good morning. power play. with time running out until the midterm elections, both sides are bringing out the big guns in a final push for votes. private pain. a texas lawmaker reveals his secret torment at the hands of school bullies. >> i have never told the story to anyone before tonig. >> his emotional story, and his message of strength to others who have been taunted. and pay dirt. after the last year, the offers roll in for the 33 freed miners who are now weighing book and movie deals, along with dealing

with the perks and pressure of being worldwide celebrities. "today," saturday, october 16th, being worldwide celebrities. "today," saturday, october 16th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning, i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. and it's crunch time for the candidates as the clock ticks closer to the midterm elections. >> the rhetoric has been rising. the races in some cases have been getting uglier. today the president and first lady make another big push in hopes of holding on to the majorities on the hill. we're going to bring you the latest in just a few moments. >> we're also following the search for a missing 10-year-old north carolina girl. zahra baker's family reported her missing exactly one week ago. and police are now calling this a murder investigation. there's some troubling new evidence. we're going to have the latest. >> and remember this bizarre crime? a pizza deliveryman with a bomb

strapped around his neck robs a bank. and then dies when the bomb explodes. this week, seven years later, the alleged ringleader behind this gruesome murder goes on trial. we'll have the story straight ahead. >> and then we're going to switch gears, get down to dollars and cents with suze orman. she is talking money and she is taking your questions, so get them ready. >> i've got my own list of questions for her. she always has such great advice. let's begin this morning with a final push to the midterm elections. now just 2 1/2 weeks away. and with the pressure mounting on his party, president obama is hitting the campaign trail. he's got company. nbc's savannah guthrie is live at the white house with more. savannah, it's good to see you. the president obviously, his presidency in some respects is at stake here. this is a vote many people believe a referendum on his presidency. why the big push, though? >> reporter: well, look, a lot of people are looking to president obama, who is still, frankly, the most popular figure in the democratic party, to close the sale and try to

tighten up some of these races. and it's all about getting out the vote. they call him obama surge voters. those are the folks that voted in 2008 for the first time, mostly young people, african-americans, and the president is focusing like a laser on those groups, trying to generate that enthusiasm, trying to tell them the stakes are high, it's worth going out in a midterm election and look where he's going today, massachusetts. usually reliably democratic territory. but it just shows in this environment, democrats can't take anything for granted. >> and as we noted he's bringing out the first lady. what was -- how did that decision come down? >> well, democrats on the hill, frankly, have been clamoring for the first lady to go out on the campaign trail for months. she's considered, of course, one of the most popular figures, if not the most popular figure, in the administration. in 2008 campaign, they used to call her the closer, so effective was she. she had a closing of the sale with voters. she started this week, had a couple of stops, one in her home state of illinois. and then tomorrow it will be a

double-team effort in ohio. we will see the president and the first lady out on the campaign trail together. >> heard the president yesterday talking about what a tough election environment this is. especially for democrats. obviously they have to deal with the possibility of a republican takeover in the house, and/or the senate. how are they preparing for that? >> well, they are preparing for it. while, of course, toeing the line, saying they expect the democrats to hold on to narrow majorities. either way they are going to have much diminished majorities, even if they hold onto control of congress. the president thinks in some ways this is an opportunity. if republicans retake the house, or the senate, the president thinks they're going to have the onus on them to govern. he thinks the strategy that frankly he admits has worked for republicans, saying no to most of his proposals, he says that old playbook will have to go out the door. that voters will expect republicans put into office to govern. >> all right, savannah guthrie. thanks. republicans are counting on a capitol hill takeover next month. john harwood is cnbc's chief washington correspondent.

john, good morning. it's great to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> let's first talk about the president's campaign in delaware friday. for democratic candidate chris cons. he's way ahead in the polls. why would the president spend time in that race? >> well, first of all, the president may want to go someplace where democrats are winning. it might be a little psychological boost. but look, as they try to hold onto the senate, democrats aren't taking anything for granted. it's a horrible year to run as a democrat. they got a gift in the nomination of christine o'donnell over mike castle in that republican primary. castle would have done -- would have won that race in a layup. so what the president's trying to do is methodically go across the map, and try to lock down places where democrats have an advantage, and tip over those close races where they might be within range, and a little boost for those surge voters that savannah just talked about may make the difference. >> i know you took the red eye in from california. out there covering the races out there. let's talk about it. you've got the governor's race.

new reuters poll shows democrat jerry brown now with a four-point lead over republican meg whitman in the gubernatorial race. senator boxer on the senate side has only one percentage point lead over her challenger carly fiorina. first of all, let's talk about that senate race. what is driving such a close race there? >> well, first of all, the overall environment of voters is anger at the weak economy, and what's going on in washington. now, california's a little bit different. president obama is over 50% in california. unlike the rest of the country. where he's in the mid 40s. but nobody is immune to this reaction against government, and barbara boxer is one of the most liberal democrats in the u.s. senate, is feeling that heat. it's the toughest re-election race she's ever had. but she, i could tell you, lester, is one feisty answer. when i interviewed her yesterday she went right at carly fiorina who's been touting her credentials for business saying yeah, she was a ceo at hewlett-packard but she failed.

