good morning. breaking news. a deadly shooting inside a suburban pittsburgh health club. a gunman walks into an exercise class, turns off the lights, and opens fire. three women and the shooter, dead. at least ten other women injured. heading home. two american journalists imprisoned for 4 1/2 months in north korea are on their way back to t u.s. this morning an exclusive interview with secretary of state hillary clinton about their case, and how her husband negotiated their release. and abdul out. it's official, paula abdul announces she is leaving "american idol" after eight seasons. and her bosses at fox are wishing her the best "today," and her bosses at fox are wishing her the best "today," wednesday, august 5th, 2009.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this wednesday mark. i'm meredith vieira, lester holt is in for matt lauer. he has made his way to the l.a. fitness center in bridgeville, pennsylvania, overnight, the scene of that tragic health club shooting. good morning to you, lester. >> meredith, good morning to you. this is about 13 miles southwest of pittsburgh. we can tell you theittsburgh post-gazette is reporting this morning, at least quoting two sources who claim one of the victims was the ex-girlfriend of the shooter. the shooter, a member of this club, who apparently walked in about 8:00 last night, went into an aerobics room that was filled with women taking a latin impact class, he had a duffel bag, apparently reached for some weapons and opened fire. two women were killed at the scene. he took his own life. a third woman died on her way to the hospital.

>> i just kind hearing repeatedly blasts of, i guess -- >> reporter: michael hentosz was working out at the l.a. fitness center in bridgeville tuesday night when he heard gunfire. >> i just kept hearing shots, about 30 shots. i seen people running all around and i started ducking down running for my life. it was one of the scariest things i've ever seen. >> we saw people on the treadmills, one by one, everybody was going on. everybody was like, hit the floor, hit the floor. >> reporter: according to eyewitnesses the gunman entered the gym carrying a duffel bag, then proceeded into an aerobics room where he turned out the lights and started shooting. stacy faulk was inside that room. >> it was so loud with the gunshots, i mean all you hear are gunshots. i -- and just, screaming, i was behind one of the girls in front that gets hit and then when he was i the opposite corner shooting, i bolted. >> reporter: outside, chaos and

confusion. >> people were running about screaming, and some had fled throughout the various stores in the facility. and their first thought, and rightfully was, was to get medical help to the people who needed it. >> reporter: l.a. fitness issued a statement saying each of us at the la fitness family are shocked and saddened by the senseless acts of violence that took place at the bridgeville club in pittsburgh. our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and friends. members of the community hoping for answers as to what happened to turn their world upside down. >> surreal. absolutely surreal. pandemonium. never in a million years would i have thought something like that would happen, 8:00, 9:00 at night at a gym. >> reporter: lisa mill and stacy faulk are with us outside the club. they were both in that aerobics room last night when the firing began. ladies, thanks for being with us. stacy, let me begin with you. you were at a class of, we're told at least 22. you think it was more people in there at the time? >> it was a full class.

i think between 30 girls, maybe 30 to 35. it was packed. >> tell me what you saw when this man walked into the room. >> i was towards the back of the room. he walked in. he just seemed like he was working out, i mean, but we were going through our routine. he walked in the door. he went back towards the back of the room where there's weights, and he had a duffel bag in his hand, and i just thought he was going to get a weight or going to the punching bags for his workout, which, i mean, in aerobics you wouldn't expect somebody to be doing that. >> then somebody turned the lights out? >> he was in the room for like a minute, and i saw him walk in, he was in there for a minute, and then a minute later the lights go out, and then seconds later you just hear shooting, and he's shooting all over the room. >> did the teacher had her back to the class when all this started. >> she was going through the routine when the lights went

out. she still seemed like she was going through the routine, because we just thought that the electricity was going out or something. it seemed like she was turning, i don't know, but as soon as the gunfire went off, then everybody started running towards the corner, or i guess some people ran out of the room at that point. >> did you see people actually hit? >> yeah. yes. >> and then how did you get out? >> i was in the -- he was shooting like this, a bunch of us girls were hovered around each other. i mean, everyone just spread out in the room and i was behind a few girls and i could see like him shooting like this, and he started to shoot in the opposite direction, so i -- i'm thinking do i stay and fake dead or the door -- the door was open, the door that he entered, and i just booked it. a lot of girls just stayed in the room. >> and lisa, you were near the back of the room. i understand it's a glass, double glass door and it's kind of really the only way out. how did you get out?

>> when i realized that it was, in fact, a gun he had in his hand, and it wasn'tust like a power outage i just turned around and ran. i grabbed my friend and just ran as fast as i could out. i fell right outside the door, hit the carpet, and just somehow picked myself back up and ran till i got to the parking lot. >> did he say anything or did anyone offer any hint of recognition? >> no. >> i didn't hear anybody say anything. i heard our instructor yell -- >> the gunshots were so loud -- >> it was so loud. >> i just wanted to cover my ears. you just hear round after round and it's so loud, that's all you could hear. if he was saying anything, i couldn't hear him. >> i understand this is a pretty tight group that attends this class, a very popular teacher. >> yes. >> she's very popular. mary, she's awesome. >> and she had an announcement for the class. >> yes, she had told us before class started that she would not be back after this week, that she was pregnant, and was going to take some time off from teaching the class, because she needed to rest. so -- everybody was really sad

that she was going because, i mean, she makes the class. >> she was one of those who was wounded. do you know any others who didn't get out? nefth oer o girl that was woued i bersut okay. >> what was t sceneinse ik the parking lot as people began pouring out of the building? >> it was just people running in every direction. i mean, me and my friend found somebody that was getting in there car a get in and j get in and jumped in the car. comg n't know if he wasin outside. it was just complete chaos. >> i justem wemr cnbe ihe was running out of the room, i was screaming like he's shooting, he's shooting. i guess the employees at la fitness are telling people to leave, that they didn't know where he was. as i w i screaming like calli911. when i came outside there were people pounding on like fashion bug and the doors by saying call 911. because you're working out. it's not like you have your cell phone. all of us were doing our routine. >> a lot of the confusion last night is because people obviously don't have their i.d. and phones with them, they were out here and no way to identify

them. stacy and lisa, thank you very much for talking with us. we do appreciate. meredith, we should note the gunman apparently left a note and there were multiple weapons, according to authorities, found beneath him that he had brought into the room. >> thank you very much. we're going to check in with lester in just a little while. now to the oth big story we're following this morning. that is the release of two american journalists imprisoned in north korea for the last 4 1/2 months. we're going to hear from secretary of state hillary clinton about her husband's mission to north korea in just a moment. but first nbc's chris jansing is at the airport in burbank, california, where they are expected to touch down in just a little over an hour from now. chris, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. you can just imagine how thrilledhe families of laura ling and euna lee are. they had worked firelessly for their release since they were arrested five months ago on the border of north korea and china. it took months of top secret negotiations and the intervention of former president bill clinton to bring the women's harrowing ordeal to a happy ending.

late reaction to the release came this morning from secretary of state hillary clinton, who is traveling in africa. >> we have been working hard on the release of the two journalists. we've also considered that a totally separate issue from our efforts to re-engage the north koreans and have them return to the six-party talks and work toward a commitment for the fu, verifiable denuclearization of the korean peninsula. >> reporter: after 140 days of fear and uncertainty, laura ling and euna lee walked away from north korea, free women again, looking well, and bound for home. their release followed a stunning, unannounced mission to pyongyang by performer president bill clinton. after a meeting with the reclusive north korean dictator kim jong-il, the journalists were granted a pardon, dismissing a sentence of 12 years hard labor on charges of

entering the country illegally. for the women's families, it was the end of a long and hart-rending ordeal. >> well, of course i'm elated. and this is one of the happiest days of my life. >> reporter: while jailed, lee missed her 4-year-old daughter hannah's preschool graduation. lee wasn't home for her fifth wedding anniversary. her sister lisa told the "today" show in june how agonizing the wait had become. >> it seems like we've been in this kind of perpetual holding pattern. we literally sit by our computers, trolling the internet for information, and wait for the phone calls to come, and we maintain our hopes. >> reporter: their hopes were realized after what nbc news has learned were months of secret negotiations, including assurances that the former president would not come home empty-handed. al gore, the former vice president, and lee and ling's boss at current tv, personally asked clinton to go. for kim, the visit is generally regarded as a coup, at a time of

heightened tensions over north korea's nuclear ambitions. bill clinton is extremely popular in north korea. his arrival was widely reported there. and this photo was released, of a smiling president kim. former u.s. ambassador to the u.n., john bolton, called the trip a propaganda victory for north korea, and a reward for hostage taking. but california senator dianne feinstein, who had pushed for a high-level envoy to make the trip, dismissed the criticism. >> i think that's nonsense. these are american citizens. what would you have us do? leave them there, do nothing? the trip was a success for the president. it's a success for the girls. my reaction is it's great. >> reporter: also on that plane with lee and ling and former president clinton is former vice president al gore. we do expect to hear remarks from him when the plane lands, and then we're told, t two former captives from north korea, now again free american

citizens, are going to laura ling's mom's house, which isn't far from here at the airport, for what you can only imagine will be a very happy family reunion. meredith? >> some good news. chris jansing, thank you very much. nbc's chief foreign affairs coespondent andrea mitchell is avtring with secretary of state hillary clinton. she is in nairobi, kenya, this morning, where she sat down with secretary clinton just a few moments ago. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. it is a very happy turnout for hillary clinton. clintons, secretary clinton, and her staff, were deeply involved in the negotiations. negotiations that ended with north korea saying that they would turn the women over to president clinton. and once there were assurances that the women would be turned over, they decided to go ahead. but you could imagine her excitement today, as i talked about -- talked with her about her husband's very dramatic role. >> he was so relieved, and so

happy to be bringing these young women home. i think it, in a way, is even more personal since we have a daughter approximately the same age, and he told me it was, you know, very moving experience. he can't wait to get them reunited with their families. so, on the basis of the humanitarian mission, we feel very good. but i want to be sure people don't confuse what bill did, which was a private, humanitarian mission to bring these young women home, with our policy, which continues to be one that gives choices to north korea. they can continue on the path they are on, or perhaps they will now be willing to start talking to us within the context of the six-party talks about the international desire to see them denuclearized. >> your husband thent more than

three hours with jim congrekim jong-il. he's the highest ranking person to visit north korea in decades. ishat really a possible breakthrough? >> well, we don't know. i mean, that wasn't the purpose of it, and it certainly is not anything we're counting on, because the obama administration has to deal with north korea going forward. but i hope that north korea makes the right choice. >> so there were talks between the united states and north korea? that's a step. >> well, we do have some channels to talk with north korea, and as the background briefing received from high administration officials made clear overnight, when the message came to us from the young women themselves to their families, to former vice

president gore, and then to the administration, that sending my husband would be the best way to ensure their release, of course we took that very seriously, discussed it, the white house reached out, as they said, to my husband to ask him if he'd be willing to do that. there were briefings about it. but in order to manage the logistics of it, it did require communication with channels representing the north korean government. that's not the first time, nor will it be the last, that something like that happens. but we would like to see our conversations back in a broader context. >> and as you can see, they were very excited but she's trying to send a signal that this could be a breakthrough if north korea makes that choice. i asked her also about the three americans, meredith, who are in

iran, whether bill clinton could go to iran? she said that's way premature. they don't even know where or how these three americans are building held. but this advice from the secretary of state, don't go near a hostile country's borders. she said if you're a journalist, if you're an american, if you're a hiker, find another place to hike. just don't go that close to these borders because really bad things can happen. meredith? >> andrea mitchell, thank you. new mexico governor bill richardson is a former united nations ambassador and has negotiated previous releases of americans from north korea. governor richardson, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> i know, governor, that you were working with the administration to secure the release of these two young journalists and you knew about this potential trip. so what can you tell us, if anything, about what was going on behind the scenes leading up to this? and also, why was president clinton chosen? was that at the request of north korea? >> well, it mostly like was at the request of north korea, because the administration had

been negotiating almost for five months. a lot of envoys were presented to t north koreans. but i think kim jong-il, the leader of north korea, wanted president clinton, a man of immense stature, who would give kim jong-il a lot of credibility at home, would shore up his domestic base. they're having succession issue there. kim jong-il wants to leave one of his sons as the leader of north korea. so it's mainly domestic politics for kim jong-il to want and get somebody like president clinton. >> you know, governor, a picture is worth a thousand wordsav as they say, what does that photo f kim jong-il smiling nexto t clinton say about how important all of this was for north korea, and him specifically? >> well, the message is that north korea's saying i am a major international player, we have nuclear weapons. we've got a former president on our soil. if he wanted the american journalists, he had to come and get them. but there are a lot of winners

here. the u.s. wins because we get the two journalists. a lessening of tensions. possibly we start talking to north korea. the international community wins because there's a huge lessening of tensions in this nuclear standoff. and then north korea wins, especially kim jong-il, because he shows his countrymen that he can deliver a former presiden and that he's a major player on the world stage. so it's good news for everybody. mainly, getting americans home to their families. >> and yet some are suggesting, including president george w. bush as ambassador to the u.n. john bolton that this is a bad move, it's a propaganda victory for north korea and sets a dangerous precedent. do you believe that it does? >> no, it doesn't. because right now the relationship is extremely rocky. there's no dialogue between the united states and north korea. north korea has shut themselves off. by having president clinton go and ease tensions, get the journalists out, the smiling

pictures of the two leaders, there's a lot of tension that has been dramatically reduced. >> i understand that you have spoken to some of laura ling and euna lee's family members. can you share with us any of those conversations? >> well, yes, i talked to lisa ling. she and i had been communicating continuously throughout these five months. the family is ecstatic. they're relieved. there was enormous tension, because we didn't know about the women, whether they were going to the forced labor camps. apparently they've been treated well, with regular visits, and they stayed in a guest house, rather than a prison. so, hopefully they'll be able to shed more light on how they were treated. but, there's enormous relief, not just in the families, but in america, that our government has gone to the well to release and help detainees around the world. and i think that's a very important message.

