good morning. toe to toe. president obama and governor romney clash in a highly charged confrontational debate >> mr. president, have you looked at your pension. >> no, i don't look at my pension. it's not as big as yours so it doesn't take as long. >> the president has tried, but his policies haven't worked. >> what governor romney said just isn'ttrue. >> but did either candidate land a knockout blow? we'll ask their running mates, vice president joe biden and congressman paul ryan today, wednesday, october 17th. 2012. from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today,"

decisi 2012, with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. the only thing missing from last night's debate was the boxing gloves, maybe a commentator because it had all the makings of a prize fight. president obama and mitt romney trading jabs and then circling around each other and getting in each other's faces. i don't know about you, found it to be a little intense, a little cringe-inducing, hard to watch at times. >> not at all like the first debate. the president much more engaged and argumentive. romney standing his ground. how is all of this playing out? headlines from across the country. "new york times," rivals bring bare fists to rematch. "washington post" says obama, romney aggressive in rematch and "the chicago tribune," energized obama goes on defensive and the

"dallas morning news" says obama brings heat in second debate, but did he sacrifice like act? >> for more on this let's go to white house correspondent and political director chuck todd. had a late night. >> i liked all the photographs that they all captured. all the finger-points, man. pointing each other fingers. like debates with fireworks featuring two candidates who really don't seem to care for one another barack obama and mitt romney delivered big time. the two candidates debated as both their political careers depended on it because, well, it did. >> not true, governor romney. >> how much did you cut? >> the debate confrontational from the start as president obama and governor romney literally circled each other like boxers in the ring. >> how much did you cut licenses and permits on federal lands and waters? >> governor romney, here's what we did. thereere whole bunch of oil compans. >> i had a question and the question was how mh d you cut them by? want me to answer a question. happy to answer the question. >> mr. president, have you looked at your pension? have you looked at your pension?

mr. president, have you looked at your pension? >> you know, i don't look at my pension. it's not as big as yours. >> let me -- >> president obama's advisers promised their candidate would be more aggressive tuesday night, and mr. obama delivered. >> what governor romney said just isn't true. governor romney doesn't have a five-point plan. he has a one-point plan. >> reporter: the president also benefitted from many questions posed by the so-called undecided voters covering issues near and dear to his liberal base, from immigration, to pay inequalities in the workplace allowing mr. obama to talk about the first bill he signed into law. >> the lily ledbetter bill, so we fix that had. that's the example of the kind of advocacy we need >> i went to a number of women's groups and said can you help us find folks and they brought us whole binders full of women. >> reporter: on several questions one candidate pounced when the other stumbled. mr. obama was asked by a 2008 supporter why he deserved another four years. >> well, we've gone through a tough four years. there's no doubt about it.

the point is the commitments i've made, i've kept, and those that i haven't been able to keep, it's not for lack of trying, and we're going to get it done in a second term. >> i think you know better. i think you know that these last four years haven't been so good, as the president just described, and that you don't feel like you're confident that the next four years will be much better either. >> reporter: romney struggled on how 'd be different than presidt bush. >> president bush and i are different people, and these are different times, and that's why my five-point plan is so different than what he would have done. >> there are differences between governor romney and george bush, but they are not on economic policy. in some ways he's gone to a more extreme place when it comes to social policy, and i think that's a mistake. >> reporter: the most memorable moment, when the debate turned to foreign policy and the terrorist attacks in libya. >> there was no demonstration involved. it was a terrorist attack, and it took a long time for that to be told to the american people. whether there was some

misleading or whether we just didn't know what happened, i think you have to ask yourself why didn't we know five days later when the ambassador to the united nations went on tv to say that this was a demonstratio how could we have not known. >> reporter: mr. obama fired back staring down his opponent. >> the day after the attack, governor, i stood in the rose garden, and i told the american people and the world that we were going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror, and i also said that we're going to hunt down those who committed this crime. >> reporter: and when mr. romney tried to challenge the president he was the ended up appearing rattled. >> i think it's interesting the president said something which is that on the day after the attack he went in the rose garden and said that this was an act of terror. you said in the rose garden the day after the attack it was an act of terror? it was not a spontaneous demonstration, is that what you're saying. >> please proceed, governor.

>> i want to make sure we get that for the record because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in benghazi an act of terror. >> get the transscript. >> reporter: in fact, here's what the transcript does have the president saying. no acts of terror will ever shake this resolve of the great nation but romney seemed rattled that the president had used the phrase acts of terror. after the debate romney aides insisted while the phrase was used the administration spent days misleading the public on what sparked the debate in the first place. they will debate this. the next debate was on foreign policy. that was an interesting moment. >> very nuanced. a lot of fact checks on it. i had had a chance to speak with vice president joe biden after the debate and began by asking him whether the president had repaired the damage from his lackluster performance in the first debate. >> i think president obama was absolutely at the top of his game last night, and i also think that he was able to clearly draw a picture between a

future under obama and a future under romney, and the thing that amazed me the most was even after three debates, his two and my one, there is still not a single specific in the romney $5 trillion tax plan. i mean, everything -- everything is sketchy. there's no direct answers to any questions, and i think it's becoming clearer and clearer to the american people that there's a fair amount of rhetoric but not much substance, and i suspect, savannah, that's because the president was right. they really do mirror the policies of george bush on the economy, and they don't want to talk about it. >> is the president's strategy here to beat romney by disqualifying him in the minds of voters? >> no, no. the president's objective is saying and lay out clearly the choices, not let people run away from what they have been saying for 13 years or 14 years in the case of congressman ryan and his budgets as well as not letting

governor romney run away from what he really intends to do. >> at what point do you think the president compellingly and persuasively articulated what he will do in the next four years, not defending his record from the last four. >> no, no. >> but a forward looking agenda? >> i think he compellingly did that when he asked the gentleman who said i voted for you last time but i'm not as optimistic, and he laid out why he should be optimistic, and he laid out why things were changing and why they will continue to change, when he talked about manufacturing, he talked about education. he talked about high-paying, high-tech manufacturing jobs. he talked about lining them up with the community colleges to generate growth. he talked about insourcing. i think that -- he talked about tax cuts for the middle class and why that will grow. ok, the basic fundamental difference we have the president laid out extremely well, but one of the things that this is about is that if the middle class doesn't have any money to spend,

if they are not getting the breaks, then the economy doesn't grow. >> you were watching this debate closely. i wondered if you noticed what a lot of people noticed, a moment when the candidates seemed to circle each other, getting in each other's faces a little bit. you've been around politics a long time. have you ever seen anything like that? >> well, actually, i have. i don't know that i've seen a presidential debate, but the forum lent itself to that, and i thought it was a real moment. i thought it gave, you know, i really thought the forum was a great forum for both of them to try to make their case, and so when they were kind of circling each other, it was like, okay, come on, man, let's level with each other here. >> let me ask you about libya. the president was asked who it was that denied requests for additional security to the consulate in benghazi and why. the president did not directly answer that question, so i'll put it to you. >> well, the answer to the question is that's why this

full-blown investigation is going on. i answered the question in my debate where the president and i were aware of the request and i honestly said no, we were not. secretary clinton confirmed that this never got to us, and what the secretary pointed out under law she is required, we are required to have a commission that is headed up by one of the leading diplomats of our time, tom pickering, a republican stains's admiral mullen, and they will get to the bottom of this. it's required as a matter of law. what kind of requests came in, when did they come in, where did it go? how was it handled, and -- and as the president made clear in his answer, when governor romney kept trying to politicize this thing, he made it clear that the president has even a keener interest than anyone else. i knew stevens. he worked on the foreign -- the ambassador. he worked on the foreign relations committee for dick lugar when i was the ranking member. the president knew him and knew his family. this is something we want to get

to the bottom of to make sure that something like this never happens again. >> before i let you go, i have to ask you about your debate. as you know, a lot of people noticed your demeanor. when not answering a question, let's put it this way, you seemed to be having a good time. have you watched back tape of that debate, and would you do it the same way all over again? >> well, i think, you know, you can always improve. one of the things in a two-minute response and a four-minute format, you know, some of the things that were said were absolutely incredulous. it was unbelievable some of the responses i was getting, so the answers, he's a good man. he's a solid guy. i like him. i wasn't laughing at him. i was laughing at some of the answers that were coming forward. >> mr. vice president, thank you for your time this morning. >> thank you. >> we appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> congressman paul ryan is mitt romney's running mate. congressman, good morning to you. nice to have you here. >> good morning, matt. >> yeah. i'm not going to ask you who

won. i think that's too easy for you, but a lot of the reporting said the president was the aggressor and may have won back some of the momentum lost after the first debate. would you agree with that? >> well, he clearly changed his tactic. they said that he would change his tactic but his answers didn't change. he didn't offer new idea about how the next four years would be any different than the last four years. the reason why i think mitt romney won this debate is because he gave the country a very clear choice and a very clear vision for about how we have a leader that will create jobs, grow the economy and get people back to work. look, it's not going well right now for our economy. it's not going well right now for the middle class. mitt romney offered people a very concrete vision about how he's got the experience, the knowledge to get people back to work to grow the economy. that's why i think he won this debate. >> you and mitt romney want to cut marginal tax rates 20% across the board. you don't want to add to the deficit. you don't want to raise taxes on the middle class. a voter last night asked

governor romney for specifics about which deductions would go away, and governor romney did not answer with specifics. the president jumped on that. vice president biden with savannah just jumped on that. i've looked back at your interviews, congressman, over the last couple of months on this subject. do you not offer specifics. why? >> look, first of all, six independent studies showed that you can do exactly as we are suggesting. second of all, what mitt romney learned as a republican governor of a democratic state and what i've learned in getting bipartisan legislation moving is that you don't go to congress and say here's all of our details, take it or leave it. you say this is my framework. let's lower tax rates across the board, close loopholes for high-income people, make sure middle income taxpayers are protected. >> congress, where's the leadership, and you're a numbers guy? >> right. and here's what i know, matt. if you say to congress take it or leave it, here's my plan, my

way or the highway, you don't get things done. look, i understand that's how the president operates. i understand that that's what they did the first two years they came in with one-party rule. we don't plan on governing like that, matt. we plan on reaching across the aisle and finding consensus. the good news is there are democrats who agree with us. >> right. >> lowering tax rates, broadening the tax base and here's what mitt romney did say. you can have a number for the middle class to use, whichever deductions they think are important to them to protect them from tax increases. >> he said $25,000. last night he offered possibly 50,000 in the first debate. he's used the number 17,000. all i'm asking is as you're asking undecided voters -- >> that's right. >> -- to close the deal for you here, don't those voters have a right to know exactly what they are getting? >> they have a right to know our bottom lines. there are three bottom lines. we're not going to raise the dev dit. not going to raise taxes on middle class taxpayers or raise

the share of the tax burden borne by the higher income people but this is a plan -- this tax reform plan, this structure doing what we say, that creates about 7 million jobs right there in and of itself. that's a pretty good juxtaposition against the president's tax increase on small businesses which will cost us over 700,000 jobs. >> on the subject of libya, i want to talk about it, not the exchange. i think there's been a lot said about that this morning, but it led to another interesting exchange where the president firmly and pointedly chastised governor romney for politicizing a tragedy like this, a national tragedy. the father of ambassador stevens said, quote, it would be really abhorrent to make this into a campaign issue. so i want your response not to the president but to the father of ambassador stevens. >> well, i would first say to him i think they had their memorial service yesterday, that we mourn his loss. this man did so much to serve our country, as did the other three americans who lost their lives, but what we owe chris

stevens what, we owe these americans who gave their lives are to make sure that we get to the bottom of this so we can prevent something like that from happening again. that's what's so troubling about this story is that as the facts have come out it doesn't speak well as to how the administration has handled this. we know that they asked for more security. they didn't get it. we know that our marines guarding our ambassador in paris but not benghazi where there's al qaeda. >> weren't both sides guilty of a lapse of judgment on this story? >> say that one more time. >> weren't both sides guilty of a rush to judgment in the immediate aftermath of this attack? >> well, i don't think that they should have sent their u.n. ambassador out five days later to say that this was from a spontaneous mob reacting to a youtube video. i don't think the president should have gone to the u.n. and talked about the youtube video and talk two weeks before saying it was a terror attack. even the state department didn't back up that story.

me, mitt romney and myself and republicans in congress were saying let's get to the bottom of this to prevent something like this from happening again. >> let me end on a lighter note, on november 17th, a week or so after the election, wisconsin will play ohio state in a football game. i want you to tell the people of ohio who is going to win that game. >> they spoiled us last year. we spoiled them the year before, and janna and i were at that game, it really depends on who has the better record is going to lose because that's what happens. >> who is going to win? tell the people of ohio. >> it depends on who has the better record. it always depends on who has the better record. it's -- it's in madison this year, home field advantage works well, but if we're doing better, they will beat us and if they have a better record they will beat them. that's how it always goes between the badgers and the buckeyes. how is that for an answer? >> that's a terrible answer.

