good morning. on the brink. is herman cain getting ready to pull the plug on his presidential campaign? he's told his staff he's reassessing where he stands in the wake of the allegations of an extramarital affair. so why is he also launching a new fund-raising appeal? surprise visit. vice president joe biden arrives in iraq overnight as the u.s. military gets set to withdraw from that country over the next few weeks. this morning, ann curry is live in baghdad. and taken away, a missing florida woman's twin toddlers removed from their father's home after he was named the primary suspect in her disappearance. dale smith's attorneys speak out in an exclusive interview. "today," wednesday, november 30th, 2011.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. we're going to check in with ann in baghdad traveling with the vice president in just a moment. meanwhile is herman cain considering leaving the republican presidential race? during a conference call he again denied having an affair but the one-time gop front-runner conceded the allegation has created a cloud over his candidacy. we're going to have the latest oen that story coming up straight ahead. also ahead new images of gary giordano leaving prison last night, the prime suspect in the disappearance of a maryland woman in aruba. after spending nearly four months in custody he was ordered to be set free from a judge. where does the case go from here?

we'll get a live report from aru aruba. new questions concerning the safety of the juices your kids may be drinking. "consumer reports" tested dozens of samples of apple and grape juice. we'll have the ruts of the test and dr. mehmet oz. he sparked controversy with testing commissioned for his show. he'll be here to weigh in. we begin on wednesday morning with herman cain reassessing his presidential campaign. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers has the latest on this. >> good morning to you, matt. cain acknowledges the cascading allegations have taken an emotional and political toll. he says he'll spend the next few days reassessing. meanwhile he sent out a fund-raising appeal, attacking his latest accuser calling her a troubled woman with a fabricated story. herman cain predicted business as usual, in a foreign policy speech in michigan tuesday night. he made no reference to

legislations by atlanta businesswoman ginger white that they'd had a 13-year affair. he did mention his wife. >> i was sitting in my favorite chair in front of the tv next to the kitchen. she was in the kitchen preparing dinn dinner. what? that's what we do at our house on sunday. i sit in the easy chair and she prepares dinner! and there are days when i prepare the dinner, okay? >> reporter: among this crowd, the latest allegations drew a mixed response. >> it's 2011. i mean, we've been there before with other presidents. >> sometimes where there's smoke and there's lots of smoke, maybe there is a little fire brewing. >> as his poll numbers went up after the initial fall, they bring out another lady, you know? come on, you guys. >> reporter: as cain was speaking his campaign unleashed

a new fund raising apeel, calling ginger white a troubled woman, whom cain has helped financially at times over the past few years. >> i was aware that he was married, and i was also aware that i was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship. >> reporter: white's lawyer, ed buckley, acknowledges that she's had financial and legal troubles, but says she's of good character and telling the truth. >> these are embarrassing facts. a woman isn't going to come out and say something this embarrassing if it's not true. >> reporter: earlier in the day, cain, for the first time, expressed doubts about his viability as a candidate. in a conference call with his staff, he vehemently denied having an affair, but said he was reassessing whether the allegations create too much of a cloud over his campaign. robert costa of "the national review" listened to the call. >> really seemed like he was at the end of his line as a political candidate.

the tone was somber. his voice was quiet, almost shaky. >> reporter: cain told nbc news -- >> 9-9, 9, doing fine. >> reporter: a potential beneficiary if cain quets, former speaker newt gingrich. he's had his own infidelity issues. >> i think it's a very difficult situation for he and his family. my heart goes out to them. i hope he reaches whatever is the right decision for them. >> some cain advisers say whether he's able to continue as a candidate will depend on how much money he raises in the next couple of days but many conservative voices are already writing him off, matt, saying he's simply too badly damaged to be a viable candidate. >> lisa myers, thank you very much. on the democratic side, president obama heads to the battleground state of pennsylvania today, us what senior adviser david plouffe ran the president's 2008 campaign. mr. plouffe, good to see you, good morning. >> thanks for having me, matt.

>> lisa myers just talked about the situation involving herman cain so i want to get you on the record about this. you don't work for him but you know a lot about politics and campaigning. do you see any scienary yoi under which herman cain can return to prominence on the gop side of things right now? >> well, matt, as you mentioned i have been involved in presidential campaigns but not republican primaries so i'm certainly not an expert there. i'm sure herman cain's asking advice from a lot of people. i'm certainly not one of them. what's clear is this is a very unsettled republican primary and voting is going to begin in iowa and new hampshire. what the president is focused on is delivering tax cuts for the middle class and trying to help this economy. >> let's get you back to your comfort zone and talk about what the president is doing today, headed to scranton, pennsylvania, to push for an extension of the payroll tax cut. the republicans have already said this is dead on arrival, in part because they don't like the fact that it's paid for on the backs of the wealthy. now, you know the track record here is not good. republicans have succeeded in

blocking these things in the past, so why is the president wasting his time on an effort that's probably not going to work? >> well, we think it is going to work. remember, there was a payroll tax cut equal to about $1,000 for every middle class family in america that we passed with republican support at the end of 2010. there are some republicans who supported this. many of them have voted for it in the past. the request he is now, with the clock ticking, are we going to raise taxes and that's what would happen. if we don't extend this working tax, every american would see their taxes go up. in this economy we can't afford it. the way this is going to get paid for, the vote that will happen in the senate this week, a tax cut for 160 million americans paid for by asking a little over 300,000 millionaires to pay a little bit more. >> the president goes to scranton today to make this case. i want to talk about scranton as a location. according to "the new york times" unemployment in that city is about 9.7%, the highest in

the state. the food bank there served a record number of meals on thanksgiving, even the democratic mayor of scranton, christopher dougherty hoped for more federal help under this democratic administration, and it hasn't come. his words, "four years ago it was about hope. now it's about his record," referring to the president. how does the president look the people of scranton, pennsylvania, for example, in the eye and say, "i know we talked about hope and change. it hasn't really worked out. i need more time." >> well, obviously i would take issue about that. change is ending the iraq war, having economic and tax policy centered over the middle class, change is delivering health reform. we've delivered on a lot of commitments the president made to the american people. the economy is obviously far too week. the president's the first person to acknowledge that and that's why he's fighting so hard to deliver the people of scranton, americans all across the country, tax relief. we have to reduce our deficit,

make sure we're smartly investing in things like education, research and technology but right now, we have to do some things to jump-start the economy. that's what the president's focused on, cutting taxes for workers, for small businesses, putting construction workers back to work in scranton. those are the things washington needs to be doing to help people in scranton and all across america. >> david plouffe, thank you for your time this morning. i appreciate it. >> thanks, matt. >> now here's savannah. as we mentioned app is on assignment this morning. she traveled with vice president joe biden to iraq where u.s. forces are packing up to leave the country in just a few weeks. ann, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, savannah. that's right, the vice president's c-17 landed in darkness. the pilots wearing infrared goggles. security is heavy amid an uptick in violence as the u.s. brings its divisive eight-year war in iraq to an end. the vice president timed his trip to the last days of america's war in iraq.

