earlier in the day in a so-called insider attack, the seven total deaths, the worst single day in a year in terms of american losses. this accident as you say is under investigation right now. the five deaths yesterday bring to 12, the total number of american deaths in afghanistan this year. savannah? >> all right, mike taibbi with the latest from kabul, thank you. here's matt. all eyes on the vatican this morning where the cardinals are now just hours away from taking their first vote in the process of selecting the next pope. nbc's lester holt is there watching over the smokestack for us. lester, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. the cardinals started their day at a mass inside the cathedral -- inside the basilica where there was a call for unity in the catholic church. this will be a day mostly of prayer, pomp and certainly ancient tradition. we expect it to end, though, with the first vote and the first puff of smoke as the cardinals get down to the

business of electing a new pope. >> reporter: for the voting cardinals, it was their last contact with the general public until after they elect a new pope. an open mass celebrated in latin that drew thousands into the basilica. later today, the 115 princes of the catholic church will offer more prayers in a private setting before filing into the sistine chapel. there will be no more than one vote held this afternoon or early evening. vatican experts say to look for black smoke from the chapel's chimney, an indication that the cardinals have not yet reached a decision. >> there is zero chance at electing a pope on one hour. >> reporter: on monday, they held their last formal meeting to size up the stage of the church and to some extent size up each other. in choosing a leader of the catholic church, they are also choosing their own bus. new york's cardinal timothy dolan said on sirius xm radio,

he's ready to get on with the process. >> even today we began to get into the qualities we'd like to see in the new holy father. i'm kind of happy they're over because we came here to elect a pope. >> reporter: part of the process included swearing in 90 staff members from medical to cleaning personnel who will attend to the cardinals during the conclave to an oath of secrecy. if a pope is not chosen today, the cardinals will take two votes wednesday morning and two in the afternoon. then each day through friday with the pause on saturday. only the color of smoke from an otherwise unremarkable chimney pipe will tell us when the work of the cardinals is done. then, only from this papal balcony will we learn his name. >> reporter: the american cardinals got a rousing sendoff, an ovation as they left the north american college in route to this morning's mass. they were all smiles and appeared relaxed as they got down to business voting for a

new pope. and we should note, if there was a vote today we would expect to see smoke if it's going to happen roughly around 3:00 eastern time. >> lester holt at the vatican for us this morning, thank you very much. father robert baron is an nbc news analyst. both joining us this morning from vatican city. good morning to both of you. >> good morning, matt. >> good morning, matt. >> claudio, let me start with you, articles have talked about the fact there may be a split in factions among these cardinals as they head into the sistine chapel. one describing it as the romans versus the reformers. why don't i begin with you and why don't you break down the romans for me. >> well, the romans, matt, are made of those who support the roman quarter, it's ran by the italian cardinals and the italians make up 28 cardinals out of 115, and that's the biggest contingency by nation.

the next one after that will be the american cardinals. from the united states and there are 11 cardinals. now, they have different views. the italians want to keep things as they are even though many cardinals have criticized the way the vatican has been run by the roman. you may think of it as the government. the italians are known as the old guard, let's call them while the opposite faction is the reformers. led by the americans. those who want to internationalize the vatican. and want to just push forward the mission of evaevangelation. who are the front runners, one is on the italians while the other ones, the reformers are led by none other than two american cardinals. cardinal timothy dolan and cardinal sean o'malley. >> father baron, it seems

counterintuitive as the romans, this largely european group might actually be backing a brazilian cardinal. >> yeah, we heard that early on, they were getting behind him as sort of a front or face for their movement. the word here is that has -- that balloon has burst. he probably is not going to get the support he require. something i find fascinating, there are some italians and europeans very much backing the reform party. then you hear looking to americans for a variety of reasons. americans can get things done. and also that american cardinal sean o'malley comes to mind, have been dealing with the sex abuse crisis for a long time. they have that know how. two weeks ago you asked me about an american candidate, i said chances slim to none. now we're talking about not one but two who are very serious candidates. if sean o'malley comes out behind me in a few days as the new pope, he can address that crowd effortlessly in a variety

of languages. that struck a number of people here, i've heard. because americans are known as the people that just know one language. they just know language. sean o'malley got up at the congregations, spoke in perfect italian, very much impressed a lot of the europeans. we'll see, that's the most, to me, fascinating development in this whole thing. >> claudio, to end with you, george weigo said there's zero chance to be elected on the first ballot. what are the people predicting in terms of the length of this conclave? >> well, matt, if you think of this as a political election, then this will be today's voting will be the primaries. well, the cardinals will be figuring out how many votes the front runners will have. we don't even know whether the ones we mentioned are the front runners. so that will bring down the numbers of possible candidates from 115, of course, all the cardinals to 3 or 4 who have the backing of the majority. so in a way, it's very -- it's

rare and almost impossible that if they vote this afternoon because they may decide not to, we will get black smoke simply because they need 77 votes out of the 115. and they're not going to get it tonight. >> all right. at the vatican for us this morning, both of you, thank you very much. and we'll bring you the latest developments from the vatican as they occur. but for now, here's savannah. >> thanks. a major investigation underway this morning to find out how the personal information of u.s. politicians and high-profile celebrities ended up online. pete williams is nbc's justice correspondent. pete, good morning. what's the latest? >> savannah, good morning to you. those targeted include first lady michelle obama, vice president biden, the fbi director and attorney general. the police chief of los angeles. and several celebrities including mel gibson, ashton kutcher and jay-z. a website using a domain name from the old soviet union have posted their social security numbers and other personal

identifying information. also what appear to be their credit reports. some of the information is out of date. the website shows the fbi director living in san francisco, for example. but other information appears to be accurate and all of it is the kind of data that can be bought online from commercially available websites. once someone's social security number and date of birth are known. among other victims are former alaska governor sarah palin and former secretary of state hillary clinton. other celebrities targeted include beyonce, kim kardashian and paris hilton. because so many of the celebrities live in l.a. as does the police chief, the lapd is investigating so are the fbi and the secret service. the existence of the website was first revealed on monday and as of this morning, it's still in operation, but we are not disclosing the website address. there's no indication that any of the information was obtained by computer hacking. instead, those on the site now join the millions of other americans who are victims of identity theft, though there's no sign so far anyone has tried

to use this information posted on the site to pose as any of those targeted. >> pete williams, we showed some of the website images, not revealing the website address as you mentioned. thanks for the report. new york's mayor michael bloomberg is vowing to appeal a state supreme court ruling that strikes down a ban on large sugary drinks. it's a controversial plan he favored that was set to take effect this morning. more on that story. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. starting today, supersized sweet drinks like this one were supposed to be a no-no in new york city. there was a lot of resistance to that ban from regular new yorkers to businesses like starbucks that didn't want to comply. well, now a judge says they don't have to. a sour turn for new york city's crusade against sweet drinks. >> if we are serious about fighting obesity, we have to be honest about what causes it. >> reporter: monday, a new york state supreme court judge blocked the city's ban on large sugary drinks.

the restrictions would've prohibited restaurants, movie theaters and other food establishments from selling sweet drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces in an effort to combat obesity. >> people should be able to put into their body whatever they want. >> probably possible to educate the public about making healthier choices without actually changing the law. >> in his ruling, the judge said the ban was quote arbitrary and capricious that the city exceeded its authority and the fact that refills were not restricted would, quote, defeat the purpose of the rule. >> the judge said this is just riddled with too many loopholes, too confusing, therefore arbitrary and capricious. >> reporter: the beverage industry says the new law would've cost them tens of millions of dollars. small restaurant owners also worried about their bottom line from lost sales and the potential for hefty fines. >> i think it's an outrageous law, it makes absolutely no sense. you can go across the street, we have a liquor store, you can buy as much liquor as you want. >> reporter: the law is one of mayor bloomberg's controversial health initiatives.

he's made headlines for his in your face campaign against obesity, smoking -- >> this is what this decision cost me. >> reporter: and most recently teen pregnancy. now it seems his next battle may be against the court. >> we believe that the judge's decision was clearly an error and that we will prevail on appeal. >> reporter: now the mayor had hoped the law would be one final legacy of his last term, but despite his enthusiasm for the measure, it wasn't exactly a popular one. 60% of new yorkers thought it was a bad idea in a poll. >> all right. mara, thanks very much. let's get to natalie morales with the other top stories of the morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah, matt, and al. good morning, everyone. the man accused of killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others in a colorado movie theater appears in court today. 25-year-old james holmes is expected to enter a plea some eight months after that mass shooting. a not guilty plea by reason of

insanity is widely expected and could be the only way he could avoid a life sentence or the death penalty. more tension this morning on the korean peninsula where kim jong-un visited north korea's front line troops urging them to be on high alert for possible war. pyongyang is threatening to cancel the agreement that ended the war. whether or not they are capable of launching an attack, the u.s. is vowing to protect the regional allies. three crew members aboard a u.s. navy plane are dead after a crash near spokane, washington. the military plane was on a training mission monday when it crashed into a field. an iowa police officer is a hero this morning after pulling an unconscious teen from his burning car. the 18-year-old had become trapped after crashing into the side of a church. police say he'd been doing donuts in the snow. he will be charged with reckless driving once he's released from the hospital. and a little oopsy for a ball girl at spring training down in florida.

check out what happens when this hooters girl gets a little too proactive with her job. >> and that is a fair ball right over the bag. still in play, of course. she realized her mistake soon enough even covered her face there with hermit. the announcer said it is the second time that's happened this spring, but at least she's made one very young fan very happy with that ball. not to mention some of the players i'm sure not too bothered by her being there on the sideline either. >> probably not for her knowledge of baseball. i don't think so. thank you very much. >> yeah, i know. go ahead. >> plead the fifth. >> all right. >> thank you very much. we've got a frontal system that's making its way from florida all the way up the eastern seaboard. bringing heavy rain with it. in fact, we've got flash flood watches in effect for northern new england, northern new york state because of the heavy rain, up to 3 inches of rain plus snow

melt. and out in the pacific northwest we've got a big storm system coming onshore. this is even going to be worse. with this warm front, we are talking about tons of rain. we are looking at anywhere in the next 48 hours 5 to 7 inches of rain in the puget sound area. we'll get to your local forecast in a moment. but first this message. we'll get to your local forecast, but first this message. fly like you've never been grounded. scream like you've never been shushed. let go like you have nothing to lose. and hold on to what matters most. it's your vacation. don't just take it. mean it. universal orlando. vacation like you mean it.

7:16 on a tuesday morning. a live look at a beautiful start of the day over san bruno. we have low clouds. your valleys, some are filled with those low clouds like pea soup. the thickest fog is up in the north bay. it should burn off by 9:00 a.m. a warmer day shaping up. 80 on the way to fairfield. 78 in livermore. we'll peak tomorrow and cool you down just in time for the weekend. a court-martial this spring. now a recording is being released by an anti-secrecy group that wants to portray manning as a whistleblower. here's michael isikoff. >> i'm the type of person who likes to know how things work, and as an a analyst i always want to figure out the truth. >> reporter: that's the voice of bradley manning being heard for the first time explaining his

disenchantment with the u.s. military while serving in iraq. >> we became obsessed with capturing and killing human targets on lists. >> reporter: in military court manning admitted he illegally gave wikileaks hundreds of thousands of government documents as well as this 2007 video of a helicopter attack in iraq that mistakenly killed innocent civilians. >> come on, fire. >> they dehumanized the individuals they were engages and seemed to not value human life by referring to them as dead --. >> reporter: today there is a recording of manning's courtroom statement provided to the group and made in violation of court rules. >> in an era where government secrecy is at an all-time high, bradley manning should be commended rather than condemned. >> reporter: one former state department officials say manning's actions were

indefensible. >> it's nonsense to call bradley manning a political prisoner. he's a member of the military. he was serving in an active war zone. he took it upon himself to compromise hundreds of thousands of documents. >> reporter: manning's case provoked controversy. >> free bradley manning! >> reporter: he's been accused of aiding the enemy which could bring a life sentence. >> the government is trying to scare the daylights out of other people so they don't engage in the same conduct. >> reporter: for "today," michael isikoff, nbc news, washington. missouri senator clare mchaskill is getting attention for tweeting about her experience with tsa screeners. she said, quote, today in my airport screening test on my hands was positive. got private, more aggressive pat down. omg -- or oh, my god. hashta very uncomfortable. we don't know what airport it was. but they use the detection claw.

we have all had it happen. her test on her hands came back positive. she was taken to the next level. >> myself having had the secondary pat down, i second h her emotion. >> very uncomfortable? >> it is uncomfortable. i don't think there is anything wrong with it. but it's comprehensive. >> i try to get the secondary. >> you ask for it every time. >> she's not insinuating anything was done improperly but it is an uncomfortable feeling. coming up, harvard officials apologizing for secretly looking at the e-mails of employees of the university. but were they well within their rights? and more with valerie harper as she talks about her cancer prognosis and her most famous and beloved character rhoda. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, jenna bush

hager talks to her grandfather george h.w. bush about everything from his health to a flash mob in his honor. >> and what's al doing in a yankee uniform? after your local news. one clinically-proven claritin every day during your allergy season for continuous relief. 18 days ! 17 days ! i'm still claritin clear ! 22 days of continuous relief. live claritin clear. every day. take the claritin clear challenge: get continuous, non-drowsy allergy relief or your money back. go to claritinchallenge.com for details. because every flake is double-toasted... splashed with sweet honey... and covered in rich double-roasted peanuts.

