good morning. feeling the heat. the largest solar storm in five years striking the earth today. experts say it could disrupt electrical systems, satellite navigations and airline flight. how will it impact your day? this morning, a live report. have you seen it? it's the viral campaign that's exploded online going from 2 million hits on youtube to more than 20 million in just one day. everyone from celebrities and teens are passing on the link. what's it about and who's behind it? and all hail the queen. the duchess of cambridge helped launch the queen's diamond

jubilee tour this morning. a celebration of 60 years on the throne. we are live at buckingham palace throne. we are live at buckingham palace today, thursday, march 8, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm matt lauer. the impact from that huge solar flare is being felt on the earth now but it is not a danger to people. however, it could pose problems, especially when it comes to technology. >> that's right. it all started with a massive solar flare this week captured in these nasa images. the last time the earth was hit by one it knocked out gps services. we'll have the latest on the story. it's a rare one to tell people. how often do you tell a story like this? >> not every day here. also, what happens if you lose

your smartphone? an undercover investigation tracked 50 intentionally lost. the phones included icons that included salary information and private photos. if you don't password protect your phone now, you will after you see this report. >> also later, a new jersey woman with four kids has been accused of running a high-priced prostitution ring catering to wealthy clients. a secret double life that allegedly made her millions over 15 years. coming up, we'll get the low down on that story from her attorney. >> let's start with natalie at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. as you heard, the largest solar storm in five years is careening into earth today where it is set to zing our utility grids, airline grids, satellites and other communications. tom costello has more from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.

this is a cool story. the scientists call it a coronal mass ejection. the outer atmosphere of the sun has been blown off sending a massive plasma cloud full of charged particles our way. the worst hit around 5:00 a.m. eastern time. so far no problems with gps or satellite systems or high frequency radio systems although it's possible and that's what we'll be watching all day. this is part of the sun's 11-year cycle which is supposed to reach its most active phase next year. expecrts say there is no danger on earth but some airlines that fly over the north pole rerouted flights to ensure communications aren't disrupted. there were reports of fantastic northern lights as far south as michigan. this was overnight in michigan. again, no serious disruptions so far. >> hopefully we enjoy the

beautiful images from michigan there. tom, thanks. new concerns about iran's nuclear ambitions as satellite images show trucks and earth-moving vehicle at the site of an iranian military facility. nuclear experts say the images reveal an attempt to clean up radioactive traces left by a possible nuclear weapon trigger as the vehicles appear to be hauling contaminated soil. the u.s. and european union have stood by the diplomacy-first approach. israel said it won't rule out a preemptive strike. whitney houston left her entire estate to her daughter. the last will and testament was drafted in 1993. the will leaves nothing to her ex-husband. now to wall street. mary thompson is at the new york stock exchange this morning. good morning, mary. >> good morning. investors will be watching

greece which faces a key deadline this afternoon. the country hoping enough private bond holders agree to a debt swap to avoid default in the country. it would pave the way for a second round of needed emergency funding for greece. looking to expand the dominance in the rapidly growing tablet market apple introduced the ipad yesterday. the tablet the faster than its predecessor and features a high def screen. natalie? >> we'll talk more about the new ipad coming up. mary thompson, thanks. humans lend a helping hand to some 30 dolphins who were washed up on a brazilian beach this week. don't call the folk there is beach bums. the locals dropped everything to guide the dolphins back out to sea. now back to matt, ann and al. very sweet. >> that's something you don't see every day. >> it was the solar flare. >> something wild. >> by the way, i'm going to the sun to report tomorrow, but i'm

going at night so it's okay. >> you waited five years to tell that joke. >> it was worth it! >> mr. roker has a check of the weather. >> let's see. we have a big system. it stretches from the northeast all the way into texas. it's a strong low level jet stream, ample moisture. a cold upper level low that will enhance that. so it's bringing rain from lubbock up to alpena, michigan, with snow around kansas city where they have closed the airport to get things cleared up. a risk of strong storms memphis, austin, jackson and little rock. rain from two to three inches over the next 24 hours but unfortunately the rain is going to just sit over eastern texas into arkansas over the next 72 hours where some areas could pick up seven inches of rain and cause flooding. >> good morning, everyone.

another dry day today. during the day it will be breezy and mild. that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. mitt romney may be on the path to the gop presidential nomination but he'll face a tough challenge in two upcoming primaries in the deep south. this as rick santorum and newt gingrich fight to be what they say is the only true conservative left in the race. peter alexander is in boston this morning. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. it's proven to be a beautiful, windy day in boston. mitt romney, after a quiet day in his home in boston, heads to the south to rejoin his republican rivals newt gingrich and rick santorum. it's a place where they are hoping to find strong support

and where romney hopes to silence his critics. as the republican campaign returns to the deep south for next week's alabama and mississippi primaries, mitt romney's challengers are hoping for a little southern comfort. >> when we win this primary and the primary in mississippi, both next week, we will have once again -- i think for the ninth time -- reset this primary race. >> if we win mississippi, this will be a two-perpendicul oetwo. and if this is a two-person race we will nominate a conservative as president of the united states. >> reporter: both newt gingrich and rick santorum believe bible belt voters will be a receptive audience. ♪ ♪ game on ♪ victory is in sight ♪ we've got a man who understands that god gave a bill of rights ♪ >> reporter: but connecting with christian evangelicals and conservatives has been a harder sell for romney.

>> this campaign is not just about a name on a ballot. it's about saving the soul of america. >> reporter: in alabama in 2008 nearly 40% of republican primary voters identify themselves as very conservative and more than three-quarters as evangelical. there are fewer evangelicals in south carolina and gingrich crushed romney in that state's primary two months ago. >> thank you. god bless you. >> reporter: with santorum's strong showing, some think gingrich should drop out of the race. >> if he wants to get out, i'm all for it. i'm all for mitt romney getting out. i wish president obama would just hand me the thing, but that's not going to happen. >> we are staying in this race. i believe that it's going to be impossible for a moderate to win the general election. >> reporter: the romney campaign argues romney has the only clear path to the nomination. santorum would need to win nearly two-thirds of the

delegates going forward. one aide said it would take an act of god for anyone else to become the nominee. >> if the governor thinks he's now ordained by god to win let's have it out. >> how do we understand this president and his time in office? >> reporter: next week the obama campaign will release a 17-minute documentary about the president's first term in office. "today" was given a first look. >> the entire national security apparatus was in the room. now we had to make a decision. go or not go. >> as we walked out of the room, it dawned on me. he's alone. this is his decision. nobody is standing there with him. >> reporter: that clip is, of course, referencing the president's decision to order the killing of osama bin laden last spring. you may recognize a familiar voice. the narrator is tom hanks.

