captions paid for by nbc-universal television get the gold medal! >> good morning. solid gold in the biggest night yet for team usa, the women's gymnastics team gets it done, winning their first team gold medal since 1996. as michael phelps makes history. >> 48-year-old record! number 19! >> he's now the most decorated olympian of all time today, wednesday, august 1st, 2012.

>> and a familiar chant of "usa." we say good morning and welcome to "today" from london's public park on wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm savannah guthrie. i'm collecting autographs this morning. okay? we are surrounded by the women of the morning, the gold-medal-winning fab five. you look really good in gold. >> yeah. congratulations. [ applause ] how does it feel? has it sunk in yet? >> it's exciting.

we vice president done much celebrating yet but hopefully after the competition's finished we'll have a lot of celebrating and we'll be really excited. >> who could sleep last night? or was it too much excite snm. >> i couldn't really sleep last night. >> who slept with their gold medal on? >> all of us. >> well, we are so excited to have you guys here. we're going to catch up a little bit more. much more with jordyn, mckayla, kayla, gabby, straight ahead. >> you were busy last night. did you hear about the michael phelps news also? michael phelps tied the all-time medal mark with a silver in the 200 meter butterfly, then he broke that mark with a gold in the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay. he now has more medals than any olympian ever. let me just say it again. he now has more medals than any olympian ever. we'll hear from michael and talk to two members of that gold-medal-winning relay team live. later on, team usa plays

beach volleyball on our plaza against phthe men. they like a challenge. >> let us begin with a huge night in london for team usa. natalie has the highlights. matt, savannah, ladies, good morning. it will be hard to match tuesday night's drama and excitement led by michael phelps and the women's gymnastics team. >> oh! unbelievable! >> reporter: the american women thundered their way to victory tuesday, striking gold in the gymnastics team final. >> with a good landing. >> reporter: one by one, the fab five took the floor and nailed every routine. >> gets the gold medal! >> reporter: when it was over, the americans, the dominant winner, with a score five points ahead of the russians, the first team gold medal for the u.s. since 1996. >> the crowd just clapped and

cheered, and it gets me so pumped to have that support behind, you know, your back is definitely an amazing feeling. >> we've worked our whole life for this and just wanted to make it count. i'm so proud of all these girls. >> reporter: 17-year-old jordyn wieber, a moment of triumph after missing out on a shot at the individual all-around title. >> i think this is good redemption for me and just good we all came together and put all our hard work in and came out with the gold medal, it's really amazing and i'm proud of everybody. >> reporter: another crowning moment for team usa. >> 48-year-old record! >> reporter: michael phelps now holds the record for most career olympic medals after helping his team win gold in the 4 x 200 meer relay. >> the last 20 meters of the race i started smiling because i knew we had won, and very, very special night, special feeling. >> reporter: phelps now has 19 olympic medals, including 15 golds. >> i tried to hold myself

together as much as i could, but my eyes were getting watery and it was emotional. >> reporter: phelps is hanging on! >> reporter: earlier tuesday, phelps took silver in the 200 meter butterfly, nudged out for gold by south africa. >> allison schmitt is blowing away the field! >> reporter: for the u.s. women, submit subm allison schmitt won her first medal in the 200 meter freestyle. >> it's amazing. just great. >> reporter: teammate missy franklin finished fourth. >> representing great britain! >> reporter: and the queen's granddaughter is now an olympic medalist, zara phillips winning a silver medal with the british equestrian team. phillips' mother, princess anne, presenting her daughter with the silver medal. >> reporter: princes william and harry along with the duchess of cambridge cheering their 'cauco and their homeland.

we know president obama was watching phelps' historic win last night. he tweeted, "congrats to michael phelps for breaking the all-time olympic medal record. you've made your country proud." phelps responded with a tweet of his own. "thank you, mr. president. it's an honor representing the usa, the best country in the world." a quick check of the medal count. china and the u.s. each have 23 total, japan in third with 13. savannah? natalie, thanks. we are delighted to have the u.s. gymnastics women's team here celebrating their gold with us. aly raisman, jordyn wieber, kyla ross, mckayla maroney, and gabby douglas. i don't think you ladies need any introduction any more. has it sunk in? you guys didn't just win. i'll borrow kyla's favorite phrase, you rocked the house last night. kyla, would you agree? >> i definitely think we rocked the house. i hope we made our country proud. we wanted to go out there and have fun competing.

we knew this was our chance to be strong and we did our best and it's happy to know we came out with the gold. >> it's amazing, gabby, because you didn't just win, you won by five points, astonishing, never done before. what did you think about that? >> yeah. i was so confident and so confident in these girls and i knew we could do it. and we had strong events, and i saw bam, bam, bam. i'm, like, we got this. i was so confident and so proud of these girls. and, you know, very excited to represent usa. >> last week when we talked i asked you guys if p any of you visualized that moment standing on the podium, receiving a gold medal, and some of you said yes, you had. now you've done it. mckayla, what was it really like? >> i think the way that i pictured it, this time it was even better. i mean, it was just a dream come true and so amazing. and just to be up there with those girls with the gold medal around our necks, it was the best experience of my life.

>> jordyn, you talked about this last night. over the weekend you said you'd had a little bit of disappointment, but, boy, you could not tell it. you walked out there. you were the first to go, strong and confident. you nailed it. how did you rise above these circumstances and perform so flawlessly? >> definitely after sunday i just had to put it in the past, all the disappointment. but i knew i needed to mentally come together for this team, and we all went out there and did a great job, so i'm really proud of everyone. >> aly, you closed it out for everybody with a floor routine. at that point, did you kind of know, we got this and could you just have fun? >> i had no idea what we needed to get, but i was hoping that if i did a good floor routine that we would win, but i just wanted to finish up strong for team usa. >> mckayla, you did your vault. you're famous for your vault. i read one commentator who said they should rename it the maroney vault. i'm sure you'd be in support of that. >> definitely. but i think i should probably get a new vault named after me. so. >> i know you've had some problems with your toe. was it bothering you?

were you in pain or did it feel okay? >> i felt really good going out there today, and i kind of just ignored the pain and hit my vault for team usa. >> there was that moment after the routines are over but you have to wait and find out what the scores are. jordyn, what was that like? or anybody answer how it felt just waiting to find out whether you had done it. >> i think we knew at that point we were pretty positive that we were going to get the gold, but seeing your country on the top of that scoreboard is an amazing feeling. we were just anticipating that, so it was amazing. >> yeah. it's one thing that really struck me is your camaraderie and your friendship. i have to say even in the stands we could hear you guys yelling for each other. you're loud. how important do you think the friendship was, gabby, in making this team succeed? >> i think it's definitely important to have everyone behind you and cheer for you. that's what this team's about is giving each other pep talks or cheering for each other. i could definitely hear my awesome teammates cheering for me when i needed a pep talk, and

we definitely hype each other up and do the greater and better things. so it's definitely important to have that, you know, behind you. >> you know, one of the things you guys told me last week, some of you, you in particular, had watched that 1996 moment, the magnificent seven team, their winning moment, over and over again. i wonder how it feels today to know that little girls are watching your moment and what you guys did. has that sun income? >> it definitely hasn't, but it gives me the chills just having you say that. it means that everything we've been working so hard to be able to have other people watch us, and it means everything. i'm so proud of these girls, and it was such an honor. >> as i said, you guys were pretty loud cheering, but you have a huge cheering section, your parent, some of whom i think are here today. we can show -- bring them on. come on, folks. anything you guys want to say to the parents who have supported you and loved you through this? [ applause ] hugs all around.

jordyn, i know your mom was here. here she is. >> oh, my gosh. >> you guys, the parents, i know you are so proud. we're going to talk to you a little bit later. but gabby, having the support of your mom, how important has that been? >> it's definitely important to have, you know, your mom or your family support you. you just feel so honored and so happy and you make them feel so proud. and they've done so much for us. and just want to thank them and we love them. >> i bet this whole team agrees with that sentiment. guys, we so proud of you. thank you for performing so flawlessly. and we look forward to more from team usa. thank you for being with us. i see a little tear in kyla mom's eye. i know. it's a little emotional. thank you so much. we appreciate it. it is 7:11. here's matt. savanis savannah, thank yo much. michael phelps is the most decorated olympian in history.

he could not have done it without the-from these two guys, two of his teammates in the 2 x 400 meter freestyle relay. guys, congratulations. good to see you. >> good morning. >> this is a repeat of beijing in 2008 where the team won the gold medal there. how much pressure was there on you guys to repeat? >> a lot. you know, there's always a lot of pressure at the olympics. this is such a huge stage. we come around once every four years. this is when all eyes are on swimming, especially on michael phelps and what he's doing. so to repeat with the competition, it's so much greater than it was in 2008. it's incredible. >> it's a repeat except for one thing, and that's this guy, the new guy on the team this year. you weren't there in 2008 on this team, connor. so how did it feel to be a part of this? >> it was something special with michael breaking the record and making history. it was a blast to be on the relay. and it's easy with these three guys being so good. it takes a lot of pressure off. >> that whole michael phelps story line, though, i mean, this is a medal for you guys, as

well, so was this 50% in your mind this is a gold medal for me to hang around my neck and 50% this also makes history? >> yeah. i didn't know about the -- you know, michael just takes care of his business and the team's business. and he wants us to do our best. he told us after the race, huddled us together, and he said i just want you guys to know i just broke the medal record. >> you weren't aware of it? >> not until the huddle after. he got pretty emotional after it. i had no idea. we were just trying to give him the biggest lead as possible. >> forever linked not just as gold medalists but as part of the team that broke the all-time record. i was going to ask you how you celebrate, but i this i you tweeted that you showed what you went and ate afterwards? >> mcdonald's. >> vast quantities of food. is that out of the ordinary for you guys? >> oh, man. there it is right there. that's a lot.

