abcdefgh okay. abcdefghijklmtop toxic soup. our extraordinary journey to the heart of the growing oil spill as coast guard officials now say the spill's impact stretches 150 miles from louisiana to alabama. what happened? new details are emerging about what caused the crash of the air india jet which killed 158 people. this morning india tv is reporting investigators have recovered the black box. and royal payoff? >> $500,000 pounds when you can to me. the big story in london this morning, the duchess of york, sarah ferguson reportedly caught trying to sell access to her

ex-husband prince andrew. we're live at buckingham palace today, sunday may 23rd, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television live from studio 1a in rockefeller mraz. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on this sunday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe, and it looks like another big embarrassment for buckingham palace. a report that sarah ferguson allegedly took money, a lot of money in exchange for access to her ex prince andrew. >> a spokesperson said they would not comment on the news of the duchess of york p. and the network will let you hear what shed in just a few minute sgloos also ahead the mothers of three americans being detained in iran returned home on saturday, relieved to have seen their children, but said

they were still dift wrought after having to return without their kids. no formal charges have been filed. we will speak with one of the detainees' brothers this half hour. what if you're only 13? we'll bring you one teen's incredible summit story and we'll tell you who he called. i'm surprised he didn't text. >> can you imagine doing that when i was 13? i couldn't even tell you what i was doing. >> you probably didn't have the fears. >> after 20 years of number one hits the top-selling country duo of all time is breaking up. >> i caught up with brooks and dunn in nashville and we'll tell you why they're breaking up and about their final tour. great guys. >> looked fun. >> it was a lot of fun. let's get the latest on the oil spill crisis from ann thompson who joins us from venice, louisiana. i know you took a pretty

extraordinary journey. tell us about it. >> reporter: i did, lester, but first before i get to the journey, let me tell you what will happen today. epa expert lisa jackson will talk to residents and she's going to get an earful about the panic and the frustration here as the oil continues to wash ashore, but to get a different perspective on the scope of this environmental disaster, we went out into the gulf and headed to where the deep water horizon rig erupted in that deadly fire. and when we got out there, it's about a 40-mile journey out to the site and we first started at the 12-mile mark to smell the oil. in fact, we smelled it before we could even see it and then at the 14-mile mark, we started to see traces of dispersant and oil. by the 16-mile mark the oil was in big rivers and that's the only way i could describe it, lester. big, orange, red rivers

polluting the gulf and by the 26-mile mark the oil was everywhere. there was more red than blue. the gulf looked like the red sea. our captain said to us the gulf is bleeding and it sure looked that way. we are heading out to where they're preparing to do the top kill technique they hope as early as tuesday and as we got within three miles of the leak site. when you get out there, the strange thing that happens is the oil turns back into a very thick sheen on the water, and that is important because they're not spraying dispersants in the area because obviously people are working there, but at the leak site it looks like a mini city. you see all kinds o boats and the discover enterprise collecting the oil from the insertion tube. you see the two drilling rigs that are working on the relief well. the relief well is the only sure way that they know to stop this leak, but they don't think that

will be completed. best case scenario until august so everyone is hoping that this top kill technique, sending heavy drilling mud into the blowout preventer and down into the well will work and will stop this gush of oil. lefter? >> we will certainly all hope. ann thompson, thank you. the white house is sending cabinet members to the gulf monday to get a firsthand look at the spill, but a growing number of critics are demanding the government do much more. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning, lester. >> the delegation is going down. his tone his sharpened and has he so far been able to survive this politically? >> well, i think what you have more criticism about is what is it that the government is doing? how is it that we're a month into this thing and it's not turning the corner? it's not getting any better. they're not shutting off the oil and it appears to be such a mess

and such a disaster. i think the white house is feeling all of that. they'll make it very clear that the top people, the environmental team and others like the secretary-general of energy is a nobel laureate, after all, are thinking about ways that they can tell bp to try to end this thing, to fix this thing, but nothing is actually happening. so the criticism is ultimately are they relying too much on british petroleum to find the answer here? i think the president, you saw it in his remarks yesterday, his radio address that was on youtube as well, is trying to stay ahead of this, trying to stay on top of it from what washington can do both in terms of cleanup and investigating how this happened in the first place and how washington can better respond. that doesn't stop the oil, though, for now. >> let me talk about a challenge the president faces overseas. he was back talking to graduates about the commencement and he talked about the need for more allied participation.

