good morning, no deal. with the default deadline just hours away, the house abandons a last ditch effort to reopen the government. and now the nation's credit rating could take a hit. with financial markets here and around the world on edge, is the enough time to reach a deal? enough is enough. >> watch what your children do online. pay attention. >> a sheriff takes a tough stand on bullying. arresting two young girls for taunts and torments that lead a classmate to take her own life.

we'll talk to him. today exclusive, brad pitt opens up about his new film, his family, and hitting the big 50. >> i don't know, i'm busy right now. i haven't thought a lot about it. that's today, wednesday, october 16th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning. i'm savannah guthrie along side al roker and natalie morales. remember 24 hours ago when it seemed we might get a deal. >> there was optimism in the senate but that was so yesterday. overnight everything came to a halt. >> and the deadline is looming ever closer. >> that's right. this race to end the shutdown is today's top story. let's get right to peter

alexander at the white house. peter, what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning to you. most americans are asking themselves is it over yet? i just spoke to a top republican senate aid that said optimism abounds. but this is crunch time for congress now facing intense pressure to come up with a senate deal and get it approved before midnight tonight after house republicans plan to get this thing fixed imploded. it's down to the wire. with less than 24 hours to go the back and forth on capitol hill is enough to give you whiplash. with house republican's deal going nowhere, negotiators are back at the table. sending out nearly identical statements saying they're optimism a agreement can be reached. it's basically done one aid said. among those helping end the mess, the sisterhood of the senate.

they put problem solving over partisanship. still, after more than two weeks wasted, congress needs to move fast. already the u.s.'s near perfect credit rating is in danger with fitch, it grades financial strength warning that investors america may not be able to pay what it owes blaming d.c.'s dysfunction. political brinkmanship can increase the risk of default. >> what should americans be bracing for. they may not witness changes overnight? >> we're talking about something so catstrophic. >> they said it's like driving through the desert or empty and blowing past the only gas station in sight. >> you'll run out of gas quickly and bad things will happen to you in the desert. >> reporter: we lost this

battle. after a shutdown that lasted 16 days, a shutdown lead by house republicans that wanted to undermine the president's new health care law, by the end of today, those republicans may leave with little to nothing to show for it. >> peter alexander, thank you very much. jim cramer is the host of "mad money" on cnbc. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> hypothetical. average joe, average jane, they go to bed tonight not knowing what's going to happen with the deadline. they wake up in the morning and there is no deal. in real terms, how does the world change tomorrow morning? >> too early to tell. there may still be money in the till. a week from now, different but tomorrow unclear. >> a week from now what happens to their world? >> now you have to start worrying that the government is going to send out the 80 million checks they send out every month. >> the markets yesterday seemed to react very negatively to the fitch agency's warning that our credit rating could be

downgrade. other agencies, moody, is it possible they may downgrade the rating anyway even if there's a deal by sending a message and saying this crisis to crisis mentality has to stop. >> fitch is like american people. they're saying this does have to stop. so fitch is possible. s&p, no and moody's, no, they're okay with what's happening. >> in the morning if there is no deal, how do you expect the markets to react. >> i think grace until friday. maybe friday they'll think something will happen over the weekend and monday will be horrible. >> jim cramer, thank you very much. three republican women in the senate maybe key to the deal being negotiated now. susan collins crafted the original frame work and lisa and kelly quickly signed on and forced a bipartisan alliance and all three are with us this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> since i am short on time and long on senators, let's do a show of hands.

are you confident we will get a deal in time for this deadline. >> yes. >> okay. >> we have to. >> indeed. senator collins, let me ask you about this. you got the ball rolling on this bipartisan frame work. it goes to the house yesterday and then it completely falls apart and some of the republican colleagues over there said you guys are the senate surrender cauc caucus. >> first of all, i would describe ourselves as a bipartisan group that's trying to get a solution and do what the american people want us to do which is to govern responsibly. we put together a bipartisan group. i think it's significant that it's lead by women but more is that it's six republicans and six democrats and we have come to an agreement. >> let me ask you, you were somebody elected with tea party support but early in the shutdown, four days in, you said

your colleagues in that wing of the party needed a reality check. do they still need a reality check today? do you agree with what senator mccain said is this fight is lost? it's time to move on? >> i think the american people are tired of the zero sum politics. i didn't think it was a winning strategy from the beginning. that's why i didn't support it. right now where we are is unacceptable. we need to solve this and open up the government and resolve the debt ceiling issues. i'm not for losing strategy, although i don't support obama care, i don't think any of us here thought this was going to succeed and obviously it failed. the government shutdown and the obama care exchange is open. what we need is problem solving. that's why i'm proud to be here with susan and lisa to get this resolved for the country. >> speaker boehner faces a choice today. this is a day of reconning for him. he either puts it on the floor and gets it passed or we risk

this. is his speakership at risk? >> this should not be about his speakership or the next election. this should be about, really, the future of our country. where we are right now. we are shutdown as a government. we are facing a debt crisis. as difficult as a situation is in the house, as contentious as the issues are, we need to keep in mind what the real -- what the real goal here is which is getting this country back on track. difficult decisions for all, but it ought not be about the politics of the game or whether or not someone keeps their leadership. i want to support john boehner in anyway that i can, but we need to be pragmatic. this is not going to be a republican solution or democrat solution. this is going to be a solution good for the country and again, we think hah the women in the senate, the six of us, actually

seven women that have been working together do have a good bipartisan solution that works. let's get to it. >> we're out of time. we'll leave it there. thank you for being with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you. all right. natalie is here with breaking news tied to those dry ice bombs at l.a.x. >> that's right. good morning to you guys. major developments this morning in connection with the two dry ice explosions at los angeles international airport this week. police say l.a.x. employee decarlo bennett was arrested in the case. a dry ice bomb went off in a restricted area of the airport. three more devices were found and one went off. no injuries. but it resulted in hours of flight delays. disgraced san diego mayor bob filler pleaded guilty for three criminal come planlts for his behavior toward three accusers. he'll escape prison but his legal troubles are far from

over. >> except for a thin smile at the start of his court appearance, 71-year-old bob filner showed no emotion and said nothing beyond yes, sir when asked if he was guilty of the three charges against him. >> is that true, sir. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: misdemeanor complaints of battery against two victims and would be felony for false imprisonment at a fund-raising event. he was elected san diego's mayor last november but in june his own communications director accused him of sexual harassment followed by a parade of 20 other women alleging similar misconduct including this army veteran. >> i felt raped, humiliated, disrespected. >> reporter: on august 30th he agreed to re-sign. his guilty plea replaces what could have been three years in prison with three years probation following three months of home confinement and mandatory mental health

