good morning. cat 4. hurricane bill strengthens to a powerful storm overnight. this as a tornado tears through a busy shopping center in texas and strong storms pound parts of the east coast. breaking his silence. dr conrad murray, michael jackson's personal physician and the focus of a manslaughter investigation, speaks out for the first time since the pop star's death. > >> because of all that is going on, i am afraid to return phone calls or use my e-mail. >> and he had even more to say in his first interview. and arrested just hours after our exclusive interview with the first "survivor" champion, richard hatch, police take him back to jail. what happened? we'll ask his sister and his attorney in an exclusive interview today, wednesday, august 19th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning and welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer along with natalie morales this morning, who's in for ann, who was supposed to be in for meredith -- >> who's on first? >> but mother nature had other plans. >> as you saw by some of the pictures we were showing you here in new york city. what a wild storm we had last night. ann, of course, was on assignment in washington, d.c., yesterday when this storm hit. she was actually at the airport, and of course, her flight got canceled. so unfortunately, ann can't be here this morning. you've got me instead, but look at the cleanup here. >> i'll tell you, these storms were crazy with heavy winds and the lightning. >> and the lightning. >> look at this. >> a viewer sent us this picture. it's absolutely unbelievable to see that bolt of lightning right over the new york city skyline there. kind of a beautiful shot, actually. so thanks to the viewers who sent that in to us. >> if you weren't standing out in the storms, it would be beautiful. >> exactly. >> meanwhile, in the atlantic, bill became a major category 4 hurricane this morning, and forecasters say the conditions are right for bill to gain even more strength as it moves closer to the east coast. let's get the latest on all the weather news. al is standing by. al, good morning to you. >> all right, thanks a lot, matt. first of all, the heat gets worse in the pacific northwest, temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above normal. look at temperatures, up into the 90s through a good portion of the pacific northwest. look for records. here in the northeast, the heat continues, although the area's shrinking just a little bit because of this bermuda high. oppressive temperatures again, into the upper 80s to low 90s. and we've got, of course, hurricane bill. we've just gotten some reports from some radio son drops, little radios that hurricane hunters drop into this. winds are 135 miles per hour with gat graey 4 storms, but the winds are at 158 miles per hour. so we'll see this maybe make it up to a category 5 storm, moving west-northwest at 16 miles per hour. now, the track of bill brings it to the west of bermuda as we head on into the weekend but stays to the east of the united states. however, within that cone of uncertainty, take a look. cape cod. so, we have to keep an eye on that. and no matter what happens, all weekend long we are going to be looking at dangerous rip currents, waves of ten feet or higher from florida all the way up to bar harbor, maine. so, that's going to be bad. and in the midsection of the country yesterday, 2:00, without warning, tornado touchdown in beaumont, texas. winds of 115 to 130 miles per hour flipped cars like toys, throwing them around parking lot, causing damage. ten people injured. four people are still hospitalized today. so, again, unfortunatelunfortun watches or warnings before this storm because it sort of popped out of a system that popped through. today we're looking at a risk of very strong storms in missouri today, so we'll be keeping an eye on that. and we'll have more of your weather later on. matt? >> all right, al, see you in a couple minutes. thank you very much. now to dr. conrad murray, the man at the center of the michael jackson manslaughter investigation. well, he's speaking out for the first time since jackson's death. nbc's jeff rossen is in los angeles. he's got the latest on this. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt, good morning to you. this is our first real look at dr. murray, and it comes in a new video he posted on youtube. the video itself is simple. dr. murray stares right into the camera and reads off a teleprompter. he says he's been living in fear and told the truth. >> because of all that is going on, i am afraid to return phone calls or use my e-mail. therefore, i recorded this video to let all of you know that i have been receiving your messages. >> reporter: in the one-minute youtube video titled "dr. conrad murray thanks supporters," michael jackson's personal physician makes only a vague reference to the manslaughter investigation now focused on him. >> i have done all i could do. i told the truth and i have faith the truth will prevail. >> reporter: but police sources tell nbc news they have more questions for dr. murray and haven't been able to schedule a third interview with him. they've already searched his luxury home, offices, storage units and the pharmacy he used. the sources say he administered the anesthetic propofol to jackson on the day he died. his lawyer maintains dr. murray did nothing wrong, but the video doesn't address any of that. >> i want to thank all of my patients and friends who have sent such kind e-mails, letters and messages to let me know of your support and prayers for me and my family. your messages give me strength and courage and keep me going. they mean the world to me. >> dr. murray gets to get out and make a statement without being cross examined by prosecutors or asked any probing questions by pesky journalists. he just gets to float his side of the story without being challenged. >> please, don't worry. as long as i keep god in my heart and you in my life, i will be fine. >> reporter: as dr. murray posted his video online, the jackson family announced plans for michael's funeral. after all the talk of a neverland burial, it won't happen. instead, he'll be laid to rest here at forest lawn cemetery, 15 minutes from hollywood in glendale, california. the service will take place on what would have been jackson's 51st birthday, saturday, august 29th. jackson's body will be placed inside a mausoleum. >> where michael's going to be buried now is highly secure and remote. there are other big-name movie stars there, and it's not the kind of place that people are going to