good morning. the fix is in. house and senate democrats pass the last piece of that contentious health care reform bill, but the debate rages on as both sides try to use it to their own political advantage. what did he know? new questions this morning about pope benedict's handling of two pedophile priests and whether as a cardinal he let both of them off the hook. the vatican calls it a smear campaign, but do newly uncovered memos tell a different story? and nanny 911. the young woman raced through a wall of fire to save the 5-year-old in her care.

the exclusive interview "today," friday, march 26th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this friday morning, i'm ann curry in for meredith. >> i'm lester holt, in for matt. they both have the day off. the voting may be done on capitol hill, the debate, not so much. it is like a 15-round fight. >> you've got that right. last night the house passed a fixed version of the bill that incorporated senate changes to the controversial legislation and now both democrats and republicans are each trying to spin the bill's passage as a way to gain votes in november. much more on that in a moment. also we'll be talking about sarah palin's return to the o campaign trail today with her former running mate, senator john mccain. we'll talk about a scam that will shock even the most vaded person out there, grandparents

taken advantage of in the most devious of ways. you won't believe what some criminals are doing to cheat senior citizens out of their money. but first let's go to capitol hill where nbc's kelly o'donnell has more on last night's passage of those fixes to the health care reform bill. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. the arm-twisting is done. the voting is over. really, it is. and now the passage means that the president gets to sign a fix-it bill to his sweeping health care reform. now, congress will begin to head home and they will be telling two very different stories. democrats will talk about getting something done. republicans will say they want to undo it. and all of this comes at a time when the political climate is making people feel nervous. this had all the feel of an encore. >> join me tonight to vote aye for our families, for our small businesses and for america. >> reporter: another late vote. >> all in favor say aye. although opposes no. >> reporter: another win for

democrats. >> the motion is adopted. >> reporter: another forum for republicans' opposition. >> the american people know there's no fix for obama care. we need to repeal this law and start over. >> reporter: no suspense over this vote. instead, new uncertainty over days of ugly fallout. more house democrats have reported threats and say they suspect conservative activists. >> you're always going to have to look over your [ bleep ] shoulder because people in your district hate your [ bleep ] face. >> reporter: now a backlash from some very visible conservatives. on fox news, host glenn beck accused democrats of milking the attention. >> it's almost like the left is trumping all of this up just for the politics of it all. >> mr. speaker -- >> reporter: a top house republican, eric cantor, said their party has gotten threats too and accused two democrats of

fanning the flames. >> security threats against members of congress is not a partisan issue, and they should never be treated that way. >> reporter: republican congresswoman jean schmidt released this voice mail. >> why don't y'all just change y'all party name to racist. >> i wonder why the media hasn't been on hot stand-by and bothered to look into the recent rash of actual violence that has happened in our country lately. >> reporter: back to glenn beck who talk of hypocrisy and showed clips from a riot at a pittsburgh summit where liberal extremists protested. >> look at this. far left. i didn't hear any coverage on this. >> reporter: there was some unity among leaders of both parties on capitol hill who tried to calm things down. >> i believe that words have power, they weigh a ton. >> but as i said before, violence and threats are

unacceptable. they have no place in a political debate. >> reporter: one of the members from congress i spoke to who had her office vandalized said she had more than 20,000 phone calls and e-mails coming in last week. some of those were a bit nasty but nothing that went too far over the line. but that gives you a sense of how much people are calling and writing. and many of those, she said, were from out of state. investigators are looking in to these incidents, but both members of congress and security officials here say that while they're concerned, they don't think anyone should panic, that this is probably something they can keep under control. lester? >> kelly o'donnell this morning, thanks. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning. >> good morning, lester. >> republicans say they'll keep the fight up. very telling i think what president obama said yesterday. let me play it, then we'll figure out where this is all going. >> now that they passed it, now that we passed it, they're already promising to repeal it. they're actually going to run on

a platform of repeal in november. you've been hearing that. and my attitude is, go for it. >> david, you listen to that and wonder is that bravado and whistling in the dark or does the president really relish another fight in this and thinks it is a fights democrats can win at ballot box? >> i do think it is the latter. i think he also recognizes there's nothing he can do about it. the feeling in the white house is that democrats will have something to run on, an actual achievement. they'll say to republicans, look, you want to take away these regulations on insurance companies and say you can't drop people for no good reason or because you have a pre-existing condition? you want to drop kids who are now available to be on their parents' health care now, an expansion keeping kids who are uninsured on health carrollkaca? go for that. >> he's taking a victory lap, democrats are taking a victory

lap around a subject that a lot of americans are still against. so who did he wrap up or what democrats did he wrap up on this and who's he still need to convince? >> there is a lot he still needs to convince. there is a lot of working class voters who look at this and say, who's really going to benefit? is it just going to be people without insurance? what about the middle class? those are voters that may be represented by tea party activists. they're certainly voters that republicans will be trying to reach this fall. more of the middle of the electorate. this is not just about pleasing the left wing of the party, the base of the president's party. but about reaching out to those middle of the road voters who wonder is this going to work? is this government out of control? and are only less fortunate people in society going to gain from all this. >> as we said, republicans are making big claims about what they intend to do between now and november. you mentioned tea party a moment ago. is there really a strong republican voice right now or is it being drowned out by what's happening in the streets by the clips we saw of glenn beck a moment ago?

>> well, there's a real concern within the republican party that they have to walk a very fine line here because on the one hand, they want to tap into this voter anger for sure. they think it is antiincumbent anger and the democrats are in control but they don't want tea party activists to be seen as a fringe movement. a lot of senior republicans in the party believe that tea party activists might have been people who didn't vote in the last cycle, in 2008. more independent voters who have been more likely to move over to a republican in this kind of climate. if they can do that, they feel like they can expand the middle of the electorate in their favor given the fact that they assume the conservative base will be quite active for a fall election. >> david, i'll ask you to hang on for a moment. but right now let's turn to senator john mccain. he's back on the campaign trail today with his former runninging mate, sarah palin. this time they're not dreaming at the white house, they're just trying to save his senate seat. nbc's norah o'donnell is in tucson, arizona where they'll

hold a rally later today. >> reporter: good morning, lester. mccain is fending off a very tough challenge from his political right. so today sarah palin is going to stump for her former running mate. it will be the first time we've seen mccain and palin campaign together since they lost the 2008 presidential race. less than two years after john mccain plucked sarah palin from on security in alaska, palin is now returning the favor. in arizona to lend him her star power. >> he needs a conservative to tell those voters in arizona, john mccain's okay, he's one of us. >> reporter: mccain faces his toughest re-election battle ever. >> although john mccain was the republican presidential nominee in 2008, he's never been a favorite of true conservatives within the party. >> reporter: and that's why he's facing a primary challenge from another republican, former congressman j.d. hayworth. >> arizona conservatives view john mccain as someone who campaigns in arizona as a

