good morning. breaking news. just this morning al qaeda releases its first statement since the killing of osama bin laden, acknowledging his death and vowing revenge on the u.s. ann curry is live in pakistan with details. violent takedown. an arizona police officer under investigation after he chased an unarmed 15-year-old girl and slammed her into a concrete wall. was it called for or excessive force? and california, here they come. prince william and princess katherine make plans to come to america this summer while back at home the future queen of england shops the world when

she's caught grocery shopping today, friday, may 6th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today." it's 7:00 a.m. on the west coast on this friday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm david gregory in for matt. that strongly worded message from al qaeda just released on internet forums saying osama bin laden's blood will become, quote, a curse that chases the americans and their agents. but how strong is al qaeda now without bin laden? >> all this omes a day after we learn chilling new details about the information recovered during the raid on bin laden's compound. there was apparently talk of another attack in the u.s. on this year's tenth anniversary of 9/11. we'll have the latest from ann straight ahead. we'll also switch gears. what is the best way to reach kids about the dangers of obesity? a controversial new campaign is

using brutally honest images and messages like chubby kids may not outlive their parents. some critics say it crosses the line. we'll have that debate. do you want to own a piece of hollywood history in the house made famous in "home alone" is up for sale. we'll take you on a tour. but let us get right to al qaeda's first statement since osama bin laden's death. ann curry is in abbottabad this morning. ann, good morning to you. what is the latest, ann? >> reporter: well, meredith, good morning to you. that's right. in its first statement confirming the death of osama bin laden, al qaeda is basically trying to reinvigorate its jihad, again threatening americans and, quote, its agents inside and outside their country and soon. it's an attack by an organization after the death of a leader to say that they will carry on. also we are understanding from al qaeda that a voice recording of bin laden made a week before his death will be released soon. and all this is coming as new intelligence gathered from

inside the compound is emerging. this morning, new video emerged shot by pakistani intelligence services inside osama bin laden's compound. this as u.s. officials release initial details of what special forces found there on laptops, papers, and cell phones. no references to specific plots. but, they say, it appears al qaeda operatives weighed options as far back as february 2010 as to whether or not they should attack trains on the september 11 anniversary, as al qaeda have in the past in britain, spain, and india. embarrassed and angry about the way the u.s. took down osama bin laden, on thursday the most powerful man in pakistan called sunday's raid a misadventure, bluntly warning in a statement that any similar action violating the sovereignty of pakistan would jeopardize a level of military intelligence cooperation with the united states.

a respected pakistani journalist and bin laden expert says security is gathering intelligence from three of bin laden's wives taken into custody at the compound. >> i think they can provide information to the investigators which areas where he was hiding, what kind of people he was meeting, and especially from how long he was hiding in pakistan. >> reporter: u.s. analysts piecing together the life of one of those wives, amal asada, says was just 18 when she was married to osama bin laden then at 43 becoming his last and favorite wife. after more than ten years of marriage, amal was known to be devoted to him. when u.s. special forces stormed the compound, she lunged forward, seemingly to protect osama. the americans pushed her aside, shot her in the leg. she was in the room when her husband died. she's from yemen, a country osama considered his homeland.

she was like him -- simple, pious and not interested in luxuries like his other four wives. it appears she lived his life on the run. >> she joined bin laden and traveled with him during one of the most difficult parts of his life, mostly on the run, traveling across pakistan, afghanistan weather few luxuries. yet she stuck by him. >> reporter: there are reports that amal, now in pakistani custody, has told her interrogators that osama bin laden and family members had been living in the compound for the past five years. she will know details about the life of the world's most wanted man, and u.s. officials will want to speak with her. meantime, pakistan security is reportedly considering making bin laden's wives available to the united states but says it will not hand them over. also this morning, we actually went back at the compound and we were denied access by the pakistani authorities who essentially threatened us and

said that if we even showed them a camera that they would confiscate it. david, back to you. >> ann, thank you very much. reporting from pakistan this morning. president obama will meet today with the navy s.e.a.l. team that carried out the raid on bin laden's compound, this after making his first visit to ground zero as president on thursday. nbc's white house correspondent savannah guthrie is here in new york with details. good morning. >> the president will meet with some of the s.e.a.l.s. ft. campbell is part of the helicopter base that took part in the raid to kill osama bin laden. with the president's visit to ground zero and the trip today he's trying to mark a moment in american history. one day after laying a wreath at 9/11's hallowed grounds, the president will travel today to ft. campbell, kentucky, and meet face to face for the first time behind closed doors with some of the navy s.e.a.l.s who raided osama bin laden's pakistan compound, killing america's most wanted terrorist. on thursday in new york, the

president told 9/11 first responders what the s.e.a.l.s did last weekend was for them. >> when those guys took those extraordinary risks going into pakistan they were doing it, in part, because of the sacrifices that were made in this state. they were doing it in the name of your brothers that were lost. >> reporter: the president's visit to new york was low key. he met privately with 9/11 families, visited firefighters and a ground zero police precinct, trying to recreate the spirit of unity that reigned on 9/11. >> we did what we said we were going to do, and that america -- even in the midst of tragedy -- will come together across the years, across politics, across party, across administrations, to make sure justice is done. >> reporter: but the administration still faced questions over why early accounts of how bin laden was killed were wrong.

the white house acknowledging in the rush to get information out some facts were inaccurate. >> i think it's an embarrassment to the white house and the optics of it. but, look, the big issue is an extremely daring, risky raid carried out nearly flawlessly hundreds of miles from the launch point and finally achieving an objective we tried to carry out for ten years. >> the white house says accounts changed as more s.e.a.l.s were interviewed, and aides say there is no question that sometimes these things change over time and that the administration deserves credit for trying to correct the record as quickly as possible. david? >> savannah, thank you very much. cnn national security analyst peter bergen produced the first television interview with osama bin laden back in 1997. his book is called "the longest war, the enduring conflict between america and al qaeda." good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, david. >> the details we are learning about a potential plot against america for the tenth anniversary of 9/11 or another

major holiday against trains, against the rail system. what details have we learned about that? >> i think this was, like a lot of al qaeda plots, very much in the blue-sky category. they had been thinking about a lot of things. >> still a focus on the spectacular attack. >> what was interesting was the cities they were targeting -- new york, los angeles, washington, chicago -- you know, they are not going to attack des moines or sioux city, less of an american city. people of influence have never heard of des moines. it's the iconic cities that are targets. >> what does it say, and there's still more information coming out that we'll learn from the evidence compiled from the scene, there was a picture, though, of osama bin laden in more direct command and control. do you think that's what we can glean from this? >> that's unsurprising. i've been writing about this for a long time. when you join al qaeda you don't swear oath of allegiance to al qaeda. you swear aban oath to osama bin laden.

replacing him will be difficult. they pledge to osama bin laden personally. >> we hear about al qaeda being more of a franchise operation, more decentralized but he was the figurehead. >> yeah. in the u.s. military there is a thing called commander's intent. general petraeus doesn't instruct every single soldier. he puts out a general order. that's what bin laden would do. attack westerners, attack jews. sometimes he would add something like, let's take revenge for the danish cartoon of the prophet mohamed. we have seen a lot of activity trying tole kill the cartoonist responsible. >> you are talking about the cult of personality surrounding bin laden. so al zawahiri, who is the number two, and is still at large, is he somebody who can carry on al qaeda in the same way? >> if he takes over al qaeda, he'll run it into the ground. he's not well liked in his own egyptian, sort of jihad group. he doesn't have the stature bin laden has. he's a divisive figure. i've interviewed a lot of people

who know bin laden, friends, family, even people who don't like him, have things to say about him, humble, modest. people have feelings of love for him. nobody describes al zawahiri with love. love is a strong verb. >> what about the terrorist threat we face as a country? you wrote this week, between the arab spring and the death of bin laden it is hard to imagine greater blows to al qaeda's ideology and organization. >> the ideology, you know, had nothing to do with the arab string. people on the streets in cairo and benghazi all carrying pictures of osama bin laden, not demanding a taliban-style theocracy. the reverse. they want accountable governments, everything we want. al qaeda the organization was founded by bin laden. he's the intellectual 9/11. he's irreplaceable. if we spent hours thinking about what better way to end this thing and the arab spring and the death of bin laden are big. of course there will be jihadist terror attacks in the future. it's a major national security problem for the united states, this thing is receding.

