blended with ice. the simple joy of keepin' it cool. good morning. going to extremes. parts of the southeast hit by record rainfall. more is on the way while out west a fast spreading wildfire destroys homes and forces residents to run for their lives. and it could get much, much worse. caught on tape. a man hitting his stepson with a belt during a game of catch. now he's facing felony charges of child abuse. this morning a video that's shocking people around the nation. and not your father's commencement speech. >> you're not special. you're not exceptional. >> but guess what? despite the harsh message, a lot of people are saying it's the best speech they've ever heard. today is sunday, june 10th, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe. we're talking about this weather again this morning. we've been dealing with extreme weather for months. it's showing no signs of letting up now. >> in the west, wildfires are raging, but in the southeast along the gulf of mexico, they have had nothing but rain. record amounts of rainfall, lots of flooding. we're going to go there live in just a moment. then we're going to take a look at politics. it's been a rough week for president obama, from saying the private sector is, quote, fine, to getting beat for the first time in a fund-raising race. mitt romney is picking up steam. what can he do to keep the momentum going? and can the president regain his mojo? we're going to get to all of that. and it's got to be the

shoes, very expensive shoes. folks who waited on line for days to get their hands on these. nikes zidesigned by rapper kany west. sounds crazy, but some people are spending thousands of dollars to get their hands on a pair of shoes. we'll tell you what all the buzz and hype is about. >> we went through that with the jordans, when the air jordans came out, that was all the hype as well. except michael jordan was a professional athlete. >> really, really good. we all love our technology. technology. you probably have some here too. yeah, all of it. technology. caffeine, technology. we can tweet. we can text. we can take photos in mere seconds. but what about when your gadgets fail you? they all do at some point. your gps sends you miles in the wrong direction or auto correct turns your messages to something much different than you intended. coming up, why technology can thrill and sometimes frustrate us all at the same time. >> love the auto correct. that's led to some pretty awkward moments. a lot to get to. but let's start with the

record rainfall in the east. it's causing millions of dollars in damage, and more rain is on the way. we want to get the latest from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: the widespread flooding was the result of torrential rain that fell all day and into the night. in mobile, alabama, raging waters washed out several roads and flooded dozens more. the sheriff's office urged residents to stay home except for emergencies. >> i got a couple of cows behind the barn. i was back there watching and make sure they wasn't floating away. >> in some cases, those emergencies actually involved rising floodwaters, threatening people's homes. >> i hope it doesn't get up any higher. >> meteorologists blame the heavy rain on a cold front from the north which stalled along the gulf coast. when a cold air pocket moved east, it pulled up moisture from the gulf of mexico, which fell from the sky at rates of more than two inches an hour. pensacola, florida, was also hit hard with more than a foot and a half of rain in some areas. dr. greg forbes of the weather channel. >> rainfall in this event was more than from hurricane opal back in 1995, and as of 4:00

p.m. saturday, it was the second rainiest day in pensacola history. >> reporter: rising water trapped some people in their homes, and escambia county declared a the state of emergency, opening a shelter for residents who had been urged to evacuate. as in alabama, roads were also impassable as businesses flooded and water seeped into a rescue mission. for coastal residents in alabama and florida, it's been a tough start to the weekend with hurricane intensity rains even with no hurricane in sight. for today, mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> the weather channel's mike sigh dell is in pensacola, florida, this morning, hit hard by heavy flooding. mike, how does it look there? >> reporter: it's looking better, jenna. this is the forest creek apartments. they were under water literally yesterday afternoon. more than 15 inches fell here, 200 units. most everybody was evacuated, and the power is out this morning. the water has receded, thus the term flash flooding. look how high the water is in the back of the parking lot

here. cars are still partially submerged, and the units have water in the first floor. there's a swamp back there, the jones swamp reserve. it's over its banks. it is receding since it hasn't rained for about 12 hours, but more rain is in the forecast. the record yesterday 13, 13, their wettest day in june. 7 out of 8 hours they had anywhere from 1 to 3 inches. the good news, this rain is moving into georgia. the worst drought in the country is in georgia. 30% of georgia is now in an extreme or exceptional drought. the bad news this morning, more rain in the forecast. jenna this morning, we keep a look out for the water moccasins, which are swimming in the water next to me. back to you. >> mike seidel, thank you very much. >> he kind of dropped the water moccasin theme. that's a nice way of saying deadly snake, right? >> only you, lester, would go to that extreme. >> let's get the rest of the morning's stories. cnbc's mandy drury is at the news desk. >> good morning, lester and jenna. good morning to you. the weather is only making