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7:26. good morning. i'm jon kelley. an investigation into a teacher accused of taping the hands and feet of a 2-year-old because the little girl did not want to take a nap. she reportedly showed a picture of the bound child to the girl's mother who also teaches at the preschool. the incident coming to light on march 4th, now being investigated by the state department of social services. there is a parents only meeting at the school to take place tonight. friday, the school will shut down for intense sieve training. right now, let's take a look outside and say good morning to

christina loren, who has a phenomenal forecast. >> bearer of good news all weekend long. you can see, we have some pretty thick low clouds here. they are already burning off. you can actually see the sun through those clouds thinning out, burning off from the top down. that's what fog does. 50 degrees in san jose to start the day. by noon, we're going to climb into the upper 60s. you will be at 60 degrees in antioch breaking for lunch. rounding out the day closer to 80. 80 in fairfield. low 70s for san francisco. unusual to hit the 70s in san francisco. enjoy it while it lasts as we head through the end of the week. things start to change. we're going to cool you off a little bit. 7:27 is rush-hour. traffic tuesday, check the drive. being a traffic tuesday, it is actually not quite so bad as we often see. here is the 101. a little bit of a break here. look at the south bay map. we do have slowing northbound through that entire stretch. that was a little temporary

break. we have a crash farther north heading north of the airport. that could cause more distraction as it moves to the shoulder. slow for this stretch of 101 and 280 at the 17 interchange. bottom of your screen northbound. a crash blocks one lane. that's why things are bogging down. that orange in the bottom right corner indicating fog coming out of morgan hill. live look around. low clouds. earlier crashes cause slowing. things are starting to move better, john. back to you. >> thank you very much. we'll be back in a half hour with another local update. hope to see you then.

you look pretty good. you feeling good? >> i feel like a million bucks. >> this former president george h.w. bush chatting with his grand daughter jenna bush hager. coming up she'll share more of their conversation and explain why it turned to flash mobs, of all things, when she joins us. think the last time they talked she filled him in on the whole justin bieber thing. this morning it's flash mobs. 7:30 on march 12, 2013. good morning. i'm matt lawyer. this morning valerie harper reveals her openness to cancer whether she believes in an after life and her beloved rhoda. >> when it comes to juggling work and family are women their own worst enemies?

that message from a top female executive that's causing a stir. first, administrators at harvard university are under fire and apologizing this morning after it was revealed they searched staff e e-mails during a cheating investigation. ron mott is on the campus in cambridge, massachusetts. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. when senior officials tried to get to the bottom of who leaked information about how to handle students caught up in the cheating allegations they turned their focus on a number of deans. when none of the deans came forward the university dug deeper. in looking for the person who shared a confidential e-mail about a cheating scandal involving about 70 students, harvard secretly tapped into the e-mail accounts of 16 deans sparking debate about whether the school went too far. >> i'm pretty shocked they were caught doing this. i feel like e-mail should be something that is private. >> i think it sets a bad precedent for the university to freely and wantonly access

e-mail accounts. >> reporter: harvard said it only searched subject headings and it conducted the search to protect student privacy they worried had been breached. after identifying the dean involved and taking no further action, harvard is apologizing for not telling all the deans about the e-mail probe until confronted by media reports. officials apologized if any resident deans feel our communication at the conclusion of the investigation was insufficient. privacy experts say employers have the right to look at information but should inform employees when when they have taken a peak and why. >> every employer monitors e pail. unlike harvard that at least has some sort of limitations on what they monitor, most companies have no limitations at all. >> reporter: still, not everyone on harvard's campus is troubled. >> my feeling is that my e-mail

at harvard belongs to the university. but i don't think you should put anything into an e-mail you don't want anybody to see, period. >> reporter: efforts to get a senior harvard official on camera for interview weren't successful but the university said its chief concern was student privacy and that the bar is high when determining when to access the e-mail accounts of workers. >> ron mott at harvard this morning. thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker outside. >> thanks so much. we have fun friends here. it is going to be nice and warm out west even though it's chilly in the northeast. the jet stream is way up to the north. we are look at temperatures anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees above normal. then you look at the midwest. temperatures much below normal. we are looking at temperatures between 5 to 15 a degrees below normal. along the eastern seaboard, where we should be. look for beautiful weather down

through southern florida with temperatures in the 80s. same in southern texas and the southwest. teens and 20s as you make it into the plains with snowshowers there. a lot of wet weather up and down the east coast making for delays later this well, euro figuryour offici rise occurred a few minutes ago. we are seeing a little bit of the sunrise over the bay bridge. thick clouds overhead. they will burn off quickly enough to reduce visibility in the north bay. elsewhere, looking pretty good. ready to hit the upper 70s the warmest day of the year so far. 80 for fairfield. 78 for livermore and 74 in fremont. getting into tomorrow even warmer. we will drop off a touch thursday into friday. the kind of weather you want to make sure you get your weather as soon as you need it. go to the weather channel. this young lady, you actually made me an umbrella. >> i did. it is an a symmetry scale

umbrella by my company. i hand painted your name and the station. >> thank you very much. it is very nice. >> here, i will swap. there you go. >> savannah. >> thanks. now, to more of our interview with valerie harper. interview with valerie harper. she opens up b about her cancer battle and the impact of her most famous role. on monday when we talked she was dealing with laryngitis but her message was clear. she wanted to speak out to let people know how much she appreciates their well wishes. >> it has been so warming and so comforting and so, really -- i feel embraced. it feels awful damn good to be open about it, face it and see what you can do. >> reporter: valerie harper, alongside husband tony cacciotti has been facing her diagnosis

with grace. >> this came out like a thunderbolt. hit us. she's so damn positive. i have been with her 34 years. she's always been this way. but now it's overwhelming at times. it's really tough because she's my best friend and -- >> you don't want me to go. >> not yet. >> i don't want to either. >> despite a difficult and uncertain prognosis, valerie makes sure her time with family including daughter christina is punctuated with laughter. >> forgiving is giving up the wish that things could have been different. they weren't. that's the past. let it go. i have cancer. it's in my brain in a strange way. what are you going to do about it? >> you're a spiritual person. do you think about what comes after this life? >> sure. i see it as a passage. you have to just say, i'm

willing to embrace it -- whatever it is. i'm going on 74. i want people to be less afraid. i guess that's why i'm sharing it. >> does this look real? >> oh, come on! >> reporter: it's a road that included bringing rhoda morgenstern to life on "the mary tyler moore show" and its spin-off, "rhoda." >> we're fine. joe's fighting with his suit. >> is rhoda your favorite character? >> oh, yes. she's been the wind in the sails of my career. >> valerie had time to reminisce while putting together her memoir "i, rhoda" which was published prior to her diagnosis. >> this "the mary tyler moore show" era seems like a charmed time in your life. >> it was. i didn't know. you know, i'm part of a classic. you just know you're doing a wonderful show.

>> reporter: these days her focus is on her family, her health and the possibilities that lie ahead. >> it was my regular internist. he said, anyone that's been in oncology for any number of years has seen spontaneous remission. they have. so what i'm saying is keep your consciousness, your thoughts open to infinite possibilities. keep yourself open to miracles. >> i think i speak for everyone that we are praying for a miracle for her. one thing that was so striking about her. she's in such great spirits. our crew came in and when the crews come in we take over the place. she said, hey, you guys are so quiet and polite. be loud, be boisterous! i don't want a fun roeral atmosphere here. >> she said talking about it she feels freer and she wants people to be less afraid. that's a gift. >> it's a passage. that's an interesting way of looking at it.

>> she's given us so much, so many laughs over the years as well. we all appreciate and love her. >> i read her book and thought, she's got life figured out. we wish her the best. up next, we talk with jenna bush hager who talks to her grandfather about his health and his gift for writing those touching letters. and a look gnu look for a new mom. snooki is live in studio. first, these messages. living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis means living with pain. it could also mean living with joint damage. humira, adalimumab, can help treat more than just the pain. for many adults, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions,

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moving letters to family and friends, many in a book called "all the best" that's been published with new entries. his granddaughter and our contributing correspondent jenna bush hager is here with more on this. i like this assignment for you. good morning. >> good morning. i like this assignment a lot, of course. ask anyone who received a letter from my grandfather, they are eloquent, genuine and mean a lot. we asked some people he loves to read the letters they cherish. >> december 12, 19 # 3. my darling bar, this should be a very easy letter to write. >> reporter: my grandfather has always been a lover of words. a poetic letter writer. >> i love you, precious, with all my heart. to know that you love me means my life. >> reporter: from letters penned during his time overseas in world war ii. >> how lucky our children will be to have a mother like you. >> reporter: to political memos to heads of state, to maybe the

most telling -- declarations of love to his grandchildren. like my sister and cousin. >> subject, leaving and crying. in 69 minutes we drive out the gate of the point we love so much. the trek back to houston begins. >> i'm a very happy gampy. my legs don't bend too well. i have had to give up fly fishing off the rocks but there is plenty left to do, plenty of wonderful things. >> i think of all of you a lot. i just wonder how each of you is doing in life, in college, in school. if you need me, i'm here for you because i love you very much. >> reporter: he's there for his children, too. in letter expressing the worries and pride of fatherhood. >> i'm writing this letter on the last day of 1991. first, i can't begin to tell you how great it was to have you here at camp david. i love christmas day. what i want you to know as a father is this -- every human

life is precious. when the question is asked how many lives are you willing to sacrifice, it tears at my heart. the answer, of course, is none, none at all. so i shall say a few more prayers, mainly for our kids in the gulf. i shall do what must be done and i shall be strengthened every day by our family love which lifts me up. i am the luckiest dad in the whole wide world. >> dear george, you're doing the right thing. your decision you just made is the toughest decision you have had to make up until now, but you made it with strength and with compassion. it is right to worry about the loss of innocent life, be it iraqi or american. but you have done that which you had to do. >> reporter: he often closed his letters honoring his young daughter robin who died from cancer. >> remember robin's words, i love you more than time can tell. well, i do. >> reporter: the written word was a medium for humor during

difficult days as commander in chief. >> cnn uses a picture of me that's printed backwards, hair parted on the right. can you get them to use another? it's weird. weirder than i really am. thanks. >> reporter: writing was an outlet for admiration, documenting an unlikely friendship. >> october 10, 2006. dear bill, this note is to let you know i so appreciated your words about our relationship, about our friendship. it was from your heart. i hope you know i feel the same way. the politics between now and two years from now might put pressure on our friendship, but it is my view that it will survive. in any event, i have enjoyed working with you. >> reporter: his favorite subject has been the same since 1945. >> let's see, bar, 42 years ago this minute i was a nervous wreck. you, too, maybe. anyway, here we are 42 years

later and i'm a very happy guy. the luckiest in the world actually. i have a skinny, miles walking wife. we have lots of oh friends, no real enemies though there are some who aren't root ohhing hard for us. we have quiet faith that gives us strength. so when we count our blessings we have to count on a long, long time. >> reporter: his essays have even inspired students of texas a & m's bush school, some of whom he's never met. >> april 23, 2003. i cannot single out the one greatest challenge in my life. >> i have had a lot of challenges. my advice to young people might be as follows. don't get down when life takes a bad turn. out of adversity comes challenge and often success. >> when things go well, always give credit to others. >> give someone else a hand. when a friend is hurting, show that friend you care. >> reporter: it's no secret that at 88 my grandfather has faced health issues. but he's stronger and back at

the school he loves. [ cheers ] >> reporter: where students are honoring him with a different, more modern use of words -- a flash mob. ♪ >> what did you think of the flash mob, gamps? >> of all the flash mobs i have ever seen, this was the best. >> the best? was it the only one? >> yes. >> you look good. are you feeling good? >> i feel like a million bucks. i really do. >> reporter: letters documenting history, and a lifetime of loving relationships that, like him, will be cherished always. >> remember the old song, i'll be there ready when you are, but i'll be there ready when you are. there is so much excitement ahead, so many grandkids to watch grow. if you need me, i'm here. >> love pop. >> devotedly, dad. >> love g.b.

>> devotedly, gampy. >> your friend, george. >> love, potus 41. >> all the best, george bush. >> we should mention all the proceeds from "all the best" go back to the bush school at texas a & m university. matt? >>le you made it through. >> barely. >> you have a lot going on right now. it is a lost art, the art of writing letters. your grandfather is one of the best at it. it's a privilege to listen to some of those. >> really, to have them, too. they're so -- we cherish them, of course. as he's getting older he still writes which i think is great. it was so fun to be with him. he had never seen a flash mob, let's be honest. >> that was classic. >> i think he was afraid they were going to literally flash. >> afraid? >> or excited. one or the other. >> jenna, thank you. we have more of president bush's letters and thoughts from family and friends on our website at

today.com. coming up, can you really have it all? the mixed messages from some very successful women that have a lot of people talking this morning. first, a look at these messages. do we have a mower? no. a trimmer? no. we got nothing. we just bought our first house, we're on a budget. we're not ready for spring. well let's get you ready. very nice. you see these various colors. we got workshops every saturday. yes, maybe a little bit over here. this spring, take on more lawn for less. not bad for our first spring. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get three bags of earthgro mulch, a special buy at just $10. love your passat! um. listen, gary. . . . . . . maybe i'll get one. [ male announcer ] now everyone's going to want one.