she got fired. and carly fiorina fired back and said barbara boxer's been in the congress for 28 years. she hasn't been accountable to anyone. she's out of step with mainstream california. and the need to create jobs. and that is a dog fight. it's very close. barbara boxer has a significant cash advantage, though, as we head to the final couple of weeks and she's been following fiorina on television. >> let's go back to the california governor's race. the headlines in that race have been stolen by first the housekeeping scandal, then the off-color comment by an aide of governor brown. how much have -- or gubernatorial candidate brown, how much have those things driven the underlying dynamics of that race? >> well, what happens in these races is you have an underlying dynamic, and the ability of candidates to move the needle, given the way california is so vast and voters tend not to tune in to politics very much, it's not easy to move the needle. and those little controversies tend to do it. jerry brown gave a -- an

interview earlier in the campaign when he was explaining to an interviewer that what's going to tip this race is when somebody messes up. somebody makes a stray comment, insults somebody, that's exactly what's happened over the last few weeks. jerry brown still has the advantage, yet bill clinton in campaigning for him yesterday, another democrat who retains some popularity, and so this is a race where democrats have a slight advantage but it's not a given. meg whitman's put $150 million into that race, lester. >> john harwood. glad your flight landed on time. good to have you on this morning. now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. in chile the homecomings continue for the 33 rescued miners. and along with all of the celebrations, new details are emerging about the desperation they faced underground, and the pressures they now face above it. nbc's kerry sanders joins us now from chile. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. two of the miners are still here at the hospital. all the others have gone home, and doctors say that their eyes are adjusting to the sunlight

much faster than they expected. but the longer-term issue, they say, will be mental health. three days after the rescues that stunned a worldwide audience, almost all of the miners are finally at home. the 12th man out was one of the first to be released. while in the hospital, he complained about the media attention. some are bothering my family, pena said, on friday, he sought out the cameras, claimings miners' concerns about safety were ignored. the employer, penasaid, always cares for his money. his money, and then what happens with the workers, what happens with the workers, no. just go in. all 33 men are suing the owners of the mine. and despite one report of fistfights underground the miners appear to be closer than ever pap growing, one daughter said, to pool all their earnings from interviews, appearances,

books, and movie offers. and to divide them equally. the price for telling their story, $20 million. fermin, whose father-in-law mario gomez is the oldest miner, spoke up in the miners' defense saying no one has suffered as they have. there's no amount of money for that. chile's health minister said most will need psychological supervision, and possibly medication. >> we are prepared to stay with them, and to work at least in the next six months. >> some of the men like richard villarroel never expected to reach the surface. in an interslew with "the wall street journal" he said, we were waiting for death. we were wasting away. we were so skinny. i lost 26 pounds. i was afraid of not meeting my baby, who is on the way.

in the hospital, hoe a looked to the future. i think i have to rest, he said, and then take back my life. enriques now has a contract to go back to work, in another mine. but first, he's taking a vacation. and they have been offered some free vacations around the world, in the mediterranean, the greek isles. to see real madrid, and one of the miners who is an elvis fan has been offered a free vacation to graceland. and amy, who could pass that up? >> all right, kerry sanders, thanks so much. >> go from the one thing you want in life, just to survive, then to all these options. >> dreams like from one to the other thinking you're facing death and all of a sudden being offered free vacation. >> everybody wants a piece of you. let's get a check of the other headlines of the morning. for that we're going to go over to melissa francis at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. we begin in central china where rescuers are trying to free 17

trapped coal miners after an explosion in the mine. 20 miners were killed in the blast. more than 200 escaped. hampering rescue efforts the toxic levels of gas. china's mine industry is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. the pentagon is preparing for a major release, possibly as early as tomorrow, of classified iraq war documents by the whistle-blower website wikileaks. military officials say wikileaks' july's release of more than 70,000 afghanistan war logs has not compromised sensitive u.s. intelligence sources, or practices. but officials say the disclosure of informants' names puts them at risk. and say it ain't snow. it is only mid-october but the white stuff has already arrived in parts of new england. the weather channel's jim cantore joins us live from stowe, vermont, with more. good morning, jim. >> good morning, melissa. it was a beautiful fall foliage has now turned into a winter wonderland in through here. you can see we've got four inches of snow on the ground.

it's obviously heavy, wet snow. good snowball fighting snow. look at the pictures at the top of the mountain where you had a lot of conifers and pine trees, they're just coated with snow. and it looks like christmas. real quickly up in through here. they've had as much as 16 inches of snow on top of the mountain here. so, what a great fall picture that's going to be for the leftover foliage near the ground. we're going to be able to take pictures of white capped mountains once the sun comes back out probably on sunday. the big problems will be wind mainly affecting new england today. that's going to slow things down at the airports and could cause a few more power outages from yesterday. >> incredible picture. jim cantore, thanks so much. finally a crazy police chase in brazil. cops saying the driver of the black caress caped from prison. the suspect first weaved through traffic until he was blocked. then he decided to just hit everything in his way. including a number of motorcycle cops. officers actually opened fire, causing other drivers to run for cover.

