good morning. startling discovery. what appears to be the landing gear from one of the planes that brought down the twin towers on 9/11 found just blocks from ground zero. and it landed in a place already embroiled in controversy. recipe for terror, new details about the bombs that killed three people and injured more than 200 others at the boston marathon. and cyber attack. daily deal site living social is hit by hackers. the names, addresses, birth dates and passwords of 50 million users may be compromised. and if you're one of them you should be ready to get online quickly. "today," saturday, april 27th, 2013. lester holt

and erica hill, live from studio 1-a in rockefeller good morning and welcome to "today" on a saturday morning i'm lester holt. >> and i'm erica hill. nice to have you with us this morning. it's been more than 11 years since the 9/11 attacks. this morning, though, they really are top of mind for so many people after an unexpected discovery in lower manhattan. >> it appears to be the landing gear from one of the planes that flew into the world trade center on 9/11. the area has been sealed off. they've got police tape around it. like a crime scene. because that's exactly what it is. and the finding raises some big questions like, what took so long? we're going to get a live report from the scene in just a moment. >> then there's a lot of talk, many questions this morning about whether the united states could soon find itself part of another conflict in the middle east. this morning, the pressure president obama faces to act after u.s. intelligence reports syria likely used chemical weapons against its own people. then we're going to tell you about a murder mystery involving

an up and coming political fund-raiser. she was stabbed to death at her home. investigators say someone very close to her and her husband is to blame. and on a much lighter note, it is prom season. in full swing at this point. you won't believe, though, what some teens and their parents are spending on the big night. i have sticker shock just from reading that script. i hope you're sitting down when we tell you the final tally a little bit later. >> remember what you spent? >> you know, i don't remember, probably around $100 on a dress. >> now it's upwards of $1,000, right? >> total, yes. >> plus a preview of tonight's white house correspondents dinner. >> kind of like a prom. >> we're spending a lot of money for that prom. >> kind of like a prom. we do begin this morning with the discovery of what appears to be landing gear from one of the jets that hit the world trade center on 9/11. rehema ellis is in lower manhattan this morning with more. good morning. >> good morning, erica. i'm just about two blocks from ground zero. and it is remarkable discovery in the alley behind the building where you now see an officer is on guard.

take a look at this. authorities are saying it looks like it is a piece of the jet's landing gear. it's four feet by five feet, in a narrow alley, and wedged between two buildings. the words boeing and identification numbers can be seen on it. new york's police commissioner ray kelly says they're assuming it's part of the plane that went into the world trade center. for some it's an odd discovery in the alley behind a proposed islamic cultural center that some have criticized for being too close to ground zero. the discovery was made earlier this week by some workers investigating the site. and police commissioner kelly says they're investigating how this battered piece of metal got here. he says they're even raising some questions as to whether or not it might have been lowered in to place, because there is a rope that is wrapped around it. all of this is disturbing for some because it brings back some painful memories. authorities say the area is being treated as a crime scene. they say that the medical examiner will be in place here on monday, investigating the area for the possibility of

toxic chemicals, and for human remains. erica? >> rehema ellis, thank you. now to new developments this morning in the boston bombing investigati investigation. michelle franzen is in boston now with the latest. michelle, good morning. >> good morning, lester. investigators are also centering their investigation on a second car they believe was used by the suspect during that manhunt and shoot-out that went under way last week. a green honda, they say, that the brothers drove, and was used in the shoot-out in cambridge that killed m.i.t. police officer sean collier. this past thursday, nbc news has learned massachusetts state police conducted a re-enactment of the shoot-out at cambridge, using the green honda. now this is just some of the elements federal agents are looking in to, and also they're learning new details about the design of the bombs that were used in the boston marathon shooting. the design federal investigators say that is consistent with

designs that are in "inspire" magazine, an al qaeda published magazine. they say that these bombs were using low explosives that are consistent with commercial fireworks, they were packed with shrapnel and also triggered by toy car radio controller components. meantime, dzhokhar tsarnaev was moved to a high security medical facility just outside of boston. of course, he spent the past week at beth israel, and also overseas police are still investigating any, if there are any ties that to suspects may have had, including interviewing their families, his mother, his parents, are now said to be in chechnya. no word on why they traveled to that area. lester in the meantime, here in boston, on boylston street, life is slowly returning to normal. >> all right, michelle franzen this morning. thanks very much. if you have been hit by the flight delays you've heard so

much about this week, the ones caused by the sequester budget cuts, there is some relief in sight. the house passed a bill friday that essentially putds thousands of air traffic controllers back to work and president obama is expected to sign it. with that quick fix now in place, plenty of people around the country are asking whether a speedy solution could be found for all of the other programs hit hard by the sequester. mark halperin is senior political analyst for msnbc and "time" magazine and mark you laughed a little bit when i said whether or not there could be a speedy solution for everything else related to the sequester. is that a no? >> we'll make it a short segment. no. solving this is important not just because congress is inconveniencing people like me who travel for business but the economy suffers when our air system has trouble. businesses can't plan, people scale back spending. we've got two big problems now. one is people are being hurt. not just air travelers, whose problems now solved, but kids in head start, other programs, and then the big problem is the economy. these cuts are hurting the economy. the air ones would hurt if they weren't fixed but other cuts are

going to hurt, as well. >> in terms of the other cuts, the reason we saw such a quick fix to this was it hit and senator joe manchin pointed out, it hit lawmakers directly because they wanted to get home this weekend, and it also hit people who have more money to spend. poor programs like head start, where it's not as visible for a lot of people and the kids who are going to be impacted, what does it take to get that fixed? >> the problem is the big problem, the economy is a problem, individuals being hurt is a problem, washington still doesn't have a solution. we're not having the big national debate we need to have. lots of fighting about how to fix this, but we have big disagreements. the president wants to deal with the sequester cuts one way. republicans want to deal with it another way. the big question is how do we pay for the things the country needs? we're not there yet. that's why these other things aren't going to be solved any time soon. >> obviously a little bit of a change in how things are dealt with. the president said in february, look, i'm not going to change this. this is what you voted in. we're not going to, you know, change what's in the sequester. and yet now, he's saying he will sign this bill.

>> this is setting us back in some ways. a lot of liberals are saying the president's willing to cave. he gave in. he didn't demand there be new revenue in order to fix one program. republicans are saying look, we could fix this by shifting money around. let's fix everything else on a piecemeal way. we need the big deal, the problem with the settling of the small deal is, i think it makes both sides kind of dig in, and it doesn't solve the problem. we need a big deal not solving these individual ones. >> it could almost make it worse. a lot of times in these problems we talk about whether or not public pressure can have an impact. a little bit of that came into play with the faa. could public pressure finally do something in washington, because you know the public isn't very happy. >> again the public is not happy. but this air travel thing hit in a big, visible way. cuts, for children's programs for the elderly on the military, the problem with the sequester for public pressure is it kicks in slowly. it's like that proverbial frog putting in some slowly boiling water. before anybody realizes how big the problem is, it's going to have a big hit on individuals in

the economy. >> really quickly, what do we then start to feel or see next? >> well, we're already seeing it. we're seeing a slowdown in the economy. we're seeing programs being hurt. they're just not programs that are visible. you can't send a camera crew to the -- and have the same impact as the faa cuts. so we need a big deal. this -- this little incident over faa travel i think, again, rather than being an example to solve us, may set us back. >> great. mark, nice to see you. >> and happy saturday. >> thanks, debbie downer. thanks, mark. overseas the president's facing tough choices this morning over syria, with u.s. intelligence claiming it's likely the government there used chemical weapons against its own people. the president spoke about the crisis there on friday. >> used potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations. crosses another line. with respect to international norms and international law. and that is going to be a game changer. >> our chief foreign

correspondent richard engel has been monitoring these developments. he's in our washington bureau. richard, good morning, good to see you. >> good to see you. >> you go back to august when the thought that syria could use chemical weapons was raised, the president said that would be a red line, meaning that would provoke some action by the u.s. now he uses that term game changer, avoiding the phrase red line. why? >> i don't know if i would read too much into that. he's used the phrase game changer in the past. white house officials are still talking about all options on the table. this incident that is being investigated now is still very confusing. we know, or we think we know based on the intelligence that some residue of chemical weapons was found. that chemical weapons were used in a very small capacity. but what doesn't make sense is why they were used. why do you use chemical weapons which have such a -- could have such potential repercussions in a tiny amount like that? who used them? where? most likely the government, but

why do it at all? so there's a lot of -- a lot of unanswered questions, and still i don't think we're at a case of making the -- a case for military intervention. >> and there's a question of what appetite, if any, there is in this country to go to war yet again. but could we see, perhaps, a libya-like model where nato takes the lead with the u.s. support? >> i think that's the model that the syrian opposition certainly wants. the syrians, to be clear, don't want u.s. troops on the ground. and there's some factions in the syrian opposition who would actively oppose that. so if you sent u.s. troops, and marines there, and hum veries, there's a possibility that the syrian rebel themselves could attack them. so that's not an option that i don't think anyone is entertaining. instead what people are talking about, which the syrians would certainly welcome, is a potential buffer zone. a no fly zone in the north, and in the south, and there's a lot could be made to that argument.

