good morning. washington calling. the growing phone hacking scandal spreads from england to america, with a federal investigation now under way. and it comes as two more resignations hit rupert murdoch's reeling media empire. hours to go. after being found not guilty of murdering her daughter casey, anthony will be freed from jail on sunday. the question now, could casey be safer behind bars? and j. lo's solo. after seven years as husband and wife, jennifer lopez and marc anthony stun their fans by announcing their marriage is over. so what went wrong? what the superstar couple is saying "today," saturday, july what the superstar couple is saying "today," saturday, july 16th, 2011.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a saturday. nice to have you here. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. i was a little surprised this morning when i saw the news about jennifer lopez and marc anthony. they just renewed their vows last year. i think everyone thought they had figured it out. >> they were so likable together as a couple. we saw them together on "american idol" last. married since 2004 and the parents of two young children, they're now heading for divorce. this is anthony's second marriage. for lopez it's number three. we'll have more on their breakup just ahead. also, some very serious economic news that matters to all of us, the fight over the debt ceiling. it's reaching a boiling point in washington, and president obama is warning of a financial armageddon if a deal isn't struck. the clock is ticking for both sides to reach an agreement. we'll have the very latest.

>> plus, a family search for a missing mom. jackie waller is the mother of triplets. she hasn't been seen or heard from since vanishing back in june. where is she? is there a person of interest? we'll talk live to her parents, who have their own theory just ahead. >> all right. and then on a much lighter note, how is this for hollywood history? the scene from "casablanca" is from the original negative. a fragile piece of film that is now being stored in, would you believe, a former cold war bunker. it's also home to classic movies and rare recordings being preserved for history. we got a look inside and this morning we'll show you the amazing treasure trove. >> we want to begin with new revolutions of a growing phone hacking scandal. it is spreading this morning across the atlantic, at the same time there are questions about the british prime minister's relationship with the murdoch empire. kir simmons is in london with the latest developments on the scandal. >> good morning, lister. this is astonishing. this is a newspaper that first revealed the phone hacking

scandal. a bit like "the washington post" during watergate, if you like. and inside is a full-page apology from rupert murdoch. that same apology is every british newspaper today. now, of course, rupert murdoch is one of the most powerful men. he runs fox television, "wall street journal," 20th century fox. yesterday, the chief executive of dow jones, publisher of "the wall street journal," had to resign, because he had been working here before moving there. now, all this began with these revelations of wrongdoing by journalists listening to people's mobile voice mails. and this week there have even been reports that the voice mails of relatives of 9/11 victims might have been accessed. the british prime minister here is under fire because he was close to rupert murdoch's people. and even the police were close to them. despite investigating them for what might have been criminal activity. to call it a crisis just does not do it justice. >> and seems like no one is immune here. is murdoch's son in jeopardy of becoming a casualty of the

crisis? >> well, rupert murdoch, of course, will be determined to protect his son. but, there have been so many resignations. even by one executive who rupert murdoch treated like a daughter. so people are asking whether james murdoch will be next. because he was involved in trying to deal with the scandal over the next few -- over the last few years. >> keir sins with the update from london. thanks. and now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. two weeks, that is all that is left for a deal on the debt ceiling to be reached. and with the clock ticking, president obama is warning of a financial disaster if there is no agreement. nbc's mike viqueira is live at the white house with more on all of this. mike, good morning. >> good morning, amy. you're right. we are a day closer to what outside experts, as well as the president and administration officials are calling a financial catastrophe. and hopes for that big deal, grand bargain, seem all but lost right now. now the hope is that congress can pass a dramatically scaled-back version before the country runs out of cash.

taking his case public for the second time in a week, president obama accused republicans of failing to crops. >> the problem is members of congress are dug in ideologically into various positions because they boxed themselves in with previous statements. >> reporter: with the clock ticking towards what the president described as armageddon, the first financial default in american history, they hold out hope that a big deal could still be struck. >> but in order to do that we've got to get started now. that's why i'm expecting some answers from all the congressional leaders. and sometime in the next couple of days. >> reporter: for the first time, the president publicly said he's considering asking wealthier seniors in medicare to pay more out of pocket. today in his weekly address mr. obama suspended that stance. >> simply put, it will take a balanced approach, shared sacrifice, and a willingness to make unpopular choices on all our parts.

that means spending less on domestic programs. >> reporter: the move has angered democrats, but republicans say it isn't enough. and after six closed-door white house sessions, there's still no agreement. the biggest sticking point remains taxes. >> our stand on the debt limit has been clear. there will be no tax hikes because tax hikes destroy jobs. >> reporter: but behind the scenes a deal is taking shape in the senate. it would allow the president to raise the debt ceiling and require him to list specific cuts for congress to consider. >> listen, we're in the fourth quarter here. >> reporter: but house gop leaders are lukewarm to the plan and will hold a vote next week on a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. >> i think it's time for the democrats to get serious, as well. we ask the president to lead, we asked him to put forward a plan. not a speech, a real plan. and he hasn't. but we will. >> reporter: and, amy, for now, those white house meetings in the cabinet room appear to be suspended. the action now moves to the

capitol. as you point out, the clock is ticking. >> mike viqueira, thanks so much. richard wolfe is a political analyst for msnbc. richard, thanks for being with us. >> my pleasure, amy. >> how does what happened this weekend on capitol hill affect the average american? >> well, in some ways, nothing is going to change over the next few days, because the bond market, the people behind the financial industry, don't believe any of this stuff is really going to come to pass. they think a deal will end up saving everyone. but, they're not experts anymore than anyone else in this town, and what we're looking at here is if the talks do fall apart, if default is real, everyone's interest rates will go up, not just the federal government's but the markets all over the world. we've seen defaults in smaller countries. when it comes to the world's biggest economy, really no one can escape the consequences. >> we heard from president obama. he expects to hear from congress by tonights as to whether or not they can reach a deal on this. how important is a swift decision? we all know the august 2nd

deadline. but how likely is something to actually come out tonight? >> well, i don't think we're going to see something in the next day or two. there are some talks. a sliver of hope that the big deal that mike viqueira was talking about could still come to pass with some talks between the white house chief of staff and the republican leadership. just yesterday. but what we're really looking at is a political protest that has to unfold. the republican debate about this constitutional amendment, which really is very late in that big a discussion. and then what is likely to emerge, whether it's this mcconnell fallback plan, an idea of raising the debt limit while also protesting it at the same time. or some small package of cuts. that's going to take time. we don't have that much time. a couple of weeks before the federal government has to start making these exceptionally difficult choices. >> i want to talk about that constitutional amendment in terms of what the house is saying, it's proposing. work on a bill that would raise the debt ceiling but include sharp cuts, spending caps, and of course that constitutional

amendment you mentioned. no one believes that this has any chance of passing. therefore, this looks very political. is that risky for the republicans? in terms of it looking like they're just wasting time. >> it is risky, because the credit rating agencies have already said they are reviewing the credit worthiness of the united states. so, you cannot let people be spooked in the markets that way. that goes beyond politics. that really is going to affect everyone's investment. and beyond that, you're looking at public opinion. which really wants a balanced approach. not just spending cuts. but some element of tax revenues, as well. about two-thirds of the american people, according to a whole lot of recent polls suggest they want a balanced approach. this doesn't look very balanced at least when republicans are making these kind of gestures. >> richard wolfe, we appreciate it. now here's lester. >> amy, thanks. it has the potential to be the mother of all traffic jams, and right now it is unfolding in southern california. where this construction project,

dubbed carmageddon is about to bring parts of los angeles to a standstill. nbc's george lewis reports. >> reporter: highway crews began the shutdown friday evening with the entire freeway closed by midnight. it will remain shut down for 53 hours. >> northbound side of the 405 freeway is -- >> reporter: long time knx radio traffic reporter tommy jackson. >> it certainly will be a traffic disaster and nightmare. >> reporter: annan o'kelly, chief operation officer for the ucla health system says doctors and nurses will camp out at ucla's hospital this weekend. >> we're looking at being able to house around 500 folks. >> reporter: in the middle of all this, rachel israel and john pollock are getting married today. and some of their guests are worried. >> they were nervous to tell us, that we would panic too much. but most people are, what are you going to do? >> reporter: many of those guests are flying in to los angeles international airport, and staying in beverly hills.

