there. stay tuned. we'll have your forecast coming up later this morning. >> we'll be back in 25 minutes with a local news update. >> and clinton portis joins us in studio at 9:00 a.m. good morning. breaking news. tropical storm isaac lashing haiti this morning, where thousands still live outside years after the devastating earthquake. now the state of florida faces new hurricane watches and warnings this morning. will the storm impact the republican national convention? deadly confrontation. ney released surveillance video captures the moment when police gunned down the man who shot a co-worker to death outside the empire state building, as new information emerges about the shooter and the feud that led to murder. and overexposed? if you think you've seen enough of prince harry in the buff already, hang on, there may be more photos, even video on the way today, saturday, august 25th, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and good morning. i'm tamron hall. certainly, all eyes, lester, are on isaac this morning as it rolls across haiti and heads towards cuba. >> and right now, that storm's packing top winds of about 70 miles per hour, just below hurricane strength. regardless, it could be devastating for the thousands who still live with virtually no shelter two years after that earthquake that flattened so many structures in haiti, and now parts of florida, as you know, are under hurricane watches and warnings. we've got complete, live coverage in just a moment, including whether the storm will have any impact on the republican national convention, about to convene in tampa. >> yeah, unbelievable. then, a huge legal victory for apple. a jury ruled that samsung must

pay the maker of iphones more than $1 billion, finding that the company copied the design of its popular phone. coming up what it means for you. also ahead, the raging controversy over the upcoming book that details what happened when the navy s.e.a.l.s took out osama bin laden. is the former navy s.e.a.l. who wrote it breaking a bond with his brothers in arms and maybe even breaking the law? we'll ask another former s.e.a.l. who knows him. but let's begin with tropical storm isaac. nbc's mark potter is in port-au-prince with the very latest. mark, good morning. >> reporter: and good morning to you, tamron. it's still raining here in port-au-prince, but it's much calmer than it was last night, as tropical storm isaac crossed the southwest peninsula here many miles from here. there was still fairly strong, gusting winds here and rain in the capital city. this morning, when the sun comes up, workers will be out assessing the damage, and what they're expecting to find in that southwest area known as the southern claw, is extensive flooding in cities there such as

jacmel. the biggest concern throughout the country, though, is for the some 400,000 people still living in tents after the earthquake 2 1/2 years ago. yesterday, aid workers went through some of the camps trying to locate the most vulnerable people, the sick, elderly, pregnant women, moving them into schools and into buildings, moving as many people as they could find. there is also a fear that people living along the mountainside in shanty towns could fall victim to mud slides and flash flooding. and as the sun comes up and people get out and take a look, we'll know more about how all the people out there fared. tamron? >> all right, mark potter, thank you very much. now here's lester. >> isaac has next set its sights on cuba. the weather channel's mike seidel is in varadero, cuba. mike, how's it looking there? >> reporter: hey, lester. not looking too bad. we're east of havana, north of the keys.

we have waves this morning, wind and rain, but nothing like we're going to see, especially across the eastern provinces, where they're under a tropical storm warning this morning. already some minor evacuations of the low-lying, precarious areas like fishing villages around guantanamo and santiago, cuba, where they'll get the storm first. right now the center of isaac is about 130 miles southeast of guantanamo. it will come across the country tonight and tomorrow. maybe as much as of foot of rain and the reservoirs in central cuba are flooding over 80%, so their concern there with too much rain and flooding from the reservoirs in the eastern part of the state, some of the reservoirs aren't even half full, so they can take the rainwater. still, there's going to be some flash flooding, and with wind gusts 50, maybe 60 miles an hour, there will be some power outages, and we just heard that one of the two main airports, havana and sanitiago de cuba, they have suspended all flights with isaac approaching.

lester? >> thanks. >> so, where is it headed after santiago? bill karins has more. >> the biggest headline from isaac through the opening period is that it's taking the path of least resistance. let me explain. it's going right in between cuba and haiti, mostly over the water areas. this means it has a chance to stay stronger, and it's much more likely now that florida's going to have to deal with a hurricane isaac instead of a tropical storm. right now we're watching it about 650 miles southeast of miami, florida, raining hard in the keys in miami this morning. that's not directly related to isaac. the winds are at 60 miles per hour. it should become a hurricane in about 36 hours. that would be some time either sunday afternoon or sunday evening. for that reason, we have hurricane warnings that pretty much go from key west now to extreme south florida, all the way up south of ft. myers. miami, by the way, under a tropical storm warning. this is a huge storm sizewise, so we'll probably see the warnings all the way up the east coast of florida, even though the storm is going into the western portions of the gulf of mexico. so, here's the path. this is what everyone's been staring at the last couple of

days. we'll take it quickly with the weather going downhill in south florida. your preparation time for south florida is today. tomorrow you're not going to want to be outside. for tampa, you have today and probably the first half of tomorrow to prepare. then the storm should be off the coast with bands of rain, possibly tornadoes in central florida with landfall around panama city, florida, somewhere in north florida. everyone wants to know, at what intensity could we be dealing with? best bet now is category 1, according to the hurricane center, but a category 2 is not out of the question. back to you. >> busy over the next couple days in the weather center. thank you very much. time for the rest of the morning's headlines. tom llamas at the news desk. good morning. good morning, lester and tamron, and good morning, everyone. police say six of the nine people wounded in friday's shootings outside the empire state building have been treated and released. nbc's michelle franzen is live now with the very latest. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, tom. this is the scene of two deadly shootings that took place right near the iconic and famous empire state building yesterday.

the first, police say, is when lone suspected gunman jeffrey johnson returned to an apparel business that he was laid off from, from nearly more than a year ago, to confront and kill a former co-worker of his. nypd released surveillance video last night of what happens next, showing johnson walking up a busy fifth avenue when he is confronted by officers, he pulls out a gun and officers open fire. that set off chaotic moments in an area packed with tourists and pedestrians. in all, nine bystanders, innocent bystanders, were grazed and sustained minor gun wounds, and some of them by police bullets themselves. investigators now will be looking into what possibly caused johnson to turn violent. one of the things they're looking at is his background as well as the ongoing feud he had with his former co-worker. >> michelle franzen live from midtown manhattan. michelle, thank you. four months before the shooting rampage at a colorado movie theater, the accused shooter allegedly told a

classmate he wanted to kill people. prosecutors made that allegation friday as they tried to get access to the records of james holmes at the university of colorado in denver. two u.s. government employees were wounded friday when they were fired on by mexican federal police south of mexico city. the workers are police instructors and their u.s. embassy suv had apparently been mistaken for a kidnapper's vehicle. this is a sad one. a young bride dressed in her wedding gown plunged 60 feet to her death while posing for photographs on top of a waterfall in canada. police say the 30-year-old woman flipped from a rock friday and fell into dorwin falls north of montreal. the woman, who had been married in june, wanted extra photos taken for her for her wedding album. back in the states, for the second day in a row, minnesota state fair-goers were stranded about 100 feet in the air when a new ride malfunctioned. about 24 people were on the ride friday when it stopped in midair for about 40 minutes. they all got down safely, but inspectors have closed the

180-foot-tall stratosphere swing ride while they try to determine what exactly went wrong. that's the news. now back to tamron, lester and bill. you want to hang out at the state fair, but obviously not like that. >> i want to hang out with corn dogs, not like that! >> on the ground. >> right, feet on the ground. good thing they closed it to figure out what went wrong. bill karins is back with the national forecast. we'll be talking politics, but what's the story with tampa and the rnc? are they going to have any problems? >> i think they will. no matter what, they'll be dealing with tropical storm conditions probably sunday night and probably all day monday with the weather improving there on tuesday. if you're in tampa, prepare as if a hurricane's coming, because you're still in the cone of uncertainty. so, a lot of concerns all the way through florida, including the convention in tampa throughout the next couple days. already this heavy rain moving next couple of days. already this heavy rain moving through south florida. again, not directly associated with the approaching storm. it's not going to help matters, drenching the ground already. as far as the middle of the country goes, you want the rain, and you're getting it today. oklahoma, congratulations. finally a setup with showers and thunderstorms to help alleviate

