good morning. compromise or cave in? president obama sends a stern message. >> this isn't an abstract debate. this is real money for real people. >> will he will able to convince liberal democrats to go along be the plan? rough ride. a cruise ship filled with americans is engulfed by massive waves. elizabeth edwards dies of breast cancer at the age of 61. her friends will look back on a

life filled with strength and courage today. wednesday, december 8, 2010. elizabeth edwards became an inspiration for millions of people as he fought cancer over the last six years, even as she watched her own marriage fall apart. in a moment, we're going to talk to four close friends that were with her in her final days. let's begin this morning with nbc's norah o'donnell. she's in chapel hill, north carolina. >> reporter: it was just on monday that we learned that

elizabeth edwards was ending her treatment for her terminal cancer. we know that she was surrounded by friends, her siblings, her estranged husband and the reason she fought this battle so hard, her three children. for elizabeth edwards the end came at home late tuesday morning, surrounded by friends and family who issued this statement. we have lost the comfort of elizabeth's presence, but she remains the heart of this family. we love her and will never know anyone more inspiring or full of life. >> it's actually good to feel like you can be an inspiration to people. >> reporter: tuesday the president praised elizabeth for her fortitude and grace. california first lady maria shriver had a message for elizabeth's children. their mother was an inspiration to women everywhere. >> i hope i have important things to say. important support to give other people who are going through

things as everybody does. and if you're going to make that tomorrow count, you have to buck up today. . >> we first came to know her as the driving force behind her husband john. >> i married him because he was the single most optimistic person that i have ever known. >> reporter: sweethearts since high school, the edwardss also faced tragedy. in 1996, their oldest son wade was killed in a car accident when he was just 16 years old. >> the first thing comes to mind, in fact i have a picture of him in my head and i get a picture of his freckles. this was a righteous boy. >> reporter: and on the same day elizabeth and john kerry conceded the eleblg atictioelecd out she had breast cancer. >> this is an issue that doesn't know political boundaries.

it knows moral boundaries. >> reporter: when the cancer returned during john's presidential campaign in 2007, she refused to let breast cancer define their life. >> we're going to always look for the silver lining, it is who we are as people and will continue to do it. >> reporter: but the edwards' 33-year marriage was rocked by scandal and this year elizabeth separated from john after learning he cheated and fathered a child out of wedlock. >> every time something monumental has happened in my life and particularly the bad things, i have had him to lean on and that was no longer going to be the case. >> reporter: for elizabeth, it was always about her children. 28-year-old kate, 12-year-old emma claire and 10-year-old jack. she talked about them with matt. >> how have you prepared them for what you seem to be preparing yourself for? >> i don't want them to live every day the remainder of my

life with the thought that i'm dying. i'm trying to just make sure we give them memories. >> reporter: and as the memories of elizabeth continue to pour in, elizabeth said it best, elizabeth did not want people to say she lost her battle with cancer, the battle was about living a good life and that she won. elizabeth edwards is being mourned by many today. president obama personally called kate and john edwards to offer his condolences and sources close to the family say that funeral plans will be announced soon, i'm told that the service will likely be held in the next few days, probably this weekend. >> norah o'donnell in chapel hill for us. we're joined now by four of elizabeth's close friends who were with her in those final days. ellis roberts has been a friend of the edwards family since he was in kindergarten. jennifer and christopher

palmeiro. good morning, everybody, my condolences to you. when i first heard this news, my reaction was the same as most people, it was one of sorrow. and the first question i asked was i wonder how the kids are. let me start there, how are the children doing? >> they're pretty strong. you know, elizabeth spent a lot of time preparing the kids for, not for the day of her death, but for being strong people that were able to find joy in life and she did that. they're doing all right, lots of us are around, their aunts and uncles, kate and john. they have a very large support system. >> we all knew she had been battling cancer for six years, but we learned it had taken a

turn for the worst on monday, how long had you lived with the reality that she wouldn't survive this? >> it was just a week ago that she found out that the treatment was no longer working, literally a week ago. so it happened very quick. >> i was struck by what she said through a friend and it's something norah o'donnell mentioned in her piece that she didn't want people to say today and in the coming days that she lost her battle with cancer, that the battle was about living a good life and that she won. tell me about her life. >> i think anyone who knew elizabeth knew that she didn't loses that. that's a big part of what that says to all of us about elizabeth. he was a force of nature. what you saw with elizabeth was what you got. she was the same with glen who's known her since the '70s and people she's known at a book signing or on the campaign

trail, she was warm and giving and funny and just one of the people that we are all so grateful to have known. >> she got this final part of the diagnosis about a week ago. what she did was redouble her efforts to call everybody and i've been getting e-mails from friends who i found out she called in the last couple of days and she was doing what she always did, which is to take care of everybody. >> she wasn't -- she had told me she wasn't sad, she wasn't scared, she was just worried about everybody that she was leaving behind but felt good about what she was, what she was leaving behind. >> as people talk about her over the coming days, they're going to talk about the highs and they're going to talk about the lows and clearly that takes us to the subject of her difficulties in her marriage, but knowing her the little bit that i did, i'm positive this morning that she will want to make sure, she would have wanted to make sure that she is not defined by that episode in her marriage that got so much attention, would you agree with

that? >> she didn't want to be defined by cancer, she didn't want to be defined by, you know, the problems you refer to, she wanted to define her own life and i think we should say that she was pretty much in control. >> she was a second and lifelong mother to ellis. >> that's true. i think that she had many roles and growing up with wade and spending a lot of time over at the house throughout high school when even through elementary school, she really took on that role as second mother. and the door was always unlocked, you never called before you went over and you just walked in and she was always there. to listen to you, to lecture to you. >> yes. >> and to instill, you know, in

you the belief that you can really go out and do anything. but she always provided that and of course growing up, i felt like somewhat selfish like it was just towards me or the group of guys. but looking at it, she did this for people all across the country. it was just her nurturing soul that really touched a lot of folks. >> ellis and jennifer -- i'm sorry, go ahead. >> even after wade died, ellis and his friends, you guys would have dinner with john and elizabeth every week? >> because she didn't want to lose that touch with all of us. she cherished those moments of coming in and just being able to talk about anything. and so the guys, and some of the girls that we all grew up together, continued every thursday for pizza parties over at the house. until folks started going off to college.

but she wanted to make sure that she always kept in touch with everyone and every time i came in from college, that was one of the first places i go, is back over to her house to see what was going on with her. >> their house is everybody's home. >> it really was. >> well, ellis and christina and glen, we appreciate you spending time with us this morning and our condolences on your loss and with the edwards family this morning. and now to washington where the fight is on over the tax cut deal ironed out between the president and the republicans. >> reporter: as you said, facing a revolt from the left wing in the democratic party, the president called a surprise news conference and came loaded for bear, coming down hard on liberal allies he called sanlt

sanlt moanous. >> it is real money for real people. >> reporter: as the contentious debate over taxes now moves to capitol hill, the president defended his anger at republicans. >> look at my tally, look at what i promised during the campaign, there is not a single thing that i have not either done or tried to do. >> reporter: liberals are angry on the president's retreat on a promise to roll back tax cuts for the rich. but he argued on tuesday he got the best bargain he could. >> the middle class was being held hostage to the tax cuts. i think it's tempting not to negotiate with hostage takers. in this case the hostage was the american people and i was not willing to see them get harmed. >> saying compromise was the

only course, the president made it personal. >> this country was founded on compromise. i couldn't go through the front door at this country's founding and if you were really thinking about ideal positions, we wouldn't have a union. >> reporter: on capitol hill the fight now is for democrat support. joe biden trying to sell the deal to democrats on tuesday. >> can you make it happen? >> this is only a frame work. it's up to congress to pass it. >> there's a certain amount of unease with the proposal. >> republicans were out praising the deal. >> i'm very hopeful and optimistic that a large majority of members of the republican conference will find this proposal worth supporting. >> reporter: but on tuesday, the president fired back at suggestions he's shown his political opponents he can be outmaneuvered. >> i will be happy to see the republicans test whether or not i'm itching for a fight on a

whole range of issues. i suspect they will find i am. >> reporter: senior aides say they don't expect this deal to change substantially in order to win more democratic support. this is it and vice president biden is expected to be on the hill today trying to make the sell to house democrats. meredith? >> savannah guthrie, thank you so much. david axelrod, the president's senior advisor, mr. axelrod, how are you doing, sir? >> good. >> as you know, many democrats believe that that's too late. they're furious about what's happened. they say this is not a compromise this deal, it is the president caving in. how does he win back these fellow democrats that he's referred to as sanctimonious. >> i think what would be borderline immoral would be to

allow millions of americans have their taxes go up on january 1 significantly. what would be borderline immoral would be to allow people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own in this down economy, lose their lifeline, their unemployment insurance during this holiday season. those things should be foremost in our mind. what would be immoral is if we didn't do everything we can to get this economy moving again at a brisk enough pace to put everyone who needs a job back to work. that's what we're working toward. and every commit agr-- >> by some estimates, this tax cut deal could add another $900 billion to a deficit that's already out of control. so why shouldn't americans look at this as a disaster in the making? >> because, meredith, the most important thing we can do right now to get our economy -- is to

get our economy moving. that is the most important thing we can do to improve our fiscal situation as well as our jobs picture and the well-being of the middle class and that should be foremost. we're going to have to deal with this deficit challenge in the long-term, but these are temporary tax measures that go out of business in two years, and then we can have a discussion about how we move forward. and in the interim, we're going to have a big debate about dealing with the deficit. right now, though, the thing we shouldn't do in the midst of this economy is raise taxes on middle class people across this country. we shouldn't be throwing people off of unemployment insurance. that will send our economy backward. that will put more pressure on our deficits. it's the wrong thing to do. >> before i let you go, mr. axelrod, i know you had a relationship with elizabeth edwards, served as her husband's strategist during his 2004 campaign, butted heads from time to time, but you said that you left that experience with great respect for her. how will you remember elizabeth edwards?

>> she was a unique person. she was strong spirited, smart, elizabeth was always right in the middle of every discussion and had passionate points of view and was a very vital person. it's a very sad thing and i'm thinking about the edwards family this morning. >> all right. david axelrod, thank you so much. >> thank you, meredith. and now let's get a check of the morning's other top stories. natalie morales is in for ann at the news desk. good morning, nat. >> good morning. the website wikileaks released more secret diplomatic cables this morning as its founder, julian assange remains behind bars in london on allegations of sexual assault. he was denied bail as a flight risk. he has said, though, the website will not be gagged and is promising more leaks. north korea carried out artillery drills overnight, firing off live rounds in the border near the tense border with the south. meantime, the u.s. and south korea announced today that they will conduct more joint war exercises in the near future.

the obama administration has dropped its push for israel to renew a freeze on settlement construction, even though the moratorium is a key demand for palestinian negotiators. u.s. officials say the administration has also pooled the set of incentives offered to israel in exchange for the freeze. police are calling it operation ivy league after nabbing five columbia university students for selling thousands of dollars of drugs on campus. police were tipped off by an anonymous source to what they believe to be one of the largest college campus stings ever. stocks rallied tuesday after the news of that tax compromise. today, futures are mixed, though. cnbc's erin burnett is at the new york stock exchange. erin, good morning. what are we looking at there today? >> good morning, natalie. a little bit of fighting for direction. santa claus rally may be on pause today, but we do have some good news on consumer spending. costco came out and said, revenues are better than expected. people are spending. and just a couple of moments ago, home depot said revenue and profit better than expected as well. the big headline causing a

little bit of concern is out of europe. european banks are going to have to go through another round of tough stress tests, and that could be tough for banks here as well. back to you. >> erin burnett at the new york stock exchange, thank you. a tourist polar cruise ship in the ant ark tic with about 100 american passengers on board is now limping back to shore to argentina after getting argenti getting slammed by massive waves that shattered windows and crushed it's communication systems. another ship found the disabled vessel when the crew sent out a distress signal. none of the people on board was harmed. back to matt, meredith and al. i would not do well on that. >> not a fun ship. >> it's a hard picture to look at. really difficult. >> that would be hard. that would be, yeah. mr. roker is here with a check of the weather. >> whatever i got to say is nowhere near as bad as that. as we look, we have got the cold

air funneling down south. on the other hand 37, records set in miami this morning, 44, it's 13 in chicago, 5 in minneapolis. afternoon highs will see temps only in the teens in minneapolis, 28 in chicago, 38 in atlanta. but the good news, there is some relief in sight. by friday, the jet stream moves back up to the north a little bit. miami bounces back to 74, low we're seeing mostly cloudy skies around the bay area, and mostly wet roadways now. san francisco catching a bit of a brief break. most of the rain has moved into the east bay hills. moderate rain around danville. some of the rain spilling into the santa clara valley. highs mostly mid to upper 50s today through tomorrow morning, the wettest portion of your seven-day forecast. from here we'll start to see showers into friday and then clear out and dry out and warm up for the weekend. and that's your latest weather. more now on elizabeth edwards. we had the pleasure of

interviewing her a number of times over the years and during one of our conversations, we talked about her children and the lessons she taught them. >> let me end the interview with what is the last paragraph in your book because i think its stirring. quote, i have said before that i do not know what the most important lesson is that i will ever teach any children, they will be able to say that she stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her away, and it surely has not, she adjusted her sails. that's what you want them to know? >> it is. as i said, i don't know what the most important lesson is. but i hope that it is that when bad things happen, it's easy to get through the good days, when bad things happen, you have the strength to face them. >> that wasn't long ago. another thing that she wrote in the book and said to us in the interview said she was hoping for eight more years so that she

could see jack through high school. and of course she didn't get those years. >> but the children know how much they were loved but her, so clearly. >> we'll be back in a moment but first this is "today" on nbc. when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast,

