good morning. the hard sell. president obama heads to capitol hill tonight to deliver what could be a make or break speech on health care reform. this morning, a preview from white house press secretary robert gibbs. grisly nd. officials say that bone fragment unearthed near the home of accused kidnapper phillip garrido came from a human. this as nbc news obtains chilling music he recorded more than 30 years ago. ♪ little starlight in the

morning sun ♪ ♪ precious eyes ♪ you're my lovely one >> do the lyrics reveal an obsession with young girls? and courtside encounter. in a scary breach of security at the u.s. open, a fan rushes the court and plants a kiss on tennis star rafael nadal. it could have been much worse. now he's under arrest, and nadal is on his way to the quarterfinals today wednesday, september 9th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vee air vie. this could be the most important speech the president has made to date. >> some say his approval ratings are sliding, and that's coming from both sides of the aisle.

sohe president will try to quiet them by laying out some new specifics including how to pay for the massive undertaking. more on what we can expect to hear from the president in just a moment. and also ahead, what's sure to be an eye-oper for parents. you won't believe what happened after we had an expert warn children at one day-care center about the dangers of matchesnd lighters. the next day we put those same kids to the test using lighters that had been disabled. wait until you see what our hidden cameras captured. also this morning, cindy mccain speaks out. this time last year she was in the throes of a very hotly contested presidential campaign. now she's launching a campaign against the painful medical condition that she shares with millions of other america. we'll talk to her about that and the part of her that's glad she's not the first lady a little later on. but let's begin with president obama's high-stakes speech tonight before a joint session of congress. nbc's savannah guthrie is at the white house with more on that. savannah, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. aides say the president isn't

going to be a reading a bill to the american people,ut by the end of tonight, everyone will have a clear idea of where he stands. with his back-to-school speech and the controversy that came with it now behind him -- >> every single one of you has something that you're good at. ery single one of you has something to offer. >> reporter: -- today the president moves on to what some call the biggest speech of his presidency, a joint address to congress on health care reform. >> are the stakes important? of course. it's a big audience, and the president will get a chance to lay out clearly for the american people what's involved for them. >> reporter: aides promise the president will provide new, specific details about what he wants from reform including how to pay for it. but even though he supports it, he won't make a government-backed insurance plan, the so-called public option, a deal breaker. >> fire it up! >> reporter: that had activists on the left protesting at the gates of the white house tuesday.

>> what do we want? >> public option. >> when do we want it? >> now! >> reporter: after meeting with the president, house speaker nancy pelosi says she is standing by the public option for now. >> the public option will be essential to our passing a bill in the house of representatives. >> reporter: in the senate, later today the so-called gang of six republican and democratic senators will huddle again in a last-ditch effort to reach some kind of bipartisan deal. meanwhile, the resignation of white house virmal adviser van jones over controversial past statements -- >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: -- has some on the right looking for new targets, openly soliciting dirt on other administration officials and accusing the white house of appointing too many so-called czars who don't have to go through the vetting of senate confirmation. >> the idea that these czars are kind of beyond the reach of democratic checks and balances is kind of absurd because they work for the president. and the president is fund

mentally not beyond the reach of democratic checks and balances. >> reporter: well, today former alaska governor sarah palin has an op-ed in "the wall street journal" saying that the president's plan to have an advisory panel try to rein in medical costs amounts to, quote, death panels. now, this is a slightly different argument than the one she made this summer which was widely debunked, but she's still using that memorable phrase, part of the reason the president has some work to do tonight. meredith? >> savannah guthrie, thank you very much. what else can we expect to hear from president obama? let's bring in white house press secretary robert gibbs. mr. gibbs, good morning to you. >> good morning. how are you? >> i am great. thank you. as you just heard yourself say, the stakes for the president tonight are high. what does he need to accomplish? >> well, look, meredith, i think what he'll do is lay out clearly for the american people what's involved for them in health care reform. i think they'll walk away tonight understanding two things. one, this plan will provide safety, security and stability to millions of americans that are fortunate enough to have

health insurance but see their premiums skyrocket every day. and lastly, how we can provide some accessibility to quality and affordable health care for millions that don't have health insurance right now. >> mr. gibbs, he's been talking about health care now for months. why hasn't he been able to articulate the message? >> well, look. meredith, i think he has. i think there's been a lot of coverage of stuff that is seemingly meaningless. i think what the american people want to hear is what is in this bill, not a lot of heat and light that doesn't really mean that much. i think the president will talk directly to the american people about the substance that's in health care, not all the process and the kabuki dance around it. >> i think what a lot of people want to hear is where the president stands had it comes to this so-called public option because they're confused. this is how the president has addressed the public option over just the past few months. in june, he said, one of these options needs to be a public option. in august, he says, the public option, whether we have it or we

don't have it, is not the entirety of health care reform. then in september, he says, i continue to believe that a public option within the basket of insurance choices would help improve quality and bring down costs. once and for all, whereoes he stand when it comes to the public option? and he said on the eve of this speech that he wants democrats and republicans to know that he is open to new ideas. so is that code for i'm going to drop this option if i can get a bill passed? >> no, i think what the president will do tonight is talk about the public option. and more importantly, talk about what a public option would do in a bill, which is provide choice and competition. meredith, let's take the example of a friend of mine who started a small business in january in alabama. the first thing he had to do when he started that small business is find health care for his family. unfortunately, alabama is an insurance market for those seeking private individual health care insurance that's dominated 89% of that market is dominated by exactly one health insurance provider, blue cross and blue shield.

he was lucky because his family is healthy, but he's talked to dozens of small business owners that haven't been as fortunate and have been denied coverage. what we need to do in a market like alabama and throughout this country is provide additional choice and competition so that those that are on the private insurance market aren't just dealing with one competitor to try to get quality, affordable insurance. the public option is a way of putting a check on insurance companies. >> but is he going to say, like speaker of the house pelosi, that there can be no reform without the public option? is he going to draw a line in the sand? >> there can be no reform without adequate choice and competition that allows people to be able to pick and have options. that's certainly what he'll say tonight. i think that's what the american people want. >> you're still -- you're not directly answering the question, with all due respect. is he saying there can be no reform without the public option? >> again, meredith, the president will outline what he thinks the value of the public option is and why we have to

have choice and competition in this system. >> you know, yesterday republican senator mitch mcconnell said about all this, the problem isn't the sales pitch, the problem is what they're selling. can the speech win over critics like mcconnell and other republicans and conservative democrats? >> well, look. i thinkritics like mitch mcconnell have to start listening to their constituents. he also said, which you didn't quote, that a lot of his constituents say it's time to do something about health care reform. they've watched their premiums skyrocket. small businesses are dropping coverage even though they want to provide coverage for their employees. meredith, we've talked about this problem for decades. this president's going to go to capitol hill and talk about this problem tonight and solve it this year. >> before i let you go, i want to talk quickly about the resignation of environmental adviser van jones. saying this is what happens with these czars that are appointed without any sort of congressional confirmation or oversight. in retrospect, do you think the president should be calling for some sort of oversight?

some sort of confirmation process for czars? >> no. i think this is, again, a lot of heat and light. meredith, i don't go through senate confirmation, but i work for the president of the united states. and i think the american people will hold the president of the united states accountable for moving this country forward. >> all right. thank you so much, robert gibbs, for joining us this morning. white house press secretary gibbs. >> thank you. and nbc news will have complete coverage of president obama's address to congress anchored by brian williams tonight at 8:00 p.m./7:00 central time here on nbc. let us get another check of the headlines of the day from ann standing by at the news desk. >> good morning, everybody. in the news also this morning, overnight a "new york times" reporter was freed in a commando raid in afghanistan. reporter steven farrell was kidnapped by the taliban on saturday along with his interpreter while they were working on a story about last week's deadly air strike on two hijacked fuel tankers. in the firefight to rescue

farrell, his interpreter, a british commando and reportedly some civilians were killed. devastateding floods have killed at least 20 people in turkey. today in istanbul rising waters trapped motorists in their vehicles and some swept away before help could arrive. $150,000 in reward money is now being offered for information leading to the conviction of that arsonist in that massive fire near los angeles last week. two firefighters died and at least 78 houses were destroyed. today the fire is about 60% contained. also in southern california, a fire truck was swallowed up by a sinkhole on tuesday. nobody was injured, but it took a crane hours to pull the huge truck out. officials say a broken water main is to blame. overseas markets are mostly lower this morning and cnbca melissa lee is at the new york stock exchange again this morning. getting attention is oil. >> especially after oil surged about 4% in yesterday's session. today opec is meeting in vienna. none of the 12 members so far have stated a need to adjust oil

production mainly because oil prices have been pretty steady between $68 and $71 a barrel. investors are keeping a watch on a couple other events. apple has its much anticipated event. this afternoon the expected to launch a new ipod and mtv and electronic arts unveiling the new beatles rock band game. i know you're out to get your own copyright after the show, right? >> if they remix, it can make for better music, i certainly will. thanks so much, melissa lee. finally, a brief security scare at the u.s. open. matt mentioned about it last night when a man rushed onto a court and kissed spanish star rafael nadal who had just won his match. nadal apparently appeared to laugh it off. security crews did not, however. the man is now under arrest, and security procedures are now under review. it is now 7:12. let's go back to matt and meredith. i don't think that hehat he kne to really handle it. how do you react to that? >> all you have to do, though, is think back to what happened to monica seles.

that could have been a really bad moment. >> absolutely. >> it's scary. >> did you bash the beatles' music? >> no, i said if they remix it, i want -- i have every single album. >> okay. >> but now -- no, now they're saying that using new technology, they're going to -- we're going to actually hear it bigger. >> you're the fifth beatle. >> right here. >> i was there. i was there. that's it. yeah. right. >> you're the man. >> i did have a big 'fro. not so much. let's check your weather, see what's happening along the coast. got big area of high pressure up in canada, and then we've got this low off the atlantic coast. pressure gradient causing strong winds. the low doesn't get to move the coast. and so we'reoo lking at coastal gales. heavy rain along the northeast coast and rip currents as well. look at the radar. you can see we're already seeing showers from washington on up through long island. rainfall amounts, we're basically talking about some areas along the coast up to three inches of rain along the engineer cófófo#ófo#ófófófo#ófo#

. good morning. cloudy and cool on this wednesday morning. we have bands of light rain moving south from the north into the south and heading continuing off of the atlantic seaboard is an area of low pressure that's heading north and slowly, as a result, we are going to take another day or so to get out of these clouds and cool temperatures. a chance of a few passing showers this morning. again, perhaps after sunset and through this evening. much of the that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. now to the growing dangers facing u.s. service men and women in afghanistan. four u.s. soldiers were killed on tuesday during an attack in the eastern province of kunar following the deaths of 51 u.s. troops in afghanistan in the month of august. nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, is em breaded with an army striker

brigade and filed this report. >> reporter: just moments after joining u.s. troops in southern afghanistan, we witness a medevac helicopter evacuating a dead american soldier. a second chopper lifts away the wounded. another american dies en route. it's a brutal first impression. the soldiers from the army's striker brigade have lost nine men in three weeks in the valleya taliban stronghold outside kandahar. all to improvised explosive devices, ied >> it could be anywhere, and anything that looks out of the ordinary. >> alpha 26. >> reporter: captain mike is alpha company commander. he took command after the previous captain was killed. at night he huddles his men, drawing a map in the sand of their target. a nearby taliban-controlled village. he has one warning, ieds. >> anything, any tiny little thing that you see looks suspicious, you stop. you wait. and you clear. i don't care how small it is.

>> reporter: at 6:00 a.m., the soldiers fan out near the village. the armored strikers push heavy metal rollers to clear a path. only tested ground is considered safe. so the soldiers march in the tracks and walk in each other's footsteps. the soldiers have to search extremely slowly because many of these villages are mined with booby traps often crude homemade pounds, 20 or 30 pounds of fertilizer hidden in the ground or just as often in these mud walls. only afghan soldiers search houses. americans aren't allowed. it's considered offensive for them to see the afghan women who hide from our cameras. there's no sign of the taliban, but the soldiers keep searching, inspecting walls and doors by hand. they have air suprt but no mine detectors or dogs. and the most dangerous area still has to be cleared, the woodline by the edge of the village. >> cross your fingers, williams. >> reporter: it's so risky,

bombs easily hidden in this brush. the afghan soldiers refuse to go in. the americans search alone but find nothing. i asked him why, why are americans out here? is it winnable? >> we have a cause. we have a mission. if we were to just give up, go home, what kind of message would that send to the people here? >> reporter: victory, he says, through determination. but that night as the soldiers rest in the desert, word comes that another american soldier is dead. three in 24 hours. the soldiers never saw a single taliban fighter. for "today," richard engel, nbc news, afghanistan. it is now 17 minutes after the hour. once again here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. the u.s. supreme court meets in an unusual summer session today taking up a case that began as a fight over a movie about hillary clinton and has now become something much bigger. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is at the court for us. good morning, pete. >> reporter: the court's fall term doesn't officially start

until next month, but it's meeting today to hear a case that could bring a big change in the mix of money in american politics. early last year when it looked like hillary clinton still had a shot at winning the democratic nomination for president, a conservative group wanted to run what it called "hillary the movie" on cable tv. a 90-minute documentary sharply critical of her. >> she was the first first lady to come under criminal investigation. >> hillary clinton scandals are a gifthat kps on giving. >> reporter: but because the movie was partly paid for with corporate contributions, the government blocked it. that's because federal law bars corporations and unions from using their own money to run election ads that support or attack candidates. >> who is the real hillary clinton? >> reporter: and in the months leading up to the elections, the law also prevents corporations and unions from paying for ads that even mention candidates. >> people should let john mccain know. his agenda is not what we need. >> reporter: now the group

behind hillary the movie is asking the u.s. supreme court to strike those laws down as a violation of free speech. >> the more information that the public has, the better decisions individual citizens will make when they go to the voting booth. >> reporter: but supporters of the law say opening the door to all that corporate money would drown out other voices and create opportunities for corruption. >> what they could spend, if they could use corporate treasury funds to urge the election or defeat of candidates, is sply enormous beyond our imagining. >> reporter: the group challenging the law has a surprising mix of allies from the aclu to the national rifle association. >> barack obama isn't the kind of change we need. >> reporter: even though they're nonprofits, they're corporations, too, so they cannot buy ads supporting or attacking candidates either. today's argument will be the first for the newest justice, sonia sotomayor, who was formally welcomed on tuesday by chief justice john roberts. the court heard this case once

before in the spring but asked the lawyers to come back today so it can consider overturning decades of rulings that have kept corporate and union money out of politics. meredith? >> all right, pete williams, thank you. and still ahead, chilling songs written and performed by phillip garrido. ♪ little starlight in the morning sun ♪ ♪ precious eyes ♪ you're my lovely one >> we will hear them. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

happy 9-9-. ye >>ah, you, too. >> the 9th of september, the ninth month and the 9-09 year. this only happens once every, what? 100 years. >> yeah, there you go. >> what do we do? like have nine glasses of wine? how do we celebrate? >> just a normal day. >> yeah, next time it's going to happen is january 1st,

>> se >> some places are marking it with special things. >> in china, they love this. >> second luckiest number. >> and here? >> in florida, a county clerk's office offering weddings for $99.99. >> give us the one-day wedding special. that's one day of marriage. >> exactly. >> which is a gabargain. >> a divorce special the next day. >> we'll do any car, $9.99. >> are you superstitious, good luck for you or anything? >> no. >> me neither. >> sitting next to you guys is good luck. >> aww! >> it i'm not lying. >> that's very sweet. >> well, happy 9-9-09. we'll have much more after your local news.

good morning. an investigation is underway after a woman was shot to death outside an apartment complex in silver spring. police discovered the woman overnight in the 14,000 block of castle boulevard. neighbors say they heard gunshots in the area. therare no suspects or a motive at this time. today is the groundbreaking of the new department of homeland security hea uadqers in southeast washington. it is planned for the oldua st. izabeth's campus. the site wil be transrmed into a $3.5 billion homeland

security complex. organizers say the move will help redevelop the area, bringing construction, janobdopt and job opportunities. we grg to take a break now.ea w

good morning. cloudy and cool. bands of the light rain passing through the region. highs today in the mid 70s. could get more showers tomorrow. jerry, how is the traffic? top side of the beltway, heavy and slow.

other than that, relatively quiet. wilson bridge, no hangups. southeast corridor, okay. tonight on "news 4 at 5:00" p.m., stopping the spread of the swine flu. there are some things you can do now to stay healthy. that story will be coming up

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 9th, 2009, with rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast, not exactly the best weather today here in new york, but it is certainly not keeping a great crowd from starting their morning with us. we're going to step outside, say hi in just a bit. come on, matt, calm down. it's going to be all right. >> it's not me. >> inside studio 1a i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer. those babies we'll explain later, triplets born a year ago.