>> it did sound familiar, peter. thank you very much. another familiar person, the host of "morning joe." great to have you here. >> great to be here. >> if you were head of the republican party -- >> i'd quit. >> would you be asking any of these candidates to get out? >> i'm dead serious. i would be asking others to get into the race. i would be still asking jeb bush, chris christie, paul ryan or somebody else. the romney people did something fascinating yesterday. they said basically it would take an act of god for us not to win. but then got to the math where they said they have to take 50% of the delegates from here to tampa to go over the top. with four people in the race and with chances good romney will lose alabama, mississippi, kansas, louisiana. i wouldn't be going around showing the math. >> nevertheless you talk about people coming in, the people you

would be trying to seek. how much longer can this party go without a nominee and still beat barack obama? >> we may be able to go all the way into tampa. i speak as a republican that, again, talks to a lot of republicans who don't believe this party is in a position to beat barack obama now. three months ago, things were different. you look at the latest nbc news/wall street journal poll, the divide between men and women. the gender gap is now over 20%. that's a landslide waiting to happen. only 14% of hispanics say they would vote for these republican candidates. george w. bush in 2004 barely won by getting 44% of the hispanic vote. this is a party that's on its way to a historic defeat in the fall unless they drag in other candidates. >> sounds like you're throwing in the towel. >> no. i would say let's go to barbados for six months. if i were the head of the republican national committee, i would be on the phone with jeb

bush and chris christie every day and say, i know you're uncomfortable. i know you don't want to do this right now. i know the timing is not right. you have a responsibility to your party and your nation to get engaged. >> what you're saying sounds familiar to something george will wrote over the weekend for the washington post. he said republicans need to realize they are not going to win the white house and they should concentrate on the house and senate. he says, quote, neither romney nor santorum has an aptitude for energizing a national coalition that translates into the electoral vote if nominated. are you part of a number of republicans saying, look, change the list here. this is not going to win. >> that's how i feel. i think george will's argument and other conservatives are saying, we're going to lose the white house. focus on the house and senate. i'm not there yet. a lot of people are concerned not only with how barack obama

has been spending money but how george w. bush and republicans spent money years before that. we are now at $16 trillion. if barack obama has another term we'll be over $20 trillion. we're not that far from having the dollar get beaten around like greece, spain, italy and other parts of europe having their currency beaten up. these are dangerous times. i don't think the republican party wants to throw in the towel yet. >> great to have you here, joe. >> great to be here. >> thanks for joining us. you can watch "morning joe" weekdays at 6:00 a.m. eastern on ms nbc. now here's matt. >> if you have been on twitter or facebook recently you have probably seen kony 2012 uniting people across the world. but what is it and who's behind it? nbc's craig melvin is in los

angeles with details on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. at last check, more than 26.5 million people have watched the kony 2012 video on youtube. it's not the run of the mill viral video. the man behind it hopes to launch a new generation of global social activists. >> reporter: the 29-minute video starts with a little boy in uganda talking about his brother being killed. [ crying ] before turning a world away to an amateur film maker and his curious 4-year-old son talking about good guys and bad. >> he forces them to do bad things. what do you think about that? >> sad. >> reporter: in this case, the bad guy is one of the world's most wanted war criminals, joseph kony. since the late '80s he's read

the lords resistance army in uganda. he's allegedly kidnapped tens of thousands of children, boys to fight, girls to rape. kony has been indicted for murder, enslavement and crimes against humanity. >> he forces them to kill their parents. >> reporter: many celebrities are weighing in on facebook and twitter. ryan seacrest tweeted, watched in bed, was blown away. sean combs wrote, we will stop you. kim kardashian and oprah winfrey encouraged fans to watch the video. >> that's the intention of the movie. yes, for it to go viral, but we'll take it to the streets and start inspiring other people to make sure kony is captured. >> reporter: the video is inspiring young people to act. >> we have done car washes, several bake sales, dances. >> reporter: in los angeles

caroline organized students at her high school. >> i don't know what it is. there's something about their tears and their voices that i just couldn't stand. >> i think that it really shows how our generation kind of has a different perspective on the idea of a global community. >> reporter: the students have already raised $4,000 for invisible children, the charity behind the stop kony campaign. >> they are taking action and that was the intention. they're waking up to potential. that's what it's about. >> reporter: at one point last night a million people were watching the video per hour on youtube, matt. the group behind invisible children is planning a major online grassroots event april 20th. >> craig, thank you very much. >> amazing how fast this thing caught on fire. yesterday i was watching the video and at 9:30 it had 1.5 million views. by 11:00 it was almost 5 million views.

and now it's up to 20 million. >> 26, i think the latest is. >> taking off like wildfire. a lot of young people behind it. >> we'll have more tomorrow. >> we'll have an interview with jason russell who is behind the campaign. we have a lot of questions. now to a consumer alert that impacts millions of smartphone users. if your phone is stolen do you have a password to protect your personal information? a new undercover investigation reveals you may be at greater risk than you think. tom costello joins us again with exclusive details. hey, tom. good morning. >> reporter: semantek dropped phones in busy centers to track what was accessed on the phone. if you don't have a password on your phone, you will surely do so after this. what kind of personal information do you keep on your smartphone? photos, contacts, e-mails?

how about banking information or work files? what do you think would happen if you lost the phone? >> everything is in here. my life. >> i am the type to lose my phone. i'd like to have trust in people. >> i think most people are honest. >> reporter: symantec decided to find out how honest people are. they set a trap, dropping 50 smartphones in high traffic areas in five cities. new york city, washington, d.c., los angeles, san francisco and ottawa, ontario, canada. each phone loaded with fake corporate and personal information. a tempting bank account icon and files called salary information and private. each had contact information for the person who allegedly dropped the phone. >> within an hour of them being dropped someone was either moving them or accessing them. >> reporter: symantec had secret

tracking software so technicians could watch everything in real time from a command center. in only half the cases did the finder offer to return the phone. the really bad news -- >> overall, 84% of the people have access to either personal or corporate information on the phone. even those who offered to return to phone. >> reporter: 43% tried to access online banking. 53% clicked on salaries. 57% clicked on saved passwords. 60% checked out e-mail and social networking while 72% clicked on private photos. one phone dropped in new york was picked up and accessed within 37 minutes. whoever picked it up never offered to return it but spent a lot of time trying to access the bank account information, pass words and salary information. 10:39 at night he accesses the phone. >> 4:00 a.m. he's looking at hr

salaries, 6:30 we see corporate e-mail, online pancreatic cancering and passwords. >> reporter: the files were all fake. but studies suggest half of all smartphone users don't password protect phones. that's not smart, say security experts. >> smartphones have access to your life. in many cases they can access your home or work computer. it's important to keep in mind how much people can see if they steal it. it's the keys to your whole life. >> curiosity is powerful, especially on a phone. >> reporter: one woman who e-mailed after having one of the lost phones for over a week said she felt guilty and wanted to return it. she, too, had accessed the personal information on the smartphone. the moral of the story, you may not get the phone back because it's easy to remove a sim card and use the phone, but pass words are e key to protect your data. >> in which cities were most phones returned and in which cities were they not.

