good morning. balt for the base. the gop presidential candidates face some of the most influential conservative voices in the country today, a meeting that could impact the future of the campaign. this morning rick santorum speaks out in a live interview. final moments. chilling details on what josh powell said to his young sons just before he killed them, as we learn about disturbing images found on his computer and his long history of violence. and is this really a woolly mammoth walking among us? we'll let you decide for yourself, friday, february 10,

we'll let you decide for yourself, friday, february 10, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this friday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm lester holt in for math th matt this morning. one of the issues in the gop race is who can attract the conservative voters. mitt romney has struggled time and again with this. >> today he makes his case at the political action conference. this as a new nationwide survey shows rick santorum is moving up in the polls as the race moves closer to super tuesday. we'll be talking to rick santorum live coming up. >> also, new developments at the murder trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend. what a witness said he saw

george huguely going to yeardley love when he walked in on the couple during a violent confrontation two months before her death. >> on a happier story on this friday morning we have a great one. we'll meet two sisters who decided to step in when their other sister would told she could not carry a baby. they both agreed to be surrogates and now they are both pregnant due within months of each other. we begin with candidates in the gop presidential race addressing the conservative base today. nbc's kelly o'donnell is in tulsa, oklahoma, where rick santorum campaigned on thursday. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. i'm starting off in one of the super tuesday states where interest is getting so high that a few thousand people came to see rick santorum here inside this arena at oral roberts university. 13,000 watched it live streamed online. there is a big thing happening in washington in conservative circles. you could say this is game day

where e three of the four presidential candidates will be appearing on the same stage. >> always fabulous. thank you for the welcome. >> reporter: oh, what a difference a year makes. today, mitt romney really needs the kind of warm reception he got in 2011 at the influential conference called cpac, but the mood and the stakes are different now. romney faces some of his toughest critics, conservatives who at this point have made a determined effort to keep him from locking up the nomination. romney on fox news thursday night. >> i have a record of being a strong conservative on the issues that matter. i will point that out when i'm together with my friends at cpac. >> reporter: aides say he will focus on the president and not the slugfest. >> governor romney has been tearing down opponents without offering a vision for the country. >> reporter: rick santorum, fresh off his three wins and his largest crowd.

about 4,000 at oral roberts university. a christian school where santorum pounded away again at the white house for its battle over contraception coverage with the church. >> it's the catholic church. but it's the catholic church first. it won't be the last if they get away with it. >> reporter: newt gingrich who has had a quiet campaign week will be on stage today at the conference, too. aides say he will claim to be the only candidate for big change. at the conference the republican party stars are, in essence, competing to outdo each other taking apart president obama. from florida senator marco rubio. >> the president looks like a really good father, a really good husband, but he is a terrible president. >> reporter: to those former candidates who gave the primary season a fleeting spark. >> which is why barack obama cannot have a second term as

president. [ cheers and applause ] >> he says on tv, and i quote, i deserve another term. for what? >> if it's halftime in america, i'm fearful of what the final score will be if we let this president start the second half as the quarterback. >> reporter: when governor rick perry dropped out he endorsed newt gingrich. gingrich's aides say he will be laying out policy ideas today, almost like a state of the union sort of list of things he would do if elected. this is also a key time for fundraising with all of the attention and santorum's campaign tells us he raised $2.2 million in two dais as all this new attention is coming his way. ann? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you so much. rick santorum is now joining us from capitol hill. senator, good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> there is a sense you're finally getting your due, gaining momentum after the three-state sweep and a new

gallup poll released thursday shows you're tied with newt gingrich nationwide. what do you want to say about the excitement this is generating? we heard kelly talk about the money. does she have that right? how much more do you expect? >> we'd love it to keep up at this pace. it's been about $1 million a day which is terrific. we're saying the same message we have been saying for months. this is the most important election in the history of our country, an election about whether we are going to with a country that believes in foundational freedom, that we'll build a great country from the bottom up or with an elite from the top down telling us what to do. >> on thursday you said mitt romney's campaign has been serially tearing down opponents without offering any kind of vision for what he wants to do for this country. i have to ask. if you look at what's happened so far for the republican nomination, it is clear that negative campaigning generates

votes. the question is if history is a guide, aren't you going to now have to go negative? will you commit that you and your pacs will not or are you going to have to now? >> i have talked about the issues. the speeches i give, i try to give a vision for america, what i believe is in the best interest of our country with limited government and reducing the size and scale of washington and promoting the basic values that i think of hard work, giving people opportunity -- >> i'm sorry to interrupt, but i'm asking whether or not you will go negative. >> as i said -- >> have you decided you absolutely will not? can you commit to that now or will you have to? do you want the nomination enough to do that if you have to? >> if you mean negative by personally questioning their personal or business or -- no. i'm going to talk about the issues. i'm going to talk about my record, my vision for the

country. i will talk about governor romney's record and barack obama's record and vision for the country. this should be about the issues, about what people care about at home. they don't care where you made money and how you made that money as long as you didn't do anything illegal, unethical. they are focused on how you will help them make money, provide for themselves and the family and build stronger communities in america. >> you're clearly animated when you talk about this. are you prepared to commit to not going negative? can you answer that question yes or no? >> if you mean going negative against someone in a personal way, absolutely not. we will talk about the issues. i think governor romney and barack obama's record, which on a lot of issues are the same, are negative in what they have done to this country and the state of massachusetts. i will certainly point that out as i have throughout the course of the campaign. we'll talk about things americans care about that affect them, not this back and forth we have seen in the race so far. >> one of the things you were asked last night on cnn as an

issue americans care about is the pentagon's plan to allow women to serve in combat roles. you have concerns about aptd you said, quote, it could be a very compromising situation where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved. what do you mean by that? do you want to take another crack at that? >> well, no, exactly what i said. when you have men and women together in combat, i think men have emotions when you see a woman in harm's way. i think it's natural. it's very much in our culture to be protective. that was my concern. i think that's a concern with all of the militaries. the israeli military has women in a lot of roles but don't allow them in combat because of the natural inclination to not focus on the mission but be in a position to protect someone

because that's something that's natural within our culture. >> some people might listen to the quote and think you meant that you were concerned about women being emotional. >> oh, no. that's not the issue. i have talked about this issue a lot. i have never raised that as a concern. no. the issue is certainly one that's been talked about for a long, long time is how men would react to seeing women in harm's way or potentially being in a vulnerable position and not be concerned about accomplishing the mission. >> i see. right. i hope it's okay to ask how your 3-year-old daughter is doing. i know she was hospitalized with pneumonia. >> well, she's doing great. i was with her last night. i hadn't been with her since i left her in the hospital. she was on the mend when i left. it was so great to be home last night and get a chance to spend a lot of time with her and the rest of the kids. this has been a wellspring of refreshment on the campaign for me. >> we wish her well. >> thank you.

