parents footsteps today, august 16th, 2012. war of words. vice president joe biden under fire after saying the republicans will, quote, put you all back in chains. the romney camp calling that a new low. will this campaign be about issues or insults? this morning we'll talk to the he of both parties. exploding. a massive wildfire in washington state burns more than 40 square miles destroying about 70 homes. this while big blazes burn all across the west, including one that's turned deadly. and chelsea speaks. chelsea clinton, one of the most private of public figures grants her first interview.

she's opening up about her life, her loves, and whether she'd ever consider following in her parents political footsteps today, wednesday, august 15th, parents political footsteps today, wednesday, august 15th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. they say presidential campaigns don't kick into high gear until after labor day. don't tell that to president obama, mitt romney and their running mates. >> they are on the trail. as you can imagine they are taking tough shots at their opponents over heated subjects such as welfare and the economy. coming up we'll talk to the heads of both the democrat and republican parties. >> you may remember the two women who would not leave each

other's side during a colorado movie theater last month. their story caught the attention of president obama. this morning they are here for a live interview. we have taken a stroll down abbey road, talked -- tried to be like mike. today it's natalie's turn to recreate an iconic phograph. she and her son will step into the past as charlie chaplain and the kid. and we haven't checked in with "today's" professionals since london. today they are back and loaded for bear on hot topics. let's start with presidential politics and a campaign that seems to be nastier by the day. peter alexander traveling with the romney campaign in columbus, ohio. peter, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. these campaigns seem to be particularly at edge right now, all wound up, each saying it's outraged with the other. romney wrapping up a four-day bus tour, accusing the president of running an angry and desperate campaign.

the obama campaign shooting back saying romney seemed unhinged. wrapping up his four-day bus tour in ohio. >> so mr. president, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to chicago, and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting america. >> reporter: mitt romney didn't hold back, trying to shame the obama campaign for its negative tone in a speech laced with fiery attacks of his own. >> he demonizes some, he panders to others. his campaign strategy is to smash america apart and then try to cobble together 51% of the pieces. if an american president wins that way, we would all lose, but he won't win that way. >> reporter: campaigning tuesday in another midwestern battleground, iowa, the president responded. >> what they are offering, it's not a plan to create jobs. it's not a plan to reduce the deficit. they don't have a plan to grow

the economy. >> reporter: in fact, all four players are taking their swings. vice president joe biden targeted romney's fiscal policies tuesday. >> he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules. unchain wall street. going to put y'all back in chains. >> reporter: the romney campaign marked biden's language marked a new low. romney's newly minted running mate paul ryan tried to fend off democrats critique of his plan sweeping medicare. the gop going on the offensive with the new ad saying it's the president's ad that would harm the program. >> the money you pay for guaranteed health care is going to a massive new government program that's not for you. >> reporter: also tuesday the two campaigns engaged over energy. romney accused the president of declaring a war on coal. >> there's a time for truth. if you don't believe in coal. if you don't believe in energy independence for america, say it. >> reporter: the president

championing wind power as a source of new jobs nationwide. >> 75,000 jobs across the country of these are good jobs. >> reporter: president obama even took a dig at romney for once taking a family vacation with his dog on the roof. >> that's what they say about a car, you can't dri it with wind power. maybe he's tried it. he put other things on the roof. >> reporter: paul ryan will fill his shoes here. you can expect the nasty tone to continue. polls show this race is nearly a dead heat. >> all right. peter alexander in columbus. thank you very much. debbie wasserman schulz, chairman of the democratic national committee. good to see you. good morning. >> you too, matt. thanks so much. >> let mel quote, no one on romney's short list of contenders that they, meaning the obama campaign, wanted to run against more than the chairman of the house budget

committee paul ryan. do you agree with that assessment? do you think paul ryan's addition to this particular is the best thing thatould happen to president obama's chances for re-election? >> well, i think what paul ryan's selection by merm to run with him for vice president is is the worst thing for the middle class and working families. i'm a mom and i'm raising three young kids and i serve on the budget committee and had a front row seat for paul ryan's approach to slash and burn deficit reduction, a budget that increases taxes on the middle class by an average of $2,000 for a family with children. a middle class family with children. to pay for budget busting tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, someone who would end medicare as we know it. >> i've been hearing you say this over the last several days and other democrats as well. the fact of the matter is paul ryan has a plan. whether you agree with it or disagree with it, he's giving voters a choice. what makes you so sure that voters are not going to go with

the romney/ryan choice? >> i know the voters in florida. i've representatived my community for almost 20 years now, matt. i can tell you the voters that i know, they want to make sure that there's someone in the white house fighting for the middle class and working family. someone that understands we need a balancedpproach to reducing our deficit and getting our economy turned around. paul ryan and mitt romney's approach -- i had a chance during these budget hearings, matt, to ask chairman bernanke, secretary of the treasury, mr. geithner, if we cut too much too fast, and the ryan plan is a cuts only approach, slashes head start, cuts pell grants, give budget busting tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires paid for by the middle class, if we take that approach do we risk blowing or slowing our recovery. the answer was consistently yes. that's deeply troubling.

all the while ending medicare as we know it and ending that guarantee. that's the choice they will have. >> congresswoman, let me ask you about strategy. do you think it's a winning strategy for president obama to make paul ryan the focus of this campaign? in other words, to treat this ticket as if it's the ryan/romney ticket as opposed to the romney/ryan ticket. >> you know, it's mitt romney that made the choice to run with paul ryan. he had already embraced what was an extreme budget. listen, i think paul ryan is a nice guy. in fact, paul ryan is one of those guys when you meet him, he's really nice. that's why it's so disappointing his views are so extreme. romney had already embraced the ryan budget and then he doubled down on that embrace by choosing him as his running mate. so when it comes to making sure, for me as a mom, that my kids have a good education, that the families that i represent can ensure that their future is one

that has investments in head start and education and health care, and a bright future so that everybody c live the american dream. barack obama and joe biden have been fighting for that. mitt romney and paul ryan want to take us back to a time when only the millionaires and billionaires are successful and hopefully that largesse will trickle down. that's what crashed the economy. we don't need to hear that. >> we'll hear from the other side in a second. but first debbie, thanks for your time. >> thanks, matt. >> chairman of the republican national committee. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> the romds campaign is out with a tough new ad against president obama saying he has weighted medicare to the tune of $700 billion. you yourself said on "meet the press" that president obama has blood on his hands with regard to medicare. my question to you, doesn't the ryan plan have those exact same $700 billion in cuts? >> no. what paul ryan tried to do and what we're trying to do is

something that i think all americans out there, republicans and democrats alike can agree on, which is if we keep going down this road of not having solutions on the table, of demonizing people who put solutions on the table, how to save medicare, if we keep going down the road of doing nothing, we all can agree that medicare is going to go broke. >> demonizing people. let's go back to the initial question. the $700 billion in cuts that you are ex corriating president obama for are in the budget. that's not in dispute. >> mitt romney and paul ryan's budget, what we need to do in order to save medicare for people in this country 55 years old and younger. >> fair enough. contains the same cuts, right? >> savannah, no. the fact of the matter what paul ryan does in a budget, which by the way, the democrats and my counterparts haven't passed in three years, that we passed a budget to take care of a lot of

things going wrong in this country. number one, people are unemployed in this country. the president didn't fulfill his mission in regard to jobs and debt and the deficit. if the president was really being truthful and honest with his approach to the debt and the deficit, he would have passed a budget. you cannot get control of the crushing deficits and crushing debt in this country unless you address the exploding costs that are facing this country in regard to medicare. we're the only ones who have a solution to save medicare. >> ryan budget made decisions and huge spending cuts to get control of the deficit. i think a lot of americans understand we have a government we can't afford. how can you justify in the ryan budget defense spending that stays flat and then giving a massive tax cut which predominantly benefits the wealthy. >> that's not true. a lot of people in this country, when you talk about this $250,000 cut that the president wants to talk about, we have

over 850,000 businesses in this country, small business owners that file as individuals. if you increase taxes on that group of people, it's going to have a crushing blow on jobs in this country. one thing this campaign is going to be about, savannah, is jobs. that's what the president promised. he hasn't deliver on those. we know that's true. >> i know you wanted to talk about tone. vice president biden in a speech in virginia said the romney campaign wanted to unchain wall street and said to the crowd, they want to put you back in chains. the romney campaign said that was wild and reckless and a disgrace. based on that response, it seems the romney campaign sees something dark in what the vice president said. let me ask you, what do you think he meant? >> i don't know what he meant. obviously, i don't think it was well received. i don't think it's the type of tone we need in this campaign. i think it takes things to a new level. a level of negativity.

i think it was a shameful comment. it goes with what the obama campaign is doing right now. they prompted four years ago they were going to be different, be positive, bring people together. look what they are doing, putting people in chains. putting out an ad that says mitt romney is responsible for the death of a gentlewoman's wife after he left a company six years. >> you said the president had blood on his hands. >> here is where it's going, matt referred to it. we want to talk about the issues. not just the fact barack obama didn't fulfill the mission, didn't fulfill the promises, we can do better in this country but also about the fact that we're willing, i think very boldly, to talk about it. how do we save medicare, get our country back on track. that's what this campaign is about. we're willing to do that. we don't want to go down this road they are taking us down. >> it's a conversation that will be ongoing. i know we'll talk to you again soon, particularly at the convention. thank you for your time this morning. now let's get a check of

this morning's other top stories from natalie morales who is over at the news desk. good morning, natalie. >> good morning. wildfires are growing across the west. in washington state 70 homes there have been decimated and 40 square miles scorched since the fire broke out of the construction site monday. 900 people have been evacuated but no injuries have been reported. this country's worst route -- drought could send food prices soaring. >> reporter: experts say the price tag could be hundreds of dollars per family. experts are now saying some of those price hikes will hit shoppers before the end of the year. it's already withered corn crops, cracked the earth and sent ranchers scrambling to feed their herd. the next stop for this year's record drought is the nation's grocery store. >> i think we're going to see price increases across the board

because corn, in particular, is such a ubiquitous product. it's used in the manufacture of most processed food. >> the ripple effect will be on every isle, cereal and chips. it's animal based hardest hit, beef, dairy, poultry, pork will increase. >> i would try to find the best price i could. economically we don't have a lot of extra money to spend on groceries to eat. >> reporter: for a family of four, the price hike will add $615 to their grocery bill in 2016. >> i'll be more careful about how much i buy, so there's no way -- and be careful what i buy. >> reporter: experts predict shoppers will use more coupons and switch to cheaper items to try to beat the rising cost of

feeding a family. that means dining out will be more expensive as restaurants pass along their costs to customers. natalie, back to you. >> thanks, janet. we'll be following the historic drought of 2012 across all nbc platforms all day today. with just a week before his murder trial begins, he's set to plead guilty in the 2009 ft. hood shooting rampage. the former psychiatrist is not allowed to plead guilty because some charges carry the death penalty. an illinois judge could decide today to end the murder case against former police chief drew peterson in a mistrial. the case has been plagued by delays for years. the latest blunder coming from prosecutors when they mentioned a subject banned from being broached in front of the injury. he's on trial for the murder of his third wife kathleen savio.

he was charged after his fourth wife stacy peterson vanished in 2007. a resident because the a fast moving storm plowing through town tuesday afternoon tearing his two-story barn to shreds. a mishap when a small jet stream jet being towed collided with a turboprop. no injuries reported but it's under faa investigation. a photograph from the curiosity rover mars gives users a 360 degree interactive view from the red planet to your computer right here on earth. you can check out anything you want from the rover itself to the sun. looks pretty cool. 7:17. back to matt, savannah and al. looks like the southwest. >> we didn't get the memo it's plaid day here at the "today" show. >> look at that. >> plaid jackets. >> boys only. look at that. >> oh, boys only. >> mr. roker, what's happening?

