ah and hoda. >> kristen, thank you. in the meantime, the longi time gent who was removed from the russia investigation overs hi anti-trump text messages has now beend. fi the fbi began reviewing the employment of peter strzok after those politically chargedwe tex discovered last year. strzok insisted his private news neter aff his work. president trump responded to the firing on monday tweeting, finally, bas on the fact strzok was in charge of the witch hunt, will it be dropped. strzok says he's deeply sattened by the firing. a website for his legal billsn has taken i hundreds of thousands of dollars. >>> changes in security are made in the airport in seattle where a ground mtsz prms crcrew emplo off the heist. hans joins us with more on this story. good morning, hans. >> reporter: it's still not clear if richard russell had any flight learning. he did tell flight control he played simulators. we do know he was able to get a mplicated aircraft out of the hangar and off the ground without being stopped. when richard russ

he said good morning, hoda. "news 4 toda news break. >>> good morning, everybody. it's 8:26 now on this tuesday, august 7th. i'm aaron gilchrist. let's see how your morning commute is shapi. jack taylor is in with melissa. jack? >> a couple of issues o i-295. first one is northbound headed towards the 11th street that crash moved out of the roadway thankfully. southbound near malcolm x boulevard, traffic wasn't moving very fast at all. there was a crh. ey're hoping to get lanes open southbound on i-295 after malcolm x. aaron, back to you. >> jack, thank you. we'll have a look at your forecast when we come back. stay with us. you know when you're at ross shopping for backpacks... ...and mom also gets a back-to-school bag? that's yes for less. ross has the brands you want for back to school. and it feels even better when you find them for less. at ross. yes for less. you know when you're at ross and you'rhello.... ...and then the price is like, helllooo! that's yes for less. find the latest trends and styles at pr

he said good morning, hoda.ped an early morni >>> good morning. it's 8:26. i'm kris sanchez. one of the people who escaped an early morning house fire in daly city says he knows who started it and it involves a dispute over money. firefighters are only saying this is a suspicious fire. it started a little after 3:00 in the morning on bay ridge drive. the fire burned the front of the house and burst through a window. fortunately, no one was injured. >>> a cal fire just issue add new update on the mendocino complex fire which is now the state's largest wildfire ever. the two fires combined have now burned more than a little more than 290,000 acres. that fire is 34% contained. >>> we want to get a look at your traffic picture. as you head out the door. >> it is busy in the south bay but also in the east bay as well. we're seeing some cldelays alon westbound 8 and university avenue, the right-hand shoulder is blocked. that's causing delays to carlson boulevard. recovery along 880 due to two earlier crashes. a crash

>> that's right, hoda.rosoft saying in recent weeks it has uncovered six fake websites meant to look like some conservative public policy sites. the phony sites were intended to trick you for people who clicked on them and then in effect your computer with viruses. they were created by a hacking group linked with the russian government which the u.s. government believes interfered with the 2016 election. microsoft got a court order to shut down the websites and said so far there's no evidence the sites were used to launch attacks. still, it's an indication russian hackers remain committed to interfering with elections here with midterms fast approaching. >> kristen, thanks. >>> in the meantime, supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh facing questions after a new released memo revealed questions he thought prosecutors should ask then-president clinton 20 years ago during starr investigation. hallie jackson is on that story. >> good morning. he hasn't said anything recently but may be asked about it during his

so, does hoda use this?it can ao be uses a stand as well. cute.t's >> and the ring attaches to the back, which could attach to any phons you get a cool case. >> i also like that it can be totally flat if you want to put it in a purse or something. >> right, and just lay itn your purse. the deal is $18, 60% off. >> does it come in all sizes? >> yes, you can go to today.com make sure. i still have the 4, so i don't know if they have it for me, but moving up in the yworld, t do for most phones. >> not for flip phones. >> this is the extreme time bluetooth ear bud, retail 99 $6 it's a wireless ear bud connected up to 30 feet away. it's four hours on one but what i want to make clear is that you get one in a box. it's supposed to be used as a bluetooth, sort of like as a phonot so you're n getting two ear buds. >> iess not earphon like to listen to music to. >> right. >> it's more to talk. >> it's more to gtalk. so y one in a case. you could buy two, but i just want to stress that when you buy it and picour color

hoda, savannah. >> terrifying. bill, thank you very much. >>> also breaking overnight, new arrests tied to a failed attempt to assassinate the president of venezuela using drones packed with explosives. this all unfolded live on tv. this morning new footage shows the moment when one of those devices went off. gabe gutierrez in miami with the latest on this story. hey, gabe. >> a little known opposition group claiming responsibility for the attack on the president. it's hard to know for certain exactly who was behind it. for months deadly anti-government protests engulfed venezuela. this time the chaos unfolded on live television. this morning venezuelan president nicholas maduro said what may have been a drone attack against him could have connections to the united states. speaking alongside his wife at a military parade they are suddenly startled by a loud explosion. maduro later retweeted this video reportedly showing a drone blowing up. it comes from a latin american network. they said the video was real. maduro

