a brief high speed pursuit of flanagan followed. police finding him in his car with a self-inflicted gunshot. as i was air lifted to a hospital wdbj went back on the air at noon. >> we have determined through the help of the police and our employees that alison and adam died this morning shortly after 6:45 when the shots rang out. >> reporter: in a 23-page documented faxed to abc news, a man claiming to be flanagan said he had been discriminated against for being gay and motivated by a shooting at a historic black church in charleston. why did i do it? i put down a deposit for a gun on june 19th. i've been a human powder keg for awhile, he wrote. just waiting to go boom. >> reporter: as the day surreal excruciating events settled. those closest began to mourn them including parker's boyfriend chris hurst. outside the apartment the couple had moved into together. >> i'll carry it with me for the rest of my life. she's made these past nine months i shared with her the best time of her life. >> reporter: her father spoke with megyn kelly late wednesday night. >> she was extremely happy and she loved this guy with all her heart. that's the toughest thing for me that, you know -- everybody she touched loved her and she loved everybody back. >> reporter: there are so many details about that story that put a point on the tragedy. adam ward was engaged to the morning producer here. one of the anchors at the station tweeted that yesterday her wedding dress arrived in the mail. savannah and willie, back to you. >> stefanie, thank you so much. as stefanie mentioned, new information has come to light about the gunman and his troubling past. hallie jackson has that part of the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. overnight at the crime scene a touching moment as visibly emotional wdbj employees packed up the live truck and drove it off. the shooter's family out with the own statement sending thoughts and prayers to the victims as we learn about who vester flanagan was. today new details about the man in this chilling image as we hear from vester flanagan's family for the first time since wednesday's shooting. a friend reading this statement. >> it is with heavy hearts and deep sadness we express our deepest condolences to the families of allison parker and adam ward. we are also praying for the recovery of vicky gardener. >> reporter: the picture now emerging of the 41-year-old, a man who felt under fire. filing complaints of racial discrimination at jobs he held. court documents show flanagan known as bryce williams on-air, was ordered to contact an employee assistance program there after confrontations with photographers. he filed a lawsuit against the station after he was fired two years ago the day he was dismissed the station described how flanagan had to be physically lifted from his chair by management who called 9-1-1. parts of flanagan's violent outburst recorded. the photographer? adam ward who was killed wednesday morning. >> he seemed to have a short fuse. something didn't go his way. he didn't fit in because people found it difficult to work with him. >> reporter: flanagan most recently lived at this apartment complex in roanoke but spent years moving around the country as a local tv reporter. >> reporter: police are looking for a four-door -- >> reporter: posting his re sume reel online. hired and fired in florida. >> deinvolved into a difficult guy to work with. he had such a conflict going on with the studio crew, for instance, that it almost became a physical thing. >> reporter: police say it appears flanagan's life had been spiraling out of control. the local sheriff here, who knew both of these young journalists, say the police are just in the beginning stages of what will be a long investigation. willie? >> hallie jackson, thank you. >> chris hurst was alison's boyfriend and colleague. and the general manager. good morning. i'm sure you can't come to grips with what has happened. it seems surreal. how are you doing this morning? how are you holding up? >> reporter: we're doing okay. my greatest concern is about the news team and they're doing a marvel louse job of holding it together doing the regular broadcast. choking back some emotion but doing what needs to be done. >> the only thing that is helping us is that this is our job. this is what we do. we cover the news. it's about two lives lost that were a part of this family. two people who loved this job and loved their fiance and boyfriend immensely, and two of us died yesterday in this business, and we feel a sense of duty to share their lives and celebrate their lives. this arena, for us, feels maybe more comfortable than others because this is what we do. >> chris, you were more than coworkers with alison. you were in love. everything i've heard sounds like you were in the magical moment of your relationship where it was just starting out. i'm sure that loss is so crushing this morning. >> you're absolutely right. and adam and melissa's love was just as white hot as mine was for alison and hers was for me. i'm happy to know that yesterday when i sent her off and basically i would come home from doing the 11:00 news and would make her breakfast and pack her a lunch and give her a kiss goodbye as she drove off in her car. that was the last i saw her and it was a great morning, and before that we celebrated her birthday on the river in north carolina. her favorite place on earth. she went white water rafting her parents. it was the best time of her life, and she was just about to get started working on a new long-form special report, a series of reports on hospice care in this area that she just secured interviews for. she was looking forward to life. i was looking forward to a life with her. >> jeff, you have the solemn duty of going on the air and telling viewers what happened to allison and adam. as chance would have it, adam's camera caught a glimpse of the gunman. were there people in the news room that immediately recognized him? how is it so quickly police were able to identify who this was? >> our chief photographer came over to me and said you have to see this. everybody gathered around it said that's vester. i wasn't sure. they were. we immediately passed that on to the franklin county sheriff. >> one of the most disturbing aspects of this as it was unfolding we learned that he had actually video taped this encounter and was posting on social media. chris, were you aware that was happening, god forbid, did you see it? no. >> no. he was obviously in a state of mind that was not reasonable or rational rational. for me to speculation on the motivation to why does a disservice to alison and adam. i think what we're starting to see is continued boldness from people who want to commit murders in cold blood for notoriety, and he did it to my sweet alison. and he did it to adam and i just -- i have no words for him. i have no thoughts for him. my thoughts are of alison and this book that she made for us for our six month-ve she said we were the cutest newsiest, prettiest couple ever. and we are. that's what my attention today. she has scholarships already in her name at james madison university and patrick henry community college. she got college credit -- she barely went there but got college credit because she was in governor school and a wiz at calculus in high school. she was a champion swimmer, an excellent dancer, a gymnast, a great daughter, a sister, and a boyfriend and a lover. we were betrothed to each other. we just moved in at the beginning of august because we wanted to save up money to get a house and a ring >>well, chris, you have given her such a beautiful and eloquent tribute and she serves all those words and accolades and more as does adam. every picture i see they have bright shining faces. i know, they were rising stars and so talented. it breaks our heart to have to share this news. thank you for being here. >> i wouldn't have had these pictures if it wasn't for her. she made us take these pictures sometimes when i didn't want to smile. she brought a smile out of me that i didn't even know existed. she did it with everybody else she touched. that's why i'm so thankful there's so many pictures of her and adam together and so many pictures of her happy. that's what we'll have forever. >> those are the images we'll remember. chris hurst and jeff marx, our love and prayers are with you in this terrible time. >> thank you. coming up we'll talk to the husband of vicky gardener, the woman that was wounded in that shooting. we'll hear his story as well. >> you sit there and listen to chris and jeff and we should pause and salute the station for the way it conducted itself over the last 24 hours with such grace and professionalism that truly is a family down there. >> absolutely. and i think he made her come alive again to everybody. that's so important. >> absolutely. we'll have more on this story throughout the show. there's other news this morning. we're hearing directly from vice president joe biden for the first time about his possible entry into the presidential race. and current democratic frontrunner hillary clinton is weighing in on that at well. kristin welker is in minneapolis with more. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning. secretary clinton continues her campaign swing through the midwest, democrats are gathering here in minneapolis for the summer meeting of the democratic national committee. many of the same members were on a conference call with joe biden on wednesday in which he made it clear just how much he's wrestling with the decision of whether to run for president. as secretary clinton courts voters in ohio today, new signs that vice president joe biden may be struggling with whether to make his own bid for the white house. in a conference call with members of democratic national committee on wednesday, biden said he's grieving over his son beau's recent death. >> i've given this a lot of thought. mey mbers his family was trying to determine whether or not there is the emotional fuel at this time to run, and -- >> if i were to announce to run i have to be able to commit to all of you that i would be able to give it my whole heart and my whole soul and right now both are pretty well banged up. >> reporter: this comes after secretary clinton weighed on the speculation for the first time wednesday. seeming to get personal. >> i was at his son's funeral. i can't even imagine the grief and the heartbreak. >> reporter: clinton said she hasn't spoke ton biden's team but added he deserves space to decide. >> he has to do what he has to do. i'm going to continue with my campaign. >> reporter: there's a groundswell of democrats that want biden to run sensing the e-mail scandal could make clinton vulnerable. she found herself on defense for using a private server as secretary of state. >> i should have used two e-mails. one personal and one for work, and i take responsibility for that decision. >> reporter: now a new quinnipiac poll shows secretary clinton is the democratic fronter but it shows vice president biden does better when matched against top republicans. take a look at the numbers. biden gets 48% to trump's 40%. clinton gets 45% to donald trump's 41%. biden will undoubtedly be looking at those numbers as he continues to mull a decision expected sometime next month. willie and savannah. >> the plot continues to thicken for the 2016 race. weather is a big story this morning. tropical storm erika strengthened overnight. florida is beginning to prepare for what could be a first hurricane in a decade. al, what is going on? >> the whole southeast may be under the gun. we're keeping an eye on it. it's the latest on what we see with erika after it strengthening overnight. right now erika still right over graduate lou guadeloupe. it has winds 39 miles per hour. it's moving west at 16 miles per hour. it has some challenges. right now we have tropical storm warnings up for puerto rico, dominican republic looking at this. 4 to 8 inches of rain possible for puerto rico. there's an upper level shear. as it continues the forward motion, can it hold together? once it does, by the time we get into sunday it's in the warmer waters, 90 degree waters. it will strengthen sunday morning at 2:00 a.m. at 65 miles per hour. you can see it starting to intensify 75 miles per hour winds by monday, 2:00 a.m. by tuesday it's offshore and this cone of uncertainty on day four 180 miles wide, day five 240 miles wide. as you can see the entire southeastern atlantic coast has to worry about erika and we'll continue to track that. temperatures are on the yare yeah look terrific. a cool 57 in redding. if we widen out the picture, the numbers are really just terrific as we start our day. 63 in white plane, 56 in susx. as far as the rest of the day goes. seven days, looks great. humidity up there. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. coming up more more on the journalist murdered on live television. and our conversation with the husband of the woman who survived that attack. he'll tell us how she's doing. and the former prep school student accused of raping a younger classmate. he takes the trial. did he help or hurt his case? closing arguments the clever toddlers who know what to do when mom catches them. >> you've got this video! the feds taking a visa checkout is such an easy way to pay online. enter your username and password. a few clicks. and check out. simple as that. no re-entering payment and billing info. you feel like you're one-step ahead. say hello to visa checkout. visa. everywhere you want to be. it's easy to love your laxative when that lax loves your body back. only miralax hydrates, eases and softens to unblock naturally, so you have peace of mind from start to finish. love your laxative. miralax. looking for a delicious taste that lifts you up? try lipton sparkling iced tea. the perfect 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near exit 137, root 20, you can see big delays here. so, two lanes are blocked that crash and problems with the fdr southbound. and on long island a jacked tractor trailer. >> emily, thanks very much. a . welcome back, everyone. temperature around the area, basically 60s. 62 in staten island and as we head through the day, the temperatures go from the 50s and 60s to the low 80s. 82 degree, absolutely gorgeous, not a drop of rain in the picture at all. not today, not tomorrow, not into the weekend either. low humidity is going to build as we go through the weekend and getting a little bit warmer. winds out of the west 5 mile-per-hour and as far as the forecast goes, looks good, everyone. >> and coming up on the "today" show what the means for consumers now that consumers are taking action on an energy drink company? what's happened to snacking? how did it become absent-mindedly eating one after the next, after the next? so predictable and so unsatisfying? what about pulling up a chair, 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good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the exact time of the shooting took place yesterday wdbj anchors sat at their desk, held silence. what we learned here talking to people how tight night the news room is. adam ward and alison parker young 27 and 24 years old just starting out. here, their colleagues are completely heart broken. we're learning that the third victim vicki gardener is doing well she's in the hospital. and more details about vester lee flanagan. the shooter who sent the 23-page document to abc news who said he was discriminated against because his race and becauseihe was gay. vicki garaener was the guest injured in that shooting. hen husband tim is with us now. tim, good morning. thank you for being with us. how is vicki doing today? >> i'm told she's doing better. they're prepared to do more repairs on her abdomen today. >> what do the doctors say her prognosis is? >> likely recovery but it will take time. >> has she been able to share with you what happened in those moments yesterday morning? >> i spoke with vicki for about three or four minutes while she was being transported to the emergency room at roanoke memorial. she explained what happened to her, and she didn't know how she survived but she did and that she loves me. >> what did she say she remembered in those few split seconds? >> she explained what happened and she remembers everything that happened. >> did she have any inking that something was wrong before the shooting took place. the reports say the man was standing there for perhaps a minute with a gunpointed in their direction. >> they were totally surprised. >> how did you learn about this? were you watching live? >> i was. >> and what was your reaction in those moments? >> well, rprise, ob iously, and i immediately tried to call her on her cell phone. there was no response. the next time i spoke tooaer en she called me from the ambulance. >> how -- >> it was a pretty bad few minutes. >> how soongeere you able to find out what exactly had happened? >> it was about 30 minutes after the event that i spoke pith her. maybe 15 minutes, i guess. >> we're all thinking about you and your family. please, give vicki our very best. i know, the whole country is thinking about her and praying for her toda w tim gardener, thank you very much, sir. >> thank you. if there's any glimmer of good news in the horrific tragedy, it looks like vicki gardener will make a full recovery, according to her husband. >> it's so haunting she remembers everything that happen talked to her. a lot of healing there. >> and that he watched it on live television. a check of the weather now from al. >> all right, guys. thank you very much. let's show you what we have going on. we're watching a lot of wet weather through florida. it has nothing to do with erika. part of a frontal system down there. we are watching some areas picking up to a half an inch to two inches of rain. they needed it. erika could help them get rid of that. we have a risk of a strong area of storms 2 inch sized storms. 50 miles per hour winds. isolated tornados. rainfall amounts from kansas city, omaha, to it 1, gorgeous everywhere in th tristate. 60 in shelton, 61 in stratferred as we head on out to poughkeepsie, 68. and 60 in trenton. gorgeous day today, plenty of sunshine for everyone. a high of 82 degrees. and high humidity and thunderstorms tuesday. there's your forecast. >> get the weather any time you need it go to weather d anl on cable, weatherchannel online. coming up the one thing you can do every morning to change your life for the better. >> all right. and coming up next the suspect takes the stand in the high profile rape trial. we don't need that many bags. eat some more pasta. certainly. low prices. every day. on everything. for whatever you put your heart into. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. psoriatic arthritis cangused joint pain. just like y moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried about joint damage. my doctor 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>> no. >> did she say anything? >> no. >> reporter: labrie said the encounter last year we, a au-year-old freshman who we're not identifying was consensual and included kissing but no intercourse. >> it would have been a good --m >> reporter: prosecutors argued he planned this for month s s at his pre school to see who could score the most girls. h >> i was excited to see her. >>ediancause you wanted to hae sex with her? >> no. >> you were excited to see her because you wanted to slay her? >> i was waiting to see how the night went. >> reporter: labrie acknowledged he later deleted 119 facebook messages. he told the friend he used every trick in the book to hav sex with the girl. labrie said that comment and others were crude jokes. >> it was a joke but today ih.s a e, right? >> yes. it is a lie. you know, i wanted to boast to my friend . >> reporter: as labrie read other messages e exchanged with the girlvoff camera she left the courtroom in tears. laura dunn is a victim's rights advocate who is representing her family >> it is appalling fin every in the courtroom. >> reporter: labrie pleaded not guilty to all charges. >> i think he answered all the questions that were asked of him directly, truthfully and completely. i couldopot beomore pleasned that the jury saw the real owen layiie. reporter: the girl later returned te the courtroom for labrie's cross examinings. the jury is expected to get the case today. if convicted labrie faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the felony sexual assault charges. >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you so much. let's turn lisa bloom. before we get into the specificsc you w ie mentioning it's how he came across to the jurors the overall demeanor. how did he do on the stand? >> he a good demeanor. he was calm, he answered the questions and straightfoiward. i think some of his awswers ained. >> we talked about the moment o devine inspiration. he was about to have consent sual sex but then he stopped. >> he paints himself as a strength. his e-mails show therwise for months he was pursuing her and was bragging about wutt he did and the next day hope asked if she was on the pill. >> on the other hand in the days following the encounter we learned in court yesterday tha labrie sent theleccuser a couple of different messages stating that they didn't have sex. it doesn't sound like she disputed it or wrote back and said, yes, we did. that's going to be a problem for her. >> it is. this is a nasty case because on both sides, the girl aed the boy's sidejehere are e-mails and messages inconsistent with their position in court now. >> labrie admitted he lied when he was bragging to his friends he had sex with the alleged victim. was that convincing on the stand that he said, hey, i'm just a teen kid. a guy bragging to his buddies about having sex but didn't do it. >> it might be to a predominantly male jury. the prosecutor said you lie easily don't you, you lie when you have a problem. that's something they could also believe. >> the accuser was in court for the testim y, which can be unusual for something like this. she left at one point in tears. that's something the jury is going to notice take it into account? 