public schools for all students, not just a select few. vote no on question 2. ? good morning. battle-ready? donald trump and hillary clinton set to take the stage tonight at our commander-in-chief forum. a new poll shows trump way ahead with active service members and veterans. clinton takes a swipe at her rival's plans for the armed is he has no clue about w he's talking about. >> what will both candidates have to do to win the military vote? 1.7 billion. that's how much the obama administration now admits it sent iran in cash earlier this year. more than four times what it initially said it delivered. what was the money for? and why wasn't the government more upfront about it from the start? mystery solved.

a minnesota man confesses in graphic detail to the kidnapping and killing of an 11-year-old boy. the victim's heartbroken mother speaking out for the first time since her son's body was found, just days ago. >> for us, jacob was alive. to be found. and so we found him. >> this morning, the link to another crime that helped crack the case. and under pressure. amid sinking sales, apple expected to unveil the new how will it be different, and will it help the tech giant cook up big sales today, wednesday, september 7th, 2016. from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer, live from intrepid sea, air and museum in new york. and savannah guthrie, live from are rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on this

intrepid sea, air and museum along the hudson river. this is the site of tonight's commander-in-chief forum, the first joint candidate event of this general election season. i'm going to tell you much more about what we have in store for the candidates here later on. but savannah is back in studio 1a a few blocks from here. good morning to you. >> good morning. what a setting you you have there, and voters consistently say the top of their list in importance. >> no question about it. let me s savannah. during this hour-long event, clinton and trump will appear back-to-back, taking questions on national security, military affairs and veterans' issues from an audience of active and veteran service members. now, last night there was a coin toss. it was held to determine the order of appearance. trump won the coin toss. and has chosen to go second. hillary clinton will go first, savannah. >> okay. and matt, what these candidates have to say when they get their

away now. and with that in mind, here is a first look at the state of the race today. ahead of your forum, trump has stopped both here in new york and in philadelphia, where the republican nominee will also be addressing veterans' issues and national security. chelsea clinton will be in the battle ground state of pennsylvania, as well, hitting the campaign trail for her mom for the first time since the birth of her second child, aiden, back in june. and the race in pennsylvania is tight. the latest poll shows hillary clinton leading state. but now just by four points, matt. it's a tight race. >> all right, savannah, thanks very much. a lot to get to in the presidential race, including another new toll significant to tonight's forum. national correspondent peter alexander here with me on that. good morning to you. >> good morning. not a bad backdrop for tonight. the issue of veterans, foreign policy and national security. of course, the most important responsibility for any president, their role as

donald trump are actually facing some pretty skeptical voters. our brand new poll out this morning shows nearly 60% of americans say they do not have confidence in trump's ability to head our armed forces. and 52% say they lack the same confidence in clinton. >> facing their first fierce battle, hillary clinton and donald trump's test tonight to portray themselves as a credible commander-in-chief. clinton launching a preemptive opponent as unfit to lead, targeting his controversial comments. >> john mccain, a war hero. >> he's not a war hero. he's a war hero because he was captured. i like people who weren't captured, okay? >> still the poll shows trump leads clinton among veteran voters. the billionaire with 88 retired generals and admirals who signed a letter supporting trump to reverse the, quote, hollowing out of the u.s. military. not to be outdone, clinton this

saying she has 95 retired generals and admirals supporting her. the candidate also weighing in on global hot spots, like north korea. >> what i would do very simply is say, "china, this is your baby, this is your problem, you solve the problem." >> reporter: on syria, ducking a question about whether he supports a regime change. >> look, we have a problem. it's called isis. isis is fighting syria. >> reporter: and on russia. >> wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with russia? >> reporter: putin to bash clinton. >> putin looks at her and he laughs, okay? he laughs. and then he smiles. boy, would he like to see her. >> reporter: clinton firing back. >> we're going to work with our allies, not insult them. we're going to stand up to our adversaries, not cozy up to them. >> reporter: in a tightening race, clinton is trying to get back on offense, hammering trump for refusing to release his tax returns. >> he clearly has something to hide. we don't know exactly what it

is. >> reporter: trump slamming clinton after the fbi revealed during its interview with her about her private e-mail server she repeatedly couldn't recall key details. >> if she really can't remember, she can't be president. she doesn't remember anything. >> reporter: now back to the topic of tonight, here's another statistic that stuck out for us. more americans trust hillary clinton to make the right decisions with the nuclear codes. 44% for clinton. just 24% for don't trust either of them, and just to emphasize the importance of this national security debate, remember this sunday marks the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and american voters are already making up their minds. early voting, including mail-in ballots by active duty military, matt, begins in many states this month. >> all right. peter, thank you very much. we appreciate it. let's talk more about what we expect to hear from the

way to the intrepid with me. good morning. talk about this polling that peter just talked about. 59% of people don't trust donald trump with the future of our military. 52% don't trust hillary clinton, and yet she is trailing with active military and veterans. >> they measure your toughness and if donald trump has one asset that wasn't damped by the post convention stress, it's the sense he is i think that was one of the attributes that held up. what he has to prove tonight, he can also be measured and i think that's his test tonight. >> steve, this is about that 3:00 a.m. phone call, this is about national security. what does donald trump have to say to prove to american voters that he is, in fact, ready for the role of commander-in-chief? >> yeah, because the other poll number out there that always jumps out at me is temperament. she is beating him 2-1, 3-1. so i think he needs to display

way to reassure people, again, it's when he had those gut decisions. the poll about your finger on the button. they don't trust him right now with something that basic and that fundamental. >> steve brings up a good point. donald trump the word you hear more often than any other is temperament. when it comes to hillary clinton, you hear judgment and trust. what does she need to say to veterans and voters tonight that lets them understand that she's got the right judgment and they can trust her to make those key decisions? >> so the that actually did pretty well on that question, and who actually forged relationships across the aisle. and that was the hillary clinton who served in the united states senate as new york state's representative. she was on the senate armed services committee. she made many trips to the region. we were a country at war while she was a senator. she needs to -- this is sort of her weakness and her asset. her weakness is there are different versions of her she showcases. her asset is she has a lot of experience and that's the

if you put their resumes side to side, steve, she has much more experience in this area. but resumes are double-edged swords. on the one hand, you've got the experience nicole talked about. on the other hand, you've got to run on your record. is it a problem for her? >> that's the interesting thing. remember n 2008 when she was running against barack obama at the beginning of that campaign, they thought maybe foreign policy and national security would be the big trump card. it turned out it was the iraq war vote from 2002, the legacy of the iraq war. you have that interesting situation where donald trump, to the iraq war on radio shows saying he was for it. but he's trying to run as a candidate who says i was against this thing from the beginning. it was a disaster. he's trying to pin that on her. we'll see if there is a back and forth there. >> unscientific poll up into the event tonight. what's the number one threat facing our national security right now? real quick. >> i think what people feel the number one threat is the lone wolf attacks where people are radicalized by internet and they can go out by themselves with a weapon which is pretty easy to