hoda?et's head over to al, the man of the morning, with all this weather. >> we've seen a lot of climate change going on. the american meteorological society issues a state of the climate report every year. 2017 we've had record high amounts of carbon dioxide concentration, highest levels in the ice core that date back thousands of years. sea level rise is the highest on record for global sea level rise, rising at 1.2 inches per decade, which of course causes flooding along the coast. warming planet, it's the warmest non-el nino year on record, the third warmest year overall, in fact the last four years have been the warmest on record, and of course, that leads to melting sea ice. arctic sea ice is at a maximum record low and the lowest daily value on record, all told, it shows we're seeing more climate change continuing at a rapid pace. that's what' >>> we've got low clouds around san francisco at 53. san jose, no low clouds, in the 60s right now. a lot of smoke pouring into concord. we ha

hoda. >> all right, bill, in london.heard a recording of donald trump repeatedly using a racial slur. well, the president has been active on twitter overnight and just out with a fresh denial and some harsh words for omarosa. nbc white house correspondent kristen welker with the latest. hi, kristen, good morning. >> that's right. the feud between the president and his former apprentice has reached a fevered pitch with the president lashing out, taking it to a new level comparing, omarosa manigault-newman to an animal. when you give a crazed crying lowlife a break and give her a job at the white house, i guess it just didn't work out. good work to general kelly for firing that dog. overnight president trump ignoring tough questions. >> mr. president, have you ever used the n word? >> taking to twitter to dispute omarosa manigault-newman's explosive allegation that she heard a tape of him from the first season of the "apprentice" using the n word. in a late night tweet the president writing, the show's creator mark burnett

hoda, savannah. >> rrifying. bill, thank you very much. >>> also breaking overnight, new arrests tied to a failed attempt to assassinate the president of venezuela using drones packed with explosives. this all unfolded live on tv, and this morning, new footage shows the moment one of those devices wenof gabe gutierrez is in miami with the latest on this story. hey,be. good morning. >> good morning. a little knownpposition group in venezuela is now claiming responsibility for the attack on nicolas maduro, but it's hard to know for certain exactly who was behind it. for months, deadly anti-government protests have engulfed venezuela. this time, there chaos unfolded on live television. this morning, venezuelan president nicolas maduro says what may have been a brazen drone attack ainst him has connections to the united states. speaking on live television at y mili parade alongside his wife, they're sudden startled by a loud explosion. he tweeted ts video showing a drone blowing up. it comes from the latin american n

good morning, hoda. a pretty haunting scene out here, especially when you consider there were 11 kids that were living in these types of conditions. now, the property owner has given us permission to be right here. we're not going to go any further than this, but this is the outer wall. there is another inner wall there made of tires, and we are told that there is a tunnel of about 150 feet that stretches underneath this property. on the outskirts of this property, there is a makeshift firing range where authorities think kids were being taught to shoot up schools. in this makeshift compound in rural new mexico, investigators not only found appalling conditions, but according to prosecutors, they may have uncovered a sinister plot. 11 emaciated children ages 1 through 15 were discovered along with an arsenal of high-powered firearms. in court filings, the district attorney says some of the kids were being trained with assault rifles in preparation for future school shootings. that information, the docume

hoda, craig?ul tribute, ron, and we want you guys to know that we're going tt highliore of aretha's career and a lot of memorable moments. she was on "today" so often, we think she should have had a dressing room. performed out here many, many times. we'lllso talk to jennifer lopez. yesterday she opened up about what the queen of soul meant for her. we'll shear from j. lo in jt a bit. >>> also this morning, new developments in that disturbing murder case in thcolorado. man charged with killing his pregnant wife and two young daughters appearing in court as investigators recover the bodies and search for a motive. we'llghet some in from one of the lead detectives in the lacy peterson case in just a mome. but first, nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer has theery latest. miguel, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig, good morning. is quiet, suburban home where investigators believe the suspect killed his wife and two young children. it's believed all of their bodies have now been recove

hoda, craig? >> wow, all right.etemswill thank you. >>> also new this morning, new questions are being raised about the raid on that desert compound in new mexico where children were allegedly being taught how to commit school shootings, and why authorities dn't act sooner. we are also hearing from the suspect's father, a controversial leader o a new york mosque, for the first time. nbc's gadi schwartz has theery test on that. gadi, good morning. >> reporter: well, the imam says that he had no idea what was going on at this compound here in new mexico, and the property owner says the people who lived here almost never left, but this is where 11 children lived. i want to show you this. this is a trailer that is basically buried in the ground. you can imagine 11 children living in these conditions. a disturbing mix of trash, ruined toys and the evidence of a lethal arsenal.ma remains were also found here. authorities have still not confirmedhether the body is that of a missing 3-year-old boy, but after last friday's r

