the machine, called for help. firefighters had to use hand tools to disassemble the machine and free the man, it took quite a while to do that, they say. now back to the "today" show in rio with more on the olympics. we're back in about half an introducing dunkin's new cold brew coffee,

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? you be my louisiana ? we're back at 7:30. it's friday morning, fifth of august, 2016. we've got a big crowd for "today" on our plaza. country superstar blake shelton is stopping byor we've been waiting all summer for this. matt, you may have the opening ceremony in rio, but you tell our friend hodie i'm with blake now. >> hodie would like to say hi to blakey, so make sure you pass that on, all right? >> i will, i will. >> meanwhile, we've got the opening ceremony in just 12 hours. we're nervous, we're excited. we just want to stay out of the way, savannah, and make sure that the stars of the show are the athletes, the music and the dancers. >> you guys are going to knock it out of the park, as always. let's start this half hour with today's top stories here.

street journal" poll showing hillary clinton has now nearly doubled her lead over donald trump in the presidential race. in a head-to-head matchup, the democratic ticket leads, 47%-38%. clinton was up by just five points last month. they're cleaning up in new orleans, where a tornado cut a half-mile path of destruction through parts of the city. several buildings collapsed in the storm and two minor injuries were reported. and the feds carried out a major bust of alleged mafia members up coast, 46 in all from several crime families indicted. prosecutors say the suspects were involved in everything from illegal gambling to health care fraud. but matt, all eyes are on you and rio. tonight's opening ceremony just hours away now. yeah, you know, the details of what people will see tonight basically shrouded in secrecy, but we can tell you a couple of things. there are going to be some very famous faces taking part,

brazilian supermodel gisele bundchen. there she is thursday night at one of the dress rehearsals joining in on the fun. she does play a role in the ceremony. here's what one of the creative directors of the show had to say about that. >> her catwalk last year, but then we propose her to do this, and she said, okay, let's suppose i didn't do that and this will be really my last, because nothing can be bigger than this. i mean, so, she's finish her career on catwalk with 3 billion people watching. for a supermodel, i think that's a great way to finish her career. >> she's involved in a really beautiful part of the ceremony to get you ready for tonight, you know what we thought would be fun? let's go back. let's look at some unforgettable moments from opening ceremonies past. how about we start in 1992, the torch-lighting in barcelona.

the sky? it goes right over the top of the cauldron. how beautiful was that? then there was the dramatic underwater lighting at the sydney games in 2000. moving forward, beijing, 2008 featured that heart-pounding performance from 2,008 drummers playinnd and who can forget this entrance from the majesty, the queen, and 007 himself, james bond, skydiving into the 2012 london opening ceremony? and finally, there was the great mystery of the 1996 atlanta games -- who would light the flame? it seemed only right that the

greatest. >> but look who gets it next. the greatest. oh, my! >> what a moment. >> still gets me all these years later. gosh, do we miss that man. and we want to know about your favorite opening ceremony moments. just tweet us using #riotoday. and don't forget, you can see the magic of ceremony tonight, 7:30 eastern and pacific right here on nbc. savannah? >> all right, you did it, matt. we've got goose bumps. i'm buying my ticket to rio. so exciting. thank you. let us get a check of the weather now. >> well, we've unfortunately still got some heat to talk about, but the good news is, it's not going to be anything near as bad as we had about two weeks ago. about 16.5 million people under some sort of heat warning or heat advisory. it's going to last into the weekend.

cooling off around the great lakes. you can see triple digits in dallas. new orleans comes close, same in atlanta, memphis and tulsa. but boy, you've got great weather from chicago, minneapolis, st. louis on into north platte, looking really good. and here in the northeast, temperatures will be in the upper 80s, into the low 90s. now, as we get into our olympic forecasting, for tomorrow, 9:20 a.m., men's water polo, usa versus croatia, about 77 degrees. then as we look sunday, we are talking about -- or saturday, i should say, men's archery. perfect weather! sunshine and 85. that's what's going on around good morning, everybody. another gorgeous forecast for our friday. mostly sunny, low humidity, 83 to 89 for highs this afternoon. now, we will have to keep an eye out for storms and scattered showers into tomorrow, midday into the afternoon, due to this front that will push through the area. so tomorrow's a day to be

be strong to potentially severe. again, that threat isn't there until tomorrow afternoon. here's a look at the 7 on 7 and get your weekend forecast on the weather channel. >> thank you, al. coming up on "trending," want to eat like an olympic athlete? wait until you hear what swimming sensation ryan lochte consumes on a daily basis. and back to rio. >> all right, their way to an olympic gold in rio? hoda talks and dances with the u.s. women's gymnastics team