that's okay. i'm out of time. you're lucky on that one. congressman ryan, thanks for your time this morning. >> thanks, man. >> who new the toughest question would be about sports. let's get the morning's other top stories from natalie. good morning, everyone. a deadly shooting at one of the busiest border crossings between the united states and canada has investigators searching for a motive. officials say a man in a van with washington state plates tried to enter canada. they say he shot and wounded a canadian border guard, then took his own life. a suicide car bomber attacked a joint u.s. afghan military base in eastern afghanistan today. at least 45 afghan soldiers were wounded. a spokesman says there were no nato casualties. 2,000 people attended a memorial service last night for jessica ridgeway. the colorado fifth grader who was kidnapped on her way to school almost two weeks ago and murdered. police are still looking for her killer. members of congress are asking the justice department to investigate the massachusetts drug-maker at the center of a

nationwide meningitis outbreak. criminal investigators from the fda were at the plant of the new england compounding center tuesday. officials say more than 230 cases of meningitis in 15 states are linked to steroid shots distributed by the pharmaceutical company. at least 15 people have died. on wall street, investors are looking ahead to the holiday shopping season. cnbc's mary thompson are at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. good morning, marry. >> good morning, natalie. the national retail federation estimates on average consumers will spend just over $749 this holiday shopping season. that 1.2% increase from last year, the smallest in four years. apple expected to unveil its ipad mini next tuesday, two days before rival microsoft begins selling its own tablet called the surface, and after another day of triple-digit gains the dow sits within striking distance of a five-year high. back to you. >> all right. mary thompson at the new york stock exchange, thanks. think you've got a bug

problem? a small county in utah has been invaded by a plague of insects called box elder bugs. folks have not seen this many before. the good news is they don't bite, and they usually disappear when winter arrives. so gross. former reality show star kate gosselin has lost her job as a blogger for coupon cabin. the company's ceo blamed what he called a series of recent events which he said made it clear that kate is simply not a good fit. he did though wish her all the best. meanwhile kate tweeted tuesday that she's super busy and she has no worries. it's 7:20 right now. back over to esna, matt and al. >> still itching from your bug story. >> makes your skin crawl. >> it does. >> mr. roker, check of the weather. >> all right. got a big system out in the in midsection of the country, upper level low, a low pressure system. that's bringing a risk of strong storms in the mid mississippi river valley. rain in the upper mississippi river valley. beautiful day along the eastern

sea board. hit or miss showers through southern florida. warm in southern california. 91 degrees in downtown l.a. today. >> good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. a cold start at dawn this morning. look at that sunrise. live view from our nbc 4 city camera. reagan national, a chilly 50 degrees. we have a calm wind. elsewhere, it's colder. we are down into the upper 30s. much of the region at near freezing out of the mountains. later today into the upper 60s. tomorrow, near 70. showers af >> that's your latest weather. savannah? >> all right, al. thank you. just ahead, a high school coach stepped down after being named in that sex scandal in maine. now with more names to come out, some residents are saying enough. we'll be there live. plus, a rare and close-up look at the "costa concordia" still sitting off the italian coast ten months after its wreck.

but first, this is "today" on nbc. as governor, i cut five billionollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done.

we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. would ban all abortions and contraception seemed a bit extreme. so i looked into it. turns out, romney doesn't oppose contraception at all. in fact, he thinks abortion should be an option in cases of rape, incest, or to save a mother's life. this issue's important to me, but i'm more concerned about the debt our children will be left with. i voted for president obama last time, but we just can't afford four more years. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

still ahead, ethel kennedy opens up in a rare and revealing interview for a new documentary on her life. we'll talk about it with her daughters. and a boy ordered to move to another school because of his genetic makeup. we'll explain after a check of your local news. looks like your bags didn't make it. we'll send them to your hotel. [ sad music playing ] this is fun. [ sad music continues ] [ knock on door ] your bags, sir. thanks. both: finally! one taste, and you'll understand. enjoy delicious dunkin' donuts coffee anytime. best vacation ever! pick some up where you buy groceries. america runs on dunkin'. ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah

♪ i love ya ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah [ female announcer ] introducing new special k popcorn chips. with 28 buttery chips for 120 calories, you can bring the flavor of the movies home and still stay on track. freedom to enjoy. what will you gain when you lose? find them in the cracker aisle. yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. zach canton's dad gave him a pep talk about asking out the cutest girl in algebra. the metcalfe brothers had a staring contest to see who'd get the last bite of dessert. four old roommates debated whether asia was or wasn't the greatest '80s supergroup ever. and a surprise birthday party caught amanda sullivan totally off-guard.

all over delicious entrees like new smoky chipotle chicken fajitas from our $20 dinner for two. chili's -- more life happens here. 7:26 on this wednesday, october 17th. i'm aaron gilchrist. in the headlines a controversial board member of the agency in charge of the bull es rail project is stepping down. dennis has been criticized for taking laugh itch trips on the airport authority's dime. the authority's board has been called out on down for lack of accountability. here is danella sealock with traffic. >> thanks. an accident in northwest d.c. traveling 17th street northbound between d and e street. a crash blocking at least one of your lanes. 395 a slow trip. northbound you are at 20 miles per hour. aaron? >> thank you. a look at the forecast next. ike leggett: gaming generated one hundred and eighty...

million dollars for maryland schools. question seven will double it. rushern baker: question seven will add table games and... a new casino, generating millions of dollars... every year, without raising taxes. leggett: and audits will ensure the money goes... where it's supposed to. more jobs, and millions for schools. baker: question seven will be good for our kids... our teachers, and our schools. leggett: keep maryland money in maryland. baker: please vote for question seven. leggett: vote for question seven.

good morning. a cold start around much of the region in the upper 30s now. later today, we'll climb into the mid and upper 60s.

tomorrow, increasing clouds near 70. clouds thursday evening. a pleasant pattern for the evening. aaron? >> a

you are looking live at the picturesque town of kennebunk, maine, a town that is in turmoil this morning as it deals with a growing prostitution scandal. a lot of people there are not happy that an air alleged client list is now being made public. a local high school coach has stepped down, and another man who says he's not the guy on the list is furious because he actually shares the same name as someone who was. we will be there live in a moment. 7:30 new on a wednesday morning. it's the 17th of october, 2012. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer. also ahead, when you go to a restaurant a lot of people try to order healthy options, but some choices may actually doom your diet like this chicken sandwich. it has the calorie equivalent of

52 cups of buttered popcorn. david is always a guy that can ruin your day will be here in just a little while to give you a couple of other very alarming examples. >> no fun at all. and then ethel kennedy opens up about her life, a rare and reveal interview in a new documentary from her youngest daughter rory who is here along with her sister to tell us about it. let's begin with new developments in the case of a zumba instructor accused of running a prostitution ring out-of-her studio. nbc's katy tur is in kennebunk with more on this. katy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. 21 names are now out there, publicly shaming those men for allegedly paying for sex with a local fitness instructor, but some around here are saying enough is enough, that this sort of humiliation frankly isn't fair. 21 men, 21 families, 21 lives potentially changed forever as the fallout grows from the

partial release of alexis wright's alleged client list, lawyers for the accused are on the offensive. >> the way these guys have been treated is outrageous and i'm embarrassed for the judicial system. >> reporter: gary coleman represents two of the men named. one was until monday a local high school athletic coach who has since stepped down because of the scandal. >> it's a scarlet letter to the worst effect. there's no other way you can put it other than the damage has been done, and there was no reason to rush to get those names out like kennebunk did. there was absolutely no reason. >> reporter: alexis wright and her business partner mark strong have both pleaded not guilty to dozens of counts of prostitution and promoting prostitution. prosecutors say wright, the local zum ba instructor, sold sx out of her dance studio and her lawyer says her client has been portrayed as a monster. >> has been thrust into the public eye and is basically having the worst moment of her life play out on national

television, but it's not the only thing that defines her. >> reporter: for the first time strong has released a statement denying all of the charges, writing i have never had sex with her for money. i am a businessman, and i loaned her money to start a legitimate zumba dance studio with the usual promissory notes at commercial interest rates, and she paid back those loans. he also says i did not promote or participate in her business. meanwhile, more than 100 alleged johns there's controversy with just how the first names were released no. middle initials, ages or addresses were disclosed. this man says he shares the same name as one of the alleged johns, and for him the past two days have been a nightmare. >> felt like getting hit in the face with a frying pan, and they didn't even have the courtesy to warm up the pan. >> reporter: 21 names down, dozens to go. all kennebunk can do is wait. now people around here have been talking about this since february when the allegations

first surfaced. now the national media is here, papers from around the world are here, and that list is out there for everybody to see. locals are getting a little bit tired of all the attention. savannah is this. >> wrong kind of attention. katy tur. and now to italy and more on the "costa concordia" cruise liner. months after the disaster that killed 32 people it's still off the italian coast. nbc's michelle kosinski got an up-close look at the ship today. michelle, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, savannah, yeah. on the mainland there are preliminary hearings going on for the captain accused of causing this wreck, and this morning the judge said she did not shy it was schettino himself who kept this ship from capsizing and sinking completely but rather divine intervention. you know, when you see it today, to get up close on both sides of this mountainous wreck, it was not what we expected. this is a view we always see

from a distance, but get close to the "costa concordia" now, and this is what nine months of weather and salt will do to a half billion dollar behemoth. it is broken, faded. getting up close to it after ten months doesn't look quite so majestic anymore. very much weathered by the elements. you see lots of rust and algae all around the sides, and then right there in the middle, the gaping hole, that was the swimming pool now removed. workers are surprised how much algae was grown over it, a thick stain beneath a smashed window and the entryways made by rescuers are the same ones they think burglars used to take paintings, clocks off the wall and even the ship's bell has been stolen, but on the other side, a project just as huge and unprecedented on the wreck itself, now operating 20 hours a

day. >> this is beyond any expectation, any wise dreams. i couldn't have imagined anything like this. >> reporter: dwarfed by the hull, workers build a structure over it, also underneath and across the sea floor. >> and this, now resting on the salvage, is a part of the rock that cut that 10-foot gash into the side of the ship. they have managed to pull all the granite boulder out of the gaping hole, but they don't have to seal it because they are installing enormous boxes over the portside, each one seven stories tall, filling them with water will help pull the ship upright and installing them on the other side it will act as giant floats. >> when we roll it over, that is critical, and we know that there will be some structural damage, so hopefully it's nothing worse than predicted. it will be noisy. >> reporter: so much for the voyage of the cruise liner,

towed by four tugs to a scrap yard. at the earliest may and the cost around $4 million. the metal and scrap steel, worth about 80 million. the whole thing is being overseen by an american company. we're talking hundreds of workers. you can see that big blue crane there. at any given time 150 workers are living on it, so why is this taking so long? well, they say it is an extremely delicate operation. it's dangerous on an enormous scale. there are constant weather delays, and they have been trying to protect the environment. savannah? >> all right, michelle kosinski, thank you. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> today's weather is brought to you by ocean spray. >> good morning, everybody. a brisk clear day here in new york. hopefully where you are. but if you're in the mid-section of the country, you've got to worry about this big system. we've got an upper level low, surface low low, surface low and the combination

of the two bringing rain. behind the system, big deal going on. windy conditions. high wind warnings. wind advisories and watches from the dakotas down into tennessee and mississippi. ahead of the system, we have a risk of strong storms. st. louis, central illinois and down into northern louisiana. we have a chance of tornadoes, damaging wind and rain. anywhere from three to four inches of rain in the northern part of the mississippi river valley. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> a very cold start. i'm meteorologist tom kierein. temperatures at reagan national on the warm waters of the potomac. that's why it's still warm there. elsewhere, upper 30s to mid-30s. near freezing in the mountains. partly cloudy, near 70 with increasing clouds. showers tomorrow evening and ending around dawn friday. drying out friday afternoon,

high near 70 and cooler for the weekend. >> don't forget, get that weather any time you need it. go to weather channel on cable or weather.com. savannah? >> al, thank you. coming up, healthy sounding food that isn't including a salad that's equal to eating ten twinkies. and still ahead, honey boo boo makes the round on television. >> you better redneckognize. een. ladybug body milk? no thanks. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. it's so powerful you can skip a day... but light enough you won't want to. dermatologist recommended eucerin. the end of trial and error has arrived. try a free sample at eucerinus.com. i put them in cookies, cereal, salads,

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so juicy so delicious it's your secret to making dinner disappear hellmann's. bring out the best we're back new at 7:42. this morning on eat this, not that, healthy sounding foods that are not very healthy for you. when you look at a menu, what you see is not always what you get. the author of "eat this, not that 2013, the no weight loss diet solution." great to see you. >> great to see you, math. >> you see the word wrap on a menu and rollup on the menu and you think healthy.

not always the case. >> and when studies show you think a food is healthy, you underestimate the call rigs by 40%. and food marketers take advantage of this. they add fruits and vegetables and try to make it sound slim and sexy but it's anything but. >> you always bring great examples. we don't pick on people because we give healthier alternatives at the same places. be a bees oriental chicken rollup. sounds good. >> sounds healthy, but it's basically a carb snuggie for your food. it's got 1,240 calories. okay. that's basically three meals. it's got 62 grams of fat. half a day's worth of saturated fat. >> show the equivalent. >> a full day's worth of sodium and this is the equivalent. nine crunchy taco bell tacos right there. >> applebees has a healthier alternative, creamy parmesan chicken. >> you do this once a week over

the course of a year you'll lose 12 pounds. you have a nice creamy au gratin parmesan sauce, mushroom rice pilaf and spinach, a great alternative from there. >> let's move on to california pizza kitchen, asparagus and spin ash spagatini, you've got chicken, asparagus and spinach, sounds health. >> it's floating on a sea of carbs, ends up being 1,300 calories and the equivalent of these 40 cheese pizza rolls, okay? >> all right. that's a bad thing. >> that's a bad thing. again, it's three meals. it's three meals in one. >> better at california pizza kitchen, the shrimp scampi fettuccine zucchini. >> you're saving 800 calories and a bunch of saturated fat and sodium, too. >> let's move on to ihop, okay? ihop's chicken and spinach

salad. i was reading about this last night. how do they get 1,500 calories in that? >> i don't know. have you to work really, really hard to ruin a salad and ihop has worked really, really hard. request a seat by the defibrillator mat. this 1,500-calorie dish is the equivalent of ten twinkies. >> come to poppa. >> and that's two grams of trans fats in it, too, so they are cooking with that. >> ihop simple and fit grilled balsamic glazed chicken. >> only 440 calories. you end up losing 1,000 calories. >> 90 grams of fat you save and 1,400 milligrams of salt. that's pretty good. >> a huge, huge, huge difference. >> all right. finally, cheesecake factory grilled chicken and avocado club. it didn't sound bad on paper. it doesn't look good on the plate. >> no, no, it's called a club because they beat you over the head with both fat and salt. you know, this is basically fat to the fourth power.

you've got the bacon, the avocado, the swiss, the mayo. it's just multiplying your middle. >> so them what they will get, dave. >> okay. >> we've got 1,560 calories or 52 cups of buttered popcorn. >> all right. >> and the healthy sounding sandwich that isn't. >> go to cheesecake factory order their factory burger, and you're actually going to get a lot less. >> yes. >> all right. david, always good to see you. >> appreciate it. >> and up next, can't believe i'm saying it. the honey boo boo phenomenon hits the road and makes some waves, right after this. and i took nyquil, i have, but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ]orry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth!