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the time is 7:56. good morning. i'm jon kelley. the nfl season officially starts at 1:00 this afternoon. when the 49ers will make their trade of alex smith official. he will go to the kansas city chiefs in exchange for a second-round pick this year and a conditional pick next year. that trade ends snit's eight-year career with the niners. meantime, san francisco adding a new wide receiver pending a physical. the ravens anquan boldin will be wearing a niner's uniform this fall. they give up a sixth round pick for bolden. san francisco city council talking about naming two streets after key members of the organization. bill walsh drive and marie p. debartolo way, from the family of the niners. if you haven't had a chance to check out the new stadium, go see what they look like.

it is amazing to see how much progress they have made. 7:56. a live look at sin knoll. beautiful day shaping up. we are starting out mild. look at where your beach cities are headed. 74 degrees. still in wintertime. 80 degrees for fairfield. 78, livermore. . i can bet the traffic is picking up. let's check on that. good morning, mike. >> good morning. it is. we will show you 880 in a second. 280 is also slow northbound. low clouds hovering around bait area as well. visibility from the south bay, not a major issue. the bottom of the screen, 101 through morgan hill might be tough. 87 as you are coming up toward capital expressway. a new crash in lanes there. a slow drive north. 880 at eldorado. a crash on the shoulder. both directions slow between the bridges. coming down through some foggy

areas off of the richmond bridge and across the north bay. we'll get you back to the "today" show.

8:00 on this tuesday morning, march 12, 20 -- i almost said 2003. it's 2013. let's get the proper decade. it is a beautiful morning out here on rockefeller plaza. drizzle, rain, gray skies with a nip in the air. >> nice and dewy fresh. >> plumps up the wrinkles. in good company. matt lauer is here. al roker is actually here. >> and my sister is -- i'm not saying the number, but it's my sister's birthday. >> coming up, cheryl sandberg, one of the top executives at facebook is in the news again with a new book called "lean

in." she argues in the book women sometimes stand in their own way by not being assertive enough at the workplace. that caused controversy. we'll talk about issues raised. good conversation coming up. and in studio now we have nicole polizzi, aka snooki. she has a 6-month-old baby boy, a successful reality show. what a lot of people will be talking about is nicole lost more than 40 pounds. we'll find out how she did it and how she plans to keep it off. she looks strong, looks tough. >> mr. roker, in a yankees unifo uniform? care to elaborate? >> i got a chance to try out for the yankees for spring training. it was a dream come true. i got helped on my uniform by reggie jackson. i played catch with lee mozilli

and i took batting practice with goose gositch. worked out next to derek jeter. just like that. >> it's like an al roker dream sequence. >> it was crazy. our producer j.k. long produced this. we'll show you how bad i was. >> when are we going to see that a? >> i think week after next. >> cool. we'll look forward to it. >> meanwhile natalie morales has the top headlines of the morning. >> good morning. al, you cut a dashing figure in the pinstripes. good morning. in the news, five american service members were killed last night when their helicopter crashed in southern afghanistan. nato said there were no initial reports of hostile activity in the area when the black hawk went down outside kandahar city. the crash along with the killing of two american soldiers made monday the deadliest day for american forces in afghanistan so far this year. catholic cardinals are beginning their conclave today to elect a new pope.

kier simmons is in vatican city with with some of the rituals of the secret, sacred process. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this conclave is said to be one of the hardest fought in recent history. we may know little about what's going on in there. the cardinals swearing an oath of secrecy. for more than a thousand years, new popes have been introduced to the world. now in this historic city, history will be made again. an election steeped in tradition inside the walls of the vatican. 115 cardinals will take part in the votes and even now few are predicting which candidate will receive the two-thirds majority needed to be elected pope. the voting takes place within the sistine chapel, beneath michelangelo's famous frescos. the doors are locked. the officials involved have been sworn to secrecy. the aim is no leaks in the age

of twitter. >> no tv, no newspaper, no mail. not even snail is allowed. in other words it's total isolation. >> reporter: voting inside the chapel takes place twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. this morning experts believe cardinals from italy, south america and the u.s. may get early support. then the ballots are burned in a stove at the back. finally, white smoke and the bells of the basilica ring -- a pope has been chosen. after an hour of prayer and preparation the new pontiff walks from the sistine chapel to appear on the basilica balcony, beginning a new era for the church. today the cardinals are moving to my right here. it's basic accommodations designed to encourage them e not to take too long. >> thank you. new york city will appeal a

state judge's last-minute ruling monday that blocked a ban on large sugary drinks. it would have placed a 16-ounce limit on sodas and other high sugar drinks sold in restaurants, theaters and arenas in a move to combat obesity. the judge called it arbitrary and capricious snrks. now for a look at what's trending today. here's one way to entertain a crowd. a stunt man flipped over a speeding lamborghini at a weekend racing festival in australia. up and over down under. if puddle jumping is your thing, look before you leap in new sneakers. oh! well, the jumper's buddy bet him a dollar he couldn't make it across the puddle. that's not a puddle. that's a pool.

here's what happened when two younger members of the california conservation corps tried to teach their older boss how to get down. ♪ >> i think the boss showed them a thing or two there. pretty good moves. 8:06. let's go back outside once again to matt. >> thank you, natalie. that was cute. >> boss kicking it old school. nice. >> no question about it. >> it's ugly. we have friends making it nice from memphis, right? [ cheers ] what middle school are you from? >> ridgeway middle school. >> glad you're here having a good time. let's see what we have for you. pick city of the day just happens to be buffalo, new york. wgrz, nbc 2 on your side. cloudy, breezy and 39 degrees.

you can see we've got wet weather from florida up into new england. some of the rain in the northeast pretty heavy. we're looking at heavy rain moving into the pacific northwest in the next 48 hours. some areas, five to seven inches of rain. snowshowers around the great lakes. nice warm weather in phoenix today, 83 degrees in the southwest. sunny along the gulf. look for chilly conditions in the mid pl 8:07 on a tuesday morning. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. san francisco showing a little more, quite a bit of fog. the next couple of hours we'll lose that fog. as a result of that sunshine coming in by 10:00 a.m. temperatures will warm to unseasonably warm levels. los gatos 71 degrees. hitting 70s in the city by the bay. getting into the weekend, temperatures drop off just a touch. who's this? >> cooper. >> cooper's upset.

i'm sorry, cooper. he's cooper tired. let's go over to matt. >> i got it. that was good. al, thank you very much. up next, the mixed messages about balancing work and life being sent to women by some very powerful female executives. then, snooki opens up about her new body, new baby and her post-"jersey shore" life and why antarctica is a popular tourist spot and what it takes to get there. but first, these messages. the pull-ups team surprised him with a first flush party. celebrate your first flush with pull-ups! and for more fun, check out our pull-ups big kid app at pull-ups.com i'm a big kid now! and every flush after thath - with pull-ups training pants. press the button! our pull-ups big kid app is the new way to make potty training all kinds of fun! don't miss out download the app today! i'm a big kid now!

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back now at 8:12 with a new wrinkle in the debate over whether women can truly have it all. in the tug-of-war over work and family, successful top executives are sending mixed messages about how women should balance their lives. >> i think we're stalled and we need to acknowledge that we are stalled so that we can change it. >> reporter: facebook's chief operating officer sheryl sandberg, author of "lean in" told "60 minutes" that women have to try harder. >> you start leaning back. they say, oh, i'm busy. i want to have a child. i couldn't possibly take on any more. or i'm still learning on my current job. i have never had a man say that stuff to me. >> reporter: during the same weekend that interview aired, erin callan, a former chief financial officer for lehman

brothers, reflected in a "new york times editorial she wished she hadn't invested so heavily in her career, writing, until recently i thought my focus on my career was the most powerful ingredient in my success. but i'm beginning to realize i sold myself short. i was talented, intelligent and energetic. it didn't have to be so extreme. >> well, i have been a mom now for four and a half months and a ceo for seven months. >> reporter: yahoo! ceo marissa mayer made news revealing she was pregnant just as she was named ceo. but yahoo! and mayer have come under fire for announcing last month the end of the company's work from home policy. economist sylvia hewlitt from the center for talent education. and parade magazine contributor and dr. varma from nyu landgone medical center. good morning. i expect three different

perspectives on this and i hope so. let's take it past the traditional can women have it all debate which we have had and had and probably will never resolve. sandberg is getting criticism because some women think she's saying the fault of women, as she says it, being stalled in the workplace lies with women. what was your initial reaction to that? >> well, i think leaning in, grabbing hold of ambition is a great idea. you can't do it all on your own. employers have to lean in, too. we find in our big new study that sponsorship is a game-changer. if companies create pathways to sponsorship for women they are 20% more likely to get that next job. they are 30% more likely to hang onto their ambition which is important. >> okay, but let me be devil's advocate. do men need sponsorship, too? >> they do. men have twice as many sponsors as women. this is the senior champion who taps you on the shoulder to give you fabulous opportunities so you can strut your stuff.

now, sandberg herself had an amazing set of sponsors starting with -- >> larry summers, who was the treasury secretary. jump in here. >> she's saying women don't have the traditional groundwork laid for them like men do. i find her message to be incredibly powering. she's saying it is a complex issue but here's what you can do to make a difference for yourself. >> dr. varma, i think she raises provocative issues. in that interview she says when you ask women what accounts for your success they often say, well, hard work and my luck and people helping me. they can't say, it's my core skill. she herself had difficulty in that interview attributing her success to her own innate abilities. are we hard-wired differently? >> yes. you know, the nature versus nurture question is particularly

interesting. biologically women are driven b to form communities. estrogen and oxytocin is higher in women than men. men have six times more testosterone which drives them to competitive, risk-taking behaviors. for women forming communities is about survival. and competitiveness flies in the face of that. >> let's take that as a jumping off point. so women aren't biologically like men. should we try to make them socially like men? why not use the attributes they have to their advantage, sylvia? >> one reason companies need to get into the game and lean in, too, is there is all kind of research showing that gender smarts and gender-styled leadership is incredibly important for innovation and growth. in other words, when group think goes on with a whole bunch of white guys who are all somewhat homogeneous, you don't get creative solutions. >> diversity is a powerful force.

>> and there is a lot new data that says gender decision making creates new opportunity. >> and the role of men. sheryl pointedly talks about how you need to choose wisely in a partner. you need someone who is going to at least be willing to do his half of the laundry. >> you mean the spouse. >> absolutely. you need someone to approach you as an equal at home and on the job. >> which brings me to the work/life balance issue. a lot of women, whether they stay at home or work, will confess to feeling guilty about the choices they made. to that end, we see the op-ed in the "new york times" from erin callan. she was successful about saying in retrospect she got it wrong. she put everything in work to the exclusion of her home life. sandberg says there is work and life, there's no balance. marissa mayer says i don't believe in balance, not in the classic way.

doctor? >> it's not about balance but it's about flexibility, adaptability and knowing when to use the community side of you and the competitive side of you. the goal is often not about making friends. if you are at the negotiating table you're not getting a person to like you. you don't need them to like you. at that moment. you can be friends with them before and after the negotiation. being flexible is one of our greatest skills and has to do with resiliency and longevity in the career. >> we just need to start utilizing all of those skills. that's the takeaway. >> you know, success does give you more choices. it's something she brings up. women are delaying childbearing these days, and clearly if you are earning more and more senior, you are able to dictate your terms more completely to the workplace, particularly if you have some fabulous champion in your corner, allowing you to actually go home at 5:30 and get online which she does. >> she does go back to work.

everyone's been grabbing onto whether she goes back to work. after family dinner she's back t -- at her computer. >> we all have long days. we are very familiar with it. >> i think the message is women can lean in, employers can lean in and hopefully, it results in balance. >> meet in the middle. >> great to get your perspectives. thank you so much. and coming up next, another woman who seems to have it all. matt goes one-on-one with the one and only snooki after this. a trimmer? no. we got nothing. we just bought our first house, we're on a budget. we're not ready for spring. well let's get you ready. very nice. you see these various colors. we got workshops every saturday. yes, maybe a little bit over here. this spring, take on more lawn for less. not bad for our first spring. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get three bags of earthgro mulch, a special buy at just $10.

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we are back now with the reality star who says she's grown a lot after famously partying with her crew at "jersey shore." nicole "snooki" polizzi is a happy mom, engaged and just lost -- brace yourself -- 42 pounds. she's enjoying the success of her mtv spin-off, "snooki and j-woww". >> it's your social security card! >> can i see it? let me see it. >> president obama sent us lorenzo's social security card. lorenzo is officially a human, a citizen of the united states. she's li he is like a person. how is he supposed to write his signature? now he can run for president or be an olympic. >> "an olympic." how are you feeling?