>> by the way, senator santorum will be a guest on "meet the press" sunday along with new white house chief of staff jacob lew. >> now to the other top stories of the morning from tamron hall at the news desk while natalie is on assignment. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. violence is escalating in syria as two explosions slammed syria's largest city for the first time since the start of a popular uprising. syrian state tv said military and security buildings were targeted killing at least 25 people and wounding at least 175 others. meantime tanks are surrounding homs cutting off and bombarding civilians as food, water and medical supplies run critically low. new details in the murder-suicide of josh powell and his two young sons. powell told his 7-year-old son charlie that he had a big surprise for him just before attacking him and setting the house on fire. this according to ithe social

worker sent to supervise the visit. she heard the younger boy, braden, crying as she was blocked from entering the home. officials say a computer in powell's home was found to have pornographic images that led a psychologist to recommend he undergo a psycho sexual evaluation. the marine corps said it does not plan to discipline marine snipers seen posing in afghanistan with a logo similar to one used by the nazi party during world war ii. the photos were taken in 2010 and surfaced on a blog. the marine corps said the group believed the ss logo was a nod to sniper scouts, not a symbol of hitler's special death squad. now to the settlement over foreclosure abuses. let's check in with mandy drury

at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning. president obama says the settlement will speed up relief for the hardest hit homeowners. that's about 2 million in this country, by reducing the principal and refinancing loans. it does not mean homeowners who lost homes to foreclosure will get them back. the other sticking point is if your loan is held by fannie mae or freddie mac that's half of all mortgages held. it doesn't apply to you either. the bottom line here is with the settlement the hope is it will stop the housing market from backsliding further. time will tell whether or not it works. back to you. >> thank you. this video may have you worried that we are headed into an ice age. a government engineer caught this supposed woolly mammoth on tape in siberia. but they have been extinct for 10,000 years. skeptics say it's just a bear with a fish in its mouth or clever video editing.

hmm. it's now 7:13. now back to ann, lester and al. let me toss this into the pot. a japanese researchers, they have discussed cloning the woolly mammoth. so riddle me this, batman -- >> ooh! >> it's from cloning. i'm convinced! >> just after this was taken he tripped on the loch ness monster. >> you can tell it's a fish. look close up. there's a separation. >> road trip! >> yay! let's go to siberia, ladies and gentlemen. i don't think so. let's let somebody else check it out. meantime a check of the weather. >> we have our own bit of siberia coming. finally getting some winter. lake effect snows for the great lakes. arctic air pushing in from canada. by tonight we are going to have the front push through. these low pressure systems will be developing, strengthening,

former and frigid air slides south -- my grandmother had a frigidaire. that air will set up. we are talking generally three to four inches of snow. locally, 12 inches in northern indiana and heavier amounts in northern new england. for the most part, we are looking at one to three, maybe two to four inches of snow through tomorrow into tomorrow night. >> good morning. we expect some rain and snow tonight. ahead of that, the weather should be fine. the clouds will thicken up.

and that's your latest weather. lester? >> al, thanks. it's happened again according to the cdc for the fifth time this year a cruise ship has returned to port early because so many passengers became violently ill. kerry sanders is in ft. lauderdale this morning for us. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, lester. the crown princess has returned to port everglades here two days early. this is the second time now it has had to return to port with passengers on board complaining about their symptoms. authorities believe they were hit with something called the norovirus. the symptoms are painful stomachaches and the inability to keep anything down. it was supposed to be an escape from the rat race, but ill passengers say it was nothing close to paradise. >> it's been a nightmare. we lost two full days of our cruise. we spent thousands of dollars

for this cruise to stay in my room vomiting, diarrhea. >> reporter: the crown princess was sanitized six days ago after the cdc alerted what they called a code red. 289 passengers and crew members hit with the virus. but despite the cleanup, the crown princess on its next voyage returned two days early with more passengers getting sick. this as another ship, the ruby princess, was also hit. 105 passengers and crew too ill to leave their cabins. >> i did get sick. i was confined to my room and i felt like i was in prison. >> reporter: princess says the first first sign of the spreading illness we immediately initiated additional enhanced sanitation procedures to interrupt the person-to-person spread of the virus. norovirus, as seen under the microscope, lives in moisture like the natural oils in the

palm of your hand. medical experts say it's easily passed in close quarters like a ship where people touch the same railings. the average person touches their face 16 times every waking hour, making it very easy, say doctors, to infect through the mouth or eyes. nbc's dr. nancy snyderman says noro is a particularly pesky virus to quarantine and eliminate. >> the really sort of frightening part in this is that even after you have had it and you're feeling better you can still pass the virus on. >> reporter: it's not just cruise ships. in new jersey, more than 140 students at rider university and at princeton were rushed to the hospital, complaining about norovirus's cruel symptoms. >> our friend was in the hospital last night. she was throwing up a lot. it was bad. >> reporter: now if you're about to take a cruise and you're worried that your trip could be ruined you can purchase trip interruption insurance. here's the catch.

you have to get off the ship at one of the ports and fly home. of course if you're hit with the norovirus probably the last thing you want to do is leave your cabin. in this case, princess not only apologized to the passengers, they have refunded their money for the tickets and given them discounts on future travel. of course the one thing that has passengers upset is what one thing nobody can accommodate them on, getting more time from work. >> kerry sanders, thank you very much. it's 7:19. here's ann. witnesses at the trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend have described what they say was a pattern of violence in the couple's relationship. we have the latest from charlesville on this. mike, good morning. >> reporter: the first full day of testimony in the yeardley love trial turned lurid with stories of betrayal and excessive drinking, all leading

to a tragic end. george huguely and mike burns were rivals on the lacrosse field and for the affection of yeardley love. burns testified while visiting friends at the university of virginia little more than two months before love's death he heard a woman's voice calling, help me. running into huguely's apartment burns saw huguely and love in a physical confrontation. demonstrating in court how huguely, on trial for murder, was choking love from behind. he testified, in all honesty, his hand was around her neck. the twist, burns was also romantically linked to love, testifying he had, quote, hooked up with her off and on since their first encounter in may, 2008. burns was a lacrosse player, but not for virginia. he played at the university of north carolina, a league rival. after burns surprised the pair he testified huguely released love who ran from the room. witnesses described her as distraught. her face looked like it might be

