michelle franzen, nbc news. >>> it won't happen again for another three years.ast night folks around the world were treated to another blue moon, the second full moon in the month of august. lots of professional and amateur photographers alike capturing images of the last blue moon until 2015. by popular demand the white house today released the recipes for two home made beers being brewed at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. it released a video showing how the beers are made in the white house kitchen. the recipes are on the white house blog until the title ale to the chief. they're also on our website, nbcnightlynews.com. >>> coming up on saturday night, high school football with a $60 million price tag. >>> at a time when a lot of school districts are struggling to keep the lights on, one texas school unveiled a $60 million stadium for high school football. while that figure is raising some eyebrows, the folks there say it's worth every penny. we get the story now from nbc's charles hadlock. >> reporter: in texas where football is almost a religion, the friday night

michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> we are following active storms in the atlantic tonight. tropical storm leslie has just passed by bermuda and will continue to cause high surf and rip tides. jim cantori is watching this storm from bermuda tonight. >> reporter: it has been a very rainy day. this area is about 12 inches down in rainfall. we just got word from the national security minister that he is giving bermuda the all-clear in terms of having no injuries and no major structural damage. leslie is still a big storm and will make its way to canada. this thing has about a 200-mile wide tropical storm windfield. even though it missed us by 140 miles we were still within 60 miles of the tropical storm force winds. the path takes it to the north and east and on tuesday it could still become a minimal hurricane. folks in st. johns will probably see watches and warnings come out later on this evening. here we are almost at the exact peak date of the atlantic hurricane season and we have leslie, michael and the next disturbance. some of the long range computer models don't take t

michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> still ahead as "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturdayey are turning the traditional school day upside down. no textbooks, no lectures, cubicles instead of classrooms. why parents and teachers say it's working. later, let's just say it's a sweet 16 she will never forget. that is when her family comes out of hiding. social security. man 1: i want facts. straight talk. tell me your plan... and what it means for me. woman 2: i'm tired of the negative ads and political spin. that won't help me decide. man 2: i earned my medicare and social security. and i deserve some answers. anncr: where do the candidates stand on issues that... affect seniors today and in the? find out with the aarp voters' guide at earnedasay.org sleep in my contacts. relax... air optix® night & day aqua contact lenses are approved for up to 30 days and nights of continuous wear, so it's okay to sleep in them. visit airoptix.com for a free 1-month trial. for j.d. power and associates has ranked quicken loans "highest in customer satisfaction in the nation." call or go to

michelle franzen, nbc news, morning. >>> when we come back, they're making a difference for a lot of and making an unfinished dream come true. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. in absolute perfect physical condition and i had a heart attack right out of the clear blue... i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. he's my success story. [ laughs ] those surprising littleory. still make you take notice. there are a million reasons why. but your erectile dysfunction that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical

michelle franzen, nbc news. >>> it won't happen again for another three years.ht folks around the world were treated to beautiful blue moon, the second full moon in the month of august. lots of professional and amateur photographers alike capturing images of the last blue moon until 2015. by popular demand, the white house today released the recipes for two home made beers being brewed at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. it also released a video showing how the beers were made. the recipes for the honey ale and porter are under the title ale to the chief. they're also on our website, nbcnightlynews.com. >>> high school football with a $60 million price tag. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. but

michelle franzen, nbc news, morning. >>> when we come back, they're making a difference for a lot of and making an unfinished dream come true. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. in absolute perfect physical condition and i had a heart attack right out of the clear blue... i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. he's my success story. [ laughs ] those surprising littleory. still make you take notice. there are a million reasons why. but your erectile dysfunction that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical

nbc's michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: up and down the east coast, a cleanup after a series ofthat even spawned a pair of tornadoes in two new york city neighborhoods. the first twister formed over the atlantic before moving on to land, ripping through a seaside community on the edge of queens. ten miles away, a more powerful tornado tore through a densely pop la poplated area. >> my son said oh my god, we're being hit by a tornado. >> reporter: the homeowners are assessing the damage, but many feel lucky, saying a tornado came through, but nobody was injured. >> we were fortunate, nothing happened. >> reporter: the threatening skies caused delays at sporting events. in new jersey, the rutgers football fans ran for cover. the washington area was hit hard with winds of nearly 60 miles an hour. in virginia and maryland, the storms pushed down trees, smashed cars and left 150,000 customers without power. and on the potomac river, 19 people were rescued, after the large racing boat they were on capsized. what powered these violent storms. >> we saw a very big shift in the weather p