self radicalization. of we talk so much about the threats external coming in. but people here don't have to go overseas, don't have to meet anybody and things can happen. >> steve and nicole, thank you both very much. >> thank you for watching. >> thank you very much. you can watch our forum, live tonight, 8:00 eastern time on nbc and msnbc. let's go back to studio 1a. >> new fuel in the controversy facing the obama administration. over payments it sent to iran earlier this year. the white house is cash, amounted to $1.7 billion. nbc's ron allen is traveling with the president in laos this morning and has the latest. ron, good morning. >> reporter: under pressure, the administration admitted that it spent some $400 million using that money as leverage to help free four americans being held in iran. now the ""wall street journal"" reports within a few weeks iran got another $1.3 billion, all

the timing raising new questions about whether all that money was ransom. the obama administration has said all that money, $1.7 billion, was owed to iran. settling a decades-old dispute about a failed arms deal, an agreement, they say, that coincided with the prisoner release and implementation of the iran nuclear deal. the president has insisted the deals were not connect and had were not ransom. >> we do not pay ransom >> reporter: the administration has refused to reveal details about when and how the cash was sent and say hundreds of millions in cash could end up in the hands of terrorists iran backs and endanger americans. the white house insists it revealed the cash payments in august, when asked whether an additional $1.3 billion had been sent to iran, just like the initial $400 million payment. >> we haven't been as specific about the mechanism of the

interest. >> reporter: the administration insists the details must be kept secret and sanctions against iran. still republicans on the hill want to introduce legislation that bans any payments to iran, and demands billions from the regime to compensate victims of terror. savannah? >> ron allen traveling with the president, thank you. new developments this morning in the bill cosby sexual assault case. lawyers now saying that the bias. they complain that a barrage of new accusers has gone public while cosby supporters have been silent. attorneys took particular aim at gloria allred, a lawyer who represented some of cosby's accusers. the statements came after a court hearing in pennsylvania at which a judge set a june 5th trial date for cosby, charged with drugging and molesting a former temple university employee at his home in 2004. and now to a chilling

that has haunted that state for a nearly three decades. a man finally admitting to the 1989 abduction, assault and killing of an 11-year-old boy. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in minneapolis for us with more on this. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: savannah. for 9,827 mornings, this young boy's mother had woken up wondering in agony what had really happened to her son. today she no longer has to wonder after that chilling confession t we should warn our viewers some of the details of this story are disturbing. >> for us, jacob was alive. to be found. until we found him. >> reporter: this morning, patty wetterling finally knows what happened to her son, jacob. confessed killer danny heinrich now providing answers in terrifying detail. this small minnesota town of st. joseph in shock. >> nobody should have to go through this. >> reporter: in 1989, the case

when 11-year-old jacob, his younger brother and a friend were forced from their bikes by a masked gunman. >> told me to run into the woods as fast as i could. and then grabbed jacob. >> reporter: now in that confession, according to reporters in court, heinrich told the judge jacob asked "what did i do wrong" and also started to cry and said "take me home." instead, heinrich told the court he sexually abused jacob and then executed him at the edge of the woods. at the , questioned about the boy's disappearance, but never arrested. a break in the investigation came last october, when new technology linked heinrich's dna to another unsolved sexual assault case. police searched this home, leading to an arrest on child pornography charges. heinrich later told police where he buried jacob's body in exchange for prosecutors dropping murder charges. >> he's not getting away with anything. we got the truth.

this morning, the search for their son is finally over. their pain is not. >> i want to say jacob, "i'm so sorry." >> reporter: heinrich's sentencing now set for late november on the child pornography charge. the u.s. attorney here says he expects the 53-year-old heinrich will go to prison for at least 20 years. savannah? >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. some other news. big news on the education front. out of business. the for-profit college chain is setting down all 130 of its u.s. campuses, because it says it can no longer operate under new rules set up by the government. it has been under investigation for allegations of fraud and deceptive marketing tactics. in august, the u.s. department of education bans the college from enrolling students who get federal aid. that shut down 40,000 students and 8,000 employees.

francisco today. tech giant apple expected to unveil the newest version of its popular iphone, and nbc's jolene kent is there. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. whenever apple has an event like this, it is veiled in secrecy, that doesn't stop the rumor mill from churning online and here in san francisco. we're expecting a new iphone 7 this morning and it's all about what feature could be missing. the headphone jack. ? apple, u make a big splash. the most valuable company in the worldwidely expected to unveil a new iphone 7 today. the company that made white ear buds a fashion statement now rumored to be eliminating them. according to websites that focus on apple products. introducing new wireless ear buds that may connect via bluetooth. >> whatever they do with that space, it better be good, because users are used to plugging in their headphones. if if you want to change our behavior, it better be for a

traditional headphones could allow the phone to be thinner and potentially waterproof. these photos posted purport to show the device, including possibly a more advanced camera. apple watchers also anticipate the company will issue a new and improved watch, with a new gps feature, plus a longer-lasting battery to satisfy. still, the apple watch has disappointed. apple currently lagging behind fit bit in the wearables announcement unfolding amid a smartphone war with samsung. samsung recalled 2.5 million galaxy phones because of fires linked to its battery. >> we have one more thing. >> reporter: but as for today's big announcement, analysts say anything could happen. apple is known to keep a surprise until the very last minute. apple staying mum on all of this and not commenting this morning.

been the head of this company for about five years now. a lot of critics say is hein aggravating enough. and today is another chance for him to prove those critics wrong, savannah. >> jo kent up there early to get it. let's get our first check of the weather from al who probably already has the iphone 7. >> i do not, but i'm very, very, very exciting. >> i know you are. i can feel the energy. >> christmas morning! anyway, let's show you -- unfortunately, not like christmas in the upper mi bay to minneapolis. and eventually, those storms going to make their way into chicago. very humid air up ahead of this front. along the front, looking at showers and thunderstorms firing up today, midwest severe threat. and we could see some flooding with these storms from oklahoma into the northeast by thursday. look at this. we've got some heavy rain upwards of 6 inches from wichita all the way into decatur,

over there's good. so, how much longer you think this will take? i'll over-explain the process, then give you an unrealistic timeline. i'll nod in agreement so my wife thinks i understand what you're saying. i look forward to questioning your every move. okay, well i'll leave your house in shambles and disappear for six months. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi? double cash card does. it lets you earn double cash back: 1% when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double. . >> chris: good wednesday morning, everyone. a mild and muggy start. the remnant low from hermine continues to spin its wheels to the south of us, occasionally throwing back in some scattered showers and occasionally even some breaks of sun this afternoon. low clouds filling back in for all of us tonight. a couple spotty showers kicking off thursday morning. then we'll transition into partly sunny skies by mid-to-late afternoon. a couple degrees either side of 80 this afternoon, but spotty showers. 7 on 7 forecast, bringing the

that's your latest weather. savannah? >> all right, al, thank you. and just ahead, gretchen carlson reacting it to the massive $20 million settlement in her sexual harassment the lawsuit against former fox news chief, roger ailes. and a top anchor also announces her departure. and the end of summer does not mean you can't book a vacation. we show you where to find the best deals right now. but first, this is "today"