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of interviews. more now from honey boo boo's hometown. drink when you hear me say honey boo boo. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. in a state most people haven't seen anyone like honey boo boo, but she is keeping busy endorsing a presidential candidate and beating up on ryan seacrest, sort of. >> horny boo boo child. >> reporter: like it or not, honey boo boo is on a roll. this pillow fight on "access hollywood" part of a media tour following the first season of tlc's "here comes honey boo boo" which premiered in august and ran for eight weeks. during the interview she also took out her aggression on a ryan seacrest doll. >> oh. >> i came out of it thinking this kid needs discipline in a major way. i can't laugh at this. i can't endorse this, but no question it's a phenomenon in television. >> this is my crazy family!

>> reporter: the 7-year-old whose real name is alana thompson first hit is big on another tlc show, "toddlers and tiaras," her unique personality spawned the spinoff. it's filmed in rural georgia east of macon and it documents the life of alona, her mom and dad and three sisters and now she's taking her antics on the road. >> you better redneckognize. >> came a day after "jimmy kimmel live. ". >> the who are you going to support for president, mitt romney or barack obama? >> barack obama? >> so you're supporting barack obama? >> reporter: probably not the endorsement the campaign had in mind but then again this pint-sized star is anything but shy. on los angeles station ktla this week she took the interview in her own direction. are people laughing with you or at you? >> i'm sure there's those who are laughing at us. we're laughing at ourselves,

too. >> reporter: last month even anderson coop her a tough time keeping a straight face. >> you better redneckognize. >> i see were there's problems when you put a 7-year-old child on tv. see the exploitation factor but as a society we're not going to stop doing it. >> reporter: alana's mom is putting the salary in trust funds for each of the kids and donating some of it to charity. >> some goes to our community outreach charities like the ur brand. >> reporter: but for now this pop culture phenomenon is showing no signs of slowing down. tlc has already picked up several more episodes of the show. there are several holiday specials in the works. savannah? >> okay. well, gabe gutierrez, thanks so much. >> she has a lot of confidence, for a little girl her age. >> matt, thoughts? >> nothing good can come out of asking me my thoughts on this. >> shall we move on? >> yeah, it would be good. >> got anything? >> going to take another hit of the go-go juice. >> just ahead, i'll get my first

cooking lesson from bobby flay. he is crazy help. wants me to learn how to make a chicken stock. can't you buy that in a store in a box? >> that's right after your local news. ♪ this is the car that loves to have fun ♪ ♪ mile after mile, to and from ♪ now there are four for all to use ♪ ♪ tell the neighbors, friends, everyone the news ♪ ♪ and let's hum, hum, hum, hum ♪ ♪ let's hum ♪ a prius for everyone ♪ there's a bigger one, if you want more space ♪ ♪ a small one if the city's your place ♪ ♪ and even one you can plug in ♪ so hop on in and give one a spin ♪ ♪ and let's hum, hum, hum, hum ♪ ♪ let's hum ♪ a prius for everyone

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7:56 is your time now on this wednesday, october 17th, 2012. good morning. a slow morning on the roads. let's check traffic with danella sealock. >> yeah, pretty slow this morning. an accident i-95. a crash now just in the right shoulder lane. it was blocking the right lane. still seeing delays northbound at the beltway at 29 miles per hour. from prince william parkway, the drive takes 26 minutes. get on to 395 northbound is still jammed here. a crash in the left lane is gone. back to you.

maryland schools are number one in america because we invest in them. but we can do even more. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million dollars at casinos in other states. question 7 keeps that maryland money in maryland through expansion of gaming in maryland. it will mean hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. as governor, i can promise you, that money will go to education. that's the law and that's what we'll do. vote for question seven.

good morning. a cold start throughout much of the region. we are still in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. reagan national on the warmer waters of the potomac. later today, the 60s in much of the region. a beautiful autumn day. tomorrow, clouds around 70 by mid afternoon. showers after sunset thursday evening into the predawn hours. friday afternoon into the weekend is cooler. chilly mornings. >> thank you. another news update in

ah, the ghosts of halloween's past, taking a look at some of the getups that we have sported around here. on halloween day in recent years, guess what, we're going to do it all again. we are going to be dressing up for halloween two weeks from today. we do not like to do it alone. we like you to join in the fun, so if you're in the area and you are planning on coming down to the show on halloween morning, dress up. we give away great prizes, and we humiliate ourselves what, could be better? back now, wednesday morning, 17th of october. 8:00. i'm matt lauer on the plaza with savannah guthrie and mr. al roker. >> like halloween. getting in the spirit. hope i don't have to be a man

this year. we'll see. a little hazing ritual. >> hope i don't have to be a woman again this year. happened to me in the past. >> me, too. >> anyway, we'll move on. just ahead, we are going to talk about ethel kennedy. of course, she raised 11 children after her husband robert was assassinated. she opens up in a rare and revealing new interview, a documentary done by none other than her daughter rory. rory and her sister are here, and they will talk about that project coming up in a moment. >> it's fascinating. if you're a parent, how would you like to be told that your child has to transfer to another school, not because of bad behavior or bad grades but because he or she carries the gene for cystic fibrosis, the genetic makeup. a school says it's important for that young man to transfer because it's important to keep all students safe. he says it amounts to bullying. we'll hear from him and his parents. a very unusual and controversial story.

>> wow. and on a much lighter note, savannah going in for her first lesson at cooking school. >> that's right. >> with bobby flay. >> sauces and stocks. already there with the chicken carcass. >> i don't know if you want to call it a carcass? >> that's the technical name. >> absolutely. she's been studying. >> i've been studying. >> come to school, savannah. come on. >> let's go inside. natally is standing by at the news desk with all the headlines. hi, natalie. >> good morning, everyone, we begin with breaking news right now. lance armstrong is stepping down as chairman of his live strong cancer fighting charity. he says he wants to step down as a result to limit the damage from the doping scandal involving him. we'll have much more on this coming up later on. well, fire fighters responding to a bar blaze in denver early today have found five people dead inside. police say the fire is being investigated as an arson and homicide. it left four women and one man dead. the bodies were found in pharaoh's bar and grill. president obama and

challenger mitt romney sparred in their second debate tuesday night. the two rivals laid out sharp contrasts on taxes, energy, health care and foreign policy. polls taken after the contentious debate suggested it ended in a virtual tie. the two men are back on the campaign trail today, obama in iowa and romney meanwhile in virginia. a 10-year-old girl kidnapped and murdered in colorado earlier this month was remembered at a tearful memorial. noebz's miguel almaguer has more from broomfield, colorado. good morning, miguel. >> reporter: natalie, good morning. as police search for jessica ridgeway's kill, the memorials and tributes for the 10-year-old grow larger every day. last night thousands gathered one more time to say good-bye. a celebration of life, a moving memorial for jessica ridgeway, the fifth grader who never made it to school. >> jessica was one of the happiest kids i've ever known. she loved to play with the kittens and beat up her cousins.

>> i love you so much. >> reporter: the 10-year-old who loved her dog always laughed and had that infectious smile and was remembered by thousands in a tearful service. >> we love you, jessica, and we'll miss you every day. >> reporter: so many touched by her story, her short life. family, friends and strangers all together to say good-bye. >> no matter where you sit, it is easy to see how cherished and love our baby girl was. >> reporter: jessica vanished nearly two weeks ago, abducted as she walked to school, her dismembered body discovered days later in a rural open area seven miles from her home. >> the phone is still ringing. people are still calling. people still believe they have information that's vital to this case. >> reporter: tuesday night there was no talk about a suspect. instead, shared heartbreak and overwhelming grief for the little girl who will never come home. >> i cannot have joy and relief in my heart because she's safe and sound in a place where no

one can ever hurt her. >> reporter: there are no suspects in this case, but police are following thousands of leads. investigators from 12 different agencies are all working together to solve jessica's murder. natalie? >> just horrible heartbreak there in broomfield, colorado. thank you, miguel. now brian williams with a look at what's coming up on "nbc nightly news." >> natalie, good morning. coming up on "nightly news," look all week what's the alternative where medicine is concerned? tonight we take a look at multi-vitamins. almost half of all americans take them. what do they really do? can they help with serious diseases? that and more when we see you tonight. for now, natalie, back for you. >> thank you, brian. now a look at what's trending. today our quick roundup of what has you talking online. this viral video of a slingshot style roller coaster already has over 300,000 views. it shows a daring and scared

young man. the young man looks totally confused when he starts coming back to reality a few seconds later. by then the ride was over. nbc news had the artists draw what president and mitt romney talked about during last negotiate's presidential debate and the result is. this time lapse video, everything from tax breaks to big bird. can you see the entire video on today.com. it is fascinating. and the brothers who shot the youtube fame in charlie bit my finger are back in what else but a food commercial. ♪ charlie bit your finger like a rabid possum because dad kept filming because he thought it was awesome ♪ ♪ ragu, growing up tough >> at least charlie is getting nutrition, not biting his brother's finger anymore. 8:06. let's get back out to al with a check of the weather. >> thanks so much. a brand new teenager. 13.

what's your name? >> kyle. >> kyle, where you from? >> atlanta. >> atlanta, very good. what are you doing to celebrate? >> going to new york and seeing all the sights. >> very good. let's check it out. the pick city happens to the pick city is memphis, tennessee. look for afternoon storms. keep watching tv 5 for the latest on that. 84 degrees for the high. wet weather making its way through the gulf. we have a risk of strong storms today stretching from central illinois down into louisiana. we look for maybe isolated tornadoes. east coast looks fantastic. plenty of sunshine. heat continues in the southwest into southern california. that's what's going on around the country. >> good morning. around the region, we are still cold. in fact, much of virginia and maryland and west virginia were still in the 30s. near the bay, waters and the potomac, it's near 50. later today, we will have temperatures climbing into the

60s in much of the region. overnight tonight, cloudy, 40s. not as cold as this morning. 70 tomorrow afternoon. showers after sunset. a nice weekend to follow. a >> are we on tv? oh, well you didn't -- nobody warned me. i was saying hi, everybody. i guess we're on tv. do the tease. okay. coming up next, we'll have a rare and revealing look at ethel kennedy, the mother of 11 children, and her daughter rory profiles her in a new documentary. we'll catch up with them next. [ male announcer ] oh, take one sign.

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ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage before they stop you. and we're back now at 8:12. there are hundreds of books and movies about the kennedy family but perhaps none as personal as a new documentary produced and narrated by rory kennedy about her mom, ethel. >> my father, robert f. kennedy, died on june 6th, 1968, more than 40 years ago. i'm rory, his last and 11th child. because i was born six months after my father's death, i never had a chance to know him. i was raised by my mother, ethel kennedy. i found myself wanting to tell my mother's story about the life she shared with daddy and the life she shared with us, her

children. >> and rory kennedy is with us now along with her sister kerry. she's the president of the robert f. kennedy center for justice and human rights. ladies, good to have you both here this morning. good morning. >> good to be here. >> i know over the years when you've been recognized for things or introduced for things you're almost always described as the daughters of robert f. kennedy and no one ever mentions your mom. is that one of the reasons you decided to do this movie, to pay a little tribute to your mom? >> it's true. there's been a lot of focus on my father over the years, and, of course, he deserves that, but, you know, my mother raised us all and has been around for the last 40 years and has made such a huge contribution, and her story really hasn't been told. she hasn't ever done a book or done an extensive interview. >> i don't know your mom and yet i was surprised she agreed to go along with this. >> i was shocked. >> how did you convince her to do this? >> you know, i just called and asked her. this is an idea that hbo came up

to do this film, and i was frankly a little resistant. i figured my mother would say no, and she surprised me and said yes. >> let's show a little clip from the very beginning of the documentary when you're sitting down to do an interview with your mom. >> why should i have to answer all these questions? >> well, we're making a documentary about you. >> a bad idea. >> but she went along and she answered the questions. was it hard to push your mom to dig? she's 84, and some of these are very sensitive subjects. >> well, my mother doesn't particularly like to talk about herself or kind of reflect on the past. she's very much somebody who lives in the present, so i don't think this was her comfort zone, and, yeah, it was hard for that reason. >> kerry, when your mom is asked often about your accomplishments as a family, as a group of children, she often says, well, that probably is the other gene

referring to your dad. why do you think she takes such an emotional back seat when it comes to situations like that? >> you know, i think that she's a funny combination. she's incredibly humble woman, and yet she's so dynamic and she's so strong and mighty as well. so i think that's, you know, probably part of her catholic upbringing. >> any discussion of your family, rory, has to include some of the tragedies this family has been through. you wait until almost an hour into the documentary before bringing up the subject of your uncle's assassination and wait until the very end of the movie to even bring up the subject of your own father's assassination, why so long considering it had such a dramatic impact on your lives and our lives as well? >> yeah. the film is really told mostly chronologically so it's just the natural place for those moments in the course of the film to

kind of tell it. >> and when you talk to your mom about you say to her simply and then we lost daddy. >> yeah. >> hard to -- >> it was hard. it was hard. i was anxious, and part of my reservation of doing this film in the first place is i didn't want to have to ask those questions of my mother or my siblings because i know it's uncomfortable for them to talk about it personally let alone publicly. >> you talk about the story about how you found out about your father's assassination. in a hotel room, and you turn on the tv wanting to watch cartoons. >> yeah. >> and hear the news that your dad had been assassinated. even when it's the questions coming from your sister, how do you handle that question? >> you know, with authenticity and raw honesty which is why i was crying, which i don't normally do in an interview. but rory is there. she's an amazing filmmaker. this film is really extraordinary. it's a beautiful tribute to my mother and also i think for all

americans and people around the world, it's a tribute to family, too, and what family means. rory did a great, great job. >> kerry, i have you here i have to ask you a question about some recent headlines with you. you were involved in a traffic incident. you were arrested after police found you somewhat disoriented on a highway not far from here. you still may face a trial in this. do you think your name, your family name has hurt you in this situation? >> well, you know, i think what happened to me is the same thing that happened to tom brokaw. like him i took a sleeping medication by mistake instead of an ambien -- excuse me, instead of a thyroid medication. there was no alcohol found, and so we're moving ahead with that. it was an accident. and i think, that you know, this is part and parcel of the thing that comes along with my name and my family, but so much has been given to us, and it's so

wonderful that we can talk about our family, you know in, rory's film. >> i would just like to add to that that kerry is such an extraordinary human rights activist and has had so much great accomplishments with her life and that she can continue in the work that she is doing is really important, and she's just such an extraordinary person and it was such an accident that i think anybody could experience, so, you know. >> you guys make a good team. anyway. >> sisters. rory, thank you so much. kerry, nice to see you. >> thank you. great to see you. >> the documentary "ethel" airs thursday night on hbo. up next, a boy ordered to move to another school because of his genetic makeup. that story is coming up right after this. this is how mommy learned...

