this el nino could be among the most powerful ever. >> this is the godzilla el nino if it matures and ome to fruition. great droughts always end in great floods. >> reporter: nbc news los angeles. the race for the white house is heating up ith rumors about former vice president al gore throwing his hat into the ring. buzzfeed said al gore supporters but then sources, al gore not exploring 2016 bid. ng mean while, it seems i baowa will be the center of the political universe for the next few days. literally every candidate is expected to be at the iowa state

twanr fa opir. >> reporter: at a state fair w there cows are made of butter and everything tastes better fried it's the antiwashington candidates who are gaining traction with voters. >> i think people are tired of not getting anything done in washington. >> people are talking about frustration and anger of people not having jobs and feeling insecure bot about the economy. trump leading the polls at 22%. and 22% of those questions, even think trump has the best chance ofar winning and becoming president. >> president of the united states, donald j. trump. >> he's just entertaining as heller and he just acts like he

going to be a wrecking ball as usual. >> i made it a point not to become obligated to special interest groups. >> even in washington, republicans haven't been able to get the job done. >> reporester: the story is the same for democrats. huge crowds for bernie sanders, a veteran congressman and senator, but hardly a blow dried pall tuition a populous peal. >> this cam ign is not a billionaire funded campaign, it is a people campaign. >> reporter: watching all this from a family vacation in south carolina, joe biden, as he wrestles with weather to jump in. grieving the loss of his son bo and believing he's better qualified than illary clinton but knowing how tough a race it would be. >> he's one of the most honest and connectin with people, he's incredible with that.

>> now some candidates are already having fun at the iowa state fair. we learned what food mike huckabee likes to snack on. >> pork chops on a stick. trust me, it's what's for breakfast, lurch, nch, dinner and snack. >> and here photographs enjoying a pork chop on a stick. word on what food trump might try. but he will bemaking a big entrance by helicopter, of course. and tod will go one on one with dohinald trump in an exclusive face taface interview you don' wangnt to mis. > and we have a new look at both blasts. the second one packed the force

of 21 tons of tnt, registering like a small earthquake, th surrounding area was incinerated. it looks like post apocalyptic waistland. there was a glirm overnight, a short time ago, they found a surviving firefighter. it happened at a company that ored hazardous chemicals, raising fears of an ongoing toxic threat. all that on top of more bad news for china and just how bad their air pollution really is. it's killing 4,000 people a day in the country. the study blamesd issions from rning coal. one researcher says neecly ev00eryone in china $1experienoes air that is worse than the worst air in the u.s.

investigators are trying to dedetermine why a school bus packed children crashed into a liquor store. it hit an suv and went head first into the building. 11 children taken to hospital. and the driver of the bus says the brakos failed him. > in miam re big deal for the city k9 cops after a life saving donation by the national police support team, every polnte dog has a bullet proof vest. the wrather is upon us. goe od morning. >> good morning, betty. and it's not a bad looking recast for the weekend. we're looking a typical august heat. and we're still dealing with a

lot of monsoon weather. and it's down to the s thyohat we're still dealing with the tropical moisture ove florida, th that stalled out front. but the heat really starts to pump up in the northeast with the bermuda high off to the coast and it will be very humid through much of the weekend and the middle part of the country heating up as well along with the south, so everyone is really hot coast to coast with excessive heat warnings to our west. now here's a look at your weather closer to home. we're going to v temperatures in the 90s again. a little bit better down to the south. but it is not out -- north we're seeing temperatures in the 100s. and that's a look at your friday forecast. have a great weekend. >> triple digit heat.

just ahead, the feds okay a powerful pain medication. and as the u.s. gets ready to fly oldcuba wubs again, cted, but i think this solo date will seal the deal. sure! i offer multi-car, safe driver, and so many other discounts that people think i'm a big deal. and boy, are they right. ladies, i can share hundreds in savings th all of you! just visit progressive.com today. but right now, it's choosing time. ooh! we have a winner. all: what? [chuckles] 's supposed to pick one of us. this is a joke, right? that wit the whole point of us being here. from the leader in longwear smudge-proof fade-proof f cmuh s for life-resistant wear. revlon colorstay collectiontm over 20 new shades revlon. love is on. if your purse is starting to look more like a tissue box... you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec is different than claritin

. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec . muddle no more m . americans. 83% try... ...to eat healthy. yet up to 90% fall short in getting... ...key nutrients from food alone. let's do more. adowd one a day men's. complete with key nutrients we may need. plus it helps support healthy blood pressure bthly vitamin d and magnesium. one a day men's. [music] no, no, no, no, people are both soft and strong... yey! which is why our products are too. angel soft.