hey, hans, good morning. >> hey, good morning, hoda.rash site. this incident revealing potentially troubling security lapses at our nation's airports. namely, the threat of an insider attack. how did 29-year-old richard russell, without a pilot's license, didn't have authorization to fly, how was he able to get a twin engine aircraft across the tarmac, onto the runway, and take off before crashing an hour later? overnight the fbi announcing they have recovered the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders. they hope that the black boxes will shed new light on what led to richard russell's high flying joy ride. on friday russell flew the 76-seat commercial aircraft through the skies over seattle. >> what the hell. >> reporter: after stealing the plane from sea-tac, one of the country's busiest airports, he talked to air traffic controllers while doing wild, airborne stunts. >> all right. pilot guy, can this do a backflip, do you think? >> reporter: his aerial acrobatics stunning onlookers and scrambling fighter jets in response. zb

savannah and hoda. >> thank u. politics.er aide omarosa manigault-newma manigault-newman. manigault-newman says she will not be silenced. the president accuses her of breaching the nondo disclosure agreement. the breach escalated after manigault said she heard mr. trump use a racial slur ine an outtr the "apprentice." sarah sanders said she can't guarantee tre's noape ever of the president using that slur, the president does that deny theclaims, however. >>> police in colorado have issued a report for a pregnant mother and two young daughters. they were reported missing on monday and officials fear they could bendanger. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has that story. >> i don't feel like this is real right now. l ite a nightmare you can't wake up from. >> chris says he hasn't seen o heard from his wife who is 15 weeks pregnant and their two daughters since 5:15 on monday morning when he left for work. >>nowing that if they could be in trouble, it's earthsh tering. >> according to watts the couple had an emotional

hoda. >> unbelievable story, bill. may be adding to the global plastic pollution problem without realizing. researchers at arizona state university, 45 million americans wear them and one in five flush the used lenses down the toilet and sink instead of tossing them in the garbage. adding 20 tons to the waste system every year and the lenses break down and make their way into soil and our food supply. >> i always do that. >> just knowledge can change everything. >> yeah. >> we do better, and know better. >> we have a morning boost. high school football player in nebraska cheered as the mvp. he has cerebral palsy, got the ball and used the wheelchair to carry the ball and carried it 80 yards down the field for a touch down. [ cheers and applause ] >> quite a moment for him. the teammates deserve a special mention for giving jared that moment he will never forget. >> straight ahead, hoda going to sit down with jennifer lopez. getting more information on what's going to happen at mtv music awards. >> carsen and kevin love

i was talking to hoda, she's not out of breath yet? she's not out of breath?he wh thing. >> and then to come out 30 seconds later and give aspeech. can you imagine? >> it was unbelievable. >> you could feel the energy come through the screen. so nice. >> that was awesome. t ahea >> coming up from the orange room, are you ready for pumpkin spice? no>> no! >> la-la-la. >> it's way too soon for pumpkin spice. sorry, al. woman 2: ...and clearer skin. woman 3: this is my body of proof. man 2: proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis... woman 4: ...with humira. woman 5: humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further irreversible joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. avo: humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious all

hoda, you were way ahead of this trend, so take a look athat happened at the 1alt00a g online, hoda.old on. >> wait, what? >> i can't. don't even. >> what's the bag? >> my purse. >> and the clutch by zip lock. >> now they can. >> omg. this is awesome. >> quite the trend. >> i can't believe that. >> do you think it's because of hoda? >> you should get a cut. she's done this over and over. >> that wasn't the first time. hoda, we will remind you that also three years ago, youou dly displayed our zip lock clutch. >> you can see what'sre in the >> i le it. >> it's waterproof. if anyone else wants to try he zipyou'll have to use lock bag for now b aren't coming out for a little while. they can only be purchased in japan at this time. >> i like it. a zip lockave to buy purse, doesn't that defeat the purpose? you like it because it's cheap. >> i like it because it's cheap and if you lose it you've lot nothing. >> look at that apron. it has many you can have food in there, everything. >> i think it needs the zippe zip lock. you can get into an out of it easily. >> i see the fanny pack on you.

