good morning. breaking news. a 24-year-old lab tech nation at yale university taken into custody for dna testing. his apartment searched. as investigators try to piece together that brutal on-campus murder of a promising young graduate student. this mning new details on just how annie le died. racist nation? former president jimmy carter tells nbc news that he thinks a growing backlash to president obama is driven by racism. >> an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated

animosity toward president barack obama is based on the fact that he is a black man. >> this morning, the heated debate started by that comment. and thanks, but no thanks. a baseball fan catches a foul ball and hands it off to his daughter. she promptly throws it back. and now all they have is a great story to tell about the onehat got away today, wednesday, september 16th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. eight days after annie le was last seen alive, police in connecticut have now interviewed and taken hair samples from the suspect in that case. >> raymond clark worked in the building where le's body was

found on sunday. there are reports clark is engaged and lives with his fiancee and she also works for the school in that same building. we'll get the latest in a live report in a couple of minutes. also ahead, remember this terrifying scene caught on tape over the summer in a family trapped inside a burning van in milwaukee? well, the 5-year-old boy who was badly burned has just been released from the hospital. and just ahead, you'll be touched when we show you the very first thing that he did. a little later on, news you may not want to hear if you just took your morning shower. new research is revealing that a dangerous bacteria could be lurking in many shower heads. we'll tell you about that and what possibly you can do about it. but let's begin with those late-breaking detailsn that murder of a graduate student at yale university and the person of interest now in custody. nbc's jeff rossen has the latest. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: meredith, good morning to you. all this developed overnight. we are learning more this morning about that person of

interest. his name, as you mentioned, is raymond clark, 24 years old. he's a lab tech and works in the very same building with the victim, annie le, at that research building on campus at yale university. a picture of the person of interest on your screen right now. overnight police searched his apartment. they towed away his car. and they also took him to take his dna. late last night, police handcuffed raymond clark and took him away. >> did you do it? >> reporter: calling him a person of interest in the yale murder case. clark was not under arrest. instead, police had what's called a body warrant, a court order to take physical evidence from his body. >> the physical evidence we're looking for is dna. we'll take samples of his hair. we'll take a saliva sample from him, scrape his fingernails. there's a variety of things we do to get physical evidence off a body. >>eporter: at a late-night news conference, police said if raymond clark cooperated, he'd be released.

as investigators collected evidence from clark himself, they searched his apartment, too. >> do you have dna from the assailant or the person you believe to be the assailant? are you trying to match it? >> we have a lot of evidence from the crime scene, and we'll be looking at that to see what matches and what doesn't. >> reporter: investigators told us they focused on raymond clark after collecting 150 pieces of evidence, questioning 150 people, and reviewing 700 hours of surveillance tape. most of it taken at the crime scene, the campus research lab. this is the basement where yale grad student annie le worked and where her body was stuffed inside a wall. this bride-to-be was discovered on what would have been her wedding day. >> there is really no one who could have had access to annie le except someone who was in that building who could -- who had permission to be there. in other words, nobody came in off the street. >> reporter: mondayaw enforcement sources first told nbc news a yale lab tech nation failed a lie detector test and had defensive marks, scratches on his chest.

>> we're going to narrow this down. we're going to do it as quickly as we can. we're going to make sure tre are not other suspects out there. >> reporter: the motive is unclear and so is the relationship between clark and le. police now confirm they worked in the same building, but beyond that, police are focusing on the physical evidence. clark's dna to build their case. >> at least we're going to start getting some answers, and we're not just in limbo. and we need to know what happened to annie. we need to know who this person is. >> reporter: police now say dna from the crime scene is already at the crime lab, and they're analyzing it. now raymond clark's dna is also going to the crime lab. they'll look for a match or to see if there's not a match within the next 24 to 72 hours. we also have new information about how exactly le was killed. while the official cause of death has not been released by the medical examiner, "the hard fort courant" reports she was

killed by asphyxiation. now t the remarks made by former president jimmy carter with an interview with nbc news and they're raising eyebrows. is opposition to president obama and many of his plans fueled by racism? nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd has more on that. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: president carter is not the first supporter to invoke the issue of race as to giving a reason as to why there seems to be a heated opposition. but he's certainly the most prominent person. in this interview with brian williams which is about something they were going to be talking about on the president's 85th birthday, president carter said something pretty striking. take a listen. >> i think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward president barack obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's african-american.

i live in the south, and i've seen the south come a long way, and i've seen the rest of the country that shared the south's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly african-americans. that racism in connection still exists, and i think it's bubbled up to the surface because a belief among many white people, not just in the south, but around the country, that african-americans are not qualified to lead this great country. it's an abominable circumstance and grieves me and concerns me very deeply. >> reporter: now, matt, of course, the white house is in the middle of this fight on health care, trying to get -- rally the country on the economy, and this is something that they know they're going to have to respond to, and it's not something they're going to be very happy about. >> what do you think they might do? how are they going to respond to these comments? >> reporter: well, when it comes to the issue of race, matt, there are some supporters who believe this white house puts

its head in the sand. but you talk to the political folks in this white house, and the fear of backlash, because the fact is, president carter is saying -- is making it seem as if a majority of the opposition to president obama is driven by race, and that is really going to upset a lot of folks who will argue that a majority opposition is not driven by race. that it may be a few bad apples that are giving voice to this, but then if it ends up dominating the debate, it's something this white house feels that politically could put them in a very vulnerable position. >> chuck todd at the white house, thank you very much as always. frank lautz is a pollster and author of "what americans really want, really." michael eric dyson is associate professor at georgetown author and the author of "can you hear me now?" good morning to both of you. frank, let me start with you. we talk about politics and political divides. ideological differences that sometimes turn ugly.

why can't we say this is what this is about right now? why does race have to be made part of it? >> it doesn't have to be made part of it. the reason i wrote "what americans really want really" is i wanted to bring out what's actually happening, how people feel. i'll give you three stats. 72% of americans are, and i quote, mad as hell and i'm not going to take it anymore. 57% believe their kids will have a worse quality of life than they will. and only 33% believe that america will be a better country for their children. >> so there's enough anger out there to create this dissension without race being a part of it, in your opinion? >> among whites, black, brown, it doesn't matter. we are afraid of the future, and we are angry with washington and wall street for not providing a better future. >> michael, i don't know which is worse. is it worse if, in fact, some of this opposition to president obama is fueled by outright racism, or is it worse if some liberals, in an attempt to defend president obama and his plans, invoke the charge of racism to discredit the critics?

>> well, clearly the first would be the problem, matt. the existence of an abuse is far worse than those who trump it up. but let me say this. the you don't ask the person who's been the abuser what the status of the progress is. you ask the people or the person who's been abused. or if we look at terror, there's only been one terrorist strike, 9/11, but since then we've had terror alerts, we've been preemptive. race is terror, and the thing is, there have been incredibly valid incidents of racial opposition to mr. obama, and there's been an atmosphere from which those events have derived. if you look at the tea baggers, he's not even american, if you look at the sentiment out there, of course we understand it would be difficult for the obama white house to come out and say yeah, because he looks like a victim crying in his beer, so to speak, but at the same time, why is it that we put the burden of proof upon him when we know that this nation has been built upon so much racial inequality, and it

continues to exist in our own time? >> let me read you both something that maureen dowd wrote in her column this week. and she's talking about the incident at the speech before the joint session of congress. th normally nonchalant barack obama looked nonplussed as pelosi was behind surrounded by middle-aged white guys, a seep ya snapshot of days when they ran washington like their own men's club. joe wilson yelled "you lie"t a president who didn't. but fair or not, what i heard was an unspoken word in the air, "you lie, boy." frank, did you hear that word? >> absolutely not. the anger is not directed just towards barack obama. it's directed towards members of congress. it's directed towards the senate. it's directed towards the media, towards unions, towards institutions that we feel have failed us. >> michael, did you hear "you lie boy" in that comment from joe wilson? >> that and a l more, you uppity "n" and so on. >> you really heard that? >> obviously i didn't physically

hear that, but the implication, the inference. you only deal with so-called empirically lynching, an epithet, you look at the kind of atmosphere and attitude. look at the opposition. president obama wants to speak to the american schoolchildren. what's more american than that? people are keeping their kids at home because they fear he'll use his bully pulpit to drive home a democratic agenda. the point is, matt, when you look at the intense concentration on president obama, painting a president with two eyes in a black box, calling him a nazi, a chimpanzee, a monkey, how much evidence do you need? >> all right, frank. >> it amazes me that white americans are incapable of acknowledging what is before our faces and we have to deal with the racial animus that undergirds and underlies america and the resistance to mr. obama has been striking. >> frank, give you the los angeles word. real quickly, how should republicans and democrats handle the charge? >> i've interviewed almost 1 million people. i will tell you point blank, he's wrong about this. it's up to the republicans to

offer an alternative and up to them to challenge the president in a civil way. but in the end, this -- if they don't understand this, this isn't about barack obama. it's about fear of the future, fear of control, loss of freedom. >> frank -- >> fear of a black planet and fear of a black man. >> please. >> frank and eric, gentlemen, thank you both. i appreciate it. ann is on assignment this morning interviewing iran's president, mahmoud ahmadinejad. she'll report live from tehran tomorrow morning here on "today." th morning natalie's over at the news desk with the rest of the morning's top headlines. good morning to you. good morning, everyone. this morning senate lawmakers will hold a closed-door meeting on afghanistan. it comes a day after admiral mike mullen called the war "more complicated." he said the u.s. would need to send in more troops in order to win a more sophisticated -- against a more sophisticated enemy. as many as 40,000 additional troops could be sent to help supplement the more than 60,000 already there in afghanistan.

meanwhile in iraq today, vice president joe biden meets with iraqi leaders in baghdad. he's urging them to put aside political differences so the country can have successful parliamentary elections in january. fed chairman ben bernanke said tuesday that the recession was very likely over with consumer spending up slightly. but he said the recovery would likely be slow and not produce many jobs right now. and that lack of jobs is a concern again on wall street. cnbc's trish regan is at the new york stock exchange. trish, what are we watching? >> the good news here was that bernanke said technically the recession looks like it is ending. the bad news, of course, is that jobs factor. unemployment is expected to continue moving higher. the expectation is for 10% before the end of the year. and so you're really looking at an anemic gross situation which is caung this problem with jobs. now, as for today, traders are watching more economic numbers including a read on inflation. they're also watching the technology sector. you have a merger happening in

tech with adobe systems, purchasing an internet services provider and also oracle out with its csing numbers after the bell. back to you. >> trish regan at the new york stock exchange, thank you. the fda has approved the new swine flu vaccine, and health officials say the first doses should be available by the first week of october. and, oh, the crazy things kids do. a man was at the phillies/nationals game last night in fill dell when he caught a foul ball in the upper deck. everyone is cheering as he hands it to his daughter. and yes, she throws it back onto the field like every good girl was supposed to do. but her dad wasn't mad. he just gave her a big hug and everyone around cheered. i think they need to give her that ball back. back over to matt and meredith. it's not hers, she gav it back. >> the best part is the reaction. the hug makes the whole clip. >> yeah. >> that's great. >> that's sweet. >> because he could have thrown her back just as easily.

>> whoa, he has that moment, like, whoa! >> and then that hug. that is beautiful. >> that's great. natalie, thanks very much. >> daddy, let go! >> see, now you're going to spread those rumors. >> just joking. very sweet. daddies and their daughters. let's take a look, see what's going on. and you can see that low pressure, it will not move. slowly drifting today. flood watches from texas to tennessee. rainfall amounts from oklahoma on into memphis and parts ofo#o# good morning. it is partly sunny around the region at this hour. it is now 69 in washington and it is a rather humid morning with a northeasterly breeze at this hour. a little bit of sshine in and out for the bus stop. temperatures holding steady in the 60s. a little patchy fog lingering in the rural areas. highs reaching mid 70s.

cloudy afternoon. small chance of light rain or and that's your latest weathe meredith? >> al, thank you. and now to the scandal involving the community organizing group known as a.c.o.r.n. over the years it has received tens of millions of dollars in federal housing money, but now hidden camera videos have led to the u.s. senate voting to cut off funds to the group. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers has details. lisagood morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. a.c.o.r.n. has long been a target of conservatives who have claimed for years the group engages in shady practices. these videos have provided critics with new ammunition and stirred enough controversy that even a.c.o.r.n.'s friends are keeping their distance. >> they're looking out for you. >> reporter: the seemingly damning hidden camer videos involve a.c.o.r.n. workers in four cities. the most recent one from san bernardino, california.

>> i have some experience in -- in how not to get caught. >> reporter: a conservative independent filmmaker and a friend poses a pimp and prostitute and are advised by a.c.o.r.n. workers how to evade the irs. >> honesty is not going to get you the house. >> reporter: even how to handle an underage prostitution ring. >> what if they're making money, because theye performing tricks, too? >> if they're making money and they're underage, you shouldn't be letting nobody know anyway. >> reporter: a.c.o.r.n. says all employees involved have been fired or suspended except the a.c.o.r.n. worker in the california video who says she was just playing along. >> you can mold this into anything you want. >> reporter: but conservatives are having a field day. >> i think it shows that they're willing to commit fraud and encourage fraud. >> reporter: the census bureau has severed all ties with a.c.o.n. >> senators voting in the affirmative. >> reporter: and the senate, controlled by democrats, voted overwhelmingly, 83-7, on monday night to cut off any further

housing grants to a.c.o.r.n. >> i would suggest, obviously, this is a pattern of very rotten behavior. >> reporter: by one estimate, a.c.o.r.n. has received $53 million in federal money since 1994. a.c.o.r.n.'s ceo says this is a smear campaign and that some of the videos have been doctored. she threatens to sue the filmmaker and conservative media which has extensively aired the videos. >> we are not going to take this lying down. we believe that -- in fact, we know -- that this was a form of entrapment. and yes, we're going to go after this videographer and fox. >> reporter: a.c.o.r.n. which says it delivered more than 1 million votes in the last election also claims it's being attacked as a way to hurt president obama. now, political analysts say this is largely driven by conservatives longstanding

distaste for a.c.o.r.n. but that president obama's history as a community organizer is one reason this story is getting so much play, meredith. >> all right. lisa myers, thank you very much. it is 7:19. and once again, here's matt. >> meredith, thanks. now to that little boy who was badly burned during a horrific van fire in milwaukee over the summer. he's out of the hospital now and doing surprisingly well. nbc's kevin tibbles has the latest. >> reporter: just hours after his release from the hospital, an unforgettable experience for 5-year-old d.j. harper. fishing on lake michigan with the man who saved his life. >> oh, keep reeling. i think he jumped off. >> reporter: it's been almost two months since young d.j. and john first met under dramatically difrent circumstances. >> get the baby out! >> reporter: d.j., his mother and sister had traveled to milwaukee from tennessee when their suv hit a tree, flipped on its side, and burst into flames. in courageous rescue caught on tape, he and his brother joel,

both off-duty firefighters, risked their lives to free d.j. from the burning wreck, using nothing more than their bare hands. they described the rescue to lester holt on "today." >> it was horrific. the car -- it was engulfed in flames. and the child was just, you know, inside there screaming. >> reporter: d.j. suffered critical burns to more than 30% of his body. but joel and john's work did not stop there. they spearheaded fund-raising efforts to help d.j.'s uninsured and cash-strapped family. >> just to see my son, you know, up moving around and smiling is just the greatest thing ever. >> reporter: doctors say d.j. still faces years of surgery and rehabilitation. but for john, he's making great progress. >> this is one of the best days of my life. you know, that's the feeling i have right now. >> glad to be out with your mom and dad? >> yeah. >> reporter: yeah, i bet you are. and no one is happier or more grateful than d.j.'s dad.