>> three beautiful young ladies making a little bit of a fuss, okay? coming up in this half hour, some disturbing music made by phillip garrido. of course, he's the man accused of kidnapping that california girl and holding her captive for 18 years. just ahead, the songs written and recorded by garrido that some say suggest an obsession with young girls. just ahead we'll speak exclusively with the man garrido shared that music with. also ahead, as parents we're all told our children never play with matches or lighters, but do they really listen? we put a group of kids to the test using lighters that had been disabled. wait until we show you what our hidden cameras captured. we'll have that for you in just a moment. and it's pretty disturbing stuff. now to the story we just referred to, remember the grandmother who gave her daughter and son-in-law the ultimate gift? she gave birth to their triplet girls. we first met her last fall shortly after the delivery. this morning the entire family with us in the studio, fussing a little bit, but we're going to catch up with them in just a little bit. but let us begin this half

hour with phillip garrido's secret music recordings. we'll talk exclusively with the man in possession of them in a moment. first nbc's george lewis has the details. george, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. and some late developments. police are now saying that a fragment of bone they found in a yard next to the garrido house in an area once used by garrido is human. but they note there are native american burial grounds in this area, so the bone will have to be sent for a lab for analysis. meanwhile, an acquaintance of garrido has unearthed somhing else, 20 recordings of songs by the man the neighbors call creepy phil. when phillip garrido was arrested for kidnapping and raping a woman in 1976, the arrest report listed his occupation as musician. here's a sample of his work, a song called "little dumplin'." ♪ for every little girl

>> reporter: now that his record as a sex offender have come to light, the recordings have a chilling quality. ♪ little starlight in the morning sun ♪ ♪ precious eyes ♪ you're my lovely one >> reporter: mark lister, a customer of garrido's printing business, tsz he got the recordings several years ago. he played them for nbc news at the office of his lawyer. >> he gave me the cds. he didn't ask for them back. he said keep them and someday they'll be worth a lot of money. >> reporter: after gurode dough's arrest, lister located the cds, and when he listened to them, he said, he was stunned at a possible double meaning to some of the lyrics. ♪ every pretty face in the human race ♪ ♪ being abused and used as devices ♪ >> it was very alarming, being a parent myself, extremely uncomfortable. >> reporter: meanwhile, tuesday night in the city of brentwood next door to antioch, they honored a local hero connected to this case.

>> you got a key to the city of brentwood. >> reporter: university of california-berkeley police officer allison jacobs, one of two officers who noticed phillip garrido on the campus with his daughters behaving strangely. after questioning them, they called his parole officer who was unaware garrido had any children. that led to his arrest. >> i appreciate everyone coming out, and i am completely humbled and honored that my town would do this for me and recognize me for what believe was just me doing my job. >> reporter: they wanted something to celebrate here after all the shocking revelations about the jaycee dugard kidnapping. a spokesperson for theugard family says jaycee and her daughters remainn seclusion with jaycee's mother, grateful for the public support but wanting their privacy right now. matt? >> all right, george lewis, thank you very much. george, we appreciate it. mark lister is now with us exclusively. mark, good morning to you.

>> good morning, matt. >> so your relationship, first of all, let's just characterize it with phillip garrido. i mean, he owned a business in the antioch business. so do you. you have a glass business. how would you characterize your relationship with him? >> it was purely a business relationship. it was not a friendship in any way whatsoever. he solicited myself and my business as well as several businesses in the east county area to do their printing work and business cards. >> and so when he came to you three years ago, you've known him for 15 years, but when he came to you three years ago with these recordings, that was because, what, he understood you knew some people in the music business? >> that's correct. i have some friends that i grew up with, i've known since high school, and they're in the recording business. and he said he had a number of songs that he had written and sungnd played the instruments in the background. and he wanted me to attempt to sell his music for him. to these people.

>> and when that effort went nowhere with your friends in the music industry, you just had these discs or recordings on a shelf somewhere. just explain your emotions for me, if you will, when you heard phillip garrido had been arrested and you went back and grabbed those songs and played them. >> i really had never played any of the songs in their entirety, nor did i try to decipher the lyrics in the song when he originally gave them to me approximately three years ago. when i saw the arrest on tv, i was stunned, shocked, just horrified. i remembered i still had the cds in my possession, so i played them. and i listened very closely to the lyrics and realized that he had written the songs i believe about jaycee and her daughters and possibly some of his activity in the past which is absolutely horrifying. >> of course, we have no way of

knowing that, obviously. it's just based on what we've heard and has been alleged about this man, these lyrics take on new meaning. i want to ask you, marc, if i can, i've heard some reports, some confusing reports that you may be considering in some way selling these songs. and i'd like you to clear that up for me. >> no. my intent is not to sell the songs or the cds or anything else. my intention was to use these cds, the music on them, to generate donations to go towards jaycee, her family and abused women and children. the money received would not benefit myself. it would go to a foundation. >> all right. and just let me end by asking you, i know you actually went to phillip garrido's house at one point and also saw jaycee in your store at other points. over the years when you saw this young lady and her children, you

didn't know whose children they were, did a red flag go up in any way that something was terribly wrong with this group of people? >> there was no indication at all. i met him on several occasions doing business and jaycee. there was no indication there was anything wrong. nothing whatsoever, no. everything seemed to be normal. >> i guess in hindsight, though, we look at things a lot differently. marc, i appreciate your time this morning. >> yes. thank you very much. >> all right. let us now get a check of the weather from al. >> and good morning. thanks a lot, matt. we found an 09-09-09 baby. my gosh! well, you were born at 9:00. >> 9:00. >> and today'sioour birthday. >> today ace 's my birthday. >> from cleveland. always love to say hi to cleveland. we're showing you that we've got some heavy storms moving through kansas. second day in a row theve goty' flash flood watches and warnings. you can see rainfall amounts

through tomorrow morning. going to be really wet there. pacific northwest, we're getting a frontal system moving in, bringing showers in the extreme pacific northwest. rainfall amounts relatively light. about a half an inch of rain to a quarter of an inch. and got a bunch of cheerleaders ófo#ófo#o#ófo#ófófo#ófo#ófo#ófo# good morning. it's cloudy and cool. we are in the 60s now. bands of light rain coming in out of the north heading south out of maryland into northern virginia and into the mountains ofest otvirginia, as well. the temperatures around the region are holding steady in the mid 60s around washington near the bay. a bit cooler around the blue ridge in shenandoah valley. a few morning sprinkles and

now let's head back into matt. >> al, thank you vermuch. up next, a fo terrriing sd for parents. what our hidden camera investigation reveals about kids and fire safety. that's right after this.

back now at 7:42. this morning on "today investigates," an eye-opener on a potential fire hazard that's almost certainly in your home. "today" national correspondent amy robach is here with tails. good morning. >> good morning. we're talking about lighters and matches. every year thousands of fires are accidentally started by children playing with them. most of us think that telling our kids not to touch them is enough, but is it? we set up a hidden camera experiment to find out. >> reporter: we began our experiment here at the lil' angels day care in frog's neck, new york. our subjects, this adorable group of 3, 4 and 5-year-olds. >> these are lighters. has anyone seen one of these? >> reporter: first we had mary kay, president of the home safety council, talk to our kids about the dangers of playing with lighters and matches. studies show kids as young as 2 can figure out how to work them.

>> matches and lighters are tools for grown-ups. they're things grown-ups use but never kids. >> reporter: we told our tots lighters and matches can burn you, and you should never, ever touch them. >> would it be okay for you guys to touch? >> no. >> no. >> reporter: but will the message stick? she says it's perfectly normal for young kids to be curious about fire. >> they see mom lighting the birthday cake. this is a pretty, wonderful thing. that match or that lighter is really intriguing. they're going to want to get their has on it. >> reporter: but every year this kind of innocent play causes nearly 15,000 fires and devastating injuries. >> i realized that i was burning. >> reporter: jack sample was just 8 years old when his curiosity cost him dearly. he was eating dinner when impulsively he stuck his drinking straw into a candle on the table. >> it sparked up, and i got scared. so i dropped it on my shirt. >> reporter: immediately his shirt went up in flames. jack suffered third-degree burns

on his neck, chest and arms. after 17 skin surgeries, he still lives with terrible ars. his mom says before the accident she never thought to warn her son about this danger. >> i had no idea that something as benign as a candle burning on the table would be a draw for him. >> reporter: so how big a draw would fire be for our kids? >> i know you're going to know what to do if you see matches and lighters. >> reporter: the day after our talk we came back to their playroom and left behind several lighters and matches. all had been disabled so they couldn't produce flames. then with hidden cameras rolling and the day-care owner and i secretly watching from the next room, we let the kids in. >> oh, my god! look! >> reporter: immediately they found our lighters. >> this is big danger. they can start a fire. >> reporter: some did follow our expert's warning. >> just put that down. down.

no! no! no! what did she tell you? >> reporter: but watch these other kids. this curious boy grabs our torch and playfully waves it around as if it's a toy sword. and look at this 3-year-old. he has no fear about picking up our lighters, one in each fist, and showing themo his friends. later he lines them up on this shelf to play with, then stashes them in his cubby like prizes to take home. >> i want to say to all the parents watching this, this is normal behavior. >> reporter: but remember, just the day before we had warned these kids. lighters and matches can burn them. >> have you ever heard the expression do as i say, not i do? it doesn't work. they see you doing it. you're not getting hurt. why should they think they would get hurt? >> reporter: now, watch this curious tyke grab our torch. and with finger on the trigger, try to light it over and over again. she says it's age-appropriate behavior that too often turns deadly.

so if a child was able to get a flame out of that lighter, how quickly could something go wrong? >> within three minutes that whole room could be engulfed. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: our video was an eye-opener for the kids' parents. >> they're lighters. you wouldn't expect the child to be playing with a lighter. they're attracted, though. you have colors. >> i never thought i needed to have that conversation with him at this age. >> so you've never had a discussion with him, never touch a lighter? >> no, i haven't. >> reporter: will you now? >> now i will, yeah. >> reporter: but as our experiment showed, words don't always work. opi says if you have kids under 10, keep your fire tools out of reach and locked up. >> you really need to make sure that kids don't have the opportunity to touch a match or a lighter because they're going to try. >> after our experiment, we again told our kids to never, ever touch lighters and matches, and we gave their parents child safety locks to use at home. and experts sayhen using fire tools, make it a teachable moment for your kids and remind them that they are adult tools which can hurt you.

and if you have kids under 10, keep all matches and lighters out of reach, meredith. it's just too tempting for kids. >> in your experiment, the boys were clearly interested. the girls were scolding them not to touch it. is that typical? >> it is typical. boys tend to be more interested in these types of tools than girls. but they say this is the important thing. you can't toss it off like boys will be boys, it's a partf growing up. i liked to experiment with matches as well. this can be a serious problem. so if your child is threatening to set fires or you see them set fires, you need to contact your local fire department or maybe even a social worker. >> and if a lighter says child resistant, that is not the same as childproof. amy, thank you so much. up next, ready to uncover the mystery of "the lost symbol"? our first clue to dan brown's new book right after this.

this portion of "today" is brought to you by bank of america. get the most out of your everyday purchases today.

>> and now to "today's search for the lost symbol." that is, of course, the title of dan brown's highly anticipated new book. it comes out next tuesday. and leading up to its release, we were given special access to some key moments in the story. so beginning this morning, we'll give you one clue each day. don't ask for more. just one clue to see if you can guess a few of the settings you'll discover in "the lost symbol." take a look. >> because the dead here far outnumber the living. this place is comprisedf five massive buildings, home to 12 miles of storage cabinets holding more than 55 million specimens. some collected by charles darwin himself. what you'll find here has rarely been seen by the general public. in fact, this facility is only open to researchers and scientists. few other people even know this place exists. but it's not just a storage

facility. in fact, this is one of the world's most advanced scientific research facilities. dan brown came here last year when he was researching his new novel. i'm told he was like a kid in a candy store. i'm in an area right now known as the wet pod. all kinds of rare and exotic sea creatures are kept here. one of the creatures kept here is involved in a pivotal moment in this book, a moment that may haunt you for a long time to come. of course, i can't reveal the mystery that brown has woven around this place, but suffice it to say that this facility is a big part of the book. so if i'm in a place called the death star, where am i? >> wow! >> da, da, da. >> i thought it was part of, like, the smithsonian or something, but it's not that. >> it looks like an oceanographic research facility. that means it's got to be kind of ocean -- >> that's just part of it, right? >> on the west coast, then, maybe?

>> i've been instructed to give only coy looks. >> give us more than that. you've given us nothing. >> confused? coy look. sorry about th.at >> is it -- is this in the untaited stes? >> i really am not going to tell you.ed check out our website at todayshow.com. we'll haveno aer clue tomorrow. don't forget, next tuesday a rare exclusive interview with dan brn himself. >> how many times did it take you to do that stand-up? >> one day.

