course while trying to make history. how is the 62-year-old doing this morning? we'll have an interview with the man on the boat right next to her on tuesday, august 20th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on this monday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm lester holt in for matt this morning. a puzzling end to the life of director tony scott. the 68-year-old parked his car on a bridge in los angeles county and immediately jumped to his death. >> investigators found a suicide note in his office. scott directed some of the most popular movies such as "beverly hills cop" and "top gun." he was the younger brother of oscar nominated actor ridley scott. we'll get the very latest straight ahead. also, a lot of folks are asking what's going on with facebook stock price. it hit a new low on friday. some wonder if it's time for mark zuckerberg to step down as ceo. we'll have much more on that coming up. ahead, lot of us like to curl up with a pint or two of those guilt-free diet ice creams. are they as guilt-free as you think. coming up, find out what we found when we tested calorie count on popular brands. >> are we sure we really want to answer this? >> there goes my saturday night. much more from rihanna's tearful interview with oprah winfrey, how she describes her relationship with chris brown now and whether she still loves him. >> we want to begin with the tragic death of hollywood director tony scott. diana alvear is in san pedro this morning. diana, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. tony scott was a legend in hollywood, the creative force behind dozens of movie hits. when the news came someone jumped to their death from this bridge, his friends were shocked to learn it was tony. he was known for directing some of hollywood's biggest blockbuster like "top guns" and "days of thunder" starring tom cruise. he also worked with eddie murphy on "beverly hills cop 2" and worked with denzel washington. in "the taking of pelham 1-2-3." >> denzel, i think you should play the scene this way, wear this haircut, wear these sunglasses. you can forget all that once you know what the interior of the personality is. once you found that guy, it's so much easier to find that one person for every one of my actors. >> early sunday afternoon scott took his own life by jumping off the vincent thomas bridge, plunging into the los angeles harbor. witnesses told police they saw him leave his car around 12:30 sunday afternoon and scale an 8 to 10 foot fence on the south side of the bridge before leaping 185 feet to his death. a police dive team recovered his body four hours later. the 68-year-old was the younger brother of producer/director ridley scott. the brothers were executive producers on the cbs television drama "the good wife." josh charles who stars in the show tweeted i'm deeply shocked and saddened by the news of tony scott's death and my thoughts and prayers are with his family tonight. director ron howard added, no more tony scott movies. tragic day. tony scott leaves behind wife donna wilson, their twin sons and some of the most memorable action films of the past 30 years. tony and ridley collaborated on many, many times. in fact, tony had just produced ridley's last film "prometheus." so far we have not heard a comment on the passing of his younger brother. just a tragic story. >> thank you so much. it's 7:04. here is lester. let's turn to politics, high-profile distraction to the republican party. two congressmen under fire, one for what he did, the other for what he said. we have two reports beginning with nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell. good morning. >> good morning. a christian holy site where jesus was said to have walked on water. for a large group of republicans on a trip to israel last year, it was a setting for a night that included carousing and one congressman skinny dipping. the visit to israel by 30 members of congress, some with family members was sponsored and paid for by american israel education foundation, a nonprofit offshoot of the pro-israel lobby apac. according to the mission statement these help educate political leaders and influentials about the importance of u.s.-israel relationship through firsthand experiences. but almost exactly a year ago, august 18th, 2011, 30 republican lawmakers had a different kind of firsthand experience. as first reported by politico after a night of partying, 20 participants jumped into the sea of galilee. >> i'm one of the new congressmen. >> reporter: one kansas freshmen kevin yoder swam nude. >> at a time when people dislike, distrust congress anyway, here you have lawmakers, their aides in one of the most sensitive parts of the world swimming in the sea of galilee, some in their underwear, one of them nude. some of the people even took a team picture afterwards. >> nbc news confirmed eric cantor who was on the trip but not present for the hijinx chastised the members the next morning. in a statement to politico, congressman yoder said a year ago my wife, brooke, and i joined colleagues for dinner at the sea of galilee in israel. after dinner i followed some members of congress in a spontaneous and very brief dive into the sea. and regrettably, i jumped into the water without a swimsuit. it's my greatest honor to represent the people of kansas and congress and for any embarrassment i have caused for my colleagues and constituents, i apologize. there was not illegal about the excursion. contrary to reports, the fbi did not investigate and would not have had any jurisdiction, but it is, of course, a potential embarrassment to a large group of house republicans about their behavior on a foreign trip. savannah? >> andrea mitchell in washington, thank you. missouri congressman todd aiken is quickly backing off a comment he made that victims of, quote, legitimate rape rarely get pregnant. nbc's capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell has that story for us. kelly, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. well, it's one of the most dangerous things for a candidate, saying something that ignites a controversy. and that has happened for todd aiken who has been a member of congress for 12 years after he made comments about the difficult subject of rape. a big primary victory just two weeks ago for veteran congressman republican todd aiken, favored to win one of the most watched u.s. senate races in the country. suddenly aiken is swept up by national