good morning. out of control, wildfires burn in ten western states and this morning two resort towns in idaho are in the cross hairs of a massive blaze, forcing hundreds to run for their lives. we'll go there live. what happened? the body of that missing diver has been discovered off the coast of california a week after she disappeared. was it a freak accident or was it something else? and a battle over butte pea pageants. her father saying she's being exploited and now she's banned from competing in beauty contests today. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning, welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. it has been a while. >> it has been a while. you went on vacation. i went away to the olympics. >> once again, you worked and, i get it, throw it right in there. >> my sixth olympics, i have yet to earn a medal. it was fun. >> keep going it is going. it is going to happen eventua y eventually. >> talking about bad fires. the trinity ridge wildfire out in idaho already burned 83,000 acres and nasty weather grounded planes from fighting the flames by air. we're going to go to idaho for a live report in just a moment. >> then to politics and who is winning the battle over

medicare? we'll get into that, a little war of words. >> a performance at the olympics earned her two gold medals and a spot in everyone's heart. i'll catch up with gabby douglas about life in the spotlight and her plans for the future. >> she had two gold medals. you can't take one? >> couldn't take one. >> this is a nice heart warming story to talk about. the two long lost friends who reunited after one needed a kidney transplant and all thanks to facebook. we'll talk about that. we want to change gear and begin with the western wildfires now. mike taibbi is at a red cross evacuation center in pine, idaho. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. how are you? the evacuation order for the resort town of featherville came yesterday afternoon. that whole town was enveloped in thick smoke, not flames yet. in fact, the latest update that we have is that there are two fire fronts that are approaching featherville, one two miles away, one four miles away.

the fire has been moving at between 1 and 2 miles a day, so it is expected the fire fronts will reach the village today. a whole legion of firefighters are ready to fight it, starting back fires, burnouts that sort of thing, behind the structures and buildings in that village. make no mistake, the homes in that village, the people who have been evacuated, the homes are now in imminent danger. idaho's most dangerous wildfire in years has been lurching steadily to the enclave of featherville, a thousand homes and other buildings, whose owners listen to some straight talk. >> it will not look the same in the next couple, three days as it looks today. and we will do everything we can possibly do out there as firefighters to make sure that your community, the hills, the rivers are the same as they can. >> reporter: that meant the mandatory evacuations that would soon be ordered. a number of emergency shelters were already in place. 63-year-old suzanne durant is ready to leave, the cabin where she lived alone for years since

her husband died already enveloped in smoke and directly in the path of the fire. >> this whole thing is surrounded by sprinklers. that's what comes out of that tub. >> reporter: in an average year there are tens of thousands of western wildfires, but this has been a brutal season. 6.4 million acres destroyed when the ten-year average is around 5 million acre and it is still mid-august. in the past days and weeks, the taylor bridge fire in central washington has consumed 23,000 acres and some 70 homes. and the human cost of fighting these fires is ever present. idaho lost 20-year-old firefighter ann vesent last week, killed by a falling tree while trying to keep like stew suzanne durant from losing so much that matters. >> my husband's ashes are on top of the mountain. my two dogs are are buried behind the garage. this is very, very important to me. >> reporter: without fierce winds and they haven't been for the last couple of days, this has not been the fastest moving

of these wildfires, but it is still moving, as i said, between a mile and two miles a day. and it is still growing, still a very, very dangerous fire. jenna? >> mike, stay safe. mike taibbi, thank you very much. and now once again, here's lester. >> jenna, thanks. with less than three months until election day, the economy remains the number one issue for voters. but that's not what the candidates are talking about these days. medicare is taking center stage. nbc's kristen welker is with the white house with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. political analysts say both campaigns have struggled to get out a clear message on medicare. so on saturday, paul ryan tried to make it personal. >> this is my mom betty. >> reporter: in the retirement hot spot of florida, republican vice presidential candidate paul ryan enlisted his 78-year-old mother betty douglas to help sell his medicare plan on saturday. >> it is not just a program. it is not just a bunch of numbers.

