good morning. trifecta. rick santorum sweeps the gop presidential contests in colorado, minnesota, and missouri. what does that mean for front-runner mitt romney? we'll break it all down. a cry for help. police release the 911 call fl the social worker who brought josh powell's two sons to his home. >> there's two little boys in the house and there's an adult man. he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. >> as investigators search a storage unit rented by powell for clues to his wife's disappearance. and breaking her silence. the woman who claims she had an

affair with jfk when she was a white house intern. why is she revealing it 50 years later? meredith vieira is here with the exclusive "rock center" interview today, wednesday, exclusive "rock center" interview today, wednesday, february 8, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry. rick santorum said his three wins show he's the conservative alternative to barack obama. what does it say for mitt romney? >> the most telling results are from minnesota. take a look. mitt romney finished third with only 17% of the vote there. this is a state he won with 41% of the vote four years ago.

should last night's defeats be viewed as a bump in the road for romney or a major setback to his chances of winning the nomination? we'll talk about it with chuck todd. >> also, an emotional end to a case we have been following more than two years. the kidnapping and murder of a 7-year-old girl as she was walking home from school in florida. her killer faced the girl's family in court including her 9-year-old twin brother. do they think justice was served? the mother joins us to speak out in a live interview. >> later on, today's professionals weigh in on hot topics. what do they think of gisele's post super bowl comments? is there discrimination against single people in this country? we'll get star, donny and nancy's thoughts. >> first, moerm's clean sweep of three presidential con teftestst night. peter alexander, good morning. >> reporter: it's cold in colorado but a hot streak for

rick santorum. he's won four states to romney's three. for santorum that means more money and more momentum. for romney, who hadn't even mentioned rick santorum's name since early january, and we looked it up, that means one more contender to worry about. [ applause ] >> conservativism is alive and well in missouri and minnesota. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: celebrating his biggest night since the iowa caucuses, rick santorum surged back into the spotlight. >> i don't claim to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney. i stand here to be the conservative alternative to barack obama. [ applause ] >> reporter: santorum told the cheering crowd the president just doesn't listen. >> you better start listening to the voice of the people. but then again i wouldn't be surprised if he isn't listening. why would you think he would be listening now? has he ever listened to the voice of america? >> no! >> why? >> because he thinks he knows

better. he thinks he's smarter than you. he thinks he's someone who is a privileged person who should be able to rule over all of you. >> reporter: santorum tried to tie mitt romney to the president. >> health care, the environment, cap and trade. and on the wall street bailouts, mitt romney has the same positions as barack obama. >> reporter: and took a dig at romney for his fumble last week. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. >> i care about the very rich and the very poor. i care about 100% of america. >> this was a good night for rick santorum. i want to congratulate senator santorum. >> reporter: facing a r reinvigorated rival romney took a page from rick santorum's blue collar story trying to cast himself as the son of a working man. he said his mother, the former president of american motors once worked as a carpenter. >> my father never graduated college. he apprenticed as a plaster

carpenter. he could take nails in his mouth and spit them out pointy end forward. >> reporter: after the speech secret service agents dragged away a man who tried to glitter bomb the canada data. newt gingrich largely ignored all three contests, launching a bus tour in ohio targeting early super tuesday voters. >> since early voting is beginning, if you can go on facebook, twitter, e-mail or telephone or even in the old fashioned sense see people face to face we'd be very, very grateful. >> reporter: the three leading candidates had three different directions today, ann, ahead of the maine caucuses. the next big show down will be at the end of the month in arizona and michigan. >> thank you so much. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. good morning to you. >> good morning, ann.

>> rick santorum swept the three states with little money and he's now technically won more states than mitt romney. will he get a second look by the party and voters? >> it's clear he will. he got a second look by conservative activists in all three of these states. remember who showed up. these are the die hard republican party conservatives. that's who showed up last night. these are the folks that pick up the phone, do the door-knocking. they rejected mitt romney and chose santorum. you said it in the lead-in. he didn't have money or organization in these states. he had just a little bit of campaigning he did, a little bit of free media, a little bit of paid media. that was it. this says -- this is a rejection right now by conservatives of mitt romney. >> let's take a look at the numbers that matt pointed to earlier about how big the rejection was. if you look at minnesota, in 2008 romney won with 41%. yesterday he got 17%. of course he lost across the

board. is this, to some degree, this enthusiasm gap we're hearing about? what other reasons can explain why he was so roundly defeated? >> you have to go at the enthusiasm issue among conservatives. every time mitt romney has taken two steps forward it's because he's had money and organization. it's never been because his message resonated with the base of the republican party. last night was about the base of the republican party. let's take colorado. take the romney campaign at their word that they skipped minnesota, didn't have delegates involved in missouri. just look at colorado. colorado was a place where mitt romney spent money, he did campaign. it's where he spent last night. it's the one place they thought they would win and they lost there, too. again, this is about the activist community. conservatives have not been able to get themselves comfortable about mitt romney. we have seen in our exit polls.

the most conservative voters in just about every single exit or entrance polls have gone with somebody else. not because they are enamored with rick santorum. but mitt romney hasn't done enough to convince them. >> can gingrich maintain the position that he'll focus attention on the south and secure the nomination? what happened to him last night? >> mitt romney will be fighting a two-front war. if santorum and gingrich do the divide strategy are santorum focuses on some states and gingrich focuses on another and they are not there to split the conservative vote they could deny romney a lot of dell dpats on super tuesday. if it does become where both of them are campaigning, we have seen before. gingrich is most dangerous to mitt romney when mitt romney is

not concentrating on him. this is the difficultiy for romney. he has to keep gingrich's negatives up. you have to continue the negative campaign. you can't let up on him. now he has to start a contrast with rick santorum. he tried last night. we'll see. there are issues in rick santorum's wheelhouse that we are debating now. >> chuck todd, thank you for your perspective. it's now 7:09. here's matt. >> thank you very much. now the ongoing debt crisis in greece. there is growing optimism that leaders will be able to secure a new bailout for the troubled country, a deal that can't come soon enough for the people of greece. keith miller is in athens with the latest on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the greek government is under tremendous pressure to reach a deal, a new bailout. if they can't reach an agreement, greece could be the first country in the european monetary union to default. that would send the economy here into a death spiral.