counseling. the plea deal doesn't end the legal troubles completely. civil suit versus been filed by several other victims. but it does bar him from serving in office again. after a five month barrage of allegations that he groped and touched and kissed a range of women that wanted none of that, he said guilty three times in a criminal court. his public career, if not his legal troubles, over. a powerful typhoon ripped through japan today leaving at least 17 people dead. the typhoon was packing 110 miles per hour winds when it made landfall. hundreds of homes were destroyed as you see there. over 50 people still missing. the food and drug administration announced tuesday night the recall of an injectable antibiotic after visible particles were found in a sample. the recall involves a drug made

by b.braun medical. using the drug could result in blood clots. a bizarre discovery in california has a lot of people talking. take a look at this this morning. it looks like something out of a science fiction movie. this is called an oarfish. it's over 18 feet long and washed ashore on catalina island. it's extremely rare to see would be. they normally swim 3,000 feet down. you want to keep it 3,000 feet down looking like that. >> it's 18 feet long. >> apparently it was a snorkeler that first saw it. he's still in therapy this morning. >> i would be freaking out. >> if you imagine? >> no. >> we do have the all you can eat sushi bar. life is good. >> storms in texas. >> we sure do. let's show you what's going on in the southern plains. a lot of wet weather and this

front is really a pretty long front. i mean, when you take a look at this thing, it extends basically stretching all the way from texas into western new york. that's about 1600 miles. this thing is pretty long and it's going to continue to make it's way into the east. in fact, what we've got right now is a mix of heavy rain and we're also looking at some flooding possibilities as well. in fact, we've got flash flood watches in effect. flash flood warnings into southern texas until saturday morning. flash flood watches into texas and into the rockies, freeze flash flood watches into texas and into the rockies, freeze warnthe toyota corolla.ies ladi. ♪ le freak, c'est chic ♪ freak out ♪ aw ♪ ♪

♪ [ male announcer ] elevate your style. introducing the all-new corolla. ♪ >> good morning. the average high temperature this time of year is 67 degrees and we should be above that mark today. we should make it into the low and that's your latest weather. all right, al, thank you very much. rielle hunter, the former m mistress of john edwards is in the news coming forward with a

surprise apology about their affair. lisa myer has more on this story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. she has briselled at the aaccepti perception that she is a home wrecker but now she says that's exactly what she was saying, i behaved badly. >> it's a great speech. >> can you read it? >> yes, i can read it. >> reporter: it was a love affair that lasted on and off for at least six years. produced a daughter, quinn, destroyed john edward's political career, and left him facing criminal charges associated with covering it up. days after he was found not guilty hunter unveiled this book in which she admitted a few mistakes but largely defended her behavior. >> i don't regret falling in love and i don't regret loving him, nor do i regret our daughter. >> reporter: but now, 16 months later, hunter has changed her tune. i am very sorry for my wrong, selfish behavior. back in 2006, i did not think

about the scope of my actions, how my falling in love with john edwards and acting on that love could hurt so many people. she also apologized for parts of her book in which she referred to edward's late wife elizabeth as venemous. >> did that make you mad? >> i thought it was a poor choice is all i can say. >> reporter: instead of apologizing when i should have, i went on to hurt more people. i made more mistakes. ones i feel horrible about. hunters book was just reissued as an e-book with annotations in brackets about things she wishes she hadn't said or done. she said she never meant to hurt anyone and believes infidelity was wrong. i was thoughtless and selfish and i am sorry. so far reaction to hunter's

apology on social media is overwhelming positive which may come to a shock to someone that has been villified for so long. >> let's go to tamron in the orange room for carson. >> they're calling it the salute heard around the world. this is 24-year-old josh. he is in the hospital fighting for his life after a brutal attack in afghanistan but i want you to look closer. there's a purple heart pinned on to his blanket. his commander had gone there to give him the great honor and in the midst of all the emotion, josh struggled past doctors and gave this salute. the commander said it was the single greatest event of his ten-year army career. the photograph was eventually given to his wife taylor. by the way, his mom told a local tv station they're expecting their first child. taylor put it on her facebook page with this entry. please continue to share josh's

story. thank you to all who have and are reaching out and helping us through this. the world should know what is happening overseas. the world should know what true heros and warriors we are. fast forward to yesterday -- go back in time to yesterday, this is william swenson, he is an army captain. the first since the vietnam war to receive the medal of honor from president obama in the east room. guys i get emotional. natalie, your dad was in the air force. my dad was in the army for 30 years. we talk about being proud to be an american and this hits home to all of us. on top of all that he has gone through, this captain now wants to return to active duty. so again, i say, proud to be an american when you see something like this on this morning it just fills your heart, guys. >> yeah. >> two wonderful photos, tamron. thank you very much. we appreciate it. >> coming up, we've got a disturbing case of bullying. two young girls arrested for

allegedly tormenting a 12-year-old girl that took her own life. why the sheriff in that community says this should serve as a wake up call to all parents. and then a woman we exposed exploiting the newtown tragedy for money learned her fate. was the sentence enough? but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. tell ripken junior -- cal ripken is home safe this morning after police say she was the victim of an attempted carjacking. and on man approached her in the parking lot of a bank in aberdeen and demanded her carpet she was able to hit the panic button on her teapot and that sounded the alarm and the man

took off. police arrested him hours later not far from the bank. last year vi ripken was kidnapped at gunpoint and driven around for several hours and finally released unharmed. police do not believe the two cases are connected in any way. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> looking like a rush-hour. accidents on randallstown. old court road in church lane. telegraph road remains closed at midway road. take turns crossing as your alternate. crossing as your alternate. checking the delays, we are at 18 minutes on the north side from 95 towards the 83 plus. -- restated freeze. -- towards the 83's. this is a portion of the delay that stretches back to 795. we will keep you posted. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> you can see the clouds hanging around on the traffic cameras. it will be just as warm today

but we won't see the sunshine that we enjoyed yesterday. 55 in parkton. 57 in westminster. he might want to take a light jacket to start the day. this afternoon you probably won't need it again. this afternoon clouds and a little bit of sunshine. temperatures in the 70s. stay mildng to tomorrow but the chance for rain will go up. showers likely on thursday afternoon into thursday night. it will cool off a little bit on friday and saturday into the beginning of the weekend. another chance for a few showers on sunday.

back now at 7:30 on a wednesday morning. what a pretty sunrise in portland, maine this morning. complete with a bird. >> wow. >> very nice. >> good timing. >> if you have a good picture you can send it at #todaysunrise and you may see it on the wall. i'm savannah guthrie along side matt lauer, al roker, and natalie morales. >> the debt deadline hours away and lawmakers are still struggling to reach a deal. meantime, a 28-year-old baggage handler is behind bars in connection with the dry ice bombs at los angeles international airport.

his bail set at $1 million. and jury deliberations are expected to begin today in the insider trading trial of billionaire dallas mavericks owner, mark cuban. a story that will make you mad. after the sandy hook shooting there was an outpouring of support for the families but remember rossen reports found one woman trying to make money off the tragedy. we told her story here and the fbi moved in and now she is going to prison. coming up in a "today" exclusive, brad pitt on a passion project, if he'll let his kids see his new film and a major milestone in his life. turning the big 50. >> yeah, a lot to get to. but first, a case of bullying that turned deadly in florida and one sheriff taking a very strong stand. we'll talk to him in a moment. but first, here's nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: after investigating the suicide of 12-year-old rebecca sedwick for nearly a month, enough was enough.