hoda. >> certainly unbelievable story, bill.ses you might be adding t the global plastic pollution problem without even reizing it. researchers at arizona state yurch crunched thenumbers. 45 million americans wear disposable contact lenses. about 1 in 5 flush them down the toilet or sink instead ofth puttin in the garbage. that adds 20 tons of pstic waste each year. they also make their way into the soil and eventually our food supply. >> i always do that. i didn't think about it.ou >> knowledge change everything. let's get the word out. >> all right, we have a morning boost for you nebr.asguka isys beied che as te mvp after electrifying his team in a recent scrimmage. jared is a senior, has cerebral palsy. he got the ball, used h wheelchair to carry it down the field. he carried the ball 80 yards down the field for a touchdown. what a moment for him. his teammates also deserve a special mention for given jared that moment that he will never forget. >>> straight ahead, hoda is going to sit down with jennifer lopez. a big night t

good morning. >> hi, hoda. good morning to you.his is a war of words raising serious questions about the way this president talks about women and people of color. with omarosa dangling the possibility of releasing more tapes, the president and his allies are unleashing a full-court press trying to discredit her, but she isn't backing down. >> overnight, omarosa saying there's only one way to shut down president donald trump. >> that is to just don't give him the oxygen and the oxygen comes from the cliques, the likes, the shock. >> it comes after the president referred to his former apprentice as a dog earlier in the day. team trump not backing down. >> would it be appropriate for me to call a woman a dog? yes or no? >> it depends on what she did to you, ed. >> it depends? >> it depends on what she did to you. omarosa bit the hand that fed her. to me, that's what dog is. >> this has absolutely nothing to do with race and everything to do with the president calling out someone's lack of integrity. >> the backlash as managault-newman

first,appy birthday, hoda. ha tnk >>> good morning. it is 8:56 on thishursday.treet that crash after main avenue gone but 295 northbound especially slow. you'll find 95 and route 1 up near route 100 all affected from anol earliere investigation still ongoing. southbound 270 t late crash after shady grove road very quickly moved over tohe shoulderith just residual delay. >> let's hope iclears out soon. we'll get a check of the forecast when we come back. still w rvous about finding a artment? yeah... but popping these things really helps me...relax. please don't, i'm saving those for later. at least you don't have to worry about renters insurance. just go to geico.com. geico helps with renters insurance? good to know. been doing it for years. that's really good to know. i'll check 'em out. get to know geico. and see how easy homeowners and renters insurance can be. >>> good thursy. as we go through the day we'll see partly cloudy skies. temperatures around 90. couple isolate swers passing by. dryer as we go through the evening. tomorrow mostlyut sunny then we go

we need it. >>> hoda, you joined al -- >> oh, yes!what did you make? >> and they talk about other things, too. everything from haylee joy, to being there for each other. you also shared a story about when you almost gave up on pursuing a television career. let's look at a clip. >> i was in my mom's car driving around, trying to get a job. and i wasn't going to come home until i had something. and on rejection 26, i remembered thinking, like, i had picked the wrong profession. i messed up. it was a mistake. and i looked around, and there was a sign that said, "news center 15." and i said, oh, my god, who could get rejected at news center 15. and say small short guy walks up and says, how are you doing? i'm stan, i was sports director yesterday and i got promoted. and i said my name is hoda. and he said hilda, let's watch your tape. and he watched the worst resume tape in history until the end. and he looked at me and he said, "hilda, i like what i see." i was like crying. i was like, you do? >> what a story! >> and that hair. >> there

o look.t know where i kept looking at hoda. was a lady, i was watching her because she was like all hands in the air. you know whe you feel like you're having a moment out there. it was wild. >> you see the aront row it's kind of dark. >> yeah. >> when i came out,he first thing was like, rod stewart it's right there. that was a shocking thrtg. >> our h were seriously pounding. >> guess who we ran into after we came off the stage? >> al roker. >> just as exciting, cyndi lauper. there she swas. >> was just there. she opened f rod stewart. >> which was . terrific >> she said, hoda, why didn'tu yoext me? >> you know who else was watching you? >> who? >> lendary producer clive davis. that's right. so he may sign you guys. >> or not. highly unlikely. >> don't know about that. a huge thank you to rod stewart, toe madison squ garden. we also want to mention rod's new album "blood red roses" will besed september 8th. >> maybe he'll do a concert for . >> going to have to hire back-up. >> there's your invitation. >>> straight >>> good mor

hoda, craig? >> that was a beautiful tribute, ron.ll highlight more of aretha's career and memorable moments. she was on "today" so often we think she should have had a dressing room. performed here many, many times. we'll also talk to jennifer lopez. she opened up about what the queen of soul meant to her. we'll hear from j lo in just a bit. >>> new developments in the disturbing murder case in colorado. the man charged with killing his pregnant wife and their two young daughters appearing in court as investigators recover the bodies and search for a motive. we'll get insight from one of the lead detectives in the lacey peterson case in just a moment. but miguel almaguer has the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: this sbur been home is where investigator say this the suspect killed his wife and two small children. all of the bodies have been recovered. investigators were here last week with a search dog trying to figure out what happened in the home behind me. seen for the first time as a murder suspect, chris watts in court e

hoda. >> all right. thank you. >>> now to some of those fast moving developments in the russia investigation just overnight including investigations for a possible sit-down interview between the president and the special counsel robert mueller and meantime the president on twitter is telling the attorney general jeff sessions to end the investigation. peter alexander at the white house for us this morning. hi, peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. robert mueller sending a letter to the president's legal team tuesday offering to limit the questions in order to nail down a presidential interview. that's according to people briefed on the matter. the president apparently not satisfied, though. the next morning teeing off on twitter, breaking boundaries followed by past presidents, pressuring the nation's top law enforcement official to shutdown an active investigation. president trump ignoring questions after his call to end the russia investigation, unloading on the investigation on a twitter tir

