first one at 7:25. good morning. breaking news. line of powerful storms spawns at least ten twisters across the midwest overnight. at least one person is dead in missouri, significant damage and injuries in parts of kansas and tornado watches are still in effect this morning. one-two punch. mitt romney pulls off narrow victory in his home state of michigan and an easy win in arizona. but in this unpredictable gop race, can he keep on winning with super tuesday six days away? and from mean girl to clean girl? lindsay lohan opens up about her time in jail and battles with addiction.

simplest, blunt question -- are you clean and sober? >> yes, i'm glad to say i'm clean and sober. >> can the troubled star mount a comeback? a preview of our exclusive interview "today," wednesday, february 29th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today." it's 7:00 a.m. on the west coast on a wednesday. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. authorities have now updated the death toll to four across the midwest. take a look at harveyville, kansas, where a tornado has damaged 40% of one town, matt. just one of those twisters has had emergency crews scrambling this morning. >> we are seeing widespread damage in missouri, as well. this, coming up, is a picture from branson, where a tornado uprooted signs and toppled power lines around that city's famous theater district.

there you're seeing branson, missouri, right there. >> that's right. so we want to get right to al roker, who's joining us with the latest. good morning. >> well, guys, these could not have hit at a worse time. it was overnight, people were sleeping and were awakened by tornado sirens. as we look, this is overhead from harveyville, kansas. widespread damage. 40% of the town had been destroyed. live in branson, missouri, a lot of damage along historic route 76, where a lot of those historic theaters are located. and this was a fast-moving system. storms moving up to 70 miles per hour. now, at this hour, we still have tornado warnings in effect until 9:30 central standard time up into elizabethtown until 9:30 central standard time as well, until 9:15 in centralar pts of kentucky. tornado watches in effect for a wide area, stretching from little rock all the way up to cincinnati. and the north side of this storm is affecting a good part of the midwest with a lot of snow. let's go to mike seidel right

now in duluth, minnesota. mike? >> reporter: hey, al. this is about as bad as i've ever seen it in 16 years in the field. we've got 55-mile-an-hour wind gusts, snow and blowing snow, heavy snow, visibility is down to about an eighth of a mile. we're also getting spray off lake superior that makes about an inch of ice on the trees. look at the lake with waves crashing up on the wall. and here you can just barely see a few blocks down the street. snow and blowing snow, 6 to 10 inches as this continues through the morning. al, back to you. >> thank you so much, mike. i also should say,ç harve ehar kansas, 40% of the homes were damaged, not destroyed. and these are the accumulations expected heading into the northeast. anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow from albany, new york, on into boston and parts of new england. marquette, michigan, 6 to 10 inches of snow. and again, there will be very strong winds, so we will expect whiteout conditions.

we have more coming up in just a little bit. matt? >> all right, al. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in just little while. thank you very much. let's turn now to the presidential race. a big night for mitt romney. he edged mitt romney. he edged out rick santorum after a hard fought battle in his home state of michigan. romney had an easier time in arizona. crucial victories into next week's super tuesday contest. peter alexander is in detroit with the latest. hi, peter. >> reporter: good morning to you. it was another late night for the romney campaign. they got a clean sweep. they expected the sizable victory in arizona but it was the win here in his native state that was the one they were focused on. it helps them avoid embarrassment and at least for the moment quiets some lingering questions about whether romney can unite the republican party behind him. >> so a week ago, the pundits and pollsters were ready to count us out. >> reporter: for romney it was a win. we won by enough, and that's all

that counts. >> reporter: for rick santorum, it was not a loss. >> a month ago, they didn't know who we are, but they do now. >> reporter: lacking romney's money and organizational strength, santorum still boasted that he made it competitive here. >> you know, we came into the backyard of one of my opponents, in a race that everyone said, well, just ignore, you have really no chance here, and the people of michigan looked into the hearts of the candidates, and all i have to say is, i love you back. >> reporter: fending off santorum's aggressive challenge -- >> an economic lightweight. >> reporter: -- romney delivered a critical win in michigan, the state where he was born and raised, atop of a commanding victory in arizona. and he redirected his attention to barack obama. >> three years ago, we warned that the presidency was no place for on-the-job training. well, today we have the economy to prove it. >> reporter: and heading towards super tuesday next week with another ten states up for grabs, santorum is hoping that his close finish in michigan is

enough to fuel his continued momentum, hammering home his populist message. >> we believe in the smart and elite in this country to manage us, or do you believe in free people and a free economy and building a great america from the bottom up? what do you say? >> reporter: ron paul and newt gingrich weren't in michigan for tuesday's primary. gingrich is hoping to make a stand on super tuesday in his home state of georgia. with more delegates at stake than arizona and michigan combined. going forward, romney still faces challenges, acknowledging he made some mistakes with his off-the-cuff remarks, but he's pushing back against questions about his difficulties motivating conservative voters. >> i'm not willing to light my hair on fire to try to get support. i am who i am. >> reporter: the romney campaign will waste no time heading towards super tuesday, matt. they have four scheduled stops over the next three days. and early this morning, a senior campaign adviser for mitt romney tells me that they feel strongly they have the momentum back in

this race, referring to what he called a delegate landslide last night. but rick santorum's campaign would beg to differ, and they say they feel very strongly about their chances exactly one week from yesterday. >> all right, peter alexander in detroit this morning. peter, thank you so much. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." chuck todd is nbc's political director, and of course, our chief white house correspondent. good morning to both of you. >> hey, matt. >> chuck, i'm going to start with you. how big a sigh of relief is coming out of the romney campaign this morning? >> well, it's huge, because the biggest thing that took place is that it's now his win, and it wasn't a great win, but a win is a win in this case and it will end the search for the white knight candidate. no more chatter about chris christie or jeb bush. he's done enough. he's still got work to do with the base of the party. this win looked an awful lot like the same way he's won these other primaries. he sort of gutted his way to it, tore down his opponent, but still has trouble with the rank in file conservatives.

>> it's interesting, david, as chuck calls it, mitt romney's win, and clearly, technically, it is that. a lot of people were saying it was rick santorum's loss. how do you feel about it? >> i still think it was mitt romney's win. he's grinding this out as far as walls have held. it was florida and then michigan, you have to give him his due. he is not exciting the base, but he is still getting it done, he is still the favorite for the nomination. he's winning on the all-important electability argument and he's got a strong economic argument. but santorum really seemed to blow some momentum that he'd built into michigan by his own unforced errors and by his own kind of campaign personality. and i think that may slow him down a bit. >> chuck, what's most startling to me is if you look at the exit polling coming out of these races, here, mitt romney wins michigan by three percentage points. yet, when you ask voters, who's most electable, he doubles up on rick santorum. >> right. >> so why the small margin? >> there is just so little passion inside the rank -- you look at the very conservative

voters, tea party supporters, these folks. mitt romney is not speaking to them. he struggled with that last night it was interesting. when he doesn't know how to court conservatives, and i think that's been pretty clear on issues, then he just goes and tries to go after the president and starts doing little one-liners on the president because he thinks, well, i can't really say any issue that's going to fire them up. maybe if i attack the president, they'll say, well, at least he attacks the president. >> all right, david, let's move on to super tuesday, ten contests about six days from now, and enter newt gingrich. he told me yesterday he expects to win in gooeorgia, which the polls say he'll probably do that. he thinks he can win in tennessee. the polls i've seen make that a long-shot. break it down when both newt gingrich and rick santorum go after the conservative vote. >> there's two key points. newt gingrich has told people he wants to be the guy to pick up the pieces that have fallen after santorum's loss on super tuesday. is he able to do that in the south? can he make a more convincing anti-romney argument? that will be the play.

but ohio is the key battleground here. no republican has won the white house without winning ohio in a fall campaign. >> right. >> this is where romney's got to make the case that he's the only one who can take on obama. >> all right, and chuck, before i go, quickly, olympia snowe, the moderate republican senator from maine announcing she won't seek re-election. what's behind the headline? >> two quick points here. one, she's serving as a personal testimonial to the president who says there is no more centrist coalition within the presidency and she says that's why she's leaving. but by the numbers, it almost assures it's a better than 50/50 chance democrats hold control. >> chuck todd and david gregory, thanks, as always. i appreciate it. ten minutes after the hour. here's ann. the death toll from monday's tragic shooting at a high school in chardon, ohio, now stands at three. this as police release the 911 call made moments after the alleged gunman opened fire. we'll talk to the parents of one of the victims in a moment. but first, nbc's kevin tibbles has the latest. hey, kevin. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. those 911 tapes convey the panic

of the moment when the gunman opened fire, but they also reveal just how quickly and efficiently students and teachers moved to save lives. >> 911. >> hi, chardon high school. we've got shots fires, gunshots, multiple gunshots. >> reporter: the frantic sound of 911 callers heard on tapes released by chardon, ohio, police. >> we need help. we need help badly. >> reporter: by the time the alleged shooter was in custody, this town of 5,000 people had been changed forever. five of chardon's children had been shot. three are now dead, denny pawlter, 16 years old, russell king jr., 17, demetrius hulan, 16. the shooter of this horror, t.j. lane was brought to the courthouse wearing a bullet-proof vest, where the judge ordered him to remain in custody for his safety and that of the community.

>> detention is necessary due to the serious nature of the allegations and charges. >> reporter: in court, lane appeared close to tears and was overheard saying to family members, "i am sorry, i am sorry." authorities say lane confessed to the shootings and while they have not talked about the motive behind this rampage, the prosecutor did offer some insight. >> he chose his victims at random. this is not about bullying. this is not about drugs. this is someone who's not well. >> reporter: while one victim remains in the hospital, this community did receive some much needed good news. 18-year-old joy rickers, also shot, has now returned home to her family. her survival, first responders say, thanks in part to fellow student travis carver, who delivered first aid moments after shots rang out. >> it was instinct. she was in distress and she was hurt. i helped her. >> reporter: as the reality of the tragedy sinks in, more than 1,000 people gathered again in the center of chardon.

>> always let your friends know you love them. >> reporter: a small town coming together in solidarity and remembrance. at 17 years of age, t.j. lane is considered a minor in ohio, but with three dead, it is very likely he will be tried as an adult. he is expected to be formally charged in court tomorrow at the same time as chardon prepares for its funerals. ann? >> all right, kevin tibbles, thank you. bob and dina parmator are the parents of victim danny parmatomorrow. what do you want to say about your son, danny, that makes you want to be on national television so soon after his death? >> let everybody know that danny was a great boy. he listened to everything. he was a happy kid, never caused no trouble, and he was just

always fun to be around. he always wanted to be by us. making fun of me all the time that he was taller than me. we just love him. >> dean, i know he was looking forward to going to college. he was, just a few weeks ago, he landed his first job at a bowling alley, and he was supposed to get his first check tomorrow. is that right, dina? >> right, yes. that's right, ann. i do want to say just quickly, thank you for the community. thank you. we can't imagine how everybody's helping us and our family. we have the best family in the world. and to all the victims and their families, our hearts go out to them as well. and to answer your question, it was just, he got his first job. he was so excited to get that first paycheck. that's all he was talking about.

mom, when i get home from school on thursday, you know, can you take me to pick it up? and i don't work until saturday, but i need to go. and i just said, of course. just that first check. it's just heartbreaking. >> i know you're thinking about burying that first check with him when you do have to lay him to rest. >> right. >> he was friends, i understand -- you mentioned the other victims, both russell and demetrius. can you think of any motive here? did he know t.j. lane very well? is there any reason you can think that he might have been targeted, your son, bob? >> absolutely not. >> no. >> i don't think he even knew him. >> right. >> and danny, just, no. they were just innocent victims. >> right. i don't know. >> yeah, you know, just a good boy, like we said. >> so, in terms of what you want

to say again about the loss in your community of 5,000, with the loss of three bright young men, what do you want to say to america, to the world about what has happened to chardon, illinois? >> you know, like everybody always says, it doesn't happen here. it doesn't happen to me. and it did. i don't know how. i don't think we could get through it without the families and the community. and like i said, people we don't know. we went to the vigil last night. it was unbelievable. i did not -- you know, we're in a cloud, and we kind of -- i didn't really know what was going on. i thought, this is our house and our family and it happened. but when i went out, all the people, the nation, you guys, nbc. i just didn't know -- i just

thought it was us, and i can't believe how everybody is so supportive. it's very helpful. it's helpful to see everyone. >> our deepest sympathies, and i'm sure you'll hear from many people, bob and dina parmertor in chardon, ohio, not illinois. thank you so much and our deepest sympathies to both of you. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> and we're going to now make a turn and talk about a firsthand look at what could be the beginning of a new darfur. the same government accused of crimes against humanity and genocide there are now being blamed for a new wave of violence targeting african tribes in sudan. 585,000 people have been forced to flee, according to the united nations, most in the nuba mountains. and as in darfur, sudan's government is keeping humanitarian workers and journalists out, in effect, keeping what is happening a secret.

