good morning. michigan man? a new poll shows rick santorum leading with primary voters in mitt romney's home state. can romney turn the tide in the next week and a half? and ha does it mean if he doesn't? we'll ask outspoken commentator, bill o'reilly. subpoenaed -- officials subpoena whitney houston's medical records, as her cause of death is listed as deferred for now. this morning, the latest on the investigation. and what's wrong with you, george? george huguely's roommates testify about how the lacrosse player was acting and what they asked him on the night his

ex-girlfriend was murdered. their explosive testimony today, ex-girlfriend was murdered. their explosive testimony today, thursday, february 16th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, welcome to "today" on a thursday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie, in for ann today who is on assignment. and rick santorum heads to michigan today, bolstered by a new poll that shows him with a lead in mitt romney's native state. >> he's going to deliver a speech in detroit that's miles from where romney went to high school. we'll discuss all of that with bill o'reilly. and we'll also talk to bill about some comments he's made recently, controversial comments about the death of whitney houston. >> speaking of whitney houston, new jersey's governor, chris christie is defending his plan to fly flags at half-staff on saturday as the singer is laid

to rest in her native new jersey. we asked you to weigh in on our website. we got tens of thousands of responses. let's say it was rather onesided. we're going to tell you the results and talk about it, too, as well as a few other topics with today's professionals. and dr. oz is here, he says he'll reveal the only grocery list you'll ever need to stay healthy and save a lot of money. we begin with a check of the day's top stories, amy robach is at the news desk with more. >> good morning, everyone. congressional negotiators have reached be a agreement to renew a payroll tax cut for some 160 million workers through the end of 2012. that deal also extends jobless benefits for millions of americans. now it heads to the house and senate for votes as early as friday. well mounting concerns about iran's nuclear program despite a renewal of diplomacy this morning. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell has the latest on that. >> good morning, amy, iran has agreed to return to nuclear

talks after halting negotiations with the west a year ago. but that is not quieting fears that tehran is moving closer to developing a nuclear weapon and engaging in suspected terror plots around the world. trying to show that sanctions and global pressure have not slowed iran down -- president mahmoud ahmadinejad unveiled new hardware at a research reactor. u.s. officials called it bluster. >> our view is it's not terribly new and it's not terribly impressive. >> the reason they say they're not worried? intelligence officials say the u.s. has penetrated iran's nuclear program and iran is still a year away from building nuclear weapons. >> the intelligence penetration of the iranian nuclear program has been quite remarkable. >> but israel fears iran may be reaching the point of no return. and must be stopped before it gets any closer to building a bomb. only last month, israel held military exercises for the first time in 12 years, simulating

paratroopers invading a foreign country. >> what is significant, however, is the continuing ratcheting up of tensions at this point. and it shows that right now, we're not going in the right direction. things are getting tenser. >> and israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu said iran launched a series of terror attacks against israeli diplomats this week. investigators say using the same type of magnetic bombs used in india and the former soviet republic of georgia. bombs found in a bangkok apartment rented by three iranians. possibly in response to assassination of iran's nuclear scientists. >> iran views this as a clear tit for tat. >> israel has denied involvement. at the same time, american jewish leaders were brief by top homeland security officials, who told congress there is no specific threat here. >> right now we have no specific or credible threat against any organization or target in the

united states. but this is certainly a situation that bears watching. >> despite iran's denials, u.s. officials agree with israel that iran is likely responsible for the latest series of attacks. iran has also been acting erratically, issuing threats to cut off some oil exports. a sign of increases tensions, perhaps inside the regime. amy? >> andrea mitchell, thank you. the family of josh powell wants him buried at the same cemetery as the two young sons he killed in a home explosion. but an anti-crime organization has purchased the two plots on either side of the boys, to make sure powell cannot be buried next to them. powell has been a long-time suspect in his wife's unsolved 2009 disappearance. well authorities in honduras are investigating why inmates were not properly evacuated from a burning prison, leaving many to die still locked in their overcrowded cells. at least 358 people died in wednesday's blaze. the world's deadliest prison fire in a century. more than 856 prisoners were

packed into the prison. many still awaiting trial. never even convicted or charged. and outer space is getting a little messy. junk from old satellites and discarded rocket parts are orbiting the earth. and all that trash poses a threat to our astronauts and our satellites. so a swiss space center is working on a vacuum lienor for space. scooping up debris and disposing of it or propelling it farther away. a launch date is still pending. it is 7:06. we'll head over to matt, savannah and al. >> apparently russians and americans not in a race to clean up space. >> they want to build eventually a lot of these things in the coming years. >> think of all the moms that can go there to run them. i can say that, you can't. >> savannah guthrie. >> all right, mr. roker, what's going on? >> five cents for every piece of junk? you know -- anyway. let's check it out. see what we've got for you. and we're looking at storm system that's rotating down in

southern california. this thing is going to get itself together, make its way to the east. may cause a big snowstorm in the northeast. but until then, we're talking about snow, four to eight inches above 3,000 feet. 12 inches above 6,000 feet in the mountains of southern california. rest of the country, aftershowers move into the northeast, mid-atlantic states, showers into the pacific northwest. the two storm systems will be converging along the mid-atlantic sometime this weekend. meantime during the day today, sunshine from texas all the way up into the northern plains. that's what's going o >> good morning. it looks like the rain will be catching up us today. it will be off and on rain showers.

and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thanks very much. the gop presidential candidates are focusing heavily on michigan. both rick santorum and mitt romney are campaigning in that state today. and overnight, we got our first look at santorum's federal tax returns. nbc's peter alexander is in detroit. peter, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. this race is heating up. as you have noted with rick santorum arriving at a place that mitt romney considers his own back yard. santorum will give a speech today at the detroit economic club, on a topic that romney has made a centerpiece of his campaign -- fixing the american economy. >> we got lots of old friends here. there's an old high school, we lived across the hall from each other. chuck stoddard and others from grand rapids. >> trying to secure a badly needed win in michigan, mitt romney is emphasizing his roots in the state. >> any old girlfriends here? oh, i have to be careful.

ann's not here today. don't tell. >> the son of an auto executive who later became michigan's governor, romney has taken heat for opposing the obama administration's auto bailout. but he insists cars are in his bones. >> i care very deeply about the auto industry. i want to make sure we have good jobs, not just for a few weeks, but for many, many years. i want to see it come back in a big way. and i've taken on union bosses before. i'm happy to take them on again. >> but first, romney will have to take on rick santorum, who arrives in michigan today and whose blue collar background and socially conservative views may resonate with voters here, who want to defeat president obama. >> we will make this race about two visions for america. one, that believes in those core values that built the greatest society in the history of the world. and one that is modelled failed state after failed state. >> in a campaign heavily focused

on the candidates' personal wealth and the taxes they pay, overnight santorum became the latest candidate to release his federal tax returns. putting out the last four years. he and his wife's highest income in 2009, when the couple reported making who than $1.1 million. paying $310,000 in federal taxes. for a federal tax rate of 28%. and while romney is already heavily outspending santorum in michigan, romney's allies are focusing on the packed political calendar that lies ahead, investing more than $1.3 million in the airwaves in eight states, with this new ad targeting santorum. >> who has the right experience? mitt romney helped create thousands of jobs. >> rick santorum is called the ultimate washington insider. >> also today, mitt romney is hoping for a boost. he will get the endorsement of michigan's current governor, rick snyder. matt? >> peter alexander in detroit this morning, thanks very much. bill o'reilly is host of "the

