♪ good morning. breaking news. the story the world has been watching. one of the best-known political prisoners and nobel peace prize winner is finally free. we'll have the latest on this breaking story. rocky road. president obama's ten-day visit to asia ends this weekend with setbacks on trade talks, and a new fight looming at home over how much you pay in taxes. and the infamous case of the honeymoon killer. he let his new bride drown during a diving trip to australia. now after serving just 18 months in prison, he's free. but will he face justice here in

the u.s.? "today," saturday, november the u.s.? "today," saturday, november 13th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. one of the world's most famous political prisoners is finally free. >> aung san suu kyi has been under house arrest for some 15 years. the big question now, how much freedom will she actually get? we'll have the latest on this coming up. >> also, sarah palin. she's everywhere, promoting a new show, pushing a new book. but is she poised to run for the white house in 2012? we're going to have much more on all things palin ahead. plus, if you like chocolate, you better check what kind of prescription drugs you are taking. because chocolate and other foods like grapefruit could have adverse reactions if combined

with common medications. we've got some important health facts that you need to know. >> and then, come on, get happy. we'll start a new series this morning about the pop culture icons who influenced our lives. for lester it was "the partridge family." >> maybe it was the music, the bus, the bell-bottomed pants, but it's why i picked up the bass guitar as a teenager because danny partridge played. or so i thought. interesting revelation. a little surprise during that interview with danny bonaduce and david cassidy. >> another interesting revelation, you wore bell-bottom pants. >> i had an afro. you want to go back into the '70s? we can do that. >> that would be fun. >> we have a lot to get to this morning. we do want to start off with that breaking news and the release of the pro-democracy activist in myanmar. nbc's ian williams joins us on the telephone from bangkok with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. well, the first indication we have that this was actually going to happen today, was when

barricades and riot police were removed from the road leading up to her house, her lakeside house in rangoon. that was about an hour ago, and enabled hundreds of supporters to pour up to her house where she's been able to address them for the first time in seven years. seven years, of course, being the most recent period of house arrest. very severe and restricted house arrest. she had, of course, spent 15 of the last 21 years under arrest in that home. we hear that party members are continuing to arrive at the house. the question now, of course, is what she does next, and what is she able to do with that freedom, lester. >> and what are the conditions? how much freedom will she have under this release? >> well, that is the big question. when she was last released from house arrest, which was in 2002, the ruling generals imposed some pretty severe conditions on her. and then when she started to push those limits, by addressing crowds, by traveling, by talking

openly, criticizing them, she was promptly put back under house arrest again. now she has said that she won't accept any conditions. but we don't know what has happened over the last 24 hours. when they have been negotiating those terms of her freedom. so the devil really is in the small print. certainly the junta will have tried to impose conditions on her. and i guess over the next 28 to 48 hours we're going to see to what extent she is prepared to accept that. and to what extent she will start to speak out, as her many, many followers want her to do, lefser. >> ian williams in bangkok with the update there. thank you very much. now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. now to president obama's trip to asia. it's been a challenging one, especially with the stalled efforts to reach a trade deal at the g-20 summit. today he's in japan and white house correspondent savannah guthrie is traveling with the president. savannah, good morning. >> reporter: amy, good morning.

this is the longest the president's been away since taking office. and this trip came right after those losses in the midterms. but the president's been making the pitch. what he's been doing overseas is all about improving things at home. the president took his one-man sales expedition to his final stop in japan. where he told a group of ceos, america is open for business. >> in this region the united states sees a huge opportunity to increase our exports in some of the fastest-growing markets in the world. for america, this is a job stretch. >> reporter: the president is in japan today for one last summit of asian economic powerhouses. wrapping up his four-country mission to try to pry open asian markets to more american exports. the president has promised to double exports in five years. which he says will lead directly to more jobs at home. while the u.s. has been battered by unemployment and lackluster growth, emerging economies have been booming.

largely fueled by the powerful pocketbooks of the once voracious american consumer. but at the g-20 summit in seoul the president said the days of massive trade imbalances, americans buying more goods from overseas than they sell, must come to an end. >> countries with large surpluses must shift away from unhealthy dependence on exports and take steps to boost domestic demand. as i've said, going forward, no nation should assume that their path to prosperity is paid simply with exports to the united states. >> reporter: the president has one more day here in japan. the main event, a meeting with russian president dmitry medvedev. in fact, that stalled arms control treaty with russia just one of the agenda items waiting for the president when he returns on sunday. amy? >> savannah guthrie, thank you. the president is facing plenty of problems as well as a divided washington when he returns home. can he deliver on his domestic agenda? chuck todd is the nbc news political director. chuck, good morning. >> good morning.

>> and we just heard there savannah detail, the president headed out to asia with high hopes, hoping to boost the economy here at home, and a lot of people have used the word disappointing. to sum up the president's trip. is that a fair characterization? >> well, look, the most tangible thing that the white house believes they thought they were going to get out of this trip, republicans in congress, and democrats in congress, they thought he would get from this trip is a trade deal with south korea. going to be a big deal. this is a deal that has been, the first time it was negotiated, president bush was sitting in the oval office. not president obama. he wanted to renegotiate this thing. they thought they would have it done, be able to bring it home, and get it approved by this congress. that's not going to happen. that's delayed. and that would have been the best deliverable that he could have brought home. and right before he left, he had said, this is about jobs, this is about exports, this is about all of these things. and he doesn't have anything to show for it. now, look, that doesn't mean

that they didn't make some incremental steps on this trip. but even he himself at the press conference yesterday said sometimes we're not going to hit home runs. we've got to be satisfied with hitting singles. >> all right. and the president gets back tomorrow. he's dealing with another major issue, namely the tax cuts, the bush tax cuts. democrats don't want him to cave to republican pressure to extend those tax cuts to everyone. specifically those making over $250,000. how is this shaping up? the president's in a tough spot. >> he is. and we're going to find out, i think, on next thursday. that's when the president hosts the congressional leaders from both parties, including the incoming house speaker john boehner and the outgoing house speaker nancy pelosi. and will they cut a deal there that says, okay, we're going to temporarily extend them all for one year or three years. that's one of the ideas on the table. or, will the president say no, you know what, i want to force a vote. i want to force the fight, so have some sort of split where you would have the house say, we're going to vote to permanently extend the middle class tax cuts, and only temporarily extend the ones for

the wealthy. republicans don't want to split it. they call it decoupling because they worry if you ever decouple it then you'll never -- and you only ever have a vote on the wealthy tax cuts you'll never get them passed. but the problem that president obama has is not republicans, it's democrats in the united states senate. there are a bunch of them up in 2012. they don't want to be accused of raising taxes. and actually, the debt commission has a role in this. if they're going to do massive tax reform, amy, then the argument to say extend them all a year, and then do the actual big tax reform, that could be something that everybody buys into. >> all right. and also next week he's meeting with new leadership of congress, and house democrats, electing their party leadership on wednesday. an interesting situation has arisen. in a statement last night nancy pelosi said that if she does win her post for democratic leadership she'll appoint congressman jim clyburn to be number three position. the problem is, there are usually only two leadership positions within the house. so what's the story there? >> well, she's inventing one.