from 170,000 troops deployed at the height of the war, now less than 13,000 are packing up for good. general jeffrey buchanan says this largest movement of military equipment since world war ii sparks emotions. >> i think all of us have lost a lot of friends, and that's tough. we want to honor that commitment and honor their sacrifice. my greatest hope is that the iraqis take advantage of the opportunities that they have. >> reporter: captain lester minges and staff sergeant donald whitesman ending third deployments here. >> i want to see the nation of iraq succeed, i really do and what i don't want to see is it crumble. >> i've noticed a lot, the iraqi people over here have pretty much the same beliefs and they want the same things and i'm going to miss that. >> reporter: eight years after shock and awe, after the toppling and death of saddam

hussein, after at least 400473 american lives lost, and 32,226 wounded in action, and a roughly estimated 100,000 iraqi civilian deaths, america leaves a significantly less violent but not completely stable iraq. this attack in baghdad in recent days. having survived bombings and hunger. >> very, very good. >> reporter: the madawi family keeps weapons, fearing new attacks on anyone who helped the americans and on religious groups. sahara is saying, "we did not have sectarianism before the invasion." helping iraq rebuild is part of the vice president's mission. >> it's good to be back for this purpose. >> reporter: after u.s. troops withdraw by december 31st, or even sooner. >> our troops in iraq will definitely be home for the

holidays. >> reporter: sergeant brian driscoll of tyler, texas, can hardly wait. >> first thing i'm going to do when i get home, see my family, hug my wife. hug my kids. >> reporter: the real question now is, how warmly america will receive these iraq war veterans who have had the proven resilience, courage and leadership skills to potentially become our next greatest generation. beyond our gratitude to the young men and women who answered the call of duty, is the united states really doing enough to give them access to higher education, to jobs, to encourage even preferential mortgages as our nation did after world war ii which then and could now again help lift our nation's economy. that will be among the questions we ask the vice president here in baghdad in our interview tomorrow >> thank you, ann. let us get a check of the other top stories of the morning. natalie is at the news desk with

that. >> good morning, everyone. escalations overnight for protesters from the occupy movements on both coasts, in los angeles, more than 1,000 police raided a protest encampment at city hall, arresting at least 200 demonstrators who were in violation of a prior eviction notice. and in philadelphia protesters forced from their encampment marched through the city streets, dozens of people were arrested there. secretary of state hillary clinton arrived in myanmar for an historic visit, the first of its kind in over 50 years, there to meet with the first civilian government in decades, and meet with nobel peace laureate aung san suu kyi about return to politics. syracuse men's basketball coach jim boeheim said he is not worried about losing his job since his long time assistant coach bernie fine was fired amids sami amidst sexual allegations

against him. boeheim supports the investigation. britain is pulling some of its embassy staff from tehran after hundreds of iranian hard-line protesters stormed its embassy building tuesday, the attack to britain's tough new economic sanctions against iran. britain says the safety of their workers is their top priority. major financial news this morning as the standard & poor's lowered the credit ratings for most of this country's biggest banks, cnbc's courtney reagan is at theisticist new york stock e with the latest on this. >> this was anticipated to some degree but hearing this news is never welcome, especially when markets are so fragile right now. some of the u.s. banks that have been downgraded include bank of america, citigroup, goldman sachs, wells fargo and morgan stanley. this could be particularly damaging for bank of america, as

the market remains concerned about the bank's capital levels. natalie, back to you. >> we'll be watching what happens there today at the new york stock exchange. courtney reagan thank you. it's the most wonderful time of the year here at rockefeller center as we light the christmas tree here tonight and the swarovski sparkler atop the 74-year-old tree won't be the only star in attendance, ce lo green, michael buble and faith hill and if that's not enough there is the performance from pop star justin bieber as well. and savannah guthrie and al roker will be hosting the bash starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern time on nbc. tune in for that. back over to matt, savannah, aforementioned, and al. going to be nice. >> thanks, nat for the pitch. >> tall, elegant and lit by 9:00. enough about you, now -- >> wow, i could see that one coming in on the m-6 make its way toward us.

>> what's going on mr. roker? >> a lot going on out west, heavy snow starting to develop alleges another storm system comes into the plains. we're talking rain and snow, in fact some areas of the rockies, montana going to see over a foot of snow and in the next 24 hours our friends in california are going to be looking at the strong santa ana winds developing, high wind warnings from midnight tonight until noon friday with sustained winds of 40 to 60 miles per hour, wind >> good morning. 70 to 8 we will be close to normal temperature-wise said. high temperature this afternoon in the low 50's. it will be breezy.

>> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you. mrs.' been some explosive new testimony at the inquiry into the british phone hacking scandal taken comes from someone who defends the practices of the tabloid press. nbc's miclle kosinski is in london with details on this. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: matt, right, first celebrities let loose on the tabloids including rupert murdoch's "news of the world" but a former editor tells all about how widespread phone hacking was, lying to get the story, paying police, even car chases, and this guy says he loved it all, in some of the strangest testimony yet. >> it is what the public wants to read. if they had any distaste for it, they would stop buying it. any means is fine by me. >> reporter: the story "by any means" is the story former

deputy editor paul mcmullen is telling. he said top editored not only knew about them, they condoned it. calling them the scum only because they haven't admitted it. he takes a one-time swipe at piers morgan but says this. >> "i don't care what you have to do, i want that story." >> reporter: according to mcmullen you name it, phone hacking of celebrities, even of murdered children. yes, he says, all worth it. >> phone hacking is a perfectly acceptable tool, given the sacrifices that we've made, if all we are trying to do is to get to the truth. >> reporter: he says reporters would trade phone numbers, that he swapped sylvester stallone's mother for david beckham, but when he went to hack into beckham's voice mail, oops! he answered the phone. he says "news of the world" would pay police, credit card

companies, medical workers tens of thousands of dollars for scoops, even princess diana's body guard, he says, sold information on where she was. >> can i have 30,000 pounds, please, i need to pay my mortgage. yes, no problem. >> reporter: mcmullen says he would lie, call celebrity's hotels. >> you get the list of the phone numbers that are rung and ring them up and find the mistress he just rung. >> reporter: he'd dig through garr bang and chase the story literally. >> it was such good fun. i mean how many jobs can you actually have car chases in? it was great. >> reporter: what about ethics, they asked him? privacy? >> privacy is evil. it brings out the worst qualities in people. >> reporter: okay then. well, that's what he claims, at times hafgs ving to be reminded was incriminating himself and he gave no evidence the murdochs

knew this was going on. he said sometimes breaking the law was the only way to break corruption and crime. the question was how do you apply that to celebrities and regular citizens when you expose their love lives or medical problems? matt? >> michelle kosinski, thank you for that report. it's 20 after the hour. here's savannah. the men who claimed that huge power ball jackpot earlier this week are trying to put to rest speculation that they are not the actual inwithers. nbc's anne thompson is here with the latest on that. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. you would think winning $54 million would put you on easy street but the good fortune of three connecticut men sparked rumors and distrust as skeptics question who really hit the jackpot. >> his name is tim, he's right here, so he is our regular customer. >> reporter: is he tim davidson, purchaser of the winning ticket at this gas station. >> congratulations. >> reporter: a money manager, and one of the three-member putnam avenue family trust

claiming connecticut's largest family payout. the subdued demeanor of the three monday was a stark contrast to typical big ticket winners. the new york costco winners splitting more than $200 million, the $229 million joy of tom and kathleen morris. >> we're going to live the way we have but just a little bit higher. >> reporter: and the humility of 23-year-old neil wanless, winning a jackpot of $232 million. >> i intend to repay that many times over. >> reporter: you get the sense these men claiming this ticket have handled big sums before, they were brief and to the point. >> we're the trustees. >> reporter: new york's tabloids bristled at the irony of america's rich getting richer and this allegation from "london's daily mail" reporting the three are fronting for the real winner, a client, tom gladstone who told nbc news "i

was nervous i let the cat out of the bag." the internet buzzed with rumors reporting to the reluctance of the trio to talk about the men. they issued a statement to squash the speculation. there are a total of three trustees and there is no anonymous fourth participant just three money managers with millions of their own to work with. now as one of its first acts, within the next week and a half the trust will distribute $1 million to organizations that help veterans. savannah? >> good start, anne thompson, thank you so much. coming up, why is the only suspect named in the disappearance of a missing florida mother, michelle parker, refusing to take a polygraph test? his attorneys speak out in an exclusive interview, but first this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead the judge throws the book at conrad murray.