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during these olympic games. and hoda had a chance to catch up with some of the biggest stars of team usa. >> i had no idea when i was going to interview them that it would break out into a dance party, but you know i like that. the u.s. women's gymnastics team, five young ladies on the brink of achieving olympic superstardom. ? they're usually poised and laser focused, but just 48 hours out from their first competition, this happened. make no mistake, these girls >> come on, girls! >> they are remarkable -- >> so much power. >> relentless. >> the landing, boom! >> and completely awe-inspiring. >> that's history right there. >> 20-year-old gabby douglas is seeking olympic gold for the second time around. >> and it's a gabby gold! >> hoping to defend her all around win in london, where she was also one of the fierce five who grabbed team gold. aly raisman was part of that

second gold in 2012 in the floor exercise. >> wow. >> oh! >> at 22, aly is now the oldest of the group. the other three girls are first-timers to the olympics. like madison kocian, who's 19. she's a master on the uneven bars, the event she won at the 2015 world championships. at 16, laurie hernandez is the team's youngest member. the new jersey native captivated the crowd at trials, and she comes to rio after all around titles in every major national and international competition she entered last year. and rounding out the girls is the simply unstoppable simone biles. >> she's the most dominant female athlete in the world today. >> simone is a three-time world champion and four-time national champion. this texas teen is a master on the vault, and simone's even got a maneuver named after her.

already considered one of the best gymnasts in the history of the sport. five girls flying high and ready to grab gold for team usa. ? keep riding high ? >> i want to tell you, when i'm in a bad mood and i'm feeling blue, this is what -- [ screaming ] >> going to the olympics! >> oh, my gosh. >> trials. >> it was right when we found we were very excited. >> i could tell you were very excited. so, you are with the japanese gymnastics team, the volleyball teams. you guys are by the olympic rings. do you think you guys are having fun? simone, tell me, you know, are you enjoying yourself? [ laughter ] >> no, we really are, though. we're having a really good time. and every time we're in the room, we're just, like, screaming and laughing. >> outside of the gym, it's important to have fun and relax your mind a little bit. >> you really do look out for

we're all lucky to have each other. and you know, i'm only 22 years old, but everyone says i'm the grandma and i'm super old. but this is like the oldest team we've had. >> how do you stay calm, gabby? how do you keep it centered? >> we all motivate and encourage each other. and i guess we've just done so many routines and we're just on autopilot. it just goes and it flows. >> come back down to simone. everybody's talking about you. that's a lot of pressure. it seems like you've figured out a way to navigate those waters, the only one that can put expectations on myself, and i know what we're capable of as a team. so i just don't let it get to me, because i know i'm the only one that can control it. so, there's no point of adding extra pressure. >> but what about zac efron? >> oh, yeah. >> okay. wait, is he coming? >> i don't know. >> okay, wait -- >> he'll be watching on the couch. >> i think this is a moment. i think if you look -- >> no, you're going to get my hopes up.

>> here he is. let's see. >> okay, zac efron, i think we need you here at the team final, because we'll all get to be there and we need you to come watch. >> excellent. okay, if it works, i'd like to say you're welcome. >> better give me that defibrillat defibrillator. [ laughter ] >> i'm amazed how loose they are with just a couple days to go to the competition. >> i was shocked. by the way, we just showed you a teeny bit of the dancing. it went on and on. and something interesting t she said i don't want them to do something spectacular on their night. i want them to do what they did last wednesday. it's not a big night, it's every day. these girls work hard every day so they don't feel incredible pressure on the day of the olympics. there is more of martha karolyi's interview on today.com. >> you can say that because they were pretty good last wednesday. >> pretty awesome. >> pretty good than most other people on any other day. hoda, thank you very much. still ahead, more team usa stars, including hope solo and carli lloyd from the u.s.

live. plus, in the orange room with all the unusual ways the u.s. swim team gets ready for rio, coming up right after this. covering

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all right, dylan is over in the orange room covering for carson. you've got an olympic-themed orange room. >> we certainly do, and this is a fun one. you remember back in 2012 when the u.s. swim team went viral with their rendition rae jepsen's "call me maybe"? well, four years later, they're back at it, this time taking the tunes to the car. ? ? chicken fried, cold beer on a friday night ? ? da, lot, da ? ? yeah, there's a party in the

? yeah, it's a party in the usa ? >> i mean, come on, how bad do you want to be on a road trip with all of them? swimmers show they can also have fun in the pool, too. lia neal tweets some movie magic, saying when coach gives you the set and you're like, not today. other athletes are finding some ways to have some fun. we've got the soccer players kicking around the ball with the slam dunk coming from usa's demarcus cousins. and ghana is, well, they're dancing with an impromptu dance y there. and gymnast aly raisman shows off her flair, tweeting "pin trading like it's my day job." we haven't even gotten to the opening ceremony yet, but clearly, the party has started in rio. >> got to get some pins. pin trading. >> love it. dylan, thank you. coming up from right here, we've got a live concert on our plaza. blake shelton is rested and signing a few autographs, and he's going to take our stage. matt? all right, savannah.

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good morning, everybody. happy friday. 7:57 as you take a live look at boston, and, brie, a beautiful day out there today. >> yeah, sarah, another repeat of the last couplef mostly sunny skying, warm temperatures into the 80s once again for us. as we head into the weekend, tomorrow, our day to be weather aware before humidity comes back into check. temperatures warming into the 80s this sunday. >>? here are the top stories. coming up this morning, let's look at this video. police are investigating a tractor trailer accident in everett. it happened at the intersection of broadway and beckham street early this morning. officers say the tractor trailer went up on the curb and

no one was hurt, thankfully. a boston police officer recovering this morning after he was hurt in a car crash in jamaica plain. investigators say his cruiser and another car slammed into each other at the corner of intersection street and school street late last night. the officer is expected to be okay. the other driver was not seriously hurt. we're back in 25 minutes with another update. hope introducing dunkin's new cold brew coffee, steeped slowly in cold water for small batches with an ultra-smooth, full-bodied flavor. discover the craft of cold brew today and keep on. america runs on dunkin'. two years ago, silvertech had 40 to 50 employees. now we have 60 to 70. we took a big hit in the recession, but we're back, strong. we had about 70 employees a few years ago, we have over a hundred today. chynoweth: businesses like mine see how maggie hassan keeps this economy moving. mary collins: she's controlled spending and she's balanced the budget. narrator: and cnbc named new hampshire

