m. with over 6 times the 4g lte coverage, verizon is the obvious choice. good morning. day y in court. george zimmerman set to appear before a judge today to be formally charged with the murder of trayvon martin. how is he reacting? will he be released on bail? what will be his defense? this morning we'll ask zimmerman's new attorney in a live interview and get reaction from martin's parents. criminal behavior. jury selection begins today in the criminal trial of former u.s. senator and presidential candidate john edwards. did he use campaign contributions to cover up his affair with rielle hunter, and will she be called to testify? and miracle at the morgue. a couple's newborn baby declared dead, but 12 hours later when they went to say good-bye, she was still alive. we'll hear from the overjoyed

parents today, thursday, april 12th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm carl quintanilla in for matt. this is the booking photo of george zimmerman after he was taken into custody, charged with the second-degree murder of trayvon martin. >> that's right. he was transferred to the seminole county jail in florida last night wearing a coat over his head. he will be formally charged this afternoon. his new attorney says he will enter a plea of not guilty and ask that his client be released on bail. we're going to talk to zimmerman's attorney in live in just a moment. we're going to also get reaction to all of this from trayvon martin's parents as well coming up. also ahead, we showed you the remarkable video earlier this week of two 13-year-olds

who raced into action had their school bus driver suffered a heart attack. well, this morning those young heroes are here to share their dramatic story in an exclusive live interview. and does prince harry have a new woman in his life? we'll go live to london where speculation is buzzing over a possible romance opinion let's begin with the arrest of george zimmerman more than a month and a half after the shooting death of trayvon martin. nbc's kerry sanders is in sanford, florida, with more on this. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. george zimmerman spent his first night in jail here. he's among 1369 inmates incarcerated in jail. because of his notoriety, officials have made special accommodations to keep him apart from the general population. later today he'll have his first appearance in court. a convoy of florida department of law enforcement vehicles arrived at the seminole county jail. in custody and under arrest,

28-year-old george zimmerman, charged with murdering 17-year-old trayvon martin. zimmerman who turned himself in entered the jail with a jacket covering his head. once inside, he was booked, fingerprinted and photographed. >> i can tell you we did not come to this decision lightly. >> reporter: special prosecutor angela corey says it took her less than three weeks to review the evidence, conduct new interviews, and conclude zimmerman should stand trial for firing the fatal shot that killed martin. >> today we filed an information charging george zimmerman with murder in the second degree. >> reporter: trayvon martin's parents in washington with their lawyers watched the announcement on tv. >> we simply wanted an arrest. we wanted nothing more, nothing less. we just wanted an arrest, and we got it. and i say thank you. thank you, lord. >> reporter: in documents filed with the court, prosecutors allege zimmerman did unlawfully and by an act imminently dangerous to another kill

trayvon martin by shooting the said victim. zimmerman's new attorney, mark om o'mara says his client will plead not guilty and will be bonded to he does not have to remain in jail awaiting trial. >> there are questions about how it happened. i think that also lends to the suggestion that maybe he should be out. i want him out because i need him out to help me in my defense. >> reporter: if zimmerman's lawyer fights for immunity under florida's stand your ground law, prosecutor angela corey says she's ready. >> if stand your ground becomes an issue, we fight it. if we believe it's the right thing to do. >> reporter: in miami gardens at the church trayvon martin attended with his family, they had prayed for justice. >> george zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder and was arrested. >> reporter: and in barber shops and living rooms across the nation, trayvon's supporters greeted the news with relief.

>> i finally feel like we finally took steps toward justice. we haven't got justice yet, but we took a huge step towards it. >> reporter: george zimmerman's attorney could choose to invoke his client's right to a speedy trial. if he does, the clock starts ticking. a trial has to begin within 175 days. carl? >> kerry sanders in sanford, kerry, thanks. mark o'mara is george zimmerman's attorney. he is in orlando this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, sir. >> you woke up yesterday morning. you weren't part of this case. you were just a spectator trying to see what the special prosecutor would do. were you surprised at a charge of second degree murder? >> i was. again, i've only seen the evidence that has been presented to the media. but i was surprised that they charged it at that level. i have no idea what the facts are yet. so i know that ms. corey looked at her case, decided to charge what she thought she could or should and we'll deal with it. >> a lot of the state's evidence is still secret. are you getting the feeling that

ms. corey knows something you don't? and at what point do you get to know what that information is? >> one, she knows an enormous amount that i don't because she knows the whole case. and has had several weeks to come up to speed. i don't have the first sheet of paper, but we will be getting it shortly. florida is what we call an open discovery state. we get all of the information from the state quite quickly. i expect it to start flowing in within the next week or so. >> do you think the severity of the charge had anything to do with the public outcry over this case? >> i hope not. i hope that ms. corey did what she's supposed to do. i think she did, which is look at the case as a prosecutor, charged the highest crime that she thinks she can, and did it appropriately. i have no reason to believe otherwise. >> let's talk about your client for a moment. 45 days since the shooting of trayvon martin. he spends his first night in jail. how is he responding to those new surroundings? >> well, overall, he's very stressed, very tired. it's been, as for the martin

family, it's been a difficult several weeks for him. law enforcement's handling it very well. the seminole county jail is doing the same. he wants to be out. he wants to be out to help with his defense. but he's doing okay. >> set aside the issue of bail for a moment. we've talked about the not guilty plea. what is your first order of business in preparing his defense? >> well, continue to gather a team to assist him and then start the process of organizing the request for discovery, getting the information in. there's going to be an enormous amount of information flow coming in. and like any defense attorney, the first step, like a doctor with lab tests, is to find out what's going on and to make sure i know everything before we start talking about it. >> his previous lawyers stepped down from the case because they were not able to stay in contact with him. do you have any idea why he may have done that? and do you trust him to take your counsel as you give it? >> i have had no concerns over his ability to listen and to

react properly with me. i'm not certain what the fallout or problems were between he and previous counsel. i don't anticipate any of that happening with my conversations and interaction with george. >> mark o'mara, thanks very much. 7:08. here's ann. >> trayvon martin's parents are now joining us along with their attorney, benjamin crump. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> tracy and sybrina, last night when you heard the words "second-degree murder," i noticed that you clasped hands. sybrina, awe loued yourself a small smile. what went through your mind exactly at that moment, sybrina? >> what went through my mind was finally the person that shot and killed our son was going to be held accountable for what he has done. that's what went through my mind. the moment i heard the charges. >> tracy, you have said -- in fact, one of the things you said when you reacted was that you

were glad that george zimmerman was finally off the streets. if he is actually released on bond, probably into protective custody if, in fact, that happens as early as today, what will be your reaction, tracy? >> i have the same reaction because i think that they will -- they'll do the right thing, see fit to do the right thing. i feel as though he needs to be locked up and just prepare himself to be held accountable for what he did. >> george zimmerman's attorney said last night -- we heard from him, obviously, just a moment ago. but last night he said that there should not be a rush to judgment. i'm going to quote him here. he said, "i am hoping the community will calm down. we have to have faith in the justice system." sybrina, are you willing to put your faith that the criminal justice system can give george zimmerman a fair trial? and do you want that to happen even if it means that george

zimmerman might actually be found not guilty? >> yes, even if that means that he may be found not guilty. we just want him to be held accountable for what he's done. and by him not being arrested, that would not have been done. so we are happy that he was arrested so that committee give his side of the story. >> so americans who wonder, tracy, if the reason george zimmerman was arrested was not because of the law but because of public pressure, what do you say? >> first and foremost, i think had the sanford police department did a thorough investigation from the beginning, george zimmerman would have been locked up from day one, and there wouldn't have been such a huge public outcry for the arrest. and if, in fact, we had to plead our case to public officials

just to get him arrested, if that's what we have to continue to do to plead our case, then that's what we'll do. but he should have, in fact, been arrested from day one. >> benjamin, as you well know, a second-degree murder charge carries with it a requirement to prove that there was a disregard for human life, requires a depraved mind without regard for human life. depraved mind being defined as evil intent, spite or ill will. what do you see in the evidence so far that would justify a second-degree murder charge? >> well, ann, it is real clear from the objective evidence that we know that in those 911 tapes, george zimmerman got out and pursued trayvon martin, even against the instruction of the 911 dispatcher. and we have always believed that for whatever reason, he confronted trayvon martin when he had been told not to do.