and, look, the problem they've been having this whole time, look, clyburn and steny hoyer who is going to be the number two. looks like he's been the number two in the majority. he probably was going to beat clyburn if the two of them faced off. nancy pelosi knew that. both clyburn, and hoyer are very popular. and so a lot of democrats didn't like that choice. so what the outgoing speaker is able to do, there is some money. a lot of this is the reason they couldn't create this position you don't have the money to finance it. but it may be done out of sort of the political side of the house democrats, out of the d-ccc which is their campaign arm and that's how they're going to make this work. look you can invite anybody to a leadership meeting and that's essentially what nancy pelosi is doing. saying, look, i'm going to find -- there is always going to be a seat at the table for jim clyburn. >> chuck todd as always, thank you. we want to get a check of some of the other headlines of the morning. for that we'll say hello to melissa francis at the news

desk. >> good morning, everyone. we begin in eastern afghanistan where a group of would-be suicide bombers tried storming a major nato base. the attack sparked a gun battle. officials say eight insurgents were killed. the taliban has claimed responsibility. and alarming spike in haiti's cholera outbreak. there are more than 12,000 hospital cases and nearly 800 deaths. that includes dozens of cases in the crowded capital of port-au-prince. health experts warn the numbers could grow exponentially. the u.n. is asking for more than $160 million in donations to fight the outbreak. back here at home, a suspect has been ordered to stand trial for attempted murder. elias abuelazam is accused of stabbing 14 people. he's also charged with attempted murder in ohio and is suspected of attacks in leesburg, virginia. and police in ohio are looking for a missing woman, her two

children and a family friend. 32-year-old tina herman was reported missing on wednesday by coworkers. police later found blood in her home. the investigation prompted a lockdown friday of a local college after herman's truck was found nearby. and zsa zsa gabor is back in the hospital. her spokesman said the actress was admitted for massive blood clots in the legs. the 93-year-old has been hospitalized several times this year. and finally, if you'd like a piece of bernie madoff. now is your chance. personal items from the ponzi scheme mastermind are being auctioned off today in new york. items include a ten carat diamond ring that could bring in $350,000. madoff is serving 150 years in prison for bilking billions from investors. and proceeds from the sale will go to the victims. they also have some dirty socks and cuticle clippers, so kind of something for everyone's price point this holiday season. that's the news back to you, lester, amy and bill. >> i saw the shoes. really, would you want to walk

in bernie madoff's shoes? >> every original box that the shoes came in. who does that? >> bernie madoff. >> that's enough to seal the deal. >> all right. >> in minnesota they're dusting off the s s blowers, the shovelan kd theids are getting the sleds out because thisth i the first snowstorm of the season. it's snowing hard now in southern minnesota and that's all heading to the minneapolis-st. paul area. we're expecting as much as 6 to 9 inches of snow. so that's enough to make travel very difficult on your saturday. and that snow is going to head up to duluth later on this afternoon and this evening. that's probably the biggest weather story. the other nice, pleasant story is the eastern sea board. congratulations. what a beautiful weekend it's going to be. temperatures well above average feeling like the beginning of fall. good morning you. happy saturday. hp pavilion. a lot of the trees are blowing around a bit. there is a bit of a wind,

especially above 1,000 feet. we have it through 10:00 this morning. so awov 1,000 feet, gusty winds and above 2,000 feet, really gusty winds. be prepared for that. sunny later this afternoon and more sunshine through the weekend. so this is actually going to be a warm weekend through monday. that's your weekend forecast. amy? >> bill, thank you. in north carolina, authorities have long suspected a girl who was reported missing last month was murdered. and now comes word that the remains of 10-year-old zahra baker have been found. here's. >> the desperate five week search for zahra baker came to an end friday. >> investigators, agents and officers and staff that work on this case are devastated that we're not able to find zahra alive and bring her home safely. >> reporter: the 10-year-old from hickory, north carolina, was reported missing october 9th. after draining ponds and looking in landfills, weeks later searchers found a human bone in a wooded area just miles from

her hometown. in a place where hunters find deer carcasses. police say more dna testing is needed to confirm what they already believe. >> they recovered enough physical evidence to believe we have found zahra. >> reporter: zahra's stepmother admitted to writing a fake ransom note shortly after the disappearance. she's in jail charged with obstruction of justice. >> what do you want people to know about zahra? >> reporter: authorities also arrested zahra's father on unrelated charges. but they have not officially named any suspects. >> i can't explain the anger, the hurt. >> reporter: zahra's biological mother flew in from australia this week. emily dietrich's worst fears now a reality. >> i don't want them to find more because it will tell a story that i don't want to hear. >> reporter: at such a young age, zahra was a cancer survivor. her battle with bone cancer robbed her of one of her legs. and chemotherapy, some of her

hearing. her mysterious death shocked the small town. >> today, our community mourns, our state mourns, our nation mourns, and the world mourns. >> reporter: the community will hold a memorial for zahra on tuesday. the day she would have turned 11. for "today," nbc news. and now here's lester. >> amy, thanks. now to the economy, specifically jobs. for many americans, the holiday season isn't about shopping for gifts, it means looking for work. and it may surprise you to know that there are good jobs to find, especially this time of year. msnbc's financial analyst vera gibbons is here to tell us where these jobs are. good morning. >> good morning, lester. >> 9.6% is the unemployment rate. a lot of people competing for these jobs. how many holiday jobs are we expecting? >> it's actually not bad. about 550,000 to 650,000 seasonal workers expected to be brought on. not as good add pre-recession years but this is good relative to what we've seen over the past couple of years.

70% increase from 2008 when it hit a 22-year low. companies are feeling more optimistic. >> this mirrors what we expect in terms of retail sales. most of this is going to be in retail sales. >> yes. retail sales are expected to be up 2.3%. good relative to what we've seen over the past couple of years. so yeah, a lot of jobs are at the retailers, department stores, discounters, the dollar stores, for example. >> but beyond the typical cash register type jobs, what other sort of jobs are out there? >> sales are expected to be up 16% so you've got opportunities at the call centers, the distribution centers, shipping companies, of course, really rev up their hiring this time of year. u.p.s. is bringing on 50,000 seasonal workers. >> shippers are going to be very busy. >> fedex, 423 million shipments. that's up 9% from last year. they're very busy. they need people to load and unload. of course this is the time of year when people go, the restaurants, the bars, the hotels, the resorts are very busy. you can find opportunities there, too. >> are there online places you

can go to specifically look for holiday type jobs? >> there are. ideally you want to get some face time with the manager and show that you're available for hire and really work it that way. a lot of people do find these opportunities online to find, the companies advertise them. and then snag a job or simply hire are very busy. find what you're looking for. type in your city. >> a lot of folks out there don't need a part-time job. they need a full-time job. >> right. >> how many of these typically would parlay into a full-time job and how do you increase your chances? >> that's a good point. because there's 15 million people right now who are out of work. and for every one position there are five applicants. very, very competitive here. you really have to treat the part-time job as an addition for full-time. that means showing up on time, being flexible, working weekends, whatever is required of you. and you really have to make yourself indispensable. this time only 10% to 20% of the seasonal workers will become full-time employees.