>> that's a significant statement. >> i think it's true. we are in new york, almost ten years later. most americans would have wanted it to have succeeded by now. >> as you look back and in the new book you talk about the mistakes bin laden made that led to his downfall. what are the top ones? >> first of all, attacking the united states. that was pretty dumb. he got an 800-pound gorilla riled up. people within al qaeda understood this was a mistake. we have recovered things on the battlefield where they say, hey, that was dumb. bin laden bought into his idea that the united states was as weak as the former soviet union, that our activities would be explained by the pull-out of vietnam in the 1970s. we weren't going to pull out of new york or washington after being attacked there. it was a misanalysis of what the united states' likely responses were. that was the big bad idea. he should have stuck with trying to overthrow the saudi regime which was his initial aim. >> thank you, peter. good to see you. the killing of bin laden and how

it shapes the war on terror and the world, a subject of a special hour of "meet the press" this sunday. among the guests, michael chertoff, michael hayden and white house national security adviser tom donilon. now we want a check of the top news stories with natalie at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, david. good morning, everyone. many residents of the mississippi delta are being forced to evacuate as the river rushes south and the water is rising. nbc's ron mott is in memphis, tennessee weather the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a lot of damage has been done in the north. here in memphis and points south along the mississippi river, people are bracing for much of the same. for the second straight spring john and dora richards have watched as river water inched toward their house 80 miles north of memphis. unlike last year when flooding seeped inside the home they are feeling lucky. >> the last two years you thought, well, in the morning am i going to put my feet in water.

>> reporter: while the worst appears to be behind residents and businesses here weather the fork of the river cresting thursday, the situation upstream is more dire, especially for farmer who is make their living along the mississippi. the army corps of engineers breached the river intentionally blowing up the levees at three points along the big muddy. first at cairo, then new madrid and then hickman, kentucky, sending water onto prime farmland. engineers say the levees were blasted to protect people and property, but farmers say it will cost them millions in losses. >> it's amazing that one boom can put this much water through here and devastate this many lives. >> reporter: the richards are counting their good fortune, but they are concerned about flooding victims and those to come down river. >> i feel for them. really, i do. i do. i feel for them. i know what they're going through. it's heartbreaking.

>> reporter: the river is expected to crest in memphis on wednesday, very close to an all-time high. officials say 2,800 residences and businesses are in the flood zone perhaps threatening to flood. back to you. >> ron mott in memphis, tennessee. thank you. as the flooding threatens the mississippi delta, a major swath of texas is undergoing a d-4 level drought, the most severe on the scale. the drought-stricken area is larger than pennsylvania, maryland, new jersey and delaware combined. some 25 washington, d.c., area schools received suspicious letters containing an unidentified white powder prompting concern and several school evacuations. initial testing finds the powder to be nontoxic. investigators believe the letters are a hoax. the fbi will test the powder today. tensions are mounting again today in syria where demonstrators promise another day of defiance. nbc's lee cowan is on the syrian border with the latest. lee, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it's shaping up to be another

potentially deadly day for those protesting the assad regime in syria. word from across the border indicates at least 1,000 people have gathered in damascus but once again the syrian military has deployed tanks and troops to intimidate those demonstrators or worse. since the uprising began six weeks ago, more than 500 demonstrators have been killed, thousands have been taken into custody, and the most recent is an american reporter from seattle named dorothy parva. she was working for al jazeera english at the time. she arrived about a week ago. no one has seen or heard from her since. syrian authorities say they have her in custody. so far, calls for her release have gone unanswered. natalie? >> lee cowan, thanks so much. now to wall street. mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange. how will the week turn out, do you think? >> it's often billed as the mother of all data but the monthly jobs report is very much the focus of the markets, just as investors started to fret

that economic news is starting to weaken. the good news here is, natalie, remember the plunge in crude oil prices i was talking about yesterday? we saw a $10 plunge which also brought wholesale gasoline prices down 20 cents a gallon. we hope that translates into a halt in the rise we have been seeing in retail prices that we pay at the pump. commodities like oil, gold and silver and copper really taking a hit this week as economic news is starting to weaken. they had risen too far and too fast. back to you. >> mandy, thank you. it took three years of planning to make one spectacular planning to make one spectacular leap. chilean base jumper julio munoz revved his motor bike into the andes. he free falled about 3,000 feet before opening his parachute. the bike smashed to pieces but he landed safe and sound along with all of the cameras mounted to his body to capture the feat. that's stunning and unbelievable

and frightening. >> crazy. >> all at once. >> i was training to do that. >> next where in the world is matt lauer. all the cameras. we want to see that. >> we get to push him off the cliff. oh, my gosh. >> amazing. >> that's on a list of things i don't want to do. >> exactly. >> one more thing we will not be doing. thank you. >> sure. >> mr. roker didn't make it this way but he made it to louisville for the kentucky derby. he's at churchill downs for a look at the weather. looking spiffy. good morning. >> by the way, wile e. coyote has done that trick with the bike. we are here at churchill downs getting ready for the 137th run for the roses here at louisville, kentucky. nbc's coverage starts tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. right here on nbc. let's check your weather, show you what's going on. thankfully, a fairly quiet day across much of the country.

that's a good thing. we've got clouds in the pacific northwest, showers moving through the great lakes. a few showers lingering in northern new england. breezy and sunny from the southwest through the gulf coast. showers in the upper ohio river valley into the midatlantic states. showers move in for the end of the last part of the day and for the running of the roses, cloudy, mild, 50% chance of afternoon showers and thundershowers. possible rain, less than a quarter of an inch. the track shouldn't be a big problem. good morning to you. well, the weekend has arrived. the temperatures are going to be beautiful this weekend. we are dealing with a bit more cloud cover for the next couple mornings with a bit of the patchy coastal fog. today, a mild mix of sun and clouds. temps in the 70s. 76 in los gatos, 76 in santa

cruz. throughout the weekend, temperatures stay nice and mild. 70 degrees by sunday. i'm dis from him. >> stay away from that one, al. thank you, honey. we may not know where prince william and princess catherine are going on their honeymoon but we know they are coming to america. michelle kosinski is here with tails on that in our first kate spotting since the royal wedding. good morning. >> good morning. gob-smacked is the great british world people use. seeing the future queen at a grocery store in remote wales, she had two body guards but she had the cart doing her own shopping. it seems impossible to tell if they are trying to make a point that, hey, we're regular people or this is how they roll, but they added another surprise -- a

visit to the in two months. >> to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony. >> reporter: what do you do after your historic wedding of the century that approximately a third of the planet watched live? you take off for two whole days of peace and quiet at some secret location nearby. then right back home and back to work. and so life is back to kind of normal for these two, setting up house in t little coastal town. still no word on where they will head for the honeymoon or when. that's all private. what they are revealing is more of the public life together. their first official trip to canada in july now all of the sudden adding a visit to quite possibly their biggest fan base in the u.s. of a. california, here they come july 8 to 10th. >> i think the visit of william and catherine will be huge in

