good morning. burial mystery. where is michael jackson's body? where will he be laid to rest? and what really caused his death? we have new information on the investigation, and the feud that may be brewing within the jackson family. marriage ltdown. a successful executive charged with attempted murder after police say he held his ex-wife hostage during a day of terror, then burned their home to the ground. this morning, how she escaped. and babies on skates. ♪ ♪ to the hip-hop won't stop ♪ ♪ up to the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie ♪

>> the amazing video that's now a global sensation "today," >> the amazing video that's now a global sensation "today," thursday, july 9th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm natalie morales in for meredith, who's making her way back from los angeles. matt, of course, a lot of mystery now into where michael jackson's body is. but we're also learning a lot about some tension within the jackson family. >> a apparently they had a lot of trouble agreeing on what to do for the memorial service, let alone where jackson's final resting place might be. i guess it is somewhat understandable. you've got a very large family, and they're all coping with a sudden and emotional loss. this is all happening as the los angeles police chief speaks out about the doctors who are being questioned in connection with jackson's death. we're going to have the latest on all of this coming up in just a little while.

>> also this morning, america's obsession with bottled water. we consume 8.6 billion gallons of it just last year alone. but is it any healthier and cleaner than tap water? we're going to take a look at some new concerns that have some researchers urging you to reach for the faucet instead. also president obama is in italy for key talks at the g-8 summit. but it is the official escort for michelle obama and the spouses of some other world leaders who's grabbing a lot of the headlines. why? well, she is a former topless model. how'd she end up withuch an important job? we'll talk about that in just a little while. >> and, matt, i understand you have a very interesting interview coming up this morning which i can't wait to see. >> to say the least. we're going to be talking to austrian fashionista bruno. it is bruno, the man who wants to be uber famous will be here live for an interview a little later on. >> are you sure you're ready for that? >> not really. >> first let's begin with new information on the death of michael jackson. nbc's jeff rossen is at jackson's star on the hollywood

walk of fame. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you. you know this town very well. nothing is secret here for very long. which makes this so surprising. big mystery brewing here. where is michael jackson's body? no one can seem to know. but we do know where his brain is. this is the last time we saw michael jackson's casket, at the staples center tuesday. from there, destination unknown. but now, we've confirmed the l.a. county coroner's office has jackson's brain. at least a part of it. investigators are analyzing his brain tissue. it's uncommon, but could help determine what killed him. >> they'll be looking to see whether there is any evidence of prior brain damage, whether from drugs or trauma or post-viral infection. >> reporter: on his official death certificate, la toya jackson provides all the information. cause of death, deferred. she lists forest lawn cemetery as a temporary location.

that doesn't mean he'll be laid to rest there. to be buried at neverland, the family would have to apply for special permits. nbc news has learned they haven't yet. but as jermaine jackson told matt, neverland would be the ideal resting place. >> this is his home. he created this. why wouldn't he be here? i feel his presence. >> reporter: it remains unclear where he'll be buried or when. the enigma that was michael jackson continues even in death. >> michael's life was a great story, but ultimately also a great tragedy. and if you knew him you know it was full of agony and ecstasy. >> reporter: which is exactly why investigators are digging in. did jackson's doctors prescribe pills for cash? and did those pills kill him? i spoke with los angeles police chief william bratton. >> we're certainly interviewing doctors. we're certainly interviewing friends. certainly trying to get an understanding off of what role drugs may have played in the life of mr. jackson. >> reporter: are you confident there will be criminal charges in this case? >> no, not at all. >> reporter: as detectives probe

jackson's final days, racking up officer overtime, the city of los angeles is on the look for mo than $1 million, providing security and other services at the memorial. there's outrage that the city had to pay the bill at all. more than 10,000 jackson fans ve logged in to the city's website to donate money. officials say that's not good enough. they want all of it back. >> it would be wonderful if the jackson family would consider assisting the city defraying some of the costs of this. it would also be tremendous if aeg would help us in defraying the costs on this. >> reporter: and it's not over yet. there's still the high profile battle over jackson's estate. and of course, the kids. >> and i just want to say i love him so much. reporter: mega stars, by default. heartwrenching every time you see it. this is far from over. you still have the estate hearing. the family trying to figure out where to bury michael jackson. and also that custody hearing

set for monday. sources say there's a major infighting going on within the jackson family that ty could all barely agree on how to handle the memorial. and that, as you said earlier, it's fairly understandable after all they've been through. >> they're going through a very tough time. jeff rossen in hollywood, thank you very much. it's now six minutes after the hour. here's natalie. >> now to president obama's trip to italy, where key meetings on the global economy and other international issues are under way. nbc's savannah guthrie is traveling with the president. savannah, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. well, the economy will be front and center today. the leaders agree those big interventions like stimulus spending can't go on forever. but they say the economy is still too fragile to return to business as usual. the president started his morning with brazil's president lula da silva and was presented with the brazilian soccer jersey. >> that's beautiful. >> reporter: the summit of eight world leaders began wednesy, with a key move on climate change. the leaders agreed to keep the

world's temperature from rising more than two degrees celsius, but developing nations like china and india, refused to commit to stricter goals. on iran, the leaders issued a statement to deplore most-election violence and saying they're deeply concerned over the nuclear issue. but there were no new sanctions. >> it's very important for the world community to speak to countries like iran and north korea and encourage them to take a path that does not result in a nuclear arms race. >> reporter: the leaders are gathering in l'aquila, italy. a town devastated by an earthquake i april. on wednesday, italian prime minister silvio berlusconi gave the president a personal tour of the damage. the president paused to glad-hand with first responders. >> the fire fighters of the united states, ty're very proud of you. >> reporter: mr. obama seemed to be a hit with firefighters.

but some residents, still living in tent cities three months later, had a not-so-subtle message to the visiting american president. a twist on his campaign slogan. yes, we camp. well, the summit wra up today, but tomorrow the president and first lady will still be in italy, natalie. they'll meet with the pope. >> and savannah, do we know if president obama talked with brazil's president about david goldman? of course, he's the new jersey father locked in that custody battle with the brazilian family over his son sean? >> well, an administration official tells me it did not come up today. but that this is something the president continues to be concerned about, and presses at all levels of government, including the secretary of state. but they had other issues on the agenda today, so it didn't come up. >> savannah guthrie reporting from rome. thanks so much, savannah. coming up, we're going to tell you about the controversial hostess showing the g-8 wives around town. >> that should raise some eyebrows. let's get a check of the rest of the top stories.

ann is taking some time off. hoda kotb is standing by at the news desk with the headlines. >> good morning, everybody. it has been a deadly morning in iraq and afghanistan. bombs in baghdad and in northern iraq killed at least 41 people, and wounded more than 80. the deadliest attack took place where 34 people were killed in an attack near a judge's house. and a massive truck bomb exploded in central afghanistan killing at least 25 people. at least 13 of the victims were children from a nearby school. another bombing killed two nato soldiers. a solemn ceremony, the bodies of seven u.s. troops killed this week in afghanistan rerned to the u.s. on wednesday, arriving at dover air force base in delaware. tensions remain high this morning in western china, despite a massive government crackdown on protesters. nbc's ian williams is there. >> reporter: chinese security forces do appear to be back in control of this city. but it remains tense following some of the worst unrest seen in this region in decades.

they have continued to flood into the city. a massive and calculated show of force. the chinese government, determined to stifle days of turmoil here. helicopters have been dropping leaflets, trucks with loudspeakers cruising the streets, calling for unity. officials say 156 people have died, as hundreds injured in clashes involving the country's han chinese majority and the uighurs, a muslim minority, native to china's xinjiang region. the two sides blame each other for the violence. the government organized a visit to one of the city's biggest hospitals where most of the injured we saw were han chinese. most with head and stab wounds. sustained, they say, in unprovoked attacks by uighur mobs. it was indiscriminate. they attacked anyone, this woman told me, as she tended to her husband, who sustained serious head wounds.

though she's in a uighur neighborhood, residents claim they're the victims of han chinese, but also of brutal security force crackdowns. it's calmer today, a semblance of normal life returning to the streets here. but only under the watchful eye of thousands of riot police. for "today," ian williams, nbc news. more infighting between house speaker nancy pelosi and her allies and the cia director. house democrats say leon panetta told them the cia misled congress repeatedly since 2001. the cia says panetta never said that. it comes on the eve of a house debate on an intelligence bill that president obama is threateng to veto. overseas markets are mostly higher this morning. good news. trish regan is at the new york stock exchange. what are you watching? >> good morning, hoda. we are watching retail companies. basically, they're reporting their retail same-store sales for the month of june, and this basically looks at this june versus last june. and so it gives you some real

insight into the health of the consumer. costco came up this morning and said sales were down 6%. nonetheless, that was pretty much as anticipated and the reason the sales were down was actually because gasoline prices were lower. so they made a little less money. also alcoa reported after the bell, lost less money than expected, but still lost quite a bit, hoda. >> all right, trish, thank you so much for that. violent storms wednesday in kansas flipped big rigs on their side, one of them crushing a car. the driver was seriously hurt. high winds also ripped a roof off a motel and left thousands of people without power. and 11 environmentalists from greenpeace were arrested wednesday after scaling mount rushmore. they unfurled a banner about global warming. that was right next to president lincoln's face. it is now 12 minutes after 7:00. let's go back to matt, natalie and alexandra. >> all right, hoda. >> alexandra steele is here because al is taking some time off. she's here from the weather channel. you've got the forecast for us? >> we do. good morning, guys. really one of the biggest

stories around the country, the incredib heat from texas to oklahoma. heat advisories, it will feel like 110 from houston to laredo to dalla today. also, of course, in the northeast, temperatures there cooler than average. from boston to providence and down to new york. in the southeast, some coastal showers and thunderstorms. sunny skies in the california coast. a few clouds high clouds passing over washington on this thursday morning. another cool july morning under way. it's only 66 in washington, low 60s in fairfax, montgomery and prince george's counties as well as southern maryland and near the bay. to the west only in the 50s to near 60. afternoon highs low 80s, partly cloudy. more of the same tomorrow. over the weekend more humid and hotter. chance of afternoon late afternoon and evening thundershowers saturday. a small chance. matt?

>> all right, alexandra, thanks very much. now to a connecticut advertising executive facing kidnapping and attempted murder charges after police say he put his ex-wife through a day of terror. nbc's peter alexander is in south windsor, connecticut with that story. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. this appeared to be one serious case of a marriage meltdown. you can see this morning all that's left of the home is some still smoldering rubble after police say a disturbed man took his ex-wife hostage, and then took on the cops, refusing to leave the home, even after setting it on fire. nancy tyler's day of terror at the hands of her armed ex-husband richard shenkman ended shortly after dark. after being held hostage for more than ten hours, police say tyler escaped from a basement bucker where she says she'd been handcuffed to a bolt in the wall. an hour after tyler was wheeled away on a stretcher tuesday night, police say shenkman torched the couple's old home, then with fwlams raging, police

say shenkman fired shots at them, but stayed inside. >> our message to him was simply that we wanted to help him. that we wanted him to surrender himself. we wanted him to come out peacefully. >> reporter: shenkman and tyler's explosive divorce was finalized last year after a bitter 12 years of marriage. he was already facing arson charges for allegedly burning down the couple's summer house in 2007. authorities say shenkman, an advertising executive whose former media firm produces tv shows for oprah's best friend gail king abducted tyler tuesday morning. during the standoff, shenkman made four calls to karen florence, a local reporter at the day newspaper, threatening he'd blow up the house, claiming it was rigged with video cameras and loaded with explosives, and warng officers would die unless they met his irrational list of demands, including sending a judge to remarry the couple, as well as a priest to give tyler her last rites. >> i don't understand why he'd want a priest to give her his last rites if you're not going to harm her. >> they're going to do this.

they're going to storm the house. >> reporter: shenkman also put his ex-wife on the line. >> ion't want either of us to be hurt. i want bothf us to come through this and move on. >> reporter: at times the reporter was exasperated trying to calm the man. >> i'm leaving in a body bag. >> reporter: hours later as the home was burning to the ground, shenkman finally gave up. >> once that fire came down a engulfed the basement where he was located, he really had no choice but to come out. >> reporter: tyler says during the standoff her ex-husband held a gun to her face and counted down from ten, telling the reporter, i truly don't know why he didn't kill me. still suffering from smoke inhalation, sherngman was arraigned in his hospital bed wednesday. he faces a long list of charges right now, matt, including attempted murder, kidnapping and arson, and his bail has been set at $12.5 million. >> wow. all right, peter, thank you very much. peter alexander in south windsor, connecticut, for us

this morning. 16 after the hour, here's natalie. >> matt, thank you. before you grab that bottled water and walk out the door, do you really know what's in it? some new questions are being raised about its safety and value. nbc's tom costello is in washington with more. tom, good morning. >> reporter: hi, natalie, good morning. you know, bottled water is hundreds of times more expensive than tap water and there are hundreds of bottled water companies that are out there promising their water is pure and clean. some even vaguely suggest medicinal or healing powers. but it turns out most of us know less about what's in our bottled water than we do about what's in our tap water. it's a sizzling hot summer day in july. so you grab a bottle of water. but, do you know what's in it? >> my kids love to drink bottled water. they love having it around. >> i can take it. i can just drink it on the bench or whatever. >> i prefer it. it tastes better than tap water. >> reporter: well, if you think bottled water is cleaner than tap water, some environmentalists say you may be in for a surprise. >> more than half of people who drink bottled water are drinking

it because they think it's healthier. safer, purer than tap water. by law, it's not required to be any of those things. >> reporter: the environmental working group and advocacy group investigated 200 popular brands of water and found less than 2% disclose the water source. america's thirst for bottled water seems unquenchable. from 13 gallons per person in 1997, to more than 28 gallons per person last year. bottled water is now an $11 billion industry. but the fda doesn't require bottled water suppliers to tell consumers where their water originates or what's in it. instead congress heard of bottlers who promise unique health benefits. >> some of them make wild claims like they can change the molecular makeup of water and make it healthy. or they play music while they're bottling the water. >> reporter: the fda found that claim intriguing. >> i'm not a musician, but i would still express skepticism about that one.