>> reporter: in the nuba mountains, just the sound of their own government's warplanes sends people running. in fear of bombs, thousands of people, most of them children, live in caves, virtually cut off from the world. to reach them, we must go where journalists are banned. >> next stop -- >> so, right now we are in the undisputed part of northern sudan. >> yes. >> reporter: our guide, 30-year-old american humanitarian ryan boyette, who has been documenting the attacks on civil jaianscivilians. >> my name is ryan boyette. >> reporter: videotaping eyewitnesses who say they saw murder, systemic rape and evidence of ethnic cleansing. in a refugee camp, this woman tells us "they called us dogs and said we are the only people because we are arab and you are

nubas. i don't know why they hate us." young shemiyah, orphaned along with her four brothers and sisters, are still in shock. "they bombed us where they were," she says, "my mother covered us with her body and died." a rebel leader shows us arsenal seized by government troops. all of it? >> yes. >> reporter: the truck? >> including the truck. >> reporter: he says they belonged to an elite unit led by the governor of this region, ahmed harun. you know that ahmed harun has been accused by the international criminal court for crimes in darfur? >> yes. >> reporter: behind an armed escort, we finally reach the nuba mountains. ryan leads us up the rocks, and there, we find 64-year-old hannah cooley, who is trstrugglg to find food to feed 12 children separated from their families. ♪ >> reporter: she sings, "there is no comfort in this world,"

weeping as a bomb falls. a few hours later in the darkness, we find the victims. >> there was an attack earlier today, and it hit this woman in the chest, and now her lung is actu actually frozen. >> she's in so much pain. >> reporter: four nuba women hit by the shrapnel. at least one is not expected to survive the six-hour drive to the hospital. now a famine is looming and the international community is trying to figure out whoo, if anything, can be done to stop it you can see more of our report about sudan tonight on "rock center with brian williams" at 9:00/8:00 central time here on nbc. matt. >> it's a powerful story, ann. thank you very much. let us go over to natalie at the news desk now with the rest of the top stories of the morning. natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt and ann. good morning, everyone. there's major fallout this morning from the newspaper phone hacking scandal in great

britain. rupert murdoch's news corporation says murdoch's son, james, is stepping down as executive chairman of the compa company's british newspaper arm. a new report from the pentagon has many americans outraged today after learning that some of the human remains of the 9/11 victims found at the pentagon and in shanksville, pennsylvania, ended up incinerated and dumped in a landfill. the air force mortuary at dover air force base recently came under fire for dumping remains of troops killed in iraq and afghanistan in this same virginia landfill. some good news from wall street as the dow closed above the landmark 13,000 mark on tuesday for the first time since 2008 before the start of the financial crisis. tuesday's close put the dow just 1,200 points away from an all-time high. astronomers are keeping an eye on the sky as an asteroid could come dangerously close to the earth on february 5th, 2040. asteroid 2011ag-5 is heading our

way, and scientists believe there is a 1 in 625 chance that our gravitational pull could reel it in. if it gets within a small target zone in space, scientists say they'll have to plan a deflection mission to knock the asteroid off its course. let's just hope bruce willis is available to help with thus. 7:22 right now. matt and ann. >> call them quick. >> get him out there! >> natalie, thank you very much. as if we didn't have enough to worry about. >> exactly. that's all we need. unfortunately, back to a serious story, as we turn back. we have a live picture just in from branson, missouri. this is the walmart parking lot, and you can see all the debris scattered there. we also have reports, harrisburg, illinois, right now, a tornado reporting on the ground there. we're continuing to track that. and the northern part of this system, you can see the snow stretching from minnesota all the way to new england. later on today, we have winter storm watches and warnings all the way stretches into new england, albany, new york,

included. we are looking at anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of snow in marquette, michigan. albany 6 to 10. up to 10 inches of snow as well in boston and the western suburbs. showers are winding down bup we still have some heavy downpours down through the south bay. i'm meteorologist christina loren. down through san jose, fremont, we have some heavy rain headed your w as we head through the next 15, 20 minutes but the overall trsd is drying out. we'll get a little bit of a break by noon today, then we'll see a few more showers roll onshore and a cold blast at 8:00 tonight. at's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you. coming up, lindsay lohan opens backup her sobriety, her time behind bars and what her life is like now. we're going to have a preview of matt's exclusive interview. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

"and what's your name?" "oh, it's flo." "and what do you do?" "oh, i sell insurance like no one else." "oh, that's nice." "thank you." now, that's progressive. call or click today.

just ahead, will attorneys for the man accused of killing his co-worker's husband call the victim's own wife to the stand? we'll have the latest. >> and why some schools aren't good wednesday morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. officials are trying to figure out what caused a fire in a duplex in san jose. two people who live in the duplex say they woke up to what sounded like a campfire and ran outside. two others escaped without injury. by the time firefighters arrived on scene, flames were shooting through the roof. they say wind threatened to str spread that fire to other homes and neighbors had to evacuate. >> i was asleep and my sister was pounding on the door was letting us know the fire was next door. so thank god because i was

sleeping right through it. >> luckily everyone made it out. the fire is out this morning but no word on a cause. let's check the forecast right now with meteorologist christina loren. >> it's been a rough morning so far. we still have more rain on the way. good morning. overcast conditions over the golden gate bridge getting a little bit of a dre break areas north of the bridge but we still have a lot of precipitation moving through the south bay, san jose, livermore, fremont getting hit pretty hard. we'll continue to see these showers lighten up but we'll get a little bit of spotty activity throughout the day. by noon a nice dry break. more shower activity pushing onshore by 9:00. maybe snow over mount handle ton as we head through tonight. showers for the first part of tomorrow, then the whole thing blows out of here by 5:00 p.m. thursday. your seven-day forecast in just moments. first let's see what these showers are doing to your drive. creating pretty hazardous conditions at times. we do have this deadly accident

continuing to have the east hillsdale boulevard on-ramp to southbound 101 closed. word is that a single suv spun out on an on-ramp, went off of the roadway. someone inside was killed as a result. again, slippery roads. be careful, 92 and 101 show a really good slowdown right through the area. be careful of the activity. 101 and shorelines an accident, clearing from lanes. northbound routes typical slowing spots but heavier than normal flow. northbound 880 has recovered but look at all that rain, mist and drizzle. 7:28. i will have another local news update in half-an-hour. see you then. bay area ! here's big news from verizon wireless and xfinity from comcast.

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7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 29th of february 2012. we are looking at the driving snow in duluth, minnesota as a powerful storm moves through. we have the live picture. it is a much different scene in the northeast. as we check out the smiling faces hanging out with us in rockefeller plaza and we're glad to have everyone here. >> al said the storm in minnesota is the one that's going to make it to new england later today. >> all right. we should batten down the hatches. inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. coming up, matt has a preview of an interview with lindsay lohan.

>> lindsay is hosting "saturday night live" this week as part of her attempt to mount a comeback after battling with addiction and run-ins with the law. we talked to lindsay about that. her first extensive interview since she spoke to us six years ago. we'll hear from her just ahead. >> and a potential danger in your child's school that you can't see, taste or smell. we are talking about radon, a gas linked to lung cancer deaths every year. jeff rossen is investigating the story coming up for us. >> and later on the tragic death of a 14-year-old girl who suddenly collapsed after she inhaled helium at a party. we have all seen kids do this. police say it was hosted by a 27-year-old woman who has now been arrested. we'll have the latest and talk to the girl's family coming up. >> that's a sad story. we begin with the murder trial of a georgia man who is charged with killing a father of two outside a day care center. this morning the defense will be

presenting the case and thanh truong is following the story in decatur this morning. good morning. >> reporter: hey, ann. good morning to you. the prosecution rested on tuesday. now it's the defense's turn. it will try to prove the defendant was insane when he shot the father of two outside a day care center and that the murder was motivated by an alleged affair with the victim's wife. >> reporter: though newman is on trial for shooting harvard grad rusty snyderman, the case centers on andrea snyderman, the victim's wife. before resting its case the prosecution presented snyderman's cell phone records n. seven months leading up to the murder she exchanged more than 1400 calls and text messages with the defendant. nearly 600 more than to her own husband. >> said she had taken certain trips. >> reporter: a detective testifies about the prosecution's claim that the murder was driven by an illicit

affair between andrea and newman who was her boss. >> you do know they were having an affair. >> yes. >> having sex? >> it would seem so. >> let's bring in the jury. >> reporter: on tuesday the jury watched the end of newman's interrogation video. for hours he denied shooting snyderman, but he gets more uneasy. >>itis not like you have no connection to these people. >> i never thought about that. i mean, again, how am i related to this? >> reporter: one day after the interrogation newman went back to police. his attorney read part of the statement to interrogators. >> the statement was, i want to talk. i want to end the circus. >> reporter: newman pled not guilty by reason of insanity claiming an angel looking like olivia newtonjohn told him the

snyderman's children were his and he needed to kill rusty to protect them. the prosecutor said newman seemed stable. >> was there anything about his demeanor that seemed off? >> no. >> missing from court, andrea snyderman. the judge kicked her out of the courthouse last week after she awkwardly hugged a witness in front of the jury. the close friend had testified she believed snyderman was having an affair. outside the court, prosecutors say snyderman told her they were no longer friends. >> there was no affair. >> reporter: snyderman's testimony gripped the court. she denied anything physical with newman. she suspected he was the killer. despite that she didn't tell police. >> you never told them on january 4, i know who it is. it's hemy newman. >> that's correct. >> you took them down a rabbit hole -- >> oh. >> and tried to get them to look at other people, didn't you? >> no, sir. i didn't. >> why were you protecting the

defendant? >> reporter: there is a possibility as the defense argues its case that andrea snyderman may be called back to the stand. the trial resumes in a couple of hours, ann? >> thanh truong, thank you so much. now for a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by the american cancer society, the official sponsor of birthdays. >> it is, of course, a leap day. we've got -- you guys are brother and sister, both born on a leap day? you're 16 and you're -- >> 17. >> another leap baby, 16. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> we also have a leap year kind of day. look at the temperatures. 12 degrees above normal in cleveland. 21 above normal in lexington. all the warm air, that's where the severe weather will be as the cold air moves in. 76 in memphis. chicago, 55. same in cleveland. the rest of the country could see 20s and 30s.

that's where the storms will be developing, all the snow. new england temperatures in the 20s and 30s. we'll have icy, snowy conditions and a large area for strong storms stretching from missouri all the way to the midatlantic states up into the mississippi river va we've got bands of rain continuing to stream onshore as we speak, especially down through the south bay at this point. san jose looks like you'll be dealing with spotty showers for at least the next 15, 20 minutes. but overall, the rain is subsiding for the time being. we'll get a little bit of a break between 9:00 and noon. then the rain returns just in time for the evening commute. in addition to that rain, a cold blast of air. temperatures dropping and so will the snow levels down to 2,000 feet. couple more leap year babies. your birthday today and you're 6 today? >> yes. >> i didn't have any idea there were so many leap year babies.

>> al, thank you very much. we'll talk about that more later on. over the last several years lindsay lohan has faced her troubles. most of them self-inflicted. this week she will try to mount a comeback when she hosts "saturday night live." we sat down with her for an interview on tuesday that you will see in its entirety tomorrow. i began by asking her the question on everyone's mind. >> simplest, blunt question. are you clean and sober? >> yes. i'm good. i'm clean and sober. >> how long has that been? >> it's been a while. it's been -- a long time. it's nice to feel that i have -- i also have a lot of great people in my life that are in the same position. i can turn to them. i have great people i can talk to at any time and that's helped me figure myself out. >> can you go to parties, to clubs without suffering the temptation to get you into trouble? >> i don't -- i mean, i probably

could, but that's not my thing anymore. i went out actually a few months ago with a friend and i was so uncomfortable. not because i felt tempted. just because it was just the same thing that it always was before. it just wasn't fun for me. i have become more of a home body and i like it. >> i also thought about you not long ago when whitney houston passed away. someone with so much talent, such raw talent who went through such a tough time and the end came way too soon. when you heard the news of her death, did any of it register on a personal level with you? >> i don't -- not -- not really. i wouldn't like to -- i don't want to go there. that's kind of a scary, morbid thing to discuss. but maybe to some extent when i was really -- when i was -- you know, when i went to jail and being in that place, that was really terrifying for me.

>> but abuse also. in terms of substance abuse. it can rob talent. >> yeah. no. i completely agree. you can completely fall into that world. that's a scary thing. i have experienced things like that. i have friends that have experienced things like that. it's a really sad factor that can come into play in people's lives sometimes, if you don't recognize it. a lot of people don't like to. i think i did that for a long time. i think i was scared and didn't want to admit to myself let alone anyone else. >> again, we will have the full exclusive interview with lindsay lohan tomorrow right here on "today." you can see her as the host of "saturday night live" this saturday at 11:30/10:30 central time on nbc. up next, a danger in danger in the classroom many schools don't test for. that's coming up right after this. ♪ ...impossible. no, no...

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not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships, anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $5.15, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. back now at 7:43. this morning on rossen reports, what experts call a serious health threat in our nation's schools that's invisible to the naked eye. jeff rossen is here with what he's uncovered. good morning. >> good morning. important story for parents. when we send our children to school we assume they are safe, that they are learning in a healthy environment. health officials say there is a danger in the air. a toxic cancer-causing gas in thousands of classrooms nationwide and many districts are doing nothing about it.

it's just another school day in pennsylvania. and these second graders are ready to learn. >> let's talk about that. >> reporter: but what these kids can't see, smell or taste -- high levels of radioactive radon gas inside their classrooms. tests show nearly double the epa's accepted limit. >> of all the environmental exposures you get, this one causes the most deaths. >> reporter: radon develops from the breakdown of soil and rock seeping into buildings and the air we breathe. chronic exposure, experts say, could be deadly and perhaps most disturbing, victims usually don't realize they have been exposed until years later when it's too late. next to smoking, it is the leading cause of lung cancer. according to the epa, linked to more than 20,000 deaths every year. bill field is one of the foremost experts on radon. if you compare it to smoking

what are the students being exposed to? >> if they are exposed it can be the equivalent to smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day. >> for a child. >> for a child. >> reporter: gail is a retired teacher. she started coughing and went to the doctor. >> he said, you have a nodule and it's probably malignant. >> reporter: had you smoked? >> never a day in my life. >> reporter: she tested her house for radon and the levels were high. doctors told her that's the likely cause. >> the doctor removed my left lung. i went through 12 weeks of chemo. >> reporter: her home, the schools where she taught and the entire state of iowa are in what the epa call a level one radon hot zone. you taught for years here. did they ever test it for radon? >> no. i always said i wonder if i wasn't exposed here as well as

at home. >> reporter: most say districts can't afford the tests though the epa estimates more than 70,000 classrooms nationwide are at risk. believe it or not only five states require testing. there is no federal law mandating it. >> the kids are there six, seven hours a day. i think it should be required. >> it's like an ostrich with the head in the sand. they just don't want to know. >> reporter: even with children's safety at stake? >> sometimes money has a more powerful influence than health. >> reporter: we had an idea. working with a certified lab nbc news contacted 40 districts in radon hot zones and offered to pay for radon testing. all 40 declined the offer or didn't respond at all. some said the science isn't there. others didn't give a reason. here in indianapolis, school administrators originally said yes, test three of our schools. even gave us the floor plans so

the labs could figure out where to put the detectors, but the district pulled out with one official saying this can only make us look bad. if the levels are high, parents will get upset and want every school tested. >> why decline it if it's free? if it's a free service, i'd take it. >> reporter: this is jeff rossen from nbc news. so we followed up with school officials. we'd love to interview the superintendent on camera about why the school doesn't test and also why you declined our offer to test for free. also why you declined our offer to test for free. all districts declined to be interviewed, too. the thing is when schools do test, experts say it can save lives. in connecticut one of the states where it's mandatory, this district got a wake-up call. >> this kindergarten classroom where we have 5-year-olds and 6-year-olds was at least four times above the acceptable limit by the epa. >> reporter: 400 classrooms throughout connecticut tested

high. they have all been fixed with new pipes for ventilation. and remember the 2nd graders in pennsylvania sitting in classrooms with elevated levels of the toxic gas? administrators here were proactive. >> i think it's imperative that we find out what the situation is and if there is a problem, take care of it. >> reporter: they tested nine schools voluntarily. in one of them, 15 classrooms came in high. school officials are planning to fix it. so why not make all schools test? once upon a time the government seemed focused on it. lots of press about radon. >> the environmental protection agency warned that radon gas poses a potential health risk in thousands of american classrooms. >> reporter: congress held a hearing in 1993. >> the obvious conclusion is that some children in classrooms have more radiation exposure than workers in a nuclear power plant. >> reporter: congress knows there is a problem. >> congress was told 20 years ago there was a problem.