in all the driver hit at least nine cars and four motorcycles. look at that. he was shot five times by police before finally being taken into custody. wow. i guess, o.j.'s got nothing on this guy, right? >> good grief. >> yikes. >> all right, melissa, thanks. >> bill karins is here with a check of your forecast. good morning, bill. >> i'm not looking to talk about something that's just gorgeous and that's the forecast across the country. because we showed you what happened in new england. it was windy and it was raw. that storm is going to pull out slowly during the day today. but much of the country. fantastic from the southeast to the middle of the nation, all the way back up to the pacific northwest. everyone should enjoy it. should be a beautiful start to the fall weekend. >> good morning, the run today will be in the sun. by noon, temperatures close to 60 degrees.

that's a look at your saturday forecast. amy? >> bill, thank you. in pennsylvania, the trial in the so-called pizza bomber case is under way. you may remember this bizarre story from a few years back. foul the alleged mastermind behind the killing is facing a jury. nbc's ron allen has the story. >> reporter: a bizarre crime. a pizza delivery man, brian wells, robs a bank with an elaborate bomb locked around his neck. the prosecutor told a jury it all boiled down to a simple, brutal motive. that marjorie armstrong, 61, wanted money to pay a hit man to kill her father, who she believed was squandering her inheritance. she called the defendant and her accomplices twisted, intellectually bright individuals. >> what is charged here is an

extraordinarily brutal crime. and regardless of what her mental condition was at the time, a jury is going to really take a harsh view of this is fact pattern. >> reporter: armstrong's court-appointed lawyer admitted she was around and observed things but never intended to become part of the plot. prosecutors say she provided egg timers for the bomb, and was there when the delivery man's neck was measured. the breakthrough came when kenneth barnes, one of armstrong's fishing buddies, pleaded guilty to conspiracy. he's expected to testify against her. other suspects in the case are dead. and that includes wells, the delivery man. >> he did not know these people. he was not involved in this in any way, shape or form. >> reporter: the wells family has tried to clear his name. prosecutors insist he willingly robbed the bank but apparently did not know the others planned to take the money and let the bomb explode. armstrong was heard whispering

that's a lie, as the case was laid out against her. she's already serving up to 20 years, after pleading guilty but mentally ill to killing a boyfriend, who she feared would tell police about the bank robbery plot. now she could be heading to prison for life. for "today," ron allen, nbc news, new york. for more we're joined by nbc news analyst and former fbi pro-climber clint van zandt. clint, good morning. >> hi, amy. >> so the defense says that their client is not capable of designing such an elaborate plan. in your expert opinion does her profile fit that of a criminal mastermind? >> well, i think it really does. this is a very bright woman. she's got a masters degree. i mean she is the quintessential black widow, killing -- allegedly killing one of the co-conspirators, and stuffing his body into a freezer for which she's doing 7 to 20 years right now. 20 years before that, she killed another boyfriend.

at that time she pled self-defense and she was able to get off. so i think she's bright. she has, you know, means, motive, opportunity, amy. she had them all. the question is, can the government prove that to a jury? if this woman going to be a sympathetic figure, or is she going to be a murdering figure? >> right. because i think most people don't think about women, when they think about criminal masterminds. and i know this jury is made up of seven women and five men. does that help or hurt her? >> well, it could go either way. it depends. if there are members of the jury, let's say, for example, who have a relative who has emotional, psychological challenges, if they've had to deal with relatives over trying to get inheritance money which the government says is her motive, they may be sympathetic to that. but it's going to be hard to find a jury in that area who doesn't know her background. two homicides, the alleged mastermind in this. they're really going to have to work hard to make her a sympathetic figure. >> and speaking to that, armstrong's attorney says he

expects to let his client take the stand. we know she had an emotional outburst during jury selection. is that a smart move, in your opinion? >> well, i -- her attorney, i'm sure, would have like to have brokered a deal. just let her plead guilty to this. let her serve a sentence the same time -- >> right, she's already in life. life in prison. >> yeah. yeah, but realize she's 61. she has breast cancer. i mean, she supposedly has about five years to live. but i think she wants her day in court, amy. she beat a murder trial one time. i think in her mind, if she can beat this, if she can get out early, she still has time on the streets. this is a woman who likes money, who likes to be out on the street again, in her mind, amy, i think she thinks if she gets on the stand, she can convince those 12 people she had nothing to do with this. >> all right, clint van zandt, thanks so much. >> thank you, amy. >> and now here's lester. >> amy, thanks. it's been exactly one week since 10-year-old zahra baker vanished

in north carolina. authorities have now labeled the case a murder investigation. they have returned to the family home to conduct new searches, and what they are finding is sunate sunateling. >> reporter: in the weeks since zahra baker's father reported her missing, the case took a grim turn. as police declared it a homicide. searchers scoured nearby woods. >> we don't want to hear words that they found her in those woods. >> reporter: and even drained a pond. looking for any sign of the 10-year-old girl, who beat bone cancer at such a young age. >> do you understand you've been charged with felony of obstructing justice? >> reporter: ellis sa baker, zahra's stepmother, is in jail, and a person of interest. police say she admitted to writing a fake ransom note after zahra went missing. in it, a demand of $1 million. cadaver dogs also detected the scent of human remains on cars