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want your education to lead, while you're still in school, you might find the best route... leads somewhere you weren't even looking. let's get to work. back now at 8:22 with one of the most successful men in hollywood. tyler perry stars as alex cross in a new movie of the same name taking over the role james patterson's character first brought to the silver screen by morgan freeman. this time he gets caught in a game of cat and mouse while hunting down a serial kill er. >> with pleasure, the pleasure i'm going to get when i watch everything come oozing out of your body, you maggot. >> well, confucius said when setting off on the path of revenge, dig two graves. >> fine with me, as long as you're in one of them.

>> tyler perry joins us now. >> pretty intense. >> this is not the tyler perry we're used to. this is not medea. >> not medea. >> what was it like to stretch your wings as an actor and do something different in. >> super exciting because when you say james patterson because everybody loves these james patterson books, ax cross. this character has such an arc. had a chance to do a lot of different things, a lot of drama and fun and family and also a lot of action so it was great. >> a lot of different things. normally we see you writing, producing, directing. was it refreshing for a change? were you really focusing on the acting in. >> a good vacation. i'm a good leader but also a follower and i let the director sit back and do his thing so it was really great. >> any doubt inside when you came into this can i be an action star? >> i looked at it as the arc of the character. one thing i looked at is morgan freeman. played god in the movie. you don't ever go behind god in a movie but once i realized i have to do the best tyler perry playing alex cross, it worked

out all right and it let go. >> you didn't ask morgan freeman for pointers. >> the man played god. how do you call god and say can you give me pointers? no, i didn't call him about it. i didn't call him about it. >> we mentioned it is a little bit darker material than you're usually doing. do you think fans will be willing to accept you in a role like that? >> you know, what i love about my audience, and this is what's great, is that we like all kind of things. it's not just comedy but thrillers and suspense. so, yeah, i'm pretty excited about having an opportunity to do something different and i'm hoping that they will. >> we see you in "the family man" and working with sicily tyson again. >> that's great. >> you mentioned to the producers it's nice to see an african-american man in this kind of role, a good role model. >> yeah. i think it's still very, very important. he's a family man and works very hard, and i just think it speaks to a lot of our children just seeing it and knowing that they can do the same thing. >> well, talk about role model. you are on the cover of "men's health" magazine. >> isn't that something?

>> because you lost 30 pounds. you look fabulous. >> thank you very much. >> how did this all come about? >> when i started doing the mov movie that's kind of like ufc, really got into it and dropping a lot of weight. >> wow. >> like wow. >> what is that? >> it's israeli fighting, mixed martial arts, really great, but it's a kick ass work out. can i say ass this early in the morning? >> you just don't. we don't have a seven-second delay. a kick arse workout. >> a kick arse. next, a couple of projects with own, oprah winfrey's network. >> we're going to start off with two shows and we're working on a drama and a sitcom. >> and medea, tell me. >> as long as people want to see medea she will be around, but right now it's about alex cross. >> thanks so much for the wrap-up. >> you were supposed to give

meet wrap-up signal. >> getting the ten seconds. >> go see alex cross, five, four. >> we're out of time. that's it. >> opens y. opens friday. >> bobby flay is next. first your local news. >> thank you. 8:26 on this wednesday october 17th. good morning, i'm aaron gilchrist. president obama and mitt romney won't be taking breaks after last night's debate. they are back on the campaign trail today. mitt romney will visit virginia, then leesburg where he holds a rally at 7:00. the president campaigns in ohio and iowa before returning to washington tonight. let's check the forecast with tom kierein. tom? >> good morning. a cold start. in fact, much of the region, we are still only in the 30s. that was a live view of the sky over washington. right now, we are near 40 degrees around the beltway and the nearby suburbs. many locations in the 30s. right near the water a bit

milder. later today, up in the upper 60s by this afternoon. tomorrow near 70. could get showers tomorrow. as governor, i cut five billion dollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

good morning. big delays in d.c. traveling florida avenue at rhode island avenue. a crash in the intersection follow police direction to get

around. a crash in the left lane. fire department was blocking it. they are gone. th[ female announcer ] as you're making your decision... maybe you're wondering what to believe about mitt romney. well, when it comes to protecting your access to birth control... and the basic women's health care services planned parenthood provides... one thing we must remember, is this: i'll cut off funding to planned parenthood. [ female announcer ] he'll cut it off. cut us off. planned parenthood. we're going to get rid of that. [ female announcer ] women need to know the real mitt romney. [ obama ] i'm barack obama and i approve this message.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 17th of october, 2012. a crisp fall day here in rockefeller plaza. we have a great crowd kicking off the day with us. coming up, bobby flay is here. we are going to have cooking lesson number one. i guess we're starting so basic we're going to learn how to make some stock and some sauce. >> okay. >> and we're building to the crescendo, if you will. >> on friday. >> of when i cook for you

friday. >> suddenly there's a flurry of day off requests. >> yeah. also ahead, how about this. a real whodunit in the art world. a massive art heist. some masterpieces taken right off the wall of a museum, and a lot of people are wondering was this an inside job? we're going to tell you the latest on that. >> the paintings were inside, weren't they? >> i liked it. >> a woman who dared to dream overcoming some huge obstacles to find her life calling as a model later in life. jane pauly is here to share her remarkable story. and then an idea being considered in one country that i think your kids will love. how about no homework? >> parents would love that, too. >> yeah, yeah, exactly. coming up, the professionals will chew over that and figure out. >> this is one day a week though, right? >> yes. >> i think it's one day a week. >> that's a start. >> did i give it away? >> i think it's just one day a week, not bad. >> first let's get a check of the weather, for all days of the

week, please. >> let's show you what we've go beautiful day here in the east. rough weather in the lower to mid mississippi river valley are the risk of strong storms. windy out through the plains. tomorrow, that rain moves into the east coast with a slight risk along the southeastern atlantic coast. windy weather around the great lakes. rain in the pacific northwest. heat continues in texas. >> good morning. a cold start on this wednesday morning. the 17th day of october. it's 40 degrees in the suburbs. the rural areas, still in the 30s. near the waters, it's milder in the upper 40s. much of the region in the 60s. four-day forecast, possibility of showers thursday evening after sunset ending early friday morning. into the weekend, delightful friday. chilly in the morning. afternoon highs reach 60. great weather for outdoor

>> don't forget get that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. always good advice. coming up, one school's very controversial decision to ask a boy to change schools because he has the genetic markers for cystic fibrosis. we're going to hear that story, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> 8:35. a flack in a call class over an 11-year-old boy in palo alto, california. he's been told he has to transfer to a new school because he's the carrier of the gene for cystic fibrosis, but his parents are fighting back saying administrators are overreacting with the story. here's nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: if you're 11 years old, what core more potentially traumatic being the new kid in school and being told as you're settling in that you have to transfer to yet another school? that's what happened to sixth

grader colman chadmon seven weeks into the school year. >> i was sad but at the same time i was mad because i understood i haven't done anything wrong. >> reporter: colman is a non-estimate matic carrier of the gene for cystic fibrosis, an incurrable genetic disease of the lungs and pancreas that leads to early onset respiratory failure. at present some 30,000 americans suffer from the disease. most diagnosed as children. their average live expectancy, 37 years. >> cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease so you are born with it, and it is not contagious. >> reporter: doctors say fc patients can pose dangers to each other through bacterial cross-contamination, coughing or close contact and because palo alto's jordan middle school already had a student with cf before colman arrived, the district, assistant superintendent charles young told nbc news, relied on medical authorities who said a literal physical distance must be constantly maintained between cf

patients. the zero risk option, young told us, was to transfer colman to another school that's three miles away. his parents home schooling their son now have gone to court to try to reverse that decision. >> why take a child who is new to the district, who is just making friends, who is just building a support network, who is getting to know and liking his teachers, who has been well his whole life, why stigmatize him? >> colman has attended two other schools with cf children. it has never been an issue, ever. >> reporter: in some other schools cf patients are kept in separate classrooms and follow other safety guidelines preventing close contact, but here's what the doctor specializes in cf told us. >> in general, we would prefer that there not be, you know, more than one cystic fibrosis patient in a school. >> reporter: there will be a court hearing next week to see if colman chadmon will start where he began the year or if

the transfer will stand. he says being pulled out of school makes him feel less than normal. >> feels like that i'm being bull any a way that's not right. >> reporter: his case an illustration that a hallmark of incurable diseases is how much about them remains uncertain. for "today" mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> for more on the story we turn to nancy snyderman, and star jones, a doctor and lawyer. as you saw in the piece, he has the genetic marker for cystic fibrosis. >> right. >> let's be clear. does not have cystic fibrosis, but the question is does the genetic marker mean you might get cystic fibrosis? >> one of the cases where the science has left ahead of the definition. we all have pre-existing conditions. he is a marker. it's no more likely for him to get cystic fibrosis now than you having a marker for a certain cancer and living your whole life without it. the idea behind segregating

these kids you is don't want them to get secondary infections because they have problems with lungs and with their guts, and they are more at risk for infections. i just want to underscore he doesn't have cystic fibrosis so this was anal you fought out decision in the beginning. >> just to cleat the thought. you don't have too many cystic fibrosis kids in the school which are in the vicinity of one another. >> right. >> what about a cystic fibrosis child and one with a genetic marker, any danger there in. >> no, i don't think so. the whole concern is to keep the kids healthy. i would make the argument that kids walking around that haven't been vaccinated pose a greater risk to a child with a compromised immune system. >> let bring star on this. can a public school decide unilaterally to transfer a student out? >> not without due process. this is the first time i can remember where medically and legally they have done the wrong

thing across the board. you're looking at a kid that, one, he doesn't have a disease so there was no due process to find out what his actual medical condition was. two, if he had a disease, then he would have an issue on the american with disabilities act so you're screwed one way and the other >> i was going to ask you who thought it was a violation of the ada if he does not -- if he's not disabled. >> right. >> because he doesn't have the illness. >> you can't have it both ways. can you not deny his ability to be in the school without due process and then not use due process pretending that he has this disease. >> seems like this is a school acting in abundance of caution, caring, of course, about the children in the school being healthy but frankly probably worried about a lawsuit down the road if the other child gets sick. >> this is a preemptive strike. they don't want to exacerbate's this child's death by one extra day. >> does underscore to parent, anything you put down on a nursing or doctor forms, can it

come back to hurt you. >> it's the parents who offered the information. >> but never in a way that they thought it would hurt them. up next, a woman who found her life calling and proves that beauty is ageless. coming up, the ageless beauty jane pauly has her story, but first this is "today" on nbc. the middle class, who move our country forward. work hard. raise families. and keep america strong. but mitt romney's budget plan will hurt the middle class. raising taxes on the average family by up to $2000 dollars. while giving a tax break of $250,000 dollars to multi-millionaires. doesn't mitt romney understand, we can't rebuild america...by tearing down the middle class. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising.

under the president's policies, middle income americans have been buried. they're just being crushed. middle-income americans have seen their income come down by $4,300. this is a tax in and of itself. i'll call it the economy tax. i'm not going to raise taxes on anyone. my plan is to bring down rates to get more people working. my priority is putting people back to work in america. i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

we're back now. 8:43 with your life calling today. today contributor jane pauly has been working with aarp which has produced and sponsored the series of reports for us. we're happy about that. jane, good morning. >> good morning, matt. a top model is said to be aging out of her career when she hits

23, but not only is dawn just getting started in modeling at 50, but she wears a pacemaker. here she is with her life calling. >> dawn nakamura kesler of denver is a 5'8" stunner. >> oh, my. that's some dress. >> every girl should have a red dress once in their life. >> she's hardly a girl, though it's hard to tell exactly how old dawn is. honestly, how old do you think that woman looks in this picture? >> she looks like she's 37 and feels like she's 25, that she's got the mind of a 50-year-old. >> modeling at 50 was a long shot, but dawn's whole life is a story of beating the odds. in her 20s dawn had open heart surgery, twice. a childhood bout of rheumatic

fever severely damaged her heart. what did you think your life span would likely be? >> let's toss in the pacemaker, the cardiac arrest and the two ca cardiac -- >> after she married and had a baby dawn decided to be a full-time mom because she didn't know how much time she would have. >> so many times when he was a boy growing up i was in the hospital. i was missing things. i couldn't even take him for his driver's license. my only goal was to see my son graduate from high school. >> just when dawn needed a new goal, a skin caroline launched an ad campaign featuring real women, making the final round was confidence-building. >> this is my last chance and don't want to be at the end of my life and look back and go,

gosh, why didn't i try to model? >> but her first local go-see was a test. >> i'm so, so they are vows, and i'm seeing all these gals. they looked like they were between 16 and 20, girls that my son would date. i almost picked up my phone and called my agent is this like the right place and i thought no, no, no, i'm going to do it. i get to the table and the art director is like, oh, my gosh, you're gorgeous. you're perfect for the shoot. >> don't move. >> it didn't matter that sometimes she has to cover ugly bruises, a side effect of heart medication. >> a little bit more. >> or that she has a scar down the center of her chest. she gets jobs. >> i think that my smile can distract from the wrinkles. my eyes and my smile just radiate and show really who i am. >> but her heart condition is very real, too. >> this is your mitral valve.