7:56 is your time. 67 degrees. good morning. an investigation is underway in silver spring after a woman was found shot to death in the 14,000 block of castle ulevard. neighbors say they heard gunshots in the area. there are no suspects or a motive at this time. in the wake of new budget cuts, hundreds of state employees could learn they are being laid

off. governor tim kaine ordered cuts of $1.3 million from the current budget. other workers will be laid off and some will take an unpaid day off. the governor ordered the closing of a few prisons and a ioten er detention center. we are going to take a break

go morning. a band of light rain moving into the district of columbia and prince george's county. it will be with us for another half hour or so. wet rhodes and streets and sidewalks. right now, low and mid 60s around the region. afternoon highs, mid 70s. cloudy and more rain tonight and tomorrow. jerry, how is the traffic? speaking of wet rhodes, authorities have an accident in the inner loop exit to georgia avenue. outer loop is jammed. 395, packed in tightly across all lanes to the 14th street bridge. eun? fighting the spread of the swine flu.

back now, 8:00, on a wednesday morning. it is the 9th day of september, 2009. that makes it 09-09-09. >> oh, my! >> very lucky day in the chinese culture. nine, the second luckiest number behind eight. we've got a lucky crowd out joining us on rockefeller plaza this morning. we thank them for stopping by. i'm matt lauer along with the lucky meredith vieira and the always fortunate al roker. >> yes, we are.

>> coming up this half hour, we're fortunate to have cindy mccain with us, the wife of arizona senator john mccain. she shares a medical condion with millions of other americans, something that she was first had misdiagnosed and now knows what it is. migraine headaches. if you've ever had one, they can be life changers. she's going to talk about that, what she's doing to raise awareness and also tell us the one reason she's happy it turned out she didn't become first lady. one grandma went that extra mile. she actually, at 56 years old, gave birth to her daughter's children, triplets, three girls. we're going to catch up with the entire family. >> that's just raising the bar way o high for the rest of us. >> impossible. >> exactly. >> i'm sure you would not do that. she did it. there they are, and they're great. >> i feel good cleaning out my son's sippy cup. a daring rescue caught on tape after a runner fell into a canyon, became stranded for three days. he'll join us along with some of

the folks who are credited with saving his life. an azing story. let's go inside. ann's standing by at the news desk with all the headlines. >> good morning once again. in the news, tonight the president makes his pitch for health care reform in what may be a make-or-break speech. the white house says the president will offer some new, specific details and will also try to ease the concerns of millions of americans who worry about changes in their coverage. aides say that he will not demand the so-called public option. nbc news will have complete coverage of the president's address to congress anchored by brian williams tonight at 8:00/7:00 central time here on nbc. more than 20 people have lost their lives in the worst flooding to hit istanbul, turkey, in 80 years. heavy rain has turned highways and rivers into -- highways into rivers and has left drivers clinging to their vehicles waiting to be rescued. "new york times" reporter steven farrell is free after a daring rescue overnight by nato forces in afghanistan. farrell and his translator were

taken hostage o saturday while covering a nato air strike that killed as many as 70 civilians. one british commando, farrell's translator, and at least one civilian were killed in today's raid. today the u.s. says it has serious concerns that iran is close to being able to make atomic bombs. one officials that iran potentially has enough enriched uranium for one nuclear weapon making it, quote, dangerous and destabilizing. federal officials are selling off more of imprisoned swindler bernie madoff's mansions to help pay back his victims. we have these details. >> reporter: each one is a little piece of heaven. or big pieces, actually. the lush gardens of bernie madoff's 8,000 square foot palm beach escape with its 80-foot dock. his montauk, long island home, steps away from the waves. and then there's his penthouse. park avenue in all its glory.

>> this is where bernard madoff spent the last few days of his free life. here in his office. >> reporter: but each home is in some ways understated for its surroundings. even a bit outdated. the formica countertops rather impressively unimpressive kitchen though big closet. >> nine shelves that would accommodate the 40-plus pairs of handmade belgian shoes. >> reporter: belongings that are now boxed up with the dishes and evening gowns, all to be auctioned away. here in florida, homestead laws protect people's properties from lawsuits and creditors, and after his arrest, madoff's wife made this her primary home. but she did it too late, and it, too, will be sold. and each mansion could bring in several million dollars. estimated at around $20 million total at least. plus madoff's multimillion-dollar custom-built wooden yacht called "bull," not to mention "sitting bull," and

"little bull." >> you obviously know that he has a fond sense for bulls. >> reporter: his favorite theme, apparently. they roam in paintings, sculptures, glasses, napkins, even stuff leather. projecting an image perhaps of bull markets. but the bulls, too, will go to the highest bidder. michelle kosinski, nbc news, palm beach. here's brian williams with what's coming up o tonight's "nbc nightly news." >> ann, good morning. thanks. think of it this way. coming up tonight, the president's speech, it's long, and he's going to throw a long ball. it may be his last best chance if he wants health care reform. we'll have a preview. also the history-making day today on the bench and the case that could change what we all get to see. we'll have that and more when we see you tonight for "nightly news." ann, for now back to you. >> brian, thanks. it is now 8:05. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> thanks a lot. we've got folks talking about

fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. awareness day. what is that? >> i'm dr. erin with the national organization on fetal alcohol syndrome. and 9-9 is national, international fetal alcohol spectrum disorder awareness day. >> and to get more information, go where? >> www.genofas.com. >> albuquerque. i knew i should have made that left at albuquerque. scattered thunderstorms at nbc 4. as we look around the country, rip currents along the northeast, showers in it is pacific northwest.ófo#ófo#ófo#ó# bands of light rain moving from the north to the south now passing through washington out of montgomery county. still getting light rain in southern montgomery county and moving into prince george's county across southern maryland. other areas of light rain up around baltimore. cool morning. in the 60s. 67, washington.

highs today into the mid 70s. morning showers should taper off and end by noontime. cloudy this afternoon. and another 09-09 baby. what's your name? >> elise a boston. >> love your city. up next, the grandmother who carried her own daughter's triplets. how are they doing now? wee going to meet the entire family right after this. there they are. aww! tightness in my chest came back- i knew i had to see my doctor. he told me i had choices in controller medicines. we chose symbicort. symbicort starts to improve my lung function within 15 minutes. that's important to me because i know the two medicines in symbicort are beginning to treat my symptoms and helping me take control of my asthma. and that makes symbicort a good choice for me. syicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken more than twice a day.

symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol may incrse the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler. within 15 minutes symbicort starts to improve my lung function and begins to treat my symptoms. that makes symbicort a good choice for me. you have choices ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. (annncer) if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. i'm a free runner... ...national champion gymnast... ...martial artist... and stuntwoman. if you want to be incredible, eat incredible. announcer: eggs. incredible energy for body and mind. (guitar music) the lotion with a unique formula - effective 24 hours a day lightweight and fast absorbing. turn dry skin into skin that feels great all day. with smoothing essentials. only from eucerin.

stains surrender to the power of all. our powerful stainlifters t ghfistains and leave clothes whiter and brighter. win the battle for clean clothes while saving over 25% versus thghlebrand.g

♪ having my baby ♪ what a lovely back now at 8:10 as we catch up with some of the most amazing guests we've ever had. "today's update," t ohio mother who gave birth to her daughter's triplets. we'll check in with the whole family in just a moment. but first, their absolutely amazing story. >> reporter: some call it the ultimate gift. it's the gift of life. and for joe and kim coseno, they hit the jackpot. their triplets were born on october 11th, 2008. three girls, elizabeth and identity twins, all about three pounds each. of course their doting grandmother was right there in the delivery room. and she had a reason to be. jaycee, kim's mother, acted as the surrogate who carried and delivered the triplets when she was 56 years old.

last year they appeared on our show. and jaycee explained to me why she did it. >> it's just another thing i've been doing for my daughter, you know, mother's love. they were really sincere about having more children, and i just wanted to do it. >> reporter: kim already had two teenage children from a previous marriage. but due to medical issues and a partial hysterectomy, kim was unable to carry a baby. >> she did have one ovary remaining, so she had eggs that were very viable and very possible to be produce a pregnancy. >> reporter: the delivery was documented by the syndicated show "the doctors," and kim talked about it on our program shortly after. >> it was the most incredible experience of my life. the love that i felt for my moer at that moment and those babies and -- i just can't even describe it. it was so great. >> reporter: now as they approach their first birthday, the coseno triplets learn new things every day. and one day will know the story of a mother's love.

and the gang is all here. kim and joe coseno, their little girls, gabriela, elizabeth and britney and, of course, grandma jackie, good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> so nice to see you. the little girls were born last october. kim, what has the last year been like for your family, and how much of it is just a blur? >> the first five months is a blur. it is. it's fantastic. it's a juggling act every day. we have teens and triplets at our house, so it's been interesting. >> and it looks like they're just starting to get interested in walking? >> oh, yes. yes. all the time. it's active. >> and i know that the girls were born two months early because there had been some problems with one of them in utero that one of t girlsas not growing properly, but now it seems they're doing fantastically well. >> carmina wasn't doing very

well in the beginning. she was losing nutrients from the placenta, so they had to deliver early. >> and she's feisty because of it. >> from day one. >> jackie, when i asked you a year ago why you did this for your daughter, you said it s a mother's love. and i understood exactly what you meant. but looking back now, are there moments where you go, i can't believe that i brought these three little girls into the world, and at the age of 56? >> sure. yeah. it's amazing, but i'd do it again. >> you would? >> oh, yeah. >> because i know -- >> i wouldn't want to do three. >> well, nobody knew that was going to happen. >> right. >> but you do have three other children. so are you serious that if one of them asked you, you would go ahead and do it again? >> yes. >> you know, i can only imagine for you, kim, the gratitude you must feel. it must grow daily when you look at these little girls in terms of what your mom did. can you talk about that? >> every day i look at them and think about how different our life is now in such a positive

way. the love that our family feels every day because of their birth. the miracle that she gave us. it's amazing. i'll never be able to repay her. i just thinkvery day raising them to show her how much i appreciate, by what i do with them. >> and i know your mom had her own health scare right after birth, right? >> yes, she did. >> what happened? >> well, she had an emergcy after the c-section, and they had to do another surgery and repair some things that went wrong. she made it through it. >> she sure did. yeah. >> feel great now. >> jackie, having given birth to the girls, does it change your perspective as a grandmother at all? do you have other grandchildren? >> i have nine grandchildren all together and another one on the way. >> you look good. >> yeah. >> oh, no.

no. >> it doesn't. >> no. i went into it knowing, you know, and already grandma. >> joe, looking at you, you've got a little bit of that overwhelmed look in your eyes. >> sometimes it can be very overwhelming. >> yeah. >> but it's very rewarding at the same time. >> it is. >> and you know, there's going to come a day when these girls are going to look up to you, kim and joe, and they're going to say, where did we come from? >> right. >> mom and dad. tell them, what's the story you want to tell them? >> i think we were just open from the very beginning. it was such a gift of love fromr my mom. it's a great part of their story. i'm not ashamed of it. and i'm really -- i'm proud. i'm proud of my mom and how they became. >> britney, as older sister here, what do these girls mean to you? and your grandma for what she did? >> i'm really thankful that she did that because, like, without her, we wouldn't have them. and i love them so much. like i'm away at school, but i love coming home and seeing

them. i like seeing how much they're growing. >> is it still airacle to you that all of this happened? >> yes. >> yeah. so what's next for the girls? what's ne? the next milestone will be walking? >> walking. they're crawli. they're into everything. we're babyproofing. they'll be walking and more talking. >> a lot more talking. >> a lot more talking. >> do we have any first words? >> mama, dada, mine. >> mine. mine. >> from "sesame street," mine. >> we can't thank you enough for being here. three beautiful triplets. beautiful, beautiful daughter as well. we'll be back after these messages. as stations. in fact, we speak mpgs so fluently, we can say one more thing. the ford fusion is the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan in america. and that's something no one else can say. we speak the 2010 ford fusion. get in... and drive one.

town house toppers-- the only cracker with raised edges... to keep dip in its place. town house toppers-- part of the town house family. when it comes to toppings, we've got the edge. town house toppers-- the only cracker with raised edges... to keep dip in its place. town house toppers-- part of the town house family. when it comes to toppings, we've got the edge.

zipline-- terrifying. my husband, robert, robert made me come. he dragged me up here. i'm scared. i don't want to take my feet off the platform. hey, this isn't bad! you look down and you're like, ooh that's a lot farther than i thought it was going to be. well that wasn't bad at all, that was fun. . unlock an outdoor dreamland for your indoor cat. exciting flavor combinations, plus a touch of garden greens make it irresistible. friskies indoor delights. feed the senses. it's not ready yet. (announcer) every smucker learns to wait for fruit to reach the peak of perfection to make extra delicious jam.

shopping online can help save. doing it with bank of america can help save a lot more. up to 20% cash back from over 300 online retailers our add it with bank of america can helpit up progr.amrt. add to 20% cash back from over 30r onit up program. just sign up and use your bank of america debit or credit card when you shop online. it's one of the many ways we make saving money in tough times a whole lot easier.

throughout the 2008 presidential election, cindy mccain campaigned tirelessly with her husband, arizona senator john mccain. but what a lot of people didn't know was that on many of those days she was in sheer agony. mrs. mccain suffers from yharforsgreaa etcrt hafor yeart to herself. now she's speaking out not only to raise awareness but also money for research. cindy mccain, good morning. it's good to see you again. >> good morning. thank you. thanks for having me. >> it's good to have you here. why the secret? 15 years you suffered from migraines. why didn't you tell anyone? wry didn't you tell your husband? >> it wasn't that i tell him, in the beginning i was misdiagnosed, just a headache. >> stress. >> yes, stress and all that stuff. it wasn't that i didn't tell

him, i didn't know i had migraines. then when i was finally diagnosed with what was significantly migraines, then of course he knew. but i didn't tell the public because it was just my private -- my private problem. and i didn't -- i just didn't feel like i needed to do that. >> and when you finally do tell people, and we discussed, i had migraines as a kid. people often say tame a couple aspirin and go on about your day. try to describe to people the difference between a headache, even a bad headache is, compared to a migraine. >> well, i think that -- what i tell people is is that it's the difference between having maybe someone tabbing your head and putting an ax through your forehead. because when i get a migraine, i can't see. i can't hear. i can't do anything, and i've got an ax in the middle of my forehead, and it goes on for weeks. >> people have to lie flat on their bath, they have to go in a room that's dark and quiet and forget about taking care of kids and doing the things you should be doing at work. all that stops. >> you can't do anything. and more importantly, it takes

you away from life. i mean, i missed a lot of my children's life and a lot of my own life with my husband. it's hard. it really is hard for people. >> people are migraines often you hear them talk about triggers. there are certain things that tend to trigger those headaches those extreme headaches. yours are? >> mine is, from the best i can tell, smell does it to me and barometric pressure drop. a lot of people have trouble with chocolate or wine or sound. the triggers vary from person to person. the most important part of this is the amount of americans and worldwide that are affected by this, 36% of the american public have migraines. one-tenth of the world population are affected by migraines. >> so if there is no cure, which there isn't, because a lot of people still don't know what cause migraines, what do you suggest to people who are suffering perhaps silence out there? what should they do? >> we need to get together and get after congress to get a cure for this. right now we have very little

money in place towards research of any kind towards migraines, and it affects the world's economy because of lost work, the amount of money. right now $2 billion affect our economy because of lost work and time. with migraines. so it's time that the american migraine association, the society for migraine, everybody else, we're going to get together, and we're going to make sure congress understands it's time that we not only -- >> in the senate, are you going to use it? >> yes, i am. i've never done this before, but i told my husband look out because it's time that we do something about this. it's affecting all of us. >> as long as we're talng about health issue, let me ask you about thisffort for health care reform that's going on right now. the president is going to speak about it tonight. your husband has says his approach has touched off a peaceful revolt in this country. as someone who's had health issues herself, what is the one change you'd like to see in the health care system in this country? >> i mean, obviously, anybody who doesn't have access to health care, everyone -- this is the united states of america, we

should all have access, but we also have the best health care system in the world. i'm with my husband on this. i think his approach is absolutely correct. i think the way he's going, the way he's approaching it is correct. >> but something needs to be done. >> absolutely. right now something needs to be done. because so many people are losing health care and falling through the cracks while it's happening. >> and i have to ask you, if the election had gone differently, you would be the first lady right now. and i was thinking about you the other day thinking how many segments have we done on this show on michelle obama's clothes and her arms and everhing? are you in some ways happy that you're not in that spotlight? >> extraordinarily, yes. >> how do you think she's handling the spotlight? >> i think she's handling it beautifully, i really do. and things happen for a reason. i'm at home with my family. the most wonderful thing about this summer is my son came home from deployment. and so i've gone on with my life, and i'm enjoying my family. and i'm right where i want to be.

