good morning. digging in. republican senate candidate todd akin releases a new ad this morning. does this mean he will not meet an afternoon deadline to lead the race. >> the mistake i made was in the words i said, not in the heart i hold. i ask for your forgiveness. >> but can he go on without the money or support of his own party. happy to be alive. that's how rosie o'donnell said she's feeling after suffering the kind of heart attack that's often deadly. this morning what she said she did right and wrong. rough seas. 62-year-old diana nyad facing a setback on her fourth attempt at a record swim from cuba to

florida. overnight yet another strong storm. we're live in the florida keys today tuesday, august 21st, we're live in the florida keys today tuesday, august 21st, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> good morning. welcome to "today" on tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer. congressman akin lost support. if he withdraws the gop would choose the replacement. >> it would make it easier for missouri republicans. but there's no sign of that in this new ad he apologizes for using the wrong words in the wrong way when he said the female body has ways of taking

care of things with a legitimate rape. >> also a high school valedictorian denied her diploma for a single word she used in her graduation speech. it's a four-letter word but perhaps one that might surprise you. the school wants a written apology, the 18-year-old is refusing. this is one of the topics we'll discuss with today's professionals. also ahead. sounds like something out of science fiction. cars that can talk to each other to prevent crashes. it's being tested right now. we're going to take you for a ride and show you how it works. >> begin with the call for congressman todd akin to abandon his race after his comments about rape. kelly o'donnell, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. there's new developments today as the pressure around congressman todd akin has been swift and crushing from national

republicans. he's turning his defiance into a tv ad to tell missouri voters he's asking for forgiveness. he used the wrong word but has compassion for rape victims. it's an effort in the final hours here to try to save his candidacy telling voters he is not a quitter. the political implosion for republican senate candidate todd akin began on a sunday local tv show when he made the stunning and false claim that women's bodies can reject pregnancy after what he called legitimate rape. >> if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. >> reporter: by monday night akin was mocked on cable. >> looking at an olympic chair, nice olympic chair. >> reporter: a no show with cnn interview with piers morgan. >> if you don't keep your promise to be on the show you are what we call in britain a

gutless twerp. >> reporter: they call akin a threat to their goal of winning the senate and taking the white house. >> his comments about rape were deeply offensive. i can't defend what he said. i can't defend him. >> reporter: political analysts say mitt romney had to step up his criticism. >> i think the romney campaign is very worried about this. so you saw a very quick response condemning akin's statements. that wasn't an accident. they need women voters and they know it. >> reporter: the six-term congressman and strong opponent of abortion rights scrambled to say he was misinformed about the medical facts and to apologize, first in a radio interview with conservative mike huckabee. >> i made that statement in error. let me be clear. rape is never legitimate. it's an evil act. it's committed by violent predators. >> reporter: minutes later president obama made a surprise stop in the briefing room. >> the views expressed were

offensive. rape is rape. >> reporter: republican leaders circled the wagons pulling $5 million in tv ads planned for akin's missouri race but he dug in. >> my belief is we're doing to take this thing forward and by the grace of god we're going to win this race. >> reporter: the rnc chairman is among those urging akin to step aside. >> the thing he should consider is what's in the best interest of the things he believes most deeply, what will help the country at this critical time. >> reporter: this has all been moving quickly. just in the last couple of weeks akin was favored to be the next u.s. senator from missouri. now he's in this kind of trouble, resistant to give up his seat. he has until the end of the day for the easiest path to end this race and the party will step in. it will be a tougher go if it goeson beyond today. >> michael steele is the former

chairman of the republican national committee. michael, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you have the republican establishment with drawing its support of akin. you have outside groups like karl rove's group with drawing support and virtually every major republican condemning akin. can he really stay in this race? >> yeah, he can. absolutely. the reality of it is, he's banking on the fact he was duly elected by republican voters in a primary. he used that word. he wants to use that as an anchor to go forward. now, the question is what kind of support is he getting on the ground. yes, we focus on the big reason that's coming from karl rove or national senatorial committee but he's a grassroots guy. he's anchored in the community. he worked his way through a tough primary, came out on top and is going to use that as a base of support. that's why you have the ads this morning. the question is does he start to lose that race, does it peel away from him.

does this race become too intractable to pursue. i think it does. >> the other question is the romney campaign. it was very quick to distance itself from these comments. how damaging is it to the campaign this is suddenly the topic of conversation, abortion, when the romney campaign has been working hard to woo women voters. >> it's not just the topic of abortion, the overall negative narrative between the gop and women. i think the romney campaign very smartly and adroitly got out of this thing -- more importantly got in front of it saying we don't support the guy, we don't support the message. a week before the national convention, this is not what the gop wants to be talking about. they want to be talking about those moms out there still trying to balance budgets, hoping they or their spouse or family members gets the job they have been unemployed fm for the last 18 months or so. so that's the reality that mitt romney and the r inform c is facing going into this next week of convention. they don't want this to be a

topic. you don't want to be talking about wacky congressmen in the sea of galilee nor crazy comments from congressman about rape, you want to be talking about the economy. >> yesterday we saw the president come out and do an impromptu press briefing, something he hasn't done with reporters in months. is there any doubt it was making the best of this opportunity. >> you bet. the president hasn't been seen for quite sometime in the press pool and he pops in. yes, this is taking advantage of the political opportunity that's been handed to the campaign. again, furthering the narrative about the distance between women and the gop and playing up those comments and being presidential. yeah, it was all political theater. >> former chairman michael steele. thank you. it's 7:08. here is matt. >> thank you.

swimmer diana nyad making her fourth attempt to swim from cuba to florida. she's about halfway through but there's word this morning she's facing a crisis and may not be able to go on. nbc's mark potter is in key west. mark, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. last night there were more thunderstorms offshore. we are now hearing from a leading crew member with diana nyad on the boat out at sea there's some sort of unspecified serious issue facing diana nyad. she described this as a time of crisis. she also mentioned a problem with jellyfish and said a decision is being made on what to do for this swim in which diana nyad has been facing numerous problems. the most serious problems facing diana nyad so far have occurred after sundown during the long hours at night in the florida straits where she's been making her fourth attempt to swim from cuba to key west. on one night of her adjourn y,

she ran into a powerful lightning storm. it caused her to change course and her crew said cost valuable travel time. if that wasn't bad enough, she also ran into swarms of jellyfish which rise to the ocean's surface at night and which stung her on her neck, lips, hands and forehead despite her wearing a new protective suit. a jellyfish expert wrote, "we responded with make treatments. she got some confidence back and reduced her pain. she went back out just soldiering on. later problems resulted from nyad's long hours in the water. she suffers now from swelling lips and has been shivering and trying to ward off hypothermia in the 85 degree lanolin with b food covering to reduce her body temperature. the report on the website says, "there will always be a point where a human body can't go any

further. what no one knows is where that line is with diana nyad. in previous interview she has talked about how important it is to her. >> i am not going to quit until i stand on the floor in florida. no more to say about it. i'm not a quitter. >> reporter: in key west supporters are amazed by her will to succeed. >> if anybody can do it, diana nyad can do it. she has strength of spirit. she's physically strong and in terrific shape. >> reporter: they are concerned about the problems she's facing at sea. >> there's so many things she can't control, the weather condition, jellyfish and sharks. the waves, the mechanical things that could go wrong. >> reporter: to protect her from sharks divers swim near her and keep a close eye out to. keep spirits high a group of family and friends pulled up close on monday to show their support. for a while she was even joined by scores of dolphins as she slowly made her way toward key

west. nyad, who turns 63 years of age tomorrow, was originally scheduled to arrive here early this morning. now there's serious questions about whether that swim can even continue. matt. >> mark potter on this story for us. mark, thank you very much. more from angie solenger who is a member of diana nyad's team. angie, can you hear me? >> yes, i can. >> we've been told there's a crisis in this swim right now. can you elaborate on that? >> well, we have her now under care. she experienced some jellyfish stings. so i can't elaborate too much because i'm not qualified. but i'm the person you've got to the phone. the whole team focuses on her of and she just needs to be checked out. she's tough and strong and hardheaded, which is what we

love about her. we don't have anymore updates. we're checking her out to make sure she's good to go. we had a pretty -- night. >> as they check her out, angie, is she on the move, continuing to swim right now or are you in a holding pattern? >> she's not on the move. she's in a holding pattern. she's not out swimming. the doctors do assessments, do visuals, talk to her and make sure she's clear to go. the challenges, we stop and float, we don't get off course. her health is the number one priority right now. beside from that, i wish i had more to report. >> let me ask you this. we talk about how tough and how determined she is. will she be the one to make the call, whether she continues or stops or would a member of her team in her own best interest make that call? >> no, that is her call unless

there's some huge challenge. but that's always her call. unless she's incoherent, that's her call. >> a member of diana nyad's team with her now as we await further word whether she'll complete the swim. thank you very much. now here is savannah. >> former secretary of state condoleezza rice is a trail blazer in the political world and now on the golf course. she's one of two women invited to become the first female member of augusta national in the clushb's history. janet shamlian, good morning to you. >> reporter: a move that's long overdue. women are being allowed into the man cave here at the home of the master's. the boys' club is taking one on the chin. augusta national, one of the last bastions of male

exclusivity has changed course. after 80 years of no women allowed they have invited women into the hallowed turf. >> it's a momentous day for the world of golf. it's like the berlin wall finally coming down in golf. >> reporter: in a club known for counting titans of american business among members, including ceo of comcast, the parent company of nbc universal, these two will fit right in. former secretary of state condoleezza rice and south carolina finance darla moore, the first to land on fortune magazine which called her the toughest babe in business. >> gender aside they fit the profile. they have respected in their field, a passion for golf, civic minded. >> reporter: augusta national may be business minded. the issue of admitting women flared up this year after one of its sponsors ibm made a woman chief executive.

past men had been given membership. even president obama weighed in saying he believed women should be admitted. >> they have come to realize this is the right thing to do and they are doing it. now they won't have to feel the burden of guilt that must have been there. >> reporter: perhaps no more. this fall rice and moore will receive that iconic green jacket reserved for augusta's members and a champion as women in the city of augusta told us it's about time. >> it's time women got into augusta. we're just as good as you guys. >> i feel the same way. i had a husband years ago that thought women were second class citizens. i'm sure he would roll over in his grave if he knew women could play at augusta. yea, yea, i think you did a wonderful thing. >> reporter: no word what prompted the move. the club keeps the closed door

mystery of who gets in. many believe it was motivated by money. some of the sponsors were increasingly concerned about no women allowed policy. savannah, back to you. >> janet shamlian, back to you. we're going to talk more about this with today's professionals later on. >> let's head to the news desk and get top stories of the morning for natalie standing by. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. an overpass attack in afghanistan has slightly damaged the plane of the join chiefs of stat. martin dempsey was visiting afghanistan at the time but was not near the plane during the attack at the bagram airfield. two workers sustained minor injuries. stunning new images of the wildfires out west. these pictures of the trinity fire in idaho showed the fierce blaze that forced thousands from their homes. the wildfires are visible from space as seen in this nasa image. some hope in california where firefighters say shifting winds have helped to divert the flames from home. meantime low water levels have left nearly 100 boats and

barges stranded as an 11-mile stretch of the mississippi river has been closed. the coast guard says they don't know when the river will reopen. a new question this morning after director tony scott jumped to his death off a lank bridge sunday. the coroner's office there has conducted an autopsy but said it has not determined whether or not he had any health problems before his apparent suicide. and according to the "los angeles times," scott's family was denying reports he was suffering from inoperable brain cancer. a legal setback for cycling champ lance away strong if a federal judges dismisses his bid to stop the u.s. anti-doping agency from investigating whether or not he used performance enhancing drugs. a previous bid was knocked down last month. armstrong has the option to file another revised complaint. they have charged armstrong with doping and if proven the charges could strip him of his tour de france title. let's jump inside the mind

of the college freshman as the list reveals the mind-set. for these, kurt cobain, jacqueline kennedy onaz have always been married. it's michael jackson's family, not jackie o's considered royalty. robert de niro is not vito corleone but jimmy conway's father. the twilight zone is more apt to conjure images of vampires. speaking of a year older, al roker. >> a year older. hey, beats the alternative. let's show you what's going on right now. we are talking about a lot of rain down in florida. flash flood watches and warnings out as we see a lot of rain coming down along the stationary

front. heavy rain anywhere from two to three inches of rain through central and southern and northern florida especially and a tropical depression to worry about. tropical depression number nine. 715 miles east of the leeward islands moving west at 20. if it becomes a storm, it becomes isaac and right now makes its way into cuba some time early sunday and by early monday could be threatening southern florida. guess what, the republican national convention will be taking place. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. patchy dense fog and live view from our hd city camera. plane taking off from reagan national airport. dew point 61 a light northerly breeze as the clouds are slowly receding east and increasing sunshine this morning and then a few clouds this afternoon. four-day forecast highs reaching mid-80s and small

>> that's your latest weather. matt. >> thank you very much. coming up, rosie o'donnell opens up about suffering a heart attack last week. what she did that may have saved her life and what she wants other women to learn from her. but first this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead a high school valedictorian denied her diploma for using a four-letter word in her graduation speech. >> we'll talk about it with today's professional after your local news. can't join his friendsiles because he's getting hit with blackouts. shame on you. 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.

