good morning. sailing through. mitt romney positioned himself as the best candidate to take on president obama in last night's republican debate, while his rivals attacked each other on their conservative track records, business experience and military service. with romney's commanding 20-point lead in new hampshire, the other gop candidates are battling for second place in the first presidential primary, just two days away. live in the granite state, as the candidates prepare to face off for the last time before new hampshire voters head to the polls. speaking out. the father of the missing toddler in maine talks about his daughter was injured in his care, and why it took him so

long to get involved in searching for her. dramatic rescue what started out with a day of fishing ended with two fathers and their sons holding on for dear life. they'll share details of their harrowing experience on today, sunday, january 8, 2012. 6 captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. i spent last night flipping back between the football game and the debate. i don't know which had harder knocks. >> one point i watched romney was third down and three. >> no, i'm pretty sure you had it exactly right. >> drama on both channels last night. republican candidates are preparing for second debate in two days. go at it again later, as submitted romney maintains his

front-runner status. rivals try to stop his momentum as they fight for second place. a live report from new hampshire in a moment. a new book about the obamas, shedding light on the inner workings of the white house. specifically, the first lady's influence. the author says michelle obama argued with many of the president's top advisers, especially when it came to handling the health care reform debate. much more on that coming up. princess katherine's royal birthday. last year princess kate went from being a woman to being a princess. and it's her birthday. >> all that at 29. not bad. and speaking of 30 years old, 30-year-old beyonce landed a new role. it's mom. she and husband jay-z welcomed a baby daughter into the world. the scoop coming up this week in the buzz. the little one already has a twitter handle and maybe a

facebook page. >> what is the name? >> ivy blue. yeah. and also has a resume. she's ready to start applying for jobs. >> imagine where she will be at 29. more on the race for the white house. republican presidential candidates squared off in a debate. gearing off for another, the last before tuesday's new hampshire primary. we have more. >> reporter: right now, in the spin room, where the candidate's supporters make their case, even after today's debate will end. this is a challenge for the candidates. second debate in less than 12 hours. saturday night's debate, a lot less negative that most anticipated. the question? can mitt romney run the gauntlet of back-to-back debates unharmed? standing at center stage, front-runner mitt romney who most expected would be a political punching bag saturday night, found himself largely unscathed. instead watching sharp exchanges

like this one between ron paul and rick santorum. >> came out because he took so much money from the lobbyists. really the whole -- there it goes again. >> it caught you not telling the truth, ron. >> reporter: he looked to avoid confrontation. >> i don't want to be critical. >> reporter: commander in chief, paul, an air force surgeon in vietnam, called newt gingrich a draft dodger. >> i think people who don't serve when they could and get three or four or even five deferments aren't -- they have no right to send our kids off to war. >> dr. paul has a long history of sayin iing things that are inaccurate and false. fact is, i never asked for deferment. i was married with child. >> when i was drafting, i was married and had two kids, and i

went. >> reporter: more than an hour passed before santorum, fighting to be the conservative alternative to romney, took him on. >> i'll be able to show you, unlike some of the folks up here, we have a consistent record of being the person to contrast ourselves on health care, for example. we are looking for someone that can win this race. >> reporter: jon huntsman on the defensive, after romney accused him of being soft on america's mechanic rival. >> it's important to note, as they say in china -- he doesn't quite understand the situation. >> reporter: and after last month's withdrawal from iraq, rick perry raised eyebrows, insisting he would send american troops back. >> i think it's a huge error for us. we're going to see iran, in my opinion, move back in at literally the speed of light. >> for his part, newt gingrich has gone on the offensive

against romney. unveiling a new website, notromney.com, listing the reasons that romney shouldn't be the gop nominee. the romney camp feels confident where it stands right now, saying their candidate looked most presidential on staij. >> peter alexander, thanks. david gregory is preparing to moderate the "meet the press" debate on facebook. good morning. >> good morning, lester. >> it looked like a battle for second place in the debate last night? >> you have a number of candidates fighting for second in new hampshire, fighting to keep their campaign as live. to try and create a firewall in south carolina. no question, governor romney a bit cautious last night. didn't want to lash out at other candidates, up in the polls here in new hampshire, and i think the reality of this debate following within ten hours is

