good morning. two close for comfort. a glaring new mistake by an air traffic controller. a plane carrying first lady michelle obama forced to abort a landing. how was it allowed to fly too close to a military cargo jet? we'll ask the secretary of homeland security and she'll unveil the new terror alert system to us exclusively. nature's wrath. a new round of tornadoes in the nation's midsection. and fire tigfighters in texas be a wildfire, worst in that state's history. charlie sheen loses his attempt to gain sole custody of his twin sons, despite a

personal plea to the judge. what does he think about the decision? we'll have his reaction, wednesday, april 20, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and meredith vieira. the faa has launched an investigation into thans dent involving the first lady's plane. >> it came within three miles of a c-17 military cargo jet as those planes approached andrews air force base it may not seem that close. but ta those cargo jets produce a large jet wash, other planes are ordered to stay at least five miles away. we should stress both planes landed safely. the faa says the first lady was not in any real danger. but it was a major violation of air traffic safety rules. live with the latest on that,

straight ahead. also ahead, today marks the one-year anniversary of the oil rig explosion that marked the worst oil spill in u.s. history. we'll talk about the future with louisiana governor bobby jindal. a story you'll love. a postcard lost in the mail 24 years. played a role in ending a dear friendship. something remarkable happened. that long lost piece of mail recently delivered. we'll bring those women together, face to face, for the first time since 1987. let's begin this morning with the close call for a plane carrying first lady michelle obama. nbc's jim miklaszewski is at andrews air force base with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: to be clear here, we should emphasize that michelle obama and the rest of the people aboard her plane were never in any imminent danger. but aviation experts tell us this was a close call. unfortunately, many of those

incidents go largely unnoticed. but throw in the first lady and it gets everyone's attention. michelle obama and the vice president's wife, jill biden, in new york for an appearance on "the view" before boarding a smaller version of "air force one" for the brief flight back home. about 5:00 in the evening. the boeing 737 approached washington, d.c. and flew straight into potential danger. federal and military officials say civilian controllers at the faa's radar center in warrenton, virginia, allowed the first lady's plane to get too close behind a c-17 cargo plane lumbering toward andrews air force base. because of the tremendous jet wash created by these massive cargo planes, thees, the faa requires a 5 mile separation between planes. the 737 flew up to within 3 miles of the c-17, well within the danger zone. >> this plane should never have been there in the first place. they should have never cut it

that close. >> when controllers at warrington handed it over to the tower at andrews, the air force controller immediately recognized the problem and ordered the 737 to make a series of s-turns to slow it down and put distance between the two planes. they were still too close. once the cargo plane landed, it couldn't get off the runway fast enough as the 737 carrying the first lady made its approach. to avoid a collision, they ordered the plane to make a circle before landing minutes later. >> it was harrowing experience and luckily, it ended safely. >> reporter: air force officials say none of the passengers aboard the 737 were even aware of the problem and evasive maneuvers. the dramatic incident comes amid a series of incidents and air-traffic controller mistakes and most recently falling asleep in the towers.

transportation secretary ray lahood told nbc news keeping planes separated at a safe distance is one of the most vital roles for air-traffic controlle controllers. >> controllers need to take responsibility for one of the most important jobs in aviation. if they don't, they'll be suspended. >> this seems to fall in the category for a serious error that could have put the first lady's life in jeopardy. >> reporter: unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, makes by air-traffic controllers at that warrington incident we talked about earlier more than doubled in the past year. the transportation secretary at faa has much bigger problems than just the first lady. meredith, many would consider that a pretty big problem. snow thank you very much. homeland secretary, janet napolitano is here to talk about the first lady's close call in a

new security. this is not a close call given that the first lady and jill biden were not at risk. do you want those to know there are real flaws in our aviation system that could be exploited? >> no. ray lahood and the faa are looking internally to see what they need to do to change process and procedures to make it safe. >> why do you say you're not concerned? >> not from terrorism exploitation. more concern about day-to-day aviation safety. air traffic controllers are key to the safety of the aviation system overall. that's why i think it's important we look internally, the transportation department really look at what's going on with the air traffic community. >> let's talk about the alert system you are introducing today for us.

the old system color-coded, a lot of people found it confusing, everyday, orange or yellow. i don't think if you asked the average person what color it is, they would even know? >> that's right. >> we have been orange since 2006. what we are changing is to a system that actually gives people specificity and tells them what to do, what to prepare, what to look for and how to get more information. >> we have it up there on the screen so people can look at it right now. basically, looks more like a memo. seven different categories summary, telling forever it's elevated or imminent alert, duration, details of the alert, affected areas and how you can help stay prepared and stay informed. this information won't necessarily go out to everybody every time, is that correct? >> that's correct. it will be specific to geography or event or incident and sunset in two week so we get out of this business of cascading alerts. right now, we have no alerts that would qualify for our

standards here. ultimately, if we do, we will issue them by tv and radio standard media and also new media as well. >> what do you mean, it will sunset after two weeks? >> that means after two weeks the intelligence committee needs to re-evaluate it. if the information has changed, if the alert no longer need to exist, it will automatically go away. again, you don't end up with a system you have 100 or 120 of these things stacking up. >> i think the reason for yellow or orange, you want the public to know we always need to be on our toes, always a risk. in that sense, aren't we always an elevated state. >> sure, we always need to be leaning forward, alert, situationally aware. this is about specific or imminent threats people need to know about so they can prepare themselves, families, work with the community, if we're asking them to look for something, they can help with that. >> you said in january the real problem we face with terrorism

isn't foreign terrorists, the people living within the u.s. is that another reason you changed this system to reflect that new reality? >> a continuing and evolving threat. terrorism is not a static field. we have international and domestic now to be concerned about. we want this to be a shared responsibility with the citizenry of our country, to make sure they're aware, they are helping and they know what to do to help themselves. >> it will take effect beginning when. >> april 26th, say good-bye to orange. >> i'm glad to say good-bye to orange, nice to see you. secretary napolitano. here's matt. now to politics and the 2012 presidential race, donald trump seems to be dominating the headlines even though no one knows if he will throw his hat into the ring. what's driving his surprising popularity among gop voters? savannah guthrie has details on that. >> reporter: good morning. trump has been enjoying high

poll numbers and a lot of attention. as he continues this presidential run, he's also getting more scrutiny. >> i really do believe in myself. >> reporter: seemingly everywhere, donald trump is selling himself as a successful businessman. in an interview tuesday with nbc's michael isacof, bristled at the suggestion his success is based solely at being a good pitchman. >> i do sort of rake at the fact i do a fantastic job. just almost always it works out really well and everybody says, gee, what a great salesman he is. it's this, not my salesmanship. >> it's what? >> this. you know what that is? the brainpower. >> steve forbes stated i was one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the history of free trade. >> reporter: trump is a sudden sensation for a segment of the republican party zooming to the top of several early presidential polls. trump may be filling a vacuum left by that other headline grabbing presidential candidate,

sarah palin. >> do i have respect for donald trump and his candidness. i think people are craving that today in the world of political speak coming out of the white house. >> reporter: it's partly his high name recognition but he's also striking a chord with some. >> there's clearly a strong strain within the republican party that wants someone to take it to president obama, tell him how it is, stand up and fight with him, not try to be conciliatory. that's donald trump in a nutshell. >> reporter: but republican strategists say don't read trump's rise as rejections of lackluster republican field. >> it says a lot more about donald trump's ego and the fact he makes for great news copy than it does of any kind of void or vacuum within the republican party. >> reporter: analysts say the clearest sign his would-be competitors see no threat, they've either ignored him or played nice. >> i think he's talented.

think he's funny. interesting. >> reporter: other prominent conservatives have not held back saying his flip-flops on the issue and insistence questioning the president's place of birth rob him of any credibility. >> let him get his attention on "the apprentice" but i don't think he's doing the things necessary to be taken seriously by the american people. >> yesterday, in our interview of donald trump, you may remember he said he's the one candidate the white house most feared. the vice president appears to differ and yesterday joe biden said he's looking forward to comparing democratic ideas with republicans and that's a debate i can hardly wait for, hopefully, with donald trump. >> thanks very much. exactly a year ago today, the deepwater horizon oil rig exploded kick off the worst oil spill in history, a disaster that will affect decades to come.

bobby jindal is with us exclusively. good morning to you. >> good morning. thank you for having me. >> my pressure. i was reading a lot of articles on this one year anniversary. one phrase over and over again, it could have been much worse. other comment, it's not that the oil spill had no lasting effects, far from it but the ecological doomsday many predicted clearly hasn't taken place. is that the way you see it? >> i think that's right. a lot of unknowns and doing a lot of testing and research and only time will tell. we live in a very generous country. i want to thank your viewers. louisiana has been through quite a lot, four hurricanes starting with katrina and this oil spill. in the last six years, we're resilient people here in louisiana and live in a very generous country. still work to be done here. 300 miles of our coast continue to be oil. using a great rebirth and great recovery story, i'd invite your viewers, if you're a

recreational fisherman, come to venice and grand isle. if you're sitting at home, i invite you to go out and get great gulf seafood, the most delicious you will find. if you're a tourist, come to the coastal areas. we're rebuilding our state coming back better than before. one of this side effects we need to recover from the administration imposed a one-size fits all moratorium after the spill. we want drilling done safely but we don't want to lose thousands of jobs down here. >> let me ask you an important question. you remember the huge plumes of underwater oil said to be lurking off the shoreline of louisiana and other gulf states. what happened to those plumes? where are they? >> they're 300 miles of our coast continue to be oil. do we still have tar balls and oil mats surfacing in areas that need to be clean, we continue to push bp and the coast guard to monitor those areas out there.

there's a lot of good news but still areas that need to be cleaned up. >> did they disperse? what happened to those? >> it's not so much plumes we're seeing today as tar balls and oil mats. what's happening is with wildfire action, some of that oil is out there. it frees up and shows up on the coast and we continue to have active crews cleaning up that oil, coast guard is supervising those crews, bp is paying for those crews, you have tar mats and tar balls showing up. >> do you have any idea of the long term or scientists told you possible long term impact from the nearly 2 million gallons of dispersants put into the gulf around the oil spill. do we know what that will cause in years? >> one of the things we required bp to pay for is long term testing to make sure we know exactly what will happen. what we saw with election, it

took years we will continue to see the quality of the seafood out there and not one test has come back with concerns for human consumption. one thing we required bp to do on ongoing basis pay for scientific testing so we can understand what the long term impacts to our environment and coast. we are pushing bp to invest in short term coastal restoration projects, time is critical and things we can do right now to mitigate some damage. >> while i have you standing there, your office said you would sign a bill requiring presidential candidates on the ballot in this state of louisiana to present to birth certificate to prove their citizenship. is the reason you may do that to prevent any future controversies? will you say right now to our viewers that you have absolutely no doubts president obama was born in the united states? >> absolutely, matt. i absolutely believe he is a citizen. let's be clear.

look, my disagreements with this president are not about his citizenship or where he was born. what i disagree about is his agenda. i think he's the most liberal president we had in modern times at exactly the worst moment, expanded spending, more borrowing and higher health care. it's not part of my package. if the legislature passes and if they pass another bill that simply restates the constitution, of course, i would sign it. if they pass a bill restating the bill of rights, of course, i would sign it. bottom line. i believe he is a citizen. my disagreement is not where he was born, about his policies, 4 $14 trillion of debt, the fact they expanded the government's role in running health care companies and running car companies and running our health care, borrowing money our children and grandchildren have to pay back, he wants to raise taxes, i'd like to see us cut spending. >> those are topics we can have a lot of time to discuss, governor. i appreciate your time on this one year anniversary of this disaster that unfolded in your region. >> well, thank you, matt. again, thank the american people for their generous support, come

down to the gulf, i guarantee you, you will have a great time down there. >> governor bobby jindal. thank you very much. now to our top stories, natalie morales, filling in at the newsdesk. >> good morning. we begin with wildfires racing across the state of texas burned more than a million acres so far. janet is in texas with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: hello. 11 new fires in texas this they have burned homes and businesses like this restaurant to the ground and scorched a land area roughly the size of rhode island. from the air you can see how the flames raced across the state fuelled by high winds and temperatures in the 90s. they show no sign of slowing down. they could desperately use some rain here, but there's very little of it in the forecast. they have help coming from 34 states. but, natalie, they still feel outmanned by the fires. back to you. >> we can hear the winds there. something tells me it will be a battle for a while there. >> reporter: it will be.

>> janet shamlian, thank you. disaster officials are assessing tornado damage today in northeastern missouri. the twister damaged farm buildings near bowling green tuesday afternoon. there were no reports of serious injuries. the american soldier accused of passing secret government documents to the wikileaks website is being moved to a medium security facility. if i recalls -- officials say international criticism of private bradley manning's detention has nothing to do with the move. they say it was driven by the fact that they are finished doing key evaluations of his mental capacity to stand trial. president obama is headed to california and nevada to build support for the deficit reduction plan and raise campaign funds. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange with a couple of top performers. melis melissa, what are you watching? >> hey, natalie. all that glitters just got more expensive.

gold trading over $1,500 an ounce. it's a new record. if you don't adjust for inflation. analysts wonder how high it can go. apple reporting earnings after the bell. expectations are high. we expect them to say the new iphone will ship in september. back to you. >> melissa, thank you. the consumer product safety commission announced the recall today of 7.5 million candles sold under the name chesapeake the brand name chesapeake candle and modern light. they have a clear plastic cup that can melt or catch fire. a sweet deal on a prom dress for a wisconsin teen whose mother made her entire ensemble out of starburst candy wrappers. the dress, shoes, even corsages, even a vest for her date. poor guy, who says he wasn't given a choice. apparently matt and meredith and al it took six years, five failed attempts and giving lots of candy away to the neighbors to complete the dress.