o'reilly factor" on fox news and the author of "killing lincoln." hey bill, welcome back, good to see you. >> good to see you. >> let's talk about politics. rick santorum surging to the lead in four national polls, neck and neck in one. what's driving the surge? is it his strength as a candidate? or mitt romney's weaknesses? >> it's neither. it's ideology. conservatives are bouncing from one to the next. and they don't trust mitt romney at this point. so it's purely an ideological vote. and the polls right now don't mean very much. it's the next debate at the end of the month. after that debate, then the polls will start to sharpen. >> i know you're not a fan of the polls. but if you look in michigan right now, the home state of mitt romney. his father was the governor there. in that state, according to the recent polls, rick santorum has taken the lead. if rick santorum beats mitt romney in michigan, is romney done? >> romney's hair might even get disshelved if that happens. not a good thing. but romney hasn't lived there

for 45 years. >> but he calls it his home state. >> he can call it whatever he wants. this is the first time they've seen him since the vietnam war. come on. look, romney has been not been able to convince the right, conservative voters, that he's one of them, it's as simple as that. all the conservative voters who were split before between gingrich and santorum, gingrich has dissolved. they all voted santorum and that's why he's ahead. >> can you see rick santorum as the gop nominee? >> sure, why not? i mean he's a smart guy. he might do it. i still think romney's going to get it. but i've been wrong before. not much, but occasionally. >> in a head-to-head race between the gop nominee and barack obama, who has a better chance? mitt romney or santorum? >> you know this, it depends on the economy. gas prices, if they're $6 a gallon, you could get elected, all right? come on, obama's got problems on all fronts. >> i'm asking you, a generic republican against obama. i'm asking you whether mitt romney or rick santorum has the better chance against obama. >> i would say at this point in

time, it's romney. because independents aren't right-wing idealogues, they're more comfortable in the middle and that's where romney is. but it's all about the economy. >> kind of a hard turn here. but let's turn to the death of whitney houston. this is what you said on the show. whitney houston wanted to kill herself. nobody takes drugs for that long if they want to stay on the planet. the hard truth is that some people will always want to destroy themselves and there's nothing society can do about it. you know this has generated some controversy. people say wait, addiction is a disease. and if you are suffering from a disease, then you can't make the choice, you have no choice. >> well then they don't believe if free will. and i don't believe anyone is a slave to addiction. i believe it is a disease, it's a mental disease. but you have free will and you can get through the disease. as millions of people have chosen to do. it's a lot of free will. you don't have free will when you get lung cancer. you do have free will when you're a crack adigt. but it's very difficult. my point is there are self-destructive people and that

society does not grapple with them. >> we, the media, look the other way on whitney houston. everyone knew she was a drug adduct for two decades. >> you wrote this in your column. the meetia has no bleeping clue on how to cover whitney houston. that's because she was slowly dying for 20 years and the press averted their eyes. >> i have seen dozens of stories over the years, detailing the addiction, the erratic behavior, the denial of addiction on the part of whitney houston. >> they were sensationalized to exploit the woman's condition. not trying to help her. what's the last time you have seen a public service announcement from a famous person. a singer and actor, to say to the american public, you know, you don't want to be like whitney houston. don't be like elvis, don't be like janice joplin. you know what we do in the media? we wink-wink it, we willie nelson that. they're stoned, that's fine. what message does that send? it's okay.

>> i think it's apples and oranges you're comparing. i think on the one hand, her media did detail her troubles. >> at the same time, i would agree that they also celebrated her talent and her stardom. >> name me one media commentator outside of myself who said, hey, whitney, you better knock it o f offer you're going to be in the ground. give me one. >> maybe people don't come out and say it like you do, because that's the style of your show. but by covering her behavior -- >> they exploited it. >> and detailing her actions over the years -- in a way that's shining a very bright light on it. >> if everybody in the show business community had said to whitney houston, hey, you're going to kill yourself. >> but that's different than journalists say -- are journalists supposed to be in the position of conducting interventions? >> they're supposed to be in the business of telling truth. and the truth is if you get into hard drugs, you can go any time. and that message isn't getting out. >> by showing her behavior, didn't we shine the light on it? >> no, because it wasn't put in

any kind of judgmental capacity at all. it was like a sideshow. >> you think she was poe trayed in a positive light? >> it was like oh, look at this, now she goes to rehab. it wasn't, hey, whitney, knock it off. it's never been that, ever. >> let's move on a little. because you and i could argue for hours. >> and i'd always be right, no matter how long it was. >> you would always think you're right. on the subject of the flags flying at half-staff in new jersey on saturday, the day she's laid to rest. governor christie has called for that. is that the right idea? >> yes. i think we should respect the life and talent of whitney houston. i said a prayer when i heard she died. this isn't a personal thing, this is a preventive thing. i want society and the media to tell the truth about drug and alcohol addiction. it's hell, it's a horror. let's stop exploiting it and start explaining it. >> let's talk about your book. "killing lincoln." >> i don't want to do that. >> i know. >> god forbid. >> 20 weeks on the best seller's list and you've got some other projects. >> we're announcing "killing

kennedy" will be my next book coming out in october. it's in the vein of "killing linco lincoln." very quick, this is what happened in the last knew months of john f. kennedy's life. we have stuff that's never been seen and heard before. the president's life was chaotic and there was a lot of similarities between lincoln and kennedy, in the weeks and months before they both were assassinated. >> i have a feeling you'll have the same success that you've had with this one. >> i appreciate that. 17 after the hour. here's savannah. to more on the death of whitney houston. subpoenas have been issued to doctors and pharmacists as officials try to figure out what killed the singer. nbc's kristen dahlgren is in los angeles with details. kristen, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. at this point, this is not classified as a criminal investigation. but this morning, there is no new focus on those pills found in whitney houston's room. >> newly published photos show

whitney houston lounging pool-side at the beverly hilton. and days later, she was dead. on her death certificate, the cause of death is listed as deferred. toxicology results could take weeks to come back. the coroner said they didn't find an unusual amount of prescription pills in her hotel room. but subpoenas have gone out to doctors and pharmacists for houston's medical and prescription records. the coroner calls that routine. experts say investigators are looking to see if houston was taking pills as prescribed. >> you have a pill vial, for instance, that has sickened like 60 tablets that were there, three days ago. and there's two left. that would give me a good indicator that there may be something amiss or out of place. >> defense attorney ellen garrafolo has been involved in cases where a doctor was charged in a patient's death because of drugs prescribed. >> what we've seen in the anna nicole smith case and the michael jackson case, there could be information discovered that leads prosecutors or the

coroner to conclude that there was conduct that is illegal in the provision or prescribing of prescription medication. >> beverly hills police say so far, there is no obvious sign of criminal intent. even though the website tmz is reporting that officials say houston was not doctor-shopping or using aliases to get medication. in houston's home state of new jersey, governor chris christie is defending his position to fly flags at half-staff on saturday. >> her accomplishments in her life were a source of great pride for many in this state. >> christie's office said they've received complaints from many in the state who doesn't thing she deserves the honor. many who gathered at a memorial agreed she deserves the recognition. but fans will not be part of the star's invitation-only funeral saturday. a small church where whitney houston got her start in the choir, only her closest friends

and family will now say good-bye. now, at that funeral, aretha franklin will sing, whitney's mentor, clive davis is expected to speak. there's been some speculation that houston's ex-husband, bobby brown has been shut out of the funeral. a publicist tells nbc news that the rumors are false. and in a statement they say brown's daughter, bobbi kristina who was treated for stress, is doing much better. >> kristen dahlgren, thank you. just ahead, roommates of the university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his girlfriend, testify in his murder trial. and describe george huguely's strange behavior that night. this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, an exclusive inside look at popular rehab facilities that cater to stars. are they really just country clubs in disguise? and how do you eat better without breaking the bank? dr. oz is here and he'll share his grocery list to live by.