>> great. a little bit tired from the baby, but overall i feel awesome. >> he's 6 months old. how is he doing? >> he's amazing. alert of things. i feel he has a personality now. he's funny and he just likes to have a good time, just like his mom. >> you get so much attention for what you do on reality tv. >> mm-hmm. >> you and i were talking and i think you will get as much attention about the weight loss as anything you have done. >> i hope so. >> 42 pounds since your pregnancy, since giving birth. you lost the first 20 in the first two months and it came off quickly. >> yeah. >> talk to me b about how you lost the rest? >> the first 20 came from breastfeeding. that was awesome. then i had to wait until i could work out which was 6 weeks. i went straight to the gym, worked with a trainer. one of oh my good friends anthony. he basically just kicked my butt into shape and gave me express meals. >> you cut yourself down to 1300 calories a day. >> yeah. >> you are someone who admitted

in the past you like to eat junk. >> yeah. >> and you also like to drink. >> yeah. >> where do you stand on the drinking now in terms of trying to lose weight? >> it's hard to drink while taking care of a baby so i don't drink at all really. when i do, i get drunk off three sips so it's good. >> let me clear it up. was this about getting your body back in shape or was it about the fact that you can't go to a club at night and do shots of whatever and wake up and take care of lorenzo? >> both. i knew i couldn't party because i'm a parent. i have to take care of someone else. so the partying is done basically. i have nights where i go out with my girls for wine, but that's it. it was more about being in shape and being a fit mom. >> do you miss that side of life that you were famous for for so long? >> not really. i have been partying forever, since college. i'm so over it. i'm so into my family now. >> let's talk about your body image. you wrote this recently. i can't believe i will read it. but i still have the mommy

pooch. >> pouch. >> i think it said pooch. i want my upper legs to be more toned. my boob,s are messed up. they look good in a bra. i look forward to getting work done after i'm done having children. do you have a healthy body image now? >> i'm very healthy. i eat good, work out and i have big muscles. i'm doing good. doing it the healthy way. eventually i want my boobs back. when you have babies they just flop everywhere. i need to fix those. >> once would have been okay saying it. best of luck with everything coming up and with lorenzo and marriage -- pending marriage and all that stuff. >> definitely soon. >> nicole, good to see you. >> thanks. >> nicole will chat with hoda and kathie lee later on. we'll be right back after your local news.

good morning to you. 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. bagging the bags. bay area cities are planning to move forward with plans to ban plastic bags. redwood city council voting last night to approve that ban. it will take six months to take effect, so businesses actually have a time to use some of the plastic bag stuff they have. palo alto and its existing ban for restaurants, it will charge $0.10 per bag. keep them handy. check with mike. how are we looking out there? >> we're looking -- trying to look. driving along this area, thicker fog north through oakland, 580 and 880.

this is right by the coliseum. we can't see further north like we typically see. the high street highrise. san mateo bridge disappears. there's a bird that landed on the camera. he moved his wing, or she. drive to the peninsula side where we see the fog, kicking in here towards the bay bridge. i thought we had other maps. slowing in the south bay through highway 87, laura, back to you. >> thank you for joining us. another local news update in half an hour or so. hope you have a great morning.

from inside the ben know -- i'm sorry, the pauline chapel. they will make their way into the sistine chapel where the con claif will be held in a few minutes in a procession that is as much a part as this tradition. a public mass held with all the cardinals. this will be one of the last times we will see them now before they are locked away in the sistine chapel to begin the actual voting process. this is a shot of the americans earlier today. there will be likely one vote this afternoon. we will know when that occurs as we all keep our eyes trained on the chimney above the sistine chapel. we will look for black or white smoke. black would indicate an inconclusive vote. white would, of course, indicate that they have selected a pope, not likely during the first

vote. i'm with nbc analyst now george weigel and father robert baron. george, let me begin with you. the significance of what we're about to see, this is not a photo op walk in. >> no, it's not, lester. when the catholic church does anything serious, it does it in the context of its liturgy or worship. this procession is a liturgical procession. it summons up the idea of the church as a people on pilgrimage, people gone from someplace to someplace. in this case, from the chapel to the sistine chapel. this is cardinal giovani batista rae. he's going to lead a prayer. the cardinals will process from the pauline chapel, one of the hidden gems of the vatican. two of michael angelo's last paintings, one of saint peter and one of st. paul.

they will process through the apostolic palace to the sistine chapel which is world famous and seen by millions of pilgrims every year. >> this is a simply stunning ct. father baron, anyone who's taken a tour of the vatican, this is not something they would have seen, this chapel? >> no. it's part of the catholic genius, the catholic imagination that these beautiful physical things can speak to us in the spiritual worlds. you're seeing the best of the catholic imagination on display in the processions, the artwork, the architecture.

they're asking them to be with the church today as it begins this urgent task of selecting a new bishop of rome, a new supreme pontiff. >> here we see the cardinals making their way from the chapel, and that leads us to the question in everyone's mind, which one among them will of course become the next pope. there are those we referred to, father baron, as front-runners. how do we know? and let's talk about who they might be. >> well, to some degree it's always educated guesswork. we know from talking to people here who had contact with the cardinals themselves. so it's highly speculative, but i know cardinal george of chicago who's my boss, and at this time the news media really got it right. the names that they're talking

about or the names we're talking about. >> angelo scola, the archbishop of milan, italy. >> cardinal scola is a man much in the mold of the past two popes. he's a professor, become a bishop, become a pope. he's an intellectual, academic. he's the patriarch of venice, now the archbishop of milan. i think people expect he'll get the largest number of votes tomorrow. >> when pope benedict xvi announced he was stepping down, the thought of an american pope was largely dismissed. not so much in the last couple of days. cardinal sean o'malley, arch bishop of boston, that name keeps coming up. good reason? >> i think so. cardinal o'malley has a lot of support as i understand it from latin america. he's fluent in spanish and portuguese as well as italian. he spent a lot of time in latin america. he's known there and is

appreciated by senior churchmen in latin america who feel, not without some reason, that they've been a bit ignored over the last eight years. >> father baron, you noted earlier that he has had to deal with the sex abuse crisis, cleaning up the mess in boston. >> every single one of his episcopal assignments, fall river, florida, in the virgin islands and finally in boston. in every case he had to deal with the sex abuse crisis so many people hearsay, well, there's someone who knows how to handle this problem. that's only one reason why he's attractive to some of the cardinals. >> we're also going to be seeing cardinal timothy dolan of new york who openly scoffed at the idea that he could ever be selected as pope. there's a lot of talk here in rome, a lot of italians mentioning his name. >> it's the single surprising thing about this period. two weeks ago i was asked on the "today" show, any chance for an american pope? i said, well, slim to none, even though i'm a great fan of timothy dolan.

what's happened these last days is not just one, but two americans have emerged. of course, timothy dolan, probably more than anyone else, is the face of a new evangelization. if anyone can present the catholic view in a win some way has a crowd pleasing quality. a man of increasing intellectual substance too. people in america and around the world have begun to see that. >> i ran into a man yesterday in another part of rome who said he worked for one of these voting cardinals, wouldn't tell me which one, and that voting cardinal told him he thinks it's going to be a north american. we mentioned two americans. george, there is marc ouellet from canada. >> cardinal marc ouellet is a native of quebec. he was the archbishop of quebec city. he taught in latin america in a seminary in colombia for five years. he, too, like cardinal scola, is a man in the image, the

intellectual image of john paul ii and benedict xvi. they come out of the same theological school, if you will. they're all friends. cardinal ouellet has done a striking job confronting aggressive secularism in what used to be the intensely catholic province of quebec, and that will commend him to some voters. >> what are we watching here? >> we're here in the sistine chapel. the cardinals are making a bow before the altar before the christ of the last judgment, and then they'll go to those tables where each of them has an assigned place and where they will do the voting over the next few days. >> one should not under estimate, lester, i don't think, the impact of the room on the process. it's not only one of the greatest spaces on the planet,

it is a summary of the story of the bible from the creation to the last judgment, and it's very hard to sit in there and think simply in political or interest terms. you have the christ of the last judgment looking down on you and you're thinking, i'd better be quite serious about this so that when i say as i cast that ballot i call to witness christ the lord who will be my judge, that i am voting for him whom i think should be sovereign pontiff. >> let's try to get a sense of the impact as we watch and listen for a bit.

father barp, as we watch this, it's clear the impact of the weight and responsibility on their shoulders, the moment is at hand, but let's talk about the last 12 days and the conversations formally in these congregations and the conversations that may have taken place over coffee, breakfast, living rooms. >> right. >> what's the -- what's the conversation like? >> well, i think they're trying to find out what's going on in different parts of the church. someone in north america might be asking a latin american what's it like in mexico? someone might be talking to an asian bishop about what's going on there. they're trying to get a sense of

finding out what's going on there and take the measure of one another. maybe they don't know each other that well but they'll talk to someone who does know them better. there's all of that going on i think. both formally and informally, many of them gave formal addresses. a lot of the politics, you want, is happening in more informal conversations trying to get a feel for each other, take the measure of one another. >> and to be clear, this is not a place for discussion. the discussions are over? >> right. >> this is the beginning of the process simply to cast ballots? >> what i've heard from those who have been involved in conclaves is how liturgical this moment is, the procession, the singing, the prayers. it's not a time for button holing. it's time for this prayerful preparation for this momentous event for voting for a pope. >> i say this with all respect, but as you look at these group of cardinals, these are old men. >> i think the average age is 72

of the voting cardinals. >> they're confronted with so many challenges of the modern era. >> right. i do think after the resignation of pope benedict, i'd be surprised if they voted for someone significantly beyond 70 but, again, that's a guess. who knows. but i think they'll probably be looking for someone, you know, who would be physically vigorous. >> i want to bring folks up to speed who may just be joining us. you're looking at the 115 voting cardinals, the princes of the catholic church who are now proceeding into the sistine chapel bowing to the altar, taking their seats, and before long this picture will be cut off. we will all be closed away from this process as they vote for the next leader in the roman catholic church, the next pope. i want to bring in now liz lev, an nbc analyst who's quite familiar with many of those paintings and things you see on the walls and within the vatican art world.

tell us about the cysistine chapel. many of us have taken the tour. what is it that we're not noticing that the cardinals can appreciate? >> i think first and foremost how many conclaves that space has seen, how many tears of popes, how many momentous eras of the church and the whole way the sistine chapel was painted mostly with michael angelo's work mostly to make them see that they stand between two points of time. they stand between the beginning of everything with the most powerful images, the creation of man. the man comes into being and then they all walk up and they face the end, the ultimate challenge in zblumt offers a dose of humility at a time that i'm sure they could all use it. >> it does. it also gives a sense of perspective to what they're doing. it's more than just right here, right now, that's a part, but it's also part of a much, much larger picture. that room is 500 years old. >> father barron, as we watch

the cardinals make their way in there, let's just talk a little bit about what's going to take place there. there will be perhaps one vote. they don't have to take a vote today. >> right. likely there will be one vote this evening. again, most likely it will be an inconclusive vote. it would be very surprising if a pope were elected on the first ballot. >> there will be a spiritual talk the cardinals will hear before they commence the voting. then a long process each comes forward to take the oath. it's a very solemn, a very peripheral, sober moment and probably one vote will result from this evening. >> and they will draw lots as to a couple of representatives, two or three, to actually help with the vote collection and counting process? >> that's right. >> this changes every day. they'll choose different scrutineers every day.

>> this, again, is the litany of the saints that you hear. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> the ordination of deacons, bishops, it's very powerful, very moving moment calling more on the community of faith. it's the saints in another dimensional system were also involved in this process in a mysterious way. >> the amazing thing they're depicted in that painting. there they are, the same people they're singing to are all standing around christ and mary. they're the men and women who have already blazed the trail to heaven. >> nbc's anne thompson is on st. peter's square right now.

ann, you were inside the chapel a few days ago as they were installing many of the things they will need for this vote. tell us what your impression was, what you saw. >> reporter: well, lester, they had to do some prep work to get the sistine chapel ready, and while it is one of the most gorgeous spaces in the world with this incredible artistic achievement 68 feet in the air, the frescos of mikele angelo, i can tell you that they put in a temporary floor because the floor itself is uneven and they didn't want the cardinals whose average age is 71 to trip or fall on the floor. and then those tables that they sit at, i know they look very ornate, but they're really just pieces of plywood with saw horses and then they have some fabric velcroed to them. now the cardinals sit with the chapel divided by a grate. they will sit in one area taking their ballots up to a table that stands before the last judgment, the fresco by michael angelo.

then the ballots are burned on the other side of the grate. there are two stoves there. the first stove has been there since 1939. that's the stove where the ballots are burned. it's shaped like a bullet. then there's a new modern stove that was put in there in 2005, and that's where they put the chemicals in to turn the smoke black or white depending on the outcome of the ballot. in 2005, lester, you'll remember we couldn't tell what color the smoke was so it caused a little bit of consternation. they hope to have that problem solved this time around. >> yeah. i dealt with a little post traumatic stress after the last time recalling the first smoke and it was gray. it was ambiguous. when we finally saw the white smoke, father barron, even then we weren't quite sure until the bells. >> it's part of the charm, isn't it, fascination of this, in our age of instant communication and

iphones that we have our eyes fixed to a chimney giving rise to a smoke signal. part of the fun is the ambiguity. almost every time there's ambiguity. >> what do we expect to take place now? >> i believe the singing now will commence. they're calling upon the holy spirit to be with them, guide them, direct them. first the saints and now the holy spirit.

