>> i'm here to give it. >> here you go. >> hoda. what is your favorite game to play with the twins on a rainy day? > they love dance party.angn over and over again and we put our party on -- >> do they like your music? >> n they hate my music. >> do th l >> doris day, smashmouth and psi. theyweth musical talent. >> you're going on tour? >> we're going on tour this summer. >> you just got off tour. y see the twins. i have to feed them. blues traveller, smashmouth, sugar ray. we'll be across the this beautiful nation. all summer long. >> great. >> love to have you ladies. everyone come out. if you love number one songs from the '90s, you will have a great time. >> have a great time. >> i hear you're awesome in "sharknado 2." >> it's amazing. i'm waiting for th >> two ladies with a lo celebrate get ambushed on the plaza. we'll celebrate their gorgeous new look. >> find out why 50 women and their best friends packed into our studio. >> there they are. >> it's a party down there right after this. cleaning the home. it often means heavy d

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, erybody. welcome to thirsty thursday, june 19th. delighted you are with us today. >> we are thrilled! jimmy fallon has been in orlando this week. >> yep. >> we thought with jimmy in orlando, we're free. >> no. >> why would he pick on us? we aren't even there. okay? >> apparently we are always on his mind. >> al roker was there. he was part of it and somehow we got tagged on the end. let's look. >> the "today" show was here at universal. kathie lee and hoda would have come also but you have to be this sober to ride the rollercoasters. [ cheers and applause ] >> hey,hey! [ fake laughter ] >> al was the one going "ho, ho"! >> he was egging them on? >> yeah. >> oh, yeah. >> you know what? >> uh-huh. >> not cool. >> uh-huh. >> so celebs are finding new ways to deal with paparazzi. we thought this was clever. emma stone and andrew garfield. >> a couple in real life. >> they were having a meal and there were a bunch of paparazzi swarming a

>> hoda is about to learn something. here to help us learn how to erase all kinds of stubborn stains is mena mildorf. people love the stain segment. >> we're all about helping you solve your everyday problems. in my house i have stains every day. >> hoda gets ink on everything. >> i get ink on my purses. a little stray oops -- >> you're not going to do it. >> you get pen on the purse. you can take a gum eraser. these are, you get these for like a dollar -- >> like at staples or something. >> and just erase it off. it just erases. >> i'm not even getting too much muscle in there. >> does that mess up the leather? >> no, it is fine. >> does it matter what kind of pen, ball point or something anything? >> what about sharpies. >> this is best for nonoil based stains and, you know, it works for scuffs and -- >> all that sort of stuff. it is a great thing. >> so coffee. you left the mug in the sink overnight. what are you going to do? this happens to every single one of us. what you're going to do is you're going to take half

with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> it's booze-day tuesday. look who is back. >> i'm back. >> we have olivia munn and jennifer esposito. >> she's crazy. >> she's trouble. >> this morning, i had a little different morning. >> you sure did. >> al and i went out to surprise a fan. let's watch. >> oh, my god. i can't believe this! >> we went to her house on long island. she loves to listen to sirius radio on her way to work. the "today" show is going to be on there tomorrow. but we rode with her to give it to her today. >> you sang karaoke. >> was that on the air? that is sad. how about paul manson? >> in the back. >> he was like this. >> hiding. and i had a kathie lee cutout. >> i loved the rollers. i loved the robe. i'm just glad it went okay. you show up at somebody's doorstep at 7:00 a.m. >> she was kind of surprised. >> thank god she was dressed. >> she had the idea we were coming. the show, but not us. we cant wait for tomorrow. the "today" show will be on the radio. any f

>> hoda's favorite day. wines day wednesday, june 4. >> also known as apology wednesday. >> we were just talking about this yesterday, that everybody seems to be saying something and then having to apologize for the something they said. >> yes. certain individuals or certain groups. the pc police were calling them. >> after we got off the air, what happened? another person had to apologize. jonah hill says he was walking down the street doing his shopping with friends and the paparazzi were hounding him and yelling things at him. >> apparently for what he was wearing. >> he was wearing flowers on shorts and they were making comments. >> goading him. i get a picture of you snarling or video of you snarling and then saying homo phobic or racial slurs, jackpot. >> he fired back with what he describes as a homophobic slur, and he felt terrible afterwards. we talked about apologies. this is what jonah hill said to jimmy fallon last night. >> the word i chose was grotesque, and you know, no one deserves to say or