you allow refugees who were in turkey to go back home, you allow the syrian opposition, which is now in exile, to operate from its own country. you establish safe havens. there's a strong argument that could be made for that. and potentially, this still confusing use of chemical weapons is leading us in that direction. >> all right, richard engel, good to talk to you. thanks, richard. >> want to get another check now of the morning's other top stories from jenna wolfe. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with news of an american facing serious charges in north korea this morning. tourist kenneth bay has been held since november after crossing into north korea from china. north korean media is reporting that he's charged with plotting to overthrow the government, a crime that could bring the death penalty if convicted. you can bet the songs of george jones will be playing nonstop this weekend as country music stations remember the singing legend. ♪ jones died in nashville on

friday morning after being hospitalized last week with an irregular blood pressure. jones, whose songs made it to number one status many times over four decades is being remembered as theates voice to grace country music. george jones was 81 years old. hey, how about this? lost and found? half a world away, debris that recently washed up on california's shores is actually from the tsunami that hit japan back in 2011. the boat which is covered in barnacles was found earlier this month. scientists were able to trace it back to japan. how, you ask? the characters on the side of the boat spelled out the name of a high school there. the characters also known as japanese. if you used the livingsocial website, livingsocial.com you can stick change your password on your to-do list today right after watch "today" show. the company says it has been hacked. living social sent out an e-mail to customers on friday saying the hackers got a hold of some personal information but they did not get a hold of any credit card information, which is good.

50 million customers were affected. and finally, there's only one person in the world who isn't annoyed by the question, can you put up this entire watermelon for me? i'm kind of in the mood for watermelon. it is this guy who wields the knife like a third hand taking a whole watermelon and cutting into bite size pieces in just 21 seconds. that is one whole watermelon in 21 seconds. what do you do with that kind of talent? you go straight to the internet. the video already has nearly 3 million views on youtube. either we don't have enough to watch. or people are just having, you know, confusing times with watermelon. >> you know what i want to know is how quickly could he do one of those watermelon baskets that people put the fruit salad in? >> a really good, strong, follow question. >> you know, next half hour. >> because i am going to have him make one of those for your baby shower and it will be the baby carriage. it may be, i don't know 31 seconds. >> how do you guys think this

happened? tried to slice watermelon with my left hand. backfired. >> all right. >> jenna, thanks. >> officials in fargo, north dakota are keeping a close eye on the red river this morning. the area's bracing for what's expected to be one of the biggest floods it's ever seen. kevin tibbles is in fargo. kevin, good morning. >> lester, both you and i know the people here in fargo are very used to watching the red river rise each spring. but once again this year they are very concerned about whether or not it's going to damage this city. fargo awakes this morning with all eyes on the red river. anticipating another spring of record high water. high schoolers were given the day friday to help build sandbag barricades. >> good to know that we're helping other people be able to live where they do live. >> i feel good about helping. >> more bags! >> reporter: for the fourth time in five years this city on the plains braces for record flooding.

in 2009 the water reached nearly 41 feet, swamping hundreds of homes. starting today, the red is expected to rise dramatically as runoff from melting snow will swell the already fast-running waters. by midweek it could be touching the sandbags. city manager mike williams helps ensure the levees are ready. >> this one we've never had. we protected to like i said 42 1/2 feet, which is this one. this one we've never seen. and hope we never do. >> it's been a water-logged week throughout much of the midwest. in the chicago area the wettest april on record cause expensive flooding. in michigan, dozens of home damaged by record water on the grand river. so much water in indiana, farmers say they may have to delay planting. all this coming out of last year's extreme drought. near st. louis, water levels were dangerously low on the mississippi. now it, too, is flooding. behind their fargo home, erin

and husband john aren't taking any chances. >> to be honest, this is going to be fargo's fifth record flood. so i'm not putting my guard down at all because mother nature knows how to throw a party. >> there is a bit of good news. the original estimates as to how high this river is going to get have actually been decreased. but still as you just heard, people here are still anticipating what could be another record flood in the fargo area. >> all right, kevin tibbles this morning. thanks very much. we've got an empty seat at the table this morning. >> we do. and we're missing her. but she's in good hands. it's a chance for the people who work for our parent company to help out their communities around the world so dylan dreyer is in new jersey this morning lending a hand. good morning. >> good morning. hanging out on the jersey shore on a saturday morning is not a bad thing. but it is comcast cares day. we are in highland, new jersey, and this is one of the single largest corporate sponsored charity events across the

country. so, you can see we've got a whole bunch of comcast employees. we are expecting about 300 to 400 volunteers here alone today. and there are more than 600 events going on across the country, and for the first time comcast is taking their efforts abroad. we're going to see volunteers in london, in france, also in australia, germany, too. so this, i told you, is one of the biggest events across the country. one of the biggest corporate volunteerism events. and we have some volunteers here. so it is going to be absolutely perfect here in the northeast. most of the country, for all of the events going on, are going to be really seeing good weather. a lot of sunshine. but we do have rain down in the southeast. especially down through georgia right now where some heavier rain is falling. we are going to see that rain continue off and on with some pockets of heavier rain and some thunderstorms, too, in that area as we go in to this afternoon. some stronger storms possible, as well.

we have temperatures in the 40s and 50s this morning and low clouds pretty far inland out towards the trivalley this morning. low clouds will eventually just be found along the coastline. temperatures today inland 70s to maybe a few low 80s out by livermore and pleasantton. tomorrow, temperatures climbing again. a warming trend that will wrap up the weekend. as temperatures get back to almost summer-like levels there in your seven day forecast. >> okay. we're trying to figure this out here. but i've got lee ann the senior vice president -- >> and obviously not very good at painting. >> who specifically said to me painting is the one thing you don't want to do. so of course that's where we're starting. today is comcast cares day. tell us a little bit about it and what the goal is? >> i'm just one of 70,000 volunteers across the country today, and it's part of our corporate dna. it's why i love working for comcast. it is about giving back.

and today's just one day that we show that. so 70,000 people strong, got a lot of my team here, and we're awake, aren't we? >> whoo! >> and you know, we're coming up on the six-month anniversary of hurricane sandy. this region was just devastated. why did you guys choose highland, in particular, to represent today? >> a little different six months ago but highland's entire jersey shore was really hit, but highland hit very, very hard. so we were here curing the hurricane restoring service. we're here today and highland is going to be there tomorrow. a lot of activity going on today. >> today is certainly an inspirational day. a wonderful day. and you're not doing bad with the painting. so we'll see if we can get this pot done before the day is over. we've got a lot of work to do here. erica? >> all right, dylan, thanks. just a reminder our parent company is comcast. when it comes to politics new hampshire gets plenty of attention for holding the country's first primary. but the political these days is

focussed on its representatives. that's because the state's top five political positions are all held by women. our capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell caught up with them. >> reporter: new hampshire senator jeanne shaheen knows something about firsts. and we should not run the government this way. >> reporter: she's the first woman to serve as governor and senator from any state. >> i think there has been this history of having women in important places in this state that's made a difference. >> reporter: and now new hampshire is first to send women, and only women, to congress. three democrats, and one republican. >> i had a father come up to me the other day and say, my daughter is so inspired by this. the fact that it's an all-women delegation. >> reporter: and did we mention the current governor? >> good afternoon. >> reporter: she is maggie hanson. while gender was not a campaign issue, women's life experiences, they say, could help get things done. >> if you phrase teenagers and toddlers, you know how to get to yes, so i think we all have

experience in our delegation, it's not just that we're women, we're also all mothers. >> reporter: juggling politics and family life, senator kelly ayotte's children are the youngest. just 5 and 8. who stay at home in new hampshire with her husband, while she commutes to washington. have each of you suffered the mom guilt? >> absolutely. >> yes. >> but i think all moms have that. because you never feel like you can do enough because we're all tugged in so many places. >> i have a great husband, who's been supportive of me running for office, and my career, and so we're a team. and we work together. >> reporter: consider this. 26 states have never elected a woman senator. and there are still five states that have not sent a woman to the u.s. house. so why is new hampshire first to elect an all-female congressional delegation? being a small state surely helps. but new hampshire also has the largest state legislature in the country. with 400 members. and that means lots of opportunities to gain experience.

