instead, dan brown takes aim at america's founding fathers.nd their connection to a mysterious fraternity, with a secret handshake. think "national treasure," but with nicolas cage upgraded to tom hanks, the book due out midnight monday is a better kept secret than those hidden compartments in the president's desk. the author who consulted on national treasure hasn't seen dan brown's book yet. nobody has. but he's already planning a three-hour walking tour. the washington monument, built to honor our most masonic president. conspiracy theorists. the layout of the city's street contains symbols. the theory is all of these famous landmarks of washington are really a secret code. >> right. the theory that dan brown's going to put forward is that thereis a geometric code of washington, d.c. >> if you look at them, maybe it's a compass or a square, you can find on the internet an angry dachsund on the streets of washington. >> reporter: this man took us inside the pyramid that serves as the southern hemisphere of the fraternity. >> a secret dorm? >

. >>> the secrets and conspiracies in dan brown's new book. secrets based here in washington, d.c. and across the river in vir wow, is this... fiber one honey clusters? yes. it's delicious. delicious. i know. but it can't have... can't have about half a day's worth of fiber? i assure you it does. i was expecting... expecting sawdust and cardboard? i know. i caonly taste... only taste the crunchy clusters, honey, and brown sugar. no madam, i don't have esp. ok. i'll take a box, but you probably already knew that. (announcer) fiber one. cardboard no. delicious yes. >>> mystery, masons and the nation's capital all making for one blockbuster new book. lost symbol hit store shelves yesterday. author dan brown spent time in washington and in virginia researching the mysterious settings and conspiracies for lost symbol putting a secretive spin on some of the buildings and monuments we all see every day. how much is fact and how much of this book is fiction. fox 5's john henrehan takes us inside some mysterious spots. >> reporter: dan brown's new book, if you will follow me for a moment, a

. >> reporter: the opening scene of dan brown's new novel takes place inside the imposing headquartersf the scottish rite free masons. >> this is called the temple room. >> reporter: in this ornate room. as secret as this holy fraternity is about its symbols, the masons take pride in their history. george washington was a member. the first of 14 presidents to belong. as well as countless other influential men. >> one, two, three, four, five, six seven, of the supreme court justices were free masons that year. >> reporter: wow. making them perfect fodder for an author obsess with secret symbols and powerful conspiracies. >> now, dan brown uncovers the most shocking secret of all. right in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the masons admit they're a little anxious about getting the dan brown treatment. >> we don't know whether to batten down the hatches. or open the doors and say come on in. >> reporter: even before the book came out, entrepreneurs have been angling to cash in. >> we think there's going to be a boom in terrorism, about president curious about masonic influence in america. >>

dan brown, thanks for being with us.e's lester. >>> if you still haven't gotten over the fact that the "seinfeld" show went off the air 11 years ago, take heart. jerry, elaine, george and cramer are getting back together again. >> that is one magic loogie. >> reporter: in 1998, it all came to an end. >> i'm out. >> reporter: "seinfeld's" run lasted nearly a decade. >> just forget it. >> reporter: for the last decade many have wondered -- >> i'm going it to ask you the same question, when will we get a "seinfeld" reunion? >> reporter: larry is larry david, co-creator of "seinfeld" and the answer to that question is soon. >> i got this really good idea. george has gotten married. and divorced and now he's trying to get his ex-wife back. that cou be funny. >> that's not bad. >> no shortage of ideas. >> why would we do something like this? >> reporter: when they do it, it won't be on "seinfeld." the cast of the old show comes together for the first time on a different show. larry's sitcom "curb your enthusiasm." >> i enjoy p

. >> reporter: the opening scene of dan brown's new novel takes place inside the imposing headquarters of the scottish rite free masons. >> this is called the temple room. >> reporter: in this oninate room, their holy of holies, as this secret as this ancient fraternity is of their symbols the masons take pride in their history. george washington was a member, the first of 14 presidents to belong as long as countless other influential men. >> seven of the supreme court justices were free masons that year. >> wow. >> reporter: making them perfect fodder for an author obsessed by secret symbols and powerful conspiracies. >> now, dan brown, author of "the da vinci code" uncovers the most shocking secret of all, right in washington, dc. >> reporter: the masons admit they are a little anxious about getting the dan brown treatment. >> we don't know whether to batten down the hatches or open the doors and say come on in. >> reporter: even before the book came out entrepreneurs have been angling to cash in. >> we think there's going to be a boom in tourism from people curious about masonic inf