>> it's a bssed day. it really is. to have him out of the hospital and to have him actually on the boat fishing. >> reporter: a great day for d.j. even if the big one got away. what did he do? did he get away? >> yeah. >> reporter: oh, well. there's plenty more where he came from, i'm sure. >> yeah. >> reporter: yeah. for a remarkable little boy who just two months ago was fighting for his life -- >> hey, d.j., give me five. >> reporter: -- a new beginning. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, milwaukee. >> d.j. is a man of few words. >> as kevin tibbles found out. when you look back at that accident and that van engulfed in flames, it's amazing what those brothers did t get him out of there. >> absolutely. and how well he is doing. we wish him the best. >> we certainly do. still to come, a prominent north carolina doctor charged in the drunk driving death of a promising young ballerina. we'll get the latest and hear from the victim's friends. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, the dangers that could be lurking in your shower head? plus, the chimp who raised big cats after your local news.

good morning. welcome. i'm barbara harrison. it is 7:26. interstate drivers in northern virginia have one less place to pull over and stretch their legs. the welcome center on i-66 in manassas will be officially closed. it is one of 19 centers slated to close over the next six years. they say the closures will save the commonweah about $9 million. metro is taking action to protect its riders from the swine flu. they are using a disinfectant to san itize all surfaces.

every train and bus is being cleaned on a weekly basis. metro officials are asking passengers to do their part by covering their mouths and noses when sneezing and

good morning. partly sunny could cloudy. you might have a passing shower later on this afternoon. a small chance of that. jerry, how is the traffic? >> too is a miserable morning on the inner loop of the beltway. delays begin at i-66. earlier accident, the american legion bridge is gone. other problems to deal with.

the outer loop at central avenue, an sdechbt. still in the roadway. outer loop at 450, that accident is on the shoulder. barbara? thank you, jerry. celebrating curves.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 16th, 2009. a gray day here in the north east, but we have a sunny crowd lining the plaza. inside studio 1a, i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. coming up, if you haven't taken a shower yet this morning, you'd better stay tuned. >> don't look at me. i've already taken one. there's new research that finds your shower head could be spraying something along with water, potentially dangerous bacteria. we'll tell you about the risk and what possibly you can do about it. i think we should all kind of keep this in perspective, though. >> yes.

also ahead, talk about motherly instincts and strge bedfellows. this 5-year-old chimp has taken on the role of mom to a puma cub and other big cats as well. we will meet her coming up. and a programming note as we like to say around here. this friday we're going to have a special edition of "today" live from cowboys stadium. we're going to stay you on a tour of the new $1 billion facility that actually stands taller than the statue of liberty. plus we'll get a visit from those famous dallas cowboy cheerleaders and also we're happy to say our newest correspondent and native texan jenna bush haeger will bring us a story of a big impact in texas. that is this fry live at cowboys stadium. i was down there for a little while, and it is something. >> you booked the cowboy cheerleaders, didn't you, personally? >> why would you come back and say that on your first day back? >> sorry. >> why do you hurt me this way? >> i'm looking forward to it.

it's going to be fun. but we'll begin this half hour with a tragic accident in north carolina. prominent plastic surgeon charged with cutting short a promising young life. we're going to talk with her friends in just a moment. but first, nbc's ron mott is in raleigh, north carolina, with the very latest. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, meredith, good morning to you. people have been stopping by at this small memorial behind me paying their respects. this memorial sits a few feet away from a crumpled guardrail, an accident caused by a doctor driving 85 miles an hour when he plowed into this young woman's car. he took an oath to preserve life. yet yesterday raymond cook was charged with taking one. second-degree murder for allegedly getting behind the wheel of a luxury mercedes drunk and killing 20-year-old ballerina elana shapiro. members of her dance troupe are

stunned, after saying their final good-byes tuesday. >> not only was she a young and beautiful and talented girl, but she was actually a sweet girl as well. and everybody liked her very much. ♪ the best way we can remember her is to continue and to do even better bringing joy to people's lives. >> reporter: but most accounts, dr. cook was known to bring joy to people's lives, too, often performing desperately needed plastic surgery ironically on victims of car accidents. the 42-year-old father of two made nearly $300,000 a year and also was on the faculty at the prestigious university of north carolina medical school. his smiling face was featured in ads for his hospital touting "special doctors. special care." now, because of what shapiro's friends and family say was his carelessness, he's in a jail jumpsuit. >> driving 85 miles per hour with his mercedes-benz, that is obviously full of wonderful air

bags and protection devices and he wound up with some bumps and bruises. and this innocent person taken from all of us. >> reporter: dr. cook who turned in his medical license and quit his practice tuesday is devastated, ys his attorney. >> all of raymond's thoughts have been on her and her family. the pain that they have to be going through. >> reporter: shapiro started dancing as a little girl, graduating two years ago from the unc school of the arts. she joined the carolina ballet company a year ago, appearing in several productions and was to be on stage starting thursday for a two-week run of the ballet classic "swan lake." but last friday night, she was in her car when she suddenly lost her life, a life that touched even strangers in death. >> it's a terrible tragedy. i have a daughter about the same age who also dances. this girl had everything in life going for her, and it's just a terrible waste. >> reporter: if convicted, dr. cook faces potentially more than

15 years in prison. he did issue a statement through his attorney yesterday apologizing to the victim's family and saying that he will seek treatment for substance abuse as early as this friday. meredith? >> ron mott, thank you very much. elana apiro's friends and fellow dancers, ashley, sara and adam were set to perform with her in "swan lake" tomorrow night. good morning to you all and our condolences. >> good morning. >> good morning, meredith. >> ashley, if i could start with you, you've known elana for several years. you went to dance school together, you joined theallet company the same year. you were scheduled to perform as partners tomorrow in "swan lake." and i understand the night that elaine th elana died, she was on her way over to your apartment. when did you realize that something was terribly wrong? >> after i called her about the fifth time that night and she didn't answer, i knew that something was wrong. sara and i live together. and we had each other, and other people were over. but all we could think about was

where was she? we were so worried about her. and we had no idea that something this tragic and terrible had happened. >> and how did you get the news? >> i actually woke up the next morning to a few text messages that indicated that something really wasn't right. and obviously i was worried from the night before. so i got on my computer, and i saw something about losing elana shapiro. and i just broke down. i was crying and yelling that it couldn't be true. and ashley was not there at the time. and i didn't know if i should call her and tell her or wait till she got home. i hate that's how i had to find out. it was just not a good way. >> i'm sure this has been a terrible shock to the entire company, adam. what have rehearsals been like since her death? >> well, of course, the first couple days, it's been hard,

obviously. the company, i think, has been so supportive of everyone. we've been trying to support one another and just comfort one another, day by day. and our tughts go out to, of course, elana and her family. >> there's people in winston-salem that are hurt so much that they can't even speak about her. so we just want them to know that we care. >> ashley, what can you tell us about elana, her hopes and dreams as a ballerina and as a young woman? >> she was so passionate, and she was such a beautiful person and a beautiful dancer. she loved the classics. and that's why commemorating her by dancing "swan lake" for her and dedicating all of our shows to her would be very, very important to her. and she just had so much ahead of her. and she could have done so much with her life.

and it's really upsetting that she can't do any of the things that she could have done. >> well, i'm sure she's taught you a great deal about life and how precious it truly is. ashley, sara and adam,thy so much for your time this morning. i'm sure this wasn't easy for you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we just wanted to say that spend time with the people that you love and care about while you can before it's too late. >> never let a moment go by that you don't let someone know how much they mean to you. >> very wise words and very true. thank you guys, all of you, very much. >> tha you. >> thank you. and now we're going to switch gears and get a check of the weather from al. >> thank you, meredith. let's take a look, see what's going on. in the northeast, yesterday, gorgeous weather. temperatures in the 80s, upper 70s. then a front drops down today, and big changes happen. we get some showers. temperatures about 5 to 15 degrees o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#

the change has arrived here in the washington region. the front just now passingo our south. it has actually cleared the sky a little bit. around washington and points west and north. to the south, a few light showers in st. mary's county, lower eastern shore and a couple sprinkles in clark and madison county this morning. otherwise, don't have any rain here around the washington area. later on today, mostly cloudy. highs mid 70s. a small chance of a light that's your latest weather. and if you want to keep track of your weather all throughout the day, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. meredith? >> al, thank you. and up next, a health alert about a potential danger posed by your shower head. we'll get into that right after this.

we're back now at 7:43 with new research that finds a potentially harmful bacteria could be hiding in your home's shower heads. nbc's ron allen has this story. >> reporter: fern used to take long, hot showers on cold winter days to warm up. what she didn't know was that thousands of tiny bacteria spraying out with the water in droplets that she was inhaling were making her ill. >> it chews up my lungs, destroys lung tissue as t tuberculosis does. >> reporter: her lungs are infected with a bacteria that's a close cousin to what causes

tuberculosis. she was amazed when doctors told her it was lurking in a place she never expected, the bathroom shower head with all its nooks and crannies. >> i would stay in the shower much longer than anyone i knew. perhaps that made it worse. >> it's a little dry, a little moist, it's a good environment for the bacteria specifically. >> reporter: a team of researchers from the university of colorado analyzed dozens of shower heads taken from schools, hospitals and gyms across the country. just one nozzle seen under a microscope has this much bacteria buildup. researchers say 30% of the shower heads had significant levels. so does that mean it's not safe to shower? >> if your immune system is not damaged in some way, it's probably not dangerous. but it's like with any other thing, there's a risk assessment. >> reporter: that means transplant recipients or people with hiv or cystic fibrosis could be vulnerable. nowadays fern leapman only takes baths. she and husband phil run a nationwide patient support group looking for answers.

>> how are these bacteria in the environment invading the lungs and what can we do about it? >> reporter: the colorado researchers are also studying the air in subways, office buildings and homeless shelters to see what else, like that first blast of water from the morning shower might be making some people ill. for "today," ron allen, nbc news, new york. >> dr. neil schachter from new york's mt. sinai medical center is one of the leading respiratory experts and the author of "the good doctor's guide to colds & flu." good morning. nice to have you here. >> thank you for having me. >> you're a leading expert in colds and flu. did youake a shower this morning? >> i certainly did. i'm sure you did also. >> so if normal, healthy people take a shower, the risk is minimal. >> as far as we can tell, yes, absolutely. >> so how much of a risk, though, is there for someone who has a compromised immune system in some way or another? >> well, it's still relatively small. there are only about 4,000 cases

of this particular type of infection diagnosed each year in the united states. that being said, people with underlying lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, people with damaged immune systems, do have to worry that they are being exposed to something that could affect them. >> and the reason, if you have the bacteria in the shower head and the pressure of the water going through almost creates an aerosol-type mist. you can easily breathe that bacteria in, is that right? >> right. this is a very ubiquitous bacteria. it's all over. it's in the environment. it's in the water. but aerosolizing it, putting it in little, tiny particles that you can breathe down into the bottom of your lung makes it somewhat more dangerous. >> real quick, some news you can use. first of all, can you clean the shower head and get rid of it or should you get rid of the shower head? >> you can clean the shower ad. it's probably a good idea, if you are at risk, to change your shower head a couple times each year. >> metal shower heads versus

plastic shower heads? which is better? >> yes, they found that metal shower heads are less susceptible to growing these bacteria than the plastic ones. >> and if you have one with plasc, as you just said, change it a couple of times a year. >> yes. >> because they're not all that expensive. >> exactly. >> and if you're really concerned and you have that compromised immune system? >> do as that woman does, take a bath rather than a shower because you won't be creating that aerosol. also, you can run the shower for a minute or so before you take a shower. >> at high heat? >> no, just regularly, and that will reduce the amount of bacteria coming out. >> but again, for the vast majority of people watching this this morning, relax. >> take a shower. >> doctor, thanks very much. appreciate it pinch. up next, the chimpanzee playing mom to some big cats. we'll find out about that right after this.

sometimes in nature maternal

instiblnct kicks in when you let expect it. >> she doesn't seem t mind the new baby in her care at the south carolina wildfire preserve is actually a puma cub. this doctor is the director of the institute of greatly endangered and rare species. doctor, good morning. nice to see u. >> good morning. how are you this morning? >> i'm doing well. let me just start with the easiest question possible. how did this happen? >> you know, it takes place from the process of monkey see, monkey do. she lives in the house. she's exposed to all these different big cats that come through the facility that are there inside of her home. so she watches the people that care for them, giving them a bottle, cleaning them up, giving them a bath. and she's that great emulor. she sees them there and goes out and interacts, and she wants to be involved. you say hey, bring that baby here. she'll give it a bottle. she has great capacity of understanding and being able to interact any way you ask her.

just great intelligence in a chimpanzee. >> she also seems to truly enjoy it, like she really loves taking care of these cats this isn't the first one she has helped take care of. >> no. and she's here helping us this morning with this little tiger cub because the puma's running around out here now and a little excited. but the tiger cubs are easier going. and she loves to be involved. she's got a very good maternal instinct. she likes playing with this little orangutan as well. she thinks that everybody is part of her family. >> and doctor, real quickly, i've only got a few seconds left. is the an automatic cutoff age when you get the cubs away from her because it could be a real problem? >> once they're twice as big as she is, then you've got to really make that change. you can see a lot more of her on her website. and she's got a book. >> she's got a book, too! >> perfect. >> website, a book.