belonging to baker and her husband. >> i knew they was going to come. how she been treated, this was going to happen. >> reporter: neighbors claim baker abused zahra. baker's son chose not to address those accusations. instead he thanks the many people involved in the search. >> i want the public and everyone to know we really appreciate everything and we're not going to stop looking for zahra. we'll go as long as it takes. >> physical evidence has been found at the crime scene, and really their inability to trace this little girl's whereabouts for at least the last two weeks or so, i think all come together to convince authorities that unfortunately, this little girl lost the battle for her life, probably to those around her. >> reporter: authorities say zahra's father is cooperating with the investigation 73 in one week, they have no official suspects, and no trace of this 10-year-old girl. for "today," nbc news. >> we'll be back with more in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

imagine denying a pregnant woman the choice of health care providers. only one senator voted with big insurance over pregnant women: andy harris. protecting our bay? harris was the only one to vote against cleaning up toxic waste sites. he always sides with the polluters, one of the worst environmental records in the senate. and harris was the only one to vote against extending education for special needs kids. no wonder his republican colleagues think he's too extreme. we can't afford his extreme ideas.

i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message

we all know that lester is a very sharp-dressed man. but on late night with jimmy fallon last night, lester decided to trade in his suit and tie for, let's call it a more casual look. ♪ >> hello there, welcome back to talk tops political talk show, i'm lester holt. when we left off, we were talking about the uphill battle that the democrats were facing in the midterm elections. >> you're promoting fundamentally -- >> you wish -- >> in your dreams. >> let's keep the tank tops on. >> all right. this is what -- >> what picture does he have of you that made you do that? >> i love jimmy. i'll do anything for him. >> i wish you could see the chain of e-mails leading up to this with the piece de resistance, what size tank top

do you wear? >> i think everyone was saying -- >> it was a little richard simmons-y. >> oh, my gosh, it was. >> just felt like that was about to come out >> wow. that was awesome. good for you. all right. still to come on "today," suze orman, who's not wearing a tank top. the money lady is here to answer your personal finance.

>> good morning. it's 7:25. baltimore runners are about ready to go. kate amara standing by live at the starting line. >> i want you to take a look behind me at the starting line of the baltimore marathon. this is prove of how well this is organized. about half an hour ago, there wasn't anything going on behind me. there are balloons and athletes and spectators. runners are getting their legs loose and stretched. the announcer is here. this all kicks off at 8:00 this morning. this is the 10th year we are doing this. it has tripled in size. more than 22,000 runners registered for one of the races

today. there is a 22 k, 5 k, the team relay and the kid run, which is one of the cutest things i have seen. all of the big runs are sold out. the purse this year is $23,000 for the winning man and woman. that's it live from the starting of the baltimore marathon for 2010. we'll send it back to you in the studio. lisa? >> thank you,

we're back on this saturday morning, october 16th, 2010. it's a blustery day here in new york. we want to thank everyone for spending part of their morning with us outside. as well as inside. we're here inside studio 1a. amy robach along with lester holt. and coming up on "today," call it coincidence, or perhaps just luck. >> one michigan family definitely played the right numbers. their three kids were born 8-8-08, 9-9-09 and 10-10-10. how did it happen? we'll introduce you to the family and their three kids with

birthdays to remember. coming up. >> look at those cute babies. >> plus look who's here? the money lady is live in our studio to answer your questions about credit card debt. your mortgage, even paying college tuition. suze orman, always has all the answers. she's going to share them with us coming up. >> and a piece of las vegas history that is almost extinct. what's life like on the longest-running show in las vegas? they're still kicking up plenty of fun. we're going to tell you why this show is still kicking after all these years. >> i went there. i tried on their headdress to see how much it weighed. between 10 and 18 pounds. and these heels they wear. it's an unbelievable balancing act. >> you've got to be in shape? >> that's true. apparently i wasn't. first a texas lawmaker bares his soul. city councilman joel burns choked back tears and broke down as he spoke of being the victim of school bullying. as miguel almaguer reports his moving message to gay teens is the latest video to go viral. >> reporter: tuesday's ft. worth city council meeting started off like most others.

>> i've never told this story to anyone before tonight. >> reporter: but councilman joe burns used the public venue to share a deeply private story. >> after numerous suicides in recent days have upset me so much. >> reporter: burns displayed photos of teenagers who have recently taken their lives. kids taunted by bullies because they were perceived as gay. >> coming out was painful. >> reporter: joel burns revealed his story. >> one day when i was in the ninth grade, i was cornered after school by some older kids who roughed me up. they said that i was a [ bleep ] and that i should die and go to hell where i belonged. >> reporter: burns was compelled to speak out after a rash of troubling headlines. news like the suicide of rutgers student tyler clementi, who jumped off a bridge after his roommate allegedly outed him online. and the 17-year-old in new york, police say savagely sodomized by gang members after they suspected he was gay. >> all of these show that there

is still a tremendous amount of discrimination. there's stigma attached to being gay. >> reporter: for nearly 12 minutes burns spoke from the heart. you could have heard a pin drop in that room. but his audience was much bigger than just the city council chambers. his story went viral. a half million hits on youtube in just a few days. and it's not just the texas councilman affected by the headlines. >> this needs to be a wake-up call to everyone. >> reporter: talk show hosts. >> i attempted to kill myself. >> reporter: and reality tv stars have spoken out. >> these are all efforts to tell kids that you love them. and that they don't need to conclude that there's no hope for them. >> to those who are feeling very alone tonight, please know that i understand how you feel. but things will get easier. please stick around. to make those happy memories for yourself. >> reporter: afterwards, burns was given a standing ovation. but what the councilman wants is to save lives.

for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> that was incredibly powerful. >> it's a powerful testimony and an important conversation. bullying has been around for a long time. but now that we're talking about it, getting it out in the open, hopefully we'll be better people for it. >> let's get a check of the weather now with bill karins. >> good morning, everyone. earlier this week i met a 10-year-old who had a 10th birthday on 10-10-10. you are 55, born in '55. happy birthday to you. >> thank you. >> what's your hometown? >> twin cities, minnesota. >> beautiful place. the leaves there are gorgeous. other areas they're really nice, too. heading into the peak in so many locations. it's going to be a picturesque weekend around the country. finally our big windmaker will be heading out. much of the country, enjoy the outdoors.

