breaking news. massachusetts senator edward kennedy has died. he was the 77-year-old lion of the senate, patriarch of the country's most storied political family. he lost his battle with brain cancer late last night at his home on cape cod. his life and 46 years in office marked by both triumphs and tragedies. we'll look back on one of the most influential lawmakers in u.s. history "today," wednesday, august 26th, 2009.

captio paid for by nbc-universal television good morning and welcome to "today" on this sad wnesday morning. the u.s. flag flying at half-staff in front of the u.s. capitol building in washington. that's the site right there in honor of senator ted kennedy, the nation's third longest serving senator. i'm matt lauer. >>'m ann curry in for meredith. there is a statement released by the kennedy family overnight that says it all, "we've lost the irreplaceable center of our tnee kkeedd kennedy was forced take over the mantel of the kennedy legacy following the assassination his older brothers.rede foh f. president and senator robert kennedy. the death of his tgic other joseph as well. became one of the most effective legislators of the past 50 years. >> senator kennedy died late tuesday night at his massachusetts home 15 months after being diagnosed with a

malignant brain tumor with his wife and children by his side. president obama release a statement this morning after speaking with senator kennedy's wifend called senator kennedy the gatest u.s. senator of our time. he also says he is heart broken and also added for five decades, virtuallyvery maj piece of legislation, dealing wit civil rights, health and economic well being of the american people bo senator kennedy's name and resulted from his effort >> we knew he was sick for the past year or so. he grew less visible as his health declined. the last time we saw him was august11th, the day his sister jew nis kennedy shriver died just a couple of weeks ago. but as you might recall, senator kennedy did not attend her funeral. perhaps just too weak to attend last weakene sent a letter to massachusetts lawmaks asking for a change in that state's law to speed up how his successor in the senate would be chosen we begin this morning with more on senator kennedy's life and legacy

. >> the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: edwar kennedy's hopes and dreams of becoming president were never realized. dashed in large part by a tragic accident and resulng scandal that wld haunt him for yes. deite it he bece one of the most influential and proctive legislators of his ti, a chpion of liber causes, even when they wer out of faction. his reputation spanned the globe. >> i want to announc awarded by her majesty, the queen, on behalf of the british people, an honorary knighthood for sir edward kennedy. >> reporter: his son, rhode island congressman patrick kennedy acknowledged thehonor. >> he was a true senator who used that institution to create all sorts of things he cared about, went acrossarty lines and really was ableo make that

senate work in the way that it should be workg. >> reporter: the youngest of the four boys whose rich and powerful father was determined at the first catholic president be named kennedy, edward moore kennedy lived to be the oldest surviving brother. in his 20s and 30se was in his brothers' shadow, following them to harvard, running john's senate re-election campaign, working to elect him to the white house, then winning john's senate seat as soon as he was old eugh to serve. en the slain president was buried, he walk behind his brother robert. when robert was killed in 1968, while running for president, edward kennedy led the mourners the youngest son w now the patriarch. then came chappaquiddick. he was behind the wheel when his car went off a bridge late a night. a young wan in the car died. kennedy didn't report the accident for nine hours. a lapse he called indefensible. critics said it raised questions about his fitness to be presidt. it was t beginning of the end

of his marriage. even his future in the senate was in doubt. >> i know full well why some might think it right for me to resign. for me, this will be a difficult decisi to make. >> reporter: but massachusetts voters would not forsake a kennedy. he remained a perennial presidential possibility unt he took himself outf the 1988 race. >> i know that this decision means that i may never be president. but theurit of the presidency is not my life. public serce is. >> reporter: he devoted himself to his senate work, teaming with republicans to pass legislation on health care, civil rights, and education. in 1994, his son patrick was elected to the house, extending the dynasty with a rare capitol hill father-son team. kennedwould marry a second time and become the father of young stepchildren. to the end, he washe family leader, a role thatnvolved

more public mourning. for his former sister-in-law, cqueline kennedy onassis, for his nephew, john kennedy jr. in 2008, kennedy invoked a family name endorsing barack obama, likening him to another young charismatic first-term senator elected president before he was ever born -- john kennedy. later that year came stunning news. he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and underwent surgery. but that didn't deter h from doing what could for obama, even at the risk of his own health. leaving a hospital b to make another stiing cvention speech. >> the work begins anew. the hope rises again and the dream lives on. >> reporter: andnhe day barack obamaecame the 44th president, kennedy brad the elements to attend the ceremony, only to end up in the hospital after suffering a seizure.

less tha four weeks later, he was back at the capitol to vote for president obama's stimulus package. kennedy never fulfilled what many saw as his famil destiny but found fulfillment athe other end of pennsylvania aven on capitol hill. what aareer on capitol hill. 2,500 bills he wrote. i think300 of those became law. co-sponsored another 550 bills. he was prolific. >> he really was. a statement he made quoted to the "new york times" this morning talks to that point -- "we know the future will outlast all of us but i believe that all of us will live on the future we make." he made a future from actually i think perhaps it could be said for every american. >> that's true. i know anne thompson is in hyannisport this morning. >> good morning, ann. >> reporter: good moing. you can see behind me there are police at the end of the street which takes you into the kennedy

compound them. can you see nantucket sound where senator ted kennedy saw solace and adventure on the seas of sailing i his beloved "mia" upntil two weeks ago. last night he succumbed to th ma lig manhattan brain tumor that he had been diagnosed wh in may 2008. we were td the kendy family began gathering early last evening and that around him was his immediate family, including his wife vicki, teddy jr., patrick kennedy and his daughter kara, along with his stepchildren carolinend curran. i was thinking as i was watching people go about their daily busine, they're waking u this morning, they' jogging, gettintheir newspaper and here in this tiny village of about

130 homes, it is a day that starts like any other day b i is a day that will really mark a change here because the kennedys put hyannis port, massachusetts when rose and joe kennedy moved their family here s many years ago. for the last 50 years it has been a place where america has looked to, in part to chart its political history. it is her where the kennedys waited the returns whenohn kenned ran for president in 1960. it is here where they celebrated weddings. caroli nnedy's wedding in 1986. maria shriver's wedding to now-governor of california arnold schwarzenegr. it's also herehere they have mourned the ones they love. john f. kennedy jr. ten years ago. eunice kennedy shriver two weeks o. and now senator edwardkennedy. ann and matt, backo you. >> anne thompson, thank you so ch. president obama who is spending the wk on martha's vineyard spoke with senator nnedy's wife ovnight.

ron alan is covering the president's vacation. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. yes, president obama was informed the senator kennedy's passing around 2:00 a.m. this morning and he spoke with mrs. kennedy shortly thereafter. there had been a lot of speculation president obamwas gogo try and visit the kennedy compound but of course that was not meant to be. the president attribute much of his own success, in part, to the efforts of senator kennedy. legislative efforts in e senate, hisfforts for him on the campgn trail, a to a close personal relationship. the president's statement reads, in part, "i valued his wise counsel in the senate where regardless of the swirl of events h always had time f a new colleague. i cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the presidency. even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, i've profited as president fro his courage and wiom." e president says he considered kennedyo be the greatest u.s. senator of all-time.

we expec to hear dirtly from the esident some time later this morning. l logistics are being worked out. >> r, i know iis important for psident oba to say someinbecause 's considered sator kendyuch a stng adviso thank you so much ts morning. senator kennedy called heal car reformhe cause of hislife. just last week his son patrick said his father was frustrated that he couldn't be in washington for that ongoing debate. les bng in david gregy, moderator of "meet the press" andbc's andre mitchell and kelly o'doel we heardon allen talk about senator kennedy's endorsement of barack obama during the primary campaign in 20. let me ask you this. andrea, start with you. talk about senator kenny's real political power and then david, i'll go to you with his aura and what surrounded him. andrea? >> first of all,he real political power was the fact that he was a legislator. havi decided after 1984 in

fact when he said he never would be president he turned to the senate and became the greatest setor of oureneration in ther party because he was able to work even a little uncomfortably with some democrats like jimmy carter when heas preside who was much more conservative than teddy kennedy. as a legislator he was the greatest man in the senate. but then he h the torch. he carried the flame of the kennedy legacy. that is what we s passed to barack obama. that was such a powerful moment in the campaign. it came after the south carolina victory. came at a moment when we saw caroline kennedy endsement in the "new york tes." then that great moment for obama, and for kennedy, as they had the passi of the torch to thisoung man who was not a kenny but waslearly the man th the had chosen, to car on theegacy of the great event in washington at american

university. >> david, it is impossible to calculate the impact of that aura. isn't it? >> it really is. you talk about it in terms of that endorsement. ted kennedy said to barack obama, i'm going to endorse you t you got to make me a promise, that is that health care is the number one thing that you . president obama said it would ha been number one if not for state of the economy. it came in right behind it. senator kennedhas a lot of force. that aa on capitol hill matted. he was not onl a voice of moral authority on health care, a cause heook up back in the 1966, ur years after he becomes a united states senator, but it was also something that transferred to the ability to work with republicans t get a republican on-board. i have talked to allies in this health care fight now who say the void is huge without senator keedy i this fight day to day. the ability to get some kind of grand bargains sething that's proved illusivehus far. a lot of people think ted keedy would have had much better odds. >> kelly, people talk about his

ability toeach across party lis. but the fact of the mter is he waa real partisan. he was an absolute liberal, yet people talk aut him not hating, not spewing nom, then you go back to some of the speeches and comments he made on the war in iraq and on the bork nomination, they were very pointed and harsh. weren't they? >> very hardene vis. but what you learn from other senators is it was the persol touch that ted kennedy was able to connect with his colleagues both republicans and democrats on many imptant days and on many ordinary days. they say he was always the first to be on the telephone if a fellow member lost someone in their family, suffered a tragedy, because he derstood that. he would even do simple things like carry a plate of cookies or zbla zbl cigars to try to nudge them along. all gestures, personal contact. making those connections at all different times. he had a great sense of timing when he would know how to push a colleague and when to come back

and try tmpromise. so in the big terms that you've heard andrea and did talk about, it was alsohe quiet, private momentshat made those connections. >> andrea, how did heanage to kind of transition in the post chappaquiddick years he developed a reputation -- it wasn't a re positive reputation -- as a hard-drinking, perhaps own womanizer. later in his life he was known as a statesman. how did he make that transition so successfully? >> vicki kennedy, his second wife, transformed his life. with his extended family, he viewed as his own children, he lived the life. he was at soccer games. he was at school. he became a completely transformed human being. she is a great hero in his life. >> andrea, david and kelly, we appreciate your time this morning very much. chris matews recently sat down with a number of kennedy insiders for a special documentary set to air previs

to the news this morning tomorrow on msnbc. called "the kennedy brothe." chris matthews, goodmorning. looking at this, taking a look at this closely, at ts faly, where does edward -- ted kennedy fit into the kennedy brothers? >> h was always a brother. when he was 14 years old at a lebration for his brother jack when he was about to be elected to congress, young 14-year-old ted kennedy stood up and said, i'd like to offer a tst to the brotherwho's not here, joseph nnedyr. he's thene that remembered the oldebrother who was killedn wod war ii. i think if jack knedy was asked back in 1957 to pick the greatest senators in history, in fact if y go visit the united states capitol, their pictures are on the wall, taft, webster, clayton, calhoun. if he could have looked forward he would have picked his youngest brother. it is so ironic jack nnedy as a senator, ted kennedy of all the brothers became the great

senator perhaps in history. >> it's inresting, irish foreign affrs minter sai something very poignant this morning. when he said that ted kennedy was the true profile in courage. >> well, it's ironic because everything matt brought out in terms of h life is all true. it is a mixed bag. he grew up -- think that's the answer to the question. he took a while to grow up. but he did find his seat. he wasn't meant to be president. he ran because his brothers ran. but yet he was the most brotherly and if you look at the history of the guy, what he went through and toecome this great senator, i say to young people, you thk it doesn't matter? you're voting at 18. you think it doesn't matter? you're a young woman athlete? title 9. you get to play sports with the me ability as a young man. these are little things in h life. yet he couldn't run for president. roger mudd asked him the best

journalist question perhaps of all times, the hardball down the middle. not the curveball. not the tricky one. y do you want to be president? it tk ted kennedy 70 words to get to the answer which was storation. he justanted to bring back what bobby and jack had given us. he wanted to be h brother's brother. then he turned that torch over last year to barack obama. the great tng about t kennedys is they aays gre as afamily. they tended to get better as they got older. some families like the long family of louisiana, dissated. this family got better. the kennedy commitment to cil rights was aost accidental. it began because of history. '63 and martin luther king's marc by bobby it became passion. by teddy it became real. teddy turns it over to the first african-american says, you've got the ball. amazing history. barack's now the last brother. it's history. he was the great brother. >> o that note we leave it. chris matthews thank you so much this mornin

once again t kennedy brothers, a special hour-long documentary premiers tomorrow night on msnbc. let us get a check of the other top stories of the morning. natalie's at at news desk in for ann. good morning. >>good morning, everyone. in other news this morning, the taliban is denying responsibilityor a deadly attack in afghanistan during the night. at least 43 people were killed and 65 wounded, all of them civilians when a truck packed with explosives blew up in kandahar. rescue workers are still looking for victims this morning. the attack was the worst of its kind in more than a year. more than 5 million window shades and blinds are being recalled this morning. three children have died after getting caught in the product's cords. the recall involves blinds and shades sold under various nam, ikea, pottery barn kids, target, expo design center and vertil land stores. overseas markets are mostly higher this morning following better than expectedousing numbers in the u.s. nasa i trying to fix a

valve problem onhe shuttle "discovery." it forced a scr of this morning's planned launch. and the economy just got a little bit better for a retired south carolina worker. on tuesday solomon jackson jr. came fward to cim an almost $260 million powerball jackpot. he says he doesn't expect life to change all thatchnd -- get this -- he even spent tuesday morning mowin a neighbor's lawn. something tells me a lot of neighbors are going to be lining up for a lawn mowing. 7:19 now. over t matt, ann and al. >> he nds to rethink that "life's not going to change too much." it is going tochange. his phone' going to ring a lot, no qution. >> he can buy an awfully big wn now. let's see what's happening. a lot of heat in the northeast. goodews is humidity levels will be down. looking at nine throughout the southwest, hit or miss showers an thunderstorms from texas on into florida. a line of showers and thunrstorms stretching from nebraska and kan good morning.