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a temporary shelter is being set up with water, blankets, and other essentials for residents. crews say they are hopeful that they will have full service restored by later tonight. let's check on your morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> good news to report on the situation is that millions ave is no longer close. maryland 3 at 450, we're tracking an accident in anne arundel county. another one at elkridge and washington boulevard. carey street, closures and mulberry. another a georgia avenue and howard street. delays are developing in all the usual spots. area of greenspring, in a traffic is pretty good. light volume towards the j.f.x. once you get over to the j.f.x., we will show you what it is like at ruxton road. beyond that, write around

coldspring, you will see delays. >> so far, weather has not been too bad for the morning commute. it is going to pick up in intensity as we had to the morning and is in the afternoon. we have rainshowers in the mountains and into west virginia. if i.t. is not raining where you are, it will be at one point or another during the day. off and on rainshowers. otherwise, cloudy skies. high temperatures between 45 and 50. should be dry on saturday. at

7:30 now on a thursday morning, it's the 16th of february, 2012. nice crowd gathered out on the plaza. we'll talk to them in just a little while. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer, alongside savannah guthrie while ann is on assignment. just ahead, what's it like inside a rehab center where celebrities go to treat their addictions. do the stars get the help they need? or are they using it as a posh way to escape their troubles? we'll take a closer look.

and are you getting ready to take a trip to the grocery store? dr. oz is here with what he says is the only shopping list you will ever need. not only will it have you eating more heathfully, he says it will help you save time and money. and do star, donny and dr. nancy have an idea about linsanity? they'll weigh in on a surprising new survey that says doctors don't always tell their patients the truth. we begin with the latest on the high profile murder trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his former girlfriend. on wednesday, some of the defendant's best friends were called to the stand. nbc litty luciano is live with . >> the prosecution rested its murder case against george huguely with witness testimony

strongly focused on his character, his behavior and his heavy drinking. a gaunt george huguely arrived in court, barely fitting into his suit jacket. the one-time lacrosse star a accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend, yeardley love. after testimony from dozens of witnesses, the prosecution finally rested, but not before calling into question huguely's character from those who knew him best. one by one, huguely's former roommates and lacrosse teammates told their accounts of what happened on that night in may, when prosecutors say huguely kicked down the door of love's bedroom and savagely beat her to death. one teammate, ken paulson, a paulbearer who said love was one of his best friends. testified that when huguely returned home, i had no doubt in my mind that his demeanor had changed. clausen said huguely lied about his whereabouts and had a blank stare. when he asked three times, what's wrong with you, george, huguely would not respond. on the stand, three women testified that huguely had contacted them, either by phone,

text or instant message on the day love died. one described the messages as playf playful, legal experts say the prosecution has a strong case. >> there's no question we have promiscuity, unfaithfulness, alcohol. the prosecution i'm sure feels they can put it together in a a mix that makes george huguely look really bad. >> huguely's heavy drinking featured prominently in court on wednesday. all his friends told of a young man with a serious alcohol problem. mike thompson testified that the drinking was out of control, it needed to stop. his friends spoke of an intervention, thompson spoke that on the night love died, huguely was so drunk he wasn't making sense. in the state of virginia, being drunk can be a defense against first-degree murder. >> if you're so drunk you can can't even form a conscious, coherent thought, then you can't be held to have formed the thought of, i'm going to kill. >> for their part, defense experts testified that love was also drunk that night. clinically intoxicated with impaired coordination and lack

of judgment. a defense expert also testified that love's brain injuries could have been caused by cpr and not the blunt-force trauma that prosecutors claim killed her. when the prosecution rested, the defense made a motion to strike five of the six charges against huguely. the judge denied that motion. this morning, the defense will put more experts on the stand, as they try to chip away the prosecution's cause of death. savannah? >> lilly luciano, with the latest from charlottesville, thanks. now let's check the weather with al. today's weather is brought to you by the u.s. postal service. >> and good morning, everybody. we're keeping an eye on a couple of systems getting themselves together. and will make their way east. here's what we're expecting. low pressure developing down in southern texas. continue to make its way to the east. and also, there's a secondary system that will be developing along the plains and coming across. these two systems may actually phase together.

and then form off the coast now here's what we're looking at. the path a, greatest chance for rain and snow in the northeast. path b, just moves it off and no big problems. path c, dry and cold in the northeast. we're keeping an eye on this thing, because there are a lot of computer models don't agree. so we could be looking, could be looking at some significant snow for the northeast. that's what's going on around >> good morning. there will be a rain shower activity today. it will not be a steady rain. the best chances later this morning and this after don't forget, you can get the latest on this system, go to the weather channel on cable, or weather.com online all weekend

long. matt? all right, al. this morning on rossen reports, celebrities and addiction, while we don't know the cause of whitney houston's death, we know she received treatment for drug and alcohol abuse several times over the years. why do so many stars relapse even after a pricey rehab? today national investigative correspondent jeff rossen has more on that. >> we see it over and over again. big-time star goes into rehab, comes out, messes up, goes back in again. so what's it really like inside these celebrity rehab centers? and when they do get out, why do so many stars keep falling off the wagon? this morning, we take you inside that exclusive world with the insiders who live it. from lindsay to britney to demi -- to charlie. it's rehab's revolving door. >> do you think these celebrity

rehab facilities are too easy? are they too posh? >> well, they're certainly not difficult. >> child actor turned radio host, danny bonaduce, has been to rehab centers three times, including this celebrity favorite, promises rehab in malibu. >> it was fun. it was a really good time. a lot of conversation. and a lot of swimming and a lot of hanging out with really cool movie stars. i met the most famous people i have ever met in my whole life. >> was there rehabilitation goings-on? >> oh, god no. not that i was aware of. there was country clubs that don't have the decency to have a bar. >> stars pay up to $90,000 a month to get in a stay that includes sweeping views. luxury suites. resort-style swimming pools. gourmet dining. >> so this is the room that we use for massage. >> yes, that, too. the ceo of promises, dr. david sach gave us full access. >> it's beautiful, i mean it resembles a five-star resort.