it is what my mom relies on. it is what my grandma had. >> reporter: ryan gave the most robust defense of his plan yet. arguing it will give seniors in 2023 the option of buying private insurance with government-backed vouchers and accusing the president of paying for his health care plan by stripping medicare. >> medicare should not be used as a piggy bank for obama care. >> reporter: while campaigning in new hampshire on saturday, the president fired back. >> my plan already extended the life of medicare by nearly a decade. their plan would put medicare on track to be ended as we know it. >> i think a lot of voters are probably confused. they're being told by both sides the other guy is really bad on medicare, and i'm really protecting it. >> reporter: political analyst perry bacon says romney struggled to explain whether or not he supports his running mate's plan. this was the candidate last sunday. >> well, i have my budget plan

as you know that i've put out to and that's the budget plan that we're going to run on. >> reporter: and just a few days later. >> paul ryan and my plan for medicare, i think, is the same, if not identical, probably close to identical. >> reporter: the president also found himself playing defense, with republicans accusing him of cutting $700 billion for medicare to pay for so-called obama care. >> they're being dishonest about my plan, since they can't sell their plans. >> reporter: and we should point out that according to independent analysts, both president obama's plan and paul ryan's plan would bring about $700 billion in savings from medicare. now, political analysts also add it probably benefits the president that the focus has shifted away from the stag assistant economy, so you can expect republicans to try to get back on that topic quickly. lester? >> kristen welker, thanks. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> let's talk about this notion of talking medicare when we

thought the economy was going to be the big topic, especially for republicans. is the romney/ryan camp now essentially dancing to a tune being played by the obama folks? >> well, they think that they have got some offense to play on medicare. they think they can contrast it with the president's health care plan, where he does move money out of the program, to offset some costs, to ensure more folks as part of the health care plan. so they think they can make that attack and they're hopeful, at least, maybe not totally persua persuaded, but hopeful they can make a claim to seniors that it wouldn't affect them, but they're the ones making tough decisions to take on the potential insolvency of the program down the line. so if they can be the ticket of some of the big changes and some of the big decisions and tough decisions, they think there is some benefit to that. >> unemployment remains high, the economy is still in poor shape right now. has the obama administration done a good job of blunting criticism? have they taken the romney camp off their message when it comes to the economy?

>> i think the reality of picking paul ryan meant you had to shift away from now for jobs and the economy. you set um a clearer choice between two visions of what government should do. what government should do to solve the debt problem, but also what government should do in a distressed economy. so this role of government debate is one that frankly both sides like, think back to 2010, this was a big debate that was an advantage for republicans. here the president is trying to say, you know, you think things are bad now, they'll only get worse if you get their philosophy in place. both sides like this very clear contrast. >> david, typically people vote for the top of the ticket. nonetheless you expect a bounce after a vice presidential pick. nate silver of the new york times did a bit of analysis, you see a 4-point bounce after the announcement of a new vp. he calculates about a one point with the ryan pick. is that worrisome, do you think, for the romney camp? >> i think they want to wait and look at this over a little bit of time. if they don't get more excitement, yeah, i think there

will be worry. we know there is high risk here. they're waiting for the reward. they have seen it in terms of energy and crowd size and even how romney himself as a candidate has performed. but there is high risk there. republicans i talked to across the board say, look, the gamble is that medicare becomes too defining an issue and puts republicans on their heels, that's not what we wanted to do with this pick. >> and talk about the climate out there right now. the -- we talk about undecided voters, how small a pie are these two candidates going for right now when you look at all the people on either side? >> yeah, a lot of folks are starting to look at this, looking at the swing state polling, looking at other surveys showing it is a smaller pool of undecided voters here. you see so much polarization in this campaign, even different from 2008 in terms of the views of these candidates that are die metically opposed. and as you dig into that, you see two campaigns very nasty in tone, trying to gin up their bases and focusing less on that persuadable voter. it has real implications if you

think about it too for how to govern after you get through a very tough campaign. >> you're getting ready for "meet the press." who do you have on this morning? we're going to be talking to two prominent governors here involved in the campaign, governor of mcdonald and governor o'malley and rudy giuliani and our political round table will look at pretty nasty week on the trail. >> david gregory. thanks. see you soon. >> thank you, lester. now the rest of the morning's top stories from cnbc's courtney reagan at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning to you, jenna. good morning, everyone. we begin with a scare in the sky for a berlin bound united airlines flight. flight 96 was forced to return to newark airport last night and make an emergency landing after a problem with one of the boeing 757 engines. the faa is looking into a report that a tire had blown off during takeoff and it flew into the engine causing a flameout. there were 173 passengers and crew on the plane, but luckily no one was hurt. two people are now dead and 141 are sick following an outbreak of salmonella.

