good morning. wild weather. a tornado rips through iowa knocking out power and damaging buildings. this as forecasters say even stronger severe weather is expected today. we're tracking the storms. open for business. president obama surprises tourists at the lincoln memorial less than 24 hours after the deal to keep it and the government open. but with both sides of the aisle claiming victory, a new budget battle looms ahead. and be our guest. less than three weeks to the big day new details about the celebrities, the commoners and the exes invited to the royal wedding. some surprising names that apparently made the cut.

today is sunday, april 10th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolfe. just 19 days until the royal wedding. interestingly enough we haven't ess at all.out the wedding i we don't really talk about it. i didn't even know it was happening. >> we are getting a list now. apparently people invited. imagine those people trying to figure out what to wear. i know they gave guidelines on the invitation. we're learning more about the exclusive guest list, some celebrities we might expect are on the list, but some surprises. both kate and william have invited some ex flames to come. it could be interesting. we'll get the latest in just a bit. >> maybe they need a ringer. just some random no-name person. >> one of us. >> exactly.

that can come in. anyway. meanwhile, back here at home, we're watching some is severe weather on a more serious note. this twister ripped through iowa yesterday, one of several that touched down. luckily no one was killed or where is it all heading?le we'll let you know. >> show you some pretty amazing photos. a man and his son were diving in the caribbean when they got a advice frit a pretty giant friend, a whale just feet from them. they caught it all on camera. some terrific pictures. we'll find out what that experience was like when we talk to the diver in just a bit. >> that picture is unbelievable. that was his son -- >> posing. >> exactly. and then speaking of the sea, check out these waves. it's a place called mavericks on the california coast. these waves can get as high as 60 feet, if you can believe that. even more remarkable are the surfers who take them on. what makes them do it? we're going to find out and ask them in our next half hour.

>> it's not just the height of the waves, it's dangerous rocks and reefs. >> you have to factor what's above and underneath at the same time. it's a dangerous group of waves. >> look forward to seeing more on that. first the latest on the severe storms that ripped through the midwest. more is on the way. janice huff is tracking the storm. good morning. good morning, lester. there were 27 tornado reports in iowa alone yesterday. wn of mapleton, iowa, with the extreme amount of debris causing lots of power outages across the area. you can see that is a pretty large storm and one of the largest tornadoes that we can see, that we could find. there will be more tornadoes today. this morning we're seeing strong thunderstorms moving through the upper midwest. an area that doesn't usually have severe weather outbreaks until later in the season. for today this area shaded in red across wisconsin down to chica chicago, northern illinois, that's your greatest chance for those big tornadoes today moving eastward. ere's about a 75% chance or greater that you will see strong tornadoes in this area.

otherwise, severe thunderstorms are likely from the great lakes down to the gulf coast today. and tomorrow it looks like it shifts east towards pittsburgh, back down to birmingham. a slight risk there as well. so spring is here for sure, lester. back to you. >> we'll see you in a bit with the national forecast. along with severe storms, flooding along the red river in north dakota. the weather channel's gentleman knell kleine is along the banks for us this morning. janelle, good morning. >> reporter: this is the third spring in a row moorhead has reached what is considered major flood stage and yet there is no sense of panic here in the city. that is because people here are so much better prepared. 12,000 volunteers spent the last two months preparing 2.5 million sandbags. sandbags which are now lining the banks and on the other side in moorhead, minnesota. in addition the cities have bought out some of the homes that are the most threatened and in their place built clay levees. that doesn't mean there is a

sense of relief here, however. 600 national guard troops are patrolling those levees and those sandbag walls to make sure there are no breaches or breaks. they are also keeping a very close watch on the weather. thunderstorms today and high winds could pose a threat. white caps are one concern because they could cause that water to go over the sandbags or more likely, lester, make them wet and, therefore, weaken them. >> janel kleine, thank you. the latest on the deal to keep the government open. mike viqueira is with us. good morning. >> reporter: they're calling it that deal that they struck late friday night. the biggest annual spending cut in american history. and both sides are taking credit even as they prepare for a much bigger budget battle to come. for washington tourists this weekend, a double treat. a surprise visit from the president at a lincoln memorial still open for business.