>> that's just a celebratory meal. >> i didn't eat it all, though. >> i helped him out. >> it's just, you know, we put so much pressure on this meet, we sacrifice so much for the olympic games. and we eat so healthy. we try to do everything right. it's just our time to just relax and really just -- mcdonald's sitting in the dining hall has been calling our names. >> it finally got the best of you. are you going to retire or keep swimming? >> i've got a lot to think about. it's a hard place to be in. i'd love the go out on top the way i did this games, but i'm also still very young. i probably haven't taken more than two weeks off of swimminging since high school. and this is my chance to really take a break and relax. >> are you thinking about rep t repeatinging this medal performance in rio in four years? >> i'll be here for another four years. >> that's great. congratulations. by the way, dating rebecca soni as well. i saw her with a silver the other night. are you getting time to spend

with each other d during the games? >> no. like 30 seconds. >> our best to you guys. nice to see gold and silver hanging around your neck. >> thank you. >> let's gets you caught up on the other top stories of the morning. natalie is in the studio with the headlines. good morning, everyone. trouble in the skies as we have three midair scares to report. a passenger on an air canada flight found a need until a catered sandwich. the airline and police are investigating the incident. in july, four passengers found needles in sandwiches on delta flights. in denver, meanwhile, a united airlines flight is back safe pli on the ground after a bird flew into the nose leaving this gaping hole. no one was injured and fighter jets were scrambled to divert a transatlantic united airlines flight to boston after a suspicious item was found on board. that item turned out to be a camera and the flight was later cleared for takeoff. power has been restored in india after the worst blackout there in history.

less than 620 million people, about half of the country, in the dark. the government has launched an investigation into what caused this system failure. severe flooding in the southwest tuesday. a monsoon dropped major rain in arizona, stranding vehicles in the rising waters. and in henderson, nevada, flashflooding washed out roadways there. president obama is back on the campaign trail today as he heads to the battleground state of ohio. republican challenger mitt romney is now back in the u.s., meanwhile, after his overseas trip. meantime, u.s. defense secretary leon panetta is meeting with israeli officials in jerusalem about the iranian nuclear threat and the conflict in neighboring syria. celebrated writer and cultural icon gor vidal has died. he was famous for his best-selling novel "sir" as well as for his appearances on tv and film. vidal died tuesday at his home in los angeles from complicat n complications from pneumonia.

he was 86 years old. love at the ball game almost struck out when greg tried to propose to his girlfriend, e ka, on the scoreboard at wrigley field. she unfortunately missed it stuck in line getting some beers. when erica finally came back, greg popped the question again, this time on one knee. after all, a girl who buys the beer at the ball game, i think she deserves a second chance. even without seeinging her name in the lights there, erica said yes. sweet story. 7:17. you're up to date. back to matt, savannah, and al. >> he sends her to get the beer? >> i think she volunteered. >> she's a keeper. >> that would be the right one for me. >> going to extra innings. >> natalie, thank you very much. mr. roker with a first check of the weather. turning a little gray here. >> that's right. a few showers, but they've got more than a few showers down through the midwest and into the upper midwest. talking act a risk of strong storms stretching from mccook to rhinelander, wisconsin. we expect more showers and thunderstorms, isolated, damaging hail. that rain starting to fire up.

look for the heat continuing in the midplains from new orleans all the way to kansas city, heat index is 110 to 115. you can look at these air temperatures, anywhere from 105 to 112, and the air index is going to make it feel -- the heat index make it feel in some areas like it's 115 degrees out there. ing in your neck of the woods. take a look outside, there's your clouds. your temperature now sits at 74 degrees with a light wind and 6 miles per hour. later today, still some clouds around the area and more showers and storms firing during the midafternoon. the late afternoon and the evening hours. 89 your temperature for today. could be looking at some downpours. strong storms possible, maybe even isolated severe storm. we're dry for thursday and friday, and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. the royal family is doing

its part to make the london olympics a success. meredith loves a royal sighting, and she's been doing a little royal watching for us. meredith, good morning. >> yes, i do, matt. good morning. hard to keep up with these people, actually, the duke and duchess of cambridge and prince harry attending a lot of events. tuesday they were in the stands to watch their cousin ride away with a medal. >> reporter: it was a nerve-racking day for the queen's equestrian granddaughter, zara phillips, and cheered on by her royal cousins, in the end, zara was crowned with a silver medal by her proud mom, princess anne. >> great to get a medal. obviously wanted the gold, but, you know, you can wear the silver. >> reporter: the young royal tri owe of william, cate and harry made their way. >> it's historical for the british family to win a medal in the olympics, a great occasion for the family and for britain,

too. >> reporter: as olympic ambassadors, the young royals are determined to do their best in the british battle for medals. they welcomed the torch on its way through buckingham palace and are making appearances at a number of events. prince william rekindled his love for water polo that goes back to his university years. cate was a dedicated field hockey player. and harry, who tried out beach volleyball on a recent trip to brazil, is is throwing his full support behind the teams battling its out at the horse guards parade. they all shared their passion with youngsters at a coaching event last week. >> we love sports. >> reporter: while cate may not be a natural at table tennis and harry will need some more practice on the basketball court, both have just won gold in "vanity fair's" best dressed stakes. cate, whose classic yet trendy style is copied all over the world, heads the list for the third time running. prince harry makes the list for the first time. could it be those blue suede

shoes? >> they're massive sports fans. this is just the beginning. we'll be seeing a lot more of them as the games go on. >> reporter: it was grandma who led the charge at the opening ceremony. and now it's up to the younger generation to keep the olympic spirit going. the princes are watching the rowing competition today, and they could be in for a very busy weekend. usain bolt has invited them to celebrate with him if he wins gold in saturday's 100 meter sprint. not sure what they're going to do. it would be fun. >> thank you very much. just ahead, what is it like to be the parents of the gold-medal-winning fab snooif we'll talk to them and find out how they're doing this morning.

just ahead, the emotion at these games. >> we've seen tears of joy and tears of sorrow.

and beach volleyball. we're challenging the defending gold medalists. >> i had to laugh. that's after your local news. "today's medal count" is brought to you by coke. coca-cola -- open happiness. ♪ look out baby 'cause here i come ♪ ♪ and i'm bringing you a love that's true ♪ ♪ so get ready ♪ so get ready ♪ gonna try to make you love me too ♪ ♪ so get ready ♪ so get ready ♪ 'cause here i come ♪ get ready 'cause here i come ♪ i'm on my way ♪ get ready 'cause here i come ♪ every day ♪ get ready

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you don't need an olympic-sized pool. or an olympic-sized stadium. you just need an olympic-sized audience. put your goals on the line, online. get started at facebook.com/healthy. powered by ge. welcome back. a cloudy sky out there right now. even light showers falling. those clouds today will hold temperatures down a bit, but great-looking sky with the

clouds and sunshine trying to break through. 74 is your temperature right now. we have, again, showers moving out and we'll see more later today about mid-afternoon, late afternoon. afternooi got the chance to start my own business. i know what it's like to hire people and to make ends meet. from those experiences, i had the chance of running the olympics. the games were in real trouble. there'd been way too much spending. and in massachusetts i found a budget that was badly out of balance. our legislature was 85% democrat. and every one of the four years i was governor, we balanced the budget. i want to use those experiences to help americans have a better future.

we believe in our future. we believe in ourselves. we believe the greatest days of america are ahead. i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. a 48-year-old record! number 19! >> that's a call we could be hearing for many, many olympics to come, the moment when michael phelps became the most decorated olympian ever. his family, of course, overjoyed. the crowd is so excited here this morning. good morning, everyone. i'm gu gusavannah guthrie along matt lauer, al roker, and natalie morales. he could add to this record. he has more events. >> he could pad it. another athlete in london getting a lot of attention, some positive, some negative, a 16-year-old swimmer from china,

ye shiwen. she won another medal last night and was forced to answer questions about doping allegations. we'll talk about that in a little while. and the men's defending gold medalists in beach volleyball, phil dalhausser and todd rogers, they are on a roll in london. we may not be, but we are going to challenge them, apparently, to some beach volleyball right here on our plaza. i'm not sure how that turns out. >> they're 6'9". i think they tower even over you, savannah. >> talk about tall, what is it like to compete in london when everybody expects that you will win a gold medal? that's what is facinging the dream team, usa's basketball team. we've got one of the prominent members of that team on our plaza this morning, carmelo anthony of dream team and the new york knicks. we'll talk to 'melo in a little while, also. we begin with the fab five or the fierce five as some are calling them. they won team gold last night in

the women's gymnastics competition. and behind every fab gymnast, there are parents who have absolutely loved, cared for, sacrificed, worried, bitten nails, and they are here this morning. congratulations to all of you. >> thank you. >> miss wieber, i'll start with you. what is it like to see your daughter her dream sfs. >> again, i think you can use the word surreal. it was unbelievable. i'm so happy for those girls. they work sod hard. truly proud of all of them. >> when you saw the gold medals placed around your children's necks, do you automatically go back to those cold february mornings where you're driving them to practice and you'rie ii giving up your saturdays and things like that? >> absolutely. i'm with her, it's surreal. even with injuries she had to overcome and just to know that they were able to, you know, overcome so many troubles and, you know, to be able to be here and celebrate with them in this moment in time is just amazing. >> i have to ask the raisman

family because we have more than one raisman star from these olympics. your cheering was the video heard round the world, and we were all there with you, okay, agonizing over it. last night you were more restrained. more confident they had it in the bag or what? >> i kind of learned my lesson the first time not to go too crazy because i'm actually pretty laid back. it was just kind of one of those watching moments where i just let it out. >> down on the end, if you had any piece of advice that you would like to give to the parents of another young athlete, whether they're a gymnast or basketball player or baseball player or anything, what would you say to them if their kids are showing promise? >> i'll tell you what, the best thing a parent can do is just support them and let them live their dream. don't make it your dream. it has to be theirs. because if they want it bad enough, they're going to be able to achieve it. and just give them all the tools that can give them the opportunity to have that success that their dream is all about. >> pretty well said. >> very well said.

a big congratulations to all of you as well. very well done, moms and dads. mr. roker, how about the forecast? well, it's time once again for al's english class to see if you folks know some of these english termses that we all speak english but it's a little different in britain. >> play along with us, parents. >> the places you go, transportation items. our first word, lift. what is a lift? >> elevator. >> elevator? everybody says elevator. that was pretty easy. okay. in fact, it is elevator. okay. our next word, this one pretty easy, too, stag party. >> bachelor party. >> go ahead. bachelor night? >> bachelor night. >> bachelor night. crowd says bachelor night. in fact, it's a bachelor party. our last one. last night of freedom. somebody needs a little issue --

spend a penny. >> go to the bathroom for $10. >> bend a penny actually is going to the bathroom! >> what a weird saying. >> i what a weird phrase. >> maybe you need to use to get into the stalls. that's what's going on around the country, any country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> yeah, around here you're not going to need your sunglasses early part of today. we have lots of cloud cover and our temperatures big range from 68 up north and around ashton right now 74 degrees to 76 over in annapolis, maryland. again, cloud cover and look at the showers on radar right now with an area of low pressure rotating right around the coast. haguerstown a little thunderstorm just west of you. some showers, spotty ones around the area. more showers and storms coming our way later today.

and that's your latest weather. >> mr. roker, thank you very much. you get the full range of emotions at these games or any olympic games, from tears of joy like we saw from south african swimmer chad leclose as he claimed gold in the 200 meter butterfly, to a british judo competitor who broke down after losing. take a look. >> feel like i blame myself a bit. i feel like i blame my coaches and blame everybody i've ever trained with. i blame my mom and dad and my brother today. >> you know, it's heartbreaking because you think these people have trained for so long, their moment can be a matter of a few seconds. >> right. >> and if it doesn't go the way they want it, it feels like the bottom has dropped out of their world. >> and when it goes well, tears of joy because it's such a relief. they're under such intense pressure. we've seen that so many times, that moment when the relief just

floods over these athletes. so there's a lot of emotion here, no question about it. >> that's why we love covering olympic gamess because you are catching these people at just the pivotal moment in their lives. all right. coming up next, will anyone ever top michael phelps' new all-time olympic medal record? we'll get into that. >> i know. come on. >> goodness gracious. much more from london after this. hey! you kids almost ready? i've got breakfast waiting for you. wooo! uh oh. what? mom's doing her exercise video again. when mom's on a health kick, all of us are. and now she's made us breakfast. uh oh. [ male announcer ] eggo nutri-grain waffles. you know it's made with 8 grams of whole grain and is a good source of fiber. all they know is it tastes great. eggo nutri-grain waffles.