>> that's nice because i know last summer was dominated by the convention and the campaign, so it's nice that you're getting a chance to spend time with your family. and good luck with the campaign to raise awareness and money for migraine research. >> thank you. and thank you for having me. >> a pleasure to see you again. say hi to your our time right now is 8:26. 67 degrees. low-hanging clouds out there this morning. good morning. i'm joe krebs. in the news for today, an investigation is underway after a woman was found shot to death outside an apartment complex in silver spring. they discovered her in the 14,000 block of castle boulevard. neighbors say they heard gunshots in the area. there are no suspects or a motive at this time. we will break and come

bands of light rain. we have one right here in washington and southern montgomery county into prince george's county. another one north of baltimore west of winchester. temperatures in the cool, mid to upper 60s. 67 in washington. this rain activity should taper off in another two or three hours. cloudy throughout the rest of the jast noon. highs in the mid 70s. after sunset and until midnight, perhaps a few more light showers. tomorrow, a chance of passing showers mainly in the afternoon. rry, how is the traffic now? a bit tough on the top side of the capital beltway.

connecticut avenue, word of an accident. we are still looking at delays on the inner loop at georgia because of an accident. new york avenue, inbound as you head on down to the third street tunnel, it is jammed. joe? thank you. tonight at 5:00, fighting the spread of the swine flu. there are some things

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 9th, 2009. we are surrounded by a happy crowd despite some rather gloomy weather here in rockefeller plaza. looks like the rain ll be coming in soon.

i'm meredith vieira along with al roker and ann curry. matt had to live early this morching because he's on assignment. coming up, david goldman, the dad fighting to get his son back from brazil for five long years. so is he any closer? he'll be here with the latest on his battle. >> what a tough battle that is. my gosh. and still ahead, our good buddy mark bitman is here. bitman. we love bitman. he's here to teach us some simple steps for creating a prepackaged meal. kind of like fancy hobo packs which i always loved. mr. tman will be by in just a bit. and also coming up, is this the right or wrong time to invest in real estate? we've got some expert advice coming up and also talking about what does it mean if your mortgage is not reaffirmed. our "money 911" panel will be weighing in on those financial questions and more coming up. >> you always learn something when the panel is in the house. >> that's right. >> yes. and speaking of learning something, the weather, mr. roker. >> let me go check -- yes, you're right. speaking of learning, let's show you what's happening as far as

saturday, looking ahead to the weekend, send, showers here in northeast. rain through the gulf coast where they need the rain. sunny out west. sizzling in the southwest. then sunday, sunday! we're looking at some showers in new england. thundershowers from the gulf coast on up into the upper mississippi river valley getting some rain in washington now. on radar where you see the area of color. we are getting rain in southern montgomery and the northern part of montgomery county. here in western prince george's county through eastern charles county, this band of rain is passing off to the south and will continue to move through the metro area for the next, half hour or so. another band of light rain out in the mountains of west virginia. as well as on the eastern shore. temperatures in the 60 that's your latest weather. and if you want to check your weather day or night, check on the weather channel, on cable or weather.com online. or go to willard.com, and you'll

see uncle willie scott. how are you, sir? >> i'm the biggest frontal system on television. and you are tough. >> thank you. >> i wake up with al every morning. >> on the weather channel. 6:00 a.m. >> yes. we're dropping more plugs than pimlico. y.llay, happy birthday from h!om y. ooh! i love it al b tikiheear sug keitt w ih sugatr. iliittkeh w h,ol king,ic rwnoh, still works as a crossing guard. how about that?nt longebushi longevio to going somewhere so y d st y.ru n rusty. my neighbor used to say you rust out a loquicr.ker. anyway. ty. et hornf o o conneaut,connut, ohio. ye0 ard.arol maintains three houses and will host her 100th birthday in one

m.he t hethat..th that's pretty. od od hgo forgoer. lady of povert f mepepementilf o sa linlinas, california, 101. rides his scooter to mcdonald's every single day, proud to have received a birthdaypresident rey rs a fag years back. atat,morelama a is 100rs yea d, dated thomas barrow. do k wrothers were? brothers were? who was the other one? bonnie and clyde. you got that? that's right. a brother of i guess clyde. n.ag e av hhnjo e johnavmaddocks of littleton, colorado, who is 100 years old today. takes four fligh of stairs every day to get up to s apartment. how about that? that's an erroci p.seamgr wrroldagnef o lacr wisconsin. wneni n.itoscon nice town. 100 years old.. retired grocery store clerk. secret to longevity, playing chesn ay

ly emie emily rosa,rosa dighton, mass, 100 years old, farmer, avid gardener and loves shopping at walmart for crafts to make afghans. that's it. that's all. meredith is back in new york city. raining down here. >> thank you, willard. and rose rosa is a distant relative o mine, a 'cause, so happy birthday to her. up next, new details on a new jersey father's five-year battle to bring his son back from brazil. we'll talk with david goldman. ve

back now at 8:37. and now to the latest on a new jersey father's agonizing fight to bring his son, shawn, back home from brazil. it began back in 2004 when david's wife took their son on a

trip to visit her family and never returned. david goldman is with us now. david, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> the last time we spoke was in june. and at that point the brazilian supreme court had ruled that you could have custody of shawn six days out of every seven. but you had to visit with him in brazil. the two of you had to be in brazil. his family in brazil appealed that decision. where does the appeal stand at this point? >> the appeal -- again, that's the reason we didn't jump on a plane and fly down there because we knew something would happen, and that wouldn't be the case. and, of course, they appealed it, and a decision was made that shawn would stay with his brazilian guide until the final decision. >> and do we know when that decision is likely to be handed down? >> well, actually, i met with some consul officers, an ambassador from brazil, in washington last week as well as spoke to some of our government people and the attorneys, and they all expect their ruling

sometime at the end of this month, by the end of september. >> do they have any sense of which way this is going to go, or are you tired of listening to optimism? >> i have to be hopeful. >> yeah. >> but optimism, i mean, until i'm on the plane with my son and those wheels are up and we're gone, then i'll be optimistic. but the indication is that from the brazilian authorities, we had the order from the brazilian judge, good order. we want to continue to follow the rule of law. we want to honor the hague convention. i mean, they seem, without saying ye we want him home or yes -- because nobody really knows. and then, of course, our president said that he doesn't have any indications that the brazilian government is blocking or holding things up. and then he said if we continue to have swift resolutions to this, although five years is hardly swift -- >> he said -- actually, i spoke to him and i asked him about that.

he expressed concern about shawn. he said as long as we're making swift progress to get this resolved, then we'll keep working through official channels. so you don't believe that they are making swift progress. you think we need to be more aggressi aggressive? >> well, here we have -- i get so many phone calls and e-mails that people say -- have left behind parents, that you're our only hope. you can't give up. because if you can't get your son home in such a clear situation, what hope and what chance do we have? and then i get e-mails and phone calls saying, look. we had two adult journalists in korea who we were able to bring home expeditiously and swift, in a matter of months. and they were there by choice. and then the ship captain, by choice for his job, sailing in pirate waters. we got him out. they say we were a superpower at one point. here you have a child. he was taken at 4 years old against his will, held

illegally. and we can't get him out of brazil, a friendly nation? he's held illegally, my son, and yet he's still there five years? there's no swift in this. >> when's the last time that you spoke with shawn either, you know -- >> in june. >> june las time? >> mm-hmm. >> are you allowed to place phon calls at this point? are you allowed to write letters? >> with the amount of pressure that they put on him as evidenced in the court, i don't want to put him in this situation. i call up, and they'll be right there, as they were when he was first abducted. and they start to pressure him and force him. and i don't want -- they've made it impossible t have a normal visit, to have a normal phone call. he just has to come home. they have to do what they need to do, get treatment, get help. but to keep my son and these other children in this country is wrong. >> you know, in the midst of all this, you have helped spearhead

legislation that would help other abducted children in other parts of the world, not just brazil, by penalizing countries that do not honor the hague convention and also by establishing an ambassador at large for international custody cases. where does that legislation stand? >> you know, it's a great piece of legislation that's introduced in congress that will not only penalize these countries but the abductors and hopefully act as a det det deterrent for doing this and not only hague countries but other countries that shows our country will not accept international child abduction. we're supposed to have hearings the end of this month. possibly the first week of september on the floor to get this bill, this legislation, into law. so we can start. i mean, why -- i asked, like, what message does this send that brazil's holding 70 children, and a couple weeks ago, we are funding offshore oil exploration in their country, over $2

billion? what signal does that show, you know? we say we want the children back. we write the letters. our first conversation that we had in september, and they look at us as a paper tiger. and we write letters and we speak, and we expect them to follow the rule of law as we do. and they don't. and yet we still fund, and we need to kind of set limits and boundaries and things aren't acceptable. kidnapping our children into these countries is not acceptable. >> one thing's for sure, you are not about to give up, i can tell that. david goldman, thank you so much for joining us. please keep us updated. >> thank you. thanks, meredith. and we'll be right back. this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:00. this morning on "how to cook

everythingtoday," cooking with a technique that's easy, fun and healthy. here to show us how, "new york times" columnist mark bittman, "how to cook everything," one of the best cookbooks in the world. mr. bittman, good to see you. i love when we're just getting ready to do a segment, i hear him go, "ow!" >> these are hot. >> don't do that. >> i call it cooking in packages. >> hobo packs. >> exactly. exactly. so you take stuff, you put it in foil. classically in france they use paper, but it's much harder to deal with. >> sure. and you cook it in the oven or -- >> on a stove top will work. >> i like to throw them on a grill. >> or on a grill. anything. >> 10 or 15 minutes later. this is about as healthy as it gets. >> you don't need any added fat. i mean, it can use butter or oil for flavor, but the juices of whatever you put in here are going to stay in here. >> right. >> so you've got all the flavor

of all your ingredients. you know, think about a buffet like this where you spread out some vegetables and seasonings, whatever animal products you want. and you just let people have at it. >> animal products. >> animal products. >> so this would be a great dinner party. >> yeah. i mean, if we had eight or ten people in here, we could go to town. >> that's right. the crew doesn't count, obviously. how do we get started? >> well, i like to start with the fish or meat on the bottom. because sometimes, especially if you do it in a pan, it will brown a little on the bottom. >> that's nice. >> and any vegetables you want. it's going to create se liquid. so tomatoes are always good. winter squash, potatoes, broccoli, et cetera. anything will work. obviously we have onions, garlic, chilies, lemon. >> so you want something a little savory and spice. >> oil and soy sauce. >> something. >> have at it. >> all right. would you put any oil on here to begin with to keep it from

sticking? >> you can but it's not going to stick. >> not necessary. >> not going to stick because it's steaming in its own juices. >> is this chicken? >> yeah. >> one of my favorite animal products. >> animal. >> okay. and then, now, is it important how you layer beyond that? >> i mean, you know me. i don't think it's important at all. i like -- you know, it's nice to finish with the herbs because it's going to look prettiest that way. and i think tomatoes really -- i almost always put tomatoes in because you know you're going to get juice, and you know you're going to get flavor. me, too. >> me, too. i like that. now, how long -- the other thing is, these cook fairly quickly. >> i usually say they take 20 minutes. really from the time you hear it sizzle, that's when it's cooking. so shrimp will cook in four or five minutes after that. chicken you need -- i mean, that's a big piece of chicken. >> that's a big -- >> six or eight minutes. but, again, it's faster in a pan

or on the grill than it is in the oven. you're working much more quickly. >> well, you know. that's because you're talking. >> too much talking. >> i'm just hanging out. >> anyway, however you like it. and then that's soy sauce over there, by the way. i don't know if that's what you want. this is vinegar. >> and with the soy, i don't have to add any salt. >> we said we're not adding fat, but a little oil won't hurt anybody, right? >> can i have the pepper mill? >> here, i'm going to give you some. that's the easy part. not that this is hard, but you want to create a really tight as seal that you can because the tighter seal you get, the fewer juices will escape. and if you do it really right -- >> so it kind of steams. >> it totally steams. if you do it really right, it will pouf up like jiffy pop. >> on the oven or on the grill.

