good morning. going global, the occupy wall street protests are spreading across the country and now around the world, leading to more clashes with police and sparking what supporters are calling the october revolution. south pole rescue, the race against time to save an american scientist suffering from a stroke at the bottom of the world. could she be headed home today? we will talk to her. and mist rereward, the search for baby lisa takes another strange turn with an anonymous ben factor offering

$100,000 to anyone who can help find her. today is saturday, october 15th, find her. today is saturday, october 15th, 2011. 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. we have a lot to get to, including this new cell phone video. it's a violent attack at a mcdonald's. >> a bit hard to watch. an employee gets into a fight with two female customers. the employee used a metal rod to beat the two young women. we've going to have more behind this disturbing video ahead of that. >> just when you thought it was safe to go back into the ocean, sharks, they are big, they are dangerous and have been involved

in several fatal encounters with humans this year. that begs the question, why are there so many attacks in recent months? we will take a closer look. on a much different note, shopping is going old school for the holiday season. remember lay away plans? they're back in style, but are they good for your bottom line? i do remember those. >> i do, too. i know. plus, meet the newest internet sensation. he doesn't sing, but he can handle a basketball and a volleyball. he's got game. petty is going to join us again this morning and apparently we're going to take on petty. >> i'm very excessive. i brought my sneakers. we're going to do a little volleyball out there on the plaza. we begin, those, with occupy wall street. mara is live with more on that. >> reporter: amy, as you can see

behind me, most of the protesters are still sleeping. we are expecting a lot of activity planned today. organizers say they have events scheduled in more than 800 cities worldwide. we've already seen some of those begin to take place in places like asia and australia. here in new york, crowds are expected to gather later this afternoon in times square to rally against big banks and what they call corporate greed. protesters here in new york are emboldened yesterday after a big victory against the owners of the park they've been camping in for. the park behind me is where they've been living for the last month. yesterday they were scheduled to be temporarily moved so that the park owners could clean the park. about 1,000 people rallied behind me against what they called a pretext for a permanent evicti eviction. moments before they were scheduled to be moved out, the park's owners postponed that cleaning and the people here were able to stay. about 14 people were arrested,

at least one injured in those clashes with police. we also saw some scuffles with the cops in other cities nationwide the last few days including in seattle and san diego where police reportedly used pepper spray against a human chained formed by protesters that were trying to protect some of their tents and belongings. as far as today is concerned, we're expecting to see the movement move forward and, in fact, take auto an even bigger global presence. amy. >> the protesters were able to stay in that park and were able to evade the eviction. how much longer do they plan to stay there? is there a plan? >> we don't know. when the park's owners made the statement, they said they were postponing the cleaning because they hoped to come to an agreement directly with the protesters. the problem is some of the park's rules are things like no camping, no sleeping bags, no personal belongings on the ground, all things that would preclude this group from occupying the park the way they have been. >> mara, thank you.

lester. >> aim mow, thanks. the white house is keeping a close eye on this movement. the republican candidates hoping to become president next year are stepping up their attacks this morning. mike viqueira is at the white house with more. >> reporter: good mourn, lester. the gop field is still in flux. there's a new front-runner, of course. herman cain. his cornerstone economic mran plan is facing new scrutiny this week. meanwhile, rick perry is trying to get back on offense. pummeled in the poles and fading fast, rick perry unveiled part of his new plan at a plant. >> creating jobs in america is as simple as changing presidents. >> reporter: perry claims the plan would create 1.2 million jobs. >> make what americans buy, buy what americans make and sell it to the world. >> reporter: the rollout for the speech was carefully planned, starting with upbeat appearances

on morning news. it was a marked contrast from the day before when the candidate's wife revealed a glimpse of the campaign's emotional toll. by yesterday, mrs. perry was back on message. >> i'm just sympathyizing. let me tell you, he has done his job because of the federal regulation that washington has put on us. >> reporter: now the man who has passed perry and everyone else, herman cain, facing scrutiny as the new front-runner. >> nine-nine-nine. >> reporter: critics charge one of those nines, a national sales tax would hit lower income people the harder. cain is sticking by the plan. >> it is transparent. it is efficient. it is fair. >> reporter: and now in full campaign mode, president obama made his ninth trip to the politically crucial state of michigan, touring a gm plant,