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(doorbell) what's that? a package! it's a swiffer wetjet. it almost feels like it's moving itself. this is kind of fun. that comes from my floor? eww! this is deep couch sitting. [jerry bell iii] deep couch sitting! help two convicted murders captivated the nation. now we spoke with one of the man who shot one down. >> an elite law enforcement team that few have heard about it. it's a special operations unit that is part of the u.s. border patrol. i sat down with the agent whose team was dispatched from texas to the manhunt and he opened up about the man his team spotted someone hiding in the dense terrain. >> as i started to make my way left, i could see, you know, his full face and he was motioning something but i couldn't tell what it was yet because i wasn't completely in the clearing. i was still on secured by some of the terrain of the woods there. when i came completely in the clearing i noticed immediately there was a shotgun pointed at me. at that point i engaged the individual. >> he was facing you. >> correct. >> you could see the shotgun in your direction. >> correct. when i went in the clearing the shotgun was right there. i engaged. >> the training takes over. >> yes. there's facts coming up with that they aroused my us is suspicion. the first being no response to the challenge. no response of the hands up, no response, period. when i saw him viewing me my movement and i'm telling him to put his hands up absolutely expressionless. the ultimate factor when i came in the clearing and i saw the shotgun and the training kicked in and i responded with . >> you were in his line of fire. >> correct. >> even though one person was down, the threat was not over. not only two escaped prisoners but voss had no idea who the man in front of him wasuor if it was one of the escaped prisoners. tonight on nbc nightly news you'll hear how they identified him as 49-year-old richard matt a and agent voss took part in the recovery of jessica lynch. >> it's amazing how they keep their composure. then you have the presence of mind to do your job. >> there was so many law enforcement there. they had to be careful of a blue on blue type of engagement. they had a password challenge. are you one of us? are you not? in this case the person didn't respond. >> we look forward to the interview. coming up couples reveal the true keys to a long, happy marriage it's here kohl's lowest prices of the season! save big throughout the store! for the boys their favorite tees only $7.99 and colorful junior's camis just $4.99 find the lowest prices of the season on jumping beans tops and bottoms $5.99 and on the big one bath towel just $2.99! plus, graphic tees for him $7.99 and esssentials for her $4.99 you'll get kohl's cash too! kohl's lowest prices of the season! it only happens twice a year! this wednesday through sunday find your yes kohl's [ female announcer ] the magic begins when jif to make peanut butter so deliciously creamy. it always makes the home team cheer. that's why choosy moms and dads choose jif. only nexium 24hr gives you nexium level protection for frequent heartburn all day and all night. try nexium 24hr, the #1 prescribed acid-blocking brand, and get all day, all night protection. nexium level protection. 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"today," thursday, august 27, 2015. >> good morning, des moines, iowa! our first time in new york and we're so excited to be on the "today" show! >> good morning to all of our friends and family in illinois! >> michigan and indiana! celebrating our birthdays! >> good morning royals family. we're sending you love from yankees' territory. >> good morning everyone. it's 8:00. it's the 25th of august, 2015. plaza. we're so happy and al has picked the perfect morning show "wake me up before you go go." wham! and george michael. 30 years ago this summer. >> it's amazing. last thursday my throwback thursday was george michael and it was a double whammy. get it? >> how long have you been planning that? >> she's very good. country star darius rucker will be here for a live concert tomorrow on "today." we're told we might get a little hootie, a little throw back hootie. >> we have big news about a popular performer set to take over the plaza. doesn't get much bigger than justin bieber. he has new music and his latest single "what do you mean" and justin will be here on the plaza live two weeks from today september 10th. bring your sleep g bags and start camping out. just kidding. don't do that. >> it's a big day when the bean iebs is here. >> let's get inside to tamron. one day after two colleagues were murdered a virginia news team was on the air this morning. stefanie phanie gosk is live with the >> reporter: tamron, good morning. there's stale ill a lot of disbelief along with the sadness here. wdbj was back on the air this morning live. they marked that moment 24 hours after the shooting by holding hands at the anchor desk and having a moment of silence for colleagues adam ward and alison parker. 24 and 27 years old young, enthusiastic. we're hearing that the third victim, vicki guard ardener is doing well, according to her husband but she remains in the hospital. more details about vester lee flanagan. we know he was let go from a different of number news affiliates for anger issues. he sent a 23-page document to abc news where he says he was discriminated against because of his race and sexuality. he also says that the trigger for at least in part for the shooting yesterday was the shooting at church in charleston. he had praise for other mass shootings including columbine and the virginia tech massacre. here on the ground ear at roanoke people trying to wrap their heads around this. >> earlier on "today" savannah spoke with alison's boyfriend at the same station. chris hurst was asked for his thoughts on the gunman. >> i think that what we're starting to see is continued boldness from people who want to commit murders in cold blood for notoriety and he did it to my sweet allison. >> chris shared a photo album alison had put together as a six month anniversary as a couple. they had been saving up for an engagement ment ment ring. a police officer was shot when he arrived at the domestic dispute. the suspect drove to a nearby minimart and drove through the store. the man barricaded himself in an office. the s.w.a.t. team moved in with tear gas and arrested 35-year-old harrison riley jr. the suspect may have been on drugs. dramatic surveillance video shows the moment a sink hole opened up at the bus stop in china. the pavement suddenly gives away swallowing up five people. at least four were injured. one woman clung to pipes to keep from falling any deeper. authorities are investigating the cause of that scary accident. now a follow up on a remarkable little boy whose stair story was shared. last month 8-year-old zion harvey became the first child to have a double hand transplait nt. he lost both hands and legs due to an infection. he headed home from the children's hospital in philadelphia on wednesday. >> that lovely sound of that voice. zion wants to write a thank you letter for dot nor's nor's family for letting him experience the joys of childhood like playing with action figures. he said i want to hug my little sister when she goes to school. she's the cutest. and, you know, the hospital staff fell in love with him. >> they're going to miss him! >> of course they are. >> thank you so much. now to the federal government stepping in after one investigation. >> the target an energy drink company. today jeff rossen is here with that update. >> good morning. we first exposed this company last summer with our hidden camera investigation. now with colleges starting up across the country, the feds are taking action. think back to being a student for some of us it was a long time ago. someone says you could be a millionaire fast. drive nice cars, ply in private jets. you have to sell an energy drink too. the ftc is calling it a pyramid broke. the recruitment videos are flashy. it's the opportunity of a lifetime called vemma. sell the energy drink and you could be a millionaire. just ask the ceo. >> $500 a month, $5,000 a month, or even $50,000 a month or more. >> the online videos feature private jets and fancy cars. college students are buying in and signing up. >> they promise you you can have a bmw or her mercedes. >> peyton says after joining vemma he lost money and more. >> you get the nice car? >> no. >> nope. did the opposite. i became broke. >> vemma operates around the world. now the ftc is suing the company saying it's an illegal pyramid scheme calling the tactics a deceptive act. a federal court even shutting it down for now. >> we were troubled by the company's emphasis on recruiting high school and college-age students and encouraging them to drop out of college and enlist in vemma. >> to check out how they recruit we went overcover. our young producer made with a top salesman with vemma. >> what are the opportunities available for me? >> the goal is about $4,000 a month. >> $4,000 a month? >> sounds incredible but documents show less than 1% of the salespeople made that. then he explained how aspects of the business work. >> let's say you -- then you and i would help those three friends get their $700 check. >> okay. >> then we help the people sign up their three to five people they get. >> and what about those bmws or mercedes in the videos? >> the cars come into play three to six months in. >> wow. >> hi, there. jeff rossen from nbc news. >> i met with j.d. outside. >> the way you were describing it you weren't telling her to sell a drink. you were telling her to sign up friends. that sounds like it, doesn't it? >> yes, but it's not an illegal pyramid scheme. >> is it shaped like a pyramid. >> it is shaped like a pyramid. you're saying it's not an illegal pyramid. >> it's not an illegal pyramid scheme. >> when we shared j.d.'s sales pitch with vemma corporate the company suspended him telling him the statements were inaccurate and not representative of the company. vemma telling nbc news it's an affiliate marketing company that sells high quality products. later saying they resolve all outstanding issues with customers. as for peyton car , vemma said the accusations are not true but sorry to hear he's not successful. >> stop entiez ce ing the college kids. >> reporter: they are hoping to collect money to pay back the victims. we reached out to vemma for comment and never heard back. when we called the actual headquarters there's a voice mail saying the activities are suspended. pyramid. >> yes. >> jeff, thank you for the update. what did you used to do when you thought your parents were not watching you? these adorable videos that is setting the internet ablaze today. >> it is so cute. would you want to know how people really feel about you? the pop start just donned a disguise to find out. >> what can go wrong? is your marriage really working? in our house, imagination runs wild. but at my table, i keep the food real. made with real simple ingredients. like delicious oils, purified water, and a pinch of salt. and no artificial flavors or preservatives. just real country fresh taste from real ingredients. imagine that. welcome to crock country. the new fall collection. white house black market when i'm shopping for a used car, i want to be comfortable. i don't want an aggressive salesperson breathing down my neck, pressuring me into a decision. when i go to the supermarket there's no one pushing me to buy the more expensive cereal. i just want to shop like i do everywhere else. as long as people drive cars carmax will be the best way to buy them. (music) imagine - these kids won't have to remember passwords or obsess about security. for them, every screen is meant to be touched. and web pages are meant to be scribbled on, and shared. they'll expect their devices to listen to them. and talk. and sing. and tell a funny joke. and as they grow, and get better at things, their technology will too. they'll do things their parents never even dreamed of. because these kids will grow up with windows 10. the future starts now, for all of us. get started today. windows 10. a more human way to do. 8:14. time for what is trending. what if i told you there's one small thing you can do every day to change your life? >> tell me! >> it would make you happier and more productive. you would be better at making decisions. it takes 2:00. >> would you do it? >> yes. what was making your bed? >> i do it every morning. >> do you have another one? >> exactly. there's a new book called out and the author said if you make your bed every morning you'll get the real