>> on the oven or on the stove. >> as usual, mr. mark bittman, thank you so much, sir. appreciate it. and you know i love it when you speak french. up next, time travel. is it actually possible to go back in time? you could see this again. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ time keeps on slipping this morning on "the secrets of the future today," time travel. most of us have dreamed of going back to the past, and now some are insisting that it could one day become a reality. here's nbc's keith miller. ♪ time ♪ where did you go >> reporter: time waits for no man, they say, but professor ron has spent his life attempting to make time wait for him. when he was just 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack. >> really caused my world to fall apart. >> reporter: to put it back together, he found inspiration in a comic book. >> this was it. i knew that this was going to be the way that i was going to get back to the past to see my father again. >> reporter: when h.d. wells wrote his science fiction story more than a century ago, he never could have imagined that it would inspire so many. for generations artists and

scientists have been exploring the possibility that one day we all could become time tourists. ♪ a popular theme in movies -- >> this theory of yours, time warps. >> it's nonsense. >> time travel. >> if you hang around long enough, you'll see me disappear. >> one second he was there, and the next, he was gone. >> reporter: time travel also attracts serious scientific studies. professor malick claims he's on the edge of a breakthrough. >> four intersecting laser beams. >> reporter: he's built a model to demonstrate his theory. >> time will be along that roof in time we'll be able to travel back into the past. >> reporter: the first-time travelers may be atomic particles. but one day the professor believes this technology could be used to send information back through time. >> by sending information back, this is what can allow us to

evade future catastrophes. >> reporter: but it could be dangero dangerous. >> before you were born. you're not born, so how do you go back in time to carry out the murder? >> a trace of existence. >> reporter: deep below this swiss mountain, scientists are spending billions of dollars attempting to unravel the secrets of the universe. and some experts believe that their experiments with this gigantic atom collider could lead to the world's first time machine. >> microscopical wormhole, will produce in experiments, it leads to the possibility of time travel. >> reporter: but scientists like paul davis say time travel into the future is here and now. >> going forward in time, you simply need toove very fast. >> reporter: as they travel at 18,0 miles an hour, astronauts

take a short trip into the future. >> if we can get close to the speed of light, it would be possible to jump ahead in time by maybe many years. what you need is a super-duper spacecraft. ♪ time >> reporter: and the determination of scientists like professor mallin. he may or may not ever reach his long-lost father. only time will tell. for "today," keith miller, nbc news, london. >> how ironic that we only have 11 seconds to talk about this. >> shades of marty mcfly. ,ye>>ah tlex go back in time. >> get that machine. we'll be back after your local news. m

our time is 8:55. 67 degrees. wednesday, the 9th of september, 2009. good morning. i'm joe krebs. metro says it is still putting its oldest cars at the front of some trains despite warnings from the ntsb. the series 1,000 cars date back to the 1970s, the type of car in the front of the train involved in that deadly crash in june. the ntsb has warned metro about the car's crashworthiness. they said they would put the cars in the middle of the trains but sometimes they put them back in front when not enough newer cars are available. metro says it is not putting riders at risk. beginning today, hundreds of state workers in virginia will be getting pink slips. governor tim kaine has announced $1.3 billion in budget cuts. those keeping jobs will have to take one day without pay next year.

kaine has also ordered the closing of two prisons and funding cuts for state-supported colleges and universities. we'll take a bre

rath rain around the reege yun should be ending by noontime. a few more showers this evening. passing showers possible, dry friday into the weekend. jerry, how is the traffic? tough out there. on the top side ofs the capita beltway, outer side, the accident police are wrapping that up. 395, packed in tightly headed to the 14th street bridge. tonight at 5:00, fighting the spread of the swine flu. there are so

and we're back with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, september 9th, 2009, 09-09-09. >> guess whose birthday it is? >> whose birthday? >> luke's birthday. happy birthday. >> your son, luke. 09-09-09 baby. a lovely crowd. we're glad they're here. and you've got an amazing story. >> i really do. i'm really excited about this. now, jim williamson is a veteran

outdoorsman, competes in these 100-mile super marathon races. but he got in a bind last week while hiking in the mountains of utah. we'll tell you what happened to him and also meet the local heroes who came to his rescue along with the grateful hiker himself to tell you his amazing story. truly a story of survival. can't wait to see it. >> absolutely. and we've got another edition of "today's money 911." this morning, answer to your financial questions from financial emergencies like how to move on after you've declared bankruptcy to investing in everything from real estate to savings bonds these days. we've got our expert team at the ready. >> good. also, the inspirational story of ruby geddinger, overweight since a little girl, recently she's been bravely documenting her weight-loss process on her own reality show. she is now down to less than half that weight, more than 400 pounds later. we'll show you what she looks like now.

you'll hear what she's learned along the way. she really is motivating so many people across the country. >> really inspiring story. now let's get a check of the latest news. we go inside to ann at the news desk. >> thanks a lot. good morning once again. in the news this morning white house spokesman robert gibbs said on this broadcast that the president will speak clearly and directly about health care reform. in his address to congress tonight. the president is facing skepticism from republicans and conservative democrats as well as millions of americans who don't want their current coverage to change. nbc news will have the complete coverage of president obama's address to congress anchored by brian williams tonight at 8:00/7:00 central time here on nbc. devastating floods in turkey have killed at least 20 people. today motorists in istanbul were trapped in their vehicles. some of them were swept away before help could arrive. it is the worst flooding there in 80 years. dramatic images. a kidnapped "torque times" reporter was rescued overnight in a nato commando raid in afghanistan.

steven farrell was taken hostage by the taliban on saturday along with his interpreter. they had gone to the area to report on last week's deadly air strike on two hijacked fuel tankers. the interpreter, a british commando and reportedly some civilians were killed in the cross fire of today's rescue. today sonia sotomayor hears her first legal arguments as a supreme court justice in the case dealing with campaign finance laws. sotomayor was welcomed to the high court on tuesday by the chief justice, john roberts. today president obama is among those paying tribute to walter cronkite at a public memorial service in new york celebrating his achievements. the legendary anchorman died in july at the age of 92. some great white sharks, more of them, were spotted and tagged on tuesday off cape cod so that trackers can keep an eye on them. the biggest is about 15 feet long. in all, five great whites have been tagged off massachusetts saturday. as you might expect, chatham beaches are closed to swimmers

again today. and an arizona driver charged 37 times with speeding vows to fight the charges. photos taken by surveillance cameras show someone driving his car wearing different animal masks. well, the suspect claims police can't prove it was him. police say, however, yes, they can. they say that other surveillance photos show him putting the masks on. it is now three minutes past the hour. let's get a check of the weather, another check of the weather, from al outside. >> i think that's a guy that needs to take the bus. i don't know about you. we've got some friends here from canada. you came in in an interesting way to new york. what did you come in on? >> the queen mary 2. >> the queen mary 2. that's very cool. >> documented her hometown of st. john's, new brunswick. so there was a tour that was offered, two days, two nights with the rich people. all the way to new york. >> well that's great. good to see you. thanks for coming down.. >> so we're here for two nights to enjoy. >> thank you very much. that's awfully nice. i love that. let's check your weather, see what's happening.

and we've got in the northeast, you picked a bad time to come, ladies, unfortunately. cool canadian high pressure. low pressure coming up the cape. you're not going back. okay. and that means we've got a l ot of heavy rain over the next upco of days. seas six to ten feet. good thing you're not on the ship tonight. we're looking at a lot of rain working in here. over the next two days, rainfall amounts generally about one inch but some areas along the southern a good wednesday morning. i'm news 4 meteorologist, chuck bell. a little ribbon of rainfall coming across the 270 split at the top end of the capital beltway across northeast and northwest washington and extending to prince george's county. a few showers over near mt. vernon as well. these rain showers will gradually be coming to an end later this morning. we will have a chance for more rain coming up tonight. temperatures in the mid to upper 60s.

and that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. now to a miracle rescue. 49-year-old father of two jim williamson was out for a training run in the rugged mountains of utah last week when he slipped and fell into a cany cany canyon crevasse. pulling off a series of daring helicopter landings with only inches to spare, the rescue squad lifted him to safety. jim is with us this morning along with the guys who saved his life, terry mercer, helicopter pilot with the utah department of public safety, and lieutenant corey polcifer from the washington county sheriff's office. good morning to all of you. >> morning. >> what an incredible story. when i heard about this, i said you've got to be kidding me. jim, you're out there for a run, and you get swiped by a car, right, that pushes you into a crevasse? you got hit? >> i have no idea. >> you don't remember? >> i was running, and everything

was fine. the temperature was relatively mild, low 90s. i was just working my way down a gradual slope, wasn't difficult or anything like that. >> so what happened? >> i don't remember. >> you don't remember. >> i blacked out at some point because i hadn't -- i didn't even know i was near a cliff at that point. >> mm-hmm. >> so i don't know. >> how are you doing? because we should let our viewers know, you have your jaw still wired shut, and you had some serious injuries to your face. >> pretty much i apparently somewhere along the line, these guys might be able to add a little bit. i had fallen and maybe when i fell over, i was just, like, 30-foot cliff or something. i fell over something. and i assume that i landed face first. >> uh-huh. >> and so i broke my jaw, lower, all the way up and then across the top and off the sides and then my forehead. so i have metal plates all through there. and i get to pull my face down to get to it.

so my sollot airedup >> so still a lot of recovery for you, but, i mean, considering the circumstances, i mean, you are very lucky to be here today. >> the search and rescue people as well as my friends and family, i have them to thank for that. the support that i've had throughout the whole session was unbelievable. >> you said you don't remember much of it, but you do remember at the point where you regained consciousness. it was, what, about two days into the ordeal? >> it was sunday when i was running. and somewhere around 12:00 to 2:00 that afternoon, i guess i lost consciousness. >> mm-hmm. >> i had no idea what happened from that point until i started coming to on about monday evening. >> mm-hmm. >> and at that time i heard a helicopter, and i'm thinking, oh, it reminded me when i was doing search and rescue work myself. >> you were on a team, too. >> so i said, the chopper's leaving. sounds like it's the last load out, and i'm not on it. my gosh, they can't see me.

and so in and out of consciousness the rest of that evening, i guess, that night, i worked and squirmed my way out and the next morning, once i saw that they waved back, i pretty much passed out again. >> this is unbelievable, when you see the a lngandi on that ridge there. you had to do that 11 times with the whole rescue team. tell me what that was like. first of all, you two know each other. you had known about him. tell me what it was like knowing that there was somebody down there when you spotted him and knowing that it was up to you to get to him. >> when we first spotted him, i put the couple rescuers above him where it was a very easy landing. and i noticed this pinnacle. but i didn't think if i put him on the pinnacle they could even get off of it. but after a couple of trips in, one of the hikers got out to the pinnacle, and that's when we established that as our point to work from. and it was -- >> how dangerous is that, though? i mean, that looks -- i mean,

where he was, it was hard to get to. >> where he was, it was very difficult. it could have taken us all day, but with that pinnacle, we got it down to a couple of hours. and it was a very -- you know, it was a doable landing with a little bit of experience. the best part was the crew that i was working with. >> yeah. >> the search and rescue guys were so efficient getting on and off the aircraft that when i came in, i didn't have to sit there and mess around too long. it didn't take them long to get hooked in and get their gear in. >> corey, i imagine your training kicks in there, and you go in, and you know you've got a life to save. how dangerous was the situation? >> our concern when they located him was how quickly we could get him out. he was in critical condition, eltr yem exeltremtry dehydrated. weook medical personnel in with us to establish an i.v. with terry being able to land on the pinnacle where he was at, it really cut the retrieval time down by several hours. >> and you shot that video, as

we saw there, of the landing and everything. >> the video was shot by one of our search and rescue members that was up there, and then i took the photos. >> and so i imagine you don't see a lot of days like this. even though you have all the training, i imagine you're not doing this a lot in your life. >> it's really amazing with our volunteers, the amount of time and effort that they put in, too. and that's one of the big stories. on this search, we had 108 volunteers for a total of 338 hours that were given just for jim on this one. it's really amazing, the amount of time. >> jim, really quick, i know you've got a couple words you probably want to say to these gentlemen. >> these guys are the top of the heap. there's so many people in the search and rescue field that are responsible for my being out here. i mean, to cover that mountain and the hours that they put in to train and prepare is unbelievable. so thank you guys and all the search and rescue people out there. it's fantastic. >> really remarkable. >> i probably wouldn't be here. >> we wish you the best in your

recovery. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> you'll probably get out there running again real soon again. >> as soon as i can get that left side working again. >> i'm sure you will, if i know you. thanks so much, jim williamson, terry and corey, thank you. and still to come this morning, how to be smart about which movies are appropriate for your kids from 2 to 12 and beyond. but up next on "today's money 911," from timing the witn rl t to dealing with credit card companies, you've got worries, so we've got some answers for you right after this. announcer: it gives the world fewer smog-forming emissions. it gives you a 50 mile per gallon rating. the 3rd generation prius. it's harmony between man, nature and machine. (announcer) even after 20 washes, woolite for all darks won't cause fading.

washed out? not pretty... so keep your clothes looking like new! (announcer) don't take a chance. trust woolite. town house toppers-- the only cracker with raised edges... to keep dip in its place. town house toppers-- part of the town house family. when it comes to toppings, we've got the edge. town house toppers-- the only cracker with raised edges... to keep dip in its place. town house toppers-- part of the town house family. when it comes to toppings, we've got the edge. with technology of the future. it's liquid-plumr foaming pipe snake. clears slow drains, cleans pipe walls. liquid-pmr foaming pipe snake. ♪ doo doo doo

woman: there's only one disinfecting wipe with a low streak formula. clorox disinfecting wipes. so now, no matter what allergens drop by... it's what you drop in. claritin eye works on your itchy allergy eyes in minutes and lasts up to 12 hours. new claritin eye. now you can see claritin clear. you'll never have to call them to the dinner table twice

♪ somebody call 911 ♪ shawty fire burning on the dance floor ♪ it's wednesday, so that means it's time for today's "money 911." our team of experts solving your money emergencies. right after declaring bankruptcy to managing your credit cards, we have the answers. our team, carmen wong ulrich, personal finance expert on cnbc and stacey tisdale, author of "the true cost of happiness." we've got natalie with questions from our viewers as well. so stand by, everybody. here we go. first question, we've got an e-mail one from oliver in clarkston, michigan. i have heard your panel say that real estate is a great investment vehicle to build long-term wealth and i agree. however with a.r.m. resets set to peak in 2011 and 2012 which means more foesh cloreclosures, recommend until waiting until then before investing in real estate. carmen? >> aha. this is the waiting game. you try to time the housing market like you try to time the stock market. it's a very difficult thing to do.

and here's the deal. prices, if you just follow prices, maybe prices will be lower. maybe prices will be higher. depends where you're looking. but what about interest rates? there's something you have no control over. that could change. interest rates could go up. therefore even if prices go lower, the loan, the mortgage, will cost you more, therefore you won't get as much back on your written investment the thing is, if you're looking to invest in real estate, you have a long-term commitment, you've got to be ready to do this, do it now if you can. you've got to put over 20% down, absolutely, you have to have a lot of emergency cash in the bank and make shaur you have fantastic credit. remember, too, if you're going into real estate nownd you're tempted by low prices and low interest rates, you already put one-third of your money in your primary residence, one-third is a lot. be very careful going in. >> and also make sure that you can do the maintenance on a real estate investment. >> the insurance, the upkeep. >> exactly. and you have the time to do it. >> all right, stacey, thanks. let's head over to dean & deluca with natalie. >> all right, i've got marian rich from buffalo, new york. you have a question about repaying back college loans? >> question.

we owe about $21,000 left on our daughter's college loan. we're paying 4% interest on it. and we are able to pay it back if we choose to. i want to know, what is the smarter move, to continue making monthly payments until 2017 or to repay the loan now at 4% interest? >> it's 4% interest on that loan? okay. go ahead, stacey. do you have an answer? >> how about having their daughter pay it off? how about that? >> i wasn't going to say it. >> have this conversation with your daughter. >> and you want to know which is the smarter way to go. >> she really needs to be having this conversation with her daughter. children have got to take some responsibility for their own college education. ask her. would you rather that i tap into my retirement, help you pay off some of these loans now, or would you rather i live with you when i'm retired? never tap into your retirement. >> every child will say no. but financially, if that money's earning -- if you have money earning more than 4% somewhere, let it ride.