some of the drought conditions, and all the way back up through missouri, the same feel. kind of a rainy, gloomy period along the virginia, maryland, and delaware coastlines the next two days. little area of low pressure hanging out there. all eyes will be on florida and eventually north florida in the southeast and the week ahead as isaac approaches. now a look at the weather outside your window. >> good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. right now getting some showers moving into southern maryland and the atlantic beaches getting moderate downpours. those showers heading from south to north near fredericksburg and richmond is where the heavier rain is. closer to washington, just getting a few sprinkles in northern virginia. as the day progresses, we'll get a few passing showers this morning. maybe some showers, downpours with thunder and lightning t i'll continue with the isaac updates throughout the show. lester? >> all right, bill. we turn to politics now. with two days to go before the republican convention in tampa, mitt romney has stirred up a new controversy. nbc's peter alexander is

traveling with the romney campaign. he's in powell, ohio, this morning. peter, good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning to you. this is the first joint appearance here in the critical battleground state of ohio for mitt romney and paul ryan, but it was in romney's boyhood home state of michigan where yesterday he caused a big stir, a storm around the campaign right now, making a comment that reignited a long-settled issue about the president's birthplace. take a listen. >> i love being home in this place where ann and i were raised, where both of us were born. ann was born in ford hospital, i was born at harper hospital. no one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. they know that this is the place that we were born and raised. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: obviously, the birther issue is a highly charged issue in the obama campaign quickly pounce ede this, saying that any rational voter in america can't support a guy who would "directly enlist

himself into the birther movement." the republican national committee chairman reince priebus said this was simply a distraction. and late yesterday, we heard from mitt romney himself in an interview on network television, saying that this was intended as a joke. it was not intended as a swipe. he says we've got to have a little humor in a campaign. nonetheless, this took the romney/ryan campaign off their primary message, which is focusing on the economy. that's where they plan to keep their message focused today as they head into next week's convention in tampa. lester? >> peter, speaking of that convention, how is the campaign now preparing to shift their focus to the convention? >> reporter: it's a good question, one of the things they're trying not to focus on is the potential storm that's headed in that direction right now. they are focused again on what they think are the challenges that face them in the days ahead. it's reintroducing or even introducing mitt romney and paul ryan to the american public, telling his personal story. a couple details that have already been revealed as part of the convention with its theme,

"a better future." mitt romney even yesterday putting an op ed in the "wall street journal" embracing what has been used as a point of contention, been used by the obama campaign against him, that is his experience at bain capital. also, we will hear from some members of the mormon community speaking about their personal experiences with romney. >> peter alexander in ohio this morning, thanks. michael steele is the former chairman of the republican national committee, and karen finney is former communications director for the democratic national committee, both political analysts at msnbc, and i say good morning to both of you and thanks for joining us. >> good morning, lester. >> good morning. >> michael, it's been quite a week for republicans. you've got mitt romney's joke about the birther joke. you've got todd akin's rape comments and now you've got a storm barreling toward tampa. if you were running the show in tampa this week, what would your message be to the party faithful? >> my message would be stand firm, stay focused, let's get ready to welcome mitt romney and ann romney to tampa and then

send them out with a great deal of enthusiasm for the campaign. >> is this going to change the subject in a good way for republicans? >> i think it has the potential to. i mean, look, the storm is going to be the story for the first two hours of the campaign, there's no doubt about that. but i think in terms of message, the romney team's focus will be to get back on message with the economy and jobs. and i think, you know, with the maneuvers that they're having in place right now to move up the nomination process to monday to sort of really put romney's empromado in this campaign early so the message there from is consistent i think is a good thing. >> all right, let me turn to you, karen, and going back to romney's comments yesterday where he said no one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. he was, in his words, making a joke. has more been made of this than should or what are your thoughts? >> no, it's not a good joke, and i think mr. romney should be aware. if he's not aware, he should be aware that many americans hear that not as a funny joke but as,

again, a reference to what has been i think a very ugly controversy since barack obama became president. between that and mr. akin's comments, it reminds american voters of some of the most extreme elements of the republican party heading into their convention, which is really i think the last conversation they want to have as they try to, you know, unify the party and get ready for the fall. >> do you think the republicans will try to deal with that at the convention in some way, soften the blow of those or pretend like none of it happened? >> i think they're going to have to, actually, because i think the challenge is, one of the things we've seen between the ryan budget and mr. akin's comments, it's actually starting to have an impact on down-ballot races. we now know that control of the senate is actually up for, you know, back in the potential democrat column. so again, i think that that actually provides an opportunity for the republicans. we'll see if they take it, to try to recast their party and not just these extreme elements, which is again a lot of what we've been dealing with in washington since 2010. >> michael, you've called this

convention romney's etch-a-sketch convention, a chance to wipe the slate clean. do you still see it that way? >> i do. and i didn't have a problem with that term was first used because i think that's exactly what this time of the campaign season is all about. it is about a reset. both candidates get to go out there and redefine and recommit their messages to the voters. and so, this is romney's coming out party. it's his opportunity on a national stage where the country is looking and paying attention. those independent voters are coming back from vacation and kids are off to school and they're settling down to decide who they want to be the next president of the united states. this is his moment. i think he'll take advantage of it. and the comment yesterday is just a hiccup on a, you know what, so i don't think it's a problem. >> go ahead, karen. >> no, no, laughing at the joke. >> all right, let me ask you, i want to get your thoughts, both quickly. obama has about a 23% advantage when it comes to likability. in the short time of a convention, can romney begin to

move those numbers in his favor? can people get to know him and get to like him? >> i would say they can, but the challenge that the romney campaign has had over and over and over again is not the initial execution, like the initial execution of the ryan rollout was great. they had a great couple days, but then it dropped off because they weren't prepared. so, the question will be not exactly what happened at the convention, but can they keep those elements of the narrative, those elements they try to tell you about, mr. romney, can they keep that going throughout the rest of the campaign or will it drop off again because the campaign isn't prepared with the ability to keep that going? >> we're out of time, but michael, last word on that question. >> i think karen's right. it's so critical, all this great week of noise and banging and balloons. you've got to have the substance at the end of it and sustain that throughout the rest of the campaign because you're going to need it. the american people are looking for it. >> michael steele, karen finney, always good to have both of you on. thanks very much. >> all right. >> now 17 after the hour. here's tamron. >> thanks, lester.

the folks at tech giant apple have big smiles on their faces today. last night, a jury awarded samsung to pay apple more than $1 billion in a patent lawsuit, finding that the company had ripped off the design of apple's iphone and ipad. so, what does that mean for you? mario armstrong is "today's" digital lifestyle expert, here with us. mario, good morning. >> good morning, tamron. how are you? >> it's interesting. these numbers. for every iphone sold worldwide, more than three smartphones running android are installed. >> that's right. >> we seem to talk more about the iphone, but nonetheless, those are the numbers. the jury decided that samsung's android smartphones violated apple's patent. what did the jury decide was ripped off? >> they decided really specifically four different things, and it's really the functionality of the phone itself more than actually how it looks. and i think a lot of people are getting caught up in the design and the look of it. it's more about what it can do and how it operates. >> so, for example? >> yeah, for example, there's a little feature that's called a bounceback, and i'm going to try to show it on this phone here. when i scroll my hand up, and

like, you can see that little bounce? >> yeah. >> that's something that the iphone is claiming they created first. >> and the jury bought that they invented it. >> that's right, and they invented that. also, the pinch-and-zoom, things used for photos, that, too, is another infringement that apple is saying we created that and we have a patent for that. >> so, samsung's calling this verdict a loss for the american consumer. what does that really mean? >> well, you know, i think it means a couple of things. they're saying, look, there's probably going to be more litigation than there will be innovation, from their perspective, and they're saying this may make it harder, it's going to make it very much harder for samsung and other companies to differentiate themselves maybe in the market. but for consumers, really, that should be a good thing. >> why? >> having differentiation and uniqueness brings competition into the marketplace, not copycatting. >> so, competition in bringing down the price or competition in meaning we might be better technology in all of our smartphones? >> i think it's both, but i think it's certainly not about price in this particular instance. we're talking about design, usability, the user interface,

so it's more about the invention, the innovation of a design of the product itself not being copycatted, which i think is good for patentright holders to be able to say if we have a patent on something and it's original to us, we should be able to have protection. >> lawsuits, $1 billion, somehow that ends up trickling to the consumer. i'll be honest, whenever you hear that figure, you think somehow, i'm going to get stuck. is that true? >> well, i think we'll see in the short term some issues with samsu samsung's phones, specifically that are on the market that are infringing on this patent. if the decision is upheld, we don't see anything else going back to the court, then in the short term, we might start seeing these phones being pulled from the shelves. in the long term, samsung is not the only one that will have to deal with this. at&t, motorola and other cell phone manufacturers will also be impacted with their designs. and many of that stuff could be happening now, but they may have to go back to the drawing board. >> so, it's one of those, if i were texting tba situations. >> that's very much what it is. >> thank you, mario armstrong.