there's something called the princess suite. there's gourmet food out everywhere. a massage room. how does this help with recovery? >> we created an environment that was going to be recognizable to people as comfortable, welcoming, that was going to reduce their anxiety so that they would want to stay for treatment. >> you think it helps to calm them? >> i think it helps to respect them and to show them that respect in any number of ways. >> you make no apologies for how cush this is? >> absolutely not. >> he said it's not about recreation, it's a serious treatment facility. complete with therapy, meetings and mandatory drug testing and they have many success stories. but insiders say some stars go it rehab, not to get better, but to get out of trouble. >> you name a celebrity that's been to rehab, and i'll show you -- do you remember they were about to go to jail that day? i don't know a celebrity that's been to rehab, who wasn't either going to jail or fired off a movie set, or couldn't get insurance to do a movie. >> many of them use again. the national institute on drug

abuse reports between 40% to 60% of patients relapse after treatment. and addiction experts say this is part of the problem. it's glamourized. mess up and you make the cover. >> with celebrities, they get notoriety, they get attention. but we're not looking at their private lives. most of these individuals are suffering profoundly. >> i certainly find that cause to revoke probation. >> and as stars fall off the wagon, many get help from their entourages. full of yes men like this. >> and you supplied them drugs? >> yes. i did supply drugs to several famous women. >> chris gardner is a celebrity journalists who says he worked his way into the inner circle of several troubled a-list stars. becoming their enabler. >> you were giving drugs to celebrities who you knew were out of rehab and trying to stay clean. >> everyone in this town wants to be friends with a celebrity. it is an exciting life. you get access to places you

would never normally go. you get a level of service. and the trade-up is that someone you're supplying them with the drugs. >> if you say no? >> it's like see you later. if you don't agree with what that celebrity wants, you could be gone. there are dozens of, if not hundreds of people that are waiting to take your place. >> chris says he's now clean and sober and his days of enabling celebrities are in the past. he is speaking out now, hoping to change the dysfunctional hollywood culture. >> when you have people like whitney houston die, it should serve as a lesson to people, that hey, there's a problem here and something needs to be done about it. >> of course, there are success stories, stars who kick the habit for good after rehab. but addiction experts say it's getting harder and harder to stay clean in hollywood. like everywhere else, prescription pills are easy to get and legal to have and carry around. as one insider told me, they've become so popular, celebrities actually trade pills like mints at some events. matt? >> jeff rossen in los angeles

this morning, thank you very much. up next, dr. oz on a new study, that's revealing arsenic in some instant formula and his ultimate grocery store shopping list. right after this. r coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships, anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $5.15, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. -three. -one. two. three. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through.

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back now at 7:43, with help making smarter choices on your next trip to the grocery store. it can be frustrating, confusing and expensive sometimes. but dr. oz, host of "the dr. oz show" says it's no excuse to eat junk food. he's here with a shopping list that will keep us healthy and help us save money and time. >> you did the wagging finger. >> i did it. i want to start by asking you about some news this morning. dartmouth researchers have come out with a study that showed a sweetener, used in a lot of organic products, including baby formula, contains levels of arsenic. >> it's used a lot. and it does have arsenic. we've known for a while that it has a lot of arsenic, it tends to suck it from the soil readily and it's grown in a place where they used to grow cotton, which had pesticides. it's a big concern for me. there are several reports looking at the juice and arsenic. we need to be very strict on how

much arsenic we're going to allow in our food supply. it's important for kids, it's in juices that kids are taking. >> these are organic items. it's scary. >> they're organic, but it doesn't mean there's not a natural process by which products absorb arsenic. why would we want to risk it? we should set a national standard for the amount of arsenic we want to have and less is better. >> thank you for that. let's move to your grocery list. first of all, what made you want to do this. you say 100 items that everybody should have. >> they're all on the "today" website. here's what i feel passionately about. people coming up saying i know when i walk into a grocery store, i'm walking into a grocery store. i don't have money to afford what's healthy. i don't have the time to make these products, either. we have taken it out of your hands, we've made it easy to do the right thing. this list will help you, print it out and take it to the grocery store. >> let's start with produce. we'll do our time-saving objection, what these are steamed vegetables? >> frozen steamed vegetables. one thing i find when i go into

people's homes and investigate why they're wasting money. they buy fresh produce. i buy it, too. but unfortunately a lot of folks -- >> you end up throwing it away. >> if you freeze it, you will never throw it away. these are microwaveable. in five minutes you've made the vegetables for the family. extremely affordable and don't get scared that it's frozen. fresh vegetables need to be harvested quickly and flash-frozen. >> microwaveable. you're speaking my language. a cheaper option, you say these canned tomatoes are fine. >> it turns out, maybe bamakingt better, regular tomatoes are fantastic. but the nutrient you want to get out of tomatoes is by heating it up. i've got tomato paste here as well. >> you say it should be our new ketchup? >> you love that idea. you know how much salt is in there, no sugar added. why pay extra if you don't have to.

these will save you time and they have more nutrients. >> protein soy burger? >> these are big for the dr. oz family. my kids love to have the patties, they have soy burgers, you throw it in the microwave and a minute later, you've made dinner, put with vegetables. and when you have a wonderful protein source and haven't laced it with a lot of saturated fats, you're doing well. >> and the cheaper option, skinless chicken thighs. >> get them with bones, less expensive that way. it's a great value it tastes fantastic and don't get tossed off by the fact that it's dark meat versus the white meat, it's fine. >> you say milk is something you should splurge for, organic milk. >> a little bit more expensive, not a lot more. but it's worth it. you cannot get pesticides, antibiotics, hormones out of all the things that edging their way into milk. why take a chance. we don't know if it's a problem, but if you drink organic, it's

not an issue. >> what do you recommend if we want a snack? >> these sweet potato fries. i know you're going to eat snacks, but you can make snacks that are good for you. sweet potato fries have vitamin a in them. the number one food to reduce cancer. make them in olive oil, bake them, they're not fried. but these are fantastic and you're not going to eat too many of them. >> and pop chips, it's like eating air. >> the less ingredients in these, the better. the fact that they're coming to you in a 100-calorie bag, you won't eat more than 100 calories. >> transformation nation, tell us about it? >> we just signed up our one millionth member. you can go to dr.oz.com to sign up. >> what are you signing up for? >> to take a seven-part life-changing program. eat smarter, and you'll get the 100 foods, no matter what you do today, this is your print-out. and join transformation nation and share it with your friends,

you will change your life. >> and the 100 items are on our website, today.com. still ahead, what will you be wearing this year? we explore the hottest trends from new york's fashion week. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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jersey to honor whitney houston. and basketball sensation, jeremy lin. there's a video online that has 25 million hits, it's a father reacting to a scathing letter his daughter posted on her facebook page about her parents. and after a long rant about his daughter and her behavior, he actually shoots her laptop computer. take a look. >> kid, you got it easy. way easy. it's about to get harder. there was more curse words in that one post -- ridiculous. not happening. disrespectful to me, your mother. your step-mother. so, i'm going 0 put a stop to it. this right here is my .45. that was the first round. [ gunshots ] >> if you watch the entire video, the shooting of the laptop is almost the kicker.

what we're asking is, is this appropriate tough love or parenting gone wrong? so we're going to post most of the entire video. it's eight minutes long on today.com. go watch it and then we want to know what you think. we're going to share the result and talk about it in-depth tomorrow. >> a lot of people talking about it around here. we'll get into that. after your local news. why do we grow quaker oats? because there are mountains to climb. ♪ dreams to be realized. ♪ new worlds to be explored and hearts to be won. quaker oats. energy to get you going, fiber to help fill you up and help keep your heart healthy. super people eat super grains. dave, i've downloaded a virus. yeah. ♪ dave, where are we on the new laptop?