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it's 8:00 on "today." and coming up, trump's right-hand man. after a tumultuous week on the republican ticket, we'll talk with vice presidential ticket mike pence and his wife in first joint interview since joining the campaign. then, going for gold. >> alex morgan has her first goal of the olympic games. >> after an impressive victory in their rio debut, we'll talk to the stars of the u.s. women's soccer team as they aim to capture their fourth straight olympic gold medal. ? tell me what i gotta do to win you over ? and he's won us over, that's for sure. superstar blake shelton takes his best-selling country act to the big city as he gets set to

concert, today, friday, august 5th, 2016. ? red, red, red, red, red, redneck ? >> we're here to see blake! >> we only came four hours to see blake shelton! ? yeah, the boys around here drinking that ice cold beer ? ? talking about girls, talking about trucks ? ? running them red dirt roads out kicking up dust ? ten-year anniversary from cleveland! >> we love blake! ? don't take no lip, chew tobacco, chew tobacco ? ? chew tobacco spit ? ? welcome back to a special split edition of "today" on a friday morning from new york, where blake shelton will perform shortly, and rio de janeiro, where the olympics get under way tonight. i've got hoda, natalie, the newest member of our "today" family, billy bush! >> billy bush! >> here in rio.

plaza in new york. >> it's so cute! >> and guys -- >> matt, i love that billy's wearing the same outfit as you. that's so cute! >> i know. he got the memo. >> i wanted to be as close to matt as i could. >> more importantly, we have members of team usa with us. and we just want to give them a quick chance to say hello and introduce themselves, starting over here. >> hi, i'm nick delpopolo from jersey. >> marti malloy, oak harbor, washington. >> travis stevens, washington. >> delgado, miami, florida. >> this is the judo team. >> yes. >> diving. >> abby johnston of burlington, ohio. >> and shooting. >> hi, everyone, josh richmond, hillsboro, pennsylvania. >> hi, cogdale, eagle river, alaska. >> up here. >> glen ellard, houston, texas. >> you got it. >> morgan craft, muncie valley, pennsylvania. >> billy bush, shot put.

california. >> hancock, proudly from ft. worth, texas. >> yeah, whoo! >> all right, we brought you all here because we want you to assemble around this. this is what you are going for here! >> go ahead. >> you can't touch. don't touch until you earn it. we've got gold, we've got silver, we've got bronze. >> how beautiful. >> these medals. they made 288 of these, 812 gold, 812 silver, 812 because you can't hold them, about a pound around the neck. >> are you all going to be marching in opening ceremony? >> yes. >> how do you feel about it? >> so excited. >> pumped? >> so excited. >> yeah? anybody nervous? anybody want to practice? >> sure! >> why not? >> i have the official flag-bear flag-bearer's jacket for team usa. hoda's got our flag. >> this is our flag. >> "today" show flag. everybody fall in line. let's get ready for tonight.

you since we're in the same clothes? >> jump in here. let's go. >> usa! [ chanting "usa" ] >> oh, this is what it feels like! this is what it feels like. chest high, chest high. representing the great united states! chest high, chest high. >> whoo! >> opening ceremony tonight. tamron, let's go back to you in new york. >> all right, matt. let me get the news caught up here. donald trump is trying to refocus his campaign after a wisconsin, but the badger state's top three republicans won't be there. governor scott walker, speaker paul ryan and senator ron johnson are all taking a pass. democratic rival hillary clinton also heads to wisconsin and michigan today. our latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows the clinton/kaine ticket jumping to a nine-point lead nationally over the trump/pence team. that's nearly double the five-point lead clinton had

and president obama strongly denies that $400 million in cash sent to iran in january was a payoff for the release of four americans held captive there. speaking at the pentagon thursday, the president said the payment was not secret and settled a longstanding dispute over a 1970s arms deal. >> we do not pay ransom. we didn't here and we won't in the future, precisely because if we did, then we would start encouraging americans to be the president also reacted to donald trump's claims that the upcoming election could be rigged. mr. obama calls that "ridiculous." a close call in italy this morning. a cargo plane stunned passing motorists after it overshot the runway, smashing through a fence and on to a highway in bargano, northeast of milan. fortunately, no one was hurt. the cause of the crash under investigation, but bad weather, including thunderstorms, may be a factor.