another opportunity and really another test for all of them to make the case here to try to slow romney down. >> trying to slow romney down. rick santorum came the closest in iowa with his results there, and he has a lot of momentum. did he do anything to change that position last night? >> i don't know that he did. the reality is that governor romney understand that new hampshire can do some pretty tough things to front-runners. he narrowly won iowa. very good result for him. up big in new hampshire, but in order for him to retain front-runner status, which certainly people retain within the party, that view, he has to win someplace, and he has an opportunity to win it big in new hampshire, to really put that front-runner feel on it. what doesn't change, a lot of doubts about him, particularly among conservatives in the party. the difficulty for the rest of the candidates who is going to emerge as the absolute alternative. we may learn more about that

today. >> and newt gingrich who has tried to stay above the fray, found himself getting into it on the issue of military service. did you detect a change in tone from him last night? >> well, i actually thought it was a little understated compared to what he talked about in iowa. remember in iowa, he agreed with those who called mitt romney a liar. he agreed when he was questioning when he was lying, talked about lies from the outside group that were launching attacks against him, gingrich, in iowa. and i thought he was a little bit restrained from that point of view and we'll wait and see how he comes out this morning. >> we see the stage set behind you for this morning's debate. how the viewers -- this is a bit different. how the viewers can be engaged in the debate? >> a couple of ways. questions submitted to the facebook page that will be asked during the debate. very substantive.

and with any "meet the press" by the way, a parallel conversation going on online, people reacting to questions and answers, the guests on the program. that will happen here. we want to tap into that. get a sense what people feel is missing? what followups would they like to see asked? where do they think candidates have dodged the question? i want to bring that into the debate as we move along. >> we'll be watching. david gregory, thank you very much. >> thank you. now a check of the rest of the top news >> good morning. everyone wresh begin in arizona where today is the one-year anniversary of the tucson tragedy that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including congresswoman gabrielle giffords. miguel is there. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a year ago today this is the parking lot where the bloodshed happened. later on this afternoon gabrielle giffords will join the others victims at a kamdz light vigil here in tucson as a city

tries to move forward. >> reporter: in tucson a time to remember, a day to grieve. one year ago today six killed, 13 wounded outside a safeway when a gunman tried to attack congresswoman gabrielle giffords. shot in the head at point-blank range, today giffords' recovery has been remark believe arks though she is yet to fully regain her speech and mobility. >> she's doing great. she's in a great mood. she's working really hard. she's getting better. >> reporter: the spray of bullets last january 8th took lives old and young. jared lee -- gunned down grandparents and children alike. this woman was shot three times and watched little christina die. >> i remember lying there holding christina's hand. ♪ >> reporter: tributes and memorials have been dedicated to the six who lost their lives and

the 13 who survived a hail of gunfire. a park for christina. a food bank in gabby's name, and a trail in the name of her trusted aide, gabe zimmerman. she saw that memorial for the first time with her husband. today she'll stand with other victims at a candlelight vigil. giffords made an unplanned visit here to the safeway yesterday. she is not expected to speak later on tonight, but her just showing up will be a real sign for all of the victims. janet, back to you. >> miguel, thank you very much. officials say they've been able to identify the woman whose body was found new year's day on the queen's estate. they say they will release her name on monday. police are now treating this case as a murder. a coringo ship grounded off the coast of new zealand has split in two sparking fears about a fresh oil spill.

they say it's already new sfwleeld's worst maritime environmental disaster. awe new documentary is unveiled, and it's already stirring oscar buzz. it's the third film that filmmakers joe burlinger have mated about the west memphis three and their wrongful conviction. the hbo documentary airs. that is the news. now back to lester, jenna, and chris. >> jenna, thanks very much. now we want to get a check of your sunday forecast from the weather channel's chris warren. >> a lot of people wondering where is winter? it remains on hold again today. we do have a little bit of activity showing up on the satellite radar combination looking for the clouds and rain right now. just a little bit of rain. a few storms in the southeast. snow will be falling throughout some spots in the country. primarily in west texas and new mexico. we do have winter storm warnings, watches, and winter weather advisories in effect. somewhere about five to ten