and for those reasons, trayvon was killed when he was simply trying to get home to watch the basketball game. >> i want to ask tracy and sybrina, either of you can take this question. if you were to come face to face with george zimmerman, what do you want to tell him? what do you want to ask him? >> one of the things that i still believe in a person should apologize when they are actually remorseful for what they've done. i believe it was an accident. i believe that it just got out of control, and he couldn't turn the clock back. i would ask him, did he know that that was a minor, that that was a teenager and that he did not have a weapon? i would ask him -- that i understand that his family is hurting, but think about our family that lost our teenage son. i mean, it's just very difficult to live with day in and day out. i'm sure his parents can pick up

the phone and call him, but we can't pick up the phone and call trayvon anymore. >> wow. tracy martin and sybrina fulton, thank you so much, especially for joining us, benjamin crump as well, thank you so much for this. and obviously, this is the beginning of a long road ahead. we really appreciate your time this morning and perspective. it is now 7:13. once again here's carl. savannah guthrie is "today's" legal correspondent. good morning to you. >> morning. >> just heard sybrina refer to it as an accident. that certainly isn't what the charge would reflect from the point of view of the special prosecutor. >> the charge is much more serious. it alleges an intentional act, one with a depraved state of mind, ill will, spite. the prosecutor certainly believes that she has proof beyond a reasonable doubt to establish the elements of second-degree murder, but sometimes there are strategic reasons, too, that a prosecutor pushes the toughest charge. if later at trial a jury wants to compromise, they have somewhere to go perhaps down to

manslaughter. and also sometimes you see it as a negotiating tactic if there's a plea bargain at issue. there's somewhere to go, some middle ground. not sure we'll see a plea bargain in this case. i don't think trayvon martin's family would probably want it. i'm not sure george zimmerman would accept one as well. >> so much attention on the stand your ground rule and its ability to give a defendant a plea of self-defense. any chance this doesn't go to trial, that a judge does not let it go to trial? >> to me that's the most significant aspect of the stand your ground law with regard to these facts. it isn't just a defense at trial, it's an immunity from prosecution. what that means, there will be a hearing before trial where a judge will examine these facts and zimmerman only need prove by a preponderance of evidence which is a much lower standard that he acted in self-defense. if persuaded, the judge could throw it out right there. it's a challenge for prosecutors. >> if it does go to trial and the compromise in the jury room that you're probably laying out, would that result potentially in a manslaughter charge? would that make the most sense? >> the jury will likely be

instructed on a range of counts, manslaughter being one of them. sometimes juries compromise. they're not necessarily supposed to, but it happens. and that may be something we see in the future. >> finally, i wonder if you think this is going to be a difficult case to prove on the part of the prosecutors. >> from what we know of the evidence now, it seems incredibly difficult because of perhaps lost evidence, because of the failure to arrest or do certain kinds of forensics that they may have done in those first hours after the alleged crime. also, because you have conflicting witness statements. you have questionable medical evidence. and we have to remember, in our system, when there is a doubt, when there's a conflict in the evidence, the benefit of the doubt goes to the accused. innocent until proven guilty. it's prosecutors who bear this burden, and it's a heavy one. >> savannah guthrie, thanks very much. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories with natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. north korea's window to launch a rocket has opened today, but there's no liftoff yet. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is

in pyongyang with more. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the window has, in fact, opened, but as you said, no rocket launch yet. probably because of the weather. it's been very overcast here, very windy. but no signs that north korea is backing down. north korea says that this rocket launch could take place any time between now and the 16th. but we don't know exactly when that will take place. the speculation is it might take place in the daylight hours perhaps on friday or saturday. the u.s. is still condemning this as a rocket test, and several countries in the region have threatened to shoot this rocket down if it veers off course. what is taking place in the city, however, are festivities, concerts, all designed to reinforce the leadership of the new leader of the country, kim jong-un who was just appointed to be the most senior position in the north korean communist party. natalie? >> richard engel continuing there in pyongyang, thank you.

a u.s. military hybrid aircraft has crashed during a training mission in southern morocco, killing two american soldiers. more than 1200 u.s. troops are in morocco for military exercises. it's case closed for the investigation into whitney houston's death. police say there will be no charges filed as evidence suggests the singer died accidentally. meantime, the 911 call to police from the hotel where houston died has been released. >> i need paramedics. apparently i've got a 46-year-old female found in the bathroom right now. but they're requesting paramedics. >> the call does not mention the singer by name, as you heard. now let's head to wall street, cnbc's mary thompson's at the new york stock exchange for us. mary, the market made a little bit of a rebound wednesday. >> that's right. stocks snapping a five-day earnings streak as the earnings season got off to a strong start. investors will focus on comments made by the vice chairman of the federal reserve. janet yellen saying interest rates should remain low through 2014 and the central bank stands ready to take additional actions

to boost the economy should the recovery falter. of course, the problem in the recovery has been the housing market. and to that echbd, realty track reports that the number of homes entering the foreclosure process rose for the third straight month in morch saying housing prices could remain under pressure. >> mary thompson, thank you. and it was an attack of the giggles on anderson cooper 360 this week. the cnn host just couldn't keep it together during his "ridiculist" statement. and just thinking about it gave him the sillies. >> i'm going to let you do this one. it's really so stupid. km on. come on. >> i feel his pain. we've all been there at some point. cooper has since apologized for his laughing fit to anyone who celebrates dingus day. by the way, hearing it makes you

laugh. it's a polish-american tradition the day after easter celebrating the end of lent. 7:18 right now. now ann has a fit of the giggles. >> no, but his was definitely a giggle. that was so cute. natalie, thank you so much. >> we never have that problem on this show. >> no. i'm going to have to send him a dingus day card because hallmark makes a really good one. let's show you what's going on. again, we've got some strong storms getting ready to fire up ahead of a low-level jet stream. an upper-level jet that's strong. that can help start get that circulation going. so we've got showers and thunderstorms firing up from houston on up into wichita and parts of nebraska as well. we've got a risk of strong storms from san angelo to north platte, nebraska. a possibility of tornadoes out >> good morning. we're waking up to plenty of sunshine and maybe just a few

clouds. it is pretty breezy with winds 10 and that's your latest weather.r. ann? coming up, an unbelievable story, a couple finds their newborn baby alive in the morgue 12 hours after the little girl was declared dead. first, this is "today" on nbc.

