or new cinnamon swirl today. good morning. the gambler. gop presidential contender mitt romney feeling the heat for challenging rick perry to a $10,000 bet during a weekend debate. not $10 -- $10,000. does it show he's out of touch with the average american? this morning, nbc's ted koppel weighs in on the race so far. shifting story. new questions about exactly what new questions about exactly what an alleged witness saw and heard jerry sandusky doing with a boy in a locker room shower? a surprising development just one day before sandusky faces his accusers in court. god's quarterback, tim tebow, pulls off yet another come-from-behind victory giving

branco fans more reason to tebow today, monday, december 12th, branco fans more reason to tebow today, monday, december 12th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> we are excited for tebow. but we should probably mention with just three weeks to the iowa caucus, the name of the case is to avoid missteps. mitt romney facing heat for challenging texas governor rick perry to a $10,000 bet. his detractors say it proves the millionaire businessman can't relate to average americans. this as a new nbc news/maris poll shows that newt gingrich is leading in both south carolina and florida. we'll have the latest on all of this coming up straight ahead. also this morning, a florida

woman who was brutally assaulted and nearly killed confronts her attacker in court. the question is where did she get the courage? she's going to open up about what she had to say. she was very strong in her words an decision to speak out in a live interview coming up. turning personal grief into something good. the parents of a rutgers university freshman who took his own life after his roommate allegedly used a webcam to spy on him. they'll ep up for the first time. they've decided to speak out to protect other young victims of bullying. we'll be talking to them exclusively. we begin with the presidential rate. nbc's kristin welker is at the white house. >> reporter: president obama will meet with iraq's prime minister later today to discuss the u.s. troop withdrawal. in the meantime, he continues to defend his record at home. in his latest interview he says a full economic recovery will take several more years and argues that his vision for the country is in stark contrast to the entire republican field. >> i'm a persistent son of a

gun. >> reporter: with his re-election prospects jeopardized by the slow economic recovery, president obama appeared on "60 minutes" sunday and expressed confidence that can he beat any republican contender. >> joe biden has a good expression. he says don't judge me against the almighty. judge me against the alternative. >> reporter: the president predicted a long gop primary battle and weighed in on the two top contenders starting with former house speaker newt gingrich. >> he's somebody who's been around a long time and is good on tv, is good in debates and -- but mitt romney has shown himself to be somebody who's good at politics as well. he's had a lot of practice at it. >> reporter: on saturday those two candidates, along with four other republicans, squared off in iowa for their 12th debate. newt gingrich in his first debate as the clear front-runner came under repeated attacks. >> the real difference, i

believe, is our backgrounds. i spent my life in the private sector. >> reporter: but gingrich was ready. >> let's be candid. the only reason you didn't become a career politician is you lost to teddy kennedy in 1994. >> now wait a second. now say the a wek. >> reporter: romney who has cruised through past debates made an uncharacteristic unforced error after perry accused him of writing about his support for an individual health care mandate in his book, romney said perry was wrong, and then challenged him to a bet. >> rick, i'll tell you what. $10,000? $10,000 bet? >> i'm not in the betting business. >> reporter: on sunday, critics, including rick perry, pounced. >> that's just a lot of money for most people and i guess not for mitt. >> reporter: rommy made light of the incident joking that even his wife, ann, wasn't that impressed. >> after the debate was over, ann came up and gave me a kiss and said i was great, and she said, a lot of things you do well -- betting isn't one of

them. >> reporter: now just for a little bit of context, $10,000 is more than most middle income americans make in about two months. in the meantime, there is more good news for newt gingrich. according to our latest nbc news/maris poll he leads romney by bubble digits in both florida and south carolina and those are two key primary states. >> kristin kernlg, thank you. veteran news man ted koppel is now a correspondent for nbc's rock center. we're very proud of that. you have covered a lot of campaigns. you've seen a lot of debates. when you heard mitt romney challenge rick perry to a $10,000 bet, what was your first reaction? >> it's a whoops moment and it is a whoops moment at this particular point in the campaign that can hurt him a lot because he just seems to be vulnerable right now and newt gingrich is clearly on a roll. but think about it for a moment.

newt gingrich has been bragging in recent weeks that he didn't need all that money from representing freddie mac because, after all, he was pulling down 60 grand a pop for his lectures. doesn't seem to bother anybody. >> when you look at the row of candidates up there and none of them seem to be in the same group or bracket or income bracket as the people they are trying to win the votes from right now, you got people hurting, people out of jobs. it just doesn't seem relatable. >> what i'm saying is for some reason or another it didn't hurt newt gingrich when he said that. for some reason or another the three marriages don't seem to have hurt newt gingrich. for some reason or another taking $1.6 million from freddie mac -- >> why do you think there is a difference and why are we holding them to different standards? >> i think what happens is you hit a streak. newt gingrich is on a streak right now. it happens to be coming just as the iowa primaries are going to begin and he may be able to run

that streak all the way to the republican nominating convention. >> if you want to hit a streak, this is the time. he has said some very controversial things over the last month, ted. he's talked about child labor and the poor. he talk about the palestinians at the end of last week calling them an invented people. is being outspoken -- and some would even say a little bit reckless -- necessarily a bad thing in this election cycle? or do you think people want someone who is not business as usual? >> you know, i always used to say there was something that's kind after richard nixon quality in the world. richard nixon is the kid who, in high school, did everything the right way and if one day he screws up in the slightest way, teacher comes down on him like a ton of bricks. and then there's the sort of kid that has everybody laughing in class all the time. at the moment, that's newt. >> and we'll see what happens with just 21 or 22 days to go until iowa. one of the reasons you're here this morning is you've got a great story on rock center tonight. you went to iraq as the last

u.s. troops prepared to withdraw at the end of the month. what do you think about the stability there right now as we draw our troops down? >> i think it's dreadful. we've got between 16,000 and 17,000 americans that we're leaving behind at what is the largest embassy in the world. we have two consulates. you know what a consulate is? we've got a consulate down in basra which is the main oil area of iraq. of 1,320 people. they get hit by rocket fire two and three times a week. the first thing that happens when you go to the consulate is they set you down, they give you a cup of coffee and they give you a briefing on what to do when the rockets start coming in. there have already been threats against the diplomats there saying, as soon as the last u.s. troops leave, we're coming after you diplomats. >> so are you saying this is the inappropriate time to pull these troops out? is this fulfilling a campaign promise at all costs? >> i'm saying that the military

commanders did not want to take the u.s. troops out at this time. the man who is in charge, general lloyd austin, wanted to leave 27,000 troops there. they are -- i'm talking about the diplomats and all the other americans who are still in iraq -- are terribly, terribly vul ne vulnerable. don't be surprised if some of them become almost like pawns over the next few months. >> ted koppel. ted will have more on that side of the story tonight on rock center. always good to have you. come back and see us soon. let's get a check of the morning's other top stories. natalie is over at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. disgraced former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky will face some of the young men who have accused him of sexual abuse tomorrow in court. nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff is in state college, pennsylvania with more. michael, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. it is going to be a critical week of court hearings for jerry

sandusky and for two top former penn state officials. but it may be a challenging one for state prosecutors as well. jerry sandusky spent the weekend under house arrest meeting with his lawyer and preparing for tomorrow's dramatic confrontation with his accusers. prosecutors plan to lay out new details of their case, calling some of the alleged victims to testify in public for the first time. but in an interview with nbc news, sandusky's lawyer suggests the alleged victims may be working together and may be motivated by money. >> at least one of the accusers, that's all the accuser is talking about, what they're going to do with all the money they're going to get. >> reporter: new allegations by amendola drew an outraged reaction sunday from the lawyer of one of the alleged victims. >> the idea that these people are coming forward with a financial incentive is ridiculous. >> reporter: but prosecutors may have a new problem. over the weekend reports surfaced a statement made by penn state offensive coordinator mike mcqueary, a key witness, is now being called into question.