mul multilateralism is a new push, is this a way to get more international hands on deck in afghanistan. >> it is, it's trying to reverse what president obama and others see as the singular thrust of the bush administration was america going it alone and flexing unilateral power, but he's encountering what the bush administration also encountered, yes, there's more participation in afghanistan, but some of the european countries are not interested in getting that close to the fight. countries like germany who has a real pacifist tradition since world war ii are not eager to get engaged militarily and this is the same difficult they the united states will still do the heavy lifting in afghanistan as we move forward. >> normally i ask you about the guests that you have in the show. rand paul was invited, accepted and has backed out. he made some comments and he's the kentucky republican senate candidate and he made comments about the civil rates that got

him a lot of negative press. what's his situation right now? he won a landslide victory, why would he not want to talk further some. >> i think there are a lot of questions about the strength of his candidacy here on sunday as opposed to when he went on tuesday. the difficulty he got himself into was simply articulating his views about limited government and how those limits should play out in practice. so he talked about opposition to one part of the civil rights act. he's for it. he said he would not try to repeal it, but he didn't think that a government mandate to end discrimination should apply to private businesses. that's his view. pretty well articulated views. there's been a lot of follow up to that and members of his own party have said he should start avoiding the national spotlight because he was getting himself into considerable trouble and that was the backdrop on him canceling his appearance on "meet the press" this morning. >> david gregory, we'll see you

later. thanks very much. now here's jenna. >> thank you. one day after india's worst air disaster there's word this morning that one of the black boxes has been recovered. nbc's kier simmons joins us. >> we are hearing first hand dramatic stories from the eight survivors who lived through the horrific plane crash. one reports hearing a blast and seeing the plane fill with smoke. there was total chaos and part of the aircraft broke off. he jumped free and pushing another passenger out in front of him. he thought he heard a tire burst. another speaks of the plane veering off course. from those stories, one theory emerging this morning is that the pilot was going too fast and overshot the runway. the theory is that he had to brake hard, bursting a tire and sending the plane skidding into a telephone pole. there are still conflicting reports and in the last few hours we have heard that the

black box has been found. that will provide crucial data for the investigators including the ntsb launched from the states. jenna? >> what about the little girl we saw carried away from the wreckage with the foam on her. any more information about her? >> there were around 20 children onboard including that young child who we saw carried from the wreckage. that girl miraculously pulled from the rubble was immediately transported to hospital -- to the hospital, but the burns sustained were so severe that she passed away at the hospital. heartbreaking stories from the air disaster. >> thank you very much. and we want to get a check now of the other headlines of the morning. lynn barry is at the news desk with that. good morning. >> lester and jenna, good morning and good morning to all of you. we begin in afghanistan where a nighttime assault on the nato's biggest base wounded coalition troops and civilian employees. it was the second attack on a major military institution in this week and the taliban is claiming responsibility. back here at home, major

tornadoes touched down in rural parts of south dakota saturday. this huge tornado tore down power lines and ripped across land. officials say a super cell thunderstorm dropped golf ball-size hail in some area, dumping enough rain to create a flash flood warning. so far, there are no reports of injuries. mexican police have admitted they cannot find bruce beresford-redman. the producer who is a suspect in his wife's death. redman was ordered not to leave mexico after his wife's body was found in a cancun sewer last month. his passport was taken away, but he was allowed to travel freely across the count. lindsay lohan is back in the u.s. lohan was photographed by hollywood tv arriving in los angeles saturday night. she is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow on a 2007 drunk driving case. lohan missed a court date thursday and the judge issued a