>> because congress was able to settle its differences, that's why this place is open today and everybody is able to enjoy their visit and that's what kind of future cooperation, i hope we have going forward. this is what america is all about. >> reporter: the deal was made just 90 minutes before the government would have partially shut down. >> the motion is adopted. >> reporter: and the president warned the budget cuts he agreed to will be painful. >> but beginning to live within our means is the only way to protect those investments that will help america compete for new jobs. >> reporter: though there are some conservative holdouts, house speaker john boehner is getting good reviews from republicans. >> this has been a lot of discussion and a long fight. we fought to keep government spending down because it really will, in fact, help create a better environment for job creators in our country. >> reporter: but the battles have just begun. all told the new agreement cuts just $1 in $100 of federal spending and next week house republicans will vote on a bigger, even more controversial

plan to slash the national debt beginning with next year's budget. >> if we stay on the current path we are heading to a debt-fueled economic crisis meaning massive tax increases, sudden cuts to vital programs, runaway inflation, all free. >> reporter: aides in congress hope to have it for a vote on wednesday and then they start that big budget debate the very next day. lester? >> mike viqueira, thanks. with this year's budget taken care of, congress now moves on to deciding on next year's budget and whether to raise the debt ceiling. for are more we're joined by david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." good morning to you. >> hey, lester. >> watching the president jog up the steps, looked like a victory lap. he and the democrats gave up a lot more than they originally intended to. so what's to celebrate? >> well, i think what the president is trying to do is appear to be botch the fray. to say to the american people, look, i ultimately averted this.

i was able to bring the sides together and, you know, keeping the lincoln memorial open while still making a lot of cuts. this is a campaign theme here. you are going to hear the president say things like, we've got to get serious about cutting the deficit. we have to be serious about cutting government spending but i'm not as ex tratreme as the o guys who want to do that. if he gets the message out in the way he hospitals to the white house thinks he's in a better position. >> let me ask you about john boehner. this was his first big test as house speaker. mike mentioned the republicans are pleased with how he did. are democrats viewing him as a tougher adversary after the last week? >> i think they have to. look, the upside is that republicans in many ways are in control of the debate, right? cutting government spending, perhaps even taking on the entitlements, these have become front and center issues now that the white house has to engage in. the difficulty for speaker boehner is that he has key party caucus that is not as interested in legislating, in compromising.

they are much more of a purity test here about the debt, about the debt ceiling. that makes it very difficult for him to ultimately find compromise and work with the white house. >> and they have both gone to their respective corners to figure out the next battle, this whole debt ceiling question. what have they learned and how the american people have reacted to it and how will it play out? >> the one thing both parties understand in this shutdown particul particularly with the military piece and the notion that we are going to delay payments to our soldiers fighting wars in afghanistan and iraq, that would be unacceptable. you want to see public backlash against washington, that would be unacceptable. but this was still a spectacle and i don't think the americans are very pleased what they thought of their government this week. that has to inform what's going to happen next. here is the problem. we're really beginning a campaign season so these battles are going to be drawn out and they are going to be taken, frankly, as they were 15 years ago to a presidential election to fight about these issues once

and for all. >> i know this is topic number one on "meet the press." who are your guests? >> senior adviser for the president as well as paul ryan, the guy to see on the budget these days, the house budget chairman, republican, of course, and he has a new plan out that is quite controversial and others see it as quite ambitious. >> "meet the press" later on nbc. thanks. >> thanks, lester. a check of the morning's other top stories with melissa francis. good morning, everyone. we begin with an investigation into a possible serial killer in new york. "the new york times" reports investigators are considering the possibility the killer could be an active or former law enforcement officer. eight bodies have been found on a remote desolate area of long island since december. four of the identified victims were prostitutes. they believe the suspect has a sophisticated understanding of police investigative techniques. and a west texas firefighters

have their hands full with an out-of-control wildfire. the blaze has burned more than 125 square miles. it's been burning since wednesday. but firefighters have none of it contained thanks to dry and windy conditions which are also expected today. ledgendary film director sidney lumet has died. he made classics like "12 angry men" and "the verdict." he was nominated five times for an oscar and received a lifetime achievement award. al pacino tells nbc news lumet was, quote, the kindest man i've ever known. lumet was 86 years old. and finally if you have big bucks, you may be able to buy a piece of liz taylor luxury. christie's auction house says it has reached an agreement with taylor's family to sell her prized jewelry collection estimated to be worth $150 million. her collection includes some of the world's most opulent diamonds. christie's will sell some of her art, clothing and other memorabilia. dates will be announced later this spring.