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[ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. good morning, everybody. the time now 7:26. checking your morning commute with mike and a lot of people starting to see rain on the roads. >> and the wet roads are playing a factor. also a new accident so double trouble for folks heading south on 880 around fremont boulevard. just before you get to the mission crossover. we're starting to see slowing because there's a good volume of traffic heading through the area. two lanes blocked for that southbound direction. south of newark it's slow but actually out of san leandro and off the castro valley y, very slow for 880. reports of earlier problems on

the bay bridge but all problems are cleared off the upper deck. san francisco catching a little break with light rain off to the west, but 680 right now from walnut creek into danville, some pretty good downpours there and the rain now starting to reach parts of the south bay. we'll see clouds and rain off and on today, highs in the 50s. tomorrow scattered showers mainly aimed on the north bay for friday with a dry weekend ahead. the time is 7:27. more news right after the break. [ female announcer ] safeway talks holiday favorites.

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the man accused of using a stun gun on a deputy and forcing a preschool into lockdown could face charges today in santa cruz county. investigators want to charge 24-year-old maurice ainsworth with attempted murder, armed robbery and battery. he was in custody at a lockdown medical facility when police say he escaped grabbing a deputy's stun gun and using it on her. he then fled to a near boy school, held a teacher at gunpoint and demanded her car keys. more local news coming up in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, december 8, 2010. that's a very pretty shot of the rockefeller center christmas tree. we have some fine folks waving to loved ones back home. there they are, waving as we speak. inside of studio 1a, i'm meredith viera alongside matt lauer. first up, a major drug ring busted up on one of the the country's most famous colleges. >> we're going to have more on

what investigators are calling operation ivy league coming up. plus prince william and kate middleton's wedding will be the biggest event in great britain in years. so why are americans more excited about the big day than brits? and tom brokaw will join us to talk about a new documentary he's working on. we begin with a case of online bullying that has led to two arrests. in a moment we'll talk exclusively with the target of the harassment. but first jeff rossen is here with the story. >> reporter: this case could be a real game changer sending a very clear message that online bullying isn't just a harmless prank, but can be illegal. two teenagers in connecticut learned that the hard way. arrested and charged for setting up a nasty facebook page. >> it's painful because it's really rude and cruel comments that i know aren't true. >> reporter: there it was on facebook for everyone to see.

allie pfeiffer's very own profile, her very own page. >> it was using my name, my birthday, the schools i attend, everything. >> but it was a fake, the profile photo a cow. and as ally read on, the jokes about her weight got even worse. >> it includes chrrisco, farm animals. and under books, it session i don't know how to read. >> reporter: ally became her own investigator, finding online fingerprints and taking the clues to police who cracked the case. >> without me doing that, they may not have found out who it is even to this day. >> they link it to these two students.

two of her classmates they all graduated together last year. >> reporter: why do you think they would want to do this to you. >> the excuse they used is that they were boared and they wante to see my humiliation. >> they are under arrest for criminal harassment. both confessed. now the case is rippling nationwide, facebook has launched a full investigation. why is it so easy to impersonate someone? >> the world hasn't solved the challenge of bullying and we haven't solved it either. we trying to bring technology to bear so that we can make facebook a place where bullying is not tolerated. >> ally and her alleged bullies are all in college now. as they face charges, she's fighting her fears. >> i gave myself one day to cry after i found out about it and i

decided i have to work for myself from here on out. my mission is to help other teens, i want to help anyone i can. >> reporter: strong young woman. ally says he just wants an apology. she may have gotten it. jeffrey's attorney says he's very remorseful and sorry for the entire incident and apologized to ally. we also called the attorney for the other teenager involved and we have not heard back. >> ally pfeiffer is here with us. along with the director of safety at wired.org. as jeff just said, jeffrey has issued a statement apologizing to you for what he did? do you accept that apology? >> i do accept is that apology. it's good to hear that he apologizes, but i'm not 100% sure how true it is.

it's not really about them anymore, it's about how i'm handling myself now. >> were you shocked at how easy was for someone to impersonate you online. >> you just need to have a first and last name with an e-mail address and you can have any account you would like. >> the things said on that page were so cruel, it had to do a number on you emotionally. >> as i said in the piece, i gave myself one day to cry. it was very upsetting that someone would say that about me or about anyone in general. >> is that the kind of thing that stays with you, ally? >> are you surprised at how easy it is to impersonate someone online? you've been researching this for years. >> 15 years. and it's not surprising, 70% of cyber bullying occurs through impersonation, false accounts.

>> is there any protections in place right now that would protect this from happening to somebody else like ally today. >> facebook does better than most, because they at least authenticate an e-mail address. we have to google ourselves, facebook ourselves, make sure our name and addresses are in the alert. >> jeffrey martone asked you at one point to drop these charges and there are even people in your town that are angry with you that you went to the police, that you spoke to the media, you've been made the bad guy in some of this. did you ever consider not pursuing? >> i actually questioned even coming here today. but i know that i have to take what comes with it and i know that people might have to go against sometimes, but if i help one teen, i will feel -- if i

make one bully think twice before bullying, i would feel 100% better. >> what do you think happened to these two kids? >> if they could have seen the results of their actions would be great. >> they're being charged with criminal impersonation and second-degree harassment. the fact that it was done so easily, did that add to the notion that they thought there were no repercussions here? >> they're bored, they have vengeance, jealousy, for a lot of different reasons, but it happens far more often than it should. and ally is stepping forward on this one and i'm going to recruit her help because it takes a lot to do this. >> it's things that kids have killed themselves over, so it is very serious what goes on. your final message to anybody

who may be watching this? >> don't fight against the person who did it, just fight for yourself. >> as always, thank you for joining us. god luck in the fight as well. >> i appreciate it. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. we have got some friends hanging out here. who's this young lady here? >> savannah. >> and that's your brother over there, savannah? >> yes. >> what's your name, bud? >> jackson. >> let's check your weather and see what's happening, we'll show you we have got some more wet weather moving into the pacific northwest. showers along the coast, snow inland, we're talking about an inch to an inch and a half of rain right around puget sound. we're talking about anywhere from three to nine inches of snow. rest of the country, we're going

to continue to see the lake-effect snow. syracuse has had 97 hours in a row of snow. they've got almost 30 inches of snow on the ground. sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard, kind of breezy today, it's a pretty gloomy-looking commute across the golden gate bridge this morning but the rain for the moment has let up at least a little bit around the golden gate bridge. you can see we do have more rain off to the west and more will be waiting for you right around your 580/680 interchange. still moderate rain down the sunol grade and now the rain is spilling into san jose. you can see the clouds and rain off and on for today. we'll see highs in the 50s. tomorrow scattered showers with some sunshine. then the weekend we're going to start to dry out with morning fog. >> and don't forget you can get your weather any time of the day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. police are calling it operation ivy league, a major

drug ring busted on the campus of prestigious columbia university here in new york. investigators say five students were allegedly running it all out of their fraternity houses and dorm rooms. hi, mara, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt, officials say each member of the group sold different drugs and that they referred customers to each other. in a search of the students' apartments after their arrest, officials say they seized bottles of lsd, ecstasy pills, marijuana and more than $6,000 in cash. wearing sweatshirts emblazoned with their fraternities at a prestigious school were escorted to court. >> they were arrested for the sale of cocaine, marijuana, lsd and ecstasy, at the three

fraternitity houses. >> they were pulled out of bed at dawn at their fraternity house where police say they were selling drugs. according to the indictment, they also sold drugs to an undercover officer posing as a college aged drug middle man. in what the nypd is calling operation ivy league, officials say they're under cover agent alone bought drugs from the group 31 times since july, including marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, adderral like candy. >> it appeared that there was no awareness of the fact that this

was illegal and that there were consequences for it. >> though charged with running what authorities say is one of the biggest college drug rings in recent memory, on the surface, they looked like average students. 20-year-old chris cole is studying ethnicity and race. and harrison david, a civil engineering student. adam kline also a 20-year-old sophomore studying neurosciences. and michael whims, a former member of the student council. and perhaps the most colorful of the crew, 20-year-old sophomore jose perez. he was a party animal who said his name was too plain so he went by stephen vincinso instead. they admitted they started selling drugs to pay tuition, now they may be paying the price. the suspects are awaiting arraignment and have not entered any pleas or made any public statements about these allegations.

for their part, columbia university officials say they released a statement to students reiterating the drug policy saying they do have drug and alcohol counselors available and they do take this matter very seriously. up next, tom brokaw on what it will take to solve the nation's growing problem with bullying. plus who's more involved with prince william and kate's royal wedding, the british or the americans? we'll get into that, but first these messages. this one card i had -- there were all these rules. rules and restrictions. oh, and limits. [ scoffs ] forget about it. but i love this card. bankamericard cash rewards credit card. 1% cash back on everything i buy. period. no limit to the amount of cash back i can get. no hoops to jump through. simple. [ male announcer ] the refreshingly simple bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. - you went to kay. she'll love it.

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or for the delicious flavors like chocolate truffle and vanilla creme? mmm. -mmm. -mmm. [ female announcer ] hard to say really. new caltrate soft chews, we put the yum in calcium. we're back at 7:45, it's been more than 50 years since the beginning of the civil rights movement. tom brokaw looks at everything from racism in america to bullying in school and people working to make things better. it's part of usa's characters unite month. good to see you. >> good to be back, matt. >> it seems to me almost every day on this show, we still cover stories about civil rights denied. where does it stand? >> a half century ago we were talking about racial discrimination, now there's a broader range of subjects that we're dealing with, that in fact is the good news because we're

willing to acknowledge that. the bad news is that we still have a long way to go. we're going to talk in this documentary about race, also sexual orientation, physical disabilities and bullying in schools. >> and that's something we talk about on this show so often, bullying and you're going to highlight one couple trying to make a difference, starting a program in schools challenging teens to give it up and actually treat each other with respect. take a look. >> reporter: the key component of challenge is an activity called crossing the line. >> please cross the line if you have ever been teased, hurt or humiliated by someone who's in this room. ♪ i'm not afraid ♪ to take a stand ♪ to take a stand ♪ everybody come take my hand ♪ we come together >> look in the eyes of someone who may have put you down or

hurt you. >> a look at bullying that really seems to be a symptom of a larger problem, a lack of civility. >> it is, i think it's part of a culture, unfortunately with a lot of the music. >> also the instrumentation is different now because you can text message anonymously and hit a big universe. 1,000 years ago when i was a teenager, we had something called slam books, people would write anonymously, kurt, snide remarks. now it's online and it's on youtube. and we have had people committing suicide who are adolescents. i think what's important about that program that you just saw is that that couple is doing a remarkable job of getting teenagers to talk about it and to look each other in the eye and begin to confront them. >> do you see the same passion present today to solve these problems that was present at the beginning of the civil rights movement to solve that issue? >> i don't think we do see the same passion, in part because we

don't have a singular leader and there's nothing quite like discrimination where people were denied their rights as citizens, they couldn't drink out of the water fountain or go to the same schools, they had to ride on the back of the book. this is exacerbated according to the poll that we have zone by the economic downturn of the country. all the groups that we talked to said that recession had something to do with it. 79% of the whites that we talked to said they're very dissatisfied with what's going on in this country. hispanics and african-americans are more satisfied with what's going on. in part that may be a result, it's been down so long, it's kind of like up to me. so we have got a long way to go and the important part of it is we need to get to talk about it. >> real quickly, i know you had a relationship with elizabeth edwards, your thoughts on her passing? >> it's an american tragedy. it's just so sad to see this play out, this couple that made a big decision in their lives by getting involved in public

service and played it out across the country. and then they were torn apart in their relationship by the consequences of that. it's a cautionary tale about what happens when you step into the public arena and all the temptations that are out there and it is very sad and we all wish only the very best for her family, obviously. and hope that other political figures will take a lesson from that as well as those of us in our business. >> and your catch tom brokaw presents "bridging the divide" on friday at 7:00, 6:00 central on usa network. ♪