>> reporter: what have they done? >> nothing. >> reporter: we contacted lead members of environmental committees canning on camera interviews. they all declined. one blamed the epa. another said it is a state issue. which means kids continue breathing radon's fumes and parents can't do a thing about it. >> these are our kids. parents are sending them to school assuming they will be in a safe environment. we need to guarantee that. >> some scientists say more research is needed to figure out the risk to children. many are concerned because just this month the epa is slashing the radon program and cutting funding entirely, money that helps schools test. we wanted to ask the epa why they are cutting the funding but they declined our request for an on-camera interview. in a statement they said the federal government is facing difficult budget challenges but said they will continue the fight against radon exposure. by the way, ann, schools pose a risk according to experts but the epa says homes pose the

biggest risk. it's affordable and easy to fix and test for it. we picked up these kits at a hardware store. they cost less than $25. open it up, put it down and figure out if your home is at risk, too. >> jeff, thank you so much for the information. just ahead, we'll lighten things up with the lorax himself. first, these messages. are made with sweet cherries

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still ahead, the top ten places to go to get free stuff. >> that's right. and more on the severe weather affecting a big portion of our nation coming up. but first, your local news. [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior,

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good morning. it is 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. lawyers will be back in court for the san francisco sheriff's domestic violence trial. the judge will hear motions by the wife to dismiss. if not, they want statements she made to a neighbor thrown out. jurors are expected to start filling out questionnaires this afternoon. the sheriff faces domestic abuse charges for bruising his wife's arm during a new year's eve argument. we haven't had rain for quite some time. not like this, anyway. heavy downpours continue to roll through the south bay, livermore getting hit pretty hard. showers will continue to push onshore as we head throughout the first part of the day. a bit of a break by noon today

and more activity ramps up this evening just in time for the commute home. temperatures are not that cold just yet but they will be decreasing as the cold blast moves in behind the front. that's starting to settle in right now. we could see snow levels tumble to 1,500 feet as a result of the cold air mass moving in. we'll get a few showers early tomorrow, then clearing by afternoon hours. looking for the warm-up. let's check your drive with mike. >> right now, south bay jams up. scattered accidents. they should clear quickly but look at that, still very slow. volume really kicking in now that the rain has an effect as well. opposite your main commute, a couple of incidents away from the bridge toward berkeley that could cause additional slowing. live look at san mateo bridge, winter advisory still for the bay bridge and also san mateo.

soggy mess. 7:57 right now. for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook.

♪ ♪ ♪ baby, you light up my world like nobody else ♪ 8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 29th day of february 2012. you're looking at the faces and the bodies of the young british invasion band one direction. their new hit "what makes you beautiful" has become the top-selling single of all time in the uk. they've got 60 million hits on youtube. now they're heating things up in north america, fans lining up to see them, and get ready for the madness to take over rockefeller plaza, because they are coming here for a concert on monday,

march 12th. if you've got a young one, you're probably going to be on your way here. >> oh, yeah. >> out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. and what else do we have coming up? >> well, we have some special guests in our audience. take a look, ladies and gentlemen, because we have the orange guy from "the lorax" -- >> you've got to be careful. >> this is the man who gives the lorax its voice. >> the lorax speaks for the trees. >> that's right. >> talk to the lorax. go over there -- girl. got to have a girl lorax. >> yeah? >> come over here, say hello to the people out here. where's the camera? say hello. see? see? everybody wave in the background. >> lorax, over here -- >> do you ever think the doctors saw danny devito and said -- >> everybody, nice to see you. good to see you. >> we like that a lot.

>> my new favorite saying, talk to the lorax! hey, who likes some free stuff? >> me! >> yes! >> yeah! well, we're going to tell you where to look for your free stuff, everything from gas to clothing, ebooks, all three, nothing, nadia, zero! >> lots to get to. natal natalie's standing by with the headlin headlines. good morning. we begin with that powerful storm system that unleashed more than a dozen reported tornadoes overnight in kansas, missouri and nebraska, along with destructive winds in illinois. officials report at least four deaths and dozens of people injured. the governor of kansas has declared a state of emergency there. heavy damage was also reported in downtown branson, missouri. mitt romney has survived a strong challenge by rick santorum in tuesday's michigan primary. romney won by just a few percentage points in the state where he was born and raised. he also captured tuesday's arizona primary there by a wide

margin. the next crucial test is less than a week away, the super tuesday contest in ten states. prosecutors say the suspect in monday's ohio school shooting admits targeting students he didn't even know, killing three teenagers and wounding two others. 17-year-old t.j. lane was ordered to be held without bail after his first court appearance tuesday. a prosecutor described lane as someone who is not well. a disabled italian cruise ship being towed to a nearby island is expecting a helicopter delivery of 400 flash lights and fresh bread today. the "costa allegra" with more than 400 passengers and crew was sent adrift in the indian ocean monday after an engine room fire. it is expected to reach port tomorrow. and now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. actress lindsay lohan is trending on yahoo ahead of matt's exclusive interview airing in its entirety tomorrow. lohan says she is clean and sober and won't let anyone down

as she comes back from years of legal and personal problems. lohan is hosting "saturday night live" this weekend. again, you can catch that full interview tomorrow right here on "today." fans are googling ben affleck, who is no longer the only man around his house. he and wife jennifer garner are now welcoming their first baby boy, adding to their broad of two girls. no word yet on a name. and tv chef paula deen sizzling on the blogs after revealing that she dropped two pant sizes by exercising and downsizing her food portions. deen announced in january that she's battling type 2 diabetes. she says she doesn't know how much she actually weighs right now but that a healthier lifestyle and a better-fitting wardrobe are all the encouragement she needs. and as i throw it back outside to al, i was going to say, al, i thought she looked slimmer when i saw her on friday with you. she looks great. good for her. >> good for her, absolutely. unfortunately, we've got more severe weather to talk about. southern illinois, we've had

reports of multiple deaths there and we have tornado warnings and watches out. let's go to the maps. you can see right now, these are the latest tornado warnings, just to the west of louisville, kentucky, to the northwestf o bowling green we have tornado warnings in efct. totcadwao hes nowwa stretching fr little rock, just to the north of little rock, arkansas, all thefray wo intay e ixtme southern ohio. these go in effect until 12:00 this afternoon. again, as we look now, branson, missouri, live as the sun has come up, you can see the damage there. just horrific. and luckily, no deaths in branson. that's the good news. and then to the north of there, let's go now to duluth, minnesota. that's where the weather channel's mike seidel is. and mike, it's looking pretty grim there. you've got a lot of wind and a lot of snow to talk about. >> reporter: yeah, we do. it's taken all year for it to snow like this up here in duluth. the biggest storm was saturday with 3.2 inches. we're looking at 6 to 10. lake superior crashing over the sea wall here on the boardwalk.

we've had wind gusts at 54 miles an hour. it's only 30 degrees, so it could be a lot colder, but wind, blowing snow, drifting snow and warnings continue through this evening. some spots have had as much as a foot of snow already. al. you get a sense that it's finally looking like winter up here in the northland. al? >> thank you so much, mike. and that storm system making its way to new england. parts of new england will be looking at anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow in the next 24 thunder showers. well, you'll want to keep your umbrella by your side today. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. we still have steady rain streaming onshore in the south bay, although we are getting a little bit of break now the north bay downor through south n francisco. as i zoom in for you though, you can see with he have heavy downpours coming through san jose, fremont, about 10 minutes away from heavy rain and san mateo getting hit pretty hard as well. temperatures cold right now and will remain cold throughout the day. we have a cold air mass slated to move in later on this evening, dropping snow levels to 2,000 feet.

that's your latest weather. matt? >> coming up, a 14-year-old girl dies after inhaling helium at a party. her family will speak out right after this. [ nadine ] buzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ow♪ [ kareem ] i was fascinated by balsa wood airplanes since i was a kid. [ mike ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet. these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques.

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back now at 8:11 with the tragic death of a 14-year-old oregon girl. ashley long died suddenly after inhaling helium at a house party. her family believes peer pressure led to a night of unfortunate decisions that cost her her life. we'll talk to them but first here is nbc's miguel almaguer. ♪ >> reporter: 14-year-old ashley long loved taking pictures, some of her last were snapshots she took of herself. >> she was just a social butterfly. she just wanted to laugh. >> she was smart. she was going to be a marine biologist. she was going places. >> reporter: 11 days ago the 8th grader told her parents she was

going to a slumber party, but instead got in a car with six friends. >> she was just trying to fit in. >> reporter: the teenagers headed to a medford, oregon, home where on the way and once inside the kids had drink after drink. >> i think she was pressured to take the first drink, you know? i can't picture her drinking at all. at all. >> reporter: police say 27-year-old catherine mcclune the mother of two young children hosted the party system she provided alcohol to the children between 13 and 16 years of age. she also provided marijuana to at least two of the juveniles there. >> reporter: intoxicated the group turned to helium. one by one they inhaled hits from a tank like this one. ashley was the last to try it. >> i talked to the girl that saw it happen. she said she tried to catch herself. she saw her getting dizzy, trying to catch herself, went back, her eyes rolled back, she

fell over and that was it. >> reporter: by the time ashley arrived at the hospital there was nothing doctors could do. the 14-year-old was gone. >> you're like, did that just happen? did we just pick out a coffin? because we're supposed to pick out a prom dress before we pick out coffins. >> reporter: mcclune has been charged with distributing drugs and alcohol to minors. additional charges could follow. she's yet to enter a plea or return our calls. local police say they have seen teens mixed up with drugs and alcohol before but have never seen a death like ashley's. investigators say the helium tank which is easy and completely legal to buy was purchased at a toy store in medford, oregon. costs about $35. >> inhaling helium is not a common trend. particularly not something we are seeing much in the emergency rooms or outpatient treatment clinics, but our data is beginning to show that inhaling

helium, inhaling other products is common among adolescents. >> this can happen to anybody out there. >> reporter: sunday the earps buried their daughter, the young girl so full of life, now gone forever. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, medford, oregon. >> ashley's mother and step-father join us now along with her step-brother t.j. good morning. >> good morning. >> she died just 11 days ago. why are you here? what do you want to say? >> we want to bring awareness to children about helium and that it is serious. it is dangerous and it does kill. we also want children to know that when adults are trying to hang out with you that should be the first sign that it's not a safe situation. adults shouldn't be hanging out with children like that.

>> reporter: the adult in this case is identified as catherine mcclune, 27 years old. justin, do you hold her to some degree responsible for the death of ashley? >> absolutely. yeah. she took our child without our permission. she took other children without adult permission. i believe if a child is in your care and you're an adult, you're 27 years old it's not like you're 21, 22, 23, just turned ab an adult, you need to take responsibility. you didn't ask any parents if you could have their kid at your house. >> she didn't know if ashley had allergies or any of the other children, you know? to take on all our babies and party with them? i can't -- who does that? i can't comprehend it. >> to give our daughter alcohol? right then she took

responsibility. >> never drank. >> for whatever happened that night it started with picking her our daughter up and giving her alcohol. absolutely she should be held responsible. >> you thought your daughter was at a slumber party. in the piece we heard you talk about peer pressure. t.j., you are not much older than ashley was. what do you want to say about peer pressure? >> i'm sure everybody's been through peer pressure. it's okay to say no. to whatever they are trying to get you to do. everybody is giving in. maybe everybody's said no, but more people should say no. >> is that the message of ashley's hope awareness? what is the awareness you want her death to cause in others? >> i would like the awareness to be three things. alcohol, adults and children do not mix. number two. the dangers of helium are real.

we need to spread it around the world. nobody knows about it. they think it is something you take in a balloon and laugh. you can die from taking it. it's happened before, straight out of a balloon, not just a tank. number three, peer pressure is the big one. she was pressured by her friends who said she didn't want to do it. they could tell she didn't want to do it. an adult, one of the men said it would be okay. just makes you laugh. won't hurt you. >> it will be okay, ashley. >> peer pressure is a big one. she died under pressure. not only peer pressure. she died under pressure. there is a big message there to hear. >> i know she was a spectacular girl from everything you have told us. thank you so much for being here this morning to help other people despite the fact that it hurt so much to be here. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> thank you. we should probably mention you can find more about ashley's

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producer. now he's providing the title voice of the furry, yellow, mustached character in dr. seuss's "the lorax." he's known to speak for the trees so when anyone tries to threaten his world you might say the lorax has a short fuse. take a look. >> time out. back up. stop. don't move an inch. nobody's moving in here. good-bye. >> who invited the giant furry peanut? >> you calling me a peanut? i'll go right up your nose? >> ha! >> whoa, you wouldn't hit a woman. >> that's a woman? >> not the first time danny devito has lent his voice to animation. he was in hercules -- >> my little pony. space jam. >> without further ado, danny devito. you fit perfectly behind that thing. >> how you doing, man?

come sit down. >> thanks. >> you were born to do dr. seuss. >> really, yeah. i know why he did it 40 years ago. he didn't know me before he wrote it. do you mind if i keep the mustache on? >> go ahead. >> do you want one? >> no. >> but i brought you one. >> do i have to wear it for the interview? >> we speak for the trees. i have to take care of the hosts. >> i lost my glasses. >> he lost his glasses. that's the end of the interview. put that on, please. put it on. yes, very nice. ha! >> that's better. >> you see what it does for you? somebody recycle this. >> because you're all about being green, the lorax. >> all about being green. >> you know what? >> take it off. >> you looked weird. >> you know, i love the movie.