hoda is taking mercy on my bad neck. we're across the street at the nbc -- >> yes, we are. >> which just hurt my neck to stand out $100 to anybody who gets it right and for those who don't get hoda's fabulous book. here to help me is corbin maxy. >> very exciting. i'm excited to be here with you. usually out in the crowd. >> hoda asks the first question. >> go ahead. here is the good news. we can't hear anything you're saying but we don't care. our very first question. what's your name. >> my name is jenelly from monterey california. >> which of the following living creatures can change gender more than once in yir litheir lifeti it an sea urchin, grasshopper, owl -- >> let's go to sea urchin. >> no, they are oysters. all oysters are born male. once they reach one to two years they will turn into females. do you want to hear this? i didn't mean to touch you. >> when they get old -- when oysters get old like old females, they will change back into males so they can reproduce. that is so much to wrap my pea brain around. >

>> i like to watch tv. >> watch tv and take a nap. >> hoda, you are pretty good. >> hoda, what movie title would best depict your life story? >> my life story? >> hair. >> what would you answer? forget the question. >> young frankenstein. >> the other one. >> planes, trains and automobiles. >> that is a little bit of cheating. what is the one thing that bugs you? >> people who are late. >> karen? >> one uppers. >> rude people. rude people typically one up. >> if you could be anywhere right now where would you be? i hope you say right here. >> if i could be anywhere right now i would be on a beach somewhere. >> beach! >> karen, anywhere at all right now. >> i would be at a concert. >> right here. >> that was the answer. >> now -- >> it's a tie. >> thank you. jenna, you are the best. >>> we are going to celebrate your friendship and share the videos you sent us about your best friend. >> first this is "today" on nbc. >> you got it. >>> what would you do if there was a child right in front of you sitting all alone, crying in pain from hunger near death from sickness? what if all you had

>> i like to watch tv. >> watch tv and take a nap. >> hoda, you are pretty good. >> hoda, what movie title would best depict your life story? >> my life story? >> hair. >> what would you answer? forget the question. >> young frankenstein. >> the other one. >> planes, trains and automobiles. >> that is a little bit of cheating. what is the one thing that bugs you? >> people who are late. >> karen? >> one uppers. >> rude people. rude people typically one up. >> if you could be anywhere right now where would you be? i hope you say right here. >> if i could be anywhere right now i would be on a beach somewhere. >> beach! >> karen, anywhere at all right now. >> i would be at a concert. >> right here. >> that was the answer. >> now -- >> it's a tie. >> thank you. jenna,ou are the best. >>> we are going to celebrate your friendship and share the videos you sent us about your best friend. >> first this is "today" on nbc. >> you got it. >>> what would you do if there was a child right in front of you sitting all alone, crying in pain from hunger near death from sickness? what if all you had t

hoda is taking mercy on my bad neck. we're across the street at the nbc -- >> yes, we are. >> which just hurt my neck to stand out $100 to anybody who gets it right and for those who don't get hoda's fabulous book. here to help me is corbin maxy. >> very exciting. i'm excited to be here with you. usually out in the crowd. >> hoda asks the first question. >> go ahead. here is the good news. we can't hear anything you're saying but we don't care. our very first question. what's your name. >> my name is jenelly from monterey california. >> which of the following living creatures can change gender more than once in yir lifetheir lifetime is it an sea urchin grasshopper, owl -- >> let's go to sea urchin. >> no they are oysters. all oysters are born male. once they reach one to two years they will turn into females. do you want to hear this? i didn't mean to touch you. >> when they get old -- when oysters get old like old females, they will change back into males so they can reproduce. that is so much to wrap my pea brain arou

i'll take it, hoda. she got 46% of the vote. let's watch it. so hoda can eat. ♪ your dad is rich ♪ and your mom is good looking ♪ so hush little baby don't you cry ♪ ♪ don't you cry ♪ don't you cry ♪ don't you cry >> bluesy. bluesy something going on. >> almost freakish. >> what is going on there? >> remember that little jackie girl, she was like that. sings the opera. what is jackie's last name? how do you know things like that? get a life. >> you yell out anything and they answer. >> she won the equivalent of $80,000. that will go to her kindergarten -- >> fund. we'll play a game with you guys. it is called -- >> i want the rest of this, badly. >> i know. i keep doing it. it is called guess the celebrity laugh. a very distinctive laugh. collegecandy.com isolated some famous laughs and we'll try to guess who they belong to. the first one, your choices, bradley cooper, brad pitt, or george clooney. let's listen to the laugh. >> i'm going with bradley cooper. >> i was going to do bradley cooper too. >> and the answer is -- >> brad