here's a look at our morning temperatures. it's not off you see a 25-degree swing depending on where you are. 30 in gilroy. 55 in oakland, thanks to the offshore breezes. i think we'll get into the 60s, maybe even some low 70s in a few spots. tomorrow, we'll see a cool start. most places in the 30s for the morning. a slight chance of showers as we head into tuesday, turning windy again on wednesday. into the 40s. that's your weather. now here's jenna. >> all right, chris. thank you. now to the ongoing search for the toddler from maine seemingly vanished from her father's home last month. that father is now setting the record straight about an injury his daughter suffered before she went missing. for the latest here's nbc's tom tron. >> reporter: it's been three weeks since ayla reynolds' father record her missing from her family home in maine. >> i want to keep her face out

there. >> reporter: justin is now posting flyers and taking on a more visible role in the search for his 20-month-old daughter. initially he says he purposely kept a low profile. >> for a few days i was emotionally incapable of coming out to do an interview, and i had been advised that by coming on and doing an interview by law enforcement it could possibly hinder the investigation, and i'm here to help in any way i can. >> reporter: in those first days and weeks ayla's mother, crystal reynolds, questioned his lack of involve. as she explained on the "today" show. >> he says he is not hiding. why won't he come out and talk to me? why is he staying away? >> reporter: she also had concerns about ayla's welfare under his car. chris derebelleds was in dug rehab when she disappeared from his house. >> she's got a broken arm. she's ended up missing. >> reporter: hoping to stop

this, he says ayla's broken arm was the result of an accident. while carrying ayla in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other, he says he slipped on a set of stairs and fell on top of ayla, breaking her arm. >> i love my daughter. i would never do anything to harm my daughter. she's the world to me. >> reporter: so far no suspects, but detectives believe there was a crime in the disappearance. he says he put ayla to bed on december 16th, and the next morning she was gone. >> as far as i know, we're at the same place that we were at on day one with this. >> reporter: for "today" tom tron, nbc news. up next, a revealing new book about the obamas, and it has the white house firing back. what it says about the first lady's intentions. that's right after this. annual bonus. ves yout so you earn 50 percent more cash. if you're not satisfied with 50% more cash, send it back! i'll be right here, waiting for it. who wouldn't want more cash? [ insects chirping ]

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there's a new book coming out this week causing quite a stir in washington, even the west wing, especially because of what it has to say about the first lady, michelle obama. michelle franzen has details. >> good morning, jena excerpts focus on the couple's relationship and mrs. obama's transition from the workforce to behind the scenes force as first lady in the white house. a role some aides say caused friction with key advisers. the white house is causing this a psychiatr a string of second-hand accounts. first lady michelle obama has carved out a public role, championing programs to support military families and fight childhood obesity. >> teaching our kids how to make healthier choices. >> long been known for her fashion sense, and those toned

ar arms. but excerpts out from a new book due out this week, paints a portrait of the first lady exercising her political muscle inside the white house, sparring with her husband's top aides about policies, her duties, and life in the public eye. >> the only currency in washington is proximity to power and no one closer to the president than the first lady. it leads to suspicions and game playing and gossip and rumor, and i think this book touches on some of that. >> reporter: the obamas is based on interviews with 30 former and current white house aides along with family and close friends. aides described mrs. obama as becoming increasingly frustrated over the handling of issues like health care, immigration, and the president's drop in the polls following the mid term elections. the author writes the first lady confided in her aides and the president to convey her message. the president reportedly telling aides, "she feels as if our

rudder isn't set right." the book describes a tense relationship between mrs. obama and former press secretary robert gibbs and chief of staff rahm eman we will. in the first year of trying to define her role as first lady, michelle obama said she wanted to help seall the health care over haul propos proposal emanu reluctant to give her a bigger role. the white house fired back, calling the book an overdramty inflation of old news and said the couple declined to be interviewed and hasn't spoken to the author in three years. it does offer a revealing look at the couple's relationship and the evolving role of the first lady. >> the transition for her into the white house, into the gilded cage has not been easy. not easy for anyone. >> the book also says mrs. obama was initially put off by

political lies after her husband won the presidency and even considered postponing her move to the white house until the girl's school year was finished. jena. >> michelle, thank you so much. we'll take a break. we're back, but, first, these messages. uaker because there are mountains to climb. ♪ dreams to be realized. ♪ new worlds to be explored and hearts to be won. quaker oats. energy to get you going, fiber to help fill you up and help keep your heart healthy. super people eat super grains. and help keep your heart healthy.