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so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. good morning, it's 7:26 right now. i'm aaron gilchrist. an update on breaking news we're following this morning. two people are dead in ellicott city. two victims on the train bridge. there is concern more people might be buried in the wreckage of that coltrane. now, for an update on your commute this morning. here's mike. >> thank you. right now a bit slow on the outer loop on loop 5 and still have a slight delay. incident has been removed. accident still on the inbound and the right lane is blocked. five-car accident there. five-car accident there. two-mihe's made his choice.

but what choices will women be left with? just like mitt romney, paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. in congress, ryan voted to ban all federal funding for planned parenthood and allow employers to deny women access to cancer screenings and birth control. and both romney and ryan backed proposals to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape and incest. for women... for president... the choice is ours. i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. good morning. tom kierein with your seven-day outlook. delightful late summer weekend today all the way into the weekend. just a chance of a storm

tomorrow. aaron? don't forget annual ba backpacks 4 kids campaign. drop them out in kingstown and drop them out in kingstown and alexandria we sent him there to fix it, drobut somewhere along the way, alsomething 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.

it may not seem like an awful lot of money. but as you can see it's enough to bring big smiles to stranger's faces. coming up we'll talk to the family who is fulfilling one man's final wish. one big tip at a time. it'sn of generosity. it's a really nice story to send you off to work to -- work with on this tuesday morning. 7:30 now august 21st, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie. >> also today's professionals,

the fallout rihanna brown forgives chris brown and still loves him even though he assaulted her years ago. is it fair to criticizes the pop star. we'll talk about that and more with star, donny and nancy. >> there's been a lot of reaction so far. if you live in a swing state you probably know presidential campaign ads arehe airwaves. president obama defended his while criticizing mitt romney. how effective are these ads. how much of what you see could you and should you believe. we'll get into that coming up in a few minutes. >> sneak peek at experimental technology that could save your life. cars that can talk to each other and warn you of an imminent crash. we'll begin with a health scare for rosie o'donnell. she recently suffered a heart attack. mara schiavocampo has more on

this story. >> reporter: good morning. according to o'donnell this was a close call. in fact, a miracle she survived. she had what was known as a widow maker, a clogged artery with the potential to cause a massive heart attack. though she's known for being funny. >> what am i clown for you? do i muse you? >> reporter: rosie o'donnell had a serious message for fans announcing for the first time she suffered a heart attack last week. in a post on her blog, o'donnell writes, "i am happy to be alive." she started to feel sick last tuesday after helping a woman in the car, i had an ache in my chest, both my arms were sore. i became nauseous. i was very hot. i threw up. though she googled symptoms for a heart attack, o'donnell didn't go to the doctor until the next day. that's when she found out her arteries were blocked. >> 200,000 women die each year. symptoms not typical of men.

>> reporter: o'donnell credited awareness, saying after her symptoms started, i took some bayer aspirin. thank god. saved by a tv commercial. >> it was really very powerful and compelling, made you stop and think, my gosh, what would i do in that situation. now i might actually know what to do thanks to rosie o'donnell. >> reporter: o'donnell has shared with her share of stress. this spring her short-lived talk show on the oprah winfrey network was canceled. >> i want to say thanks to the people that watched, thanks to oprah. >> reporter: she recently announced her fiancee had been diagnosed with a rare medical condition. early this year o'donnell spoke publicly about her efforts to get healthier. >> every piece of food i have put in my mouth since that moment isd a conscious thought about. that has never happened in 49 years. >> reporter: announcing she started dieting and exercising more and had lost 15 pounds in the months leading up to her 50th birthday. >> i feel better.

i feel healthier. i feel like a more responsible person. >> reporter: heart disease is the number one cause of death for all women in the u.s. prompting national awareness campaigns like go red for women's day. >> you may have noticed a lot of us are wearing red today. >> reporter: "today" tributer star jones is the national spokeswoman. >> it's been almost two years i had open-heart surgery myself. one in three women die from heart disease. >> reporter: and rosie is now urging women to, quote, know the symptoms. save yourself. strong words after a very close call. in her blog post o'donnell said she ended up having a stint placed in her artery. she's now at home resting comfortably. savannah. >> thank you. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. let's do our public service announcement. what are the symptoms for women in heart attacks because they are differ. >> rosie had for women, didn't have crushing pain like an

elephant on her chest, she vomited, nauseated, ached all over a lot of women present for the first time with symptoms of the heart attack that ends up killing them. she came darn close to it. >> she didn't call 911 right away. she acknowledges now that was a mistake and said she hit google and looked up heart attacks. how crucial was that delay. >> it could be killed her. she did some things really smart. she sensed something was wrong. she took her aspirin. the next thing to do is call 911. you don't drive yourself to the hospital. you don't wait 24 hours. the artery she's talking about is the left interior descending, lid. it's the widowmaker. in the past men dropped dead and left widow's behind. it's just as applicable for women. it supplies blood to a lot of heart muscles gets blocked it can mean instantaneous blocked. >> it was 99% blocked.

>> she may have had symptoms but weren't so typical she thought oh, this is a heart attack. women talk themselves out of it. overintellectualize, couldn't be me, doesn't sound typical. the vomiting, nausea and sweats, profound exhaustion. the achiness helping the woman out of the car, that was her symptom. it had nothing to do with helping the woman out of the car. >> i was going to ask you something, had nothing to do with bringing on the heart attack. >> i would say to women, if your gut is something is wrong here, just overreact and call 911. rosie is lucky she's here. i hope the takeaway from women is you, too, can learn from this. i appreciate her publishing this. >> shines a lot on this. dr. snyderman, thank you. we'll see you in the next half hour with today's professionals. now a check of the weather from al. >> today's weather brought by the seven bold flavors of bush's grillin' beans, bolder side of bush's.

>> we have a birthday girl here. what's your name? very nice, nice candle. let's see what we've got for you. we're looking at a big area of high pressure above normal temperatures out west and cooler here in the east and out west, those temperatures, fire dangers because temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s from medford, oregon, to north dakota and as far south and east as denver. look at 24the 80s and 90s. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> patchy, dense fog around the shenandoah valley. else where, partly cloudy and fresh and cool start this tuesday morning. tom kierein storm center 4. right now in the 60s throughout most of the region and 50s out of the mountains later today and small chance of an isolated thundershower this afternoon and little greater chance tomorrow after a cool start. cool mornings and warm afternoons and thursday, friday, saturday, sunday and monday. highs in the

>> and that's your latest weather. matt. >> al, thanks very much. what if cars could talk to each other and prevent crashes? it may sound like science fiction but the technology is already here. the government is now launching a new year long pilot project to test it. nbc's tom costello got a sneak peek. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. we're talking about alarms, about warning lights, about even buzzers in your seat to warn you of a daernnger. if there's a danger on your right-hand side you get a warning or your right cheek. a lot of us have controls that keep us away of the car ahead of us. as we saw on the test track, this takes safety to a whole new level. what if there were a way to warn you that another driver was about to blow right through an intersection or warn you of a crash ahead or ice on the road.

now researchers at the university of michigan, dot and eight car manufactures launching a program involving nearly 3,000 vehicles testing the latest crash victims. we got the car actually broadside us. >> i have led, seat is rumbling. >> reporter: it's called vehicle to vehicle communication. here is how it works. each car, truck or bus on the road would constantly transmit a 360 degree status report via a light system to every other car on the road constantly updating its position, its speed, whether it's turning or braking. if a car is in your mind spot, you get a flashing light in the side mirror. if you signal you want to turn alarms go off and the seat even vibrates to warn you of danger. >> i feel this rumble, really catches you're attention, the rumble of the seat.

>> yes, to let you know there's somebody in the right lane. >> reporter: the system can even determine if a car isn't yet in your blind spot but approaching too quickly to change lanes. >> they are all transmitting the exact same message, position, vehicle speed, acceleration. >> reporter: watch again what happens when i pull up to an intersection where i have the green light but an oncoming car blows through the red. >> if i hadn't hit the brakes, he would have t boned me. >> yes. this is one of the most fatal crashes. >> reporter: if the technology works on a grand scale the government could require it in all cars. >> our number one goal is safety. trying to prevent crashes, trying to prevent injuries, trying to prevent death. >> the system can warn you if the car ahead has braked hard trying to avoid a pileup even if the road ahead is wet or icy. >> this is the information of the technology. information technology has the potential to prevent crashes in

the first place and that's what we want to do. >> reporter: one big challenge here is for the technology to be an aid to drivers and not a nuisance. that's something they are going to have wo work the kinks out on in ann arbor. matt, you and i could see this in our cars. >> sounds linebacker a great idea. thanks very much for the information. up next, what should you believe, what can you believe? a truth about the attack ads in the presidential race. we'll go through a couple of them right after this. [ male announcer ] there's chicken

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than two months away. should you believe everything you see? here with reality check chuck todd, nbc's political director and white house correspondent. bill adair, editor of politifact and ad director. take this from three perspectives, who is the ad targeting, is it true, is it effective? let's start with the romney campaign released yesterday. this accuses president obama of gutting welfare reform. >> this bipartisan reform successfully reduced welfare roles. on july 12th president obama ended the requirement gutting welfare reform. one of the most respected newspapers in america called it nuts saying if you want to get more people to work, you don't loosen the requirements, you tighten them. mitt romney's plan for a stronger middle class will put work back in welfare. >> check, it seems fairly obvious but who is this targeting? >> white working class voters in

particular states, ohio, wisconsin, states romney is underperforming in this voting group as vulnerable as any place the president would be. he's overperforming there and that's why they are going with this. >> barbara, what they are saying in the ad, hey, some of you guys are out there working your butts off trying to make a living and support your family. other people are cutting corners. is it effective? >> i don't think it's effective because it's such a battle of images. first he starts with clinton, with this golden age of welfare. you don't understand why. then they show obama coming from outside of a tree like he's the ultimate outsider. then don't understand gutted. he gutted welfare or the reforms to welfare. it's too complicated. you have to turn it around in your mind. >> all right. bill, most importantly, you. is this ad true? >> no. we rated it "pants on fire" which is our "liar liar pants on fire" lowest ri esest rating.

>> what's wrong about it? >> it relies on a memo the obama campaign wrote and romney shows that what ended the work requirement. that's not what the memo said. it says clearly they want to give states the flexibility for the work requirement. >> and want to increase the work requirement by 20%. >> exactly. really how they can interpret that is surprising. >> so pants on fire on that one. let's go to the next one. this is an obama ad. it goes after mitt romney for the rate of taxes he pays. take a look. >> you work hard, stretch every penny. but chances are you pay a higher tax rate than him. mitt romney made $20 million in 2010 but paid only 14% in taxes, probably less than you. now he has a plan that would give millionaires another tax break and raises taxes on middle class families by up to $2,000 a year. mitt romney's middle class tax increase. he pace less. you pay more.

>> chuck, it's been running in some swing states since the beginning of the month. >> this is why the romney folks were desperate to find something to counter-act this. that's what the welfare campaign ad is about because this ad-in particular and this issue on tax returns has kept the white working vote in ohio, iowa, kept that either in undecided or even in the obama column more so than romney. >> barbara, talk about the key images. what makes it effective or ineffective? >> it's effective. the trump is a killer. if there's ever guys that needed reform it's not them. the rich guys, makes him look like mr. burns sitting at the table by himself, an evil don draper. they give him a moneybag and

mond monacle, he couldn't look more like a rich guy. >> is it true? >> half true. depends how you calculate taxes. if you include payroll taxes, the ad is correct. if you don't, the ad is not correct. the other thing that's relevant the image suggests the lady comparing the tuna cans that it's the middle class that would be paying more than romney. it's the wealthier paying higher rates than romney. >> half true, half false and misleading. we're going to do this each time they release a new ad. >> it's unbelievable the amount of money they are spending. i can't underscore. never been seen before. >> we'll try to educate consumers. still ahead should mark zuckerberg step down as ceo of facebook. we'll talk about that and other topics with today's professionals. but first these messages. [ radio ] it's a scorcher out there...stay refreshed!