j just ahead, jury selectio begins today in the trial of former presidential candidate john edwards. will his former mistress be called to testify? the new pop star in prince harry's life after your local news.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here's a look at one of our top stories. officials in baltimore county are offering a $2,000 reward to help find the person responsible for arson at the baptist church. the damage is estimated around $400,000. the archdiocese of baltimore has offered one of their facilities

for church events. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> we have an accident on eastbound i-70. mount airy exited, accident could be in backing planes and travel there. these delays are approaching 29 and east on i-70. reminder, orleans street at broadway until all the o'clock 30 tonight. -- until 12:30 tonight. if you normally take southbound, take this road as your alternate. white marsh, you can see how heavy it is in the southbound direction. we will switch to a live view of 83 at mount carmel. intermittently we're seeing

today is from mount carmel to the beltway. >> currently it is 38 degrees at b.w.i. thurgood marshall. chilly, with winds at 7 miles per hour, but very sunny. high temperatures get near 60 degrees in central maryland. cooler in the mountains. only in the 40's in many spots. we have winds out of the northwest, tend to 20 miles per

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oh, my god! >> and you're looking at the frightening scene that happened just outside of seattle on monday when a school bus driver suffered a heart attack. thankfully, two fast-thinking 13-year-olds came to the rescue and stopped the bus safely. and coming up, we're going to meet both of those young boys and find out how they kept their cool in the face of possible disaster. how they stopped that bus. it's pretty remarkable. anyway, we're excited to have them here in our studio. thumbs up and all. it's 7:30 now on a thursday morning, april 12th, 2012. i'm alongside carl quintanilla in for matt. another raemarkable story,

baby found alive in the morgue 12 hours after they were told she was dead. we'll hear from her parents. and more of ashley judd's exclusive interview with nbc news. she's fighting back to claims she's had plastic surgery. we begin this half hour with jury selection getting under way today in the trial of former senator john edwards. he is charged with receiving illegal campaign contributions to cover up an affair during his presidential campaign. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers is joining us from outside the federal courthouse in greensboro, north carolina, with more. lisa, good morning. >> reporter: hey, ann, good morning. this trial marks what appears to be the closing chapter in an astonishing fall from grace. john edwards is essentially gambling that a jury which knows he's guilty of cheating on his cancer-stricken wife can nevertheless find him not guilty of committing a crime. >> to announce that i'm a candidate for the presidency of the united states. >> reporter: the former presidential candndidate's defee

basically is this. john edwards may have been a bad husband, but he did not break the law. >> i didn't violate campaign laws, and i never for a second believed i was violating campaign laws. >> reporter: today federal judge katherine eagle, prosecutors and edwards' defense team will begin selecting jurors at this greensboro courthouse for a trial that could take six weeks. finding a fair, impartial jury won't be easy. public opinion is brutal. >> i believe he conducted himself extremely dishonorably, and he is a disgrace to north carolina. >> reporter: a new survey by public policy polling shows most north carolinians have an unfavorable opinion of edwards and most already think he's guilty of the charges. this is the most forgiving person we found at a coffee shop outside the courthouse. >> i think he was a cheater and it was despicable, but all of us have done things we wish we hadn't done.

haven't we? >> reporter: jury consultants say democrats, african-americans and men might tend to be more sympathetic toward edwards than republicans and women. given the facts of the case, experts say jurors will be probed on their attitudes toward adultery. >> i would ask whether or not they view someone who commits adultery as being fundamentally untrustworthy. >> reporter: among the likely witnesses, rielle hunter, the campaign videographer with whom edwards conceived a now 4-year-old daughter, quinn. friends say edwards and hunter now spend considerable time together parenting quinn but are not living together. the criminal charges grew out of efforts to hide the affair. prosecutors say almost $1 million provided by two wealthy donors to keep hunter out of sight amounted to illegal campaign contributions. ever-present in this case, the memory of elizabeth edwards who succumbed to breast cancer in december 2010. >> i know that the edwards trial

team will be concerned about the fact that people really just can't get over the fact that he cheated on his wife while she had cancer and as she was dying. >> reporter: still, edwards promises an aggressive fight against what his lawyers call an unprecedented interpretation of campaign laws. >> what's important now is that i now get my day in court. you know, after all these years, i finally get my day in court. >> reporter: now, for all the dislike of edwards, the public does seem to have serious doubts about the merits of this case. most surveyed say they believe this prosecution is a waste of taxpayer money. ann? >> all right. lisa myers this morning, thank you, lisa. now here's carl. >> ann, thanks. a plea deal has been reached in a drunk driving case involving a former miss usa. nbc's john yang has the story. john, good morning. >> good morning, carl. she first burst into the headlines for being a groundbreaker. well, she's back in the headlines now, but this time the

reason's not so positive. the first arab-american miss usa once walked a pageant runway. now she's walking the aisle of a courtroom. in a plea deal, she avoided trial by pleading no contest to misdemeanor drunk driving charges. >> i feel like it was fair, and now i'm just going to move on and make sure that, you know, i learn from my lesson. >> reporter: highland park, michigan, police say she was speeding and weaving in traffic when they stopped her in the early morning hours of december 3rd. they found an open champagne bottle behind the driver's seat. her blood-alcohol level tested at more than twice the legal limit. >> i wasn't thinking about the whole, you know, this is a big party, let me call a cab. let me get this person. no, it's kind of like we left, the valley threw us the keys and i'll drive. >> reporter: after spending the night in jail, she said she

tried to deny the arrest, tweeting, "i'm not in michigan and i'm not in jail! wrong fakih." she said her toughest telephone call was to donald trump, head of miss usa. >> i was more nervous than talking to my dad to talk to mr. trump. just hearing his energy, it makes you feel better, you know. >> reporter: trump declined to comment on this latest controversy swirling around the beauty pageants he owns jointly with nbc universal. last week they allowed a transgender to compete for miss universe. then there was the dustup with carrie prejean. >> i did not want to offend anybody and that this is how i was raised, and this is what i believe a marriage should be. >> reporter: and when he gave miss usa tara conner a second chance when she agreed to enter rehab after allegations of drug and alcohol abuse. fakih herself is no stranger to controversy. less than 24 hours after being crowned in 2010, pictures

emerged of her pole dancing three years earlier. miss usa officials stood by her. fakih is the first arab-american and muslim to win the title. she appeared on "today" as her reign came to an end. >> this is what you do. you have personal growth. you break barriers. you have so much things to do with being fearless. and i feel like that's what i've done. >> fakih will be sentenced next month. the maximum penalty is 93 days in jail or a $500 fine. but her attorney says he expects her to get probation which she'll likely serve at her home in los angeles. carl? >> nbc's john yang in chicago. john, thanks. now let's get a check of the weather from al. "today's weather" is brought to you by new coffee mate natural blend. add your flavor naturally. >> and good morning, everybody. i like this sign. willard scott kissed your mommy? >> yes. >> this mom? wow!

