good morning. fight night in vegas. donald trump and hillary clinton set to duke it out one last time in a debate. their planes crossing paths at the airport. polls showing hillary clinton with a comfortable lead and less will trump up the ante tonight? breaking overnight, chaos outside the u.s. embassy in the philippines. a policeman reportedly rams a group of demonstrators protesting the u.s. presence there. one person beneath the tire before getting up. this morning, why it's said he

chilling execution, a mexican judge being gunned down outside his home. was it a hit ordered by the drug lord "el chapo"? and the state dinner held at the white house. we'll take you inside today wednesday with, october 19th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer, live from studio 1a guthrie live from washington, d.c. >> good morning, everybody. welcome to "today," a special split edition on a wednesday morning. savannah is down in washington. bon journo. >> bon jorno. we chowed down at this final state dinner for the obama administration. it was a beautiful night. the weather was perfect and we

>> and michael looked very hand come and you looked beautiful. we'll talk about that in a little while. let us begin on a wednesday morning with the battle to replace the president. here is the state of the race, just 20 days to go. all eyes will be on unlv's tomason mac center tonight. heading into that debate, a poll shows clinton leading by nine points and president obama is of a rigged election, saying the republican nominee is whining before the game is even other. we will begin our decision 2016 coverage with hallie jackson. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. both candidates have been getting in some last-minute prep for tonight. but for donald trump, perhaps more on the line as he trails hillary clinton in almost every recent poll.

an eyebrow raising guest list, it will be trump's last real chance to prove that he has what it takes to try and turn it around. >> past the glitz of the vegas strip, a stripped down stage for the final fight night of 2016. the candidates already in position. they're duelling planes seen squaring off on the tarmac. donald trump seen prepping on his plane on tuesday focusing on foreign policy and his wife's record on iraq, syria in particular, the benghazi attack in 2012, trying to rattle hillary clinton by inviting the mother of one of the americans killed in that attack who has blamed clinton for her son's death. >> how could she do this to me? >> also in the audience, president obama's half brother who is reportedly backing the gop nominee. trump's team telling nbc news of the invite just hours after the president blasted trump, recommending he cut the

whining and go try and make his case to get votes. >> trump on the trail insisting the system is rigged. even without evidence of widespread voter fraud. >> they even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths. you see that. >> there is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even -- you could even rig america's elections. >> trump is making it clear he's running not justga clinton, but the media -- >> forget the press. read the internet. >> the polls -- >> i don't believe the polls any more. >> -- and the entire establishment. trump out now with a new plan to put term limits on members of congress, six years for the house, 12 years for the senate. >> we're going to drain the swamp in washington, d.c. >> in vegas tonight, clinton has her own debate strategy and her own challenges. stick to the issues and avoid getting testy with trump.

republican businesswoman meg whitman and outspoken trump critic mark cuban. clinton has been off the campaign trail letting her surrogates speak for her. >> we must not elect trump. >> that's bernie sanders. a podesta calls sanders a dufus for criticizing an international climate change deal. another puts sanders on a list of running mates, along with notably nonpolitical names like the heads of apple, starbucks and gm. not everybody wants to be talking about those hacked e-mails. new this morning, senator marco rubio in a statement to nbc news is warning his fellow

release politically, saying essentially today it's the democrats, but tomorrow it could be the gop. all of it, by the way, as here on stage we're learning today of a possible break in a long time tradition with a report that there will be no handshake between the spouses, former president bill clinton and donald trump's wife, melania. >> good to know. hallie jackson, thanks very much. let's bring in steve mike murphy. good morning. >> good morning. >> to understand tonight's debate, do we need to look at the videotape of the last debate, the videotape showing donald trump disparaging women and now he went on a blistering offensive. now we've heard from nine women coming forward making accusations of unwanted sexual contact with donald trump. same strategy? >> i think he'll try to make it

he'll relentlessly be on the attack. but he's got some explaining to do. i think he'll get pinned down. >> do you expect to see the same tone with donald trump? >> i don't think you'll see him opening up with an apology. coming into the first debate, he was down 2 1/2 points. coming into the third debate, it's 8, 9, 10 points and this race is reswb rehave close for being out of grasp for him. >> so he's wounded and desperate? >> he's wounded, desperate and dangerous. >> what about headquarter lk? the knockout punch because the subject matter brought back some problems in her family's past. does she stay away from the distance? >> i think you'll see a call back to the first debate where she did a good job of pushing trump's buttons and let him hurt himself. i think you'll see that tactic again. >> when you provoke donald trump, you question his business acumen. when he is provoked, he sondz.

chase the ball. i expect you'll see more of that on this debate stage tonight. >> let's now turn to her robs. it's not all roses for hillary clinton, either. in the last couple of weeks, we've now seen alleged transcripts of those discussions, those talks she gave, some speeches to goldman sachs. we know she talked about a public stance on some issues and a private stance. she's going to be asked about this. how does she respond? >> donald trump has adopted the message now, we're going to drain the swamp. he's argument against hillary clinton. what she has to do is avoid the fight, keep him on defense. she has to talk about the future, her vision for the country, where she wants to lead it and how to heal the wounds of this campaign. >> you're saying avoid it, but she can't avoid it all night. she's going to be asked pointed questions about it. >> she needs a clean answer and a pivot to make it about him. this is like a jump ball where -- >> what's the clean answer? >> i think the clean answer is the best thing about experience is, you learn from your

on him. >> what is the one thing -- this is the last chance where where they'll be face-to-face and let voters compare them standing next to each other on the stage. what is the one thing trump has to say and what is the one thing he has to avoid saying? >> i think we're 20 days away from picking the american head of state who swears an oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution. in an unprecedented fashion, he is undermining a fundamental institution which is how we pick our leaders through fair elections. he must signal tonight that he will accept the legitimacy of the american people's vote. and the one thing he needs to avoid tonight, which i think is difficult for him, is to be put on the defense, to be responsive, because he becomes both incoherent, defensive and angry and it drives more questions about his temperament. >> the quirkiness of morning tv on making you hillary clinton's