once again, here's lester. >> tamron, thanks. comedian and talk show host rosie o'donnell is recovering today, days after she suffered a heart attack. she says it's a miracle she survived. and as nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman explains, it's a wake-up call for all women. >> reporter: one more four years ago, nancy was overcome with exhaustion, clammy sweat, nausea and unusual chest pains. >> i remember laying there, thinking it's a mistake, i think they made a mistake. this can't be me. i'm not the person who has a heart attack. [ sirens ] >> reporter: 200,000 american women die from heart attacks every year, and an additional 42 million women live with heart disease, many unaware of the threat they face. >> the common myth is that heart disease and heart attacks occur only in men. and the truth is, in every year since 1984, more american women than men have died of heart disease. >> reporter: just like rosie o'donnell, nancy suffered a complete blockage of one of the

main arteries in her heart, the type of heart attack commonly called the widow-maker. >> even that name implies this is a man's disease, a widow-maker heart attack. >> reporter: but it isn't, and knowing how men's and women's symptoms differ can save a woman's life. crushing chest pain is a well-known symptom, as are sweating, anxiety and irregular heartbeat. but for women, it can be pain in the jaw or upper belly, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, overwhelming fatigue and dizziness. because symptoms can go unrecognized, women pay a heavy price. 42% die within the first year after a heart attack compared with 24% of men. nancy was smart. she took aspirin right away, got to the hospital immediately and had a stent put in the blocked artery. and now, four years later, she feels great, is back to running and has added a daily aspirin to her vitamin regimen. >> i feel stronger and better than ever. i'm very, very conscious of

taking care of myself now. >> reporter: and that's exactly what she wants other women to know as well. for "today," dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news. and still to come, that controversial, new book about the raid that killed osama bin laden. is the former navy s.e.a.l. who wrote it crossing the line? we'll get reaction from another former s.e.a.l. who knows him. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," a high salary without a higher education. jobs that pay six figures and don't require college degrees.

good morning. it is 7:26 on this saturday, august 25th. i'm richard jordan. topping our headlines today, give yourself some extra time if you are driving near 66 and the beltway in northern virginia this weekend. last night crews shut down several lanes on i-66 west at the beltway. some lanes on exit ramps leading to 66 west have also been closed. then starting tomorrow night, the southbound 495 ramp to 66 west will be completely closed. during that time, you'll have to take the little river turnpike. everything should be reopened by monday. the closures are for work on the express lanes project. metro riders can also expect plays this weekend on the red line. trains will single track between

grovener and medical center as well as between takoma and forest glen. on the orange line, buses will replace trains between vienna and east falls church. all that work is expected to [ 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. [ sally umlaut ] it's greek-style yogurt. thick, scrumptious, and more protein than those regular yogurts. are those almonds i see in the corner thingy? caramelized almonds i think you'll find. well, who wants ordinary run-of-the-mill almonds when you could have the caramelized kind? if i was this girl, i'd caramelize my whole apartment.

weird. this greek style yogurt has style. you can say that again. why thank you. this greek style yogurt has style. okay. stop saying it now. you're sending me mixed messages. [ male announcer ] muller. the european for yummy.

make sure you track down your umbrella because you might be needing it all weekend. tom kierein has details on the forecast. hey, tom. a gray sky over the metro area and storm team radar showing storms moving from south to north into the region this morning. if you have outdoor activities planned, for the morning hours, just a few sprinkles. by late morning and during the afternoon, passing showers. maybe thunder and lightning, highs reaching upper 70s, near 80. it will be wet for the skins and colts. as we get into sunday, partly sunny. highs in the mid-80s. might get a morning shower or afternoon thunder shower. partly sunny, back to work and

school on monday. partly sunny and humid. might get storms on tuesday, early afternoon and evening. after that, a pleasant pattern toward and we're back with more of "today" on this saturday morning, the 25th day of august 2012. we're expecting a mild overcast day here in new york city. i'm tamron hall alongside lester holt. and coming up in this half hour, high-paying jobs without a college degree. >> not necessarily encouraging anyone not to go to college, but there are jobs out there that pay six figures to people that didn't earn a college diploma. we'll highlight a few of them. and we'll tell you about a woman that put her showbiz career on hold to raise her children, and now she's getting her shot in the spotlight, so she can perhaps have it all. >> might still have a shot at a musical career. >> i don't know. >> apparently not. anyway, we want to begin this half hour with the fallout from a new book about the raid

that killed osama bin laden, written by one of the navy s.e.a.l.s who participated in the mission. "no easy day" is due out on september 11th. it was published anonymously under the pseudonym mark owen. brandon webb knows the author. he is a former navy s.e.a.l. and author of "the red circle: my life in the navy s.e.a.l. sniper corps and how i trained america's deadliest marksmen." good morning. thank you for coming on with us. >> good morning, lester. >> none of us have read this, including the government folks who perhaps would have like to have cleared it. what are your thoughts, your concerns about its release? >> you know, having known the author, i think that, you know, you have a situation where this book is being heavily marketed as a tell-all, blow-by-blow account, but i think people are going to be surprised when they actually dig into the book and read it, that they're probably -- i would be very surprised if there's any type of sensitive or classified information in the book, because

the consequences would just be really severe. >> i mean, is that the rub, the question of whether there's something sensitive in there, or is there a sense that he's violating really the principles of s.e.a.l.s? i had a s.e.a.l. commander years ago tell me, he says if we do our job right, no one knows we were there, nobody knows we did it. >> yeah, i think there's a little bit of that, you know. having written a book myself, there is always a fine line between, you know, the timeliness of a book. so you know, there are people in the community that feel probably a little bit betrayed by this, but again, i think this is a situation where a guy's getting out and he's writing a memoir. and i would be shocked if there's anything really revealing, even though it's being hyped up. >> if he were to write this book ten years from now, would you have as much concern about it as you would the fact that it's coming out so soon after the raid? >> no, because the problem is, you know, because of the --

because it is coming out so soon, there are a lot more concerns about operational security and other operators that are at risk, you know. even fox news releasing this guy's name creates a situation, a threat chain where, essentially, it does put other people at risk. >> well, we're not mentioning his name on this broadcast, but i know you know him and you have spoken to him about whether he should write this book. can you tell me about your conversations and what his thoughts were? >> well, our conversation was almost a year ago, and it was more around just the consequences of writing a book, not necessarily a conversation about operational security and sensitive information. it was more of once you put yourself out there in the public, you know, there are consequences. and you know, in this particular situation, there is a group in the middle east, a terrorist group that's already put a --

come out publicly and put a hit out on this particular individual. so, you know, that guys are knowingly -- you know, this guy knew going into it that that potential existed. so, our conversation was a little bit more around what, just the consequences of putting yourself out there publicly. >> brandon, as a journalist, i want to know as much about the raid on osama bin laden as i could. at the same time, i have to tell you, i was a bit surprised when it was quickly announced that the s.e.a.l.s and s.e.a.l. team 6 were involved from the get-go, that that kind of information would be released. were you surprised that the government has been as open about the raid as it has? >> you know, a little bit, but again, you know, we live in a different age today, information age, where if the government doesn't come out and tell the american people what happened in this particular bin laden raid, you've got some 16-year-old in pakistan tweeting about it, and

it's just, it's so hard to keep this type of -- the lid on this type of operation. so, i think that the administration's dealing with a lot of that, and that probably it was the right thing to do to come out and give the information the way they did it. >> all right. we've got to end there. brandon webb, thank you so much for spending time with us this morning. we appreciate it. and thanks for your service. >> you got it. thank you. >> the name of brandon's book is "the red circle: my life in the navy s.e.a.l. sniper corps and how i trained america's deadliest marksmen." now let's get a check of the weather from bill karins. a lot happening in our world and you're keeping track of it. >> going to influence a lot of us in the next couple days. let me update of us the next few days. on the forecast track in the national hurricane center takes us through the keys late sunday night and into monday morning just off the west coast of florida. the cone of uncertainty still includes tampa, ft. myers, sa

saraso sarasota, all the way up to panama city. forecast looks a little better for louisiana this morning, but we don't want to let our guard down just yet. how much rain could this storm produce? forecasters are hinting 10 to 15 inches of rain to the east coast of the storm. we could get soaked in areas from tampa to naples. eventually, this storm has to go into the southwest. there's the potential come wednesday this storm could stop. it could halt because of a blocking high to its north. we could have a significant flooding event for two or three days in areas of georgia. by the way, georgia right now is in one of their worst droughts in history. you could go from drought to epic flooding. let's hope not. that's a look at the national forecast. now let's look at weather outside your window. good morning. i'm meteorologist tom kierein. storm team 4 radar showing an area of rain slowly advancing to the metro area. light blue and green is light lane. but yellows coming across harder to the sougtheast.