>> all right, new mexico governor bill richardson. leave it at that. thank you so much. >> thank you. and now let's get a check of the morning's other top stories from ann curry over at the news desk. >> all right, good morning, meredith. good morning, everybody. in the news also this morning, today in iran, mahmoud ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term asresident. he appealed for unity, even as protesters outside chanted death to the dictator. opposition leaders claimed that ahmadinejad stole the election, and when asked if the u.s. now recognizes ahmadinejad as president, white house press secretary robert gibbs called him, the elected leader of iran. a suspected u.s. missile strike killed at least two people today in pakistan. among them a wife of a top taliban leader. louisville kentucky is recovering from some severe flooding brought on by more than six inches of rain in two hours on tuesday. the storm swamped roads and homes and left thousands without power. fire at a fuel storage facility in michigan forced hundreds of people from their homes on tuesday. the fire sent exploding oil

barrels flying into the air. today, president obama heads to northern indiana to announce more than $2 billion in grants aimed at creating electric cars and jobs. and a highway hazard in israel. look at this. three runaway harss found themselves in oncoming traffic. one of them ended up jumping over a car. the driver and the horse were only slightly hurt. ay-yi-yi. it is now 7:21. meredith, back to you. >> another ay-yi-yi. thank goodness everybody's okay. our buddy al roker has headed west this morning. he is in los angeles for the first check of the weather. hey, al. >> i wonder if that car that the horse hit was a mustang. >> oh. >> sorry. i guess the insurance company's going to have to pony up. >> oh. >> sorry. >> yeah. >> let's take a look, see what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. we've got a risk of stron b frostoon rouat up to little rock and as far ast as danville, virginia.

isolated tornadoes possible with some hail. you can see those strong storms firing up, now right along in memphis, huntsville. heading down toward jacksonville. rain fall amounts generally hal it's a pleasant summer morning. good morning. moderate humidity in the air, temperatures now in the mid 70s in washington, the nearby suburbs near 70, 60s farther out west and north, afternoon highs climbing into the 80s. south and east of washington increased humidity. we'll have a likelihood of passing thundershowers. in the mountains by noon time. around the metro area and south to east. and overnight passing showers and thundershowers. a lingering shower tomorrow morning or south and east of washington t and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. and still ahead, new information on the deadly wrong-way crash in new york. police now say the driver, who killed herself and seven others, including her young daughter and three nieces, was drunk and

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and still ahead, lester, i know you're going to have much more from the scene of the deadly health club shooting. >> yeah, meredith, we're going to talk to someone who was inside the gym when the shots rang out and he helped carry a bleeding victim to safety in this parking lot, even as shots continued to ring out.

a little on the hazy side but pleasant. 74 degrees the temperature. clouds could bring rain later. welcome. i'm barbara harrison of it it's wednesday, august 5, 2009. our time 7:26. in the news at this hour, i-295 is back open after a man was hit by a carn landover. it happened at around 9:00 last night. a pedestrian was trying to cross the northbound lanes near route 450, that's when a car slammed into him and killed him. police haven't released the victim's identity. they say the driver did stay at the scene. doctors here in the washington area performed a seven-way kidney swap to help patients in need of a transplant. today some of the patients

involved in the surgeries will meet for the first time at georgetown university hospital with the people who gave their kidneys. all 14 patients are african-american. we'll check on weather and traffic af since re/max first opened its doors back in 1973, we've helped millions of families buy or sell a home. through good times and bad, including five previous recessions, re/max agents have provided the kind of experience

america relies on to get the job done. today, in the worst housing market most of us have ever seen, that experience is more important than ever. find out what re/max can do for you. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. good morning. temperatures in the low to mid 70s now, not too humid. as the day progresses more humid in the upper 80s, a likelihood of afternoon thundershowers. jerry, how's traffic? >> an accident earlier on the beltway, 66 is jammed trying to get to or beyond the capital beltway. the accident below 66 is gone. wilson bridge looking pretty good as is 270. >> tonight at 5:00 using

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7:30 now on this wednesday morning, august 5th, 2009. a sad morning in the suburban pittsburgh town of bridgeville, pennsylvania, where three women are dead, and at least ten others injured, after a man went on a shooting rampage inside a health club before killing himself. inside studio 1a, i'm meredith vieira, alongside ann curry. lester holt is in bridgeville this morning, filling in for matt. lester, good morning to you. >> meredith, good morning. all the victims, women, all taking an impact aerobic class when this t this man walked in to start his shooting. we're going to start to someone who helped in the rescue even as the shots were being fired. >> also ahead, startling new

information on the wrongway crash that killed seven people in new york. >> that's right, meredith. police say the mother responsible for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, three young nieces, and three strangers, as well as her own, was drunk, and high on marijuana at the time of the crash. we're going to get the latest on this and also hear from one of the investigators in just a moment. >> and then on a much lighter note, why paula abdul has decided to call it quits on "american idol." and we're also going to get a sneak peek at susan boyle's glamorous new photo shoot for "harper's bazaar." >> but first, let's begin with lester and last night's deadly health club shooting in pennsylvania. lester? >> meredith, we have learned from the pittsburgh "tribune review" they're reporting that the shooter is 48-year-old george sadini. he took his own life after opening fire on the women in this club last night, about 8:00, he walked in. with apparently multiple weapons and a duffel bag, turned out the lights and opened fire. two of the women died here. a third died on the way to the

hospital. and ten others were injured in the shooting rampage. one of theeople who was here last night when it happened, richard walker. he joins me now. you were playing a pickup basketball game at the gym adjacent to the aerobics studio. what did you hear? >> heard two gunshots. and two kids coming running in the gym. but you wouldn't think they were gunshots. you know, just thought two kids banging against the wall. they come running in, so we're still pickup game still running. then about six, seven other gunshots. screaming, and everybody coming to the gym. >> so you come out of the gym now, and as people coming out of this aerobics studio. >> right. running into the gym where we were. >> at one point you encountered an injured woman. tell me about that. >> yes, she was -- everybody was running out the gym because of the side exit door, and she got -- she made it through the door, to the door, and couldn't make it any further, draining blood. i picked her up and took her about 50 yards away from the fitness center >> she'd taken a shot to the leg? >> the upper thigh. >> you physically carried her out? >> picked her up. >> not out of this entrance but a side entrance.

and the shots were still ringing out? >> yes, still ringing. everybody was running for the gym. probably eight or nine. by the time we got to the parking lot there was probably another ten more. >> you leave the building, other people are leaving the bimding, there's no police on the scene, you have no idea whether this guy is going to come out. >> exactly, no. all the coworkers were telling us to get in front of the building because everybody was lined up on the side, and kept hearing gunshots. >> no one really knew quite what to do. the woman that you helped. was she able to describe what she had seen? >> no, she just kept repeatedly saying, he's going to kill me. he's going to kill me. he's going to kill me. the whole time i was carrying her. >> did she know who he was? >> no. i kept hearing she said it was ex-boyfriend. she said it was some guy. and i think it was an ex-boyfriend thing. >> that has been reported by one of the papers here. richard walker, i understand that it was a pretty traumatic night for you, as well. thank you much for coming out and talking to us. >> thank you. >> meredith, we'll send it back to you in new york. >> lester, that note that was found in the shooter's duffel

bag, do we have any more information about what that note contained? >> not much information. we know there was a note. we know that theyound guns underneath his body. he apparently camin with multiple weapons in that duffel bag. police are still trying to put together what we know, as our guest just mentioned, one of the newspapers here is reporting that one of the victims was the ex-girlfriend of the shooter, but police are trying to piece together a motive and right now they're not specifically talking about one. >> all right, lester, thank you so much. what a tough story. and now we've got to make a tough turn and get a check of the weather from al roker who is in los angeles this morning. hey, al. >> all all right, thanks, guys. and as we look at the heat that's going on in parts o the e country, we are looking at excessive heat warnings stretching from galveston up to houston on into tulsa, oklahoma. heat warnings in yuma and phoenix where it f like it's about 115 degrees. dar temperatures to y, today, sizzling103las vegas, 10 gas, rest of thco e f oy,coe uny,trtritbitl lte

temperate. temperatures in the 60s and 70s up around the great lakes and on into new england. 70s and 60s along the pacific northwesrthw;;;;; sun's up and a partly cloudy sky. the fifth day of august, good morning. live picture now from our city camera showing the view over the potomac river, now 75 in washington, near 70 in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's county. warmer south and east, more humid, too. not as humid farther to the west and north where it's in the upper 60s. should reach the mid to upper 80s and a likely afternoon and evening shower. might have a and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you. and now to a stunning development involving the driver who caused a deadly wrong-way crash in new york. "today" national correspondent natalie morales has details now. natalie, good morning. >> good morning to you, ann. that's right. a toxicology report now reveals

that driver 36-year-old diane shuler's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. police say she drank vodka and smoked marijuana before getting into the minivan to take her young son and daughter and three nieces home from a weekend camping trip. she ended up heading the wrong way on a suburban parkway for nearly two miles before slamming into an suv. >> diane schuler had a blood alcohol content of 0.19%. the legal limit for intoxication in new york state is 0.08%. >> reporter: shocking news from the police during tuesday's press conference. >> around that level of alcohol you also start to get what's called tunnel vision, where your perception is changed. >> reporter: police recovered a broken vodka bottle at the scene and reported that alcohol was not the only substance in her system at the time of the crash. >> toxicology also reveals a high level of thc in her blood. thc is the active ingredient contained in marijuana. >> just one of those things that tragic no matter which way you look at it.

>> reporter: these could be the first of many clues explaining why diane schulor, a 36-year-old mother, drove her minivan the wrong way on the taconic parkway, slamming into an oncoming suv. the crash killed her, her 2-year-old daughter, three nieces and three men. on july 26th, around 9:30 a.m., schuler loaded the kids into her vehicle and left camp ground in sullivan county, supposedly homeward bound. her husband daniel had gone on a fishing trip, and told investigators that everything had seemed fine. but at 1:02 p.m., schuler called her brother warren to say she felt disoriented. he offered to meet her but lost contact. eyewitnesses reported erratic driving by the minivan, which entered the parkway on an exit ramp, then proceeded to head south in the northbound lane. schuler drove the wrong way for nearly two miles before the ordeal ended with the three-war collision at 1:35.

mourners outside our lady of victory church in floral park last thursday heard this heart-wrenching plea fromer brother during the funeral for his three daughters, niece and sister. >> love your children. cherish your children. kiss your children. and don't ever forget. >> reporter: meanwhile members of the bestardi family, the father and son killed in the crash, told reporters they are outraged, calling the accent a murder, not a homicide, and now they want to meet with prosecutors to discuss the case. as for the lone survivor of that crash, 5-year-old brian remains hospitalized in stable condition. ann? >> natalie, thanks. new york state police captain arthur boyko is a member of the team investigating the crash. good morning. >> good morning. >> based on the facts, vodka in the van, a blood alcohol content of 0.19%, was diane schuler drinking while driving or was it

possible she was intoxicated from the night before? >> no, we don't believe she was intoxicated from the night before. we have no indication that she started drinking until she started her trip back home. >> do you have any evidence that she has had a problem with drinking while driving before? that she had any problems with alcohol and drug use in past experiences? >> there's no history whatsoever that we've learned of any alcohol and/or drug abuse. from what we understand, as i said, she began drinking shortly after leaving the camp ground, headed back home. >> as you mentioned, she actually was with family at that campground, and that is going to make it even more difficult, the findings that we're reporting this morning, are going to make the tragedy even more difficult for that family. she was with her husband that morning at the camp ground, she spoke to her brother before the fatal crash. do they know what led her to drink so much with five children under her care?

>> no, they don't. we're still trying to get more information from the family. the cooperation we've received has been limited. and we hope to get some more information from them to learn a little bit more about diane schuler. >> can you explain why the cooperation is limited, sir? >> i -- i cannot. they're in the grieving process right now. it's a little delicate issue. so we're going to give them some time. but certainly we would like to learn as much as possible about diane and the conduct prior to the accident. >> have you been able to determine that she was or was not an alcoholic, or is that something still pending in your investigation? >> the investigation is still ongoing. but there's no indication, as i said, of any alcohol abuse. that we've talked to so far. >> hmm. so, as you know, their one child survived this accident. is it possible that anything that you might find in your investigation might lead to

criminal charges in this case? >> we don't anticipate any criminal charges at all. >> so, it's an ongoing investigation. what is your focus? >> well, we'd still like to learn about diane schuler. we'd like to speak to witnesses that may have observed her driving that morng. we're still doing the reconstruction of the accident, so those things are still pending. >> and there is hope, i suppose, in thank you at effort that some learning fact may come out of this, that there would be something that we all can gain from learning about wh happened here? >> oh, no doubt. i mean here it is a tragedy. a woman coming home from a family vacation on a sunday afternoon, and look at the devastation that it's caused. >> captain, thank you so much. and good luck in your investigation, sir, k d tanth you. >> you're welcome. thank you. >> and we'll be back right after this. an

back now at 7:44. now to an "american idol" stunner. last night in a post on her twitter page, judge paula abdul declared she is leaving the show. >> you've moved me from the beginning. >> we watched her cry. dance. sometimes behave oddly. >> oh, my god, it's like the same place. >> and often battle simon. >> you know, i just want to -- >> now paula abdul is saying good-bye to "american idol." last night on her twitter page, paula posted a message to her fans saying, with sadness in my heart, i've decided not to return to idol. i'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that i helped from day one become an international phenomenon. i do without any doubt have the best fans in the entire world and i love you all.

>> we love her, paula abdul. >> tuesday nht fox confirmed what many fans didn't want to hear. but the followers of "american idol" the news may come as no surprise. not after idol producers added a second female judge last season and gave host ryan seacrest a huge raise, reportedly leaving paula abdul angry and hurt. simon, randy and cara dioguardi will remain as judges, leaving the show without a pop star as it enters its ninth season. and leang critics to question if, without paula, the show's sliding ratings will continue to suffer. sorry to see her go. up next, a first look at susan boyle's new fashion spread in "harper's bazaar." that's right after this.

back now at 7:49. meredith, you interviewed

scottish singing sensation susan boyle, who told you fame was like a giant demolition ball. >> look at her. she posed for an exclusive photo shoot for next month's issue of "harper's bazaar" magazine. special editor laura brown takes us through susan's incredible makeover. >> that's lovely. >> "harper's bazaar" did the first magazine photo shoot with susan boyle because we were all talking about her. who doesn't remember the time when she opened her mouth and sang on "britain's got talent" in april. ♪ i dreamed a dream in time gone by ♪ >> we called the article susan boyle, unsung hero, because she's lived 47 years without a spotlight. she came onto the stage and just transfixed us all. everybody's heart soared when they saw her sing. the idea behind the shoot was a very, very simple one. it was to take gorgeous, glamorous, sensitive portraits of her. this is her first magazine photo

shoot, so you can't do too much too soon. and she was thrilled with the clothes. she was like oh, these are really knockout numbers and she felt like a hollywood star. that's what we're trying to do. make her feel like she was a participant in the shoot. she has such a presence, and she was so comfortable. she actually did a little bit of moonwalking in her heels at one point. i think susan is getting more and more used to being in the spotlight. being on television and being photographed. i think in the last, since april, you've seen her look just day-to-day become more polished and refined. she's growing in her confidence with what she will wear and how she'll be perceived. what she did on our shoot is we gave her a little bit of a haircut, that was it. a little bit of a girl. just tidied it up a little bit and paired it with natural makeup and she looks great. one of my favorite looks was the beautiful long-sleeved sequinned gown. she is a woman who lived very privately until now, very

simply. you don't want to put her in a crazy couture dress. she would feel uncomfortable in it. another is a beautiful, classic purple michael kors long-sleeved dress with a groovy fun j. crew necklace. and you can tell in the picture she looks really confident, she feels really great. it was great to see susan so excited. when she saw the clothing she was thrilled. there were so many options for her to play around with and try. and she said i feel like a knockout in this. >> really feel like a hollywood actress. >> her laugh is quite, like a real robust scottish kind of cackle. when you hear that laugh, and you just like, i think everybody just lights up. i think susan boyle's greatest beauty strength is the twinkle in her eye, honestly. she's so excited to be doing what she's doing. i think that enthusiasm was so infectious to all of us who watched her and willontinue to watch her over the next few years. >> i think they captured her beautifully. >> good for her. she looks beautiful in the

photographs. >> she did look beautiful. i love that mention of her laugh, too. still ahead the bank telle who lost his job because he ran down a would-be robber. >> you're going to meet him after your local news. r

sunshine out there right now but clouds, too. we're expecting rain. 74 degrees the current temperature at 7:56 on this wednesday, august 5th, 2009. good morning. i'm barbara harrison. in the news, metro's general manager is begging a senate subcommittee for money to fund the aging rail network. the concern comes after that deadly accident in june that killed nine people. at a senate hearing yesterday the gm said if the system does not receive sufficient funding service and safety will decline. the senate is considering a request that would give metro $150 million in federal money next fiscal year. we'll check weather and traffic when we come back. fe

it's a pleasant summer morning this 5th day of august. partly cloudy, not very humid. temperature 74 in washington. here is a live picture. we're in the 60s farther west and north and 70s south andast with more humidity there. afternoon highs reaching the upper 80s and likelihood of passing afternoon thundershowers as well as tonight. maybe a morning shower tomorrow or passing afternoon shower or thundershower south and east of washington tomorrow. lowe humidity, partly cloudy in the mid 80s. low humidity in place on friday. more humid and hotter saturday near 90. and in the mid to upper 90s on sunday, monday and tuesday with 7s. 70s.e humidity, morning 0 now let's check traffic for this wednesday. jerry, how's it looking?