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contact a fidelity investment professional today. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> did you are heading out in the next few minutes, there are things to watch for. washington boulevard and lev francke avenue, elkridge. carrie street, mulberry street, there is an accident. delays around the area in the north and west side. southbound j.f.x., average speed

around 24 miles per hour to 17 approaching the fort mchenry told plaza. here is what it looks like it might wash. delays in place, at 895 split. 83 and york road, looking pretty good down to the parkton region. if you want to head out on 83 further south, you are going to find delays. tony come over to you. >> so far it has been light rain showers and sprinkles. rain will pick up in intensity the next couple of hours. we will see steady rain in the mountains. all heading towards baltimore. right now there is not a whole lot happening. we expected to pick up in intensity and coverage the next few hours. most of you will pick up some rain. take an umbrella with you even though it may not be running at your house right now. mostly cloudy skies. temperatures in the upper 30's.

we will wind up in the upper 40's. we should manage to get the temperatures above freezing. nice day tomorrow. sunshine 50. thickening clouds on saturday. 47. we still get a possibility of a winter-type storm on sunday. right now,

we're back now at 8:00 on a thursday morning. the 16th day of february, 2012. a little overcast here in new york city. mr. roker, i believe is about to tell us that some rain might be on the way. >> yes, it is, but it's another day that we don't have to shovel. >> maybe sunday. >> i'm matt lauer, along with savannah guthrie. savannah is here while ann is on assignment. and we're joined by the aforementioned mr. roker as well. coming up, today's

professionals are here. they're going to tackle a lot of subjects. including this one -- is it okay for a doctor to tell a patient, an overly optimistic prognosis, even if medical records indicate something else? or should doctors always be truthful? and how about this one, chris christie, the governor of new jersey, ordering flags fly at half-staff on saturday for whitney houston's funeral. a lot of people think that's appropriate. some don't. we'll let them weigh in as well. >> "today" viewers had a lot of opinions about that as well. also ahead, what will be the hot fash looks that leave the runways and you'll see in stores soon? and we'll talk to donald trump, he's in the building, in the hallway to tell us about the new season of the "celebrity apprenti apprentice" and i bet he'll talk about politics, too. and tomorrow on "today," i'll have a chance to have a sit-down with aretha franklin. sit down for a rare interview to talk about as many people know,

she is whitney houston's godmother. she's been asked to sing at whitney's funeral. we'll talk to ms. franklin about that and more tomorrow on "today." before we go further, let's head into the news desk, amy robach is there while natalie is on assignment. >> good morning, everyone, we begin in michigan, where a new poll shows rick santorum leading in rival mitt romney's old back yard. santorum will be in detroit today to deliver a speech on the economy. the two candidates are spending heavily to win the republican primary in michigan on february 28th. subpoenas have been issued to doctors and pharmacists as the investigation moves forward into the cause of whitney houston's death. the los angeles county coroner's office released her death certificate wednesday, but it doesn't list a cause of death for the 48-year-old singer, saying it's deferred, pending the results of toxicology tests, which could take weeks. well another kennedy is running for congress, joseph kennedy iii, grandson of the

late robert f. kennedy is jumping into the race for the massachusetts seat held by the retiring barney frank. new regulations are cracking down on robo calls, those automated phone calls that have been a persistent pest to consumers, nbc's tom costello has more from washington, d.c. >> here's the bad news, you're still going to get some robo calls from political campaigns, nonprofit organizations. but it's the calls from companies, pitching everything from life insurance to mortgage refis, that you will hopefully get fewer calls from. despite no call rules that went into effect years ago, too many are apparently still getting through and dead air calls, as you know are particularly ann annoying. that's when a computer calls a bunch of phones, but when you answer you get silence because the operator is talking to somebody who picked up sooner than you did. the new rules will require telemarketers to obtain written consent, written consent from customers before placing a robo call to them. even if the telemarketer already has an existing business

relationship with a person that they're calling. and customers can cancel or revoke their consent during the call. and amy, as you and i know with kids, the calls always seem to come right at dinner time. >> or 8:00en a sunday morning, i know. now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." brian? >> good morning. coming up tonight, aging drivers, as our parents age, continue to cherish their independence, when is it time to step in and take the keys away? and how do you do it? a tough decision. we'll have more on that tonight. amy, for now, back to you. >> brian, thank you. and now for a look at what's trending today, a quick round-up of what has you talking online. tens of thousands of you are going to today.com to vote on whether or not dmj nj should honor whitney houston by flying flags at half-staff on saturday. the latest results show only 12.3% of you say yes. a whopping 87% say no.

because most of houston's struggles are with drug abuse. supermodel cindy crawford's decision to slam the brakes on her daughter's modeling career. crawford bass just 16 when she was discovered by a photographer. you can head to our website, today.com to vote on whether or not you think kiya is too young to hit the catwalk. and royal watchers are abuzz on twitter, over this one, mattel, the maker of barbie, plans to release will and kate royal wedding dolls in april to coincide with the couple's first wedding anniversary. now you can have your very own will and kate for $100. it is now 8:05 and let's head to al with a check of the weather. al? >> amy, thank you so much. you've got a heck of a bike ride going on. tell me about this? >> i'm going to bike from l.a. to boston. starting may 13th. raising awareness for children with dyslexia. >> that's terrific. >> a tour for dyslexia.org.

good luck, we'll try to get you good weather for your trip. when do you start? >> may 13th. >> fantastic. let's check your weather. for today, our pick city of the day, catalina island, california, nbc 4, they'll have son santa ana winds, 62 degrees and as you look at the temperatures, 30s and 40s in the northeast, 20s in the plains, nice and warm in southern florida, temperatures in the 80s. we're looking for a risk for strong storms down through southern texas. wet weather moving into the northeast. mid-atlantic states. rain into the pacific northwest. those santa ana winds, southern california. some flurries around the western great lakes, plenty of sunshine from the plains down into northern texas. that's what' >> good morning. it looks like the rain will be catching up us today. it will be off and on rain showers.

and that's your latest weather. savannah. coming up, today's professionals weighen in on everything from the new jersey governor's decision, as well as the linsanity sweeping the nation, coming up right after this. ♪ i woke up to a light bulb

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we're back now at 8:10 with a brand new installment of today's professionals, star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman are here to

break down the day's hottest headlines and trends. i like to have you guys weigh in on television commercials and ads. this one is a political ad for rick santorum. involved in a heated contest on the gop side of the presidential race. this one is one that uses humor, this ad. it starts with the "i'm rick santorum" and i approve this ad. and then this. >> meet romney, negative attack machine is back on full throttle. this time, romney is firing at rick santorum. romney and his super pac have set a staggering $20 million. attacking republicans. why? because romney is trying to hide from his big government romney care and his support for job-killing cap and trade. and in the end, mitt romney's ugly attacks are going to backfire. >> i'm sure rick santorum loves the fact that we just ran the whole ad. what do you think of the ad man, the message man, ha do you think of the spot? >> it's a fantastic commercial.

