FULL EPISODE: TODAY SHOW - OCT. 20 - AOL INC

Good Tuesday morning severe weather on the moon and tens of millions set to feel the impact. It's October 20th. This is today. Coast to coast to developing nor'easter starting to churn up dangerous conditions along the east coast this morning set to bring days of powerful surf and high winds and out west of flash flood risk all the way from Southern California to the Rockies out west. got the full forecast home stretch candidates making a final push to reach voters with the midterms exactly two weeks away democrats seeing signs of success and republican strongholds we are building a movement to take back our state and take back your country as president trump blitzes red states looking to stiffen the spine of the republican base just turn out if you turn Where it all stands with just 14 days to go until the election. Breaking overnight, escalating tensions. Russia launches new attacks across Ukraine. President Trump offering praise for Vladimir Putin and facing pushback from inside Republican ranks for coddling the Russian leader. Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle. We will have the very latest. Eagle grounded. Philadelphia star quarterback Jalen Hurts expected to miss the rest of the NFL season after the discovery of dangerous blood clots in his lungs. This morning, the growing question surrounding why he was allowed to play. How the hell is he on a football field against the Jacksonville Jaguars that morning? What Hurts and the team are saying about the diagnosis. And Mike Tirico joins us live with his take. All That Plus stars in Studio 1A. Chris Pratt joins us ahead of the long-awaited return of his action-packed series. There's evil in this world. And we are simply thrilled when Ina Garten stops by. We'll celebrate the release of her new cookbook, Simply Ina. And on a roll. Good protection. Kittle touchdown. The 49ers stay undefeated after a big Monday night win against the Commanders. 49ers are 6-0. And in baseball, the Rays shine. He's watching it. It's going to fly! Punching their ticket to the Fall Classic. Setting up a historic clash against the Brewers with both teams looking for their first ever World Series championship today. Tuesday, October 20th, 2026. From NBC News, this is Today with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, live from Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza. Hi, everybody. Good morning. Welcome to Today. Nice to have you along with us on a Tuesday morning. It's Chanel with us again while Craig enjoys some time off. Good morning, we want to get right to this morning's top stories, including the final countdown to the midterm elections now just two weeks away. President Trump adding more stops on the campaign trail. Seven states in seven days with the future of the House and Senate and who controls it hanging in the balance. And we've got full coverage in just a bit. But first, the latest on that developing nor'easter set to bring coastal flooding and strong winds. Parts of the East Coast on alert this morning. Impacts being felt as early as tomorrow. It will be a days-long event. Al is tracking all of it. Hey, Al, good morning. Good morning, guys, and good morning to you. We're watching this system. The good news is it's going to stay far enough offshore that rain will only be a problem for maybe Nantucket and parts of Cape Cod. But in the meantime, it's going to intensify. Staying offshore, the coastal flooding and the beach erosion is something we're going to be watching. Gusty onshore winds just along the immediate coast from New Jersey down to Cape Hatteras. Some rain for Cape Cod, a little coastal flooding there. Then Thursday, rough surf, rip currents will continue. It could become a subtropical or tropical storm possible, but it will happen as it is moving away. So that's good news. The winds again, that'll be the biggest impact you can see from Nantucket at 44 mile per hour. Virginia Beach, 32 miles per hour. Cape Hatters, 39 miles per hour, there's going to be some coastal flooding. There this week, we've got storms impacting both the east and west coast. The problem is we don't have a lot to steer these. So Pacific storm is going to bring heavy rain and flooding, mountain snow, the nor'easter, gusty coastal winds, some tidal flooding as well. But with that jet stream up across Canada, both storms will be meandering. So we don' have much to push away, but we'll continue to watch them, guys. All right. Thank you, Al. With exactly two weeks to go until the midterms. Candidates nationwide are in a sprint to the finish line. President Trump keeping up his intense pace as well, planning to campaign for struggling Republicans across seven states in seven days. NBC's senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez starts us off. Gabe, good morning. Chanel, good Morning. President Trump is racing to help Republicans hold on to Congress, heading to North Carolina today, where his party is wrestling with a tight race in yet another state he won in 2024. Overnight, President Trump campaigning in a state that's traditionally deep red. I love you, Kansas. But expressing concern that Kansas could be moving away from the Republican Party. I hate to say it, you're sort of tending toward the purple. Trump won the state by 16 points in 2024. Is it a bad sign for Republicans that you have to go campaign in Kansas today? No, it's a close race. It shouldn't be. Now, incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall is locked in an unexpectedly tight race with Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. If elected, Hamilton will be the state's first Democratic senator in 94 years, the president promising voters more rewards, including money for farmers. Some more goodies. You know, I always heard that when you're president, you have a little bit of an advantage. And pledging that he'll make a fuel waiver permanent for Kansas if the Republican Marshall wins. If Adam Hamilton is in, I'm not doing it. It was the president's first stop in a seven-day sprint across seven states, all of which he won in 2024. If you turn out, we win. He's also announcing another trip to normally deep red Texas next week, where early voting is now underway, and a marquee Senate matchup features Republican Ken Paxton facing off with Democrat James Tallarico. I spent most of my life not paying attention to politics and not realizing how important it is and how much it affects our lives. And now I do. A new NBC News poll finds that Trump's approval ratings when it comes to his handling of the top issues with voters have dropped, cost of living down to 27%. Vice President J.D. Vance trying to pin the sagging economy on Democrats. Vote for the people who have solutions to lower the cost of gas. And while President Trump traveled to Kansas, The Secret Service announced a man had been arrested there over the weekend for threatening online to kill him. The Justice Department stressing that threats of political violence will not be tolerated for two weeks until those hotly contested midterms. Chanel Savannah. All right, Gabe, thank you. All Right. Want to turn to Kristen Welker, moderator of Meet the Press. Kristen, good morning. I mean, we see President Trump in these deep red states. They really feel that the political operation of the White House and some of these candidates, that if anyone can turn out Republicans in these elections, it's Trump. Is there any sign it's having an impact? Savannah, there is. Actually, I spoke with an administration official overnight who says they believe the president's efforts are paying off, specifically pointing to internal polling. Now, these are internal polls in places like Alaska and Ohio where they say the races are tightening. But look, just caveat here, these races are already incredibly close. Republicans still believe the president is the most effective messenger at turning out the MAGA base. He's been announcing those new economic proposals. Gabe just mentioned that. It does cut both ways, though. He also drives out the Democratic base. But, look, it's extraordinary that he's campaigning in these reliably red states. This does highlight the reality that Republicans are on defense in part because of the president's approval ratings are underwater. There's deep dissatisfaction over Iran, the high price of gas. One thing I'll be watching for, Savannah, we just saw Elon Musk pour millions of dollars into propping up Republican candidates, including in a state like Texas, where Republicans are trying to defend their Senate seat there. Will this last-minute infusion of cash make a difference, or are people's perceptions baked in at this point? Well, Kristen, with that said, there are some Republicans who are distancing themselves from the president. Can you talk a bit about that? Well, Chanel, look, candidates learned in 2018 that distancing themselves altogether from President Trump meant they didn't get the benefit of turning out his base in force. So right now we're seeing Republicans walk a fine line. A couple of examples. You have Mike Rogers in Michigan, Dan Sullivan in Alaska. Both have opposed President Trump's waiving of Russian sanctions. Rogers has even cut an ad opposing the president's tariffs. I recently visited Michigan. I spoke