things worse as firefighters battle wind whipped wildfires in colorado and new mexico. the fire in northern colorado started saturday morning and has grown to 8,000 acres. it's already destroyed at least ten homes and other structures and forced dozens of evacuations. another fire in southern new mexico has grown to 10,000 acres. rebel fighters are bringing the battle to overthrow syria's president bashar al assad to his power base in damascus. we're monitoring the threatening crisis from cairo. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, man gi. this isn't the first time explosions have rocked the capital, but what makes today so significant, it is, as you mingsed, a direct challenge to president assad's grip on power in the seat of his power. u.n. observers out on patrol assessing the damage, only this time it's in the capital damascus. for the past few nights, residents here have been reporting the sound of heavy gun fights and explosions, the worst

in a 15-month uprising against the rule of president assad. the aftermath of the fighting in the capital suggests the rebels have become increasingly brazen in their attacks on government forces, including this assault on a power plant. damascus has largely been immune from the daily fire elsewhere in syria, like cities in homs province which have seen some of the government's most intense shelling of residential areas. while a u.n.-brokered peace plan unravels, civilians caught in the middle continue to pay the ultimate price. in the birth place of syria's uprising in dahra, 18 people, women and children, were killed over the weekend after this town was shelled by the syrian military. one of the criticisms of syria's opposition is it is often fragments without a clear leadership. today they're trying to overcome that. they have elected a new leader that hopes to bring all of syria's opposition under one

umbrella group to try to coordinate their struggle under the regime of president bashar al assad. >> thank you very much. former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky heads into his child abuse trial on monday. prosecutors have lined up eight alleged victims. they accuse sandusky of meeting the boys over a 15-year period through a charity he founded called the second mile. a california man has been arrested after a neighbor filmed him whipping his stepson with a belt. after the boy dropped the ball while they were playing catch in their backyard. anthony sanchez turned himself in to police and was arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse after the neighbor put the video online and turned it over to authorities. former arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords made a rare appearance saturday ght to campaign for the man she wants to succeed her in congress. giffords attended the event for democrat ron barber, her former aide. at the end of the night, she showed how much she's improved from the shooting that nearly took her life last year by

dancing on the stage with a large group of people. good to see. that's the news. now it's back to lester, jenna, and chris. >> mandy, thanks very much. >> the weather channel's chris warren is here with a check of the forecast. chris, good morning. >> good morning to both of you. unfortunately, a lot more rain is heading to the gulf coast. we had a dousing yesterday. take a look at the rainfall totals. the yellow and the green, widespread areas of two to three inches. but we zoom in here, and you're going to see some areas more than a foot of rain, more than 13 inches in flood warnings for the areas in green. this is rain we're expecting over the next 24. that's a look at what's happening across the country. now a look at where you live. >> good sunday morning, i'm storm 4 meteorologist chuck

bell. sun is already up and shining. temperatures are already beginning to climb. 60s to near 70s right now. that won't last long. we should be above 80 degrees by 10:00 a.m. this morning. and well into the 90s later on this afternoon. so sunny and hot this afternoon. high temperature here in washington, near 94 degrees. take your shade breaks and drink extra water today. mother nature brings showers in by monday night and tuesday.>> . now here's lester. >> chris, thanks. if you thought the horse race at the belmont was tight, the battle for the white house might be even closer. president obama had a tough week while mitt romney seems to be picking up steam. what does each of them need to do to get a leg up? let's turn to msnbc's melissa harris-perry and mark halpern, senior political analyst for "time" magazine and msnbc. melissa, let's start with you. by most accounts, last week was not a good one for the president. one of the reasons, the recall election in wisconsin going to the gop incumbent.

although a lot of those people who voted for the gop incumbent are also obama supporters. then the romney camp out earns the obama camp by $15 million last month. how significant are those two events? >> i think the wisconsin event is much less significant for the president than it is for the issue of organized labor, than it is for wisconsinites. the president made a calculated decision not to jump into that race. he made a decision not to ever appear on behalf of tom barrett. he did not send dnc resources there. and when you look at sort of the language of wisconsin voters, their decision to return their incumbent -- rather to not recall scott walker, does seem to be as much a set of issues around local politics rather than a referendum on the president. obviously, the big question for him was this fund-raising edge by mitt romney. i still think that's more an artifact of the primaries finally being over. mitt romney is now finally the guy, and so folks know where on the right to put their resources. >> mark, to the extent that