it's so bright and colorful and fun and really for kids and adults and dr. seuss wrote to everybody. he was prophetic. he talked about what was going on and how we have to take care of the planet to make it sustainable for all of us to live happy, long lives together as a species. >> it's amazing that people will find shocking that you voiced this not only in english which you're fairly fluent in. >> i do that. >> but also in italian, spanish. >> yeah. >> russian and german. >> yeah. >> are you fluent in those languages? >> none of them. >> you faked four other languages? >> yeah. the way you do it is -- well, i got it in my head to do it. i said, gosh. well, maybe italian. i speak a little italian. but they bring coaches from the country to sit with you for hours and hours. they write it out phonetically. i didn't want it to have too much of an accent. a little bit of a jersey accent,

the lorax. >> so do some of the lines. in italian. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> that's a woman in spanish. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> in russian. >> [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> that's a woman in german. >> [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> and i'll go right up your nose, in russian. >> wait a minute now. >> i'll do it for you. [ speaking in a foreign language ] i messed it up. >> can we do it again? yeah, no. that's what i did for, like, five weeks. >> did you get a separate paycheck for every language? >> no, no. it's like when somebody says, you know, you're a good swimmer but not like english channel. once you get in you have to go all the way. once you put the parts of your

body in that shrivel up in the water you've got to keep going. >> oh, look at the time. we've got to go. danny devito, the lorax. >> thank you. >> from our sister companyr good morning to you. customers should pay for $2 billion worth of upgrades to a pipeline. utility filed paperwork making its case. pg&e said the improvements are part of new safety standards but consumer groups are arguing the company misspent money and should have paid more attention to safety all along. on a hearing on who should pay for the pipeline upgrade will begin on march 12th. 826 now, want to check the morning commute with mike. >> let the pictures speak for themselves, 280, the center of

your map there 280 northbound the red strip. northbound 87 accidents, 85, 101, 680, all jamming in a northbound commute direction. continuing up the peninsula, lower bayshore, the southbound direction here as well as coming through san mateo. southbound 880, between the bridges and northbound accident, still in lanes, alvarado off the shoulder, jamming through oakland the bay bridge toll plaza and the toll plaza itself back up. >> thank you very much, mike. and for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook. or you can become my friend. i will have another update in half an hour. ok, guys-- what's next ?

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8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 29th day of february, 2012. some stormy weather is headed our way later today here in the northeast. there's a storm making a lot of messes out there. >> why are you looking at me? he's the weather guy. >> how soon will it get here, al? >> here in the northeast we are looking at a snowstorm.

but we have breaking severe weather in parts of illinois, kentucky. it's a changeable situation right now. >> we're outside now enjoying this weather at 42 degrees before it changes. i'm ann curry along with matt lauer and al roker and natalie morales. who doesn't like free stuff? >> we all like it. >> we'll tell you how to get stuff including facials, gas, chocolates. there are secrets on how to get products you need and love at no cost. we'll reveal all this morning. >> all right. also ahead our buddy mark bittman is in the kitchen with great ideas for tasty egg dishes. but egg dishes you can enjoy any time of day. he's going to explain that. >> all right. then is there anything you can do if your spouse suddenly racks up debt you don't know about? you know, you get the surprise. well, our money 911 panel is here today to crack all the great information for you, make

sure you have it all taken care of. >> and later on, we have a new way for you to experience the "today" show. we have our new-look facebook page. we'll show you in a little bit. >> how about a check of the weather? >> as we were saying we have severe stuff to talk about. we continue to deal with the outbreak of tornadoes going on through the southeast. you can see right now from minnesota, central minnesota into new england we're going to look at severe winter weather. to the south we've got a line of storms firing up. blizzard warnings through the dakotas. winter storm watches and warnings stretching to new england today and tomorrow. anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow from minnesota on into new england. take a look live. this is duluth, minnesota. wow. it is really coming down. it's been going in and out of these bands of heavy snow. it's going to continue to make it way east into new england tonight and tomorrow.

well, those showers are starting twind down but we still have some moderate rain coming down in the south bail. good morning, i'mng meteorologi christina loren. you can see san jose getting moderate, even heavy rain at times. everything is starting to deteriorate, but as we head thugh the next couple of hours, we will see the spotty showers, especially down through the south bay. with he will get a nice, dry break from about noon to 3 and more rain arrives just in time for the evening commute. tomorrow, showers will make way to mostly cloudy conditions, then we warm up into the weekend. that's your latest weather. i'll be in that tomorrow. >> you headed out there? >> i think so. >> good luck with that. when we come back, how to score great free stuff from gas to clothing to business cards. we'll talk about it. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry

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investment. turn here. >> this morning on today's money, where to find free stuff. when your shopping nothing beats scoring a big bargain. we have a whole studio full of free things. we have the scoop on how to get your favorite things without spending a dime. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> are there strings attached? why are so many companies offering free items? >> they want you in the store, on the facebook account. they want you to be friends, find out about their deals. here's how to get you in the door. this stuff is free and free is better than cheap. >> starting with free breakfast. >> ikea. on monday mornings until 1 sk, e -- 11:00, enjoy eggs, bacon, potatoes. kids can eat free including their swedish meat balls. you can go in an get your family set. >> free business cards if you're

looking for work. >> this is unbelievable. vistaprint. go online and they send you 250 cards, 30 designs to choose from. they send them to you and you can go out and find a job or do the networking you need. it's amazing. >> free e-books. >> if you are a kindle, if you have a kindle and you are a prime member there are over i 0 100,000 free books you can borrow. these aren't classics. they are best sellers. read them any time. download them quickly. >> free paper. >> this is one of my favorites because i'm the mom who at 9:00 my mom says, i need lined paper and i'm trying to find the closest staples to go to. this one is called printable paper.net. print whatever paper you need. graph paper, music paper. by the way, paper is one thing you should never pay for. staples, officemax, office depot

always have coupons. join the loyalty program and never pay for paper. >> even free beauty stuff. >> this is for a facial. clarins started as a spa company. if you go to macy's, nordstrom's, any big retailer you can sign up for a 20-minute free facial. normally in the salon it costs $90. you can have skin time for free. >> that's too good to be true. what about gas? with these prices today? >> california in particular has some of the highest prices around. honda stepped in and through march 3 they will be giving people free tanks of gas. you have to go to their twitter account or facebook account. they are giving clues as to where to go. it is california only. but i have a feeling if it continues people will be doing it more more. hats off to honda for that. >> also, maybe the best, free chocolate. >> i'm a member of the godiva chocolate rewards.

nothing better than walking into the store and once a month you get a free chocolate. once a month you get it for joining rewards. lindt chocolate, in their stores you get a free truffle. i was in there yesterday picking these up. it's the spring truffle. ten people offered me one. also delicious. >> we have free coupons as well. >> birthdays. if somebody doesn't give you a present these companies step in to pick up the slack. you get free birthdays all over the place if you sign up for the loyalty card. ihop, you go on. they have the pancake revolution. you sign up for it. they not only send you a coupon when you sign up for it for a free meal, they send you one for your birthday and another on the anniversary of when you signed up. then every year after that they send you a coupon for usually the rooti-tooti fresh & fruity

breakfast. you can go every year on your birthday for that. baskin robbins, you can get a free cone on your birthday. starbucks, you get point and free drinks. they send you a postcard. you can get the drink of your choice. old navy, similarly, you can sign up for their e-mail. they sent me a $10 coupon and on my birthday they send in something else. you don't have to put the year in. just the date. and sephora has beauty insider. every year on your birthday they give you something. right now it's the sugar rose from fresh. it's one of the fan favorites. another cool thing is go and download four square which is a free app. put in where you live. so give them your gps location. they will then tell you all the free stuff in your area. i did it. turns out aveda had a free

sample of hair products. >> that's really unbelievable. you have saved us hundreds of dollars. thank you for doing this homework so we could have free goods at a time when some of us really need some. more for deals go to today.com and check out the hip to save blog. up next, egg recipes you can eat morning, noon or night. first, this is "today" on nbc.

(sir can-a-lot) good day, ma' lady. [muffled] i am sir can-a-lot. i am sir can-a-lot, here to save you from another breakfast bore. wake up those eggs with glorious spam! (woman) hmmm... that's actually a good idea. [nervous giggle] (ancr) break the monotony. for more fun ideas visit spam.com.

we're back now at 8:43. this morning on "how to cook everything," the abcs of simple egg dishes. whether you're expecting guests or need to feed the family all you need are eggs and some versatile supplies to make a meal. mark bittman is here. welcome back. >> good morning.

>> this is a different version of the segment we did during the holidays, holiday finger foods where you present us with different combinations. >> it's the same concept with different ingredients. the idea is you have abc, as you said. a base and then in this case we have eggs on top of the base and whatever you want to put for a garnish. so the base is various breads or greens, beans. anything you can put underneath. >> i understand the bread as a base. that's logical, but the beans are a base also? >> well, beans or cooked spinach or greens. this is essentially an egg salad really of a different sort. >> you've got whole grain bread, some tortillas. english muffins, items most people have in the house. >> this is obviously a huge, impressive spread. the idea is that everybody has some of this stuff around. most people have eggs.

maybe you have canned beans or bread, whatever. the toppings we are talking about here are chopped scallions or herbs. this is caramelized onions, jalapenos, mushrooms and a variety of sauces. >> as we talked about last time with the holiday finger foods there are no rules here. you can try a lot of different combinations. some work better than others. >> some definitely work better than others. but people have different tastes. you know, for example, i don't have ketchup over here which many people would. >> let's make one. okay? what's your favorite combination? >> i can't resist whole grain toast. >> i'll start with a tortilla to be different. >> and then -- >> different kinds of cooked eggs. >> omelet, scrambled, fried, poached, hard boiled or soft boiled. >> i'm going with scrambled because i have the tortilla chip here. that makes a good combination.

>> you don't go for the runny yolk? >> i'm not a runny yolk person. >> you like your eggs hard? >> i like them cooked a little better. you're doing the runny egg, whole grain toast. >> you nearly missed the bread. then what? come on in, guys. >> this is amazing. >> everybody makes their own. >> for me, i would do herbs and i will load this up. i want caramelized onions. i have been eyeing them all morning. >> all right. >> you have to start at the foundation. >> no plates. that's a problem. >> oh, no! >> have that one. >> what do you put on top? >> caramelized onions and parmesan. >> ann, your combination?

>> i grabbed one off the table and i'm putting stuff on top of it. i have herbs. do you know what i love? you're having people over and you don't want to be in the kitchen this is a great idea. the only thing you have to worry about is keeping the eggs warm. >> and, you know, there are people who would put out a burner and let people cook their own eggs which can be fun. some eggs can be -- poached eggs can be reheated. omelets aren't bad at room temperature. hard boiled eggs. there are ways to get around it. again, here we are looking at practically every option i could think of which no one is going to do at home. >> you are on the verge of creating an explosion there, ann. those things don't mix. >> i'm mixing them. sometimes when you mix things up you come up with something -- >> a food pyramid isn't supposed to be on one plate. >> mark bittman. we'll be grazing here in the next couple of minutes.

still ahead, when should you consider defaulting on debt? our money 911 team answers that question. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on leonard's look, a man who spreads love despite being the victim of hate. a mailman who carries a smile

wherever he goes. >> reporter: he starts early and never stops. >> see you later, brother randy. >> reporter: this good hearted messenger. >> hey, marty. how you doing, paul? >> reporter: spreading friendship, kindness. >> nice ladies. >> reporter: and laughter to every person met along the route. >> he's grumpy, right? >> yeah. [ laughter ] >> a day without him is like a day without sunshine. >> reporter: 63-year-old james huntly, a married father of two. >> nice meeting you. >> reporter: is a chicago mailman on a mission. >> try to bring your best to the table every day. try to be as nice as you can. >> reporter: as well to those who are not. >> i try to treat everyone the same. respect and dignity. >> reporter: that's when the story takes a turn. back to a time when james came

face to face with the opposite of respect, dignity and equality. what james saw, what the world saw would test anyone's faith in humanity. it was the mid 1960s. peaceful civil rights protesters were met with violence all over the south and a young james huntly was right in the middle of it, risking harm by joining the marches in mississippi. >> my mother told me some people came out to our home, people we knew and said they had seen me in the march, protesting. and they didn't like it. >> reporter: but james didn't back down and, like so many others, he was arrested and jailed. >> yes, i was. two and a half days in jail. >> reporter: then it got worse. >> a gun, rocks.

as a matter of fact we were spit on. we were cursed. i saw people getting hurt. and it was truly sad to see people getting hurt because they were standing up for something that they had a right to have, and that was freedom. i was angry. you know, at times right now, there are things people can say or do that are just as bad as someone spitting on you. but i've gotten past that. >> reporter: absorbing the hate and somehow transforming it into a daily display of genuine goodwill to others. >> we hear about the martin luther kings, the medgar evers of the world. there were so many folks whose names aren't in the history books that were the foot soldiers, carried the water and

caught the water. ♪ >> my mother and father taught us good values. they taught us no matter what to love others. love is the strongest force in the universe. >> reporter: for "today," mike leonard, nbc news, chicago. >> i am always impressed by people who can have hate focused on them and who put it aside and react to it in just the opposite way. >> true. >> there are so many stories like that that we don't know that we need to know so that kids remember what has happened in the past. >> what a great message he has. >> isn't it great when you run across someone in your daily life who is so positive? you can be having a terrible day. you run across a guy like that and it brightens everything. >> makes a change. >> we want to make a change now

and talk about a facelift for our facebook page. our website team was given the exclusive opportunity to be the first to update our page with a new look. without further ado, look at the new facebook.com/today. >> you will see that picture of the four of us at the top. if you're familiar with timeline, the feature on facebook, it's a new layout that may look familiar. you can journey through the rich history of "today" going back to dave garroway's first broadcast. >> they had facebook then? >> you can also click on the link and watch the video. >> we were ahead of our time even then. >> you want to see matt's first day anchoring the show? >> no, no. >> you want to see his hair? scroll through. ann's adventure to the south pole, natalie hang gliding over rio. my completion of the new york city marathon in three days. it's all there. [ laughter ] >> it's not the time, it's the effort. >> at the top of the page you

will be up to date with our current stories and posts. to test your knowledge of all things "today" show click on the links below our picture to take a special quiz this morning. >> i don't think we could pass the quiz. >> i don't think so. >> still ahead,he hottest makeup trends for spring. >> first, your local news and weather.