with voters across the political spectrum. I can tell you the one thing they have in common, their frustration over the economy. Interestingly, a New York Times analysis, Chanel, found less than 1% of Republicans' television campaign ads in the last month actually mentioned President Trump. Kristen, let's talk about the Democrats because, you know, the Republicans have their problems. Democrats are unpopular broadly as well. Where are they facing some of those headwinds? Well, it's interesting, Savannah, because polls show that, yeah, while voters might be frustrated with the economy and President Trump, they're not enthusiastic about the Democratic brand. And one of the big questions Democrats are facing right now, those ideological differences within the party. People want to know what they're going to do if they win back Congress. One of the key questions, if they went back the House, for example, will they pursue a third impeachment against President Trump? There's a lot of division on this issue. Democrats like Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, warning impeachment would backfire. It's clear that voters want some oversight, but they want a clear message from Democrats. What's their plan to improve the economy? What's their plan? What's there plan to make life more affordable? Savannah and Chanel. Kristen, thank you very much. Also this morning, we're following breaking news from overseas, including the curfews now being imposed in parts of Paris and other French cities following days of violent protests. Officials there attempting to rein in the country's worst unrest in years. We have two reports for you, starting with NBC's chief foreign correspondent, Richard Engel. He's in Paris for us. Good morning to you, Richard. Good morning from Paris. Here you can see the aftermath from this latest round of unrest, these latest clashes that we've been seeing here. I am now in Republic Square, and the main statue here is covered in graffiti. And if we spin around, you can see one of the many cars that was completely burned and destroyed. And on the hood are all of these pieces. These are fragments of tear gas canisters, just some of the may tear gas canisters that riot police fired at demonstrators. But now, because of the partial curfews, France's prime minister says the situation across the country has somewhat calmed down. FRANCE IS TRYING TO RESTORE CALM THIS MORNING. IN PARIS' REPUBLIQUE SQUARE, TEAMS WERE OUT EARLY, CLEARING AWAY THE AFTERMATH OF THE PROTESTS THAT AT TIMES TURNED INTO RIOTS. OVERNIGHT, POLICE WERE ON PATROL, ENFORCING EXTRAORDINARY CURFEWS IN SEVERAL FRENCH CITIES. AFTER DAYS OF CLASHES THAT LEFT HUNDREDS OF SHOPS LOOTED, BUILDINGS DAMAGED, AND CARS BURNED. Iconic landmarks were attacked in Paris students pushed through police barricades to blockade the Louvre Museum We are here in support of those who cannot be heard as well as us Many protesters including students who started this movement were unhappy with the violence blaming instigators Personally, I do not agree with the vandals because they are smashing up shops and frankly it discredits us It really doesn't show what we want, said a demonstrator. Overnight, at his rally in Kansas, President Trump weighed in, pointing the finger at mass immigration for the unrest. Just look at what's happening in France, a once great nation that is being conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists. Although French authorities and police have not linked immigrants to the rioting, it's the same argument France's far-right parties are using, hoping to capitalize on the chaos to win key elections in the spring. Much of the anger is directed at President Emmanuel Macron and France's struggling economy. And Macron is being criticized here for being out of touch after attending a Celine Dion concert last week. And he's now out of the country on a tour of the Middle East. Calm for now, but this is not over. More demonstrations have been called for Thursday and Saturday. Janelle? All right. Richard Engel in Paris. Thank you. Let's go to the war in Ukraine now. New strikes there overnight amid a growing standoff between the White House and Ukraine's president over what it will take to end nearly five years of fighting. NBC's chief international correspondent, Keir Simmons, on that story for us. Keir, good morning. Savannah, good warning to you. And the secretary of state just speaking, describing as outrageous claims from Ukraine that people there are dying because of a lack of U.S. intelligence. Secretary Rubio saying that is simply not true. But Republican lawmakers now calling for an investigation into reports from Ukraine that the SpaceX Starlink service to Ukraine is being disrupted. Overnight in Ukraine, firefighters battling ablaze from another Russian strike that killed three, with the increasingly bitter standoff between President Trump and President Zelensky heating up. We've given a lot to Ukraine. They've given nothing to us. President Trump praising Putin after agreeing a deal for the U.S. to buy Russian diesel and criticizing Zelensky. If he would have listened to me, and you remember the Oval Office, he would had this settled a long time ago. Maybe it's time for Zelenski to get somebody else to negotiate. All I want is for Russia and Ukraine to stop that stupid war. President Zelensки accusing the U-S of interfering with Starlink connections, slowing the delivery of missile interceptors and withholding warnings of missile strikes. Unfortunately, again, we received no warning from our partners about the first wave of the attack. Zelensky says a Russian drone attack Monday killed a one-year-old girl in her stroller, while on the front lines, dramatic video of a drone rescuing a Ukrainian soldier. The Ukrainian leader set for a new round of talks with the U.S. this week, and in a post this morning describing talks with the Secretary of State as substantial. There's nothing being deliberately denied to Ukraine. But President Trump confirming he would be open to joint talks with Russia and China's leaders. Have you agreed to a trilateral meeting with President Xi to talk about Ukraine? No, but I would do it. Not so much for Ukraine, because Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much. The president facing pushback from some members of his own party. Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle. But Secretary Rubio robustly pushing back on that, too, just a few moments ago, Savannah, saying that people, quote, need to grow up a little bit when it comes to foreign policy, saying it's not unusual for the leaders of the three most powerful nuclear-armed states to communicate with each other. Savannah? All right, Keir, thank you very much. There's more to get to, including Monday Night Football. The San Francisco 49ers looking to stay undefeated, taking on the Washington Commanders. The Niners took the lead on their opening drive and never looked back. Brock Purdy finds George Kittle for his fifth touchdown catch of the season. And just before the half, Christian McCaffrey scored his second TD of the game. The NinERS would take a 17-point lead into the locker room, and that's all they'd need. San Francisco holds off the Commanders' late comeback attempt. They win it 23-17. They remain perfect at 6-0. All right, let's go to baseball now. Tampa Bay Rays headed back to the World Series with a chance to win their first title in franchise history. Yandy Diaz hit a two-run homer in the eighth to give the Rays a 7-3 lead over the Guardians. And then, one inning later, their closer, Brian Baker, gets the job done. Brian Baker. 0-2, the count to DeLauro. Lazy little pop-up into foul grounds. On the run is Hicks. He's got it! And that's it! The Tampa Bay Rays have won the American League pennant! That's the shot that says it all. Rays win it 7-3. They'll take on the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series, which starts Friday in Milwaukee. Neither team has actually ever won the World series, so no matter what, one of them's making history. I can get behind that since I don't have any stakes. I don'T really either, so you know what? Yay, somebody's going to have a new trophy. There you go. This is what happens when craigs off and this is the sports discussion Yeah, exactly Yay baseball. Yeah. Okay. That's why craigsoff actually because the commander's lost He may not be back for a while then wow Okay, well Let's talk about the weather. Shall we? Yes, I think so. Uh, let's uh, in fact, look at how quiet the map is today We do have rough surf along the southeastern and mid-Atlantic coast, but sunny and warm down through the Gulf. Mild conditions today for October for the plains, sunshine in the Pacific Northwest, few scattered showers, although the West Coast will be changing. We're going to take a look at that coming up in the next half hour, but we're goingto get to your local forecast in thenext30seconds. Thank you. and that's your latest weather all right thank you al coming up nfl star jalen hurts expected to miss the rest of the season after a diagnosis of blood clots in his lungs. Kaylee Hartung has the details behind his health scare and the major questions now being raised. Jalen Hurts was cleared to play a full game in London with a blood clot in his leg. Now the