down in new orleans thursday and stayed on the ground for about a half mile. it toppled trees and power lines along with at least four buildings. two people suffered minor injuries. the police in massachusetts don't get many calls like this one. they got a tip that someone in west springfield was keeping a pet alligator in their home. actually, it was in the backyard. officers were surprised to find a alligator. it was taken to a local zoo. now back to savannah, who's sitting next to me. hey. >> hi. >> what's going on? >> wasn't just a gator surprise. i certainly shocked you. >> i love that we said, oh, not inside, in the backyard. at least that makes a difference. >> tamron, thanks. we'll turn back to the presidential race. it's been a tumultuous week for donald trump. he openly feuded with a gold

endorse republican house speaker paul ryan as well as senator john mccain. republican leaders have even discussed holding a so-called intervention as president obama declared trump unfit for the presidency. even a handful of republicans have announced now they are jumping ship to vote for hillary clinton. so, how will trump get back on track? we're joined by running mate indiana governor mike pence joined by his wife, karen pence. good morning to both of you. >> good morning, savannah. great to be with you. >> we laid out a lot of stuff, but i want to get first. ladies first. it's a pleasure to have you here. what's the best piece of advice you've given your husband since he joined the trump ticket? >> really just be himself and have fun with this. it's so humbling and it's such an honor. i mean, we are in a position right now that two months ago we had no idea we would be in, and he's done a great job of staying himself and staying humble. >> and governor, there's so much to talk to you about in the news.

tumultuous week or so since the conventions. paul ryan himself said that donald trump has been on a strange run for the last few days. you're down in every national poll, some by double digits, in every recent battleground poll. would you acknowledge you're climbing out of a big hole? and does trump have only himself to blame for that? >> well, savannah, let me say, it's very early in this campaign still. the only poll that really matters is on election day, and i have to tell you, as we've canvassed out west this week, seeing tremendous crowds, tremendous enthusiasm, and i really do believe it's because donald trump's message -- the stronger america at home and abroad is resonating with millions of people, and i'm grateful for the support that we're receiving from republicans, independents and democrats across this country. >> donald trump says the party has never, and the campaign, has never been more united than right now. and yet, we see these big republican defections. can you agree with that

>> well, i can. i mean, donald trump and i are standing shoulder to shoulder to say to the american people that we can be strong again. we can be strong on the world stage again, we can stand with our allies and stand up to those that threaten us. i mean, most americans are reeling this week with the news that the obama administration delivered $400 million in cash to the mullas in iran on the very day that they hostages. now, the president, savannah, can say that that wasn't a ransom payment, but the whole world knows that it was. and in doing that, in a deal that hillary clinton actually initiated with the iranian mullahs, this president and this administration have endangered the lives of every american on the world stage. donald trump and the american people know is going to provide the kind of leadership that we're not going to have these kind of moments again on the world stage. we're going to stand strong. and this economy, as you know,

out there canvassing all across the country for this ticket, the american people feel this economy, that those numbers that just came out, 1.2% growth the morning after hillary clinton's speech, the worst growth in this economy since 1949. the american people know we can do better, and they're responding. and i believe they will continue to respond to the strong leadership that donald trump is articulating all across this country. >> let me jump in here. the former cia director, mike morell, and he said that vladimir putin, a former kgb agent, i might add, has basically recruited and manipulated donald trump simply by flattering him, simply by saying how great trump is. and he wrote in particular "in the intelligence business, we would say that mr. putin had recruited mr. trump as an unwitting agent of the russian federation." given all of the pro-putin positions that trump has taken,

>> look, people that know donald trump know that he knows how to stand up and he knows how to stand strong. and standing up to russian aggression is going to be really different under a trump/pence administration, and everybody knows that. look, the reality is that whether it be putin or whether it be literally the dissolving of the map in the wider middle east, savannah, in libya and in syria, in iraq with the rise o that truth of history, that weakness arouses evil is on full display in this administration. donald trump's going to be strong. and truthfully, honestly, the comment by the former cia official, i suppose this is the same cia that told the president that isis was the jv team. i mean, come on, savannah. these people are playing politics. and i get all of that. you and i have known each other for a while. i was in washington a long time. you know, the american people

have a stronger economy at home, and i think that's why you're seeing the enormous crowds that are turning out all over the country. i think we'll see him in iowa and wisconsin later today. they're responding to donald trump's message of strength and making america great again. >> i'm almost out of time. i have to ask you about this whole episode with mr. trump and the khan family, who, of course, lost their son, a soldier, in iraq. you say that donald trump speaks from his heart more than anybody. what does this episode say about family. every republican leader says that is just disgraceful. every veterans group has said it is disgraceful. and not only is he not apologizing, he's since said he has no regrets. i mean, how does that strike you? >> you know, i had a gold star family at an event that we had this week. i know donald trump met with gold star families privately in a meeting, a private meeting that's been widely accounted.

regrets. this is something president bush didn't do, an attack -- >> look, we have both said, donald trump and i have both said captain khan is an american hero. his family, like every gold star family, should be cherished by every american. and we've continued to do so. but look, we've got to rebuild this military, we've got to stand with our soldiers, we've got to give them the resources that they need to defend this country, stand with our allies, and donald trump is going to do that. and i think that's why we see so many servicemen and women at our ralli rallies, and we're going to continue to. certainly, in this campaign, i'm excited to be heading to iowa and wisconsin with him today, but it's also nice to welcome you, savannah, to the indiana state fair this morning. we're opening it up this morning. so you've got the indiana state fair, you've got the olympics in rio. that's a jump ball in indiana. >> by the way, mrs. pence, i know you're quite an accomplished artist and you have work at the indiana state fair, so people have to check that out as well. >> thank you. >> thank you.