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happy holidays. good morning, everyone. 7:56. i'm scott mcgrew. we'll check in with mike inouye. >> the upper deck of the bay bridge, the backup goes back toward the maze. wet conditions there. but a stalled delivery truck as your heading towards treasure island so that will be an issue until the bridge crew can help that person off of the bridge. we'll look a little further south. both directions of 880 slow, north through oakland not so bad but south down to the dumbarton bridge very slow. an earlier accident has cleared but the rain continues through this area and that will be a factor for the morning commute. here's the south because with northbound directions where they take up slowing as well. the area you showed with a lot of rain now showing a lot of

slowing. san francisco and oakland, you can see pretty good rain coming around down around the golden gate bridge. mike just pointed out from fremont down into san jose starting to see some downpours in the santa clara valley. we'll be in and out of the rain at times. this line of rain which has moved south will stall out over us today so we'll be stuck with the clouds, rain off and on. mid to upper 50s tomorrow. look for scattered showers eventually turning towards the north bay by friday. the weekend we start to dry out and warm up.7:57. more ne ewti is s 7:57. moafreewtes ter the break. ♪ ♪ ten thousand watts of xmas cheer ♪ ♪ ten thousand watts glow brightly clear ♪ ♪ the colored lights will shine sincere, ho, ho, ho ♪

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stunning new numbers out this morning about the dropout rate in bay area schools. many districts seeing just more and more students dropping out. according to the state department of education, santa clara county's dropout rate increased to nearly one in six students. oakland, four out of ten students drop out from public high school. san mateo county rate increased 3.4%. good news for san francisco unified school district. it saw a 50% decrease in the dropout rate. the study used numbers from the 2008-2009 school year. more local news in a half an hour. the next, you start one feeling bit off.fine. the moment you feel run down or achy, nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum.

get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud. we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning, the eighth of december, 2010. kind of a chilly day here in the northeast. actually a really chilly day. 28 degrees, a little windy and we're bundled up. where is your hat? >> i don't have a hat. i need to get one. >> out here on the plaza, matt lauer along with meredith viera and al roker. a sad note to remember, elizabeth edwards, news of her

passing came yesterday. we're going to talk about what women can learn from her bout with breast cancer. what is causing this alarming rise in the number of teen suicide in the country and how can parents spot the warning signs in their own kids? we're going to talk about that as well. and on a much lighter note, the upcoming wedding between prince william and kate middleton, are folks in america more obsessed than the british with the royal family? ann is on assignment this morning, natalie is at the news desk. julian assange is being held without bail in london. peter alexander is outside the prison with more. >> reporter: julian assange is here in what is britain's largest prison, he is being kept separate from the rest of the

inmates. today he is vowing to fight extradition to swede on where he faces allegations of sexual misconduct. cameras swarmed this london courthouse tuesday fighting for the first public image of assange in more than a month. inside, the wikileaks insider. as for his address, assange gave a p.o box in australia. the judge later called him a flight risk and denied bail. >> this is going to go viral. many people will come forward to stand for assurances for mr. assange. >> reporter: sweden wants to talk to assange who -- allegations assange denies. a british newspaper reports the dispute may focus on the women's desires that assange be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

but in a assange is due back in court in london next week, the extradition process could take months. internet hacker who is support julian assange have attacked mastercard's web side in revenge they say for the company shutting down service to wikileaks. >> that's a huge problem, especially during the holiday season. senate majority leader harry reid says changes are needed before democrats will support president obama's tax cut deal with republicans. the president defended his compromise tuesday saying he agreed to it because republicans were holding middle class tax cuts hostage in exchange for tax cuts for the wealthy. a government study in the wake of the bp gulf oil disaster concludes that offshore oil rigs should be subject to more surprise inspections and stiffer penalties for violations. violent protests eruchted in haiti last night after officials

announced that a candidate that finished a close third in the presidential voting will not advance to a second round runoff. consumer borrowing was up in october by the largest amount in two years, but by college and auto loans, credit card borrowing was down. just days before his death, john lennon said he still believed in peace and love and he felt he had plenty of time to achieve his goals. rolling stone publish lennon's final interview today. lennon also gave himself credit for choosing to work with paul mccartney and yoko ono. that ain't bad picking, he said. let's go back outside to matt and meredith. let us get a check of the weather now, mr. roker's across the plaza. >> i am and we have got folks huddling for warmth. where are you guys from? >> alabama. >> it's a little nippy for you.

but it's pretty chilly down in alabama so you may as well enjoy yourselves. let's check your weather and see what's happening. omaha, nebraska, wowt, nbc 6 sunny and cold, 35 degrees. a billing storm coming in from the pacific northwest. we have also got a system bringing in some rain and some mixed precip down through the gulf coast, that's mostly drying up before it hits the ground, but we will have some showers along the louisiana coast over to mississippi. showers around the great lakes, four to eight inches around t i. atlanta today, you're only getting up to 38 degrees. well maybe not as cold as new york, but it's gloomy. you can't see a whole lot right now, we've got rain moving through. in fact, moderate rain lurking offshore. that will move in in the next 15

minutes or so, san francisco. san jose, been seeing some rain too. it's going to be a soggy day off and on. that frontal boundary will stall out over the bay area giving us rain at times, highs in the 50s. tomorrow look for a few showers mixed with sunshine, then north bay showers friday, then we clear out just in time for the weekend. >> amend that's your latest weather. meredith? and up next, the lasting legacy of elizabeth edwards right after this.

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the news of elizabeth's passing. in fact he called elizabeth's older daughter kate and john edwards to express his condolences. he talked about her fortitude and her grace. you know, elizabeth edwards was first diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, she battled the disease with a sense of optimism. she wanted people to remember that she had a good life and that she was enjoying life and cherishing her children. just on monday, we learned from elizabeth edwards that she had stopped treatment for her incurable cancer and in the final day of her 61 years of life, we know that she was surrounded by friends, her siblings, her estranged husband and the very reason that she fought this disease so hard, her three children. matt? >> all right, norah, do we know

anything about funeral arrangements yet? >> sources close to the family say that will be announced very soon and that it will happen in the next few days and that it will probably happen this weekend. >> doctor nancy snyderman is nbc news medical correspondent and the author of the elizabeth edwards cover story for "people" magazine. let me start with you, any sense for who was in the edwards home in the final days and what it was like? >> you know, all of the people closest to her, the friends of wade, her immediate family, and john and, you know, we're told that they went through old photographs and told stories and shared memories and really had as many laughs as they did tears. >> nancy, i want to talk about her diagnosis. it was back in 2004 that we learned and she learned that she

had stage three breast cancer and she had gone through a number of different courses of treatment over the years. when you find breast cancer at that stage, what is the survivability rate? >> the numbers drop rather precipitously after the tumors are out of the breast, the fact that it was stage 3, the numbers vary from mid 50s% survival up to 70%. it's very important to remember that stage 3 doesn't mean that you are the same kind of breast cancer as another woman who may carry that same label. there's something else that we have to remember, matt, and that is, we talk about screening, we talk about diagnosis, but i don't think we talk enough in this country about the good deaths, about owning this. we are all going to leave her sometime regardless of what the diagnosis is, to own it and honor it. there's a big lesson here in how elizabeth edwards did this,

publicly and with grace. it was an extraordinary strength. >> it makes me think about her children and she has said on a number of occasions that she was trying to prepare them for the fact that one day she would no longer be here. the youngest two are 10 and 12. do you get the sense she felt she had completed the job of preparing them? >> for years she had been writing that dying letter with everything from coring a head of lettuce to picking a church. when i talked with her i said are you finished with that and she said i'll never be finished. on her bedside table was a photograph of wade. >> talk to me a little bit about the relationship the children have with their father john. >> you know, that, elizabeth was determined to keep that intact and she tried very hard, even despite her great pain to do nothing to diminish him in their

eyes. so he was always over at their house. he didn't live there, but he was always there after school, taking them to school activities, she kept him in the fabric of their lives and that's going to give them great stability now as they reel from the loss of their mom. >> and nancy, the final word here, i mean obviously this may cause women across the country to stop and think about early diagnosis. what's the main message? >> the main message when i spoke with mrs. edwards, she was very frank about this. she went several years without getting a mammogram at an age when she probably should have been getting them for frequently, so she acknowledged that with great candor. she reminds women that there are ways to detect cancer, know your risk factor, know your family history, get routine, appropriate screening. the real quest will be figuring out what causes breast cancers and ways of detecting it way

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become back now at 8:19. they may not be our future king and queen, but let's face it, americans are captivated by the royal family, but the view across the pond doesn't always have that fairy tale feel. >> reporter: it's as quintessentially english as the royals themselves. >> cheers! >> reporter: so a pub seemed a fitting place to test public opinion about the royal wedding. >> it's way more exciting than anything that we're doing. so why not be obsessed with it, right? >> reporter: here at the old king's head pub, the fairy tale of william and kate was so exciting. >> i follow the royal family and i know where i was when diana got married.

>> reporter: this pub isn't in england, it's near los angeles, across from the beach. but this is a tale of two pubs. the king's head pub in the heart of london was far different. >> it seems like a celebrity wedding now. >> reporter: why it is that we are more royally raptured than the britains themselves? >> i think americans love buying into the dream of kate middleton and prince william. >> reporter: we're fascinated by the royals, love their trinkets and will read any royal intrigue. >> diana was on the cover of "people" magazine more than 20 times. >> reporter: air and hotel packages popped up. americans may shell out more than $100 million this year on

tourism related to the monarchy, like visiting buckingham palace. >> they're all like distance relatives except with an accent that makes them sound smarter and perhaps better manners. the happily ever after that charles and diana were supposed to enjoy never came and many are still bitter. >> i think the american people are probably a little bit more realistic about human nature than the stiff upper lipped brits. >> reporter: in fact many brits are opposed to the monarchy all together, a big wedding in a bad economy. we tire of our versions of royalty too. paris hilton or david hasselhoff may have long faded but in europe, they remain as bright as ever.

the royals offer something hopeful. >> no matter where you're from, to love. >> reporter: not tough love, but the real thing. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. as an american working in london, ashley pierson has the unique perspective on the culture of the royals. ashley, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> so why is there a great divide between the way americans feel about the royal wedding and the way the brits feel about it? is it just that the brits are more cynical as they pointed out in this piece? >> they definitely are more cynical, but there's also an element where familiarity breeds a certain amount of contempt. they're very aware of all the foibles and the problems an all the headaches that have gone on over the years, i think there's a certain concern over how much tax money goes towards this already wealthy family in terms of security and ore things.

but you know, meredith, despite what they say, i think there's a reluctance to appear too excited or giddy about anything over here. and i think there is a bit of excitement underneath the surface. >> but they just don't want to admit to it? >> i think as americans we see william and kate as a very modern day fairy tale. they have been together for an awful long time. i think the fairly tale ending we were treated out of. they look at william and kate as just two young individuals and it's not quite the same fairy tale idea over here. >> does this have anything to do with the way they may feel about kate middleton. >> there's not an awful lot that's known about this young girl, until we knew that she was going to be the future king, i think the press stayeded away from her, didn't pry too much

into her private life. now there's an incredible amount of interest and we're going to find out a lot more in the weeks to come. but she's a very normal english girl from an upper middle class family who caught william's eye at university. i think he fell in love as much with her normal upbringing and family as he did with her. >> do you think the stiff upper lip will be replaced by a giddiness? >> please. their faces are already going to be on the tea towels t metro cards, a special one for that week. there's a lot of excitement. no matter what any brits will tell you, especially on camera these days, the reality is there's going to be a lot of pride, national pride and excitement. >> ashley pierson, thank you so much. and still ahead, a creative appetizer for your next holiday party after your local news.