>> she works hard to keep fit for her health and career, but it's worth it. >> this is like a bonus, to be alive, and i didn't think i'd have this time. this is what 50 is supposed to feel like, i'm pretty darn lucky. >> even her mixed ethnicity is an asset. >> i'm japanese, danish, spanish, black, east indian. this is what america looks like, and whether it's modeling or anything else, i mean, it just feels like life is beginning and i don't think all of my wonderfuls have happened yet. >> dawn's age is actually a plus now. marketers are finally getting it, that older consumers still have what it takes, buying power. the reality check. 18 months ago dawn flat lined with full cardiac arrest, but as long as she lives she is determined to live. join me at 10:00 a.m. eastern on my internet call-in radio show at aarp.org/jane.

matt. >> another for the highlight reel. i liked that one. >> thank you. >> coming up next, bobby flay teaches savannah the baseishings that every cook needs to know, where the fire extinguisher is. come on. this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:49 with "savannah's cooking school." as you know, bobby flay is

teaching me the ropes. this week we're starting with the basics, the very basics, a good stock and homemade tomato sauce. bobby says these are the keys to so much delicious dishes. bobby, really. i have to ask you. >> yeah. >> why would i do all this with the chicken stock if i could go to the store and get it in a box? >> well, first of all, homemade chicken stock is something really easy to do, the basis of all cooking, the first thing you learn to make in a cooking school, or in a basic cook ever had book. if you buy stock in a store there's a lot of sodium in it and sugar and not natural gels that you get from the bones of the chicken. >> okay. >> a good thing to know, savannah. let's just start. >> all right. >> i want you to cut that onion in half. be very careful. i see where your thumb s.gets me nervous right away. >> put the onion, the whole thing, right in the stock pot. >> nothing in it. with the peel on and everything. >> you'll get the nice golden

hue from the peel. carrots and celery, already cut those for you. >> that would have taken me 20 minutes. >> carrots and celery. >> and chicken bones. >> are these the chicken bones? >> this looks -- doesn't look that boney to me. >> those are the chicken bones. >> okay. >> where do they come from? >> i jumped ahead. let's start with this. this is a whole chicken and these are the chicken bones. >> did you take the bones out of the chicken? >> when you take the breast or the thighs or legs off you save the carcasses, and then you can throw hem right into the stock pot. okay. >> like, if you think i'm going to do anything with chicken carcasses we don't know each other that well. >> if you buy a whole chicken and take the breast off to cook you want to use it and get some stock market. put the whole chicken in there as well. are these the chicken bones. >> get out of here. >> can tell you this isn't going perfectly. >> you didn't go to the boneless

chicken farm. >> i need to concentrate. >> fresh thyme and parsley, the whole thing. >> yeah. >> do you know what that is? >> black peppercorn and bay leaves. >> why no salt? >> good question. >> thank you. >> could you get me some water. >> how much, a whole pitcher? >> fill the pitcher up. you don't put salt in stock because when you utilize the stock for like a sauce or a soup, you're going to season it at the end. if you put too much salt in the stock beforehand you can't take it out. >> more water? >> yes. just to cover the chicken bones, and that's it. >> i have to tell me i'm confused where the bone came from. >> that's enough. >> okay. >> i felt like i was doing well with this. >> simple rule of thumb. >> when you take the bones out of the chicken, does it hurt the chicken? >> what about the chicken? >> depends who is doing it. >> this is perfect. the same amount of water to chicken and chicken bone and this way you'll get a really nice rich flavor from the chicken stock. >> right.

>> how long do you think we cook this for? >> an hour. >> three hours. >> three hours. >> i'm going to be starving. >> but you're not going to be, you're standing here watching the stock boil. okay. bring it to a boil and turn it down to a simmer because you don't want to lose any volume. >> is this simmering or boiling? >> simmering. boiling, really rapid. >> after three hours strain it out through cheese cloth and you get this beautiful broth. this is an amazing product because you can make soups with it, stocks with it and it's the important most thing for the big holiday coming up called thanksgiving where you -- >> when i call presto. >> let's go to the tomato sauce. >> hey, bobby what, part of the cheese does the cloth -- >> tomato sauce, i can understand why you make it, peanut gallery. >> how you cut an onion, like i did before. >> hold on, hold on, held on. >> fingers. >> exactly. first thing we'll do is chop an onion.

take the peel off first, all right. take the peel off. >> want to see how i would do it. i usually do like this, pull it right off, usually, once in a decade when i cook. like this. >> get the peel off completely. >> oh, shoot, i should have had you do it. >> want me to finish it for you. >> yeah, you do it. >> bobby will be able to come over every day. grab a knife. i'll give you half of this onion, okay? follow my lead. >> okay. >> be really careful. you want to -- you want to just make slices right down this. turn the onion the other way and make slices straight down. >> wait, i'm left-handed. >> does that matter? >> put it in your left hand. >> it feels bet they are way? >> really. >> so just go like this. i'm not cutting all the way tlucht don't watch me, watch the onion. >> am i cutting all the way through?

>> and keep moving your fingers as the knife gets closer. >> i'm not stupid. and don't slice off your thumb. thank you for pointing that out. >> we want the sauce to be red because of the tomatoes. >> okay. >> then you take the knife this way. >> okay. >> and kind of move it all the way to the end but keep the onion intact. >> how long does it take to chop an onion? >> how many lawyers. >> sometimes we need a calendar. >> i like the word -- please watch the onion and not me. >> i'm watching the onion. >> are we making something? >> how much liability? >> i think it's thanksgiving already. >> stop. >> now you have actually a nice diced onion. not perfect. >> do you ever do that, sometimes i do that? >> don't get cocky. >> okay. >> so for a tomato sauce, only a few ingredients. so what i have is onions and garlic, okay, and i let this

sweat, so to speak, as oppose to saute. sweat means we'll saute it without color. >> we only have 30 seconds. >> put the tomatoes in here. >> all of them, with the juice and everything. >> i hope this isn't your favorite outfit. >> canned tomatoes. >> basil, that goes in the end. >> take the potato masher and crush the tomatoes. after 15 -- after about 15 minutes the tomatoes wil nice a. >> bobby is going to be back tomorrow. we'll have more cooking lesson. 8:56 is your time on this wednesday, october 17th. good morning, i'm eun yang. a slow morning on the road. let's check in with danella sealock. good morning. >> good morning. some good news that the intersection of florida avenue and rhode island avenue. northbound rhode island avenue, police are blocking the lane. the intersection is now open. expect delays. 395 is slow all morning.

you are still at 14 miles per hour. you are accident free but sluggish. back to you. >> thanks.

as governor, i cut five billion dollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

good morning. just before 9:00 a.m. still a chill in the air. much of the region still only around 40 degrees. potomac is at 52. later, we get to the 60s in much of the region. tomorrow, milder with increasing clouds, upper 60s, near 70. showers thursday evening. friday afternoon, up near 70. here is a look at the weekend. saturday and sunday, chilly in the morning. back to you.

we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning. it's the 17th day of october, 2012. got a nice crowd of people out on the plaza. some of these folks might want to head over to the rock center rink open for the seas perfect on this day for a spin out there. others may want to come up here to the kitchen above studio 1 ak-and check out an even better spectator sport. savannah learning to cook. and i want to share sometimes things happen when you're not here. willie walked into the studio a few seconds ago and said are you really that bad, or is this all just for show? >> he was like i now understand it isn't for show. >> all these years i thought you

were being self-deprecating. you are a disgrace in the kitchen. i say that with love and affection >> i wouldn't put it on. >> but she's truly interested. >> i asked for another onion to try again. >> your poor mom. >> i know. it's humiliating. anyway. >> you'll finish the tomato sauce, and tomorrow, again, because we ran out of time, tomorrow is what? >> making a couple of chicken dishes. >> and friday i'm flying solo and making dinner. you want to come over for dinner? >> no, i'm good. >> smart move. >> very smart. >> can't change his plans. >> coming up, "today's professionals" are in the house. a lot of things to talk about. were you or should people pay a surcharge to make a reservation in a restaurant during the prime time, friday to saturday nights, 7:00 to 9:00? >> no way. >> bad business model. >> i don't like the idea of it. if you want a reservation in my restaurant i don't want to up charge you. >> bobby flay like nobody's business. >> add an extra bottle of wine.

>> exactly. >> he's going to get you one way or the another. >> also ahead, the latest on hot hollywood kooums couples, to new movies and the rolling stones in concerts. we'll get you caught up on all your pop culture news. already caught up on honey boo boo. >> i saw that. two weeks from today, halloween, going door to door or throwing a big monster bash, jill martin is here including treats and toys for the kid, cocktails for the grownus. bill it or not, jill is not in costume. just showed up for work wearing that today. >> oh, my gosh. >> all right. first let's go downstairs to get a check of the other stories making headlines. natalie standing by at the news desk. natalie. >> good morning to you guys, once again. good morning, everyone. seven-time tour de france winner lance armstrong says he's stepping down from his live strong charity. he said he's making the move so they can focus on their mission instead of the doping

allegations surrounding the former champion. he's denied the allegation and nike announced they are severing time with armstrong, quote, with great sadness. nike cited great evidence that armstrong participated in doping and misled the company for more than a decade. this comes a week after the anti-u.s. doping agency released a massive allegations detailing the massive charges against armstrong. police believe a bar was set on fire to cover up the murders of five people. the bodies of four women and one man were found by fire fighters inside a bar at a strip mall. a dirg theft of world class art has police following up in london. next's keir simmons has more. >> reporter: the 15 tips from the public came after an alert went out around the art world, but people are asking how some of the world's most valuable pictures could be stolen with

such apparent ease. part of the art world's heritage, among them pieces by picasso, monet, gaugin, freud, works that could be worth around $100 million and irreplaceable. stolen from this museum in rotterdam where only matisse's reading girl in white and yellow had been displayed. there is now an empty space. europe's art experts are stunned. >> it's a very significant loss, both to the public and to the trust which owns the pictures. it's very sad. we hope to get them back. it may take us many years >> reporter: pictures lifted from the walls like a clock from the movie "the thomas crown affair." by the time the alarm sounded and police arrived, the thieves had left. >> very modern security system in this museum, and the alarm response was very quick, so thieves were not able to steal many paintings. >> reporte europe has seen a series of art heists. two years ago a pallies gallery was raided. pictures by matisse and picasso are still missing from that

theft. in 2004, "the scream" by edwa mk was taken and even "the mona lisa" was stolen from the louvre. >> it's very impressive when you can open up your den and see a great piece of artwork, whether it's a matisse or a picasso. >> reporter: the artworks taken this week like the pablo picasso piece is so well known they cannot be sold on the open market, but some expert fear they may end up as collateral for a bad debt in the underworld. now perhaps there was inside information because there were no guards on duty overnight when the raid happened at the museum. instead, they relied on cameras and alarms which seems incredible, natalie, because getting the pictures back will be a tough job. around 20% of artwork stolen like this are never recovered. >> amazing. keir simmons, thanks so much.

americans are making progress in their fight against cholesterol. the cdc says overall cholesterol levels among adults have improved over the last two decades. they say much of the credit goes to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. and former reality show star kate gosselin has lost her job as a blogger for coupon cabinch the company's ceo blamed what he called a series of recent events which he said made it clear that kate is simply not a good fit. he did wish her all the best. meanwhile, kate tweet tuesday that she's super busy and that she has no worries. it's six minutes after the ur. let's go back to al with a check of your weather. >> kate gosselin in a series of recent events. i like it. hey, you're looking at literally a ton of cran grace. this watery bog is here in man hattan. eighth year in a row the nice folks from ocean ocean spray is in exhibition here. how many years you be doing

this? >> too many. >> too many. that's fantastic. you look great doing that. interesting fact about the cranberries, 400 million pounds of cranberries each year. 11 billion each holiday season. they are rich in antioxidants. >> let's check the weather to see what's happening. we have a big system making its way through the midwest. upper level low combining with a surface level low. it's bringing rain. behind the system, colder air, windy conditions. winds up to over 60 miles per hour in the high wind warning arias. ahead of the system, a risk of strong storms from central illinois to jackson mississippi. shreveport, louisiana could see a tornado or two. heavier rain from milwaukee to paducah. >> good morning. still a chill in the air at mid-morning. we are only aund the low to mid-40s in the metro area.

where you see the dark blue, pockets of 30s in shenandoah valley in western maryland. low to mid-40s. later today, into the 60s. we'll have sunshine coming and going. clouds in and out. tomorrow, increasing clouds near 70 in the >> and that's your latest weather. willie? >> all right, al. thank you. it's time for "today's professionals" where we tackle the hottest headlines making news. our panel of pros, star jones, esquire, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman. >> magic moment, your first professionals. >> my maiden voyage. i'll be candy crowley and try to keep you guys online. let's start with the debate last night. people are calling it this morning a little bit contentious and feisty, perhaps too much so for some people. let's watch a little clip of some of the back and forth last night. >> you'll get your chance in a moment. i'm still speaking.

>> and the suggestion that anybody on my team, whether the secretary of state, our u.n. ambassador, anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we've lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. >> that wasn't even the worst of it, star. what's your opinion about what you saw last night? is debate etiquette dead? physically they were very close it each other. going almost nose to nose >> i don't like all that alpha male moving around. i get intimidated with too many people in my personal space. that's not my style. i didn't like when governor romney really in my opinion was rude to the president, even if you are debating the president of the united states, you must respect the office of the presidency, and i did not see him, at least adhering to that, and then, you know, as a woman i know we're going to determine this election. kind of bothers me when you demonize single mothers and sort of place victims of crime at

their feet. that bothered me as a woman. >> what about the style, the confrontational style? how did that hit you? >> i think this is a microcosm for i don't want to call the confusion of how males are supposed to act today in society. all kidding aside, on the one hand we want the alpha males and want that we're a society of gladiators and respect that and yet, on the other hand, he talked over the moderator or rude to the president, and i think we're spending so much time on that stylish u of mano-a-mano and where that goes on the continuum i think it's a metaphor for how do men act in society overall >> i think dony is right. if i'm an independent female voter who hasn't yet decided i saw a lot of male posturing last night and i did not hear enough specifics. >> yet you want to see that strength at the same time. >> i want to see strength, presidential strength. i don't want to see boys bickering, and i don't like it when people start doing this. >> i'm with you, and i thought they were demeaning to candy, and -- and there were times i

thought president obama forgot -- has forgotten that he has doubters. >> was he demeaning to jim lehrer? >> interrupting. >> was he more demeaning to candy than jim lehrerier? >> i thought romney came in as a ceo, he ran the board meeting and then he dismissed the board. he ran it like a ceo. >> is that a good or a bad thing? >> he acted like a ceo but not a president. >> fine for a corporation but doesn't work for the country. >> maybe it does. >> last night i think as a woman i bristled, i bristled. >> did the exact same thing. >> san raphael, california, the city council voting mannously on monday a bill that bans smoking in multi-family homes, duplexes and condominiums so in the privacy of your own home, star, can you not smoke. does it go too far? >> i don't think it goes too far. secondhand smoke continues to be an issue. nancy would speak to that much more articulately than i can. i have to tell you if you live in a multi-family dwellings

those exhaust pipes, whatever the vents are, you definitely get the smoke into your own house. >> this is my old home -- my old stomping ground, san raphael. >> you have a lot of stomping grounds. >> make no mistake about it. what happens in california will come to the rest of the country. so the idea that your children living on the third floor should not be exposed to cigarette smoke on the first floor, this is coming to a town near you. >> along those lines, in the year 2012 and we still in the civilized world produce a product we know kills ourselves. >> right. >> ban cigarettes period. >> star, what about personal rights? one guy at the city council meeting said this is tyranny. i'm in the privacy of my own home. if i can't smoke here, where can you smoke? >> the answer is nowhere. that's really the answer, but legally what's going to end up happening is you're going to have to weigh individual personal rights versus the rights of the society, and i think when it comes down to health, the rights of society are going to win.