we'll talk exclusively to the prosecutors who won the case. and a new study about arsenic in your kids' juice. we'll have that after your local news and weather. up here in maine, those things are cold weather and bean boots. ♪ and that's what makes them such a good gift. that and the fact that everybody wants warm feet for christmas. my name is jason valero, and i cut leather for bean boots. and the holidays are made here, right here. ♪ how about making it brighter. more colorful. ♪ and putting all our helpers to work? so we can build on our favorite traditions by adding a few new ones. we've all got garlands and budgets to stretch. and this year, we can keep them both evergreen. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot.

can you smell those savings? fresh cut christmas trees are arriving weekly. >> this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. a teacher and of the youth and transition to school in baltimore county off the job after he reportedly got in a fight with one of his students. in a statement, a school officials said the official was terminated. the official told 11 news the school only found out about the altercation one of the deal was posted on youtube. the student was 17 at the time and never reported the incident to the school. a check on your morning commutes

with traffic pulse 11. >> good morning, everybody. still trying to recover from the problems on southbound 83. the bill late extends from 439 -- a delay extends from 439 all the way to mt. carmel. it will take a long time for the traffic. industry layinne at york road. drive times were at 22 minutes on the outer loop, west side. a two-minute ride on the inner loop. here is a live view of traffic. southbound traffic is moving pretty well. this is normally a spot where we see delays at this time of the morning. delays on southbound 83. all the way down to mt. carmel. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11.

a check of your forecasts now. >> good morning, everyone to a bit of a change from yesterday. right now, in the upper thirties and low '40's. 40 at the airport. 37 in westminster. breezy and cooler with a high temperature right around 52 this afternoon. sunset this evening at 4:44. temperatures will stay in the low to mid 50s. it gets a little warmer on it gets a little warmer on sunday.

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♪ 7:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 30th and last day of november, 2011. if our crowd on the plaza sticks around for a few hours, actually several hours, they'll get to see the big tree across the street light up for the very first time this year. and we'll check it out tomorrow morning, inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie, who is sitting in while ann is on assignment in iraq. just ahead the prosecutors in the case against michael jackson's doctor speak out in a live interview. are they happy with the four-year sentence given to conrad murray tuesday? how much time will he actually snerve we'll have more as we speak to the prosecutors, coming up. also ahead in the wake of concerns raised by dr. oz earlier this year, there's new evidence your child's favorite

juices may not be as safe as you'd think. we are going to have an exclusive first look at a new "consumer reports" study and we'll talk to dr. oz, too. the nearly two-week old disappearance of a florida mother, we'll talk to the suspect's attorneys in a moment. first janet shamlian in florida. >> reporter: there are new developments in the case involving the children of michelle parker, the 3-year-old twins were reportedly questioned by police and sometime after that questioning late yesterday they were removed from the home of their father, dale smith, who had been caring for them and who has been identified as the only suspect in this case. there is an emergency temporary custody hearing set for later today for two children who have been asking for their mother now for almost two weeks. >> is that a train? >> reporter: michelle parker's 3-year-old twins nor longer with

their father, dale smith, her ex-fiance and the man police say is the only suspect in michelle's disappearance. the little boy and girl were taken away from smith by the state tuesday and spent the night with their grandmother, michelle's mother. a hearing today will determine who will care for them, as the search for their mom continues. >> i want dale to do the right thing, i want him to take a polygraph test. i want him to tell us where she is, if he knows where she is. >> reporter: the 33-year-old parker, a popular bartender was last seen dropping off the twins at smith's home november 17th, the same day the couple appeared fighting over an engagement ring on a taped episode of "the people's court." smith's newly hired lawyers faced reporters tuesday, defending his client's refusal to take a polygraph. >> it's a damned if you do and daned if you don't scenario taking the polygraph. we have no witnesses, we have no

dna, we have no suggestion of anything except somebody with a history that people don't like. >> reporter: a long history. smith was dishonorably discharged from the marines in 2003, after he was court-martials and convicted of drug possession and domestic violence. according to police reports the victim of that domestic violence was smith's second wife, shannon, who died just a few months later in what was ruled an accidental drug overdose. in the '90s, smith was charged with a number of crimes including burglary, trespassing, and aggravated battery, but was only convicted of battery, serving ten days in jail. with michelle, the relationship was described as rocky. >> i felt somebody grab me, and yank me around. >> reporter: in 2009 she sought a restraining order against smith when the twins were just infants. it was never granted, citing a lack of evidence. now two years later, parker is missing, and her twins, too young to even understand, are missing their mother.

and those children are with their grandmother, michelle's mother, this morning. she says she intends to seek temporary custody of those kids while this investigation continues, and in terms of their investigation, matt, authorities say in the past few days, not much is new. back to you. >> janet shamlian, thank you very much. mark know jaime and rajan joshi are the attorneys representing dale smith. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> child protective services comes in last night and take the dwinz away, 3 years old, a boy and a girl. what was the reason they gave your client or you for taking those children out of his custody? >> well, we still haven't received that. we had a suspicion they were going to do this in the middle of the night, the night before, and actually went, i actually went to the house at about 2:00 in the morning and they were down the street, so we thought something was up, didn't like the way it smelled. shooed them away, and they had these subpoenas on 3 1/2-year-old children who

would be under contempt of court if they didn't appear, so the 3 1/2-year-olds to give a statement, although they had already given statements previously. so it smelled fishy, we thought something was up. >> clearly this is connection with the fact your client, dale smith, has been named the primary suspect in the disappearance of his ex-fiance. have police told you exactly why they have made that distinction? >> no, they haven't given any specifics and to our knowledge there is no evidence other than conjture and speculation. you know, you have the basic reason, because he refuses to take a polygraph, which most people should not take polygraphs. they're not even reliable and not one court in the country accepts them as reliable. >> let me argue it from a court of public opinion perspective here, mark, and if my wife, the mother of my children, were missing and i knew i had absolutely nothing to do with it, i might take a polygraph just to clear my name, so police could move in the right direction to find the mother of my children. how would you argue that?