>> that's insulting if you make one with a chunky bar wrapper. >> my pants are made out of twix bars. >> we won't go there. let's just talk about the weather. thanks for that little mental image. >> they're melting. >> anyway, thank you very much. let's show you what's going on. we have two areas of severe weather, one along the northeastern coast, shouldn't be that bad but southeast to atlanta to tyler to texas, isolated tornadoes, severe nd huterstorms, hail, damaging winds. huwe have tornado warnings from west virginia to parts of northern alabama and georgia. right now, we're looking at anywhere from 1-2 inches of rain and expecting about 3-6 inches, to a foot of snow in ca good morning to you. well, we do have some light, scattered shower activity. most of this is coming down to

the east of the east bay. you can see to the east of antioch and livermore. we are expecting more steady showers to start to shape up as we head throughout this evening and tonight. 61 degrees is the forecasted high in san francisco. 62 in redwood city and 63 degrees in los gatos. we will see limited sunshine today, but enough dry breaks for you to get outside and take care of what you need to do. 67 by thursday, warmup toward the weekend. we

good morning to you. 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. president obama is in the bay area today. his first stop will be facebook headquarters. marla tellez is live in palo alto with more on today's big event. take it away. >> reporter: laura, good morning. the president will make history today when he uses the internet to host a town hall meeting here at facebook headquarters on page mill road. he's expected to arrive in time for the 1:45 town hall so if you are in the palo alto area today, you can expect road closures and detours. the president has invited his more than 19 million friends to

watch online. he says the town hall will focus on the economy, but he's also going to be taking questions that were posted on his facebook wall from his friends. now, he's scheduled to land at sfo about 1:00 today and then that town hall at 1:45 this afternoon. from here he's going to head to san francisco for some fund-raising events. laura. >> all right. thank you very much. i want to check the forecast right now with christina loren. >> good morning to you. yeah, we've got some showers coming down right now. nothing major. everything is happening in the central valley. what we are seeing is mostly to the east of the east bay, but i did want to point this out. there's an area of clearing. we'll get a braet bit of a break from the light spotty showers. most of the rain will come down while you're sleeping. 63 in fremont, 67 in san jose. let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> good news. highway 101 is cleared. old middlefield way is where we had a sig alert. northbound traffic jams up from the earlier accident that has cleared out of mountain view and

still slow in the northbound direction on 101 from 680 all the way up to 237. a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza shows you the backup. metering lights were turned on about 6:20 this morning. we've had a pretty steady flow of traffic but not that bad because you can see the fastrak lanes moving so actually it's better than we typically see at 7:30. >> we'll have another update in half an hour. the "today" show is back in less than two minutes. have a great morning.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, april 20, 2011, on what's going to be a nice warm day in the northeast. al says we are headed to the upper 60s. we'll get his forecast in a moment. sounds good. i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. in this half hour, charlie sheen heads to court to fight for custody of his twinway boys. we'll tell you what the judge decided. >> also, if breakfast is the most important meal of the day would you start by eating a dozen munchkins? not the "wizard of oz" kind. that's how much sugar is in popular options at your

supermarket. coming up, healthier choices. and the story behind a postcard sent by a woman to her friend in 1987. it never arrived and caused them to lose touch. now the card resurfaced. we tracked down the long lost friends. they will see each other in our studio for the first time in 24 years. we begin this half hour with the mysterious murders of two british tourists in florida. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. here at the ritzy vacation spot, tourists and locals are stunned at the gruesome murder of the close friends. police say nearly ten shots were fired at the scene of the crime which is only two miles away from downtown sarasota where they were last seen. now the question, really, is what were they doing in that area? this is a difficult neighborhood. these college buddies were

having a ball at the beach, at the bar on vacation. the young tourists, in from england, were staying on the gulf coast with cooper's parents. they hit the bar in sarasota drinking, chatting with girls, captured on video and these party pics. the last pictures of them alive. around 3:00 a.m. police responded to a 911 call. >> hello? >> hi, this is 911. >> we just rolled through the old projects on -- we see a white dude laying in blood everywhere. she's just laid out. i don't know if he's still alive. >> reporter: on the scene they found 25-year-old james cooper and 24-year-old casaerz dead shot in the back miles away from where they were seen partying. >> our number one priority is solving this case, bringing the perpetrators to justice. >> reporter: 16-year-old sean tyson was charged with double

murder. nine days before he was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. police say there might be more people involved but the question remains, what were the young tourists doing in a violent neighborhood and how did they get there? friends and family memberses are sure neither were drug users and police say no drugs, weapons or excessive cash were found on the victims. >> we are trying to determine why they would leave downtown sarasota and end up in a public housing area. >> reporter: meanwhile, florida's crucial tourism industry faces a serious threat as british newspapers map out the distance between lush vacation destinations and gang-ridden neighborhoods. the parents released the following statement. we loved him so much and we can't believe he has gone. we are devastated and in a state of shock. as friends and family mourn cooper, a popular tennis coach. >> everyone knew him from the

tennis club, friends, family, it's a terrible incident. >> reporter: and this adventurous world traveller. >> very amiable young man. he was a fine young man. a good leader. >> reporter: one theory among law enforcement is they may have accepted what they thought was a ride back to their condo but it was really a set-up for a robbery. meredith? >> thank you very much. it's 7:34. here's matt. >> thank you. now to charlie sheen's fight for full custody of his twin boys. jeff rossen has been following the case for a while. good to see you. >> no big news flash here. charlie sheen has had a drug problem. same with brooke mueller. as part of the custody agreement both parents must take random drug tests. brooke failed to take one so sheen flew to l.a. and made a plea to the judge calling brooke an unfit mother.

charlie sheen arrived to court tuesday with his so-called goddess natty ready to do battle with brooke mueller. >> i feel terrific, thank you. >> there was always drama between the two of them. now that brooke has fallen off the wagon it's given charlie an in. >> reporter: at stake, custody of the 2-year-old twins, bob and max. in the private hearing, sheen argued that brooke violated their custody agreement by refusing to take a drug test last week that he deserves the children full time. >> she knows the rules and the consequences are radical. i told her don't pick a [ bleep ] fight with a warlock because you're going to lose. >> reporter: charlie versus brooke. it's been brewing for months. so messy even denise richards offered to take in the twins. the children keep getting bounced around. in early march officerse showed up at sheen's mansion and

removed them. under a court order filed by brooke, hours later, sheen spoke with me in a live interview on "today." >> there is nothing to hide and nothing but love and compassion and support for the amazing children. >> reporter: charlie and brook finally reached a custody deal. sheen gets alternate weekends and some weeknights and both parents have to take random drug tests. just last week tmz posted this video from a california pawnshop showing brooke mueller trying to sell off a watch and a stereo, sparking reports that she's back on drugs. >> on friday, she refused a drug test which is considered failure of a drug test. there is no question she's fallen off the wagon. >> reporter: in fact, in court tuesday brooke admitted to the judge she's back in outpatient rehab. but it wasn't enough. in a defeat for charlie sheen, the judge did not award him full custody. instead, keeping the agreement

as is. bob and max will continue living with brooke and her mother in california. >> the court is not going to change custody because of the fact that ms. mueller is in rehab. but i don't think that anyone should assume that this is going to be something that the court will be indifferent to should it happen again. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: by late tuesday night, after his loss in court, sheen was back on the east coast, performing his one-man show in washington, d.c. and he had lots to say about the hearing. >> this is totally [ bleep ] broken. >> reporter: busy day for charlie sheen. as his custody battle played out in a courtroom in los angeles, in another a hearing in his $100 million lawsuit against warner brothers. sheen is fighting for back pay for himself, plus the cast and crew. no decision yet on the lawsuit. matt, i don't think any of this is going away. >> not for a while.

jeff rossen, thank you very much. now a check of the weather from al. >> thank you, mr. matt lauer. we have lady bowlers. are you bowling here in new york? >> yeah, in syracuse. >> well, get your minds out of the gutter. [ laughter ] >> spare me. let's see what's happening as far as your forecast. look at the temperatures. 82 in washington, d.c. richmond, 87. nashville, 73. cleveland, 59. 45 in chicago. 52 in indianapolis. west of the country, you're looking at chilly conditions through the plains. plenty of heat in texas. some areas 90s, 100 in the southwest. 30s in new england. in maine they are looking at a foot of snow before it's over. good morning to you. well, we had a few light, spotty showers earlier. most of that action has pushed into the central valley and

we've got a mostly dry bay area from santa rosa, just a little spotty cells. as we head throughout the afternoon, the rain will become a little more steady. mostly between the evening hours and overnight. 62 grows today. a few breaks of sunshine. you'll be able to get out for a short time. 67 in san jose today. limited sunshine and then a little more rain tomorrow morning. fairest

princess of them all. michelle kosinski is in london to explain. good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt. this is one of the inevitable polls done by a dating website called beautifulpeople.com. supposedly more than 100,000 people voted and it placed kate middleton just above princess diana. dare anyone go there? yeah, of course they do. what does it take to be a princess? >> kind, isn't she? >> and pretty. >> reporter: that always seems to be the expectation, doesn't it? this website wasn't bashfulle

about full on ranking the fairest of them all. number one, grace of monaco, simply the pinnacle of princessdom. there is irania of jordan, often hailed for outspokenness, now on youtube and twitter and third, fair kate. not even a princess yet, but just edging out diana, the people's princess. maybe the 80s shoulder pads aren't dazzling online voters, or is it something far more magical? >> it's the hair. you know? it's all in the hair. she's the blow dry princess. she's very groomed which is why she would be loved in america. >> reporter: voters also chose grace's gran daughter, princess charlotte and princess debbie once named as one of the ten most beautiful women in the world.

madeline of sweden who had to endure the embarrassment of her lawyer fiance cheating on her with a college student. there is denmark's crown princess mary, england's margaret, the party princess, fashion icon of her day. she gave up the love of her life because he was divorced. and japan's harvard grad princess masako. she's rarely seen and was skewered in the press for, of all things, being spotted eating an expensive mexican dinner. some didn't make the list. princess laticia of spain who was a newscaster out in the wind and rain with the rest of us. formerly married to a school teacher. now supposedly doesn't get along so great with the in-laws and seems to grow ever skinnier and was caught by the press wearing pleather. poor princess ann was at the

bottom, possibly for not changing the hairdo or the wardrobe for, oh, several decades. >> but she's very much loved when she goes around. she's absolutely straightforward. >> reporter: when you say let's find out what's all about cc1: tend to find a lot of stress and relationship issues. no, being one of the most beautiful princesses on the planet doesn't make you immune, but that's always what a 5-year-old in a tiara thinks about, matt. >> not at all, michelle. thanks for that. we appreciate it. set your alarm clock because we'll start with complete coverage of the royal wedding next friday, 4:00 a.m. eastern, 1:00 a.m. pacific te.im >> we' be right back after your local news. wind myself up ike i have to to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq®, a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work

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good morning to you. it is 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we've got video just in from moments ago. the president's motorcade en route to air force one outside of washington, d.c., this morning. president obama has boarded the plane headed to the bay area this morning. he's going to touch down in just a few hours and he will be headed right over to facebook headquarters in palo alto before attending a handful of bay area fund-raising event. we have full coverage for you. two richmond police officers are without jobs after an fbi investigation found they had been running a private security firm on the side as well as hiring an arming youngsters with handguns. the department fired officers danny harris and ray thomas. they had been put in charge of the explorer organization, which is a youth training program.

two explorers, 19-year-old sergio rios, and 20-year-old orlando torres, say they were given glock handguns when they became security guards. ray thomas has taken his case to court and remains on the paid leave. right now get a check of the forecast with christina. >> good morning to you, laura. good morning to you at home. grab that umbrella. you probably won't need it as you make your way out that front door because as you can see we're getting a bit of a break from the shower activity but there's more on the way. it will be spotty and light for the first part of the day and intensify as we head throughout tonight. that's when the bulk of the moisture comes through. today 62 degrees, limited sunshine in san rafael, 62 for redwood city and 63 in los gatos. we will see enough breaks of sunshine, though, to warm us up into the mid to upper 60s, especially in the south bay. 67 degrees down in san jose. now for tomorrow we do expect a few showers to linger for the morning hours and then we'll get a good amount of sunshine for the second half of the day. by this weekend, warming up to 71 degrees for easter sunday. let's check your drive with mike

inouye. we'll take you to the east bay where things are started to get more congested. into the 20s and a few blips for the east shore freeway but overall speeds in the 30s as you're coming down through the area. slow for 680 at the walnut creek interchange. the a's play at 12:35 today. christina was talking about rain but it won't be enough to call the game off and not enough to affect the drive. we'll see the slowdown in the next half hour in the northbound direction. the bay bridge toll plaza, once you get through downtown oakland, there's your backup to the maze. thank you very much. we'll have another local news update in half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great wednesday morning.