warrant for her arrest. lohan claimed she wasn't able to leave france because her passport was stolen. finally, incredible video now of a russian bridge which has been closed because it began to wobble. officials say strong currents in the river have loosened one of the vertical supports of the four mile-long bridge, the long nest europe. the crossing just opened last year and now it is unclear if it can open any time soon. probably a good thing. it doesn't look like they have it figured out just yet so let's let that happen before they open it back up. >> now they be why they had the bucket of unused bolts. >> nine bolts short! >> anyway -- thanks, janice. good morning. i'm motorologist kim martucci. temperatures in the 60s across

the region. 66 winchester and frederick. good morning, sterling. you also have 66. rate d radar is picking up rainshowers moving slowly to the north/northwest between 10 and 15 miles an hour. watch for showers to continue today and we'll keep it cool, in the low to mid 70s, back to janice huff in new york city in in atlanta. now here's lester. >> janice, thanks. more on the news of the world video out of london showing sarah ferguson allegedly taking money for access to her ex-husband prince andrew. take a listen. >> tim is itn's royal

correspondent. good morning. good to see you. i need you to put this in perspective for me. this reporter is posing as a businessman. why would he want access to the prince? >> reporter: well, there have been stories going around, as i understand it from sources, for some time that there was concern about sarah ferguson possibly trying to use her influence with prince andrew to secure business deals. this was a setup. it was organized by the news of the world. she was trapped on camera and she talked about taking a payment of half a million pounds and actually put her hands on and took a down payment of $40,000. so this is a major, major embarrassment for a family here at buckingham palace who are used to moments with sarah ferguson which have been embarrassing before, nothing like this. >> and i know the prince is a trade representative there in the uk. is there any indication he had any awareness that his exwas

brokering these deals? >> there is no evidence of that at all. the news of the world have been particularly careful to say that even though at an early stage of her conversation which was being secretly recorded, sarah ferguson did indicate that the prince might be aware of this. in fact, that's not true. she subsequently on camera and on tape described him as being whiter than white. the prince has his office here in buckingham palace. there's no comment from here. officials say she's not a member of the royal family. it's not a matter for us. it's a matter for her own official spokespeople. >> lastly, is there a legal issue? is there any indication any laws were broken here? >> not at all. there is no indication at all here that any laws have been broken. what has been broken is the reputation of sarah ferguson which was already marginal. i think british people were prepared to put up with misbehavior here and there. when it involves money like this, when it involves trying to

broker influence with the royal family, her reputation has been mortally wounded. >> tim ewart, thank you very much. we appreciate it. we'll take a break and be back we appreciate it. we'll take a break and be back with more after this. at your own house if you want. oan you don't have to come to us. we'll come to you. my cell phone's always on. if you need me, i'm here for you. every client. every time. - no exceptions. - no excuses. that's what we're all about. - and that's why i love... - i love... i love being a home loan expert. ♪ i love being a home loan expert. [music, talking, laughing] what makes hershey's s'mores special? hershey's chocolate goodness that brings people together. pure hershey's. hebrew national hot dogs are made with butcher quality cuts of 100 percent pure kosher beef. people say they're so good maybe it's time they were called something new. they are the royalty of hot dogs, i call them queen elizabeefs!