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father barron, what are we seeing now? >> i believe this is the address to the cardinals now. spiritual exhortation. >> can you give us a sense what's being said here? >> just a prayer asking the lord to be with them and blessing christ and asking the lord to be with the cardinals as they

prepare to vote. >> we should note as we are all watching this, i look over my shoulder and there is a crowd now slowly filing in on a rainy day in st. peter's square watching this all play out on big tv monitors. >> this is part of the oath? >> no, this is not yet the oath. this is still part of the prayer. >> john paul ii was known most

importantly for the conclave in which we need to outline the next step of the procedure, which i imagine will be the oath. >> you've lived in rome for a long time. i know eight years ago when we heard the idea of an american pope could scarcely be talked about. it's being talked about a lot here now. >> isn't that amazing? >> strangely -- i say strangely, among italians. >> i find it exciting. everywhere i'm going, i'm sitting having coffee. what about an american pope? what about an american pope? >> why is that such an exciting prospect for italians? >> first of all, i think the americans enjoy -- they see a great many of americans here. in rome, we're hearing this mostly from romans, you'll find that romans enjoy the company of americans. they see americans as people who get things done and cheerful,

people who radiate a sense of joyful efficiency. what a great hope, i think. >> father barron, is that a surprise to you, that conversation? think about how the world has changed in eight years and how americans are viewed. >> yeah, as i say, i'm very surprised by it. two weeks ago most of us would not see it as a possibility. it's the american efficiency. cardinal dolan made quite a splash here last year and he gave a wonderful talk to the members, including the pope. they say he was very well received. i think, too, with cardinal sean o'malley, a member of the franc franciscan family, padre pio, his simplicity. >> but the americans upset the apple cart a bit earlier in this process in the congregations when they opted to have a daily briefing and they got their hand

slapped on that. would some see that, though, in a positive light. hey, these guys are willing to change and do things in a different way? >> i think so. i think there was a little bit of a backlash to the backlash. some people felt it was a slapping of the hand that wasn't called for, that those were very helpful interventions that they made. i think that might contribute to some of the interest people have in the americans. >> we're looking inside the sistine chapel. minutes before the cardinals are secluded away to begin the process of selecting the next pope. >> and this is the formal oath they're taking now. >> it's actually written on the -- they read it on the left-hand side.

they put their hand on the right-hand side. >> each one will recite that? >> yes, each one. >> cardinal dolan said of the congregation, we sure pray a lot. >> they surround this event with prayer, which i think is a wonderful feature. >> they're vowing to obey the next pope. >> i think we see prayer in more than one way here. there's prayer through the art and prayer through the music. when you talk about surrounding yourself with prayer, that chant of litany, the paintings around them, and then the actual vocal prayers, it's a space that's really designed for that and i think that's what makes it perfect for the conclave. >> all of them wondering, like all of us, how long will this take? as we've heard from a number of experts, including those with us

here, likely an inconclusive vote tonight if there is a vote taken at some point this evening here. last time eight years ago it took two days. >> that was a fast conclave. >> but that was also one people will point out in which -- in which pope benedict was a likely candidate. >> he was a front-runner, certainly, and that's what people say now, there really isn't a front-runner in the same sense. so it could spell a longer conclave. >> and is there -- is it easy to divide this group in half in terms of reformers versus those who want to remain? >> they'll speak of those two camps. i'm not sure you could say divided in half. i'm not sure the group is divided ideologically. they're all chosen by pope john paul ii and benedict xvi. i think there is something at

play in the two forces. >> we want to pause briefly as some stations leave us along the network, others will join us here in a moment. you're watching nbc news coverage at the beginning of the papal conclave. this is lester holt outside the vatican as we watch inside the sistine chapel. the 115 voting cardinals of the roman catholic church now each taking the oath before being secluded within the chapel, the sistine chapel, to begin the voting process to choose the next pope. it's a rainy day here in rome. many romans have stopped what they're doing to watch this process. standing on st. peter's square watching what you're seeing on big tvs that have been placed out for the crowd. each cardinal placing his hand

on the bible swearing the oath that they will obey the next pope. joined once again by george weigel, an nbc vatican analyst along with father robert barron. george, this is the last time we're going to see them? >> it is, lester, because once that door is closed, interestingly enough by an american, cardinal james harvey, a junior cardinal deacon, they are on their own. and tonight after what we assume will be an inconclusive first ballot, they'll return to the vatican guest house, the saint martha's house where they'll have dinner together, and then tomorrow morning when they return to the sistine chapel to continue the balloting process, as cardinal kristoff schonborn

comes up, they will go back by bus. some will want to walk, but it's not terribly pleasant walking weather right now. >> cardinal george of chicago behind. >> we should note we saw one of the cardinals as they made their way into the room being assisted and there are a number of people working, attending to the cardinals, medical staff to other assistants who swore their own oath yesterday to secrecy. >> they will not -- it's my understanding not be actually in

the voting process but they will have access to the cardinals before and after. >> that's right. that's the cardinal of naples and behind him is cardinal walter casper of germany who made it into this electorate by five days. he turned 80 five days after benedict xvi renounced the chair of peter so he made it under the wire by five days. >> the old jest voter. >> he's the oldest voter.es jes >> he's the oldest voter.t jest >> he's the oldest voter.jest v >> he's the oldest voter.est vo >> he's the oldest voter.st vot >> he's the oldest voter.t vote >> he's the oldest voter. voter >> he's the oldest voter. >> is there significance to the order that they are taking the vote, george? >> there are three groups of cardinals, lester. the most senior are called cardinal bishops, although all of them are bishops. then the greatest number of cardinals, the residential

diocesan bishops are called cardinal priests and they are the titular pastors. we saw last sunday that many of them went out to the parishes to celebrate mass. the cardinals that live in rome are called cardinal deacons. so the oath swearing takes place by order of precedence within those three groups of cardinals. >> so the last cardinal to take the oath will be cardinal harvey from milwaukee who works here. he's the most junior of the cardinals. >> will this be the order that they vote in. >> yes? >> the ballot. >> the ballot says i elect as supreme pontiff and then there's a blank line and you write the name. >> how do they discourage their handwriting to keep that process as secret as possible? >> they're told to make it legible but disguise your

handwriting which seems a tad incongruous. >> some of them certainly know each other. they've spent the last several days in the congregation formally talking over the matters of the church but in some cases truly getting to know each other. >> i think that's right. they took that time to vett one another. >> they said, we're not in a hurry. >> yeah. i think they wanted some extra time. >> this is for many of these men, lester, the most significant decision they'll make in their lives perhaps after the decision to enter the seminary and become a priest. it takes a certain seriousness to live through this moment, and i think you see that in the faces here. >> bring in anne thompson who is down on st. peter's square watching this along with crowds on the big screen tv. you've had a lot of access to the american cardinals the last couple of weeks, and how would

you describe their spirits and how they have enjoyed, to some extent, the process? >> reporter: the reception of the american cardinals here in rome. i mean, on sunday i went to both the mass of cardinal dolan and cardinal o'malley, and they reminded me of campaign rallies. the last days of new hampshire before presidential primaries. the eye tall yn peopitalian peo in the church were so excited that these men were saying mass. if cardinal dolan's church, which is a very plain church on the outskirts of rome, all the parishioners stayed after mass. he talked to everyone, shook every hand, kissed every baby, took pictures with nuns. they were very enthusiastic. the same with shaun o'malley. the italians really seem to be taken by his very humble

presence and they are very intrigued by this man who three times in his career in the american church has been asked to go in and clean up diocese that have been impacted by clergy sex abuse. and i think between that and his robes and his sandals and his very humble presence that he gives, the italian people have really taken to him. lester? >> father barron, the last time we saw this process play out it had fallen to the death of a pope. john paul ii's legacy, spirit hung heavy in the room. different circumstances. to what extent does pope benedict have an impact on this process, if any? >> i think he certainly does to the fact that 67 of these men will vote and he appointed them. also this unprecedented moment that we have, that there is now a pope emeritus that is still

alive and present. it's hard to imagine it wouldn't have some impact even though he, i think, will very happily move into retirement and does not want to influence this in any direct way, of course, but i can't help but think his presence is felt. the other major difference you alluded to, john paul died in the city that was filled with millions of people that came for the funeral. there was a huge spiritual uplift that preceded the conclave, something very different this time with the resignation of a pope. that's go the to affect at least the mood of the conclave. >> the u.s. bishop of carteau of sudan. i think the tallest. a man of good humor in very difficult circumstances.

>> george, you had said earlier zero chance of selecting a pope today. so how do the votes tend to go in these first elections? >> it's traditional in papal n conclav conclaves, that cardinals will pay tribute to friends who will not otherwise get votes, thanking them for their service to the church. there's some serious voting here too. in 2005 conclave the first vote showed that cardinal ratzinger was ahead of the field by 36 lengths. this was like sec kre tretariat belmont. >> we know where this is going. >> we know where this is going. that will not happen this time because it's a very different field of contenders, if you

will. and as father barron was saying, a very different moment. these men are acutely aware that in a church which lives by tradition, this has never happened before. there have been papal abdications before, but they were under wholly different circumstances than this. >> and let's be clear, this is not just a role as spiritual head of this church, this is a managerial position of a very, very large organization, and the managerial style of pope benedict has been under some question as you're well aware this last couple of weeks. are they looking at each other through the eyes of a manager at this point? >> i think that's one of the considerations. number one is someone that can evangelize, that can have that winsome presentation of the catholic gospel, but i think they are looking for somebody with managerial skill. we talk about priest, prophet

and king. sanctifier, teacher, governor and ruler. a lot of cardinals have been talking about that governing role has to come to the fore. i think that's very much on their minds. in some ways the expectations of a pope are unrealistic. you have to be an evangelist, a ceo, a manager. >> when we cut to this picture, i keep thinking one among them is going to become the next pope, and then my next thought is which among them wants to be pope. >> well, lester, if you want to be pope, you're almost automatically disqualified, not for reasons of lack of humility. marc ouellet of quebec. not for lack of humility but lack of prudence, perhaps even sanity. no one should want this job for

the reasons that father barron just indicated. i think in recent days here there's been a consensus emerging that you can't expect the pope to do it all and, therefore, you have to try to find that charismatic, evangelical pastor father barron was talking about with the shrewdness to hire a chief operating officer to make the vatican work for him and for the church. >> if you're just joining us we're watching the 115 voting cardinals as they take their solemn oath before they start the process here shortly to begin electing the next pope. we see the third in line there, that appears to be cardinal sean o'malley. 68 years old so on the younger side. >> about the right age, yeah. >> and right behind cardinal o'malley is the former long-time

secretary to pope john paul ii and now the arch bishop of krakow, poland. >> and here now, cardinal o'malley. he has a rich, resonant voice. >> we're told he's gifted in many languages. that would certainly be an asset. he can speak in five or six languages. >> in the congregations that they've had over the last -- over the last week, do they make speeches? how does one view a cardinal he doesn't know and gets a sense of that person's capabilities? >> the interventions, as they're

called, are limited to about five minutes so it's not a long opportunity, but you can pack a lot into five minutes. a man can talk about, for example, as cardinal o'brien, formerly archbishop of baltimore did, talk about the challenges that the church faces from jihadist islam around the world. others talked about what kind of a pope they think is necessary at this moment in history, and, of course, everybody is taking the measure of each other in the course of those streams or strings of interventions. >> when the vote is taken, are there any admonitions at that point? anymore discussion or any more said? >> the process is complicated, actually, and quite clear.

each cardinal casts an individual ballot. when all 115 are cast, those votes are brought to a table that will be set up tomorrow or later this afternoon in front of that altar where three counters, called scrutineers, who are chosen by lot, first count the ballots to make sure they've got the right number, 115. then the first cardinal counter or scrutineer opens the ballot, notes down the name, passes it to the second one, who notes the name, passes it to the third one who notes the name and announces in public, and everyone else in the room, of course, has got a personal score card that they're keeping as well. >> one vote today. win or lose, it will probably occur, what, roughly 3:00 eastern time we would see smoke. and then moving forward into the

subsequent days, tomorrow, two votes in the morning, one right after the other, and then as needed, two more in the afternoon. >> that's right. this is cardinal daniel dinardo, gal galveston, houston, texas. >> cardinal scherer of san paulo, brazil. >> and he's another of the cardinals who has been spoken about a lot this week as a front-runner. i hate to use the term front-runner because it implies there's a political contest as we tend to know it, but there are some names that have been spoken about more than others. >> between the morning and afternoon balloting period the cardinals return to the saint martha house for lunch, for a

rest, and for what you can assume will be some very serious conversations. different clusters of cardinals try to figure out what happened. >> so there are conversations outside the vote? >> absolutely. without a doubt. >> there will be conversations tonight when they go back to the saint martha house after the first vote. sorry. >> no, you'll get some indications from the first vote. it will be inconclusive. you'll get some indication. for the first time they'll see, oh, there's someone who actually got some votes. so i think it's a telling moment even though it will almost certainly be inconclusive. >> but you will see look at this cardinal, maybe we should come around to this side. >> maybe someone we didn't talk about surprisingly got some votes. so i think it will clarify things a bit, this first vote. >> cardinal coming up is

cardinal donald whirl, the archbishop of washington, and another native of pittsburgh which is well represented among the college. >> i have to wonder how many of them are going through the same process the rest of us are, wondering who the front-runners truly are. >> this is cardinal nitche of warsaw. i think, lester, this has been a quite striking experience for these cardinals. the last time this happened it was pretty clear fairly soon in the general congregation what was called a consensus of esteem

was building around cardinal ratzinger and the first vote in which he got repeatedly almost an absolute majority sealed the deal, if you will, made it clear which way this was going. >> do you think there's some unity, though, in the direction that they all want to go in terms of the type of quality that they feel the church needs most at this point in its history? >> i think there's a consensus that a pastor with some charisma is what is needed put a face on the catholic church. this is cardinal thomas collins of toronto will be the next man to swear the oath. there's also real concern that the vatican machinery needs to be fixed. >> george, we're just going to pause here for a moment to allow other stations to join our coverage. you're watching coverage of the papal conclave about to start on nbc.