>> and being a primary state, politics is our state voice. so people are acutely aware, and involved. and i think that helps, too. >> reporter: and with more women taking on higher office, the new reality is that an all-women team will no longer be such a surprise. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. >> we're back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ wind howling ]

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good morning to you. looking live at downtown san jose. the palm trees there barely moving in the breeze. let's see what's in store for the rest of the day. thanks for joining us. a forecast that, you know, folks are looking forward to. >> throughout their plans today, it looks pretty nice, comfortable. things heat up by the end of the weekend. 40s and 50s outside right now with low clouds inland and you can see the sea breeze, southwest at 20, all the way into fairfield. good case of ocean air conditioning this morning. this afternoon, the clouds will hang out around the seashore but clearing skies inland and the temperatures trend today, inland, about like yesterday. numbers in the mid-80s and low 80s out towards the east bay and

south san jose, some 80s today. temperatures will warm up. upper 80s tomorrow. near 90s again inland for monday. wednesday and beyond looks more like summer, 80s and 90s sticking around for a while in the seven day forecast. >> sounds good, thank you very much. new this morning, one person is dead and six others are recovering after a violent crash in the south bay. this happened on blossom hill road in san jose around 11:20 last night. police say the driver of the pickup truck rear ended another car, lost control, then collided with another car before rolling on to its side. the driver was partially ejected from the truck and was pronounced dead at the scene. six people in the two other cars involved in the crash were taken to the hospital but are expected to be okay. no word yet on what caused the crash but police say the driver of the truck was speeding. police in pittsburgh are on the lookout for a man who tried to kidnap a 2-year-old girl from her own front yard.

they were called to a home on snowflake way yesterday afternoon. the little girl was playing in her front yard with her mother when the suspect walked up, grabbed the girl and took off on foot. the mother started yelling and was able to scare the suspect and police say he dropped the child in a nearby bush along the sidewalk and then ran away. the toddler is scared but was not seriously injured. belmont police are releasing this surveillance video, or photo this morning of an armed bank robber. police say this man armed with a handgun and wearing a ski mask walked into the citibank on wall stone avenue just before closing time yesterday and demanded money from the teller. the teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash. the robber took off. police say he may have gotten away in a light blue car. they're now reviewing surveillance footage in hopes of tracking down the robber. coming up this morning on "today in the bay, dozens of victims of the boston bombings

continuing to recover after life altering surgeries and injuries and are getting some much needed support. how soldiers injured in war are helping the victims adapt to their new lives. that story and all the day's news coming up for you right at 7:00 right here on "today in the bay." we'll see you back here in 30 minutes for more local news. ♪ [ male announcer ] a car that can actually see like a human, using stereoscopic cameras. ♪ and even stop itself if it has to. ♪ the technology may be hard to imagine. but why you would want it... is not. the 2014 e-class. it doesn't just see the future.

it is the future. nothing like energy out there on a saturday morning on the plaza, the 27th day of april, 2013. a special thanks to all those folks who stopped by to spend part of their weekend with us. i'm erica hill alongside lester holt. coming up a harrowing mid air collision. in 2006 a small business jet hit a boeing 737 in the sky over brazil. 154 people were killed and you'll hear a chilling first-hand account from one man who actually survived that. then a murder mystery involving an up and coming political strategist. investigators say the suspect is someone very close to her and her husband. also, later we'll lighten things up a little bit and talk about the prom. it is prom season. so the dresses of course for the girls, the shoes, the corsage,

the tux. for some parents and teens, it may sound like the sky is the limit when it comes to spending. i cannot believe the price tags on some of these things and honestly that parents are willing to shell out that money. >> got to look good. it's prom. a big deal. regardless of what you spend, what do your clothes say about you? we'll have tips on how to make a strong first impression with your fashion choices. you won't wear those to the prom. >> no. but i do like the shoe laces. we do begin this half hour with a tragic, wrong way accident on the new york highway. you may remember the story. it is heart breaking. a mother driving drunk and high kills herself, a daughter, three nieces, three men in another car. now her sister-in-law is telling her story in a new book called "i'll see you again." in an interview that first aired on rock center we talked with her and her husband warren to talk about the accident and how they're now finding a reason to hope. >> love your children.

cherish your children. kiss your children. and don't ever forget. >> reporter: jackie and warren had just buried their three beautiful girls. >> i love you all. >> reporter: they were 8-year-old emma. >> make a silly face. >> reporter: 7-year-old allison. >> okay. >> reporter: and 5-year-old katy. >> i did it, daddy! >> reporter: and they were trying to cope with their heart breaking new reality -- life without their daughters. jackie slid beyond despair. >> they were really just really amazing girls. and i don't know. it changed everything. >> reporter: she says she became detached from reality. her close friends, melissa, isabelle, and janine, stayed near jackie around the clock, making meals, even sleeping outside her door for months.

>> she'd call out in the middle of the night. are the girls there? where are the girls? do you have them at your house? then you have to go through the process again. no, sweetheart. show her the papers or explain to her. >> reporter: the grief took a toll on jackie and warren's marriage as well. >> in the book you talk about the really huge arguments with your husband, so raw and so emotional. and, yet, you two held on to each other as much as you fought. >> yes. you know, he's a really strong person. i love him. i'm sorry for him. >> reporter: you're sorry for his suffering you mean? >> yes. i would do anything not to see him in pain. >> reporter: jackie and warren realized they were stronger together and knew they had to lean on each other if they were going to survive. after a while, jackie's friends suggested that she have another baby to help her heal and to

start living again. initially she refused to even consider the idea. but eventually, jackie opened up to the possibility. and 16 months after the accident, she became pregnant. on october 11th, 2011, casey rose arrived. jackie says that casey has brought her back to life. and with the arrival of baby casey came something else. a need for jackie to reconcile her feelings about diane. one day standing by her daughters' graves, right next to diane's, she realized she couldn't love her new baby and hate diane at the same time. so for the first time you turned and walked toward diane's grave. so you reached out and touched her headstone and what did you say? >> i just said, i don't understand. i don't know what happened that day. and i always loved you and i

forgive you. i still love her. up until that day, i only knew what i knew, and she was a good person and a good mom and a good, you know, friend, so i don't know what happened that day. i really don't. >> reporter: and even not knowing, you're able to forgive her? >> i had to. i had no choice. because it was -- i wouldn't have been able to live the other way. >> powerful story. we want to check in now with dylan dryer in highlands, new jersey this morning for part of comcast cares day. comcast is our parent company of course. dylan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. i am joined now by bill levin the president of the firefighters mutual benevolent association. you have a big task here. you are breaking ground on a playground to replace the one that's here. what is the significance? >> this is rebuilding the coast. we want to -- it's called the