. >> reporter: the opening scene of dan brown's new novel takes place inside the imposing headquartersf the scottish rite freemasons. >> this is called the temple room. >> reporter: in this ornate room, their holy of hollies. as secretive as this ancient fraternity is about its rituals, and symbols, the maysons take genuine pride in their mistory. george washington was a member, the first of 14 presidents to belong. as well as countless other influential men. >> one, two, three, four, five, six, seven of the supreme court justices were freemasons that year. >> reporter: making them the perfect fodder foe for an author obsessed by secret similar bombs and powerful conspiracies. >> now dan brown, author of "the da vinci code," uncovers the most shocking secret of all. right in washington, dc. >> reporter: the masons admit they're a little anxious about getting the dan brown treatment. >> we don't know whether to batten down the hatches or open the doors and say, "come on in." >> reporter: even before the book came out, entrepreneurs have been angling to cash in. >> we think there's going

already copies of dan brown's the lost symbol are flying off shelves. >> definitely love dan brown. i think he has some very interesting stories. >> i like reading books set in d.c. >> reporter: the thriller stars robert langdon who finds clues. it starts in the row opportunity a under a painting of george washington as godlish. the founding father was also a mason, the world's largest fraternity. in the past, masons have been characterized as steeped in secrecy. local masonic leaders say that's a myth but they'll take their 15 minutes of fame. >> every one that i've been talking to has been finding it to be interesting and there are some chuckles going on. and the flavor of the day, at least for this week. and then by next week, people will move on and go someplace else. >> reporter: d.c. tourism ficial hope the people will become visitor to the city. they've set up a website telling fans of the lost symbol, where they can find the local sites written about in the book. a way to cash in on a new wave of tourists. >> at the end of the day, we'll have folks internationally and domest

author dan brown spent time in d.c. and virginia researching the mysterious settings for lost symbol putting a secretive spin on the buildings that we see every day. how much is fact and how much is fix? john henrehan takes us inside mysterious spots. >> reporter: dan brown's new book opens here on 16th street in washington d.c. it's in this place that he has them drinking blood from a skull. >> it's exciting but he didn't get it right. i think he kobled together sources that he found on the internet, n al you -- all of which are favorable. it's a good book of fiction, not fact. >> reporter: no human blood, no skulls. >> no human blood, no skulls. >> reporter: the masons who call themselves the world's oldest fraternal organization invite anmember of the public to tour on 16th street. george washington is a prominent figure in the book. curators continue to display masonic artifacts from washington's lodge and added a punch bowl full of masonic symbols. did the father of our country make a shocking death bed confession

meredith and ann are curling up with dan brown's newest novel.stores today. of course, this is the guy who wrote "angels and demons" and "the da vinci code." he sat down with us for an exclusive interview in his home, and he calls it the fortress of gratitude. kind of cool. we'll have that interview coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> he likes the hidden doors. >> he does, passageways, no question. >>> now, jack may be a little young, i don't know about you, but leila has been asking, she's in fifth grade, wants to walk to school. >> yeah, i know. >> and i'm really nervous about that. it's a big question. you want your kids to be independent, but you want them to be safe as well. well, coming up, we'll have expert advice for families struggling with this decision. >> so she's 10? >> she's going to be 11 in november. >> 11. >> it's not that long a walk, but i'm still nervous. >> good luck, pal. >> yeah, thanks. >> good luck to you with that. >>> she sings, dances, produces, not leila, we're talking about barbra streisand, and now she's getti

. >>> why washington may never be the same after the new dan brown novel. >>> a huge response to our report about debit cards and what you can do about the fees. "nightly news" begins now. >>> good evening, the message from the u.s. government and the news media has been that it's going to take at least two flu shots this season, one for the regular or seasonal flu and another for the swine flu, which continues to spread. the question is, when will the swine flu shots be ready. today, the government gave us an answer. the vaccine is red we have details from our chief di-. correspondent, robert bazell. >> reporter: the fda approved the swine flu vaccine. the first set should start to arrive within four weeks or sooner. >> i appreciate the opportunity to give you an update -- >> reporter: kathleen sebelius mentioned the approval casually during a house hearing. >> just so i understand, this drug has not yet been fda approved? >> it was today. >> that's good news. >> reporter: they are buying it and distributing it to states. the cdc recommends certain groups get it first, including pre

to scotting areas. >> dan brown brings his readers much closer to home. we have more. >> this is the actual room and alter where the start willing ritual in the opening scene of dan brown's new book, "the lost symbol." takes place. a secret inish yags. grand historian, in this case truth is definitely more boring than fiction. >> he has his candidate drinking wine out of a human skul. >> that doesn't happen here. >> never seen it. he says this is a former meeting room. he explains free masonry is not a secret society. >> it's simply the oldest frat earnity. still in a town where conspiraciry theories nourish, even the books rival was covered in some mystery. >> washington's tourism office is partnering with the publisher to market the book and city with this video. >> plan your trip to the nation's capitol at washington.org. >> i think the book exposes its readers to a different perspective of washington, d.c. as for the scottish rite, they say so far, no harm, no foul. >> as long as people understand it's a work of fiction, everybody will enjoy it. >> d.