america. thing like 600,000 americans came over to britain just to see the royal wedding. it's no surprise to me that california has been picked. it's a place where the celebrities are based. i'm sure there will be a gala reception. this is the first time the american couple can celebrate a new royal princess. >> reporter: california couldn't be more thrilled to welcome the future king and queen of england, whatever they choose to do and see here. >> the nice thing about california is there is something for everybody. they're interested in seeing the sun, surf, beaches. absolutely something you can enjoy. >> reporter: the last time we saw prince william in the united states he was 11. his little brother harry was 8 and their mother princess diana brought them to disneyworld. here he is, newly married about to begin the visible role for which he tried to prepare his bride. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: together, little by

little, creating a balance of private normal home life and the world's stage. venturing out one step at a time. true to form the palace isn't saying why they added a u.s. trip to the agenda or -- you know, some people are speculating maybe they wanted to show how important the alliance is between the u.s. and britain or maybe they were pleased with the ratings their wedding got here in the united states. >> we hear they may go to universal out there. have you heard that? >> no, i haven't. >> putting it out there. michelle, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> still ahead, did a police officer use too much force to subdue a 15-year-old girl? the violent shove that could land that officer in hot water. first this is "today" on nbc. lexus holds its value

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11 years in a row. just ahead, the new anti-obesity campaign aimed at kids that some critics say

crosses the line. >> and want to live in the "home alone" house? it just hit the market. after your local news. ly went t. female announcer: celebrate life's unforgettable moments with pandora, at jared. girls: awww... - they are so cute at that age. good morning to you on this friday. it's 7:26. i'm marla tellez. cinco de mayo turned out to be a disaster for some business owners in the south bay. today, they are cleaning up shattered glass and debris after crowds got rough. damian trujillo is live along allen rock avenue. some people arrested, perhaps? >> reporter: we are waiting to hear from the police department. they don't have a number, yet.

they created a lot of havoc here. let me bring you inside this tax preparation place. you can see the shattered glass on the inside. they are repairs the owner is going to have to make to his shop. it started around 11:00 p.m. last night. a mob of people pushed back by police. they ended up here just east of highway 101 and broke the windows of several businesses. we still don't have the number of arrests, yet. there's one report of a man being stabbed. talking to the owner a short while ago, there's talk of not waiting awhile to make the repairs and replacements because they expect more rebels tonight. it's a four-day weekend, cinco de mayo weekend, if you will. i'm damian trujillo, today in the bay. >> let's hope not. thank you, damian. it is friday light. that's what mike tells me in

regards to the commute. good morning. >> good morning. i can hands pick specific spots for lslow downs. this is where it's slow to loveridge. watch it tipping down to the 40s through that portion. a smooth drive in richmond and san rafael. the metering lights are on at the bay bridge toll plaza. that live shot doesn't portray that. a construction worker working on the new administration building. is on the roof below the camera. of course, you are going to need unyos surglasses as well. >> he koe s'tsnnow he eesz on 't

fantastic. >> was that good? can i do it with a british accent? >> you can try it. >> okay. crowds lined the mall today -- [ laughter ] >> brilliant. fantastic. if it's okay with you we'll stick with your native american tongue. >> seriously? >> yeah. >> we are back at 7:30 on friday morning, may 6, 2011. that's me on the set of the long-running british sci-fi show "dr. who" as part of a special series called "anchors abroad" where we make cameos on some of the biggest international tv shows. i'll get started on monday.

that will be fun. >> you were brilliant. >> thank you so much. hello! hello! i'm meredith vieira alongside david gregory in for matt. switching gears, a violent arrest caught on tape. >> the officer for a phoenix police department is being called into question. he was seen shoving a 15-year-old girl into a concrete wall. that looks so hard. details coming up. >> plus, you wouldn't think anybody would be against a campaign to end childhood obesity, but a campaign in georgia is facing criticism by some who say the ads go too far. we'll tell you why. >> on a different note it could be yours. the iconic house from the movie "home alone" was put on the market. we have an inside tour. >> i loved that house. >> well, there it is. >> i thought it was part of a set. >> no, it's the real thing. >> we'll begin this half hour with the startling video of the police take-down of a 15-year-old girl.

miguel alma fwguer is in phoeni. >> reporter: this incident happened in january but video of the arresting officer was just discovered by a police department employee. now that the video has been forwarded to a supervisor it's that arresting officer that could face charges of his own. the youtube video under review by the phoenix police department is just over three minutes long, but the police takedown of the 15-year-old girl is over in seconds. the powerful impact of this quick hit prompted an internal investigation. >> at face value, what you see on the video is of great concern to the phoenix police department about how a member of this community was treated. >> reporter: police won't identify the 15-year-old girl but say the officer is a six-year member of the force defended by the police union. >> we should not crucify the officer without knowing all the facts.

>> reporter: the incident happened at this small charter school, what's called the last chance campus for troubled youth. the home video begins in the school parking lot. the teenager pinned to the ground by her mother, the person who police say called officers to the scene. according to police, the teenager was kicked out of class because she was allegedly drunk, had served liquor to other students and assaulted a teacherer. >> as you can see, the 15-year-old physically assaults her mother with fist strikes to the face. >> reporter: as witnesses and police arrive the teen tries to walk away. the officer pursues from behind, picking up speed before slamming the girl into the concrete wall. police call this, quote, an impact push. but critics including this retired law enforcement officer call the video and use of force disturbing. >> i didn't see the girl resisting the officer. i didn't see where the officer gave the opportunity for her to comply with any orders.

it's troubling. >> reporter: after the teen was thrust into the wall, for a moment she lies motionless on the ground while being hand cuffed. police say she wasn't hurt but the video appears to show a bloody wound on her head. the 15-year-old was bookd on three charges including assault. now that the video has surfaced it's the arresting officer who could also face criminal charges. >> if this is a case in which an unlawful amount of force was used by the officer and what we are looking at is evidence of an aggravated assault or not. >> reporter: the police department says the officer has no criminal history or no problems. they have advised him not to talk. meantime, that 15-year-old girl and her mother er have not file charge or so complaints. her case is still pending. meredith? >> miguel, thank you very much. now let's get another check of the weather from al at churchill downs this morning. he's getting set for tomorrow's kentucky derby.

>> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. >> and one of the best parts of being here at churchill downs is getting into interview donna brothers, one of the all-time female money-leading jockeys. one of her great feats is she's best known for saddling up to jockeys for interviews on horseback during nbc's coverage of the kentucky derby. this morning she's taking a chance to ride next to me after a less than popular incident that happened last year here on the backside. >> whoa, cowboy. >> whoa, whoa. okay. >> whoa! >> oh, oh! okay. wow. >> i just decided that i'm not getting on another horse after that. well, actually i did, but this one's a little safer. donna brothers is joining me now. donna? this is much better.

i feel much better on these. >> i thought you would like these better. >> what are these called? >> these are equicizers, which the jockeys practice skills on. after my fall from grace i thought it would be better for both of us. >> what are jockeys doing to get ready for the race tomorrow? >> at this point they are getting on horses, trying to do what they can to distract themselves. i see john court riding by an arch, arch, arch, the horse that will ride in the derby. one thing i wanted to talk about last year and as soon as i went to show you, you pushed me off my horse. >> the horse pushed you. i had nothing to do with it. >> in any case, right before the race, the jockeys drop the reins like this, they pull all these goggles down. >> you have four -- >> four pair of goggles. they can have six to seven if it's a sloppy track.