>> good morning, the run today will be in the sun. by noon, temperatures close to 60 degrees. pound california sea lion recovering from plastic surgery. >> and up next, suze orman the money lady is here to answer your question. but first these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol® to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil®. go to takeadvil.com. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. we get double miles on every purchase. echo! so we earned a trip to the grand canyon twice as fast. uhoh. we get double miles every time we use our card. i'll take these. no matter what we're buying. plus the damages. and since double miles add up quick, we can bring the whole gang. it's hard to beat double miles.

no, we ride them. [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? oh, that's the spot! what's in your wallet? happy birthday, happy. birthday... happy birthday to you. toi switched to a complete0, multivitamin with more.

only one a day women's 50+ advantage has gingko for memory and concentration plus support for bone and breast health. a great addition to my routine. [ female announcer ] one a day women's. we went around the country asking women to speak frankly about something no one wants to talk about. toilet paper has to get you clean. period. it's not just about, you know... but it also has to keep your hands clean. toilet paper has to help keep me clean... while getting me clean. quilted northern soft & strong is now 50% stronger to help protect against breakthrough. it has the strength that i can count on. and it's still soft. quilted northern soft & strong. protection for a confident clean or your money back. ♪ this morning on "today's money," family finances. whether it's credit card debt, paying for college, or planning for retirement, we all need to make sense of it. here to answer your questions is cnbc's suze orman.

suze, good morning, it's great to see you. >> good morning my friend. >> want to get right into it? we've got a lot of questions here. the first one comes from kerry in salt lake city. i'm breeping to have my third baby this winter and need to purchase a larger car and home. when i sell my current car i will have about $20,000 cash to put down on the new larger car. however, i'm wondering if it would be more beneficial to lease my next car, applying the $20,000 cash to equity in my next home? she's got an expanding family. what do you suggest? >> carrie, have you lost your mind? if you seriously -- anyway, if you lease a car, you're going to lease one for the rest of your life. it is the biggest waste of money out there. here's what i would tell you to do. if you're going to have to buy a new car, buy a car that's used already. but that's new for you. in terms of buying a new home, you need at least 20% down. don't worry about buying that home so quickly. real estate isn't going anywhere. interest rates aren't going anywhere. so just slow it down girlfriend.

you have a new baby, take it step by step. but don't you dare lease a car. >> bad idea. you don't like leases? >> are you kidding me? >> all right. our next fewer e-mail comes from sean in denver. he writes, my fiancee currently has two student loans totalling roughly $20,000 and also has a car loan totalling about $15,000. she's getting some inheritance money from her grandfather about $10,000 to $12,000. her plan which may just be an attempt to irritate me is to go shopping to get clothes and various other things we don't need around the house. my plan is for her to take maybe $1,000 or so and get some nice clothes for herself, but then to do something beneficial with the remainder. my question is this, should she pay down her car loan or sock it away somewhere? and where at? before you answer i'm going to get out of the way because you're about to knock this one out of the park. >> there you go. don't walk off the set. don't do that to me, lester. sean, let me tell you suze's plan. thank god she's just your fiancee. truthfully, because you need to

think twice about you are about to merge your finances with a woman who, in my opinion, is being absolutely irresponsible. you know what i would do with that money? have her pay off her student loan debt. wouldn't her grandfather feel so proud that his money went to do what? put her through school. remember, student loan debt cannot be discharged in most cases in bankruptcy. so if you really want to get rid of one debt that could be dangerous debt, if you cannot afford to pay it, get rid of the student loan debt first. and i meant that. you better think twice before you marry this lady. >> carla is in our audience and she's got a question about retirement. >> hi, suze. i'm thinking about retiring within the next year. and i was wondering if i should be taking some money out of my traditional i.r.a. and putting it into my roth i.r.a.? >> you know, it's hard for me to answer that question, because i don't know what else you have going on. but, let me give you a guideline. if you're going to need all the

income from your i.r.a. to generate money for you to live on, don't waste paying the taxes to convert it to a roth. because any money you convert to a roth you will owe ordinary income taxes on. and then that money isn't there to generate income for you. if this was money at your retirement that you didn't need to touch for the next 10, 20, 30 years or ever, i would then start to convert it. little by little, so that you don't have to go into a higher tax bracket. >> all right. thanks for your questions. we've got another question written in from, this is carol in connecticut. i'm a 40-plus mom with a 13-year-old daughter, who loves to shop. i am not much of a shopper and a big bargain shopper. she likes expensive things and lots of them. what is the best way to manage this dilemma without battling every time we go shopping? i know this is about me getting control of the situation, i've tried setting a budget for her. >> carol, you already have the answer to this question. it's actually very, very simple. cut off the financial spigot. she cannot spend money that she