>> well, we've got a risk of strong storms today. they're going to be stretched across the east. but we're also talking about this drought. this is a tical summertime pattern, the upper level ridge stays down to the south, jet stream comes across the north. but look at this, this upper level ridge takes over much of the country and that's why we're seeing this drought of 2012. an extreme drought especially stretching from the central part of the u.s. all the way into the midwest and the southeast. the bad news is, we've got major rainfall deficits. kansas city, more than 10 inches below where they should be, little rock more than 6 1/2 inches. how much rain would it take to make up these deficits? little rock will be 15 inches, more than 10 inches in chicago and almost 13 inches of rain for oklahoma city to get out of this drought. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your nec of the woods. >> and we're going to see a bit more rain around here too today. right now, though, we've got bright sunshine filtered cloud cover around the area. partly cloudy right now. the temperature 66 degrees up to

the north in montgomery county. you folks there in kensington, 66 your temperature in fairfax, and you're coming in at 68 degrees and it's 74 pax river. and that's your latest weather. matt. >> thank you very much. chelsea clinton has spent most of her life in the spotlight. amazingly she has never granted an interview until now. in a surprisingly candid interview in the september issue of "vogue" she talks about her life and the possibility she will follow in her parents' footsteps and run for public office herself someday. andrea mitchell has more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. from the moment she was born, chelsea clinton has been a public figure. though she and her parents have done their best to keep her personal life private she opened up to vogue and saying she is now trying to lead a personally public life.

chelsea clinton was born into politics but not of it. with her father already governor of arkansas, she was instantly in the public eye. but her parents fiercely guarded the privacy of their only child. in her first wide ranging interview, 32-year-old chelsea opened up to vogue saying i've been aware of how extraordinarily normal and how extraordinarily extraordinary my life has been. >> she spent the last 32 years of her life not doing interviews. when she finally decided to do it she went all in giving me three months, basically access to all quarters of her life. >> this is a side of chelsea rarely seen. her love of coffee, books, and running, which she calls the one part of my life in which i fundamentally feel like the observer instead of the observed. sheltered through most of the 1992 campaign, she made her first grand appearance at madison square garden when her father was being nominated.

in the white house the family still shared family dinners. she tells vogue they organized their lives so we could have that time, wherever they were. at least one of them would fly home to be with me. spring breaks were exotic trips, bosnia and india. there would be difficult times, too, for the family. but chelsea tells vogue the blessings outweighed. campaigning with her mother, we hading to childhood friend. strongly influenced by her grandmother dorothy rodham who died last november, chelsea started augmenting her graduate work with a career in philanthropy and then journalism as a special correspondent for nbc news. >> do you remember the moment when you believed you could have a different future? >> now for the first time clinton also reveals someday she may join the family business, politics saying, if there were to be a pint where it was something i felt called to do,

then that would be a question i would have to ask and answer. >> i think usa she's kind of the sole heir to her parents' legacy, which is huge, it's almost like she has no choice step up to the plate. >> hillary clinton was 32, chelsea's age, when she gave birth to her only child. standing in, chelsea joked about building a better world for the grandchildren her mother hopes to have, something chelsea says she looks forward to if her mom can wait. vogue hits news stands august 21st. >> interesting. thank you very much. still ahead, two young women willing to die for each other as bullets flew in the colorado movie shooting. their story of friendship under fire inspiring even the president. we'll talk exclusively to them

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guru behind paul ryan's workout routine. good morning, it's 7:26 now on this wednesday, august 15th. i'm aaron gil crest. we're tracking trouble spots on the road right now, here's danella. >> if you're traveling i-95 southbound, you're sluggish as you head to the beltway, continuing on the outer loop of the beltway leave college park, delays continue as you approach georgia avenue. traveling inbound at 50 in maryland, here's a live look at 202, you are sluggish, your travel speed, though, from the beltway as you head to the parkway, about thank you, danel

forecast after this. stay with us. it's been a pretty good start to the day. welcome back, everyone. time now 7:28.

we got mostly sunny skies off to the east, some clouds coming into the west. your temperatures anywhere from about 64 degrees up to the north to 67 degrees. high today, 88 with a 50% chance again

the 15th of august, 2012. we have a huge crowd on the set this morning. they have been lined up for hours because carrie underwoodes about to take center stage. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer. coming up in this half hour, republican vice presidential candidate paul ryan's grueling workout routine. >> we've been talking about his politics and some of his plans but a lot of people talk about what great physical shape he's in. he's 42 years old and in extreme help thanks to a fitness regime.

we're going to tell you what's involved and meet the guy who created it. >> later on our "today" in history continues. you remember the famous shot of charlie chaplin and the kid. this morning natalie and her little boy will see if they can pull it off themselves. >> let's begin this half hour with an amazing story of survival and two best friends willing to make the ultimate sacrifice during the colorado movie shooting. they are with us exclusively this morning but first nbc's kristen dahlgren takes a look back at a friendship that even enspider the president. >> reporter: in the face of unspeakable terror. >> there's smoke, there's explosions, there's blood, there's death, there's guns being fired. >> reporter: emerged a story of enduring friendship. >> you never really know how close you are to somebody and how important they are to you until you can test your friendship and literally say you were both willing to lay down your lives for each other. >> allie young and stephanie

davies answer thad question in a colorado movie theater as bullets began to fly. >> boom, boom, boom, boom. >> allie was hit. >> i was like, i can't move. i can't get up. >> reporter: in all that chaos, with all that shooting. >> i'm seeing him up there and hearing him yell at people. >> reporter: steph never left her side putting her own hand over allie's wound to stem the bleeding. >> i said, you have to go, you have to go. she said, i'm not leaving. >> reporter: they carried her out of the theater across the parking lot to an ambulance and safety. two days later when the president visited aurora, their story helped lift a nation. >> as tragic of what the circumstances we've seen today are, as heartbreaking as it is for the families, it's worth us spending most of our time reflecting on young americans like allie and stephanie.

because they represent what's best in us. >> reporter: allie and steph are far from your typical national heroes. they met working at victoria secret. >> standing there folding panties. >> they are not at all changed by their visit from the president. >> seeing the president is exciting but more exciting -- >> being alive and being together. >> reporter: allie still has multiple gunshot wounds and a lot of healing ahead. but just like in that movie theater, she won't be alone. her best friend steph isn't going anywhere. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, denver. allie young and stephanie davies are with us now exclusively. ladies, good morning. it's great to see you. >> good morning. >> how are you doing? >> good. better. >> you say you're tired. is that a little bit because of the travel or is that a residual effect of your injuries. >> probably a little bit of both. still having some heart

problems. i have a high heart rate now, resting is like 90 so i get exhausted faster pref i don't want to get into detail but i want people to understand what you went through. you were hit with a blast from a shotgun. it fractured your lung, there were pellets or fragments in your heart and you bled profusely. >> yeah. >> what's recovery been like? >> after the surgery -- i had one surgery, wasn't too extensive. mostly it's been nerve damage, things that are going to take time. a lot the swelling, bruised ribs. a lot of time. >> as you're sitting here, you still have lots of fragments in your body. where are they mostly? >> in my back. i don't think they moved any in the initial surgery. we believe i have all 32 in my body. >> i mentioned you were bleeding terribly in the theater. steph, this brings me to you. she was lying there. she was unable to get up and she

knew it. she says to you, run. run, get out of here, and you didn't. >> i was telling her, allie, get up. get up. she looked at me and told me i can't. i can't. she told me, she looked me right in the eyes and told me, stephanie, you need to run. >> why didn't you run? >> i mean, she's my best friend. what crossed my mind was not being able to leave without her. i mean, it just wasn't an option. >> yet what was going on around you, steph, i mean, you describe it as being in the mouth of hell. >> yeah. >> the gunshots are going off. there are explosions. there are people trampling over allie to get out of there? >> the movie was still running at this point. you've still got bats flying across the screen. you've got a gunfire scene going on at the same time. >> she was traumatically injured.

i know you must have been in shock, whether you knew it or not. yet you managed to do a couple of things. the one thing that keeps jumping out at me, when the paramedics get there and get allie and stop to put her in the ambulance. you stop and write down the number of that ambulance, find out where it's going and pick up the phone and called your dad. you must have saved her family so much angst and frustration by doing that. >> yeah, i talked to -- i called her house phone actually, instead of calling her parents' cell phones. i called her house phone because i knew that would be the first one to be answered. i talked to her mom first. i said, kathy -- i said, hi, steph. i said, are you sitting down. >> were you crying at this time? >> no, actually, not yet. i was still pretty calm when i talked to them on the phone. i told them what happened, that there was a shooting in the movie theater and that allie had been hit and she was in this

ambulance. it was going to one of two locations. you know, if i found out where she was before they did, to please let me know. >> anybody questions the bond of this friendship, when allie woke up in the hospital, i know you had all kinds of tubes in you. you couldn't speak. your dad came in and you wrote down, where's my steph? that's the first thing you wrote, which is incredibly heartwarming. >> isn't it? i just kind of burst into tears when her dad told me that. >> you've got the physical scars from this. what about the emotional scars in are you dealing with those? >> dealing with, yes. >> dealing with how? >> we try to stay positive. we've always been positive people. we just try to have fun together, try to just push back those memories and move forward with our lives. i'm alive and i couldn't ask for more. i'm happy as a clam to be here. >> there are some emotional issues that i'm having from it.

there are certain sounds that freak me out. it took me a while to go back to work, because i work next to an open kitchen. there's lots of pots banging and people yelling at each other all the time. so that took me a little while. but it's just every day is kind of step by step. and i have an amazing family. i've got people that love and care about me. i've got my best friends. i have lots of friends back home that are just all conglom rated behind me for a massive support system. >> this is a relationship that probably gives must meaning to best friends forever. good to see you. >> thanks for having us. >> 7:38. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> we've got big carrie underwood fans. you came with a hat. >> yes. >> when did you get here? this.e this morning. let's see what we've got.

what do we have just for you? well, we've got a risk of strong storms from boston down to charleston, we're not looking at anything majorly, there still could be damaging winds, hail, lightning, look up in new england, you can see heavy rain already falling, heavy showers and thunderstorms, airport delays from connecticut, all the way up into boston, rainfall amounts generally about 1 to 3 inches, some areas picking up a little bit more. and the upper midwest, the river valley from fargo to des moines rainfall amounts there of 1/2 inch to 2 inches of rain. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> and right here, no rain this morning. it is dry out there. though humidity is high. 74 degrees, your current temperature at reagan national airport by noontime. some more clouds coming in, 79 to 84 degrees your temperatures by lunch hour today. 83 to 88, mostly cloudy with a few thunderstorms. and especially areas along and east of i-95. baltimore county, howard county,

and rundel county. and tomorrow 90 and sunshine conditions on thursday. and that's your latest weather. matt. >> al, thank you very much. still ahead, male models on "the price is right." "today's" professionals debate that topic and more. up next paul ryan's punishing workout regimen. we'll meet the man behind it right after this. cash rewards credit card,d we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ right? get. out. exactly! really?! [ mom ] what?

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back now at 7:43. whether you're a democrat, republican, independent, there's one thing every american can agree on, it's to be healthy. vice president paul ryan talks a lot about his grueling workout routine.

kelly o'donnell finds out how he does it. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. there's one place around capitol hill that will tell you an awful lot about how paul ryan is. it's typically off limits to everyone but members of congress. i'm talking about the house gym. on most days that's where you'll find him starting at 6:00 a.m. he's doing a workout you've probably seen all over late night tv. call it extreme. we're not talking about his politics here. you won't actually see him sweat, but paul ryan loves to talk about his exercise. >> pullups, push-ups, sittups, lots of cardio, karate, jump training, yoga. >> reporter: a dedication that puts more than running in this running mate. >> i was actually a fitness trainer. i had three jobs when i came out of college, one was a fitness trainer. >> reporter: on his very first day next to mitt romney he

beamed when talked about his workout. >> what's your workout. >> insanity. >> how much can you do? >> everything called for. >> p90x and insanity generate sales and sweat. more than 5 million copies sold. this vice presidential candidate who loves crunching numbers and his abs stands 6'2" a lean 163 pounds and claims his body fat is between just 6 and 8%. ryan even leads a p90x class for a dozen members of congress. that got the attention of the expert in the video, tony horton. >> tony horton comes and works out with us every few months. >> horton might be the only guy who could coax a sleeveless ryan into showing off his guns for camera. back in the land that celebrates cheese and brats, he was active with everything from soccer to

skiing. this commitment to fitness is deeply rooted. >> my dad died when i was young. he was a good and decent man. >> reporter: ryan was a teenager when he found his 55-year-old father dead from a heart attack. like his grandfather and great grandfather who also died in their 50s, giving him an incentive, he says, to stay in shape. >> paul ryan talked quite a bit about the loss of his father relatively young age. i think it influenced his entire life, in that he is someone who is quite disciplined. >> reporter: being on the campaign trail, you know, savannah, that is not a good place to keep to an exercise and diet program. we're told he's spotted in the hotel gyms early in the morning do the the routine off his ipad. >> i guess he's more committed than we are, hitting the

doughnuts. tony horton is the creator. good morning to you. have you seen a bump in business after this? >> we've seen a mild bump, absolutely, sure. >> paul ryan loves to talk about this workout. has he a group on capitol hill, as kelly mentioned, they get together, do the p90 routine. you have visited with them. give us the lay of the land. what is that like? >> it's a blast. i've been to the congressional gym six or eight times. there they are, republicans and democrats on both sides of the aisle representing our country working together doing p90 moves. it's been an honor. >> what do you think about this program is that attracts the guys. >> it's cardio, resistance, yoga. the idea is to avoid plateaus and injuries and the kind of things that keep you from sustaining fitness. they are seeing results as members of the military and celebrities and people across the country. >> are you amazed paul ryan talks about it as much as he does.

>> we get a couple of phone calls. it's blown up. a great thing whether michelle obama with let's move campaign or paul ryan, it's nice to see more americans understand it's important. >> how did you get him to pose for that picture showing off his guns. >> after every workout we'll take pictures and sign autographs. >> it's strange i'm taking pictures with them and we want to share this thing together. it's kind of fun. >> you mentioned the first lady. she's used it as well. >> yes. i was down in florida at disney with espn working with her and her let's move campaign a couple months back. yeah, it's really nice to see that it's out there and more americans understand it's not pills and potions that solve your problems it's regular exercise and healthy eating. >> let's show a couple of things. the first thing is push-up to plank move. >> i'll just watch. >> you have the heels on. >> standard push-ups but added yoga component. we do both sides. >> throwing elbows move.