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throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day women's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day women's 50+ healthy advantage. welcome back to olympic park where history was made at the aquatic centre. michael phelps won his 18th and 19th career medals including his

15th gold on tuesday to become the most decorated olympian of all time. rowdy gaines is a three-time gold medalist and nbc olympic swimming analyst. alan abrahamson is a reporter for nbcolympics.com. welcome back. good to see you. both of you called it. yesterday morning you said he was going to have a huge night, get it done. put it in perspective for me. >> i think first of all we can't forget that this guy is the greatest of all time. and i know a lot of phelps fans, that comment, probably a little disappointed he didn't win gold, but, you know, i thought it was a sensational night. it's so hard to come back and repeat and repeat. and we've seen that at these olympic games. >> i think what silver medal shows is that he's imperfect, just like everybody else. >> that's right. >> people think he's an automaton. in fact, he just made a mistake. everybody makes mistakes. he picked a bad time. >> we don't know how many more medals he'll add to that record over the course of these games but -- >> three. >> you say three. but he'll have the record. will the record be eclipsed, and

if it is eclipsed at some point down the road is it going to have to be a swimmer who does it? >> it's funny because we were just talking about this, matt. >> we were. >> and we said no way, not in our lifetime. and then you and i were talking about it and the fact we said maybe it's going to be a swimmer because they swim so many different events. but it's going to have to be a power-rich country that includes relays. >> an american swimmer, australian swimmer, french swimmer, someone like that. >> it will be. to go to michael's point, michael has always said anything is possible. so, yes, records are made to be broken, but this record is going to stand for a very, very, very long time. >> do you agree with alan that at the end of these games he'll have 22 medals? >> absolutely. no question about it. he's going to have 22, which is just going to be out of sight. >> all right. let's move on. a young lady that i don't think we've paid enough attention to coming to these games and i want to give her her due right now. her name is allison schmitt. talk to me about her. >> i don't know. i thought it was just a perfect swim for her. and she is so enjoyable to

watch, matt. and it should be all about fun and she's made it fun for michael. >> around allison schmitt, she perks you up, she laugh, she smiles. she's a joy to be around like missy franklin. >> that was the 200 meter freestyle. you mentioned missy franklin. she edged out missy franklin, who failed to medal in this. were you surprised at that? >> not really. that was a very tough field, matt. it was only by 1 w0.01. she still has a lot of chances. >> she's had an up-and-down meet so far. >> i think she's got pressure on her, to tell you the truth. there's the hype machine, and the question is whether she can deliver it. to lose by 0.01 for a medal, there's no shame in that, matt. >> nor do i suggest. more controversy surrounding the chinese 16-year-old swimmer ye shiwen. and she won again, and people

are still asking her questions about doping. should we lay this to rest already? >> well, you know, based on the 200 i.m., it was not pedestrian, but it was certainly not as fast as i thought she was going to go. but i don't know. the 400 i.m. still sticks in my mind. when you race the last 100 faster than the fastest man in the world is pretty impressive. >> let me end with you guys on this note. sebco, who brought the games to london, asked about michael phelps and whether he is the greatest olympian of all time, he said, "i think you can say it is self-evident that he is the most successful. i'm not sure he's the greatest. it's a good haul, but who's the greatest? in my opinion, he's probably not." >> i say this as someone who knows seb far long time, sorry to name drop, but seb comes from track and field. he would say thompson or roger bannister is the greatest. >> no way. >> you say tomato, i sato

matteau. michael phelps is the greatest of all time. >> i don't think it's even close. i don't know why we're having this conversation. >> because we have 30 seconds left. that's why. >> you win 19 medals. >> come on, man. >> four games. what is there to beat? >> come on. come on. >> he said it. >> seb knows what he's talking about. he's a four-time medalist himself. but track and field and swimming are apples and oranges. >> alan abrahamson, rowdy gaines, thank you so much. i might hang out with you guys tonight. just ahead, carmelo anthony will play beach volleyball against the reigning gold medalists. first these messages. hey parents, it's a big year. i'm not just teaching music. ♪ i'm teaching performance. here's what they'll need. ♪ get your backpack, your hoodies, harajuku, ♪ ♪ turquoise kinda purple orangish sorta blue. ♪ ♪ backpacks, yeow,

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double miles you can actually use. what a coincidence? what's in your wallet? [ all screaming ] watch the elbows ladies. welcome back to london's olympic park. let's talk basketball now. as expected, the u.s. team, the dream team, is off to an impressive start. they knocked off tunisia last night. they are now undefeated, and they were led by carmelo anthony of the new york knicks, who scored 16 points. 'melo joins us on the plaza this morning. >> thank you. >> great to see you. good morning. >> good morning. >> so you're 2-0. those margins of victory pretty large. how you feeling at this stage? >> we're feeling pretty good. we get better and better each day and just taking it one day at a time, just trying to enjoy this experience. >> don't hit me, because you're a big guy, but i'm going to ask you the question and you know this is true -- do you feel that it will be a colossal failure if you guys win anything but a gold medal here in london?

>> i don't want to think about that. >> come on. you know the expectations are very high. how do you deal with that? >> like i said, we take it one day at a time. this is my third olympics, so i've been in 2004 where we didn't win the gold and i remember that feeling. that feeling is in the back of my mind. >> a motivating factor? >> a motivating factor for myself and some of the other guys that was on that team. >> i think most people realize the whole team is made up of nba players. these are the guys you compete with during the regular season. how difficult or how nice is it to be able to pull together as a team? >> it's easy now. it's easy now. during our regular season, we're competinging and trying to beat each other up, you know, trying to win against each other. but now we put it all together as a collective unit and we go out there, and as you can see, we're havinging so much fun doing it. >> but you can tell instantly when someone's got it in terms of the chemistry to fit in, right? >> oh, absolutely. we had it from day one. as soon as we stepped into las vegas, we had it. >> when it comes to chemistry and teams, how do you think this ragtag group over here might do?

>> they'd fare pretty well. >> you think so? you can give them the ball and see how they do. >> you notice matt's not playing? >> well, i've got questions here, natalie. >> come on, carmelo. >> carmelo -- >> it's all in the knees. it's all in the knees. >> oh! >> the debate. between kobe and michael jordan, which is the best dream team, 1992, the original one, or this one? how do you stack it up? >> well, we try to -- whoa. >> you don't take him out, all right? >> we try not to compare ourselves to that team because what that team did was unprecedented. they changed basketball and the way -- changed people's view of basketball in america. we can't duplicate that. what we're trying to do now is establish and do it ourselves. >> there was a nice moment after one of the games the other

night. michelle obama was there and she kind of hugged you guys as you came off the court. did you say anything? >> she said congratulations, keep representing our country, doing it with such class. she's very proud of us. >> we're all proud of you. 'melo, it's great to see you. good luck as you continue through this tournament. we've got high hopes for you guys. ? thank you. i appreciate that. >> carmelo anthony of the droem tea team. and we'll be back as we take on another popular sport of these olympic games. that happens right after 'melo jams. have breakfast with milk

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good morning, everyone. i'm angie goff. the time right now is 7:56. we'll get a check of the trouble spots on the roads, next, but, first, we want to start off with meetierologist veronica johnson. >> and we will have more with veronica johnson after the break, but, first, we'll have more after these messages.

you'll need your umbrella at times today. showers, some showers and storms later. the high today 89 degrees and ra rain is likely into the evening. >> have a crash at h street at fourth street. all your lanes are temporarily blocked. please use caution. more news and weather in 25 minutes, but, for now, back to "today" show.

♪ 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the first day of august, 2012. there's a party in the park here in london. we kouln't get over to horse guard parade so, we brought some beach volleyball action to our little home away from home. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and al roker, and these guys are the reigning world and olympic -- reigning

olympic champions. >> that's right. we've got phil dalhausser and todd rogers here. they of course are unbeaten in london. we've got the dancers, the champions. now we just need -- us? i don't think so. but we are going to try to take them on in a little beach volleyball on our plaza. >> that's right. and of course we have more on the fab five's spectacular gold-medal performance and a look ahead to the individual all-around competition with former gold medalist shawn johns johnson, carly patterson, and mary lou retton. >> looking forward to talking to those ladies. first we want to get the olympic news of the day. for that we turn to hoda kotb. >> hello, hoda. >> hi, everybody. how are you? we're starting off with gymnastics. the girls had ha wonderful historic win last night, and let's start there. >> the fab five is going gold. >> reporter: the fab five brought home gold, beating their russian rivals by five points. aly raisman locked up the team title with a closing floor

routine, giving the u.s. the first women's team gold since the 1996 atlanta games. >> we all looked up to so many other gymnasts, so to be able to inspire little girls would definitely be a dream come true and mean the world to all of us. it's just such an honor to be here. we've all been working so hard. it's a dream come true and still so surreal to be an olympic champion. >> we realized we were olympic champions. hearing the star-spangled banner and looking at the flag is definitely emotional for all of us and we're all really proud of each other and how we did tonight. >> number 19! no one has won more! >> reporter: swimming superstar michael phelps made history. he has now won the most medals of any olympians, winning his 19th medal as he captured gold, anchoring the men's 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay. >> i said give me the biggest lead you can get me, and these guys have been awesome. that's the thing.

i mean, we're one, and we came out as one. >> reporter: afterwards, i got to give phelps a quick congratulatory hug. we're really happy for you and glad you broke the record! >> thank you. >> reporter: breakout swim sensation missy franklin came in fourth in the women's 200 meter freestyle. franklin bested by teammate allison schmitt, who won the gold and set a new olympic record. so now you have the box set, the gold, the silver, the bronze. is this everything you thought the olympics would be? >> everything. i couldn't be happier. i'm smiling everywhere i go. >> reporter: in soccer, the black eye abby wambach suffered saturday didn't stop her from scoring the only goal in a match against north korea. team usa celebrated with a victory move. and badminton fans booed loudly during a match tuesday when doubles champions from china and their south korean opponents appeared to try to lose their match to get an easier draw. they say they were just trying to save energy for the next round.