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with tums freshers! concentrated relief that goes to work in seconds and freshens breath. ♪ tum...tum...tum...tum... tums! ♪ [ male announcer ] tums freshers. fast relief, fresh breath, tributes are pouring in for the original queen of comedy. phyllis diller died at the age of 95.

diana in los angeles with this story. >> the loveable phyllis diller had a equip for every situation. her one-liners were usually aimed at herself. she laughed her way to our hearts and paved the way for women who followed in her footsteps. >> i was the world's ugliest baby. when i was born, the doctor slapped everybody. >> reporter: you couldn't help laughing at phyllis diller. after all, she laughed the lo loudest. the midwestern housewife with the wicked sense of humor. >> she was such a pioneer for female comments. she never did what she did. >> i resent what a great woman comedian she was. she was just a great comedian. >> reporter: born in 1917, diller said he never felt pretty so she decided to be funny instead. it was a gift that years later kept her family afloat. at the age of 37 with five children and her husband out of

work, she gave standup a try. despite repeated rejection diller persevered and eventually earned an invitation to "the tonight show." she later performed with bob hope performing on television and uso tour. >> such a thrill for me, all these men whistling and screaming. >> yeah. they have been in the jungle too long. >> reporter: going where no female comic had dared go before. she poked holes in the facade of the happy housewife acknowledging the pressure. >> there's one man in the world who is actually crazy about my legs. colonel sanders. >> reporter: she made endless fun of her fictional husband, the infamous fang. >> i told fang i was going to have my face-lift, he said who would still with it. >> reporter: she punctuated with wild outfits and wig but her best accessory was her life. 84 years old diller took the

stage for her last standup performance. >> the best contraceptive for old people is nudity. >> look at me, crying through the whole thing. she liked her own jokes. she knew she was funny. she had as good a time on stage as the audience had. and they felt that, too. >> reporter: america couldn't help but love phyllis diller. every joke she made came from the heart. >> i always said i would like to become a gracious lady and be known for kindness. of course i -- >> you are. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you. >> reporter: she spent her last years painting, playing cards and enjoying her family. her son said she died with a smile on her face. savannah. >> thank you. we're back with today's professionals after your local news. why don't we play a game of hide and seek? right now?

yeah go hide. one, two... [ son ] come and find me! three! [ male announcer ] bite-sized chicken's grown up. new kfc bites. freshly hand-breaded in the colonel's original recipe. try 10 bites with an 8 piece meal for $19.99. today tastes so good. ♪ wow... [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need is the smooth, creamy taste of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ now discover new caramel apple filled werther's original.

here we are live at the kington branch of apple federal credit union near alaxandria where we're going to be collecting backpacks. things like this all morning long. check out our bin here, a pack backpack for kids. that's what we're asking our viewers to generously donate. if you can't get to our location here, please, go to nbcwashington.com and securely donate there online or, of course, mail us a check at nbc 4 off of nebraska avenue in northwest d.c. we want to remind you over the last seven years we've been able to donate more than 50,000 backpacks for kids in need in our area. kids who need the most basic of school supplies, paper, pen, notebooks and binders and now you have an opportunity to give back, as well.

we will be delivering these to area schools by the end of the month and we hope that you'll be able to be a part of that. just visit us at nbcwashington.com. meteorologist tom kierein will have a look at your weather coming up during "today" show. [ 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. [ male announcer ] you work hard. stretch every penny. but chances are you pay a higher tax rate than him... mitt romney made twenty million dollars in two thousand ten but paid only fourteen percent in taxes... probably less than you now he has a plan that would give millionaires another tax break...

and raises taxes on middle class families by up to two thousand dollars a year. mitt romney's middle class tax increase. he pays less. you pay more. 8:00 on this tuesy morning, the 21st of august, 2012. they are playing matt lauer's favorite song. as we bounce along, carly rae jepsen will be here on the plaza thursday morning along with owl city. >> a good time. >> working on your dance moves. >> practicing, yeah. >> better take care. >> exactly. >> i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer the dancer and al roker. >> coming up today's professionals inside. one of the topics they are going

to handle today, a high school valedictorian, she used a certain four-letter word in her graduation speech. as a result the school is withholding her diploma. interested to see how you feel about this. we're going to be talking about it with the professionals. >> a four-letter word but one we can say on tv. see what y'all think about that. then just ahead a kentucky man's last wish. 30 years old he died suddenly. in his he made an unusual q he asked his family to go to restaurants and leave a tippah big tippah $500 tip. they started to do that. it's really inspired other acts of generosity. we're going to talk to the family and some of those that have been helped by that. >> great story. a little later on princeton review is out with their new list of the best colleges. we're going to tell you who they are. >> let's do inside. natalie is standing by with a look at the headlines. hey, natalie. >> i know you've been following the story of diana nyad. we have an update.

endurance swimmer diana nyad had to abandon her swim from cuba to northwest. the 62-year-old's bid has ended due to extreme exhaustion. she was suffering from jellyfish stings. her team made a collective decision to pull her out of the water for safety reasons. nyad made it about halfway to florida. missouri senate candidate todd akin is asking for forgiveness this morning amid pressure from his own party to drop out of the race. in the new ad akin called rape an evil act, saying he used the wrong words when saying a legitimate rape would likely not lead to pregnancy. a massive train wreck outside baltimore killed at least two people. the train was carrying coal when it jumped the tracks, flipped over crushing cars below. casey anthony's probation for check fraud ends this week. the exact date is secret amid security concerns. the orlando mother has reportedly received death threats since being acquitted in

the death of her 2-year-old daughter. an occupies showed junior seau had no alcohol or drugs in his system when he shot himself back in may. an initial examination showed no brain damage from his years of football. michael j. fox will be returning to a tv series. the comedy loosely based on fox's life will air here in 2013. fox left fulltime acting 10 years ago after being diagnosed with parkinson's disease. what's trending today, what has you talking only. when you think disney, you think feel good children's movie. two boys became in consolable after watching the odd life of timothy green because of the sad ending and the video is quickly going viral. >> i didn't want him to die. >> i know but it's the circle of life. >> timothy green. >> all his leaves came off.

>> i didn't want him to go. >> apparently every generation has its bambi and old yeller. sad for those kids. on youtube singing his apparent theme song. pretty good. of course the creepy theme from ""the addams family."" sunny also knows the theme from harry potter. a remix of inside the actor's studio based on ten questions of every celebrity is quickly making the rounds online. it shows great minds really do think alike. take a listen. >> what professional other than yours would you like to attempt? >> architect. >> architect. >> architect. >> history teacher. >> teacher. >> teacher. >> teacher.

>> what is your lacy favorite word? >> no. >> no. >> no. >> no. >> i've never been a fan of no. >> hate. >> hate. >> hate. >> hate. >> moist. >> moist. >> moist. >> asked their favorite curse word, of course, we can't show you here on "today." it's 8:05. back outside to al with a check of the weather. your least favorite wore, al. >> bad weather. bad, bad, bad. >> bad. >> one of my favorite things is air force week. we've got members of the air force here, and we have very cute bird of prey. don't want to get those confused. what is this you've got here? >> this is a falcon. >> would she fly and maybe land on matt's head. >> we could attempt later. >> what's her name. >> luciana. >> you're much cuter. let's see what we' what we have far, pick city of the day today happens to be the beautiful town

of davenport, iowa. sunny, 82 degrees and as we check out the satellite imagery, a lot of wet weather and heavy rain making its way into dallas and more rain in central and southern florida. although the temperature still a little on the toasty side. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. feeling a lot optominal this morning. tom kierein in storm center 4. looking at temperatures. 60s most of the region and 50s out in the mountains. certainly a chilly start out there. not a lot of humidity, a few clouds in and out and a small chance of an iceilated thundershower this afternoon. thursday, friday, saturday, sunday and monday, highs 80s and partly cloudy. father and son sharing the same birthday. how many years have you been

here? >> 11 out of 13 years. >> very good. savannah. >> coming up, today's professionals discuss the valedictorian denied her diploma because she used a four-letter word in her speech. we'll have that coming up. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, 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. ♪ with more birthdays.at a bank of america near you. join the american cancer society making strides against breast cancer walk and help us get there faster. sign up at makingstrideswalk.org.

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guys, good morning to all of you. let us start with representative todd akin, the guy out in missouri who is running for the senate there finds himself in the middle of a firestorm because of comments he made when asked about his opinions on abortion in cases of rape. he said the following, basically, that victims of legitimate rape, those were his words, rarely get pregnant. he went on to say this. if it's legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down. let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something, i think there should be some punishment but the punishment ought to be on the rapist. nancy, start me off. medically speaking, what's wrong with those words? >> everything. there's no -- first of all, there's no term legitimate rape in medicine. there's no situation where the female body can shut down a sperm megan egg. the risk of getting meetingnant after a rape is 5%.

the risk with unprotected sex is 5%. a woman exposed to sperm runs the risk of being pregnant. this is basic junk. >> let's take the medicine out of it now. this is a guy who has now come out and apologized, asked supporters for forgiveness, saying he used the wrong words in the wrong way. donny and star, weigh in, what's going to happen here. should he pull out of the race. >> depends on the perspective. for gop it helps them for him to pull out and he's got a few more hours to do it. if he doesn't, the romney/ryan ticket will be tarred with this feather for the entire campaign. they sponsored bills together that pretty much echo this sentiment. >> two issues. first of all, was it a slip of the tongue? sometimes in the media we can over react and jump. this is not a slip of the tongue. when you say a calculated point of view, thoughtful -- anything but thoughtful, a blithering

idiot point of view. if he stays in, it gives them the ultimate poster boy. >> oh well, does he mean to do it. this was purposeful. >> he actually did mean to. >> let's move onto augusta national golf club for the first time in 80 years after a lot of pressure, they are allowing in two female members, condoleezza rice and darla moore, respected in the investment field. applause? >> hello. >> did they do it for the right reasons? >> i've never been this big fan of they must let in women. i just am not. >> because of private clubs. >> because it's a private club. >> blacks also? >> absolutely. they could make the decision. i explained this to you before. >> explained -- >> you sometimes are dense. legally you do not have to allow people into a private club if

they are not accepting government funds. they don't. they did not. this time they made a decision within the confines of their membership. >> but beyond the law, this is not about girls playing golf. this is about women having access to power. this is where deals are made. forty years after a woman named ceo, 40 years after a woman named members of the stock exchange, they are finally getting with it. shame on them for not doing it sooner. >> star, they did it for one reason, one reason. i think there's a turning point when there's a female ceo of ibm, one of her predecessors. >> four previous. >> they are keyed up. sponsors. this was dollars and cents. >> does it take the heat off? now is it going to be a numbers game, how many women are you going to have in your membership? >> takes the heat off. they did it for that prone. >> mark zuckerberg, facebook closed around 20, roughly half of its price when it came out

with the initial public offering back in march. is mark zuckerberg's job in jeopardy the way a normal ceo in a normal company's job would be in jeopardy? >> yes and no. interesting history with this. you have steve jobs, the founder. all of a sudden they tossed him out, corporate executives, company went down, they brought him back. we know the history there. this is a guy who obviously was a visionary. what's frankly happened now, the stock is where it should be. it was never a hundred million dollar company. is he the guy to take it into the future? i don't think so. >> interesting how it plays out. cheryl stanberg is there. she could be a phenomenal ceo. >> weigh in quickly. he's never been the person that should take it this direction. >> finally, a valedictorian in a high school speech used the word hell in that speech. the school told her she should not get her diploma until she

apologizes. >> fire the principal. that word we can say on this show here. how dare this principal say she can't get her -- he should absolutely be fired over this. >> it was jock lar, how the hell should i know what i'm going to do when i grow up. >> fire the principal. >> the way you think, should that young lady apologize and get her diploma or stand her ground. weigh in on today.com. up next, one man's final wish to leave a $500 tip inspired generosity. we'll talk to family members after this. with prevacid24hr. with one pill prevacid24hr works at the source to prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn all day and all night. and with new prevacid24hr perks, you can earn rewards from dinner deals to music downloads for purchasing prevacid24hr. prevent acid all day and all night for 24 hours

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back now at 8:20 with a harm warming story born from one family's difficult loss. erin collins died unexpectedly last month but left his family with a very specific wish. leave someone a $500 tip. they have done more than that. we'll talk to the family in a moment. first kerry sanders has the story. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. i'm at the old fort lauderdale breakfast staff where the wait staff hasn't seen this big tip but it's a movement you may have

heard tips, to in sure prompt service. now it has taken on new meaning, the inspirational power of sharing. it can be one of the hardest, most thankless jobs in america, serving food and surviving on tips. erin collins knew that. he worked at a pizzeria in kentucky. 30 years old, aaron died unexpectedly. he left his family a challenge to do what he hoped to do someday, go out to dinner and leave a $500 tip. for fun, the family videotaped. >> are you kidding me? oh my god. >> his brother posted it online. >> he was trying to think about people who don't necessarily get a lot of appreciation but who no one is out there thinking of. >> reporter: it went viral leading to donations like 13-year-old nathan who sent $20 and wrote "inspired by your

story." >> are you serious? can i have a hug? oh my god. the unbridled joy touching his mother. she grew up in the appalachians in a house that cost less than the first $500 they scraped together. >> he left great joy for us. i don't know that i could have survived the loss of aaron without this. >> reporter: now there's more than $50,000, enough for more than 100 $500 tips. waitress sarah ward, studying ecology always said she wanted to change the world but didn't expect it would be like this. >> always wanted to touch people but didn't know it would be on the receiving end as a waitress. i thought it would be for the environment or polar bears, not a tip. >> that's for you.

it's $500 from him. >> reporter: 22-year-old graduate student was tipped wednesday. >> helps to know there's good people in the world. >> where does it end? >> hopefully it doesn't end. >> reporter: a sign this is a movement that is spreading. a passenger took a short ride in a cabin san francisco. ette out and gave the cabdriver a $500 tip and said it was in memory of aaron. savannah. >> kerry sanders, thank you. aaron's family is with us. his brother seth, mom, tina ray collins and sister and joined by jamie fuller, one of the great waitresses that experienced this act of charity. good morning to all of you. this is a sorry about inspiration and generosity but i know your family has suffered a terrible loss. how are you doing, tina? >> i'm doing a lot better than i would have expected. i think it's because of this. it gives us something to focus on instead of our grief.