>> throwing elbows is this here. mma is the number one growing sport in america. the abs and core, you get down on the floor. >> is this the row your boat. >> row your boat. hands around. simple core move. >> last -- >> last new post activation initiation workout. what did he say? >> adding it. >> that looks hard. how do you have to do that? >> an hour and a half. no. >> get out of here, tony. >> about 30 reps. >> thank you very much tony horton. >> my pleasure. still ahead natalie try to recreate the famous photograph of charlie chaplin and the kid. huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?!

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7:55 is your time now. good morning to you. a nice start to the day. meteorologist veronica johnson tells us, though, we're not out of the clear yet in terms of the storms. veronica, good morning. >> good morning. we've got one more day here with some wet weather, especially for the afternoon hours. late afternoon and evening. we're warming up nicely now, though, with sunshine across the area. great falls, virginia, potomac coming in at 66. and it's 70 degrees in landover, maryland and mitchellville. at noontime, 79 to 84. from a lot of sunshine to more clouds rolling in. we'll see a high today of about 88 with storms for the afternoon and evening. >> we'll take a quick break and check your traffic when we come check your traffic when we come back.

i'm drinking dunkin'. i'm drinking dunkin' iced mocha. they make it exactly how i like it. medium, iced, with a turbo shot. french vanilla, hazelnut, caramel -- i love 'em all. they make it perfect every time. america runs on dunkin' coffee. seen this? mitt romney claiming the president would end welfare's work requirements? i'm barack obama and i approve this message the new york times calls it 'blatantly false' the washington post says: "the obama administration is not removing the bill's work requirements at all." in fact, obama's getting states to move twenty percent more people from welfare to work. and president clinton's reaction to the romney ad? it's just "not true." get the facts.

good morning. in the district, traveling around the capitol building, maryland avenue northeast is closed at 1st street due to police activity. and you're seeing delays in the area. montgomery county, still very slow, delays started i-95 and continue to georgia avenue. >> thank you. another news update in 25 minutes,

we're back now 8:00 on wednesday morning. it is also the 15th day of august, 2012. look at the size of the crowd that we have gathered on rockefeller plaza. they are waiting for the one and only carrie underwood who takes to our concert stage in just about a half hour. so we're looking forward to that. don't forget tomorrow we'll see hello. >> hello. >> to lionel richie when he takes center stage. and it's a rare reunion of the boy band 98 degrees. that's friday morning here on "today." meanwhile i'm matt lauer with

savannah guthrie and al roker. coming up "today's" professionals are in the house. we'll talk to them about the story of lolo jones. remember how emotional she got in her interview with you after that really rough article about her in the "new york times" just before she competed in the 100 meter hurdles. the pros will take on the question of whether that article was too harshed and was it ill timed. that's just one of the topics we'll get to. we are going to continue our series "today" in history. on monday we created that famous abbey road photo by the beelgss. yesterday matt tried to be like mike and did a pretty good job. i still can't get over the uniform. tod today natalie and her son are going to try to recreate this photo. can't wait to see molly ringwald. she's here, '80s icon turned author. can't wait to get to her. >> let's go inside. the aforementioned natalie morales has a check of the

headlines. natalie, take it away. >> thanks. verbal fireworks are echoing across the campaign trail. on tuesday vice president joe biden told a virginia audience republicans want to unchain wall street. he then added, quote, they are going to put you all back in chains. in ohio mitt romney fired back accusing president obama of running a campaign of division and anger and hate. a state of emergency has been declared in two washington state counties where a wildfire has destroyed about 70 houses since it started monday at a construction site. officials say last night that the fire was only 10% contained. about 900 people have been evacuated. wildfires are also burning in nine other states where rain has been scares. government officials say the spread of west nile virus is bad and getting worse. spreading by mosquitoes more states reporting this year because of the mild winter and spring rains allowed the

mosquito population to grow. cdc said almost 700 cases and 28 deaths this year in 32 states. about 4 million baby seats being recalled this morning because babies have been able to maneuver out of the seats and fall. there have been dozens of injuries, some of them serious. consumer should stop seeing them immediately until they get a free repair kit. for more information, go to our website, today.com. here is brian williams with what's coming up tonight on "nightly news." >> natalie, good morning. coming up tonight when we join you for "nightly news." dr. nancy snyder han has a report on an increasing challenge many of us have played, millions of americans who play the role of caregiver, especially taking care of aging parents. we'll have more on that and "nightly news." natalie, back to you. >> thanks, brian. a look at what's trending a quick roundup what has you talking online. kristen chenoweth appears to be on the mend one day after she's

off the good wife after getting hurt on the set. she was spotted in new york city wearing a neck brace. she's also undergoing physical therapy. condoleezza rice is a professor, a pianist, and now a fashion model. she's sporting a cleveland browns football jersey in the online ad for the female clothing line. she's a big football fan as well. this photo of quarterback tim tebow attracting attention online. the quarterback and christian is shirtless. some say the pose is reminiscent of jesus on the cross. it was originally taken when tebow was a college star. it's black and white with all references to the gators removed. it is 8:04 now. back to al with a check of the weather. >> who knew condoleezza rice was a member of the dog pound. carrie underwood fans? >> yes. >> looking forward to it?

perfect placement. that's fantastic. let's see what we've got for k happens to be buffalo, new york. nbc 2, wgrz on your side. partly to mostly sunny, mild, 78 degrees, as we take a look at the satellite radar, heavy rain and thunderstorms down through dallas, 30 to 50,000 people without power, there's a lot of flooding down there, rain moving out into the northeast. we've got a slight risk of strong storms, down into the southeast, portland, oregon, today, 92. within three days they're going to be at 100 degrees in portland, oregon. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. how is your morning going? i hope you've got a good start here. temperatures out there right now, again, we are warming up at 73 there, falls church at 70, sandy spring, maryland, good morning to you too coming in at 69 degrees right now shortly after 8:00. and we've got a fair amount of

sunshine, but that's not going to be lasting all day. more clouds, 79 to 84 at noontime and topping out at 88 by that's your latest weather. now back to miss guthrie. >> al, thank you. coming up next, are facebook and twitter turning you into somebody who brags too much. we'll discuss that with "today's" professionals coming up right after this. the 2-in-1, a great clean doesn't have to take long. i'm done. are you thinking what i'm thinking? ♪ give me just a little more time ♪ okay. all right. oh! [ female announcer ] the 2-in-1 swiffer sweeper uses electrostatic dry cloths to clean better than a broom. and its wet mopping cloths can clean better than a mop in half the time so you don't miss a thing. mom, have you seen my -- hey! hey! he did it. [ female announcer ] swiffer. better clean in half the time. or your money back.

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we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. ♪

[ female announcer ] with its rich, silky smooth taste there's magic in every piece of dove® dark chocolate. ♪ [ telephone rings ] how's the camping trip? well, the kids had fun, but i think i slept on a rock. ♪ the best part of wakin' up what are you doing? having coffee. ohh. ♪ is folgers in your cup we are back at 8:09 with a new installment of "today's" special. the olympics may be over but we have a gold meteorologist here. i missed you guys. >> missed you, too.

>> let's get to something that made headlines while we were away at the olympics. i want your take on this. lolo jones, the american hurdler. she's a darling of the sponsor. she's the one that clipped the second to last hurdle four years ago in beijing, failed to medal there. she's a deeply religious person, describes herself as a virgin. a couple of days before her competition in london, she was the subject of a very harsh article in "the new york times." some of the things written in the article, quote, jones has received far greater publicity than any other track and field competing in the london games. this was based not on achievement but on her exotic beauty and on a sad and cynical marketing campaign. essentially jones has decided she'll be whatever anyone wants her to be, vixen, virgin, victim, to draw attention to herself and the many products she endorses. he goes on to say, if there's a box to check off, jones has checked it, except for the small part about actually achieving olympic success as a hurdler. what do we think of this

article? >> i thought it was mean and nasty. i thought it was inappropriate two days before a united states runner or olympian is going to participate. furthermore, if being the fourth greatest hurdler in the world is something to be ashamed of, i think this guy is wrong. >> yeah but here is the tough part. you can say being fourth is great. the reality is we measure one through three. hope solo came in in the soccer, also gorgeous, sort of out there, controversial, then had two great saves. she was teetering as to whether people thought she was going to pull it off or not. the reality is, if you're really beautiful, both these women are and marketable, they are, the reality is you have to produce, one threw three. >> yes, you get a medal. but i don't think she should be made to feel she didn't accomplish anything and that's what the article says. >> i read that. when endorsers look for people. yes, achievement is one thing,

overall persona, charisma. derek jeterer, great athlete but good look guy. anna kournikova. not just the performance. it's -- >> the public editor of the "new york times" comments on content in the newspaper on regular occasions said he felt this article was too harsh. couple of their footnotes. lolo jones came on our show the morning after she competed in london and failed to medal again. she was extremely emotional with savannah. take a look. >> the fact that it was from a u.s. media like -- they should be supporting our u.s. olympic athletes, instead they ripped me to shreds. i work six days a week every day for four years for 12-second ce. the fact they just tore me apart, it was heartbreaking. >> by the way, we saw a tease with tim tebow with his shirt off. we're a visual society. broadway joe namath. if he didn't look like he did,

there's a lot of guys that won a lot more super bowls than he would. >> the journalist asked to take this back, said, no, i thought it was fair. >> knowing how important it is to anybody who did a job, how do you feel about the timing? you knew she would see this. some athletes would say this inspired me. >> if you're an athlete and performing in front of a billion people, i think a comment about commercialism. >> it was a personal attack. >> it wasn't -- >> excuse me, he said vixen, virgin, or what was the -- >> victim. >> victim. that's a personal attack. >> people talking about how many people they had or didn't have sex with. i'm a virgin, that's part of her persona. >> let me make one other footnote acknowledgement. when she said in the sound bite, she said the job of the american press is to support athletes. >> it's not the truth. we are there to cover the olympic not our team.

"the new york times" job is not to be pro usa. >> have we become a society of bragga braggarts. people tweeting what they did last night, amazing trips they take, restaurants we're eating in, we've crossed the line from informing people and being self-confident to being brart bragga braggarts. >> i call it useless information. guess what, i had a double burrito. >> i love twitter. >> like i don't have a life. >> it forces people to brag. >> i do think people brag. i can be honest. i'm very conscious of the things i say so it does not come across as look at me, look at me. i enjoy the interaction with people who i never have a chance to meet. >> something in the workplace, i say this all the time. do not be afraid to stand up and talk about your accomplishments. if you can't use a mega phone, nobody will. social media aside brag in the

workplace is a smart thing to do. >> i love twitter. >> self-confident or braggart. >> i love twitter but i drop people. i want breaking news, move a story forward. who you had lunch with is a yawn. >> the last inspired by ryan lochte. ryan lochte, obviously a well-known american swimmer, did an interview and admitted something you admitted to me, donny, in the past, that he pees in the pool. >> i mean, who hasn't. >> they are in there training for long periods of time anderson so they urinate in the pool. a survey of online viewers. before the results, how do we feel about it? medically speaking what's the problem? >> the fact is there's enough chlorine to take care of it.