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still to come on "today," my sitdown interview with jennifer hudson. the tragic day that changed her life. plus, cooler heads prevailed as two fishermen and their sons were rescued at high seas, thanks to quick thinking and a gps. >> what do beyonce's baby, charles barkley and the president have in common? all part of our recent buzz. g s. the chefs at lean cuisine are going culinary chic

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now get twice the data for the same low price. hurry in, this offer ends january 15th. verizon. good morning. looking live at san jose. nice and clear on this start to this sunday morning. it is the first full weekend that's no holiday, no festivity, no nothing except more football. >> that's right. next week we have the home game with the niners. now we know the saints will be coming to town. in the meantime, we'll see an interesting morning. 30 in gilroy, but 49 in san jose. everything to do with the wind this morning. we have dry air outside. the winds go light in a few spots. we're seeing some 30s out there. especially oakland, pretty mooild this morning. the last time we had significant rain, you have to go back to

november 24th. feels more like october outside. the wind will be part of the story this morning. we'll have sunshine, and our temperatures will be pretty mild. high pressure holding off that incoming system. today, mid 60s. probably close to 70 in the warmest places like around mountain view. tomorrow, less wind. it will be cooler for monday. chilly morning, though. tuesday, slight chance of showers and maybe a little bit of snow up in the sierra. >> thank you, rob. this morning, we are learning more about a deadly townhouse fire that started yesterday morning. you might remember firefighters say the blaze started in the living room just before 5:00 yesterday morning. one person managed to escape and told firefighters that a woman was still inside. firefighters say the 60-year-old woman was already dead when they found her in the living room. apparently she had been sleeping on a sofa bed. firefighters also evacuated four adults and four children from the townhouses next door.

the cause of the fire is still under investigation. a 6-year-old oakland boy is safe after he was left alone wandering around a bank parking lot. a good samaritan spotted the child on international boulevard at about 3:30 yesterday morning. police say the boy was not distraught and was abilile to t with officers, but he couldn't tell them where he lived. police eventually found the mother, and now she could face charges. the 6-year-old is under the care of child protective services until the investigation is complete. in san jose, an explosion caused minor damage to a mail truck but caused the fbi to investigate. authorities say it was likely just a prank. just after 2:00 yesterday afternoon, police along with the bomb unit responded to a call of a possible explosive in south san jose. when officers arrived, the device had exploded, leaving a burn mark on the truck. police say the explosive was most likely a simple fire

cracker. neighbors say that the fbi agents told them it was probably some sort of teenage prank. fortunately though, no one was hurt. coming up at 7:00 on "today in the bay," chaos in downtown oakland. a weekend march turns violent. we'll have the latest on the arrests and the damage. that story and all the day's news coming up at 7:00, plus that forecast we're watching for rain. right now, here's back to the "today" show. ♪ okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol?

honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours? we're back on this sunday morning, january 8th. a week into the new year already, 2012. our thanks to the nice folks who came out this morning. a mild winter morning. christmas tree down, in fact, it's almost summer. i'm jenna wolfe along with lester holt. still to come, guess who celebrated a big birthday? >> princess katherine turns 30 tomorrow. what do you get a princess that has everything? >> i don't know. >> what else can she accomplish as she rings in the big 3-0. plus, the scoop on her party plans, coming up. then a nice -- nice to get an invitation to that one,

wouldn't it. then, drama on the high seas, two fishermen and their two boys, rescued thanks to quick thinking, what's an esky? a cooler, beer cooler. how long were they stranded in the ocean? we'll speak to the two fishermen and two sons, who seem very happy to be joining us this early morning, coming up in this half hour. >> plus, my one-on-one interview with jennifer hudson. what a last several years for her, the tragic loss of members of her family, and we'll sit down, talk about all of those things, as well as her weight loss. incredible story she's written a book about. >> looking forward to that. a week into the new year, a lot of entertainment news buzzi buzzing, beyonce, rumored to have her baby girl, born in new york city last night from the 1.3 million hospital suite to the baby's name, we'll get it

all, that, and fun, neat interesting stories in weekend buzz. >> first, chris warren from the weather channel is here with the forecast. >> we have a visitor here from south africa. having a good time in new york? >> yes, thank you. >> you guys from washington, d.c. what do you think of the weather we've seen so far this winter? >> fantastic. been unbelievable. >> reporter: enjoying mild temperatures for sure. what we'll see once again. those daytime highs, a little cooler in the northeast. warmer than everyone. you get into the northern plains, we're looking at 10 to 15 degrees warmer than what you might expect this time of the year. plenty of sunshine. a couple of disturbances, one around the great lakes, a few snow showers possible. in the southeast, chance of showers and storms. that will be the story. once again tomorrow, sunshine throughout the plains. temperatures warm up right through tuesday, 20 to 25 degrees warmer than average for