.. ..% ...... ......... . . h good morning to you. 8:56 right now, i'm laura garcia-cannon a wet start to the morning all around the bay area. wind and rain coming down hard on the bay bridge this morning, popping a wind advisory and certainly warnings have slowed down. haven't seen the last of it yet. meteorologist christina loren shows us what is still to some.

>> showers still coming down across the south bay but we are getting a nice break airy soughth of the golden gate bridge. stanford, 15 minutes out, heavy rain showers, los gatos, 15 minutes for you. head throughout the day today, temps on the cool side, 55 inland, tomorrow's showers early, cleared by the afternoon hours and then warm up for the weekend, up to 69 degrees on sunday. i hope off fantastic wednesday. ♪ ♪ twinkle toes i think i found a soul ♪ ♪ to make me happily ever after ♪ ♪ i say i love you and i'll say it more ♪ ♪ my one and only ♪ oh i can't lose ♪ so don't stop doing what you do ♪ ♪ have i paid my dues just to be with you ♪ ♪ don't stop doing what you do ♪

we are back we are back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning.o it's the 29th day of february, 2012. yes, that makes it leap day. something we get to talk about once every four years. you're looking at some of the people celebrating leap day here in rockefeller plaza. it's not bad right now. we're going to get some nasty weather here a little later on today. nothing, however, compared to what they are experiencing out in the midwest. take a look now. want to show you harveyville, kansas. more than a dozen reported tornadoes touched down across that state, missouri and

nebraska. tornado watches still in ef foekt for parts of that region this morning. al will have much more on the severe weather gripping that portion of the country. >> illinois also under the gun as well. kentucky getting hit. in fact, let's take a look at duluth, minnesota, getting battered with strong winds, driving snow as the north part of the same system makes it to the east. it will be affecting new england in the next 24 hours with up to a foot of snow or more. we'll have a live report from duluth coming up in a moment. >> sounds like important information, al. also coming up, other important information from our 911 team that's standing by, ready to answer your questions including questions about what happens to a joint credit card after a divorce. also, if you're unemployed and dealing with piling debt how do you prioritize which bills to pay first? we have advice coming up this morning. >> we have relationship advice, too. the question is do opposites really attract over the long term? you know, at the beginning you may have liked that your partner was touchy-feely, romantic.

but sometimes the differences weigh on a couple. we'll talk about whether emotional opposites can work. >> we have a lot to get to. let us also check on the headlines in the morning. natalie is at the news desk. she can do that for us. natalie? >> good morning to you. we begin with the powerful storm system that unleashed more than a dozen reported tornadoes in kansas, missouri and nebraska. along with destructive winds in southern illinois. officials report at least one death and numerous injuries and the governor of kansas declared a state of emergency. heavy damage was also reported in downtown branson, missouri. the upper midwest is bearing the brunt of what could be one of the worst snowstorms of the season. the weather channel's mike seidel is in duluth, minnesota, feeling the wrath this morning. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. this is about as bad as it gets. we have winds gusting to 50 miles per hour, whiteout conditions, the winds coming off lake superior.

until this storm hit, the biggest storm this season in duluth only 3.2 inches, running a three foot deficit in snowfall. i don't know if you can zoom past me. it's a whiteout. this is a raging blizzard across the north lands of minnesota. minneapolis has had rain and snow. up here we have six to ten inches, blowing and drifting snow. whiteout conditions through the morning. the snow will begin to back off this afternoon. it's all headed into the poconos. we have significant snowfall, probably the biggest storm in the boston area tonight and tomorrow morning. natalie? back to you in the studio. >> you poor thing. mike seidel. take care of yours out there. police released 911 calls from the ohio school shooting monday that left three students dead and two wounded. nbc's kevin tibbles has the latest from shardon, ohio.

good morning, kevin. >> reporter: the 911 tapes convey the panic of the moment but they also reveal just how quickly students and teachers responded to save lives. >> 911. >> chardon high school. we got shots fired. gunshots. multiple gunshots. >> reporter: the frantic sound of 911 callers on tapes released by police. >> we need help. we need help badly. >> reporter: by the time the alleged shooter was in custody, this town of 5,000 people had been changed forever. five of chardon's children had been shot. three are now dead. danny parmertor, 16. russell king, jr., 17. demetrius hewlen, 16. the teenager accused of this horror, t.j. lane, was brought to the courthouse wearing a bulletproof vest. where the judge ordered him to remain in custody for his safety and that of the community. >> detention is necessary due to the serious nature of the

allegations and charges. >> reporter: in court lane appeared close to tears and was heard saying to family members i am sorry, i'm sorry. authorities say lane confessed to the shootings and while they have not talked about the motive behind this rampage, the prosecutor did offer insight. >> he chose his victims at random. this was not about bullying. this is not about drugs. this is someone who's not well. >> reporter: while one victim remains in the hospital, this community did receive some much needed good news. 18-year-old joy rickers, also shot, has returned home to her family. her survival first responders say thanks in part to fellow student travis carver who delivered first aid moments after shots rang out. >> it was instinct. she was in distress. she was hurt. so i helped her. >> reporter: as the reality of the tragedy sinks in, more than a thousand people gathered again in chardon. >> always let your friends know you love them.

>> reporter: a small town coming together in solidarity and remembrance. as t.j. lane is only 17 years old he is considered a minor in ohio, but with three people dead he is likely to be tried as an adult. his next court appearance is scheduled for tomorrow. natalie? >> kevin tibbles in chardon, ohio, thanks so much. it was a good night for mitt romney as the gop presidential hopeful reclaimed his front-runner status with key wins in the arizona and michigan primaries. it was a narrow victory over rick santorum in michigan. romney's home state, but romney pulled in a solid win in arizona. now all eyes are on next tuesday's super tuesday as ten states head to the polls. a mother-daughter afternoon horseback ride in australia turned into a near death experience when both horses got caught in quicksand-like mud and a rescue became a race against time as the tide closed in, but mother nicole graham bravely pulled her daughter and her

horse from the mud before returning to save her own trapped horse and getting herself stuck in the mud as she tried to free him. she held his head up as the water got higher and higher. her daughter ran to call for help and rescuers worked for three hours to save them. thankfully, all are doing okay now. now to al for a check of the weather. quite a rescue there. remarkable. >> amazing stuff. thank you so much. now we'll show you what's going on. this is harveyville, kansas. you can see all the devastation that's happened overnight. this is the most scary time for a tornado to hit because a lot of people are asleep. they don't get a chance to react. as we go to the maps and show go you what's going on, tornado warnings until 8:15 this morning central standard time. u can see there in just to the north of bowling green, kentucky, we are looking at severe storms moving in. we have tornado watches in effect just north of memphis all

the way into southern ohio until 1:00 easternime. here is the line of thunderstorms making their way h ugrorts ofof tug midof mississippi river valley. a risk of severe weather. in fact, the national weather service upped it to a strong risk of severe storms from southern kentucky into northern dixie. the storms are moving from 60 to 70 miles per hour. north of this system we've got snow to talk about. it will be a big, wide swath of snow making its way across the country into the northeast and new england. icy conditions to the north of new york city, mostly rain in new york. but anywhere from six to 12 inches of snow from central minnesota into new england over the next 24 hours. well, we are actually starting to get a little m sunshisu in san francisco. good morning to you, i'm meteorologist christina loren. but the showers are relentless in the south bail.ns san jose still seeing moderate, even heavy rain at times and that will continue to be the

case, as we head through the next few hours. we will get a little bit of a break between about noon and 3 and then more light precipitation rolls onshore. we will get some light rain tomorrow morning, clearing by the second half of the day, friday, staying cool but getting that sun and then saturday and sunday, we warm up into the upper 60s. time for today's money 911. our team of experts help tackle your financial problems. jean chatzky is "today" financial editor and host of "cash call" which debuted last night. excellent job. david bach, author of "debt free for life." and sharon epperson, personal finance consultant from cnbc. we have karen on the line from wisconsin. good morning. what's your question? >> caller: good morning. my ex-husband opened credit cards without my knowledge. can i contact the credit card

companies and/or the credit bureau to have them removed from my credit report? >> what do you think? >> this should not happen in the first place. the thing that all people, but particularly all women who are not keeping an eye on the finances need to do is check your credit report at least a couple times a year. then you will know what credit exists in your name. so as for you, by all means go to the credit card company. they will very, very likely start a dispute process. they will go through an investigation, hopefully get it removed. you may want to make sure the card is closed so nothing else could be attached to your name. and they may likely ask for copies of your divorce decree. get everything in writing. please, check your credit car reports. annual credit report.com is free. >> joanne checking in via skype from florida. good morning. >> caller: good morning. my husband lost his job four months ago.

we are currently living on my income which unfortunately doesn't cover our monthly expenses. we have just about exhausted our savings and i don't want to pull money b out of the 401(k)s. we have about $30,000 in unsecured credit card debt, minimum monthly payments are about $1,000. we have a second mortgage for a boat which is not attached to our primary home mortgage. if i have to default on some of the debt am i better off defaulting on credit card debt which is unsecured or the boat mortgage which is secure? >> she has to prioritize. >> caller: how will this affect my score? >> sorry about your husband losing his job. first of all, credit card debt is unsecured. if you are talking to a bankruptcy attorney they would tell you that's the debt you should default on. what i will tell you is i don't want you to be in a default position now. i want you to take advantage of what's called a forebearance plan. call the credit card company, tell them your situation.

there are millions of people like you. apply for the debt management plan. what that will do is they will give you relief. they may reduce the interest rate to as much as 0% financing for a temporary period of time. they will freeze the credit card so you can't use them but by reducing the interest rate to zero they will also waive annual fees and late fees. it may take the $1,000 minimum payment down to $5 00. you have to go to a nonprofit consumer credit counseling organization. they can refer you to somebody. you should meet with the counselor this week. even if you call the credit card company they will more than likely refer you to the nonprofit counselor to get into a debt management plan. that's what you should do this week. >> do you really need the boat? sell the boat. >> that's a no-brainer.

>> get rid of the boat. >> thank you so much. to skype again for helene from new york. what's your question? >> caller: i opened a 0% credit card for purchases and transfers. afterward i was told they would charge me a 3% fee with no cap. i'm not sure if it's worth it to transfer a balance at this point. i want to transfer around $7,000. i have about an 8.25% rate on the other card. >> you're right to take a step back here and think it over. a lot of people go through the same thing. the deals seem great and when you crunch the numbers and read the fine print it's not as terrific as it seems. 8.25% is a great rate for a credit card right now. a low rate card is about 11%. you're doing well. you have to figure out what the break even point is for the balance transfer to see that 3% that will cost you over $200 or the 8% interest you will pay monthly. basically you need to have that

0% rate for at least four months. as long as you get it for at least four months you're okay. but the other thing to consider is are you going to make timely payments? are you going to pay on time every time? the one time you miss is the time the 0% goes up to 11% or higher. then the benefit is gone. you have to think about whether or not it makes sense for you at this time. >> thank you so much. good luck. now one last question from jessica in north carolina. she writes, i paid off a $10,000 line of credit. but didn't close the account. my husband and i are trying to pay off debt and get a house. if i close the account will it look batd on my credit report? should i leave it open and not use it? >> it depends on how they are reporting to the credit bureau. it could be reported as installment or revolving line of credit. if it is revolving, don't close it. if it's reported as installment,

close it without hurting you. but you need to pull the credit report in order to find out. >> check that report. thank you so much. jean chatzky, david bach and sharon epperson. still ahead, how to connect with your emotional opposite. we have advice to make it work over the long haul. later on, can lindsay lohan make a comeback? the star opens up about troubles with addiction and the law. first, these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] what if we could keep enough plastic waste to cover all of manhattan out of landfills each year? the equivalent of 140 million trash bags, gone. by using new glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. ♪ it's a small change that can make a big difference. ♪ hands that feel soft and silky smooth!

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this morning on today's relationships, when emotional opposites attract. relationships, of course, have ups and downs, but frustration can set in when you're not connecting emotionally. here to help us work through it is psychotherapist dr. ludwig and jeff guardier. good morning. >> good morning. >> we know opposites attract. that could be in terms of temperament, but we are talking emotional opposites. >> in terms of how you love. it might be an extrovert with an introvert, somebody who's cold finding somebody who's warm, very appealing. it's more in terms of your personality type and what you're drawn to. >> this could be the thing that attracts someone. the fact that they are different might be appealing. >> that's right. positive and negative, put it together. it really is a situation of where they are seeking that person that's different from themselves, something they may

want a little bit more of that they are not able to do. >> some people think, all right, you have differences. it might be appealing at first but ultimately the relationship is doomed to fail. do you agree? >> not necessarily doomed to fail. but say you are attracted to somebody who gave you love that feels familiar but doesn't feel like enough. ultimately we want to feel loved in the right way. if somebody has a different loving style that doesn't get us to feel love, that will create problems that could end the relationship. >> you have to speak each other's language. >> i don't think it is doomed to failure if you are able to compromise and communicate what it is you really want from that person and how you can change. relationships are about change. >> there are three attachment styles. first is a secure person. the second is anxious person. the third is avoidant person. the secure person is -- >> this is most common. this person feels secure with

intimacy. this is most people. >> yeah. >> affectionate, hand holding. >> feels comfortable being hugged, feeling love. doesn't push it away. >> the anxious person is what? >> that's a person who maybe loves too much as far as being demonstrative. they're insecure in themselves. they keep hugging and holding and doing all the things that guys sometimes run away from. >> doubting whether the other person loves them back? >> there is fear. they feel the other person doesn't love them enough. >> and the third type is the avoidant person. that sounds pejorative, but is there something wrong with a person who doesn't love affection? >> well, everybody is born with a certain kind of temperament. this is a person who feels suffocated by somebody who is too over demonstrative and they feel that they lose their independence. >> if they love in that way. but they do love and being -- i

don't like the term -- i don't like that word! >> you have to understand everybody is a little bit mixeded. >> of course. of course still love but it's like, okay, that's enough. get off of me a little bit. i love you, it's okay. >> say you have hooked up with an emotional opposite. what are tips you have? the first one is to figure out how to ask for what you want and need. >> right. if you're with somebody who doesn't love you in the right way physically. then you can say, listen, i would like a hug maybe in private. it doesn't need to be in public. but be as specific as you can. >> you say to realize all connections are imperfect. >> right. they are imperfect. we love the way we do. don't force that person to be someone they are not. you can draw a little bit from them. but be willing to give back. that's what we talk about with compromise. >> just to add to that, maybe when you know your partner, know they are showing you love the way they show love. maybe they work really hard to

support you. or do taxes for you. whatever the case may be. >> that's love. >> sounds like somebody you know. >> remember, you chose this person. >> you chose this person. >> live with it and make the best of it. >> good to talk with you. >> thank you. >> coming up, brighten up your look with bold makeup colors for spring. eat good fats. avoid bad. don't go over 2000... 1500... 1200 calories a day. carbs are bad. carbs are good. the story keeps changing. so i'm not listening... to anyone but myself. (laughs) i know better nutrition when i see it: great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. mmmm. great grains. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. you can't argue with me.