it's turned more humid, temperatures around the region in the 60s to near 70. there is capitol hill, surrounded by a late summer haze this morning. now 71 in washington, highs today near 90 degrees. lots of sunshine. a little more humid today. tomorrow a northeast breeze after a front comes through in the morning. will keep us cooler. maybe clouds in and out. mostly cloudy friday and saturday. depending how close a trocal system c >> that's your latest weather. justahea more on t loss of senator ted kennedy,is passinanotr sad chapter for the nnedy family. here nows aoo atome images from ted kennedy's life set to the eulogy he gave for his brother robert back in 1968. >> all of us will ultimately be

judged, and as the years pass, we will surelygegeudud j jurur the eort we have contributed to building a new world society and the extento whicour ideals and goals have shaped that event. our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control. it is the shaping impulse of america that neither fakes our nature, nor thee ties f history, but whetior of our own hands, matched to reason and principle, that will determine our destiny. there isride in that, even arrogance. but there is also experience and trh.ut anyh.t,en aev its i thes only y

we can live.he

more on the life of senator ted kennedy. >> the senator in his own wor after your local news and local weather forecast. n

we're following the death of senator edward kennedy. flags are at half-staff at the u.s. capitol building. senator kennedy died late last night after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. our time is 7:26. i'm joe krebs on this wednesday, the 26th day of august. the top story is the passing of senator edward kennedy. and the third longest serving senator is remembered on capitol hill. right now a mass at holy trinity catholic church is wrapping up. we spoke with a parishioner who described how he viewed the life

and legacy of the legendary politician. >> from the day he was -- took his oath at the capitol he was in the pew in front of me here, and he lived right down the street, so in terms of following history and how it was going and the benefit of living in washington, i and a friend of mine just walked and followed them along, saw jackie onassis come out of the house and stuff like that. it was wonderful. >> senator kennedy spent many sundays at holy trinity catholic turch there in nd ak oour l o we'll come back and look at our weather and traffic.

once again, coming up at "news 4 at 5:00" p.m. much more on the life and legacy

. >>in the lower left corner of the screen there is the flag flying at half-staff, that in honor of senator ted kennedy who has passed away at the age of 77. he workein that building for some 4years. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer and ann curry who's in for meredith this morning. much more ahead on the loss of senator keedy. this morning, president obama's calling him the greatest u.s. senator of our time.

's pising his work to advance civil rights and economic well being of all americans. but there were also darker times well. we'll talk about it all in this half hour with nbc's tom brokaw as well as o of senator kennedy's closest fendsho al wrote the senator's biography. >>let's begin with o of our more morable conversations with senor keedy. this happened back in mar of 1997 when the senator took us on a tou of his brother's presidential library in boston. >> president kennedy came from an urban area. my grandfather wasayor of the city of boston and to have the library in an urban area next to a university, and then close to the sea which he loved. he loved story. he loved this city. >> presideial libraries by their nature are supposed t commemorate ideals of the man. what ideals of yr brother, of president kennedy, are captured in this place? >> well, really, a belie that individuals can make a difference and everyone should

try. i think tha really captured the essence of his presidency. i mean it was the challenge of his inaugural speech. >> ask not what your country can do for you. k what you can do for your couny. >> that line in thatpeech may be one of the most famous lines a politician has ever uttered. iteally wasn't a speec writer's line. it was what came from the art. >> well, it was really his life. that really w president kennedy. everyonehat knew him and loved him understood it. and the words were consistent with the human being. they were in harmony. his words were in harny with his beliefs, which were in harmony with his spirit, which is i harmony with his soul. and his zest for life. ♪ k-e-double n-y

was there a difference tween the person and the politician? >> not at all. >> that seems unbelievable in today's world. >> ofourse my mother and father wouldn't let him be anything by himself in any event. >> nbc's ian williams is outside the kennedy compound in hyannis port this morning. joins us alongith tom brokaw who is on the phone right now. gentlemen, good rning. brian, let me ask you about this. so many tragedies. i heard some people this morning talking abou some of the events in ted kennedy's life resembling greek tragedy. and he always showed such public strength during those tragic moments. did he ever reflect on how he managed to do that? >> well, it was late in life, remember, that he kd of took on the role of familypatriarch. first held by his father, the former ambassador to england,

joseph p. kennedy. and, yes, the tragedies tha started early on in his life, starting with the ls of his hero brother, the brother who was supposed toe president, joe jr., just kept going. it's all this familiar real estate behind us. so many layers to this story, this sad news we're wakg up to. part of it is the loss here in hyannis port. the protective family of residents around here. it's ts very familiar real estate where again weaw ted kennedy arriving because his nephew's plane was missing. tragedy afte tredy, he rose tohe leadership role withi e family as an organization >> mike, i kw i've got you now. you not only covered senator kennedy's career as a columnist for "the boston globe" but you were also a close friend. i know in the last several months you went and visited senator nnedy on numers occasions. when you spoke to him, what was it he wanted to reflect on? >> i think, matt, he of course

had the luxury of living a longer life than either of his three brothers ever did. he had the luxury of being able to plan the remainder of his life. it didn't end in a single climactic violent moment, as did the lives of his other three brothers. and he spoke qui at length for a considerable period of time, over an extended period oftime, about his memors of his brothers. he clung to them as h spoke to them. he would talk about his bther joe teaching him how to swim right out in front of the compound he remembered vividly the day that t -- that an army aplain came to the front door of the home i hyannis port to hell t tell h mother and father joe had be killed over the eng glash channel. he remembered vividly his mother was in the kitchen and his father upstairs. he remembered vividly all sorts of things from the lon episos of anxtended life that

encompasses much of the history of the 20th century. >> tom, so mh in politics is about hard work and some have called it doing the blue collar work of e sete. a lot i polic islsobout the spoken word. senator kennedy was an equent man. i ju wan toead y whae said when john kennedy jr. passed away. s words wer stirring. he said, "we dare to think in that other irish phrase that this john kennedy would le to comb gray hair wh hbeloved carolyny his side, but like his father, he had every gift t ngth of years." talk to m about that eloquence. >> well, were really twoed kennedys whent came to his public speaking. i remember so vividly when his brother died, when bobby died, he talked about wanting to sail agait the wind and ride a bike. as mike just described, he had this really deep well of memory those very intimate moments. it was so hard for him when john

jr. died. as you have just reflected now on how he described what he had hoped that he wld have in his life. but his wife will tell you as well, often in private conversations he spoke almost in code. you'd have a hard time following him because he'd have about nine thoughts going at thsame time anit would be laced with this kind of talk from boston with a lot of laughter, wllet this guy over hereean put this together -- >> almost halfentees. i know about that. mike, i heard you tell -- if you could do it brief -- a very fascining story about you asking him sailing on his boat. you asked him if when he was out on the sea he saw his brothers. >> i asked him that, matt, sitting on the front porch of the home in hyannis port, depending on the color of the water,un reflectg on the war, senator,o you ever see your brothers out there? he rponded rig away, yes,

all the me i see them all the time. >> brian, do we know anymore -- you're there at the compound -- do we know any more about what the family pns are over the next several days? you would have to imagine that his body would lie in state at the capitol i would think after his service there. do we know anything? >> matt, we've only seen a tot of two official vehicles come and go in the hours since we've learnethe news. very, very sketchy details. it's really too early. but one perio at the end of the sentence, the sailboat is sitting out there, sails down, at its mooring this morning as the sun came up. it is a lonely sight justff the coast. >> nbc's brian williams in hyannis port this morning, mike barnicle at msnbc. tomrow with us from montana. guys, thanks very much for your time. i appreciate it. we'll continueur coverage on this story throughout morning. for now let's turn to al roker with a check of the mornins weather. as we look out into the

atlantic, we're keeping an eye on dutanceig rht nowbo 350 miles that's just north of the hispaniola. tr course this could become a icopde prprsi, a t a storm. moving right n west-northwest m 20iles per hour. still too ear to figure the track. some models bring it along the eastern seaboard over the weekend. a big potent rainker. also making a lot of rain right now, big storm system getting itself tother, kansas, into missouri, good morning a. clear sky off to work and school this wednesday morning with temperatures in the 60s in the rural areas. near 70 in the nearby suburbs as well as in washington and near the bay. highs today reaching near 90 degrees, and we'll have lots of sun, a little more humid. tomorrow partly to mostly cloudy at times and cooler, a front coming through in the morning ushering in cooler air. and friday and saturday depending on how close a tropical system comes along the atlantic seaboard we may

>> that's your latest weather. al, thanks very much. there is much more to come on this wednesday morning here on "today." but first, these messages.

ck at 7:43 with more on the death of massachusetts senator ted kennedy. one of the setos most powerfulnd touching speeches came exactly one year before his death. the site was denver, colorado,

and the 200 democtic national nvention. >> for me, this is a season of hope. new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just f the few. new hope. and this is the cau of my life. new hope that we willreak the old gridlock and guarantee that every american, north, south, east, west, young, old, will have decent quality hlth care as fundamental right and not a privilege! we can meet these challenges with barack obama. yes, we can, and finally, yes, we will. this november, the torch will be

passed again to a new generation of americans. so with barack obam and for you, and for me, our country will be comtted t his cause. the work begins anew. the hope rises again, and the dream lives on. >> wre joined once again by chris matthews, host of msnbc's "hardball," also the author of "edward m. kennedy," the biography. you are considered the def definitive biographer of ted kennedy. in that last clip, he knew he had cancer. yet he emerges as this lion, this fighter. what was it within him? because you understand his past. what was it within him that allowed him to face advsity

like chappaquiddick and rise up and overcome it? >> well, even go back before chappaquiddi. he broke his back in a plane crash 1964 and he was never without pain from there. i think it's the teachings he had from his parents. the line from the book of luke at f those to whom much has been given much is expected." his mother brought him up very seriously in that faith. his fatherried to tell him -- all th boys, you've had advantages, you ought to give something back. i think he carried that with him certainly getting more serious and more intense as he saw his brothers die andicking up the torch, as he said, in 1968 and carrying it forwar he's dedicated to that, and the healthare -- it's ironic, i guess, that now that the country

is closer than ever to enacting some form of national health insurance, he's not able to play a role. >> he mentions this, chris, in that -- those remarks a year ago. he himself being stricken. what exactly -- i mean this matted so much to him. it was important to him. it is something he made president obama promise he would tackle, and he has. so how hashis passing affected his dream? >> well, it's really a great question mark. at some point in the next couple of days, president obama's going to have to make a big decision. he's going to have to cut the diamond. he's going to have to decide where it's got to be cut fort to work. does he try to go for it all n using reconciliation, jam it through with 50 votes? that would be one way to go. or does he go the other way and say, i made a mistake back with nixon. i made the same mistake with carter. trying to get the whole loaf instead of half the loaf. maybhalf the loaf now.

reform. cost-cutting now, full coverage for everybody later, but get the moral commitment done now. >> do you think that moral mmitment will be encouraged because -- do you think that there is some political wil that may have been generated by thishiyma bhe t >> this may b the '57 civil rights bill, not the '64 civil rights bill. this may be the bill that sets up the big one. but he haso get someing,r else nothing. it is a big decision ted kennedy might have had to make but now the president has to make it. there is no quarterback on the field now. it is not enough to be a cheerleader like the president's been for the last several months. he's got to get on the field and be the quarterback that ted kennedy was all those years and make the audible decision. he's goto make the call. am i going to go for itll now an risk everything, or make the smar decision -- perhaps -- and say we could get most of it no but we've got to get the commitment made now. that's tough call he has to make. >> adam, i'll ask you the last question, which is essentially, based on everyin you kno about edward kennedy,hat has america lost?

