good morning. storm of a storm of a lifime. hurricane florence one for the ages inching closer to a devastating strike on the ead i major shift overnight. officials pleading for people to evacuate now. >> don't bet your life on riding out a monster. >> this morning the frantic preps as an entire regn is set to face days of torrential rain, and a life-threatening storm surge. we are there live and al with when . is the embattled cardinal of washington, d.c. about to step down after devastating accusations of cover-up? the high-pre file meeting between pope franci and top american church officials set to take place in the next 24 hours

. in> incomprehensible. elizabeth smart bg the decision to release one of her kidnappem prison next week. just ahead, why a mistake could allow this woman to walk freeve years earlier than expected. all that plus bra pitt sued. his charity accused of sellingc ive homes to katrina surviv shocking attack. american woman and her young son fighting for their ldaes after a erous encounter with a giraffe a an animal park. what the family is saying this morning . and holding the line. >> you oh me an apology. i have never cheated in my life. >> the umpire behindhat serena williams controversy at the u.s. open breaks his silence. why he is standing call. todawednesday, september 12th, 2018.nn >> aouncer: from nbc news this is "today" withe savannah guth h

anda kotb live from studio 1a in roc feller plaz good morning. welcome to "today." thank you for being with us on a wednesday morning. at the top for us, what they are calling the storm of a lifetime, to the latesthu oicane florence. a monster. it is. look how massive this storm bigger than the state of michigan. thel nationaweather service warning it could be a storm of a lifetime for parts of the carolina coasts. >> gridlock an highways, lon lines atgations and the shelters ar to to be opened. >> 3,000 national ard troops activated with orders to preserve life and safety when florence hits. >> it has the potentl to be the costliest storm to hit the u.s., estimated atn $170 bill of damage. we wl talk live with the north carolina governor in a moment. here is the man of the hour, al

roker, with where this storm is headed. >> we keep getting changes on the track of this thing. we have to watch it carefully. right now you can see it's a 400 mile diameter, 130-mile-per-ho winds. it's moving west-northwest at 17 miles per hour. that's been a consistent movement since yesterday at 5:00. we have got hurricane warnings stretching from cape hatteras to central north carolina. that will probably bextended later on today. we have storm surge watches for much of the southeasterat lantic coast. here is the latest on the track of this system, and the track is going to be everything. by friday morning, 2:00 a.m., it a category 3 storm just off the coast of north carolina. the northeast quadrant takes the strong ent brunt. look what happens. it starts to carallel thest and comes inland around myrtle beacy sometime early satur morning, but, and here is the big question mark,ill it be

the america model or the european today and tomorrow it continues to track to the coast and then puts on the brakes, sits there and baparallels the coast. if it just sits there and imeanders becomes a storm surge machine, and that is the worst-case scenario for the coast. better for inland, at least for now. we look at i theacts of the winds. the power outage potential, total power outages possible from the outer banks all the way down throughwi ington, widespread as you get a little further, and then scattered as you move inland. what wem surge, this is are most frightened about. seawater could move in miles. look at possibility of a 9 to 13-foot storm surge.id high on friday, 11:46 at 12:28.ville, charlotte those numbers are on top of the high tide. saturday into friday night you are loong at a high tide again. the storm surge is basically a n as of water that pushes

the winds push that water. it continues to move in. the water sits.he then next high tide it pushes in again, and that's the big problem. and then rainfall. depending on the path, that's where t heaviest rains going to be. right now we are going to stay with this 10 inchr more from roanoke to wilmington, cape hatteras, myrtle beach. pl out of the queicion. catastrolooding. the path is going to be everything. that's going to determine the storm surge 60% of people who lose their lives, lose it in the flooding of the stoot surge. >> af people think it's the wind that gets you in a hurricane, but it is often the water. all along the coast, the carolinassnd virginia, this i a day for stocking up and boarding up and getting out. craig is right in the path of the storm. he made his way to wilmington, north carolina. craig, what's it like there this morning? >> reporter: hoda, good to see you this morning. i want to show you what we have been talking about this morning. if you take a look at the skies

behindthis, those beautiful pinks, those clds, it's postcard pretty. literally, the calm before them st we are standing along the appropriately named cape fear river. you see the boats behind me in the marina tethered for now. the hope is they will stay that way. as al just mentioned, we are in a where we are expectingro cataic storm surge later today. people here, by and large, the residents, the tourists, they are heeding the warnings. they are getting out. first respders bracing fhe worst. this morning first responders on high alert. coastal areas of north carolina along with wide swaths of south carolina and virginia are under mandatory evacuation orders affecting more than a million people. >> we are telling peoplehat they need to leave the evacuation areas. >> reporter: fema warning. everyone needs to be prepared. >> we ca rebuild infrastructure, we can rebuild

homes. we cannot repla lives, and that is our primary focus. >> reporter: along the carolina coast those staying are getting arready. >> w being very cautious and we are boarding up all the windows. we' we'll sandbag the doors. >> reporter: president tru promising the federal governmt is ready to help. >> it's tremendously big and tremendously w tremendous amounts of water. we are sparing no expense. we are as ready as anybody has ever been. >> reporter: some skeptical the government response will be sunicient. >> ihe past, it seems like they are not doingch as s they need to. >> reporter: but military officials at ft. bgg, now a fema staging nsarea, iist the u.s. army is ready. >> in this case, some of those folks that a affected could very well be our as this storm very deadly and important game ofh chess w hurricane florence. >> reporter: in south carolina, evacuations also underway.

authorities c msing thistle beach highway in one direction. all lanes now leading west away from the massive storm. >> hurricane florence, bring it on. >> reporter: the city providing residents with freed. san maria nichols loading up to protect her home before getting out. >> it's important for us to evacuate. on't need to take chance we don't need to put personnel on te to try to save us. weeed to go. >> reporter: all right. so both of you have covered hurricanes befor and it's always interesting the number of people who decide to heed the warnings and the number of people who stay behind. last night on that two-hour drive from the airport in leigh, we saw a caravan of cars who appeared to be heeding the warnings, getting out. the area where we are here in wilmington, it's going to be under an mandatory evacuat by 8:00 tonight. so far a lot of folks have decided not to wait for the mandatory evacuation and have decided to exercise better judgment because, again, at this point tomorrow, 18 hours from now, high winds expected.