there are already signs of an economy in collapse. soup kitchens and bread lines are packed with people without jobs and little hope of finding one. leo's work as a painter of icons dried up. at the age of 64, he lost everything. he had nowhere to go. >> i grabbed warm clothes, books and ten boiled eggs and i left the house. i found myself in the park. >> reporter: greece, like leo, is bankrupt. for decades the country lived well and worked little, all on borrowed money. now greece is suffering under severe austerity measures imposed by its neighbors as conditions for a bailout. >> if you walk down the streets of athens, you notice that the lights are going out in a number of apartments. it's not that they're empty. they're occupied but people can't afford the utility bill

anymore. >> reporter: the basic fabric of life is unraveling. suicides up 40%. homicide and violent crime up almost 100%. and cuts in social services so deep it is making the greeks sick, literally. hospital admissions jumped 24%, even as hospital budgets were cut by 40%. dr. kanikis has seen the number of patients visiting this charity clinic quadruple. >> we have people who are starving, people looking for doctors in medicine. >> reporter: to pay down debt the government cut the salaries of public employees by 40%. at the same time increaseded sales tax to 23%. a gallon of dpas lean now costs almost $10. >> i'm angry with the government. whose fault is it? the government's.

it's not the taxpayers' fault. >> reporter: the words tragedy and -- are greek in origin. the negotiations continued this morning but the greeks are going to have to make more concessi s concessions, more cuts in jobs, salaries and benefits in order to get the funds to keep this country afloat. matt? >> keith miller in athens on this story this morning. thank you very much. it's 12 minutes after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thanks. now to washington state where funeral services will be held on saturday for the two young sons of josh powell. he killeded himself and his sons when he set his house on fire. for the first time now we are hearing the 911 call from the social worker there at the time. miguel almaguer is in graham, washington, with details this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. detectives were back here at the crime scene on tuesday. they fanned out across the

region. this as, for the first time, we heard from the dramatic 911 calls. >> there was a man and two children. i just dropped off the children and he wouldn't let me in the door. >> reporter: the social worker who brought 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old braden to their father josh powell's home immediately called 911. >> there are two little boys in the house and an adult man. he has supervised visitation and h he blew up the house and the kids. >> reporter: from the beginning it was clear this was no accident. >> you think he might have done this intentionally? >> yes. >> reporter: police say powell planned the double murder a day before, purchasing ten gallons of gas, transferring $7,000 out of his bank account, even giving away his children's toys. >> hello. this is josh. i'm calling to say good-bye. >> reporter: powell then left this chilling voicemail with family and friends 20 minutes before he torched his home. >> i am not able to live without

my sons, and i'm not able to go on anymore. i'm sorry to everyone i've hurt. good-bye. >> reporter: josh powell's sister was among the first who heard his message and called 911. she feared the worst had happened at her brother's home. >> i'm afraid of seeing something. i don't want to see. >> reporter: powell was named a person of interest in his wife's disappearance. he was never charged with the crime but in september lost custody to susan's parents, allowed only supervised visit. this weekend, chuck and judy cox will bury their grandchildren. >> i think he was very sell is fish. that's why he took the kids. if he couldn't have them, no one could. >> reporter: with susan's disappearance unsolved, tuesday night investigators searched a storage unit rented by powell. >> if you have a storage shed, we want to know what's in it.

>> reporter: police now say josh's father steven has been named a person of interest interest in steven's disappearance. he's awaiting trial on child pornography charges. today he's on suicide watch. >> steven will always be part of the investigation. we have questions and stuff we'd like to talk about. >> reporter: police say before his boys died in the fire, josh hit them both with a hatchet. jennifer graves is josh's estranged sister. >> the thought of those babies suffering, and they must have because they weren't dead when the explosion was done. they suffered and they died. >> reporter: the heartache and panic from sunday, still vivid for that social worker, too. >> he opened the door. the kids were one step ahead of me. they're 5 and 7. they were one step ahead of me and he slammed the door in my face. >> reporter: the social worker is devastateded.

>> she had bonded with the boys. she had taken them to a number of visits before and was very close to them. as i say it was devastating to her to have had this happen. >> reporter: police say the social worker who brought the boys here and called 911 did everything she could. the funeral for the powell boys will be held on saturday. ann? >> all right, miguel almaguer, thank you so much. a quick programming note, "dateline" will have a look at the powell case friday at 10:00/9:00 central time on nbc. >> let's head to the news desk for the top stories of the morning. natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning. a major breakthrough in california where the hotly contested gay marriage ban known as proposition 8 has now been overturned and declared unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. the ruling applies only to california. the case could be headed to the

supreme court. new york prosecutors will not pursue rape charges against the police commissioner's son. the manhattan district attorney's office found criminal charges were not appropriate following an investigation into the rape accusation against tv anchor greg kelly. kelly's accuser said he assaulted her after they met for drinks in october. kelly denied wrongdoing. pennsylvania prosecutors are pushing to have jerry sandusky kept indoors only while under house arrest after neighbors complained the former penn state assistant football coach was watching children in a school play ground from his back porch. sandusky is awaiting trial on child molestation charges. his attorney says the concerns are unfounded. it may look like a tsunami is about to engulf the florida panhandle but not to worry. these photographs show what haze and humidity can do to the clouds. this is over panama city, florida. striking images.

the first lady is proving to be unbeatable. late night host jimmy fallon brought spandex to the white house despite disapproving looks from the first dog and mrs. obama herself. after doing push-ups, twirling hula hoops, hurling dodgeballs and pulling through a tug of war, the first lady won the face-off in a dramatic to the second potato sack race. the fun was all part of michelle obama's let's move fitness campaign. cue "chariots of fire." 7:18. back to ann, matt and al. jimmy's having fun. >> we need to get him a trainer. >> let's show you what's going on as far as your weather's concerned. we have a quick moving clipper zipping along. it will bring snow to southern ohio, pennsylvania and south of new york. the system moves through rapidly by 11:00 tonight. it's offshore.

because it's moving quickly it won't dump a lot of snow. one to three inches generally and some areas not going to see that much. >> good morning. we will see a mix of rain and snow develop. it will change over to light snow by the evening commute that's your latest weather. matt? >> for years we have been told to lower the amount of salt in our diets. according to the centers for disease control nine out of ten adults are still consuming far too much. in some cases double the recommended daily amount. tom costello has more on that.