sandy ground project where angels play, rebuilding the coast line of new jersey, new york, and connecticut while we honor the victims of newtown, connecticut and make a tribute to their families. >> who in particular is this? >> this child here is very special. they're all special. daniel wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up and when the firefighters in the area found that out they lined the streets in newtown for his funeral. the family is just wonderful. this playground will have a firefighter theme. his mom, jackie speaks of him as an old soul and his spirit will uplift this community and this community will uplift their family as well. >> it is so wonderful for the family. what do you hope highlands gets out of the playground especially the children here. >> the playground is a symbol of hope and recovery. this is a town hard hit by the storm. what we learned in our trip to mississippi, that the playground is a symbol of rebirth, recovery. when people see a brand new, shiny playground for children to play on, it's a sign of this town is going to come back. >> thank you so much for you and

the huge crew behind you. the weather is fantastic here. we couldn't ask for more perfect weather in highlands, new jersey. across the country, really, except to the southeast most areas will be very, very nice today. temperatures should get into the 60s and 70s across most of the country. a little cool back in the midwest where we'll be in the 50s with a couple showers today. stronger storms are possible down in the southeast out ahead of the cold front but in the northeast high pressure is in control and where the flooding is occurring especially back through fargo, that area is not going to see any rain any time soon either. so we are looking for a lot of sunshine. but we'll watch out for some stronger storms today across western tennessee. also into southwestern texas we could see stronger storms, main story of the morning will be the low clouds that will head back to the coastline. more sunshine today. temperatures overall a bit warmer than friday. by lunchtime or 1:00, approaching 80 inland. we should see low 80s out towards the east bay valleys and

areas south of san jose today. tomorrow, plan on another burp up in those temperatures. probably about 5 or 7 degrees warmer for sunday. near 90 in the hottest places monday. neerp 90s in the forecast for the second half of the week. it is a wonderful morning. officially breaking ground on this new playground here in highlands, new jersey. erica? >> good stuff there, dylan. thanks. still to come, one man's story of how he survived the seemingly unthinkable. the small plane he was traveling on collided with a jumbo jet in mid air. his story, right after this. ♪ [ agent smith ] i've found software that intrigues me. it appears it's an agent of good. ge has wired their medical hardware with innovative software to be in many places at the same time.

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that's the power of the home depot. dig in and save with vigoro one-quart annuals, four for just ten bucks. mid air collisions, two planes in the same air space at the exact same time, thankfully are a rarity these days. but they still happen on occasion. tonight on "why planes crash" on msnbc i take a look at a collision that happened over the skies of brazil back in 2006. a small business jet with seven

americans onboard was flying at the same altitude as a boeing 737 when ctrophe struck. i warn you some of you might find the animation you are about to see tough to watch. by the time radio contact is made at 4:53 p.m. the connection is so bad the legacy pilot and controller can't understand each other. the planes are closing in. >> everybody was sort of dozing or working. i hear and feel, bang. and the loudest noise i've ever heard. i was in vietnam and i've heard bombs. but just bang! and every atom in my body i felt kind of implode. >> i've flown as a passenger a lot and you go through all kinds of weather and all kinds of turbulence and i've never felt an impact like this before. >> reporter: because of the angle at which the planes collide, the 737, though much larger, takes a far worse hit

than the legacy. >> one of the wings, which has a wind lid on it, actually spliced through the 737 wing. there's a lot of flight control systems that are damaged. it rendered the airplane incapacitated and uncontrollable and as the 737 went out of control, of course, the aero dynamic forces actually caused it to break up in flight. >> reporter: everyone onboard the legacy knows something bad has happened. but they don't know they've collided with another aircraft. they don't even know their plane is damaged until joe sharkey looks out his window. >> i opened my window shutter and looked out. this is a sight i'll never forget. i'm looking at the wing and part of it is missing. it's a jagged bit of metal. >> they need on the ground in a hurry. they need the first available

airport. >> "new york times" business traveler joe sharkey you just saw in that report was aboard the legacy that day. good morning. great to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> i remember you were on with matt shortly after you got back from brazil. >> i was. >> and you describe in that tape the noise, seeing the jagged piece of the wing. but did you -- did anybody in that airplane realize you had struck another airplane? >> we did not. we had no idea what had happened. obviously something catastrophic had happened. i think the assumption was that the best guess was that a military plane might have exploded at a higher altitude and we hit debris. as we found out later when two airplanes are coming at each other each one flying at 500 miles an hour, you don't see it. it's a closing speed of a thousand miles an hour so you see nothing. >> it's a flash. we saw the wing lid is sheared off but the plane is still flying. as you're flying and they're looking for what they eventually found was a military air field was the wing starting to lose pieces? >> the leading edge was starting

to come up, starting to come apart. so, you know, i didn't know enough about flying then to know how dangerous and how bad that is. >> enough to write a note to your wife. >> we figured we done. we had 25 minutes of flying. we were gradually losing altitude. it was basically a slow crash. yeah. we had 25 minutes to contemplate disaster. >> you had been down in brazil writing articles on business aviation. you guys get on the ground eventually and then you had to put on your "new york times" reporter hat. >> that's correct. >> now you're covering a serious accident. do you remember the moment when everyone learned that plane had struck a passenger jet and that plane was lost? >> i'll never forget it. we were three hours in custody in this sort of remote brazilian base in the middle of the amazon and no one there knew what had happened. but three hours later, the base got a phone call that the brazilian plane had disappeared

at the same place we had the impact. i have to tell you, i've never seen the american pilots -- i've never seen two people as stricken as these guys were. they were just stricken with grief and with misgivings about what might have happened because we simply didn't know. we hadn't put it together. to suddenly have this, to be told that's what happened is stunning. and i'll just never forget that, that time in the jungle with those people. >> i know the facts are somewhat in dispute as to the cause. the u.s. had an investigation and the brazilians as well. we'll get more into that in tonight's program. thanks for being here. you can catch "why planes crash, collision course" tonight on msnbc at 8:00 eastern, 5:00 pacific. we're back right after this. 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

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and light 50, with just 50 calories, both with no added sugar. with so many tasty flavors, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. just blending the fruits. lucky you and lucky us we have a special guest joining us this morning on the plaza. starses adonna alongside amy poehler on parks and recreation. nice to have you with us on the plaza. >> thank you, i appreciate it. >> you're wrapping up season five on the show. what a terrific ensemble. what is it like coming to work with so many funny people every day? >> my face hurts. i'm working on my abs. everybody is really funny. really talented, really skilled. i'm not an improver and everyone is really good at it so i'm kind of learning more about that. and then just being around people is really great. >> what a great place to have on-the-job training. >> yes. >> a huge following.

donna has a huge following. you have a huge following on twitter. >> i do. >> and you're funny on twitter. >> well, thanks. you know, i started doing stand-up and i feel like i found my calling on twitter, oddly. i'm -- i don't like to be alone so twitter makes me feel like i have people with me all the time. >> what's the line, treat yourself? >> treat yourself. >> mentioned on twitter like every six minutes. it is in an episode, right? one line that you had. >> mm-hmm. >> and it took off. >> i can't remember, i think it was -- no, it was the rangers episode. where tom and donna once a year go and get massages, and spend money on clothing and leather goods. and that episode is, i feel like what made people know who i was. treat yourself. >> it definitely stuck. great to have you here. >> thank you. >> we'll be watching for the season finale which is may 2nd. and come back and see us any time.

>> okay. >> we'll be right back. >> first, this is "today" on nbc.

happy birthday. >> still to come on "today" the latest on the investigation into the boston marathon bombings. >> we'll have more on that just ahead. also, a piece of one of the planes that crashed into the world trade center, found nearly 12 years after 9/11. that's all going to come but first these messages. [ male announcer ] what are happy kids made of?