what does she have to say today? >> she's the only one today that has something to lose. she has to be on offense and make trump take the debate so the debate is about trump. >> fireworks, though question about it tonight. mike moisture tee, steve schmit, thank you very much. >> good to be with you. >> you can see the third and final debate, 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight on nbc. lester holt will anchor nbc coverage along with savannah and chuck todd. savannah, back to you. overseas thou, new developments in that the iraqi city of mosul from isis. nbc's chief correspondent richard engle is on the ground this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. there are already signs of what could become a humanitarian disaster as the u.s. is accusing isis of holding the people of mosul as human shields. iraqi forces are closing in on mosul, pushing toward the city

assisting with air strikes, artillery and advisers, told us mosul will fall. and with it, isis's so-called -- in iraq. >> when they lose mosul and then when they lose the territory they have in syria, i think that that really puts a knife in the heart of isil. >> but isis isn't telling that to its supporters. just the opposite. its propaganda showing life better than ever in mosul, people working, eating show a very different reality. valeski said some leaders from are isis, already known as daesh, have been fleeing the city. >> there's a lot fewer daesh and there will be fewer tomorrow than there is today. >> we saw an ire village of mosul up and leave, all the families, their animals, too. they walked for miles through the desert to escape isis and

this exodus from one small village of around 5,000 people, there are over a million in mosul. the number of displaced people could be enormous. >> the u.n. said it expects an initial 200,000 people to be displaced once fighting reaches mosul and perhaps more waves after that. general valeski warned that isis could try to carry out terrorist attacks in anticipated loss of mosul. matt, back to you. >> richard engle in iraq, richard, thank you very much. now a shocking murder caught on camera. the victim, a judge in mexico who was apparently involved in the case against infamous drug kingpin "el chapo" gunned down in front of his own home. nbc has the latest on the investigation. >> the surveillance video shows the judge jogging when a hit man

gun and executes vicinte rachames. the judge provided over a number of high profile drug cartel cases. while nbc news hasn't been able to independently verify the connection, some mexican media have linked the judge to drug king pen "el chapo" guzman's extradition case. "el chapo's" lawyer says his infamous client who escaped prison twice using tunnels like this was not involved in the murder sxbt just was not working his case. a court spokesman has not responded to nbc's inquiries. widely feared, even behind bars, experts say "el chapo" remains powerful, but is hardly the only one capable of ordering such a brutal hit. >> this is the way the standard operating procedure for drug cartels in mexico. they're going to continue to carry out these violent acts in order to accomplish their goals.

nation used to violence, mexico's president has promised a full investigation. "el chapo" could be extradited to the u.s. next year to face charges ranging from drug trafficking and money laundering to murder. but the cartel violence in mexico shows no signs of going away. this, another horrific example of the danger in the price often pace in the war against drugs. for "today," miguel nbc news. we want to take you back to the did turning video we showed you at the top of the show and warn you the images are graphic. a police van rammed protesters during a rally outside the u.s. embassy. the van, with a police officer at the wheel drove back and forth, slamming into people that surrounded that vehicle. at least one person was pinned under the van, but managed to get up and walk away. the demonstrators were calling for an end to the presence of

police say the officer in that van was merely defending himself from the protesters who were attacking him. and the hunt is on this morning for a group of gunmen who opened fire outside a san francisco high school. on tuesday, four male suspects walked up to the june jordan campus and started shooting just as classes were ending for the day. officials placed the building on lockdown. four students in the parking lot were shot. one of them remains in critical condition. threeth threatening injuries and police do not believe the shooting was random. they say at least one of the victims was the intended target. al continues to get all patched up from his knee surgery. dylan is this once again with a check for the weather. >> and it's going to be another hot one. then it cools down to more what you would expect for mid october. it is going to feel like late august here with temperatures 10

this time of year. the area where we're seeing record high sess shrinking a bit, but we should break a record in philadelphia today. the forecast is 84. the record is 80 degrees. we'll come close to it. new york city and hartford, baltimore should break the record with a forecast high of 85 degrees. down across the southeast, we're looking to break records in charlotte, savannah comes close, montgomery, alabama, should break the old record by about three degrees. it will start to cool off a bit in the northeast because of this cold front. a series of have moving eastward. we're looking at a chance of isolated severe storms today. southern missouri into northern arkansas. hail and damaging winds would be our biggest threat. when this second cold front moves through, that's when temperatures will move down to

and that's your latest forecast. matt. >> dylan, thank you very much. coming up we'll talk about the long and bitter feud between president obama and donald trump, as the president tells

and from here in washington, the fashion, the food and the fun. an inside look at the obamas final state dinner and what it took off to pull off a big

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? we're o ? we're off to see the wizard ? >> and we're back on this wednesday morning, it's october 19th, 2016. that's a piece of hollywood history. dorothy's ruby slippers from "the wizard of oz." the foundation launched a campaign and they want you to get involved in helping preserve those shoes. we have details, b ahead. >> click your heels three times together and say there's no place like home, savannah, and we'll see you short hi will. overnight, a dangerous fire

ranch. overnight, donald trump asked voters to get out and vote on election day saying it is the most important decision they will make. >> this sour final shot, folks. it's going to be a one-party system. this is your final shot. and, again, the final presidential debate is in las vegas tonight. a bit of gamesmanship from the candidates, among trump's guests, president obama's half brother, said to be trump, while hillary clinton has invited billionaire mark cuban and hue let packard's ceo, meg whitman. in today's campaign moment, the tuesday theel on the tarmac before tonight's debate. trump and clinton's planes sitting side by side. the planes have come tangled on the tarmac, both in washington