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we're back at 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 20th day of april, 2011. we'd stepped outside to join the folks on the plaza this morning on what's a little bit of an overcast day, mild temperatures. i got confused for a second because i don't know if you can see it in the distance over there, jimmy, but the date says april 15, 2011. >> a little off. >> that's not good. >> that doesn't look right. anyway, i'm matt lauer -- >> we're supposed to be on top of this stuff. >> i know. i was thrown off there.

coming up in this half hour, we have an amazing story about a postcard written from one dear friend to another to help the friend through a difficult time in her life. it got lost in the mail since 1987. each friend thought the other had moved on and not cared that much. now after 24 years the postcard has been delivered and the friends will see each other for the first time in all those years. >> where was it? >> we don't know. it was stuck somewhere, hidden. >> and we'll catch up with the daughter of al and tipper gore. she has a new novel and how her parents are doing less than a year after their separation. the family is doing well. we'll catch up with her. >> have you been guilty of this? i know i have. your kid's soccer game and you take a call from work or maybe do a text during dinner or something. >> right. >> we'll show you how to deal with the guilt that comes from being a working parent and how to separate yourself.

>> i thought you were going to say did you ever take out the today kw taekwondo teacher or something. >> oh, no. >> natalie is filling in for ann. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. the f.a.a. says that possible error by air traffic controllers allowed first lady michelle obama's plane to come too close to a huge military cargo plane as she returned to the washington area monday night. mrs. obama's plane had to abort the first approach to andrews, but the f.a.a. said she was never in real danger though the military plane can create dangerous turbulence. a jetblue employee was cited for carelessness after a cargo truck hit a plane at boston's logan airport. the truck clipped the plane's left wing as passengers got off the flight from florida. a passenger suffered a minor injury. nearly 150 homes have been destroyed as wildfires continue to burn west of the dallas-ft.

worth area. forestry officials say the wildfire that forced evacuations is not likely to threaten heavily populated areas. severe storms battered parts of the nation's heartland again on tuesday. look at this tornado. it damaged farm buildings in bowling green and missouri. tornadoes were reported near st. louis. there were no serious injuries. some newly released security camera video shows a new york city man being gunned down after getting off an elevator on sunday. the 18-year-old victim didn't survive. after the shooting, police say the suspect, which you see right there, calmly walks away. the suspect is still at large. a shopping mall near boston was evacuated tuesday and the swat team called after someone reported seeing a man with a rifle. two and a half hours later the man, after hearing news reports called police to say it wasn't a gun. it was his umbrella in an over-the-shoulder sling.

a large barge carrying a two-story house is stuck on a river in central, california. the owner was trying to move the house from one location to another when he lost control. officials say the barge doesn't pose a danger to river traffic as long as it stays grounded. it will be a long time before that guy sees that house again. 8:04. now let's go outside again to meredith. >> thank you, natalie. al has a check of the weather. >> thank you, meredith. we have nice folks here. march of dimes. what's happening with the march of dimes? >> hello. i'm nicky fleming and this is my daughter lauren the 2011 national ambassador for the march of dimes. we are here with all the volunteers encouraging everyone -- [ cheers ] >> -- to go to the local kmart and donate or go to marchforbabies.org. >> all right. let's check your weather, see what's going on. good cause.

huntington, west virginia, wsaz, nbc 3, news channel 3. thunderstorms, showers. temperatures in the low 70s. today we can see the frontal system bringing heavy showers and thunderstorms. we have a tornado watch in effect stretching from the georgia border into parts of the northeast. we have a slight risk of strong storms from the southeast into texas. mountain snows through the rockies. rain in the pacific northwest. looking at plenty of sunshine through the southeast. these nice folks, support childhood cancer. this young lady is a cancer survivor. >> yes, i am. >> what's your name? >> brianna and i'm the youth ambassad good morning to you. we got a lot of rain over the central valley but for the most part east of the bay area, spotty shower activity for us. you'll be able to get out for

portions of the day, limited sunshine and temperatures only into the low 60s into some cities as a result. 62 in santa rosa. 67 in san jose. as we head into your holiday weekend we'll warm up but mostly cloudy conditions, maybe some shoirs in the north bay. and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. up next, we'll reunite two friends brought together by a postcard that was lost in the mail for 24 years. that's right after this. tion. this is stacy. who runs circles around asthma. and dan. he never lets high cholesterol get him too low. and amy with her arthritis well in hand. they go to walgreens... where their pharmacist not only refills prescriptions but gives advice... immunizations... and health tests. staying on top of your health starts right in your neighborhood. walgreens. there's a way to stay well.

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you've been there. you pick out a makeup thinking it's your shade... until you actually try it out. now, i have a makeup that always gets it right. smart shade makeup instantly adjusts to match perfectly to your skin. almay smart shade makeup. only from almay. only for me. long before texting and facebook there was something like this called a postcard. just a couple of words, stories from vacations, notes from penpals and sometimes a miracle of sorts. today's national correspondent amy roback -- ros is bach is here to explain. >> reporter: a postcard has connected three women spanning distance and time. we will reunite two long lost friends who haven't seen each other in 24 yearses. first, their story. >> i went to my mailbox just like any other day. there was a pile this big so i'm

going through the junk mail, throwing things out and i saw this postcard. my dear friend, the thought of you inspired me to write. how are you getting along? the countryside looks like spring. the hillsides have a blanket of green glass dotted with flowers. beautiful. i guess i'm a simple country girl at heart. life is a romantic adventure. remember, romance is everywhere. love you, rose. >> reporter: this postcard wasn't meant for joanna. >> the postcard wasn't for me. it was for another reyez. >> reporter: in fact it wasn't meant for this day and age. the postmark, march 17, 1987. it was lost in the mail for 24 years. >> i knew there was something special about it. i could tell there was a friendship here, maybe a deep friendship. rose is reaching out to her friend. it made me want to know more. >> reporter: it made us want to find out more, too. >> are you rose? >> yes, i am! you found me. >> reporter: we have been looking for you.

we are in livingston, california. is this where you have lived your whole life? >> i was raised in this town. >> reporter: rose wrote the postcard to caroline who moved to new york city. >> carol was my best friend. we did everything together. she was my support system. she was like a sister to me. >> reporter: rose's friend caroline followed a boyfriend to new york, only to be left heartbroken. she wrote rose for advice. her reply bu plply was the post hoping to entice her back home. >> you thought she didn't write back? >> that's correct. i thought she made a decision, which was okay with me. i felt, well, caroline knows what's best for her. i never heard from her. >> reporter: where did you think caroline had been all these years? >> i thought she was still in new york. >> reporter: we found caroline. she wasn't in new york. >> hi! >> reporter: nice to meet you. what are you doing here?

>> i live here now. >> reporter: here in san diego? >> yes. >> reporter: ten years ago caroline moved back to her home state, always wondering what happened to her friend rose who she thought had never written her back. >> i thought if i had received a card i may have been swayed to come back to california because i was feeling lost. everything would have been different. >> reporter: different because caroline stayed in new york long enough to meet her husband there. over the years have you thought of rose? >> oh, yes, of course. always a special place in my heart for her. >> reporter: rose wrote that life is a romantic adventure. would you agree? >> it is. it can be. it's all in how you look at it. life throws you curves. >> reporter: through the years, both friends would be thrown curves. rose, a divorce, and caroline, breast cancer. >> during times that i went through hard times and i did go

through hard times, i would long for that friendship. >> no one could have orchestrated this. none of us could have. the message -- it's like a message in a bottle. >> we think there is something in the universe that brought three of us together, for whatever reason. there are times -- i don't care what the reason is. we're together. excuse me. >> reporter: it's been a long time. >> i love caroline. she's speciale to me. >> reporter: we have a comment from the u.s. postal service. the postal service is pleased to have played a small part in these two friends getting together again. it shows the power of the postage stamp. good thing it wasn't an e-mail. back to you, matt. >> joanna reyez who didn't throw the card away is with us now. >> thank you, matt.

>> i think a lot of people would have thrown it in the trash. you didn't. >> i didn't. there was something special about it. just the way rose expressed this love for life. she was inspiring. it just sat with me. it still sits with me today. you can tell that they were two dear friends. it's sweet. >> you have not met rose or caroline. you have spoken on the phone. for your own satisfaction you must want to watch the reunion. >> i'm very excited. >> let's bring out rose to meet joanna, the young lady who didn't throw the card away. good morning. >> how are you? >> nice to see you. >> this is joanna. >> this is so special. this really is. >> she was crying during the piece. you're crying during the piece. wait until we have the reunion. then you can cry. >> o boy. >> are you nervous? you have thought about this person for a long time. have you wondered what she looks like today, what's going on in her life? >> of course. 25 years almost have passed.

i have curiosities about her. i'm very excited to see her. >> are you worried that it would be hard to pick up a friendship where it left off and reach the same level of closeness? >> no. i think we're going to pick right up and keep on going. >> let's see. >> okay. >> rose, sit there for a second and let me reintroduce caroline reyez. after 24 years. >> hi! >> oh, my goodness. >> it's nice to meet you. this is joanna. >> oh, thank you so much. >> wow. >> this is amazing. >> okay. who's changed the most? does she look the way you thought she'd look? >> she looks beautiful in red. >> so do you. >> she looks the way you thought she would look? >> of course. always beautiful.

always beautiful. >> what are your hopes? i should have brought the kleenex box. what are your hopes for the friendship now? from this moment on? >> we will continue. see each other. hopefully she'll come to san diego to see me. we have lots to do. i'll have to coax her. she's a country girl. she's a country girl. >> that, i am. >> rose, what are your hopes? >> i hope that we will always continue like we were at one time in our lives when we were very close. i think that can happen. i think that we can still be close. >> are you all three the type of people who believe everything happens for a reason? >> oh, yes. >> yes. >> if you have to think, why now, why do you think this postcard showed up at joanna's apartment now after 24 years? >> it was also meant for her. i believe it. it was meant for her. >> i think we all believe that. it came at a time when i needed

it the most. i'm so honored and grateful. >> explain why you needed it the most. >> oh, a year of, you know, being single again and just moving forward with my life. i think you get in a rut a little bit. you need something to lift you out of it and the words here truly did. it's been a remarkable two months for me. thank you. >> thank you. >> rose, you are a beautiful writer. you really are. >> oh, thank you. >> next time, pick up the phone. a lot of people in the studio have said, they didn't -- nobody got the postcard and they didn't pick up the phone. >> right. well, you know what? i was in a crisis. i just moved on. so, you know, life just happens. i also think if i would have gotten the card i may have been coaxed to come back home to california. >> life would have been different. >> i would not have met my husband. i would not have had the career i had. i would not have had the new

friends. so, you know, everything does happen for a reason. i believe the universe was planning this whole thing. >> i think you're right. maybe there is as much to learn from the absence as there is from the reunion. >> absolutely. our friendship is timeless. >> i feel that way. >> stay together. stay in touch. keep joanna in the loop as well. >> i love it. it's fantastic. >> thanks for not throwing away the postcard. thank you for letting us reunite you on air. nice to meet you all. we're back after this. le announcer ] is zero worth nothing? ♪ imagine zero pollutants in our environment. or zero dependency on foreign oil. ♪ this is why we at nissan built a car inspired by zero.

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loves to have neighbors come in and pay her a visit. can't beat that. mary ellen bulan from sandy hook, connecticut. 100 years old. worked in the fashion industry for over 40 years and loves advising people on how to look their best like she does. elizabeth chieffo of bolton, connecticut, is 103. we're getting there. huge university of connecticut fan. mary ann crawmer from westminster, maryland. 100 years old today. sharp, witty and loves bridge and crossword puzzles. they say that keeps everybody sharp. and good old louis tognoli. louis is from fayetteville, arkansas. he's 106 years olds. eldest member of the local mall walkers.

jurina westphal of marysville, washington is 100. served on the election board for over 50 years. dosh jackson, sr. is 100 and enjoys gadgets and plays the violin at church on sunday. that's all. back to good old new york. >> i love willard. thank you very much. >> just ahead, ben stiller stops by studio 1a. hello, ben. first your local news and weather.

good morning to you. it is 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. president obama touches down in the bay area today, his first stop will be facebook headquarters for a town hall event. we're live in palo alto with how the president plans to leverage social media today. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. right now about six hours away until the president is expected here at facebook headquarters in time for a 1:45 town hall meeting. that will be streamed live on facebook. it's going to be an historic aol vent, the first time a sitting president uses the internet to host such an event. the the president evented more

than 19 million facebook friends to watch online. the town hall will focus on the economy but will take questions that were posted on his facebook wall. that is at 1:45 today. laura? >> we'll have scott mcgrew in there as well. >> l 26.we we'll take a look at the morning commute right after this. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else. add a layer of excitement to your next meal.