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leave tehran without our children is almost more than we can bear. our greatest hope was to bring our children home with us where they belong. >> alex faisal's brother josh remains locked up a prison. we thank you very much for being with us. >> you were with your mom at the airport yesterday when she did return from iran with the other two mothers. what did she say it was like for her to finally be reunited with your brother, with her son? >> it was tremendous. thursday we were watching images back here and it was the opportunity that we've been waiting for a long time to embrace them and that she got to do that and pass on all of our love and let them know that there are people all around the world supporting them. desmond tutu. >> they didn't know that, right? >> they didn't know anything. they are kept in virtual isolation so the mothers' visit was cut short and it was two

days and two very dramatic days. thursday the initial reunion and friday fortunately they got to see them again and they had week-long visas and they could only stay in the country for two days. >> what about you? i know you've taken time off of school to put your efforts towards this. for you it was really, really difficult and emotional to have to watch this? >> totally. all of us are making sacrifices in the families. all three families are spread throughout the country and everyone is re-jigging their lives and trying to do everything within our power to bring them home and bring them home soon. friday we were hearing these reports that they were again with the mothers and the hikers were together and then the mothers were going to the airport and we thought maybe we're crossing oures to, we were crossing our fingers that iran would build upon its humanitarianism in allowing the mothers to go over. visa application his opinion pending for over five months and they finally got the visit and

we thought this was the opportunity that iran would let them come home. >> they're not charged with formal charges and the hikers obviously were not able to return. do you feel like any progress was made with this trip at all? >> well, they weren't able to see their lawyer. that's a concern. they've been held without charge, supposedly the charge is illegal entry. >> right. >> but they haven't seen their lawyer. there's been no movement in their case. this is in the hands of the judiciary and that it would be treated expeditiously, so it's curious. >> we thank you very much for being with us. we know this is a difficult time for you and your family. we wish you the best. thank you. we'll be right back after this.

sti to come on "today,"

it's holly versus brett in tonight's "celebrity apprentice." who will the donald hire? joan rivers will be here with insight. this 13-year-old -- yes, 13-year-old can cross mount everest off his to-do list. his story is coming up, but first these messages. eet. ha ha. but you did have eight layers of sweet crunchy back up. what can i say? you're the man. or -- you know, the little dude. ha. that's me. [ female announcer ] stay on your game by stopping mid-morning hunger with kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal. an excellent source of fiber from 100% whole grain that helps you stay full, so you can stay focused. uh, he's a little focused right now. can i take a message? - sure, cake or pie? - pie.

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so not such a pretty day across the metro d.c. area this morning. clouds hanging tough and rain for some of us. we'll detail the forecast in a couple of minutes. first, good morning. 8:26 on this sunday, may 2 3rd. i'm aaron gilchrist. in the news for today, university of virginia will hand out 25,000 white ribbons at graduation today in honor of murdered student yeardley love. she'll get a posthumous degree as well. the ribbons will also memorialize morgan harrington, who was murdered after a convert at uva last year. be on the lookout for cyclists on the roads today. 20 miles of roads will be closed to traffic in the district for the annual bike d.c. event. here is a look at the major roadways affected.

the ride finishes in crystal city this afternoon. and good news for drivers that use the capital beltway. a live picture for you. vdot warned that 495 would be a parking lot all weekend while crews repaired an overpass. that work was finished 36 hours ahead of schedule. morning delays were up to two hours yesterday morning. i don't think that was

meteorologist kim martucci holding down the fort for chuck bell. >> a great morning to be sleeping in, that is, if you can get any sleep with the racket. heavy rain last night. about two-third s of an inch at regan national. dew point, 64. and humidity 87%. digital doppler tracking showers as they skirt across northern loudon and frederick county. rock hall, near the spotlight. you might have a little bit of a downpour. headed to the nationals game, playing baltimore, around 71 at first pitch. otherwise, this afternoon we'll probably crack a high around 73. on and off showers, so have the umbrella ready to go. >> all right. will do. thank you, kim. a full hour of local news and weather at 9:00. "today" continues from new york

right now. we're back on this sunday morning, may 23rd, 2010. it's a cloudy morning here on the plaza, but all smiles. come on, show me some smiles, from our friends who have joined us. friends from all over the country here with us today. so nice to have everybody outside. i am jenna wolfe, alongside lester holt. still to come, climbing to the top of mount everest, not just anyone, but a 13-year-old. imagine this. it's really an amazing story. a 13-year-old becomes the youngest person to summit mount everest and guess one of the first thing hes did after summiting, he called his mom. we'll talk about that phone conversation with romero's mom from the top of the world. >> he's trying to do the highest