another moment getting a lot of attention, president obama slamming donald trump's claims of the rigged election, calling that whining. kristen welker is looking at what is just the latest exchange in a long and bitter rivalry between the president and the republican nominee. kristen, good morning. >> not good morning to you. when it comes to donald trump, it has always been personal for president obama. but this week, he turned their feud into an all-out war of words during conference in the rose garden. it's one of the most personal feuds in the political world and now president obama is essentially telling donald trump to grow up. >> i'd invite mr. trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes. >> unleashing a scathing rebuke of trump's claim that the electoral process is rigged against the gop. >> it's unprecedented. it happens to be based on no facts. whenever things are going badly for you and you lose, you start

then you don't have what it takes to be in this job. >> it's a public fight that started five years ago when trump became the face of the birther movement, questioning whether the president was actually born in the u.s. during a 2011 interview with meredith vieira. >> you are not allowed to be a president if you are not born in this country. he may not have been born in this country. >> when the president released his long form birth certificate, obama claimed trump looking on, fuming from his seat. >> and that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter. like did we fake the moon landing. what really happened in roswell and where are biggie and tu the pac. >> observers have speculated trump's humiliation in 2011 may have fueled his entire to run in

over this year when the political outsider clenched the nomination, both sides firing shots. >> i continue to believe mr. trump will be the be president and the reason is because i have a lot of faith in the american people. >> you're lucky i didn't run last time when romney ran because you would have been a one-term president. >> adding to the political fireworks, the issue that started it all, birtherism, which many critics say is steeped in racism. it wasn't until just last month that trump finally acknowledged >> president barack obama was born in the united states, period. now -- >> and while the political brawl rages on, the president is making an impassioned plea for a peaceful transition once the voters make their voices heard. >> the person who loses the election congratulates the winner, reaffirms our democracy and we move forward. that's how downtown survives.

have never and will never compete in an actual political contest, but in some ways the voters have already weighed in. according to our latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, 51% of voters have a positive view of the president. that number for trump? 29%. savannah. >> kristen welker at the debate hall for tonight, thank you. as we mentioned at the top, an effort launched here in washington to save one of the smith season yaean's most treasures pieces. an online just got under way to restore the slippers worn by judy garland in "the wizard of oz." tom costello is a few blocks away. tom, good morning to you. >> yeah, good morning to you. these are the slippers, right here. they've been in this case since 1979, made back in 1938. look over here. this is very cool. this is the original script for "the wizard of oz."

ruby because it was a technicolor movie. but now back here, these slippers are in desperate need of some expensive tlc. few movies mean more to americans than this one. dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man, cowardly lion and toto and the slippers. >> there's no place like home. >> today, millions of visitors ruby slippers at the national 3450u see yum of american history. but nearly 80 years since she skipped down the yellow brick road. the slippers, complete with judy garland's name on the inside are showing their age. >> what we can see here r sequins and we actually have a view of two sides. >> using a high res digital microscope, the smithsonian team has examined every bead, every stitch, every sequin, many of

faded and cracks, as well. >> that's all because of the humidity and the light. >> yes, likely. those materials are very sensitive to those conditions. >> humidity and light are a museum's anime. now the smithsonian has launch ed a $300,000 kickstarter campaign called keep them ruby. not to restore, but to preserve this american treasure. ryan is the entertainment curator. >> what we want to do is conservation to stop the deterioration, to mobilize them and build a state of the art case that's going to keep them in ruby condition for years to come. >> tap your heels together three times. >> in 1939, they were simple white shoes bought from a retailer, dyed red and covered with sequins. but down in the smithsonian's labs, dawn wallace admits they seem to transport her to a different place. >> whenever i would handle them, the songs would come into my

and smile a little, carefully, of course, while holding the slippers. >> even today, the slippers have some magic. >> yeah, they sure do. here is an interesting fact about the slippers. they are actually not ruby, they're burgundy because those early cameras could not read burgundy -- could not read ruby, rather, and as a result, they're not ruby, they're burgundy. the smith season campaign is on the website if the you'd like to contribute. these are the shoes, they say, worn by judy garland. back to you, savannah. >> i bet a lot of people are going to want in on that, tom. thank you so much. appreciate it. and we'll send it back to matt and dylan and your little dog, too. >> exactly. and by the way, thanks to tom costello for not showing the flying monkeys because i don't need nightmares. the fwlieing monkey scene freaked me out, tom. thank you for that.

the weather. >> it's very dry out west. and you mentioned that fire that developed outside of l.a., well, it's all because of these santa ana winds because of your area of high pressure pushing everything offshore. you have no more coming in from the pacific ocean. as the air goes downhill, it does tend to heat up. we are looking at near record highs today and possibly breaking records tomorrow. look at how warm it's going to be. l.a., 91 degrees. santa ana, 92 degrees. this is about above average. factor in how dry it is with relative hooumt down to about 10% to 20%. it's pretty windy, sxshl in the higher elevations. winds gusts up to 50 miles per hour. so we have, again, today that

and that's your latest forecast. >> thank you very much. coming up, the new push to have airlines refund those annoying baggage fees, but there's a catch. . food, fashion and a-list guests that made the obama's final state dinner one to remember.

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hi, pete, good morning. >> you were inside so we want the real scoop in a moment. so after nearly eight careers, this was the 13th and final state dinner for president obama. that is more than president george w. bush. he hosted 11. but far fewer than bill clinton who hosted 28 state dinners. and with the italians in town, the president said he was saving the best for last. from the white house, a glamorous evening honoring prime minister ma food and fashion are famous. this state dinner one of president obama's largest and also his last. >> in the immortal words of a great italian-american, yogi berra, it ain't over till it's over. >> jerry seinfeld was in attendan. >> we're jews, but we identify as italian. >> the first lady dazzling in a

versace. >> michelle, your tomatoes are great, but after the last weeks, let me be very frank, your speech are better than your tomatoes. >> the exquisite dinner fitting for fall, including greens from the final harvest from the white house garden. a full spread of desserts including tiramisu, of course. >> michelle and i decided to just think of this as a typical italian sunday dinner. >> this italian dinner prepared by chef vitale, donning his signature orange crocs. >> gwen stefani topping the night with a music performance fit for a king, or at least a prime minister and a president hosting his final fancy affair. >> the president sounding nostalgic at times saying he is

he is 55 now. renzi is 41. armani was in attendance. is there an after party? >> it's a real rage over at the department of agriculture. no, no, it's a real late night, though. it went until after midnight. gwen stefani played. she invited blake shelton, her date, to come up and play with her at the end. >> you look so beautiful. >> it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. it felt like the president and mrs. obama, they have that st it's a counton. i think 90-something days until the next president takes off office. coming up, taylor swift's new message on instagram that has fans excited for the weekend. and what's your state's go-to holiday candy? it is fueling controversy.