hoda?he russia investigation and his decision on wednesday to yank the security clearance of former cia director john brennan. the president told "the wall street journal" brennan is one of the people responsible for starting the russia probe which he once again called a rigged witch hunt. he said revoking the clearance was something that, quote, had to be done. earlier speaking through his press secretary, the president accused brennan of putting classified information at risk, but offered no evidence of it. brennan has been a fierce trump critic calling him the most divisive president we've ever had. >>> the queen of soul, aretha franklin, has died. her publicist says franklin passed away today at her home in detroit. she won 18 grammy awards, a string of 1960s hits including natural woman and respect cemented her stardom. she was 76 years old. >>> an environmental group is claiming that traces of a weed killer linked to cancer have been found in popular breakfast foods including cheerios

savannah and hoda. >> thank you. let's bring in chuck todd. >> break that down, a reliably red district, has been for years and years. what does it mean it was that razor thin. >> not only was it that razor thin, look at the amount of triage the republican party did here. the democrats weren't targeting this race. the special election popped up when the member decided to leave to take a job. they spent $3 million on a single race, sent in the president at the last minute. when you think about it, this is a district, as garrett noted, hasn't been in democratic party hands since ronald reagan was president. if it took all of this to tensionally get to a tie in a district that the president carried by double digits, they can't do that in 435 districts at the same time in november. you can do it a special election at the time and bail out water and triage and maybe save a district here and save a district there. when they are all on the ballot at the same time, most of these don't go that way. this is why democrats i thi

cyrus hoda brother of victim sarah hoda told the defendants the district attorney gave you both a sweetheart deal. >> many of the family members said they wanted to have a trial so they could have answers as to what happened and who did what. >> reporter: during the gut wrenching victims' statement derick almena looked at each speaker, even had teary eyes when michaela's aunt spoke. max harris had his back against the speakers and only turned around briefly when michaela's mom called him out. >> there is no way that this sentence defers or delays or gives pause to anybody doing these kind of actions. on the other hand, people like derick almena and max harris are not thinking. they're not planning for the future. so it's hard to know how you would dissuade people like that. regardless, this sentence is bankrupt. >> reporter: the hearing will resume tomorrow morning around 9:30 when the family members for the defense side will ask the judge for leniency. i understand max harris plans to address the family members, the victims' family members. we don't know whether almena will talk. as for whe

i have craig here while hoda has time off. we need the instant replay. >> we do. >> because there should be an olympic event for this. running out of the courthouse. that's our nbc intern, kathy simian, who really was moving fast when she was trying to alert the other reporters there what the manafort verdict was earlier this week. >> that 20-year-old's going to join us in just a bit. she's taking the internet byor >> she is! going to trade in her heels for running shoes. she's fast. >>> but we start in hawaii, a rare occurrence there. rescues have already begun as hurricane lane barrels across the islands, in some places dumping almost 2 feet of rain i onday. residents and tourists there bracing for what officials are calling aife-threatening impact from this massive stckm. we're tg it all this morning. nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer is in oahu for us thismorning. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. this is the relative calm t betwee storm. the worst of lane is actually set to hit oahu

i also noticed hoda's purse is like mine. it's like carrying a trash bag ound.w i q you can find the issue on news stands thind . >> congratulations. >> will you all sign our>> copy? would you sign my bottle of coffee mate. >> we're going to have so much coffee mate here. >> we need it. >> da, new you join youtube show "cold cuts". and they talk about other things too. everything from haley joy to being there for each other. you also shared a story about when you almost gave up pursuing a television career. let's look at a clip. >> i was in my mom's car driving around tryin j to get a and i wasn't going to come home until i had something. on rejection 26 i rememberedki th i'd picked the wrong profession, i messed up, it was a m. i looked around and there was a sign that said news center 15. said oh my god, let me go get rejected at news center 15. i remember this little short guy walked up and goes how are you doing? i'm stan. i'm the news director. i was sports director yesterday and i got promoted. i go my name's hoda. >> hilda, come onin, let's go watch your

hoda and craig?gabe, thanks. >>> a quick programming note on sunday's one year anniversary in civil, msnbc will air an hour long special featuring former white supremacist who is now on a mission to stop the movement he once helped to build. you can catch "breaking hate" this sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. >> i've seen clips of that. it should be a fascinating special on sunday. >>> mr. roker is standing by on this friday morning, good morning, al. >> good morning, guys, thank you for getting your first weather from us. we continue with the heat out west there's 11 fires burning out west, the mendocino and car fire so not good news. there is cooling but it's only happening in the pacific northwest. the rest of the west stays toasty and we look for a high today in olympia 79 where it should be but six degrees above average in reno. 104 great falls and going into the weekend you'll see the temperatures continue to stay warm along the pacific northwest coast. here in the east it stays hot and ste