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metering lightses on and an accident, highway 24, west downed out of the caldecott tunnel, i'll remove the icon so you see the jamup in both directions on the oakland side but it is clearing from lanes in the westbound. that is the commute. extra slowing toward highway 13. bottom of the screen, as game, midday game, expect some slowing there. things at the toll plaza, backup to the foot of the maze. a bit lighter there. >> thank you. we'll have another local news update in about half an hour. "today" returns in less than a minute. have a great wednesday mni.ng

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, april 20, 2011. we have a sea of people here as you can see. as far as the eye can see. we're happy to give them a little camera time to wave to their loved ones back home. meantime, working mom guilt. i'm sure you can relate.

you get home and the phone starts ringing or the laptop is calling. how do you find the balance between fulfilling your obligations to work and the kids? technology is supposed to help us make life easier, but it's really not doing the job. we have that story coming up. >> dads, too. >> okay. >> i'm feeling slighted, but that's all right. also, ben stiller is here. often times we're talking about a brand new movie but we are talking about his role in a broadway show that has a great history in his family. >> plus, we have great and timely financial advice for your money emergencies including how to pay your medical bills when you're retired and the best way to save for little ones. >> first it's the weather. >> all right. as we take a look, show you we have a risk of strong storms along the midatlantic coast and the southeast into west texas. mountain snows in the rockies.

rain in the pacific northwest which will continue tomorrow. a risk of strong storms in the mid mississippi river valley. wet weather in the mid ohio river valley. snow continues in new england. sunshine returns to the northeast. on the cooler side in the great lakes. sunny and good wednesday morning to you. we're starting to see sunshine up into the north bay, a bit of the break from the rain right now. spotty showers move onshore in the south bay and the east bay. they'll be very light and spotty for the first part of the day, turning more steady as we head through the evening hours and overnight. 67 today in san jose with limited sunshine. 63 in los gatos and 61 in san francisco. you'll probably want to keep that umbrella handy, as i said before, this evening, showers become more steady around 6:00 p.m. clearing by tomorrow, nice second half of your thursday. don't forget. check your weather any time day or night on the weather channel

on cable, weather.com online. >> when we come back, the guilt associated with being a working parent. first, this is "today" on nbc. i'm a curious seeker. i am a chemistry aficionado. diphenhydramine. magnesium hydroxide. atheletes foot. yes. i'm a people pleaser. if elected, i promise flu shots for all. i am a walking medical dictionary. congratulations virginia. inflamed uvula. i'm virginia. i'm a target pharmacist and i'm here to answer your questions.

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>> announcer: "today's moms" is brought to you by walmart. moms, head to your local walmart today to find ways to save money, live better. >> this morning on "today's moms," guilt of the working mother. the boston globe found as the boundaries between work and family life become increasingly blurred, emotions like guilt escalate. if you have checked your blackberry during dinner it might sound familiar. mother of three francie la tour wrote the article. catherine is the founder of the mom complex, designed to help moms and businesses better understand one another. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> this is something moms can

relate to. i want to start with you. the study at the university of toronto asked people how often they were contacted outside the work place by phone, e-mail, other technological things. how did they associate with guilt? >> they mapped both for men and women their levels of guilt as the phone calls and e-mails and texts increased. for men there was guilt for men. but it didn't change whether or not they were getting interrupted a little bit or a lot. but for women it was a different story. the more the texts, e-mails, phone calls increased, the more guilt they felt. >> it's interesting. when technology -- this kind of technology fist exploded i was a working mom and i thought, this will make my life easier. i can play with my kids but if something comeses in i can multi task, but it's made life more complicated. >> absolutely. it's really hard to find sacred time for your family. but you have to do it.

a tip we heard from a mom is make the entry into your home really special. one of the things i do is i leave my phone in the car for 90 minutes. from 6:30 to 8:00 -- >> you're not thinking about it constantly? >> i am, but that's why i leave it in the car. i run back out to the car at 8:00 and i get it. but that time for maeal time, bath and bedtime is one time i don't share my family. >> if your boss was asking for that time you would be available. when it's your child you feel you have to do the work as well. we did a survey asking if moms felt guilty working on their cell phone or pda with the kids. 42% said, i don't have the phone near me and that solves the problem. like you're saying to create the sacred time. also, use elevated energy to your advantage. what do you mean? >> it's exhausting to be a

working mom. what we hear a lot of moms saying is use your energy to minimize some of the guilt. one thing we hear is how can you think of your child as your boss, as you were saying. for example, if my boss asked me to work on saturday i would say absolutely. if my daughter asks me to read one extra bedtime story at night i often think, i don't have time for this. if my boss was asking, i would make five extra minutes. think of your child as your boss. >> it's interesting. we are not perfect, but it's okay. what's bad is the new good in a way. >> it is. i think a lot of what's happened is kind of a backlash to the idea of being a perfect mother and having to constantly escalate your mother hood to feel confident. more blagojevichoggers are sayi an imperfect mom and embracing

the idea of being not perfect. >> is it a result of feeling guilty that you are bringing work into the home place? >> it has to do with a lot of things, but i do think that being able to say, look, i'm not perfect and being able to take that in is something that helps a lot of moms get away from the idea of perfection. >> i love what you do. you take pictures of yourself when you're a good mom to remind yourself. >> i have so many bad moments that i have a rule that if i'm having a good mom moment i get it on film. i went to my daughter's preschool class and i was the mystery leader. i walked in and handed the teacher my camera and said, let's get it on film. so i'm reading, she's taking pictures. it's a daily reminder waiting for the next time i feel like a bad mom. >> you put them on your desk and

look at them from time to time. >> and i say, i'm not as bad as i think i am. i sent it to my in-laws saying, i don't travel all the time. >> do you think because of the guilt working moms aren't so happy? there is a lot of conversation about who's happier, stay at home or working. >> it cuts both ways. stay-at-home moms feel, maybe not unhappy but they may feel torn about their own ambitions and desires in motherhood. you talk to working moms who work outside the home and they fantasize about, oh, what if i didn't have to work full-time or part time. it's a little bit of the grass is always greener on the other side. but i think it's a matter of being fulfilled and like catherine said, just trying to find the balance. it's really difficult. >> yeah. finding that sacred time whether it meanses lea leaving the phon the car so you can spend 90 minutes with your family.

thank you very much. the conversation won't go away for sure. thank you. if you would like to read more and participate in the survey of working moms, log on to today.com. up next, ben stiller takes on broadway. o'll talk to hims thiis "tout" first,s hiis "day" o

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. >> announcer: this portion of green week is brought to you by nissan. innovation for today, innovation for tomorrow, innovation for all. >> ben stiller is best known for his comedic roles on the big screen like zoolander where he plays a model who can't get enough of the spotlight. now he's on broadway playing a zoo keeper and a songwriter making it big in a play called "the house of blue leaves." nice to see you. >> nice to see you, matt. >> big history here. you made your broadway debut in this play when you were 20.

1986? >> yes. >> your mother ann was in the same play when it debuted in broadway back in 1971. >> it was off, off broadway a place called the trucking warehouse theater. >> you remember rehearsals? >> i remember as a child, a little kid being around it and the playwright, there is a home movie of us going over the script, pretending to ask me for notes and i was 6. >> i have a feeling at 6 you gave him notes. >> i had some ideas. >> here's where it gets strange. when you were first in the play in 1986 you played the son. now you're playing the father. >> right. >> in the plot, the father has an affair with the character once played by your mother. ew. >> yes, ew. ew, matt. i wanted to explore those themes in my life. >> the whole oedipal thing?

>> yes, mom and i are doing therapy. >> you're working it out? >> yes. jennifer jason leigh plays the role now. >> you're a little bit older now. a husband and a father. how is the schedule? it's a grind. >> we're still in previews and we rehearse during the day and then do shows at night it's crazy. i actually like the schedule. i'm more of a night person than a morning person. so i like the idea of sort of like everything revving up for an 8:00 show. but it is -- you know, there are eight shows a week. ask me in a month. >> you might be -- >> i seem optimistic now. >> i like the fact that when i look at an actor like you and i was reading your movies grossed something like $2 billion -- with a b. clearly you don't come to broadway for money. if you wanted money you could have made another movie and done

well. what's the reason to get back to broadway? >> well, doing a play for an actor is a great experience. it's totally different from a film. a film is done in little pieces over a long period of time. when you do a play, you do the whole -- you tell the whole story in one night. every time you go out it's beginning to end. it's a different experience and much more -- it's invigorating, challenging and it's really a good feeling to connect -- work with other actors. working with edie falco, jennifer and this great cast. it's very different. but it's good, very positive. >> i said as i introduced you, welcome back to the show, but welcome back to the east coast. you picked up the family from los angeles after a long time. >> yes. i was living in l.a. for 20 years and decided i had two kids and wanted some east coast experience. >> what's better about the east

coast? say something nasty about the west coast. they love that. >> i love the west coast, too. >> don't be a diplomat. >> i love l.a. and the weather is incredible. you get used to it. i hadn't had a new york winter for 20 years until this year. >> you picked a good one. >> you live life here. new york, every day you experience people on the street. l.a. is more isolating. you go to your house, get in the car to go everywhere, all the cliches. it's true. my kids are from l.a. and i told my daughter we're moving here because i'm from new york. she said, but i'm from l.a. >> good luck with that battle. artists for haiti. we're on the one-year anniversary of the oil spill and it's a good time to remember other major events around the world. >> that's the thing with disasters that happen. the reality is as time goes by they leave the news and there is

a great need in haiti. i have been working to put together an art auction, a major art auction to raise money to build schools. jasper johns, chuck close, jeff kuhns. and a lot more. it's happening in september. we are excited about it. >> that's good. a busy week for you, by the way. mom is irish catholic, dad's jewish and you have passover and easter. it's busy there. >> yes. >> and rehearsals and previews and all that. >> we are looking for matza and eggs. >> the traditional matza hunt. >> good to see you. >> the play is called "the house of blue leaves." it opens at the walter kerr theater on broadway april 25. up next, kristen gore on her newnew novel and her

five years ago the fbi re-opened more than 100 unsolved murder cases from the civil rights era. fascinated by stories the prosecutions of elderly ex-ku klux klan members became the backdrop for kristen gore's novel about murders in

mississippi. it's called "sweet jiminy." good morning to you. >> thanks for having me. >> your first two novels were comedies set in the west wing, something you know about as the daughter of al gore. >> yes. >> what switched your view to the 1960s murder crimes? >> i noticed articles about them five years ago when they re-opened them. i was fascinated. it struck me as an american version of hunting down nazi war criminals before they died. having grown up partly in the south i was really aware of what it can be down there, what we need to heal down there. so i just became fascinated, then mildly obsessed and the novel is the result of that. >> one thing led to another. before you wrote the novel you were talking to people who had either experienced hate crimes or somehow been affected by them. you discovered they didn't want to talk about stuff that happened in the past. >> several of them would speak to me about it off the record. their stories were

heartbreaking, galvanizing and inspired me to do this novel. yes, i did interviews in tennessee, mississippi, louisiana and all of that fuelled the fictionaljiminy." >> what were they grappling with? >> it's still going on today. so there is a certain element of a lot of these crimes took place in very small towns a half century ago. there was an element that some people felt of let sleeping dogs lie, don't rock the beoat. >> on both sides. >> i assumed the victims' families would want closure and healing. ultimately they, of course, did. but it's complicated, fascinating and important for our country, for individuals, for families grappling with the legacy. you know, we need to move past it if we can. i'm happy that so many of the cases are being re-opened. >> you mentioned the nazi war

crimes and the fact is people are dying. the people who experience it will be gone. >> it's a closing window, a ticking clock. we have this opportunity. i think we have a chance to have our own truth and reconciliation moment here. it would be a really wonderful thing to pursue. >> as a kid growing up in the south, in tennessee, at least in part in tennessee, did you have a clear sense of racial tension back then and do you still see it now clearly? >> yeah, absolutely. on both occasions, yeah. i think when you move between two worlds and you are astate of the unioned to what's askew in either one, there is plenty wrong in d.c., too, believe me. >> that's another story. >> a whole other story. i was aware of it, yeah. i think kids also have a really strong sense of right and wrong and ask questions and pay attention. being raised in a family that cared about causes and issues, you're naturally leaning that way anyway.

everyday life, you soak it up and if something is off, you really notice it. i'm shocked at what's going on still down there in the interviews i did a few years ago, people were running into a tremendous amount of hatred and prejudice. again, you can experience it in boston, new york just as easily. >> there is a beautiful picture of you on the book jacket by your mom. your mom took it. she's a wonderful photographer. how is your family? >> they're great. thanks for asking. it's great to have a talented in-house photographer. i get to benefit from that. they are doing wonderfully. we're a tight-knit crew. we have been and we are. we have this bedrock love that takes care of everything. i'm grateful for that. >> it's hard to be in the fish bowl, especially when things happen in the family dynamic. to have the strength that you do as a family, i'm sure helps you through those moments. >> i'm grateful for sure. they are a good group. >> finally, political climate that you're seeing right now. you know about politics for sure. what do you make of what's going on in the country now?