>> reporter: salt or sodium leads to high blood pressure. this is what we're talking about for a daily maximum. i'm eyeballing it, but that may be too much. amazingl amazingly, a third of the american population has high blood pressure and 800,000 people die each year from diseases related to high blood pressure. >> how's that weight going? stable? >> reporter: when it comes to being lucky, don is a living example. >> i was walking in the office and all of the sudden i was on the floor unconscious. >> reporter: it was a massive heart attack. buy bistanders, doctors and paramedics saved his life. he stopped smoking and cut back on the salt. >> i eat less red meat, more fish, a lot of oatmeal and i'm conscious about not eating salt. >> reporter: the cdc says many of us would do well to follow his lead.

on average americans consume 3,300 milligrams of salt or sodium each day, twice what's recommended for anyone at risk over age of 51 and all african-americans. in fact, 44% of the sodium we eat comes from only ten types of foods. surprisingly breads and rolls are at the top of the list followed by cold cuts, deli and packaged meats, pizza, poultry, soup, sandwiches incluzing cheeseburgers, cheese, pasta dishes, meeatloaf-type dishs an at the bottom, snacks. >> nearly two thirds comes from food at the grocery store. another quarter from food at restaurant. >> reporter: if you eat an egg and cheese sandwich with coffee and orange juice for breakfast that's 770. soup and sandwich for lunch with iced tea, 1600.

sp ga spaghetti dinner, 730. and after dessert you're over 3,000 milligrams. as for don in boston it's been five years since his heart attack. >> he's a model patient. he's on medication, stopped smoking, exercises and he's doing well. he certainly understands the risk of having too much salt in his diet. >> reporter: doctors would like to see that much salt. the grocery industry has been cutting back sodium levels for years and walmart announced plans to cut sodium and sugar levels from thousands of products while cutting prices on produce. more fruits and vegetables, more healthy home cooking are the keys, say the experts to cutting the high salt level intake. >> thanks, tom. coming up, details on the relationship between jfk and the woman who claims she was his mistress as a 19-year-old white house intern. meredith's here to share her interview. first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, t family of a florida 7-year-old who was kidnapped on her way home from school and murdered faces her killer in court. >> summer thompson's mother speaks to us after your local news. oh, oh. oooh! will love ever come my way? oh my! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer sweeper's new, thicker cloths get deep into ridges picking up more dirt, dust and hair than a broom to help leave your floor up to three times cleaner. you sure are a pick-me-up! [ male announcer ] swiffer cleans better or your money back.

new ocean spray cherry juice drinks, like cran-cherry, made with sweet cherries and the crisp taste of cranberries. ah, sweet deal! find out how to get a free cherry juice drink at oceanspray.com >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> the time right now is 7:26, and here is a look at one of our top stories. the obama administration is defending its decision to mandate health coverage for birth control under every of the plan numbers of the catholic church to say that the administration is denying first amendment rights, and all- designate edwin o'brien says that the archdiocese of

baltimore will not comply even if it means denying health coverage for employees. >> busy ride out there. accident in sykesville at liberty road and locust lane. another spot where you might find delays, eastbound 32 near frederick road. tracking some delays in the city due to accident at stevenson lane just north of the city line. if you want to head out further south in arnold, ritchie highway and jones station road, there is an accident location to avoid. benfield boulevard also looking at a slow go. northbound 295, accident at 198. we will update you on some of the delays around area. we will switch over to live view at harford. once you get on to the northeast corner, you are sitting in traffic towards dulaney valley. that is the latest on traffic

pulse 11. >> so far so good. this morning it should be no problem. 35 in randallstown, 31 in parkton. this now is getting close to us. snow showers and moving across west virginia. these will continue across the ridge tops. you.s pretty down for dry for the morning rush. it will change over to stop by the late afternoon hours. about an inch of the commission is what we expect. --

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 8th day of february 2012. we have a lot of smiling faces, people who got up early to be in rockefeller plaza. meantime inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. just ahead we'll hear from a woman who claims she was jfk's teenage mistress. >> we told you about mimi alford earlier in the week. she said the affair started on her fourth day as a white house intern. she opened up to meredith in an exclusive interview about how it began, their time together and why she didn't come forward sooner. meredith has a preview of

tonight's interview. >> nice to have her here. also here we have today's professionals discussing topics including a controversial super bowl ad, gisele's behavior after the game and why some say singles are discriminated against in america. >> we begin with the family of 7-year-old somer thompson facing the little girl's killer in court. we'll talk to her mom diena in a moment. first, mark potter is in florida with the latest. good morning to you, mark. >> reporter: good morning, matt. somer thompson's murder deeply affected this area. when her killer came to the courthouse to plead guilty and be sentenced there was a lot of anger and he was confronted by the victim's family. by coming to court to plead guilty to murder and other charges 26-year-old jarred harrell avoided the death penalty. but what he couldn't escape was

a withering attack from the family of 7-year-old somer thompson whom he kidnapped, raped and strangled to death before throwing her body in a dumpster. >> you took her dignity, her virginity and then her life. after all that you then treated my child like trash. >> reporter: thompson disappeared on her way home from school on october 19, 2009. two days later her body was found in a nearby georgia landfill. after a months-long investigation, detectives arrested jarred harrell who lived near the thompson home. in court he confessed. >> you lewdly touched her in her private areas and strangled her to death. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: his sentence, life in prison with no chance of parole. >> with this plea agreement, you are going to die in prison. >> reporter: one by one somer's

family spoke to jarred harrell about how he destroyed a precious life. >> how could you kill a defenseless 7-year-old girl that only loved everybody? >> i can't let my children live carefree like children should for fear of others like you. >> reporter: thompson's twin brother glared at jarred harrell. >> he won't look as you. he's a coward. >> we know you did this. we have evidence. she trusted you. but you had to do what you did and look where it got you. and now you're going to jail! >> reporter: his sister abigail fought back tears. >> i don't know how you can live with yourself. you don't know how bad you hurt my family. but i hope you suffer just like me and my family did. i can't explain how much me and my friends and family, everybody i know and everybody my family knows, how much they hate you.

you're not even a human being. your name is not jarred harrell. your name is monster. >> reporter: as to why there was a plea deal rather than a trial seeking the death penalty authorities wanted to guarantee his life in prison. >> we made sure today jarred harrell will never have the opportunity to hurt another child. >> reporter: they said with the plea deal they avoided years of appeals. >> good luck, monster. >> reporter: during the hearing jarred harrell showed no emotion, never apologized or spoke to the family. when it was over he avoided eye contact and walked out to start his life behind bars. >> mark, thank you very much. diena thompson is with us exclusively. good to see you. >> you, too, matt. >> how did you get through that snm just do what you've got to do. no other choice. it's stand up and fight or lay down and die. i won't lay down and die for a monster. >> you talked about spending all your energy ensuring he got the

death penalty. in this court procedure basically you agreed to life in prison. why? >> basically with the information that was afforded to me by the prosecution considering all parties involved, my children who would be drug back into the court for god knows how long, this ensured he would never hurt another child which is truly giving justice to other children. what we want and what we get sometimes aren't the same thing. >> i have had people sit here before in similar, unfortunate circumstances and they say part of the reason they did something like this is because there was some sense of forgiveness. i don't get that from you at all. >> no. i don't grforgive him. he's going to leave prison in a coffin and probably sooner than he would have on death row. >> talk to me about your children and family members who spoke directly to jarred harrell. your son samuel. this is somer's twin. he was 7 at the time.