>> reporter: but guess what, municipal water providers are required to tell customers what's in the water. including the trace amounts of contaminants found through daily tests. and 25 percent percent of bottled water comes from the tap. the bottled water industry association says consumers do have a choice. >> consumers have many options when choosing which bottled water brand to drink. if a bottled water company does not provide them with the information that they want, he or she can choose another brand of bottled water. >> reporter: or drink from your own tap. turns out the tap water, according to most experts, across most of the country, is very safe, and very clean. now, this congressional subcommittee is asking a dozen bottled water companies to say, where does their water come from, and what specifically is in it, as congress and the fda consider requiring stricter labels for bottled water. guys, back to you. >> very interesting, tom costello, new york city tap water, my favorite. >> a lot of people like it around here. by the way, whatever you think of bottled water, whether you buy it or not, here is a little different take on the topic.

evian, the bottled water company, wants to boost its brand with a new ad campaign, i don't know if it's going to work, but the footage igreat. take a look. >> how does drinking evian make you feel? ♪ to the hip-hop don't stop ♪ ♪ up to the goog i go to the rhythm of the boogie ♪ ♪ rocking to the beat and leads to groove ♪ ♪ i am one and i like to say hello ♪ >> that's amazing. >> 30 seconds of a 60 second spot that was shot in london. it's been released on youtube. it hasn't been released on tv yet. apparently they wanted to test to see if it was popular. i think you can tell it's going to be popular. >> apparently over 4 million have viewed them already on youtube. i was one of them. my son josh loved it. it's great.

makes you laugh. >> so you understand. the real babies were used in filming it, just their heads and probably parts of their bodies. but then all of the stunts were clearly done -- >> they had to clarify that. >> they're not stunt babies. >> no. coming up, the looming custody battle over michael jackson's children. will the stark contrast between the jkson family and debbie rowe factor in the case? we'll get some expert perspective. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead on "today," clever deals. what can companies do in this bad economy to get you to buy everything from cars to prescription drugs. >> then batten down the hatches, bruno joins us for an exclusive live interview in our studio.

good morning everyone. i'm barbara harrison. it's thursday, july 9, 2009. the time 7:26. in the news at this hour, this morning u.s. park police will apparently release documents detailing the arrest of marion barry in a stalking case. prosecutors say apparently they decided to not pursue charges. bar ris's spoke man says barry is concerned how police treated him during the arrest. the zoo is throwing a party. the baby panda turning 4 years old. he'll mark the occasion with a special treat. we'll find out what kind of day he will have to celebrate his birthday when we talk to

partly sunny, a cool july morning under way, temperatures in the 50s and 60s. highs today low 80s and partly cloudy. more of the same tomorrow. hotter over the weekend. maybe a late day shower or thundershower saturday. looks like a greater chance sunday. how's traffic? >> an accident 395 northbound, auorities are on the scene. we'll head over and update with you the accident 95 southbound near 212. that is out of the roadway. south of town to the wilson bridge, inner and outer loop so far so good. >> thanks, jerry.

tonight, the sonic scrubber looks like a ocgc

7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 9th day of july, 2009. lots of folks have rolled out of bed early to join us out on the plaza. we're always thankful for that. getting a little music this morning. listening to the sounds of rascal flatts. the country trio will be here tomorrow morning, live in concert. if you're in the area, come on down. they should be a lot of fun. meanwhile, i'm matt lauer alongside natalie morales. meredith is off today. coming up in this half hour, you've probably heard the ads pitching everything from cars to appliances in this bad economy. and pitching those products to people who may be in danger of losing their jobs. but, are the offers as good as

they seem? just ahead, a warning before you dive in to one of those deals. >> also this morng, when it comes to the economic crisis, is legalizing marijuana the answer to the financial crunch facing a lot of states? well, the idea is now being pitched in a controversial new ad campaign that is sparking a lot of debate. we're going to hear from both sides coming up a little bit later. >> and also, why a former topless model is now in charge of showing michelle obama and the wives of other world leaders around italy. >> okay. first up, though, who will michael jackson's children end up with? someone in his family or debbie rowe, who said at least last week, that she now wants custody? nbc's chris jansing has the latest. >> reporter: for more than a decade they were hidden behind masks. >> michael was their voice. >> reporter: their father's farewell became the formal unveiling of prince michael and paris and blanket. it was a heart-breaking debut. >> ever since i was born, daddy

has been the best father you could ever imagine. ani just want to say i love him so much. >> reporter: with that, 11-year-old paris collapsed into the arms of her aunt janet. >> a picture is worth a thousand word you n't look at that and not realize the close relationship that these kids have with the jackson family. ♪ smile though your heart is agoing ♪ >> reporter: at the memorial, it was the unscripted, unspoken moments that resonated loudest. paris' head resting on her grandmother katherine's shoulder. embraced by aunt la toya. prince leaning on aunt janet, clinging to family. ♪ we are the world we are the children ♪ >> reporter: and singing one of their dad's songs. >> whatever beefs there were

between the brothers and sisters and michael in life, you know that they will take care of those children. >> reporter: there could not be a starker visual contrast than this, the jacksons, and the biological mother of the two older children, debbie rowe. >> do not touch me! >> nobody touched you here. >> you just did! >> reporter: debbie rowe's lawyers say she still hasn't decided whether she'll sue for custody though there is an initial court hearing on monday. now in the past she said the children were her gift to michael. here she is, in 2003. >> my kids don't call me mom because i don't want them to. they're not -- they're michael's children. >> reporter: experts say she has a strong legal claim, unless giving her custody is ruled a detriment to the children. >> the detrint is, this is a person they don't know. it would be a travesty to put those kind of hurt children, who are going through this period of losing a parent, that apparently they had a fabulous relationship with, it would be a travesty to

just throw them to a stranger. >> reporter: in the days following michael jackson's death it was their grandmother katherine filing for custody. la toya and janet, who returned to the mansion where michael died, to pick up the children's clothing and toys. there have been memorable images of children before them, robbed of famous parents too soon. william and harry, walking behind the casket of princess diana. caroline and jfk jr. and his memorably poignant salute. now paris at the microphone, and blanket with his aunts and sister, clutching his michael jackson doll. for "today," chris jansing, nbc news, los angeles. >> wendy murphy is a former federal prosecutor and jeanine pirro is a former district attorney and court judge. good morning to you both. let me start with you, janine because you've actually been a judge in family court in cases like this. we don't know what rowe will do come monday when it is expected

the custody issue will come up before a judge. what we saw was the jackson clan, surroundinghe children, comforting little paris. a picture is worth a thousand words. but is it really legally relevant? >> well, in california, it is clear that the biological mother has superior rights to anyone else. but that is only one line of thought. at the end of the day, the judge has to determine what's in the best interest of these children. is this a mother who, by her own actions, has established that everything about her is biologically counterintuitive to the position that she seeks to assert as a mother. the kids don't know her. she wasn't with them at their time in need, clearly. and that visual that we just saw in the clip speaks volumes. >> the visual of her -- >> of the children with the jackson family. >> right, right. >> and it's clear that there's an extended family. michael wanted his mother to have custody. and at the end of the day this woman is not a fit mother. >> in your mind the judge's decision is probably already made just by what -- >> look at the evidence. but i think that not just what

we saw at the funeral, but in sterms of what she's done. she's tried to give up parental rights. has given up custody. and by the way there's another issue. there are reports it's not her eggs. and so, if it's not her eggs, but -- >> she's denying those reports. >> what matters, the egg or the womb? >> the court has already determined that she is the legal mother. you know, that's pretty settled, egg or not, at this point. >> and wendy, when you talk about the biological rights, though, when it comes down to it, nature versus nurture, how do judges tend to decide? >> 20 or 30 years ago, the one who gave birth would win. but we can make babies through all kinds of technologically new ways now. including ivf and surrogacy and so forth. so it isn't so simple anymore. debbie rowe does have a thumb on the scale. but i think she's easily bumped off that position for all of the reasons janine suggested. and her performance in the past week or so, the f-bomb on television. >> as the paparazzi were trying to -- >> you think that's going to

harm her? >> i think it doesn't help. >> in presenting her custody debate? >> i think it doesn't help. because if you can't restrain. you know the world is watching you, trying to figure out whether you would be a good mommy and you can't restrain yourself from using the "f" word. the other thing that's really significant is her indecisiveness. last thursday in the morning she said, i'm filg for custody. by the evening, she hadn't made up her mind. what's a judge to make of a mother who isn't sure she wants to raise her own children? >> what about her own words? i mean the interview that we saw where she said i have chosen not to be called mommy. michael jackson really was, from the minute these children were born, the caretaker of these children. how much will using her own words then, janine, go against her? >> any judge is going to look at what she said in sworn testimony, in interviews - >> the money that was paid to he >> who sells her own children? who tries to give up parental rights? who tries to give up custody. this is a woman who is, by every idea of fact not a good mother. >> and really quickly, the

youngest child, blanket, is not her biological child. this is a child that was conceived by a surrogate. >> yeah. >> we don't know the identity of this other person. what happens to blanket? >> well, blanket, as a matter of law, is really an orphan. clearly an orphan. his mother is irrelevant. i'm sure that her rights were resolved by contract and that's fine. so the question for him is simply what's in his best interest? and i think the court is going to be clear, among other things, he should be with his siblings. >> right. >> and that will weigh against debbie rowe's interests. but the judge is going to say to debbie rowe, how come every time you show up, it's related to money. every time you show up, you say you care about the children, somebody hands you a check and you walk away. that's not good parenting. i don't think she's going to win not even a close call. >> and you know what, california law recognizes that these children should be together, there is no question they will ultimately be together. and i think that at the end of the day, katherine jackson is going to get them. that extended family is what these children need, what they're used to. deborah rowe was someone who was basically a stranger to them.

>> all right. wendy murphy, jeanine pirro, thank you. of course, remains to be seen what happens on monday. let's get another check of the weather again from the weather channel's alexandra steele who is in for al. >> good morning, natalie. well, dallas loves the "today" show and the heat in dallas is certainly one of the top stories rwweheatise. we're going to feel like 110. and dallas andheouonst and san antonio, so here's a look, also, another story, a of course, but storms we've got, moving from aberdeen towards minneapolis, the twin cities. showers and storms, certainly on your radar picture today. duluth, as well. also, again, a slight risk through the afternoon in the same area. in the southeast, atlanta to charlotte, to sea island, georgia, scattered showers and storms firing off. in the northeast, dry skies. temperatures, though, five to ten d good morning. sunshine through high clouds over washington at this hour. it is another cool july morning. it's only in the 60s and0s around the region, afternoon

highs reaching low 80s. and clouds in and out, partly cloudy tomorrow. not too humid. a high around 80. saturday and sunday more humid an hotter. could get a late day shower or thundershower saturday. maybe a morning shower on sunday or passing afternoon thundershower. natalie? >> all right, thank you, alexandra. coming up next, they seem like great deals, but are they really? what you need tw kno about all those special offers targeting people worried about losing their jobs. we'll tell you more right after this.

"today's money" is brought to you by lendingtree.com. when banks compete, you win. this morning on "today's money," what seemed like good deals in a very bad economy, with consumer confidence low and unemployment high, retailers are getting very creative to sell everything from big ticket items to prescription drugs. to people who are worried about losing their jobs. "today's" financial editor jean chatzky is here with details. jean, good morning. >> good morning. >> i don't understand, is it a good idea for people who are worried about losing their jobs to even be considering buying big ticket items? >> you know what i'm going to y. you need your emergency cushion first, if you can afford to buy a new car, then you can afford to buy a new car. but i do think that there i a

difference between needing a new refrigerator, because yours broke and you have to put one in the house, and wanting something else. and you have to consider that. >> so take care of necessities. these deals we're going to talk about in a second, they sound great, are companies doing this because they're kind and generous, or is there a catch to most of these? >> a catch may be putting it a little bit strongly. but there is fine print you absolutely have to read it, and you have to understand that you have to lose your job to take advantage of these deals. you can't just quit. >> all right, let's talk about that refrigerator you just mentioned. sears is offering a good deal. >> exactly. if you buy an appliance -- that costs more than $399 and you lose your job, they will take over the payments, essentially, they will put 1/12 of the cost of that appliance into your account every single month for a year, if at the end of the year you haven't gotten another job, you get to keep the fridge. >> is there a catch to this one? >> you have to have been paying for that appliance for two months before you get into the program. and you have to buy it on a sears citibank credit card.

>> pfizer is doing something that also sounds generous, dealing with prescription drugs. >> right. 70 prescription drugs, if you've been on them for three months and you lose your job, they will take over and give you those medications for up to a year, until you get that job. >> who qualifies for that? >> essentially it's anybody who has lost their job, and who doesn't have other insurance or prescription coverage. you can't have a back door to get those prescriptions another way. >> what jumps out at me about this is while these plans sound pretty good, if people do go off and lose their jobs, the company has to absorb some of the costs, aren't they going to defray that by passing it on to consumers in other areas? >> i think you're absolutely right about that. just as they will defray the cost of having inventory that is sitting around and not moving. these companies are doing this because it's working. >> discover bank. this is a plan that allows people to withdraw money when they need it, even if it's ahead of a deadline. >> we're talking about a 12-month cd here. and you have to put in at least $2,500. and they will allow you to get at your money without penalty.

this one's interesting. there's not a lot of money on the line here unless it's a really big cd. but particularly for people who remember when cds were paying 12%, 18%, there's a big fear about breaking a cd. >> jetblue offering something when people have booked airline tickets? >> right, usually if you cabsle an airline ticket you have to pay a $100 penalty. now they're saying they will give you that cash. you have to have booked the ticket and paid for it yourself. somebody else on the trip can't have lost the job. >> and real quickly virgin mobile, a cellphone plan especially for people in a little bit of financial trouble. >> exactly. if you have been on the plan for awhile they will make three months worth of payments up to $90 each for you. >> we've just given like five of these. if these work for the retailers and these companies are we going to see a lot of other companies get on board? >> that's where we're seeing thome begin with. hyundai started a plan in january, sales were up 14% month-to-month. other cars were not selling. so it's working. >> jean chatzky, as always, thanks very much. appreciate it. >> sure. >> coming up next, the former topless model escort be michelle

obama around italy. that's right, you heard me correctly. right ter this.

back now at 7:49 with more on the first family's overseas trip, and why one of their guides in italy is stealing a lot of the headlines. keith miller is in rome with the details. keith, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. well the g-8 meetings are all about foreign policy, international economics. but here in the land of romance,

italy's notorious prime minister has sizzled up the agenda with his domestic politics. silvio berlusconi's wife has left him because the 72-year-old prime minister adores the attention of beautiful women. taking her summit role as first lady, a former topless model, and current minister in his cabinet. mara carfagna is now the official escort for michelle obama and the spouses of other world leaders. on wednesday she joined several of the world's leading first ladies for tea with the pope. while carfagna may be the minister of equal opportunity, but she was also voted the world's sexiest government minister by a men's magazine. and his political party actively promotes show girls and starlets as cdidates to the european parliament. could this be a sign of a mid-life crisis? >> i think he's a long-life crisis i would say. this is something that's been going on for a very long time.

this is the ultimate italian latin lover. the one that just needs to have girls constantly. and he tells this. he spends three hours every night in sex. >> reporter: berlusconi seems to do everything right, even when he's wrong. he dismissed allegations that he paid a high-priced call girl to spend the night in the prime minister's residence. he claims his relationship with an 18-year-old underwear model is purely platonic. it means nothing, said the prime minister, accusing his critics of lacking a sense of humor. in america, he would resign from office, and go into hiding. but here, his popularity rating has hardly suffered a blip. >> i think particularly this scandal, he gets by with it because he is a 72-year-old man. i think if he were a younger man it would be harder for, perhaps, the other heads of states to forgive him. but he's a 72-year-old man. and if he's got a sex scandal i think people accept that more than if he were a 52-year-old man. >> reporter: still, he has

critics. there is a petition to remove him from office. with some people claiming, he has a casting couch approach to politics. the prime minister, however, is not apologetic. apparently believing that every man in italy wants to be him, and most of the women, want to be with him. the prime minister has five more years in office, and shows no signs of resigning. and after all, natalie, all the skeletons in his closet are out there for all the public to see. >> all right, keith miller in rome. thank you, keith. just ahead, as if he does not knock us off the air, bruno the austrian superstar wanna-be who's taken over our control room will stop by for an exclusive morning interview. >> jim, are you going to let him do that to you? >> after this, will ie b hosting "good morning, allentown." your local news and weather are next.

