good morning. the rally. thousands expected today it at the lincoln memorial on the anniversary of martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. why today's gathering an its organizer are stirring controversy. mississippi learning. the public school that said only white students could run for class president this year until one mother and a firestorm of publicity changed the rules. and five years after hurricane katrina broke the back of a city and tested the strength of a nation, we'll look at new orleans then and now. today saturday, august 28th, at new orleans then and now. today saturday, august 28th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. >> it's nice to have you in the studio because i know you just got back from new orleans yesterday where obviously a lot has changed. some for the better, some for the worse. >> it's an uneven recovery, but it was five years ago this morning, myself, brian williams, a bunch of us heading to the airport. it was a cat 5 at that point making a beeline to new orleans and they were evacuating. we couldn't even land in new orleans. we ended up in baton rouge and then fanned out. but we'll be talking a lot about that. a lot to get to, including a controversial march on washington. thousands are expected in d.c. today for what's being billed as the restoring honor rally. it's organized by conservative talk show host glenn beck. >> and it's drawing criticism in part because it's being held at the lincoln memorial where dr. king delivered his "i have a dream" speech 47 years ago today and also drawing big names. sarah palin will attend the event and speak there. we'll have a live report.

>> plus we're following three big storms in the atlantic, one called danielle, another is earl. the third one doesn't have a name quite yet, but they're already churning up danger along the east coast this weekend. we'll have the latest on the path those storms appear to be taking. and then 98 years ago, the titanic went down after hitting an iceberg. now new images are being revealed and expedition leaders are calling these new photos awesome. our own kerry sanders is on board of expedition ship and we h have a live report coming up. and it was five years ago tomorrow when hurricane katrina swept through new orleans. on my return trip there this week, i spoke with some of the key players who tried to manage the disaster and who in some cases stirred up their own storms of controversy in the process. a lot to get to, but first the big rally taking place in washington today. nbc's tom costello is covering it for us. good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning. in fact, people started arriving this morning before the sun was

up here to watch the sunrise. glenn beck claim this is is all about reclaiming he says america's civil rights movement. the trouble is he's doing it this on the anniversary of the iconic march on washington back in 1963 and martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. he also says this is about restoring honor. his words to america. they plan to honor america's fallen heros as well as those who have served overseas and who have fought and died in america's war. the trouble is there is this, of course, this fight, this ongoing argument between glenn beck and those who believe that reclaiming america's civil rights movement on the day of the sif rights anniversary of this "i have a dream" speech is really confrontational. those who accuse beck of trying to spin conspiracy theories and actually spinning racist theories have come out against him and have opposed him. they're promising their own march today, their own rally. glenn beck says this will be a positive rally. there won't be any politics involved although he has invited

sarah palin to speak as well as former house republican leader dick armey. they are talking about less government, they're talking about fewer taxes. so you can see how we now have this brewing controversy here on the steps of the lincoln memorial. >> tom costello, thank you. it was the last thing americans wanted to hear, more disappointing news about the economy. from the latest numbers on the economic growth to ben bernanke's assessment of where things standed, we're joined by trish regan. good morning. and we heard from ben bernanke, he gave a 17 page report from jackson hole. and overall, he was fairly positive. and yet at the same time, we're hearing economists revising their plan for the coming months preparing for a possible double dip recession. how do you reconcile those two messages? >> wall street was very encouraged pby what they heard. there had been a lot of concerns that he was concerned about the economy. a lot of people were saying wait a second, what does the fed know

that i don't know as annen investor. so they were getting really worried. so what he effectively did was calm people down. he said, look, we have in the midst of a modest recovery. and if by chance things don't go well, i'm here prepared to act and i still have -- a lot of people saying it's out of bullets. about it's basically done all i can. and he's saying, no, there are additional measure, and if i need to use them, i'll use them additional measure, and if i need to use them, i'll use them. the dow responded 164 points up. >> what do you feel about the double dip recession? >> a lot of economists that i've been talking to are saying they have revised their models to put in 50% chance of a double dip. so they're saying, look, it's just as likely that the economy will do fine as it is head into a double dip. so that's got them a little bit unnerved. that said, look at the gdp

revision. we grew 1.6%. it's not great, but it's something. >> and there are two factors looming and that is the housing market and the job market. where do we stand on that and you mentioned the althoughs that bernanke said he had. do they directly relate to -- >> not terribly. that's what really has people rattled it at the end of the day, that the ffed has done all can do and now we're saying how will we get jobs back into the equation, how will we improve the housing market. and that's really questionable. the reality is companies need to start feeling better and the only way they'll start feeling better is seeing more demand. a slight improvement in earnings hasn't translated in to jobs. very unclear whether it really h. a lot of people saying you can see a jobless recovery scenario where we chug along, don't see a tremendous amount of growth, but just modest growth and people will be happy with that as long as we don't head back into a recession. as far as the housing go, 14% of

all mortgages right now are either in foreclosure or they're delinquent. that's not a good number. and it's really unclear that that's going to get bernie time soon. so the fed has countdone what t can do and we have to wait it out. as we approach the fifth anniversary of hurricane katrina, forecasters are keeping an eye on not one, not two, but three big storms out of the atlantic ocean. for the latest on where they appear to be headed, jim cantore joins us from new orleans. >> reporter: good morning. the pattern is full as they say and there's more where that came from sitting across africa. but we have to deal with these first three. danielle, 135-mile-an-hour. now down graded to 110, but still a big wave machine for the east coast as we'll find out in just a moment. and then there will be, of course, earl behind that. we'll have to deal with that one eventually. but each one of these storms has the potential to continue to track farther and farther off toward the west. earl again with 60-mile-an-hour

winds, we have tropical storm watches out for the northern e leeward islands. those impacts will be early on monday. and the u.s., bermuda, if it continues to travel west, it will be toward next thursday. we can't rule that out. and of course what could be fionna, that track could be farther west. so a lot to watch in the tropics and each one of these storms could come erie h clothse to th east coast. the effects are expected to be felt this weekend in the form of high surf and the dangerous rip currents. mike seidel is in ocean city, maryland with more on that. >> reporter: good morning. we can pick up where jim left off as far as danielle. hundreds of miles away, but sending its waves toward the east coast and on an otherwise perfect beach weekend, there will be one issue, rip currents. rip currents are narrow channels of water, they're fast moving,

they flow away from the beach, but they'll be ramping up today and tomorrow, a moderate to high risk you can see from myrtle beach, south carolina new the outer banks up here to ocean city and to long island. the best bet, heed the lifeguard's advice and if you get caught in a current, swim parallel to the beach and out of the current. now, rip currents tend to be worse as the tide is going out. low tides along most of these beaches here in the mid-atlantic are later on this afternoon. >> and, mike, speaking of just how dangerous these rip currents can be, there have been a significant amount of recent are cues this season, correct? >> reporter: there will have been a lot of rescue, but i talked to captain from the ocean city beach patrol last night. and he said it's been below average. with that said, they've had 1100 rescues in the past few weeks. they've had a lot of hot, dry weather, great for business. in fact the locals are referring to this as lake ocean city. one thing for sure, the surfers

are stoked for tasty waves this is weekend and next week with earl. >> all right, mike seidel, thank you very much. >> we don't get the word stoked on the show enough. can i just say that? >> he delivered it really well, too. >> did he. let's head over to the news desk now.he did. let's head over to the news desk now. i'm stoked to be here. good morning, everyone. we begin with a new pda plan to inspect all of the country's largest egg farms by the end of next year. the associated press reports that 600 farms which produce 80% of the nation's eggs will be inspected. the inspections follow the recall of more than half a billion eggs from two iowa farms linked to an outbreak of salmonella. a mississippi school district has ended a decades old policy of using race in class elections. the rule at the nettleton school district allowed only white kids to run for some class offices one year and then black kids to run the next year. it was put in place to ensure minority representation, but that was a long time ago. the policy now being challenged

by a mother whose daughter was not allowed to run for a position this year because she was of a mixed race. we'll talk to that mother and have more on this story in the next hour of "today." now to hawaii where a combination of strong winds and brush fires created this fire tornado on the big island. the fire charred 1400 acres, but is now 60% contained. no injuries have been reported. paris hilton was released this morning from a clark county, nevada jail where she had been held after her arrest last night. she was arrested for possession of cocaine after the car she was riding in was stopped in las vegas late last night. authorities say the car was driven by a friend and was pulled over when officers note what had they suspected to be marijuana smoke coming from the vehicle. a search turned up the cocaine in hilton's possession. finally, a huge mistake has passengers aboard a british airways flight wondering why does this button exist at all.