what's brilliant is he knows he's going to be outspent 20-1. he's putting the image out there. so every time you see an anti santorum ad, that's what clicks into your mind. this is a really effective ad. what's working for santorum is he's a human being and romney is seen as very robotic and they're playing on that. >> do you like the humor side of this? >> i get from the marketing standpoint why it's catchy and brilliant. i'm sick of guns. i'm sick of the violence. i'm sick of all of it. i know it's tongue in cheek. >> i don't like it. >> i think it does go to the whole larry, curly and moe mentality of the republican primary over the past few months. it's almost like joking. every other day, you've got a new -- >> i take it seriously, take it about negative ads in politics. >> it seems as if every other week we have a new front-runner. >> but that's something that's very important. it's robotic aspect of romney. and the fact that the sweater

vest guy, whether you like his politics or not, is able to talk plain. >> the most important thing and this is what this is, matt was touching on this, the supreme court decision which basically said, you can run billions of dollars of advertising, anonymously -- >> you can buy a president. >> turn the negative back on the person -- >> all right. let's move on to another subject. nancy, why don't you start with this one. a brand new survey in health affairs, 1900 doctors surveyed, 55% of the doctors admitted in the past year, they've been more positive in talking to a patient about their prognosis than the medical history of that patient warranted. in other words, 55% of doctors are saying, they often sugar-coat the news to their patients. is that what we want? >> i'm going to tell you a true story. a very famous publisher died at a very famous cancer hospital in this country and as she was dying, the doctors said to her, there's nothing i can do for you. nothing makes me madder than to hear that kind of story.

for a physician to sit at a bedside and say, it's going to be okay. even if you're dying, that is part of the hope aspect. so is there a fine line? it's just hope, that you have a good death, that it's part of the process. it's not necessarily lying. and let me just say one more thing -- it's a bell-shaped curve. somebody makes up the 2% of the survival. it's not my job to say the odds may be against you, but i'm not going say you're going to die. >> i told nancy i didn't see my entire operational report from the open-heart surgery and the doctor did not tell me the specifics of what he was going to do. he just said, it's going to be all right. you're going to come through this. and that's what i needed to hear. i didn't need to hear the other part. >> donny, the survey also found 10% of doctors admit they have have told a patient something that is flat-out untrue. >> that's wrong. >> well, you know -- my feeling is your job is to get somebody better. >> i can't lie to you. >> you never want to do something that's going to keep

me from taking the proper medicine or things like that. but if you say, i think you have the fortitude to beat this, but yet you know clinically it's impossible, that's okay. that's a lie and i think that's okay. i think your job is to deal with the human in every way possible to get them better. and it's a fine line, but that's, if i was a doctor, that's what i would do. >> i want the truth, by the way. but i'll just move on. >> you can't handle the truth. >> whitney houston is going to be laid to rest on saturday in newark, new jersey, her home state. the governor of that state, chris christie, has ordered flags be flown at half-staff. is that an appropriate honor for whitney houston? >> i have a -- >> i actually do like the fact that chris christie is standing in the position of saying, she was a native daughter of this state. we honored her and celebrated her and used her during her life. we can honor her and celebrate her in her death. >> i have a big issue with it. and obviously it's a tragedy, it has nothing to do with whitney houston. i think we elevate singers and

celebrities -- why don't we fly the half-staff when a great policeman dies or a great teacher dies? >> we do. >> a teacher? when steve jobs died, who changed peoples' lives, she's a wonderful singer, this is a tragedy. she was not in public service, i don't think it's appropriate. >> in some ways i think this discussion has been hijacked by the drug abuse issue. if we're going to drop the flag, we're honoring drug abuse, it has nothing to do with it. the question is, when do we do this. if we start doing it all the time, it takes special meaning out of it. it should be for presidents, astronauts, people who i think who have given their life. and i, look, i don't think film stars and celebrities and singers -- >> nancy, at some point, you have to make the rules for everybody. >> frank sinatra is a jersey boy, did they lower the flag for him? >> real quickly, raise your hand if you have a case of linsanity? >> absolutely. >> why do we love the story so

much about the kid from harvard, cut by two teams and now absolutely becoming a sensation for the knicks. >> econ major from harvard, cut from a up couple of teams. >> playing with heart. we've been missing the heart. >> just do bring into politics, the 1% and the 99% can degree. to the 1%, he's a harvard kid. to the 99%, he's an underdog it brings everybody together. i'm a huge -- it's magical. >> a quick reminder, even as i thank you for your opinions, we told but the father who reacted to a letter his daughter posted about her parents on facebook. it's a rant that ends with bullet holes in that girl's laptop computer. was that appropriate tough love or parenting gone wrong? log on to our website, watch it and weigh in. >> forget the fact that he shoots the computer. one of the most depressing things i've seen on the air. >> he's disgusting as a father. i would like to call him out. shame on you. >> i know that parents are going to identify with him and i think you guys are going to be in the

minority. >> i hope child protective services is at their house today. >> star, donny, dr. nancy, thanks. up next, the hottest trends in clothing emerging from fashion week here in new york city right after this. sears big presidents day sale is on now. and we do mean big. with huge savings across the store. points, perks, and privileges. members get more. sears.

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for fall look, right? >> it's tough to watch because you want it right away. >> let's talk about some of the highlights. jason wu, now a household name. he's got a line for target. how did he do this week? >> he went back to his roots. he did this whole chinese ming dynasty thing, it was fantastic. there was lots of textures, lots of brocades, it was super-rich. a military influence, a lot of structure. but it was definitely different from the first time. kind of getting in touch with his roots again. >> beautiful stuff. what about victoria beckham? we know her as posh spice, but she's sort of become a design anywhere her own right. >> she was interesting, she was very structured and sporty. you saw her in the collection so much. had this fitted, very structured piece. >> kind of severe. >> but then she got a little sporty, which was nice, you could see her husband playing a part in it. flat motorcycle boots. the editors loved it.