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back now at 7:41 with the so-called puffy-face controversy that had ashley judd in the news all week. she is fighting back now in a scathing essay in "the daily beast" and in an exclusive interview with nbc news. and natalie is here to tell us what she had to say. >> ashley judd, this is actually her first television interview since it all began, and she didn't hold back, denying accusations she's had plastic surgery and taking her critics to task. >> reporter: ashley judd's certainly no stranger to the spotlight. >> you're going to call me, you might as well say something. >> reporter: she's enjoyed a thriving career in film and tv spanning two decades. but now the star is dealing with some unwanted headlines. >> i don't think that being a public figure makes it legitimate to criticize people

the way they are currently criticized in this cultural climate. >> reporter: judd who turns 44 next week is fighting back against critics who recently called her face "puffy" while she made the rounds promoting her new tv series. >> if i didn't try acting as a younger woman, i never would. there was an incredibly nasty vitriolic and gloating tone about it. >> reporter: some concluded she's had work done like facial injections or even plastic surgery. >> so i look bad. i've had work. i look too good. i've had work. it hurt me. it really hurt -- it hurt my feelings. >> reporter: there's been absolutely no plastic surgery, the actress fires back. the puffiness was a result of prescription steroids taken when she was sick for more than a month with a sinus infection. >> i think that it's hatred of women that invites the criticism. i think it's the objectification of girls and women in this hypersexualization in our society that invites the

criticism. it doesn't have anything to do with me really and how i look. >> reporter: the star who's married to race car champion dario franchitti says society unfairly scrutinizes a woman's appearance. >> we're taught not to admit how much it hurts. just, you know, go buy more hair spray, get back to the gym or buy another butt-clencher exercise dvd. that's how to undo the hurt when that's just contributing to the pain. >> reporter: a misogynistic culture objectifying women. >> i think what happened to me is very common. it might look a little different in other people's lives because they may not be public figures. but we all go through it. >> and judd said this is not just an issue that women face. she says men are also bombarded with unrealistic stereotypes. and she hopes that by speaking out, she'll spark' larger conversation on our unhealthy obsession with body image. a conversation i think is way

overdue. >> it is overdue. she's a strong woman. good for her. exactly right, natalie morales. coming up next, the unbelievable story of a newborn found alive by her parents in a morgue 12 hours after doctors told them their daughter had died. coming up right after this. you sure its a good price? pretty sure... sfx: truth phone rings hello? pretty sure? consider this yor wake-up call. everybody has a price guarantee. but only sears guarantees the best price on all top 10 brands, because only sears carries them all. with experts who know them all. it's called the top 10 advantage. boom! what was that? me dropping some knowledge on you. thinking about buying appliances somewhere else? think again. sears.

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nbc's michelle kosinski is in london this morning. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. just a few weeks ago harry was lamenting that being a royal isn't all that it's cracked up to be in the love department, that it's hard to find a girl willing to take on the public role, causing women around the world, of course, to say, um, hello. well, now the one that he allegedly likes might just be not that into him. ♪ i woke up in the morning ♪ so far away >> reporter: in her music video, beautiful blonde singing star mollie king of the girl group the saturdays tried her hand at good old-fashioned i might not just be i swear dating. because one of the guys lining up to spend time with her is reportedly prince harry. >> she's a tall, leggy, suntanned blonde. ring any bells? >> reporter: yes, she does look a bit like harry's ex, chelsy

da davy. he's seen text messages between them describing them as "fun, flirty." so far no real dates because it seems mollie is still getting over her recent break-up with a dolce & gabbana model. tough decision. the model or the prince? >> i think what the problem is is that mollie recently came out of a very extensive relationship with a supermodel, david gandy, who is beautiful. i just don't think she's ready to go that stage further yet. but watch his face. she did blush when i asked, how long can you hold out, though? >> reporter: who wouldn't, you might ask, want to date a prince? he has legions of young american girls trying to chase him down. remember these two? >> have you ever dated a royal? >> who would not want to date prince harry but chelsy davy?

>> reporter: harry says he still holds a candle for his ex, still wears a pin sha sthat she gave . >> a little subdued. can you see love pains. maybe when he's truly over chelschel chelsy, he can move on, and maybe it will be mollie. >> reporter: he's been busy, completing elite apache helicopter training, a trip to south america and he wants to serve again in afghanistan. in fact, a royal watcher says he regales mollie king with tales of his army adventures. >> that got a laugh back here. michelle kosinski in london. and now here's ann. >> carl, thank you. now to a story of unbelievable heartache and joy. the parents of a baby girl pronounced dead at birth find her alive at the morgue. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: they expected a tearful good-bye. instead, this couple got a chilling hello.

last week analia bouguet gave birth. doctors declared the baby girl dead. they brought her tiny baby to a morgue before her mother, still under anesthesia, could even see her. >> translator: i don't remember much because i was put to sleep. they never showed me the baby. >> reporter: 12 hours later, the distraught parents who have four other children insisted hospital employees allow them to say good-bye. but when the baby's father pried open the small coffin -- >> translator: that's when we heard the baby cry. >> reporter: his wife says she fell to her knees in disbelief. it was a greeting they never expected from a daughter they thought they had lost. >> the staff probably listened to the heartbeat, didn't think they heard one. perhaps there was a very faint beat that they didn't hear. >> reporter: argentinean health officials have suspended five medical workers pending an investigation. the couple plans to sue. >> the more experienced the

staff, the more experienced the physicians, the less likely it is for something like this to happen. >> reporter: meanwhile, the hospital says the child's in critical condition and improving. her parents have named her luz milagros, their own miracle baby. for "today,"" gabe gutierrez, nbc news, los angeles. >> boy, that's really unbelievable. still to come this morning, the quick-thinking 13-year-olds who saved their school bus when the driver suffered a heart attack. >> we're going to meet them. but first, we'll talk about your local news and weather. ♪

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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. date ifs get you up-to- you're traveling in the next few minutes. you may find closures in odenton and due to a crash. eastbound i-70, lots of light from 32. eastbound 140 and 91 from finksburg, there is a crash. southbound 702, we have had this problem all morning.

702 is blocked on hyde park road. 23 minutes on the outer loop. let's give you a live view in a couple of spots. south of franklin, things start to back down. let's get a life of the beltway. denies all the way down the west side. -- lays all the way down the west side. it >> you still need the jacket as you step outdoors this morning. as you head out west, 39 in gaithersburg. cool day. a lot of sunshine, but the winds are breezy and high temperature gets near 60 degrees in baltimore. winds out of the northwest at 10 to 20 miles per hour today.

65 tomorrow, 72 as we get into saturday. storm system goes to our north on sunday. we get warm weather for the afternoon high.

8:00 now on this tuesday morning, the 12th day of april, 2012. a live and happy crowd outside on our plaza this morning. 46 degrees. we are so happy to see these happy faces this morning. i'm ann curry along with carl quintanilla. nice to have you both here. i want to tell you, we're going to have a lucky moment this morning because we've got the 13-year-old heroes who stopped that school bus earlier this week. they came to the rescue when their school bus driver suffered a heart attack.

and one of them actually grabbed the wheel. the other per foformed cpr. we have an interview with these two young men. >> a remake of "the andy griffith show." a look at "today's real estate." a look at homes of celebrities going on the market including harrison ford and calista flockhart's place in l.a. and rosie o'donnell's miami home, huge. do you think you could actually lose weight eating things like chocolate and cheese? well -- >> no, i don't, but -- >> yeah. we're going to tell you, yes, you can. we're going to show you the five foods that you think that you can't eat that you can to lose the pounds. let's find out what the news is this morning from flnatalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning. george zimmerman makes his first court appearance after being charged with second-degree murder. back in february, the neighborhood watch volunteer

turned himself in wednesday and arrived at a seminole county jail with his jacket covering his head. meantime, earlier on "today," trayvon's mother, sybrina fulton, said she just wanted zimmerman to apologize. >> i believe it was an accident. i believe that it just got out of control, and he couldn't turn the clock back. >> zimmerman's new attorney says his client will plead not guilty. the federal government has sued apple and five other publishers saying they conspired to fix prices for e-books. the justice department is claiming apple made a deal with the publishers to break up amazon.com's low-cost dominance in the digital book market, essentially driving up the cost of e-books by a few bucks. secretary of state hillary clinton is revealing more about the night osama bin laden was killed in a raid in pakistan. speaking at the u.s. naval academy earlier this week, clinton responded to a question about what it was like in the situation room captured in a dramatic white house photo just as the navy s.e.a.l. operation