he's 9 years old now. did he want to do this? >> not at first. when he heard everyone talking he wrote that statement and he got up and made us all so very, very proud of his strength. >> he's a brave little boy. do you worry, diena, that it was a haunting experience -- the courtroom appearance as opposed to some kind of healing experience? >> no. when he got done reading it and spun around in the chair you could almost see relief that he got to face the monster and tell him what he thought. at least that's what i felt like. >> your oldest daughter abigail told jarred harrell his name is monster. this is the part i think i uh might have asked you last time. how do you tell your children and how should others prepare their children for the fact that there are -- i always tell my kids there is no such thing as monsters. ghosts, monsters. they are in the movies. how do you dew prepare your kid cans and how should others prepare their kids that there

are monsters out there? >> we have to empower our children. rad kids, all kinds of programs you can get them in. we can't tell them. we have to teach them. i told somer and it didn't do any good. we had to teach and empower our children. you can kind out about rad kids on their website or go to summerthosummer -- somerthompson.org. >> this man stole such an innocent thing from the world. this is a walk home from school. how do your children deal with something so simple today? >> unfortunately they are much older than they should be. they have been forced to grow up really fast because of this situation and much like the rest of us, have a hard time trusting pretty much anybody. we have to treat everybody like we don't know them. >> do you wish he would have looked at you in court, made eye contact? was that something you were hoping for? >> yes. he owed me that.

he owed me at least that. >> why? >> because he stole my child from me in such a vicious way. my family deserves that. he should have said something. but he's a coward. that's what a coward would do. >> the last two years of your life have been dedicated to making sure justice was served here. do you think it was served? and where do you go from here? >> it's served as best as it can be. i think the inmates in prison are probably going to do him some justice for me. i just want to move forward with the foundation and try to help other families and try to do something to make it where this can't happen again. >> you're a brave lady with a brave family. thank you for coming back. >> thank you for having me. >> now a check of the weather from al. >> thank you very much. as we look around the country, this is the fourth warmest january on record. nine states had their top ten warmest januaries ever. let's show you temperaturewise

what we can expect. it will be chilly around the great lakes and northern plains. 20s and 30s there. in new england, 30s. 70s into california. 80s in southern florida with hit or miss shours and thunderstorms. light snowshowers into the northeast rain in the pacific northwest. look for cloudy skies through the southwest. big area of high pressure dominates. we'll have sunshine for the northern plains all the way down into northern texas. >> good morning. we will see a mix of rain and snow develop this afternoon at will turn over to

and if you want your latest weather go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> thank you very much. up next, the woman who claims she was jfk's mistress during her time as a white house intern breaks her silence. meredith is here with her exclusive "rock center" interview after this. of. place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, kwoez. it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪

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it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack!

or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh! back now at 7:43 with more on the former white house intern who claims she had an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. mimi alford details her experience in "once upon a secret." she sat down with meredith vieira for an exclusive interview for tonight's "rock center" with brian williams. good morning. >> good morning to you. this is a story that mimi alford

kept secret for 50 years. she didn't talk about it publically. she was outed in a historian's book in 1953 and admitted she was indeed the mimi who had the affair with jfk. then she basically disappeared until now. >> most mornings when i woke up i thought, i don't want to get up and write this book. i want to hide under the covers. >> what made you get out from under the covers? >> i think when you keep a secret and keep silent about something you do it because you think it's keeping you safe, but in fact it's deadly. >> reporter: the secret, claims alford, started in the summer of 1962 when the 19-year-old debutante from a prominent new jersey family began what she says was an 18-month affair with president john f. kennedy. >> i was sort of swept into this web. the handsome president, his charisma, magnetism. >> reporter: mimi said it began on the fourth day of her new job

as a white house summer intern when she received a phone call from dave powers, the president's close aide. >> he said, a group of us are going to have a swim at lunchtime. would you like to join us? i thought, well, it was a little bit odd to be swimming in the middle of the day at work. where's the pool? i didn't know the white house had a pool. of course i didn't have a bathing suit either. he said, don't worry, there are bathing suits. >> reporter: in this heated pool, mimi found herself with two other young white house staffers. >> they were in the water and dave escorted me in. shortly thereafter the president arrived. no one said the president was going to join us. he put on his trunks and came into the water. >> reporter: hours later she was taken on a private tour of some of the rooms of the residence by her president where she lost her virginity to him in jackie kennedy's private bedroom. did he realize if you were a

virgin? >> i think he did. he kept asking me if i was all right. i was all right. there was not a lot of conversation. >> reporter: here you are a young woman. you have never had sexual relations before at 19. >> no. >> reporter: by your own account naive. >> yep. >> reporter: you have just had sex with the president of the united states. how can you be all right? >> i didn't start to cry. i was hysterical. i clearly wanted to go home. and i did, very quickly go home. but i didn't feel scared. maybe that's the thing about shock. i don't know. >> reporter: after losing her virginity to president kennedy on her fourth day on the job they began an affair, spending evenings together in the private residence as often as twice a week. you're 19. he's 45. what did you talk about? >> we didn't have a lot of time to talk. he was the president. what we talked about was not world affairs. the president was boyish and playful with me. >> reporter: in her book mimi

calls their sexual encounters varied and fun describing the president as a sensualist who enjoyed being silly, especially in the bathtub. >> he had a collection of little yellow rubber ducks. they were in the bathtub and rubber ducks became part of the game. >> reporter: what did you do with the rubber ducks? >> we had races in the bathtub. he was not being president when he was with me. >> reporter: no. definitely not. sometimes mimi would travel with the president, flying on the support plane in her role as press office intern. an one trip she said she attended a lavish party for the president at bing crosby's house but she was mostly in the hotel waiting for the president to summon her. that's where you started the waiting game. >> yes. waiting in the hotel room. >> reporter: did you feel at all

like i'm being used here? it's almost like you were a call girl to him. >> i never felt that. now, looking back, i can see it's not a good place for a 19-year-old to be, in a relationship that's so imbalanced and with such a powerful person and an older man and at the beck and call. i see how sad it was. that is not how i felt at the time. >> reporter: can you give me an example that would say to me this was more than just being a mistress? >> just the way he was. the way he smiled with me. i feel that he did. he actually cared about me. >> several teem tied to the jfk administration said she was an intern and had special access to the president. she didn't realize there were reportedly so many other women. she also talks about the fact that as much as she add miles an hour -- admired the president he had a dark side. she refers to his demons and i

think there are things that will shock people. >> meredith vieira, thank you so much for the interview and talking to us this morning. you can see meredith's full story on "rock center" with brian williams on its new day and time tonight at 9:00/8:00 central time here on nbc. also then after, mimi will be here for her first live television interview tomorrow here on "today." still ahead, an inside look at how the stars live. we'll take you on a tour of celebrity homes that are now on the market. first, these messages. sweet, nutty crunchy nut.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am at mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> plenty of delays to go out and in advance of the snow. eastbound 32 at frederick road, we have an accident. liberty road and at locust lane in sykesville, we are tracking accident. another one at rosedale and pulaski highway. normal volume-related delays around the area. ritchie highway and jones

station road in a on old facility, and that accident. one is clearly on northbound 295. 23 minutes is your drive time on the outer loop west side. 19 minutes to get you to the outer loop stretch. here is pickwick live looked at traffic. pretty heavy. let's switch over to a the live view of traffic on 295 and 175. southbound traffic going away from us. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony has a check on your forecast. >> elizabeth cloud cover, and it should stay that way for most of the morning -- a little bit of cloud cover and it should stay that way for most of the morning. we have snow showing up in the mountains and that will cross over the ridge tops in the next couple of hours.