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7:50. 7:50. carson is on the west coast shooting the view. we've got shanell here in studio. >> i thought, okay, why not? >> so now we're talking about treats. >> retail review website did a poll to determine which candies are the best in each state. life savers are the favorite in california. a nestle clurchb bar is the favorite in florida. the classic candy corn won the most states in five places and reeses peanut butter cups had

when placed online, social media users plan to be very passionate about her candy. sara tweets, south dakota, we have to talk. and joe, this is a candy-koed coated zout rage. massachusetts has always been a recie's state and will always be a recie's state. according to the survey, they like starburst. matt, your home state of new york chose sweettarts. >> what? >> yes. what do you choose? >> it's a >> dylan, your turn. you're from new jersey where they like their sour patch kids. >> yeah, people do eat a lot of sour patch kids, but i like the chocolate candy. i like twix. >> i'm from kansas where they chose twizzlerss. but i am a kitkat girl. especially when you put it in the freezer. i guess we're all feeling chocolate. >> yeah.

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it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, the final round. hillary clinton and donald trump arrive in las vegas ahead of the third and last debate in this roller coaster election. what eachdi to walk away a winner. plus in the morning or at night? we'll take you inside the great shower debate and tell you which time is really better for you. and cher gets set to turn back time. maria shriver goes one on one with the music legend who reveals why she's ready to return to the stage at the age of 70. >> i didn't want to be finished, i didn't want to be through with

it's now or never. >> today, wednesday, october 19th, 2016. ?? >> we are from berry bend, indiana. >> we've been watching the "today" show every day since our wedding. 50 years ago. >> i'm celebrating my 40th birthday with the "today" show. ?? >> shoutout to our family back in arkansas. >> 33 years married to this hunk. we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 19th day of october,

>> look what's going on. >> nice to see you. it's a pleasure. i'll do it in one second. savannah is still down in washington, d.c., after a state dinner last night. she's not going to be there long. savannah, you're going to jump on a plane, head out to las vegas for tonight's debate, correct? >> that's right. i'll play the slots for you, matt, just like you asked. >> that's the deal. you got the numbers i sent you also. listen, though, before you get on the plane, i want you to check out something you missed on the hit show "this is >> oh. >> josie and i weren't good together. so we're not. >> it's not like i was going to keep the job anyway. >> but you know who are good together? >> matt lauer and savannah guthrie. i love them, and i want them to be my family. >> and also us, we're pretty

but mostly i was talking about matt and savannah. >> wait, what? what? >> i love that show, by the way, so that's pretty cool. >> that was awesome. so exciting. they're talking about us on "this is us," ma. we've made it, finally. >> it was a tad random, wasn't it? we'll take it. >> it was hum on show and it was perfect. >> savannah, i've got a question for you. i had one request for savannah this morning. i asked hero dress that she wore last night on the show today. you looked gorgeous last night at the state dinner. awesome. it was a 10. 10 plus. >> you are so sweet. because you know me, hoda, you know that just like you, that dress is wrapped in a ball and shoved at the bottom of a suitcase. >> with the shoes on top. >> safe travels, okay. >> thank you so much. >> we'll see you a little later. let's get a check of the top stories of the morning. it is time for the news at 8:00. >> i'm andrea mitchell in las

the third and final debate against hillary clinton could be his last chance to turn around a campaign that is not going his way, and all signs are point to him imploring the same scorched earth strategy he used in the last debate. donald trump vowing to drain the swamp in washington, calling for congressional term limits, even though they were ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court in 1995. >> not only will it end our government corruption, but we will that wre in right now. >> in colado tuesday, trump also repeating his claims based on no evidence that the election will be rigged. >> they even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt, and you see that. >> trump drawing a stern rebuke tuesday from president obama. >> i'd invite mr. trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes. >> trump's arsenal for tonight's debate includes a direct dig at the president, inviting

supporter. he's also inviting pat smith, whose son, sean, was killed in benghazi and spoke at the republican convention. >> i blame hlary clion personally for the death of my son. that's personally. >> trump deployed a similar strategy at last week's debate, bringing several women who accused bill clinton years ago of sexual assault. accusations he has long denied. today one of trump's own accusers, former "people" natasha stoynoff proud six friends who said she told them at the time trump had made inappropriate sexual advances, a charge trump denied and nbc news has not within able to independently verify. one was with stoynoff when they encountered melania later in new york. >> that never happened? >> never happened. >> hillary clinton arriving in las vegas tuesday facing her own challenges, a daily torrent of stolen e-mails from her campaign

by wikileaks. the fbi is investigating whether russia is behind the hacks. >> we think that the debate should focus on the extraordinary and unprecedented and very disturbing role that russia is playing in trying to influence our election. >> and clinton aides are laughing off trump's earlier suggestion that she might be doping for tonight's debate. they say that she will be ready for anything he throws her way. matt, back to you. >> all right, andrea, thank you so much. you can watch the debate tonig live, 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on nbc. i want to talk about some big news for air travelers. the obama administration is out this morning with new rules for airlines that address some common complaints by passengers. among the planned changes, airlines would be required to refund baggage fees when luggage is substantially delayed. right now they only have to pay if the luggage is lost. third-party online ticket sellers must be more transparent about fees and allow customers

other changes will force airlines to more accurately report on-time arrival rates and the number of times that wheelchair requests are mishandled. >> i hear people applauding for that, right? >> no question about it. coming up, when do you shower, before work or before bed? apparently there is a correct answer. we'll give it to you on trending. >> i want to hear your answer to that. and then big news for taylor swift fans. if you've been missing the music superstar, she'll be back. and then cher maria shriver about her big return to the stage at 70. and why she says she's never been a huge fan of herself. that's rig i laugh, i sneeze... there goes my sensitive bladder. sound familiar? then you'll love this. incredible protection in a pad this thin. i didn't think it would work, but it does. it's called always discreet watch this. this super absorbent core turns liquid to gel,