>> reporter: i hate to tell you this. new york city, 30% of the phones were returned. ottawa, ontario, canada, 70%. >> i'm putting in a password now. thank you. just ahead, the suburban soccer mom with four kids now behind bars for allegedly living a secret double life as a high end madam. first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, a dad facing criminal charges for allegedly using a laser pointer to distract the goalie on his daughter's rival hockey team. we'll hear from him and the goalie coming up. >> and the queen kicks off her diamond jubilee with help from the duchess of cambridge after your local news. ♪ sunlight says get up and go ♪ mountain-grown aroma coming through ♪ ♪ a new challenge waits for you ♪ ♪ ♪ jumpin' into something new

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. an fbi task force is learning baltimore are ex law-enforcement to track down a man in the area. the latest incident happened when a man walked into a laurel farms and fired a shot.

a customer was shot in a similar incident weeks ago in another royal farms store. time for a check on the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> a few problems but nothing major in terms of delays, other than the normal west side delay. accident off to the side, construction in place, too. washington boulevard, what for an accident in the city. this is the slowest spot. 11 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. here is 95 in the white marsh area. intermittent delays for my marsh to the northeast. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> temperatures are already in

the 50's. close to 70 this afternoon. the rain showers are going to catch up to us tonight. we will not see any precipitation until after 7:00. is between 67 and 72. average high is 71. it will be breezy and cooler going into the weekend.

7:30 now on a thursday morning, march 8, 2012. picture perfect start to the day here in new york city. people outside right now, it's already 52 degrees on our plaza. if you stick around until 2:00 this afternoon, going up near 70 in new york today. >> is that the rolling spring break we're starting to see? >> it could be. we'll start to see that in the next couple of days. we'll get al's forecast in a little while. inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer along with ann curry. ahead, a high school hockey game making headlines for the wrong

reasons. a father faces charges after being tossed out of the arena for allegedly aiming a laser pointer at the eyes of the opposing team's goalie. not the best thing to do. we'll have details on that straight ahead. also, it's a big day for the queen and the duchess of cambrid cambridge. they are kicking off the celebrations of the queen's diamond jubilee at 60 years on the throne. we'll go live to buckingham palace witthe latest on the story. flowers are involved. >> and tomorrow on "today," whitney houston's hairdresser speaks out for the first time since the singer's death. she was in the hotel room as efforts were made to try to resuscitate whitney houston. we'll talk to her tomorrow on "today." >> we begin with the new jersey mother of four accused of running a prostitution ring. stephanie gosk is in manhattan's upper east side with details on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this less than glamorous apartment building may not look like a high end brothel catering

to wealthy and powerful men but that's what the new york district attorney says it was. at the center of the alleged prostitution ring, an unlikely madam -- a mother of four animal activist from the suburbs. new york's district attorney says anna gristina made millions of dollars over 15 years. a well known madam who sold sex to a large circle of rich, influential friends. prosecutors told the court this british citizen would run if they let her out on bail. relying on hidden money and connections in the police department. the judge set bail at a steep $2 million. but her lawyer said she didn't do it. >> what she's admitted to is being a decent, kind, loving mother of four children who she's been ripped away from. >> reporter: the 44-year-old has been married twice and has four

children. she lives in a modest home an hour outside of new york city. on wednesday her husband took their 9-year-old son to school. despite posting the occasional racy photo online, friends say she lives an average suburban life. a caring mom who spends her free time rescuing dogs and raising pot-bellied pigs. >> she's a soccer mom. it was shocking to the people in the neighborhood what happened. she's a nice person. >> reporter: hardly the image of a tawdry madam, the target of avenue five-year investigation and hundreds of hours of police surveillance. the assistant district attorney told the court the evidence against her includes witness testimony from a prostitute who said she was present for a sexual encounter in which minors were involved. the lawyers point out she was not charged with a crime involving minors. >> i would not be standing here if i thought there was any children involved in this case. >> reporter: she was arrested at the offices of morganstanley,

looking for a loan for a new online business. >> she's getting investors to do a website that was going to be different than any of the other dating websites. >> reporter: prosecutors suspect the website would have matched male clients with female prostitutes. a new venture not from an average soccer mom, they say, but from a woman who had spent years mastering the business of the world's oldest profession. she's still in jail and faces up to seven years in prison if she's convicted on the single charge of promotion of prostitution. her list of clients has yet to be made public. it could be made public over the course of the trial. if what prosecutors say is true her little black book, ann, could be very damaging. >> stephanie gosk in manhattan this morning, thank you. now a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by robitussin.

relief made simple. >> good morning. we have two beautiful young ladies here. what's your name? >> jade from buffalo, new york! >> and -- >> i'm from buffalo, new york! [ cheers ] >> whose birthday? >> both of their birthdays. >> happy birthday, ladies. let's check your weather. a little windy in the northeast. l 60s in the northeast. 80s in texas. 20s and 30s over the great lakes. temperatures, 70 in new york. 64 in albany. warm air ahead of the cold front. tomorrow, bam, the temperatures drop so we see a northerly wind. only 49 in new york city tomorrow. 45 in boston. 38 in cleveland and 56 degrees in washington, d.c. national kidney today? >> world kidney day.