>> and olympic officials are taking that very seriously. there's a disciplinary hearing later today. a lot of the people in the stands, can you imagine, you paid all this money for this great match and they keep hitting it out of bounds? >> just to get it over with. >> not good. >> dropping the penny. it's the word of day. >> hoda, thank you. appreciate it. let's go inside to natalie with the other headlines. good morning to you guys once again. good morning, everyone. fieger jets were scrambled overnight as a united airlines flight from newark to geneva was diverted to boston. a suspicious item on an unoccupied seat turned out to be a camera. it was x-rayed and was harmless. tuesday another united flight made a safe emergency landing in denver after a bird strike punched a hole in the plane's nose. and officials are investigating the discovery of a sewing needle in a sandwich served aboard an

air canada flight from british columbia to toronto. u.n. observers say syria government fighter jets have opened fire on the country's largest city. the escalating battle for the city in the 17-month uprising against bashar assad. activists say humanitarian conditions in the city are worsening with dwindling supplies of food, cooking gas, and electricity. a massachusetts experts say it was likely a great white shark that attacked a swimmer off cape cod on monday. the victim is hospitalized with severe cuts on both legs. the beach was open again tuesday with signs warning people to swim at their own risk. great white sightings off the massachusetts coast have increased in recent years because of a growing population of seals, which the sharks prey upon. and now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. show him the warrant. oscar-winning actor cuba gooding jr. is a wanted man in new

orleans for allegedly shoving a female bartender early tuesday morning. police have issued a warrant for his arrest. and a feature that personalizes the olympics. enter your height and weight and it tells you which athletes you match up with and which events might be right for you. we plug in michael phelps' stats and the site said he could be a swimmer or volleyball player. and cold play's chris martin jokingly blamed the olympics when he flubbed his song "warning sign" during a concert in boston this weekend. end? >> oh -- i was thinking about the olympics. i was distracted. [ cheers ] >> well, he's not the only one

who's distracted. u.s. companies will reportedly lose $650 million of productivity as workers go online to keep up with the olympic games. hard not to be involved in the olympics. it's 8:07 right now. let's go back outside to matt, savannah, and al. >> natalie, thank you. >> nbcolympics.com. >> we support that loss of productivity. >> don't even show up. >> bad for business but good for us. >> where are you guys from? >> wimbledon. >> you live in the stadium? fantastic! >> very comfortable. >> all right. very comfortable. let's check your weather and see what we've got f see what we got for you. for today, london, we're looking at some showers off and on today. maybe 75. windy tomorrow with sunny intervals and 73. same thing, again, on friday. affecting a lot of outdoor venues. a lot of heavy rain off the southeastern atlantic coast and

record-setting heat with temperatures well over 100 and risk of strong storms from wisconsin on into the dakotas and look for plenty of sunshine in the southwest. beautiful day in l.a. today. sunny skies and 80 degrees. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> here this morning, it will take us a little while to see more breaks in that overcast sky and we're at 74 degrees and right now it is muggy outside and we are talking about still some showers around the area. you can see them scattered very light and waldorf and martinsbering, you have showers headed east towards leesburg and high today 89 degrees with a 69% chance of showers and storms. coming our way for the afternoon and evening hours we get a break, dry that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thanks very much. when we come back, the fab five's amazing performance last night and we'll look ahead to the individual all-around competition with carly patterson and mary lou retton. then a little beach volleyball

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but on tuesday, team usa came out ready to end that drought. >> a great, great start. >> jordyn wieber rebounded from a devastating day in the individual competition to lead the team right from the beginning. and as the night wore on and they nailed routine after routine, it became clear no one was going to top the u.s. >> smile, gabby. >> reporter: a group of fierce competitors pulling together as one. aly raisman locked up the gold with a beautiful floor routine, the 17-year-old in tears before she was even done. still, team usa had to anxiously watch and wait till the judges made it official. >> get the gold medals ready! >> reporter: one team, five young women, a moment to remember forever. >> one, two, three!

>> usa! >> here to talk about the women's big win, former medal winner carly patterson and mary lou retton. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> you both were there last night. are your voices hoarse from cheering? >> yes. >> yes. definitely. >> we were together. >> we were. so we were all screaming and -- gosh, my voice actually is a little scratchy today. >> lucky for you and for all of us they didn't hold us in too much suspense. they won big by five points. mary lou, put that in perspective for everybody. how huge is that at this level? >> it's -- it's really undescribable. i mean, five points. we spanked them. i mean, it wasn't even close. and then, you know, aly was the last one to get up on floor. and when she did her beginning pose and her face was just so confident, like i knew she was going to go out there and do one of the best floor performances, and she did. >> winning gold is something so rare, obviously not since 1996 has this happened. carly, explain why this is such

a coveted prize in women's gymnastics. >> well, you know, everyone's been trying to get that gold medal on the team since '96, and, you know, we fell a little bit short and got the silver medal. so did the 2008 team. and so for them to go out last night and just hit so confidently, and like mary lou said, when they went out on vault and they stuck every single vault, the best i've ever seen them do, i just knew they were on their "a" game last night. and, you know, you knew they were taking home the gold. they had a little bit of competition from the russians, but, you know, they just -- like she said, it was a butt whooping. >> the russians worked hard. >> i think the pressure got to them and they cracked. >> they fell apart, but the women did everything right. carly mentioned coming out and nailing the vault one, two, three. >> oh, yeah. >> psychologically, what does that do for a team, mary lou, to have such a strong team if team? >> we know on vault, we are so much better than rest of the

world. we knew we needed to stick those three vaults to get ahead. we were up by two points after the first rotation, which was the vault. that gave us confidence going into the next three events. >> carly, there is something really special about this team. >> yeah. >> i'm sure y'all are partial to your teams, of course, but this is a very deep bench, strong talent, shot through. i mean, could this be some are saying the best team ever? >> you know, they really, truly are the fab five and lived up to their name last night. and i'm so proud of them and so proud for them to take that gold back home for our country. i woke up this morning and to that and michael. they were saying you gave them inspiration. i was their first kind of olympic memory so i woke up all giddy and excited, like that's so cool. i'm so proud of them. i got to give them a hug earlier and say congratulations. i'm so proud of them. to be there last night was an amazing moment. >> in the amazing club, carly,

mary lou, shawn johnson, we've had you all here. marta karolyi, did you train with her, as well, marry lou? >> i did, yes. >> she's the team coordinator. how is she feeling? >> she's a genius. just the program we have set up, the system we have set up in the usa all comes from the karolyis, and they know how to do it. they create champions, olympic champion, and i don't know how many they have. >> real quickly, gabby and aly are on next for the individual all-around. are they in good shape? >> i think they're in the perfect shape they can be in especially coming off the win from last night. i think they're going to go in with that same exact confidence and kind of to already know you're an olympic champion, i think that will take a little pressure off and they can go out there, have fun, and do gymnastics for themselves. >> this they'll have ey'll have in their step but they don't need it. mary lou retton, carly patterson, great to get your perspective and hear your cheers

as well. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> you can catch the men's individual all-around tonight and the women tomorrow right here on nbc. coming up next, cue the congo. we're playing beach volleyball. >> get the gold medals ready! oatmeal, i love you. it's never gonna happen. oh, come on. we're both under 400 calories.

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"today's athlete to watch" is brought to you by p&g -- proud sponsor of moms. >> and this morning on "today's athletes to watch," we're talking about beach volleyball. the reigning gold medalists in the olympics, phil dalhausser and todd rogers, took on spain last night and they beat them basically assuring themselves a spot in the knockout round. so, phil, the thin beast and todd a.k.a. the professor join us here on the plaza. guys, congratulations on your game last night. good to see you. 2-0 at the moment? >> yeah. >> you're the reigning gold medalists. everybody expects you'll do it again. are you feeling the pressure of that? >> no, not really. we're actually just kind of enjoying the process monopoly in beijing, we were so focused on beach volleyball, winning everything we can. now we're kind of just enjoying the venue as we were talking about earlier and the fans and

the people and having a lot more fun this time around, actually. >> brazil is the only other unbeaten team. is that who you want to meet in the finals? >> we'd like to meet our other u.s. compatriots in the finals, of course, but chances are brazil will be there in the thick of things so i guess we'll see what happens. >> i was there the other night, and this really has become the sport to go see, not to mention the venue is pretty amazing. what do you think of it, todd? >> it is amazing. it combines all the history that is, you know, great britain and london itself with the new sport in town, beach volleyball. the two have kind of combined to make it a cool place to be. >> speaking of history, you're called the professor because you studied history. what does history tell you about your chances? >> well, looking back to the last five to seven years that we've been playing, i like our chances. >> yeah. >> and why do they call you the skinny beast? >> stand next to him. >> okay.

finally. >> savannah one more time. >> you want to show us? >> why is the ball called the fig? >> this is not a regulation ball. it's just -- >> oh. >> really? we got that from somebody in the crowd, apparently. >> it's a random ball. >> we're going to go over here. >> how does this work? >> ask you to move back just a little bit. >> you two against all of us? okay. >> you're on that side. you're back here with me. okay. natalie, here we go. >> ready? >> go ahead, phil. >> okay. you guys -- >> there you go. >> up. up. uh-oh. watch out. watch out.