beautiful morning here. look at all of that blue in the sky out there. 66 degrees the current temperature in washington. it's 7:56. i'm barbara harrison. it's thursday, july 9, 2009. in the news, in the next hour park police are expected the release documents detailing the arrest of marion barry in a stalking case. prosecutors decided not to pursue charges against him. barry's spokesperson says the council member is concerned how police treated him during the arrest. metro riders using the red line add an extra 30 minutes. there will be fewer and slower moving trains while investigators look into last month's deadly accident.

going to take a look at the commute out there and the roadways andhetheas w aer oyoñt

good morning. an unusually cool morning with high clouds. a live view, our temperatures now are still in the upper 50s and low and mid 60s. highs only reaching around 80 and partly cloudy and more of the same tomorrow. not very humid today or tomorrow. more humid over the weekend. highs mid 80s. partly sunny saturday, could get a late day shower or thundershower. and then sunday may be a morning shower or passing afternoon thundershower. highs mid 80s and rather humid as we get into next week, and

hotter. highs upper 80s, monday, tuesday, near 90 wednesday. how's traffic? >> tom, we're backed up along i-95 in spots. good morning. had an accident strofling a motorcycle on 395. the accident is gone but the delays still up from the prince william parkway. headed south to the wilson bridge, the inner and outer loop between alexandria and oxen hill moving nicely. a beautiful commute on a beautiful morning. >> thank you. tonight on "news 4 at 5:00" the sonic scrubber may look like an electric tooth brush but

i used to love when our kids were little, we would camp in the backyard, and he'd pee in the lawn and in the bushes. >> wait a minute, what are you talking about? you don't do that when you camp in the yard. >> you just go into the bushes. we wouldn't go back in the house. i mean, you're camping. >> you're not camping if you're on your front lawn. meredith, you're not doing it, your kids are doing it. but you're not doing it. >> of course, yes, we did it as a family. yes! it was toethally -- >> you did it as a family? >> yes. >> what are you chlt the crazy von trapps? let's all ling arms and pee. >> that's one of the bizarre little anecdotes meredith decided to tell conan o'brien last night on "the tonight show" when she was winging her way

back from los angeles. and actually something she does here on the plaza a lot, also. the "p" on the plaza. meredith's not here today. i'm matt lauer along with natalie morales. thursday morning, the ninth day of july, 2009. and from that strange story to a rather bizarre interview coming up in this half hour. >> good luck with that. >> this is going to be interesting. the crowd out here getting a little bit of a taste of bruno. the global phenomenon. he is the austrian fashionista. he wants to be uber famous and he's going to sit down for an exclusive, live, morning show interview with us in just a couple of minutes. >> you are going to make him uber famous or you're going to lose your uber fame. >> that's probably right. >> will we see you tomorrow morning? >> oh, let's hope so. if all goes well. >> also ahead -- ook. okay. also on a more serious note a controversial solution to the economic crisis. a new ad is now running in the state of california, calling for

the state to legalize marijuana beyond medicinal purposes. the group behind it claims that taxes alone would pay the salaries of about 25,000 teachers and the idea, as you can imagine, is frigerring a renewed debate over the topic. we're going to hear from both sides of the issueoming up. >> also this morning, we're going to do some grilling out here on the plaza. we've got a bigger grilloff. three top chefs are going to show us their unique spin on the classic american burger. >> my favorite segment of the morning. >> all that coming up. but first let's go inside, ann is off this week. we have hoda kotb taking a look at the headlines. >> good morning, everybody. the global economy is front and center today as day two of the g-8 summit gets under way. earlier on the topic of iran the leaders issued a statement deploring post-election violence and saying they are deeply concerned over the nuclear issue, but recommending no new

sanctions. meantime first lady michelle obama toured the town devastated by an earthquake in april. today, the iraq bombings ha left at least 41 people dead. more than 80 others hurt. two bombs exploded in baghdad's sadr city but the deadliest attack happened north of the capital in talafar where a suicide bomber struck outside a judge's home. and in afghanistan, at least 25 people lost their lives when a truck bomb went off outside a school this morning. it left 13 young students among the dead. today in sacramento, a rally is being held for laura ling and euna lee, two american journalists jailed in north korea. on wednesday, laura's sister lisa ling told our affiliate kcra that she spoke to laura by phone this week and she admitted she broke the law. >> she was very deliberate and clear in her message, which was, look, you just have to know that we did violate north korean law. we broke the law, we are sorry,

and we need help. we need our government's help to try and get amnesty, because that really is our only hope. >> laura ling and euna lee were sentenced in june to 12 years of hard labor for illegally crossing the border from china. police in tennessee have confirmed that former quarterback steve mcnair's death was a murder/suicide with his girlfriend pulling the trigger. police say she suspected mcnair, who was married, of having an affair with another woman. fans turned out wednesday athe stadium where he once played. today the government holds a day-long summit to assess how prepared states will be to handle swine flu in the coming months. 90-minute police chase through dallas ended violently. newly released police dash cam video shows a driver weaving in and out of traffic, and jumping a curb before crossing through an intersection, and getting rammed by a pickup truck. the driver of the car, a forgery suspect, is hospitalized. the truck driver was not injured. and talk of a new kind of

fish tank. several armored personnel carriers were dumped into the atlantic ocean off south carolina's coast on wednesday. they were donated by the national guard as part of an artificial reef to provide a home for sea life. good idea there. it is now coming up on five minutes past 8:00. let's go outside. back to matt and natalie. >> all right, thanks, hoda. "today" show priceless. cebrating our 15th birthday. happy birthday. >> al is enjoying some priceless time off. we've got alexandra steele from the weather channel. good morning again. >> good morning, everyone. well, illinois is in the beautiful crowd this morning on the breezy plaza. let's talk about the forecast and head to our pick city where it is a little breezy, as well. columbus, ohio. good morning to you. cloudy skies. maybe an isolated shower. temperature is 81 degrees. again, the big story, the heat just blazing. record heat today from houston to laredo, feeling like 110.

in the pacific northwest, temperatures running about five to ten degrees below average. same scenario here in the northeast. also you'll notice the breeze in the wind here in northern new england, down to the mid-atlantic, and also in florida, one to three inches of rain, expected locally. we could even see more than that good morning. we have sun through high clouds illuminating capitol hill on this live picture from our city camera on this thursday morning. a coolual morning under way. we're in the mid to upper 60s now in montgomery, fairfax, prince george's counties and in washington near the bay near 70. near 60 to the west. we'll have some clouds in and out throughout the day and low humidity. more of the same tomorrow. humid over the weekend. and for all your weather needs, let's head to the weather channel on cable or weather.com. matt?

>> all right, alexandra, thank you very much. when weome back, is legalizing marijuana the answer to a struggling economy? as an unscientific survey, we'll talk about it right after these messages. yes, we do. and we can say 700 miles on a single tank and epa estimated 41 mpg city and all the words stick because they're true. we speak the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan in america. we speak the all-new 2010 ford fusion hybrid. get in... and drive one. but now they have new areas where i can find the brands i use every day-- and save even more. so that's what they mean by unbeatable. save money. live better. walmart.

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and raise good cholesterol to help improve all three cholesterol numbers. trilipix has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or stroke more than a statin alone. trilipix is not for everyone, including people with liver, gallbladder, or severe kidney disease, or nursing women. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. blood tests are needed before and during treatment to check for liver problems. contact your doctor if you develop unexplained muscle pain or weakness, as this can be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. this risk may be increased when trilipix is used with a statin. if you cannot afford your medication, call 1-866-4-trilipix for more information. trilipix. there's more to cholesterol. get the picture. garth, you're up. hold on, i'm at capitalone.com picking a photo... for my credit card. here's one from my prom. oh, what memories. how 'bout one from our golf outing? ( shouting ) i know, maybe one of my first-born son.

dad, mom says the boys gotta go. personalize your card by uploading... your own photo at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? ♪ this morning on "today's" health, should marijuana be legal? a first of its kind and controversial ad debuted on wednesday on many local television stations in california. take a look. >> sacramento says huge cuts to schools, health care and police are inevitable due to california's budget crisis. even our state parks could be closed. but the governor and legislature

are ignoring millions of californians who want to pay taxes. we're marijuana consumers. instead of being treated like criminals for using a substance safer than alcohol, we want to pay our share. taxes from california's marijuana industry could pay the salaries of 20,000 teachers. isn't it time? >> and with us to make the case for and against legalizing marijuana aaron houston with the marijuana policy project who helped create that ad and dr. andrea barswell, a former director of 9 national drug control policy and nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy synderman. let's clarify, california already legalized marijuana for med smedicinal purposes. >> right. right now there are 13 states that have said by law you can use marijuana for medicinal purposes, everything from lou gehrig's disease, glaucoma, chemotherapy, nausea, to gain

weight in anorexia. that's sort of how it's been carved out. this bill being floated around in california would legalize marijuana and tax marijuana for all purposes, beyond just the need for medicinal marijuana. >> there is a pill form of marijuana. but what people are doing is fighting to legal iz it across the board? >> what gets you high when you smoke pot is something called thc, which has been synthesized into a drug called marinol. so the an-people will say don't legalize marijuana, you can use the drug. if you talk to patients who used marinol, they will say nice try but it is not as effective. so there may be more going on when you inhale marijuana. >> aaron you're the group responsible, partly responsible for putting that ad out looking to make marijuana legal for all purposes, not just medicinal. why now? why are you starting this in the state of california? >> well, the state of california is a logical place to start because it has a crippling budget deficit facing that state right w.

additionally california was the first in the nation to make medical marijuana available for seriously ill patients. additionally, california could make -- run a billion dollars in tax dollars from legalizing it, taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol. but more importantly and more broadly across the board, marijuana is the nation's largest cash crop valued at $36 billion a year, bigger than corn and meat combined. and partially because of that the mexican drug cartels which have gotten such notoriety recently actually make 70% of their profits from marijuana sales alone. which is a remarkable figure. staggering. they're active in 230 american cities. we'd like to control marijuana, regulate it. >> legalize but regulate. >> regulate it like alcohol or tobacco. and we can see that the current policy on marijuana has not worked. since marijuana was first banned in 1937, use has gone up by 4,000%. >> dr. barswell, let me bring you into the debate. you disagree with this proposal. why? >> i disagree because there are

lots of states across the country that have crippling budget issues now, with unemployment, and erosions of their tax base. and they're finding it difficult to pay for many social services, including treatment. the reality is 60 cents out of empry dollar we spend on treatment in this country goes to pay for marijuana and abuse dependence. and there is no reason for us to make marijuana more available in a cheaper form, more widely available, and increase the burden to society. tobacco costs us about $200 billion a year in its consequences and the tax on tobacco will only pay for about 20% of that. there's no reason to believe that we would not see the costs soerked with marijuana use soaring if we made it more available and cheaper. >> go ahead. >> i don't know if that's a fair characterization, saying that so many treatments for marijuana in particular. in fact, probably a large bulk of the treatment dollars she's talking about come from alcohol. some of the social consequences and the costs come from alcohol,

are much more dangerous substance than marijuana. toxic, you can actually die from just the withdrawal symptoms alone. >> it's interesting. because let's talk about one of the claims in the ad, and that's that it states that alcohol is actually worse for people than marijuana is, and aaron, let me ask you, i mean what evidence do you have to back that up? >> well -- >> what are you basing that claim on? >> the national institute on drug abuse, take that for example, says that some of the worst symptoms associated with marijuana withdrawal are irritability, strange dreams and difficty sleeping. compare that to alcohol, and certainly dr. nancy would be a bet are authority than i, but take alcohol where death can occur and grand mal seizures can occur from the withdrawal symptoms. >> we have to be very careful that we are comparing apples and oranges. any time you inhale smoke, just as a physician, whether it's spoke from a burning building or cigarette or cigar or marijuana. >> it's causing damage. >> well, there's something. there's always a tradeoff, whether it's a pill or a drug

there's always going to be a tradeoff. >> and dr. barthwell you say that the cost of this is going to be much greater than any benefit to a state or state budget, right? >> well, what we've got to remember is that health advoc e advocates such as myself and others have purned back on tobacco and we really have tobacco at an all-time low use in this country, and part of what's driven that is taxation, and a public health campaign that focused on the negative health effects of tobacco. it doesn't make sense to me, while all america's eyes are focused on washington and health care reform, and the fact that we need a health promotion system in this country, we're trying to eat organic, exercise, eat better, wear sunscreen in our safety belt and we've been effective in pushing back on tobacco, that we would promote smoking another substance. >> we're going to have to leave the debate there. unfortunately this is just the beginning of the discussion. aaron houston, thank you.

dr. andrea barthwell and dr. nancy synderman. up next, a live interview with the flamboyant fashionista bruno. the flamboyant fashionista bruno. right after this. building my life, while my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. cresr is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. find out more about slowing the buildup of plaque at crestor.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor.

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i need some zen time with this model thank you. "today's" entertainment is sponsored by buick. the renaissance continues with the new buick 2010 lacrosse. >> we're back now at 8:20. sacha baron cohen brought us borat and now we have bruno. he's been called everythg from vulgar to brilliant. and one thing's for certain, whenever you find bruno, you'll find trouble, as well. take a look. >> by fredrick? >> well, thank you. >> yeah. >> okay. >> thank you. >> yes, you haven't finished. >> yes. yes. >> stop.

>> and bruno, we welcome you to "today." it's nice to see you. nice to see you -- whose idea was it to wear a velcro suit to a fashion event in milan? >> you know, it was mine. not that there were several. but why did i do it? why do artists do anything? why did louis armstrong walk on the moon? you know. why did steve build rome in a day? y did leonardo dicaprio paint the mona lisa? just don't know. >> but it ruined the show. >> yeah, it was a disaster. it was worse than dar four. it was darfive.