was under way. >> it was a pretty intense, tense, stressful time. and i'm not sure anybody breathed for, you know, 35 or 37 minutes. and for me, the worst part was when one of the helicopters, the tail got stuck, and it was not flyable. >> two years ago clinton ruffled feathers by telling reporters she knew where osama bin laden was hiding. did britney spears seal the deal? reports that britney spears may have already inked a $15 million contract to join simon cowell's "the x factor." spears would serve as a judge alongside cowell and l.a. reed when the singing competition begins its second season. it's not an honor many people say no to, but guns n'

roses' axl rose is rejecting a nomination to be inducted into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. rose wrote that he strongly request that he not be inducted into absentia. what do you have under that little black dress? well, that depends. actress lisa rinna is trending on yahoo! for her new tv ad touting depends undergarments. her husband, harry hamlin, seems to like what he sees. >> i've just got to do the touch test. because wait a minute. you've got these things on, right? >> you can't even feel it. >> and i cannot even feel it. >> it looks fantastic on you. >> in exchange for a $225,000 donation to dress for success made by depends on lisa rinna. it goes to a good cause. 8:04. let's go outside to al with a check of your weather. >> everybody take a step back. okay. i don't want anybody -- you guys

need prom dates, huh? >> yeah! >> in southern california, pasadena. we're really studious. >> wow! man! that's a pretty good deal. well, good luck, ladies. >> thank you! >> let's check your weather. like sadie hawkins day. lima, ohio, cool, 58. woio, nbc. hey, we've got 40s and 50s in new england around the great lakes as well. nice and toasty down in florida. the gulf coast into texas with temperatures 70s and 80s. we've got a risk of some strong storms from texas on up into nebraska. rain along the northwest coast. some mountain snows through the cascades. a few evening showers along the northeastern new england coast. that's what's going on around >> good morning. we're waking up to plenty of sunshine and maybe just a few

clouds. it is pretty breezy with winds 10 and that's your latest weather. carl? >> al, thanks. up next, the seventh graders who took control of their school bus after their driver suffered a heart attack. they'll tell us how they remained so cool under pressure. that's after this. [ female announcer ] the best way to predict the future... is to create it. [ female announcer ] now create a new future for your skin. only aveeno positively radiant has total soy, for a whole new level of radiance. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce blotchiness, brown spots, and other past damage, while broad spectrum spf 30 helps prevent future damage. healthier, more radiant skin. it's in your future now.

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this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. back now at 8:08 with the 13-year-old heroes from washington state who raced into action when their school bus driver suffered a heart attack. we're going to talk to them exclusively in just a moment. but first, here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: loaded with 14 middle school students, the bus was just down the block from campus when jeremy wuitschick noticed something was wrong. >> i'm just sitting back, relaxing. the bus driver looks really weird. >> reporter: from his second row seat, the 13-year-old could see the driver losing his grip on the wheel, losing control of the 13-ton bus. >> his eyes are bulging, and he's making weird rasping noises and his hands are twitching. >> reporter: the driver was having a heart attack. you can hear students calling for help.

jeremy sprung into action, taking control of the wheel, then ducking down to turn off the ignition. >> i was just thinking about, i don't want to die. >> reporter: through the windows, you can see the bus blow by traffic, weave across a double yellow line, eventually clipping a curb. oncoming drivers couldn't believe their eyes. >> i was driving and saw the bus coming at me, and the kids were trying to take control of the bus. >> reporter: with the bus still moving, jeremy begins chest compressions. a second student, 13-year-old johnny wood, approaches the driver to help. >> well, i ran up and tried doing cpr on him. it was kind of hard because he had his seat belt on and he was laying backwards. >> the children can pull the brake. they can turn off the ignition. >> reporter: during annual drills on the school bus, students are taught what to do during an emergency just like this one, a lesson that may have saved 14 lives. >> they did remarkable. they were calm. the kids, i mean, they did an awesome job. >> reporter: the boys are being called heroes. even their principal has taken note.

>> jeremy and johnny, i said, if you guys want something, the snack bar's on me. >> reporter: a pair of teens credited with saving lives. miguel almaguer, nbc, los angeles. >> those heroes, jeremy wuitschick and jeremy wood along with their mothers. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> what was going through your mind as you were racing to the front of that bus? >> i really wasn't thinking of anything. i was just seeing the bus driver and him doing weird stuff. he was convulsing, having a heart attack. i had never seen that before. i just raised into action. i just grabbed the wheel and stopped the bus. >> you knew -- you could tell that it was maybe heading towards a church? >> yeah, yeah. he was going on a church. the church at the end of the curb. i'm a christian. i don't want it to hit a church. >> when did you first know the bus was in trouble? what was the first sign to you? >> well, the bus driver wasn't paying attention to the road.

his hands went off the steering wheel and jeremy went up and tried to steer. >> what made you decide to go up and give him a hand? >> i knew i had to do something because he didn't know cpr, and i was cpr certified. >> just the summer before, is that right? >> yes. just the summer before. >> and jamie, watching your son perform cpr on the driver has got to be something. i mean, he's trying to save the driver's life. >> it was very emotional for me when i saw the video. it brought tears to my eyes. it just makes me so proud that he jumped into action and really tried to help this person. it was very emotional to me. >> katherine, have your kids be called heroes has to be called special. >> we're really, really proud of them. we've had so much support from the family and the school and our church. i've always been proud of jeremy. exceptionally so after this. >> you know, we just heard the school administrator talk about how all the kids are taught how

to stop, pull the brake and stop the bus. but my understanding is that jeremy actually had some experience driving. and that maybe at 13, you might have some explaining to do to your husband. is that right? >> he did ask after this all broke out, katherine, what are you really doing? >> what were you really doing? >> my husband goes on business trips, and jeremy will back the car out and wash it for me. he's had some experience behind a tractor with his papa years ago. >> so in the driveway. >> yeah. yeah. >> so are you guys the most popular kids in the entire district? i mean, what are your classmates saying now? >> they're just cheering. like the first day we came back to school after the accident, everyone was cheering. they were shouting, like, go, jeremy! good job! a lot of attention. >> how are you handling all of this adulation? >> i just smile, just say thank you. like try not to take too much credit. >> i'm wondering, you know, now

with your mom sitting here, however, i'm aware of that, do you think that you're going to be able to -- she's going to allow you to get your driver's license when you're legal at 16? >> i hope. i hope. >> his sister did not get her driver's license until she was 17. so we'll have to see how that will play out. >> i hope she'll give me some slack. >> jeremy and katherine wuitschick and also johnny and jamie wood and congratulations to you moms for the great job raising these boys. you boys are specspectacular. next, a tour of celebrity homes now on the market including john cusack's chicago pen penthouse. it's coming up right after this. with a salty snack. g and then at 3:15 with my guilt. [ female announcer ] special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. mmm. good meeting. same time tomorrow? [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. i see a bag and think... i could have a chip.