>> it's a bit tough on the top side of the beltway. a couple of problems on the outer loop of the beltway in silver spring area, they are cleared but we're looking at delays on the outer loop near the i-95 interchange as you head over to silver spring. inner loop pretty good, some relatively minor sunshine delays. south of town to the wilson bridge, no worries. southeast corner is okay. new york avenue at penn street look out for an accident. >> tonight at 5:00, using holistic medicine to help women overcome infertility when other methods have failed.

♪ and you're listening to jason mraz. the one and only jason mraz who is going to join us out on the plaza this friday for our summer concert series. the crowd here in new york city looking forward to that. >> we're going to see his smiling face out on the plaza and we're delighted to have them here with us any day of the week. >> no kidding. >> it's a great crowd. >> you know, off camera, the crowd is really great. had a birthday last week. it's nice to have them here.

>> all right a real life hero whose act of bravery cos him his job. >> that's right. his name is jim nicholson. he's from seattle. he made a split-second decision when a would-be bank robber came to his bank, and he ran after him. he ran after him, and got him and guess what? he's been fired for doing that. we have an interview with jim this morning. >> i know. >> oh, right? >> now wait. the bank has its own positio on this. >> now calm down. >> calm down, everybody. >> we'll find out more about that coming up. >> also ahead, how far would you go to help someone you don't know at all. >> i would go as far as possible. >> in a moment we're going to introduce you to seven real-life heroes and the complete strangers whose lives they are credited with saving. it is really a wonderful story. and the doctor involved in this case is a terrific, terrific guy. >> says a lot about what's fantastic about human nature. also coming up we'll be talking about on a much lighter note some things, one of the things we really don't have enough time -- to cook.

so for the -- we're going to have ideas so that you can get in and out of the kitchen very fast. >> first a check of the top morning stories. ann is with me here. natalie inside at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. horror at a pennsylvania health club last night when a gunman stormed inside an aerobics class and began firing, killing at least three people before killing himself. nbc's lester holt is in bridgeville, pennsylvania. and lester, do we know anything more about the shooter and his motive? >> we don't know what the motive is. we know a note was left, natalie. we also know that, according to the "pittsburgh post gazette" the shooter's ex-girlfriend was one of the victims. another paper, the "pittsburgh tribune review" reports the shooter is george sodini, a 48-year-old. we can tell you that there is a website linked to that name, aiths an online blog in which the writer talks about going to the gym, has some racist rants,

and an inability to find women to date. again we don't know if, in fact that is the shooter who wrote that blog. but it's interesting to note. police obviously are questioning people who were here. three women killed, the shooter killed himself. ten others were hurt. five of those, at least five of those were in critical condition when they were taken away from here last night. >> lester holt in bridgeville, pennsylvania. thank you, lester. a much-anticipated homecoming today for two american journalists arrested in north korea in march. arriving this morning in california, laura ling and euna lee, along with former president bill clinton. north korean leader kim jong-il pardoned the two women tuesday after meeting with the former president clinton. lee and ling were serving a 12-year sentence for entering north korea illegally. the national guard has been deployed in louisville, kentucky, after fast-moving thunderstorms callsed severe flooding tuesday. dozens of people had to be rescued from their homes. the flooding shut down the university of louisville and churchill downs horse track.

in the michael jackson case, jackson's father says he wants no part in raising jackson's children. this, as we learned of new developments in the criminal investigation. nbc's jeff rossen has the latest once again from los angeles. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hi, natalie. good morning to you. we've been telling you the entire criminal case rides now on the toxicology report. this morning, nbc news has confirmed the report is now complete, and the lapd is in the driver's seat. they could make the next move here. after 41 days, five search warrants, and countless subpoenas for medical reports, the criminal investigation is coming to a head. the l.a. county coroner now confirms they know what drugs were in michael jackson's system. but the lapd won't allow the release. yet. >> the main reason to hold back this kind of information is so that law enforcement doesn't hit their hand to an imminent arrest, or future search warrants. >> reporter: court papers reveal authorities are looking io several doctors, but dr. conrad

murray remains the focus of the investigation, as police searched his home and office, looking for evidence of manslaughter, and prescribing to an addict. the addict being michael jackson. frank dileo has been friends with jackson since the '70s and was his manager at the time of his death. do you think doctors who prescribed him medication when they shouldn't have should pay for this? >> somebody should pay. somebody helped a person die. >> reporter: if michael was dependent on painkillers, what do you think his level of responsibility was? >> well, he has some responsibility, too. he shouldn't have been doing that. if he was in that much pain, he should say something to other people besides doctors. >> reporter: maybe you? >> maybe me. why he didn't confide in me, i'll go to my grave wondering about that one. >> reporter: he says michael was crystal clear about his children, though. he did not want his father joe jackson raising them. and it appears he'll get that. he signed court papers just this week promising to play a limited role in t kids' lives. >> jeff rossen in los angeles. thank you, jeff.

and the president celebrated his 48th birthday at the white house by delivering a plate of cup cakes to veteran print journalist helen thomas, who shares his birthday and turned 89 on tuesday. and the president joked that he and helen share the same wish, world peace, and getting a health care reform bill passed. 8:06 right now. let's get another check of the weather from al, who is in los angeles. >> all right. thanks a lot, natalie. we've got a beautiful day here in l.a., getting ready to start off, temperature about r09 degrees after some morning clouds. indianapolis, indiana, though, our pick city of the day. wthr nbc 13. cloudy, mild, 83 degrees. on the today map, a risk of strong storms stretching from the mid-atlantic down into the gulf coast. also a slit risk much strong storms from the central plains back into the pacific northwest. sunny and hot with temperatures in the teens, as you get into the southwest. and we're looking at;;; not too humid this morning. it's partly cloudy, now 78 in washington. we're in the low and mid 70s in

montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties, near 70 west and north. mid 70s near the bay on the eastern shore where it's more humi afternoon highs in the upper 80s and partly sunny. the likelihood of passing afternoon thundershowers as well as tonight into tomorrow morning. tomorrow, turning less humid, highs in the mid 80s. and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> oh, actually it's me, al. thank you so much. still to come this morning, we've got a bank teller who was fired after foiling a bank robbery. that's coming up in the next few minutes. eh, gonna take more our best.than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh, we had a good breakfast so we're ready. gonna be another great year, huh guys?! you bet your 8 layers! yeah! long-distance high 5! oh, careful! hey, watch it. start the school year with an excellent source of fiber.

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nicholson threw the bag back at the man and chased him out of the bank. >> i pursued him down an al why iway and then we went down main street. i felt confident that iould apprehend him, i could stop him from doing this again. >> reporter: and with the help of a passerby he did stop the suspect, identified as aaron sloane. while sloane has not yet been charged in this case, he is on federal probation for similar crimes. nicholson's reward for his actions? the ba fired him. why? a key bank spokesperson wouldn't directly comment, but did say, key's highest priority is to protect the safety of its clients and employees above all else. this clip from the movie "out of sight" starring george clooney as the bad guy, illustrates what bank tellers are instructed to do, cooperate with the robber. >> your first time being robbed? you're doing great.

just smile, already, so you don't look like you're being held up. >> in no way do we suggest physical confrontation with robbers. too many things can go wrong. >> reporter: still, some bank customers expressed shock at the firing of nicholson. >> i just can't believe that he would get fired for doing something that i feel was right. >> reporter: as for nicholson, he says despite being fired, if he had to do it all over again, he would. for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> and jim nicholson is now joining us. good morning. >> good morning. >> you'd do it all over again? why? >> i think i would. i know it's something that's in my nature. just kind of how i was raised. >> like justice thing or what's your deal? >> i think it's just, yeah, that i have, you know, a feeling that i have to right the wrongs if i see them, you know. if something goes wrong around me i have to try to do what i can to make it right. >> this all happened very fast. >> mm-hmm. >> when you came up, a few words were exchanged, right?

what did you guys say to each other? >> he put the bag on the counter. he said this is a ransom, fill the bag with money. i took the bag from the counter, i threw it on the ground and i said where is it referring to a weapon if he had one. he said it's a verbal ransom. >> wait, wait, wait, he could have had weapon, jim. >> he may have. >> and you said where is it? >> yeah, that's what i was trying to see it. >> that is bad. you're bad like bad you know, behavior. wow, what made you do that? you're watching a lot of movies? or you just were angry. >> honestly, i wasn't angry at all. i was very calm, surprisingly. i just wanted to preventim from doing this. i knew if i let him go, he could come back to the branch. he could go to another bank, do it again. so i ft i had to stop him. go now your bank, i'm sure, they trained you to be a teller told you what you should or should not do under the circumstance. and what did they tell you to do? >> we are supposed to comply with what the robber says. we're supposed to hand it over, let them leave the branch, lock the door behind them and call

the police. >> you thought you might be able to do that under the circumstances, circumstance happened and that's not -- >> it's one thing to receive training, but when it actually happened just something else kind of clicks and you just go with, you know, what comes to you. >> as george said the bank, you know, decided that you violated policy and said, you know, our policies and procedures are in the best interest of public safety and are consistent with industry standards. money, which is insured, can be replaced. lives cannot. so i know we're kind of smiling here but could you possibly have jeopardized life. have you thought seriously that maybe this wasn't the right thing to do? >> yeah. you know, it, again it's difficult when you're thrown into the situation, to clearly think of all the possibilities. but, again, i feel if i let him go, maybe, you know, it could end up in a police pursuit. there could be a shoot-out. it could be just as dangerous to let him go without apprehending him. >> so when the bank fired you, how did you -- is it fair to say

you were expecting a hero's welcome and you basically were -- what was your reaction? >> i knew what i had done was against policy. i hoped for a reprimand, maybe a write-up, something like that. i didn't expect to get fired. especially, i have good relations with the people who are in my branch. but unfortunately it's out of their hands. >> i know you're now out of work. i'd hire you. >> thank you. >> you maybe should think about the fbi. >> yeah. it's a consideration. >> yeah. well, george clooney in real life. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you so much this morning. jim nicholson. thi mog,rnino co how did the casting call for the next "sex and the city" movie go? we're going to show you. but nasonex relief may i say... bee-utiful! prescription nasonex is proven to help relieve indoor and outdoor nasal allergy symptoms like congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. (announcer) side effects were generally mild and included headache. viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds and coughing. ask your doctor about symptom relief with nasonex.

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>> reporter: 5:30 a.m. in washington, and larry is headed to surgery. someone, he doesn't know who, will soon get one of his kidneys. >> we're going to take good care of you. >> all right. >> once again you are a hero, my man. >> reporter: it's also deeply personal. larry's wife elizabeth is in kidney failure and on dialysis. >> i do not want to live like this. i want to go -- i want to die. that's what i said to myself. >> reporter: the trouble, larry's blood isn't compatible for a kidney transplant. but maybe he could donate to someone else. >> i live in the hospital for her and i hear her every night crying and talking to god and there's nothing i can do. >> reporter: great grandmother linda russell is also here to give a kidney though no one she knows needs one. she's flown in from st. louis simply to donate. >> it's a beautiful thing. and like i said, it's a blessing

for me to be able to do it. >> reporter: people like daysha pinker whose father gave her a kidney 14 years ago, but now that kidney is failing. >> it's very draining. it's no kind of life at all for anyone. >> "x" marks the spot. >> reporter: and jordan is here also donating a kidney simply because he can. >> i've got two and somebody can use one and makes me uncomfortable for a little while. seems like it's a -- like it's worth it. >> reporter: alsos there craig, dominic, terry, lori, brian, jacqueline, shawn and elaine. in all an unprecedented 14 surgeries over four days. with ambulances rushing kidneys between georgetown university hospital, and washington hospital center. dr. keith balonson is the director of kidney transplants at georgetown. >> kidney disease is epidemic in this country at present. but especially in minority communities and most especially

among african-americans. >> reporter: diabetes and high blood pressure are to blame. nationwide, 80,000 people are waiting for a kidney. 32% are black. and there aren't enough donors. here in washington, the need is especially acute. 6,000 people are on dialysis, a vast majority african-americans. yet doctors only perform 250 transplants each year. one big problem, minorities often build up antibodies that cause organ rejection. so the doctor helps pioneer a process to filter the antibodies from blood transma, making a transplant a reality. >> we think with this procedure we could perform thousands more transplants in this country. approximately 2,000 to 3,000 more transplants could be done every year. >> reporter: without the procedure, none of his seven patients could have received a new kidney. two weeks after their surgeries, they gathered for the first time to meet their donors. elizabeth's kidney came from jordan.