>> it also ruined your career in europe. you lost your job hosting a television show. you were blacklisted from basically every fashionvent in europe. is that what made you come to the united states? >> you know, it's to come here and become like an internationally respected figure like heidi mon tag from "the hills." >> and to seek uber fame? >> you know, want to become uber famous. i want to become the most famous celebrity from austria since hitler. >> so what -- what is the -- what has the reaction been in this country, as compared to how people in your home of austria tend to react to you? >> you know, they treat guy austrians really well here. i mean in california, they made one of them governor. or didn't you know? >> moving along -- >> you not only traveled to the united states. you obviously traveled to california, to texas and then you set off on a trip to the middle east. >> that's right. >> and i just have to ask you, do you think you were fully aware -- >> i think it's told the

middle -- >> were you fully aware of the issues of that region, the conflicts of that region before you set off on that trip? >> you know, matt, it's like a lot of research. it's like watched the mummy returns and also like 20 minutes of aladdin. >> but you seemed to be confused about some very basic things. for example in speaking to an israeli and palestinian representative, one on reert side of you, you confused hamas with hummus. >>ye. they're basically the same thing. >> but do you know they aren't basically the same thing? are you a little clearer on that issue right now? >> well, it's a situation like really colex. i mean, the palestinians have got their enemies, you know, the israelis. but i've got my enemies, too. my enemies is carbohydrates. i've had to declare jihad on haagen-dazs. but the real problem there is fashion. right? i mean if all i saw was like a black burqa and some sandals i'd blow myself up, too.

i mean here is a statistic, a great statistic, america, not one suicide bomber has ever blown themselves up while wearing marc jacobs. >> i'll look at up. i'll look that up. as long as you bring fashion up. i was watching as you went around the world to promote your documentary on becoming uber famous, some strange outfits. we saw you dressed as a bull in madrid. >> that's right. >> we saw you dressed as a beefeater, a british guard in london. >> that's right. >> has that been working for you? >> well, the world tour was totally amazing. i mean, it went to nine countries in 18 days, which is more than any austrian since 1941. you know. although the favorite bit was definitely paris, which, of course, is named after america's skankiest bimbo. >> let me talk about some reaction to your film, and there's been a lot of it, not all positive, and it hasn't even been released yet. a representative from the guy and lesbian alliance against

defamation said quote my fear is in parts of the country where guy men and lesbians are still unable to adopt children or can lose their job for being guy, bruno is going to make things worse for people. how do you react to that? >> well, why all this backfighting from my restaurant? i never saw the restaurant community getting upseabout buzz light-year. you know. it's a great thing to have always been persecuted. plato, aristotle, shakira. >> but there are some people in your own country, for example, the austrian minister to great britain has called for a boycott of your movie. >> what? >> he's called for a boycott of your movie. doesn't want people to go out and see "bruno." >> he's -- austria is turning on me now? i just heard about this now. it's a very private moment. close-up, please. that is just so austrian. they build you up and then they knock you down.

first they did it to arnie, then they did it to moez art. he had to leave, i don't know where he liv n.ow ity'snl o aat mrte ofr tim urfore they t 8:26 is our time. 68 degrees. some clouds up there, a lot of sunshine, though. we'll get the forecast coming up. good morning. i'm joe krebs on this thursday, the 9th of july, 2009. in the news today, u.s. park police are expected to release documents detailing the arrest of marion barry in the recent stalking case. prosecutors have decided not to pursue charges against him. barry's spokes earn says that the council member is concerned how police treated him during the arrest process. the national zoo is throwing a birthday party for the giant panda now turning 4 years old. he'll mark the occasion with a special frozen treat made of water, bamboo, shredded beats

and beet juice. we'll look at our weather and traffic.

it's a column july morning. good morning, now in the 60s with low humidity. highs near 8 o. partly cloudy, more of the same tomorrow. over the weekend more humid and hotter, may be a late day shower or thundershower saturday. perhaps a passing shower or thundershower on sunday. how's traffic? >> we'll look at i-95 at this hour. not bad, north out of dumfries. up the road we're jammed up toward the capitol beltway. accidents in the beelt way, one of which was a motorcycle accident. it's gone but unfortunately the memory remains. >> thanks very much. tonight at 5 the sonics scrubber

claims to clean like a dynamo.

♪ we're back now, 8:30 on a thursday morning. it's the 9th day of july, 2009. we've got a great crowd gathered in rockefeller plaza. we're happy to have them here today. but they should also join us tomorrow if they like great music. because in our 8:30 half hour tomorrow morning, rascal flatts will be here putting on a show. outdoors. if you're in the area, come on, check it out. we look forward to it. >> and it's not the only concert we have lined up. because on monday, the fray will

be here. and you can win tickets to see them on tour. just make a great poster or a sign, and the band, along with live nation, will give tickets out to the show to the makers of the 25 best signs. >> and also coming up on "today," you can smell the burgers over there. we're going to have a little bit of a burger cookoff and pick the best burger. and also if you're wondering where our weddingouple is going on their honeymoon? we're going to figure that out. you guys get to vote at home. we're going to find out. >> lots to get to. first bee also want to tell you that harry potter and the half-blood prince is going to hit theaters next wednesday. this time we understand it's about more than just the battle of good and evil for the young wizards. take a look. >> anyway, you can't take anyone. apparently it's a love potion. >> really?

>> hey, she's only interested in you because she thinks you're the chosen one. >> but i am the chosen one. >> and if you're looking forward to seeing that movie you're going to be looking forward to this young lady right here. emma watson joins us. nice to see you. >> good morning. >> so love is in the air, i understand, like a romantic comedy, almost. >> it is. it's -- i think it's the funniest of all. >> it is. >> you spend a lot of your time, i understand, being jealous, being a little heartbroken, was that tough for you in this movie? >> well, yeah. but sometimes it was a nice. sometimes it was quite dark and then happy and scary and it's nice to do a bit of comedy for a change. >> you've really grown up on screen over the series of movies that have been out. you started when you were 9 years old. how much have you kind of blossomed on the stage? >> gosh, i don't know. i certainly learned a lot. >> you're all grown up. >> yes. >> thank you. yeah, no, i -- yeah, it's been an amazing journey, and it's

been crazy, and no one imagined the success that we've had. and we're very lucky. >> this core group has been together for all of these movies. that means you spent a lot of time with this same group on sets all around the world. how do you avoid the back-fighting and bickering that we fall victim to here on this show every morning? it's terrible. i understand table tennis is a way you guys get a little stress relief. >> it's true. that is how we -- that'sow we chill out. but it gets quite competitive. >> are you good? >> well, i was doing pretty well for awhile. i was in the lead. but dan has been playing pretty hard, training up, and now our games are pretty tight. >> and you're going to college in the states in the fall. you're 19 years old. >> i'm 19. >> you know where you're going yet? >> yes, i'm going to states the end of august. >> and going to? >> sorry -- >> you won't tell us? >> no. >> sorry. >> i was just going to show you where the bookstore is or something like that. i've heard a couple of options.

both great the two that i've heard. so good luck with that. >> thank you so much. >> nice to have you here. >> good luck with harry potter and the half-blood prince. next wednesday. >> yes. >> nationwide. >> july 15th. >> thanks so much. by the way, a big bruno fan. >> yes. big fan. i just met bruno. it was like the highlight of my trip. >> good, good. >> okay. >> he's super famous to you then? >> we're glad you survived bruno, by the way. >> survived with just a little bit of makeup on the shoulder. >> we were waiting for a hug and didn't see up. >> that's true. >> let's get a check of the good morning. we've had a cool morning again, temperatures down in the 50s around much of the region this morning, even the 40s in the mountain areas. it's warming up, the mid and upper 60s. low 80s by mid afternoon. clouds in and out with low humidity. more of the same tomorrow. humid over the weekend. hotter, too. saturday late afternoon or evening maybe a passing thundershower. small chance of that. partly sunny. mostly cloudy sunday.

natalie, back to you. >> thank you, alexandra. coming up next, what we've been waiting for all morning. we're salivating here. the battle of the burgers coming up next on the plaza. 1c >>

y'>datctos kihen" is brought to you by hershey's bliss chocolate. bliss is everywhere. you just have to unwrap it. >> -- summer to find the best, must-try burgers in every state. so we decided to bring a few of what we thought were the most unusual and wacky ones to our plaza to give a try. our contenders this morning. aaron mccargo junior the host of big daddy's house on the food

network. aid up raider, owner and chef of mother's federal hill grill in baltimore, maryland. and tom perrini. owner and cook at the steak house in buffalo gap, texas. we've got natalie and hoda doing taste testing down at the end. good morning. this is a serious competition. i'm going to start with you aaron and i want you to tell me what's new and different about the burger you're making today. >> check it out. what i did was i created the burger off the grill with the pizza and made them both together. pepperoni pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese. pregrill my burger. store bought pizza dough. right in the middle is your bufrg ir. that pizza sauce with the mozzarella cheese and pepperoni right on top. take the dough, fold it over. >> are you going to put that right on the grill? >> right on the grill. just grease it up. seal it up. form it like a burger. >> and put it on there? let me try it before i move

down. >> you got it. >> hoda and natalie, you try, also. >> okay. >> thank you. >> get the pope roney, the cheese. >> aaron, that's good. that is good. >> all right, okay. >> adam, what's crazy about this burger? >> i don't know if you've ever had one, we had inspiration from one of our favorite restaurants in new orleans. you got a big burger to start. >> eight ounce burger stuffed with cheddar cheese as you can see. >> inside it, okay. >> season it with salt and pepper. flour so the batter sticks. we have a delicious beer batter here we make with spice and any of our favorite beers. microbrews preferred. >> this is a heart attack, isn't it? >> yeah, it's a heart attack on a plate. no one's had a heart attack yet. >> how long do you have to fry that now? your burger was not precooked. >> y want to take the temperature every couple minutes. i like to serve it around 140 degrees. >>s that medium rare? >> it's about medium. >> can i have a taste of one of these? >> oh, yeah. >> you know what, just cut off a

little. is this one okay? >> it's crunchy. >> you've got to get some of the cheese in there. let me help you. >> go ahead. >> i'm going to eat that just with my fingers. >> thereou go. >> all right my first fried burger. natalie and hoda? adam, good. >> thank you very mu. >> tom, how are you? >> good morning, sir. >> tell me about the cowboy type burger. >> this is like an old-fashioned burger. there's no tricks with this. except we use great beef, what we do is we certified angus, ball it up and actually what i do is bang it out. this is the way we used to make hamburgers years ago before they've gotten too fancy. >> i still make them that way. >> it's a great way to do it. you get thickness with this. i season this with our steak rub whichives it a little kick. >> okay. and what do you put on top of it? >> well, this is, let me put this real quick. this is -- excuse me.

we use a sourdough bun. but in this case i'm going to do some mushrooms, all of these things are great flavors. i have cheddar cheese on this. i'm going to put mushrooms that i can keep on top. >> are cheese chilies? >> green chilies? >> these chilies are not hot but they give that wonderful flavor that we are so accustomed to. >> okay. >> why don't you cut me up a little piece of that. hoda and natalie. >> right here. >> hoda and natalie are going to try that while i take a bite of this one. can anybody get their mouth around this thing, other than hoda i mean? i'm sorry, hoda, i'm just kidding. >> wow! so wrong. >> that's my favorite. >> go in the silent booth over there for a second, okay? >> i need another pizza bite. >> what do you think? >> hoda? >> what do you like?

>> this one. >> the same. >> all right. >> done. >> the judges have reached a decision. judges, come on up and join me here. >> unanimous. >> aaron and adam and tom, stand here, and we want to tell you that we thought they were all great. that's what we say in every competition. you are all deserving chefs, but -- >> all very different. >> all very different. we have decided that tom, this burger is the best this morning. >> congratulations. >> thanks, matt. >> you're the winner of the burger cookoff on the "today" show. >> oh. >> give him a hug. it will be a nice surprise. >> you guys, thank you all. thank you for sharing your recipes with us. there's your trophy. how about that? we'll be back with much more ahead on a thursday morning. s t first, this is "n da oy" ñ/oy

"today throws a wedding," ten years of i dos, brought to you by purina. your pet, our passion. our "today throws a wedding" celebration, live on the plaza, is just next wednesday. and this morning it's time to take leigh and nick's honeymoon destination. they're here along with missy ewing from virtuoso travel. good morning to everyone. >> good morning. >> and leigh and nick we have a little business to take care of once again this morning. because our viewers have voted for you on the choice of your wedding band. so are you ready to see what they picked for you? >> we're ready. >> i've got the little box right here in my hand. let's see. i'm going to hand this over to you, leigh, and let you do the honors. and if you can just point it to that camera. >> all right. >> and -- there you go. it's number 4. it was the de beers rings, which were classic pave, and are you

happy with that? >> yes, very. perfect. >> it will go very nicely with that emerald engagement ring. >> it will. >> and you're going t wear that wedding band, right, nick? >> you know -- >> okay, good. >> i need that back. you can't have that till next week. let's get to our honeymoon destination, shall we? because a lot more excitement. misty, you and virtuoso travel put together four incredible packages. so let's take a look. first is the land and sea combination. tell me about this. >> it is. it starts with the caribbean. the couple will bard the world's largest cruise ship, royal caribbean's freedom of the seas. they'll have an opportunity to experience all the cruise ship has to offer. they can surf, they can tan, they can splash without ever leaving the ship. after five nights the couple will dimbark and check into the open suite of the ritz-carlton grand cayman. with the famous seven mile beach awaits. and leigh and nick will also get

to reaffirm their love with a private beach ceremony. >> so this is a tropical paradise for the two of you. okay. so that sounds amazing. the second honeymoon choice is going to take you a little further from the u.s. to the other side of the world, to be exact. and misty, what's part of the great australian experience? >> well, the journey begins in business class aboard qantas airways new a380 jetliner as they make their way to the deluxe resort of qualia. they will have their own pavilion and explore the great barrier reef and the beaches. the couple will return to sydney and stay at the observatory hotel where they'll relax with ten hours of spa treatments. and they'll be vips, enjoy bike riding, bridge climbing, surfing and even koala cuddling. >> oh, my gosh. that sounds amazing. hold on, because the third honeymoon option combines luxury with a little bit of the exotic as you head to the bustling and one of the most beautiful places on earth, cape town south africa. so what's included in this

option, misty? >> the first leg starts on south african airways, premium business class. upon arrival, the couple will spend four unforgettable nights at the new one and only cape town with views of the iconic mountains. leigh and nick will enjoy four days and nights in a suite on its own private island. and next you will head to the famous game rich 33,000 acre property in the national park, and this exclusive safari boasts 15 open air suites where the wildlife of the bush can be enjoyed in first-class style. >> oh, my goodness. i want to go. >> i'll be the chaperone. lastly arabia's jewel oman, which some are calling the new hot spot right now, misty, right? >> just outside of dubai. >> it is. it is the next honeymoon spot. fly business class abard qatar airways and arrive in ultimate style via paraglading. they'll have a private pool villa suite to call home for the

next five days and dine under the arabian stars of nights. you'll then transfer to the capital of owe man where scuba diving and historical pressures await, as does a visit to the sultan's private palace complete with camel rides and a romantic trip to the desert dunes. >> so what do you think? >> oh, my gosh. i am blown away. >> no matter where you go, it's going to be amazing, as you saw by that. so, misty, you and vtuoso ob job of a gat putting together some great packages for you, leigh and nick. coming up next, a lot wed sulho tell you. ultoitp u you top decide for them a the choesre o aenc again, a cruise to grand cayman. australia, number threeoue th africa, or honeymoon n umber for is oman. you can cast your vote at ofdayshow.com or text the number av you forite d festination to 46833. this time voting ends monday at 2:00 p.m. eastern time so you have a lite more time to think about it, perhaps. we're going to hold off on revealing the winner until right

after leigh and nick's ceremony which will be next wednesday again. get ready. coming up next, a new fios guy! where ya headed? ah, just installed fios in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds. and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so's ted. (voice) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (voice) no i'm not! (sighing) ted has betrayed me. (announcer) unlike cable, fios brings 100% fiber optics stight to your home and when you switch now, you can get a free compaq mini netbook.

just pay shipping, handling and taxes. with fios, you'll get razor-sharp tv, blazing fast internet and crystal-clear phone service all for just... sign up today. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v, and for a limited time, get an incredible compaq mini, to get the most out of your fios internet. get it all together with a great deal on fios tv, internet and phone plus get a free compaq mini netbook. just pay shipping, handling and taxes. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v before time runs out on this astonishing offer. and now a new airline that's catering to a very specific clientele. today's jenna wolfe is here with details on this. i'm all ears. >> okay, here we go.