>> when a 12-year-old baby jumps off of the top of a cement plant for any reason, that's a terrible event. that's a tragic event. >> reporter: sedwick took her own life by leaping from a silo tower on the 9th. she was the victim of bullying by other girls both physically and on the internet. >> there were statements you should drink bleach and die. nobody likes you. >> reporter: but the breaking point for authorities came this week after one of the alleged bullies posted a facebook message with no remorse. >> the absolute thought that she could have contributed to the death of that child, and then here's what she has, i don't give a -- >> reporter: then he decided to arrest two girls, the 12-year-old and 14-year-old that wrote the facebook message. both are charged with aggravated stalking of the minor. relative of the girls say they don't believe the accusations

and because the girls are juvenile, nbc news will not identify them. >> i miss you. i hope you're at peace. >> reporter: trisha norman, the mother of rebecca sedwick told nbc news she hopes the two arrested girls are rehabilita d rehabilitated. >> justice for me would be these girls change their lives and how they treat people. >> reporter: this weekend would have been rebecca's 13th birthday. for today, mark potter, nbc news, miami. grady judd is the sheriff of polk county. good morning, good to have you with us. >> good morning. it's good to be here. >> you're office was still very much in the investigation phase of this case and yet you move add heed ahead quickly to arrest these ladies, why?

>> on saturday morning the 14-year-old did something despicable on top of what she already did that was terrible and that was a post she put on facebook and that post said i know rebecca is dead and i don't care. and the words were much more graphic than that, or the letters were. so we looked at that and said she doesn't get this at all. so i talked to my detectives and supervisors on monday afternoon and i said do you have enough of the case put together so we can go ahead and arrest them? and we said absolutely. >> but it was an outrage over the comment or a fear that this young lady might be out there taunting and bullying other students? >> matt, it was both. we were going to arrest them anyway but we were trying to put the entire case together and we were having trouble getting information from kik and ask fm because they're offshore so it was taking time. when we saw that cavalier attitude. when we saw despite rebecca dying and jumping to her death

and being bullied by this girl and another girl and she is back on facebook, she can be taunting and bullying another child. we're not going to accept that. >> i want to make people aware of the fact, this young lady, rebecca did not take her own life after one incident. this went on for a long time. her mom took her out of school, moved her to another school and then the bullying continued online and sheriff, the question i have for you is, how didn't someone reach out to this young lady? it seemed a lot of people knew this was going on. >> matt, there was a lot of intervention. she was a very fragile child and those words stung and they hurt and they depressed her. so despite the interventions that were tried, still, with all mom did, the child had access to the internet. and to the text messaging systems and to the social media. and that's how the bullies got to her. mom actually physically separated them by moving schools

and taking her out of schools. attend of the day, though, they were able to get to her because of the social media world and taunting and harassing and the intimidating went on and on and ultimately she text a friend and said i'm going to jump and she did. >> i want to mention the 14-year-old that you have arrested, from what i understand, did not show much emotion at all at the time she was arrested. i think you used the word she was cold. and you also said sheriff, if you can find something to charge her parents with, you will do that. what charge would you consider? >> well, do you know right now there are no criminal charges that we can find. but if we could find a contributing to the dependency or delinquency of a child we would bring that charge because i can tell you, the parents are in total denial. they don't think there's a problem here. and that is the problem. it's kind of like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. the parents are in denial and

they even let her have her facebook access after she bullied this child and after she knew it. that's terrible. that's why we moved fast to lock their daughter up. >> this is clearly something that struck an emotional cord with you sheriff and i think it will with a lot of parents. thank you for your time today, sheriff grady judd. >> thanks, matt. >> it's tragic obviously. i hope it's a story people share with their kids. i may show the story and the interview with my kids so they understand the ramifications of things. >> and he's taking a stand saying enough is enough. >> it's a wake up call for parents. if you serve alcohol at a party and somebody gets injured, maybe there's some sort of law. >> you may be liable as well for that. >> strange turn but how about a check of the weather. >> all right. let's give you a little light here. literally, sunlight. sunrise pictures people are sending in. #todaysunrise. gets you in a good mood as you

head out the door. a tale of two countries coming up. one ahead of the cold front and one behind the cold front. in the south we'll bring in temperatures above normal. behind the front, much cooler air coming on in. we'll show you what that's going to look like. we expect to see the temperatures rising up. 75 in manassas, watertown, 65, macon, georgia, 52. behind the front, kansas city 61, 63 in dallas >> good morning. todaysee more cloud cover than yesterday. most of the day is going to be

and that's your latest weather. all right, al, thank you very much. coming up next, judgment day for a woman exposed by a rossen reports investigation. she tried to profit off the sandy hook tragedy. and on trending, inspirational or annoying? the fit mom whose message to other women has people talking. but first, these messages. we know you can't affordrsi, wrong turns on the road to your future. that's why we build tools like our career guidance system. it's kind of like gps, you know, for your career. it walks you through different degree possibilities and even lets you explore local job market conditions, helping you map a clear course from the job you want, back to you. go to phoenix.edu and get started today.