according to a grand jury report, mcqueary alleges he saw sandusky sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy in the penn state locker room in 2002. but nbc news has confirmed a report in the patriot news that another witness, dr. jonathan drenoff, a mcqueary friend, told him he only heard sex sounds in the shower. he asked him three separate times that night whether he saw any sexual activity. each time mcqueary said no. the credibility of mcqueary is key to the separate case against two former penn state officials who are charged with perjury and are facing their own preliminary hearing this friday. meanwhile, another important witness in the case, former penn state coach joe paterno, entered the hospital this weekend for a fractured pelvis but is not expected to need surgery. natalie? >> michael isikoff in state college, pennsylvania, thank you, michael. president obama and iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki meet at the white house today in

an effort to promote strong diplomatic relations. all u.s. troops, as you heard, are set to leave iraq by the last day of the year marking the end of a nearly nine-year-long war. an american teen is finally free this morning. 14-year-old kevin was captured five months ago while vacationing in the philippines by groups claiming to be related to al qaeda. he fled his captors and fled through the jungle. the boy has been reunited with his mother. one-time dictator manuel noriega is back in panama this morning to begin serbing three 20-year sentences for murdering his political opponents while in power. he was toppled in a u.s. invasion in 1989 and has since been behind bars, first in florida, and then in france. now let's head to wall street. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. >> good morning, natalie. with less than two weeks to go until christmas day, holiday sales continue continue to

outperform expectations. online sales particularly strong. up 15% this year. meantime, investors gearing up for what could be one of the busiest weeks of the year. federal reserve meets. there is a slew of economic data reports and corporate earnings. last, but not least, more than a dozen companies are expected to go public in what could be one of the busiest weeks for initial public offerings in four years. back to you. >> courtney reagan, thank you. we'll have more on holiday sales a little bit later on. lowe's home improvement is sparking outrage after its pulled its ads from a reality show about american muslims on the learning channel. the retail giant bowed to pressure from an evangelical christian group which called for a boycott against the chain of home improvement stores. lowe's apologized for making some people very unhappy on sunday but it did not say if it would reinstate its ads. a california state senator, meanwhile, says he is considering a boycott and legislative action if the company does not reverse its decision. it is 7:13 right now. you're up to date.

let's turn it back over to matt, ann and al. >> hey, mr. roker. >> we got some stuff going on out west. low pressure system making its way into southern california bringing rain in southern california and some heavier mountain snows back through the southwest. rainfall amounts generally about one to two inches from los angeles to san diego, back into phoenix. but look atx. >> good morning. a cold cold start for us on this monday. a storm system will pass to the south. we will see a >> and that's your latest

weather. matt? >>. al, thank you very much. if you are load with packages that need to get somewhere in time for christmas you are running out of time. today is one of the busiest days of the year for both shipping companies and online retailers. cnbc's brian schactman is at the fedex center in the bronx in new york. brian, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. despite a still struggling economy here at fedex, conveyor belts are humming and trucks are ready to pull out. they expect to ship more than 17 million packages today alone, twice the average daily volume. major reason for that is that the holiday shopping season is off to a stronger than expected start. internet retailers call it green monday. that's because according to analysts, the second monday in december has become as big for online holiday shoppers as the monday after thanksgiving. >> we might see the strongest day ever this week even surpassing what we saw on cyber monday a couple of weeks ago. >> reporter: as much as $1 billion could be spent online today spurred by low prices and free shipping offered by many

retailers. shipping companies like fedex and u.p.s. have hired thousands of people and ramped up operations in order to handle christmas rush. >> hundreds of thousands of amazon packages every day. >> come right through this door. >> i think the drivers of e-commerce have always been convenience and price and i think that this year especially price is really important. >> reporter: it is not just online. shoppers are spending offline as well despite the sluggish economy. this holiday season is so far turning out to be more joyful than expected. >> consumer confidence is picking up a bit and we are seeing that in the spending numbers. >> reporter: according to a survey, the average shopper plans to spend $751 this year, up from last year. outlet malls up 18% from last year. >> everything is under one roof and the prices really are better than regular department stores and you really can see the reduction in prices. it is pretty amazing.

>> reporter: this week is about online shopping. next week is about traditional stores because by then, if you don't have your present and you want it ontime, matt, you might just want to pick it up yourself. >> brian schactman from cnbc, thank you very much. 16 after the hour. here's ann. matt, thank you. now to one of the most talk about athletes in the country right now. on is under the legend of denver broncos quarterback tim tebow grew even larger with a big win over the chicago bears. nbc's peter alexander is joining us now with details. hey, peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this has been called tebow time. he has even been referred to as the chosen one. tim tebow, that's his name, is the denver broncos charismatic quarterback and has really become the face of christianity in sports. some have even labeled his recent onfield success a modern day miracle. >> tebow fires and the catch is made. >> reporter: for tim tebow's denver broncos sunday facing imminent defeat, another improbable come-from-behind win.

>> tebow takes off, throws to the end zone -- touchdown! >> reporter: just as they've done four times in previous weeks. but during sunday's winning kick, tebow didn't watch. he prayed. >> for the win, the kick is -- good! >> i just figure at a time like that, it is more important to just be talking to the man upstairs and just my relationship with jesus christ is the most important thing to me so there is not a better time to talk to him than then. >> reporter: in only his second season as a pro, the 24-year-old quarterback has become one of the sport's most captivating figures. known as much for his evangelical faith as for his football. this is how he began sunday's post-game press conference. >> first and foremost, i'd like to thank my lord and savior jesus christ. >> reporter: this weekend one newspaper headline even touted tebow as god's quarterback, noting that the 6'3" son of a pastor has defied his critics and revealed the deep seeded anxieties in america about the intersection of religion and sports. >> he's polarizing because people don't understand what he

stands for. he believes in his christian faith and he's not afraid in today's time to come out and tell people what he believes in. >> reporter: many americans were first introduced to tebow during this controversial anti-abortion ad that aired during the 2010 super bowl. >> sorry about that, mom. >> reporter: and while many christians embraced tebow's continued proclamations of faith, former broncos quarterback jake plummer recently said he wished tebow would, quote, just shut up. still, too tebow has inspired an international audience, they've even come up with this pose -- calling it tebowing. a website is dedicated to those mimicking the public display, including american skier lindsay vaughn who tebowed for the camera. tebow's latest on-field heroics have observers wondering whether it is skill, luck, or perhaps divine intervention. >> all right, you all have a blessed day. >> y'all have a blessed day.