good morning, everybody. 8:26, checking your morning commute, south bay really getting hit with the rain now and that's affecting the commute. >> wasn't so much the rain, the fact that the rain came at all a lot of folks start to tap the brakes and we have a lot more folks hitting the road. as far as the speeds, look at the travel times. we have speeds and travel times reflecting below 30 miles per hour for most of the major routes. our news director told me it was very, very slow, so i will pass that along to you. typical 8:30 slowdown, but judging by the maps, looks like the other side of the peninsula

will slow you down. >> highway 101, san bruno, you're going to see enough rain that could cause ponding on the roads. east bay, east of 680, south bay did get a pretty good dose of moderate rain and we'll continue to see these bands of rain coming on through. highs today in the mid to upper 50s. more showers tomorrow, then drying out as we head toward the weekend. time now is 8:27. more news right after the break.

the man accused of sexually assaulting a toddler in a bay area discount store will be in court today to ask a judge to free him on bail. police say convicted sex offender eugene ramos grabbed a 2-year-old girl in a union city dollar tree store and sexually assaulted her as her grandmother was shopping in the next aisle over. a group of shoppers and store employees pinned him down and held him until police arrived. ramos faces charges of rape, kidnapping and lewd acts with a child. more local news in a half hour. "the today show" returns in less than a half minute. have a great morning. we'll see you back here in a bit.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, december 8, 2010. there's the view from central park looking absolutely gorgeous on this crisp but very sunny december day. meanwhile back down on earth, we're out here on the plaza

collecting donations for our 17th annual holiday toy drive. >> which explains why you and natalie are wearing your jeans. >> i love that. >> we are going to be talking about a lot of things, including coming up, we're going to talk about with laura ling is going to talk about the dramatic rise in teen suicide. what's causing this uptick and what can parents do to tell. >> he had a talk show that in its day was unheard of the kinds of guests he would have. there he is with mel brooks. he fought against racial barriers within the industry. he produced some of the best television out there. but he's also responsible for

"get smart." >> and our good buddy mark bitman is here to help you with your holiday parties. a fun themed appetizer that you can make and serve at your next sware. a lot of women have foot pain, we are wearing those heels for glamorous events. we will have an expert to tell you what you can do for your feet. >> i want to show the expert my feet. >> you can be the model for the segment. >> thank you so much. >> new album is called "only one slow part." good to see you. thank you for being our guest today. >> thanks for having me. >> but you have a charity that's

very near and dear to your heart back in florida? >> early on i had different celebrities come out to my neighborhood, you know, never give up. so you grew up in the projects? >> the projects and kids were less fortunate and i'm successful enough and fortunate enough and i go back to my neighborhood and i give and that's what i'm going to be doing for the holidays. >> we talk a lot about our toy drive, but we would like to remind our viewers, give in your local communities as well. >> my new year's resolution is to proceed to give because i feel the more you give the more you get in your heart. i am pleased that this time i will be able to get a chance to spend some time with my family on the holidays. >> can we put you on the spot and get a toss to al's weather?

♪ >> yeah! >> you're going to be back with kathie lee and hoda. you're not leaving here's a look at san francisco where you've got some rain coming down. let's take a look on the radar view and can you see right over downtown san francisco just to the west of at&t park you can see one cell there. another one approaching san leandro within the next five minutes and can you see a break on the 680 corridor into danville and dublin, so today expect highs only in the 50s. clouds, rain off and on as the frontal boundary stalls over us. tomorrow, scattered showers and we dry out for the weekend.

>> an don't forget you want to check in with weather.com or the weather channel on cable to get your latest weather. coming up, the rise in teenaged suicides and how parents can check for signs in their own kids. but first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:37, this morning on "today's" family, the tragic rise in teen suicide and the numbers are incredibly disturbing. every two hours, a teenager will take his or her own life. now a new documentary series on the e network is asking why it's happening far too often. >> it's a very detached feeling, it's not that i want to kill myself or die, i would like to just disappear for a little bit, take a break from life. all i could think about all day was the pain that i was going

through. i would watch really depressing videos and i would take pictures of myself crying. everything that i loved didn't matter to me anymore. there was so much desperation, i just wanted to get out of it. but i didn't feel like it would end unless i died. >> it's just like when you try everything and the only last thing that you think will work is taking your life, then, yeah, that just seems like the next logical step. >> laura ling is the host of e investigates. dr. charles sophie is the author of the parents book "side by side." this hits home for you, i know. but i was startled by this statistic here, it's the third leading cause of death in people from the 10 to 24 age group? >> it's so widespread, we traveled around to talk to kids

with all different backgrounds. >> we have been hearing about it as of late, there's been some suicide as related to bullying. but you say that bullying is only one cause. >> we talked to young people who yes, were bullied. we also talked to people who had lost loved ones in their lives people that had just broken up from serious relationships. the underlying thing is depression and the hopeful thing is that it's treatable. >> for a while in this country, teen suicide numbers were going down, they were on the decline. why are they rising? >> i think kids are under a lot of scrutiny. there's all sorts of different things going on in technology. these are children, we're looking at brains that are not well formed all the time and pressure to make decisions. >> for every young person who dies because of suicide, 200

have attempted. these numbers are staggering. >> very staggering. i mean we have a lot of stuff going on here where we just want to raise the awareness and you can treat this. 75% of suicide is depression and if you get in there early, you can treat it. >> but the definition of depression, because you talked to a large group of teens and you said raise your hand if you have experienced depression and a majority of them raised their hand, are you sure you're operating with the same definition of depression that those teenagers were? do they think maybe it's a bad mood for feeling sad when we think of it as more clinical depression. >> i went to this high school, just automatically being back on that campus, i was brought back to my days in high school. there's all that stress, you want to fit in. it's just such an overwhelming pressure. that doesn't always lead to suicidal thoughts, but when it's

that intense, it can get to that point. >> when we talk about the kind of depression that can lead to suicidal thoughts and even attempting suicide, what are signs that parents need to be on the lookout for? >> look out for any changes in your children, any issues at school, bad grades, they're not performing well. they change their appearance. substance abuse, relationship issues. they are just withdrawing. they have said they want to kill themselves, even if it's a joke and they're laughing when they say it, they mean it on some level. >> in a community where there's been a suicide, there's like a 300% chance of more suicide. >> it is very tragic. there's not only a ripple affect, but a ripple affect as to how it affects families and whole communities. >> there's that peer to peer connection, so if my buddy who just died went, maybe i should

join him. and you're dealing with minds that don't make judgment decisions as they should, they're forming so they're impulsive. >> the most important message you could leave people with, especially with people who may be experiencing depression, there is help. there are places you can call and go get help. >> there's help and there's hope. the number for the national suicide prevention hot line is 1-800-273-talk. >> we'll put that up on our website as well. nice to see you and thank you for being here. that's e investigates tonight on the e network. ♪ it comes along just once a year ♪

♪ on winters wings, decembers rear, ahha humbug faces come and dear ♪ ♪ then appears at perfect christmas time. ♪ ♪ a tiny tree, christmas, tinsel, the lights ♪

♪ the star that sings, top your tiny tree, yeah ♪ >> the hit show madeleine portrays advertising in the 1960s. you get legend dare producer and

talk show host david suskind. he helped to define tv as we know it today. steven batallia of tv guide writes about it in his new book, david susskind. you spent four years researching this man, what was it about him that you found so compelling. >> david susskind was a talk show host for 28 years. he did his show in new york and was on tv stations around the country. but his real business was the making of movie and tv shows, mostly tv. he started in the live era of television and he worlged it almost up to his death in 1986. he did controversial shows, he did high tone quality television as we called it. and he liked stories about the human condition, stuff that was real and he did it all here in new york at a time when the business had moved to the west

coast. >> and again no experience when he started, he just had a lot of chutzpah, basically. >> incredible nerve, incredible will and a desire. no was the beginning of a negotiation. when he wanted to do something, he went ahead and did it. >> let's talk about his talk show because it became the talk of the town. what made it so ground breaking in its time? >> david never did a talk show on a network. it was really a hobby almost, it was an entry point to get people to work for him, directors, actors, friends, restauranteurs. the networks were asked by the state department not to give krus chef a platform.

there were reporters outside, his business was threatened by it. it was a very big deal. but it made him more famous than he was. and david susskind really wanted to be famous. he hired women and gave them great jobs. i can't tell you how many women in the industry said to me, i would not have gotten a chance if it hadn't been for david susskind. he fills his studio with great women and they helped him. not only did they get experience, but they brought things too to the table. david produced the movie alice doesn't live here anymore, kind of a touch stone of the 1970s with ellen burr tin. people around him said david make this movie and he did. >> he had a show east side west side. >> during the 1960s, david was very progressive in terms of hiring black actors.

raising of the sun was a movie that probably wasn't going to get much play in the south, but he made it and he got it on. and it became a classic. >> what do you think david would like about today? >> david wailed about quality of television and against the television establishment. he just felt that people should have a chance to see a shakespeare play, arthur miller's "death of a salesman." >> he might think there's a lot more options for that. >> but he liked to take chances. one thing that he did, a show with mel brooks, david steinberg, george siegel had to be a jewish son, my son's success. this was the type of thing that david was good at. taking his talk show and having people talk about things that

you weren't seeing elsewhere on main stream television. he was on the fringe of society. group therapy in the news would be a subject. >> david, thank you so much -- >> it's steven. the book is david susskind. >> i'm sorry, i was going there in my head. up next how to mix things up at your holiday party. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on how to cook everything "today," chinese style dumplings, the author of the food matters cookbook says home made is the way to go. sounds difficult, mark. >> nothing like a positive attitude, matt. >> but these appetizers are easy to pass around. >> you start with some shrimp. we're going to make a little dipping sauce which is just some chopped ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil. a little bit of rice wine vinegar. and we're going to use that to help moisten the shrimp. but the great thing about shrimp

is that they have so much gelatin in them. >> you've got scallions? >> we're going to kind of -- maybe not -- we're going to kind of puree this. >> one more time. and here's what it looks like when it comes out. >> that hasn't happened here. >> we have a hosting problem here. >> we have an electrical problem. >> take our word for it. so you get this gook. >> you get this gook and then you add some more shrimp, some cilantro, some scallions. >> maybe it's just a bad connection. i have a good feeling about it this time. >> we'll deconstruct one of these and reconstruct it. this will be pretty tricky. >> is that available in any store? >> you buy these with the wanton

wrappers, and you moisten the sides. and you add you're filling. >> i like that, okay. >> you can do a fancy kind of pleating, but i can't do that. >> so when that cooks, it's not going to all come flying out of there? >> from this point on, we're actually on script here. >> i want to protect my little fingers. and you want a plate that's a little bit smaller than the pan. >> and it makes a nice little sound there. >> it makes a little rattling. >> how long do these steam for? >> for just a few minutes. >> they pop open, but that's not a problem? >> no, they're beautiful and then you plate them and your pass them. >> when the dipping sauce comes in, do we actually use more of that?

>> yes, we do. >> can i try one of those on the way back? >> do you serve them on hot temps? >> i'm glad you want to try one. >> i love dumplings. i'm not sure i would have loved the site of the shrimp being mashed up in the food processor. it's a little indelicate having to eat one of these. why don't you start to tell us about your other appetizers. >> hello. >> these are just dates stuffed with cheese or almonds. and here i jazzed up some bottled m bottled mayonnaise and paprika. >> these are delicious, would you like to try these? >> it's very low fat. it's just shrimp and herbs.

>> and you do that with the salt soy as well? >> the fact that we did. >> there was a little juicy, be careful, i kind of spilled all over myself. what are you doing? >> i'm picking it. >> just pop it in there. >> i was actually kidding. >> now try one of the figs too. >> mark, thank you very much. do we have an al?rici here also? coming up, we have got your local news and weather.

good morning, everyone. if you're waiting for somebody on 880, wait a while. >> expect if you're on 880 that you'll be waiting. northbound side of the coliseum, typically we see an 8:30

slowdown anyway, but this doesn't tell the whole story. an accident right around the oakland area, i couldn't see it from the live camera but it is reported in the heart of all that slowing up, northbound 880. slowing in the westbound direction. opposite side, 280 slow in both directions, rain hitting the pensula, w peninsula, watch the slick roads. more news after this. that's going to go right in your glove. ohhh. oh. see that? great job. ok, now let's get ready for the ball... here it comes... here you go. good catch. perfect! alright now for the best part. let's see your pour. ohhh...let's get those in the bowl. these are way too good to waste, right? oh, yea. let's go for it... around the bowl and...