>> it's a fascinating time to be alive. we are facing so many tough challenges. everyone feels it, knows it. i believe good people are trying to tackle the challenges in the best way and i hope the spirit of that can rise above the partisanship that holds it hostage. that's my hope. hope springs eternal. >> absolutely. thank you so much. good luck with the novel as well. >> thank you. >> it's called "sweet jiminy." >> we'll be right back with your local news and weather.

good morning to you. 8:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the giants fan attacked in dodgers stadium is reportedly still in a coma this morning but he's make progress. his family says he's showing signs of brain activity. he will be in a medically induced coma for at least another few days. doctors tried to bring him out

of over the weekend and he suffered seizures and they had to put him back into the coma. once he stabilizes doctors will try to remove fromremove from t sedation. we'll take a look at weather after this. in tough areas like deep shade, along the driveway, and where the kids play can be a little intimidating... until now. with scotts ez seed. it's scotts best grass seed, starter fertilizer and a growing material that absorbs water and expands to surround and protect the seeds, you'll get a thick, green scotts lawn even if you've never been successful with other seed before. the revolutionary scotts ez seed. grow grass anywhere.

>> good morning to you. we're getting a break from the rain, from santa rosa to san francisco, spotty activity still lingering off the coast of the south bay and that will be the case the next couple of hours and everybody will get a bit of a break. steadier rain this evening lasting through the overnight. testimony np temps today the 60s. 63 in concord and 62 in fair field. as we head through the holiday weekend a bit of warmup, mostly cloudy easter sunday.

>> thank you. thank you for joining us. "today" continues next. have a great morning.

we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning. it's the 20th of april, 2011. you're looking a at some of the people who have hung around in rockefeller plaza on this wednesday morning. inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer along with al roker and natalie morales. in just a moment, kind of a close call for the first lady michelle obama when her plane got too close to a militarile plane and her plane was forced to abort landing. we'll have the latest on the

story. >> and coming up, do you know when to go to the emergency room? when your kids have broken a bone or you have chest pains it's easy when it comes to things like that. what about unexplained fever or a burn when you're cooking? we'll help you sort out common health emergencies. >> going from health emergencies to financial ones. this morning on money 911 our panel has answers to questions from long-term financial planning for young kids to coping with high medical bills after retirement. >> and selling your house during tough times from the colors to the closet, what you need to know to get your house ready and stage the house to get offers flowing in. >> a nice candle. >> chocolate chip cookies. >> comfort foods. >> don't cook fish. >> a nice brisket. natalie has the headlines. >> the f.a.a. is investigating

another air traffic incident, this one involving the first lady and a cargo plane. jim miklaszewski has the latest for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. federal officials emphasize that the first lady and others aboard the plane were never in imminent danger but frankly aviation experts say it was a close call. michelle obama and the vice president's wife jill biden were in new york for an appearance on "the view" before boarding a smaller version of air force one for the brief flight home. it was 5:00 in the evening as the boeing 737 approached washington, d.c. and flew straight into potential danger. federal and military officials say civilian controllers at the f.a.a.'s radar center in warrenton, virginia, allowed the first lady's plane to get too close behind an air force c-17 cargo plane lumbering toward andrews air force base. because of the tremendous jet

wash created by the planes the f.a.a. requires a five-mile separation between planes, but the 737 flew up to within three miles of the c-17, well within the danger zone. >> this plane should have never been there in the first place. they never should cut it that close. >> reporter: when controllers handed the flight to the tower at andrews, an air force controller immediately recognized the problem. he ordered the 737 to make a series of s turns to put distance between the two planes but they were still too close. once the cargo plane landed it couldn't get off the runway fast enough as the 737 carrying the first lady made its approach. to prevent a collision, the air traffic controller ordered the 737 to execute a fly-around taking the plane in a wide circle before safely landing minutes later. >> it was a harrowing experience. luckily it landed safely. >> reporter: unfortunately this

is a symptom of a larger problem. mistakes by air traffic controllers at the warrenton facility doubled in the past year. >> jim miklaszewski, thank you very much. u.s. transportation secretary ray lahood announced new passenger protections today. they require larger refunds for bumping passengers, for bag fees if bags are lost and lengthy tarmac delays and clear disclosure of fees. severe storms battered parts of the nation's heartland again on tuesday. take a look at the tornado. damaging tornadoes in bowling green and missouri. tornadoes were also spotted near st. louis. officials in texas say it is not likely a wildfire burning west of dallas-ft. worth will reach heavily populated areas. more than 150 homes across the state have been destroyed this week and more than a million acres have burned. and nasa cleared the shuttle "endeavour" to blast off april 29 on its final voyage. the mission will be led by the

husband of wounded arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords, mark kelly. special accommodations will be made for her to attend the watcwatc launch. that will be a busy news day. also the day of the royal wedding. >> thank you very much, natalie. mr. roker? >> we have severe weather to talk about. the same system natalie told you about. it's got a risk of strong storms in the midatlantic state s and through the southeast and through texas. we he the possibility of tornadoes, isolated hail and we strong, damaging winds. as you can see on the radar we are picking up showers and heavier thunderstorms near the atlanta area. we are looking at anywhere from one to three inches of rain through the southeast. also looking at heavy snow working its way up into new england. caribou, maine, may pick up to a foot of snow before it's ove good morning to you.

our neck of the woods clearing out from santa rosa to the peninsula. mostly clear conditions, spotty activity still lingers, just off the coast at the south bay and we'll see spotty showers zme ee onshore and then a break. more rain this evening, steadier rain, 61 in oakland and 63 in los gatos, 72 in redwood city. and this holiday weekend, should be mostly dry, 71 degrees easter. now time for today's money 911. more help for your financial problems. questions have been pouring in about everything from investment advice to how to handle high medical experiennses during retirement. jean chatzky is the author of "money 911" dylan ratigan is the host of "the dylan ratigan show" and sharon epperson joins us as

well. good morning. we're going to skype. anne marie from connecticut has a question about a gift given to her children. that's nice to start off with a gift. what's your question? >> hi, everyone. my children's great-grandmother gave me money to be given to each of my kids as a gift to them from her on their wedding day. i was so touched and want to do right by her. how can i invest this money safely and take advantage of the time i have? my kids are 6 and 9. >> oh, wow. >> all right. what do you think, jean? >> you know you have a really long-term time horizon here. she said it's for when they get married, not for college. you don't need to think about a 529 plan. invest if money in a simple broad-based stock market fund that has low fees, something like an exchange traded fund or index fund. then just watch it.

you will experience some drops in that money over time, but because you have such a long-term time horizon you should make some money with it over the very, very long term. >> watching the fees will be important. once you put the money in you want it on auto pilot, reinvest the defensive denlds and don't think about it. if you have one with low fees you're good to go. morningstar.com is a good place to go. >> absolutely. >> good luck. now we go to college station, texas. erin has a question for us. good morning. >> good morning. i will complete my residency program in july of this year and i need a loan to finance my relocation expenses. however, despite that my credit score is 720 my educational loans are $180,000 so i have been turned down from multiple financial institutions. do you have suggestions for someone like me with good credit but a lot of debt seeking a loan in the amount of $10,000 to

$15,000? >> she's in a tough spot. you have tremendous assets in that you have the education and the skill set. two things occur to me. is it possible that you can figure out who your employer will be? once you have a job where you are going it will be easier to apply for the loan because they will be giving you a loan against your new job. the other is you can take pieces of that. you say you need $10,000. you could do a couple thousand as additional student loans. then you can do peer to peer lending environments not good for big amounts of money, but they are for small. >> if you go the student loan route, do it now. don't wait until you graduate to take out additional funds. you're not a student anymore. >> they have residency relocation loans. a lot of private companies will do it. go to finaid.org. get a cosigner to lower the t rates. >> and a lot of communities are in desperate need of doctors. it's something to look into

because there is a lot of communities that will go out of their way. >> northern exposure. >> right. want to move to alaska, erin? >> thank you very much. >> thank you, erin. now to an e-mail from lauren in new jersey. she writes, my husband and i were forced to retire in 2008 due to serious illnesses. we were 58 and 57 at the time. although he has long-term care insurance we have mounting debt for in-home care. now we have limited income and high health care expenses. i'm concerned we'll run out of our retirement savings. any suggestions? >> this is a tough situation for this couple. there is something they can do. first of all, they have long-term care insurance which is great. but a lot of times at-home care isn't fully covered by the policies. it's important to look into the policies. a couple of things they can do if they are disabled, they can get disability benefits from the social security administration. go to the website and try to find out if they are eligible for that. if they are already tapping into the retirement funds, find out which ones to tap first.

if they have a roth ira or a 401-k and they have had it for five years they can take the money out tax-free. also, medical expenses can be tax deductible. that's a place to look. get help from elder care attorneys. find out if you qualify for state assistance or medicaid. >> absolutely. >> all right. we have another e-mail from valer valerie. she writes we have a second home in florida which was funded with a home equity loan. now the payment, taxes and association dues are too much to maintain. if you default on a home equity loan can any of your other assets be touched? good question. >> really good question. this is why you hear us to be careful of home equity loans. they can take your primary residence. they have to look at either getting a renter into the place in florida or sell this place in order to enable them to stay in

their primary house. >> and marilyn saying, i resigned from my last job so i can't get unemployment benefits. i have applied for at least 150 jobs. what options do i have? would filing personal bankruptcy be an option? >> that's a last resort. with work, look around the universe you're in. the things you like and the things that need to be done. the easiest way to get a job is to find somebody or identify a group or situation in the community where there is a problem you can help them solve. the best jobs are jobs where you help somebody solve a problem of any kind. >> or you go to a place -- yesterday, mcdonald's announced they were hiring 50,000 people. put in an application. it may not be the job you want but if it's a job you can get. >> and summer is coming. seasonal work can be a bridge to a better job. >> all right. thanks so much. you can watch dylan ratigan's

show weekdays 4:00 p.m. eastern and it looks spectacular in high definition. on the east coast, jean chatzky will be sticking around for a web chat at today.com. coming up on "today's health" do you know when to go to the e.r.? we'll help you make decisions. and we'll share the secrets to staging a great home to entice interested buyers. first, these messages. [ female announcer ] keurig brews more than just hot coffee. now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea.

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[ female announcer ] there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. ♪ hidden valley ranch, makes vegetables delectable. ♪ imagine zero pollutants in our environment. or zero dependency on foreign oil. ♪ this is why we at nissan built a car inspired by zero. because zero is worth everything. the zero gas, 100% electric nissan leaf. innovation for the planet. innovation for all. you think i have allergies? you're sneezing. i'm allergic to you.

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swollen ankle requires an ice pack or a 911 call. dr. raj, good morning. >> good morning. >> let's get through some of the symptoms and things to watch for. when to head to e.r. or break out the first aid kit. first is heart attacks. what are the signs of imminent heart attack? >> most of us know if you are having the crushing chest pain, jaw or left arm pain you may be having a heart attack. there are some unusual signs of a heart attack to be aware of and especially women. they often don't have the typical chest pain. things like nausea, sudden fatigue or extreme weakness. dizziness, loss of consciousness. those could be sign of a heart attack. you don't want to wait. >> go straight to the e.r. >> next is if you are experiencing signs of a stroke. again, the symptoms can be hard to distinguish. >> when we're talking stroke, time is crucial.

with every minute that goes by that your brain doesn't get oxygen you use brain cells leading to disability and death. when looking for signs of stroke, any type of muscle weakness, facial weakness, if you have a droop or slurring your speech, troubles with vision, difficult walking or speaking. these are reasons you may be having a stroke. you need to go to the e.r. >> headache. >> the worst headache of your life. also a potential sign of a stroke. >> if you have any one of the symptoms, again, straight to e.r. don't ignore the symptom. >> don't even wait to call the doctor and wait for a call. call 911. get to the e.r. >> exactly. next is a blow to the head. a lot of us who have kids playing soccer, they fall and hit their head. it's hard to know if you should go to the e.r. when do you know if it's worth a doctor visit or trip to the e.r.? >> most people think a bump on the head is a bad sign. not necessarily.

any loss of consciousness is a bad sign. if you have been out of it for two minutes you need to go to the e.r. nausea or vomiting is a sign of something going on. if you feel very sleepy after a blow to the head get it checked out. >> could be a concussion. >> exactly. >> and a broken bone. a lot of people can certainly tell when it looks broken but it can be hard if it's just swollen to know what's going on. >> if the pain is to the point that you can't use the arm or leg, can't walk on the ankle, it could be broken. you need to go to the e.r. and an obvious deformity. >> something poking out. >> or a wrong angle. >> ooh, yuck. now next is bleeding. if you have a cut, if you can't stop the bleeding, is that the first sign to get to the e.r.? >> if it takes more than ten minutes with a lot of pressure, head to the e.r. you may have hit a major vessel.

you may be at risk for low blood volume or dehydration. you need to go if you can't stop it relatively quickly. >> what burn warrants a trip to the e.r.? >> a minor burn is something generally less than three inches of your skin area. if you can really -- you haven't broken the skin. it's red with maybe blistering, you can run it under cold water and that should do the trick. if it's greater than three inches or on the arms, feet or major joints that's a sign you need to go to the e.r. because any scarring there could be serious. >> could lessen mobility. >> exactly. >> i think a lot of people have had the flu or food poisoning or symptoms of stomach discomfort. when do you call the doctor? >> the risk is dehydration. even if the bug is out of the system, if you are vomiting to the point you can't keep anything down, can't take fluids go to the e.r. and get

intravenous hydration. the elderly and very young are prone to this. >> back pain, not usually something to go to the emergency room for. >> if it's chronic, no. but if it's sudden, could be a herniated disk or kidney stone. with abdominal pain if it's new, not getting better, but is getting worse could be appendicitis. go to the e.r. >> great information. thank you very much. coming up next, you will hear about going green all the time. do you know how to do it? we'll give you the green quiz. everything from the kitchen to plants. what you need to know. first, these messages. taking i. and i've learned a lot from patients who use levemir flexpen. flexpen comes pre-filled with my long-acting insulin, and i dial the exact dose of insulin i need. my flexpen is discreet and doesn't need to be refrigerated.

and flexpen goes wherever i go. levemir is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. do not take if your blood sugar is too low. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. the most common side effect is low blood sugar. other possible side effects include reactions at the injection site. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat or sweating. ask your healthcare provider about levemir flexpen today. learn more about the different insulins available in flexpen at myflexpen.com. flexpen, insulin delivery that goes with you. [ female announcer ] there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. ♪ hidden valley ranch, makes vegetables delectable.