flying is tough enough without a pet but if you've ever traveled with your dog or your cat you know it gets even tougher than that. some airlines allow pets on board if they're small enough. others put them down with the cargo. but now that's all about to change. how would you like to fly coast to coast for just a few hen dread dollars, enjoy organic meals in your own private cabin? >> snowy, good to see you. >> reporter: so it's not exactly a cabin. it's a cage. but the food and fares, tho are for rule. oh, and here, animal behavior is mandatory. >> all mobile devices off, we're getting ready to land next. >> reporter: dan and ellis sa who have been married more than 20 years are behind this pet-only adventure. >> if love pets, this is for you. >> reporter: the quiet jack russell terrier inspired the dream on a commercial flight five years ago. >> we put zoe in the cargo hold of a plane when we moved from san francisco to florida, and we

had great anxiety doing it. because there has to be a better way. we did a lot of research, realized that there wasn't a better way and we said we're going to build it. >> reporter: and build it they did. >> at pet airways pets fly in the main cabin, not in cargo. >> we're pet only airlines. the only people on the flight are pets. and one trained pet attendant. >> reporter: what was once a commuter plane now looks like this. >> we actually have somewhere between 30 and 50 seats depending on the size of the pet. >> reporter: is pet airways just for dogs and cats? >> right now it is just dogs and cats. but we have attempt to open up to birds. >> reporter: the one dur bow prop will service five u.s. cities with a pilot and pet attendant on board. >> from the time the pet is boarded on to the time the pet is taken off the plane they're going to be watched regularly, monitored. >> reporter: okay there are no tray tables and you don't have to worry about your seat in the upright position here. >> good-bye. >> reporter: but the staff does try to make the animals feel

like they're flying first class. >> you get in that little, silly, oh, it's okay, abby. they're going to go oh, no, i've got to be scared. but if you go, hey, abby, this is going to be a positively great flight, and you speak in an upbeat, confident tone, that helps a lot. >> reporter: flights cost about $150 and increase with the animal's size. >> my goal was to make this as affordable as possible for the general public. >> we know that a lot of these pet owners who are driving will start flying because they know there's a safe and comfortable way for their pets to be transported. >> reporter: so pet parents, action their called will drop off andick up their animals in a kennel-like waiting area near the terminal. but if you're thinking about getting a ticket. flights are already booked for about months in advance. and they haven't even started service yet. the inaugural flight is next tuesday the 14th. >> it's a great idea. >> it's a very good idea. for people who are pet lovers

that don't want to put their pets underneath the belly of the plane in the cargo. >> and they don't complain you don't give them peanuts >> exactly. jenna, thankyo u. still to come, a daily dose from dr. nancy. >> why so many women feel so tired. our time now is 8:55. 68 degrees, we'll take a live look outside now, the potomac river, a little boat action. we'll look at the forecast coming up. i'm joe krebs on this thursday,

the 9th of july. in the news, d.c. mayor adrian fenty will tour a juvenile detention center where several young efenders have escaped in several weeks. it's owned by the district. over the weekend 16 escaped. ear offender got out last month. metro riders who use the red line should add an extra 30 minutes to their commute for ten days. there will be fewer and slower moving trains while investigators continue to look into last month's deadly accident. the takoma station will close early at 10:00 in the evening. we'll take a break and come back d t an aheokatd weanfir aftrc.

good morning. high clouds passing through a blue sky. live picture from our sky watcher camera. another cool july morning. right now temperatures near 70 degrees. and it will climb just into the low 80s by mid afternoon with clouds in and out. we'll have low humidity in place and more of the same on friday. then over the weekend looks like it will turn more humid and hotter, highs in the mid 80s. partly sunny saturday, might geñ a late day shower or thundershower. then on sunday mostly cloudy. humid. mid 80s. perhaps morning shower or passing afternoon thundershower. then first part of next week getting more summer like with ghs in the upper 80s and humid. sunshine monday and tuesday. and partly cloudy wednesday. how's traffic now? >> looks like things are beginning to settle down.

395 is okay, for the most part. south capital street across the douglas bridge. no issues on the southeast/southwest freeway. 395 loaded up a bit. getting across the 14th street bridge. outbound looking good, lanes open, shirlington down to the capital beltway. >> tonight at 5:00 the sonic scrubber may look like an electric tooth brush.wzáf

we're back with more of "today" on a thursday morning. the 9th day of july, 2009. kind of a breezy, partly cloudy day here in the northeast. hopefully you're waking up to nice weather where you are. and this is, by the way, an interestg day in history. because it was on this day back in 1956 that tom was born. wonderful actor. wonderful director. >> happy birthday. >> and on the same day, in the same year, dick clark began his hosting duties on "american bandstand." if you're my age, you remember that show. >> absolutely. >> you clearly don't remember that. >> i remember. >> happy birthday and happy

anniversary for both those occasions. i'm matt lauer along with natalie morales. meredith is off today and maria celeste from telemundo is helping us out all week long. good to have you here. >> thank you. >> coming up, we're going to have more on the michael jackson story. after that memorial that was watched around the world by millions and millions of people, there are some lingering questions about the custody of his children. where he will be laid to rest. so we're going to get the latest on what we know in just a little while. then something we all know a little something about, are you tired all the time? 44 women tend to feel more tired than men because you've got maybe work -- >> than men. >> you've got work, family, keeping track of all of that and the stress levels can be high. a lot of people do get the recommended amount of sleep. what is going on physically and could it be a sign of something more serious going on. dr. nancy synderman is here. we're also going to have answers to your viewer questions.

>> you may remember take your dog to work day. here at the "today" show we celebrated a bit early to find out if the fluffy friends would be a boost or a distraction. >> if they piddle on the carpet, major distraction. >> first let's go inside, ann is taking time off. we've got hoda at the news desk. >> good morning, everybody. today at the g-8 summit in italy, president obama and world leaders denounced the recent crackdown on prosters in iran. they also said they were very deeply concerned over iran's nuclear ambitions but recommended no new sanctions. meantime this morning, the u.n. secretary-general rebuked the g-8 leaders for making no firm commitments to reduce climate change. it has been a deadly morning in iraq and afghanistan. bombs in baghdad and in northern iraq killed at least 41 people today, and wounded more than 80. and a massive truck bomb exploded in central afghanistan killing at least 25 people. at least 13 of the victims were children from a nearby school.

new developments now in the death of michael jackson. nbc's jeff rossen is at jackson's star on the hollywood walk of fame. jeff, good morning to you. >> good morning to you. >> this is sort of bizarre but no one seems to know where michael jackson's body is. but this morning we've learned investigators are focusing on his brain. this is the last time we saw michael jackson's casket, at the staples center tuesday. from there, destination unknown. but now, we've confirmed the l.a. county coroner's office has jackson's brain. at least a part of it. investigators are analyzing his brain tissue. it's uncommon, but could help determine what killed him. >> they'll be looking to see whether there is any evidence of prior brain damage, whether from drugs or trauma or post-viral infection. >> reporter: on his official death certificate, la toya jackson provides all the information. cause of death, deferred.

she lists forest lawn cemetery as a temporary location. that doesn't mean he'll be laid to rest there. to be buried at neverland, the family would have to apply for special permits. nbc news has learned they haven't yet. but as jermaine jackson told matt, neverland would be the ideal resting place. >> this is his home. he created this. why wouldn't he be here? i feel his presence. >> reporter: it remains unclear where he'll be buried or when. the enigma that was michael jackson continues even in death. >> michael's life was a great story, but ultimately also a great tragedy. and if you knew him you know it was full of agony and ecstasy. >> reporter: which is exactly why investigators are digging in. did jackson's doctors prescribe pills for cash? and did those pills kill him? i spoke with los angeles police chief william bratton. >> we're certainly interviewing doctors. we're certainly interviewing friends. certainly trying to get an understanding off of what role drugs may have played in the life of mr. jackson. >> reporter: are you confident there will be criminal charges

in this case? >> no, not at all. >> reporter: as detectives probe jackson's final days, racking up officer overtime, the city of los angeles is on the hook for more than $1 million, providing security and other services at the memorial. there's outrage that the city had to pay the bill at all. more than 10,000 jackson fans have logged in to the city's website to donate money. officials say that's not good enough. they want all of it back. >> it would be wonderful if the jackson family would consider assisting the city defraying some of the costs of this. it would also be tremendous if aeg would help us in defraying the costs on this. >> reporter: and it's not over yet. there's still the high profile battle over jackson's estate. and of course, the kids. >> and i just want to say i love him so much. >> reporter: mega stars, by default. speaking of the kids, there is actually a custody hearing scheduled for monday here in los angeles. unclear if debbie rowe, the

kids' biological mother will fight for them. of course that will affect how long this gets dragged out. >> jeff rossen in hollywood. thanks for that report. the her yum wabster collegiate dictionary is adding at least 100 new words and phrases. earmark, carbon footprint, webisode, staycation. now let's go back outside to matt, maria and natalie. >> it's a little chilly. maria has goosebumps. >> i know. i'm from miami. >> we've got alexandra steele with a check of the forecast. she's in while al is taking time off. >> good morning, guys. we've got people here from northern maine. so you guys havnoe seen much of a summer at all. here i nee ew ark ,tl lite wioudy and certainly a little indieasth htan been. here's a look at the satellite und radar composite aroundhe t try. again, look at the southeast. in florida today, one to t tr inches of rain locally through central florida. the potential for three to four

inches, even some flood watches posted there. into the northeast you can see that cloud cover could be around. but again, temperatures a little bit cooler than where we are normally this time of year. into the southeast, as well, cloudy skies, scattered showers and storms from georgia to the carolinas. andñ it's a partly sunny and cool july morning. right now live picture from our city camera showing the washington monument under the partly sunny sky, right now 7 in washington, near 70 in prince george's county, fairfax and montgomery counties and southern maryland by the bay. to the west in the mid 60s, started off cool there in the low and mid 50s. later on today we should make it into the low 80s with clouds with low humidity. more of the same friday. more humid over the weekend. thatly, back to you. >> thank you, alexandra. this morning on "today's" daily dose, are you dozing off?

with busy schedules, financial stress, family chaos, many women are having a hard time getting a good night's sleep. how do you know if your exhaustion is something more serious. nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy synderman is here to help you this morning. >> good morning. >> something all of us can reto. if you're constantly tired and fatigued, though, these are common problems, are some of it related to lifestyle? >> yeah, because we tend to think, oh, well i'm just juggling two jobs and the kids and so we go through life chronically tired. but if you find yourself exhaupsed all the time it's worthwhile, especially for women, to stand back and say, okay, let me take stock in some things, other things going on in my life, that could be, diet is one of the perfect places to start. it's possible that you're not getting the foods that you need. we know that something as simple as anemia affects women more often and you can start to look at your diet to see if you could make things better. >> it's good to see a doctor if there seems to be a deeper issue. let's talk about anemia, and anemia is an overlooked condition, often.

why is it that it does make people so tired? >> anemia really means that you don't have enough red blood cells in your body. red blood cells carry the oxygen. if you don't get enough oxygen you don't get enough repair and you don't get enough oxygen to your brain and lungs and heart and serves as this downhill spiral. a simple bloodtest, blood test  to check for your hoemogloben levels will tell your doctor you need some kind of iron. lean meat, beans, fortified cereals there are a lot of ways to get iron in your basic diet. however a lot of women don't eat really good diets. talk to your doctor about whherou should take iron supplementation if you have iron deficiency anemia. because we men straight, because we don't have as much lean body mass, so just, you know, check with your doctor. >> the other common cause for exhaustion can be a thyroid issue. >> yeah. >> thyroid disease or if you have a hypeo thyroid.

>> millions of people are misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed with thyroid problems. particularly after having a baby or going through menopause. can you have a thyroid gland that underperforms or overperforms. really we're talking underperforming. this is important because the thyroid gland that you see here in the neck really is the engine for the whole body. it pumps out hormones. the normal thyroid, as you can see, is pumping out a lot of thyroid hormones, in hipo thyroid, it's not pumping out as much. if you look at this side, the thyroid can get a little larger, but it's larger because it doesn't work as well. and all those little white dots are little pieces of thyroid hormone. sometimes you'll look across at your girlfriend and her neck looks a little big, that could be the sign that the thyroid has to get bigger just to keep up. >> are there other signs? people losing their hair? >> weight gain, thickness of the skin, being too hot. your hair loses its luster or can fall out. simple, simple blood test.

and if you are low all your doctor has to do is put you on thyroid supplementation. >> another cause sometimes, would be depression. >> right. >> and a lot of -- a lot of women certainly experience whether postpartum or just regular -- >> and it's different than just the blues. you're sad after something bad happens. depression is that feeting of hopelessness and depression mes you're not sleeping well. you have a hard time going to sleep or every morning waking at 3:00 or 4:00 and can't get evil thoughts out of your mind. or you find yourself crawling under the covers in the afternoon, and it's a kind of sleep that doesn't leave you feeling refreshed. you're sleeping 10, 12, 14 hours a day, but it's not better. and if that's the case, and you suddenly realize you're feeling hopeless, you're sleeping more, you're more exhausted, you're sad, your friends have changed, nothing fascinates you anymore, all the more reason to see someone for counseling. >> now there are other less common, but still important causes of exhaustion. what are they >> some simple ones.

die beat else. easy blood test to make sure your sugar is okay. arthritis can cause problems. sleep apnea, where you've really stopped breathing at night, and that causes your oxygen -- >> you may not realize that's going on at night. >> right. and if you're sleeping -- let's say your spouse is snoring a lot or you hear you're snoring a lot, ask your partner to just take a simple tape recorder and record your breathing patterns at night. sometimes that's all it takes to see if you stop breathing at night. allergic reactions, restless leg syndrome, yes it's for real. even autoimmune illnesses can cause problems. if you are exhausted, and you say, i'm trying to eat a decent diet, i'm not too stressed, i'm getting enough sleep, but you know you're popped, there may be a real medical reason underlying it. >> and there may be chronic fatigue syndrome. >> it is an interesting one. not all doctors believe in it. i happen to be one of those doctors who think it's for real. some doctors think it's sort of

a garbage basket, a waste basket of problems. but if you talk to people who have had overwhelming viral infections and they never quite come out of it, there's something that happens to the immune system. >> and nancy, you're going to stand by, because coming up after the break we're going to get so some answers to your e-mails. also coming up, can bringing your d to work help booou yr energy and productivity? we'll find out. energy and productivity? we'll find out. but first, these messages. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte. medium macchiato, light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos. make one a double. she's fiber focused! i have two cappuccinos, one ffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate, hold the whip, and two espressos, one with a double shot. gonna take more than coffee to stay this focused. stay full and focused through the morning... with a breakfast of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal; an excellent source of fiber that helps you avoid... the distraction of mid-morning hunger. no thanks, i'm good. the distraction of mid-morning hunger. light & fit has 80 calories versus 100 in the other leading brand. and a taste you'll find... [sluuurrrrpppp!]