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time for trending today. i can't wait to hear this. first up, what was your most memorable experience? it's a multiple choice question. here are the options. your first job, your first kiss, or your first concert. what would you say? >> probably my first job. first kiss was weird and awkward. just like a weird time in your life. needs to be forgotten. >> i'm not going to choose first kiss just b that's what it would be. i'm going to say first concert. >> i don't get it. >> just because people watch, yeah -- >> you said you knew it was coming. you're regretting it. >> i was terrified. there are too many people in kansas watching right now. can we move on? thank you. >> mine was definitely first kiss. >> yeah. >> first kiss. >> what about you? >> i think it was first concert. elton john at the garden.

>> folks at stubhub, that should taint it right there. asked people to rate their answers. in third place, the first kiss. runner-up, first job. >> okay. >> number one, first concert topped the list proving the most memorable of the choices people were given. >> interesting. >> we got another question for the table. ready? >> sure. >> when do you prefer to shower? thing at night? >> in the morning. >> i'm at night. >> you're at night? >> uh-huh. >> leaves you more time to sleep in the morning. >> i'm in the morning because i need to wake up. >> it's part of my routine to get up. >> i'm dying to know -- >> i shower every morning. i shower probably once in the middle of the day. and i often shower at night, too. i like showers. are we talking cold showers or

[ laughter ] >> psychologists at harvard are weighing in this morning. they say if you shower in the morning, you get the boost you need to get out the door. but you should shower at night if you're a stressed out person. they say that you'll wash all of your stress away that's built up throughout the day. >> what about that midday shower? >> i go to the gym, so you have to shower. i can't leave the house in the morning if i haven'tow 20 minutes. >> you take 20-minute showers? >> 20, 25. >> all right, pop start. >> on that note -- >> first to drink. spotify just announced it has hit one dance, officially that's not how it goes. it's the most streamed song ever, 880 million streams. billboard named the track its song of the summer after it sat

staggering 14 weeks. >> wow. >> taylor swift, is she getting ready to drop a new album this month? some say yes. in the meantime, she'll perform this weekend in austin, texas. taylor hasn't shared any new tracks just yet, but she did offer us a peek at her rehearsals. ? >> she also has a big the night before the super bowl. so stay tuned. finally, emma stone looking beautiful on the latest issue of "vogue." she's the latest star to take part in the popular online series 73 questions and letting the cameras inside her beautiful l.a. apartment. while opening up about herself, she showed off a special talent. >> can you give me your best impression of someone famous?

to know ? >> offering that spot-on impression of britney spears. for more pop culture news, check out "today's" facebook page. >> pretty good. >> she's really good. >> are you still in touch with the guy in kansas? >> seriously? no. no. only my husband and that's it. >> good to know. thanks for the clarification. how about a check of the weather? >> all right. >> anything else you want to talk about or we'll just move on? taki series of cold fronts. these are going to get rid of the 80s. this one, the first one is producing and will produce some stronger storms later today, especially across northern arkansas, in the st. louis area and stretching over into cincinnati. hail and damaging winds will be the biggest threat with some of those storms. tomorrow, we're going to see the second front produce much needed rain across the eastern great lakes and interior northeast.

moisture off the atlantic. that's going to bring a lot of rain up to parts of the northeast including new england, too. we'll see scattered showers in and around the new york city area before it clears out for the weekend. we could see 3 to 4 inches of and that's your latest forecast. hoda and matt. >> announcer: "red, white and

now to our ongoing series tied to the presidential race, red, white and you. the final presidential debate tonight. there is one group that both donald trump and hillary clinton will try to reach, and that group is women. >> you may remember a few weeks ago nicolle wallace caught up with a group of moms in the battleground state of north carolina. this morning she takes us to ohio to find out how millenial moms there feel about this race. >> who's definitely voting on election day? >> i live in >> on the southern shore of lake erie sits lake county, just outside of cleveland. with this group of millenial moms are still struggling with this election. >> this whole election has morphed into an alternate universe almost where facts don't matter. >> in 2008, barack obama won here. in 2012, mitt romney won this county. the margin of victory both times, less than 1%. >> i don't expect perfection,

don't see that at all with either candidate. >> so as ohio becomes a must-win state, one thing is clear. when it comes to winning over moms, both candidates have work to do. >> they need to win your votes. and if they sat here and said what would it take, what would it take to lock you up as a voter, what would you want to hear? >> i think neither one of these candidates seem to be above bashing the other, and that really bothers me. i watched maybe ten minutes of the first debate and i felt like cafeteria. >> so are you throwing your hands in the air? >> it is definitely a lesser of two evils choice. and it would have to come down to a gameday decision. >> you know, trying to get you to hate somebody as opposed to trying to get you to like somebody. i have a daughter, she's eight months old. i look at her and it's not just the next four years, it's the next 20 years. whatever foundation is laid with this election she has to grow up in. >> i know that hillary has flaws. >> what could she do better to

transparent. show a warmer side and try to connect with people a little bit more. >> i think when you compare her to other candidates, you don't get a good feel for who she is. >> her credibility is a zero. you have benghazi, you have the e-mails and the server. even pneumonia. everything that comes out of her mouth, it's like she can't tell the truth. >> where does that leave you? >> leaves me erring on the side of trump. >> but when it comes to women, the latest nbc news/survey monkey poll shows hillary to every age group. >> tell me how you get over the character concerns with trump? >> i don't think you get over it. i have to trust that he's going to put good people around him that will help guide him in making good, sound decisions and pray that he can hold it together for four years. >> i have a hard time with donald trump because a lot of what he says goes back and forth so much, you can actually watch him contradict himself. >> what advice would you give mr. trump if he sat here? >> i would tell him he needs to

pretty awful things and he needs to turn it around and being the trump that the republicans nominated. >> any leader that admits to treating women in a certain way, it's hard to say that they are a good choice to be the leader of the free world. >> historically, women vote in higher numbers than men. in 2012, 53% of voters were women, so getting out the vote is crucial. >> who's definitely voting for hillary clinton or wants to say so today? who's definitely voting for donald trump or wants to say there you go. the state of ohio, the great state of ohio. >> it's interesting. you asked one of them the question what would it take to lock you in and then you look at them and they raise your hands. but do you get the sense something could happen in this debate tonight that's going to move them? >> the reason is they are not hard-core partisans. as a group they like their governor, governor kasich, a republican, but they also admire a lot of things about michelle and president obama.