freaked out. the lawyers argue the killing was not intentional. >> it's a difficult case for the defendant because he's admitted key facts, being in the room, touching her, having an altercation that turned physical. >> stephanie alaj testified that she was affectionate with huguely including one night less than a week before love's death. earlier that night friends testified there was another altercation between huguely and love after love found him and a friend sitting in his room with two female high school seniors there visiting campus as recruits for the softball team. a witness testified love began beating him in the head with her purse. legal experts say the volatile nature of the relationship could hurt huguely's defense. >> this relationship was marked by violence, abuse, verbal and physical, lots of fights. that hurts the defense. it's not a typical relationship. you know, people have problems, but they don't go around choking

each other usually. >> reporter: days before she died the prosecution says love got a threatening e-mail from huguely. molly mallard who was with love when she got the message broke down on the stand recounting the moment love read the e-mail out loud. i should have killed you, it read. when you add alcohol to the mix it becomes more volatile. friends testified that by the time of love's death george huguely was getting drunk some four times a week. they planned an intervention after the lacrosse season. ann? >> mike, thank you for your reporting on the story. just ahead, a woman with two sisters, both carrying her babies. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, josh powell's chilling final words to his sons and the disturbing videos found on his computer.

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♪ >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. health officials at towson university are exploring the possibility of placing plan b emergency contraceptives in vending machines on the school campus. this comes on the heels of a

university doing the same this week. towson officials say lots of details need to be worked out, including how to fund e the initiativeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeee. >> we are attracting an overturned vehicle. gunpowder road, lane blockages possible in that area. inner loop at loch raven boulevard, blocking the ramp to loch raven. another one at walther ave. 27 miles per hour on the west side outer loop towards baltimore national pike. if you want to head east on i- 70, you are looking at delays. let's switch over to a live view of traffic in the area of padonia. coming to is this is northbound traffic. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11.

>> you can see sunshine on the traffic cameras. things will change once we get into tonight. don't expect any trouble during the day. 26 in parkton. 28 degrees in jarrettsville. forecast for today, mr. of sunshine and clouds. it will be cloudy late in the afternoon. we will get through the evening commute dry. overnight, we will see a mixture of light rain and snow developing. off and on all day. we should wind up with an inch or two of accumulation. breezy and cold behind the storm on sunday. it w

7:30 now on a friday morning, the 10th of february 2012. it looks like a lot of people are getting up early to join us this morning and get a jump on their weekend. we're glad they're spending it with us in rockefeller plaza. meantime inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside lester holt who is in for matt this morning. great to have you here. >> fun to be here. >> still ahead, new york city anchor man greg kelly, son of the police commissioner, returned to the air this morning for the first time since being cleared of rape allegations. we'll hear what he's saying

about the case coming up. >> and fashion week is getting into full swing in new york city and drawing attention to an often asked question, are the girls too young and too thin? we'll get more on that and tell you why one group wants models to undergo mandatory screenings for eating disorders. >> that's a new spin on that. later, it's a touching story. two sisters giving the ultimate gift to their other sister. they are each carrying one of her babies after she and her husband had trouble conceiving. we'll meet the gang in a few minutes. >> we have a lot to get to. let's start with the awful story out of washington state where josh powell killed himself and his sons in a house fire. dateline nbc's keith morrison has new information about powell's final days and the warning signs that could have potentially prevented this tragedy. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. the new information is about animated computer sex found on

josh powell's computer from salt lake city involving adults and children. that's why he was ordered to undergo a psycho sexual examination. new details are emerging about the last, determined, careful acts of this man carried out in order to do what he did. the planning, going to extra lengths to ensure it was effective, going to extra trouble to make sure the people who would have stopped him, had they had a chance -- and they will talk to us -- had no opportunity to do so, all bringing to a head a generations-old struggle over religion, sex, abuse and control. here he was last summer. josh powell teaching young charlie and braden how to skip rocks across the surface of the lake, though what was under the surface of the man's own skin was something else. >> he exploded the house.

>> do you know if anyone is in the house? >> yes. there was a man and two children. i just dropped off the children and he wouldn't let me in the door. >> what's troubled me the most is that he brought the kids in, told them he had a surprise for them. somebody heard the kids screaming. >> reporter: now we know how carefully he prepared. the day before, a security camera caught him withdrawing money from his bank. he bought gas cans here and a pack of burners he placed around the house. he gave away the boys' clothes and toys and a witness saw him dumping something secret at this landfill. >> josh didn't plan on being around after that weekend. he had done everything he needed to do to leave this world. >> reporter: six months ago after his father was arrested on child pornography charges josh lost custody to his wife's parents, chuck and judy cox who were given temporary custody. >> my children have never been at harm. >> reporter: as they battled in court is coxs dug up disturbing

information in his parents' divorce records. they learned josh attempted suicide as a teenager, that he threatened his mother with a butcher knife and there was this story. >> there is an incident where josh killed his younger sister lina's hamster by smashing it against the side of the cage. >> reporter: here, four days before the murder-suicide, a judge ordered josh to undergo psychosexual evaluation. >> a further evaluation which includes a polygraph is needed and appropriate. >> reporter: the reason, dateline has learned, is back in 2009, utah police found animated pornography on his computer. >> cartoons in the animation are of adults and kids having sex. when i is say cartoon, i don't mean cartoons in the sense of a fake character that doesn't exist. >> very life like? >> something that's lifelike and looks human. >> reporter: four days after the court appearance there was this.

the ugly counterpoint of the last television interview josh powell ever gave. >> i love my sons more than anything. i put them first. i put my family first. >> reporter: well, after it all, his brother-in-law said the most remarkable thing which was i hope there will not be a charlie and braden law because, he said, this man was so determined to do what he was going to do it would have happened no matter what anybody tried to do to stop him. there will be a memorial service here in the building behind me in this morning drizzle. it will be saturday afternoon and already a very large crowd is expected. . >> keith, thank you. chuck cox is susan powell's father and charlie and braden's grandfather. thank you so much for being here. >> thank you. >> i want to talk about some of the new revelations we heard in the report. let me ask you about the memorial.

i know you moved it to a larger venue. it will be streamed on the internet. you are allowing tv cameras there. why the willingness to make it public? >> well, we have had a great support from many people. it's clear that people all over the world are affected by this horrendous act and care about our grandsons. we want to share with them and allow some other people to have closure on that part of it. so we felt it would be only right to allow other people the ability to grieve and to take part in a memorial service. >> mr. cox, as we heard keith report a moment ago there were disturbing images found on josh's computer, animated depictions of incest between parent and child. i know that only compounds your pain. can you tell me when you found out about that?