>> a lot of times celebrities start fashion lines and they don't always take off. hers certainly have. another couple who have done well, mary kate and ashley with the row? >> object lens and decadence, they showed up at the carlyle for tea and crumpets, it was like chic urbanity, it was just stunning, a lot of workable pieces. beautiful colors, the tones are neutral. a lot of structure as well again. classic and timeless, the girls are making a statement that they're designers that really want to be taken seriously. >> they kind of had a slow start. they didn't try to burst on to the scene. they built support over a few seasons? >> they have an amazing empire. they have a high end, low end. all the way down to jcpenney. these girls are doing a lot. >> another new name on the horizon, christian siriano. he's becoming quite a designer to be reckoned with. he was on "project runway." >> the pieces were so wearable.

he had beautiful long, flowy gowns, structure, but they were wearable. like the faux cropped jackets and trench coat he did was genius. and he had a great celebrity turn-out at his fashion show as well. >> diane von furstenberg. doing beautiful, bright colors. >> if you're looking for bold, she's the person to go to. she's the daring diva. the woman who wants to stand out in the crowd. all the pieces were duly very timeless. this he were great for day into night. i loved her collection the most, it was genius. >> speaking of fabulous genius. anna wintour, editor in chief for "vogue," she always turns out looking fabulous and having someone interesting on her arm. >> senator gilda brant. it was interesting, a little political gravitas. i have to say. >> unusual for fashion week to bring a politician. >> i have to tell you with the state of the economy, fashion is still definitely driving lots of businesses. and making billions of dollars.

so senator wanted to show her support. >> let's talk about the trends we'll see. metallics, tell us about this look here. >> i love me dalices, to me it's the n metallics, it looks like sequin, it's h & m, $29. under $50 to look like you can go out to a nightclub or an expensive evening event. >> another trend i can't believe is coming back from the '80s, neon, really? >> i love the neon piece. it's punctuation, it's effortless, think about all your neutral pieces you may have. you want to add a pop effortlessly? add a neon accessory. >> so you don't do head to toe in neon. a little goes a long way. and the kimono look. you're calling it the new cardigan? >> you have no pressure when you wear it. it travels well. even when i'm dropping the kids off to school, i throw on a kimono and it makes my sweats look super-chic. >> thanks so much. just ahead, donald trump talks about the "celebrity

apprentice" and politics, too. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> we will start in anne arundel county. southbound crain highway, annapolis road, new accident there. looking good southbound 97. southbound 97, fort mchenry tunnel plaza, one of the lanes closed with the disabled vehicle. you can see delays on 95 out of

white marsh. southbound towards the 895 split. southbound on the j.f.x. from the beltway towards 28 street. 21 minutes through the outer loop west side stretch. 13-minute ride on the northeast side. here is a live view at white marsh. beyond that, towards the 895 split, you are seeing delays. we are holding onto north side delays on the outer loop. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. john collins joins us with the forecast. >> take a look at the radar. a few sprinkles just to the north and northeast of town. only scattered showers at this point. this is only kind of the leading edge of the storm. looking at the current situation, cloudy skies, 40 in town. a barometer of the moment is high. east winds at 7 miles per hour. it will take all they to go through.

saturday and friday, back here. once we get through today, showers in the forecast. on-again, off-again. seven-day forecast, friday and saturday mostly look good. storm comes in on sunday. >> we will have another update at 8:45.

8:30 now on a thursday morning, it's the 1t6th day of february, 2012.

a nice chance to say hi to some of the good people who dropped by our studio this morning. by the way, that voice in the background, you probably know that guy, that is grammy winner, jason mraz, and he's in our studio. and the girls in the plaza are all singing along. >> he's got another song ride be up the charts and he's going to sing that song for us in a little while. and also the trump meister is here. >> is that what we call him? >> he's got a new album out. >> okay. he's here, he's not going to sing, he will talk and tell us about the new season of celebrity "the apprentice" and his thoughts on the presidential race. >> the 18 contestants. >> 18 episodes? >> a lot of them. plus, are we in the mood for a bargain? >> always. >> jil martin is here with her latest round of steals and deals. jewelry to beautiful throws, to

up to more than 70% off. and sometimes you may have some curious symptoms. dr. nancy snyderman says some of these symptoms could be a precursor to more serious conditions, we'll run through some of those. >> you want to give us a check of the weather? >> why not? show you what's happening for today. tomorrow, i should say we're looking at rain in the pacific northwest. and sunny skies along the eastern seaboard. wet weather tomorrow down through texas. as we move into saturday, look for a risk of strong storms from the gulf coast into the southeastern atlantic coast. more rain moves into the pacific northwest. sunshine in new england, sunday, possible storms moving along the northeast. we'll keep an eye on that. more heavy rain along the mid-atlantic states. showers as another system comes into the pacific northwest with snow in the central rockies. >> good morning. there will be a rain shower activity today.

it will not be a steady rain. the best chances later this morning and this aft with the big storm possible this weekend, you want to stay tuned to the weather channel on cable or check out weather.com online. >> 24/7. >> absolutely. coming up next, donald trump is here talking about politics, the economy and the new season of "celebrity apprentice." coming up. but first this is "today" on nbc.

the fifth season of nbc's "celebrity apprentice" begins on sunday. it features a mix of stars ranging from a grammy winner to a former talk show host ready to take on donald trump in the board room. take a look.

♪ >> welcome to the board room. >> 18 celebrity, 18 egos, all fighting to become the "celebrity apprentice." >> donald trump, good morning, nice to see you. >> nice to see you, matt. >> as always when you're here, let's hold on the show and talk a little politics. you endorsed mitt romney with your usual flair. he held a series of fundraising calls, i think on yesterday, he did. you were a part of that. >> right. >> are you going to play a major role in mitt romney's campaign? >> i'll do what he wants me to do. they raised a lot of money yesterday, i raised a lot of money for him yesterday. he's a good man, working hard and i hope it all catches on, it should. >> what's with rick santorum. in the last 48 hours, rick santorum has surged into the lead or tied in four national polls. this is not good for the guy you've endorsed. why can't mitt romney close the deal? >> it's an amazing thing. but rick santorum, if you look

at, he lost his election in pennsylvania, running as a sitting senator. by 19 points. so the people that knew him best turned him out and let him go. locally, he did even worse. when you think of it, what's going on? it's hard to believe. mitt romney is a good man, he's got some great ideas, strong on china, strong on opec. i don't get it. i don't see why he's not catching on better. >> isn't any republican nominee going to have a problem, and that is by all indications, the economy is getting stronger. so if you're the republican nominee, how do you run against a recovering economic? how do you say, i'm not up with that. >> a lot of things will happen prior to november. gas prices could go through the roof based on what opec is doing to us and lots of other things. now the economy, they say is a little bit better now. but they also predict it's going to get worse before the election. i hope that's not true, frankly, because i love this country and i want the economy to do well. but you have to see what happens. and you see how fluid it is. someone is winning by 30 points,

next week they're losing. that can also happen with obama and whoever ultimately runs against him. >> fair enough. fifth series of "celebrity apprentice." >> that's right. >> what's different this time? >> we have a great group. we've gotten just fantastic reviews. today in the "daily news," we got four stars. we've been getting great reviews. people love it they love the guests. >> 18 people competing? that's the biggest ever, isn't it? >> that's the biggest number and 15 episodes, which is the biggest number. >> what makes a great contestant? >> toughness, intelligence, and i'm not just talking about from the viewers. i'm talking about to win. you've got to be tough. you can never, ever quit and you have to be really, really smart. you have to be cunning. maybe above all ens, you have to be cunning. and those seems to be the ones that go all the way. joan rivers was amazing. if you look at some of the winners we've had, piers morgan was amazing. >> this year's crop, who should viewers be marking on their