touting the auto bailout he fought for and won. many still see mitt romney as the biggest threat to a second obama term. >> governor romney. >> governor romney. >> reporter: but with the gop field still unsettled, experts say romney has yet to win over conservatives. >> he's the steady eddy in the race. one candidate goes up, another candidate goes down and romney stays in the same place. >> reporter: lester, it's interesting. you saw anita perry talk about their son who had to quit his job to join the perry campaign. it turns out griffin perry works for deutsche bank and he ran afell of regulations saying you can't give financial advice and political advice at the same time. and now president obama is back out on what some would call it another campaign trail, through two more crucial states at the beginning of the week, virginia and north carolina. >> mike viqueira, thank you so

much. with us now is political analyst richard wolf. thanks for being with us. >> thank you, lester. >> herman cain is now out in front. his candidacy is being taken seriously. has he adjusted his campaign to deal with the reality of being the front-runner and what comes with it? >> well, he's adjusted a little bit. you're seeing more of a presence on the campaign trail. previously he had been concentrating on media. but he doesn't have the ground game that you really need in these early states. if his candidacy is going to prove real, he needs to organize with the iowa caucuses where he now also has a lead. it's too early to say whether or not he'll survive as a front-runner for very long. but he's gathering together some of the trappings that you'd expect from a front-runner right now. >> and when you're a front-runner, suddenly everything you say and do comes under a different kind of scruti scrutiny. nine-nine-nine is his montra.

now that it's under scrutiny, how does it hold up? >> well, not very well. and also, it's not just the plan itself. remember, for a start, he's saying that the plan is neutral in terms of finances that the u.s. government would have. a lot of independent economists say that isn't the case and that leads to scrutiny of who is advising herman cain when you end up with the person who is now his chief economic adviser and investment, a retirement, a guy out of wells fargo in suburban ohio. you've got to look at the people around and say, does he have a team of experts that a front-runner should have? i would expect, if you wants to be serious about this, that that team will be boosted by more staemd establishment figures within the republican party. >> listening to a lot of the punnins and a lot of the conversations i flip around cable tv, it's cain, cain, cain, and then the conversation goes back to perry and romney. ultimately as if they are the two that will duke it out.

why do we see that? >> a couple of things, lester. money is important. it's a big country. it's an obvious point. but getting into media markets, they take a lot of money. rick perry has shown he has that even more than mitt romney does. we still don't know whether herman cain can raise a lot of money from small donors. being the governor of a big state means rick perry can capture the populist ultra conservative mood within the party right now and do so as a governor. that's not what cain had, not what bachmann or donald trump before him. mitt romney, he hasn't broken out of 20%, 25% in these polls. he is very steady. is there a ceiling that he faces here? but right now, the mood of republicans is not with the establishment. >> richard wolf, good talking to you. thank you very much. >> thanks, lester. >> now here is amy. this morning, a life and death mission is under way at the south pole to rescue an

american scientist who suffered a stroke. her name is renee-nicole douceur and she joins us by phone. i know you have been trying to desperately leave the research station since suffering a stroke in august. i also understand a cargo mistaken should be arriving in matter of hours. after all you've been through, did you ever lose hope this day would have come? >> i was hoping the day would have come a lot earlier than a regularly scheduled flight. but now that the weather conditions have let up, the plane should probably be in the air pretty soon now to come over to the south pole. >> that is certainly good news. i know weather had been a factor. there were concerns about the safety of the crew coming in to get you. any indication on exactly when you will get on to that plane and where you will be heading? >> right now, the latest update was -- first they said it was

going to be 6:00 a.m. my time over here. now it's going to be probably closer to 8:00. it will be the first time that we've seen any other human beings here fort last eight months. >> that's incredible. >> i know. >> how are you feeling? i know you've had vision problems and speech impairment since suffering the stroke and you have concerns that perhaps you're suffering from more than just a stroke. give me an update on how you're doing. >> well, i'm -- i'm staying -- hanging in there. i still have my vision impairment and the speech impediment. for the last seven weeks, which has been exactly seven weeks since my strokes, the only testing that's done over here is basically i read an eye chart once a day and give my blood pressure and oxygen check. then i try to count backwards through multiples from 100 to see if i get that right. my spirits are high. and it's just been a long ordeal