the story now from nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: supermodel maggie rizer has graced the coverlike "vogue" and the catwalk for designers worldwide. after starting a family complete with dogs brea and albert, rizer began blogging about her life. she's been writing and talking about her emotional loss of brea who died this month onboard a cross-country united flight. rizer claims the airline didn't do enough to protect her pet from the heat when she says the plane sat on the tarmac with the engines off. she also says when the family arrived in san francisco, workers could not explain what had happened. >> i was hysterically crying. i didn't know if they had let her out and she had been run over by a plane. i didn't know if she fell out of the plane while they were boarding her, if her kennel fell off. i didn't know if they let her out and she boiled to death. >> reporter: rizer's two dogs were stored in the cargo area along with other pets. the heat died of heat stroke, and the dog was in good health. a veterinarian who also reviewed the case says other factors may have also play

here's nbc's michelle franzen. >> the law says that you cannot.i think i see a lot of lawbreakers. >> reporter: matthew mcconaughey, fresh from his buff role in "magic mike" is stripping down for a new film, taking off the pounds to play a texas electrician diagnosed with aids. recent photos show the actor looking more gaunt than muscular. >> why are you so thin? >> i'm losing some weight. i've got a role coming up. i need to lose another 15. i should not look healthy by the time i'm doing it. >> reporter: the latest hollywood actor willing to go to the extreme to lose or gain weight for a part. robert de niro set the tone, gaining 60 pounds for the film "raging bull." george clooney and rene zellweger packed on the extra pounds for their movie roles. tom hanks melted it off twice for "philadelphia" and for "castaway." and in "the black swan," mila kunis and natalie portman, both already slim and trim, lost weight to portray ballerinas. >> stars lose weight for their roles because physically if you're going to meet this character you have to do it

for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> four u.s. military members have been killed today in a third apparent insider attack in as many days in afghanistan. nato says at least one afghan police officer fired on coalition troops at a remote checkpoint before escaping. >>> chicago teachers could be back at work on monday. the union delegates vote this afternoon on a contract that would give teachers a 10% raise over four years, but also require tougher performance evaluations. >>> turning now to sports, the nhl locked out its players again at midnight. the main issue is over how to split more than $3 billion in revenue. this is the third work stoppage in pro sports in 18 months. >>> and this video now drawing mixed reactions from deeply moved to absolutely horrified. it shows 18-month-old tamzi playing with gorillas at the wild animal park in england. her father, damion, who owns the park, decided to post the home video online to reveal the gentle nature of great apes. now 23 tanzi says she agrees. and that is the news. i'll send it ba

the story now from nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: supermodel maggie rizer has graced the coverlike "vogue" and the catwalk for designers worldwide. after starting a family complete with dogs brea and albert, rizer began blogging about her life. she's been writing and talking about her emotional loss of brea who died this month onboard a cross-country united flight. rizer claims the airline didn't do enough to protect her pet from the heat when she says the plane sat on the tarmac with the engines off. she also says when the family arrived in san francisco, workers could not explain what had happened. >> i was hysterically crying. i didn't know if they had let her out and she had been run over by a plane. i didn't know if she fell out of the plane while they were boarding her, if her kennel fell off. i didn't know if they let her out and she boiled to death. >> reporter: rizer's two dogs were stored in the cargo area along with other pets. the heat died of heat stroke, and the dog was in good health. a veterinarian who also reviewed the case says other factors may have also play

nbc's michelle franzen has more. [ laughter ] >> do i really laugh like that?well -- >> well, well. >> reporter: comedic couple amy poehler and will arnett have taken a serious turn with their relationship, announcing through their publicist they are separating. >> the statement was just that they've separated and that it was amicable. >> reporter: the pair married for nine years seemed to have it all, sharing the joy of their two young boys and thriving careers. the former "snl" star is currently nominated for two primetime emmys for nbc's "parks and recreation." >> but if he is, i will kill him. >> reporter: arnett is enjoying success on his own series, "up all night," and his emmy-nominated guest role on "30 rock." >> you don't tell me what kind of pizza to like! >> reporter: as well as a reunion of the cult favorite series "arrested development." >> they're both enjoying success, but with that success comes what we always hear, conflicting schedules. >> reporter: they seem to be one of those celebrity couples fans identified with. >> one of those hollywood