>> well, america's lost seone who knows how to make the senate work, which is something that we often see wanting. it's lost someone dedicated to helping the little y, someone down on his luck, the blue-collar worker. it's lost someone who's probably affected, as he grew old, more -- hundreds o millions of americans in everything from health care to education to vil rights. it's lost, i think, t greatest senator of the 20th century, the beginning of the 21st. it's a big loss. >> he was a m who believed so ial onur furn o a happier note. adam and chris, thank you both for being here. backnith much more after this.ch

still ahd, one of the few interviews given over the years by the woman whotransformed senator kennedy'slife, his seco wife vicki. but first, your local news and weather. ♪ ♪ my dear little rose ♪ she's my special lady ♪ most everyone knows

>> for all those whose care have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lis, and the dream shall never die. >> i feel -- i feel change in the ai wh about you?

good morning. we are following the death of senator edward m. kennedy. flags are at half-staff at the u.s. capitol building. senator kennedy died late last night after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. senator kennedy was a champion for universal health care and called it the cause of his life. the debate over health care is now more intense than ever before and last night it hit virginia, howard dean joined congressman jim moran to talk about health care reform. demonstrators gathered outside.

there were opposing groups, one side for reform, the other against. congressman moran had to interrupt dean at one point to ask the protesters to settle down so everyone could hear the speech. the crowd was more low key germantown, maryland. a congresswoman held the meeting b. 300 people listened to edwards speak before asking questions. the crowd seemed to be split. heckling and kep to a kept to a minimum. we'll come back and look at weather and traffic. t od

ouou y ydasasea hgogood offffmornrnn as you hd off t wor and w hool on ts wednesd orning we have a little more humid this morning.

there is a live picture from the sky watcher camera. the late summer haze over washington now, we'll have highs reaching near 90 degrees. temperatures now in the 60s and low 70s, so it's going to warm up. then tomorrow cooler, an east wind, highs mid 80s and quite a bit of cloudiness and might have rain on friday and saturday. a coastal tropical system passes by. how's traffic now? >> tough times over on the capitol beltway, the accident on the inner loop at the georgetown pike has been cleared. still heavy traffic. one more stop, the trip downtown eastbound on the freeway, the exit to the northbound third street tunnel an accident cleared. >> thanks very much. tonight we're going to have much more on the death of senator edward kennedy.

morning, the 26th day of august, 2009. nice crowd ofeople out on our plaza enjoying sunny skies, moderate temperatures. nice day to beut the. we'll get out hopefully a little later on. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. meredith has the morning off. jt ahead, important information concerning h1n1 or what people tend to cal swine flu. >> you've probably heard the

news, at its peak up to half of the u.s. population, that some 120 millionpeople,ould be infected with the swine flu. comingup, dr. nancy snyderman will join us with three key things you can do to protect your family. then also ahead, millions of kids either in school alreadyr getting ready to get back into school. coming up we'll show you h to dress your kids in style without breaking the bank. first let's head over to e news desk. i'm sorry, we'll also have mor on the death of ted kennedy. natalie is filling in while ann is next to me he. good mornin > good morning, everyone. president obama is calli ted kennedy the greatest u.s. senatorf our time. kennedy died last night at the age of 77 after battling brain cancer. this morning the american flag is flying at half-staff at the capitol buding nbc's kelly o'donnell is there with more. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. edward kennedy carried the burdens and blessgs of an iconic american family. with his passing at 77, the

senator reached a point in life that his older brothers never did. as an irish poet said, he lived to comb gray hair. >> the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dam shall never die. >> reporter: edward kennedy's hopes and dreams of becoming president were never realized. dashed in large part by a tragi accide and resulting scandal that would haunt him for years. despite it, he became one of the most influential and productive legislators of his time, a champion of liberal causes, even when they were out of fashion. >> he was a trueenator who used that institution to create all sos of things he cared about, went across party lines and really was ae to make that senate work in the way that it should be working. >> reporter: the youngest of the four boys whose rich and powerful father was determined that the first catholic president be named kennedy. edward moore kennedy lived to be the oldest surviving brother.

when the slain president was buried, he walked beside his brother robert. when robert was killed in 1968, while running for president, edward kennedy led the mourners. the youngest son was now the patriarch. then came chappaquiddick. he was behind the wheel when his car went off a bridge late at night. the young woman in the car died. kennedy didn't rort the accident for nine hours, a lapse he called indefensible. critics said it raised questions about his fitness to be president. his futuren theenate was in doub but massachusetts voters would not forsake a kennedy. he remained a perennial presidential possibility until he took himself out of the 1988 race. >> i know that this decision means that i may never be president. but the pursuit of the presidency is not my life. public service is. >> reporter: he devoted himself his senate work, teaming with republicanso pass legislation on health care, civil rights and

education. in 2008 he invoked the family name endorsing barack obama, likening him to another youn charismatic first-term senator elected president before he was everorn -- john kennedy. later that year came stunning news, he was diagnosed with lignant brain tumor and underwent surgery. but that didn't deter him from doing what heould for obama, even at the risk of his own health. leaving a hospil bed to mak another stirring convention eech. >> the work begins anew. the hope rises again and the dream liveson. >> reporter: on the day barack obama became the th president, kennedy bravedhe elements to attend the ceremony. only to end up in the hospital after suffering a seizure. less than four weeks later, he was back at the capitol to vote for president obams stimulus package. kennedy never fulfilled what many saw as his family destiny,

but found fulfillnt at the other end of pennsylvania avenue on capitol hill. senator kennedy's accomplishments here in the senate are really remarkable in eir scope. he cast morehan 15,000 votes. he wrote 2,500 bills and 300 of those became laws that bear his imprint. some colleagues here say he often insisted that senator senator's name be listed first. just one of the ways he built relationships to help get those laws passed. >> kelly o'donnell on capol hill this morning, thanks so much. rescue workers are still looking for victims oftuesday's truck bombing in kandahar that has claimed the lives of at least 43 civilians. some 65 others were woded. a dramatic rescue in india this morning where a1-month-old baby was pulled outalive fro the debris of a collapsed five-story building. the infant was unharmed. it is unclear why the building collapsed. ghter jets we scrambled arou the nati's capitol

tuesday when a small plane crossed into restricted airspace. the cessna was forced to land at a maryland suburb. officials say the student pilot did not intend any harm. 8:10. back to mat and ann. i guess iis confusing in the air around the capitol building. >> but a student pilot, you do not want to see fighter pilots scrambling around in front of you. not a good scene. let's get a check of the weather. >> thanks. got some friends here from the big easy. >> i'm vernon. that's my wife linda. >> nice to see you. >> bob, happy birthday! >> wt happens with girlfen stays with girlfriends. where you guys from? >> ft. worth, texas. >>ll right, very nice. don't mess with texas. let's check your -- how you doing, young man? all right. let's check your weather, see at's happening. our pick city today, montgomery, alabama. wsfa, nbc news 12. partly sunny, ho 80 degrees outhere. as we check out the rest of your heat you'll see a lot noat here in the hehe rtatheoneeras in the northeast intoheer mid-atlantic states.te

teatatermpures 80s and 90s. good news iser humidityevels are low. th are talking about a lot of heat in texas, temperatures well it's a pleasant late summer morning. goodmorning. temperatures climbing into the mid 70s around washington. we're near 70, highs reaching near 90. and a touch more humidity in the air. then tomorrow after a front comes through in the morning it will be cooler afternoon highs in the low and mid 80s with a northeast wind and quite a bit of cloudiness. then a coastal tropical pressure low-pressure system coming by may give us a few passing tropical sho >> that's your lest weather. up next senator kennedy a his wife vicki in their own words. but first, these messages.

the chic tweed jacket. the sexy silk cargo pant. the tempting tunic. with wit, verv and a little nerve. pieces you'll love to pieces. at chico's. love it, love it, love it. start your three-course meals in with a shared appetizer. choose two entrees from over 15hili's favorites, then share a decadent dessert. chili's --

caused by a completely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking waiting to strike. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to ovide greater protection againsheart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from stickg together and forming ots. ask your doctor about plavix,

protection that helps sa lives. if you have a stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding you should not use plix. aking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk, tell your doctor before planning surgery or taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. some medicines that are used to treat heartburn or stomach ulcers, like prilosec, may affect how plavix works, so tell your doct if yo are taking other medicines. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but pottially fe-threatening condition reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plav. other rare but serious side effects may occur. if you take plavix with other heart medicines, continuing to so will help increase protection str .ke you take plavix with other heart medicines, feeling better doesn't mean you're not at risk. stay with plavix.

? feeling better doesn't mean you're not at risk. ocean spray craisins, sweetened dried cranberries, are sweet. we'll ta that as a y. aisins -- the sweetest way to eat a cranberry. ba at 8:. when senator kennedy died last night at his home in cape cod, his beloved vicki was by his side. they werearried in 1992 and had sat down with jamie gangel. >> reporter: they've been married nine months. her name is victoria reggie kennedy, she likes to be calle vicki. she's a mother, a lawyer, and has two children. she and senator kennedy have been long-time supporters and

friends, but over the years she never imagined she would end up rrying senator edward kennedy or that the engagement would become official while they were snorkeling on vacation. >> he said look down there. he's been pointing out fish to me all day. i thought there wil be some beautiful fish. i was right. there was this beautiful fish down at a calhead. i thought i'll g down and see that fish swim. he said go down there. as the fish swam away, the ring was sitting there on a coral head, and i just -- my heart started pounding. i picked it up. i don't think had he plann on sh being there. >> how did the romance progress? what happened? >> you're doing all the talking. keep going. >> my parents were coming over to visit me in washington for their 40th wedding anniversary. they said we're goingo invite thecommander, that's what they call him, the commander from his sailing exrtise.

i assumed he was going to bng a date. he wked up to the door, i teased him, i said, wt's wrong? couldn't you get a date? made some cute little mment like, i thought you'de my date. >> rather nice. >> it was very sweet. we just had thatanter gng on duringhe evening and just sort of hung out. we had a nice time. but again, just as friends, family friends. the nextay he called me up and asked me out to dinner. i guess the rest is sort of history. >> did you know immediately, senator? >> no. i had known vicki before but this was the first time i think i really saw her and sort of beyond the very obvious features of bng a love, warm and attractive intligent person, over the period othe weeks and months that followed, i saw these other qualities of a caring and loving and sharing the way she dealt with her

children, a person of passion and volatility and explosiveness and joy, but a person of great fun and a delight to be with and at some time during those weeks i realized that i wanted to spend the rest of my lifwith her. >> how did thewo of you manage to keep your romance such a secret for so long? >> i don't know how it stayed ch a secret for so long, because we weren't secretive. as early as october guess at halloween, ted trick-or-treated with my children on our street. certainly everybody on my street knew that he was there. i remembe the first ighbor's house we went to, they said,oh, my god, tha fellow has a wonderful ted kennedy mask. >> you made your first national public appearance really at the democratic national convention after the senator's speech. what were you thinking when you came out and youaved to the crowd? >> i was s proud of him.

i'm sure i had more butterflies in my stomach before the speech than he did. i was so, so proud of him. >> has it been hard for you to adjust to public fe? >> i'm not a public figure. i don't feel like a public figure so i don't feel like that's the adjustment. we have a tremeous amount of privacy. >> you have young ildren. how have you adjusted to all of this? >> they've adjusted wonderfully. one of the wonderful qualities that ted has is his ability to late to children. they just have a terrific friendship and relationship. i feel real, really lucky. >> you've gotten pretty lucky, senator. >> i know it, too. >> i'm the lucky one. >> has it changed your life? >> oh, i think so. i think it's a time of increased real securi, stability, serenity a commitment, and joy

and happiness. i think thathat's been probably a factor or force that had been missing. i mean i neverhought i was going to get married. i think the people that i had been very close to i've lost in my life. i n't think i was ever really prepared to think in those terms again. vicki really awakened these feelings, emotions, that i think have really been banked in my life. anthat i didn't really think probably existed there anymore. so it's been a very extraordinary re-awakening, and a wonderful, wonderful time in my life -- our lives. >> you're a lawyer. so you know what it means when someone says "with all due respect." >> uh-oh. >> so, with allue respect, he

had quite a reputation. >> he did? don't listen to these press people. >> how do you deal with that? >> i know the real ma i think that's the easiest thing. i know how he treats me. i know the respect he has for me. i ow the way he treats my children. and i've known him, as i said earlier, as a family friend for so many years so i have known the rl man but now i really know the real man. >> do you g used to the ted kennedy jokes? how do yo deal with that? >> it goes with the territory. i've been in public life for a long ti, an observer of it for a long time. and it basically goes with the territory. you know, i feel like others, that if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. >> he's pretty good in the kitchen, too.

>> senator, last year you gave a speech at harvard in which you apologized, spoke about some mistakes that you made. >> i recognize my o shortcomings, the faults and the conduct of my private life. i realize that i, alone, am responsible for them. and i am the one who must confrontthem. >> have things changed since then? >> oh, very much so. i mean that was the past the realty and recognitions. i felt an explanation to the people of massachusetts those year and a half or two years had been very, very difficult. those people, ifelt, in the state were concerned about my own kind of behavior. i owe them some explanation. i owe them at least a recognition that i understood i was responsible for my own kinds of actions and recognition i had to do more about it.

and have. that is really the sort of past. i mean'm at such a different kind of plateau in my life now, such a different chapterf my life now. and it's onehich i'm enormous both moved by and exciteby and care very, very much about, vicki and the children. >> is drinking a problem? >> no. no, no, it's not. >> you talk about last year being a difficultyear. you had palm beach. you had the clarence tmas hearings. you had the questions about drinking. and you were vy low in the polls. this is another "with all due respt." someone cynical might say that you got married for pitical reasons. has she helped?