wisconsin fires up republican voters, does it potentially create more excitement around romney, which he desperately needs? >> we often do too much sports and politics metaphors, but i think in this case, you watch the heat-celtics game last night, you think about it. what succeeds in politics? what succeeds in sports? two things, confidence and momentum. the president is not out of it by any means. i still think he's the favorite. but he right now lacks in his operation, in his team, the confidence and the momentum that they have in the romney campaign. i think you see that in the fund-raising. you see that in what happened to wisconsin. every week one side has momentum and more confidence. they're better off as we head towards november. snapshot of the last week is really bad for the president's campaign, but you're going to see a lot of changes. >> i pick up, though, on that metaphor, particularly in last night's game as we were talking about during the break. part of what could also be good for somebody who's out ahead is a little bit of a loss. if you think that your candidate

has it all wrapped up, then you don't send him the checks. one of the first things the obama campaign did in response to being out fund raised this month was to send out the e-mail saying, we got beat. we're not a lock on this. we're going to need your support, voters. >> man, i wish i'd saw the game last night. i didn't watch the game. but quickly, let me ask you about the president's remark that the private sector is fine. republicans pounced on it. did he make a bigger deal of it, though, when he tried to walk it back. >> he had to try to walk it back because in the twitter age in which we live, you leave something like that out there, it's going to go on forever. i hate the way our politics works when something like that becomes a dominant story. i hate when it becomes a dominant story for democrats and for republicans. it's what this election should be about. but the case that anything about the economy that either of these candidates say is going to be amplified because the economy has to be the central issue in the race. the president has to talk about the future, so does mitt romney. this stuff about gas and things will get a lot of attention, but it shouldn't.

>> mark halpern, melissa harris-perry, thanks for joining us. you can catch the melissa harris-perry at 10:00 eastern on msnbc every saturday and sunday. you have work to do. up next, our love/hate relationship with technology. [ . 11 years playing the outfield, and i got no plans to retire. [ female announcer ] aging may slow a dog down, but iams helps keep dogs playing year after year with our age-specific nutrition. and now, even for dogs 11 and older with new iams senior plus. it helps boost the immune response to that of an adult dog and helps fight signs of aging. [ dog ] i'll never be a bench-warmer. [ female announcer ] new iams senior plus. see the iams difference or your money back. [ dog ] i am an iams dog for life. no. you quit? i'm trying nicoderm cq. [ male announcer ] nicoderm cq, the patch with 24-hour smart control technology, lets you celebrate a little win every time you say no to a cigarette. nicoderm cq. quit one day at a time. every time you say no to a cigarette.

progressive saved me money on my car insurance for doing the right thing behind the wheel. what a concept. excuse me, sir, do you know how fast you were going? exactly 25 miles per hour. that makes you a safe driver. keep driving safe. -are you serious? -absolutely. i couldn't help but notice, you applied your brakes smoothly and evenly. you know, progressive rewards safe drivers. think of this as a reward forward. thank you! nice -- you stopped at the stop sign. you qualify for a safe driver discount. wow! keep safe and keep saving. they claim to be complete. only centrum goes beyond. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete. ...is to create it. [ female announcer ] now create a new future for your skin. only aveeno positively radiant has total soy, for a whole new level of radiance. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce blotchiness, brown spots, and other past damage,

while broad spectrum spf 30 helps prevent future damage. healthier, more radiant skin. it's in your future now. [ female announcer ] positively radiant. and for brighter skin, try skin brightening daily scrub. only from aveeno. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. do you ever feel like you're a slave to technology? you can't go a day or even a few hours without checking your phone, your blackberry, your ipad? what happens when technology can't keep up?

you know like when your gps sends you off in the wrong direction or when your text mess an ages are auto corrected. sometimes it can drive you to tears. it's a high def, hi-fi, wild wi-fi world. what happens when all this crazy technology takes the occasional day off? >> every time i type in xoxo, it comes up as socks. >> take autocorrect for example. >> i was texting my friend, and i said, you're my best friend in the whole wide world. but what came through in the text was you're my best friend in the whole wife worried. >> so i'm typing my friend's name on the phone, and it came out as hammocks. >> oftentimes, it sure does get it wrong. >> it turned sec into sex. >> so outrageous there's even a damn you, autocorrect website,

which gets plenty of laughs. >> you get a text from your dad, and it says this. "your mom and i are going to divorce next month." and the person says, what, why? call me, please. then i wrote disney, and this phone changed it. we're going to disney. >> we've become so tetherred to technology that we're relying on it nonstop. >> then there's gps. >> please proceed to the highlighted route. >> the remedy for directionally challenged. gone are the days of the map, it's a gps generation now. but sometimes your gps can run off course. >> next stop left and then left turn. >> she doesn't know what she's talking about. it's difficult when you've got kids in the back, you're trying to hear what the woman is saying. she doesn't repeat it, and then you miss the turn, and the kids are talking. and then we end up late. it's a little bit stressful. won't be taking that route again. >> and how about siri? >> are you angry with me, siri?