that is the news. lester, jenna and janice, back to you. jenna, i guess we can go shopping after we get back from the royal wedding, right? >> yes, done, finished. i was going to say, your wife would probably love something like that, $150 million, buy the whole collection. sort it out. >> a little bauble maybe. >> janice is back with a check of the national forecast. hey, janice. it's quiet in the northeast. we talked about the midwest and parts of the plains going to see day.re weather to right now strong thunderstorms moving across the upper midwest and the great lakes this morning over portions of wisconsin and michigan but it gets worse this afternoon. the strong risk of severe storms and tornadoes from chicago into wisconsin today. be on the lookout and a mixture and we're going to see a few extra clouds as we head through sunday. right now, low clouds and probably a little bit of drizzle in a few spots. off to the west, more clouds. that system will weaken by the time it reaches the bay area,

but it willnd toss more clouds r way today. highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. tomorrow for the north bay, a chance of a few showers, cool and breezy start to the week. and we warm up nicely, highs closer to 70 by friday. now here is jenna. and now to the royal wedding just 19 days away and we have surprising new details about who will be in attendance. live in london we have the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. deciding who to innovate and who not to invite to your wedding can be, let's say, a little bit tricky. when it's a royal wedding, you can imagine the diplomatic issues involved but it is the invitation from william and kate's personalized that really got people talking this morning. it is the must-have ticket to the social event much of the

decade. kate and william's choices of guests in just a few weeks is raising a few eyebrows. there are the celebrities, soccer star david beckham, guy richie and the comedian atkinson will be there. many of the guests are people the couple is not close to or even may not know. >> whatever you think about a royal wedding it's all predecided and basically it is a networking business venture. the royal family invites people you wouldn't necessarily know. why would they know a king of wherever. >> reporter: there will also be many old friends in attendance and even former flames. there are tickets for william's ex-girlfriend, his first love, and there are a couple of young men that have been close to kate in the past. then there are invitations from the soon-to-be in-laws, kate's parents and of course the queen. who would have thought she had that many friends but i'm assuming that it's because on facebook she has been poking

people. all will attend the hottest party of their lives. which wi william and kate are said to be planning to erect a nightclub inside buckingham palace following the certificaemony. that will be quite something and only the most privileged will get to see it. now guests of the evening entertainment include the queen and the duke but it's thought they will leave after dinner to allow the young ones to party. guests who share in kate and william's past will be celebrating their future together. >> keir, thank you. meet the man behind these remarkable up close and personal photos. it's tough to run with congestion. so i'm taking charge with claritin-d. it relieves even my worst allergy symptoms. nothing works stronger, faster or longer for nasal congestion and sinus pressure without drowsiness. i only live claritin clear, with claritin-d. i want you tonight!

[ female announcer ] wish granted. lean cuisine has a fresh new bag. lean cuisine market creations steam meals. like new chicken poblano with tender white meat chicken, crisp veggies, in a savory cheddar sauce. new from lean cuisine. now to some remarkable pictures. a man and his son were diving in the caribbean when they came upon this. just look at this picture. that's the son just a few feet away from this giant whale. the creature stuck around long enough for them to snap even more amazing photos. arune luckily joins us via skype to share them. good morning. thanks for being with us. >> good morning and thanks for contacting me. >> i have to start by remarking on these pictures. they're fascinating. one is already my screen saver. that's how excited i was to see

these. tell me how this came about about. how did you get so close to these whales? >> the i can tour of my son dylan was taken last november. we had a half day left on the permit so we decided to take the family out for a day on the water. >> give us an idea of the dimensions of how big this sperm whale is. >> whales maximum size we've seen have been around 70 feet. females average about 50. >> how dangerous are they and were you worried at all being that close, having your son that close? >> first and foremost if there was any danger to it then dylan would not have gone in. i personally think they're incredibly benign and very, very docile creatures. absolutely no fear of humans. if they don't want to interact, they'll just disappear. i'd hate to put human