with kathie lee givard and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plautds intra. >> so close, everybody. it is thursday, june 26th, 2014. jenna bush hager came back again. >> i'm back! >> you know what, you've been doing such a great job. >> we've had a blast this week. >> kathy's been off, she's back on monday. it is such a huge day today in the united states of america. because today is the day the u.s. plays germany. it happens at noon eastern time. everybody is freaking out. >> let's do this. >> let's to this. you know who's freaking out? karen swenson. my best friend. that's her husband and her daughter, katherine and john. anyway -- >> so cute. >> they've been talking world cup nonstop, okay? so everybody's buzzing about it. >> i know. we're going to watch it. >> you're going to be on the plane. >> i'm going to listen to it on the radio on the way to the airport. >> you know who's into it? will ferrell. will ferrell is so fun. he's gearing up for the game. he gave us just a little taste. >> usa, usa! >> it's

>>> from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. on a very rainy fun day monday, june 9th, so glad you're here with us. what a gorgeous weekend it was. >> it was spectacular. we felt like we had to pay for it and that was today. >> all this week it looks like. but i have you, my sunshine. >> yes, you do. >> we had our hugh last night, didn't we? >> if you didn't watch the tonys, go on youtube and watch the first five minutes. hugh jackman did something extraordinary. he literally jumped, bounced for, i don't know how many minutes but as i was watching him, four minutes straight of jumping. not like jumping rope. >> like leaping forward. he's like -- >> like on one of those segues, it looks like, going over -- i is just amazing. >> i was watching him and i said i wonder how hard that is. in my apartment, that wasn't that big, i was jumping. after four or five jumps, i was winded. this guy kept going and going and going. >> and having fun with everybody along the way and hitting the high notes. he's in unbe

>>> from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody, it's hoda's favorite day. >> it is wines day wednesday, june 11. we are so glad you are here with us today. >> we certainly are. >> you look fetching. >> thank you. >> if you were watching "america's got talent" last night there was a promo that caught our attention for a show on nbc called "updatable." check it out. >> thursday discover "undateable", the show the "new york times" calls very funny. >> haven't named her boobs yet. i'm thinking about kathie lee and hoda because they are so perky in the morning. >> all new thursday on nbc. >> oh, my god. that never happened to us. >> i hated it when people call me that. now that i'm not, i like it. i'm not perky anymore. i'm cranky. and in a lot of pain. when somebody calls me perky i light up, baby. you had a big night last night. >> last night i wasn't to this really great event put on by samsung. it was like children's hope charities. it was a great event. it had really fun

>> yes, hoda, that was last week. >> okay. >> the real moms. >> yeah. i must have tuned out. >> they wanted to go, the start of the show -- the movie, wanted to go and watch the movie with a real audience. and so they -- i think we have a picture of shailene, yes, with a wig on. >> is that him? >> yeah, that's him. >> and ansel elgort. >> shailene maybe sat next to you. she wanted to hear what people thought of it, you know. >> honestly. >> and tom cruise did pretty well, it was third. i picked this video just for you. when you go to a symphony -- >> wait, wait, wait. this is not -- >> no, it is different. at the seattle symphony, you would like it, it is a symphony. at the symphony, they have this man who came, and his name is sir mix a lot and he's really -- >> no, hoda. >> it was great. it was at the seattle symphony and the audience got involved. let's take a look. ♪ ♪ where's my fellos fellows ♪ shake it, shake it shake that big old butt ♪ >> shake that big old butt. >> your friend emily -- >> emily is here. i'm ashamed of you. >> emily kno

>> good question, hoda. >> excellent. thank you. >> she went to hard-hitting mode there. >> that was "dateline" hoda. >> most of the book is funny. but there's one chapter my dad wrote about his year in vietnam. it was something he never talked about. he was a combat photographer, saw a lot of things and i had seen these pictures, these photographs in our attic, but he just -- it was always clear he didn't want to talk about it. but i said we're writing this book, what a great time to do it. he said no, i don't think so, i don't want to get into it. then one day popped into my e-mail in box this full beautiful chapter. and he remembered everything. 40 years later. the guys and the roads and the villages. that's one piece, you think you know your parents so well, one piece of his life i knew nothing about and now i do. >> you never wanted to talk about that, bill? >> no, i just -- i'm big on denial when it works. yeah. it ain't just a -- yeah. >> what are you hearing back from people that are responding to the book? >> you