traced back to cantaloupes from southwest indiana. consumers are urged to throw away any cantaloupes bought since early july. two 15-year-old students arrested for plotting to attack their school in southern california. a tipster told police that the teens had been making online threats against students and staff at vista murrieta high school. classes at the school with 3300 students start tuesday. the last u.n. monitors are pulling out of syria with the end of their mandate today. the u.n. had been hoping to end a violent 17-month long uprising against president bashir al assad. the departure of the u.n. observers comes as street battles rage in aleppo. an american marathon swimmer, diana nyad, is chasing her lifetime goal again. she left cuba saturday on her fourth attempt to become the first person to swim to the u.s. without using a protective wet suit or a shark cage. at last report, she had been stung several times by jellyfish, but was stroking

steadily through the florida straits. she hopes to reach the florida keys on tuesday, a day ahead of her 63rd birthday. what an amazing accomplishment if she can do it. i hope she can. that's the news. back over to you. >> she lost me at jellyfish. >> she's the first person to try to do it without swimming in a cage to prevent shark attacks. i didn't even get to attack. i saw the word shark and i said thanks. stephanie abrams is here with a check of the weather. nice on the east coast? >> yes, i want to talk more about the fires though first because we have advisories posted in >> showers and storms from texas on into louisiana and into the gulf coast as well. a closer look at the storms.

where you see the deeper red that's where we have the heaviest of rain. here's a look at what's happening outside your door. >> good sunday morning. i'm meteorologist chuck bell. the rain drops are running ahead of schedule, everybody. so rain will be a part of your sunday forecast now. current temperatures are mostly in the 60s to around 70 degrees. storm 4 doppler already shows the first drops now near charlottesville and harrison burg. so culpepper, you'll be wet shortly. washington jenna, over to you. >> stephanie, thank you. a sad update to a story we told you about on saturday, the search for a diver missing off the coast of california. her body has now been found and identified, but the mystery still remains, what happened? more now from nbc's stephanie stanton. >> we're here because we're still looking for my daughter. >> reporter: a desperate plea from the mother of 50-year-old rebecca weiss, she disappeared

last saturday while reportedly diving in a cove south of los angeles, in the upscale community of rancho palos verdes. >> she's a very thoughtful person, very compassionate person. >> if you hear anything, see anything. >> reporter: rebecca's loved ones were passing out flyers near the cove where she went missing, when word came that a body of a woman wearing a wet suit had been found. >> some recreational divers did locate a body in the water. the l.a. county fire department did respond and recovered the body. >> reporter: the l.a. county coroner confirmed overnight the body was indeed that of rebecca weiss. she was last seen by her husband, 60-year-old alan, who told officers she left their home last saturday morning to go free diving alone. she was supposed to be back by 5:00 p.m. but when she didn't return, he went to go look for her and only found her car and diving bag. alan weiss told investigators that rebecca would often come here to free dive, it is a dangerous sport where divers hold their breath and don't use air tanks. free divers are taught never to

go alone. rules rebecca's family says she took very seriously. >> we have number one rule, i dive myself and there has to be a body with you. >> reporter: meanwhile, authorities say alan weiss is not considered a suspect in his wife's disappearance. so far, he has not spoken publicly. >> he's been cooperative with investigators. and provided a statement, which was the same information that he provided the night that he reported his wife missing. >> reporter: now investigators are searching for clues into how this experienced diver's life came to an end along this picturesque southern california coastline. for "today," stephanie stanton, nbc news, los angeles. we're going to take a break. we'll be right back after this. y with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain.