>> lester holt in rome. you're watching nbc live coverage of the election of the pope. these are the 115 voting cardinals who are inside the sistine chapel now each taking the oath, putting their hand on the bible, and taking the oath before they begin the process of electing the next leader of the roman catholic church, the next pope. and we're waiting for -- this is cardinal dolan of new york.

>> jovial, charismatic, some of the words used to describe cardinal dolan. we noted earlier, kind of discounted himself, his own candidacy. let's quickly go to anne thompson on saint peter square. anne? >> lester, i'm sorry. i can't hear you. >> what kind of reaction was -- >> you know, we've been -- lester, there was actually a cheer that went up here in the square when cardinal dolan took his oath. i guess if there was a popular vote here in st. peter's square, you have to give it to timothy

dolan, the archbishop of new york. there are actually several groups of americans who are here in the square. we've seen an american flag, we've seen a texas a&m flag, but throughout this process i'm just struck by how people are drawn here to st. peter's square, to come and participate. it is pouring rain and yet they still come, they still stand in front of these jumbotrons and very respectfully watch this process happen. but, again, the only one we've heard a cheer for is timothy dolan. lester? >> quite a scene out there on st. peter's square. steady rain falling here over vatican city in rome. the people, as we've seen, standing out there watching it on the big screen tvs. all of us have been stopped somewhere along the way by when is the smoke. when is the vote? there's the radar. looks like more rain coming our way. we're hoping, as they did last time, they will have a light trained on the chimney so we'll

be able to see the smoke should it be later in the evening. there's the picture, st. peter's square, as folks stand in the rain watching the tv and later they'll be watching that chimney pipe watching for smoke which we expect will be black signifying an inconclusive vote. little more than 30 cardinals left to go to take the oath. at some point, as i understand it, fair barother barron, will s done. >> it's over. the conclave kicks in and all the speculation ends and there they are, these 115 men. that's what's so fascinating about this moments. >> a lot of them have not done it. more than half were not here, were not present? >> there were a certain number that were in the conclave 2005 this time.

>> that's another difference because in 2005 only two members of the conclave had ever done the drill before. cardinal ratzinger and cardinal william down, the former arch bishop of washington, everybody was a rookie. there are a lot of veterans of this process here on this occasion. >> and we're joined by liz lev. nice to have you here as we continue our coverage of the cardinals about to begin the election of the next pope. and, liz, it's such a magnificent backdrop. if you've been fortunate enough to take a tour, you are ssee it lit by television lights. >> it took ten years to clean that chapel. when we visit it we see it as perfectly cleaned but it's in more of a shadowy image except for a sunny image.

to see it with the lights on, with the images that really pop out at you that tell the story in such a powerful way. >> it is a stunning chapel. >> nothing like it in the world. 20 more cardinals will make their way to swear the oath and the process will continue on with the -- outside our view, certainly, with the election of the next pope.

>> the third cardinal in line here -- woops. the third cardinal in line is cardinal raymond park, one of the two wisconsin natives.

>> swiss cardinal crock who runs the pontifical council for promoting christianity. >> we should note the combinations have improved over the next couple of conclaves. it used to be a spartan number of people between the votes. >> it's a guest house. >> it's not very plush but it's better than living in jury rigged rooms with cots which used to be the arrangement in the apostolic palace. they would cut it up into little cubicles. if you got the one without a bath one without a bathroom. >> the conclaves of 1978, that was not that long ago. >> as we heard, no phones, no

faxes, no e-mail. they will be cut off from the rest of the world. clearly they live in a world of social media which wasn't really much of a big deal eight years ago. they know what's been said about the church, the challenges. they've discussed them themselves. now they're in the sistine chapel and they are truly on their own. >> father barron, i talked to you about this the other day, but i think it's important to stress. this is the leader of more than 1 billion catholics that will be chosen here. what's the significance for the rest of the world, the non-catholic world, what's taking place here? >> well, i think the pope yes, indeed, is the leader of catholics. there's something that's so powerful about the pope being the symbolic figure and the spiritual figure. i think the world is galvanized by the papacy. that's why the whole world is watching now. i think he does have a resonance far beyond the catholic church. the catholic church does have a

universal aspiration to preach to all the nations so he has an evangelical call to preach to all the nations. it does have an impact around the world, absolutely. >> and, liz, as we noted, you're an american who's lived in rome for a very long time. i was speaking to folks on the streets here yesterday, and they said, we don't have a government. we don't have a pope. we should note, this is a very difficult time right now in italy. they had political elections here. >> yes. >> which were inconclusive. there is no ruling government right now. is the election of a pope a welcome dits straktion or was it another reminder of the sense of waiting in this country? >> i'm feeling like we're pinning our hopes on this pontificate. we're hoping this will get resolved and the rest will fall into place. let's get our church settled and the rest of the world will be

settled. italy has been ordered that way for many years. it wouldn't be bad if we followed it a little bit more, no? >> one of my memories of being here eight years ago is when we did see the white smoke and when we confirmed it was white smoke was to watch this city respond and by the thousands people pouring into st. peter's square. >> running into saint pett. pet square. >> cardinal edward o'brien, former archbishop of baltimore, a new york native now working here in rome. pair paratrooper chaplain in vietnam. >> to what extent there are 11 cardinals from the united states, to what extent do they have a conversation among just the 11 of them about the

direction they want to go. >> they've been meeting in the evening to survey the terrain to see if they can come to an understanding. this is cardinal harvey, native of milwaukee. last of the cardinals to swear the oath. >> the american cardinals keenly aware of the growing disconnect between the curia. >> what will happen next? >> the sermon prescribed to be prepared will be prepared by an elderly cardinal, one of the over 80-year-old men. a great patristic scholar, a great student of saint a gust thyme. this is the papal master of ceremonies. >> there you go. >> everybody out. >> saying it without tremendous

authority, i must say, but the words nonetheless. >> and in this case who is he speaking to? who's everybody? >> the attendants, the other assistant masters of ceremonies, other members of the papal household, some security people, plain clothes and otherwise. they're all leaving now. and it will be cardinal harvey, as the soon i don't remember cardinal deacon, who will close the door from the inside. actually, no, on this occasion it will be i think monseigneur morini. during the voting, cardinal harvey is the door chief. >> and that staff we saw leaving, they were all sworn to secrecy yesterday, i believe. >> the secrecy thing, lester, bears a bit of comment.

it's not being precious. it's a matter of trying to insulate this process from external pressures. the history of the papacy is filled with governmental interference, interferences in italian nobility, etc. it's the church's own process so that a conscientious and prudent decision can be reached. >> and an acknowledgment of modern technology to the extent this room was swept for bugs, for listening devices. >> a bigger crowd than i originally thought. >> yeah. >> that's a hot ticket if you can get in for that part of the proceedings. >> a privilege to be kicked out

of the sistine chapel. >> and, liz, we know it was a short procession from the pauline chapel to the sistine. the pauline chapel is -- >> no, the pauline chapel is up by the pope's apartment. they go from this magnificent work from mikele angelo where you have the death of saint peter and convergence of st. paul. the room between the two was usually used for royal visitors. the doorway that he will close into that hallway.

quite a shot. >> closed from the inside, and now their process -- what will take place now out of the camera view, george? >> there will be a sermon preached by this elderly cardinal i mentioned a moment ago. then he will be invited out, as will monseigneur morini and they will be on their own, 115 men. they'll take that first ballot, i would think in perhaps 40 to 45 minutes, perhaps an hour, depending on how long the sermon is, and then we should see some smoke within an hour of the beginning of that. >> and here again, first ballot can occur on the first day, it does not have to take place. we would expect it would. four ballots. they'll do two in the morning, they would do two later in the

day and this process does have some pauses built in. after three full days, i guess this would be saturday, they would take a pause to pray and to reflect and then to select a pope, 2/3 plus one for an election. >> 77 in this case. >> tall order given the lineup, if you will? >> i think it's going to be difficult for anyone to get to 77 quickly. i don't think this is going to be a simple or easy process. the longest conclave in the 20th century was five days in 1922. it's not inconceivable that this could top that record. >> we look at the crowds on a rainy day here in st. peter's square who have been watching all of this play out on big tv screens that were set up on either side of the square. a lot of americans in this crowd. we've been down there. a lot of tourists, people on

spring break who had made their plans months ago to be in rome and it just happened to coincide with the drama of the resignation and a conclave and many of them hoping they will be in this place when we see white smoke, perhaps as early as today, not likely, but certainly in the days ahead. it's an amazing bit of pageantry that we've watched, tradition, and pomp, but at the end of the day it's all about electing a leader. >> it all comes down to galloway and fisherman. buried in the vatican hill. it's amazing that that's why we're here, to choose a successor of that fisherman. >> and we will be here throughout this process. we'll be watching carefully, that chimney, when there is smoke. we'll come on the air and tell you what it says. for now, from vatican city, i'm lester holt, nbc news. willie is texts me during the

bach. >> christina said the same thing. dude, if you're watching, do your homework before the show. >> it's like sportscenter. i don't interrupt. come on, man. >> you have a pavlovian reaction. i filibustered so long we have to save threading. >> bring her out. >> do we have two seconds? >> two seconds. >> okay. come on out. >> this is threading. hair removal. >> shashi. i walk around. what is threading? >> it's a natural way of hair removal to remove the hair from the root. rest your head here. >> we'll go to break while you do it. >> rest, willie. >> get him good. >> why would i do this instead

of plucking? >> it's a natural way of hair removal. >> oh, dear god! it's a pinch. i get the message. we'll be right back. ow! >> good job, willie. >> we'll be right back with more of savannah's conversation with valerie harper. ockringing ] [ female announcer ] if you have rheumatoid arthritis, can you start the day the way you want? can orencia help? [ woman ] i wanted to get up when i was ready, not my joints. [ female announcer ] could your "i want" become "i can"? talk to your doctor. orencia reduces many ra symptoms like pain, morning stiffness and progression of joint damage. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you are prone to or have any infection like an open sore or the flu or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease.

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despite her laryngitis valerie wanted to speak out. >> it has been so warming and so comforting and so, really -- i feel embraced. it feels awful damn good to be open about it, face it and see what you can do. >> reporter: valerie harper, alongside husband tony cacciotti has been facing her diagnosis with grace. >> this came out like a thunderbolt. hit us. she's so damn positive. i have been with her 34 years. she's always been this way. but now it's overwhelming at times. it's really tough because she's my best friend and --

>> you don't want me to go. >> not yet. >> i don't want to either. >> despite a difficult and uncertain prognosis, valerie makes sure her time with family including daughter christina is punctuated with laughter. >> forgiving is giving up the wish that things could have been different. they weren't. that's the past. let it go. i have cancer. it's in my brain in a strange way. what are you going to do about it? >> you're a spiritual person. do you think about what comes after this life? >> sure. i see it as a passage. you have to just say, i'm willing to embrace it -- whatever it is. i have had such a great run, savannah. i'm going on 74. i want people to be less afraid. i guess that's why i'm sharing it. >> does this look real? >> oh, come on! >> reporter: it's a road that included bringing rhoda morgenstern to life on "the mary tyler moore show" and its spin-off, "rhoda." >> we're fine.

joe's fighting with his suit. >> is rhoda your favorite character? >> oh, yes. she's been the wind in the sails of my career. >> valerie had time to reminisce while putting together her memoir "i, rhoda" which was published prior to her diagnosis. >> this "the mary tyler moore show" era seems like a charmed time in your life. >> it was. i didn't know. you know, i'm part of a classic. you just know you're doing a wonderful show. >> reporter: these days her focus is on her family, her health and the possibilities that lie ahead. >> it was my regular internist. he said, anyone that's been in oncology for any number of years has seen spontaneous remission. they have. so what i'm saying is keep your consciousness, your thoughts open to infinite possibilities.

keep yourself open to miracles. >> we are hoping for a miracle for valerie, wishing her all the best. coming up next, getting your kids to eat healthier, right after this. start with the best. use only natural ingredients. make something original. genuine. real. so peel it open. stir it up. and raise a cup to the real. we don't spend money inventing phrases like "triple jumbo giant roll" to tell you scott 1000 has 1,000 sheets. instead, we give you deals and rewards when you join scott shared values. sign up at scottbrand.com. see... 1000.