if it's sitting in a checking account or savings account, you might want to pay more now. but again, we're talking about who's going to take care of you? can your daughter do that? make sure you're taking care of yourself first. she needs to pay something. >> take care of yourself. >> good advice. don't hate the playa. >> exactly. >> we've got a viewer on skype, kay from stewartstown, pennsylvania. kay, good morning and what's your question? >> hi, good morning. my situation is that i have accumulated a significant amount of credit card debt from trying several home-based businesses that were unsuccessful. i've been trying to make monthly payments on time to keep my good credit rating. however, two of the companies sent me letters stating they were going to increase the apr. and i can either choose to accept their terms or cancel the cards. so i opted to cancel the cards which those have high balances. so my question is, what's the best solution to reduce and

consolidate this debt so that i can pay off the cards and still keep my good credit rating? >> well, here's the thing. consolidation is all about kind of bundling things up and fixing an interest rate. so what you're thinking about doing is basically taking out another an. now, you could actually fix an interest rate with a loan, say, from a bank or credit union which may serve you well in the long run. but if you maintain what you're doing right now and you're able to afford to do that and keep your interest rates low, keep doing what you're doi because taking out another loan, you may not be able to get a very good interest rate here. go to your credit union. and if you need help managing all thes loans, you know where i'm going to send you, nfcc.org, get a nonprofit credit counselor. because what you're finding out, kay, when it comes to your business and your personal credit, your business cards and your business debt is actually relies on your personal credit history. so the two mesh. so be very careful with it. >> good luck, kay. and now let's go back across the street to dean & deluca and natalie. >> from clinton, indiana, dick, you have a question about gold? >> yes, i do. i keep hearing from financial

advisers and stock brokers to buy gold, buy, buy, buy. gold reached $1,000 an ounce yesterday. >> mm-hmm. >> do you still buy gold, and where's it going to go? >> well, you've got a nice necklace going there, i'll tell that you. go ahead, carmen. >> invest in the bling, i guess. >> it's not real here's the thing. gold, it did reach a really amazing high. but it's a hedge against inflation. during recessionary times, commodities, people flock to what you can hold and feel and touch. so prices have gone up. so the time to get in was back in '07 when it was $600 an ounce. now here's where it may or may not go. most folks say there will abe pullback because the dollar is going to gain more value. we're coming out of the recession. the time to get in was before. if you're going to get it now, do a spyder fund, not necessarily ingit. >> that's a swedish accent, isn't it? carmen wong ulrich and stacey tisdale, ladies, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and if you've got financial

questions, go to our website, todayshow.com, and we'll try to answer them for you. still to come, you've g her to thank for frank sex talk over cosmos. so what has "sex & the city's" candace bushnell come up with now? a new drink? i don't know. all.

some 100-calorie snacks just fall flat. ( thudding, applause ) 100 calorie right bites. make the most of every bite. and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food.

[ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations. the deliciously different way to serve up your love at mealtime. chef-inspired. dog-desired. chef michael's canine creations. that's why i got them pillsbury toaster strudel. warm, flaky, pastry with delicious sweet filling my kids will love. plus i get two bonus boxtops for their school. toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. saving upc labelfor the sunnyd book spree, to help make classrooms sunnier places! we're helping kids. we're helping teachers. (announcer) 20 upc labels mean 20 free books for your classroom. or, sunnyd will donate n cents per label,

up to three hundred thousand dollars, to the kids in need foundation. make classrooms sunnier for kids. learn more about the book spree at sunnyd.com. team up with sunnyd. are you having -- you happened to catch "america's got talent"? >> i did, last night. >> we pick from the top 20 who perform, one energetic breakdancer, torres, got down, literally bending over backwards. ahaw! >> oh, that hurt. >> my golly. budoes he have what it takes e btorohe bed t c king? u' ined in tonight and see which four acts move into the finals. that's 9:00/8:00 central time. meanwhile, still to come, one woman's battle to fight 700 pounds she's lived in most of her life. we'll have that and more right after this. >> wls hav ien d ae in a

baby stroller. >> yes, it's a first for us. that's after your local news and weather. i saw a picture of myself and i was absolutely horrified, oh my gosh. it was the weight. i lost 26 pounds using alli. my friends were absolutely amazed. they had no idea that alli would work that well. if you stick to the guidelines that come with the starter pack, you'll do great. i actually don't mind getting on the scales now, i'm happy.

i actually don't mind getting on the scales now, should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with new wanchai ferry? you can make it in just 14 minutes mmmh, orange chicken. great. i didn't feel like going out anyway (announcer) wanchai ferry. restaurant quality chinese in your grocer's freezer

our time right now is 9:26. 67 degrees. a lot of fog and clouds and rain as well around the region. good morning. i'm joe krebs on this 9-9-09. let's see what the weather is going to look like. chuck bell is in the storm center for us. good wednesday morning everybody. cloudy skies across the area. little bits of light rain across the area. southern montgomery, western prince george's counties, through the heart of the district of columbia and into fairfax county and into the waldorf area. temperature clicked up to 79 degrees. we will stay in the 70s thanks to the clouds and rrs we>> s g> 'r.e we're g

good morning, everybody. tough commute. 395. top side of the capital beltway, a series of accidents. on the outer loop around connecticut avenue, now, we are checking inner loop near 270. wet pavement. be careful. tonight at 5:00 p.m., fighting the spread of the swine flu, there are some things you can do now to stay >

i've always been sort of reclusive. this change in skin color has obviously brought on scrutiny. >> yeah. remember this guy? don't adjust your set because his skin is actually blue. more of a purplish. he turned that way because he was taking something for medicinal purposes. we'll catch up with him tomorrow to find out how he's doing and if he's changed colors. meanwhile, al roker along with natalie morales. >> looks like papa smurf. >> he does. so how many times has luke asked

you if he could watch something and, you know, you were maybe looking at the title or the rating, and you tried to make a decision? >> well, luke just turned a year old. >> i mean josh, i'm sorry. >> luke is asking me for a lot of elmo these days. >> oh. >> you know, it's a tough decision for a parent, what they get to watch. you know, like, i struggle with some of the cartoons that are on because they're so violent. >> yeah. >> maybe you look back at the old stuff. >> that's right. >> wile e. coyote and bugs bunny. >> as we all know, you can't always trust the ratings to make sure that the content's suitable for your kids. so there's a new entertainment site that features a guide to help you decide what you want and not want your kids to watch. this morning we'll take a look at some of the movies coming out this fall. also coming up, one woman who's been brave enough to let us into her life, ruby, who stars in her own reality show documenting her weight-loss battle. at one time she tipped the scales at 716 pounds, and now she's less than after of that.

you'll get to meet her and hear her inspirational story just ahead and she'll tell you how she's been able to do it. then this "today's kitchen," an all-time crowd pleaser, noodles with an asian flavor. later on hoda and kathie lee catch up with the man with the good wednesday morning. i'm news 4 meteorologist, chuck bell. it is cloudy and cool and damp. here is a check. a little band of rain showers drifting southwest ward along i-95. coming through the heart of downtown washington. more light rain showers moving through annapolis and eventually northern calvary county. not going to see much of a change in high temperatures. only up into and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. coming up next, she started life-threangteni life-thrtengni

pounds-plus. we'll show you how ruby looks today right after this. i knew i had to see my doctor. he told me i had choices in controller medicines. we chose symbicort. symbicort starts to improve my lung function within 15 minutes. that's important to me because i know the two medicines in symbicort are beginning to treat my symptoms and helping me take control of my asthma. and that makes symbicort a good choice for me. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler. within 15 minutes symbicort starts to improve my lung function and begins to treat my symptoms. that makes symbicort a good choice for me. you have choices. ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. astrazeneca may be able to help.

my mother-in-law will be here in an hour! (horn honkin look at my carpet... if i steam clean it'll be soaked for hours! why steam clean? use resolve deep clean powder. the moist powder removes ground-in dirt and deep cleans without soaking. so you can easily give your carpets a deep clean... and it's completely dry in 20 minutes! look! this carpet will please any mother-in-law. my carpet looks great! (alistair) resolve deep clean powder. but kellogg saw an opportunity to plus things up. we took out their peanuts... because adding almonds would be a plus. we'd be better off with less sugar. we traded milk chocolate... for the delicious taste of dark chocolate. also a plus. then we added 35% of your daily fiber... plus antioxidants, vitamin e, and zinc. ♪ fiberplus bars from kellogg. fiberplus so much more.

"but it looks pretty nasty outside" (announcer) grands at only $0.25 a biscuit you'll find any excuse to eat in ♪ you don't have to be a witch either, it's true ♪ ♪ you just have to love a fun, tasty dinner ♪ ♪ and wearing some of tt dinner on you. ♪

and at her heaviest, ruby weighed more than 700 pounds, and everyday life was a struggle. now ruby chronicles her life on her style network show called "ruby" as she works on losing weight and battling the mental challenges. for you at 328 pounds, ruby shares her private thoughts and insights in "ruby's diary," reflections on all i've lost and

gained. ruby, good morning pap great to have you here. you're such an inspiration. >> thank you so much for having me. youook great. >> i feel incredible. it's amazing. >> you've lost about half of yourself already in weight. >> i really have. >> this book really is more than just your weight-loss journey, it's your life journey. it's the story of trying to struggle with lost childhood memories. you don't remember a lot of your childhood. >> i don't remember anything. i remember a couple of things under 13, but especially 10 and under, i do not remember anything. i had a recurring nightmare that i share in the book. >> mm-hmm. >> that i was not ready to share on television yet. and then there was one memory that came when my dad passed away which was in january. and i share that. but that's one thing -- the next part of this journey, trying to find out my memories. >> do you think a lot of that is what led you to being overweight? whatever happened in your life in the past? >> i could never figure out why i got as heavy as 716 pounds,

but now talking to the therapists and reading books, i'm starting to thinkaybe it has something to do with that. >> so now you've lost over 400 pounds. how has life changed for you, and what has it been like too this in front of the millions of people who are watching? >> i'm telling you, it's amazing because the people that are watching me are inspiring me to keep going on because they write me. i have people of all sizes, all ages that are changing. and i never realized there are so many people out there that face their own addictions or their beef. i call thi the beef, something that i've been fighting forever. so every time someone tells me that they are changing, they've lost 100 pounds or 50 pounds or they are walking or they're calming out of their house for the first time, it keeps me going on. >> how much has your life changed? i mean, you talk about the things that people take for granted, putting on a pair of blue jeans or even just walking up here to get to the studio, getting up the stairs? i mean, that was tough for you.

>> somebody would have to help me get up the little stair right there, but it's different now. because back then, you know, no matter what size i was, i was always happy. i lived my life. people were mean and cruel, but i would still go out. so back then i could walk five minutes, couldn't hardly breathe. but now can walk three miles or i can get behind the steering wheel of a car. i can go kayaking. i had one of my dreams come true. i got to ride a horse. >> i know, you've beehorseback riding. you're on the treadmill. you're working out. you're doing things you never thought you could do. you say, though, that the old ruby used to say i'll do this tomorrow. but then tomorrow never came. >> the one thing that i have learned is that do it today. don't ever say tomorrow. anything you want to do, i don't care if it's dieting, if it's a dream, start it today because tomorrow will not come for five or ten years. i beg everyone to do it today. >> and you tried every diet. you've done the yo-yo dieting

thing. what is it that finally got you motivated and got you working? >> i'm telling you right now, it's almost like i went to rehab without going to rehab. i went cold turkey for six months, and it totally changed my pilot. i'm telling you. >> it's a diet. >> it's a diet plan, you know, that is totally made by a chef that, you know, it's not processed food, and they really teach you portion sizes, and they teach you totally -- a variation of healthy foods. i never would eat that kind of thing. >> but you were struggling with health issues. i mean, diabetes. >> i was at death's door. >> your doctor said you're a metabolic time bomb waiting to go off. >> he wanted me to take insulin, and i said no way. ten milligrams. and when he said that to me, i went no, because i felt like if i was going to take insulin, i was giving up, and i could not go there. i said no, i have to fight this. i'm not going to get myself shot. >> i have to read a little bit of what you wte at the end.

i'm not going toive away anything. if god asked you if i could go back and time and make you fat or small and you could choose, it would be true, i'd rather be the same, lord. i'd choose big. i know that sounds crazy but i'm spending every second of my life fighting to get small, but this is the kind of person you want to be, and the journey is what this is all about for you, right? >> i believe that i'm a better person for being big because i don't judge people. i don't look at people on their shell. i look at the inner person. and i feel like this is my destiny because i want to help other people. i don't feel like it was the purpose of me to be this overweight, but i want people to not live in their house or define themselves by weight or anything. i want them to define themselves by the heart, by who they really are and live their lives. >> and you are inspiring so many with that message. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> the book is a ruby's diary." ruby, thanks so much. >> thanks so much, natalie. >> nice to see you. next, how mh@rihe

ri t movies for your kids. but first, these messages. ing... and hand-made upholstery. you choose the style... we custom make it. always with free design service. ♪ hand-made for you at ethan allen. it's more affordable than you think. ethan allen now with smart finance options... for the way you live. ♪ some 100-calorie snacks just fall flat. ( thud, ding, applause ) 100 calorie right bites. make the most of every bite.

t you make me another meatloaf ♪ - ♪ no - ♪ forget the mac and cheese ♪ - ♪ oh no ♪ i want some fun piled on a bun ♪ ♪ i want a manwich, please... ♪ make tonight a manwich night. - ♪ i want a manwich, please ♪ - ♪ ahh-ahh-ahh. (announcer) even after 20 washes, woolite for all darks won't cause fading. washed out? not pretty... so keep your clothes looking like new! (aoukeer)(announcer) don't take a cnce. trust woolite.

thanks. i did it to let the judges know that my dog is the right choice. i got the idea from general mills big g cereals. they put a white check on the top of every box to let people know that their cereals have healthy whole grain, and they're the right choice... just like buttercup. (announcer) general mills is the only leading cereal company to put healthy whole grain in every box. the choice has never been easier. for whole grain guaranteed, just look for the white check. vegetables are naturally low in calories. for whole grain guaranteed, v8 juice gives you 3 of your 5 daily servings. it's a tasty, nutritious way to make this number go up... and help this one go down. v8. what's your number?

but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin. you need to be your own advocate. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. you take care of your kids, now it's time to take care of yourself. while previews of some of hollywood's newest family movies may look harmless, some content may not be suitable for your child. i village is hoping to guide your children to proper programming to their age and maturity level. today michelle borba and angela matusek take a look at fall's movies.