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coming up, easy pot roast and buttermilk biscuits. >> now we're talking. and what lindsay lohan is saying about sobriety and her career. after your local news and weather. cheeseburger macaroni? [ female announcer ] cheeserburger macaroni hamburger helper. now even cheesier and tastier. helpers. forty dishes, all delicious. but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup

with one towelette. can your makeup remover do that? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover. it is 9:26 now, good morning. i'm marla tellez. investigators trying to figure out what caused a fire that destroyed a duplex in san jose's willow glenn neighborhood. two people who live in the duplex say they woke up to what sounded like a camp fire and they ran outside. two other people also escaped without injury. by the time firefighters arrived on scene, could you see flames were shooting through the roof. they say wind threatened to spread the fire to other homes. neighbor also to evacuate. >> i actually was asleep in the bedroom right next door and my sister was pounding on the door to let us note fire was next

door. so, thank god, because i was sleeping really good. >> the fire is out now, no word on the cause. the snow pack in the sierra hasn't been great this season but the state's water watchers respect worried. the latest survey shows snow pack levels are just 30% of normal for this time of year, the lowest it has been since 1991. still, the state says there is enough water left over from last season to get us through the summer without any water restrictions. we will check that forecast and the roads after the break.

welcome back. well, we are getting break from the rain areas north of the golden gate bridge, still, a lot of spotty activity, moderate rain bands in san jose, milpitas, for example, that will be the case we head through the next few hours it will be very light and spotty, we are going to get another round of rain as we head through tonight and then we will start to clear out as we head through the second half of your thursday. saturday and sunday, we warm you back up, but it has been raining for a while and aftermath is a

problem. check that with mike. >> a tough commute, both south bay still jammed up. look at the northbound around -- northbound red and yellow, nothing really more than 30 miles per hour through much of your main commute spots, 101 past the airport, 87 to downtown, 85 the entire stretch from 101 up to 280. look at a car fire as well, southbound 880 around 237 t is jammed south bound out of basically hayward down through fremont as a result of that plus the morning commute. 680 a little snowing through sin noel, hazy and misty conditions and past the oakland coliseum that jam that is just starting to loosen up northbound around high street. marla, back to you. >> we will be back at 9:56. some money on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! ♪ and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! [laughing] man: yeah.

that will certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. if you were dazzled by the stunning fashions on the oscar red carpet but think the designer duds are out of reach, well, now you can get gowns inspired by the designs that fit your body and, better yet, your budget. we'll show you the extraordinary oscar fashions at ordinary prices tomorrow on "today." amazing how they quickly put it out there. >> including the dress that actually has angelina's leg with it. >> you have to stick that leg right out there. coming up, the comeback kid perhaps. lindsay lohan is preparing for a stint as host of "saturday night

live" this week. she sat down for an interview with matt. are her problems behind her? >> also ahead, you may have seen the bright colors on the store racks, but bold and bright is the new spring trend also in makeup. we'll show you how to get a fresh face with the right colors for spring. >> and we'll spring into today's kitchen with a satisfying supper perfect for sunday gatherings. we'll make an easy pepper pot roast. >> say it three times fast. >> pepper pot roast, pepper pot roast, pepper pot roast. >> very good. >> with buttermilk biscuits. >> first a check of the weather. >> we have been seeing really severe weather today. more of a risk to the midatlantic states and the ohio river valley. rain in the pacific northwest. snow in new england with icy conditions along the new york and pennsylvania border. tomorrow, snow continues throughout new england. rain through the southeastern atlantic states. showers in the pacific northwest with interior mountain snows. sunny and warm from florida, the

gulf coast to texas. nice and mild in the mid plains. head out four your travel travels it will be slick the next few hours, highway 17 could get snow or sun or maybe a mix of snow and rain as a cold blast moves in, got some really cold air headed our way, going to keep you nice and cool for your thursday, with he will get a break from the rain overall late thursday into friday. that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. up next, is lindsay lohan clean and sober? matt asks her in an exclusive interview right after this. ♪ my heart skips a beat ♪ my heart skips a beat ♪ my heart is playing tricks on me ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing new special k granola bars. ♪ i can't break through with 4 grams of protein.

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mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback right now, get 5% cashback at gas stations. it pays to discover. [ kareem ] i was fascinatedba y woblsa od airplanes since i was a kid. [ mike ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet. these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques. [ mike ] it's gonna fly people around the world. safely and better than it's ever done before. it would be a real treat to hear this monster fire up. [ jaronda ] i think a lot of people, when they look at a jet engine, they see a big hunk of metal. but when i look at it, i see seth, mark, tom, and people like that who work on engines every day. [ tom ] i would love to see this thing fly. [ kareem ] it's a dream, honestly. there it is. oh, wow.

that's so cool! yeah, that was awesome! [ cheering ] [ tom ] i wanna see that again. ♪ for the first time in quite a long time lindsay lohan is in the news, not because of courtroom appearances or stints in rehab, but because of her career. lindsay is hosting "saturday night live" this weekend.

on tuesday she stopped by for an exclusive chat with matt and began by asking the question on everyone's mind. >> simplest blunt question. are you clean and sober? >> yes. i'm good. i'm clean and sober. >> how long has that been? >> it's been a while. it's been -- a long time. it's nice to feel that i have -- i also have a lot of great people in my life that are in the same position. i can turn to them. i have great people i can talk to at any time and that's helped me figure myself out. >> can you go to parties, to clubs without suffering the temptation to get you into trouble? >> i don't -- i mean, i probably could, but that's not my thing anymore. i went out actually a few months ago with a friend and i was so uncomfortable. not because i felt tempted. just because it was just the same thing that it always was before. it just wasn't fun for me. i have become more of a home body and i like it.

>> i also thought about you not long ago when whitney houston passed away. someone with so much talent, such raw talent who went through such a tough time and the end came way too soon. when you heard the news of her death, did any of it register on a personal level with you? >> i don't -- not -- not really. i wouldn't like to -- i don't want to go there. that's kind of a scary, morbid thing to discuss. but maybe to some extent when i was really -- when i was -- you know, when i went to jail and being in that place, that was really terrifying for me. >> but abuse also. in terms of substance abuse. it can rob talent. >> yeah. no. i completely agree. you can completely fall into that world. that's a scary thing. i have experienced things like that. i have friends that have experienced things like that.

it's a really sad factor that can come into play in people's lives sometimes, if you don't recognize it. a lot of people don't like to. i think i did that for a long time. i think i was scared and didn't want to admit to myself let alone anyone else. >> you'll see matt's interview with lindsay lohan tomorrow on "today." catch her on "saturday night live" this saturday at 11:30 eastern on nbc. coming up next, the colors of spring. beauty tricks to brighten up your face, right after this. ño eggland's best eggs.

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>> announcer: this portion of "today" brought to you by tide pods, pop in and out. >> this morning on today's style, spring makeup with bright pastels and neon dominating the clothing trends how do you get that fresh faced look? mally is here with dos and don'ts to looking your best. good morning. >> good morning. >> i noticed when you go shopping you see the same colors in clothes you are now seeing in makeup. what determines the trend when it comes to makeup? >> well, pantone comes up with amazing colors that will be huge, pallets. and the makeup trends follow that as well. you can get good coordination between your makeup and clothing. >> is the idea to be

matchy-matchy? like if your top is coral, match the lips as well? >> it depends on the situation. we did these for these so you could see how your makeup can coordinate. >> and accentuate. >> i secretly love it. >> we do, too. the color of the year is the tangerine tango, a bright pop of orange. it brightens the face. >> that's right. >> you found ways to do it for the face. >> absolutely. again, we always start with beautiful fresh healthy-looking skin. look how gorgeous she is. >> great skin. >> isn't it crazy? we were all like, is it real? great smoky eye, a little bit gray. it looks really gray with the color. >> you toned down the eye a little bit. >> you got it. >> for the pop of color to really show on the lips. >> exactly. we went for a great lip gloss. this is my be a peach lip gloss that adds a pop, a gorgeous

shine. that become it is star. you always want just one thing to take over and be the star. in this case it's the gorgeous lip. >> the cheeks are very healthy-looking, peach-colored as well. >> exactly. >> you did match the blush, too? >> it looks great. you will see it later on as well. having a nice coordination between the cheek and the lip ties it together and makes you look polished. >> you can get more of the neutral pallet. now over to our next model to talk about the other hot trend is the sodalite blue. you have used it on the eyes. >> yes, ma'am. this is really great. it looks amazing with her skin tone. looks great on a lot of people. instead of the normal black eye liner we all default to, we added that -- close for me, love -- we added it on top of the lash line.

the other benefit to blue eye liner is unfortunately as we age the whites of the eyes tend to yellow. when you add that beautiful pop of blue right up against the white, not only are you completely on trend but you're actually -- >> making eyes. >> like you got sleep which nobody ever does. >> now you made the rest neutral. >> exactly: a nude, soft lip. beautiful, glossy healthy lip is always chic. a soft cheek and a little bit of a brown, smoky eye. you are defining the eye but the star is the beautiful blue liner. >> any skin tone this looks great on. >> it's good. it's kind of kim kardashian, sexy. >> gorgeous. thank you. moving over to another hot trend is the neon pink but softer. it's called cabaret. >> yes. >> we see it on our lovely

model. >> look at that. the three of us, it's color time. >> we are pan tone right here. >> this is a fantastic look. you know, we were talking about adding the bright pop of pink on the lip. we know we think of using reds or those things. but pink is fantastic. makes your teeth look bright and awake, gorgeous. adding a little bit of the beautiful pink cheek to go with the lip. again, the secret is eyes are very soft. >> neutral. >> brows are very important. you have good brows, by the way. >> thank you, my dear. wow. >> but brows are important, especially when doing a lip like this. you have the great balance. the trick is soft eyes. >> good mascara. >> absolutely. we like lots and lots of lashes. >> looking fabulous. what i love about the trend is for a while we were so neutral. now we are about embracing makeup. >> exactly. >> and color. >> exactly.

it used to bemeveryone was like oh, color is aging. they do the opposite. they bring youth, vitality, brightness. >> go for it. >> yes! go for it. >> coming to the last lady, this is an interesting color, a pastelish blue-green called margarita. people get nervous with blue eye shadow thinking it will age you. >> the secret is this. number one, just make it a nice soft wash. it doesn't have to be a solid bar of color. >> you don't want it all across the eyelid. >> right. you stop at the crease. don't take it to the brow like we did in the '70s. look how pretty. it adds the really great pop of color. the key is to always line a little eye liner. make sure that you bury some eye liner deep within the lashes. it doesn't have to be a thick line. just enough so the eyes don't disappear. a beautiful soft pink cheek.

again, a nice nude lip. you can't go wrong. >> ladies, thank you. you look great. i love the colors up here. >> spring! >> i'm embracing spring already. thank you. up next, cooking for the whole family doesn't have to be an ordeal. we have simple recipes for a delicious sunday supper or saturday supper. first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ >> this morning in today's kitchen, easy as 1-2-3. simple sunday supper. most families go in different directions all week. nice to get everybody around the table for a hearty meal. wes johnson, chef and owner of salt restaurant in st. louis is here. good to see you. >> good to see you, al. >> nothing says sunday dinner like a nice pot roast. >> definitely not. this is one of my favorite dishes and something i grew up with. one of those things that reminds you of childhood. it's a comfort food.