>> anjana the chimp and her adventures with the cubs. >> we cannot make this up. >> monkey see, monkey do, seriously. >> we'll be back right after this.

temperatures should climb into the mid 7s. drying out into friday, saturday, and early sunday. how is the traffic? tough on the beltway in several spots, particularly prince george's county and the outer loop of the beltway from andrews to greenville. series of accidents are gone the. the delays are still with us. else we are, over the american legion bridge, an earlier accident is gone. delays, 270, jammed, germantown all the way to the capital beltway. tonight a 5:00, celebrating curves, a local fashion designer is

8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 16th day of september, 2009. oops on the weather here. it's gotten cloudy, starting to drizzle. temperatures in the 60s. and al says actually we're probably not going to warm up much from what it is now. >> exactly. we're staying right where we are. >> good to know. out to the plaza i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira who's back from a couple of days off. >> took my son to college. >> how'd that go? >> he, fine, me, not so much. >> a wreck? >> yeah, but it's fine.

>> one more at home? >> one more at home. one left, yep. >> good for david. >> thank you. >> good for gabe. coming up in this half hour, we'll talk about the touching memoir patrick swayze was working on up until the time of his death with his wife, lisa. and it's real something that i think a lot of people will want to read. it talks all about his career and their life together. we'll get a sneak peek at that coming up in just a little while. also ahead on a lighter note, amy poehler is here, the season premiere of her series "parks and recreation" is tomorrow nigh but that is not all that she has planned for the evening. she's also reclaiming her seat at "sny's weekend update" desk. she says she can't get off that show. >> how glam she looks. >> there's a reason. >> thank you. >> she is beautiful. it's a big day for her. >> she's saying stop it, some more. >> oh, yeah. work it, girl. work it. and also amy's a new mom. she might want to stay tuned. we've got not one, not two, not

three, but five of the top parenting challenges and some of the solutions. >> how many? >> five! >> i had three of them just yesterday. >> i bet. >> one of those trying afternoons. i can't wait to hear about that. first, let's go inside. ann is on assignment. natalie's at the news desk. take it away. >> thank you, matt, meredith and al. good morning, everyone. investigators are looking for dna evidence from a man they named a person of interest in the case of murdered yale student annie le. last night police took 24-year-old raymond clark into custody. he's an animal research technician who worked at the same university lab as le. more than 20 police officers and fbi agents seized evidence from his apartment during the night. police in california are once again searching the home of phillip and nancy garrido, the couple accused of holding jaycee dugard appear tif for 18 years. they're looking for possible evidence linking them to two unsolved kidnappings. here's nbc's george lewis. >> reporter: what triggered this new investigation at the garrido home is an attempt to find

possible evidence linking the couple to a pair of unsolved kidnappings that took place well before jaycee dugard was abducted. >> from what i know, the tips that have come in, this is one of the strongest leads thus far. >> reporter: in 1988, this 9-year-old was kidnapped in hayward, california. the photos of her bear a strong resemblance to jaycee dugard. and the method of kidnapping was the same. both girls grabbed in broad daylight by someone inside a car. this is a police sketch of the suspected kidnapper in the garrett case. it resembles a photo of phillip garrido taken in 1976. >> my first thought, when i heard that jaycee was found, was please, god, let michaela be with her. >> reporter: in the other abduction, this 13-year-old has been missing since 1989. police say a c found on the garrido property in an earlier search is similar to one a witness descred eileen getting into on the day she disappeared.

>> have equated what they're working in back there to looking for evidence in a landfill. >> reporter: police say they expect the search will last for several more days. and they've raised the possibility that they'll demolish the garrido house. >> if we find anything to believe that we need to tear down the house, then we will certainly pursue that. >> reporter: the garridos remain in jail in the dugard case. they have pleaded guilty to more than two dozen charges including kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment. the prisoner in the case says it could be at least a year before they go on trial. as investigators search for links to other crimes. for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. today democratic senator max baucus releases his health care reform bill, even though it has no republican backing. liberal democrats don't like the plan either because it lacks a public option. republican joe wilson called tuesday's vote a disapproval by the house political game

playing. he again refused to apologize to congressional lawmakers for his outburst during the president's speech last week saying the issue is over. a new study suggests that the omega 3 fatty acid dha can boost a baby's kol tif development when added to formula. dha occurs naturally in breast milk. it is 8:05. let's go back outside once again to mr. roker. >> thank you very much. we have a control room favorite here. it's california wine month. very nice. this explains the grapes on your head. this is perfect for our director, joe michaels. be sure to bring this down to him. let's check your weather. of course, he'll start stomping on it. you'll see austin, texas, kxannbc 36, partly sunny and warm. 88 degrees. jet stream band of air 20,000 feet ave the surface way up north to that low-pressure system in the southeast really has nothing steering it. as we head on toward friday, it

finally starts to move and dissipate. you'll see the wet weather a couple breaks in the cloud cover around the region. it is cloudy just to our south where a front has just now passed through and triggering a shower in st. mary's and southern calvert county as well as here in southern fairfax. temperatures here in washington, now at 68 with a northeast breeze and we will have highs today just in the low to mid 70s. que a bit of cloudyness and a small chance of an isolate, passing afternoo and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much and up next, an exclusive look at the poignant memoir patrick swayze was working on throughout his fight with pancreatic cancer. but first, these messages.

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in their forthcoming memoir "the time of my life" swayze and lisa described the triumphs and struggles they shared. from the highs of "dty dancing" and "ghost" to the onset of the disease that would claim him at the age of 57. >> we've been together for so long, you know, and she didn't -- i always expected her to leave me once she found the real me, you know. but she never has. >> he didn't understand the reason i got together with him. >> reporter: their story goes ck to when they were teenagers studying at his mother's dance studio in texas. and lasts all the way through his final battle with pancreatic cancer. swayze writes about the moment when doctors gave him the bad news. i began thinking to myself, i've had more lifetimes than any ten people put together, and it's been an amazing ride. so this is okay. >> if i leave this earth, i want to leave this earth just knowing i've tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself. and that keeps me going.

>> reporter: after months of radiation and chemotherapy, swayze rallied through a grueling five-month shoot in chicago to play the lead in an a&e television series called "the beast." lisa was with him every day. >> you can trust your damn case file, and you can trust me. >> reporter: swayze writes of the experience, "i continued with chemotherapy all the way through the shoot, but i never took any painkillers since they dull not only your pain but also your sharpness." last summer he and lis renewed their wedding vows. his pledge to her included these words. "together, we've created journeys that were beyond anything we could imagine. yet you still take my breath away. i'm still not complete until i look in your eyes." judith kerr is the executive vice president of atria books, the publisher of "the time of my life" with us along with nancy snyderman, nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to both of you. judith, there's a lot i didn't know. he was a great athlete, a star

football ayer. wanted to be an olympic gymnast. >> absolutely. >> and suffered an injury. >> he did. the book opens with a football game when he was in high school. and he does bad damage to his knee. he tries to get up and walk but he can't. and that injury goes on to plague him throughout. so when you look at that clip where he's dancing off the stage in "dirty dancing" and he's landing and you know about his knee, it's, like, how did he do that? >> it makes it more remarkable that he went on to dance so much. it really does. >> absolutely. >> there is the line that's so fame u.s. and that's been said so many times about "nobody puts baby in a corner" from "dirty dancing." and as he was really kind of undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, he kind of turned that phrase a bit. >> yes, he did. and all throughout this book, you get a sense of how courageous he was and what physical strength he had and what kind of emotional energy he had to put towards and how he was dedicated to sitting down with his wife, lisa, and looking at their life together, which is a great privilege. >> he used to say "nobody puts

patrick's pancreas in a corner," a sense of humor about it. nancy, let me bring you in here. he was diagnosed 20 months ago. and although relatively few people actually get pancreatic cancer, something like 95% of people who get it die from it. >> it has a very low survival rate, and that's one of the big frustrations, matt. it's the fourth leading cancer killer in the united states, happens to affect african-americans even more than whites. we're not sure we know why. and the problem is, if it's caught early, it's usually an accidental pickup because the pancreas floats in your belly not touching other organs. so the symptoms are nondezript, vomiting, bloating. so many times people either brush off the problem or frankly doors misdiagnose it. >> so when we talk about a colonoscopy being a great early detection device, there is no such thing for pancreatic cancer? >> no, there's really nothing right now. the future holds beyond the

normal radiation and chemo for treatment. the real treatment will be a vaccine for this kind of cancer. but right now other than an accidental mri or ct scan for something else when you find the tumor, there is no great screening test. >> and judith, this is -- the memoir is really a love story. 34-year relationship between patrick and lisa. not without its severe ups and downs. >> not without its ups and downs. and at the beginning, it took them a couple of years to get together. he met her during his mother's dancing classes. and it took her two years before she would consent to go out with him. and as you can see in that little clip before, that's what she was saying. but there is a portrait of a marriage in the book, too, it's ups and downs, the difficulties, how you never give up, and always striving to do better. >> and the plan always was to release this on september 29th, so it is coming out. >> yes, it's coming out. and patrick did see the book before he passed on. so we're very proud of that. when he satown to write the book, he wanted to see if he had lived a good life. and anybody who reads this book will understand that he

absolutely lived a -- was a good person and lived a good life. >> thanks for previewing it for us. we appreciate it. nancy, thanks very much to you as well. >> you bet, matt. >> and we're back right ter this. we're fighting to guarantee that you'll never be denied coverage because of your health or age. to prevent anyone from coming between you and your doctor. and to make sure patients don't take a backseat to insurance companies. because at aarp, we believe your health is worth fighting for. learn more at aarp.org. proclaims "gq" magazine. did you see that? the interior "positively oozes class," raves "car magazine." "slick and sensuous," boasts "the washington times." "the most striking vw in recent memory," declares-- okay, i get it already. i think we were in a car commercial. ♪ yeah

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it's one of the many ways we make saving money in tough times a whole lot easier. this portion of "today" is brought to you by bank of america. get the most out of your everyday purchases today. tomorrow night's going to be a busy one for amy poehler. not only does her nbc show "parks and recreation" make its season premiere, season number two, but she's also returning to the "saturday night live" stage, amy poehler, good morning. >> thank you, meredith. good morning. >> a lot of good things happening. >> yes, yes, very lucky and happy and blessed. >> season two for "par and recreation," it started out last year with a big pit that you fell into. your goal was to turn it into a park. how is the butteification process going? >> well, this season we find leslie trying to make small changes but big things happening to her. and i'm really excited to be back for the second season.

it's been super fun to get started again. >> and in the first episode, she gets herself into kind of a pickle. explain how a zoo promotion lands you in a gay bar or leslie in a gay bar. >> yes. what happens in the first episode is leslie has a zoo promotion and marries two penguins. >> which is sweet. >> which is a great way for people to come to the zoo. then she finds out they're two male gay penguins and she becomes an activist and the town supports gay marriage. >> we'll show a clip of you addressing the crowd in the bar. >> yes, this is the bulge, the gay bar. >> gentlemen, first of all, i would just like to say, thank you so much for throwing me this party. especially on a night when the colts are playing. >> we love you! >> she's just not all there. >> well, she doesn't have any savvy. >> yeah. >> she's not cool. she's ambitious and smart and

driven. she just doesn't really quite know how to work a room. >> now, you, in this dress, i must say, missy, know how to work a room. >> what are you talking about? crazy. >> and there's a reason you're dressed so pretty, one of many, happy birthday. it's your birthday today. >> yes, i'm 38 years old, and i would love to celebrate it right now. >> well, we didn't really get anything. >> well, i think i got something. >> oh. >> yeah, i got us hats and horns. >> oh, how special. >> i always travel with this, even if it's not my birthday. but this time it's special. it's special. >> well, you've got to blow your horn. >> i've got to make a crazy birthday wish. and i always play -- i always play -- this is what i do every birthday. i go on the "today" show. i put 50 cent on. and i just -- and i have a party. >> well, then can i read you a horoscope? because i know you're into this stuff. >> i love the horoscope from "the post" because it's pest mystic. >> this is not. you will become more emotionally involved with an issue you have been toying with in recent

months. do you know what that might be? >> no. >> all right. >> see, it sounds a little aggressive. keep going. >> your special talent for helping others will find its perfect outlet in a job or charity or social cause that can make the world a much better place. >> wow! >> wow! that's almost like miss america-type stuff. >> that's a call to action. >> that's pretty cool. >> i have a lot to live up to. >> and you're not only doing the show, tomorrow night, "snl update." >> yes. >> live tomorrow, thursday and the following thursday. >> right. >> that means you and seth are going to be together again? >> yeah, we're going to be together at the "update" desk. >> what drew you back? lots of money. >> lots of money. lots of money. no. oh, that's an old picture of us doing a sketch -- yeah, there we go. i'm honestly thrilled every time they ask me to come back. it's a great family. i love to return. and it's nice to be part of that experience because i got to do those specials last year. and it was really, really fun.

>> and you're up for an emmy nomination, best supporting actress in a comedy series. you submitted the sarah palin rap that you did on "the update." do you think she'll be watching you on sunday and rooting you on? >> i don't know. i'm not sure. i'll tell you who will be watching, my parents in burlington, massachusetts. they'll be watching. >> will they be rooting you on? >> i hope they're rooting for me. i think so, yeah. >> we'll be rooting you on and happy birthday. very nice to have you here. >> thank you. what's happening here? something else? >> we're saying good-bye. ♪ happy birthday to you >> you guys, keep it coming. this is too much. ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you >> including a hard hat. starts tomorrow, 8:00/7:00 central with the premiere of aturday night live weekend update" and "parks and recreation." >> thank you so much. >> it is 8:23. here's matt. oh, geez. >> no, no, no, no. go back there. go ahead and do it. i dare you.