[ male announcer ] share what you love... with who you love. mmmmm. kellogg's frosted flakes®... they're g-r-r-reat!™ good catch, dad. [ laughs ] jerry brine won't take office until next month, but already he's working on the state budget deficit. he's meeting today with state lawmakers and finance leaders in sacramento to talk about the

challenges that lie ahead. brown takes office january 3rd and he has to offer his first budget a week later. another update in 30 minutes. "the today show" returns in about one minute.

we're back with another hour of "today" on thi we're back. another hour of "today" on this wednesday morning, the 8th of december, 2010. another cold morning in the northeast. temperatures in the upper 20s, only going to the low 30s today. >> there's a breeze out there. these are great people who have gathered in the rockefeller plaza, in the shadow of the tree, all bundled up. we thank them for sticking

around. comiing up, the sad story o elizabeth edwards surrounded by family and friends on tuesday, at the age of 61, six years after being diagnosed benefit be breast cancer, in a live report on chapel hill. if you lost your job or money has been tight, our financial experts have at vice on everything from affordable housing to if your credit score is low to getting benefits. more than 40% of women say they will suffer through wearing high heels as long as they look good. i think i'm one of those. they could be causing major problems for your feet. we'll talk about the common foot ailments and how to prevent them. >> 3 inches. >> double stackers now. >> how do you walk in these things. first, ann is on assignment. you have a check of the top

stories. >> we have disaster in chile where officials say at least 81 inmates died in a prison fire that broke out in a riot in the capitol of santiago. family and friends are remembering elizabeth edwards. norah join us once again from chapel hill, north carolina. >> reporter: good morning. it was just monday we learned from elizabeth edwards she was ending treatment for her incurable cancer. in he final days of her 61 years of life, we learned she died peacefully, surrounded by friends, siblings, her estranged husband and the reason she fought so hard against this disease, her three children. for elizabeth edwards the end came at home late tuesday morning surrounded by friends and family who issued this statement. we have lost the comfort of elizabeth's presence but she remains the heart of this family. we love her and will never know

anyone more inspiring or full of life. >> i'm elizabeth edwards and tonight -- >> reporter: we first came to know him as the driving force behind her husband, john. >> i married him because he is the single most optimistic person i have ever known. >> reporter: sweethearts since law school, together, the edwards also face tragedy. in 1996, their oldest son, wade, was killed in a car accident when he was just 16 years old. >> i get the picture of his freckles. this was a righteous boy. >> reporter: on the same day her husband and john kerry conceded the election in 2004, elizabeth learned she had stage 3 breast cancer. she faced the disease head-on, forging her own public identity, fighting for universal health care. >> this is an issue that doesn't know political boundary, knows moral boundaries. >> reporter: when the cancer returned during john's presidential campaign in 2007, she refused to let breast cancer

define their life m. >> we will always look for the silver lining, who we are as piedmont and will continue to do it. >> reporter: but the edwards' 33 year marriage was rocked by scandal and this year, elizabeth separated from john, after learning he cheated and fathered a child out of wedlock. >> every time something monumental has happened in my life, particularly the bad things, i've had him to lean on. and that was no longer going to be the case. >> reporter: for elizabeth, it was always about her children. 28-year-old kate, 12-year-old emma claire and 10-year-old jack. she talked about them with matt. >> how have you prepared them for what you seem to be preparing yourself for? >> i don't want them to live everyday the remainder of my life, with the thought that i'm dying. i'm trying to make sure we give them memories. >> reporter: as the remembrances of elizabeth continue to pour in, one friend said it best. elizabeth did not want people to

say she lost her battle with cancer. the battle was about living a good life, and that she won. >> reporter: we learned today, natalie, elizabeth edwards died with a picture of her late son, wade, right at her bedside. president obama called elizabeth edwards' oldest daughter, kate and john edwards to offer his condolences and told by a family friend they are planning funeral services and announcement coming soon, likely this weekend. >> thank you so much. she taught so many people so much. meanwhile, the connecticut man whose wife planned two daughters were bri tautally murd in 2007 is speaking out to oprah about tragedy and forgiveness. >> we're talking about this interview and what i would ask or should ask, the word "forgiveness" kept coming up. i said, i don't even know how to, you know, phrase that term

to you. is it something that's a part of what you feel you need to do eventually, because of your religious beliefs? >> right now, no, i don't. i don't think you can forgive ultimate evil. you can forgive somebody who stole your car, you can forgive somebody who slapped you in the face, you can forgive somebody who insulted you. you can forgive somebody who caused an accident. i think forgiving the essence of evil is not appropriate. >> that interview airs on the oprah winfrey show tomorrow. a tourist cruise ship in the antarctic filled with americans is now limping back to shore towards argentina after getting slammed by massive waves that shattered windows and crushed its communications systems. none of the 161 people on board

was harmed. if you think your job is tough, look at this. a flag got tangled on the 200 foot pole of the roof of a florida hotel. the staff servant one brave man out there to pull old glory loose. that is a job not many would want. six minutes past the hour, you're up to date. >> for a second, i thought that was the guy coming off the flagpole. >> it did not end well. thank you very much? >> it's easy to get up, coming down -- >> that's it. >> workman's komp, rig ae's com. >> ouch! >> we have lake effective snow to talk about but a lot of cold arir affecting the country. we have 12 enatlanta and 64 in miami, 24 in new york city, 35 degrees. temperatures will moderate as the jetstream pushes up to the north. it will stay chilly in minneapolis but not as bad as it's been. new york city will stay in the

mid 30s, warming up a little to atlanta, 52 degrees and miami will see 75. another rain comes on shore. bad news, another blast of cold air is coming in early next week. lake-effect snows continue from eerie to water town, new york, some areas will see another 4-8 inches of snow. syracuse has now had 98 hours straight of snow, almost 30 inc here's a look at a very soggy commute across the golden gate bridge and it's about to turn more soggy. offshore a good line of moderate to heavy rain that will move into san francisco in the next half hour, falling around 101, there you see some of the moderate rain approaching pacifica and the coastline. down the coast you can see san jose still seeing light to moderate rain and more scattered showers around the the santa cruz mountains. rain off and on today turning to showers and sunny braks tomorrow. the weekend, warmer and dry. and that's your latest

weather. natal natalie? and that's your latest weather. natalie. al, thank you. this morning on "today"'s health, oh, my aching feet with holiday parties in full swing, millions digging into their closets for fashionable heels but at the expense of physical comfort. how do you protect your feet from style choices. we have a doctor and contributor to women's "health" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> we know they hurt. why exactly when you look at the foot anatomically, why do they hurt? >> they put so much pressure on the ball of the foot. just a 1 inch heel will increase the pressure by 22%. a 2 inch heel by 57% and a 3 inch heel by a wlhopping 76%, more pressure on the front. >> so those triple platforms we're seeing, i'm guessing triple all that? >> tremendous pressure. not to mention that angle your

foot is at creates a lot of tension in the calf. the calf gets tight and when you try to wear flats, it puts a lot of tension and can be painful. >> are some kinder than others, for example, wedges, or if you have a little bit in the front to even out the back? does that make it better? >> it does a little bit but still has an inclined and creates pressure with the toe box, your toes. >> bunions are a common foot ailment a lot of women face. that budging bone? >> it's the displacement of the first part of the foot where it juts inwards. the common problem is a tight pointy high heel. there are other causes if you are born with certain foot shapes can contribute to it or arthritis or injuries. >> how can you treat bunions? >> the first thing is proper shoe fit. stretchy, like a leather that can conform to the shape of your

foot. wearing orthotic insole can take the presh osure off and making e it can accommodate the widest part of the foot and the next step is this, taking the pressure off. if you're still having pain, as a last resort, surgery. >> after bunions, hammertoe pain. i keep thinking of the movie "boomerang," hammertoe. >> it is a bent deformity of the joint of the toe, typically caused by a shoe too short and butts against the tip and causes it to bend upwards so the toe does not lie flat. it can cause quite a bit of pain in the joint itself. >> exactly. what are possible treatment options here? >> one would be a splint such as this, tried as a first line treatment conservatively. the toe is inserted to the strap and pulls it flat and this pad goes under the foot.

it does not have a high success rate but worth trying. >> forces you foot to stretch out? >> forces the toe to lie flat. the next thing would be if you are having pain in the joint, have a cortisone shot by the podiatrist. the best permanent cure is surgery. moving to corns and callous, what's the difference between the two? >> both are thickened dead layers caused by pressure or thick layers on the foot. a corn is tip typically caused between the toes and has a core that can be sharp and painful. whereas callous is on the side and tends to be very flat, on the side of the foot. >> common treatment? >> first, soak your feet twice a week in the shower to get them nice and soft and take a pumice stone and gently rub until it turns pink and get a callous softening creme at the drugstore and if that's not enough, you can get a medical pedicure where

the podiatrist shaves them off. make sure you don't do it at the local nail salon where it may not be sterile equipment. >> next is plantar fashitis, a common foot problem, a lot of athletes have this as well, affects a lot of people. >> what it is, demonstrate on the skeleton, plantar tash ifas the band from the heel to the toe and creates afternoon support. when it gets inflamed it causes pain on the heel in the morning when you first put your foot on the ground. what causes this is high afternoons or flat feet, you don't have enough support, it can create this inflam meigs or staor -- inflation, or standing on your feet all day. >> quickly, treatment for that? >> ice, stretch, proper insole, if that doesn't work, ultrasound

therapy and if that does not work, therapy. >> ditch the heels after more than four hours? >> right. >> thank you very much. coming up next, finding a ouace to live when y tire ti has taken a beating and mo more answers to money emergency coming up. in 25 delicious flavors. yoplait. it is so good. with technology of the future. it's liquid-plumr foaming pipe snake. clears slow drains, cleans pipe walls. liquid-plumr foaming pipe snake. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated

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this morning on today's money 911, advice for your financial problems. we have got some answers for you. jean chatzky, the author of "money 911." and the author of "start over finish rich" and sharon epperson. we're going to get started, we're going to go to skype.

let's check in with sheryl, she's checking in from reno, nevada. good morning, sheryl. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> i was denied an airline miles credit card and the letter says the reason for the denial was you have sufficient balances on your resolving credit lines and you have sufficient credit available. so i wanted this particular card because of the miles program because i could share the miles with my daughter. so my questions are, why would they deny someone with a good credit rating and will this denial hurt my credit rating and what can i do to get the card? i don't see any numbers where you can talk to anyone. >> sheryl, if we could -- because that's a lot on the plate right now. let's get started. >> so, sheryl, they denied you because they looked at how much credit you've got out there and they think you could go on a bender at any point in time. they think you could go out and

spend a lot of money and then you wouldn't be able to pay their bill and that's what they're afraid of and that's why they turned you down. if you want more detail, go actually by a credit score with a report from myfico.com. it will show you exactly what the lenders are seeing and why they are considering you a greater risk. you might want to close another account if you're going to open this one, but i wouldn't do it until you get somebody on the phone and you talk to them about what you could potentially do. i also know they offer a secureded credit card. it's fine to take that as an alternative to this particular card. just pay the bills on time, eventually they'll convert it to a regular credit card and it will not hurt your score. >> thanks a lot, sheryl. >> now let's go to north carolina. on the phone, we have got bonnie from charlotte. >> caller: good morning. >> what's your question? >> caller: my home is now up for short sale and i'm looking for

an apartment. my question is most apartments require a credit check and since my credit is now ruined due to my delinquent credit history on my home loan, how am i going to be able to find a place? prior to my credit problems-- >> dow you have enough to pay a first payment and a second payment? >> yes, i do. >> you'll have no problem getting an apartment. there are large developers in major public complexes that may not approve you, but there are plenty of people like you who have properties that are dying for tenants. and if you can make a first payment and a security deposit, they will love to have you. there's over a million people a year going bankrupt and they're getting apartments. i have got on letters from people in the last two weeks that here in new york city they were able to get apartments and they have just gone bankrupt.