>> yeah! >> that was a classic i got it -- you take it. no. you looked at it. >> okay. here you go. >> spike it. >> guys, next game is when? when is the next competition for you? >> tomorrow night. >> and you take on? >> czech republic. >> all right. good luck with that. one more point as we go away. we'll have much more ahead from olympic park. >> some memorable images from these games. >> usa! usa! >> go ahead, natalie. spiking it. >> whoa! ♪

♪ ♪

this morning on "today," we talk gold with the fab five. tomorrow, more medal winners and we get a special tour of london from our very special tour guide.

good morning. 8:26 now on this wednesday, august 1st. i'm aaron gilcrest. >> we're looking for that sunshine and we are expecting a little bit of it later today, but 74 degrees and a wind out of the north at 6 miles per hour and light wind kind of blowing around the mugies a little bit on radar. showers, too, making their way through. some very light showers and we'll see more showers and storms later today. around martinsburg and headed towards leesburg and in towards 15. little wet there for part of the morning drive. the high today 89 degrees with showers and storms likely later today. we'll be back right after this break.

good morning, traveling in the district. had a crash h street and fourth street. let's talk about delays on the beltway and outer loop still really slow as you make your way past new hampshire avenue. i-270 you are under speed. travel speed 26 miles per hour. that drive taking 22 minutes. let's head over to the inner loop of the beltway in virginia. hitting the brakes as you head towards braddock road, stop and go all the way to the dulles

toll road and your travel speed is 32 miles per hour, that taking 24 minutes. back over to you, aaron. nbc 4 is your home for the

one show has been at the center of it all. >> mr. sandusky, what do you say? >> i am innocent. >> this was the longest 40 minutes of my life. >> "rock center "with brian williams returns thursday, august 16th, here on nbc. 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, august 1st, 2012. a bit warmer in olympic park today as we get an aerial view of our home in london courtesy of the folks at goodyear. and down below, we have a crowd who's in a great mood here, many of them to see the olympics all the way from the united states as we have the sixth day of

competition. just ahead, it's a big night for men's gymnastics. exciting. >> the guys will compete in the men's individual all-around, including danell leyva. before he came to london, that man right there, ryan seacrest, caught up with him and talked about his secret weapon. interesting guy. >> an incredible relationship he's got with his stepdad. i spent time in his hometown in miami. >> cool. >> and also, i don't know if you've been to the portobello market. >> no, not yet. >> noting hill, that whole -- researching it. i've been here a couple times but i go there every time. a great place to find amazing things, all kinds of things. jill martin, a perfect place for her fun things. we'll take you on a tour. we'll find out more about the famous cheeses. we are so excited about this segment. >> cheesy. >> after that last segment? cheesy.

we'll have the golden cheese. let us get a check of the weather. >> a let's show you what we got. first of all, for today, a risk of strong storms in the upper midwest today and also looking at strong storms along the southeastern atlantic coast and gorgeous weather along the atlantic coast and texas into the mid-plains and tomorrow we have more oppressive heat in the southeast and sizzling from texinous to the northern plains and gorgeous day out west from the pacific northwest into southern california. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's hap aening in your neck of the woods. >> headed into loudoun county, we have light showers showing back up here on radar and a chance of 60% chance for more rain later today. martinsburg to middleway and headed towards leesburg, there's your showers currently. 89 degrees your high temperature later today and 60% chance of

showers and thunderstorms. any of those storms could bring heavy rain, downpours and low visibi that's your latest weather. don't forget, anytime you need weather information, go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. two members of the u.s. men's gymnastics team will compete for the individual all-around title tonight. john orozco and danell leyva. on the floor with danell will be his personal coach and stepdad. our special correspondent ryan seacrest spent time at home with them in miami. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. this is a relationship that really exceeds definition. danell calls yin his dad and whether they're in competition or hanging out at dinner, these guys are incredibly close and a whole ton of fun. >> this one's the fourth one. that one's ground beef. this one's my favorite, personally. there's another one coming out.

>> is this the famous tow snell. >> that is, indeed, the famous towel. >> let's see. >> put the blinders on. >> he's stealing my thunder. >> what's new? >> exactly. what's new? >> let's see this thing. it's got 400 or 500 followers on twitter already, a mind of its own. you have this with you every time you compete. >> yes, and everywhere i go. >> everywhere you go. is it good luck? >> definitely good luck. >> underneath his lucky towel. >> tell me about the preperformance ritual. can you talk us through it? show us what you do. >> it's slightly different for each event. like if it's -- people are, like, all right, stay tight everywhere and it will happen. >> then i go and go -- do it, baby. you got it. >> what do you say? >> trust in your training. >> trust in your training. you do this very well.

you're nailing it. >> this guy lives his life with passion, and his son is his beneficiary. >> pretty cool. you know, danell did take the team loss pretty hard. he put the towel over his head. were you surprised to see him react so emotionally? >> he's an emotional guy, and he said he uses that towel to help him with his focus through good times and tough times. that's why you see it over his head. >> his teammate, john orozco, will be competing in the individual all-around during the qualification rounds. he had a little trouble on the pommel horse, and based on what you learned about his character, how do you think he'll respond? >> he'ses got a lot of pride, great work ethic and incredible

support. i think he'll tap into all of those things for the next phase of the competition. >> we will be watching, ryan seacrest. >> thank you. >> thanks for bringing us the story. catch the men's individual all-around final tonight on nbc. still ahead, oscar winner kevin spacey on life in london.

we welcome you back now to london and day five of the games of the xxx to lich yad. look who we found taking in some of the action, two-time oscar winner kevin spacey. for nearly a decade he's served as the artistic director of the victory theater in london. good to see you on your side of the pond. >> good to have you on my turf for once. >> you came here a while ago. your home away from home, no question about it. often t

oftentimeses when the olympic games come to a city, the people who live there have mixed emotions. there's the traffic and the security and then the procedure. how do you feel about it? >> i'm lucky because i'm a resident of great britain but i'm a citizen of the united states, so i can root for both countries, which is great. and it's been incredible to be back. i got a chance to come back last thursday, so i was able to go to the opening ceremonies, which i thought was just extraordinary. live. i don't know what they look like on television, but they were quite remarkable to be there. it felt very much like danny boyle had done something that was about the workers, about what it takes to build a country, to build a society. it was an extraordinary look at a village. and i thought he took us through the industrial revolution and everything. i thought it was remarkable. >> i want to talk about your work with the old vic theater in a second. but let me ask you, if a stranger were coming to london, what would you put on your list of must dos and must sees here other than theater, obviously? >> other than the olympics? >> yeah. >> london has so many extraordinary -- i think it's really become the cultural

capital of europe. you look around, i mean, even if you look just between westminster bridge and the london bridge, the am of cultural activity, the amount of theater, opera, film, music, dance, art, the art world is extraordinary here, there's always something to do in london. and i think it's culture that really drives people here. you look around the south bank, why is it teeming with people? they're gong to the places like "the globe" and the national. >> when you took over as artistic director, you said you'd give them ten years, made that commitment. you're about 9 1/2 years in. your mission statement has been what? and do you feel like you've accomplished it? >> first of all, i have to say that if we have accomplished anything it's been because of the remarkable faith and dedication of the british public. you know, they never waited to see which way the wind was going to blow in terms of how our theater company went. it's not easy to start a new theatrical beginning

particularly in a place like london if you're an american. they came early, came often, supported us, they told their friends. if we've had any kind of success it's been because of the british public. the old vic feels very much like their theater. it's always been their favorite. my hope is over these next three years i'm remaining in my position i'll be able to build an endowment large enough and big enough that the future of the old vic will be secure. >> you've been on a lot of planes lately going back and forth to baltimore. you're shooting a series there called "house of cards," kind of a political drama. i want to read how you described your character recently. "a wily murderous politician worming his way to the white house." >> yeah. yeah. >> another great character. >> kind of like this here. >> no, no, no. get yourself in trouble, not me. when are we going to see this? it will be streamed on netflix? >> yes. the first original program for net lix. it's based on a popular british

series about a wily politician worming his way to be prime minister. oddly it was based on richard iii, which i spent the last ten months performing around the world. i feel like i've had a good ten months of rehearsal to play this character. it's been an extraordinary experience. to sort of delve into that world of politics and power and greed and ambition and all that. as david and i like to say, it ain't your daddy's "west wing." >> great to see you. pleasure. kevin spacey. >> thank you. up next, one of london's most popular shopping destinations, noting hill and portobello market.

"today's london" is brought to you by coke. coca-cola -- open happiness. >> this morning on "today" in

london, the world famous portobello market, the perfect place to send "today" and "us we weekly" contributor jill martin to find some fun finds. >> reporter: we are here in posh noting hill in west london. now, you may recognize this neighborhood from the famous noting hill movie also home of the portobello market. so we're going to go shopping. now, i can't promise you a grand sighing but i can promise you some great buys. come with us. >> it's like massive. i thought it was going to end two blocks ago. >> portobello is the best place. >> reporter: first stop, the antiques market. you'll find everything from century-old silverware to vintage jewels. >> good morning. it's a ceramic piece on margaret thatcher. >> reporter: and is that her husband? >> and dennis, he's playing a

supporting role. >> reporter: as the handle. i would say that's a supporting role. oh, look. kathie lee and hoda. if you need a break from shopping for some food, no fear. they have some of the freshest fruits and vegetables in all of london. i'm hungry. what is that? i love it. what's the freshest? >> everything's fresh. >> reporter: all the way from france. we are under the west way, which is the main road in london. but it's what's underneath it that makes fashionistas flock. you tear guy with the vintage jackets. can you hook me up? >> yes, i i can. i think we'll go for the british horse riding country look worn by kate middleton and kate moss and all the kates. brilliant. >> reporter: i'm at my last stop, the second hand market. in addition to the outdoor vendors, there are also these beautiful shops that line the streets. >> i am pooped.

how much for the set? >> and "today" and "us weekly" contributor jill martin is here. reenergi reenergized? >> i'm done haggling for the day. >> you come with gifts. >> i come bearing gifts. >> let's start with the girls. >> you, natalie, hoda, meredith, i got all these scarves. they were four for 30. i got four for 20 pounds. you can bargain down. i know which one you're going for. >> pink for sure. >> of course. this is for matt. it's to go with his jacket, hopefully get us on twitter as well. >> i can speak to him about that. >> al loves socks so i got him socks. for ryan's first olympics with the "today" show, we got him a journal so he can keep -- >> oh, cool. >> this is all hand made, all made in the uk, and really they line the streets, all of these stores. if you come, that is must go for portobello market. i love -- look at the cuff right here. this was a gift to myself.

naomi tate, she's in one of the shops that lines the streets. these are all from the '70s. she takes sheets and curtains and dresses and makes these fabulous cuffs. she used to live on the west side. she met her husband and move here and has been in portobello market for a decade. >> such a vintage look. what about the ceramics? >> great gifts to pick up. you can pick them up for five pounds, another great gift. this is actually a mini model they used at the world cup in 1966. >> wow. >> so, yeah. this is great. >> and alice in wonderland. >> the original one, first edition was 6,000 pounds. this was rereleased. we got this for 35 pounds, originally 38. what a great thing to have. >> a bargain. >> in the fashion department, some jewelry and of course some knickers. our cameraman said you would model. >> great.