you have a new entertainment site out there. what is it that we need to know? because a lot of times they have a rating and you think it's okay, and then you watch it and your kids are covering their eyes. >> you know what we found is that parents do really want to know what they should take their kids to see. thehing is they're so busy. so we've put together a site where you can find all the information you need, whether it's the latest hollywood gossip or what to see with your kids. >> first of all, there's a new movie opening today called "nine," a computer. generated movie. what do you think of this one? >> the number one thing i'm concerned about, animation has gone up five levels. it's extremely intense. the thing that you need to know, parent, is really do your research and homework before your send your child to the movie and buy that ticket. >> because it's got a pg-13 rating. >> don't be deceived by that thing called the rating. i think the number one thing is do your research, check the trailers. do the reviews. and then in the end, make sure that you are choosing that movie based on what you know your

values are and is this okay for your kids? >> do you basically have to go see the movie first? because a lot of them -- >> well, in some of these, i would say yes. but in the end, there are good websites that you can go to if you know a good reviewer and a critic that you trust, keep looking at that same reviewer. >> okay. so we've got a couple of pg-rated films, "cloudy with a chance of meatballs," the voices of bill haidar and andy samberg and yours truly. and "fame" coming out as well. so start with "cloudy with a chance of meatballs." >> so interesting that both movies are rated pg. and they're so different. one is a light-hearted, animated film, as you know, and the other one is a true life story about kids struggling at a performing arts school. >> and the overtones of sexuality and cliques and all sorts of things. all within pg. >> exactly. and that's the key in life is that there's going to be mature themes in there, could have sexual i sexuality, violence in there. even though they're rated the

same thing, again, why you need to do your homework. >> some of these movies, are there teachable moments? >> i love using movies with teachable moments. first of all, you're in your kid's zone. they'll be more likely to open up. and you can talk about that thing called sex and drinking and the issues that come up. and you can also get a gauge on your kid's moral reasoning. what do you think about that? your kid's going to open up, and it's a wonderful way to discuss. >> interesting one coming out, "where the wild things are." much anticipated movie. but you figure it's a kid's book, how bad can it be? still some kids could be frightened by this. >> when the book came out initially, it had a lot of controversy around it. and the film really does follow the sort of themes of the book. it's about a 9-year-old boy who has a wild imagination. but little kids might be frightened by this movie because the creatures are very realistic. >> go ahead. >> that's exactly it. be careful. if your child is going to be one of those that has problems with things that go bump in the night -- >> literally. >> -- this is literally not the movie you want your child to

see. >> and in november, "new moon," the follow-up to "twilight." "twilight" was rated pg-13. we don't know yet. >> i would guess it would also be the same, pg-13. at ivillage, we have a ton of message boards. people are in love with the series. and moms are just as excited to see it as their daughters. >> michelle and angela, thanks. for more information, go to todayshow.com and then our ivillage community. up next, everything you wanted to know about h@

this morning in "today's kitchen," it's all about noodles. if you're in need of a hot, fast meal your family will certainly love, we've got a delicious one-pot special. today we have appear accomplished chef and the author of the new cookbook, "noodles every day." corinne, good morning.

good to have you here. >> good morning. good to be here. >> you've been called the julia child of asian cuisine. huge shoes to fill, right? >> it is. it's quite an honor. >> let's get cooking. we're going to do noodles with beef and broccoli today. >> that's right, we are. the reason why i wrote this book is basically you're taking a very popular, you know, ingredient, the nole, and just applying asian flavor profile, taking basic ingredients that you can find anywhere. you don't have to have a chinatown near you. we're lucky here in new york city. we have a lot of beautiful noodles, rice noodle right here. >> soba. >> soba, green tea soba and a bunch of beautiful egg noodles. >> and you can find these -- >> fresh ones and dry ones. >> -- in a lot of grocery stores. >> huge variety of noodles. >> do you prefer fresh or dried just as good? >> i like both. you know, they're both very good. the dried ones cook quickly, in about three minutes or less. you know, it's not a problem at all. >> we start with the marinade with the beef. what kind of beef are we using here?

>> here we're using sirloin. certainly you can use something that's tender. >> should we go ahead? >> sure. let's do that. and you want to hear that sizzle because you're looking for a very high heat. >> hot, hot pan. >> hot, hot pan. >> and what kind of oil do you have there on the bottom? >> peanut oil but you can use any type of vegetable oil. >> right. >> something that takes high temperature. so there you go. and -- >> this cooks so fast, right? >> very fast. >> you're going to add all the ingredients as it's going. >> exactly. here's the soy sauce, a little bit of sugar, a rice wine. we've got a little bit of corn starch. >> these ingredients and a little garlic? >> and garlic, yeah. >> okay. >> it's all in the marinade. and it just cooks until, you know, cooked through. or ever so slightly pink. and then what i'm going to do, stir frying, first you want to do your beef, then your egg,

your little broccoli here. >> has this been precooked? >> this one has been parboiled, but you can certainly, if you have the time, you can do this. you can do it the day before if you're running out of time. if you don't have much time to cook. just do some of the parts earlier on. >> i love that it's a one-pot meal and you've got the noodles here already ready. >> and again, these you can use the fresh noodles so they can go right in. hi, al. >> hi. looks good. >> we'll let this continue and you can show us how it's plated up. >> terrific. okay. so here we have the noodle. with the broccoli. >> and you've got dumplings. >> ooh, dumplings. >> this is a traditional one. >> what'

our time right now is 9:56. 69 degrees. cloudy skies. we will get the forecast coming up. good morning. i'm joe krebs on september the 9th, 2009, 9-9-09. an investigation is underway in silver spring after a woman was found shot to death outside her apartment complex. police discovered the woman in the 14,000 block of castle boulevard. no word of any suspects or a motive at this time. layoffs may begin today in the wake of new budget cuts in the commonwealth of virginia. governor tim kaine ordered cuts of $1.5 billion.

nearly 600 state employees will be laid off as a result. kaine ordered the closing of two prisons and a juvenile detention center as well as state-supported colleges and universities. >> today is the groundbreaking for the new department of secure in washington. it will be built on a bluff overlooking the an ta cost ya riveroea h> esetdaro headachese fod om crsmute eaex nd ah commuters nextex monh on columbus day maintenance will dolptisru maintenance will dpt yellow gndw wi ne e bo y erthllwi g be no green o ne vi sli aceert line service at ivar avy nav ny yell low line w nilhel not in d.c. not in ipengra maryland. ege work bs ryland. the work begins on fr iday, october the 9th. normal service will resume on tuesday, october the 13th. now, let's get a check on the forecast. chuck bell is in storm scepter

4. good morning. good morning, tom. that the hour as we, take a lok at radar, we still have a few lingering sprinkles in washington. for the most part, they are tapering off. we may get a few more after sunset and through the evening and perhaps tomorrow. dry friday and into the weekend. now, let's check traffic. how is it looking, jerry? road work is in place, inner loop of the capital beltway before river road. one travel lane closed off. outer loop is okay. 395 still quite heavy to and across the 14th street bridge. lanes remain open there. joe? thank you very much, jerry. tonight at 5:00 p.m., fighting the spread of the swine flu. the flu kit that could make w

from nbc news, this is "today." with kathy lee gifford and hoda kotb. >> it's a whole lot more fun today to say it's 9/9/09. and a few minutes ago it was

9/9/09. i wonder how many people will play those numbers today on the lottery. >> seems like a lucky day. i think in some circles 9/9/09 is very lucky. china. >> it's a lucky day for me because i have friends visiting today. don and kay are here. everybody's starting school tomorrow. so we'll get a shot of you guys as we go along. >> diyou know this? i did not know. i'm not a math person at all. let me show you something. nine times two equals -- what does nine times two equal? >> i think it's 18. >> okay. 18. you take the two digits of one and eight and what do you get? >> nine. >> nine times three equals? >> don't get me started. >> 27. you had the two digits two and seven. what do you get? nine. >> it happens for any number. >> did you know that? >> any number. >> if you do nine times four. let's do it just for fun. equals 36. what do three and six add up o? nine.

9/9/09. you learned something today. did you not know that. >> i read my notes. >> trying to teach people things. >> a lot of people put a lot of stock in numerology. it's -- the chinese think it's a very lucky number, the number nine. the japanese feel like it's not. cats with nine lives, of course, think it's a very lucky number. do you have a lucky number? >> my lucky number's three. i don't know why. it just is. i like three. it's simple. it's easy. what's yours? >> 16. because that's frank's giant's number. >> what was it before frank? also, they're doing this ing, i think it's in florida. if you get married, just today, it'll cost you $99.99. >> yes, i know. there'll be a lot of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. >> yes. >> it's enough. something about forgiveness and compassion which we could use a little more every day.

there's been yet another survey ne, apparently. yesterday our president went on television and i loved what he did. he warned kids -- first of all, he said make school count. i love this. the best thing was, if you drop out of school, you're not going to drop into a good job. that's good. that sticks in the brain. >> he was smart warning kids about facebook. >> which i've been warning you people for months now. >> the thing is, the things you do when you are younger live on on facebook. you take a wild picture, your employer, future employer might see it. >> yes. >> anyway, i think we have a sound bite. this is him warning ninth graders or warning, really, all kids about the dangers of facebook. >> i want everybody here to be careful about what you post on facebook. because in the youtube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere

in your life. >> yes. forever. >> forget infinity. ad nauseam. >> aren't i purple? you don't pay attention to flowers and me? we all match in this area. >> you're losing it, hoda. because you're in training. you're in aining for your triathlon. today do you know what this woman has to do? this woman has to go and swim coney island. all around coney island. >> can i tell you something? laura looked on the reports of the waves, three foot waves. >> i know. and sharks. and sharks. >> the sharks are off cape cod. >> i've heard they're on the move. moving in a southerly direction. >> that's really rude. >> they're following the seals, which are already here. the sharks could get here any minute. >> i do not want to get in that water. i'll be honest. >> i'll be saying a little prayer for you. >> who did that? that is awful. that is awful. look, this is not fun and games. there are things in the water

swimming around. >> there are lots of things. >> jelly fish, too. >> it's some of the littlest things you have to be most afraid of. amebas. you follow one of those, you'll have gastrointerrolg problems the rest of your life. >> stop. plug your ears. why women really have sex. they're a book out on why women have sex. it's been a texas university professor. they found that it's not about romance often. and it's not about -- it's about other things. >> such as? >> sometimes women have sex with men because, number one, they feel sorry for them. >> that, i feel sorry for them for feeling sorry for them. >> 84% of women admit to having sex to ensure either, a, a quiet life or, b, to bargain for household chores. that's what people do. >> we thought that was ridiculous until someone who shall remain nameless, who is our boss, said, yeah, he did that last night. >> he said he took out the

trash. >> he took out the trash. >> to the edge of the curb. >> and was well rewarded for his efforts. guys, if it's a little slow around the household, do the dishes and see what happens. >> yes. women do admit to giving sex so that their husband will take out the crash. one woman said she did it because it was a very spiritual experience. >> she felt close to the lord. >> close to god. >> the other one i love is just because there's nothing else to do. >> she's bored. >> she's bored. so, you know, something to do. >> "law and order," at least already seen it. should we check in with ms. s sara. >> amy wrote stress relief. patty wrote pressure. >> has anybody posted because i am inove and i care to express it? >> janua >> jan wrote in love, intimacy and fun are all good reasons.

she might be a newlywed. >> i think sara's right on that. i don't know if you guys have noticed, but if you look around beatles music is everywhere. >> and it's here. it's even here. >> it is here? >> in our studio. >> they're fixing the songs up, aren't they? >> they're remastering. >> remastering, they call it. >> as if the beatles could ever sound betbetter. apparently they do. a digitally remastered cd. >> what's it called? guitar hero? >> rock band. >> that's what i meant. rock band. >> bring on jthis is how you ca along. go, girl. >> it's a game. wait. how do you do it? >> crank it, baby. ♪ hard day's night, and i've been working like a dog ♪ >> this is awful. ♪ it's been a hard day's night, i should be sleeping like a log ♪

♪ when i get home to you, i find the things that you do will make me feel all right ♪ >> hoda , are you doing this right. >> jenny garth and cis telling it's enough already. >> you got a problem with this? you got a problem with a couple middle-aged women having fun? >> middle-aged women? >> yes. if you double your age, you're middle-aged. >> all women should do this. we should all be doing this. >> are you tweetering? >> she was twittering. >> perhaps you're wondering who's with us here. >> two women with an attitude problem. >> after our commercial break, they -- >> after this.

the lovely candace bushnel is back at it. she's bringing us "the broad room." >> it's a new web serious. it takes a humorous look at women in the workplace and everything they deal with from male bosses to breast-feeding. actress jenny garth. jenny garth's friend wants to get in the background. jenny is trying to motion her friend to get in the right location. >> but everybody's moving except her friend. welcome, ladies. >> how are you? >> you have a lot going on. i know they're shooting the next "sex in the city" movie on the streets of manhattan causing all kinds of havoc. >> i watched a snippet of this web series. it's a lot of fun.

do you feel you have more freedom, more control when it comes to working on this project? >> there's certainly fewer peple involved. we worked with "more" magazine. they're terrific women. one of the things that was really fun about it was that it was all women involved. and there are fewer -- there are sort of fewer cooks in the kitchen in a way. if it really is terrible it's all my fault. >> it's her fault completely. >> blame me. >> i love how the actors, you act for a while, jenny, then you talk to the camera. like you have a secret going with the audience. i like that part. >> is it scripted? >> it's all scripted. >> that's a great part. you get to see inside these women's heads. that's what's so interesting about it. >> they're short. they're six minutes. so the structure is a little bit different. we were limited on our sets. we only really had a conference room. and a bathroom! >> that bathroom looked awesome. >> you can't have a show without a bathroom. >> makes it a little bit more

like a play. >> jenny, what made you decide to take on this project? what was it about it? >> i'd never -- i didn't know what a web series was. i'd never seen was. it was exciting to enter into a whole new area of what we do. also to work with candace and come to new york and play this woman who seemingly as her act together, she's this executive and very strong. >> different from you quite a bit? >> she is very different from me. i was enticed by the diversity of her and the possibility of that character. >> you said you liked playing someone who was closer to your age. has that been sort of fu to do? >> because you look so young. >> i do. >> that's what i meant to say. we all have that problem though, don't we? >> i usually play much older. or younger. i don't know. but she's a lot of fun because she is nothing like me, and she's the breadwinner in her family. the dynamic in her household is much different than my household. we got to work with other great

women actresses. >> who else is on it? >> mary mccann. jennifer esposito. >> are there more series? >> there are three episodes of the "the broad room." there's one behind the scenes. that's also part of a campaign for maybelline. colorful women. some real, real women. hopefully we'll do some more. i have some ideas. >> you never run out of ideas. >> no, you don't. >> but they're fun. >> it's about real women. >> there's a silliness, i think, which i watch a lot of youtube videos. and i was just like, i love that americans just do silly things and we laugh. >> uh-huh. >> and arouen't self-conscious about it. >> are you involved in this newest one?