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pride she feels in inspiring youngerathletes. to achieve her goal, she left her family and trained for years. i sat down with her when she whisked through new york the other day and began by asking her what she missed about her home life. >> i really miss my dogs. >> their names are -- >> chandler and zoe. >> they're waiting for you at home? >> yes, they are. >> is that the biggest thing you're looking forward to right now? >> yeah, i miss my dogs. >> did you skype with your dogs? >> yeah. >> see, i knew it. somehow i knew. >> i would skype with my -- my mom, my brother, my sister, and i was, like, get zoe or get chandler. and they would put them up and i would see their faces. i need a little dog fix here and there. >> i think when people think about, you know, what you've gone through and gymnasts in general, there is this wild notion that they have to sequester themselves away from their childhood and their whole focus, all they have in their

lives is gymnastics. is that a fair characterization? how well rounded was your life last couple of years? >> my life was well rounded, it was a bit crazy here and there. but i would have to say it was very fun. and energetic on the way. and we had some tough times, but that's what -- that's what i like about it, because then we can tell everyone, even having tough times you can face all the difficulties. and overall, i think it has been a great experience, and a great road. >> let me ask you, i asked you, you're about to go home, your dogs are the biggest thing you're looking forward to. what else are you looking for at home? >> i'm looking forward to seeing all my family, the rest of my family and my friends. and i want to head down to the beach and visit my favorite shops and just get a little bit of taste of what virginia is

like now. >> we gave gabby a little camera to record some of her homecoming and we'll see her being reunited with her dogs tonight on a special story on "dateline" tonight, tonight at 7:00, 6:00 central right here on nbc. still to come on a sunday edition of "today" no the quite an olympic routine, but jenna shows us a fun new fitness workout that will take you to your days on the playground. >> pretty close. olympicesque. >> fun, she says. but first these messages. charles walgreen had a mission to help people be happy and healthy. from inventing the first chocolate malt... to creating a nonprofit pharmacy for our troops... to the first child safety caps. walgreens has been innovating for over a hundred years. and we're just getting started. with more and more ways to be well every day. here at the corner of happy and healthy. because vitamin d3 helps bones absorb calcium, caltrate's double the d.

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i'm barack now mitt romney's attacking the president on medicare? the nonpartisan a-a-r-p says obamacare "cracks down on medicare fraud, waste, and abuse and strengthens guaranteed benefits." and the ryan plan? a-a-r-p says it would undermine medicare and could lead to higher costs for seniors... and experts say ryan's voucher plan could raise future retirees costs more than six thousand dollars. get the facts. still to come on "today," the heated custody battle over a pint-sized star of "toddlers & tiaras," is she being exploited. >> all that and more when we come back. aflac pays cash. aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? huh! no!

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good morning. it is sunday, august 19, i'm richard jordan. a hit and run killed a man

crossing a busy street in fairfax. the police are working with a witness to track down the person who killed the victim. and police found a 29-year-old man unconscious on the front of a porch yesterday morning. police said that the man did not live there. the house is across the street from the shops on eastern market. police have not made any arrest in this case. the redskins lost against the chicago bears in the second preseason game. the skins led 31-30. the bears had a late 57 yard field goal, beating the skins, 33-31. the redskins play the colts next saturday. we'll check your forecast next. stay with us.

but somewhere along the way, something went horribly wrong. george allen voted for trillions in debt while voting to raise his pay four times, then voted to keep special tax breaks for oil and gas companies

and took over a half-million from them. worse, allen went to work for them. >>a great day yesterday, but let's see if we can finish off the weekend the way we started it. meteorologist chuck bell has the forecast now. >> hey, good morning. we'll finish the weekend much the way we started it. but remember we started it with clouds and rain drops early on your saturday morning. unfortunately or fortunately, rain drops are moving in fast. a cloudy sky already in place. in the upper 60s, 70 degrees. there it is to the south of lorraine and culpepper, moderate rain is coming up i-81. mostly cloudy today. showers arriving by noontime for many. upper 70s to low 80s.

