good morning. why did he crack? the fbi launches an investigation into an alarming incident on a jetblue flight. a captain acting erratic goes into a rage after being locked out of the cockpit by his co-pilot. this morning two people who were on that flight speak out about the heroism that may he saved their lives, and the ceo and president of jetblue talks to us in an exclusive live interview. scaling back. newt gingrich's campaign manager lays off one-third of his staff as house speaker john boehner opens up about the gop field and his relationship with president obama in an exclusive interview. and talk about a feud. peter cook blasts his ex-wife

christie brinkley for her interview her on "today" calling her claims against him. we'll hear from him today, march her claims against him. we'll hear from him today, march 28th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. boy, matt, those passengers aboard this flight, jetblue flight 191 from new york to las vegas are saying it was like a scene out of a movie. >> the pilot, a 12-year jetblue veteran is identified as clapton osbond. he began acting unusually in the cockpit then stormed through the plane yelling things like al qaeda and bombs. his co-pilot locked him out of the cockpit before passengers tackled him, tied him up with

their belts and other devices. as we said we'll talk to passengers who were on that flight about the incident and to jetblue's ceo and president, as well. >> and also ahead, as you well know, there's some alarming statistics out about the unemployment rate for veterans who have served since 9/11. that rate is some 40% higher than for their civilian counterparts. well that is why this morning, we started with the u.s. chamber of commerce for our hiring our heroes efforts. we're holding events across the country, overseas and online, to highlight the valuable skills that our veterans can bring to our economy, and one of these events is aboard the "uss inpred up" here in new york this morning. you're listening to the united states military academy band at west point providing us with some music this morning. a lot to get to. we're very excited about it. >> great event and very, very important. look forward to that. a little later on a much different note we're going to tell but the major online controversy that's been ignited by the unusual way alicia silverstone feeds her

10-month-old son. we'll tell you more about that. but we begin this morning with that jetblue flight that made an emergency landing in amarillo, texas, after the pilot had to be restrained by passengers, nbc's tom costello has the latest. tom, good morning. >> matt, good morning to you. the captain is a 12-year veteran of jetblue. he's now under arrest charged by the fbi in amarillo with interfering with the duties of a flight crew. and also receiving medical care pep was on the plane loaded with 131 passengers arks crew of 5, when he apparently suffered some sort of a breakdown. >> remain with your seat belts fastened. >> pinned under the weight of a half dozen passengers, the captain of a jetblue plane who seemed to suffer a breakdown in midflight. >> just out of his mind. screaming things to passengers, say your prayers. >> reporter: jetblue flight 191 was flying from new york to las vegas tuesday when government sources say captain clayton osbond began erratically

steering the plane, flipping switches and operating the radio. s co-pilot persuaded or tricked the captain into going to the rest room then asked an off duty captain to enter the flight deck, lock the door and change the combination. witnesses say captain osbond left the rest room, walked to the rear of the plane and then seemed to lose control when he realized he was locked out of the cockpit. tony antolino was in row ten. >> he just started sprinting towards the cockpit door. and started pounding on the door, tried entering the code to the keypad to get into the cockpit. >> reporter: in the cockpit the co-pilot declared an in-flight emergency. >> jetblue 191 emergency, and we're going to need authorities and medical to meet us at the airplane. >> reporter: while in the back, passengers had to use their own belts to subdue the captain, who they say was screaming about a bomb, iran, iraq, afghanistan, and a warning to say your prayers. >> i ran out and we were face to

face, me and the captain, and i got him turned around, and then other passengers rolled on top of him. >> it appeared he was trying to open the side door. i wasn't going to let that happen. >> reporter: once on the ground, police and medics removed captain osbond, his arms still strapped down, but everyone safe. in his georgia hometown, reaction from a longtime friend and neighbor. >> i am as shocked as anybody. clayton is a straight-hitting guy. very level headed. and very professional. >> reporter: the nib does not believe terrorism was a factor here. captain osbond is a flight standard captain on the airbus a-320. you can assume that once this is all litigated the faa will also be looking into his medical qualifications. >> all right, tom costello, thank you. earlier this morning we talked to laurie dhue and tony antolino who were passengers aboard the

jetblue flight and we began by asking laurie what she witnessed. >> the first thing i saw was the captain running down the aisle, heading towards the cockpit door, banging on the door, saying let me in, let me in. pull back the throttle, we got to land this thing. he was extremely agitated. with his face, and with his voice, and at that point, two of the flight attendants had tried to restrain him. that's when the brave folks on board like tony and several other men leapt up out of their seats, ran down the aisle, and grabbed the pilot, and then eventually brought him down. so my hat sof to people like tony and also to the jetblue crew who did exactly what they were supposed to do on this. you know, tony and i were talking earlier, we can't imagine what would have happened if the captain of the plane had either made it back into the cockpit or had never left. we might not be here. >> that's a very true statement. >> you struggled to restain him. i understand he's 6'3", or 6'4",

estimated to be. but what made it so difficult to actually cuff him, to keep him from -- from breaking free of his restraints? >> well, when he -- when he was attempting to gain access back into the cockpit, he was now in a complete uncontrolled near rage, quite frankly. and when the four of us grabbed him, and he's 6'3", 6'4", 250 pound guy, imagine that, the guy is fully adrenaline running, it's really hard to just take somebody down. so he resisted quite a bit. he started ranting about, you know, iraq and iran and afghanistan, then he started to say that we should be saying the lord's prayer. i think at that point we just, without thinking quite frankly, just tackled him to the ground. everybody grabbed a different body part and we just sat on top of him, quite literally, until we were on the ground in amarillo. >> and as a passenger -- >> ga head, laurie. >> sorry. as a passenger, and in the first few rows, it was surreal to see

this happening. i was on the fourth row, i was by the window, but i had a pretty good view of what was going down. and it was literally like something out of a movie. i mean, we couldn't believe that this was happening. but we all remarkably stayed pretty calm once the team of five or six guys got the captain down, and one of you said, the situation is under control, we're okay. honestly, the rest of the plane, we all said, okay, we're okay. the situation is under control. >> well, i want to ask you, tony, as the ceo of jetblue is going to be on in the next segment, i wonder is there anything you would ask him or tell him after your experience? >> i think the co-pilot is really the hero here. he had the instinct to recognize that something was going horribly wrong in the cockpit, and whatever happened up there between he and the captain, he was able to persuade the captain out of the cockpit. that really is what completely averted what could have been a tragedy yesterday.

i think he should be commended and acknowledged. the rest of the crew did a fantastic job after we restrained the captain of keeping the passengers calm, communicating clearly to everyone what was going on. i think what i would say the handcuffs or the plastic zip tie restraints just systematically failed. there were two pairs that they gave to us and they did not work. they failed. we had to use seat belt extenders. >> and people's belts. >> and physically our hands to try and restrain the guy. and so you know, five guys sitting on top of this man for 20 minutes or so, made for a bad situation. >> but you did it. >> thank god, you know. it turned out okay and we're not -- we're here to talk about it. >> i think a lot of people are happy, along with you, laurie dhue and tony antolino, thank you so much for your time this morning. >> thank you, ann. >> and now here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you. dave barger is the ceo and president of jetblue. he is with us this morning exclusively. mr. barger, thank you for being

here. >> pleasure. >> how could it have happened? >> well, it's a tough event to say the least as it was unfolding yesterday, matt. but i think that that situation as it played out, what really, the training that took place with the co-pilot who became the pilot in command and the entire cabin crew and then working with the customers, i think that's the follow-up to this story. training, and then action. >> this pilot, clayton osbon, you think this was a medical problem? an emotional problem? was this a psychotic event? how are you describing it? >> we're describing it as a medical situation. obviously the captain is now in the hands of medical care. obviously under the custody of the fbi. >> have you had a chance, anybody at the airline had toy chance to talk to him since this happened? >> i don't believe so. i've known the captain personally for a long period of time. there's been no indication of this at all in the past. >> you know this man personally? >> oh, very well. >> what's your experience with him? what's in his background? any other complaints against him? >> consummate professional,