pe third a horrifying message telling them that the plane may be need to make an emergency landing on water. it turned out to be a mistake on board the 747 from heathrow to hong kong. the cabin crew quickly got on the p.a. and apologized for undue distress. apparently somebody hit the wrong button and the plane was not in fact about to land on water. that's the news. now back to lester, amy and bill. again, the question remains, why does that button exist. the we're all going to die button. >> a pre-recorded message. no one panic. >> don't you want the pilot to be the one to tell you you're going to die? >> i'm sure that woman was very pleasant in her voice, the pre-recorded message. >> anyway, bill karins is here with a check of the forecast. have you ever seen a fire tornado? >> i have. there was a famous one last week in brazil. it's hot rising air quickly. it's pretty cool. this weekend, it's going to be

beautiful. we have all the horrible storms out in the atlantic, but as far as coast to coast go, this is one of the best weekends we've seen yet. the only exception down there along the gulf and unfortunately for the five years of katrina, a lot of heavy rain down there in louisiana. otherwise it looks perfect for you. some areas of mist and patchy low clouds for the afternoon. breezy and unusually cool temperatures this time of year. 60s and 70s for most of the bay area. yes, even a chance of seeing a few showers in the north bay and the winds, 15 to 25 miles per hour as we head into the afternoon. so drizzle and a few spots for the morning or some light showers on the coast. see temperatures slowly climbing as we approach lunchtime. 60s to low 70s inland. earlier in the week, 90s and 100 ree temperatures. s a look at your saturday forecast. lester? now to new orleans five years after hurricane katrina, this week i caught up with a man in charge of the city when the

hurricane hit, former mayor ray nagin, who talked about mistakes that were made and some of the lessons learned. is there ever a day that you wake up and you don't think about katrina? >> no, every day i think about it. those memories of the people in the superdome, of bodies floats in the water, children suffering, they will be with me forever. >> how did an act of god become known as a failure of man? >> well, it was a two-fold issue, a multi-fold issue. first of all, you had shall incredible hurricane that was very deceptive it it came here, it really set its sights finally on new orleans about a day before it actually hit. and then you had the federally built levees to fail. so that brought man into it. and then you had the government, all levels of government, pretty much overwhelmed. >> and anybody ever since has been second guessing and finger pointing. are you still playing that game? >> absolutely. we always look for a villain in

everything unfortunately. and after 9/11, you know, we had our villain, but with this, the hurricane came, did all of the destruction, and then was gone. so people looked around and started pointing fingers. >> people are stranded on top of their homes. >> the thing that i worry about, i think about a lot, is could i have called a mandatory evacuation much earlier. it was the first ever in the city and i had about an eight hour window overnight that could i have. but let's say we did make some mistakes. local government was still overwhelmed. isn't it the responsibility of higher levels of government to come in and help at that point? and that's the thing that i keep trying to get people to understand. sure, we made mistakes. but we were in crisis and we needed help. and that's where it failed. >> and looking backwards doesn't get us anywhere unless it prevents this from happening again. so fast forward now to 2010. if another event like that happened, how much would things be different? or not? >> well, i worry about that. unfortunately, we haven't

changed a whom lot. we've gotten better locally with our evacuation plans. we had gustav and we performed very well. but the fundamental levels of how we deal with catastrophes is still the same. >> there's an uncomfortable conversation i picked on here. the data shows new orleans is less poor now after katrina. and you hear people talk about, well, the city's better, it's newer, it's more vibrant, and somewhere h in there i hear code words. do you hear code words is this. >> i hear code -- i've been hearihea hearing code word since katrina. why rebuild in new orleans. certain people shouldn't come back. i've said this very consistently. i think race and class are definitely in play here in  katrina. if this had happened in orange county, california, south beach, florida, i think there would have been a different response. as an american, i'm not proud to

say that. but i think it was real. >> former mayor ray nagin, our conversation. julia reed is a contributing editor for news week magazine. julia, good morning. good to see you. >> hi, there. >> what's going through your mind five years later? you were just settling into a house, cause back at the beginning of the recovery when folks were just starting to trickle in. what goes through your mind now? >> oh, goodness. kay back just a few days after the storm and i saw some of the images that the former mayor mentioned, but it seems some days like it was yesterday and some days it seems like forever. the first anniversary, there was still boats in the trees. i'm sure you remember that, as well. five years into it, you know, i think that there have been a lot of amazing strides. we have got -- first of all, there are no boats in the tree, but we're so far beyond that. i mean, i think probably the

best thing you can say about post-katrina, new orleans is that we've got a chance at a functioning school system, we've got a new mayor as opposed to the one you just talked to, who is aggressively trying to fix our police department which is sort of making mexico look good right now. so that's the next best thing to happen on the horizon. i think code word or not, we are a city with a better future in a lot of ways as far as economically i think than we were before katrina. there was a citizen apathy before katrina that was very distasteful. >> let me pick up on the note of the citizen apathy. because i remember a little past five year ago, people were saying maybe this city is dead, we should just turn it into a landfill. this was a collective fire in the belly of people in new orleans. can you tap into that and describe that to me, what made people stand up? >> well, first of all, i think that for a lot of people who had

not -- like i said, there was really no civic backbone. people had either given up on famed systems hike a dysfunctional school system or they just didn't care. there washike a dysfunctional school system or they just didn't care. there was a sort of a feeling of we'll fly into the river anyway, what the heck, let's just eat, drink and be marry. katrina was a pretty strong wake-up call that you do get the government you deserve, you get the city you deserve, you get the school system you deserve that takes -- it does take a village and it takes people hollering and screaming and there was a lot of anger after katrina obviously. this was not a very strong hurricane, it was an entirely manmade disaster. and the people need to be reminded to this day that this this was a failure of the federal levee system which we're still not entirely sure is up to snuff. so you've got that anger and people thought, heck, we'll take this back. there can be things that can be done to change. so you had citizens rise up. everybody from neighborhood leaders in the ninth ward and

lakeview and flooded areas with garden club ladies uptown signing petition, getting going, consolidating the levee boards. doing whatever citizens could do to change the -- to march in on baton rouge. it used to be that's the crazy legislature, what are you going to do, those corrupt dudes in baton rouge. now it's like i don't think so, if you're nogt knot going to pass this bill, we're getting on a bus, we're marching. >> i talked to a former mayor about finger pointing and you took a pretty not veiled swipe at mayor nagin. talk to me about the failure. who were the villains who made it go from an act of god to a failure of man? >> there was just a great -- terry share who is a comedian who lives here part of the time made a great documentary called the big uneasy that outlines

better than anything i've ever seen the failure of the levee system. that was a federal failure. we've seen lots of federal failures lately, but that was it. and no oversight, just complete shod shoddy, shoddy from the start to finish. our tax dollars at work. so to me, you can talk about bush and -- people should have done all kind of different things. head of fema was a little out of touch. all that kind of such was bad. but the bottom line is it wouldn't have mattered if the levees hadn't failed. that was it. and we need to remember that. we need to remember that an we're still fighting for coastal restoration which is the best buffer we have against another storm. it won't take much to wipe out new orleans if we don't restore our wetlands. but at a local level, you know, nagin talks about taking the blame and there was a lot of finger pointing toward him. of course we were overwhelmed, but nagin had four years to perform as a leader and he failed in that pretty miserably. the citizens did all that they

could do, but we needed a viable police department and we needed a lot of aggressive leadership in the city that we just didn't have with him. i think he was overwhelmed after the storm and i can't imagine what that must have been like. >> we have to end it there. we're back with more in a moment, but first this is "today" on nbc. t

still to come on "today," speaking out. could i ran who are man's parents make a new plea for their son's return. >> and we'll speak to lisa ling live about the day her sister returned. but first these messages.