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back at 7:42. this morning on rossen reports, an update to a story that disturbed a lot of us. con artists preying on victim's families after the sandy hook shooting tragedy. jeff rossen has an update. good morning to you. >> good morning. none of us will ever forget what happened at sandy hook elementary. how many children were killed. so it's hard to imagine but just after the massacre we found a scammer trying to profit from it. she was collecting donations online by posing as a victim's relative. after we exposed her here on today, the fbi was watching, they moved in, and now the conartist is going to prison. >> are you sorry for what you did? >> face to face with a convicted felon heading into federal court tuesday. >> given the state of that

little boy's family? >> reporter: i first met her last december hiding behind her door after we caught her running a heartless scam. she was taking donations for this 6-year-old boy killed at sandy hook elementary and then she pocketed all the money. noah's uncle told me she was a fraud. >> is this person related to you. >> no. >> do you know who this person is? >> no. i'm disgusted by it. >> reporter: within hours of the sandy hook massacre she went on facebook posing as noah's aunt writing all we know is 18 kid versus been killed. still no word on my nephew. then days later she went after money. we have set up a funeral fund for my brother. anyone willing to make a donation can make one. noah's real family never saw a dime. >> she is trying to turn a profit on a horrible tragedy. on the death of kids. 6-year-old kids. it's a horrible thing to be

doing. >> reporter: at the time, we tracked noelle to this home in the bronx. >> i'm jeff rossen with nbc news. can we speak with you? >> reporter: she denied doing it. >> did you send this message over facebook? >> no. >> then why is your account number, your e-mail, your bank routing number and paypal information. >> because i sell things online. >> but why were you posing to be a member of their family. they say they never met you before. >> reporter: but just a week after our story aired the fbi arrested her. she has pled guilty to wire fraud and making false statements to the government. late tuesday the judge sentenced her to 8 months in prison. >> it sickens me. >> reporter: connecticut's attorney general warns while her scam is shutdown, other scammers are still out there. >> there are a lot of people watching right now that want to donate to these femaleamilies.

>> avoid telephone solicitations or e-mail solicitations because you can't trace where it comes from. check out the charity. >> these criminals always come to the surface after big tragedies. we try to exploit the grief. it's so bad the federal government even set up a special agency just to track complaints and investigate these. donating to charity is a wonderful gesture. know who you're donating to and get background on them. if you get an e-mail or phone call, be wary of that. >> sad you have to think that way but you want to be sensible. thank you so much. coming up on trending, queue the music and the debate. this year's nominees for the rock and roll hall of fame. but first, good news for fans of tina fey and amy poehler. the scoop from the orange room, right after this. [ female announcer ] it's a mountain grown morning with folgers lively colombian. it's deliciously dark, just before dawn.

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if you enjoyed tina fey and amy poehler on the golden globes this year, you have good news, they're coming back as the hosts for the next two years. tamron has more on that. >> yes, they're the golden girls of comedy. not in age but because they're fabulous. separately they're hysterical and together they're unstoppable. until then, here's a look at our favorite moments with these two funny ladies. >> the hunger games was one of the biggest films of the year and also what i call the six weeks it took me to get into this dress. >> and the life of pi is what i'm going to call the six weeks after i take this dress off. >> what is this? >> water. >> it's horrible. >> twerk it. >> i'm not twerking.

i'm not going to do that. that would be degrading. >> yeah it might be degrading but we would be degrateful. >> i was so excited when i was told senator clinton and i would be addressing you tonight. >> and i was told i would be addressing you alone. >> you can run boys, but you can't hide. >> i'm amy poehler, i'm tina fey. good night. >> there you go, bravo. because we like to quiz you in the orange room we're asking our viewers to go to today.com for the survey, what is your favorite tina and amy moment. sarah palin, hilary clinton, baby momma, that's my favorite. 2013 golden globes. jersey floor, weekend update. >> jersey floor.

>> jersey floor. >> tina looks great as a jersey girl. >> jersey floor. >> or all of the above. >> i like the palin clinton too. >> go to today.com and let us know what you think. >> coming up on trending, are oreo cookies really more addictive than some drugs. >> evidence here. and brad pitt on why he says his new movie is the reason he got into the film business. plus the creator of the bridget ♪ wow...look at you. i've always tried to give it my best shot. these days i'm living with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. at first, i took warfarin, but i wondered, "could i up my game?" my doctor told me about eliquis. and three important reasons to take eliquis instead. one, in a clinical trial, eliquis was proven to reduce the risk of stroke better than warfarin. two, eliquis had less major bleeding

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>> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for check of the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell at traffic pulse 11. >> still some accidents out there we are tracking. southbound 795 is where we see some delays prior to the beltway. watch for things to slow down. cherry hill road and surely manor road, we have an accident. another one at old court road in randallstown. they carefully read 22 in churchville.

-- be careful in rue21 in churchville. delays in place due to a next and. burns crossing as your alternate due to an accident. 31 miles per hour -- 31 minutes on the north side. 25 minutes on the west side. heavy traffic on both areas of the outer loop. southbound 83 looks good at york road. around padonia, expect to be delayed. to be another mild day today but it is not going to be as funny as yesterday. we have clouds this morning. most of you won't see precipitation today. temperatures a little bit on the cool side. 55 in parkton, 60 at the airport. sprinkle.ance for a it is going to be another mild

day tomorrow. 50% chance for showers. this afternoon and thursday andt, then it will cool off dry into the beginning of the weekend with highs in the 60s on friday and saturday.

it is 8:00 on today, coming up, boston strong. mother-daughter boston bombing survivors set a goal, to be back at the finish line next year. >> i believe we're going to hold hands or link arms or something and cross the finish line together. in an exclusive, brad pitt opens up about hitting 50 and the new project that has him thinking long-term. >> i've been around film long enough, i know the impact and this one will have continuing impact. and tis the season, from stockings to faux fur, we have a

look at the gifts in the niemann marcus christmas book. that's today, wednesday, october 16th, 2013. >> morning, we're excited to be here in new york and see today live. >> we're celebrating our 50th anniversary of our first date. >> hi, diane, how are you? i want to say hi to all my friends and family from idaho. and we're back now on this wednesday morning. 8:00 and a great crowd gathered outside our studios this morning as the plaza starts to take on a little christmas appearance. >> it does. i can't believe we walked out and there's chris matmas trees the plaza. >> if you're looking for something to get me, the bluish purple thing on the end is perfect for me.