eighth leading cause of death in the united states. >> thanks for bringing that up for us. >> good morning, everyone. breezy and dry day today. rain is likely tonight. high temperatures did you know you can get your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online? matt? >> i knew it, al. thank you very much. now to outrage over a father's actions during his daughter's high school hockey game. he's accused of shining a handheld laser light in the eyes of the opposing goalie. nbc's michelle franzen is in massachusetts with details on

this. michelle, what happened? good morning. >> good morning, matt. it was supposed to be the game of the season for two high school hockey teams at larson rink last week, but the game was disrupted by a father who allegedly disrupted the game by shining a laser pointer in the eyes of the team's opposing goalie. the girl's hockey team at winthrop high outside boston advanced to the playoffs this week, but goalie catherine haimer of the rival high school said it wasn't right. >> do i think it's fair? no, of course not. >> reporter: they lost, in part, because a father was shining a laser pointer in her eyes from the stands. the father was kicked out by winthrop school officials but the game resumed and haimer's team lost. >> it was unfair. we lost focus and intensity after that. >> reporter: the accused father,

joseph cordis spoke out to a cbs affiliate after he was charged with disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor saying he didn't mean to hurt anyone. >> dumb moment. complete dumb moment. i feel horrible this happened. i wish i could take it back. >> reporter: but after investigating the case, police say he will face additional charges including assault and battery. one former prosecutor said it shows police they are taking the case seriously. >> she could have been harmed. he should be made an example of. he should be held liable for actions even though they were stupid and embarrassing. >> reporter: the team wanted the game replayed but winthrop school officials say the players are not to blame. >> i feel it was very hard to say to them that this was their fault when they didn't do any

wrongdoing. >> reporter: haimer's dad said it sends the wrong message. >> effectively they are saying despite what happened, regardless of what transpired during the game, it stands. >> reporter: a loss that still stings. >> it would have been nice just to play a regular game. just play hockey. but i guess that wasn't the case this time. >> reporter: we reached out to the father charged in the case. he had no comment. meanwhile he faces charges and will have to appear in court for a hearing that will decide whether prosecutors have enough evidence to move forward with the case. matt? >> all right. michelle franzen, thank you very much. up next, this morning's kickoff of the queen's diamond jubilee with help from kate middleton right after this. i'm home. [ keys clatter ]

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back now at 7:42 with the kickoff of the queen's diamond jubilee. she's launching a tour of great britain with her husband, prince philip and the duchess of cambridge by her side. michelle kosinski is at buckingham palace with details. good morning. >> reporter: hi, ann. this year belongs to the queen. she's reigned for 60 years but with newly minted royal kate in the family you can bet the spotlight in many ways will be shared. they seem to have joined forces lately and that's a good thing for this modern royal family. this is it. the queen's jubilee officially

kicks off with cheers. a trip outside london and there's kate. the queen is the focus, but the newest royal has certainly brought a year of sparkle. and what better visit for her than with eager fashion students. six chosen for the ultimate task, design a pair of shoes for the princess. like a modern cinderella, kate will see which one best fits her taste. fancy ones, clogs or maybe blue suede with lace. could be a royal theme lately with prince harry creating a fashion buzz in the tropics with his suede shoes. ♪ blue suede shoes >> reporter: catherine has set the bar for elegance and inexpensive style whether she brings back the nude pumps, pantyhose or the many dresses that have been sold out virtually instantly. this one, people tried to buy out but it turns out she bought

it at a secondhand store. >> people forget that she's in a hard position. they think, oh, she is's a princess. she must have access to unlimited funds to go shopping. the reality is quite different. she can't accept a gift over 150 pounds. she can't borrow clothes from designers. there are different royal protocols in place to stop her from borrowing or going out and buying things. so she has dressed carefully. >> reporter: understated from head to toe. speaking of which, she may now be poised to step out of her safety zone by commissioning a british hat designer who styled for none other than lady gaga. not all of his creations look like this. kate will surely guide him to the perfect hat for this jubilee. it is the queen's party though kate get it s the free footwear this time.

because everything kate touches turns magically popular a kennel club is worried they have seen such a big jump in people wanting to have a puppy like kate's, a cocker spaniel which require as lot of exercise. ann? >> which will be hard to give him wearing those shoes. michelle kosinski, thank you so much. up next, is the new ipad worth your money? that's coming up right after this. i have what science calls the "nightly stuffy nose thing": i can't breathe... so i can't sleep... and the next day i pay for it.

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apple unveiled the newest ipad wednesday loaded with new features. should you try to get one or try to get a deal on an older model? mario armstrong is a digital lifestyle expert and "today" contributor. >> good morning, everybody. >> i like the name of the new one. the ipad. >> it's so cool. i didn't know if it would be ipad 3 with 4g, ld, hd. >> they kept it simple. why will this get me to upgrade my current ipad? >> first, it's a retina display. it's a beautiful display everybody's been talking about. quadruple the resolution of the current ipad. think about that. it will make things look phenomenal. games look well. apps are beautiful. on this one you can finally create more than just consuming. >> for example, with your camera, you can do things and manipulate photos better than on the other one. >> right. >> you're creating the content,

not just looking at it. >> iphoto is here, imovie has editing features. you can shoot in 1080-p. this is advanced. >> is it hd then? >> yes. people need to know it is high definition. that's what they understand. >> why go out and get one of the older ones? >> great point. the price has dropped. the ipad 2 which is very popular and highly successful and i still recommend is now $399. one thing i'm noticing on the retailer websites is they are still charging $400 for it. wait or just buy it from apple direct and save a hundred bucks. >> there is dictation so you can dictate notes but no siri? >> s iri is on it and in japanee so konichiwa. >> so for the base model, do you

have to crank it up to start? do you have to spend $799 no matter what? >> that's the base model. you can get a hot spot and save money on the data plan if you want a bigger hard drive then, yeah, do that. >> you're coming back later to talk more about it. we're back after your local news. [ shivering ]

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> a few problems out there buying, but nothing like yesterday, and thankfully. accident off to decide. little bit of the delay by 100. tracking the crash at angler road and route 140. if you travel there, you might see some delays. tracking some delays on the west side outer loop. 17 miles per hour approaching

795 towards edmondson. 27 on southbound 83, down from padonia road. bit of a delay on the j.f.x. live view of traffic i-95 in the white marsh area. stop and go at this point. we will switch over to a live view at the j.f.x. at ruxton road. once you get below ruxton, slow from this area towards coldspring. tony, over to you. >> mild start this morning. we will make it up to 70 degrees this afternoon. average high is 51. 54 in taneytown. we are watching some rain coming across the ohio valley. probably not until 6:00 or 7:00. this is headed in our direction. clouds will thicken and ahead of that system during the day. breezy and mild, with rain

showers this evening. high temperatures between 67 and 72 degrees. rain ends early tomorrow morning. morning. a little chilly on this is an angus steak and egg sandwich. it's a tremendous morning. angus, man!