>> 9.6% unemployment, the competition for these jobs, do you need to be starting like today? >> well, you probably should have started maybe a few weeks ago. even further back. but yes, there's still opportunities out there. but you are competing. you've got the kids competing with the stay at home moms competing with people who have been displaced competing with retirees. so you really have to, again, show them, that you can do the job and you're willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. >> you've got a lot of people with some pretty good resumes. >> that's exactly right. >> vera gibbons, great to have you on. thanks so much. >> and here's amy. >> lester, thank you. and now to a program that is helping kids when they experience the worst possible kind of loss, the loss of a family member. it is a community funded free camp offering the love and support children need during these very hard times. >> love you, too. >> reporter: 12-year-old thomas and his three younger brothers are grieving and remembering their dad. and they're doing it here at camp aaron.

it's not your typical camp. here, these boys are not alone. >> this is my mother. doesn't she look like me? >> reporter: created by major league baseball pitcher jamie moyer and his wife karen, this is the country's largest bereavement camp for kids. it was inspired by a young girl named erin who deeply affected them with her concern for the family she was leaving behind as she succumbed to cancer. >> we're dealing with grief. and you're dealing with their thoughts, their feelings and emotions. >> this is the most precious memory that you have. >> reporter: working with professional grief counselors, and using tools like memory walks and arts and crafts, this free camp teaches kids it's okay to cry. and it's okay to laugh, too. >> they're in an unusual circumstance. and so this is a place that they can come and not be unusual. this is the norm. >> reporter: the bonds they form at camp are a big part of what's helped these children heal. losing a loved one can be a

really isolating experience but through camp erin these kids get to meet other kids just like them, going through the exact same thing. thomas has made a close new friend. he lost both parents in a car accident. >> you understand how they feel and they understand how you feel in a way. >> reporter: now he has a safe space to remember his dad. >> -- two days before christmas. >> reporter: a group of children brought together by tragedy and heartache. >> that never goes away. it's not supposed to go away. but it's okay to move on. >> reporter: learning that they can move on to the. mara schiavocampo, nbc news, new york. >> again, camp erin is funded by donations and is free for the kids. we put some information on how you can help on our website, todayshow.com. >> well there is more to come

this morning on "today." we'll talk about the secret pact between prince william and his girlfriend. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ female announcer ] yoplait's real fruit and the goodness of dairy... gives you a little slice of happy. and happiness cos in 25 decious flavors. explore them all. yoplait. it is so good. now the yoplait you love in a new four pack. try it today. we gave it a more powerful duramax turbo diesel and allison transmission to help it move over 21,000 pounds. and then we gave it an advanced exhaust brake system, to help slow it down.

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still to come on "today," the honeymoon killer. he's the husband who killed his wife while scuba diving on their honeymoon and now he's released from an australian prison. that story coming up. plus, you know what risks chocolate may pose to your prescription drug medication? we'll tell you.

good morning to you. a couple minutes from 5:00. we're looking at san bruno. craig is here with a look at the forecast. that's the extent of my weather expertise. breezy. >> especially above the hills, 1,000 feet. some gusts. it's all in response to this big

area of high pressure that's starting to build over. this is the satellite. notice the storm track. there's a big storm headed up to the pacific northwest. there's clouds over us right now, but it's not going to affect us. the clouds are coming from the north and northeast today. that's going to be a dry, warmer wind for us. highs today will start to come back up. we'll be in the 60s closer to the beaches. 70s for the rest of the bay area. it's that time of the area where we don't have the microclimates in place. not only 73 in redwood city but same for concord and over to san jose. so sunrise at 6:47. sunset at 5:00. earlier. it's so early. and as we go through the week ahead, expekt re. go to fsfspa.org. they're looking for volunteers and also redwood city, the pets

in need are going to have theirs in palos ail toews. a nice week ahead, chris. this morning the city of oakland is bracing for a third week of protests after the police shot and killed an unarmed barber shop owner. they saw he had a gun in his waistband as he ran from police. we know now it was a small electronic silver scale. officers also say he was carrying a small amount of marijuana. two officers shot jones after responding to a report of domestic dispute. his girlfriend reportedly told officers he had beaten her up at his barber shot. last night they hosted an open mike night voicing their opinions saying that a badge is not a force to kill. >> he was black. he had dreams. >> he was hoping through this forum we can make some solutions with all these different diverse

backgrounds and cultures, and we want to get their input before we make any solutions. >> a community meeting is planned for 4:00 this afternoon at olivet church in oakland. they will gather with oscar grant supporters to draw attention to both officer shootings. armed with pepper spray, thieves target women talking on cell phones. the bay area spot spot they're targeting. more local news coming up in 30 minutes. right now back to the "today" show.

and we're back on this saturday morning, november 13th, 2010. we have an excited group of people out on the plaza this morning. we want to thank them for coming out on this beautiful fall morning. we're going to join them in just a minute. but back inside studio 1a i'm amy robach along with lester holt. coming up in this half hour, wrong place, wrong time. >> that's what police are saying about an 18-year-old teen who was beaten to death at a house party simply because he walked by. the suspects are speaking out, and so is the victim's mother. we're going to talk to her live in just a few moments.

>> also, it was a story that made headlines a few years back. an american man was convicted of killing his bride on a honeymoon diving trip to australia. gabe watson was found guilty of manslaughter. but was released this week after serving just 18 months in prison. >> he should be expedited to the u.s., but the australian government doesn't want to send him back. we're going to find out what's behind the reason in just a few minutes. dateline did some really fascinating reporting on that story originally. >> then, prince william and kate middleton. they've been together for years and years. but are they ready to tie the knot? this morning we talk to a royal watcher who sheds some light on their big wedding plans, including when william may finally tell the world all about it. >> but first, a memorial is going to be held in georgia today for a young man who was beaten and later died at a house party last weekend. in a moment, we are going to talk to the victim's mother. but first the attack that took his life. it happened last weekend during a house party at the suburban

atlanta home. police say a young woman hit a man, who in retaliation decided to randomly attack another male partygoer. bobby tillman, an innocent bystander, became the chosen target. >> was picked at random. was beaten and killed. they don't get any more tragic than that. >> reporter: tillman died a short time later. one by one, the four suspects charged with tillman's murder appeared in court. they all pleaded not guilty. and in a jailhouse interview, one of the accused killers says he's being made a scapegoat. >> not to defend myself, but i kind of was like the guy at the party and i have been in fights before. you know what i'm saying? i really can honestly tell you. >> reporter: as prosecutors look for possibly more suspects, family and friends gathered to remember the young victim, shedding tears at a candlelight service, and mourning a life so tragically taken. >> bobby loved everybody. i never met a person bobby didn't care for.

he loved us. >> i want people to, you know, to celebrate bobby's life. >> with us now is monique rivarde, the mother of bobby tillman. monique, thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> i want to express my condolences to you and i also want you to know how many of us share the outrage that you must feel. can you tell me what your understanding is of what happened at that party? >> i have heard so many different stories of what happened to my son that night. and the d.a., he told me just to wait until i speak with him, because he's sure that his team will come up with the exact facts of what happened to my son. so, i stopped listening to, you know, the different stories. i just want to know what really happened to him. next week they'll be able to share that with me. >> i know they've arrested four people. and they're looking for perhaps more suspects. but there were a lot of people

at that party who may have watched what happened, and didn't intervene. and what are your thoughts about those individuals? >> you know, i wasn't there. when what happened to my son did. so i really don't know what happened. but i have full trust that if anyone else should be arrested, then so be it. >> bobby had a younger -- >> i trust the d.a. >> bobby has a younger sister. how are the two of you holding up through this? >> with love, and with bobby's strength, remembering my son, how he loved us. how he protected us. and god, that's what is keeping us together. is keeping us strong. my daughter has a lot of support from her friends. and of course her family. and bobby's strength. my son was very strong. very good man, very strong man. >> you picked up and moved the

family from california a couple years ago to atlanta to be closer to family. but also to escape what you thought were some dangers in the community you lived in. can you elaborate about that? >> well, it was -- a lot was going on in l.a. at that time. there were a lot of innocent victims. and my son was such a good kid, i just didn't want him to fall victim to that, as well. so, my sister, she lived here initially and she came to visit, and you know, i saw atlanta, it was a lot slower than l.a., it was more family oriented and i felt it would be a better place for my son to grow. he would enjoy life a lot better here as opposed to l.a. >> you've expressed to us your trust in the way the district attorney is handling this case, and the prosecution. georgia does have a death penalty. if he seeks to -- seeks the death penalty, would you support that for your son's killers? >> you know, at this point i have no comment on that.