>> apparently aaron wrote this in a will a couple years ago. it had a pretty simple instruction, right? >> to leave an awesome tip. i'm not talking about 25%, i mean $500 on a pizza. that's where we started. >> he was pretty clear. don't go to the fancy restaurants. >> pizza, $500. that's a big tip on a pizza. >> what has it been like to be the giver of this generosity? >> it's been a huge blessing for me just to be able to touch people like that and see their reaction. i'm really nervous going into it. then as soon as i hand them that money, i sort of get to step back and let them control the situation and see how they are going to react. it's different every time. >> rachel, is this something in keeping with your brother's personality? >> yeah. he always wanted to do something to help people and to make people happy and bring joy to people. he was always about having fun, bringing joy to other people. >> and what is the reaction, generally, when you tell them, i'm leaving you this $500 tip?

i imagine people are stunned. >> always been disbelief. that's where it starts. you're joking, kidding, not serious. that's always the beginning. >> let's go to the source on that jamie, you worked at a restaurant in kentucky. how did you feel? >> shocked. i thought it was a joke at first. you're getting through your workday and you're rushed. then this guy just hands you $500. what? this don't happen. so it's very shocking, emotional. >> i know one of the things you did was give back some of your tip? >> i did. i sent $50 back. >> that's really caught on, tina. you've gotten a lot of donations. so is the plan to keep on giving out tips? >> as long as the good people giving the money will keep gig, we will continue to give out the tips. i just want to say how thankful i am this is not just aaron's week, it's people all over the country and the world now. >> you've done an amazing thing. i know you're keeping his memory

alive as well. i want to thank you, collins family, for being with us and jamie fuller. appreciate it. we'll be back with more news after. breaking news at 8:26 now. at least two people are dead in ellicott city after a csx train derailed overnight. there was concern more people could be buried in the wreckage. the train was carrying coal and the cause of that crash is under investigation.

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good morning. the air is refreshingly cool on this tuesday morning. and we have some areas of dse fog and some of the rural areas of west virginia, virginia and pennsylvania, that will slowly disitate by late morning and by mid-afternoon hit the low and mid-80s with clouds in and out and small chance of isolated thundershower and greater chance tomorrow. now, how's our traffic doing? >> tom, some low trafficker on the outer loop coming off i- 5 in maryland. earlier accident inner loop at a pennsylvania avenue moved to the right shoulder, but heavy delays

starting just before 214. eun? >> thank you. today is annual backpack for kids' campaign. you can

tuesday morning, 21st day of august, 2012. we have a crowd out on the plaza. looks like a beautiful day today. they are listening to some music that is our way of reminding you carly rae jepsen in concert thursday morning with owl city.

they are live in concert. >> owl, not al. >> live in our 8:30 half hour. if you're in the area, come on down. by the way, i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie, natalie morales and al roker. that's not the only one of the week. >> train on friday. you had a chance onpick one of the songs they play. the choices are drive by, if it's love, save me san francisco. cast your vote at today.com. >> meanwhile, picking the right college if you're thinking about heading off in the next year or two. the princeton review is out with the list of the best 377 colleges in america. wide variety of categories. we're going to break them down for you. >> all right. then a new look at the final days of the late penn state coach joe paterno. what was it like inside his home as the jerry sandusky scandal erupted. was paterno in denial. did he show any sympathy for the victims? we're going to talk to a

journalist that was there for paterno. first, how about a check of the weather. >> let's look ahead starting with today. wet weather down through florida. a beautiful day here in the northeast by the great lakes. fire danger continues in the pacific northwest and thundershowers in northern texas. tomorrow, we expect to see more of that wet weather and down rain through central and northern florida and also the pacific northwest is looking gorgeous and plenty of sunshine and sunny and mild through the great lakes. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. air is fresh and cool this morning. some dense fog of the areas of west virginia and up into pennsylvania. that will slowly dissipate and right now in the 60s later today in the mid-80s and few clouds in and out and small chance of a shower or thundershower this afternoon. cool mornings and warm afternoons each day. thursday, friday, saturday, sunday and monday. and partly cloudy, as well. highs 80s and morning lows in the 50s to near

>> don't forego, get that weather any time you need it. go to weather channel on cable and weather.com. >> more of our series, anxiety in america. we'll talk about the newest treatments, whether they work or don't work. first this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:35 with our special series, anxiety in america. by some estimates, 117 million americans suffer from anxiety disorders. here is one man's story. >> i've been anxious now for close to 20 years. i'm very practiced at hiding it from the world. >> daniel smith is a writer, author and college professor who says the anxiety he's experienced most of his life is still a daily struggle. >> i will happily go to social gathers, dinner parties and have

a good time while i'm there. almost invariably i'll wake up early the next morning, 3:00 or 4:00 obsessed about the things i said or didn't say, did i talk too much. >> in his new book, "monkey mind." a memorial rahir of anxiety. going to college. >> i was consumed by anxiety from the moment my parents dropped me off in front of the dormitory. college is your first taste of freedom. freedom is a terrifying thing. >> throughout his life, his anxiety has even affected his personal relationships. he and his wife joanna have been married seven years. when they were dating he broke up in large part because of daniel's anxiety. >> it was, i want to be with you, i don't want to be with you. i want to be with you, i don't want to be with you. it was a real push and pull. it was exhausting for me. >> it was exhausting for me as well to sort of toggle back and

forth between desire and fear between this woman that i'm with that's me happy, and this woman i'm with is seeing me so unhappy it makes me ashamed and uncomfortable. >> after two and a half years apart, the two reconnected. >> i think the first time we were together, he wasn't even really aware that he was experiencing extreme anxiety. >> it's not debilitating anymore because i do things to mitigate the problem. i take medications. i medicate. i engage in other disciplines i've learned from cognitive behavior therapy which allow me to hold my anxiety at bay. i'm married. i have kids. i refuse, if i can help it, to have the anxiety take over. >> smith says that while his struggle with anxiety may be a daily one, it's also a livable and workable one. >> there's only one good thing i know about anxiety and that is that it's treatable. there is hope for people who struggle from bad anxiety.

>> a director of adolescent and child psychologist from presbyterian hospital. doctor, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> how do we distinguish from every day anxiety all of us feel from time to time and a real serious medical disorder. >> anxiety is a normal, healthy part of life. there are people too anxious. major characteristics of people too anxious, they are hyper vigilant. they are always looking for something around them to worry about. they react to new things. they react to new things with a bias. they react as if new things are threatening to them. they are set up to have a normal experience when experiencing daily activities. that's the difference between people anktious naturally and normally and those who have a condition. >> you might quibble over the numbers. fair to say there has been a huge explosion in the last 20 years or so in anxiety

diagnoses. my question is, is it because we're more anxious as a nation, we're more aware or there are more drugs available and this is a popular diagnosis. >> whenever we have treatments effective, it was nice to hear the gentleman talk about effective treatment. when you have effective treatments you see more people seeking help, therapists used evidence-based treatment more often. >> there's two treatments, long-term solution and short-term solution. the antidepressant drugs. >> three big treatments, cognitive behavioral therapy, which he talked about in that trip. benzodiazepine, valium, ativans of the world often used short-term. they function quite briefly to reduce acute states of anxiety. but the evidence-based treatment for long-term is really the antidepressants. >> antidepressant because they happen to have -- they have noticed anxiety. this is something not a quick

fix. >> these medicines take four to eight weeks to work. you have to take them every day. with chronic use, these are medicines that can be extremely helpful and reduce people's anxiety. >> as a note of caution particularly with short-term benzodiazepine, xanax, there's a potential for abuse. would you caution people using them? >> well, they are so effective short-term that people really get used to taking them when they anticipate they might be anxious. that's one of the hall marks of anxiety, people anticipate a situation where they are going to be anxious and may get into the habit of taking pills and use too many of them. over time they will develop tolerance so they have to take more. it's a tricky drug. >> a tricky illness as well" doctor, thank you for your perspective. thank you. >> thank you. >> coming up next, a man inside the home of joe paterno as the jerry sandusky scandal joe pat.

he was revered for victories on the field and charity work. in the end he was fired and disgraced. in the wake of the jerry sandusky child sex abuse case. sports writer was chronicling his life when the scandal erupted. he conducted the last interview. he writes about it in a new book called "paterno." good morning. >> good morning. >> when you had to throw things up in the air, you were in the middle of this project when the scandal broke. did you completely change the mission statement? >> i think the mission from the start was to write as honest a book as i could about joe paterno. obviously the story changed and in the end that throws you up in the air.

>> you had access to joe paterno and the family. you were in the home when some of the headlines were being revealed. what was the dynamic like inside that home? >> there was absolutely a lot of panic. nobody understood what was going on. it was such a whirlwind. it was difficult. it was such an odd place to be as a writer. i knew as i was writing this book, i knew that what i wanted to do was put the reader there. >> when you say no one really knew what was going on, but you do write that his family members, in particular his children, tried to convince joe paterno that this scandal was enormous and might consume him. you make it sound like paterno himself was in denial. >> i think that's true. certain members of the family understood this thing was going to be huge quite a bit before when it broke. even those people that did not understand how bad. >> was he in denial about what happened with sandusky or was he in denial about how it might impact him. >> i think more the former.

i think he was in denial somewhat about what the story really was, how bad it really was. yeah, i think at the end, i think he always felt to the end that he did what he was supposed to do, not to the extent he would have liked but what he was supposed to do. >> you write that his family members almost had to force him to read the grand jury's presentment in the jerry sandusky case. it was graphic, damaging stuff. after they read it, he said, quote, what are resaying about me? that's not so what do we need to do for these victims, or let's talk about the victims of abuse, it's what are they saying about me? >> what i really wanted to do as we were talking about, i thought it was really important to put his words out there and let people decide for themselves. obviously that's one you can decide what you think about. clearly when he said that, everything was -- he was in the process of being fired. he was in the process of being

disgraced. he did not feel like certainly openly, did not feel like his role in this was being fairly portrayed. that was his response. that's right. you can't read that and not wonder those questions. >> did he come around from that state of denial? you conducted what turned out to be the last interview with joe paterno. he had been fairly disgraced at that point. he had been fired. he was ill, we should mention. what was his state of mind? >> him being ill was a big part of it. he was dying of cancer. the last interview i did in his hospital room was very, very emotional for him. i think his state of mind was exactly, you know, as i tried to write in the book. he wished he done more. he said he wished he had done more. he always said in the end he didn't cover this up or purposefully intend to hurt anybody. he felt -- he would say again and again he felt terrible for the victims. but again, it's a tough one. obviously he did say some things

that later proved out to be not necessarily 100% accurate. >> i started this by saying you set out to write a different book, or at least you thought the circumstances were different. here is a guy who preached honesty, integrity, character. now that you've had a little time to step back with a little distance between you and joe paterno, how do you think he should be remembered? >> i wrote 125,000 words if you remember. it's very, very complicated. this is a man, when you read the book, you see how many people felt like their lives were changed by him, inspired by him, galvanized by him. you can't ignore those people. at the same time you can't ignore the evils of jerry sandusky and the horrible things that were done. joe paterno, among others, were in a position to stop him and didn't. i don't think you can ignore any of that. but to me the book is the book. the life is life. >> the legend but an im perfect legend. >> maybe so. >> joe, the book is simply

called "paterno." great to have you here. >> thanks for having me. >> up neck, princeton review's best colleges in the country. when it comes to everything from the professors to the food. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] since 1996 welfare recipients were required to work. this bipartisan reform successfully reduced welfare rolls. on july 12th president obama quietly ended the work requirement... gutting welfare reform. one of the most respected newspapers in america called it, "nuts!" saying, "if you want to get more people to work, "you don't loosen the requirements -- you tighten them." mitt romney's plan for a stronger middle class will put work back iwelfare. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

back at 8:49. if your teenager is starting to

think about college, listen up. the presenceton review out with annual rankings of 377 best colleges in the country. the senior vice president and publisher of the guide. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. >> 377 schools, not 375, a more round number. >> it is a good question. i spent a heck of a lot of time on the road visiting undergraduate schools. we have such a high opinion, they are exceptional. >> these are student surveys that form the basis. >> exactly, 122,000 current colleges. all their opinions went into the current book. >> 62 unique categories. we pulled out a few. the first one is, this is the one, the student loves their college, clairemont, virginia. >> based on student and part of the system out in california, 40 miles from los angeles. these kids rave about their experience, academically, career services, best financially.