>> about two minutes ago, i guess. but when i -- i heard it here. at the court hearing they were not discussing what was on the things they got off his computer. they were being careful about that. i just heard it. >> i'm sorry that you're just learning this for the first time. had you or your attorney known of the existence of these images could that have changed the course of events, especially in terms of visitation rights and arrangements? >> very possibly. it's clear that i believe he should not have been allowed visitation in his own home. it was much too hazardous. >> i know some of his family members are suggesting he was hounded to death by authorities. at the same time those computer images we are talking about apparently led to this order for josh to undergo a psychosexual evaluation.

that would have included a lie detector test. in your opinion, did that send him over the edge into this final horrific act? >> i believe that he understood that there was no way he was going to bluff his way through this, not with the lie detector test on top of the examination and that this was it. the truth was going to come out. >> you know, there's been a lot of scrutiny about what happened on sunday including the time it took for law enforcement officers to respond to the first 911 call prosecufrom the social. is that authorities underestimating what josh was capable of? >> i think everybody underestimated what he was capable of. i could not believe he would have taken a hatchet to his own children. i have known him for quite a

while. i don't think anybody can understand why he did this. and suspected he would have done this. so, yeah. the authorities -- it would have been better if they had better security or had the visitation in a different place. there was just no accounting for this. this is just such a strange twist. >> i know you're going through a painful and difficult time. we appreciate your graciousness and willingness to speak with us. >> thank you. >> you can get much more on the story on a special "dateline: an american tragedy" tonight at 10:00/9:00 central time on nbc. now a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. >> as we look to show you what's going on for the afternoon, temperatures are going to be

dipping way down into the teens and 20s, single digits and in the northern plains, well below zero. we'll p looking at 70s through the southwest, 80s in southern florida. along the coast, sunny skies but showers and thunderstorms in florida. snow out of the midwest into the northeast later today. rain through texas into the gulf coast and heavier rain in the pacific northwest. >> good morning. the clouds will thicken up and of a storm system that will bring us some rain and snow tonight and some snow tomorrow. and that's your latest weather. lester? >> al, thanks.

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it is fashion week in new york city, a chance for designers to show off their clothing lines. nbc's craig melvin is on new york's upper west side. good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. too young and too skinny. those are the complaints that have led to changes here at fashion week. things are supposed to be different this year. some say the guidelines don't go far enough. fashion fans who crowd the catwalks see glitz and glamour. that's not all sarah saw in the 1990s. at age 14. >> the fashion industry is a grown-up business with grown-up pressures and kids shouldn't be subject to that. >> preteen models are making headlines. last month cindy crawford's daughter became the face of versace at ten.

another 10-year-old on the cover of french vogue. >> think of our standard of beauty. not filled into a womanly form. that's prepew besent girls. >> reporter: the group has updated guidelines and recommends an i.d. check to be sure models are at least 16 the day of a show. the council has not changed guidelines addressing skinny models. the industry has been grappling with the issue sins anna karanina's death in 2006. a year later the council encouraged models who may have an eating disorder to get help. the national eating disorders association wants mandatory screenings for models like drug screenings for athletes. >> we know eating disorders, the average onset is in adolescence and young adults. obviously in the modeling

industry a disproportionate number of models are in that demographic. >> one friend of mine was told by her agency to only eat one rice cake a day to keep her weight down and if that didn't work, half a rice cake. this is insane. >> reporter: that's partly why the 29-year-old run as group to improve working conditions for models. she's still a cover girl. new york magazine declared her the norma rae of the runway. there are also new guidelines that ban smoking backstage at shows and also prohibit alcohol backstage as well. one of the complaints is these are guidelines from the council of fashion designers of america and the group doesn't have enforcement power. ann? >> all right. sounds like this will continue. craig, thank you so much. still ahead, did a british tabloid hack the personal voicemails of paul mccartney sent to his ex? what heather mills is saying in court after this.

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welcome back. britain's far-reaching government investigation into phone hacking by newspaper reporters brought out another familiar face -- heather hills, paul mccartney's ex who says former beatle's voicemails to her were hacked. michelle kosinski is in london with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: hi, lester. this testimony continues to be gripping. really contentious. this time mills tells how she realized other ears were listening to her personal voicemails and at least one big name journalist admitted to listening, but denies doing anything illegal. back in 2001 when heather mills and sir paul mccartney were dating heather says they had a fight and that's when she realized something strange was going on. >> turned my phone off because he kept calling all the time. it was very stressful. in the morning when i woke up

there were many messages but they were -- they wouldn't be. but i didn't think much of it. i thought i must have pressed a wrong button. >> reporter: 25 messages from paul begging forgiveness. at one point, yes, singing. ♪ we can work it out >> reporter: it did work. all was well until, mills said, she got a call from a reporter. >> he said, look, heather, we have heard you and paul had an argument. i have just heard a message of him singing on the phone to you, asking for forgiveness. i said, there is no way that you could know that unless you have been listening to my messages and he laughed. >> reporter: five years later when the couple's marriage turned bad and so did the press, in every detail of what ended in a nearly $50 million divorce, piers morgan, now with cnn but once editor of news of the world wrote in an article calling

mills a monster, at one stage i was played a tape of a message paul had left for heather on her mobile phone. it was heart breaking. he sounded lonely, miserable and desperate and even sang "we can work it out" into the answerphone. now the time has come to tell what's right and what's wrong. morgan won't reveal anything about how he heard that message. testifying here in december. >> on the tape of a voicemail message, you didn't think it was unethical? >> it depends on the circumstances in which you're listening to it. in their divorce case paul mccartney stated as a fact she had recorded their conversations and given them to the media. >> reporter: something heather mills denies. >> did you authorize mr. morgan to access your voicemail? >> never. >> reporter: she said she never played her voicemails for anyone or authorized anyone to listen. so far the hacking scandal and the expense of closing news of the world cost more than $250

million. this week they settled the hacking claims of 15 more people. lester? >> michelle kosinski in our london newsroom. thanks. still ahead this morning, two sisters each carrying their other sister's babieses. they have an amazing, touching story after your local news and weather. ♪ get, get up and go ♪ dress up the sun ♪ ooh, 'cause it makes me feel so ♪ ♪ beautiful outside in ♪ there's no hidin' ♪ the look of love, love [ female announcer ] women who eat breakfast, like the special k breakfast, actually weigh less. a closet that feels like a candy store begins with special k. ♪