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8:00 now on this thursday morning. it's the 8th day of march, 2012. however, it feels a lot more like the middle of april here in rockefeller plaza. our crowd is loving it. 56 degrees. we're hoping for a carbon copy of this day on monday when the hit group one direction will be taking over our plaza for a live concert. boy, matt, that will be incredible. we have been getting people asking for a spot on the plaza already. >> getting hit on by everyone with a teenage child. >> it's a big deal. they have come from across the pond and our young people know

about them. >> the young people. >> i just heard about them. there you go. i'm ann curry along with matt lauer and al roker. >> when we give erroneous information on this program we move quickly to change it. we were talking to mario armstrong about the ipad and talking about does it or does it not have siri. mr. roker said it does not. it does not. it has dictation. >> different languages. >> mario is now tweeting that he made a mistake. >> that's right. clearing it up. >> we'll have a new gadget guy in the 8:30 half hour. >> hey! >> kidding. no, no, no. >> i threw a brother under the bus. >> i have been doing this for two years straight with a great record. one slip. >> one little slip. >> never happen again. >> back off. >> we were joking. >> security! also ahead, spring is 12 days

away but we have a whip today to tell you how to get ready for everything including your garden, house and wardrobe. >> then a decision that lasts a lifetime. naming your child. we all know celebrities have been thinking outside the box for a long time when it comes to naming their children. the trend is catching on with a lot of folks. what if you regret the name you picked or your kids end up regretting it? we'll tell you about it. >> i thought about it when i named our kids. i was scared. took us forever to pick a name as it is now for me to stop talking. >> i like pumpkin and chicken. >> meanwhile to natalie who has a beautiful name and a check of the news. >> thank you. good morning. newt gingrich is showing no signs of leaving the republican presidential race to let conservatives unite behind rick santorum. both candidates are showing strongly in the mississippi primary. the romney campaign claimed this

week's super tuesday voting where romney won six states was the last chance for rivals to surpass him in the delegates race. defense secretary leon panetta said it doesn't make sense to take unilateral military action at this time against syria. he said wednesday he's got to make sure what the mission is and what the price will be. a new youtube video claims to show syria's deputy oil minister defecting to join the opposition. new details emerging about life in osama bin laden's compound in pakistan during the months leading up to the u.s. raid that killed him last year. a retired pakistani army officer with extensive access to the country's interrogation records claims bin laden's wives divided the house with suspicions against each other and jealousy. apparently the trouble started when bin laden's oldest wife moved in after a long absence leaving the other wives to believe she would betray their

hideout to authorities. the three widows have been charged by pakistan with living in the country illegally. coca-cola is changing the ingredients that provide the drink's caramel color in response to health concerns which the company says were unwarra unwarranted. they listed one of the ingredients as a known carcinogen which would have required a warning label on each can. now a quick round-up of what has you talking online. an eye-opening documentary has become an instant global internet phenomenon. kony 2012 about the warlord who exploits kidnapped children has more than 26 million hits since it was posted this week and an estimated 1 million people are watching per hour. the goal is to raise awareness and bring kony to justice. the power of good underwear apparently helped two entrepreneurs join the forbes

list of billionaires. she's now worth over a billion dollars. and another newcomer is underarmor's kevin plank whose line now includes sports bras and athletic shoes. and a nude jessica simpson strike as demi moore-like pose on elle magazine and confirms she's expecting a girl. congratulations to them. it's 8:0 #5. now back to ann, matt and al. >> that's a sweet photograph. i never did that. that would be nice. >> you could photo shop it. >> anything's possible. >> we were thinking the same thing. let's go to mr. roker over there. >> you're a new college grad looking for a gig. >> ohio university. >> what kind of job? >> advertising, marketing or

journalism. >> let's check your weather. we'll show you. denver, colorado, 9 news, a great tv station. sunny and cold, 44 degrees. as we show you today, this winter 2012, fourth warmest. in the last 20 years we have had five of the warmest winters ever. it will continue warm in the east with a risk of strong storms texas into the mid mississippi river valley. could be flooding. this rain will stick around in the region really for the next 72 hours. our friends who were hit with tornadoes last week will see more rain. western two-thirds of the country looking sunny. we have snowshowers in northern new mexico. >> good morning, everyone. another dry day today. during the day it will be breezy

and mild. and who's this who is almost 1? >> this is kirk. >> very nice. he's being bounced a lot. hope he didn't just have a bottle. >> he's a cutie. we have a birthday girl celebrating her 30th. meantime, coming up now we have a special whip. we get you ready for spring. that's coming up after these messages. [ male announcer ] this is the story of one of nature's most perfect foods... quaker oats. in every way, a super grain. ♪ super for the fiber that helps fill us up. super for the energy it gives to get us going. super for the oats that are so good for our hearts. ♪

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orencia is available in two forms, infusion and also self-injection. talk to your doctor to see if orencia is right for you. and see if you can change "i want" to "oh, yes i can!" this morning on today's whip, spring fling. the sun is shining and much of the country is enjoying above average temperatures. we're headed into the high 60s in new york city today. >> we have lined up our experts to get you ready for the warmer weather starting with your garden and george oliphant of "george to the rescue." >> nice to see you. >> warm weather. things will be blooming. you can get out and do some work. >> it will be in the 60s in this area. it's unseasonably warm. get out, get your green thumb on and start getting your yard ready. >> you like pruning at this time of year. >> pruning, shaping, getting rid of the dead branches.

it's the time to do it. cut back and let your plants bloom and grow. now is the time to do it. >> is it too early to spread fertilizer? >> no. there is fertilizer for every season. winter, fall. this is spring fertilizer. when you go to the garden store you want a spring fertilizer. get out and get the nutrients into your plants. >> if you put mulch out in the fall you can clear it out. do you put another layer of mulch for spring? >> you can clear out or because mulch decomposes you can cover it with new mulch. it keep it is water in, weeds suppressed and it's a decorative element. we have a red, brown, dark black. it finishes your beds. >> we have had a mild winter and it's starting to get warmer should we put grass seed down? we could still have a frost. >> that's not good for grass seed but you can spread it. grass seed isn't expensive. you can spread it like this and

just walk around, whoa, watch yourself. just walk around and spread seed. this is a deep shade. so you want that by the house or under the trees. then full sunlight seed. >> you don't want to put flowering plants in now. >> no. if you get a frost the flowers will die. my favorite thing, this is the perfect plant. english ivy. it's an evergreen for visual interest all year long. it climbs up the house, up lattice. >> bulbs? >> perfect time to plant them. you should plant in the fall but you can plant in the spring, too, for a later bloom. make sure the bulb is down and the plant is growing up. this one isn't hard. sometimes people grab a tulip, put it in the wrong way and you don't get flowers. make sure the tip is up. boom. you have yourself flowers. >> george, thank you very much. let's go to ann. >> thank you. who's up for freshening up the house this spring?

elizabeth mayhue is author of "the flip side for decorating." why start to think about spring cleaning now? >> you want to freshen the house. open the windows and let the fresh air in. nothing better than to start with the windows. the singer way to transform the house is to clean them. everything sparkles and lets the light in. start by vacuuming the sill. take a handheld or any vacuum and vacuum the dust around the rim, the screens, the whole thing. then i take a page out of the car wash. squeegee with a sponge on one side, scraper on the other. one squirt of dishwasher detergent in warm water. start at one corner and come down just like you would do the windshield. scrape it down and the dirt and everything. then wipe it with a towel in between each swipe.

