Monday, 8 January 2024

Exclusive: Mary Lou Retton on her near-fatal bout with pneumonia.

January 8, 2024 VIEW IN BROWSER

THIS IS TODAY

A door plug that broke away from an Alaska Airlines plane was found in an Oregon man's yard. Plus, Mary Lou Retton speaks in an exclusive interview about her near-death ordeal, and all the highlights, winners and surprises from last night's Golden Globes.

The Latest

😵‍💫 A piece of a door that broke off an Alaska Airlines plane in midair was found in an Oregon teacher's backyard .

A door plug that detached in the middle of an Alaska Airlines flight last week was found in the backyard of a teacher's home in Portland, the National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday. The flight was forced to make an emergency landing after passengers said they heard a "loud boom" followed by "a gust of wind coming in" after the door plug broke off, leaving a large hole in the airplane. The two seats near the area were unoccupied, and no one was injured, but the FAA ordered some Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes, the model flown in the incident, to be grounded. It also mandated inspections before certain aircraft can fly again. Here's the latest.

Exclusive: Mary Lou Retton says she's 'a fighter' in her first interview after a near fatal bout with pneumonia.

Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton spoke with Hoda Kotb in her first interview since she was nearly put on life support with pneumonia in October. Retton, 55, who is still on supplemental oxygen, described how a neighbor saved her life as she struggled to breathe and how her daughters said goodbye to her in the ICU. She also revealed she did not have health insurance to pay for the ordeal, and spoke about her health outlook. "I don't know if I'm gonna have lasting issues with my lungs. I wish I had answers. But I would never give up. It's not in me." Watch the interview.

'Oppenheimer' wins big, Lily Gladstone makes history: Here are the highlights from last night's Golden Globes.

Hollywood threw its first big party of the year last night and "Oppenheimer" was the big winner, taking home five awards including best motion picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy). Also, "Killers of the Flower Moon" star Lily Gladstone (above) made history as the first indigenous person to win a Golden Globe for best actress. On the television side, "Succession," "Beef" and "The Bear" led the way. The show also featured a hilarious bit by former "SNL" stars Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig, a touching moment between old pals, and an icy Taylor Swift reaction to a joke by host Jo Koy, whose opening monologue got mixed reactions. See all the highlights here.

🍹 This new approach to drinking less is going viral — and some say it's easier than Dry January.

If the thought of making it through an alcohol-free January seems like a stretch, there's another method you can try to cut down on drinking this year. TikToker Bridget Stangland tried the One Week No Booze Method to curb her intake without going cold turkey and found it improved her sleep, erased her brain fog and cleared up her skin. The method involves taking one week off from drinking per month, which adds up to three full months by the end of the year. Learn what others who have done it are saying.

Start TODAY

Achieve your life and health goals with easy tips.

If you gave yourself a buffer week to start 2024 before attacking your fitness goals, don't worry — we did too! But now's the time to get things jumpstarted with a Start TODAY challenge for a new year. The goal is to walk 100 miles in 31 days. It sounds ambitious, but when you break it down by steps per day, it's totally attainable. So join us! And use this handy chart to track your progress.

What's for dinner?

Allow us to do the meal-planning for you

Keep that healthy eating New Year's resolution on track into mid-January with a meal plan from TODAY's Joy Bauer. This week, Joy has nutritious eats for breakfast and lunch, plus hearty dinners like Mediterranean baked pasta with eggplant and sausage (above) and penne alla hummus. Get the recipes.

Daily Delight

A little pick-me-up before you go.

"I'm trying to get through without crying but I wanted to show you something, something you made possible." The story of Kevin Ford has taken another heartwarming turn as the Burger King employee who went viral for never taking a day off in 27 years just bought his first house. A GoFundMe set up by his daughter brought in $450,000 from people inspired by his story, and it allowed him to buy a home in Nevada. He shared his gratitude on Instagram with photos of his new digs. "I tell people all the time that if you have lost faith in your God, your beliefs or just life, you can hold me up as an example," he told TODAY.com. "Just look at what the world has done for a perfect stranger."