it's here where dan brown's new mystery, "the lost symbol" begins. building usually gets 5,000 visitors a year. with all the atttion from brown's book, they are bracing for more. thinking about replacing the carpet, hiring more guards, maybe even charging for tours. >> we don't know how to prepare for this. >> when brown features this world scottish church "the da vinci code" tourists more than quadrupled. >> they join a church, they look around, they see what a very, very beautiful and historic place it is. oh, and by the way, they look at the tomb. >> the masons have been connected to washington for hundreds of years. george washington and teddy roosevelt for masons. they laid the corner stone for the white house and capitol. brown's book combines landmarks, the botanical gardens, the masonic temple. >> not so secret. >> it's probably more accurately to describe us as a society with secrets. we suddenly have had a spotlight put on us. >> reporter: and on washington. there is a new website to point tourists to all the sites featured in brown's book.

anytime a popular writer like dan brown comes along and sort of taps into our own curiosity about these a way of feeding on itself. >> reporter: and now, six years since brown's last temptation, "the lost symbol" hits bookstores tuesday. 5 million copies in its first print, a record for publisher double day. >> expectations are through the roof that this will connect with readers in the way that "the davinci code" did. >> reporter: and while its plot remains a closely guarded mystery -- >> i don't have any employees that have read it. >> reporter: -- it's no secret that brown has cracked the code to success. >> i liked the music in that piece. >> have you read his books? >> "angels and demons" and "the davinci code." the movies -- >> not so much. so driven by dan brown. long lines across the country when the book comes out. "the lost symbol" comes out next symbol. dan brown is going to sit down with "today" that morning for what will be a rare, exclusive interview. >> and the music's going to be playing underneath the entire time to make it even more sinister. >> i hear you. >>> up next

nations are doing in the recession. >> lehrer: finally tonight, the extraordinary coming out of dan brown'satest blockbuster novel. jeffrey brown has our story. >> reporter: the formal name of this washington d.c. building is a mouthful: "the temple of the supreme council of the 33rd and last degree of the ancient and accepted scottish rite of freemasonry for the southern jurisidiction for the united states." "the house of the temple" for short. >> reporter: according to s. brent morris, of the 'national scottish rite journal, they're not used to many visitors here, but that's all about to change, thanks to dan brown and his new novel, "the lost symbol". >> what's attracting them is the opening scene of the book and the climax of the book occur in this building. people are always attracted to mystery, that's why they go see magicians, they want to see something mysterious happen that they can't explain. a lot of people are attracted to the masons because they perceive us as this mysterious secretive organization. >> reporter: in other words, a perfect foil for brown, whose "da vinci code" s

it's tomorrow morning on "meet the press" on nbc. >>> the new book by dan brown is breaking records. sold 1 million copies in one day. the 600 page thriller brings back robert langdon. brown explained why he chose the setting. >> washington, d.c. has everything rome, paris and london has in the way of great architecture, great power bases. washington has pyramids and underground tunnels and great art. a whole shadow world that we really don't see. >> joining me from washington is monica, star reporter of the "washington post." good morning. let's get a synopsis of the book. >> sure. the hero, robert langdon is back with a side kick named kathryn. they are paired together to rescue kathryn's brother who is a 33rd degree mason. because it's dan brown, they have to solve a numerous number of codes before they can reach him. >> that was a good way to say it. >> it's definitely a page turning as "the divinci code" was. you feel you are getting smarter as you read it. you diskocover the symbolic cod you didn't know existed in your city. i was a little disappointed because the foreignness o

what ist abo dan browne stories th kaptd v so many us?de the suspse, the dark conspiracies, a those thrills. >>> begin with the search for annie le, a medical stude a yale university o wa supposed to get married tomorrow. nbc's jeff rossens on yale's campus in new ven, connecticut. go morning. >> reporter: so birre. amy, good morning t you. you sai it, this wa suppod to be the big wedding weekend but still no sign of the bride, annie le, who's a graduate student here at yale university. just to give you an idea of how big a mystery thisas beme, there are now more than 10 law enforcement agents between the fbi and police officers working this case. but here ware still four days in since she disappeared, and as the new york "daily ns" put it today, policere still clueless about what happened here. fb ants were back at yale university friday, heading into the research lab wre annie l was last seen. th's her walking in on tuesday at 100 a.m. this surveillance photo is the last image tak ofer with her cell phone, purse, credit cards and cash s

. >> reporter: dan brown's new book if you'll follow me for a moment actually opens here.is the temple room in the scottish wright temple on 16th street in washington dc. >> it is in this ornate sentorum that he has them drinking blood from a human skull. he is the grand archivist. >> i think he got some sources he found on the internet, not all of which are favorable. but after all it's a good book of fiction, not fact. >> so in this building, no human blood, no skulls. >> no human blood, no skulls. >> reporter: they invite any member of the public to tour their temple on 16th street and ask questions about the group or the story dan brown has woven. george washington who was a mason is a prominent figure in if the book. curators at mount vernon continuously display artifacts from washiton's lodge and they added an 18th century punch bowl full of symbols. but did the father of our country make a shocking death bed confession to his ma sonic position at mount vernon? >> and washington actually died of a throat infection. so it would have been very painful fo him to speak i