peak on every continent. i think after this antarctica is next. >> he's done the others? >> after that, what do you do? >> sixth grade. >> maybe a driver's license at some point? >> that's nothing, compared to this. >> haen you heard about the health setbacks from bret michaels and that will not stop him from participating in the fin ale of kwlt the celebrity apprentice." what's it like to hear the donald say "you're hired." >> she's ready. >> i'm still reigning queen. >> she hasn't taken that off in 360-some odd days. >> looking forward to a cat with her coming up. >> you had a chance to sit down with brooks and dunn, the country duo. you said it was a lot of fun. >> i went to nashville to talk candid talk about why after 20 years of number one hit after number one hit they decided to call it quits.

it's time to move on. we'll talk about that, they have a great tour around the country and we'll share that thanks, janice. good morning. i'm meteorologist kim martucci.

our temperatures in the 60s around the area. 68 degrees right now. 66 in culpepper. rainshowers dotting the landscape. up to north in montgomery and frederick counties. coming across toward st. mary's county too. don't let that deter you. we have dry spots out there just pack the umbrella and be ready to go. temperatures around 73 today. th the 50s. and now here's lester. >> janice, thanks. for most 13-year-olds an accomplishment is acing a math test or making the football team, but jordan romero aimed higher, much higher and yesterday he became the young of the climber ever to reach the summit of mt. everest. leann is his proud mom and joins us by phone in bear lake, california.

good morning, good to have you on. >> thank you, lester. >> are you breathing easier? i know he's not off the mountain, but how are you feeling? >> so good. he called from the base camp at 20,000 peak and he's down off the most dangerous part of mountain, so, yes, breathing better this morning. >> you are able to watch his progress on gps. so you're watching as he's nearing the summit. were you expecting a phone call? >> i actually wasn't. i was just thinking i would watch the gps, watch them summit and then as soon as i saw the blinking light get near the top it stopped for a while and next thing you know the call came through on the phone and there he was. >> he had the satellite phone with him. i know you weren't sure if the batteries would work or not. tell me about that conversation. what was the first thing he said. >> he said, hi, mom. i'm calling you from the top of the world? >> how did he sound? absolutely wonderful. i couldn't believe ret sepgz.

he sounded like he was calling from the other side of the lake. >> did he make plans about what he would do when he reached the top? >> i know he had souvenirs with him and good luck charms and i haven't heard all of the stories about that yet, and planted some seeds and hugged his dad and his dad's girlfriend and had their moment up there and i didn't expect a phone call. that was just a great surprise. >> obviously, he's matured beyond his years, but at the end of the day he's still 13 years old and some might question the decision of letting him go. what was your thought process when he said he wanted to do this. >> lester, this started when he was 9 years old when he set this goal and we followed the process as he went along. it's not something that we've had to deal with over the last six months or a year. it's been a process going on for five years. so we've had time to get used to it and watch his skills increase and improve. >> i think he did kilimanjaro and he's moved on to other peaks and he wants to go to

antarctica. >> correct. that's the last summit on his list. >> he'll be, what? 14, 15, maybe? what do you do in terms of life goals? >> shave, get a driver's license, deal with girls, finish high school. >> he's got goals ahead of him. ly an drake, thanks very much. we're happy for you and that he's safe and sound and i know you can't wait to put your arms around him and giving him a hearty hug. >> i can't wait. thank you for having me, lester. >> can we talk in the 2009 winner of "celebrity apprentice" dishes on tonight's finale. that's after these messages. but it's perfectly cooked black beans, in a zesty "south of the border" chipotle sauce with red and green peppers, onion, and crisp corn. a bold new taste. i know. but i want people to think i'm a great cook. so hide. delicious! can i have your recipe? your secret is safe with me. hello... new bush's black bean fiesta. and try new texas ranchero, along with our other grillin' beans flavors.