lots of rain expected as well. savannah, hoda, back to you. >> it is important to listen to the warnings and get out while yo ican. >> dyl in place as well up the coast from craig on north carolina's outer banks. g they hav to have real worries there this morning. morning.ood >> reporter: good morning, savannah. it seems like here, too, folks are heeding the warning. several homes are brdedp. businesses are closed or are closing through the day today. today is really the last chance to prepare. i want to take you through a timeline of what this area will see as we go forward. starti with thursdaymorning, that's when those tropical storm-force winds wilst make their way onshore. we are looking at gusty winds to art kicking in by thursday afternoon. the outer bands of the hurricane will get here. that means torrential downpours. once the rain starts, it's not going t stop perhaps all through the weekend. going into thursday night, the hurricane storm-force winds arrive. those are your winds over 74

miles per hour with even higher gusts. so 74-mile-per-hour winds are sustained that already starts to cause damage. friday morning around 11:30 we are worried about the high tide. that will be the start o surge, that paerhaps 9 to 13 foot wall of wer. then friday afternoon based on the current track we will see the storm surge, torrential downpours, the hurricane-force winds. after thatti point it's too early to determine if area will stay on thatoreastern side of the storm, continuing to keep the worst of the winds and the rain and the storm surge around. those are still the details we need to iron out. today it is still beautiful re, but conditions will rapidly deteriorate thurs cy. today lasnce for people to keep heeding those warnings. savannah and hoda. such a different picture behind you in >>/48 hours. e are bringing in north carolina's governor, roy cooper. governor cooper, good morning to yo this is your first major storm

as governor. you described it yourself as a monster. you have hader s briefings trying to get your head around it. put it in perspective for us. describe the storm for us. >> this storm is big and it's vicious. people of north carolina are used to storms, but thisne is different. north carolinans are a hardy bunch. you have a number of people who may want to stay behind. we are telling people they are putting their lives at risk when they do that. yesterday, on 9/11, we honored ours. first respond you are putting first responders at risk if you stay behind on the coast with this kind of storm coming our way, with the storm surge, the high winds, the flooding that we expect. so safety is the number one thing on our mind. we have activated 2,600 national guard troops. we have shelters open. i think we are ready for this, but we want people to be safe.

>> governor, as you know, eacst m has its own personality. we heard al talking about it. what's the thing that is really worrying right now, aside from people not heeding evacuations? is it the storm surge, flooding rain, wind, all of the above? >> i think the fact that this storm is so wide and there is such a conf uncertainty, we know that this storm, as soon as it hits the north and/or south carolina coast, that it's going to around. and then that's when you start measuring rain in feet, notch es. and flooding is a significant risk here. often when there is flooding, the peoe who can afford it the least, get hit the most. we are ready to spring int action to make sure we help those people, get them to safety. aour local federal partners are coordinated. we just want people to be

careful. if you have to evacuate, please do obey the orders, but also the inland counties, most everyrt carolinan is going to feel the storm in one way or another. we want them to hunker etdown, their emergency kit, their food, water, medications, important documents, pet plans. all of that.he make sure family is safe. >> governor, the president said that we are absolutel and totally prepared to deal with this. have you had a conversation with president trump about ts? >> i have, and he told me the same thing. our fema ptners are in north carolina ready to help. yesterday.. bragg i will be headed up to kinsen, o of the teem staging areas. we have done something a little unustol with this in that usually you wait to distribute supplies and equipment after the storm hits so you'l know where to go. we have dotr some predisibution here because we know that the damage from the

storm will be far and wide. we can pretty much rt assur that the areas where we have distributed this equipment and supplies are going to need it because these roads a t going be almost impassable after the storm passes. but i think we're ready. north carolinans will get through this. it's going to be a tough few days and weeks >> you are a hardy buchbl, you're right. north carolinaovernor roy cooper. thank you. let talk about the president's response to the storm and some of his comments yesterday raised some eyebrows about the administration's response to hurricane aria in puerto rico. peter alexander at the white house with all of that. the president is up and tweeting this morning? >> you're right. the president is sounding the alarm on twitter saying hurricane florence is looking even bigger than anticiped. as you noted, he raised eyebrows on tuesday, defending his administration's response to lastary's storms, hudding hurrican maria that left puerto rico devastated. the death toll there just last

week raised to nearly 3,000. the president yesterday describi it as incredibly successful, saying it wasin an edible unsung success. this morning on twitter, doubling down,otriting we "a" pluses for our recent hurricane work in texas and florida and did an unappreciated ngreat job puerto rico even though an inaccessible island with very poor electrici and a totally incompetent mayor of san juan. we are ready for the big one that is coming. the president insisting the fety of the american people is my absolute priority, saying government is sparingo expense to protect american lives.po and in re to president trump's comments yesterday we are hearing from a democratic senator, chris murphy, tweeting, if you are in florence's path and considering riding it out, your president just said that a hurricane responsehere 3,000 die is his measure of success. get out of there. we will keep an eye on theid prt over the day as he gathers with the heads of fema and the dhs preparing for the

federal rponse to this storm. back to you . another major story this morning. the potentia ishop of washington, d.c. top officials of the catholic church headie to vatican for a key meeting with pope francis. ann thompson is her with details. >> hey, there is a lot going on. cardinal donald wuerl's resiation letter sat on pope francis's desk for almost three year submitted when wuerl turned 75. but the sex abuse scandal and the u.s. catholic may paid up his removal. this morning the clearest indication embattled washington cardinal donald wuerl may d soo own n a one-page letter to the archdiocese priest, he says e will go to rome to speak directly to pope francis, writing it's how to bring a new level of healing to survivors who personally suffered so much and to theaiful who have

been wouy the shame of these terrible actions and have questions about their bishop's ability to provi the necessary leadership. a deacon who refuses to take part in mass with wuerl anyng is calling on him to resign. >> fostering a genuine sense of healing requires accountability. in the conversation ofco untability, i think the way forward is forna carl wuerl to relinquish his position. wuerl has been under attack since thatju grand report detailing 70 years th child sexual abuse by priests. report criticized wuerl's handling of predatory priests when he was bishop of pittsburgh, saying he returned one minister to ministry and provided financial support for the other. wuerl says h acted with diligence and concern for the victims. >> i don't want him to resign. i want the pope to fire him. i think the pope should fire every bishop that was a part of that report. >> reporter: that anger growing louder.

>> shame on you! >> reporter:lier this month during a sunday mass a protester intercepted wuerl and walked out. >> i ask for your prayers for me for forgiveness in my errors of judgment, for any of my inadequacies. >> reporte dozens of school teachers boycotted the cardinal's back to school mass. wuerl's name removed at hises requ those aren't the only pblems. wuerl's washington predecessor archbishop theodore kerrick accused ofes mng teenagers and seminarians. that will t francis' tention tomorrow as he meets with the leadership conference of catholic bishops to discuss e crreis. >> whatou expecting? >> well the bishops want the vatican's help to figure out why theodore kerrick was able to

become they want the valt to work with a national group of lay people to investigate that. as far as cardinal wuerl's fate goes, it depends on one man only, and that is pope francis. >> thank you so much. >> thank you . we turn back to al, who is keeping an eye on the big storm and the rest of the forecast. >> that's right. besides florence, heavy rain in texas. that's going to be a big wory. l look at that in the next half hour. high fire danger for a good portion of the southwest and into southern california because of the dry, hote' conditions. continut also. we will get to your local forecast coming up in the next .

goo morning. i'm meteorologist chuck bell. another day with thick cloudsng over wasn and a pretty high chance for rain showers. a couple of raindrops dotting the landscape now. another increasing chance for some showers later on in the da. to so take the umbrella with you. current temperatures are in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees here in town. forecast for the next couple of days, not much sunshe and chances for rain continue on in through the rest of the wk. florence's heavy rains arrive next week. >> and that's your latest forecast . just ahead,ar elizabeth s out rang ov over the rears earlyease of one of her captors . and then a roster repor warning t parents about uber and lyft. would a driver pic up your kids when it is against policy? anst undercover inveation . first,

investigation. first, this is "today" on nb c.