benefits. it's not just i like it. it changes your life. that said, i don't want to make my bed. >> we have people -- >> when you comb home and the bed is made -- >> do you make your bed? >> no. someone is still in. >> if there weren't would you? >> i'm not a neat person. >> i'm a bed maker. >> oh, honey, did i wake you? >> ask your spouse or significant other to make the bed after they get out. >> i don't ask. she does. she's a neat person. >> it may bes her feel good. >> we asked on today.com. morning? i want to know. >> look at that. one. a new jersey homeowner angering his neighbors with an unusual house. it looks like any other during the day. good looking house. but at night it's a whole different story. the home glows in bright blue lights. shining and flashing until 1:30 in the morning. so neighbors are complaining that the spektd ctacle makes it hard to sleep. one guy said he can't sell his house because of this. the homeowner said he should be thanked for creating the display. >> is this donald trump? >> if this were december we would go oh! >> the most popular guy in the neighborhood. what is a new parent's best friend? has to be the baby monitor with a camera. a mom from seattle learned that recently. her twin daughters were supposed to be sleeping. check out their reaction when mom catches them still playing. >> hi, babies! [ laughter ] hey, babies! [ laughter ] >> they do it in yunson unison. >> and oh! >> all right. now making all of our dreams come true and miley cyrus goes undercover to find out what people think of her. >> first up, jennifer lawrence and amy schumer, we love pointing out they're friends and vacation together. they're working together! writing a screen play and plan plan -- planning to co-star in the movie. jennifer said she and amy are creatively made for each other. that's exciting. we'll see what the movie could possibly be about. speaking of dynamics taylor swift and lisa kudrow on friends lisa played p heebee on "friends." taylor invited lisa up on stage and they sang "smelly cat." if that isn't cool enough. check it out. taylor bringing up justin timber timberlake timberlake. it was justin's first dad. >> can you imagine being at the concert? that's so awesome. let's talk about ed sheeran. remember the lion tattoo? we breathed a sigh of relief when ed said it was a joke. guess what. it isn't a joke. and now says the prank was a prank. he said is getting that tattoo and only covered it up for a tv show. so it is real. >> it is real. >> yeah. >> he got a lion tattoo. >> he had to wear something over it for a tv show. apparently he's doing something on the back that ties in with the tiger. >> i was like thank goodness! get that hideous lion -- >> now you're telling me -- >> yikes. >> i'm out. >> and finally, miley cyrus is hosting mtv's video music awards this weekend. before that she wanted to find out what people really think of her. on jimmy kimmel live she went undercover to find out. >> do you like her? what is your opinion? >> no. she's not one of my favorites. i think she's stavring for attention. >> i think she loves her -- >> what wouldy say if miley cyrus was your daughter? if your kids were acting like miley cyrus would you have thoughts? no problem. i just like taylor swift better. >> she didn't reveal herself in the end. >> it kind of looks just like her. her voice is unmistakable. >> like a british version. >> yeah. >> dolly parton. >> a dangerous game. >> yeah. >> one of the things i would never do. i wouldn't want to know. dylan, thank you so much. al a check on the weather. the latest on erika. you can see bands of heavy rain coming across san juan, puerto rico, it's going to get worse as the system gets closer. right now it's over guadeloupe. hour. hour. right now we've got tropical storm warnings out for puerto rico and the british virgin islands. 4 to 8 inches on in to puerto rico. it will get an upper level shear and may break up. then we get into the warm over the bahamas and it will start to strengthen and we'll continue to track the path as it gets closer to florida by monday on into al, nothing but good news for us. look at these temperatures. 69 degrees in central park right now. 64 in mutton town. 65 in parsippany. 64 in wayne and 66 in ramsey. it looks like as we head through the morning we'll see temperatures relatively uniform. a little cooler to the west and north, but today's high, 82 degrees. lots of sunshine out there. 79 at the noontime hour, and the next seven days look phenomenal. increased humidity through the weekend and rain on tuesday. that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. all this week on the summer of secrets we've been putting marriage in the spotlight. >> that's right. according to research the institution experienced a bit of a decline. half of -- what are the keys to a successful relationship? this morning happy couples are sharing their secrets. >> we were married september 5th, 2005. >> it was a beautiful day. >> we got married in roxbury, new york in a barn on act 15, 2015. >> we got married in chicago august 26, 2000. >> we were married in november 18, 1949. even though we were very young, we knew it was right. >> about two years into our marriage, we decided to start a blog called black and married with kids. the number one question we get is how in the world do you work together? >> we do everything as a team. we're a team at work but also at home. you know, with raising the kids. so team work has been instrumental in our marriage. >> we think that stronger families lead to stronger communities and stronger communities lead to a stronger country. >> the supreme court decision meant that i could go home to my family and say this is my husband. it was just a recognition of something that we consider sacred. >> having it be recognized to everyone throughout the country it just makes you feel on the inside that you're equal and that you're important. >> i don't think there's any difference between gay marriage and straight marriage. it's just two people who love each other and are going through life together. marriage is marriage and love is love. >> george and i have three amazing kids. the truth is, though, having children changes everything. >> we decided to start taking vacations without the kids because we knew almost immediately that it was important for us to stay connected. >> the minimum we go away is three weekends a year. the place doesn't matter. it's about being together. it's about being exclusively together. >> we moved 27 times in our marriage. >> we started out in oklahoma. >> we lived in england. >> we lived in houston. if anything it made it much stronger. i love to hold his hand. >> we always reach out to one another. >> it's very much a sign of or a sign. we stayed in love and so it was just worked for us. >> luckily we're celebrating 15 years of marriage this month. we're going to be -- we're celebrating 19 years together. i think it's working. i think that's one of our secrets. >> this september it will be 10 years. >> the greatest thing we can do is leave an example and legacy for our children. they can say i grew up in a home and i know what love looks like. october. >> i think the secret to our marriage is to be honest and laugh whenever we can and spend time with each other. >> it's a journey and you get to every day. >> we've been married 67 years. >> we've gotten richer because of our experiences and because of our children and grandchildren and our great grandchildren. the secret to my happy marriage is my husband. we're very sincere in our love. i only wish it for everyone to have this kind of love. >> oh! >> how sweet is that couple? oh, my gosh! >> oh! >> lessons for all of us in that marriage. >> yeah. >> any secrets for you and mike? >> make the bed every day. [ laughter ] >> how about you and christina? you have one of my favorite marriages. >> christina has a rule, no keeping score. i did this now do you that. trust each other and respect each other and you don't have to keep score. >> you and debra? >> try not to go bed angry. >> dylan, let's head to you. >> thanks. actress and cookbook author ali laterer shares a quick and easy recipe to tempt your taste buds. it's coming up after your local news and weather. live look there. george washington bridge. certainly shining now, the sun. 8:26 on this thursday, august 27th. good morning. i'm michael gargiulo. the long island man accused of drunk driving in crash that killed a father and his two children will be in court today facing new charges. prosecutors have new video of him allegedly showing him throwing a bottle of tequila into the woods after re-entering the victim's car last month. a friend drove him away from the scene leaving the family to die in that burning car. a look now at the morning commute. here's emily west. >> we have delays both ways on the f train this morning. also going to find problems in the mid-town tunnel, manhattan-bound. disabled vehicle. heavy delays in van damme and in jersey. garden state parkway north of exit 132 accident off to the side and 78 eastbound exit 43 another crash. >> emily, thanks. a check of weather. mostly sunny, low humidity. high 82. tonight clear skies 62. tomorrow 83. saturday, sun and clouds. high of the 87 and sunday temperatures on the rise. 89 for the high. coming up on the "today" show, jordin sparks talks about her new album called "right here, right now." another update in half an hour. meantime, enjoy a great thursday morning. [ cheers and applause ] 8:30 now on a thursday morning, 27th of august, 2015. turn up the radio and get ready for southern style rock. darius rucker taking over for a live concert. looking forward to itn >> we're sitting d n -- >> there we go. >> okay. >> som ething else. the new book the girl with the dragon tattoo series has become a worldwide phenomena. why it touched off a controversy. actress and foodie ali larter is here with a 25 minute meal for your family that is perfyct with the start of tailgating season almost re. we've been watching her cook throughout the morning. i justinant to dive in. it's like the best -- >> i tried the sauce and -- >> >> we have an exciting announcement about our friend wrangler there. at the start of the week we challenged you to help us reach million followers on twitter. wrangler is going on a road trip this fall visiting three cities. if you have an idea tweet the hashtag wrangler on the road to let us know. >> we get to go on the road trip with wrangler? i'll go. >> she's earned t?. >> she's earned the trip. >> we can be together. i'm excited! let's look ahead at the weekend planner starting with tomorrow. we're going to stay wet in florida and the southeastern atlantic coast. more rain in the pacific northeast. northeast. gorgeous in the temperatures. smokey condi ions in the interior sections of the pacific northwest. sunday look for more rain along the coast. we're watching to see what erika will do. we have showers in idea. get outside and enjoy it. 71 right now at jfk. 70 in valley stream. wading river at 68 and 61 in mass tick beach. cooler heading to the west. 61 in montice morristown. 