and is it's time to leave. the doctor has been clamoring for me to leave as soon as possible and this is as soon as possible that can be, i guess. >> i know a lot of it has been the not knowing. we hope to get some answers & and your much needed medical attention very soon. renee-nicole douceur, have a safe flight and thank you very much. >> thank you so much. bye-bye. >> bye. richard lui is at the news desk with more of the top stories. >> the man accused of a killing spree stai salon in southern california made a brief court appearance on friday. >> mr. dekraai, what's your full name? >> reporter: in a courtroom, the 41-year-old school dekraai sat quietly. >> he was willing to end any life in his path. and he did. >> an emotional district attorney says dekraai was carrying three guns and seeking

revenge. >> he was not satisfied with murdering his intended target, his ex-wife. for almost two minutes, dekraai shot victim after victim. >> reporter: he was in a custody dispute with his ex-wife, one of the first to be shot, but not the last. >> dekraai callously snuffed them out like they were collateral damage. we will not forget any one of these people. their lives matter. >> reporter: among the dead, coworkers, a customer, a bystander and a stylist who was doing her mother's hair. that mother, 73-year-old hattie stretz is the only surviving victim. the moments of terror have been replaced by tears. the district attorney pointed out one more victim, the

couple's 8-year-old son. >> now his mother, who has been murdered, and he has to grow up knowing that his dad is a mass murderer. >> reporter: his father now faces the death penalty. kristin dahlgren, nbc news, california. now to some video you may find disturbing. shocking video showing a wild scene over fast food in manhattan. watch this, the situation escalating after a mcdonald's cashier told two women he would need to scan their $50 bill before giving them their order. then you see this right here, he struck back with a metal pipe, one woman suffering a fractured skull and a broken arm. the other has a deep cut on her head. you can hear the screams there. the cashier face aes charge of felony assault. the women are charged with disorderly conduct. more trouble for the gap

clothing store. plans to close more stores by the end of 2013 while jazzing up other locations with a more colorful clothing mix. at the same time, the gap will open a store in hong kong. finally, the french climber known as expiredman is at it again this time in hungary. he scaled a 22 story intercontinental hotel friday in bui bucarest. a twist this time, though. he stopped to hang that, an advertisement. it's 7:16. lefter, amy and bill. >> everybody has a sponsorship these days. >> everybody has a bill to pay. >> i've got one, how about otis elevators. take the elevators. bill carin sess here with a check of the forecast. >> the weekend looks dry, but the winds are going to howl. this is going to be one of the

windiest weekends we've seen in a while. and the leaves will be holding on for dear life. the high wind warnings right from areas of cleveland northward up to buffalo, wind advisories for new york city, southern new england, and along with it, you're going to see rain showers, too. most of the country is going to see just a fantastic weekend, including the southeast. pretty much all of the southern half of the country, a great day to get outdoors. that's a look at >> good morning, everyone. we're off to a nice start on this saturday. it is going to be a windy day. you might see a couple clouds, but all and all not bad. high temperatures upper 60's. that's your weekend forecast. lester. >> bill, thanks.

now to some close calls on the runways and a disguise. there have been a rash of troubling reports over a year. now a government watchdog has come out to say these near misses are part of an increase in mistakes by air traffic controlle controllers. tom costello has more. >> maintain 3,000. >> reporter: across the country, the nation's air traffic controllers handle some 50,000 operations each day. the vast majority go according to planned. but a new government investigation has found over the past three years, error rates involving planes that get too close to each other increased. at radar facilities, errors close from 8 per million flights to 22 per million flights. at airport towers, close calls increased 53%. but the faa and the controllers say that's not the whole story. >> i would equate it to going 56 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone. dwre, technically, you have an

operational error. however, safety is never impacted. >> one big factor, controllers are now being encouraged to self-report errors. quote, as a result of this culture change, the faa expected to see an increase in reported operational errors. >> okay. now we have a rainey day at jfk. >> reporter: at the training center at jfk airport, faa chief randy babbitt says modern simulators are now giving controllers a much better hands-on experience before they deal with a real scenario. >> when we get a controller into the real tower, he or she has been exposed to everything. we've given them every problem they could have seen. >> reporter: and the skies are crowded. here at jfk, they handle 80 flights per hour, typically on three runways. but that could increase in the afternoon and the evening push. and while minor runways close calls increased, the number of serious close calls has dropped,