former Super Bowl MVP is sidelined after the clots moved into both of his lungs, coming up more details on how the diagnosis unfolded and what the future looks like for the 28-year-old. Yeah, a lot of questions about that. We're going to get Mike Tirico's take right here live as well plus a big change from carnival cruise line announcing quote dynamic pricing taking effect this holiday season that sounds better than i think it is everything you need to know before you book your next tip but first this is today on nbc does that mean higher coming up stars in studio 1a chris pratt stops by ahead of the return of the terminalist and We'll help honor, guard, and celebrate. We'll be right back. We've got the piano, we've got John Tesh. You know, he wrote that song. That was round ball rocking a year ago. I just remember there was so much energy in the studio that day. It was, because basketball's back on NBC. NBA's returning soon. Get ready to hear that song a lot. We've Got a Triple Header on NBC and Peacock. Today's season tip-off. Big basketball day, but also lots going on in football as well. Yeah, let's start this half hour with the big story in the NFL. Jalen Hurts, the star quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, likely out for the remainder of the season after he was diagnosed with blood clots. NBC's Kaylee Hartung joins us with details in the fall. A lot of people have questions about what happened here, how this developed. Kaylee, good morning. Yeah, absolutely. Good morning, guys. Doctors discovered a blood clot in Jalen Hurts' leg the night before. The Eagles played a game in London more than a week ago, but doctors cleared him to play. In the days following, additional scans revealed a much more serious diagnosis. Now the MVP of Super Bowl 59 appears to be done for the season. When Jalen Hurts led the Eagles onto the field in London nine days ago, few people knew what Philadelphia's star quarterback was up against. One night earlier, after the team arrived for an international game against the Jaguars, an ultrasound detected a small superficial blood clot in Hurts' leg. Team doctors cleared him to play. But three days later, a follow-up scan revealed a potentially fatal diagnosis. The blood clot had moved into both of his lungs. Dr. Jordan Metzl is a sports medicine physician who's not treating hurts. The risk of a blood clot in your lungs is it can get bigger and bigger, and if it's not diagnosed, it can basically shut off the oxygenation between your lungs and your heart, and so you essentially can suffocate to death. It's the same condition that hospitalized tennis great Serena Williams in 2011, sidelined NBA superstar Victor Wembyn-Yama for much of the 2025 season, and tragically caused the death of NBC News correspondent David Bloom in 2003 during the Gulf War. The Eagles say Hertz is now on blood thinners, and medical experts say that's dangerous for athletes because of the bleeding risk when they're hit. Hertz, who two seasons ago led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl championship. said he took a cleat to his left calf in the game prior to London. It was a very unique experience, to say the least. The fact that he still played in London drawing scrutiny, including from commentator Stephen A. Smith. How the hell is he on a football field against the Jacksonville Jaguars that morning? Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, standing by the team's medical staff on Monday. I lean on our medical experts in every situation. I have full trust and full faith in them. The Eagles sharing Jalen's prognosis is very good, and they expect a full recovery. But they'll sideline him as long as he's undergoing treatment. Now, it's typical to hear about this diagnosis in sedentary people. While clots in young, healthy people are rare, athletes have their own risk factors. The biggest is injury. A hard hit or a kick to the leg, like Jalen said he experienced, can damage a vein and trigger a clot. And then there's travel. Long flights from Philadelphia to London and back could have meant hours of sitting still. But the takeaway here is the same for everyone, guys. After an injury or a long trip, if one leg swells or hurts and that pain won't go away, call a doctor. Guys, a good reminder for everybody. Joining us now, our friend Mike Tirico, of course, the play-by-play voice of NBC's Sunday Night Football. Mike, good morning. You know you got two Eagles fans on the set right here, but let's talk about this because I guess the question is, Did the Eagles follow protocol? And number two, should they have done better than that? Should they have gone more than follow protocol and do the bare minimum? Always the hard question, right, with injuries. And there was this mentality for generations of football players, you're tough, play through it, right? It's changed. Kaylee's on the sideline for the game, so she sees it up close and in person. There's always a trainer coming to a coach and saying, hey, Carson can't go. Savannah's out the rest of the game. Chanel will evaluate her at halftime. So they're always on top of that. And I don't know of any coaches who are saying, bang on the table, he's got to play anymore in this NFL. So the medical personnel usually get their hands on these situations well in advance of a coach having to make a choice. I feel like we should know this game was played in London. Does that factor into all of this? Sure, because of the travel, number one. But you have cross-country travel. So Philly to London, similar to Philly going out to the West Coast at an hour or so. But this was an injury that happened October 4th that may have caused the start of this. and then you travel a few days later. He didn't report the symptoms of it for a few days. A lot of times you get players who are injured, dinged, but they feel okay and they play through it. Everybody in the league will tell you we're playing through something. But then he raised the flag and then all the medical flags started coming up like, let's check this deeper. The question is the travel, right? Any of us who've talked to anyone, blood clots or anything like that, the concerns, the travel is the long flight to really consume. And Mike, you're not a doctor, but do you think beyond treating the clots, anybody the organization might be concerned with another underlying clotting disorder or another health condition altogether? They'll check it out, of course. The one thing about football medical personnel, they've got the best of care. So when they go over to London, to your point, Chanel, they've Got doctors at a hospital who are ready for all these different kinds of injuries and trauma. It's always set up at every NFL game. Even if you're the road team, there are great doctors from the other team. We're in that city ready to help you. The question here becomes what What did they find out the day of the injury leading up to the game, leading up to the game, I should say, and then having him play in that game and fly back? Those are the questions that have to get answered. I feel bad for Nick Sirianni, the coach of the Eagles, because he's the one forward facing person right now. He doesn't know. And of course, there's legal concerns over what happened, who did what and when did it take place? Well, I think this is why the words armchair quarterback were invented, you know, because everybody's sort of on the outside saying, oh, what would we do? And we just don't have the information. Big things that the agent and the Eagles put out their statement together So perhaps both sides are working together on this trying to figure out where it fell apart a little bit and more importantly Jalen's long-term health beyond what happens this Well wishes for Jalen an amazing athlete career franchise guy everybody loves him. Yeah, for sure. Thank you Mike We're here. We pulled you into football, but you're here for today's tip-off of NBA season I'll be back games and we'll talk about that. We've got Jamal and Reggie here Yeah, looking forward to that. Also ahead, a major cruise line unveiling new pricing plans ahead of the holiday travel season. And customers have a lot of questions about it. Brian Chong is looking into things for us. Hey, good morning, guys. Say it ain't so different prices for different itineraries for different cruisers. We'll tell you about all the pricing changes coming for your add-ons like Wi-Fi as well as drinks on the other side right here on Today. welcome back this morning on in-depth today a headline making shift ahead of the busy holiday travel season yeah if you are thinking about taking a cruise it could cost you more because at least one major cruise line is ready to introduce dynamic pricing nbc's business correspondent brian chung is in miami with a closer look at what that could mean for your next vacation brian good morning good morning from the cruise hub of miami florida carnival Cruise Line says that their dynamic pricing will only impact individual plans on beverages as well as Wi-Fi, as the cruise line also says they're not the only ones to roll out dynamic pricing for their products. For the record number of Americans setting sail this year, booking that cruise vacation just went from this to this. Girl, I got questions. With Carnival joining the