the wedding is in simi valley, northwest of los angeles. the easiest way to get there, the 405. no longer an option. now the couple is telling their guests to prepare for a three-hour trip to the wedding. >> give them some water, give them some drinks, and hope for the best. >> reporter: jay leno has been suggesting alternate routes. >> take a look. here's the story. >> once you hit the canyon hike up the santa monica mountains. and rappel down. now take the l.a. river. this will bring you in to the san clemente valley that will take you to the 27 and back on the 101 freeway. >> reporter: the bridge that's being torn down in two phases. so once we survive carmageddon we get to put on our d.o. tancht proved safety vests and do this all over again next year. for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> leno's advice may not be a joking matter. 11 past the hour. now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. it's shaping up to be another summer scorcher. a hot, dry, dangerous conditions

in parts of the country this morning. nbc's charles hadlock has the latest on a brutal heat wave. >> reporter: june was the hottest month on record in more than a century in texas. and in oklahoma city, it's week three of triple digit heat. proof that it really is hot enough to fry an egg in some places. chris mcbee used his dashboard for the test. and there's little chance this heat wave is breaking any time soon. >> this ridge is going to expand considerably northward up into the northern plains. so a lot of areas that have been very wet are now going to get very hot, and that moisture is going to then be transported into that heat, raise the heat indices and it's going to make it just brutal. >> reporter: people in 14 states are suffering the worst of this historic heat. and dealing with drought conditions. almost 12% of the country is now enduring a brutal combination of high temperatures, and too little rain. in central georgia, farmers hoping for yellow corn are seeing only rows of brown stall

ks. >> the drought has affected this area very severely. the corn crop's going to be way off this year. >> reporter: farther south in florida, this should be the rainy season. >> i should be standing in the water right now. >> reporter: but at lake okeechobee water levels are dangerously low. >> no business for everybody around the lake. no water to drink. >> reporter: in texas the first six months of this year have been the driest in more than a century. crop losses there are topping more than $3 billion. fertile farms have become bone dry. the texas farm bureau is counting the state's wheat crop as a complete loss, and cotton, too is withering in the sun. >> i can remember it being dry. i can remember it being wet. but never this dry, never this hot. >> reporter: for "today," charles hadlock, nbc news, atlanta. so, how long will it last? bill karins is here to tell us what we can expect. >> good morning, amy. typically i can say most heat waves last three, maybe four days.

this is different. this one could last a week from now, maybe even longer in a few air areas. in the northern plains you're not going to get relief until thursday. yes, five days from now. no relief in sight for kansas, oklahoma, down through texas. and what's going to happen is the heat expands this week. the east coast is going to be in the grips of this come the end of next week. and there's no relief in sight for you. that's going to last probably right through next weekend with near 100 degree readings through the carolinas. in new england, possibly could get some relief from some afternoon thunderstorms. but that's what's going to make this heat wave possibly historic is the duration of it. this could last all the way out until next weekend. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. >> time for a check of the morning's other news stories. for that we head to chris jansing at the news desk. good morning, good to see you. >> good morning, everyone. a federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gay service members from openly serving. the court says its decision is based on new plans by the federal government to gradually dismantle the policy later this year.

negotiations continue this weekend to end the four-month nfl lockout. after eight hours of talks friday, the league and the players issued a joint statement saying the discussions have been constructive, and that they've made progress on several issues. at stake is how to divide up a $9.3 billion a year business. president obama made a long-distance call friday, to outer space. the president thanked the crew of the space shuttle "atlantis" and grad lated them on their mission. nasa's 30-year space shuttle program will end next nurse when "atlantis" returns to earth. and take a look at this video of a family court judge being attacked. it happened wednesday in kentucky. judge jennifer edwards was hearing a domestic violence complaint filed against melissa harvick by her estranged husband. the judge is okay, but now harvick faces more charges because of that attack. and big news from the entertainment world. music superstar jennifer lopez and marc anthony are calling it quits. the couple says they've decided to end their seven-year marriage.

lopez and anthony have two children together. twin 3-year-olds mack and emme. we'll have more on the breakup in the next hour of "today." and finally, an iconic image of marilyn monroe stands really tall in the windy city. on friday, workers unveiled a sculpture depicting marilyn monroe's famous sub way grate stance on michigan avenue in the film "the seven year itch." it is 26 feet high, and will be on display on chicago's magnificent mile until next spring. wow. and that is the news. now back to lester, amy, and bill. >> i do not know what to say about that. >> walking in between, right? okay, okay, we'll leave it in between. >> bill karins is back. he's got a check now of the national forecast. >> yesterday was 107 in dallas. i mean, this heat wave is just extraordinary. for everyone on the east coast, really, enjoy this w450i it

lasts because by the time we get to the end of this week and next weekend it looks brutally hot. from new england through the ohio valley to the mid-atlantic, really appreciate this little break from the summer heat. because what's in the midwest is coming your way. as far as wet weather your way, showers and thunderstorms will give you some relief from the drought along the gulf coast. and also we'll be watching storms up in the northwest. well, no heat around the bay area, but you may have woken up if you're in the east bay from that 3.3 earthquake at 3:51 this morning two miles southeastf berkeley. reports beinea very late from some viewers writing us on facebook over on san bruno and up and down alameda county this morning. now, our temperatures, 50s and 60s outside this morning. it's not going to warm up a whole lot. 60s to low 70s inland todbe, but the trend in the seven-day forecast finally looking warmer but probably not until the end of the weekend. 80s inland for the new week ahead. national forecast. >> bill, thanks. this morning an extraordinary and rare look inside one of the

ancient egyptian pyramids. what you're about to see is off limits to the public. but nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel got a once in a lifetime tour. >> the sahara plateau, egypt's other great pyramid complex, is also its oldest. the pyramid of the fapharoahs w built nearly 5,000 years ago. today it's partially covered with scaffolding, under restoration by egypt's well-known minister of antiquities, hawas. but those are step pyramids all of a 17 story building also has a secret. which we saw when dr. hawass took us inside. hidden beneath the pyramids, a labyrinth of tunnels. they stretch for five miles. some of them are quite small. >> yes. very narrow and difficult. >> reporter: at the center of the maze is the pharoah's final

resting place. 120 feet below ground. >> we are now in the bottom of the pyramid. . >> reporter: the burial chamber is also propped up by scaffolding. ha was' team is reinforcing the pyramid from the inside out. >> all the stones fall down on the sarcophagus. that's exactly what the ancient egyptians had. >> reporter: but as we toured, hawass has a revelation of its own. egypt's revolution has scared away tourists, and without them, there's no money to maintain the antiquities. restoration work here has stopped. >> and this is something that clearly, when they see a project like this, and no money to continue it. if a pyramid like this would collapse, we destroy history. we lose our past. >> reporter: for hawass, the effect of the revolution is deeply personal. egyptian protesters have also accused him of corruption. hawass says he's a victim of a

witch-hunt against anyone who works for the former regime. >> everything they do -- and everything i do for the love of my country. but these people want to destroy me. >> reporter: after a few hours, dr. hawass left. but he gave us a unique privilege. to go back inside, and explore with only flashlights. some of the tunnels were so tight, we needed to crawl. the tunnels serve a spiritual purpose. they represent the winding journey ancient egyptians believed the soul travels on its way to eternity. battling snakes and demons along the way. the heat and thin air took a toll on our camera man. he fainted. >> i just fell short of breath. >> reporter: he recovered quickly. we didn't see any serpents guarding the passageways to heaven. instead elaborate rooms with carved walls and blue tiles and

bright today as ever. but preserving egypt's treasures, archaeologists warn, is now in danger from a political upheaval. the sacara pyramid is a few miles away from here. but even these, the great pyramids of giza, are honeycombed with passageways and unfinished chambers. these monuments are almost 5,000 years old, if we are still learning about them. for "today," richard engel, nbc news, in front of the sphinx in giza. >> so sad that tourists have been scared away. because it's an amazing place. >> i know you talked so highly of it. and you've had that similar interview and you've been in some of the pyramids. >> i had interviewed dr. hawass at one point. i forget the figure, but some very tiny percentage of the antiquities and treasures that they believe they've uncovered. >> there's so much more. you could see that by what richard was going through. i was having a hard time breathing watching him. >> i don't think i would have gone that far in. but that's our richard. still to come, as we continue on a saturday morning here on "today," without a trace.