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just ahead, why brad pitt why brad pitt and his charity are being sued . and matthew mcconaughey here to h talk about new role that he says is unlike anything he ever tried bore. goahead, al. >> all aright,ll right, all right! >> first, your l hey, wha tdo you guys wanna list ooh, hip-hop! reggaeton. edm. what about bubble trance? bubble what? bubble trance. it's a thing. (man) oh. my point is, everyone's gote. different taste. that's why verizon lets you mix and match your family unlimited plan so everyonets the plan , without paying for things they don't. and right now, the whole family can get six months of free apple music on verizon. oh. so let's play that reggaeton. old school reggaeton, not the new stuff. (vo) get 45 million songs with six months free apple music on us. only on verizon.ch swow and get a free

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this is a news4 today news break. >> 7:26 is your time on this seember 12th, 2018. good morning you to. i'm eun yang. >> i'm angie goff. cardinal wuerl says he will ask po francis whether should resign as archbishop of washington. he is facing s mountingutiny for the way he dealt with priests accused of sexual abuse while bishop in pittsburgh. lookor more on this story in the nbc w>>hington app . membd task force one are heading into the hurricane florence zone. this is videoho sng some of the 80 firefighters on the sout request. count on jim handly to bring yol updates week on new . now let's check your forecast with chuck bell.

how isgo ig? another cloudy day. almost no sunshinetoday, tomorrow, friday. into the weekend unfortunately. the heavy rains from florence, will have to deal with them. we will probably have it owal with tmds the middle part of next week. right now we are in the upper 60so around 70 degrees. full cloud cover overhead. take the umbrella. afternoon highs todayto and rrow much like the last few days in the upper 70s to right around 80 degrees rain chanc continue into the weekend, but again our heavy rains from florence will be week. >> all right. chuck, thank you . we take a break and check your forecast next. news4 today on nbc4 is brou.

crash investigation continues in uppersarlboro t morning. pennsylvania avenue between richie marlboro and wood bar shut down. divert to 301 water street, any

of those work. northbound95 before the 11th street bridge, crash in the left lane. >> more news in 25. back to t"t show" after this sho ba

, morning, september 12th, 2018. this is a look from high above. that's that monster hurricane fltoence. the is charging towards the east coast bringing with it the potential for someun lievable damage. incredibly intimidating pictures to be looking at. of course, that's the top of our adlines this morning. mass evacuations underway. a major shift in the likely path overnight. gabe gutierrez south carolina, near me beach. gabe, good morning. >> reporte good morning. that exodus isnderway. behind me highway 501 right outside ofe myrach and all eastbound lanes are closed. this is all traffic heading west away from this monster storm

now. now, this is a storm that local shortse warning people to be care fortunate million pe mandatory evacuation orders. tuesday we saw steady stream of traffic heading inland. also a major concern is even those drivers that head inland to ait major like raleigh, major rainfall is expected there. thatould trigger massive flooding. otr people say they are not heeding the mandatory evacuation orders. we saw some of them using sandbags to protectheir property and hunker down. local authoritt to take any chances the storm. ai b travel will heavily impacted according to flightaware.com. more than 100 flights have been canceled tomorrow and many more expectedhroughout the weekend. savannah, this monster storm is expected to have this huge ripple effect for several days an weeks back to you. >> thank you very much. the tennis umpire u

for penalizing serena williams u.s. open final is breaking h silence. carlos ramos told a newspaper in his native portugal that h is fine given the circumstances. he says he is sure of is performanc saturday's match and he received hundreds of messages of support. he issued three code violations against including one for verbal abuse that cost her a game. lliams said men a not punished as harshly for behavioo that is muche. a missing hiker found dead in oregon was likely killed by a cougar. the body of 55-year-old diana vogel was discovered in the mt. hood national forest. she wasepted missing in late august. the medical examiner says her injuries were consisteh that of a cougar attack. it is the first such attack in oregon history. more than 15 years after elizabeth smart's kidnapping ordeal gripped the nation, one

of her captors set to be released fro prison and elizabeth smart is blasting that decision. morgan, good morning. a highly charged situation because tels earlyse comes after the board reversed a july decision denying a requeor parole. now, wanda barzee, who is 72, is set toex walk free week, and that's more than five years ahead of her expected release date and it's after her attorneys argued t parole board miscounted her time served. this morning elizabeth smart is calling itbl incomprehensi after learr kidnappers, wanda barzee, isd being relea from prison early. >> elizabeth, if you're out there, we're doing everything we possibly can to help you. >> reporter: smart was 14 years old when she was kidnapped from her bedroom at knife point in 2002. her abduction captivating the country. nine months later, out of nowher waiting to hear. ls >> startling story coming across

regarding elizabeth smart, the teenage girl who apparently was kidnapped from her home in salt lake in june of last year is ive. >> it's real! it's real! >> reporter: smart was found 18 miles away from the home where she was taken. spotted by a cple w had seen smart's story on the news and cognized her abductors. she was taken by wanda barzee and her husband, fmer street pastor brian david mitchell, who work short time at the smart home. they were arrested in 2003 and b l charges. she began serving a sentence of one to 15 years. her husband was sentenced to life. barzee, who the parole board says refused to attend her hearing, was set to remain ilbehind bars u 2024. >> she refused to meet with the prison psychologist last month for a psych revi n. >> reporte the parole

board ruled they must count time spent in federal custody towards her state sentence, meaning as of next wednesday she will have served her time. i was surprised and disappointed to learn of the pending release ofe,anda bar elizabeth smart said in a statement, adding it is incomprehensible how someone who has not cooperated with her mental health evaluations or risk assessment and did not show up to her own parole hearing could be released into our community. t has written two books on her own kidnapping and produced a movie about her ordeal. lizabeth smart. >> reporter: she says she has forgiven her captors, but that doesn't mean their actions are acceptable. smart receny spoke on "today" about her journey. >> they have taken so muchso an s i live the rest of my life feeling sorry for myself, i i do that, they won. >> reporter: now 31, smart says she is not letting it define her. married with two young children, she has a third on the way but while elizabeth smart may

are forgiven her kidnappers, barzee's early release ensures she could never forget. >> what do we expect now? she gets out and then what? >> she will be under federal supervision for at least five years. tht time she has been out of prison since her arrest in march of 2003. smart says she appreciates the tpouring of love and support and she will speak publicly in the next few days. >> all right. morgan, thank you. we are going to turn now, get another check of the weather frommal. >> well, we have a situation developing in the gulf. already heavy rain there. we are watching out for that over the next day or two. but we have the investigation area in the next five days, a 70% chance of developing. it's in this zon in the gulf, including between brownsville and houston. by the toe we get saturday, look at the amounts of rain. anywhere from three to five i h

inches. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neighborhood. good morning. anothe gray start to the day. 71 degrees right now.e some pat the ,ea, t with a little drizzle. temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s. here is a look at visibility. it has gotten worse in the past ho or , but it's still not too bad. the thickest fog will be up near baltimore and especially closer re philadelphia if you heading those directions today. expect cloudy skies, hig close to0 degrees, scattered shower r t >> we will have an update on florence comg up at 8:00. >> thank you, al. much more ahead, including the shocking giraffe attack. an american woman and her son are fighting for their lives this morning. harity undert's fire. did it sell defective homes to hurricane katra survivors? then sally field opening up like never before. she has a new memoir. what she is revealing about her life before hollywood, her

career and romance with burt reynolds. a warning for a families. >> good morning. i'm jeff rosston. cases of uber and lyft drivers harassing, assauheing chil. are t doing? we are going undercover to show you how easy it is for a child to be taken for a ride. ngparents are goi to want to see this next. beauty's biggest event is here! ulta beauty's 21 days of beauty. with new beauty steals every single day for 21 days. that's 50% off our most loved brands like tarte and too faced.