trend of dynamic pricing among cruise lines. Do you think dynamic pricing on drink packages is a win for cruisers or just another way for cruise lines to charge more when demand is high? According to the company's latest announcement starting December 1st, the cost of individual beverage packages and Wi-Fi plans will be based on sailing length, itinerary, and season. Carnival adding these enhancements provide greater flexibility and more options for their customers. In recent years, cruise ship vacations have exploded in demand. I don't know who needs to hear this, but book the cruise. AAA projecting nearly 22 million Americans will take to the sea this year, almost 5% more than last year. While recent data finds ocean travel from passengers around the world will steadily increase to over 42 million by 2029. The wave of popularity prompting cruise lines to also hike up prices and offer new pricing models. Last year, Princess introducing all-inclusive style bundles with tiered add-ons like Wi-Fi and shore excursion prices varying between different ships. And Royal Caribbean drinks package pricing can change depending on the demand of the cruise. Is cruising becoming too expensive? This new announcement from Carnival not sitting well with some travelers. Carnival says we have not finished nickel and dime. Cruise influencer Tony Barnett says he's worried about who pays what in a dynamic pricing model. Would it be possible if I purchased a drink package on a certain sailing and then say somebody else buys a package on the exact same sailing, are those prices going to be different? Barnett has been on 10 cruises this year and counting and says while he hopes that Carnival's dynamic pricing can get him a discount, cruisers like him are just trying to stay cost-conscious. The more transparency as to how the pricing is going to work, I think it would be better for cruisERS. So, Brian, what are some ways to get ahead of the changing prices? And essentially, I guess that means price increases, right? yeah well look experts are saying to try to get around some of those potential price increases to try to book early also look at off-season bookings they say that black friday and cyber monday could be great times to score deals also look for launch itineraries sometimes when these cruise lines unveil these brand new routes on brand new boats they have pretty good discounts and by the same token even consider older ships if you see high prices across the board these uh cruise lines could discount those ships that have been on the seas for quite a while. And then lastly, and this sounds a bit outdated, consider using a travel agency. Sometimes they have access to deals that you cannot find online. All some smart ways to try to find some good savings as you try to hit the sea. All right. I know people love their cruises. All right. Thank you, Brian. Look for the boat with the duct tape. Maybe save a buck or two. Yeah, exactly. You'll get a bargain on that one. All Right. That's right. We'll get on a three-masted schooner and take off there. Let's go. Okay, come on with me right now. We are looking at what's going on out west in the eastern Pacific. We've got this storm system that's going to be moving onshore. It's going to be bringing some heavy rain, especially along the California coast, the southern California coast into the southwest. Rainfall amounts up to two inches or more. That could cause some flash flooding, especially in the Four Corners area and in southern LA as well. Unseasonable warmth across the plains and into the Great Lakes. Look at this. Chicago almost eight degrees above normal at 68. St. Louis 72. Cleveland you're going to be at 68 I know sorry about the Guardians. We're looking at plenty of warm weather from Eau Claire down to Dallas and Nashville and the temperatures stay nice right into the weekend for Buffalo, Washington D.C. 60s in Indianapolis 70s in Kansas City. That's what's going on around the country. Here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. Thank you. and that's your latest weather cousin uncle al thanks so much pop starters on the wave at first J.B.H. is standing by with a boost. Yeah, Carson, okay, I know you enjoy a good boost, and we think you're really going to like the newest viral trend we just discovered right after this. We are back with Jenna and your morning boost. Hi, guys. Okay, we all have those friends we grow up with who we get to see at every stage of our lives, and now the Internet is recognizing someone we know very well and we adore for being that friend. Did y'all catch this Instagram video? video we saw it in the bus ride savannah chanel and i did that went viral it reads this carson daly has been aging alongside millennials for 25 years and i don't think we're talking about it enough and our teens he was waiting for us after school on trl in our 20s he stayed up late with us in our 30s he traded music videos for a prime time singing competition and now in our 40s he's up at 7 a.m on the today show drinking coffee and discussing age appropriate concerns Yeah, back surgery, CPAPs, anxiety. The man has been holding down, opened the door for an entire generation. By 2049, he'll be explaining Medicare advantages to us. And honestly, I trust him. I know you hate it. A lot of people, I do hate it, but I don't know the gentleman that made that, but he was, I commented in the comment section. Thank you. It's nice that the internet could provide something that felt good. And I thanked him. By the way, you should see what some of the comments said. They all agreed that our pal Carson is not a mainstay in pop culture. Here's one. They said, he's the most consistent person in my life. Another adding, he is our generation's Dick Clark. That is high praise. That is very high praise, Carson. We love you, Carson, I know you hate this. I do, I do. The little sister you wish you never had. I love you. You know what Chanel would say? She would say, just receive it. Yes. No, she would say, oh, man. All of those. Yeah. Take it, take it, take it. Jennifer Hudson would throw a shoe at me. Wow. And that would be a good thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That is a good thing. Still ahead, some other familiar faces who've shined through the years. Chris Pratt's gonna be here and get us ready for the long awaited return of his hit show. It's taken four years, but it's back. Plus, Ina Garten, one of our favorites, gonna be her studio one day also. Got her 14th cookbook, Simply Ina. We'll chat about it and hopefully eat a little something. And then you're gonna talk about 401ks. It's eight o'clock on today. Coming up on alert, storms brewing on both coasts this morning. A nor'easter developing on the east coast set to deliver high winds and dangerous conditions, while out west, a flash flood risk stretching from Los Angeles to the Rockies. Al's live with the full forecast. Then, point of no return, a new look at how Sending back those online purchases is not as easy as it used to be. Well, so fine, and I don't want it. That's why I'm returning it. Vicky Nguyen is here with everything you need to know. And thanking our lucky stars. Boom, that's spaghetti. Nachos. The cookie. Chris Pratt stops by Studio 1A to talk about the long-awaited second season of The Terminalist. So you're the one who found me. And one of our favorites, Ina Garten, live. So how about a cocktail to celebrate? Oh, that sounds great. To celebrate her brand new cookbook. All that. Plus, are you ready to round ball rock? Did Jay-Z choose Jay-Ze for the Super Bowl? And how Dirty Dancing 2 is planning to honor an icon. Nobody can stay beautiful. all coming up today Tuesday October 20th 2026 I'm celebrating my 65th birthday. We love you Mimi. Journalism students from Indica College. First time in New York from Alabama. Hi to my dad, brother and sister. Back in Dallas. Welcome back to Today. It is good to have you along with us. It's Tuesday morning. Good crowd out there. We're having a pretty week here in the Northeast for the moment. We'll see if Al says anything. It's for the moment. I was just talking to some folks outside, and a lot of people are on fall break. Oh, yes. It's a good crowd. Very nice to see the leaves changing around here in the Northeast. We'll get to your news at 8 o'clock, and we'll start with the weather. A nor'easter that is developing off the East Coast, and it's churning up some dangerous conditions from North Carolina to New England. It's going to be a powerful storm set to bring days of powerful surf and high winds. And as mentioned, Al is watching it. It's got the very latest high. Hey, good morning, guys, and good morning to you both coasts. dealing with powerful storms. We're looking this week at these storms impacting the east and west coast. The Pacific storm, heavy rain, flooding, mountain snows, the nor'easter, gusty coastal winds, some tidal flooding, and the jet stream up to the north. So these storms don't really have much of a steering mechanism, so they'll be meandering. We start here, one to two feet of inundation, most areas stretching from Point Pleasant all the way down to Norfolk. We could sea along the Carolina coast, up to one to four feet. Then on the West Coast, this low pressure over the Eastern Pacific moves inland. The rain spreads