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barbara corcoran is "today's" real estate contributor. good morning. >> good morning, carl. >> these are beautiful. let's start with harrison ford's place in the brentwood area of los angeles. >> well, when you look at "indiana jones'" place everybody's calling it, from the outside it looks like the typical suburban home. once you walk inside, it's a whole different story. he bought it in 1983 for $1 million. he's asking $8.3 million. he's looking to make a killing. and i think he's going to get that price when you see what you get for $8 million today. it has polished wood floors, built-ins and skylights galore, attractive to everybody. that dining room is a knockout. it's got big windows everywhere. it looks light and airy. the very white master bedroom you'll see in just a second is so delicious, makes any girl want to jump into that bed, i'm sure. what would a home be without a backyard with a drop-dead-gorgeous pool in l.a. what a great home. >> that is a beautiful, beautiful house. $8.3 million. rosie o'donnell, big place and we mean big in miami. >> this is a big place. rosie's been peeling off a lot

of her real estate lately. last week her chicago home and this week the miami mansion is up for sale. it is $19.5 million, but it's on that exclusive star island which everybody wants to get to. look at the little tree in the front yard. my god, i'd pay a million just for that tree. there's inside all sleek and modern. it kind of surprises you. that's a real sharp wall that we just saw. white floors, white panel ceilings, open kitchen, open dining room with a built-in tropical fish tank. everything about this home is spanking new, and it is one mansion. >> interesting. merv griffin, a little old hollywood. fantastic. i'm not going to be in the market for that one. >> i'll take it. >> depends on the financing. merv griffin in the bel air area of l.a. >> this is a house that merv griffin lived in, and it was sold to someone else. it's on the market for the first time in 20 years. it's $6.9 million. what's great about it is it's hollywood old-time glamour. the house has virtually been untouched for the last 20 years.

i can't tell it looking at that house. it is gorgeous. there's a circular sun room, grounds out back that are meticulous, an infinity pool, a hot tub and of course every rich guy out there has his own tennis court. and this one has one. >> $7 million. >> bel air is a hotbed of celebrities, and this house is in perfect condition. >> something with a relatively modest range, john cusack's place in chicago for $1.1 million. >> it's all relative, isn't it? they always say $1.1 million seems like a steal of a deal, and it is. east lake shore neighborhood which is one of the best. they don't know they have a bubble there. prices have been doing just fine. the apartment has 2600 square feet. it has a real man-type interior other than those pretty chairs. it looks like a guy really decorated this place. it has views clear to indiana outside all the windows. it has an open galley kitchen, the den seems cozy and perfect. i mean, this is a nice little pad in chicago. >> great city to live in. finally, bubba watson. you win the masters one weekend, you start looking where you

might want to live down the road the day after that. >> i think he was itching on his way home to get a new pad. i'm looking at this lake house in north carolina. i don't see a thing wrong with it. wraparound lake views on every side. it has a den that i'm sure bubba hangs out it. you'll see it in a second with golf clubs leaning against the wall. that's proof that he hangs out in that room. there's the golf clubs. it's going to be interesting to see honestly who will pay the premium price right now to get bubba's house. i say it will sell for 15% more just because he won the masters. >> finally, terry bradshaw, $10 million will get you more in oklahoma. >> let's see what you get. this is mind boggling. 744 acres. 6,000 square foot home as well. it's got everything, cows in the front yard, a stable bigger than most people's towns. and the main rooms are double story tall throughout the entire house. that's bigger than my apartment. that's where the horses live.

and the master bedroom definitely reminds you -- and there's the ceiling in the living room, three stories tall. and the master bedroom reminds you that you'll be downhome on the range. bar, master bedroom. come on, they need a girl to decorate this house. >> if you like horses, that's the place for you. great stuff, as always, barbara corcoran. now here's al and hoda. >> thanks so much. earlier this week team cee lo, team adam made their first rounds of elimination on "the voice," cutting two contestants from each team. >> this is a terrific show. we have three of those singers from us, erin martin from team cee lo and karla davis from team adam. good morning to you all. i usually don't ambush your segments, but this one i couldn't help myself. >> happy to have you. i feel like i should have had the cat. cee lo's cat. >> what is up with the cat, you guys? what's the story? >> he loves that cat. >> he's a diva. >> she's the hugest diva on set. >> i don't think it's his cat. >> a rental. >> a rental cat. we also want to mention tony

vincent, fourth contestant eliminated, wanted to be here but he rushed home to be with his new baby daughter. >> aww. >> she is gorgeous. so erin, let's start off with you. following tuesday's show, you told reporters that you regretted being on "the voice"? >> oh, no, absolutely not. i never regretted being on "the voice." >> uh-huh. >> i was just happy to, you know, be moving on with my career. >> so you were there, but now you're ready to go on? >> exactly. it was fun while it lasted. i was excited to be a part of that and have that opportunity. >> look at your hair, by the way. >> i know. >> it was really fun. you know, it was really fun being there and everything. i really enjoyed it. and i learned so much about myself and, you know, i learned a lot about choreography. >> it was cool. >> you guys were on team adam. he must have been a great coach to have. was he fun? >> fantastic. >> great. >> you sort of looked, i have to

say, watching the show, you kind of looked like you were very surprised that you were in the bottom three. i think a lot of people were surprised. >> i wasn't surprised. i was in the bottom three after monday night when i got ripped to shreds. >> yeah. >> you kind of feel, you know, oh, okay, this isn't going well. i'm probably not going to last too much longer after this. >> you were told to release your bertha by adam. what's bertha? >> my bertha. >> what is your bertha? >> well, hoda, my bertha, she is the name coined by adam when i was rehearsing with adam in atlanta. and i'm pretty shy. i'm coming out of that, though. >> you're shy. >> my big inner confident voice. yeah. and i needed to let her out. yeah. >> when you guys are watching now, when you look at people on your team, who were you guys rooting for? i know that everyone's a great person, but kim, who do you

think should be there in the end? >> i love those kids. i really do. i'm rooting for either one of them. >> you know what? i went into it thinking, this is a competition, and i'm going to be fierce. and i ended up making a lot of really, really great friends. >> well, that's terrific. >> so now i got asked that by a lot of reporters, you know, who i'd be rooting for. i don't know. there's so much talent and so many genuinely great people. >> can you sing something for us? what about "rolling in the deep"? start it, kim, go. you go. ♪ there's a fire ♪ starting in my heart ♪ reaching and a fever pitch ♪ and it's bringing me out the dark ♪ >> pick it up, kim. ♪ finally i can see you crystal clear ♪ ♪ go ahead and sell me out and i'll let your -- burn ♪ >> it's a terrific show. >> all right, erin, karla and kim, thank you so much. catch the live quarterfinals of "the voice" monday at 8:00/7:00 central on nbc 37

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell. >> still trying to wrap up the rush hour. southbound route 10. 175, but of a delay it farming towards 32 this morning. if you want to travel on southbound 795 just prior to the beltway, watch for an accident off to the side. we are dealing with one on the inner loop of the northeast corner. 12 miles per hour as a result of

that. very heavy delays on the outer loop northeast side. what foreclosures in orleans blocked between wolfe street and broadway 30 this evening -- until 11:30 this evening. inner loop delays prior to the j.f.x. j.f.x. at ruxton road, not too bad. northern parkway, things back down but nothing out of the ordinary. ava, over to you. >> here's a look at current temperatures. 45 at b.w.i. thurgood marshall. forties in the western suburbs. they started off the day in the 30's. cool and breezy, high of 59 degrees in baltimore. only in the upper 40's in parts

of the mountains. winds out of the west today. they calm tomorrow. 72 by saturday. chance of rain on sunday. >> we at progressive, you can bundle your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com.