>> all right, donny. next topic, the sound you hear is american children fleeing for france. france has a ban -- the french pop the, francois hollande has proposed a new education reform package and in it there's a caveat that says there will be no more homework meaning all the work will be done inside the school is this a good idea? >> no more homework on tuesday, only on one day? >> no, no, no, it's multiple days and make the day longer. >> i actually love it. i'm a big believer that we've got an overburdened -- we've got overburdened children in our society. raising kids now, and this is a big issue with a lot of parents, the kids don't have time to be kids. so that's kind of one move, but overall i would love us to pull back on what the kids have to do at home. >> i would rather have a longer school day and sit-down family dinners. one of the reason we're in trouble we no longer sit and

break bread and look at each other's faces and talk about what happened in the day. having raised three kids in high school, cannot believe the volume of work. it's ridiculous. they don't learn more. learn it during the day. have a life at night. >> but that's not the traditional american family anymore. >> but therein lies the rub. >> a lot of people don't have a table to sit around at night and have dinner. >> i don't care if you sit on the floor. the problem is there's an erosion of family time, and these kids are too -- they are under too much pressure, and i don't think homework gets you anywhere. >> rapid fire here, guys this. law we just passed -- not a law but a proposal in new york city. asked bobby flay about it a minute ago, to charge extra for reservation in primetime, friday, saturday night, 7:00 to 8:30? >> yes, supply and demand, capitalism, bobby flay as always has no idea what he's talking about. >> star jones? >> i don't eat that early anywhere. i'm not paying an extra 25. >> i would eat at 6:30. i agree. i think it's fine.

if you can charge it and you have a premium restaurant and people will do it. good for you. good for bobby for saying he wouldn't do it. i think most restauranteurs would. >> doesn't bother donny deutsch. >> i'm just going to the olive garden so i'll be okay. >> star, done and nancy, thanks so much, guys. good to see you. up next, the hottest headlines out of hollywood. that's right after this. [ female announcer ] we invited women to see the not so pretty truth about their body washes. i wouldn't change. [ female announcer ] this test paper was designed to react like your skin. if other body washes can strip this paper, imagine how harsh they can be to your skin. oh my gosh. [ female announcer ] new dove is different. its new breakthrough formula changes everything with the blend of gentle cleansers and nourishing nutrium moisture. so what do you think now? definitely switching to dove. [ female announcer ] this is new. this is different. this is care. this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol,

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a lot of us noticed first lady michelle obama and ann romney dressed in pink and hot pink. >> they came out in that striking pink, almost similar colors. we think they did it because it's breast cancer awareness month, but boy oh, boy, after the heated debate both these women came out striking looking gorgeous. wear red on tv like you're wearing or wear the bright beautiful pink, and they got it. >> good for their skin tones, for sure. >> exactly. >> "x-factor" news as well. two new co-hosts when the show goes live. >> khloe kardashian and mario lopez. >> simon cowell rooting for khloe kardashian saying they bring authenticity. mario lopes, host of many shows. interesting to see what they bring to "x-factor." >> good to hear they are good friends. maybe he'll help her in that

role. it seems like k-pats is back on. >> i said these two will be back together, sources told me. spotted all across los angeles. thee bought a $2.2 million house around the corner. these two do love each other and mistakes are happening. good that they are maybe reconciling. >> fans will be happy about that. also appears that katy perry on john maher could be an item, spotted in and around new york yesterday. >> this is telling because she actually spent his 35th birthday with him and they went to a pretty hot spot. restaurant here and also spotted at dinner and lunch together so they are not keeping it quiet or a secret. looks like they are very much on. >> let's talk about possible breakups as well. it appears that oscar winner russell crowe could be splitting from his wife of nine years, danielle spencer, this reported by "the sydney herald" who broke the story. >> have two kid together, known each other since 1989. it's reportedly because they

spend so much time apart but these two have known each other for so long you hope for the kids' sake they work it out. >> all right. got to talk rolling stones. >> yes. >> 50th anniversary, and now we've learned where some of the concerts will be held. >> four concerts, two at the 02 arena and two at the prudential center. we should go. >> i think so. >> mick jagger is a total tech head and a surprise appearance. can you believe 50 years? >> counting the minutes. a lot of people waiting for this. sounds good. thanks so much. >> thanks, natalie. just ahead, who says grownups can't get in on the halloween festivities rather? spooktacular fun finds right after these messages.

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costumes, jill martin has your halloween fun finds. >> and cutting the calories but not the flavors from your fun foods. but first your local news. vitamin d, done! hand sanitizer, done! hey, eric! i'm here for my flu shot. sorry, didn't make an appointment. well, you don't need one. whether it's flu shots or prescriptions, we continue to accept express scripts and medco plans. i'm bonnie, and this is my cvs. ♪ that's why new dove style + care whipped cream mousse nourishes and conditions to help keep curls well defined and touchably soft. new dove style + care whipped cream mousse. better style through better care. as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true.

...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios good morning. it's 9:26 on this wednesday, october 17th. i'm aaron gilchrist. we are seeing lots of delays on the roads. let's get the traffic with danella sealock. >> good morning. aaron, let's head over to southwest, 300 block of 12th street shut down due to suspicious package. traffic and pedestrian traffic not allowed at this time. let's head to southeast branch avenue. alabama avenue, police are on the scene of a crash in that intersection. follow police direction. make it a trip, i-270 southbound, you are slow. back to you, aaron. [ harry umlaut ] i speak european you know. [ sally umlaut ] uh-huh.

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the warm spot. elsewhere, in the 30s. parts of the mountain region to mostly the 40s elsewhere. 0is this afternoon. rain tomorrow.

♪ >> that's the ultimate ear wound song. it will be in our heads all morning, the clean version will be, right? >> yes. >> cee lo green, who else, "the voice" host. a lot going on and will stop by tomorrow on "today" and catch up with us. two weeks from today halloween, and we really get into the spirit of the season around here. willie geist, this is your first "today" show halloween. called hazing. there will be a hazing proses so

get ready. folks at home, in the area with a creative getup, come to our plaza. a lot of fun. we have a halloween costume contest. be here or be square. >> became very scared when donna approached me and said what's your size in high heels? >> revealing. >> not what i wanted to hear. >> get ready. your wife will never look at you the same way. >> you were a man last way? >> i was a man for halloween and a man again when we did "abbey road." >> i can't count the times i've been a man and a little boy. >> get their ultimate fun. >> matt's been a woman many times. >> he kind of likes it. >> i think he enjoys it. >> that's another story. >> coming up in this half hour, whether you want cool costume ideas for your little ghosts and goblins or whip up some festive cocktails for yourself for the adult themed party, jill martin with fun finds. >> looking good. she's ready.

>> what a feeling. >> she's ready for halloween. then, small business is big birks as you know, in the united states, so if you're one of the 27 million small business owners we've got some smart strategies today to help you keep up with the competition for the long haul and who among us doesn't love comfort food, whether it's mac & cheese or sweet muffins, how to trick your taste buds with light recipes for old favorites. >> mac & cheese, but light. >> really? >> hard to believe. >> first we want to get a check of the weather from al. >> all right. thanks, gang. let's check it out and show what you we've got you what we have for today. first of all, we have a gorgeous day on the east coast. the lower mississippi river valley, a risk or strong storms, maybe an isolated tornado. pacific northwest, seasonal conditions. the heat continues through the

southwest. windy conditions move into the great lakes with wet weather. rain along the eastern sea board and risk of strong storms. sunny and hot. texas back into the southwest and southern california. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> it's been cold the last couple hours. finally warm sboog the 40s. still chilly. much of the region, a few high clouds. reagan national at 52. it's milder by the bay, too. away from the water, it's still chilly, in the 40s. later in the 60s. a partly cloudy afternoon. then tomorrow increasing clouds, 40s in the morn >> and that's your latest weather. willie? >> all right, al. thank you very much. up next halloween fun finds for everybody in your family with flash dancing jill martin, right after this. donuts? ♪

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this morning on a special halloween edition of "jill's fun finds" from creepy to even a little bit spooky, jill has all your fun needs. jill, good morning. jill in costume, by the way. >> what a feeling. >> donny deutsch thought you were one of his girlfriends. >> this is from stop and go, and they are offering 45% off all the costumes for october which is fitting. >> stock and go. >> all right. >> and then the decoration from pottery barn so i kind of scoured to see who had the best stuff so if you need something for the home, pottery barn is the way to go. >> good. adult parties for halloween. >> okay. >> drinks here, everything from the creepy crawler drink to the spidey kits, itsy bitsy and dracula kits.

where can we find the recipes. >> sky infusion blood orange vodka and it's on the facebook page, creepy crawler, itsy bitsy, spider kits. drinking luckily during the teases. they are actually good if you are having a ghoulish cocktail party. >> love the way they did that with the martini glass. and a great thing to that center piece for the adult party. these are cupcakes in the shape of a pumpkin. >> baked by melissa. >> love it. >> and these will be delivered to you, shipped to you or go in the store. they come in different denominations. 25 cupcakes for $100. >> halloween scene accessories. >> every year they come out with a different one. space cadets.com starting at $12 and a little star here today who is a big justin bieber fan. can you sing "baby, baby." >> hi, look at the camera.

so cute. >> modeling boo with her favorite. >> go ahead, give it a kiss to the camera. >> she's actually my college roommate's daughter so happy she's here today and looking adorab adorable. >> all these great jewelry accessories as well. >> the next few things if you want to get in on halloween and don't want to dress up, great skull bracelets that you can wear all year round, $65 to $80. layer them, a fun thing and fun gift as well. >> the skill clutch. >> going out at night and want a little touch of halloween, $34. i think these look great. really look designer to me so a great clutch to have. >> for the guys if they want a little taste of hag wean but not going overboard. >> sockittome.com. zombie soks, ninjas. a fun way and even if you're giving out party favors, having a halloween party. >> what are these party panties?

>> got these just for you actually. give me your candy. i thought you would love that. >> oh, my. >> $10 to $19. >> jill martin. >> as you can see there's all different variations. got to throw it in there. >> great little things that you can do from i guess hair dye to nail polish. >> i have a little tattoo on, i don't know if you can tell. beauty stores at 6:00 to 8:00 and all different things. can you see it a little bit. >> yeah. >> there's tattoos and nail polish, way to spray your hair, eyelashes and easy ways. okay. that's enough. easy ways to get in on halloween. >> the fake tattoos. what's this all about? >> $10 and just put it on your arm and jerry is modeling it right now. see, he looks like a bad boy. >> very manly of you. >> one thing that he just slipped on. >> i don't know if bad boys eat m & ms. >> and right over here

flip-flops. >> glow in the dark. $16 to $26 which you can notice in the dark and good for trick-or-treating. >> candy. >> good for decorations and candy holders and put nice candle in it. >> and a nice piece for your home? >> $42 to $50. >> running out of time. >> great kids' bags as well. >> myinitialsinc.com and gifts.com, great gifts to bring, the truffle pops and great cupcakes. >> jill martin, thanks so much. for fun halloween finds pick up this week's edition of "us weekly." coming up next, tips for growing your small business. [ cat 1 ] i am not a vegetarian... look at these teeth! they're made for meat! [ cat 2 ] do i look like i'm stalking plants? [ male announcer ] most dry foods add plant protein, like gluten but iams never adds gluten. iams adds 50% more animal protein,

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this morning on "today's money," bringing your business to the next level. there are more than 27 million small businesses operating around the country right now, so with all that competition how do you grow yours? msnbc's j.j. ramberg is the author of "it's your business." good morning. >> good morning. good to be here. >> we're talking about businesses with less than 500 employees. make up about 50% of the private sector workforce here in the united states, but it feels like a tough economic climate right now. why is it a good time to start a small business? >> well, i really focus on businesses that are -- that you think of as small businesses, so

the corner ice cream shop, or the laundromat. if you have a good idea, or internet startup. if you have a great idea, it's a great time to start a small business, and it's cheaper than ever now because of technology to go out there and test your idea. >> you've got 183 tips in your new book, and we're going to go through them all right now. >> one by one. >> you've selected three of them, three of for you favorites. arm people with specific ways to help you. >> this is great for anyone, not just those in business. make it easy forthem. when you say that's a great idea, j.j. you'll go back to your desk and get busy and i should write to you and say, hey, willie, offer me an introduction to this person or come over and look at my financials, whatever it is and make it easy to help me if you're enthusiastic about it. >> tap the business school work workforce. this is interesting. how do you do it? >> when i was by the school, i did. wrote a marketing company for one company and did a business plan. business schools and

professionals want real life experience so just call a business school and say i have a project. do you have a student who can do it. >> good idea. iphones have certainly changed the way we do business but also a way to pitch yourself to somebody? >> when i started my own good, goodsearch.com. it was before smartphones. i would print out what my website would look like and show it to people and would always have it on me. with phones keep a beautiful picture of your product. if you have a service keep your brochure on the phone, something, so when you meet somebody you can show them what it looks like. >> our viewers are anxious to pick your brain here. we're going to go to video now. this one is from jason, and he's got a question for you. >> like most entrepreneurs i am fueling my business artup on savings. my question is is it a good idea to go to the bank and request additional funds before those savings run out? >> what do you think? >> yes. the last time you want to be looking for money is when you

have no more money, so absolutely start developing relationships with people now, if you think you need money later. very hard to get a loan right now's so think other places like microfinance organizations or crit unions as well. >> let's talk about facebook, a question from kathy on "today's" facebook. how can a small unfunded company get noticed without the money for a large marketing/advertising campaign? what's the trick here because it's so hard to get the word snout. >> when i first started my company, all from word of mouth. from social media. give people something to talk about. make yourself interesting. be an expert on something, and people will pass this through twitter, through facebook and e-mail and blogs. >> another e-mail from susan. she asks i want to get feedback on my business from real people. how do i go about putting together a focus group? >> get a bunch of real people. already in business, get a bunch of your customers and say, hey, wi you come over for pizza and coffee and sit around with them

and ask them questions, or if you're thinking about a business, talk it people would would be your potential customers. put them in a room, same thing. one piece of advice from the book. ask open-ended questions so that you can get real feedback. >> one more quick one we want to get in here from andrew. another video question. andrew, take it away. >> when you enter a room at an event, how do you present yourself? had a brand do you present? how do you present your company? >> again, we have a tip in the book about this, too, and it's basically when you go out there and you're networking, the thing you want to be is likable. so don't worry about presenting your brand or presenting your company. think about getting people to want to engage in a conversation with you and also have a good elevator pitch to explain who are you, what your company is in case you goat that point where you can explain it. >> have to get to the 180 other tips the next time. >> for anyone wanting to start a business. >> j.j., the book, "it's your business." great.