but, i will say that i do trust the d.a. i do p and i trust the laws of the land. >> well, monique rivarde, we want to thank you for coming on. please accept our condolences. we appreciate you spending some time with us this morning. >> thank you so much for having me. thank you. >> all right. we want to switch gears now and get another check of the weather from bill karins. bill? >> well, good morning, lester. good morning, everyone. this weekend we have really nice weather for the east coast. it's the middle of the country that we have the problems. and the cold air son its way down from canada. northern rockies through the midwest. that's where temperatures are dropping into the 30s and the 40s. the west coast, that's one of the warmer spots. 60s and 70s. even a few 80s around los angeles. today the travel trouble spot. minnesota with snow and heavy rain moving from chicago to grain bay to milwaukee as we go throughout your day. as i mentioned, the southeast looks really, really nice. temperatures in the 70s. that's a good morning. i'm craig herrera.

we'll start out with a live shot looking bat toward san francisco. the camera is shaking. we have a wind advisory for the north bay, due to all of the wind coming through. it will get gusty at times. be prepared for that, especially at 1,000 feet. high today in the 70s for most locations and 60s at the beaches. in fact, it will be a warm day. we warup quite a bit next week. right behind our beautiful crowd, the christmas tree is up, and putting all the ornaments on as we go throughout the next couple weeks. back to you, lester. >> bill, thanks. still to come, dangerous drug combinations. can certain foods change the effectiveness of a prescription drug. what you need to know. and deadly dive. why was a man who refused to save his drowning wife released from prison after only 18 months and what happens now? we're going to find out. but first, these messages. ing o. took some foolish risks as a teenager. but i was still taking a foolish risk with my cholesterol.

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this morning on "today's health," dangerous drug combinations. with americans on average taking more than five medications or dietary supplements each day, the risk of an adverse reaction or even accidental overdose are something every family needs to be aware of. here to talk about what to watch out for is women's health magazine contributor dr. carrie peterson. good morning. >> good morning, amy. >> and obviously it's common sense to read your labels, talk to your doctor about, you know, potential interactions. but there are some general guidelines that you should follow when you take medications. what are they? >> yes. the first would be when it comes to drug interactions, try to get your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy. that way when the pharmacist enters in the new medication they have a system that flags it if there's a drug interaction. also once you get the bottle keep your drugs in that original bottle because the pharmacist is going to put labels on there to inform you of anything worrisome. and then finally keep a list of everything you take. the over-the-counter medications, the herbal supplements, and the drugs that

you take. that way you have it in your wallet handy to give in the emergency room, god forbid, or to your own doctor. >> most people know you shouldn't take alcohol with a lot of prescription drugs. but something interest, there are some potential interactions or adverse reactions when you mix grapefruit juice, and/or chocolate. explain that to me. >> all these people about to have grapefruits are looking up. grapefruit juice or grapefruits have many drug interactions. there's a chemical in grapefruits that interferes with the enzyme that breaks down a lot of drugs. there's about 50 or so drugs. i'm going to mention a few common ones. one of them is the statins used to lower cholesterol. ben zoe diaz pins like valium or xanax. and finally blood pressure medications. but you should really check the full list if you eat grapefruit. and you mention chocolate. chocolate also has drug interactions. if you take stimulants, if you have a.d.d. and you take

ritalin, and you take chocolate, it's going to enhance the stimulant effect which can be very dangerous. also, if you take sleeping pills like ambien, it can prevent them from working, so you take the chocolate and you stay up all night. and then finally, if you have depression, and you take a class of drugs called mao inhibitors, it can cause a dangerous rise in your blood pressure. so beware. >> i've never heard of that before. let's talk about antidepressants because this is another interesting combination that i wasn't aware of. this is the most prescribed drugs in the country. >> yes. >> and they don't mix well with antihistamines or migraine medications. >> that's correct. so first this is fall allergy season. a lot of people are taking antihistamines. you pop it in the morning before you go to work. but if you're on an antidepressant it can cause sedating effects. can impair your concentration and alertness. if you go to get into your car that could be a worrisome situation. >> what about the migraine medication? >> for migraines. depression and migraines actually often coexist in the

same person. and the ssris are the most common antidepressants and the most common migraine medications are the triptans like imit rex. both of those cause an elevation in serotonin. that can cause some dangerous side effects. >> what should you do if you need to take both medications? >> if you're talking the triptan in moderation the incident of this serotonin syndrome is only 0.02%. but you need to know the side effects. talk to your doctor. palpitations, nausea and loss of coordination. >> birth control pills also a very popular pill >> yes. >> we've all heard that if you take antibiotics it can lessen the effect of the antibiotics. there are some other drugs you should avoid as well. >> first if you have a seizure disorder and you take phenobarbital it can completely reverse the effects of the birth control leading to pregnancy because it breaks down the estrogen. and you mention antibiotics. there's sort of a -- women have heard for years that antibiotics

can prevent birth control from working effectively. but really there are no long-term large studies that demonstrate this. other than for the antibiotic resampin and it's used to treat push los. this can be taken with a grain of salt. i think doctors are still too afraid to say don't worry. >> right, exactly. and quickly blood thinners. you have to be careful with everything when you're on those. >> yes. warfarin is the most common blood thinner. and they interact with a ton of things making the bloods too thin, leading to risk of bleeding. to list a few, pain killers like aspirin, motrin, ibuprofen can interact with it. certain cholesterol lowering drugs can really put your at risk. and in addition certain antioxidants like if you take fish oil that can make the blood too thin. and then on the other hand, there are certain foods that can reverse the effects of coumadin causing blood clots. anything containing vitamin "k" like green tea.

can cause blood clots. >> so obviously word to the wise here, be very careful. know what you're eating, know what you're taking and make sure it all works together. we appreciate it. lots to ingest there. coming up, fight night. it's the bout the world will be watching after these messages. ♪ [ female announcer ] this is not a prescription. this is diane. who worked with her walgreens pharmacist to help control her diabetes...

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honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. tonight in dallas, the cowboys stadium will be packed with fans, but not to watch football. it's to see one of the most anticipated boxing matches in recent memory. nbc's ron allen has more on the big-time bout. >> manny pacquiao. >> reporter: he's been called the greatest boxer ever. that's right. ever. that's the huge hype around manny "pac man" pacquiao. just 5'6". less than 150 pounds. when he squares off tonight in dallas, the odds makers expect pacquiao to win his 8th championship belt. each victory over bigger and

bigger opponents. a feat no one else has come close to achieving. >> pacquiao is a force of nature. because he's so strong, he hits so hard, he is so fast and athletic. >> reporter: but the greatest ever? >> yes. it is possible. that pacquiao is the greatest fighter who ever lived. >> reporter: and possible because his rise was so improbable. his story begins in the slums of the philippines. where pacquiao left home at 14, determined to be a fighter. more out of necessity, than to chase a dream. >> we were so poor and we didn't have money to buy food, and that's why i'm headed to focus in boxing. >> reporter: now he's perhaps the country's most famous person. legend has it, everyone stops to watch his fights on tv. churches cancel mass. even criminals stop. crime dropped. "forbes" magazine lists him as the eighth richest athlete in

the world. aheading cycling's lance armstrong and basketball's shaquille o'neal. popularity he's parlayed in another brutal arena. politics. he's now congressman pacman. last spring winning a landslide election. >> my dream is to help people struggling in poverty. i want to help people. >> reporter: tonight, in one of america's most spectacular football arenas, they're expecting one of the largest crowds ever to watch a boxing match indoors. once again, pacquiao takes on a bigger opponents. but he fights with the hopes and dreams of an entire nation in his corner. for "today," ron allen, nbc news, new york. >> little guy packs a punch though. >> apparently so. >> anyway, just ahead the partridge family. why they were my inspiration to learn how to play the bass. just like danny. or so i thought. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] the turn changes everything.