score sheets already? >> well i have to tell you, they're all really good. but arsenio hall is terrific. and we're shooting it right now. >> you don't want to give anything away. >> clay aiken is totally different than i thought. i thought he wasn't going to be that strong a player. he's a really strong player. great singer, and he's a tough guy and he's nasty. you wouldn't think it. we have victoria gotti, we have cheryl tiegs, we have so many people, lou ferigno. when you put them all together, it's been amazing. >> you mentioned victoria gotti. and you have theresa from "real housewives." which one of them is more likely to kill you? >> i'm afraid to fire either one of them. >> we'll save those until the end. >> they may go all the way. >> why do you think this works? >> we've had -- 14 copies of "the apprentice" and every one of them failed almost immediately. this works. so i assume it's because it's trump. >> but in terms of the genre and

the format? it's just because people love to see others go at each other? >> i think so, to a certain extent. i think the firing as opposed to the hiring. if i would have said, you're hired, it would have never worked. friends of mine come up and bring their son, they say would you do me a favor, on tape, fire my son, for a bar mitzvah, for a wedding. i say, what about hiring? they say no, no, you've got to fire him. it's been a lot of fun. >> you can catch the season premiere of "celebrity apprentice," sunday night, 9:00 p.m. here on nbc. up next, we've got a live performance from grammy winner, jason mraz, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. >> back now at 8:42, with

grammy-winning singer/songwriter, jason mraz, he released his debut album in 2002 and rose to international fame with his 2008 hit, "i'm yours." he's gearing up to release his new album, "love is a four-letter word." jason, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you've had such success with "i'm yours." to go back to write a new album, did you feel a lot of pressure. songwriter's fright? >> not fright, but i definitely became aware of a world audience i now have thanks to "i'm yours." it encouraged my voice to be a little more responsible. >> what's this i hear that you and a group of your fellow songwriters have a little game that you play where you ask each other to put words in songs? >> well we send each other a phrase and by friday you have to turn the phrase into a song. it's a game about integrity. one, to keep writing for the sake of writing and to be your word and to write the song. >> and do some of those phrases turn up in real songs? >> half of, the songs from my

last album came out of the song game. it's a great practice. >> your new song already is a huge hit on youtube. i think you've got eight million hits already? >> my mom clicks an awful lot. >> she's very busy, constantly refreshing the page? >> yes. she likes to keep the numbers up. >> it's sweet, kind of swoony. what's it about? >> you know, it's just that we all have something worth fighting for. we really do. and it happens throughout our lives again and again, whether we're fighting for a dream or someone in our lives. >> i know when you're not writing songs, working hard, you went to antarctica, with none other than former vice president gore. tell us about that? >> going to antarctica reminds me of how beautiful the world is, just stunning and to see the icebergs melting. >> the song is called "i won't give up." it's not going to be just mom watching this morning. jason mraz, take it away. ♪

♪ ♪ when i look into your eyes ♪ it's like watching the night sky ♪ or a beautiful sunrise ♪ there's so much they hold ♪ and just like them old stars ♪ i see that you've come so far ♪ to be right where you are ♪ how old is your soul ♪ well i won't give up on us ♪

even if the skies get rough ♪ i'm giving you all my love ♪ i'm still looking up ♪ and when you're needing your space ♪ to do some navigating ♪ i'll be here patiently waiting ♪ to see what you find ♪ 'cuz even the stars they burn ♪ some even fall to the earth ♪ ♪ we've got a lot to learn god knows we're worth it ♪

no, i won't give up ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily ♪ ♪ i'm here to stay and make the difference ♪ that i can make ♪ our differences they do a lot to teach us ♪ ♪ how to use the tools and gifts we got ♪ ♪ yeah, we got lot at stake and in the end ♪ ♪ you're still my friend ♪ at least we did intend for us to work ♪ ♪ we didn't break ♪ we didn't burn ♪ we had to learn how to bend ♪ without the world caving in ♪ i had to learn what i've got ♪ and what i'm not ♪ and who i am ♪ i won't give up on us ♪ even if the skies get rough ♪ i'm giving you all my love

♪ i'm still looking up ♪ no i won't give up on us even if the skies get rough ♪ ♪ i'm giving you all my love ♪ i'm still looking up and we're worth it ♪ ♪ no i won't give up no ♪ ♪ >> jason mraz, thank you so much. sounding good, the new single is now on itunes, and jason will be

back with more music later on "today." coming up, a special performance on the rockefeller center rink. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

today at the rink is brought to you by smucker's, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good.

this morning in "today" at the rink, skating great, todd eldridge, the six-time national champ ended his competitive career back at the winter games in salt lake city in 2002. well now he is set to take part in a great event this weekend, "stars on ice" celebrating their tenth anniversary, todd eldrige, nice to see you. what do they have planned for the 10-year anniversary? >> we've got a great show planned. it will be awesome. ten years from the time we were there for the olympics in 2002, it will be exciting. >> does it seem like a decade ago, salt lake city? >> it really doesn't. it seems like it was yesterday. i haven't been in the building since we competed there. so it's going to be interesting. >> it's interesting, because i was looking back at the notes last night and then i remember covering those olympic games and i remember talking to you about the honor you were given where you got to actually one of the american athletes got to carry the 9/11 flag.

>> yeah. obviously tremendous honor. you know, i was here that day, i was going to do an interview with you that day and it was just of a crazy thing. to get the honor of carrying, being one of the people to carry the flag was awesome. >> you get to do a lot of great performances. do you miss competitive skating? >> not at all. >> where do you find your competition now? >> on the golf course, most of the time now. but you know, i get out and still do shows. we've got eight shows left with "stars on ice" this season, it will end in march. and i get out and do other things. i mostly coaching now. >> we get a chance to see you out here on the rock center rink. if you want to get in your starting position. i'll do the honors by saying, ladies and gentlemen, todd eldridge. ♪ ♪ ♪ every time our eyes meet ♪ this feeling inside me

almost more than i can take ♪ baby when you touch me ♪ i can feel how much you love me ♪ ♪ you just blow me away i've never been this close to anyone or anything ♪ ♪ i can hear your thoughts ♪ i can see your dreams ♪ i don't know how you do what you do ♪ ♪ i'm so in love with you ♪ it just keeps getting better i want to spend the rest of my life ♪ with you by my side ♪ ♪ forever and ever

every little thing that you do ♪ ♪ baby, i'm amazed by you the scent of your skin ♪ ♪ the taste of your kiss ♪ the way you whisper in the dark ♪ the air around me ♪ ♪ baby you surround me you touch every place in my heart ♪ it feels like the first time every time ♪ i want to spend my whole life ♪ ♪ in your arms ♪ i don't know how you do what

you do ♪ ♪ i'm so in love with you ♪ it just keeps getting better i want to spend the rest of my life ♪ ♪ with you by my side ♪ forever and ever ♪ every little thing that you do ♪ ♪ baby i'm amazed by you [ applause ] [ applause ] >> todd eldridge. todd, thank you very much. we'll be back in a moment right after these messages and your local news.

>> good morning. i am mindy basara. one person is in serious condition after being pulled from a burning apartment. flames broke out on the 16th floor of the westminster house

at no. charles street around 7:30 last night. four others were treated for minor smoke inhalation. a pot of f

>> clouds this morning. we had a little bit of shower activity overnight. none at the moment. temperatures are in the 30's to around 40 degrees. weather system coming in, bringing a chance for on-again, off-again rainshowers. high temperatures will be in the 40's to near 50 d