that's how he ended his news conference. tebow is now 7-1 as a starting quarterback. for his part, he says that football is just a game. he says god doesn't care who wins or loses but, matt and ann, you better believe he is picking up new believers every step of the way. >> no kidding, thanks, peter. at least people want to learn how to tebow. >> you hear the analysts saying he's not a good passer. he can't do this well. he's 7 ln-1 as a starting quarterback. look at that. still ahead this morning, alec baldwin pokes fun at himself for getting kicked off a flight on "saturday night live." take a look at

on this monday morning we have some sad news to report. over the weekend we lost two members of the nbc news family. >> that's right. cardinal john patrick foley, a long-time contributory our broadcast died peacefully in his home state of pennsylvania early on sunday morning.

cardinal foley appeared on "today" a number of times, most recently during pope benedict's historic visit to the united states. he served as the vatican's chief of communications for 25 years, appointed by pope john paul ii and pope benedict made him a cardinal four years ago. he was a wise, warm and wonderful man. the voice of the christmas eve midnight mass from st. peter's basilica in rome which is a traditional broadcast here on nbc. and cardinal foley will be sorely missed by his community, his church and his friends. >> he certainly will. he was a great man. we were also shocked to learn allan harding, a manager of field operations passed away suddenly on friday. allen was one of the most funny and generous people you could meet. for viewers, it may be hard to understand what a manager of field operations is. but in a nutshell, allen was responsible for making the impossible possible. some of the most iconic images you probably have of the "today" show in recent times wouldn't have been possible without him.

he was the technical manager on the last four olympic games and 9 out of 10 of my "where in the world" trips. it was only 9 out of 10 because allen retired last year after 35 years to spend more time with his dear wife and son. he was 62 years old. he always had a saying -- no matter what you asked him, whether it was to make live television in the far corners of the earth or to lasso the moon, his answer was always the same -- no problem. our condolences go to allen's family and we're back after your local news. the holidays are here, here comes that jiggling sound. when sugar plums appear, temptation's all around. donuts, cakes and pies, they've got a gift for me, i wish that i could take it back, but there is no receipt. oh jiggle bells, jiggle bells, jiggle all the way. oh how i wish i could resist, jiggling this holiday. oh joy oh natural joy!

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this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. a maryland man accused of robbing several goodwill stores will head to court for a bail review. police say that the 29-year-old is a former employee of the cockeysville goodwill store. he is being held at the baltimore county detention center on several charges of armed robbery. he pleaded guilty to armed robbery in 2003 and was given probation. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> dealing with a new accident

on westbound 100 in the area of route 10. this is the latest crash. also have a problem in westminster. two disabled tractor trailers at 496 and homestead drive. take 27 as your alternate. delays on the west side. this is backing up traffic on southbound 795. belfast, debris is tying things up. 29 miles per hour from white marsh to the 895 split. we will start in the area to harrisburg expressway, mount carmel. southbound traffic running slow from approaching mount carmel all the way through the area with the debris was. this backup extends all the way down to edmondson. tony has a check on your forecast. >> it is a quiet start for us. a beautiful sunrise going on right now temperatures in the

teens and 20s this morning. 24 in parkton. 23 at the airport. mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. average high temperature is 46. we will be right in that neighborhood this afternoon. and going into the weekend, it is going to get a little warmer. we will probably see a chance for some rain on wednesday and thursday. there is a slight chance for ra

7:30 now on this monday morning. it is the 12th day of december, 2011. and we have a pretty nice crowd outside. excited this holiday season. rockefeller christmas tree is out on the plaza. it is cold out there, about 33 degrees. we'll get outside pretty soon. just ahead, a tragic suicide that made national headlines, matt. >> we talked about this story a lot here on the show. tyler clemente was just 18 years old, a freshman at rutgers university when he took his own life. it happened shortly after he learned his roommate had allegedly used a webcam to

stream his encounter with another man over the internet. now cliemente's parents are trying to turn their grief into good. they'll speak out this morning in a live exclusive interview. how the tough economy altered our spending habits? a new study out highlights what americans will and will not sacrifice when it comes to shopping. we'll give you details about that. alec baldwin had some fun with his american airlines encounter during a surprise appearance on "saturday night live." we're going to show you what you may have missed. but we begin this half-hour with the story of bravery and resilience as a florida woman confronts her attacker in court. we'll talk to her in just a moment, but first, nbc's michelle franzen has details on this story. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. heidi damon still considers herself lucky to be alive after surviving a violent attempted rape assault at this parking garage two years ago. while courts go to great lengths to conceal the names and faces of sexual assault victims, heidi

took the rare step of revealing her own identity as she confronted her attacker on his sentencing day. facing her attacker inside this tampa courtroom -- >> my name is heidi elizabeth damon. i have a name. i have a name that will go on forever. >> reporter: and not holding back. >> i survived. you have simply victimized yourself. i will be free for the rest of my life. you will be a prisoner for the rest of yours. >> reporter: heidi damon personally delivered a message to javon cooper on the day he was sentenced for trying to rape and kill her. >> i'm not a victim. i am the victor. the stronger and the winner. >> reporter: it's been two years since damon was brutally attacked during the day in this parking garage while walking to her car. damon testified cooper grabbed her from behind while she was talking on her cell phone,

choked her and caused her to pass out. when she came to, her pants and underwear had been removed and she was bruised and her eyed remained bloodied for weeks afterwards. >> tell me your name. >> reporter: prosecutors say her assailant, just 16 years old at the time of his arrest, and much heavier, likely got scared when she lost consciousness and fled. >> you did this horrible thing to me and you allowed yourself to go to the dark side. well, you know what? you had a choice. >> reporter: confronting her attacker, experts say, played a huge part in the healing process. >> there's a feeling of empowerment. there is a feeling of i'm not alone. >> reporter: and heidi, of course, will be on in just a moment, but cooper and his attorneys accepted a plea deal of 15 years in prison, followed by ten years probation. but heidi says her attacker will have a lifetime to think about her words.

ann. >> michelle franzen, thank you so much. well, the aforementioned heidi damon now joins us exclusively. good morning. what gave you the courage to so publicly confront your attacker? >> i think the desire to want to help other people that might not be as able to come out and talk about difficult things. >> but what made you able? i mean because so many people who have been attacked, especially women, will not want to be identified especially when there is an attempted rape. >> i felt that if i didn't come out and put my name out there that it would just be another case of someone almost murdered, almost raped, and that it would just kind of be another story that passes by. that if i actually put an identity that i'm a person, that i've given to my community, that i've lived a life, that he almost took an actual life, that people would take it a little bit more seriously. i always use branding as a part of my explanation that, a lot of

people remember brands or names or -- like the "today" show. but if i were just to go by jane doe, which i did for 2 1/2 years up to this point, i think people would be more apt to forget. >> so you're giving voice then to all the women who have been made silent by the pressures of society. you stood up and said something. and it must still have been very emotional for you to come up with that speech. tell us what you went through to put that together. >> it's funny, i actually put it together within about an hour and a half. and i put it together on bullet points because i wanted it to guide me as i was standing there. i didn't really know how i would react. i didn't know if i would be able to get through the whole thing so i put down bullet points and it's nothing to prepare for because it's been in my mind for over 2 1/2 years. so when i stood up there, a lot of it was even things that just popped in my head as i'm standing there. >> some of the women listening right now have themselves