it will start late this morning and last into early the afternoon. on your way home from work and on your way home from work and school today, a little like

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we're back now. 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th day of february 2012. temperatures dipping down a little bit here in the northeast. we're at about 33 degrees. going to get a little better today. we get a blast of cold air coming at the end of the week. >> got a little snow maybe tonight. >> key word little. >> a dusting? >> yes. >> good. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. today's professionals are here. among the topics for discussion this morning, does spanking your child help correct bad behavior? of course that's gisele bundchen there. >> one has nothing to do with the other.

>> did she cross the line when it came to her post super bowl comments about the receivers on her husband's team? we'll be hashing some of that stuff out. >> sometimes you can't control live television. meantime we'll be talking about how movie stars live. a lot of us wonder how they live. there are a number of celebrity homes on the market including one shared by ryan reynolds and scarlett johansson. also christina aguilera's beverly hills mansion. we'll look at what's on the market. the rest of us can just dream. >> speaking of stars, denzel washington will be here. he's got an intense new action thriller "safehouse." he'll be here talking about that. ryan reynolds was here yesterday. >> denzel says he's not a morning person. it's great that he's here. >> i'm looking forward to that. let's go inside to natalie, a morning person, at the news desk with the headlines.

>> good morning. rick santorum is riding a new wave of momentum in the race for the republican presidential nomination. santorum swept tuesday's votes in missouri, colorado and minnesota, topping mitt romney who actually finished third in minneso minnesota. second place went to ron paul. santorum said his victories proved he's the conservative alternative to barack obama. officials in washington state released the 911 recordings from the social worker who brought josh powell's two sons to his home for a supervised visit sunday only to have powell set off an explosion that killed himself and the boys. >> there's two little boys in the house and there's an adult man. he has supervised visitation. and he blew up the house and the kids. >> you think he might have done this intentionally? >> yes. >> powell had been the only person of interest in his wife susan's disappearance. a funeral will be held saturday for 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old braden. senator north leader mitch

mcconnell warned that the obama administration crossed a dangerous line by requiring employee health plans including those at catholic schools, charities and hospitals to cover contraception. faced with growing uproar, white house aides said the administration is exploring ways to make the rule more compatible with religious beliefs. the top policy official with the komen charity resigned tuesdays after komen reversed the controversial decision to sever ties to planned parenthood. karen handle said officials discussed the funding cut before she came on board because they were concerned about alienating catholic donors. now for a look at what's trending today our round-up of what has you talking online. "19 kids and counting" star amy duggar after the fbi foiled an attempt to blackmail her. an iowa woman claimed she had

pictures of duggar in intimate situations with an older man. amy says there is no truth to the scandalous story. a marriage made in cholesterol heaven is spreading like a grease fire online. jack in the box is pairing the b.l.t. cheeseburger with a bacon milk shake. it uses bacon flavored syrup, not meat. it packs 40 grams of fat into a 16-ounce cup. makes your stomach churn. and president obama's tumblr page has the president of chief trying out a gun that uses air pressure to fire marshmallows. [ pop ] >> oh! let's go look. >> reporter: president obama said the young scholars put his own schoolboy science projects to shame. 8:04. now back outside to matt, ann and al. >> the secret service could have

tackled that boy. >> good thing it was a marshmallow. >> let's get a check of the top stories -- the weather. we heard the top stories. i had marshmallow on the brain. >> where's the stay puft marshmallow man when you need him? we have friends here. where are you from? >> arlington, texas. >> this woman told me, it's our wedding anniversary. >> it is. >> they have fun in arlington. >> you want to wish your grandkids -- >> and i lost my voice. >> it's a good time with you three hanging out. grandma wishes you a happy day. it's you two? oh, you two! so confused. she's got a t-shirt that says "keep austin weird." you need to move to austin.

let's check your weather. our pick city today, bloomfield, west virginia. rain and snowshowers. look at the clipper bringing snow through west virginia. we're looking at rain in the pacific northwest. showers ending in southern california. beautiful day in new england. a little on the chilly side. sunshine through the plains into texas. rain in southern texas. look for showers around the big island of hawaii today. >> good morning. we will see a mix of rain and snow develop. it will change over to light snow by the evening commute

that's your latest weather. now back to ms. curry. >> coming up, are singles penalized in america? that's one of the issues the professionals will be talking about com coming up after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪

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well, no one can understand you. ♪ new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation from [ babbling ] ...covergirl. that's what i'm talking about. see? what did you just say? i'm looking for some "beeza-beeza-vuza-vuza." so it doesn't come down to this. hey, i need a card & some chocolates. cards are in aisle 5... candy's in aisle 74. why wouldn't you just put them together? a little exercise wouldn't hurt you. [ beep ] just go to walgreens. [ female announcer ] you'll find short lines, great parking and valentine's day favorites... like hallmark cards & gifts... premium chocolates like lindt lindor truffles... fragrances, even fresh flowers. shopping. simplified. with walgreens...there's a way. back now with today's professionals. we're joined as always by star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman. they have interesting opinions

we hope on the hot headlines of the day. who saw the super bowl? who saw what happened after the super bowl? tom brady and his wife, the supermodel gisele bundchen, were walking out of of the stadium and were confronted by hecklers, giants fans. here's what happened. >> eli owns your husband! >> my husband cannot throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. >> she basically said how is he supposed to throw the blanking ball and catch it at the same time referring to the dropped passes late in the game? how did mrs. tom brady handle this? >> very poorly. mr. tom brady could not have been happy. tom brady said, i will throw to my receive rs any day of the week and the receivers aren't the ones who threw the ball for intentional grounding, safety,

interception. she stood for her man but she looked like a fool and made him look like a back. >> when you're the quarterback you reap the benefits of the win and take the burden of the losses. >> and spouses should not be in somebody else's profession. this was a classic case of a spouse commenting on a partner's work performance. now, listen, she should have been a classier act, pretended she didn't hear it and also brushed her hair. >> the pray for tommy, i didn't like that. there are other things to pray for. >> that didn't bother me. but one thing a heckler wants is to get under your skin. the thing you can't allow to happen is let them under your skin. >> i loved it when somebody yelled "eli rules." i completely believed. >> and now to single in america.