. >> reporter: the opening scene of dan brown's new novel takes place inside the imposing headquarters of the scottish rite free masons. >> this is called the temperature -- temple room. >> reporter: in this oninate room the holy of holies, as secret as this inshent fraternity is, the masons take pride in their history. george washington was a member. the first of 14 presidents to belong as well as countless other influential men. >> one, two, three, four, five, six, seven of the supreme court justice is were free masons that year. >> wow. >> perfect fodder for an author obsessed by secret symbols and powerful conspiracies. >> now, dan brown, author of "the da vinci code" uncovers the most shocking secret of all. right in washington, dc. >> reporter: the masons admit they are a little anxious about getting the dan brown treatment. >> we don't know whether to batten down the hatches or open the doors and say come in. >> reporter: even before the book came out entrepreneurs have been angling the cash in. >> we think there will be a boom in tourism from people incredibly curious about mas

. >> lehrer: and a jeffrey bwn decoding of t enormous success of dan brown's new novel. majorunding for the newshour with jim lehrer is providedy: >> what t world needs now is energy. the ergy to get the enomy humming agai the energy to tackle allenges like clite change. hat is that energy came fromn energy compan everyda chevron invests $62 million in pele, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, builng. fueling growth arounthe world to mo us all ahead. thiis the power of human energy chevron. >> this ithe engine that nnects abundant grain from e american hearand to haran's best selling wat, while keepin60 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphe every year. bnsf, the engine that nnects us. intel. education for tomorrow'ce innovators. >> and by wlls fargo advisors. together, we'll go far and the william and ora hewlett fouation, working to solve social and environment problems at homend around the wod. and with thengoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... his program was made possib by the corporati for publicroadcasting. and by ctributions to your pbs stao

already copies of "the lost symbol" are flying off shelves. >> i love dan brown. i think he has interesting st e stories. >> i like to read books set in d.c. >> reporter: it stars robert lang den as its code-breaking hero. early action starts in the capitol rotunda under a patient of george washington as god-like. the founding father was also a mason, the world's largest fraternity. in the past characterized as steeped in secrecy. local masonic leaders say that's a myth, but they'll take their 15 minutes of fame. >> everyone i've been talking to has been finding it to be interesting. there are some chuckles going on. and we're the flavor of the day at least for this week. by next week people will move on and go to something else. >> reporter: d.c. tourism officials hope readers of the book will move on and become visitors to the city, already set up a website telling fans of "the lost symbol" where they can find the local sites written about on a book, a way to cash in on a new waive of tourists. >> at the end of the day we'll have folks internationally and domest

area differently, midnight time when the news dan brown book is released. it is a city steeped in history and perhaps a dark suit receive according to dan brown. "the venture code -- da vinci code" changed how people visit europe. there visiting a setting in the book, the freemason headquarters on 16th street. >> we intend to be at the bookstore. >> or the emblem of their supreme council. >> that is when we said, "oops." we are going to be featured in the book. >> the first four words of the prologue would-be "house of the temple." >> he joked about what could be the next big obsession for tourists ps it -- tourists. >> this is the famous secret door. >> it focuses on the founding fathers and their fraternity of freemasons. the layout of the city streets included masonic symbols and the buildings are part of a secret code. the statues of mason's all over the city are expected to be part of the book too. >> people were calling orders to see if we were going to be open and have the book. >> they will have thousands on hand and hundreds already are pre ordered

. >>> well, the new book by "the da vinci code" author dan brown is breaking records.lost symbol" sold a million copies on its first day, shattering sales records in adult fiction books. the 600-page thriller brings back the character robert langd langdon, a code-cracker who's now focusing on the free masons in washington, d.c. in a "today" show interview with matt lauer, brown explained the pressure he's under and why it took so long to complete the book. >> there's plenty of pressure. you're following up "the da vinci code." you want to make sure that you hit it out of the park. the topic is so interesting and so mind-boggling and so complex that i needed a lot of extra time to research it and understand it to the point that i could work it into the story. >> and joining me right now, boris kotch ka from "new york" magazine. hello to you, boris. >> hi. how are you? >> i'm great. i'm curious, for the dan brown and "da vinci code" fans, will this book stack up in terms of the good read? >> i think it will. you know, it depends on what you loved about the first, you kno