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to learn about a free trial offer. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check on the morning commute. >> busy for motorists try to get out at falls road. we have an accident involving an overturned vehicle. you will find lane closures at the inner loop at loch raven boulevard due to a disabled vehicle being clear. walter avenue and glyndon avenue, watch for a crash. tracking some delays southbound

on the j.f.x. 18 minutes is your drive time on the outer loop. those delays in place, same thing on the north side outer loop. here is a live view of traffic. 95 out of the northeast. you can see today is from the beltway to its the 895 split. we will switch to 8 live view of greenspring. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> so far so good ahead of the storm we are talking about. weather will be fine during the day. sunshine this morning. 32 at the airport. 26 in taneytown. you might have to scrape frost off of your windshield. mixture of sunshine and clouds. increasing clouds this afternoon. i do believe we should get through the evening commute dry as well. a mixture of rain and snow will develop overnight. during the day on saturday, cold enough for snow.

we should wind up with an inch or two of accumulation by the end of the day. off and on snow showers through the day. windy and cold on sunday. because of the wind it will feel like it is in the teens and 20s. next storm after that on tuesday next storm after that on tuesday

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back now at 8:00 on this friday morning. it's the 10th day of february 2012. and it's a chilly day. 34 degrees outside. the sun is out. we're excited about the weekend coming. we have very nice people saying hi to their families and friends back home. meantime i'm ann curry outside with lester holt. and of course we have al roker. coming up we have a really touching story about tanya and her husband dan wanted to start a family, but they discovered

she couldn't carry a baby. her two sisters decided to act as surrogates and now, guess what? two of them are pregnant. they are both pregnant. >> that's cool. >> they are here to tell us about it. >> popular new york city tv anchor greg kelly, son of the police commissioner is back on the air after being accused and cleared of rape allegations. well eel hear what he had to say coming up. >> on a lighter note, forget about the flowers, the candy, giada de laurentiis says there is nothing better than a romantic dinner for two and she'll show us how to do it. >> that sounds nice. i see the heart-shaped -- >> truffle action there. >> yes. natalie is on assignment. we've got -- >> tamron hall. >> -- inside doing the news for us. >> good morning, everyone. a major announcement likely from the president on the

controversial new contraception rules. nbc's kristin welker has more this morning. >> senior administration officials confirmed for nbc news that it is possible the white house will announce today an acam days ago on the contraception controversy. recently the white house announced they were requiring religious affiliated institutions to provide contraception coverage for all employees. that sparked a backlash from people within the catholic community. also republicans. so today they are going to announce some kind of accommodation on that matter. the white house is insisting they are not backtracking. they say the announcement and whatever they do say today will continue to provide coverage for all women. so that's really the key here. but, again, it looks like there will be a big development out of the white house on this contraception controversy.

>> three of the four republican presidential candidates are appearing today before a major gathering of conservatives in washington. mitt romney, rick santorum and newt gingrich will try to rally support at the conservative political action conference. only ron paul will not speak at the event. the reality tv producer facing trial in mexico for the murder of his wife is pushing to have the charges against him dropped. former "survivor" producer bruce redman was extradited to mexico where he appeared for a preliminary hearing. the tv host son of ray kelly returned to the air this morning after being cleared of a rape accusation. greg kelly didn't address the claim but thanked those who stood by him. >> i'm very grateful for all the support i had at fox 5, the support of my family, friends, those i care about and the viewers of course. >> the manhattan district attorney announced tuesday night

he would not charge kelly who has taken a leave of absence two weeks ago. for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. people are blogging whether a picture of arnold schwarzenegger and sylvester stallone was set up? stallone was waiting in line for the same surgery schwarzenegger just had. and this video has exploded on youtube. more than 50 million hits. ♪ >> maybe now they can afford a second guitar. and the purple squirrel storming the internet with its own twitter account and facebook page. it was caught in a trap. they snapped pics before letting

it go. the squirrel tweeted, i'm free! where can i plug in this phone to keep updating you? the purple squirrel has been eating blueberries or had a fall into a port-a-potty. even snooki saying she wants her own purple squirrel. who doesn't? now back to al. i see your expression. >> that's what happened to the joker. he fell into the vat. it changed him. maybe the same thing here. it could be a super village squirrel. what is thon? >> we raise money for cancer and we're having our annual dance marathon. 46 hours of no sitting or sleeping. >> very nice. are you doing the running man? >> yes! >> all right. we like it. watusi.

7 news, boston, massachusetts, nbc 7. sunny and cool, 48 degrees. it will get much colder in boston and the northeast with light snow. storm system getting together in the south bringing rain there now. that will combine with another system bringing snow along the eastern seaboard. today in the ohio river valley. rain in the pacific northwest. the arctic express coming across the plains bringing cold stuff. we're looking at wet weather through the gulf coast. >> good morning. we expect some rain and snow tonight. ahead of that, the weather should be fine. the clouds will thicken up.

and that's your latest weather. lester? >> al, thanks. up next, a double surprise for sisters who decided to help their other sister start a family. right after this. were going on, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, why se ttle earn points you can use for travel on any airline, for a why se one-note cereal? ♪ more, more, more... get more with honey bunches of oats 4 nutritious grains come together for more taste, more healthy satisfaction. get more with honey bunches of oats.

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truvia. honestly sweet. back now at 8:10. if you have a sister you know there is no bond quite like it. one young woman from ohio hoping to start a family is receiving the greatest gift of all from two of her sisters. we'll talk to them in a moment. first, janet shamlian has their touching story. >> reporter: with seven nieces who adore her -- >> did you drop your rattle? >> reporter: it's no surprise tanya radcliff hopes to one day have her own children. when her doctor said she could conceive but not carry a baby, she was heartbroken. >> i don't think you can ever really prepare for a moment like that. we were sitting in a room with the doctor. it was devastating news. >> reporter: tanya has always been close to her three sisters who each have children, but she had no idea the strength of the bond up till they suggested something she never expected.

>> cassie and i started talking behind the scenes about let's tell tanya we can do this. we have done it before. we're excited to make it happen, even thrilled to be in a position to be able to do this for her. >> reporter: tara and cassie offered to be tanya's surrogates allowing her embryos to be implanted in them. >> have you ever had a sister, sister, sister scenario? >> i have not done this mix yet. we're delighted it's going well. >> reporter: the sisters started a gruelling regimen of hormone injections and doctor visits, hoping one of them would carry tanya's baby. everyone was elated when tara got a positive test. you can imagine how they felt when, ten weeks later, cassie got one, too. that had to blow you away. >> it did. it still does. every day my husband and i are

like, wait, i can't believe this is happening. to have not one sibling, but two able to do this for us and for us to have the opportunity to have two children with all the limitations that i have is just -- blows my mind. >> reporter: it was well beyond what tanya and her husband could ever have imagined. they learned the baby tara is due with in april will be a girl. when the entire family came to look at the ultrasound pictures of the baby cassie is due with in june, something no one was expecting. >> is that a boy? >> that's definitely a boy! [ cheers ] >> oh, my god! >> now i have to redo the whole nursery. >> reporter: after a young woman's struggle to start a family. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news, cincinnati.