thank you, stephanie. >>> hoda enjoying the week off.iend. we have to have a boost. >> i'll give it a shot. taylor swift's superfan got the surprise of a lifetime at the singer's concert in nashville, tennessee. another fan won tickets close to the stage and decided to share the love. >> i won a contest for my sister. t two tickets. we have an extra one. we'll surprise someone with a huge sign. are you alone? >> i am. >> this is a really cool time. do you want a ticket? >> are you serious? >> yeah! let me help you. >> thank you so much. >> yeah. >> yay! >> aly, who came all the way from vermont, couldn't hold back those tears. sweet tears of joy, as others cheered her on. look at the guy paying it forward. >> random act of kindness. >> beautiful. >> cool. >>> lots more ahead this morning. including an inside look at the complicated legacy of michael jackson on what would have been his 60th birthday. >>> and how is the adorable girl who was surprised by drake at the hospital and just received that new heart? how is she doing this morning?

hoda. >> al, thank you. time to head into the orange room.> it certainly is. after more than a century, nabisco has changed the packaging of their classic snack barnum's animal crackers. you may recognize the box showing animals and their young in cages. well, the new box now shows those same animals and more. they are uncaged and roaming freely. this update was in response to a push from peta. the animal rights organization into out against treatment of animals in circus and requested this change in 2013. peta seems to be happy with the change. we're sending a big thanks to nabisco come, society no longer toll rates using animals in circuses. social media reacting as well. kudos to nabisco for new and wildly improved packaging for tlishs animal crackers. nice to see the animals free roaming. daniel writes, well done, pelt, a. thank you. never too late to change. chasta, you can't be serious, there are other important things. >> the ringling bros. and barnum & bailey circus shut down last year from pressure from animal rights and declining ti

we've got craig pitching in while hoda has the week off. former vice president joe biden pay tribute to his old friend senator john mccain. >> and in this era of hyperpartisanship in which we find ourselves this bipartisan friendship that has endured decades is going to be on full display. it'll be very nice to hear what the former vice president has to say about his dear friend. >> people lining up in phoenix to pay respect to senator mccain. let's go to peter alexander who's there covering today's event. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. john mccain proudly represented the state for more than 30 years and this morning with this memorial service he will receive one final arizona sendoff. back in washington this morning outside the u.s. capitol many of his senate colleagues boarding buses to make the trip out west to celebrate his life as he'll be eulogized by his former senate colleague former vice president joe biden. after dark mourners kept coming in droves to pay their respects, some of john mccain's children returning to

hoda getting some time off.at concert out there in just a few. >>> we'll get to that in just a bit. let's start with a check of today's headlines. hurricane lane lashing hawaii this morning with high winds and torrential rain. it's causing flash floods, landslides and raging surf. nearly 2 feet of rain has fallen on parts of the big island, and evacuations are under way on sections of in maui. >>> michigan state university's former head gymnastics coach is the latest person to be charged in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal surrounding ex sports doctor, larry nassar. cathy klagis is accused of lying to an investigator in june when she denied knowledge of nassar's sexual abuse in 2016, according to prosecutors. witnesses say they reported the abuse to the coach dating back more than 20 years. nassar is accused of abusing hundreds of women and girls. in february he was sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting nine victims. >>> an oregon man has been sentenced to 130 days in ja

it's nice to have you with us and have craig in for hoda this week. we're going to start in washington because here is the shot at the u.s. capital where senator john mccain served fre han 30 years, one of the most important jobs held, the flag at half-staff. >> he's the 30th person who is going to lie in repose there. we will spend a great dea of time this morning honoring john mccain. >> we will. we want to get to breaking news, tragic shootingd it happe at a video tournament in jacksonville, florida. what we're lea ing about the victims and gunman. nbc's kerry sanders has the latest" good morning. >> good morning, savannah. detectives here in jacksonville still are not sure why one of the video game players pulled a n and beganshooting. this morning they are trying to determine where he even got the gun. a horrific mass shooting unfolding in realtime at a vid me tournament in jacksonville, florida,. the chilling sounds of gunfire captured during the live stream of the popular football game called madden nfl 19. >> what did he shoot me with. >> the

good morning. >> good morning, hoda.hat data flight recorder. this whole incident rais oubling questions and really tyveals a major vulnerability in aviation secu you have richard russell. he's 29 years old, he doesn't have a pilot's license, he certainly doesn't have access to uthorization to fly. he has access, and it's a question of how he got the plane off the ground, flying it for an hour before crashing an hour later. overnight, the fbi announcing they have recovered the plane's flight dat and cockpit voice recordts. they hope the block boxes will shed new light on what led to richard russell's -fhiing joyride. on friday, russell flew this 7060 commercial aircraft through the skies over seattle. >> what the hell. >> after stealing the plane from sea-tac, one of the busiest airports, he talked to air traffic controllers while doing wild airborne stunts. >> pilot guy, can this thing do a backflip, you think? >> his aerial acrobatics unning onlookers. and scramblinget fighter in response. >> what should i do? a barrel