64 in trenton. all day long, plenty of sunshine and th ugh the next seven days it looks phenomenal. increasing humidity and temps through see weu end and as we head into tuesday, thundershower that's your forecast. al, gang, back to you. time go to eather channel on cable. weather.com online. s to the special series fuel for school getting your family ready for the new school year. if you want your kids to succeed in the classroom you have to give them a great base. stefanie is here with great creative ideaig good morning. >> i told you this is my wheel house. i've got a can kirnt gardener and third grad . >> we have tips to keep everybody when it comes to study spaces. u want to set it up rem necessary end of their classroom. think bright, bold colors. set things up in zones. we have a reading zone, a crafting zone, and art gallery for them. with the reading zone, books are way more entizing to kids when they can see the covers.bser them on a ledge like this with a comfy chair nearby. story time can happen naturally. >> like a bookstore. >> yerh. with crafting you want to make the furniture fit their size. peeling off stickers that will help them as they learn to grow. >> it looks very familiar in our house. let's move on to a big category. high school. >> yes. in second grade homework ramps up. instead of stimulate them, you want to help them focus. keep it very neutral, calm, and stream lined. ep the space relatively clear and lifted everything on a peg board. one of my favorite tips to avoid the distractions of picking out a pen. you never consider them a distractions. but if you give them the same color of pens that won't happen. >> the colors are gone. >> you want to keep it neutral. the focus is on the home run work. the task light will provide a spotlight. >> you have to get them to sit still for a few minutes. >> let's move on to college. >> when it comes to college-aged kids, really there a few rules you can break from the younger er er ones. music may stimulate the brain. set up a wireless speaker, and then we like to saylaeep it old school. write your to do list on a pad of paper rather than the phone. the phone will provide the distractions of your twitter and instagram and things like that. offer up things that make you happy and excited. so a family photograph or, you know, poster of something you really enjoy. my favorite simple tip is use a timer like this. an analog timer. say you want to write an outline in 20 minutes. set that timer and every time you look up, it'll show you how much time is left. >> i have to say this might be wishful thinking. i've never seen a college desk look like this. >> start out like this and we'll see how long it lasts. >> you are missing the tapestry and black lights. for more ways to organize your child's study space head to today.com/parents. coming up next a controversy surrounding the release of the t new book of the wildly popular dragon tattoo series. first, this is "today" on nbc. sfx: noise of fans roger! roger! x: crowd cheering sfx: crowd cheering sfx: crowd cheering sfx: crowd cheering my name is amandutand i smoked while i was pregnant. my baby was born two months early and weighed only three pounds. this is the view i had of her in the nicu. my tip to you is speak into the opening so your baby can hear you better. you can quit. talk with your doctor. for more help call 1-866-ny-quits we're back at t38 where the new series. >> the book sold more than 80 million copies. >> book number four is called the girl in the spider's web. it came out in europe today. greeted by long lines, great reviews, and controversy. keir simmons has the story. >> repor mi ions of folks will recognize these books. here is he question, what would you think if the new boo was not written by the same author? would you stim ll read it? that question generated us is seshnse and drama and a family feud over the publication. heroin. i'm the guy you know better than my closest friends. >> they take.on a new enemy righting wrongs, exposing the evil. this time her following is america's own national security agency. and perhaps the biggest twist of all, the girl in the spider's web was not written by stieg larsson but instead by david -- hand picked. >> when i was thinking about the book we had the snowden scandal. so i thought we needed her. >> she is hacking? >> and she does it in a brilliant way then they will come after her. >> you can bet they will. >> yeah. exactly. >> the plot is is released in controversy. stieg larsson died ten years ago, months before his books were published. he never knew his own success. ava was larsson's partner for more than 20 years. he left no will and hissest state -- estate generated a family feud. stieg's brother and father run the estate. >> is the story the kind of story you think your brother and your son would have wanted to wrrte? >> if he's okay with it and i'm okay with it. what is the problem? >> gabrielson opposes any books without stieg. >> how do you feel about the long-term partner the way she said she doesn't want the book to be published? >> we have invited to speak about this but she didn't want to speak with us. >> security around the book has been called tt' ring of steel. so closely guarded. he couldn't use the internet. the irony is not lost on the authority. >> i was living in the same words i was writing about, you know. i wrote about the words, i mean, watching us and hacking us. then i was, you know, writing my book on unconnected computer and we were using code words and we didn't e-mail anything. >> i asked david to give me a tour of the stockholm neighborhood hoping for a few more clues. >> what happens here? >> i can't tell you too much. i think maybe there's a bad guy here somewhere. >> yeah. >> the traffic light means more than you could imagine. it's something with the traffic light, actually. >> tell me more. >> no! i will not. >> even fewer answers just down the street and a word of warning, it's amazing, really, that so many bad things happened here in a place that seems so peaceful. we yeah. yeah. but that's quite normal in ience fiction. you f d the peaceful places and you imagine the horror coming, you know, from the shadow or the underground. i feel pretty relaxed here pretty and calm and i shouldn't be looking over my shoulder? >> maybe. people are watching. >> he told me what he was terrified of is taking on the assignment. he has such big shoes to fill. this morning the reviews look good. we asked stieg larsson's girlfriend for a comment about the book. she said if you really set out to debase the soul of an author, this is what you do. if you really care about books, write them yourself or find writers who do. that is stunning. it makes you want to buy the book to figure out whose side you're on. >> an open wound, obviously. >> the controversy will not hurt book sales, either. it gets people interested. >> that's right. some of the money is going do to a foundation for stieg larsson. >> fascinating. keir, good to have you here. up next a speedy and spicy recipe to satisfy your family from actress and foodie ali larter. first, this is "today" on back now at 8:46 "today's" food and tasty recipe ready in 25 minutes or less. >> ali larter had a successful run in hollywood including a starring role on "heros." she runs her own food and lifestyle website allylarter.com. >> do you have a cooking philosophy? for me messy is better. >> it's about having fun when you're cooking. i think you can taste it when you do. >> you have the right partners. >> okay. goodan >> you just a baby. >> i did. >> yes. vivian. >> and you have a little one? >> exactly. i see a play date coming up. >> bring it on. >> isn't there a thing on the internet how your husband bears a certain resemblance? >> you do. there's a true story. >> there's your husband and there's the two of us. i didn't realize it someone said you look like hayes macarthur. >> it's a good thing. >> you married im. i hope it's a good thing. >> this is one of my favorite recipes. it's my sister's greatest hit, too. she's in indiana and she's a third grade teacher. it's buffalo chicken sliders with george or gonzo will slaw. we have the slaw ingredients and the chicken, cheese, and i'll show you make it together. >> you'll take half of the cab ban -- cabbage and quarter it. you want it to be thin because, you ow, one of my ips i do. if you have time to do the vegetables, great. if not, you can buy precut. what i like to do is get this. it makes them a little bit longer and a similar shape to the cabbage. >> okay. >> it takes tailgating to another level. >> absolutely. >> fancy. >> we're coming into that season, too. >> if you don't love the veofgetables, can youn witch them out? >> totally. carrots, fennel. whatever is easy. we have the cabbage and the celery. we'll put in the red onion just ch ped. >> all right. >> okay. toss that for me. >> okay. here i am cooking. >> we have one cup mayo. good mayo. three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. >> can you do it before? >> yeah like the are chicken. this is sell celery salt. it takes it to the next level. >> toss it up. >> i love that. >> what you do with the cheese. i love that but some people, you know, it's a little bit too pungent white cheddar. >> yeah. >> here we go. that's well mixed together. >> that's right in the vegetables. >> yeah. here we go. do that for me. >> i'll take over. >> yeah. >> it looks awesome. >> we have one stick melted butter. we'll add in 2/3 c. of a mild hot sauce. you don't want it to be too hot. >> i wonder if you like spicy food if you can amp it up. >> then you mix in the worstershire. that coats the chicken. whisk it in. a few minutes to warm it up. >> a few minutes to warm it up. here it is warm and ready. you sled hredded the chicken. >> always. i keep one in my frenl. if you have the time, you can definitely bake some skin on with the bone and get good flavor. but the real flavor is in the sauce and slaw. that gets mixed and coated. >> all right. >> so the slaw your way? >> please. >> i hope you like it hot. >> oh! >> it's magic. it's magic on television. i was ready to assemble the slider. >> here we go. >> it's in the oven for the bred. >> -- bread. >> i should have known. it smells so good. >> i have warm buns for you. >> that could be taken out of context. [ laughter ] >> 8:00 a.m.! >> so what we're doing is i like to get it mixed, get it heaped together. it smells amazing. >> oh, my gosh. >> put it in there. one more scoop and you caneput some on top. >> a a good way to speak in vegetables for kids. >> i'm not scared of fingers. so keep it together like that. >> it looks beautiful. >> oh, my gosh! >> you changed tailgating forever. >> exactly. >> the cameras off so we can take a bite! ali larter thank you so much! if you want the recipe and more go to today.com/food. >> now it's time. worcestershireworcestershire. all right we have mr. willard scott. >> we're happy to announce the wonderful new product out called orchard's finest. i hope you tried it. it's unbelievable. irene nell, happy birthday. she lives in frankfurt, kentucky. she loves to knit. not only they're pretty but practical. geneva palmore in greenville, south carolina. she loves to garden and do all sorts of things outdoors. she does it with spirit. she's 109 years old! philip knight in the great state of texas is 100 years old today. she was a he was a coal miner for years. clarence b. johnson from california 100 years old today. he loves to feed humming birds. did you figure out how fast their wings go? new york >> thank you, mr. willard scott, very much. >> ali, this is incredible. >> i'm like dancing. >> my mouth is watering. you're making that for me, right? >> you're up next. >> go to today.com to get the recipe. trust me. dylan is joining us for the 9:00 hour. >> yeah. >> we have -- they got desperate. >> no. >> al roker is on the road and you can eat. we have owen wilson, jordin sparks and i gate et a chance to play tennis with my boyfriend. >> one of the greatest of all times. >> maybe the greatest of all time. >> one of my favorite tennis players. >> serena -- no, the guy. >> ali, thank you very much. it's really good. >> it's got a little kick to it. a live look at linking tunnel inbound. 