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"today's" daily dose. this morning we're talking about why you're tired all the time. nbc's medical editor dr. nancy synderman is here to answer your questions. let's get to the very first one because we've got a lot of good ones here. this is from brittany in boston, massachusetts. she joins us on the phone. what's your question to dr. synderman. >> hi, good morning. i was wondering if there are any particular medications that could be contributingy lethargi feelings i've had more recently during the summer? >> you know, you sound young. so one thing that comes up are hormonal changes. if she's on a new birth control pill, that can make a difference. but for anyone who is on heart medication, anything for depression or anxiety, sleep aids, and drug-drug interaction is increasingly common. the first thing i would do is say what am i putting in my mouth?

could that possibly be playing a role here? >> okay. brittany, is there anything more you want to add to your question? >> no, that's great. thanks so much. >> all right, thanks so much. next we have a viewer e-mail question from sarah in los angeles. and she asks, how nutrition can affect fatigue. >> it's interesting, we talked about sort of iron-rich foods. now let's sort of flip things around. let's talk about the carbohydrate-rich foods. but not the good carbs like fruits and vegetables, the junk carbs. refined white flour, sodas, pop, and in the summer for adults, white wine. what do they all have in common? sugar. sugar can be a great energy source. but it takes you really high. you get -- and then you crash. so if you find that you are really, really, really tired or just feel like someone sucked all the energy out of you after you had this, start to look at the kind of diet you're having. because, protein is sort of, you know, keeps you from feeling hungry. carbs give you energy.

but if you're eating all protein, no carbs you're going to feel lethargic. but if it's just the cheap carbs and nothing else, you're going to go up down, up down, up, down. look at an infederal government rated diet. and this stuff is an absolute treat. >> the lean protein. >> a slow burn. the slow burn, but the carbs are going to be the sugar crash. >> that's right. >> that you get. >> okay, next is lori in fort worth, texas, coming to us via skype. what's your question for dr. nancy? >> good morning. my question is, is it possible to sleep too much? and if it is possible to sleep too much, how much is too much? >> lori, it is possible to sleep too much. the ampage you want to sleep is about seven or eight hours a night. we worried about people who sleep 10, 11 or 12 hours because it tells me either it's not effective sleep or it could be associated with depression. a study came out last year said that people who sleep too much, 10, 11, 12 hoar hours has a higher rate of suicide. now whether that suicide is related to depression or note,

you have to sort out. but absolutely if you require more than nine or ten hours of sleep at night you absolutely need to be checked in a sleep lab. >> is it true as you get older you don't need as much sleep? >> no, what's true is that you need enough but you don't get it all in one piece. so if you talk to older americans, 60, 70 -- well, not 60, 70, 80, 90 years old, let's say -- that was a slip, they'll say, i sleep or two or three hours, but then i'm awake. so it's more fragmented. >> okay. let's go to our crowd outside. maria celeste is out there with a member who has a question for up. >> that's right. we have a visitor from san jose, california, and she has a question for >> hi, i own a dance studio and work with a lot of teenage girls. i was wondering if a lack of sleep causes them to have more stress? >> well, it does. and as a mother of two now just out of their teens, girls, i can tell you there are a couple things going on with teen girls. they're overcaffeinated, they're overwired, they're stressed about school and what they're going to be when they grow up,

and they are, i think, our first generation of true insomniacs. so you have to make sure those kids are not getting coffee at 3:00 in the afternoon. that they come off their gadgets an hour before they go to bed, and read to get into sleep. do not put a television set in your kid's room no matter how much they badger you. >> great advice. >> and check their cars for the kind of stuff we have sitting here. >> soda, candy. >> cheap carbs consumers. and it all comes together and crashes. and i think keeps our kids way too wired. >> absolutely. they're way overstimulated. finally a viewer female question from angie in california. she writes, i hit snooze about five times before waking up. how do i get out of the habit of delaying my wake-up time? and do you think this contributes to my afternoon fatigue? >> oh, angie, angie, yes, yes, yes. >> i'd love to be able to hit snooze. >> it's back to sleep hygiene school for you. go to bed at the same time every night, get up at the same time. establish that routine as much as you can, even on weekends. for whatever you have to do, put

that alarm clock across the room so that there's no way to reach over and smash it. get up, walk across the room, turn it off. don't crawl back into bed, and then head right to the bathroom. and turn on the lights. >> dr. nancy synderman. great segments. thank you ry much for being here. >> you bet. >> still to come, and you can watch the dr. nancy show on msnbc at noon. still to come, unsuspected members of our crowd are getting an insnttaak wveasr eeaspvek. hoda and kathie lee are going to reveal the results of the "ambush makeover" coming up a little bit later on. we're back right after this. for my credit card. here's one from my prom. oh, what memories. how 'bout one from our golf outing? ( shouting ) i know, maybe one of my first-born son. dad, mom says the boys gotta go. personalize your card by uploading... your own photo at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? ♪ i can smile, i can carry on our conversation

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♪ pop-tarts®! i'll have a frosted strawberry... as an ice cream sandwich. ♪ chocolate fudge... on a stick please! ( crunch ) with the endless possibilities of kellogg's® pop-tarts, it's sure to be a picture perfect summer. pop-tarts®. made for fun. tomorrow on "today" is brought to you by palm pre. taking a hand, it's a beautiful thing. >> now, a special look at what's coming up tomorrow on "today." >> the magic goes on, because the boy wizard is all grown up and daniel radcliffe, otherwise known as harry potter, will make an appearance in studio 1a. >> very interesting. and we'll get an update on what we know about michael jackson, the prescription drugs found in

s home, dr. drew princeki will weigh in. and rascal flatts will take to our summer concert stage. going to be a big, big day tomorrow. love rascal flatts. >> meanwhile in our next half hour, what to pack before you hit the road with your kids. i guarantee you you'll thank us later. >> in our next half hour. kellogg's has always made...

waking up to breakfast delicious. now, we're making it more affordable. with five one-dollar-off coupons... in specially marked boxes of cereal. wake up to breakfast... on kellogg's. the best to you each morning. t they also need vit into d hrbp ciabsoal c. itlaids,p trt yurgoogd t,anur -git ey th bet got etit yoplait, the one for kid the sun shining out there, not warming things up that much. we've got a pleasant 71 degrees in the nation's capital at 9:26. good morning. i'm barbara harrison.

it's july 9, 2009. in the news, u.s. park police are expected to release documents detailing the arrest of marion barry in a stalking case. that's supposed to happen today. prosecutors decided not to pursue charges against him. barry's spokesperson says the council member is concerned how police treated him during the arrest. we bber l k u acyo a in moment.

temperatures now with low humidity near 70 degrees, we have a partly sunny sky. low humidity, more of the same tomorrow. how's traffic? >> a live look, see how we're doing at this hour. good morning. along 95, loaded up, headed up to the capital beltway. elsewhere, the trip around town, not bad. american legion bridge traffic moving nicely. >> tonight at 5:00 the sonic

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♪ you found me you found me lying on the floor ♪ ♪ where were you where were you ♪ >> and that's the band, famous for lending their songs to some of your favorite tv shows. i know from "gray's anatomy" and they're going to provide a little music to our show with a special live concert monday on "today." but not before we get to a little country spirit tomorrow on "today," with a live performance from hitmakers rascal flatts. a double shot of music for some summer concerts continue here. come on down if you're in the ea. they're always so good to the fans. and we love to have them here. so, meanwhile, speaking of the love, we love to have all of

these lovely ladies here. natalie morales along with maria celeste, who is helping us out from telemundo and hoda kotb. the one and only. >> one and only. >> coming up in this half hour, do you love dogs? >> i love dogs. >> did you grow up with them? >> i did not. my parents said we already have three kids, that's plenty. no dogs allowed. >> no circus needed. i grew up with two dogs, so i love them. more and more americans are bringing their dogs to work. the question is, is it a good idea? so w decided to put it to the test here at our offices. we went doggie for a day. we're going to show you the results coming up just ahead. >> i can't wait for that. also she hit a nerve with some frazzled moms with her book called sippy cups are not for chardonnay. now this mother comes clean with life and motherhood. >> plus if you're planning a road trip for the whole family. we'll show you how to do it. what to take along to keep your kids from repeatedly asking that question, are we there yet?

including, how to prevent your children from getting cranky after sitting for so long. >> and kathie lee and i are going to spend a whole half hour of our show talking about kids and divorce and we've got this terrific panel of kids whose parents divorced in different stages of their lives. we have a couple experts. everyone says kids are resilient. but you want to hear what they have. >> what a great idea. get a half hour to sit down with them. >> we're glad you're doing that. >> before we get to all of that, alexandra steele of the weather channel is in for al. good morning, again. >> good morning, guys. let's take a look at the big picture. a few scattered showers and storms in the upper midwest. from duluth to minneapolis we could see a slight risk for even tornadoes today. the southwest is hot and dry. the southeast, we will see rain, and even in florida, one to three inches, potentially three to four. locally flooding is not out of the question. for tomorrow, though, florida dries out. the risk of storms moves a little bit farther east.

we've had almost two weeks of cooler than average temperatures. today below average. a cool start, we're in the 50s and low to mid 60s. now it's in the low 70s. afternoon highs only low 80s and clouds in and out with more humidity. saturday and sunday more humid, hotter. partly sunny saturday. maybe a late day shower or thundershower, could get a morning shower or afternoon thundershower on sunday. then hotter and humid as we get into next week. certainly in the northeast, getting warmer than it's been and a great weekend. >> finally we'll celebrate. >> thank you. coming up next, is taking your dog to work a good thing? we're going to hear both sides of the story right after this. ( beeps ) oh. - ( beeping ) - begin ink discharg

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here in our own offices. "today" correspondent sara haines with trixie has some results. >> that's right, natalie. there's even a national take your dog to work day. but when dogs came to the "today" show office, did productivity increase or did the day go to the dogs? the day started off well. >> good morning. >> and the mood in the office was cheerful. >> i have the cutest dog. >> one big pro of bringing your pet into the office is it makes you happier. numerous studies show having your pet with you releases stress. >> it really is nice to have her here. everybody stops just to say hello to the dog. >> but were "today's" staffers getting any work done? >> well, i've been holding henry for the last five minutes and i've done no work, so i'm going to go less productive, but i'm very happy. >> this might be a little bit too much to handle. >> from producers to anchors, everyone had an opinion about our four-legged friends. let's say some big news happens and you're in the office, do you

feel having dogs around -- >> no, they get it. dogs go into a breaking news kind of crouch. they can feel breaking news like they can feel a thunderstorm and an earthquake. >> at companies like google, every day is take your dog to work day. >> oh. >> one of the joys of the dog policy is that i get to share a part of my life that my coworkers might not always be able to see. >> but here at "today," some barked at the idea of an open dog door policy. >> a big concern would be if the office starts to smell like a dog. because of accidents. or irresponsible owners. >> the one major problem with it could be use of negative attention if your dog is annoying, if people are allergic, or if it actually reduces your productivity. how do you feel having dogs in the office? >> being allergic to them i think it's a great idea. >> that would explain the scratching. >> yes. >> as long as people bring their popper scoopers with them.

>> very good. >> trixie, you can come back to the "today" show any time. i think you're allowed. >> who me? talking to me? >> brian williams had to do the news. >> well, thanks, sara s tnkha sara haines. >> up next, the author of sippy cups are not for chardonnay sits down with us. outdoor all-in-one -- w windex cleans outdoor glass fast. just spray with water, wipe with a windex cleaning pad, and rinse for a streak-free shine in half the time. - you're done? t t-) new windex outdoor all-in-one. a streak-free shine in half the time. save $2.50 with coupon when you go to windexoutdoor.com. s.c. johnson, a family company. waking up to breakfast delicious. now, we're making it more affordable. with five one-dollar-off coupons... in specially marked boxes of cereal.

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e is famous for writing about the demands of parenthood in her book kgs sippy cups are not for chardonnay." now stefanie wilder-taylor takes a look at her own life in her new memoir, "it's not me, it's you" where she comes clean about everything from her relationship with her father, to the time she accidentally smoked cocaine. okay, stefanie, good to have you back here with us. >> thank you. >> why do you say, it's not me, it's you." >> it's kind of tongue in cheek. >> are you placing the blame on somebody else? >> i think by the time you get to every chapter you realize pretty much it's me. >> it is you. in the last book you wrote about expecting twins, you have twin girls, sadie and maddie now 19 months old. >> yes. >> you also have an older one, as well, who is how old now? >> she's 4 1/2. >> what is it like living with

three kids under the age of 5 in your house? >> it's pretty crazy. yeah. i've named my twins, writers and block. beuse it's really hard to get anything done. >> yet you get a book out every year. >> i don't know. it's like pure adrenaline. you know, sleep deprivation can actually help you be creative. >> at night once they're in bed. the book is a collection of essays all about your life experiences. and you've been pretty honest, i think, in some of your revelations. is the book sort of a cautionary tale for parents? >> well, you know what, it is a cautionary tale. like for the fact that if my kids read it and the fact that, you know, there's a lot of things i've done that i'm not embarrassed about anything, i've just kind of taken a circuitous route to where i am today. i was the first in a long line of jewish professionals to not go to college. but then on the other hand, i waited tables until i was 28 years old. so you know what i mean? there's kind of that yin-yang

thing i have going in the book. >> what are some of the lessons you've learned? >> i would say there's not one way to do things. like for instance, you know, my mom told me years ago that i had to work really hard if i wanted to have a car in los angeles. and i thought, not so much. i'm going to go on a game show. i'm going to win one. >> and it worked, right? >> i won a car on a game show. there you go. >> look at that hair, by the way. that was 1980-something, right? >> oh, yeah. >> oh, that was bad. that was really bad hair. and the necklace was embarrassment. >> how did you end up on "hollywood squares"? >> well, i -- i wanted to go on a game show but didn't want to have to do anything hard like trivia questions that would make me look stupid. and i found "hollywood squares." and i thought, how hard could it be to agree or disagree? so i went to the audition and i got on the show. and i won the car. and everything was going really great, until i neglected to pay any taxes. >> i was going to say. you have to pay taxes on those

winnings. >> yeah. i was 20. i'm not a grown-up. i don't need to pay taxes. and years later it turned out that buick skyhawk cost me about $18,000 in back taxes. >> learned the lesson the hard way. you wrote the book, of course, "sippy cups are not for chardonnay" and "nap time is the new happy hour" so drinking has been a constant theme in some of your past books. but you're saying that's behind you. you quit drinked. >> i had to quit drinking. >> your blog has created -- that blog created quite a sensation. you came out and said i'm not drinking anymore. >> i don't know why, it's just sort of for , i like am really honest, and i find that being honest is the way to really relate to people. i find just, you know, speaking your mind to be good conversation. my husband calls it not having a filter. but, you know, i didn't know that so many people were going to react to me saying i quit drinking. >> what were they saying? >> most of the people on my blog, baby on board, were so supportive and just like, yeah, and a lot of people, i was

shocked. a lot of moms, especially, were saying, i think i have a drinking problem, too. i want to quit drinking, too. >> your drinking problem was a couple drinks a day. >> yeah, i was having a couple drinks every night. but for me i wanted to catch it before it became a real problem. i felt for me, and i am not one of those people who's like, i am somebody else with a glass of wine going, you have a problem. i think most people can drink fine. i turned out couldn't so much. >> all right. well, again, the book is called "it's not me, it's you." stefanie wilder taylor. always great to have you. >> thank you. >> you know what, it's all good. it is funny. there's funny, humorous things in it. >> yes. >> coming up next, essential tools for parents before you hit the road with your kids. ó;

"today's" travel tips is brought to you by goodyear.