>> how about the shower. >> washes down the drain. that's a good place to urinate. >> pe. in the bowl. >> do we have an age cutoff where it's socially okay? >> are you saying it's okay to pee in the pool. >> when have you? >> maybe when i was two. >> bad start. >> i just took swimming with an olympian off my book. i don't want anything to do wit. >> showers -- >> online poll of our viewers, 80% said it's okay to pee in the shower. >> how about the pool. >> nobody would say that. >> we didn't ask that. star jones, donny deutsch, dr. nancy snyder man. today in history natalie and her son try to recreate the unforgettable image of charlie chaplin and the kid right after this. the capital one cash rewards card

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[ male announcer ] monica's decided to make a quick pit stop for gas. [ engine turns over ] but it looks like she'll have to find another station to fill 'er up. no! are you kidding me?! [ male announcer ] good thing her corolla has legendary mpg, so getting there won't be a problem. another reason you can always count on corolla. from toyota. this morning we head back in time for our special series, "today" in history. on monday we stroll down abbey

road. on tuesday matt took off as air lauer. it's your turn now. >> it is my turn, so i stepped into the role of one of the most recognizable characters of all time. charlie chaplin's the tramp, is arguably one of the most famous film characters of all time. from his shabby chic ensemble to that signature walk, he inspired countless memorable images. but there is one, a publicity still from chaplain's film, "the kid" that reminds me of the funny little man in my life. >> say hi to mommy's friends. looking at that photo, first of all, i can see myself sort of looking like chaplin with all the right makeup and attire. but the kid looks exactly like my son luke, down to the chubby

cheeks and pouty face. >> sure a professional makeup crew can help us look the part, if only luke chooses to cooperate. >> can you take this off now. >> but to truly inhabit the man behind the moustache and the boy behind the kid, we have to do some tramping around of our own. i just need to get that walk of his. >> programmed in 1917 and opened in 1918. >> nearly whafl a century later his original hollywood studio still stands. this is where he made the majority of those legendary films. hidden with the quiet oasis, genius of who built it. >> here are the original gates. >> i read when he would come to work, there was a big to do. >> a ceremony. his production manager would shout, "he's here!" like the

king has arrived. >> is it true there are many days he didn't feel like coming? >> many days. inspiration didn't come, neither did he. >> inspiration stuck after a tragedy in 1920. three weeks after the death of his newborn son, chaplin happened upon a brilliant young vaudevillian. >> my father went off and started playing with a little boy. he came back and said this is the most astonishing person i've ever met in my life. >> and "the kid" was born, built as a picture with a smile and perhaps a tear, the story follows chaplin's tramp who finds an orphaned boy and lovingly raises him as his own. >> chaplin is reliving his own childhood as a kid, his feelings of loss and aabandonment of his father, taken away from his mother, all in "the kid." that was his life. >> he even recreated the slums

of his childhood for the setting of "the kid." >> this is where the sets were built. sometimes chaplin would build a set without an idea in his head as a way to buy time. >> they say chaplin would play every character if he could, each actor down to the flutter of an eye if he didn't like what they did. if he didn't like a daily he would reshoot. >> he was his own director, it was the only way he could see himself. >> jackie was only 4 years old but the perfect side kick. >> my father said jackie could bring emotion to action and action to emotion. >> there's something genuine between the two of them. they liked playing with each other and chaplin happened to be filming. >> together they made the world laugh and cry.

in the climactic scene where chaplin saves him from welfare workers they made history. >> it's the most heroic scene and the most beautiful love scene he ever shot. >> everyone loves a happy ending. "the kid" became one of the most successful films of its time, adored by millions around the world. >> they had premiered the movie, big night. my grandfather got to sit on chaplin's lap for the screening and probably fell asleep. >> coogan went on to become hollywood's first child star, though he was less successful as an adult. it was reborn at age 50 when the world's cutest kid became one of the world's best monsters, uncle fester in the adam's family. but the duo never worked together again. my side kick may not have spent his formative years in vaudeville. but after mastering funny faces

101, this kid is ready to remake history. >> are you ready? >> i'm ready. >> sort of. >> hold onto your knee like this. what is that, mad face, angry face? >> mad face. >> mad face. >> ready, here we go. >> there you go. >> luke kept his cool long enough to snap that famous photo. them like chaplain, they let him improvise, because you just can't take the kid out of the kid. >> love it. >> so how did we do. drum roll, please, as we reveal the photo. this is the original, as you see, from "the kid." and here we are. >> that's great. >> that's spectacular. >> pretty good. >> great keepsake for you guys, too. >> i smell christmas card. >> luke was amazing. he didn't have a naphtha day. >> how about you? >> i needed a nap after that but it was great.

great job, natalie. good morning, it's 8:26 on this wednesday, august 15th. and our headlines in about 90 minutes martin o'malley will be signing a gambling expansion bill into law. it will have to be approved by voters. a domestic dispute being blamed for a fire overnightment one person taken to the hospital and millions expected to buy tickets today for tonight's $320 million power ball drawing. we'll check your weather coming up next.

and welcome back. veronica johnson here. clouds have started moving into the area. we've gone from bright sunshine to some filtered sunshine right now. temperatures across the area from 70 to 76 degrees. 70 to our north right now in montgomery county and down around manassas and prince williams county. 79 to 84 degrees at lunch hour.

the high today 88 degrees and those clouds will deliver some showers and storms. the afternoon, any time after 2:00 p.m. up until about 8:00 p.m. this evening. aaron? >> thank you. another update coming your way in about 25

8:30 this wednesday morning. we have a big, excited, enthusiastic crowd on the plaza this morning. mere moments country music star carrie underwood. i'm savannah guthrie alongside

savannah guthrie, al roker. >> actually, natalie, you have an exclusive interview coming up tomorrow. >> i'm headed to graceland, the home of elvis presley. on the 35th anniversary of his death i'm going to sit down with lisa marie presley and priscilla presley and have that interview for you. we'll have that live. >> meantime we all remember some of the biggest movies in the '80s, thought brat pack movies. molly ringwald is here but in a different role this time, that as author. >> we're going to catch up with two big winners from these last olympics. allison brought him medals, recognize swimmer nathan adrian who has three medals to his name including gold in the 100 meter freestyle. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> allison, when last we left you you had won one gold medal, next we know you have three gold medals. >> i was a little busy.

aid great time. so much fun with my teammates and happy to come away with three golds. >> we did a poll, your win in the freestyle rated the number one race of the olympic games. how do you feel about that? >> that's incredible. that's a really big honor. i had no idea that came about. you know, i was on the right side of 1/100th of a second. feels good. >> the relay medal, helped add to michael phelps the last medal of his career. >> that gives me goose bumps just talking about it. it was such an other than and a fun experience to be a part of his last relay and his last medal at the olympics. >> the 200 meter. in athens you won silver, in beijing you won bronze. what was the difference this time eight years later? >> i feel like i could finally put it together. i used those experiences of being defeated just to motivate me throughout the year. of course to all come together

which is so, so special. >> you both have talked about the support that the crowds in great britain gave to their home athletes. so talk to me a little about the support you both have gotten since you've been hoe home here in the states. >> it's been amazing. people just giving you hugs, just so much love. you just really feel that support and encouragement. >> yeah, absolutely. it's a matter of people, you know thanking us for representing the country. it's such an honor to say i represented team usa at the olympics. >> how is rio looking for you both? >> i'm excited about it. >> are you there? >> absolutely. i was excited the second the dancers got on stage at the opening ceremonies. >> different deal. busted. >> it's going to be exciting seeing the -- >> awkward. guess we will see the dancers in rio in 2015. congratulations. >> you can take a nice moment

and just -- >> you guys. >> mr. roker? >> all right. let's see what we have for you. starting with today. we expect to see plenty of sunshine out west. look at the heat in the pacific northwest, 80s and 90s, a risk of strong storms in the river valley, also northeast and down into the southeast. for tomorrow, the mid mississippi river valley, tennessee river valley seeing a risk of strong storms, sizzling weather southwest into the rockies and the pacific northwest. and lingering showers up through new england. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. and right here, some high clouds have already started moving our way. temperatures, though, still heading up, 76 degrees, reagan national airport, your humidity at 69%. so it's a bit humid out there. not high humidity. we don't have anything really to report much of anything on the radar right now. there will be some showers and storms coming our way later. showers and storms with downpours, wind possible along and east of i-95.

the main area from 88 to 90 tomorrow, beautiful sunshine coming our way thursday. don't forget get your weather any time you need, weather channel.com. when we come back, natalie will sit down with molly ringwald, talk about her new book and a concert on the plaza from carrie underwood. but first this is "today" on nbc.

molly ringwald was the it girl in the '80s, the breakfast club, pretty in pink, landing on the cover of "time" magazine. in recent years she added a new role, writer. "what's happened to you." >> good morning. >> goes without saying i grew up watching you, we're of the same

generation. little did i know all this time you were a writer in addition to being an actress, even as far back as "the breakfast club." >> i was writing all along but it was my little dark secret. >> you have been writing all this time. i know you released a book a couple years ago. this is your first attempt at fiction to be published. is it just it was kind of intimidating to take on this? >> i think so. when you're known for one thing and known pretty well for that one thing, it's hard to think that other people are going to accept what you do. there's a lot of things i do. i write, sing jazz. when i turned 40, i said i can't pay attention to other people's preconceived notions. i have to do what matters to me and writing really matters a lot. >> i read somewhere you feel people kind of have low expectations of what an actress can do as a writer? >> there's not that many

actresses, really none that i can think of, that write literary fiction. it is sort of an anomaly. it surprises people. people don't know what to expect. so far it's been really well received. that makes me feel good. >> did you really write a little importance of it on your iphone? that right there is quite impressive? >> you know, when you're an actress and a mother, i'm a mother of three, i'm a little challenged for time. i found myself on a set. when you're on a film set, you have a lot of downtime. all i had with me was my phone. i started taking notes. then i kept taking notes and taking notes. sort of by the end of the day i had a skeleton or structure of the title story. >> the concept of your book is really interesting. it's short stories but interconnected, so they are related. the common theme is betrayal. >> yes. >> now, what could appeal to you about that? >> i think what initially appealed to me is just the universality of it. i was trying to think of something that connects us all.

i don't think there's one person that can say they haven't been betrayed or betrayed someone or betrayed themselves. i just thought it was a very rich subject to write about. i just tried to come at it from every different angle. it's just very human. i'm really interested in writing about human im perfection, because i think that's what makes us interesting. >> there's a range of stories and situations in the book. because people know you, they will be looking for anything that may be autobiographical. will they find it? >> i think i take a little bit from me and i take from others. it's just sort of what you do when you write fiction. you observe a lot. you imagine a lot. it's the same thing that i do when i'm acting. i've never been a method actor, in that i've never had to go through something. if i'm playing a drug addict, i don't feel compelled to go out and do drugs. it's the same from fiction. you take from everywhere. it's not my life. it's very fiction. very invented. >> as we mentioned, you will

forever be associated with those movies "the breakfast club," "pretty in pink," "sixteen candles." i want to check in on this. is the brat pack a hated phrase? >> it's reductive. in other ways i'm proud of it. i'm really proud of those movies. it's a little heavy to have a whole era sit on your shoulders sometimes. but i'm glad they are good movies. i have a lot of fondness for them. >> you've got kids. would you ever want them to go in the business? you started pretty early yourself? >> no. as adults. i want them to have as normal of a childhood as you possibly k there's a lot of rejection. i was really lucky. there's a lot of rejection in the business. i just want them to be kids for as long as possible. then if they want to pursue it as an adult i'll do whatever i can to support them. >> since we're an author of literary fiction, should we do a

little literary critique. i heard you heard "50 shades of grey" and didn't think the world of its literary quality? >> i took issue with what it said about women. it went so far away from how i was raised, which is i can always take care of myself. my parents said, you need to get an education. you need to work. never depend on anyone else. it's just -- that's the thing i found most horrifying about it. >> a little cheesy, too. >> a little cheesy. >> molly ringwald, thank you so much. we want to remind everyone, "when it happens to you." >> carrie under wood on nbc. [ male announcer ] you paid in to medicare for years.

every paycheck. now, when you need it obama has cut $716 billion dollars from medicare. why? to pay for obamacare. so now the money you paid for your guaranteed healthcare is going to a massive new government program that's not for you. the romney-ryan plan protects medicare benefits for today's seniors and strengthens the plan for the next generation. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. our crowd has been waiting

all morning for carrie underwood to perform. now she's going to be her 15th number one single called "good girl." ladies and gentlemen, here is carrie underwood. ♪ hey, good girl with your head in the clouds ♪ ♪ i bet you i can tell you what you're thinkin' about ♪ ♪ you'll see a good boy gonna give you the world ♪ ♪ but he's gonna leave you cryin' ♪ ♪ with your heart in the dirt ♪ ♪ his lips are dripping honey but he'll sting you like a bee ♪ ♪ so, lock up all your loving go and throw away the key ♪ ♪ hey, good girl get out while you can ♪ ♪ i know you think you got a good man ♪ ♪ why, why you gotta be so blind? ♪

♪ won't you open up your eyes? ♪ ♪ it's just a matter of time till you find ♪ ♪ he's no good, girl no good for you ♪ ♪ you better get to getting on ♪ ♪ your good-bye shoes and go, go, go ♪ ♪ better listen to me he's low, low, low ♪ ♪ hey, good girl you got a heart of gold ♪ ♪ you want a white wedding and a hand you can hold ♪ ♪ just like you should, girl like every good girl does ♪ ♪ want a fairy-tale ending somebody to love ♪ ♪ but he's really good at lying ♪ ♪ yeah, he'll leave you in the dust ♪ ♪ 'cause when he says forever well, it don't mean much ♪ ♪ hey, good girl so good for him ♪

♪ better back away, honey you don't know where he's been ♪ ♪ why, why you gotta be so blind? ♪ ♪ won't you open up your eyes? ♪ ♪ it's just a matter of time till you find ♪ ♪ he's no good, girl no good for you ♪ ♪ you better get to getting on ♪ ♪ your good-bye shoes and go, go, go ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, he's low yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ he's no good, girl why can't you see? ♪ ♪ he'll take your heart and break it ♪ ♪ listen to me yeah ♪ ♪ why, why you gotta be so blind? ♪

♪ won't you open your eyes? ♪ ♪ it's just a matter of time till you find ♪ ♪ he's no good he's no good ♪ ♪ won't you open up your eyes? ♪ ♪ it's just a matter of time till you find ♪ ♪ he's no good, girl he's no good for you ♪ ♪ you better get to getting on your good-bye shoes ♪ we'll have more music from carrie underwood in a moment. but first this is "today" on nbc.

you may have heard by now carrie underwood won "american idol" back in 2005. she proved she's no flash in the pan. she's had 15 number one hits. she sold 15 albums and won five grammy awards. her latest cd "blown away" was on the charts for five consecutive weeks. carrie underwood, great to see you. welcome back. >> thank you. >> you have grown so much as a performer. i watch you out here. also as a songwriter. i know that's important to you?