good morning. a couple of minutes before 5:30. no clouds to speak of. a cool forecast on tap. we'll get that with rob. a fremont police officer fights for his life this morning. still a tense vigil continues outside oakland's hyland hospital where that officer remains in critical condition. the officer was part of a multi-agency task force attempting to serve a warrant at a residence in east oakland yesterday afternoon. that's when gunfire rang out between the suspect and police. that suspect is wanted on multiple crimes, including evading police and alleged assault on the mother of his

child. meanwhile, the manhunt continues if him this morning the man suspected of pulling the trigger is a 20-year-old union city resident. investigators say he was last seen driving away in a stolen green mazda sedan he hijacked immediately following the shooting. police say he could be armed and dangerous. new this morning, a 1-year-old girl is back home with her mother this morning following an all day kidnapping ordeal that came to an end late last night. the child was a subjected yesterday morning from a day air center by her own father. for nearly 12 hours yesterday melanie martinez rodriguez was separated from her mother. melan melanie's father took her from day care and then called the mother threatening to kill his and the little girl. they were able to talk him into turning his in before midnight. an investigation continues this morning. it was a violent night in san jose last night, a young woman dead and police looking for the person who shot her. it happened on morris court near the alameda and just a few

blocks away from the airport. witnesses say they heard a woman screaming for help just after 9:00 last night. then they say several shots were heard, as well. when officers arrived they found a woman in her 20s with at least two gunshot wounds. she was dead at the scene. the shooting is san jose's 16th homicide of the year. there have been no arrests in this case. and now spiking of that forecast, let's check in with rob. >> good saturday morning to you. we're going to see areas of mist and patchy low clouds for the afternoon. breezy and unusually cool temperatures this time of year. 60s and 70s for most of the bay area. yes, even a chance of seeing a few showers across the hill tops of the north bay. and the winds, 15 to 25 miles per hour as we head into the afternoon. so drizzle and a few spots of the morning, light showers on the cost. we'll see temperatures slowly climbing as we approach lunchtime. look at those numbers though. inland, 60s to low 70s. earlier in the week 90s and 100

degree temperatures. best bet of seeing the isolated showers will be in the hilltop of the north bay. clear out tomorrow. warm up early next week. coming up at 7:00, we will have the late frst from folsom state prison after guards fired shots to break up an inmate riot. we have more local news many 30 minutes.

and we're back on this saturday morning, the last weekend of august. labor day right around the corner and we thank everyone out on the plaza who decided to intend their last summer weekend with us. back inside studio 1 a, i'm amy robach along with lester holt. and coming up, a story of equal opportunity gone awry. >> for decades there was a public middle school in mississippi that divided their elected class officer positions by race. according tao a memo, only whit students can run for eighth grade class president while only black students can run for vice president. >> and the positions were alternated each year and school administrators say they were trying to ensure diversity, but

now they're getting a lot of unwanted attention. we'll talk about their reasoning coming up. plus scientists are trying to unlock some of mysteries surrounding the titanic. a mission is under way to complete the first picture of the wreck annual and this morning we have the first pictures to show you live. and then the week that was. from tiger's divorce and lindsay's early release from rehab, to bristol palin appearing on "dancing with the stars," it was a wild week of odd news. news you can't use maybe. coming up, willie will take us through his favorite moments. but first, it's been almost three months since 7-year-old could i ran who a kyron horman disappeareded from his school and friday their parents spoke out yet again. t the. >> reporter: the search for kyron horman lasted most of the summer and is now entering week 13.

soon classes will resume at the very school where the 7-year-old was last seen back on june 4th. >> i still think that he will be here for the first day of school. >> reporter: kyron's parents remain optimistic, but investigators appear no closer to finding their son. >> i feel like we're back in the very first days of the investigation. i can't sleep. nights are restless. >> kyron needs to come home. it's an immense amount of cruelty with the amount of time that has passed. >> reporter: detectives have not named a suspect in kyron's case, but the boy's parents have said his stepmother, terry horman, who was the last known person to see kyron, played a role in his disappearance. terry horman has a high profile criminal defense attorney and has never spoken publicly about the case. but she has been pursued by investigators and kyron's parents for questioning. >> the police will not stop until they find kyron.

you will go to jail. and whoever has been helping you will either have to talk or they will go to jail. >> are you cooperating with investigators? >> reporter: could i on oig's parents say dede spicher, one of terry horman's friends, is among those who should be talking. after be subpoenaed to testify in front of a grand jury, investigators circulated her picture on a flyer hoping to verify her whereabouts the day kyron vanished. kyron's parents also have a message for her. >> cooperate. we still have yet to see her cooperate. sit down with police and cooperate. do what you need to do. come forward. >> reporter: a parent's pleas a weeks turn to months, desperate to bring home their little boy before his 8th birthday in september. time now for a check of the weather with bill karins. good morning, bill. good saturday morning to you. it's a beautiful day out here in new england. p of the country is going see a

change in the weather pattern. let me bring it down for you so you can plan the end of your weekend and beginning of your week. we'll see a big jet stream switch across the country. the east which has been cool, a beautiful start to our weekend, the heat will be returning and then the cooler air moving back into the west coast after record highs this week. it will be interesting, every's been talking about what will happen with the hurricanes. one will threaten the east coast at the end of the week and it all depends on the storm from the west coast when arrives. good saturday morning to you. breezy and unusual cool temperatures for this time of year. 60s and 70 forz most of the bay area. yes, even a chance to see a few showers in the hilltop of the north bay. so, drizzle and a few spots for the morning or some light showers on the coast. we'll see temperatures slowly climbing as we approach lunchtime. look at those numbers. inland, 60s to low 70s. 90 and 100 degree temperatures

earlier in the week. ill be beautiful in so many areas p. also beautiful for our friends in maysville, kentucky. back to you, amy and lester. still to come on "today," brad pitt looks back at the last five years since hurricane katrina hit the crescent city. but up next, lisa lingoi an message of hope. but first these messages. two es equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share one of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our chicken crispers with new sweet & smoky sauce, our new slow-smoked honey chipotle baby back ribs, or grilled all-white meat chicken fajitas served over a bed of sizzling peppers and onions. grab a friend and get one appetizer plus two entrees with chili's $20 dinner for two. they smile and sparkle and itch! when allergies make your precious eyes itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in.