we want all of you to help hoda turn 50. go to klgandhoda.com and encourage her as she turns the big, awesome, 50. >> you know what? can i say something? there's a teeny window of time before i hit 50. i was going to enjoy those 50 days, now they are ruined. okay. >> like joe an said, no. we are going to start celebrating up to your 50th birthday. >> we have a beautiful lady that just had a birthday yesterday. happy birthday to jaime. they are getting married. >> july 4th. >> yes, people are watching the show. here is the drill. when you have your phone at dinner and you are out, people have different rules of phone etiquette. >> it seems rude, but it's taking over our culture t. wall street journal has the new rules for phones at the table. here we go. if a phone is on the dinner table, it must be face down. >> no checking your phone under the table. >> hey, kath, what? >> she's good at that. here is the thing, if you are not allowed to look at the phone why should it be allowed on the table? now we are going to tell you. >

>> do i watch hoda to prepare for hard news? >> be careful. i'm here. >> i drink, with hoda. and i prepare. >> are you a rose lady? >> is that right? rnlgt yeah, it's rose season. >> we heard a rumor that you won awards at rock papers scissors. >> i was at a tournament in toronto. >> you were in it? >> i went to it. anybody can go. you have to pay. i didn't win. >> why did we say you're good at it? >> because you probably want to pro mote something that is not true. >> i had to play this twice. >> i'm the judge. >> one, two, three, four. >> one, two, three, throw. >> one, two, three, throw. one, two, three, throw. >> you won. >> she's amazing. >> you get a rock, paper, scissors basket. >> you gave me trash. >> deliver us from evil hits theaters july 2nd. >>> from food to games, your party will sparkle. don't worry. >>> and jennifer esposito. >> congratula nobody told us to expect it... intercourse that's painful due to menopausal changes. the problem isn't likely to go away... ...on its own. so it's time we do something about it. and there's help. premarin vaginal cream. a pr

>>> how al and hoda surprised one lucky viewer as she rides to work today. tuesday, june 24th, 2014. >> from nbc news this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. or as we like to call it, take your anchor to work day. >> no question about it. mr. roker and hoda are on the road this morning commuting into new york city with a super fan of the "today" show. >> this is about our launch of sirius xm tomorrow. she did not know as of about ten minutes ago that al roker and hoda kotb would be in her car. >> and we'll take it one at a time. >>> let's get to our top story this morning. it's that contentious exchange on capitol hill. the committee was up late last night grilling john koskinen about the irs e-mails and scandal. peter alexander is on capitol hill. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. this was the most contentious hearing on this yet. now we learned the office has launched its own investigation into those thousands of lost e-

i said, no, i'll use it eventually. >> never at our apartment. >> all right, hoda. sad news, i had the opportunity years ago to meet this beautiful lady ann b. davis passed away. she was 88 years old. best known as alice on "the brady bunch," one of the sweetest ladies. won an emmy for a show years before. she fell. >> she did. they said she was fine that day, said good night, went in and i guess fell in the bathroom, and never gained consciousness. >> she was a woman of deep faith and so she's better off and i was better off to have had a chance to meet her. >> she said she never liked to clean or cook. in a "people" magazine interview, she said all of us wish we had an alice. i wish i had an alice. >> you want to do -- >> there is a new abc show called "sing your face off." celebrities perform as iconic music artists. so you have to -- they dress up and you have to guess who the celeb is. here is somebody doing elton john. let's see if we can guess the celeb. ♪ ♪ she's got you know i read it in a magazine ♪ >> it looks like henry winkler to me. >> john lovit

this is today with kathy lee gifford and hoda. live from studio 1 a. in rock in the plaza. there is a big crowd out on our plaza. >> absolutely. >> for something hoda picked months ago. >> there's a group called little mix. okay? there was a little mix mania outside. they have girls who had driven up here from massachusetts. they were here since 2:00 in the morning. they performed this morning. take a look. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ if you're with me let me see you salute. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ representing all the women. attention ♪ ♪ salute, salute, salute ♪ attention ♪ >> can i tell you something? there were girl outside sobbing. >> from that sob. >> just sobbing to get close to them. please, we took them out and brought them up front hyperventilatin hyperventilating. a girl threw up. a fainting and lots ever sobbing. >> do they have any girlfriends or all guy fans. >> the girls are crazy for them. they say it's good for us too, because they sang -- the song that i pick add while ago was. >> i believe it was april 24th. >> it was work up do we have that or should be wait. let's w