thank you. sorry we're short on time, but it's nice to have you with us. thank you. >> thank you, savannah. >> thank you. we have a lot more coming up on a friday morning, including our live concert from blake shelton and much more from rio, matt. that's right, savannah. can they make it four golds in a row? we showed you their impressive start in rio thursday. this morning, members of the u.s. women's soccer team are with us live. but first on a friday mornin i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried about joint damage. can be a sign of existing joint damage... that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common

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team usa in the shot put. when she asked, are you going to go watch your son compete, he mentioned he couldn't afford to. liz told "people" magazine that that broke her heart. so, what did she do? >> what? >> she started a gofundme page to raise money for his trip, surpassing the goal of raising $7,500 in just two days. guess what? >> what? >> he will now be here to cheer on his son. >> that is my kind of story! >> really nice. >> what driver was darrell hill, darrell not a small man. >> no. >> 6'3", 320. a new direction. >> let's move on to ryan lochte, the 11-time olympic medalist. he's certainly in really good shape, so we were wondering, what does he do to look like this? so, i've got the scoop on what the swimmers eat every day. you're not going to believe this. you know how many calories? take a guess. >> 5,000. >> 8,000. >> ooh. >> okay, here's the breakfast alone -- five to six eggs with

>> wow. >> hashbrowns or other kind of potatoes. pancakes, oatmeal, fruit, french vanilla coffee with sugar and milk. and just about a week before the competition, you know what he does? he loads up on carbs. spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo. chicken alfredo is his favorite. plus, chicken, steak and other proteins. you don't imagine them eating like that. >> they work it off. >> it'd be nice to do that once or twice. >> yeah. >> if we could get maybe an extra half an hour in the for me? >> no, billy. >> no fettuccine alfredo for you. >> i can feel the buttons popping. >> how's the sweating? >> second droplet. >> next, we've got swimming. you've got the world's best swimmers, countless coaches and trainers poolside. you know what you also have on the sidelines? >> what? >> lifeguards. i'm not kidding. not a lot of people notice this. >> interesting. >> there are actually lifeguards

it's an important safety precaution. if something happens to one of the swimmers in the middle -- what are you laughing at? >> why? >> well, let's say they overexert themselves -- >> hit themselves against the wall? >> something. >> walk, lochte. i said walk, do not run on the swim deck. >> no, they're checking to make sure they haven't eaten 20 minutes before jumping into the pool. >> amazing he can walk after all that. >> let's go back to dylan in new york. >> thanks, guys. we'll with adele. celebrities are just like us. the oscar-winner and ten-time grammy-winner ranked as the ninth highest paid celebrity by "forbes" said her credit card was declined at h&m. the singer spilled all to the uk's "the mirror." "oh my days, pretty embarrassing. nobody knew it was me but i was mortified." sounds better in her accent. she was shopping before a performance in san jose, where she told the crowd, first thing she does in california is get an

shopping. hear hear, right? now gwen stefani opened up to "cosmopolitan" about her relationship with blake shelton. you might have caught some flirtatious vibes on set dating back to season two. "they chose to run with that story before anything was even really. i hardly knew him, but it was like it was in the air, happening before it was happening." and blake is here with a huge crowd excited for his concert. for more "pop start" stories, head to >> dylan, thank you. how a good morning, everybody. another gorgeous forecast for our friday. mostly sunny, low humidity, 83 to 89 for highs this afternoon. now, we will have to keep an eye out for storms and scattered showers into tomorrow, midday into the afternoon, due to this front that will push through the area. so tomorrow's a day to be weather-aware. and some of those storms could be strong to potentially severe. again, that threat isn't there until tomorrow afternoon.

>> and that's your latest weather. ho hoda? all right, al, thanks so much. the u.s. women's soccer team kicked off their quest for their fourth straight gold medal with a great win on thursday. they'll be back in action tomorrow against france, which is a powerhouse. >> that's right. three stars of team usa are with us now from just up the road. natalie? goalkeeper hope solo carli lloyd and forward crystal dunn. ladies, good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> good to see you. hope, let's start with you. how important -- i mean, you've got an enormous track record here at the olympics. how important is it to get off to a great start like the one you got off to with new zealand? >> i would say that -- well, it's incredibly important, but i think this is the best start in all of the olympics that i've participated in. i think this is our best start. we scored two great goals. we didn't let, you know, our

the defense played great. then we got lots of players lots of minutes, so we're off to a great start. >> carli, carli, carli, one of the goals came from you. how did that feel? i know you've had that feeling before, but to kick off the olympics with that goal. describe what that feeling was like for you. >> well, i'm just super proud of the team. i think we've got a young, talented team who can contend for this gold medal, and that's really what it's all about. i'm on a mission, like everybody else on the team, to win a gold medal. and it started the o against new zealand. a great opening match, great goals, and overall really good. now we've got to focus on the next one and just take it one game at a time. >> do you guys still get nervous? crystal, this is your first time on team usa for a big tournament like this. what's the level of nerves that you experience going into the new zealand game and moving forward with france? >> yeah, there were obviously, you know, a couple of nerves here and there, but you know, i'm surrounded by so many great

field. and you know, it's not easy coming into a game, obviously, not having that much time to kind of get settled. but like i said, i'm surrounded by so many great players motivating me, encouraging me every single play. >> by the way, are you enjoying yourselves and having fun? i was interviewing the gymnasts yesterday, and they have this thing where they're just trying to enjoy the olympic experience. have you guys had a chance to get out and about and have some good times? >> i think city, the food is great, the city's been great. the people have been absolutely hospitable, so i have no complaints. i've enjoyed the olympics, even though we're not quite in rio yet. >> let me follow up on that. they did give you a little bit of a hard time, hope, when you touched the ball, chanting "zika" and a few boos because of a tweet you posted. were you surprised by that? >> i've played all over the world.