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narrator: "by almost every measure, public charter schools have been a success." "they are models of inspiration." with "impressive results" and "eye-catching educational gains." it's turned my son's life around. narrator: "charter schools amount to hope" for kids all across massachusetts. question 2 will give parents more choices ducation. vote yes on 2. for stronger public schools. >> this is 7news now. >> sarah: good wednesday morning, everybody. it's:26 as we take a live look at boston.

boston. a milder and muggy start today. dew points running into the 60s in the rain right now. rain most prevalent north of boston. a couple brief downpours have roll on through, including topsfield and back out into southern worcester county. that will be the theme of the day. a couple spotty showers around, mild and muggy with temperatures running into the upper 70s. >> sarah: one person is dead after an apparent incident involving a computer rail train in brighton. happened or if the victim was hit by the train. the man accused of stockpiling weapons and threatening to kill president obama due back in court. police arrested 48-year-old john gargiulo last month on a charge of possessing ammunition. officers searched his home and say they found notes that referenced threats to police

new hampshire college students are packing their backpacks and heading back to school. and thanks to kelly ayotte, along with the textbooks and pencils, many students are carrying more student loan debt. and to raise student loan interest rates. because she sides with special interests looking out for their own bottom line, not our kids'. for new hampshire students and families, kelly ayotte is a heavy burden we can't afford. nea advocacy fund is responsible

? we're back at 7:30. look at the flags. it's windy, cloudy, cool day here in new york city. look what the wind blew in, matt lauer from the inintrepid. >> in new york city? garbage truck day. >> carrying a little odor. let's get to the headlines this morning. tropical storm newton will bring heavy rain to parts of new mexico and arizona today. it made landfall as a hurricane in mexico. actually, twice on tuesday, including near the resort in los cab owes. >> as we mentioned, after a day of campaigning, hillary clinton and donald trump will take part in our commander-in-chief forum

intrepid sea, air and museum taking questions from service members and veterans. and you can watch it at 8:00 eastern on msnbc and nbc. >> by the way, there is a new nbc new survey monkey poll, it shows that trump leads clinton by 19 points, 55 to 36% among voters currently serving or who have previously served in the u.s. military. >> that leads us to campaign moment, where we show you something you may have missed on the campaign trail. here's one that's actually been a tradition on campaign planes for years. the old orange roll. hillary clinton rolled oranges toward the front of the plane where she sits. written on each orange, a question for her to answer. only one made it all the way to the front and this was its question. who would you rather have dinner with, donald trump or vladimir putin? the orange came rolling back

clinton aide admitted he actually answered the question for his boss. and i would call it a time-honored practice tradition. you told me you had never heard of it or can't remember it? >> we rolled a stone. that's how long ago it was. also this morning, learning more about the massive $20 million settlement to the sexual harassment lawsuit that rocked fox news and cost roger ailes his job. sin th cynthia mcfadden on the case. >> good morning, savannah. it would have been hard to imagine two months ago what would happen happened with gretchen carlson bringing suit against roger ailes. to close the deal, he was paid a whopping $14 million to do so. today, a new twist. this morning, fox news is yet again making news. >> good morning, everybody. >> reporter: former anchor,

accusing former ceo, roger ailes, of sexual harassment in just a short time later, one of the network's top anchors calling it quits. >> really, this is the slow-motion dismantling of the machine and the roster that roger ailes had built over 20 years. >> on the record -- >> reporter: greta van susteren suddenly leaving fox on tuesday, writing on facebook, "fox hasn't felt like home to me for a few years. high-profile employees who came to defend roger ailes in a lawsuit. 21st century fox, the parent company of fox news, which was not named in the lawsuit, saying in a statement, "we sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve." carlson saying in a statement,

and respectful workplace." her $20 million settlement, a culmination of a summer of allegations. roger ailes allegedly said, i think you and i should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago, adding that sometimes problems are easier to solve that way. carlson's lawsuit reportedly bulletproof, because she secretly record his alleged advances. a person familiar tells nbc news >> she meticulously built this case over a year on her iphone, in private settings and meetings and 21st century fox couldn't walk away from this. the proof was there. >> reporter: an internal investigation by 21st century fox uncovered other women who said roger ailes harassed them too. he has repeatedly denied all againsts against him and is reportedly considering legal action himself. his attorney telling nbc news, he is not contributing to

some about the future of fox news. >> the problem is that the network is in disarray. the man no who created fox news is gone and a lot of uncertainty about its place in the world. >> reporter: sources tell nbc news that two other sexual harassment cases besides carlson's have recently been settled by the company. meanwhile, "new york" magazine and writer gabe sherman have been threatened with litigation by roger hulk hogan's lawyer. >> the one who just successfully sued gawker. >> it continues. thank you very much. let us get a check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> all right, guys. as you mentioned, bottom of the program, we were talking about our good friend, spinning around out here, newton. that's right. newton is now 130 miles south of tucson, 70-mile-an-hour winds moving north of 17 as a tropical storm.

make its way as already started to make its way into arizona, new mexico, texas, and that's where we have flash flood watches, and could see flash flood warnings. 3 million people under this. the impacts, 2 to 4 inches in southeastern arizona, gusty winds, heavy rain, could seagully washers and flash floods, we're watching that. and the remnants of hermine continue to spinoff the northeast coast. high surf for southern new england and new york. scattered showers and finally moves out and gets the heck the country. . >> chris: good wednesday morning, everyone. a mild and muggy start. the remnant low from hermine continues to spin its wheels to the south of us, occasionally throwing back in some scattered showers and occasionally even some breaks of sun this afternoon. low clouds filling back in for all of us tonight. a couple spotty showers kicking off thursday morning. then we'll transition into partly sunny skies by mid-to-late afternoon. a couple degrees either side of 80 this afternoon, but spotty showers.