matt. so i think yesterday that individual action, really the follow-up of the crew and then the customers, as tony and laurie mentioned, that was a true team effort at 35,000 feet yesterday. >> nothing in your experience with this guy, or any other employee's experience with mr. osbon that would give you any reason to think he was a risk on a flight? >> not that we know at this point in time, that's correct. >> you have a blog called blue tales, customers with weigh in on things. i want to read you one that was posted tuesday after you called this a medical situation. chris wrote i support jetblue but this response is nonsensical. best not to sanitize what sounds like a serious situation. a pilot having a bout of food poisoning midflight is a medical situation. an on duty pilot having a psychotic episode in his flight is a different category altogether. >> really what happened at altitude and the call into the faa is that we had a medical situation and that's how we responded. clearly, especially in today's media is realtime now, so we know that, it also became a

security situation. i think as we know less than 24 hours later, it started medical, but clearly wasn't medical. >> are you happy with all screening procedures that are currently in place for pilots? might there be any review of those procedures? >> we always take a look at procedures, matt, but i'm very confident about our procedures, the industry's procedures. yesterday's actions by the rest of the crew and the customers, that's really, that's the example of the rest of jetblue's 14,000 crew members in the industry. that's what takes flights day in and day out. it's not so much one individual action. >> when tony was asked what he might ask you in that interview, one of the things he brought up was the restraints that are supplied on the plane, he said they were flimsy and they failed. will you conduct a review of that? >> oh, absolutely. not just that, but also the entire event, matt. within jetblue and also the industry. to tony, laurie, and those who really came to the support of the crew, a sincere thank you. that was a tough situation at altitude. the customers, the crew, just

did a great job. >> dave barger, president and ceo of jetblue. thank you for your time. >> nice to be in the studio. >> let's head over to the news desk now. natalie has a check of the other top stories of the morning. >> good morning, everyone. major shake-ups for newt gingrich's presidential campaign. the former house speaker is tightening the belt, dropping one-third of his campaign staff, and asking his campaign manager to resign. the gop presidential hopeful is making a drastic strategic shift, spending less money in primary states, and instead personally appealing to delegates. today is the final day of argument at the supreme court as the justices review president obama's landmark health care overhaul. tuesday's historic session in the case of the high court may drop a provision from the law that would require every american to purchase insurance or face a fine. the high court is also weighing a challenge to expanding the medicaid program. the parents of trayvon mart rn seeking answers from capitol

hill, in sanford florida where their son was killed. ron allen is in sanford with the latest. >> good morning to you, natalie. information is trickling out and police here in sanford say they're investigating whether anyone inside the department has been leaking information to the public. trayvon martin's family claims it's being done on purpose to bolster the decision not to arrest george zimmerman. on capitol hill, a warm welcome for trayvon martin's parents. >> a moment of silence for trayvon martin. >> reporter: at a democratic congressional forum on hate crimes, racial profiling and stand your ground laws. the law that police say is the reason they have not charged george zimmerman for the killing of trayvon martin. meanwhile, new reports portray the teenager as a high school student often in trouble. suspended three times for vandalism, truancy, possession of drug pairer if nail were, and after being caught with jewelry and what's described as a possible burglary tool in his

bag. that follows a detailed account of what zimmerman told police, that martin attacked him first, knocking him to the ground, smashing his head on the sidewalk before the fatal shot. information that police admit could have been leaked from inside the department. the martin family's attorney sees what he calls a conspiracy. >> every bit of information that comes out is beneficial to mr. zimmerman. it certainly has been against the teenager. >> what was released in the newspaper as far as trayvon approaching george is what george told me. >> reporter: zimmerman supporters say he's glad the truth is coming out. while he remains in hiding, afraid, depressed, and aware his life has been changed forever. we should also point out that zimmerman's past includes charges of assaulting a police officer. occasions of domestic violence. cases that never went to court. and there are reports here now that police initially wanted to charge him with manslaughter but prosecutors said no, there's not enough evidence. natalie? >> all right.

ron allen in sanford, florida. lakers legend magic johnson is about to make a little more history in los angeles as a group including the basketball icon has agreed to purchase the l.a. dodgers for $2 billion. if finalized the price would be the highest ever paid for a sports franchise. the deal is subject to approval in medical bankruptcy court. and mitt romney stopped by "the tonight show" where he gave jay leno a peek at his potential running mate. >> i could do you a favor with this. i'll choose david letterman. >> oh, there you go. there you go. >> but the republican frontrunner played it straight for most of the night. in a video one of his aides posted on twitter romney admitted that he's rarely funny on purpose. it is now 7:16. let's turn it back over to ann, matt and maria. >> thank you, natalie. we've got maria larosa in for al this morning. i hope by the colors you're wearing it's going to be a pretty day today. >> i'm telling everyone i'm willing it to feel like a spring. it's not happening in the west

again today. a bit of a mess. winter weather advisories, storm warnings as well on top of that the wind, too. so rain could be heavy at times from san francisco, and to seattle, mountain snow as well. possibility of some strong thunderstorms in to the ohio valley, sunshine continues in the southeast. >> good morning. we're off to a quiet start. it is a little bit on the chilly start. high temperature in the low >> now back to you. >> all right, maria, thank you very much. now our exclusive interview with house speaker john boehner. we sat down on tuesday to discuss a wide range of topics, including the state of the

economic recovery, and the gop presidential race. mr. speaker, it's good to see you. >> matt, nice to see you. >> it's a busy day in washington, basically across the street from us here, the justices of the supreme court are listening to oral arguments on the president's health reform law. are you monitoring that on an hour by hour basis? do you get reports? do you hear snippets of the arguments? the comments from the justices? >> no. >> no? you don't care. >> i've got a big job here. and you know the court will hear their arguments. the court will make a decision. all i know is that when i talk to employers around my district, they're concerned that obama care is getting in the way of them hiring more people. >> you call it obama care. every time i hear you talk. why don't you call it what you called it when you debated it, the affordable care act. >> i don't know. because everybody calls it obama care. now even the president's calling it obama care. >> i want to ask you about some of these people running on the republican side, because you know them. >> i know them. >> you have experience with them. rick santorum, you served in congress with.

what do you think is the most important characteristic he possesses that would make him a good leader of this country? >> listen, i know all four of them very well. i've not involved myself in the presidential primaries. i've got a big job to do here in the capitol. voters around the country who choose to vote in republican primaries will pick one of these candidates. and whoever that candidate is, i will support. >> let me try a different tack with you then, as you smile. you were a guy with a great story. one of 12 children, started with very little worked your way through school to this office. where we are sitting today. what is governor romney's most compelling story? when people look at him and say, why can i connect with him? why can he identify with him? what do you think is compelling about his story? >> well, i think his background is probably his strongest suit. he was a very successful businessman. understands how our economy works. and in a time when the american people are asking where are the jobs, i think that it may be the

strongest point that he brings. >> talk about the economy. is it recovering? >> it is. certainly signs of life. but i would argue that it should be doing a lot better. it's doing better in spite of what washington is doing to the economy. >> but it does put some republicans in a difficult position. got better job numbers, you've got better manufacturing numbers. consumer debt is down. consumer confidence is up. isn't it hard to run against a recovering economy? >> matt, my point is, it should be doing better. >> is that -- i hate to, you know, condemn things to bumper stickers. is that the slogan? it can be better? >> it should be better. >> when you hear some prominent conservatives saying the white house is not where we should be focusing, because we may lose that. focus on these congressional and senatorial races, do you like that thinking at this stage of the game? >> no. i don't. if you really want to help win the white house, you go out and win more congressional races, you win more senate races, you

turn more republicans and republican voters out around the country, we'll win the white house. >> you disagree with the president on a lot of key issues. as a guy, though, as a person, do you get along with him? >> we get along great. we really do. >> how important -- >> we have -- we have ours today agreements. we know we come from different parties. we come from different backgrounds. we have different ideas about what the appropriate role of the federal government is. but having said that, we get along just fine. and we have a good personal relationship. and i think that's important in this town. >> how are you going to react when he runs for re-election against the do-nothing congress? you know that's what's going to happen. >> listen, we have passed bill after bill here to get our economy going again. there are 40 bills sitting over in the united states senate. the house has done its work. this week, we're going to be passing a budget. we're going to lay out our vision for how we get america back on track. how we bring prosperity back to

our country. how we save the next generation. we've done our job every year. it's been over three years since the united states senate has done a budget. this is totally irresponsible. >> john boehner, the speaker of the house. just ahead the new online video showing actress alicia silverstone's bizarre method of feeding her young son. it has a lot of moms talking and doctors, as well. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead christie brinkley's ex-husband peter cook responds to charges that she leveled against him here on "today." [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪

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that's why they're called chipsss. [ female announcer ] special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. ♪ >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. baltimore county police on the lookout for a suspect they say is breaking into homes in the middle of the night while homeowners are there. he broke into six homes in the white marsh area, most of them along and joppa road. police are not sure if the suspect is armed and they are concerned that things will

escalate. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> pretty smooth ride, with the exception of a few delays around big area. i-78 is checking in around 24. you are tapping the breaks on the north side. 26 at belair road and write around dulaney valley. the 32 miles per hour towards padonia. once you get on to the j.f.x., things will run smoothly into town. we will see what is going on at white marsh. finally starting to see signs of a delay developing there. switching over to a live view of traffic at dulaney valley. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> so far so good. partly cloudy skies.

that could change in the afternoon. we will jump all the way into the 70's. this may produce a shower or thunderstorm for us by the time we get into the middle and late afternoon hours. until that time, a mixture of sunshine and clouds. 73 this afternoon. thursday and friday, things will cool off again. rain comes back on friday night

i'm -- for my family. and i also -- sorry. but i just want peace. and every -- >> that was model and actress christie brinkley getting emotional in an exclusive interview here on "today" as she talked about her ongoing feud with her ex-husband, peter cook. well he called us and asked for a chance to respond. so we're going to hear from him coming up this morning. meantime, inside studio 1a i'm ann curry. along with matt lauer. 7:30 on a wednesday. the 28th of march, 2012. and also ahead we'll be talking about this controversy sparked by the actress alicia silverstone. >> i saw this for the first time this morning. she posted a new video in which she feeds her 10-month-old son from her own mouth and it's

caught the attention of moms, and doctors. we're going to be talking more about that. >> also coming up this morning, are you ready for some good news? who isn't ready for some good news? because this morning we're going to be honoring our nation's heroes. we've got special events all across the country today, and so we are going to head over, the contingent here from the "today" show, is going to head over to "the uss intrepid" to tell you all about it. >> we look forward to that. also it's been a year since charlie sheen's very public war of words with the creators of "two and a half men" and the meltdown that followed basically cost sheen the highest-paid acting job on tv. now he says he is achanged man and he's just started shooting a new sitcom. charlie will be here live tomorrow morning to talk about all of that. >> well, that will be something. but we begin this half hour with a crime that has rocked a quiet vermont town. the murder of a single mom and beloved teacher. nbc's ron mott has details on this story. ron, good morning. >> good morning to you.

seems everyone around here knew melissa jenkins as a hard-working teacher and dedicated mother. but no one in this small town can make sense of why she was killed. at st. john'sberry academy, melissa jenkins classroom has become a makeshift memorial. students and staff coming to grips with the unthinkable. their beloved science teacher murdered. >> there are some who are numb who just really can't take it in right now or some who are confused about how something like this could happen. >> reporter: on sunday night vermont state police found the 33-year-old single mom's suv idling on a road not far from her home. police report there were signs of a struggle. most troubling of all, jenkins' 2-year-old son ty was found all alone, but safe, inside. >> we know she didn't leave voluntarily based upon what we have at the scene. >> reporter: less than 24 hours police found a body after a back road 15 minutes from where jenkins suv was located. on tuesday officials positively identified jenkins, ruling her case a homicide, but not

revealing the calls of death or any more information related to the case. >> either this young woman had been personally targeted for this crime, or she was some type of a random victim of opportunity. but either way, the killer or killers apparently were not after a child, and did not believe that a child of this tender age could be a witness against them. >> a child that will now grow up without her. all right instead of the dinner shift at the restaurant where she moonlighted as a waitress, people stood solemnly and watched news updates. many still in disbelief. >> small community, young girl, way too soon for a life to ever end in such a brutal way. the whole community is just saddened. it's -- you know, it's horrible. >> just wanted to make everybody happen. >> reporter: ron and laurie craig consider jenkins family and little ty like a grandson. they had been texting with jenkins the afternoon before she disappeared. they were supposed to see her today.

now, they are dealing with her death. >> she's the best mom. still the best mom. >> reporter: outside the private school where jenkins worked locals gathered for a vigil tuesday night. as the community struggles with the mystery surrounding jenkins' death, people here are focused on little ty, who has lost his mother. >> she's ty's guardian angel because she's looking down on him. she's a perfect guardian angel. >> reporter: police have not named a suspect or person of interest in this case. there's no word yet on funeral arrangements. meantime we've understood that there will be a fund-raiser friday for the 2-year-old boy whose mother worked at this school for years. >> ron mott up in vermont for us. ron, thank you very much. let us get a check of the weather now from maria larosa, filling in for al. >> all right, matt. temperatures still a bit chilly across the country. take a look. it does seem really the driving force with all of this. it stays north, that's where the cold is going to stay. temperatures from the midsection

into the ohio valley, mid-atlantic, 20 do 25 degrees above average. 80s and 70s. the only place really cool in the northern great lakes and northern new england, your highs into the 30s. a chance of strong thunderstorms from parts of the mississippi valley into the ohio valley. primary threat being some gusty wind and hail. >> good morning. we're off to a cool star. we will make it into the 70's this afternoon. a chance for some scattered and >> and you can always check your local forecast any time at the weather channel or weather.com. >> maria, thank you very much. there are some new details this morning in the case of a texas model seriously injured

last december when she walked into the still spinning prop propeller of an airplane. "today" national correspondent amy robach has details on that. good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. lauren scrugs has made a remarkable recovery over the last few months and now nbc news has learned that she has reached a settlement with the pilot's insurance company. once an aspiring model and fashion blogger, lauren skruggs has been waging the fight of her life, following a tragic prop propeller accident that severed her left hand and caused her to lose her left eye. for the pass several months she's been solely focused on her recovery. now she can breathe a sigh of relief as she has reached a settlement for her injuries. according to court papers, the company that insures the plane and its pilot, kurt richmond, originally offered scruggs $200,000 in damages. at first, news reports stated that she had rejected the offer.

but her attorney says the two sides have now come to an agreement, tuesday night he told nbc news, attorneys for miss scruggs and aggressive insurance service llc jointly announce that they have resolved the issues raised in the declaratory judgment action. back in december, scruggs flew over dallas in a single-engine plane with a friend to see christmas lights around the city, but as she exited the plane she accidentally walked into the still-spinning propeller. according to the ntsb report, the pilot, a family friend of scruggs, said he told her to walk away from the propeller as she exited but it's unclear whether she heard him over the roar of the engine. scruggs suffered critical injuries that have taken their toll. despite numerous hurdles she has made a remarkable recovery. tweeting pictures from a trip to steamboat springs, colorado, last month. such a fun weekend with family and friends, lauren tweeted.

scruggs also uploaded this picture of herself with her twin brittany. the twins wearing sunglasses that hid from view lauren's prosthetic eye. the ntsb determined the pilot was not ultimately responsible for the accident though they said he should have shut down the engine sooner. the family said they don't blame him and neither the attorneys nor the family has commented on the terms of the settlement. matt? >> all right, amy, thank you very much. up next david zinczenko calls some pointless foods but he's here with alternatives to your favorite daily snacks that can really pack on the pounds. ♪ ♪ 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.