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lisa ling joins us to talk about a new campaign near and dear to her heart. great it see you again. let's start talking about your ser. a great post script to this story. she became a mom, you became an aunt. >> she did. in fact, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl a couple months ago named li jefferson. >> named after you essentially. >> and she's just a bless. just over a year ago, my sister didn't know she'd ever be able to have kids. >> and nilgd the middle name after william jefferson clinton. >> we owe him a little bit. we feel so grateful. >> your sister is back working again. has she readjusted from take ordeal? >> right now she's on foe us n

focused on motherhood. >> what haunts you most about those five months? >> just not having any concept or knowledge of where she could be inside the most secretive place in the world. >> your mind starts running away with the possibilities of what's going on, lack of knowledge. >> absolutely. >> i want to talk about you are so busy. you're about to launch a documentary series called lease li lisa ling investigates. we know you've done some amazing reporting on her show before.ea lisa ling investigates. we know you've done some amazing reporting on her show before.as lisa ling investigates. we know you've done some amazing reporting on her show before.li ecials we're doing on o yet ng because the network doesn't launch until january, but it's the best work that i'm proud he is of. i think it will be a provocative network that there is a need for. >> but you've had a lot of room to grow working with owe arepra. how did that come about? >> i was a guest on the show and

they really responded to some of the work that i did and asked me to be a regular contributor. >> you're also a paid spokesman for a campaign called inspiration in your eyes. >> they conducted a survey of the ten most visually inspiring places in this country and i'm someone who has traveled all over the world several times over and i'd only been to two of these places in america. the golden gate bridge. and so what they're trying to do is encourage people to think about what is visually inspiring to them, write a short story, and the winner can win an all-expenses paid trip to one of these places. and it just provoked me to think about about things that inspire me and given that i travel so much around the world, i started thinking a lot about the treasures that we have in this country. >> and i know your job back in the days you were working on channel 1. you traveled the world, but

sometimes you forget the things that are right next door. >> and given the challenging economic time, it's nice to be able to look inward sometimes. >> lisa, always good to see you. >> thank, lester. up next, the week that was. willie geist style. after these messages. i was short of breath, so i couldn't always do what i wanted to do. but five minutes ago, i took symbicort, and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so, today, i've noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing more of what i want to do. so we're clear -- it doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort, and it's significantly improves my lung function,

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lindsay lohan is back walking among us. and her dad is doing what? what a week it was. a pop culture smorgasbord grabbed public attention. some creepy like the attack of the bedbugs. >> there's a live one right there. >> reporter: invading night critters on the rides put sleepers under siege especially in major cities like new york at the top of the list. the threat of salmonella tabtsed eggs didn't go over easy with consumers. more than one-half a billion eggs were recalled and over 1,000 people were sickened. but last week wasn't all about bad eggs and bedbugs. celebrity watchers got their fair share of news. lindsay lohan made it out of rehab for the fourth time. >> she has changed. >> reporter: but her father wants in. he told radar online that he's moving it to california to start his own rehab center. tiger woods returned to the golf

course and played better than he had in months. on monday, the marriage between the golfing legend and his wife, elin nordegren, ended in divorce. >> i wish her the best in everything. it's a sad time in our lives. >> reporter: reality tv had headlines of its own. the rumors that single mom bristol palin would reunite with the father of her child, levi johnston, did not turn out it to be real, but it was report this had week that bristol will be in a reality show anyway on her own "dancing with the stars." and what will they do next? more fireworks are expected monday night when the real housewives of new jersey return for their reunion episode. >> when i called you garbage, i meant you were garbage. >> since we can't get enough of these stories, we've as september be assembled a panel to walk us through all of them.s assembled a panel to walk us through all of them.assembled a panel to walk us through all of them.

you've been shake your head as we watch this piece. linda, you're the tv critic. let's start with bristol palin on "dancing with the stars." what a strange culture we live in. she comes from alaska to here. >> so we have this situation meets the aggravation. and hen they got hasselhoff. >> we know we laugh, we make fun, but they bring in bristol palin, big ratings again. >> when you're competing with michael bolton, you might actually win. and how are they going to introduce her? the poster child no teenaged pregnancy. how do you introduce her? >> when i first heard about it, i was like, wow, bad behavior gets you shall real fame in this country. i think i'll go out and break someone's car window to get a tv show. but when you look at the situation, this is a girl who has been dumped twice, she's had hard knocks, been knocked up, the whole thing pip maybe this will help her self-esteem if she

learns to do a two step. >> speaking of disasters, let's go lindsay lohan. jeff, how many more chances do we give her? how many more excuses are made for her, how many more trips to rehab? >> as a psychologist, this is someone who is hurting. she has issues with depression. we're talking about -- and i guess we're talking about her father wanting to open up a rehab and so on. and the real issue with that is he says if you need medication, don't come to this rehab because it's drug free completely and the conventional thinking is people self medicaid with narcotics because they are depressed. they do have issues with anxiety. so i'm not quite sure the focus and who will really qualify to be in this rehab. >> linda, how many more chances are you willing to give her professional

professionally? >> i think people stopped looking at her seriously after the movie fully loaded. why is she a big famous movie star in because she's always in trouble. i mean, really -- >> if she wasn't an attractive girl, believe me -- >> the father thing opening this rehab facility a ridiculous, although i hear he's putting it next to the courtney love finishing school. he puts the more ron in oxymoron. he's not in a position of helping people. >> he'll compete with david hasselhoff as dad of the year. >> how is she view this had hole would i?his had hole would i? >> it's do or die. this linda lovelace could make or destroy her. i'm not surprised she got out early. if you've been there four time, you start to learn the curriculum and you know how to do it. >> do we blame her or do we start blaming the treating physicians and mental health people who seem to capitulate to what it is that she wants, what her management wants.

that's not the way rehab is supposed to be. you're not supposed to call the shot this is rehab, you're supposed to be the person who needs the help. >> when does someone take responsibility for themselves? i mean, they're giant 600 pounds and i have a problem. i have a problem, too. i don't eat six cakes, you know? take responsibility for yourself once in a while. >> i know you're also a big fan of the real housewives of new jersey, back depend for who are. that was probably when you were shaking your head the most at that part of the clip. you can break did down this group? why is it such a hit? >> because people can look at them and say thank god it's not me. so we have this fist fight going on. i have been to many country clubs in my life. have you ever been to a country club where two women were shrugging it out? i've been in bar fights, i've seen that, but two women? what country club is this that they go to?

>> and guys are starting to really like these housewives shows because they see these very sexy women, you know, crying, acting out the whole thing, and they're thanking their lucky stars they're not married to them. a woman who cries is very sexy while you're dating her, but if you marry her, it can be very annoying. >> and did you see the video? it looks like she's dancing with homeless chippen dale dancers. >> i think we can all agree they're going to the wrong country clubs. thank you all very much. and we're back, but first this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," hurricane katrina five years later. coming up, i'll talk to the former head of fema about his first trip back to where it all began. plus children running for class officers at a mississippi

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good morning, folks. live look at san jose. nbc bay area meteorologist has a look at the forecast. >> very good saturday morning to you. we have drizzle in spots for the afternoon. breezy and cool. a chance of some isolated showers across the north bay hilltops. 60s and 70s today. wrap up the weekend and turner warmer early next week. a fremont police officer remains in critical condition this morning. and in intensive care at an oakland hospital as we speak. the officer was part of a multi-agency task force attempting to serve a warrant at a residence in east oakland friday afternoon. that's when gunfire rang out between the suspect and police.