>> come on. >> i dare you, amy. good. >> what? food fight! >> now you can get out of here. all right, ladies. tonight is the season finale of "america's got talent," ten acts competing for a title, $1 million and a show on the vegas strip. here's nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: it's an eclectic collection. ♪ you're all i'm living for >> reporter: there's a barry white sound-alike. >> in my mind, in my heart, i know where i'm going. >> reporter: where's that? >> success. >> reporter: there's a 75-year-old comic. >> want to talk about my kids. they're in the audience tonight, and i know they're sitting out there sweating like ryan seacrest watching "brokeback mountain." >> oh, god. ♪ >> repter: there's even an

orion sung by an angel. >> i gave what i could give. it was from the bottom of my soul. >> you cannot say who's going to win. we have no idea. >> reporter: no wonder. i mean, what is the perennial grinning fab 5 from utah -- ♪ don't want to close m eyes >> reporter: -- have in common with a good ol' boy from kentucky. >> just go out there and do the best you can and hope for the best. >> kevin skinner would never have got to the finals of the show, i don't think, if he wasn't an unemployed chicken catcher from kentucky who happened to sing like garth brooks. >> reporter: and just when you think three guys from texas will sing a country song, they go off and do frank sinatra instead. ♪ i did it my way >> it feels like it's the one time where cheesy is actually a compliment. >> i think cheesy was a compliment. >> reporter: in fact, no one walked off the stage without a compliment.

>> nbc's lee cowan reporting. good luck to all the contesta contestants. and we're back right after these messages, your local news and weather. >> do you want a piece of birthday cake? >> no. there is a live look outside. you can see a little fog there on top of the capital city. 8:26 on this wednesday, september 16th, 2009. in the news, drivers have one less place to pull over and stretch their legs, the welcome center on i-66 in manassas is now clothes the. one of 19 centers now closed. they say the closures will save the commonwealth about $9 million. children's national medical center is about to get a may injure donation today. the hospital willeceive a $150

million gift from the government of abu da by. it will help the hospital hire more surgeons, researchers

good morning. partly sunny to cloudy. temperatures in the upper 60s. getting a little shower. crossing the bay, heading off to the east. elsewhere, maybe a passing shower, a small chance. highs, mid 70s. how is the traffic, jerry? busy morning. inbound capital stre, jammed. headed for downtown, we are packed in very tightly, 395 in

all lanes to the 14th street bridge. no accidents. just fine. craig? tonight at 5:00 p.m., celebrating curves. a local fashion designer is putting hips back in h fashion. get a sneak peek at a clothing line that

8:30 now on this wednesday morn, september 16th, 2009. not the brightest of mornings here on the plaza, but we have a very bright crowd starting their day with us. happy, as always, to have them with us, waving to friends and family back home.

>> nobody would argue that. >> i'm not so sure with us. anyway, these days parents deal with a lot of issues that our moms and dads really never had to imagine. >> right. >> this morning we're going to tackle five big parental challenges. parenting challenges. >> okay. also this morning we're going to tackle three big household challenges. you want to fix up your wood floor? >> like to do that. >> he can do that. fix up your kitchen cabinets? >> yes. >> lou can do that, too. you want to fix up your stone countertops? >> absolutely. >> lou can help you do that as well for not a lot of money. we're going to talk to him and get those tips coming up. >> i'm hiring him. that's right. speaking of money, our "today's money 911," it's wednesday, so you know we're doing that. our panel is standing by to answer questions about anything from trying to figure out how to hold on to your home and credit card debt. we'll tackle as many of these questions as possible. plus, here's a question for you all. can you still be friends with an ex?

>> the ex. >> well, for a lot of people it's a big problem. what should you do p your partner is friends with an old flame? we'll dive into the old ex factor debate. >> before that, let's dive into your forecast. it started raining. >> as we take a look, show you for today, we are looking at some coastal flooding along the northeast coast. wet weather in the pacific northwest. and that pesky low causes more problems in the southeast with flooding there. for tomorrow, heavy rain through the southeast into the mid-atlantic states. west half of the country sunny to warm and hot. thundershowers down through o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#/#o#o#/#o#o#oc partly sunny to cloudy around the region. we have had a cool front drift to the south of washington over the last couple of hours. it is now draped to the south triggering a light shower in southern maryland. temperatures in the 60s. now 68 in washington. the wind out of the northeast.

later on today, mostly cloudy. we might have an afternoon light shower. highs, mid 70s. a more likely who had of a shower passing by tomorrow. friday and saturday, drying up. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al. thank you very much. now to "today's search for the lost symbol." dan brown's new book was released on tuesday. it broke the first-day sales record for both adult -- for adult fiction at both barnes & noble and amazon.com. as you probably know leading up to the release, we gave you clues about some of the locations featured in "the lost symbol." and now that it's out, very smooth. >> here's the lost symbol. >> it's time to reveal the answers. clue number one, a research facility with 55 million specimens. that is nicknamed the death star. >> ooh. >> let's get the answer directly from dan brown. >> when i found out that the smithsonian museum support center had a wet pod, a dead

zone and a giant squid, i knew it was a place i had to visit. >> smithsonian support center. you mentioned smithsonian. >> did i? >> yeah. >> it's a very cool place. if you like the smell of alcohol -- >> i do. >> she does. >> -- not that kind of alcohol. >> she does. >> more formaldehyde-type alcohol. >> that, too. moving on. >> go ahead. >> clue number tw, a tropical rain forest featuring a plant with a legend. if a traveler stands in front of it and makes a wish in good spirit, that wish will definitely come through. >> first off, i can tell you the plant is called the traveler's tree. as for the location, meredith, you said it was botanical garden or a zoo. let's ask dan brown if you were right. >> the jungle at the u.s. botanical garden is the only place in the world that you can stand in a tropical rain forest and actually see the capitol building of a nation. >> i am so smart. >> you must have gotten an advance copy. i'm convinced. >> i'm just brilliant.

>> you are. >> also one of the few places you can sweat. >> you were sweating a lot. >> that place was warm. a little moist in there. >> more than we need to do know. >> thank you. number three, a place where we were told it's not a religious place, but a spiritual one built by men of the craft. al, you guessed the masonic temple in washington, d.c. dan? >> there are rooms in this world that the second you step into them, you know that they are sacred, that you are walking on hallowed ground. and for me, the temple room at house of the temple in washington, d.c., is exactly one of those places. >> al. it's a cool place. >> it is. >> it really is. it's a very cool room. finally, clue number four, memorial dedicated to a great man in history. and we had an anagram for one of its artifacts, contact for heaven. let's find out the answer from dan brown. >> the george washington masonic memorial in alexandria,

virginia, is a tribute to the father of our country, george washington, a prominent mason. and the building also contains a replica of the arc of the covenant. >> which is an anagram. how about that. >> all in the washington area. did you pick up on that? >> considering i was the guy who went to them all, yes, i picked up on that. >> can't get much by him. he's so bright. his mama calls him son. >> wow. >> once again, we would like to give a big thanks to dan brown. of course, "the lost symbol" is out, and trust me, its pages contain lots of other mysteries to unravel. you should get -- >> i'm a mystery. >> six or seven years. >> i was joking. >> that was funny. funny. >> washington, d.c.

up next -- how to overcome the biggest challenges parents face every day. i'm not one of them. first, this is "today" on nbc.

"today's moms" is brought to you by walmart. save money, live better. walmart. this morning on "today's moms," solutions for five common parenting problems. "tod "today" contributor michele borba athe author of "big book parenting solutions." michele, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> they don't call it "big book" for nothing. this thing is huge. 101 answers to everyday problems you face with your kids. what's the biggest challenge we face as parents today? >> number one is we've been given the parenting of the

month, every thing is the solution too often and it's not based on empirical research. i think the second is we're forgetting to teach habits of change or replacement of behavior so your kid becomes the repeat offender and never kicks out of that. >> so what was in effect a few years ago doesn't apply these days. >> first, don't get rid of the common-sense stuff. we know there's research we can't overlook that some of the stuff we've been doing is going to backfire in our face. we need to step up to the plate. and june cleaver didn't have to deal with online bullying, this is a different era. >> so we plook at filook at fiv parents face. first, peer pressure. the majority say they deal with this on a regular basis. >> huge. the things we're telling them to do, just say no, doesn't work. so two things we've got to two. number one, we've got to stop the blackhawk mode of coming in and rescuing our kids at an

early age because we've got to help them be assertive and confident from a young aiming so they can say no. the second thing is i want you to practice with your child comebacks that are ready to go in the moment for those tricky situations. >> so they're not having to think in the moment. >> because they can't think in the moment. their brains are actually a little crazy during those peak hours. so let's help them. and tell them when you come up with a good comeback, keep saying the aim thing ovsame thi over again and the more confident you sound and it will begin to work. >> second, self-centered kids, a recent study found two-thirds of parents think their kids are spoiled. how do we get to that point and who's to blame? >> there's no gene for spoiled. so guess who gets the blame on this one. second, we've been told to boost our kid's self-esteem, we've got to praise them to death. no. all the research says it works great for adults, not necessarily for kids. >> so if you're not going to

praise them, what do you do? >> well, you still praise but columbia says praise them the right way. instead of praising, for instance, you're so smart, don't. praise instead effort. if you praise you're working so hard, what all the research says is you'll actually stretch your child's persistence level, and you'll be less likely to give up. >> okay. number three, because we've got to get through a lot of these. >> go, go. >> depression. i'm shocked, a new study found kids as young as 3 have been diagnosed with depression. >> yes. one of the things we now know is little kids pick up on our depression for the younger set. for the bigger set is, we put so much on the smarts we forgot our kid's emotional needs. the solution to this one is get savvy, mom. pick up on your child's depression signs. could be, for instance, you're looking for a change in mood, a change in irritability, or a change in pulling back from those activities he loves that last every day for at least two weeks. pick up the phone and get help. this isn't a phase. >> okay. definitely get help.

fourth problem, materialistic kids. kids are more materialistic. a lot of parents feel than they used to be. why? >> well, first of all, because we've been pushing brands on them so much. when we push the brand even at age 3, they're recognizing the brand. what the fabulous university of minnesota says, instead, start complimenting your child's inside qualities. what they've discovered is that actually boost the child's self-esteem lowers materialism, and they begin to see that who they are is more important than what they own. simple but powerful. >> and only a few seconds left. the fifth one -- and boy, i relate to this -- stress. >> stress. >> adults feel it. kids feel it, too. >> you've got to teach a replacer behavior and quick, asap. the fastest thing we know is getting oxygen in your brain. for little critters, your worries away. bigger breath. for bigger kids we're discovering, for instance, girls, yoga works really well. >> "big book of parenting solutions."

if a kid is really out of control, bop them over the head with the book. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. more solutions how to make your home look brand new without hiring a pricey expert.

we're back at 8:45. and this morning on "today's home," bringing tired things back to life. a kitchen update, if a floor review is not in your budget, don't worry about it. "today" contributor and do-it-yourself expert lou manfredini is here. >> nice to see you, matt. >> we're all trying to watch our pennies these days. and sometimes you bring a contractor in, you do a major job it's going to cost an arm and a leg. these are simple things you can do that will improve the look and feel of your home. >> and cost very little to do. as easy as you'll see them right now, that's how you can do them at home. >> let's start with what we're standing on. a lot of times they get dingy,

dull, what's the best thing? >> $2 to 3 bucks to have them resanded. >> a square foot. >> you want to clean them first. this company makes the best floor finish, and they also make a good cleaner. this particular one is a mop you use to first clean, matt. it's ph balanced. but look at how nice your shoes are. from there we'll put the mop down. they make a floor polish for some reason they changed the name on this. i don't know why. it used to be called a floor refresher but it's actually a polish you actually put on the floor. you squeeze it onto the floor. very similar to -- now, look at how i'm coating that. >> that much on that? >> yeah, because now with this synthetic pad here that they -- >> do they also make that? >> yeah. you come back and forth. for those of us old enough to remember a floor wax, it's not a wax. it's a urethane. if you have small scratches, a dull shine, you put this on, back yourself out of the room. >> right. >> in two hours --

>> don't do it the other way. >> what do i do now? it's nontoxic. >> no fumes? >> very low fumes. you don't have to worry about it. the floor will look brand new. >> two hours it drys? >> two hours it drys. >> the cost? >> 12 bucks for the refinisher. >> kitchen cabinets can get dull and dingy as well. >> especially around the knobs you get that grease there. there's a terrific cleaner called krud kutter. you're not supposed to put it on varnish surfaces. particularly around here, use a little quadruple zero steel wool quickly. >> let me stop you. the more zeros on the steel wool, the finer it is, correct? >> correct. >> don't use anything other than 0000. >> you're going to clean it and wipe it away. now, the finish may look damaged. there's a product that's the secret of the antique world called howard's restore-a-finish. >> where can you get this? >> hardware stores. good hardware stores, antique stores. take that steel wool, and it

comes in different finishes. this is a cherry. you wring it out a little bit. then with the grain of the wood, you work this to the finish. what this is, matt, it's almost like a chemical face peel. if you were going to, you know, to get a facial. >> yeah. >> it takes the top layer off of the finish. now you wipe it away with a clean cotton rag. >> we're doing it quickly. it wouldn't look greasy like this at home. it would blend in perfect. >> beautiful. >> the cost of this? >> 8 bucks. >> real quickly, 45 seconds left. countertops. >> there's a brand-new cleaner by stone carrier international that has a disinfectant which will kill the flu and not harm your stone countertops. this is for daily use. spray it, wipe it away. more importantly, sealing them is important. you can do this yourself. you spray it on. you let it soak in. when you start to see it dry around the corners, spray it again. let it soak in. you'll get a year's worth of performance. so if you get stains from grape juice, wine, whatever, it's going to give you a chance to clean it up.