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good morning. take a look at this bit of video looking towards the pbay bridge. you can see the low clouds. thanks for joining us. we have a look at that forecast. >> we have some low clouds. not really fog at ground level but enough low clouds all the way inland to livermore this morning, pushed in by a strong sea breeze. for the morning, we'll still have some low clouds inland. as we go into the afternoon, patchy low clouds on the coast and gradually clearing skies inland. temperatures a bit warmer than yesterday. by 1:00, getting close to 80 inland. some low 80s briefly in the trivalley out towards areas south of san jose today.

tomorrow, looks like we'll add five degrees to the temperature. overall, the seven day forecast starts to bring 90s back. definitely some low 90s for the second half of the week ahead, so a summer-like seven day forecast coming our way. >> thank you very much, rob. new this morning, one person is dead and six others are recovering after a violent crash in the south bay. it happened on blossom hill road in san jose near highway 85 around 11:20 last night. police say the driver of the pickup truck rear ended another car, lost control, then collided with another car before rolling on to its side. the driver was partially ejected from the truck and was pronounced dead at the scene. six people in the two other cars involved in the crash were taken to the hospital but are expected to be okay. there's no official word on what caused the crash but police say the driver of the pickup truck was speeding at the time. you don't expect to hear the words "hate crime" in palo alto necessarily in the same sentence but that's what prosecutors say happened in downtown palo alto

last week. nathaniel boussard said he was hanging out with friends on university avenue around midnight last thursday when a man, sean michael barrett, came over to talk with him. at some point, the conversation turned ugly when barrett started saying offensive and racist things. boussard says barrett jumped him and struck him several times in the face, saying the "n" word over and over again. when police arrived, barrett took off but was chased down and arrested. boussard grew up in louisiana and said he often faced prejudice there but he never expected to be a target in a diverse city like this. >> i have nothing against the city. it's a great city. i just think everyone needs to be aware that there are people out here that think like that. >> barrett allegedly told boussard and his friend that he had been a member of the nazi low rider gang in prison. the d.a.'s office has charged barrett with a hate crime. he faces up to 16 years in state

prison if convicted. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," the warriors are in the driver's seat this morning. golden state now leading the denver nuggets two games to one in the series. we're going to tell you what head coach mark jackson had to say about the crowd last night. maybe we'll be able to hear him over all the thunder sticks. we have all the day's news coming up for you at 7:00. more local news in just 30 minutes.

good morning. good morning. it's saturday, april 27th, 2013. here's a look at today's top stories. what appears to be the landing gear from one of the planes that brought down the twin towers on 9/11 has been found just blocks from ground zero, and the startling discovery was made in a very controversial location. recipe for terror. new details about the bombs that killed three people and injured more than 200 others at the boston marathon. and pulling out all stops for the prom. the dress, the shoes, the hair, and the makeup. could it really add up to thousands of dollars for some parents and teens? it seems money is no object for that special night. hello, everybody. i'm lester holt alongside erica hill. the question went up among the

four of us, hey, why don't we share our prom pictures? not one of us had them. i didn't go. >> i burned my pictures. they were not very attractive. >> i'll say it loud and proud. mike broke up with me two weeks before prom. i've said it before, i'll say it again. >> scarred for life. look at where you are now. >> yes. >> you've got a while to go at some point. >> but that point is not right now. >> we do have a lot to get to, like why you should expect longer delays at the airport. a lot of delays talked about this week. you can thank congress for real for those delays going away, at least in part. some people really thinking it's a little bit too little, too late. >> sometimes the folks in washington can move quickly. and it's one of the biggest nights in washington, d.c. when hollywood and politics come together. we'll preview tonight's white house correspondence dinner. >> affectionately known as the nerd prom. and later, steve harvey is a

best-selling author, a popular radio personality, a game show host. could he also now hold the title of the king of daytime? >> very funny, talented guy. we begin this hour with a discovery of what appears to be part of a jet that hit the world trade center on september 11th. >> our reporter is in lower manhattan. >> reporter: i'm about two blocks from ground zero. investigators want to get a closer look at what's wedged between two buildings behind me where police are now standing guard. it appears to be part of a jet's landing gear. four feet by five feet in a narrow alleyway. you can just make out the word boeing and identification numbers. >> about 86 feet from -- >> reporter: new york's police commissioner inspected the site himself, saying they're assuming the battered metal is part of the landing gear from one of the planes that destroyed the world trade center, killing almost

3,000 people. >> the chief medical examiner will do an examination of the area around the part to see if it's toxic in any way. he will also check to see if there's any human remains at the site. >> reporter: authorities say workers inspecting the building made the startling discovery earlier this week. in a strange turn of events, the alley lies right behind that proposed controversial islamic cultural center that was subject to intense criticism for being too close to ground zero. now the discovery comes just as the city has stepped up efforts to identify the remains of 9/11 victims. >> it's kind of scary that they're still finding bits and pieces. >> how the aircraft part got into the narrow space is a mystery. >> could it will be lowered a at some time? it's possible.

there's a rope that's on it that looks like it's intertwined. >> reporter: the area has been secured as a crime scene. the medical examiner will be here on monday to investigate the site. it will be documented with photographs. and they're also going to try and figure out how they will remove it, if they will remove it. erica and lester? >> thank you. now to new developments this morning in the boston bombing investigation and a twist surrounding the night the two suspects engaged in that massive firefight with police. michelle franzen is in boston now with the latest. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. nbc news has learned that massachusetts state police have conducted a reenactment of the shootout that took place at cambridge. focusing on a second vehicle, a green honda that investigators believe the suspects also used during that manhunt and shootout. new clues and an active investigation that also gives us new details of just how those

bombs were made. federal authorities moved the boat from the driveway in watertown home a week after a manhunt and shootout ended with suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev being spotted hiding under the boat's tarp by air patrols. >> we were able to look right through the plastic as if it wasn't even there. >> reporter: the 19-year-old was also moved to fort devens, a high security medical prison outside boston. it followed a week of his recovery at beth israel hospital, where he was formally charged monday at a bedside hearing. authorities say since his arrest, the surviving suspect has been able to provide details about the bombs he and his older brother tamerlan are accused of making. nbc news obtained government analysis on the bombs. the design reportedly similar to one outlined in the al qaeda affiliated magazine uses low expelosis that are consistent with commercial fire works,

packed with shrapnel. >> this design indicates a level of sophistication and determination to really make these bombs reliable. >> reporter: investigators are also tracking other leads, searching a landfall in new bedford. law enforcement officials say they are looking for tsarnaev's receipts. back in boston, victim jeff bouman told a local radio station he noticed the elder brother just before the deadly bombing. >> it struck me odd. that's what i remember of him. and then the next thing you know, you hear fireworks and i'm on the ground. >> reporter: also new gripping details on the carjacking victim known only as danny, who spent a harrowing 90 minutes with the suspects before escaping and alerting police. he told the fbi and james allen

fox he heard tamerlan confess to shooting m.i.t. officer sean collier. >> i juhe said i just killed a in cambridge. >> reporter: we are told that tsarnaev's parents have traveled to check knhnya in the last 24 8 hours. meanwhile, stores reopening this morning. people paying tribute at a memorial and 30 victims remain in the hospital. >> all right, michelle franzen in boston for us this morning. thanks very much. congress has passed a bill to send air traffic controllers back to work after a week of furloughs delayed thousands of flights across the country. critics, though, say this is just another example of dysfunction in washington. tom costello is at reagan national airport with more. good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. republicans say the white house

created this process. the white house say the republicans should address the sequest sequester. this drama now resolved by washington. after a week of air traffic delays caused by the budget impasse, sequester and controller furloughs, congress has now voted to give the faa authority to pay the controllers. >> members of this house are going to run for the airports. >> a few hours later, they headed to the airport for a week long recess. >> i don't have have to wear a mask or a disguise as i go through the airport, i'm happy to say. >> at chicago o'hare friday, travelers were mostly fed up with all of washington. >> the government just doesn't appear to be working for the people. they appear to be working for themselves. >> we seem to wait to the last minute for everything. >> it's not faa that i'm so cynical about. it's congress that i'm so cynical about. >> before leaving town, members of congress offered congratulations. >> it's nice to know that when

we work together, we really can solve problems. >> reporter: and accusations. >> we're here because of a colossal failure of leadership. >> reporter: t wse te hou said it's not enough. >> this is a band aid covering a massive wound to the economy. >> reporter: so while they may have addressed the air traffic control issue, many other areas still need to be addressed. head start, meals on wheels, food and drug inspectors, and the army says it is having to cut significantly into the training. however, it insists soldiers going to afghanistan are being fully trained. now let's get a check of the morning's other top stories from jenna wolf. >> good morning, everyone. president obama says he needs more information before coming up with a game plan for his administration to handle the situation in syria after learning that the country may be using chemical weapons. the president spoke about syria on friday, saying further confirmation is needed before