conservative, and returns to washington to that mantel of maverick and in fact legislates either moderately or, in some cases, takes up the liberal banner. >> reporter: palin, a darling of the anti-government conservatives, could boost mccain with the very voters who distrust him. >> let's be fired up and energized and invigorated and decide, no, we're going to do all we can to take our country back. >> reporter: as a prominent fox news contributor, she's rallying against what she calls obama care and gunning for 20 democrats who voted yes for health care reform marking their districts with targets. on facebook and twitter, she rallied supporters with the words "don't retreat -- reload." on "today," mccain defended her ramped-up rhetoric. >> but to someone say someone nae a battleground state is somewhat offensive, simply i'm sorry. >> reporter: just as palin re-unites with the man who made her a star, the former governor is now set to star in her own tv

show. "sarah palin's alaska" will air on tlc, the very same channel that made kate gosselin and the g duggar family celebrities. but it is a travel show in which palin promises to bring the wonder and majesty of alaska to all americans. the show will be produced by mark burnett who created such tv hits as nbc's "celebrity apprentice." now featuring rod blagojevich. >> rod blagojevich. i used to be the governor of illinois. hi. >> reporter: unlike blagojevich who is facing federal corruption charges, this former governor will fetch a cool $1 million an episode. now palin is going to headline two rallies and a fund-raiser for mccain. then she'll head to nevada to host a tea party event where ann coulter is also expected to speak. >> norah o'donnell, thank you. i want to bring back david gregory and get your thoughts on the situation mccain finds

himself in right now. is it unique to him, is it something broader going on that all incumbents are facing? >> it really is broader. i mentioned a moment ago this antiincumbent anger and a lot of republicans think that's good for them. sure, because most democrats are in power. there are a lot of democratic seats that are vulnerable. where senator mccain did well against senator obama during the 2008 campaign. but what senator mccain understands that anti-incumbent anger is really an issue for him as well. even though he leads in the polls against hayworth, we see mccain, senator bennett in utah facing these challenges. in a state like arizona, there is a lot of anti-government anger, the feeling that government's too big and out of control. there's a history of that in that state so he feels he's got to take a step to really rile up the base to excite his base and sarah palin is a pretty popular person to do that right now. >> who's coming up this sunday on "meet the press"? >> we will have a debate about the costs and consequences of

health care. senator schumer from new york and lindsey graham to debate where it all goes from here. >> we'll look forward to it. david gregory, thanks. reminder, tuesday on "today" we'll have an exclusive interview with president obama, his first since the passage of health care reform. if you have any questions you'd like us to pose to the president, go to our website at todayshow.com. it is coming up on 7:13. here's ann. today the vatican is on the defensive as new questions emerge about pope benedict and what he knew about two priests caught up in a pedophilia scandal years ago. nbc's stephanie gosk has been covering this story all week. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. there's a new potentially damaging report in the "new york times" this morning that pope benedict was more closely involved in the mishandling of the pedophile priests in munich in 1980 than the vatican says he was. according to the paper, a memo sent to the pope's office indicated that reverend peter hullerman who been returned to regular pastoral work in munich

just days after being transferred from his previous post for psychological treatment. the psychiatrist said hullerman was a danger to children and later convicted for molestation. it is 1 of 2 allegations that have surfaced in the last two weeks implicating the pope in a scandal that is growing bigger and bigger by the day. an adoring crowd of young catholics greeted pope benedict in st. peter's square while allegations about his involvement in the mishandling of a pedophile priest case in wisconsin make headlines around the world. reverend lawrence murphy molested as many as 200 young boys at st. john's school for the deaf from 1950 to 1974. >> he assaulted this child here, this child here. >> reporter: arthur was 12 when the abuse began. >> his innocence was stolen from him. >> reporter: in 1996, 20 years after murphy was removed from his job, the archbishop of milwaukee wrote to pope benedict, then cardinal joseph ratzinger, asking to re-open a church investigation.

he wrote, "i am interested in a healing process from the church to the deaf community." cardinal ratzinger didn't reply. he wrote back to ratzinger's deputy. "true scandal in the near future seems very possible." the case was briefly re-opened until reverend murphy wrote to ratzinger pleading for mercy. i am in poor health. i have repented of any of my past transgressions. ratzinger ordered the case be dropped. murphy died later that year. on the wisconsin case, the vatican hit back hard. the official newspaper called the story a clear and despicable attempt to strike at this pope at any cost. ann? >> stephanie gosk, thank you so much this morning. we want to get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from natalie morales in for ann at the news desk. good morning, everyone. today at the white house more help for the millions of homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth to try to stem the foreclosure crisis. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd joins us now. chuck, what's in this new plan?

>> well, this new plan is directly aimed at those folks who are unemployed. it is sort of a temporary program the government is going to require lenders to give temporary relief to unemployed folks on their mortgage payments. maybe it will be slashing the principle. maybe it will be allowing them to skip a payment. whichever program the lender wants to do. look, this is an attempt -- it was over a year ago that the president announced a big housing program. it is not gone as planned. they thought they could help 4 million to 5 million homeowners. so far these mortgage modification efforts, only 200,000 folks have been able to qualify so it's been very hard to get lenders to cooperate today. it is another attempt to goose that issue. by the way, one other piece of news. the president today is going to be on the phone with russia's president medvedev and they'll verbally agree to a new nuclear disarmament agreement, signed formally in april in prague.

>> thanks, chuck. tragedy thursday in arizona where a dump truck hit a group of motorcyclists stopped at a red light killing three of them and injuring six others. phoenix official called the scene horrific. in miami, tens of thousands of people turned out thursday in a show of support for cuban dissidents. the march was led by gloria estefan. in the ncaa men's basketball tournament, a nail biter and yet another upset. kansas state outlasted xavier last night in double overtime to advance to the elite eight. kentucky meanwhile beat cornell. and it was west virginia over washington. in the upset of the night, butler did it stunning west region top seed syracuse for the bracket-buster tournament continues. 7:17 right now. back over to ann, lester and al.

>> this morning the heaviest rains are off to our southeast. it has become more scattered around baltimore and it is ending to the northwest. i'd be a couple of the snowflakes. but we get a dry year.

>> and that's your late erlates weather. one man has found a way to conquer space without a multi-million dollar rocket and thousands of engineers from nasa. as nbc's mike taibbi tells us, he did it with a chief camera, a balloon and some duct tape. >> reporter: 38-year-old robert harrison is a self-confessed computer geek who says it was boredom that got thim thinking a while back about photo exploration in space. >> the camera, simple point-and-click. >> reporter: that's about 100 bucks and about 600 more for a gps tracking device duct-taped to hold it all together, plus a standard weather balloon and the helium to fill it. then up, up, up and away above the english countryside while the camera clicked away automatically as harrison tracked its progress from the

attic of his yorkshire home. >> there's the bottom part of the uk. france is underneath there. you can actually see where the camera is. latitude, longitude, altitude. >> reporter: at 22 miles high, the stratosphere, the edge of space, the balloon burst as expected with that cheap camera capturing images like these, a parachute safely back to earth where a gps signal was used to find it. he may have been the foiirst to try balloon photography from space and now pictures these like have often been taken aboard the space shuttle. each mission costing nasa about $400 million. getting images like these for a few hundredollars is an eye-opener. >> if somebody out of their backyard fancies together a device so they can photograph earth from above, surely there

are government agencies who want to have access to this. >> reporter: a team at m.i.t. has its own camera alot of for $150. a bargain basement way to see the truth revealed to real space travelers. with your own photographs as proof. for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, new york. >> i say give that guy a job, robert harrison. right? >> all cool until the day we to you down a jumbo jet with a point-and-click camera. >> okay. happy thoughts from lester. >> it was so nice until that moment. >> that's the first thought i had. >> all right. coming up, the brave baby-sitter who literally ran through fire barefoot to save the little boy in her care. also this morning, they're live together for the first time in an exclusive interview. this is "today" on nbc.s