get there reliably. >> this morning on "today's" travel, o the road, car trip essentials for kids. no matter how easy you think your next trip is going to be, it's always best to be prooped. lindsay gladstone, editor of daily candy kids has a few he is sections. >> daily candy kids dotcom is all about providing moms with the latest things to make their lives more easier and their kids' lives a little bit more fun. >> don't be scared, be prepared. >> we've picked up some of our favorite new things on the market for families to take on road trips. >> beginning with a very important item. the booster seat. >> kids will complain they're barely out of the driveway and they have numb bum, traffic push. it's a common plant. this new fullback booster is called the uber available august 15th. you can preorder it for your road trip and what's so fantastic about it, besides the

beautiful streamlined design is that it's made with the same materials that's used in luxury automobiles. >> and it's very nice and stable. >> yes. it's got rigid latch, slips right into the seat, and won't move. >> and to get them organized you can actually install this tray into seats like that one. >> yes. you want to set them up for success. this is a snap and play travel tray that snaps around your car seat. it comes with these great velcro pockets, and it gives them a nice ledge so things won't just go rolling off. and you won't spend the whole time turning around. >> i love this that you have here as an alternative to the usual dvd. >> keep them entertained without sticking on the dvd until you really need it, right? these bean bags come with a list attached that you can tear off and keep in the front seat for you. if the view out the window gets a little boring you can play i spy something that starts wit a "b." i spy a present and your kids will go on a hunt to find it in the back. >> and you have classical options like travel bingo. >> the whole family can get in on this.

it's a new take on the whole travel bingo. you look out the window. what's really great about it, there's a drawer so everything is contained when you're done playing. >> and these origami figurines. >> kids want to bring their favorite action figures along and ultimately that can be a disaster because they're going to lose it. >> or fight about it. >> you make these before you go and what's especially nice about these is that they pack flat. so bring them along. it's a great activity for your vacation. and then a whole new set of figurines for the road trip home. >> and by far my favorite. this is like fake nails. and they're criecriens. >> they're crayons they wear on their fingertips. and they're triangles so they won't fall off the tray. what's great about this kit is it's 75 pages of activities. just give them the book and let them draw. >> another very key and important item whenhe kid's got to go they've got to go. so you have an alternative. >> nature is going to call no matter where you are, right? and if there's not a rest stop in sight, what to do? a disposable biodegradable

potty. now you can pull over to the side of the road and use it, let your kids go to the bathroom, or if they get car sick it's also great to catch a little throw-up. >> i understand that our producer used it last week on a roadtrip and she had raving reviews. >> she did. she was very successful with it. said it was the best thing they brought on the trip. >> what happens when your kids are too big for this? >> there's a great site called spit forsquat.com to help you locate the nearest bathroom. >> that's great. thank you. >> we've all been there. right? >> thank you, lindsay gladstone. thank you so much. >> still to come this morning, hoda and kathie lee reveal the busults of "today's"am " sh yheade over two lovely ladies from the plaza. but fis your local news and weather. ♪

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time now 9:56, 71 degrees. a lot of sunshine out there at this hour. we'll get the forecast coming up from tom kierein in a moment. good morning. i'm joe krebs on this thursday, the 9th of july. in the news, a metro train operator is under scrutiny for texting on the job. this video was taken on june 5th on the blue line. it shows a train operator texting with his head down last month while the train barrels ahead. the operator was suspended but returned to work this week. at large d.c. council member kwame brown wants the operator and future texting violators to be fired. metro riders who use the red line should add 30 minutes for their commute. there will be fewer ander moving trains while investigators continue to investigate last month's deadly accident. the takoma station will close early at 10:00 p.m. the national zoo threw a

birthday party for the giant panda turning 4 years old. he got a frozen treat made of water, bamboo, shredded beets and beet juice. mmm. looks good. let's get a round up of weather and traffic. tom? >> another cool july morning. temperures now making it into the 70s around the region. we've got plenty of sunshine through a few high clouds that are streaming through the area at this hour. clouds in and out with low humidity and highs reaching the low 80s. tomorrow, lks like more of the same. not too humid. afternoon highs near 80. average high is 88. partly cloudy with low humidity on friday. turning humid and warmer over the weekend. saturday and sunday, both days rather steamy, highs mid 80s. could get a late afternoon or evening shower or thundershower saturday. maybe a morning shower or afternoon thundershower on sunday. a greater chance then. next week, we'll have some typical july summer weather.

afternoon highs upper 80s to near 90 and humid. now how's the late morning traffic? >> let's head over and take a look over the american legion bridge. outer loop moving nicely as is the inner loop with no incidents to report. 395 northbound, loaded up a little bit at the 14th street bridge. lower toward constitution heavy, looks like traffic light delays. >> thanks. the sonics scrubber may look like an electric scrubber. does it do that. wúocwq

captions paid for by nbc-universatelevision hello, everybody. it's thursday, it's july the 9th. we're just zooming through july. >> we are. >> glad to have you with us today. >> it's sort of like summer finally in new york. we've been waiting for summer. >> finally. hello. frank came home from playing golf yesterday for the first time in a long time, because he's had some issues with his back and his hands. and anyway, he came back and he said you know what i'd really love right now? rum punch. >> and? >> i made him rum punch. >> you did? you made it? >> i don't know what a rum punch

tastes like, so i kept-ish. >> dumping stuff in? >> he loved it? i don't know. he passed out. but he had a smile on his face. he said this is the nicest thing you've ever done for me. >> isn't that sad? >> are we really going to talk about michael jackson today? >> we made a pact. we are only going to talk about michael jackson for a minute. and to hold us true to the minute so you don't think we're still talking and talking we're actually going to have a timer. see the timer? it's above your head over there. >> i see it on the monitor. >> all right. all right. >> gone your mark -- >> a dose of reality. >> go. >> i thought it was interesting last night on larry king, that the dermatologist in question, dr. arnold klein said that he had donated to a sterm bank but he could not be sure if it was directly to michael jackson. >> he said he couldn't be sure if it was his child or not because he didn't know where his sperm had gone. basically. that's the synopsis. >> it's one of those, it's 10:00, do you know where your

children are? do you know where your sperm is is a whole other thing. >> if he's michael's doctor and he was, why is he talking about some of michael's business, like they were saying how much does he weigh. if you're a doctor, isn't there a sort of privilege, like let's not talk about -- >> maybe that's only if the person is alive. >> i don't think so. >> maybe the doctor -- >> i don't know. >> confidentiality. >> goes away when someone passes away? >> why don't you ask dan abrams? he's been camped out here this week and when we need him he's not here. >> and it was a really highly rated show, 31 million people watched it, the memorial. and that was unexpected. stop it. stop talking. >> i'm going to talk about the pope. that was four times more than the pope when he passed away. >> we held ourselves to our minute. >> yes. >> so a round of applause from the crew, please. thank you. >> you know, ever since hoda and i joined forces on this, what is called a news program, we have been goingvery wednesday to do matinee wednesdays. but this summer, a bit of a

lull. so we're waiting for the fall. but instead, we still end up getting to the. so yesterday, instead of going to theater, we went to a theater of a different kind. >> we went to try on dresses. >> our friend sunny, her daughter is getting married in august, and so sunny wanted us to go see the dress that our friend donaldby, this brilliant, brilliant dress designer is making for her. so hoda and i, i said it a million times before, hoda came and we got there, and very soon it was not about sunny. we love sunny, love her dress, it's gorgeous. >> the minute we saw the rack. >> the racks and racks of the sample clothes, we had to try them. >> we have a couple of happy snaps of us. >> no! >> that's not -- >> the first one is -- >> timing is everything. >> first of all, that is us trying to get into the sample sizes. >> i don't even know what a sample size is. >> they fit in the front. they did not -- >> it was easy. anyway, it looked pretty from the front. >> i didn't get away unscathed.

i had to order one of my own for the wedding. >> you did? >> yeah. >> but that was a fun afternoon. we had a nice lynch. >> where were we? >> bryant park grill sitting outside. >> i never knew that was there. it's like -- >> it is beautiful. >> and you know what? it makes sense because when travel leisure picked its favorite city. guess what was number one? >> new york. >> and also, trip adviser. trip adviser, not travel and leisure. bit was trip adviser. >> favorite city. >> new york city is the number one. >> that is just -- >> hey. i wanted to be seen. >> i always like to cover up. >> what's the favorite? >> favorite and most expensive. >> the top three favorites in case you're wondering are new york, san francisco and chicago, tied with boston for the favorite cities. the least favorite, in case you're wondering, detroit was number one. sorry. los angeles, and then atlanta. >> los angeles is least favorite? >> yes. >> number two. >> atlanta is a nice town.

>> most underrated and most overrated. most underrated, portland, oregon. >> it's true, portland is gorgeous. >> and most overrated, las vegas. >> i say nothing. >> okay. >> most economical. las vegas. >> most boring? >> no, not yet. that's next. >> okay. >> i'm not saying, you say it. >> i didn't say it. this was a poll. cleveland. >> oh. >> you didn't have to groan. that is not nice. >> you're from cleveland? >> sexiest, miami, of course. >> how about most annoying accent. think about it. most annoying accent in the nation is. boston. >> boston, you got it. >> moist annoying. now the most adorable. >> the most adorable thing in the world is this evian roller skating babies commercial. it so reminds me of my favorite one for e-trade. the little kids who sit there. >> this isn't even out. you're getting a sneak peek of a commercial that hasn't even hit the airyet. it's on youtube. here it is.

♪ bang bang let's rock you don't stop ♪ ♪ make your body rock ♪ next on the mike is my man hank come on let's go ♪ >> oh, so cute. love that. >> all day long i could watch that. >> and just in time for the big controversy about if bottled water is good for us. >> i mean, please. >> i know. >> what's in bottled water? where are they getting it? >> apparently it's never been regulated by the fda which is incredible to me. >> now i like new york tap water a lot. i drink it, it tastes fine. >> but you leave town and you realize how different everybody's tap water is. but at least that's regulated. >> i can't believe that you could put something on a label and say it's from somewhere, and it isn't. >> it's not just what's in it. it's the bottle itself. because the plastic it's made of, so i'm glad at least they're going to do something about it. >> yeah. >> now, we have a little taste of something called bag tv.

bag tv is a luxury bag with a built-in -- >> this is it. >> so this, look at this, comes with it. look what's in there? a television. >> has the capability of connecting to all your computers, or your dvds? >> i don't think you can watch dvd. you can just watch dvds and stuff and cds. i mean dvds. and streaming and slide shows. technical things. anyway. it's in here, so i don't know, i guess you watch it by holding it like this. and watching it. >> okay. and i think we actually -- >> we always wondered who in the world would do that. apparently we found someone who did do it, and does do it. >> and is doing it right now. >> and is doing it right now. >> sara? ♪ >> be right there.

>> that is so bad. sara -- >> it's a good thing. >> and she can't take her eyes off of it. are you watching our show over there? what's going on? what's happening on that -- what are you looking at? >> it's amazing tv. >> can you see us? are we on? that's old. >> it's the bunny stuff. >> this is a very, very big day for a show called "forever plaid." the 20th anniversary of "forever plaid" which was a very long-running off broadway show, very, very successful. i think if you can roll down, please, to that one because i just need to get the details right about it. okay, hoda -- >> let me find it. >> you can go to a movie theater tonight. >> there's nothing on there.

>> okay, anyway. you can go to a movie theater tonight. >> and watch it. they've made it into a movie. it's a film now, of the -- and my friend david engel was one of the original plaid guys. he would -- >> there they are. >> worked with me on broadway on putting it together. and he's in it. with some of the original cast members. and so, it's i don't know what you can say, but it's the 20th anniversary. i guess go to foreverplaid.com. one night only. >> tonight's the night. >> tonight's the night. >> we did a cohabitation study. this is the thing. >> okay. >> now this debunking -- you know how people say they want to live together to find out if a marriage can work. it says most unmarried couples who live together aren't trying to test a relationship they're just trying to spend more time together. most couples who live together either marry or break up within two years. it's not an extended living together. there are unique couples i guess who do do that. for the most part according to

this study it shows they either break up or get married within two years. >> that's interesting. what do you want me to say? >> i want you to say, how's the cooking. >> is that a point? >> the point is we're doing a whole half hour on divorce. and i think it's interesting to talk, to figure out where things go wrong and we're also going to talk to the kids of divorce. this is going to be a very interesting discussion. >> i have read several, several research -- long-term research on it that say that in many ways, this goes back to michael, i'm not -- they say that a divorce is more devastating to children than the actual death of a parent. oftentimes is the case. so we'll talk to children about that. first of all, you know they talk about the land of milk and honey. >> honey is like the greatest thing in the world. >> these are called bee cakes or something. >> honey cakes. >> honey cakes. > you're eating the original. >> oh, my gosh it's so delicious. >> yours is of course the booze -- >> mine is original.

>> bee dessert, b-e-e? >> how fresh and naturally delicious is that? >> that's really good. look at mae. >> excellent. >> here's the fresh one. >> oh, my love mine. >> god, they're available. bee desserts, b-e-e desserts, one word. or you can go to beedesserts.com. >> that's what we already said. >> i'm sorry. >> i'm loving it. >> oh, my gosh. >> how incredible is that? >> that is so good. >> it's all-natural. >> you know what else is all natural, hoda woman? our everyone has a story conses. >> i knew we were going to go there. i just knew it. ♪ everyone has a moment >> you can go ahead and play that for about a minute and a half. e-mail us your stories, please. we have several really good ones for the next three months. david and i are getting together to start writing again tomorrow. but we need you. you know you have a fantastic

story to tell us. so please send it in to us. it will be our honor and ivilege so maybe we can get some bee desserts to serve you. >> also, remember we did that curtis stone girl's night in. curtis went to tennessee the last time, then to kathie's house with all of pus write in to klgandhoda.com, let us know why you think three of your girlfriends deserve a night with curtis. he will cook for you. july 16th. >> all right righty. >> your michael jackson minute went over well. larry wrote, that was your minute. mel wrote, good job, ladies. >> we stay in time. that's what we do. >> oh, y, right in front of us. >> coming up next, being being revealed. after these messages.

we're back with "today's" "ambush makeover." >> earlier "today" louis mick arie and fashion expert jill martin, plus two ladies from the plaza for instant makeovers. it's time, soon, for the reveal. again, thursday people are getting the hang of our little thursday deal, right? >> more and more signs. more and more people. and we found two special ladies that were great-looking girls but their hair just wasn't that special. so we made everything look together. >> and their outfits were crazy. >> let's start off looking at our first lucky lady, her name is edwina from nashville. she's been married to james for 45 years. after 35 years she's now a retired librarian. she spends her time volunteering in her community. she served as the first lady of tennessee university for 21 years. >> good for her. >> let's take a listen to her

story. >> well, you guys were screamg in the crowd. why do you want your grandmother to have a makeover? >> because i think she's a beautiful person inside, and she really deserves it and i want her to be a hot grandmother. >> what do you think about that? >> well, i want her to be stunning. and that's what she is. a stunning person. >> oh. all right. well we are going to give you a whole new look. are you ready to go? >> i'm ready to go. >> oh, we are also ready to go. we've got james and the three grandkids all blindfolded up and ready to go. people them on until i give you the okay. all right, people. here's edwina before. all right. edwina, let's see the new you. ♪ brown-eyed girl come on. come on. i love it. edwina takes it slow. beautiful! >> oh, you look so good. all right, hold on, people, are you ready? james, grand kids, take off your blind folds.