it is believed that unmarried people pay more for car churns, health insurance and they don't get the same tax braex married couples do. is there singles discrimination? >> there is from a tax basis, absolutely. if you file as a married couple you get a better tax rate than single people. i think going out socially and in the work place, not. but it's economically true. >> as someone who's been married and single -- >> several times. >> i felt when i was single, dealing with corporations, i'm not saying they weren't giving me business, why is this guy single? there's less stability. something i felt. sometimes i had to answer for why i was single. on the flip side for young people, single is a benefit not because they work around the clock. >> they have no responsibilities of home. >> cuts both ways. >> with meredith here earlier we used to have the discussion all the time on "the view."

meredith was a working mom. we had to make sure our spring break was around her kids' spring break. >> that's just reality. >> why is it? >> i'm being honest with you. meredith and i talked about it. >> married people can hijack. >> i had to work around my friends' kid cans' li -- kids' lives. that's reality. >> maybe i didn't want to break in march. >> if you're single you stay at work longer, the less you see people and you become a news nun. >> this ad that ran during the super bowl, get back to the super bowl it was for chrysler. it was all about the tough times detroit has seen and the fact that there is a rebirth there. it was voiced by clint eastwood. here's a listen. >> people are out of work and they're hurting. they're all wondering what they're going to do to make a comeback. we're all scared because this

isn't a game. the people of detroit know a little something about this. they almost lost everything. but we all pulled together. now motor city is fighting again. >> i think a lot of people liked the ad. then came the criticism that this is more than a car commercial. this is a campaign ad for barack obama thinly disguised. what do we think about it? >> if, in fact, the country is coming back and it benefits this administration, then they reap the benefit. >> the republicans should be quiet. by saying this is a barack obama ad you're saying america the beautiful, america is on its way back. so basically chrysler was so smart. i don't think in their mind they said we'll do a pro obama ad. they were doing a comeback ad and the republicans are looking like fools. >> i grew up in indiana.

detroit, ft. wayne and the whole beltway, i think a lot of people have felt the mid western pain. as a mid western girl i thought it was about our spirit. i didn't see this as political at all. when the talk started 72 hours afterward i was stunned. >> by the way, barack did make the move to save the auto industry. like him or not. >> did you hear the same talk? >> it was so smart. it wasn't buy america. it was about detroit. >> anything that's rah-rah us is a good thing. >> great ad, by the way. >> let's switch gears. let's talk about new findings in the great spanking debate. who's spanked as a child? >> i was. >> hair brush once. >> i was. >> as an adult? >> last night? >> two decades worth of research prove spanking doesn't change a child's behavior for the better.

it increases aggression. >> i'm stunned that we keep talking about this every 18 to 24 months over and over again. >> parents have a dilemma about this. >> we know it invites aggression. kids don't learn from it and violence begets violence. there is no win in spanking your kids. >> parents should do what they think is right. having said it, i would not spank my child. sometimes i will do the squeesz of the hand if they're out of line. i'm very -- parent this way. parents need to parent this way. a touch on the tush -- >> oh, donny. >> that's not my style. >> what about people who say, i turned out okay. >> i did, but i learned more in the last 20 years. i have learned ways to get my frustration out that doesn't include spanking. i don't know that i would spank. >> on the flip side we are too

johnny did something horrible. ooh, a one minute timeout. spanking is one thing but we could have gone too far in the other direction. >> i think even parents against spanking will admit they have done a pat on the fanny or said, listen to me, and grabbed by the arm. spanking is just a no win. >> spanking wasn't the way to discipline me. sending me to my room was a better way. >> look how she turned out. >> donny deutsch, star jones, dr. nancy snyderman. good to see you. up next, a look at remarkable celebrity homes that are now on the market right after this. capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card.

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made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. we're back now at 8:22. this morning on today's real estate the celebrity housing market. when a star puts his or her home on the market it's a chance for the curious to get a glimpse into the lavish details that come with those eye-popping price tags. ba basha the idea is that you can sell your home for more, right? how much more does the value go up because you own the home? >> 5% to 10%. everybody loves to brag that they bought the house the celebrity owned. >> but? >> celebrities never get a good deal. if anyone spots a celebrity looking at their home gets tough

on the price. they know they're rich and don't give them a break. >> we have a house that was once owned by scarlett johansson and ryan reynolds. >> this is an amazing house. a little over six months ago after filing for divorce they put their house on the market. it's just on the other side of the hollywood freeway. the house is all about the outside. it's a party house. it has two bedrooms, three baths, 2835 square feet big. >> beautiful. >> it's a classic mid century home. great lighting on the house on half an acre with unobstructed views from downtown all the way to the ocean while you swim in the pool. there are walls of glass, a flat grassy yard, oversized salt water pool. outdoor bath and the couple reportedly paid only $2.9 million when they purchased the home. that's only four years ago. they hope to make a sizable half a million profit. >> chances? >> chances are good. this is a sweet spot.

it's one of the best streets. >> christina aguilera, one of the judges from "the voice" selling a pink mansion in beverly hills. it was owned by another musician before her? >> definitely. it was owned by ozzy and sharon osbourne. she bought it for $11.5 million five years ago. it's a mediterranean house which is popular there. the hedges have been grown forever to make it look important. anyone could make a great entrance on this stairway. you don't even have to be a movie star. look at the dining room. the extra rooms include a gift wrapping room, movie room, beauty salon and the kitchen is. >> reporter:y. it has pop culture over the triple fireplace in the corner. >> whoopie goldberg has a house for sale as well.