they're very much influenced by events, by news. and tonight's debate is really important, especially for tria, my one undecided mom. >> it's always one thing to look at polls, but those are just numbers. to get out and sit down with the people behind those numbers is fascinating. >> and they have so much wisdom. they see and hear everything, they miss nothing. even though they're busy juggling households and jobs. amazing. >> you can see more of our "red, white and you" series on amazon fire tv. >> second time's a charm. now to another woman who always has a lot to say, music icon we're talking about cher. >> that's right. she sat down with nbc special anchor maria shriver and made a big announcement. maria, good to see you. good morning. >> good morning, matt and hoda. with a career that has spanned six decades, cher's star is burning brighter than ever. we caught up with her in los angeles to talk politics, social media and the state of the world

cher is back. the pop goddess is returning to the stage, announcing spring tour dates in las vegas and maryland. >> i didn't want to be finished. i didn't want to be through with singing, and i knew that this would probably be the last time. my voice is still really good. i'm still, you know, active and running around. i can still fit in my costumes. so i thought that probably -- it's now or never. >> you're 70. do you just look in the mirror and go i don't feel it, i just refuse to accept it? >> i just don't know how to accept it. i don't want to either. but i don't really know how to. i look in the mirror and i see this old lady looking back at me. if i put 70 candles on my cake, i would blow my brains out. >> when you look in the mirror, what do you see?

i just see cher. but, you know, i'm never satisfied. i've never really been in love in cher, she's all right, but i'm not a huge fan. >> get out. >> no. >> you're not a huge fan of cher? >> i'm not a cher fan, exactly. >> cher, i love you so much. >> luckily, cher has plenty of loyal fans waiting for her

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>> and that's a good thing. if you want to see the classic cher tour, there are only 24 dates scheduled right now. tickets go on sale this weekend. but before she heads out on tour, she's heading out on the road for hillary clinton. the next two weeks she'll be hitting the pavement all across the country for her. so that's the best place to see her right away. hoda. >> maria, thanks. i still can't believe cher is not a cher fan. that's crazy. maria, thanks. >> thank you, maria.

big first in his career. and bobby flay shows why he and bobby flay shows why he cannot live without that (beep, camera shutter click) did you just see that? that was awesome. we have to try it. okay. okay, mine's not working. maybe you have to bump it. oh, yeah. do the bump it thing. right. okay, yeah. (muffled) you can take money out using the bmo harris app! you want to buy a hairless cat? there's a pet store down the street. cool... i think she said "bmo harris app". yeah, that makes more sense. when your phone is your debit card.

i'm...vince vitrano alongside brian gotter...lets get a check of the weather.. 94 southbound at ryan road is completely shutdown because of a crash on 94 east and milwaukee racine county line there are no other crashes in

ozaukee area right now but looking at drive times, several slow go spots plan

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, 19th of october, 2016. another beautiful, warm day here in the northeast, including right here in midtown manhattan. >> adam, adam. i've got adam here, you guys. he says he's the next matt lauer. are you the next matt lauer? >> it's good to have you here, adam.

oh, he's the cutest. >> this is the photo of the day. >> we love you. just ahead, ewan mcgregor is here talking about directing for the first time and the much-anticipated return of one of his most famous roles. also ahead, our pink power today, our friend joan lunden is here to talk about a little known condition women need to ask their doctors about. >> and bobby flay shares his secret weapon for the cornbread ever and how to turn it into a delicious dish the next day. dylan, you have a check of the weather? >> yes. it would be nice to keep this warm weather around but we'll see it cool down as we go into the end of this week, all because of those cold fronts you see draped across the country. we could see stronger storms back through parts of the midwest and the second front is the one that's going to cool temperatures down to more seasonable. santa ana winds out west with record highs today and more rain in the pacific northwest.

northeast as we go into tomorrow with 3 to 4 inches of and that's your latest forecast. matt. >> all right, dylan, thank you very much. i'm here with ewan mcgregor who stars in and directs the new movie "american pastoral." he plays a successful businessman whose daughter uproots his family's seemingly perfect life. take a look. >> if you oppose the war right here with all your strength,

know. >> revolutions don't begin in the countryside. >> we're not talking about revolution. >> you're not talking about revolution. >> ewan mcgregor, congratulations. >> thank you. >> how does it sound when i introduce you as actor and director. >> i still have to pinch myself a bit, yeah, it's nice. >> you weren't originally going to direct this. the project then needed a director. you dove into this. i was reading about you night. this was based on the novel by philip roth. how many times did you read that book? >> i read the book -- i read it like twice front to book and then i just read it. for nine months i was in the book. i listened to it on tape. there's a brilliant recording by ron silver. if i was driving or running, i would be listening to ron reading it. and then i would read it daily. after a while i stopped reading it from front to back but just reading the bits. >> at some point did you have to