doesn't have. where is she getting her money from? momma, you're giving it to her in terms of an allowance, whatever else may be. if she has money on her own let her spend it. let her go financially bankrupt so to speak. and when she no longer has any money, then she'll understand why you need money in a bank account. you are enabling her if you just don't get control over yourself your daughter will follow suit. >> you're all about living within one's means. >> you got that. >> we should mention you're in new york because this is breast cancer awareness month and you've got a huge role in this. >> avon has this big walk, thousands of women are here right now to walk for breast cancer. tomorrow is the closing ceremonies at 3:00 down at pier 84 and i have the great pleasure of being able to invite the women in. and i'm also proud to say i'm the number one fund-raiser for breast cancer for avon this year. i love that. >> well, it's an important cause. they're lucky to have you. >> thank you. >> great to have you on. thanks so much. you can watch suze orman show saturday night at 9:00 and midnight on cnbc.

up next this morning, winning numbers, one couple, three children, and three extraordinary birthdays to tell you about. first these messages. and all my investments, but it's not something that i want to do completely on my own -- i like to discuss my ideas with someone. that's what i like about fidelity. they talked with me one on one, so we could come up with a plan that's right for me, and they worked with me to help me stay on track -- or sometimes, help me get on an even better one. woman: there you go, brian. thanks, guys. man: see ya.

fidelity investments. turn here. with stelara® for adults. stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections, like tuberculosis, require hospitalization. before starting stelara®, your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, or have had cancer. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal condition affecting the brain. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine.

with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses it's stelara®. ♪ fresh butter taste ♪ yes, that's here ♪ no hydrogenated oils ♪ so there's no trans fats here ♪ ♪ whoa... ♪ turn the tub around ♪ talking about nutrition [ female announcer ] "i can't believe it's not butter" has 70% less saturated fat than butter and no hydrogenated oils,

so there's no trans fat. "i can't believe it's not butter," butter taste, better health. this morning one michigan family's amazing way with numbers and birthdays barbie and chad's first child chloe was born on 8-le-08. a second child a son cameron entered on 9-9-09 and just a few days ago daughter ciara was delivered on 10-10-10. the entire family joins us along with their doctor. dr. andrew van slutton. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> as i look at those dates i realize since 2007 you've pretty much been pregnant. your latest baby was born seven days ago. how are you feeling? how are you doing? >> you know, doing pretty good. the usual kind of sleep deprivation. it's exciting. we have so much adrenaline and

meeting the newborn, it's wonderful. >> i'm assuming you're pretty used to that sleep deprivation. have you always been having to have your kids so close in age together? >> have we had them so close? no, we didn't have to. >> was that the plan all along? >> oh, we were kind of bing, bing, boom. so, yeah, i'm a little bit older so we wanted to get started. >> chad, chloe was born 8-8-08 and cameron and cearra needed to be induced. were you hoping or planning to have those birthdays on those very special dates? >> not necessarily planning. once it came a realization, we were hoping. but, you know, obviously the well-being of mom and baby is first and foremost. >> and chad, you have three kids at home. all under the age of 3. you planning or thinking about a fourth child? because 11-11-2011 is just around the corner.

>> no, no. you won't find us near any hospital delivery rooms on 11-11. >> i'll be ready, though. >> of course. >> we're pretty much done. >> and doctor, because the babies were induced there are some people who might think, yeah, this wasn't really a coincidence. this was a planned event. they wanted to have all their kids on these dates. did you give any consideration to those dates specifically when planning these actual labor days? >> no, we didn't. the initial plan with this pregnancy was to wait until later, as we did with the second. so it's -- with this one barbie developed some vascular complications that required we deliver earlier, and that weekend became it. >> so, barbie, i have to ask, a lot of people think of these dates, people get married on these dates, they plan events and ceremonies around these dates because they consider them lucky. what did you think when you had all three babies born on these considered lucky dates?

>> well, you know, i thought it was neat numbers. something fun for the kids on their driver's license. oh, your birthday is rhyming numbers. but, it ended up kind of on the third one came around, and it did end up on 10-10-10 i was really surprised, and i was happy because then the little one wouldn't be left out. >> right. they all have special birthdays. well, they're all beautiful children. we're glad they're healthy and happy. barbara, chad, chloe, cameron, cearra and doctor van slutton, thank you all. we're back. first this is "today" on nbc.

bob ehrlich is desperate, and he'll say anything to get elected. negative attacks the media have repeatedly called "dishonest" and "total malarkey." and why can't we trust bob ehrlich? because he raised taxes and fees by $3 billion then denied it... because he says he's for us, but made $2.5 million at a special interest lobbying firm. and ehrlich says he'll cut education again if elected governor. bob ehrlich-- a career politician we really can't trust. i like a party as much as the next gal but, come on. $60,000 for one dinner held by the department of justice. $66 per person just for bagels at one of the nasa's shindigs. i cracked down

because big government shouldn't be funding big banquets with your money. some people say i'm a bit of a tightwad. i say, i'm barbara mikulski and i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. still to come on "today," plastic surgery for california sea lion. we'll find out how he's doing. >> plus show and tell. we're going to take you backstage in las vegas to reveal the secrets of being a show girl. but first, these messages. ♪ i loved you, sweetness