if you have an apartment that you really, really want, and they turn you down, write them a letter. tell them i'm a responsible person, i have the money and i would love for you to take me as a tennant. >> make sure you have the money in the account for the first and last security deposit, and when you present to them the whole package, that's what they want, they want your money. >> this is from a viewer in california who writes i'm currently going through a nasty divorce, my husband has a $30,000 debt and the credit cards are in his name. but i also know i'm responsible. he says he's not paying the debt. i have been a stay-at-home mom for the past five years, and have no job. what are my options here? >> the fact is that she's in california means that she's in a community property state so she

may very well be liable for these debts even though she didn't sign on the card. he may be holding this over his head just to get a better settlement for him. what she needs to do is protect herself. what's the best way to protect yourself? have some money, get a job and earn some income and pay what you may need to be able to pay. but look and see if there's any way she can negotiate with these debts. see if they can take a joint savings account, joint equity, and see how they're going to pay these debts. what's his, what's her hers, how are they going to divide it. >> we want to go outside to our crowd really quickly. michelle from texas has a question. good morning, michelle, go ahead. >> i have $90,000 worth of student loans and i was just curious if it was a smart decision to invest in a house. >> it depends if you can afford the house, right? if you look at the monthly payments on those student loans

and there is enough to still spend 35% of your income on housing, then okay, but if there's not, then you got to get rid of some of that debt first. >> here's the key. if people say to you, you should pay your student loans off first and then buy a home, you'll be 20 years getting ready to buy a home. if you can make minimum payments on those student loans and you can save enough for 10% for a down payment for a home and you need at least six months of expenses set aside before you're really ready to buy a home, the answer is yes. so many people will be buying homes this year and next year, and in fife or ten years, those homes will go up enough in value that you can pay off your student loans. >> but first she needs to find a way to whittle down those student lobe debts. >> a little bit later on, we're going to be answering more of your questions in a live web chat at 10:30 eastern, 9:30 pacific.

coming up next, how do keep your romance alive once baby arrives, but first these messages. i met my husband here. i got to know my grandkids here. we've discovered so much here together. but my doctor told me that during that time my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why i'm fighting my cholesterol... with crestor. along with diet, crestor does more than help manage cholesterol, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough. crestor is also proven to slow plaque buildup in arteries. crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. ask your doctor if crestor is right for you. i love it when we're here together. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

are at walmart, with everyday low prices and a price match guarantee on the toys your kids are wishing for! like u-build monopoly, the nerf n-strike stampede blaster and more. make christmas an even bigger blast! only at walmart. make christmas an even bigger blast! 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. our 17th annual holiday toy drive continues this morning. another generous donation for the tenth year in a row. john, good morning. ten years you've been helping us out. we really appreciate it. >> yes, ma'am, thanks for having us back, we appreciate it. >> crest white is all about making bright beautiful smiles.

today we're donating $100,000 to the toy drive. >> so wonderful. john, thank you so much. >> and thanks to crest and 3d it whe. white. >> we're back in a moment, but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪g ♪electronic santa song

good morning, everybody. 9:26. checking in with mike, the rain has made a mess of things even in the east bay. >> especially around the bay bridge toll plaza where a lot of folks come together here. the things are still slow, but moving better in the westbound direction than the eastbound. 580 clearing up, but 880 northbound still slow coming through oakland. slow drive, about 25 minutes off the bridge heading toward the toll plaza where the metering lights are on. heavier than we typically see and a lot of rain has come into

the city, pretty sluggish. rob, this is really hitting the commute pretty hard. >> yeah, you see some rooster tails behind some of the cars. you can see on the radar, we've got some of the heaviest rain across marin county's coastline, to the west of san francisco. you can see some downpours moving in. not so much in the south bay. the trend we're seeing here we're going to see pretty much off and on throughout the day today. most of the substantial or heavy rain will be from san francisco northward, all of us seeing highs in the mid-50s today between now and tomorrow morning will be the wettest stretch of your seven-day forecast. then we clear out th for foer eweekend. time now, 9:27. more news after the break.

hollywood shoppers in the east bay will be reminded of an unsolved murder of a community leader. 5:40 tonight, the exact place and time that substance abuse counselor david lewis was shot and killed six months ago. police say lewis died of a

single gun shot in june in a parking garage near nordstroms rather reportedly after a confrontation with the shooter. president obama is take a break from the podium to appear on an episode of "myth busters" tonight. the president will join the bay area's discovery channel show this evening, they'll try to break the mystery that greek scientist arc immediate he's used the sun reflection on the mirrors to set fire to the invading roman fleets in bc. he tam more local news, have a great morning. we'll see you back here in a bit. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

some people tried to kill me. >> i told you, we're reporting a murder. >> attempted murder. >> that's not so serious. >> it is if they're trying to kill you. that's johnny depp who stars with angelina jolie. the oscar nomineed actress explains what it's like to work with angelina. coming up in this hour, some great decorating ideas for the holidays.

>> if you're going for that for modern look, he's got some great touches to keep it festive and fun. >> it looks cool. >> it looks beautiful. >> cheese or chocolate? >> we're makie ining fondu. >> for a main dish for dessert. and just fyi, a little fondu etiquette. if something falls off while you're dipping, you have to buy a round of drinks. >> i'm going to make them drop it so i can get a drink. >> as far as your weather's concerned, you only want to do that once. a lot of rain in the pacific northwest. windy conditions as well. we're talking lake-effect snows

continuing around the eastern great lakes, record lows down through florida. as we move into tomorrow, temperatures moderate a bit. we have got some snow coming across the western great lakes, more rain in the pacific northwest. we'll have sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard, and here's a look at the bay bridge right now, and you can see kind of a slow commute there right around the toll plaza, weather not happening. highway 101 as you approach the golden gate bridge, you're getting slammed by pretty heavy rain and that will follow you into san francisco but notice around san jose, just scattered areas of rain. temperatures today in the mid to upper 50s, rain off and on into tomorrow morning, then just some scattered showers friday friday for t for the north bay, then dry for the weekend. t weather. let's head on down to washington and give a big hello to willie scott. the nicest christmas wreath you can get.

boys republic.org, smells like a spruce forest. it's the best. happy birthday to our birthday buddies today. nothing like it. alexandra wonder of downer's grove, illinois. happy birthday to you, plays her daughter in golf. and virginia poletti from rock land, maine. and we have adelyn brehm. a secretary for many years and her secret for longevity is just being a happy person and loving everybody. william wilson, conyers, georgia. world war ii veteran and attended the memorial here in washington when it was dedicated. and we have mary holland, what a

pretty name. delray beach, florida. attributes her longevity to praying bridge and having a peaceful mind. you can't beat that. considering that i don't have a mind that's very important. and here is madeleine davico and she is from engelwood, new jersey. 104, retired teacher, known for being a very great scrabble player. that's all from your nation's capital today. coming up next, dazzling designs courtesy of collin collie right after this. this christmas at sears, we've got a new favorite pair of jeans for everyone in the family starting at just $12.99! from bootcuts to cropped flares to skinnies in every wash and finish sears has the perfect fit for everyone on your list! go to sears.com/apparel to download your coupon for an instant $10 off a $50 purchase.

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bring them home for the holidays. this morning on "today" celebrates christmas, decorating your holiday table from christmas colors to a modern mirror twist. some great ideas how to decorate your dining table for the holidays. we always love having you in here because you inspire all of us to think outside the box and sometimes go with the traditional. >> make it look lavish without spending too much time or too much money. >> these are things you can kind of use throughout. >> definitely the holidays are the table clothe. >> it's a classic. >> it's a traditional classic, we used it as an extension of the table cloth and each one of the place settings. i love the idea of using the water goblets. it's lovely and of course for

valentines. you can see i have used the holiday ornaments to decide who's seated where. >> i like that how you personalized each one. that's my place sitting right there. you keep the centerpiece low, but you do like it full. >> to me the most important thing is you need to be able to look over the table to each other. with the berries, you can find them on any corner store. i have tipped the julep cup over to give it some flair. >> let's move on to our next, this is a disco winter wonderland. you've got the disco balls right on the place mats here. that's great. >> i used a white foundation.

you can find this at a craft store. and it's very easy to cut. there's about four pieces we put together to make this runner. and i anchored that with these centerpieces of flowers. this is one of my favorite flowers. we get that very contemporary beautiful look to them. if you're doing a long table. and we can do the candle a little bit. >> and the mirrored silver with white, it's such a beautiful sort of white winter wonderland look. >> you cannot only use this for christmas, but it would be spectacular for new year's. >> and you got the wine glasses. >> and these are your designed candlestick holders. >> and at each place setting, i like to have the water goblet, i think they're kind of chic and they really work together to give the whole idea.

>> gorgeous. okay, let's move on to a little bit more of the unclassical table. this is a peacock table. which is very appropriate for nbc. we love it. but this is a really neat thing, you're not using the frad additional holiday colors. i love this combination. >> tables have always followed fashion. so this was a big fashion color last year. and it's a nice thing in holiday ornaments. >> and i love the olives together with it. >> and fashioning this with around the neck. >> beautiful. and the peacock feathers. >> you can get them at a crafts stores michael's i would think. >> and for my centerpiece. this is just holiday ornaments, stacked together. i think it makes for a lovely lavish statement. >> and i like how you kept the

candlestick holders with the olives and the turquoise. >> and i cut it in half and i just interseconded it. if you're having multiple people at your table, you can just repeat the idea. that's it with all of the tables. you take one theme and you continue with the other theme as we go long. >> beautiful as always. >> coming up next, two delicious fondus for your holiday gathering. ow!

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holiday kitchen, a winter favorite, fondu. we have two recipes for the cheese and chocolate lover. zane holbrooke is the executive chef at the restaurant. this time of year fondu has made a big come back. >> we have the frgsondu pot and let's go. >> we have a cast iron fondu pot. you can leave this to your kids, it will last 50 years. rub it with a little garlic, i like to add a little flavor. >> obviously we're starting with the cheese fondu. >> we're starting with the cheese. i'm going to leave the garlic right in there. i'm going to add a little bit of white wine. it's a little lighter, i think it works with the cheese. and then we're going to add a little bit of cream. this is not a low fat dish.

>> no. >> it's all about flavor. fat is flavor. so we're going to get this going, we're going to add a pinch of salt and a little bit of pepper, easy times, easy recipes to make for the holiday season. >> are there any others that you could use? >> white cheddar works great. i like to do gorganzola. just as it comes to a boil, we're going to thicken it with just a little bit of cornstarch that's going to keep it all together as we cook. we're just going to add that in and stir as we go. >> it kind of melts. >> it goes right in. and then we just keep stirring until we incorporate. and then we're going to add -- you have to have a little bit of nutmeg to make a traditional fondu. so we're going to do a little bit of nutmeg in this. it's very easy, as you kind of

get the holiday party sprung. >> what do you use to dip? >> some rules, there's no double dipping. >> uh-huh. >> and if you lose your dip in the fondu, you have to buy the next round of drinks. >> cauliflower? >> some cauliflower and some baby potatoes. i like a nice, stout bread, a rye bread and a little day old crispy works great. and we have to finish with a little kiesh. stir that in, that cherry brandy that may make it a little more fun. >> all right, dessert. >> chocolate fondu is great. dark chocolate, milk chocolate, milk. i'll give you one of these. >> you stir that up.

>> chocolate fondu. kids will love this one. pound cake, cookies, we have some pears, apples. a little more branched brandy e children. >> how far in advance can you make the fondu? you have to make it to order, you can have your cheese chopped up. you can use more milk, more dark, kind of your preference. you want to do that just as your guests arrive, then you're done and you can enjoy your party. >> it's kind of a do it yourself party. >> it's an easy holiday party and great out on the mountain. >> sit by the fire. >> thanks for fonduing with me. >> kathie lee and hoda are going to be by to tell us what's coming up next.

we have got hoda and kathie lee here. >> who doesn't love chocolate? >> and the cheese. >> we need some croutons. >> we have fol -- flor ida. >> all that and so much more. but first your local news and weather. [ female announcer ] safeway talks hostess gifts.