the film? >> after five or six weeks away from shooting, i put it down. our film script i always trusted. i thought it was really wonderful, written by john romano. >> i think the story is fascinating because it involves what seems to be a perfect family. the husband has it all, the wife has it all, they have got the kids. but then what happens is one of the daughters becomes a radical in the truest sense of the word. it's set in the '60s but has a lot of relevance for today. >> it does. roth was very much the '60s and the period of time where the generation of the -- the post-war generation of the '50s collides with their children's generation of the '60s, the anti-vietnam protesters. so i was thinking very much about that time, but you can't help but see relevance to today. >> what did you rely on to get that dynamic between father -- that frustrated dynamic between father and daughter down? >> i just had a brilliant actor

we got on very well. we made the scenes feel very alive. i don't know, it's just two actors working together. >> how hard was it to take the actor's hat off in between scenes or takes, put the director's hat back on and kind of straddle that line? >> well, that's very much to do with your preparation. i was there -- we shot in pittsburgh. i was there for 12 weeks before we started shooting. we set up the whole shoot knowing that i was going to be acting and directing. and then really it felt like the same job. i never felt switching hats really. i would be in the scenes with the actors. we would discuss where we wanted it to go in the next take and then we would do the scene together so it felt quite natural to me. >> a lot of directors just let the thing happen when the cameras are rolling. others like to get the actors on the set and rehearse it. which are you? >> we always rehearsed before shooting and we always did it alone. me and the actors would go on the set, we'd shut the door, no crew and rehearse until we were

satisfied we had the scene the way we wanted to shoot it. >> congratulations and i can't wait to see the sequel to "train spy" coming up which is where you got your start. >> that's coming out in the spring of in ex year. >> ewoman -- ewan, it's great to see you. coming up, a comedian on the cutting edge with an in-your-face style all her own. first on a wednesday morning,

now to more of our series cutting edge women. this morning a comedian making a big name for herself. natalie morales is with her. >> get ready for the name phoebe robinson. if you haven't heard it yet, you'll hear it over and over

she looks at race and gender equality with humor and bringing diversity to podcasting. >> how are you guys doing, good? >> comedian phoebe robinson is making waves in the podcast world. >> how would you define the kind of humor you have? >> i think it's very, like, in your face and raw and honest and observational. >> i'm 50% black and i'm 50% black at hell. >> is race an important part of your comedy? >> yeah,hi people see that i'm a black lady and i think a lot of times in entertainment, you can get treated differently based on your race. >> even the title of her podcast series makes a point. >> your podcast is called "so many white guys." >> well, i work in podcasting which is very white male dominated and i just was noticing, yeah, i'm just surrounded by white guys so i want to poke fun at the situation. >> open, honest and funny.

and gender equality with humor. >> i think we always want to walk that fine line of making sure we're entertaining first. like we don't mind commenting on something, but we really want to come from a place of uplifting people. >> yo, girl, i got that. >> in march, robinson's first podcast, 2 dope queens with jessica williams became the number one downloaded podcast on itunes in the first week it came out. >> why podcasts? >> well, podcasts, i think like you just really have this interesting connection with someone that you don't get in another medium. >> guests have included nia long, gina rodriguez and even jon stewart. >> we had jon stewart on for one episode and i was freaking out. he was like i listen to the podcast, it's great. i'm, wait, uhlich to an episode of podcast? he's like yeah. okay, i'll stop freaking out. but it's really cool to have that stamp of approval.

after studying screen writing at the pride institute in new york, robinson went with a friend to a stand-up comedy class. >> my teacher was linda smith. i fell in love with it. it was just instant. i was like, oh, this is what i'm supposed to be doing. >> but it wasn't easy to break into the comedy world. robinson worked as an assistant for six years while doing stand-up shows at night. >> you guys are fantastic. i'm phoebe robinson. enjoy the rest of your lives. >> i read that you would say i would cry myself to sleep a early struggles? >> yeah, just because working that many hours and you're not making any money doing these stand-up shows so there's a lot of tough days. but i think that made me stronger. >> robinson takes her podcast at wnyc studios in new york but she showed me the ropes in l.a. >> let's see if it's okay, if it's up to your standards. >> oh, my gosh, this is awesome. >> so are you feeling at home here in l.a.? >> with the microphone and

roles now and we were to do a podcast. >> yeah. >> what would you want to know? >> i'd want to know what celebs you would want to date if you were single. >> oh, my! >> a little girl talk. >> my hub is not going to watch this, right? >> no. >> well, rob lowe was on our show the other day. >> fine wine. i like that. >> what about you? >> so michael b. jordan, michael fast bender. i date a lot of like nerdy . like a little funny nerd so that's who i usually date. and that's your podcast. you just did your first podcast. >> we did it! the person who most inspired this 32-year-old, oprah. >> have you ever talked to her? >> no, i would love to. >> you need to get her on your podcast. >> well, the rumor that i've heard is that she has my book, so oprah girl, call me.

also breaking into tv in a new amazon show with kevin bacon. but comedy is always at the heart of her work. >> how would you say that you're cutting edge? >> i really kind of self-created my career in a lot of ways. i wasn't waiting to be cast in something. so i really just feel like being in control of your own destiny i think is my way of being cutting edge. >> what i love about her story, hoda, you see a young woman who recognized there was a need for a voice i found her voice, and i think she's certainly influencing that landscape. >> no kidding. it's so hard to break through in podcasts, in the podcasting world, just as a testament to her how quickly they rose. >> she's smart and she's funny and people love to listen to her. she's going to go real far from me. >> thank you so much, natalie. now over to you, matt. >> our friend, joan lunden, is here with a potentially life-saving question that all women need to ask. we're going to talk about that

back now at 8:46 with pink power today as we mark breast cancer awareness month. one in eight women in the u.s. will develop the diseases during her lifetime. our good friend, joan lunden, is a survivor and the author of "had i known." joan, good morning. >> good morning, hoda. you know, 40% have what is called dense breast tissue, and it puts you at a greater risk of getting cancer. but surprisingly, millions of women don't know if they have it or what tests should be done if they do. ever since i battled breast cancer and found out i had dense breast tissue, which can mask a tumor, i make sure my friends, like elise, who also have dense breasts, get thoroughly checked. >> did they ever tell you anything about breast density?