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every year hundreds of promising cancer studies go unfunded. let's make sure that no research is silenced. let's make noise. and let's help the american cancer society finish the fight. oh hey bernice. do i know you? i'm jay, and you're not nearly as old looking as these other ladies. oh, well thank you. [ chuckles ] bernice! he's a liquid gold digger. oh! he preys on women who cook with velveeta. be quiet helen. uh! [ male announcer ] liquid gold diggers love liquid gold. this morning in today's kitchen, salads as easy as one, two, three. at 12, hailey thomas has already met her celebrity eyele dolls, chefs like tom colicchio and

alice waters. she wants to inspire kids to eat healthy and is traveling the country with a for kids, by kids menu. good morning. you're quite a little slacker. no, no. you're doing a great job. how long have you been cooking? >> since i was really 5. >> wow. >> it's been a long time. >> you have great recipes kids can make starting with a quinoa and shrimp salad. >> the ingredients are simple. i will have you -- >> you cooked the quinoa already. >> it takes 20 minutes. then we have corn, black beans. these are great flavor combinations. you know, really bright with some onion, tomatoes. then add just a pinch of salt. mix it up for me and incorporate it while i go over here and work

on the shrimp. >> this is something you made -- that was prepared for the first lady's first kids state dinner. >> yes. that was very exciting to have the first lady enjoy my food. all right. so once that's incorporated we'll add it to the plate. for this shrimp here, i'm going to add some garlic and some sea salt. >> shrimp cooks quickly, right? >> really quickly. i paired it with shrimp because i love seafood so much. get that in there. >> smells terrific. so you're going to cook that up. >> it cooks for a few minutes. >> this is a finished version. >> yes. so add this to our plate. there we go. >> all plated up. that looks lovely. i love the other idea. you have salad kabobs. >> yes. this is on the kids' menu.

it's really simple and delicious, too. i'd say we should get some kabobs together. >> start with cheese -- >> smells great, hailey. >> isn't it terrific? >> wow. you know your stuff. >> lettuce. it has a great honey mustard sauce. >> so a little dipping thing. this is really terrific. >> the whole point of the menu is to have it fun, fresh, flavorful, sophisticated and interactive. >> your friends can make it. hailey, thank you so much. you have to do a cookbook. >> thank you. >> she will. i'm sure. >> we'll be back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

(sir can-a-lot) good day, ma' lady. i am sir can-a-lot, here to save you from another breakfast bore. wake up those eggs with glorious spam! (male announcer) break the monotony. visit spam.com. coming up tomorrow, jill martin's must have list. >> she must have some of this. >> this is really good. you impressed us all.

>> superstar. >> right. up next, kathie lee and hoda, jillian michaels with tips to keep you fit for life. >> after your local news and weather.

9:56. i'm marla tellez. free on all counts this morning. an east bay man who served 14 years in prison for a crime he did not commit is speaking out. nbc bay area will be the first local station to talk to johnny

williams this morning. williams was convicted of attempting to rape a 9-year-old girl back in 1998. but this month a judge overturned his conviction after dna testing spearheaded by northern california innocence project out of santa clara university proved he did not commit the crime. we will have an interview with williams later on nbc news at 5:00. let's go ahead and take a look at this gorgeous forecast with christina loren. >> thanks, marla. we have a good looking day shaping up. the warmest of the year so far. that warm-up continues. we'll peak tomorrow. yes, near the 80 degree mark just about everywhere, bypass that mark, could touch on mid-80s in lawrimore for wednesday. as we head through monday, things will clear off. still have showers. 78 in livermore, 74 los gatos, 71 san francisco. getting into the weekend temps cool just a touch.

nice and comfortable for your outdoor plans. good morning, mike. we'll have a great day once that fog burns off. still have low clouds in many spots. that's not the reason for the slowing you're looking for right here. turn the camera south of the coliseum, looking at the southbound site. typically the lighter noncommute side. southbound jams up past 98 sounds like maybe closer to davis street in san leandro. we do have a crash there. there's a slow drive before the coliseum past davis. north side slowing, looks like that's where it is. a distraction in the fast lane. looking at the fog also orange drifting around. lighter volume of traffic there. peninsula, smooth for 101. >> thanks, mike. we'll be back again at 10:26. we'll see you in about 30.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> it is booze-day tuesday, everyby, i bet you didn't know that, it is march 12th. march is marching on and this is a big surprise came in the news. >> a big day for drinking and drinks, isn't it? >> yeah, here in new york it is. you think this is a big national story? >> we're hoping so. >> because we're trend-setters. as you guys know, mayor bloomberg was tire of having those big jumbo drinks full of sugar in movie theaters and bodegas, he wanted to put a ban

on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. it was supposed to go into effect tuesday. lo and behold, look what was on the cover of the "new york post." it got struck down and everyone seems joyful. >> that guy is. >> he runs a pizza place, i think. >> he's filling up his cup. >> i wonder if he's happy about that picture? >> probably. here is the judge who struck it down. >> because he likes his big drinks. >> anyway -- >> we're not making any judgments. >> no, we are not. the judge said that mayor bloomberg's plan was quote arbitrary and capricious, that the city extended its authority and the fact that refills were not restricted would quote defeat the purpose of the rule. i think he has a point. we were talking about that. what makes a person not be able to go back and get another one and another one. >> people are lazy. >> you're so good at math. you can get this and say you really wanted to get this. right? >> you could get two of those.

>> you could get what, hold it up. >> people are lazy. and they don't want to buy two or three. can you imagine drinking that? that's, that's kind of gross. is it diet? >> no, it's not diet. >> when you think about how many calories are in that -- you know what? this is one of those instances where i think you got to say -- good for mayor bloomberg, he's trying to come up with something. because we have a huge, huge problem in our country of obesity, which leads to all kinds of other health problems like diabetes and everything else. but i don't think you can legislate either morality in a sense or people's behavior. people are going to drink what they want to drink. and eat what they want to eat, hoda-woman. >> if you ban things, i'm sure there are fewer smokers because there are fewer places to smoke. ? we asked a friend who does smoke. and said listen, if it were banned completely in new york, and you can't smoke anywhere,

what would happen. and she said, i would quit. and then she said, no, i would quit the job. but she said no, i would quit smoking, i have to because i need my job. >> the mayor is going to appeal that. so he has another shot at it we'll see what happens. speaking of drinking, it's booze-day tuesday. we have these drinks. >> what is hudson common, you guys? >> it's a liquor. >> it's a restaurant, and this has been sponsored by them or inspired by them, which is an inside joke. >> it's got a lot of -- a blend of liquors, vodka, champagne -- anyway. >> thank god i don't like this stuff. can you imagine if i liked even more stuff? >> you like enough stuff. >> i like enough stuff. >> so "the view" made an announcement, a couple of announcements yesterday, one that elizabeth hasselbeck is staying. >> i'm really glad, i happen to

know elizabeth really well and happen to adore her. she is one of the best people you know her, hoda? >> i don't know her as well as you know her. >> she's a doll. >> another announcement is that joy behar is leaving "the view." she was announced her top ten reasons to leave "the view." here's one of them. >> i have my top ten reasons for leaving "the view." would you like to hear them? okay! number one -- number ten, i mean, number ten. abc won't let me drink on the air like hoda and kathie lee. >> yeah. >> there you go. what other reasons do you need? >> we want to wish everybody the best and i have known joy behar for so many years, and it goes back do when i first came to new york 31 years ago and worked at a different network and worked at a different morning show. she was the receptionist for the

executive producer at that show. at the time. and literally, was doing stand-up at night. so what whether you agree or disagree with her politically or you like her or dislike what she does on the air -- she worked hard. she has worked really hard and we wish her all the best and i'm glad that elizabeth is going to stay. i think the dissenting views are important and we have to learn to live on the same planet with one another, hoda. look at you and me. oil and water. >> i predict a blow-out on friday. >> yeah. >> i'm going on record and making a prediction for friday that you and i are going to have a major blow-out. >> it could happen any day. you know what could happen today? >> what. >> a landmark. >> today? >> on what? >> on facebook. we are so close to reaching half a million. >> we've not that close. we've been saying it for months. people aren't liking us. >> they are liking us.

>> they aren't liking us on the facebook page. >> maybe it's because we haven't begged. >> we've been begging, shaking a can. >> in is no longer working. >> i don't like the foam thumb. no one is interested. >> so i'm going to get down -- that's right. please like us on facebook! please! please like us! it would really mean a lot to koda-bub. she's very insecure and see thinks people don't like her and i know some of you don't like her. but please, like us on facebook. >> i know three people who do like us and like you and me and are standing right over there. cameron, holly, and holly's daughter caroline are high school friends of mine. we all went to high school and they're just here visiting. >> we've got three likes. >> only attractive friends. >> they are -- >> every friend of yours is like really attractive. >> thank you. >> not all their husbands and boyfriends, but all your

friends. >> all right -- >> we had 497 and 47 likes so far. hoda, you're terrible at math. that's very close do half a million. >> we've had 490-something thousand for four months. >> because you think you're too big, you're too important to beg. people like begging. yes, they do. they do. it makes them feel powerful. >> if we hit half a million -- >> you'll beg for a million? >> i'll beg you for forgiveness. how about that? >> you need to do that anyway. >> sheryl sandberg has opened up quite a can of worms. >> here's the thing, she's the coo of facebook. she's 43 years old and she's talking about a lot of things we've been talking about for a long time. >> especially in light of melissa mayer, who is the head of -- yahoo. so -- this is why i didn't want

to do this in the first place. >> why? >> because i think we've made, i don't know why this is a big thing now. we've been discussing these issues forever. >> she's saying all of these young women are graduating college and the number of ceos and people running companies are so small and she's saying you guys have do lean in and don't opt out before you have a chance to get it or not get it. some people are opting out because they've had a chance to try. they opt out because they might have kids and they make all of these decisions. where men go ahead and say, i'll do it they might not be as qualified but they jump in the deep end. >> do you think men lie more than women on their resumés? >> yes, they do. i think women feel more afraid of getting caught. i think guys have more confidence. >> i learned a lesson yesterday. i was with a friend and he was telling me that he was, driving anywhere a school and he saw this woman standing in the middle of the street. and he was very concerned about

her. because she was erratic and she was, you could tell she was very upset. and he thought maybe she needed help. he goes to her, rolls down the window. she starts screaming, screaming at him. you told me to meet me here. it was some guy she met, she was supposed to meet some guy on online. he realizes he can't help her, he's trying to roll up the window. she smacks the car, leaves a huge hand print on the window. why am i telling you this? >> i don't know. i tuned out, but what -- what happened? >> what happened to the lady. >> lying, that's why. she lied about what she looked like online, so when the guy showed up, he kept going. >> ha does that have to do about sandberg and coos? >> this is a woman who is not

leaning in. >> that's a wrap, that's good, that's a nice story. >> hoda, there's a lesson to be learned from this. is that joanne? that's my goal every day, is to get joanne on the floor, laughing into her depends. >> ready? >> for what? i don't know. >> she went from dating -- >> wait, wait, before we go, our facebook page is on fire. we're almost there, if we're there by the end of this show -- what -- no, no, it's 944, 949, 950, 955, 99 -- we did it! >> we did it! >> let's see the number. >> we did it! >> klg, you're all right.

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she is a 4'9" reality star that's always been larger than life. nicole snooki polizzi has turned from party girl to proud mama. >> she's dropped 42 pounds after having her baby. she's flaunting her body on the current cover of "us weekly." >> and also wrapping up the second season of her "jersey shore" spinoff and it's a family affair. take a look. >> first the umbilical cord. >> and then the poop. >> now the social security card. >> he's growing up. >> what's next? >> i'm not ready for this. >> and she's here. >> it doesn't matter if you're ready, it's going to happen anyway, right? >> can we talk about how cute that little baby is for just one

second? >> right? i'm not just saying it because he's my baby. but he's so cute. >> is motherhood what you thought? >> it's even better. i mean i was definitely a little nervous, because i wasn't good with kids in the beginning. but everything came so naturally and he's such a good baby. he's always smiling and laughing, i got lucky. >> how did you learn how to hold him, how to feed him, how to change him? >> it was an experience. i got thrown into it. holding him. it came naturally. >> did you have a few mess-ups? >> yeah, i hit his head a couple of times. >> it's amazing what babies survive. >> he's okay. >> how about your man? how is he taking to fatherhood? >> he is amazing, he's a great father. only because i feel like he's grown up with kids, his family is huge. he's always been around kids. so he's like the awesome one and you know i'm still learning. >> and how has your relationship changed as a result of being parents to this beautiful baby boy? >> well there's no romantic stuff any more. it's all about the baby, obviously. >> well, the baby does sleep at times? >> not really.

>> now when we were doing the interview, they were saying on the notes that we've always called you snooki. >> we never knew you had another name. but in interviews you like to be called now by your given name, which is nicole. >> it's nice to hear my real name once in a while. snooki is what i'm known as, but i like nicole, too, so i think it's cool to use both. >> are the party days gone, is that it? >> i have no motivation to even go out and party. but i do once in a while, when i do like to drink, i like to go out with my girls and have a glass of wine. but not like the crazy days. >> are you concerned at all that the new nicole polizzi who doesn't party and isn't known for all of her wild antics and stuff that you'll still be appealing to same audience that you once had in the "jersey shore"? >> i think it's different and my fans are growing with me and they're proud of me and my parents are proud of me and my friends are proud of me. i started at 21, drinking and partying. now i'm a mom and everything is

just changing. look how funny i looked. >> how did you lose the weight? >> i lost 20 pounds from breastfeeding, that was awesome and i waited six weeks until i could work out. and i got a trainer, got my butt into a gym and i've been working hard for four months. >> do you watch everything you eat? >> yes. no carbs, no dairy. trying to be gluten-free. >> are you going to -- well, once the kid discovers french fries, it's a new challenge. >> i'll want all their fries. >> everything kids like taste so much better than everything we eat. >> chicken nuggets. >> great to see. >> and give lorenzo a smooch for us. >> our girl sara heads up the river with a paddle. >> up the river with a paddle. ♪ up the lazy river iful.