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not that" we're talking about avoiding pointless foods. sugary snacks and drinks may be harmless in moderation but when they become part of your daily routine they can pack on the pounds and damage your overall health. david zinczenko is the author of "eat this, not that supermarket survival guide." pointless foods defined how? >> just seems like we need these foods like a fish needs a bicycle. food manufacturers have taken simple foods that we have enjoyed for generations, and they've basically messed with them to carve out more food dollars. so we've gone from 8,000 foods in the '70s to more than 40,000 today. so we think it's for convenience, but it's just confusing. >> they aren't pointless, i'm hungry. there's the point right there. you're going to start with one. these are crust -- they're smucker's uncrustables peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches. >> it's more like unsinkable. it's 420 calories here, and more

sugar, 18 grams, than fiber or protein combined. so if you're eating this or serving this to your child over the course of a week it ends up being the calorie equivalent of 8 1/2, you know, burgers from mcdonald's. >> so over the course of the week this is the equivalent and you have a healthier alternative which is kind of the same thing, but a do it yourself version. >> just make your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. here you're getting peanut butter which has its own natural oils. there you're getting other oils like soybean and palm and assorted hydrogenated vegetable oils and you're paying 2 1/2 times more than you would for a sandwich which is a dollar each. >> better alternative. let's start now, you've got a starbucks double shot coffee drink. why is that a pointless food? >> because it's a small can with big calories. it's not a double shot of coffee it's a double shot of fat and sugar. it has 17 grams of sugar, and 140 calories. if you have a grande from starbucks, it has 2 1/2 times more caffeine than that.

so, you know, over the course of a week -- >> here's the equivalent. >> the equivalent is ten beals of eddy's ice cream. so you're much better off getting the villa. it's very convenient. >> this is all from starbucks by the way. >> compared to $1.50. so it's 33% cheaper. >> this next one might surprise people. you call this snack here a pointless food. it is 99% yoplait original fat free yogurt. >> it's sure for you're being played. because it's basically 26 grams of sugar and none of it is natural, matt. so -- >> if you ate it every day for a week? >> you're looking at 14 fudge sickles. that's the equivalent. that's the equivalent. that's what you're doing to your morning. okay. so basically what you want to do is get the yoplait light. it's not fat free. it has a little bit of fat in it but that's okay and you're getting 15 grams of sugar rather than 26. those 11 grams definitely add up. >> and a lot of people will look

at these in the supermarket and think they are the same thing. >> they are not the same. got to read the label. >> let's end up with an energy drink. you know how popular these are. this is called the sobi citrus energy and it contains 2 1/2 the suggested servings, and actually it's packed with sugar. >> yeah. i mean if this is your energy source you need to unplug, because this is 250 calories. it's a tablespoon of real citrus. that's it. it's 64 grams -- 63 grams of sugar. a sugar gram is four calories. multiply it, you've got 250 calories of pure sugar. and there's no real citrus. >> you had it seven times a week. >> the equivalent of two cans of pringles. just get the regular o.j. because you're getting vitamins and minerals. this is completely devoid of nutrition. >> david, as always, thanks very much. up next why this video of alicia silverstone feeding her young son is causing a big debate.

that's right after this. [ scott ] i grew up playing with little toy trains and now i build them. i am a bigger is better kind of guy. i absolutely love building locomotives. i knew i wanted to design locomotives from when i was very young. [ jahmil ] from the outside it looks like such a simple device. when you actually get down into the bare bones of it, there's so much technology that's submerged. [ rob ] my welds are a signature, i could tell my welds apart from anybody's. you lay down that nice bead and you look at it, i love it. they don't go together by themselves. there are a lot of little parts, and everyone has their job. [ scott ] i'd love to see it out there on the open tracks. and when i see it, i'm gonna know that i helped build that thing. [ train whistle blows ] here she comes! [ bell clanging ] [ train whistle blows ] wow! [ charlie ] well, it's one thing seeing them built, but then to see them out here, pulling freight across america, it makes us proud.

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you squashed my willpower like a fly. you looked so innocent and so sweet. convinced my lips that we should meet. you were a relentless flirt. oh no we had indecent dessert. twinkle twinkle hope appears. a stevia leaf erased my fears. it made my willpower a super hero. as for calories, it has zero. twinkle twinkle truvia® star natural sweetness, i love just what you are. truvia. honestly sweet. back now at 7:49 with a bit of a mommy controversy. alicia silverstone posted video of herself pre-chewing her 10-month-old son's food, then giving it to him mouth to mouth. and as you might imagine, this has created quite a bit of reaction. >> her 11-month-old son, i guess she did this about two months ago. she wrote about it on her blog. she said i fed bear the moshi,

which is part of this soup, from the soup from my mouth to his. it's his favorite and mine. he literally crawls across the room to attack my mouth if i'm eating. i guess this video was about two months ago. he said so, a lot of controversy from moms and a lot of controversy because there's that ick factor. bacteria. >> birds do that. but that's regurgitating. >> i don't know what the health benefits are of this. one thing you wonder about, a 10-month-old baby, isn't he supposed to be learning to crew food. and you wonder if that undercuts that at all. >> a lot of moms commenting on this. some doctors weighing in. we've got dr. nancy synderman joining us this morning from i believe seattle. nancy, what's your take on this? >> hi, guys. well, i think it's a fad. there certainly are no health benefits for all of this. a couple of downsides. there's nothing dirtier than the human mouth.

forget the ick factor of mushing up food, there's nothing good about the viruses and bacteria that live in the adult mouth. and a child's immune system may not be ready for those in his or her mouth. you already hit on the social parenting aspects. toddler hood and learning those skills of sitting in a high chair and eat foods with your hands and eat on your own, those just are really important adaptive skills. no benefit and certainly a lot of downsides. >> nancy you talked about the bacteria and all of that. wouldn't a child, though, who's breast-feeding perhaps already been exposed to some of the viruses and bacterias that the mom carried, anyway? >> not necessarily. i mean, certainly immune systems are pretty close. but things like the herpes virus may not be transmitted to baby. and mom may have herpes virus in her mouth and transfer it to baby. just kissing a baby is different than transferring the bacteria and viruses that could be enmeshed in chewed up food. so i know it's a nuance, but it sort of pushes it one step

forward. and, there's no health benefit for chewing food for your baby. >> all right. >> i think that's the biggest thing to bat down. >> nancy, thank you very much. coming up next, peter cook, christie brinkley's ex-husband, speaks out about her emotional interview here on "today." doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun. and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots and a lot more spring per dollar. more saving. more doing. that the power of the home depot. break out the gardening gloves. miracle-gro garden soil is now 3 bags for 10 bucks. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> tracking a few accidents. we will start in bel-air. police are on at the scene. you may see a bit of a delay. another one on the inner loop approaching route 10 on the south side. belair road towards the harrisburg expressway, you can see the slowdown on the west side. southbound 83, down from padonia

to the beltway. here's a quick live and let that traffic. things start to open up past providence towards the harrisburg expressway. we will switch over to a life of traffic at baltimore national pike. outer loop delays coming towards us from 795 all the way down to this point. >> partly cloudy skies. 49 at the airport. same thing in parkton. take a light jacket with you. not a whole lot of activity on this front. we expect scattered showers and that is to develop along the boundary and drift in later this afternoon. the further we go into the day, the better the chance for scattered thunderstorms. 30% chance that you will see one of these pass by your house later this afternoon. high-temperature between 70 and 75. seven-day forecast, dry weather

on thursday and friday. it should be dry. next chance for rain on friday night and saturday.