nice is about me not wanting to offend you. >> that's hoda. so nice. >> i feel like there is -- >> i've been kind. >> there are many people, women don't want a nice guy. as much as they may say they don't, women don't want a nice guy. they know what a nice guy is like. when you're in trouble, the nice guy isn't the one you want around. you want someone bold, someone who can take charge, someone who can lead, and typically that's not the nice guy. every woman has been on a date with a nice guy and for the first date, he turns around and says, what do you want to do tonight? and she thinks, oh, just be a man, like, step up and make a decision. >> charles in charge. >> i like people in charge. >> yeah. make a decision. do something. she's not really saying be be a man, she's saying stop being so freaking nice all the time. >> a different definition of the word nice. >> too many people are so afraid to rock the boat, cause offense, the lowest common denominator. >> are they boring as a result? >> completely. what could be more boring than not want

our correspondent hoda abdel-hamid is joining us live. describe to us where you are. >> well, i'm in a youth building in erbil. around me it is packed with people that arrived overnight. now, they all come from a town called tarakort along the disputed areas, not far from mosul. that town has come under mortar attack, heavy mortar attack, prompting thousands and thousands of people to flee in the middle of the night. we are on the second floor of this building. there are big rooms around, and they are packed with families, young people, babies as young as two weeks old. now, we have - they are all christians, many fled baghdad and mosul. now they came to the north. quit petrified. when you ask who was attacking your child. they will tell you we don't know, but not very far from there. we are in the area last week, there are checkpoints of the sunni rebels, and they say these are members of the islamic state of iraq and levant. we haven't seen, we can't confirm that. they were living in fear at the time and wondered as a christian minority

hoda abdel-hamid met -- safer areas. hoda abdel-hamid met some in northern iraq. >> reporter: it's a melting pot of people that share a harsh reality of being refugees and facing a life of uncertainty. stuck beside a checkpoint, we have nowhere to go. this woman has arrived. she was in hospital when mosul fell. when everyone fled, she had to follow. there was no one to help. i'm here with the children. without this camp we would have nothing. >> the fall of mosul created a mass exodus. there's a risk that more people are on the move as the sunni reb 'emmion spread. the u.n. says it's the beginning. >> it's been really dramatic help. event have unfolded at all levels, particularly the humanitarian level. there's displacement happening in dhuluiya, and people are crossing into other provinces. we'll probably see some in the south go towards baghdad. so we are really, as i said in the beginning, at the tip of the iceberg. when they first left, none of the people here realised the scale of the crisis. this camp is growing by

hoda abdel-hamid in haza. >>> now, kiev ran out of time to pay the gas bill. $2 billion to russia. the dead line was a couple of hours ago. ukraine faces fag the gas supply cut off. the discounted rate was axed in april. it was given ca time to settle the bill after making a payment of $786 million. almost sa% -- 15% of gas used comes prior ukraine. ukraine owes $1.95 billion in total. that's a big bill. the price for gas in ukraine is $$485.5 per thousand cubic metres. that is the highest in europe. kiev says it was ready to make full payment if russia cuts its price. the offer was rejected. rory challands is live in moscow. so what is the latest on the dispute. we know the deadline is gone, what is happening now? >> essentially it's what russia and gazprom are saying to ukraine, is that if you want more gas, you have to pay for it up front. so no cash, no gas. it's the result really of a dispute that has been labouring on for weeks and weeks and weeks. we've had negotiations in brussels, and berlin and russia, although it was willing to push the deadline was not willing to come d

>> hoda. the one that is definitely lower in calorie says is the hot dog. >> see, i think the hot dog. that's right. that's right. it's something that if you use lean beef, that's good. a lot of people don't like that because it takes kind of dry. you can mix in some chopped up mushrooms for moisture, and hot dog is not a great quality protein, so have one, but it's all about portions. >> i do like to have two ribs or a quarter of -- >> two -- >> two of them. that's where. >> chicken. >> the chicken is -- it's 380 calories for that chicken with the skin or 300 for the ribs. >> oh, look. our younger brother damian is here. with some libations. he has a wine cooler and a beer. >> i'm going with the beer. lower calories. >> hoda would be right. 150 calories. >> i know my alcohol, all right? >> a wine cooler is not a spritzer. it's actually got that sugar in there. >> i was going to say, i haven't had a wine cooler in a very long time. >> i know. >> who is there? >> who is it? >> it's candace, our