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that's healthy skin for life. save at aveeno.com. vo:but at walmart? the same 10 a nidollars can buy so much more.l drug store. more easter. plus great new rollbacks. that's worth hopping in for. save money. live better. walmart. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. what roads, sloppy commit. >> we have accidents all over the area and it is not getting better. the latest on southbound 95 past

pulaski highway agreed that one blocks the left lane. the one that o'donnell has been cleared. we now have a crash at eastern ave and 48, another at eastern and pembroke. pulaski highway and golden ring, accident vacation for you. -- accident location for you. we are looking at an accident location at old court in the paxil region. 13 miles per hour on the west side on average. that is backing up traffic on southbound 795. southbound 29, another accident. that was still clearing. causing delays in that area. our heaviest delays expand ride on the north and west side. 19 minutes on the north side, 20 minutes on the west side. it is approaching white marsh all the way down to fort mchenry.

old court, delays in place. >> look at the radar. heaviest rains to the south and east of us. in baltimore, rain has become a bit more scattered. you might see a snowflake or two in there. here's what the map looks like into the evening hours. the weather system is pulling off to the east, and colder air will be filling in. that will be giving us a good day on saturday. north winds, 1020. stronger gusts. today we are in the low 50s now. falling in the 40's this afternoon.

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7:30 now on this friday morning, march 26th, 2010. a clear sign that spring is in bloom. that's the famous cherry blossoms lining the tidal basin in washington, d.c. it is beautiful. i was down there yesterday. we're back here in rockefeller plaza, great crowd. waving to everyone back home. spring break just keeps rolling along. inside studio 1a, lester holt

alongside ann curry. coming up, we'll talk about what has to be a nightmare for any parent. >> you're away from home, it catches on fire with your child trapped inside. this young woman, a nanny on the job for just a very short time, ran through the flames barefoot to save the 5-year-old boy in her care. we'll talk to her and the little boy in a moment. a scam every grandparent needs to know. if your grandchild called new a panic asking for money, what would you do? most people would want to help. what if it is not your grandchild on the other end of the line. wait until we show you what's really going on. this is a very disturbing story. >> good to warning people about it. also, a remarkable story from america's heartland. a community in grafton, wisconsin. a town that came together to help a family really struggling to get by. i think this story will restore your faith in humanity. first, the incredible nanny who risked her life to save a

50-year-old boy in kentucky. we'll talk to her around the boy she rescued and his thankful dad in just a moment. but here's a look at what happened. >> she ran through the flames right here. >> reporter: j.b. haas is talking about his live-in nanny. >> -- who came in this door, grabbed my son and ran through the flames again. >> reporter: on tuesday allison and the 5-year-old were sleeping when a fire erupted sparked by a bathroom fan. >> i heard a big boom and i thought it was aden. >> reporter: allison ran upstairs barefoot. when she got to the hallway she saw the flames. >> i was calling for him and he said "i'm here, i'm in my room underneath my covers." i said okay. he ran out and was screaming and stuff. right after i ran on the carpet, my feet just burned off. >> reporter: still barefoot, her feet badly burned, allison ran

out of the house with aden. neighbors saw the flames and they called 911. >> shelby county 911. >> yeah, we got a fire down here on golden rod court. oh, my god. it's on fire. >> reporter: aden was saved without a scratch. his father was out of town at the time of the fire. >> she sacrificed her life to save my son. that's amazing. she's an angel. how do you repay somebody for saving your child? >> reporter: aden just wants to be with his nanny again. >> she saved me from the fire. i just miss her so much. i love her. >> the very brave allison is in her hospital room along with 5-year-old aden haas and his forth, j.b. good morning to you guys. first, let's talk to you about how you're doing, allison. you suffered pretty severe burns. is that right?

>> that's correct. i'm doing well. i'm sorry? >> how widespread are your burns? >> they're on the bottoms of both of my feet and on the bottom of my hand right here. a minor ones on this hand. >> and you told us in the tape we just saw that you heard this boom and you leapt out of bed. when you ran upstairs and went into the hallway outside of aden's room, what did you see? >> i just saw flames all down the hallway and in the bathroom door was on fire because i had shut the bathroom door previous before this big fire. there was no way to avoid the flames. but before i had even looked at fire or anything i was yelling for aden and he said he was in his room underneath the covers. >> so you knew he was up there. the only way through that to get

to him was through that fire. you, i should mention, were barefoot. you looked at the wall of flames. >> that's correct. >> did you hesitate? >> what's that? i'm sorry. >> did you hesitate? >> no. i didn't even think about me getting hurt or getting burned. i really didn't even think that i was barefoot. i was just yelling for aden. i ran and got him and all of that happened in the next four minutes. it happened really quick. i ran and got him, ran downstairs and i drove to the neighbor's house. the fire took my cell phone. >> the fire chief believes that those flames were at about 400 degrees. what did you feel on your feet when you ran through them? >> the first and second time i didn't feel anything until i was

standing on the carpet where it wasn't on fire and my feet were in excruciating pain but it was dark upstairs so aden couldn't see anything and i had him in my arms and then when we got to the steps, then we just went down the steps and i just grabbed my purse and i was thinking, i was like, oh, man, i dropped my cell phone, now i can't call anybody. so i grabbed j.b.'s business card off my desk, jumped in the minivan, got aden in and whatnot, and we went to lucy's house, the neighbor down the street and i was explaining to aden on the way to lucy's house that he was going to have to run and ring on the doorbell until somebody came to the door and that's what he did and he was very brave and he just, you know, got out of the van as soon as i opened the automatic door and he ran up there and, you

know, rang the doorbell until lucy came. >> aden, you know, i know i can see that allison's arm is around your next and you must be so happy to see her. how do you feel about what allison did? what do you think about allison? >> well, i love her so much and i miss her when she's gone and stuff. >> and j.b., allison was home with your son because you are a single father and you were away on business. first of all, j.b., how long has allison worked for you? >> just about two months now. just about two months. >> so you chose a very good nanny. >> yeah. my work -- i get busy and i advertised for a nanny. she was i think the sixth person she interviewed. her and aden just clicked right

away and got along. i just followed my instincts. of course she had impeccable references and she moved in and just started taking over to help me out with him. god brought her into our world, that's for sure. >> so you feel -- i can't even imagine what you must be feeling when you think about what she was willing to do. the fire chief says, to make the choice to run right through flames is kind of above what are normal heroics. so how do you thank allison? what do you say to her? >> well, when i flew in from minnesota that morning, i came straight to the hospital and saw her on the bed. and to realize what she did, saving my son's life, you know, you can't thank someone for that. there's nothing you can do to repay them for taking that kind

of a risk. then when i went to the actual house and stood in the hallway that she ran through, and realized as she said, there's only one minute left, there's no words to put how grateful i am to have my son with me, how grateful i am to have allison in our world and it's just one of those things that you can't put any value on. there's no price to be paid. it's a debt that we'll never be able to be paid. >> we're looking at some tape now from this morning when you saw her as you were re-united once again after the fire. you can see the depth of the emotion there. especially for aden. aden, when allison gets out of the hospital, aden be, what do you guys want to do together? do you -- what kind of playing do you want to to do with her?