8:00 now on a wednesday morning. 28th day of march, 2012. there's a pretty shot of "the uss intrepid." sea air and space museum as we enjoy great music from the united states military academy band at west point. the reason we're showing you this, and the reason we are there this morning is because we have a very special event coming up. ann has made her way over to "the uss intrepid" to fill us in. ann? >> hey, matt. as you well know, we've partnered with the u.s. chamber of commerce to help businesses get the skills of a great resource, our veterans. registration is getting under way right now. over the next five years, 1

million men and women will be leaving the active duty ranks. so it's vital to our economy to get them back in to our workforce. bring their fighting spirit into our economy. people like juan, who is here with me. and also mark wood, and also tamad, they're all looking for jobs here along with many others. and similar events are being held all across the nation today. in chicago, and in fort hood in texas, and veterans are even taking part online, in stua stuttgart, germany this morning. we'll also be talking with dr. jill biden, the wife of the vice president, and she along with the first lady michelle obama has been making hiring veterans her mission. so there's a lot to ask her about. we're very excited about this, matt. >> ann, i also want to just to brag on you for a second. you have been one of the driving forces behind this. we're proud of you. we look forward to hearing what you have to say later in the program. on a lighter note from here, in some ways, christie brinkley was

on this show yesterday morning and got very emotional as she talked about her ongoing feud with her ex-husband, peter cook. well, it didn't take long for my cell phone to ring after that interview. peter cook was watching. he wanted a chance to respond. he sits down with savannah guthrie this morning. we'll hear more about that. but first, let's go inside. we've got natalie morales standing by at the news desk. >> good morning to you, matt. good morning, everyone. the fbi is investigating an incident involving a jetblue captain who had to be restrained by passengers in midflight tuesday. the flight with 136 passengers and crew members was heading from new york to las vegas when sources say pilot clayton osbon began steering the plane erratically, forcing the co-pilot to boot him from the cockpit. passengers say he then screamed at them about a bomb and told them to say their prayers. passengers used their own belts to restrain the captain. a co-pilot made a safe emergency landing in amarillo, texas, where osbon was arrested. firefighters in colorado

hope calmer winds today will help them tackle a wind-driven wildfire that has destroyed more than 15 houses outside of denver and forced thousands of people to evacuate. officials suspect the fire may have caused the deaths of at least two people. top officials from at least four beef producing states are showing their support today for the company that makes a beef filler known as pink slime. the governors and lieutenant governors are touring a south dakota plant that is now the last facility making the ammonia-treated attitude. three other plants suspended operations this week baubs of an online consumer backlash. now let's head to wall street. mary thompson is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. >> good morning, natalie. prices at the pump keep rising but the cost of heating many homes continues to fall. warm weather pushing natural gas prices to a ten-year low. in the meantime the u.s., the uk and france are reportedly talking about a joint relief of their strategic reserves in

order to push the price of oil lower. and lastly, mortgage applications declined for the seventh straight week as longer-term interest rates inched higher. back to you. >> mary thompson at the new york stock exchange. now for a look of what's trending today. a twitter error has reportedly forced an elderly florida couple to leave their home in fear for their lives. and the sons of director spike lee is partly to blame. the couple's address was mistakenly posted on twitter as belonging to george zimmerman, the man who shot unarmed teenager trayvon martin. the son says he traced the original tweet to a california man and then it was retreated by spike lee to a quarter of a million followers. the couple's son is named william george zimmerman but is not related to the martin shooter. lee's tweet has since been removed. madonna has made peace on twitter with deejay dead mouse. he criticized her online for reportedly making a reference to

a mdma. it is also strikingly similar to mdna which is the title of madonna's new album. madonna tweeted back a silly picture as a peace offering with a note that molly was simply a reference to a song written by a friend. he accepted that apology. and twitter users are astounded over a stolen lorax. a 300 pound bronze statue of dr. seuss' character was stolen from the california home of the author's widow. the sculptor released a statement begging for the thieves to return the lorax statue saying, quote, wherever he is, he is scared, lonely and hungry. so please, if you know where the lorax is return him. it is 8:05 right now. let's go back outside to maria with a check of your weather. who steals a lorax? >> good morning, natalie. we're here with wonderful sisters enjoying new york city

time. where are you from? >> oklahoma. >> mckinney, texas. you're the birthday girl, right? >> i'm the birthday girl. >> do you want to say -- >> happy birthday. >> welcome to new york. honolulu, hawaii our pick city for today. partly sunny and warm, 80 degrees on waikiki beach. the lower 48, midsection warm right now, we're expecting some thunderstorms to fire up, though, through the mid-mississippi valley into the ohio valley. so watch out for gusty winds and perhaps some large hail, as well. looking at sunshine still in the southeast. wouldn't mind a little sunshine in the pacific northwest where wind, rain and mountain snow continues.nt>> good morning. we're off to a quiet start. it is a little bit on the chilly start. high temperature in the low

>> matt back to you. couples celebrating a 25th anniversary. i said what's the secret? he said we never fight. but we did have a fight on the way here this morning. right? speaking of that, coming up, peter cook. the ex of christie brinkley fires back on the charges she leveled here yesterday. [ 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. ♪ super for how it makes us... super. quaker oats. energy. fiber. heart health.

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[ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. we're back now at 8:09 with fallout over our exclusive interview with model and actress christie brinkley. on tuesday she spoke out for the first time about the ongoing dispute with her ex-husband peter cook. now he's firing back. nbc's savannah guthrie talked to him. savannah, good morning. >> good morning to you, matt. as you know the feud between christie brinkley and peter cook has been playing out in the public eye for years and it has been ugly. now cook has a message for his ex-wife. he says he's not going to take it anymore. *christie brinkley is in a war of words with her ex-husband, architect peter cook. the couple divorced in 2008, after 12 years of marriage. cook confessed to watching online porn and having an affair with an 18-year-old woman. now, another court battle is raging, this time over money and what brinkley says is harassment. she says she didn't want to go public but on tuesday she spoke to matt about her ex-husband.

>> this is my first time on tv, okay? this is my first time. i want to stress that. i have never gone on a tv show. since the day that he realized that i wasn't coming back, there has been a real character assassination going on. >> now, peter cook wants his say. he contacted us after brinkley's interview and asked for a chance to respond. >> i thought that it was horrible that she could sit and shamelessly lie to our children, again, on national tv, about the events surrounding this current motion. >> what do you think she was lying about? >> virtually everything, the entire content of her interview was a lie. when she claims that i am harassing and bullying her on a daily basis. i need you to know that we haven't had a conversation in 4 1/2 years. and we haven't e-mailed each other directly in two years. so this perception that i am harassing and bullying her is

nonsense. >> reporter: during brinkley's interview with matt she broke down at one point. >> i'm looking for peace for my family. and i also -- sorry. but i just want peace. and every time i have any joy, or any kind of success in anything, he has to try to destroy it. >> there was a moment when she cried. >> crocodile tears. >> why do you say that? >> because she's not -- ever since the separation she has been on a campaign to smear me. there is no peter cook press machine. i have no interest in the press. i'm not a celebrity. you don't hear about peter cook until christie brinkley dredges something up from the past to make herself relevant in the media again. >> reporter: the couple's public battle heated up again recently

when brinkley went to court, saying cook owed thousands of dollars in child support for their teenage children. cook says he paid brinkley and responded with his own court filing. each side is now accusing the other of violating confidentiality agreement of their divorce. and cook admits he was the first to go public. you've done more television interviews than she has, right? >> on this particular issue, yes. >> so one might assume that you're the one who's drumming up publicity. >> but i'm defending myself. i'm not out soliciting publicity. i'm defending attacks by my ex-wife. >> she says there's a confidentiality agreement, and that you have violated this by being on tv. >> i have not breached the confidentiality. she did in this morning's interview. but i haven't. she spoke about things that led up to our divorce. and we are allowed to speak as freely as we want about anything post-divorce. so discussing issues that are pre-divorce is a violation of confidentiality. >> you called her a narcissistic