where's hoda? why isn't she here? i said she went to the bloomingdale's in new york. she doesn't -- >> i was all happy to go until i realized where it was. >> outside of the -- thank you, all, so much. >> last night if you were home you may have been watching the cmt, the country music awards. they were hosted by kristen bell. >> who we fell in love with when she was just here. >> darling. here's what's interesting. the start of the cmt, the country music tv awards, guess who opened it. not who you think. not -- >> blake shelton. >> blake shelton or any of those guys. it was jason derulo who -- >> you had to remind me who that was. >> he is with jordin sparks. he's a rapper, singer. he's got a great song. but he sang with florida georgia line, luke bryant, and zz top. that's how you open a -- >> i like that. like potatoes. ♪ yeah, you can find us where the party's at ♪ ♪ this is how we roll ♪ hang around, singing everything on the radio ♪ ♪ light it up with our hands he up ♪ ♪ this is how we roll ♪ baby ♪ come on, no, no, no ♪ talk dirty to me >>

kerry is expected to meet kurdish leaders, and hoda abdel-hamid joins me from there. hi, hoda. give us an idea of why john kerry is there. >> he arrived less than an hour ago. he is here to meet with the kurdish leader. and the kurds are very much part of what is happening in iraq at the moment. their relations with prime minister nouri al-maliki have been strained at best over the past couple of years. then there was a new crisis at the beginning of the year over the issue of oil revenues and the kurd's exporting oil from baghdad. over the past two or three weeks, as much as the sunni rebels were expanding and baghdad losing territory, the peshmerga forces had to fill in the vacuum and it changed the reality on the ground - when it comes to the amount of territory that the kurd control, something that is of a concern to baghdad in the days to see how that evolves in the weeks to come. now, john kerry is here also to see what will be the role of the peshmerga. would they be willing to fight alongside iraqi security forces. this comes after spending a day in baghdad meeting with

say it. >> hoda wins. yes, he who travels alone travels far. >> i agree. >> watch this. >> but it's hard to do. >> today we're all about, oh, i don't want to be alone. i'm going to text and pretend i'm popular. >> disagree. >> walk in alone. it says i'm comfortable in my own skin. it's sexy. you're more approachable. i walk in alone and smile. okay. should women who are dating have sex on the first date? >> oh, please. >> agree or disagree? >> please. >> no, no. but i agree. if you don't like the man. if you don't -- wait, you're right. women have needs too. some women, to get into the dating field, need somebody. guess what? they have is in their system. it's not just men who want it. if you like the man, you wait at least three to six months or six to eight dates. that's a tricky one. i'm going to give you points for that one too. you're going to get them anyway. should single women fake it just a little bit? fake it until you make it. >> fake it, what, sexually? >> sexually, nonsexually. yes, no. kathie

hoda abdel-hamid has more. we are talking about john kerry's visit. >> well, he arrived about an hour ago, and his first meeting will be with p.m. nouri al-maliki. it's not difficult to acknowledge what conversation the two men will have. probably the u.s. secretary of state will press on the iraqi prime minister to form a government as soon as possible. elections were held at the end of april, and the prime minister or his party won a majority. since then he has been unable to form a government. that will probably be one of the topics of conversation. john kerry stressing that it should be an includes igovernment -- inclusive government. nouri al-maliki indicated that he wanted u.s. air strikes. he asked for that. indications out of washington is that obama administration is not willing to do that because it doesn't want to be seen to be taking one side versus the other in this sectarian conflict. certainly political reconciliation and the way ahead will be one of the main topics, the second. the role of these

hoda, information northern iraq. >> in ukraine, it has been the bloodiest weekend in the least. the city of luhansk suffered two attacks. citizens are bracing for more. kim vinnell reports. >> reporter: here in luhansk, many support the pro-russian separatists. behind me is a sign that says, "no fascism here." that has been put up by the sep are thetists. on sunday, the govern of the u luhansk reported heavy losses on the separate separatist side, he said more than 100 people were killed to the north of luhansk. he didn't clarify how many were fighters or civilians. we must take into account the announcement comes a day after separatists shat down a ukrainian military transport plane killing all 49 people on board. the streets here are somewhat quieter than they usually are. this is usually a very busy road, a main road. it's clear people here are expecting some sort of military attack in the coming days. >> meantime, ukraine says it expects to resume talks with russia tonight hoping to end a dispute over natural gas payments. russian gas exporter gazprom has given ukraine until