i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie, al roker and tamron hall. >> just ahead, take a look at this picture and tell me what you think. this is a mom of three that posed with her little ones and had the title, what is your excuse? it's supposed to inspire women to get fit. do you think it's inspiring or annoying? we'll talk about it on trending. getting a lot of attention online. >> i love the 3-year-old's expression. what is mom doing? >> and then advice on love from bridget jones. >> yes, author helen fielding is answering your questions from bridget's perspective on today's book twitter account. send your #wwbd. that stands for what would bridget do and she'll join us coming up in the orange room. she is going to give us advice. >> we have a lot to get to. natalie has a check of the top stories. good morning, again. >> good morning, once again. world financial markets are watching closely as the u.s. senate returns this afternoon to

work on a last minute deal to end the government shutdown and raise the nation's borrowing limit. an effort by the house on tuesday was blocked by tea party conservatives. an airport baggage handler is held on $1 million bail following the dry ice explosions at los angeles international airport. sunday's incident did result in long flight delays. a spirit airlines flight returned to dallas after take off tuesday with smoke in the cabin and one engine shutdown. the flight was heading to atlanta. a spokesperson said the captain received an indication of a possible mechanical issue and returned to dallas as a precaution. >> a teenager only trying to help a friend is feeling the school's strict policy. katie has more. good morning. >> stripped from her title as team captain, suspended for five games, all for what was the

right thing to do. the 17-year-old is being punished for drinking and partying when she wasn't. and she has the cops to back her up. >> reporter: 17-year-old erin cox got a message from a drunk friend at a party asking erin to come pick her up. but once the high schooler arrived, so did the police. a dozen teens were arrested for underage drinking. erin and 15 others were summoned to court as a warning. but according to one police officer, erin wasn't drinking. >> he saw erin at the party. he was standing next to her. that she was perfectly sober. she didn't even have the slightest odor of alcohol. >> reporter: despite the officer's written statement vouching for erin, her high school in massachusetts took action. not only benching the volleyball star for five games but removing her as team captain. >> if she wasn't drinking and she wasn't at that party and she was picking up her friend to be safe, i would think that's what parents would want. >> reporter: the school district answered it's critics with a

statement saying it would not comment on matters of student discipline. adding they applied statewide rules which prevent student athletes from possessing alcohol in addition to prohibiting it's use, consumption and distribution. she interviewed erin and worries about the message this is sending. >> the next time i kid get ace call from a friend that said i'm hurt, i'm sick. i'm passing out, the person on the other end of the phone is going to say, well, if i go help them, i'll be thrown off the team. >> reporter: erin's lawyer says she only has one game left in her suspension. right now the family is only considering suing the school, natalie. >> all right. katie, thank you. a kangaroo had the right idea when it hopped into an airport pharmacy tuesday in melburne, australia. the kangaroo had injuries to it's feet. probably from jumping on the

tarmac. it was taken to a veterinarian for treatment. not something you see every day but i guess in melburne you do. let's get a check of the weather with al. >> he was feeling a little jumpy. anyway, we have nice -- somebody just dipped down. are you trying to hide? >> he is trying to hide. >> what's everybody's name? what's your name? >> colin. >> ava. >> caitlin. >> all right. caitlin in the witness protection program. fantastic. let's show you what we have for today. tampa, florida happens to be our pick city of the day. they've had wet weather but things looking great now right through friday. sunny skies, temperatures upper 80s. you can see we've got a line of showers and thunderstorms from texas stretching all the way into western new york. a long cold front about 1600 miles wide. that's going to bring showers there. windy conditions with santa anna winds. southern california where you have wind advisories.

beautiful day through the southeast. mid-atlantic states. rain into western new york. beautiful day in the pacific >> good morning. the average high temperature this time of year is 67 degrees and we should be above that mark today. we should make it into the low that's your latest weather. >> thank you very much. coming up next on trending, who should be the next members of the rock and roll hall of fame. >> how long do we have to debate it? >> 3 minutes. >> okay. then at 8:15, brad pitt on what he wants you to take away from

his new movie and how he feels about turning the big 50. >> and natalie catches up with the mother and daughter survivors of the boston bombing. how they're turning tragedy into triumph. but first, these messages. ♪

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and light 50, with just 50 calories, both with no added sugar. with so many tasty flavors, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. just blending the fruits. we're back now at 8:11 with what's trending today. first, trending on facebook, the california mother that stirred up controversy with one question and a photo too, what's your excuse? she posted this picture of herself on facebook. it shows a very toned 32-year-old in a workout outfit with her three young sons. it's suddenly gone viral getting

more than 14,000 comments on facebook. some are accusing her of being a bully or fat shaming other moms. a lot of people didn't care for that particular imagine. >> so she responded guys on facebook, she wrote her critics, i'm sorry you took an image and resinated with it in such a negative way. what you interrupt is not my fault. it's yours. obesity and those that struggle with health-related disease is literally a bigger issue than this photo. maybe it's time to stop tiptoeing around people's feelings and get to the point. that's what she said on facebook. she is a trainer. that's her job, to stay fit. that's an unfair advantage if you look at it that way. >> but she is also trying to motivate people. >> yeah. >> she's not trying to bring fault with people that can't look the way she does. she's trying to motivate. i'm curious why it's been up for a year and only now getting attention. >> but you don't say what's your

excuse? it's very smug. >> very smug i think. >> she's a busy mom of three like everybody else. that's the message she was hoping people got from it. >> but she is a mom of three that's a fitness instructor. >> and saying what's your excuse -- >> people that come up with excuses not to go to the gym for a long time. i understand. it doesn't bother me. >> but we all spend ten hours plus at work focussing on this. that's her job to work like that. >> but at the end of the day, it isn't attacking anybody. >> right. >> she makes it -- >> i think she make ace great point, though, that the conversation should be about our obesity epidemic in this country and focussing on this. >> if it were a guy i wouldn't get all worked out. >> if it were a guy up there and we were looking at it we wouldn't be offended by it. >> there's a man and woman difference. men look at her and say wow, she's hot. we look at her and say maybe a

little annoying. >> i'm saying if it were a good in great shape with his kids and said what's your excuse, i wouldn't get -- well -- >> i agree. >> he's bullying me. >> i don't think it's bullying. i think it's a little irritating. >> we can't speak to her heart and we don't know her but when she's there with a half top over your kids saying what's your excuse, i could see how that's hard to digest for a lot of people. >> don't look at it. nobody said you have to look at this. >> we'll all be in group therapy. >> is it ironic that we have oreos here. >> trending on usa today, members of kiss may get to rock and roll all night in a new venue. they're among the 16 nominees for the rock and roll hall of fame class of 2014. they have to get in, right? others include nirvana, hall and oats, linda ronstadt, peter gabriel and n.w.a. the top vote getters will be

inducted next april. >> how many get in? >> it is a fun ceremony. take a look at our board in the orange room. we asked people to go to today.com and let us know who they think should be inducted among the nominees and we have the live poll results. looks like anywhenirvana is num one. >> now, the reason the oreos are here. trending on today.com, finally an explanation for why we can't seem to get enough oreos. scientists found they're just as addictive as cocaine, at least for lab rats. although i think for some people it may apply as well. researchers found that eating the cookies sparked more activity in our brains. on another note, though, the rats seemed to like the cream