beaches getting rain. just a few scattered sprinkles north in the metro area. maybe in the afternoon a little thunder and lightning if you want your hour-by-hour forecast and updates on isaac, tune into the weather channel or go to weather.com. i think i threw the word epic in there and maybe i'll pay for it later, but we'll see. >> no, that is a concern. >> it is. >> if the storm just sits there. >> and when you're going from severe drought to possible flooding, those extremes. >> they need the rain, they're looking forward to the rain in those areas, but they don't want to have homes under water. >> all right, bill, thank you very much. coming up, she put her career on the back burner to raise a family. now this mom's dream is taking center stage. but up next, high-paying jobs where you don't need to have a college degree. but first, these messages

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and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. ♪ ♪ saving for a rainy day this morning on "today's money," earning a big salary without having a college degree. that concept may seem impossible, but according to one group, there are jobs out there where you can make six figures without higher education. cnbc's personal finance correspondent sharon epperson is here with details. good morning, sharon. >> good morning, tamron. >> obviously, we're not saying not to pursue college if that is an option. >> absolutely not. >> but in the real world, that is not the case for anyone, so you have a list of jobs, but i would guess there are stipulations. >> there are stipulations. we talked to pay scale, and they said these are the jobs where you could potentially make six figures, over $100,000, but you

need to be a top performer. this is not some job you're going to get right out of high school. you're probably going to have to get some training. >> highly training, well skilled. let's start with a nuclear power reactor operator. that sounds like you have to be well trained. >> definitely. you can get median pay, average pay of $103,000 a year. >> wow. >> but up to $142,000 for the top 10% in that field. and you just need a high school diploma, convict strictly speaking. i talked to the nuclear regulatory committee and they say you need training, at least three years of service just at the power plant where you work. you need to go through an exam administered by the nuclear regulatory commission. they offer the operating licenses. and there is extensive training while you're on the job to make sure you're still up to speed on those skills. >> i would imagine also background checks for the jobs. >> background checks, drug testing, alcohol testing, medical exams, and of course, again, getting your license

every six years or so, making sure that you're up to date. >> okay, on the list as well, which is interesting, the health care industry, but specifically personal trainers. and i think of that as a luxury, but apparently, people pay up for it. >> people pay up and they pay a lot more to, and particularly for specialized training. the median pay is $51,000, but you could get up to $141,000 a year. now, how is this possible? again, you're at the upper end of your field, but also, if you have a lot of specialized training. some yoga instructors have to have training for at least two years to become certified, and some may even require more. it depends on the facility, it depends on the type of training that you're doing. >> all right, this next one is tempting to me, even though i can't cook, an executive pastry chef. >> yes. >> the salary? wow! >> yeah, the salaries can really escalate and the median pay there is probably the lowest on our list, $45,000 or so, but you can earn six figures at the top of your game, and here's how you do it. you have to have three years experience as a pastry chef. you have to have had employees working under you for several

years as well, working for yourself, and this is according to the american culinary foundation. and of course, you need to have worked in the field and have ongoing training, but it's possible. >> so, this doesn't mean you have to be a famous pastry chef, is that what it boils down to? >> it doesn't necessarily mean you have to be famous, but you're probably working at a luxury hotel or restaurant and you've had at least 150 hours of training. >> okay. on the list as well, handyman in certain fields, six figures. six figures is possible. again, it varies widely. you could start at $53,000 or so, that's the median salary, but up to $104,000. and if you're an electrician, not necessarily a licensed electrician, but somebody who does home appliance work, we get a lot of the these statistics from the bureau of labor statistics, and that's what they say, that there is a potential if you don't have a high school diploma, you can get the training. >> and last on the list, massage therapist. >> now, this requires a post-secondary nondegree award, 500 hours or so of training and educational programming. it could be at a community college or a four-year institution as well.

you don't need an actual associate's degree necessarily, but you do need extensive training. it varies by the location and the type of facility, but it's possible. >> a wide-ranging list of things there. very interesting. >> yeah, interesting. >> thank you, sharon. >> not saying don't go to college, but consider other options out there. >> thank you very much. up next, dreams do come true. a backup singer grabs the spotlight at the tender age of 55. we have her incredible story after these messages. ♪ two years ago, the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf. and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america.

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you probably haven't heard edda briggs' name before, but chances are you've heard her voice. once a backup singer for country music's top names, she never grasped the lead mike until recently. she landed a record deal at 53 years old, proving you're never too old to get your first break. ♪ i'm packing my bags >> front and center on a new york city stage, etta brit acts and sounds like a natural. ♪ a voice so seasoned and so soulful, you'd never guess that she signed her first record deal at age 53. >> aside from the voice and

"america's got talent," record labels just aren't handing out record deals to older artists. i really proved that dreams do not die. >> it's been a long road to the spotlight for etta. growing up in louisville, kentucky, when she fantasized about becoming a singer, she never wanted to be front and center. >> i would stand in front of the mirror for hours and sing the supremes, and i would always be the supreme, not diana ross. ♪ you can't hurry love, no, you just have to wait ♪ >> etta went from singing backup in her bedroom to performing backup on stage with the country band dave and sugar. she even sang in the studios of nashville, but never the lead, and before she could go solo, she became part of a duo, marrying guitarist bob brit. >> as soon as my first one was born, it was automatic. all i wanted to do was sit and hold her. >> with a growing family, etta and bob couldn't afford to have both of them pursue their music

careers, so she set hers aside while bob soared with top acts like wynonna judd and the dixie chicks. >> always wished that she was doing what i was doing, and you know, and maybe i was staying home taking care of the kids. >> but etta still had dreams of making it in the music business. >> never gave it up. it was always right there in the front of my mind. >> over the years, she kept writing music, all while she was raising her daughters, and then her life changed forever. etta grabbed the attention of wrinkle records, a start-up label looking to sign older artists. >> and she said, i want to sign you to the label. and i just turned around and looked around a couple times to see if she's talking to somebody else, and then i said, okay, sure, why not? >> her debut album is appropriately titled "out of the shadows," and on a recent summer night at the b.b. king's blues club in new york, she stepped into the biggest spotlight of all. >> a little nervous, you know.

i'm in new york city! i've never played new york city before. this is my first time. wish me luck. ♪ was i lost, was i dying, maybe i couldn't see ♪ >> taking center stage like she's been there all along. ♪ >> sending a message with every song. >> if there's something you want to do and there's somhing you've always wanted to do, go on and take a leap of faith and step out there and do it. >> i love her story. >> yeah! i like that and i like a singer who's lived life, so when she sings soulful songs, you know it's coming from somewhere. >> means something. >> been there, done that. just ahead, live reports from the caribbean as tropical storm isaac makes landfall in haiti. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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hi, everyone. good morning. it is 7:56 on this saturday, august 25th. i'm richard jordan. here's a look at what's happening today. students and community members in d.c. will work together to clean up schools in the district. it's the city's annual beautification day. 4,000 volunteers will spruce up the insides and outsides of 115 d.c. public schools. it's from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. the city does not need any more volunteers, but you can still help out by dropping off books and school supplies today. in montgomery county, kids can prepare for the first day of school with a back to school fair from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the carver educational services center in rockville. it's free for everyone and

features health screenings, kids activities, and even you can get free school supplies. free shuttle buses will also be running from several area schools to the fair all day. we're going to check what could be a wet forecast next.

there is already rain in some areas to get the weekend started. let's get a look at the forecast now. tom kierein is in stormcenter 4. good morning. >> good morning. around the region, we've got a cloudy sky. it's mild and humid. we're in the low to mid-70s now. yes to our south, storm team 4 radar showing moderate showers. areas in yellow, st. mary's county, across the tidal potomac toward the northern neck into spotsylvania. these are advancing to the north. they'll be moving over the metro area the next couple of hours. during the afternoon hours, passing showers, maybe thunder and lightning, highs reaching near 80. if you're going out tonight, might get passing showers through the evening with thunder and lightning. sunday, partly sunny into the mid-80s.