>> elizabeth, jordan. >> linda's kidney went to olermie. and larry donated to daysha. for seven people, and seven more, the ultimate gift of life. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> and those seven donors are with, jordan, craig, linda, larry, terry, brian, and shawn, as well as six of the recipients, elizabeth, dominic, olermai, daysha, lori and jacqueline, and they are joined by dr. keith balonson, director of transplant surgery at georgetown hospital. good morning to all of you. may i say you all look terrific. >> good morning. >> doctor, if i could start with you. 14 surgeries in four days in and of itself is not typical. what else about these surgeries

was so unique? >> well, basically, you know, i got to be in the cat bird seat because you saw seven wonderful individuals donate their kidneys to seven people that only were able to receive their transplants because they went to a revolutionary procedure that allowed them to receive this beautiful gift of life. so what made it unique was the fact that they had to go through a procedure prior to being able to receive a transplant. >> and obviously it worked very well. elizabeth, if i could talk to you for one second. you developed kidney problems in 199 and two years ago your kidneys failed you altogether. it has been a very difficult world for you with dialysis. what does having this new kidney mean to you in terms of your life going forward? >> oh, my god. it just gave me a new hope. just like being reborn again. i haven't felt this way in a long time. coming from dialysis is the worst. i wouldn't wish that on anybody.

and jordan gave me a chance for a new life. and so i appreciate that, and i'm going to treasure it for the rest of my life. >> i want to jordan for a second, because you didn't know any of the recipients here. certainly didn't know elizabeth. you just did this to do it. why? >> i did, yes. well, i heard about it on the radio a couple of years ago, and i wanted -- i'm big into research. so i researched it and found out about all these people going through the torture of dialysis, and it seemed like something that would allow me to -- to help and do something good for another person, and i was capable of doing it. i'm healthy enough. and it's been an honor and a very humbling experience. >> i can tell you that elizabeth is very grateful as are all the recipients to all of the donors. doctor, very quickly, prognosis? >> the prognosis actually is very good. one of the things that has happened recently is that wit

these new procedures, tse patients actually can have as % starting off on the pleasant side. a great look at the jefferson memorial and the 14th street bridge. we could have showers so get the umbrellas ready. tom is going to have forecast. for now78 degrees at 8:26 on this wednesday, august 5th, 2009. good morning. i'm keith garvin. the maryland fire marshal's office and the sheriff's office arrested three teens accused of burning part of a football field. investigators say they allegedly burned the artificial turf using lighter fluid early monday morning. the turf field is brand new. damage could cost up to $75,000. weather and traffic up next. try the new subway big chipotle cheesesteak.

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somewhat lower humidity than yesterday has returned but it's going to get steamier, highs reaching near 90 and an increased chance of afternoon passing thundershowers as well as tonight. tomorrow a little less humid, mid 80s and partly cloudy. maybe a morning shower or passing afternoon thundershower. jerry, how's traffic in >> we have another problem on 66, this one an accident near the interchange at nutley street. right side is blocked. jam-up begins at fair oaks. new york avenue inbound at penn street northeast had an accident. police were there. wilson bridge no concerns either way at the moment. >> thanks. tonight at 5:00 using holistic

medicine to help women overcome infertility when

8:30 now on this wednesday mark, the 5th of august, 2009. sunny start to the morning here in new york city, and what a crowd. lovely crowd, actually, out on the plaza. coming up on "today," my kind of cooking. our friend mark bittman is here with us to talk about recipes that take less than 20 minutes, start to finish, and you won't be bothered with lots of measuring and ingredients. that is the best part about it. >> that's the best kind of cooking. also coming up ahead, some important advice, financial

advice, our panel of experts are going to be answering questions on everything from savings plans and also mortgages and how to get a credit card if you don't have any credit. >> plus what does it take to be an extra in the next "sex and the city" movie? we'll see the auditions. people having fun there. but first, look who's here? marlon wayans plays the role of rip cord in the new movie "g.i. joe: the rise of cobra." there he is. >> is that your first action figure? >> yes, it is. they were going to make a doll but that was a little scary. >> now kids can have that wherever they are? >> it's got this great like idea. but when you kind of -- they get mad at me, they think it's like a voodoo doll. il be somewhere and get a contradi crick in my neck. >> that's a big responsibility for you? >> i didn't want to disappoint

the ladies, because i was really skinny. i didn't want people -- i take this, you know, hold the gun out, i didn't want to fall over. >> so you had to really seriously buff up? >> yeah, buff up. like i said, fee have a female demographic. >> and you're focusing on the female demographic. >> man, i like to get the whole -- the movie is for everybody. not just kids. i want women to come. i didn't want to have the belly, you know. nice arms and the belly. >> but there are a lot of cool gadgets. what was your favorite? >> probably the accelerator suit. the suit that you put on and you can run 65 miles an hour. would save me a lot of money in gas. >> i imagine with all those muscles, you had to do a lot of stunts? sounds like it was a very physical role. >> it was really physical. personally i didn't want to do all my stunts. there was a couple i could have done. when the stunt man came in. bring him in. >> kind of dangerous? >> too dangerous? hanging from a building.

crashing through windows. i was like, but there's only one black guy in prague. >> when you were a kid growing up, nine siblings, did you have g.i. joes? >> we couldn't afford the g.i. joes that had arms that moved. we had the army and soldiers that you buy the big bag for 99 cents that they're stuck in one pose like this. or they're down like this or tossing the grenades. so my friend would take the g.i. joes and just kick my around. mine was like a little toy. >> no more today. >> look at this now! look at me now! >> all right marlon wayans, g.i. joe. >> thank you. >> pop. >> and the movie opens nationwide on friday, we should mention that. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. >> we're going to head now to

los angeles where al, who is also buff, roker has a check of the weather. >> but when marlon flexes that muscle the shock wave off of it knocks people over. boom, bam! >> al, my momma loves you. >> tell her i said hi. >> you're the only one who can tell her the weather. she will not listen to anybody else. >> well, big kiss to ms. wayans. momma wayans. all right, let's take a look, see what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. for today we are looking at some strong storms possible down through the gulf coast on into the mid-atlantic states, and the tennessee river valley. also back through the plains, on into the pacific northwest. then for tomorrow, that rain moves in to the risk i should say moves into the central plains and northern plains. wet weather northern california. sunny and mild with some hit or miss afteron thunderstorms in the northeast. partly cloudy and m orning. here's the live picture from our sky watcher camera looking west

overlooking washington's northwest neighborhoods in the foreground. virginia in the distance. clouds coming through. temperatures in the 70s around the region. it's 78 in washington. not too humid around the metro area or west and north. steamy in southern maryland around the bay. highs reaching near 90. likelihood of passing afternoon and evening thundershowers. and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very having the right tools is crucial to being able to manage your diabetes properly. it's very important for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go on stage. being on when i'm feeling low can be like a rollercoaster. it does at times feel like my body is telling me to do one thing... and, my mind, my hea is telling me to do something else. managing my highs and lows is super important. with my contour meter i can personalize my high/lo settings so it really does micromanage where my blood sugar needs to be.

i'm nick jonas and never slowing down is my simple win.

that's why i got them pillsbury toaster strudel. warm, flaky, pastry with delicious sweet filling my kids will love. plus i get two bonus box tops for their school. toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. so i always have totino's pizza rolls. big pizza taste in a bite size roll that my kids can't resist. plus i get two bonus box tops for their school. totino's pizza rolls. the pizza way to snack. we are back now at 8:37. now let's head down to d.c. and our big buddy, weatheillard sco. >> hi. >> hey, willard. >> to be or not to be. >> you, you!

>> i'm rehearsing for a play. anyway, thank you. >> very good. >> you've sort of interrupted me, but i'll forgive you for that. >> i'm sorry, willard, i apologize. >> i had you in san antonio last week. sorry about that. let's check our birthday buddies. i do know that. stnes sh il ilarp. ,ayyw anyw b,pydaapth firymro h bdath how sweet it .keis ma eth,arsmit hampton, viinia, 100 years old. honored as a diamond member of the alpha kappa kal riroso.ty s. she'srittenwo two books, too, i rose schlesinger o rose schlesinger of new york new york, 100 years old. retired musical company worker, enjo d walking arinnd the city with friends.g th abpr iobatre one of syow rks i i l.oitl,ki wngal inw tloi roywir,mall mil.wiotllmar, ea ys ol010d. yrs old. plays in a golf league of women, and he was 87 years old when he learned golf. secrng d

soi d tideonclg inmoudindedetion.. ryryroio fn sam dio, fm san wnt titon ihe t wettiort town in the worldes went on her neighbor's roof when she was 87 to fix the and drove until she wasdrd une . ab how thou haveer hav he hermane htbrig brighten, michigan. and exercises daily by touching his toes. y.l ten of them.metida0 a abhot ?meatths a tiy. how about that?s my kind of ma ofrapelye ofwigtinlmon, liroca ih na0lion10s years old0 roncdapon iheta metropolitan n ballet, and was a ganda girl bach in the vaudeville days. we wish her a very, happy, happy birthday. that's it. back to the greatest city in the world and most exciting team in television. >> i think that's us. >> i think so.

>> we love you, too. >> thanks, willard. >> and now check out who is joining us now, the iron woman of the pool, dara torres. at 41 she became the oldest swimming olympic medalist ever. she just got back from competing in the 2009 world championships in rome. nice to see you. >> it's great to be back. >> not bringing back any medals. but you made the finals of the 50 meters freestyle competing against a lot of people half your age. how would you assessour performance? >> well, it's tough because i always want to win. so getting aced in the finals was not easy. but, you know, if i look at it realistically, i am 42 years old. i have a bad knee and a lot of distractions this year. i was just happy to make it in the finals. >> eighth in the world. >> the kids are like 21 i'm competing against. >> we've already known. but also one of the headlines from this big meet was this polyurethane suit, which i know that michael phelps' coach and others blame for michael phelps losing his first competition in years.

what are your thoughts about it? it's banne from the 2010 competition, right? >> i'm glad. >> you're glad? >> first of all, just even putting these suits on takes about 30 minutes, you have bruises all over your legs putting them on. they're very fast. >> you wear one yourself? >> i wore one. i had to keep up with the competition. just about everyone was there except for me and a couple other people like michael phelps. they're fast suits. but i'm glad they're going back to the old suits and the world records are going to stand for a long time. >> why would they bruise you? >> because they're so tight that when you try to put them on you're lifting up your skin and you're pinching your skin. >> oh, my gosh. >> did you see rakey barrens, his suit ripped open. >> oh, no! >> oh, my gosh! you're kidding me. >> the producers of the "today" show have been holding things out on us. >> that was a big news story. >> oh, man. >> we're going to have to rerack that tape. >> he was probably humiliated. >> what about the records set wearing those suits? do you think those are valid

records? >> the problem is how far back do you go putting an asterisk. i think if they leave the records up it's going to motivate the swimmers to want t train harder to get those records back. >> last time you were here matt asked if you'd be -- you said i'm aiming for world championships so we'll see what happens after that. okay world championships are over now. are we going to go to london? >> i'm going to get my knee fixed and hoping that i can get back and train possibly. possibly for 2012. >> that smile suggests you're really hoping big-time for it. >> it would be fun. but i don't know how much my body withstand. >> you've been here before. so it's really about how much -- >> i think mentally i could do it. it's just a matter if my body holds up. >> okay. >> always great to hang with you. >> thank you. >> all right. and still to come, what you would have -- would you have -- story. would you have what it takes to story. would you have what it takes to be an extra in the next "sex julie loves target, it's got the supplies teacher

told her to get and for a great deal. she also expects he'll love the sandwich. she expects he'll think of her when he sees the note. so she shops target. gotta have deals on the stuff she's gotta get. target. expect more. pay less.

everything today" recipes for a quiet kitchen. the last thing most of us want to do is cook elaborate, time-consuming meals. mark bittman has come to the rescue. "the new york times" columnist is the author of "kitchen express: 403 inspired seasonal dishes you can make in 20 minutes or less." mark, to you. >> good morning. >> congrats on the new book. >> thank you. >> i notice the recipes are precisely imprecise. you don't have any clear measurements or ingredients or any of that stuff. how does that help cook, especially nervous cooks like me? >> very informal. this came out of this series i'm doing for the "times," actually, in which we just kind of throw ideas out there. and my feeling is that, in a way, if you're too precise it makes people feel constrained and i have to do it this way, i

have to do that. i need this ingredient. but if you say broil some squid, put it on some toast with tomato and garlic, most people can get that. >> it's less intimidating. >> if you have a little experience, it's a nice way to go and gives you a whole sense of flexibility of ease -- at least that's my hope. these are very simple. >> and we're going to get to that in just a second. but you also group these recipes by season. why do you do that? >> well, the best way to eat, of course, is seasonally. if you can get seasonal ingredients, even better local ones, you're going to be eating well. and you can treat them almost not at all. like if you can get good tomatoes, you're going to be happy. >> okay. this is one of the recipes in the book. this is a grilled squid. >> grilled, broiled, whever. it's a very simple -- we're broiling. take some squid. no one ever heard of squid until it started getting called calamari, right? >> exactly. >> take some squid rings,

rosemary. >> can you just buy these or you ge them frozen? >> you can buy them fresh or frozen. usually you buy the whole bodies and you cut them into rings. >> okay. >> salt, a little sherry vinegar, because this is spanish. >> and aittle what you think is a little -- >> right. for the right amount. this is grandma cooking. >> that's right. >> that's what your gram ma said. don't ask me how much. just put some in there. >> a little pepper. i love the pepper. >> okay. >> and that's going to go in the broiler. and we have one in the broiler so we're going to take that one out and put this one in. >> oh, that smells so good. >> yeah, garlic, squid. >> you're putting it in? >> we have to feed the crew, exactly. >> what was i thinking. smells great. how long did you leave that in there? >> should be only two or three minutes because squid overcooks pretty quickly. you just want to brown it a little bit. so this is a kind of -- kind of

pan catalan, you take some toast, rub it with a little garlic. >> okay. >> piece of tomato. >> any kind of tomato you want? i notice you have a variety. >> you can also rub the bread with tomato, which is very catalan. but anyway, and toss it with the squid. and then you eat this with a knife and fork, obviously. not your hands. >> and it's a great lunch right there. >> it makes a messy plate. a messy counter. >> i don't know why we don't have plates for you? >> because i took them away before the spot. >> okay. all right going from a little luncho a little dessert. we're talking ice cream, right? >> yes, these i have in here. hang on a second. >> but this is not your traditional. you can use any kind of cookie, any kind of ice cream, sorbet, a jam? >> these are great. these are such no brainers. you take a cookie, like you said, any cookie you want, you can put some jam on, any jam you want. you can put some flower pollen

on. >> never even heard of that. >> oh, i'm just saying. >> never mind, that's how stupid -- >> but just a tiny bit of -- a little bit of ice cream. >> stick it on top and you've got it. >> mark bittman. thank you so much, as with us. the book "40 4 inspired seasonal dishes you can make in 20 minutes or less." and still to come the two american journalists imprisoned in north korea returning home this morning. that is the plane about to land in california as we speak after leaving north korea oh, so many hours ago. oc

and we are bk with good news. the two american journalists held in north korea since march now back in california, along with president bill clinton, who went to north korea to secure their release. the plane, as you see, has just landed in burbank, california. took off from north korea quite a few hours ago. stopped in japan to refuel, and is now back on american soil. >> news conference is scheduled. al gore, who coruns the company that the -- >> the tv. >> is there. we understand he's going to be making some remarks at a news conference. and some -- from the sounds of it, it may be a fairly elaborate news conference that's currently being planned as these two young journalists are going to be

welcom back not only by their families, but also by the country. >> they have been held in north korea for 4 1/2 months. during that time we're hearing there had been negotiations going on behind the scenes by the administration to figure out a way to get their release. and apparently it was al gore who called bill clinton and said we want you to be the one to go. north korea had said that was the person that they wanted in north korea to represent the ited states. >> that's right. >> we have chris jansing standing by for us live at burbank airport. chris, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. what a happy homecoming this will be. after 4 1/2 months of what was surely a harrowing ordeal for the two journalists, but also their families, who have been waiting and pushing very hard for an envoy to go to north korea to try to secure their release. now, as we saw, the plane just landed. they will have to go through customs and take a bus over here for a brief ride. but, lisa ling, who is laura ling's sister, lisa the well-known journalist, said the family is beyond thrilled. imagine what it was like for them yesterday, both of the

extended families were here together in the los angeles area. they were constantly on the phone with the state department, waiting and hoping for the word that finally came that a pardon had come through. of course, laura ling and euna lee had been arrested on the north korea/china border 4 1/2 months ago. they were convicted of illegally entering north korea and sentenced to 12 years hard labor. now they never went to those gulag-like camps but were held in a house there while this intense behind-the-scenes negotiation was going on. a number of names have surfaced to do this trip. but eventually, as you said, it was bill clinton who agreed when requested by both former vice president al gore, and the families of the two women to come here. now lisa ling says it has bn the most unpredictable and challenging 4 1/2 months of her family's life. what will they do once they get here? right now there are no plans

beyond this news conference, which we expect any moment now. >> we are going to jump in here and take a pause while other stations around the country join us.