temperatures pushing 90 in the don't forget, get that weather any time you need it. check out our pals at the weather channel on cable. >> al, thank you. just ahead on "trending," notice anything out of the ordinary? new ads from victoria secret have customers a tad upset. and the cure for those end of summer blues. >> good morning, i'm jeff rossen in paradise. coming up, how you can travel like a rock star on a think you can't do it? we're about to show you where the best deals are right now. the best deals are right now. luxury hotel rooms, cheap i'll have that goat cheese garden salad. that gentleman got the last one. sir, you give me that salad and i will pay for your movie and one snack box. can i keep the walnuts? sold. but i get to pick your movie. can i pick the genre? yes, but it has to be a comedy. a little cash back on the side. with the blue cash everyday card from american express,

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good. when your friends see these pictures, they'll hate you. the rossen reports team is on vacation. this is paradise. i mean, look at this. living the luxury life. >> i can't believe i'm at the ritz. >> reporter: and going on outdoor adventures. >> this is insane! >> reporter: sounds expensive, right? nope. these lavish vacations won't bust the where you can go right now for less. so here's what we're doing. i'm booking a trip to the bahamas. i had my producers here too. we're going to send you to can union. >> can't wait. and. >> reporter: and you to veiail, colorado. you know you can get good deals in the off season. but i want to see how good a deal we can get. of so don't come back unless you get a good deal. >> let's do this. >> reporter: all right, perfect.

right away, i score major savings on the flight. during peak season in december, a flight on jetblue to nassau would cost $860. but right now this same seat on this same exact flight cost only 27 3. that's $600 less. hello. but i'm just getting started. i'm checking into one of my favorite resorts. the i'm here! during the peak season, a room here in the beach tower runs $424. but today i got the room for a steal. only $229. and not only do you get a great room, come out this way, the piece de resistance. and look what else you get. clear ocean views. look at that water. beautiful. and the off season perks don't stop there. love this!

go. ahh! no wait for pool chairs, either. you know how annoying that is when you go on vacation and it's busy and you've got to get up at the crack of dawn to get a chair? nope, i strolled right in. and i'm good. but the savings are about to get even bigger. >> cancun. now it's time to check in. >> reporter: at the ritz-carlton. >> this place is amazing. >> reporter: true luxury. and it will cost you. but not during the off seas for $299. during the peak season, this same room would cost me $1,199. that's crazy. >> reporter: but the deals don't stop at the hotel. >> the exchange rate here is amazing. the dollar is strong, around 18-1. so you can get everything from souvenirs to food super cheap. >> reporter: but the biggest savings of all is yet to come.

ultra-fancy arrest. an even bigger surprise. >> i got upgraded to a suite. another perk of off-season travel. just look how huge this suite is! i love it. >> reporter: all this for just $278 a night. but i know what you're thinking. vail is just a winter destination. think again. from horseback riding. >> look at this view. it's amazing up >> reporter: to whitewater rafting. >> crazy. >> reporter: there is plenty to do and the weather is gorgeous. whoa! simple tips for your biggest skrax on the cheap. i'm currently taking resumes. how did we get these prices? booked all directly through the airlines and hotels and they can get you to the best deals and promotions and tell you, hey, move your vacation one day later or one day earlier, we can give

thinking. we're in the hurricane season. savannah, you just asked me this. you can get travel insurance. travel insurance, you can cancel even up to the last minute. and get a full refund. some of your credit cards actually give it to you for free if you book on the credit card. otherwise it will cost you 4 to 10% of the vacation. but it could be hugely worth it, especially if you get a great deal. >> if you get a great deal, maybe you roll the dice. >> yeah. >> jeff, thank you. >> thank you, jeff. coming up, bruce springsteen reveals the personal struggle thatas his life. but first, carson has one coach's strong words for colin kaepernick about that controversial national anthem pr ? ? ? and off you go, ? ? ? and off you go, ? ?

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e. ? we are back, 7:51. carson over in the orange room with a new development in this protest we've been following by colin kaepernick. >> that's right, savannah. nfl player, colin kaepernick, has been a hot topic online for his controversial protest. his decis order to raise awareness for racial injustice and police brutality raising both support and anger. the latest is hockey coach, john tortorella, currently heading up team usa at the world cup. when asked, he says, if any of my players sit on the bench, they will sit there the rest of the game. tortorella previously mentioned how he sees his role as coach of team usa as a way to represent

ranger. jeremy lane here of seattle, more recently u.s. women soccer player, megan repinot. many watching closely to see if there are any additional protests. back to you. >> and the president, by the way, weighed in and says that kaepernick has the right to do that to raise awareness for a social issue. >> and veterans and service members think the same thing. >> carson, thank you very much. fairy godmother again. fairy godmother again. and well? i love it. this piece is so you. i know, right? i saw it and i was just like "oh, i have to have it..." is it suede? it's suede. i love suede. state farm knows that every one those moments, there's one of these... well? i love it. this piece is so you. i know, right? i saw it and i was just like "i have to have it..." is it suede? it's suede. i love suede.

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>> christa: good morning. it's 7:57. there's major back-up heading into the city during this morning commute on your wednesday. so here is danielle gersh with your fast track traffic a >> danielle: here's a look at the zakim bridge. it was parking lot. it looks like things getting better now. let's go to the maps. this is all due to an accident on 93 southbound at the zakim bridge. traffic because of this backed up from montvale avenue and from 495 into boston on 93 southbound, it's about 70 minutes right now. christa, back to you. moo danielle, thank you. here's chris lambert. >> chris: wet roads south of boston. scattered showers across salem. a spot shower still into worcester.

mild and muggy day. temperatures into the upper 70s. human tomorrow. could have a spot shower in the morning. best chance of hitting 90 degrees will be on friday. >> christa: okay. chris, thank exrow -- you so much. now back to the "today show" in new york after this quick break. we'll have more headlines for you in 25 minutes.

narrator: new hampshire, think a minute about kelly ayotte the politician. ayotte claims she's independent, then goes to washington and votes with the koch brothers ime. she takes millions from wall street and big drug companies, and then votes to put their agenda before everyday families. higher drug prices and cutbacks to our medicare. so, think about it: new hampshire can choose the special interests' senator with kelly ayotte... or a people's senator, for a change. i'm maggie hassan

? it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, lights, camera, action. hoda does it again. rallying a cast of hundreds together to make one deserving woman's dream come true. >> is this for real? then, springsteen struggles. the boss gets personal, opening up about his battle with depression. and how it's affected his legendary career. and avatar reimagined. the blockbuster movie gets the cirque du soleil treatment in an all-new show. we'll have a special live performance today, wednesday,