>> all right. and you're not representing any of these companies? >> none of these people. no. >> we'll put the names of these particular products on our website so people can find out more about it. lou manfredini saving us bucks. appreciate that. also, we'll be back with much more. first, this is "today" on nbc.

now to kids getting a rare opportunity to experience the magic of the movies. today's jenna wolf is here with the story. good morning. >> good morning to you, meredith. remember the last time you saw a great movie, the one that just took you away for a few hours and let you escape? it's an experience that can heal. >> reporter: a walk down the red carpet, bright lights, big dreams, a step into stardom. but for some, that walk, that red carpet, even just that trip to the movies is all but impossible. >> let's go walk. >> reporter: here at morgan stanley children's hospital in new york city, a movie premiere. >> smile. come on, guys. >> reporter: but at this gala, a special audience. >> gift for you. >> reporter: not quite the big-bang production of hollywood, a more simple guide. too sick to go to the movies, let the movies come to you. >> we almost ready? >> just about. >> reporter: evelyn is one of the founders of lollipop

theater, an organization that brings first-run movies to about 50 hospitals around the country. >> the goal is to provide even just a minute of escape for these kids from the medical treatments they're facing, from the illnesses they're facing, just to help them forget where they are for a little bit. and we do that with the magic of movies. >> we get to take pictures. we get to get the movie tickets. sometimes we get popcorn and stuff like that. and we get to sit i front of this giant screen and just sit there and watch it. it felt really good. >> reporter: that's alicia. a bubbly 17-year-old who suffers from a rare childhood disease and has been in and out of hospitals since she was 2. >> she lightens everything in our lives. we couldn't imagine life without alicia. i have three other kids. they couldn't imagine their life without their sister, alicia. alicia, she's -- she's the fourth link to our table. >> reporter: today's movie, "cloudy with a chance of meatballs."

from the book with same name. so i got a new book to read to you guys. flew through the air headed towards the ceiling, and it landed right on henry. this is a magical moment for these kids, a chance to be normal and to forget, even for just a few hours. and on this day, a special pop-in by one of the movie's stars, anna faris. >> i say something like, this is amazing! i can't believe it! it's the best day ever! >> reporter: and with the magic of movies and the comfort of a good book. for many, it truly was. it's funny. but even as we were sliding down the hill, we could have sworn we saw a giant pat of butter at the top. and we could almost smell the mashed potatoes.

and everybody that didn't live in the town of chew and swallow lived happily ever after. >> mri day. >> mri. >> are you excited? >> yes, i am. >> no, you're not. you're such a liar. >> reporter: it is the notion that normalcy seems to create a hidden strength. as you saw the loply pop theater network is an amazing organization. it does so much with so little fanfare. and it just lets kids be kids even for a little while. i know al, you were part of this movie as well, so it's nice to probably see it all come together. >> certainly makes you feel better about being in the movie. >> great idea. hats off. >> it's a great organization. >> thank you, jenna. much more ahead. first, your local news and weather.

time now, 8:55. a live look over washington, d.c. on this wednesday, september 16th, 2009. good morning. i'm craig melvin. in the news today, a new poll suggests that the virginia governor's race is tightening, bob mcdonnell now leads democra democrat. >> reporter: his lead was ten points. he has been targeting a paper he wrote back in the 80s. it talks about the working families. he says his views has changed.

met though is sanitizing all of their is your advices, trains and buses are being cleaned on a weekly basis. passengers, though, need to do their part by covering their coughs and sneezes. weather and traffic are straight ahead.

good morning. partly sunny in washington. on the oorn shore, light rain northern around southern parts.

in washington, 69 degrees. a northeasterly breeze will be with us throughout the day. a small chance of a pacing, light shower, highs, mid 70s. greater chance tomorrow. friday and saturday, sunshine returns. highs, mid 70s. how is the traffic? along i-270, still very heavy to the outer loop, where there was an accident. other than that, we are packed in very tightly. all volume, 395 north boun, headed for downtown, haven't had any incidents. greg? tonight on "news 4 at 5:00," celebrating curves. a local fashion designer is putting hips back in hip fashio

tinchts we're back now with nor of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 16th day of september, 2009. the weather holding off for these nice people who have gathered on rockefeller plaza. most of these people, i'd say the great majority of them here, to s good morning to nora o'donnell who has stopped up from washington and other places to join us here in the 9:00 hour. >> yeah. >> nice to have you. natalie's at the news desk and you're going to help out in the nextouple days. >> yeah, i'm excited. >> so far, so good? >> so far, so good. but al was a little mean to me earlier. >> and your point is?

>> i don't know, are you going to spank him for me? >> where are you going with this? >> and nora's off to a rousing start. >> someone in the audience said he made a house for my son jack that he thought i could live in. that would be great. >> i got you a little pie of property. >> very nice. thank him for that. coming up, ben bernanke, the fed chairman, says we're probably coming out of the recession, but a lot of people are still going to be feeling the aftereffects. we've got our team of experts on hand to answer your questions in our "money 911." we'll get to that shortly. also, everybody knows you two are about the best dressed guys out there. >> flattery will get you everywhere. >> hollywood on the edge of their seats because "people" magazine is out with its picks of the best dressed famous faces around. and on the other side, the worst dressed list. >> ooh. don't want to be on that list. >> exactly. we'll get to that strght ahead. >> that same man made me this lovely cross. >> very nice. what did you get? >> nothing. >> we have a lovely wheel of

cheese for you, nora, a little bit later. >> making schnitzel later. >> that's right, schnitzel. in just a few minutes. grammy singer alicia keys is going to stop by to tell us about her new album and plans to perform live on our plaza. >> all right. that's good. we love to hear that. let's go inside, natalie's standing by while ann is on assignment, has all the headlines. hi, natalie. >> hello to you all and good morning once again. authorities investigating the murder of grad student annie le are focusing on dna evidence in a 24-year-old lab tech nation named as a person of interest. our jeff rossen is in new haven with the latest. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, good rning. overnight this all developed and we're learning now about who this person of interest is. as you mentioned, raymond clark, a 24-year-old employee who works in the same research lab on campus as the victim, annie le. late last night, police

handcuffed raymond clark and took him away. >> did you do it? >> reporter: calling him a person of interest in the ya murder case. clark was not under arrest. instead, police had what's called a body warrant, a court order to take physical evidence from his body. >> the physical evidence we're looking for is dna. we'll take samples of his hair. we'll take a saliva sample from him, scrape his fingernails. there's a variety of things we do to get physical evidence off a body. >> reporter: at a late-night news conference, police said if clark cooperated, he'd be released. as police collected evidence from clark himself, they searched his apartment, too. >> douchb dna from the assailant or the person you believe to be the assailant? >> we have a lot of evidence from the crime scene, and we'll be looking at that to see what matches. >> reporter: investigators say they focused on clark after collecting 150 pieces of evidence, questioning 150 people and reviewing 700 hours of surveillance tape. most of it taken at the crime

scene, the campus research lab. this is the basement where yale grad student annie le worked and where her body was stuffed inside a wall. this bride-to-be was discovered on what would have been her wedding day. >> there is really no one who could have had access to annie le except someone who was in that building who could -- who had permission to be there. in other words, nobody came in off the street. >> reporter: monday law enforcement sources first told nbc news a yale lab tech natini failed a lie detector test and had scratches on his chest. >> we're going to narrow this down, do it as quickly as we can and make sure there's no other suspects. >> reporter: the motive is unclear as well as the relationship between clark and le. police confirm they worked in the same building, but beyond that, police are focusing on the physical evidence, clark's dna, to build their case. >> at least we're going to start getting some answers, and we're not just in limbo. we need to know what happened to

annie. we need to know who this person is. >> reporter: we've now confirmed that police released raymond clark. that person of interest, around 3:00 a.m. this morning. as they said he would if he cooperated with them, giving over that physical evidence. we're also told by police they will not make another move until the dna results get back. natalie? >> jeff ross known new haven, connecticut. thank you, jeff. this morning nato announced the deaths of three u.s. service members killed tuesday by a roadside bomb in southern afghanistan. this morning on his second day in baghdad, vice president joe biden met with iraqi political leaders urging them to reconcile their differences as the u.s. military moves ahead with plans to withdraw troops. the new swine flu vaccine should start reaching u.s. health clinics early next month. it was approved tuesday by the fda. the government has ordered 195 million doses. today at the white house, president obama hosts a rally for the 2016 olympics hoping to boost his hometown of chicago's chances against tokyo, madrid

and rio de janeiro. and a tearful reunion in australia today for clyde the cat and his owners. the flighty feline disappeared three years ago, somehow making it off the island of tasmania more than 2,000 miles north to queensland on mainland australia. he was found by a veterinarian who was able to i.d. him because of a microchip under his skin. good thing for that cat that he had that microchip. it's now six minutes past the hour. let's go right across the way to al. >> he was transported there by a spinning rodent. >> yeah. ba da bomp. >> let's check your weather, show you what's going on for today, we've got that low-pressure system, will not move, bringing heavy rain from parts of oklahoma on into tennessee. we are talking about anywhere from twoo#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#o#/#o good morning. we have partly sunny skies here in washington on the eastern shore getting a light shower and northern delaware and the lower

part of the eastern shore. elsewhere, no precipitation now. temperatures in washington, 69 degrees. a northeast breeze. highs today into the mid 70s. quite a bit of cloudiness and a small shower this afternoon. now on "today's money 911," our special half hour dedicated to solving your money emergencies. here to help us is our all-star team. today's financial editor, jean chatzky, stacey tisdale, author of "the true cost of happiness," and carmen wong ulrich with cnbc. natalie is at dean & deluca taking questions from our crowd. everybody ready? >> sure. >> let's start with an e-mail from lda in new jersey. she writes, i he a

guaranteed-for-life income annuity with a company. i tried to brake the contract because i'm about to lose my house. if i'm receiving $500 a month, why can't they do five year as head and try to help me? i tried to find a job, still nothing. i can't afford a lawyer to help me or i would. is there anything ian do? jean? >> probably not. this is plain and simple why we tell people you don't want to annuitize everything. it's okay to annuitize a chunk of your retirement money so you've got some sort of income, but you have to leave yourself with a cushion. my suggestion, call your state insurance commissioner and see if you can get anybody there on board to help you. also go back to the agent who sold you this annuity and see if you can get them on your side. chances are, though, these contracts are very, very difficult to break. and my fear is that you are stuck. >> wish we had better news for linda. next we're going to go to a phone call from diana potomac, montana. diane, good morning and what's your question? >> caller: good morning.

i have a question regarding reallocating my investments. about 15 years ago my husband and i started investing. i was going moderate to aggressive. and he was going moderate to conservative. and i really haven't changed that strategy for the 15 years. and we haven't had to touch it, so we've lost some, but we haven't had to, you know, really lose anything. and my question is, when is a good time to go in and redo my strategy and get a little more conservative? because now he's 59. i'm 44 and retired. >> stacey? >> you know, diane, what you really want is a diversified portfolio based on your bowls, when you need the money and your lerance for risk. let's just use as a general rule of thumb, it can be a bit controversial, that a balanced portfolio has about 60% in stocks, 30% in bonds, and 10% cash, money markets, cds. money you need in one to five

years, you want mostly in cash and short-term bonds. five to ten years, you want a mix of cash bonds and stocks. money that you're not going to touch for at least ten years, you also want that mix of cash, bonds and stocks. but the further you are away from your goal, the more money that you want in stocks. but what i want to make sure that she understands here is that just because she and her husband have their money in differentplaces, that that doesn't mean they're necessarily diversified. just, you know, a small stock company in company x and company y could be invested in the same thing. they wants her stocks to be a mix of international stocks, small stocks, large stocks. they wants high-quality bond funds, high-yield funds, inflation and should really make those adjustments right now. >> but you don't want to make big adjustments in one period of time, one day, one week, even one month. you need to dollar cost average your way to different moves in your portfolio. makeshifts. do it in pieces. do some this month, some in two weeks, some next month because

you don't want to lock in on that low price. >> i want to move on. we've got an e-mail from mindy. i have a house with a mortgage of $86,000. value is now $70,000 to $75,000. just got divorced, laid off from my job. i have a 9-year-old son. which is the lesser of two el s elves? letting them take the house or keep racking up credit card bills? this is heartbreaking. >> here's what i like about mindy, she's doing what i do, catastrophizing. you have to look athings like getting laid off. that's what she's doing. she's saying should i save the house? go into credit card debt? here's what she needs to do, a bunch of things all at once. you need to contact your lender, see if they can help you, adjust your loan, make modifications. if they can't, go to hud. don't wait for their answer. go to hud.gov as well. get a nonprofit housing counselor to work with you to get on board with you and make sure that you can manage all these changes. you could also go to nfcc.org if you get into credit card trouble. get a nonprofit credit counselor.

you need folks to help you and also reassess how long is it going to take you to get a new job? are you really going to lose the house? are you really going to have to get into credit card debt? keep looking for a job and keep monitoring all of these situations so that you can have help on your side so hopefully you can be scot-free. >> a lot of things she's got to do. do them all in parallel tracks at the same time stand by. we'll get to more questions. we've got natalie across the street at dean & deluca. plus we've got alicia keys stopping by. so much more coming up. first, these messages. ones fro. it's also one of the easiest things you can do... because walgreens is now offering seasonal flu shots... every day of the week with convenient hours guaranteed. so you can just stop in. our 16,000 dedicated pharmacists... and take care clinic nurse practitioners... are waiting to help you beat the flu... in neighborhoods nationwide. at walgreens we want you to know, there's a way to stay well. discover a light yogurt like no other. we want you to know, activia light! delicious, fat free, and above all...