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your school security guide. carson joins our table this morning. an alert for families on ridesharing services. driver assaulting teen passengers. jeff rossen is on the case. he had an undercover test and it's going to surprise us. >> i am a parent. i get it. sometimes we't just c be everywhere at once. it would be nice if we could. o me parents are starting rely on uber and lyft to shuttle their kids around. now new cases of drivers harassing, even assaulting kids. think about it.ge these tee are alone with a stranger in a moving car, hesless if something g wrong. uber and lyft tells their you can't do that. you can't pick up underage kids. are they inlistg? we are going undercover. >>eporter: attacks inside ubers and lyfts. of raping a ssger. t. accused

>> reporter: and now kids, too. in florida, this lyft driver confessed to molest ago 16-year-old boy. and in california a teenager saying she was sexually harsed by her uber driver, speaking out to nbc bay area. >> hetarted randomly asking we me, liked like sexual questions. >> reporter: in georgia, a teenager there accused an uber driverf rape. kids across the country are still downloading the apps and ordering rides. so we wanted s to for yourselves how many uber and d lyvers would pick up a child. this is ebbie. how old are you? >> 15. >> reporter: clearly a minor. by the y, it is against uber and lyft policy for their drivers to pick upan uncod minors? yes you are going to tl them you are 15? >> yes. >> reporter: we have a chase car olivia ducers inside, and lindsey.

they will have eyes on the car the entire time. the other thing we are going to do is on my phone, you will have an open phone line in the car so i aep ready. insafe. >>orter: we wire her up with aidden camera and we order ilyft. >> ist okay if i'm 15? >> yes. >> okay. orter: her mom watching it all go down. >> i will really can't believe that they let her get in the car. >> reporter: once the driver ops her talk to him. fhi, jeff rossm nbc news. how are you? you know she was 15 year old. it's against policy to drive uncompanied minors. you know yup are notsed to? >> no. >> reporter: in just minutes, she is at it again,g order another lyft. y and again she gets right in. >> is it okay if i'm 15? yes? okay. >> reporter: another one picked her up. the driver later tells me this. >> i haven't pick up any

underage child. >> reporter: you just dropped a 15-year-old girl off. she is worki with us. she told you she as 15. >>no, she didn't tell me. >> reporter: really? remember, we have it all on tape. >> is it okay if i'm 15? yes? okay. >> reporter: it'e to protect ki. not that they a would dothing wrong, of course. of course not. >> i didn't. >> reporter: of course not. no one is accusing you of that. you nev know if a driver well. they have this policy so kids aren't alone. thank you. in fact, driver a driver, uber and lyft, six in total all letting this 15-year-old hop right into their cars. not a single no. driver watch what this says. >> is it okay if i'm 15? >> yes. >> okay. >> repter: yes, he is saying it's so common, he often picks up kids ordering cars from

school. an eye-openernt for pa >> we taught our kids not to get in cars with strangers and then you are gelling them to in cars with strangers. it doesn't match up. >> when signing up for an uber or lyft oncount, they ask for your age anywhere, making it hard for parents and kid to know that driving kids is against the policy. now you know tt you needo police your own kids so they don't get themselves into danger. way, speaking of safety, i am excited. we are kicking off aew digital series today. this right here, rossen reports kids. we get so many emails and videos from kids asking about safety and security. what age is it c safe toss the street alone? how do you call 911 when your mom's phone is lost? we wanr to make y child the safest on the block. we posted our first episode. it's up right now. today.com. it focuses on what kids should do if they get lost. check it out, guys.

>> all right. >> jeff daughter is actual hosting. > a bd pitt and his charity. first these messages

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7:56 is your time on this wednesday, september 12, 2018. go morning to you. i'm eun yang. another storm team4 weather alert today. we want to get to shooen shoo parveen. >> we have some patchy fog out there this morning. pect cloudy skies as we go through the day. if you are heading north towar baltimore, even philadelphia, they have very dense fog in sections. be careful driving. temperatures are near 70 degrees, around 80 for an many may stay in the 70s with the cloud cover. driz morning. middle of next week is when we are watching florence. >> thank you. we will take a break now and check our traffic when we come back. . is made with real spring water. ♪ it's so refreshing and delicious, you don't need slo-mo models to sell it. real spring water, real fruit flavors and refreshing bubbles. just what's refreshingly real.

nbc4 is brought to you by ne right now first 4 traffic alert, upper moralboro shut down inbound pennsylvania avenue. inbound 66 after prince walliam pa one lane getting by. a crash there this morning. innerloop and outerloop looking pretty typical. 270 southbound going about 35 miles per hour >> you. another local news update in 25 minutes. for now, back to "the today show" .

is 8:00 on "today." coming up, on the two million people being forced to evacuate as hurricanels florence barowards the east coast. >> we can rebuild infrastructure. we can rebuild homes. we cannot repla lives. officials now warning this could be the storm of a lifetime. craig's live in north carolina. plus, brad pitt under fire. his charity facing new legal trouble th morni after hurricane katrina survivors say they were sold defective homes. why residents arepiow asking for to ma and all right, all right, all right. matthew mcconaughey joins us live in studio 1a to talk about family, fame, and his new film

where taking a role unlike any he has had before. today is wednesday, september 12th, 2018. ♪ >> here to celebrate my beautiful wife's beidaiirthday. the plaza! >> celebrating 50 years of marriage! m from temple, texas! >> goodning. that's putting us in a good morning. >> florida george can't beat it. >> thanks for being with us on a wednesday morning. we have a loto get to. this storm is the big story this morning. millions of people rushing to get out of the bull's-eye. hurricane florence is spinning closer to the east coast as we speak. we are going to get to craig in north carolina in a moment, but

let's go right to al because there is an update, al, on the path and timing. >> that's here's the latest, savannah. still a category 4.30 it'sile-per-hour winds. it's moved closer to cape fear, 571 miles. it's moving still west-northwest at 17 miles per hour. the track of the storm right now from the national hurricane center brings it along the coast along wilmington friday early morning 2:00 a.m. at 120 miles per hour. and then it starts to parallel the coast and make its way in over myrtle beach sometime late satunoay aft and continue on. however, the european model is the thing that's riving usl fits and worries about it, because what it has from tomorrow right on into saturday, paralleling the coast with wk steeri currents. it sits off the coast and basically sits and spins, becomes a storm surge machine, and that's what we're mostbo worried right now. anywhere from four feet to 13 foot storm surge on top of the high tides that happen

friday morning and lateriday night into saturday morning. the storm surge, that wall of water driven by the winds of the hurricane, push in, move ins. mi plus, the battering waves will cause massive damage and destruction. we will be watching this so very closy over the next at least 72 hours. >> i know you will be. thmek you. ency officials and the u.s. army are sounding cm readi storm, in wilmingtorth carolina, with a look of the preps there. you have a beautiful day behind you right now? >> reporter: yeah, calm and tranquil right now. don't be fooled. this is an area of north carolina that is preparing to bear the brunt of the storm. first responders, residents, tourists, all bracing for this morning first responders on potentially catastrophic hurricane florence is expected to punish the east coast starting lateronight. >> you know, we get 14,