over California, the Great Basin and the Rockies, also bringing some northern snow there. We're looking at a flash flood risk, a slight risk from Telluride, Escalante, all the way down into Arizona, Southern California as well. Some places picking up two to four inches of rain, and that could cause some flash flooding, obviously. Guys, back to you. All right, Al, thanks. Turning to the midterm elections now. Exactly two weeks away, candidates across the country making their final push to reach voters. President Trump looking to give struggling Republicans a boost with seven campaign stops in seven days. NBC senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez joins us now with the latest. Gabe, good morning. Hi, Chanel. Good morning. With exactly two weeks until those midterms, President Trump is now playing defense in states he won handily just two years ago. While campaigning in Kansas, he acknowledged Republicans could be losing ground. Overnight, President Trump campaigning in a state that's traditionally deep red. I love you, Kansas. But expressing concern that Kansas could be moving away from the Republican Party. I hate to say it, you're sort of tending toward the purple. Trump won the state by 16 points in 2024. Is it a bad sign for Republicans that you have to go campaign in Kansas today? No, it's a close race. It shouldn't be. Now, incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall is locked in an unexpectedly tight race with Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. If elected, Hamilton will be the state's first Democratic senator in 94 years, the president promising voters more rewards, including money for farmers. Some more goodies. You know, I always heard that when you're president, you have a little bit of an advantage. And pledging that he'll make a fuel waiver permanent for Kansas if the Republican Marshall wins. It was the president's first stop in a seven-day sprint across seven states, all of which he won in 2024. If you turn out, we win. He's also announcing another trip to normally deep red Texas next week, where early voting is now underway. And a marquee Senate matchup features Republican Ken Paxton facing off with Democrat James Tallarico. A new NBC News poll finds that Trump's approval ratings when it comes to his handling of the top issues with voters have dropped. cost of living down to 27 percent. Vice President J.D. Vance trying to pin the sagging economy on Democrats. Vote for the people who have solutions to lower the cost of gas. Today, the president heads to North Carolina. A senior administration official tells me their internal polling suggests his rallies are having an impact in helping Republican candidates. But Democrats see a dramatic opening in these areas that weren't expected to even be competitive a year ago. Chanel. All right. Thank you, Gabe. Certainly something to watch. We invite you, in fact, to take a deeper dive into the 2026 midterms on our website, NBCNews.com. There, you'll find our polling page, early vote data, expert analysis, and more subscriber-only content. Just scan the QR code on your screen to subscribe now. Now we go to some frightening moments for passengers on a LATAM Airlines flight departing from Lima, Peru. The engine, look at this, on this Airbus A320 caught fire just minutes before takeoff. Videos taken from both the tarmac and inside the cabin showing those billowing flames. The airline said nobody was hurt. All passengers were able to evacuate safely. And now, of course, the cause of the fire under investigation. Goodness. Now to a photo bomb for the ages. Okay. A group of friends were making videos on the beach, as we do right at Marina State Park in California. Look at this when suddenly a great white shark leaked out of the ocean. Wow it's like a pogo stick. Yeah the woman you see there left in disbelief. Experts say this is the time of year when great whites return to the California coastline and search for food. This shark also looking for a little camera time apparently. Either way it's a moment that this group of friends won't see. It's so interesting how he's like bobbing up and down. Right in frame. Yeah, it was cool. All right. There's much more ahead, Carson. All right. I'll go to the beach. Guys, coming up on Popstar, we've got new details on the Dirty Dancing sequel, nearly 40 years in the making, and how it plans to honor one of the film's original stars. But first, have you noticed it has become harder and more expensive to make those returns online? Well, Vicki Wynn's here to explain why. Some retailers have made it more difficult these days, and of course, she's got some tips up her sleeve and what we can all do about it right after this. Return of the Mac, but it'll cost you $10 more now to return the Mac. Today's consumer, we have all been there. You order something online, it arrives. It's not exactly what you wanted, so you return it. But these days, that's not as easy as it used to be. American shoppers now take back almost 20% of what they buy online, and, of course, that costs retailers. So many are starting to alter their return policies. So here with what we need to know before we shop, NBC's chief consumer investigative correspondent, Vicky Nguyen. Hi, Vic. Hi, good morning, ladies. I've noticed that. I like to buy things, try it on, and plan to send it back if it doesn't work. I don't do that as much anymore because it costs more. You're right. And as you mentioned, we were sort of trained to do this during the pandemic, right? Online shopping was so easy. Returns were so easy, well, now retailers are trying to claw back some of that money. So returns are getting costlier. Things are changing. National Retail Federation found about 72% of retailers now do charge something when you mail back a package. H&M, J.Crew, TJ Maxx, for example, $6 to $12 to mail back a return, and the windows are shorter, right? Back in the day, Macy's gave you a whole year to return items. In 2023, that dropped down to 30 days, so you need to check and make sure you're within the return windows, because sometimes it's only 7 or 15 days. There's a lot more fine print. We always knew that electronics, typically, you could only return them for like a two-week window, but seasonal items as well, like Home Depot normally allows you 90 days to return most items, but when it comes to seasonal decor, it's 30 days and that thing better be brand new because they don't want you buying the skeleton and then packing all the bones back in the box on November 1st. Oh, that is fair enough. And it's fair. All right. So then how can people avoid some of those fees and just make it smoother overall? Okay. There's a phrase called Boris. Savannah, this is a cousin to Bopas. Buy online, return in store. Come on now. Let's go. Let you make that on America. No, it comes from Bopis. It's a cousin of Boris now. And so that's the thing. Most of these stores that charge you to return by mail. We'll totally take your return in person. It costs you your time, but not your money. You also just want to check before you buy, right? Especially if it's a new retailer. I always like to go down to contact and what is the return policy? So, you know, is there a restocking fee? Because sometimes not only are you getting charged for return shipping, but then also a restocking fee if it is a high ticket item. And then certainly looking for stores that still offer those free return policies. Most items on Amazon, Walmart, at Costco you can send back for free. So the days of like what the heck I'll order it and see those are kind of over but like what if you buy something you think it's going to fit it doesn't you want to return it like what how do you I guess shop more smartly? Yes and you do want to be more judicious when you're buying you know gone are the days when you'RE buying like five colors of one sweater when you know you really just want to keep one it's not great for the environment there's a carbon footprint both ways and a lot of times these items end up in a landfill not everything gets put back into the rotation to be resold, so think about that before you actually click buy. The other thing to think about is the descriptions have gotten a lot better online. Now they're telling you the height of the model, the size of the bottle, what they're wearing for men's and women's fashion, because it's really clothes that are sort of difficult, especially when you're buying a new brand. So look at the reviews. Are other people saying this item fits true to size? Does it run big? Does run small? Use that in calculating which size you're going to buy, and then at the end of the day, you really don't want to overbuy. Amazon has this feature I really like where they say most customers keep this item or they'll say this is a highly returned item. That can be a factor in your decision making too. Like, oh, people don't like this. Maybe I shouldn't buy this. Save yourself the damage. This is important. You definitely want to document with pictures. If anything arrives damaged, defective, right? Because you can definitely contact the manufacturer or the retailer and send it right back. Even if there is not a formal warranty on that item, you didn't buy that. Every single state has something called the implied warranty, which means when