>> thanks, willie. >> coming up next, comfort foods without all that guilt. first though this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] as you're making your decision... maybe you're wondering what to believe about mitt romney. well, when it comes to protecting your access to birth control... and the basic women's health care services planned parenthood provides... one thing we must remember, is this: i'll cut off funding to planned parenthood. [ female announcer ] he'll cut it off. cut us off. planned parenthood. we're going to get rid of that. [ female announcer ] women need to know the real mitt romney. [ obama ] i'm barack obama and i approve this message. marywe invest in them.umber oned toin america becauset romney. but we can do even more. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million dollars at casinos in other states. question 7 keeps that maryland money in maryland through expansion of gaming in maryland. it will mean hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. as governor, i can promise you, that money will go to education. that's the law and that's what we'll do.

vote for question seven.

this morning in "today's kitchen," comfort foods on the lighter side. "cooking light" contributor has a new approach to comfort foods that won't compromise foods and a new way to cook light. good morning. >> good morning. >> i'm so excited. comfort food light. not two things you usually hear together. >> no, and we've done it and the secret is butternut squash. i've been cooking butternut squash with skim milk and low sodium chicken sauce. >> this is for mac & cheese. >> this is for mac & cheese. >> cooking it in the milk for 25 minutes. >> and it gets really nice and tender. i'll blend this up and before i blend it up i'll also add some greek yogurt, fat-free greek

yogurt plain, it will boost the protein and the calcium. >> a nice creaminess. >> we're not using a beschemel to keep it light. we'll also add in a teaspoon of kosher salt >> i imagine you used fresh butternut squash. >> you do want the chunks and want the cubes and real want it to absorb all of that yumminess inside there. it's hot so i'm going to put on the lid but take the center out to let the steam release and there we go. you keep getting that nice beautiful golden color. >> okay. >> transfer this. and natalie, can i ask you to add in the cheeses. >> sure. >> even though we're keeping this light, we are making it cheesy because you have to. it is mac & cheese. >> parmesan and pecorino romano

and gruyere. we would have added a little bit more mixture from the pan and the reason why we're using this instead of elbows because look at the shape. you've got a curly q, ridges. and it's going to hang on to the sauce. i'll put that into an already coated pan. >> do we add the skim milk at all? >> we would add that in there. >> okay. >> so all of this goes in as well. >> you can mix it in the bowl or the casserole dish like we're going to do. save a step. >> i love that we're matching. >> give this a really good stir. probably better a whisk or something. >> exactly. and when it's hot it's going to melt in really easily. ours got a little bit top. >> and panko breadcrumbs.

we've toasted them and put parmesan in there so when you top it it will give a nice crunch on top to your mac & cheese. >> great way to sneak the veggies past my kids too. >> absolutely. >> and bake it for how long? >> 25 minutes. >> looks amazing. >> a little fresh parsley on top. >> and on the side you've got the spinach with pine nuts and make it seasonal. pumpkin cranberry muffins. they are in season, cranberries. you can also use dried. want to try some. >> serve it up. thanks so much. >> up next, kathie lee and hoda coming up after your local news and weather.

take away his toys and he'll play with a stick. take away their bikes and they'll still find a way to get where they're going. but if take you away early childhood education... slash k-12 funding... and cut college aid for middle class families ... they won't go far. yet that's exactly what mitt romney wants to do... ...to pay for a $250,000 tax break for multi-millionaires. if mitt romney wins, the middle class loses. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising.

thanks so much. >> up next, kathie lee and hoda after your local news and weather. 9:57 is the time now. good morning to you, i'm eun yang. >> we are seeing delays. here is danella sealock with a look at the traffic. good morning. >> it's a slow trip. if you are crossing the 14th street bridge, you are slow. >> hey, this morning, we have had quite a chill in the air.

just before 10:00, still rather chilly. these are the latest temperatures now. 54 at reagan national. warmer waters of the potomac. it's generally upper 40s to 50. the rest of the region where they are climbing out of the 30s after a freezing start there. storm team 4 four-day forecast, upper 60s this afternoon. tomorrow near 70. maybe showers. maybe tomorrow evening after sunset then ending around sunrise friday. friday afternoon, near 70. a nice weekend to follow. >> thanks so much. sorry about the

ike leggett: gaming generated one hundred and eighty... million dollars for maryland schools. question seven will double it. rushern baker: question seven will add table games and... a new casino, generating millions of dollars... every year, without raising taxes. leggett: and audits will ensure the money goes... where it's supposed to. more jobs, and millions for schools. baker: question seven will be good for our kids... our teachers, and our schools. leggett: keep maryland money in maryland. baker: please vote for question seven. leggett: vote for question seven. would ban all abortions and contraception seemed a bit extreme. so i looked into it. turns out, romney doesn't oppose contraception at all. in fact, he thinks abortion should be an option in cases of rape, incest, or to save a mother's life. this issue's important to me, but i'm more concerned about the debt our children will be left with. i voted for president obama last time, but we just can't afford four more years.

[ romney ] i'm mitt romney nd i approve this message. . >> narrator: from nbc news, this is "today." with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> we hope you're having and you awesomeeek because it's right in the middle of it and it's wines day wednesday. what can be wrong in the world. >> it's my sister's birthday. so happy birthday. no ages. that's her next to me. >> such a sweet girl. whatever age she is, she looks good. >> yeah. 50 cen happened to be in dubai,

so she sent me a picture. >> that's a much better picture she got than the one you had with poor george clooney. can we try to -- do we have that? some wonderful fans has been trying to help you. >> the picture was dark and sad. happens once in your life and it looks terrible and you say, wow, that's awful. >> looks like my brother. >> well, one of our friends from facebook said i know you're upset, i've taken some liberties, i've made it much better. so let's see what it looks like. my kind of picture! >> that's what you like. in your dreams. >> yeah, baby. >> so there's good news for beyonce fans. and i don't know anybody who isn't a fan of hers. she'll be the halftime talent at the super bowl. >> this is a big deal. yeah, the super bowl is february 3rd. it will be in new orleans. and last year they had madonna

and two others. >> the girl who did the little flip off. i forget who that was. amazing didn't make her world famous. ♪ >> picture it on the treadmill. >> i don't remember what a treadmill looks like. but i think it's going to be great. she is just the consummate pro. and it will be a great halftime show. they haven't announced who is singing the national anthem. >> something about beyonce like equal parts sexy, equal parts wholesome. >> she's a doll. >> so we opened up "usa today." >> yes, trying to stay out of trouble. and there we are. >> so we talked about brad pitt's commercial and you said i swear i can't read anymore, i'm not kidding -- >> me either. it says i thought he was

speaking french when i first saw it. >> anyway -- >> i honestly did. because the's something strange about the audio of it. >> let's listen. let's try to figure it out. >> every journey ends, but we go on. the world turns and we turn with it. plans disappear. dreams take over. but wherever i go, there you are. my luck, my fate, my fortune. chanel number 5. inevitable. >> here's the other problem with it. >>hat happened? what was it? >> in real life it's dreams that disappear and problems that -- can you go back to that quote? >> oh, ono, we can't go back. >> please. >> now we have to watch it all

over. >> it's dreams disappear and plans take over. that's the problem with real life. see? he has it backwards, hoda. >> that's what the takeaway was? >> yes. now that i finally know what he's saying, now i get why i don't understand that. >> the only people who have closed captioning like that are brad pitt and honey boo boo. >> he speaks english just beautifully. and he is a great actor as we said yesterday. certainly pot tnot integrity. it's just a strange ad. not everybody questions. >> beth potter said chanel, what were you thinking, horrible commercial. brad pitt is a good actor but not for this commercial. okay.

>> jugee -- jug -- sorry. i'm having cataract surgery soon. i'm so excited. my doctors told me when i finally get cataract surgery, which i'm due for very soon, i will have 20/20 eyesight again. >> because they can do the cutting of the -- >> yeah, like that, that's how we're seeing now. anyway, jugee -- do you have to insult everybody? i thought the brad pit commercial was shot and what he said was you need to turn up your earring aid. that's the third thing to go and i'm not there yet. now it's jugs? >> all right. so charity manhattan? are these made up? >> are these porn stars or real people? i mean, that commercial was

horrible. brad pitt is ugly and it didn't convince me to buy chanel number 5. >> no, i wouldn't have said that. lynn nichols says $7 million for that? i didn't like it. >> all right. let's talk "the voice." >> i don't think he cares what we say. >> no, he doesn't. he's a sexy actor and -- >> so the voice battle rounds continue. we'll have you do the swlekti i of the winner. team adams, two people. and they sang katy perry's song wide awake. let's listen. ♪

>> who would you have picked? >> i wasn't bowled over by either one of them but i wouldn't have picked the other girl -- the last one. only one who got a chance to show off something a little bit. that song in that particular -- it didn't show anything. >> so the green sweater won. so you're wrong. but -- so here's what happened at the end. this is an opportunity to steal it at the end and the girl who you liked was on stage very upset, all falling apart. look what happened. >> you know what, i just want to say one more thing. i really liked everything you had to say, adam. just hearing you talk and kind of hearing the lack of confidence and everything. and i understand you come from like a trade background. i come from something called the mickey mouse club and i didn't want to play by the rules a lot of the times because i wanted to be my own person and i wanted to be heard. ed a and i think you die serve that opportunity. so -- >> woah! i did not see that coming.oppor.

so -- >> woah! i did not see that coming. >> that's great. so now she gets a second chance. are you ready for this last one? >> let me ask you something because i can't watch these days. do they get for choose the song they sing? >> the coaches choose. they often go for what's off the beaten path and they like to get people out of their comfort zone. but sometimes in their comfort zone their voice is much better. >> there are money notes that different singers have and that's too bad. that would frustrate me if they were having me sing what is technically a good song but not a good song for my register, it's doomsville. >> liz and nicole sang miranda lambert song, baggage claim. ♪

♪ >> both great. very similar. for country music, i like the voice that cuts. the first girl. >> you picked the blond. you're doing great. >> i do have cds, 16 of them that my mother has in the garage if any of you want to -- they're available for purchase. >> all right. so there's big news about the "x-factor." >> yes, yes. they are confirming that clokhl kardashian will be co-starring with mario lopez. we'll meet with him today and in a statement, simon cowell said

the worst kept secret in show business is basically out. >> i think they would be good. >> khloe, i've known her since she was a baby. she has such a distinctive personali personality. i think she'll be good. mario is a pro. so i'm not sure what kind of chemistry the two of them will have together. that remains to be soon. who would have thought we'd have had it. that post-menopausal hazardous been and egyptian journalist. on paper, it doesn't work. think it through, hoda. >> oh, my god. >> how, this is beg news is big. >> if you love the bachelorette, we have bad news. emily and one f-jef have broken up. yes, they have. i know, it's sad. look, she picked him and he spells his name with one f. >> here's the thing. i know a lot of people love this

stuff, but i would never pick in my lifetime somebody for a life partner who -- >> you met on a television show? >> yeah, after i've been kissing seven or eight or ten other guys, making out with 20 other guys in a hot tub. >> anyway, he's clearly loved her. i believe in love. okay? i believe in love. >> some people believe and other people just live it. >> what does that even mean? >> brad pitt. plans are for -- never mind. >> we have a big show coming up, don't we? christy turlington. >> trying to helpless fortunate mothers. we'll be talking to her right after this. hi, baby. ♪ you are exactly one of a kind ♪ good girl.

down the slide. ♪ cause we were made for each other for always ♪ you did it ! i did it ! i did it ! unwrap your paradise. soft, sweet coconut covered in rich, creamy chocolate. almond joy and mounds. unwrap paradise.

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♪ so you're free to focus on the things that really matter. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. or go to walmart.com for details. to say christy turlington does it all and has it all is an understatement. a mother of two, super model, actress, author.

>> her documentary follows women from four countries as they give birth and the complications they have to face. take a look. >> janet's labor is not progressing and the threat of death for both baby and mother is palpable. with no money to pay for food or transport, the nurses ask us to help. we arrange for a van to take janet to the nearest hospital an hour away. >> this is a beautiful documentary. what's interesting about it in the very beginning it was quite jarring for me because it opens up with your own post-birthing scene. and just the complications you had. and i think it really gets the viewer in. was it difficult to expose that part? >> yes. i wasn't planning on having myself in strangely. because of course that experience is what got me involved in this issue. and of course that ends up being the way it is. people sort of trust me as a

narrator, trust me to guide through it and it puts me on equal footing with the other women. >> must have been a terrifying moment for you. i out what is she thinking, what is she going through. >> had you had a healthy pregnancy? >> i was not a high risk pregnancy. i had a great team. i exercised all of the options that are available to so many of us which is choosing a team and really thankfully because i was in the care that i was with the team that i had, the situation was managed easily. but elsewhere, that same situation would have been -- >> a and two women in america die a day from child birth. >> yes. and even 50% of those deaths are preventible. so it's one of those things that being more informed, mowing this is a possibility, knowing that comply indications can happen in 15% of all pregnancies and not knowing who will have those complications is really critical. >> how did you find these women like the first woman we're showing here and that you transported her to a safer hospital. >> in each country, we found her in different ways.

but in tanzania, we went through a small government clinic and through the midwife that worked there, that's how we got to meet the different women. and janet just happened into the clinic one day when we were shooting. and we just followed her. we followed her home, we ended up needing to take her to the hospital eventually. >> now, you talked to a man who did lose his wife. and what was that like? >> here in the u.s. actually. and it was heartbreaking, but what he did so beautifully and so eloquently was to explain what it feels like for the husband, the partner who is in the room. and so excited and so nervous for what's going to hatch. a happen and then the unthinkable happens. educated couple. >> access to health care. >> were in a hospital.educated . >> access to health care. >> were in a hospital. >> you you say there's a light at the end of the tunnel. we're seeing better statd stats.