from 34 involving commercial aircraft in 2000 to just three in 2010. >> there is some kind of communications problem. >> reporter: as the nation's controllers keep a daily vigil on safety. for "today," tom costello, new york, new york. >> now here is amy. now to the troubling new report on vitamins and the health risk they may cause. for adult women, taking supplements could lead to unhealthy levels of vitamines and minerales and result in an early death. dr. lamb, good morning. >> good morning. >> a lot of people, myself including, with take multi vitamins are suddenly saying, yikes, is this a problem? give us some perspective here. i know this study was for women over 62. how seriously should we take a study like this? >>el with, i think we're always looking for evidence in medicine. we always knew the secret to longevity is not going to be found in a vitamin bottle.

there are a lot of people who may benefit from vitamin d or calcium or folic acid if you're pregnant. you have to be patient specific. i have no hesitation for a younger woman to take some iron supplements. an older person, maybe not. i would reduce the copper. that was the only thing that struck me in the study. copper is associated with about an 18% risk. beyond that, i think it's way too early to draw any conclusions that it's harmful. >> so the question is, should we be taking an all purpose general multi vitamin or specific targeted supplements? >> i think we should use food as a newt ree yebt so we can extract the vitamins from the foods. but since we kals can't always do that, targeted vitamin use makes sense to me. omega 3s, certain minerals, depending on your specific -- if you're an athlete or covering from surgery -- >> what about if you're a man or

a woman? >> absolutely. women lose aaron because of their menstrual flow. as women get older and they're not losing blood, maybe iron supplements are not such a good idea. >> are there warning signs that we could be take too much of a specific vitamin or mineral? >> vitamins are using in very low doses by the body. when you start giving fa pharmakologic doses, that is a problem. the likely of getting hyper vitaminosis, it's not likely to occur unless somebody is taking 100 vitamins a day. a single multi vitamin, i am serb, is perfectly fine. >> that examine combination with good food and good exercise. >> absolutely. still to come, man versus nature, are the sharks really to blame for the rise in attacks? that story is ahead. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come here on "today today," the case against michael conrad murray. will he testify in his own defense? plus, another dazzling royal wedding. we'll take you there. >> good morning, i'm lisa

robinson. it is :26. here's a look at some of our top stories this morning. police say they hope surely video will help -- hope surveillance video will help them find three men accused of robbing a convenience store. one person tried to use a stolen a.t.m. card. if you recognize the person, please call the police. >> anne arundel police have arrested one of two men accused of robbing two people in a laurel hotel. steven harrisis -- harris is charged with armed robbery and reckless assault. two men went into the motel 6 room while two other men were asleep in their room. police are still looking for the other suspect. >> new details this morning about a shooting inside of a parking garage on the university of maryland campus. a source familiar with the investigation tells the 11 news

i-team that the shooting victim was stabbed in march during a home invasion in frederick county. police say the victim's condition is improving from thursday's attacks. workers and students returned to the area a bit unnerved. >> we are always worried for our safety. we work in the city. >> it is scary. it is a dangerous part of the city, but there are a lot of police around here. even though that happened, hopefully that doesn't happen again. >> police say they are not sure if thursday's shooting was a random attack or if the man was targeted. >> stay with us.

>> here's tony with a look at the race day forecast. >> good morning, everyone. it will turn out to be a nice day. the wind will be a factor. winds are starting to kick in now. they are not bad to start the day, but by mid morning winds could be gusting over 10 miles per hour. 53 degrees. a little on the chilly side, but not bad for this time of year. relative humidity 65. you will see a few clouds hanging around. those will dissipate shortly. winds may gust close to 30 by the time we get to the afternoon. high temperatures between 65 and 70. that's near average for this time of year. seven-day forecast taking us through the week. if you are going to the ravens game this week, you picked a good one. high temperature 69. next chance for rain tuesday and wednesday. scattered showers, and then it

gets chilly. we get our first frost of the season thursday or friday night. lisa? >> no, no frost. thanks, tony. we'll see you back here in 25 minutes. we are back on this saturday morning, october 15th, 2011. it's a nice, cool fall day here in the northeast. we have a great crowd out on the plaza. we're going to go outside to say hi in just a bit. but first, i'm amy robach along with lester holt. coming up, we're talking about the case against dr. conrad murray. >> this has been a riveting trial from the start. we've seen dramatic testimony from people inside the room when he died. now the prosecution is expected to rest its case early next week. we're going to look at what the defense plans to do, whether