are you a part of it? >> i'm not. michael patrick king who wrote and directed a lot of episodes of "sex in the city" writes and directs the mu voviesmovies. one couldn't have anybody better. >> we wish you great lck with the series. seems like a lot of fun. >> i guess we should say the first webisode is up now. go to www.thebroadroom.com online. viewers could go to that now and see the first webisode. >> is your friend right there? >> there she is. >> she's right there. >> thank you. >> thanks so much. >> next up, cire next up, cindy mcain is fightingmedical condition mapeople deal witn an every day basis. she's going to talk about that right after this. nd

we're back with "today's" health and help for the worst kind of headache. >> throughout the 2008 election we saw cindy mccain campaigning

tirelessly every day with her husband. little did most people know on many of those days cindy was in sheer agony, facing a condition she kept secret even from her husband. migrain migraines. cindy mccain is here with president of the american headache society. we welcome you both. >> welcome. >> thank you. >> quite a secret to keep. >> why did you feel like you had to keep that a secret? >> it wasn't so much it was a secret from my husband. but in the early year i was misdiagnosed. so i didn't -- i was told i was stressed. just go home and get over it kind of thing. so i didn't know what to tell him. and i was a little bit embarrassed because the doctors were kind of poopooing it. it wasn't until i was diagnosed i really told him what it was. >> what did they tell you it was first? >> stress. you're just neurotic. you have a busy life. >> the symptoms are so debilitating. i have friends that have to be in a darkroom, no noise. how long do yours last when they happen? >> it is a disability. mine can last anywhere from -- if i'm lucky, 24 hours to a week

to ten days. >> doctor, isn't it true that three times as many women get migraines as men? you would thinkthere's a hormonal link, obviously. >> there's a hormonal link. still, 6% of men get migraine. certainly three times as many women. in fact, over the lifetime, one in every three women get migraine. >> but they're all different, right? >> everybody's symptoms are different. as mrs. mccain said, she was misdiagnosed. over 50% of migraine sufferers who actually seek medical attention are misdiagnosed. usually with sinus headaches, stress or tension headaches. >> i know what a regul headache feels like. how would you compare to, cindy, to what a migraine people feels like for somebody who doesn't know. >> i feel like i have an ax in my forehead. i feel also like i'd like to put my head through a plate glass window. because i just -- you can't escape it. and it's just -- >> it doesn't come and go, does it? it stays. >> it stays. >> until it subsides. do you get the aura some people

get? which is a warning period, isn't it? isn't there something you can prophylactically do? >> people are suffering from frequent migraines. there are medications people take on a daily basis to reduce the frequency and reduce the severity of the attacks. >> but we don't know the real cause for everybodyr the cure? >> and, cindy, for you, in terms of triggers, i have friends who say sometimes there are different things. smells even. >> smells, uh-huh. >> what triggers it for you? >> mine are -- smells are definitely a part of it. particularly the largest one for me is a barometric pressure drop. particularly in arizona. >> what are common triggers, doctor, for most people when it comes to migraines. >> you know, triggers are so individual and so eubiquitous. not getting a good night's sleep. missing a meal.

menstrual cycle in women. stress. >> cindy, yours started, you were in the your 30s? >> late 30s. >> that's interesting. is that usually the way it works. sometimes they just sort of pop up, doctor, out of nowhere like that? >> absolutely. typically they begin in adolescence, teenage or early 20s. but they can begin later in life. 30s, 40s, 'even sometimes later >> what are you hoping to accomplish? is any money coming in for research for your organization? anything being done congressionally? >> no. that's why we're here. that's why i'm here. i have never stepped forward in front of congress ever, as you know, in my entire life with my husband because i never felt it was appropriate. i am tired of having migraines. there's no money that's been appropriatedor research funding in any way. this is an affliction and a disability that affects 36% of our population, 36% of our returning troops, and one-tenth of the world population. and not only that, it's a $20

billion effect on our economy. missed work, health care expenses, et cetera. it's time we do something. >> can you take -- is there anything you can take that eases it for you? >> i have a number of things i can take. sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. >> i had a friend who had to have demerol right into the vein. then you become addicted to the medicine itself. it's a horrible cycle. >> it's a cycle. >> thank you for being with us. >> thank you, doctor. >> we're here. i'm glad to have the support of the doctor and others. i look forward to finding a cure. >> thank you. >> well, you like beautiful. >> yes, you do. >> thank you. >> if that's any consolation at all, you look beautiful. still to come, our "o knew?" quiz show. >> what's going on in the world. hollywood. jon and kate. and there's more. >> after your local news.

outside the capitol this morning, just hours before the president is scheduled to speak to congress about health care reform, the protesters are against universal health care. good morning. coming up, what does apple have up its sleeve? they are unveiling their next

we're back on this wednesday with more of "today" and our "who knew?" quiz show. sports fans out there already know. but those who don't, and those of you -- today we decided to test your knowledge of what else, football? kathy lee is across the street ready to hand out $100 to those who answer the question correctly. for those who don't, they get her cd. betsy bird is author of "the

female fan's guide to football." >> they're going to do great. they're ready for football to start. it's going to be street. >> lovely lady visiting from ohio. who won the super bowl last year? >> pittsburgh! >> yeah, baby! >> $100. that was it. that was a big year for pittsburgh last year, wasn't it? >> one of the best super bowls we've ever seen, a close game. 27-23 gets the arizona cardinals. it was the most watched super bowl in history. 98.7 million people watched the game. >> i did not know that. interesting. back across to kathy. >> that's why it's called "who knew?" which futurer hall of famer had a cameo has cameron diaz's boyfriend in "there's something about mary?" >> brett favre?

>> well, darn good guess. you had no idea. >> no, no idea. >> she did have no idea but she got it right. brett favre, right? >> anyone who has seen that movie cannot get ben stiller's voice out of their head when trying to pronounce brett favre. because what he said in the movie, he get saying brett favre vre, vre. >> a local lady from queens with all of her students from her school. what is the average nfl play's salary? different from the teachers. $1.1 million, 1$1.7 million? >> we say b. >> you're close. i'm giving y money. i can't do that. although the teachers should get the money, don't you think. here you go, sweetie. >> yes, i do. actually, the correct answer is $1.1 million. which i found surprising. >> right. also, you need to consider that an average nfl career is only 3 1/2 years.

although, if you follow football and follow brett favre, he's been -- he's been coming back to the league back and forth. maybe that's messing up the average a little bit. but it's only 3 1/2 years. >> also when you hear salaries, you hear those big numbers. you don't hear what some of the regular guys are making. back across. >> my husband played 12 years in the nfl. believe me, he never made anything like that kind of money. and he still doesn't. anyway, madison, wisconsin, right? from what two sports, cricket and rugby, soccer and rugby, or soccer and baseball, ladies? >> i'm going to say a. >> and you'll be wrong. but you're going to love my album, "my way home." there you go. >> the correct answer there is two of the more aggressive sports, soccer and rugby, right? >> well, football used to be a very, very violent sport. actually, it wasn't until they introduced the forward pass in 1906 that football really became what it is today. because it used to be very, very violent. >> you couldn't throw before

1906? >> huh-uh. >> wow. >> from dallas, tex. i bet you're going to know this. what has another name for a football field. g gridiron, pitch or turf? >> a, gridiron. >> not even fair. >> an easy one. >> that was an easy one. if you look at the field, the hash marks and the yard lines it does look like a gridiron. >> this gentleman's from upstate new york. what is a regulation football made of? pig skin, leather or advanced plathices. >> advanced plastics. >> no. that would be my face. no, no. a football is -- i can't give you money. here you go. >> all right. the correct answer is leather. although they call it a pig skin. >> they call it a pig skin. apparently in medieval times they used to use some kind of a pig's organs to put on surrounding the football. thankfully, it's leather now. >> we appreciate you coming on

the show. catch the nfl season kickoff thursday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern here on nbc. we should remind you football night in the america starts this sunday night right behe tre game at 7:00 eastern time here on nbc. coming up next, dishing up on the gossip worthy stuff right after this. t

buzz." if you're out of the loop we're about to fill you in on all things buzzy worthy. roseanne colletti is with the peb show gossip gram. >> you know what it is? jon and kate. jon was on some network. >> another show. >> we won't mention. >> none of us will mention. >> he is very, very angry at kate, clearly. where is this all coming from? >> i agree with kate. i think he's been abducted by aliens. why else would he say those things? his wife.despises he's shooting his whole career, his whole family in the foot. >> the ratings are going down. >> they are. >> he even describes himself. he went from the nation's number one dad to a dirt bag. he called himself a dirt bag. >> and called himself the

world's number one dad. i'm sorry. >> two separate crews, one shooting kate and one jon. do you see shedo ow petering out because it's gotten soicky. >> people talked in because it was a family show. i'd watch it with my kids. how can you sit down and look at these people. >> explain it to your children. >> exactly. >> key family members missing. >> and what about the girlfriend? she still in the picture? >> "people" magazine just reported that hayley glassman is dumping him. that she has had enough. >> it's about time. it's about time. >> it's been, what, two months? >> yeah. because, i mean, she becomes his girlfriend. 20 days after she announces he's divorced, he's dating her, takes her out to the french riviera. a week later he's got another girlfriend. >> he was in vegas taking pictures with bikini clad girls. she found them on his cell phone. >> we were talking about how the reality show made him somebody. you know, like all these girls -- >> she said it would have happened anyway if the cameras

hadn't been there. i said i don't think . >> you mean the end of the marriage. >> that the marriage eventually would have happened. once you're not prepared for that kind of celebrity and it's all of a sudden you start believing it, you know -- >> he doesn't seem to understand this is something tat's going to keep going on. he seems to think you can just get a reality show like that. like he can hook up with michael lohan and kevin federline and do divorced dad show. >> i think you can get addicted to fame every bit as much as you can get addicted to a substance. >> katherine heigl is taking a break from "gray's anatomy." >> so they say. she's kind of the winendy whine of the show. she's always complaining. >> she's doing so well. got an emmy. has a movie career. >> hasn't she looked at david

caruso. >> jennifer aniston is doing very well in the movies. she came from a television show. so it's possible. the thing is she sort of left with a bad taste after complaining about 17 hours sfeo >> we feel so bad for her. >> her friendship with t.r. knight, he just left, too. they seem to be extremely close. maybe they're commiserating together. >> they're very close. i think they're very young, very immature. again, like a jon gosselin they don't realize fame came to them kind of easily and you don't get these great gigs all the time. >> changes at snl. they've taken two cast mers away and added two cast members. >> we know both of you are looking at that with great interest. >> hold up. >> now there are two brunettes. so which one, kathie, will play hoda? >> the beautiful new iranian girl.

this is my egyptian goddess here. she looks more like kathy griffin. i would never be that thin. >> you guys are the hits of two shows. you're hits on that show. >> they say it's a compliment. we'll see. >> jerry springer, real quick, is going to vegas. what's going on with that? >> well, he is. he and paula. maybe they're going together. i think going to vegas is sort of like when you get, like, a second husband and he's really rich. like the way you kind of extend your career and your life? >> it's been so good to so many -- cher is knocking them thdead ere. tte midler is knocking them dead there. >> celine dionne. >> he's done song and dance. he's been a host of that show before. >> did you ever see him perform inhicago? >> no. i've seen "chicago" 32 times and i missed his -- everybody that comes in and takes one of those roles. >> with this show, though, if they don't perform well they can always have a fistfight, right?

>> yes. s >> hello. >> i'm so glad it didn't come to that here with us today, guys. guess who's waiting for us? >> to hamilton. >> love him. >> the hotty. >> a movie about him after this.

dashing and ageless. we love hill. actor and producer, writer -- >> everything. >> has always been the classic american heartthrob. where did the hollywood icon get his start? >> the new movie "one and only" answers that question. it was inspired by his early childhood. his mother, played by renee zeling weer drags her two teenage boys -- >> i hope you're not offended by us. >> we just borrowed them from his dressing room. you can have them back. >> i once went to a restaurant and they had the menu on this. i ted to read it, and i went blind. i got a great tan during that. you don't mind if i just hold this up. >> beautiful. >> we've read different things about this movie. i remember when you were writing the book about your life and all of that. >> yeah.

may i say the hit "saturday night live." >> yes. >> say it. >> i forgot. it' called "don't mind if i do." >> and you do have the most incredibly interesting upbringing as a child. down in florida, on your way to l.a. and to hollywood and all of that. we have been reading you didn't particularly want the very talented renee at the beginning. that's not true. >> that's not true. ra any championed this movie. it'd gone through a period of time -- it had been around for a while. merv griffin had this thing. annett benning, maybe michelle pfeifer was going to do it. then it disappeared. >> it happens so often in hollywood. >> then they had that strike. >> the writer's strike. >> yeah. then we were ready to go. it fell apart. finally at the last minute, they wrote out the check and the picture was there. >> how do i get -- >> i actually have an office

which you can call. >> i bet you do. >> i just want to ask you, how is cody and cassidy? >> i hope he'd notice. >> we were very close. you remember that? >> back in the day. >> you guys have a little thing. i can actually sense it. >> i brought my girlfriend. you remember i had a win a date contest. >> win a date with george hamilton. >> she was so underwell med by me. she never cared. >> she came with her mother which i thought was a problem. the mother was the one that got the date. >> she was hitting on you. i know. >> i'm terribly afraid she just thought, well, forget it. maybe the thorazine didn't help. it was kind of a fun thing to have, you know. >> back to your movie for a second. did you like how it turned out? did it feel like your life when you were watching it?

was it weird? >> it's weird. the first time i saw it it was very technical. but didn't feel it at all. >> you stopped going to the set, i heard? >> i figured if you got great actress actresses and actors, you leave them alone. >> and a good director. >> he's great. i decided i'd back off. when i saw the picture the second time i started crying. i thought, what am i crying about? i never felt like that in my whole life. i couldn't say -- what she was able to do was to interpret the exact emotions i had as a child with my mother. because my mother started out with this theory tha she was going to go across the country, find a guy who would be a new husband for her, father for us. we left new york, went across the country with this aaa map. she'd say, oh, this guy is divine. he won the harvard/yale game. he'd come outside, and she'd

say, oh, my god, he let himself go. >> i love that. >> she was a little -- it was a little late for her. she was competin with younger women. but it was such a pre whatever this era was. she didn't know my favorite colors. she didn't know what i liked. she didn't know anything about my school. but what i started to find out, my mother was a hell of a woman. hard, hard act to follow all my life. when i saw this movie -- >> and you have tried. >> god kws, i'm still trying. i have an 800 number. >> we all want norton's number. forget that. >> i'm serious. >> george, we love you, sweetheart. >> come back any time. >> can i? >> yes. >> you have to. >> i'll sit out here. tomorrow i'll be right outside. we'll be right back with buffalo chicken wing boot camp.

we're back with "today's" kitchen. we're getting saucy with buffalo chicken wings. >> it's september which means football season and lots of hungry fans in front of your tv. drew is the wing king. >> aka the wing king. the wing king hails appropriately from buffalo with his original wing recipe. what you got here? >> my favorite thing is bourbon street barbecue wing sauce. this last weekend in buffalo, new york, 91,000 people. 40 tons of chicken wings. >> guess who we beat? >> bobby flay. >> that's a smackdown. >> show us how to make it. >> we got to saute a little butter and onions and garlic.

there's two secret ingredients. this is a little trivia. two secret ingredients in the original buffalo wing saw? butter and frank's red hot. now a little chili sauce. about a cup. a cup of barbecue sauce. half a cup of brown sugar. >> slap it on the thighs. >> what we're doing here, combining the sweet with the heat. brown sugar and honey combined with the franks. i love bourbon. i love drinking this stuff. i'm going to dump it all in. another secret ingredient. a teaspoon and a half of chili pepper. stirhis up for five minutes until it comes to a boil. once it boils turn down the heat and let it simmer for five minutes. you got a great sauce. which i amen wings. the tip, you're going to toss. it's a waste. the flap and the drumsticks.

cook the wings at 375 for about ten minutes. time to taste? >> time to taste? >> which ones are these? >> these are the famous bourbon street. watch these faces. tch these faces. watch the faces. >> wow, they're great. >> is that a picture of joy? >> they are delicious. >> from buffalo, new yor