it wasn't until about two or three years ago that i even started hearing the term "dense breasts." and believe it or not, it was from you. >> and sure enough, you've come to find that you do have very dense breasts. >> now, why wouldn't your doctor tell you that? >> i guess that's the $64,000 question, isn't it. >> a question that demands an answer. i recently attended an fda public hearing in washington, d.c., to request that when women across the country receive their mammogram resu breasts. >> i had a clone mammogram in 2014 and then i had an ultrasound and found out i had cancer. and what about all the other women out there who have mammograms and never hear the results that they have very dense tissue and might need another test? this could save their lives. had i known earlier that this kind of life-saving information wasn't being passed on to me and to other women, i would have

a long time ago. i'll keep knocking, because for women with very dense breasts getting additional tests is critical. this is what fatty breast tissue looks like that can detect a tumor, but dense breast tissue appears white and so does the tumor. it's like looking for a snowball in a snowstorm. >> that's why i'm going to take you over to the radiology lab where they found my tumor and you'll get your mammogram and in your case now w to make sure that you get an ultrasound. so let's go. >> let's go. >> while a mammogram is considered the gold standard when it comes to screening for a tumor, for some women like elise, it may not be the perfect test. >> what are the limitations of a mammogram? >> mammography is limited by the density of your breasts. the more white tissue you have, the more difficult it is to spot small tumors which show up as white spots. >> so is this me?

mammogram, which is what we call dense breast tissue. >> like many women, each year elise gets a report that states her mammogram is normal. >> millions of women in this country who get what we have come to term as the happy-gram. you don't have cancer. >> i get it every year. >> and usually you just read that first line, right? and then it goes into the wastebasket. and you think, whew. >> it breasts, but all doctors are not required to flag that information or suggest more tests. elise lives in new york. it's one of over 25 states that has passed dense breast notification laws that require some level of information in the mammogram about breast density and its risks. >> do women need to be their open advocate and say do i have dense breasts? >> i think women definitely need to be their own advocate.

law so that all women have this information at hand. >> in a statement to nbc news, the fda is proposing amendments to the mammography quality standards act final regulations that are expected to address breast density reporting. >> and so for people like me and my friend elise, what are your alternatives? >> in those women who have the dense breasts, other exams that can be performed would include a whole breast ultrasound, which is a screening am >> ultrasounds are not always covered by insurance, but they are painless and for elise provide peace of mind. >> hi. >> oh, you're all done. >> all finished. >> tell me everything is good. >> everything is perfect. >> we've known each other for 30 years and we've got 30 more because we know what we're doing. >> very much a reloaf. >> all right, kiddo. >> it is important for women to understand the results of their mammograms and know their breast

whether you might need additional screenings, whether it's covered by insurance, that will really depend on your coverage and unfortunately, still, by where you live. >> so you really do have to be your own best advocate, that's the rule of thumb. >> absolutely. joan, you're looking good. are you feeling good? >> i'm feeling great. thank you, thank you. >> love that you're here. coming up next, bobby flay gets things cooking with the

we're all about kitchen tools you cannot live without. bobby flay tournament premieres tomorrow night. the kitchen tool you cannot live without is? >> cast iron pan. >> why? >> love them. first of all, they don't cost a lot and can last for generations if you take care of them. they're wonderful to cook with because it gives you lots of good cooking. >> we've got two recipes and one is in the oven. let's talk about cornbread. wet first, then dry? >> you mix the dry and the wet separately so you have some eggs and milk and butter. this is the bet ingredients. and i have dry ingredients, corn meal, a little bit of flour, some baking powder and then a little bit of salt and sugar. >> all at once? >> yeah, put it all in. and the great thing about

you just kind of mix it altogether just until it forms a batter. >> you don't want to mix it too much, right? >> you don't want to mix it too much. keep mixing that, please. and i'm going to take my cast iron pan and this is key, okay, that i warmed up in the oven, made it really hot. i'm going to take a little butter, brush it right on top of the pan. we're going to take that batter and pour that right into the hot skillet. what's going to happen is you're going to get thisll crust on the outside of the cornbread so you get a good contrast of texture. >> it looks like this over here, which is beautiful. >> 18 minutes. >> you've got cornbread. take the cornbread now and make another recipe for me. you go that way, i'll go this way. you call it dressing because it's alongside -- >> because i cook it on the side. i'm going to cook it back in the cast iron pan. now, if you want to make stuffing, you put it in the bird, which is totally fine.

>> not much. >> we have mushrooms and i call these the thanksgiving vegetables, carrots, celery, onions. put a little garlic in there if you want as well, a little bit of butter. any mushrooms will work perfect low fine. we saute those for a little while. then i'm going to add some eggs to this and then some herbs. a little bit of fresh thyme, oregano and some parsley. and then we're going to had athe cornbread. now, this is the cornbread we had the day before. let the cornbread stale so it dries out, otherwise it's going to be too moist. >> okay. >> so pour this right into our vegetables. this is going to start to make up that flavor profile for the dressing. now, one of the most important ingredients in any thanksgiving meal is chicken broth. we need a lot of it because it is going to drink up a lot of it. >> the cornbread soaks it up? >> it soaks up a lot of the broth. once you think you have enough,

into the skillet? >> right into the cast iron pan. we bake this in the oven for 40 minutes and you can see how crusty it gets. >> with either turkey or chicken, a little cranberry sauce on the side. >> there you go. >> cast iron skillet, that's the tool you can't live without. thank you. for these recipes and to sign up for our "today" food club head

check of the weather.. 94 southbound at ryan road is completely shutdown because of a crash on 94 eand there are no other crashes in the racine milwaukee waukesha ozaukee area right now but looking at drive times, several slow go spots plan

good morning today the one indian spice you will want for cold and flu season. are you ready to meet your child's teacher. also painting the town purple. >> the significance of the color coming up next on the morning blend. ? ? [ music ] ? ? ? ? good morning everybody. one of my favorite questions we have ever asked men on a show. >> what do you notice first about amen? >> because it catches them off guard. you can see the gears shifting