>> i can't answer that. >> she's that helpful guide with a rather unpredictable disposition. how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? >> don't you have anything better to do? >> what about those magnetic hotel key swipe cards? >> i'm sitting there at the door waiting for that green light to go off. >> sure they're convenient, but have you ever noticed that they're always getting demagnetized and you're always getting locked out? >> they tell you, don't put it in your wallet, right? where else are you going to put it? i mean, it's shaped like a credit card. of course i'm going to put it in my wallet. completely infuriating. >> do you ever have trouble deciphering those characters designed to ensure online security? >> really? >> make it simple. >> typing in those odd combination of letters and numbers just to prove you're human. talk about hard to decipher. n-t-e-r-i-t-n? start over. -i-i-z. nope.

>> let's face it, in the great te techie race, faster may not always be better. oh, how are you doing? listen, i just did this. i wrote -- i wanted to write to a friend of mine. i said, isn't the gps thing so annoying? it wrote, isn't the gps anton some kind of twine. so it happens. what did you do? >> i was going to tell you it's a good story, but it's much easier to say it. we're back after this. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger,

you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. ♪ spread a little love my way ♪ ♪ spread a little something to remember ♪ [ female announcer ] fresh milk and real cream makes philadelphia and the moment a little richer. after just one use? think again. [ female announcer ] with olay regenerist wrinkle revolution, it's possible to reduce the look of wrinkles in just 10 minutes. now you've seen it. experience it for yourself. [ female announcer ] olay regenerist.

still to come on "today," the five steps you should take to get the most out of your next doctor's visit. >> plus why some people are paying thousands of dollars just for a pair of sneakers. sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering so, i'm walking down the street, sfx: sounds of marching band d crowd cheering st you know walking, x: sounds of marching bandnd and crowd cheering and i found myself honoring america's troops.deeet, ich is actually ite fitting because ico has been servingng bandnd and crowd cheering and i found myself e military for over 75 years.et, aawh no, look, i know this is about the troops and not about me.

right, but i don't look like that. who can i write a letter to about this? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. [ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets... ♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪

...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. i'd trade a lot less for a little more. or a little less for a lot more. either way, when it comes to having more, i want a lot more of more and a little less of less. ♪ and that's exactly what you'll get at embassy suites. more free breakfast, more for my money, more deliciousness, more hearty guffaws... [ guffaws ]

because more than enough more is never enough more. more coffee? what do you think? [ female announcer ] free breakfast. more room. complimentary drinks. embassy suites. get more. hi, everyone. good morning, starting with a live look outside where it is another warm day. get ready for those 90-degree temperatures. more in a meant. i'm richard jordan. sunday, june 10, 2012. today, fairfax county police are looking for clues into a suspicious death in reston. investigators provided this sketch of a man they believe is connected to the incident. it started early saturday morning on winter third lane in reston. police responded to the call of a fight but didn't find anything when they first arrived. an hour later someone in the same area reported a missing person. that's when police found the body lying in bushes there.

theyave not yet determined a cause of death or a motive. investigators are trying to determine what caused a two-alarm fire in montgomery county. the fire broke out yesterday afternoon at this apartment complex on the 10200 block of kenningston parkway. firefighters evacuated the building. they knocked out the fire in 20 minutes, and no one was hurt. expect delays on metro today. the agency's working on four lines, trains are not running between east falls church and west falls church on the orange line. you have to take a bus between those stations. there's also track work on the blue, red, and green lines but everything should be open by the morning rush tomorrow. we'll get a check of that forecast next. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

if you thought yesterday was hot, get ready for today. chuck bell is in the storm center with details. chuck? >> good morning, richard. good sunday morning, everybody. we made 91 degrees yesterday afternoon. i think we're going to be at least two to four degrees warmer for high temperatures later on this fine afternoon. currently, temperatures are in the mid and upper 60s in the western and northern suburbs to near 70 in town and bay side. forecast for today, mostly sunny, hot again, not terribly humid but it will feel hot outside. extra shade breaks and water required. high near 94 in washington today. then partly sunny tomorrow, hot