dan brown's new book is out. >>> at the top of the hour. welcome.september 16th. >> good morning. thank for being with us. here are the stories we will be breaking down for thank you next 15 minutes. new information this morning on the man in custody in the case of murdered yale grad student who was found hidden in a wall on her wedding day. we are awaiting dna tests from the person of interest. raymond clark. we are going to go live to new haven for the latest on that. >>> former president carter saying race played a role in the "you lie" outburst during president obama's speech last week. carter said he thinks quoted overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity towards president barack obama is based on the fact that he is a black man. today we will give you a chance to weigh in on that explosive charge. >>> swine flu vaccine gets the green light. the food and drug administration just approved two versions that should be available next month. one a shot and one a nasal spray. is it safe for expect tan moms? elizabeth cohen is with

go f. >> if you have read the da vinci code, you know author dan brown.k hit book stores yesterday. >> his premise is a secret code might be hidden among washington, d.c.'s famous buildings and monuments. david wright investigates. >> reporter: the opening scene takes place inside the imposing headquarters of the scottish wright freemasons. in this ornate rooms, their holy of homes. as secretive as this ancient fraternity is about its rituals and symbols, the mason takens pride in their history. george washington was a member, the first of 14 presidents to belong. >> seven of the supreme court justices were freemasons that year. >> reporter: making them perfect fodder for an author obsessed by secret symbols and powerful conspiracies. >> now dan brown uncovers the most shocking secret of all, right in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the masons add admit they're a little anxious about getting the dan brown treatment. >> we don't know whether to baton down the hatches or open the doors and say come on in. >> reporter: entrepreneurs have been angling to cash i

. >> that's author dan brown to his unique solution to writer's block.the lost symbol" is out tomorrow. matt's been giving you clues about where the story takes place. we'll hear from dan brown in an exclusive interview tomorrow here on "today." and reveal the answers to the clues later on this week. >> that was just one of the closets at dan brown's house. no, i can't wait for this book. >>> meanwhile coming up in this half-hour, jay's back. a "time" magazine cover guy called the future of television. well, in a moment we're going to hear what the future looks like from jay leno himself as he gets ready to kick off his prime time program tonight at 10:00 p.m. >> we hope he is the future of television. >>> also ahead, one of the leading lights in the tents's new york's fashion week this week is designer nanettelepore. how to turn those runway looks into trends you'll actually wear this fall. >>> sara gore's going to share a special sauce recipe for steak. i think it involves corn. >> sounds good. anything with steak, i don't care. good to me. >>> you got

dan brown's new book was released on tuesday.sales record for both adult -- for adult fiction at both barnes & noble and amazon.com. as you probably know leading up to the release, we gave you clues about some of the locations featured in "the lost symbol." and now that it's out, very smooth. >> here's the lost symbol. >> it's time to reveal the answers. clue number one, a research facility with 55 million specimens. that is nicknamed the death star. >> ooh. >> let's get the answer directly from dan brown. >> when i found out that the smithsonian museum support center had a wet pod, a dead zone and a giant squid, i knew it was a place i had to visit. >> smithsonian support center. you mentioned smithsonian. >> did i? >> yeah. >> it's a very cool place. if you like the smell of alcohol -- >> i do. >> she does. >> -- not that kind of alcohol. >> she does. >> more formaldehyde-type alcohol. >> that, too. >>> moving on. >> go ahead. >> clue number tw, a tropical rain forest featuring a plant with a legend. if a traveler stands in fro

landmarks does dan brown discuss in this new book?ing at these buildings a little differently. this is a book of washington codes and secret messages and dan brown takes us all around, it startses in the u.s. capitol, right underneath it, a hidden room that's been locked for decades that sets him off this journey all around the city. without giving too much away, a couple of hidden corridors later, in the library of congress, then they're going to move up to the northwest to freedom plaza. this is going to have people looking under their feet because this map is mentioned. national can athlethedral is in the u.s. botanical gardens are here. i think this is all going to have us searching for hidden passageways and secret staircases. >> thanks very much for that. >>> town hall potty talk, jeanne moos takes a most unusual look at the health care reform debate. has it hit a new level? >>> plus, president obama is heading to late-night tv and we have the details. it doesn't cover everything. and what it doesn't cover can cost you some mone

. >>> the new book by dan brown is breaking records.ion copies on its first day. the 600-page thriller brings back the character robert langdon a code cracker, who is now focusing on the freemasons. in a "today" show interview with matt lauer, brown explained why he chose washington, d.c., as the setting for the book. >> washington, d.c., has everything that rome, paris, and london have in the way of great architecture, great power bases. washington has pyramids and underground tunnels and great art and a whole shadow world we really don't see. >> joining me now is louisa. how exciting is this book for the publishing world? 1 million copies sold on one day. >> i always say dan brown is a force of nature and we're thankful for him because selling books is wonderful. >> are you getting evidence of how this one stacks up with the di vinci code? is it as good, as compelling. will it be a hard act to follow? >> i think he's done it already. opening up with 1 million copies the first day. it's fascinating. and it's got the same qualities. it'