a colleague, nbc's michelle franzen, is here with the very latest. some story. hello to you, michelle. >> good afternoon. he's charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to damage and destroy balding by means of explosives. federal authorities say the american born teen appears to be angry and misguided and has no ties to any foreign terrorist organizations but say the suspect was determined to plan and carry out an attack. >> reporter: authorities say a bar in chicago's busy downtown was the target friday night of an alleged car bomb plot. planned by 18-year-old adel daoud, an american teen who lives in hillside just outside chicago. he was arrested by undercover agents after he allegedly tried to detonate what he believed were real explosives in a vehicle he parked in front of the bar. >> credit is due to the fbi for literally discovering a needle in a hay stack. >> reporter: federal prosecutors say the suspect was under watch of authorities for months after he posted material on the internet relating to violent jihad and the kil

. >> reporter: for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news. >>> up next, going back to our roots. jamaica. a place where we both have deep ties. ♪ [ female announcer ] with depression, simple pleasures can simply hurt. the sadness, anxiety, the loss of interest. the aches and pains and fatigue. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like

more now from nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: on cape cod, the labor day weekend started with redings and a ban on swimming for the outer beaches from chatham to orleans. >> we have had some significant observations of sharks in close to the beach. >> reporter: at least seven great white sharks have been spotted in recent days and are just the latest sightings this summer. >> some of these were within 15 feet of shore. >> reporter: too close for locals and tourists trying to enjoy the final summer holiday weekend. >> they're kind of exciting to see, as long as you're not in the water. >> reporter: in july, tourist chris myers was in the water, swimming nearby when a great white attacked him. he was treated at a local hospital. >> i had four deep puncture wounds on each of my two legs, so a total of eight wounds that required stitches. >> reporter: but the big draw for sharks in these waters is another popular visitor, gray seals. as many as 15,000 are estimated to be lingering in the atlantic. >> maybe he popped up just for you. >> reporter: perfect bait for great whites. >> that

thomas. >> michelle franzen, thanks so much. >>> for more on the impact of early voting let's talk noweporter and congressional reporter for the "washington post." aaron as we talk about these americans in 25 of 50 states voting early, how is this going to impact the race? does one candidate stand to benefit more from early and absentee voting than the other? >> it should help president obama. the reason for that is president obama's team is far more robust in many of these swing states because they've been building it up now for the past four or five years. the other thing is that president obama is up a little bit over mitt romney right now. and so if we're going on the current polls, it would stand to reason that president obama should do a little bit better with those early voters. >> and this is really interesting because the "washington post" is saying it's possible that 40% of all voters would cast their ballots early in this race. and other contests as well. but the early votes are expected to make up the majority of the ballots that are cast in these battle ground states, the

we get more from michelle franzen. >> emily is already planning her get away this fall.gger is used to searching for the best deal. but this year, she's noticed change when it comes to hotels. >> what i'm finding universally is that they're really expensive. they're more expensive than i remember being the last few years. >> she's right. for the first time in five years travellers are paying more on average for their hotel room. globally, prices rose 4% the first half of this year. they were up 5% in north america. signs, experts say, the economy is rebounding from the recession and backed with higher air fare, demand is driving up room rates. >> the first time that meter has moved in years. we can say the economy is getting healthier. that's good news. >> despite higher prices, travel from business to pleasure is up across the board. in new york city, a record 50 million tourists made the big apple their deft nation last year. hotels are still competing for kuft mers and adding extra during the day but gone are experts with bargain rates. the best advice now, don't wait

here's nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: they are the athletes, pop stars, and celebrities livingrs, and living it up along the way. >> they want to show their friends, their family, their hangers on that they're big shots, and often, what comes along with that is a need to spend, spend, spend. >> reporter: but all that fame and fortune can turn on a dime. former nfl quarterback vince young is now out of a job after the buffalo bills cut him from the team this summer and embroiled in a legal battle over what's left of his earnings. the pro football player secured a contract back in 2006 that guaranteed earnings of $26 million. young is now suing his former agent and financial planner, writing on twitter this past week, "we are working to rectify some unfortunate financial losses, which stemmed from betrayal by those i trusted most." his financial advisor responded telling the associated press the football player is to blame for his debt and for hiring his own uncle to serve as business manager. some financial experts say young's financial fall from grace is all too common. >> it's