and humid tomorrow. chance of showers in the shenandoah valley late tomorrow. most of us in the d.c. metro get rain tuesday and wednesday. >> a fall we're back on a sunday morning, june 10th, 2012, on what's shaping up to be a rather beautiful day here in new york city. i'm jenna wolfe alongside lester holt. still to come, a murder mystery more than three decades in the making. >> it happened in the small town of popler, montana. a high school valedictorian was beaten to death, and neighbors say he did it. now witnesses say someone else was guilty. we'll hear from the man who says he was forced to confess. then talking to your doctor. we're going to tell you how to make the most of your checkup. dr. nancy snyderman stops by with some advice from the time of day you should book your appointment to what questions you should ask. then what's the most you've

ever paid for a pair of sneakers? >> i once paid $103. i'll never forget. >> nothing compared to this story. online auction bids for new sneakers designed by kanye west range from $1,000 to $90,000. we'll take a look. >> i thought you said $90,000. >> i actually did say $90,000. >> okay then. puts my $103 to shame. >> that was my point. >> thank you. first we're going to get a check of the weather from weather channel's chris warren, who's out on our plaza this morning. hey, chris. >> good morning to you, jenna. we're out with some friendly people today. what's your name? >> libby. >> where are you from? >> virginia. >> thanks for stopping by today. it is going to be a wet day once again in the south. too much rain, but it's not enough rain that we're seeing throughout p west. the southwest still dealing with those fires. and unfortunately conditions remain poor. dry and very, very hot. we'll have wind as well. bad fire conditions. slight risk for strong storms from the central plains to the

northern plains. we'll see again very heavy reason after more than a foot of reason throughout the gulf coast yesterday. we could see some areas up to 8 inches again. for tomorrow, that rain is going to move up into places like south carolina and north carolina and the appalachians. a chance for storms again will be mainly in southern plains. it remains hot in the southwest. and in the northeast, not looking too bad. partly crowdy. that's a look at what's happening across the country. >> good sunday morning to you. i'm storm 4 meteorology chuck bell. beautiful morning. temperatures in the 60s for most suburbs, near 70 in town. 74 annapolis. 59 cumberland, maryland. 63 in culpepper, virginia. 68 in fairfax. nothing showing up on radar. we'll be dry for today. it will be a scorcher. high up into the low and perhaps mid 90s around town. and then rain for tuesday and wednesday. >> and remember you can always

get your weather 24 hours a day on weather.com. lester? >> chris, thanks. now to a murder case. authorities close the book on it years ago, but many in a small town say the real killers have escaped punishment for more than three decades. all the while, a man who says he's innocent has been behind bars for the crime. we'll talk to him in a moment. first, here's "dateline's" keith morrison. >> reporter: way out west under the high hampton sky that covers montana's prairie, the small town of poplar stands alone because of what happened here back in 1979 and the whispers on the wind ever since. it was back then high school k valedictorian kim nice was found beaten to death outside of town. hard news for kim's father and the rest of her family. >> i was upstairs with my mom. he said something terrible's really happened. he said kimmy's dead.

>> reporter: the nice family had left town by the time a neighbor barry beach, four years later, confessed to the killing. despite claims that his confession had been coerced by detectives, his mother bonnie could only watch as a judge sent barry to prison for life. >> do you remember that moment? >> something a person would never forget. >> reporter: but as the decades passed, barry beach never stopped fighting to clear his name. >> i'll never give up until i walk out. the truth is there, and the truth is that i did not kill kim nice. >> reporter: funny thing was those whispers never stopped, that the real killers were girls, kim's classmates, middle aged women by now, who were never charged and denied any role in the murder. >> i was not there. i had no participation in it. >> reporter: but beach's defense team never gave up, and in 2011 a judge held the hearing and

heard the stories of witnesses, including this woman, who said she actually heard the murder all those years ago. >> i could hear all these girls hollering and saying, get her. get the bitch. this other girl was saying, don't, please. >> reporter: and when it was over, barry beach was freed pending a new trial. >> justice for kim nice is not going to be served until the whole truth is discovered. the preparation for a new trial gives me more of an opportunity to discover that truth. >> reporter: are you a little worried about it? >> no. my god didn't put me where i'm sitting at right now to let me down. >> keith morrison, barry beach, and his mother bonnie are in billings, montana. good morning to both of you.