>> well, very simple. they're not reliable. they're not scientifically reliable. if they were, one court in the entire country would accept it. we watched so much trash tv thinking that polygraphs are the end all and be all of whether somebody is telling the truth or not. >> is your client cooperating with police right now? is he still talking to investigators? >> not right now but he was very cooperative in the beginning. he actually talked to them three times, went there voluntarily, and it seems like his cooperation actually you know is working against him. >> your client has a troubling resume, let me go through a little of this, dishonorably discharged from the military, convictions for drug possession, arrest for burglary, trespassing and aggravated battery and michelle tried to get a restraining order taken out against him, unsuccessfully i should mention. what is it about dale smith i don't know that would help me understand him better? >> the one thing about dale smith he's changed his life around, he's working, a

productive member of society, he's taking care of his children, paying child support. ever since the mother has been gone he's been a wonderful father to the children, and very caring and actually has been wanting to have people come in and look for her. >> he was, according to most reports that i've read, the last person to see his ex-fiance, michelle. what does he think happened to her? >> he's not the last person to see her. whoever abducted her or whoever did something with her was the last person. they left, we know from a timed video, from a neighbor, that she pulled in to his place at 3:18 that afternoon. at 4:30, he was at his father's place. if you run a time line on this, it's physically impossible for him to have done what is being suggested. they lived clear across town, there were two vehicles involved, and in an hour and 12 minutes, he was supposed to,

with the children present, to have met her, killed her, disposed of the body, gone clear across town, dropped off one vehicle, scraped off all the lettering on the vehicle, then brought the vehicle back and then ended up at his parents at 4:30, an hour and 12 minutes later. >> we'll await further development nbs ts in the case. mark nejame and rajan joshi thank you very much. >> thank you. >> where are you from? >> washington heights. >> all the way from washington heights, very nice, good to see you. thanks so much. let's check it out, show you what's going on for today, we're looking at what was hurricane season 2011, today is the last day of the season, average ten named storms, we had 19 in 2011, seven hurricanes, three of them major, one making landfall of course, that was irene, and we have tropical storm lee as well causing problems. we've got light snow across the northern plains, wet weather

moves into the pacific northwest and sunshine in the southeast and warmer conditions making its >> good morning. it is cooler this morning than it yesterday. temperatures are in the 40's. >> and that's your latest weather. matt? up next, dr. conrad murray gets the maximum sentence for his role in the death of michael jackson. but how much time will he actually serve? en exclusive live interview with the prosecutor innocence the case, coming up right after this. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte.

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kristen dahlgren is in los angeles this morning with the latest. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. yes, dr. conrad murray is behind bars this morning. it quaent' a big surprise to many that he got that maximum sentence. the district attorney admits he's not sure how much time he'll serve because of california's new legislation to ease prison overcrowding. >> four years. >> yeah! >> reporter: the sentence drew cheers from michael jackson fans outside the courthouse. conrad murray didn't speak on his own behalf, but the judge specifically referenced both murray's participation in the documentary "michael jackson and the doctor: a fatal friendship." >> and i told security to get the kids away from there. >> reporter: and his interview with savannah on "today" as evidence that murray refuses to take responsibility for his actions. >> do you feel guilty that he died? >> i don't feel guilty, because i did not do anything wrong. >> he has absolutely no sense of

remorse, absolutely no sense of fault, and is and remains dangerous. >> reporter: the defense team argued that the likely loss of murray's medical license and reputation should be punishment enough. >> whether he's a barista for the rest of his life, whether he's a greeter at walmart, he's still going to be the man that killed michael jackson. >> reporter: while prosecutors urged the judge to consider michael jackson's family. >> when michael jackson was at his most vulnerable, dr. murray left him alone to die. >> reporter: the judge also said he was especially troubled by that recording murray made of a barely coherent michael jackson. >> i've never seen nothing like this in my life. go, go. >> reporter: murray's defense team criticized the judge's ruling and hinted that they'll appeal. >> was he harsh of -- yes, of course he was harsh. he gave the stiffest penalty that he was entitled to give under the law. >> reporter: but because of

prison overcrowding, murray may end up serving only a small fraction of his official sentence, and he'll do that time in county jail instead of state prison. >> conrad murray is not going to serve more than two years and very likely going to serve much less than even one year in the county jail. >> reporter: no matter how much time he ends up serving in jail, jackson's family says murray's punishment pales in comparison with all they've lost. >> that is not enough. my son's gone. i'll never see him again. >> reporter: as for how much money dr. murray may have to pay the jackson family, prosecutored asked for more than $100 million in restitution and funeral costs. the judge said he will decide that at a hearing in january. savannah. >> kristen dahlgren, thank you. david walgren and deborah brazile prosecuted dr. murray, good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> let's start with this, remarks by the judge. i mean, i haven't seen anything like it, more than 24 minutes, he essentially gave your closing

argument all over again. were you surprised at how harsh his tone was? he really gave a dressing down to dr. murray. >> he was not surprised. he had sat through the entire trial, heard all the evidence, one of the most informed people in regard to the facts of its case and being aware of all the facts and all the evidence he was rightfully offended by the actions of conrad murray and he was expressing that. >> people ask themselves gosh, i wonder if there could have been a more serious charge, charged women had something like second-degree murder given the state of the evidence and how the jurors and judge have reacted to it. did you ever consider a higher charge? >> there was a process within our office where all the potential charges were considered, involved multiple people, lawyers, going through the evidence and the facts of the case, and the decision was made through that process to charge involuntary machine slaughter which we thought was the appropriate charge.

>> obviously the judge maxed him out, gave him four years. there were moments you thought this is a judge sounds like wished he could have given him more if he was able to and we do know the situation in california is such that he will not likely serve the full four years. as the prosecutors who tried the case, poured their lives in it. is that disappointing? >> no, because the judge sent the message to dr. murray as well as any other physician by imposing the actual sentence, the actual time spent behind bars is not a reflection of the seriousness of conrad murray's conduct. >> do you agree with that, david? are you disappointed to think gosh he only spent a couple of years and not get the full weight of the punishment. >> certainly deserves the full weight of the punishment, certainly deserves the full four years but we work within the bounds of the law, the judge sentenced him to maximum punishment and how much time he serves at the end of the day will be up to the sheriff. >> we did an interview with dr.

conrad murray in the waning days of the trial. you mentioned it in your closing argument, the judge mentioned it, the lack of remorse. do you think that interview ultimately hurt him? >> i don't think it helped him. in that interview he expressed a complete lack of remorse, a complete lack of personal responsibility. he blamed it again on michael jackson, rather than himself. he explained that he was entrapped, that he, conrad murray was actually the victim and not michael jackson. i think it just showed a complete failure to recognize what he did. >> and at the same time, deborah, he certainly didn't testify at trial, which of course is his right but he didn't even stand up at sentencing. were you surprised at that? >> no, given his prior conduct and the manner in which he chose to address his feelings on his conduct. i'm not surprised at all. >> deborah brazil and david walgren, proso oecutors thanks being here. >> thank you. coming up, new study on the levels of arsenic in your child's juices. we're going to unveil the

results and talk about them with dr. oz, but first these messages. can you believe it another thanksgiving.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. it is 7:56. time for a check on the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> the latest from the maryland line to the area of mt. carmel. a fuel spill has just been cleaned up. southbound york road is also backed up heavily as you make your way toward the beltway. on the north side of the beltway, 12 miles per hour on the outer loop. southbound i-95, 7 miles per hour. delays in place out of white marsh. that is backing up traffic out of owings mills, as usual.

let's give you a live view of traffic in the area. brake lights all the way down to 28 street. the harrisburg expressway, what a mess. it's still at a standstill. delays all the way down to the area of mt. carmel. it will be a while. i would just delay your departure until things start to filter out. we will have another live update at 8:25. >> good morning, everyone. not a lot to talk about in the weather, other than the changing temperatures. it will be cooler. temperatures right now in low 30's to upper 40's and there's a breeze. it feels about five degrees cooler. a mix of sun and clouds. it will be breezy today and cooler. high temperature around 52. that average for this time of the year, but compared to the last few days, you will notice the difference.