♪ but you're not sweet you hit on my friends ♪ ♪ i'm not your fool i won't just sit here and drool ♪ ♪ i'm tired of sharing you this is the end ♪ ♪ so i found a new love a natural true love ♪ ♪ that comes from a leaf green and bright ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ my soul sings with joy and delight ♪ ♪ its name is truvia i had no idea ♪ ♪ and i am loving every single bite ♪ [ announcer ] truvia. honestly sweet. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers. cadillac. the new standard of the world.

but the nicoderm cq patch gradually steps you down off of nicotine in just three steps, doubling your chances for success. nicoderm cq. 3 steps, 10 weeks and you're free.

>> it has become one of the signature weekends of fall in baltimore. the 10th annual baltimore marathon. jerry sandusky with you with kate amara. >> i woke up this morning and said wow, perfect for running a marathon. the wheelchair race just kicked off. the baltimore running festival is the official name. there are so many different groups. you have the full marathon, the

relay, 5 k, wheelchair, kids fun run. 22,000 to run today. three times the original size from 10 years ago. this has become so much more than just elite runners. you will see runners with neon hats who are in the 10 year clubs. >> 32 of those 102 ten timers have run the full marathon every year. if you see someone with an neon yellow, give them an extra shout. >> you can hear the motorcycle crew rolling by. the crowd has gathered. this has become one of the really fastest growing events in sports in america.

you go back to seven years ago, it was 7,000 runners and 1,000 fans. it really is a day now that stop this is town. it's about everybody coming down to take part. the big event will get started in a couple of minutes. >> a little chill in the air but it's going to be a great day. chili is ideal for the runners. when we come back, we'll start the 10th annual baltimore marathon. great to have you with us.

>> they have gathered at the start line for the 10th annual running of the baltimore marathon. it is a little bit chilly, which

is ideal for running a marathon. 5,000 runners in the marathon itself but that number grows with 22,000 runners total. you will see neon hats on the runners that have taken part for 10 full years on some level. they've been here every year. our own tom is one of those. the top runner from kenya had a tough time getting here. he is at the head of the line. nothing like a little jet lag to put in front of a 26.2 mile run through the streets of baltimore. runners are waiting. you can see the elite runners

checking watches for the start of the race. the first seconds of this race begin to count as we are under way for the 10th running of the baltimore marathon. >> there goes some of the neon yellow hats. here is a whole crowd. you can see the runners go by. the crowd support that has grown so much over the last 10 years and really pushes the pack on

toward the goal of the finish line. >> the early stages of this race and how many smiles you see. by the end, how few smiles you see. the smiles disappear as the miles log on. i would like to brag about the city of baltimore. 10 years ago, people laughed and said, sure you can do this but it is never going to last. 10 years ago, people in the community didn't understand why anybody in their right mind would want to run a race like this. 10 years later, the community support and the number of residents this make a point to come out of their homes and come out to cheer on the thousands of runners. it's amazing to see how much things have changed. >> it is no longer just an event for just the athletes and

runners. people pour out into the streets and take great pride. let's take a look at the course that the runners will go through. it starts here at camden yards. the first four miles are straight uphill as they workup the street to joint hill park to the edge of the hopkins campus, touch on the inner harbor, through little italy, camden, patterson park, uphill here. past the dpoeft of old memorial stadium. home stretch here at camden yards. 26.2 miles. here is how they finished a year ago. alphonce yatich from kenya

finished for the men and the woman said a record. julius ketter who won in 2008 as well as on the women's side, wref the winner of the 2005 race. >> a lot of credit to under armour who has signed on to sponsor this race for several more years. under armour has allowed them to increase the purse year after year. it is $23,000 this year for the

leading man and woman. they'll tell you it is the money that draws most of the elite athletes. the more elite athletes that come, the more records are broken, the more press teaing this race gets. >> we touched earlier about how much this race has evolved. the purse from year one was $1,000. and now one quarter of the purse of the boston marathon. >> i think the total purse here is about $140,000. one of the top ten richest races in the country. that means a lot. the marathon is the march kwee race. this is a very challenging course.

did you see the jugler. jug wills the entire course. >> we'll start to see the great shed of clothing. everybody has heavier gear on. we talked about the chill. it's a benefit to have a chill in the early going. if it is too hotterly, runners can get in trouble. if you have to run a marathon on a hot day, you can loose up to a dpal lone of fluids. >> standing there, somebody through a jacket on me. i felt like i was at a different kind of event there. all of the clothing discarded on the side of the road is being

donated. this is one of the dpreenest races you'll see. it is not just the marathon that we saw kick off at 8:00 a.m. at 8:30, we'll have the united way 5 k. at 9:20, we have the t. rowe price kids run. that's the cutest thing. >> as young as 3 years old. >> and at 9:45, the blue cross half marathon. that is sold out once again. that starts at the inner harbor and merges at mile 16 with the full marathon. we'll talk about that as the morning unfolds.

mile 16 is where the course turns back up hill where the great competition takes place. that's the spot where the half marathon joins the full marathon and we find out who is the elite runner. we know who comes in as the favorite but it's the first 16 miles that will separate the runners. >> mile 19 is also a marker place. last year, that's where the woman's winner pulled ahead. >> you never know how it will shape up. we've had races put away in the 16th mile. throughout the day, we'll have coverage throughout the course.

sandra shaw is in the lead truck. as this race unfolds, we'll bring it to you step by step. many running their first marathon and some running their tenth. it will all unfold here.