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we're back with more of "today's money 911," our all-star ca-ching team is jean chatzky, financial editor stacey tisdale and carmen wong ulrich. we've got natalie across the street with questions. take it away. >> we have pat from tampa. you have a question about your 401(k). >> i do. if you find yourself unemployed and you want to cash in your 401(k) to pay off your debt, what kind of penalties would you inc incur? >> jean, you want to handle it? >> sure, you would incur the same kind of penalties that you would at cashing out your 401(k) at any other time before retirement, which is essentially you'll have to pay taxes that money. and you don't look as if you're

anywhere near retirement age. so 10% penalty. >> do you find -- you're 51? >> 51. >> and about ready to lose your job, unfortunately. so what would you advise her, jean, if she's in a pickle, she needs to get access to this money? >> if you need to get access to that money, you want to figure out how small a slice you could actually cash out to keep you going. but before you do that, take a really close look at your budget and start trimming everything else. as carmen was saying before, talk to your lenders, your credit card companies, to see if you can reduce other payments you have to deal with every single month. >> thank you. >> sur >> good luck, pat. and we now have a question on the phone. here's christina coming to us from arizona. christina, good morning. and your question? >> caller: good morning. my children were receiving savings bonds from their grandparents every month for years. and the savings bonds were stolen, so i was wondering if there's anything i can do to replace them. >> that's a good question. what happens if you lose or misplace --

>> that's a great question. first of all, great grandma for giving those savings bonds for years. i wish i had one of those. here's what you do. go to treasurydirect.gov. there's a form, form 1048. you just download that and you fill out the information. there's much information as you can including your kids' names, social security numbers, all that information. and it's basically a claim form for lost, destroyed or stolen savings bonds. now, the more information you have, the quicker you're going to get these savings bonds and the money back. so if your grandparents, if they have the serial number, e wrote it down or kept track of that, that means you can get the money back in a couple weeks. but if they don't have a serial number, it is an investigative process. don't worry, they'll track them down and find them. replace them. >> and people who haven't lost their savings bonds, write down those serial numbers. >> make photocopies. >> exactly. >> in case that happens. >> an e-mail from victoria in florida. i filed for bankruptcy six years ago. found out my mortgage was not reaffirmed. what does that mean for me now? some have said that means i

don't have to pay for my house. others recommend i go back to court and have it done. stacey, what does this mean in >> when you reaffirm something, that means you agree to pay debt that could have been dismissed. suppose you want to keep your car. you make an agreement to make car payments. you want to keep your house, you make an agreement to make mortgage payments. but an agreement has to be in place, and it has to be approved by a court. so i'm surprised that she's spre surprised. her legal counsel should have advised. here's where it gets gray with this. by the time you get to bankruptcy, there's very little equity left in the house if at all. a bank would rather get a monthly payment than take inventory. sometimes they'll let these arrangements keep going. >> what should she do? >> she needs to get a lawyer and she needs to talk to her bank and find out exactly where she stands. the bank still controls the house. they could send a sheriff. >> they could send a sheriff to knock on the door. >> find out exactly where she stands now. >> let's go back across the street to natalie with another

question. >> all right, al, i have the lovely kathy along with her just-turned-12-year-old daughter, missy. happy birthday. and you have a question about saving for college. >> yes. i have a 12-year-old daughter, as you can see, i have a 10-year-old son, mikey, at home. i'd like to know this point how much should i have in my 529 college savings plan? >> good question. jean. >> it's very difficult to put a number on it. but here's a good rule of thumb. first of all, you want to save for your own retirement. then if you can amass enough to pay for one-third of college for your kids before they go, one-third while they're in college and one-third you can borrow, you are doing a great job. >> all right. well, ladies, once again, thank you so much. great answers to great questions. jean chatzky, stacey tisdale and carmen wong i will rick, thanks so much. go to todayshow.com if you have a question coming up on the next "money 911." still to come, what you should know about your relationship with your ex before you move on. i think you already did. but first, these messages.

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a few breaks in the overcast. on radar, a few sprinkles to the south of cambridge in the lower part of the eastern shore as well as in northern delaware. elsewhere, no precipitation. here in washington, 69 with a northeast breeze around 5 to 15 miles an hour. and, we'll have quite a bit of cloudiness for the rest of the day. highs reaching the mid 70s. small chance for passing shower later this afternoon. greater chance tomorrow. dry friday, saturday and first half of sunday. still quite busy. 270 remains slow from montgomery visit headed to the split. earlier sdaent, outer loop at the dull let toll road. partly to blame, the domino effect.

lanes are all open. headed for downtown, heavy and slow. 395 to and across the inbound 14th street bridge. tonight on "news 4 at 5:00," celebrating curves. a local fashion designer is putting hips back into hip

it looks like the food storm is following an unusual pattern of hitting the world's most famous landmarks first and is now spreading to the rest of the globe. >> i recognize that voice, but doesn't quite look like him. our very own mr. roker with his starring role in the new animated family comedy "cloudy with a chance of meatballs." and tomorrow on "today" his co-star -- okay, let's just say the star of the movie, bil by. e sile ho'later

eth about w on and ri ea veavee vale ai wr saabou relathilly i got smar maybe i t . >> exa amaga red carpet and ha t upheir votes. noey're oith everyone's ri list, the b and the worst dressed. so will you agree withur sessof your forite ars? 'll check them cingup. > pl, in"today's " cor e g re che and h take o pork chops. she's doing a pork chop schnitzel. everybody say schel. >> schel. si m. ou're saying a forect cloudy wit a chance of schnitzel? >> that's right. ant girk chop! with an increasg chance of stuffing! ooh! let's take a look,ee ws going on. theeend ahead.zy.

for cocoa puffs. sunny skies in the northeast, hot in the plains states. wet weather in the pacific northwest. sunny and in the southwest. then sunday! rain throughou muchthe o#o#o#o## a few breaks in the overcast. on radar, a few light showers, northern and southern parts of the eastern shore. temperatures around the region, upper 60s to near 70. here in waington, 69 degrees with a northeast breeze. bit of cloudiness and a small chance of an isolated shower. tomorrow, greater chance of showers and cloudy with highs near 70. friday and saturday, mid 70s with sunshine in and out. for sunday, chance

we need to tape what happens when that stuff goes away because that's the best part of the show. >> i don't think anyone in washington kws you've got a laugh like that. >> what were you saying about wiener schnitzels? >> just that i like to hear you laugh about them. what's up next, natalie? coming up next, dealing with the whole ex thing, how to do it, right after this. your home sees a lot of life, and so does new air wick imotion. it's the only continuous air freshener with a smart motion sensor, so it sees when there is more activity and automatically adjusts the fragrance. it creates the perfect scent in your home's busiest places. air wick freshmatic ultra with imotion gives you freshness where life happens. air wick, it's good to be home.

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what? you don't have to be mean to the cake. i do. you don't. i do. just eat yoplait light. they have great flavors like... boston cream pie, raspberry cheesecake. even though i work here, i've lost weight. wow. yeah. carry on. (announcer) 28 delicious flavors at around 100 calories each. now on "today's relationships," how to handle your ex, whether it's a spouse or an old flame, how you can deal with an ex. it can mean theifference between moving on and holding on. something like jennifer aniston and vince vaughn in "the break-up."

>> there might not be a door here, but this is my domain, okay? i don't go into your bedroom on the [ bleep ] sawhorse. >> then what the hell is that pool table doing in the dining area? >> because it's a common area. not in my room, it belongs in another common area. people want to come home and they want to relax in their room. i don't know what to tell you, kid. this is how i am when i'm single. my hours start to get pretty strange. might be time for you to start moving out. >> i'm not moving anywhere. >> you can doodle, you can dance. but in my room, i want to relax and watch my highlights in complete surround sound experience. >> love that movie. therapist heather bell and michelle have a new book, the key to help you cope. it's called "everything you always wanted to know about ex." ladies, good morning. >> good morning. >> michelle, let me start with you. it's pretty interesting in this book. you talk about exing and snacking. what do you mean by those terms? >> well, exing is you can actually be addicted to your past relationships.

and heather and i call it exing. and you're exing if you constantly check your ex's facebook, if you keep rehashing the story, if you can't stop having sex with an ex even though you don't want to be with them anymore. >> what about snacking? same thing? >> snacking really is when you use exes to satisfy relationships. a lot of women we find don't wait for the full meal. they don't make themselves open for a real relationship because they're getting all their needs methrough their exes. >> i mean, this is really complicated, dealing with your ex. michelle, do you believe you can be just friends with your ex? >> well, if the sex was good, probably not. but if the sex was bad, then you can be friends. it's a really complicated issue. it's a great question. and heather and i spe a lot of time on this question because we really differed. i thought you could be friends with any ex. and she thought you shouldn't be friends with any ex. >> and why do you think you shouldn't be friends with your ex, that it's time to just let it go, have no contact perhaps? >> i don't think that a friend is somebody that you've, you

know, taken your clothes off with. i mean, basically that's a hard person to have as a confy daunt, as somebody to help you move your life forward. and we found in our practice in dealing with patients, that it holds your life back. exes can be toxic and pervasive and keep you stuck. >> you're both therapists. michelle, what do you do if you're continual lly snacking o exing or have these bad habits? >> we have lots of steps and strategies in the book. usually it means taking a contrary action and doing something different than what you feel compelled to do. and sometimes it means getting help. but we really take people through a process in the book to determine which exes are really just friends and which exes could be preventing you from having the love that you want. >> heather, it's interesting. you can learn a lot about yourself, right? by learning about your exes. >> sure. i mean, your exes tell you everything about yourself. i'm a divorced mother of four and have dated. and you kind of look through your past.

and it shows you a lot about where you've been and where you want to go and how to sort of deal with your future choices. and snacking and exing is sort of one of our examples. i mean, if you're that attached to the past, you're kind of afraid to move on. and what ishat really saying? >> how does social networking change all of this, too? because now with facebook, if it's your old ex from high school, you probably won't run into them, but now with facebook people have this ability to reconnect, right, michelle? >> you have access to all this information. and exes can be following you on twitter. you can be friending them on facebook. and it's really hard to figure out what information you should go looking for. because just because it's there doesn't mean you should look for it. i mean, curiosity killed the cat. and you need to think about how it will affect you if you find out certain things. >> all right. well -- >> yeah, and also because people can invade your space 24 hours/7 days a week. there's no sort of border anymore. you know, you can get a text -- you know, somebody could send me

a text right now and throw me off my game and sort of ruin your day. >> well, you guys are great and really have great advice. thank you so much for sharing it. we really appreciate it. again, the book is "everything you always wanted to know about ex." heather bell and michelle fjordaliso. up next, "people" magazine's picks for the best and worst dressed. that's right after this. i want what avon's got. introducing anew reversalist. it's breakthrough! it creates new skin faster... so the appearance of wrinkles fades quickly. my skin doesn't just look new. it is new. reversalist does it. and only avon has it. now you can have it. anew reversalist. with a love it or return it guarantee. ll 1-800-for-avon or go to avon.com to find a representative today. discover a light yogurt like no other. activia light! delicious, fat free, and above all... the only one that has bifidus regularis and is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. activia light.

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( shouts ) keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. ultra-high, super-pointy... i never take them off. how do i do it? dr. scholl's for her insoles with massaging gel. so thin, they fit right in. shut up! you're fabulous. dr. scholl's for her. if saving money happe automatill as everytng else? nk of america, it practically does. use the bankamericard power rewards visa credit card and earn rewards like cash back with every purchase. cash you can put into savings. or even use to help pay down your credit card balance. it's one of the many ways we make saving money in tough times a whole lot easier. progresso. we have a bit of a bad connection. oh hang on. is that better? much better. we love your weight watchers endorsed soups but my husband looks the way he did 20 years ago. wellhat's great.

but he's wearing the clothes he wore 20 yrs ago too. oh.... i know the neighbors are talking about him. i'm sorry, can you hang on. my other can is ringing. please hurry back. ring ring ring ring progresso hey can you tell my wife to relax and enjoy the view? it's him. (announcer) progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ♪ g-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s ♪ this morning, hollywood glitz and glamour. so the time has come. "people" is out with the list of best and worst dressed of 2009. and the style editor, clarisa cruz, is here with the results.

good morning. >> good morning. >> you got this issue out very quickly with patrick swayze on the cover. let's get to what a lot of people are talking about in hollywood today which are the more -- you know, the looks, the leading ladies. how did you guys narrow the list? >> it wasn't easy. we looked through thousands of pictures through the course of the year. the one thing the top ten had in common is they had a great sense of personal style. and they were out and about and had a great fashion year. >> speaking of great personal style, best dressed on the red carpet went to kate winslet. out of all hollywood -- there's so many great looks, how why did she get the award? >> kate winslet got best red carpet because she looked fantastic. she was ought and about all over the awards circuit and got it right every time. she wore rodriguez, she wore yves pt laurent. >> you take the overall look for the year. michelle obama makes the list for having the most accessible glamour. we know she has a lot of great

designers like j cre a ann taylor. >> she wears the gap and mixes it up as well. she wears j crew, and that's stuff that anyone can buy at the mall. >> that's why we love her so much. next is 19-year-old artist taylor swift. she gets kudos for the best sparkle. >> right. >> why do they work for her? you know, she is so young. she could pull this off, right? >> she has so much fun with fashion. what she told us is that she loves anything that glitters. she chooses that for her red carpet outings all the time. she looks great. it's just really young and fun and fresh. >> and she likes the guitar that glitters, too. so many celebrities wearing maternity clothes. a lot of pregnant leading ladies in hollywood and the best dressed maternity award goes to nicole richie. she's got her own sense of personal style, hippie chic. >> bohemian. and she launched a maternity line, pea in a pod and looked really great. >> i wish i was pregnant this year. all right. next up is reese witherspoon tops the list for best short

dress. and she's a very petite lady. >> yeah, she's petite. >> is that why it works for her? >> exactly. it's important to get the hemlines right when you're petite. she looks modern and confident. she worked the patterns and looked great. >> there were a lot of don'ts -- before we do that, a big do, kathie lee gifford makes the list for chic at any age. >> yes. she was on our chic at every age list and up there right next to christie brinkley. she looked fabulous in an ellen tracy list. >> she is amazing. next to the most memorable and shocking moments. kate gosselin's hair, a big don't at "people" magazine. >> a hair don't. it was kind of a reverse mullet. >> yeah. >> you know, it's, you know, some people may have wanted to do it, but i think it's in stores, the wig version, is in stores just in time for halloween. that will be pretty funny. >> i could see a lot of kate gosselins. looking forward to that. the next the world was shocked by susan boyle's transformation. she went from sort of frumpy to glamorous. >> frumpy to fabulous. she was in "harper's bazaar" in

the september issue. they made her over, gave her a haircut, put her in shoes by michael kors and she looked fabulous. >> just in time for the 49th birthday, valerie bertinelli, who could forget her in that bikini with that amazing body. >> she lost 50 pounds with jenny craig, decided to put on this bikini and looked fantastic. >> there was a lot of buzz about jessica simpson's choice of the high-wasted jeans, the mom jeans some call them. >> yeah, they're very unflattering. some people have a bad hair day. she had a very bad pants day. she wore these high-wasted jeans. it just wasn't the best look for her. >> it wasn't but she's still a gorgeous girl. clarisa cruz, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> look forward to the issue. coming up next, al gets to cook some pork schnitzel. but first, this is "to

this morning in "today's kitchen," hot chef cooking up a

scrumptious pork chop, schnitzel. it could quickly become your family favorite. michelle bernstein is the executive chef of the new restaurant at the ocean resort in palm beach, florida. michelle, good to see you. >> fleiss to see you. >> you just opened that up two weeks ago. another place you opened up -- >> sierra martinez opened six months ago. and we are busy. >> i guess so. >> we're doing everything, breakfast, lunch, dinner, room service. >> the whole nine yards. so what's schnitzel? >> schnitzel is breaded anything. >> we know people usually think veal. >> we think veal, but also it can be pork. it can be chicken, anything you like. but we have a lovely pork chop here. >> that is lovely. >> what i did is, rather than making typical schnitzel, it's marinading in fennel seed, celery seed, rye seed, apple, mustard. it will all tenderize and make this scrumptious and delicious. obviously fresh herbs as well. you put it over here. you let it marinate for 24 hours. >> in the fridge? >> yeah. >> i just want to check.