? >> morning, tallahassee! >> hi, mom and dad! thanks for watching the kids! we love you. >> celebrating 34 years! woo! ? >> celebrating our wedding anniversary in kansas city! >> completing my bucket list, woo! >> we're back now, 8:00, on a wednesday morning. it's the 7th day of september. 2016. >> the remnants of hermine moving away. finally. >> get that out of here. >> it's like my brother. i can't get rid of it. >> he means that in the best way. >> absolutely. >> by the way, as we mentioned,

so cool. also, they're going to give us a special preview of the new show that's inspired by "avatar," we think it will blow you away. because it is windy and also because it's awesome. >> looking forward to that. and also, for this morning's guinness world record attempt by the guy who already holds the record for holding the most world records. i'll draw you a chart later, that is coming up soon. first, it's time for the news at 8:00. we begin this morning with the race for the white house. i'm hallie jackson on the deck of the aircraft carrier, intrepid, where tonight both presidential candidates will take our stage to face questions about what it means to be commander-in-chief. but a majority of voters don't have confidence in either donald trump or hillary clinton to serve in that role. according to our new nbc news survey monkey online tracking poll out today.

security again in the spotlight. today, ahead of nbc's commander-in-chief forum, donald trump previewing his plan for the military. a senior aide telling nbc news, trump will calling for an end to automatic defense cuts, raising questions about how he'll pay for it without blooallooning th deficit. also, part of his plan to fight isis. back in april -- >> i said i have a great plan, it's going to be great. i would rather not say, i want to be unpredictable. >> reporter: now? >> going to convene my top je generals and give them a simple instruction. they will have 30 days to submit to the oval office. a plan for soundly and quickly defeating isis. we have no choice. >> reporter: trump's trying to capitalize on his advantage with military and veteran voters. where he leads hillary clinton by double digits.

poll. clinton, not conceding that vote. >> his whole campaign has been one long insult to all those who wore the uniform. >> reporter: and not letting up on trump's refusal to release his tax returns. >> he's also said that it's none of our business. i just think he's dead wrong. >> reporter: trump quickly brushing off the tax talk. >> nobody cares about it except some of the folks in the media. nobody cares about it. >> r the topic to his rival's appearance in a new line of at that tack. >> i just don't think she has a presidential look. and you need a presidential look. you have to get the job done. >> reporter: clinton's running mate, tim kaine, called a similar knock to appearance as an idiotic comment. and clinton has an edge over trump when it comes to who voters trust more on the use of nuclear weapons.

wouldn't trust either candidate. you can watch our commander in chief forum tonight here on nbc news at 8:00 eastern. also on msnbc. mat, of course, moderating that, getting ready for the big event. savannah? >> halle, thank you so much. meantime, the obama administration facing new questions this morning about huge cash payments to the government of iran. just weeks ago the white house admitted a $400 cash shipment in january was used as leverage to free four american prisoners. now the acknowledging that iran got additional cash transfers for a total of $1.7 billion. however, the white house insists the money was not ransom. it says all of this money was owed iran to settle a failed arms deal in the '70s and the funds were previously disclosed publicly. the astronaut who has spent more space than any other american returned to earth overnight. jeff williams and two russians

aboard the international space station gave williams a total of 534 days in orbit and at 58, williams, a grandfather, also the oldest american to live on the space station. cool. coming up next, why this guy's basket just made him the king of the classroom. and then how people are reacting to news that taylor swift and is tom hilthsston's summer love is over. >> why does it make me laugh when you read that? i don't know. enlisting a cast and crew of enlisting a cast and crew of hundreds to make another houst mission allergy escape. for those who've gone to extremes to escape their unrelenting nasal allergy symptoms... houston: news alert... new from the makers of claritin, clarispray. ? ? welcome back. clarispray is a nasal allergy spray that contains the #1 prescribed, clinically proven ingredient.

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the moments that connect us don't happen overnight. they happen one morning at a time, and one cup at a time. folgers, the best part of wakin' up. well this here's a load-bearing wall. we'll go ahead and rip that out. that'll cause a lot of problems. hmm. totally unnecessary and it triples the budget. we'll be totally behind schedule, right? (laughs) schedules. schedules. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi? double cash card does. it lets you earn double cash back: 1% when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double. ? could use a good trending. >> me too. >> 8:10, here we go.

>> music. >> children. >> kids. >> family. >> most people would say getting married or having a baby, family things. would you add to that list, getting comments on your facebook posts? >> not our comments. >> a new study says for some people the answer is yes. this from researchers at both facebook and carnegie melon. that sounds official. they say the magic number is 60. getting at least 60 comments on a facebook post was found to increase a person's satisfaction as much as as a major life event. >> crazy. when i read that, i thought that's weird. but i have to say, to the extent that facebook is now just an online way of getting appreciation and connecting with friends, i think it's another way of saying having connection with your friends is as good as -- >> a major -- satisfaction in life? >> i do think most people who follow you are your friends, right? so you would hope they would

>> wait until tonight. >> wait until tomorrow. >> exactly. >> all right, victoria's secret known, of course, for racy ads. and some people not loving the new campaign. see what you guys think. models posing on streets in their lingerie. >> even better. >> bras and slips being worn like shirts and blouses. victoria secret marketing a look you can work into your real life. customers are saying, yeah, i don't think so. one wrote, victoria's secret." also, "this must be a man's idea." and also, "how to get fired" by victoria's secret. so far, no comment from victoria's secret. >> i don't mind t. >> look at our men. >> yeah, okay, you want your daughter to do that? no, no. >> ridiculous. >> no way that's happening for me. a lot of colleges, one student at ohio state a hero.

promised if he made a basket from one area of the lecture hall to the other, everybody in the class would get an a on their first quiz. the student named vinny nailed the shot from across the room. of course, vinny is going to nail the shot! but the room goes crazy. [ cheers and applause ] vinny's teacher trying to demonstrate a lesson. classmates won't forget that lesson. he loves organic chemistry. anyway, another candidate for the day. check out what happened at the u.s. open on tuesday after caroline wozniak won her match. the ball into the stands. where does it land? off it goes -- >> oh! >> caught it with one hand. just happens to be at the right place at the right time.