>> if you do not have time to go to the market, the three stores you must hit, harrod's jigsaw, kate middleton used to be an accessory buyer there, and booths. they have their own pharmacy. if you can't hit it fridays and saturdays, this is where to go. >> jill martin, very well done. you've got a good job. thank you so much. coming up next, a tour of british cheeses.

and this morning on "today's olympic kitsch. "we are talking about cheese. chef and nbc contributor giada de laurentiis says it's as british as a pint or fish and chips. take a look. >> reporter: cheddar. cheese as british as big ben. some made here in london. i met up with bill ogle thorpe, a cheese maker. hi. good morning. >> good morning. >> where he taught me how to make burgundy cheese. >> put this coat on. i'll finish putting the muck in the vat. >> okay. let's go. i follow you. what are we filling there, a vat full of milk? >> milk. >> that's nice, warm milk. >> yes. >> fresh from the cow this morning? >> that's right. yes. >> can't lift this. >> whoops.

sorry. >> now what's the next step? >> heat it up till it's the right temperature. >> what temperature are we looking for? >> 34. you want it body temperature. >> yeah. so the reason you want to stir it as you're heating it up so it doesn't burn on the bottom. >> that's right. >> is that hard to do? >> do you want to have a go? >> yes. i need my morning workout. >> okay then. >> and then you let the cheese settle. next up, it's time to cut. all the way to the bottom? >> yes. yes. like this. okay. >> one, two, three. >> look at that baby. making cheese. making cheese. glorious cheese. in the mold, a bit of a wait, and then -- okay. off to market. we took a trip to the market to sell our cheese and a few other treats at his stand. really busy. >> yeah, it is. >> we got right to work, frying up a slice of the burgundy.

>> we're just going to cut it and cook it up on the grill. >> you serve it over the potatoes. >> yeah. >> cute. he also gave me a lesson on how to make his super popular grilled cheese sandwicheses with a shredded blend. now, that is awesome grilled cheese. and finally a dish called bcicclet. would you like one? there you go. >> now's the part where it gets dangerous. we've got it here live with ricky and conor of the u.s. swim team. what are you doing here? >> this is a fatty cheese. that's why we can melt it like this. you don't need this kind of machine to do it at home. you can put it under a boiler. it's absolutely divine. come on, guys. you can't just watch. okay. you guys can all try it. >> you can't do this with just any cheese. >> no. it's got to be this kind of cheese. it's high fat and they add a little water so it's nice and

soft and melts under the fryer. >> is that with potatoes, the normal, traditional way? >> yes. there you go. grab your forks. moving on, we've also got -- >> you got a fork there? >> got more cheese over here. another cheese you have to try. >> another spoon. >> another cheese. [ cheers ] >> okay. forget the cheese. come on, ryan. we have a lot more to do! >> sorry. >> we have a lot more to do. >> sorry. >> all right. this is the cheese that i made in the fryer. we fry it up in the pan. it has a texture. >> there's cheese in there. >> this is just cheese. this is the cheese i made. and then look at the traditional english cheese platter. >> that's the -- >> this is the two chutneys that go with the cheeses. one is a milder, softer cheese.

then we've got -- >> a cheddar. >> it's called a cheshire cheese. hard to say. unpasteurized. this goes with crackers. >> the best part is you made up lunch. >> yes, i did. yes, i did. >> now we're talking. we're hungry. >> try that. matt, that might be a little bit -- >> wow. look at that one. go ahead, ryan. >> are we all family here or what? >> yes, we are. >> thank you.

good morning, it is 8:56 on this wednesday, august 1st. i'm angie goff and let's go right to veronica johnson and she has a look at the forecast. >> still a little bit of wet weather drifting through some of the neighborhoods out there, especially around loudoun county, you can see just west of leesburg and north of

gathersburg. temperature right now at 75 degrees. we expect to see a high close toalto 90 degrees and storms likely today for your mid to late afternoon and even into the evening hours. angie? [ cullen ] take a day off? i don't even take a morning off.

[ danell ] i haven't ordered dessert in two years. [ gwen ] you know that best selling book everyone loves? i haven't read it. [ carlos ] i haven't watched tv since last summer. hey, i've been busy. [ breathing heavily ] [ male announcer ] citi is proud to sponsor our dedicated u.s. athletes, every step of the way. you don't need an olympic-sized pool. or an olympic-sized stadium. you just need an olympic-sized audience.

put your goals on the line, online. get started at facebook.com/healthy. powered by ge. good morning. if you're taking the rails, not seeing any reported delays along the metro, the mark and over to the roadways. kind of slow crossing over the 14th street bridge and delays start 395 northbound and you're at 38 miles per hour. angie? nb

we are back now with more of "today" on wednesday morning, the first day of august, 2012. the olympic competition in full swing. and, boy, it's been great for team usa. back at olympic park. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and al roker. call them what you want, golden girls, the fab five, just don't leave out the title olympic champions. >> that's right. the fierce five is another name they like. they stopped by our plaza to show off their newly minted gold medals. we'll share that interview a little later on. there's another swimmer making waves called the missile, but it's not missy franklin. no. that's right. we're going to introduce you to

him a little bit later on. a lot to get to. let's get the latest olympic news. for that, we turn to natalie morales. >> all right, guys. good morning once again. the gold medals just keep on coming after the biggest night so far for team usa. >> oh! unbelievable! >> reporter: the american women thundered their way to victory tuesday, striking gold in the gymnastics team finals. >> with a good landing. >> reporter: one by one, the fab five took the floor and nailed every routine. >> get the gold medals ready! >> reporter: when it was over, the americans, the dominant winner with a score five points ahead of the russians. the first team gold medal for the u.s. since 1996. >> the crowd just clapped and cheers, and it gets me so pumped to have that support behind, you know, your back is definitely an amazing feeling. >> we've worked our whole life

for this. we wanted to make it count. i'm so proud of all these girls. >> reporter: for 17-year-old jordyn wieber, a moment of triumph after missing out on a shot at the individual all-around title. >> i think this is good redemption for me and we all came together and put all our hard work in and came out with the gold medal is amaze, and i'm proud of everybody. >> reporter: another crowning moment for team usa. >> 48-year-old record now belongs to phelps! >> reporter: michael phelps now holds the record for most career olympic medals after helping his team win gold in the 4 x 200 meter relay. >> the last 20 meters of the race i started smiling because i knew we had won. and very, very special night, special feeling. phelps now has 19 olympic medals, including 15 golds. >> i tried to hold myself together as much as i could, but my eyes were getting watery and it was emotional. >> phelps is heading on!

>> reporter: earlier tuesday, phelps took silver in the 200 meter butterfly, nosed out for gold by south african chad le clos. >> allison schmitt is blowing away the field! >> reporter: for the u.s. women, allison schmitt won her first gold medal in the 200 meter freestyle. and some news this morning as well. we told you about the controversy involving badminton teams to who appeared to try and lose on purpose to get an easier draw. well, the badminton world federation held a disciplinary hearing today and they decided to disqualify eight players from these games. now to our other top stories of the day and some very anxious moments in the air. officials are trying to find out how a sewing needle got inside a catered sandwich on an air canada flight from british columbia to toronto. and a bird strike, meanwhile, on tuesday left a gaping hole in the front of this united airlines jet as it was about to land in denver. the plane from dallas-ft. worth landed safely. meanwhile, on another united flight from newark to geneva, it

had to be diverted to boston last night after fighter jets were scrambled because of an unclaimed camera found in an unoccupied seat. more flooding is on tap today for parts of the southwest. on tuesday, sudden heavy rain flooded roads around phoenix, trapping some people in their cars. no one was injured. and rescue teams were able to pull everyone to safety. today, president obama campaigns in the battleground state of ohio. online he donated $5,000 to his own campaign, listing his employer as the united states of america and his occupation as president. he said he made the donation after getting the first lady's okay. >> i have cleared this with michelle, and i want everybody to know this is one more way of expressing how much i appreciate everything that they're doing and i want them to know how committed i am to making sure that we're able to achieve the kind of vision we have for america that we've talked about. republican mitt romney is back in the u.s. after his

overseas trip to britain, israel, and poland. the worst power outage ever is over this morning. a massive power grid failure left an estimated 620 million people in the dark in india. officials there have launched an investigation to find out what caused the power grid system to collapse. author and playwright gore vidal died tuesday at his home in southern california of complications of pneumonia. he wrote "lincoln," as well as essays and plays. gore vidal was 86. a controversial portion of president obama's health care reform legislation goes into effect today. it requires insurance companies to provide free contraception services to women. however, to start, only those women with private insurance plans are affected. and if fishing were an olympic event, well, these guys would not be in the medal round. two men in russia used a grenade to try to catch fish. not a good idea.

>> whoa. >> the men were stunned, not to mention blown from that boat. they do appear to be okay, though. the video is catching lots of viewers online. yeah. not smart, guys. it is six minutes past the hour. back to matt, savannah, and al. >> i was going to say, we have an unusual sense of humor. we should mention. >> i've always wondered what happened to boris after he retired. >> that could have been really -- >> turned out badly. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? retired. >> how about a check of the weather? >> let's see what we got for you for today. we are looking at a risk of strong storms from nebraska all the way on up into wisconsin. damaging winds, hail, heavy rain. so, it could be a real mess there today. as you can see on the radar firing up and looking anywhere for one to two inches of rain and the heat continues, unfortunately. oklahoma city today may tie or

break their all-time hot weather record and heat indexes will feel like 100 to 115 degrees today. that's white house what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> right here we continue to see scattered and light showers. right now in southern loudoun county and montgomery county and showers around 270 and prince george's county and areas to the south and up towards baltimore. temperature now is at 75 degrees and mostly cloudy your sky. it's muggy and it's going to be a humid day for us. our temperature, like yesterday, will be right around 89 degrees or so. but with a higher threat for showers and storms and that's your latest weather. natalie? thank you, al. now to more on the first team gold for u.s. women's gymnastics since 1996. tim daggett and elfi schlegel, our olympic gymnastics analysts. good morning. >> good morning to you. >> hello.