15 inches of rain. this is going to be underwater agai c >> reportestal areas of north carolina, south carolina, and virginia are under mandatory evacuation orders affecting more than 1 million people. >> thi storm is going to be intense, likely historic, and deadly. >> reporter: president promising the federal government is ready to help. >> safety of american pe my absolute highest priority. >> reporter: fema warning everyone needs to be prepared. >> every storm is different. we can rebuild infrastructure. we can rebuild homes. we cannoteplace ves. >> reporter: along the carolina coast those staying are ge >> we are vndy cautious a e're boarding up all the window we'll sandbag the doors. >> reporter: some skeptical the government's response will. be sufficie >> hopefully, they will step up their game and understand that we need them. >>eporter: but military officials at ft. bragg, now a

fema staging area, insist the u.s. armyy. is re >> some of those folks that are affected could very well be our family members ss thisrm is coming our way. >> reporter: in south carolina, evacuations also underway. authorities closing this myrtle beach highway in one direction away from the massive storm. the city providing residents withe fre sand. maria nichols loading up to protect her home before getting out. >> they said we need to leave. it's important for us to evacuate. >> reporter: i want to readjust a forecast discussion last night from the national weather h servicee in wilmington. chilling words. quote, this will likely be the storm of a lifetime for portions of the carolina coast, and that's saying a lot. tialn't emphasize the pot for unbelievable damage from wind, storm surge, and inland ooding with this storm. that chilling warning coming from the national weather service here into wilmi hoda, back to you. >> i know the carolinas are

close to you, craig. you will keep us posted. we ligrned ove that with hurricane season approaching, the trump administration took nearly $10 million out of fs budget to help pay for i.e. immigration centers. senator jeff meley, anregon democrat, shared those budget documents o msnbc tuesday night. money was also taken from the tsa and t coast guard for immigration enforcement. spokesperson for the department of homeland secy the money that i.c.e. got from millimete was marked for re operating expenses and n disaster relief. an american scientist and young son areor fighting their lives after a rare and vicious giraffe attack at a wildlife reserve. >> american katie williams andr her son in intensive care this morning. both attacked by a g it was apparently spooked. but today the'saltimore m

family says she is talking again, communicating again for the this morning hopeful signs from katieilliams. the wildlife biologist and her son kicked by a giraffe protecting her young. her family says katie has regassed consciousnd is using sign language to talk. her british husband s saying, it was amazing to see katie wake up and to be able to talk and to reassure her that we are there for her. adding that their s finn is akable and, i hope in time he will also we up so they can all be reunited as a family. sam, a conservationist, and katie lived with sonn f a wildlife reserve in south africa. it's home t free ranging giraffes, including a mother and 2-month-old calf and close to south africa's famous krueger national park. katy and finn were waiting for

sam. sam arriving just in time t scare it away. the enormous animals known as af gca's gentlents are adored around the world. april the giraffe gained worldwide fame after a live video of her a lin theate stage of pregnancy andiving birth went viral. but in the wild, giraffes can be dangerous, fiercely protective of their young, with a kick that can kill. katy's family says she knew the risks. i can ensure you that katie would have never deliberately put herself or finn in hedanger father said. we hold no judgment against the giraffe. this is just the way nature is and we accep. and the family says that finn has undergone emergency brain i surgery a stable this morning. that giraffe and the calf were moved to a different animal reserve and katie's husband says that is just what she would have wanted. hoda. >> yokelly. than >> we will be thinking of them for sure. 8:08.

let's do a morning boost. >> there is nothing better than story time with your little one, pecially with a book called for animal noises. >> no! >> a cow says moo! >> all right. 1-year-old autumn gets hysterical, that giggle, whenta her dates animals. too precious. e mor how about this one? a ryhinoceros says! and the dog says! >> that's so sweet. >> adorable. what sally field is revealing in a new memoir and why she says she is glad burt reyn will see it. a lawsuit facing brad pitt's charity. did it sell defective homes to the survivors of hurricane katrina in the latest on tha. that's a great question.

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this talker. the lawsuit facg brad pitt a the charity he created in the wake of hurricane katrina. >> good morning. >> gous,know, pitt's make it right project was a bold and noble idea. go into new orleans lower ninth ward and build well designed, affordable and sustainable houses. w some of the people who got the homes say they are dealing with another disaster. >>geporter: the homes spran out of katrina's destruction with their unique eye-catching design but more importantly, they were new places to live in new orleans' devastated lower ninth wardor brad pitt fd the nonprofit charity, make it right, himself. making the announcement here on "today." >> i think of a father that once had a home here and raised my

ki k, raising mys here. if i lost everything and had no way to rnre that would make me feel bad. >> reporter: the project that planned to build 150 homes selling for roughly $130,000 each built onlk 109. >> loo at my welcome mat. >> reporter: today homeowners like kamara allen say many of the homes that were built a lling apart. >> this has been years of ongoing live and broken promises. we wer promised green,ealthy, energy-efficient homes. we have everything but those things. >> reporter: allen bought her home in 2011. >> i put that key the door the first time and dance for like five minutes. >> reporter: then she says the problems started. rusty pow ussockets,ooms growing from the home's siding. she sold the house back to make it right as part of a settlement in 2013. nbc news spoke to 11 other residents, ten on the record, who said that many of the make

it right homes are rotting and dangerous and their calls to the organization go sounreturned. me say repairs are only done if residents agree to signno isclosure agreements. last week two different homeowners filed a lawsuit against brad pitt and make it right accusing theng of selli defectivemp andperly constructed homes. e it rig foundation has been stringing the poor residents along, phemising would fix the problems, but w ver -- they never would s up. >> reporter: make it right has notesponded to nbc's request forsp comment. okesperson fort declined to comment on the tigation, t released a statement on the actor's behalf that reads in part, we have been coordinating repairs of homes experiencing problems since ely 2018 and i have total faith in our team on the ground to see this through. f made a promise to the folks the lower ninth to help them rebuild. it is a promise i intend to keep. >> it was awesome.