is. meanwhile, caroline advances to the semi finals and gets quite the souvenir. >> some fans saying "throw it back!" >> i know. i am impressed. >> she was holding it like a drink in the air. >> yeah! >> how about pop stars? >> big story here at the top. i guess start with the breakup that no one saw coming. >> really? seriously? >> the couple, better known hittle-swift, split. the split follows months of speculation about whether the relationship was a publicity stunt to begin with. and tom went on record saying it wasn't. so many fans just devastated. one guy tweeting, my wife just asked me to take out the garbage as this taylor swift/tom hiddleston news -- and the boss

issue of "vanity fair" talking about battling depression. saying you don't know the illness's parameters. can i end up like my father more than i thought i might. dealing with the issue has helped him become a better artist. he will release an autobiography. a solo album, we don't have the release date yet. and zayn what does in this former new direction member have? the guys are developing a scr scripted show about a boy band featuring original music and will draw from zain's experiences. we don't have a premier date yet but it will air here on nbc. that's your pop start. you can check out "today." >> well done, mr. daly. mr. roker, a check of the

and we've got really a big change temperature-wise. in the pacific northwest, we're going to see these temperatures cool down. we're talking anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees cooler than average right through the middle of this week. but here in the east, a big dome of high pressure, unseasonably hot weather starting to set up. look at today. lexington, 11 degrees above average. new york city, getting up to 83, 6 degrees above average. cleveland, 91. that's 16 degrees above average. look at the record highs. thursday, friday from d.c. to new york city. highs reaching into the low to mid 90s. that's what's going on around . >> chris: good wednesday morning, everyone. a mild and muggy start. the remnant low from hermine continues to spin its wheels to the south of us, occasionally throwing back in some scattered showers and occasionally even some breaks of sun this afternoon. low clouds filling back in for all of us tonight. a couple spotty showers kicking off thursday morning. then we'll transition into partly sunny skies by

showers. 7 on 7 forecast, bringing the heat on friday. temperatures pushing 90 in the and that's your latest weather. it . >> thank you very much. hoda is back with her bucket list. >> who could forget tuesday. a 63-year-old grandma into a monster truck. she loved it. remember she went over the big car. >> how are you going to top it today? favorites. a viewer's family asked me to surprise her. we were on it immediately. i don't want to give anything away. just watch. >> hi, you're here! sarah malone thinks she is on a new york girls' get-away. >> remember -- wait a second, might have been in the shot. >> a few blocks away, i'm conspiring with a cast and crew of hundreds. >> and go! >> including sara's family. to pull off the ultimate surprise.

oh, my god! >> so who is this sarah malone? >> she's the most caring and dependable friend you could ever have in your life. >> she's always a phone call away. >> as a wife, she is loyal, she's caring. she's strong. >> she also just endured the worst year of her life. doctors broke the news that a routine visit six months after her son was born. >> the day after her 31st birthday, came back that she was >> she went through 20 weeks of chemo. she also tested positive for the brachia gene, a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy in her future. >> she refused to let it impact her family. but she did change one thing. she moved a tv into her bedroom to watch her favorite show. ? >> sara's biggest obsession

linging. even on an episode she has seen a thousand times. >> i thought the craziest thing she would like to do, why not be on "svu?" >> i know it's exciting, but we're actually in the middle of shooting. >> the easy part convincing my friends at "svu" to give her a small but pivotal role. near impossible, pulling off the actual surprise. >> all right. let's try it. >> action! >> the think she has walked on to a live film set and ruin the shot. >> this is our earpiece. >> best friend star will lead sara into a trap, while i hide out nearby, awaiting my victim. >> sara is going to be floored. >> she is just going to keep asking, "is this for real?" >> here she comes, here she comes. >> what's happening? >> okay. can we go around? what's happening? >> we're just in the middle of

moment. >> oh. >> did she get into the shot? >> oh, shoot, yeah. >> so you got into the shot by accident. >> oh, i'm so sorry. >> no worries about it. but i'm just going to see if we can get a release form in case you show up. >> shut up! >> can we see what it is? >> can you get me a release form, please? >> someone walk in the shot? >> yeah, we've got two people walking into the shot. >> stand by. hi! >> wait, is this for real? >> this is for real! can i tell you something? >> yeah! >> all of this -- >> okay. >> all of this -- >> yeah. >> hi! >> hi. >> is for you. it's all for you. your dear friends were telling

were. your sister-in-law, your husband. >> what? >> oh. >> we love you. >> your sister-in-law wrote such a beautiful note and told us you love a couple of things. this is a real "svu" set down there. and guess who is not only going to be on "svu" but have a speaking part. >> no. >> yes you are! >> i don't know what to say! >> come on. come with us. >> all right. so all of this is the "svu" set. >> okay. >> i know. >> don't tell me you watch this show. >> that would be marishka, the no-nonsense lieutenant, olivia benson. >> who are these people? >> ahhh! >> get over here.

>> i took off my badge, because i didn't want to freak you out. >> oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh! >> are you kidding? >> we were shooting the scene and i was like ramp it up, people. i have guests. >> she's like this, talk amongst yourself. >> welcome to "svu." >> oh, my god. can i give you a hug? >> i'm going take my sunglasses off. how are you? >> i leave sara in good hands with the "svu" crew. >> so right now we are your very own trailer. da, da, da, da da! >> oh, my god! >> it doesn't take long to transform sara into character. she'll be playing the part of "woman." >> do you like that, the busy-body that knows everybody business. you probably have a lot of cats in your apartment, and not much else. >> great. >> and i'm going to say, "not much around here." and you're going to say, "check the roof."

>> try it now? >> "check the roof." >> i like it. >> okay, sarah, we're ready for you. >> sarah is the last scene of the day. >> we're looking for charlie dobson. >> is he around? >> check the roof. >> nailed it! >> that was very good. >> action! action! action! >> and on the subsequent 10,000 takes. >> is he around? >> check the roof. >> i hope that sarah always remembers that this is for her. she went through a hard year. i hope she understands how much we care about her. >> i think she's going to make a great television star. >> finally -- >> that does it! >> ladies and gentlemen, that's a wrap for sarah malone! >> hopefully that part don't get caught. >> her put is not getting cut. by the way, catch "law and order scu" on september 28th.

>> shut the front door! >> that was so -- she must have been flipping out! >> it was -- you know how you feel like you're in a surprise party and you duck behind a couch and you're about to burst out? that's what it felt like for us. >> almost always somebody blows it? and nobody blows it in this. >> tomorrow we're going to zero in on a guy who hates to be the center of attention. he's the type who quietly changes people's lives and re so we enlisted one of his idols. >> this thing is so great. >> so fun. >> thank you, hoda. >> thank you very much. coming up, a mind-blowing performance from cirque du soleil with inspiration from the great james cameron. carson. >> oh, look who is here!