>> thanks. a full hour of news and weather at 9:00 pa.m. now back to the "today" show we're back on a sunday morning, it is august 19th, 2012. our thanks to the great folks who are spending part of their morning with us. out here on the plaza. beautiful morning here in new york. i'm jenna wolfe alongside lester holt. still to come, a custody battle over a 6-year-old. >> maddy verst is one of the stars of the show called "toddler and tee are aiiaras." she sparked controversy last year. her father says she's being explo exploited. he's asking a court for custody. we'll tell you why it could been

ann uphill battle for him. >> we know facebook is a place to post pictures and reconnect with other people. this is a heart warming story. this woman needed a kidney transplant and you'll never how she got help and where she found t we'll tell their story coming up in this half hour as well. >> our weekend buzz. when will brad an angelina get married. when will kim kardashian get divorced. and who is the new man in taylor swift's life. >> these are all questions that you're just dying to know. >> i don't know we'll get the answers to them, but it will be fun trying to get there with our entertainment pros when we tackle it all ahead. >> and then there are all kinds of trendy new fitness routines. i'm going to show you this one, it takes you back to your days on the playground. as a kid, running around, doing that -- those calorie burning moves you never thought were, you know, anything worthy of burning calories, but now as adults, we'll revisit our childhood days and show you an interesting new workout that is sweeping the country. >> had you were in school, could

you earn that little patch. >> the president's seal of fitness, absolutely. >> you had to do so many pull-ups and -- >> i had a -- >> did you? >> i got them every year. >> i could never do the chinups. i had no upper body strength. let's get a check of the weather, stephanie abrams is standing by. >> lilly is celebrating her 60th birthday. she's done the great wall of china, a helicopter, all the way down to the "today" show on the plaza. what is your favorite so far? >> the "today" show plaza? >> really. i get to check this off your bucket list. i'll give you a big one here. bam. there you go. done and done. happy birthday to you, lilly. he here's a look at your forecast. maybe you're celebrating a birthday today. showers into the south. also around the great lakes. very hot in the west. as we head into the day tomorrow, we are going to see a few scattered showers around the southeast and into portions of the northeast.

here's a look at what's happening outside your door. >> i'm meteorologist chuck bell. the evolving forecast in the washington area, cloudy skies are thickening up very, very quickly. temperatures in upper 60s and low 70s now with rain drops closing in fast. already raining down towards charlottesville and harrison burg. showers by noontime by many. highs in the upper 70s to aroun and for your forecast 24 hours a day, all you have to do is go to weather.com. lester, over to you. >> stephanie, thanks. it is one of the hottest reality shows on tv right now, tlc's "toddlers & tiaras." it shows little girls dressed up for beauty pageants that fascinate some and horrify others. are they being exploited? as michelle franzen reports, that's the question being asked now in a heated custody battle over one contestant.

>> reporter: little maddy verst is one of the stars of "toddlers and tiaras." the reality series profiling the lives of pint-sized pageant contestants. >> i was the prettiest girl on stage. >> you look pretty in your dress. >> i look beautiful. >> reporter: -- and their parents. >> i try to coach her through her routine, i probably do it more than i should. >> reporter: now the 6-year-old is at the center of a custody battle. her dad claims maddy's mom lindsay jackson is harming their daughter by placing her in pageants and sexually exploiting her by dressing her in controversial outfits. the father filed for full custody after maddy appeared on an episode where she was dressed like dolly parton, complete with padding. >> when she wear the fake boobs and butt, it is an extra bonus. >> reporter: it landed maddy on the cover of "people" magazine.

>> i think the effects on a little girl are unfortunate because the whole emphasis is on two things i wouldn't want my kids to be obsessed with, one is beauty, and lookism, and the other is winning. >> reporter: on saturday, a kentucky judge reviewing the case took the dramatic step of issuing a gag order against maddy's mom. one family law attorney says the judge will consider many factors for custody, including maddy's relationship with both parents, but the pageant complaint will also take center stage. >> what is at core of this case is the judgment of the mother in permitting her child to be dressed up like a sexualized object on television and what does that say to the mother's parenting abilities. >> reporter: until the case is decided, the judge ordered maddy and her mom not to participate in any pageants. for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. still to come on "today," how social media helped a young woman get a much needed kidney