thursday morning, the 12th of april, 2012. and we have another big spring break crowd gathered in rockefeller plaza. it's not a bad day to start the day if you want to be surrounded by smiling and waving people. and so we're lucky to be here. i'm ann curry alongside carl quintanilla who's in for matt this morning, and al. natalie morales also this

morning. and we'll be talking about why we should eat things like chocolate, pasta, potatoes. apparently there are a number of things that we always think of as forbidden that actually have some positives for us. we're going to find out how we can possibly lose weight and still eat them. we're also going to meet some interesting preache ecreat waiting for us inside, not the stage crew. in this case, something called an ichidna. >> is that what that is? >> i think that's the horn bill if i'm mott mnot mistaken. it's going to be very interesting. and a little later on, we've got "today's professionals" in the house. they'll be weighing in on everything from whether people are born nice to a new friend. this one was actually already done by donny deutsch. it's the he-max bikini waxes for men. >> so maybe donny's going to reveal all coming up. >> oh!

i don't think so. what else is coming up? let's move on. >> okay. on a more serious note, as parents, i think all of us have had that conversation with our kids, what to do when they're approached by a stranger. this is such an important conversation and topic that we need to talk with our kids. i put my own son, josh, to the test in a special "dateline: my kid would never do that." i think you'll see i was stunned. it's an emotional outcome. you'll see what happens. much more tomorrow on "today." >> and on "dateline." >> good for you, natalie, for reporting that story. meantime, let's get a check of the morning's weather from mr. roker. >> let's look ahead to the all-important weekend starting with tomorrow. we've got a risk of strong storms from north texas on into iowa. wet weather along the west coast. sunny and mild along the eastern seaboard. for saturday, we're expecting a risk of strong storms from texas all the way up into parts of wisconsin. sunny and cool in the pacific northwest. sunny and mild along the east

coast. sunday sunday! some rain through northern new england. maybe even from folks visiting boston. we're looking at some risk of some strong storms. texas on into missouri. sunny and mild along the west coast. that's what's going on around the >> mostly sunny skies today. it is look cool and breezy. we expect wind about 10 to 20 miles per hour. and that's your latest weather. let's check in, what's uncle willie doing down in florida? oh, willard? >> we want to thank all the lovely people south seas island resort for this beautiful

setting. and thank god for the land around it and the water. how nice. captiva island, can't beat it. happy birthday from smucker's. louis tognoli from fayetteville, arkansas. he loves taking pictures of wild animals in his yard. he's got a squirrel and got one of those little things there that you can't believe. unbelievable. ava smith, take a look at her from carmichael, california. 100 years old today. enjoys playing all kinds of games, but more so the piano and working on crossword puzzles. that's good for the old mind. i need that myself. willie, i love willie boy. come here, willie. willie ransom. he is from north south carolina. 100 years old today, loves spending time with his family and still enjoys his garden very much. that's good. i love that. gardening is great.

we have irene colucci from hempstead, new york. 100 today. irene is an excellent cook, and her family is excellent eaters. so the combination is fabulous. and take a look at charlie bell of ramer, alabama. charlie is a proud world war ii veteran and also believes in the good lord. you can't beat the combination. and finally, we have lester shaffer of douglas, michigan. 103 years old. also a world war ii veteran. and a passionate man when it comes to his garden. and from sunny florida, back to new york. >> all right, willard, thank you so much. coming up, talking about your college decision-making. the deadline is up. we're going to help you help your child make the right choice. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ back now at 8:37 with "education nation today." most high school seniors have until the end of the month to decide which college to attend in the fall. is there anything you can do if your kid didn't get into their first choice? monica enzer is the dean of admissions and financial aid at hamilton college. director of undergraduate admissions at the university of michigan. good morning to both of you. the issue of the wait list, we do have a lot of kids who are going to be wait-listed. i wonder, monica, is there anything you can do? what are the chances if you're wait-listed that you're eventually going to get in? >> i'm glad you asked. this is a very popular question that people like us get all the time right now. i think families are prepared to be admitted or denied, but the wait list feels a little funny for them. each school is different. i think you need to check your decision letter and check with the school and their philosophy and get a sense of whether or not they want to hear from you or not. some schools do.

and follow that and go for it especially if it's your top choice. don't do that with nine schools. but if, in fact, you love a college and you're on the wait list, you should feel okay that the school really liked you a lot. if they had more spots, they probably would have admitted you. and they team like you could be successful on campus or they wouldn't have put you on the wait list. >> there are extreme examples. cornell puts almost 3,000 kids on their wait list. not one got accepted. >> well, the process itself, it's kind of weird for families because what we do is, we have a target each year about how many kids we want to admit. and we do it for all the right reasons. we want to admit them so that we have class space. we want to admit so they can have residence halls, and they have a quality life. so what we do, we say, here's the number of students we want to admit. if after one we don't receive enough deposits, then we go and go through our wait list, our deferred students. and then that number might be one, but it might be 41, it might be 201, depending on the

school, depending on the year, depending on the needs of that particular college. >> let's say you're rejected outright, monica. is there anything you can do to be reconsidered the following year? they talk about a gap here. does that make any sense? >> sometimes a gap year can make sense. first of all, on the topic of being rejected, something we all could learn how to deal with a little bit better, but students should know as part of the college admissions process, my experience is that students actually get -- they can be sad for a little bit, and they get over it. and probably a little more resilient than their parents. and parents -- my advice to them is it's okay to be disappointed in the decision, but don't be disappointed in your child. >> right. let's talk about financial aid, ted. if you're given a financial aid package from one school, can you go to another school and say, hey, school "a" is offering me this. can you sweeten the pot a little bit? >> i think for the most part, negotiation is not a day-to-day routine type of thing. i think that most of the public universities, when they give you a package, that is it. so some of the private schools,

they will negotiate in some cases, but i think for the most part, negotiation is not what you should rely on as part of the way to get financial aid. the way you get fancial aid really is to file the federal forms. it's based on your family income. then they decide how much money. and i would recommend that every family file that form because no matter how much your family earns, they still may have an opportunity to get some money from the university. >> monica, there's going to be some lucky kids who get into multiple schools. so once -- if you're in that seat, how do you start deciding? what do you tell kids to do if they're going to start picking from the litter? >> well, i think you need to sit down as a family and have a conversation. narrow down your options to the places you're going to be happy and think about fit. think about where you'd be happy, where you'd thrive, the best learning environment where the resources are available to you and where you're going to have a great education and a good life at the end of the four years. and your relationship is not just four years, it's long term. go back and visit. spend a lot of time, go off the

admission tour rigoute. go to the dining hall. >> in addition to talking to alums and so forth? >> in addition to talking to alums. this is the time to talk to your parents. they may have attended college and they may have good reasons why this may be the right choice. talk to friends and relatives who also have attended college and ask that question. what was it that helped you make that final decision? a lot of times that will work for you as well. >> finally, there's always rankings. i'm sure you guys love hearing about rankings. taken too seriously, or is it a legitimate tool for families? >> i'm not a huge fan of the rankings, as you might imagine. if there is a time and place for them in the college admission process, and there may be, this is not it. i think at this point in the process, you need to think about, again, the place that's the best fit. you need to find your own measuring stick. you need to be at the place where you're going to be happiest. and whether the school is ranked 12th or 42 shouldn't matter continue it should be the place that will serve you best and ultimately you'll do better because of that. >> use the rankings as a guide to look at colleges and not as the only college that you can

attend if they're in the top 10, 20, top 100. it's a great resource. but to say that most of the people in america attended some of the best, best, best schools, and that's the only reason they're successful, there are really many, many great schools out there, and there are many, many folks who will do well at those schools. >> it's a stressful time. our thoughts with everybody going through it. monica, ted, thanks so much. >> thank you, carl. inch co coming up next, five forb forbidden foods under be eating. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