the search for a missing mother of triplets. we'll tell you more about it. [ female announcer ] they've been off limits to dieters since time began. not anymore. ♪ fiber one is bringing brownies back. at 90 calories, the only thing between you

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still to come here an "today," the mysterious disappearance of a mother of triplets. she hasn't been seen in more than a month. we will talk to her parents. >> plus freedom for casey anthony less than a day away. what happens when she walks out of jail tomorrow? we'll discuss that.

good morning to you. it is saturday morning and it will be bright and early later. right now it's just plain ole early. looking live at the bay bridge. i'm kris sanchez along with rob mayeda. you still say a little cool this weekend. >> a little cool this weekend. folks are trying to sleepn and enjoy some of the cool weather. we had an earthquake, 3.3, two miles southeast of berkeley. we had a few people posting on our facebook page, not being able to get back to sleep after that. felt as far west as san bruno from one of our facebook posters this morning. you can see 3.3 in the east bay this morning.

now, our temperatures, 50s and 60s outside. we've got a blanket of low clouds. mist again this morning, so no change from that cool pattern we saw during the workweek. you can see case in point. look at those southeast winds pushing low clouds toward sacramento this morning. we'll see the same pattern as yesterday. i think morgan hill may get close to 80 this afternoon. cool for your saturday. the seven-day, though, finally showing some changes. we do have temperatures starting to come on up. we'll see some 80s inland adds we get back to the workweek. >> thank you very much, rob. a conservative group is fighting a controversial bill requiring gay history be included in california textbooks. it was signed into law this week. the capital resource institute filed documents yesterday to start a voter referendum on the fair education law. backers would have to collect more than 433,000 signatures to allow voters to decide whether to keep the law in place or reject it. the law requires all public schools to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history

in their social studies curriculum. opponents of the bill say lawmakers shouldn't micromanage school curriculum. in the east bay, some quick-thinking danville residents are being credited with helping to find a suspected child groper. the 66-year-old man is now in police custody. he is an indian national visiting relatives in the east bay. this is the sketch that police used during their search through diablo vista park yesterday evening. they say a 14-year-old girl was inappropriately touched last night by a man matching that description. we are learning some neighbors in the area recognized the man from the sketch and directed police to a house where they arrested the suspect last night. a big drug bust in the east baeor m than 3,000 pot plants recovered, worth about aor milln dollars. east bay regional park officers raided a growing operation in a remote part of the park yesterday. the marijuana farm had been discovered earlier during a

routine park patrol. they constructed an elaborate irrigation system to water the plants and we understand the pot plants have been destroyed. coming up this morning on "today in the bay" did you feel it? rob mayeda talked about it. an overnight quake rattles the bay area. we'll talk a little more about that. more local news in 30 minutes and "today" show continues in just about one.

we're back on this saturday morning, july 16th, 2011. we have a picture perfect day here in new york city. it is beautiful outside. we have a great crowd on the plaza, as well, enjoying this summer weather. we'll go outside in just a few moments. i'm amy robach along with lester holt. coming up, casey anthony and the countdown to her release from jail. >> she's been behind bars for three years now, after being found not guilty of murdering her daughter she's about to walk out a free woman. it takes place tomorrow. but what happens when she leaves jail? we'll have a live report from orlando coming up. >> also we're going to be talking about the pretty

shocking announcement from jennifer lopez and marc anthony. the two seemed like a happily married couple when they were together on "american idol" this past season and now comes the news that they are divorcing after seven years of marriage. they have two children. why the breakup? we'll have the latest coming up. >> plus, take a look at this picture. it shows a massive crocodile leaping out of the water next to a boat. the croc named brutus is so huge, a lot of people think this photograph must be fake. i had that same thought when i saw it. well, guess what? it's not. the video only begins to tell the story. we'll show you where the big guy lives and introduce you to another croc bigger than brutus. >> i want to know where both of them live so i know not to get in the water. >> right. frightening picture. anyway, a lot coming up this half hour. we want to begin with the search for a mother of triplets. jacque waller has not been seen since june 1st. her family suspects a crime has taken place. we'll talk live to jacque's parents in a moment. but first, nbc's jay gray joins us now with more on this. jay, good morning. >> good morning to you, lester.

jacque waller is 39 years old. and the search has been under way for six weeks now, dogs, helicopters, every resource, but still haven't uncovered any solid evidence about where or why jacque disappeared. >> she was always a very good friend to me. >> reporter: friends and family are spreading the word any way they can. flyer, facebook, even balloons, with information and this message. jacque waller is missing and they desperately want her back. >> we won't be let down. this will work out. we won't get jacque back alive, i don't think. you know, i would give my life, literally, to get my baby back alive. >> reporter: the 39-year-old mother of triplets disappeared june 1st after what police said was an argument with her es changed husband clay. her abandoned suv was found along missouri's interstate 55 with a flat tire and investigators suspect foul play but have very few leads. and also say they aren't getting

enough help from her estranged husband, an ex-police officer who they called a person of interest in the case. >> there's a lot of answers out there, or questions out there, that we believe he could help us with, and answer some of those that we're in dire need of. we just haven't had that from him. >> reporter: waller's attorney released a brief statement this week which said in part, clay misses his wife, and he hopes she is found alive. he sincerely sympathizes with the rawson family. his heart goes out to them, however clay had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance and we have substantial evidence to support that claim. those who continue to search -- >> a mother with three kids, and we're just hoping she comes back. >> reporter: -- now worry about what they may find. >> we, unfortunately, don't think we're going to find her alive. we just want to find her, no matter what, and make sure there's justice. >> reporter: justice for her friends, her family, and her three young children, who like so many in her community, are wondering when and how jacque will come home.

now, temporary custody of the 5-year-old triplets has been awarded to jacque's sister and brother-in-law. for now the court has denied visitation rights for their father, clay waller. i talked to his attorney yesterday, he stressed there's no evidence of a crime in this case. he also told me, quoting here, clay is hurting over this, too. >> jay gray, thank you. joining us from missouri are stan and ruby rawson, the parents of jacque waller. thank you very much for coming on and talking to us. we know this is a very difficult time. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> ruby, we've all seen too many of these stories, none of us thinks it will hit close to home and, in fact, it's happened now. how are you guys holding up? how are the triplets? >> well, we just put one foot in front of the other and just take it day by day. the kids do pretty good most of the time. they miss their mother. they don't really know what's happened. they just try to distract them as much as we can and keep them

busy. >> and stan, watching jay's piece there i get the sense that you don't have a lot of hope, and you have your own theory, and it involves jacque's husband clay. tell me what your thoughts are about what happened to jacque. >> oh, i know what happened to her. there's no doubt in my mind. we was talking to her, a friend of ours was, talking to her about a minute before she went in clay's house, and she was never heard from again. and you know, we know exactly what happened. the fbi forensics team was in that house for several days. and they can tell you exactly what happened. they probably won't. but they could. >> you think clay is responsible? >> do i think it? >> yes. >> it doesn't really take a brain surgeon to figure it out, no. >> of course as we pointed out in jay's story and again i'll point out again, clay's attorney says that the -- they're not going to comment on the evidence in this case, but they say it's

sufficient to state that police have repeatedly said there is no evidence that a crime was even committed here, much less that clay had anything to do with his wife's disappearance. have you confronted clay about your suspicions? and if so, what did he say? >> well, he doesn't talk to us. never. since the time she went missing. and we talk to clay. i can't imagine, you know, son-in-law not calling their father-in-law and saying, you know, what can i do to help? he never been on a search. nothing. >> and ruby, they've been married for 18 years. can you describe their relationship, as you understood it? >> well, up until the last year, i thought they had a pretty good relationship. we saw them quite often. always on special occasions, they were always here. jacque came up about every other weekend. if she wasn't up here, we would go visit with her and the kids.