. it's a historic day for u.s.-cuba relations. for the first time in more than 50 years, a u.s. flag will fly above a u.s. embassy in havana. >>u > mean while, former cuban leader marks his 89th birthday with a newspaper column criticizing the u.s. he says u.s. owes cuba millions of dollars of dollars for the embargo. they say it is tcche second time isis has used chemica' weapons. the first occurred in reece pt weeks in syria.

the fda has approved limited use of the powerful pain killer oxy ae y oxycontin. they're extremely powerful, highly addicted and very tightly regulated. and after a court declared same-sex marriage constitutional four couples were turned over thursday. they ruled rowen county clerk to start issuing licenses but she maintains it violates her christian believes. none of the prisoners on the state's death row can be executed. it does not work as a crime deterrant. >> this is a solemn day in connecticut.

we have to kee in our minds how fficult this is for victims and victim's family. since the ruling is based on rthe stesate's constitution it cannot be appealed to the u.s. supreme court. and for the first time since march 2009, oil prices sending stocks future hianer. and gm could produce up to 60,000 additional 2016 vehicles. and elmo going to the home of soprano, hbo will air episodes and then tail rr air on pbs nine months later. man, doesn't it feel good to

have some nfl football on tv again? and mr. deflate-gate takes the field again. how often we were changing the roll. it really started to add up. so we switched to charmin. with more go's in every roll, charmin ultra mega roll equals mega value. each sheet is 75%tt more absorbent so you can use less withtt every go. which means charmin ultrarr mega roll lasts longer than even the leadingrr thousand-sheet brand. cha-ching! nothing scary about that. we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin. after brushing, listerine total care strengthens teeth, helps prevent cavities and restores tooth enamel. it's an easy way to give listerine total care to the total family. listerine total care. one bottle, six benefits. power to your mouth . i try hard to get a great shape. this... i can do easily. new benefiber healthy shape helps curb cravings. it's a clear, taste-free daily supplement that's clinically proven to help keep me fuller longer.

new benefiber healthy shape. this, i can do. from the leader in longwear smudge-proof fade-proof formulas for life-resistant wear. revlon colorstay collectiontm over 20 new shades revlon. love is on.

this morning on "today" could your irregular or unpredictable work schedule haven efict on your children?

and patriots, packers. tom brady made a surprising start. brady completed one of four passes, playing just two series. on the other side, aaron rodgers completed 11 of 19 passes. packers win it 22-11. and robert griffeen the iii throws but it's the potential touchdown pass dropped. and johnny manziel doesn't see anything he likes, scrambles 12 yards for it touchdown, and they win. and the saints make their first ever trip to baltimore for a preseason game. drew brees in uniform but not playing. and able to find the eend zone off a one yard run, ravens win.

and my game, cowboys, chargers, tony romo. and 8 yards for the score. chargers beat my cowboys, 22-7. and talking on the bears fourth and goal from inside the two. and finding landry for the touchdown. tan tannehill finished six for seven. and the bears win it. jets had a total of six first downs all day. lions demolish the jets 23-3. and round one of the last mager of the year in wisconsin. rory mcilroy making a return to golf after break his ankle and he was trying to knock some dust off and he went on to save par and finished one under for the day. and tiger woods had a rough one. he said it was one of the worst

rounds i've had in a long time. he finished three over par. happy moment on the baseball diamond. daughter of indeens infielder mike aveals got a chance to throw out a first pitch with her twin sister. she was diagnosed with lieu keem you in may ia in may. and lebron james family foundation is teaming up with the university of akron and they will sponsor scholarships for children in his i promise program. he says every single kid who finishes my program will go to college for free. #making a difference and you are. and coach bryan kelly, picked his walk off to model the new uniforms. after unveiling, kelly announced

that he would be receiving a scholarship for his year. he has been with the team since freshman year and you can see the team mates are just as excited for him. and we do want to wish a speedy recovery to lindsey von, she broke an bone in her ankle. just ahead, marvels superhero has been announced and she might not be what you expect. and a behind-the-scenes look at before earning enough cash back from bank of america to buy a new gym bag. before earning 1% cash back everywhere, every time and 2% back at the grocery store. even before he got 3% back on gas.

kenny used his bankamericard cash rewards credit card to join the wednesday night league. because he loves to play hoops. not jump through them. that's the excitement of rewarding connections. apply online or at a bank of america near you. i try hard to get a great shape. this... i can do easily. new benefiber healthy shape helps curb cravings. it's a clear, taste-free daily supplement that's clinically proven to help keep me fuller longer. new benefiber healthy shape. this, i can do. [music] no, no, no, no, people are both soft and strong... yey! which is why our products are too. angel soft.

the goodness that goes into making a power kale chicken caesar salad is rivaled only, by the goodness felt while eating one. panera. food as it should be. don't be envious. be envied! revlon colorstay gel envy in just two steps, i get what i want. base coat and color in one. then, diamond top coat for gorgeous, life-resistant wear. in 30 easy-to-remove shades to love. revlon. love is on. prep trauma unit 5. what've we got? bp 64/40 sterilize sites. multiple foreign objects in the body. tweezers. (buzz!) (buzz!) if you're the guy from the operation game, you get operated on. it's what you do. (buzz!) if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, rr you switch to geico. rr it's what you do.