>> you twhant answer? of course she's helped. of course she's helped. but vicki knows how much i love her. i have sense about how much she loves me. my children know what it means for us toe togeth, her children have certainly ascent to that. her sister knows, her mother and father know. my friends know. i think people who see us together are coming to know that and that's good enough for me. >> i agree. that's good enough for me. i think everybo who's sn us together, people who care about us, that this is the big-time real thin >> and we will be back with much more on a wednesday morning right after these messages. t just place t shade on the wooden base to turn on the light and fill youroom with aight, fresscent and with shades you can change to suit your mood and complent yourtyle each shade safely brightens anroom

with a soft flickering light and a stylish design new febreze flameless luminaries part of the new febreze me collection amwork... time together... real conversations... and memories. all for under $2 a serving. stouffer's. let's fix dinn. the sumptuousilk cargo pant with a racy mocross jacket, a brilliant scarf,

and a sense of adventure. pieces you'll love to pieces. at chico's. love it, love it, love it. it's my "save-so-much-- his-graphing-calculator... look. i made it say, "booger." ...i-can-get-him-a- math-tutor" button. it's my "save-so-much- on-school-supplies- he-can-stop-using-his-sister's- old-backpack" button. it's my "save-so-much-i-can- get-a-binder-for-every- day-of-the-week" button. there's no school on saturday and sunday, genius. don't ruin th for me. (annouer) staples uals savings on evefothg inr back to school. staples. hag t was easy.

yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, hav a great d. look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone h much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. new pencils, new books... new backpack... oks good. just trying to look our best. eh, gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. skins is a tghy. 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. a clinical study showed kids who had a filling breakfast...

of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal... h 11% better attentiveness... compared to kids who missed out on breakfast. ( shouts ) keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. back now at 8:23 and "on call" with dr. nancy snyderman. earlier this week, scientists said half the u.s. population could be infecd with swine flu this fall and winter. how can we protect our families? nbc's chief medicalditor has some tips. hey, dr. nancy. gooddea to vaccinate from the relar u. >> the regular flu, the vaccine's coming in to your doctor'sffice now, get it so there won't be a run on the health care system later. the swine vaccine will probably hit the market around october 15t looks like it might be two shots to get immunity. definitely consider that especially if you're a health care worker, if you have a young

kid at home or if you have some underlying medical problems. and pregnant women. >> people who die of h1n1 swine flu usually die of eumonia. should we be vaccinated against that? >> there i another vaccine for pneumonia. i'm a big believer in it, you should absolutely talk to your doctor about it. there are going to be more vaccines this fall to consider than ever before. >> what about planning ahead? >> i always talk about planning ahead, meaning have seone who can help take care of your kid. talk to your employ now about what happens if someone in your family gets sick there can be an econic ripe effect i 30% to 40% of the populous can't show up for work. oinatfdnn pingla ahead for businesses down to families makes a difference. >> also wash your hands. we say this a lot. notess not nessarily- >> we sa , no one's doi it. there wa a study that came out yesterday that said that 55% of people haven't chang how they wash their hands. 55% of people recently said they

haven't used soap let me say this yet again, if you want t stay healthy this fall and winter, wash your hands with soap. it is the best way to get sick, including the bestay to get a cold, the best way to get the flu. >> thanks so as the flag flies at half-staff outside the u.s. capitol we're following reaction to the death of senator ted kennedy. senator kennedy died late last night after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. he was 77 years old. good morning. i'm kimberly suitor. senator kennedy was a champion for universal health care and called it the cause of his lifetime. the debate over health care is more intense than ever befo. and last night it hit virginia hard. one-time democratic presidential candidate howard dean joined congressman jim moran to talk about health care reform in reston. demonstrators gathered outside

the school, there were opposing groups action one for reform t the other side against. congressman moran had to interrupt dean to ask the protesters to settle down so everyone could hear the speech. the crowd was more low key in germantown. maryland congresswoman donna edwards held that at a community center last night. about 300 people listened to edwards speak before asking questions. the crowd seemed to be split but hu heckling and chantg were kept to a minimum.

temperatures in the 70s, a little more humid today, near 90 degrees and mostly sunny. then partly to mostly cloudy tomorrow and cooler, could get passing showers friday and

saturday. how's the traffic? >> earlier accident inbound kenilworth avenue cleared, it's jammed, though, from the baltimore/washington parkway. >> stay with news 4 and nbc for continuing coverage tonight on "news 4 at 5:00," we'll have much more on the life and dea

moing, the 26th day of august, 2009. looking outside our windows on the worldere in rockefeller plaza at all the nice people ending their morning with us here. i think al is on his way out there. he'll check out those folks in person in a couple of minutes. inside the studio, i'm matt

lauer along with ann curry and natalie morales. meredith has the morning off. ahead in this half-hour, a big issue f kids heading back off to school, not jitters, n bullies, it's what am i going to wear. >> back-to-school shopping. the thing ithat a new wardre for your kids can be very expensive so we have some ideas coming up, some optns tt are basically no item is more than $25. these a good looking and not expensive options. a reminder, if you need reminding, but this fridayn "today," teen superstar miley cyrus will be out on the plaza for a live concert. areat way to end what's really been an amazing summer concert series. >> it's been fun, actually. al is outside, he's got a check the weather. al, i imagineeople are already lining up for miley. right? >> oh, yeah. i've been hearing from people i haven't heard from in years who want tickets. it's your 10th birthday. what's your me? >> alexandra.

>> reporter: a where are you from? >> massachusetts. >> happy birthday. you're obviously not cynthia. your mom. happy birthday toour mom. let's check your weather. for today we're looking at beauful weather here in the northeast, gulf coast states. nice weatherut west. tomorrow expect to see cooler conditions with a front moving through the northeast. another gorgeous day. looking a hot weather out west that builds again. andt i ais sunny and it is a little more humid on this wednesday morning, good morning, live picture from our sky watcher camera. temperatures in the mid 70s in washington and near the bay. low 70s montgomery, fairfax, prince george's counties, highs around 90 or so. lots of sunshine. a little more humid today and tomorrow. a front coming through in the morning with clouds and cooler weather behind that. then friday and saturday a

coastal low-pressure system may give us passing tropical showers. >> and tt's your latest weather. now let's head down to washington, d.c. and say hello to mr. willard ott. how are you, sir. >> i'm waiting for you, baby. yore the st. number one then, number one now. i've certainly got to mention, t ted kennedy. living in this city, born and raised ais was, i got to know some of these people from time to time. he was one i would always have fun with, no politics. i'd meet him onc in a while and we'd have a little clucker or two. what a nice, nice man. god bless him and the family. hay birthday from ourri fends t f smucker's, how nice it is o ea rvelly r g goodooucsmkes.smuck' there is florencoe pf o poe so .

112. yoing t g ve at the tnge ci erexse classes.that, boysnder t? can't beatoythat. and the reverend stuard henry. philadelphia, pennsylvania. brotherllove. 103. has been a preacher for over ar. how abouthat ye w ab that?w ethe work. naomi conner. mcgregor, texas. 110. attributes longevity to wha she cl msng just a l leather wellecthe together. ttem mcnamara of bay shore, new york. 100 years old. former fbi agent for 15stne o o da nce floor. emmett. tt .mme my father-in-law, robertem emme.

louise king in cafornia. 102. secret do longevitoing everythingn i moderaon, ration.x,siermbsix, vernon nich. eyota, minnesota. 100 years old. lives independently and attends church every single week. that's just about it. i didn't say it last week but i just want to recognize les paul, too, giant in the industry of music. god bless him. he passed away. now back to ann in new york city. >> willar thank you so much. coming up next, important information for women when it comes to postpartum depression. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:37. this morning on "today's health," postpartum depressi. having a baby is one of th happiest times i a woman's life, but up to20% of new

mothers alsoace difficult bouts of depression. darlene rodriguez from wnbc, the nbc station here in new york city, has one woman's story. darlene, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. as you said, it's aeal problem for some women. many times it goes undiagnosed. that's what happened in the case of one woman we met. >> start digging -- >> reporter: three years ago, paige thought, like many of us, panting just comes naturally. >> i had a natural birth and came home from the hospital and didn't really have any time to process the experience. it felt very physically a emotionally traumatic. >> reporter: a few weeks after her first child max was born, paige began having terrifying thoughts. >> i always hadhis feeling of doom, that he was going to die or that something wasn't right. but as time went on, i became depressed. i felt as though i couldn' ally confide in anybody. i remember going for walks with him in the stroller and thinking

about throwing both of us in front of a bus. >> reporter: she says her husband hado idea at the time that she was having these feelings. >> it was awful for me but it was awful for him because he s me hurting but he couldn't be there for men the way he needed to be because i couldn't tell him how bad it was. >> reporter: and when you were able to finally communicate that with him, did you find that he was understanding? >> yeah, vy understanding. but when a m doesn't go through it, or when anybody doesn't go through it, it is hard to understand what it is really like. i think it's still very difficult for him to look back on tt peod without a level of pain because i wasn't entirely honest with him. >> reporter: health experts say most new mothers experience the break bluesfter giving birth as a result of decline of hormone levels. but 10% to 20% develop more severe postpartum depreson. one of the biggest obstacles in treating it is that many women

are ashamed to ait they have it. >> they feel so guilty about the feelings they're having. they feel like they wish they'd never had their baby. those feelings are so ugly that it is ry difficult to share that with anybody. >> reporr: whether it is lamaze classes or lack tatation consults, it isn't until they get home tt they realize this is something they have a hard me with. >> this could impact the ability to bond with the baby and we want to address it. >> reporter: thiob-gyn says they see women twice after birth but the standard is for one postpartum visit six weeks after delivery. >> it is important for health care providers to be tun in to symptomsshey exist. a woman's hi a's prior history. >> reporter: for the birth of her second child, paige was better epared. she had her support system in

place to make sure the same thindidn't hpen again. luckily it dn't. >> i went to great lengths to insure this didn't happen again and if it were to happen again, i knew what to do about it. i also have the perspective to know this doesn't last forer andhen you do identify it and you do get help, then it goes away and you can mane it. >> darlene, there is a good reason for you doing this interview because you, like paige in that piece, experienced postpartum dression and you didn't talk about it with anyone. is that because you didn't recognize technically what you were going through or stig? >> i think it was both. when you look at paige's story and we appreciate her telling it and being so nest, she's a social worker. i've done a lot of these stories. butou're embarrassed to admit this because you know what you're feeling is a little bit irrational and you don't want anyone to think there is ything wrong with you or that you don't quite have it together. >> did you get information during your pregnancy? did a doctor sit down with you and say this is goingo be great but here's what might happen afterwards? >> looking back, probabl not

enough. i think -- i can't tell you how many women e-mailed me while i s doing thi story and told me there should really be a postpartum mental health appointment so that we can talk about pointed questions to help identify this problem. >> let's bring in dr. margaret spinnelli, an expert on this subject. shou ob-gyns make a series of "how you doin'?" phone calls after a woman gives birth? >>hat would be nice, but you think that much of the time they're pretty overworked. i think it would be helpful if their support staff could do th, to call them a couple of times. not just ob-gyn. i think the pediatricians also, because they even see moms more often. >> durg a pregnancy, can doctors or perhaps the woman herself pick out which women are going to suffer from this after giving birth and which ones might not? >> yes. and that's why the prenatal period is a wonderful time to

possiblyredict so that if a woman has depression during pregnay, 50% of those women willo on t have a postpartum depression. if she's had a history of depression or family history of depression, she needs to be evaluated even sooner. >> darlene, what advice would you have for spouses of women ffering from postpartum depression, "a" in recognizing it, and dealing with it? >> i think spouses he to be very involved. ihink as friendsnd mothers and people in t direct circle, outer, inner circle of a woman who's just had a baby, we need to askow are you doing? do you need help? do you feel like this? is this haening to you and what can i do to help you out? >> finally, doctor, if a woman is starting to feel this, who does she call? does she call her -gyn? does she call a psychiatrist? who does she call? >>f she has a psychiatrist, that's fine. but she should likely caller

ob-gyn and ask for a psychiatric consult. >> all right, doctor, darlene rodriguez, thank you both. up next, affordae ba-to-school faions. but first,

this morning on "back to school today," the back-to-school wardrobe. "today's" style editor bobbie thomas is here with some fashion ideas for under $25. hey, good morning. your best tip f parentsho don't want to break the bank but want toake sure their kids feel comfortable at school. >> hds down, have a pre-shopping pn. you want to g to the store as their teammate and not start off as opponents. i have all thenformation on our website howo go about doing that. take advantage of sales,here ar so many sales and promotions right now, it was really easy to find all of these items for

under $25 but in most cases under $20, and even less. >> starting off on our little fashion show this morning, we have elementary school children and theyre jaden, amia and no. >> it is about gender-specific colors. you'll notice on jaden, he got an "i rule" t-shirt. amia's pink jacket from old navy, only $25. a great price for outer wear. on noah, old navy, camo cargos, the vestsreversible. these are really great deals. u can work them in to many other -- >> looks like you're doing a lot of layering. get certain colors, buy several things in tho colors, can you mix and match. i like these. thanks so much, models. now we're going to loot what

happens in middle school. could you please go back down that way? thank you so much. >> come on, they like the spotlight! >> frankly, i don't want them to go. carla's going t show us what girls mighbe willing to wear. >> i rlly want to say this is miley cyrus. it teams up with walmart. this is an unbelievably affordable line. in middle school you're fluenced byiddle school, tv, movies. yocan have fun, pair it with leggin leggings, the top. the jeans were $25. a great buy. >> i like how you've got the purple shoelaces on the check. >> if you're a tient, wondering how do i guide them? be sure to check in when it is about looking dishevelled, too tight or too sml, but let them haveheir oersolity when itomes t colors. >> frankly, at this age ts is problyomething they could teach us. carla, thank you so much. now lucas is going to show us