know, there were some statements released overnight when word came down that these two journalists were coming home from the families, they released a joint statement in which they said that they were so grateful to the president, obama, and also to especially to bill clinton, the former president, for his efforts in securg the release, and also a very touching ending, meredith, that said we cannot wait. we're counting the seconds befofobefore we can hold them an our arms.nting the seconds talking about the two journalists. >> the administration said this was a private mission. they repeated that over and over, but obviously a lot of negotiating going on behind the scenes. we understand it was al gore who actually called president clinton and said we'd like you to be the one to go. and that was on the -- actually the recommendation of the north koreans. that was their request,

apparently, that bill clinton be the enjoy that was sent to rescue them -- or actually to secure their release. >> very interesting image released from north korea of the president sitting down with the leader of north korea, kim jong-il, and it was obviously a very important moment for north korea to be sitting with a former president. it looked as if the leader was enjoying very much the respect of that allowed him. and so the question is raised what else was discussed at that meeting earlier this morning. >> opened the dr to a new diplomacy, actually, is what a lot of people are wondering. nbc's chris jansing is at the burbank airport for us right now. chris, good morning to you. >> good morning. well, beyond thrilled is how the family describes the words. this planes now here, that the two women journalists are fine. in fact, they were set to be enormously relieved and in very good health. laura ling, we know, has an ulcer that requires some medication, so there had been concern about that. over the past 4 1/2 months there

had been only sporadic contact with their families. they had been pushing very hard for an envoy to go to north korea, and we're very happy when the call from vice president -- former vice president gore came innd bill clinton said he would be willing to go over there. he was on the ground for only about 24 hoursr less. he had a three-hour meeting with kim jong-il, who obviously wanted to maked most of this opportunity, which gives him a little bit of a sliver of the recognition that he's been wanting from the international community, which has been working so hard to stop their nuclear ambitions in north korea. for the families here, you can imagine what the wait was like, as they were on the phone with the state department yesterday. both of the extended families of these women got together, they were waiting for the final word that they would come home, and indeed, they have now landed. we expect that vice president al gore will make a few comments. current tv has waited until the plane actually left north korea

before they even made a comment about the release of these two journalists, and now we're going to be hearing from al gore, and then they'll be going just a few miles from here. laura ling's mom is planning a get-together. a more formal family reunion in private forthem. lisa ling has said we don't really have any plans for them. remember, they're going to need to decompress, they have been kept away from what's been going on in the west for such a very long time. they're both married, and euna lee has a 4-year-old little girl, hannah. of course she's been asking where her momma is. and her dad has been telling her that she's at work. so, you can only imagine what an extraordinarily happy reunion it's going to be when they finally get to see their families. meredith? >> yeah, i'm sure there are going to be a lot of tears all the way around. laura ling actually was being held during her fifth wedding anniversary. she missed that, something that i'm sure she is looking forward to, as well. as you mentioned, that little

girl, 4-year-old hannah, her dad had a beginning not really explain what was going on, but as the days went by, obviously became aware that her mom was really gone for a long period. it's going to be highly emotional. >> we just saw two gentlemen actually board the plane and i'm wondering who those two gentlemen might be. but obviously we're also waiting for the president, the former president bill clinton, and euna lee and laura ling to come off that plane. and into the arms of their family. it has been a long wait. they were very desperate, they said, d they apologized to the north korean government for any transgression that may have happened, as the two had, according to the north korean government, had crossed into north korean territory from china. but they were very desperate and they were facing the grim possibility that their family members would be in north korea facing hard labor for 12 years. >> fortunately that is not going to be the case. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell, traveling with secretary of state hillary clinton, she is in

nairobi, kenya, this morning where she spoke with secretary clinton. andrea, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. the secretary very excited. she was deeply involved in these negotiations, as was her -- >> and we're back with more on this wednesday morning. all the people outside our studio windows are being treated to a gorgeous day here. third day in a row here in new york city. that's what summer's all about, finally feeling like summer. meanwhile, inside studio 1a i'm natalie morales. busy updating the first hour of our show. matt is off today and al is in los angeles. so who's on first? we're going to catch up with everybody in just a moment. still to come -- >> denuclearization. today we had an exclusive interview with secretary clinton this morning, as you know, for the "today" show, and what she said in that interview was that north korea now has a choice. they can choose to become more engaged in the world. she doesn't know whether this will be a breakthrough, but it's up to them, she said.

interestingly, as you know, ann and meredith, recently there has been a very rough exchange of undiplomatic language between north korea and secretary clinton. but despite that, along the back channels, in the secret talks they were working closely to having bill clinton go. and all along it was only bill clinton that the north koreans wanted. they clearly wanted someone with his prestige, a former president, to give the respect and the attention that they were demanding, and the trick now for the administration is to not to give them too much diplomatically, and frankly not to suffer criticism. but i think everyone is going to be so overwhelmed with the happiness over the return of these two young women, that that will make it very difficult for political opponents and critics to make a big deal out of it. >> there has been criticism that this presents, and i'm glad you brought that up. because there has been criticism that this presents a dangerous precedent and plays into north korea's hands. >> right.

well, and, in fact, there was also, as you know, a lot of discussion when secretary clinton became secretary. how wod she divide her role from her very powerful and famous globally famous former president, her husband, and this is the first time he has been involved as an envoy. but it was precisely because pyongyang wanted him. i asked her today whether he would now go to iran where three americans, including journalists, are being held. she said not at all. that that is really way premature. in fact, they don't even know on this day when ahmadinejad is reinaugurated, they do not even know where and under what conditions those three are being held. in this case in pyongyang we know that the three women were, although sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, an extraordinarily tough sentence, they were held at a guest house. they've stayed in that guest house. it is not punishment other than that you are kept away from your family. that is the real terror, and the fear that they must have been experiencing.

but physically, they were all right. they were reassured of that. they had communication, some communication with their families. a doctor took this trip, and did check them out. and john pede epodesta was ther not only because he was the former chief of staff, but he is a lawyer. he went to the court hearing and did the procedures for getting that special pardon. there had to actually be a courtroom hearing and it was not something that the state department or the administration wanted the former president to do. that would not have been quite appropriate. they had podesta go off and do the legal things. it was a show trial, but to get them out. >> thank you very much, andrea. we're still waiting for laura ling and euna lee and president bill clinton to emerge from that plane. a lot of other people coming off it as we speak. but they are still on board. >> and you know, it's probably important, i think, to remind everyone that north korea and the united states had really had

some difficult relations in recent months with north korea test-firing a number of missiles, and causing a lot of concern, even some of those aiming in the direction, of course, not coming close to hawaii, but there's a lot of increased concerns about that, and also i think now the question is how will this, and i think this is still unanswered, how will this event, engineered in part by bill clinton, affect the future of north korea's relations with the united states. we've got nbc's savannah guthrie at the white house, where certainly people are paying very close attention to the events of this morning and yesterday. savannah, what more can you add? >> well, look, yesterday we heard the white house saying this is solely a private mission. but once the release of the journalists was secured, we heard the back story. and we've been talking about it this morning. that, in fact, the white house and the state department, the u.s. government, was intimately involved in this mission. that they were in regular contact with the families. and that, in fact, once the north koreans indicated that bill clinton would be an

acceptable envoy, the white house, the state department, did exhaustive vetting to make sure this was a legitimate offer. what they didn't want to do is send clinton over there, only to have it in some way rebuffed. you've been talking about some of these key issues. what this means going forward for relations with the north. the white house has really made efforts to decouple these two issues. mostly because obviously combining the issues would be dangerous for the jounchists who were still in custody. but also they wanted the north to know, as much as you may want to use this for propaganda reasons within your own country, these issues are separate. just as recently as last night a senior administration official saying the north has never been more isolated with regard to the nuclear issue. this may be a way for the north to save some face, to find of reduce sometension, and of course, these are nexts that the north itself has created but a way for it to kind of restart relations. and that really remains to be seen. whether or not this is something that will expand beyond what

happened with the journalists and will chart a new way to go forward with these six-party talks. that's the real issue. whether or not this will have some lasting effect beyond the plight of these journalists. >> can we assume that the conversation between president clinton and kim jong-il went beyond these two journalists? to things like resetting diplomacy? >> look, these guys met for more than an hour. then they had this dinner that lasted a couple of hours. it would be highly unusual for that issue not to come up. and the administration officials would expect president clinton to convey his own views about denuclearization. however, they want to make clur and have been very clur about it, that in no way did clinton carry a message, some kind of diplomatic message from the obama administration. so, it seems almost certain that this issue was discussed and you can imagine that president clinton will certainly get a hearing here at the white house, a debriefing about what exactly he said to kim jong-il, what was said to him, and just some of those intangibles, how kim jong-il looked. ere's a lot of talk about his

own health. it's a great intelligence gathering opportunity. it's been many, many years since such a high-ranking u.s. official -- >> i want to interrupt you for a moment because lisa ling, laura ling's sister is now going on board the plane. there are two gentlemen behind her and i'm not able to identify them. are you, ann? >> no but i think the second man looked a lot like laura ling's husband. so the first man could well be. but we don't know who they are. we can, as meredith just said, identify positively lisa ling, the sister who spoke so outspokenly on behalf of -- >> really the key spokesperson for both families during all of this. >> exactly right. so you can only imagine what may be happening right at this very moment inside that plane. a reunion after four months of waiting. after a great fear that she  would not see her sister for 12 years. you can imagine just now. >> and chris jansing is back on the ground right there in california. chris, can you add anything to this at this point? do you know if that was, indeed, laura's husband? >> i can certainly -- we haven't able to see in here,

unfortunately, meredith. but we were told that the husbands would be able to see the two released women, so we can assume, i think, fairly easily that those are the people who are going on board that plane. we didn't see a lot of movement this morning, frankly, at the houses. so we're not sure what time they came over here. but clearly this is something that has been very well orchestrated behind the scenes. planning for this little ceremony, and then giving them time with their families, both before and after this happened. i can also tell you a little bit about some of the local diplomacy here in california, as we've mentioned. current tv is based in san francisco. and both of the california senators barbara boxer and dianne feinstein have been working to try to get an envoy over to north carolina. we're thrilled to hear that bill clinton had agreed to go. i talked for awhile with dianne feinstein last night, who really took umbrage at some of the critics who have said that this

is really giving sort of leeway for north korea to simply take hostages. she said these are american citizens, what would you have us do? she praised evethin that had been going on behind the scenes, described it as very intense diplomacy. and said that she had been in contact with at least one of the mothers who obviously was extremely relieved, but like any mother would, said she was really waiting to see her daughter, to see that plane touch down as it did just a few moments ago, so that she could truly breathe a sigh of relief. the intensity of emotion of the last 4 1/2 months for this family, these families have been really something you can't understand probably unless you are right in the middle of it. waiting for those very ocsional phone calls to come from laura and euna. not knowing how this would play out. we also had an opportunity to talk to one of the dads who said

that definitely one of the happiest days of his life, yesterday. he got on a plane, and got in to burbank last night. so, it is obviously just what they have been waiting for for such a very long time. and what is going on on board that plane. we can guess a lot of hugs, a lot of tears, because as lisa said last night, meredith and ann, she said we just cannot wait to hold them in our arms. >> thank you very much, chris. yeah we just saw the stairway being pulled back into the plane. i don't know if they're going to move it somewhere else or for those just joining, just a reminder that laura and euna are still on board along with president clinton. >> right. you can see the doors of the hangar are now opening so it just appears they're going to rather than break up this really has got to be such an emotional reunion happening inside the plane that they're just going to simply drive the plane into the hangar. and we understand either in that hangar or near it will there be a news conference with the families presumably.

we don't know if euna and laura will be speaking but presumably bill clinton will be speaking and we understand that al gore will be speaking. there are a lot of winners here, among them the family. the families are big winners here, getting their family members back. bill clinton is a big winner here because he's now seen a heroic -- in heroic way after really sort of falling out of the limelight for some time. but the question i think which we're continuing to bring up is will the united states, in its relationship with north korea, be a winner? is there a possibility that there is an improvement here that may actually increase the dialogue and decrease the possibility of a nuclear armed north korea? >> does this open the door? now we know there are two families tha are greatly relieved to have their loved ones back on american soil. we're going to back to andrea mitchell in nrobi for more on this. andrea? >> you know, hillary clinton kept trying to say today in our

interview is that this is a private, humanitarian mission by her husband, that bill was really emotional, she said perhaps as a mother, perhaps because we have a daughter, chelsea, who is a similar age to these two young women, who is adventurous, that we relate to this fact. she tried to keep it on the personal side. when i asked her if this was a moment of breakthrough diplomatically she said that's up to north korea. it could be such a moment. it's very hard. savannah and you were discussing keeping it on separate track, but nothing really can be separated as the white house surely knows and as the state department knows. so this is a moment that gets north korea back from this brink, where they have been threatening the rest of the world with their missiles, and testing nuclear weapons. perhaps this could end up being a good thing. although it's such for these two families. whether bill clinton will have other roles like this remains to be seen. there's a little awkwardness here. his wife is launching this

seven-nation african summit trip and bill clinton is off negotiating this high-profile way. t she seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. she said she talked to him and very briefly, she didn't have a lot of details because his cell phone went out. i know from being over there how bad the connections are. so he tried to tell her how exciting it was to have the moment with these two young women. he did not give her details about kim jong-il personally. and what his physical condition was. but you could imagine that they were certainly checking him out, and there was a doctor on that trip and a full report is going to be filed on exactly what is going on with this aging, ailing dictator, and the succession, the battle for succession in pyongyang. >> i was going to say, bill clinton, definitely america's eyes and ears on the ground in north korea and i'm sure he will be debriefed on that, as well, ann, the condition of jim congre kim jong-il, as well. president obama is going to address the nation with some comments in about six to eight minutes on the south lawn.