they put those down and put -- a cross is what you call it when you do both reins in one hand. they hold the main hold here and here. >> right. >> when the gates spring open they pop up into riding position. >> what happens when the mud's hitting you. >> as the mud's hitting them they're riding along, grab a goggles and pull it down. the other thing is they start to ride and gather up more rein and turn over their stick. >> yeah. >> and switch hands if your horse needs a left -- all right, al. you cancan do it. >> all right, boy. that's what's going

good morning to you, we are looking at patchy, coastal fog k. the temps until the 70s. 75 in santa cruz. throughout the weekend, the temperatures are mild. 77 my sunday. mother's day, make the outdoor plans. derby, starts tomorrow morning, 11:00 a.m. on versus on cable and 4:00 p.m. on nbc. back to you. >> al, thanks. we're looking forward to it. switching gears here, more teens accused of bullying phoebe prince so that she took her own life have taken plea deals but not before her mother had her say. jeff rossen has the latest this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. after all of the pain, all of the suffering and it has been intense and long. about a year and a half since phoebe's death, prosecutors are putting the wraps on the criminal case that's officially

over. five of the bullies reached plea deals. no jail time for them and the d.a. dropped charges against the sixth and final student involved. they did not get away scot-free here. decision to probation and community service, the victim's mother confronted the bullies in court, face to face, crying and some of them couldn't take it. is there anything you want to say to phoebe or her family? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: sharon velasquez was stoic bu tears. turns out phoebe prince's mother had plenty to say. moments of outrage. >> sharon's anger and aggression would have scared me, an adult. i can only imagine the terror in phoebe. >> reporter: and moments of pure pain. >> i will not be spending the summer teaching her to drive.

no. this summer i will be negotiating with stone cutters who will design and cut the celtic cross for her head stone. >> reporter: she lived in fear of bullies. three of the so-called mean girls appeared in court. all of them admitting to misdemeanor criminal harassment. >> are you admitting to those facts freely, willingly and voluntarily? >> yes, sir. >> yes. >> yes, your honor. >> reporter: for the bullies sentenced to probation and 50 to 100 hours of community service, it is the end of a horrible chapter, but for phoebe's family, it forever. they want the kids involved to know it. >> phoebe drew a sketch -- on

one of the folders. it was a candle with a flame and underneath she'd written, there is always a light. phoebe tried to be strong, but sometimes people want nothing more than to break you. she gave me some of the happiest moments of my life. my baby. >> reporter: this week five of the accused bullies struck plea deals keeping them out of jail. late thursday, the d.a. dropped the charges against the sixth student. the criminal case is over. >> the era of turning a blind eye to bullying and harassment is over. >> reporter: but before the day was done, a surprise twist in court. phoebe's mother found the strength to compliment one of her daughter's tormenters, ashley, who asked for a private meeting before the hearing. >> it was not easy for her to sit across from me not knowing what i might say to her, but i

am very satisfied that the accountability and genuine remorse we have been asking for has been offered to me by ashley. i think with the right support system in place to help her, ashley could go far. >> reporter: quite a day in court. around here, a lot of parents of the past year and a half ever since this happened blamed school officials inside south hadly high for what happened saying they knew the bullying was going on but turned a blind eye, did nothing to stop it. prosecutors are weighing in saying while school official behavior was troublesome, it was not criminal. there will be no criminal charges filed against school officials here. >> all right. jeff rossen, a tough story to hear. thank you very much. still ahead, are the messages used in a new anti-obesity used too cruel? to get it? juh even better. not a big fan of hoops.

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illinois where just outside chicago a popular piece of movie history is on the market. nbc's john yang has the details. >> reporter: in the market for a new home? worried about security? [ cocks gun ] >> reporter: have we got the house for you. >> this is my house. i have to defend it. [ screaming ] >> reporter: this is the homestead macauley culkin defended from burglars in "home alone." >> one, two, ten. >> reporter: the movie's a pop culture classic. [ screaming ] >> come and get me! >> reporter: the highest grossing live action comedy of all time. >> you guys give up or are you theirsty for more? >> reporter: this family bought the home in 1988 and raised their family here, but now they are home alone. >> lots of good memories.

it's hard to leave a place where you have been this happy. >> reporter: asking price? $2.4 million. and a do it yourself home security plan is already mapped out. the three-story, 4,200 square foot house sits on a half acre lot, has a huge screened in porch and four bedrooms. each of the bedrooms has a bathroom attached. [ screaming ] >> people have an emotional attachment to this house in that it reminds them of home and family and good times. >> reporter: the mcdonald family took a look the day it went on the market. >> it's a great piece of history in a great area. >> reporter: the scene set in the kitchen, the basement and the main staircase were shot in the house over four and a half months. when the owners finally saw the movie, it solved the mystery. >> we had been trying to figure out how we lost the top of one of the trees. we watched the movie at the premiere and learned where it

went. >> reporter: just being in this house, i can't help but channel the character. ♪ >> heads up! >> don't worry, marv. i'll get him for you. >> harry! [ grunts ] >> yes! >> reporter: whoever buys it will have a good place to come home to. ♪ >> reporter: for "today," john yang, nbc news, winetka, illinois. >> i want that house so bad! >> apparently they had to kick john out of the house. he was having too much fun. >> he's a little obsessed. >> you can have that house. >> i would love that house. it's a thought. >> yeah. >> just ahead, the young jockey whole could become the first woman in history to win the kentucky derby. we are going to meet her. first, these messages. [ boy ] there's something inside your mcdonald's happy meal.

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coming up, is it tough love or cruel? the controversial campaign against childhood obesity that was started to raise awareness but a lot of people say it will put the kids in a bad position and lead to more bullying of overweight children. >> exploiting them perhaps, but the message is important. plus, mark your calendars. it's coming. plan your trip to new york city. we're going to unveil the all-star line-up for the summer concert series. there are big names, especially oking that.will kick it off. first your local news and weather. it's for laughing... [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] ...pretending... and the mouse went, "wha-wha-wha, why?" [ giggles ] [ female announcer ] ...seeing things differently... and then the boy bit the dragon!

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it is 7:56. good morning, i'm marla tellez. this morning, a salinas fire captain faces child molestation charges. he's akuszed of mo loesing a 7-year-old girl from watsonville four years ago. the family reported it two weeks ago. he's worked for the fire department for ten years and is now on paid administrative leave. more grim news for bryan stow's family. he's scheduled to have surgery today. the operation is to drain fluid that's built up in his brain.

he's still in a coma and police are still searching for the two men that attacked him after the season opener in los angeles. time to check the roads. >> the build up for the east shore freeway, a half hour off the carquinez bridge. westbound 24, we see slowing as we do here. reports of a fire off the road, too. high fire danger. we are following it closely. 880 at highway 84, reports of a truck hitting a bicycle. past the coliseum, it's sunny. christina that has forecast. >> good morning to you. we have had beautiful days it past couple days. today, we are going to drop off in temperature. cloud cover but overall staying nice across the bay. mild with a mix of sun and clouds. we are going to stay cloudy. the highs in the low 70s from

mid to upper 70s. 75 in fremont. 76 in los gatos. 70 in san francisco. we have a system of low pressure sitting to the north. we could see slight chance of light showers for the second half of your mother's day. i think the rest of the bay area stays high and dry. a little more cloud cover for sunday. if you want to make the outdoor plans with mom, go ahead and do so. sun and clouds, staying mild into next week. no real significant rain chances in sight. by thursday, we climb to the 80 degree mark, once again. hope you have a fantastic mother's day weekend. the today show returns in less than a minute. we'll have the next update at 8:26. see you then.