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♪ imagine zero pollutants in our environment. or zero dependency on foreign oil. ♪ this is why we at nissan built a car inspired by zero. because zero is worth everything. the zero gas, 100% electric nissan leaf. innovation for the planet. innovation for all. now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea. hot or cold, keurig is the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. coming up, how to create an indian feast at home. one of our favorites from vancouver is here. >> and a 55-year-old woman who's in the guinness book of world

records for having 52 cosmetic procedures. botox, chemical peels, we'll find out why. >> she's gorgeous. she doesn't need that. and your local news after this. with a hat. you see, airline credit cards promise flights for 25,000 miles, but... [ man ] there's never any seats for 25,000 miles. frustrating, isn't it? but that won't happen with the capital one venture card. you can book any airline anytime. hey, i just said that. after all, isn't traveling hard enough? ow. [ male announcer ] to get the flights you want, sign up for a venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? uh, it's okay. i've played a pilot before. constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon

than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue... good morning to you. it's 9:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. another budget crunch mare lead to another five day furlough for teachers in san jose. the district held first of three community meetings last night. they told concerned parents and teachers that the district needs to cut $349 per student. the money will have to be made up in pay cuts or furlough days. teachers say they've already taken a five-day furlough in october. >> i definitely think the students suffered, obviously we're coming into our sct testing now. we should not be having furlough days at all, we should be adding

instructional time. >> santa fe unified wants voters to vote for them. new information about the overnight boating accident near san quentin state prison, the man involved pro downsed dead. two adults one female were out in the water around 1:00 this morning. the man was found unconscious and alert tower guard at san quentin prison may have saved the young woman's life. both the man and woman were rushed to the hospital. the female victim had been wearing a life vest. she was treated and eventually released from the hospital this morning. >> yik break. we'll be right back. ua

the shower activity we had earlier is now moving into the central valley. mostly clear conditions right now from santa rosa, just a bit of spotty action in the south bay, the case for the next couple of hours. that too, will push to the south and another round of rain on the way this evening into the overnight hours, so today's temps won't be all that warm with limited sunshine overhead.

61 degrees in oakland, 63 in fremont, nice warmup though just in time for the holiday weekend. let's check your drive right now with mike inouye. >> rain hasn't been a big problem for the morning commute but earlier disabled big rig blocking treasure island offramp that has cleared but still a very slow tr fr 280 to the skwie i skyway and lower deck and in the city knob hill and the center where president obama will be speaking and speakers outside of that building. slow around facebook through los altos. >> thank you for joining us. another local news update in about half an hour. "today" back in less than a minute.

♪ princess diana, of course, the epitome of grace and glamour. now on the eve of her son prince william's wedding many will be remembering princess diana and even comparing her to bride kate middleton. of course the comparisons will always come. tomorrow on "today" we'll have four of diana's most glamorous gowns in studio. looking forward to seeing them. coming up in this half hour it's a tough real estate market. if you're trying to sell a home there are important secrets to help you sell it quicker and maybe for hopefully what you want to get. it's called staging.

we'll show you how to do it and why too many colors could be a bad thing in a home. >> also ahead, do you know if drinking bottled water is good or bad for the environment? how about this -- is all metal, glass, paper and plastic recyclable? if you want to go green but you're confused we have a quiz to help you live a greener life. we have a ticket for the wrong recyclables in my box. >> i have had lots of tickets. and then how to create an indian feast from lamb popsicles to steak. we'll learn from one of the best. first a check of the forecast. >> i'm thinking of lamb popsicles. let's see what's happening. today a risk of strong storms extending into new england. down southeast into the gulf coast and parts of eastern texas. rain in northern california. a new system moves in. tomorrow the rain spreads into the pacific northwest.

a risk of strong storms. sunny and cool through the great lakes into the northeast. the heat continues in southern texas. they need the rain. plenty of warm weather through the southeast. good morning. well, we have a few spotty showers in the south bay, otherwise greater bay area is nice and dry. another round of rain moving in this evening at about 6:00 p.m. starting in the north bay spreading south through the overnight. 64 in los gatos and breaks of sunshine, if you have to get outdoors right now is the best time to take care of those outdoor activities. 67 in san jose, 65 in gilroy, warmup for tomorrow. few showers early, clearing for the second half of thursday. and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. up next, the secrets to staging your home to get it sold qui quickly, right after this. [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties

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this morning on "today's real estate" making a good first impression. potential buyers make up their minds within 30 seconds of walking through the door so correctly staging the home can translate into a quick sale and of course tom dollar. sarah gore and joanna jones looked at the principles for getting a home show ready. >> it's important for a home to feel lived in but the buyer wants to see their life, not yours. >> exactly. you have to put your personal effects away. i recommend hiding family photos. artwork is great, family photos are not. >> i have gone into a lot of places and there is a bright blue or bright red wall and it's

distracting. >> color is great if you live wit personally. when you come to sell, keep it neutral. >> are you a fan of fresh flowers? >> fresh flowers are amazing. i keep them small, tasteful, not overpowering. in general, not distracting. >> how important sit when it comes to lighting? >> it's so important. lighting can come from different sources. it can come from fixtures, mirrors, windows. you want as much light as possiblement. >> okay. the kitchen is the heart of the home where everyone drops their stuff. >> right. you've got to look at it as a chance to declutter. hide the appliances, knickknacks. have a couple pops of color like fruit, candles, but keep it open and clean. >> okay. so we are in the master bedroom. let's talk about closets. >> it is important to have closet space. secondly it's important to make sure it looks clean and organized. >> the styling doesn't stop

outside. you need to take it into the closets as well. >> you know what else is important? to open the shades and curtains so it feels as light as possible. >> windows are an important element. i advise my clients to pull up the drapes, let the light in. it's a nice element. >> thank you so much for showing me the best way to stage a home to sell. >> sellers need to remember a little time and attention in styling can go a long way toward a good pay-off. >> sarah gore is here now with more tips for snaring home buyers. good morning. >> good morning. >> every detail counts and it really is about taking you outside of the house. >> it is. >> that percent. l -- that personality, people may not go for it. >> it may not be their personality. they don't want to see your family vacation. they want to see their life in the home. >> take a look at the space. there are questions to ask. >> does it appeal to the broadest audience? is it too masculine, too

feminine? can that person see themselves there? >> start with neutral colors. >> wall color. you may love the blue wall or the red wall. >> i loved the orange. >> that may not appeal to everyone. you don't have to use ivory or white. you can use greens, beige and blues. >> right. >> in order to keep it more interesting you can always use pops of color with throw pillows, an accent chair or art work. when you think about art work you want tasteful art work and not risque. >> not too over the top. >> and people love to look in the closets. if you are buying a house you want to get the best version of the closet. >> every week on the show i go into a new house and i always look in the closets. you want to seal.

>> i actually like this stuff. >> this is from easy closets.com. you can go online, design the closet. it's not hard to put together. i have a power drill. that's all you need. >> measuring. >> drawers for belts and scarves. >> it doesn't have to be expensive. it's a worthy investment. >> one of the easiest things you can do is get matching hangers. put the best things in the front. you're also selling a lifestyle. nice bags and nice shoes. >> exactly. let's talk about the accents and scents. fresh flowers is something attractive. something to do if you have an open house. >> don't spend a fortune. keep them small and tasteful. you want the house to smell good. smell clean and good, too. >> what about candles? you hear about real estate agents doing that. >> i make cookies and it smells like grandma's house. but if you don't want to get

some beautiful candles. they smell good. don't get anything too perfumy or over the top. citrus, organic smells are better. >> you don't want people to get a headache in the house. >> that happens sometimes. >> people can be offended by scents. next, lighting is key. you want to open the windows and consider the elements in the house. >> right. use different layers of light. ceiling lights, table lamps, floor lamps. also think about cleaning the windows. open up the shades, clean your windows, fixtures. you forget about that, but the cleaner the home the higher the sale price. if you do these things you can increase the sale price of the home by 5% to 10%, they say. >> that's worth it. lighting is huge for me. if it looks dark and dreary, i'm out of there. >> you miss a corner of the house and you don't think it's useable. >> every element of the house is

a potential design element. >> if it doesn't look good, it's clutter and you should put it away. >> thank you. if you want to go green but you don't know how we'll clear up confusion coming up after this. day with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine,

or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. cymbalta can help. here's to my pants not leaving marks on my waist. achieve small wins with a healthy lifestyle and dannon light & fit. the light fresh yogurt with 80 calories vs. 100 in the other leading brand. here's to 80 calories tasting crazy good. live light and fit. ♪ if you want to feed them right, wear them out, or clean them up, you can save big on thousands of items during the petsmart everything spring sale. save up to 30% on top paw® dog collars, apparel, gates, shampoo, select beds and more! exclusively at petsmart. but the nicoderm cq patch

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♪ ♪ wake up ♪ there's a new kid in the town ♪ >> announcer: today goes green is brought to you by starbucks. it's bigger than coffee. >> this morning on today goes green, knowing fact from fiction. if you're trying to go green you may have basic questions like what can you recycle or is hand washing better than the dishwasher? julie is the health director of ladies home journal. good morning. >> good morning. >> you have a series of questions that test our i.q. i didn't get notes. i don't know the answers. i will try to wing it. first one, running the dishwasher uses less water than hand-washing your dishes. i'm going to say if you use the

right cycle, the dishwasher uses less. >> you are correct. >> wow. >> we were surprised because it turns out hand-washing the dishes uses about four times as much water as the dishwasher. if you have an energy star-rated one, the regular cycle uses six gallons. >> should you prerinse? >> that's a myth. i know people who wash dishes before they put them in the dishwasher. big waste. scrape them off, throw them in. >> the kitchen is the toughest part of the house to go green. my grandmother used lemon, vinegar and stuff, so i'm saying that's false. >> you are correct again. >> really? >> it's the garage. >> the garage. >> all the stuff in the garage. the old half empty paint cans, pesticides, used motor oil, things like that. it's tough. those are considered hazardous waste. >> how do you clean it up? >> first, only buy as much as you think you will really use and use it.

share paint. give it to somebody. go on freecycle.com. don't buy gigantic things of pesticides. you can go on earth 911.com, put in your zip code and there are places to take them that are safe. don't put it down the drain. >> next, all metal, glass, paper and plastic can be recycled. i got a ticket because plastic i put in the recycler wasn't the right one. false. >> you're very good at this. most things can be recycled. >> you learn after a $50 ticket. >> it's different in different communities. check with your local sanitation, et cetera. a big surprise is used pizza boxes cannot be recycled most places. do you know why? it's the grease. grease in food contaminates a batch of recycled paper. they won't take them. >> okay. >> takeout containers and the lids of plastic water bottles

can pop out of the machines and hurt people. >> do you throw it in the trash? >> you can reuse these containers for nuts, bolts and nails. >> next one is drinking bottled water isn't bad for the environment because the plastic gets recycled. that can't be right. >> correct again. these are a habit that would be great to break. 38 billion of these end up in landfills every year. unbelievable. not to mention the energy to make the bottles, fill the bottles. the plastic isn't good. so use these men when you have to. put them in the recycling bin when you can. we love stainless steel reuseable water bottles. a great habit. use the filter at home with tap water and use these. >> lots of people like the big box scores. bigger is better when it comes to going gasolinreen. >> i would think yes. >> usually. it means less packaging.

buying the bigger package, you save money and get less packaging to recycle or throw away. a good way to go. >> finally, having plants in the house is just for show. it doesn't actually make you green. i think plants recycle the air and all that. >> a plus, 100%. nasa did an interesting study showing that plants are amazing air filters. they absorb toxins from indoor air pollution. great for the office and home. they put out oxygen, clean the air. they are amazing filters. they can create a healthy environment. >> and they look nice. >> they're beautiful. >> julie, thank you so much. up next, a lesson in indian cooking. first, this is "today" on nbc. flu

♪ this morning, an indian feast. during our time in vancouver for

the 2010 olympic games one of the most popular places to eat was an indian restaurant named vij's. even meredith and giada de laurentiis cooked in the kitchen. now you can recreate it with have the v.ij's at home, relax honey." welcome to new york. we would love for you to open vij's in new york. the cookbook will have to do for now. >> yes. >> relax, honey. what's the meaning behind the title? >> we are a husband and wife. we work together, raise kids together. we have different views in terms of how to run the business. vikram makes sure it looks pretty and i make sure it tastes good. it can clash. sometimes at home you don't know if you're still in a fight or not. >> relax, honey. >> i'm not mad at you. or i made dinner tonight. just a message to keep us happy.