better than the cookie. >> i like the cookie better than the cream. >> i eat the cookie. >> love this one, trending on youtube, will ferrell showing you're never too old to show some old school spirit. will, a proud alum of the university of southern california, a school known for it's marching band so he dressed up leading the band as it played it's signature fight song. listen in.s signature fight son. listen in.s marching band so he up leading the band as it played its signature fight song. listen in. he's worse than us on halloween. >> it's every day of the year. >> that's what's trending today. meanwhile, a recovery road for a mother and daughter that survived the boston bombings. >> but first, brad pitt. his movie about a freeman kidnapped and sold into slavely. it's getting a lot of attention. pitt sat down to talk about his passion project and more. the director of the film

said about you, without brad pitt this film would not have been made. he made the real contribution as the producer because he is so full on, direct and supportive to the film maker, how passionate are you about it? >> it's why i got into film in the first place. it's one of the few films that cuts to the base of our humanity. it wasn't until i saw the story that i fully, fully grasped the utter horror of losing your freedom or denying another one their freedom, taking their freedom, splitting their family apart. it's abhorrent. >> reporter: the film is based on the 1953 memoir. >> days ago i was with my family, in my memo. now you tell me all of that is lost? >> i have to say when i saw the

movie, i was reminded of roots. when i was young, i saw roots and it was transformative. >> yes, i remember too being rivoted very young. >> do you see this as being something you'll show your own family and children? >> absolutely. >> now? >> now, maybe my eldest i would right now. as the others get older and understand the dynamics of the world a little more. >> you play samuel bass, a canadian, an abolitionist, a carpenter. you're in the movie for not quite eight minutes. >> what amused me is your concern for my wellbeing in this heat when quite frankly the condition of your laborers, it's hard. it's all wrong. all wrong. >> they ain't hired help. they're my property. >> you say that with pride.

>> i say it as fact. >> i'm there to support the story. the performances. these are such demanding parts. these guys had to keep themselves in this state of angst and longing and they did it. they held themselves through the entire film process. >> what do you hope the audience -- >> i already know. it's not a hope. i already know. i know what this film is. i've been around film long enough i know the impact and this one will have continuing impact. i'm a movie goer. it was a big escape to open my eyes up to the world when i was a little kid. i loved going to see film. so i think of it from that side of it and i know the impact of this film. >> so i need to ask you about turning 50. so -- >> you need to.

>> no, i don't have to. i'm more than 50. >> so far i haven't minded it a bit. so no complaints. >> and your feeling about where you are now? >> i'm curious to see what it is. >> there's an openness to it and cool? >> cool, i don't know. i'm busy right now. i haven't thought about it. >> i think he's cool. >> he's pretty cool. >> i'm going to see if he's cool when he finds out what miley cyrus said about 50. i'm not sure he's going to like that. let's swing across the studio and here is natalie. thank you guys. now to today's book club, our second pick, bridget jones, mad about the boy. it's been 14 years since we last heard from her. she's now 51 and figuring out how to navigate life in a texting tweeting world. helen fielding is taking a break from answering your twitter questions. she'll have more on those coming up in a little bit as well.

>> good morning. it's lovely to see you. >> it's not, i think, a shock to a lot of people now because people heard we have been reporting that mark darcy is no more in this book. as we mentioned, bridget is single. she's a widow, mom of two. but the aftershocks are still being felt. people are still reacting and the conversation is why, why did you kill mark darcy who we love in the movies? >> you know, i got a shock too at the state of the reaction because i was watching tele in my pajamas and there was a syrian crisis on the news and then mark darcy is dead. but it's very touching that after so many years people are so attached to these characters and after all, mark darcy is a very descent man. but this -- the story doesn't end there. it starts five years after mark died. and bridget like, let's face it,

so many women and people now find herself single, dating, but also dealing with children and technology and technology just wasn't like this when i wrote the first book. >> and there's a lot of parallels as i see in the book and in your life. she is a mom of two. she is singled, widows, and also is addicted to twitter. you went through a phase with twitter as well. how much of you and bridget are really alike? >> well, it's not a memoir. but i think you can only write bridget or i can only write bridget from a place of truth. and i suppose over the years i've just been collecting little moments in my computer. the whole technology parenthood thing started when i had my daughter by c-section. i knew what she was going to be ca called. when she was going to be born. all mapped out. the only thing i did was press send all before i actually had her. so then hi to send another

e-mail saying i haven't had the baby yet and then i got all of these e-mails saying who does that and then when i had her i couldn't say i have had the baby now. so that started me off on realizing that technology is the fifth element. there was no e-mailing even when i started writing it. and also parenthood is a very different world now than it was. >> and she is dating in this book. >> bridget has to learn -- >> a lot of mishaps in the dating world. >> a lot. she has to learn how to get out there again. she has to make her own set of dating rules which include do not text when drunk and mark darcy's memory lives on. daniel is still there to say what kind of nickers are you wearing but we have two new love interests. she has a younger man and there's all the comedy of that, of losing her reading glasses on the first date and then he has to say, would you like me to read the menu for you and

perhaps cut up your food? but two people that actually really love each other that met in cyber space and then there's a jane austin like hero who is the mark darcy like figure who she doesn't recognize to start with and they slowly find each other. so perhaps a perfect storm of attractive men. >> a love interest which brings us to what would bridget do and relationship advice. you have been helping our twitter followers out this morning as well. i want to go to tamron to see if they have questions for you. >> we have a ton of questions. the #wwbd. what would bridget do. first question here, tips for meeting cool gentlemen? >> i would probably say don't meet people in the club. i remember one of my first dating experiences in a club when someone asked me to dance and i got up excitedly and went to cross the room and they went no, not you, her. >> ouch. >> i think clubs are a hard

place to meet people. >> they certainly are. >> i don't know if we have time for a quick one. >> one more here. where would you not look for love. you said a club. what else is on the list helen? >> i think there used to be a prejudice against online dating. it used to be shameful and now i think most people meet like that. >> do you date online? >> i have done a lot of research. i do find the confusing with online shopping is difficult. for example, if i put a dress in my shopping bag, then i go back to it, i get really upset if it hasn't winked back. >> i love that. helen fielding, great. you'll stick around for our

>> this is the wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. that's been a check on your morning commute with sarah caldwell. on 795 forstart those of you heading south just prior to the beltway. watch for crash off to the side but still impacting your i just a bit. delays in place from owings mills down to the beltway. cherry hill road and surely manner, there is an accident. another one in randallstown and old court road in church lane. checking on a crash in catonsville and rolling road and campus drive. route 22 nearnty, peace phil roe, watch for closures due to a crash.