characteristics on it but you do get some that are curious as you can see from the pictures you are look iing at. some will stick around and just look at you while you're busy looking at them. others will just dive and get out of the way. >> like me, arun, you, too, have a screen saver for life. we thank you so much for joining us and we are back. but first these messages. oh...man... it was a tough game out there today. i thought i was going to be it forever, but then it was dig deep time, and i brought it... and i struck like a cobra. that was a good tag. [ male announcer ] kids take play seriously. nourish it. quaker chewy -- the goodness of whole grains, no high fructose corn syrup and 25% less sugar than the leading sweet snacks.

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saturday, the four-time masters winner still has a shot at winning it all today. more on tiger's hopes for a comeback on golf's biggest stage. >> reporter: winning the masters for any golfer is a major feat but for tiger woods a win would mark the end of a 17-month-long losing streak and perhaps a return of the masters. >> i think he's at a stage of his career he feels like if he were able to get over the hump and win not only a golf tournament but a major championship he could go a long way towards putting all of the criticism behind him. >> reporter: at this year's tournament tiger has shown shades of his former self especially during friday's second round. >> i've been right in the ball game and i got hot. >> reporter: on saturday, though, woods fell back, missing several putts. going into the final round, woods is seven strokes behind the leader, golf's new young gun

21-year-old rory mcilroy. >> he will have to come from behind. it will be great for golf, certainly. it will be great for him. he would go a long way, again, to getting all of the scandal behind him. >> reporter: until thanksgiving 2009, woods was the number one golfer in the world and the sport's most popular player. but after revelations of sex scandals with multiple mistresses -- >> all that i have done, i am so sorry. >> reporter: tiger began making headlines for his personal affairs and subsequent divorce from elin nordegren. >> i do that every day. >> reporter: having won four masters before, augusta national has been a special place for woods. the world will be watching to see if tiger can finally call himself a winner once again. for "today," nbc news. still to come here on "today" why more men are choosing to go under the knife and have cosmetic procedures.

the answer may surprise you. plus, we'll meet some of the surfers who take on nature's most ferocious and deadly waves. about what happens in the bathroom. l stop all the cutesy stuff. and start talking about what you really want from your toilet paper. it's time to talk about clean. feeling clean is so important. vo: quilted northern soft & strong is stronger than the leading rippled brand to help protect against breakthrough. for myself, for my family, it keeps us clean. i use quilted northern. quilted northern soft & strong. protection for a confident clean or your ney back. you think i have allergies? you're sneezing. i'm allergic to you. doubtful, you love me. hey, you can't take allegra with fruit juice. what? yeah, it's on the label. really? here, there's nothing about juice on the zyrtec® label. what? labels are meant to be read. i'd be lost without you. i knew you weren't allergic to me. [ sneezes ] you know, you can't take allegra with orange juice. both: really? fyi.

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fixing the name. it's fiber none. looks like one. well, i know. i put an "n" there. ah! fiber one honey clusters cereal! that's really good! it tastes good, so there can't be fiber in it! it's actually got about half a day's worth of fiber.

[ asst mgr ] it says so right on the box. [ fiber seeker ] really? try it. [ mr. mehta ] honey, touch of brown sugar, crunchy clusters -- any cardboard? cardboard no, delicious yes. so where's the fiber? maybe it's in the honey clusters. [ male announcer ] fiber one. cardboard no, delicious yes. good morning. a live look as the skies start to lighten up over the golden gate bridge. a little less breezy today. that's what we like to hear. and thank you for joining us today. we have a look at the forecast. >> not too bad. we'll seeot temperatures in t 60s for most places later on this afternoon. a cool start to the morning. how about 34 in gilroy. 48 in san francisco. the radar and satellite view showing you things have dried out here and over the sierras. you can see the clouds off to the west. some of it spilling our way

later on this afternoon. clouds moving in. highs, low 60s. san jose, and 50s closer to the coast today. so a little cool to wrap up the weekend. tomorrow, a chance of showers for the north bay, for areas north of napa county and cool for the first half of the week. next weekend we should finally see 70s coming back into the picture. >> thank you, rob. one man is still missing after his sailboat capsized in rough seas off ocean beach. witnesses say they saw a sailboat capsize south of the cliff house around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. two men got into an inflatable raft. the strong surf knocked that vessel over. around 4:00, a 52-year-old man was pulled out of ocean, suffering from hypothermia. he informed rescuers his sailing partner was still missing that man is believed to have been wearing a life vest. no word on whether the coast guard plans to continue the search.