>> tanya is here with her husband dan and her sisters cassie and tara. thank you so much, everyone, for joining us. good morning. >> good morning. >> that was the first time you saw those images of yourself reacting to discovering that you were carrying a boy, cassie. there are how many nieces that you have -- >> this will be the eighth. >> exactly. and among the sisters there are no boys. >> no little boys. >> what was it like to have that moment? to see that moment on video? >> it was exhilarating. either way, boy or girl, healthy is all we care about. but to find out we're having a little boy, we are so excited about it. >> this is some love. what were the words you heard? how did they tell you they would offer to do this for you? >> i remember that. they had both come to the doctor appointment with me. somebody was always coming to one with me. we were sitting in the car. i was krieg. it was raining outside. we were sitting in the car at

the fertility clinic and they were -- she said to me, tanya, somebody in this car will be pregnant with one of your babies at the end of this year. that was the first sign i knew they had been talking behind the scenes but the first time we talked about it. >> how did you, dan, react? >> it was unbelievable to give up your body for a whole year for us is unbelievable. we're blessed just to have them in our lives. to step up and do that and be lucky enough to have both of them become pregnant is truly a blessing. >> reporter: in that moment when you found out, dan and you found out, tanya, what did you say to them? how did you thank them for this? >> i don't think we ever truly can. it's such a sacrifice. it's something we can never truly repay just being so thankful that they were willing to do this for us. >> reporter: you looked in their eyes and told them this.

how do you remember the moment when you told them? >> well, cassie and i had been talking behind the scenes. i had been talking with my husband and the wheels in my head were turning. i knew this was something we could do. if we were physically able to do it then it would be a great gift. we're so excited to be welcoming two babies. >> this is hard. as you know. you have been pregnant before. being pregnant is tough. you have to take care of yourself, mind what you eat. no second thoughts? >> absolutely not. being pregnant is the easy part. raising the children is the tougher part. i'm glad i'll get to see the children be raised from the other side. >> meantime, tara, you blogged that there are signs that you're noticing in your pregnancy that make you think -- make you feel this is tanya's child? what? >> i craved pineapple.

tanya dislikes it and when i attempt it, her baby lets me know she's in mom's camp. >> and tanya was always active as a young person. you were always twirling your hair and -- >> yes. this baby during every ultrasound is twirling her hair like she used to when she was a little kid. >> we're talking about april delive delivery? >> and july. >> how do you imagine that moment. you build a relationship with a baby when you're pregnant. giving up the baby in your case is not really giving up the baby. you're giving it to your sister -- the boy and the girl. how do you imagine the emotions of the moment being able to give this to your sister. >> i will be ecstatic that finally after this long journey they will get to be parents. >> because it was so sad to

watch her wait. >> yeah. >> well, it's a beautiful story. >> thank you. >> you are so lucky. >> we are. >> we are. >> very lucky. >> you chose well. >> three women! >> i know, bring it. tanya, dan and cassie and tara, thank you so much. coming up next, we have giada de laurentiis showing us how to make a romantic valentine's day dinner for two. that's right after this.

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"today" celebrates valentine's day is brought to you by silky smooth dove chocolates. share love this valentine's day with dove. ♪ we're back at 8:22. this morning on "today" celebrates valentine's day, a romantic dinner for two. why not make a romantic meal at home for your sweetheart? giada de laurentiis is here to show you how it's done. nice to see you. >> good morning. we'll have a nice dinner for two. >> what are the rules for a romantic dinner? >> you can take simple foods and make them look elegant. we have a few tricks. >> we have a steak with sauce? >> yes. i think a juicy piece of red meat is awesome. it's romantic, sexy. >> i'm looking at the ingredients. this will be spicy. >> i like a kick, heat. you can moderate how much you want. so a can of tomatoes.

everything goes in the food processor which makes it easy. you can make this the day before if you want to. onions, garlic. >> not too much. this is romantic. >> you don't want to have to -- anyway. i'm not going there. but sirano chili and the seeds. you can use this or thai chili. they add nice heat. this is where you can control the heat. i cut them in half. inside there are seeds. >> the more speeds the more spicy? >> correct. watch out. when you deal with these peppers, you have to wash your hands. touch your eyes after this and you're in trouble. >> not pretty. >> capers, sugar to even out the spice, salt and smoked paprika. >> oh, all right. >> that gives it smokiness. you whirl it together and come over here and let it reduce down for 20, 25 minutes. it becomes nice and thick. >> what cut of meat do we use?

>> i like ribeye because of the ma marbling. it melts and you get this nice, flavorful, tender meat. simple. salt and pepper over the top. a lot of flavor comes from the sauce. a little bit of olive oil. just a little bit to keep it moist. put it on the grill like this. you let it grill five minutes on each side and you get this steak. >> shooting for medium rare? >> some people like it rare. some people like medium rare. >> i like your presentation. >> take something simple and elevate it by making it beautiful to look at . with a steak you have to let it rest. i like to cut it on the diagonal like this. easy to cut. look how beautiful it uh looks. >> with or without the bone? >> you can share it. >> we have a pasta side. and the shrimp in the shape -- >> take something special.

>> we have a heart there. >> yeah. lemon oil, linguine with ar arugula. this is a souffle. put it in a baking dish. freeze it for ten minutes. scoop out the little balls. little bit of milk chocolate. >> you can do this ahead of time? >> two days in advance. >> good. >> make the batter, mix it with the egg whites. put a ball in the center. cute ramekins and stick the whole thing in the freezer for a day or two. right before you eat it, throw it in then. 375 for 30, 40 minutes. 40 minutes if it's frozen. >> and i love the pink whipped cream. >> you take regular cream, add organic food coloring for this pink whipped cream which makes it extraordinary. >> very romantic.

thanks very much. if you have a question for giada head to today.com. we're back in a minute. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. . >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a check on the commute with sarah caldwell. >> good news on a falls road and gunpowder road. that accident is now clear. i want to tell you about this delay. down to 14 miles per hour, stretching back to the beltway and 28th street. 19 miles per hour from the outer loop to edmondson.