actually behind the scenes while her man cohosted the "today" show's fourth hour with kathie lee and hodachecked him when he brought up their first date. >> if you ask jennifer, if she was here -- let's pretend she's not here. she would debate you that it was a date. i to this day say i was there as friends. >> she just mouthed liar. so it was a date. >> with just 18 days left until her vma performance, j.lo is in full-on prep mode. last night she hit the gym in ncy for a late-night workout. >> i just want to give the best performance i can, give that night that shows who i was and who i am today in less than ten minutes. >> all that in ten minutes. if anybody can do it, j-lo can. also hitting the mtv vma stage, ariana grande, shawn mendes, and logic with one republic's ryan tedder. >>> all right, coming up -- >> it's like coming home. >> herfy brown's house now and then. the photos. >>> plus, another '80s reboot you weren't expecting. the alf reboot. >> she tells us all about life on the road. the diva she toured with that was most demanding. >> ♪ you know when you're at ross and that cu

. >> announcer: from nbc news, thh is "today" with savanna guthrie and hoda kotb, live frod 1a in rockefeller plaza. g >>>d morning, everybody. welcome to "today." nice to have you with us on wednesday morning. i don't know a ton about sports but if you lose a baseball game by three touchdowns, that is bad. >> i'm sure mets are u wakingp and thinking did that really happen? >> we asked the guys in the control room, what happened? they said these just bad. >> not their year. >> whatre a story the is, a fiery plane crash. when you see the pictures, smoking deis, you can't believe it but everyone on board survived. we're going to talk to a guy from chicago. he was on the plane and has a let's get to tom costello. he has the latest on the crash. good morning. >> mexican authorities say 85 people injured and treated, mostly minor. for everyone to get out of burning plane alive is pretty remarkable. in mexicohe witnesses sayy are amazed it wasn't much worse. shortly after takeoff, a packed aeromexico plane crashed into a eld at the end of the runway in durao, mexicoursting into flames. amazingly mo

back home we've got hoda enjoying some t me off. we've got a lot to get to. casket will head for a final flight to the u.s. capital. peter alexander has been covering this week for us. goodni mo. >> savannah, good morning. as you know, john mcca proudly served this state representing it for more than 30 years. today with a church service. he will get one final arizona send off. his eulogy to be delivered by joe b en reallymonstrating an uncommon bipartisan bond coming just hours after as many as 15,000 people converged on the state capital. rster dark mour kept coming in droves to pay their respects. some of john mccain's childrenng returo the capital to share stories and hugs, a final hometown salute for the beloved senator and statesman. earlier his widow escorted by her sons jimmy and jack who both followed their father's foot steps into the armed services. his casket draped in the stars andstripes, the war hero lying in state,p a free s service following his wishes. >> imagining izona without john mccain is like picturing an arizona without the grandyo c

hoda a i told you, we're like teenagers. >> no. at sound check. >> we're total freaks. insane. >> we have a crowdmovemenment. >> i have a special moment this morning. i'm looking for dave andca ie. look at their shirts. we're going to do a little math. it says today i am thequare root of 900 years old. anybody guess how old? that >> yes. smart crowd. 30ou give her a of applause. i understand you wanted to do something special for your wife for her 30iest. what if we had keith urban and our anchors sing happy birthday to you. how would you like thatd >> that woe amazing. >> what's her name? >> carrie. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ happy birday to you ♪ happy birthday dear carrie ♪ happy birthday to you >> that's pretty good. >> congrats. >> we just sang backup for keith >> 12 more birthdays to get to. jacob hanging out with and kooer -- >> wait. these two guys? >> can you believe us? they let us in. >> they're not keith, but they'll do. s>> we havee puppies. >> can you believe it? and by the way, i've insisted we talk more about twins marrying twins. that's the most aoexina