we'll have more from hoda abdel-hamid in the kurdish region. caroline malone is at the jordanian border. first to imran khan, live in baghdad. to begin with, the presidential officer calling for parliament to convene on 1 july. what will happen then? >> well, that is the first part of the process in choosing the new government. it's partly a constitutional process. they need to meet. parliament will be sworn in, they have to choose a president, prime minister and a speaker. house. that will be the first big deft of the prime minister nouri al-maliki, depending on how many people he can get to support him, he'll likely try to build a coalition, he is unpopular and senior voices within the iraqi political spectrum openly criticising. you herd muqtada al-sadr, a key cleric saying iraq needs to form a unity government. for a long time he's been a vocal critic of prime minister nouri al-maliki. heats under a lot of pressure. will the government be formed on 1 july? it's unlikely. the last time they met to form a government in 2010 it took six months

let's go to hoda abdel-hamid. he was speaking about sectarianism and marginalisation and undermining national interest. many would blame nouri al-maliki and his government for creating this situation. absolutely. i think the prime minister had a bit of a defensive aggressive tone here. he was very quick to point out there was no sectarianism on the armed forces. every displaced person i spoke to or the past week here, whether sunni, shi'a, blamed much of the problem on the behaviour of the security forces. the people here told me they were not as much afraid of the sunni rebellion as they were afraid of the ricky army. it's not something that will convince many people or those that had to leave their home. at another point they said the fall of mosul came as a shock. if you speak to kurdish officials, whether from the security forces or the government. they will tell you they have been warning about this for a while, saying since 2012 they have been monitoring training movements of armed groups, they have seen tra

hoda abdel hamid has more from a chur church. >> reporter: these people fled in the middle of the night and they are christians from a town along the border of so-called disputed area not very far from mosul. they left in a hurry. they are elderly, babies as young as two weeks old. now, just a week ago, i was in that town. and people were worried. but they said that so far, they had been spared from the violence. a lot of the people who are among them are several times displaced, like this lady. she first fled from bassarah. then she was in mosul. she had to flee mosul and now she is in erbil in the kurdish north. now, she says she doesn't know where she's going go next. we are in a sports club. this building is three stories high. and wherever you go, it is absolutely packed with people. there is another similar room this way, and then there is another one this way, and it's the same pattern on each floor. now, these people do wonder what is the government doing to protect minorities like them. they say that the kurdish, their positions were intensified and they are protecting them at

>>> from nbc news, this is "today" with kathy lee gifford and hoda. live from studio 1 a. >> hello everybody. by that, i mean you. it is fun day monday, we've median wonda yes, sykes. >> lots of hollywood buzz going on. >> we will tell you what zumba can do for you. >> in the meantime you went off to one of your favorite places in the world. >> i had a spectacular time with my friends. we had a couple of photos of new orleans festivities. one is -- we're running along the lake and there was a guy running in his underwear. we were like 7th grade girls. >> why didn't you get a little closer. >> we tried but he was running fast. the other picture is of me, karen, catherine and john. all four of us had a great time but it was a terrific nice, week end how was your weekend. >> remember when jill gave you some ideas of father's day last year? >> well, that's what i gave frank. i think we have a picture of him -- there he is by the grill. he says what am i going to do with this. i don't need this. half an hour later he comes out all decked out in this. >> ho

>>> from nbc news, this is "today" with kathy lee gifford and hoda. liverom studio 1 a. >> hello everybody. by that, i mean you. it is fun day monday, we've median wonda yes, sykes. >> lots of hollywood buzz going on. >> we will tell you what zumba can do for you. >> in the meantime you went off to one of your favorite places in the world. >> i had a spectacular time with my friends. we had a couple of photos of new orleans festivities. one is -- we're running along the lake and there was a guy running in his underwear. we were like 7th grade girls. >> why didn't you get a little closer. >> we tried but he was running fast. the other picture is of me, karen, catherine and john. all four of us had a great time but it was a terrific nice, week end how was your weekend. >> remember when jill gave you some ideas of father's day last year? >> well, that's what i gave frank. i think we have a picture of him -- there he is by the grill. he says what am i going to do with this. i don't need this. half an hour later he comes out all decked out in this. >> how

>> hoda is about to learn something. here to help us learn how to erase all kinds of stubborn stains is mena mildorf. people love the stain segment. >> we're all about helping you solve your everyday problems. in my house i have stains every day. >> hoda gets ink on everything. >> i get ink on my purses. a little stray oops -- >> you're not going to do it. >> you get pen on the purse. you can take a gum eraser. these are, you get these for like a dollar -- >> like at staples or something. >> and just erase it off. it just erases. >> you're not even using it. >> i'm not even getting too much muss until there. >> does that mess up the leather? >> no, it is fine. >> does it matter what kind of pen, ball point or something anything? >> what about sharpies. >> this is best for nonoil based stains and, you know, it works for scuffs and -- >> all that sort of stuff. it is a great thing. >> so coffee. you left the mug in the sink overnight. what are you going to do? this happens to every single one of us. what you're going to do