that suspect was being serve with a search warrant and was wanted on multiple crimes, including evading police and alleged assault on the mother of his child. that suspect is this man and the manhunt continues for him. he's suspected of pulling the trigger. he is a 20-year-old union city resident. investigators say he was last seen driving away in a stolen green mazda sedan he carjacked after the shooting. he should be considered armed and dangerous. it was a violent night in san jose as well. right now a young man continues to fight or his life after he was shot several tiles. police were on their way to break up a rowdy party after midnight when they spotted someone driving recklessly. police pulled a car over and discovered a 20-year-old man inside who had been shot several times. he remains in critical this morning in a san jose hospital. across town, a young woman is dead after she was shot. it happened on mr ris court near

alameda and a few blocks from the airport. they heard the woman scream for help. then they say they heard several gunshots. when officers arrived they found a woman in her 20s with at least two gunshot wounds. she was dead at the scene. the shooting is san joses's 16th homicide of the year. no arrests in this case. harrowing ordeal for a palo alto man when three burglars broke into his home and tied him up. this morning he's recovering from his injuries. it happened in the 3100 block of morrison drive. the daily news reports the men knocked on his door at 3:30 afternoon. police say when the man opened the door the men tied him up and ran sacked his house. the victim was taken to the hospital but is expected to be okay. so far it is not yet clear whether this victim was targeted or if it was a random burglary attempt. coming up at 7:00 on the "bay area saturday" it is back to the drawing board. san jose firefighters reject a city proposal to bring back laid

off firefighters in exchange for pay cuts. that story coming up at 7:00. and more local news for you in 30 minutes. right now, here's more of the "today" show. b-a-c-c-a-l-a-u-r-e-a-t-e. baccalaureate. correct. [ audience groans ] since this competition has been continuing for 48 hours and we have yet to eliminate anyone, it is the decision of this board to declare all 20 contestants winners. you have all competed admirably. admirably. a-d-m-i-r-a-b-l-y. admirably. [ male announcer ] at&t is making high speed internet affordable for only $14.95 a month

with select services. at&t. rethink possible. mississippi learning. the public school that said only white students could run for class president this year until one mother and a firestorm of publicity changed the rules. from the deep. stunning new images of the titanic 98 years after it the ocean liner went down in the north atlantic seen here for the first time this morning. and five years later, hurricane katrina broke the back of a city and tested the strength of a nation. we'll look at norngs then and now. today saturday, august 28th, now. today saturday, august 28th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning.

welcome back to "today." i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. >> a lot to get to this half hour. coming up, thousands expected at a rally at the lincoln memorial organized by glenn beck. it is drawing criticism because comes 47 years to the day after martin luther king jr. delivered his "i have a dream" speech at the same site and we'll get a live update in just a minute. and then we'll go to mississippi to talk about policy on when could run for student government positions. we'll at the you what happened when one mother stood up to that policy and why school administrators say they were trying to do the right thing. it certainly has a lot of people talking. plus stunning new images of the titanic are emerging almost a century after the ocean liner went down. they're part of a new research project to map the area where the wreckage is scattered. we'll have the latest coming up. and this weekend, of course, marks the fifth anniversary of hurricane katrina, the devastation still fresh in the memory of thousands who lived

through it. we will take a look back and forward at new orleans. and i know you were there this week talking to some of the administrators who were there who lived through this, as well. >> a lot of people came in for lot of blame. so we'll get those reflections five years later and also look at what's changed will. but first let's talk about that controversial rally planned for in washon. tom costello is covering it for us. tom, good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning. thousands of people have already started arriving. in fact, glenn beck has been talking up this rally for months on radio and on tv. and from the steps of the lincoln memorial, he says it's about reclaiming america's civil rights movement. on the mall in front of the lincoln memorial friday, glenn beck surrounded by bodyguards was working the crowd. >> mr. beck, why are you here? >> honor. restoring honor. >> reporter: restoring honor is the theme of beck's rally and he's hoping to draw as many

people as attended last year's anti-tax rally that helped define the and he party movement. sarah palin will speak, along with former republican house majority leader dick armey and minnesota republican michele bachma bachmann. federal government gi rode a bus from maine to be here. >> we want the people it to be able to speak up. >> reporter: glenn williams came from indiana. >> our country is in a mess. we're spending money we don't have about that. >> reporter: but glenn beck has chosen to hold his rally on perhaps the most iconic spot for the civil rights movement, 47 years ago today. >> i have a dream. >> reporter: and beck has said unflattering things about the nation's first african-american president. >> this president i think has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep seeded hatred for white people or the white culture. this guy is, i believe, a rac t racist.

>> reporter: now he's insisting that today's rally is all about reclaiming america's civil rights this reverend helped coordinate the march on washington in 1963. >> you cannot tell me that this is not planned to hijack the site, the lincoln memorial, and the message of martin luther king jr. >> i'm sorry, african-americans don't own martin luther king. it's a human idea just like white people don't own george washington or abraham lynn could be. >> reporter: beck's rants have scored him huge ratings on cable t vice president and provided freshed fodder for comedians. why people have saying that i'm trying to distort civil rights history, et cetera, et cetera. nothing of the kind. i'm going to be several stairs down from where he stood. >> several stairs down. that is totally different. >> reporter: but his message resonates with many americans looking forward to hearing him today. beck insists that he didn't

realize he was scheduling this rally for the same day as the an verse rift "i have a dream" speech, but civil rights act have i tests are planning a counter rally and march here, as well. >> tom, thanks very much. we want to head over to the news desk now. wiley geist is in the house this morning. good morning. we begin with some more bad news unfortunately on the economy. the government reporting that the economy grew at a slower pace this spring than previously estimated. fed chief ben bernanke said on friday that if the economy worsens significantly, the fed will step into the extent it still can. but bernanke down playing concerns over a double dip recession predicting a modest expansion in the second half of 2010. a major hurdle has been cleared for united and continental. it has no more antitrust concerns about the deal that will combine the two companies in it to the world's largest airline. to win approval, the airlines agreed to open the door to southwest airline at continental's hub at newark

airport. more reports out of london of a possible royal wedding date and location. k kia sim ons is live at buckingham palace. >> reporter: this is the front page today. the question is kate to be a bride at last. prince william has been dating kate middleton for almost ten years now. the newspaper says that buckingham palace is now looking at a wedding date next august. now, nothing is definite. it appears to just be early discussions. but that date would fit with prince williams' obligations to the royal air force and the sven you're they're talking about would be particularly poignant because it would be westminster abbey. that is where princess diana's funeral was held. >> thanks so much about a lot of people watching that one closely. finally a baby tiger is recover rg my land after a passenger tried to smuggle him

in a suitcase. here's what the airport inspectors saw. the sedated tiger cub scrunched up next to a toy tiger meant to fool authorities. police were called in and the owner of that luggage was arrested before boarding her flight to iran. the little guy was groggy and dehydrat dehydrated, but he is expected to be okay. he's been sent to a wild life conservation center in baghdad. so, amy, lester, leave that baby tiger cub at home when you're traveling. >> that's just awful. >> so sad to see that. bill karins is out on the plaza with a check of your forecast. >> we have gary and gloria here. got married 42 years ago. celebrating their anniversary. i was going to ask you what has changed a lot, but if you look at this picture here and you look at this one, the eye wear seems kind of significant. do you still have any of these old pairs? they're coming pack in style. >> no, i don't. they're gone. >> congratulations on 42 wonderful years.

let's chat about the atlantic because we have hurricane danielle a category 2. it will head out into the open atlantic. we'll just get large waves on the east coast for fr that. earl is a weaker storm, but i has a chance to grow over warm water. we still have about five or six days until it makes its closest approach to the east coast. it will brush the northern chachb the islands and could be a major hurricane h, category 3 wednesday night into thursday. somewhere in between north carolina and bermuda. we can't rule out the east coast with earl. pay close attention to that forecast if you're in the carolinas through t very good saturday morning to you. drizzle in spots norfor the morning. breeze dwr and cool and isolated showers. highs bs 60s and 70s today. about the same story as you wrap up the weekend and turning a bit warmer early next week.