what's cool for boys in middle school. >> the same with boys in middle school. tony hawk is co. he has a line. what's good f the girls is good for the boys. he has a line at kohl's. it's about that skater cool fluee. lucas has these cool paints that are convertible. the bottom part zips off and they end up being short. the sneakers and skateboard, don't know if you canring that to school, lucas. >> thank you so much, lucas. now wve got lastly, our high school teenagers. at this point they're going to guide us. daniel and jimmy. >> high hoolers, it's all about the high-fashion hallwa. ey're really reading fashion magazines and looking at red carpet trends. on danielle, she lks adorable in this from target. only $19. the boots $24 at wet seal. it's a really great thing. she can layer it with many other things. on jimm he looks like the cool

prepster. he's ready for college. he's in a look from jc penny's. it's all about thelayering. you can mix and matchumr pieces with fall pieces. >> look at what you've done. you've got three layers on jimmy, inclung the shirt outside the polo shirt, which is unusual. >> we found polos for $9 at jcpenney and a sweater for $24.99. retailers want to work wh you. when i wasoung - i'm sure you n say the thing -- style was not as accessible and faffordabe as it is today. >>ccoucan th models come out on more time? >> each of these pieces is listed on our website at todayshow.com. >> thanks for shopping for us and trying to help us save some money. coming right back in just a few momentsith who's giving away tens o millions of dollars to schools across the country. the story is next after this "t

now to an anonymous donor who's making it possible f a mb of students to afford a college education. nbc's kevin tibbles has more on the man of mystery, or woman. >> reporter: there's a whodunit on college campuses across e country. >> i really don't know who it

is. >> none of us know who this is. >> everyone's curious. d rightfully so. >> the gift is in the amount of -- >> reporter: in the last few months, an anonymous donor has given away millis of dollars for scholarships. but ere's a catch -- it' top secret. not even the schools themselves can know who the mystery benefactor is. it all starts with a pho call, usually from a bank, then a cashier's check or money order arrives in the mail. along with specific structions. >> ts gift is for the purpose of providing financial assistance to women and under represented minority students >> reporter: hunter college in w york city got $5 million. the president jennifer rabb says it's the school's largest donation ever. >> the fir thing that goes throug your head is, is this real? >> reporter: it's real, all right. 17 colleges in 14 states have received gifts ranng from $1 million to $10 million.

$88 milliontotal. unlike larry davis, this mystery person insists on remaining in e shadows. >> there's larry david. the guy wants to have his name up on the ll, you a opposed to mr. anonymous. >> reporter: there are few clues to the idtity, but one thing the schools have in common, all led by women, fling speculation the donor just might be a powerful and successful female. >> i think oprah would make the most sense. i think that it might beprah or michelle obama. >> maybe hillary inton. >> reporter: but for the lucky scols involved, it really is a case not worth cracking. since tough economic times have led to budget cuts and greater demand for financial aid. >> we haveo many students who need scholarship funds. we 'were just delighted to be able to support these students. >> this is enomenal. and the timing coun't be sweeter. >> reporter: and, hey, if you've got thatind of mey whob needs to flaunt it?

for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, icago. >>hat a great gi. still ahead, much more on t massachusetts senator ted kennedy. but first, your local news and weather.

time is now 8:56 on this wednesday, august 26, 2009. good morning. i'm kimberly suiters. this morning we are remembering the life and legacy of senator ted kennedy. he died of brain cancer last nit. we're expecting a statement from president obama at any moment now. mr. kennedy once attended holy trinity catholic church here in georgetown. one parishioner shared his memories of the senator. >> from the day he was -- took his oath in the capitol he was in the pew in front of me here, and he lived right down the street, so in terms of following history and how it was going and the benefit of living in washington, i and a friend of mine just walked and flowed them along and saw jackie onassis come out of the house and stuff like that. it was all wonderful. >> senator ted kennedy was 77

years old. much more coverage to come. in the meantime, weather and traffic are up next.

good at-hour temperature in the mid 70s. live picture from our sky watcher camera showing a late summer haze on this soft august morning. temperatures around the region will climb to near 90. a little more humid today and mostly sunny. tomorrow we'll he clouds in the morning as a front comes

through. partly cloudy to mostly cloudy and cooler. friday and saturday a coastal tropical low-pressure system may give us passing tropical showers. friday and saturday highs in the upper 70s. a front coming in on sunday may trigger a passing thundershower, mainly during the afternoon followed by lower humidity. now the traffic. how's it looking? >> unfortunately very tough trip out there. good morning. this is the inner loop of the beltway. look at that. it's jammed from springfield to the american legion bridge due to the accident which is now gone on the inner loop at georgetown pike. wilson bridge okay. >> stay with nbc 4 and nbcwashington.com for contiing f gerave of oen senator s y'nnedat kennedy's death and life. we end

we're back now with more of "today" on this wednesday morning, august the 26th, 2009. a solemn day as the nation mourns the loss of senator ted kennedy. the u.s. flag flying at half staff in front of the capitol building in honor of the nation's third-longest-serving senator who passed away late last night at his home in cape cod after losing his 15-month-long battle with brain cancer. he was 77 years old. i'm hoda kotb along with al roker. >> i remember waking upwith my

blackberry wh a statement that said we have lost the irrepleable center of our family. i think we were all expecting this day to come, knowing that for the last 15 months he has beenbattling brain cancer, but just still such sadness, and it's hard to imagine in washington, you can only think on capitol hill with the flag at half staff what it must be like in the hallways today. >> that's right. such a somber moment and y you look back at the legacy and how it has probably affected just about every american through the bills h wrote or cosponsored. >> think about it. i'm 45-year-old old, he has been in office my entire life. i think a lot of us, you look at him and he is just suc a main stay, and to think he ishe only kennedy brother who died of atural causes is so jarring. just to remember sort of the legacy the nnedys. >> carried the tch of the brothers as president obama said. the 50th anniversary of profiles and courage, his brother jack kennedy had written, and, you know, when you talk about a family and a legacy

and touching peep, it really is qui amazing. >>nd watching jamie gangel's interview wi he and his wife, you saw the imaginics between those two, and you see her pulling him out of se of his darker days, and when you watch thse two sitting on the couch next to one another, i saw the magic between them. you totally understood their relationship and how it worked. >> a life marked by tragedy but often so much triumph, as well. and now matt lauer has a look at senator kennedy's life and legacy. >> the work goes on, the cause endures. the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die. >> edward kennedy's hopes and dreams of becoming president were never realized. dashed in large part by a tragic accident and resulting scandal that would haunt him for years. despite it, he became one of the most influential and productive legislators of his time. a champion of liberal causes, even whenhey were out of

fashion. his reputation spanned the globe. >> i want to announce, awarded by her imagimajesty, the que, o behalf of the british people, an honorary knighthood for sir edward kennedy. >> his son, rhode island congressman patrick kennedy, acknowledged t hono >> he was a true senator who used tt institution to create all sorts of things he cared about, went across party line and real was able to make that senate work in the way that it should be working. >> the youngest of the four boys whose rich and powerful father was determined that the first catholi president be named kennedy, edward moore kennedy lived to be the oldest surviving brother. in his 20s and 30s, he was in his brothers' shadow, following em to harvard, running his brother john's senate re-election campaign, working to elect him to the white house, and then winni inni john's sena

seat as soon as he was old enough to serve. he walked behind hi brother robert. when robert was kled in 168 while running for president, edward knedy led the mourners. the evidenyoungest son was the patriotic. then he was behind the wheel when he went off a bridge. young woman in the car died. kennedy didn't report the accident for nine hours, a lapse he called indefensible. it raised questions about his fitness to be president. each the future of the senate was in doubt. >> my son might -- some might think it right for me to resign. that would be a diffict decision to make. >> but massachusetts voters would not foresake a kennedy. he remained a perenal presidential possibility until he took himself ouof the 1988 race. >> i know that this decision

mens that i may never be president. but the pursuit of the presidency is not my life. public service is. >> he devoed himself to his senate work, teaming with republicans to passegislation on health care, civil rights, and education. in 1994, his son patrick s elected to the house, extending the dynasty with a rare capitol hill father-son team. kennedy would marry a second time, and become the father of young stepchildren. to the end, he was the family leader, a role that involved more public mourning. for his former sister-in-law, jacquelyn kennedy onassis, for his nephew, john dejr. in 2008, kennedy invoked the family name, eorsing barack obama. likening him to another young charismatic first term senar, elect president before he was ever born. john kennedy. later that year came stunning news. he was diagnosed with a

malignant brain tumor and underwent brain surgery. but he still what he did for predent obama, even at the risk of his own health, leaving a hospital bed for another stirring convention speech. >> the work begins anew! the hope rises again! and the dream lives on. >> and on e day barack obama became the 44th president, kennedy braved theelements to attend the ceremony. only to end up in the hospital after sfering a seizure. less than four weeks later, was back at the capitol, to vote for president obama's stimulus ackage. kennedy never fulfilled what many saw as his family destiny. but found fulfillment at the other end of pennsylvania avenue, on capitol hill. >> amazing. >> you go back to so many of his speeches, and some of the eloquent words he said, and many going back to the eulogies he read for his brother >> sure. >> andome of the qotes i'm

reading now, the eulogy to robert kennedy, as he said, these are the words that robert used to say. some men see things as they are and say hy. i dream thingshat were never were and say why not. you think of all of the causes he championed in life, and he lived s life making sure that america realized some of those dreams. >> he sure did. the number of bills and is things that hepassed. >> 2,500. >> that is amazing. >> legislative career, unbelievable. i guess it's time to check the weather. mr. rockier? >> absolutely. we sh you what's going on right now, all eyes in the tropics, a tropical wave looksw like it could become tropical storm danny, 475 mil east of nassau in the bam hamasoving west-northwest, making it a enten m rrakea forin f the d. at home, strong storms training from detroit to kansas city and wichita. some storms may dump from 1 to 3 inches of rain. some eas as much as 5 inche

an>>rot> ny shee lunat summer morning. good morning. live picture from our sky watcher camera. tempatroures a>>und the region have climbed now into the mid to upper 70s. 76 in washington, highs today reaching the low 90s. and we'll have quite a bit of sunshine. then by late tonight some clouds coming in ahead of a front that will sweep through with clouds, then partly to mostly cloudy on thursday and cooler, highs low to mid 80s. friday and saturday a coastal tropical system goes by maybe passing showers. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. when we come back, msnbc'ses chr mattwsalks about his special documentary on the legacy of the kennedy rbrothes. that's after these messages.ot

we're back now with more on

the life and death of senator ted kennedy. and chris matthew sat down for a special documentary set to air tomorrow on msnbc called the kennedy brothers and he joins us now. chris, good morning. very timely documentary. and, of course, so much is being made about the public life and the man tat we all grew to know. you, of course, had probably a ttle more of an inside track on things. and he touched a lot of people's lives, not just so much on the political level, but on th personal level, and i'm wondering what stories you may have to share, some o the moments you're reflecting on today. >> whatever your politics, i think he is a unique eye, there were always flaws, and he had them. he was able to think about other people's problems. i think that's very hard to do. i hear that this guy is sick, i better give him a call. and one time was having -- this is like willford brimly, i'm a type two diabetic, and it's funny becau he called me right after i had an attack of poli seem i can't, almost

went ito a coa. and there he is, my girlfriend is making me a meal, quickly giving me some food, and he called me and started talking abut his iend's father, he had, and some cousin had. trying to tell me the people in his family who had the diabetic situation, and then talking about the senate who had confusion about who won the election in the house. and he is giving me all these great stories, and i said senator, it's okay, just thanks for calling. >> just wanted you to know. >> he had this disjointed way of talking somemes, but wanted to express his concern. yeah. and you know, heis, you know, one ofhe greate senators of r time, as we heard president obama saying inis statement day. in his own way, though, how do you think that wheit comes to th deal-making that goes on in congress, what goesn now? >> nalie, that's a great question yo asked, because that's a great question. if your job is not to be president of the united states and lead the people with great speeches and all that and command the world like barack obama has to do, your job is to get along with other senators,

and to find out what they care about, what makes them tick. what makes orrin hatch tick? okay, ea he' a mormon from uth,ow do appealto his values? you have to deal with chris dodd, how do i get him? he has a situation in connecticut. >> and had to cross the party lines. >> he would find the person and compassion comes in as a very interesting political advantage. if you're truly compassionate and figure out what e other person's problems are, you know how to work with them. if you're just oblivious and think only about yourself, you don't know howto be a legislator. so ironically, maybe a guy seeming selfish a almost out of hand at times inis private life really was really good at knowing other people's situation and caring about them. and therefore, able to cut deals with tm. so interesting how that loafer overlaid. >> and now, of course, health care reform with senator kennedy's big cause, and, of course now president obama has taken on that torch.