booed quite a bit. it's part of the culture. it's definitely part of the culture here in brazil. it made for a fun environment, a fun atmosphere. you know, no hard feelings, to be honest. i know the brazilian people are having a lot of fun. and honestly, i want a loud stadium. i don't want a silent stadium. so i think it was a fun environment and i can handle a little booing sometimes. >> guys, we are cheering you on. we're wishing you the best of luck. bring home gold for us. carli, hope, crystal, thank you so much. good luck. >> nice to see you ladies. >> thank yo check in with savannah. all right, guys, so excited. we've got blake right here. pretty soon you're going to take the concert stage. are you picking up what i'm putting down? >> i'm eating what you're cooking. >> you are, okay. >> yeah, yeah. >> blake shelton coming up. his fans cannot wait, neither can we. but first, a check of your local

good morning, happy. happy friday! 8:27 as you take a live look over boston. it's supposed to be a beautiful day. let's send it to brie. >> yes, sarah, it already is. temperatures near 60, close to highs flirting with 90 today. tomorrow we'll need to be weather-aware, expecting afternoon scattered storms. sarah? now to the top stories -- crews are trying to figure out what caused a fire in braintree. a garage fire was reported in braintree early this morning. firefighters were able to contain the fire before it spread. no injuries reported. police are investigating a tractor-trailer accident in beckett.

beckett street. the tractor went up on the curb and the trailer opened. the governor will sign an order that will allow uber and lyft from logan and main convention center. the new legislation was praised by the ride-sharing services as well as taxi owners. "today in new england" returns

two years ago, silvertech had 40 to 50 employees. now we have 60 to 70. we took a big hit in the recession, but we're back, strong. we had about 70 employees a few years ago, we have over a hundred today. chynoweth: businesses like mine see how maggie hassan keeps this economy moving. mary collins: she's controlled spending and she's balanced the budget. narrator: and cnbc named new hampshire the most business-friendly state in the country. san, and i approve this message because we need to show washington how we get things done

lip-synch battle. all new "fallon." we are back. it's friday morning, fifth of august, 2016. we have got excitement here. we have blake shelton here. he's about to start his concert. he has to be one of the best guests and best concerts we have here. everybody loves him. and he goes by, he says hi to everyone -- >> takes care of his fans. >> he's making dreams come true. not to rub it in, hoda, but we're very, very excited about that. there he is. >> oh! >> you guys have something good down there, rio opening ceremony

>> we certainly do. it kicks off tonight on nbc. lots of people at maracana, billions watching around the world. >> it's going to be big. natalie's going to have more from rio in the next hour. i'm a little sad about blake, i've got to say. >> no, you aren't. >> i need kleenexes. >> don't be sad, hoda. >> we don't have blake, but you know what we have? we have the family of megan guarnier s, >> show me. >> i'm with blake now, hoda. >> you're literally a world away. >> a world away. >> we have a photo shoot with blake. >> we are the literal worst. all right, let's get a check of the weather. all right, let's show you what we've got going on. bye-bye, hoda! we'll see you soon, though. let's look at your weekend outlook. we're looking at wet weather up

saturday. more moisture through the southwest causing monsoonal moisture and more rain there. sunday, sunday! rain continues through the southeast, gulf coast, and that's just the beginning for the gulf coast. it's going to be a wet week looking ahead as well. and speaking of looking ahead, let's look at copacabana beach. women's volleyball versus poland sunday. 83 degrees, sunny skies, going to be spectacular. and we're also checking out archery. that's right, women's archery, sunday, 1:00. partly sunny and 87 good morning, everybody. another gorgeous forecast for our friday. mostly sunny, low humidity, 83 to 89 for highs this afternoon. now, we will have to keep an eye out for storms and scattered showers into tomorrow, midday into the afternoon, due to this front that will push through the area. so tomorrow's a day to be weather-aware. and some of those storms could be strong to potentially severe. again, that threat isn't there until tomorrow afternoon.

>> ooh, blake's got the guitar! he's getting ready! oh, baby. yeah! now let's head back in to dylan. nbcuniversal shows and local stations have been taking part in a relay on social media. a torch has been getting passed across the country from one twitter account to another using #nbcutorchrelay. now, along the way, the dallas-ft. worth weather team has kept the torch on the move. west 2 news down in florida took the torch to the sky. and over 100 stops later, the torch arrived in new york city with our friends at wnbc. now, just in time for tonight's opening ceremony, the torch has finally officially made it to rio with the "today" team. you can check out the full relay

twitter. thanks to everyone for taking part. savannah? ? it's all about tonight ? >> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. we have a huge crowd gathered for a live concert from one of our absolute favorites, mr. blake shelton. but before he gets started, let's take a quick look at his amazing career. ? boys around here, sending up a prayer to the man upstairs ? >> for more than a decade, blake from oklahoma, has wrangled up enormous success on the country music scene. he's won cma's male vocalist of the year five times in a row. he has more than a dozen albums, producing 22 number one hits, 17 of those consecutively, which is the most by any country artist in the modern era. ? your lips taste like sangria ? >> blake shelton is one of the most likable guys in country music, if not the whole world.