the weather will not change much headed into the weekend. it's warmer on sunday and then cooler early next week with a cooler early next week with a chan [ female announcer ] find yourself sometimes cleaning up after your dishcloth? bounty extra soft can help. it's super durable, and in this lab test bounty extra soft leaves this surface three times cleaner than a dishcloth. even with just one sheet. super clean. super soft. bounty extra soft. in the pink pack. and try bounty napkins.

we are back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning, it's the 30th day of november, 2011, pretty day here in new york city, and big crowds packing our plaza. we appreciate these people coming down, because it's a very big day here in rockefeller center. here's the reason why, turn around, everybody. look back that way. the rockefeller center christmas tree will be lit tonight by the two people standing immediately to my right. it should be a fun night. >> very excited, ce lo green, justin bieber, michael buble, mayor mike bloomberg will be here. >> good job. out on the plaza, matt lauer along with savannah guthrie,

savannah is here while ann is on assignment in iraq and al here as well. coming up, how safe is the juice your children are drinking. >> dr. oz commissioned research that found high arsenic levels in some apple juice. he was criticized for his research. now "consumer reports" is out with a study and parents want to listen up, they may not like what they hear and dr. oz will be here as well to talk about it. all right, and ahead, hard to believe but the london olympics just 240 days away. we're going to find out what some of our very decorated members of the usa swim team are doing to prepare. there they all are. >> all right, also programming note, tomorrow morning here on "today" we're going to give you a first peek at some of the amazing jewelry, the designer fashions and the artwork of hollywood icon elizabeth taylor. that is all going on the auction block. before it does, we will show it to you here tomorrow morning. >> just in time for christmas. hint, hint.

first let's get a check of the day's top news stories. natalie morales is at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. herman cain begins a bus tour of ohio today, a chance to gauge reaction to the latest allegation about his personal life. speaking in michigan last night, cain did not address a georgia woman's claim that they had a 13-year extramarital affair, a claim he has denied. however he did say earlier tuesday that he is reassessing whether to remain in the race. the house has unanimously passed a bill that would make it easier for u.s. troops on official business and relatives traveling with them to pass through airport screening. it now moves on to the senate. the tsa says it already expedites screening for wounded veterans and allows service members in uniform with proper i.d. to keep their shoes or boots on. the prime suspect in the disappearance of an american woman in aruba has been released from jail. that leaves no one in custody for the presumed death of robyn gardner. nbc's jeff rossen is in aruba

with more. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. gary giordano is at the airport in aruba right now. he arrived within the past hour and our cameras were there to get a shot of him walking in. mr. giordano would not say anything, but he with his lawyer, jose baez, who famously defended casey anthony. this is giordano's first time being a free man in four months. he's been locked up for the disappearance of robyn gardner for in our months. prosecutors say is he lying about what happened but they say they don't have enough to charge him yet so a judge here ordered his release. by the way it was a dramatic scene at the prison late last night when mr. giordano was released. media swarmed his vehicle, and then he was brought to a local hotel, a very popular hotel for american tourists, where he spent the night, because he missed the last flight to the u.s. last night. that is why he's flying out this

morning. we're told he spoke with his children last night by phone, an emotional phone call and his first order of business is to see them when he gets back to the u.s. but once again, gary giordano, a free man this morning, but he remains, prosecutors say, the prime suspect in the disappearance of robyn gardner. >> jeff rossen in aruba, thank you. for more on this story nbc's "dateline" this friday is all about the robyn gardner mystery, "missing in paradise" air this is friday night at 10:00, 9:00 central time. now here is brian williams with a look at what's coming up on "nbc nightly news." brian? >> thanks. coming up tonight on "nightly news," silicon valley, where technology rules but not at the school we're going to take you to. forget about computers. students at this one learn the old-fashioned way, a low-tech revolution, we'll have that story for you tonight on "nightly news." natalie for now back to you. >> thanks, brian. now for a look at "what's trending today" our roundup of what has you talking online.

kourtney kardashian confirmed she and boyfriend scott dissick are expecting baby number two. she just launched kourtney's mommys ablog online. and a baby has an important call to take. listen. >> oh, oh. >> i think he's on with his agent. his dad posted the video on youtube, only the business baby knows apparently what he's talking about. solving the world's financial crisis maybe? who knows. he seems to have it figured out. and this video is burning up the internet, our brian williams interrupted by our fire alarm while anchoring "nightly news" last night. >> we have an announcement going on here in the studio. tom costello, we should advise our viewers there's no danger to us. we'd love to make this stop. why don't you take it from our

washington bureau. >> andrea, thanks, we were assured the fire alarm was given us the all clear is back on. >> a former volunteer firefighter like brian would never ignore a real alarm. the testing was expected we're told but not in the studios, certainly not lasting throughout the entire news cast. it went on and on and on [ fire alarm ] oops i got to get running. >> turn-about is fair play. brian handled it like a pro. >> we think we can handle it like a pro, too. coming up, is there arsenic in your kid's juice -- >> can we do whether or not? >> this is how he makes his living. >> wow! this is going to be a fun tree lighting with you. >> maybe i am already lit, i don't know. >> yeah! savannah! strong! >> take it away, al. >> nan's birthday celebration, pays to advertise, a big banner. where are you from? >> buffalo, new york.

>> very nice. >> thank you. we're happy to be here. >> you don't know the brhaskas do you? >> i think i went to school with one. >> dave. >> and his brother joe. >> from nontanawanda. >> yes. >> oh my god! wow! who knew? what are the odds? that's amazing! let's check your weather and see what's going on. that's unbelievable. des moines, iowa, nbc 13, sunny, cool, 47 degrees and you can see we got low pressure spinning up and out, getting out of here out of new england. we got another storm coming into the pacific northwest and across the plains, look for sunshine from the southwest, all the way through the gulf coast, mid-atlantic states, some showers getting out of here through new england. that's what's going on in the country. >> good morning. we will be close to normal temperature-wise said. high temperature this afternoon in the low 50's. it will be breezy.

>> and you know the best weather guy in buffalo, kevin o'connell. >> yes, we do. >> on nbc. my gosh. oh, my golly. this is like old home week. matt? >> kevin o'connell's neighbors are here? >> yes! >> that's unbelievable. >> announcer: unbelievable! come up, some new evidence there could be dangerous levels of arsenic in the juice that your children are drinking. dr. oz will weigh in on some alarming new results, right after this. i wanted support for my heart... and now i get it from centrum specialist heart. new centrum specialist vision... helps keep my eyes healthy. centrum specialist energy... helps me keep up with them. centrum specialist prenatal... supports my child's growth and development. new centrum specialist is a complete multivitamin

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mom... i mean, mrs. nelson, i have the perfect gift for you. he must've gotten my letter. ♪ oh...santa. [ male announcer ] levian jewelry featuring levian chocolate diamonds at kay jewelers. levian. one more reason kay... is the number one jewelry store in america. these are for me, right? ♪ every kiss begins with kay back now at 8:12 with alarming new questions over the safety of your kids' favorite juices. in september, dr. mehmet oz ignited a firestorm with his studies. "consumer reports" is out with research of its own and appears to black the claims. tom costello, good morning to you. >> the magazine tested almost 100 samples of apple and grape juice and found that 10% had total arsenic levels higher than federal drinking water standards

for arsenic. the latest study from "consumer reports" may scare some parents about the safety of apple juice. the magazine is raising concern about arsenic in both apple and grape juice, of the 88 samples tested by "consumer reports," 10% had total arsenic levels that exceeded federal drinking water standards. unlike water, there are no federal limits for juice. >> it's a product that everybody feeds their children and infants, and i don't understand why there could possibly be such a thing in something so natural. >> if it's to the point where it's causing harm to her development, definitely, i would stop. >> reporter: this isn't the first time apple juice has been in the headlines. >> i'm worried about it as a father of four. >> reporter: in september, dr. oz announced findings from his own study of arsenic levels in apple juice. >> some of the best known brands in america have arsenic in their apple juice.