26 minutes is the drive time on the north side. we're down to 50 miles per hour on south on j.f.x. those delays get heaviest right around northern parkway towards 20 eight st. this is what it looks like out of the parkton region. the conditions continue under the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. current cover the hanging around this morning. we had plenty of sunshine. the temperatures are going to wind up about the same. low 70s yesterday. we will get into the upper 60s and low 70s today. producingcover is not much in the way of reciprocation. 58 in columbia, 55 in parkton. 60 in chestertown. variable clouds. a little sunshine later today. a few sprinkles on the little but of drizzle possible that. going into the weekend, chance for rain goes up tomorrow. showers thursday afternoon and thursday night.

high near 73. brian a little bit cooler on friday and saturday. atback with another update 8:56.

it's the 16th day of october, 2013. and look who's joining us on the plaza. who is your little friend? >> a falcon, curtesy of the niemann marcus christmas book. >> yeah.

>> and we're going to talk about the experience. >> that's one of the items for sell in that book? and you apparently scared your little falcon friend. >> yes. >> got some other amazing things from that niemann marcus christmas book out on the plaza. come to poppa. look at that thing right there. we have a motorcycle. >> remember when will and kate drove off in one. >> theirs is older than that. that is brand new but we have affordable gifts we'll be talking about. i'm matt lauer with natalie morales and tamron hall. savannah had to leave early. she is on assignment. >> al roker is still here this morning. >> just across the street. >> he's at the bogs. >> yes, i am with a couple of familiar faces. we'll get into. so here we go. we've got justin and henry. and you recognize them from the

cranberry oceanspray commercial. you guys helped bring the bog here for nine years now. what is it that we need to know about cranberries? >> well, i think the main reason we're here, we talk to people all over the world. it's beautiful and wonderful and how healthy they are and how delicious they are and they can be used all year round and they're good for you. they taste good. >> you guys are the veteran and the rookie. >> yeah. >> how long have you been spokes people for -- spokes cranberry farmers for oceanspray? >> well, this is our ninth year. >> i don't know if you're a rooki rookie at this point. >> i still call myself a rookie. >> thanks guys, it's good to see you. come down to rockerfeller center and you can see the cranberry bog from oceanspray. and now, this. >> announcer: today's weather on the bog is brought to you by oceanspray. taste good. good for you. let's show you what's going

on as far as your weather is concerned. we are looking at a fantastic day here in the east although clouds will start moving in as the cold front push as head. sunshine out west. tomorrow rain moves into the northeast, mid-atlantic states down into the gulf. the western part of the country from the southwest on into the pacific northwest looks spectacular. we look for mountain snows in the northern rockies and a few snow >> good morning. todaysee more cloud cover than yesterday. most of the day is going to be

and that's your latest weather, guys. >> al, thank you very much. martha stewart rolled out the red carpet last night at the second annual american made awards. andy cohen helped with the event. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> tell me about the awards. >> every year we celebrate ten fantastic young entrepreneurs who are actually makers. they're making things. they're manufacturing in america. they're bringing back those lost talents and lost businesses that have gone elsewhere in the world. >> you hand pick nine of these. >> yes. >> your readers actually pick the other. >> yes and we got over 5 million votes for 2400 different makers online this year. it was fantastic. and the swell, the ground swell of all of this -- even andy, last night, he was amazing.

he got really into each of them. >> it was great. and martha taught me how to knit which was as close as i'm going to get to erectile dysfunction i hope. >> what? >> i couldn't do it is what i'm trying to say. >> where did you make that turn? you're a maker. you're a creator. >> he created the live late night show that's so funny. he makes makers. >> but you two also make, if we're going to be on the make word, you make an unusual pairing. i don't think you two would be the ones you pick out of a line up and say these two are going to be best friends but you developed an interesting relationship. >> i really mike martha. >> i like andy. >> i checked the wrong box on match.com and we have been dating for six weeks. >> you were supposed to break it here. >> no, i think martha is great and this is a great project.

>> and as a co-host andy was phenomenal because he brings a levity to the whole makers movement. they loved him. and he loved them and that's the most important thing. everybody loves makers. >> it's great. s nice you're spotlighting these people. >> it's important for our economy. did you know there's 57% of americans are makers and that they spend around 30 billion, that's a big thing. >> let me get back to you guys for a second. i've known you for a long time. you don't open up to just anybody and yet there's something about andy that seems to make you open up. i want to show a clip from when martha was on your show a little while ago. >> good, excellent. >> has martha ever sexted? >> i think no. >> martha. >> yes. i'm so happy to hear that. okay.

oh, that's who those texts were from the other night, martha. >> that is the answer that started it all. >> well, if you use technology you do things like that, right? it's just like writing a love letter. >> martha is a saucy lady. people are scared of her but there's a will the of saucy going on here. >> i'm surprised if you didn't ask him if he sexted. >> i asked him other things. hi to spank him. >> we managed to get erectile dysfunction and spanking and sexting in one interview. >> we're taking it to the orange room. >> good to have you here. when we come back, a mom and daughter wounded in the boston marathon bombings on their goal to cross the finish line next year. but first, this ar

we're back at 8:39 with an uplifting story tied to the boston bombings six months ago

and one of families impacted by those attacks is a family you have been following. >> yes, i've gotten to know sydney and celeste corcoran well. they stood at the finish line to cheer on their sister that was racing. they are getting stronger thanks to a determination to change tragedy into triumph. >> wow, look how far you have come. oh my gosh, yes. >> reporter: six months since the terror of the boston marathon bombings, celeste corcoran that lost both her legs that day is now making great strides. >> how are you doing physically and emotionally? >> i have good days and bad days. i feel myself getting stronger and stronger and there's probably less bad days than good days. >> reporter: celeste wasn't alone. she was there with her husband kevin and her 18-year-old daughter sydney to cheer her sister on. sydney suffered a near fatal

wound and says the emotional scars is just as bad as the physical ones. >> it's always in the back of my mind and with that comes anxiety. >> reporter: this mother and daughter aren't taking anything for granted now. celeste had lots of help along the way but getting back to normal means doing more things on her own. >> fantastic. >> the biggest thing to me now is driving and getting around independe independently. >> reporter: celeste took me for a spin. >> push it down. >> reporter: and she loves her work as a hair stylist but it means standing most of the day. now a little more challenging but i was lucky enough to be her first female client since the marathon. >> i'm honored. >> i'm honored. >> reporter: for celeste a full recovery is the goal. she has a ways to go but is thankful for her family, especially on the hardest days.