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8:00 now on this friday morning, the 6th of may, 2011. a very nice crowd out on the plaza this morning, but we are really goi to pack them in and believe it or not our summer concert series kicks off and the line-up is just ahead. i'm meredith vieira along with david gregory who's in for matt this morning. i almost got killed by that camera. >> i know. you know, your scarf matches -- >> i know. what is this about? it's the new color for the season. anyway, coming up this half hour, the controversy over a new

anti-obesity campaign aimed at kids. it uses striking images of overweight boys and girls with messages like chubby kids may not outlive their parents. some say it could do more harm than good. we'll talk about it with the chair of the campaign and one of the kids used in the ads. she is a child actor. >> we'll hear more about it in a few minutes. plus, the kentucky derby is coming up. will history be made this year? we'll go to churchill downs to meet the young jockey who could be the first woman to win the legendary race. >> which would be great. this sunday on "dateline" an update on david goldman who fought a long battle to bring his son home from brazil. he'll speak about the struggle and what life is like for them now. i think people are very interested in knowing how sean is doing. >> shown is my special buddy.

we are -- we are father and son again. >> you can see our exclusive interview on a special "dateline" on sunday. david will be here live on monday. he's written a book about the experience over the past five years of getting his son back. >> you covered so much of it. i'm looking forward to it. >> they're doing really well. >> we want to go inside. natalie has a look at the top headlines of the day. >> good morning. today president obama travels to kentucky to meet with and thank some of the navy s.e.a.l.s who took down osama bin laden. this as we learn more from documents seized at the terror leader's hideout in pakistan. al qaeda considered attacking america's rail system on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. documents reveal the terrorists wanted to tip a train by tampering with the rails so it would fall off a track at either a valley or a bridge. the u.s. may release some of

moammar gadhafi's frozen assets to fund opposition fighters. the rebels say they need up to $3 billion for military salaries, food, medicine and basic supplies. now there is a stalemate between the rebels and the government. the grim search for victims of last week's tornadoes is under way in the south with no firm number of how many people are missing. the mayor of tuscaloosa, alabama, says 25 people are unaccounted for in his city alone. five lesser known republican hopefuls took part in the first presidential debate of the t 2012 campaign season last night. they congratulated president obama for finding and killing osama bin laden but oppose the commander in chief on a variety of national security and domestic policy issues. almost all senate republicans say they will vote against any obama administration choice to head the new consumer financial protection bureau. they say no one should be confirmed unless changes are made in the agency to make it less powerful. carl lewis can run but he may

not be able to serve. an appeals court says the olympic gold medalist can be on the ballot in new jersey for the senate but the court hasn't decided whether or not lewis meets the residency requirement. he owns homes in new jersey and california. spectators were shocked at a steeplechase in australia. one runaway horse that lost its je jockey jumped into the crowd injuringing a 2-year-old boy and 80-year-old woman. only two of the starters finished the race. what a scene. 8:04. now to al with a check of the weather with louisville, kentucky. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now. >> good morning, everybody. we are here at churchill downs. joining me, michael paley of proof on main in louisville. >> good morning. >> and the main stay here is the

mint julep. >> we are in the heart of bourbon country. the winning horse and the mint julep are the most wanted thing in town. you will muddle a little bit of mint. >> this is a muddler? >> we use a classic spearmint that's great. you just want to bruise the mint, release the oils and aroma. one ounce of simple syrup. >> okay. >> crushed ice. >> all right. >> it can be messy. an ounce of bourbon on each. >> that's it? >> we'll garnish with a little bit of mint. >> and it looks like this. >> something like that. we have fresh mint here. >> there we go. got one for meredith here. what's this? a snow cone? >> we thought it would be fun to do snow cones this year. we reduced bourbon and sugar for

a simple syrup. this will be a fun thing for the guests. >> this is a fruit juice? >> for the nonbourbon drinkers. you can pour anything over a snow cone. >> and what's this? >> it's our version of the arnold palmer, the kentucky palmer. lemonade, iced iced tea spiked bourbon. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. well, it's finally a friday, mother's day weekend and temperatures will be down right comfortable all weekend long. we will notice a few more clouds as a system of low pressure drops in the area. it's not going to do much for us except drop our temperatures and bring about the marine layer. we are expecting a little patchy fog. watch for that towards the coast. otherwise the temps will be perfect, 75 in san jose, 75 in san rafael and 77 in napa, the weekend stays nice and comfortable, little fog for saturday. david, bourbon snow cone.

don't try this at home. >> you're having a good time this morning, al. coming up next, the controversy surrounding the new anti-obesity ads, part of a campaign. we'll ask those behind it after this. my vet thinks my insides are in mint condition. [ female announcer ] vets agree, a healthy checkup starts inside. our breakthrough iams premium protection formula is developed with vets with cutting edge ingredients for the lifelong health of your pet. [ dog ] healthy inside and out. come on, up high! [ female announcer ] iams premium protection. our most advanced iams nutrition. ever. [ dog ] i am an iams dog. ♪ woof. [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil.

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let's take a look. but they've never actually been able to do it like this. let's take a look. v-scan from ge healthcare. a pocket sized imaging device that will help change the way doctors see patients. that's better health for more people. we are back at 8:10 with a new anti-obesity campaign aimed at kids that's being blasted by some critics for being too harsh. >> i don't like how they look or taste. >> it hurts my feelings. >> i could have diabetes for my life. >> reporter: it's tough and straightforward and the creators of the campaign say it's necessary. >> we're giving voice to these kids. >> reporter: the message is loud and clear -- stop childhood obesity. it's the latest attempt by a georgia-based organization to tackle the issue through attention-grabbing bill boards

and online ads. >> we felt it would take drastic measures to get people to at least engage in the dialogue. >> reporter: with headlines like "chubby kids may not outlive their parents" critics say the tactics are too drastic. >> this campaign is an example of what not to do. they perpetuate prejudice toward children who are already vulnerable to teasing and bullying because of their weight. >> reporter: the problem is only getting worse. according to the centers for disease control, in the past 30 year it is number of obese kids in the u.s. has tripled. currently, 12.5 million children and teenagers are overweight. nationwide, childhood obesity is a hot topic. first lady michelle obama made it a priority with her let's move campaign. even beyonce has gotten in on the action. >> all the other kids pick on me. >> reporter: in georgia it's not all singing and dancing. experts say such scare tactics can backfire.

>> they always pick on me. >> when children are teased or stigmatized because of their weight they are more likely to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors and avoidance of physical activity, both of which can reinforce additional weight gain and obesity. >> reporter: creators of stop childhood obesity disagree. >> we have heard from more kids who have raised their hands and said, can you help me? >> reporter: a heavy issue that many kids don't want to face alone. for "today," nbc news, miami. >> ron prizen is the chair of the stop childhood obesity campaign. maya walters is the 14-year-old actor featured in the ads. they are here with clinical psychologist judith sills. maya, did you think the ads would be controversial or is that the idea? >> we knew there would be some discomfort when the ads would go

up. keep in mind this is a three-part campaign. >> this is part one. >> this is part one. the first part is intended to raise the level of awareness. we tried to give voice to these kids in their words how they feel about being overweight. >> you're aiming it at parents, is that correct? >> we want the parents to be aware, but we want educators to be aware and we want other kids to see these kids who may relate to them. >> i want people to know that the kids in the commercials are acting. they are actors. but the words they speak are from kids you talked to. it's a direct dialogue. what were the kids saying? >> we did a focus group and asked the kids, how should we talk about being overweight, being obese? they told us, give it to us straight, tell us the facts so we can make decisions about how to live our lives. >> maya, your mom saw an ad on