ego maniac in your papers. >> right. in the context of a long chain of e-mails that started out very benign about scheduling. >> is there a certain irony to the fact that both of you call each other narcissists? >> yeah. well i think i -- there's a part of me that's a narcissist. i think there's a part of my narcissism that makes me a really great dad and focuses my energy on my children. >> how does being a narcissist make you a better father? >> it makes you focus attention on something. you can either be focused entirely on yourself or you can focus your energies on a child, your child, and say i'm always thinking ahead of what they're going to need. >> how is this very public battle good for your children? >> it's terrible for my children. but the damage was done when she fought in that court in 2008. this is in google eternity. this isn't going in the bottom of a barrel. this is here forever. >> take a look at yourself here. are you acting as a role model that your kids should follow? >> no. if i were a role model i'd sit

back and just keep taking the beatings and the bruises. but i think miss brinkley dipped into this well one too many times. i don't think there's any reason why i shouldn't stand up for myself and not allow someone to make false accusations, and blatantly lie for the world. i want peace. i want peace for my family. i want peace for myself. i want to be able to do my job, see my kids, and live without the christie brinkley shadow over me. that's all i ask. >> one thing that the couple says they agree on, they do want what is best for their children. 16-year-old jack is now refusing to see his father. peter cook confirmed that. but cook said he has a great relationship with his 13-year-old daughter. >> let me bring in christian cal psychologist jennifer hart steen. before i talk to you, let me wrap up one thing with you savannah. before we get to the emotional side of this, and the psychological side of this, legally what is going to be decided by this court? what is their legal beef with each other? >> well, there were issues about child support. some of which have been resolved.

the big issue is there is an agreement in this divorce order that says they can't disparage each other, they have to be civil, and there's a $5,000 fine for each incident when someone is being uncivil. christie brinkley has asked for $140,000 of these instances where she's said he's been uncivil. he's said i have $240,000 worth of incidents, and it's going to come before the judge and the judge will determine. i have to think that this judge when he sees these two before him in court again basically calling each other names he will not be happy to see them. >> jennifer as you watch this from the sideline, a trained psychologi psychologist, just give me your reaction. >> i feel horribly badly for the children. the fact is he says this is for google eternity. all they're doing is perpetuating all of this negative interaction and venom at each other and the kids are hearing it, seeing it and they're old enough to really understand. >> what's the impact of children growing up in the midst of this animosity? >> divorce, we know, can create some problems for kids anyway.

academic performances, low self-esteem, problems with depression. for teenagers with both of these kids they're now creating problems with having sex too early, problematic relationships. really trying drugs and alcohol, all of that kind of stuff. now add to that stuff that's so contentious, it could get even worse. >> what about their relationships with their parents moving forward? i mean clearly it seems as if one of the children has chosen sides. >> absolutely. >> what's the impact of a child having to do that? >> well, it's really going to impact how -- what are they going to do moving forward? jack has chosen to be with his mom. who knows what saylor is going to choose to do. any children where this is going on and they have to choose sides, we don't know how that's going to play out in court, how that's going to play out with the other parent. we don't know. >> and just, you know, she was here yesterday and said that he had been diagnosed as a malignant narcissist. he has called her a narcissistic egomaniac. is there a bit of truth in both of those comments? >> probably. and the fact is, neither of those are actual clinical

diagnoses. the clinical diagnosis is narcissistic personality disorder. at its core what that means is they're in the service of their own ego and they don't care who they step on and hurt. and his point of focusing on the kids as his narcissistic ploy doesn't really work. >> thank you very much. coming up, suze orman on why she says you should not want a fax refund this year. but up next, hiring our heroes. a push to get military veterans back to work. ann will talk to dr. jill biden right after this. living with n of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ...could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you... ...with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra,... ...humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer,

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heroes" job fair. it is part of our ongoing effort with 400 more events planned over the next year. but this morning, we want to highlight some of the job fairs that are going on right now across this country, and the world. we begin with nbc's janet shamlian who is joining us now from ft. hood in texas. and janet the jobs fair there is really focusing on the military families, right? >> ann, good morning. that is right. we are here at ft. hood in kille killeen, texas and this is only the second job fair aimed at military spouses. those for the men and women who also serve but in terms of employment they're an und served population. it's a staggering 26%. that's almost three times the national average. here is how significant the demand is. 1,000 people have signed up to come here today to apply for a job. 88 companies are here. and part of the requirement is they have to offer employment. this is not just about collecting resumes today.

and the companies really run the gamut. we've got oil field services firms. technology companies. tax preparers. you name it. the city of austin is looking for people for the police department. and the difficulty for military spouses is it's hard for them to grow their resumes because they move around so much. as i said, this is just the second job fair for spouses. there's one at ft. campbell in kentucky next month. and this is an effort to try to get those spouses employed as the other half also serves us. ann, back to you. >> all right, janet shamlian. thank you so much. so exciting there. we go to nbc's kevin tibbles now in chicago. i understand that the workshop going on there to help veterans translate their resumes. >> reporter: ann, some 1,000 veterans are expected to come through here today. 135 companies are going to be looking to hire them. i'm actually joined by a former infantry captain in the marines, brad watson. brad was injured in iraq.

he is now working for navistar and one of the main things that i think veterans -- i have been to iraq and afghanistan myself in the capacity of a reporter, and we understand that military people don't speak the same language as we civilians do. how do you translate that into a job when you get home? >> well, there's no better catalyst for strength of character than combat. and veterans have strong parallels between their skill sets, and the military, and how that translate into the civilian workforce. part of what we're here to do today is unlock that potential. >> are you surprised at how many companies have come out? >> it's inspiring to see this many companies circle the wagons to do something good for american veterans. i'm happy to be part of this where we can arrange a introduction between a stronger generation of veterans and an american industry. >> we're expecting about 1,000 veterans to come through here. it's still early in the morning because we're on the central time zone. in the end he's now working for navistar. he was injured riding in a humvee in iraq. he's now helping to build

reinforced humvees to prevent those sorts of injuries from happening again, ann. >> it's very cool. very cool, kevin tibbles, thank you so much. and you don't have to be in new york or chicago or texas to take part. because take a look, in stuttgart, germany, where a virtual jobs fair is now going on. 35 companies have posted 1500 jobs online. so far more than 10,000 people have logged on and 4,000 have sent in applications. and you can join them by heading to this website today.com/veterans. this is an issue that is very important to the vice president, joe biden, and also his wife jill biden. their son bo served in iraq as a member of the national guard. so we visited iraq with the vice president last year, and he talked very passionately about finding work for our returning veterans. take a look. >> we have an obligation, they fought over here, they've gone through these god-awful sands and deserts in the middle of a war, they're in god forsaken

places out in afghanistan, they shouldn't have to come home and fight for a job. >> we're now joined by joe biden's wife, dr. jill biden. dr. biden, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> looking around here, what is your reaction to these veterans? >> this is so great. ann, what you've done, what capital one has done to bring all these veterans together, this job fair, and all over the country and germany, it's a wonderful thing. >> what is your message to employers who are worrying about things like ptsd. there was a number that came out by the rand corporation that said 80% of our returning veterans have been found to not have any -- >> not have any amount. these men and women are leaders. they've been on the battlefield, they handle equipment, so they have technical skills. they -- and as i've heard you say, ann, they have true grit. so these are the perfect employers. so if you want to get the job

dorngs hire a veteran. >> with a fighting spirit, the grit, the courage, into our economy. dr. jill biden. we'll see you in a few moments. we'll be rig >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> several accidents since last check. 28 the street, this will cause delays heading into the city. this one involves a pedestrian bridge another one on the inner loop on the southwest corner. route 40, baltimore national pike, there is an accident. another one eastbound on a 32 at i-95. here is a quick live look at

traffic. north side easing up just a bit past providence. prior to that, from belair towards providence, outer loop delays. live view of traffic at baltimore national pike. new inner loop delays, but outer loop coming towards us. over to you, tony. >> so far so good. a little chilly this morning, but no rain out there yet. 43 in parkton. we will make it into the seventies this ofte -- this afternoon. these will drift out towards best later this afternoon. further we go into the day. -- further we go into the day, the greater the chance for at least scattered thunderstorms. high temperatures between 70 and 75. cooling off the next couple of days.