8:57 on this thursday, august 27th. good morning. i'm michael gargiulo. divers back in the waters they morning to return to that fishing boat that sank off of sandy hook, new jersey. the boat was found yesterday morning, but the captain, tom anderson, is divers called off the semp yesterday because of dangerous currents. the start of the school year a week way. five enrollment sites open today in newark, hoping the centers will help parents avoid problems faced last fall when the city school enrollment office was overwhelmed with applicants. a check of weather. mostly sunny, low humidity. nice day. 82. tomorrow, 83 the high. saturday, sun and clouds. high 87. sunday warmer, 89 degrees. just ahead on the "today" shdoow, jordin sparks talks about her new album and perfo rms her new single "they don't give." another update in 30 minutes. have a great morning. this morning on take's take. one on one with owen wilson. the actor reveals new details about his family and father. tamron takes on the biggest stars of tennis. was it all love on the court? jordin jordin spark at the concert stage with new music. that all and more coming up now. >> announcer: from nbc news this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tom horne amron hall. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. good crowd outside august, 27, 2015. i'm willie along with tamron and dylan. al had to leave a little bit early. one of the things we're talking about is alison parker and camera man adam ward was shot yesterday during a live news conference. adam was engaged to their producer. her wedding dress arrived just yesterday. earlier savannah interviewed jeff marks and alison park's boyfriend chris hurst. >> you were more than coworkers. you were in love. everything i've heard sound like you were in the magical moment of your relationship where it was just starting out. i'm sure that loss is crushing this morning. >> you're absolutely right. adam and melissa's love was just as white hot as mine is for allison and hers was for me. i am happy to know that yesterday when i sent her off and basically i would come home from doing the 11:00 news and would make her breakfast and pack her a lunch and give her a kiss goodbye as she drove off in her car, and that was the last i saw her and it was a great morning, and before that we celebrated her birthday on the river in north carolina. her favorite place on earth where she went white water and her parents. it was the best time of her life. >> you and an i were talking how impressive this group has been throughout this over the last 24 hours, particularly when you learn to the loss from chris express his love for the woman he loves. >> he was holding on to the photo album. i just thought after savannah's speak at that point. as chris said, this day is about alison. he wanted to focus on her and not the gunman. he wanted people to know who she was and is. i notice he spoke in the present. he said who she is now and that's why he's had the ability to do these interviews and -- really represent their love and who she was. >> and i think that's what resonating with so many people watching the story because you look at all of those pictures and she just seems like a ray of light. even as she was doing the interview, she was excited about you know what she was talking about. she just has such an energy that comes right through the camera, and i think that's why everyone is understanding how when he said let's just celebrate her life. >> both of their lives. >> yeah. they were so happy. >> absolutely. i was a reporter for 25 years and i used to work the overnight shift. you go in the at 3:00 a.m. and you report on the fair. you become close to the photographer because it's the two of you and back then a scanner in the car. and you bond because you see it all overnight. you see the light from both of them and the partnership between them. >> we talk about family in a professional sense. but literally in this case. melissa losing her fiance e. and chris lost the woman he was probably going to spend the rest of his life with. alison's father spoke to fox news and megyn kelly. >> she was extremely happy and she loved this guy with all her heart, and that's the toughest thing for me. you know, everybody she touched loved her and she loved everybody back. i'm going to do something whatever it takes to get gun legislation to shame people to shame legislators into doing something about closing loop hopes and background checks and making sure crazy people don't get guns. >> that's alison's father speaking there. there was a third victim in this, the guest in that segment. i spoke to tim gardener the husband of chamber of commerce official vicki gardener. tim said that vicki is recovering in the hospital and doctors told him they expect her to make a full recovery. it's going to take some time, but eventually they believe she'll be okay. wdbj also, this morning, held a moment of silence. you can see what a moving tribute there as they hold hands in memory of their colleagues. >> that was a moment i watched a little bit of their broadcast. to see them there holding hands just trying to put up a united front. that's what it's going to take. including as you pointed out, the community there. we have been in small local news markets and everyone knows you. there's no place you go. you go to the local little, you know, old country buffet and everybody sees you there and says hi. there's a community spirit and >> yeah. >> this is not a pain that will go away any time soon. >> yeah. we're thinking about our brothers and sisters in roanoke today. >> absolutely. and obviously, a hard transition but to put a smile on people's face this morning we have animals. animals tend to do that. imagine getting on a scale and weighing tons or ounces. there are a lot of different world. here at the zoo -- >> he was so -- >> even the animals need to get weighed at the london zoo. some are heavier than others. it's a whole process trying to get the camel. >> do you just hold your dog if you weigh her? >> you don't weigh her? she's like 3 pounds. >> my dog, believe it or not, don't mommy judge me or puppy judge. malo is three pounds when she goes to the vet. 3.4 pounds of pure terror and she has to be muzzled. the other day she went in to get weighed and to, you know, that technician is like we want no part of this. >> i have to go behind her and trick her. it's a whole -- i'll video tape it and post it one day. it's a challenge. >> the little handlebar tom sell sellac mustache. >> it will bring a smile to your face or make an eye brow go up. miley cyrus is hosting the mtv video awards. in an effort to promote it she went -- it usually means nudity. miley was a guest on jimmy kimmel. she wore an outfit straight from the willie geist collection. >> my dad is cool because he may not [ expletive ] he would rather me have a good person than have a shirt on and be a [ expletive ] person. >> do you feel more comfortable like that? do you feel more comfortable when other people are -- >> actually, you know, not that it's sort of this way. fame with joan jet. we were talking to paul knowing how to talk to me. and i don't know how to talk to him. it made me comfortable because it made him more uncomfortable. sometimes it's a nice ice breaker, you know. breaker. >> you can be like stop staring at my [ expletive ] and the con vow keep -- conversation keeps going. >> you do what you got to do. >> no, you don't. >> it's like -- i was trying to figure it out. >> when we were younger gem. >> the bedazzling? >> no. the character. >> oh, my. gem and the holograms. you don't remember that? >> no. she looks like that. >> look it up. >> it was a tv show? >> it was a tv show when i was a kid. it was a cartoon when i was a kid. >> we're going look it up. >> i just wish that -- [ laughter ] >> this is why i don't do this >> no! >> you taught us something. don't say that! you taught us something. okay. >> it is going to be a -- >> jordin sparks! >> they claim their songs are better. we are the -- never mind. there is a movie coming out. >> we've learned something. that's the whole reason you wake up in the morning is to learn something. >> yes. >> that is it. >> with the preview to the movie comes out we're going view it. we're going to go that's what she's talking about! >> miley cyrus and the hair! >> okay. picture. >> at least it made us forget about miley swearing. up next for you. if you're afraid of heights, we know, for example, natalie morales not afraid of heights. the rest of us chickens. and english daredevil performed a somers salt on the 23 foot high cliff. the scary part was standing on the edge before you start the actual flip. >> the back flip. that's not a somersalt. >> you're not impressed? >> no. i'm more impressed. he did a black flip ack flip. >> you roll forward tuck the head and roll forward. i was worried he was going roll forward and it was game over. he flipped back and i was relieved. >> the man did this thing on top of a cliff. he didn't fall down. and none of us would done that. >> we're going to read about it when we do the weather. >> this is just a picture. you watch this? >> i did this. >> i think i'm a little younger. >> anyway. >> oh! >> i'm just saying. i didn't mean that bad i just meant -- >> you meant you're younger than willie willie. >> never again. >> were you talking about willie at that age? >> yes. >> thank you. >> we have a tropical storm to talk about. it's erika. it's going to be a tropical storm for awhile as it moves through not so great environment for hurricanes. it is going to contain winds to up to around 50 miles per hour as it continues a slow trek to the west at 16 miles per hour. there are some tropical storm watches and warnings in effect. it is expected to strengthen into a possible category one hurricane as it moves to into warmer waters off the east coast of florida and the models are all over the place. it looks like it will get close enough to bring significant rain to florida and keep an eye on outside in our area it's going to be gorgeous today. 