suffered similar kinds of attacks. some of them have been raped. some of them have had to deal with attempted rape. so what can you say about that journey for you that might help them kind of come to terms in the way that you have? >> it's okay to give yourself permission to cry. it's okay to -- sorry. >> that's all right. >> it's okay to give yourself permission to cry and to not be ashamed. it's not your fault. you're not the bad person. the person that did it to you is. i think so many times we're so embarrassed or we're so afraid of what people will think. you know, there's so much vanity out there that if this happens to someone, they should be able to go and talk about it and reveal who attacked them and not be ashamed, feel empowered to say, no, i'm still going on with my life, have you not taken that away. that's why at the very end of my

talking to the person who did this to me, that just popped in my head that wait a second, i have a name. i'm going to go on and on and on. you won't. you will always be known by what you did and the number that you have in prison. >> heidi damon, showing all women that there is no shame for the woman but for the perpetrator, the person who's convicted, they're the one who should be ashamed for what has happened. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> for speaking for all these women. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: "today's" weather brought to you by keurig. choose, brew, enjoy. good morning, a brisk morning out here. as far as your weather's concerned, afternoon temperatures, we've got 30s and making their way into new england, 40s along the mid-atlantic states. 20s and 30s as you get out into the plains. we are expecting to see plenty of sunshine as you make your way along the east coast. going to be a little chilly but not too bad.

snow showers making their way into the southwest. rain along the southern california coast. strong rip currents along the eastern florida coastline with some showers along the southeastern atlantic coast. we got a little christmas elf here. >> this is tristan. he's going to be a >> good morning. temperatures will be where we should be this time of year, near average. the average guy is 46. the average guy is 46. >> and that's your latest weather. al, thank you so much. coming up next, living with

less than nrormal. how your spend habits have changed since the recession. and we'll catch up with scarlett johansson. but first, these messages. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is. whatrun...hat? it's the monster.... ahh, ah, no ♪

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a small, s1-2-3-4 pine tree. ♪ we're back now at 7:42 with "today's" money. this morning a new study that's highlighting how the recession has changed our spending habits. "today's" financial editor jean chatzky is here with details. good morning, jean. the study was conducted by the dloit and harrison group, 5,000 shoppers studied, some even accompanied on shopping trips. what had the headlines?

>> the headlines are we know a good deal now when we see it and unless we get that good deal, we are not going to buy. >> 80% of people in this study believe that something has fundamentally changed in the economy and even though they're spending less they don't feel it is a sacrifice. >> that's right. they've gotten smarter about what they need versus what they want. they're purchasing less on impulse. many, many people -- 9 out of 10 -- believe that despite what the statistics say we are in a recession right now and it will last another year. >> and they're not going to change their spending habits even when the economy starts to get better. >> which i think is really bad news for the retailers and the merchants because they are going to have to continue to come up with ways to make consumers feel like they're getting a better deal. >> some habits that they say they are now employing. 86% say they're more precise in what they buy. 80% say they are more efficient at getting in and out of the store. >> they are managing their time as well as their money. they are -- it's like a surgical strike. you know what you need, you get it and you leave. >> 63% decide what brands to

purchase before entering the store and only 10% decide what to buy in the store. no impulse buying anymore. >> no more impulse buying. and again they want to make sure they're getting those items that they do need at the right price. >> another thing that came out of this is gender. more men are doing the grocery shopping than in times past. >> ten years ago only 20% of men were the primary grocery shoppers. now it is 40%. and men are different than women. men are less health conscious, more brand conscious and more willing to buy on impulse which is why my kids like it when my husband goes grocery shopping. >> couponing still popular? >> still popular but we are a little tired of it. what we like better are those loyalty cards because they're quick and easy. you only have to swipe them. then consumers actually said when the money rolls off at the end of their purchase they feel like they're in vegas. >> let's talk about some things consumers told these researchers

that they are unwilling to sacrifice on. pet food, candy -- which surprised me -- couldn, condime household cleaners -- and beer. >> these are the items. i think beer is probably the best example. they say something about who we are. if you're a blue moon drinker, a rolling rock is just not going to make you happy and visa versa. so even if these things are not on sale, you're buying them anyway. >> and the things that americans are willing to compromise on -- frozen pizzas and meals. bottled water. paper towels. salty snacks, and sauces, which sound kind of random. >> well, it means that if totino's is on sale, that's what you're buying that week. it doesn't matter. your kids aren't necessarily going to complain if you come home with something else. >> interesting market research. >> i think so. >> jean, thanks very much. up next -- fanning the flames. alec baldwin pokes fun at his airline fiasco on sat die night live. we'll show it to you right after this.

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of course we all just knew that alec baldwin getting kicked off a flight would be the tart of jokes on "saturday night live," but we may not have expected that baldwin himself would be making the jokes. nbc's jeff rossen is here with details. hey, jeff, good morning. >> good morning. alec baldwin is apologizing again. this time to himself. as we've been reporting, he's gone off on american airlines and bashed the tlflight attenda who kicked him off the flight

but this weekend the pilot made a surprise appearance. it's weird, he looks a lot like ael beck baldwin. >> the pilot of that flight -- captain steve rogers. >> reporter: the mustache. nice touch. alec baldwin back to comedy making fun of himself. >> it was very important for me to come here tonight and on behalf of everyone at american airlines issue an apology to mr. alec baldwin. >> alec, are you sure this is the right way to handle this. >> yeah, yeah. keep going. keep going. mr. baldwin is an american treasure. and i am ashamed at the way he was treated. >> reporter: last week alec baldwin was sitting in first class playing words with friends on his ipad. american airlines says baldwin refused to turn it off. then took the ipad into the lavatory, slamming the door so hard the cockpit crew heard it. baldwin, they claim, used offensive language with the crew, and that's why he was kicked off the flight.

>> now seth, words with friends can be frustrating, and again, i just started playing the game myself. but when you think you're about to play jailers off of someone's quiche, then you realize you don't have the "i," let me tell you, that will make you slam the bathroom door, too! >> reporter: you know who wasn't laughing? a real american airlines pilot who was watching. >> i was disappointed that it was making light of something that's fairly serious and also was poking fun at a group of employees that are very proud and a historic airline group going through a tough period right now. >> so what happened? >> reporter: until now, baldwin wouldn't talk about it on camera. question is -- will his surprise appearance on "snl" end this fiasco for good. >> alec, this is too much. i don't want to be a part of this anymore. >> seth, i'm not alec -- but i wish i was. that man's a hero. a smart hero. >> ironically here baldwin's

show "30 rock" is also played on american airlines in flight. this morning the flight attendant's union is asked it be pulled from the roster. no word yet if the airline will do it. >> thanks a lot, jeff. >> nice inside information. >> i was on my way out to los angeles thursday. i sat next to the guy who was next to alec baldwin. >> and? >> he said, alec -- after everything happened, got off, he was fine. but lot of people were ticked off that they were delayed. >> scarlett johansson is coming up. [ indistinct conversations ]

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check on your morning commute. >> if you new problems to add to the list. seminary and greenspring, light rail gates stuck in the down position. i opposition has been suspended. once we have more information, we will pass that along to you. eastbound 40 at rolling road, accident coming in to us. delays are back to mountain road. eastbound 100, edwin raynor boulevard, another accident we're checking on.

lots of delays around the area. speed sensor is not correct. we are looking at is logo from middletown to belfast. quick live look outside. area of white marsh, sat at traffic backed up from white marsh and once you get down to the 895 split, things open up a little bit. normal delays towards edmondson. tony has a check on your forecast. >> you notice a little high, thin cloud cover this morning. call it partly to mostly sunny. 26 in jarrettsville. no precipitation out there. but we do start to work week. we are going to be right in the neighborhood later on. sunset at 4: 44. going through the week, we will

turn a little bit warmer. next chance for rain comes in on wednesday night and thursday.