in entertainment news, the newest issue of vogue features beyonce and we saw a behind the scenes of her new video which can be seen at vogue.com. and moon girl is a supergenius, african american preteen girl with a side kick called devil dinosaur. and opening at the movies the bio pick "straight outta compton." and nbc renewed jimmy fallon's contract through 2021 and it looks like he spent some of the money on show production. >> we have a sketch artist here today.

here's the one she made of higgins. and here's the sketch she made of me. lack at this. >> i knew that tom brady sketch was going to come up again. all right. i'm betty nguyen, this is "early today." hey, you forgot the milk! that's lactaid. right. 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can drink all you want... ...with no discomfort? exactly. here, try some... mmm, it is real milk. see? delicious. hoof bump! oh. right here girl, boom. lactaid . 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for a creamy and delicious treat, try lactaid ice cream.

leading the news on time.com a man wearing a bear costume is harassing bears in alaska. what? why? apparently this guy ran up to bears and began running up and down in front of them while they were feeding on salmon and he ran off while fish and wildlife was trying to get his id. bazar.

and in the washington post, here are the six summer reading by president obama. all that is by james salter. all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr. the 6th extinction by elizabeth kolbert. and go outd and get those books if you're interested. and now to the latest on the epa spill in colorado. they say the water is safe to use and they've goneads far as far as telling the city of derango to use the water for customer use. and police say a man was under the influence. witnesses say he violently tried to take people out of the cars. his behavior led people to attack him and hold him until police arrived. and in new york, a new kind

of hotel. frugal travelingers now have the option of spending the night in a van or taxi on the street. each vehicle has a bed and portable air conditioner, but no bathroom, sorry, no shower either. and here's the good news, prices start at $39 a night. no thank you. and now to australia, a group of kite surfers are going to spend 10 days surfing around the great barrier reef. and if they succeed, they will hold the world record for the longest distance travelled while kite surfing. seems like a pretty fun way to raise money. and today marks the 70th anniversary of arguably the most famous kiss in u.s. history celebrating v-j day. and the place where it happened,

new york city's time square. and happy birthday to mila kuhn kunis and hally berry, and "magic" johnson turns 56 and steve martin turns 70. now, keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm betty nguyen, thank you for watching "early today." blinds to go's summer celebration sale's so hot you're gonna need shades. not those shades. these shades! take a cool 20-35% off all sun shades, cascade shades, basswood and more. shades on sale. there's nothing cooler than that. blinds to go. blinds for life. cannonball! blinds to go's summer celebration sale is going on now make a splash with new sun shades, cascade shades, basswood and more, all at 20-35% off! it's the hottest sale of the year. just when you need to cool off most. blinds to go. blinds for life.

. right now police looking for three people who made a very unusual request inside a local maternity ward. plus, an underground treasure hunt lands three men in jail. what police say they were doing scouring the sewers. history in havana. in a matter of hours, a new chapter in the united states' relationship with cuba. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. friday morning, it's august 14th. i'm darlene rodriguez. >> i'm pat battle in for michael who is enjoying the last day the week off. what a great week. >> it feels wonderful out there. chris is off this norng also enjoying nice weather. storm team 4's raphael miranda is here. >> hi guys. it's going to be a fantastic summer. heat building a bit.

70 degrees outside. it is a nice start to the weekend. 83 for a high at noon. humidity not bad, lots of sunshine to enjoy. then things heat up heading into the weekend. take a look at that in a few. lauren scala is here with a look at your commute. >> hey, raphael. we have an accident already. grand central parkway, westbound by 168th street you have an accident blocking a lane there. let's talk about roadwork. all lanes shut down eastbound between exits 43 and 45. more weather and traffic ahead on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you. police are looking for three unwanted visitors who caused a scare inside a brooklyn maternity ward. katherine creag is at nyu lutheran medical center. what happened, kat? >> reporter: police are telling us these three suspects had no bisque at this hospital.

this is nyu medical center. perhaps, more importantly, being in a patient's room trying to take a photo with her baby. we want to show you the photos released. two women and a man walked into a room and asked to take pictures with a newborn. this happened sunday at 2:00 in the afternoon. the two women and man entered the room where the newborn and the mother were. they asked to take photos with the baby. the mother said no according to police and the three suspects took off. they were seen driving away in a white van. the suspects are in their early to mid-30s. medium build. we asked the nypd, did the suspects get physical with the baby or the mother, did they touch the mother or the newborn and the police department said no. a lieutenant said that's why they're being accused of trespassing, not abuse or anything like that. the police as you can imagine, want to catch and find these three suspects. >> absolutely. katherine, thank you. police are trying to find a

gunman who opened fire in a