>> when you're down she helps you and when you're down, you help her. >> we both got hurt and went through the same things and need to help each other. >> reporter: sydney, now a college freshman, says the whole experience influenced the direction of her studies. >> the ultimate goal is to get my bachelors in psychology and my masters in occupational therapy. when this happened and i was in the hospital, all of my nurses and pt and ot people, they would always say to me, like, you're going to be a nurse, right? >> reporter: for celeste, learning how to walk again i was difficult. >> i think i was expecting a miracle. everybody was saying how much better the legs were going to be and the bottom line is nothing is easy. >> reporter: just a few weeks ago celeste tried something even harder, running at a mobility clinic sponsored by the challenged athletes foundation.

now she set an even bigger goal for herself and sydney six months from now. >> are you going to be at the boston marathon finish line? do you think you all can emotionally do that? >> my sister is going to run it g again so of course we're going to be there. we're going to hold hand and link arms or something and cross the finish line together. >> just a remarkable family and right now they're living day by day and her short-term goals are to get a driver's license once again because you have to be tested to be able to drive once again with her prosthetic legs but she is doing great and they're holding up strong. >> i think she'll accomplish the goals. i do. thanks. coming up, we have the best places in the united states to visit. the best awards. we'll share them with you. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

now, we'll get to santa in just a couple of minutes. we're back at 8:45 with great ways to get away. they're out with the readers best awards. this week 75,000 voters chimed in and toll us about their favorite cities, hotels, cruises and more. kate is here to reveal the top picks. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> before we get to the picks, trends this year, smaller is better. >> the big trend is small. what we mean is our readers are seeking out smaller cities, smaller hotels. they want an authentic experience. portland, oregon made our list for the first time. they're going there and having a fantastic cup of coffee. it's all about having a traveler as opposed to a tourist. >> let's get to the categories, best city in the united states to visit, your readers said charleston. >> why? >> it's a small population,

125,000. it's got it all. fantastic climate. 79 degrees and sunny today. historic and beautiful, fantastic restaurants. >> the people are nice as well. >> the people are very nice there and some cities get points for friendliness. >> other cities, santa fe, san francisco, honolulu and chicago. >> yeah. >> you have specific regions around the country. the mid-atlantic region, what one? >> it's norman rockwell meets ralph lauren. on the water. it has a garden with a pool. just lovely. >> specifically where is it. >> maryland. >> oh it sounds beautiful. >> yeah. >> again, reasonable. >> yes, absolutely. >> moving on to a different region. let's go from the mid-atlantic to the midwest and the best hotel in the heartland? >> the american club. this is a great golfing property one that you would like but it's

also good for the whole family. it has a good kids' club and fantastic spa. it's $161 a night. >> i like the way you said cola. >> cola. >> next hotel has overcome major hurdles and obstacles over the last five years because this one is located in new orleans. >> exactly. it's a hotel, iconic new orleans property made the top of our list. it's $189 a night. it's beautiful property on the edge of the french quarter. >> we have eaten a little of his food on this show. it's great. >> vegas. >> you have to have vegas on the list. >> there's so many hotels, how do you choose one? >> our vegas love the win las vegas and encore. it's got the great view.

numerous pools, spa, fantastic night clubs. it costs $275 a night. >> which isn't too bad but if our viewers drop your name they get a high roller suite. >> i can't guarantee that. >> keeping back with that theme smaller is better, let's talk about cruise lines and we're talking about the mid sized cruise ships. >> they only have two ships but they're exemplary and we think about cruise lines that you get a lot for the price but this is gratuity is included, fine wines and spirits included. they have a great iotenery. you can go on your own and they'll give you a dance partner. >> what's that called again? >> the american club in cola. >> i like that. fantasy gifts from the niemann marcus christmas book. we'll show you some of those.

natalie is already getting a jump start. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

halloween is more than two weeks away but this morning it looks like christmas on the plaza. niemann marcus is out with it's book a fantasy gift. ginger is a vice president with niemann marcus. good morning to you.

>> good morning. >> great to have you here. >> santa has a chopper. >> he does. >> good morning, santa. talk to us about this gift idea. >> i will. this is a one of a kind motorcycle made by indian larry, hand built in brooklyn new york. it was the winner of the biker build off series for the discovery channel. $750,000. almost a work of art is what most people would say but the best thing is that the portion of the proceeds benefits the heart of niemann marcus foundation which supports information for kids. >> what if you want more than one? >> only going to have one. got to be quick. >> you know what they say -- >> you better be good? >> rudolph who? >> thanks. come down here. >> great. >> this is an experience. >> this is a whole falcon recompanion. you have to be licensed to participate in the sport but everything you need for a day in

the country. you have the beautiful campaign furniture. a handmade set here. you have a decanter. you have plenty to occupy you. >> but you learn a little bit about it? >> yes, $150,000. comes in the custom trunks that fit in your car. >> wow. beautiful. >> this next one over here. natalie is on our very beautiful -- >> working out this morning. getting in my cardio. >> this is a wonderful spin bike designed in italy with inspiration of a unicycle but it has 12 levels of resistance. this one is so beautiful it won't end up being a clothes hanger in your bedroom. >> this is functional and beautiful. >> absolutely. >> $11,000. >> $11,000. >> pricey. >> wow. i could buy a new body for that.

>> if you have a piece of property you have been waiting to build on. >> this is the famous black house in connecticut. they have never allowed anyone to spend the night in the house since his death. so this will be a once in a lifetime experience. they'll do a number of them. $30,000. it all goes to their clubs black house program but this is, you know, for an architecture -- this would be great. >> there's a great diner as well. >> yes. >> i'm sure you have fancy neighbors out there. >> look at this car. >> oh my goodness. >> i know. >> well, this is such a beautiful -- this is the 2014 niemann marcus edition. $344,500. they go on sale the 23rd. there's only 10 of them. this was styled after the classic bb 7 that william and kate left their wedding from.

the thing i love about this is its 100% carbon fiber shell. >> that's the only thing you love about this? >> no. v 12 engine. >> look at the tiny backseat. >> it's got cup holders. >> we have lots of gifts under $100. easy to shop. free shipping, free returns all the time at niemann marcus but you have everything from a $38 christmas ornament, beautiful snow globe. popcorn can. i saw you snacking on that. that's good. >> products for men. >> yeah, jewelry for women. >> this is a great candle that -- i can't get the top off. >> it makes a great hostess gift. birth stone necklaces. a cookie jar.

i'm not sure what those are but they look great. candles and a mink travel throw. >> something for everyone from very high end to more >> this is the wbal tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. opening statement begin today in the trial of the baltimore city police officer accused of shooting a live round at a police recruit during a training exercise. officer william kern shot recruit raymond gray back in february.

we will ring you details of the proceedings tonight at 5:00 and 6:00.

>> another mild day, not as pretty as yesterday. can't cover hanging around. --s a chance you could outside chance you could run into a sprinkle. better chance for rain tomorrow. specially in the afternoon. still mild, high-temperature near 73. >> back with another weather