>> great morning for you guys as well. 16 years in the making. i know you guys, you're there to be objective commentators, but i imagine you had to get a little caught up in that moment. elfi, what was it like seeing these girls score golds? >> the last time any of us experienced this, and tim and i were there at the georgia dome in 1996, it was absolutely electric. it was deafening. i have to say i haven't felt that feeling myself until this moment. and last night it was just absolutely awesome to watch all the years of hard work. tim and i have been covering these young ladies for four year, and most people don't follow them for that length of time, but they see the moment and we know just how much it took for them to realize that dream. and it was with a lot of grit and determination and hard work. and they were by far the hardest working team out there. >> but, you know, in the last two olympic games, they came in as they did this year as the world champions, in 2003 and 2007. and a lot of people were wondering could they get this jinx off their back.

and, you know, it doesn't matter if you're american, if you're from great britain, russia. you have to marvel at the performance of team usa. that's all there is to it, because their performance was astounding. they started off on vault and really -- >> yeah. >> -- they almost ended it right there they were so great. >> you know, i think a lot of people were concerned because going in, you know, we were worried about whether or not jordyn wieber would be able to shake off the disappointment after not making it to the individual all-around. so it seems like she came out smilinging and ready to really get going. how important was she, elfi, to contributing to this team? >> huge. absolutely. she is the reigning world champion. if they did not have jordyn on their side, it may not have ended as well as it did. and for me personally, gymnastically, you look at mckayla maroney and what she did was awesome, but for me on an emotional level, to watch an athlete like jordyn wieber do what she did and especially on floor exercise, the smiles just said it all. i was extremely happy for her.

you know, you just don't want to see a kid end her olympic dream the way it did a couple nights ago. i couldn't be happier for her. >> i had absolutely no doubts that jordyn wieber was going to come out like that. she is competitive, and the word that really sums her up best in my mind is she is so fierce. >> right. >> and she didn't have a very bad competition. she just wasn't as perfect as she could be. >> right. >> in the qualifying. and, you know, she is one of the toughest customers you will ever come across. her first vault, she had to not just deal with that adversity and the disappointment of not qualifying for the all-around finals, but she had to lead team usa off, and she did wit a bang. >> all right. let's look ahead because gabby douglas, aly raisman continue on in the individuals. really quickly, expectations for them? >> i think they have a great shot. why wouldn't they? we've watched the russian gymnast, victorktoria komova ma some diva mistakes. these two young ladies need to do their job.

there is nothing more they can do. they have to attack each and every event and be as perfect as they can. they have a great chance. >> i said it before the competition began, there is only one team that is prepared like team usa, and that's the americans. they are so prepared. all these other teams, they had capabilities. it could happen for the russi russians. it could happen for the chinese. but when you are able to go out consistently, day in, day out, and perform like america has, you know, you would have to expect the same thing to happen in the all-around finals. if you're a betting man, you go with the americans. >> and let's talk today of course because the men are entering the all-around finals. and they did not perform as well here at the games. so what can we expect from danell leyva and john orozco? >> quickly, for danell, i think he was missing his dad. there wasn't a lot of energy on the floor. he hasn't looked the same as in the united states. he needs a little yin alvarez and that ritual.

we might see a different performer. >> for john orozco o, i've neve seen him look so shaken as he did the second day, and he doesn't look like that. one of the things he is so good at is looking completely unaffected. to see him in that mode was very unusual for me. it's all going to come down to i think the first event for both of those guys. if p they come out and hit that, they get on a roll, i think they'll be in really good shape. >> hopefully you'll be back with us tomorrow talking some good news. tim daggett, elfi schlegel, thanks so much, guys. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> watch our coverage of the men's individual all-around tonight and the women's tomorrow on nbc. coming up next, the man they call the missile in australia. we're going to meet him right after this.

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park. michael phelps and missy franklin may be household names in the u.s. now, but in australia, the missile is james magnussen. and tonight he could swim into olympic greatness. nbc's sara james has his story. >> reporter: he's hunky and hot, but can he live up to the hype? >> there's a missile heading for london, and it's set to explode in the olympic pool! he is incredible. >> reporter: the aussie missile, james magnussen, a 21-year-old newcomer fresh off a world championship win in swimming blue-ribbon events, the 100 meter freestyle. >> james magnussen! >> reporter: now with his eyes on the prize in london.

>> i've come here to win gold. i think i'm in a good position to win this one. >> reporter: bold and brash with aussie pride on the line. >> the missile leads off for australia. >> reporter: but the aussies have had a rough start. >> all sorts of expectations on him. >> reporter: and the relay team led by magnussen didn't even make the podium in the 4 x 100 freestyle. >> huge gold-medal favorites finish fourth. >> reporter: leaving the ever-confident magnussen at a loss. >> i think it was just nerves, pressure. >> reporter: but now he must shift focus to his big event. and for the missile, there's a lot on the line. if he wins gold in the 100 meter freestyle, magnussen will be the first aussie to do so since michael wendon back in 1968. he's also a chasing the world record. >> it may not take a world

record to win that race. it may. whatever the outcome, my first and foremost goal is gold. >> reporter: a goal that might just be 100 meters away. for "today," sara james, nbc news, sydney, australia. >> and magnussen goes for the gold in the 100 meter freestyle tonight. we'll have much more from london just ahead, including the american who shot his way to gold, right after this. [ girl ] look what's in the mix:

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what made you come back? >> yeah. it was a lot of prayer is what got us through. my wife and i, we thought about it a lot last year, because last year was kind of the bottom of my entire shooting career. i had some of the worst finishes i'd ever come across and i wasn't enjoying myself anymore. so she said if you're not enjoying it, then you shouldn't be doing it. we thought about it, prayed about it a lot, and took a couple months to figure it out. but this is what i love to do. this is my passion. so i reset my goals, and coming here was the first set to help trying to build my legacy into keeping going and building even more for my family and pass on the knowledge that i've learned over the past 13 years. >> i guess they're glad you're back because you told the "usa today," i know i'm going to get through 2020 and then i'll reassess. you went from retiring into you're in this for life. >> that's one of the great things about my sport is we have a pretty long tenure. i started this, my first olympics was when i was 19 years old. this is my second at 23. so 2020, definitely is doable.

the average age in my sport is 35 or so. plenty of time left in me. >> you're celebrating with your family, as well, including your 5-month-old? off to the side. >> i am. i was able to bring my wife along and my youngest child. >> show has she been adjusting to the time? >> she did really well, actually. she slept almost the entire flight over here. she's just a great baby. one of the best kids i've ever seen. >> great to share the experience. >> want to say hi to your 2-year-old back home with grandma and grandpa? >> absolutely. bailey, if you're out there wat watching, you probably can't understand what i'm saying but hopefully grandma and grandpa are taping it. >> the gold. >> this one will be tacked on to you, too, girl. >> sweet. vincent, thank you. >> fantastic. congratulations. >> well done. >> thank you very much. ♪

>> how does it feel? >> oh, my goodness! >> one commentator said it best. they should rename it the maroney vault. >> sure. get a new vault named after me. >> unexpected! allison schmitt will pick up her first individual olympic gold! >> a 48-year-old record now belongs to phelps! number 19! no one has won more. >> got us all together and said i want you guys to know i just won the medal record. this morning on "today," the fab five and the 4 x 200 relay

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so you're doing good just by making dinner. hamburger helper. help is on the way. good morning, 9:26 on this wednesday, august 1st. i'm aaron gilchrist. showers in the forecast today. meteorologist veronica johnson has the details. >> areas to our north and west, in maryland, as well as middbur just off to our west. showers rotating through, light showers but you will need your umbrella today because we have a higher threat for the afternoon. 75 degrees your temperature going up to a high today, mid-to upper 80s and those clouds will keep us on

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♪ a golden moment for america's new sweethearts, the women's gymnastics team lived up to their nickname, the fab five, winning team gold for the first time in 16 years for the americans. and just the second time ever. and of course guess where they went with those new gold medals? right here to our olympic park. we're going to hear what the girls had the to say a little bit later on. >> and aly raisman and gabby douglas will be competing tomorrow in the individual all-around. now, you know that gabby has been called the flying squirrel. she's called that because of her

athletic routine. but she's also well-known for her infectious smile, that huge megawatt smile, and her determination that has captured millions of americans' hearts. we're going to have more on her story. >> been to any pubs since you've been here? >> you know that. >> hardly. we've been working. and rnling the pubs. >> we found one pub that's been around for 1,000 years. our technical director russ was there when it first opened. >> all 1,000 years. >> first we want to welcome caitlkate lev ren. she scored an individual bronze med medal. congratulations. >> thank you. >> what does this win mean to you? >> it was huge. i went into the race knowing that i could get a medal and when i turned around and saw the three next to my name, i didn't even look at my time.

i was, like, so overwhelmed and almost started crying. it was an amazing moment. >> you grabbed the lead when you were on the third leg of the race. did you know how well you were doing? did you feel it? >> definitely. i know my race plan and that breaststroke, that third leg is my biggest strength. i knew that i would have to have a really good third 50 and put myself out there and hang on for the last 50. >> your roommate happens to be natalie coughlin. >> yes. >> did she give you a lot of advice, a good pep talk? >> absolutely. it's such an honor to be friends with her and roommates with her this trip. she's -- just the way she handles everything with such grace and poise. she definitely supported me through all of this and i couldn't be happier to have such a good friend. >> it's your first olympics. what's been the most fun for you? >> i think just enjoying kind of the olympic atmosphere and this whole experience and being in the village and seeing other athletes and eating in the dining hall, you know, meeting people from all around the

world. and, you know, telling other teammates at the village is like the best people plais to people watch. the whole world comes to you. >> are you seen usain bolt? >> i've seen usain bolt and the williams sisters. >> we would like to be there. >> don't we all? >> yeah. that's so fun. done with your races so now you can hang around and have fun. >> i'm done. hopefully see some other events. >> you made our country proud. thank you so much. >> tha>> all right, al, how abo check of the weather now. >> all righty. let's show you what we have for today. a risk of strong storms in the northern part of the country, but, first wednesday we're looking at sunny intervols and maybe a thunderstorm or two. 75 degrees and windy later today into tomorrow and friday there are those severe storms in the northern plains and plenty of sunshine in the pacific northwest and mild conditions and sizzling record heat stretching from texas all the way on up into the morn plains.