attention. >> congratulations on the primary win. >> reporter: a stir that began with a local interview on sunday. a strong social conservative, a vocal opponent of abortion rights and measures like the morning-after pill. aiken was asked if he could support an abortion exception for women who are raped. >> seems to me, first of all, from what i understand for doctors it's really rare. if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down. let's assume maybe that doesn't work or something, i think there should be some punishment but the punishment ought to be in the rapist and not attacking the child. >> on the medical science experts estimate that of 64,000 reported rapes in 2004, about 3200 likely resulted in pregnancy. aiken really touched a nerve when he referred to, quote, legitimate rape. his campaign opponent the incumbent senator mccaskill called aiken sincere but misguided. >> frankly, i think like most women, when we heard the statement, it was like are you kidding? it was a stunner, just jaw dropping and hard to comprehend. >> on damage control he wrote in reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it does not reflect the deep empathy i hold for thousands of women raped and abused. later tweeted, all of us understand that rape can result in pregnancy and i have great empathy for all victims. i regret misspeaking. the most powerful republicans in the party who oppose abortion rights quickly distanced themselves from aiken. governor romney and congressman ryan disagree with akin's statement and a romney/ryan administration would not oppose borings in instances of rape. and a couple of other republican congressmen who are also running for senate have criticized todd aikin, jeff flake of arizona, denny rayberg of montana. a committee trying to get more republicans in the senate say it was right for akin to say he misspoke. savannah? >> kelly o'donnell on the hill for us, thank you. chuck todd, nbc's chief white house correspondent, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> obviously his comments will have an impact on his race in missouri. let me ask you the larger question, do you think it will have an effect on the republican race for president where the female vote is so important? >> well, if you look at the obama campaign, they have been playing to women voters specifically. they've been running targeted tv ads in places like northern virginia and colorado already, talking about how mitt romney would defund planned parenthood, that he wouldn't be for questioning his commitment not just on issues like reproductive rights but also on contraception. as for aikin, keep an eye over the next 24 hours. there is a very, very small window. the damage here could be so bad for him, there's a small window that you may see republicans try to pressure him to quit the race. there's a 24-hour window to do this by law by tomorrow. now, if that doesn't happen by tomorrow, aikin stays on the ballot in a race that republicans thought they were going to win and possibly get control of the senate, may slip away, and that could mean control of the united states senate. so lots of national impact. >> absolutely. the romney campaign, of course, was very quick to release a statement which kelly o'donnell had in her piece. i assume this is a conversation that the romney campaign does not want to be having right now. >> look, you brought up the gender gap issue. they are petrified of this women's issue. the gap is double digits particularly in virginia and colorado. i keep coming back to those two states because in the past, republicans have lost races in both of those states because of the issue of abortion, because of issues having to do with women's reproductive rights and contraception. they are very sensitive to it. i think you see they know those ads have been effective already. that's why they ran so fast. that's what was fascinating, just politically yesterday, was watching the romney campaign react proactively not wait for reporter questions. >> let me ask about congressman kevin yoeder who has now admitted jumping naked into the sea of galilee. let's get your take on this. is this a momentary personal embarrassment, or does it have worse tidings for the party as a whole? >> well, i think certainly the timing of it is pretty bad. think about when this took place. this took place two weeks after the paralysis over the debt ceiling. two weeks after the united states credit rating was downgraded. so i think the perception of a bunch of frerk bunch of freshmen house republicans who came to washington trying to stop things, trying to create this confrontation with the president over the debt ceiling, which, of course, in turn created all sorts of economic havoc, that feeling, what do they do two weeks later? they partied, got drunk, and one of them went skinny dipping in the sea of galilee. it's not exactly what an institution with an approval rating hovering in the teens on a good day wants to be showing. >> chuck todd in our washington newsroom, thank you. 7:13. once again, here is lester. >> savannah, thanks. facebook stock price mass has fallen steadily since its much anticipated debut a few months ago. some asking whether mark zuckerberg is the best to lead the company. mara schiavocampo has more on that. good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning. last week facebook hit a new trading low. some are wondering if mark zuckerberg is in over his hoodie and if it's time for him to step aside as ceo. facebook made few friends on wall street last week. friday the stock price fell to a record low, closing below $20 for the second day in a row. the latest blow in what some are calling one of the most disastrous initial public offerings in a decade. >> 90 days since the ipo in may. the stock has fallen by half its value. so the drop has not just been dramatic in terms of size, it's been so rapid. >> the social media giant boasts approximately 900 million users worldwide. >> let's do this. >> reporter: when the company went public on may 18th, investors clamored for shares including private investors like this san diego sandwich shop owner. >> 250 shares at $40. >> now he patiently waits for better days. >> we will go through ups and downs, no question about it. >> facebook's ipo was plagued with problems from the very beginning. technical glitches delayed the opening and led to trading confusion. investor lawsuits followed and the stock price started