be able to visit. >> reporter: we're told it will be a private ceremony for family and friends. one other note about the dr. murray video, matt. i'm sure you noticed he has an accent. that's from his childhood growing up in the caribbean. >> jeff rossen in los angeles. jeff, i have one question. investigators say they have more questions for dr. murray. they would like to interview him for a third time, but we keep hearing over the last couple of weeks that they have been unable to schedule that interview. why is that such a problem? >> reporter: look, there's nothing in the law or anywhere that says you have to help police build a case against you. for now, it's fully voluntary. remember, dr. murray has not been labeled an official suspect. he hasn't even been arrested yet. and so, police have a couple of options here. they can either keep asking him to voluntarily come in for an interview or they can get enough evidence, arrest him and haul him in for questioning, whether he likes it or not. and many legal experts say, and these are both former prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers i spoke to, say they probably wouldn't have had him talk to police even the first two times, because anything you say can and will be held against you, as they say, in a court of law, and could actually help police build a case against you. and so, many of the criminal defense lawyers say they wouldn't have him speak either. >> jeff rossen, jeff, thank you very much. also on tuesday, dr. murray sat down for his first interview with gerald pozner, chief investigative reporter. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> we heard jeff say, in the piece, in this way, he gets to sit down in the video, it's a freebee. he's not asked probing questions. did you get to ask probing questions or were there restrictions placed on you? >> well, there were no restrictions. i had been trying to get this for weeks and somebody in the firm read my book on 9/11 and i had done books in texas on ross perot and the kennedy administration. they were familiar with my work. it took a long time to sit with dr. murray. it shapd to be by coincidence to the day this released this video. but he wouldn't speak on the case because of an indictment pending. so nobody's going to ask him things about what happened with michael jackson, but he did talk in a very frank way and he comes over very personable. i must tell you, you know, 6'5" tall, lanky, he has a caribbean tint accent. he sat in the chair. has sort of expansive gestures, speaks very deliberately. he's very credible about -- >> what has he said about his life since michael jackson's death? >> here's his quote, he says "terrible." he has a bodyguard now. he's received death threats. he's viewed the press, he sees the articles about him. he believes that what sells, as a matter of fact, are things that are more salacious, gossipy and just filled with bad news. when i asked him what his biggest worry was, he said it is being made a scapegoat. he talked quite passionately about his 20 years of medical service, how he had sold a house when he was 19 to get the money to go through medical school, and he said that he thought all of that was lost, because as he put it, he was the last man standing with michael jackson. and what was so irritating to him about that is that he was very adamant that he's not a concierge doctor, that he was not an enabling doctor. yet, this is how he's being portrayed. and you know, before, in the piece coming up to this, matt, you heard from some defense lawyers, or you know, jeff said there were people who said he should have never spoken to the police. his attorneys are convinced that the nearly six hours of conversation that he has had with the police, he has never changed his story. i don't know what that story is because they won't release it -- >> right. >> but they say those are the facts that will get him xbox rated if he is charged. >> clearly, he is under suspicion. they are trying to build a manslaughter case against him. they have searched his storage space and offices. does he think charges will be brought? >> look, the attorneys believe that now that the prosecutors have it and are looking at it, they hope the charges won't be brought, but these are realists. the legal team are realists, and dr. murray is as well. what was intriguing is he said he doesn't just want to be acquitted. he used the word exonerated, meaning he doesn't want an acquittal where somebody says you had a better witness, you had michael bodden versus henry lee, or you got off because the jury was in your favor. he wants an exoneration, and he really believes -- this is a man, let me tell you, when i used to be a lawyer practicing, we would rate witnesses "a" to "f." he's an "a" in terms of how he comes over. he's very personable, has a warm smile. the prosecutors, if he gets on the stand, will have a difficult time, because he will connect with the juriy. >> gerald posner, thank you for your time this morning. i appreciate it. >> thanks, matt. >> it's 11 minutes after the hour. here's natalie. >> matt, thank you. now to washington and a rough patch for president obama. a new nbc news poll shows his job approval rating has taken another hit as he struggles to sell his health care reform plan. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. look, it's been a very heated three weeks of debate on health care, and right now it looks like history might be repeating itself, as president obama looks like he's facing similar political problems that faced the clintons back when they tried to tackle health care in the '90s. >> constitutional -- >> he, he -- wait a minute. >> reporter: there's passion. there's anger. >> we have had it with government. we are fed up. we think it stinks. >> reporter: there's fear. >> i don't want this country turning into russia, turning into a socialized country. >> reporter: and even after president obama hosted three town hall meetings to sell his plan last week -- >> getting a good deal from the insurance companies. that's what i'm fighting for. >> reporter: the public is still wary of his efforts to reform health care. >> i'm not for sure if he isn't touched with the true feelings of the people who live here in america. >> reporter: a new nbc news poll shows that most americans are skeptical of the current attempts to reform health care. a majority, 54%, are worried the president's efforts go too far, changing the system for the worse. while only 41% say his reform efforts don't go far enough. and the poll also finds that large numbers of americans still believe the myths about the obama health care plan. 45% believe the plan will give the government the power to cut off care for the elderly. 