82 degrees. mostly sunny skies. a couple of clouds just to make things interesting and pleasantly warm. humidity on the low side. tonight, dip down into the 60s. 65 degrees under clear skies. absolutely perfect. now, as you head to the distant suburbs, in the 50s, and the seven-day forecast looks gorgeous with temperatures week. that's a quick look at your forecast. that's your latest forecast. >> so it ran from '85 to '88. i was like, nine. >> why weren't you watching it? >> because it wasn't a show -- >> it looks like miley. >> we established we're grandpa and grandma. rickety old granny over here. >> dylan, thank you. coming up -- [ laughter ] >> "american idol" champion jordin sparks is here. she has a new album and she's want to survive a crazy busy day? sfx: cell phone chimes start with a positive attitude... and positively radiant skin. aveeno positively 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"tattoo." the single from her debut album platinum. her success continues with the grammy nominated song "no air." and "battlefield" landed in the top ten of the billboard hot 100. jordin has hit the screen and stage starring? "sparkle" with whitney houston and landing a leading role on broadway. and now jordin is back heating up the charts with her brand new album "right here right now." >> wow. >> and jordin sparks, good morning! piece! >> oh, my gosh. >> you kind of had a little yearbook of your career. >> literally a yearbook of, like, me growing up. it's like everything is documented. it's pretty crazy. it's nice in a way, too. i can look back and go wow. i have grown a lot. >> it's your first album in six years. >> you've been acting, obviously. >> you've been on broadway and you've been busy. it was exciting to make music again for yourself? >> yes. it wasn't for a lack of trying. it seems like every monkey wrench that could be thrown in. but now i look back on the past six years i see the path i took and i'm like i understand. like, i understand why this door was closed and why this one was open. why it was like i felt like i was waiting a lot but i needed to. i needed to grow and learn and experience a lot. now it's just like there's an album. now i can sing the songs having experienced these things instead of imagining what it would feel like. so there's a lot of growth on there, i think you can hear it. >> i think it probably apply ies to love. >> yeah. >> but it's interesting to watch your style how evolved in the world of some pop stars feeling you should be naked. there's nothing wrong with this. maintaining this glamour. >> thank you! thank you! >> just a little note, you got the tattoo there but you have a beautiful gown. >> thank you. >> this is a part of your image for your young female fans, especially. >> for me, i feel like everybody has their own sexy. my sexy will never be rihanna's sexy and miley's won't be beyonce i feel more comfortable in a dress like this. milely feels comfortable with everything hanging out. that's okay. i don't know how i feel if somebody was looking down there all the time. i don't know. it would be like look up here. but, you know, i just feel like i've been able to grow naturally. i feel i haven't had to prove that i'm older. it's kind of naturally happened. i feel lucky, too, sometimes it doesn't happen that way. >> you have grown into an incredible artist. we were talking about "american idol" 14 seasons. it's about to wrap up here. you carried kelly and a group of you have gone to a huge success. was the key to navigating out there have? not everybody who wins on the show is assured of being a star. >> not everybody who doesn't win -- it's reversed. it doesn't matter what place you do. i think it all depends on, you know, your drive and, you know, really, if you want to reach a goal you're going to reach it. like, you're going to do it. if it's something you want to do you're going to do it. for me there was no plan. i've known since i was little i was going to sing. it was either plan a. or plan a. that's it. so i knew i was going to sing. i didn't know it was going to be in this capacity. i had no idea "american idol" was going to be around long enough for me to audition. i was a fan of the show and auditioned. now here i am eight years later. >> we're going it hear your new song "they don't give" later on in the show. >> great to see you. up next throwback thursday all the way back from high school, which would be 1901 for me and willie. can you guess in the yearbook pictures? the answers and more. >> i've got them both. >> do you really? >> visa checkout is such an easy way to pay online. enter your username and password. a few clicks. and check out. simple as that. no re-entering payment and billing info. you feel like you're one-step ahead. say hello to visa checkout. visa. everywhere you want to be. you know the love you feel for olive garden' s fresh baked breadsticks? well multiply that by a million. they' re here. new breadstick sandwiches, starting at just $6.99. only at olive garden. wish your skin could bounce back like it used to? neutrogena hydro boost water gel. with hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin. hydro boost. from neutrogena we don't need that many bags. eat some more pasta. certainly. low prices. every day. on everything. for whatever you put your heart into. masterpiece...yeah from us dairy farms so you can make something amazing kraft natural cheese (wolves howling) when heartburn comes creeping up on you. fight back with relief so smooth and fast. tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. tum-tum-tum-tum-tums smoothies, only from tums. to feel this special... you need to eat this special. start your day... with 150 nourishing calories in a bowl of special k. eat special, feel special. now a high school yearbook edition of throwback thursday. >> yes, the celebrity photos. >> we told you some of the hottest stars of summer. here is the first one. >> amy poehler. >> they look exactly the same. >> look at the hair, by the way. >> okay. that's the rock. >> that's who i couldn't get before. >> look at the mustache. >> i like that. >> melissa mccarthy. >> that's a great cut. haircuts i would wear today. >> that's john cena. >> no it's chris pratt. >> yeah. >> it looks like john. >> yeah. a lot of haircuts. >> that's ice cube. that's easy with the curl which i did have once. >> oh shea. >> is that luke bryant? >> he's adorable! look at the eye brows. they're on fleek. >> is that luke bryan? one, two, three o'clock. four o'clock pop. five, six, seven o'clock. eight o'clock pop. nine, ten, eleven o'clock twelve o'clock pop we're gonna pop around the clock tonight. put your glad rags on and join me hon' we'll have some fun when the clock strikes one. we're gonna pop ...around the clock tonight. we're gonna pop, pop, pop ... 'till the broad daylight. we're gonna pop around the clock tonight. pop in new tide pods plus febreze a 4 in 1 detergent that cleans, brightens and fights stains. now with 24-hour freshness. softer, smoother skin after just one shower? dove body wash with a breakthrough formula. just one shower gives you softer, smoother skin. my skin is really silky smooth. dove body wash. softer, smoother skin after just one shower. good morning. it is 71 degrees, and 9:27 on this thursday, august 27th. a live look at the alexander i'm pat battle. they've pulled off more than a dozen burglaries in manhattan and police are trying to track these two men down. the video they hope will give awe good look at the suspects. it's pretty clear in helping find them. they've allegedly broken into 13 buildings since the 7th of may. all happened in midtown. the thieves take off with laptops and other electronics. checking the weather forecast. mostly sunny. low humidity. high 82. clear tonight. 6a degrees. open those windows. tomorrow, lots of sun. 83 the high. saturday looks nice. clouds roll in. sunday, stly sunny, touches on the rides se. coming up on the "today" show, a live song from jordin sparks. see you for another live update in 30 minutes. my name is amanda and i smoked while i was pregnant. my baby was born two months early and weighed only three pounds. this is the view i had of her in the nicu. my tip to you is speak into the opening so your by can hear you better. you can quit. talk with your doctor. for more help call 1-866-ny-quits n we're taking look at the headlines. as many as 12,000 children could be at risk for infection seattle children's hospital admitting that it failed to properly clean surgical tools. the hospital is offering free hepatitis and blood tests to children that underwent surgery at the bell view center. the risk is extremely low. american and british experts say nutrition is more important than counting calories when it comes to your heart and your health. writing in the journal opening heart they say paying attention to the nutritional value of food and not calories could risk of cardiovascular disease. eating more fish, olive oil, and nuts can reduce death. experts say increasing nut consumptions by two servings a week could prevent 90,000 u.s. a b od test that may be able to detect if a women's breast cancer will return. the dna test on breast cancer survivors can detect a reoccurrence eight months before they feel a new lump. let's hope it could help save lives. experts say it could be years before the dna test is actually widely used. and being recalled because of a burn hazard. the recall is on more than 9,000 dremmels. some of thr tools may turn on by themselves or may not turn off. for more information go to today.com. and music super star taylor swift reached into the vault of classics thursday night in l.a. >> she was joined on stage with lisa kudrow for a performance by "smelly cat" made famous by lisa's character on "friends." let's get a check of the weather from dylan. they call her the cat lady. >> it works out. it's a catchy song. there's that, too. we are getting closer to the weekend and we're looking at a nice day on friday. a couple of spotty showers in the northwest. it will help firefighters. a couple of storms through the midwest and rain moving through florida. on saturday we could start to see the rain increasing at the outer bands of tropical storm err can make their way into the southeast. this is the area we need to watch closely, especially as we go into monday. for your saturday most of the country is looking all right. still hot in texas. nice in the northeast and mid to upper 80s and heats through the mid atlantic back into the 90s. watch in the southeast for a the tri-state area is going to see beautiful weather today. 82 degrees, just about where we should be this time of year. pleasantly warm. humidity well in check, and tonight, we continue the trend of great weather. 65 degrees. a little cooler as we head to the distant suburbs and north and west. a nice night to open the windows. seven-day forecast looks good, too. temperatures rise into the weekend. into the 90s next week with some thundershowers. that's a look at the forecast. nd and thag's your latest he fo ccack. >> dylan, thank you very much. actor owen wilson starred in classic comedies and family films. >> but his latest role in "no escape" he plays an american businessman who moves his family to southeast asia in the middle of a violent political uprise. he's a father in full defense mode of his wife and two kids. owen and i spoke about his roles, his old roles, his brothers, and his dad. >> lock the door! lock the door. >> the director of this movie told you to bring the dad from marley me and we'll bring southeast asian turmoil. what does that mean? >> i think that meant that you're going play a dad and it's going to be seem like a comfortable role then we're going to stick you in all this kind of insanity and upheaval. >> lucy! lucy! get out of the pool. come here. >> i would say with my dad growing up, you know, the stress of kind of being a parent. somebody is going to get stitched because they fell out of a tree or somebody got lost at the state fair. there's a lot of stress in being a parent. this movie kind of takes some of that and kind of puts it on steroids. >> are you telling me one of the wilson brothers got lost at the state fair? >> yeah. and, you know, there's luke he has cotton candy and he got lost. >> usually luke? >> he's the youngest. he took a wrong turn on the midway. >> are you trying to get crazy? don't you know i'm loco. >> working on the sequel to "zoo land "zooland "zoolander." that adecided to announce the start having ben and i walk out in the paris fashion show. it must be what it feels like to be on rock and roll. >> someone is not a genius. you think i'm especially not a genius? >> any time you and wes anderson get the group together, is it your favorite creative experience because you >> yeah. i think we kind of grew up in college. and usually working with wes, maybe my works are working on it also, it feels like family. little bit. there was news that came out just in the last couple of days about your father. >> yeah. >> and alzheimer's. how long have you known? >> it's been years. it