didn't see a whole lot of him while we were there, but that's okay. he was usually working, i think. >> did she ever express any fears about her safety, or any dark periods that she was concerned of? >> yes, within the last six months she started confiding in us about her fears of what would happen if she filed for divorce. >> all right. >> she told us several times. >> well, we're going to have to end the interview there. we certainly hope for a good outcome to this. dan and ruby rawson, we appreciate your time. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> all right. it's now 37 minutes past the hour. let's get a check of the weather from bill. >> well, good morning, lester. wonderful morning out here on the plaza. i got my florida girls here. who's from florida here. all of you from florida. what part of florida? >> naples. >> oh, beautiful beaches down there, huh? what about you? >> naples, too. >> naples, too. if i come down and visit you guys, give me a little tour of the area?

fishing on sanibel island. beautiful out there. who has to worry about the wet weather today? owere's t a lot of it. ers and thunderstorms as we go through the southeast. pensacola area, panama city and tallahassee will be dodging raindrops and thunderstorms. it's actually needed because of the drought conditions. still watching the heat wave in the middle of the country. dry, beautiful weather all through new england. in the northwest, that's where it's been very cool this summer. only 71 near seattle. a live look outside in swrj we've got some low clouds this morning, another cool start. the non-weatherat headlinershs that 3.3 earthquake east-southeast of berkeley,in perhaps you woke up to that. that was at 3:51 this morning. back to the weather, 50s and 60s outside right now. a good sea breeze will keep the temperatures down again today. 60s and 70s for highs today. if you want to find warmer weather, the seven-day forecast

has that but the inland temperatures not hitting the 80s until next week. l looks like a very chilly forecast for the west coast. rest of the country going to bake this weekend. >> still to come, money matters. from social security checks to benefits. what you need to know about this budget crisis under way. >> plus no more amour. why are j. lo and marc anthony calling it quits. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon.

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but mostly it helps me keep an eye on my boyfriend. even though he doesn't know he's my boyfriend. yet. [ male announcer ] powered by the 2nd gen intel core processor family. not just smart. visibly smart. get an inspiron 15r with 6 gig memory and 640 gig hard drive for $599.99 at dell.com. this morning retirement 911. with all the talk about the debt ceiling and budget battle it's clear the situation is reaching a boiling point. but from the workplace to retirement planning, what does it all mean for you and your money? this morning we have the experts with the answers. joining us are farn you'd for abby, author of "psych yourself rich," and rod kurtz, executive editor of aol small business. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> we have some questions from

viewers we want to get to farnish. let's talk about the news of this potential government shutdown, how it could impact people retiring. to avoid hitting that debt ceiling which could mean cuts in social security. what does it mean for retirees and social security benefits? >> it means you need to prepare for the worst. the president has said if the debt ceiling does not get raised the government may have a hard time fulfilling its financial obligation, including social security. the debt ceiling, we don't know what's going to happen to that. so retirees, if you are living paycheck to paycheck, make sure you're doing whatever you can to shore up some cash. maybe talk to a relative about getting a short-term loan. because that check may not come next month. >> all right. let's get to our first viewer question, which is actually from the plaza. has to do with this topic. maria is out there for a question with you. what's your question? >> my question is with not knowing what's going to happen with social security, how much more money should we be putting aside for our retirement? >> great question. i think that you always want to take control of the situation.

regardless of what the debate is going on in washington. 10%, maria, of your take-home pay to a retirement account. that's a 401(k), or any other, you know, i.r.a. that you have, and then also think about your life in retirement. you may not retire as early as you're expecting. if you have to play catch-up, maybe that means you're going to retire not at 60 or 65 but later on. and we'll talk about that. >> all right. we want to get to our next viewer question comes from an e-mail from sharon in danville, new jersey. sharon asks, i feel i have earned the right to retire. but feel insecure about living without a job. is this normal? dale, how should we deal with this? i think a lot of people might be feeling this anxiety. >> it really is pretty normal and there's a lot of uncertainty. there is anxiety and worry about what will be the future. i think what's important to remember is that retirement is different for everybody. and some people really anticipated, and wanted, and it's going to be great and they think it's going to be great. it play or may not be. what's important to remember is you want to still have meaning in your life and your job also

gives you meaning and gives you an identity. and to feel that that's going to shift, so there's going to be some changes. you may wonder, did i lose my platform? did i lose my purpose? you don't necessarily lose your purpose in life when you lose your job. you have to become active and really listen to yourself and see what you want to do, what means something to you. and then try and pursue it. >> all right. well for some we should mention retirement doesn't mean never working again. john from phoenix, arizona, asks through an e-mail, i'm ready to retire from my career but i've always dreamed much starting my own business. is it too risky to try this in retirement? rod what would be your advice? >> i'm here to let you in on a secret. the best time to start a business is right now. if you've got a great idea, if you've done your homework this is the time to do it. even in a down economy you can find a market for your product or service. the message to retirees, we hear a lot about mark zuckerberg and the young entrepreneurs, there's a statistic out now that says there are twice as many entrepreneurs over the age of 50 than there are under the age of

25. so now is a great time if you're thinking about it. >> that is great. we have another question out from the plaza. alyssa has a question. go ahead. >> my question is, with all the changing factors that are happening how do you plan for health care costs? >> well, i would tell you that an interesting statistic i read the other day, if you're a couple around the age of 65 you're going to need about $230,000 to cover your medical expenses in retirement. and that's not including dental or long-term care. so when you're budgeting for retirement, budget for health care. about 10% of your budget should go to health care. think about long-term care insurance, disability insurance, and stay healthy. because when you quit smoking, and you know, you exercise and you eat right, you will deter a lot of those costs. >> good message for everyone. >> all right, thank you all for some great advice, we appreciate it. coming up next, it's not a croc. meet one of the largest crocodiles in the world after these messages. [ waves crashing ]

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they rival great white sharks in ferocity and this morning you'll see why salt water crocodiles are the ultimate predator. these massive reptiles have become a tourist attraction in australia, where we sent a film crew to record every snap. nbc's natalie morales has more. >> reporter: deep in australia's northern territory, lurking along the adelaide river, giant saltwater crocodiles infest these waters. perhaps the most notorious,

brutus, the giant predator who recently made headlines around the world, after leaping from the water dangerously close to a boat full of tourists. he was said to be 18 feet long, weighing a whopping 2,000 pounds. to get a glimpse of this massive croc for ourselves, we jumped adelaide river cruises and their colorful tour guide morgan bowman. docking buffalo meat to lure brutus out of the water we set out in search of the giant croc. >> the big ones can do an area of four or five kilometers each. you never know where they are. >> reporter: after 30 minutes we got our first look at brutus. >> good morning, brutus. you're worldwide fella. >> reporter: locals say brutus lost his front leg after a run-in with a shark. he's missing teeth from regularly feasting on wild boars. >> he's one of the best hunters

in the world. fantastic animals. >> reporter: deadly and extremely powerful, saltwater crocs kill their prey using their incredible jaw pressure. a sight to see for this group of tourists. >> unbelievable, huh? >> i've never seen anything like that before. it's magic. >> it's amazing. my hear's still racing. it's scary. >> reporter: and while brutus may be a monster, he's not even the biggest beast of the bunch here on the river. his brother, known as the dominator, has brutus beat, measuring in at 20 feet long. >> that is amazing. the whole croc is always good to look at. could be out to get the territory. >> reporter: the largest of all living reptiles, salties as they're known in australia, are thrilling tourists. making headlines and posing for pictures. for "today," natalie morales, nbc news, new york. >> sometimes we see things on this program and think, i want to do that. >> not one of them.

you know one of those famous lines from jaws, i think we need a bigger boat. that's what i would feel like if i was in that pontoon boat. >> i'm not sure i'd want to watch this on a bigscreen tv. >> all right. just ahead, it's over, it's news that shocked hollywood. jennifer lopez and marc anthony are splitting up. their story is coming up.

still to come on "today," freedom soon for casey anthony. from where she will go once she's released, to sealing her conviction. >> plus end of troad, carmageddon begins in california. with a private island. really? no. it comes 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?