small chance of a morning shower. greater chance of an afternoon thunder shower on sunday. monday, partly sunny. back to work and school. upper 80s and humid. might get storms on welcome back to "today," saturday morning, the 25th day of august 2012. a nice crowd on the plaza stopping by to wave hello to their friends and family back home. our thanks to them for spending part of their saturday with us. beautiful, clear day here, but certainly a different story in the caribbean. i'm lester holt along with tamron hall. isaac right now just pounding parts of haiti with rain this morning. wet weather will continue throughout the day there, up to 20 inches of rain expected in some areas. intermittent power outages have already been reported around the port-au-prince area. we'll go live there in just a moment. then, new details this morning about the deadly shooting outside of the empire state building. we're learning more about the

gunman who killed his former co-worker and how so many bystanders got caught in the cross fire with police. then, the birther controversy is back, sparked by a comment by mitt romney on friday, meant as a joke, but president obama says it should give voters pause. we're going to get more on that coming up. and then, oh, boy, could we be seeing more of princ harry? >> when you say more of prince harry, you mean -- >> more than that black thing covered. >> oh, more of prince harry! >> there could be more compromising photos, possibly even, oh, boy, some video, of the 27-year-old on that recent trip to vegas. apparently, as they say, it doesn't stay in vegas, it goes to london with you. we'll get more details. >> can i say i don't want to see any more of prince harry, under those circumstances, anyway? >> no comment. >> somebody apparently does. anyway, a lot to get to coming up. we want to talk about tropical storm isaac. we have correspondents in the storm's path. >> let's begin with mark potter

live in port-au-prince, haiti. good morning, mark. >> reporter: good morning to you, tamron. it's still raining here in port-au-prince, but it's calmed considerably since overnight. as tropical storm isaac, the center of the storm crossed the southwest peninsula here, many miles from this area, there were gusty winds and heavy rains in the capital. now, this morning, as workers are going out to assess the damage, they're expecting to find in that southwest area known as the southern claw extensive flooding in towns such as will a kai, layogan and jacmel. we've heard of downed trees and power lines, but so far, no reports of casualties there. the biggest concern throughout the country is some 400,000 people still living in tents here after the earthquake the 2 1/2 years ago. yesterday, aid workers went through some of the camps trying to find the most vulnerable residents, the elderly, the sick and pregnant women, to move as many of them as they could into

schools and buildings. there is also a fear here for the many people, perhaps millions, living in shantytowns, like the ones behind me in this mountain here, living on the sides of mountains and in ravines, where they are vulnerable to mud slides and flash flooding. we'll know more as the day progresses, as everyone gets out to see how much damage there was, but this continuing rain is considered a considerable threat here in haiti. tamron? >> all right, mark, thank you very much. >> isaac has his sights set on cuba. next, mike seidel is in varadero, cuba. mike, good morning to you. >> reporter: and good morning, lester. typically here in late august, these beaches will be packed, but today all we have is a lone surf fisherman out there casting, hoping to catch something. this island's going to catch a storm. isaac now is about 100 miles or so southeast of guantanamo, and preps got under way yesterday. now remember, here in cuba, only 5% of cubans own automobiles or trucks, so they really have no way to evacuate like back to the

u.s. of a. so, the army's on standby right now with a lot of buses, prepared to evacuate tens of thousands, but they don't think that will be necessary. there have been some evacuations this morning, some of those low-lying, precarious areas, some of the fishing villages around guantanamo and santiago. santiago, the airport, the other airport on the island has suspended all flights for the time being, and the real threat here is going to be heavy rain and flooding. the reservoirs in the central part of the country are running more than 80% full, so local officials are going to be watching those. over in guantanamo, in those areas, reservoirs are generally running at less than 50% full, so they can handle more rain. no doubt, we'll have wind and rain, as lester, the storm goes by to the north, across the farther straits, heads for the keys tomorrow. the wind here is going to be howling and it will be a whole different picture here later today and tomorrow in varadero, about two hours east of havana. lester, back to you. >> mike seidel, thanks. >> so, where is isaac heading after cuba? bill karins is upstairs with more on that and the new

tropical storm warning along the gulf coast. bill, good morning. >> well, good morning to you, tamron. we even have hurricane warnings up now, too, for areas of the keys and southwest florida. tropical storm warnings in miami. today is the last day to prepare in those areas. the weather will quickly go downhill on sunday. right now, the storm as we mentioned, just outside of port-au-prince, roughly about 600 miles away from miami, florida, and the storm is heading for florida. it looks almost definite now the state of florida throughout sunday, monday and possibly even tuesday, is going to have to deal with the effects of this storm. it's moving to the northwest right now at about 14 miles per hour. one what are our possible paths? we've been following these different spaghetti lines, the computer models and they're pretty much in agreement through miami, key west, and through the west coast of florida and to the north near the end, landfall somewhere near mobile most likely and apalachicola, florida. the forecast path does strengthen it, and that's the million-dollar question right now, how much willquestion. how much will this storm

strengthen over the warmest waters that exist on the entire planet, right through the florida straits with key west and over the warm loop current. this is where katrina blew up into a huge storm. this is not where you want a developing storm to travel. it is going to move over these areas. right now the hurricane center saying category 1. of that realm, especially if it doesn't interact with cuba over the next 24 hours. back to you, lester. >> all right, bill, we'll get your forecast for the rest of the country in a moment. one of new york city's iconic landmarks was the scene of a deadly shoot-out on friday. two people were killed, nine others wounded. nbc's michelle franzen is live outside the empire state building. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. that deadly shooting took place on fifth avenue in front of the main entrance of the empire state building, and it followed a deadly scene less than a block away. police say the suspected shooter had returned to his former workplace to confront a former colleague he held a grudge against. chaos and shock in the moments

after gunshots rang out near the famous empire state building, captured in photographs and video taken by witnesses. >> i just got shot. they're going to rush me to the hospital. >> reporter: survivors caught in the cross fire when police shot and killed lone gunman jeffrey johnson. new surveillance video released by nypd shows johnson calmly walking up busy fifth avenue. when police approach him, he pulls out a gun and they open fire, sending crowds of pedestrians and tourists near the iconic skyscraper running for cover. >> midtown south charlie sector, unconfirmed ten shots fired, west 33rd street and fifth avenue, several shots fired. >> reporter: minutes earlier, police say the 58-year-old who was laid off a year ago as a designer at an apparel business, sought out a former company executive a block away, pushed him to the ground and shot him. >> johnson produced the pistol and fired at close range, striking his 41-year-old victim in the head. >> reporter: the victim, steven

ercolino died. a construction worker followed johnson and alerted anti-terror officers assigned to patrol the empire state building. when it was over, nine pedestrians sustained minor gunshot wounds. police say some may have been injured by stray police bullets. police and colleagues say johnson and the victim had an ongoing feud, a factor experts say investigators will be looking into. >> they're very frustrated. they're hurt. it's easy to look back on the situation and say this is someone else's fault that i'm in this situation and i want to do something about it. >> reporter: investigators say the gun that was used by the suspected killer was legally purchased back in 1991 in florida, where jeffrey johnson lives, but investigators say that gun was not legally registered here in new york. lester. >> michelle franzen in midtown manhattan, thanks. now here's tamron. >> lester, thank you. the republican national convention may not be able to avoid tropical storm isaac, as comments by mitt romney on friday are creating a storm of their own.