you are sent a new product, it is expected to work and function normally for some period of time. So if you're getting it and it's breaking right away, you can return it. If all else fails, you can certainly dispute the charge. This is why I always say use a credit card to buy everything. Not only are you getting the fraud protection when you're shopping online, but it also gives you protection if the item is defective. And you're getting your points as we've learned previous Vicki segments. Exactly. Okay. Well, thanks for introducing us to Boris. Boris and Bobas. Together forever. Vicki, thank you. Let's check in with Al. All right, guys. We can see that we've got that storm off the Atlantic coast. We've got another storm in the Eastern Pacific. In between, things relatively quiet today. We're, in fact, going to enjoy some comfortable conditions temperature-wise down through the Gulf into southern Texas, 80s and 90s, 90s in the Southwest. Comfortable 60s, Great Lakes, 50s in northern New Orleans. England. And for the day, mild for October from the plains into the Great Lakes. Beautiful weather up and down the West Coast. Sunny and warm down through the Gulf again. That rough surf, mid-Atlantic coast on into parts of the Northeast. That's what's going on around the country. Here's what is happening in your neck of the woods. Don't forget, heading out the door, take us with you. Today's show, Radio Sirius XM, Channel 110, off the rails, live today, 1 p.m. But in the meantime, best time of the morning. All right, guys, lots to get to in Pop Start. We'll start with our friend Tim McGraw. The Grammy winner is now an official member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with artist Paul Overstreet and the Stanley Brothers. McGraw received the special honor recently at the CMA Theater in Nashville. Of course, his wife, Faith Hill, is showing up for support alongside their daughters. And during his heartfelt speech, Tim gave his advice to the next generation of country artists. Someday, I hope, some kid pulls into town with everything they own in a suitcase and a dream too big to fit in. Maybe they'll hear one of my songs on the radio. And I hope it tells them what I learned from Keith. Getting here comes with a cost. but standing here tonight in front of all of you, in front all of my heroes that are here on these walls, in this moment, man, it's worth it. You can see him getting a little emotional there, joking at the ceremony that he's a big crier. He's got a lot of estrogen in the house. His work, not mine, but I can relate. Big congratulations going out to Tim. Next up, Jay-Z. Since 2019, the rapper and Rock Nation creator has selected or at least curated the Super Bowl halftime performers From the weekend to Rihanna and most recently Bad Bunny, Jay's been able to book some of the biggest names in music and he might have his pick for 2027. According to Puck News, Hova himself will be playing the next halftime show. It's fitting if you think about it. He's had quite a year. He's been selling out stadium shows, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album. The 2027 Super Bowl will also be in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium where Jay just happens to be playing two shows this weekend. So we'll have to keep an eye on that. I want like a collaboration. We were saying I want Jay-Z and then I want a British invasion like Harry Styles and Olivia Dean. We like an idea. I think we did say Jay-z. We did. He was on our list. My idea was Bruno Mars and the hooligans are the, every year they play the halftime show as the house band. And then you just bring in anybody. I like that. My idea is Taylor every year. It's not happening. From one NYC rapper to another, Cardi B is next. She traded flashy lights and the big stage for the fluorescent light of the NPR office. Cardi, the latest guest, has stopped by their Tiny Desk series, performing a stripped down set of some of her biggest hits, like this one. NPR saying that was one of the largest crowds they've ever had in the office for a musical guest. That is a great series. It really is so good next up dirty dancing. It's been 40 years since Patrick Swayze taught us the rules of the dance floor This is my dance space. This is your dance space I don't go into yours. You don't going to mind. You've got to hold the frame a Dirty dancing sequel has been in the works since 2022 and we're getting a new update the film's plots been kept under wraps But we'll still honor Patrick Swaysy who passed back in 2009 producer Nina Jacobson saying that Swayzes character will not fade into the background. She says that's one of the things that you really have to focus on, how to let people mourn him in the movie. And don't worry, we won't be bringing him back with AI. Thank you. I think we're all happy about that. Yes. Next up is Warriors. Remember the 1979 cult classic movie? Well, it's headed to Broadway following a successful concept album. The show's going to be brought to life with music and lyrics by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, alongside actress and songwriter Issa Davis. We've got a Popstar exclusive sneak peek at the new teaser. It's midnight, there's a gathering of the dark Vanquish this arc, hey bobbers Keep your radio tuned tonight When you just might Revive the night Come out and play Ashika, Ashika Ashika That looks cool. I want to see that. Listen, whatever he touches. Totally. We can reveal the cast list includes Broadway vets Amber Gray, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Casey Lykes. Warriors begins previews March 9th at the Lunt-Fontaine Theater. Finally, I want quickly mention that our full broadcast from Ireland is now available on our website. If you miss any of the Irish action from SG at the Cliffs of more to me being surprised by 2,000 cousins I didn't know I had, or Jenna and her birding adventure. All of it, all four hours, now available at today.com. We urge you to check it out. Chanel dancing at Crowley's there. It was a good time. Sheep herding. That's your pop star today, everybody. Guys, just ahead, the ultimate dream team to get you ready for today's NBA tip-off triple header on NBC. Mike Tirico, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford, all ready to tip off our preview. little difference there but these things are not like the other apple box please we are back at 8 30 on a Tuesday morning and Dylan is joining the fun good morning to you Dylan Dreyer good morning to you too and take a look at our crowd so here's the deal you see all of these hats in honor of today's tip off of the NBA season And thanks to New Era, the rocking hats from the six teams featured in an epic triple header here on NBC. Nice hats. And that is not all, guys. We gave you a peek yesterday at the special newsstand on the plaza. It is stocked with comic books featuring the superheroes of the league. And everybody is invited to come check this out. And if that is Not Enough to get you psyched for hoops, our friends from NBC Sports, Mike Tirico, Reggie Miller, and Jamal Crawford. Oh, good. They're sitting down now. We'll talk about the scene. Mike requested that. Tariqo's in this comic as well. Oh, yeah. Oh, he is. Right there. Also got to take a second to shout out here in the audience, we've got our friends from Manhasset High School. Hey! Crew there with young Jackson Daly and friends learning from how to do a little broadcast in the morning. They do a great job in Manhassets. So welcome to them as well Did you help hook that up? I had nothing to do with that. No, they just showed up. I don't know how he got here. But they're learning a lot. So appreciate that. That's great. from Hoops to Hollywood also with us. We've got Chris Pratt in the building. We're going to chat with Chris about a lot of stuff. He's bringing back a fan favorite character and a deeply meaningful project that's tied to his faith. We'll chat with Chris coming up. Plus, our friend Ina Garten is in the kitchen. Her new cookbook, all about keeping it simple. She's about to share some recipes that are simply perfect. And then later in the third hour, actor Taye Diggs will join us with a sneak peek at his new project. Plus, rapper Lil Jon is live in Studio 1A filling us in on his revealing new memoir. It's a fun show. Coming up on the fourth hour, we're catching up with actress Jackie Tone. She plays Esther on the hit series Nobody Wants This, and she's going to get us ready for season three. Got a lot ahead, but before all of that, Al, a little check of the weather. All right, let's look ahead to the weekend, show you what we got. Start off with Friday. You'll see a nice day eastern half of the country. Rain and mountain snows out west, Warm down through the gulf we get into saturday cool highs but still sunny eastern third We're looking some showers in the mid plains rain and snow along the pacific northwest coast then sunday sunday We got some rain in west texas sunny skies in the west a beaut of a day from the great lakes down to the gulph All along the eastern seaboard Where are you guys from? Ithaca college Oh, that's me. I'm feeling a little purple. I mean you've imagined Yeah, it's a pop art style. Well done. Well done, very Peter Max-ish. All right, that's what's going on around the country. Yep, we