how do you expect that without senator kennedy there to help in that process, move it forward, how do you think this happened? >> so much of our life is benefitting from our mistakes. ted kennedy cheated in college on his spanish exam, went in the military and served as an enlisted man. that helped him understand life and being a regular person. >> learned a less. >> learned a lesson. i think he learned a lesson, because richard nixon when he was president,he was willi do a complete national health care plan with an employer mante. in oth wds, every person who was an employer had to give health care to his people, his emploes. ted kennedy turned his bk on that, he didn't help nixon, because they were political adversaries. he says many times i should have done that. i think right now is time for a deal. i'm not politician, i'm an observer of politics, a sdent of it, but i think the time right now is tout diamond. a smart leader, the president is going to have to do is cut the deal on capitol hill. >> and your documentary tomorrow night focuses on th kennedy brothers. >> the brothers. >> and i'm wondering how much of the tragedy of losing his three

brothers early on in life really compelled him to carry that torch. of in fact, in quoting, i quoted just a little bit ago the eulogy for rert kennedy, said some men see things as they are and say why. i dream things that never were and say why not. how does thatompel him as the people's senator? >>well, he really was in love and reallyhe loved his brother bobby, and they were so close. and in many ways, he helped to elevate boy's record -- we talk about in this same way, bobbyuilt up jack's legacy afterwards, when he was killed, ddy built up bobby's legacy. and, of course, barack obama is going to have to play a role now in talking about teddy. he may speak at the funeral, for all we know. and they each in their own way helpeduild the notionthat the other brothers wer i think what you're going to think about in the next several days as we get toward the funeral, he was a brothe that's theword that's going to come out. you're going to see a lot of

pictures of teddyith his brothers. >> and when his brothers fell, he carried on. >>nd i think imagine only having pictures of your brothers when they were young, because they were only young. they were never old. there was never a gray hair in jack's head or in bobby's. and teddy was 77. and by the way, ddy avoided the violence that struck down his brhers. most of his life he was haunted by that, rlly haunted, changed by that, but managed to survive. >> chris matthews, so looking forward -- >> who knows when tey're going to run it, but coming up soon. >>he special hour-long documentary premiers tomorrow night on msnbc. coming up, doris conrn .ndw st goodwin. but first, these messages.

now for some perspective on the legacy of ted kennedy and hisbrothers. dor kearns goodwin. good morning. >> good morning to you. >> before we lo back, as we

look at right now, ted kenneds endorsementf -- of presiden barack obama, how important was that? >> i think there was no question that it was oe of those turning points in obama's campaign for the presidey. it gave him alegitimacy, a creditability with the establishment of the democratic party, and it came as a surprise athat point in time, given the connection between the knedys and clintons. so i think . obamaight leos a lot to senator kennedy. is it too early to even think about who is going to replace senator kennedy at this point? >> i think so. i mean, i think it's going to take some time to -- whether vicki kennedy will want that seat or not. she is an extraordinary personalty in her own right. would she want thatrace? it uld be a very interesting question. but there is a whole line-up in massachusetts. it's likeominos falling. you can imagine that this morning many are thinking, wen am i going to get mychance?

so we'll take some time to sort out. >> looking back, when he first joined the senate at 30, was there any indication that he would be as prolific and real as legendary a senator as he became? >> i don't think wecould have seen that. the interesting thing is that when he first joined the senate, jack saw a column in "time" magazine where it talked about teddy sling s done i cannily. and he said he doesn't smile sar donicly. bobby and i do. and in a ctain sense, th was true. his temperament was perfectly suited for the u.s. seate. his maiden speech on the senate floor was for the rights bill and he said we must not ha yun another and brought that quality of being able to create alliances with howard baker first and later with orrin hatch, because he liked people. i often tught it came from as he was a little kid, he went to boarding schools, threeor four

ofthem, and i remember him telli me how hard it was for them because they lost their place in the family seat, yet became approachable and sensitive to make people like him. and that charm i think is wha kept him going through all those years. also i suppose you could say earnest hemingway once said everyone is broken by fe and afterwards others are strong. he was broken by life again and again, some of his own ming, some of the assassinations and death of his family. but he did become strong in those broken places. >> and doris in closing, what do you think his legacy is goingto be? >> i think he wille a giant in the senate. i think in his own right, forgetting the legacy of being the patriarch of the kennedy family after the brothers died. in the old days in the 19th centy calhounnd calhoun and those senators were considered much bigger than presidents. we don't even remember in the 19th century, fillmore pierce and others stood out. he made his mark in the senate

and i think brought the sate up to the dignity that he mself gave to it. he will be a giant in the senate. and that's his legacy that even his bigger and different as a legislator than his brothers. his own mark on life >> doris kearns goodwin. thank you for your perspective. we appreciate that. and we'll be back after your local news and weather. a

we're continuing to follow reaction to the death of senator edward kennedy this morning. the flag at the u.s. capitol flying at half-staff in honor of the third longest serving senator in u.s. history. good morning. i'm kimberly suiters. the time is 9:26 on this wednesday, august 26, 2009. now let's get a check on weather from meteorologist tom kierein. >> good morning. it's less humid over yesterday and the day before but it's turned more humid this morning. but still not terrible humidity. highs should reach near 90 degrees. we'll have temperatures tomorrow a bit cooler as the front comes in the morning, and partly to mostly cloudy y. friday and saturday depending how close a tropical system passes we could get passing tropical showers. >> tom, thank you. g up we'loolaticffinom up

we're struggling to recover from earlier problems on the beltway. >> thanks. stay with 4nd abc n 4 and

a milky blue sky on this wednesday morning. more humid overnight. live picture from the sky watcher camera. the mid and upper 70s, low 90s by this afternoon with lots of sunshine. then tomorrow a front coming in with clouds, temperatures in the 60s. then by afternoon partly to mostly cloudy. in the mid 80s. friday and saturday, a coastal low pressure tropical system may give us a few passing showers. highs in the 70s.

big yef safety net, of course, is cash. >> a lot of people are worried about the value of their dollar deining, and going into gold, so that's a consideration. and if you want to do tt again, the etf is the best way to go, and e easiest and cheapest way. >> thanks for the question, mark. good one.

let's head across thestreet, and natalie has a question from our crowd. >> another question from michigan, and this gorgeous famil and you have a question on the 529 plan? >> yes, i have a 8-ar-old, 5-year-old and10-month-old. anychanges, the politial and economic changes in the last few months, is 529 still the best way to go, and what is the best way we should be saving for college? >> sharon, can you give some guidance? >i think 529s are still an excellent way to save for college. the thing that people need to realize, though, is you don't necessarily have to pay for the entire full bill of your children's education. u have three kids, that's a rot of money. and so think abt how much you can really afford to spend on their education and how mu they may have to come up with. don't take your retirementor granted. and529s are a good way to save for par of the college fund and you may want to put th college money in something that a little more liquid that you have more control over. and a great place to research ans is savingsforcollege.com, and has a great review with some

of the best-performing plans. remember, it doesn't haveto be in your state. and two of the ones that he the best track record have been plans from kansas and also south carolina. so those are two state plans you may want to think about. >> yeah, and think about fees, as well, watch out for fees when shopping around for 529, not just perform absence, but how much will beaken off by performae by the fee so look at that, as well. >> in new york, they reduce the fees. so that's one way to look at it. >> now we go to skype and cindy rom texas and she has a question about the auto indury good morning, cindy. >>o morning. >> and your question? >> caller: we have a business that deals with the automotive industry, an we're concerned about the economic downturn and the effects that it has had on our car dealerip. and also, the cash f clunkers program, how big adeal has this been? >>carmen? >> cash for clunkers actually went so well, completely defied all expectations, talking about a billion dollars gone in a

week. but it's over, unfortunately. and it's over as of this we. so as of today, no more cash for clunkers. now, the thing is, is this going to change, are we going to renew the program? we will see. but here's the thing. you have a business like many other usinesses, not just auto, that is tied to an industry that is changing, and shifting. so you need to have a plan in place to deal with that, no matter what your business is. so first of up, make sure that you think dierent, that you evolve as much as you can. and sond, lo at your expenses, make sure you cut as much as you can. inow you're a car dealership. you have to look at the expenses. and number three here, think of pl b c. and d. we all hate to d that and i'm not being negative. it's something t keep in your mind so you know what you have to do, should things fall into place where we don't have cash for clunkers again, and if the economy is not set to recover very quickly, so you have to have plan b., c. and d. in place, what would you do if you could ot sustain your business. >> and bailed out the auto industry, but whenhey said -- >> and a couple billion dollars, and it's a couple billion dolars in comparis to what

was pumped into the financial industry. it's very, very interesting. if cash for clunkers were to come back or go into play, then, of ue, this would change your scenario. >> and change your strategy for any small business, it'very important to market that strategy. let people knowhat now you're dirve so they come back to you. >> another e-mail question from anita in new york. it reads, i'm 70 years d, have about $100,000 left for retirement, come from a family of long livers and know this is not nearl enough. i get ,000 in social securit spend $3,000. would it be wise for reverse mortgage now, not touch the money, let it grow, or would it be better to wait until i use up the $100,000 and then get a reverse mortgage? >> a lot of seniors in this position. and at this rate, it looks like she is at $2,000 a month that she has got cash flow needs that she inot meeting. she isgoing to be out o money in about four years. there are a lot of things to consider. i don't usually think reverse mortgages are the best way to go. usually should be a last so. but if you'r completely out of money and plan to stay in your home for the rest of your life

and don't intend to leave any money toour hei, something you need to consider. you need a certified financial planner to help you, a mortgage advisor or a housing counsor, and you can get those through the national association of personal financi advisors or the financial planning association, awell as hud, get a counselor who c vice you whether or not this is the best plan for you. but again, usually a last resort, and you have to make sureou fall into those criteria. >> carmen, sharon, thanks a lot. stand by. we have more queions and answers right after these messages.

we're back wh more of today's money 911, answering all your financial quandaries, we have personal fince corresponds at cnbc. let's go across the street, and nationallyas another question from the crowd. >> that's right, i have an impressive young lady, 16-year-old lexi who islready thinking aout her financial future. of go ahead. >> i'm 16 and i babysit a lot, and i'm wondering the best way to save my money to g to college. shld i put it in the bank or put it into stocks or keep it you said my under my bed? >> great question. turn it over to you, carmen. >> lexi, i did the same thing for college, i baby-sat and i waited tables and put that money away. le, the thing is that most of the money you're going to be saving, youe probably going to need for expenses. that's what i did. i used it for evethg like pizzas and textbooks, and textbooks are very expensive so put that money away in a savigs

account, okay? so have your mother cosign, you're under 18. get th savings account together, and make suhat you put as much ofhat cash you get into the savings account and shop around. yo don't wan a savings account with a lot of fees, so make sure you go online, and bankrate.com and interestrate.com, and look for a company low on fees, because banks right now are aising fees like crazy, and you doeb your hard-eaed babysitting money goingto the bank. >> and your money will love it when you don't say i need money for pizza or books. >> lexi, you're a vry impressive youndy. and i think our youngest questioner so far. and our next question this is the first time we ve done t, we have a mother/daughter on skype, judy and stephanie in ohio and they have a question about investing in savings. ladies? >> good morning. >> good morning. [ inaudible ]

>> i think i remember we talked to them earlier, and their question was, she's got $500 saved up already, and she is going to college. should it go into savings invting, and where should it go? and my advice for this is kind of the same with lexi. if this is just going to be for college expenses, you wantto ick to ving. you have got to know what the money is for. just for college, you know what's a whole bunch of different things, but this is long-term college saving, then you want something like a 529 you mentioned earlier, a great program. but since it's your money d you need it for expenses, you want to put it in savings, because you want to protect it. you don't want to los any of that money, you want to make sure that therefore, when you need it -- if you're talking about inveing, you need a five-year window to make sre the risk really gets you some reward, at least a little bit. and you don't put at risk any of your initial principle. >> another great vehicle, though, is a roth i.r.a., cause thereyou can put your money and take out conibutions at any time fax-free and also can be used for retirement

savings. so if is is something you don't intend to touch for a very long time, that's an excellent vehicle to use. >> nice to see mother and daughter geing getr. >> it is! >> now let's go to a video question sent in by one of our viewers from msachusetts. nch> >>. >> caller: we recently tried to refinance. after three months of waiting our closing date was set but we were surprised when the figures were very different than the ones originally quoted. we asked why, and they told us our original lease had expired andhis was the best they could do. edless tsay, we cancelled that closing. so my question is, is this legal for them to do and wh are our other options at this point? >> yeah, that seems not fair. >> two things you have to know when you're doing a more. you have to know what yourate lock expiration date is. so when they guarantee you a rate, when is that rte going to expire? and so that date, you have to know that. then to prevent people from doing a bait and switch like this, recently we had some change inhe regulation z.

much as of july 30th, that doesn't allow a lender or a company to increase your interest rate without letting you know. they have to disclose that ain, seven days before the closing, if they raise it, by, say, an 8th of a percent. so if they had done that, ere is little legal recourse. you have to look at the documents. a lot of people don't read them. you have to a for and read carefully the good faith estimate, the truth in disclosure documents and the expiration date. >> sharon epperson an carmen wong ulrich. coming up, a fresh summer salad with a twist. what could that be? first though, this is "today" on nbc. look at terrence twist!

t'say odkitchen is brouby t

conditioners, expertise for damaged hair. >> a kitchen cool sa salad from a hot chef. anything better than august and water medicalon? we have the combined flavors of watermelon and arugula. this is an interesting salad, and a an interesting recipe. >>tenninnade is very important, a condiment and choefees. >> i love anchovies. >> i useiíjm anchovies like a seasoning agent. there w go. let's put the olive oil on. >> chasele it or -- >> we're not making a vinaigret vinaigrette, so just chopping it up. and if you want, a little bit of

brandy. >> oh, yes. >> in the morning -- you're a fine girl, what a goodife you would be. >> this is the tepinade and a very simple vinaigrette, and lime juice, and a touch of honey to counter the aci flavor. notice, no nice on theet out. ll hands cat hands of yours safe. >> it was there, i figured it must be there for a reason. >> salt, by the way. arugula and felta, and i like to make it with go cheese feta, d eep's milk. at's the difference? >> one is from a sheep, the other from a goat. >> excellent. i thought i was going to get you on that on watermelon-- we toss it over -- >> really? >> yes. quk answer. all right, feta. you hold these. dump this in there. >> bam. >> all right, boom. there. and then the tepinade -- this is really healthy, too. ah, it is.