determining whether a so called red line has been crossed. knowinghat potentially chemical weapons have been used inside of syria doesn't tell us when they were used, how they were used. getting confirmation and strong evidence. >> the white house australia has called on the united nations and its international partners to corroborate the intelligence reports. an american tourist who was detained after crossing into north korea late last year is facing serious charges in that country this morning. north korean media is reporting that american kenneth bay is accused of plotting t overthrow the north korean government, a crime that could bring the death penalty if he is convicted. in fargo, north dakota, all eyes are on that red river as the area braces for record flooding. on friday, volunteers turned out to help build sandbag barricades. the river is expected to rise dramatically and could be

reaching those sandbags by the middle of the week. former notre dame linebacker manti te'o will be playing professional football. he was surrounded by friends and family in hawaii when he got the call from the san diego chargers early in the second round of the draft. the football player gained national attention earlier this year after he said he was tricked into an online relationship with a girl who never existed. te'o said he's looking forward to starting this new chapter in his life in the nfl. and finally, the royals are in the news because they did something. anything really. the duke and duchess of cambridge along with prince harry toured the new harry potter exhibit at the warner brothers theme park near london, getting their own wands and a few lessons in how to use them. other reportable things they did was take a walk and then they had lunch. it was a busy day for them. >> they were breathing, too, right? >> they breathed. >> i read somewhere where she was wearing a polka dot dress

there, but wherever she bought it from, they sold out immediately. >> it's amazing how that happens. >> everyone wanted to have it. that's not stuff i normally read. >> sure, he doesn't. and now you told america. >> i didn't know the name of the store. >> he does know. >> top shop? yeah. >> there you go. but you can't get it anymore. >> so never mind. dylan dreyer is in islands, new jersey, for comcast cares day while i prepare my next fashion segment. dylan, good morning. >> good morning, guys. i am watching some hard work here. we've got firefighters from all over the region, and they are just destroying this dock so we can build a new boardwalk here in highlands, new jersey. a way of just getting this whole area back to normal as we're coming up on the six-month anniversary of hurricane sandy. we are seeing a lot of hard work here. a lot of volunteers turning out and really bringing this place back to what it used to be. it's just so heartwarming to see

how many volunteers have come out here today. weather-wise, we couldn't ask for better weather in the northeast, but we do have to focus on another area that's getting hit hard with flooding. it is in the northern plains, especially in fargo where we do still have flood watches. not so much because of heavy rain, but because of the snow melt. temperatures will get into the 70s. flood stage is 18 feet. by the time we get to wednesday, we're going to see the river a look outside this morning shows some low clouds over san jose, temperatures in the 40s and low 50s. those low clouds will help to keep their temperatures up overnight. as the low clouds break up during the day, we'll still have a sea breeze getting into the inland valley today. temperatures a little warmer than yesterday. if you want to find real warming, you're going to look at tomorrow's forecast. 60s around san francisco and oakland. highs tomorrow about 5 to 7 degrees warmer. then near 90 in the warmest aces inland by monday.

>> and that is >> and that is your latest forecast. we'll have much more coming up from highlands, new jersey, in just a few minutes. erica? >> all right, dylan. thanks. looking forward to it. a memorial service will be held this morning for a north carolina woman who was brutally stabbed to death in her home. the suspect was the best man in her wedding. thanh truong reports. >> reporter: a tearful memorial service. to her friends and family, she was simply janie. >> she was an example of caring about her community and the people around her. >> reporter: the 29-year-old democratic fundraiser died this week after being stabbed in her home. parts of monday's 911 call are frantic. >> there's a lady, i looks like she's been shot. somebody stabbed her and she's bleeding badly. >> reporter: according to a

search warrant, they followed a trail of blood leading into the home where they found the suspect, 31-year-old jonathan broyhill. police say he attacked her and her husband. broyhill himself was taken to the hospital for self-inflicted wounds. he faces charges, including attempted murder, but police plan soon to up that charge to murder. >> jamie was a bright light. she was a wonderful person, compassionate. >> reporter: the motive is a mystery. those that knew the couple say they were close. he apparently was best man in their wedding. all three were active in politics. broyhill worked with her, strategizing for the democratic party. hawn was considered a rising star. >> the fact that we've lost jamie with an incredible amount of intellect,engy, i think

it's a sad, sad day for our community. >> reporter: on twitter, nation hahn posted this. i have no idea what i'm going to do without jamie. jamie will be laid to rest today. her accused killer, far from a stranger. for today, thanh truong, nbc news, atlanta. up next, the biggest names in hollywood mixing with the biggest names in politics. a preview of tonight's white house correspondence dinner right after these messages. [ male announcer ] if you have yet to master the quiet sneeze... [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] zyrtec®. love the air. [ female announcer ] this week only, save up to $13 on zyrtec® products. see sunday's newspaper. on zyrtec® products. to help eli start potty training,!

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helping hospitals treat people even better, while dramatically reducing waiting time. now a waiting room is just a room. [ telephone ringing ] [ static warbles ] [ beeping ] red or blue? ♪ one of washington, d.c.'s one of washington, d.c.'s biggest events will be held tonight, the annual white house correspondence deal. >> it's a chance for politicians and a-listers to show off their lighter side. >> reporter: a time-honored tradition for decades. a night that washington goes and i are delighted to be here with all the major

leaguers. >> reporter: where obama, boehner, and biden share a room with clooney, and even kim kardashian. white house briefings take a back seat to some gentle ribbing. >> you remember when the country rallied around you in hopes of a better tomorrow? that was hilarious. >> reporter: while washington is often called hollywood for ugly people, on this night, the real stars shine. glitz and glam overruns the town and everyone wants to party late into the night. >> washington's gone very hollywood. it's not the nerd prom anymore. >> reporter: and while the event raises scholarship money for aspiring journalism students -- >> all right, everybody. >> reporter: it also lowers the bar for presidential discourse. >> no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the donald. that's because he can get back to focusing on the issues that matter. like did we fake the moon landing. >> reporter: president obama is great at using comedy as a weapon to entertain people,

educate us, and eviscerate his opponents. >> it's great to be here this evening in the vast, magnificent hilton ballroom. or what mitt romney would call a little fixer-upper. >> reporter: and while he may not pull any comedic bunches, in 2011, the president was keeping it cool onstage while a team of navy seals was on their way to capture bin laden. proof that in washington on the most glamorous of nights, it's still business as usual. >> and we're lucky enough to be attending tonight, which means we'll be doing the show from washington tomorrow. >> we may or may not sleep before that show. >> we're going to ask them to shoot on a very, very wide shot so you don't see blood-shot eyes. >> luckily we'll have our hair and makeup team with us. still ahead this morning, steve harvey, how he's gone from being a king of comedy to the king of daytime. but first, this is

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all quiet at oracle arena right now. but boy it was a raucous thunder as the warriors took a lead over the denver nuggets. thanks for joining us. a look at the weekend forecast. we saw some of the low clouds in the distance that are making for a mild start. >> you're right, they kept temperatures up this morning. for the afternoon as the clouds clear inland, we'll see temperatures close to 80 in concord. san jose, about 78 degrees. still some patches of low clouds around san francisco. near 63 today. 68 in oakland. tomorrow, into monday, things warm up. temperatures climbing into the upper 80s inland tomorrow. near 90 in the warmest places on monday. a brief cooldown as the sea

breeze tries to come back monday. the second half of the week will look and feel like summer. >> that sounds like summer to me. thank you very much. new this morning, one person is dead, six others are recovering after a violent crash in the south bay. it happened on blossom hill road be in san jose on hae 85 around 11:20 last night. a driver a truck rear ended a car, then lost control, rolling on to its side. the driver was partially ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. six people and two other cars involved in the crash were taken to the hospital and are expected to be okay. no official cause for the crash but police say at the time of the crash, the driver of the truck was speeding. in oakland, one person is dead and two others are in the hospital this morning after a triple shooting. police say the shooting happened around 9:30 last night near the intersection of 53rd street and martin luther king way not far

from children's hospital. police say they have no suspects for motive at this time. the shooting is oakland's 32nd homicide of the year and happened just a block away from where 21-year-old dinatra henderson was shot and killed in front of her 4-year-old son on wednesday night. new this morning, police in pittsburg are on the lookout for a man who tried to kidnap a 2-year-old girl from her own front yard where she was playing with her mother. police say they were called to the home on snowflake way just before 2:00 yesterday afternoon. the little girl was playing in the front yard with her mother when the suspect walked up, grabbed the girl and took off. the mother started yelling and was able to scare the suspect. that's when police say he dropped the toddler in a nearby bush along the sidewalk and ran away. police say though the 2-year-old was scared, she was not seriously hurt. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," dozens of victim, of the boston bombings continue to recover from life altering injuries. now they're getting some much

needed support from our nation's heroes. how soldiers injured in war are helping the victims to adapt to their new li plus, two major sporting events and a lot of electricity. we'll show you how the city of oakland stepped up security to keep thousands of people safe. that and all the day's top stories coming up this morning at 7:00 right here on "today in the bay." right now, here's back to the "today" show.