>> i want to play stuff. i have lots of new toys. new puzzle. new toys. new books. >> we build puzzles together a lot. that's what he meant by that. always reading a bedtime story. >> you've done a good job getting really close to him. i want to mention that you don't have health insurance and so it sounds like you're going to have trouble paying for your care. is that right? and how long do you think it is going to be before you're able to go back home? >> they're saying i came to the hospital on tuesday morning, so they're saying about tuesday of next week. about a week. but they're not for sure though. >> well, good luck. >> part of my job is to find -- part of my job is to find another home to live because our home is gone. and so allison of course is part

of the family, so i've got to get a place for her to come to. i know she's got her family to stay with and stuff but she's part of our family now so i got to find another place so that she can come home. >> she's part of our family now. and how, j.b. thank you so much for joining us, allison and aden. congratulations. allison, whether you think it or not, you really are a hero. you're the nanny everybody wants. thank you so much for joining us. now let's get a check of the weather from al. thanks, ann. we got a lot of folks here from fargo, north dakota. this high school, what's the high school? stanley high school. they helped build the dike to save fargo. nice kids there. let's check your weather, see what's going on. we got another big storm expanding area of snow showers, four to six inches out through the rockies, high wind gusts. saturday this moves into the midwest bringing rain and thunderstorms ahead of it, snow

showers behind it. on sunday it gets to the east coast bringing heavy rain. down in florida, rain in the e >> we have had some rain. the rain chances diminished and the storm system coming in behind us, colder air. temperatures are falling through the 40's and into the >> got a birthday boy. what's your name? >> jackson. >> how old are you, jackson? >> ten. >> ten. double digits. check your weather any time on cable on weather.com online.

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♪ [ sniffs ] morning. you got in pretty late last night. dad, i'm not sixteen anymore. still, it was late. well... you're not gonna have to worry about that anymore. yeah, why's that? ♪ todd's a lucky man. ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ that's what i told him when we talked last week. ♪ ...is folgers in your cup this morning on "today investigates," a despicable scam targeting grandparents across the country. nbc's jeff rossen is here to show us how it works. >> good morning, lester. we all know grandparents will do just about everything for their grandchildren. the crooks know it, too. they've devised this scam to

pull at their heartstrings, posing as their grandchildren over the phone. this morning we have the actual phone calls and you are about to hear the scam in progress. it was a desperate cry for help. >> hello. >> grandma? >> yes. michael? >> yeah. >> what's the matter? >> i didn't know who else to call. >> reporter: on the phone, beverly's grandson, michael -- or so she thought. >> it just sounded like michael. >> reporter: so you thought it must be him. >> yeah. >> okay, well, what's the matter, honey? are you in some kind of trouble? >> yeah. we got pulled over and they had some stuff in the car. i don't want to call anybody else, grandma. >> michael said he was on vacation with friends. now he was in jail and needed bail money. >> reporter: if my bail's not too high, grandma, will you help me? >> well, we're gonna have to tell your dad, aren't we? >> no, i don't want dad knowing. that's why i'm asking for your help. i feel so bad. >> i know you do, honey.

>> i got pay the total of $743.49. and if you'll get a cashier's check. >> cashier. >> can you get that in tonight, gram? >> i'll go to the bank now and get it in the mail. >> all right. love you. >> love you. >> when your grandson needs help, you help them. >> that's what grandmas are for. >> that's why i'm there, to help him. >> so you sent the money. >> i sent the money. >> reporter: but, turns out that wasn't her grandson on the phone. it was this man, a stranger and convicted conartist. beverly was taken. >> i was devastated because i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: believe it or not, the man accused of scamming beverly made the call from prison. where he pulled off the same scam on five other grandparents. all the calls caught on prison tape. including this one from 2001. >> hi, grandma. >> who is this? >> your favorite grandson. >> gary? >> yes. >> what's the matter, dear? >> these are despicable people

because they are preying on the most vulnerable and the most generous among us. >> reporter: david is the director of consumer protection at the federal trade commission. how big is this scam? >> this scam is enormous. we estimate there are probably 10,000 victims a year and the amount lost is probably over $100 million. >> reporter: officials say scammers have teams of accomplices searching for victims on facebook, combing through newspaper obituaries and anniversary announcements that publish grandparents and grandkid's names. all the ammunition cooks need to make a convincele call. marge got one just weeks ago. >> phone rings, it's alex. hi, grandma. i been in a car accident with a rental car. got into some trouble. i'm in jail. >> reporter: alex said he was in canada on a ski trip and needed $3,000 for bail. >> he said to me, please, please, don't call my mother and father. >> reporter: a lot of

grandparents are watching this, saying, come on, i know my grandson's voice. >> it sounded like alex. who would know my grandson's name? who would know my name? >> reporter: marge and her husband fell for it. and wired the money. your life savings out the window. >> it's gone. it's gone. >> reporter: because once you wire money, the thief can pick it up and simply disappear. >> all these scam artists need is a photo i.d. that could be a completely fake i.d. they pick up the money, then they're gone and it is practically impossible to track them down. >> reporter: especially when the crooks have help. last year, agents at moneygram, the country's second-largest wire transfer service were caught working with the scammers. making it easy, says the ftc, to pick up the stolen money. and you allege the moneygram executives knew about this. >> the top executives of moneygram knew about this and did it because it was so

lucrative. remember, every time there is a wire transfer, the wire transfer company makes money. >> reporter: moneygram won't admit fault but paid $18 million to the federal government to settle the case. as for the victims, most never come forward, too embarrassed. >> it just takes the wind right out of your sails. >> reporter: but these grandparents are stepping up so you're not next. >> i was set. just totally violated. how could there be such rotten people out there that would do this to grandma, hope you're watching. experts say if you get one of these phone calls, call the grandchild and the parents. make sure it is legit with the real person before you send any money. by the way, moneygram has added staff and technology to protect consumers. >> just when you think people can't get any lower. this is a particularly bad scam for this scam.

>> it is spring break right now so a lot of kids are really out of the country so it is more believable to grandparents, okay, they were in canada on spring break so chances are it is believable. crooks are capitalizing on it right now. >> ticks me off. >> me, too. just ahead, should you take your kids to see "how to train your dragon" this weekend? (announcer) anxious about quitting cold turkey? make that first step easier, with the nicoderm cq patch. nicoderm steps you down from nicotine gradually. doubling your chance for success. nicoderm cq. three steps, ten weeks and yore free.