>> and simple. >> perfect for sunday. we started with a chuck roast. we're going to season it liberally with salt and black pepper. >> both sides? >> all ways. >> it's an economical cut of meat. >> definitely. >> you have a pan nice and hot there. oh, you're good at this. >> you have the pepper already ground. nice. >> we want it nice and spicy. >> for a nice crust on it. >> uh-huh. we go with a hot oil in a pan here and we'll sear and brown both sides. >> how much? >> four, five minutes per side. get a nice brown crust. you're trying to develop the flavor. >> right. >> the nice dark color, that will translate into a lot more flavor in the end product. >> once it's brown you put it in the roasting pan and move on? >> uh-huh. what we have done here is we have diced carrots and onions. we saute them lightly.

you don't have to cook them much. >> you want a nice bright color. >> and you bring out the aromatics of it. add the bay leaf and thyme. you can leave them whole because they won't wind up on the plate. then garlic. deglaze with worcestershire and red wine to give it depth. >> right. >> all we have to do is just add them to the pot over the pot roast. >> right. >> this is now going in the oven? >> uh-huh. we cover it with foil and cook it for three and a half, four hours. >> okay. >> depending on how good your oven is and how big your roast is. >> now we'll make buttermilk biscuits. >> uh-huh. definitely. nothing more southern and more home style than buttermilk biscuits. we have baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in here. we fold in the butter. >> what did you do to it? >> we shredded it with a cheese

grater and then froze it so it will incorporate easier. so you get little bits in there already. >> what a great idea. >> we mix it in and we'll add -- do you want to try it? that's even better. add the egg first. go ahead and fold in the buttermilk. i'm going to get messy here. >> better you than me. that's why you're the chef. once you get it together, you will roll it out? >> uh-huh. >> how thick do you want the dough to be? >> i do an inch, inch and a half. thank you for flipping that. then we'll roll this out real quick. >> it takes you that long to clean your hands off. let's see what we have as far as our almost finished product.

that's why he's the chef. >> so we have a finished pot roast here. if you will take one of the biscuits and break it in half. there you go. perfect timing. >> lenny and squiggy are here. >> slice it up? look how easy. >> you get a couple of slices. couple of these on there. >> yum. >> then we hit it with a little bit of the glaze which is the carrots, onions and everything reduced. >> it's gold, jerry! gold! chef johnson, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> coming up, hoda and kathie lee check out beauty products that will change your life, they say. >> after your local news.

good morning it is 9:56. i'm marla tellez. court this morning for a

sheriff's trial. the judge will hear pretrial motions filed by the officer's wife. they are asking the case be dismissed and if that fails they can want statements eliana lopez made to a neighbor thrown out. potential jurors are expected to begin filling out questionnaires this afternoon. merck reammy is facing misdemeanor domestic abuse charges for bruising his wife's arm during a new year's eve argument. fire investigators still trying to figure out what caused a four-alarm fire at a mountain view apartment complex. investigators think they know which unit the fire began in but they cannot confirm what caused the fire that destroyed 26 units on monday. families were allowed to return briefly yesterday just to retrieve some personal belongings, repairs cannot begin until the investigation is complete. let's check that wet forecast now with meteorologist christie miller wren. good morning. >> good morning, marla. a little bit of a break over the greater bay area, industrial some heavy downpours on the

western-facing foothills of the south bay. as we head throughout the next couple of hours, we will continue to clear out, more rain on the way later on this evening. we will get some light rain, most of the heavy rainfall has come through, but the cold blast of air that we are concerned about, dropping snow levels later tonight potentially to 1500, maybe 2,000 feet. very, very low for this time of the season. after all, we are now at the end of winter. warming you back up by saturday into sunday, 69 degrees on sunday, 70 come monday. let's check with your drive with mike. >> christina, not quite at the end of the commute, good slowing northbound 880. i said good slowing like it is good it is not. we have a fire 237 at 880. south bound side tops to recover to the 20s and below through fremont, hayward and union statement live look at the san mateo bridge shows you the drive is moving nicely, although a wind advisory earlier, it is clearing bit, at least for now. marla, back to you. >> for the latest traffic and news updates, check out

nbcbayarea.com on facebook. we will be back at 10:26.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hoda. >> yes. >> we are halfway through this week. >> yes, we are. >> wines day wednesday. it's something that happens only once every four years. today is leap day. makes you just want to leap, doesn't it? february 29th. >> we're going to go into what that means and why we get an extra day every four years, something to do with the orbiting around the sun. >> yes. we'll do that later because we're going to do "who knew?"

>> i guess we could do it right now. >> that would be a good idea. right now. >> it takes the earth to orbit the sun 365 days plus five hours and 46 minutes. so you add up the -- >> four years. >> you have an extra day. so if you're born on this date, and 200,000 leap year babies are and 5 million people worldwide, it's a little confusing. when do you celebrate? the 28th? on the 1st of march? >> most people do on the 28th. >> they do? >> i would think so. i was thrown into a tizzy today because i do my devotion every morning. >> devotion. >> and most of my devotion books don't have a february 29th. >> oh. you went ahead to march 1st? >> i sinned instead. >> you did. here are some kids who are celebrating a leap year birthday. abby rose, 4 years old, from reno, nevada. >> precious. >> wesley is 4, too. emily is 8 years old from maine. >> stop it, emily.

>> aimie evans is a baby. >> this one's trouble. >> celebrating her seventh official birthday because she's 28. >> we're going to find out who was the genius who came up with that concept. >> wow. okay. >> i bet you don't know. >> i don't. >> you might be related. that's all i'm saying. >> what? what are you talking about? >> uh-huh. you'll see when we do "who knew?" >> so yesterday matt had a big interview with lindsay lohan, who came to the studios, arrived on time, ready to go. >> actually early and ready to go. >> the full interview doesn't air until tomorrow, but matt had a sneak peek of his discussion with lindsay lohan. should we check it out? >> simplest, blunt question. you clean and sober? >> yes. i'm clean and sober. >> how long has that been? >> it's been a while. it's been -- it's been a long time. but i -- and i -- it's nice to feel that i have -- i also have a lot of great people in my life

that are in the same position so i can always turn to them. and i've had great people that i can talk to at any time and that have helped me kind of figure myself out. >> can you go to the night life, to parties, to clubs without suffering the temptation that's going to get you into trouble? >> i don't -- i mean, i thought i could, but i don't -- that's not my thing anymore. i wept out actually a few months ago with a friend, and i was so uncomfortable, not because i felt tempted, just because it was just the same thing that it always was before. and it just wasn't fun for me. i've become more of a homebody and i like that. >> hmm. >> okay. >> we're all pulling for her big time. she's got a very big weekend coming up hosting "saturday night live". she's such a talented girl. i hope this is a renewal of her life and her career. something that troubles me is her answer to how long have you been sober. most people i know who are going through this program, struggling

with, this tell you to the hour, the day, at least, and definitely the year when you're a longtime -- you're never -- you're always either -- you're always -- >> always an alcoholic. >> but, yeah. >> they would know from the day she stopped. she said it's been a really long time. yeah. >> that troubled -- that concerned me. >> sure. it will be interesting to, one, see the rest of the interview, and also to see how things play out for her. you're right, a big week, snl, a couple other projects going and, you know -- >> playing elizabeth taylor in a movie. i'm just very, very proud of matt. always am, anyway, but the fact heblgd keep his eyes on her eyes with that skrout fit is pretty amazin amazing. that is a trained professional, i'm telling you, because that was hardly morning fare. >> you know, there was a lot happening there. there is a young man in london, you guys -- >> a lot happening. >> a 35-year-old named andrew. he's looking for love. he decided to take this leap day to put out a video. >> yes.

>> because he really wants to meet a girl and he's having trouble. >> he says he's very bad at walking up and saying -- >> hey, baby. >> i find that attractive when you cannot talk like that and you're a little shy. he doesn't feel he has much luck with the ladies. >> take a look. >> the reason i'm doing this is i'm just not very good at going up and talking to the ladies. let me tell you a little bit about myself. i live in london and i work in the creative industry. really passionate about music. >> oh, gosh. ♪ >> i'm really into fashion. i'm a massive romantic, but i just haven't had the opportunity. i got an idea it will happen on this special day, the 29th of february. i will standing outside the station from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. please come over, say hi. say anything. >> okay. >> he seems like a sweet guy.

>> he is standing out there i guess right now as we speak from 8:00 a.m. in britain to 8:00 p.m. we'll see -- >> the worst thing is if nobody comes to see him. somebody might go over just as a mercy hello. you know? >> he's kind of cute. >> got that going on. >> we wish him the best. angelina's leg, we showed -- >> still trending. >> her leg is not huge but the impact of it. >> there were a whole bunch of ways this leg was making its way around the globe. i gesuess it got -- where is it? >> lightning in the sky, angelina's leg. hard to do that one. >> okay. anyway, nikki king took that picture. thank you. >> from our monitor we couldn't see. we have a guest on today that's bound to cause a little stir. >> yeah, some controversy. the french are known for a lot of things, great wines, terrific foods, things like that. there's a mom from the u.s. that moved to france who says french moms seem to be better at

parenting than moms in the u.s. because they have a different technique. >> yes. >> than we do here. >> they completely approach it very, very differently. and it's going to be fascinating. but she basically thinks they're superior to us in the way they do. you know, we allow our children basally to run the home. >> yeah. >> and she says in france it's the opposite way. the children's toys are not all over the house. they're in one designated area. mother doesn't get off the phone because the child does not come over and say mama, mama. they just -- they seem to be able to compartmentalize. >> she talked about how, this is interesting, when your child is crying in bed and, you know, just kind of getting out of the sleep, they have something called the pause where they let the child be instead of running in immediately to try to scoop the child up. >> right, right. >> sometimes you wake the baby up because you're trying to comfort the child when you should maybe let them ride it out a little. >> there are different sounds they make. you know the sound your child is making when they're in danger or hurting or something like that.

>> right. >> the other ones, i want attention. >> yes. >> when you keep giving in to the i want attention, you're confirming that behavior is okay. and then next thing you know you're in -- the one time cody threw one that i can remember, i was -- one of the very times i was alone with him, in bloomingdale's in middle of an aisle. of course everybody knew me testimony and knew -- yes. you know what? i scooped him up and we got the heck out of there. you're not going to act like this. that was the only time i remember. kathie lee, of course, who's perfect. >> they say that kids here learn please and thank you, which are important words, but there they learn please, thank you, hello and good-bye. >> yes. >> because sometimes the kids think their world is the only world and when someone approaches they don't normally say hello. we'll talk to her. >> it will be interesting. are the french superior? >> oh. >> what a horror. >> should yoga be an olympic sport? >> which sounds funny when you ask it. but organizers of an upcoming

national yoga competition, they're going to lobby the olympic committee on that. when you think about it, some of the poses and how long they hold it, it's very difficult to do. >> i get so bored in yoga. i've tried to love it. everyone tells me it's the greatest thing in the world, your body will be limber. every time i'm in a class, i want out. >> you're an action kind of woman. >> and watching it on tv, i would shoot myself. nothing wrong with curling. >> come on. got to be better than curling. >> this woman i interviewed a long time ago, or maybe i didn't, i don't remember, anyway, she's 87 years old and she does yoga. i don't think i interviewed her. i think i just voiced it. but anyway, scheck do all kinds of crazy poses, in great physical shape. look at her. yeah. is that amazing? >> well, and the fact that she's 87 and still doing it, she's probably 90 or something now and probably still doing it. the first time i heard about yoga in a modern way was years ago when i interviewed --

>> wait. look at this. airborne. airborne. go up. stay up. is that astonishing? >> yeah. raquel welch was the first time she did it religiously every day. to this day she has one of the greatest bodies of any human big. >> yeah. look at sting. and what about trudie? she made the move on frank a long time ago. >> yes. here's the thing. >> what? >> a lot of rus very spoiled, we get in our cars and toast our buns, few oif you know what i m. apparently prolonged expore sure to high temperatures is not good for you. >> dermatologists are seeing it in the lower back and rear end from people using their seat warmers up to high. you have to be careful. >> sort of like the laptop with men from another area. >> yeah. >> i don't know why this was an issue. but you know who you are. >> i can't stand being that hot. >> i can. i like it really hot.

yeah, i do. come on. the hotter the better for me. let's talk about -- yeah? let's talk about the social cue thing real quick. phil galanos writes a column in "the new york times." a woman has been married to her husband for a couple years. she found old pictures of her ex-'s cheating wife. so she wanted to get rid of those boxes. she wanted to know if it was okay to suggest gently clearing out the old baggage. how do you think about that kind of stuff? >> i -- i don't know. i just -- i think people's stuff is -- it's their stuff. what was she upstairs rummaging around for anyway? i can't personally imagine keeping anything that belonged to another time in your life. but people have their reasons. a person's space and privacy should be that. what do you think? >> i agree. i have old pictures of people from my life, and i would be offended if someone took them and tossed them or asked me to. that would be weird.

>> you're not joanne lamamarca. >> issue. >> huge shoutout to one of our favorite producers, sara, on the 26th of february she gave birth to her first bay di, henry johnson. he was four days late. >> oh, my gosh. and it feels like she had been pregnant forever. >> forever! >> eight pounds, two ounces, walt and sara and the little baby are going great. >> congratulations, sweetie. sara needs to tell us about something. >> we're having a change. our ambush makeovers, which i know everyone looks forward to, is changing to thursdays starting this thursday, march 1st, so people need to come out for their chance to be made over by jill martin and louis licari. >> thank you, hon. >> coming up, the wisdom of french parenting. do they do it better? one day my moves will be legend.

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kids in paris, where her children are reportedly better eaters, sleepers, and much more well behaved than yours. >> so on top of that, french mommys are more relaxed. she shares the secrets in "bringing up bebe." hello. >> hello. >> it sounds crazy, i know. >> you have your wine. >> i always have wine in the morning. >> who would have thought a book on parenting would have cause sod much of a ruckus? >> since the tiger mother. >> it did whip it up. >> is it because it's an us and them kind of thing? >> no. i think there's a lot of discontent among american parents now, parenting in a way we were not raised ourselves. it's so intensive. first of all, we question our own quality of life. what is it doing to us as parents we have to be so

involved all the time? and we have to wonder is it good for our kids. i think there's a natural conversation about where we're going as a culture. >> you noticed it living in france and thought why are these women so relaxed and so naturally sexy, yet sexy women but moms and not running after their children and hovering. is it a french way of life? >> first of all, you have to let children how to play by themselves. >> by themselves. >> you should stimulate them, read to them, talk to them but not all the time. really important. >> we're overstimulating our children. >> i was at a playground in paris, and doing a little picnic. and i was a mom who brought a bag of toys and books and stuff -- and another brought one ball to the park. and her daughter looks around and it's a very important life skill to be able to wait. french kids don't snack, another thing. i was the mom in the park with the baggie of pretzels and --

>> and then they don't want to eat lunch an hour or two later. >> exactly. >> how does that work with snacking and french parenting? how do they work it? >> there's one snack a day in the afternoon. often it's chocolate. >> okay. >> a little bit of chocolate. that whole idea that you don't diet. you just give yourself a little bit of what you need. >> and eat all kinds of foods. escargot, greens. >> they let the child taste everything. >> that's what the mothers say. you don't have to eat everything, honey. you just have to taste it. a lot of things in french parenting i've heard american moms say. i've read so many parenting books. the french hone in on tasting. they would propose the same food, you know, 20, 30, 40 times. >> they'll find something perhaps wonderful in life. >> they can't believe when i tell them american kids only eat pasta or -- >> chicken mcnuggets. >> what about a child sleeping through the night?

that's a big one. they hear a cry and they get worried, they want to comfort their child. >> the french worry about comforting their children, too, but what they think is a child, even a little baby, is a person. an actual person. you can teach him things. you must teach him how to sleep at night from an early age. >> like 2 or 3 months they're saying. >> yeah. you wait -- you hear the baby crying and you just wait a little bit. not crying it out, not something extreme. >> not in danger. >> yeah. just teaching the baby how to keck his sleep cycles on his own. >> comfort themselves. >> comfort themselves, yeah. >> and they don't take over the whole house and everybody else's life. they have a place for their things. >> yeah. >> ice common sense. >> a great book. >> a lot of great stuff in this book and on the website, klgandhoda.com. don't be so sensitive. if you have problems with it, call her. all right. next up, it's all about crazy photos that you sent us. ♪

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♪ signs, signs >> back with one of our segments we call "what the what?" >> she's at it again, our sara, endless fun. >> you don't know how fun. >> all the photos you sent in. she's here with this week's favorite. >> love it. >> we have some good ones. our first photo is from peter. misspelled but it's also a gynecology restaurant. it doesn't exactly -- >> what do they serve? >> exactly. it's in a hospital in maryland but we're not going to name it because it was unfortunate and that person may not be working there anymore. >> wow. oh, my god. >> terrible. >> yum. our next photo was sent in by amy cook from salem, alabama. can't say they didn't warn you. but go ahead.

just drive on through. >> at 35 miles per hour. >> i love the weight limit, 13 tons. honey, you better get out and walk around it. >> ashley hughes from denver, colorado, submitted this photo. this should be one time you shouldn't be happy you got a free meal. a barbecue restaurant in denver. i'd cash in on one of those economically minded people. >> better than gin co-logically minded. >> and a restaurant. forget we're eating there. next up a photo from mira from brooklyn, new york. this is a good use for parking. when do you park when you're driving through, people? >> i don't know, but -- >> the funniest thing ever. >> ever! >> i can't contain myself. >> from san antonio, texas, this photo. >> in queso emergency -- >> that's cheese.