said in the princeton review survey. i can't believe i considered an ivy. >> the college with the best professors is? >> sarah lawrence. the usual suspect on this list. number one this year, students again talking about the energetic and brilliant faculty. there's a system between students and faculty, meet twice a week for four years with the faculty. >> those most satisfied with financial aid. two words you don't always see with regard to financial aid. >> princeton university. been on the list, in the number one spot. might be a surprised, $52,000 sticker price but princeton was the first school in the country to do away with financial loans in your aid package. once you get into princeton, you're guaranteed 100%. >> what about the best setting, the most beautiful college. >> i've been there many times, florida southern, lakeland, 30 miles outside of lakeland, outside of tampa. awesome school academically,

built by frankie lloyd wright, 12 of the original buildings, frank lloyd wright. >> best food. this is important. if you're going to study, a full stomach. >> people in college do it really well. they do it for two reasons. one, great sustainability, great local farms. two, they ask students their opinions all the time. >> best career services. which school gets the top prize there. >> northeastern university in boston. 16,000 kids at northeastern. they spend one full year of study outside the classroom. five-year undergraduate diagnosis, over 2,000 internships to choose from northeastern university. this is one of my favorite categories, can you guess which one it is? >> i think i know. >> biggest party school. if only i could go back to my college years. since i can't, let's tell the younger generation. >> west virginia university. they have been on this list 14 times over the last 21 years that we've been publishing the best 377 colleges. this year they are number one. the number one spot three times already. so we focused on lots of different things. we asked students rate of hard

alcohol, beer consumption, drug consumption and popularity. >> sounds good. the opposite. flip side of the coin, most stone cold sober school. >> again, number one spot now 15 years running, brigham young university, affiliated with the mormon church. great school academically, pretty strict with alcohol. >> any others pop into your mind from the survey. >> so many of them are great. lgtb friendly campus, emerson up in boston. so many different when it comes to social diversity, all on princeton.com. >> thank you so much. we'll check out the guide. appreciate it. still ahead, first lady michelle obama on her worries as a mother. what the next year holds for her daughter, sasha and malia. a lot more news and weather, but first your local news.

breaking news at 8:56. laurel police say they have a suspect in custody involved in a deadly crash that killed a police officer. the cruiser ran off the road killing him. look for the latest on news 4 midday at 11:00. today is nbc 4's annual backpack for kids campaign.

angie goff is live with details. good morning. >> good morning. our viewers rock steve just stopped by ask dropped off six backpacks for backpacks for kids. you still have time. we'll be out here all morning through the noon hour. we're joined by robert seoul with and rita who is with fairfax county public school. what is in your hand? >> $250 cash for the backpacks for children. for fairfax county. >> how is this going to impact our area? >> thank you so much, rita. provide more backpacks for students. we certainly thank you for this. >> we are so glad you can be a part of it. you can still give, too. you can still give, too. tune in for tom's i'm barack obama and i approve this message now mitt romney's attacking the tune 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.

we're back now with more of "today" tuesday morning, the 21st day of august, 2012. i guess we can say the summer is winding down, though it's sad to say it. >> a month to go. >> back to school, a lot of kids back to school already. kids around here back to school in a week or so. these people stretching some more fun out of summer. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and al roker. some sad news to report for long distance smimer diana nyad, her attempt to set the record swimming from cuba to the united states was ended this morning.

she was pulled from the water after being stung by jellyfish, storms pushed her off course. we'll have more on that story coming up in a couple minutes. >> you mentioned summer. a lot of families dealing with back to school blues. moms do, too. first lady michelle obama opened up about the hectic end of summer at her house. she also has things to ref up back to school routine. go shopping for back to school items. i used to love to do that when i was a little girl. tips for uss for all ages. >> literally did that yesterday. you can waste a lot of time with apps, going to websites, especially when you talk about your health. some of them are actually good for you and they are free. we're going to show you the best sites to visit and best apps to download to keep you healthy. >> lots to get to. let's go inside. natalie standing by with a look at the headlines. good morning, natalie. >> good morning, matt, savannah

and al. a day before her 63rd birthday, distance swimmer diana nyad had to end her historic attempt swimming the 103 miles from cuba to florida. as you see in the photo, her team decided to pull her out of the water this morning halfway through due to nyad's extreme exhaustion. she was also suffering from jellyfish stings. republicaned to akin apologizing and asking for forgiveness amid calls from his own party to drop out of the race. he called rape an evil act saying he used the wrong wor at the wrong time saying a legitimate rape will not lead to pregnancy. akin will not drop out for senate. stunning new images out west. pictures from the trinity fire in idaho shows a fierce blaze that forced thousands from their homes. wildfires are even visible from space as seen in these nasa images. some hope in california where

firefighters say shifting winds there helped to divert the flames from home. a legal setback for cycling champ lance armstrong as a federal judge dismisses his bid to stop anti-doping agency from investigating whether or not he used performance enhancing drugs. a previous bid was knocked down last month. armstrong has the option now to file another revised complaint. the u.s. ada has charged armstrong with doping and if proven those charges could strip him of his tour de france title. a health scare from rosie o'donnell as she reveals on her blog she suffered a heart attack last week and says it's a miracle she's still alive. an examination reveals one of her arteries was 99% blocked. o'donnell credits awareness with saving her life. nasa's curiosity rer flexing out on mars, flexing its seven-foot arm before it begins collecting samples of the red planet to see if it once

sustained life. nelly sea otter likes to be organized when her trainer to see cups. she stacks them up in size order. you can bet she'll have her pool ti tidied up. they are good problem solvers and use cunning to survive in the wild. four minutes after the hour. back outside to al. wonder if she does windows. >> teach my kids a few things. >> tidy up her own room. >> let's see what we have for you. rain for our friends in florida. anywhere from two to four inches. we have flash flood watches and flood watches in effect due to a stationary front and moist air coming up into the gulf and florida. rainfall amounts anywhere from one to three inches and locally five inches between atampa and savannah, not guthrie, but georgia.

tropical depression 17 to 15 miles east of the leeward islands. that might bring it by the time we get to sunday morning as a category 2 storm over cuba and eventually making its way into the florida. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, sunshine breaking out around the metro area, but still some fog parts of the shenandoah valley. viewer photo sent in from winchester, virginia, where the sun is still lingering but sunshine breaking up even where the fog is, it will slowly dissipate by later this morning and sun off and on throughout the day. small chance of an afternoon thundershower and greater chance tomorrow and pleasant pattern overall as we get through athe end of the week and the weekend. cool mornings and partly cloudy. and that's your latest weather. natalie. >> al, thank you. first lady michelle obama has an exciting new role this week. she's serving as guestditor for online women's community ivillage owned by nbc universal.

ivillage's chief correspondent sat down with mrs. obama for an exclusive interview. kelly, good morning. >> good morning. >> this is great ivillage has this. i understand this interview with mrs. obama happened in the formal office, east wing, very informal, even took her shoes off. >> so informal. comes in, takes her shoes off, puts her legs under her tush. she wanted to be mom to mom. she wanted me to wear mom clothes. wear my six-year-old cargo pants. she wanted to be laid back. >> one of the issues we talked about, what all moms deal with, whether or not i'm doing right by my kids. let's take a listen at this clip. >> i just keep saying i hope i'm doing it right. i hope i am. you know, all we can do is our best. what i have come to learn is that what's best for one kid won't work for the other one. that's the dog gone thing about

it. >> i thought i had it mastered for once. >> you're so different. where did you come from? >> we see the lighthearted moment but having that in-depth moment that we all have felt in our lives. >> exactly. we talked about all those things, overscheduling your kids. can you relate to that. she can relate. she said last year sasha was overscheduled, tae kwon do, swimming, piano, et cetera. talked about getting ready for school, making sure kids have everything they need. she says every day she hopes she will be doing right by her sids. she won't know until they leave the white house to know it worked. all the evidence shows they are poised, natural, having a normal childhood and doing fine. >> i was going to ask you about, that pressures of this new campaign. how are they handling it? how are the girls being shielded from the spotlight. >> right. they are four years older. they potentially could read more and hear more. she said a couple of things.

they only care about their lives, like kids. they have mapped out different scenarios. either way their lives are going to be great, they are going to be great. interestingly they don't watch a lot of tv. big rules in the white house how many hours of tv. when they do watch tv, everything is dvr'd. what they can do is fast forward through any of the ads. i was in washington overnight yesterday. there's a lot of negative ads going on in washington but the girls don't have to see it. >> get past the commercials. >> exactly. >> malia is going to high school. what did she talk to you about that. i know they have had talks. >> she has stomach knots. she doesn't know what it's like to be the mom of a high schooler. they have lots of conversation, open dialogues. they talk about everything, drugs, sex. i said you've had the talks? she said we've had all the talks. they talk about smoking, body image. she tries to meet her kids where they are, see where their head is, what questions they have, be open and honest and try to have

that dialogue at all times. >> mrs. obama the guest editor this week. she's contributing a series a day. how involved was she. >> very involved. we spent more than an hour in her office. it was basically rev up your back to school routine. we had a number of ideas for her. she said i think we should step back a little bit. we wanted one day to be about healthy eating. before you talk about healthy eating, what about shopping 101, what if people don't know how to grocery stop. we had another segment on focus on your relationship with your husband and kids. wait, step back and talk about your girlfriends, how important those female friendships are. she really enhanced the content, very involved. it's monday through sunday. you're going to have personal anecdotes from her, video segments every day and content she selected that we went ahead and executed. >> talking about going to the grocery store, making the right choices, let's move initiative. her job of handling or tackling childhood obesity front and center as well. >> exactly.

we wanted to do something for back to school. we were thinking we wanted to launch the guest editor program. who could be ideal for that. as we were all getting the kids back to school. we know we're going to have to do healthy lunches, exercise fits in with homework, we thought this could really work. she has really seized it as another opportunity to try and encourage kids to get out and live healthy lives. >> kelly wallace, thanks so much. saw more video there. >> kids for dinner. all these kids who submitted healthiest recipes around the country had the first ever steak dinner at the white house. >> the president surprised them. >> he's usually invited to the steak dinners but he had to crash that one. >> very cute. kelly wallace, thanks so much. still ahead using technology to improve your health. top three apps to download. the best gear and supplies right after this. ek? morning? donut

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good morning. back to school supplies for every age. it is time to load up. anna is here. director for "parenting" magazine. goos to see you. >> thank you for having me. this is the season, everybody is in the thick of the back to school shopping frenz y. let's start with the little guys. preschooler, tiny, little hands. you want backpack that will fit their size, things they can easily tote around. lunch boxes. the first time they are taking their lunches to school. that's a really big deal for them. but they are messy, really messy. anything reusable. anything you can toss in a dishwasher is a good idea. sandwich bags in the dishwasher. >> relatively inexpensive. >> about $8, use them again and

again. >> i love these crayons. >> these crayons are amazing. they are diamond shaped. ther they have a lot of different layers and colors. kids can play around. it makes learning fun for them. when you get into elementary school that's when the back to school supply lists are long. my friend just started first grade so i totally can relate to this. they lose things so you want to double up. this is two-for-one, pencil sharpner and eraser, cool and fun and doubles as a toy. these are erasers, mini hampsters. >> i've seen erasers that look like sushi. >> they do. anything that makes learning fun is a good idea. pencil cases, fun ones from target. fit everything but look like a shoe. >> can you wear them. >> they get a chuckle out of you. when it comes to lunchtime in elementary school. these hot lunch containers are great because the spoon is built in. they can't lose it. everything is attached. it's easy for kids to move

around. >> water bottle. >> funky water bottles. every boat toting them around to stay hydrated. these filter the water so you can drink. when you get to middle school, it's totally different. kids at this age have an opinion. they know what they want and they want to show off their personalities. these are cool watches. they can tell the time at this age. that doesn't mean they know when to meet you at the right time. you can get one of those. >> folders. >> those are their opportunities to really show off their personalities. these book covers, they are called book skinz, kids like them because they keep them neat and clean, encourage them to wrap them. >> we used to make them out of brown paper bags. >> we did, too. you're not that old. backpacks, glittery, sparkly, a great one from gap. >> you've got to be careful. a lot of kids coming home with

back problems. you pick up the backpack, can weigh 20 or 30 pounds. >> a lot of people opt for rollaways, too. you want something durable. kids toss things around. jan sport you can toss around. by the time they get to high school, they really have their own opinions. they might not talk. leather, messenger bags, they like things that make them look older than they are. the crown jewel of high school is your locker. >> the locker. >> it's kind of like the first piece of real estate you're going to own. they didn't have this stuff 25 years ago for me but i would have loved it. >> disco ball. >> disco ball, chandeliers, was that. you can go all out when it comes to lockers. >> a party in your locker. >> that's right. >> that's some great stuff. thank you so much. >> thank you, al. >> looking back, remembering the

original queen of comedy. we look back at the remarkable life of phyllis diller right after 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

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phyllis diller is being remembered this morning as blazing a trail for wen in the world of comedy. >> she died on monday at the age of 95. nbc takes a look back at her remarkable career. good morning to you. >> reporter: we know phyllis diller was an extraordinary woman. she had a women for every situation. her one-liners were usually aimed at herself. she laughed her way into our hearts and more importantly paved the way for the women who followed in her footsteps.