. >> from mosul, zena hoda reports. >> there's no question who rules here. their snipers positioned at the entrance of iraq's northern city. this is a front line. just 500 meters war the kurdish peshmerga forces. they have been for fortifying tr locations. >> he blew himself up close to the checkpoint. that is why we are beefing up security. >> reporter: the autonomous kurdish reach in the north, hasn't been affected between the iraqi government and the sunni groups. they tiedenned croalsd and imposed new restrictions at all crossing points. at the start of the crisis hundreds of thousands of people fled mosul to herbile. they can only enter by foot and only a handful of people are arriving. that is because the kurdish security forces have new security measures in place. and why those measures might make life more difficult for many rakes searching for security, kurdish officials insist they are needed to maintain security in the region. >> they will impose their own rules on the people of iraq. they don't respect human rights so we are ready to spill our bl

hoda al hamin reports from kiir kirkuk. >> desperately worried about his future. >> where can i go? i'm taking care of all of them and this kid is disabled. back home he'd die. i left my house, i left everything in the middle of the night. >> reporter: "like" hajal, people fled when the islamic state of iraq and the levant swept through their villages. for them it was a matter of life or death. >> translator: they think we're infidels because we're shia. there's nowhere i can go by road. it's too dangerous. >> reporter: the polarization of iraq along sectarian lines is difficult to escape even far from home. those who made it to the safety of the kurdish region lay low, preferring to keep to themselves. mistrust is running high. >> translator: now with this situation, the differences are showing. so these people that have come to us, they are afraid of each other. when they come here whether they're sunni or shia, they have to live together, there is no choice. >> reporter: several families live in this school. they all fled from the same district. staying together helps them feel s

>>> from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. we have a house band today for booze day tuesday, june 3rd. o.a.r., of a revolution. >> if you don't know them, you should. they are hot. h-o-t. >> you know who else is? >> who? >> i hope we survive. ricky gervais is not only here, he's staying with us the whole hour. >> allegedly. we have a location for him. there is a glass of wine and a chair. >> yes. >> but he's on his way. >> we heard a rumor. so we're waiting for him. all right, so if you love the swimsuit model sports illustrated, remember that? >> yes. >> there is a little bit of a twist on that, okay. plus sized models are doing their own thing. they're like this, you know what, we can have our own calendar. >> absolutely. >> they posed, these women posed in the exact same position as they did on "sports illustrated". >> sexy at every curve. >> this has been online. at first, they're like, we'll do a calendar but we'll see how interested people are before we continue. they only

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> oh, my gosh, it is a fun day monday, june 23, 2014. kathie lee is taking a week off 'cause she needs to chill out and go to rehab and with me -- >> kidding. >> kidding. kidding. joining me is jenna bush hager. >> hi. how are you? we are wearing yellow. >> we are bright today. we are bright and sunny. >> going. >> a lot of stories to tell when she gets back. i want to hear about your weekend, 'cause yours are always juicy, what you do. >> my weekends are jew-cy. i'm a new mom. so, between changing diapers and a naptime, that's about it >> how is that cute little baby? >> the best baby in america. >> how old is she now? >> she's 14 months. look at her, mowing that lawn. we are already teaching her -- >> chores. are you barefoot? >> oh, yeah, like beach. she is, too. i don't know if that's bad, didn't get ringworm in the making of this photo. i love, we go out to the beach. >> does she like the water? >> she likes the water. my husband takes her to swim class,

hoda abdel hamid reports now. >> reporter: it was a tough sell for william hague convincing the kurds to take part in a government under the leadership of maliki. the kurdish president says there is no going back to june 10th, the day the city fell. >> translator: we have waited for more than ten years for the iraqi government to address and solve the issues of these areas covered by article 140, but it was to no avail. the iraqi government forces have withdrawn, and it was necessary for the forces to go in to provide protection. >> reporter: the, remarks came a day after he made a surprise visit to the oil-rich city under rebel control. with an order of u.s. made f-16 aircraft on hold, the iraqi recently purchased second-hand jet fighters from russia and belarus should arrive in the coming days. maliki blamed the u.s., saying it is the lack of air cover. but sunni's say a military solution will only increase the problem, and blame the prime minister for narrowing down the rebellion to a fight against isil. >> if they didn't accept our political solution, they will face just isis and