thanks for coming on. >> good morning. >> barry, you are out of prison for now, but you are not a free man. tell me what makes you think that another trial would have a different outcome. >> well, there are several reasons that a new trial is going to have a different outcome. first of them, not just the witnesses who have come forward and the courage that they've shown, but my legal team has a definite plan to approach the only piece of evidence against me, which is the confession. >> let's talk about that confession because that's when a jury is obviously going to focus on. you said you did it, and that's a pretty strong claim. how do you get around that? >> well, there were some definitive facts about the confession and the study of false confessions not only in the united states of america now but around the world. there are professors such as bob molls out of south australia. there's richard leo out of the university of berkeley in california. richard out of ohio state

university and others. >> you maintain this was a coerced confession? >> yes, sir. >> bobby -- >> these experts have now -- >> go ahead, please. >> these experts have now identified key factors to discontingent widi di distinguish a false confession from a true one. >> bonnie, after all these years, did you ever lose hope your son might be exonerated? >> no. i believed it from the beginning, and i had made a vow to barry that i would work on it until he either was free or until i died. >> and how was bobbi gone through all this? i'm sorry. how has barry gone through all this? >> i'm sure it's been as hard for him as it has been for me, but when you have faith that the freedom will be at the end of

the road, you manage to get through it. >> barry, let me ask you. you grew up, and you went to school with kim nice. what would you say to her family right now? they think there was closure. they think there was justice in this case, and now everything's back under the microscope again. >> well, the first thing i would have to say is a deep and sincere apology to them for the false confession that has led to all these years, which is them believing in a lie, that they knew who committed the crime. but second of all, at this point in the state, in the game, there is another trial pending. i'm still charged with the crime, and it's at that second trial that me and my legal team are committed to each other to seek justice for kim nice and that i hope, when everything is said and done in this case and in this situation, they will have that closure they've been seeking. >> all right. we'll have to end the conversation there. we'll all be watching this

outcome expectantly. barry beach and bobbi clincher, thank you for coming on this morning. it was good to talk to you both. >> thank you, lester holt. >> thank you. >> we want to let folks know "whit p "whispers in a small town" airs tonight on a special two hour "dateline" at 7:00/6:00 central. up next, planning your next checkup. we'll tell you the best time of day to see your doctor. ♪ ♪ ♪ and we dream up ♪ all the best stuff ♪ and we can make it up ♪ cause we were made for each other ♪ ♪ for always ♪ oh oh ♪ for always what makes me feel truly decadent? [announcer:] new revlon colorstay whipped crème makeup.

its unique formula flexes with skin for a flawless finish. the feel of nothing but silk on my skin. right? get. out. exactly! really?! [ mom ] what? shut the front door. right? woop-woop! franklin delano! [ male announcer ] hey! there's oreo creme under that fudge! oreo fudge cremes. indescribably good. [ natalie ] i was born to swim but my hair isn't so lucky. hours and hours in the pool mages it. that's why i love pantene daily moisture renewal. [ female announcer ] the pro-v system nourishes for healthier hair in less than 7 days. [ natalie ] i want to win as an athlete and shine as a woman. [ female announcer ] daily moisture renewal from pantene. hair so healthy it shines. ♪

this morning on today's health, how to talk to your doctor. a revealing new study shows that many people feel too intimidated to ask certain questions when they're face to face with their doctors, something that could have disastrous health consequences. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning. thanks for being with us. let's start with the obvious one. why? why are people fearful or intimidated about talking to their doctors? >> i think it's because we assume the person in the white coat knows so much more than we do. it's true they may know more medicine, but no one knows your body like you do, and this inability to make it a true partnership crosses race, gender, and socioeconomic lines. >> you talk about having a good relationship with your doctor. is that important? does it matter whether you like your doctor? >> you don't have to like the person. i think you have to respect the person. sometimes i send patients to people, look, not a great personality. you can come back to me and talk about the basics, but this is the smartest person in his or her field. so there has to be a mutual

respect. that means sharing information, having frank conversations, and frankly, sometimes pushing back. >> number one, you say bring a list of questions and concerns. why is that important? >> we spend more time preparing to go to the grocery store than we do our own doctor. think about what do i want out of my 15 minutes? what are my goals? what are my questions? think of every medication you're on, including over the counter, write it on a piece of paper. if you have a recent problem, write out the history, make a copy, leave it with your doctor. >> next you say create a health timeline. what kind of information are we talking about? >> it really means i have a cough. for a month or three years? once you say three years, your doctor thinks seriously. at 4:00 in the afternoon, you're going to bring this to me. think about the timeline. what makes it better? what makes it worse? what are the stresses in your life? if you really are drinking too much or if you're smoking or there are other triggers that may be causing a problem, fess up. your doctor can only treat you if he or she knows the truth. >> be on time. >> i'm a big stickler for being