gets the dan brown treatment. we will see what kind of conspiracies he has cooked up. >> later on "oprah," it is part of a two-day special event with whitney houston. >>> i am really happy for you. i will you finish. but beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. one of the best videos of all time. >> you may have seen this last by. kanye west has done it again. he could not keep his emotions in check. he crashed tell us swtaylor sw' acceptance award and said beyonce deserved to win for her "single ladies" video. that upstate's other awards, even a tribute to michael jackson by his sister janet. there is a beyonce later -- >> she asked taylor to come back up again. she said, "i want taylor to come up again." 6:24. >>> dan brown has a new book coming out. it is already a number one seller. >> what the book is about is a bit of a mystery. >> this time, it is not a fanciful yarn about some deep sorrow -- deep secrets. there's a connection to a mysterious fraternity. this man has not even seen the book. nobody ha

dan brown suggests the house of the temple on 16th street hides even greater secrets by night.symbol opens in the temple room where a new ma sonic niche ya drinks blood bred wine from a human skull. >> it is a great read but after all a work of fiction. >> reporter: he is one of those guys who seems to revel in squeezing the drama out of a story. >> you don't really drink wine out of a human skull. >> we're really not that exciting. >> most of us think of the masons as deeply mysterious and secretive and there are indeed some secret passageways here at the temple. there are no bodies up there. the reality is that many of these supposedly secret ceremonies are actually established in a 1,000 page tome by the grand historian. >> the previous books have been huge best stellars sending tourists flocking to the live and the vatican. the latest book readers are devouring it. >> any bodies. >> no body we have found. >> reporter: it has excited visitor those mason's lodge on captiol hill. countless secrets have been whispered in a room with egyptian symbols but perhaps not the secret b

. >> if you are a fan of dan brown, you know why the lost symbol is such a big deal. >> for those of who don't, tracy pots will take us to d.c. to explain the mysterious connection. >> this is the temple room where the masonary council meets. the building usually gets 5,000 visitors a year. now they are bracing for more. thinking about replacing the carpet, hiring more guards, maybe charging for tours. we don't know how to prepare for this. >> when brown featured this church, they increased visitors. >> the may sons had been connected to washington for hundreds of years. they laid the corner stones for the white house and capitol. the landmarks with super secret rituals of the masons. they have managed to remain pretty secret. it's probably more accurate to describe it as a society with secrets instead of a secret society. tracy pots, nbc news, washington. >> the publisher has printed 5 million copies to start. that's the largest initial printing. i'm sure they will sell all of those. >> time to get to one of your answers on watercooler@wbal.com. gail writes, yes, i believe local gov

it's here th dan brown's new mystery, "the lost symbol "sncht begins. >> it's very exciting and scary. >> reporter: the building usually gets 5,000 visitors a year. now with all the attention from brown's book they are bracing for more. thinking about repalatial the carpet, hiring more guards and maybe charging for towers. >> we don't know how to prepare for this. >> reporter: when brown featured this church in "the da vinci code," tourists quadrupled. >> they enjoyed the church, they lookround and see what a very, very beautiful and historic place it is. oh, and by the way, they look at the tomb. >> reporter: the masons have been connected to washington hundreds of years. orge what and teddy roosevelt were masons. mason laid the corner stone for the white house and capitol. the book combines landmarks, library of congress, botanical gardens and masonic temple with secret rituals of the masons. >> the fact is they managed to remain secret. >> it's probably more accurately to describe us as a society with secrets, rather than secret society. we suddenly have had a spotlight put on us.

the places that dan brown is going to take care in this book. but that book is so much better than "the da vinci code" that got all the of the press. >> i loved the da vinci code. >> "angels and demons" was great. showers in alabama, i will take you over here, we'll get some heavier rainfall, even a potential for a few of the storms in southern alabama, to maybe even make some wind damage, seeing some rain going to move into atlanta later on today, and also some heavier rain showers right there in nashville. the big story really is how much rain is falling and has fallen across parts of texas, arkansas, and then eventually even to georgia because of the storm system, fred, that just will not move. i want to show you, this is what five days worth of rainfall looks like on one map. five days worth of rain. you go all the way up here to this red, that's five inches of this rain, there's arkansas, parts of texas, look at all of this rainfall. there's the gulf, all of these areas have had five inches of rain or more in certaseven days there's flood w

dan brown's latest book is out in stores today. it's called "the lost symbol." it's a thriller set in the nation's capital. it's a race against a killer and the search to unlock a hidden code for endless knowledge and power. this book has a back drop of washington landmarks like t library of congress, national archives and the washington monument. >>> jay leno's primetime debut is behind him. 18 million viewers watched last night's premier. critics say what is supposed to be a new show looked familiar. fans called it edgy. then there was one of jay's first guests, kanye west silenced after he interrupted taylor swift's acceptance speech. >> i was fortunate enough to meet your mom and talk with your mom a number of years ago. what do you think she would have said about this? >> he's sitting there in silence. today west reportedly called taylor swift to apologize. today on "the jay leno show" guests include film maker michael moore and tom cruise. >>> doreen gentzler is here for what's on at 6:00. >> mortar shells landed in the green zonetoday. there's new informa