>> we are making delicious lamb popsicles. how do we start? >> this is one of the easiest things to make. garlic -- >> right. >> one thing about indian food is measurements aren't rocket science. >> okay. >> even if it says one tablespoon or a teaspoon. >> we don't have to -- >> it doesn't matter. just tons of garlic. >> we like that. >> olive oil. any oil. this is grapeseed or olive oil. we have cumin, coriander, paprika. >> if you are going to buy spices these are the ones. >> my three main spices. you can cook a thousand indian dishes with turmeric, cumin and coriander. obviously the salt. in ayurvedic medicine turmeric is really healthy.

indians are obsessed with the health of the stomach and intestines. literally you just mix it up like this. make a nice thick marinade. >> it smells amazing. >> and get the french cut rack of lamb. just dip it in like this. >> and put them on the griddle? >> you can do the griddle or in the oven. keep it as easy and stress free as possible. >> you want to let it marinade for more time than that? >> two or three hours in the fridge. >> now we can move on over here and see what we have brewing here. this is a great dish to go along with the lamb. cauliflower steak. >> i call it steak. >> it's the way you cut it. >> you cut it into big pieces as you would cut a pie. chunks like this. one, two, three.

>> and you have a tomato base. we are running out of time. >> one, two, three. then you put it in here. >> oh, my gosh. >> just let it cook in the same spices. >> let it simmer. >> then back here? can we show you? >> stir it up. >> here, al. you want the chutney. this is for al. >> apple chutney. and with indian food is everybody thinks it's twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. [ male announcer ] if you're ready to get more from your tv service than comcast can give, now's a great time to switch to at&t u-verse tv. make the switch! [ female announcer ] call at&t now to get u-verse tv for only 29 a month for six months -- hd-ready dvr included at no extra charge. or get 300 back via promotion card

with a qualifying u-verse bundle. [ male announcer ] u-verse tv lets you record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. and you can record and play back your shows from any room. even upgrade to over 160 hd channels. that's more than comcast. [ female announcer ] call at&t now to get your u-verse tv for only 29 a month for six months -- hd-ready dvr included at no extra charge. or get 300 back via promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. [ male announcer ] and former comcast customers prefer at&t u-verse tv picture quality. see for yourself why at&t u-verse is america's fastest-growing tv service. don't get left behind. [ female announcer ] at&t u-verse: tv like you've never seen before. good morning, everyone. it's 9:56. i'm scott mcgrew. president obama is expected to arrive at sfo this afternoon, visiting facebook ahead quarters

palo alto and host an online town hall meeting. he has 19 million facebook friends. from palo alto san francisco for two campaign fund raisers at the nob hill masonic center and i private dinner in pacific height. a fund-raising breakfast tomorrow morning at st. regis before flying to reno and on to los angeles. let's check the president's weather forecast, christie nashgs good morning. >> i hope the president brought his presidential umbrella, we'll see a few showers today. for the most part spotty and light, expecting stead yi rain to arrive later on tonight, mostly cloudy low 60s, overall part earn today. steady rain moves in, 6:00 p.m., clearing by tomorrow morning, so it's a quick mover. 61 degrees in oakland, 63 in los gatos and limited sunshine. enough, though, right now if you want to get outside.

mostly dry bay area. take care of the last-minute outdoor plans before the rain arrives. weekend looks like this, holiday weekend, 65 degrees, saturday 71 and nice warmup in time for easter. that's a lovely easter surprise, wouldn't you say, mike? >> the president's um berel lashgs mari umbrella, marine layer one. thanks to the crowd here, tip your waiters. jam in 87 and past your studio and into the airport. slowing for 101 potentially and 280, depending on the route president takes to palo alto. clearing on lower deck, clear for the 101 after the earlier disable vehicle. oakland a's play, slow past the coliseum. backup in the cash lanes but not the fast track. if the head over to the peninsula, the bridge may be slow between the airport and facebook. >> more local news half an hour.

"today" returns in about one minute. ♪ [ male announcer ] who's your car's best friend? gasoline that cleans. chevron with techron. care for your car.

from nbc news this is "today" with kathy gifford and hoda kotbe. >> we just happen to have wine because that's what today is. >> that's what we do. >> we're celebrating a victory. we will get to the wine. >> you're putting wine on hold? >> well, not for long. this wine is called cal naturale. >> it is organic. >> another reason to enjoy.

>> let's see if you like the taste. >> cheers. >> all right, so -- >> we feel like we have made a change in the law. >> who says two people can't make a change? >> yesterday we talked about how in new york at summer camps there are games that played wiffle ball and dodge ball. the powers that be decided if these games are to be played at camps there has to be medical person on staff and fees. because god knows what can happen with red rover. or steal the bacon. after all the hoopla that came yesterday of people saying are you crazy? are you kidding me?

>> quit micro managing our lives. >> new york backed off and now you can play games. >> victory for individual freedom. >> here's the thing. there are certain things that are still restricted. >> and rifles. that makes sense. it made me crazy. i was scared. >> you don't have to play it. >> they say that but you do. but if you don't you're the weird one sitting on the side. >> all of the people were writing to say they had a bad experience, but it made them stronger. >> one woman dislocated her knee. >> what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. >> i'm so excited to meet this woman. >> speaking of something that doesn't kill you, she has had 5 cosmetic procedures. >> she set the record.

>> i'm surprised she hasn't spent more than $100,000. >> she's an attractive woman. >> we're not going to show you the after. >> we want you to stick around. >> i want her doctor. >> 5 2. >> she's going be 57 or 56. very she has done everything. fillers and eyes. >> everything. >> she did botox on her hands. >> and knees. places you didn't know you had a problem. she is very open about it. she makes her living talking about it and writing books about it. she only dates younger men. her current boyfriend is 28. he thinks she is, too. she looks amazing. and she's a member of mensa. a society of geniuses. >> someone said that jessica simpson is in mensa.

>> stranger things have happened. >> i have two smart people in the studio. chip and scotty. my mom's travel agent is the gentleman over in the dark shirt and his partner is with us too. >> look at you, two. they do stuff with the -- what is it? >> miss america. >> they are buying dresses right? you are dress shopping? >> everyone has a story. >> we buy dresses for the competition against miss virginia. >> and you know my friend sam pascal. it barely had a pulse and now it's back on the network. >> he put the paddles on it. >> yes he did. look what he did for me. >> and charlie sheen, there was a battle over custody.

it turned out that the judge decided that brooke who refused to take a drug test will maintain custody. >> exact same status. >> nothing changed. we're here to report that everything is exactly as it was. >> it is all about the two little boys. i think there is a different kind of custody battle that should go forward. i think martin sheen and his wife should take charlie back and the meullors should take brooke back and start over while somebody else takes care of the grandchildren. >> would you want to be kate middleton? nine out of ten british women do not envy her. she is in front of the media all

the time. you can't live your life privately. everything you eat, live, and do is scrutinized. >> one out of ten said they would but only because she is rich. and this surprised me. many feel she is not queen worthy. >> it's between her and camilla. isn't it two the choices are? >> i didn't do the survey. i think she has handled herself beautifully. >> she seems like she carries herself well. >> she had to go through coun l counseling to avoid the deep depressions and different things that happened to diana to prepare her. >> i wonder if anything can really prepare you. when you know that's the rest of your life from 29 until the end. >> at least she is 29. diana was 19. how old were you when you got married? what's the look?

>> because i was 41. no one wants to say that. that's weird. >> i didn't realize that. you were 41? >> stop repeating it. >> i didn't know. >> yes you did. >> i did not know. i kept thinking you guys were together for like ten years. >> i know. i met him long before them. >> you were a really mature 41-year-old? >> you're so hilarious. >> you're going get it right the next time. >> if you are shopping for a prom dress, we have one for you. this one is made out of star burst candy wrappers. >> she took six years to make her daughter a prom dress. >> the shoes, too. and a matching vest for the date. >> no, no. no one wants that. >> it's clever. god only knows how much money she spent.

and how many people got fat eating them. she only wanted the covers. she didn't -- >> how about if you are the guy, the guy going on the date. >> he must like her a lot. >> finally got that. all week long we have been showing you things. >> this is a firefighter coat turned into a messenger bag. >> chris is our computer guy. >> wow. >> it's pricey. $460. >> what?

>> would you buy this? >> probably not. >> even though it is making a huge difference? >> it is cloth. >> all this other stuff. >> we added the metal. >> it's all recycled stuff. >> thank you very much. >> don't mind hoda. >> brooke is modelling a skirt made out of sweaters. >> recycled sweaters. >> that's cute on you. >> and a turtle neck sweater. >> only brooke could wear a kurtle neck around her waist. >> would you wear that in real life? >> maybe. sure. >> everybody is lying on our program. >> you have to be a particular look, which she is. you know the way i'm judging this week. i will look at the different things that we show and decide which is going to make the

greatest impact on the landfills and i will vote for that one. some of them are clever. >> i'm going to vote for the one i like, of course. >> thanks. >> hey, sarah. >> we're asking people if they would change places with kate middleton. mixed reviews. only if you could promise me some of that prince harry. and karen wrote if her body and clothes were included in the deal. >> that's quite the perk. >> and the woman who has had more plastic surgery procedures than anyone else on the planet. >> look at her. >> she is hiddehidden. >> i can't wait until she turns around. d to quit, and i went online to find a way. ♪ chantix -- it's a non-nicotine pill. i didn't want nicotine to give up nicotine.

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how'd you do that? do what? you made it taste like chocolate. it has 35% of your daily value of fiber. tasty fiber, that's a good one! ok, umm...read her mind. [ male announcer ] fiber one chewy bars. >> topic is today's mom and a topic that can make any paycheck earning woman with a child, the working mom guilt. >> and the lines between work and family life are increasingly blurred. our guests are here. >> oh the mom guilt makes you

want to exhale. >> their children are young and mine are older. i can't figure out why my mother doesn't have guilt. i think it's a generational thing. >> it was a different time. >> i think they are filled with guilt but not comfortable talking about it. so many moms keep it in. i believe the more you talk about it, the more honest you are, the better you feel. >> not only are you guilty when you go to work but when you come home from work and the boss expects you to be on call, you go the blackberry when you should be tending your child. technology is causing issues. >> a very typical scene is my laptop here, my smart phone here, my almost 2-year-old on the counter -- >> who is smarter than everybody. >> while i am making the salad dressing. but of course i am making the dressing from scratch. >> so you are present but not accounted for. and the kids know the

difference. they really resent it. they would almost you not be there than be there and not pay attention to them. >> we study moms all over the world. she said i leave my phone in the car. for 90 minutes i leave the phone in the car because i can't stay away from it. >> what about bosses? some people are expected to respond like that? >> i think you have to have an open and honest conversation. i'm going to do the best i can to protect 90 minutes. if you can't protect that, here is my home number. >> treat your kids with the respect you would treat your boss. if you boss needs five minutes, give your kids the time they need, too. >> it is easy to say this work is very important but your kids need that extra five or ten minutes. if you can give it to your boss you can certainly give it to

your own child. >> so many women have to work. it's one thing if you want to but a lot of women would love to be home with their children and they can't be. in a way it's a blessing to get a job but at the same time that bless something a burden to them in terms of time with the children. >> sometimes when you ask a kid what makes a good mom it's different. we compare ourselves to other moms. >> here is the trick. i think we all try to live up to the wrong people's definition of what makes a good mom. trying to impress the teacher and the coach. the other day i asked my daughter what makes me a good mommy and she said you're nice to me and you buy me pink clothes. i can do that. >> you were talking about making dressing from scratch. a lot of people have to bring the cookies from school. >> i am racked with guilt because i think i am the only mom who has not brought in

homemade play dough. and i have not answered the e-mail. >> you do eventually get over that. i said you know what? i can't make the play dough. love me anyway, i'll send a check. >> you're not alone. >> pick your fights. >> thank you so much. >> up next, the woman who has had more plastic surgery than energy else. >> oh my gosh. >> reveals her look. >> how many has she had? >> 52. >> don't show her. -match it! -match it! -match it! match it! -match it! -match it! 20 cents less. what?! just match it... -match it! -match it! -match it! -match it! -match it! -match it! -[ horn honks ] -match it! -match it! -match it! thank you, got it.

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generously filled with italian cheeses and herbs. try them with sauteed chicken breasts in a creamy garlic sauce or with braised beef in a balsamic demi-glaze. tonight at your olive garden. cindy jackson went under the knife for her first procedure 23 years ago. >> now she has landed in the book of world records for having the most cosmetic surgeries ever. she is here to show us her body of work. >> we haven't seen her yet. >> on three. ready. >> one, two, three. let's see. >> hello!