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good morning to you. take a live look at san jose. traffic moving along smoothly this morning. that's not going to be the case down south in los angeles. that's one of the major freeways is shut down. we'll talk about that in just a minute but first we want to talk about an overnight quake here in the bay area. >> 3.3 earthquake two miles east-southeast of berkeley at 3:51 this morning. on our facebook page eduardo trujillo hefelt it over in san bru bruin oh if you felt something

this morning, that's what it was at 3:51. the weather as we go through the day, lots of low clouds, misty skies. we'll get clearing for inland spots and low clouds on the coastline and peninsula. we'll see 60s and 70s for highs today, but things will start to warm up, look more july-like. who knew that july was one of the cooler months of the year the last week. but we will see those numbers climbing but probably not until we get out of the weekend. mid-80s inland by next week. >> look how foggy it is in san francisco. >> lots of drizzle. >> thank you very much, rob. in los angeles today and right through monday morning it's more than just slowing for the cone zone on one southland freeway. thousands upon thousands of motorists are being forced to avoid the cone zone altogether, turning one of the world's busiest highways into an empty ribbon of concrete. l.a. is calling it carmageddon and it is now in full force. a ten-mile stretch of interstate 405 is now closed through the

sepulveda pass which snakes through the santa monica mountains to connect the san fernando valley with santa monica boulevard and the rest of l.a. work crews began closing down the freeway last night. why the closure? crews must dismantle the mulholland drive bridge and it is the first time since it was completed in 1961 in that freeway has been completely shut down. it is causing some folks just to get out of town. >> no way, no how. i'm going to be hanging around here for the most horrific traffic jam in a century. >> the freeway is closed from highway 101 in the san fernando valley to interstate 10 in santa monica. if crews have it their way, they will complete the job and reopen the freeway in time for the monday morning commute. every ten minutes past the target time to open, the cost to the contractor, $12,000. we here at nbc bay area want to make a special request to our very jen u.s. nbc bay area viewers. we are hosting a food drive today with our community

partners at safeway. for just $10 you can donate a bag of food that will provide multiple meals for a family in need. we know that times are tough but we also want to ask that you give what you can. we also thank you in advance. sometimes it's tough during the summer months when more children are out of school where they usually get their meals. coming up this morning on "today in the bay" more talk about the overnight earthquake here in the bay area. we'll be back.

all right, say hi to the crowd briefly and hi to the rest of the crowd watching this morning. welcome back on saturday, july 16th, 2011. we are experiencing a gorgeous weekend here in the northeast. as bill told us earlier, i guess we should enjoy it, it's going to get really hot in this part of the country. it already is the middle part of the country. we appreciate the great crowd here on the plaza, waving to family and friends back home. i'm lester holt along with amy robach. the final days in custody for casey anthony. >> that's right. she will be released from jail tomorrow. right now you have to bonder what she's thinking and what will await her when she walks

out of jail. there are so many unanswered questions like her upcoming appeal, her deposition, and where she will go. where she will live when she's released. we have a live report from orlando. >> and you never really know what's going on inside someone's marriage or what's happening with a couple. but i think it was still shocking news to wake up to word that jennifer lopez and marc anthony are divorcing. i don't think a lot of folks saw it coming. at least in the public. we remember their sizzling duet on "american idol," and they called the breakup a very difficult decision. we're going to talk about what might have led to the end of their marriage, coming up. >> plus we're going to take an incredible tour through the world's largest film, tv and radio collection. it's from dracula to the three stooges, even world war films. the incredible vintage moments are stored in a cold war bunker to protect them from anything and everything. it's an amazing location. so many of these could have been lost if it weren't for the great reservation work they're doing. the ones that they hadn't

preserved correctly were literally disintegrating. lost forever to future generations. >> to lose the three stooges would be -- you think i'm joking. i'm not joking. that is a national treasure, in fact. we're going to get a check of the other headlines. let's go back inside and say good morning again to chris jansing. >> good morning, everyone. rupert murdoch is apologizing in british papers today for the phone hacking scandal which is threatening his media empire. nbc's kir simmons is live in london with more. good morning, keir. >> good morning, chris. this is the british newspaper apology today. but will it be enough? because this scandal has become a crisis for one of the most pourerful mean in media. top executives resigned, including the chief executive of dow jones which publishes "the wall street journal." and there are even suggestions that rupert murdoch's own son james may be a casualty because he unsuccessfully tried to deal with the scandal that began with journalists listening to people's private cell phone messages. even the prime minister and the police here are under fire for being too close to murdoch.

chris? >> nbc's keir simmons, thank you. back here in washington, warnings of financial catastrophe if lawmakers don't strike a deal very soon to raise the debt ceiling. nbc's mike viqueira is live at the white house with more this morning. good morning, mike. >> good morning, chris. after six closed-door sessions here in the west wing, the president and congressional leaders appear no closer to that grand bargain. a big, significant deal to lower the -- lower this nation's debt. yesterday the president appeared in the briefing room, taking his case public for the second time in a week. still holding out hope for that grand bargain. but now all eyes are turning to the capitol, closed-door negotiations there on a measure that would allow the president to raise the debt ceiling and keep the country paying its bills after that deadline of august 2nd. chris? >> nbc's mike viqueira, thank you. residents in los angeles are bracing for carmageddon this weekend, as a major construction project shuts down one of the nation's busiest highways. nbc's aididi roy is live with

more. good morning. >> good morning, chris. cars have moved out of the area, and construction crews moved into the ten mile zone affected by the 405 closure. that closure happened as if on cue and right on schedule at midnight this morning. crews are demolishing part of a bridge to veeventually make roo for three other bridges and a carpool lane. the closure came after months of hype and warning for drivers to stay off the free ways this weekend. the 405 is one of the busiest freeways in the nation. 500,000 drivers travel on the road on a typical weekend. the ten-mile stretch is expected to reopen at 5:00 monday morning. chris? >> nbc's adid iti roy, thanks. finally there's a certain boy wizard casting his magical spell on the box office once again. "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2" is breaking records. thursday's midnight showing raked in more than $42 million, breaking the 2009 record of $30 million set by the twilight saga, new moon. it's estimated that the total

friday take for the movie will be $80 million which would break the single-day record. that is the news. back to amy, who is out on the plaza. i stood in line to see that movie yesterday. you couldn't -- it was crazy. >> wow. i know. >> 3-d, the glasses and everything. >> wow. all right, chris, thanks so much. want to get a check of the weather from bill karins who is out on the plaza with me, as well. >> good morning to you, amy. all right you're here for a busy, busy weekend. nicole is 40. >> nicole my cousin is 40 today. my brother eric is 43. my parents' anniversary, and my husband jim. >> congratulations to you guys. busy weekend in the city. well, the heat wave across the country is going to steal the headlines not just this weekend but possibly even into next week. i mean, this is excessive heat warnings cover portions of ten different states. heat advisories down to dallas. the middle of the country is the worst of it. it's humid. it's gross out there. going to feel like 114 this weekend in omaha. kansas city like 110. this is going to be a long enough heat wave that

unfortunately possibly could be deadly in some areas, especially on the elderly. and here's a pleasant start to the morning, at least temperaturewise in the bay area. there's a live look at the golden gate bridge or about a third of it, what you can see. we've got drizzle and low clouds. our temperatures around bait area today thanks to that ocean air conditioning we've seen throughout the week, we will see temperatures mainly 60s to low 70s inland. maybe morgan hill may get close to 80 today. the trend for the seven-day forecast finally shows more july-like weather coming back early next week. inland temperatures starting to warm back into the mid-80s and staying in the 60s, though, out on the coast. so temperatures, that's the story. the heat wave. back to you, lester. >> bill, thank you. by this time tomorrow, casey anthony may be a free woman. acquitted of murdering her daughter in the explosive and emotional trial, casey will be released from custody on sunday in connection with her conviction on lying charges. but what happens then?