the northern plains. looking nice for the northeast. wet spots will be in the south, where texas getting much-needed rain and the pacific northwest as well. an interesting spread of temperatures this morning. we have 30s in nevada, santa rosa. gilroy down to 30. it's still these offshore breezes into oakland which are keeping temperatures in the 50s in the east bay hills. look for those winds to ease off toward the afternoon. with the warmer starl eer start day, it's a running start to warmer temperatures. some spots close to 70. tomorrow, a chilly start with more 30s. a slight chance of showers dropping through the bay area on tuesday. remember, get your weather 24 hours a day on the weather channel and on weather.com. here is jena. >> chris, thanks. turning 30 can be a big milestone for anyone, but if you're the duchess of cambridge truly a royal affair.

more from michelle kosinkski. >> reporter: she may now be a princess, the most photographed woman in the world. fashion icon, future queen. but katherine began her 29th year as kate middleton. >> we'll be able to have a happy family ourselves. >> reporter: the girl next door engaged to prince william. then the fairy tale wedding. of course, appearances and winning hearts around the world. >> the biggest year of her life, frankly. >> reporter: gone on foreign trips, spent her very first christmas with the queen and announced the charities she will serve as patron. and now here comes the big 3-0. come a long way, katie. >> we saw kate very much at william's side, now we'll sekat by herself, and that's significant as she turns 30.

>> reporter: how will katherine ring in the rite of passage? there is a party for her inner circle being planned by pipa and prince harry, reportedly with an '80s theme. though she was a baby for much of the decade, we've seen her dress the party before. a chance for her to party like it's çó1999 or any time before e public eye. they are expected to come here for the glamorous london premiere for "war horse" and a glitzy charity dinner, not a bad way to spend the last night of your 20s. and to gear up for the year ahead, an asian tour, the 60th jubilee, sports ambassador for the olympics and all eyes on her belly. hopefully she gets to relax, eat cake and take a deep breath on her day. >> i imagine, there will be a beautiful gift from william waiting for her on the birthday

morning. who knows? maybe the queen may give her some crown jewels. >> reporter: that will take the sting out of the birthday. she seems to have nothing but sparkle ahead. michelle kosinkski, nbc news, london. >> not sure how much cake she will actually be eating. now here is lester. she rose to prominence in the early days of "american idol" but since then, jennifer hod son's star has rocketed. now she is revealing truths that fanser in heard before. the bride-to-be's memoir, "i got this" hits the bookshelves on tuesday. i sat down with her for a "dateline" exclusive to talk about her life, her image and what it took to overcome family tragedy. ♪ >> reporter: in 2008, jennifer's first album came out, and what should have been a perfect time

in the young singer's career, brought back the same weight issues that always haunted her. i was surprised to see you didn't see the album cover until you saw it in the store. >> yes. >> and there you are, but it's not exactly you. >> no. it's like where is the rest of me? >> reporter: what did they do? >> they photo shopped me to the size i am now, on that cover. we all know i was nowhere near that? . why would you photo shop me? it did not send a good message and didn't represent me well. did i not just prove talent is enough? if i made it through this far, being who i am? >> reporter: who she was turned out to be just fine for the new man in her life, david atonga and vice versa. you described a very handsome actor. love at first sight? >> it was. it was. >> reporter: he played on a tv reality show, before that, he was an attorney with a law

degree from harvard. but when he and jennifer became a serious item, he told her about this crazy dream of his. >> atonga with authority. >> reporter: to become a wwe superstar. >> because i've been blessed with all my dreams, i'll support you in yours. okay, do you it. >> i tonight know how to put this. that's one chiselled piece of man candy. >> yes, he is. >> reporter: andxd jennifer als learned about his sweet, romantic side. >> he decided to propose on my birthday. >> out in california. >> in california, and i remember him telling me like put on your favorite dress. he proposed, he made a specific cd with certain songs and we're driving, listening to the music. >> reporter: and then they stopped at a spectacular beach in malibu. >> and birthday cards and on each card it said like another