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[ girls ] he's so cute! [ dog ] groupies! 8:00 now on a monday morning. it's the 12th day of december, 2011. and we have come outside to greet some of the nice people who are stretching their weekend time a little bit here in new york city. stick around. watch the show. then go out and shop in new york city. i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry and al roker. it is a little chilly out here but seasonal. not too bad. coming up in this half-hour, we're going to talk about one family's tragedy. >> it is a pretty sad story, matt. it is about a young man who had just come out to his family to say he was gay. he was 18 years old, his name

was tyler clemente. he committed suicide 15 months ago just days after his roommate in college allegedly used a webcam to spy on him and broadcast it over the internet of him kissing another man. so tyler's parents are now joining us this morning to speak out about this for the first time. they want some good to come out of their family tragedy. we'll talk to them exclusively. on a much, much lighter note, if you look in our studio now as well, i believe the lovely and talented scarlett johansson. she's starring in a brand-new movie called "we bought a zoo" opposite matt damon. always fun to talk to. people trying to figure out how to get something for that hard-to-find person, the person who -- >> you're hard-to-find person. >> elizabeth -- i don't know what that thing is to the left but that's pretty good. some great stuff. two words -- pork products. >> yeah. >> the whole studio smells like bacon.

we've got many different kinds. natalie's at the news desk with a check of the led lines. good morning, everyone. new republican presidential front-runner newt gingrich is back in the spotlight today. this afternoon he'll take on jon huntsman in a debate in new hampshire. meantime, president obama told "60 minutes" he believes he can beat any republican contender but he admitted he could lose since the american public is very unhappy with the state of the economy. today is green monday and it may turn out to be a record day for retailers and shippers like fedex. consumers could spend as much as $1 billion online today, spurred on by low prices and free shipping offers that will end this week. a 66-year-old florida woman is behind bars today accused of attempted murder. she shot her son-in-law who's divorcing her daughter when he came to pick up the couple's son last week. the man had anticipated trouble and recorded the attack on his

iphone. the victim was shot in the shoulder and ribs but he survived. meantime, college football has lost one of its greats. former harvard university coach joe restic. he won a record number of games at the school and developed an offense similar to what you see in the nfl today. he was 85 years old. now here's brian williams with a look at what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." brian. >> natalie, good morning and thanks. coming up tonight -- first on "nightly news," and then on "rock center" here on nbc -- two exclusive reports from the two new faces in our nbc family. ted koppel, chelsea clinton. both joining us for the first time tonight. we'll look for you then. natalie, for now, back to you. >> thank you, brian. now for a look at what's trending "today," internet users

are buzzing about the proposed design of the cloud, a pair of luxury twin apartment to youers in south korea. the images went viral online because some say they resemble the exploding world trait center buildings on 9/11. dutch architecture firm behind the design is now apologizing saying the resemblance is unintentional but did not reveal whether they'll change their design plans. denver broncos quarterback tim tebow is dominating searches. despite his unconventional playing style, tebow helped lead the broncos to their sixth win in a row on sunday with yet another thrilling last-second comeback. troubled actress lindsay lohan is making waves online -- again. this time with a curse-filled rant that appeared on tmz after her purse was stolen in hawaii. lohan said she was worried because -- she was worried she'd be sent back to jail because her purse contained her passport and important probation papers. she did get it all back minus

$10,000 in cash. it is 8:04 right now. let's go out to al for a check of your weather. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. >> got a bunch of new york city tour guide folks here. what's going on? >> city council passed a bill that buses ought to have headsets. >> so they want to get rid of the live tour guides? >> boo. people don't want an app for a tour. they want a real live new yorker. >> all right. well good luck. we've done that bus tour. we love it. all right. let's check your weather, see what's happening. pick city, ft. myers, florida. nbc 2. isolated showers and 82 degrees. the rest of the country can see a lot of wet weather down through the southeast. also looking at wet weather through the southwest with mountain snows in the pacific northwest, air stagnation alerts

again. sunny skies here if the east >> good morning. a cold cold start for us on this monday. a storm system will pass to the south. we will see a >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. coming up, we'll talk to the parents after college freshman who tragically took his own life after he learned that his roommate allegedly used a webcam to spy on him. why they're speaking out now. they'll explain right after these messages. - will you marry me?

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back now at 8:09 with a "today" exclusive. 18-year-old tyler clemente took his own life in the fall of 2010 shortly after his roommate at rutgers university allegedly used a webcam to spy on tyler's private encounter with another man. tyler's parents will speak out in their first interview in a moment. but first, here is nbc's kerry sanders with more. hey, kerry, good morning. >> good morning, ann. tyler's parents don't know if there is really a direct cause and effect between that secret webcam incident and their son's suicide. the case is yet to go to trial, but either way, investigators believe this was a serious invasion of privacy. >> i was in disbelieve. >> and today? >> i can still barely believe it. >> reporter: tyler clemente, a soft-spoken vial inist jumped to his violent death from the george washington bridge to the hudson river below. it was just three days after tyler's roommate and other students allegedly spied on the

quiet teenager as he an another man. secretly embraced and kissed. tyler may have thought no one could see what was going on behind the closed door of his dorm room, but investigators say his roommate's webcam was streaming everything live to the internet. >> i'm not angry. i'm heartbroken. i love my son. our family loved our son very much. >> reporter: tyler's parents had learned just days before he left for college he was gay. how were you when he came out to you? >> i was very shock. i felt like he had kick me in the stomach. i was very surprised. and -- >> surprised in a -- >> i had no clue. >> when tyler came out to you and you were so shocked, did he pick up on that in any way or not really? >> yes, i think he did pick up on it. >> reporter: tyler later tweeted to a friend "mom has basically completely rejected me." has that tweet haunted you in any way?