>> then you pound it out just a little bit. make it nice and thin. and then you take that lovely pounded pork. you dip it in some flour. >> all righty. >> and then in an egg wash that just has a little bit of either milk or water. >> so this is double dipping. triple dipping, actually. >> this is only single dipping into bread crumb. nice and light. because you want you to really taste it. this is panco bread crumb which you can find now everywhere. you can just use regular bread crumbs. and then this goes into your favorite type of oil, canola or grape did se grapeseed if you want it to be a little lighter. >> because it's pounded so thin, i would think that cuts down the cooking time. >> not only does it cut down cooking time, it also saves on energy because you don't have to go inside your oven. >> how long on each side? >> so this, you can cook it about three to four minutes perseid, and it's fully cooked all the way through. i leave the bone on just so it aya little juicy.

>> and it gives you something to hold on to. >> i love that carnivorous act of holdsing on to the bone. this has been cooking about three and a half minutes on the side. >> we're going to walk back here. >> you're good at this. so then you would obviously block this off on sort of a little paper towel. or so. put that on the plate. this is just so perfect for the family because it's so quick. i've got some fresh-made applesauce that literally only took us about 25 minutes. and i don't like too many ingredients in my applesauce because i want you to tas the apple. >> and as you said, you could do this with chicken. you could do it with -- could you do this with -- >> with veal, with steak, absolutely. with anything. >> and then -- >> you can even do it with a piece of fish, by the way. >> i was just going to say fish and then i thought that would be stupid. >> you could. >> tell me about this salad. >> this delicious salad. this is obviously the first of fall. which is why we're doing all this food. this is just great fall food for home. you've got honey-roasted pears with some fresh-shaved pears.

watercress, shaved fennel. hi. >> lisa. >> the word that makes everybody laugh. >> cheese, smoked almonds for flavor and a little lemon vinaigrette. >> we love it. michelle bernstein, thank you so much. recipes are on our website. and here comes laughing girl. >> yes. very much so. >> what do you got coming up? >> alicia keys is coming by. >> jamming out to her new song these going to do here on the 24th. >> that's right, november 24th she'll be performing.

time, 9:56 on this wednesday, september 16th. i'm craig mel vichb. in the news, ava vary circuit court set the execution date for the mastermind of the d.c. sniper attacks. john allen m john allen mohammed is set to die. his attorney says he will appeal to the u.s. supreme court.

we are learning new details about a metro bus driver who hit a jogger near dupont circle. "the washington post" is reporting that it was carl proctor's third accident while on the job. he got remedial training after both previous accidents. she is currently on paid administrative leave. the woman she hit this month is still intensive care. we turn to tom for a check on the forecast. mostly cloudy throughout the rest of the afternoon. a small chance of a passing shower. temperatur rising into the mid 70s. greater chance of passing showers tomorrow ending by early afternoon. drying out tomorrow late afternoon and overnight. temperatures reaching the mid 70s with both of those days with morning lows near 60. a look into sunday and next week. maybe some showers late on sunday into the first part of nday and tuesy. how is the traffic? let's take a look. much better now than earlier this morning. good news. craig? thank you so much. coming up on "news 4 at 5:00,"

celebrating curves. we are g

hi, everybody. it's wednesday. september 16th. so nice you're with us today. >> yes. midway through the great month of september. >> by the way, we have not started our matinee wednesday's yet. we're waiting for the theater world to get into gear. hopefully we'll start it up soon. >> we will. we did have quite a night yesterday. we were very busy. we did this -- you've heard fashion week is going on in new york. most people i think don't know exactly what it is. i had no idea what goes on. >> it's huge in the fashion industry. >> it is. there's a two-hour -- do not look at that. there's a two-hour setup. >> passing judgment. >> passing judgment. i don't even know what's happening. >> we were at the max azria show. it's like tennis without a ball. go back and forth. >> bobbie thomas on the other. >> it's very glamorous.

we got in the backstage tour with susy. they do not want kryou to cross your legs. you would trip everybody out there with yours. mine don't even touch the floor. hers go all the way across. there we are with max. >> look at max. >> he's adorable. >> i loved his wife. >> she was sweet. we were maxed out, though. that was just a toast. we didn't even sip it, all right? well, maybe a sip. >> just a tiny one. >> and then we were maxed out. >> everything. >> we had his jewelry, his everything, down to the shoes. >> it's sort of fun to see how it gets kind of chaotic behind the scenes, and these models seem to be very calm, cool and collected. i find it very interesting. they're not nervous. >> we met bunky. and mickey roarke. >> i did not expect to see him at fashion week. at all.

okay. but speaking -- >> and when he shows up, boy does the paparazzi go crazy. >> "people" magazine does their best dressed every year. and -- >> and worst dressed, too. >> and this year guess who happens to be on the page next to christie brinkley and all other fashionistas? ms. kathie lee gifford. she's chic at every age. >> maria shriver. >> all the good ladies. but you know what? i'm the shortest one. i'm always the shortest. why am i working with you, anyway? it's like walking around with -- look at that. look at that. i am a stump. i am just a stump. i'm a chic stump. >> what is that? >> that is ell tracy, i believe. >> that's adorable. >> we had the day off. i went down to wall street. it was 9/11. remember cantor fitzgerald where so many people were killed during the 9/11 attacks? >> uh-huh. >> a friend of mine was killed there. we were raising money for child

health. as i walked down, they're taking my picture. they go, who are you wearing? it was an older dress. i had it from last fall. i go, i have no idea. so charles was standing behind me, i said, chuck, look, would you? as the doors were closing chuck's trying to look in the back of my dress to figure out. he couldn't read. the man needed glasses. >> like you. >> thank you for that. >> what a big day for jay leno, by the way. huge number. he got 18.4 million people, 18.4 million, on his first day. >> hewes kanye west a huge basket of fruit. >> think about it. kanye was in the last 20 minutes of the show. >> that was smart to make everybody wait for it as well. >> yes. and they did wait. >> everybody knows it's going to be a couple of months, probably, before we know. >> it settles in. >> we can't be the only people with a hit show on nbc. come on, that wouldn't be fair.

>> it would be boring. there's a survey out there about shopping. okay? >> yes. >> and it says that we women would rather shop, okay, than -- >> we'd rather have a free shopping spree. >> a free shopping spree. 55% said they would give up chocolate and sweets. >> in an instant for me. >> no way. >> any mention of chadonnay on that? >> 40% said they would give up tv for a free shopping spree. 7% said they would get rid of sex and the rest. >> i already did. it's fine. >> all right. and then this is the worst. >> i want something for it, though. >> this is the worst. 5% said they would ditch their best pal. >> then they don't have a best pal. >> i think that is terrible. i think that is terrible. >> you know who you are, people. >> you do know.

this issick ic kky. they tested shower heads and found all kinds of -- >> built up bacteria. >> built up stuff in there. i think they call it slime. >> i don't understand why. i can understand slime in the drain. because you've had stuff to clean. and you know what i'm talking about. but coming out of the -- it's coming from a reservoir, right? it's clean water. it's clean when it hits your body. i don't understand how it gets so filthy. >> maybe it's the same way that water just -- like mold develops in your shower when it's clean. but you get mold. maybe it's a mold issue. >> they're saying that -- >> anyway, you can get tuberculosis and things like that. shallow cough. fever fatigue. >> they want you to change out your shower heads. you know how much those cost? a lot of money. >> they cost a lot. >> they need to come up with something you can clean it with. i'm sorry. >> i think you can put it in the dishwasher. i'm just saying. i think it's a good idea.

>> we'll ask alicia keys. the woman knows everything. this is our surprise guest, today. we did not know that you were coming. >> we're so glad you're here. we saw you performing at the mtv awards. >> yeah. >> you were with jay-z at the end. off the hook, that great song "new york." there was a little surprise on stage afterwards. >> of which i'd rather not speak about. the performance was so phenomenal it doesn't matter. >> well, then we won't. but we really want to. >> we love you to pieces but we love a little -- >> we love l mama, too. >> on civil behavior. i didn't see it. i'm just hearing about it. >> we're not going to talk about it. >> no. we're good. >> we're going to talk about your new record. that's coming up in just a few minutes. we'll go over to our friend sara. she sits over there. >> we're talking about what people would give up for the shopping spree. i have to agree with one of our fans, lee. she says i just love reading

what everyone would give up. cat gives up her first born. o yolanda giving up her husband. some of the stuff on here it's pretty specific and hilarious. >> all right. what would you give up? >> for a free shopping spree for the rest of your life. >> for the rest of my life? >> yes. what would you give up? >> what would i give up for a free shopping spree for the rest of my life? >> that is the question. >> that is the question. >> that's too big. >> that is too big. >> we're going to give you a commercial break to think about it. >> right back with alicia keys after this.

we didn't know alicia was going to be here today. >> we're so excited. she doesn't need an introduction at all. alicia keys is a 12 time, yes, 12-time grammy award winning singer/song writer. >> now she's out with a new single called "doesn't mean anything." which she's going to perform live on the plaza coming up november 24th. so great to have you back.

>> look at you. >> when i first saw her, mr. clyde davis, of course, legendary in this world. i'm so excited he's engineered the comeback for whitney, too. so many people first saw whitney at this big grammy party he gives the night before the grammys at the beverly hills hotel. i happened to be at that party one night about -- was it four years ago when you sang? it was unbelievable. that was like the beginning of everything. >> thank you. yeah. might have even been a little longer than that. >> six years ago? >> yeah. might have been, like, six. >> what was it like the other day at radio city when you and jay-z performed that song, "new york." it was the first time i'd heard it. tell us about that. >> it's phenomenal. jay-z and i are both native new yorkers. it's kind of a classic new york song. almost like -- >> high energy. >> new frank sinatra, liza

manelli, i don't know. i'm throwing things all over. >> it might be gucci. >> everything's all right. it's always great to perform in new york. obviously the vmas are usually in l.a. i was back in new york. it was great to perform. >> that song was contagious, too. did you feel that in the room. >> the whole room was crazy. >> lil mama, real quick. said she got overwhelmed. she was into the music. i could really feel it. suddenly i look up -- >> a lot going on that night anyway. >> we can appreciate her being overwhelmed and inspired. we would have preferred she did it from her seat. >> what about what happened with kanye? i'm sure you have some feelings about that as well. >> you know, i think that obviously he knew that that wasn't probably the in best taste, in retrospect. and i think he realized that wasn't quite the right thing to do. i'm sure he's apologetic. i know he already did apologize. >> he did actually call taylor

swift yesterday. she accepted his apology. a lot of bad behavior going on, alicia. >> it was a little strange. >> i just kind of popped it in in my room. they say -- >> "people" magazine. >> was it "people" that said this is the must-have album. >> t"the new york post." >> i'm excited about the record. "doesn't mean anything," the song just lifts you up and takes you somewhere on this journey, and i love it. >> we heard it this morning. it's all about basically i could have everything in the whole world without you in my life, it doesn't mean anything. >> it doesn't. if you think about it, dream of having all these big dreams, big things, having a millionaire, having everything you could possibly want in the world. what does it mean if you're alone through it all? that's a really important thought and feeling. >> who do you listen to when you're just trying to relax? what artist? >> my cds. >> i do, actually.

>> she does! anyway. >> alicia, we wish you the best of luck with your cd. you're such a sweetheart. >> great to see you. up next, hoda and natalie are going to hit the high seas. this, you've got to see. for more triathlon training. >> i'm so regretting this whole decision to do a triathlon.

we're back with the latest in the never ending saga of natalie and hoda training for their triathlon. here's another story. >> i trained with our triathlon coming up on the weekend. natalie and i slipped into our swim gear. so to speak we kind of headed to the beach. take a look. >> what is with the umbrella? >> it's raining. >> princess. you are about to swim. >> let me just explain something. here's my cardinal rule. i have hair issues. protect the lid at all costs. one rule. protect the lid. >> we have a problem. >> protect the lid. we have come to coney island because it has everything. it has a great place to bike ride. a wonderful place to run. and a place to swim. >> i feel good. scared, but good. in a good way. >> it's called the ocean. the atlantic ocean. and i'm not keen on it, i'll be

honest. >> a lot of great white shark spottings in the news in the last couple of days. >> someone said there were jelly fish. i'm just not proving it. >> up in cape cod. still, it's the atlantic ocean. >> kathie lee told me before i came here her sister went swimming once, opened her mouth and a jelly fish swam in. >> i've been training, unlike hoda. >> inside the mouth. >> about to go for a bike ride. natalie has graduated to an aerohelmet, aerobars and cleats. hoda has kind of gone a little backwards with her training. we've outfitted hoda's bike with some -- some streamers. here's your bike, hoda. this is for you. >> you tricked out my bike? >> i tricked out your bike. >> let's roll. ♪ think i'll go for a walk outside now, the summer sun's calling my name ♪ ♪ i hear you now, just can't stay inside all day, got to get

out, get me some of those rays ♪ >> what's next, coach rob? >> are we trying to waste time again? let's get in the water. >> we're running. swimming is at the end. >> oh, you want to run? >> yeah, i want to run. >> she gets to run. >> just did a quick little run. and now the moment of truth. time for the swim! >> it is time for the swim. it is time to get in the water. i'm just going to go into that special safe place. ♪ all i need is a miracle, all i need is you ♪ >> okay. welcome to our first open water swim. we have our wet suits. we have our goggs. we have our caps. there's also a couple of things

that we need to do. >> that's a lot. >> this is the great thing about being a coach. here, natalie, do your own. ♪ >> i learned something. my best stroke is the one i do when i'm hanging on to rob's back and he's doing the butterfly. >> i have come to the conclusion that i actually have to start training for the swim since i'm going to be pulling someone

along for 400 yards. >> i was fast. i was gliding. i felt like a feather. how was your swim? >> i nearly drowned, thank you very much. >> i think we worked really, really hard today. we ran, we biked, we sort of swam. >> we deserve a little something, something. >> i think we deserve a reward. cyclone! ♪ my hands up ♪ ♪ my hands up, they're playing my song, i know it's going to be okay, yeah, party in the usa ♪ >> all right. a quick thank you to the cyclone and dino's wonder wheel at coney island.