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when you don't have to cook, you have time for other things. yeah, like what? i don't know. fishing. fishing?! i, uh, i said wishing. [ female announcer ] when we do the cooking, you do the enjoying. safeway. ingredients for life. well, good morning,

everyone. it's 9:56, it's almost 10:00, thinning out. >> so thinning out. we've had a tough morning in the south bay, for example, lighter rain in volume, but folks tend to hit the brakes. one around julian clearing. still very late around the south bay. cloudy skies and wet roadways 880 unusually slow, livermore moving smoothly. another shot of the wet roads slow northbound coming up past the coliseum. bit of a tough drive after a couple of accidents near high street. southbound side, headlights show you the water, across the san mateo bridge. we see the visibility and the clouds. >> a lot of rain across all the commute directions there across the bay area. you can see the heavy rain angling in san francisco northward into the north bay against. marine county into the

peninsula, san jose in and out of the rain drops, and this will be the trend during the day. the heavy rain is focused areas north of san francisco. could get one to two inches across part of the bay today. tomorrow, scattered showers. we trend drier for friday and the weekend looks good. dry and temperatures starting to warm up. >> a follow up to a story we brought you yesterday. the macy's santa fired for what some say was an inappropriate comment. he has a new job offer. lefty o'dual's bar has offered him twice the pay to help for their toy drive. a couple of shoppers complained about one of his risque jokes. >> i said, do you know why santa's so happy and jolly all the time? they said, no, santa. i said, because he knows where all the naughty girls and boys live. >> now do be clear, he says he only tells that joke to adults

and he hasn't had a complaint for the past 20 years. more local news in a half hour. "the today show" returns in about one minute.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, everybody. welcome to wines days. we'll pitch it up a notch today with a bunch of good stuff. >> look closely at each of us. >> it's an epidemic. it's fricking freezing all over. we have the solution. >> let's talk about the up temperatures first. in l.a. they had lows in the

40s, d.c. 39 degrees, atlanta 25, l.a. 48 tonight. florida is freezing and mexico is freezing, it's ice cold across the country. so we have something that might help you out. look. >> earmuffs. >> with hair on them. that is -- >> plo >> look at that. you stick it on your ear, and you go out and nobody knows. >> the hair comes in eight shades and the ear muffs in three sizes. >> here's the beauty of this -- >> my ears don't fitd in them, and the color is wrong. >> it's funny. >> maybe it does work, because if he could get your ear in there. it's called kapelliononline.com. >> they're $24.95.

if that doesn't keep you warm up, it's wines day. this is something you can really use. this is called vino solo. this is the genius of it. the bottle and the cap and the cup are all in one. >> it's so handy. let me do it. >> there you go. you do that. >> i'll take that one. >> there you go. >> and they should be on airplanes, because then they could hand you one thing and don't have to hand you the cup and come back. >> i think they would be thrilled. >> you can get merlot or chardonnay, 38.25 for a case. >> that's for a case. that's only 24 cups. vinosolo -- only 24 glasses of wine. >> that should get you through the flight to florida. we've had a lot of fun about spanx through the years, but it's only fair that men have the same opportunities to look as

s svelte as us ladies do. >> they are things you can squeeze into for men. women are used to crow barring ourselves into things and squeezing. >> and men let it fly. >> jerry wanted to see what it felt like to be like us. this is the before picture. >> not bad. jerry's in darn good shape. >> get in the exact same position jerry. hold on. it looks the same. it's a little flattened. >> how does it feel? do you feel hot and studly? >> i give you credit for wearing this stuff. >> is it comfortable? >> no. >> can you show us a little bit? come on. >> is it just a t-shirt -- >> it's a t-shirt. >> it's a t-shirt. >> all right, jerry. i'm sorry. jerry. just so you know a friend of

mine was in one and had difficulty getting out. >> it's difficult getting in. >> how far do those go down, jerry? >> leave jerry alone. that's enough. jerry, thank you. those are spanx for 38 bucks. >> prices start at. if you want the full sausage, i don't know. >> oh, my god. >> okay, okay. in the house with us we have one of my favorite singers. >> you love this guy. why don't you run off together, because you adore him? >> we should. when we started our play list, one of the very first songs i played was this one. ♪ party until the a.m. you all don't understand ♪ ♪ in the a.m. a.m. ♪ owe hot damn this is my jam

>> it's right there on the couch. we're so excited. >> he looks ready for the holidays. >> he's going to talk to us about a lot of things. he has a foundation. >> he's a good guy. in the meantime flow has to wait a minute. we had an incident on the red carpet the other day. jacqueline bisset is with us the other day. she's godmother of angelina jolie. this is what a "new york post" intrepid reporter saw the other night. look where brad pitt's hand in. >> tts bun fun for pitt mitt. >> do you like to be man handled, cradled by your -- if it's your boyfriend or husband in public or is it embarrassing? >> when frank does it, i

think -- it's just proprietary, this is my property. guess what, buddy? >> guess what what? >> there's a time or place for everything, and i don't like it out in public. >> here's a question. everybody's here, and he's behind you and no one can see. just only the two of you. not a picture like you, the two of you, then what? >> i still don't like it. >> i think it's fun if you're the only two who know what's going on. >> she seems to be liking it. can you get a shot of her face. she's definitely okay with it. >> yes. >> i don't blame her. that's a personal choice. i don't judge. that's the way i roll. >> elderly men still want sex. 100-year-old men -- centenarians still want action. this australian study found one in five guys approaching 100 find sex important. women not so much. we're done with na.

>> the problem is men have all kinds of options out. when it used to peter out naturally, now there's all kinds of stuff. they're running around like jerry, a pervert in spanx. not jerry, because he -- >> why did you say that? >> fuactually, maybe jerry. we don't know what he does on his time off. >> he's happily married. >> that's the story you tell, jerry. who really knows. >> that's terrible. so there was -- we saw video today that was amazing. it was one of those cruise ships, and at first i said oh, my gosh. that had to be what hell is. a small cruise ship. look what's happening here. 150 people on board and it hit rough seas. look at it it. >> between the tip of south america and south shetland islands off of antarctica. >> it's hard to believe only one person was hurt. >> how high were these waves?

>> it was a rouge wave at first. >> 30 feet. >> it's almost one of the most danger bodies -- you want to wear a spanx at a time like that. >> that is awful. what does that mean? why would you wear spanx? >> to feel a little more secure. you don't want to be flopping all over the place. >> you know what's weird about spanx. i didn't used to wear them, and now i feel like if i don't have them, i didn't want to get dressed. you become so used to it and feel naked without them. some wear them without underwear, they just wear spanx. it's like the same thing. >> very few people in this world like angelina jolie and don't need it. >> ho do you know she didn't have them on? >> matt saw her and the other day and interviewed her, and she's naturally very, very thin. >> she is thin. >> did i get out of that without getting in trouble. >> the healthiest states on the

planet. let's talk about the unhealthiest state first. >> it's always mississippi. louisiana is next and then arkansas, nevada and oklahoma. >> this is consistent apparently, so they're not doing much to change thing. >> the healthiest is vermont. i wonder why that is. >> i don't know. >> maybe it's healthy, clean living. they're active, a lot of skiing going the on. >> it's also taught in the schools. i don't know. we have a little bit of sad news, which you all probably heard of already, that elizabeth edwards did pass away last night surrounded by her loved ones. >> i felt like she was just here. we were talking to her -- >> she was here this summer. >> i was talking to her downstairs by the staircase, and it's hard to believe that from that minute to today it happened so quickly. i like how she said -- i remember she said it then and lsd it repeatedly, she wasn't

defined by any of they are tragedies. she never saw her life as the person with cancer or the person going through a difficult marriage. >> or the mother that lost her child. >> mother that lost her son. she was very hopeful. i so admired her. you just want to take a little bit of what she has to give. >> i think we have a bit of tape from when matt was interviewing her that touched both of us. listen. >> in the last paragraph in your book, because i think it's stirring. i have said before that i do not know what the most important lesson in that i will ever teach my children. i know when they're older and telling their own children about their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way and it surely has not, she adjusted her sails. that's what you want them to know? >> it is. as i said, i don't know what the most important lesson is, but i hope that it is that when bad things happen, it's easy to get through the good days.

when bad things happen, you have the strength to face them. >> she probably has no idea how many women, people she touched outside of her own inner circle. >> she didn't want it to be discussed when she passed that she had lost her battle with cancer, because the battle was to live a great life and that battle she won. >> absolutely. >> god bless her family. >> up next, we'll talk to one of my favorite artists. >> i love him, too. in case you didn't know there was only one flow and we'll be him right round the corner.

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i'm not sure if you're studio can handle it. we're here with flo rida. >> he was collecting toys for the annual gift drive. but what he's here to talk about is what's going on in his world along with his new cd titled "only one flo." >> love it. >> how are you? >> i'm fine. i'm definitely excited. my brand new album is in stores and i'm home for the holidays. this time last year i couldn't enjoy any family. >> where is home for you, flo? >> miami, florida. >> these past three years i've been on the road traveling and

doing tours. now, mom and everybody is coming home. we're going to celebrate. >> what is she going to cook, your mom? >> macaroni and cheese, collard greens. >> that's so christmassy. >> it doesn't matter who your son is, she's mama and her boy's coming home. that's so cool. >> tell us about this -- this song is such a hit. you sang it here for us in our studio, and every time i turn on mtv or vh1 in the morning that song is popping up. >> it just has a national appeal and energy. looking at the video, a lot of times i go to the club and they mimic everything in the video. when i first heard the record, just the name of the song alone "the club can't handle me," it's their anthem. >> what surprised you the most all over the world, what place did you think that maybe

wouldn't get you got you better than anybody did? >> the first time winti went to japan. all the fans came out and didn't know my language, but the songs they can relate to. >> they knew the words? >> know every word. >> you'd feel right at home it there. >> i'd love japan. >> really just hold out the mike, and they can sing every verse. >> you have a foundation near and dear to your heart. tell bus that. >> big dreams for kids. i was inspired growing up in the projects where we weren't fortunate to have, you know, all the money in the world and everything. we had different celebrity guests come out alongside of a christian organization where they instilled in us to dream big. the late great reggie white was one of the guys. he's been in this environment of drug, killing and everything, you don't have to focus on that. you can focus on your dream and

get towards more positive things. play basketball, things like that. that was instilled in me. i went back to my projects and started my charity and spoke to the kids. just that little speech he gave stayed in my heart. >> a lot of kids, when they start in the projects, they end in the projects. that's the end. you didn't. was it just that one thing, or what helped you get out? >> most definitely mom. she's very loyal and spoke to me and my sisters every day about always sacrificing towards all positive things, nothing negative, put god first. we don't have anythieverything,e have everything as long as we trust in god and work hard. i always knew to work hard, because even though things didn't come as fast as i wanted to, i seen every progression. >> baby steps. >> did you want to be a musician from the earliest early stage? >> oh, yeah. i remember my sisters having a gospel group. a lot of times they would be

singing and i'd sing in the background to myself like, wow, i want to be part of that. >> you're the baby? >> yeah, i'm the only boy. >> they must love you like nothing else? >> i have a twin sister. >> was your mom a real strict disciplinian on you? >> oh yeah. you could actually eat off the floors it was so clean in the house. she always instilled in my sisters to keep a clean house. we live right here. keep it clean, and for the most part we just followed her rules. >> what's going to happen when you finally bring that special woman, hoda, home to the family? is anybody going to be good enough, hoda, for your family? >> of course hold da will. . >> would that be all right, right? >> yeah. >> merry christmas to me. this is good. thank you so much. >> we love you, flo. you're just a doll. >> good luck with this cd and the foundation and everything. >> thank you very much.