>> i was the world's ugliest baby. when i was born, the doctor slapped everybody. >> reporter: you couldn't help laughing at phyllis diller. after all, she laughed the loudest. the midwestern housewife with an outrageous sense of humor. >> she was such a pioneer for female comments. no one did what she did. i resent when people say what a great woman dmedian she was. she was just a great comedian. >> reporter: born in 1917, diller said he never felt pretty so she decided to be funny instead. it was a gift that years later kept her family afloat. at the age of 37 with five children and her husband out of work, she gave standup a try. despite repeated rejection, diller persevered and eventually earned an invitation to "the tonight show." diller later partnered with bop hope, performing together on television and uso tour. >> such a thrill for me, all

these men whistling and screaming. >> yeah. they have been in the jungle too long. >> reporter: going where no female comic had dared go before. diller poked holes in the facade of the happy housewife, acknowledging the pressure. >> there's one mann the world who is actually crazy about my legs. colonel sanders. >> reporter: she made endless fun of her fictional husband, the infamous fang. >> i told fang i was going to have my face-lift, he said who would steal it. >> reporter: she punctuated with wild outfits and wig but her best accessory was her laugh. 84 years old, diller took the stage for her last standup performance. >> the best contraceptive for old people is nudity. >> look at me, crying through the whole thing. she liked her own jokes. she knew she was funny. she had as good a time on stage as the audience had. and they felt that, too. >> reporter: america couldn't help but love phyllis diller.

every joke she made came from the heart. >> i always said i would like to become a gracious lady and be known for kindness. of course i -- >> you are. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you. >> reporter: her close friend said she was always more happy for others than herself and she was the first one to laugh at a young comic's jokes. that says a lot about her character. >> thank you. i'm sure she will be remembered that way. >> definitely a ground breaker. still ahead on a much different note, big decorating ideas. >> later this week, they are juicy, plentiful, delicious recipes for fresh tomatoes after your local news and weather. ooh kfc. hey, you're supposed to wait for everybody.

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breaking news at 9:26. at least two people are dead after a csx train derailed overnight. new video coming into our newsroom. both victims on a train bridge at the time of the crash. more concern that more people might be buried in the wreckage of the coal and the cars there. the cause of that crash is under investigation. good morning, i'm aaron good morning, i'm aaron gilchrhe's made his choice.

but what choices will women be left with? just like mitt romney, paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. in congress, ryan voted to ban all federal funding for planned parenthood and allow employers to deny women access

to cancer screenings and birth control. and both romney and ryan backed proposals to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape and incest. for women... for president... the choice is ours. i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. good morning. a lot of the fog dissipating and near 70 and later today low to mid-70s. small chance of a shower or thundershower this afternoon and thursday into the weekend, each day highs in the 80s and morning lows near 60. mike, how is traffic? >> still slow on the outer loop coming off the 95 and very heavy

delays after route 50. let's take a live look. some incidents on the shoulder, travel lanes are open. aaron? >> today annual backpack for >>[ 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.

>> carly rae jepsen of "call me maybe" fame collaborating with owl city on their new hit song "good time." they will bring that to us thursday for a new hit concert. come on down. >> that's a catchy song, too. >> a good time. >> meantime, coming up, get healthy. a lot of information on your health. a go to list of great sites and apps that will benefit you and

your family's health. >> all right. we also have help if you're moving into your apartment or downsizing. decorating a small space without a lot of cash can seem like a tall order. not anymore. coming up, some affordable pieces that do double duty. you'll definitely want to pick up some of these. >> what we should be doing with those fresh, delicious tomatoes, whether they are out of your own garden or grocery store. they are out there in abundance for the season. some tasty recipes with adam rapoport for you to try. first mr. rocky hare a check >> let's take a look. first of all for today, plenty of sunshine from the northeast into the great lakes. showers in northern texas. the fire danger stays high in the pacific northwest into the central rockies as we make our way into tomorrow, we're looking at more heavy rain in central and northern florida. flooding will be a problem. heavy rain, also, in the southwest. mild kifgzs through the pacific southwest. conditions through the great lakes and another gorgeous day in the northeast.

that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> delightful summer morning under way. 60s to around 70s and the blue ridge is dissipating. got this photo sent in from scott showing the sun rays through the fog dissipating there. great pic. send your nature and weather pics and be sure to include your name and location. later today into the mid-80s and small chance of an isolated thundershower and greater chance tomorrow and this delightful pattern continues thursday >> and that's your latest weather. >> coming up next, maximizing your living space and budget. how to breathe life into that small room in your home right after this. [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry

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this morning on "today's" home, decorating small spaces on a budget. it may seem like a challenge but it doesn't have to be. founder of brit & company. what is the secret to decorating on a budget without having the budget look. >> it's all about things multi-functional doing double duty. we have a lot of things to show you. >> you converted our set into this living room/bedroom. starting off with the bed and it's multi-purpose. >> this is a futuron, also a day bed. a sofa by day, bed by night.

two-for-one. futons are not just for college kids. throw some pillows and blanket. >> storage is necessary. under the futon space is important as well. >> put clothes, blankets, whatever you want to store. >> hide your goods. >> you've got this great bedding option as well a lot of times new bedding is pricey. this is a way to save money. >> this is so meaningful. these are t-shirts and jerseys grog up. i stitched them into a quilt. >> you made that. >> cost me nothing. this is completely free. now it's like a scrapbook and a blanket. >> something that means a lot to you. every space we see here is used, including you need a space to put stuff. you've created an end table with vintage suitcases. >> it's all about

multi-functional objects. suitcases are great for storage, suitcases and a side table. stack them like that. >> find these anywhere. flea markets. >> ebay. yes, they are all over the place. >> you've got this nice ensemble going here. coffee table. >> this is a bench. use it for seating, as an actual bench. this is a tablecloth on top. set up a table on the floor. >> a lot of uses. let's move over here to our dresser. i like what you've done here because you have to create places where you can hide and hang things. >> that's right. we've taken objects from a kitchen or bathroom, like the bathroom towel holder we draped scarves on. over here a paper towel holder and coat hooks, bracelets, bangles. >> i like that. now here with the jewelry, a great way to creatively hang it up. >> if that's not enough space for accessories, get an old photo frame, paint it, and put

some chicken wire or netting, hang sunglasses, earrings, anything you want. so easy to grab and take off. >> looks like art. >> beautiful. >> mason jars as well. >> mason jars are one of my favorite things ever. these are painted inside, metallic color, upscale class, fill them with flowers and there are your vases. >> something i should point out. artwork. this is all your creation. >> the simplest creative art, not but canvas and tape, chevron patterns, go wild. >> instead of tv, cable sub skripg descriptions, mount your ipad. >> watch your tv and movies, rent them from itunes, take it on the go. >> not big screen tv but still good tv watching on it. all right. thanks a lot. great ideas for our small space.

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>> today's health brought to you by prevacid 24 hours, prevents acid that causes frequent heartburn. >> this morning on today's health, technology that's helps your health, thanks to internet and smart phones, advice at fingertips. the medical editor of "health" magazine is here with the best free apps out there. noise to see you. >> nice to see you, al. >> we just heard with rosie o'donnell, feeling symptoms of a heart attack, went on the web, figured out what needed to be done. the danger is you have to know what sites to trust. >> absolutely. a lot of information out there. some of it good, some not so good. it uses information within the context of a conversation with your doctor. >> these apps are so prolific, health field is no exception. you like spot-check. >> right now forrim phone, i

believe they are expanding to androids soon. skin cancer is the most common cancer in this country. this is a way to take a picture of a mole, send it to a board certified dermatologist. within 24 hours you get an answer whether it's typical, atypical. atypical a worrisome one. the app helps you get an appointment with a dermatology, which is not always easy, in your area. not a substitute for doctors at all. hopefully we'll have more people looking at their moles. atypical ones. >> gi monitor. >> technology is the wave of the future in health care. this is a way that patients can actually monitor their symptoms, keep track of symptoms, things like abdominal pain, change in bowel habits. one of the things i get frustrated with as a doctor. the patient comes in, how many times have you had had problem, how many times a week. they can't remember. i understand. i can't remember myself. you can create a chart, come in and show them. right now gi conditions but expanding for lupus, rheumatoid

arthritis as well. >> eat healthy. >> thisses great. we know we need nutritious meals when you kbo to the supermarket. when you look at labels they are confusing. you can scan in the bar code on your phone and give you information what's nutritious in that food, not so good and healthier alternatives to what you're buying. >> trying to lose weight, lose it. >> a lot of people swearing by this app, a way to track what you're eating, give you the calorie count, break it down by protein and fat, track exercise and get e-mail support from friends or website itself to help motivate you. >> trying to get your doctor on the phone to make an appointment or receptionist can drive you nuts. >> that office staff can be very intimidating to say the least. a lot of times you can't get an appointment. zoc doc is available many cities in the u.s. put in your zip code, health showers, the kind of doctor you want to see. they will get you an appointment

win 24, 48 hours. >> talking about websites, there are a lot of them out there. how many are advertiser supported. they have a hidden agenda. which are the ones you like. >> i think you should always look for a website affiliated with an academic medical center, something like mayoclinic.com is great. one that uses credible, certified doctors. i contribute to health.com, healthynation.com. you wan to make sure these are websites using doctors that are experts in their field, working at am demmic medical centers. you have to be careful of the patient blog. people love them, get a lot of support from them. when you're dealing with one person's experience with a disease, it may turn out to be different from your own. use this information within the context of talking to your doctor. it will help you have a more informed conversation. >> doctor, thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> just ahead, delicious recipes for all those plump tomatoes in season right now. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ obama ] i'm barack obama and i approve this message.

[ male announcer ] you work hard. stretch every penny. but chances are you pay a higher tax rate than him... mitt romney made twenty million dollars in two thousand ten but paid only fourteen percent in taxes... probably less than you now he has a plan that would give millionaires another tax break... and raises taxes on middle class families by up to two thousand dollars a year. mitt romney's middle class tax increase. he pays less. you pay more.

this morning on "today's" kitchen, what is on the must notu? tomatoes, whether you grow them yourself or buy them at the market, fresh juicy tomatoes are plentiful. editor of bon appetit here with dlashs ways delicious ways to u them. >> hello, natalie. >> lots of gorgeous tomatoes. >> gorgeous. >> they are not hybrids, not modified, pure. cherokee purple, green zebra, black russian. in the northeast they are in season two months a year, august, september, buy them. when you buy them, you don't have to do must have. they are so flavorful, so fragrant, juicy. tomatoes love two things, olive oil and salt.

this is a great simple heirloom tomato salad, throw fresh basil. let them sit in the oil, marinate, masscerate. when storing they will, never refrigerator. room temp all the time. >> how do you know when they are really ripe besides biting into them. >> that's the best way to check. they should be heavy to the touch, density, soft, trust your nose. they are like strawberries or peaches, you can smell right through. >> make an open face feta tomato sandwich. >> do a little olive oil. let you get started. >> tomatoes, buy different colors, different varieties. not only do they look different, they will taste different. feta cheese, fresh oregano.

give me fresh tomatoes, mayonnaise, toast, i'm happy. that's all i need. it can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. >> amazing. over here. this is a great appetizer idea. >> great party item for the summer. buy a bunch of cherry tomatoes. at least yellow and red. cut off the tops, scoop out marks an in dentation, well, also a melon scooper. >> take the seeds out. >> mix this up. mayonnaise and horseradish, two to one, three to one ratio, depending how much you love horseradish. this is great. take a plastic baggie. >> pipe it in. >> you don't need a fancy pastry bag. top with a few chives and you're good to go. >> fresh herbs. >> beautiful. great for a party, pop them in your mouth. you don't want hor doevres to cut, you want one bite and you don't want to fill up your guests at the party. >> over here with the tomatoes, heirloom. >> beef steak oil cured tomato.

>> why curing them in the oil. >> the oil gets them sort of -- loosens them up a little bit, brings out the fragrance of their flavor. what you do, let them marinate for 20 minutes, then pack them in fresh breadcrumbs. these are panko breadcrumbs. always buy them. they are crunchier. once you use them, you will always use them. i love to use sea salt, adds crunch, plays off the fresh, juicy, citrus quality of tomatoes very well. look who is here. >> they want to try. >> i will give those guys a shot. pop those in your mouth. horseradish mayo sort of dip for the party. >> good. >> they go well with the gin and tonic. >> i was going to say, what alcohol do you serve with your tomatoes. >> gin and tonic. >> buy tomatoes no olive oil,

sea salt, don't put them in the refrigerator. >> adam rapoport. >> done. >> done! >> thank you. >> curt cameron is going to be here. he's going to chat with kathie lee and hoda. >> first your local news and weather. have a great day. we're going to keep eating those tomatoes. >> aren't those good? and easy. >> no baking.