traffic backed up approaching j.f.x. outer loop from harford towards the harrisburg expressway, at 30 miles per hour there. baltimore -- a couple more accidents, one at york road, another look at pulaski highway and martin boulevard. looking good intermittently at greenspring. delays towards the j.f.x. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> sun out now, clouds to the west. to the south, moisture, north, a cold front. as i mentioned, right now it is nice. airport, 32 degrees. humidity down. barometer is up right now. a mixture of sunshine and clouds. after dark, we began to see a

rain-snow mix in the area. high temperatures today, 45 to 50 degrees. mostly snow mix on saturday. 38 the high. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

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8:30 now on this friday morning, the 10th day of february 2012. you know, it just doesn't look or feel like february around here. the temperatures are supposed to hit, according to mr. al roker, around 40 today which is pretty remarkable for this time of

year. >> hang around. in 24 hours it will feel different. >> possibly snow around midnight tonight. >> and cold air. >> all right. let's enjoy today. beautiful sun for as long as it lasts. i'm ann curry along with lester holt in for matt this morning. >> thanks for filling in for me. >> it will be cold! >> i'm going home! >> i have it covered, dude. >> we have a serious story coming up. >> remember a couple years ago kennedy cousin michael skakel was accused of murder. he's in court arguing his innocence. this morning his brother speaks out in a live interview. >> on a lighter and different note, are you tired of your old workout routine? this assumes you have one. in fact, we are going to show you a workout gaining popularity that will blow your old routine

oy way. be warned, it is not for the faint of heart. that was a cement ball that jenna was carrying. >> okay. >> you really have to want to be in shape for that. >> you have to want it. >> not right now. >> we're never doing that. >> something that a lot of people are talking about are the gluten-free diets. you see the foods advertised. should you do it if you don't have to? dr. nancy snyderman joins us to get into what some people see as a craze and others see as a health issue. >> i actually bought a loaf of gluten-free bread accidentally. i tried it and it tasted amazing. >> my son is gluten-free. the change in what's available from five years ago to now is incredible. >> let's check on the weather. we already did, i guess. >> just a small bit. showers on the west coast.

snowshowers in the central rockies. frigid in the plains. heavy snow in new england. sunday, frigid conditions in new england continue. wet weather in west texas and the southwest. snowshowers central rockies. afternoon showers along the coastal pacific northwest region.t >> good morning. the clouds will thicken up and of a storm system that will bring us some rain and snow tonight and some snow tomorrow. and the llama mamas are back! i didn't know they went away. don't forget. you can check your weather any time day or night on the weather channel on cable, weather.com

online. what do you say we go down to captiva island. hi, willard! >> from the sun-kissed shores of beautiful captiva island. been around for a long time. south seas plantation has been good to us. they fed us breakfast and we had smucker's jam. can't beat that. happy birthday from smucker's. take a look at yancey -- i had a cousin named yancey. yancey birdsong from suffolk, virginia. that's peanut country. has a spoonful of peanut butter every day. here's alex imich from new york, new york. 109. holy toledo. attributes longevity to eating a balanced diet and spending all sorts of time with his pals. isn't that nice that he has friends at that age?

and here's imogene belsley of peoria, illinois. i was there with the groundhog last year. she predicted the packers would win and she was right. didn't predict the weather right though. 102, plays bridge every day and goes out to dinner once a week. if i did that i wouldn't be so fat. the lovely dorothy. what a pretty name. dorothy geiger from orangeburg, south carolina. that's a lovely town. 103 and loves to tell stories and she likes to read her bible. can't go wrongdoing that, i'll tell you. won't find dirty words in the bible. from the halls of montezuma down to greenwood, mississippi. ellis smith, an ex-marine. once a marine, always a marine. 102 today.

he was in world war ii. a hero. we have twins. this happens about four times a year. the lovely and exciting ida cheatham and lena cook. they are 102 years old today. both from missouri. what can you say besides happy birthday, happy birthday? say it twice. ida and lena, twins. now back to new york city. >> thank you, willard. coming up, a workout that means no wimps are allowed. out's a workout for women that can make a grown man cry. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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workout to put your body to the test. "today" national correspondent jenna wolfe tried it and said it's awesome. >> a male scheer cheerleader, middle aged women and a strong man walk into a gym. sounds like a joke but the punch line is different. this gym in connecticut is definitely no joke. there are no mirrors in this gym. the goal here isn't so much to look good as it is to get strong. >> it's like one day you're at the grocery store and they say, let us help you out with the 40-pound bag of dog food. don't worry. i can take care of it. >> reporter: beth vogel and her gym mates are blowing through a 40-minute work out inspired by the sport of strong man competitions. the idea is to forget about

individual muscle groups and get the whole body involved. how hard is this? >> about a 10. >> reporter: you're not even making a dent in this tire. hardest thing you do here? call this the opposite of an elliptical. you're not flipping through a magazine while working out here. it's strength training. it's intense but there is an element of fun here. this is reminiscent of the play ground days. was there a sense of intimidation? >> there is, but with mike and the staff, they correct your form, teach you the right way. >> reporter: trainer mike carozza was a college cheerleader. he works with suzanne, a trainer, nutritionist and former ballerina. they are experts in the fundamental elements of strong man fitness. >> the tire flip is one of our favorites. by far it's one of the most intimidating tools here because of the sheer size.

that's fun to teach people how to properly do it. >> reporter: as i found out, some of the movements in strongman look like everyday chores. this is the farmer's walk. tell me about it. >> it works on hand strength, core stability and hips. that is core developer. no machine out there can mimic what this does. the way it loads on the body and the response you get from the mid section can't be compared to anything else out there. this is 200 pounds, double suzanne's body weight. this is a great and fast way to get the heart rate up, use your entire body. everything is moving fluidly. >> and her shoulders are working as well. >> they're on fire. >> reporter: like all exercise strongman fitness works out more than your body. a little bit of my aggression gets into the swing of things here. >> nice job. >> reporter: struggling with the

atlas balls, i had to wonder if all the lifting will change me into something i don't want to be. [ grunting ] >> with this, you lose inches. your bra fat and all that goes away. >> reporter: while the bra fat di disappears, some clients expect more. >> we get those requests when somebody comes in and says, i want jennifer aniston's legs. it's like, you've got to be kidding me. >> reporter: strong man isn't isn't about the red carpet. it is about getting fit and strong. that's a goal every woman can get behind. >> nice job. happy to be done? >> because you're working the whole body with almost every exercise strongman workouts deliver on short sessions. you can do an hour on the elliptical and not do as much as 30 minutes in this workout. i know you're embarrassed because you asked for the jennifer aniston legs. it's okay. >> how much does that ball

weigh? >> 60 to 90 pounds. let's say 90. >> and who were you thinking about with the sledge hammer? >> we have this executive producer. i'm kidding! not all the all! >> still ahead, the risk associated with a gluten-free diet. dr. nancy snyderman answers your questions. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:45. some of the world's most successful people have faced a difficult road to the top. among them, pittsburgh steelers wide receiver and two-time super bowl champion hines ward. in a new documentary "nfl characters unite" about the fight against prejudice and discrimination ward goes to a school outside of pittsburgh to mentor a young man named carlton dennis. take a look.