we are back on this saturday morning, april 27th, 2013. new york city expecting some beautiful weather today as are a number of other areas. friendly folks joining us on the plaza. nice to have you all with us. i'm erica hill alongside lester holt and jenna wolfe. dylan dryer is in highlands, new jersey this morning. we're going to hear from dylan in just a little bit. also ahead this half hour it is prom season. in case you haven't seen them out at night in their limos, you will not believe what some of these kids and their families are spending on that big event. i hope you're sitting down for the total. >> i'm sure a lot of parents are nodding and saying, yeah, we

know already. thanks very much. >> i think they can get a job. >> also, steve harvey, the reigning king of day time. he's doing terrific. a best selling author, popular radio host, and king of comedy. now his talk show is a run away hit and a lot of people are asking could it take over the mantle once held by oprah? >> we're asking the question, what do your clothes and your style say about you? well, bobbi thomas is here to talk fashion and first impressions with some lucky ladies, coming up. >> from fashion to food, sandra lee is here. by the way, hello over there. it smells fantastic on the plaza. a little barbecue action coming up. we'll check in with sandra lee in just a few minutes. >> but first, we'll go to dylan for another check of the weather. dylan? >> good morning, guys. we are still in highlands, new jersey. i am with leo servantes. we probably shouldn't have

started sitting like this five minutes ago. sore. >> definitely. >> you've been all smiles today, such a pleasure to talk to. but it is a little rough the past few months since sandy hit. >> it has been difficult. but again, look around. it's a beautiful day today. >> and what kind of damage did your restaurant see? >> we only had six and a half feet of water inside the restaurant. we lost everything, basically. we are trying to get it back to normal now. >> you are an extremely popular man in this town. what is it like to the community to come out and help you? >> it's an amazing thing. it's like a big family. i feel part of the family and it's a beautiful thing. >> i hear your food is amazing and there are 275 types of tequila waiting at your restaurant. when do you expect to open? >> three weeks from now we should be ready to reopen. >> it's nice when there is light at the end of the tunnel.

that's what we're seeing all across the area. you know the weather has been absolutely perfect for everyone out here in highlands, new jersey today and across a good part of the country although we are going to keep an eye out for some showers and possibly stronger storms especially back into western tennessee and also into western texas we could see a line of strong storms develop with isolated tornadoes, too, where flooding is an issue especially up near fargo not because of the rain but the warm temperatures and the snow melt. we're seeing it up that way but they are preparing for the flooding in the fargo spots by monday. and then more low 90s in the

forecast for the second half of the workweek. >> lester, that is your latest forecast and we have an amazing crowd out here for comcast cares day. >> you sure do. tell them hi for us please, dylan. thanks very much. the prom is making a big comeback after years of cutting back on spending. it looks like many parents and teens are ready to shell out big bucks for the big dance. and as janet shamlian reports, for some the sky is the limit. ♪ we'll be young forever >> reporter: prom season is here. before the big night, you spend hours searching for that perfect dress. lots of choices, lots of money. amanda lopes is planning for her big night in miami. after days of shopping she's ready. even though it's five weeks away. >> i think it's worth spending so much money for one night. prom is once in a life. >> reporter: amanda's dress cost

$660. matching shoes, $1200. her purse was free borrowed from her mom. and she spent $70 on other accessories. on makeup, hair, and nails she expects to spend $280. total cost for her parents? $2,210. >> with the shoes and purse and jewelry and how am i going to do my hair and we've changed hair styles several times and, you know, it's been a long ride. >> reporter: it's not just the girls spendingment teen boys will spend between $60 and $190 to rent their tuxes. a survey of parents finds on average they'll spend a whopping $1100 per child on prom expenses. that's $60 more than last year. mom and dad cover most of the bill, 59%. teens chip in the remaining 41%. >> there is certainly a lot of fashion pressure when it comes to prom night. girls have been dreaming about

this moment for years. but the most important thing is for you to look like yourself. >> 199, 350, 650. >> a big expense. it's a big part of their life, and so you want it to be an enjoyable experience for them. >> reporter: for some, the highlight of high school, one that comes with a growing bottom line. for "today" janet shamlian, nbc news. >> now here's erica. all right. thanks. in the crowded field of daytime talk show hosts steve harvey stands out from the competition. in fact, there is even the question of whether he could be the next oprah. as mike taibbi reports, harvey has worked long and hard to become what some say is an overnight success. >> reporter: the steve harvey show isn't the surprise hit of the new daytime talk season because the 56-year-old host can do zomba and it is not because of his sitcom or his radio show

that claimed 7 million listeners or the game shows and comedy specials he's hosted. it's not because he wrote a semiserious best seller that became a movie. >> ladies, do you understand the mindset of a man? >> reporter: that earned about a hundred million in ticket sales. it's all that and more -- decades of building a crossover brand that's already dusted jeff probst, rickie lake, and anderson cooper in the field of new afternoon talkers and even has katie couric looking over her lavishly budgeted shoulder. >> he's been around for a really long time, giving advice and people trust him. suddenly it's all come together for him in a big way. >> it was once famously said a star is nothing but a big ball of gas, an admirable bit of self-depp ra educati self-deprecation who is already a legend. you have to have something to get there. apparently harvey does. one viewer asked, could he be the next oprah? who by the way was thrilled to be the guest on his show.

>> i never thought of this before. i'm having an ah ha moment right now. >> reporter: big names have been streaming toward his guest chair. as much a sign of a show on the rise as the ratings trending upward. how far upward? and once there, will it last? >> i had oprah winfrey on my show! >> you get oprah winfrey coming on your show doing confessionals? you know you've made it. >> reporter: as certain as he demonstrated in one of his ask steve segments when a woman begged him to teach her to dance is that the man does have some moves. for "today" mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. up next, what do your clothes say about you? three women on our plaza are about to find out live. but first, these messages. k? that's great. it won't take long, will it? nah. okay. this, won't take long will it? no, not at all. how many of these can we do on our budget? more than you think.

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this morning on "today's style" we are planning on making a great first impression. what people think about you could have a lot to do with what you're wearing. >> we have the author of the new book "the power of style." she conducted a little experiment to find out how loudly your style speaks for you. >> reporter: how many people do you pass by in a day? well, chances are they're probably passing judgment on you whether you're confident, shy, timid, approachable, and more. >> a lot of people. >> reporter: what do you notice? what makes a woman look approachable or not? >> you can tell by the way a woman dresses. if she put a lot of effort into what she was wearing. >> reporter: we asked a few people to participate in a social experiment.

the idea? to have a few brave individuals let us judge them literally with only a few questions and some categories they gave us their first impression. >> i'd love to get your first impressions of her as quickly as possible. okay? do you think his marks line up with your personality? >> yes. perfect. >> reporter: is this how you want to be perceived? >> definitely. >> you're giggling. >> yes. >> do you think this is accurate or not? >> yeah. except for the last one. >> you're single, not in a relationship. >> yes. >> why is it men in new york don't take advantage of all the single women here? >> i thought she was dressing more like cool. not reay trying too hard. >> how many children do you have? >> i have three. >> would you have guessed she has three children? >> no. >> wow.