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. this bipartisan reform

successfully reduced welfare rolls. on july 12th president obama quietly ended the work requirement... gutting welfare reform. one of the most respected newspapers in america called it, "nuts!" saying, "if you want to get more people to work, "you don't loosen the requirements -- you tighten them." mitt romney's plan for a stronger middle class will put work back iwelfare. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. on the inner loop just before landover road. we are dealing with a serious accident. causing very heavy delays that begin before 50. you're seeing a 29-minute ride on the inner loop. it's 17 miles per hour. tom? >> thanks, mike. around our region now, we have sunshine breaking out around the metro area. as a general clearing is occurring west toast and you can still see considerable

cloudiness southeast of washington but north and west, lots of sunshine breaking out and the fog still lingering in parts of the shenandoah valley and up in the valleys towards pennsylvania where it's in the 60s. closer to washington, low 70s now around the metro area. those areas in green still in the 60s. rural areas of maryland and virginia. four-day forecast afternoon highs in the low to mid-80s and small chance of an isolated thundershower and then tomorrow might get an afternoon storm, otherwise, partly sunny into the mid-80s after a cool start in the 50s. the 50s. cool he's made his choice.

but what choices will women be left with? just like mitt romney, paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. in congress, ryan voted to ban all federal funding for planned parenthood and allow employers to deny women access to cancer screenings and birth control. and both romney and ryan backed proposals to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

for women... for president... the choice is ours. i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. for captions paid for byt... nbc-universal television hello, everybody. hodi is happy today because it's booze day tuesday, august 21st. >> we always have wine, but we have a unique drink today. >> i don't know why, but it is good for you because it has a vegetable in it. >> it has a cucumber. >> it's from the broadmoore

resort from colorado springs. >> gin and wine and cucumber. it's tasty. can i tell you what i did? when i was in london, i was in the hotel room. i woke up to get something to drink. you know when you don't know where you are and you run into things? i kicked the you know what out of my foot. i kicked it so hard against the stool. it's been bugging me since then. i finally went to the thing and got it x-rayed. it's fractured. yeah. >> you've been running on it ever since. >> running it, digging it into heels. >> is she an egyptian goddess? >> i fractured. >> you need to see my doctor dr. clayton. >> when you fracture it you don't have to do anything. >> i don't know. he would know. i love him. >> okay. >> this is fascinating.

everybody's been graduating. all the kids are getting ready to go off to college there was be a amazing young lady. high school valedictorian. she had straight as all through high school. kaitlin newtbar. >> she was chosen to give the speech. in her graduation speech, she used the word "hell." okay? >> which is in the bible. >> in the context, this is how she said, she said, "now people keep asking her what do you want to do? she didn't know whether she wanted to be a nurse or veterinarian. she said, how the hell do i know? i changed my mind so many times. >> that is a very famous line from one of the "twilight" movies. all the kids laughed so hard. >> not everyone was laughing. the administration was very upset with her and told her she needs to give them a written

apology or they were not going to give her her diploma. >> with her 4.0. >> the high school declined comment for us. >> they say it is confidential. >> i think we have to keep certain things in perspective. this young woman won the right to be the valedictorian. she had written down heck in her speech and it came out that way. i think they were kind of lucky it wasn't a different word. you know? the way the f-bomb is thrown all over the place, she could have easily said that. the next story coming up, somebody did say that. i don't know. i just think we need to show each other a little bit of mercy. >> i agree. >> you've got to look at the intent of the heart, too. she wasn't trying to hurt anybody. it was an accident. these things happen. >> it wasn't. a lot of kids are going off to college. parents should be interested in the rankings we are about to give you on these colleges. we are about to tell you what the top party school in the

entire nation is. >> princeton reviews the annual college rankings. >> it's based on 100,000 students. let's start with the happiest. they are at rice university in texas. >> what makes them the happiest? >> i don't know. >> okay. the best professors. >> sara lawrence college in new york. >> best financial aid, the very people who did the survey, princeton. >> yep. >> students who demonstrate a need for financial aid, i suppose. they get 100% of their needs met by school grants, not loans. >> your top party school in the entire country is west virginia university. by the way, number one for the past three years. >> and they are so proud. >> congratulations. >> wouldn't you be nervous sending your child off to the biggest party school in the country? >> i don't know. virginia tech was pretty much a party school, too. you party or you don't.

you're that kind of kid or you're not, you know? >> you were. >> when my dad used to teach at wvu, we used to go to all the west virginia football games and it was so fun. such fun. i like that kind of stuff. >> how crazy were you in college, hodi? >> they used to call me the nomad. i would show up at parties and leave when i wanted. >> you still do that. she does drive-by parties. you did that to my house the other day. we are having a wonderful time, barely cleaned the crab out of our teeth and hoda is out of there. >> i usually say i have to go to the rest room and i go. >> i didn't know you meant the rest room at home in new york. anyway, we looked up what the survey said about universities close to our hearts. >> virginia tech did make the top 20 in best campus food. >> did you have the freshman 15? >> i was huge. i shouldn't say huge, but i weighed around 175.

best quality of life and they say the students packed the stadium because they are big football fans. >> we checked on the university of southern california where frank went and cody went. it made the top 20 in happiest students, best career services. also students packed the stadium, as well. the thing about the career thing is true. so many alumni of usc are all over southern california helping the students get job. >> i didn't know that. that is great. >> so here is an interesting thing. there is a whole group of freshmen going to college right now. byrd college released their annual mindset list. this is what the class of 2016 knows and what they don't know. this is just crazy. incoming freshmen have never seen an airline ticket. you know the kind that were the old kind? >> yeah. >> they've never -- >> i was around for the wright brothers, you know what i'm

saying? i was standing on the side going, that was amazing. these kids graduating never carried luggage. they always rolled it. no wonder we have an obesity problem. everything is easier. >> cyber space always existed. they always had a woman in the u.s. state department for most of their lives. >> unbelievable. >> hillary clinton, madeleine albright, condoleezza rice. >> robert de niro isn't the young vito corlioni. he's the father on "meet the parents." >> this is going to make you feel very old. "the graduate" character, when the guy says plastic could be their grandfather. how depressing. >> how old do you feel? >> that's just interesting. okay. if you've ever been a waitress in a restaurant and you work

your tail off and you look at the tip someone leaves behind with a crumbled up couple of bucks. you think gosh, i worked really hard. there is a kentucky family working to unring that bell and change it a little bit. they had a family member who passed away. one thing he said was he wanted people to give big tips. >> in his will. he wanted $500 tips. the family asked for people to donate money. they started giving out $500 tips. here is some great video. they are just handing out money to people. >> can i hug you? oh, my gosh. >> think about what a difference that 500 makes. >> you can tell. in cash. they can't believe what's happening. >> they are going to come and get their pound of flesh. >> look at her. most of them can't believe it. look at him. >> they tried to raise enough money to do it for the next two

years. based on that, they've got more than the two years they need. >> that's very sweet. >> anything else going on? >> we were talking about rosy. this is one of those things, rosie announced she suffered a heart attack last week. what's interesting is a lot of women feel symptoms they can't identify. they feel like they feel nauseous or their muscles feel weak. rosy googled her symptoms, saw they were symptoms of a heart attack and took a bayer aspirin because she watched on tv aspirin helps with heart attacks. she credits watching tv and that commercial saving her life. >> 24 hours later went to the hospital and had a stent put. in we wish her the best. she is taking care of her partner who is very ill and has all these kids. when my daddy was dying and we were giving him morphine every

15 minutes, i had double pneumonia. frank had it and cody, too. i waited a month after my daddy passed away. turned out double pneumonia. i knew i had a cough. as a result of that, i don't sings professionally any more because i lost 30% of my lung capacity. i have scar tissue on my lungs. it's understandable why you don't. >> you put yourself last on the list. >> rosie, we send our love to you. our precious phyllis diller. i love that woman. let's pay her due. she was amazing. >> if there is one man in this world who is absolutely crazy about my legs. colonel sanders. i sold fang i'm going to have my face lifted and he said who would steal it. >> it's thrilling all these men whistles and screaming.

>> they've been in the jungle. >> the world's ugliest baby. when i was born, the doctors slapped everybody. the be >> how about that hair? >> how about that hair? >> we'll catch up with a friend. >> kirk cameron about his monumental project. >> it's fascinating. it's fantastic. sara seems to be putting out fire. >> oh. [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego.

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>>. >> girls went wild for teenage heart throb kirk cameron when he was on the tv comedy "growing pains." back in the '80s. >> more recently, kirk embarked on a passionate journey making a film about exploring america's beginnings. it's called "monumental." six kids, charities. you're very busy. >> great to see you.

>> i just finished watching this. i thought it was going to be another faith-based film. i love history. i had no idea this story existed. it's never been taught. can you tell us in a nutshell? >> yes. i was never a big history buff in school, but i was catapulted into it because i'm a father with six kids and i care about the world they're walking into. i really wanted to understand what made america such a great nation in the first place, so free and so secure and strong. i figured the best way is to talk to the men and women who built this nation. i spent a couple of years retracing the estatehood of the pilgrims out of england to holland where they stayed 12 years and learned the nation-building principles they brought on the mayflower to the new world. >> so many people hear king james bible and think he's a great guy. tell us about old king james.

>> i'm not a historian, but i have learned king james made a great bible. he didn't make a great king. >> he was a very, very bad man. >> it was this church-run, top-down government system that the pilgrims were getting away from. they wanted religious freedom. so many of the things we are famous for in this country today in terms of our liberty come from the courage and sacrifice of these brave men and women who came across on a little boat and gave it all for the sake of their descendents. >> one of the guys you interviewed, i had seen the movie before. i looked at the trailer up popped todd aiken. he's been front and center in controversy. he talked about legitimate rape. he just came out with an apology he sent out. i know you interviewed him and talked to him. what are your thoughts on what he said and views whether he should step down? >> i'm not his political strategist, thank god. i do know, as i sat down and

watched the video. i learned go watch it, not just read some of the transcripts and the quotes. clearly, this is a man who is advocating the sanctity of life through and through. he said he misspoke and he apologized for it. i like to evaluate people based on their entire life, their entire career, he loves his wife, he's got six children. i believe he's a good man. he is now in a very, very difficult spot. what's he going to do? we have to wait and see. >> the reason you want "monumental" to be seen, see it as a family before they go off to school to understand the history of our nation that is not being taught in our schools. >> absolutely. the dvd is available so you can watch it and prepare your kids with the real story of america's herige and learn what the reset button is to get back to original factory settings. >> so great to see you.

give my love to chelsea and the kids. he does great work with campfire flies. >> sara will get down and dirty. she learns to be a volunteer firefighter. here's my morning routine. gotta start the day off right. wardrobe. cute. then new activia breakfast blend. a great way to help start the day. mmm... creamy lowfat yogurt with grains in yummy breakfast flavors, like apple cinnamon. its hearty, with twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt and helps regulate your digestive system. our morning routines are important, aren't they? new activia breakfast blend.

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[ humming ] [ babbling ] the cheerios bandit got you again? [ both laugh ] ♪ the one and only, cheerios is really my mother. they keep asking me if the dirty guy is really my son. huh -- what do you tell 'um? holy smokes, these viva towels really are tough, even when wet! [ mike ] for the record, that's my real father, cleaning up a real mess on a real grill. see? very impressive! you're a natural. oh that's much better... dad's got his tough mess, i've got mine. [ female announcer ] grab a roll and try it on your toughest mess. i think you got it. today on "sara breaks out of the city," sara does her duty as a volunteer firefighter for the day. >> according to the national

fire prevention agency there are over 1 million firefighters in the u.s. and 70% are volunteers. >> that's right. they give up their time not for the pay or the glory, but the good of the community. it takes courage, grit and determination to be a firefighter. they say almost anyone can do it. >> really? >> meet some of the 32 men and women at the rainbow lakes volunteer fire company in parsippany, new jersey. >> i'm a lawyer. >> technician. >> they come from all walks of life. some have been serving the community for generation. >> their parents did it, their grandparents did it. >> now it's my turn. i have to pass the crash course of fire fighting 101. what is the difference between a volunteer firefighter and a professional firefighter. >> basically we all go through the same training. we have daytime jobs, some have nighttime jobs and respond when they are available to respond. >> what does it take to be a great volunteer firefighter? >> a little bit of dedication, a

little bit of sweat. >> check, check. while they take their jobs very seriously, the firefighters make good use of their down time. when an emergency strikes, they are quick to respond, getting dressed in 60 seconds or less. i think i'm going to try this. pants, jacket, how hard can it about? 60 second, count them. go. >> 45 seconds. almost there. that's got to go the other way. >> where's the fire? >> geared up, ittes time to take a ride in the big red truck. >> we are en route to the academy for a drill. >> 10-4. >> my training began at the morris county firefighter academy where i hit the hydrant.

it was a good thing i'd been working out. ready for water? that's weird. next, i brought out the 150-foot hose. the training scenario, put out a simulated kitchen fire. >> seriously, this is why i don't cook. that's exactly what i want to do when i look at a fire, stay in there and fight it. the room was heating up with temperatures over 1,000 degrees. >> hose off the ceiling. >> dirty, sweaty and exhausted, i was glad i made it out of there alive. you're the teacher today. give me a grade for my

performance. >> i give you a "c." >> a "c?" >> a "c." >> i knew what i had to do to earn some extra credit. oh, my gosh, the view is much better up here. >> i had to show my squad i wasn't afraid of heights. 70 feet up, i taught them how to get down. >> put your hand up, hand up, cross them and down. >> before we leave every fire, this is what we've got to do. >> that's a viral video. >> it takes over 150 hours of training to become a volunteer firefighter in morris county, new jersey. big shout out to jim murphy who pitched and edited that. >> good for him. it did look scary in there. >> i'm so proud of you. it's not instinctive to go towards that heat and flame. >> that's what they say about heroes, when everybody else is running out they run in.

the sense of duty is what i left with. >> thank you, sara. good job. >> the end of another long day, you dread figuring out what to make for dinner. >> i make reservations. one second buddy. daddy will be right back. [ angry ] i just discovered untopped triscuit taste great. oh, it's so good! we've been getting a lot of these angry satisfied customers... you don't need prosciutto! ...thanks to our ill-advised topping suggestion. it's not complicated, just take one out and eat it! sorry. if this image robbed you of the great taste of untopped triscuit, claim your free box online. sorry you had to see that buddy. [ male announcer ] 100% whole grain woven for an untoppable taste. triscuit. it's snacking good. [ crunch]

[ slurp! ] [ laughs ] ♪ [ female announcer ] hey ladies. here's a little something you'll find irresistible. cinnamon toast crunch, with a delicious cinnamon and sugar taste that's amazing. crave those crazy squares.™ 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.