this building is on page one of dan brown's new novel, one of d.c. landmarks that's part of the publishing sensation. it's a dream come true for d.c. tourism officials. one of the hottest novels set in the nation's capital. they are flying off shelves. >> i think he has very interesting stories. >> i like reading books about d.c. as well as seeing movies. >> reporter: the code breaking hero finds clues around d.c. landmarks. it started in capital rotunda under a painting of george washington. in the past, mason's were characterized in secret si. they say it's a myth. they will take their 15 minutes of fame. >> everyone i have been talking to have been finding it to be interesting. there's some chuckles going on. we are the flavor of the day for this week. by next week, people will move on and go to something else. >> reporter: they hope readers of the book will move on and be visitors of the city. they tell fans where to find the local sights written about in the book. a way to cash in on tourists. >> we'll have folks wanting to come to washington, d

building making dan brown's book "the lost symbol" the season's hottest read. and tell you weren't always my favorite day. with all the pet hair in the air, i'd spend class preoccupied, bothered by itchy eyes. but now i have new zyrtec® itchy eye drops. it works fast, with just one drop, to relieve my itchy eyes from allergies for up to 12 hours. no other allergy itchy eye drop works faster or longer. which is good, 'cause there's a lotta paws to shake. with new zyrtec® itchy eye drops i can love the air™. (announcer) find it in the allergy aisle next to other zyrtec® products. >>> dan brown's newest thriller "the lost symbol" sky-rocketed to the top of amazon's best seller list. sold over 1 million copies on the first book. >> elaine quijano reports tourism officials in washington are hoping to see the same travel boom experienced by rome after "the da vinci code." >> reporter: this is the actual room and the ceremonial altar where the startling ritual in the opening scene of dan brown's new book "the lost symbol" takes place. a secret initiation ceremony insi

you have dan brown's latest, ted kennedy's memory war. that amazon, barnes & noble and borders, mixed trading. amazon to the plus side. bbbbbbbb >>> did you read di vinci code? >> yes, of course. >> did you love it? >> "angels and demons"? >> yes. >> now we have "the lost symbol" hits bookstores like a tsunami on tuesday, the 15th, with a 6.5 million book printing. >> is that a record? >> i have no idea if that's a record but that is a lot of books. it's not the only book expected to make waves this fall. more now from sarah nelson who writes the book beast column for daily beast.com. she used to be the publisher of publishers weekly. >> hi. >> this has got everybody talking obviously, but the big fear is that it doesn't match "di vinci code," right? >> i would imagine dan brown and his publishers are a little nervous. how do you match a real tsunami? the first book was more successful than anybody could have imagined that it was. after a certain point it doesn't have to do with the quality of the book even. it's just something happens in

. >>> why washington may never be the same after the new dan brown novel. >>> a huge response to our report about debit cards and what you can do about the fees. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening, the message from the u.s. government and the news media has been that it's going to take at least two flu shots this season rk one for the regular or seasonal flu and the other for the swine flu that continues to spread. the question is, when will the swine flu shots be ready. tonight, the government gave us the answer. it is ready. we have details from our chief correspondent, robert bazell. >> reporter: the fda approved the swine flu vaccine. it should arrive in four weeks or sooner. >> i appreciate the opportunity to give you an update -- >> reporter: kathleen sebelius gave us an update. >> just so i understand, this drug is not yet fda approved? >> it was today. >> reporter: they are buying it and distributing it to states. re groups get it first, including pregnant women, health care workers and people 6 months to 24 years old. ea

dan brown spent a lot of time researching here.and frankly, some of the most chilling, haunting and even disturbing aspects of his new book take place here. this building was designed as a replica of the temple of king masolus, making it the original mausoleum. two stone sphinxes stand guard of the entrance. the one on the right, a symbol of wisdom. the one on the left, a symbol of wisdom. each weighs 17 tons. inside contains hidden symbolic meaning. although we're told this is not a religious place, it is a spiritual place. the center of the room is this black marble altar. and on top of the altar you'll find the holy books of some of the world's major religions, the koran, the holy bible. on the floor, words are inscribed on all four sides. from the light of the divine word, the logos comes the wisdom of life and the goal of initiation. this place was built by men of the craft. so where was dan brown? and where am i? where am i? >> where are you? >> where are you? >> what's your purpose? >> what is my deal? >> are ywe allowed to

you won't get away with it forever dan brown and tom hanks. >> absolutely. and a book we can accept is the bible. that's for sure. it tells the truth. the lord jesus was the son of god, the savior of the world. let me just say so much is happening in space. the astronomers - ten more planets are found out there in the solar system, in ours ten more planets. and then a blast from 11 billion years finally caught up with us? we finally discovered that this star burst and now we all know about it. jack, so much isappening now. could some of these signs mean that the lord is coming very, very soon? >> if you believe the lord jesus, they mean everything. he said, just before i return fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven and luke 21 verse 25 says they will take place in thsun, mn, stars and planets, millions of the planets as we've already discussed. and then ijoel 2:30-31 anacts 2:19-20, he says i will show wonders in t heavens and the earth. blood, fire, pillars of smoke, and he causeth the terrible day of the lord in joel, but in acts he cal