>> reporter: an independent lab hired by the dr. oz show found one-third of the tested samples had arsenic levels higher than what the epa allows in drinking water. the fda took issue with dr. oz's findings saying the study did not differentiate between the two types of arsenic, organic and inorganic. now "consumer reports" says its tests do make a distinction, adding "most of the arsenic" it found was inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen. the fda insisted arsenic is safe. >> in our testing that lot has a small amount of arsenic in it, it would be no concern whatsoever. >> reporter: the fda still stands by that but in a statement to nbc news it now says it's conducting more test to determine if a guidance level can be established that would relus consumers' exposure to arsenic in apple juice. the juice products association says it's committed to following federal guidelines as it has for decades, adding comparing

arsenic in apple juice to water is not appropriate. regulatory agencies have set lower thresh holds for drinking water than food and other beverages because people consume larger amounts of water. this is important, the fda has said that the level of concern for arsenic in apple juice is 23 parts per billion, 23, only one of the grape juices tested by "consumer reports" exceeded that level, none of the apple juices radio etched that level. by comparison the fda's limit for water is ten parts per billion. "consumer reports" does not suggest erasing juice from your child's diet. the american academy of pediatrics suggested diluting and limiting consumption to four to six ounces per day for children under the age of 6, no more than 8 to 12 ounces for older kids as well. >> tom costello, thank you. we'll talk to dr. oz and a representative from the juice industry for a moment. irvachi rangin with "consumer

reports" good morning to you. >> good morning. >> 10% of the juices you tested exceeded the amount or the same amount of what was allowable for drinking water. how serious a threat is this? what is the threat of, to children from arsenic? >> what we're talking about is not acute health effects. we're talking about chronic health effects, we're talking about cancer ris sock the faris so the fact it underscores a standard to be set in juices. >> we heard about the report and isn't it a fair point, you can't compare apples and oranges. people don't drink as much juice as they do water. what would your response be? >> there's nuance to that equation. one the drinking water standards is based on a 70 kilogram person drinking two liters of water a day, not a child who weighs far less than 70 kilograms. secondly the level of concern they're talking about is not based on cancer risk so we think cancer risk needs to be taken into account, that's why our

risk is actually much, much lower than 23 parts per billion. >> only one of the samples of the 88 you tested actually exceeded what the level of concern is for the fda. is the fda's standard not sufficient? >> the fact that none of our -- not many of our samples exceeded the 23 parts per billion is not what's of concern to us. that limit is way too high. we think it needs to be much lower but our data is part of a greater pool of data including fda's own data that shows wide vary ability including a spike of 86 parts per billion. >> urvashi rangan of the "consumer reports" thank you. we turn to dr. oz and gail, thank you for being with us. >> good morning. >> dr. oz you made a splash with similar research earlier. your research did not make the distinction between inorganic arsenic which is said to be a carcinogen and organic, naturally occurring arsenic.

the "consumer reports" study makes that distinction and found this troubling amount in some juices. do you feel vindicated in terms of your research? >> for me, i was not surprised by these findings, in part because we're not the first ones to have reported this. other groups before us have come along, said the exact same things that "consumer reports" well confirmed, we have elements of inorganic and organic arsenic in our apple juice and other foods as well. it's not fair to say that organ i ic arsenic is safe. there are some we don't know about and some that are dangerous. the fda responded as well to talk about this. this is not about us. it's about the ability to have a conversation about things that are really dangerous for us. >> i was going to ask but that. in some sense it seems like the fda has changed its tune a little bit. there is at the moment no standard for juices the way there is a standard for arsenic in drinking water about you now it's sort of signaling they may change that. >> listen, 25 years ago we had a problem with lead in america, right, and we have over the last generation been able to

dramatically reduce by 90% the amount of lead our kids are exposed to and found in their blood. as a doctor it makes me more confident we can do the same thing for arsenic but we have to do this. we cannot sit back and say the environment changed around us, our kids are at risk. we have to have the painful conversation, even though people aren't happy about it. >> let me let gail come in on this, you represent the juice industry. 10% of juice studies have more arsenic than allowable in drinking water. do you dispute the science? >> no, but the good news is i found the "consumer reports" data to be reassuring because they showed that the juice samples that they tested met the federal, the food and drug administration's limit on, mick in juice. the fda does have a concern for arsenic in juice, the toxicologists and the food safety experts at fda set that limit in a precautionary public health-based way and the juice industry is committed to meeting fda's limits. >> what do you make of the cdc

numbers? "consumer reports" looked at those and found people who have on the juices 20% higher levels of arsenic if they had apple or grape juices. how do you explain that? >> i thought the "consumer reports" article was a little short on data and context. it turns out anything less than 100 micrograms in urine is normal, so think about it. if one group has ten my grow grams and the other 12, that's a 20% increase but still well below 100. >> we have to go but why not voluntarily, why doesn't the juice industry voluntarily meet the higher standards? it's no skin off the industry's back to try to make juice safer, is it? >> well, the juices are safe, and the industry is committed to meeting whatever science-based standards the fda sets. if fda scientists decide that the scien justifies changing the standard, then the industry will meet it. >> dr. oz, you still give your kids juice? >> i give them juice but i do dilute the juice, mix up the

juices i give them, more orange juice and i think the recommendation should be taken to heart by parents. it is imperative for us to make the world safer for our kids. this is just a tip of the iceberg. this speaks to the broader themes of how our environment has changed and how we have to keep up with it and that's why i think the fd a, is adjusting its position, coming one new data coming out. >> thank you so much. we'll be back right after this. s and once a year offer them with special savings. today, it's an american tradition. toyotathon is back with great deals on the toyotas you've been waiting for. right now, get a low 0% apr financing on select new tundras and drive with peace of mind, thanks to toyota care, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. others have tried to copy it. but in the end, there's only one...toyotathon. the biggest and best sales event of the year is going on now! they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule!

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from the opening ceremony of the 2012 london olympics. usa swimmers, ryan phelps, ryan lockte and katie feldman, natalie. you're unveiling something newell' be seeing in competition, i don't normally say could you please take your jacket off but would you please? what is this we're going to see? >> this is the new speedo fs3 and this is the cap that goes with it, the and the goggles that go with it, i will show you. >> why is this new and revolutionary? >> because this is the first time it's a three-piece system that everything goes together so you buy it, the buy the cap, the goggles, the suit and makes you more hydrodynamic and it has a body stability web which compresses you.