>> welcome back. 26.2 miles. the bigger numbers on this day are 10. this is ten years. and there are more than 22, 300 runners registered. there is the main race, the half marathon, 5 k and team relay. there are more than 20 charity groups running today. over 10 years, they've raised about $5 million for charity. pete is part of the cool kids campaign using the baltimore marathon to do it. >> we could not ask for a better day to get out here and run. i love the relay. it gives someone like me who is not much of an athlete.

more important is the charity. i can't of a more noble cause. you raise money to go to families for kids with cancer so they can spend more time with them in the last months. it will pay their bills so they don't have to work as much. what is a better thing than that. if you want to take part in that, please do. any amount you can spare is wonderful. >> the cool kids was started by baltimore's own world champion figure skater. literally, the person who will run this race in six hours runs the same course as the winner who will run it in 2 and change.

>> you think about other sports. i can't go dunk a baltimore but i can run this leg. >> organizers expect over $1 million to be raised this year. now pete is my chance to make a little fun of you. you are running the last leg of the relay. it's the easiest leg. >> it's down hill. the wind should be at my back. >> thank you for everything you do for cool kids and good luck on that down hill leg of the relay. >> our coverage of the 2010 baltimore marathon kins after the break. we'll go now to rob live at mile

11 out in federal hill. a great place for folks to come out and cheer on the runners. what's going on where you are? >> not much right now. you can see everybody is getting ready for the water stops to come by. music and fun going on. 22,000 bananas are available. 17,000 bags of chips, 17,000 gallons of water, 6,000 apples and 5,000 oranges. to hand those out, you need vom tiers. we have about 1,000 volunteers. there will be music at the under armour headquarters. it will be nice. it's beautiful. a lot of sunshine. it's ideal weather for running.

let's go to kia at mile 7. >> we are fortunate to be able to see the first round of runners come through in about 20 minutes or so. not a lot gathering just yet. >> we are here to see max king from oregon. i coached him at cornell and i continue to coach him by mail and email. >> max is the current 150 mile

off road champion. he trains and has a family. we talk on a regular basis. >> you must be really excited. everyone is trying to keep them motivated and excited. >> this is kind of the beginning of the marathon. the true test is actually the last six miles. we are trying to make sure he stays within himself as coach would say and safe it to the end. are you expecting anything as he comes by? >> just hope he stays calm

within himself for now. >> thank you for talking to us. we see a lot more spectators as this time goes on. we are expecting to see a lot f offof energized runners. we'll take it back to kate right now. >> here at the start with kevin, the ceo of the under armour group. >> thank you. it is a big sda for tuesday be a part of the marathon again. celebrating 10 years. eight that we've been involved. >> the organizers give under armour a lot of credit for helping this event grow to what

this has. what do you think when you see the numbers. the number of spectators coming out. >> everything we do is about next year being better than this year. in 2003, to now growing so much. bringing the families out. it's a good, happy day in our city. >> you've helped grow the purse in this event and made this an important race on the calendar for them. >> writing a check usually helps the big guys to come anyway. $23,000 for the winners does put us in the elite. it's a big draw for the city.

it puts us at the top. >> six or seven years ago people signed up because they wanted the under armour race shirt. the race shirt continues to be really cool. >> it's a part of our entire green line. this t-shirt is recycled from four water bottles. they go to a place and get ground into this fiber that is one of our highest and fastest

performing items. thank you. we'll go to break now. we want to remind you even when the coverage on television ends, you can watch all day on the website. you can track how your runner is doing. text message your good luck messages to them to 88509 those messages will run across the screen

>> welcome back to our coverage of the baltimore marathon. we are 23 minutes and 20 seconds into this. we have several hours to go. some interesting facts to tell you about. there are 23,000 runners registered today. those runners will go through 17,000 gallons of water and eat 20,000 bananas and 5,000 oranges

during and after the race. this is our tenth year of the running festival. it started a few weeks after september 11 with about 1,000 runners lacing up. this race as more than tripled in size with 22,000 runners. here is more. >> with that, the baltimore running festival was born. years in the making, a terrorist attack five weeks earlier would not keep 7,000 runners from lacing up for the first marathon in 2001. the hilly course proves tough for even the most elite athlete.

you could see the look on people's faces like what the heck is this? >> overtime, the festival has picked up major sponsorship like under armour and care first. this year, it brings in between $20 million to $25 million.

race organizers will honor the 10-year runners at the finish line. >> under armour has provided a nice fleece, a hat, a ten year hat and we put up a vip tent for them. >> organizers hope it will continue to grow making charm city a must stop for runners around the world. >> we have done a very good job over the years. people leave baltimore saying this is a terrific event. >> the tenth running and the

people who run in them are wearing special yellow hats and yellow back bids. if you see one of them, give them an extra shout out. more than 20 countries. we'll take a break and when we come back, a start of the 5 k