>> reporter: allen says for her it's too late. >> at one point i felt optimistic that mak was going to make it right. at that point i feel like they have abandoned not only my family, but my community. >> nbc news spoke wit founder of the lower ninth ward's homeowners association who says the majority of make it right's homes are now vacant. in herwords, it's just not working out. guys, there is much more on ts story at nbcnews.com. >> started off with good ur intentions andd into that. wow. keep us posted. thanks. mr. roker with a check of the weathe >> the rest of the country, out west high fire danger because of the heat. low humidity. so it is dry and tinder out there.e we hlso got heavy rain making its way through texas. plus, the possibility of thelo deent of another system is going to cau big problems through the weekene. suns through the central plains into the great lakes. we have got humid weather in the dortheast and scattered showers hanging aro all the way down

into the southeast and parts of a. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of thewoods. good morning. another gray and bloomberg start to the day here in the wa tington area andre is not much in the way of improvement coming our waynytime soon. storm team4 radar shows hit and areasai of light at this point in time. that continues off and on through today and tomorrow. stedary rain is likely to come on friday. current temperatures in the upper 60s and lowup0s. r 70s to around 80 degrees. not much sunshine until late >> that is your latest weather. >> thank you> here is a questn. do you makour bed or do you leave it a mess? that question is on the mind of on, who is in the orange room. >> i hope my mom is not watching. >> a study shows whether or not you make your bed sayot a about you. the folks at sleepolis -- it's real place, yes. bed makers, bed wetters is a

different survey. a bed maker is more likely to a morning person. also somebody who wakes up without an alarm. theyre adventurous, sociable, highan maint often working inh or technology field. a nonbed maker, night person, snoozes alarm, shy, moody, the study pointed out odd characteristics, say bed mak exercise regularly, they believe in ghosts and sleepwalk.er non-bed m are more likely to watch tv and movies, potentially break a promise, and snore. social media is having fun with this and admitting a lot. s more a says every da important than making my bed. we asked you on twitter, do you make your bed? 64% saying yes. 36% saying no. the good news is whether or not yoou make y bed didn't seem to impact theha amount of sleep t

you had. they found out that bed makers and non-bed makers get 6 1/2 hours a sleep a night. >> i make it right over mike.uc i just him in. no, i don't. i don'd. make my >> that's my excuse. >> joel is a huge bed maker. he tucksn everything andets it just right. >> what about you? >> i leave it. i'll drape it over. >> i leave it, too. >> yeah. >> sleepopolis. >> that's right. >>g. it's happen >> more on that tomorrow. firstt up, sally field j days before the release of her new memoir. opening up about the highs and a of her remarkable life. madeline is in leles with more on that. >> good morning. according to the "new york times," sal field's memoir embodies pain and grace. it the 71-year-old oscar winner spares some of her darkes and most personal memories. she says she is nervous about

publishing it, but one she had to write. in a frank account that is both ldght and dark, slyal f lifiee. the two-time oscar winnernc o dubbed america's sweetheart for roles like gidget in the f none tells "the new york times" as a child she was repeatedly abused by her stepfatr, actor jacque mahoney. she said she felt a child, elpless, and not a dhield, powerful. this was power and i owned it, but i wanted to be a chimed. she adds her feelings aboutho y were mixed writing, it would have been so much easier if i felt one thing. if he had been cel and frightening. he wasn't. he could be magical, the pied piper with our family ase entranced. followe fields says mo hone any stopped the abuse when she was 14.

the effects lingered. there was her sexual awakening in her late teens she describes as breaking out of my own brainy followed b a secret abortion in t tijuana when she was 7. she alleges an early me too moment, writing for stay hungry, the director told her i can't hire anyone who doesn't kiss good enough, so i kissed him. it must have been because she got the part. he denied the event to the times saying it's untrue. i didn't make anybody kiss me in order to get any part. field writes about her romantic relationshh burt reynolds who died last week, calling their time together confusing and complicated and not without loving and carcog, but reay licated and hurtful. she also characterizes reynolds charismatic,g and but also controlling of her. field tells the "times" she was

relieved burt reynolds would never read theemoir because this would hurt him. "i be released september julia roberts hit the carpet looking beautiful as always. one fan on instagram thought she looked stunning. she compared it to that of the late legendary joan crawford. one person commented joan crawfordooks way better i my opinion. more classic and refined and julia isearing ugly black nail polish. julia fires bac a it iavy polish with garnished crysta as an accent in case you would like to edit your comment. just riyin'. >> allt. >> she wrote back, right? way to go. finally, rht over here, the great matthew mcconaughey is in the building last night. the oscar winner sat down with jimmy fallono talk about his new movie "white bo rick."

mcconaughey saying the entire family, including his mother, wento fwroogree for three weeks. they triedo stretch the trip out for another week, but his mother was not on board. >> mom had an idea. we would like to stay anothern week paradise. she is like, well, no. o, i don't think that's a good idea my mind was prepared that we leave today, and i'm ready to we are like, mom, hang on a minute. hang on, mom. we got another week. i thought you say thank you. she is like i have to get back to my pilates class on tuesday and i need to go to my salon t ge nails done. and just as i'm saying this, my wife very smartly goes, hey, you kn what? i know a great nail salon in town here. let's get our nails done. we will do pilates on the peach later on. my mom is like, i'll right now. let's stay another week. >> yes! smarh.woman. >> y i love it.

>> you own now a nail salon and pilates studio? greece? >> we should point out not only is matthew mcconaughey here. hi, matthew! look w else is here. stop it. >> we showed up -- a and friends. >> we have the a team here to s discussmuch with all these wonderful people. more cominer. >> hi!

this is a nbc4 today news break. >> 8:26 is your time on thi wednesday, september 12. we want to check on your morning commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 traffic. >> good morning. brand new problem. falls church outerloop after 66 crash blocking two right lanes this morning. inbound6 after prince william parkway we are jammed. take a look at that this morning. very,ery slow because of a crash there. and upper marlboro inbound 4 between richie marlboro road and wood bar a crash. >> we will take a quick break .

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70s to near 80 degrees. i wish i had better news, but ncmorrow another cloudy day with a high chae for rain. your ten day after.

back now. 8:30 on a wednesday morning. the 12th day of september, 2018, with the instantly recognizable voice , do we hear our music superstar, carrie underwood. guess what, guys? carrie underwood is coming to us on friday. she is going to put on a concert on our plaza life. it's going to be packed. you guys come back on friday. >> that is going to be fun. >> yeah. >> let's get to the crowd where is leanne? excuse me, savannah. right here. hi, leanne. how are you? >> fine, thanks. who is with you today? >> my husband and three very dear iends, steve, judy and lorraine. >> and you have a sign that says what's theebration today?