>> the global stats with 530,000 women and girls were dying each year. and that number has steadily come down in the last four years. >> what do you account for that? >> increased attention on girls and women. we're counting them in a way that we haven't been counting them before. certainly more economic independence and equity, improvements in some countries. and i think more health workers which has been a big effort to train more wid wives and mid level providers and placing them in rural parts of countries so that they can give prenatal care and make sure that they're the connection to -- >> you're a lovely spokesperson for the whole thing and you're doing something on november 4th? even know this was made two years ago, you're running the new york marathon for the second time? >> yes. after the film, i started an organization called every mother counts. and we try to invite participation and inclusion

amongst every day citizens to get involved. this isn't one of the issues that people connect to once they know the facts. so the marathon has been one way for us to communicate one of the biggest bharrier, which is distance. 26.2 is a typical distance a woman has to drive, but a simple 5-k is normal if a woman to have to walk while pregnant or in labor. so we've actually invited others who aren't crazy to run the marathon to join us to run 5-ks around the country. >> it's lovely. >> so we invite anyoneo join us and support every mother counts. >> you're not just a beautiful super model. you're a really good lady. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. no woman no cry is available right now on itunes. sarah has the photos that stop you in your tracks and made you you say what? ♪ ♪

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these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence. i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. ♪ i woke up to a feeling

♪ every little thing has meaning ♪ ♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] we've added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural cheese to make it creamier so whatever you make isn't just good, it's amazing. ♪ ...is amazing with the love that i found ♪ ♪ that makes tv even better. if your tv were a prom queen, zeebox would be a limo. with this enchanting union, she'd had a sunroof, and a chauffeur to instruct. james! prom jackpot. download zeebox free, and have the night of your life with your tv. we're back with our series we call what the what. we take a look at all the unique photos you've sent in.

>> sarah has sorted through the best of the best. >> our first comes from tomorrow any johnson. if you can smell my bun, are you too close. >> i like it.if you can smell mu too close. >> i like it. >> that's a good one. >> yes! amanda from new york city submitted this photo. disabled parking only. stupidity is not a disability. >> you're on a roll. >> that rules out a lot -- >> next up, a photo from sue in michigan. keep out, no trespassing. trespassers will be violated. >> a little bit of deliverance going on there. >> left up to interpretation. i wouldn't mess with that. stephanie from vancouver, washington sent us this photo. please do not eat the berries. dogs urinate here. >> i'm grateful for the tip. >> i like the warning. i might have grabbed a handful

on the way by. terry sent us this photo. earl is dead. earl scheib is dead. but the low prices live on. so even though earl is not here, we're going to keep the -- >> i thought earl scheib -- when i was a little girl, you'd hear their commercials on the radio. radio i'm saying, you know. >> earl lived a long good life, but he kept his low prices everybody after the fact. >> the family is very smart. >> and finally help, i've fallen and i can't get up. >> oh, my gosh. >> they'll show that at her bridal shower and at her wedding. >> can you remember when your tushy was so small you might fall? >> mine was never that small. all right. not so bad today. worth the time. on the heels of last night's

presidential debate, we're playing a game of who knew. >> and fix it. >> and some halloween things. >> look at the cutest halloween costumes ever. mascot. the giants don't have a mascot! ohhh! eat up! new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks mom! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right.

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maybe you're wondering what to believe about mitt romney. well, when it comes to protecting your access to birth control... and the basic women's health care services planned parenthood provides... one thing we must remember, is this: i'll cut off funding to planned parenthood. [ female announcer ] he'll cut it off. cut us off. planned parenthood. we're going to get rid of that.

[ female announcer ] women need to know the real mitt romney. [ obama ] i'm barack obama and i approve this message. marywe invest in them.umber oned toin america becauset romney. but we can do even more. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million dollars at casinos in other states. question 7 keeps that maryland money in maryland through expansion of gaming in maryland. it will mean hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. as governor, i can promise you, that money will go to education.

that's the law and that's what we'll do. vote for question seven. and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility,

grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. and we're back with and it's time to play our game we call with knew. we thought it would be time to brush up on your presidential history and debates. kathie lee is across the street and ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who get the questions right. to those who don't, her cd. helping me out is sarah jansen from the world almanac. >> we have a great crowd here. you're from new jersey. which candidate had the highest electoral votes ever? >> i'm going to go with reagan. >> that's exactly right.

>> it was actually a landslide. he won all but one state and it was coincidently the home of his opponent, walter mondale. this is the 1984 election. >> all right. >> lucky lady from the swing state of virginia. republican canned dwat governor romney was the governor of which state? oh, give this one and i. what was it? >> massachusetts. >> good girl. >> she's got it right. we've been hearing a lot about massachusetts lately. >> and a little bit about mitt romney, also. he started his business in massachusetts, he went to grad school there and then served as governor. >> i love this lady. she's from arkansas and she desperately wants to win a lullaby album so i'm hoping she's really stupid. i'm stupid one. how many electoral votes are

needed to win the presidency some 200, 150, 200 or 270. >> 250? >> look are she's joyful that she lost. lucky her. the correct answer, 270.re she'e lost. lucky her. the correct answer, 270.e she's lost. lucky her. the correct answer, 270. she's lost. lucky her. the correct answer, 270.she's j lost. lucky her. the correct answer, 270. >> this is something that people get confused about. but it's really simple. you just need those 270 votes that happen in january and then you win the presidency. >> 270 is the magic number. >> another swing stater from virginia. how did tdonkey symbol originat? because democrats like donkeys, donkey and democrat both start with the letter d, opponents labeled andrew jackson as a jack [ bleep ] and it stuck, or none of the above? >> i would get this kind of question. i don't know. i'll say d, none of the above. >> you're not going to believe this. >> the correct answer is

opponents labeled andrew jackson as i think we can say jackass. i think it's okay. and it stuck. >> it's true, he continue have a lot of fans in that election and they started drawing all these political cartoons that had depicted as a donkey because they did not like him. >> then it stuck. all right. >> i wonder if people are considering their party affiliation right now. well, you're from arkansas. >> louisiana. >> exactly. i'm very stupid. which was the first presidential debate broadcast on tv, nixon versus kennedy, reagan versus mondale, bush versus goal ors roosevelt versus hoover? >> oh, my god. reagan? >> no. >> the correct answer is the fameis nixon/kennedy debate. >> and famous for a reason. this was the first debate on television and people who listened to it on the radio, they thought that nixon had won. but if you saw it on television,

you saw sweaty nixon next to young handsome kennedy, no contest. >> power of tv. thank you very much for joining us. kathie lee will come back across the street. your solutions to the pesky problems around the house. and later, get out the scissors and glue gun. easy and adorable halloween costumes. a speed bump! [ wife ] a beached whale! lawn clippings! a mattress. a sausage link. mermaid. honey!? driftwood. come on, you gotta help us out here a little. [ male announcer ] febreze eliminates odors and leaves carpets fresh. ♪ [ male announcer ] febreze. eliminates odors and leaves carpets fresh. ♪

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time for another installment of ask lou. >> here with easy tips and treks is our own resident handyman and host of house smart. we love you, lou. good to see you. >> shall we get started? >> michelle writes in i have a few doors in my house that will not completely close when the weather changes. what do you suggest to make them close? >> so houses move no matter how old they are and wood swells and contracts. >> i have a house like that, too. a lot of wd 40 in my house. >> what i want her to do is shave the doors. >> i to that a lot. >> you can either use a sander like this that will work up and done the doorway -- >> is it a possibility to make

it too -- >> all i want to do is take a little bit. this is a dremel tool that has a planer attachment. >> you're giving hoda that? oh, my lord. >> go like this. turn it on. right hand here against there. >> what am i doing? >> push down and go forward slowly. this is taking about a 16th of an inch off of the door. you can actually do this on the door while it's on its hinges. very nicely done. >> i had my doubts about this one. >> so this will work and you want to wear safety glasses. and there's a mask that has a little vent on it. >> chris has a question about her deck. how do you strip old peeling paint? >> you use a pressure washer.

you can rent it for about $25 for a 24 hour period. it will take you you about a weekend on on do. electric pressure washerses have come a long way. they now have 1800 psi. >> so this is not water anymore. >> this is water, but it's not a gas engine. you plug it in. >> okay. >> and you need something that has at least 1800 pounds per square inch to be able to clean it. but keep this in mind. this tip, if you get too close to the wood, will poke a hole in it. so you need to take your time as you're going and when you start using a pressure washer, you can't stop, you want to clean everything. >> so cool. >> caroline wonders how can you increase the pressure when flushing a toilet. >> put a mirror in the toilet. 90 respect about of the time the reason the toilet doesn't work is because those holes are clogged. take a coat hanger just like

when you go to the dentist and he uses that scraper on your teeth? there's calcium build up in there and the swirling action is there. >> i wondereded what the mirror was for. >> so you can see the holes. >> i thought you were leaving the mirror in there. >> that's sick. >> some things in life don't need to be seen. >> if you scrape all that out of there, it will work much faster. you'll be amazed. >> save a lot of money from calling a plumber. >> cindy wants to know when adding a tile back sblash to a kitchen, whatever that is -- >> that's this. >> can i tile it directly to the painted wall. >> the back slash in your kitchen. you know, the counter top -- >> why did you want a back splash? >> because water splashes against it. >> this is just drywall. tile can go right over painted drywall. this is just tile mastic.

those little hairlines are what will hold the tile in place. >> and make sure you get it straight or it will drive me crazy. >> actually. and if you you put it in there and you step back, there are little spacers you can use, you grout this, it will stick forever and it looks beautiful. >> who is better than lou? nobody. we'll treat your kids to tricked out halloween costumes that you can make yourself. >> so cute. mt. rainier. what if we could keep that much plastic waste out of landfills each year? by using just one less trash bag each month, we can. and glad forceflex bags stretch until they're full.* so you can take them out less often. it's a small change that can make a big difference. [ female announcer ] breast cancer touches all of us.

and all of us can join the fight, with save lids to save lives. redeem lids from over 100 general mills products. together we can make a difference. find lids now at walmart. together we can make a difference. unwrap your paradise. soft, sweet coconut covered in rich, creamy chocolate. almond joy and mounds. unwrap paradise. body washes with paper that reacts like skin. if others can strip this paper, imagine how harsh they can be to your skin. oh my gosh. [ female announcer ] dove is different. its new breakthrough formula changes everything. new dove. this is care.

would ban all abortions and contraception

seemed a bit extreme. so i looked into it. turns out, romney doesn't oppose contraception at all. in fact, he thinks abortion should be an option in cases of rape, incest, or to save a mother's life. this issue's important to me, but i'm more concerned about the debt our children will be left with. i voted for president obama last time, but we just can't afford four more years. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

ga do it yourself halloween costumes. if you're tired of buying the pre-made costume, it's time to get creative. >> yes, it is. there are and you sneare unique.

>> and so much more fun and much less expenses siexpensive. you save at least 50%. all the moms swear these are easy. >> he's making his debut. >> he's a sleeping chicken. this is just a yellow sweat suit and sweat shirt and look at the feet. >> they're gloves. brilliant. >> and you can do this with any kind of bird costume. >> and it's warm. he's beautiful, sarah. >> thank you. >> thank you, sweetie. >> next up is sinclair.

>> sin qular clair is a baby lo. just a red sweat shirt and cut out the gloves out of felt. glue them on to the sweat shirt. and then the head is of course just two styrofoam balls with the eyes on top and two pipe cleaners as antennas. another $8 costume. >> really awesome. >> next up is little mckenzie. daughter of our producer. >> obviously an adorable cupcake. just two big sheets of big felt, cut it out with a scalloped edge, glue on different colored pom-poms. a little lays around the neck. and the wrapper is just a piece

of poster board and glued up the back. >>et's bring out mckenzie's brother, brady. >> looks like frank gifford to me. p. >> he's the heisman trophy. take an old sweat shirt and sweat pants and just spray paint it. >> so he's a little heisman. >> that's right. you have to teach him the pose.. >> let's bring out michael and emily. thank you, sweetie. >> and this is another costume great for all ages. >> little legos so easy and so inexpensive. good for girls and boys.

this is basically just a box. you use a plate to cut a hole for the head. keep the bottom open. glue on someboxes and paint it red or blue. >> so great. a live performance of singing monks. but first this is "today" on nbc. maryland schools are number one in america because

we invest in them. but we can do even more. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million dollars at casinos in other states. question 7 keeps that maryland money in maryland

through expansion of gaming in maryland. it will mean hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. as governor, i can promise you, that money will go to education. that's the law and that's what we'll do. vote for question seven.

♪ a group of monks who live in few mexico spend their days reading, praying, working and singing. and they also brew their own beer. >> and they've been signed by a

major recording label. they're releasing their debut album and we're so happy to have you with us today. welcome, gentlemen. congratulations on the record deal. >> how did that feel like? >> justin bieber must be so nervous. >> was it great news? >> we couldn't imagine it. >> somebody found out about you and said there's a record deal here. and you brew your own beer. we love that. we have to give it a try. thank you. what are you singing for us? >> it's called alleluia. >> we're so excited. here they are. ♪

♪ alleluia, alleluia ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ >> beautiful. >> so soothing. >> i think it will be billboard with a bullet. i really do. thank you, gentlemen. god bless you all for coming. really appreciate it. tomorrow paranormal actress, 50 hottest bachelors, also

makeovers and die tt mistakes. have a great wednesday. [ mitt romney ] look at the evidence of the last four years. under the president's policies, middle income americans have been buried. they're just being crushed. middle-income americans have seen their income come down by $4,300. this is a tax in and of itself. i'll call it the economy tax. i'm not going to raise taxes on anyone. my plan is to bring down rates to get more people working.

my priority is putting people back to work in america. i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. how does it brew such great coffee? well, inside the brewer are these green fields of coffee, actually, i just press this button. brew what you love, simply. keurig.