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good morning to you. a couple minutes before 6:00. the sup's not up yet, but the breezes are going and they're going to pick up as the sun rises. craig is here with a look at the forecast. good morning. >> good morning. getting gusty at times, especially through the hills and the higher elevations. >> yeah, breezy. >> yeah, today. more sunshine today and through the weekend. some 70s are back in the forecast. we'll show you right now. it niece the 50s. a couple 40s in the north end of

the bay. there's enough wind that it's not quite as cold as it has been in several mornings past. so the wind, it doesn't get quite as cold. you get up above 1,000 feet and some of the winds are closer to 20, 25, some gusts closer to 30. on the satellite there is a big ridge of high pressure extending. it will park off the coast. in doing so, the wind will come off. it's a sinking dry warmer wind. so it will give us lots. more snipe through sunday. we talk about sunrise, 6:47. 68 at san francisco. 72 in nappa, 71 in san rozelle. expect more sunshine, again, less wind. as we go into tuesday, wednesday, thursday, we start to cool off a little bit more. we start to cual with a cust p of showers.

i would drop those into the 50s. maybe snow in the bay area snow next saturday. maybe it's a little early to call, by i'm going to throw it out there. >> there's a food drive next weekend. thank you, craig. this morning we begin with developing news. house speaker nancy pelosi is jumping into the fight to keep a college student in the country. she says she is working with other members to work with immigration officials to keep to-year-old steven lee from being deported to peru. this weekend supporters continue to make last-ditch efforts to keep lee in the bay area after rallying outside boxer's family. they went to peru in the 1980s to escape chinese rule. he's being held in detention for being in the country illegally. on monday he's set to be sent back to peru.

>> it's important to peru. he doesn't have any family there. he doesn't have any friends there. he doesn't have a home to come home to. there's nobody there to support him. >> lee's family had applied for political asylum in the u.s. but were denied. his mother is always in the u.s. and they're threatening to send her back to china. three will have to pay after a costly slap on the wrist. california medical center will pay $20,000 in fines for not propping surgical procedures. petaluma hospital owes $50,000 and ucsf was fined $50,000. we have more local news coming up for you in 30 minutes and the "today" show comes up in just a few.

good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm amy robach. we're out on the plaza this morning with a great crowd. and can you believe it -- i say that because it's hard to believe -- there she is, the christmas tree. >> i couldn't believe. i went to the calendar when i saw that thing coming down the street. really? >> that time of year already? >> norway spruce cut down thursday. it will be more spectacular when

you see it all lit up. they've got the scaffolding around it. and al and company will flip the switch. >> we've got a lot to talk about including sarah palin. she's on a full court media blitz promoting a new television show, a book, she's also fueling speculation about what she's really up to plit cancally perhaps. >> then we'll catch up on a story that made big news a while back. it happened in 2003. a shocking story. some american newlyweds go on a honeymoon diving trip. during the dive, the bride of just 11 days drowns, and the husband was convicted in her death. on thursday he was let out of prison after serving 18 months. now questions about what kind of justice he could face here in the u.s. if and when he comes home. we'll talk to the victim's father. we'll talk about a much more happy wedding scenario potentially. prince william and kate middleton. they've been together for year, but is he ready to finally make

it official? what about reports about a secret pact between the two? we'll get insight on the couple from the author of a new book on the private liveses of william and harry. that's coming up. then come on down with me, everybody. when we're singing -- i forget the here ilyrics. the partridge family was a big hit in the '70s. i was the same age. he wanted to play the bass, i wanted to play the bass. so we got together. one of the couple of surprises in that interview we'll share with you. before we get to that, another check of the morning headlines. melissa, good morning again. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with breaking news overseas. burma's pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi has been set free. ian williams joins us on the phone from bangkok with more. good morning, ian. >> reporter: good morning, melissa. no formal announcement. just the sudden removal of

barricades and riot police who had been blocking access to her lakeside home. that allowed supporters, hundreds at first, soon swelling to thousands, to gather at the gate at her house. she appeared looking absolutely delighted. the crowd was singing, they were cheering. she told them, we have to be united to achieve our aims and that we have a lot of things to do, which is probably a bit of an understatement. she spent the last seven years under house arrest. very onerous house arrest, hardly anyone allowed to see her. and the last 15 of 21 years under house arrest. the situation she faces now is how much freedom she will have to organize, to challenge the military rulers of burma. because remember, last time, 2002, when she was released, she was put back under house arrest when she started to attract large crowds and openly criticize the military government. so i think her supporters are

absolutely delighted tonight, but the question does remain about whether anything in burma itself has changed and just how much elbow room she's going to have to use this new freedom, melissa. >> nbc's ian williams. thank you so much for that report. now to japan where president obama continues to talk trade. nbc's savannah guthrie is traveling with the president. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, melissa. the president is here in japan meeting with asian-pacific nations. aides say this whole trip is about re-engaging a part of the world they say had been neglected. the president's big pitch while over here, increasing exports. the president says america has been buying a lot of products from overseas but not selling enough. he says if we can increase exports, that will mean more jobs at home. the president has one more day here in japan, then it's back to washington. and finally, it is the highest grossing movie of all time. and now fans will have another opportunity to see even more of

it. "avatar" the extended collector's edition includes a lavish scene where six-legged bovines are hunted down. die hards can enjoy 45 minutes of deleted scenes when it comes out on tuesday. can't wait. that's the news. now back to lester and amy. >> you'll need a really big screen to take it all in. >> great in 3-d, too. >> that's fun. bill carons is back with a check of the forecast. >> i have three ladies here who say they get along. crimson tide. >> i'm definitely auburn. >> what happens when the iron bowl play, the big game every day? one day you don't get along. the problem area is all in minnesota. winter storm warnings and rain is turning over to snow in many areas. travel trouble today. six inches of snow is possible in minneapolis by the end of

tonight. the rest of the east coast, you look gorgeous. ja. > good morning to you. 40s and 50s. the winds not letting the temperatures drop quite as low as they have been. will get gusty and even gustier if you're above 2,000 feet. we'll lose the wind closer to 111: 111:1 11: 11:00. sunset at 5:00 p.m. the remainder of the weekend ahead. here is your seven-day forecast. more temperatures in the 70s. have a great weekend. that's your weekend forecast. amy? >> bill, thank you. this week the american man who let his wife drown during a honeymoon diving trip to australia was released from prison. he only spent 18 months behind bars for the crime, but could he now face murder charges back in the united states? gabe and tina watson were newly

married in 2003. their honeymoon was supposed to be an adventure. a week-long scuba trip to australia's great barrier reef. but the trip ended in tragedy 100 feet below the ocean surface. tina was new to diving and only a few minutes into first dive, she mysteriously drowned. this haunting image was taken by another diver. in the background, tina is on the ocean floor lifeless. gabe is a certified rescue diver, but instead of following his wife down, he headed up to the surface. he told authorities he had gone for help, that tina had panicked and that she was too heavy for him to rescue. >> she's looking up, had both her arms out, reached, stretched up almost like looking at me, reaching arms up to grab. >> reporter: but australian authorities didn't believe his story, that his wife's death was an accident. and rere-enacted the scene with diverse. some believe that he gripped his

wife in a bear hug and turned off her hair suppair supply. now alabama is seeking his extradition. what it sounds like the prosecutors are trying to build a case in the united states is that he tricked her to going to australia and lured her down there to kill her so that he could get her life insurance. >> reporter: but australia won't deport him unless there are additional guarantees that he won't face the death penalty upon his return. a statement by his attorney says gabe watson will return to alabama to answer the charges and that he looks forward to being once again vindicated in the death of his wife tina. and joining us now is tina watson's father tommy thomas. good morning. don, let me begin with you.