>> my dad's 92nd birthday. >> any chanc he is h watching? >>is. >> wt aud you like to say?py >> hapbirthday, dad. i love you from the bottom of my heart. >> i a ago ggoing to start cryi >> happy birthday. have a great time in new york. thanks for joining us. >> happy birthday, leanne's dad. guys, if you like stars, and i know you do, we have the half hour for you. let me start with mr. oscar winner matthew mcconaughey. he is here. he has,ra of course,formed himself so so many roles. he says hisatest role is unlike any other. we will tell you about "white boy rick." >> ay made us laugh on h"snl." they ae and teaming up once again. we will talk to that dynamic duo about that and so much ikre. >> they pillows. >> have you heard al's big news? >> what? >> he is heading to broadway. from october 5th to november s 11th, al going to be in the

tony-winningit musical "ress." >> and it features music from sarah borelis. there she is. >> look at this! >> you havees roker in "wai? >> we have been lobbying for a while. last time it was hurricane season that stole him from us. >> have you heard him sing? >> yes. >> and what do we think? >> beautiful. >> i wouldn't go tt r, but thank you. >> you have been taking lessons? >> i have. i have been takin lessons from darren rosenblatt and working at it. it's hard work. >> did you write everything for this? is you write all the i music? did. i wrote all the music for the show. it is hard work. it's eight times week, you know, for everybody in the show. it's definitely -- you will be pulling double duty. >> yes but it is pie, so. >> there is pie. you will be fine. >> what should al's motivation be? >>well, the song is entitled

"take it from an old man." >> so there's alat. >> i got it down already. >> have you been practicing? >> i have been practicing. i have just started now reading script a >> give us couple of lines. >> i can't, i can't. no, please. i am not in voice yet. a whdd e i scenario. he is singing at a wedding. unless anyone is getting married, it won't work. >> have you been blown away by have just really embraced it. >> we are so excited. we are 2 1/2 years on broadway. it's beyondde my w dreams already. i am so grateful. we are so grateful to the fans who keep coming back. people who have seen the show 20, 30, 40 times. it's we have our new star nicollet robinson. >> she is terrific. >> she is incredible. so we're excited for people to see the show. >> i can't wait to see the next project. you always have something cooking,n your back pocket. thank you again.

see al in "waitress" on broadway october 5th. let's see wt's going on for your broadway and everywhere in between. humid with showers in the mid-atlantic states, northeast look for heavy rain through texas. high fire danger out west. then for tomorrow as we have the approach of florence we will be watching that carefully and the development of a tropical system in the gulf will bring heavy rain to texas and possibly louisiana as well. wetn weather the western plains. fire threat continues in the central plaie southwest. that's what'e country. very gloomy star right no we have low clouds and low visibility for some areas with patchy fog,specially if you are in maryland. now, keep in mind as you head cl to baltimore and even philadelphia the fog is a lot thicker there. be very careful. thenlow 70s. may be in the upper 70s through the afternoon with cloudyki and a chance for

some aft showers. the rest of this week have the umbrella over the weekend. still at least a sma >> your latest weather. >> thank y> coming next, one o biggest naps in holwood, oscar winner matthew mcconaughey is darel dhchat with matthew. first, this is "to on stay with storm team4 on air and online for continuous updates and download the nbc washington app. we.

welcome back. matthew mcconaughey has dazzled us through the years, countless memoble rows, but the oscar winner says the latest is unlike any before. "white boy rick he plays a father with bright ideas for his family's future. >> all you've got to have is vision. >> vision? >> it's a metaphor, like a phrase of speech? our friends can look in the back seat, tell me what you see. a vcr. >> no, sir. that, my friend, is the future. our future.

you and i are going to open up a video store, rick. we are not just going to have one store, we will have dozens ofst stores. moeople are lambs, ricky. no you and me. we are lions. >>, matthew mcconaughood morning to you. >> good morning. why to you say it's unlike an role you've had? >> usual am characters that are by hook or ndook, try to situations or do handle situations. i have never played a character that loses so often. like every time. like loses every scenario hes in. his heart is in the right place, but he just doesn't have the follow through. you hear him talking about dreams in a video store and he is trying to hold his family together. as a father, he is a guy who cannot toe the line. >> you feel for him though. >> his heart is in the right place and yor do feel him. i know fathers like this. but he has all thetoant but none of the can do. >> let's talk about your co-star. we are seeing him on the scree

>> richie merritt. >> he was plucked out of a high school in baltimore. not an actor. wasn't auditioning. suddenly he is across the stage om you. >> this young man has never had job. we did a casting. we were looking for the right person for two years. they find him in the principal's office in a baltimore high the director put him through a boot camp. we saw that he could be honeste and beh in front of the camera. he didn't know i was when i met him. i met him in a parking lot at a bowling alley. i had to pick him out. he didn't know who. i w so we started to work together. lead in this movi he does a wonderful job. he knew the role. he knew the life of the person that he was inhabiting. he does a wonderful job. >> it's a true story?n >> based a true story, yes, ma'am. >> you have been busy. i have to put up a little graphic we made because i think these are your last three roles.

and they a seem different. first of all, what's goingn on the right? what's that? >> i believe i am wearing a dress in that one. that's moon dog. >> i thought it was a bathing suit. >> that's a full on dress with a fanny pack downlow, a sailor's cap up low. >> you wear it well. this is al l in thet year. you come home and your wife is like, who are you? >> she says -- she probably told you, she feels like she is sleeping with a different man, whatever role it is thm play to some extent, that's true. >> has to be about moon dog? >> the moon dog, me, that was fun when i was playing moon dog. milkshakes? pi sa night, no curfew. >> are you a moody actor types that getsna the role and it's like don't come into my room? >> no, not that kind of moody. bring a little bit of whoever my man is back home with me, but

i'm not that kind of moody. i let it go once i get back home. have kids, obviously. >> three. five, eight, and ten? >> yes. >> so you're a father in this role. what kind of dad are you really? are you strict? are you all right, all right, all right. >> we mix the all right, all right, all right into the discipline. you know, as you know, in parents understand that the main thing is that my wife and i, camila, we have a similar moral bottom line. and as, you lea if you have kids, every day they get older, you rowlizeuch more it's really dna. >> yeah. >> we can nudge them and shepherd them, et cetera, et cetera, but they are who they are. right now i am happy to say we have three healt ones and they are very much individuals. who do you do like on an average friday, saturday night? >> frisy night the no curfew night. a pizza night. night. they can sleep with mama and

papa night. sometimes we have toay it's midnight when it's 10:00 because ot can tell it's going to 2:00. it involves a of cook. we say stay home and cook a lot. then music. then it gets nice when it turns into after the movie into a bit of a dance party. >> oh, good. >> that's when we're reall rocking. >> what's your favorite dance song these days? >> these days? >> what does everyone love? >> what thef name the guy is that sings it. it's on -- >> do it again. >> what's it called? i forget the name. i have been listening to lot of sort of swing. wow, i like it. do you like all right, all right, all right >> yeah. i said it. i mean, that's the first three words i ever said in my film career. so it doesn't bother me when people sayit. it is three affirmations. what it does for me, that's the first three words i ever said in my first film days. i am doing that in 1992. i don't know if that's a hobby. it turned out to be a career 26

years latr. when i h other people say it, it's a call back to 26 years ago when i first started thi thing called acting which turned into a career. >> i think i means w love you, matthew mcconaughey. all right, all right, all right. >> good to hear. >> "white boy rick" in theaters on friday. check it out. next, the parad of stars rolls on. there is hoda across the way. >> check it out. look who is here. hey! just maya rudolph and fred armston. first, this is behind you. first,his is "today" on nbc.

