dr. regina benjamin, u.s. surgeon general. with each cigarette, you have to ask yourself: "is this the one that will cause a heart attack?" if you really want to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now.

dr. regina benjamin, u.s. surgeon general.ith each cigarette, you have to ask yourself: "is this the one that will cause a heart attack?" if you really want to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now. >>> i'm damien trujillo where yet another child is fighting for his life after another shooting. details coming up. >>> plus, back on the

dr. regina benjamin, u.s. surgeon general.e one that will cause a heart attack?" if you really want to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now. >>> welcome back to our world. we're talking about schools and school reform now. over the last ten years there has been a charter school explosion in every city and every state. people are talking about charter schools as a way of responding to broken education systems. what do you all say about this? >> to me the biggest thing we've gotten out of charter schools, they have elevated the level of conversation for us to be focused on education. >> for the benefit of our viewers, can you say what a charter school is? >> charter schools essentially are -- they are public schools but privately managed. >> publicly funded and privately run? >> absolutely. i think those schools have had a level of autonomy around their curricul curriculum, hiring and firing of teachers and staff that i think has made a great difference in terms of the work they're doing. >> you're in trenton, i remember maybe ten

dr. regina benjamin, u.s. surgeon general.each cigarette, you have to ask yourself: "is this the one that will cause a heart attack?" if you really want to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now. >>> it is time for our favorite part of halloween on the plaza. we are going to talk about best costumes. >> i believe we should have won, of course, but since we can't, we are here with the top four finalists. >> there are big prizes. if you win, the grand prize, justin bieber tickets, third place 100 bucks, second $250, third place $300. here is john mulgrew. he wears the "today's show "chicken fight. i learned how to walk on stilts just for this. >> it's unsettling. >> who is on the back, natalie and anne. >> he didn't include us. >> thank you so much. please leave. >> you're not doing very well. be careful. someone watch john. >> from bergen county. they are cinderella and their fairy godmother. they love the fourth hour of "today." god bless you all. thank you. you've got my vote. >> sandra and erica ramos from milford, new jersey. th

dr. regina benjamin, u.s. surgeon general.igarette, you have to ask yourself: "is this the one that will cause a heart attack?" if you really want to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now. >>> time for the joy fit club and the induction of the newest member. >> 28-year-old graduate student from atlanta, georgia, who lost 123 pounds. her name is nikki chance. but before we meet her, let's take a look at her story. ♪ >> my name is nikki. i always battled with my weight. i was living large in college from late-night partying and pizza. my bad habits got the best of me, but my size took a toll on my self-esteem. it was hard being around my thin and beautiful friends. i was envious of the attention they would get from boys and i wished i could be more like them. after college, i applied for a job in public relations, a career that's all about image. i went on interview after interview, but got rejected every time. who wants a 300 pound woman to be the face of their company? in 2008, i hit rock bottom. my mom convinced me to get bariatr