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time for sara breaks out of the city. >> she headed down 0 one of my favorite cities, she went to new orleans. >> hoda's home sweet home, a perfect setting for a mark twain voyage. an overnight cruise up the mississippi river. i left a good job in the city and hitched a ride on the 418-foot-long "american queen." like any other cruise, there's a pool, gym and wireless internet. but this boat also has a paddle wheel and a caliope. >> what's the appeal of a steam boat. >> are you kidding? >> aside from the wheel that -- >> we're a floating mansion of our world. we're all about the slower and easier lifestyle and pace. >> you think of mark twain when you think of steam boats and the river. is there, do you guys try to play to that? >> we do. we certainly know where our roots are and where we came

from. >> up to 436 passengers can sleep on the "american queen." as they board, i join t steam boat syncopaters to welcome everyone. the boat cruises up and down the mississippi with stops in new orleans, memphis, st. louis, and even st. paul, minnesota. down in the engine room, ada teaches me how steam keeps everything rolling along. i'll go first. [ bell ringing ] >> that's ahead. this is forward, that's good. leave it where it is. and now he wants full, so pull it all the way out. >> that's it? >> no. >> there you go. >> after a passenger safety check, it's time to signal our departure. it's full steam ahead as we say good-bye to new orleans, and the big wheel keeps on turning.

♪ left a good job in the city ♪ working for the man every night and day ♪ ♪ and i never lost one minute of sleeping ♪ ♪ worrying about the way things might have been ♪ ♪ big wheel keep on turning ♪ proud mary keep on burning ♪ rolling ♪ rolling ♪ rolling on the river ♪ rolling ♪ rolling ♪ rolling on the river ♪ woo woo woo woo woo woo >> we cruise along at about seven miles per hour while passengers wine and dine and relax and take in a show before bed time. at the crack of dawn, we approach the historic oak alley plantation and i help the deck hands dock at their first stop of the journey. >> grab here. what we do is pull on the line. they're pushing, we're pulling.

>> these ropes are weighted down with a small steel ball to keep the boat from floating away. >> i'm towing the line, chains couldn't handle it. >> let's see you throw it. >> okay. while i apologized, the passengers are free to explore or just enjoy the view of the mighty mississippi. some new friends from oak alley join me to wish everyone bon voyage. and then, almost as quickly as she came, the proud "american queen" just keeps flowing down the river. >> nice. that looks like so much fun. >> it was a blast and the food is one of the perks. fried chicken and champagne is what the culinary director swears by. >> nothing is -- >> better than champagne. >> please mayor bloomberg don't say we can't have any fried chicken any more.

>> we have a lot of stuff coming up. >> the perfect pair of jeans to fit your body type -- important! ♪ we need more money ♪ they say ♪ stop and smell the flowers ♪ and lose it ♪ and dance with me all together now! ♪ hey, baby, when i'm lookin' at you ♪ ♪ i know this fact is true ♪ there's beauty in the world ♪ hey, baby, when i'm lookin' at you ♪ ♪ there's beauty in the world ♪ [ clapping ] [ ding! ] losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-potato chip decoy bag. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. [ male announcer ] with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting.

so it can feel like you're using nothing at all. but neosporin® eczema essentials™ is different. its multi-action formula restores visibly healthier skin in 3 days. neosporin® eczema essentials™. in 3 days. fruit just got cooler. fruit on one side, cool on the other. ice breakers duo, a fruity cool way to break the ice. it is 10:26. good morning, i'm marla tellez. burglars have stolen two super bowl rings from san francisco 49ers kicker mike coffer. it happened at his las vegas area home thursday while he was watching his son's high school baseball game of the thieves

also took a coin collection and game console and several games but less a diamond ring. he played eight seasons in the nfl. he was on the niners when they won the super bowl in 1989 and 1990. i hope they catch those guys. take a look at the forecast and we'll check the commute coming up.

time is 10:28. a really nice day, believe it or not. fog clouds, low clouds starting

to clear. this is where we're headed. it's just going to take a little while longer near the coast and at the bay. temperatures so comfortable. this isn't even the warmest day, 78 for livermore, 74 santa teresa, in fremont meet back at 11:00. full forecast seven-day ready to go. we'll talk about showers as well. all in that forecast, 10:29. mike. >> south 880 jammed up. details, marla explains is something to whine about. exactly right. truck tipped over, spilled wine over half the freeway at the on ramp toward southbound 880 and davis street. causing distractions, the map shows you how slow, downtown oakland. north side a distraction as well. slowing in both directions. use 580 if you can. 101 recovering, south of the tunnel. the orange is shaping you there's fog in the north bay still. back to you. >> all that wasted wine. >> yes. >> more of the day's top stories coming up in 30 minutes.

jon kelley and i hope to see you again at 11:00. see you then. bl

blan. as nails trainer on nbc's "biggest loser" but jillian michaels has spent 20 years helping people reach their weight loss and health goals. >> she has a new book "slim for life." and i was driving in this morning with christine, and she was still crying from last night's show. she said it was so powerful and so moving. a lot like "the bachelor." but that's another, for other reasons. >> i never heard of that show.

what show? >> you've written books, done things, what makes this book special for people? >> gosh, this is really my simplest, most accessible and affordable approach. because after becoming a mom, i realized how unrealistic it was to be cooking every meal and buying all organic and going to the gym five times a week. >> it changes your perspective. >> but there is a way to do it. >> how? >> simple strategies like okay, these foods never, these foods 20% of the time. 80% of the time, make the better choice, these foods boost metabolism. free foods, which are the healthier stuff like the veggies. >> all the carrots you want. >> pretty much. and kale, all day long. but it's about how these people find the balance of all right. here's the eating schedule, four times a day every four hours, just really simple strategies and common-sense stuff that clears up all the misinformation

it deals with diet dilemmas like cravings, hunger, plateaus, emotional support. >> i feel so bad about those chicken legs we had. >> i feel terrible. >> they were so darn good. >> you're going to show us some exercises in a minute with sara. how has motherhood changed you? >> whoa? >> how has -- let's just -- how hasn't it? it changes you in every way. i have to say, it is the most challenging thing that i've ever done. and i struggle every day to kind of find my footing with it. but it's also the most amazing thing you could ever do. so -- >> will you show us a few moves -- >> we'll get sara, the young one to do it. >> so, all right i designed these moves, you can do them any place, any time, anywhere. so these are a little workout that i'm going to be doing, i'm going on a speaking tour this summer. >> where are you going? >> across the country.

>> 40-some cities? >> yes, across the country, across canada, i'm on a tour bus with the whole family. >> you think you're tired now. >> i know. this is the kind of stuff we're going to be doing. we start with jumping lungs, intensity, cardiovascular. if you have knee problems, you do regular lungs, don't jump. all the way down. we're going into crab kicks. this is fine. you see how she's working multiple muscle groups at the same time? shoulders, triceps, tush, legs. trying to sell a book here, she's happy. >> stand up, buddy. >> wow, that was fun. >> what i like to do is i like to do 30-second intervals of

repetition. >> so you don't get do exhausted that you get bored. >> and you can max out your absolute best performance. this is called the surfer get up. jumping into a plank and popping up like a surfer on a surfboard. >> jillian, we wish you all the best. >> everything you need for your next road trip. but first, these messages. >> good girl, sara! oh hey bernice. do i know you? i'm jay, and you're not nearly as old looking as these other ladies. oh, well thank you. [ chuckles ] bernice! he's a liquid gold digger. oh! he preys on women who cook with velveeta. be quiet helen. uh! [ male announcer ] liquid gold diggers love liquid gold.

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it's time for today's tech, if you're planning on hitting the road for your next vocation. don't grab your keys without checking these must-have gadgets. >> joe greenberg is the author of "gadget nation" and he's got good gadgets to make your trip more enjoyable. >> this is neo, it creates an

electronic leash for people who lose their keys. like if you leave your phone at the restaurant. when you're separated from it, like i'm going to separate right now. in a couple of seconds after you move away. an alarm will go off. >> just what we need, more alarms. >> but it's a great thing. >> but it's more noise pollution. this will rock your world. >> isn't it a great idea, you won't leave your phone in the cab. >> i need it for shoes. >> i love this. >> this is a travel mug, but almost like a magic trick. you can't knock it over, but yet you can pick it straight up. it's the magic of, you can push real hard. but, look, look, look at that. you are really trying to prove him wrong. >> she's tough. she's tough. >> you got to want to knock it down. otherwise they lift right up. really cool. >> oh man, oh man. >> next up this is called the go

pillow. this is a pillow, so it's for when you've got a baby in your arms. you've got a baby in your arms. a built-in blanket. you can keep the baby nursing, built into the pillow. invented bay mommy. it's great, darling. gopillow.com. >> that's a great present. >> next, you have this is called the tag-along teddy. if you go on a trip and the child leaves their toy at a rest stop or a restaurant it can ruin your whole trip. >> it can ruin your life depending on how attached the child is. >> this is a little backpack for your teddy right there it stays right there. >> is that cute? >> i love it. isn't that adorable. >> a tag-along teddy. >> why is it called tag-along teddy? >> that's what they're calling it. you have to go with that.

>> it look like a monkey to me. >> this is called the scrub that you can do laundry on the road. >> it's filled with hot water we these two set up. you take the bag, you add some water to it, and a little bit of soap, the clothes, a little bit of soap. and it seals up. it's got a built in washboard inside the bag. >> what are you talking about? >> you put the clothes in here and you roll it up just like this and that seals it up. >> why don't you just wash it in the sink. >> first of all, if you're backpacking or camping. >> it comes out clean? what about rinsing it? >> you do the same process with clean water and you rinse it out. >> i don't think these ladies do laundry. >> and you could also call room service. >> there you go! >> this is an app for your phone called i-exit. this shows you the road of all the exits ahead of you for hundreds of miles.

you can click on each exit. and see what's available at each exit. you can set filters. for example if you want mcdonald's at the playground or a pet-friendly hotel. that will show you the exits. this is called drive safely. this actually, it will do your text messages and it will read them back to you. so whoops? >> i need that. >> it reads it to you so you don't -- here you go. you have to trust me on that. >> how is "the today show" segment going? >> not good at the moment. but drive safely. it's a free app, it's for android and blackberry. and when you get some place, you're going to want to use your bike to get around. a terrific fold-up bike. it has only two steps involved. the handlebars come up. this part swings around and you're set to go. >> and it locks right in. >> and you're good to go. >> and we're fixed. >> things that will sell out fast at your next bake sale.

careful, steve!

time for today's kitchen. and time to jazz up your kitchen with some new deserts. >> instead of the same old rice crispies. susan westmoreland. we are having a "good housekeeping" day today. >> let's get started with cake mixes this is cake mix made to mix filling these about two-thirds full. >> a clever idea. >> easy to carry. you can put them in a muffin continue to carry. >> then our next thing is -- >> we'll go to this with not much time. >> we're going to pipe this around. >> how long do you bake these guys? >> 20 minutes at 350. >> and you they don't burn? >> you can put them in muffin

cups. >> and we can do it the easy way and do that. >> so they're really fun. and i have to show you this one. >> it's fashion black and white. isn't that cool? >> this is adorable. >> that's adorable. then this is my favorite. rice crispy treats with peanut butter in them. >> push, push. >> where's jillian michaels when we need her? >> you do that. and then you can look at the ones over there that are already cut. >> you want this shamrock? here you go. >> and over here, we also took -- >> where's the peanut butter portion of it? >> in and on top. >> and then -- >> wow, that's a bite. >> wow. >> the cake mix with the cookies -- on a stick. so -- cake mix without the water

in it. piped into cookies and you frost, put it on a stick. >> if try this, sara. >> all right. >> those are good. >> that's a wrap. >> we have an update, guys on our facebook page. >> okay. before we started the show, we were at 497,000 and some change. not that you guys are change. but now we are well above 500,000. 503, sara? tomorrow morning we'll tell you how high we've gotten. >> because i begged! >> klg went on her knees, and not sure what she'll do tomorrow. >> it ain't the first time. >> tomorrow actress jennifer esposito. >> and jennifer gourder with paint tricks. >> and weight loss. >> enjoy your tuesday booze-day, everybody. tomorrow it is wednesday

wines-day. i'll keep talking until they say stop. >> bye!

good morning. thanks for being with us. i'm marla tellez. >> i'm jon kelley. good morning, everybody. we have breaking news in morgan hill where we've just learned police arresting a teacher at a daycare facility accused of drugging children's drinks. 59-year-old debra worked at the academy, in charge of one and two years old. they noticed her putting unknown substance in drinking cuts. when confronted, she add milted it's a sleeping aid. she's facing child endangerment

charges and held at the santa clara county jail. school officials are shocked by allegations of child abuse by a daycare employee there. they are investigating claims that a toddler was tied up with tape for refusing to take a nap. >> really hard to believe here. this morning administrators at center point christian preschool spoke about that incident and how they are working to address it. nbc christie smith joins us live with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this has been an emotional morning with a lot of parents telling us they don't know what to think. they are waiting for answers. some of the parents pulled their students out of the school all together after a teacher was accused of tying a young student up with tape as a form of discipline just because she wouldn't take a nap. a pastor we spoke with said he's horrified and they are trying to fix this. >> i want to know why the teacher do this. >> parents at center point christian preschool dropped their kids off with a lot of