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time to get a check on the morning commute. >> i hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the rain is wreaking havoc around the area. let's check the major roadways accidents. approaching a 95, we are down to nine miles per hour. that delay stretches all the way back a few miles approaching white marsh boulevard down through fort mchenry.

eastern ave and 48, accident still clear. old court at scotts level and paxil, accident location -- and pike seville, accident location. finksburg, watch for a crash wrapping up. southbound 29, stacked approaching 108 due to a crash there. westbound 100, watch for an accident coming into us at i-97. white marsh, not a whole lot. the folks are barely moving. accident approaching the 895 split. it will be awhile before that filters out. let's go to eight live view of the west side. that is looking a lot better. those delays from liberty to edmondson. john has a check on the forecast. >> temperatures have dropped into the 40's. the front is moving east. heaviest rains offshore. scattered showers on the hd doppler radar.

even a couple of snow flakes. let's look what the map look like this afternoon. with a system of corporate colder air continues to filter in. temperature today will be in the 40's. showers and snow flakes. risa conditions. some of the costs will be stronger. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update, at 8:25.

8:00 now on this friday morning, march 26th, 2010. and the crowds are terrific this morning. we're really glad they joined us. i'm ann curry, lester holt, al roker. isn't this great to have lester

here? >> always great to have lester. this half-hour, we'll have a story that's making me cry. it is a story about this economy, this terrible economy we're all going through. this one little town in graphton, illinois. people have lost their jobs and their homes, and they all stepped in for a family that had an even greater need and donated in a way that they say actually helped them more than it helped this family. >> i need an uplifting story after that grandparent scam we talked about. >> i know! i know! we have it all for you. also a lot of people have always thought, boy, if i had that one invention, it would be a hit. we'll meet a guy who's made a career of that and says, you can, too. we're going to show you how you could possibly win a brand-new free makeover of your garden. >> that sounds good. >> i like the "free" part. before we get to all that, let's get a check of the news

from natalie morales in for me at the news desk. good morning, everyone. the final piece of landmark health care legislation is now ready for president obama's signature which is expected early next week. on thursday night, house democrats approved a package of so-called fixes for the new health care law after it was sent back from the senate with minor changes. if you bought an appliance during the last 18 years, you probably paid attention to the blue label, this logo for the federal government's energy star program? it is supposed to mean that that appliance does the same work as others but uses less energy. but now a new federal investigation shows that an energy star rating may mean less than advertised. nbc's senior investigator correspondent lisa myers has more. good morning, lisa. >> reporter: good morning. investigators decided to test how rigorous the process is for a product to secure the trusted energy star label. so they made up a bunch of fictitious products, products that didn't even exist. and made up energy consumption

data. the results, natalie, were anything but re-assuring. the energy star label is supposed to mean that a product uses 10% to 25% less energy than the minimum federal standards. for shoppers like bob, the star matters. >> i like the idea that i'm buying something that is energy efficient. >> reporter: but a recent undercover investigation by the government accountability office revealed a surprising fact. most of the time, the government does not even check whether a product actually saves energy. mostly, it just takes the manufacturer's word for it. the gao managed to get 15 fake products certified by the energy star program. a washing machine. refrigerator. and even this, a gasoline-powered alarm clock. >> how that submission raised no red flags is beyond me. >> reporter: senator susan collins requested the gao investigation. >> the energy star program is no

guarantee that the appliances are really energy efficient. >> reporter: the investigation found that energy star officials did not even look at this bogus room air cleaner. actually, just a space heater with a feather duster. before certifying it. it wasn't own gao's appliances that were fake. it also managed to get four companies certified as energy star partners and they were fake, too. other recent investigations also questioned the reliability of the ratings. one refrigerator bearing the energy star designation was found to use twice as much energy as claimed. another report concluded the government cannot be certain energy star products are the more energy efficient and cost effective choice. >> the most important thing they need to do is to require independent testing of all products. >> reporter: officials running the program operated jointly by the department of energy and the environmental protection agency,

now say they are developing a system for independent testing of all products. they insist that most products meet or exceed standards, but promise more rigorous screening of products and manufacturers. energy star officials also insist that this program has been an overwhelming success and saved consumers billions of dollars on energy. and natalie, i should point out that some of the 40,000 products certified by energy star over the years have been made by nbc's parent company, general electric. >> all right, lisa myers, thanks so much. a texas judge refused to release a driver who led police on a 100-mile-an-hour chase this week. officers used road spikes to stop the pickup truck after a 14-mile pursuit and they were stunned to discover the driver was a 12-year-old boy who had said he'd taken his father's truck without permission in a family dispute. he's in a lot of trouble now. 8:05 right now. let's go back outside once again

for another check of the weather with mr. roker. >> thanks a lot. we've got a birthday girl. 12 years old. what's your name? >> isabelle. >> isabelle. that's my mom's name. that's a good name. happy birthday. let's check your weather quickly. pick city of the day, just happens to be beautiful billings, montana. nbc 8. showers are developing. we're looking at some wet weather moving off the eastern seaboard. cold air funneling in behind it. temperatures falling in the northeast. rain in the pacific northwest. another big storm double-barrel low coming out of the >> our storm system will be pulling away during the day, allowing colder temperatures to filter in this afternoon. temperatures are falling through the 40's today.

>> and that's your latest weather. lester? thanks, al. up next, a hard-hit town giving a helping hand to a family in need. coming up right after this. [ female announcer ] the essence of bamboo.

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grafton. back now at 8:10. with the extraordinary story of a small midwestern town hit hard by the recession, but still rallying around a family in more serious need. proof that good samaritans still exist in this world and in this country, and that giving is truly its own reward. life hasn't been kind to karen, a single mom struggling to raise triplets in grafton, wisconsin. first came the devastating news that two of her kids had spinal muscular atrophy, a potentially deadly disease that would confine them to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives. then, two months later, karen found out she had breast cancer. >> i said, you know, i can't have it, i'm too busy. but i did. >> reporter: what kept her going through chemotherapy, karen says, was seeing her children confront their disease with

courage and determination. >> you know, i sometimes think that god gave me cancer just so i could feel what they feel every day. >> reporter: one of the family's greatest challenges became their house. small and compact, it wasn't suited for children in wheelchairs. >> mom, we're stuck. >> reporter: jim, a local businessman, heard about the family's plight and wanted to completely renovate their house to make it completely wheelchair accessible but he needed money and volunteers and grafton, like many towns in the u.s., had been slammed with recession. >> i think in the toughest of times, that brings out the best in people. >> let's bring the whole community together. now's your chance. >> reporter: what was just an idea became a rallying cry and grafton rose to the challenges. >> we're doing a fund-raiser. the teachers came up with different stunts to raise money for the longoria family. >> reporter: the principal of megan tyler's middle school

promises to kiss a cow if he raises more money than his teachers. usually the proceeds would go straight into a money savings account but this time she's giving the money to the longorias. >> it wouldn't bother me at all if they didn't even know i did it. as long as the money goes to them and their great cause, that's all that matters to me. >> reporter: the town an surrounding communities raised more than $2,000 to cover the cost of renovation. more than 1,000 volunteers reported for work. ron helped build the house, even though he was losing his. >> used to have a home. but i'll get there. i'm doing this to help someone