. >> take a tour of dan brown's d.c. the thriller has been surprising story. is any of it true?f the collapse of lehman brothers, the president is expected to talk about the country's financial system. i will have a preview of that speech. >> lisa baden will be back with another look at your morning commute. traffic and having the right tools is crucial to being able to manage your diabetes properly. it's very important for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go on stage. being on when i'm feeling low can be like a rollercoaster. it does at times feel like my body is telling me to do one thing... and, my mind, my heart is telling me to do something else. managing my highs and lows is super important. with my contour meter i can personalize my high/lo settings so it really does micromanage where my blood sugar needs to be. i'm nick jonas and never slowing down is my simple win. >>> coming up, reforms and regulation. president obama has a new warning for wall street. >> al qaeda leader osama bin laden has a new message for the white house. >> hope it turns to heartbreak and wha

shepard: the best selling author, dan brown, sold a quick million copies of his new book, "the loss symbol." one thing that surprised a lot of people, amazon reported that they have sold more electronic versions of the book than the traditional hardcover versions. one possible version -- reason is money. $10 to download, $30 for the hardcover. spokespeople for amazon will not give the exact numbers, saying that the website is simply extremely pleased. the obama administration is asking for another the lay on military trials in guantanamo. -- another delay military trials in guantanamo. plus, a big play for a fan at a baseball game. catches the ball, right? it gives it to his daughter. hilarious. rance, rv, camper, boat insurance. nice work, everyone. exec: well, it's easy for him. he's a cute little lizard. gecko: ah, gecko, actually - exec: with all due respect, if i was tiny and green and had a british accent i'd have more folks paying attention to me too... i mean - (faux english accent) "save money! pip pip cheerio!" exec 2: british? i thought you were australian. gecko: well, it's fun

coming up, dan brown's book is on the shelves in stores. we are will look at the places around town that are mentioned. and then at 5:00, the delicious juicy fruits of summer may be drying up because summer is gone. but you can save the seasonal treats. however it's not easy to save them on your own. you will get a step by step guide, and that's at 5:00. wendy rieger will have that story. i will give you a hint. peaches. >> it's quite a process. >> canning is a lot of work. >> have you done it for this year? >> they are still in the refrigerator. >> you can? >> you don't can, and i can't believe you put her on the spot. >> he can, tom. >> no, i just pick the apples. as we look at the forecast today, feeling like summertime, and it's going to be cool and damp beginning tomorrow and all the way into friday. a chance of a light shower each day, and cooler temperatures. although much of the weekend should be dry except showers late sunday and monday. >> they may look like normal vacation photos, but they are anything but that. a florida woman i

now to today's search for the lost symbol, dan brown's new novel hits book stores at midnight tonightinal clue to see if you can figure out some of the pivotal locations in that story. this place was built as a physical symbol of man's intellectual ascent. three tiers of increasing architectural complexity. it was inspired by the ancient pharaoh's light house, at the very top an egyptian pyramid. this architectural marvel stands as memorial to a great man in history, a man of whom king george iii once said, "if he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." in this room, members of a society meet, important traditions, rituals and ceremonies dating back centuries take place here. now it's said not to be a secret society, but a society with secrets. shrouded behind the curtain in front of me hides a replica of an enormously famous and mystically powerful artifact whose name is an anagram for contact for heaven. can you figure out the anagram, and where am i? >> we need a little more time. >> you're in jim bell's office o. >> no, but it looks like jim bell's office. we're goin

still a lot of good buzz, even though they discounted dan brown's novel. it smashed adult fiction records in one day sales, more than 1 million hard cover copies. let's go down to sharon epperson at the nymex. >> amazing number of sales, brian. we're talking to traders about what's happening to natural gas and the volatility in the contract, over 100%. that means that we could have a 20 to 25% run on natural gas in either direction when that number comes out. we are going to get storage report coming out at 10:30. the expectation is for another injection somewhere around 73 bcf. keep in mind it looks like the place to go over that trillion bcs level. that is significant. a lot of folks wondering where the storage is going to go. we have seen slightly less of an increase in the injections in the last couple of weeks. that has caused the rally that we've seen in natural gas prices over the last few weeks. and, in fact, just in the last week, it's up about 15%. that is why we're looking at a little bit of weakness here going into the number. we're also lookin