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pipelines. the utilities filed more paperwork this week making its case sure to anger consumer groups. pg&e says customers should pick up the tab because the improvements are part of new safety standards but consumer groups argue the company misspent money and should have paid more attention to safety all along. a hearing on who should pay for thepg ura urades will begin mar 12th. we will have a look at the forecast and the traffic after the break. de

welcome back. 10:28 now, finally seeing the sunshine over the city by the way. but it is not going to last for long. in fact, another weak disturbance on the way tonight, slated to bring more showers just in time for the evening rush. what you can count on is a cold glass of air that is going to settle in over the course of the next two hours, temperatures decreasing, talking about temperatures falling into the 40s, whereas normally, we warm you up as we head throughout date today. take you to your full forecast, talk about how much rain we received so far, how much more we are going to get and warmer for the weekend coming up. back to you, mike. >> i will tell folks about three action accidents, sounds like crossover. downtown san jose shot, 87 approaching 280. you see the misty condition there is, wet roadways, reports of a motorcycle accident, northbound 87 before you get to 280 that is on our maps as well, center of your screen. over to the upper and right, 680 capitol expressway, accident there, very similar, latest chp

reports northbound 87 at capitol expressway, watch all three areas in the south bay. >> south bay is a mess. thank you, mike. coming up on nbc bay area news at 11:00, a major snotorm srasi raerer. we will have a look at the latest conditions. we will see you in 30. and we're back on this wines day wednesday ready to play our weekly trivia game. you know the game. "who knew?" since it is the 29th of february and we won't be able to use this topic for another four years, we are taking advantage and testing your knowledge on all things leap year. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc experience store ready to hand out $100 for those who get the questions right. and to those who don't, you get kathie lee's cd free. to kwlaif is here, the chief historian for the history channel. let's go across to kath. >> lovely lady from buffalo, new york. how many days are in a leap year?

>> 366. [ bell ] >> yes. and she would be correct. >> 365. >> yep. well, you know, it takes the earth 365 days and six hours to go around the sun. >> okay. >> those six hours add up. after four years you've got 24 hours, a whole day. so every four days -- every four years we add one extra day. >> got it. back across to kath. >> this lovely lady is from clifton, new jersey, but her brother is here as well. you're 16 and 17. looking good. leap day is the only day that it is socially acceptable for a woman to do what? wear slacks, propose marriage to a man, wear makeup or ride a horse through the city. >> propose to a man. bell ] >> you are one wise woman. >> of course she's right.

an old tradition, irish tradition called the ladies privilege that a woman could propose to a man and he better accept. and it takes place -- you know, only once every four years because things were pretty strict about how women were supposed to operate in the relationship. the old cartoonist resurrected this concept in his cartoon lil abner. and it was sadie hawkins day. >> i remember the dances in junior high. back across to kath. >> this lady is 15 years old from texas. a leap baby, too. which event normally. happens every leap year usually during july with over 200 countries participating? the summer olympics, the world cup, the super bowl or the u.s. open. >> what was the second one? >> the world cup. >> no. it was first one. [ bell ] >> darn, she's smart. >> taking all your money. >> smart cookie there. the summer olympics happens every leap year. >> that's right. 150 days from yesterday will be

the opening ceremonies in lon dop. >> right. >> of the summer olympics. the end of july to the early part of august and it's going to be right here. >> in london. >> all right. back across. this guy is from new hampshire. he's got a tough one. what are the chances of being born on leap day? 1 in 100, 1 in 1,000, 1 in 1,500, or one in 2,000 chances. >> 1 in 2,000. [ buzzer ] >> almost. no, it's good because he's going to love this. >> okay. the correct answer is c, 1 in 1,500. >> that's right. you don't have a big chance of being born on leap year day. >> back across to kath. >> oh, hi! we're back. from new jersey, true or false, in greece it is considered lucky to get married during a leap year. >> true. [ buzzer ] >> oh! for some people it's good luck

to get married at all, if you know what i mean. >> why is that? >> it's an old superstition. and different countries have different attitudes towards leap year day, but in greece it's considered unlucky to get married in a leap year. >> thanks for joining us. we learned a lot. kath will come back across the street. from the hair you want to the hair you want removed, we have some life-changing beauty products. ♪ [ sighs ] hey! come on! what? i've been skimming mac and cheese for 75 years. 75? yeah. i'm only 45. i have another family. what?! what. ♪ [ male announcer ] celebrating seventy-five years of gooey creamy delicious kraft macaroni & cheese. you know you love it. we've done a good job caring for our mouths. that's why there's a rinse

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♪ beautiful girl >> time for today's beauty and marie claire's list of the products they claim can literally change your life from sunblock to home hair color. >> marie claire's beauty and health director has the top picks for the latest and greatest breakthroughs. nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> no matter how old you are, there's something that can change your life. >> there are a lot of things that can change your life. we tested thousands sh and this is a snapshot of some of our -- >> your favorites.

let's start with miss lauren, very brave, here in a bikini. >> but she looks great. >> she does. she's showing off. >> and she's wet. this is about applying a sunscreen onto a wet skin, wet skin. >> you come out of the pool, you can spray it right on. >> i'll help you. >> do you want some help? >> yeah. so what's happening? is it working? >> the polymers are breaking through the water and going right to the skin so you come out of the pool, you can actually just spray it on, rub it in a little bit and you're protected. >> does it smell good? >> really good. >> stop sniffing her. it's weird. >> thank you. >> thank you, kate's friend. >> all right. so burt's bees. >> mango body butter. all natural. >> can you eat it? >> you probably don't want to eat it, but you can see how nicely it rubs in, how wonderfully it smells.

shea and mango butter, only $13. >> that is great. okay. >> let's talk home hair color because we all at one point or another need it and it's so tough to do. >> you got yours done yesterday. looks a lot better. >> careful. >> you can get those results at home. what we love about fron john freida's -- >> you're coloring her hair right now? >> she can do it without a mirror, get salon results. takes 10, 15 minutes in the air. >> what are you talking about? with your hands? >> it's not going to drip. no tools. just swipes it on -- >> in your hairline -- >> just on the hairline, do it along your roots. >> how do you know if that's the right color? >> well, we matched her before. >> apparently she doesn't care. >> coloring her hair on live tv. >> look how good her color looks already. two shades darker or lighter. >> you are brave. >> you certainly are.

>> we thought bikini girl was, but look at you. >> thank you. what else is on the table? >> a dry shampoo, which is a wonderful hair reviver. you want some volume, don't feel like washing your hair, you spray it in and fluff it up and it smells great. >> let's move on to pretty lauren. what has she got going on? >> this is lauren. we have clinique's breakthrough bottom-lash mascara. >> bottom lash? >> it's not for smurfs, that tiny brush, but made for us girls. this is that tiny little brush to get into all the nooks and crannies. they have technology from japan that guarantees it won't smudge or flake, no raccoon eyes. look how easy that was. >> you love this stuff, kath. >> i do. >> this is the new radiance primer. so it has a little bit of finish to it which means you get the natural grow. >> it works on every sin tone. >> yes. >> and the facial hair remover. >> everybody wants that.

>> you know, the balm and then you put on the hair remover and you don't get that red just come from the waxing salon. >> we have to run. >> all this is going to be on our website. >> thanks, ladies. you're all beautiful. >> up next, more soup, please! sumer jenny is here. >> she'll fill your tureen. uhh! [ alyson ] just keep walking... ♪

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it's time for "today's kitchen" and we're making soup. each morning at 5:00 a.m., jenny opens the door to souper jenny's in atlanta's neighborhood. >> but today she's here to show you some of her most inspired soup and grilled cheese combos for the days you feel like curling up in a blanket and having lunch in front of the fire. >> how are you? >> good to see you. >> good to see you. the perfect weather in new york for grilled cheese and soup.

we're going to dig right in. >> okay. >> are you going to help me? >> of course. >> we'll start with a grilled cheese. i love the combination of sweet and savory. the first thing we'll do is on one side you'll put a little of the blue cheese. >> how does it melt? >> it just gets soft. leave it out of the refrigerator for about an hour so it's a little soft. but it will melt because we'll put it in the panini press. put your favorite groan on top and that sweet and savory, a little built of the jam. i deal that for you. >> thank you. >> what kind of jam? >> this is a homemade strawberry lavender jam. >> lavender? >> made in georgia, where i'm from. >> of course it is. >> but you can use your favorite jam so you have that sweet savory. >> do you butter both sides of the bread? >> yeah. >> we're done, right? >> yeah. let's take that off. and you butter each side. >> that looks good to me. >> what about mine? >> oh, i'm sorry, hodie. >> fine. >> just throw it in there any

old way. >> you'll see it's going to mell. >> it's fine. >> do you want to taste the finished product? >> that is very hot, souper jenny. >> i'm trying to kill her! >> oh, my god. >> enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. how is that? how is that? >> she needs a -- >> she needs something to drink. >> okay. >> an excuse. the perfect thing to go with the grilled cheese is a fabulous soup. this is a roasted tomato and vegetable soup. we started with onions and garlic and fresh rosemary and oregano. the secret is roasted tomatoes. i took some roma tomatoes and roasted them a few minutes. this is my secret ingredient, unsweetened pumpkin. it's a great thickener without using dairy or cream. then we have fabulous vegetables. a little more tomato to thicken it up. then we've got butternut squash,

parsnips, carrots, siozucchini. >> pretty much anything in season, right? >> absolutely. you can see beautiful color. >> come on back. >> we have to dump the broth. >> it's wine wednesday. >> thank you for noting. >> what is this? >> everything around here. >> fresh spinach. >> come on. let's eat! >> and then we've got the finished product. i'll let you guys taste it. we've taken the handle blender and pureed the vegetable soup. we've got that. we also made a fabulous wild mushroom and fava bean soup to go with our -- >> that is delicious. >> yummy. >> so good. >> very little oil. >> we have to run, souper jenny. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. >> i'm going off to the emergency room now because of my mouth. >> up next, a special performance from johnny gill.

jo you may remember new edition back in the 1980s with johnny gill and bobby brown. >> oh, yes. 30 years later the band is still taking their show on the road throughout the country. for the first time johnny gill has released a solo cd called "still winning." hey. >> you look sharp. you haven't aged since i first met you. >> thank you. >> how is it going with the group? >> it's been great. we've had a couple little things here and there, but it's been beyond wonderful. >> nothing could have prepared you for the loss of whitney. >> and that was untimely. you know, but we're moving forward and carrying on. and, you know, just keeping the family in our prayers. >> oh, yes. >> it's also nice hearing you solo, because, you know, you're always in kind of a group so it's nice to hear you --

>> it's been 15 years since i had my last solo. >> what are you singing for us? >> for all the ladies, called "it would be you." >> take it away, baby. ♪ pinch me if i'm dreaming as a matter of fact i take that ♪ ♪ let me lay there inside of your love listening to your heartbeat ♪ ♪ girl ain't no feeling better than feeling on your body ♪ ♪ girl don't you move a muscle

i just wanna touch ya if you ever took your love away, i can truly say ♪ ♪ i'd die right here today don't give me the world i just want my girl ♪ ♪ if i could have anything i'd put it on everything that it would be you ♪ ♪ you, you, you i just want you you, you ♪ ♪ if i could have anything i'd put it on everything all i want, baby ♪ ♪ it would be you, you, you, you the whole wide world you are my love ♪ ♪ and my love for you girl is all that i need if i had nothing more ♪

♪ than our love i'd be just fine with our love ♪ ♪ your shoes can't be filled they cannot wear your heel the truth is in you girl ♪ ♪ there's nothing else real than our love i'll be just fine ♪ ♪ with our love if you ever took your love away i can truly say i'd die right here today ♪ ♪ don't give me the world i just want my girl if i could have anything ♪ ♪ i'd put it on everything everything that it would be you, you, you, you ♪ ♪ it would be you i just want you, you, you ♪ ♪ if i could have anything anything

i'd put it on everything ♪ ♪ that it would be you, you, you, you it would be you ♪ ♪ if i could have anything anything i'd put it on everything everything ♪ ♪ that it would be you you, you, you i just want you, you, you ♪ ♪ sing it again if i could have anything anything ♪ ♪ i'd put it on everything that it would be you, you, you, you ♪ ♪ i just want you, you, you >> whooo! >> yonny gill! >> so fun. you were terrific. come back tomorrow, everybody. buy his album!

see life in the best light. outdoors, or in.

enses auy filter juste right amount o, this is an nbc news special report. here's harry smith. >> good afternoon, a powerful line of storms has carved a path of destruction across the nation's mid-section. at least seven people have been killed, six of them in the town of harrisburg, illinois. hundreds more have been hurt and numerous homes and businesses have been destroyed. we have reports of tornadoes in eight states, some with winds up to 130 miles an hour. the popular tourist city of branson, missouri, sustained significant damage and there is word from harveyville, kansas, nearly half the town has been damaged or destroyed. at this hour, the system is