hint another hint another hint. and i got the last one when are you done reading this card, turn around and i will have your birthday gift for you. i'm like, and when i turn around he was on his knees proposing. >> reporter: very pro mromantic. and he gave her this ring. >> he had his ring taped to his leg the whole night. he didn't want to take any chances. >> reporter: jennifer and david, together on top of the world. but just one month later, fate would intervene. and change jennifer's life forever. i remember it like yesterday. >> and she goes on to talk about dealing with the death of her family and how she came back, how she found the strength. exclusive interview on "dateline" 7:00, 6:00 central

and she'll join us live tomorrow morning right here on "today." >> can i add one thing? >> sure. >> one chiselled piece of man candy. if you gave me $1,000, i would never guess you had that in your vocabulary. >> there was a bet that i couldn't work that in. >> you nailed it. >> didn't think i knew stuff like that. >> wonderful. nice interview. >> great person. more tonight on "dateline." up next, dramatic video. two dads take their sons fishing and ends with this dramatic interview. >> right after these messages. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] take the special k challenge. lose up to six pounds in two weeks. get your free, delicious personalized plan

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uh oh. i gotta go. [ female announcer ] and with charmin ultra soft, you can get that same cushiony feeling while still using less. its design is soft and more absorbent. so you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. ah. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft. let's call it cooler heads prevailing. when two men noticed black smoke in their boat on a fishing trip with their 11-year-old sons on a fishing trip off the coast of australia, they woke the boys, grabbed an emergency beacon, along with a beer cooler to use as an extra notation device. within minutes, the boat was underwater. they were spotted by a rescue chopper because they remembered to grab the emergency beak on.

they join us now with their sons, riley and ryan. good morning to all of you, thank you for being with us. >> good day. >> good morning. >> i understand it's 12:30 at night or early morning over there. we appreciate you getting up. scott, let me start with you. see if we can set the scene right. on a 40-foot boat, 200-foot deep waters. are you fishing and you see the billows of black smoke. what was your thought process? what did you think was happening? >> i knew there was trouble with the engine. i yelled to rick to knock the throttle back, put it in neutral. i ran downstairs, shut the engine off. so there was no more damage caused. lifted the engine hatch and realized there was a 6-inch gush of water flowing out of engine. at that stage, i knew we were going to sink. there was too much water coming into the boat for anything else.

i yelled to him, he was actually next door to me at that stage. i yelled to him to run upstairs, get the jackets on the boys, which were asleep. did that, i grabbed this beacon here, and, yeah, grabbed my wallet on the way out. grabbed the cooler and dived off the back of the boat. by that stage, i was probably up to my knees in water. in the salon of the boat and rick was yelling where are we, where are we? at that stage he got the lifejackets on and ran the emergency call here. >> right, right. >> asking me where we were, what was our location. >> scott, you seem really calm while are you describing all of this to us. how much time did you actually have from when you started seeing smoke to when all four of you were now all of a sudden in the water, submerged, holding onto the beer cooler? >> from seeing the black smoke, on the top deck, having a good

time, having a laugh, to being in the water with no boat in the ocean, about 50 seconds. >> rescuers say grabbing the emergency beacon saved your life. you had to put the boys in life vests, grab a floatation device, but the beacon really saved your life. how did you think to grab that? >> i spent a lot of time in the ocean, i knew this was the only thing that would help them locate us. i knew we'd be in the water. and without this, we probably could still be in the water and probably would be dead by now i would say. >> rick, how did you keep everybody calm in the water? you didn't know once the beacon went off that someone would come to rescue you, and i understand the helicopters came, passed you by, and a half hour came back. how did you keep everybody caulk in such a terrible situation?

>> just trying to be brave for the boys i suppose. helicopter went around the first time, they come straight at us and turned away, we didn't realize that was from the aaa call. we didn't realize that they hadn't had the beacon pick up yet. >> ryan and riley, do you think of your dads as heroes after all of this? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> good. you should. that's great. here in the states we have a commercial for foster's beer. it says, foster's, australian for beer. what you went through, it's australian for fishing. from what i understand, you are going to head out fishing again today. unbelievable. thank you for joining us. up next. >> thank you. >> up next, the week in buzz.