then dry off the rest with a chamois cloth. do the molding. >> you have a small one. >> also for some people with smaller panes. see you he laxing it is. >> meditative. i want to do it every day. not. flipping the mattress. this is a good time. >> you have daylight saving coming. it's a good time to remember it's time to do these things, so flip the mattress. you can also deodorize it. sprinkle baking soda over the top, let it sit for 15 minutes or so. then come and with a vacuum with the upholstery attachment, vacuum it. >> when you get it on, there you go. >> and you're done. >> this is something we should do every week, but cleaning out the refrigerator. >> take it out, get a cooler, put your things in. if anything is expired, get rid of it.

tab a little bake soda, the wonder tool, with water. one tablespoon in a court. wipe down the inside. now also remember to change your batteries. check your detectors. >> elizabeth, thank you. now here's natalie. >> ann, thank you. the warmer weather has a lot of fashionistas thinking about spring. we have the founder of cheap chi krs krshs as.com. me the i don't know. >> hard to wear on the body but ease with accessories. these are forever 21 and these are ann today rompaylor. just one with a class sib button down to update your look. >> regular blue denim is on the way out. all about color and print. >> these are only $19 from joe fresh. under $20. these are from americaning

eagle, $44.50. if you have color jeans but want to update for spring it's all about the crazy prints. >> speaking of prints, we have wedges here and apparently flip-flops are out and wedges are in. >> exactly. all about fas and comfort. i love the wedges in floral. >> beautiful. >> these are from l eshs yshs lshs a rose for pay less. color block from kohl's. >> time for the mani and pedi. >> colors for spring. you want to do a mint. this is from effi. i love it. nude is also popular. mannequin nails. that's the term. and orange is the color of the season. this is boozy brunch from l'oréal. >> great color like a coral. and you can stock up at h & m on

marnie. >> it launches today for h & m. they have everything you see out here for under $100. this scarf is $9.95. >> these shoes are great and the little jackets and tops over here. >> the collection is true to the real designer brand. >> very exciting. it will be crowded at h & m. thanks so much. now over to you, al. >> lastly, don't forget travel. kate maxwell is the editor in chief of jet setter.com. >> good to see you. >> austin, texas, a good place to go. >> and it's blue bonnet season there. that's the state flower. head west. carpets of the flowers. stay in the resort and spa for $162 a night. >> another type of bonnet or hat in the spring, always wearing

hats at the kentucky derby. >> 4th and 5th of may. tickets start in the hundreds into the thousands. but general admission is $40. so that's a real bargain. we found some rooms remaining at the holiday inn express for $200. it can be very expensive. >> baseball fans looking for spring training in florida. >> a great time to see your favorite major league baseball stars. head to the jetblue stadium, new this year. tickets start at $5 which is amazing. we found four-star hotel rooms in ft. myers starting at $145. >> and shoulder season in ireland. >> it's a good bargain for travellers because of the european debt crisis t. hampton has a gorgeous properties.

>> and there is good skiing in the spring. >> there is. march and april are fantastic times to ski out west. loads of snow now. i was in jackson hole last weekend. amazing conditions. the terra hotel starts at $204 a night with a fantastic restaurant. don't miss the mushroom crepes for breakfast. >> good to see you. up next, what do you do if you regret your child's name? after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪ wow... ♪ [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need is the smooth, creamy taste of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ werther's original caramels.

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it is the first big decision that parents have to make -- what to name your baby. but what happens when you want a do-over? >> before you give that overly creative or unusual name to the little bundle of joy, take a deep breath, set aside the long list of options and consider this -- >> reporter: breast milk or formula, cloth or disposable?

parenthood is a multiple choice ultra marathon. but the new choice every parent must take is choosing the name. samuel, sofia, noah, con stance, keisha or clarence? the options are limitless, the resources endless. even iphone apps promise the perfect pick but for some it's not enough. last month an illinois couple let their friends decide what to name their kid. they took a poll on facebook. whatever happened to naming your baby after a favorite aunt or uncle? >> choosing a name has become a bigger and bigger decision as time goes on. a name is kind of a brand for a person. it can really carry a lot of information. >> reporter: and clout, too. power couple jay-z and beyonce applied to get their baby's name blue ivy trademarked. while celebrities may be trademarking baby names, some regular parents are wishing they

could trade them in. according to a poll on the today moms blogs, 18% of parents admitted to having second thoughts about their baby's name. charlotte hilton anderson, a mother of four from minnesota and blogger for redbook magazine can relate. she recalls a recent trip to the grocery store. >> i'm yelling at my kids to stay with me. micah, rainy, jonas stay here. as soon as i say jonas i hear -- hee-hee -- and she said, you named him after the jonas brothers! my son looked at me and goes, you couldn't have named me bob? >> reporter: there are plenty of reasons to second guess your choice. >> the top reason is because it's become too common. the number two reason is that they are pressured into the name by a spouse or family member. >> i was surprised at how many

of my friends when i asked them, had regrets about what they named their kids. dozens of people e-mailed me and wrote to tell me about the problems they had. >> choosing a name bears a lot of deep discussion. it can be an opportunity for a couple to really learn a lot about each other through the choice of the name and arrive at a name they both feel good about. >> it's a lifelong decision really. >> i think even if you come up with something unusual you think the kid grows into the name. my kids are the people that the names suggest. >> that means the responsibility is heavy if you think they will grow into the name. because, that means you're predestined -- >> they can't be born -- >> be a black kid named albert and be a little heavy. [ laughter ] >> he grew into the name and grew out of it. >> your parents may have some regrets. >> i did.

>> anger issues here. first, your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> a few new accidents since last check. northern side just passed belair road, accident and delays on 95 leading to the beltway. that could be additional delays because of that accident. outer loop past liberty road, we have an accident. both of these are off to the side. adding to those normal volume- related delays this morning. another one on the shoulder on southbound 795 and won seven

fights with some delays leading up to 100. going away from us, southbound traffic. we will switch over to bill live view at liberty with additional outer loop delays going away from us and the accident on the shoulder. john collins has a look at the forecast. >> we are beginning to get some high, thin clouds moving into our area, and we are rain-free trade to the west, scattered showers and thunderstorms. winds ahead of this storm are keeping us nice and mild. we expect highs to eventually make it up to around 70 degrees here. forecast today, breezy and mild. 25, gusting.