>> we're going to see more of it and talk to you about where you guys are in training as you >> live, local, latebreaking -- this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on your morning commute. is 83 still jammed up? >> unfortunately, yes. we are dealing with conditions from the maryland line to the area of belfast. take york road, but you will find delays there as well. not a great alternative. if we have an accident in the house and region. 7 miles an hour. we are looking at interloop delays as well. 21 miles per hour down to 28.

11 miles per hour on the west side our loop. there is a backup on south-end 795. we are looking at some eastbound delays on 100. let's give you a live video. 95 at 395, it is looking for the good into town. switch to the harrisburg expressway. that is the pace of things down for the pennsylvania line. tony pann has a check on your forecast. >> hello, sarah caldwell, good morning, everyone. if temperatures are a lot cooler than yesterday at this time. yesterday we were near 60. this morning, offer-30's low- 40's. it will be breezy with high temperature of 52.

that is around average the next chance for rain is early next week. >> thank you for joining us. we'll have another up the data caught 55. caught 55.

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♪ here comes santa claus, here comes santa claus ♪ ♪ right down santa claus lane 8:30 on the 30th day of november, 2011, wednesday morning. beautiful christmas across the plaza. our holiday toy drive is in full swing, neil diamond along with members of the u.s. olympic swim team, michael phelps, natalie coughlan, ryan lochte and katie

dobbs. >> neil diamond will be performing one of his classics. >> tonight part of our christmas celebration as we help flip the switch from the world famous rockefeller center christmas tree, the fun gets under way tonight at 8:00, 7:00 central on nbc and for a select number of nbc station it is begins at 7:00 for a full two hours. >> good information. >> check your listings. first a check of the weather it will be nice for the lighting. >> it is going to be. let's show what you we've got for the rest of the country for today. rain and snow across the plains states, morning rain up through northern new england, sunshine through the southern tier, windy conditions, northern california into the pacific northwest. our tree lighting tonight, 5:00 p.m., temperature about 50, clear by 9:00 with 45 degrees and brisk westerly wind, 10 to 15 miles per hour. tomorrow sunny up and down the eastern seaboard. santa ana winds kick in and central and southern california, mountain snows in the central rocky answer looking at sunshine

>> good morning. it is cooler this morning than it yesterday. temperatures are in the 40's. >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> mr. roker, thanks very much. joined by members of the u.s. olympic swim team, michael phelps, ryan lochte, natalie kouf lan and katie huff. do you have the olympics firmly in your sights or so many things between now and the olympic calendar you're concentrating on other things in. >> it's going to be here before we know it, so it's definitely something that is in the picture but i mean like you said, there

are so many little things that personally i have to hit before i want to get to my end target. >> ryan, you had an amazing year after beijing, set a lot of world records, took this guy on head to head and won a lot of those races. when you look forward to london, do you have a time in mind for your event, or do you have an individual swimmer that you're looking at as your biggest goal? >> times are irrelevant when you get to the games. i mean, it's just about racing. that's what is so special about swimming,' not about the times, it's just about racing people next to you, and i'm so lucky enough to be racing this guy, so i mean it's a lot of fun. >> you guys can continue to be great friends, even though there is this rivalry because roker and i can't stand each other out of the show but you can keep this up, right? >> no, it's good. like ryan said we both push each other and we've been able to have a lot of good races in the past and hopefully have a lot of good ones more to come. >> natalie, 11 olympic medals,

you know the drill, two more, you become the most decorated female american olympian ever. is that something you can put out of your mind as the games approach? >> it's hard. it's hard to put it out of my mind but right now i just need to focus on training and focus on making the olympic team and then from there focus on getting hopefully more medals, but you know it's an insane year and i think like michael said it's going to be here before we know it. >> katie, michael and i have talked about this in the past, during the olympic year the spotlight is on you guys, everybody wants to know what you're doing, where you are. sometimes when the olympics get further away you get that sense of anonymity back, like you could probably walk at the tree lighting tonight and not get bothered too much. do you like that or do you like when more attention is on you? >> no, i kind flying under the radar. >> especially with those. >> it's a little hard with the antlers now. >> not right now but yeah, even at school i don't really like if a teacher knows or some of my classmates know. i like to be a normal kid and

have fun and then when i'm on the block worry about something. >> we're going to be looking forward to spending a lot of time with all of you guys over the next 240 days and beyond. good luck and thanks for joining thus morning. >> thank you. when we come back, neil diamond will perform in our studio. first this is "today" on nbc.

"today's money" is brought to you by fidelity investments. turn here. >> we're back at 8:37, this morning on "today's money" payday loans. you've probably seen the ads offering quick cash when you're in a bind but are they really as easy as they seem? nbc's mara schiavocampo takes a look. >> matt, good morning. maybe you have car repairs v to pay off bills, just want to buy holiday gifts. if you need fast cash a payday loan may sound enticing but considering this type of loan you need to understand exactly

what it involves before you sign on the dotted line. like so many americans, preacher mary love knows what it's like to be tight on cash, so when she started to fall behind on her rent she went for quick fix. >> i commercial loan would have taken days and i didn't have days. >> reporter: love took out a payday loan, borrowing against her next paycheck and immediately got the money she needed. these days it seems to be a hot way to get some cold cash. >> where you get the cash you need fast. >> where money really does grow on trees. >> reporter: but for mary love, things quickly spiraled out of control. she says she couldn't repay the loan because the interest rate was far too high for her, on her $400 loan, she ended up paying $1,420 in interest alone about a year later, that's more than 300%, three times what she first borrowed. stories like love's have become more common. the better business bureau says this year alone they've received more payday lending complaints

than in the previous two years combined. >> we tell folks you absolutely have to read the contract, you have to read the fine print, and you got to make sure you understand that contract. >> reporter: experts say many borrowers don't realize the interest rates can be the equivalent of 600% a year, and some warn that can create a debt trap they can't get out of. >> a good product is one that at least enables the borrower to get out of a cycle, and this does not let you out of that cycle. >> reporter: that's not so, says the community financial services association of america, which represents the payday lending industry, and companies insist the process is completely transparent. >> the customers who use our products, they come into our centers, they understand how much it's going to cost. >> reporter: he says the instant cash often provides a critical lifeline for those in a dire financial bind like tina, who has taken out and paid off several loans. >> it was always for a last-minute situation. for me, it works well. >> reporter: but in mary love's case, her loan was a personal disaster.

she finally went to a credit counselor who helped her pay off the debt. >> when you get in trouble like this, don't be ashamed to seek help. you're not a bad person because you're not good at managing money. >> now proponents of the loans say the high interest rates are justified because they're dealing with a population at high risk of default and they're lending money to those who don't often qualify for a traditional loan. if you get into trouble with a payday loan get help from someone like a non-profit credit counselor >> mara, thank you very much. jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. >> good morning. >> typically, how much are people borrowing? >> a few hundred dollars typically and on the few hundred dollars they'll pay about 15% of that in fees so on $115 and adds up from there. >> if i need money on tuesday and not going to get my paycheck until friday, i get the check friday and pay that money back right then, it's not a big problem. it's only a problem if i miss that payment. >> right, and research that has been done on payday loans shows

people don't typically just take out one. the average payday loan borrower takes out nine different loans over the course of a year, those fees can roll over and add up. >> we heard in the piece about fine print in the contract. what are the things that should jump out at the consumer in that fine print? >> you really have to understand what is the rate of interest that you're borrowing on, so if you are looking at a fee of 15%, what does that translate into? often 300% or 400% on an annual basis. >> if you have a credit card, oftentimes you're allowed to take a cash advance. how does that compare to a payday loan? >> it's much cheaper and so is the overdraft protection that you get offered by your bank and you hear me sit here often and say stay away from those things. in a case like this, those things are often much cheaper. >> the main idea here is only in an emergency, and even if it's an emergency, pay it back quickly and try not to get into a revolving cycle of taking

these things out one after another. >> that's right, used on a short term, these are okay, if you are in a total bind, but otherwise, try to do something else. >> jean chatzky, thank you very much. appreciate it. up next, dogs in need of a good home go from bow to wow, courtesy of jill rappaport, but first this is "today" on nbc. drinkin'? i'm drinkin' dunkin'. coffee -- black, straight up. extra cream, three sugars. iced coffee french vanilla. for me. iced coffee with a turbo shot.