>> yes. yeah, it has. >> but haunted you because -- >> because i had never intended him to feel that way, that i -- i think in the tweet he had said that i had rejected him and that was never even a possibility that i would ever be able to have my life without him. >> reporter: tyler's roommate faces 15 charges, including invasion of privacy and hate crime violations. on friday, the 19-year-old rejected a plea deal. >> he's innocent, he's not guilty. that's why he rejected the plea. >> reporter: but prosecutors have pages upon pages of instant message chats, text messages, e-mails, and tweets, including this tweet they say he posted -- >> making out with a dude. yeah. when you read that, you're angry? >> i don't know. i don't know if anger is the right word. i feel violated.

i feel violated for my son. >> tyler's first birthday. >> reporter: because tyler left no note explaining his actions, his family says they may never really be able to explain why. a private family that never wanted attention thrust into the spotlight. their grief, nearly 15 months later, still debilitating. >> it's almost like a physical pain. you know? it's like a tightening of the chest. it's aching of your muscles. and tightening of your face and your jaw and it is clinching. just physically hurts. pain just hurts so much. >> the family says the one thing they have never heard from their son's roommate is an apology. another student, 19-year-old molly way, who was also initially charged in the case, has now agreed to testify for the prosecution. as a condition of her deal, she will also perform 300 hours of community service. a trial date for robby is now

set for february 21st. if convicted he could face ten years in state prison. >> kerry sanders, thank you so much. joseph and jane clementi are now joining us. good morning to you. you knew your son better than anyone. what do you think his emotions were when he had heard that he had been watched over a webcam kissing a man so soon after coming out and saying that he was gay? >> that's a difficult question, but to answer -- because we know him. but there are a private part of people that you don't ever really know. my impression is he would have been upset. >> from what we've learned is that he did seek help from the ra and he also did text a friend, a friend from ridgewood. and those things indicate to me that he was very distressed because he was not one to seek out help.

he was one to kind of try to fix everything himself. so the fact that he went to seek out help from the ra indicates to me that he was very much upset. >> very much upset, needing support. did you feel as you look back over this that he had someone to speak to, that he was supported, that had he had that support, he might not have taken his own life? >> i'm not sure that the ra was the right person for him to -- the right help for him to seek. i wished he had come to us, but he didn't. and i wish the ra had encouraged him to come to us. >> that's what he should have done, he should have called dad, he should have called mom. come to us. >> which brings us to a very sensitive point. you know, this idea of -- we just heard about it in kerry sanders' piece about how he felt about your reaction, jan, when you came out to him saying that he was gay. if you had a second chance, if

you could have a do-over, how would you wish you could have reacted when he told you he was gay? >> you know, i don't know that you can change your reactions. that's just something that comes up from within you. he did send that text early only a few days after he had told me and we continued to talk and we continued to have relationship and i have to think that he understood i needed some time to process and i was working through that. and he did know that i still loved him and there was no change in that. >> the court case is going to proceed. we don't know how this will go. but i want to know really more than anything, what is your message to gay people out there, young people who are struggling with this? what is your message to parents out there? because i know you've started a foundation. you want to make a stand against

bullying. you want to encourage families in this -- in a way that makes them less vulnerable. >> right. we started the foundation to help people. if you feel alone, find somebody, reach out to parents, friends, get help. suicide is never the right answer. it's always wrong. >> well, there's something that is very wrong whenever a young person commits suicide but a gay person is seven times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual. >> that's why one of the aspects of our foundation is to work on lgbt acceptance. >> well, you have a big job ahead of you, joe. >> yeah. yeah. >> and jane. thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> we'll talk again, i hope. my best to you. and we're back right after this. ♪

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back at 8:it 20 with scarlett johansson. you're probably used to seeing her in all kinds of designer duds on the red carpet but in her new film she wears a lot of khaki. >> have you no idea what we've been doing here. we used to have three times the staff. they all quit. i'm 28. i never go out. i had to move back in with my mother. we need somebody who can really take charge of this place or else we and all these animals are gone. >> so your question is? >> why did you buy this place? >> why not? >> scarlett johansson, welcome back. >> thank you. >> are you playing another zoo keeper? aren't you afraid of being type cast? this is like your fifth zoo cooper. >> i love whole khaki overall.

>> when somebody calls and says here's the script, you play a zookeeper, did you think -- yes. >> traditionally, i probably would think twice but it was pretty incredible experience. >> i want people to understand when they hear the premise for this. a guy, widower, decides to buy a zoo and move his kids in there, they think it far-fetched hollywood. >> it is a true story based on benjamin may. he wrote a book about his experience and there is also a documentary about his experience. it is really -- i think the film is really about starting over and i think it's about a sort of human connectivity that allows us to kind of overcome obstacles that seem larger than life at times. >> you had wanted to work with cameron crow for a long time. i think you auditioned for a couple of other projects for him and the way i read it reading some articles last night, when you read this character, you didn't love it. you didn't think there was

enough on the page there for you to sink your teeth into. >> no. i didn't really know what to do with the character. i didn't know how to play the character and i went in and met with cameron and i remember -- i think i said to him, i was just so excited to collaborate with him. >> while on the subject of directors, a lot of things i read about you last night, scarlet, many of the directors who have worked with you go out of their way to say how eager and willing are you to take direction. and there are a lot of actresses at your pay scale, shall we say, who aren't as gracious about that, who think that they know what to do. why are you so open to that? why are you still so open to that? >> i think that making films is about collaborating. that's why i love it. it's never about just -- it's never about going in there and just kind of being rigid about what your ideas are and this kind of vision for the

character. it is there of course, but it is open to interpretation and i always appreciate that kind of collaborative process. >> when push comes to shove and it is your face out there on the screen, do you make the final decision or does the director get the final say? >> everything's out of your kind of -- out of your hands once you give your performance and you just kind of cross your fingers that the editing process will be kind. >> this has been an interesting year for you. to say the least. okay? career is going great but there's -- obviously you got divorced. there was a photo hacking scandal. what have you learned about yourself in this year and what have you learned about the business you work in that you didn't know before? >> i think i've been really fortunate. i've found that i've had -- even in times of crisis, have had a lot of love around me and people have kind of come out of all different dark corners to sort of support. and that's been a really beautiful thing and i think i've also learned to be much more tolerant and much more patient.

>> interview magazine wrote something about you. i'll just get your reaction. joe hanson's coming off one of those years young actresses seem to have frequently these days but which she said until now had mar clusly managed to avoid. joe hanson's response to all of the added and unwanted attention she's received in her personal and professional life has been atypical. instead of cloistering herself away or lashing out at the paparazzi, she pressed ahead with her business with a kind of unflappable grace. i didn't write that. but it's nice. >> i just like the word unflappable. >> did you find comfort in work? >> absolutely. i find that there is a community on film sets and in this industry that, two seem kind of cut-throat, but for me i've been in the industry for 20 years and it has that familial kind of feel. i think that if i can focus -- when i'm at work i can't pay attention to anything else but

the job at hand. >> keep going. you're doing great. >> thank you. >> we bought a zoo opens in theaters on december >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> all lanes are closed at this county line due to downed wires. problem with the light rail gates stuck in down position at the seminary. suspended at light rail service between falls and lutherville. eastbound 40 approaching rolling road, we have an accident. delays in all the usual spots. heavy in both directions at baltimore national pike.