>> that's what gospel means, right? good news. >> right. up next sarah haines will let you say what? >> you might be surprised what you learn about your favorite holiday songs. first, these messages. you see the big turkey for thanksgiving? ♪ [ grandma ] okay. ♪ ah. then we will all do it together. treats. teets...teets...teets... yeah. look at this. [ female announcer ] it seems like the best family traditions always start in the kitchen. ♪ rice krispies®. happy holidays. rice krispies®. to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing

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god i love that song. we're back with our news series that makes you stop and say "what the what?" >> we want photo that is made you look twice or look away. sarah is here to share a few of them. >> we have some doozies. this is the bucket shot. the caption is -- this was sent in by terry from oregon. this is why we don't jump on the bed. she heard a muffled hello, help me. for those at home, he was not hurt. he survived but will not jump on

the bed. this was sent in from jennifer brown. this is the sotp sign. do you know anything stopped to tell him to point it out to him? >> why would you do that? it took a while to paint that. didn't anyone notice? >> i don't think anybody stopped him because they didn't know how to. >> poor thing. >> the next wung we have was sent in by cheryl thomas from overland park, kansas. >> is that a skunk? >> yes, hanging on for dear life. he was driving down the street and i looked over what the what? she said that's a skunk, i think. >> usually you drive through that odor and it goes away. >> the truck didn't know how to stop because it was at the sotp. >> that's like don't tailgate. >> the next one is from amy wells from pennsylvania. this guy is using a leaf blower to clear his car. this was her son's way of

cleaning snow off the car. >> if it's light snow, it works. it's good for the environment, isn't it? >> they have to use fuel. >> the last one was sent in by julie tuber from monroe, washington. you wouldn't believe me if i told you. >> it's a llama. >> you can love llama, but you shouldn't love llama. >> don't judge, all right? >> i'm not judging. don't forget to go to klgandhoda.com and send in photos. >> still to come, find out what you didn't know about some of your favorite holiday songs when we play "who knew?" >> we'll be back with jacqueline bisset after your local news. [ bob ] i'd love to build bird houses for the rest of my life.

so i've got to take care of my heart. for me cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] to keep doing what you love, take care of your heart with cheerios. the whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. love your heart so you can do what you love.

funny how nature just knows how to make things that are good for you. new v8 v-fusion + tea. one combined serving of vegetables and fruit with the goodness of green tea and powerful antioxidants. refreshingly good. good morning, everybody. it's 10:26. want to look at your latest morning commute. >> the bay bridge toll plaza, sizeable backup. not as bad as yesterday with you the wet roads from delayed to the commute. backup just to the back of the 880 overcrossing there and still have the metering lights. we'll get a look at the low visibility coming over the hill and still slow southbound heading over into free month. no pager delays except here through the southbound direction, but we should see

some more wet roads causing issues as you're getting off of the freeway. oakland 880 jams into downtown. you see the head lights, keep the head lights on. three people in that shot should be getting tickets. >> yeah, they're actually increasing hopefully the stopping distance between the car in front of them because we do have a lot of wet roadways now. already a half inch of rain and more flying now around san rafael over to san francisco and oakland, moderate rain. but notice what happens here, the rain is a little more scattered i think, obviously the heaviest amounts of rain will fall for areas north of san francisco, maybe one to two inches around the north bay. mid50s for highs everywhere today. tomorrow, a little less rain, just scattered shows, then we dry out in time for the right w ti right i now is 10:27. more news after this short break. s

three months later, survivors in san bruno are still fearful and frustrated. residents blasted city leaders during a forum last night. they claim city leaders are holding on to nearly $400,000 in donations instead of distributing it to families in need. the city says what may want to do is make sure the money used for expenses that pg&e does not cover. residents are also upset with the state puc saying they don't trust the agency to protect them from future explosions and they want more transparency and more questions answered. >> three months have passed and we have no idea what happened.

we have major gas lines going through our neighborhood that we were not aware of. and we don't feel safe. >> the puc promised more inspectors and to take a closer look at the problems. thanks for joining us this morning. "the today show" continues coming up next. ♪ he sings a love song ♪ as we go along walking in a winter wonderland ♪ >> i wonder who sings that? today's topic is holiday songs. kathie lee is singing that song and is across the street at the digital cafe. she's ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who get the questions right and those who don't get kathie lee's cd. what a shame. bill is here to help me out with fun facts. bill came with gifts. thank you for the eggnog. >> a little holiday xheer on

wines day. >> there's three ladies from new jersey. they're a guise wi they're a guy with them, and he won't tell me why. you're the spokesman. which has topped the billboard holiday song list since last year? which one in the past year? >> i think we'll go with b. >> b. >> wait a minute. what was b? >> it was mariah carey. >> he's right. i'll give it to you. >> wow. number one, mariah. >> she's a force. if you look at billboard.com, they have christmas charts every year. if you look at the top ten on radio and sales, all of these sojs are older than dust. mariah is the only new entry. the song came out in '94. it was top ten all over the globe. people think of this song as a classic already. they don't realize that it's a

new song. >> great song. back across to kathie. >> this is their first christmas together since they got married in april. finish the lyric to this holiday favorite. >> deck the halls with boug holly -- >> don me now our gay apparel. >> you didn't want to do that, did you? that's right. all right. >> they got it. so the answer again is don we now our gay apparel. >> the man in the gingham shirt knew all about the gay apparel. it's perfect. this is happy. it's wines day, right? this dates back to a 15th century welch tune. mozart actually worked this into some of his compositions. classic. >> back to kathie.

>> i don't like the tone of this crowd. it's turning ugly. you're from las vegas. in the song "the 12 days of christmas" what is given on the seventh day? >> seven maids a milking. >> seven swans aswimming. >> you got a kathie lee cd. >> so the correct answer is seven swans aswimming. >> what's interesting about this song to me and a lot of people debate, did you know what the meaning is of all these different things? >> no. >> no one else does either. >> historians and experts. the song is actually literally gibberish. it's a centuries old folk song that evolved that way. it's actuals colly birds, c-o-l-l-y. what do calling birds? colly birds mean black birds in

brit speak. >> these folks from from defiance, ohio. i love that. finish these words by adam sandler. hanukkah is the festival of lights, instead of one day of presents -- >> what is it? >> you're not jewish, are you? >> no. >> one day of presents? >> you want to guess? how about you just take the cd and go on home. >> and the answer is? eight crazy nights. >> if you don't mind, i'll rock the world for a minute. there's a line in the song where he says o.j. simpson not a ju but guess who is, rod carrew. rod carrew, ladies and gentlemen, not jewish. what?

>> he married a jewish woman and he's a baptist. >> clear it up. thank you, bill. back across. >> who knew? all righty, you're from dallas, texas. in the song "frosty the snowman" he has a button nose but what kind of pipe. finish the lyrics. frost yi the snowman was a jolly happy soul. >> corncob pipe. >> she got it. >> of course the version he did during the tv version, gene autry first reported in this 1949. >> thank you for all of your knowledge. and again, hello to your mother. when we come back jacqueline bisset brings back an old-fashioned christmas. we can't wait. that's right after this. back in agriculture. culture

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international film star jacqueline bisset stars in a new movie making its world premiere this weekend on the hallmark channel. >> it's called "an old-fashioned christmas," and she has xhois words for an irish potato farmer. >> your rude behavior brings shame to the irish people. good-bye.

>> good-bye, witch. >> you're repeating yourself, old goat. >> sharp tongue. tell that farmer. >> to nice to see you again. thanks for coming to see us. tell us about your role in this movie. >> you said part of it it. it's actually a continuation of a film i did, it's a sequel to an old-fashioned thanksgiving. we're taking the young lady to ireland to help her become a writer. i want to introduce her to a man that was important to me in my earlier life. it also explains it, and they have a very dishy young man, young son my granddaughter gets very infat waited with. >> she's 18 just coming into the world, and she has a fiance back home in america. she has two really sweet, handsome gorgeous guys running after her, and i'm trying to control things. i'm extremely controlling.

i'm a bit of -- a little bit tough. >> but for the right reasons? >> vulnerable as well and all that. >> you must have loved the character portraying her again. it must have done well? >> what can i say? it's fun. it's fun. it's a nice role. >> congratulations are in order, because you got this terrific award in france. >> you're looking at us like i did? >> you forgot the legion of honor award. that must have felt pretty nice. >> it's the highest artistic award. it's pretty high. olivia de1havilin won it. sarkozy gave to me. >> your mother was french? >> part french. >> people think you are. >> everybody mispronounces my name. i don't care. >> we did not know you were

angelina's godmother. you must have been close to her mom? >> mom. unfortunately, i'm not very close to angelina. i don't know her very well. i know her a lot through my relationship with her mother, and i'm certainly fascinated by all her endeavors and energy. >> you've had this incredible career, and you continue to have an incredible career. when people say your name, often, i'm sorry to say, the first thing that pops in their head is the movie "the deep" and the wet t-shirt. >> we're not showing it. we're tasteful. does it bug you? >> it's 30 years ago. >> but they can't get it out of their heads, people. >> yeah, like i'm 18 and i just saw "the deep." please, god. >> two great reasons to remember "the deep." come on. >> i'm flattered in a way. >> look how you turn a little red. >> i get embarrassed easily.

>> you made many great quotes, but the one where you say about your dogs. when your dog pees on the carpet you don't -- >> you don't get rid of him. how to deal with a man doing something you don't like. when a dog -- this is not my quote. >> it isn't? >> i like it. when a dog pees on the carpet. you don't get rid of them, you just teach him how to do other things better. i can't remember exactly the quote. >> men have to be caught things. >> yes. >> your skin looks crazy amazing. >> does it? i'm using this product i'm a spokesperson for, the avon new pla flat nu platinum, and i do love it. >> you said i look better than last time. >> you do. i apologize. what i love so much is what you said about plastic surgery and everything else.

this is what god has given you and great beauty, and you're comfortable letting life -- >> who said i was comfortable? >> you did. you're not going to go that way. >> no. i think it takes a lot of courage to do that. somebody lsd something to me once, you can only be original once. >> great stuff like that. >> it was about a car. i was in a car. i found out apparently that an original car absolutely is untouched and when it's old and beautiful it's worth more than a car that's been tarted up. >> tarted up. >> yes. i was in a museum with the french antique cars. i said there's my palestine. you can only be an original once. >> we love having you here. >> it airs on the hallmark channel saturday. >> coming up next, advice for all parent who is traded incide intimate see for infant see.

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whether you have one child in the house or an entire little league team, chances are your sex life has taken a back seat to just about everything. >> they say it doesn't have to be that. dr. hutchinson is an ob/gyn and the author of the new ebook called the good in bed guide and sex in the baby years. these two kids got together, you know what i mean? >> perfect match. >> it's obviously no secret when you have children, you know, your sex life goes down. i didn't know it was 90%, though? >> it has to for a short time at least, doesn't it? >> for a short time you can't get back in the saddle, so to speak. from the university of denver they did a study that showed 90% of new parents for years after having a baby reported decline in satisfaction. >> is it a chemical hormonal

thing? are you too tired? what is it? >> it's a combination of hormones and fatigue and let's face it. when we become mothers, we focus on our children more than we do on our relationship, and that's what this book is about. keeping that relationship fresh and sexy. >> it goes from recreation to p procreation. there's six weeks or so until a woman should resume the -- >> six weeks for a normal delivery and eight weeks for a cesarean. >> often with my friends, too, the young child sleeps in the bed with them. that really puts -- what's the advice for that? >> babies should never be in the bed. don't even start it. it's difficult to get them out. >> i think that's the thing. it's a new trend for moms who work, a lot of moms say it's so much easier to nurse in the bed and let the baby fall asleep in

the bed. i have a 7-year-old in the bed every night. i can't get him out of the bed. >> in your bed? >> in our bed. >> how are things going? >> there you go. there's your answer. >> he takes long weekends away with his wife. >> you say do basics, a date night? >> yeah, make time. >> you have to remember that you're still a couple. we tend to become parents. we forget that we're a couple, and going out helps that. >> can i tell you. i'm sure hilda does, too. parents ared toddlers and have not yet gone on a date night. if you're pregnant, find your baby-sitter now. >> i think my first child was 16 before we went out. >> how did your sex life suffer after that? >> i had three more kids. >> so three more times? >> i think for a locality of women it's a self-esteem issue.

you put on weight and don't feel good and you're tired. >> you have to work on that self-esteem. the guy is saying i still love you. you're beautiful. i tell women you have to listen to that. >> but the brain is really the major sex organ. how do you change the brain about how you feel, if it's going to control the rest of your body? >> i think this is a great area where a lot of guys are rearing to go. we think our wives are sexier than ever, and mom doesn't feel sexy because she's a mom. that's a great area where women can communicate to the guys a little bit about the kinds of things to help her feel sexier. >> you say just do it. having sex begets more sex. >> it's just as important as taking care of your child, taking care of that relationship. you make sex a priority. you just do it. >> just do it. >> as long as you can, and apparently for you men that's way past 100. good news for everybody

involved. >> if you want to know more, they will stick around to answer your questions live via web chat. hilda will be with us too in the house. >> we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc. lightning fast. lightning strong. verizon 4g lte.

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as you know flo rida was here to help with the annual toy drive. >> we're so thankful for those who donate. >> we would like to welcome a first time donation from heed dethompson, the president of sensi. >> these are kooult. >> anything with corduroy. you go crazy. each one is made up a little differently. >> we're donating these adorable stuffed animals, and not only -- they also are scented, so they

have a little scented pouch. >> scentsy. >> it's an adorable stuffed animal that smells good. >> you were a stay-at-home mom and stayed home and xart five kids around. >> you make the rest of us look bad. >> i try, i try. >> how many are you donate sng. >> we're donating 100,000 scentsy buddies worth $2.5 million. >> you are amazing. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> they are gorgeous. >> happy holidays. there are lots of other ones, elephants and frogs. >> thank you so much. >> please remember, come down to the plaza and bring a gift for the child up to age 18, donate online. >> tomorrow great gift ideas for all the guys in your life. >> tomorrow great gift ideas for all the guys in your life. good-bye, everybody. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com