and of course this is air force week and this is the ava. how old? >> ten months old. >> and she loves that sign behind you. back to you, amy. and now to a story that has a lot of people talking. a school in mississippi with a decades old policy that dictated who could and who could not run for offices in the student government according to race. the story from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: for a topic with a lot of gray area, race, a middle school in rural mississippi put it in stark black and white. for decades, class officers were determined by the color of their skin. this year only white students qualified for president. black students were designated for four positions, half of which were the lowest ranking title reporter. the mother of one student, a by racial 12-year-old, objected when learning her daughter was

told she was the wrong race to run for a certain position. positions that have rotated each year between black and white students. >> not only are you dividing the children by race, but it also doesn't allow any room for children of other races beyond african-american and caucasian. >> reporter: on friday district officials rescinded the practice, a policy dating back 30 years. the superintendent said adding it is the belief of the current administration that these procedures were implemented to help ensure minority representation and involvement in the student body. we're growing in ethnic diversity and the classifications of caucasian and african-american no longer reflect our entire student body. more than 70% of the student body is white. >> we're talking about young people who play together more than they've ever played together. they socialize together more than they've ever socialized together. and we should not impose our baggage on those young people. >> reporter: a couple of parents said they knew nothing about the school's election rules. >> to hear about that rule is

appalling. this is 2010. it have been outlawed maybe in late 70s. >> it's wrong. they should treat everybody equal. >> reporter: new lessons what some consider yesterday's challenges. ron mott, nbc news, atlanta. and joining us with more is david wilson, managing editor and the mother who was told that her daughter was the wrong race. good morning to both of you. and brandy, let me begin with you. when your daughter brought home this form or at least when you found out that the for existed, it basically told her she couldn't run for reporter of her sixth grade class based on her race, what was your reaction? >> well, i thought it must have been a mistake. i thought maybe she had been misinformed. that's why i calmed tled the schedule. >> and we should mention your children are mixed race. when you mentioned your concerns

to the school, what did they say back to you? >> they just told me that this has been a policy that has been in place before the current principal had come on to the school and that that's just the way it was. and if i needed to discuss it further, i needed to call the superintendent. >> so i imagine you discussed it further. >> actually, i did not hear from him until this went to the local news. >> david, let me bring you into this because we just heard ron mott point out that the school's intention was to create equal opportunities for a tthe african-american students. it has a 07% ratio white to black. do you think that this -- and a lot of of people say this is racism, this is awful. but the intentions when you consider it all, what is your reaction, what do you think about it? >> well, you know, this is a lot more nuance than it appears.

when this law -- or, i'm sorry, when the policy was set in motion, you got to remember the times about that about. >> 30 years ago. >> so the intent was probably good. it's probably to help enforce integration. but what's most disturbing is that it wasn't revis ied until yesterday. so that's the real issue. but i have to at that time school district at its word, you have to consider the time in which the policy was implemented. and i think that it's really a teachable moment. >> and we have actually a statement from the school we want to read. it reads in part, after being notified of a grievance arresting upcoming student elections at nettleton middle school, research was conducted and evidenced the current practices and procedures for student elections have existed for over 30 years. it is the belief of the current administration that these procedures were implemented to help ensure minority representation and involvement in the student body. it is felt the intent of these election procedures was to ensure african-american representation in each student office category through an

annual rotation basis. it is our hope and desire that these practices and procedures are no longer needed to help ensure minority representation and involvement. he touched on this a bit. is it surprising that it's taken 30 years for someone to say, hey, this is crazy for someone to actually raise a red flag here? >> i think that it was something that was just a part of the school and no one ever complained about it until recently. and so then that sort of brought all this attention to it and then they decided to change it. the things that i find interesting about this is that it was really to be honest with you an equal opportunity discrimination. one year whites weren't able to run for president and the next year blacks were. so i think that it's an issue because i don't think it really getting down to teaching kids how to really vote and to really look and judge people based off of character. i think it really puts an emphasis on race more than it should. >> and, brandy, i know that you moved to the area a few months back and you took your child out of the nettleton school district.

what are you telling -- we heard david say that this h is a teachable moment. what are you telling your children about this? >> absolutely i think this will be a wonderful lesson for them that if they feel like something is wrong, to stand up for what they believe in and to fight for what they feel is right. so i feel like overall this is a good lesson for my children. i'm just concerned about all the children that went through, you know -- that graduated from that school before this was changed. i'm not sure if the lessons they were taught were positive, though. >> well, hopefully this has shed height on it f light on it for everyone. thank you very much. and we're back right after these messages. ♪

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at the end of the day as they do at the beginning? air optix® contact lenses have superior deposit resistance for cleaner lenses. air optix®, the lens you can survive a long day in. go to airoptix.com for a free one month trial offer. the man who became a symbol for what went wrong in hurricane katrina returned to new orleans this week. michael brown was dispatched to the city and he had a lot to say when i caught up with him there this week. i think a lot of people would say you got a lot of nerve coming back to new orleans and especially here in the 90s ward. to which you say -- >> you know what, this is a significant portion of these people's lives a and what happened to them. it's a significant portion of my life, too. i will always be a part of what happened here and i want to know what's going on and i want to comment on what's going on or, frankly, based on this, what's not going on.

>> if you had to put your finger on one thing that you failed at, somebody else failed at, that led to the horror show that we saw, what would it be? >> receipts it was the failure of the army corps of engineers to properly me than toaintain t levees. during the hurricane, it was the failure of an evacuation earlier. >> were you urging him earlier than that sunday to declare a mandatory evacuation? >> we were doing it 72 hours in advance. i actually called the president and said i'm asking you to you, the president of the united states, to call the mayor and use that bully pulpit to try to get him to evacuate. >> did the president make the call? >> he made the call. >> but you still had concerns that state and local government wasn't playing on the same sheet of music. was that a failure in itself? >> it was. and there was a point where that became obvious. >> did the administration fail

in its katrina response? >> yes, i think there was this attitude of it's a hurricane, brown and his team have handled hurricanes before, they can handle this one. there was not the sense of urgency that this had been the catastrophic hurricane that we had been planning for. >> just in recent months, pakistan, c 130s in there with water, and here we watch for days, people suffering in new orleans, under. a and you were the guy in charge. >> i'm going to be very blunt. there's an e-mail i sent asking for the military and on friday i say where's the army. it hasn't shown up yet. i learned maybe in the past year. that there was this argument going on about how involved the

military should be. we wasted four days having a debate back in d.c. that we should not have wasted four minutes on. >> and brown, you're doing a heck of a job. >> how did it you becoyou becom villain, how did you become the symbol of the administration's gross failure here? >> because i was the guy on the ground. you have to have somebody in charge in any disaster ands su stensbly, that was me. >> who else dropped the ball in a big way? >> almost every single person involved dropped the ball? how. it was a surprising and unacceptable failure of every level of government. >> did you expect to see buildings still on the edge of standing? >> i expected to see it, but i'm disappointed to see it. there's really no excuse for this. it's just a bureaucratic system between insurance companies, the government, private enterprise. there's just no excuse for it. >> when you look at what went wrong, is it likely those

mistakes would be repeated again if another scekatrina-like hurricane were headed here? there there were systemic failures in katrina and those processes and systems still exist.>there there were systemi failures in katrina and those processes and systems still exist.>there there were systemi failures in katrina and those processes and systems still exist.here there were systemic d systems still exist.cesses re >> there was a particular moment, he was being interviewed alive and seemed to express surprise that people were at the convention center and he told me he said he misspoke at the time, that he was aware of it. but it's interesting, this is a guy who could have hidden and he comes out very forcefully. >> he's willing to talk about it and make the admission that's has. >> and he and a lot of others say the things that went wrong have not been corrected. >> and maybe that is why they're speaking out at least in the hope that perhaps things can change. >> let's hope. we'll it take a break. back in a minute, but first this is "today" on nbc.

still to come, consumer news you don't want to miss. should you rent or buy? plus brian williams in new orleans with brad pitt and why some are calling him brad the builder. but first these messages. swipe your card please. excuse me...? this belongs to you... o...um...thank you. excuse me... this is yours... thank you! you're welcome. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back in your pocket. fun money from freedom. this is yours! thank you! what? that's 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories all year long. does your card do this? sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom.