nbc's lily aluciano is live in orlando with more. >> good morning to you, lester. after three years casey anthony just has a few hours left in her cell. but outside, new legal battles are brewing for the 25-year-old mother, acquitted of killing her little girl. casey anthony's fellow inmates have set up a security barricade for her imminent release from the orange county jail. >> find the defendant not guilty -- >> reporter: the woman who escaped a murder conviction in the death of her 2-year-old daughter caylee has become the target of multiple lawsuits. >> -- some emotional problems. >> reporter: friday anthony's attorneys argued she was too exhausted mentally to face questions in a civil defamation lawsuit filed by a florida woman. at issue zenaida gonzalez's reputation. anthony initially told investigators her baby-sitter, zenaida gonzalez had kidnapped caylee. she continued that lie until the trial. gonzalez says because of that lie, she lost her job, and her home.

anthony will now have to give a videotaped deposition on october 8th. >> hallelujah. we filed this lawsuit in 2008. >> reporter: and in another lawsuit, leonard padilla, the bounty hunter who bailed her out in 2008 is seeking $200,000 for the money he spent searching for the missing toddler, who investigators say was already dead. while she fights the lawsuits, anthony wants her name cleared completely. she's now appealing those four guilty counts of lying to police. >> it also means that she gets to claim the fifth when it comes to depositions in the civil case. she can say, i'm taking the fifth, i'm not going to talk about it until my appeal process is over and that process could take a couple years. >> reporter: and appeal that would have to be funded by taxpayers, because on friday anthony once again filed documents claiming she is indigent. we have new information this morning regarding casey's release. for security reasons, only three journalists will be allowed

inside the jail to witness the process of freeing casey. one of those an nbc news photo journalists. now, the orange county sheriff has already said his department will assess any threats made against casey anthony. but they do not plan to become her personal security team. >> thanks very much. for more on casey anthony's freedom and the civil suit she faces we're joined by defense attorney and former homicide prosecutor paul callan. >> good morning, lepser. >> put yourself in the role of her attorney, what would you advise her to go forward with her life? >> well, this is chapter two of the casey anthony story and i don't know what strange place it's going to take her to. i think first of all she's probably in great danger. with the continued public interest, and anger about the verdict. you know, i think she's really got to protect herself. and probably attorneys are advising her to get security, maybe to change her name, maybe to move someplace else. her primary issue now is security. >> you know, she has become celebrity through this. a lot of people have wanted to

compare this to o.j. simpson. i know you were involved in one of the civil cases. what are the main differences between the two in terms of what they might expect on the outside? >> well, i think in some respects she's going to have a more difficult time than o.j. simpson. and i say that because simpson was a celebrity before he became embroiled in the murder case, and the subsequent civil case that i was involved with. so he sort of had a mechanism for dealing with security, and crowds, and how to handle the public. >> and there was a core of people who liked him still, for the old o.j. >> he had fans and they remained his fans for the old o.j. on the other hand, casey anthony, i don't think she has any fans. i think even people who think maybe there wasn't enough evidence to convict her, many people suspect that she's guilty anyway. so she doesn't have that. and she has a lot of people who really despise her. a lot of mentally unstable people out there. so her situation is a lot more dangerous. now one other similarity, though, lester, will she try to capitalize financially on the situation?

in that respect she may be able to use her celebrity and try to make money off it. >> the reason she's still in jail, she misled investigators, she lied, she got in trouble with check issues before. there's one thing that's clear, she has made some very poor choices in life up to this point. someone like that under the spotlight now, going to this trial, are they more or less likely to screw up again? >> well, you know, my feeling is that we have a core character, and she's got one, and whatever that character is, under the spotlight, it's going to come out again. and if she fries to make money, if she tries to capitalize on this, if you look at the history of people, again like o.j. simpson, he self-destructed. in the end. he's in prison in nevada. i don't know what's going to happen with casey anthony but i find it hard to believe that, justice won't find its way to her at some point in time. >> as we noted in that record a moment ago, she's got two civil suits awaiting her right now. least of her worries? as long as she has no money? >> well, the civil suits are

interesting, because, she's being sued for defamation for claiming that the nanny was involved in the disappearance of caylee. and a number of people are now going to be suing her for the expenses of the search for caylee. i think in the end, probably, she'll get out of those cases. there will be big judgments against her, but she may be able to duck paying for those judgments. but we'll see. they're going to be an annoyance. they're going to hang over her head. they're going to be trying to get her to testify. she'll be taking the fifth amendment. it's going to be a troublesome thing for her as the years go on. >> appreciate it. thanks for coming on. [ female announcer ] are you and your dry hair not getting along? [ woman ] ♪ why you gotta be like that? [ elevator bell dings ] ♪ don't be like that ♪ 'cause i deserve better than this ♪ ♪ did i catch you playing up like that? ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] make friends with your dry, unpredictable hair. dove's new range with weightless nutri-oils

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inside this wonderful world of archives. nestled into a virginia hillside sits a former cold war bunker once used by the federal reserve to store $3 billion in cash. and while there's still gold in those hills, these days it's from hollywood's golden age. >> we have about 140 million to 150 million pieces of film. >> reporter: my tour begins in the frigid 39 degree vault where the vast collection of delicate nitrate film is stored. >> it's called a reaction. >> what's the idea? >> the idea is to make sure classics like "the three stooges" are preserved in their original form. so this is an incredibly historic piece of film here. this is the last scene in "casablanca." >> this is the actual original camera negative that was actually on the set when the film was made in 1942. >> we'll always have paris. >> reporter: and thanks to the archivists, we'll always have frankenstein's hands.

>> it's alive, it's alive! . >> reporter: and dracula's abby. >> i am dracula. >> reporter: in the preservation lab specialists meticulously salvage what they can from rare films like this one from the '40s. >> it's kind of giving life to these films again, especially in that period. >> reporter: but the largest section of the library is its 3 million plus sound recordings archives. >> this was recorded in august of 1936. it's the original master of louis armstrong and jimmy dorsey doing swing music. >> reporter: that's incredible. and it's made of what? >> it's copper-based. can you see the copper base. >> look at that. >> reporter: universal music group recently donated 200,000 recordings, including masters from luminaries like ella fitzgerald. ♪ les paul. ♪ and bing crosby. >> this is the original studio lacquer for the 1947 recording

by bing crosby of "white christmas." ♪ just like the ones i used to know ♪ what's interesting here is if you look closely, you've got three different selections here. number one and number three are xed out in crayon. >> i can see that. >> it's the middle one that was the take that was used. >> reporter: conversely, i got excited because i -- i saw these, little cassette tapes. that's -- that's my -- my generation. and i could actually donate a few. i've got whitesnake. poison. ♪ nothing but a good time >> we have about 120,000 cassettes in the collection right now. but maybe we're short on whitesnake. >> i didn't see it in there. i didn't. then there are the recordings that give you chills. >> i heard that bullet come over. during the war the library of congress and the marine corps collaborated to make battlefield recordings.

>> reporter: these were trained marines, went through boot camp, and a few of them were trained to record. >> reporter: due to copy right laws, to hear most of the collection you have to visit the library's reading rooms in washington. but an agreement with sony music this spring resulted in a website called the national jukebox. ♪ where you can now listen to 10,000 rare recordings from the library online. even on some of these recordings, i understand there's whistling and yodeling? >> we're on a mission to bring yodeling back into the popular repertoire. >> reporter: from yodeling to bogart -- >> here's looking at you, kid. >> reporter: whitesnake to louis armstrong. ♪ what a wonderful world >> reporter: it's good to know archivists are hard at work preserving the wonderful world of the country's cultural legacy.

and we should mention that the 160 million dollars for the renovation came from a donation, one of the largest private gifts in government history. and -- and what a gift that was to have all of that preserved the way they're doing it. with, you know, 39 degrees, they -- they know how to do it right. and this amazing facility in the middle of nowhere. it's pretty cool. >> made we want to go out and buy a turntable. i miss strain. >> the scratch when the individualle hits the vinyl. >> still to come the splitup of j. lo and marc anthony. these sweet honey clustery things have fiber?