two teenagers drowned while diving in monterey bay on saturday. the waters were searched for 45 minutes before locating the bodies. the 17-year-old teens students from a nevada high school in the area for a diving event. police are still investigating the cause of the incident. pg & e taking steps to avoid a tragedy which hit san bruno last year. two remotely controlled shutoff valves were installed last year this is part of the company's plan to install a dozen of these $750,000 valves throughout the peninsula by the end of the year. a spokesman could not say when or where the ten other valves would be installed. police continuing investigation of two suspicious deaths in a south bay neighborhood. santa clara sheriff's dep tooez responded to a report of a suspicious circumstance saturday afternoon at west bakers drive and cupertino. investigators discovered the bodies of a middle aged couple

in their home. the couple's names and cause of death have not been released. coming up at 7:00 on "today in the bay," a giant sized ceremony. the special rings ceremony for defending world series champions. not too shabby. and the day's top stories. right now, here is more of the

8 ide studio 1a i'm jenna wolfe with lester holt. still to come, this is interesting. a new growing trend now, it's plastic surgery for men. >> whenever we have a conversation about mrplastic or cosmetic procedures, women come to mind. but more and more men are going under the knife or the needle as it may be.

about a million last year. take a look at what's fueling the trend and the answer might surprise you. >> would you do it? >> i don't know that i'd rule it out. >> can i be nice? you don't need it. >> that's what i was fishing for. >> you are beautiful just the way you are, lester. you can pay me later. plus, it is one of the biggest surf spots in the world. just outside san francisco. it's called mavericks. the waves there get up to 60 feet high. think about a six-story building. that's how high these waves get. i had a chance to talk to some of the people who surfed there to find out why they do it even as a fellow surfer drowned on the day before our visit. incredibly sad story. they have to be fearless because they have to get right back out in the water, otherwise they'll never get back out there. >> this is one of the toughest spots. >> for a number of reasons. we'll get into that. and then we'll switch gears and talk about an american classic, peanut butter. the peanut butter sandwich and ways you can dress it up, ways you probably haven't even thought of. we'll do a little -- we'll have a little contest today. we have a lot of ingredients.

i saw everything from ginger to i think there was pickled jalapeno -- >> bacon, ham, turkey. >> and we have gail simmons from food and wine and top chef here to help us out. >> plus, the winner of the -- she's already eating. we're not even in there yet. the winner of the -- >> what was that? >> what was that? >> was that a bird? oh, okay. i thought somebody threw something at us. >> to the best peanut butter contest with us who is only 8 years old. she made this incredible sandwich. we'll find out what she will make and she will join us. and then gail will kind of judge both of our sandwiches to see who has the better and more creative sandwich. >> nothing like peanut butter. another check of the weather. janice huff is standing by. >> play that bird back in slo-mo. that was weird. good morning. a shout out to my new friends from new orleans and monroe, new

york. i have to go down on this end. what's the deal? why do i have to kiss it? >> we need you to kiss it. >> are you going to get a ton of money for it? is. >> we are going to get so much money. >> i can't believe i did that. let's check the weather and what's happening. i home you get a million dollars. you are welcome. all right. a risk of strong storms, severe weather across the northern plains today, the upper midwest. there's a risk, a high risk this morning. let's show you what's going on. heading to the high country today, breezy conditions. gorgeous, spring skiing continues. snow pack huge for this time year. weather should be kind if you are traveling to the high country today. satellite view, clouds spilling in later on this afternoon. highs ranging from the upper 50s, closer to san francisco and the coast to low 60s inland around san jose.

seven-day forecast, more clouds, cooling tomorrow, north bay showers and turning warmer as we wrap up the week