who's in more sad shape than i am right now. >> these people that were struggling and with the economy, they said, i can make a difference and i can feel good about it. somebody needs that. it was tara and her kids. >> reporter: it was a homecoming like no other. the family gained a new house, a new beginning. >> it's beautiful! >> reporter: and a community gained something that in these tough economic times is hard to come by. hope. how do you say thank you to the thousands of people? i mean this changed our whole life. >> there's kind of a feeling i'm getting, you may that used to community, but in some ways this community needed you. >> wow. that's an honor to us. this is better than a dream come

true. thank you for your love and support, and thank you for making our house a home. >> those people slay me what they do. the man you met, ron, is just one of so many people who stepped up even though they're losing their own businesses, they've lost their jobs, they've lost their homes, yet they stepped up for the family. that says something i think about the grit in this country. >> how's she feeling? >> she's doing better. they think that all the good that's happened is going to buoy also her children. actually, the full story is going to be coming up this sunday night on a very special "dateline" called "america now," a circle of hands, 7:00, 6:00 central time on nbc. i'm really proud of it. next, "american idol" for ed a your invention. the one thing about smoking -

your invention. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. (announcer) chantix is a non-nicotine pill. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it is proven to reduce the urge to smoke. i did have an unopen pack of cigarettes in my purse and i said, "what the heck, i don't need these..." ...i said, you know, "bye, i don't need you anymore, you're not my crutch, i don't need a crutch." (announcer) talk to your doctor about chantix and a support plan that's right for you. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression

or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions to chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away. tell your doctor which medicines you are taking as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. the most common side effect is nausea. patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit smoking products. with the chantix and with the support system, it worked. it worked for me. (announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you.

wore only what i was wild about. always knew what i loved, and insisted on wearing it. ♪ chicka boom boom boom i guess some women are destined to wear chico's. look in the glove box. [ children laughing ] suitcase? huh? ♪ where do gummy bears hide? under the seat. look! yeah! ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] the all new chevy equinox. [ man ] guess who? dad! [ man ] enjoy the trip! okay, daddy! [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it takes you farther... and brings you closer. i did it on my own online, and i went in to an h&r block. they found an education credit that i missed.

the tax professional told me that my refund was $2000 more than what i had found on my own. surprise ! and i was thinking, how could i miss something so big ? taxes can be complicated. so doing taxes alone isn't for everyone. choose the pros who have completed over a half billion returns already. you don't know what you don't know, and that's why you go to h&r block. h&r block. get it right. ♪ talking about nutrition [ female announcer ] "i can't believe it's not butter" with no trans fat and 70% less saturated fat than butter. butter taste, better health. this morning on "today's consumer," the next great product. have you dreamed of coming up with an invention that could bring you fame and fortune? consumer correspondent and reader's digest contributor janice lieberman found a way to let your voice be heard.

>> incredible story. it was open call for inventor wannabes in los angeles recently. the king of infomercials offered every day folks a chance to possibly become a millionaire. it's like "american idol" for inventors. >> very easy to adjust. >> new dog stuff. >> the umbrella with a shower curtain. >> reporter: in the role of simon cowell, a.j., the infomercial king and head of telebrand. he's the guy that brought the "as seen on tv" products into retail. >> are those pants getting too tight to close? >> call now and you'll also receive pedi paws. >> reporter: but wait, there's more. he's taken inventor's day on the road looking for the next biggest invention and the promise of making that inventor a millionaire. what are you ladies selling?

>> the snazzy sun float. >> what are you wearing? >> the travel cozy here. >> the ultimate hands-release to walk your dog. >> reporter: each entrepreneur has just five minutes to make their pitch to a.j. and a panel of four judges, including his wife and business partner. >> i really like it. >> that's a problem. because i really don't like it. >> that's usually the case. >> reporter: only 10% of the hundreds of products he sees will he test marketed, and only 1% will make it. >> i think i have a good head to keep on looking and stuff and weed out very quickly the good stuff and the bad. >> anyone can put this on. >> reporter: some inventions made sense. what do you ladies have here? >> a cordless heating turban. for deep conditioning for scalp treatments.

>> reporter: ah, delicious. nice and toasty. so my hair will be really shiny and full when i take this off? >> yes. >> reporter: all right, good luck to you ladies. >> how it works is you put your conditioner on. you heat the hair wrap in the microwave for 90 seconds. then you put it on your head like so. >> the super charger conditioner. it is like the whole spa experience. >> yeah. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: some inventors seem to be as funny as their injenningses. >> what do you mean the toilet shouldn't be that much work. but now there is a better way. they have like a bad night the night before over pizza, whatever. you basically just want to pick up your toilet brush and squeeze it. >> what do you mean by a bad night with pizza? >> we need to move on. >> what? >> you have a lot of ideas, girlfriend. >> you bet. i wake up 2:00, 3:00 in the morning with, oh, my god, i got it!

>> reporter: and sometimes you never know what to expect. we met joseph, a laid-off helicopter pilot with his horse, pooper-scooper that he intends to make into a miniversion of cat poo. >> if you have horses or cats, you have to take care of their business the next morning. you can imagine if this were used in a kitty litter box, simply scoop up the litty litter, squeeze the button and magically the -- business. >> -- business will be separated, yeah, that's right. his pitch was an instant hit. >> it has an action that automatically moves the poop from the front to the back. >> just figure out the optimal speed. >> that's right. >> i like it very much. i think it will demonstrate phenomenal on television. >> i think they liked it. >> the make or break point, when i put it in a.j.'s hands, it worked for him just as well as for the little grandmas with their puppies.

>> the next inventor's day will be held march 31st in fairfield, new jersey. he's also doing a kid's inventor day in may. that should be adorable. >> all i think is that guy must have an enormous cat. they probably make a smaller one. >> that's the point. he said go home and bring me a good prototype. >> a lot of us have had these ideas go through our mind, a great invention. how do you know if you have the next big thing? >> google it, find out if anybody else has done it. you don't want to present something that's already on the market. then you want a common solution to an every day problem is what a.j. says. he's looking noor in a low-priced item. >> you come up with an idea and say it outloud. how do you make sure someone doesn't steal it? get a lawyer right away? >> a lot of people invest way too much money. register online with the patent association, u.s. patent. for $160 you'll protect your patent temporarily. until you make it huge, you don't need the lawyers and you

don't need to spend big money. >> when i'm ready to market it, what's the next step? >> come up with a prototype. this is the big pooper scooper. he needs a smaller one to present. you need a working model. don't spend a lot of money because they'll make it cheaper in china or somewhere. so just come in with something that works and have a clear and concise way of explaining what it is. like the idea lady. >> that's very cool. i was making fun of this but now the more i think about it, it has the little gel packs in there -- >> don't you be trying to steal this from me, this is mine. and the pedi egg made everybody famous. >> what does it do? >> it scrapes off the bottom layers of your foot, all the dead skin. and it collects it in here and it is just what every woman and man wants and it made him tons of money! don't be laughing about that. >> janice lieberman, nice to have you. still to come, america ferrera tries to train the star

of "how to train your dragon." >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> let's check the area roadways. we have accident causing major delays on southbound 95 approaching the 895 split. down to two miles per hour on average. that past mountain road to the accident scene. it is affecting traffic on the inner and outer loop there and on the northeast side.