latest record is his most personal and auto biographical yet. >> to his divorce to his blossoming relationship with singer gwen stefani -- ? why don't you go ahead and blake my heart ? >> blake shelton opens up on his new album titled "if i'm honest," number one on the billboard chart 15 years after the release of his first album. ? you be my honeysuckle, i'll be your honeybee ? >> his star power just continues country music will be back as the wildly popular coach of "the voice" when it kicks off its new season next month. but today he's celebrating with a new fall tour. and before he takes the show on the road, he's bringing a dose of southern charm to our plaza. >> all right, we had a vote on twitter this week. we let blake's fans pick one of his songs. the choices were "honeybee," my favorite, got my vote, "boys

the results are in. are you ready, blake? the winning song was "boys 'round here." do you know that one? okay, take it away. ? red, red, red, red, red, redneck ? >> y'all ready for this? ? ? ? well the boys round here don't listen to the beatles ? ? run ole bocephus through a jukebox needle ? ? at the honky tonk where their boots stomp all night ? ? what, that's right ? ? yeah, and what they call work, digging in the dirt ? ? gotta get it in the ground before the rain comes down ? ? to get paid, to get the girl in your four wheel drive ? ? yeah, the boys round here

? talkin about girls, talking about trucks, running them red dirt roads out kicking up dust ? ? the boys round here sending up a prayer to the man upstairs ? ? backwoods legit, don't take no lip ? ? chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco spit ? ? red, red, red, red, redneck ? >> aw, he they're keeping it country ? ? ain't a damn one know how to do the dougie ? ? you don't do the dougie, no, not in kentucky ? ? but these girls round here yep they still love me ? ? yeah, the girls round here they deserve a whistle, shaking that sugar sweet as dixie crystal ? ? they like that y'all and southern drawl and just can't help it 'cause they keep on falling ?

? talking about girls, talking about trucks ? ? running them red dirt roads out kicking up dust ? the boys round here sending up a prayer to the man upstairs ? ? backwoods legit, don't take no lip ? ? chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco spit ? let me hear you say, ooh, let's ride ? ? through the countryside, down ? hey, now, girl, hop inside, me and you gonna take a little ride to the river ? ? let's ride, that's right ? ? lay a blanket on the ground, kissing and the crickets is the only sound ? ? we out of town, ooh, that's right ? ? have you ever got down with a red, red, red, red, red, red, redneck ? ? do you wanna get down with a red, red, red, red, red, red,

with the boys round here ? ? drinking that ice cold beer, talking about girls, talking about trucks ? ? running them red dirt roads out kicking up dust ? ? the boys round here sending up a prayer to the man upstairs ? ? backwoods legit don't take no lip ? ? chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco spit ? ? ooh, let's ride, red, red, red, red, red, redneck ? of them boys round here ? ? ooh, let's ride, red, red, red, yeah, one of them boys round here ? ? that's right ? [ cheers and applause ] >> whoo! don't move a muscle. blake is just getting started on our citi concert stage.

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? why don't you go ahead ? all right, blake shelton is on top of the world. he has a new number one album called "if i'm honest." we hear he's crazy in love. and next year, he'll be a coach on the 11th season of nbc's "the voice." welcome back! >> again. >> can you believe it? you know, it's been three months since you were here last. and can i just say, around here, we bomb. >> oh, yeah? >> just detonating everywhere! you really are such a love to your fans and to all of us here at the show. do you feel that? >> i feel like i'm on the staff here now. i'm here all the time! >> i feel that way, too. are you secretly a jerk -- >> yes. >> -- and you're just acting really nice? >> yes, i really am. >> okay, i wondered about that. okay, you have a new album, "if i'm honest." do you know it's been exactly 15 years since your new album?

didn't know that until a week ago. people on twitter were saying "happy anniversary." look at that. >> check out the album cover. can we have just a moment? >> that was like my michael jackson dance move pose there, with a mullet. >> do you ever miss the longer hair? >> no, i don't, actually. life got a lot better after i -- oh, my god. please, take those -- >> you look so cute! >> what the hell is wrong with y'all? take those pictures off there! people are just waking up. you're ruining their day! >> we love you you're going on tour, starting in oklahoma. what's blake on tour like? i mean, a rabble-rouser? >> i don't know what that means, but probably. you know, we're starting in oklahoma, which is going to be fun for me. >> your home. >> that is my hometown show. and we're playing here. we're playing in brooklyn, i think, at the -- is it barclay or barclay? >> barclay. >> whatever.

all over the place. >> rabble-rousing and carousing. we love having you. >> i love being here. this is my favorite. >> what are you going to sing for us? >> this is my favorite show. i love this way more than i love "the voice." oh, yeah, way more. way more. >> do you miss hoda at all? >> who? who? >> thank you. my man. >> all right. that was for you. that was for you. >> thank you. thank you. so gracious. ? >> just kidding, hoda. i love you. ? when you put two and two togeth together, you figure out love's got four letters ? ? i should have known that when i met her, but she had to spell it out for me ? ? after all that second guessing it's been a long, hard history lesson ? ? hell, that's a class i got an

perfectly ? ? she put the hurt in hurt, she put the y in try ? ? she put the s.o.b. in sober, she put the hay in hangover ? ? she put the x in sex, she put the "o" in bold ? ? she put a big fu in my future, yeah, she's got a way, she's got a way with words ? >> sad, but it's true ? ? little words like "i" and "do" ? ? lying, cheating, screwed ? ? yeah, all the words i thought i knew ? ? they got a brand-new meaning now ? ? she put the her in hurt, she put the why in try ?