we look forward to hearing what he had to say. to say there are a lot of winners here, the administration also are winners in this, as well. so many negotiations we now understand going on behind the scenes for the past four-plus months to try to get these women out of north korea. >> i think andrea brings up a very excellent point. why is it that the secretary of state is still calling this a private humanitarian mission when we are now hearing from a report from savannah guthrie and also others that there was a very deep, involvement by this obama administration that, in fact, it really was not a separate mission at all. so why is it that the administration i trying to keep this separate when, in fact, it looks like it was not? >> ann i think what they're saying is something different. what they're saying is we were deeply involved. we know this from the state department, i've been talking to the state department, diplomats

who've been working on this and national security council as savannah has been reporting has been working on this. they've been working tirelessly, they acknowledge that, to try to get these women out. they didn't want to talk about that before they were out. offend the north koreans, do anything that would jeopardize their safety. there's no question that this was arranged at the highest upon level and that it was organized and negotiated with the north koreans. hillary clinton confirmed that to me. they have channels. at the same time -- at the same time they were negotiating this, they were calling it a

they can finay celebrate that fifth wedding anniversary that she missed while she was a hostage there. other family members greeting euna lee. >> laura ling is behind? >> yes. >> and euna lee is in front holding her daughter hannah? >> yes. >> al gore, who runs current tv, both the young women worked for current tv or work for current tv as journalists. they were there on assignment in china for current tv when they crossed over the border into north korea some 4 1/2 months ago.

leading to their arrest and subsequent trial. >> the woman who is now embracing euna lee, i believe that is laura ling's mother. you can see lisa ling there on the end, holding euna lee now. already settling in.really it's you can see the emotion on their faces to have their family finally here. although they remained optimistic, we talked to lisa quite often during this past 4 1/2 months and she always tried to be optimistic. but somewhere in the back of your head you worry, obviously, all the time. will we get our loved ones back? so for them, what an incredible >> interesting. they've really created it so that people all over america can really experience this reunion. the flashing of the camera. >> chris jansing is in the

hangar for us. chris, can you describe the emotion that you are seeing? >> you could not help but be moved, meredith, when you saw the two women come off the plane. you saw laura ling throw her hands up into the air, but what struck me immediately was you saw euna lee made eye contact with her little girl hannah and tears welled up. you can only imagine what it's like for a mother to be separated from a young girl like that. she missed her preschool graduation while she was being held in north korea. laura ling missed her fifth wedding anniversary. it has just been a round of smiles, a few tears welling up. and here comes former president bill clinton, who, of course, was the person who went over, had that three-hour meeting with kim jong-il, the north korean dictator, and secured the release. but as we have been saying,

there were assurances before he went there, that these women would be released. and he was the first one who actually met with the women in north korea. they were being held at a home there, sort of a state house and we are told it was a highly emotional meeting when he first went in, said that he was there, and that he was going to be bringing them home. and then the calls went out from the state department to the families, president obama, also called the families, to let them know that laura and euna were safe, that they were healthy, and they were going to be coming home. this was as fast a flight as you could possibly get. there was no long layover. no time for decompression. they understandably just wanted to be with their families, as their families wanted to welcome them. we do understand that there will be some brief comments.

the only confirmation that i have gotten is that we will hear from former vice president al gore, who he had said is a owner and their boss of current tv, san francisco-based media company. we might hear from the former president, as well. and then there is a family gathering. the extended families on both sides have been together over the last day, waiting to hear the good word that they were coming home. and they're going to have a little bit of a party there, a time for everybody to celebrate this homecoming. and then just a little down time as lisa ling put it. we didn't want to plan anything too elaborate. we just want to spend time together as family. but, really, an emotional scene. it brought tears to your eyes to see them come off that plane and particularly to see when they made eye contact with their families, and little hannahith her mom. meredith? >> absolutely. and you know, we've got new mexico governor bill richardson, a former united nations

ambassador, has negotiated prisoner releases from north korea and he joins us now by phone. governor richardson, good morning to you, sir. you know, this is such an emotional moment. and you feel like things have gone so smoothly. that there was a lot of negotiating behind the scenes for months. your thoughts? >> -- several envoys were prepared. the north koreans wouldn't talk to us. finally a breakthrough with president clinton being the clincher. but this is a very emotional moment. i've brought hostages back and when they're on the airplane heading back home after being in a very isolated situation, the way the two women journalists we were, there's intense emotional changes because when you're in north korea, you're in another time zone. a warped seem zone. you're in like the 1950s with intensive, intensive regularity

for everything you do. so the good news is, the best news is the pictures that we're seeing now. the two women are back. but i think what also has happened with president clinton's visit is an easing of tensions at a time when our relationship with north korea is at rock bottom. when north korea is testing missiles. they're building the nuclear arsenal. at a time when north korea's trying to find ways to -- the president of north korea, who's gotten a coup out of this visit by clinton, is trying to shore up his domestic base, leave the north korean power that he has to his son. there may be some turmoil, some dissent. so everybody wins, but the biggest win is the pictures we're seeing of the women coming home, and their families. they're wonderful families. i've dealt with them, with lisa ling. they approached this diplomatically. they sensitized the american people. they were respectful.

so, it's a great moment right now. >> as somebody who has negotiated in the past, put yourself in bill clinton's shoes for a moment and give us a sense of what he must be feeling. >> well, he's -- he's ecstatic, because i know that the north koreans wanted him to come while he was president -- >> governor we're going to he to interrupt you. euna lee is about to speak. i'm sorry that is laura thing. >> 30 hoursgo, euna lee and i were prisoners in north korea. we feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp. and then, suddenly, we were told that we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location, and when we walked in through the

door, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. we were shocked. but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. and now we stand here, home and fr free. euna and i would just like to express our deepest gratitude to president clinton, and his wonderful, amazing, not to mention super cool, team, including john podesta, doug band, justin cooper, dr. roger

bann, david stroub, min ji kwan and the united states secret service who traveled halfway around the world and then some to secure our release. we'd also like to thank president obama, secretary clinton, vice president gore, who we also call al, the swedish ambassador matt foyer, kurt tong, linda mcfadden and the people at the u.s. state department who worked so hard to win the release of their fellow americans. steve bing and his crew, and andrew liverous and the dow company. and i know that i am forgetting a bunch of instrumental people right now. but, forgivee if i'm a little incoherent.

to our loved ones, friends, colleagues and to the complete strangers with the kindness of hearts who showed us so much love and sent us so many positive thoughts and energy, we thank you. we could feel your love all the way in north korea. it is what kept us going in the darkest of hours. it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. the past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching time of our lives. we are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of north korea and we are so happy to be home. and we are just so anxious right now to be able to spend some

quiet, private time getting reacquainted with our families. thank you so much. >> ladies and gentlemen, the families asked me to say a few words, and on their behalf, all of us at and on behalf of the staff and families of current tv, and my co-founder joel hyatt, we want to welcome laura and euna home. we want to thank president bill clinton for undertaking this mission, and performing it so skillfully. and all the members of his team who played key res in this. also, to president obama, laura mentioned this, but president obama and countless members of

his administration have been deeply involved in this humanitarian effort, to secretary clinton and the members of the state department, several of whom are leave, they have really put their hearts in this. it speaks well of our country that when two american citizens are in harm's way, that so many people would just put things aside and just go to work to make sure that this has had a happy ending. and we are so grateful to all of them. to the thousands upon thousands of people who have held laura and euna in their prayers, who have written letters and called and sent e-mails, we are very, very grateful. toteve bing and all the folks who have made the flight possible, we say a word of thanks. deep thanks, as well. this has been an ordeal for

them. but i want you all to know, your families have been unbelievable. unbelievable. passionate, involved, committed, innovative. you'll hear a lot of stories, and they're looking forward to hearing a lot of stories from you. but, euna, hannah has been a great girl while you were gone. and laura, your mom's been making your special soup for two days now. and to everybody who's played a part in this, and again a special thanks to president bill clinton, my partner and friend, so grateful. and ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out. we're going to let these families have a full and proper reunion now. but thank you for coming out. >> and that was vice president al gore, former vice president

al gore. give these two families a chance to breathe. listening to lawyer ra link, what a frightening experience by them to be told by the government we're going to take you to the labor camp and then they lead them somewhere else, open the door, and there is president bill clinton. or at that moment she realized that things were going to be much better. >> it was very interesting just now not to hear former president clinton speak. he came back, there was obviously a lot of imagery we saw of the president, former president being greeted and welcomed and cheered as he came down the steps of the plane but he chose not to speak. >> he'll be debriefed, i think, clearly about a lot of things. >> and i love what the vice president said about hannah's been a good girl while you've been gone. what an emotional eerience for these families. we're going to have complete coverage throughout the day on msnbc and msnbc.com. and coming up for most of you, there is more of "today." for those of you on the west coast, we'll have more whene see you at the top of the hour.

i'm meredith vieira along with ann curry in new york. this has been an nbc special report. we're going to show you some great products picked by parents that can follow your baby through toddler time and some even beyond. plus, a noted chef brings a three-course meal that will total, get this, only 500 calories. also on a programming note, that looks really good, and a surprise twist, america's got talent added eight wild card acts to the top 40. the first 12 to perform last night includingfo ack row dunk o impressed t jheges a second time. j

the city of angels. plains, sun 147b in new england with thunderstorms. in the midwest. tomorrow, strong storms stretching back from the plains on into the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine along the eastern seaboard. good morning. partly cloudy around washington now with temperatures near 80 degrees.

radar getting sprinkles, coming into rockingham county out of the west as well and around understood the region we'll see temperatures climb from near 80 to around 90 this afternoon and a likelihood of passing showers and thundershowers, that may linger into this evening as well. then tomorrow maybe a morning shower or passing thundershower during the afternoon south and east of washington. less humid, highs in the mid that's your latest weather. now back to the nat show. >> i'm lonely here, al. you coming back tomorrow? >> no, one more da out here. then i'll see you friday. with jason mraz. i want to get one of those jason mraz hats. >> that song makes me so happy. i'm yours. it's great. >> i'm glad you finally admitted. >> yes, i am. al, always, in your mind. all right, coming up next, paula abdul voted herself off "american idol. we'll tell you why. more after this.

now to an american idol stunner, last night in a post on her twitter page, judge paula abdul declared she is now leaving the show. here's meredith vieira with more. >> you've moved me from the beginning. >> we watched her cry. dance. sometimes behave odd. >> oh, my god it's like you sang twice. >> and often battle simon. >> i just want to squeeze your neck. >> and now paula abdul is saying good-bye to "american idol." last night on her twitter page paula posted a message to her fans saying with sadness in my heart i've decided not to return to idol. i'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of the show that i helped from day one become an international phenomenon. i do without any doubt have the best fans in the entire world and i love you all. >> we love her, paula abdul. >> tuesday night fox confirmed what many fans didn't want to

hear. but the followers of "american idol" the news may come as no surprise. not after idol producers added a second female judge last season and gave host ryan seacrest a huge raise, reportedly leaving paula abdul angry and hurt. simon, randy and cara dioguardi will remain as judges, leaving the show without a pop star as it enters its ninth season. and leaving critics to question if, without paula, the show's sliding ratings will continue to suffer. >> i can't believe it and i'm devastated. paula, rethink it. come back. coming up next we're going to show you some low calorie meals with big taste. but first these messages.

"tod'sen kchsit" i brought to you bypiyllursb" toastle strudel. the one kids want to eat. ♪ everybody eats when they come to my house ♪ >> in "today's kitchen," hot chef jason graham. a three course dinner for less than 500 calories may sound like a dieter's dream, but at the spa in vista, california, it's all part of finding a balanced lifestyle. jason graham is the executive chef behind the resort's healthy dining. good morning. >> good morning. >> my kind of a healthy lifestyle with a 500 calorie meal that includes steak, tender loin, right? >> yeah. >> so you can eat a steak. >> most people serve chicken or

steak all the time. but if you keep the portion size down. >> that is the key. >> portion control and the ingredients. a leaner piece of meat fillets a lot leaner than rib eye. >> a week at your resort is about $7,000. but you can do this kind of cooking at home? >> real easy. >> something you can teach yourself how to do. >> it's traditional simple. >> you've got a tender loin going here. >> tenderloin needs a little bit of oil. use a good pan like a stainless steel. >> really hot? >> real hot. real important, salt and pepper just like any other type of dish you'd see in any restaurant. >> tenderloin is a very lean cut of beef, too? >> very loin. you don't see all the marbling going on there like a lot of the heavier steaks. of course a little bit of salt. >> we've got steam in here. >> okay. so sear the tenderloin. this is going to lock all the water and moisture inside the beef. there you go sous chef.

>> this is getting a little crispy. >> see that nice crust? that's going to create flavor and keep all the moisture in. >> of course we're not eating this. this is not one portion. >> that's my portion. >> this is for the crew. >> that's for the crew. >> so each side is going to be seared just like that. we'll turn it over until it's golden brown. then after it's done on all sides we'll put it in the oven. >> and pop it in for how long? >> 400 degrees for 20, 25 minutes. >> cook it on the inside? >> about 130 degrees internal temperature. >> you're going to make this heirloom tomato salad. >> heirloom tomato salad. what we're going to do with that, these are beautiful red tomatoes. >> amazing. look at the colors in that. we're going to put a little bit of seasoning. again a little bit of salt. a little bit of fresh pepper. >> these are all seasonal now. i mean the heirloom tomatoes are just so perfect. >> they're perfect, right. tomatoes, peaches, all the things we're doing are in season. totally seasonal.

cost effective. everything tastes better. >> you get the most flavor out of your food this time of year. >> absolutely. these are actually, i believe from right where i'm at. >> you just use balsamic. >> extra virgin so you can really taste it. let that marinate for a little while. >> you can eat as many tomatoes as you want on the 500 calorie diet? >> great little small ones right there. >> bring those over here. and you can actually do some roasted potatoes, right? >> these are some extra things that i've put together to accompany the dish, if you came here and ate on saturday night we'd have real nice heirloom green beans and some roasted potatoes. so we have the beef tied so it would stay together a little bit. keep all together. >> yep. >> remove the string. >> so how big a piece are we really talking? >> three ounces if you're on the 500 calorie meal. >> yeah. >> so three ounces, again, we find most people think that's pretty satisfying. >> yeah. >> have you get done -- >> if you're eating a lot of the extras. >> a little potato.

a little green beans. so the three ounces. beautifully cooked. all the flavors still in there. now to construct the plate. what we like to do is take a little bit of the tomato. i like to do one slice a piece. and we get that good little color going there. a little red up here. >> we should say as we' running out of time, you can actually here you had a nice appetizer, too, a gazpacho soup. >> a littleomato peach gazpacho. >> and also you can have dessert? >> yes, peach cobbler. we took a regular peach cobbler, deconstructed, put all healthy ingredients in there. we don't use any sugar or butter or oil or anything like that. so this would be the dish. beautiful microgreens to garnish it. >> that looks amazing. >> so all of this, your soup and your dessert? that right there. >> 120, and 75 calories. altogether under 500. >> you're going to leave the table full. which is great. >> just go to bed real quick.