and a vehicle fire here just approaching the beltway, off to the side. you can see heavy delays behind it. nine miles per hour on average. that delay stretches all the way towards j.f.x. once you get on to j.f.x., you'll find typical delays towards coldspring. southbound 29, watch for an accident wrapping up. another crash scene. then you will watch for us about 100 past i-97. a very busy ride out there. rain contributing to things. traffic almost at a standstill, southbound just past mountain road all the way down. on the west side, we're looking at delays in both directions. john has a look at the forecast. >> rate is moving on to the east. the heaviest rain. link rainshowers are around the area. " what will be of short. it will take the bulk of the rain with it. maybe a couple 6 behind.

much colder air will be filtering in be fined up weather system. -- also in in behind the weather system. 30's by the evening. breezy conditions. rain and a couple of flakes. >> thank you for joining us. we will have another update at 8:55.

good dragon. good dragon. yeah. >> don't adjust your set. that is in fact a dragon and that is in fact natalie morales atop the dragon right here atop rockefeller plaza.

it is one of the stars of the new movie "how to train your dragon." we'll talk to one of the stars, america ferrera, just ahead. >> kind of fun. i feel like i'm one of those little kid's rides where you put the quarter in and go. in a skirt. it's great tv! 8:30 now on a friday morning, march 26th, 2010. not often we have a dragon on the plaza. also ahead, shani davis, the olympic gold and silver medalist in vancouver. now he's back on the home ice sharing his dream with some kids who have also found the need for speed. also we'll talk about your yard. if your yard is a mess and you are embarrassed to have your neighbors see it, we'll give you some ideas about how to fix it. we'll also start a contest because somebody's going to be able to compete for a makeover for their lawn that's absolutely free. plus, tax day is

fast-approaching. what you can do to slim down your tax bill and your waistline all at once. and what happens when hoda lee and kathie went on prime time? oh, baby. we'll fill you in. >> it is really cool. lester was actually in the broadcast as well. >> in the show that tina fey has. >> they wanted cheap talent. >> that's really cool. first we have america ferrera here with her very large friend. >> dragon lady. >> good morning. >> i saw it yesterday, i loved it. by far my favorite animated movie. it is so great. >> you play a character, young lady who loves to slay dragons. >> i play astrid who wants to be the best biking dragon slayer

kid there ever was. she's tough. she gets down and dirty with the boys in the dragon slaying ring and she's pretty awesome. >> you love the message in this film. >> i do love the message in this film. it is a very classic tale of perceived enemies and how they're stronger together than they are -- >> dragons are people, too. >> we all have our own dragons to face. >> very thoughtful. yeah. >> what's it like when you act on camera as opposed to the voice actor? >> it's very different. you're in a recording studio. no other actor or images, just a director explaining to you what the scene is and you have to use your imagination. >> what an experience. >> that's what's so hard, too. there's nothing really that you're seeing to visualize -- >> yeah. it's a challenge at first. then you realize that you can look crazy and it doesn't

matter. i was doing some like jumping jax. i have to do a lot of running and jumping and hitting things. so i look insane but i didn't sound insane. >> congratulations on doing the movie and the graphics. i love the animation but also on your work for save the children. >> thank you. >> you've been doing good stuff there. >> i'm ambassador for education for save the situatichildren. i went to raise money for children in bali. it opens in theaters today. see it in 3-d. mr. roker, let's get a check of our weather. >> i got glasses. let's show you what's going on for your weekend. saturday, sunny skies up and down the eastern seaboard. chilly in new england. mild out west with some sunshine. we got warm weather through the southwest. then sunday -- sunday -- more

heavy rain for spring breakers down in florida. rain in the upper ohio and mississippi river valleys. wet weather in the pacific northwest. sunny and cool in new england. >> we have had some rain. the rain chances diminished and the storm system coming in behind us, colder air. temperatures are falling through the 40's and into the 30's >> and don't forget you can get your weather channel stuff any time of the day or night or weather.com online for all the weather. jean shallot is going to be reviewing how to train your dragon coming up. a little sneak peek.

>> all right. next, the search for the ugliest yard. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's home," the truth about trees. they don't only add curb appeal to your home, they can actually save you some money in the long run. stick around because we'll tell you how you can actually win a yard makeover and to help us do that, we have jason cameron, the host of diy network "desperate landscape." welcome. >> thanks, good to be back. >> we'll talk about three different kinds of trees this morning people might want to think about for their homes. one is to make your house more beautiful and give it more curb appeal, that's the ornamental tree. >> it is great for adding curb appeal and adding value to your home. this is a red haven peachtree.

edible fruit, and can be a nice pink flower in the winter. excuse me. in the summer. looking to sell your house, great way to add instant value to your house is with an ornamental tree. a tree this height bewill be $7 to $100. >> people will see those flowers first and want to look at that house. >> the visual is amazing. they like a lot of sun so choose a nice, sunny spot with good drainage. >> now let's talk about another type of tree, these are evergreen trees? >> this is actually a shade tree. >> that's the evergreen. >> this is actually a white birch. the great thing about shade trees, who doesn't love a good shade tree in the summertime. this tree will really save you money. by planting this type of shade tree, right now this will not give you a lot of shade but when it matures it will shade a lot of your house and ac unit which in turn will save you money.

three well placed shade trees will cut your energy costs by 50%. >> where would you put them? >> obviously a good location where it will block the sun. maybe in the front yard or around the house where you have a lot of windows to block the sunlight from coming in so it is comfortable in the summertime. a tree like this once it matures will go a long way to saving you a lot of money. >> now the evergreen because it is green. >> yeah, it is green. >> what's great about this tree? >> this is a leland cypress. trees like this are usually planted in close proximity to your house. you see how dense this is. in the winter time you get cold air. right? it hits your house and gets in certain areas. like the shade tree that blocks sunlight in the summertime, a tree like this will block the cold wind in the winter time. >> it sounds like actually you want one of each of these. if you're trying to save money on energy -- >> one of all three. you want a nice ornamental tree

that will give you that nice look all year round. a shade tree blocks the sun. a tree like this stops the cold air from coming in. and again, just like a shade this, this will cut your energy costs by up to 50% because it insulates. >> now let's do some planting. there's -- these are large trees. you really need to know what you're doing. >> especially if you buy mature trees like this, i'm going to put you to work. you have the right jacket on, the white coat on. >> white is the color to where when you're dealing with dirt. >> here's another evergreen we'll plant. the thing about choosing a tree, it is important to choose the right tree for your climate. so one of the things you can do is go online, they have maps online from growing zones. that will help you choose the right tree for your zone or your nursery is a great resource for choosing the right tree. make sure it is healthy. one way to check to make sure is to look at the tree and inspect

it. be picky. >> i am picky. >> make sure it is healthy. look at the tree, make sure, how see this has really good needles? really good color. look for insect damage. you want to look for new growth. see the new growth on this tree right here? that's a good sign. the other thing, look at the bark. examine the bark. if you see any damage on the bark especially close to the roots, that's a good indication for disease. once you inspect it and know it is healthy, it is time to plant. you've got the shovel -- >> or spade. >> normally we'd use a shovel. typically i'm bigging big holes. we've got one created. when you dig a hole for a tree, people tend to dig the hole too big. that's a common mistake people make. they dig the hole too big. what you want is you want the hole as deep as the root ball, no more, and three times as wide. >> i want to make sure we also get to something else.