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fix sacramento. and deliver results. meg whitman. for a new california. good morning, folks. waking up in san francisco, expect clouds and drizzle in spots. we still have a month of summertime to go. let's look a very cool weekend forecast. >> very good saturday morning to you. we've got drizzle in spots for the morning. the afternoon, breezy and cool and chance of isolated showers across the north bay hilltops high, 60s and 70s today. about the same story as you wrap up the weekend and turning warmer early next week. a fremont police officer fights for his life this morning. a tense vigil continues outside oakland's hyland hospital where the officer remains in critical condition. the officer was part of a multi-agency task force trying

to serve a warrant in the residence in east oakland. that's when gunfire erupted between the suspect and police. that suspect was being serve with a search warrant and was want owned multiple crimes, including evading police and alleged assault on the mother of this child. the manhunt for him continues this morning. he is suspected of pulling the trigger. he is a 20 yard union city resident who police say has gang ties. he was last seen driving away in a stolen green mazda sedan that he carjacked immediately following the shooting. police say he should be consi r considered armed and dangerous. you see him, give them a call. violent night in san jose as well. right now a young man continues to fight for his life after he shot several times. police were on their way to break up a rowdy party after midnight when they spotted someone driving recklessly near center and lewis roads. police called the car over and discovered a 20-year-old man inside who had been shot several times. he remains in critical condition this morning in a hospital in

san jose. across town, a young woman is dead after she was shot. this happened on morris court near the alameda and just a few blocks away from the airport. witnesses say they heard a woman screaming for help just after 9:00 last night. then they say they heard gunf e gunfire. when officers or ride they found a woman in her 20s with two gunshot wounds. she was declared dead at the scene. it was the 16th homicide of the year in an jose. 1-year-old girl is back home with her mom this morning following an a. kidnapping ordeal. the child was abducted yesterday morning from a san francisco day care center by her own father. for 12 hours yesterday melanie martinez rodriguez was separated from her mother. the father took her from the day care center and then called the mother and threatened to kill his and the baby girl. police negotiators were able to convince that father to bring the child to the mission district police station and turn

himself in just before midnight. an investigation continues this morning. coming up at 7:00 on the "bay area saturday" we will have all the latest from the folsom state prison where there was a giant riot. seven inmates are in the hospital this morning. guards had to fire shots to break it up. we have all the day's top stories coming up at 7:00. and we of course are still watching outside hyland hospital where that officer is recovering from his injuries. we'll update you on the manhunt as well. [ son ] i'm a good son. dependable. i call my mom every week. i even bought her a computer with my new citi forward card. then one day... have you seen this? she "friended" me. there's a whole album. [ laughs ] [ groans ] and started posting pictures. ♪ and tagging me. publicly. [ male announcer ] you ought to be rewarded for being dependable. the citi forward card gives you extra points for paying your bill on time and staying within your credit limit. [ woman ] nice tights. what's your story?

the citi forward card can help you write it. and we're back on this saturday morning, the 28th day of august, 2010. our thanks to a great crowd out on the plaza. still to come on "today," katrina five years later. >> five years ago today, we thought it was just a hurricane. just a hurricane. of course it was, it hit the coast with a vicious blow, but then the levees broke and it became almost part two of a different kind of disaster. so we're look back this week. one man has made his mission of rebuilding new orleans is brat pitt. brayen williams caught up to talk with him about his work and the love of the crescent city. we'll hear more from brad pitt coming up. and the first new images of

the titanic are be revealed. expedition leaders are calling it an awesome moment, as stunning images where the titanic came to rest are emerging so our own kerry sanders is on board the expedition ship and he'll show us those images coming up. >> did you know you can rent a a game console, like a wii, or college textbooks, power washer for your house, even a cartier bracelet? you can rent almost anything, but should you? we'll discuss if it will save you money in the long run. >> all right. but before we get to all of that, we'll first get another check of the weather from bill karins. >> amy, it's buhl out here, isn't did? we like to appreciate our sweet 16s. sweet 16s. >> yes. >> what did you ask for presents? >> i didn't really ask for anything. >> what a sweet girl you are. we are not prejudice, either. we appreciate all different types of signs that take all different types of effort. we have a sweet 16 out here,

too. your maim? >> megan. >> you were nice, too didn't ask foren pesrts? >> just a car. >> let's take a look at what's going on with your weekend forect.ts around the country we're actually seeing beautiful conditions. the problem areas northern california, all the areas of oregon, also down along the gulf coast. but today it's a splendid day from kansas city to st. louis, chicago, all the way up through the mid-atlantic and new england. fantastic day. tomorrow it will get a little hotter, but overall, a pretty peaceful weekend. we'll deal with all the hurricane stuff in the middle of next week. very good saturday morning to you. we have drizzle in spots for the morning. the afternoon, breezy and cool and chance of isolated showers. highs, 60s and 70s today. about the same story as you wrap up the weekend and turning a bit warmer early next week. maine.

not many people up there. but a cute little town. you laminated the sign, so that's worth a couple points. we want to say -- your girlfriend, michelle, right? >> medford, oregon. >> happy saturday morning to you. amy? it is the world's most famous sea wreck, the titanic. a high mission is under way to map every inch of the wreckage 98 years after it sunk. kerry sanders is aboard the research vessel with us now that's charged with that difficult work. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: we're out on the north atlantic, amy. this is crazy. it's just amazing to see this. i put on the 3d glasses, we take a look at the picture and i take you here down into the water. and if you look, you can't see it in 3d, but as you look at this, you're looking at the bow area of the titanic. we are coming up a little bit. you can see the water a little bit. you'll see the railings there. look at that. the researchers have so much work to do here, but this is

such a huge success. first a little look at what it took to get here this morning. on an evening shrouded in fog, much the way it was almost 100 years ago when the titanic hit an iceberg here, the r.o.v., cameras fixed to the front, launched into the deep. >> 22. a little bit. >> reporter: the trip down two miles to the wreck site takes more than two hours. but with adjustments that can only be made by hand back on deck, the r.o.v. had to surface twice before finally reaching the wreckage of the titanic. ♪ at 5:26 this morning, the first

3d hd pictures ever of the titanic. the expedition members fitted with 3d glasses sat transfixed as the r.o.v. moved along the starboard side. first a view of the port holes, deck c. >> go as easy as you can. we're getting a lot of hits right now. >> reporter: then, as the camera climbed up the side, it revealed windows on the promenade. and that thing sticking up on the top deck, the historian says it's a lifeboat cabin. in his view, its position suggests first officer william murdock, who was at the helm when the titanic struck the iceberg, did not commit suicide as has long been theorized. rather, parks says it suggests murdock washed overboard as he tried to launch a lifeboat. >> some speculate that he shot himself. this position suggests to me that murdock was attempting to last that last lifeboat when the water overtook him.