falling, from an opening high of $38.23 to friday's low of $19.05. now some wonder if it's time for founder mark zuckerberg to step aside as ceo, questioning his readiness for the job. the 28-year-old upset many on wall street by showing up to his first investor meeting this spring wearing sneakers and a hoodie. >> his company. he's not doing the right thing to have his hoodie make money. what i would tell mark zuckerberg is you're a smart guy. you've created this great product called facebook but now the game has changed. >> reporter: zuckerberg is facebook's largest shareholder. he's lost an estimated $9 billion in personal wealth since the company went public. we reached out for comment but they declined. >> thank you. a check of today's other top stories. natalie morales over at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning savannah and lester. good morning, everyone. one of the fiercest fire seasons in history is raging out west. mike taibbi in pine, idaho where the blazes there have forced thousands to evacuate. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. yeah, about 1,000 firefighters in the fire camp below are still waiting for the signal to directly confront the most imminent threat from idaho's big fire just north of featherville. but the big fire now has other towns on high alert. as happens, the shape and movements of idaho's trinity ridge fire have changed. when the occupants of nearly 1,000 homes and buildings in featherville were given evacuation orders some like cindy and pat christensen feared the worst and vowed to stay until the very last minute. >> until i see fire come over the hill, i'm going to stay. >> this is a big investment for us. this is our retirement. >> the fire that spread to the west-northwest, now within ten miles of idaho city. it's the weather that sets the pace. often a two-sided sword predicted thunderstorms that could dump needed moisture, but that also means lightning. >> lightning can hit the ground and spark new fires. >> there are similar stories across the western wildfire zone. 35 dangerous fires now burning in 10 western states in a brutal season that's already seen 6.7 million acres consumed by flames. there are new fires that are causing havoc. the ponderosa fire in northern california has destroyed seven homes and threatened 3,000 more. >> i have, like, fish and everything up in my house. i don't have rental insurance or fire insurance. it's not good. >> reporter: there were several lightning strikes overnight that triggered a new fire just east of featherville, but that was quickly extinguished. the main fire, idaho's biggest ever is still described in the latest update as smoldering and creeping, its growth potential described as extreme. natalie? >> mike taibbi in idaho. thanks, mike. prince philip has been released from a scottish hospital after spending five nights there for a recurring bladder infection. the 90-year-old was sidelined for part of the queen's diamond jubilee for that same problem. embattled wikileaks founder julian assange is speaking out, on sunday, he accused the u.s. of creating a, quote, witch hunt in a speech from the window of the ecuadorian embassy in london where he was granted asylum. nearby stood police which can only arrest him if he sets foot outside the embassy. they are trying to extradite him where he's wanted for alleged sex crimes. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's kayla tausch is at the new york stock exchange. good morning, kayla. >> reporter: good morning. investors helping edge the stock market to its highest point in five years, despite the fact that many trading floors like the ones here at the new york stock exchange remain sparse during the dog days of summer. investors today expect the announcement of a $7 billion merger of two giant health care providers to provide a boost on wall street. natalie. >> kayla tausch at the new york stock exchange, thank you. nasa's curiosity rover getting down to business on mars this morning as it zaps laser pulses at a rock making atoms m atoms glow into plasma. scientists are analyzing the light to find out what elements are in those red rocks. a heart-stopping video from volvo world record holder skyliner fakes her girl on the wire act on the road literally. mere seconds to make it across the rope strung between two trucks speeding down the highway before a double barreled tunnel snaps the cord. as you see in the nick of time she makes it. pretty scary to watch that. >> that is cool. >> back over to savannah and lester. something like a hollywood movie. >> what did you do this weekend? >> that was amazing. >> thank you. >> pretty cool. >> we want a first check of the weather from stephanie abrams. in for al this morning. are you too speechless. >> i'm spehless. >> al's birthday. >> yes, it is al's birthday today. so al, happy birthday from the entire family here at the "today" show. let's show you the maps right now. we are seeing showers and storms into the southeast and carolinas, down into florida. this is a big front. it's going to continue to move eastbound here. for the rest of you today, we are going to see that sunshine through the midwest and comfortable temperatures. now, here is a look at what's >> 7:20 on a monday morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. today we look pretty good. 66 in san francisco, 80 in redwood city and 72 in santa cruz. a little on the hot side in the inland city, return of the 90s where yesterday we ended up in the upper 80s so. 91 today in livermore, not for long, though. temperatures drop off as we head throughout the week. we'll be back in the mid 80s wednesday to thursday. warming up into next weekend. >> savannah, over to you. >> stephanie, thanks. just ahead. diana nyad fighting through storms owned her fourth attempt of a swim from florida to cuba. a live interview of the man watching over the 62-year-old's shot in ♪ ♪ i'm thinking sweet ♪ and i'm thinking new ♪ i'm thinking all these brilliant colors ♪ ♪ shining through ♪ i'm thinking sunshine ♪ i'm thinking sunshine ♪ i'm thinking [ whistles ] ♪ i'm thinking [ whistles ] [ female announcer ] 40 delicious flavors that feel as good as they taste. yoplait, it is so good! still ahead today, more of rihanna's emotional interview with oprah. the 6-year-old reality star called honey boo boo after your local news. no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? 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