here is the white marsh area, and gwen southbound is looking into a bit better. delays towards the 895 split. old court, is seeing improvement on the northwest corner. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony has a check on your forecast. >> cold with high temperatures a ago in theur guesthours teens. still 18 in frederick. that is the exception rather than the rule. forecast for today is a mixture of sunshine and a few clouds going into the afternoon. but it will stay dry. it's a little better over the next few days. 51 on wednesday. next chance for rain will come in on wednesday and thursday. it cools off as we head towards the weekend. light rain or snow on

saturday. >> another update at 8:55.

santa's had a rough night. >> presidential hopeful ron paul -- 8:30 now on a monday morning, the 12th of december, 011. boy, our crowd is in the holiday spirit.2011. boy, our crowd is in the holiday spirit. yes, the "hidden dragon star"

will talk with news just a little bit. look at how many people are donating toys, matt. >> we've had a very successful year. >> i don't think you can have enough suggestions when you're getting guests. we've got some mail order treats. these are always popular. we'll have some from all around the country, including hot tamales from texas and whoopi pies. a big cheer down froor whoopi pies. if the cold weather is getting you down, we've got great vacation destinations, affordable ones in fact. warm weather vacations for you. there's no shortage of ways to spend cash this holiday season. if you aren't careful about spending, you koend up wicould

a holiday hangover whether it comes to your finances. i'll show you how to avoid that. but first let's say hello to michelle! the new film is called "the lady." it is the story of aun san sg s ky kyi, the nobel prize winner. it is so great to have you here. >> thank you. >> a lot of attention has been brought to this maybe because of the secretary of state's recent visit to myanmar. >> that was a momentous visit, a historical one. i think for all of us just to see the two ladies embrace, that was truly wonderful. >> you have been a champion of this project for a long time. you really wanted to see this movie made. why? g . >> because of who aun san isg s

kyi is and what she represents to the people of burma. it is about an incredible love story of michael, and his devotion to his wife, that i think enabled her to be who she is today. >> because he stayed in london whether she stayed in what was then called burma and they lived apart for years because she insisted on her fight for democracy. i was able to interview her only over the telephone because of the restrictions at that time in traveling to that country. but you were actually able to meet her in person. >> yes. >> which probably was very important to inform your work. >> by the time i met her, we had almost ended the principle shooting in thailand but it was just a chance to meet a living legend, someone that's truly so inspirational, really to find out where the strength comes from, how do you stay so committed? because that what the junta at that time was trying to do, break her spirit. when you cut her off from her

family, her soulmate, her husband. >> and her children. >> and her children. and you know, what -- how does a woman make that decision and what kind of a decision when you have to choose between family and country. >> cannot wait to see the movie. >> good for you for getting it made. >> i had a great director so i'm very lucky. >> i'm sure it is fantastic. the film is called "the lady." i can promise you i'm definitely going to see it. we're definitely going to find out about the weather now. >> before we do though, we want to remind you, you may recall this earlier this year. back in october i joined the first lady michelle obama at the white house to kick off national geographic's kids magazine attempt to break the guinness book of world record for most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour time frame. the record stood and 40,45. she shattered that bad boy! 300,265 people taking part doing jumping jacks all around the world. >> congratulations. >> that's pretty cool.

let's check your weather, show you really quickly what's going on. looking ahead toward the week. above normal temperatures here in the northeast. below normal out west with snow in the southwest. as we get into the midweek period, temperatures warm up in the east. we've got rainy weather through the mississippi river valley. wet in the pacific northwest. the latter part of the week we chill off here in the northeast. >> good morning. temperatures will be where we should be this time of year, near average. the average guy is 46. >> and that's your latest weather. let's head on down to washington and say hello to uncle willie

scott. >> deck the halls with politicians -- fa-la-la. this is the fabulous christmas tree ornament and it can be yours. white to the white house historical association. picture of santa claus on the front lawn of the white house. he says "i think there are kids in there." beautiful there, beautiful obama children. take a look if you will at your imagine intv screen and you are going to see the lovely and exciting charlie bradt. charlie from dekalb, illinois, 108 years old. a wonderful guy. was never, never, never been late at school. always -- and guess what? his cousin invented barbed wire. his uncle actually. here's allene crockett from

senatobia, mississippi. loves to drink coffee with friends and also play bridge. that's an intelligent game. you have to use the old noodle. and we have george sims. ft. lauderdale beach in florida. 103 years old today. he loves to watch sports on television and he also met babe ruth once. here's maria cardone, jamaica estates, new york. 100 years old today. loves to crochet and experiment with recipes in the kitchen. they say she is one heck of a cook. luther dupree, pittsburgh, pennsylvania. a former photographer. loves to go to church and loves to sing. good for you. here's gladys jee from tennessee -- no, she's actually from louisiana, right up the block. new orleans. and loves to bowl and play cards. you can't beat that. that's it.

that's all. always a pleasure. see you later. >> willard, thank you very much. when we come back, we'll show you the best mail order edible treats for anyone on your christmas list.

inf infer. >> announcer: "today's" holiday gift guide is brought to you by target. this year santa has elves, you have target. this morning on "today's" countdown to the holidays, mail order food gifts from fancy fruits to decadent desserts. if you are looking for edible treats for your loved ones, we have the answers -- actually elizabeth mayhew has the answers from "woman's day" magazine. listen, food is a practical gift and boy, a lot of us are feeling like we want to give practically especially this year. let's go all around the country starting in the northeast. you've got some maple syrup. >> maple syrup from duchess county. that's the perfect place

weatherwise and climatewise. this farm, the crown farm, has a little red maple and sugar maple trees that they -- it is 100% organic. it is a sustainable farm. absolutely delicious. great gift. pancakes christmas morning. who wouldn't want that? >> whoopi pies from maine. >> this is off the coast of maine. these ladies, cranberry island kitchen makes these. what's cool about this company, you can customize -- they have 11 flavors can you choose from. go online and put whichever ones -- peppermint, gingerbread men, all different shapes. >> cookies from cape cod. >> cape cod. these are really interesting. they are kayak cookies. they are very salty and sweet at the same time. if you like that combination, the woman was a former pastry chef. her cookies were so popular that she went and created this company. >> let's head south. let's go to virginia. sausag sausages. >> edward's smoked sausages. what's cool about this company, mr. edwards was a captain on a ferryboat and he was giving away selling his ham sandwiches in

1926. the ham sandwiches were so popular that he began a smokehouse instead, gave up his captain situation and now they do everything from hams to sausages, absolutely delicious. >> these caught my eye. also from virginia? dill pickle potato chips. >> you want to try these? >> bring it! are you kidding? >> they're fantastic. you can order them in a tin. they have a vinegary, dill pickle -- they are delicious. they come in all different flavors. really fun to send to a family. >> i'm totally into this. let's go to the west coast. >> first we're going to cobbies. atlanta. cobbie sauce, a vinegary barbecue sauce. this man is a quadriplegic and he started this company after he was wounded. actually he gives a huge portion of the proceeds to the hospital, shepherd center, in atlanta that helped take care of him. so it is a gift that gives back. it is absolutely delicious. now we're still -- we are in the

south still. >> tennessee. >> tennessee with the loveless bacon. huge hit among the crew here. >> loveless bacon? i think that's some love is what everybody's going to be thinking. >> this is for the not faint of heart. dry cured. the flavor is very intense, very smokey. >> now to california. >> this is dr. bob's ice cream. dr. bob is a hospitality professor in pomona, california, he set out to create the best ice cream he could. >> to mail order this, you have to be packing it -- >> six pints. it is very rich, very creamy. can you rye it for yourself. we have chocolate. the brown sugar -- this is the brown sugar strawberry -- it is very, rich. amazing. delicious. obviously this all comes fed ex'd so you don't have to worry about that. >> south dakota. >> smoked goose. this is from the largest goose farm in the country in south dakota. it is a great christmas gift. it is iconic.