on time. i recognize that doctors are sometimes late. i believe, when you show up on time, it shows respect to the other person. when i practiced medicine, if i were more than 15 minutes late, i apologized or i gave a reason why. but i tell patients also, if you have a tight timeline, ask for the first appointment in the morning or the first appointment right after lunch because that's the reset for the day. remember, if you're going to an ob/gyn or a surgeon, there are emergencies. doctors do get called out. and if you are waiting, just go to the front desk and say, can you please tell me what's going on and then reschedule if you need to. >> this is a very big one. and it seems like an obvious one. tell the truth. your doctor can see right through you sometimes. >> we think, if we tell the truth, our doctor won't like us. then if our doctor doesn't like us, he or she won't take good care of us. nothing could be further from the truth. i spent my life as a cancer surgeon. what gives you cancer? cigarettes. people always tell me, i've

quit. i can tell two ways to sunday if someone's still smoking. don't try to outsmart me. just tell me the truth. if you don't think you can tell your doctor the truth, maybe you're not going to the right doctor. >> finally you say challenge your doctor. if you want to get a divorce from your doctor, get a divorce. >> people get divorced all the time. why shouldn't you be able to divorce your physician? but plan ahead. is it just because it's not a great relationship, or am i not doing something i should be doing? remember these records that the doctor holds are yours. if you think you're not in a good relationship, ask to have all of your records. >> thank you. next time we're going to talk about deciphering your handwriting. doctor's handwriting. >> i have good handwriting. >> that's what they all say. dr. nancy snyderman, as always, thank you so much. ♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent

that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. just one removes more stains than the 6 next leading pacs combined. pop in. stand out. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at nissan, our ideal is innovation. 5 all-new models over the next 15 months, including a completely reimagined altima. welcome to our most innovative year ever. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪

this morning an extraordinary book from the pulitzer prize winning journalist and author of ""fridy night lights," buzz bissinger. it's called "father's day," and it's about his son, a twin, zach, who was born with brain damage. here's the story. >> i love my son deeply, but i do not feel i know him, nor do i think i ever will. when's your next big outing? >> reporter: buzz bissinger's 28-year-old son zach was born with trace brain damage and has an iq of 70, but he is also a savant, and there are things he can do that are simply extraordinary. if i give you some dates, can you tell me what day of the week they were? can you try? >> yes. >> reporter: may 1st, 2000. >> may 1st, 2000, monday.

>> reporter: right. august 20th, 2011. >> saturday. >> reporter: right. can you explain at all to people how you know that? >> i just know. >> reporter: zach also will never forget a birthday. >> lorenzo's not in today. >> because it's his birthday. >> i don't remember. >> reporter: or a meeting. >> it was the 24th of july to the 26th. >> cleveland? >> reporter: and he is a walking encyclopedia of streets and maps. >> it's a 12-minute walk from suburban over to work. >> exactly 12 minutes. >> reporter: but in his new book "father's day," bissinger also gives a brutally honest account what it's been like watching his twin sons grow up side by side. in 1983 zach and his twin brother jerry were born premature, just three minutes apart. the two are very close, and in many ways typical brothers.

>> do you remember some of our games? >> yes. >> get under the blankets and then say you had too much blanket. >> yay. >> reporter: but as bissinger writes, their lives have been a world apart. today jerry is getting his ph.d.. >> is that paper or plastic? >> reporter: zach bags groceries at shop-rite and delivers mail at the philadelphia enquirer and daily news. >> so it's always like looking at mirrors, one of which is unblemished and one of which is cracked. >> reporter: while the rest of the family came to terms with zach's disabilities, bissinger admits he struggled to accept his son. >> i had loved zach to death, but i also say in the book -- and i don't say it proudly -- this is never the child i envisioned, and it was not the child that i wanted. >> reporter: you wanted him to be normal? >> i did not want him to be normal. i mean, i wanted him to play baseball.

i wanted him to go to harvard. parents want things from their kids. >> reporter: so buzz suggested they take a road trip across the country. he hoped they would bond. zach was much less enthusiastic. you don't seem very excited. no, no, no, i'm very excited. how will we get there? we'll rent a car, and we'll drive. hey, dad, i have an idea. maybe we can fly. >> reporter: you trapped him in a car for two weeks, and you took him across the united states. >> right. so now everyone thinks i'm probably the worst parent in the history of parenthood. >> reporter: there were funny moments and rocky moments. patience is not buzz's strong suit. you get lost a lot. >> i do get lost a lot. >> reporter: and he bails you out? >> right. >> reporter: over and over. and over again. >> that's one of the great benefits of having a human gps. >> reporter: there were also painful revelations. buzz recorded their conversation. >> do you know what brain damage is?