doesn't look so good now. all right, so play on flavors, sweetness in the watermelon, and the salt from the cheese. >> what about the arugula. >> i asked for a round plate, t square! >> sorry. >> let's have more of this. okay. put that on there. switch! ta-da. >> so put this on first? >> yeah, that on first. >> and is i'm going to do the -- this is arugula, very refreshing. >> it's nice and has a spice and bite. >> spice and bite, even rhyme. this is the vinaigrette we're going to lightly toss. >> toss that lightly. >> okay. so a topping. >> oh, man. >> so it looks kindf lovely, too. >> i love ths. it's got the re the white, the green. >> y don't see a little blue in there. >> well, you could make it with bleu cheese. >> all right. >> thank you, sir! this looks amazing. >> thank you so much. thawas fantastic.

in ree minutes, you are the best! unbelievable. still coming up, "american idol" runner uncup, kelly pickler sto by.

our time right now is 9:56. 76 degrees, hazy sunshine on this summer day. good morning. i'm joe krebs on this 26th day of august, a wednesday in the nation's capital. we are of course remembering the life and t states senator of allime. ron allen where the first familys vacationing and where the president was making his comments. good morning. yes, he is going to make his comments. inhe place where he's been

staying with the family keeping a fairly low profile. he has been out -- the stement has been delayed about an hour or so, we thought it was going to happen earlierhis morning. the president is taking his time to be very sure of what he wants to say and heart felt statement. i don't thing it's going to be difficult. i know he wants to say the appropriate and close thing. he seems to be takinthis personally based on the statement he sent, piece of paper he sent earlr. the two were very close friends. president obama essentially lot of the reasons that made it possible f him to become president himself passingivil rights legislation in the 1960s, the beginning of his career. we expect the president to appear any moment. we think he will speak as long as ten minutes. >> the president also got early support from senator kennedy as he launched his campaign.

and i understand we've gotten information the last time therapeut they were able to see each other was sometime in april. >> i want to say a few words about the passing of an extraordinary leader, senator edward kennedy. overhe past sever years, i've had the honor to call teddy a collgue, a counselor and a friend. even though we have known this day was coming for some time now, we awaited it with no small amount of dread. since teddy's diagnosis last year, we've seen the courage th which he battledis lness. these months have led him here from every corner around the nation and around the world just how much he meant to all of us. his fight has given the opportunity we were denied when his brothers john and rober were taken from us. the blessing of time to say thank you and good-bye. the outpouring of love,

gratitude an fond memories to which we've allorne witness i testament to the way he his ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives. in siors who know new dignity and fily that's know new opportunity and in children who know education's prose and in all who can pursue their dream in an america that is more equal and more just, including myself. the kennedy name is snon mus with the democratic part at times t was the partisan of campaign attacks. in the united states senate, i can think of no one who affection from members of both

sides of the aisle. he was met with warmth and good cheer. compassionately battled others and did so peerlessly on the floor and maintained friendships across parts lines. that's one reason why he became the greatest snoenators of all time. his extraordinary life on this earth has come to an end. and the extraordinary good ged lives on. for his family he was the guardian and for america the defender of a dream. i spoke earlier this morning to his wife vicki, who was to the end a wonderful source of encourage. . our thoughts are with her and the eire kennedy family ldren, decades worth of his staff, the

people of massachusetts and all americans who like used t ted kennedy. >> preside obama wrapping up his comments from martha's vineyard. the extraordinary good he did lives on. let's brin brian williams. good morning. >> reporter: n, good morning. when we learned the president would not be able to visit the senar a few days back prior to the trip, that was the first indication that things were going poorly here on the kennedy compound where there is afterall an intensely felt local story. we'll be covering this scene here throughout the day. >> brian, a lot of discussion -- it's interesting the president did not bring up health ca since of course, senator kennedy was an important voice. thiss something he car so much about. in part he said to president obama during the campaign this

is something he wanted t president to talk out, bring up and the president has done that. now senator kennedy has psed and even in the last weeks wanted to try to create a way for his agenda to be pursued. interesting that the president did not bring that up today. >> reporter: it is and there are two theorys, number one that it could lose momentum with the the others in the memory of senator kennedy it will get a needed shot. there's an e-mail circulating that reads, inieu of flowers pass health care reform. ann. >> tnk you so much,brian. one of th comnts tha senator kennedy once made, quoted as talking about his legacy, he said, we know the future will outlast all vicki as his bride and that took his life in a different direction. >> she's from louisiana. i always saw her as sort o a smallrowgin l.

they've been married since gi'9. jamie gangel did a piece earlier today -- it was just interesting watch. you could see the love between ted kennedy and his wife vki and it was done manyears ago ut'stobetl take a listen to th. >> i never thought ias going to get married. i think the people that had been very close to lost in my life, and i don't think i was really prepared to think in those term again. and vicki rllywakened these feelings, emotions, that i think had really been banked in my life. it's been a very wonderf reawakening, awonderful, wonderful time in my life -- our lives.

>> you're a lawyer, so you know what i meanswhen someone sas, "with all due respect." so with that warning, with all due spect, he had quite a reputation. >> he did? >> howo you deal with that? >> i know the real man. i know how he treats me. i know the respect. i know the way he treats my children. i've known him, we've been friends for so my years. >> it's interesting because i thk to understandsomeone love for another person, sometimes it's not onetly in thr words but it's also in their tions. we we watching earlier today, i didn't know ted kennedy could sing he stood at a podium and he sang a song to his wife and it takes

a lot of courage i think for someoneo do that who is not a singer. >> this is a powerful man, to let go of your guard and do somethinthat's just of the heart. >> i think we may have that tape. ♪ sweet rosie o'grady ♪ my dear little rose ♪ she's my special lady ♪ most everyone knows ♪ and when we are married ♪ow happy i'll be ♪ oh i love rosie o'grady d rosie o'grady loves me. ♪ >> just a couple of minus ago barack obama made a statement and we're efforting toet you a version of that. earlier today his statement w

for five deces, virtually every major piece of legislation to vns in the civil righ, health and economic well being of the american people bore senator kennedy's name and resulted from his efforte h>> ho>> ls a said he and the first enbr in thlsir words were .ca ag y imahe wrtinokeenbr can you imagine what this mea for this young politician grong up i chicago, suddenly you are tapped by is dynasty. many have said he is the successor to camelot. we have the newest statement in from the president. let's take a listen. >> his extraornary life on this eart has come to an end, an extraordinary good that he did lives n. for his family he was a guardian. for america he was defender of a dream. >> when you think about it, too, he wrote 2,500 bills and 300 of them became la and he co-wrote 550 bills. when you think about what legacy he has left behind in terms of health care and childr's

rights and thingslike that -- >> millions of people. we talk autn icon and what is an icon. tod there are peopleho compare and contrast. but that is so true of him. ten presidents. he served alongside ten pridents, including his own brother. but apa from the politics of it all, to be able to be born in such wealth and say it is about people, it is about encouraging all of us -- you and me -- i grew up obviously in the 0s, and in my home there was martin luther king's picture a the kennedys. it was part of the civil rights influence reachingbeyond people that you didt grow up alongside of but that you have influence on. >> i tnk it'slso interesting to point out that his life had a lot of controversy in t. we remember appaquiddick. some sayhha ttat may have t aually dashedis h presidential pis.on aspirations. ye. we're complicated man and going to be actually talking more with a panel little bit later in theprogram, chris matthews, brian williams

hopefully an kelly o'donnell. there is a lot of live stuff going on but we' effort the group. i think we might have to switch gears a little bit for our viewers. >> what do you have in mind? >> i ju think we should make a hard tur that's what we do. jon an kate. >> that is a u-turn. >> that's so sharp. okay. kate gosselin has decided to do an interview with "people" magazine. but she's spoken before but this is new. an angry kate. >> she's very upset. basally she says she's very disappoint in her husband, she's emotionally spent, she think her husband's emotionally unailable. i'm not100% sure why. because she's done a lot of talking cently, on larry king last night, on the "tod" ow a couple weeks ago. she's really been out there a lot. >> does it srprise you she's still talking? she's become famous for pting her family on -- i am addicted to the show. i think the kids are the cutest kid in the world. that's why i started watching this show. i hink she's still talking

because that's what she knows how to do. >> they need the tin to stay high. after she was on "larry king," someone we know very well was on "larry king." kathie lee gifford made her larry king appearance last night. she toldme she was "hawking a book," but i know it was much, mu mor than that. she looks terrific. we miss her here. she was asked a lot of questions about kate. she has strong opinions about that. i have to sayou can't really get enough of kathie lee. when kathie lee's not here, she's still here. in the "new york post," i opened up the paper. just nted to read some news. here we have a picture of kath and cassidy in beverly hills, hanging out, enjoying themselves. i lot of picture of kath. >> it's adorable. people ask me you work alongside kathie lee every day. i met her in the hallway one day. one of the nicest people. this i not just tv nice. she's one of the nicest women i've ever met. i saw her at the hair salon, no

makeup, hair a mess. she looked over, nice shoes, girl. just so natural. i love r. >> she is who she is. some people are different in the makeup rom than in real life. she's the same. someone else who is wonderful, genuine, beautiful, sara sage. >> we're reminiscing about the loss of senator ted kennedy. "it makes me think of how many great peop we've lost this year and t impact they've had on american culture." we'll talk more about the loss of senator kennedy. with a terrificanel. stick around after these me

the flags flying at half-staff in front of the capitol blding in honor of the nation's third-longest serving setor who died last night after losing a 15-month bat. >> calle brain cancer. ted kennedy was 77 years old. >> nbc's brian williams is outside the kennedy compound in hyannis port. kelly o'donnell is at the capitol, chris matthews recently sat down with a number of kennedy insider r apecial documentary set to air tomorrow called "the kennedy brothers." brian, i heard you and many others talking about what this moment means for all of us. hoda is 45, i am 40. we always grew up with the kennedys. >> tamro you can be an adult of 50 or over this country

and always have had a kennedy in a position of national rominence in politics. this is the end of an era. it's the end of the kennedy men of that genation. notably -- we can't repeat this often enough -- the only one of the original knedy brothers to have died of natural causes. in a family of so much tragedy. the senator himself g maied, hadhreehic ldren, all of whom have dlt whit personal tragedies of their own. he has risen to th role of pay the york with-- patriarchof t f yet this is local story, this is a massachusetts summer neiborhood, people are comi by for the catharsis of it to express their sorrow and condolences. >> brian, people are wonderin abt the funeral an when those services might be. >> just too shaky, as you can imagine, up and down this

impromptu row of media. there's a diffent theory, a different report every couple of minutes. we believe we will hear in an official form or fashion from the family, perhaps this afternoon, if n before then. but until hen, i'm afraid the's a numb of phone calls going on between jurisdictions, between cities, the family and government. >> speaking of legacy, brian, ted kennedy had scandal and tragedy and passion. when you think of his legacy, how do you think he'll be remembered? >> well, that's a complicated question. i have a remembrance written of him tonight for "nighy news." i thinkt's just unde ten minutes of television. it took me that long to s synopsize this life. some will remember merely chappaquiddick. other will remember his

unrequited drive fo national health care reform. others the family tragedy he faced. that's the story of the kennedy family in america. that's the sty of the last brother. >> thank you, brian. let's turn to kelly o'donnell. i know there is still a lot of talk now about the business of what's happening with the health carreform. what do you think we'll see? >>well, good morning. it will be certainly a different debate now because the memory of senator kennedy will be a part of the discussion. there will be those who will t to harness al of the feeling that people have about him to advocate for some of the policies that he believes in. he has said many, many times i was the cause of his life. he belies health care for all shouldbe a right and not a privilege for t few. that will come in the day ahead. here today on capitol hill there are many, manythoughts and many comments coming from his colleagues who described him in a variety of ways. most of them cite his humor, his compassio

the personal relationship they had working with him. o i can alsotell you that i visited the office several times today of senator kennedy and i've learned that there are st heading to boston late today to work on some of the preparations for them to honor him in the days to come additional pho lin have had to be dropped in order to accommodate the incoming flux of phone calls for people w want to offer condolences and express their thoughts. there's a lot of activity today. many people hve expressed what the president said, we knew this day was coming, yet when we did it was very, very sad. certainly being felt here at the capitol where flags, of course, are at half-staff. chris, what do you think? we're talking abt the votes when it comes to health care. we keep talking about the mic number 60. >> that's key thing, the number. they can't do it by themselves. now it is official. for all the talk you hear from hotheads about democrats doing it without the republicans? that's impossible.