a big thank you. is it terrier? >> he's our little mascot. his name is buck. >> he's very cute. obviously, you're ready. if we had to do it today, natalie could do it like this. >> tell the truth, rob. >> natalie is very ready. natalie's already looking forward to next year to during her first half iron man. >> what do you think, lucy, are the chances of hoda actually surviving this thing on sunday. >> you know, i love her smile. >> she smiles great. but unfortunately she has to swim. >> there's a but that follows that. >> the joy that she takes reminds me that fitness should be fun. accomplishing a goal should be what -- you know, a positive feeling of this happiness. i love it. >> i'm being completely honest. i have only been in the water twice. once for that shoot. and that lasted 25 yards. >> and the other time in my pool. >> and the other time, yes, in

your pool. so i feel pretty ready. >> you can have a noodle, right? >> no. i'm going to be her noodle, unfortunately. >> the swimming -- >> it ain't the dead sea, you know. >> it's like 36 laps in a pool. that's how long it is. >> yeah, it is. but when you're out there and you have your wet suit on and you're in the moment and you have all the people around you. >> yeah. the adrenaline. >> they're going to carry you through. >> watching everybody else disappear into the horizon is going to be challenging to you. >> just the fear of finishing last. >> the waves. what's the weather forecast. >> weather forecast, it's going to be beautiful. >> can we talk about the fact just getting in these great looking outfits is going to put you in the mood. everyone has their name on the back. so cute! >> that's greet. >> a logo. you're going to look like a pro athlete. you're going to looadorable. >> it's going to be in the

magazine when? >> in the november issue. >> come see us sunday if you're bored. >> come on out. >> long branch. true story coming up. >> all right. after this.

ava vary circuit court has set an execution date for the mastermind of the d.c. sniper attacks. a look at what his attorney plans to do next. good morning. i'm craig melvin. children's national medical

center i about to get a major donation. that announcement is

to be intense. they're going to know that somebody was on the inside working with us. and they're going to do almost anything to find out who it is. >> you guys still think i'm okay at the company, right?

>> that is actorcostarring opposite matt damon in the new movie called "the informant." >> it was scott's quantum leap from broadway to tv that kicked off his screen career. if you've ever seen him on stage, he's fantastic. of course many of us nice middle-aged ladies remember scott has murphy brown's hunky love interest. >> hunky. i love that. >> you are not hunky in this movie. nothing personal. but this is the look we love. >> thank you very much. the look we love. >> yes. you play an fbi guy. and it's a dream for an fbi guy to get an informant who's right there who's willing to go in and tape at the highest level all these secret meetings about price fixing. and things go, as we say, awry, don't they. >> a little awry. little did i know that matt's character that he plays in the movie has a little chemical

imbalance in his brain. his wife didn't know. >> ginger. >> ginger didn't know. his employers didn't know. my bosses didn't know. he didn't know. >> he didn't know. >> when it starts to unravel and fall apart, it's 2 1/2 years of my life, my character's life, and his life. it's very upsetting. but the movie is a comedy. >> i find that interesting. >> you don't know it's a comedy because -- >> say no more. >> it's very sort of "austin powers" or "pink panther" kind of -- >> steven said think bananas. he was telling matt in the movie when you're thinking of what you're hearing, think bananas. >> how is that a comedy? >> first of all, it's steven sodaburg. he's a genius. he basically took this movie and kind of told it from mark whitaker's mind. so everything is skewed. and everything is odd. and the behavior of this man is so unusual and so surprising, that you just can't -- you just can't believe that it's true. really, every 20 minutes i want

there to flash on the screen, but it's true. 20 minutes later, it'strue. >> matt damon gained 30 pounds for this. he's really, really good in it. >> he's wonderful. he's a great character actor, and he's really funny. i think people are going to b delighted by that. >> i was glued into this thing. it's unusual. how do you think it's going to do? >> i think it's going to do great. it's funny. it's so topical, ironically we finished the movie before the world happened last september, basically. and it was already done in the can. now it's being released, and it's about corporate greed and accountability. >> perfect timing. >> whenever you do a corporate greed movie, it's timing. >> unfortunately. and it took place in the '90s. steven's spin on this movie. they've been working on it for seven years. taking it in this darkly absurd farcical kind of way allows us to see it and enjoy it and not get upset. >> yet this guy is so likable. you know he's a loony tune, but

he's likable. >> matt gained 30 pounds. was that the source of any jokes? >> he was eating the whole time. we just kept bringing in food. how's matt today? i don't know. he was eating. he ate the whole time. he and steven have done five movies together. >> is that joel mchale as your partner? >> it is joel mchale. that's joel right across the street on that poster. >> he's going to be on an nbc show called "community." he's got a lot going on. >> we carriedim through this movie. i can't be there to help him on this show. >> you can't do everything for him. >> he's got chevy. i'm promoting his show. i can't believe that. >> good luck with it. it's called "the informant." hop opening a theater near you on friday. next, i head over to dean & deluca for "who knew."

we are back with our "who knew?" quiz show. with the emmy awards coming up this weekends we decided to test your knowledge of all things emmy. kathie lee is across the street

at dean & deluca, ready to hand out $100 gift cards to those who answer the quiz correctly. for those who don't they get her cd. here in the studio with fun facts is "entertainment weekly's" jessica shaw. >> sweet ladiesfrom ohio. okay. which show received the most emmy nominations this year. "the office", "mad men," or "30 rock. >> i think it might be "mad men." >> you would be wrong. >> the answer is "30 rock"? >> it got 22 nominations, which is amazing. "mad men" not a bad guess because they were second place with 16. "30 rock," it won last year. it won the year before. of course, nominations for both a alec baldwin and tina fey.

we hope tee nina fey wins becau she gives the best acceptance speeches. >> who's the only actor to be nominated ffr both comedy and drama series this year? >> alec baldwin. >> wouldn't you think? boy, boy, you guys are so lucky today. here you go. >> thank you. >> lucky, all right. >> these questions are hard this time. >> wlast the right answer here? >> the answer is john hamm, who's amazing on "mad men." also nominated on "30 rock" for being a guest star for playing liz lemon's boyfriend. >> i know neil patrick harris is one of the answers here. he is on fire, isn't he? >> he is. he is nominated this year for "how i met your mother." he's already won a yee yaytive emmy in 2009 for doing a short film musical. >> can't wait to see him host. >> now you're from massachusetts. >> i am. >> this year's emmy host, neil patrick harris, has experienced hosting award shows. what was the last show he hosted? the oscars, golden globes or tony awards. >> the tony awards.

>> absolutely. here you go, baby. >> thank you so much. >> yeah. he really made a splash at the tonys, didn't he? >> wasn't he terrific? >> he was perfect. >> when he sang "tonight," oh, he was amazing. he was so funny. interestingly, he has also hosted the world magic awards in 2000. i feel like, i don't know. is he going to do a musical? a magic trick? we don't really know what we're going to see this year. >> one thing, he's so comfortable in his own skin, that guy. he fits it perfectly. >> so talented. a renaissance man. >> all righty. lovely people from fargo. "family guy" makes history this year for being the second ever cartoon to be nominated for outstanding comedy series. what cartoon was the first to be nominated? "the flynn stones," the simpsons or skooby doo? >> the simpsons. >> wouldn't you think. >> i would have guessed the simpsons as well. the right answer is? >> the right answer is "the

flinstones. they lost to the jack bene show. >> you're kidding. interesting. >> family, two lovely ladies visiting from memphis. in 1955 the emmy awards went bicoastal and were held in both l.a. and new york. in '59 the awards were held in three different cities, l.a., new york and what other city? london, washington, d.c. or houston? >> i didn't remember this. >> i want to say london. >> you want to say it but what are you going to say. >> i'm going to say washington. >> there you go. i'm feeling -- oh, i can't give away money. i'm sorry. not allowed. i would have. but there are rules to these things. sorry, ladies. >> on her second go, she was right. d.c. >> she was right. washington, d.c. in 1959, 1962 and '63 they were held in d.c. interestingly, the first year it was held at the mayower hotel which, of course, is legendary because that's where monica lewinsky stayed after the news of her affair broke and where

eliot spitzer was with ashl. >> this year marks the fourth year in a row that charlie sheen has been nominated for "two and a half men." how many times as he won? >> one. >> no, darling. i hope you have children. there you go. here you go. thanks a lot. okay. >> zero. >> it's zero. he's never won. nominated four times. his costar john crier also nominated four times, never won. at least he has a golden globe to keep him warm which he won for "spin city" back in 2002. >> do we have time for one more? we have to wrap it up. coming up next, one fine chef creates one fine dinner menu. we're going to cook with scott ryan right after this.

we're back with "today's" kitchen. we're getting saucy with chef ryan scott. >> summer turns to fall, this time for a meal that cooks slow and easy. >> we are making pinot noir, ceasar salad cooked up with capers. >> down at the very end, you are brining? what's going on down there? >> that is not pretty. >> that's not pretty at all. >> very simply, we brine the short rib. this is kind of a lesser cut of me meat. it's a little on the cheaper side. equal parts salt, sugar and wat. let it brine for eight hours. >> soak it. >> yeah. basically everything-- penetrating, going inside there. >> a tenderizer. >> exactly. take them out of the brine. pat them dry. make sure there's no moisture. otherwi they'll pop all over you. that's the last thing you want.

you don't want grease burns like i got. we sear them. if you want, hoda, what we've been doing, guys, very simply just seared and golden on one side. you want to take the last one out? >> how long do you cook, though? they're not cooked through. >> what we want to do is get that golden crust. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. i love the crust. >> all right, sweetie. add all the vegetables for me. >> we've got onions, sun dried tomatoes, lery and carrots. >> i know. i have to be careful. >> okay. there we go. put the vegetables in there. i'm in trouble. >> no, that's all right. >> here we go. here's onions. we have some -- she's afraid now. >> she's so worried about this triathlon. she can't concentrate. >> what we want to do is stir these, cook them a little bit. we want to add the ribs back inside. can you grab the wine right there? >> i'm not doing a doggone thing, ryan. i can help you.

>> pour the wine in. about a cup. i want to shake it up a little bit. add a little original tabasco inside there. it'll give it a flavor agent and a little pizaz. then a little fresh thyme, some stock. beef stock. we're going to braise it. we don't want it to get salty. >> we've already brined. now we're going to braise? >> double bs, girl. three hours. >> at what temperature? >> 300 degrees. >> that's a long time. >> yep. what you can do is watch the football game, put this in, come on. >> are you sure about that? >> yeah. three hours and forget about it. >> so it's falling off the bone. >> falls right off the bone. looks just like this. >> lk at that. that looks delicious. >> grab a fork. i want you ladies to try this. this is my ceasar salad. a lot of people are afraid of the eggs. i muuse mayonnaise in my base

instead. >> no raw regulars. >> a little pepper. >> you rim it. isn't that what you do with the dressing. >> exactly. >> we've braised, we've brined, now we're rimming. >> a little parmesan, hoda, please. >> i do everytng. >> i'm going to stand on this side all the time. >> all right. take a little bite of that. it should be super delicious and tender. the potatoes, what we did, we put a little -- >> the brining really helped. >> gives it a little kick. that's perfect. i put a little truffle oil in there. >> how is the sun dried tomatoes thing going to go down? >> it's fall. i didn't want to do something super heavy. >> you like it? >> uh-huh. >> look how it falls apart. >> that's the key trick. you want it in the oven for a long time. the longer the better. on the bone is even better because it retains all the moisture. >> that's a really lovely autumn

meal. >> this is simple. >> thank you, ryan. for the recipes go to our website. the card stacking world record holder builds us the entire empire state building. >> he's been downs

all right. do you ever feel like the cards are stacked against you? >> not ever. brian burg, he is the champion card stacker. he holds the record for the world's tallest card structure. today built us the empire state building. took him about an hour. welcome. >> i'm afraid to be standing near it or you. >> so am i. >> she's a heavy breather. >> no glue, no nothing. >> it's all free standing. >> how in the world does a person get involved in this early on? >> my grandmother introduced me to card stacking when i was very young. i got obsessed.

captured the world record. >> what usually causes the cards to go tumbling. you or some outside -- >> don't even go near. >> usually at the end, there's some kind of grandiose, planned demise. >> oh, really? >> a leaf blower is one of my favorites. >> i might have to do the -- >> i was just worried about the air systems in these places, you know? >> sometimes it's a problem. actually, the cards, about every seven deck is a pound. it adds up really quickly. >> every seven decks a pound. >> how many decks did you use? >> this, probably almost 25, 30 decks here. >> can anybody learn this? we're kind of spastic about certain things. >> spastic. we're on a glass surface here. you're going to have to kind of put a few cards down to build on. >> oh, okay. >> because it's slippery. >> we only have a minute. >> oh, boy. >> let's build something fabulous. >>ake a first card in your left hand. you're going to make a little box. like that. >> what are you doing?

>> you got to have three to get it going. >> what's taking you so long. >> now you're just showing off. that's just rude. >> we don't like your tone. >> if you can't build -- >> brian is moving our table. >> an apparatus. i'm going to make a triangle. >> come down to the sea port and see the project i've built. it's the largest project i've ever built. a key card hotel. >> what's the end of the show. should we make the move? >> yes. >> wait, how should we do it? how should we doit? >> we should do it like this, hiya! >> good luck with everything. thank you so much. tomorrow we're going behind the scenes at fashion week. plus, what a new service says about all work and no play. it'll surprise you. bye, everybody.