trying -- driving out on thursday and friday. >> thank you for joining us. another update at 8:56.

day 8:30 now on this thursday morning. the 28th of march, 2012. we have a great crowd in rockefeller plaza. and another great crowd here on "the uss intrepid" where we are holding our "hiring our heroes" event. our veterans have unique skill sets and that's putting them to work on the home front will certainly give a boom to the overall economy, bringing the grit and the courage as shown on

the battlefield to our businesses here at home. i'm ann curry here on "the uss intrepid" and matt and natalie are on the plaza. the atmosphere here is amazing. a got to tell you there are a lot of major businesses here stepping up to offer jobs. we'll have more from here coming up. >> ann, it is so, so important that we take care of these men and women and we're applauding you for what you're doing. here on the plaza, matt along with natalie and we're coming up, the tax deadline, april 17th the deadline to file your income taxes. >> that's right. but suze orman is going to be along with us, and she says if you're expecting a huge check or a refund, well then you may be doing something wrong. she's going to explain exactly. she's got her tough love advice for you coming up in a little bit. >> and even before we send it back to you, want to mention as i sat down with house speaker john boehner yesterday in washington i had the chance to ask him about our returning veterans, and the fact that in the under-25 age group, some 29.1% are unemployed. his assessment was blunt. take a look.

>> it's a disgrace. and we've worked with employers to try to reach out to hire more veterans. there are a number of employers around the country who are making big commitments to hiring veterans. but we also ought to make sure that they've got the skills they need to get in to today's workforce. >> a lot of people in congress on board with this, ann. back to you. >> all right. thanks a lot, matt and natalie. dr. jill biden was kind enough to stick around. we're also joined by new york city's mayor michael bloomberg. mr. mayor, welcome to the broadcast. >> nice to be here. we're going to make a difference. >> let's talk about that. because new york city has made a commitment. what is new york city's commitment? >> we have roughly a quarter of a million veterans here. about 3% or 4 prsz are unemployed and our commitment is to try to get all of those working. we try to help. we waived some fees on civil service exams. we give preference points. we have some volunteer lawyers that help them deal with legal

problems, with the v.a. and other organizations. i try to make sure my company does things. we have a hiring program and a mentoring program. but we have the police department here. the corrections department here. we have a veterans affairs department here. all trying to recruit the best and the brightest. and these are young men and women who have what we really look for. and that's interpersonal skills and a dedication and a work ethic. they can survive in the military, they can survive in new york city. and there's a kind of employees that we want. >> you heard it here. the jobs are being offered here in new york city. also joining forces, i've got to ask you about that dr. biden, because you and the first lady have been working for years now trying to send a message to everyday americans that we all need to step up. in what way can we step up in this regard in terms of finding people jobs? >> i think we all have a role to play. corporations have a role to play like here today, hiring veterans. i think schools have a role to play in creating awareness of military children in the classroom. i think that individuals have a role to play. finding out who's in your neighborhood, who can you lend a

hand to? who can you say, let me cut your lawn? in our case, when my son was deployed to iraq, a neighbor during a snowstorm just came and just shoveled the driveway, and just walked away, didn't even say anything. so, i think we all have a role to play, and so the first lady and i are just saying, commit to an act of kindness. every american can do something. >> you know this is the attitude you're describing that existed after world war ii that opened the doors of so many americans who came back from the war. when they came back because of that open door they were able to become the greatest generation. there are those who study history who wonder whether these returning veterans, the most highly skilled. the most experienced fighting force in the history of this country, can become the next greatest generation. but they need training. >> the president and the vice president have made a commitment to make sure that we don't make the mistakes that we did after vietnam and not welcome back people who put their lives on the line for the rest of us so we can enjoy the freedoms which

sadly we're taking too much for granted. if they're committed, then the first lady, and dr. biden are committed to do it, and i can tell you new york city is committed. we have our work force one center, robin hood foundation, a very big charity, financial community is here, they've put up a lot of money to help us create jobs. there are lots of places these young people can fit in and really make a big crib use. we look at this as an asset, not an obligation. >> change the way our thinking so we realize they are a boone to our economy. mr. mayor, thank you. dr. biden, thank you so much. and thank you so much for being here. coming up now we want to go back to the plaza for a check of the weather with maria larosa who is in for al this morning. >> good morning, ann. good morning, everyone. want to say happy birthday to little hannah from alabama. is there someone back home you want to say hi to? >> i want to say hi to my dad and my grandfather and my aunt. >> all right. done. happy birthday, little sweetheart. let's see how the rest of the day is going to pan out for all of you, maybe celebrating a birthday today. a chance for some strong

thunderstorms from the mid-mississippi valley in through the ohio valley, damaging winds and large hail possible. we still have wet and snowy weather in through the west from san francisco to seattle, the rain may be heavy at times. gusty winds and mountain snow. parts of the cascades could be picking up an additional foot of snow by tomorrow. >> good morning. we're off to a cool star. we will make it into the 70's this afternoon. a chance for some scattered and >> check out your local forecast any time at the weather channel and weather.com. >> thanks so much, maria. still to come this morning, up next, financial expert suze

orman has your tax time tips. important advice, including the down side to getting a big return. >> first this is "today" on nbc.

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it's like he's out here with us. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message. we're back now, 8:39. this morning on "today's money," five things you need to know as tax time approaches, including why getting a refund this year isn't necessarily a good thing. suze orman, host of "the suze orman show" on cnbc is here to explain. welcome back. good to see you. let's remind people before we begin, the tax filing deadline is april 17th. >> yes, because the 15th is on a sunday. monday is a holiday. so you have until midnight april 17th. >> a lot of people have probably already filed their taxes and they know that they're getting a refund and they are celebrating. and you say not -- >> what are you doing? average refund is about $3,000 at a time. matt, that's $250 a month. rather than letting the government hold that money for you essentially interest free,

don't you think $250 a month, right now, would help you pay down your credit card debt. fund a retirement account for yourself. make it for an emergency fund. why let the government keep it when you could be using it now. >> so the goal is to owe the government money? or break even? how do you figure that out so you hit it right? >> the goal is truthfully to break even. everybody, if you are getting a refund, you should go on to irs.gov under the individual returns. it will show you how to adjust your exemptions on your w-4 or go to your hr office, increase your exemptions so you get more money back. >> i know you're going to blast me on this. but you know what happens. people say okay i'm getting a refund, $3,000 and they go, it's free money. it's found money. and you say wake up. >> but i'm not going to blast you. because that is what they say so you have to deal with reality. and the reality is that money is far better used to pay down what? your student loan debt. your credit card debt.

