Yoga world unites to fight human trafficking

KIM LUDBROOK / EPA

Yogis practice sun salutations during a session in a shopping mall in Johannesburg, South Africa, to raise awareness and money for Yoga Stops Traffick.

Thousands of people in dozens of countries around the world are expected to roll out their yoga mats Saturday as part of a campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking.
In a shopping mall in Johannesburg, South Africa, above, yogis did 108 sun salutations as they raised money for Yoga Stops Traffick.

Read More

TODAY's Takeaway: Hannah Anderson, Al Sharpton, Kris Jenner

Oct. 9, 2013 at 1:50 PM ET

Getty Images, NBC

TODAY highlights: Kris Jenner announced she's separating from husband Bruce Jenner; Hannah Anderson discusses her kidnapping ordeal; Al Sharpton shares his weight loss inspiration.

1. In an exclusive interview airing Thursday on TODAY, kidnapping survivor Hannah Anderson describes the moment she learned that James Lee DiMaggio, a family friend, had a sinister plan for her — including a game of Russian roulette. 

"When I got into the house, he handcuffed me and zip-tied my feet and then sat me down on the couch and told me what his plan was," she told Savannah Guthrie. 

Video: The 16-year-old kidnapping survivor speaks out about her terrifying ordeal in an exclusive interview with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie Thursday morning.

2. Our latest Book Club pick, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” hits the U.S. — a whole 14 years since the last one. Why the long wait for fans?

“With something like ‘Bridget,’ which is an unexpected success, you have a choice,” Fielding told TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager. “Either you keep carrying on, doing the same thing — over and over again — or it means something really important to you, and you wait until you’re ready and you have something important to say again.”

Video: The author of the popular Bridget Jones book series talks with TODAY contributor Jenna Bush Hager about the latest installment, which takes place after the beloved Mr. Darcy dies and Bridget is once again on the lookout for love and happiness.

3. At his heaviest, Rev. Al Sharpton weighed 305 pounds. But he told Matt Lauer on TODAY Wednesday that today, at age 59, he is all the way down to 138 pounds. As for his inspiration?

“I gave up meat, I started watching my diet, I work out,’’ Sharpton said. “I get up every morning and watch you, Matt, and I say, ‘I want to look like that.’’’

(Uh, so do we.)

Video: Rev. Al Sharpton talks about his new book “The Rejected Stone” and tells Matt Lauer how he can be seen as a “double-edged sword” when he gets involved in criminal cases about race. He also reveals that he lost weight by dropping meat from his diet.

4. Kathie Lee, good friend to Kris Jenner and Bruce Jenner (and their kids’ godmother) says the last time she was at their house it was all about making deals – and wonders if thing just got too “out of control” and possibly impacted their marriage.

Video: After news broke that Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner and Kardashian clan matriarch Kris Jenner are calling it quits on their relationship, they said they wanted to stay friends. NBC’s Tamron Hall looks into whether viewers think it’s possible to stay friends with a former significant other, particularly if there are kids involved.

5. Last May, a TODAY producer and his family went undercover at Disneyland and discovered tour guides cheating the system. Some were profiting by obtaining special disabled passes and using them to help healthy families bypass the long lines. 

Apparently Disney was watching: They are revamping the entire system to stop the abuse after TODAY's hidden cameras exposed outrageous abuses.

Video: After an investigation by NBC’s Jeff Rossen revealed that some tour guides at Disney were cheating the system by obtaining special disabled passes and using them to help healthy families bypass long lines, the Disney theme parks have revamped their policies completely to stop the abuse.

And that's TODAY's Takeaway!

Read More