Charlie i spoke to actor leslie odom junior. What brought you to hamilton . Leslie i was invited. Sometimes you find the best jobs in this business you didnt audition for, you have no idea how you got there. I just asked tommy last week i have a superstition, i dont want to ask how it came about. Im afraid they may realize, why did we ask this guy . I did get invited two years ago to do a reading of the show and i had seen it at vassar. I had seen them do half an hour of the show at music stands and was blown away. When i was invited to do the reading, i prepared like i had never prepared before. I came out and knew all my music. I knew what they were working on. It had powerful potential. I knew how it affected me. This is our music. I recognized the rhythms and the syncopation, and the pulse of the piece. It has been in my ear since i was born. Wondered when hiphop would come to broadway, because rock came to broadway. Leslie lin was influential in that as well, in the heights. I rem
Live in havana. And is she or isnt she . The National Zoos most popular resident showing signs of being pregnant. Let the great panda watch begin today, friday, august 14, 2015. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. [ cheers and applause ] good morning. Welcome to today on a friday morning. That poor panda will get no privacy from now on. We are sending natalie on panda watch. We have the live feed. Is it a hard and fast rule, never ask a panda if shes pregnant. It never ends well. Exactly. Well tell you more in a little why. First todays top story. Just when you thought the president ial race couldnt get more chaotic, speculation growing that al gore may jump into the race, this as confirmed candidates head to iowa for a time honored campaign tradition. Nbc White House Correspondent Kristen Welker has the latest on this. Good morning. Reporter matt, good morning. The buzz about al gore comes as the ap rep
Do you think the clinton e il issue provides an opening . Think people are hungry for an al rnative. Reporter meanwhile the republicans wasted in time capitalizing on speculation, the democratic field could get bigger. There is disarray in the Democratic Party. Im sure people like joe biden and al gore are seriously considering it. Reporter for her part clinton will try to turn the page in iowa and shell have plenty of company as most re expected to turn out to court key voters and of course ry some signature treats. The Clinton Campaign says ey have no way of confirming if the report is accurate. An official said, quote, clinton did not transmit the Sensitive Information herself and nothing in the emails she received marks clear reference to confidential or other sensitive sourcing. Put the al gore speculation in context his name has been floated as a possible candidate since he lost in 2000. Savannah, back to you. All right, kristen, thank you so much. Lets turn to chuck todd, modera
Not so fast. The South African officials put the brakes on Oscar Pistoriuss Early Release from prison. How long will it last . This morning, we talk to reeva steenkamps mother in an exclusive interview. And coming to a theater near you. The nations largest movie chain announces it will now begin inspecting bags. Worth the peace of mind or a disturbing sign of the times . Well ask you where you come down on it today, thursday, august 20th, 2015. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to today. 7 00 a. M. On the west coast. A busy thursday morning. Keeping an eye on breaking news coming from atlanta where there as you can see former president jimmy carter is speaking publicly for the first type since he revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer. He hadnt revealed maybe specifics about that so well be keeping an ear on this to hear if he reveals details. Well keep an eye on that and go back live as necessary. First, the top story in the west, the unpredictable fastmoving wildfires. The newest c
Calling the crews here on the front lines heros. Matt and is a mchatt, i want to give you a snapshot of how many fires are burning across the country. 80 large wild fires burning across the west. There are thousands of firefighters spread out across six western states. Theyll face dangerous conditions today. The firefighters on the front lines fighting with a heavy heart. Miguel, thank you very much. Turn o the president ial race and the salw down in New Hampshire between republican rivels donald trump and jeb bush squaring off in dueling town Hall Meetings. They didnt hold back on how they feel about each other. Kristen welker was watching closely. Good morning. Reporter matt, good morning. The candidates are back on the campaign trail in nut hampshithre again today, and it comes on the heels of those fireworks you mentioned between jeb bush and trump trading jabs on everything from iraq to their conservative credentials. Its face off in New Hampshire with jeb bush and trump squaring