>> it is. it's all part of the package. coming off of "american idol" and being able to go on tour and being able to give song writing a shot. now i'm a few albums in and a few tours in and i feel like things just keep getting better. >> you co-wrote eight of the songs on the album. when i mention "american idol," i don't know if you're tired of hearing about it. did you ever imagine how it would change your life? >> i don't think anybody could have predicted what's happened since then. there's nothing about my life that's the same as it was before. what an amazing blessing and opportunity i got. i've gotten to do so much since then and i'm still loving it. >> i was reading an article, as we tend to do, about you last night. one of the things you said is you're kind of shy and a bit of a home body. as you get set to go on this huge national tour, how do you square those things, a very public tour being shy and a home body. >> making the bus at home as

much as possible is important and having a lot of my things, just little things like sheets i'm used to, my dogs running around. it's nice to have those little comforts. >> i want to say something i think is really nice. you're donating a dollar from every ticket you sell on the tour to the american red cross and canadian red cross. >> all the shows in america a dollar goes to the american red cross. in canada the same. >> very nice. before i let you sing again. by the way, they are still looking for a judge on "american idol." are you interested in that? >> between my tour schedule and everything, i haven't been asked, i don't know when that would be possible. i'm looking forward to see whoever they do get locked in as a judge. >> we're looking forward to hearing you again. what are you going to sing? >> blown away. >> ladies and gentlemen, carrie underwood. ♪ dry lightning cracks across the skies ♪

♪ those storm clouds gather in her eyes ♪ ♪ daddy was mean ole mister ♪ ♪ momma was an angel in the ground ♪ ♪ the weather man called for a twister ♪ ♪ she prayed blow it down ♪ ♪ there's not enough rain in oklahoma ♪ ♪ to wash the sins out of that house ♪ ♪ there's not enough wind in oklahoma ♪ ♪ to rip the nails out of the past ♪ ♪ shatter every window till it's all blown away ♪ ♪ every brick, every board every slamming door flown away ♪ ♪ till there's nothing left standing ♪ ♪ nothing left to yesterday every tear-soaked ♪

♪ whiskey memory blown away blown away ♪ blown away ♪ blown away ♪ ♪ she heard those sirens screaming out ♪ ♪ her daddy laid there passed out on the couch ♪ ♪ she locked herself in the cellar ♪ ♪ listened to the screaming of the wind ♪ ♪ some people called it taking shelter ♪ ♪ she called it sweet revenge ♪ ♪ shatter every window till it's all blown away ♪ ♪ every brick, every board every slamming door flown away ♪ ♪ till there's nothing left standing ♪ ♪ nothing left to yesterday every tear-soaked ♪

♪ whiskey memory blown away blown away ♪ ♪ there's not enough rain in oklahoma ♪ ♪ to wash the sins out of that house ♪ ♪ there's not enough wind in oklahoma ♪ ♪ to rip the nails out of the past ♪ ♪ shatter every window till it's all blown away ♪ every brick, every board ♪ ♪ every slamming door flown away ♪ till there's nothing ♪ ♪ left standing nothing left to yesterday ♪ ♪ every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away ♪ ♪ blown away

blown away ♪ ♪ blown away 8:56 is your time now on this wednesday, august 15th, 2012. taking a look at some of the local stories we're following. maryland governor martin o'malley is about to sign into law a bill that expands gambling in the state. virginia state workers will be getting a 3% bonus this december. governor bob mcdonnell will make

that announcement today. and redskins training camp is over. the team will practice today, but fans are not allowed at redskins park. wh i'm barack obama and i approve this message seen this? mitt romney claiming the president would end welfare's work requirements? the new york times calls it 'blatantly false' the washington post says: "the obama administration is not removing the bill's work requirements at all."

in fact, obama's getting states to move twenty percent more people from welfare to work. and president clinton's reaction to the romney ad? it's just "not true." get the facts.

and welcome back, some high clouds have moved in. and it's dry outside, we're going to see rain from clouds coming our way for the afternoon and evening hours. 78 your temperature currently. north wind at 12 miles per hour. a tad humid. more humidity at least you'll feel it later today. any time after about 2:00 p.m. and lasting until about mid evening, until about 8:00, maybe 9:00 p.m. and the storms could bring downpours too. >> thank you. we'll have more news in 25 minutes, but for now

today on wednesday morning, august 15th, 2012. we had a concert from carrie underwood. thanks so much. great to have you here. good luck with the tour. i'll going toell people there's more music from carrie in a few minutes. i know people want to say hi to you. >> i didn't know matt knew all the words to that song. >> i do know the words. out on the plaza i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie and al roker. as i mentioned more from carrie coming up. also jills steals and deals.

she's in the studio, 75% savings on a lot of items, something for everyone. >> in just a little bit, it's time for kids to go back to school, if they haven't already started. you have to get back to school checkups. what do you need, what tests should they be having. we'll run it down for you. >> this week on the plaza, we want you to tell us what you remember about the concert, say what your first concert was then do the #first concert. do responses on the air and i'll tweet mine out. >> give usa hands. >> thompson twins, circa 1986. do you remember? >> bowtie. >> you are old? >> sir elton john. >> i thought you were going to say frank sinatra. >> nice. >> let's go inside. natalie morales with the news headlines. >> good morning matt, savannah and al. angry words on the campaign

trail. it started on tuesday when biden said republicans wan to unchain wall street as biden put it. he added, they are going to put y'all back in chains. mitt romney called the comment outrageous, said this is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like. wildfires are devastating several hot, dry states in the west. one of the worst is in washington state where some 70 homes have burned and hundreds of people there have been evacuated. a fire in southern california has burned more than 3,000 acres and forced evacuations there as well. emergency crews on the scene of a freight train derailment in eastern kansas outside kansas city. officials say 22 cars hauling grain went off the tracks. several cars landed in a river. there are no reports of injuries. about 4 million bum bo baby seats are recalled this morning because babies have been able to maneuver out of the seats and fall. there have been dozens of

injuries, some serious. consers should stop using the seats immediately until they get a free repair kit. for more information visit our website, to do a.com. young undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children can begin applying today to a new program. it's estimated 1 million immigrants between 15 and 31 are eligible. investigators are searching for the cause of a house explosion tuesday that killed a baby boy and injured 14 people on long island, new york. five police officers and two firefighters were among those hospitalized. a town official said the building had been illegally converted into a rooming house and the owner had been cited for numerous code violations in the past. reality tv star evelyn losada filed for divorce from chad ochocinco claiming their marriage is irretrievably broken.

he was arrested last weekend for allegedly assaulting his wife. he was cut by the miami dolphins hours later. kim kardashian, as you have never seen her, wearing a prison jumpsuit. she's a top search on yahoo!. she's not a jail bird just a promotional shot for drop dead diva where kim's character ends up behind bars. and famed chef and author julia child is being remembered today on what would have been her 100th birthday. pbs put together a remake of the best of julia child called "keep on cooking." >> freshness is essential. ♪ that makes all the difference ♪ makes me feel at home bring on the roasted potatoes bringing on ♪ ♪ this is what good cooking is all about ♪ >> she sounds so good in auto tune. julia child's, by the way died

just short of her 92nd birthday. her cookbooks are helping americans keep on cooking today. it is now five minutes past the hour. let's go back out to al with a check of the weather. >> i love that. that is so fantastic. got some friends here. where are you from? >> southbury. >> southbury, connecticut. >> very good. thank you. >> just moved. >> just moved so you're not quite sure. >> got it. there you go. i know the feeling. my parents moved twice, dhat we as kwlour weather today. we are looking at this typical jet stream pattern. normally a high pressure ridge through the south. well, this year it's a huge upper level ridge, much of the country under it, and that's why we're seeing this drought of 2012. look at the areas of extreme drought through the midwest, into the southeast, and the rainfall deficits also tell the story beside the temperatures, oklahoma city 3 1/2 inches below, kansas city almost 11 inches below, atlanta almost 7 1/2 inches. it'll take them 12 inches of rain in atlanta to get back to

normal. almost 12 inches in kansas city, 13 inches in oklahoma. little rock would be close to 16 inches of rain to end the drought. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> we saw some scattered storms yesterday. we're going to see some more scattered storms today. welcome back, everybody. meteorologist veronica johnson here. look outdoors, we've got high clouds that have moved in. take a look at the satellite and radar. you can see the clouds advancing eastward here. partly cloudy to mostly cloudy type of day coming to us. temperature at 78 degrees right now. will be going up to a high today of 88 with afternoon showers and storms the best chance of 2:00 p.m. and lasting through the evening or at least part of the and that's your latest weather. nat. ♪ check it out >> thank you, al. back now with our popular segment jill's steals and deals. great items at deeply discounted

prices exclusively for you our "today" show viewers. jill is back with us from across the pond to walk us through the offers. >> good morning. >> let's get through it, talk about what we have today but first remind us how it works. >> exciting day. go to today.com. all these offers will be there. link you to the retailer's website. deals will be there for 24 hours. they have been sold out in seconds. >> i imagine london steals and deals are a new hit. >> now everyone can watch in new robes. >> pure fiber, 100% organic cotton, great colors. >> they are $77. as you said 100% organic cotton. they come in a variety of colors, seven colors. go on the website, pick what you want. great for gifts. obviously the retail $77. the deal $23. that's 70% off. >> good for guest room, have them in there, extras, always nice. moving on over here, a huge hit. this is the four-piece set from murad. tell us what all this includes.

thiss a great skin care company. >> so excited to get this. they don't discount a lot. retail $157.45. you get four products. you see the kit right here, cleanser, wrinkle reducer, which is the company's best serial, perfecting day cream and primer you use. >> i love the primer. >> i love the whole line. >> select fans include you, katherine mcfee and our producer is a big fan. reteal $157.45, $49, 60% off. >> good travel sizes, too. >> comes in this box if you want it for a gift. easy to put a bow around it. >> next. we always like jewelry you brought leather bracelets from skinny. top seller for this brand, as i understand. >> i'm wearing it now, skinny equestrian. 18 carrot gold, cognac, ivory, black band. you see the options here. i stack them. i think they are fun. select fans jessica alba, sold

in boutiques like hendry bendel. $120, $29 each. 70% off. >> love those. >> they come in the box with a bow, already wrapped. >> makes life easy. let's move over here to housewares. these are great candlestick holders or flower hollers these vases by oppose lent treasures. >> these are two differ things. i'll start with this one, retail $150. hopefully we'll all be entertaining come fall. these are three candle holders that come in a set. three different heights. great for a long table or use them separately. draped with faceted beads and teardrop crystals, antique gold or silver. glass votives are included. that's the first situation. three of them. the next one, also $150. only one, see this big thing here, a centerpiece with four votive cups and hurricane vase in the center. two ways, a giant candle or

flowers. how pretty that is. retail $150, deal $45. that's 70% off. >> okay. then finally this may be the biggest hit of all. digital cameras from vivitar. they come in two different styles, three colors. >> that's cool. >> we can take a picture and actually see ourselves. see? >> perfect. >> comes out like that. >> vivitar itwist digital cameras, retail $140 there's two different versions. you see one is a little slimmer but they basically do the same thing. you have the viewer here. you can flip it down, see the picture you're taking or flip it out and take a -- >> 12 megapixel resolution. >> i can't even believe i was able to say that. technologically not savvy, retail $140, deal $52. that's 63% off. if you need a digital camera, this is a great one. i've one practicing. >> we know how much digital

cameras, they break easily, great to have backups. jill martin, let's review again, pure fiber roens, murad skin care, skinny leather bracelets, oppose lent treasure candle holders and bouquet and vivitar digital cameras. for more on these products go to today.com, coupon code. if you have questions as well, submit them there, too. coming up next, back to school checkups, what you need to know. we're also getting physical with summer concert star carrie underwood. first these messages. ♪ olive garden's never ending pasta bowl is back. endless combinations of pasta and sauce for just $9.95. plus, unlimited sausage, chicken, and meatballs for just $2.95 more. the never ending pasta bowl,