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super soft. bounty extra soft. in the pink pack. and try bounty napkins. "today's from bow to wow" is ought to you by iams pet food. life is better on iams. ♪ >> back with our series "from bow to wow" we take shelter dogs, clean them up and find them new homes. jill rappaport is here with us. >> we have 100% success record and the message is save a life, adopt a shelter pet. i know i always say every month this is the best group but -- >> this time is really is. >> may be the cutest group. what a gift they would make just

in time for the holidays. ♪ i ain't nothing but a hound dog, cryin' all the time ♪ what a sweet angel, annie mae is, beautiful little doug. hound with a little burmese mountain thrown in. >> 2 years old, came in as a stray and a little underweight. >> she probably would be best with a family that has a nice big backyard. >> and older kids if they have older kids would be better. >> she's a beauty, and a sweetheart. look at the camera and say yes, i am very, very sweet. and from a docile dog to a one that's a little bit of a devil, an active boy named kane, a year old. >> he's a west highland mix. >> west highland terriers are very sought after in all of the years i've been coming here never had a westie. he looks pure to me. >> i think so, too. i know you're pure, we'll agree with you.

we should mention, energetic and smart. what an unusual but yet beautiful baby. this little love bug angel looks like a mocha parfait to me. penelope is an unusual breed, hua mix. >> she's 9 months old so still a puppy. >> she's a puppy and sweet as sugar. >> good energy and very smart and easily trained. >> this guy is baylee, a year old bishon friese, did i say that right? >> baylee is 100% a-okay. >> he's got a clean bill of health. >> clean bill of health. >> all right, and as always we're joined by rick gentils. baylee we show baylee before and natalie morales has baylee with

her. tell us why baylee is a great front. >> curly white lap dog and she's the sweetest dog, just back stage, holding her and relaxing. >> baylee had a leg injury. >> she's absolutely fine, given great medical care thanks to donations. they took care of her. >> let's bring out our next pooch, annie mae, olympic swimmer natalie coughlin has annie mae. >> thank goodness because she's a strong dog. >> when she walks she pulls so you need somebody who is strong and one who walks with her and gives her a lot of exercise. >> you want a good place for her to run. >> shes aa calm temperament, though. >> good thing natalie had some muscles with her. >> next dog with michael phelps, penelo penelope, your favorite of the day. >> the kanahula mix.

>> penelope is only 9 months old, she'll grow a little bit but she's easily trained, we get her to crawl on the floor, she sits and she just has the swe sweetest eyes, sweetest look. >> what kind of family would she be good for? >> any family. >> she's very mellow. michael, seems like a real mesh here. >> we may have found a love right there, michael. thank you so much. finally wve got kane, jean chatzky has kane. >> west highland terrier. >> we've never had one on before, he would be good in a home with older kids and probably with no other dogs right now. >> why is that? >> he's dominant. >> he's dominant, and he's got a lot of energy, i'll tell you, a lot of energy. >> westies, if you know, they're very smart. >> can rebring all of our dogs out one more time, annie mae, penelope, kane and baylee, thanks to olympic swimmer. i think we're seeing why we said

that. >> did we mention he wants to be by himself? >> thank you so much, richard gentils and jill rappaport, appreciate it. if you want to know more on how to adopt these dogs head to today.com. we have 100% success rate. neil diamond is coming up next but first this is "today" on nbc.

♪

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. >> neil diamond is a music icon and a career spanning five decades, the grammy winning singer/song writer has turned out 16 top ten albums and 37 top ten singles. his newest album out next tuesday a collection of his best loved signature tracks called "the very best of neil diamond." great to have you back. happy holidays. >> thank you, matt. >> good to see you. you've done a greatest hits album in the past. >> yes. >> "the best of neil diamond." >> yes. >> this is "the very best of neil diamond." >> the mucho best. >> what's different here? >> these are the original studio recordings and it took four record companies to pitch in and give up their studio recordings to make this, so i've never had this album out before. >> when you look at the songs here "forever in blue jeans" "sweet caroline," "i am myself"

is there one you enjoy performing more than the others? i know it's impossible to pick a favorite. >> the one we're going to do in a minute is one of my favorites "forever in blue jeans" and i have to say "sweet caroline" has got a touch of something, there's a touch of god in that song. >> i want to congratulate you also, december 27th you're going to be honored by the kennedy center for your lifetime of work in the arts. what's it mean to you? >> it's a huge honor but i'm not going to let it go to my head. i've got a lot of work to do with touring starting next june and i want to make sure the tour meets up to the honor. >> you know what? it always does. >> thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen, neil diamond. >> thank you, matt. ♪ ♪

♪ money talks but it don't sing and dance and it don't walk ♪ ♪ as long as i can have you here with me, i'd much rather be forever in blue jeans ♪ ♪ and honey is sweet, but it ain't nothing next to baby's treat ♪ and if you'll pardon me i'd like to say we'll do okay forever in blue jeans ♪ oh, yes. ♪ maybe tonight maybe tonight by the fire all alone you and i ♪ ♪ nothing around but the sound

of my heart and your sighs ♪ come on now. ♪ come on now, come on now ♪ money talks, it you don't sing and dance and it don't walk ♪ ♪ as long as i can have you here with me i'd much rather be forever in blue jeans, babe ♪ ♪ and honey is sweet, but it ain't nothing next to baby's treat ♪ ♪ and if you'll pardon me i'd like to say we'll do okay forever in blue jeans ♪ ♪ yeah come on, now. ♪ baby, tonight, maybe tonight by the fire all alone you and i ♪

♪ there's nothing around but the sound of my heart and your sighs ♪ ♪ let me hear it now, let me hear it now, let me hear it now ♪ ♪ money talks, it don't sing and dance, and it don't walk ♪ as long as i can have you here with me, i'd much rather be forever in blue jeans, yeah ♪ ♪ and honey is sweet, but it ain't nothing next to baby's treat ♪ and if you'll pardon me i'd like to say, we'll do okay forever in blue jeans, babe ♪ ♪ blue jeans, yeah oh, yes.

>> "the very best of neil diamond" neil, thank you very much. have fun at the tree lighting tonight. we're back after these local messages. >> live, local, latebreaking -- this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is a look at one of our top stories. investigators are looking into reports of a sexual assault. police received an anonymous call that a female student was a salted inside one of the

>> welcome back. good morning, everyone. it will be significantly cooler but the weather will be quiet. a mix of sunshine and clouds with a high of 52. same weather into the weekend, a little warmer sunday. >> thank you. another opted 9:25.