risk of strong storms in the southeast. that's what's going on around the country and here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> minus the elevated humidity, our weather like london right now. clouds out there and temperatures in the 70s. reagan national at 75 degrees. it's muggy and a humid day for us. your high 89, with showers and storms pretty likely for the afternoon. some of those storms will be strong, maybe even some isolated severe storms and that means that some of us will be getting some heavy rain, some of us will be looking at lightning. tomorrow, we're quiet. the high 93 and sunshin that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. coming up next, the fab five talking about their big win last night. [ female announcer ] over the last ten years,

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it will be one of the enduring moments of these games, team usa winning team gold in women's gymnastics for the first time since 1996. well, the fab five joined us earlier to talk about their historic night. >> i definitely think we rocked the house. i hope we made our country proud. we wanted to go out there and have fun competing. we knew this was our chance to be strong and we did our best and it's happy to know we came out with the gold. >> it's amazing, gabby, because you didn't just win, you won by five points, which is just astonishing, never done before. what did you think about that? >> yeah. i was so confident and so confident in these girls and i knew we could do it. and we had strong events, and i saw bam, bam, bam. i'm, like, we got this. i was so confident and so proud of these girls.

and, you know, very excited to represent usa. >> last week when we talked i asked you guys if any of you visualized that moment standing on the podium, receiving a gold medal, and some of you said yes, you had. now you've done it. mckayla, what was it really like? >> i think the way that i pictured it, this time it was even better. i mean, it was just a dream come true and so amazing. and just to be up there with those girls with the gold medal around our necks, it was the best experience of my life. >> jordyn, you talked about this last night. over the weekend you said you'd had a little bit of disappointment, but, boy, you could not tell it. you walked out there. you were the first to go, strong and confident. you nailed it. how did you rise above these circumstances and perform so flawlessly? >> definitely after sunday i just had to put it in the past, all the disappointment. but i knew i needed to mentally come together for this team, and we all went out there and did a great job, so i'm really proud of everyone. >> aly, you closed it out for

everybody with a floor routine. at that point, did you kind of know, we got this and could you just have fun? >> i had no idea what we needed to get, but i was hoping that if i did a good floor routine that we would win, but i just wanted to finish up strong for team usa. >> there was that moment after the routines are over but you have to wait and find out what the scores are. jordyn, what was that like? or anybody answer how it felt just waiting to find out whether you had done it. >> i think we knew at that point we were pretty positive that we were going to get the gold, but seeing your country on the top of that scoreboard is an amazing feeling. we were just anticipating that, so it was amazing. >> yeah. it's one thing that really struck me is your camaraderie and your friendship. i have to say even in the stands we could hear you guys yelling for each other. you're loud. how important do you think the friendship was, gabby, in making this team succeed? >> i think it's definitely important to have everyone behind you and cheer for you. that's what this team's about is giving each other pep talks or cheering for each other.

i could definitely hear my awesome teammates cheering for me when i needed a pep talk, and we definitely hyped each other up and do the greater and better thing. so it's definitely important to have that, you know, behind you. just ahead, more on gabby douglas' road to gold with the fab five. it's the little things in life that make me smile. spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. now all general mills big g kid cereals

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she just was ear to ear all the time, just loving living in that moment. >> now at 16, that same smile that captured the hears of millions. >> big, big routine right there. look at that smile! >> when i see her out there smile on the floor, i know she's having fun. it's not an act. it's not scripted. it's coming from her heart, and that's what gives us a lot of joy. >> reporter: but behind her smile is a tough girl who's made a lot of sacrifices for her sport. the youngest of four children to a single mother in virginia beach, gabby had to make a hard decision in order to pursue her dream. after meeting coach lang chow at a gymnastics camp, she realized he was her ticket to olympic glory. >> he taught me this vault, and i said, if he could teach me this vault, he could definitely teach me higher and bigger skills. >> reporter: it was after chow's gym in des moines, iowa, that olympic gymnast shawn johnson sprang to fame. so gabby and her mom went

knocking on his door. >> it was very hard for me to say no in front of the little girl who has the strong desire, wanting to be, you know, in the olympic games. so i said, okay, i'll give you a shot. >> reporter: with her mother's reluctant blessing, she packed her bags. >> to let her come and move all the way to iowa, hardest decision of my life. >> reporter: in des moines, she was welcomed by a host family, misty and travis harton and their four daughters. >> i just remember, like, i kept crying and crying. finally i decided that this is my decision and if i was going to move out here then i had to start kind of acting a little bit more mature. >> the hartons quickly became a second family to gabby, and with coach chow's instructions, she continued to move up in the gymnastics ranks. in march she turned up the pressure and surprised everyone at the american cup. the world began to take notice. you were an alternate so your

scores weren't eligible for a title. but you actually ended up having the highest scores. how did that make you feel? >> it made me feel so great. i was just training, putting a lot of effort, and i was just so glad that finally it paid off. >> reporter: then at the olympic trials, she came from behind and beat reigning world champion jordyn wieber. the win gave her the only automatic spot on the 2012 olympic team. >> i was crying tears of joy just coming down. to be a 2012 olympian is definitely just this awesome and amazing feeling. >> watch the air here! >> reporter: she's a competitor for gold in the all-around competition, and her greatest strength is the uneven bars. i look at your height next to these giant bars, it seems absolutely crazy. but they call you the flying squirrel. do you like that nickname? >> i love that nickname. i got it from world championships when i did my release move so high, and the

crowd would just gasp, like, oh! and i was, like, calm down, people, i'm going to catch the ball. ♪ all i do is win, win >> reporter: gabby may fly high in the gym, but through the pressure and newfound fame she has remained grounded. >> she loves to laugh, and we had so much fun with her. >> yay! >> a lot of what the world sees of her on is who she is, and she just has that fire inside of her, that bubbly personality. >> i missed her more than words can almost express. but it makes it worth the sacrifice to see her in this moment. >> reporter: and she's going into this olympic moment with no regrets. >> the sacrifices are not in vain, and at the end it will all pay off. i feel so honored just to go out there and represent team usa and all of you guys and myself and my coaches. it just feels awesome. >> and you can watch gabby and

her teammate aly raisman go for individual all-around golds tomorrow night on nbc. coming up next, we're going to throw back a pint at britain's oldest pub. i wish we really were. [ cullen ] take a day off? i don't even take a morning off. [ danell ] i haven't ordered dessert in two years. [ gwen ] you know that best selling book everyone loves? i haven't read it. [ carlos ] i haven't watched tv since last summer.

hey, i've been busy. [ breathing heavily ] [ male announcer ] citi is proud to sponsor our dedicated u.s. athletes, every step of the way.

ah, the british pub, a part of life here loved by locals and touris alike. and who better to cozy up to the bar than our own kevin i believe thes? good morning, tib. >> exactly what do you mean by that? >> well, you have a reputation. >> somebody had to do it and i forced myself or the "today" show forced me to twist my arm and bend my arm in the long tradition of these storied aisles and lift a pint or two in the name of duty. >> reporter: in britain, there is nothing more divine than a pint of the liquid gold.

the public house, or pub, for shor, has been a central part of life here since, well, forever. and the oldest pub in this green and pleasant land is found 20 miles outside london in the ancient town of st. albans. it's called the old fighting cocks. >> this has been here since the 11th century. they come from old sailing ships. >> reporter: clearly, people were a lot shorter years ago. you have to mind your head. for centuries long before the "today" show, the pub was where villagers gathered to share stories by word of mouth and grumble about the weather. >> it was general gossip and how things got around. >> reporter: people here get very attached to what they call their locals. >> there's a certain feeling about your locals that really makes you feel quite possessive about it. >> give him a couple glasses of

ale you might tell the barman a few more things than you'd tell your brother. there are a lot of confessions going on. >> reporter: many of the names are as quaint and cozy as the interiors -- the princess, the royal oak, the globe, the hole, the crushed friar. oftentimes you'll see a picture on the pub's sign, as well. reason why, back in the olden days, many of the locals couldened read. here's a bit of history. this pub's been here since the 17th century, and a certain group of individuals left for the new world on a certain ship from very near this spot. inside the mayflower, the pilgrims' last will and testament. and on a nice day, a pint outside on the river thames. after all, it is all about the pint. >> i think, yeah, there's still a big first. >> reporter: to keep up with changing times, however, many

pubs have had to get a little more, well, posh. with more people eating out, the gastro pub has taken off. good food, good drink, and good fun. >> the gastro pub, you're having fine dining, but you've got the relaxation and feeling that you're in a pub. >> reporter: no matter what the change, back in the oldest pub in england, they're pretty sure they've seen it all before. >> people used to come down and sort of sit in a corner and read their books, you know, because -- >> they still do. >> exactly. and now they come down and bring their laptops. although it's changed in some ways, nothing's changed. >> reporter: and that's just the way they want to keep it. oh, the history. >> people have been drinking in this pub for a thousand year, and long may that continue for another thousand years, if she can stand up that long. >> reporter: so as they pull another pint down the pub, it's cheers from the locals at the local in st. albans. okay, guys.

so if you like the idea of the oldest pub in england, i've got a couple more story ideas i'd like to pitch to the "today" show. here's one. the news pub in england. the happiest pub in england. the cleanest pub in england. how about the crabbiest pub in england? or maybe a pub with darts or cards or -- >> the drunkest correspondent in england. >> come on now. i would say cheers. >> cheers. >> that does it for us. coming up, nbc's daytime olympic coverage. >> and tonight in prime time, the gymnastics individual all-around for the men. cheer owe. ♪ in the middle of the street our house ♪ >> congratulations. >> what we try to do now is -- >> yes! >> does he look like he can play volleyball? >> does he look like he can play volleyball? >> the

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good morning, everybody. it's 9:57 on this wednesday, august 1st. i'm angie goff. let's go to veronica johnson. is she has a look at our forecast. >> some getting some sunshine and other neighborhoods especially around frederick, maryland, still looking at more showers rotating through and up around howard county and little wet with some showers. but right here in d.c., we're

dry. 77 your temperature, northeast wind at 3 miles per hour. later today, 89 with showers and storms likely. danella? >> thanks, veronica. if you're in the district traveling northbound connecticut avenue at upton, police are on the scene of an earlier accident blocking a left lane and stick to the right to get by. heading over to the beltway as you make your way past georgetown pike, outer loop, you are slow and delays continue to the dulles toll road. no accidents, just delays. angie, over to you. >> danella, thank you. nbc 4 is your home for the london