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frosted mini wheats cereal. >> this morning in "today's" classroom, the physical exam before school starts. here with the checklist, a pediatrician and spokesperson for american academy of pediatrics. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> we were talking before we started this. i was saying i got my kid's physical for camp. you said that's all well and good but you might want to do something more in-depth and dig a little deeper. >> exactly. school physicals aren't just for kids that need school forms filled out, camp forms and sports physicals. there's real value in seeing your pediatrician and having them examine not only your child from head to toe but their entire world. go over how they are doing physically, socially, behaviorally. >> there's certain mandated well child and checkups. what happens in those. >> first we do check the vital signs. height and weight are important. i want to make sure every child is growing two inches a year. i'll discuss body mass index with parent and child to make sure weight to height ratio is

important. i'll ask what they ate for breakfast but the mom will check in, today isn't a typical day for us. i want to make sure they are getting fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy products. >> a lot of kids are worrying, when they go, are they getting shots. >> that's one thing to check, vaccines are important. >> kids starting off going to kindergarten. what are we looking for? >> a big topic is kindergarten readiness. is your child ready? can they sit still, listen to directions. they get excited when i ask them to write on a table paper with crayon all over. we talk about is your child ready to start or benefit from junior kindergarten many are doing. >> blood work, tb. >> evaluate for risk factors. oftentimes we'll do a quick finger poke, led, cholesterol, a screening is important. >> at this point booster shots if you need them? >> for kindergarten most students do need various

vaccines. rubella, booster, polio. >> you're a parent, you want to opt out of these shots, does that keep your kid from going to school? >> i strongly recommend all students are vaccinated. it's very important especially when they are in close quarters in school sharing school supplies. really an annual flu vaccine is the best way to introduce where kids should be. >> moving into elementary school. is it pretty much the same as kindergarten or now you're introducing some other issues like bullying and things like that. >> exactly. as kids get older, there are other things i want to look for. wasn't to talk about bullying, internet safety. i ask are parents limiting the amount of media time their kids get, is the computer in a central location. i recommend all families have an electronic curfew, an hour or two before bedtime all media gets turned offer. >> now we're talking about personal hygiene. >> as kids get older, especially boys, they need a shower every

day. washing your face is very important. you're headed into those years where pimples may pop up. >> head into middle school, junior high, what changes. >> middle school, parents and students are surprised there are more vaccines they may need. tdap, whooping cough, also a seriousness illness of brain and spinal cord, hp v human papilloma that protects against several types of cancer. >> also looking at puberty now. >> i talk to girls at puberty. i recommend they pack something in their backpack in case they need at. >> high school, other than physical exams, this is where you talk privately, private issues with kids without mom and dad in the room. >> i will ask the parents step out, let high schoolers have time to discuss any personal issues they want to with me confidentially. i think this is really important. i find that often when we discuss things whether what's going on at home, at school.

we do talk about sex, drugs and alcohol. i discuss risks with them. i find after discussing it with me, often they are more open to going and talking to parents. >> as parents if you have a high schooler and have that talk with them, at what point do you as the pediatrician say i know i've got this issue and this relationship with this student, but i have to say something to their parent. >> so everything the student tells me is confidential unless i truly feel they are a threat to themselves or somebody else, then i do let them know i need to get help. >> great advice. doctor, thank you so much. >> thank you, al. still ahead, cooking up the best of the season. first these messages. [ mini ] ah, the first day of school.

new pencils, new books... new backpack...looks good. just trying to look our best. gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh we had a good breakfast, so we're ready. gonna be another great year, huh guys?! you bet your 8 layers! yeah! long distance high 5. whoa! oh, careful. hey, watch it. [ female announcer ] packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains, kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full and focused all morning long. now available in touch of fruit raspberry. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused.

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earlier this hour we asked you to tweet your first concert for "today's" hashtag. just seconds. >> thompson twins in tucson, arizona. remember that. >> hold me now. a good song. a song you and i love, "true." spandau ballet, madrid, spain. 14 years old. reminds me of slow dances in junior high. >> reminds me of standing in the corner in junior high. >> mine were more subtle, sublime. soupy sales, august 1965, singer bowl at the world's fairgrounds in queens, new york. top ten hit with the mouse. >> we got a lot of great responses. new kids on the block, wooster, massachusetts from meredith. >> 3 ice cubes said first concert new kids on the block when i was seven. they were late and i was asleep.

>> just bought myself and the girlfriend tickets to the script. safe to say i'm buzzing. >> had them on last week in london. a couple others, britney spears when i was five and rode there in a limo from aj marquez. >> pretty good. spice girls. christina said my first concert was the spice girl in 1998. i remember seeing so many girls dressed in platform shoes. >> you guys were excited about the reunion. >> what we really, really wanted. >> hopefully they will continue it. >> won't that be a dream come true. >> it would. >> every since the first record you've been waiting and waiting. >> oh man. >> come on. >> yeah, come on. >> who was your favorite spice girl. do you even know the spice girls. >> none of them. >> scottos cooking up the freshest foods of the season. >> one more song from carrie underwood coming up after your local news and weather.

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good morning, it's 9:26 on this wednesday, august 15th. and our headlines in just half an hour, maryland governor martin o'malley will sign a gambling expansion bill into law. it allows for table games and a casino that will have to be approved by voters. police investigating a murder of a 23-year-old man found shot to death in forestville. and millions expected to buy tickets today for tonight's $320 million power ball drawing. weather's coming up next.

happy wednesday, everybody. here's some filtered sunshine now across the area. partly cloudy skies for us as some high clouds have moved in where it's 78 degrees, reagan national airport. it's a bit humid. we're going to see humidity increase and we're going to see

from those clouds that move in some showers later today, probably after 2:00. could even see some isolated thunderstorms that bring heavy rain. your high today 88. so it's going to be warm. even warmer, but at least nice i'm barack obama and i approve this message seen this? mitt romney claiming the president would end welfare's work requirements? the new york times calls it 'blatantly false' the washington post says: "the obama administration is not removing the bill's work requirements at all." in fact, obama's getting states to move twenty percent more people from welfare to work. and president clinton's reaction to the romney ad? it's just "not true." get the facts.

♪ >> that is lionel richie performing his number one single from 1983 "all night long." just to let you know all morning long tomorrow the grammy award winning legend takes our morning stage as part of our summer series week long event. >> almost cosby looking. >> remember we still have one more song from grammy winner carrie underwood singing one of her biggest hits just ahead. don't forget friday the reunion of the boy band 98 degrees. >> who can forget that. meantime just ahead, beauty on the go, whether you're at work all day or out with the kids all

day, we've got the must have products to have you looking your best in just minutes. >> then they always look their best and their food always tastes the best, the scotto family using the freshest seafood and veges of the summer to whip audiotape three-course italian feast. >> we get to eat today. >> let's get a check of the weather. >> first of all today, we've got m new england down orms along into charleston. we've also got a slight risk in the mississippi river valley. heat continues in the pacific northwest and stretches into the southwest. tomorrow, we're looking at a risk of strong storms in tennessee and ohio river valleys, going to be hot from the pacific northwest into the southwest. portland, oregon, by thursday will be looking at a high near 100 degrees. look for warm weather in the mid-atlantic states down into the gulf coast. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, everyone. meteorologist veronica johnson here. right now in georgetown, you're at 78 degrees right now.

we've got 73, we've got 76 for the south and east around waldorf and la plata. today's high about 88, to around 90 degrees. more clouds than yesterday, but showers and storms especially east of i-95 from about 2:00 p.m. till that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. coming up next, beauty on the go for women on the go right after this.

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>> "today's" working woman is

brought to you by mcdonald's. i'm lovin' it. this morning on "today's" working woman, quick beauty tricks. it can be hard to juggle a beauty routine with the demands of work and kids. the beauty editor of cosmopolitan for latinas make all you need for looking your best fast. >> good morning, natalie. >> started with that dreaded morning routine. a lot of us adopt have a lot of time to get out the door and don't have a lot of sleep. a way to reduce the puffy eye and make eyes look the brightest. blue eyeliner. >> i always tell women it's better than taking a nap. just because the blue, navy blue, it will bring out the whites of your eye. the contrast between the blue and white makes eyes pop, look much more awake. blue counter-acts red. a great trip. >> you have blue eye liners on. two different price points, two different liners. >> i love mali, very creamy, soft, soft blue.

a great product. kim kardashian's makeup artist is the one that told me to try mali eye liners, really great. >> eye cream, essential part of any routine, morning, day or night. two kinds of eye cream. >> just fy, refrigerator rate your eye cream. that's important. the rule of physicses, cold contracts molecules, heat extracts them. put something cold, almost immediately they will depuff. put room temperature on, depuff all day. >> keep in the refrigerator, plus feels great. >> this feels great. this is lancome's eye illuminating serum. feel that. >> feels nice and cool going on. >> stainless steel. >> perfect. >> feels amazing. >> l'oreal makes a stainless steel tip. >> it's metal. it contains caffeine, collagen boosters, really, really great one, too. >> this is something, a must have in everybody's purse. bb cream. seems like everybody has this

out now, every line. >> smash box is really great, just because they were one of the first brands to embrace women of color, added five shades, a lot for a bb cream. most are like one or two shades. they are really great because they offer four functions in one. foundation, primer, spf, moisturizer. you just need that one step and you're really good to go. >> perfect. >> mabel lean has a good one as well. >> products that last for 15, 24 hours, that's great. you don't have to touch up. >> i like tart's blurbs. i'm taken a yoga class and it lasts. >> you're blushing when you finish, don't need one. >> light to heavy, a really great product. i love glossy stains from ysl, stay on all day.

l'oreal, in fallible eyeliner, great for your finger, the woman on the go if you want to create a quick look. >> all this guaranteed to last. over here if you don't have time to wash hair every day, every other day. a lot of people use dry shampoos, powders and spray forms. >> i love the dry texturizing product. it's a sbra. literally as soon as you apply it on your hair, get major, major volume, absorbs all oil at the roots, a great product. it does contain alcohol. some may not want to use that. you may want the all-nighter. the reason i like it so much, color matched to your hair. if you have red hair, i use the one for black hair, great product, 100% natural. >> not the white residue. >> make you look like dandruff. i don't like that either. >> then wipes. these you say are necessary on the nightstand, for your nighttime routine. >> adult acne is up, natalie, big, big time. many dermatologists think it's because women are sleeping with

their makeup on. fact is i've done it before and woken up and got zits from doing that. my tip, keep them on the nightstand. if you're exhausted, grab a wipe and clean your face. >> easy to do. i love the last tip. sick pi silk pillow case. >> it's more gentle than cotton. it has a coarse texture, frizzy hair, bed head, you spend time on your hair.appen with silk, s tightly woven together, no friction, glides. maintain shine, hair style. >> good for skin, anti-aging. >> very anti-aging. cotton leaves creases on your face which eventually turn into wrinkles. >> thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. coming up neck, a seasonal feast with the first familia of

italian cooking the scottos after these messages. are you a fan of demoisier? uh, um... [ thinking ] demois-a-who? okay, you can't get by on just your looks forever. okay. [ thinking ] you just ordered a premium roast coffee and a savory sausage mcmuffin for only a dollar each off mcdonald's dollar menu at breakfast. so you know you're smart. he has a certain... je ne sais quoi, you know? [ speaking french ] yeah. oh, yeah. all the time. [ male announcer ] the simple joy of being smart. can febreze defeat the smelly air in their gym for good? [ inhales deeply ] a lot of flowers. it's on the zingy side of floral. [ male announcer ] success. victory over odors, here and in your home. febreze. breathe happy.

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this morning on cooking with the scotto family, we're taking advantage of the summer. here is anthony, elena of the new york restaurant fresco by scotto. good to see everybody. this the best time to be cooking. >> the best, the best products. >> mom is doing desert. >> i'm going in the back. >> i'm not used to this. >> they want to start with the freshest, so they chose me. exactly. exactly. >> first before we show how to do this, what is this? >> making the most of what's in your garden and what's in the stores right now, fresh

watermelon and peaches with a little bit of watercress and a mosscat vinegarette. >> pesto. >> arugula. >> actually basil but we'll toss it with arugula. anyway, we do our basil, add in -- you know the drill, add in pine nuts and parmesan, garlic, sorry for the mess. >> takes a couple minutes. the great thing is if you don't use cheese you can freeze it in little ice trays and use it over the winner. >> we have pesto, farfale. add in zucchini. here is arugula, nice peppery flavor. tomatoes are fabulous right now. if you can hand me the salt over there. toss this up.

add a little more parmesan cheese. thank you. this is what it will look like. a wonderful way to start your meal. >> next. >> next we're doing fish here, a whole fish dish. not a lot of cooking involved. >> very quick. the longest part of this is actually potatoes we're blanching off now. >> reduceetussett potatoes. >> fish, red snapper, i did it a little thicker because by the time the clams open up, they will be cooked. >> do it together. >> unfortunately this time of year it's coming in frozen, not treasure. it's cooked already. add tomato sauce to this. if you don't mind a little whooi white wine, a little lemon juice. do a little salt for me, i'll do the pepper. >> how long.

>> fifteen to twenty minutes. look like this. parsley. olive oil, absolutely delicious. >> looks fantastic. >> pretty good. >> you are speed demons today. we have so much time to talk about desert. >> they knew i was last but the best. >> okay. >> so now we're doing fried nutella ravioli. it's fabulous. you do ravioli do, add cocoa and water, make it a paste, roll it into the dough. here it comes. what we start with is an egg white around the sides, so it sticks. get our nutella. >> love. >> right there. >> i always have to do more than they tell me. they say a tablespoon. do i two. you know, they call me mrs.

more, because i always have to do more. so then we cut it so that the ravioli has a nice design and we put it in the saute pan with oil. these have been frying. >> now, do they float like other raviolis. >> you know, it's really like a minute on each side, al. >> did you dust them with a little powdered sugar over here. >> we do. we dusted them with powdered sugar. we'll do that now. >> don't jump the gun. >> what's this, mom? >> and, of course, it's marscapone cheese we use with sugar, vanilla, a dip. >> eat this whole bowl of nutella. >> you add some hazelnut, by the way. >> are you okay?