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and a whole new game. all eyes will be on the boardroom tonight as the fin ale of "the celebrity apprentice" gets under way. who will get to hear donald trump's two favorite words "you're hired" is anyone's guess, but here to dish on what it's like in the boardroom is the reigning queen and i don't use the word queen lightly, joan rivers. does this explain the tiara and the sash? >> i took it very seriously as reigning queen of "celebrity apprentice" this year. >> i see that. you've been wearing this every day since you won. >> since i won last year. i am not going to give it up. >> it's been a pretty busy year. you're starting your second season. >> how did you get so rich. tv land, 10:00, wednesday nights. >> you have a documentary coming out in theaters. it's not been a bad year for you. >> it's been a great year, and

it started with "celebrity apprentice" and tonight i'm going to be asked by donald who you think -- my vote counts. >> and he's going to take your opinion into consideration. >> well, to a point. >> to a point. let's talk about it. it's come down to it, holly peat and bret michaels. does that give him the advantage. >> i feel sorry for holly because i watched it this year and holly worked so hard and she's totally dedicated. >> oh, she is. >> as is bret, but what are you going say to a guy on an iuv, you're fired? he'll die. you can't do it. >> if anyone can do it, it's donald. he's done worse in a good way. >> i think you have to give it to bret, just that he's making the effort crawl in tonight if he shows. >> you were in this exact position. what were the contestants thinking, are you nervous? this is live and this is the real deal.

>> you are so tired and exhausted by the time it was down to the two of us last year that i couldn't -- when he said on eye really didn't think i was going to win, but i always hype myself don't expect it so you won't be disappointed and when he said and now joan -- did you forget your name for a split second? >> but that's how he does it and now, joan. he had a senior moment there. >> i'll work with you. it's all good. it's all good. >> it took me about a week to really enjoy it. the first night i just was in such shock of the whole thing. >> right. right. and now to have to give back my crown. >> yes. >> you had a chance to sit down with these two and you had a lengthy conversation that was aired. what was it like? what did you get from holly and bret? >> very little except that they were totally dedicated. last year i was fighting with everybody. don't you say that about my daughter and -- blah, blah, blah.

>> it was a brutal season last year. >> brutal. >> right. >> and this year they're very dedicated and parents without perrier for the people in the hampt hampton, but she is so into autism and he's so into diabetes. so it's a terrible -- it's a terribly difficult choice. i wouldn't want to be donald tonight. >> you are aware that you'll have to give it back. >> you want to give it to me or hold it for another couple of hours. >> no, but -- i understand why miss america has such a good time. >> joan rivers, thank you so much. >> good to see you. >> always fun. you can see the fin ale of "celebrity apprentice" at 9:00 on nbc and maybe you can see joan in the background handing it over? and crying. >> and probably crying too. now here's lester. >> after 20 years of churning out number one hits the top-selling country duo of all time is breaking up. i sat down with kicks brooks and

ronny dunn in nashville recently and asked them about the legendary act that was never meant to be. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> they were two strangers united in what might be called the music industry's version of a shotgun wedding. >> did you know each other? >> not a bit. >> you'd never heard of each other. >> no. ♪ >> neither had any luck making it solo. >> they didn't think we could make magic. they just thought we could fill a slot that they had on a roster. >>. ♪ >> when a record company paired kicks brooks and ronnie dunn together in 1909, the hits started flowing. >> you have a radio hit early on and then, you know, four in a row and jumped on a bus and started playing clubs and beer joints, honky tonks and never looked back.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> over the last 20 years brooks and dunn have released 20 number one hits and sold more than 30 million records and won 80-plus awards. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> renowned for their high-energy concerts, the duo has 17 headline tours under their belt and even had a chance to play at a presidential inauguration. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> they are the top selling country duo of all time. >> at what point did you guys realize that this thing you had was working? >> never. >> people always ask about the longevity. i think we had so much failure before we had any success we were really afraid to -- to ever stop and say, well, we made it. >> it almost sounds like you're