facebook and said, why don't we try this. didhesitation? >> at first i did. but once i got the part and i went there, i saw it was a great opportunity. >> were you worried though as some people have said that the ads might contribute to more bullying? have you faced bullying in your life because of weight issues? >> yes. every kid experiences bullying. this ad gave me way more self-confidence than i had before to know they liked me just how i was. not a lot of people at my school saw the ad. but i haven't gotten bullied because of it. >> you felt by doing it, you feel better about yourself? >> yes. >> why is that? >> because before i didn't feel pretty. i didn't feel i could do anything like this because of my weight and now i see somebody likes me just the way i am and because of how i look. >> i want to talk about the criticism, ron. the national association to advance fat acceptance said you are making children think there

is something wrong with them. how do you respond to that? >> well, keep in mind when people are uncomfortable these charges come about. we'll say in a heartbeat, you are listening to the kids in terms of how they feel about this disease. we actually talked to some of the parents early on and the parents said that it was more important for kids to be happy than to focus on their weight. assuming that they will grow out of their weight issues. but the fact is, meredith, these kids are ten times as likely to become overweight adults than their normal-wigeight peers. we know they are already suffering from low self-esteem, depression and in addition to that, loads of clinical types of issues. >> do you think these ads are the way to go to address those issues? >> well, i think the straight talk and aggressiveness address the denial ron talked about. parents don't want to see my kid

suffering. so you do have to put it in their face and say, take a look at this. at the same time, meredith, there is a price to be paid and the price is the stigma that fat is so awful we get 9-year-old girls dieting because they don't want to have that problem. we need a wellness approach that s says every kid needs to get up and move. every parent needs to get active. we don't want to separate out obesity, but we want to notice the problem. >> as we go forward with the campaign the ads that are to follow are directed at healthy eating and kids encouraging their parents to get involved. >> the second part of the campaign we call activate. you will see maya and the rest of her counterparts becoming more active, happy about the journey to become more healthy. third part of the campaign talks about the solutions. >> maya, i want to add that because of doing the ad you and your mom started trying to get

healthy together. >> yes. >> which is a great thing. and you have lost a little bit of weight, i understand. >> yes. >> you're feeling even better about yourself? >> yes. >> it's all positive. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and just ahead, the 23-year-old jockey who could become the first woman to win the kentucky derby. plus we reveal our superstar-filled concert series line-up. that's right after this. presenting miracle-gro liquafeed. the only garden feeder... that works with ready-to-use liquid miracle-gro. it's a revolutionary way to grow a great garden. liquafeed makes feeding as easy as watering. no measuring, mixing or guessing. just attach, insert and feed. plants get the perfect balance... of water and nutrients... to grow twice as big. liquafeed from miracle-gro. and prevent weeds up to 3 months with miracle-gro garden weed preventer.

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will history be made at tomorrow's kentucky derby? "today" contributor jenna wolfe has the story of one jockey hoping to land in the record books. hey, jenna. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, david. it's not every year that a female jockey rides in the kentucky derby. typically it's a field of men. this year rosie napravnik will be the sixth female jockey ever to ride in the kentucky derby. having spent time with her recently, safe to say she may just have the moxie to go all the way.

on the surface rosie napravnik is a sweet, petite redhead. peel back a layer and you will find a fierce and feisty speed demon who likes racing with the guys. are you a jockey or a female jockey? >> i'm both but i wouldle rather be compared to jockeys as a who whole. >> reporter: these guys aren't playing around like, come race with us. they don't care if you're small, a girl, this or that. right? >> absolutely. they treat me as an exactly. we're all competitors. we give each other crap for this, that or joke around. >> reporter: at just 23 years old, rosie napravnik is on track to become the most successful female jockey of all time. >> the final furlong, it's pantsonfire for rosie napravnik! >> it's refreshing for me. i can remember jockeys

boycotting the races because they didn't want to ride against a female. i always believed it's not about male/female. it's about who's good at what they do. she's really good. >> reporter: you've got to love winning. do you relish beating the boys when you win? >> i don't really think about it like that. they're just competitors to me. i will tell you this. when i turn for home and i'm next to a guy, i want to win so bad. if i head for home and i'm head to head with a girl jockey it is like, how dare you? you are so not going to beat me. i do not like getting beat by girls. >> to her there are ten jockeys out there. she rides like a man. she doesn't run like a girl. she race runs like a guy. >> reporter: with with regards to the kentucky derby, will anything less than a win be a disappointment to you? >> no. first of all, getting to ride in

the kentucky derby is cool. feeling that i have a horse underneath me that has a shot is extra icing on the cake. however well we do it's just going to be a thrill to be there. >> reporter: so rosie will be riding pantsonfire in the kentucky derby. should she finish in the top 10 she'll do something no female jockey has done before. david? >> thank you. the action begins on versus with the oaks today at 5:00 on versus. catch the derby tomorrow starting at 4:00 p.m. eastern here on nbc. especially coverage on versus at 11:00 a.m. >> i'm doing mucho macho man. >> i like pantsonfire. but mucho macho man has a great story. >> they all do. >> you can bet on the ponies. >> time for the big reveal. our star-studded 2011 toyota

concert series line-up. ♪ kicking off the series, the one, the only rihanna on may 27. ♪ >> in june the "american idol" winner and runner-up followed by boy band super groups new kids on the block and the backstreet boys. irish pop rock band the script. country music star kenny chesney. and singer/songwriting sensation bruno mars. in july, international pop superstar pitbull with t-pain and neyo. country music star blake shelton. the r & b grooves and moves of chris brown. singer/songwriter ce ere-lo gre

and legendary rock band journey. august features pop band maroon 5. country music's the zack brown band. latin heartthrob enriqu enrique eglesias and 2000 grammy winners train. and on september 2nd, lenn lenny kravitz finishing out our hot summer season, only on "today." ♪ don't stop believing >> awesome. >> i was so excited about journey until you did that. >> you get crazy. >> at least we're not on television. at least i didn't do it on air. >> we're live. >> you have done something ridiculous on air. need we remind you of mary k. blige. >> wow! >> why did they have that ready

so fast? >> they have it running on a loop here. >> i come here and i just feel it. >> i'm looking forward to t-pain and neyo. >> good morning, it's 8:26. students lrnt learning and teachers aren't teaching in the moubt diablo school district except one. here's more, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this doesn't get started until another 30 might nutes or so. they have signs all around the school about the teach in. they are protesting the teacher furlough days. in fact, three of them going on in the month of may, the school board canceled classes because

of budget cuts. students at mt. diablo thought they were being cheated to a right to education. today if the quad they have eight learning sessions going on, one called who's stealing our education. they are warning it could get worse if the governor goes to an all cuts budget. this goes on today. this teach in until 1:30 this afternoon. ma rla, back to you. >> thank you. 8:27, a look at your commute right after this. i'm a curious seeker.

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all right, 8:28, look at the south bay. we do have slowing and a little much for friday light. we have accidents that have cleared and in issue with debris so we watch for that. 880 slow through san jose, okay through fremont and up through oakland, things are bogging down as they have been for about a half hour starting at 8:00. slow into downtown off the coliseum, you have 32 minute drive from san leandro. little heavy for friday. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. we'll be back at 8:56.