. >> this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today." thank you for joining us on a wednesday s morning. itbusy day but it is a busy day. >> absolutely. >> a lotlo of deents to get to. and a stunning split screen moment in two courtrooms and intensifying pressure on the presiden. new york, michael the president's once former attorney, once most loyal aide pleading guilty to campaign finance charges omongers, saying he coordinated with then candidate trump to buy the silence of two women alleging affairs. >> and at the veryame time the rtesident's former campaign chair paul manaas in a virginia court being convicted on eight felony counts smming from the special counsel russia investigation. >> and while all of that was announced , facebook it has uncovered a new campaign with links to russia and iran to spread misinformation ahead of the midterm elections in noember. we havvery aspect covered this morning. ano we're going t talk to michael cohen's attorney about the claims michael cohen is making and what he's about

hoda, of course, enjoying that vacation. joyous casion, but not always for an older sibling, right? but for one boy in tampa, it was love at first sight. take a look. a you ready? >> yes. i want to say hi. >> you want to say hi?re bego, ready? put your arms down. here. say hi, kate. >> hi, kate. >> what do you think? >> she's so cute >> yeah? are you happy? >> yeah. i want to take her home. >> you want to the >> i'll take them both home. >> how's that for a ringing endorsement? s like that baby girl's going to be in pretty good hands, right? >> what a love. >> >> that's cute. >>> all right, still to come this morning, what lady gaga says bradley cooper made her do that helped her nail her audition for "a star is born." >>> plus, we've been talking about this all morning. one couple's unforgotable first kiss. it happened on a first date but the rest of the story is pretty unus do you understand charlie? mom? yeah? can i have a peanut butter sandwich? yeah, you sure can. can charlie have one, too? charlie can have one too. ♪ ♪

the brother of sarah hoda saying prosecutors give you both a sweetheart deal. and amanda kershaw's brother saying, quote, we feel betrayed. >> this sentence is unfair, it's unbalanced, it's negligent. >> three months for derek l mina -- derek almena and two months for harris was way too short. >> the judge could reject or change the plea deal. the families of the defendants will get a chance to speak. >>> disturbing details about a vallejo house fire that killed her mother -- a mother and her children. investigators say the woman intentionally set herself on fire. those flames ignited be home early sunday morning. she and her 14-year-old twin daughters died. a third 11-year-old daughter escaped the blaze. police are now calling it a case of suicide resulting in two homicides. >>> here's the scene in riverside county tonight where a wall of fire is closing in on the community of lake elsinore. the so-called holy fire has forced at least 20,000 people from their homes. it is just 5% contained. chopper reporter stu mondale from our sister station los les overad as

thousands of fans are flocked to see both their favorite bands and some of the kremlin's latest weaponry hoda abdel-hamid is at the event one hundred twenty kilometers north of moscow. it's a summer staple for many russians. is the largest rock festival some also call its russia's woodstock a yearly appointment with the finest of the country's music scene. which. has been missed for the past three seasons it's amazing. that you can hear your favorite musicians all your favorite musicians in one place the festival started two decades ago after the fall of the soviet union but recently it also became an exhibit ground for the most unlikely of institutions the russian ministry of defense its presence felt from the air with the performance of the russian knights aerobatic team to do the light of many. more of this because the we think it's not just a pride professor look at the whole country the presence of the ministry of defense is not sponsorship or some kind of special premium that's a story which came to life because people are interested in taking part in it done by the ministry over the pa

. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >>> good morning, welcome to "today," nice to have you with us and to have craig filling in for hoda. two icons being laid to rest today. >> aretha franklin and john mccain will lie in state there at the capital. it was great to hear the vice president with that emotional tribute. we start with tributes to john mccain, shifting to washington, d.c. the senator's home away from home. for more than four decades. >> the first ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. in the u.s. capital rotunda. he will lie in state there and the public viewing is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. >> a number of john mccain's friends and colleagues will speak at today's event with vice president mike pence representing the trump administration. >> as mentioned, also expected there, the senator's mom, roberta mccain. she's 106 years old. let's get right to nbc national correspondent peter alexander on the hill for us now. good morning, peter. >> good morning, savannah. john mcca

government supports her military groups might not saw her on the streets is still incredibly tense some hoda right. turkish president richard tie up out of line is still defiant today off to two key ratings agencies want his country is going to find it even harder to pay its debts is assisted the growing economic crisis is part of a plot against turkey out of ones made the comments at a meeting of his ruling ak party the turkish lira has lost forty percent of its value against the dollar this year so again go has more from istanbul a brisk business that's expanded along with takis middle class. act has been selling products made by turkey's largest time appliances company for twenty five years but lately his sales have taken a hit the question does we've had to put our prices up because of the current economic situation and that's affecting our sales. despite this he is optimistic that he and the country kind of weather the current economic storm which began as a war of words with tuckey's nato ally the us over according to the president donald trump the arrest of an evangelical pastor andre

hoda and savannah hanging out with rod stewart. >> i can't believe your letting us do this. >> i can't believe it either. >> filling in back up dancing in new york city. you can check out the full performance coming up on the today show right after today in the bay and that starts for us at 7:00. >>> right now at 6:00 wild fires in california continue to turn this fire season into one of the worse fires they say they have ever seen. >>> a memorial grows far mother and her two daughters killed in a home fire. >>> thanks for joining us. we'll get a look at your traffic in just a moment. >> you probably noticed it was really bad yesterday. we have drifts of smoke but higher ozone levels which is something we haven't had to deal with much this summer. here is a look outside. it is going to be hazy like this for quite