"today's step to a healthier you" is brought to you by walgreens. >> back now at 8:45. and this morning on "small steps to a healthier you," the five forbidden foods that you should be eating. research suggests that some of the things that many of us avoid can actually help us stay fit. well, sara jane bedwell is a

registered dietitian and also a blogger for "self" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> boy, this is amazing. i love this list because, first of all, it starts with chocolate. >> yes. and i cannot wait to tell you about this. but it's not just chocolate. it's chocolate for breakfast. and research has shown that people who include a sweet light chocolate with their breakfast lose an average of 40 more pounds and keep it off longer than people who eat small low-carb breakfasts. >> and when you say for breakfast, does that mean as opposed to having it for lunch? >> right. >> or having it for dinner? >> exactly. >> eat it first thing in the morning. >> first thing in the morning. >> how much you eat matters. >> it does. >> dark? >> dark is great because you get the antioxidant benefits as well. really in the study, it was just any type of sweet or chocolate. >> this amount here. okay. >> a fourth of a cup is a good portion for our ooey gooey oatmeal. we're keeping it balanced as well. >> you're doing that as well with this chocolate peanut butter.

>> exactly. now, i would prefer the oatmeal just because you get a little more bang for your buck in terms of portion size here. but this is another option, and maybe you'd combine it with a nonfat latte to get a little protein extra as well. >> you talk about balance. it's about not having yourself be on a major sugar high, right? >> exactly. right. you want to stabilize those blood sugar levels and you want it to stay with you until lunch. >> i really like talking to you because you're an enabler. >> yes. >> that pasta, everyone loves pasta. now, i'm surprised this would be on the list. >> yeah. well, you know, a lot of people avoid it because it's high in carbs. but the truth is we need carbs. and the great thing about pasta is it's relatively low in calories. a cup only has about 200 calories, and it's 70% water. and the reason that's important is because research shows us that fluid-filled foods help us to stay fuller longer so we actually eat less. >> and the funny thing here is, the serving size, it looks a lot bigger in the bowl. >> yes. if somebody gave me this for

dinner, i'd be angry. that's not enough food. >> you're talking about the one in the cup. >> that's actually the same amount of pasta as we have here. >> as we have here. >> but my trick is to add the veggies and lots of tomato sauce. you're adding nutrition and you're bulking up your portion size. >> okay. more good news. you say it's a good idea to eat steak. >> yes. >> we still can stay fit and lose weight? >> yes. this is my husband's absolute favorite food. so i made a deal with him. if he could remember two things, we could include it in our healthy diet. so the two things are to keep the portion about the size of the palm of your hand like this sirloin steak here. and the second is to keep it lean. do you know how many cuts of lean beef there are? >> no, i have no idea. >> there are 29. can you believe it? >> i don't. >> i won't make you learn 29, but if you can remember the words loin and round, that will help you find the lean cut. >> there you go. you also say on top of that that we can have cheese. >> where he. and this is one of these foods, i have to have a little cheese every day. i don't know about you, but it is so good. a lot of times we've known that

the calcium benefit of cheese, you know, to help our bones be strong, but now we know that if we don't get enough calcium, that can allow the body to release calcitrol. if we get enough calcium by eating calcium-rich foods, then we can actually prevent that from happening. >> but it is an extremely high-fat food, so it's all about portion size. >> it's about portion. so one to two ounces a day is kind of what you're shooting for. and really, i love these little pre-packed options or maybe like the cheese sticks that we put in kids' lunches, that kind of thing, it makes it easy to control the portion. >> the portion. okay. >> yeah. >> lastly, but definitely, i mean, my goodness, who doesn't love potatoes. you say we can have them, but is that a lot? tell me how. i'm so excited. >> yeah. i grew up eating potatoes from my grandfather's garden. i'm not going to give them up and you shouldn't either.

potatoes are the way to go. in a study of a lot of different foods to find which ones kept people fullest longest, powe pate toe potatoes came out on t. keep it about the size of your fist. >> this one might be a little too large. two-thirds of that would be good? >> like if you're at a restaurant, half it with a friend. >> sara jane bedwell, some really interesting tips. yes, we can talk about chocolate for breakfast. next, unique critters that have taken over our studio. but

♪ hey i heard you were a wild one ♪ ♪ ooh ooh this morning on "today's call of the wild," unique animals from around the world. seaworld and busch gardens parks use rescued ambassador animals to teach people about the wild variety of life on earth. and julie scardina is their animal ambassador. >> who's this? >> this is henry. boy, you talk about cute, this is about as cute as you can get. >> north american river otter. >> that's right. and he's only about 2 1/2, 3 months old right now. he was rescued -- he was actually found at just 3 weeks old. underneath a church. his family had obviously kind of taken off and left him behind. at 3 weeks old, he certainly couldn't have fended for himself. >> we've got a bottle around here somewhere, right? when did he get off the bottle?

>> what did we do with the bottle? did it fall on the floor? >> how long before he can be on his own, julie? >> right over here? >> he's, like, give me that thing. >> wow! >> he's hungry. >> waiting for that. >> julie, what's the difference between the river otter and the sea otters we see? >> that's a great question, al. you know, sea otters are a lot bigger than the river otters even though this guy will end up being about four times this size when he's full grown. but sea otters are primarily obviously ocean animals. they spend just about all their time in the ocean. you are just a little greedy this morning. and this guy is more terrestrial. he definitely is a freshwater otter although they can be coastal. they're found all across the united states. >> his fur is so soft and beautiful. that's really key to their survival? >> that's exactly right. especially for the northern otters. they've got to survive in freezing temperatures. >> right. >> and they swim underneath the water. they can swim for about eight minutes underneath the surface,

and they'll go underneath ice in order to catch the fish and crayfish and all the other animals they eat. >> wow! >> he's a healthy eater. >> fish, crayfish, frogs, just about anything that they can find. >> baby alligators? >> yes, they do. >> no. >> yeah, they will take out alligators. not at this age, but eventually he certainly will. >> well, this guy, i think, might. >> prey on adult otters as well. >> let's go ahead and put those in the habitat there. >> not a porcupine or a hedgehog. >> this is one of the most unique animals in the entire world, you guys. this is an egg-laying mammal. and if you've ever thought about the lessons you had when you were in biology in sixth grade and you learned that mammals give birth to live young, not these guys. >> and they have a pouch, right?

>> yeah. the female. we've got two different -- they're both about a year old. they'll be growing until they're about 3 to 5 years old. they're feeding on that. but these guys are so unique. they have so many amazing little characteristics. this is the male right here. he doesn't have a pouch. >> okay. all righty, then. >> they have a strange courtship ritual, right? >> they do. the male will follow the female around for up to six weeks trying to mate. >> you've done that, haven't you? >> there have been following them. they call it a train. you make the choice, make the selection and she'll go with that. >> one more you've got? >> puggles.

>> we're running out of time. >> and we're going to have him fly right to your arm. ambali. >> oh! >> very nice, ambali. this is a beautiful horn bill. >> julie, beautiful. we have to go. julie scardina, thank you very much. much more including "today's professionals" after your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the mayor of new york city will be on hand this afternoon. officials dedicate the doing of johns hopkins hospital named for his late mother. it has more than 500 rooms and

dozens of operating rooms. it was largely funded by donations like t

>> good morning. expect a great deal of sunshine today. temperatures near 60 degrees. only in the 40's and low 50s in the mountains. expect a major warm up to come up in the seven-day. up in the seven-day. >> when it comes to gardening, we're, well, inexperienced.

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