they're prepared to call to the stand the man accused of killing jackson. also, it's an explosive topic for every family. we're talking about sex education. should it be taught to kids in school? soon, it will become mandatory for many students in new york. will the lessons lead to risky behavior? we'll have that story. plus, move over will and kate. he is the charming, the prince charming of butan, a kingdom in the himalayas and he has just married his bride, a commoner that calls itself week. the country that calls itself the happiest place in the world is throwing a party for the ages. we'll take you there. >> i like that. >> i like a country called the happiest place in the world. let's start, though, with the danger from the deep shark attacks. we have been told they're rare, but in recent weeks, we have seen what appears to be a surge of fatal encounters with these massive predators. nbc's kerry sanders reports. >> reporter: it's been another

busy year for stark attacks along the u.s. coastline. >> as soon as the shark had grabbed c.j., he flailed once and got pulled under. >> reporter: the latest victim, a man who was spear hunting in the gulf of mexico when he became the hunted. >> i looked down and shark a shark on my leg. >> and you said? >> let go of my gun and hit it with both of my hands. >> the shark left wilkinson's leg with a serious wound. >> it was deep water and a shark came up and bit my foot. >> reporter: in july, 12 jooerld nicholas bosser was on vacation in texas when a bull shark nearly bit off his foot. >> i turned around and saw the mangled foot, a lot of blood. >> days later, a 6-year-old and 10-year-old girl were bitten by sharks while playing in the water off the carolina coast. both survived. >> i did not like what i saw and it really tore me up.

>> reporter: and it's not just in the u.s. in late september, a british tourist ignored these signs. >> a traumatic amputation of his right leg. >> reporter: statistics show the number of shark attacks is actually on the decline here. in 2000, there were 5 shark attacks in the united states. last year, that number dropped to 36. experts say a big reason for the attacks is simply more people swimming in waters where the sharks live. >> when the shark attack or bite occurs, it's due to perhaps bad luck where people and shark are in the wrong place, in the same place at the same time. >> while shark faye at that time tall tilts are extremely rare, it's clear the attacks have grabbed the attention of the american public as unsuspecting swimmers cross paths with these predators. kerry sanders, nbc news, anna maria island, florida. time for another check off our weather. bill karins is outside with

more. bill. >> lester, things have changed out here. everyone has jackets on out here. it looks like fall and the flags will be blowing blowing pretty good in the background. but everyone is happy because at least it's not raining. it's an interesting forecast this weekend. we're not really dealing with too much wet weather out there. the fall foliage is gorgeous in many areas. we're seeing that peak up into the great lakes, the peak around the rockies. the color will be great, but the winds l howling. the leaves will be blowing around out there. at least it's not raining any more. the exceptions will be maybe new york, northern ohio, michigan. it's ideally if you can get outdoors today and tomorrow for the most part and you'll have >> good morning, everyone. we don't have rain in the forecast. that's a good thing. high temperatures this afternoon will be in the upper 50's, which

is near average fo if you want your hour by hour forecast for the weekend, get that at weather.com. many birthdays, who is 17 and who is 18? >> i'm 17. >> 17 and 18, happy birthday. behave yourself in new york. back to lester and amy. >> thanks, bill. up next, should it be mandatory for kids in school, sex education? plus, a dashing king marries a commoner leading to a celebration to remember. we'll have it for you. but first, these messages. this. i was the first-born... i got married first... i had children first... and i'm the first to get this haircut. i was the first to get a flu shot. you didn't make an appointment yet. don't need one at walgreens. strolled right in and got my flu shot early