2012 only a week old, but already given us some talkers. take a break, back after this. like many chefs today, i feel the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. and that's what they do with great grains cereal. see the seam on the wheat grain? same as on the flake. because great grains steams and bakes the actual whole grain. now check out the other guy's flake. hello, no seam. because it's more processed. now, which do you suppose has better nutrition for you? mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. what makes a touch linger? smooth sensation from nivea. the light lotion with moisture enhancing 24-hour-plus hydra iq. it works with your skin's hydration system to keep your skin smooth all day... all night. ♪ smooth sensation and the essentials collection

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2012 just started. already given us a lot to talk for the first week in buzz. >> from beyonce's baby to president obama's day at the beach. here to talk about it is carrie and chuck. >> so glad you got that there. i wrote it. >> okay. >> your other job here. let's start off by talking about beyonce and jay-z. proud parents of a new baby

girl. we can confirm her name is ivy blue or blue ivy. >> that's not confirmation. you can confirm you still don't know. >> that was a joke. what's the fascination. >> i hope it's ivy blue. it sounds like a new vodka line. but i don't know what the fascination -- until she's had her 19th kid like the duggars, i'm not into it i had two kids, nobody is still talking about it. >> blue ivy, i hope she grows up to be a botanist. if her name is blue ivy. i'm glad she's here, she can start touring in the next couple of weeks. >> beyonce or the baby? >> the baby. >> oh, good. i thought you were talking about beyonce. it's more reasonable to have the baby than beyonce doing it. republicans duking it out in the primaries, but the current president is duking it out. played beach football over his

holiday break. he did so without a shirt. he was out there playing with the guys. are you into that? like seeing president without the shirt on? >> the first president who didn't have moobs. i liked it. i'm glad he was chasing a big skin and not a skirt. happy to see his extracurricular activity was sports. >> it was. nice to see a young, virile president out ton the beach. the republican response, an incomplete pass. even if he caught it, he dropped the ball on the economy. >> i was just thinking about moobs. finally picked up on that. the new year, resolutions to drop weight. charles barkley now, a weight loss spokesman. >> any knucklehead knows that charles barkley used to weigh 550 pounds. you know what's funny about this?

i don't trust anybody who can afford a trainer and a nutritionist to tell me how to lose weight. let's be personal here. >> you know what? the thing is, leave it to the girls, okay? can we have something to ourselves? we've cornered the market on being fat and now the guys get involved and show us how to lose weight. and you lose it quicker anyway. i don't want to hear about it from charles barkley. >> there you go. >> that's how i feel. >> i like the fact that we're better at you at something. gaining weight, we're better at gaining weight. >> better at gaining weight. because my husband will have two bowls of ice cream and lose ten pounds like that. >> guys, i'm going to lose 20 points, and won't eat mcdonald's this week, and for us it's blood, sweat, and tears. >> you have to admit, you look better about moobs. >> i'm not sure that's what we call them, but we do. >> i knew we would get back there. chuck, casey anthony, second web video came out.

>> here comes the comedy, people. here it comes. >> wait for it. >> she talked about get morgtine piercings, cut her hair. do we care? >> the thing that struck me most about that, is she adopted a dog. that scared the hell out of me for the dog. i picture the dog sitting around, thinking when is she coming? is she here yet, i got to get out of here? i got to go, i got to go? is she coming? >> that is a kill shelter. >> wow. >> nice. on fire this morning. we got moobs, fat women, all over the place. thank you very much, as always. keeping us enrtained. we'll take a break, back after these messages.

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let's check in with david gregory to see more what's coming up on "meet the press." >> coming up, a special edition of "meet the press" live from new hampshire. we're partnering with facebook and "the new hampshire union leader" for a republican candidate debate. 48 hours before the nation's first primary. all six candidates will be here life answering questions from facebook and me as well. all coming up from me on a special edition of "meet the press." >> david looks so excited this morning. i have never seen him so happy. finally, we're starting a series called life illustrated. this morning we're asking to you send us pictures of what matters most in your life. >> this can be anything, precious occasions from family photos, nature scenes,

thought-provoking moments. we want to see life through your eyes. logon to our website or facebook or twitter site. might see your pictures on yoou show in the future. >> we will start with our look at unforgettable moments in pictures. >> we liveave you with our firs moments of life illustrated. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ beth!

hi. looking good! you've lost some weight. thanks! you noticed! you know these clothes are too big now, so i'm donating them. not going back there again. good for you! how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. whole grain? whole grain. [ femalennouncer ] people who choose more whole grain