>> i like that you're a realist. jason graham, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> i wish i could visit. still to come up next, kid products that they're going to hold onto through the years. ñgp

this morning on "today's family," kids gear that you will use for years, guaranteed. whether it's your first or your third child, if you want to buy smart and be sure to stretch your dollar out more, check out parenting magazine's selection of great kid products that actually grow with your kids. senior editor christina versaletto joins us now with the scoop. good morning, christine. >> good morning. >> i'm going through this right now. spent a lot of money on the baby stuff, now he's 11 months old so i'm trying to find new uses for all that stuff. it gets expensive. >> it sure does.

especially nowadays. moms are looking for a way to save a little money. >> how did you go about choosing? >> we have our mom-tested crew. we have moms all across t country who help us test out these products with their own kids and they report back to us, the good, the bad, the ugly. so we got the lowdown on everything. >> and of course, everything meets safety standards? >> oh, absolutely. before we even test it we make sure of that. these are all from our early years edition of the magazine. so they're perfect for babies up to older kids. >> let's start with the really early kids here. this is a toy infants love because i think my son has one of these. >> right. >> as they grow it goes from this when they're babies to when they're sitting up, standing. >> right. that's right. the height actually adjusts. this is from baby einstein. when you have a newborn they can lie underneath here. when they're sitting up, trying to stand, you can adjust the height so they can reachore toys and have more fun with it. >> this lasts at least a couple of months until they're about -- >> probably more than that. probably x months, at least.

>> okay. that's great. >> now moving on over here to this baby seat, this isn't just for babies anymore? >> no, this is from fisher-price. it's a bouncy seat it starts with, which is indispensable. >> they don't last long in this stage. >> no. so that's why it grows, if you want to press on that button, natalie. >> there we go. >> and it actually turns into a big kid's rocker. >> oh, that's brilliant. >> the feet fold in. >> what a cool thing. >> if you do the front two. you could remove the toy bar and you've got a little rocking chair for a toddler. >that's fantastic. >> our moms loved this. they said it's definitely something that would save them money. >> that's great. because mine liked the baby bouncer i had for all of the first two months. over here the infant carrier. now these it seems like after they're past 20 pounds they break your back. so how do you get this to last a little bit longer? >> sis is from infantina.

a triple comfort rider. you can wear it the way it's shown or on the hip when the baby es get a little holder. >> and then you've got the safety of having them strapped to you. over here this is a feeding high chair. >> that's right. actually a reclining feeding safety from safety first. if you have a tiny apartment this is perfect. you can use this as a high chair. but then as they get a little older you can simply remove the tray. take it to restaurants, take it to grandmas. the back moves up and down so you have a booster seat. >> oh, good. that's great. okay. >> just leave that one here. now let's move over here to this. this is a push toy. starts off as a push toy -- as a riding toy. >> it starts out actually on the base so the baby can't get anywhere. as they grow a little older you can take it off the base and moms can push the child along without killing her back. without having to bend over. eventually the handle comes off. >> that's so cool. >> this is a great three in one. >> all kinds of good things.

>> that actually comes off. you could take it in the car. >> now what do we have here? >> this is our mom-tested favres. this goes from infants all the way up to teenagers, adults. >> al has one of these and says his son still uses it. >> up to 250 pounds. just adjusts by moving the different pieces into ve slots to adjust the 450i9. goes from a high school to an art station chair to a computer chair. >> later on you could use it as a ladder. over here the booster seat that every child, this is going to be kind of quickly. >> this is a great seat for the child who says i don't want to be in a baby seat anymore. i want a big kid booster seat. this back actually comes out. >> great. >> and you have a big kid booster. >> christina, thanks. all of this at prenting magazine and more on our website, todayshow.com. still to come, should you date your friend's ex? plus marlon wayans is back. who are better drivers, men or women?

men don't merge. the woman will sit there and wait. this is what men do. you see where i am over here? and, ka-blam, and then we're all an hour late. depend brand. for women and men.

?o captions paid for by nbc-universal television hi, everybody. it's wednesday. it's august 5th. it's matinee wednesday. we haven't been in awhile. >> we're going today. >> we re. >> my gosh, today was such an emotional day. if you were anywhere around a television set for the last hour you were in for a treat. and the two journalists, lisa ling and euna lee were released. we knew about that yesterday. but we actually got to see them landing on u.s. soil and what struck me was right there. that moment when euna lee saw her daughter hannah. >> oh, my goodness. >> it was one of those moments that we didn't know these two

women, but we knew of them and through their families. but when you saw this moment i felt like i knew. >> actually i'm seeing it for the first time. i was putting the tv on downstairs. >> it was an unbelievable reunion. and just off to the oter side -- >> they were in captivity since march. >> five months. >> you see on the right, that's laura ling and her sister lisa ling and family. when they came off that plane, it was one of those moments that you could watch and watch and watch and watch. and i got to say, laura ling stood up to the podium to speak, and i don't know how, with all those emotions swirling around, how someone can be as composed as she was. but she did speak to camera, and she talked about how afraid she was, and then how relieved she was like that. let's listen to this comment. >> when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton.

we were shocked. but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. >> again, that was laura ling and i got to say, i can't imagine what it must have felt like. like. because they were afraid they were going off to some work camps. so when they said come for a meeting, imagine that you walk in that door and you look up and you see bill clinton standing there. it must have been an astonishing moment for them. >> but they had made the request earlier to their families. and so, you know, i guess they were -- >> who would have thought. >> if it was ever going to happen, they knew it would be president clinton. >> it was such a moment. and a little bit later, because we heard vice president al gore, former vice president al gore speak for awhile. he was adorable. he was talking about how hannah had been a good girl for euna

lee and laura's mother had been cooking for favorite soup for two days now anticipating her coming home. and then a little while later, president obama gave a talk, and let's take a listen to what he had to say. >> the two young journalists, euna lee and laura ling, are safely back with their families. we are obviously extraordinarily relieved. i had an opportunity to speak with the families yesterday. once we knew that they were on the plane. the reunion that we've all seen on television, i think, is a source of happiness not only for the families, but for the entire country. i want to thank president bill clinton. i had a chance to talk to him for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists. i want to thank vice president al gore, who worked tirelessly

in order to achieve a positive outcome. i think that not only is this white house obviously extraordinarily happy, but all americans should be grateful to both former president clinton and vice president gore for their extraordinary work. and my hope is, is that the families that have been reunited can enjoy the next severalays and weeks understanding that because of the efforts of president clinton and gore, they are able to be with each other once again. so, we are very pleased with the outcome. and i'm hopeful that the families are going to be able to get some good time together in the next few days. thank you very much.

>> i'm sure they'll be having some great time together. they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. it was the most wonderful thing to watch. rarely do you actually get to see a moment like that. >> as it's happening. >> i thought it was pretty -- >> oh, there it is again. >> can we just continue to roll the videotape of this reunion. >> the little girl doesn't quite believe it. >> at the end, later on in this video, she's literally hanging onto her mom and not letting go. there's this point where they just hold on like that. hannah. how cute, adorable is that? very great day. >> so often these stories do not have a happy ending. this is wonderful. it's a great blessing. we don't know exactly what we had to negotiate for this. >> no, we don't. >> maybe we never will. >> i'll be curious to hear what bill -- what bill clinton has to say because he hasn't spoken. he didn't speak at this event. but i'd like to hear what he ha. >> he looks better than he looked in recent weeks. although these don't look like happy campers right there.

>> they do not, no. >> i'll be curious to see what he has to say about just what went on. there was a dinner and a long meeting and it will be interesting to hear if we ever hear what came out of that. >> what do you think? think we'll ever know? >> i don't know. be being with eyeballs on eyeballs you learn things about people just being in their presence. i'll just be curious about what his assessment is of that. >> wonder if a nuclear issue came up at all. what an opportunity to, you know, say something. >> i wonder. you do wonder if that came up. i can't imagine that -- i'm sure other things came up other than just a discussion of the two journalists because it was such a long time together that they spent. >> and there's a discrepancy, still, about what their north korean press is saying about the event, as opposed to what our state department is saying. >> and i'm sure you're going to have tw completely different stories. >> oh, yeah. >> shall we move on to other news? >> much more importantly. paula. paula quit. >> so i mean, you know. what do you make of that, by the

way? >> i make of it that her feelings are hurt. i think that she was hoping -- i think she feels that she is equally a part of the success of that program. she has been all over the press, how much ryan seacrest re-signed for $45 million for three years is a hefty thing on top ofthe $30 million he's getting from e! and everything else. >> but she wanted more money? >> she's saying wait a minute, i've been here since the very beginning. look what simon's getting. >> can i ask you a question about money for a second, if you're making a lot of money, does it like -- like if you make more than enough than you'll ever need -- >> it about that. it's about the ego. >> theother person next to me -- like the other person next to me is making more than me. it's about the ego. >> i have no idea what you make. i hope it's what your worth. and i doubt it. i doubt it. >> all right but anyway -- >> i think she's going to be sorry, though. i think she's going to be very

sorry. because that's the engine that runs everything for her. everything else comes out of the "idol" experience. doesn't mean she couldn't find great success elsewhere. it will just be harder to. i think her reality program was not a big success. >> do you think fewer -- i don't see it losing viewers. do you think they'll lose more, because paula, who was sort of an interesting character -- >> but she was a watch. >> i it was news worthy. >> they start their auditions in two days, i think. >> and i wonder if they're going to get somebody else to take her place. >> i'm sorry, but i've got a job. i'm very happy with hoda. i'm sorry. >> i have to talk about something i did yesterday. >> okay. >> yes. >> we've only got about 30 seconds. >> that's all i need. >> at sloan-kettering, i went to sloan-kettering yesterday and talked to a wonderful group of people, some are cancer survivors, some are their caretakers, and i just had a chance, me and torah birch were

there and toy were a terrific bunch of people and a great, great organization. it was nice to be able to go to sloan-kettering. it was a terrific group of people. i just wanted to give a big shout-out to the folks at sloan-kettering. >> and may i say how great you look? >> i put on a new dress for them. >> okay are we going to go over to sara? >> we are. >> hello, sara. >> a lot of people are talking about the paula leaving "american idol." we asked if it was a situation of the young replacing the old? and tommy wrote in, if it was young cara replacing old paula, shouldn't simon be the first to go? >> uh-oh. >> and jill wrote in that the show won't be the same. she may have said some off the wall things but she liked the connection between her and simon, which will be missed. >> i don't know if you guys noticed but we have some oysters here. >> it's national oster day. >> did you know? you're probably wondering what they're doing here. >> i'm not an oyster fan. >> i like them.

but i think the shucking and the opening can be dangerous. >> it can. >> and it can cause harm. >> unless you are an expert. >> like bianca. >> thank you for showing me how earlier. haven't done it for years. >> how do you do it? >> it's very easily and there's no danger. the oyster has a wide end and a pointed narrow end. that's the end you want to go with. use a thick towel or a glove. use the knife, pressing down. find, there's a soft spot. keep poking around until you find the soft spot when you find it, dig in. >> no wonder they cost so much >> just dig in and twist, loosen the shell. the next thing is there's a muscle in there attached to the shell. use the knife to cut it off. and there's also one on the bottom you can do the same thing with. and you serve with hoda's favorite horseradish. >> you don't like it? >> so vile to me. >> be quiet or i can't look at it. >> deep fry it.

>> good. >> okay. >> all right coming up, marlon wayans. >> we lick him. look at him. look at that.

when marlon wayans was growing up in new york playing with g.i. joe dolls he never imagined he'd one day become one. >> now the yongest of the ten wayans siblings is starri in the new movie "g.o. joe: the rise of cobra" and his character

is rip cord. >> take a look. ♪ >> what happened to you? >> i went through the train. what happened to you? >> i jumped over it. >> you can do that? >> yeah. i told you to reads manual. >> there's a manual? >> now you tell me. >> that's hilarious. >> great. >> whoa. >> i smell an oscar. >> oh. >> i don't know. maybe it's the oysters. >> was that suit comfy you were in? >> not at all. the most uncomfortable thing you've ever been in. but supposed to make you run 55 miles an hour. >> not really. >> but imagine that. in traffic. >> and where were you shooting this? >> we shot it in prue.

which was like -- >> it's supposed to be beautiful in prague. >> it is beautiful. but that's supposed to take place in paris. but thank god it took place in prague. in paris that would have cost you $30,000, in prague it was three cents. >> how do you like to have an action figure made up of yourself? >> how cool is that? i like it now. before when they first had it it looked like eddie murphy. or will smith in there. but that's close. it's all good. but it feels really cool. like my kids could play with me. they think it's like a, when i get mad they throw it down. >> what do they think of you? are you just dad or do they realize you're a major movie star? >> i'm just dad. you know, my kids, they ground me, man. this is like, for whatever, dude. you know -- >> how old are they? >> they're tired of my shtick. my daughter is 9, my son is 7. they're like dad, can you ever behave yourself?

dad, don't -- >> your wife is doing all the heavy lifting? >> definitely. thank god for mommy. >> when you were younger, you were the younger of ten siblings, you grew up in the projects, and you really couldn't afford dolls and the rest of it. how did you improvise? >> we had imagination. we grew up real poor. ten kids. dolls or dinner. we took dinner. so you know, sometimes we -- we would play with each other. so my sister sometimes we'd play batman and robin and she would tie me and my brother up, he'd be batman, i'd be robin and she'd tie us up and throw us in the car and ten hours later we're like -- >> good training for your future jobs, you know. >> thank god, yeah. >> did you enjoy doing an action film like this? this is your first real -- >> in spite of the costume? >> i really did. it was my first -- it was nice to be a black man again.

but it was so good to get my body in shape. >> so you did get in shape for it? you weren't absolutely -- >> no, it was good to be sexy witho without -- >> how is the next generation of wayans? are they going to be kind of movie stars like your family? >> i've got nephews that can dance like, you know, writers, producers, all them want to do it. i just say if you're going to do it, you know, you got to rk hard. it's about work. it's about nothing else. not about play. short victories, and -- >> not about glamour. >> no. >> marlon, good luck with the movie. >> thank you. >> all the best with it. it's going to be in a theater near you on friday. >> coming up next, at 42, she took home the silver medal -- >> 41. >> in the 50 meter freestyle. now dara torres is 42. she's nber. st a number.