>> this is 7news now. >> christa: good morning, everybody. 8:27 is your time right now. look at that scene out there. it is foggy and gray to start things off. but chris says there's going to be some sunshine in our future. >> chris: we'll get some breaks of sun this afternoon, trying to poke on through. more sunshine as we head toward the weekend, christa. even trackin downpours across the north shore, one right over melrose right now, working its way into stoneham. a couple spotty showers throughout the day now, but also a few breaks of sun this afternoon. mild and muggy. upper 70s to near 80 degrees. if you're looking for the summertime heat, we'll find it by friday, pushing back to 90. >> christa: one person is dead after being hit by a commuter rail train in brighton. transit police made the discovery late last night on cambridge street. according to investigators, the

on the tracks at the time and no foul play is suspected. the principal of weston high school reminding students to be careful of what they post on social media. the superintendent says someone created a fake nap chat account and that some sophomore boys may have sent inappropriate pictures of themselves to it. officers say no victims have come forward yet. and a lawrence firefighter facing charges after allegedly shooting a gun inside his home. police say the 39-year-old was drunk opened fire and hit himself in the leg. officers say they had the shoot the man's dog after it charged at them. at them. "tod at them. "tod follow your own sense of style... because, you want to be confident.

t you're going to find. i always find great deals on shoes... purses... we're a team. yeah. maxx life at t.j.maxx. narrator: new hampshire, think a minute about kelly ayotte the politician. ayotte claims she's independent, then goes to washington and votes with the koch brothers 90% of the time. she takes millions from wall street and big drug companies, and then votes to put their agenda before everyday families. higher drug prices and cutbacks to our medicare. so, think about it: ial interests' senator with kelly ayotte... or a people's senator, for a change. i'm maggie hassan

? ? we're back on a wednesday morning. how cool is that? a scene from cirque du soleil, getting ready to bring "avatar" to life on our plaza. hi there! you up there. pretty exciting. >> they are doing it, this show,

james cameron. we're going to talk to him about the collaboration in just a little while. >> and then coming up, you're going to laugh, you're going to cry. molly shannon here to tell us about her heavy but humorous role in that show called "other people." >> and we are going to try to break more begguinness world records. popping a whole bunch of balloons. and tpe the 2016 para olympic games in brazil. we urge you to watch on the nbc sports network, 7:00 p.m. eastern and also stream it on s team usa.org and right here on nbc. nbc sports network and team usa.org, as well. we wish them the best of luck. >> let's get a check of the weather. >> starting with today, looking at some strong storms through the upper mississippi river valley with some flooding

southwest with moisture from newton, heating up in the southeast and gulf coast. cool and wet in the pacific northwest. tomorrow we're expecting to see more strong storms in the mid section of the country. hot and humid through the southeast into the mid atlantic states. the sunshine returns to the southwest with a few showers still hanging around and a few sprinkles in the morning plains. . >> chris: good wednesday morning, everyone. a mild and muggy start. the remnant low from hne the south of us, occasionally throwing back in some scattered showers and occasionally even some breaks of sun this afternoon. low clouds filling back in for all of us tonight. a couple spotty showers kicking off thursday morning. then we'll transition into partly sunny skies by mid-to-late afternoon. a couple degrees either side of 80 this afternoon, but spotty showers. 7 on 7 forecast, bringing the heat on friday. temperatures pushing 90 in the

>> good one, al. good one. let's see what molly shannon thinks, a legend at snl. she, of course, made a name for herself with comedy. but in her new movie, "other people," she plays a mother dying of cancer who can still put a humorous spin on things. take a look. >> cremation. >> we talked about this. >> i know we talked about it. >> up, okay? how would you like it if somebody set you on fire? no, thank you. >> it's not like they light you -- >> i don't want to be lit on fire. i don't like that. i don't like camping and fires and i don't want to be personally lit on fire. no. i want to be frozen. that is an option, frozen. can i be frozen? check the frozen option. >> molly shannon, good morning. >> good morning, savannah. >> talk about range. i mean, there are those moments of lefty in this. but this is such a dramatic

i felt so lucky to get this script. chris kelly, who just became the head writer at "snl," sent the script to me. and it's about a struggling comedy writer who moves home to take care of his dying mother, me. and the script is just breath taking. i really cried when i read it. and i have two kids myself, i'm a mother and i related to how this mother wants to fight to the end of the earth for her kids. and what mothers will do for deal with loss. and it explores -- it's a drama, but explores the comedic elements and the family dealing with this tough time. >> and chris kelly, writer at "snl," you guys never crossed paths, but he, of course, knew of your work and he really sought you out, because he wanted that unique combination of somebody who could do the dramatic parts of it, but find that humor, because it sounds like that was the story he wanted to tell about his own mother. >> exactly. his own mother -- he said his

so i'm so -- i just feel so lucky to get such a juicy part like this. i'm like -- thank you! i feel so fortunate. >> and you actually have a background in drama, right? you studied at nyu, straight drama. you were not a comedy actress then. >> no, not at all. i was a regular actress doing dramatic monologues and even on "saturday night live," i consider myself more of a dramatic comedian. i would always do i like drama or drama with comedy. >> yeah. it's funny, because i was reading your background and realized, oh, my gosh, you left snl in 2001, it feels like yesterday. you made such an impact. >> aww. >> and that has to feel good to have characters that have with stood the test of time and people still talk about them. >> it does, savannah. it feels so good and i get it --

airport or i was elevator in the hotel yesterday. and i get it all of the time and i feel so lucky. that was a great job for me and such a great break. i saw lauren michaels last night and we're still really close. and it's such a unique show and i feel so -- it was just the greatest. >> and you've made such an interesting career with a lot of different kinds of roles since. you have also a new tv series, "divorced." >> yes. >> you get parker's besty. and i would like to be her besty in real life. tell me about the show. >> the show is called "divorced" and i play her best friend and it explores marriages and people look at their own marriages and my particular character is in a push/pull relationship with my husband. the show is excellent. so juicy. sarah jessica parker is a delight. i feel like a fan who won a part

and she's so pretty and look at her sparkly shoes. everything you would want her to be and more. >> i would want to one-click everything she is wearing and i love how they describe the first episode. something juicy happens at your house. and that's where this whole thing starts. >> yes. >> but i guess you're not going to tell us what that juicy thing is. >> no, i can't. you'll have to tune in october. >> molly shannon, thank you. >> and "other people" opens in select theaters this friday. >> and "divorced" october 9th. >> what a pleasure! you look fabulous. >> thank you. oh, my goodness. we're on the path there. next, the king of world records tries one more jewel for the crown.