nbc's peter alexander is with romney's campaign in powell, ohio. good morning, peter. >> reporter: tamron, good morning to you. this is the first joint appearance for mitt romney and paul ryan here in the critical battleground state of ohio. and while the message they'll focus on today is the economy, there was a big distraction yesterday in romney's native state of michigan that caused quite a stir. with a potentially high-profile hurricane still threatening to swamp next week's republican convention in tampa, mitt romney unintentionally stirred up a storm of his own during remarks friday at his boyhood home state of michigan. >> no one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. they know that this is the place that we were born and raised. >> reporter: while proudly touting his roots, romney's off-the-cuff comment instain tansly provides a highly charged and long-settled issue about the president's birthplace. the obama campaign quickly cried foul, insisting romney's decision to directly enlist himself in the birther movement

should give pause to any rational voter across america." it's the first time in 14 months of campaigning romney has directly referenced the birther movement, but earlier this year he enlisted as a surrogate donald trump, one of the president's loudest critics who's frequently questioned whether president obama was born in the u.s. >> it's my honor, real honor and privilege to endorse mitt romney. >> reporter: late friday in an interview with cbs news, romney said his remark was intended as a joke, not a swipe at the president. >> i said throughout the campaign and before, there's no question about where he was born. he was born in the u.s. this was fun about us and coming home and humor. you know, we've got to have a little humor in the campaign as well. >> the next president of the united states of america! >> reporter: the romney campaign had intended to use friday's high-energy event to rally supporters ahead of the convention with its theme "a better future." >> and we're not just going to talk about planitude, small things, we're going to talk

about these big challenges and how we're going to overcome them. >> reporter: the convention will also spotlight romney's wife, ann, who will give a prime time speech. on friday, she became emotional in front of the large hometown crowd. >> i have to say, when i got on the stage and i didn't appreciate how many people were here until i stood up here, i got quite choked up because it's amazing! >> reporter: a lot more about mitt romney's personal biography in the days ahead. this weekend in an interview with "parade" magazine coming out tomorrow, he did open up a little bit, saying "i'm an emotional person. there is, i don't know, a societal norm that if you're running for office, you can't be emotional, and perhaps i bow to that too often." ann recommeomney also demonstrar own emotions when talking about tithing 10%. she said "i love tithing. when mitt and i give that check, i actually cry," and mitt romney

next to her said "so do i," but tamron, for a different reason. >> all right, peter alexander. thank you, peter. nbc's coverage of the republican national convention begins tuesday at 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific. time for the rest of the morning's headlines, and for that, we turn to tom llamas at the news desk. tom, good morning. >> good morning, lester, tamron, and good morning, everyone. a young man who testified against former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky is now suing the university. he blames the school for trying to cover up initial allegations of sex abuse of boys. the complaint by the person, known as victim one, triggered the state investigation that resulted in criminal charges against sandusky. a teenage girl is back with her family today after escaping what she says was a more than two-year-long nightmare in which she was held captive, beaten and raped almost daily. >> reporter: police raided a home in washington park, illinois, outside east st. louis on thursday, where they arrested a 25-year-old man and recovered a 2-year-old boy. a teenager says the boy is hers

and her abductor is the father. police won't release the names of the man they arrested or the now 19-year-old woman. they say she told him she became friends with the man three years ago, and after visiting his home one day, he wouldn't let her leave. the accused man's family says the story isn't true. >> we didn't think there was anything there, we would not have issued search warrants yesterday. so, they did that based on the testimony that we had. >> reporter: the young woman's claims are reminiscent of another high-profile abduction. jaycee dugard was just 11 years old when she was abducted back in 1991. dugard was held for more than 18 years, giving birth to two daughters while being held in backyard shacks and tents. dugard's captor was sentenced to 431 years in prison, his wife 36 years to life. the young no one was this latest case accuses her alleged abductor's mother with helping keep her captive and falsifying medical records when she gave birth. the mother is also under arrest. a neighbor who let her child play with the little boy never

suspected a thing. >> you know, i didn't see no strange activity going on right next door to my house. i have a son, a 3-year-old son. you know, that's kind of scary. >> still investigating the allegations and they have until 5:00 p.m. tonight to either charge or release the accused man. and we're following some breaking news out of western venezuela right now. a state official says an early-morning explosion at the country's biggest oil refinery has killed at least 19 people with more than 50 others hurt. the outcome of the apple/samsung case could have ripple effects in the smartphone market. a jury decided friday that samsung ripped off the technology used by apple to create the iphone and ipad. it awarded apple more than $1 billion. after seeing samsung's legal defeat, other devicemakers relying on android may be more reluctant to use the software and risk getting dragged in to court. an appeal is expected. american justin howard, alias nordic thunder, is the new

world champion air guitar player. he was crowned friday in finland where the world championship has been played since 1996. howard looking like a viking warrior in his leather tunic, gave an energetic performance that, get this, won him a handmade electric guitar. that's the news. now back to lester and tamron. when you're nordic thunder, you don't need the guitar. you are cool enough. >> i love it leather tunic. things i need in life. what would your air guitar name be, lester? >> i don't know, but i've played my share of air guitar. >> i thought you were going to say you played your shirt off. >> he's done that, too. >> okay. some things we just don't want to know. well, all eyes are on isaac, of course, but there is other weather out there this morning. i mentioned earlier, this is really the li mentioned earlier really the last day to make the preparations from the keys down to south florida. you may think the storm is already down the top. it's raining hard down there. tropical moisture moving through. this isn't associated with

isaac. it's hard to make the prep in south florida with all the heavy rain overhead. this is going to make the flooding situation even worse in the days ahead. we'll keep you updated on that situation as it develops. that's a look at the national forecast. now let's look at weather outside your window. >> good morning. i'm tom kierein. storm team 4 radar showing the areas of yellow and orange now moving into southern maryland, st. mary's and southern calvert county. heading next to near caroline county. it's heading off to the north. also, the atlantic beaches getting moderate showers. so the metro area, increasing chances of rain as the day goes by. passing showers, maybe thunder and lightning this afternoon with highs near 80. got a smaller chance of and more on isaac to come. lester? >> all right, bill, thanks. up next, stripped of his titles and banned from cycling. more on lance armstrong's fall from grace, right after these messages. [ birds chirping ]

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it's got that sweet honey taste. but no way it's 80 calories, right? no way, right? lady, i just drive the truck. right, there's no way right, right? have a nice day. [ male announcer ] 80 delicious calories. fiber one. lance armstrong will officially be erased from the cycling record books. it comes after he stopped fighting allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. nbc's anne thompson has more. >> reporter: it was among the greatest accomplishments in the history of sports, seven consecutive victories in the tour de france, one of the most physically grueling contests in the world. today, the u.s. anti-doping agency stripped lance armstrong of those titles for choosing not to defend himself in arbitration against charges he used performance-enhancing drugs to win. >> decided to declare it against

lance armstrong many years ago, and after he passed every single test that was administered, didn't fail a one and they couldn't prove him guilty, they have now asked him to prove himself innocent. >> reporter: in a statement, armstrong blasted the usada process as "an unstunsional witchhunt" and enter admitted to doping. in may, armstrong voiced his frustration on tv. >> these things take a lot of time and energy. they suck the life of you. >> the head of usada says the case is strong with more than a dozen witnesses. >> we don't make any decision to bring a case lightly. the evidence, we've said before, in this particular case was overwhelming. >> reporter: yet, the sports governing body, the international cycling union, says it's not doing anything until it gets a full explanation from usada. david, is this fair? >> well, it's the usual process -- >> reporter: david epstein is the senior writer at "sports illustrated." >> usada also had blood tests for 2009 that they say were indicative of blood

manipulation. so, i think they would have contended this going forward if that is a positive test. >> reporter: but it's armstrong's personal battle against cancer and his foundation, symbolized by those classic yellow bands, that have made him an icon. live strong officials say online donations friday were 30 times greater than thursday. >> i think our supporters and namely cancer survivors and their family members feel a debt of gratitude to lance. ultimately, his legacy is going to be about what we accomplished as a cancer community, and that's what we're focused on. >> reporter: as for those who might claim armstrong's seven yellow jerseys, each rider has been accused of doping in his career. only one has been cleared. for "today," anne thompson, nbc news, new york. and still ahead, casey anthony's probation over. we'll see what's next for her. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] some think obamacare is the same as free health care.

but nothing is free. obama is raiding $716 billion from medicare, changing the program forever. taxing wheelchairs and pacemakers. raising taxes on families making less than one hundred twenty thousand dollars. free healthcare comes at a very high price. the romney-ryan plan will restore medicare funding and protect and strengthen the program for the next generation. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. still to come on "today," the sneaky way a college student

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good morning. it is 8:26 on this saturday, august 25th. i'm angie goff. topping your news for today. d.c. police are investigating two carjackings that happened just miles apart overnight. the first happened around 1:30 at the intersection of 24th street and rhode island avenue northeast. a person says someone stole their 2009 gray nissan altima at gunpoint. that car has a maryland license plate number of 54567 cd. and then about 3 1/2 hours later a gen mercedes was taken from the 3600 block of "j" street. it's not known if the two incidents are connected. in prince george's county,

police are looking for answers after a woman was found dead in her apartment in riverdale. officers say around 8:30 last night they were called out to an apartment on kennedy street. this is near kenilworth. they found a woman with trauma to her upper body. investigators say there appears to be no signs of a break-in. later this morning, one of the victims of the train derailment will be laid to rest. rose mayr's funeral is at bethany united methodist church in ellicott city. she was a nursing student at the university of del. a memorial service for her friend, elizabeth nass was yesterday. she was studying special education at james madison university. we're going to have a look [ 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.