>> uh-huh. >> yeah. >> i don't want to double dip. >> double dip. we're all family. >> watch out for the cocoa that i just inhaled. >> you've outdone yourself. >> recipes are today.com. up next, carrie underwood gets our country crowd moving. but first "today."

>> the scottos are a big lionel richie fan and they are a fan. maybe he'll come for dinner tomorrow. then 98 degrees. carrie underwood has one more song for us from hit her album "blown away."

♪ ♪ that i dug my key ♪ ♪ into the side of his pretty little souped-up ♪ ♪ four-wheel drive ♪ carved my name into his leather seats ♪ ♪ i took a louisville slugger to both headlights ♪ ♪ slashed a hole in all four tires ♪ ♪ and maybe next time he'll think before he cheats ♪

♪ right now ♪ he's thinking he's going to get lucky ♪ ♪ right now probably ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ and he don't know i dug my key ♪ ♪ into the side of his pretty little souped-up ♪ ♪ four-wheel drive ♪ carved my name into his leather seats ♪ ♪ i took a louisville slugger to both headlights ♪ ♪ slashed a hole in all four tires ♪ ♪ and maybe next time he'll think before he cheats ♪

♪ next time before he cheats it won'te on me ♪ ♪ i dug my key into the side of his souped up ♪ four-wheel drive ♪ carved my name into his leather seats ♪ ♪ i took a louisville slugger to both headlights ♪ ♪ slashed a hole in all four tires ♪ ♪ and maybe next time he'll think before he cheats ♪ ♪ and maybe next time he'll think before he cheats ♪

think before he cheats ♪ blan ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you paid in to medicare for years. ♪

every paycheck. now, when you need it obama has cut $716 billion dollars from medicare. why? to pay for obamacare. so now the money you paid for your guaranteed healthcare is going to a massive new government program that's not for you. the romney-ryan plan protects medicare benefits for today's seniors and strengthens the plan for the next generation. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

9:57 is your time now on this wednesday, august 15th, 2012. good morning to you. checking out this morning's top stories, martin o'malley is about to sign into law a bill that expands gambling in his state. that includes building a casino in prince georges county and allowing table games. local and federal leaders are telling the agency overseeing construction, to clean up its act. they sent a scathing letter to

the authority. and a 6-1 loss to the giants last night. steven strasburg will be on the mound for the nats this afternoon. and let's check the forecast now with veronica johnson. sorry about that, danella. >> no worries. we're going to look at the roadways. we have an accident on the georgetown pike. i have to show it to you, actually. it's not only blocking the left side of the roadway, also blocking the right side of the roadway. you are able to get through in the center lanes. >> all right. thank you. don't forget to tune into news 4 today. wake up with us and get your day [ harry umlaut ] that's one creamy muller.

[ sally umlaut ] it's greek-style yogurt. thick, scrumptious, and more protein than those regular yogurts. are those almonds i see in the corner thingy? caramelized almonds i think you'll find. well, who wants ordinary run-of-the-mill almonds when you could have the caramelized kind? if i was this girl, i'd caramelize my whole apartment. weird. this greek style yogurt has style. you can say that again. why thank you. this greek style yogurt has style. okay. stop saying it now. you're sending me mixed messages. [ male announcer ] muller. the european for yummy.

yes indeeddy, it i wines-day wednesday. one of our favorite days of the week. it is august 15th. >> it is. we're only going to ask this one more time at least. we love that you guys are being so nice on our facebook page and liking us. keep going there and click the like button on our page. >> even if you don't, just do

it. >> what is our page? go to facebook. the same page. >> yesterday, a huge loss in the world, not just the musical world, but the loss of marvin hamlis hamlisch, when they were talking at his service -- >> tell everybody who he is. >> he is the great composer who wrote "chorus line," "the sting." at the time, he was the youngest person ever to go to julliard music conservatory in new york. he was one of the most lovable tender heart generous, funny funny people on the planet. regis and joy and frank and i went to his service yesterday. i had to run out of here so fast -- >> you were sprinting. >> because his service was starting at 11:00. the worst thing you can do, you think, is walk into a service late n. no. the worst thing you can do is

what i did. rege and joy were there and frank and i sat right next to joy and rege. >> ♪ papa are you weary papa can you help me ♪ >> it started singing while president clinton is speaking. everybody's looking around like is barbara size sand singing at marv marvin hamlisch's -- i'm going, oh, my god. we love barbara try sand singing, i couldn't shut her up. my gosh, regis is looking at me, really, really, kat. i don't know you. >> what did you do. >> it finally went away. oh, my gosh! wouldn't you think that if somebody heard somebody else's phone go off, they'd go, i didn't turn mine off either. four more times people's phones went off. i felt terrible.

normally, you go into those things and turn off your phone. i rushed over there. >> you forgot. >> and his beautiful wife, and there was a beautiful song from "chorus line." and a group of great writers and actresses from the broadway community, they all sang "the way we were" at the beginning and ended with ♪ kiss today good-bye." >> i love that song. >> as they were carrying out his -- i was okay until then. then i lost it. i thought that's the last melody we'll ever hear this incredible man play. i'll just miss him. i saw him a couple years ago and we met to talk about doing something together, a project. on a personal note i'm so disappointed that could never be. just what the world has lost. look what he left us. that's the beauty of it. >> i want to make one quick confession because i feel bad

about what i did this morning. >> did you pee in the shower? >> no. i was at my gym across the street. it was 5:30, the elevator wasn't working, i was up in the gym, i changed my clothes and go running in central park. i couldn't get down the stair, waiting for the elevator, it's broken. i said, where are the stairs? he said, the stairs are here. i went down the stairs, pushed the thing and all the alarms went off, and i ran to the park. i didn't know what else to do. oh, my god, i look around, a couple of security guys, i looked around, like, hey. why am i running? i literally, i felt guilty, all the way around the park, i came back and i said to the guy, look, i set off this thing and i felt terrible afterwards. i can't believe i just ran to the park. >> like a hit-and-run. >> first, i don't want you running that early in the morning anymore. >> there are other people there. >> i don't like that, hoda

woman, i told you that. >> we talked about the worst chat we ever had together yesterda yesterday. >> it was fun. >> we talked about how ryan lochte said he peed in the pool just during warmups. >> and everybody does. >> we talked about urinating in the shower, apparently a lot of people do that. >> 75% of people admit -- >> and the others are lying. >> this is our facebook page. this little boy was shocked. this little boy was watching us with his diaper on and his quote was, these ladies pee in the pool. >> anyway. that's how rumors start. we do not do that. we then segued to we were z showering. >> some people do in the shower. >> you never confessed. >> i have. look, you're naked, you're in the shower, are you getting out to go right there? no.

you're right here. it's already going down the drain. no one has time to dry off, go over there and get back in. >> i've been learning how to facebook and text. >> worst nightmare. >> and to tweet. i tweeted something i thought the whole world had ever seen, my favorite picture of you. i guess there's been -- how many thousands and thousands of hits on that thing. that one. it's the most watched ever. i'm very into this now. >> what bothers me about this, we had 466,000 views of that ugly picture. i don't even think we have that many facebook people on our thing. barbara carter summer says, can you put the picture back. she say, hoda, are you my mother. >> she's not a bad -- you know what, that was pre-keratin. i got keratin.

>> what if they ban that keratin for life. >> i'm going underground. i will find it. you don't even want to know what i will do to find that crack. no way. i don't care what's in it. >> apparently, this is amazing on ameri"america's got talent." this clint known as the birdman. he shows off his incredible paot. >> we have to deal. he stands on the stage of "america's got talent." he claims his bird, which is caged 150 feet away. >> high up. >> in this tower in newark, new jersey, will somehow fly down at 85 miles an hour top speed and somehow figure out how to get onto the stage. >> that seems impossible, like a trick. show calls him kitty. >> kitty, kitty, come on, kitty. here, kitty kitty, come on, kitty, here, kitty kitty. come on, kit cit. here, kitty kitty.

come on, kitty, here, kitty kitty. come on, kitty. come on kitty. [ applause [ applause ] >> okay. >> how is that possible? >> how did that happen? >> how did that happen? >> see -- they kept the door open for him. if he could have opened the door, then i would have been impressed. they left the door open for the bird. >> i can't believe that happened. >> he can't hear -- i have to stop doing that, i really do. you can't hear from newark, i'm telling you, you cannot do it. >> by the way, happy pre-birthday. my gosh, her birthday her tomorrow. frank woke in this morning, i cannot believe it, what age he's going to be tomorrow. well, you can google him. he's going to be 82 years old tomorrow. >> how old will you be? >> 59. i cannot believe it.

[ laughter ] >> that is funny. thank god though for willard scott or i'd be the oldest person at the "today" show. willard, stay strong, stay tough, stay healthy. >> today is julia childs 100th birthday, a world famous chef. >> she would have turned 100 years old today. >> there's a funny thing they did. they used a bunch of her things and put it to a song. ♪ look at this perfectly done chicken ♪ the rosemary and garlic ro rosemary rosemary ♪ ♪ feed me feed me don't let it cook too long ♪ ♪ tough and rough

>> i like it. >> i met her a few times. she was absolutely delightful. >> we don't have any cocktails, which is very strange. what we do have is a bell, i guess they fell somewhere. watch, hold them. >> hear one. it's called ring for drinks. >> gary's not here today but we have gerard. >> gerard and wait a second -- >> the kitchen cousins! >> hi, you guys. >> how are you? >> i haven't seen you in a while. >> look how cute they are. >> they are adorable. >> how good to see you. what a nice surprise. >> i didn't know they were so cute in person. >> i told you. >> i was going to stay. why don't you guys stay? >> a special drink. how do they taste?

>> anthony, you didn't make it? >> my bartending skills are lacking. >> we do kitchens, we don't do drinks. >> tell them what happened about a month ago. >> about a month ago we saw the clip you did with the country singing. >> amazingly impressed. >> severely impressed. i like the word severely. >> you came. we put her on the couch and had her tools with her. these are her tools. >> this will be a special? >> she integrates into our episode at 830 tonight. >> and the young lady that we helped, what's her name? >> fada. >> how's she doing? >> when she saw it all done, the living room and kitchen. you didn't get to see it totally done. >> we walked into her house. she had this terrible thing that

happens when you're in the middle of a project and this guy leaves, this contractor goes away. these guys came in and saved her and i came in and redecorated a little bit. >> you have to watch tonight at 8:3 8:30. >> i'll be very busy. >> she will be on jimmy fallon tonight. if you don't catch kathie lee on this show or hgtv, you can catch her later on jimmy fallon. >> great to see you. say hi to fada for me. >> i call them the kissing cousins, i love those guys. >> molly ringwald is here. she is quite the writer. >> i had no idea. >> yes. scrub it first. no you don't, honey. yes, you do! don't! i've washed a few cupcake tins in my day... oh, so you're a tin expert now. whoa nelly! hi, kitchen counselor here. he's actually right... with cascade complete.

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she's the actress almost every girl growing up in the '80s wanted to be. molly ringwald captured our hearts on "16 candles" and others. she is now a writer with a new book of short stories called "when it happens to you." so nice to see you again. this is quite the book. >> who knew? i'm the person that reads this first i'm in, i'm in. if i'm out, i'm out. your book draws people right in

fiction. >> i've always done it. ever since i was doing movies, i was doing short stories on the side. i was kind of learning how to do it. it wasn't until recently i finally felt like i had gotten to the point i reached my own standard. i felt really passionate about the story and these characters. >> tell us why. tell us about these characters, they're interchanged. >> it's a short story, collection of stories, a novel of stories because all the characters are interconnected. the theme is betrayal, about how we betray each other and betray ourselves. i don't think there's a person you can meet that say they haven't been on one side or the other and very often both. i decided it was a very universal subject and how you get through it and how we're very flawed and lean towards the light. >> a lot of women who watch our show and the first few pages, when you start feeling estranged from the man you love so much,

notice his looks aren't the same, doesn't touch you the way he used to and you can see kind of the signs. >> yeah. my main character, greta is a stay-at-home mom, put everything, even though she was at stanford and started in education, she made that choice to put everything in family and her marriage. when that abruptly, when you reach that breaking point, i think it's really heartbreaking. >> devastating. >> hard to get through. there's all kinds of different characters, everybody betraying each other right and left. >> so much so it will be made into a film now, we hear. >> i would like very much for it to be a film and i've been thinking how to adapt it and given it to different people. dmitry martin is interested in playing the role of peter, an actor in a television show. he's one of the main character' love interest. >> you capture -- the girl is 6 in your book? >> she's 6 years old. >> that's not an easy age to

capture just right. you have an almost 9-year-old, right? >> i've been through it. the character is very different. not pretty different but very different from my daughter. i'm around kids a lot because i'm always picking my daughter up from school and i have the voices. i think it helps. >> would you be upset if your children came to you and said, mommy, i want to be an actress like you. she asks me everyday. >> what do you tell her? i say, no. after college, after she graduates from stanford or harvard, then i will support her in whatever she wants to do. i just want her to get a good education first because i think it will make her a better actress and more interesting person. it's a really hard business. there's a lot of rejection. i just want to protect my kids. if she wants to do it later on, by all means, she can. >> we wish you good luck. >> tough woman, tough love. it's a great book. >> when it happens to you. >> great to see you.