>> from illinois, you've got some cheese. >> pastoral puts together two gift packs i love, the best of the midwest. then the best women cheese artisans. women are at the forefront of creating some the best cheese in the country. >> i've been rushing you because we have got to get to this. this is from missouri, a caramel apple pecan pie. >> it's got over 18 apples from it. it comes frozen so you stick it in your oven. it is just like a wow factor. that's all it is. it could be in the middle of your dessert buffet. >> these are from texas. >> peanuts. bloody mary peanuts. delicious and hot damn tamales from texas. >> did you just say that? >> i did. >> i know we had to rush through all of these but they'll all be on our website with all of the prizes and everything you need to know about them. elizabeth mayhew, happy holidays. next, how you can avoid a post-holiday hangover after spending all the money that you might be spend

>> announcer: "today's" money is brought to you by fidelity investments. turn here. this morning on "today's" money, how to avoid a financial holiday hangover. the national retail federation expects that holiday sales will be up around 3% over last year. for some, extra spending can also bring extra debt. cnbc's mary thompson is here with valuable advice on that. mary, good morning. happy holidays. >> happy holidays to you. >> what's the estimate of what the average person ends up in debt at the end of the holidays? >> well, think of this in total, matt. the average household in the u.s. has over $15,000 worth of credit card debt. so americans are expected to spend about $764 on average. you are looking at almost $16,000 total when you look at each american household. >> to avoid that shock come january 2nd, the best thing to do -- avoid the debt in the first place.

you say you got to write a budget when you are going shopping. >> start early. everyone knows christmas is coming. write down a budget. figure out what you'll spend on food, gifts and decorations and keep that list with you at all times. >> add a little bit for unexpected expenses probably? >> maybe 10% overhead of whatever you have. >> leave the credit cards home. take only cash to the stores. >> if you can do that. put your money aside, take the cash with you. or if you're worried about this, take a pre-paid card which means you could put $500 on this card and use this every time are you in the store. >> you can't go over it. >> exactly. >> if you are going online -- so many people are. today is another big day. take time to comparison shop online. >> when are you online and are ordering a gift, a coupon window will pop up. if it pops up, don't order the gift until you look for a coupon. can you do that on different websites like retailmenot. >> when you are in regular stores, try to avoid impulsive buys. talk about getting out of the hangover once you've already got it. cut back on your daily expenses.

this is not that easy for a lot of people. >> it isn't but you have to think of nonessentials. do you need that cup of coffee in the morning, should you bring your lunch to work. figure out how much money you can save if you take little steps because you need to apply that to the debt. >> when you start to get the credit card bills, think about the interest rate on the individual cards. >> always you look at whatever card has the highest interest rate. pay that off first, then go down to your lowest rate card. >> pick up the phone and call the credit card company and try to negotiate a lower rate. >> you can do that but you need to be careful because if you don't have good credit and if you have a lot of outstanding debt they're going to pull your credit card file. if they see all that extra debt they're going to say we don't want to give you a lower rate, we want to raise your rate and cut your limit. >> this will make some people chuckle like santa claus, start saving now for christmas 2012. >> the christmas savings account. do it. then you aren't surprised when 2012 comes up. >> mary thompson, thanks very much. still ahead, some affordable deals on warm weather travel.th

"today's" american story with bob dodson comes from hyde mountain valley in montana where people are surviving on hard times without federal aid or giant corporations. instead, they have found an antique solution. bob, good morning. >> good morning. you know, this is one of those moments that you're going to be feeling a little bit like you're

homesick for a place you've probably never met. phillipsburg, montana is a pioneer town. it's filled with people who have that old spirit that built this country. forget for a moment that there are fewer than two people per mile in the county, bigger than rhode island. consider what they already have. two original live theater productions each year. a hospital bank rolled, in part, by more than $1 million, raised in a thrift store selling hand-me-down clothes. >> we need all your money. >> reporter: folks in the county seat tax themselves a bundle -- $2,500 a piece to restore their old schoolhouse. students are learning how to pay that back. this high school shop class is

building rooms for the volunteer fire department. local hunters paid for the project with a sense of urgency. 29 ghost towns sound phillipsburg. deb, why is it that this town exists when other towns have disappeared in the county? >> if somebody needs help, everybody jumps in. >> reporter: neighbors saved the superintendent mike cutler's life when he was diagnosed with cancer, leukemia, and needed a costly stem cell transplant. cooks donated meals. raised nearly $40,000 in one day. >> the folks who helped, were they all just rich? >> oh, no. no. >> reporter: they simply value the town's survival more than personal gain. >> it's tough around here just like it is anywhere else in this country. but people support each other. you know? it takes a community to keep the

community. >> reporter: a few years later in the depths of the recession, the neighbors rallied again. the handful of folks in granite county came up with another $100,000 for mike cutler. this time his daughter needed surgery. for brain cancer. >> i had to learn how to walk again. i had to learn how to see again. yeah. >> it's way easier being a patient. i know that. than the parent of a little girl or little boy, whoever it may be, that's fighting for their life. >> reporter: fortunately, sidney cutler lives in a place that nourishes hope. >> people that i know, they've helped me so much and helping me overcome my disabilities. >> people took care of our animals. took care of our yard. >> reporter: for months at a time. after each trip to the hospital, sidney's mom found -- >> there were groceries in the

fridge when we would get home. >> reporter: how can a county with more cows than people come up with 100 grand in the midst of a recession. >> they gave from their hearts an they gave from their souls. >> reporter: more than that. they donated things others needed to buy anyway. ranch manager bill shields put a cattle chute up for auction. most folks figured -- >> if there was no town, there would be no people. so they saved themselves is what they did. >> reporter: like they saved the cutlers. sidney and mike are now cancer-free. >> all i can say is thank you and i'm so glad that i knew you. >> reporter: out here, far from the rest of us, america is at its very best. >> this is the last best lace. it really is. >> reporter: where people can survive even in hard times with the help of their neighbors.

folks in phillipsburg didn't stop with the cutlers. they're doing the same for others in need. ann? >> bob, thanks for sharing this. it was great and what's the best about america. because when you show us that, you show us what's possible all over america. >> you know, out west we think of the rugged individuals. but the truth of the matter is, it is the rugged town that's the amazing part that makes this work. >> bob dotson, thank you so much. coming up -- the best >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is in that one of our top stories. authorities are investigating a polish-and all the shooting. -- police-involved shooting. officers responded to a domestic disturbance call where they encountered a man who refused to drop the knife. the suspect is in critical but

stable condi

>> it is a cold but quiet start this monday. temperatures this afternoon will get into the normal range for this time of year. mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. >> we will have another weather byte update at 9:25.