♪ [ man ] excuse me miss. [ gasps ] this fiber one 90 calorie brownie has all the moist, chewy, deliciousness you desire. mmmm. thanks. [ man ] at 90 calories, the brownie of your dreams is now deliciously real. [ female announcer ] and now, try our new chocolate chip cookie 90 calorie brownie. 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.

we are back with today's money, if you still have some. the nbc personal finance correspondent sharon epperson is here with her stock market savvy. >> what would happen if you took the same money you would have spent on stuff and instead you bought the stock in the same company two years ago? how would you have done? i like this question. we are about to find out. >> hello. we are looking at what women buy all the time, particularly now that it's back to school time. i'm in this mode trying to figure out what to get, packing the lunches, getting their book bags or getting dorm rooms ready. what we have to do, we took two years ago, looked at the stock

price and looked at the performance over the past two years. if you think the stock price has gone up, ring the bell. say stock. if you think the stock price has gone down, stay stop. >> we don't have buzzers. >> you're ringing the bell. >> why do we have the "wall street journal"? >> because you're smart. that's where you get your information. cnbc first. costco. when you go to costco you've got to stock up on the kids' lunch bags. >> costco, the company. >> $100 worth of products. >> stock. >> you are right. >> i love costco. >> if you bought $100 in costco stock two years ago you would have doubled your money, $192 friday. >> so smart. >> everybody wants a smart phone. all kids want a smart phone. apple -- wait a minute.

this is $200 two years ago. would you have bought the phone or invested in apple stock? >> stock. >> you are right. it's the most valuable stock. >> everybody knows that. >> ever. you would have doubled your money, $200 worth $515 today. >> next one is going to be stuff. >> wait a minute. this is staples. you get everything you need, all the office supplies, $100 worth of stuff or the stock? >> i'm going to say -- i think it's stock but i'm going to say stuff. >> you're right. the stock has taken a hit. down about 42% the past two years. that 100 bucks would be worth only about $57 today. >> everything you need, toiletries for personal care products from cvs. what do you say, hoda? >> stuff. stock. >> stock. >> don't misunderstand what i

say. >> it's about worth $135 right now, that $100 investment two years ago. tjx, marshalls, home goods. $100 worth of stuff? >> stock. >> you are absolutely right. that stock price nearly doubled in two years, $230. your kids are not spending all the time -- at least my son, he wants the sony playstation. two years ago if i bought that for $250. better to have that? >> i'm going to say stuff. >> good answer. >> that has taken a hit. >> this is the hitiebreaker. >> you've got to buy school clothes. would you get the clothes from the gap or buy the stock? what would you do? >> i have no idea. >> stock.

it's worth $126. who is the winner here? who got more? the last was a tiebreaker. the winner, a cnbc bag. you get to share it. >> we'll give it to jerry. thank you, jerry. >> all right. >> my pleasure. >> get your kids in gear. >> back to school right after this. -[ taste buds ] donuts, donuts! -who are these guys?

-oh, that's just my buds. -bacon. -my taste buds. -[ taste buds ] donuts. how about we try this new kind of fiber one cereal? you think you're going to slip some fiber by us? okay. ♪ fiber one is gonna make you smile. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing new fiber one nutty clusters and almonds. [ female announcer ] gross -- i'll tell you what's really gross: used dishcloths. they can have a history that they drag around with them. for a cleaner way to clean try bounty extra soft. in this lab demo, one sheet of bounty extra soft leaves this surface 3 times cleaner than a dishcloth. it's super durable too. it's the cleaner way to clean. bring it with bounty extra soft. in the pink pack. and try bounty napkins. begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye.

yeah, maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. v8. what's your number? [ girl ]rumental ]es like fruit. when i started playing soccer, i wasn't so good. [ barks ] so me and sadie started practicing. we practiced a lot. now i've got some moves! [ crowd cheering ] spin kick! whoo-hoo! [ giggling ] [ announcer ] we know how important your dog is to your whole family. so help keep him strong and healthy... with the total care nutrition in purina dog chow. because you're not just a family. you're a dog family. [ female announcer ] the gold standard in anti-aging. roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. it's clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. now for maximum results, the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum

to create retinol correxion® max. it's clinically shown to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. new roc® retinol correxion® max. nothing's better than gold. now on "back to school today" from toddlers and teens, fun and safe products that will put your kid at the head of the class. >> we have senior editor of retail me not. >> these are my favorites. we have coupons for these on retail me not.com. it's a great way to save.

every kid has to have a backpack. >> a in you one every year? >> they do. they break down, they get dirty. these i love. they have a great selection. bright colors. and they are $11.99. >> and they last. what about these guys? >> for the little guys, you have a preschooler going into kindergarten the first time, they might be lonely at school. they have an ugly doll. you can have it monogrammed with their name which is super cute. those are $35. kids love backpack accessories. these clip on to the backpack. you can record a message for them and say, "hi, honey, mommy loves you." i love those. these are from clean slate. these are dry erase boards. how fun are these for practicing penmanship? mom holds one. >> which kids don't do any more. it's unbelievable. >> i think those are great.

those are about 7 bucks. great price. for parents of young kids,ing they are going to be bringing home a lot of artwork. what do you do with it all? these can be personalized. >> this is fabulous. >> stuff it away quickly. >> kathie lee's keepsake portfolio. >> you can organize them by month, by week, however you like. they are personalized for you. for the older kids, i love this backpack. it functions as a traditional backpack. when you open this up in here, this is actually, sets off an alarm and flashing lights. if there is a stranger or you're having a bad situation, this is a great way to protect yourself. >> isn't that sad we have to live like that. >> it's crazy. a lot of kids are getting organized with their cell phones and smart phones. for someone who likes the more traditional way of getting organized, middle school and high school kids love to have their own unique slant to things. we found these academic

calendars that can be personalized with your own style, monogrammed and different colors and they are about $20. they are a little bit old fashioned. >> they are sweet. >> i'm surprised, old grannies like i like. >> i like those, too. >> these are another dry erase items. these are like post-its. they can stick anywhere but you can unstick them. they have lots of things to do. this is a great way to stay organized and keep them onboard. >> this sticks and you peel it off. >> lunch. >> lunch. land's end, as well. this keeps your lunch cold for five hours. roomy lunch bag. it's good for the older kids because you can fit a lot of stuff in there. those are around $35. they can be monogrammed, as well. i love this one. this is from big kitchen. it's a packet. it fits in your freezer.

look how small. when you're ready, you open it up. it's like this. your lunch is in there and it keeps everything cold for ten hours, which is amazing. >> we have a couple seconds left. >> these are leak-free and keep your lunch fresh and cold. these are avento box because the kids love the little boxes. this is for that fussy kid from pottery barn. the sandwich cutter. >> they love that. they are going to eat it, right? >> thank you. great to see you. >> how to overcome the dread of making dinner. and we have great music ahead. look who we got here. put a little pepper on that. i'm a typical mom. i go to amusement parks. and my kid's games. and just like any typical mom i'm thrilled when my champion loves to eat something nutritious, like chobani champions yogurt. it's a good source of protein,

and most important, he loves it. so even though i'm an olympian, around here, i'm just another mom trying to help her champion win the day. chobani champions. win the day.

that's why i got them pillsbury toaster strudel. warm flaky pastry with delicious sweet filling my kids will love. plus i get two boxtops for their school. toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat.

but what choices will women be left with? just like mitt romney, paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. in congress, ryan voted to ban all federal funding for planned parenthood and allow employers to deny women access to cancer screenings and birth control. and both romney and ryan backed proposals to outlaw abortion

even in cases of rape and incest. for women... for president... the choice is ours. i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. now on "today's kitchen," what's cooking? you come home from a long day of work and are cringing of the idea of making dinner for the whole family, but they are

hungry. >> founder of "take back the kitchen" is a clinical social worker and chef who can help you overcome the dread of cooking. >> welcome. why are people so afraid of cooking? >> people have a lot of issues. not everybody, but a lot of people. historically, as you know, women were taught how to cook. if they didn't, no one would survive. >> if you don't know how to do it, you're intimidated. >> yes. the main thing to remember is cooking is a learned skill, it's not innate. people feel they are not enough of a nurturer, a wife or care taker, but it's something you learn. >> you feel a lot of this stuff we need happens to be in our fridge, by "our" fridge i mean the one at the "today" show. >> you know what you like to eat. you go to restaurants and you eat certain foods. you start to get a sense of what

you like. there can be wine for you. if you like to eat salads and salmon and cold peanut noodles, you stock your fridge, freezer and pantry with staple items that are always there and you can whip these up. first thing is maple soy salmon. sounds glamorous, but the truth is this is a three-ingredient dish. talk about the prep. keep individual servings of salmon in your freezer. when you're ready to eat, if you think about it ten minutes before, quickly take it out, immerse it in warm water or you remember that morning and the night before, take it out, defrost it or buy it fresh if you have the time. these ingredients are -- i have to show you. they are in your fridge. soy sauce and maple syrup. that is it. stick it in a saucepan, reduce it down to a thick syrup which

means boil it for a while. don't get caught up in the technical terms. you're putting it on a high flame and watching it so it gets syrupy. >> we are wasting energy. close the door. lights on and doors closed. >> we get it. >> we'll reduce the sauce and pour it over the salmon. we are on to the next dish already. if you like salad and you want to be healthy. buy prewashed greens. it may cost more, but they are prewashed. >> she is obsessed with the fridge door being open. >> then you have dried fruit you like, sunflower seeds. you keep them in the fridge. okay. i'm going to close this. >> come down to the noodles. >> and add parmesan cheese. close it up. we're done. >> it keeps the room cool. >> we have 30 seconds.

chick peas. >> love those. >> they're in a can. you already have them. and drizzle the dressing over them. these are staple ingredients you have at all times. oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, noodles. >> it's on our website. you rock. >> find these recipes on klg and hoda.com. >> he's fantastic. this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] since 1996 welfare recipients were required to work. this bipartisan reform successfully reduced welfare rolls. on july 12th president obama quietly ended the work requirement... gutting welfare reform. one of the most respected newspapers in america called it, "nuts!" saying, "if you want to get more people to work, "you don't loosen the requirements -- you tighten them." mitt romney's plan for a stronger middle class will put work back iwelfare.

[ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

multigrammy platinum-nominated singer/songwriter. one of my favorites "bottoms

up". >> he's a sweetheart. trey songz has done a lot to capture the hearts and minds of female and male fans. his fifth studio cd "chapter 5" is dropping today. he's here with all his guys and his mom is here. thank you for the lovely presents you bought. >> he brought the most beautiful flowers. >> let's make a sandwich out of you. >> of course we will. >> how about that? >> the boy has grown up. >> his mom is here. you have the sweetest mom. she is actually in charge of your foundation. your mom runs that? >> yes, she is. there she is. >> hey! >> a lot of superstars 27 don't like their mom around. why are you so different? >> my mother and i have a great relationship. i want her to be a part of every accomplishment i achieve. i told you the flowers were from waking up with you forever. >> will you spend some time with

my son? you are the son i wish i had. >> we could work it out. we could do some joint thing, mama? >> you've written songs for other people like "bottoms up." is it more satisfying doing them for yourself or when you do them for someone else? >> creatively as an artist, mang music is fun. the beauty of making music for yourself, it translates differently when you perform it. the emotion within it is greater. >> and the great reward watching people go crazy like the women do. oh, trey. >> what are you going to sing for us? "heart attack." >> let's do it. ♪ oh oh ♪ oh oh ♪ we share something so common

♪ still so rare ♪ uncommon all ♪ never been here before ♪ so high we're still climbing ♪ even here inside these walls ♪ breaking each other's hearts ♪ and we don't care cause we're so in too deep ♪ can't think about giving it up ♪ ♪ but i never knew love would feel like a heart attack ♪ sing it with me at home! ♪ ♪ it's killing me ♪ swear i never cried so much ♪ cause i never knew love would hurt this bad ♪ ♪ oh oh ♪ hey hey hey hey

♪ heart attack ♪ outta times when i know i should be smiling ♪ ♪ seems to be the time that i frown the most ♪ ♪ can't believe that we still suffering ♪ ♪ no ♪ cause i'm slowly breaking down even when i hold you close ♪ ♪ if i lose you ♪ i'm afraid i would lose who ♪ i gave my love to ♪ that's the reason i stay around even though i fell way in too deep ♪ can't think about giving it up ♪ ♪ i never knew love would feel like a heart attack ♪ ♪ i swear i never cried so much

♪ no the worst pain ♪ one two three ♪ oh oh ♪ oh oh ♪ worst pain break it down fifth avenue stores it's because of my family, it's because of my angels, i love you to death ♪ you know what ♪ if i told you ♪ i'm afraid i would lose who i gave my love to girl ♪ that's the reason i'm staying around ♪ ♪ even though i fell way in too deep ♪ can't think about giving it up ♪ oh ♪ feel like a heart attack

♪ i never cried ♪ feel like a heart attack ♪ i never cried ♪ the he's made his choice.

but what choices will women be left with? just like mitt romney, paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. in congress, ryan voted to ban all federal funding for planned parenthood and allow employers to deny women access to cancer screenings and birth control.