we're already seeing sprinkles early. let's check in with storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein. >> good morning. right now on storm team 4 radar, we do have more moderate showers in southern maryland, the northern neck of virginia, and just south of fredericksburg. that is heading off to the northwest and should be entering the metro area perhaps over the next hour or so. got some heavy showers too right along the atlantic beaches this morning. later today, during the afternoon, some passing showers, maybe some thunder and lightning with highs reaching the upper 70s. then continue off and on into this evening as well. sunday, partly sunny tomorrow afternoon. highs low to mid-80s. might get an isolated shower in the morning or afternoon thunder

shower. highs upper 80s. angie? >> all right. thank you, tom. and you're going to want to tune in for "news 4 today" at 9:00. we are back this saturday morning, august 25th, 2012. we've got a great crowd here on the plaza waving to their friends and family back home. a very special thank-you to those spending part of their morning with us. i'm tamron hall here alongside lester holt. still to come this hour, prince harry. >> will we see more pictures? >> i don't know. >> word is there might be more pictures out there, some video related to his recent trip to las vegas. we're going to get a live report from london to find out what that's all about and how things are going for him these days. >> grandmom's upset, i read. so we'll see what happens. then, casey anthony is, by the way, officially a free woman, no longer on probation. so, where will she go?

what will she do? we'll take a look at her life now. then, what's it like to be almost famous? one college student set out to find out and he got the star treatment. you won't believe the reaction he got on the streets of new york city when he posed as a celebrity. >> i love that. and this lady's bucket list says meet lester holt. lester checked it off and signed it for her. >> i signed it. you know, you need a better bucket list. if i'm at the top, you're not getting out much. >> dream big. >> dream big! >> that's very nice. let's check in with bill karins, standing by with a check of the weather. bill? good morning. we've got some photos here and i think i see lester in these, too. you've been here before. >> yes. >> 2008 and 2010. lester looking pretty good! can i ask what kind of antiaging cream he us let's take a look and show you what we're dealing with with isaac. this could end up being one of the biggest stories with this storm is the rainfall. not so much the rain and the

wind, because it doesn't look like a major hurricane. as far as the amount of precipitation around georgia and possibly south carolina, maybe even areas around alabama, could be enough to produce very significant flooding. it looks like that storm could stall out tuesday, wednesday, maybe even into thursday in that area, and a stalled out even tropical storm is big time trouble with the amount of rains this storm could produce. first we've got to deal with the hurricane along florida. then once it moves inland, we could deal with historical rains from the storm too. a lot of facets in isaac that are going to affect a lot of us over the next couple of days. now let's look at the weather outside your window. it looks like isaac is going to stay south of us based on the latest trends. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein on this saturday morning. our radar showing some showers moving into southern maryland. areas of yellow coming down moderately northern neck and st. mary's county, heading toward fredericksburg. metro area getting showers along the atlantic beaches. later today passing showers. maybe thunder and lightning late afternoon with highs reaching upper 70s. partly sunny tomorrow in the

mid-80s. might get and of course, we'll have many more updates right throughout the weekend on the "today" show with isaac, especially as we watch that landfall possibly sunday into monday down in the keys. back to you, lester. >> bill, thanks. by now, you've heard what happened in vegas didn't stay there for prince harry, and now there could be more embarrassing photos, even video, emerging from his recent romp in sin city. nbc's duncan golestani is outside london's parliament, where lawmakers cannot be pleased. duncan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. prince harry's vegas hangover just won't go away. we've already seen nude pictures of the prince, but traditionally, british tabloids publish their big exclusives on a sunday, including so-called kiss-and-tell stories. every moment of harry's wild vacation has been caught on camera, photographed by his guests, filmed by "extra," and now according to a top public relations executive here in

great britain, it seems possible there are more to come. >> i was offered pictures and stills from two girls i found independently over a matter of two or three hours yesterday afternoon, from the states, with american accents, both claiming to be at the party. i just said, no, i'm not interested. so, obviously, going to the papers direct. maybe that's what they're doing. >> reporter: according to "the daily mirror" newspaper, that's about to happen. it claims a vegas party girl who was in harry's vip suite, similar to this one, is closing in on a deal to sell explicit cell phone footage. harry had a reputation as the party prince and sometimes showing poor judgment, but this is the prince we've been used to seeing in the past year. >> these people are the embodiment of the paralympic value. >> reporter: talking passionately about next week's paralympic games. >> prince harry of wales. >> reporter: representing the queen at the closing of london 2012 and overseas putting his playful personality to good use.

for harry, it looked like a grown-up role in the next generation of royals. >> well, after the diamond jubilee celebrations, i felt that the queen and prince philip were able to take a step back and leave it to the new family. now, harry has been seen in this instance as a party prince. his image has been tarnished, and i think it makes charles's plans suddenly derails them a little bit. >> reporter: now harry is back home. reports suggest prince charles has asked for a father-to-son chat. the party is definitely over. so, a tough week ahead for harry for another reason, the anniversary of his mother's death on friday, 15 years since princess diana was killed in paris. i expect prince harry is just looking forward to getting back to his job in the army, lester. >> duncan golestani in london this morning, thanks. now here's tamron. >> lester, thanks. casey anthony is a free woman this morning after finishing a year's probation for a bad check conviction.

her whereabouts had been monitored since she was acquitted of murdering her daughter, caylee. so, what will she do now? here's nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: the florida department of corrections confirmed it, casey anthony has completed a year's probation for a check fraud conviction. she is officially free. but where is she? her location the past 12 months has been the source of endless speculation. required to stay in florida and make regular visits to a probation officer, there were almost no sightings of her. >> we, the jury, find the defendant not guilty. >> reporter: now the 26-year-old can live anywhere and do as she pleases for the first time since she was acquitted last year of murder charges in the death of her daughter, caylee, in a trial that captivated the nation. >> she's going to face challenges of all kinds -- trying to get a job, trying to go anywhere in public without people recognizing her, having a normal life of any kind is going to be a serious challenge. >> reporter: a video diary that surfaced online in january offered no hint to her location. >> scary because i hate being on

camera. >> reporter: it was a different look than her courthouse appearances, sporting short blond hair and black-rimmed glasses. >> i'll be here for many, many months. >> reporter: there were protests after her acquittal in florida and outrage across the country from those who blamed her for caylee's death, and there were threats made against her in the past. following her release from probation, her criminal defense attorney, cheney mason, told nbc news, "we continue to be concerned about her safety and security. right now, she is safe and will continue to be." anthony has been unemployed, according to her monthly checking form, and had no probation violations, say corrections officials. she is no longer under their jurisdiction in any way. >> casey anthony is probably never going to be free. she's always going to be projected to intense public scrutiny because of the nature of this trial. >> reporter: while she's legally free, casey anthony may find herself forever bound by chains in the court of public opinion. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. up next, the college student

who fooled everyone by pretending to be a star. we'll meet him right after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. are you a fan of demoisier? [ thinking ] demois-a-who? okay, you know you're smart. you just ordered a premium roast coffee and a savory sausage mcmuffin for only a dollar each off mcdonald's dollar menu at breakfast, so... he has a certain... je ne sais quoi. my name is sunshine and i have three beautiful girls. i like taking advil® for a headache.

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you know, these days, finding fame can be achieved by creating a viral video that goes all over the net or simply by pretending to be a celebrity. and one college student did both and left some people star-struck. fame. it's not just for the famous anymore.

everywhere you turn, someone is getting their 15 minutes. ♪ 7:00 a.m., waking up in the morning ♪ >> want to be a famous singer? just upload your music video. >> whatever. >> how about a famous television star? that's easy, just expose yourself again and again on reality tv. >> crafting an orchestrated perception shapes reality if you emulate the swagger and the persona of a celebrity, you'll find people who will quickly follow. >> and that is exactly what college student brett cohen did. the video that's gone viral, cohen demonstrated what it takes to become a celebrity. an entourage, the confidence and the outfit. by the end of the day, cohen accumulated more than 300 autographs and photo requests, people who thought he was a real celebrity. >> guys, what was it like meeting brett? >> oh, my god! >> i love him!