more than a decade after they were could stars on "snl," maya rudolph and fred armisen are back. they play a married couple leading a predictable life. when they shake it up, they find themselves in an

extremely unfamiliar territory. take a look. >> want to go for a walk? >> yes. but real quick. do you hapn to knowf a river that runs through paris? >> the seine. >> are you sure? because then that makes this suffalo wings. >> hello, you two. >> hi. >> first of all, finally, you are working together again, right? we do. w. >> how many years? >> 2002? >> is that right? that's when you started "snl"? >> you all met at "snl"? >> yeah. >> okay. so you have bee looking for a project, something to do together. so thi -- i found this so interesting. when you are watching this show, it lks like a regular kind of humdrum couple. you snore. you go through the motions. then the world changes. tell me what broug two together for this roles truly b. we actually started backwards.

we justd to be together, so we approached alan yang and we said we want to play a couple. what should it be? he sent us some ideas. we said, oh yeah, tha sounds good. >> seemed perfect. >> look at your wall, by the yo way. have worked together in so many different skits. it gothi meing about "snl" and when you started, okay? i am fascinated by this. fred, you will have to do -- okay. cool. excellent. going to ask you to start singing a little bit, okay? are you ready? >> surprise. >> here we go. >> she has hers. so "snl," you were audioning fo "snl." how old were you? >> i started "snl" when i 27. >> okay. so i guess you get a call and you are told i a come in audition, right? >> yes. >> walk me through that. i want to know what that was like. you walked into t room? >> the best part is i never auditioned. >> you didn't? >> no, i blew it.

a person i was working with at the time said it's not a good year to audition, you don't want do it.wa so young and naive and i akand stches enty. it to lauryn. then i had a ming with him. he put me on the showla for the three shows of year. >> what was on that tape? do you remember? >> renaissance fair couple or something. >> do you remember any of the bit that you did? >> barr barely. real goofy stupid stuff. >> did you get a call? >> , yehad to meet lauren in his office on the ninth floor. he said why do you think you shhold be on the i said because i like wearing wigs. ot go well. >> did you have to do a full-on audition? >> yes, at the studio. >> is it quiet and you walk in and do it? >> yeah. it's quiet, but there is some laughs. >> i was there.

he had his -- >> give me a ltle. what did you do. >> i did the audition dress the up a as aenezuelan percussionist. i play these drums. i say things like, i'm just kidding. >> and then a little rim shot. >> and the cowbell. then i had this little mustache. r was just s struck to be in the room. it's at, you know, where they do the monologue and everything. so just to see -- i remember tina was there and llotren. >> you phone call? >> on the way to the elevators. >> what did they>> say? hat was marcy. >> what did she say. >> to the tune of we are going to make this work out. sog where i had to keep it inside for a while. ig >> you knew r away? >> so it was --op just ng me -- >> one of the best things about you two, you love to sing

together, right? >> yes. >> what song do you like to sing together? >> thesat's a good si pation. >> wyed music on stage together. for your documentary now. what was the name of our band? it was a fake talking heads pattern. >> and then he played in my prince cover band. >> called princesses? >> yeah. >> what did you all sing? purple rain. >> give me something. >> it' a western song? ur♪e rain ♪ purple rain ♪ purple rain ♪ i want to see you laughing in the purple rain ♪ >>well, we are happy that you all are back together again. cute iorend thank you. forever hits amazon this friday. we are back in a ms ent. first, t "toda "forever" hits amazon this friday. we're back in a moment>>

we we know that song. time to celebrate some birthdays. a little help from our frien smucker's. first up, 100th birthday from arthur rosenblum. served as a technical sergeant and editor in the mr. phillip brancato worked as an oil truck driver until he was 70. then delivered flowers until he was 90. hopefully, he never got those mixed up. happy 100th birthday to maxine hemphill of roseville,rn cali. another she'd rather do than spend time in thearden. fred griffin of littleton, colorado is also 100. he served as navy medic during world war ii and we thank you for you service. rupert smith is from indiana. a social guy at 100 years old,

says thet to longevity is working hard. and happy 102nd birthday to mary dixon. she is a bingoas champ from orange, new jersey. believes in drinking a cup of coffee every morning is e real secret to longevity. head to tod.com/lebties. we have a big fourth hour. matthew mcconaughey is going to come back for a double-dip. we loved him. >> i did love him. >> he ig cheat on me with you. >> anna kendrick is coming on. and paul has a new film out. >> going to be on with you, too. >> that's right. who knew, right? >> who knew? >> yes. >> alung before. >> we are going to be updating about hurricane florence all day long during msnbc, nbc.com. lester holt is down in wilmington as well along with craig. with dylan.

and they will be doing nightly news. >> you see earlier, the american model brought it in around irtle beach and kept going the europeanod has it just kind of hoveristd drifting. e european modeln fairly accurate. so we are going to be watching this very, very llclosely. >> right. al, the busiest man. not only is he handling the ch forecast and wg everything, we come in and tell him our weekend plans and want to know, is it still happening? >> yes. >> and we want people to be better safe than sorry. >> sure. >> please make sure you stay safe. evacuations. the >> thank you, al. we will keep you on the news, keep everybody honest on what's going on. up next, megyn kelly is catching up with aruck driver who spent her nights on the road. guess that? meghan hg and kate moss, the supermssel after your local th

supermodel, after your local news. . this is a nbc4 today news break. >> 8:56 is you time on this wednesday, september 12th, 2018. good morning. i'm eun yang. right now we will check on your commute with melissa mollet in your first 4 traffic how is it looking? >> good morning. a couple of problems falls church outerloop after 66. crash cleared. look at those delays. this is a live picture right now. hoping this gets better in the next couple of minutesdni 4, pe

avenue. crash investigation is cleared. someone did die in that crash. they had that shutown this morning. laurel southbound bw parkwa right lane closed. >> thank you. we will check your forecast when we come ba. free. it's time to uncover that feeling again. with the compassion and strength of a name... most accepted by top doctors and specialists. and the power of a card... that opens doors in all fifty states. giving you the freedom to love to dream to dance like no one is watching. carefirst blue cross blue ieldli. ve feaesrls.

good wednesday morning. a lot of cloud around again today, 74 degrees currently with patchy fog in the area andds lo cls we go through the first half of the day at least. temperatures right now upper 60s and mid-to-low 70s. this afternoon there could be a few areas the upper 70s, drizzle around with so afternoon showers today. tay stay in the forecast the rest of the week. this weekend doesn't look too bad. florence wille to the south. local impacts wouldn't be so far until the middle of next week. back to "today

[ applause ] good morning, everybody. i'm megyn keey. we h a lot to get to this morning. and "new york timst" inative reporter, megan twohey. co-host of "in princie," amy holmes. and legal analyst, d goldman. hi. we begin with the stunning announcement that one o elizabeth smart's kidnappers is about to be set almost immediately. when smart was 14, wanda barzee's husband, warren david mitchell,