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[ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] that's awesome. you can read that? ♪ [ female announcer ] the accufit digital system, exclusively at lenscrafters... is about 5 times more precise than manual measurement techniques. lenscrafters. [ female announcer ] kellogg wants to help make kids happy, one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need. froot loops, apple jacks and frosted mini-wheats have good-for-you fiber in every yummy bowl. they're the cereals your kids love and the fiber their tummies love, which makes for a whole lotta happy. froot loops, apple jacks and frosted mini-wheats... a good source of fiber and made with whole grain. kellogg's makes fiber...fun! it's a topic that many families have a tough time talking about. but should schools take the leading role in teaching kids sex education? well, they will in new york city starting this january. while some parents applaud the

decision, others say it has no place in the classroom. ♪ let's talk about sex, baby new york city teenagers will have to talk about sex this year. the mandatory sex education curriculum is about improving health and reducing risk. >> it deals with prevention, it deals with abstinence. >> municipal among new yorkers, there is widespread support for sex education in schools. >> if they're engaging in sex, if they contract sexually transmitted diseases, they're at higher risk of contracting other diseases and therefore they won't be in our school system. >> the plan would allow familiars to opt out of some of the curriculum, like condom, didn't bugzs and demonstrations. but there is criticism from some parents who say the department of education hasn't given them enough information. >> in order to make that decision, you have to know what the curriculum is. i have not seen yet from the department of education the full

fledged effort to share with parents what it is that's they're actually going to get. >> nationwide, teens receive information about hiv, sexually transmitted diseases and aids. though teen birth rates in the u.s. have declined, in 2009, more than 400,000 teens gave birth. and among 15 to 24-year-olds, there are nearly 9.5 million sexually transmitted diseases each year. despite the lack of mandatory classes, new york high schools have handed out condoms for two decades. >> they have condoms in the bathrooms and i'm not for that, no. >> the risks are greater than ever. >> now educators want to make sure students are getting the information. and not just in new york. the district of columbia plans to add sex questions to its standardized tests in april. just how far should sex jael education go?

some educators seem to be saying they'll go as far as it takes. >> and with us now is dana points, editor and chief of "parents" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> and you say this mandate should be seen as a helpful tool in parenting. >> yes. i think you asked a question at the beginning of this segment which was should the schools be taking the lead? the answer is the schools shouldn't be taking the lead, it's your job as the parent to take the lead and the schools should be your partner. >> you say this shouldn't be a discussion for parents. ? >> if anything, that's an invitation to you to open the discussion. we know with adolescents, they often shut down, they don't want to talk. but you want to have an open conversation with your child. >> how do you begin with conversation? >> if you know that a lesson is being taught, and nationwide, that's not necessarily happening, you could ask your kid what they learned in school. but more often, you just need to look for an opportunity.

and we don't have to look very far in our culture to look for an opportunity to introduce the topic of sex with an older child because it's everywhere in everything they see. it's in their song lyrics, it's in the videos that they watch. you can bring it up gently and say, so, do you understand in this song lyric what she's talking about? >> oh, i've already had awkward moments with my 8-year-old who has heard words. what does that mean, mom? oh, wow, i have to go there now. but what do you say to the parents who are concerned if by talking about this, having sex education in schools and specifically the conversation involving contraception could lead to promiss cuety? >> i think there's evidence from studies that show teaching kids about sex and if anything, it's the children who lack knowledge that are going to be more at risk. and in the case of sexually transmitted diseases, the

concern is death. it's concerning. >> and middle school students, will they be able to grasp the concept of birth control and condom use? >> the middle schoolers, the kids around 11 years old in this program will be taught about puberty and age appropriate curriculum. that's what you need to look for nationwide. this education really has to start much earlier. if your child is in the classroom and is 11 years old and this is the first they're hearing from an adult who is knowledgeable, it should have starteded earlier. >> because kids talk, let's be honest. kids are talking to each other. better to have an adult be a part of that conversation than just have kids talk to each other. these classes are going to be taught coed. i have a distinct memory in my school, it was gender based. so i had all girls in my class and we were talking about sex ed and boys in another class. that won't be the case. is that an issue? >> my suspicion is it's probably a resource issue. but i think it's up to the

teacher to maintain a level tone and keep it above board. if there's any snickering, take care of that. >> do you see this become ago nationwide trend? >> i don't know. if you look at sexuality education, there's so many states that don't teach anything. it's interesting that there are many objections, obviously. but when you look at the data about kids who say they're not having sex, when you look at research, teenagers who say, no, i'm not doing it, the number one reason they give is that it's ethical or moral or connected to their religion. so those messages are getting through. that when a family has a strong, you know, objection, they're communicating with their kids. >> all right. dana points, we appreciate your time this morning. thanks so much. coming up next, king and queen. we will introduce you to the world's newest royal couple after these mem messages. ight h. i couldn't breathe... i couldn't sleep and mornings? rough. i tried tissues and neti pot thingy and even more tissues