50% believe the plan will use taxpayer money to pay for abortions. 55% believe it will mean illegal immigrants get health insurance. while independent fact-checkers say none of those statements are true, the misperceptions remain. >> people over the age of 65, god forbid if they have a serious illness, such as cancer. they're going to be pushed off to the side and they're just going to be left to die. >> reporter: but according to our poll, when they hear the facts, it's another story. after being read a statement that includes actual details of the obama health care plan, a majority, 53% say they are in favor of it, while only 43% oppose it. and almost everyone surveyed agreed that some kind of reform is necessary. >> i think that it's good for the nation, because there's a lot of people that are suffering that need health care. >> reporter: but many we spoke to still expressed concern. >> i think that when government gets their hand in things that they muck it up pretty good. >> well, natalie, as you noted, with the president's job ratings, this is the third straight poll it's dropped. it is now sitting at 51% with 40% disapproving. >> chuck, what really stands out in that piece, too, is a lot of misunderstanding over the president's health care reform here, and when you look at the ratings there, the poll numbers, only 36% really believe that it is still a good idea. 42% say it's a bad idea. so, how concerned is the white house over these numbers, and really, more importantly, over whether or not they believe they're losing control of the message? >> well, i think they feel like they've stopped the bleeding when it comes to losing control of the message. it was a bad end of july, early part of august. the last week they feel like at least they didn't lose any more ground. so, when they look at the field, they say, okay, it could have gotten worse, but the town halls that the president held at least started acting as a counterbalance to what was going on with those congressional town halls and some of that information. but i'll tell you, it is getting tough, it is why, for instance, you see the president starting to think about, okay, what's it going to take to just get a deal and get something done quickly. i can tell you, the white house would love to hurry up, get a bill passed in september and try to get this debate behind them. i don't think they can ever win the pr battle right now. at this point, they just want to get a bill passed, which that they can get done, even if it means politically taking a hit. >> and a lot of the debate this week has centered on the public option. >> right. >> over, you know, the private insurance, and our poll found that 47% now oppose the public option while 43% support it. and that's a shift from last month, when 46% supported it. so, how do you explain this? is there still just a misunderstanding over what this is all about? >> well, here's the big problem. about 60% of the country has private insurance, and these folks are the ones that are most skeptical of any idea of a public option, a government-run insurance plan. and because of that, they sit there and say, oh, geez, a government plan, that's going to somehow limit me, that's going to hurt my insurance. that's what they're hearing out there. and so, what the white house has to figure out and what our pollsters told us is at the end of the day, people don't feel like, what's in it for me? what am i getting? and most people have insurance. and that's why you've heard the white house try to talk about this as insurance reform. look, we will do this, we will do that. but right now that isn't what they're hearing. they feel like all they're hearing is what they're not going to get anymore, what they may not get, what could be limited to them. and that's something that the white house hasn't been able to figure out how to turn around. >> all right. chuck todd there in washington. thanks so much, chuck. >> you got it, natalie. let us get the rest of the morning's headlines now from hoda kotb at the news desk. >> good morning, everybody. we begin with news that two north korean diplomats are in new mexico for two-day talks with governor bill richardson. the white house says the north koreans requested that visit. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell broke the news about the meeting and joins us now from washington. andrea, is this some sort of diplomatic thaw, do you think, in relations there? >> reporter: well, it certainly is a change of mood. the meeting comes one day after bill clinton and president obama met at the white house to discuss clinton's recent trip to pyongyang when he brought back journalists laura ling and euna lee. on that trip, clinton found that kim jong wail not as frail as the u.s. had thought and the leadership is less divided. north korea's longtime nuclear negotiator sat in on the meeting. in new mexico today, the two north koreans visiting governor richardson are the same diplomats who invited him to north korea two years ago to recover the remains of missing u.s. soldiers. all this activity is the first sign of a real opening possibly after a year of escalating tensions, including north korea's nuclear tests and missile firings. asked about that possibility, hillary clinton says that we continue to offer north korea a dialogue that could offer many benefits to the people of north korea, the choices up to north korea and more signals today. south korea canceled a test minutes before launch and north korea says it will send a delegation to the funeral of south korea's former president. hoda? >> wow, interesting developments, andrea. thank you so much for that. a series of explosions struck iraq's capital this morning, leaving at least 75 people dead, wounding more than 300 others. the bomb and mortar attacks targeted iraqi government buildings near the green zone. gunfire erupted in afghanistan this morning, where three militants try to take over a bank in kabul. the taliban has vowed more attacks ahead of tomorrow's presidential election. friends and fellow journalists are remembering famed columnist and tv commentator robert novak. he died tuesday in washington after a battle with brain cancer. robert novak was 78 years old. a casual bike ride for lance armstrong turned into a mob scene in scotland on tuesday. several hundred people turned out to catch a glimpse or get an autograph from the seven-time tour de france champ after he twitte