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good morning, oakland. here's how you're waking up this morning, a little bit of low clouds there, but let's check with rob and see what the rest of the forecast brings. i hear cool. >> cool. speaking of oakland, that might have been one of the spots that felt the early morning earthquake just before 4:00 this morning. it was two miles east-southeast of berkeley. 3.3 which is large enough to get your attention. most folks saying it only lasted a couple of seconds but was felt as far west as san bruno as noted by eduardo trujillo who posted he woke up and couldn't

get back to sleep. 54 degrees in oakland, west wind at 12. we've got low clouds filling in through the bay. there's enough low cloud cover to cause some drizzle around the golden gate bridge. so as we go through the day, a lot like yesterday. we'll get sunshine inland but continued cool with only mid-70s around san jose, 60s for san francisco and oakland but t seven-day forecast hinting at changes as high pressure turns stronger and moves closer to us. we'll see a little bit of a warmer finish to the weekend and back to the mid and upper 80s midway through next week. a conservative group is fighting a controversial bill requiring gay history be taught in california schools. it was signed into law this week. the capital resource institute filed documents yesterday to start a voter referendum on the fair education law. backers would have to collect more than 433,000 signatures to allow voters to decide whether to keep that law in place or reject it. the law requires all public schools to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history

in social studies curriculum. opponents of the bill say lawmakers should not micromanage school curriculum. in the east bay, some quick-thinking danville residents are being credited with helping to find a suspected child groper. this is the sketch that led police to the 66-year-old man. he is now in police custody. he is an indian national visiting relatives in the east bay. police used this sketch during their search yesterday evening where they say a 14-year-old girl was inappropriately touched last night by a man matching that description. we are learning some neighbors in the area recognized the sketch and directed police to a house where police arrested the suspect last night. a big drug bust in the east bay, more than 3,000 pot plants recovered worth about a million dollars. east bay regional park officers raided a growing operation yesterday. the marijuana farm had been discovered earlier during a routine park patrol. the growers constructed an

elaborate irrigation system to water those plants. we understand those pot plants have been destroyed. coming up this morning on "today in the bay" we'll talk more about that overnight quake that woke up our friends in the east bay and as far west as san bruno. we'll tell you where it was centered and also get that forecast that is so important on your weekend. we'll see you in 30 minutes.

and we're back on this saturday morning, july 16th, 2011. it's a beautiful summer morning here in new york. and we have a great summer crowd. hello to them. outside on the plaza i'm amy robach along with lester holt. coming up, it is the end of the road for jennifer lopez and marc anthony. >> they looked like a happy couple. they're fun to watch. their appearance, of course, we remember on "american idol." they renewed their vows a year ago. but in a joint statement the two announced they have decided to split up. we're going to try to find out a bit more about that. >> then go team usa. we're talking about the u.s. women's soccer team, cheering

them on this weekend as they play japan in the world cup finals. can they bring home the championship? we're going to head live to frankfurt for a preview of the match we will all be watching. >> then there's a new film out this weekend. you may have heard of it called "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2." it's the last of the decade-long series. it is expected to break box office records. already earning some $80 million in its opening day. coming up we'll find out why everyone is wild about harry and feeling a bit nostalgic. >> i did see it. it is an amazing film. i have to say that much. first a little star power on the plaza with us. chris, who plays secret agent aussie andrews on the usa network's "covert affairs." the interesting thing, you play a blind cia operative who lost his eyesight while searching in country. what's the challenges of playing someone with such a disability? >> it's a really great acting challenge. but that's what makes it so rewarding. i've been working really closely

with an organization to help shoot the show to get that physical behavior really, really right. you know, he is-ish i think one of if not the only lead on television who is a disabled veteran. as you know we have thousands of disabled vets coming home from the war. >> it's a double responsibility, not only to represent blind people properly but also soldiers. in an upcoming episode you're going to reveal something you haven't revealed before as to how your character became blind. >> the whole season one and two for auggie has been building up to this episode where we reveal the truth about how he lost his sight. we're going to see him with vision serving in iraq. we also went to istanbul to shoot for this episode which is amazing. >> you do a great job, by the way. >> thanks. >> let folks know that you can watch "covert affairs" tuesdays, 10:00, 9:00 central on usa network. >> thank you for stopping by. >> all right, we want to get another check of the forecast with bill karins on the plaza. lots of fans there.

bill, take it away. >> good saturday morning, everyone. we have a wonderful sweet 16th birthday today. nice time, too. hold this still. this is you and mom down here? >> yeah. >> and who is this down here? >> that's me. >> that's you. and you and your cousin on the bed a long, long time ago. and you're from virginia and maryland, right? let's talk about what's going to happen this weekend. i don't think too many have washed out. if you're down along the gulf coast you're probably going to deal with more rainfall as you'd like. down along the gulf, louisiana is going to get wet today, all along i-10. sunday is probably going to be the wet spot in the country. the sizzling heat continues from oklahoma down to texas and very warm in the mid-atlantic. all the way up through areas of new england. not going to be too bad on sunday but the humidity is going to increase for areas of the east. i hope everyone enjoys the break from the humidity. it's going to come back in a big, big way.

here's a look over the embarcadero this morning. low clouds and obviously a misty start to your morning. we'll see lots of low clouds all the way inland with some areas of drizzle. right around lunchtime we'll see the clouds start to break up for the inland valleys. the all-day sea breeze we will continue to see temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below average for inland areas. tomorrow a little bit warmer. eventually temperatures climbing closer to average as we head towards the middle part of the week. if you want your hour by hour forecast you can get that at weather.com. and she did say yes. were you nervous? >> very nervous. >> when did you get engaged? >> when? >> yeah. >> last saturday night. >> you better remember that. you keep him good. already has the date picked for the wedding. >> all right, bill, thank you. now to the stunning news about jennifer lopez and marc anthony. to many the two superstars seemed to have the perfect marriage. but after seven years as husband and wife today we learn they are calling it quits. nbc's aditi roy has more on

their breakup. >> reporter: together they made beautiful music. on stage, and off. jennifer lopez and marc anthony, long considered one of hollywood's "it" and most stable couples. announcing friday that their seven-year marriage is over. in a joint statement they said, we have decided to end our marriage. this was a very difficult decision. >> this announcement, besiding being pretty shocking, was so definitive. >> reporter: lopez and anthony were longtime friends and even dated in the late '90s. they married in 2004, just days after anthony divorced his ex-wife. the couple welcomed twins, max and emme in 2008. just last month anthony told the host of "the talk" on cbs what he said to lopez the first time they met. >> you're my wife and you don't even know it. >> oh. >> reporter: the news comes after a comeback of sorts for lopez, who, after becoming a judge on "american idol,"

released a hit album this year, and was named the world's most beautiful woman by "people" magazine. on "idol's" season finale the couple took to the stage, performing a up try, unforgettable number in front of millions of viewers. >> it certainly didn't seem like there were any problems looking from the outside. you know, they worked wonderfully apart, and together. >> reporter: this is a series of heart breaks for lopez. she was famously engaged to actor ben affleck and dated shane combs. anthony was notably absent last week. the couple even had a reality tv project in the works. but with the breakup, it seems this star couple has already had their memorable last dance. for "today," aditi roy, nbc news, los angeles.