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if you thought the wedding of prince william and kate was a big deal, wait until you see what's going on in the mountain country of butan. it's a true fairytale romance and ian williams has the story. >> reporter: all along the mountain roads, they're hoping for a glimpse of the newly married king and queen as they made their way home. they weren't to be disappointed. >> thank you. >> reporter: the king said he wanted to meet personally as many people as possible. ask with his queen at his side,

he stopped at a village after village to meet the throngs of well wishers. >> they are really meant for each other. >> very easy to talk to. >> yeah. >> reporter: from a nearby monastery engulfed in clouds of incense, the sound reverb rating around the valley, they seemed moved by the reception, stopping briefly to talk to nbc news. >> seems like the whole country has turned out to see you today. >> i am very fortunate, very fortunate. >> it's a wonderful ceremony yesterday. >> yes. we enjoyed it. >> yes. >> do you have plans for a honeymoon? >> no, no, no. we will start working right after the day we are married and if we travel, we will travel around the country. i would like to meet more people. >> reporter: congratulations. >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you. it means a lot to us, thank you. >> reporter: they were married in ta traditional buddhist

ceremony, the king known as the prince charming of the himalayas, taking a queen whose beauty is the talk of this nation, the land of the thunder dragon. she's a student and a commoner, the daughter of an airline pilot. at 21, she's ten years his junior. their wedding has transfixed the country that had no roads or currency until the 1960s, no television until ten years ago and remains fiercely aware of its culture. the king is revered in this land of 700,000 people where progress is measured by a principal called gross natural happiness. there have been so many well wishers that it's taken the royal couple all day to cover the 50 miles back to the castle where tens of thousands more are waiting for them. they entered timpu on foot. some had been waiting all day, but this was the moment that made it all worthwhile. ian williams, nbc news, bhutan. >> what a sweet couple.

>> i loved how they stopped and talked to ian. thank you so much. >> she is a gorgeous bride. >> she is beautiful. just ahead, pay now, buy later. why lay aways are making a come back. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

so do you want to say one of the new viral videos out there? >> sure. >> it shows a baby's encounter with r2-d2 from "star wars." it's adorable. take a look. >> is he saying the force is with me or with you? >> i wasn't clear auto that. the baby's name is trent and he

and the robot have found a way of communicating through beeps and babbles. >> too cute. >> too, too cute. still to come today, we're going to have more on the trial in los angeles over the death of michael jackson, the physician who was treating him. this trial is in a critical phase. we'll preview what's next, coming up. plus from dynasty to today, linda evans talking about her glamorous life. first, these messages. ♪ [ female announcer ] kleenex brand tissues are america's softest... no wonder people want to share them with the ones they love. ♪

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>> good morning. welcome to the 11th annual baltimore running festival. gerry sandusky and kate amara with you. there are a lot of smiles and a lot of happy people. mother nature has smiled on this event once again. >> this is a day i'm calling 26.2 miles of blood, sweat, and tears. >> here's the beauty of this marathon. it is the only sporting event in the world where elite athletes and weekend warriors all share the sealed same field of competition, all use the same start line, the same finish line, the same courses, but it is all together. you won't see this in the nba, the nhl, nfl anywhere else. you will see it at the mayor athon. this is a record number of participants. police estimate there are 200,000 people in downtown

baltimore between the run -- runners, spectators, scompa fans. >> these two runners are running for cool kids. kell us about that. >> i did the first leg this morning, because it is the shortest. my wife is doing the longer run. cool kids raises money for kids that have cancer. we're out here again. still -- >> the last leg is the hardest. i just found out today. but yeah, all the proceeds that we raised are going to raise kids to keep their special activities up. >> a different type of training than you would normally have for

olympic skating. >> i want to actually go outside and do stuff. >> good luck to both of you today. i think it is phenomenal what you are doing with the cool kids. >> i'm going to go and try to just survive. >> congratulations. thank you for taking part today. weekend warriors, world class athletes, like the runners we'll see today in the marathon. >> absolutely. we'll be back with the start.