>> this is what happened when we turned one of our producers into a fake celebrity a few years back. >> please, just look this way one second! >> guess what? it worked. >> i'm on a show that hasn't premiered yet, but it's an up-and-coming. >> in a world where you don't really need a substantial tv show to become famous, this proves that what you really need is the right attention-getting tricks and people will think that you're famous. >> so, who needs an oscar, a publicist or even talent when you've got an entourage and an idea? but is it really the same, or have those so-called 15 minutes of fame become a reality? >> so, true celebrities know that accolades and a fan base come by virtue of your talent. so, one should always continue to seek to be known for their talent versus just being known. ♪ >> and brett cohen is here. should i be asking for your autograph? >> if you want, sure. >> what was the point? was the point to feel famous or

were you trying to prove a point about all of us? >> it was a little bit of both. i wanted to make a funny video. i thought this would be an experiment and i felt like if we had all the pieces that we could create an image that people would actually think i was famous. it would be funny, it would be interesting, and it would be something that everyone can take something from, whether it's sad, like people are so stupid, or just something to laugh at. it's a really funny video. >> tamron's been if you knowing all over you. >> i have. you put the sunglasses on and were instantly famous. do you feel guilty at all? >> i feel a little bit bad for the people interviewed. >> a little bit? not a lot. >> i haven't heard from any of them. i'm sure they've gone into hiding. >> have people challenged you, said i don't know who you are? >> yes, one guy said to my face, hey, buddy, i don't know who you are! i said, all right, i don't know who you are either. >> so, you put the sunglasses on, this is part of the hollywood look. so, lester, can you put them on and see if you become famous?

>> no, i need an entourage. >> i'll be your entourage. >> it's all about having peeps. >> oh, you've got to have peeps. is that the key, like have a bunch of people following you? >> i didn't have that many people. i had assistants, a few photographers, because i knew the flashes would stand out at night. >> okay. >> and it was really just to draw attention. then once people started taking pictures with me, everyone wanted it, and each block we went down times square, the crowds built until we couldn't even move. >> do you see how fame could be addictive? lester lives with it every day, but you, did you see? >> it was really cool in the beginning. it got old pretty quick. it was late at night, some people smelled, to be honest with you, and they're like on me to take a picture. >> wow. >> and the adrenaline, they couldn't actually take the picture, push the little button. >> give me some shades and an entourage. >> and i'll walk around with smelly people, whatever that's about. >> thank you for being here. now back to regular life. we'll be right back. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> we're roller skating soon,

right? >> oh, yeah, we're going to roller skate.

for many brides, their wedding day could be the most exciting day of their lives. they all want to make the grand entrance in the perfect dress and nbc's joelle garguilo found out choosing the right one could be a challenge ♪ going to the chapel >> reporter: many girls dream about having the perfect wedding, becoming the fairy tale princess complete with a beautiful, white gown. from the original "father of the bride" -- >> look like a princess in a fairy tale. >> reporter: -- to "sex and the city," the images have been burned into our imaginations. in real life, bridals by laurie is where many brides come to find that one-of-a-kind show-stopper. can you guys show me the rest of the shop? because i'm looking and i see a lot. it's also the set for tlc's "say yes to the dress atlanta." >> does that mean you're saying? >> i'm saying yes to the dress!

>> yay! >> reporter: this 24,000-foot mega store is a wedding gown destination -- >> here it is! >> reporter: -- with a distinctively southern flair. >> people in the south like to accessorize. >> yes. >> reporter: laurie and her fashion designer monte know gowns. >> we have over 1,000 couture gowns here and it's just a play land. >> magic on hangers is what we have. >> reporter: they wrote the book on the do's and dont's that come along with finding the perfect wedding dress. >> i tried to make this very simple. the three fs. we're going to look at the fillfit of the gown, then we're going to look at the fabric, and then we're going to look at the fashion of it. do you want to be retro? do you want to be modern? are you going to be romantic? or are you going to be traditional and understated? >> reporter: as for monte's number one don't? do not forget about your budget. he says a gorgeous gown can be found in every price range. finding the perfect dress is not always easy. it takes patience and trying on lots of different styles.

and the bride may have more opinions to consider, opinions other than just her own. >> i like this dress. >> reporter: if these walls could talk, what would they say? >> oh, they would say that mama, sometimes you need to hush. >> i like the other dress better. >> reporter: but when the pressure becomes too much, that's when laurie steps in. >> disappointment has set the tone for their entire marriage. learning to compromise starts today. >> reporter: and for the brides who can't seem to make up their minds, in comes monte with a secret weapon. >> it's time to jack her up. >> i'm ready to get jacked up to jesus! >> laurie and i were working, and one day she turned to me and says, get over there and jack up that bride! i just knew what that meant. >> jack me up! we let you see the whole look on your wedding day, not just the dress. >> i never thought these words would come out of my mouth. can you guys jack me up? >> she wants to be jacked up! >> oh, honey, we're going to

jack you up southern style. >> uh huh. >> let's do it! ♪ ♪ boom, boom, boom >> reporter: first comes the "yes to the dress." >> it's a yes! >> yay! >> i've always wanted to say that. >> reporter: then the "i dos." for "today," joelle garguilo, atlanta. tlc's "say yes to the dress atlanta" airs friday nights at 9:00 and we'll be right back with a skating lesson on the plaza. but first, these messages. -[ taste buds ] donuts, donuts! -who are these guys?

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♪ i've got a brand new pair of roller skates ♪ this morning on "today's summer saturday," let's roll! we have our skates laced up. >> yeah. >> we've got our helmets, our safety strap on and we're showing off our best roller skating skills. >> and gypsy lucas is with us from skate truck new york. tell us what the skate truck concept is.

>> we are a mobile rental roller skate truck. we roll around the city and rent skates in prospect park and east river and we'll be in inwood hill today and central park pore. >> so roller skating is still cool. >> it's super cool. >> what are we doing? >> we'll learn how to stop and do the limbo. >> a moment ago, i went sailing past. >> you should have seen lester! he went straight past. >> so, with stopping, you want to use your toe stop and you'll drag it behind you. >> okay, so, stop -- >> then come into a "t" position. so, after we do the limbo, you'll stop before you hit our people, right? >> is there someone to catch us in case we don't stop? >> no, you're stopping, you're stopping! >> how do we win the contest? >> limbo, you don't fall down. we're going to put our arms in front, squat down as low as you can go. so, underneath the limbo bar. there you go! fantastic. and turn. turn. good! good! >> and now what? >> let's do it again.

let's see how low we can go. guys, cheer them on, here we go! >> how low can you go? >> how low can you go? >> keep it low. excellent, yeah! >> whoo! >> i win! i win! 30 seconds. bring it down, girl, bring it down. >> bring it down, here we go! >> whoo! ♪ >> oh, no. >> well done! excellent, excellent! >> lester, come on! >> i'm having trouble with the whole thing. >> here we go. this is our last round. >> last round. bring it down, here we go. >> oh, oh! [ laughter ] >> oh! >> oh, my god! >> all right! >> okay, this is our last one. one more, and we're out of time. here we go, here we go! ♪ disco beat >> good. >> that counts, right?

>> i think it's a two-way tie. >> gypsy, thank you for coming on, we appreciate it. we had a fun time. that does it for a saturday. good morning, everyone. i'm angie goff. >> and i'm richard jordan. right now the hurricane watches and warnings are going out for the u.s. main land ahead of

tropical storm isaac. coming up, the areas in danger plus how the d.c. area is ready to respond to help those in the disaster zone. and a major traffic alert in northern virginia today. we'll tell you about the road work shutting down one of the busiest spots in our area. megan? >> reporter: and district schools open on monday. today there's a big effort under way to make sure that everything is just so. you can see volunteers are out in full force sprucing up over 100 schools across the district. i'm megan mcgrath. i'll have that story coming up in just a bit. and i'm storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. rain on the way. plan accordingly for your saturday. i'll have your latest forecast in just a couple of minutes. hail to this former redskin. this morning we have clinton portis in our studio. got a question for him? send it to us. search "news 4 today" on facebook or twitter. smile, clinton. there we go. all right. all that and more when you join us for "news 4 today."

good morning, everyone. i'm richard jordan. and i'm angie goff. it is saturday, august 25th, 2012. all eyes on isaac as the tropical storm gains strength and moves closer to the u.s. west coast.