david's being detained by australian authorities while his extradition is being sorted out. what is the status now and how long before gabe may return to the united states? >> well, amy, i can't answer either one of those questions. we haven't been contacted by -- and i have no idea what their timetable is. so basically, i'm just sitting here waiting. >> and we mentioned the hang-up is that australian authorities want a guarantee from your office that you would not pursue the death penalty against mr. watson, something you gave them back in june. has your position changed at all? are there any additional guarantees to give to them at this point? >> yes, amy. we've offered to send them absolute proof, and they've informed us that they're not interested in talking to us. they want to talk to the united states government. but there are 18 grand jurors and a judge in birmingham that

know that mr. watson, if he's been charged, has not been charged for a death penalty offense. >> mr. thomas, i want to bring you in, it's been seven years since the death of your daughter. and news that gabe is now free after just spending 18 months behind bars. what are your thoughts? >> we really were hopeful at this point that the australian authorities would do what they had originally told us that they would do. and that was remove him from prison, take him directly to the brisbane airport and return him, deport him back to the united states. and at that point, hopefully we would see what the next steps would be as far as our continuing efforts to see that justice is done by our daughter. >> what's your level of confidence, sir, that that indeed will happen, that he will face the alabama courts? >> well, we still have no official announcement as to the

result of the grand jury, but just from the facts that we went through an extensive coronial inquest in australia where he was charged with murder and then a five-month review of the evidence after the coronial inquest where he was indicted for murder, we feel confident that the same evidence there should get the same result here. >> i have to ask how you and your family have been coping. i understand your wife has been ill for a time last year. what kind of toll does each stage in this case have on you and your family? i can't even imagine. >> that's really very difficult to put into words. what cindy my wife has been through and her health has not really improved since what we went through last year. what our daughter alanda has gone there, it's really beyond words to describe.

but the fact of the matter and the one thing that we're constant in is that it's not about us. it's about the fact that tina was the victim here, and we need to get justice for our daughter. >> we will certainly be watching this case along with you. tommy thomas, don velasco, thanks for joining us. ♪ [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. ♪ keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. [ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy.

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of the show, danny bonaduce and david cassidy how much "the partridge family" influenced my teenage years. >> one, two. ♪ >> reporter: the partridges had a life a teenager fantasized about. both he and his character keith were rock stars and teen heart throbs. then there was danny. >> take my wife, please. >> reporter: the precocious wise cracking little brother played by danny bonaduce. he was a schemer but a heck of a bass player, too. 36 years later, sitting down with david and danny, i found their relationship much as it was on the show. >> he really did look up to me. he really did admire me because i was 20, he was 12, that kind

of thing. >> reporter: was there a big brother relationship then? >> i was going to say, it still exists. >> reporter: i was 12 at the time, too, so i was anxious to tell them in person how much the partridge family influenced my childhood. i wanted to learn how to play the bass because you played the bass and you played it well. it was then that danny broke the news. that this part of my life happily playing the bass guitar was built on a hollywood illusion. danny partridge wasn't really playing the bass. >> never played a note. never even had a lesson. >> reporter: might as well have punched me in the gut. you have totally destroyed me. >> would you like to feel better about yourself? you know who told me the exact same thing. sting sting came up to me and said i would not be a bass player today if i hadn't sat down and watched "the partridge family". >> reporter: turns out that david cassidy was the only member playing an instrument. >> i had to teach everyone how to hold the guitar, hold the

bass, play the piano instead of susan dey doing that. >> reporter: i had the basses and amp all set up, hoping we'd play together. >> he plays a stand-up fretless bass. >> reporter: i ended up teaching danny partridge how to play the bass line to his own theme song. "come on get happy." ♪ come on now >> reporter: danny bonaduce is a philadelphia radio show host. >> exchild stars who go to prison, that's not much of a niche. >> reporter: but recently david cassidy threw down the gauntlet. challenging danny to play one song on the bass. >> it's four strings. how hard can this be? the answer is really, really, really hard. >> reporter: but he did it. ♪

>> reporter:y partridge would have been proud of danny bonaduce. >> people couldn't wait to get rid of him. they couldn't wait to say, oh, he's an obnoxious little kid. now he's an obnoxious teenager with acne. >> so far i'm loving this story. >> you should be. >> what you're seeing here tonight is the first collaborative effort between danny partridge and myself. i knew how much he admired me and looked up to me and kind of wanted to be a rock star. he still does. >> so anyway since meeting the two of them, i've now given up the bass. >> what a moment for you. when you walked into the interview, you thought i would be jamming with them. >> yeah, danny, show me what you have. not a note. but i was proud to see him on stage because he wasn't doing very well when we were trying to help him out. he actually performed quite well on stage. >> you were big on "the partridge family." for me it was all about duran duran, the hair, the clothes, the '80s music.

they were my first teen idols. i spoke to the band members recently. we'll have that for you coming up. >> you have the poster? >> oh, yes. and the music. "the reflex" who didn't love "the reflex"? >> is that when the doctor hits your knee? rule the tweet. rule the bedtime. rule the upload. verizon built america's most reliable network to make a more powerful you. rule the air. verizon. right now, you can get a new samsung fascinate for $199.99 after mail-in rebate. only at verizon.

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good morning to you. look oing live at the golden gate bridge. it's not raining but it will be breezy. 10:00 and 2:00 -- i think 9:00 and 3:00. >> i might have to adjust. either way, if you're in the higher el vagus, hold on a little tighter. anywhere from 15-mile-per-hour gusts. we do have rain today, tomorrow.

here's the satellite. yeah, nice storm headed up into the pacific northwest. for us, more sunshine. that big ridge of high pressure is going to come in our direction. the window coming out of the north and eventually northeast and, of course, it's a hot, dryer sinking air. it tends to give us some of the gustier winds. till about 11:00 this morning. after that we lose the wind. continue with more sunshine and manage some 70s around the bay area. sunset today at 5:00 p.m. 73, sonoma. right over to pleasanton. more sunshine through saturday, sunday, even into monday. next week we'll cool off a little bit more. in fact, new england weekend, next friday, we're going to be really cool. maybe snow in the bay area. >> i double-checked, 9 and 3, not 10 and 2. san francisco is searching

the city for two suspects who dragged an officer down the city street. the officer pulled over the driver of an suv, and when the officer saw what he believed to be either drugs in the car, the officer drove off -- rather the driver drove off, dragging that officer a short distance. another officer fired a shot at the suv. the officer suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. the driver and the passenger are still on the run. police don't think they were hit by the bullets. >> this morning a statewide task force says voter-approved bans on where suspects can live is making the streets more dangerous. the ban makings it illegal for sex offenders to live within 2,000 feet of schools and parks but the contra costa says it's led to a huge spike in homelessness. the task force says the ban should be overturned and the parole agents should be targ

targeting those areas. the ante yough man who stopped westbound traffic on the bay bridge thursday morning while holding his 16-year-old daughter hostage now faces felony charges. family members say that craig carlos valentino, a father of eight, was distraught over financial pressures and suspicion that his wife of 20 years was cheating on him. he was charged with four felonies, kidnapping, false impris onment, child imprisn't and and making a bomb threat. he's scheduled to appear in a san francisco courtroom on monday. coming up on saturday, a bay area man reveals details of his revenge plan. he's telling us why he was dragging a priest into the spotlight. more local news in 30 minutes. news in the bay starts at 7:00.