>> nice to meet you. >> it dawned on me how much of your life you have spent actually recuperating from surgeries. >> i tended to have several procedures done at once so the recovery was combined. >> and you heal well? >> i heal averagely. >> i bet the question you are asked the most is why 52. why so many. >> i had more than one thing that i didn't think was right. had i been one person with a large nose or one flaw. >> and they didn't all go beautifully. didn't you have your nose done twice? >> it was a big nose. >> they had to take knit in stages. >> look at your picture. when i look at the early pictures, you're adorable. >> really? no one else thought that. >> where did it come from?

what initial program did you have? >> i wasn't bullied but i was an art student and i had a highly developed sense of asthetics. >> they made the rules many centuries ago. we all had a template on what we consider attractive. when we see a person walking down the street within a split second we know whether or not -- >> it's not right but we do. >> it's very primal so there is no right or wrong to evolution. >> reading one of the articles where you were not fond of your father and you thought you looked like him. >> i didn't want to look like a

man. what woman does? >> let's not go there. >> i won't go there. >> a lot of people would say -- if you do anything 52 times it sounds extreme and off the deep end. >> or you are a perfectionist. >> it was over 23 years. >> yeah. >> but is it something -- i would feel like there is something you didn't like. i think you were gorgeous 20 surgeries ago. >> not technically. otherwise the surgeons would not have operated on me. >> did they try to talk you out of it knowing how many you have had? >> we speak on the same level. the artistic asthetics that i have got. the surgeons would listen to what i said. i tend to get a lot of male attention, which is great.

>> most of the time you are with much younger men. >> older men are in a different mind place than me physically and mentally. men my own age are not doing things i want to do. >> but 28 years are? you are a general yuius. >> they don't have to be genius es. >> have you ever had a female surgeon? >> no. >> okay. >> we're happy to meet you. >> thank you for coming to see us. >> really appreciom>> ce backit ftom ae back after two more. >> we're going play who knew. ♪

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>> good morning. shock and disbelief in the east bay as family struggles to understand why somebody would shoot and kill a 33-year-old mother. beatrice burton was killed on union street in west oakland. her family says the bullets were meant for somebody else. >> she was caught in the crossfire coming out of a store and some people were shooting at someone else and unfortunately, bullets have no name. >> burton was hit several times. her boyfriend did not wait for an ambulance, he rushed her to the local hospital but she later

died. her most recent job was at the oxford elementary school, working in cafeteria ingen students to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. we'll have traffic and weather after the break. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... because everyone deserves a lifetime.

>> good morning. we had a lot of moisture pass through the bay area earlier, all those showers have mostly cleared the state of california now. left with spotty activity but a good deal of clearing loong the peninsula, just spotty showers next couple of hours and couple good breaks, nice break of rain,

62 in redwood, 63 in los gatos, another wave of moisture on the way, stronger wave, that will bring steady rain as when we head through the evening hours and tonight. the temperatures low to mid 60s today will climb tomorrow but expect a bit of rain to continues for the early portions of your thursday. here is where we're headed on the big holiday weekend. easter sunday, 71 degree, mostly cloudy, maybe a few showers in the north bhaf let's check the drive at 10:30. >> you expect things to be clear on 280 and south bay. i found the reason for big backups. three lanes closed at ray straight. near the transition we have three lanes closed and chp hasn't specified why, maybe emergency roadwork. i'll try to track that down, if there is anything to report i'll send it out via facebook and twitter. in palo alto, at facebook headquarters, president scheduled to be there later this

afternoon, watch for delays on the free i was as he makes his way from sfo. >> mike, thank you. thank you for joining us, "today" continues coming up next. have a great day. we're back with more. ready to play our weekly who knew trivia game. we're going to help you go green. kathy lee is in position right across the street armed with 100 bucks for those who know everything and her music for those who need a little bit of help. kate is here with me. she is the deputy director of the national resources counsel. glad to have you. let's see how our folks do. >> lovely family from sag harbor, new york. true or false, the most energy led lightbulbs can last for up

to 25 years. true or false? >> false. >> none of you knew this. >> the led lightbulbs can last up to 25 years? >> that's right. they cost a little more but led bulbs can last up to 25 years and at least 75% more efficient. >> are those are curly ones? >> those are the ones that look like this, your usual lightbulbs. they cost a little more but can be a real bargain. if you are stuck on this, these will be 30% more efficient as well. >> sounds good. >> this family is from charleston, south carolina. approximately how many water bottles end up in landfills each year?

>> 38 billion. my gosh. that's a shocking number. >> it is. that's enough to circumstancele the globe 150 times. and each of those bottles can take at least 700 years to decompose. so we really need to be recycling plastic bottles or carry along a reusable one made out of stainless steel or bpa. >> new york's finest tap water. >> back across. >> nice folks from california. how much of the world's oceans are protected? 1%, 25%, 50% or 100%? >> 1%? >> another genius. >> the kids know all the answers to those questions. only 1% of the oceans? >> they are very good, these kids. yeah, even though as the kids probably know, 70% of the planet's surface is ocean, only

1% of those are protected. so we need our marine protected areas, national parks under the see which would protect species from pollution or overfishing. >> nice people from connecticut. true or false. if every u.s. household replaced napkins with 100% recycled ones we would save 100 million trees. >> i would say true. >> that's what the people over there said, too. >> 100 million trees per household. we don't need to be cutting down our vibrant national forest for something we use once and then throw away. so you really want to look out for napkins that are made from 100% post consumer recycled content. that's like the paper you throw away in the recycling bin. >> sometimes people don't buy

because it is pricey? >> these days most napkins you can get at a very comparable price. it's clean, you know, fiber material. not somebody else's napkin. >> a mom and three kids from boston. true or false. the u.s. is the number one trash producing country in the whole world? >> true. >> sadly. >> wow. it's almost a sweep over there. that doesn't surprise me. >> good crowd. yeah, unfortunately the u.s. takes the number one prize on that. we generate on average about 1600 pounds of garbage per person a year. about three quarters of that is organic material like food waste which is stuff that many people could be composing in their backyards and using as nutrient rich soil in their gardens. >> on average, how many miles do fruit and vegetables travel before reaching your dinner

table? >> that's what i had as the answer. >> 1500. >> that's what i had. >> exactly. >> what you really want to do is piccolo call produce as often as possible and tastes better. >> thank you for coming to visit us. we're going be back. kathie lee is going to to be back aig r t hthis. [ male announcer ] is zero worth nothing? ♪ imagine zero pollutants in our environment. or zero dependency on foreign oil. ♪ this is why we at nissan built a car inspired by zero. because zero is worth everything. the zero gas, 100% electric nissan leaf. innovation for the planet. innovation for all.

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the hit tv show the hills where she shared the lens with three other women. >> this time she is sharing the lens with her family. >> my relationship with casey has definitely changed. she got married at a young age. she has two kids and i don't really have as many responsibilities as she does. so sometimes i think she is jealous of that. >> having her as a sister is annoying. people are always staring and people will be like, can i get your autograph? will you take this photo? >> oh my god, she's british. a little sibling rivalry. how are you? >> i'm good.

it's been a while. >> i think the last time you had no intention of doing yet another reality season. but mark talked you into it. >> he is the best guy to go with to do another reality show. i was really hesitant and i didn't want to keep on doing reality and then i figured why not. >> how did you approach casey? she is clearly kicking and screaming on the show. did she not want to be a part of it? how did you approach your family. >> my family did not want to be a part of it at all. but they are very supportive. so i talked to them and they are like all right. we will do this for you. casey didn't really want to have anything to do with it because she just wants to separate herself from that. and she gave in last minute. and i was like okay. >> is that a good thing? >> i know. we filmed in new york. that will be in the fourth episode.

>> what did your parents think of all of your sister's tattoos? >> they didn't like it a lot in the beginning. her husband actually has more tattoos than she does. >> it's not the waltons. >> your mom's a tough cookie. you don't mess with your mom. >> when you meet her, people fall in love with her. you know, she just loves life and she loves people and she has no filter. she doesn't hold back. if she has something to say she says it. >> it's true. shesays it from a true place. it all comes from a good place. >> do you say no cameras here or there? how do you work that out? >> with filming i didn't say no at all. i was like you know what? everyone wants to see what really goes on so let's bring the cameras. i was non-stop. >> do you regret anything? >> at this point i feel like it's second nature.

i feel like i am more comfortable now than ever. it will be my sixth year. >> where does it air? >> vh 1 every sunday at 9:00 p.m. >> happy birthday next month. >> we will have do it yourself hair styles. bas you can cut your own d ohe. >> oh dear. oh dear. what's all this? big news! we have another way to help you save. oh, really? how? by bundling. if you get your homeowners and auto insurance together, we give you even more savings. ooh! big bundle. [ chuckling ] home and auto together. it's like peanut butter and jelly. oh, or like burgers and fries. or pickles and ice cream. unicorns and glitter! no? bundling to save you more. now, that's progressive! call or click today.

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twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. time for today's beauty and do it yourself hairdos. no worry about spending money at the salon. >> from cut to color, ryan nicholas is going to show you what to do. he can also be seen on logo tv's the a list new york. >> people are terrified to cut, color, do anything to their own

hair because of what might come of it. >> but some women have to because they can't afford to get into a salon. this is a reality. hombre hair color is a trend. sit a rooted look and your hair is lighter at the ends. >> it goes against everything my mother every told me. >> we want to dial it down. >> look at brave barbara. >> we've already done half of her head. she's going to clip a section of hair out of her hair. start with the bottom. she is then going to tease her hair. you protect some of it. and now you're going put the color on. >> right on herself? >> right on the tips of her

hair. >> go barbara. we can run to the bathroom in two seconds. >> perfect. in about 15 to 20 minutes her tips will be lightened. >> you are gutsy, barbara. >> thank you. now we are moving to trina. she is going to -- she is going to cut her own bangs. >> this is debbie. a lot of girls cut their own bangs at home and i have to fix them. the key to cutting your own bangs is you want to basically grab your hair from iris to iris. she is going to trim right at the tip of her nose. >> on an angle? >> how did she know to do that? >> you really can't screw up. she has great framage. should you cut them wet or dry? >> when your hair is wet it

tends to creep up. and try not to have a glass of wine before you do this? >> that is no fun at all. >> hair extensions. >> anna lisa is having hair extensions. we think long mermaid hair. you can aned add it for body a fullness. go for the human hair. >> makes a huge difference. you take a weft of hair and a clip. if you can sue a button you can sue a clip. >> you have to sew it? >> just like a button. anna is going to clip her hair out of the way. she is going take this. >> when you say sew you snap it in. >> you have to sew the clip on to the weft and then you have made your own. >> you talking with sew with needle and thread. >> they seem to be -- >> a sew with needle pulling

thread. >> i got these from a salon in new york they were great. >> that's pretty cool. i like the tips. thank you so much. >> thank you very much. happy spring some day. we will be back with an easter feast. but first this is today on nbc.

we're getting saucy. opening soon on long island. >> good for you. >> michael's mother taught him everything he knows about classic greek cooking. >> nothing says easter more than lamb for greeks. we're doing a leg of lamb today. we want to show you what it actually looks like.

you take this and make it into something like this. we have taken all of the bone out. >> can you have a butcher do that? >> that is my recommendation. he brings it to you, usually comes in a netting. take the netting off and spread it out. >> butterfly her. >> and we will make a paste that we will fill it up with. in the processer we have olives. >> olives. my eyesight is gone. >> she has cataracts. >> i think. >> we're going to add garlic. don't be afraid. this is a real secret ingredient. olive oil. a little bit of red wine vinegar. the garlic cooks in a little bit of olive oil. a little dijon mustard. >> don't say anything. it's a secret. >> and there will be a little other influence later on the segment. we will have to duke it out. >> salt? >> black pepper.

>> no salt? you have a smij there. >> grind it, baby. grind it! >> here we go. i think that's good. don't ask me where i learned how to grind. >> we're not going there. >> we always go there. that's where we live. >> they told me not to go there. and she went there. smush it all in there. if you have time to do this the night before, let it mare nate. >> that is what michael was saying. >> i was grinding and didn't hear. >> one of the things i recommend, cut it in half. it makes it much more manageable. once you cut it in half, you want to tie it up. >> careful. careful. everybody be careful. >> we're going to roll it up. >> can't do anything.

you changed that didn't you? >> single handedly. >> women with big mouths. >> that's the power of women. we're going to put it on and tie it up. really easy to put it together when you tie meat twice. >> one and two. >> we have a minute to do all the rest. >> come on, baby. >> everything good, ready to go? take a little bit of this that we reserve. put it in here. >> plop it in. >> add a little bit of water. >> okay. >> i'm going start cutting. >> start, baby. >> i know he is talking about something important. >> roast it for how long? >> about 140 degrees. >> probably a little red like that? >> too rare for you. >> over here. >> okay. why is everyone ordering me around? >> get it, move it. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> i thought this was interesting. if you want to deviate, do the

greek thing with what americans would use, ham, we go over here. pork, sauteed with a little bit of garlic and olives. finish it off with a nice simple greek salad. roasted potatoes, olives, gar c garlic. >> i have a question. >> we also have in greek tradition eggs that we die with red dye. hope you enjoy it. >> tomorrowthe guyld spice guy will stop by. >> we will be right back. hey!

you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! llsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat than listening ere'noto our favorite songs. there'nothing we love more than listening to our favore song but our favorite thing is eating totino's pizzaolls. but our favoritehing isatg totino's pizolls ♪e're the kids in america ♪ oh, oh,h