started off with my dad and at first it was mild cognitive impairment, but still had good quality of life and able to kind of, you know, joke around and enjoy stuff. then in the past few years it just sort of took a big decline prand that's, i guess, the nature of alzheimer's. it's, you know, bad luck and just a really terrible disease, but the good luck is that, you ow, he's at home and he's with people that love him. >> he's a giant figureo you and your brothers. i've heard you talk about him before. >> yeah. i didn't study acting. in didn't even finish college, in fact, my dad used to have that joke he was the charter member of the 3970in ub which stood for three sons, nine high schools, seven colleges and zero degrees. so i think a lot of our sor of education kind of we're lucky enough to get it from my dad and his sense of humor and my mother and their kind of, hou know, very creative friends. >> you might not have a dip ma but i'm sure he's proud of you. >> yeah. he keeps his stub in his wallet to our first movie. my dad was very proud of us. >> so sweet. talking about his dad. so smart, so charming, and so you know, just everything you hope you would be in person. d great in the movie, which is m. "no escape" is in theaters now. love him. coming up i had a chance after willie went one on one with owen wilson. i had to step on the court solo with serena! wait until you see what introducing the first ever gummy multivitamin from centrum. a complete, and tasty new way to support your energy, immunity and metabolism like never before. centrum multigummies. see gummies in a whole new light. you can help children all around the world grow up strong, thanks to tlgreens rtnership with vitamin angels. when you get vitamins here... ...y coange lives evulerywhere. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. you know the love you feel for baked breadsticks? well multiply that by a million. they' re here. new breadstick sandwiches, starting at just $6.99. only at olive garden. my cut hurt. >>mine hurt more. >>mine stopped hurting faster! neosporin plus pain relief starts relieving pain faster and kills more types of infectious bacteria neosporin plus pain relief kills the germs. fights the pain. use with band-aid brand. quilted northern works so well people can forget their bathroom experience. but sir froggy can never forget. 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build a beautiful website with squarespace. >> hi! hey, y'all. >> the u.s. open. >> you want to read his? >> go ahead. >> next week here in new york city tamron has a chance to hang out with the biggest stars of th game of tennis. >> by hanging out we mean -- i did none of that. >> did you have heels on? >> this week the 90th event here in the city which brought together some of the biggest names in tennis on the planet. take a look! >> whoa! >> who is who is of the tennis world holding court in new york city like the current number one female playerer is er is serena williams. >> this would be an accomplishment. calendar year grand slam. are you thinking that far ahead. are you in the moment? >> no. i'm in the moment. after i got the serena slam 2.0 you can't get better that that. obviously, it can. but i . >> pete samford making an interest in the iconic nike commercial from 1995. >> obviously the fans are happy to see you. it sounds as if you found a great comfort with what you were able to accomplish and what you are accomplishing now. my life. i ended it all on my turnterms as a winner. i'm trying to be a good dad and husband. so far so good. >> there's so many parameters that show you that passage of time. kids wearing 13 shoes. >> how do you stock a fridge with a kid with size 13. >> 13 and 11 they're growing. but, again, you're just always hit with the passage of time. >> then there was my plrtner for the evening none other than roger federer. >> i won't humiliate you. are you kidding me? >> and with that, the nerve itwracking moment had arrived. it was time to make mydbig tennis debut. >> tamron hall! >> oh, yeah! >> i was happy with you. i think you did well. >> yes! thank you! >> any time you like to co-host the show with me -- >> yeah, i don't know. i'm still sleeping that the time of the day. >> i think you should come. >> all right. thank you so much! >> so i i invoded them to come and co-host. tennis >> your form is spot on. this. eric and brian said you're going to play tennis and do a quick interview. i thought we were going to be on a tiny court. we get there and the street is shut down and the whole city is i had no idea. thank you very much it was a fun time. and the u.s. open coming up. you got game? >> do you? >> no. >> okay. there you go! >> and jordin sparks who has beautiful new song after this. in our house, imagination runs wild. but at my table, i keep the food real. like country crock's new recipe made with real simple ingredients. like delicious oils, purified water, and a pinch of salt. and no artificial flavors or preservatives. just real country fresh taste from real ingredients. imagine that. welcome to crock country. seeing new wrinkles? less firmness? try revitalift triple power from l'oreal. formulated with pro-xylane. visibly reduces the look of wrinkles. pnrefirms contours. pnreplenishes moisture. come closer, you'll see the difference. l'oreal skin expert / paris sometimes you can feel the indulgence of nature. sometimes, you can taste it. sweet granola clusters, a touch of ooey gooey almond butter. savory almonds, and a hint of salt. nature valley sweet and salty bars. if your purse is starting to look more like a tissue box... you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec is different than claritin . because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec . muddle no more . no student's ever been the king of the campus on day one. but you're armed with a roomy new jansport backpack, a powerful new dell 2-in-1 laptop, and durable new stellar notebooks, so you're walking the halls with varsity level swagger. that's what we call that new gear feeling. you left this on the bus... get it at the place with the experts to get you the right gear. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. to feel this special... you need to eat this special. start your day... with 150 nourishing calories in a bowl of special k. eat special, feel special. embrace your face. embrace your face with covergirl makeup. there's a finish, a shade and a formula for every face out there. clean oil control shine-free and fresh. trublend flawlessly blendable. simply ageless age-defying, full coverage. embrace your covergirl face try the award-winning foundation lines of easy breezy beautiful covergirl. now find your perfect makeup in just 30 seconds. try the embrace your face makeup finder at covergirl.com what are people going to think of our new buttermilk crispy chicken? let's find out. it's probably the best sandwich i've ever had. it's super crispy but also really juicy. so would you guys come back? yes. here's our card. it's mcdonald's? get out of here. try sod buttermilk crispy chicken. it's right around the corner, at mcdonald's. the toy you "today." >> she skyrocketed since her "american idol" win eight years ago. now jordin sparks is without with her third album called "right here right now." now she's performing her second single off the album called "they don't give." about us the way they hating it's clear they just can't take it god knows they don't know a thing about love if we're going make it through whatever don't let them hate cuz our love was meant to be forever no matter what they say the one thing that i know for sure is i know they don't give an f about us so why should we care at all when god knows they don't know a thing about love love love about love they just don't understand it the way i understand you i know they don't give an f about us i would sacrifice it all for you don't they know how much i love you and i do one thing that i know for sure is i know they don't give an eff about us why should we care at all when god knows they don't know a thing about love love love love love well it really shouldn't matter what they say about us but if i'm going to be honest sometimes it just does cause i'm really in love mmmm and it really shouldn't matter but if we get caught up and i'm going to be honest hey sometimes we just want the ones we love to love the ones that we love but they don't know a thing about love they don't no why should we care when god knows they don't know a thing about love i know they don't give an eff about us when god knows they don't know a thing about love [ cheers and applause ] >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. coming up next is kathie lee and hoda an entire hour of "ambush m good morning. it is 9:57. still holding 71 degrees on this thursday, august 27th. i'm pat battle. investigators trying to figure what caused a three alarm fire burned three homes in new jersey. this is on east second street in plainfield. more than 50 firefighters called to the scene around 2:00 this morning when the fire broke out. they were able to contain it to three homes, but two were badly damaged. one even partially collapsed. no word, fortunately, of injuries. the forecast, really nice day. high 82. clear tonight. 6a 65 degrees. window opening tile. over the weekend, still really nice. monday, may see a shower or two. high 90. coming up on the "today" show, kathie lee and hoda share some of their favorite makeovers. see you back here in 30 minutes. meantime, make is a great morning. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. play it down figure it out >> i don't know that song but i like it. 27th. so glad you're with us. we welcome some of our best of ambush show. today. we love ambush, one of our most popular segments. we thought let's bundle it all together and make a great hour. >> yes, because you never know what you're going to do, laugh or cry, and it's going to be great. sometimes -- >> every now and then we have a whoopsie. we go through the full hour of all these amazing makeovers. we have two sets of sisters, those were fun. it's always fun, right, when they turn to each other. >> face-to-face. >> we'll see what that looks like. >> if you remember our special valentine's day ambush, the husband and wife, been together 30 years. they took the plunge and rekindled with hot new looks. >> some are the best are the looks from friends and family. we have tissues on standby because you never know how or what people are going to think when they see themselves. >> we're also going to do a little "where are they now" and check in with some of our ambush ladies to see if they kept up the look on their own which is the hard part. >> it's not easy. often when you choose someone to be ambushed, they seem grateful. we got an incredible reaction from this young lady named melinda dodders back in march. to refresh your memory, here is her before and after. take a look. >> here is melinda before. melinda, let's see the new you. >> oh, my gosh. >> are you ready, sharon? take off your blindfold. >> oh, my god! >> all right, me lin linda, are you ready? >> spin right around. >> are you kidding me? are you kidding me? >> don't you look awesome? >> you look gorgeous. >> so that was the good news. >> it stayed good. it stayed good. she went -- she sent us a video. sometimes when you go home, how do you keep it up? >> she is one of the ones that did keep it up. >> here is a video, take a peek. >> ambush makeover team gave me a new look. it was quite exciting to be worked on by louis and jill.

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