1. News broke overnight that convicted kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro was found hanged in his prison cell.
Castro’s lawyer, Craig Weintraub, told TODAY Wednesday morning that authorities twice denied requests for independent psychiatric evaluations of his client, and that he was not on suicide watch.
“I understand that the public in general is probably going to say, 'Well, good riddance,’” Weintraub told Willie Geist. “But this is a human being, we are in a civilized society, and we expect that the person will be protected when they’re institutionalized, and so there is an obligation on the part of the prisons.”
2. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld criticized President Obama’s handling of the Syrian crisis, asserting that the president has lacked vision in his military strategy.
“If there’s anything that’s clear,” Rumsfeld told Savannah, “it’s that they do not have that kind of unity at the present time because of a lack of clarity.”
3. As part of NBC’s week-long “Age of Alzheimer’s” series, experts shed light Wednesday morning on a growing trend in research: prevention.
“We have found that the brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease begin maybe 20, possibly 25 years before we expect individuals to develop symptoms of dementia,” Washington University’s Dr. John Morris told TODAY.
4. Could you use your own Mary Poppins? Well, “flying nannies” are actually a thing now, thanks to Etihad Airways. The UAE-based airline is hiring on-board babysitters to provide in-flight child care to passengers.
5. The party drug known as “Molly,” which killed two people over the weekend, is easier for kids to get their hands on than you might think. Jeff Rossen goes under cover to report on just how easy it is, and finds startling results.
6. Viewers asked, and Hoda answered! To provide inspiration for viewers who never step foot in the kitchen (like herself!), Hoda prepared a three-step fish dish. The result: simple success!
“You get your own cooking show!” Kathie Lee said after trying the ponzu-soaked fish.
And that's TODAY's Takeaway!