you'll have a competition as you plant this tree, competition for people who can have a free makeover on your network. we've done this on our broadcast. >> we do it in conjunction with the "today" show. third year in a row. it is always fun. this is the search for america's most desperate landscape with you guys. we search out people that have desperate landscapes. i think we have pictures of some examples. once you loosen up the roots, put it in, put the soil back over and add soil conditioner. >> we'll show people pictures right now. what are you looking for specifically? >> desperation. looking for some desperate landscapes. there's a lot of them out there. this is a really good example. there's really nothing going on with this one. there's no color. >> what else? >> here's another one. again, this is a good example of trees that need to be limbed up. look at all the rocks. just nothing but rocks. no color. here's another one that's just

barren. you see a lot of house but not much of anything else so they need some color. this one again, the sod's in bad shape. we probably want to go in and lay some new sod. >> if your yard looks that bad, pay attention because we're going to give you an opportunity to get a free makeover. the diy network will select four finalists who will come to our plaza. and compete live on "today" for a landscaping challenge race. deadline for entry is may 3rd. go to todayshow.com to find out how to apply. read all of the contest rules and prize details. the winner will receive a yard makeover courtesy of the diy network, star in an episode of "desperate landscapes" and get a chance to show off their new beautiful landscape here on "today." jason cameron, thanks for helping us. coming up, we'll talk about shani davis

the vancouver olympics are merely a thrilling memory for some of us, but at a risk outside chicago speed skater shani davis learned to zoom around the ice. as nbc's kevin tibbles found out, he is inspiring a new generation of kids to strap on the blades. >> you children ready? let me see your starting position. >> reporter: they're all fired up and ready for speed on the ice. and why not? the evanston, illinois speed skating club's walking a little taller these days. >> shani davis -- >> reporter: one of their own just came home with some heavy duty bling from vancouver. >> he's got another gold medal! >> reporter: local hero shani davis won silver and gold at olympics. >> excellent! >> reporter: it was here that davis first learned to go fast, lacing up his first skates at

just 6 years old. for more than 40 years the club founder sanders hicks has been making better kids on and off the ice. he watched shani davis become a role model. >> he's like the pied piper when he goes on the ice. >> reporter: now, thanks to shani's exploits, all kinds of kids are putting on the blades. we're here talking to speed skating sensation macy igle. how old are you? >> 5. >> what is it you like the best about speed skating? >> going fast. >> do you like to race? >> yes. >> do you like to win? >> yes. >> are you fast? >> yes. >> go get 'em? >> yes. >> all right. thank you. "you're welcome, kevin." you're welcome, too. thank you. >> she came here and she said she wanted to be like shani davis. >> reporter: from a local rink with a local hero like shani davis, local kids learn how to dream big.

>> he's my inspiration of coming here. >> it's like seeing michael jordan of skating or something come to the rink. >> reporter: macy igel and all of evan stoston turned out for welcome-home reception and davis brought home a surprise -- new skates for the kids on the team. with the golden moment with their olympic hero. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, evanston, illinois. >> kevin interviews everybody that way. we've added another feel-good post-olympic story. few weeks ago we had the gold medal winning u.s. men's bobsled team and they helped us out with a dog segment. he found a friend for life in 2-year-old bailey, a golden retriever, adopted him. >> he was traveling so it took a while to get together. >> they've been ereunited in

colorado. they instantly had a connection. bailey just loves steve. >> he'll be -- mostly he lives in park city. he goes out to the olympic training facility in colorado as well. they'll have a good life out there. >> he says it is a lot of wilderness and open space out there. >> steve was looking for a pet. it was perfect timing all around. so cute. up next, hoda and kathie lee go prime time. but first, this is "today" on nbc. how about over here? hmm... let's go back to the left. uh... waffling is back at dunkin' donuts with the return of the waffle breakfast sandwich. two oven-toasted waffles with a hint of maple, complete with fluffy egg, a slice of melted cheese, and now with delicious sausage. so hurry in today because it's only around for a short time. america runs on dunkin'. try our oven-toasted waffle breakfast sandwich today, only at dunkin' donuts.

the new animated movie "how to train your dragon" opens today. our gene shalit says it's hot stuff. >> reporter: good morning and welcome to the "critic's corner." sometimes march comes in like a lion. but this year, march comes in like a dragon, and that's wonderful news. not only dragons, also vikings. >> welcome to dragon training. >> reporter: a good-time animated feature called "how to train your dragon." a film with impressive ingredients. it comes from the folks who created the likes of shrek and

madagascar. he's disappointed in his young son hiccup because hiccup lacks the viking physique. >> i don't want to fight dragons. >> reporter: oh, remorse among the nors. >> you're small and weak, that will make you less of a target. >> reporter: can he ever kill a dragon? i should slay not. >> everything we know about you guys is wrong. >> reporter: instead, the lad befriends the rarest dragon, the night fury. together they fly into evasive positions with exciting adventures. >> yikes, we've never seen their likes. >> reporter: the horn-helmeted

viking with melodious accents delivers for everyone. these fire-breathing marvels deserve to be in the dragon hall of flame. >> it is like the size of my -- oh, get off! >> reporter: now if you miss seeing these dragons and vikings, you'll be sore. this myth is a hit. that's the "critic's corner" for "today." i'm "dragon" myself out of here. >> natalie, you saw it? >> it is so great. >> my daughter raefed about it. >> both of you have seen it? from dragon to the peacock network. we're one big happy family here at nbc. >> that really threw you off. >> with that, our news division makes guest appearances on "30 rock" so often. matt, meredith, lester, even

brian williams. maybe they should put nbc news in the opening credits. in fact, last night it was time for kathie lee and hoda to work their magic. let's take a look. >> spring cleaning. boring! >> come on. >> hey. you guys wear so much makeup. you know that? >> hey, have you been drinking? >> shut up, kitkat! >> oh, god. >> false alarm! >> lester, you were also on. and meredith. >> they were hysterical. >> i was part of a prank segment. it was a really funny episode last night. it is not just because of us. >> i thought it was actually a total waste of our talent. >> it was breaking news. reports of a gas leak in 30 rock. >> people had to strip naked. >> oh, my god!

>> take a look at meredith. meredith was involved in a "today show" wedding >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. 15 people are accused of money laundering conspiracy. yesterday, more than 100 officers raided more than 30 pawnshops in baltimore city and county and charged the u.s. postal inspector with multiple warrants, including the lead defendant, jerome stal, serving two years and a prison after being convicted of transportation of stolen property in 2002. back in a minute with a check on today's

>> since midnight we have had a little less than half an inch of rain in the area. the storm system is in the process of moving through the area. the front of shores tracking most of the rain with that, although lingering showers possible. some of you may see a snowflake. drier conditions will come in, but the key is that it will be colder. temperatures today in the 40's at during the afternoon, falling to the 40's by the evening. gusty winds. >> we will have another update at 9:25.