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now he's stuck in a miniature nightmare. oh, thank you. but, with the capital one venture card... you can fly any airline, any flight, any time. double miles you can actually use. what's in your wallet? alec jr? it was a gift. now to a story about extraordinary generosity and the power of social media. when hannah craig needed a new kidney, she expected to be on a transplant list for five years, but help came from an unexpected source, a childhood friend named hillary, whom she hadn't seen in years. >> i was born with systemic lupus where the body doesn't know itself, so it starts attacking itself. it can attack organs, skin, joints, and this lupus i contracted attacked my two kidneys. once my mother and the doctors got me up to 20 pounds, i

received a kidney transplant from my mother. just this past year, it started to fail. i was on hemodialysis and during that time i was getting worked up to be on the transplant list for a kidney. i went on my facebook and saw my cousin had wrote a story, my story about my health and what i needed. >> i think she put on there hannah's blood type and making a plea, just for anybody. >> hillary saw my cousin's story and wanted to get tested. within a few weeks, i received a phone call from her saying that she was a match and not only was she a match, but she was the best match. >> i didn't really think twice. i was, like, i guess i'll go on to the next step now. >> i was excited the whole way through. but until june 11th, i knew it was going down. i knew it was happening. i knew i was getting this kidney. it was probably three days that i saw hillary after the

transplant. and she just came in a wheelchair and she looked great. she was happy to see me. i was happy to see her. she still looked very sore, but she and i were both happy we made this decision and we did it. >> and we're so happy they're joining us this morning. hannah craig and hillary glanzer. hi, guys. it has been two months now since the surgery. how are you both feeling? >> i feel great. i feel like nothing ever happened other than a tiny scar on my abdomen. i feel great. i can do everything, yeah. >> hannah? >> i feel wonderful. like brand-new . >> so you were on the transplant waiting list, let's take people back a little bit, for three months. doctors told you could have waited for five years. then all of a sudden you get this call that your friend responded to a facebook posting and decided, hey, you know what, i may want to do this. what was going through your head? how surprised were you? >> i was very surprised, completely taken. it was pretty awesome that she was willing to donate or at least get tested and if she was a match, get donated, yeah.

it is awesome. >> hillary, i'm sure you got asked this a thousand times. why did you decide to do this? >> my first instinct was just to get tested. i never thought it would go as far as it did. and then when they let me know i was a match and a perfect match, you can't say no at that point, like, i had this opportunity to save a life. that's more amazing than even her getting the kidney honestly. >> that's pretty rare, to be a perfect match from someone you know. >> very. >> did you have your doubts in the beginning when you first heard? >> i did because it is a very selfless decision to make. she could have backed out at any time. when i found out she was a match, she was always excited. i knew in the back of my mind that it was going to happen either way. >> i read that you guys named the kidney irene. >> yes. >> all the technical, medical terms, this became irene, even threw a good-bye party for the kidney. i love the way you think. why irene? >> you have to ask my mother. we were having a good-bye party

for the kidney, any reason to celebrate in my family is reason enough. >> clearly. >> and so we were just in the kitchen laughing and talking and i don't know how it came up. my mom started singing good night irene. and next thing you know, and after the surgery, i guess everybody in the waiting room had been talking about it. because by that week, everybody was talking about irene, and how good irene is doing and -- it was a lot easier to talk about it in a personal sense like that than the organ. >> just lighten the mood. >> you hadn't spoken in a while, it had been a couple of years. how much -- i mean, granted you have her kidney now, but how much of a bond, how close did does this bring you two together now. >> a lot closer. family, basically. it brought our families together as well. >> is there enough thanks you can dole out for something like this? >> crazy. not enough thanks in the world. >> what about the way she did it too? we live in a day and age where you could post, instead of getting on a transplant waiting list, you can post a posting on facebook and it could lead to --

lead to all of this. what do you have to say to people out there that could be in potentially similar situations as you? >> just go out there and put yourself out there and knowing that there are people out there that are willing to donate. and just stay positive and hopefully it will go for the best. >> big proponent of living donors. >> absolutely, definitely, mm-hmm. >> what is the first thing you did to celebrate when you first got out of the hospital? >> what did we do? >> we went to lunch. >> went out to lunch. settle down. >> it is a big deal, getting up and walking around. >> that is so fantastic. >> and going outside. he was sequestered for one month so going out and qgoing out to lunch, i was, like, yes. >> so you're both healthy? >> yes. >> that's fantastic. thank you for joining us. continued wonderful health for both of you. hannah and hillary, we appreciate you sharing your story with us. just ahead, we're going to