so i think it's really now a question of cutting the diamond. if this is the most important thing to democrats, find a way to do it. if it is not, if it's just one of those things where you want to do the college try and fail and claim, well, we tried hard, can you do that too. i don't think anybody thinks that's a gd political strategy for either party. you'llail with th message and the people will remember you ied to create socialism and you failed. they'll take credit for having beaten you. anyone thinks ere's victory in defeat, they're crazy. we hve to find some way to find victory. seems to me the smart question isow do you cut the diamond? could they push reform w, cost cutting now, pre-existing conditions, portability, things like that, get that done, get that done with maybe 75 votes, then gt some kind of commitment to move ahead for full coverage of everyone. in the way they did the civil rights bill in '57, then had he had the real civil rights bill in '64. begin the process. >> tt's beenthe comparison

all this morning, ether barack obama needs to be lbj and say let's do this. we know whened kennedy gave t endorsement to barack obama he said need to take care of health care. what does the president specifically do? beuse many have criticized him for not drawing the line in the sand. here's now the line. >> wel, i'm not one of them. i think he has to lead. that means think before he acts. this is a very difficult time to ask people to make a leap into the dark. very difficult time. you have people who have lost a third of tir wealth. many people have lost their property values, they've dropped dramatically. their income's dropped dramatically. their kids are going to make less than they make. this is real. you have to make a big economic leap in that context? or do you say let's give people more security about keeping their health insurance, let them keep it even if they change jobs ecurity if you have ae them pre-existing health condition. ke them feel more secure by christmas than they do now.

that's the smart move. don't make them feel more in jeopardy. the trble with the sales pitch so far, you should be willing to risk this change, you should be willing to give up something so that somebody else can -- no, that won't work. you have to get people at a time of insecurity curity. he hasn't found a way to do that, ye >> i asked brian about the legacy. i know that's a complicated question but you studied the kennedys, you gnomepíimry well. have you a documentar coming up. what do you see as his legacy? >> th job opportunity isfo him. ted kennedy last year basically designated him the new brother. i don't mean that in an ethnic sense or black sense. i mean brother in the kennedy tradition. it's interesting, who wouldn't have liked tohave had that rch handed to them? but with that torch comes a big responsibility. you got to lead. he has to lead the fight now. for re cheerleading from the sidelines. we need a quarterback on the field. if you care

eventually. >> chris, thank you. we look forward to the documentary. >> what happened last night, there will have to be decisions made. we worked four months on this nonstop. the people we worked with here around the network i think are very proud of this project. it shows in a very tough way what the kennedys did ever since 1940s and the role they played as brothers. it's a unique family. >> we look forward to it. r, thank you so much. again, the documentaryis called "the kennedy brothers," the special hour-long documentary premiers tomorrow night on msnbc. st

we are going to switch gears here. up next, country singer kelly pickler. > plus, cleansers. do they flush out the toxins? we'll ask a doctor about them. do you not want to miss this segment. after your local news and weather.

a special look back at the life and career of senator edward kennedy. we'll have reaction from around the washington area from lawmakers to community leaders. good morning. i'm joe krebs. also ahead on "news 4 midday" the signs of respect seen across the district and the country to remember the senator. edward kennedy died last night at the77 ss u uor f ff77.. in us f a u a salnews 4 4 midday" st

we love country newcomer kelly pickler. she's touring the country with -- get this -- her best friend taylor swift. >> isn't tha awesome? >> her curnt single is cetified gold. she's supporting a charity that involves one of her favorite things. the girl's got a lot of shoes. kelly pickler, good morning. >> congratulations on all the success you've had. >> thank you so much. >> you get to tour. i know you and taylor from a "dateli" special. she talked about how much you two have when you guys are touring together, onhe road. what's it like?

>> ylor, it's ki of family at thispoint. i callher my 4 mama swift. taylor and i got together and we -- all three of us opened for brad paisley for a summer. that's where taylor and i other. we dressed like ticks and he dressed up like a bug exterminator. taylor and i crawled around on t stage, and jack came out and killed us with poison. not al poison! >> yeah, whew! >> security just druggous off. >> taylor told me there was a sonthat you were set with an ex-boyfriend. th fight wag something. you were ticked. and s said, come, sit in the trailer. let's write a song. >> well, yeah. that's pretty much how it happened. we had just finished up a show

and i was on her bus venting about this, that and the other and this boy and whatnot. she's like, hold up. let's write a song about is. e grabs her guitar. we go to the back of the bus. we're sitting there and she's playing and -- >> it was a huge -- >> it was my first top ten. >> you got the ultimate revenge. we talked about revenge yesterday, best way to make it is a hit song. >> it's amazing. it's so great that we're able to enjoy this experience together. we're around the same age and like i sai it's family at this point. she's like my little sister. it's great. >> what about in addition to your singing, you are really interested in charity work. i think a lot of people are int their own, quite frankly, kelly and you're not. you have this charity called -- >> sole for soul. it's great.

lady's home journal has helped so mch with it. they're going to be at madison square garden tomorrow. >> you justive shoes to kids in need? >> yeah, absolutely. >> i know you love shoes. >> i'm a shoe girl. love sho. there's so many people with hurrine katrina and the tsunami that you know are desperate need of shoes. a lot of dseases and sicknses start with your feet. a lot of third world countries, the kids and the adults, they cut the bottom of their feet, bacteria sets, infections, i gets in your blood stream. >> oh, m god! >> we're donating all of these shoes. they're from pay less. >> those are great! >> now we want to ask you about

the -- >> i don't get to keep these. >> no, o. >> you've got on heels. they're abo 12 inches tall. >> yes, she does. >> i'm short. i put them on so i can reach stuff. >> what do you think of the "american idol" controversy wth paula abdul? >> well, i heard that -- i'm so behind becae i don'tknow any -- i am the biggest dork, i am not down on anything. i really am. >> remember these days? >> the wom in the middle, her name is paula abdul. >> i love paula! >> what do you think? >> i think it is what it is and you goto be happy ding what you're doing. if she wasn't happy then that was a sart thing to do. >> we wish you best of luck. thanks so much. up next, celebs do them. but is getting a cleanse safe? we'll find out. but first ese messages.

celebs have done it. you can read about different ones in magazines, fad diets have pull off quick weight los. they certainly seem to be all the rage. >> but what are they doing to your bodies? talking about the cleanses. author of "the four day diet" and a nutritionist for the new york giants. hi to both of you guys. so you read about and hear about these cleanses all t time. they flush out your system. they tell you they get toxins out of your body. >> give you energy. >> do any ofhese cleanses really -- can they push bad stuff, toxins, out ofyour body? >> some of the popularcleanses that you read abut in these

magazines that celebrities are supposedly on aren't very healthy cleanses. the issue is to detoxifyyou need to activate enzymes in your liver. the liver is responsible for cleaning out bad procts. if you can activate enzymes in your liver to clea out the blood system, that in and of itself is a cleanse. is there doesn't your lver do that by itself? >> yes, your liver does do that. your kidneys, by the way -- exercise is the way. toxins -- one of these salesmen came to me and said that's the root of all evil. for me people it is overeating, poor newt yeb-- trnt-rich food. >> beyonce, gwyneth paltrow, they all claim to do it ow our bodies are supposed

to do this but wedo naturally grab maybe french fries or eat something that's not healthy. we can't all have fresh fruit every day. why can't you just help your body out? >> you can but you hve to do it in a natural way. when irote my "four day cleanse," it is all about eating natural foods you see on the table. these foods are healthy, they're nutritious, and they will activate se of the liver enzymes that we're talking about. but that's the healthy and natural way too it. hen you start taking herbal supplements, when you start doing colonics, laxatives, start doing things that aren't natural to the k;kzbody, yo get into a y dangerous area. >> people do cleanses to drop ten pounds. >> there are lots of different reasons. some people it is apiritual experience, discipline, one with god. that's very different than i want to lose weight. you do lose weight when you're on it, you gain it right back. there is a pging element to it, and t other thing to recognize is there is a

difference in all those cleanses that are out there. some of the celebrities that you mention do ones where they're including lean protein, fruit and vegetables. they may eliminate caffeine, they may eliminate sugar, they may eliminate gluten or dairy, but they're basically healthy, clean diets. if you ate that way you wouldn't even need a cleanse. >> cleanses have hot peppers and lemons. >> hold on, lemons are known to detoxify. lemon dozen have that kind of ability. so do peppers. the problem is if you only are eating those particular things, you got trouble. youre getting other nutritional food, you have ouble. >> if someone said i want to go on one of those liquid cleanses, yes or no? >> i just bought one. >> i think here's what a -- they used to think of cleanses as the first seven days or four days, whatever. that was where it ends. then they realized it was really the 14 days, because how they reintroduced food into their

diet was re important even than what they did initially. >>ast word? >> absolutely, cleaes are great. my four-day cleanse will clean you out, then i reintroduce foods in a way you eat healthier foods, tamron. you can go on my cleanse and you'll be healthy. >> i'm not going to do it. >> there are negative sde effects, headaches, other this. >> ank you. > coming up next, from kindergarten to college, back to school time. but first these messages.

r:an> noce >unannocer: "today'san "momtourage"" brought to you by walmart. save money, live bette walma. ow on to our special "momtourag spear rieries. back to school fashion for kids of all ages. >> we'llshow you how to dress them in the latest styles

without spending a fortune. christina, good to see you. where were you lasteek when i took my two eces and nephews school shopping and i didn' knowhat was hip? what are the trends? >> the trends for moms most of all is affordability. everybody wants to get the that the kids want but nobody has a lot of money to spend. all of parenting's picks here are $50 or less. >> we got to see the kids because theye busting to come out. our youngest kids are samantha and jawon. come on out. >> they are showcasing the layered look which is great for fall because it can be cool in the wamorning, warm in the afternoon. samantha in the baby gap jacket, ensemble from gymboree. jawon has a great sweater from

he gap. if he gets warm he can just ta itoff. >> i like the hatacon. you guys dideally good. bye! see you ter! bye! >> next is colleen and maggie. look. tell us about that look. >> they have the bohemian look which has been hot for a few seasons. these are from the children's place. this is a jersey-knit and has long sleev, great for cooler days. great boots e from emu, the tights also from the children's place. they're all set. >> are ghts very popular with this age group? >> they areor this age group. if it gets a little warm again, you can do without the tights. >> colleen, i wantto see your backpack. >> that's ymboree. the other is crazy eight. >> next matthew and jared.

they are showing off the popular sweater vests. d cool sweat pants. are they twins? >> they are twins. >> they're twins! >> the have the sweater vest preppie look which is still going strong. at entire look is the children's place. sneakers from old navy t add a little bit of an edgy look to the classic outfit. they also have some awesome backpacks. >> boys usually have fewer thing to choose from. >> they have options and colors and styles at the children's place. >> one is a backpack and the other is a-- >> it's a messenger bag. it convert to a backpack. >> you guys like adorable. thank you. now if you ha kids headed off to junior high, we'll up it a little bit. >> these are looks from "parenting" school year's edition for oler kids. plaid has made a big comeback this season. lee anna looks amazing in that

ensembl from air pos stal. >> for boys, they can also rock the plaid look with a little bit of a subtle skater pant that niko has on. graphic tees for boys are alws a winning look. thboys love them and that t-shirt is from the gap. >> could this go over into high school or is this a junior high look? >> it could definitely go over into high school. >> let's check out our high school kids. heleand harrison. they are decked out in their high school stuff. >> skinny jeans on helen. massimo from rget. metallic has gone onbeing just a trend. it is a classic look now. you bought those jeans torn? that's what my parents would have said to me. >> distressed. > tell us about harrison's

look. >> harrison's look is also actually from target. that's shawn white forarget, the jacke we again see a graphic tee. always popular. massimo premium denim for target. >> one more tv moment for our models. you guys, thank you. christina, thk y somuch. the are great looks. , wave to your friends at home. you made it! all right. up next, how tohw a labor day party using all of the summer leftovers that youve got. but first this is "today" o.

labor day weekend is just a little over a week away. before the leaves start turning colors an covering our lawns, there's still time for one more party. >> there is always time for a party. from beach towels to sand pails, to the lf-finished mustard

bottles. try to clean up and use those things to throw a party. reva events, kathy. you know how to turn something into nothing. >> this is the end ofhe season. everyone has a ton of summer leftover. if you're like me it gets stuck in the closet until next season. i have another idea. we're going to try and clean out those closets, inside the refrigerators, open up the pantries an rpurpose all of those items for your last faastic end suer sh. >> what have we cleaned out? >> i love the beach. i can't think of a better way to spend my time for the summer. i've started with a really simple table runner, that's a beach towel. it is -- it is a towel, blue and white. you might notice i have some leftover fourth of july decor. we've created a red, white and blue theme here. i love sand pails. they remind me of building sand castles with my daughter at the beach. i've used them to fill vegetables, summ flowers.

have great galvanized buckets with utensils. i love sandy hands. can't have enough things to clean greasy fingers at the end of a barbec. these are pig plates. thi is something actually ally left over from my ughter's birthday in a close >> are thesehells or things yo kids found? >> absolutely. >> fruisust left over in your fridge? make sangria? >> absolutely. i'm a southern girl so i love sweets, strawberry-white wine sangria, it is delicious. empty out yo favorite summer fruits. >> let's head down this way. we've got a freezer full of food we want to get rid of. >> make your own barbecue sauce. open up the pantry. use literally water, mow lasses honey, balsamic vinegar, mustd,pice it up with cayenne pepper, pureed fruit,

voila, you have your own sauce. there are some fantastic pickles. these are spicy, sweet, red flannel, trational dill. it adds a kick to your burger that's amazing. your guests will talk about it for weeks. >> a lot of times you do keep things in the freezer. leftover stuff. can you really get rid of it all. what about the mustard botle? >> take that and add it to your barbecue sau. so easy and such a simple thing. >> find out how make the sauce on our website at klgandhoda.com. kat, thank you so much. tomorrow we' going to be cookingith curt stone. >> and also a lot of things. "ambush makeover" thursday. thank you for being here. we'll see you guys.