surprised it lasted this long. >> it's been pretty fun, and it hasn't stopped being fun. you just feel like it was time to make a turn. >> that turn came ralast summer when ronny and kicks decided it was time to end their journey announcing they were breaking up. >> i think we have done just about everything creatively that you can do. >> what do you think when people compare this to a marriage and the end of a marriage. >> think they're missing a big part of the marriage. i think we're probably closer to brothers than anything. it's unique and it's strange and it's something you strive for, and i think success has had a lot to do with our bonding. >> and while they are friends, they are surprisingly candid about their differences. >> i guess from the beginning we've never really agreed on everything. we both were on our own bands forever. we both write songs that we like and we're proud of. >> both recognize what wasn't

working and individually they are still sorting through what comes next. >> i have a countdown show "american country countdown" that i host and i have a lot of fun that, and i have a winery, too. >> for ronny dunn, he plans to release his first solo album this fall with a single due out this summer. >> are you nervous? >> yeah, i'm nervous. see me fidgeting? i'm, like, let's talk about something else. >> yet before brooks and dunn any their separate ways they're giving their fans one last chance to see them together on stage with a farewell tour. ♪ ♪ >> we're out there doing what we want to do. my wife and my kids, i mean, they pay the ultimate price. >> will will you remain fans of each other's work? >> yeah. yeah. >> if it's any good, i will. >> what has been the highlight of this partnership? >> it's really fun to look back and go, you know, we pulled it

off. to think we really did live the dream. we rode the fastest horse on the track at least once. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and the last rodeo tour will wrap up in nashville in august. we're going to miss them around here. they're kind of part of our extended family. they've been part of the concert searies. >> it was refreshing and nice to see. >> good guys. we wish them the best individually as they move on. >> sure. just ahead, we'll introduce you to the only female mechanic for ferrari, but first these messages. [ female announcer ] your skin is your first line of defense

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this morning on "today's changing roles," she's fast,

she's 40 and she knows how to change a tire. indy racing and series and nascar may have driver danica patrick, but they have tess gape and nothing says winner quite like a ferrari. they're world class cars, pushing the limits. >> it's the adrenaline and the winning. >> reporter: unrivalled in innovation and efficiency. >> it's space shuttle technology. >> reporter: and at speeds of 200 miles an hour -- >> it's the sexiest car out there. >> reporter: american le mans is breaking new ground on the racing track and off. >> you can't fake what you're doing here. >> no, not usually. i try, but it doesn't work very well. >> reporter: tess gape is a mechanic for the rissi ferrari team, the only female mechanic on the le mans circuit. >> people were taken aback and they didn't know what to think because there wasn't another woman working on cars. >> it's a bit strange and i never saw a woman work on a race

car, and i was kind of, like, oh, my god. >> a little nervous. >> a little nervous. >> has she proven herself as a capable and a good mechanic? >> yes. it's not just one time, but many times. whatever you need, she is able to do it p. >> reporter: in a series where the cars are elite brands like aston martin, bmw, jaguar, porsche and per s, the mechanic working on the car is just as important as the car itself. >> in order to be a part of that team you can't just talk the talk. you have to be able to back it up. >> if i was going drop $200,000 on a regular street ferrari, how much different is this street engine than that one? >> this is a racing engine. you won't see all of this, you'll see kind of the motor. so it's pretty. >> reporter: being able to get at everything is critical especially during the dizzy pit stop routine where time management is crucial. >> there is a lot of urgency and everyone has to be at the top of their game. >> reporter: in the pit, tess is