8:30 now on this friday morning, may 6, 2011. it's a little chilly out here, but otherwise a beautiful spring day here in midtown manhattan as we say "hey" to the fine folks starting their morning with us. i'm meredith vieira alongside david gregory and natalie morales.

matt has the morning off and ann is on assignment. coming up, mother's day gifts with a personal touch. >> happy mother's day to you both early. >> and to your lovely wife as well. >> my wife beth and my mother. we're going to work on the personalized gifts. it will be great because martha stewart will be here. she has fantastic ideas. not just breakfast in bed but great crafts the kids can get involved with. martha will tell us about it in a moment. >> fantastic. >> all right. coming up later on we'll take a look at some of the lessons we learned from our mother. al, ann and i talked about some of our most cherished memories and what they taught us about motherhood, being a good mom and life. >> my mother taught me to be a good mother. i didn't understand that until i was a mom myself. all the things she had given to me emotionally i wanted to give to my kids. >> what about you, david? >> perseverance is a big one.

she was a great model for that. >> we love you, mom. >> we also love the kentucky derby. >> we also love the ponies. >> and the hats. >> wow. >> beautiful. >> we'll show you some of the stylish creations that will be on display. that's a hat. >> we'll get more on that. we're going to al who is in churchill downs. >> hey, al. >> with more on the weather. >> thank sos much. you never know who you will run into at churchill downs. mr. bobby flay. >> hey, al. >> horse owner, i didn't know that. >> it's one of the things i get to do in my off time. i like to come to the track early in the morning and watch the horses work. it gets me away from the crowds in the restaurants and everything. it's the thing i like to do on my time off. >> in fact, you have a horse running this afternoon in the oaks. >> in the kentucky oaks. it's been a dream of mine. i never thought it would happen. just hours away. they go into the gets. >> what do you think his shots

are? >> her name is her smile. she's in the race. she's mid pack according to the handicapper handicappers, but like a proud dad i think she'll do terrific. >> who do you like tomorrow? >> i like soul daddy. >> now that uncle mo was scratched does that change the field? >> it does change the field. that horse was talented but wasn't fit to run so they took him out. >> by the way, bobby -- i'm nowhere near as tall as bobby. if you pan down here, we are standing on boxes and bobby's box is shorter than mine. that's the way it works in hollywood. and at churchill downs. bobby flay, thank you very much. let's check your weather, show you what we can expect as far as the derby is concerned. for tomorrow, we're looking for a 50% chance of shower s and

thunderstorms. nowhere near as bad as last year with possible rain amounts less than a quarter of an inch. highs in the 60s. rain in the pacific northwest, sunny and mild. hot through texas into the southwest showers around the western great lakes. sunday, more showers in northern new england. a risk of strong storms. texas into oklahoma and again more showers in the pacific northwest. good morning to you. the weekend has arrived and the temperatures will be beautiful this weekend. we're going to deal with more cloud cover, especially for the next couple of mornings with a little bit of patchy coastal fog. today a mild mix of sun and clouds and testimomperatures in 70s. 75 degrees in santa cruz as we head throughout the weekend. temperatures stay nice and mimd in the 70s. 70 degrees by sunday. mother's day, if you want to make the outdoor plans, go ahead and do so. by the way, versus coverage

on cable of the oaks begins today at 5:00 p.m. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. up next, martha stewart's hand made treats for mom on mother's day. first, this is "today" on nbc. promise me low prices. and stick to it. like seriously low prices. [ male announcer ] at safeway, we made a promise of low prices. and we're keeping it. [ female announcer ] take our fantastic club card specials like sweet strawberries, 2 pound packages are only $2.97 each. i need to know that when i'm here, the low prices will be too. monday, tuesday, everyday. i'm a big fan of everyday. [ male announcer ] and with thousands of everyday low prices, you'll save all over the store. [ female announcer ] low prices you can count on. at safeway, that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. sculpted by an unyielding passion for design. ♪ and tempered by 125 years

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>> announcer: martha on today is brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available at macy's and on macys.com. we're back at 8:37. this morning on "martha an today" a home made mother's day from breakfast in bed to mother's day crafts there is no better way to show your love. martha, good to see you. happy mother's day to you. >> thank you very much. >> you teamed up with the first

d lady and dr. biden as well. >> on sunday at 8:00 p.m. on hallmark channel we have a wonderful special celebrating moms. we were at lamp le jeune with the military wives. it's a touching and beautiful story. >> we'll look forward to that. let's look forward to great recipes as well. your classic signature french toast. >> six eggs. you can add the milk there. one and a half cups of whole milk. if you want to guild the lily you can add some cream. don't forget the grand marnier. >> and this is -- >> a nice flavor. mix it all up. you can add the orange zest. you could use lemon zest if you like that. with some orange juice. a big pinch of salt. and don't forget the great bread. sugar, too. a little bit of sugar. try to find a good brioche loaf, a light loaf of bread. you could use heavier bread but i love the light bread to sop up

the wonderful liquid. >> do you want the bread fresh, day old? >> fresh. i'm all about making it right at the moment. >> all right. >> you can soak it in here. don't leave it in too long. this is light bread. but you can put in another one. over here i have a little bit of vegetable oil, canola or grapeseed oil. >> i saw you mixing in the butter. >> right. i love the taste of butter. you brown it on both sides. it's light and fluffy and delicious. right on there. >> i like some of the -- go ahead. let's finish up. >> let it cook on both sides. if you want to make them really fun, you know, your wife may not want all that stuff on it. >> my daughter ava loves the sweet stuff. what do you have here? >> nutella, banana, hazelnuts, strawberries, cream and brown

sugar or maple, walnut and syrup. i like it with browned butter, s maple syrup and sanding sugar. >> these are all ingredients around the house. >> except for the bread because you have to really look for the bread. in new york there is balthazar and amy's bread. you can make your own brioche. >> what if it gets too brown? >> just pay attention. and ideas of what to make. >> crafts. >> are you making this for your wife? >> i have a day job on sunday morning. i may leave the kids on their own. >> you're doing the news on mother's day? >> i know. it's awful. i love the idea of the crafts. >> you can make flowers with tissue paper. accordion pleat and then fluff

it up with your fingers. do you have a daughter? >> i have one daughter and two sons. >> the boys can do it, too. >> just pull it apart? >> takes a while. don't tear -- i heard that. >> she hears everything. >> in our magazine we have wonderful, wonderful hand-painted -- >> again, the kids can work on this as well. old canvas pillow. >> and for mother, a special violet. you can pick them in the lawn and put them in ice cubes with a little bit of orange zest. mother will have pretty, pretty things. >> fantastic. >> this is special. moms really appreciate it. i know they do. >> or my daughter may get works from outside and bring them in. >> whatever. >> it's great to see you. >> thank you. >> up next, a special salute to everyday moms. plus, al gets his hat on at the kentucky derby. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "happy mother's day today," a salute to everyday moms. sunday is the day for kids young and old to honor the woman who played a key role in defining who they are. we found a group of harlem village academy high schoolers who were more than willing to reveal how much they treasure their moms. ♪ >> i'm into basketball. >> my name is rodney. i'm a sophomore. >> my name is candice. i like to talk to my mom, and text. >> my name's eric brown. i'm in 9th grade. >> i'm lorenzo. >> i'm into fashion and music. >> my mom is pretty, very

outgoing. she often speaks her mind. >> she's like the person that when i have a problem i can go to her and ask her anything. >> she helps me with my schoolwork and friends. >> she's a smart person. you always see her reading in her free time. >> she's not afraid to wear something that nobody elsele could wear. >> my mother, sometimes i feel like she's a sports agent. she doesn't take no for an answer. >> she put me in this school because she wanted me to do better. i have been doing better. >> it's hard at first. eventually you get used to it. sometimes i feel like breaking down and not doing it. for some reason she's always there to push me. >> to her it's already written in stone that i'm going to college. there is no option about it. you graduate high school and you're being shipped right off to college. >> as soon as she gets home i run to her and start talking to her.