>> what made you think she was in a relationship? >> i don't know. she looks well put together. >> this is the first impression. he thought you in a relationship, a social butterfly, that you're corporate rather than artistic. that you're in your 40s and you make $80,000 a year. that's a great first impression. >> it's very good. thank you. i appreciate this by the way. >> bobbi is here with us this morning on the plaza. you picked some friends to volunteer from out here. you'll give them a few tips to help improve their style and that first impression. >> yes. i just want to say if you think about walking into the drug store, the aisles are filled with products and billions of dollars, billions have been spent on not what's inside but on getting your attention, what the color of the box is, the font, and we are just as worthy as a tube of toothpaste in making a good impression so that's what the power of style is all about. >> absolutely. >> i wanted to have the help of linee who is a lovely girl in

our crowd and she is wearing a great outfit. >> i love that. >> perfect weekend outfit. we'll show you how yan draw attention up to your smile. >> okay. everybody talks about it. we're going to add a little color. everybody talks about how your smile was really what gave their feeling of your' approachable, i can talk to you. >> right. >> i think this is really important to draw the attention up because your smile is the sexiest, most beautiful curve on your body. >> can you really wear that necklace? >> absolutely. >> i'm in. >> if bobbi says you can you can. >> with just a little color, not too much, but the necklace and a little bit of color draws your attention up immediately so that you're looking at her gorgeous smile and so i think that's something you can do really quickly with your jeans and a t-shirt. >> a little lip stick. we can do that. >> come on over here. >> another thing that, you know, is impressive -- amy is so

happy. >> do you notice a theme? a lot of people wear black and that's fine. i love black, too. but color and patterns can really grab attention, too. if you want to get noticed on the street, if you want somebody to ask you out on a date like charlotte is hoping for -- charlotte is single, everybody. available. so when i saw amy she had this on, a sweatshirt, and she is casual and wants to go to the gym and run errands. if she unzips her sweatshirt, this big reveal, i put on a denim shirt. this is just as casual, but it looks -- there you go. >> amy is having a great time with this. >> i love you. her friend over there is turning 50. a shout out. this is a great alternative. it looks a little more polished and tailored. i'm going to wrap you up in my own color because the best way to get attention is to look soft, approachable. just wrap up in this gorgeous color. >> ooh. >> and someone is going to

notice i like it. charlotte, you are not going to be single for long. >> no. >> so remember. smile and color. two things that everybody can use to give a first impression. >> thanks to all of you for being with us this morning. stay with us. we'll be back with more. first this is "today" on nbc. look at them kids. [ sigh ]

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[ male announcer ] connect all your wi-fi-enabled devices with u-verse high speed internet. rethink possible. this morning on "today's kitchen" grillin and chillin' spring time barbecue. for sandra lee that means pork chops on the grill. >> sandra lee is here with some recipes "every dish delivers" and also from "sandra lee" magazine. nice to see you this morning. >> it's beautiful out. >> gorgeous. perfect time for barbecuing. is there a lot of prep work here? >> no. in fact, we're going to make a ten-minute dinner in four and a half minutes. we have to get to our stags. you are the grill master.

>> okay. >> you are going to do a grilled pork chop very quick. what we have here are one-inch thick on-the-bone pork chops, about four minutes on each side. just hit them with a little salt and pepper. >> okay. all of them. that's a lot of salt. >> well -- >> you are the person they talk about. >> i'm the one. there goes the demo. hold the italian seasoning. >> okay. >> i'll rub these with olive oil so they don't stick. take these and go on the grill face down. >> the tendency is to want to overcook when you're doing pork. >> there you go. good. perfect. go for it. >> all right. >> only going to cook them four minutes. >> on each side. now we'll hit them with a little more salt. >> all right. >> a little. >> and pepper. >> my popcorn. okay. all right. >> the cooked pork chops go on to the platter.

i will finish up these. >> okay. let me use a different one for this. >> okay. good. >> it's okay to be a little pink on the inside. you were starting to say that. >> yes. >> you want them to sit for about five minutes and now is when you put on the italian seasoning and that heat will bring out the flavor. as they sit there for five minutes they'll get even more flavorful because of the seasoning. >> all right. >> and the juice will recirculate. >> we are making a tomato and bean salad. >> bean and tomato salad. red wine vinegar is already in the bowl. >> salt and pepper. >> italian seasoning. now take your whisk and whisk it together. now go for it. >> it works better in the bowl instead of drizzling it on top. >> i'm using a beautiful creamy white bean.

use a kidney bean. whatever you want. in here this is going to be parsley. these are your cherry tomatoes and celery. all right. stir that up. >> the colors are beautiful. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. you're beautiful in that. >> my gosh. you're beautiful in that. everybody is beautiful. >> everything is so beautiful. >> that goes underneath your pork chop. then the top of your celery stalk. place that on top. there is your dinner literally ten minutes. >> it looks lovely. >> you need a little side. >> yes. >> we need a little cole slaw. this looks really colorful and fresh. >> this is a store bought, prechopped cole slaw mix. >> easy. >> this is yellow pepper and tarrag tarragon. you can buy cole slaw off the shelf. >> you're saying it's okay and you're fine with it and it tastes good. >> everybody has different tastes. we are going to change the taste. we're going to add a little honey. >> okay. all right. >> you grab the mustard.

>> okay. then lemon juice and lemon zest. then poppy seed. >> okay. nice. >> whip that together. go for it. and then what you're going to do is pour that right over the top of this. toss everything together. you have a beautiful, grilled dinner with two sides. >> nice and easy. >> that is what you're going to find in the book and magazine. >> do i get to eat this, too? >> very nice. >> i have dessert for you already. >> i normally come and bring you cocktail time as my gift. this is dessert and cocktail time in one. it is a beautiful pear tart with puff pastry and pear brandy inside. >> yum. >> the alcohol will cook out. >> okay. thank you for bringing that up. you can taste. go ahead. i'm using sliced pairs, canned

pears. the juice with the egg, two banks of puff pastry 20 minutes in the oven. >> great to have you here. thanks very much. you always bring the treats and make it simple. >> which we love. >> we're back after these messages. standard in anti-aging. roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. it's clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. now for maximum results, the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum to create retinol correxion® max. it's clinically shown to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. new roc® retinol correxion® max. nothing's better than gold. for hollywood's biggest stars. who is it for? it's for becky. now, he designs for the star in your life. neil lane bridal. hand-crafted rings. at kay -- the number-one jewelry store in america. ♪ every kiss begins with kay at kay -- the number-one jewelry store in america. i'my body doesn't work the way it used to.

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just a warning tomorrow. lester and i are getting lessons in donut making at dunkin coming up next, a deadly night as three people are shot just a block away from where a mother was gunned down in front of her son earlier this week. the latest on the investigation and the search for suspects. and another violent crash in the south bay killed one person and injured six other people. what police say the driver was doing moments before the crash. plus -- >> right now, yes, but i'm telling you, you know, with all my heart, you are going to be more independent, you know, than you ever were. >> supporting the victims. how our nation's here yeses injured in war stepping up to help comfort those whose lives were changed forever in the boston bombing attack. (cat purring)

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to start her day with a little love. fancy feast mornings gourmet cat food. the best ingredient is love. good saturday morning. looking live at some of the low clouds making for a mild morning in the south bay and pretty much around the bay, but a ramp up toward what is going to feel

like we're springing forward to june i think. thanks for joining us. you say it's going to be up to 90 at some point in the next couple of days? >> we did have hot weather earlier this week. seven-day forecast is going to show quite a bit of warming. today, this morning, we got a lot of low clouds. they're all the way into livermore this morning. notice the wind at fairfield, southwest at 14. so the marine air reaching into fairfield this morning. and we will see patches of low clouds inland, breaking up by lunchtime. winds today will stay on shore. we'll see our temperatures around san francisco and oakland staying in the 60s. inland by about 1:00, you're starting to see some of the 70s and low 80s. and areas south of san jose today, low 80s but you just talked about it, chris, low 90s about four out of the seven days in the seven day forecast. >> we're going to have to high trade for