the fireman or in this case, the firewoman. >> there's a fueler and vent man, and i stand behind the car with the fire bottle in case something happens with the fuel if there's a fire. >> in a sport where she's constantly surrounded by men, tess does miss not having another woman around. >> sometimes i need that. so when i'm at home or with my friends i want to go shopping. i want to wear heels, and i want to do all those things whereas sometimes here, they don't care about that. >> reporter: but what everyone here does care about is putting the best car on the track, something tess has a lot to do with, making her a hot comedity in auto racing. >> we're talking about a car that wins races and wins championships and competing against the best in the business and, you know, it's a point of pride for us to have her and she has to be proud of what she's achieved. >> they call me now. so before i was banging on everybody's door and getting turned down a lot and now it's the other way around. i have people calling asking

what are you doing next year and it's kind of nice. >> she was great to hang out with. now here's lester. >> jenna, thanks. it will truly be the end of an era monday night. "law and order," the ground breaking police drama that made a star of new york city and the actors who appeared on the show is ending after a two decade-run. we get the story from nbc's mike taibbi. >> is he sending a message? >> there's the clang. ♪ >> the reminder that it's a show about cops and d.a.s and then the crime, almost always a murder. >> what kind of mugger strangles? >> examined with typical new york attitude. >> they knew each other. smell romance? >> love at last sight. >> oranges, my god. >> you hear anything last night. >> the cops trying to solve everything in the first half hour and in the second, the d.a. is trying to prove it with surprises and moral dilemmas ort

way. >> sam waterston said "law and order" succeeded where other shows failed. >> didn't realize going to the newspaper was going to be so many stories. >> reporter: it became a billion dollar juggernaut and an endless casting call that in two decades handed out nearly 6,000 speaking parts and more than twice as many shots as extras. >> i'm guessing 40,000 to 50,000 people auditioned for "law and order" over the past 20 years. >> it was an early stepping-stone. samuel jackson, philip seymour hoffman, cynthia nixon. >> one had an afro with a goatee. >> veteran new york film and television actor was a defense attorney in the first of three l and o roles. >> there was an order to law and order as a show. >> new york city itself became a

familiar character. even these courthouse steps became a touchstone for fans and it's where mccoy would scowl after a tough day or a wrongly exonerated defendant would gloat for the media or in one episode, being gunned down by the enraged relative of a victim. for two decades it thrived on the crime of the day and on the ugliness of human behaufior. >> you loved the mess and that's what it communicated to us and it repeated its gritty lessons that sometimes the bad guys win or the good guys play dirty just as in real life. for "today" mike taibbi, nbc news, new york. >> jenna, you mentioned when you go to broadway and you look at the actor's bios, everybody did "law and order." i have to check my resume to check i didn't do it, either. >> you can find the final episode of "raw&olaw&order" tom

night at 10:00. i'd like one of those desserts and some coffee. - sure, cake or pie? - pie. - apple or cherry? - cherry. oil or cream? oil or cream? cream. some use hydrogenated oil. reddi-wip uses real dairy cream. nothing's more real than reddi-wip.

reddi-wip uses real dairy cream. time now for a check of what's coming up on "meet the press." david gregory joins us again. good morning. >> good morning to you, jenna. coming up this morning what will the anti-washington wave mean for november's midterm elections? we'll have an exclusive debate with senate party campaign chairs republican jon corn sxin democrat robert menendez and the view from one candidate who took on an incumbent and won, democratic congressman joe sestak. our political roundtable weighs in in morning all ahead on "meet the press." david, thank you. coming up this weekend on "today," the summer treats and the annual tug-of-war right here on the plaza. >> also summer blockbusters with an 11-year-old movie critic.

it's always nice to have. >> i'll see you classmates will remember a slain graduate from the university of virginia. we'll show you how they will honor her memory at today's graduation. traffic alert. moving around the area will be slow. what areas you will have to avoid today. good morning, everyone. welcome to news 4 today. i'm kimberly suiters. >> and i'm aaron gilgilchrist. the news ahead. first, a quick check on the forecast. meteorologist kim martucc inci filling in for chuck bell. you brought the rain with you. >> we needed the main, so it's not too bad. the timing is the weekend, we want to make it better.