>> sara haines sends in the photos that make you go what the what? whoa. right? get. out. exactly! really?! [ mom ] what? shut the front door. right? woop-woop! franklin delano! [ male announcer ] there's oreo creme under that fudge! oreo fudge cremes. now in two new flavors.

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time now for our what the what? >> and more unusual photos you sent us. >> the pressure gets harder every week. i'm really nervous. our first photo comes from daiane myers from michigan. this is her dog -- her d dog -- her horse, lucky, tries to get a picture and turns around and that has the background, what he was doing. >> my gosh. is that how many times he has done that? >> and she wondered how many times he does this. >> and from minnesota submitted this photo. this is the back of a car in a

parking lot. clearly, there might be some family changes going on, no, little one, it was not your fault. mommy's not going to be there. >> my god. you can kind of see him taking the picture. >> i think there are family dysfunction issues. >> how funny to discover that. you're really leaving the message. it's not the same as it used to be. >> we have a photo from lindsey pick fo pi pick -- pickford from washington d.c. sna da dump. >> can you imagine sending mail to that. 1225 tah-dah dump. >> and speaking of dumps, clothing and poop drop. >> what do you mean poop drop. it was misspelled. you're trying too hard to make sense of this. it does not make sense.

>> we're trying to make it through. >> couches only, no poop. >> doesn't say couch, says clothing? that's what i want to know. >> clothes are in the little thing. >> i want to know why those are there! >> don't go looking for change. let's keep the potty humor going from anchorage, alaska. this is an aisle for huggies and it says chocolate bunny. that's nice way of identifying what's in that diaper. >> and this is accepting fall enrollment. can i maybe defer? that was next to a little preschool but it was an unfortunate placement of the sign. >> you think? >> that's hysterical. >> i saw you laugh. >> send more funny photos. >> guess what we're doing? >> olympic gold medalist,

adrian, they just got back and guess where they're stopping by first? to talk to us. and back to school fashions. ho hoda, fabulous hair. [ male announcer ] what's in your energy drink? ♪ power surge, let it blow your mind. [ male announcer ] for fruits, veggies and natural green tea energy... new v8 v-fusion plus energy. could've had a v8. it's got that sweet honey taste.

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we're back with more today and time to play "who knew"? we thought we would give you the last extra nudge to squeeze in a vacation. we're testing your knowledge in everything travelrelated. kathie lee is there to give out something to those who get the questions right and to those who don't, they get a kathie lee cd. >> with us from travel & travel & leisure, ready? >> you said we're whining down. the word is winding. >> no, it's whining.

> >> you're from syracuse. what city is the most popular vacation? >> new york, new york. >> [ buzzer ]. >> that would surprise me. hey, hey, hey. enjoy that. >> the number one most popular vacation destination is london, england. >> all eyes have been on london for the olympics. more than 2 million people headed there to see the olympic games and they were excited about the aquatic centre where they spent a lot of time and everybody is excited to head to london now. >> lovely lady from jacksonville, florida. you have to finish the lyrics to this famous summer beach boys song. here you go. ♪ ♪ i want to take you to bermuda, bahama ♪ -- >> you look like a deer in the headlights. >> i am. >> i think that goes under the

cheating thing. no, don't know it? she doesn't know it. >> nice try. >> all right. the correct answer is -- >> key largo. ♪ >> a couple things you might not know about this song is the music video was filmed at the grand floridian hotel in florida in 1998. they have never admitted which coc cocoa mo they're referring to but the other one is in indiana. >> look at this beautiful mom. she is from, you just told me, germantown, maryland. the bahamas is one of the most popular destinations for residents to travel in the company, what is the average travel temperature? 60, 70, 80 or 90 degrees? >> 60 degrees. >> [ buzzer ]. >> you have to look at this

precious boy of hers. do we have a baby's album for him? >> no. >> this is surprising, 70 degrees. >> the correct answer is 70 degrees because the bahamas is known for its trade winds. from december to may, it cools down. and a great time is in august and september and temperatures are in the 90s and you will have privacy all to yourself. >> can i tell you my mother, sister and i just came back from there and the weather was perfect. >> lady from st. vincent island. great to have you there. what is the most vichted tourist attraction in the world, times square, disneyland or the eiffel tower. >> can i confer? >> sure. >> let's go for times square. >> conferring and not cheating. time square is the number one. >> we found 39 million people pass-through times square every year and it beats out these

iconic landmarks. in 2009, the city devoted a large area to pedestrian only traffic and that's another why it's a great destination. >> people love it. a nice place to walk around. >> where are you from, ma'am? >> nashville. >> champagne is less than 100 miles away from paris, approximately how many bottles of champagne are shipped around the country from that place each year. 1.5 million bottles. 322 million, 525 million or a billion bottles. >> this will be a pure guess. c. >> a perfect guess. >> 3322 million bottles. >> 322 million bottles come out of there every year. it is just an hour away and great place to visit and, of

course, drink champagne. >> excellent. thank you, sweetie. i like your hair up by the way. it looks very cute. kathie lee will come across the street and a homecoming for two athletes, nathan adrian, i think is scaresed of us and track star allyson felix, when we come back. cookies chips, chips,...! silence those tempting thoughts with new light & fit greek. its creamy thick texture helps satisfy you. it has twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt. and at 80 calories it's the lightest greek yogurt with fruit. cupcake! it's not gonna happen. new light & fit greek. be light and fit and satisfied. mommy! i went potty! that's great, honey.... where?

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to help keep stuff off kids' hands. right? get. out. exactly! really?! [ mom ] what? shut the front door. right? woop-woop! franklin delano! [ male announcer ] there's oreo creme under that fudge! oreo fudge cremes. now in two new flavors.

team usa rockets the london olympic games. two athletes that struck gold in

the track and pool have made their way back home. >> they struck gold in the genetic pool. they are beautiful! >> nathan has done what no other swimmer has done in twenty years, grabbing gold in the free still a. >> and allyson felix wins two go golds. >> beautiful and talented. is it hard to go through the security now with those babies hanging from your neck? do they set it off? >> yeah. if you have it in your carry on, it will raise a few flags. i usually take them out and put them in the little thing. >> may i see how heavy they are? >> wow. you've got three of them on you? >> i do. >> most people try to weigh less. you want to weigh more. >> bring it on. >> this is a big olympics for you. i know you've won the silver in the last couple of olympics. and you won silver in the last olympics and then you won gold.

tell me how amazing that is. >> it is. it finally came together. i was overjoyed when i crossed that line. who was the first person you wanted to see? >> my family. as soon as i crossed, i was searching for them. >> that's great shot of you and your dad. how did you find him in the crowd, did you know just where he was. >> i didn't. i went searching, where are my people. i finally found them. in beijing, i was so devastated and i was so happy. >> what a difference it makes. >> your swimming race, the one you won a gold in was the most watched swimming race of all those races in london. i was surprised to see that. you won it just by a hair. tell us what that felt like. >> it was a good feeling. you never know in swimming, it's difficult to try to keep your head in line to be as fast as possible and you never know if you will hit the ball first and you have to checkup at the score

boards. >> has it hit you guys yet. you're watching it actually did happen. is there a sense of unreal, surreal about it? >> yeah. every time i see it on tv like that, i guess goosebumps and when i see her race, i get goosebumps. it's exciting to be back in the states and experience it. >> do you guys want to do it in rio? a lot of people are making those choices right now, they will continue on. allyson, what about you? >> i definitely want to. i can't imagine my life without it. i will go for it. >> nathan? >> the same. i've never had more fun in the sport. i'm really excited. >> will you take a little time off. what food did you eat when you were done? i hear you're a big foody. >> i'm not a big food either but i had a burger with ranch sauce. >> i love what he tweeted, i will be on with kathie lee and hoda. should i be scared.

>> of what? >> that's exactly what! >> we haven't hurt anybody yet. the day is young. >> congratulations. >> coming up, the hottest styles for the cool kids on campus after this. a range of coverages to choose from. who is she? that's flobot. she's this new robot we're trying out, mostly for, like, small stuff. wow! look at her go! she's pretty good. she's pretty good. hey, flobot, great job. oops. [ powers down ] uh-oh, flobot is broken. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. call or click today. what makes hershey's pure chocolate goodness that brings people together. hershey's makes it a s'more... you make it special. pure hershey's. smoky eyes look amazing.

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seen this? mitt romney claiming the president would end welfare's work requirements? i'm barack obama and i approve this message the new york times calls it 'blatantly false' the washington post says: "the obama administration is not removing the bill's work requirements at all." in fact, obama's getting states to move twenty percent more people from welfare to work. and president clinton's reaction to the romney ad? it's just "not true." get the facts.

time for back to school today. we have some campus cool looks for college bound students. >> everything about college is expensive these days. the clothes don't have to be. with great ideas is "lucky" magazine contributing style editor, hi, lori. >> clothes really put a dent in the wallet, don't they? >> yes. they do. we found easy pieces under $100. you will get a lot of mileage out of these looks. >> why don't we start our preppy look. we have these two from college.

>> so preppy. what we wanted to do was channel that collegiate look, make it modern for 2012. that sweater is from ll bean, under $60. put it over a plaid shirt and gave him a chino from differea different color, under $60. >> she's so adorable. really simple. we gave her a shirtdress, something every collegiate girl needs. that one, $50 from american eagle. throw a cardigan over it, just $16, ballet flats and she can walk around campus and is really cute. >> all right. nice job. we have one from northeastern and from new york conservatory.

>> you can see in the ro room -- they're really having a good time, these two. >> something is going on there. >> we wanted to keep it really flirty and really fun. we gave him a double hoodie from target, $16.99 and put another hoodie on top of it, channeling that nautical sporty vibe from jc penney and fun kicks, sneakers. on nicky, girls tend to veer away from the sporty look and think it might be too casual. we gave her more feminine colors, t-shirt and it the pants stop at the ankles and ballet shoes, and the jacket from the gap, under $70. >> okay, kids. >> go out and do what kids do, whatever that is. >> we have robbie, goes to washington university.

>> hello. this is really that hipster look. a lot of college kids are really getting into that more bohemian vibe. on robbie, we wanted to give him a chic look. and the sweater vest from h & n. and threw it over a chambray shirt, at target. and a pair of gray jeans. every college kid needs jeans. this is a way to play with that trend and make it different. a bright bright orange backpack so he never loses his books. >> let's go to monifa. >> monica, how great is her hair. i love her. >> amazing. >> that shirt in bright green from joe fresh and the pants are fun, from macy's under $70. they look super super trendy, also smarty-pants, those, too. >> come on out.

i have your hair some day and i like it a lot! >> they look amazing. >> we wish you all the best. >> good luck. >> call your parents once in a while. >> uncork the wine. we will be doing campfire cooking, my kind of cookout. [ male announcer ] you paid in to medicare for years.

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back now to"today's" kitchen. we're gathered around a campfire from biscuits to anti-past stow sandwiches. we're reinventing the campout, who better to show us done than dana, editor of fo"food & wine" magazine. >> you have heard of glamping, glamorous camping, this is deli

camping. you grill your done. you're basically done with your food when you use the deli. you have marathonnated artichoke, red person. take a proprocto and rap it aro. i need you to help me out here. you pull. m excellent. you've got the beginning of your deli sandwich. wrap these up. add the extras. and you have a great healthy speedy sandwich. >> all right. >> that's a great idea. >> in this perfect little -- i call it the sweetheart grill because this is good for two, we have the update of the smore. it's a biscuit with chocolate chips already mixed in.

you don't have to get your fingers all gooey with a little smear. >> i love smear. >> me, too. >> who doesn't love a good smear. >> you roast your marshmallows -- >> that's a little much, don't you think? >> i think it's fantastic. >> you have another one. >> look how big. >> just- >> that's not as easy because the rosemary sticks. >> there you go. >> you have one big, call it dessert, call it breakfast, call it love, a delicious beginning or ending. there is cowboy chili, right? this is sexier than. . brazilian cowboy chili, the national dish. >> getting a visual. >> you have beans, beef, stock, put it in these cute kiosk containers and cook it up. you are not stuck anymore flipping the burgers one by one. >> on a grill? >> a big cast iron skillet, does

great on the grill. >> those are cute. >> yeah. the brilliant trick here is using beef jerky, preserved as deep fantastic flavor. no campout with you guys would be complete without vin no. >> you can't have glass. you have wine in a box. >> why can't you have glass. >> campsites do not let you bring glass. it could break. >> then i'm not going gorking. >> whoa! you are one step ahead of me. >> i think that's a really good pairing. the chardonnay from the box and marshmallow. >> black box chardonnay. >> there's four bottles of wine in here for 23 bucks. >> that would be good for lunch. >> thank you. good to see you. >> tune in tonight for jimmy fallon because somebody is going

to be shaking her you know what. >> also, it's your birthday tomorrow. the celebration doesn't stop. line net richie will come up and celebrat celebrate. >> and curtis stone. have a great day.