are back at 8.35, and they're playing our song, a little round ball rock, as we count down to the NBA season tip-off. It's in just a few hours. A trio of games coming your way right here on NBC and Peacock with these guys on the call for them. We've got Mike Tirico, Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, and three-time NBA sixth man of the year, Jamal Crawford. There is so much royalty on this couch. We're just so happy to have you here. Happy to be in your space. Well, it's a triple header. I know you can't pick your favorites. It's like picking a favorite child. But I'm going to ask you two anyway. What's the one you're most excited about today? Of course the Knicks, and I'll let these guys go with that. But living in Michigan, the Pistons start the season this afternoon. A 3 o'clock weekday game, really cool. A bunch of people be in downtown Detroit as they take on the Boston Celtics. Two teams terrific last year with questions this year, but that sets the table for tonight. Well, last time we were together, we were treated to an epic Game 7 in that San Antonio OKC. Though we're not doing that game, that was some of our best work. But does it get any better, though, than here being in New York and the banner being raised and obviously the new look, Sixers? I just wanted to make the playoffs when I was here for five years. To be here tonight celebrating the championship they won this past season, It's gonna be electric LeBron is coming here. Obviously the 76ers are on their quest to try to win a championship as well So it starts tonight. It's no wonder it's the most expensive I think basketball game ever this ticket tonight to watch the Knicks get that ring the banner And of course Braun playing for Philly his first time and hollowed MSG grounds bronze 41 He's in his 24th season. You played for 20 Jamal. You play for what 18 years? What do we realistically expect out of LeBrun in his twenty-fourth season? I think there's going to have to be some give a little bit. I mean, this is a super team, right? You've got Embiid, you've got Jalen Brown, who we haven't even mentioned, and you've Got Tyrese Maxey, a two-time All-Star. I think LeBron understands that, and there's got to have sacrifices on this Sixers team. And I think Bron understands that and probably will take a step back, be more of a facilitator as opposed to being like one of those scoring gods that he has his whole career. Yeah, I think he knows how to pace himself. I think you'll see the LeBron version that you saw in the Olympics a couple years back. Just pacing himself, picking his spots, showing that leadership, making that constant, and showing these young guys how to lead and take that next step. What do you guys think about the Knicks? I mean, you know, a lot of fans are already dreaming about, you now, a repeat. What are the chances? So can I pour the cold water now? Uh-oh. That's what I do for a living, right? We're going to find a garden here. She'll cook up something. We're gonna have full to half empty. Look, eight straight years, different champion. It's really hard to repeat in the NBA. It's going to be hard to compete in the East. We were back in the green room going through the East, the East is really stacked much better than it has been the last few years. So getting out of the East is going to be hard to the Knicks advantage. They play so well together as a team and that group really likes each other. And I think that matters going forward. You know, the late game tonight's interesting because you got Wemby who we all know, right? We all think this guy's going to be that dude at the end of his career, but that starts with him eventually winning a championship came close last year. Braun didn't win his first until he lost to what is it going to take for Wembley tonight Or this year, rather, to maybe get back to the finals. Well, last time we saw the Spurs, they were up 29 in this building in game four. And we kind of saw that. I think that's going to leave a bad taste in Wimby and the Spurrs. And I think they're motivated, right? And they've retooled. But they're going against a team that's won a championship in OKC. SGA, I think, has something to prove as well. What a great matchup in years to come with two young teams facing one another. That's the other SG. We have SG. back-to-back MVP. Jamal, who do you have? Do you have an underdog or somebody that we're not talking about that we should be? I like Minnesota. I really do. I think they're interesting. I think this is the first time that Ant has found his spirit animal in LaMelo. I think that they're going to bring excitement to the game. In the west, they play tough defense. They have McDaniels. They have different guys there. Gobert is there. So, they're the sleeper for me. Can we just talk about individuals that you think are going to bring excitement into the game? Yeah. They're going for me. Can we just talk about individual players maybe even rookies that we should look out for this year and can we start with Caleb William Wilson rather from Chicago 20 years old man when I watch this guy play I am floored by what I'm seeing of Kevin Garnett when you watch this young man play he has that type of motor energy and he wants to be the best he's hungry and Chicago's been a struggling franchise for the last few years he is one of those players that can change around. I think we have a quality season of basketball. There are so many 16, 18 really good teams that night in, night out. Sometimes it's a slog to get through the seven months of the regular season. I Think the quality and getting into the top six in each conference really hard this year. So I think We are set up for an awesome season. You guys take care of Mike Tirico because he does. My guys. I know he's everyone's captain. You know what he does in the offseason, fills in on this show with us. It's an extra royalty. MVP. Thank you so much. Congratulations. Have a good season, guys. Have fun tonight. We'll see you soon. They're going to stick around for our third hour, too, ahead of this can't-miss NBA tip-off. Triple, header, Celtics, Pistons, getting things started at 3 o'clock Eastern. Then, Knicks battling LeBron James and the 76ers. Not used to saying that. Followed by the Spurs and the Thunder. Three terrific games, all of them right here. NBC, Peacock. Has Braun Chopper in yet? Where's he at? We're going one-on-one with our friend Chris Pratt on the long-awaited second season to his hit show, The Terminal List, plus his new documentary about the Vatican and a whole lot to chat with Mr. Pratt about. We'll do that, but first, this is Today on NBC. Welcome back. We are excited to have Chris Prat back here in Studio 1A this morning. Of course, he's made us laugh as Andy on NBC's hit Parks and Recs. He's thrilled us in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. And he's gotten animated for the Lego movie and Super Mario Brothers. Man, you work a lot. That's more than me. Now he's back with another one of his popular projects. Finally, after four years, The Terminal List returns. Season 2 sees Pratt's Navy SEAL James Reese pulled back into action amid a global threat. How you doing, Reese? Freddy's train. Take it you left the teams. Agency now. Ground branch. So you're the one who found me. Yeah, well, I figured if you were going to turn up, it might be a place tied to one of your boys. You going somewhere, Freddie? That depends on you. How about that? Hey. Man, I love the terminal list. So many people did. But people after a while are like, when they see you in real life, like, bro, when are you guys coming back? It took four years. It took 4 years, yeah. And we're so grateful. We're hoping that the fans will stick around and tune in when it drops this week. But, yeah, it's been four years. We did a prequel season in the middle, and this was just a really ambitious season, and it took a lot of time and organizing. We went all around the world. It's very international, kind of globetrotting espionage. This is in my wheelhouse, right? I love Clear and Present Danger, Air Force One, Jason Bourne, Terminal List, Special Ops, espionagem, global terror, the whole thing. Yeah, me too. It is great, and I love it. James Reese, your character, we see at the start of season two. He's adrift both mentally and physically. Yes, that's right. Yeah. He's out on a boat floating in the Pacific, essentially waiting to die. And he's given an opportunity to, you know, get violent redemption, clear his name, and go on another mission. It's a big globe-trotting kind of, you now, spy thriller, like you said. I mean, this may be a dumb comparison, but when we did season one of The Voice, and I'm the producer on it, it was what it was. It was a hit. Right away, a runaway hit. Yeah. And in the offseason, the growth that we had from season one to season two was by far the biggest because we were excited, we had time to think about how to do stuff. And it reminded me, this season two of The Terminalist is so much more cinematic. It's so much larger. You're in Mozambique. The production seems to be upped. I mean, is that intentional? Yeah, completely. I mean – and like you said, you have, like, the wisdom of experience. We have the same team that we're working on from four years ago. We, you know, honed