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we're back with our weekend buzz. even though the olympics are over, michael phelps is still making headlines. >> plus, taylor swift has a new boyfriend with a famous name. and our brad and angelina time. we have so much to talk about. here is chuck nyce and "today" contributor lolo lanaki. a lot to get to. >> michael phelps, a bit of a controversy, not sure if it is over the picture for a louis vuitton ad that shows him in his

swim trunks in a tub, or if it is because it might be a violation of olympic committee rules because this came out and louis vuitton is not an official responser. >> it is the latter. you're not allowed to endorse nonolympic products during the olympics. this picture was leaked and michael phelps' people are say, look, we weren't behind this leak, he should not in any way be penalized. >> not like it was published as an ad during the olympics. >> it was leaked and he was not behind the leaks. his lawyer is saying no harm, no foul here. we had nothing to do with this. he probably won't be stripped of his medals. >> but -- >> but if he is, it is only six, he's got -- >> can you imagine the company that, you know, who actually presses things to get him stripped of his medals. that would be terrible. what i'm concerned is that michael phelps actually bathes in a speedo and swimming goggles. is there anything this guy doesn't do without his speedo and swimming goggles? we get it, you're a swimmer.

you swim. we understand. you don't have to wear the goggles. >> how big was that bathtub? i sometimes have a hard time. >> don't hate on phelps because he can wear a speedo. you're jealous. >> i'm not jealous. i just understand. i also take a bath in a speedo because i am very embarrassed when i'm alone. >> let's move this along right now. let's talk about taylor swift. i know you want to -- taylor swift rumored to be dating one of the kennedy kids, conner. do we like this? are they going to be the next super couple? what do we think about this? >> i don't love this. conner is only 18. and taylor swift is 22. an 18-year-old boy is like a 13-year-old boy and a 22-year-old girl is like a 26-year-older. she's a cougar. she's a cougar. >> i'll give outcougyou the cou it works out perfectly because he's a kennedy. an 18-year-old kennedy is like a 40-year-old man.

let's be for real. >> can you be a 22-year-old cougar? >> if your boyfriend is 18, yes. >> i want to turn to rihanna gave an interview to oprah this week and she opened up about the chris brown domestic violence thing. and she almost seemed like she was -- she was sympathetic to him. did you find that unusual? >> well, it is not unusual. they still have a bond of sorts, and what she said in the interview that i found interesting is, you know, they had this -- they had this incident, he abused her, and the relationship abruptly ended. so she never had closure, she never got to have things wind down and so she felt sympathetic for him and feels like he's being painted as a monster and in her mind, it is a lot more complicated than that. >> listen, you can't help the way you feel. you can't tell somebody how to feel about somebody. what you can help is how you respond to them. so she may be sympathetic, but rihanna, if you get back this guy, get yourself a black belt

first. that's all i'm saying. okay. once you get the tenth degree black belt, call up chris and say, hey, baby, i miss you. >> really? >> all righty then. okay. let's move on to brad pitt and angelina jolie, rumors once again that they may be coming close to possibly potentially possibly maybe thinking about perhaps getting married. but it seems like that's how far away we are from this actual marriage taking place. is this ever going to happen? >> i just want it to happen so we can stop talking about it almost about to happen. apparently they're a little closer because there is scaffolding erected around the house now. people say they may be paparazzi proofing the house for the upcoming wedding. i don't know. no one knows. >> i think that angelina jolie will know exactly when she's going to get married. it will be one day before jennifer aniston gets married. let's be for real. >> you think there will be a wedding-off.