and we're back on this saturday morning, november 13th, 2010. it is shaping up to be a beautiful fail day in the northeast. want to thank everyone for coming out on our plaza and joining us this morning. i'm amy robach along with lester holt. and still to come in this half hour, sarah palin, she is pitching her book. she's promoting her new reality show and now -- we're going to have all the latest on the palin front coming up. >> also, the topic of royal conversation for the past few weeks, has a wedding date, in

fact, been set for prince william and kate middleton? this morning we're going to get the revealing details from a longtime royal watcher and find out if the couple actually made a secret pact about their engagement. >> also if you're a lover of country music, you know brooks & dunn, keith urban, reba mcentire. they sing the songs. but who writes their chart topping tunes? this morning we're going to introduce you to perhaps the hardest-working folks in nashville and the secrets to their hit-making success. >> they knock out the hits like that. >> and they hand them over to other people. >> looking forward to that. first we want to bring in a friend and a longtime nbc news photo journalist steve izado. he's a great still photographer as well as video photographer. steve has a new book out called, their love. good morning. >> good morning. >> nice to see you in front of the camera. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> you put together this amazing book in which you sat down with musicians, some of them famous musicians, you took their picture and you just got them to talk about why they love music.

what was the idea behind this? >> the idea was just that, lester. was to create an intimate setting with these artists, not with all the hubbub and the stage lights but to sit down one-on-one and find out what they do best, which is sing and create music. so i wanted the readers to be able to look at the book, and picture themselves in that exact seat that i was in, taking their picture and talking to them. >> and you interviewed and talked to people like aaron neville and keith miller. but you think two of your interviewees stood out. >> todd perkins stood out. this is a mississippi blues man who's been playing for over eight decades. and so he really stood out. he goes out night after night still at 97 and performs for an 5ud jens. the other one that really stood out was susan tadeski. i listened to a song she had done years ago, an old song that was angel for montgomery and she just stood out and i love the way she performed and i love the way she sings and writes music.

>> your photography is just terrific. all these pictures are great. most of the fun from this book proceeds are going to go to the susan komen breast cancer foundation, the juvenile diabetes research foundation as well. wanted to point that out. was there an artist in here who surprised you? >> a lot of them surprised me. one that stood the was george thorough good. i had to listened to george for a long time. and i kind of thought, you know, i was a little nervous sitting down with him. when i started talking with him, george's attitude is just that. he pictures himself as a bar band, and each and every night 110%. and i kind of thought the interview would be a little different. he kept bringing that up and said, steve, it's one of these things, if i can't give 110%, i'm hanging up the guitar. >> lester holt is a man like that. he's also featured in your book. a little shot. there he is. look at that. there's lester. >> i did the forward. it was a great book. i was proud to be associated in

a small way with it. >> thanks. >> what a cool opportunity that was to sit down with these great artists. >> thank you so much. >> we'll put you on the other side of the camera. >> thank you. >> all right. >> now, it's time to get another check of the weather with bill karins. bill, good morning again. >> good morning. it's so beautiful out here. now minnesota people out here today, now we're going to watch these pictures together. we've got these pictures coming to us live from minneapolis. and this is what are you missing. and they don't even like snow. they're from minnesota. how could you not like snow in minnesota? the first snowstorm of the season in minneapolis. we expect six inches of snow. you'll shoveling and the kids will be sledding, i'm sure. also, the rain moving through the ohio valley. the southeast is going to be very gorgeous today. we've got a lot of people out here. a lot of people watching football games today, too. great weather for the east coast. good morning to you.

actually, a beautiful day around e bay area and most of the western half of the u.s., especially over california. we'll get some sunshine. a little bit of wind this morning, especially across the higher elevations. afternoon highs back sbup into e 70s. about 68 in san francisco, 72 in napa. tomorrow, a couple of degrees warmer. we'll stay there through monday. next weekend, a whole different story. a lot cooler. have a great day. weekend forecast. have a great weekend. amy? >> all right, bill, thank you. this has been a very busy and interesting week for sarah palin. her new reality show debuts tomorrow. there's also a book tour, and speaking engagements across the country. and yet, at the same time, palin's week comes to an end with the young hacker who broke into her e-mail account being sentenced. nbc's ron allen reports. >> reporter: 22-year-old david kernell was sentenced to a year

and a day in custody for hacking in sarah palin's e-mail account. >> do you have anything? >> reporter: he said he'd feel ashamed for the rest of his life. he was convicted last spring of breaking into palin's yahoo! account by answering a series of security questions then bragging about it online. sharing a password and telephone numbers. at trial his attorneys argued it was a prank gone awry which didn't sit well with the former vice presidential candidate. >> i don't think an illegal action like this is a prank. now when you consider how impacting it was on a presidential election. it was extreme. >> reporter: prosecutors didn't get the sentence they were looking for, 18 months, though said justice was served. >> the judge clearly reviewed all of the trial evidence, and sentenced the defendant to what he believed was the appropriate time. >> reporter: it's the end of a saga that palin acquainted to the watergate scandal after the trial on her facebook page. comes on the eve of her highly

anticipated new book, out later this month. and cable reality show "sarah palin's alaska," sunday night on tlc. >> oh, my gosh! look at this. i'd rather be out here. this is what life is all about. >> reporter: many are asking these days if her life will include a run for the white house in 2012. the question palin addresses in a "people" magazine article. if there's an opportunity for me to help america get back on track, she says, i will do that. for now, she's busy in her role as a mega popular media star. a star blazing bright in a universe all her own. for "today," ron mott, nbc news, atlanta. coming up next the secret pact between prince william and his likely bride-to-be, revealed. but first, these messages. dad, did you know it's 22 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes to christmas? wow! 19 days, 8 hours... 20 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes...

18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. 12 days, 18 hours... 10 hours, 12 minutes, 7 seconds. come on. it's no days! 5 hours and 59 minutes and 42, 41... [ female announcer ] the hallmark "countdown to christmas" ornament. this christmas, make it joyful, at your hallmark gold crown store. this christmas, make it joyful, have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more?

honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. the long-awaited public announcement that prince william will wed kate middleton may be just days away. but as we're learning this morning it appears the couple already made a secret agreement to tie the knot. nbc reports. >> reporter: are they or aren't they? on again, off again. the lives and loves of william and harry have entertained us for the best part of a decade.