>> reporter: in the past 24 hours, the teams have created the most detailed map ever of the titanic wreck site. these torpedo looking vehicles launched on a pre-programmed route crisscrossed 15 miles of the ocean floor, sonar readings now detail the very large and the very tiny pieces of the titanic. >> it's like having for the first time a map of a major city like manhattan or los angeles. you know, for the first time we have a map. some of the stuff is awesome. >> reporter: so we're looking at these pictures here of the bow section off the starboard side. stunning in any way, but in the 3d, truly amazing. and of course all of this happens because of billy lang, who had this idea that he could come out here with 3d cameras. so congratulations. it's really amazing. amy, i'll take you back out here. billy lang saw this, he was the first one who laid eyes on it 25

years ago when they first saw it. and now to see it in 3d, to see the distances and what is close, what is far, and maybe they might be able to see if there is a gash in the hull. they're really hoping to answer a lot of questions. if that gash is there, it explains how the water entered in and caused the watertight compartments to fill up and go down, or maybe rivets popped. they'll be able to determine if there were faulty rivets. there are still questions, even though everybody knows it was an iceberg that brought down the titanic, the unsinkable. amy? >> i know we've been describing it as awesome. and i don't even think that describes those images. so super cool. thank you so much, kerry sanders. enjoy the view from where you are. and coming up next here on "today," brian williams with brad pitt and brian will also interview president obama this coming sunday. you can watch it on "nightly and we're back, but first these messages. and itch! when allergies make your precious eyes itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in. only alaway comes from bausch & lomb.

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after hurricane katrina hit new orleans, one actor came to the city he loved and wanted to help. brad pitt commissioned 21 architects to build 30 sustainable and affordable homes. brian williams met with brad pitt five years later and looked back at what he's been able to accomplish. >> a porch. nothing but a concrete porch that my daddy built twice. >> reporter: and that is all she was left with five year as go

here in the lower 9ninth ward. >> i said, lord, i'm putting it in your hands. >> reporter: the help arrived because brad pitt, who had fallen in love with new orleans years ago, decided to come in here and put up homes to get the people back here. we just heard a lawnmower a minute ago which was striking because you did not hear anything like that for years here. >> no, nothing. nothing. mrs. la blanc over here in her fiee fina trailer and mr. green in her trailer. that was about it. >> reporter: brad fit founded make it right, an organization devoted to building low income eco-friendly homes for people who lost everything and because others had decided to give up on the place. >> they told people that they could build on slab and they set them up for catastrophe. there were over 1500 deaths. it shouldn't happen. i got angry.

i got really angry. on the flip side, i have a lot of friends who were involved in architecture and know a lot about it. >> my house is energy efficient. i love when i get my electric bill. i love that. i want to make sure i get all the funny can get. >> a lot of people, i mean, i was really bringing smart people into solve these problems. but that's what architecture is. you have a challenge and the challenges of an area and you build to those challenges. >> reporter: homes that are built to withstand a category 4 hurricane. solar panels are installed to save on energy bills. and having open roof access is mandatory because of the horrors we all watched during katrina. >> take us into the future as if we stand here five years from now, what does the neighborhood look like? >> well, this is where you see a third of the homes up now, we've

got half the homes in process. there will be 150 of these homes in that time. but i would like to see this spread. i'm hoping we raise more money to expand this idea. so i would like to see this expand through the city, expand to other places in the u.s., this idea of making it right. >> reporter: the houses cost about $150,000 each. brad pitt says he's in this to stay and because of this effort, melba is now back home to stay. >> it didn't dawn on me that he would do anything. he's like an angel. he got an an gel face. put wings on him, he'll probably fly around. >> brian will have an exclusive interview with president obama tomorrow. i love what accepted. >> it's nice to hear that joy in her voice, too.

to feel that someone cared about her and the people there. >> i was down this in that neighborhood a couple times this week. they're really cool looking buildings and they're giving people a sense of -- i think there's a hope that the more homes will bring more homes will bring more homes. >> and a great electric bill. >> good luck to awful them. we're back in a moment. first this is "today" on nbc. [ woman on tv ] if you won't let me in,

you can't really love me. i know about gayle. i don't know what you're talking about. if you just tell me what happened... [ ding ] [ man ] 35th and archer. next stop hamilton. [ brakes hiss ] ♪ [ male announcer ] now you can watch hit tv shows on your iphone when you get at&t u-verse tv. at&t. rethink possible. this morning, rent versus buy pup might be surprised to learn that you can rent a lot more than just dvds and cars. you name it, you can probably represent it. lifestyle expert robin mareno is here to tell us when it makes

september sense to rent. back in college, i remember buying books and they were expensive. >> besides room and board, the textbooks are something the students spend so much money so, so there's a website where you can rent textbooks. if it's something you won't need for a long time, just go ahead and rent it. >> let's talk about computers. >> it's not always a good deal. i would say buy a computer just because they're really affordable. these net books right here, they're only like about $400. really portable. and if you want to buy an older generation, which these days they update them so quickly, so that's not so old, 15 inches here from dell, $459. >> let's talk about baby gear. and this is a big dilemma.

because you use them, but you want to make sure they're not recalled. >> here's the trick. it's really mostly when you're going to travel. because imagine that you're going to go visit grandma, go to the beach. this is heavy to lug even if it's a pack and play. and with all the expensive bag annual fees, it can add up. there's b there's websites where you call ahead, they set it up for you, and it's ready to go. >> and who knew you could rent video games. this is a wii system. what do you suggest, rent or buy? >> i would say rent because it's only $20 from rent a center. so again it's like your grandkids are coming this weekend. for $20, keep them entertained. and it's with cost per use. if you have a lot of grand kids coming often, invest in the wii. but if they're only coming once a year, for $20, it's affordable. >> and let's talk about lawn

equipment. this is a power washer. >> power tools don't get used too often. there's a statistic that said power tools get like an hour this your life. how often do you power wash? you could rent it by the day which is really good. so it's like $45 as opposed to everyone li even look up to $1,000. so it's a popular category. >> now furniture i guess if you're in a temporary paapartme or something. >> i would say buy it because again it's so affordable. this is from sears, brand new. >> it's comfortable. >> to rent this costs $25 a week and that will add up really wick quick qua quickly. if you want furniture temporari temporarily, go to craigslist. >> and now let's move to the good stuff. jewelry, purse, accessories.

>> there's a website where you can get chanel and all the amazing bags. julie, sunglaewe jewelry, sunglasses. >> i can't imagine renting sunglasses. >> rent them for a week and -- >> jewelry makes sense to me. >> the same thing with the clothing. you can rent designer like prada if you're going to a wedding or something and it's 10% of the retail value. so this costs about $1500, you can rent it for one week for $150. and it comes with insurance so if it gets damaged, you're covered. >> thanks so much. we'll be right back, but first these messages. [ female announcer ] we've got stains, down to a science. new wisk, with our breakthrough stain spectrum technology

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♪ ♪ j-e-l-l-o ♪ j-e-l-l-o ♪ j-e-l-l-o ♪ j-e-l-l-o ♪ j-e-l-l-o ♪ j-e-l-l-o [ child giggles ] ♪ j-e-l-l-o no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keining u edyormfo. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. that will do it for us.

coming up tomorrow on "today," we'll continue our coverage of the five year anniversary of hurricane katrina. >> and i promise to have a tifton, georgia. good-bye, everybody.

continues to fight for his life. a manhunt is under way for the suspect who shot him. a voiiolent night in san jo. two separate shooting, one woman dead, a young man injured. dramatic video from a scene from a prison riot that sent seven people to the hospital. i inherited my father's '69 norton commando.

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what a way to start this summer day, cool and drizzly. maybe some showers in spots. thanks so much for joining us this morning. i'm kris sanchez. might want to get your coffee extra hot this morning because it's going to be cooler than we're used to. here's nbc bay area meteorologist with that. >> good saturday morning to you. we will see areas of mist and patchy low clouds. breezy and unusually cool temperatures for this timef