do an emergency fund. and/or fund your retirement account with it. do not go and take that money and go on vacation or go to las vegas or atlantic city. >> not free money, it's your money. and you've got to do something with it. april also marks the deadline for funding your i.r.a.s for the tax year 2011. >> you're going to have lots of choices. and you should be funding your retirement accounts. because you're going to need that money when you retire. many different types of retirement accounts out there. my personal favorite will always be the roth i.r.a. >> why is it different? >> i like it because you fund it with after-tax dollars. which means at any time, at any age, if you get into trouble, you can withdraw anything you put in without taxes or penalty. but when you get older you can take it out tax free. >> i remember you were here in the past, talking about roth i.r.a.s, and there are limitations as to who can open one. >> yes, there are income limitations. in 2011 you can only fully fund a roth i.r.a. if you're single

and your adjusted gross income is $107,000 or less. married filing jointly it's $168,000 or less. but you can get money into a roth i.r.a. >> how do you do that? >> you're making too much money. i hope everybody's making too much money to qualify. simply open up a traditional i.r.a., make it non-deductible, and then convert it to a roth i.r.a. that's how you can do it. >> all right. at this time of year everybody asks themselves the question can i do my taxes myself or do i go to a tax professional? what's your rule of thumb? >> here's what i would do. if you're nervous about it, great go to a tax professional. why not just for fun get one of those programs, there's many of them out there, and do your taxes yourself, and compare what you came up with on your own to maybe the $500 or $1,000 that you spent to have your taxes done. if you find more, tax write-offs or you match, next year do it yourself. >> who is a good candidate for

doing it on their own? >> people who are computer literate. people who really don't have complicated taxes. you're not filing in every state. you just have income, you're an employee, you don't have tax write-offs or ability. if you're a single person, you own a home, i think you should do it yourself. >> things come up, a lot of people file an extension. the most important rule to remember about filing an extension. >> please remember, people, you can file an extension if your paperwork isn't done all the way until october of this year. however, the problem is you better pay your taxes. otherwise there's going to be a penalty for filing, a penalty and interest for not paying your taxes. taxes are due on april 17th, even if you don't file in your paperwork. >> suze orman. thanks very much. >> any time, matt. >> nice to see you again. 43 minutes after the hour. for more advice you can catch "the suze orman show" saturday nights at 9:00 eastern and pacific time on cnbc. still ahead a big announcement from ann as we honor our country's bravest. this is "today" on nbc.

back now with more of our "hiring our heroes" event. a special event aboard "the uss intrepid" in partnership with the u.s. chamber of commerce, and here inside one of the hangars we have 100 visitors, some of them from fortune 500 companies, some of them from small businesses, representing small businesses who are welcoming our heroes, hoping to hire them. including derrick coy who was once a marine, and you're here now looking for what job? >> i'm looking for something to give back to the community, especially veterans. anything that will fit that bill. >> you have a skill set, your resume says that you manage a monthly budget in the marines of $100,000. is that right? >> yes, it is. >> is that translating? are they listening to that as

you talk to people here? >> it's something a lot of people like to hear. because we dealt with high dungates and a lot of sensitive equipment. that definitely translates to the private sector and helps out quite a bit. >> derrick coy, thank you so much. sfrou h now we're going to take a little walk and introduce you to vesta. i want to ask you about what you're looking. you're army by the way. what are you looking for here? >> i'm marine. >> oh, i got the wrong name. don't mess up, marine. i'm sorry. that would have been trouble. what are you looking for here? >> i'm just looking for [ inaudible ] >> and what are you studying in school? >> international business. >> my goodness. thought talks about the talents of our veterans. thank you so much our marine veteran. i'm sorry i had that wrong in my

notes. now we've got anton thompson, he was in the navy for eight years. you have a very interesting resume, because it talks about how you provided operational oversight and training for a lab of 35 laboratory medical assistants and a high volume microbiology processing environment. my goodness that sounds so high tech. how is that translating to your efforts to find a job? >> i'm looking for a job, and it helped me because it gaves me the critical aspects on how to do the administrative part so i think it's going to help. >> what is the demand, i mean a lot of times these companies want college educated students. were you college educated? >> yes, i'm currently working on my masters degree. >> all right. but why were you having a hard time finding a job without this jobs fair? >> i think because i didn't know exactly what i wanted to do at the time because i've done so many things in the military. so sometimes it's kind of hard to narrow down to that one

thing. >> seems to me that you're highly employable. i wish you luck. i'm going to also introduce you to zack zevin. and you are army. is that right? >> yes, i am. >> he's former army. got that one right. you are looking for a communications job. you were once a communications chief in the army, is that right? >> i was. i'm actually looking for business development and production, though. >> but you're standing here in front of comcast nbc universal. what is your -- are they listening to you in terms of what kind of job you want to ask for? >> absolutely. these guys have wonderful. they want to get to the bottom of what makes me happy and i think that we can work something out. >> i can tell you you have a fantastic voice for broadcasting, if i might say so. to anybody who is listening you really do. in terms of veterans who are listening today who are at home, who may be feeling that they also want some help, what is your message to veterans in terms of the openness of companies to hiring them?

and what is your message to companies? >> well, my message to companies is that absolutely hire veterans. those guys, every single veteran that i know is -- has experience with getting the job done, regardless of what it is. that is what we did. in terms of the veterans, reach out, find other veterans, find a support network and go to events like these. you'll definitely be happy. >> thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> and also we want to tell everybody that you can take part on that note he just mentioned you can take part online by going to today.com/veterans. and we have much more from "the uss intrepid" and also from studio 1a coming up right after this.

and we're back with more of our "hiring our heroes today." it is time for a big announcement. retired lieutenant colonel kevin schleigel served for 20 years. he is also the executive director of the hiring our heroes at the u.s. chamber of commerce and john zimmerman is a navy veteran and commerce and corporate secretary at capital one. good morning both of you gentlemen and welcome. john, you've got an announcement. what is it. >> thank you, ann.

our work here today to help veterans and military spouses find jobs, capital one is pleased to partner with the u.s. cham per of commerce with a goal of hiring 500,000 veterans and military spouses in the next three years. and we are committing $4.5 million to that effort. >> that's a lot of jobs. 500,000 jobs in three years. how are you going to accomplish that? >> well, this is the most important thing to note is we're going to be doing this, what you see today, in 400 communities across the country. but we're also going to tie in small business. in addition to all the big companies you see here today, they're going to engage the small business community like never before. >> why is this time frame so worth it? why do it within three years? >> well, we have a million men and women leaving the armed forces in the next five years. we don't have until 2020 to do this. we need to do this today. and we need the entire private sector working with the public

senter to do this across america. >> we want to mention as part of this pledge, i had a chance to sit down with brian roberts, who is the chairman and ceo of comcast, our parent company, and his father fought in world war ii. so for him, this is personal. take a listen to what he had to say. >> my dad was a veteran. the gentleman who runs all of comcast cable was in the original neil smith. we're proud of the many veterans who have made our company what it is today. it's my pleasure and indeed honor on behalf of everybody at nbc and comcast to announce that we're over the next three years we'll hire 1,000 veterans in addition to our workforce today and i'm excited to work with many in the future as they come home from these wars. >> so just now we just heard it comcast promising another 1,000 jobs over the upcoming years. so this could be a snowball. this could not just help these veterans but could help our economy. what is it that these men and

women offer? kevin? >> well, i think they offer unique leadership experience. advanced technical skills. they're reliable. they're great team players and they can adapt to any challenging environment you throw their way. >> kevin, thank you so much. john, thank you so much. >> pleasure to be here. >> great honor to meet both of you. of course it will take big and small businesses to fulfill the commitment to hire 500,000 veterans. brian wagner out of kansas city kansas is pledging 50 veterans and 5 spouses. and guess who else heard our call? the legendary rock band kiss is going on tour this summer with motley crue. they need a roadie and they want to hire a veteran. so if you're interest gd to our website today.com/veterans. kiss has been supporting our service members for years, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the wounded warriors project. so, that's an unusual job offer and some lucky person is going to get it. meantime, we've got much more

still ahead. and we want to thank everyone, all of our partners and the u.s. chamber of commerce, our jobs fairs are also a great start. woor coverage throughout this day on msnbc and across all the platforms of nbc news. and don't forget, there will be 400 more of these jobs fairs all across the country over the next year. and we'll be back with much more. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. a man is being held without bond in connection with an accidental shooting that killed his 4-year- old son. police responded to gunfire on march 5 and determined that the

son had gotten hold of his father's gun and fatally shot himself in the chest. back in a minute with a check on

>> as we head through the rest of the day, expect the clouds to thicken up a little bit. chance for a few thunderstorms. high-temperature near 73. dry weather comes on the thur