[ cheers and applause ] >> how you guys doing? i'm good. first of all, i want to say i'm proud to be here. today i got a chance to meet carlton. really this whole program is really just perception. you know, how do people outside view you guys? do they think this is a bad place? >> yes. >> is it? >> no. >> exactly. these are good people here. >> hines ward, carlton dennis, good morning. >> good morning. >> you're part of the nfl documentary about nfl players and coaches including tony dungy who do something to fight the idea of prejudice. in your case, hines, as i mentioned you were a two-time super bowl champion, mvp of super bowl xl and you have been called perhaps the greatest wide receiver in steelers history. but people may not know about your personal side.

why did you want to reveal it in this? >> you know, when usa network came to me to do a documentary about this, i heard the story about carlton and it was almost like looking in the mirror. i saw myself as a teenager and having to overcome certain adversity growing up as a child and having to fight the discrimination, being teased all the time because i was different. i hopped aboard and i was excited to get the opportunity to make an impact on his life. >> because you're african-american and korean. >> correct. >> and kids would say what to you? >> just being teased. i remember growing up as a child, the black kids, i really didn't fit in because i had a korean mother and the korean kids didn't like me because of my african-american father. you know, the white kids really didn't understand the african-american side of me. so it was just hard trying to find my eyidentity as a child, where i fit in.

>> you're nodding yes, carlton. you were having a tough time. >> yeah. >> what was your reason for having a tough time in school? >> when i was in school people would call me mexican which i don't like. they used to make me pissed off. i would get to where i wanted to fight somebody. but i never pushed it to that point. i just used to hate people discriminating against me and my race and stuff. i'm trinidadian, not mexican or anything else. >> you were made to feel different. >> yes. >> in walks hines ward. we saw where people lost their minds. he started to talk to you a little bit. what in this process have you learned? >> he taught me to be myself. do what i have to do. don't worry about what anybody says, what they say or call me names. they can call me whatever they want. i'm just going to be myself.

get my work done and go to college, be successful in life  and what i want to do. >> it's clear from the look in your eyes when you say that. there is a smile in your eyes and on your face that there's been an impact. then there was a project you created where because you love music you got together and did a music video that's been on youtube? we're looking at it now. >> we came together and carlton's really passionate about songwriting. i challenged him to make a school song. just talk about the place where he lives and resides and all the kids have a song they can look on. you can download it on itunes now. everybody's got it in his whole high school. i'm proud to say to have the impact and make the impact on his life is amazing. >> it must be full circle for you. >> it is. this is characters unite month.

the usa network is doing a great job doing a public service campaign and really combatting prejudice and discrimination. so tonight the show airs at 7:00. so i'm really excited about it. i think it's a family show. all the kids and family can sit down and maybe learn something from it. because myself, tony, jimmy and coach dungy have all experienced it at one point or another. >> well said. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> good luck to you. >> thank you. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

it was a shocking murder that rocked the wealthy town of greenwich, connecticut, in 1975. 15-year-old martha moxley beaten to death. the case would go unsolved for a quarter century. but in 2002, michael skakel, a neighbor and a kennedy cousin, was convicted of the crime. he says he's innocent. last month he went to court to contest his sentence. michael's brother john is here along with skakel's attorney hue bert santos. >> good morning. >> your brother appealed for a new trial in 2010. now he's looking for an appeal of the stebs sentence to have it

shortened. what are the thoughts behind that request? >> we still maintain michael's innocence. i absolutely maintain that. i was with michael at the time. >> you were his alibi. >> it was a precise time when the crime occurred. i was with michael at my cousin's house eight miles away. we left before the crime happened and we returned after. i gave a polygraph which i passed accompanied only by police officers a couple weeks after the crime happened. the prosecution's whole case rests on all of the alibi witnesses lying. unfortunately for them, i wasn't lying. they would like us to be quiet and go away. >> the outcome was a guilty verdict. the appeals have been unsuccessful. now at this point you're trying to get him out with time served. you're arguing in this case legally that because he was a juvenile at the time he should have been sentenced as a juvenile. >> like just about every ruling that's been out there that's gone against us.

i don't think we have gotten a fair shake. the lead investigator had fanl interest in michael being convicted. >> what are you looking for in terms of sentence reduction? >> we hope the jury will recognize the sentencing judge sentenced a 40-year-old adult who the jury said committed a crime as a 15-year-old child. obviously our position is the judge didn't adequately consider the fact that what he's sentencing here is a child. and we are asking that the sentence be reduced. >> the prosecutor says in some cases they would ask for an adult trial and adult sentence and it likely would have happened in this case. >> in 1975 if michael had been charged the maximum sentence he would have received is four years. the case would not have been in the adult docket. the reason he was convicted in the first place is the jury didn't have all the evidence. there was a police sketch done of a man seen at the murder scene at the time of the murder.

that individual did not look like michael skakel. that individual looked like the tutor, the family tutor, a fellow named littleton who was the suspect for years. the chief witness, greg coleman was a 25 bag a day heroin add t addict. he died before trial. >> one of the things that's bothered you in this is the attention the case got because of the kennedy connection. do you think it changed the outcome especially as the case moved on to appeals? >> i think all the attention made the players act differently. you have the lead investigator, frank garr had a book deal. it wasn't a secret to anybody. it was discussed during the trial. i don't see how anybody can find it fair or acceptable that the lead detective is allowed to make money and make that arrangement before the conviction happens.

>> this is one of many points you have listed why the case should be overturned. obviously you are resting your hopes on the reduction in sentence. is there hope for overturning the verdict? >> absolutely. we have a petition called a habeus corpus pending saying he didn't get a fair trial. this is in 1975. no dna, no trace evidence, no fingerprints, no witnesses. >> we have to end there. thank you for coming. good to have you here. we'll be right back in a moment. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. police are searching for a suspect behind two daylight burglaries.

he stole stolen property from pawnshops in the area. the latest incident took place gen. 13. police believe he is driving a black lincoln a similar to the one you see on your screen.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. police are searching for a suspect behind two daylight burglaries. he stole stolen property from pawnshops in the area. the latest incident took place gen. 13.

police believe he is driving a black lincoln a similar to the one you see on your screen.