67 to 72 for the high temperature. tomorrow we dry out. >> that in view. -- thank you. another update at 8:55. your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com. chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006.

we're back. 8:30 on a thursday morning. it is the 8th day of march 2012. we have been beating this drum for a while now. it's beautiful here in new york city with warm temperatures and sunny skies. a lot of people in our crowd this morning are in town for the big east basketball tournament at madison square garden. good luck to the teams and

thanks for dropping by. also out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and natalie morales. what do we have coming up? >> we'll have mario armstrong back -- >> giving him another shot. >> we are. we're going to give him a lot of shots. i'm sorry, mario. >> we love mario. >> he'll save us money this morning. he has gadgets and websites to help our bottom line. >> you always hurt the ones you love. >> we do. >> coming up, we'll be talking about money in your grocery bill with high tech gadgets. and can retirement planning be sexier? there are investment options. what are they and will they work for you? we'll look at options coming up. >> also, are you eating enough seeds? we're not talking grass seeds but everything about the nutritional powerhouse foods that you should be incorporating into your daily diet.

>> including the chia. >> that's right. >> wheat germ, flaxseed. >> have you tried the drinks with chee i cania seeds in them? >> nasty. >> no! they're not! >> the weather has been so fantastic. we decided to unleash today's professionals on our crowd. they are outside, out of the cage and we have star, donny and nancy. getting back to a new study on how you feel about a man with a beard. >> let us move on to say good morning to wilmer valderamma, star of "awake." this is a show about a guy who lives in two separate realities after a car accident. what are the different realities? >> basically in one reality his

son has survived and the n the other reality his wife survived. he's living in two parallel realities, doesn't know which is real, can't tell which is which. he's forced to cope and live and evolve with his reality. and handle the situation. i'm his partner. and every episode we solve a case. the clues are in the other reality and somehow the case intertwines. >> you're in both realities. are you an ally or enemy? >> you know, that's a lot to read from one episode. but there is more than meets the eye to the car accident. and starting tonight you will see the tip of the iceberg. what's really exciting about this i play a character, his detective partner in one reality and another officer in the other reality. you don't know if i'm hired to keep an eye on him and report

what i see or just his partner. >> you're good at giving a tease. >> jason was here and he was going on about you. was there a bromance going on? >> adr is when you go in to learn your lines and do editing. we have been doing a lot of stuff together. there's a joke going around that we have a bromance together. he's arm candy. i love him very much. >> this is your first tv show in six years. it took a while for you to come back to television. why this project? >> you know, i felt trying to recreate the experience i had on "that '70s show" and come up with another sit com or comedy or something would have been -- wouldn't have been right. to be honest i was concerned and nervous about it. when i read the script i thought, if i'm coming back it has to be fresh and provocative

to the mind. this was it. it was different and the team's great. >> i love you in "that '70s show." i still watch it sometimes. >> you can't escape it. >> you can't. >> i still watch you in "han "handy manny". >> i'm still getting over you being arm candy. watch "awake" tonight on nbc at 10:00/9:00 central time. nice to see you. mr. roker? >> let's check it out, see what's happening as far as the forecast is concerned. tomorrow we have rain in the pacific northwest. heavy rain through southern texas into the gulf coast. saturday, we expect the rain to continue into the southern texas area. could be heavy flooding. rain in the pacific northwest. sunshine along the east coast. cool weather continuing in the northeast. the heavy rain continues east texas into the mississippi river valley and more widespread rain in the pacific northwest. this is such a cute face. who is this? >> hunter.

>> that's a good name, too. we like it. >> good morning, everyone. breezy and dry day today. rain is likely tonight. high temperatures hey. they're with the band. [ cheers ] >> don't forget to get your weather any time day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> all right, al. thank you so much. coming up, the incomparable mario armstrong will be talking about money-saving tips, gadgets. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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back this morning with today's tech. saving money and getting organized the digital way. forget cutting coupons, pinching pennies and filing receipts. there's a tech savvy way to reach financial goals. mario armstrong is a "today" contributor. welcome back. good to see you again. wrap up the whole ipad discussion. >> okay. >> lots of innovations on the new ipad. will it keep the device in front of the other tablets? >> absolutely. i have the hp device. that's pretty much dead. the blackberry playbook is on the ropes. samsung, i like them. amazon kindle is one of the best competitors. they are still setting the bar. >> they have to up the ante. let's talk about getting people organized at home the digital way. the first one you want to talk about is neat receipts. what's it about? >> we all have our receipts and

expenses and everything in the bags or shoe boxes or envelopes. we need to digitize whether it's business cards, receipts or documents we can scan it into the computer. it shows up on screen and categorizes the receipt for you. it knows if it is for the restaurant or expense for transportation or parking and digitizes all of that for you and helps you manage your money. >> how much sit? >> it starts at $199 and up at best buy. >> what else? >> how to save money when shopping. this is shop savvy, an app you run on your mobile device. it's free. i want you to see that i have scanned this tom-tom bar code. use the phone's camera to scan it and see on the screen different stores that carry this at a cheaper rate. >> if you're scanning it in one store you have to get in the car and go to the other store. >> or find it online. the point is while shopping at that moment you can find it somewhere else. maybe cheaper. >> you have other things to show us. >> yeah.

>> you will use the telestraiter. >> going madden on you. this is an app to help when grocery shopping. lots of money spent. how do you save? you can great your list and if other people are shopping as well, they can put in different things like kraft foods or search for things you would like to have. and you can put that in. as you buy things in the grocery store and mark it off your list it synchs up to the family, friend lists so you don't duplicate. >> next is billshrink.com. >> it compares credit card rates, wireless bills, cable service. we are look at a couple of different wireless services. i'm looking at at&t, sprint, t-mobile and verizon. i can base off my usage how much text i use, how many voice minutes i use and it has an idea

of the best plan and service for me. >> does it vary state to state? >> it can. if you put in the zip code and everything it depends on other information, other services that may or may not be available. >> the next is about managing your finances in one place and this is mint.com. >> love mint.com. you can put your mortgage information, banking information. everything all in one place and track it. in this screen shot we see categories. this is the food category. i can see how much further i have to go before i exceed or hit my budget. i can put in budget limits and on the fly from my phone know where i am and what i'm spending. if i'm exceeding or below my budget. >> any time you put that kind of information on a site people worry about security. >> yes. >> safe and secure. this app has been around for a long time. it's proved itself. i have my finances on here. i trust it. >> the next one, everybody is looking for lower gas prices because gasoline is high.

this is gas buddy.com. it helps you find low prices. >> you can do it on the web or from your mobile app. the next screen shot shows us different prices for gas in your area. what you do is while you're in the area you may be visiting somewhere and not know what's a good price differential you can get. use the app in the car. boom. >> if you submit low gas prices you can get free gas. >> you can win points and get free gas. >> if you want to carpool to work there is a website called erideshare.com. >> you go to the website and you find other people. create daily car pools, do long distance travel or work with your school and events and clubs. the idea is to find other people going to the same location. and you carpool. >> and the final way to make money, you can lend your car to total strangers and they will pay you. >> this is all about renting your car to individuals. it's called relayrides.com.

it's a service that's been available for some time. they announced that it's now nationwide. just on monday they announced that. people say they make up to $3,000 a year renting their car. >> what about insurance? >> you're covered with a $1 million policy they have. only in three states do they have full coverage that you could not be potentially sued. so that's washington, oregon and the third is california. >> mario, thank you. to recap, the new ipad, siri on that or no? >> siri, not, but konichiwa is. >> a sexy new way to fund your requirement. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

beth! hi! looking good. you've lost some weight. thanks. you noticed. these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right -- whole grain.

[ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multi-grain cheerios -- 5 whole grains, 110 calories. creamy, dreamy peanut butter taste in a tempting new cereal. mmm! [ female announcer ] new multi-grain cheerios peanut butter. this morning on "today"

money, new ways to think about your ira. mitt romney has gotten attention for holding as much as $1 is00 million in his individual retirement account as well as alternative investments. we have financial editor jean chatzky here to help us sort it out. good morning. >> good morning. >> we are getting a window on how the wealthy use their money by looking at a candidate like mitt romney. >> and the not wealthy. one thing we have seen over the past couple of years as the stock market has fallen out of favor with people is people looking for different things to put in their retirement accounts. one of the nice things about iras is you can put almost anything in there except for life insurance and collectibles like art and antiques. >> for example? >> horses, cattle, limited partnerships, things that -- stocks that aren't even traded. and real estate. a lot of people put in real estate. understand, if you want to go

with an alternative asset ira you can't typically do it at a brokerage account. you need a provider set up to deal with the assets and it will cost more. the management fees typically start at several hundred a year, not a few dollars a year. >> do you have to have somebody to manage them? you're inferringing there has to be a person designated to manage your fund. >> you will want a company that specializes in managing them. there is an association called the retirement trust industry association of these sorts of ira custodians to point you in the right direction. >> when does it make sense to go to something as alternative as these alternative iras? >> if you have an asset that you think is going to have explosive growth. it might make sense to look at this. one of the benefits of iras is that the assets in the account grow tax-deferred until you have to pull them out at age 70 1/2 or a roth ira grows tax deferred

forever because you pay taxes up front. that can be hugely beneficial. there are hitches as well. you've got to be careful in these accounts of what we call self dealing which basically means you can derive no benefit from your ira until you pull the investments out. i think the easiest way to think about it is if you bought a vacation property and you put it in your ira, you could not live there. you could not stay there. your family can't stay there. the proceeds you get from renting the property out has to go right back to the ira and even if you were to need to fix the roof on this vacation place, you can't do it yourself because the ira -- the government might actually look and say, hey, that represents a contribution of more than $5,000 a year and in that case, the whole transaction, the whole account and the tax benefits fall apart.

>> so i'm hearing two things. the point you made made me think there is no way i will want to put a house in my ira and maybe in the olden days, house prices will go up and you felt comfortable. would you -- how would you put a house in your ira today? >> if you were looking at a distressed property. say you got an ira some place else or a 401(k) and you want to roll it over, use the money to buy one of the distressed properties, the key is finding one of these alternative ira custodians who can actually take you through the process and make sure you don't mess it up. and if you want to do this several times, if you want a vacation property, horses and cattle, separate iras so if you mess up one you don't mess them all up. >> interesting information most of us had no idea about. thank you. >> you're welcome. up next, thiseeds that can

change your life. first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: get started today is brought to you by got milk. it's just not breakfast without milk. nourish every day. got milk? >> this morning on get started today the power of seeds. nuts are full of heart healthy ingredients but seeds are getting a lot of buzz.

packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and important essential fatty acids. they are nutritional powerhouse foods. christine avanti is author of "skinny chicks eat real food." good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> why are they getting attention now? >> people are getting into real food and want good vitamins, minerals and omega-3s from plant-based sources. >> we'll talk about six is different seeds you think we should have in the diet. you will give us tips to incorporate them as well. the first thing we'll start with is hemp. people have heard about it. they don't know much about it. why is it on the list? >> hemp is amazing. it's a complete protein. it contains all nine essential amino acids. it's the same as eating eggs which is cool because there are few plants with all nine essential acids, the building brocks of protein. great way to get it in the diet,

a shake. >> is it vile? some can be nasty. >> good question. it doesn't look beautiful here, but it doesn't taste like anything really. that's a coconut smoothie. >> you can use another flavor and incorporate the hemp in. >> or take the seeds and sprinkle them over fruit or a parfait. >> next we have wheat germ. been around a long time. people like the texture of it. why is it important? >> it's high in folate which is important for women of child-bearing age to fight off the risks of birth defects like spina bifida. we find wheat germ in cereal. here we have granola. you can sprinkle it over fruit. >> yogurt. >> smoothies and cottage cheese. >> tastewise? >> you won't notice it. it's flavorless really. >> so that's wheat germ. next we have sun flower seeds. these are the king of baseball dugouts across the country.

why are they good for us? >> the cool thing about sun flower seeds, they're high in vitamin e. it acts as an antioxidant and fights off wrinkle damage and skin damage. it's an anti-aging kind of thing with the pumpkin seeds. it helps fight off heart disease. >> these are really just snack foods. >> you can sprinkle them on salads. also added into granola and parfaits. baked items. >> next you have pumpkin seeds. how do they stand up nutritionally? >> they're amazing. they have phytosterils in them or good cholesterol. they help reduce the bad clo cholesterol and increase the good. all of the seeds, so great for your body, loaded with good fats. >> flaxseeds. >> flaxseeds. we love flaxseeds. they are very, very high in fiber which is great. reduces constipation and

bloating. so if people want to boost fiber intake. also high in omega 3. >> and the chia seed as made famous by the pets. get those in as well. thank you. >> thank you. >> it's a pleasure. we're back after your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. homicide detectives are investigating an overnight shooting in northwest baltimore. an officer discovered a 21-year- old man suffering a gunshot

wound to the head. that was in the 3200 block of west northern ave.

>> nice morning. temperatures 50 degrees. clouds are beginning to drift into the picture. those are the clouds come in. southwest winds kind of dusty. ♪oh, her eyes, her eyes, ♪make the stars look like they're not shinin'.♪ ♪her hair, her hair, ♪falls perfectly without her trying.♪ ♪she's so beautiful, ♪and i tell her every day. ♪you're amazing, just the way you are♪

people love people. ♪yeah. ♪yeah. pick up your copy.