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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 four hundred million that won't fund more science and technology, arts or preschool, counseling, or smaller class sizes. 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. vote no on question 2. welcome back, everybody.

this is fun. trying for some new records all week long in honor of the brand-new guinness world record holder, the farthest back flips in japan. and then remember yesterday, the fastest straight jacket escape. almost. this morning, this is exciting. we have brought in the man who holds the record for holding records. take a look. meet the record-breaker. since 1979, he has made a career out of breaking guinness world records and has broken more than 500 so far. from the longest somersaulting distance to the fastest staff race to the apples cut in

to top it off, holds the record for holding the most begin necessary records title. he will attempt to set a new record by popping the most balloons with his mouth in 30 seconds and kids, don't try this at home. hope you have been practicing. he's here and the guinness world record communicator. you have 587 records, total you have accomplished and 209 are >> this sounds like a career for you. how come you love doing this? >> i love it. had always been a fan as a kid and then started -- a teenager, i had a teacher and the whole philosophy is about self transcendence, we have this inner strength which we never use and you can always challenge yourself and do better and push the limits. >> but you've got a great imagination, because you have to come up with a lot of these things to set the record. >> yeah, but -- i do, but a lot of them -- they have a tremendous imagination.

the begguinness book. >> there are a couple rules. what does he have to do to make the record? >> a couple rules. the balloons themselves have to be at least 27 -- 20 centimeters in diameter, just under eight inches. >> all right. >> ease he's got to burst at least 27 of them and he can only use his mouth or teeth to burst them. >> no nose. >> have you been filing your teeth? >> i've been working on it. >> okay. all right. official here. so you start it up, okay? >> 30 seconds. >> okay. >> are you ready? >> yeah. >> for the record, 3, 2, 1, go! >> go! >> come on, you can do it. you've got to get to seven. oh, my goodness. he's on fire. on fire. >> ten seconds gone. >> it's difficult! >> it is hard.

it has to completely deflate to count. all right. going. you've got about five seconds left. >> 4, 3, 2, 1! stop! >> so let's see. >> the last one didn't -- >> rob, you want to count them up for us? >> sure. >> that's a lot of work! i have to say! >> wouldn't it be great if they were helium balloons? >> i did it! >> okay. we're doing a little calculation here. now you hold the record for one minute. most balloons popped in one minute, right? so we're going for a new record here. >> okay. so we said the minimum he had to achieve for this record seven. >> right. >> there was a few we had to discount because he used his hands to assist with the bursting of the balloon. but with a total of 19, i can confirm this is the new guinness

>> awesome! >> congratulations. >> thank you very much. thanks, guys. that was fun. >> was it harder than you thought it was going to be? >> absolutely. it was harder than i thought, yeah. >> and you now currently hold 210 guinness world records. >> you are no longer invited to my daughter's birthday party. >> thank you so much! >> thanks very much. >> good to have you. >> thank you. >> congrats. next, cirque du show, inspired by james cameron's movie "avatar."

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director, james cameron, behind blockbusters like "terminator", "titanic" and the highest-grossing movie of all-time, "avatar". >> now from the screen to the stage, teamed up with cirque du soleil. it's a multimedia experience, complete with stunning visuals, acrobatics, special performance coming up in a moment. mr. cameron, nice to see you. >> good morning! >> you me, it's been seven years. it seemed like it was just last year. >> yeah, i know. in a cave, writing all four of them. >> when you released "avatar" did you envision something bigger than the screen? >> no, i didn't envision. they came to me with the idea. it's a match made in heaven. it's about these alien guys, but they're really us.

what these performers do. >> i feel like you're adding another level, because there's a real story here, not just the visual. >> yeah. it is a story. and cirque du soleil hasn't done that before. they are separated from each other and this is all one story with a continuous cast for all of the acts. >> and you mentioned busy wri writing the other movies. when are we going to see the other movies? >> they're coming right up. yo b >> all right. should we watch? >> i think we should. >> james cameron, thanks. ladies and gentlemen, cirque du soleil!

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>> amazing. cirque du soleil, james cameron, thank you so much. they're going to all be back in our next hour. that was incredible. and you know what -- i would be panting. >> they're just amazing. >> they really are. on tour now. we'll be back in a moment. this i " new hampshire college students are packing their backpacks and heading back to school. and thanks to kelly ayotte, along with the textbooks and pencils, many students are carrying more student loan debt. ayotte voted to cut pell grants and to raise student loan interest rates. because she sides with special interests looking out for their own bottom line, not our kids'. for new hampshire students and families,

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what's in your wallet? smucker's celebrates "today" is sponsored by smucker's. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. >> all right. we're back, 8:54. time for a special back to school celebration. hey, carson. >> thanks, guys. kids headed back to school and celebrating the special teachers changing studentsiv a couple tweets. ashton tweeting here, she is amazing, because she makes work fun, a huge motivator and is a joy. aaron writing in, this mrs. rasmussen, inspires and cares for every child and adult, all of the time, no matter what. and there you see on the left, mrs. blake, she has taught for 32 years in the same classroom and had had both sheila and her daughter as students. great work there. keep celebrating your favorite

teachers. >> love that. thank you very much. what have you got next hour? >> some great fall food hacks coming up. live performance from groupon. no, group love. sorry. >> we're going to get a coupon for group love. >> and james cameron and another performance from cirque du soleil. so that's going to be kind of neat. and we're going to be talking about -- i saw the movie "sully" last night. it is amazing. great, it's 09 minutes. 90 minutes. >> and tom hanks. >> i was just going to say.

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'. maggie hassan's priorities are working for new hampshire. new hampshire froze tuition. she understands that we need good highway systems. hassan is an advocate for public safety. she's kept spending under control. and how does maggie hassan get these things done? by balancing the budget

and by working with anyone and everyone to create a better environment for business innovation. a new senator making fiscal responsibility work for you. i'm maggie hassan and i approve this message. photo fears in westin. inappropriate pictures allegedly posted to a fake snap chat account. a lawrence firefighter under

his home. and a dramatic rescue off the coast of rhode island when hermine leaves people hanging off of this boat. students in tolyoake cheering. the homework trend that's spreading. what to expect the rest of the day ahead. we have all that and a lot more.

snap chat concerns at a local high school with parents on alert after a fake account is created. and some inappropriate photos get shared. a murder case back in court. a man charged with killing his daughter facing a judge today. and a portrait mystery. up in lowell decades after its created the search for the good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. it's 9:00 a.m. i'm sarah french. >> i'm christa delcamp. it sounds like eventually we gel some sun in the mean time just bring along your umbrella in case. el know nancy chin got caught in one of the downpours >> she did. and she got soaked. she told me all about it when she came in the weather office and said that's my contribution to the weather forecast. dodging a couple of brief downpours this morning. upper 60s lower 70s.