Jane Pauley

Now that Mitt Romney is the official GOP presidential nominee, President Obama placed a call to the former governor to congratulate him. Meanwhile both campaigns have already spent a combined $85 million on TV ads. NBC’s Chuck Todd reports.

A gunman identified as Ian Stawicki, 40, opened fire in a Seattle, Wash., café and a downtown parking lot, killing five, critically wounding one, and eventually taking his own life. NBC’s Mike Taibbi reports.

David Axelrod, a senior adviser for President Obama’s re-election campaign, speaks with TODAY’s Matt Lauer about the President’s strategies for taking on the battleground states and rekindling the enthusiasm from 2008.

A new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that fatal car crashes involving teenagers could be cut dramatically if states put more restrictions on teenage drivers.

TODAY Professionals, Star Jones, Donny Deutsch and Dr. Nancy Snyderman, discuss whether P. Diddy’s son should return a $54,000 scholarship to UCLA and if it was appropriate for Air Force women to pose in uniform for a breast-feeding campaign.

Chefs Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay both have Emmy nominations for outstanding culinary shows. The TODAY anchors judge them to a cook-off to see which one can dish out the more appetizing meal.

Ernie Brown, Jr., also known as the “Turtleman,” makes a living searching out giant snapping turtles, as seen on Animal Planet’s “Call of the Wildman.”

Lori Anne Madison, a 6-year-old second grader from northern Virginia, was the youngest competitor ever to participate in the National Spelling Bee until she was eliminated at the end of Wednesday’s second round. NBC’ Kristen Welker reports.

Six people were taken to the hospital when a 51-year-old driver suffered a medical condition that caused her to lose control of her truck and slam it into a bar in Little Canada, Minn.

“Twilight” star Kristen Stewart stops by the plaza to chat about her latest film, “Snow White and The Huntsman,” which she says is scarier and darker than other versions of the classic fairy tale.

Georgia college student Aimee Copeland is speaking out for the first time since she contracted a rare flesh-eating bacteria, and family members say she is already cracking jokes. NBC’s Thanh Truong reports.

It got quite dark in Studio 1A this morning when the lights went out on TODAY’s Ann Curry and Jane Pauley while they were live on air. After a little investigation, it appears Al Roker was behind the blackout.