>> so why did the superstar pair split up? joey bartholomew is a senior writer for "people" magazine. we know they've been married for seven years now. we talked about the "american idol" performance. it was very passionate. very happy. they're supposed to have that new show together. is it fair to say this came as a total surprise to many? >> it was such a surprise. a real shock, because, like you said, a passionate performance at "american idol," i mean, no one saw, you know, these hintzs of trouble. they seemed very much in love. over the years they really came to have this very strong family bond. >> they renewed their vows at six years, which was just last year. >> exactly. they really seem like such a strong couple and had this reality show that's planned, you know, right now it's unclear what's going to happen with that. seemed like they really planned on having a future together. >> the announcement was different from what we see from celebrities. oftentimes it says they're separating, they're working on their marriage. this was very definitive, as if

it had been going on for some time and they had made this decision without any of us realizing it, and it's done. >> absolutely. this is unusual. like you said, usually you hear people say, we're trying to work on it. this was, a marriage is over, and that all matters have been decided already. so this is obviously something that they thought a lot about. >> looking back, were there any signs leading up to this happening. i know there had been rumors kwf. i remember hearing something about marc anthony possibly not being completely faithful. but was there anything we could point to and say ah-ha, that may be what happened? >> last weekend jennifer showed up alone at the bafta event with prince william and kate, and she was there with her mother. and marc had been expected to attend. so that seems like maybe at that point they really decided not to spend time together anymore. >> we know that they had a relationship that was both on the stage and off the stage. tell me about their work/life

dynamic. because it was very specific and unique in terms of hollywood couples. >> absolutely. a lot of hollywood couples don't like to work together. and they perform together, they had concerts together. and even, you know, had this reality show that's coming up. >> yeah, and do we know -- you said it's unclear what will happen. this -- we already saw there's a promo out, there's a trailer out. is it possible to that they could still work together? they obviously have to coparent. >> right. it's definitely possible. they were planning on going with their kids and these are two professionals. they probably can work together. >> all right. thanks so much. we appreciate your advice. >> thank you. >> coming up next, go team usa. we're going to head to germany for a look at the women's world cup finals. but first these messages.

it is the ultimate championship in soccer, and the women of team usa are just one game away from making it happen. after a thrilling journey, they play japan tomorrow in the world cup finals. we're all rooting for them. nbc's ann thompson is in frankfurt to tell us more about it. ann? >> it certainly is exciting. the u.s. women's team went through its last practice today. and even though the american squad came in to this tournament

ranked number one, it has not been an easy journey for them. but their heart-stopping victories against brazil and france have earned them a whole new group of fans here and back home. this is what winning does. >> bringing back two players. >> reporter: the press corps following the u.s. women's soccer team has gone from five people to a genuine media hoard. >> it's going to take passion to win this world cup. >> reporter: it doesn't have quite the frenzy of a super bowl media today. but it is every bit as unpredictable. >> then i just tell them, slow down, you move too fast. >> reporter: this is the coach. pia sundhage. and yes, she sings to her team. can you imagine vince lombardi or bill belichick doing this? ♪ looking for fun >> reporter: but don't like the coaches tones fool you. these women are very serious about the task at hand. beating japan to win the world cup.

hope solo is the team's goalkeeper. >> yes! from solo! >> you know, i think since we were young kids that's been our dream. so you don't want anybody, media, family, whatever it may be, to stand in the way of reaching your goal. >> reporter: standing in the americans' way is a surprising japan squad. smaller but very skilled, it beat bigger teams germany and sweden to reach the final. the u.s. has defeated japan three times this year. but this is the world cup. >> score! >> reporter: and abby wambach, who has scored two crucial goals with her head, knows anything can happen. >> you know, this is emotional. and whether people want to admit it or not, the stage is big as it's ever been for this game, for the players on this team. >> reporter: now, among the 48,000 people who will watch the game live and in person tomorrow night, are dr. jill biden, the

vice president's wife, and chelsea clinton, who like millions of american girls, played soccer as a child. lester snr >> ann, has this team had time to check their el mail on the internet? do they realize how big a deal and how excited people are back here at home? >> well, you know what, lester, they are getting that sense, because they all, most of them have twitter accounts and they spend a lot of time on facebook. but they are extraordinarily focused. they know they have one more game to win before their job is complete. so they're trying to put the blinders on, and just focus on tomorrow night. lester? >> it's been a fun ride. we're excited to see the outcome. ann thompson in frankfurt this morning. thanks very much. up next, harry potter's final hurrah, inside the $6 billion empire. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

"harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2" is

looking to bring magic at the box office. the film has grossed more than $42 million in the u.s. and that's just from midnight screenings. it's expected to smash the opening weekend record. the movie is also the last in a series of adventures that began a decade ago. they're back. those bespeckled fans in black robes turning out once again in cities across america. >> harry potter has been my life for the past 12 years. >> reporter: but it's a bittersweet moment. >> harry potter? >> reporter: as the final ep sod, "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2" begins its run in theaters, so ends an era. >> we've gotten to know these characters and to care about these characters and to watch them grow and change over ten years. and now it's time to say good-bye, and to see what happens to them. >> reporter: the story of the boy wizard in a magical world inspired a generation of enthusiastic young readers. and transformed unknown author

j.k. rowling into a billionaire. >> never in a million years. i mean this is the last thing i expected. >> the harry potter films have been the most successself franchise in hollywood history. >> reporter: raking in over $6 billion in the past decade. >> the movies from the start did a very good job of trying to make the world that j.k. rowling had imagined real, and coherent, and feel like both a place that was mysterious and complicated, but also that was familiar. >> you're the chosen one, harry. >> reporter: the main character, who was so young when it began, leave behind their childhoods as the movie becomes more sinister and complex. >> they can understand things about good and evil, things about death, and loss, that they were not able to understand before. and i think that the audience has matured along with them. >> reporter: as fans are likely to relate to as they bid good-bye. >> this is where we started.

i get that! >> reporter: through the childhood stories and to the world of wizardry that's held them under its spell. joining us now is tom felton, akadcaco malfoy. so the red warpate has been rolled out. the london premiere was last week. the new york premiere was earlier this week. >> yep. >> how did it feel as you walked in and watched the movie? >> very surreal. it is kind of strange. we've been waiting for those days for years, it feels now. >> ten years, maybe. >> well, yeah. it's been building up to. every year it's kind of been a step in the journey. and this is the reason we've been taking that journey to reach this final chapter. but it was very strange. it was nice to see so many fans out there in support. it was great to see them one last time. yeah, it was kind of bittersweet. >> i mean eight films you've created with this series. >> yeah. >> do you have a favorite film? >> not really. the obvious choice is the latest

one, really. it's the most action packed, that's for sure. it kind of takes the harry potter series to a new level, i think, and new heights. so yeah, i think all the fans are going to really enjoy this one. >> i loved the last one. and my two daughters were just entranced by it. >> i haven't talked to anyone been disappointed by it. >> it was so great from start to finish. you got the ending that you just wanted at the end. if you didn't even read the books it's such a great film. >> for sure. >> j.k. rowling said this of your character, draco evolved from a two-level dimensional bully to a very complex character. tom blew us away with what he did with the role, as draco began to crack and show a range of emotions, you would have never expected from early films. what a compliment. >> very flattering quote. >> from the person who created the entire series and the mastermind of these amazing novels. >> yeah. >> how does that feel? >> it really means the world to me. the ultimate compliment is probably from the fans, to hear that they're happy with the characters is great. but to hear it from jo is kind

of like hearing it from god. i don't know. that's a real compliment. i really appreciate that, as well. and the fact that we can do her characters justice is really, really means a lot to us. >> how emotional was that last filming? i know you all did it at once, both parts. how emotional was that, those final days? >> it was weird. it wasn't very emotional at the time. no one knew quite what to say. it was anti-clintonal tick. and everyone thought of going out there and saying good-bye. but the last days during the premiers, i saw chris columbus, who directed the first two films, and he was the guy who kind of really cast us, and it was -- it was very strange seeing him, and he said, who would have thought, who would have guessed that, it was a very apt saying. >> we wish you the best. tom felton, thanks so much for stopping by. >> good to be here. >> "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2" is in theaters now. mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943.

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coming up tomorrow on "today," casey anthony is released from jail. >>s the u.s. women's soccer team in the world cup finals. i'll see you later tonight on "nbc nightly news." so long, everybody. thanks for watching.

good saturday morning, i'm kris sanchez. did you feel it? an earthquake jolted people awake this morning. we'll show you where. plus travelers stuck with no cash and nowhere to go. who is selling bogus vacation deals around the bay area. and they have grown more popular in recent years. we'll show you hookah l hookah e forced t shut downinack e fivt. [ female announcer ] they've been off limits to dieters

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