all right. she's a mom who made headline last summer, you remember, when she became the oldest olympic swimming medalist in history. that was at 41 years old. >> that's very young to me. a year later, dara torres is still making waves returning to the united states after competing in the 2009 world championships in rome, italy. she's just back and we're so glad to see you. >> you all come back. >> how are you? >> i'm doing well, much better now that i get to see my daughter. i didn't get to see her for 3 1/2 weeks. >> that's the hardest part. >> it is. >> you're competing to these far younger women, i thiet admit it

becau you seem like a spring chicken to me, but they're not in the words, burdened, but they don't have the responsibilities of a little one at home and all of that. it's so much easier for them. >> it is. it's tough mentally when you want to be there for her. i skype her which is fun. >> it's fun. >> painful for you. >> e'shere. >> she is here. >> say hello to her. she's on camera somewhere. >> she's adorable. >> how were the worlds, that was the one where the guy's bathing suit. >> you guys know at least. >> we showed that video. >> we cracked up over that one. >> his face is better looking than his buns. >> he was gorgeous. >> we gave him a lot of grief for that. >> did you? >> we were teasing him. the whole team was teasing him. >> you finished eighth in the worlds. how did you feel? >> i would want to win, i'm very competitive. but if you look at it realistically, i, you know, with everything i've gone through this past year with the distractions and aa lot of the

appearances and a hurt knee it was a good placement for me. >> not just a hurt knee. painful in the situation the way it's described, you need to have surgery for. why in europe, and then in canada? >> they don't do this surgery in the united states. so i have to get it done overseas. it's a two process surgery, and i just can't wait to get it fixed. >> yeah. >> in case i decide to swim, but also just for everyday things like walking up and down the stairs. >> you're such an inspiration. so many people look at you and think, wow, if she can do that, if you can do that at 41 i can do something a lot easier at 44. do you feel that a lot from people who come up to you? >> i do. >> it's so rewarding to hear that. i never went into this with that intention but it just sort of happened. it's a very rewarding feeling. >> can we show your daughter >> they just found her. >> hey! >> hi! >> mommy. >> hi! >> okay. >> she's afraid you're going to leave her again, you horrible

person. >> no. >> you're also trying to encourage other people that age is not just a number, aren't you? >> i am. i'm actually here in new york on behalf of bp to celebrate the launch of the new gasoline that has invigorate and it helps keep your cars running younger for longer and trying to inspire people to liver younger for longer. if you go to bpinvigorate.com website there's a contest. you can possibly win $10,000 worth of gas. and hang out with me for a day. >> what's your secret? i mean for feeling, staying youthful. i know you work out a lot, obviously. >> i'm very passionate about what i do. i love fitness. i love staying in shape, it makes me feel good on the outside and on the inside. i love working out. >> we wish you such great luck. >> what do you think? are we going to be competing anymore? >> are you going to be in london? >> once my knee is fixed i'll decide. but it's not a no. i would love to do that but i have to see if my body holds up.

>> we wish you all the best. >> it's not going to be an issue thing. it will be at least a year. >> at least half a year. >> all right. >> whatever. >> thanks, dara. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> still to come, what do we have? >> a very special who knew. >> we can't really talk about. plus the dos and don'ts of dating. especially if you're reenerring the scene a little later in life.

okay, we are back at zone and deluca are cross from our studios. hoda's over there. over there. we have a very special, very special surprise for you today, hoda woman. >> okay. >> okay. you know, today we're going to celebrate all things hoda kotb. and who better than the friends you love so much more than you love me? let's bring out karen swenson to sit next to you. >> what? >> you are kidding! oh, you are kidding me. oh, my gosh. >> are you surprised? >> i'm very -- i cannot believe it. >> okay. >> i just talked to you on the phone. you were here? >> like 30 minutes ago. i was right downstairs. >> okay. >> i love this show.

>> what are we doing? >> we're doing who knew. we're talking about you. >> i don't know. >> man from gaithersburg, maryland. all right. okay. where was hoda n?rbo was she born in cairo, egypt. >> norman. >> norman, oex la. he knew it right away. >> how did you know? >> you get a gift certificate. >> how did he know? >> that's shocking. >> i had to call dubai to make sure it was norman. >> look how we kind of match. >> what else? >> is it richmond, virginia? hoda i think you know this lady. she is one of your sorority sisters from virginia tech. >> oh, my gosh. >> i'm really not stalking you, i promise. >> she's been over here three times. this is a little weird.r >> where did hoda go to college? >> virginia tech. >> my gosh. >> here you go. >> i cannot believe this.

i can't believe you're here. >> okay, we're ready. >> inolis. d.illinois. this lady is from illinois. what's hoda's biggest issue with regard to her body, her feet, her hair or her breasts? >> feet. we're going to say feet. >> no. she's got the world's most gorgeous feet. no, no, no. poor baby, everyone has a story. a little bit of humidity it blows up like crazy. >> the gel, and the flat iron. and the hammer. >> or a hat. >> or a hat. >> i can't believe you're sitting here. >> bradenton, florida, right? >> okay. where does hoda's sister halla live. hint, hoda just returned from a vie indication there, dubai, cairo or tokyo. >> cairo? >> no. she lives in dubai. >> you're giving those cds away

pretty quickly. >> hoda you need to talk about yourself more often. >> dubai. hala does live in dubai. she's lived there for two years and is enjoying it. >> and wisconsin. this young lady from wisconsin. where does hoda's -- that's for you. thank you. besides new york, which city is nearest and dearest to hoda's heart. new orleans, san francisco, or chicago? >> new orleans. >> yes, that's right. that's right. here you go. >> new orleans. i love new orleans. >> and karen, by the way, kathie lee met, i know she's not listening, we met in new orleanshow my years ago? >> 16 years ago. >> 16 years ago. >> it was the craziest thing. >> overnight nothing and you were the big cheese, and you said hello to me. why did she say hello to me? >> and now we're best friends. >> hoda by the way, she is every bit as gorgeous as you said ciexhseeroe h d which exercise does hoda do every morning, pilates, kick boxing or running?

>> pilates. >> nope. it's running. but you're going to love my way home. it's a great cd. >> kathie lee, she is a gazelle. she is a kazle. we used to run to the and i am as slow as molasses. when we learn we'd put our ipods off, she'd say you go this way, i'll go that way. >> i call it plodding. it's not running. it's plodding. >> what i do? >> no what i do. >> someone from upstate new york, if she wasn't doing the job she loves, because she works with me. what other career might she have pursued, attorney, dentist or teacher? >> i would say teacher. >> kwep. she'd be a great teacher. right, hoda? >> yes, i'm going to do that one of these days. >> she's going to do it for sure. >> okay, one last one. nobody, that's it. but hoda, guess what? >> what? >> karen's going to lunch with us today and she's also going to see -- >> you are? >> it was a surprise to me, too.

>> i'm so excited. >> i've got a true or false or maybe the crew then. true or false, hoda is so neat it borderlines on obsessive? >> false. >> false is right. >> false. >> there's a story i told the producer. we used to live in adjacent apartments and i'm just as at fault as she is, too. we went out for coffee one day, we were out for white awhile, then our news director i guess was concerned, sent somebody to the apartment to check on us. they called the police because they thought it had been ransacked. >> that's the way i live. >> i can't believe you're here. oh, my gosh. >> i want to thank everybody who played along, and thanks -- karen, i can't believe you're here. >> can i give you a kiss from katherine my daughter who calls her aunt hoy? >> i love it. >> dating tips that will ensure second date.

we're back with "today's relationships" and those dating dos and don'ts. >> so what are the deal makers and deal breakers when you are looking for love? our resident single lady sara haines, she hit the streets to find out. >> is it over okay to date your best friend's exes? >> never.

>> well if your best friend is okay with it, i would say yeah. >> not if you want to live. >> not if you want to stay friends. >> is it okay to kiss on the first date? >> absolutely. >> so you do that a lot? >> not anymore. i have a girlfriend, fiancee. >> if you like the guy, right? >> what about social networks and dating. meeting someone on a facebook or match.com. >> most definitely. >> i'm the wrong generation to ask that to. >> where did you guys meet? >> myspace. >> what do you think of inner office dating? >> i think it's a dangerous thing. >> i married my husband and we work together being i'm okay with it. >> have you ever been in office relationship? >> never. not since i've been married. i don't think i ever have, actually. >> that's good. >> here with help are jeff gardere, contributor to nbc's thegrio.com and relationship expert robi ludwig. where should we begin. what about the dating of a friend's ex?

i mean the person gave a flat-out no. >> never. >> never. >> having said that, my sister will match up people with her exes and was very thrilled that one of her exes got married to one ofhe hookups she created. >> that's the exception. >> it is the exception. >> but what are the short-term guy you dated for awhile, was never serious. that's different than -- >> even if the friend says oh, it's okay for you to date my ex, you better believe they don't really mean it. >> i don't think i would want any of my friends dating someone who i had a relationship with. i think it would be very well. >> the dynamics is just too complex. >> these exes are part of your sis try. and when you think about it would you want your friend telling romantic secrets -- >> i think we do that too much anyway. really, really do. >> especially about your performance. he was really lousy. oh, you're much better. >> or make it so he had a terrible partner. >> let's go on to dating in the

workplace. is that a definite black and white yes and no? >> sometimes it's against the rules. >> right. >> it's a lot of times against the rules. i mean i met my husband at work and i think a lot of people do. and it makes sense. so sometimes you're just on the same page, you have the same interests. >> but if it goes awry, you know, you're looking at sexual harassment issues. if it doesn't work out, then you have to look at that person every damn day. it is very awkward. i think as you get older, you get away from those sorts of things because you do know about theer. i think younger people do it because they need to learn. >> also if the person you're dating is in a position of power that can put a wrecking ball through your career, as well. >> just as bad, but can also -- >> are you willing to lose your job over it? and if you say yes, i'm willing to take the risk, then you can move forward. but you are making -- you are taking that risk. >> even better, quit the job. if you really want to be involved. >> who's doingthat? >> if they take care of you. if i met a great female executive and i was divorced,

which i might be by the end of this segment, i would quit my job if that -- >> and let her take care of you? >> yeah. i need someone to take care of me. >> guys are doing that these days. >> getting old. >> there it goes. there it goes. >> what about the social netw k networking sites? there's a lot of them? >> i think it's a great way to meet. initially. i like the face-to-face stuff. social networking amongst your friends. but in this day and age you really need the space-age stuff to help you. it's expedient. >> yeah. and any way is a great way to meet a potential partner. so you need to be in -- >> you don't get a total read on the person at all. >> you never get a total read on a person even when you are face-to-face. it takes awhile. >> absolutely. >> i think safer than meeting somebody at, you know, like a blind date or something. >> but even when you do meet them, after you are on one of these networking sites, make sure that there are friends that are there with you. that it's a public place, because as charming as they may be you don't know what you're

getting into until that's right. >> what do you think about that philosophy that you can learn everything you need to know about somebody by sitting down to dinner with them. how they order. how picky they are. >> how they treat the wait staff. >> it's all over in one meal. you can get it. >> you can learn aot but you're not going to learn everything. >> a lot. >> but you can learn a lot. >> and if -- and if they're shoving that food in their faces, you know, run out of there. make like mercury and run. and if they're cheap on the tip, that's not the person you want to date. absolutely. >> i know people that will break up with partners based on how they handle the check and splitting of the bill. >> and rightfully so. >> well, thank you. >> yeah. >> still married. >> hopefully. >> he's still married. >> and if those tips don't work, up next we're going to sw you how to spice things up in the caribbean.

we're back with "today's kitchen" and we're getting saucy with chef nicele spence, and also karen joined us. >> karen my best friend came to visit today. we've been friends for 16 years. he's going to show us how to

make -- what are we making? >> jerk steak. >> it's jamaican independence, it's a big deal. >> 47 years now. >> 47. all right. >> this i thought was inexpensive meat and you said now that people are on to it they're discovering and it's getting a little more expensive. but still, still better than a filet mignon. >> yes. >> all right, david. >> we're making the rub we're going to be putting on here. >> oh, let's make the rub. >> we're only puttinged rub on one side, if youike you can put the salt and pepper on one side. just salt an pepper on top and i'll put the rub on the other side. i'll start making the rub. >> what do you put in the rub? >> lots of garlic. we have garlic. we have ginger. we're going to put in some of the heat here. this is peppers. >> from jamaica. >> okay. >> this is some dried thyme. and then we have a little bit of cinnamon and a little bit of nutmeg. and this is my secret spice.

i don't have it in my recipe because this is coming from jamaica, way up in the hills, it's called wild cinnamon. >> oh, i smell that. >> you dump all that. >> i'm going to dump it right in there. >> dump it. >> and we're going to grab all this stuff here. everything goes in. >> all this stuff. >> everything is going in. >> that is all-spice. another very important. >> this is going to be the moment. >> look how much oil. >> is it olive? >> we're going to stream it. >> we're going to put this on top. >> there you go. right on top. >> and as soon as i start pulsing. there you go. just bring everything together. there you go. >> all right. and then -- >> and as you go along with that. the next thing we're going to do, we're going -- >> oh, it's doing its thing slowly. >> oh, hello. >> you're dangerous with that thing. >> you are dangerous. >> all right, okay, so this is the rub. >> that's the rub already completed. >> there's the rub.

>> so i'm going to turn it on the other side, just a little surprises. so that's perfect. all right, so turn it over on this side. >> okay. >> and so one side salt and pepper. >> this is what it would look like? >> that's what the rub would look like. >> now we put that on there and rub it? or spread it. >> there you go. >> how much of it. >> you can take a little off and put some on the other one. we don't want it to overpower. >> gotcha. you made lots of it, i can see. >> yeah. you want to make sure that you have some -- >> how long do you cook it, nigel? >> about three minutes on one side. >> and then you flip it? >> maybe another two, three minutes. >> oh, that is fantastic. >> you don't want that to get too well done. it gets too tough. >> that's looking good. >> hoda is cooking. >> all right so now we're going in the back. >> let's go. >> all right. >> come on, karen. this is live tv. >> sorry. >> all right.

>> all right. >>ow let's try this baby out. >> all right we can grab a couple of those over there. >> okay, thank you. >> hoda, what do you have here? >> i have some jamaican rum punch to celebrate independence. >> all righty. >> is karen a drinking girl? >> that's really good. >> you guys don't drink at all? >> we try not to. just for fun. >> be careful with the rum punch, because it's potent. >> okay. >> aging, here and i. aging. >> coming right along. here we go. >> okay. >> we've got three seconds. >> here we go. >> thank you, nigel. >> thank you. >> nigel, thank you. >> you're very welcome. >> big thank you to netn for lting us have karen for a day. >> that is delicious. >> thank you very much. >> we'll be back with more of "today."

>>it's check-in time with dating girl sara haines. >> what are they saying? >> last topic, dara torres. paula wrote in, recently turned 40 and back to school. thanks, dara, you're an inspiration to us all. >> did they talk about the dating? >> well, a little bit. >> what's that mean? >> what do you mean? >> no, they did talk about the etiquette and they went right into you never date a friend's exes. never. we had a couple guys that were like yeah, of course. guys do that. >> it depends on how big the dating pool is where you live. if there are three guys. >> what are we giving away? >> ten i-homes so you need to write in throughout the day, karen rocked. karen rocked and where you're from and we'll pick ten people at random at the end of the day. >> thank you. tomorrow general hospital's rick springer is going to be here. also our plaza ambush makeover

tomorrow. >> everyone has a story. >> do not miss this tomrow it's fantastic.