>> not that fancy. comes with 745 acres of grass to cut, cows to feed and rolling hills. it was built in 1790. she did a renovation on it eight years ago. very traditional. >> we have been hearing a lot about new england patriots quarterback tom brady. he has a boston penthouse on the market. >> everybody's focused on the new house he's building in los angeles for a whopping $20 million. he also has a stunning home in boston on one of the best street there is. he bought the mansion for $6.2 million and developed it, the wise guy he is. he's a smart businessman. he put in four condo units and moved into the top of the house. it has a huge floor plan. the main rooms on the top floor over look beacon street and runs the full width of the house. entertainment room, media room. everything a rich guy wants in a

townhouse in boston. >> the rest of us can dream. >> it's fun to peek. >> you gave us a peek this morning. thank you so much. barbara corcoran. speaking of stars we have denzel >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's check the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> many of the earlier accidents have been cleared, but we still dealing with one on eastbound 32 at frederick road. shlaes anticipating on eastbound i-70 towards 29. if you travel on the outer loop for the book and seventh, heavy approaching 795 all the way to wilkens. disabled vehicle adding to his delays already in place. inner loop of providence road, watching an accident because in

a bid to buy back up there. back up from greenspring towards the j.f.x. towards southbound. not too bad once you get to coldspring. fairmount road and the towson region, we are tracking an accident. delays on the j.f.x. around 21 mi. per our southbound. in the white marsh area, a pretty nice. once you get close to the 8 and 5 split, that is when delays start to prop up. you can see going away from us on the elderly, holding out of the north side delays, and inner loop, watch for the accident off to the side. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> you probably heard there is snow in the forecast for today. radar is showing snow in the clouds. more significant step near the pennsylvania line and out to the west. that will eventually creep in later this morning and this afternoon. it will take awhile for the stuff to make it all away to the

surface. 37 degrees with cloudy skies. northeast winds at 7 miles per hour. snow and rain to the south. mostly cloudy this morning, best chance for snow this afternoon. chance for snow this afternoon. >> thank you for

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8:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 8th day of february 2012. our crowd is enjoying a little bit of a chilly morning here in rockefeller plaza. we're glad to have them here waving at friends and family back home. meantime, including lenny. he's still out there with us. meantime we have a movie star in our studio. >> one of the biggest.

denzel washington is in the studio now. he's got a brand new movie out called "safehouse." you know "the artist"? nothing like that. absolutely nothing. but "the artist" -- someone dies every five minutes. he plays a cia rogue operative. >> also ahead, valentine's day is looming. coming up, a lot of people looking for love. we'll tell you about a search that leads many to the internet. coming up, some of the more unique websites that are out there catering to rather specific crowds. >> all right. >> okay. and on today's money 911 we have our panel of experts ready to answer your questions, everything from what do you do with multiple 401(k)s or when to change your auto insurance if you have an older car. >> all right. first before that let's get a check of the weather. >> absolutely. >> i like that idea. let's show you what's happening.

it's on the nippy side in the northeast. we have light snow moving through the ohio river valley into the midatlantic states. wet in the pacific northwest. snowshowers in the rockies. mild through the southwest tomorrow with lingering showers and snowshowers in the rockies. rain in central texas. up and down the eastern seaboard we have gorgeous weather. hit or miss thunderstorms around southern florida and the bahamas. we have snowshowers around the central great lakes. >> good morning. we will see a mix of rain and snow develop this afternoon at will turn over toeather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online.

now down to captiva, florida, to say hello to uncle willy. >> oh, how sweet it is. south seas island resort in lovely florida. one of the prettiest places in the world. i'm sorry. i'd invite you for a boat ride but my yacht is being repaired. happy birthday from stuckmucker. that's all i carry on my yacht. manly stanley sorenson of south range, wisconsin. all kinds of activities in his life, especially his church. attributes his longevity to the good lord. you cannot beat that faith in god. how sweet it is. leola allmond from richmonday, virginia. 106. loves to cook, sew and do kroz word puzzles. o florence hatz of palm beach,

florida. she's 104. she's won so many awards and good things in her life for playing bridge. that's a game of great skills and brains. things i'm short on. antonio hernandez. he's from harlingen, texas. the confederate air force. did you know we had one? enjoys boxing and te kwquila. what a man. here's rose, that's a pretty name. rose greenfield of palm beach gardens, florida. 101 years old. a lovely champion bridge player. so many people play bridge. it's a great game of skill. lester trubey of union city, michigan. he's 104. lives independently and attributes his longevity to his wonderful wife. been with her 72 years.

the "today" show is 60. how about that? they were practically newlyweds when we started. back to new york. >> thank you, commodore. >> thank you so much. >> do you know what happened ten years ago today? >> i know. it says right here. we had an opening ceremony in salt lake city for the big olympic games. >> right. >> and the cauldron was lit by the hockey team. >> the 1980 hockey team. we have only 170 more days before the opening ceremonies for the summer olympics in london. >> get cracking! >> i like the summer part. and they are right here on the networks of nbc. >> meantime who's coming up? >> i have a feeling i know. >> denzel washington. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:37 with two-time oscar winner denzel washington. he's a force to be reckoned with in his newest movie "safehouse." he plays the cia's most notorious traitor who's eluded capture for decades. >> that house was a location. they were invited. someone told them, matthew. think about it. someone you know. so you better ask yourself, can you trust your landlord? forget me. they're going to focus on you. they will try to make a connection between you and i so if this goes wrong they will have something to fall back on in their little senate hearings. i'm not your only enemy tonight. >> denzel, welcome back. good to see you. >> thank you. >> the producer and director pitch you the product and the way the story goes, you got up and said, we'll do this and you walked out. it was that quick. >> uh, not quite. >> you had to be convinced? >> the young director, daniel

espinoza. maybe i had already seen his movies. first i said, let me see this kid's movie. he did a movie called "easy money." it was brilliant. then i met him. 32 years old. father fought in the revolution in chile. raised in chile, africa, stockholm. a unique background and a great young film maker. >> this guy, tobin frost, is the most notorious in the cia's history for the last several decades. he's emotionless. >> sos i don't path. >> no kxs. pure will you a mercenary out to win and defeat everybody. how do you go about a guy like that? >> i tested it. i read this book called "the sociopath next door." it was the bible i related to. the traits of a sociopath, no conscience, no sense of remorse, usually athiest.

always want to win, dominant and win in different ways. >> winning even when it comes to a conversation. if you're engaged in a conversation you want to win the conversation. you want to defeat me. >> he's about to get water boarded and he's telling the guy he brought the wrong towels. >> i understand you wrote something about winning on the strict. >> every day. >> what did you write? >> how am i going to win today? there is a scene in the football stadium. he starts yelling and screaming like a little girl. oh, he's going to kill me! two seconds later he's killed people. >> as accomplished an actor you are, that us fo cusses you on a daily basis? that word or phrase? >> i'm from the theater. i'm building a character, developing a character. someone says you're a bad guy, i say, i don't know what that means. do i twist my mustache? i have to develop a character. or they call it an action or thriller. that's for someone else to name

it after the fact. all i can do is develop the character. ryan reynolds was here on tuesday. i asked him about working opposite the intensity you bring to every scene. some of the things, simple dialogue, he said it gives you sun burn. he literally is like being in acting school. it's incredible to work with someone like that. he's a legend, one of the best living working actors we have today. why did you think he was good for the part? >> he brings a natural innocence to it and he's a tough guy. he did rugged fight scenes. those things are unbelievable. >> i know you got a black eye during filming. the way he tells the story you said something that pissed him off. >> is that what he said? >> not exactly. >> where's he from? i'm from new york. you know that didn't happen. what happened is i'm handcuffed when i'm breaking through the car. i reach over his head to try to choke him. we're going 100 miles an hour.