but for one of the royal boys, it's crunch time. will he or won't he marry waity katie is what everyone wants to know. when will the couple's secret engagement pact be fulfilled? on a trip to the seychelles the prince made a promise. >> he asked if it was going to happen and william said that she was, indeed, the one but he wasn't quite ready to marry her yet. so she agreed that she would wait for him. >> reporter: rumors now doing the rounds suggest an announcement in the new year. fueled by a very public outing at a friend's wedding. talk of police protection for kate, and the recent invitation to go shooting at balmoral. it may just be a matter of time. harry's not off the hook, either. longtime love chelsea is no longer his girlfriend but the two are still close. >> harry's romance with chelsea davey has long been rocky. they split for a third time just this last june but now a source tells us that they have, indeed,

reconnected. >> reporter: but she's in south africa, he's still in his military training in the uk. she dumped him on facebook and doesn't care that he's a prince. for harry, that's part of her charm. the royal boys have other big plans. they want to modernize the monarchy. william and kate would like a regular, low-key wedding. >> they love to watch dvds. they like comedy shows. they even cook together, making british foods like shepherd's pie. they just really like to be together in a relaxed way. >> reporter: but if the queen and the public have anything to do with it, they won't get off that easy. for "today," nbc news, london. >> year joined by katie nichol, longtime royal watcher and author of the new book "william and harry: behind the palace walls." >> it's lovely to be here. >> fill in some of the blanks about this wedding an engagement. has the engagement occurred? >> no. with all the excitement you think it has occurred. but actually they haven't made it public just yet. so back in britain, we're expecting an announcement really

any time now. it could be christmas. it might well be the new year. but i'm hearing from my sources that we are definitely going to have a july wedding. it will be 2021. >> a july wedding. >> yes, i think so. >> when you look at the attention that diana got when she became engaged to charles, what does the royal family take from that? it was, you know, the attention was so intense. how are they preparing kate for what comes next? >> well, it's really interesting. because, the palace are very aware of the, i think the intense pressure that diana was under. and you know, we call her waity katie back at home because obviously she's waited nearly nine years now. but it's probably quite a cler strategy. what's happened is kate's been protected from the public eye. she hasn't had that intense scrutiny. but of course as soon as they make this announcement that will change and how she deals with it is probably going to be very telling. but up until now she's been the model of decorum.

>> but william hasn't hid from the press. >> he has and he hasn't. he's now an raf search and rescue helicopter pilot. they're living in wales to the. the truth is that a lot of the time we don't know what they're up to, where they are. they really like to live life below the radar. >> before there was kate, prince william, there were other ladies in his life. and you talk about in the book, rose. >> this is one of the exclusive stories in the book. but he dated a girl caused rose who he'd known for many years but he had this summer of fun, fell in love with this beautiful girl, whisked her away for a romantic picnic and got caught out in a field by a farmer who thought he had an intruder on the land and was just as surprised as prince william was when he stumbled upon him. one of the funniest stories in the book. >> also the story of carly. >> that's right. in his first semester at st. andrews he was actually dating a girl called carly. stunning brunette. very much together, and then kate came on the scene. you remember her walking down that catwalk in that see thru

dress and of course, who wouldn't have caught the prince's eye. kate did, and that was it, sadly for carly. but this is a romance that had never really come out and i interviewed carly for the first time for this book. you can read her story. >> one of the things you explore in this book is kind of how william and harry, their personalities have changed over the years. they've almost flip-flopped in terms of who is the extrovert. >> they absolutely have. when william was really young he was very boisterous, rambunctious, very naughty and harry was terribly quiet. and over the years, they saw them change. you remember when prince william was a teenager, he was very, very shy and harry was the one sticking his tongue out at photographers and playing up to the cameras, and there was a complete shift. now i think they're balancing out. we don't see so much of the partying. we see more responsible young men who are taking their sense of duty more seriously. >> you know, as i've watched them grow up, it's been remarkable to see how they walk this fine line between royal and also living a very normal life. joining the military. going to parties.

going to restaurants. >> yes. >> is that a tribute to their mom? >> i think diana has a lot to answer for that. and i think thank goodness she raised them the way they did. because they have broken the mold, these princes. can you imagine prince charles living with a girlfriend that wasn't his fiancee or wife? it just wouldn't happen. this is a modern monarchy now, things have had to move on. i think it's great that boys can have a private life, as well. >> katie nichol, will you give us a call when you find out what the wedding date is? >> i will give you a call. it's the call everyone wants. >> good to have you here. >> lovely to be with you. >> up next the songwriters behind country music superstars. [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. [ female announcer ] choose. brew. enjoy. keurig.

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from 15 leading brands, including tully's. it's the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. woman: way to brew. [ female announcer ] choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. this morning on secrets of the hidden superstars of country music. they are the true nashville hitmakers and while you may not know their names you certainly know their songs.

nashville, home of country music and greats like dolly, willie, reba, tim and kenny. but the average country music fan probably doesn't know who dallas davidson is. but maybe, they should. ♪ good buddy >> brad paisley, montgomery gentry, brooks & dunn. >> reporter: and the list goes on. dallas is a contract writer for emi. this year alone, the songwriter has penned five number one hits, including this one. ♪ rain falling corn makes whiskey ♪ >> reporter: dallas usually tries to write a song a day. >> honestly, try and just write a good song. at the end of the day, whoever wants to cut it can cut it. when we're done recording it we go in the studio, take it to the session players, and they put the music to it.

♪ >> reporter: november and december are pretty busy months for songwriters because that's when all the artists typically come back from being on the road. >> we kind of stockpile them and they come in the studio in january and it's like a madhouse. ♪ >> reporter: writing songs is something award winning country music group little big town snow knows a lot about. the four some write most of their own tunes. >> we've lived so much life in the eleven years that we've been a band. we have so much to say now and so much honesty to speak from. >> reporter: who comes up with the most songs? >> jimmy was hard to beat last year because he kept cranking them out. >> sometimes enter into these really creative periods. >> reporter: i would think a song would be a very personal thing and then you're in a band. so then other people might be like, i don't like that. how does that feel? how do you make that work? >> i think for us we each have individual ideas, and then we, maybe put them down on tape, and they may not be fully formed.

and when we get together, say we want to write together. we may bring out some of those ideas individually. ♪ >> reporter: little big town finds songs in all kinds of places. >> the life of a song is very interesting thing. little white church is the first single on this record was an idea that i had and i wrote down in my journal. and then i got -- >> the title. >> then i got the chorus in the shower about a month later. >> reporter: when people are singing along to your songs, or to other artist songs on the radio do you think they have any idea what really goes in to getting that song? >> i don't think people realize that, you know, us from where the idea started. >> in the shower. >> in the shower, to taking it to the group, writing it, and then maybe a couple months later bringing it into the studio with another group of songs. >> and the right singer delivering the lyrics. the right tempo. the right production. so much goes in to it before it

ever hits the, you know, target. >> reporter: randy houser is your typical singer/songwriter. he spent several years writing hits for other country artists before making the transition. ♪ i like to run with the old dogs ♪ >> reporter: he just released his second album this fall. >> the beauty of being a songwriter first was that i learned how to put those thoughts together in a song. now, you know, the things that i'm with -- >> reporter: how do you know when you've got a good song and a not so good song. how do you tell the difference? >> i think you just know. i've kind of got to the point where if it's not a good song -- ♪ because i've heard so many songs that other people write and i kind of know kind of where the bar is. >> reporter: setting the bar high while knowing the secret to their own song always begins with an idea. >> really all starts with the songwriter. >> you know what was amazing

just watching them strumming the guitar and making up songs right then. it's so genius and so above anything i could even imagine. >> it's funny to hear a couple of them mention ideas in showers. why don't we just put waterproof computer terminals in showers. so many great ideas are born there. >> it's true. some of us think we can sing in the shower. but we can't. all right. we're back. but first these messages. it starts with you falling in love with the most customized piece of furniture you will ever own get that one piece right and the rest of the room will just fall in to place

see your ethan allen design center for two beautiful ways to save and i wondered what it was. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin,

or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. and that does it for us on this saturday morning. our thanks to bill karins and melissa francis. coming up tomorrow on today, flying with the elite blue angels. >> and bob newhart. i'll see you back here tonight for "nbc nightly news." so long, everybody.

good morning. i'm kris sanchez. two days before the scheduled deta detainee. what that could mean for his fight to stay in the u.s. plus, continuing community outrage. they protest their police and are calling on the folks of oakland to action. and one of president obama's personal heroes free at last. the saga of a political prisoner just ahead on "today in the bay."

good morning to you. a beautiful start to the day in san francisco and all around the bay area. though as you're headed out,