>> a wedding-off, okay. i stole your man, now i'm going to steal your thunder. that's what she's saying. >> maybe the same day kim kardashian and kris humphries divorce. he continues to allege there was fraud, the whole thin wasg was setup, which is shocking to a lot of people out there. your thoughts. >> i think kanye west is behind the delay of this divorce because every day that kris humphries is still married to kim kardashian is a day she can't pressure kanye west into marrying her. so i got a feeling kanye is calling him, hey, man, keep it going. you know i know jay-z, i'll get you a spot on the nets. >> i don't feel sorry for kris humphries. he signed a $24 million contract for two years. that means he's going to make a million dollars a month for the next two years. >> he's going to be all right. >> walk away. >> he's going to be all right. >> walk away. >> chuck and lolo, we can't thank you enough for the incredible insight you always bring to the table, every time you're here. up next, an exercise regimen

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well, like food and fashion, there are also trends in fitness as well. think spinning, think p-90x, thing zumba. there is a new trend in fitness that is sweeping country. and as i found out, it inspired more by the past than the present. ♪ as kids, exercise was always something that grown-ups did, while we spent all our untapped energy on the playground. why did we ever stop doing that? the owner of one new york city gym asks the same question and answered it with the monkey bar gymnasium. >> we try to make the workouts

fun and get you back in that mind set when you were a child. >> reporter: alex nicholas sent me an invite it play at his gym. i'm 7 years old. and little did i know that playing could burn so many calories. i climbed, i crawled. just another day the at office. i leapfrogged. i even blazed across the monkey bars. well, kind of. i'm surprisingly bad at those. this high energy intense training style is loaded with fun and yet fairly difficult full body maneuvers. not to brag but my cartwheels are kind of awesome, that engage the body and stimulate the mind. >> the main goal is to make people functionally fit. you get a full workout when it comes to agility, some yoga, strength and range of movement. >> reporter: guarantee you lester is not doing this right now. it is a fitness craze that is gaining popularity around the country. your body remembers the good times that you used to have on the playground and you incorporate that into adult

fitness-based exercises. >> absolutely, absolutely. just as much as it is physical, it is mental also. it brings you back to the time in your life where you didn't worry about the stress of work, the stress of relationships, everything else. just having a good time. >> reporter: the only thing i just thought was a pity is that it obviously didn't push me hard enough. i'm barely breaking a sweat. i'm not out of breath at all and my heart rate is down to normal. i mean -- sweaty bliss. for me, this step back into playgroundiest playground yesteryear was a step forward in the ever changing world of fitness. i'm never one to admit had things are difficult at the gym. that was difficult at the gym. but you don't realize it is hard because you're having such a good time. >> i'm surprised to see you break a sweat. iron lady. speaking of iron lady, a lot of people remember a while back, you trained me, we did a segment. >> i do remember that. >> we did that again recently. we'll show that here very, very soon. but i should point out, you nearly killed me. >> i did. >> literally nearly killed me. this close from calling 911. >> this close from death. >> we'll tell you more about

that in the days and weeks ahead. >> we'll show it as well. we're going to say good-bye and leave you today with our latest installment of life illustrated. the season of summer is just about over. and as you soak up the last beach days of the season, we want to take a look back at some of your favorite moments. >> next weekend, we celebrate going to theme parks and fairs, corn dogs, roller coasters, funnel cakes, all that good stuff. send us your best snapshots and submit them to today.com or facebook and twitter. >> have a good day, everybody. >> bye-bye. ♪ it's always a good time ♪ ♪ it's always a good time ♪ ♪ woke up on the right side of the bed ♪ ♪ what's up with this prince song inside my head ♪ ♪ hands up if you're down to get down tonight ♪ ♪ because it's

always a good time ♪ ♪ slept in in my colonials like i didn't care ♪ ♪ hopped into a cab take me anywhere ♪ ♪ i'm down if you're down to get down tonight ♪ ♪ it's always a good time good morning and good night ♪ ♪ i wake up it's going to be all right ♪ ♪ we don't even have to try ♪ ♪ it's always a good time ♪ ♪ it's always a good time ♪ ♪ we don't even have to try ♪ ♪ it's always a good time ♪ ♪ it's always a good time ♪

what they're asking me around this country and in virginia, where's the jobs, where's the economic growth? what are your ideas to grow this economy? >> this morning, news4 goes one-on-one with vice presidential candidate paul ryan. we'll get his stance on the election. and the redskins try to recover from a tough preseason loss that came down to the last few plays. that was hard to watch. good morning. i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie goff. it is sunday, august 19, 2012. what a great day yesterday. we have been calling for a repeat. that's what we want. chuck? >> let's