>> no. >> what do you think it is? >> when your brain isn't right. >> do you know your brain is not a little right? >> yeah. >> you hear your child say, my brain isn't right, it crushes you. >> reporter: zach's mom, buzz's first wife, debra nussbaum, says it's part of parenting. >> bye, guys. all of us sometimes have to discuss with our children things that are painful. i think he's too hard on himself in the book. buzz is a wonderful father. he's a wonderful father. >> i came away realizing he is the man i admire most in my life. >> reporter: in the end, the trip succeeded beyond buzz's wild expectations. >> he is not the child i wanted, but he is no longer a child anyway. he is a man, the most fearless i have ever known.

restoring the faith of a father in all i can be. >> reporter: and we gave zach the last word. your dad says he learned a lot about you on this trip. did you learn anything new about him? >> no. >> reporter: so, zach, if your dad says to you that he wanted to do another road trip, would you go? >> maybe. >> really? that's sweet of you. can we drive? >> i get to drive. >> wait a minute. you said you didn't like the car. >> we'll be back after these messages.

wanda sykes: gain apple mango tango is inspired by all you women who hit the dance floor and shake what your mommas gave you. and because apple mango tango smells so good, it comes in a fabric softener too. she would help her child. no. no no no no no. mommy's here [ male announcer ] with everything. but instead she gives him capri sun super-v. with one combined serving of fruits and vegetables. new capri sun super-v.

with[ malat mcdonald's,ng ofone taste of the new mccafé cherry berry chiller and you won't be able to pull yourself away. made with 100% fruit juice with natural flavors, blended with ice. the simple joy of keepin' it cool.

imagine paying $90,000 for a pair of sneakers. that's what someone supposedly paid for a pair of kicks designed by rapper kanye west. it's the latest in the overpriced casual footwear market. we'll get more from nbc's mike taye by. ♪ >> reporter: here's the product, something nike calls the air yeezy too designed by rapper, and fok, friend of kardashian, kanye west. the sneakers are set to sell for $240 but were preselling on ebay and other sites for as much as $90,000. ♪ >> reporter: in case you're interested, these limited edition kicks -- that's the gimmick in these uber market sneakers -- come in platinum or black and feature anaconda textured leather and glow in the dark soles. and there are people interested, so much so they've skipped work

or school or whatever for days to buy at the regular price at this weekend's debut. from new york -- >> i've been out here for like a week and two days. >> been out here for about four days. >> a week and a half almost. >> reporter: to san francisco. >> we've been here since monday at 1:00. been here. it's been cold every night. you got to deal with a whole bunch of crazy people, but it's well worth it. i'd be willing to wait another week. >> reporter: there have been long waiting lines and stratospheric price tags, even small riots over other limited edition sneaks. the re-released classic air jordans, the marty mcfly shoes from back to the future. but these reptilian inspired with hieroglyphic numbers, the rapper inspired by kardashian, who just gave him a $3 million sports car as a birthday gift, have stretched the bounds of

logic. though if you're unemployed, underemployed, or just normally employed, you already knew that. $90,000 for those? really? for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> you think the guy that bid on them or the woman that bid on them is going to be actually wearing those sneakers? we're going to see them in like a kick boxing class wearing the $90,000 kicks? >> and not a person who's going to be waiting outside, obviously. >> no. >> getting the head of the line with a big bid. >> anyway. a little curveball today for some parts of the country. we're on for two hours today. do we get overtime? >> i'm hoping we do. >> while for others, we need to say good-bye. if you're leaving us now, have a great day. if not, still ahead, we get better. >> do you promise? >> i promise. we'll hear from one heroic teenager who risked his life to save his neighbor from a fire. plus more on the shocking video showing a man whipping his stepson in the backyard.

the boy's grandfather says we shouldn't jump to conclusions.

right now, two traffic alerts, major construct projects may slow you down as you head back to work tomorrow. >> new from overnight, the disputed champion. why boxing fans are calling foul after last night's big fight. enjoy the cooler a.m. hours while you can. bracing for a mighty warm weather day today. good morning, everybody. sunday, june 10, 2010. i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie goff. welcome to news4 today, an hour earlier due to french open coverage later this morning. the big story, we could have the hottest day on hand that we've seen in a long