>> oh, my goodness. >> wow! >> is she stunning? >> wait. >> oh, my goodness. >> look at this. you've got to see yourself, don't you think? is it time? >> dear, you are stunning! >> oh. >> right behind you ia mirror. >> oh. >> oh, she likes it. >> what do you think? >> i love it. >> she's lovely. >> louis, the hair, the hair, the hair. >> okay on the hair, edwina's hair color and skin color were too close together. then i made her hair a little deeper, then brighter again by adding a few highlights. >> the years are gone, baby. >> just gave her hair a little shape, blew it dry, and she looks stunning. >> the grand kids are freaking. look at the grand kids. she's got the mike. >> she's a totally different person. like just so pretty. >> look at the outfit. beautiful. >> do you like the outfit? >> available at macy's.

and where are you taking her in this hot outfit? >> he doesn't have a mike. >> dancing. >> a big hit. walk over there with your family, honey. all right now we have donna, she's 73 years old from madison, wisconsin. she met her husband lyle 55 years after tripping him on purpose, i think, in the roller skating rink. since lyle was diagnosed with parkins's, she has only dedicated her life to making him her number one priority. she's really not into taking care of herself. her girlfriend cuts her hair and she normally just pulls it back. her daughters were praying for her to get a new look. let's listen to her story. >> i know you really want this for your mother. tell us why. >> well, she takes care of my father, who's disabled with parkinson's disease. and she unselfishly cares for his daily needs all the time. and she just deserves this, because she's a beautiful person inside and out, and i think it would b really great if she

could have this. >> and i know you want this, too. >> oh, yes. yes. well, my friends kind of think i'm kind of dingy anyhow, so this way you can turn me into something beautiful. >> well, we are going to make you look and feel like a princess. are you ready to go? >> yes, yes. >> oh, she is adorable. she's here with her two daughters. let's take a look at the old donna. and let's tick a look at the brand-new donna. come on out, sweetie. ♪ >> oh. hello, donna! you ready to see? all right. take a gander at mom. >> oh, my gosh. >> oh. >> all right, donna. why don't you turn around and have a look at yourself in this mirror right behind you. >> oh, no! this is beautiful. >> look at the before and after. you won't believe the difference. tell us what youdid, louis. >> right, donna has a case of

the disappearing hair. she has fine hair, going even finer. so we got this great layered haircut. created thickness. i added depth at the root, lighter on the end. enid used a slightly darker shade underneath to create the jaw line. you look years younger. you look beautiful. >> you look awesome. >> stunning. >> also available at macy's, the shoes are andrea rono. she wants flats but wants to look groovy, as well. >> come on out. we have parting gifts. ambushed by the "today" show. not everybody can say that. >> congrats. >> thank you. guys what do we have coming up? we are going to be right back. >> we have a panel. >> in the next half hour about divorce, and kids and rabbi ul.eyyo u do not want to miss this.

still to come, the truth about kids and divorce. we're going to talk with some teens who tell us what it's really, really like.

the charges against marion barry are dropped. the investigation into a professional relationship with his former girlfriend continues. we'll have the latest in a live report. also ahead, breaking news from metro as it cracks down on a train operator caught texting on the job. roller babies has people talking. see it at 11:00 a.m.

we're back on this thursday with more of "today," and a special half hour dedicated to teens and divorce. almost half of all marriages in this country do come to an end before death do them part. >> and rarely without a great deal of tension, discord and suffering. so where does that leave the kids? rabbi shmuley is a best-selling author and he's written and counselled extensively about relationships and he is also a product of divorce himself. r.j. allen is a relationship therapist and the director of clinical training at drexel university. >> we're also very, very lucky to have nine teenagers, very nervous right now, from divorced families, who are here to speak candidly about their experiences. including two, christina and maya who we found through a seventeen panel about divorce.

>> we want to start with kids. you probably have the most knowledge on this. maya, whenour parents divorced, did this come out of left field? did you say -- did you think everything was fine at home or did you sort of see it coming? >> i wasn't as surprised by the actual divorce as with the changes that happened afterward. because, i mean, i was 10 years old. and i could still -- my sister and i both could sense that, you know, things were completely harmonious. but as soon as i found out the divorce, came the move to a completely different state, and so, and leaving the school that i had friends, that i had become like really close with. so that was the main shocking part about it. >> did you guys think, and i guess why don't we go up to isaac, did you think it was your fault? >> actually i think that's a common misconception of a lot of people that they think it is their fault. i think it's important for kids to have a support system with other children that are going through it, and children that aren't going through it to remind them that it's not their fault. >> did any of you feel it was?

did any of you thought maybe you had something to do with it? y did? really? what did you think you had done in >> i just well, honestly, i think it's common for kids to feel that way, just because like, you feel that your parents have to stay together because of you. and they're not staying because of you, i think that's -- >> sara, were you relieved? because i know sometimes there's tension in the house and fighting, and almost when your parents say, okay, we decided to call it quits, did you feel relief when you heard that? >> well, my parents, i didn't see it coming because my parents never fought or were like ever, like, in a sticky situation like everything always seemed like fine in my home. so i was pretty surprised when they told me they were getting a divorce. because i never see them fought or like anything. they always seemed to agree on everything. >> how did they explain it to you? >> well, they sat me and my brother down, you know, and they're like, things have kind of changed, you know. like we still love each other as persons but we're not like in love with each other. and so your dad's going to be moving out in a few weeks and

that's pretty much how they described it. >> how long would you say it took you to come to grips with that? >> well, it was kind of like it wasn't a bad divorce, because my parents are still friends, and like they talk and stuff. so, it wasn't like really hard on me. coared to some kids. but like, it took me a few weeks to get used to the whole like my dad not being there and all that. >> who doesn't have the situation where their parents aren't getting along and they don't communicate? aerial you have that? >> i definitely have that situation. my parents have never had a very healthy relationship. and it has escalated after the divorce, as well. but, i've never really felt like i was put in the middle of it, which i'm very grateful for. >> but sometimes you feel like kids have to choose, don't you? >> well, parents sometimes make them. who is stuck in this? >> i definitely had that situation because when my parents were married, my mom's family was -- we were always with my mom's family all the time. my grandmother helped take care of us.

i was always with my cousins. and then when they got the divorce it was always like, well, i want to see my cousins, but, i should see my dad. so like where should i go? what should i do? >> i always felt like you were letting somebody down. >> yeah, exactly. . >> did you blame one of your parents for the divorce? >> oh, no, not at all. like, i remember every day in the fourth grade, i either cry or talk to one of my best friends about, he had the worst parents. and i was like, what's going to happen? i don't understand. so then by the time it actually happened i was like, oh, yeah, that's old news. like -- >> and the shuttling back and forth between different homes, that was a huge one for you, right? getting used to that? >> yeah. well, my parents divorced when i was 6, and i went back and forth until i was -- until my 15th birthday, or i guess about a year ago. but my parents went to court for custody and they were fighting over it for about a -- they fought over it from last year to

my birthday in april. and i am now living with my mom. >> are you glad about that? >> yeah. >> you are. it must seem weird when your parents are fighting over you in court and you're wondering where you're going to wind up? >> yeah, when i was 6, you know, it was my parents, they were entirely, it was them. and i had nothing to do with the court system. but once i was older, it was like, i had a say in it, but it was still them, so, it was -- yeah, it was really hard. >> you're bobby, right? you had a situation where the divorce took quite a long time, right? >> yes. >> what was it four years in the process of it? >> yeah, it was a really long divorce. and, like i would say it helps a lot to have a support system. when you have someone just pushing you on. and like me, i had a lot of siblings. so, each of us can help each other, and it works a lot better.

>> and you did? so did your parents live in the same house with you while this was all going on? was it four years of that? >> no. my dad moved out, because it was just better that they didn't fight while it was going on. and it just helped a lot more. >> jake, you look like you're still struggling a great deal with it. you okay, buddy? >> yeah. it's getting better. >> how long has it been for you since your folks divorced? >> about four years. there was a lot of stuff going on. they were -- seemed like every night they would have like an intense argument. and you know, it was just about stupid, stupid things. like, you know, it would start on something really small and escalate to something about, you know, financial issues. >> i can't even imagine the feeling of a child being so helpless and hopeless about the situation. because you can't do anything. >> we're going to keep talking about this. we've got two experts who are going to shed some light, maybe get some of you through a hard time right now. find out what we're doing right

and doing wrong. .

okay, so we're back with our special half hour about teens and divorce and the only teenager we haven't spoken to

yet is peter. tell us a little bit about your story, peter. >> my parents got divorced when i was 3 years old. so i was a little young. i don't really remember it that well. but then i remember, because my parents, they did a thing called nesting, where me and my two sisters would stay at the house that we had been living in when our parents were together, and both my parents had an apartment. so when one parent was at the apartment, the other parent would live with us at the house. >> so you didn't have to do the moving back and forth. >> yeah. >> i've never heard of that. that's a fascinating concept. if you can afford it. >> they always say kids are resilient. but you know it's not always the case. it's hard and sometimes you learn about the pain later. maya, what was the toughest part to try to put your finger on, the toughest part about going through your parents' divorce? >> i think what was really difficult, i kind of had a unique situation where my parenparent s didn't argue over custody. i just went straight to my mom. i think from the moment i found out about the divorce i didn't see my dad for two years after that. >> did you feel abandoned? >> yeah, there were questions. you know, why didn't -- i mean,

i don't really know if there were arpg up thes about it. but why not summer visitation? you know, it's kind of hard, because the majority of my friends are from, you know, families where the parents are married, and so having friends whose fathers are around, it was a little tough. so i feel like that was one of the toughest things. >> did he call you, send birthday presents? >> yeah, i remember he came and visited for like my 11th birthday, my 12th birthday, then the vips its got a little bit few and far between. he was at my graduation from high school. we talked on the phone on father's day, birthday, stuff like that. >> events? it was event related? >> can you kind of pinpoint what was the most difficult part of it? >> most difficult part was probably the moving, definitely. >> the what? >> the moving between houses. >> so that nesting thing sounded pretty good to you? >> yeah. >> you could have done that. sarah, what about for you? >> it was the same thing for me. moving was probably the hardest.

my brother wasn't able to drive yet so we had to have our parents drive back and forth. and it was hard because, like, like, half my stuff would be at my mom's house when i need it at my dad's or vice versa. like schoolbooks and stuff. so my dad lived kind of far away from my pom and if i needed my schoolbook and it was at my dad's house -- >> lodgest cal problems. >> what about when you parents startedating other people. >> or if they were already with somebody else when the marriage was dissolving. >> who can talk about that? aerial? >> actually kind of a funny story about that. my dad told me that he was dating other people, and at the time, i felt myself that it was too soon. and i just gave him a look, i said, not gonna happen. >> not under my roof, you're not. >> he's like, all right, i respect that. but i have a wonderful stepmother now, and i respect her greatly. and so, it's all worked out. >> meeting the other man, woman? >> it wasn't -- the thing is, i

didn't really have like a specific time i can remember meeting my mom and dad both. they're not remarried yet, but they both have a significant other in their life. but i remember back in sixth grade, a few years ago, my mom and my family moved into a new house. and all of a sudden, you know, her boyfriend also moved in with us. and so you know, i had to make adjustments with that. and you know, because you know, he's not my dad. but i really like him. he's a nice guy. but it's just, he does some things that maybe i don't agree with. and i just have to adjust to things like that. >> do you get scared dating? are you thinking like oh, god, i hope that this doesn't happen to me? >> oh, yeah. every relationship, you're like you don't want to end up like your parents. you don't want to be unhappy in thmarriage. you want to be in like -- you see other friends that have parents with excellent relationships, and with their kids and with each other, and you want to turn out like them. >> and the kids, one out of every two marriages ends. >> well, me, i didn't really have that issue.

for me, i just felt like my parents got married, and you know, whatever happened, happened was between them. and all i can do is communicate with them, and be open about like what i can do to not make the mistakes that they made. >> wow, how adult is that? you are all so smart. we're going to hear from the adults coming back after the commercial break. so stick around.

we're talking about teens and divorce and we have talked a lot with our teens. now time to talk to a few grown-ups. dr. r.j. allen is with us and rabbi shley. what do you think is the biggest mistake parents make when they are getting divorced? >> it's to think that divorce is not going to seriously affect their children. it's such an important conversation. and i am amazed that the "today" show, you and hoda and kathie lee have done this. we're so accustomed to divorce being so prevalent we think it's not a big deal for kids. my parents divorced when i was

8. i think it scarred me in a way i cannot completely heal. what you heard from these very intelligent teenagers is there's two ways to approach divorce. one is love is beautiful and so is marriage and my parents made mistakes and i'll learn from those mistakes. the other is on the contrary, love doesn't work. that love is just a myth. something you read about in books. and if parents take responsibility for their actions and communicate to their kids, love does work and marriage is very special. it's something you should look forward to. but we made errors and to be honest about discussing those errors. as a parent i ask my kids for forgiveness for the mistakes that i make as a parent. there's nothing wrong with having that level of honesty. because these young kids deserve the idealism of love which is the hallmark of youth. >> r.j., a lot of parents say they stay together for the kids. >> i hear most of the children that i see every day say i'd much rather be from a broken home than in a broken home. i don't want to be a part of that. >> do you all agree with that? >> yeah. definitely. because that's such a negative environment for them to be in. >> your kids become your

jailers. >> yeah. >> and another thing i want to says that love works if you have skill. you've got to have the skill. and a lot of times people don't want to do the work. they plan the marriage or the wedding but they don't plan the marriage. >> there's a problem, they run for the hills. >> yeah. >> and the vows got out the window. >> that's why i don't think we should stick with divorce. there's the good, the bad and the necessary. divorce is never good. it's often bad. but it is sometimes necessary. and if you communicate to your kids, we didn'tant this to happen. these are the things that went wrong. if you want to empower them-psh >> say there's been an affair. say somebody has fallen in love with another person. should you be that honest with your kids and say -- >> well, no. i think it takes time. and i think a lot of the children, think talked about it being a process. and so the process means that you've got to talk to your children over time about what's going on in the relationship. and how it's going to impact them. because clearly, -- >> if there was an affair do you say, here's the deal? >> i think you've got to wear kid gloves when you're talking

about those kind of situations. everything is not for your children here until later on when they're adults. >> let's face it. there's something called parental alienation syndrome where usually the cheated on party is going to take it out on pulling the child away, to punish. it's going to come out. and i'm sure you guys knew about a lot of these issues even though parents are trying to sweep it under the rug. kids are much more perceptive. i think being honest, not totally honest but more honest. >> you cannot put your children in the middle. you cannot triangulate them. make them feel like they've got to choose one parent over the here. >> and you're not focusing -- >> care giver, that's true. >> this has been a terrific discussion. >> really, thank you. >> thank you very much. kids, you guys are awesome. >> yes. >> and happy marriages in the future. >> we do. >> but wait a long time. >> okay. all right we'll be back

on the heels of a very interesting discussion with some kids talking about divorce we want to check in with miss sara hais see what people are saying in >> we were asking if people should stay together for the kids. rebecca wrote in no they shouldn't, i'm a product of divorce and i think the silent treating and fighting is much more damaging. autumn wrote in, i think it's hurtful. i think people would be in a happy, single household than an unhappy two-parent household. sarah wrote if they can stay in a friendly relationship that's better than trying to stay to the. one thing that wasn't touched on was the idea of this is the example of how your kids learn to love. if you stay in that relationship, their idea of how to love each other is skewed, i think. >> not one person said you should stay just for the sake of the children. >> i think one person did. >> out of thousands? >> yeah. most people writing in -- >> that would have been a completely different thing ten years ago. >> you're right. >> i really believe that would have been totally different. >> a lot of people said i'm a kid of a divorce.

>> interesting. >> right, right. >> interest being. >> we're going to come back tomorrow, because we have some interesting things to talk about. we're doing animals. and you know how much we love that. >> plus one of the sts of the new harry potter movie. ?a?a?a?as?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?ç