? she put the hang in hangover ? ? she put the ex in sex, she put the low in blow ? ? she put a big f.u. in my future ? ? and she's got a way, she's got a way with words ? ? oh, oh, oh, oh ? ? she's got a way with words ? ? she put the her in hurt, she put the why in try ? ? she put the s.o.b. in sober, she put the hang in hangover ? ? she put the ex in sex, she put the low in blow ? ? she put a big f.u. in my future, yeah, she's got a way ? ? she's got a way with words,

? she's got a way with words, oh, oh, oh, oh ? ? yeah, she's got a way with words ? ? she's got a way with words, she's got a way with words ? ? yeah ? [ cheers and applause ] >> blake shelton! thank you so much! and blake is back with another so this is "today" on nbc. ? put the hang in hangover ? ? she put the ex in ? with simply right checking from santander bank, just make one deposit, withdrawal, transfer, or payment each month to waive the monthly fee.

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? all right, welcome back to "today" and our citi concert stage. performing his 22nd number one song "came here to forget" from his new album "if i'm honest,"

? ? girl getting over him and i'm getting over her ? ? the eyes have it made, ain't gotta say a word ? ? misery loves company, that's why it's you and me ? ? at the bar as thick as thieves ? ? stealing these little sips, doing our best to make the best of the worst of it ? ? keep playing them songs, keep singing along ? ? keep leaning it on in closer ? ? keep salting the rim, getting even with her ? ? and with him before the night is over ? ? that first kiss was like a colorado hit ?

lit ? ? 'til we can't remember, can't remember ? ? what we came here to forget ? ? go ahead and check your phone ? ? like i've been checking mine ? ? nobody's ex is texting for a rewind ? ? looks like it's just me and you falling in love just enough to getting through ? ? keep playing them songs, keep singing along ? ? keep leaning it on in closer ? ? keep salting the rim, getting even with her ? ? and with him before the night is over ? ? that first kiss was like a colorado hit ? ? we better keep on keeping it lit ? ? 'til we can't remember, can't remember what we came here to

? what we came here to forget ? ? looks like it's just me and you ? ? falling in love just enough to get us through what we're getting through ? ? keep playing them songs, keep singing along ? ? keep leaning it on in closer ? ? keep salting the even with her ? ? and with him before the night is over ? ? that first kiss was like a colorado hit ? ? you better keep on keeping it lit ? ? 'til we can't remember, can't remember what we came here to forget ?

? what we came here to forget ? ? baby, baby, it's what we came here to forget ? ? [ cheers and applause ] and all our summer concert artists at applemusic.com/today. we've got more music straight ahead. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ?

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? we've got a lot more with blake, another song. you're going to chat with these guys next hour. he just said the cutest thing. i said i love the song "honeybee." he's like, i you know that song?" you really think we don't know your song. >> you guys get bombarded here with all kinds of singers, i don't know. glad you do. >> we love blake. >> when gwen was here, she blasted it out of the park. >> i was here in new york city with her when she did that, but i was so hot. i was like, i'll just stay here in the air conditioning. have fun out there. >> are you going to be watching the olympics? are you into it? >> i am now. i didn't -- like, i didn't realize until this week, i started seeing all the

here! so, absolutely, i'm going to watch it. absolutely. >> in fact, natalie's going to be joining us tonight to get us ready coming up in the next hour for the opening ceremony. do you like pizza? >> have you seen me? of course. who are you talking to? >> if you want to hang around, i'm making a breakfast pizza today. >> okay. introducing dunkin's w steeped slowly in cold water for small batches with an ultra-smooth, full-bodied flavor. discover the craft of cold brew today and keep on.

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trump flailing another poll. how much is hillary clinton surging by. the opening ceremony is tonight. rio getting ready to greet the world as the olympics officially get under way. a day of perfect gorgeous weather before scattered showers com your daughter wants to stay organic. your husband wants to stay free from artificial ingredients. you want to stay free from artificial preservatives.

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a worker stuck in a cement mixer. cruise racing in taking apart this machine in order to free his leg. police unions taking a stand. the tough message they are sending to lawmakers demanding changes for the city's police officers. ready to go in rio, a live look at the city this morning. isn't that beautiful? the olympic opening ceremony kicking off tonight and some stars expected to make an appearance. this england. >> sarah: good friday morning, everybody, thank you for joining us, it is 9 a.m., i am sarah french. >> christa: i am krista del camp. it is not rio but the boston skyline looks wonderful. a lot of sun out there. bri eggers with the forecast. >> bri: third day in a row of these stunning conditions. in the mid-70s for most spots, impressive for martha's vineyard, a record low, 46 degrees and now 73.