as i reach forward he got whipped back, hit me in the eye. >> he said he turned around and saw a mouse under your eye and your look was like, yep, you gave denzel a black eye. >> i was acting. >> there is a big body count in this. necessary? >> it's rated r. it is what it is. it's an intense film. it's not a comedy. >> one of the last times you were here you were on broadway in "fences". >> with viola davis. >> she's nominated for an academy award. do you miss that? is that something you would like to do -- two pictures and get back on broadway? you say you're a theater actor. >> i'm doing three or four things. i love the theater. i'm talking with kenny leon now about another play. i'm producing a film that will start shooting in april or may. i love directing and i like acting. >> you like your finger in a lot of things.

and i don't want to make the screen writer sound like he or she didn't do a good job but you thought it was a work in progress. >> right. >> you spent a lot of time. >> six months. >> is that something that you have license to do at this stage of your career? >> i have always done it with my character. i have been helping to develop scripts for a long time. >> and you like the collaboration side of things? >> i do. it's a window into the character i'm playing. >> this is a thrill ride from the opening sequence to the end. denzel, good to have you here. >> my pleasure. >> good to see you. "safehouse" from our sister company universal pictures opens friday. up next, online dating. some of the more unusual options. first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: today's relationships is brought to you by hershey's bar air delight. what make as hershey's bar pure in pure, delicious hershey's chocolate. >> back now at 8:45. this morning on today's relationships, the business of dating. whether it's a website, professional matchmaker or app, there are more options than ever for those looking for love. they don't have to play the dating game. we have national correspondent amy robach who's taken a closer look at ways people are playing cupid these days. >> that's right. it's an industry approaching $2 billion a year in revenue fuelled by 30 million people who have taken the search for romance online. a big chunk of that has come to be known as niche dating. once we counted on finding a mate at church, at work, at happy hour. online dating has changed that and connected people who

wouldn't have met any other way. tempted by trekkies? fantasize about farmers? maybe you're an adulterer. there are plenty of those online. or maybe you're into riding. >> horses are my passion. >> reporter: in north oak, california, valerie keeps lucy and shadow. >> i have dated outside of the realm of horse owners and they don't get it. >> reporter: she wants a man who shares her passion. so she turned to equestrian singles.com. today, valerie is going on a first date with john paulson who is excited about meeting a boots-wearing, ranch-loving woman like her. >> great to meet you. >> nice meeting you. i love your hair. >> thank you. are you ready for a ride? i love your blue eyes. >> thank you. >> reporter: of the hundred top dating sites more than half target narrow interests. no one knows how many niche sites there are. they can spring up and disappear

overnight. the fastest growing group of online daters is boomers. >> really involved, scary. >> yeah. i moved my dog in. >> reporter: aging boomers jack daniel and hannah hogan have no plans for a quiet retirement. they met through -- where else? bikerkiss.com. >> much better to go on a niche site. a lot less work sorting through thousands of people. why not narrow it down? >> i see ourselves having a lot of fun until the day i die. i'm so connected with this girl it's unreal. if i was to order something from god it would be this girl. >> reporter: valerie and john's date didn't have quite the same result. they share a love of horses. just not enough human chemistry. >> we're now riding into the sun

set. >> yes, indeed. >> reporter: there are a hundred million singles in the u.s. and, for now, these two will remain among them. unfortunately no luck there for john and valerie, but there's been a change in how daters connect and a the internet may soon become the most used way to find a mate leaving millions of daters hoping luck might be, ann, just a click away. >> very cute. listen, there has been a sig ma attached to dating online with so many people now using online sites to date. what's happened to that stigma? >> it's melting away. if you think of the numbers. 30 million online daters now out of 100 million singles in mrk. a third of all people go online to find their mate. the stigma is quickly eroding. one of the fastest growing generations of people online dating, 55 and older. >> what stood out for you as you watched the process?

>> what was interesting is the science that goes into some of the websites, the algorithms. match.com, e-harmony hire mathematicians, scientists, and put together what they call the secret sauce where they know exactly what you want, what you say you want and what you actually want when you go online. you have an algorithm formulated to find that person. they can't predict love but they say they can predict like. then you have the opportunity to find love through like. >> good to know there is science behind this. amy, thank you so much. see more of the full report, love at first byte, the secret science of online dating, tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on cnbc. and we'll talk about the struggling housing market. first, this is "today" on nbc.

president kennedy created the peace corps more than 50 years ago. through the years some 200,000 volunteers have lent a helping hand in 139 countries. >> that's right. vanity fair special correspondent maureen orr launched peacecorps postcards.com to share videos of the work being done around the world. good morning. >> good morning. >> this has been a particular passion for you for as long as i

have known you you have talked about the peace corps. >> right. i was a peace corps volunteer in colombia when i turned 21. it was the most enriching and important experience for me to stay with me throughout my life. you're serving your country. you're learning a new culture and language and these people i made friends with who were so different than i was and am have stayed my friends throughout life. >> the idea behind peace corps postcards is that to keep the message out there, afraid it was being lost in the information age? >> i think so. the peace corps today is very modern. it's in 75 countries with 9,000 volunteers and a huge waiting list. it's amazing. i was just in china and saw these amazing volunteers doing beautiful work. it is such a great program. the peace corps is worth five hours in iraq.

its budget is less than military marching bands but the presence it has and the friends it makes for us abroad and the way people learn from it and it gives back i think needs to be out there. >> when we think about china you think beijing and modern cities, but there are a lot of rural areas that the peace corps is needed in. >> that's right. we went to -- three and a half hours by air southwest of beijing and saw wonderful volunteers who were all there to teach english at the university level but then they have all these secondary programs and so they are teaching glee club and shakespeare and, you know, the american prom and cooking clubs. these kids are the first kids in all the cities that have a million people in there we don't know exist. these are the first foreign rs they meet. >> how do they react to the glee club or the american prom?

>> oh, my god. they love it. they really get into it. there is such a curiosity about western life and culture. they never get to meet real americans. this is an opportunity for them to see that it's not like what reality tv might be that they would see. >> thank goodness. >> your being in the peace corps was an opportunity for you to become a volunteer in so many great charities. thank you. >> you know, i still have my schools. >> thank you, maureen.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara harford county sheriffs are investigating a serious accident between a school bus and a car. police responded to philadelphia road in abingdon just before 9:00 wednesday morning.

both drivers are said to be ok, but the car passenger is listed in critical condition in shock trauma.

>> weather system, and in, likely a snowmaker. snow and ray to the south. 37 to 43. how much snow? around baltimore, an inch or less. to the north, wanted to three