our skills and got a little bit better with Dark Wolf and just kind of continued to up the game. I think also the book opens up and is just the first season was more of a contained psychological thriller This just gives us we have more potential to make it a big kind of like globetrotting You are hollywood's special ops guy You are him Zero dark 30 your seal team six tomorrow war your green beret terminalist your navy seal way warrior kid coming out Navy seal. What is it about boot camp? You love so much I love it that I only choose roles that they're gonna then i'm gonna have to do push-ups to get in Is this part of you're just keeping in shape? That's right. Yeah. Yeah that's right you have to stay i have to no it's not i you know if it's like i'm the kind of guy like if it weren't for the last minute i wouldn't get anything done so give me a deadline where i have to be in shape and i'll just get it done before i was married and had kids when i lived in la i would sign up for the malibu triathlon yeah and then train for it but never do it well that's good just because it had that thing up there you know something to wake up towards yeah i want to switch gears i saw you last december at the vatican yeah two things uh we're both have four kids. We're both Catholic. We are both movie stars. I ran into you at St. Peter's Basilica where I was on a private tour with my friend Michael Buble and our wives and we were there to meet Pope Leo and you were shooting a documentary and it was so cool to run into you. Just describe what that is because I saw a trailer for it recently. Yeah, Petros. It's called Petros Eni and it's just premiered at the Rome Film Festival and it's essentially we were given unprecedented access into the Vatican down in the archives. We encountered St. Peter's remains, the bones. So St. Peter's tomb is 30, 40 feet below the papal altar? That's just right. That's right. And I think, you know, the documentary is an amazing job of kind of giving the history of the Vatican and how it was built. And in the 40s, how they were able to unearth beneath the tomb for the first time and kind of hollow out this necropolis and all of this stuff they found. And they found what they proved to be the remains of St. Peter. As a Catholic, that must be so cool to have that work. I just did a piece in Ireland tracing my genealogy. Oh, wow. It was a work piece. Yeah. But it was so personally fulfilling. Yeah. And that must have been similar for you. It doesn't even feel like work when you're doing that type of thing. It felt so personal and so intimate. It was so, we had, like, you know, you go to the Vatican. I'd never been there before, but usually it feels like a museum. There's like thousands of people. You had the floor open and there was like trap doors you were going into. Yeah, we were, I was, walked the entire thing. Oh, there you are with the Pope. Solo. How did you find the Pope? He's awesome. He's great. very American, right? Yeah, yeah, he's an American dude. It was amazing. And, you know, I think he's a fantastic man. We were able to have a, I was able to give him a chance to have a private audience with him and spoke for a half hour. What did you say to him? What was one of the... I asked him how I could pray for him. Oh, nice. And then I asked them a question about sort of grace on the fringes and how do you bring love to people while also sticking to the words of the gospel. And he just gave me the most amazing answers. I love that. I asked who's going to win the Super Bowl next year. Yeah. I thought he might know, might have some insight. Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, he's the man. He knows. And he's healthy now. He had a little surgery. We're glad to report he's doing good. Chris, always good to see you, man. Likewise. The Terminalists co-star Tom Hopper is going to be here in our third hour, all eight episodes. Thank you for doing the dump, by the way, and not making us wait. Yeah, you're welcome. Season two premiere tomorrow on Prime Video. Savannah? I'm just chatting with Ina. We're just talking about cooking like we do. Like we always do. You will never guess what she's using as a topper on her fish today. It's really good. Going to be a crowd pleaser. Plus, more Ina's secrets to make your weekday cooking easier and better. A new cookbook, hooray! Isn't that crazy? But first, this is Today on NBC. I think entertaining is about recess. It's about hanging out with your friends and spending time. So, I do really simple food. I do things that you can assemble beforehand. And then you can really be with your friend. Who's that girl? Ina Garten's very first appearance. How funny. I looked like I was 12, but I'm wearing the same blue shirt. Listen, when the look works, you keep it, right? You're so cute, Ina. That was 1999 on our plaza. Well, she is back with her 14th cookbook, Simply Ina, and the message has stayed the same this whole time. Just great food, does not have to be complicated, just a few good ingredients, a little planning. Oh, and Ina! Ina's the secret ingredient. That's the sacred ingredient. Congrats on the book! Thank you. Isn't that amazing? 14 books? And when I was here in 1999, I thought I had one book in me. Oh, no. But the world had a different plan for you. So lucky. Tell me about Simply Ina, the new cookbook. So I just think we're so stressed, and we have so much going on, and we need to cook simply so we can invite people over and create a community for ourselves. It's funny, because online now, TikTok recipe, I don't have TikTok, but it's all kind of complicated, and you're like, what? Who would want to make that with 24 ingredients and these complicated? I just want, I took each recipe and made it as absolutely as simply as I could. Well, we're going to put this to the test because I told you in the break, I'm going to try to make this tonight for my kids. And you can do it. Okay. So show us how we do it, we got the tasters over there. I'm almost finished. It's terrible, right? It's really terrible. Clean plate club over there, okay, how are we going to do this? So it's halibut with a potato chip crust. Okay. So it, it's kind of the flavor and texture of when you go to a fancy restaurant and you have roasted fish with a very thin potato chip, like a potato crust on the outside. Yes. So I'm going to start with mayonnaise. Okay. And I'm gonna put in shallots. All right. Just to give it lots of flavor. Dill. Okay. And this is gonna become like the sauce for it. It's fresh dill. I'm not gonna blow you away with my lack of basic knowledge. No, you're doing perfectly well. Salt and pepper. Okay. Just mix this together. Okay. So that's one mixture. I'm just gonna mix it up. I'm Gonna just mix that together. So that is gonna go on top of the fish. Okay. By the way, this fish halibut is beautiful. It can be kind of pricey, especially right now. Could you use any white fish you any thick white fish cod would work. Okay, totally This is the potato chips, so I'm gonna put panko Which is Japanese bread flakes and oil and just mix these together. It's gonna be the crust Love the texture of it because the fish and the and the crust just mix that together You just want like you went like I can't not ruffles ruffels isn't pain, but like a hard harder chip Yeah, like a really crunchy chip. Okay. And so this is where it goes. So the first thing is I'm going to put salt and pepper on the fish. Just so you want to have lots of, lots of just the top. Okay, I'm taking lots of notes because I'm not trying to make this tonight. How do you not overcook that halibut? It's so easy to do. It's really, really fast. So I'll show you. So then I'm gonna put the mix, the mayonnaise mixture right on top. And you said use all of this. Use all of it. Now, these are smaller pieces. Okay so you won't, but like glop it on. Really, you want, you wanted to be absolutely this is like the sauce yeah so you want it to be really thick and then you take the crumbs and just put it right on top okay how good does that look I love it and then all you have to do is bake this 425 for 13 to 15 minutes okay perfect and it comes out perfectly every time so this is yours oh good I want to see if it'll pass the kid test but I think anything with like a Like a cornflake or a chip crust is always a winner. Tell them there's potato chips on it. Isn't that great? It tastes like fish and chips. Come on. This is good. It's funny. The mayonnaise, it feels light, even though we plopped it on. Exactly. Oh, tell me about the cupcakes. We have a few seconds. So these are one-bowl cupcakes. So you make the entire thing in one bowl. And they're so good. And then the frosting is one bowl, so. Is that a cream cheese frosting? Oh, my God. Of course it is. Stick in my language. Ina, the cookbook is called Simply Ina. You can grab her recipes on our website, today.com. maybe I'll make the cupcakes too if the kids are good you can do it if they're good okay I like the idea one bowl eight doing dishes we're back after your local news your weather and these messages delicious so good it really is it's you know hey thanks for watching and don't forget you can catch the today show every morning on NBC or take today when you're on the go. Just follow the Today Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.