>> like every sunday she'll cook a big dinner. i'll be able to take her to school and it's something delicious. >> sometimes we slide down the slide like little kids. >> sometimes i'm happy when i'm sick because she comes home and makes me tea. she spends time with me. >> three christmass in a row she had to work. there was a christmas we got to spend together. that was one of my best christmases so far. having her give me a hug, you know, it made me happy. >> if i have the money, i would really like to take her to europe just to be with her in a different environment. >> i would like to say to my mom that i love her. >> i love her to death. i would do anything for her. >> thank you for being there for me and helping me out and being someone i can trust. >> i just want to say i love you

so much. i can't even express the words. i don't even know how to put it. but i'm sure you know. you know. so, yeah. >> we're all crying. it's unbelievable. we are joined now by the moms of the teenagers we just saw. marita, patriya, sylvia, aretha and marlene. ladies, good morning. >> good morning. >> why are we all crying? >> happy because it's your baby. >> right. >> exactly. to hear them say how they feel about mom because sometimes you don't hear it on a day to day basis. what did you think of the tape you saw? >> awesome. [ crying ] >> oh, my god. >> what does it mean to you to be a mom? it's hard to put it into words.

>> it's an awesome feeling, the best feeling in the world. you get to see what you create. you get to see them grow and to see this is unbelievable. i know he has it in him, but to hear him say it is completely different. unbelievable. >> what is the best part of being a mom for you, sylvia? >> i just love spending time with the children and trying to teach them right from wrong. i just love it. >> it's not always easy, is it? >> no, it's not. letting go is the hard part. >> all these kids we have seen are getting ready to fly away soon. are you ready for that? >> no. >> no. [ laughter ] >> but they say about moms, i think, that you give your kids roots and wings. >> you do. it's a little bit easier for me with rodney. he has an older sister who's

already in college. but for him i think it will be harder. that's my baby. always. >> well, he's funny about you. he says, you know, like a sports agent you don't take no for an answer. you're tough. >> it's true. i had to fight to get him in the school he's in. it's worked. he's an a student and he knows you have to get good grades. he knows he's going to college. it works. >> marlene, what do you hope to give to your daughter emily? what's your dream for your daughter? >> that she become a successful young lady. whatever her dream is, that she just is able to achieve that. be very successful. >> do you approach mothering looking back at the way your mom raised you? >> yes. >> absolutely. >> and what lessons did you learn from your moms? i will throw it out to any one of you? >> you can do anything you want to be. >> anything you put your mind to, you can achieve. that's the same thing i teach my

daughter. >> what do you want on mother's day? >> i'm looking for breakfast in bed myself. what are you hoping for? just a nice day. >> all of them around us. >> yes. >> just relax. >> yeah. >> do you tend to forget the bad things they do and focus on the good? >> yes. >> it's the only way to survive it. >> they're good kids. >> i know. any message you want to impart to your children besides you can do anything you want to do? when mother's day arrives on sunday what's the first thing you will say to your son? >> cook me breakfast. >> live your life to the fullest and enjoy it. >> i would like to just have a quiet day. >> peaceful day. >> i just want to spend more time with them. >> i would like to spend more time. i'm not home a lot.

i would like to spend more time. >> just spend time with my girl. just relax. >> i wish you all the happiest of mother's days. i really do. you have phenomenal children. >> thank you. >> they love you very much. >> we love them. >> and i love mine, too, as i go for more kleenex. up next, al and jenna check out the fabulous hats for tomorrow's ke by.uc [ male announcer ] everyday, your car does a lot for you. do something for it. show it some love. chevron with techron. care for your car.

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back at 8:52. this morning on "today's style" the kentucky derby's must have fashion accessory. why is this hat too small for my head? for that let's check back in with al and jenna. oh, my god. what's going on there? they're at churchill downs. hey, guys. something's gone wrong here. >> i know. you know, it's because it's so wrong it is so right. since the royal wedding the talk in the u.s. has been all about hats and fashion. joining us now is the milliner of the triple crown christine moore, one of the premier hat makers in this country. good morning. >> good morning. you look good. >> so do you. >> so does everyone else here. this fascination with hats came after the british wedding. we are getting into hats and fascinators.

are we going to see more of the british look more here in the next couple of years? >> definitely. the fascinator gives millinery a broader range of styles to wear. >> including a smaller brim. >> right. everything is acceptable which is great for millinery and fashion. >> christine, is this a fascinator? >> it is. this is a very british style. very angular, clean lines. >> nice. how does it hook on? >> this is on a head band. there are a couple of ways to fasten a fascinator. >> next up we have elizabeth. >> right. >> the mad hatter. >> it is. this hat gives height because it has a tall crown. it has a great presence. >> and it gives width. >> i don't like width next up, katie is wearing jasmine. >> that's the very sculptural.

actually katie is in another fascinator. >> i'm sorry. >> the third is whitney wearing the claudette, very clean line with a manipulation of fabric which you are seeing a lot in fashion is fabric manipulation as opposed to applied flowers. >> there is no size limit? >> for example, miss kentucky 2 2011. >> we have hats that are smaller, really wide. >> what's the one at the end? >> oh, that's a classic. >> holly. >> that's holly in a classic american, derby look and pink for oaks. >> very nice. these are all hats. anything you want? >> i love the big yellow one. we were saying thank goodness she's a pretty girl. >> i think i might need

g . i don't know. >> kentucky derby, 4:00 p.m. eastern. we're back after your local news. it is 8:56 on your friday morning. good morning, i'm marla tellez, san francisco is planning to take on the federal government. they will release low level undocumented immigrants from jail, even if federal officials

ask they be held for deportation hearing. it is meant to uphold thencar sanc ary residence. a look at problems on the roads in the south bay right after this.

welcome back. like marla says we'll look at the south bay. the flow is all righting all right. 101 slow around the 880 interchange and getting on at tully, the offramp is about to close. keep that in mind, until 2:00 p.m., the last day of the closure. 880 south down to milpitas, very slow there, no accidents brewing but we do have the slow there. then further north, we're

showing 880 past the coliseum continuing slow through oakland. the "today" show continues right now. we'll be back at 9:26. we'll see you then.

back now with more "today" on this friday morning, may 6, 2011. you couldn't ask for a nicer day or a nicer crowd. here in the northeast, 66 degrees, sun shining bright outside. can't wait to get out there, go off on our weekends. >> but we have a little bit more work to do. i'm natalie morales here with david gregory and tamron hill. al is down in churchill downs for the running of the kentucky derby. >> he's having fun there. also over the next hour we'll take a look at lessons our moms have taught us over the years. al, ann and natalie will kick

things off by talking about the special role their moms played in their lives. >> and jean chatzky will be here with her mom to talk about the influence mothers have, especially when it comes to our financial future. and giada de laurentiis shares entertaining tips her mom taught her. first a look at the top stories. >> in the news, al qaeda confirmed that osama bin laden is dead. this as we learn more from the documents seized at the terror leader's hideout in pakistan. the cia says al qaeda considered a strike on america on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. a plot was in the works to derail passenger trains but according to counter terrorism officials the attack never progressed beyond initial planning stages. other documents obtained in sunday's raid indicate al qaeda's desire to strike the u.s. on major american holidays and anniversaries. the april employment report is out and the economy added more jobs than analysts expected. employers added eed 244,000 ne

jobs. the unemployment rate rose to 9% mostly because job hunters resumed looking for work. many residents of the mississippi delta are being forced to evacuate as the waters rise. this week army engineers demolished levees at three points along the mississippi river hoping to protect several small towns. missouri farmers are devastated as the surging waters were diverted onto their land, causing damages they say could cost them millions of dollars. as the flooding threatens the mississippi delta, a major swath of texas is undergoing a d-4 level daughtrought, the most se on the scale. some 25 washington, d.c. schools received letters containing a white powder thursday prompting concern and evacuation of the schools. initial testing find it is powder to be nonto sicknontoxic.

the fbi will conduct further tests today. >> repr: