good morning. not so fast. the florida police chief under fire for his handling of the trayvon martin case turns in his resignation. but city leaders refuse to accept it. this as george zimmerman, in hiding, faces new death threats as he awaits his trial. what did they find? fbi dogs hit on items of interest inside the home of the 6-year-old arizona girl who vanished from her bedroom in the middle of the night. and this morning, we're hearing about the mysterious disappearance from the girl's parents for the first time. and she's back. the always opinionated rosie o'donnell takes on the hot topics in the news, as she joins donny and star on professionals today, tuesday, april 24th, donny and star on professionals today, tuesday, april 24th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> and i'm matt lauer. there's some new questions in the trayvon martin case this morning, following that decision by city commissioners down in sanford, florida, to reject the resignation of that city's police chief. >> that's right. and it comes just a month after the same commission gave chief bill lee a vote of no confidence and placed him on paid leave. well, a lawyer for the martin family is not happy with the decision to let him keep his job, at least for now. we're going to hear from her straight ahead. >> also some tearful testimony from singer and oscar winner jennifer hudson as she took the stand at the trial of the man who's accused of killing members of her family. we'll tell you what she had to say in that courtroom. >> and an interesting look at the private life of the man who helped make hudson a household

name, simon cowell. a new, unauthorized biography takes a look at just how he spends his fortune, his obsession with fame, and the woman in his life, even cowell himself is calling some of the revelations embarrassing. we're going to hear from the author coming up. >> the deal here is he cooperated for awhile and then didn't cooperate, so that's why it's technically an unauthorized biography. >> yeah, exactly. >> and as we said, rosie o'donnell is going to join us this morning, joining "today's professionals" for the morning. we're going to talk to donny and star and donny and her about -- it's a new term. >> exactly right. >> about a number of things, including the question, can therapy actually be bad for you if it goes on too long? >> also the average 5-year-old child weighs about 40 pounds. meet meow, the cat, who does as well. we're going to find out just how this cat got so big coming up this morning. anyway, but we begin now with a check of this morning's top stories. just kept wanting to talk to him because he thought he was pretty

cute. also the top stories is natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning, ann and matt. good morning, everyone. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta spoke out about the ongoing prostitution scandal allegedly involving the secret service during a visit to colombia on monday. nbc's mark potter is in cartagena, colombia, with more. mark, good morning. >> and good morning, natalie. the u.s. defense secretary came here to colombia to talk about regional security issues. but with the prostitution scandal still front and center, he ended up talking about that, too. as defense secretary leon panetta arrived in bogota for a previously scheduled meetings with colombian officials, a senior u.s. defense official said the number of american minimum military personnel being investigated in the prostitution scandal has risen to 12 and that security clearances have been pulled. >> my biggest concern is the issue of security, and what --

what possibly have been jeopardized by virtue of this kind of behavior. >> reporter: the pentagon says the latest target is an army soldier who worked for the white house communications agency, where military personnel set up and maintain equipment. meantime, the white house announced it has done its own investigation, and cleared its staffers. >> there's no indication that any member of the white house advance team engaged in any improper conduct or behavior. >> reporter: in cartagena, where the scandal erupted a week and a half ago, many residents are still angry. this man says it's humiliating how colombian women are being stereotyped now. american tourists also weighed in. >> a screwup of marathon proportions. the men have probably lost everything. >> what goes on in las vegas, stays in las vegas. same thing here, except it's equally stupid.

>> reporter: meantime, a source says the colombian police here had been very helpful to the u.s. investigators who have now interviewed almost all the women identified as being part of this case. natalie? >> all right. mark potter in cartagena, colombia, thank you. as you heard, more controversy today for the city of sanford, florida, in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed teen trayvon martin. that city's police chief turned in his resignation after facing mounting pressure for not charging admitted gunman george zimmerman. but on monday, city leaders voted to reject police chief bill lee's resignation. we'll have much more coming up in a live report. the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of natalee holloway could soon face criminal charges here in the u.s. for allegedly trying to extort $250,000 from the missing girl's mother. a federal grand jury in alabama indicted joran van der sloot for trying to exchange apparently bogus information on holloway's whereabouts for cash. he is currently serving a 28-year sentence in peru for the 2010 murder of stefanie flores.

a judge there has reportedly approved a u.s. request in the first step of the extradition process. raising energy pricing -- rising energy prices and a weak economy are hitting the social security program hard. the government says the program's trust funds are now set to run dry in 2033. that is three years earlier than previously expected. and walking and talking on a cell phone had disastrous results for a teenage girl in china. she didn't notice the caution blocks on the sidewalk and stepped right in to a sinkhole danger zone where the street then gave away. she plunged 20 feet straight down. a cab driver passing by saw the teen fall. he immediately stopped his car and dove in to help. the crumbling earth trapped both of them below until firefighters were able to finally rescue them. fortunately, matt and ann, they're all doing fine. that goes to show you the dangers of texting and being on the phone while you're walking.

>> give that cab driver a tip, number one! but number two, that's not so well marked. >> shouldn't they have blocked that off -- >> a tape, a rope or something. but when the guy runs in and goes right to the edge of the hole, i'm thinking just a second before he has to go down. which apparently is what happened. lucky they're okay, natalie. mr. roker is here. >> yes, he is. with a check of the weather. >> that's right. things a little on the chilly side in the northeast. you head out west and it's a lot warmer. big, strong ridge keeps the jet stream way up to the north out west. and so we've got temperatures that are way above normal out there. we're looking at record highs for casper, wyoming, up to 85. 87 in salt lake. denver seeing a temperature of 88. bismarck, 87 degrees. but as we head to the east, look at these temperatures, pittsburgh will be about 16 degrees below normal. bradford, 38. binghamton, 45. albany about seven degrees below normal at 55 degrees for a high. >> good morning.

the average high temperature this time of the year is 68 degrees. we will be 10 degrees below the mark. warmer than yesterday. kinder breezy an >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al. thanks very much. a new development in the trayvon martin case. sanford, florida,'s embattled police chief tried to permanently design on monday, but in an odd turn of events, the city commission voted to deny his resignation. nbc's kerry sanders has details on that. kerry, good morning. >> well, good morning, matt. in a city where so many people are looking for someone to blame, the police seemed like an easy target. but then a surprise that may have caught even the police chief off guard.

it was a dramatic turnaround for the sanford city commission. just last month the commission temporarily suspended sanford police chief bill lee. after protesters claimed lee, and his department, were to blame for the lack of criminal charges in the initial investigation into trayvon martin's death. but monday, when the city manager announced the chief would resign at a raucous city council meeting, -- >> ladies and gentlemen, please. please. >> reporter: it was an about-face. >> this is a man who is a medal of valor winner. this is also the chief that would take a bullet for anyone in this room. and i don't think we have people sitting up here with that kind of character. >> reporter: it ended when three of the five elected commissioners rejected the police chief's resignation. >> approved to deny the memorandum. >> reporter: but a lawyer for trayvon martin's family, natalie

jackson, is disappointed. and believes the commission should have accepted the chief's resignation. >> i think that he should lose his job because there has to be strong leadership in sanford. it has to be strong leadership that people trust. >> reporter: meantime, accused murderer george zimmerman walked out of jail early monday on $150,000 bond. he's charged with second degree murder. and has entered a written plea of not guilty. his lawyer says he's still wearing a bulletproof vest, fearing for his life. death threats posted on twitter are just part of why safety is now a top concern. the next step is getting all of the state's evidence, says his lawyer. in florida, prosecutors, and defense lawyers, trade their entire case files before trial, in a process known as discovery. >> like a doctor doing a lab test and x-rays and blood test, you need to know what's there before you know what to do.

>> reporter: some city commissioners here who say they've been unfairly labeled racist say they would now like an independent investigation of the police chief, the same way there was an independent investigation that led to charges in the death of trayvon martin. meantime, george zimmerman's attorney has filed a plea with the court. a plea of not guilty. matt? >> all right, kerry sanders in sanford, florida, this morning. kerry, thanks very much. it's 11 after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thank you. the government's key witness will be back on the stand today in the trial of john edwards, the former presidential candidate is accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions to hide an affair. nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers is at the federal courthouse in greensboro, north carolina this morning. lisa, good morning. >> reporter: hey, ann, good morning. the trial began with the revelation that the government's star witness, andrew young, had recently contacted three other witnesses trying to find out how they would testify. which experts say could further erode his credibility.

>> how are you doing? >> good morning. >> reporter: with john edwards in the fight of his life, his lawyers opened the defense with a scathing attack on andrew young. who managed the cover-up of edwards affair with campaign videographer rielle hunter. edwards is accused of accepting almost $1 million in illegal campaign contributions to hide his mistress from the press while he ran for president. but defense lawyer allen van lanning ham told jurors to follow the money and they'd find young pocketed most of it, using it to build this $1.5 million dream home near chapel hill, north carolina. >> this case is no longer the united states versus john edwards. it's john edwards versus andrew young. >> reporter: edwards' lawyers insist the money amounted to private gifts from friends to spare edwards and his wife elizabeth public humiliation. but prosecutor told jurors that edwards was consumed by

ambition. it wasn't just a marriage on the line. it was a presidential candidacy on the line. he made a choice to break the law. prosecutors contend edwards masterminded the cover-up. even asking young to falsely claim he was the father of edwards' child. young has described it this way -- >> somebody comes to you and says, hey, my wife is about to die of cancer, i need you to help me cover something up, i'm not saying that many people would say yes, but i'm saying that a lot of people would consider it. >> reporter: but edwards' lawyer says it was young's idea to claim paternity, so edwards got on board quickly. it seemed like a lifeline to a drowning man. running from his wife's inevitable anger, and his own certain humiliation. as early as today, young is expected to be grilled on what he was thinking when he contacted three other witnesses just before the trial was to begin. >> that does not make andrew young look credible. it makes it look like he's still playing out some type of scheme,

some kind of design to bring down edwards. >> reporter: with the jury out of the room, the judge said at this point, she will not allow the defense to tell the jury that young allegedly had a one-night stand with one of those witnesses while he was married. that makes it that he and edwards had more in common than previously known. >> lisa myers, thank you so much. it is now 7:14. once again here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you very much. five states hold republican presidential primaries today, including pennsylvania where mitt romney turned some heads by campaigning on monday with florida senator marco rubio. some believe it may have been a trial run or a preview of the republican ticket. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. chuck, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> marco rubio first-term cuban-american senator. he could help mitt romney with latino voters. the tea party loves this guy. and he happens to be from the battleground state of florida.

check, check, check. what am i missing? >> no, you're not missing much. plus he's young. and there is some idea that you need a generational lift for the republican ticket. and he might be able to have an appeal to more youthful voters. there's a lot of positives here. >> what are the drawbacks? >> inexperience. do you want to pick somebody who basically has the same amount of time in statewide office that a person who was on the ticket last time by the name of sarah palin had. that's number one. two, it isn't a home run that a cuban-american is going to appeal to mexican-americans where it counts in places like colorado and nevada, and new mexico. and the third thing is, he's never really been vetted. when you say vetted, his campaign for the senate, he breezed through. he never had -- >> and has made a couple of misstatements in the past that have cost him a little bit. talk about personality and chemistry, okay? mitt romney, let's be honest here, is not known as the biggest personality in the room. marco rubio has a very big personality. is that a good thing? do you want to add personality or might that overshadow the candidate? >> they seem to be focused on

this idea. they don't want somebody to overshadow him. and i think that this is a demerit, if you will, for marco rubio, a demerit for chris christie, even a jeb bush. you don't want your nominee to look small compared to the running mate. >> another guy getting some attention right now is rob portman, he's a senator from ohio. why is he getting the attention? >> if you put sarah palin into a computer and you said give me the opposite of, you would get rob portman. you know, he is quiet. he is workman-like. this is a guy from, by the way, the swing state of ohio. has a lot of experience in government. would allow this idea, matt, of doubling down on, okay, it is time to go after the budget and go in to the we. >> but two very, quiet, subdued, subtle guys. how is that going to work on the campaign tram? >> 245e9s what's unclear. what's interesting about portman is he's always played the person who fills in for the debate. he's done the practice debate guy. so he has more personality than he gets credit for. i think his biggest demerit is going to be his years in the

bush administration. i think having bush, quote/unquote bush baggage is not going to be good. >> the next few times. scale of one to ten, ten being certainty. chris christie, you brought his name up before. >> i think he's going to get vetted but i think because of the idea he could overshadow the nominee, that's going to be a problem. >> jeb bush. he said they've been trying to get him to run as the presidential candidate for ages now. he made some waves last week when he said maybe he considered the number two slot. >> if they care about the spanish vote, i think jeb bush is a better pick than marco rubio. because he would be able to appeal to hispanics in a way marco rubio wouldn't. but the bush last name might be a problem. >> you've got a long shot on your list, condoleezza rice. >> i do. i think it's going to be tough to pick any woman because of the inevidentable comparisons to sarah palin. however, condi rice is somebody who has her own persona outside of she wouldn't feel this idea that she would be compared for ten straight days after the pick to sarah palin. and that's why i think, foreign

policy, that matters. >> chuck todd. good to see you. 7:17. here's ann. >> matt, thanks. oscar winner jennifer hudson is expected back in a chicago court this morning after she was the first witness called at the trial of a man accused of killing her mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew. nbc's in chicago. katie, good morning. >> good morning, ann. jennifer hudson was on the stand yesterday for 30 minutes. during that time she told the court that she's known the defendant, william balfour since they were in middle school. now she held back tears for much of the testimony, but did break down when she was asked to remember the last memory she had of her mother, brother, and young nephew, alive. >> jennifer hudson! ♪ >> reporter: from center stage to the witness stand, jennifer hudson was the first person called to testify at the murder trial of her exbrother-in-law william balfour. holding back tears, hudson told the court she tried to warn her

sister julia, saying i would tell her over and over again not to marry william. and when asked about the last time she'd seen her mother, brother, and her 7-year-old never knew she nicknamed hugabear hudson broke down, took a second, and described a surprise family reunion shortly before they were murdered. i was playing my piano, and my mother sat on one side of me, and my brother sat on the other side. i was singing them a song. and it was just us being a family. hudson wasn't with her family when they were murdered in october 2008. she recently told lester holt on "dateline" that a last-minute phone call from her fiance likely saved her life. >> i was literally picking up my bag to walk out the door to go to my mother's house, and he called me like, can you come out here, instead of going. that one decision. that one thing, i wouldn't be sitting here. >> reporter: prosecutors say

balfour, in a jealous rage, shot and killed hudson's mother and brother inside hudson's childhood home. her 7-year-old nephew julian was found dead three days later in an abandoned suv. chicago district attorney is confident jurors won't be unduly sympathetic to the dream girls star. >> nobody is going to find balfour guilty because it was jennifer hudson's family. >> reporter: the defense claims there are no witnesses, and no physical evidence tying balfour to the crime. instead they say the family was targeted because hudson's brother, jason, was an alleged drug dealer. jennifer hudson remained in the court when her sister julia testified about balfour's alleged threats when they broke up. recounting how he told her, if you leave me, you will be the last to die. i'll kill your family first. and the trial is expected to last about a month. jennifer hudson said she will be here for every day of it. ann? >> all right, katie tur this morning. thanks.

it is now 7:20. here again is matt, and a special guest. >> that's right, ann. thanks. we've got rosie o'donnell in the studio. to spice things up on "today's professionals." rosie, nice to see you. >> how's it going? >> anything happening in your life? >> nothing new. nothing big. >> no? you ready to jump in the chair next to star and donny? >> i've been looking forward to it. >> i'm nervous about it. >> are you? >> yeah, i am, because i'm worried about drawing you out. >> well, you know, i'm usually reticent. >> right. >> a little bit shy. don't have very many opinions. >> you've seen the topics? >> i've seen the topics. >> you're ready to go? >> i'm going to do my best. that's all i can say. >> we're going to load it up and fire away in our 8:00 half hour as this young lady joins "today's professionals." just ahead the new unauthorized biography exposing the secret and lavish world of simon cowell. we're going to hear from the author of that book. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, a really fat

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see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. >> good morning, everybody. i am stan stovall. here's a look at one of our top stories. a meeting today could help state and legislators prefer the state budget gridlock. gov. martin o'malley is hoping to meet with mike miller to discuss when to hold a special session to prepare the budget. lawmakers failed to pass a revenue package this year, but the governor said he wanted to be only after the house and senate can reach a consensus.

here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> a new accident, and in a long nursery road. use extra caution. another one on kingsville. be extra careful there. 95 is looking heavy. at the beginning from the harford and baltimore county line towards the beltway southbound. 26 is the backup on the west side. that begins at 795 all the way down to edmondson. eastbound i-70, approaching 40 towards 29, average speeds around 22 miles per hour. in upperco, watch for delays at route 30 and acadia avenue. j.f.x. is looking heavy from northern parkway towards the construction zone. 95 and white marsh, going away from us, southbound traffic. those delays from the harford

county line down towards the beltway. tony as a check on the forecast. >> a little on the chilly side, but no precipitation out there buying. winds are calm, but we expect them to pick up this morning. 36 is one of the cold spots in frederick. forecast for today, breezy and cool. high-temperature around 58

when you're flying with a partner -- when you're sparring with a partner you know he's not going to hurt you but when you're in the ring you really have to be on your toes. >> we tape some interviews every once in awhile for this show. even if you pretend that it's live, it's just not the same. >> no. but you never know what i'm going to say right now. see, it's scary, isn't it? >> and that was rosie o'donnell talking to matt on her first visit to studio 1a back in 2000 -- or rather 1997, and she is back this morning and there's no telling, again, what she might say when she voices her opinions as only she can on "today's professionals." >> let me ask you a question, ladies and gentlemen, over in the professional panel, what was the laughter when that video came up there? was that about my appearance in 1997? >> no, just noted so much we

loved your hair. >> oh. >> listen, that -- >> we can age. we both looked a little different. >> anyway. also ahead simon cowell is known for his tart tongue and the golden touch for picking musical talent. now, a new unauthorized biography is shedding light on what he's like away from the cameras. we're going to hear from the author of that book, and tell you why cowell is saying he's a little embarrassed by some of the revelations. >> that's right. and we've also made some extra room on our sofa for a very big guest, meow the 2-year-old tabby cat who weighs a whopping 39 pounds. technically, he is obese. the question is, how did he get like this? we're going to find out. >> apparently he showed up at a new mexico shelter last week. now he's trying to get down to a healthier weight. we're going to find out what the jet is saying his chances are coming up. >> he's pretty cute. let's now begin this half hour with the search for a 6-year-old arizona girl who vanished from her own bedroom in the middle of the night. fbi dogs have now hit on

something of interest as her parents released their first statement. nbc's miguel almaguer is in tucson this morning. miguel, good morning. >> ann, good morning. detectives say they have checked out more than 100 leads in this case, but so far, some of the most promising clues may come from where the missing 6-year-old lived. investigators now call the home a crime scene. this is where 6-year-old isabel celis was last seen. and it's here on monday where two specially trained fbi dogs found something of interest. >> the dogs did give indication in there of further things that we need to investigate. for that reason, we asked the family if they would leave the residence so we could secure the scene between. >> reporter: police say isabel was last seen by her parents sleeping in bed friday night at 11:00 p.m. at 8:00 a.m. saturday her father realized she was gone and called 911. police say isabel's window was open, the screen knocked to the ground. but they have not called the case an abduction, instead it

remains a suspicious disappearance. this couple live down the street from isabel and have known the celis family for years. >> it is a good family. very good family. >> yeah. >> and they will have their daughter back. >> reporter: in a statement, isabel's parents, who also call their daughter isa, thank all those who have searched for the missing first grader. adding, quote, we are cooperating fully with authorities and are focused only on her safe return. >> what the police are trying to do is determine if that child met with some horrible fate in the home, and also examine the window in the bedroom to see whether that was a staged crime scene, rather than somebody actually breaking in. >> reporter: detectives have interviewed 17 sex offenders who live within three miles of isa's home. search teams have scoured tucson's desert and the city land fills but have come up empty handed. police served what they called routine search warrants and while they say everyone involved in the case is a person of interest, so far they're suspect.

>> just don't think something like this happens in your neighborhood. >> reporter: today, isa's picture, her story is everywhere. her parents writing, quote, we love isabel and will never give up finding her. police say everyone, including isa's parents, are fully cooperating in this case. there's a $6,000 offer -- reward being offered. they say that they are working this case 24 hours a day. ann? >> all right. miguel almaguer this morning. miguel, thank you. and now here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you. a new unauthorized tell-all is revealing some intimate new details about the life of music and tv mogul simon cowell. nbc's michelle kosinski sat down with the man who wrote the book. michelle, good morning to you. >> hi, matt. simon cowell actually gave the author some access. but pretty much every day here there's been some big, embarrassing headline coming out of this, called "sweet revenge," the intimate details of cowell's over-the-top but very private, private life. >> there's no limit. >> reporter: yachts, jets, cars,

mansions, women. suitcases full of beauty products and weekly vitamin iv drips. a $4 million birthday party with a theme -- ♪ you're so vain >> reporter: vanity. oh, and black toilet paper. the secret world, according to a new book, of music show rock star simon cowell. investigative author tom bower calls simon -- >> i really, really, really hated that. >> yes, this simon. >> really dreadful. >> needy. insecure, vain. >> simon's world is simon. here is a man whose constantly telling contestants on tv, you're no good and he has suffered the same for 20 years in the music business. people have been heaping, heaping manure on him telling him he's no good. >> reporter: and now, a reported $70 million a year for shows like "american idol," "x factor," "america's got talent" finally living on his own

over-the-top terms. including relationships with women, lots. the book seems to end any speculation cowell is anything but a lady's man. i mean it kind of makes him look like a stud. >> it makes him look like a stud. but he's a 52-year-old stud. you think he's misbehaved. he likes women who are uncomplicated, bit trashy. i said what do you think about the girls you have on your shows and he said, well they're my toys. >> quote simon saying he dated pop star dannii minogue, made moves on paula abdul and sheryl crow. bower spent days and nights aboard simon's rented party yacht. >> they didn't stop breakfast until three in the afternoon and then they just carried on until 5:00, 6:00 in the morning. the hours are just crazy. and he's all about games. ridiculously stupid games. and everything is about fun. >> what do they talk about? >> well, that's interesting.

they don't talk about -- they really don't talk about serious things. they don't talk about the world. >> simon is described for fame, perfection, his appearance. one ex-girlfriend describes twice daily bath, four shirt changes, throwing away silver spoons along with empty yogurt containers and spending his morning watching cartoons, but occasionally was still so blearly he would crash his ferrari into the neighbor's wall. it seems almost like a little kid with $70 million a year. >> yeah. he's a big, big, old boy. and he loves to look good for mummy and he wants to look good for the audience and he wants to be famous and he wants to be rich. >> but cowell is also -- privately exceedingly generous. he gave two of his exes multimillion dollar mansions. do you love him or do you hate him? >> i like him. i like him because in the end he's fun, and there isn't anything bad about him. and we had -- it was an interesting insight into a vulnerable man.

>> cowell has publicly said he's embarrassed by the book but denies nothing in it. maybe as interesting is the inside look at the music industry. the enormous amounts of money, and idol finalists were allegedly offered contracts at one point that would pay their managers 20% of their earnings over the following 12 years. matt? >> love him or hate him, i will tell you, this guy is successful. he has the midas touch, michelle. thank you very much. we appreciate it. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> i love the fact he likes cartoons. nothing wrong with that. all right, simon. hey, we're talking about snow yesterday. and some areas picking up 20 inches of snow in western p.a. in the upper elevations. this is rochester, oh, rochester, new york, we're expecting, we saw about three to four inches of snow there. nothing too horrible. but, again, some snow brought down trees, power lines, causing some major problems. as we check your weather, look at the temperatures for may.

below normal pacific northwest. above normal temperatures southwest. gulf coast. then as far as precipitation is concerned, only really dry to normal conditions in the northwest. rest of the country looking fairly normal for the month of may. >> good morning. it will be a breezy and cool today. yesterday we were in the 40's. we'll make it into the 50's today. >> birthday girls. what's your name? >> carolyn. >> bree. >> happy birthday. don't forget get your weather any time of day or night go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> all right, al.

thank you very much. coming up next, bad news if you have a kid in college. why that pricey degree may not help them land a job these days. and rosie o'donnell joins "today's professionals" to weigh in on the hot topics of the day, including the current secret service scandal, would hiring more women prevent future scandals like this? today, we stand against the tyranny of single mile credit cards. battle speech right? may i? [ horse neighs ] for too long, people have settled for single miles. with the capital one venture card, you'll earn double miles on every purchase, every day! [ visigoths cheer ] hawaii, here we come. [ alec ] so sign up today for a venture card at capitalone.com. and start earning double. [ all ] double miles! [ brays ] what's in your wallet? can you play games on that? not on the runway. no.

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one to kill adult fleas and ticks. plus another to eliminate flea eggs and larvae, annihilating the next generation of fleas. and, frontline plus works non-stop for thirty days. no wonder it's the number one choice of vets for their pets and yours. ask your vet about frontline plus. accept nothing less. back now at 7:43. this morning on "today's money," grim news for the college class of 2012, who face mounting student loan debt, and jobs that are hard to find. a new study found that more than half of college graduates under the age of 25, 1.5 million people, were unemployed or underemployed last year. jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. jean, good morning. >> good morning. >> what perspective can you add to this number? >> so we're looking at 53% of people under the age of 25 who have bachelor's degrees that are

either unemployed or underemployed, and that number has gone steadily up for the last decade. >> the associated press took a look at this study and listed that the best degrees for jobs would be nursing, teaching, accounting, computer science, and some of the worst include humanities, history, zoology, anthropology, philosophy. some might start to wonder if it is even smart to go to college. >> it's absolutely still smart to go to college, and if you look at the earnings trajectory we see that people who have ph.d.s make more than people who have master's degrees, make more than people who have bachelor's, make more than people who don't go to college at all. but i think what this research is showing us is that you have to be very thoughtful in your choice of major when it comes to getting that job right out of school. >> so what is the take away for parents of english majors when they find out the jobs graduates are getting are waitresses,

bartenders, receptionist types of jobs. >> i was an english major and i think the same thing my parents told me holds true today. if you're going to come out with an artsy, liberal arts degree, you've got to load up your resume with professional experience. i'm talking about internships, and things that show a work trajectory before you get out of school. you also have to be very careful about how much money you're going to borrow, and think about how much your child might earn in that first job after college. >> so what is your best bet -- advice for people who are concerned about how much debt these students are accruing, and then not being able to find a good-paying job once they come out of college? >> if you're not in college yet and you're making the decision, thinking about not poborrowing y more than you expect to earn that first year out of school is a good way to go. if you've already borrowed and you're now thinking, what do i do? well, look at how much debt you have coming out, break it down into federal loans, and private

loans. the federal ones are easier to pay off so you want to maximize that borrowing on the federal side before you dip in to the private loan pool, and then look in to income-based repayment for those loans. which will allow you to make payments on an easier schedule. >> still worth it to go to graduate school? >> it can be, if you know what you want to do. i think the lesson from this is we really need to do some planning for our lives before we get that education. >> let it be said that i began as a waitress during an economic downturn in the 1970s, and it kind of worked out okay. >> i came out during one, as well. i sought s.a.t.s on the side to make money. >> ending on a positive note. hopeful note. eventually we'll get better. jean chatzky, thank you this morning. coming up next, the cat that weighs more than your average toddler, tipping the scales at nearly 40 pounds. we're going to find out what he's eating. such a burning sensation...

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we've all heard about fat cats. this one takes the cake and probably ate it, too. >> meet meow, a 2-year-old tabby who arrived at the santa fe animal shelter in new next ka last week weighing 39 pounds. he's here along with his veterinarian. jennifer, good morning to you. he actually moves rather quickly for a 39-pound cat. this can't be good. how did he end up in your care? >> he was relinquished to another shelter in new mexico, the roswell animal shelter by his owner who was an elderly woman. and could no longer care for him. and her family brought him there. they're a small shelter and didn't have the resources to take care of him, so we offered to. >> what could possibly explain how a 2-year-old cat could come in at 39 pounds? >> well, i mean, clearly he was not fed a healthy diet and way, way too much of it and lacks a certain amount of willpower. but we have checked him out. he does not have any other medical problems that we can find.

>> no diabetes? >> right. amazingly enough. because diabetes is very common in obese cats. but he is otherwise healthy. strictly obese. >> another explanation, you say, he turned up in roswell, maybe he eat a spaceship. aliens in here. >> it's a mutated cat in some way. he's on a diet right now, right? >> he is on a diet. >> what's his diet? >> he's eating mostly meat, like a higher protein, low carbohydrate diet. he's already lost 2 pounds. >> yay. >> so he's on his way. >> for folks who have cats, they may have a more sedentary lifestyle, what's the take away from this? >> the thing is, a chubby cat is really not a happy cat. i mean, it's not okay to overfeed our animals. and clearly, he is a cat that can really barely walk now at this point. and it's going to be a hard road back to health. so killing with kindness is something that we really need to avoid.

>> make a comparison, if we could. because we have brooke and she's going to be bringing in a normal size cat. what's the name of your cat? >> oscar. >> be careful, oscar will disappear. >> there you go. >> what's the long-term plan? >> we're hoping to get him to lose about 10 pounds. he's in foster care right now. >> looking for a home? >> and yes, and then we'll start looking for a home for him. >> because you know actually it hurts him to be picked up unless he's held a certain way, he's that overweight. >> and he walks three steps and gets out of breath. >> very sweet, actually. jennifer, thanks. >> he likes you, matt. >> right after this. ♪ ♪

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> if you normally take belair road as an alternate, perhaps you want to take something else. maybe harford road. shut down in the kingsville area. another went out west joppa road and white spring rain. plenty of rain on the north side. crashed in hunt valley and wight avenue and mccormick road. wyndal, summit avenue, windsor mill road, watch for crash. heavy delays on the west side of

the way down to edmondson. watch for a wreck at nursery road. they have a conditions heading southbound approaching coldspring down through to the construction zone. let's go to a live view and show you what looks like on the northeast corner. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony, over to you. >> partly cloudy skies, a little chilly. winds have not picked up yet, either. all in all, not that bad. 39 in parkton. same thing in jarrettsville. breezy and cool. it will be breezy this afternoon, a mixture of clouds and sunshine. most of you will not see rain at all. during the day tomorrow, we will make it into the 60s.

close to 70 on thursday. scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely. low 60's on friday.

8:00 now on a tuesday morning, the 24th of april, 2012. what is going on with this weather? because there is now a chill in the air here in midtown manhattan. it's down to 41 degrees here on the plaza. but look at these faces. these people don't seem to mind. in fact, their smiles are making us all warm this morning. meantime, i'm ann curry out here on the plaza alongside matt lauer and al roker. coming up, someone who is sure to heat things up inside our studio. >> dr. nancy snyderman is on vacation so she's not a part of the professionals. look who is sitting in her chair. that is rosie o'donnell. clearly someone who has some opinions about some hot topics. we're going to have some for

her, including the subject of therapy. if it goes on too long, can it actually be harmful for a patient? no, apparently not. also ahead, are some college students facing unemployment now after they graduate, or underemployment because they majored in what some are calling, fake subjects. >> ooh. >> useless majors. we're going to be talking about that, as well. >> that will get the conversation started. also coming up this morning, we've got giada de laurentiis back in the house this morning. she's going to give us a globe trotting adventure, helping us sample foods, some of the best foods in the world, and how we can make them in our own kitchen. >> speaking of globe trotting. we've got a hot band from england where -- all around the world, but the wanted. taking the u.s. by storm with the u.s. debut album. they're going to be performing live for us in the next half hour.

>> let me see if i've got this right. you guys like them? of course you do! you will, as well. >> we've got a lot to get to. let's go inside, natalie morales standing by at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. trayvon martin's accused killer, george zimmerman, is wearing a bulletproof vest because of what his attorneys say are death threats posted on twitter. zimmerman was released on bail monday while he awaits his murder trial. meantime city commissioners in sanford, florida, refused last night to accept the resignation of police chief bill lee who came under fire for his handling of the shooting investigation. the prosecution's star witness returns to the stand on day two of the john edwards corruption trial. former aide andrew young says he helped edwards hide his pregnant mistress during the 2008 presidential campaign, even claiming the baby was his own. prosecutors say edwards used illegal campaign contributions to pay for the cover-up. mitt romney's expected to sweep presidential primaries

today in five eastern states, including new york and pennsylvania. romney appeared with florida senator marco rubio that a campaign stop monday, but dodged questions about rubio as a possible running mate. oscar winning singer and actress jennifer hudson broke down in tears monday as she testified at the murder trial of her former brother-in-law, william balfour. he's charged with killing hudson's mother, brother, and nephew four years ago. hudson testified that she had known balfour for years and had warned her sister not to marry him. james murdoch blamed subordinates today for the phone hacking scandal while he was running "the news of the world." appearing before a british inquiry, murdoch testified that his lieutenants misled him about the scope of the illegal phone hacking and denied there was a cover-up. his father, rupert murdoch, will testify tomorrow. the 168-year-old tabloid was forced to close because of the scandal. now for a check of the markets, courtney reagan is at cnbc's world headquarters with

more. a big meeting for the fed. >> good morning natalie. it's the first of a two-day meeting for the federal reserve. that's just one of the market events that investors will need to balance today because of the number of economic data reports as well as a slew of corporate earnings releases including one from the world's largest company. and what stands to be the most important earnings release of the quarter, apple will report its results after the bell today. analysts are looking for the effect behemoth to post nearly $37 billion in second quarter revenue. >> all right, courtney reagan at cnbc's world headquarters, thanks. now for a look at what's trending today our quick roundup of what has you talking online. reality stars giuliana and bill rancic have been top google search terms since their announcement monday on this program that they're expecting a baby through a gestational surrogate. they know the gender of the baby but they're keeping that detail secret. newly engaged brad pitt and angelina jolie had a beach ball in these photos circulating online. they took their six kids to exotic galapagos islands to swim, snorkel, and draw pictures

in the sand. jolie also managed a trip to a refugee settlement as part of her work with united nations. and a rare animal sighting revealed monday has become a fascination online. for the first time scientists in 2010 recorded an all-white adult male orca, iceberg as they named him, was spotted in the northern pacific off russia. and they've been looking for him ever since. a very cool picture there. 8:05 right now. let's go outside to al for a check of your weather. >> well, thank you so much, natalie. all these young ladies waiting for the fray. i mean, the wanted. the wanted. i was thinking about the fray. thanks. are you big fans of the wanted? >> yes! >> there you go. they're going to be on at 8:30. say hi to your mom. >> hi, mom! >> there you go. let's check your weather. as i show you our pick city of the day today, manhattan, partly cloudy, isolated showers, 60 degrees. nbc 4, our big station.

we're looking at some rain making its way still languaging around the northeast. also a little frozen precip and some snow showers northeastern ohio into western p.a. western new york. showers in the pacific northwest. record highs continuing in the plains. breezy throughout the southeast. a little bit cooler in miami. 78 degrees. we've taken over the 41 degrees we're sighing right now. >> good morning. the average high temperature this time of the year is 68 degrees. we will be 10 degrees below the mark. warmer than yesterday. kinder breezy >> and that's your latest weather.

ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. batten down the hatches because rosie o'donnell is in the house and she's about to take on the professionals. right after this. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ ya', you betcha honey. ya' think so? mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] some mornings, you just can't eat at the table. introducing eggo wafflers, a new kind of waffle packed with flavors like brown sugar cinnamon roll so you don't need syrup. new eggo wafflers. so you don't need syrup. pull on those gardening gloves. and let's see how colorful an afternoon can be.

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tropicana pure premium is made with 100% florida oranges. because the best oranges make the best juice. i just wanted to say a few words. first of all, thank you for the lovely meal jane. mom. and let's hear it for sara's paper mache eiffel tower. it's the washington monument. and dad, i'll never forget what you said to me this morning. you said "brian, it's 11:15. get up." so maybe this is just the cake talking but let's celebrate! [ male announcer ] celebrate the little things. buy any kfc 10 pc meal or larger and get a free double chocolate chip cake. we're back now at 8:09 with "today's professionals." star jones and donny deutsch have their hands full this morning because rosie o'donnell is sitting in for dr. nancy. >> what? >> good morning. >> what? >> good to have you here, rosie.

you ready to have at it? >> i'm ready to have at it. >> let's start with a subject that's been making headlines over the past couple of weeks. the scandal involving the secret service and prostitutes in colombia. over the weekend a couple of lawmakers, in particular susan collins of maine and new york weighed in and said that this boys on spring break mentality might not exist were there more women hired by the secret service, and more women on trips like this. how do you feel about that? >> the studies have actually shown that gender diversity really does add to a company's bottom line. and if you put that on the secret service, it makes more sense. if you put people of different backgrounds and experiences, especially gender, at the table when decisions are being made, you're not going to run into the same kinds of problems. >> i'm not sure you're getting my question. i'm saying if they're on these trips and there are women there, are these guys going to be less likely to go out and misbehave? >> yes, absolutely. because at the table when you're sitting around planning to go out and meet the hookers, you're not going to be making that plan

with chicks sitting there with you. >> when i was a young comic i'd go on the road with young comics who were in their 030s and i knew their wives, all of them hooked up on every single trip. once there start to be more women comics on the bill it wasn't as easy. >> we're forgetting one thing, what these people do for a living. they protect the president. i'm going to give you guys a news flash. there's a reason the olympics, women and men don't box together. or they don't run together. physically, physically, the big part of this job, is men are, say the word, superior. women are superior intellectually -- >> they're bigger -- guys guys, i'm sorry -- >> i'm sorry, i just threw up on live tv. all you have to be able to do is take a bullet. a woman could take a bullet for the president. >> guys, would you just -- >> wait a second. we're talking about some people who were in colombia, they're dog handlers, they're logistics people. they're looking at locations. these aren't people who are necessarily going to take a bullet. >> and one of them ended up doing the right thing was a woman. >> that is a good point. paula reed is getting a lot of

credit. she's the head of the miami field office because she found out about this and called this team home. but is that about her gender? did she do the right thing because she's a woman or because she simply upheld her responsibility? >> she's a competent employee who did her job. >> well, i think because she's a woman. >> would a man have been less likely to do the right thing? >> yes, because there's a boys club situation. i don't think it's so shocking that men in power sometimes use prostitutes. prostitution is legal where they were. >> i'm going to say it again, i think we want them on that wall. guys there's a reason that men fight wars. women are superior intellectually superior. but, guys, let's not be so quick -- >> women are fighting wars, too. and why is it that men use the prostitutes and women don't? >> the next topic -- >> we want idiots protecting the president? >> would you want to know. "usa today" did this subject on line on monday. if you had a 50/50 chance of developing a hereditary disease that took the life of a close

family member of yours at the age of 45 would you want to have the medical gene testing that might tell you if you carried that same gene, and could die of that same disease? >> i had that. my mother died of breast cancer at 39 and i had the bcra test to see if i was positive. and it was a very tough decision. took me about eight years to decide to do it. because i thought, if i was positive, it didn't necessarily mean you were going to get it, you were just more at risk. so i finally took it. and wanted to know, because of life decisions. >> what was the upside? >> the upside was i could prepare myself emotionally. i could maybe, maybe plan out health things that were a little more regimented than going every six months. but, i was negative luckily. but i think i would want to know. >> would you guys have done the same thing? >> i would want to know. i think because i haven't had a heart issue, i would want to be able to plan out the rest of my life. >> i would want to know because "a" i'd be tortured by not knowing. and "b" i'd like to know if i'm dying at 45 versus 85. i might live life a little differently.

>> but changing your whole life if you did find out you had that gene necessarily be a good thing? wouldn't you live a very kind of conservative, contrived existence? >> i think it would be the opposite. maybe you'd let it rip. >> really? >> like that country song, live like you're dying. >> you know, it may influence your decision to have more children if you knew there was a good chance you were going to get a life threatening disease. >> you wouldn't have children at 45 if you thought -- all right let's move on. therapy. volunteer basis. raise your hand if you have been in therapy, or are currently in therapy. okay. interesting -- would you guys be more comfortable lying on a couch? >> by the way, i get frequent flyer miles. >> interesting article in "the new york times" over the weekend, suggesting that the longer people go in therapy, perhaps the less effective it is. how do we feel about that? >> i don't think you can draw a overall statement. i always like to say therapy is like a -- whatever works for you works. the thing that i think is important to realize, that these people are human beings. and you have to use it as something for yourself, versus what they say is the gospel.

i mean that's the big problem with therapy. is people use it as prescriptive versus using it as something kind of just to help you balance things around. >> how long have you been in therapy? >> seriously, since i'm 16. >> according to the article -- >> pretty good. >> according to the article the best results in therapy come between sessions seven and ten. >> i don't believe that at all. >> i disagree completely. it took me two years to get a breakthrough to talk about why i became a 300 pound woman at 5'5". it really did take two full years of sitting down, every week. i had closed off walls about it. so i can't imagine that you can do it in six or twelve sessions. >> wouldn't you agree there is a lot of ineffective therapy out there? >> yes. and you have to really find somebody who is able to match what your needs are. after being in therapy many years and then starting again a few years ago, i didn't want to go back to childhood stuff. i wanted to now deal with my present-day life. so you have to sort of find the therapist that fits the place that you are. >> are you going to be a freudian therapist? or are you going to go to a

behaviorist? do you want to change behavior or get into your brain. >> there are good doctors and bad doctors. >> college graduation season. hundreds of thousands of college grads are going to hit the job market in the next couple of months. according to a recent poll, one in two of them will be unemployed or underemployed, which isn't good news. is one of the reasons for this that many college students are studying useless majors? >> no. >> and they get out of college with no real employable skills. >> no. i hired tens of thousands of college graduates. your major, unless you are going to be an accountant or a doctor, is irrelevant. it's irrelevant. i'm just going to say -- >> i don't agree with that. >> let me finish one other thing. >> all right. >> i'm tired -- >> i'm teasing you. i'm teasing you. you're such a professional but you use a lot of words. >> i do. >> you're so much, therefore i believe -- >> so. >> and further more -- >> yes. >> i'm also tired of this learned helplessness with young people that there are no jobs out there. that's ridiculous. >> i think if you get a degree in theater the chances of you

getting a job in theater, minimal. right? if you love and you want to do that get a fine arts degree, there's not a lot of jobs out there. >> nowadays getting a law degree is very difficult, as well. to get a job as an attorney. i think you have to create your own niche. when you graduate from college, don't walk out thinking that the world is my oyster. it's not. you have to create it. >> but in today's employment situation, are degrees in things like fine arts, drama, philosophy, religious studies, are they useless when it comes to getting a job? >> yes! >> i don't know. i could use each one of those and come up with a niche market for me to go out and get a job. >> college versus the overall experience and i never looked at a major in my life in hiring people. >> let's wrap up with one of our favorite people. lindsay lohan it was announced yesterday has been cast to play a young elizabeth taylor in a new movie for the lifetime network. is this a good idea? >> i feel very sorry for her. i think she needs a lot of help. she needs a lot of time away. >> is it a good idea to cast her

in this movie? >> no. because she's had a lot of trouble doing every single movie, including "snl." she was out and not at rehearsal. i think she's not in a place to work. >> i used to think she was extremely talented. but i have not seen enough of her as an actress in recent years to really make an evaluation. >> it's a great idea. she's our generation's elizabeth taylor. she's the only one -- >> oh, come on! >> get out of here! >> -- before you shut up? >> the last thing she did good, she was 16. >> she's a great actress and she's got all that sensationalism. >> how do we know she's a great actress? >> she's good for it because she's right for the role or will bring attention to the movie? >> both. both. and i think she's going to be this generation's in real life. >> i don't think she's right for the role and i don't think she's capable at this point of doing what's needed to -- >> you're an ad man because you are looking this as a marketing opportunity. >> given what she's been through over the last several years when you attach her to a movie project does she attract viewers or repel viewers? >> i think neither. i think kind of the interest level in hers awa s has waned.

>> i think she's going to attract viewers, but i don't think for her talent. i think it's going to be for the train wreck she's going to see. >> on "snl" it wasn't as though she delivered. people watched expecting. she needs a lot of help. >> rosie o'donnell. >> can i just say barbra streisand's 70th birthday today? happy birthday barbra streisand! >> thanks for being here, rosie. star and donny, as always. up next, giada de laurentiis shares delicious recipes from around the world. ♪ [ female announcer ] irresistibly touchable skin hour after hour. ♪ it all starts with new 48-hour nivea extended moisture nivea. touch and be touched. now bring the world a touch closer. join our million moments of touch movement and be entered in nivea's daily date night sweepstakes.

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doing project with different stores is a really cool idea. we want to bring a little piece of the boutique experience to target. a real taste of luxury. it's pretty special for us to imagine this little nook of polka dog will be in target stores all around the country. the shops we fell in love with, collected and curated for you. exclusively at target. cooking with giada is brought to you by target. giada's exclusive line of kitchen products and delicious food is only available at target and target.com. >> this morning on "cooking with giada today" recipes from all around the world. "today" contributor giada de laurentiis is best known for her delicious italian dishes. but today, don't stop laughing

at me, she's taking us on a road trip to sample a variety of international cuisines. giada. >> it's a tough name. >> it is not. i say it all the time. i'm just a dope. let me ask you this, because why, what prompted a nice italian girl like you to go international? >> you know. >> in her cooking. >> i think the thing is, is that weeknight meals at my house started getting a little bit on the boring side and todd and jade felt like we should explore. so we went exploring. so i came up with some greek meet balls. jade is a big, big lover of lamb. so i do ground lamb. you could obviously do ground beef if you wanted to. and i think it just kind of introduces kids, everybody to a few new flavors. i like to start young. she loves meet balms. anything meet ball. so we have some ground lamb and some couscous. very sort of north african. and we add a little bit, you can help me here. an egg, add some salt. chopped parsley and some dried mint. so mint and lamb work really

well together. slightly sweet. >> that's a lot of mint. >> it is a lot of mint. >> and this? >> that's olive oil. >> and then here comes the fun stuff. we've got dried oregano, cayenne, cumin and cinnamon. >> cinnamon amazing. >> scallions and garlic. >> you mix that together? >> with a spoon or fork. >> you can make this ahead of time? >> you can make them and form them and freeze them like this and cook them at the end. or you can cook them, let them cool completely, then freeze them. and freeze them three or four, however many your family wants to eat. because then what you can do is you can finish them off. >> some chefs like to brown them first. others like to cook them in the sauce. what's your way of cooking? >> for these in particular, because how moist the meat is i like to brown them first so they can hold their shape. then i make them in the sauce. a little bit of dry marinara. >> cinnamon. >> it's all about the warm spiciness. and then you add that in and cook it for about ten minutes. and then this is what it looks like. just like that. >> wonderful.

>> so there we go. >> so amazing. >> yum yum. >> you want to dry one later. >> i'm going to go for that now. >> go ahead and try that. >> where else are we going around the world? >> we're going to thailand. and my sauce has now burned. >> because i took so long saying your name. >> we've got some shallots. and this is ground turkey. you can make it with anything you want. this is a really fast one. thai chilies and some lemon grass, which is very lemony. >> can you find lemongrass at the grocery store? >> oh, yes. these days you can find a lot of different ingredients. >> hi. >> hi. >> we're going to want to start with this one. this is the lamb meatballs. >> okay. >> got it. >> natalie wanted the lettuce. >> i want to try that. >> the turkey lettuce. >> thai food has become one of our favorites. this is really easy. literally it takes eight minutes to cook down the ground turkey. and then you make a quick vinaigrette. >> go ahead. >> sorry.

>> honey, fish sauce, lime juice, lemon juice and mint. that's it. >> we didn't get to pe >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> dealing with many incidents. the one we and tracking. shut down as a result between jerusalem road and mount vista road. avoid it by taking harford road as your alternate. you will want to get off harford road. there is a pedestrian-and of the crash. one to avoid as you head out there. west joppa road, towson, there is an accident. acadia avenue, we are dealing

with a slow-go in the kit installed region. -- in the catonsville region. let's update you on the j.f.x. delays in place from northern parkway to the construction zone. 50 on it severn river bridge. it will take extra time there. tony has a check on your forecast. >> for the most part, off to a quiet start. temperatures in the 30's. not that bad just now. we are not calculating wind chillss just yet. still only 39 near the pennsylvania line. 42 and the rising sun. slight chance for a rain shower. back in the this is on

wednesday. >> we will have another update at 8:56.

♪ make you glad >> we're back now at 8:30 on a tuesday morning. 24th of april, 2012. some happy campers out on our plaza this morning. a lot of these people got here very early to check out the sensational boy band from britain, the wanted. as they come out on the plaza to say hi to some of their fans. and shake a few hands. they're going to be performing for us in just a little while in this half hour. we'll get to that.

out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, natalie morales, and mr. al roker. what else is coming up? >> also coming up we're going to ask the question, specifically of women, did you ever wish that you knew then what you know now? in fact, there's a new book that's tackling the 30 things that women should know by the time they turn 30, and some terrific advice in it. coming up we're going to get to some of those things people should know. >> then if you're struggling with your weight, do you really need to -- can you really trust the calorie count that you see on restaurant menus? well, we are going to take a look at some of your favorite restaurant chains, and put those -- test those counts to the test. >> and then "jill's steals & deals" and once again she has something for everyone from hand bags, to great jewelry, so be sure to stick around for that, as well. >> okay. >> all right. before we get to all that can we please say hello to colton dixon? the latest contestant voted off

"american idol." nice to see you. >> thank you. nice to be here. >> so the first time that you ended up in the bottom three. >> first time. last time. >> first and last. and you were there next to two people who had consistently been in the bottom three. >> yes. >> do you think you deserved to go home? >> compared to how people did that week, i definitely deserved the bottom. you know, i was shocked i went home again because i'd never been in the bottom. but that's the way it happens sometimes. you've got to roll with it and keep going. >> you received a lot of criticism for your performance of earth, wind and fire's "september." >> one of my favorite songs. >> but that's not a performance that you regret. >> right. i think the lady gaga song was a bad choice for me. not musically or what i wore or anything like that. but i think the message behind the song isn't something that i related to. and it was something america couldn't relate to either. so i think that hurt me. >> philip, one of your fellow contestants had really emotional

reaction to your elimination. that was pretty touching to see that kind of emotion. >> it was. i saw him afterwards and i was like philip, you're wigging out. and he was like no, dude, i was praying for you. we prayed together before and after every show, so it was cool to look over and see what was really going on. definitely touching. >> -- now with their music career, because obviously, you know, people, you know, look at somebody to look up to. does it take much to go from "american idol" to being a sensation? >> this year is critical. it's always the most critical year for an idol contestant because everyone is curious of what you're going to do. i'm going to write until my fingers bleed. and see what comes out on the record. >> good luck to you. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. colton dixon, by the way, a

reminder the "american idol" winner and runner-up will perform here live on our show on thursday, may 31st. check that out. get a check of the weather. >> that's what's going on around s >> good morning. it will be a breezy and cool today. yesterday we were in the 40's. we'll make it into the 50's today. >> that's your latest weather. >> okay. >> all right. >> still to come this morning the 30 things every woman should know before they turn 30. >> but first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:36. this morning on "today's woman," wise words for women at the age of 30. the editors of glamour magazine recently asked a host of celebrities what they wished they had known by the time they hit the big 3-0. take a look. >> i wish, you know, someone would have said, it's so fun. you know what i mean? as opposed to, you're going to die on your 30th birthday. >> i think you've gotten enough experience just being in the world, and i think at 30 you should really get down to the business of being an adult, and being a woman. >> i wish i had known better about financial indepeence, first, foremost, and always. and this is a tough thing for young women. they're barely probably getting along in first jobs. >> exercise. take care of this because you

only get one. you know. and be kind to it. because it's kind to us. you just don't know it yet until you're 30. >> if i could talk to my younger self at 30, i would say don't worry, you know, it just gets better from here. you should celebrate your 30s. celebrate your 30th birthday. >> the collection of advice has now become a book called "30 things every woman should have and should know by the time she's 30." cindy levy is glamour magazine's editor. good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> talk to us about the inspiration for this book. >> well, this book was actually gun 15 years ago. there was a list that glamour published written by a glamour contributing editor called 30 things every woman should have and should know by the time she's 30. some of the things on it were very practical. some were more soulful. what we found, almost instantaneously is that women started forwarding this list to one another. first, to thousands of women and then to millions.

it was ultimately misattributed to everybody from jesse jackson to hillary clinton to maya angelou which is actually very flattering. it was taught in classrooms. we realized that there was something about these bits of wisdom that was very profound and struck a chord with women. so we decided to ask, as you just said, celebrities and notable writers to elaborate on some of these items. >> before we get to some of these bits of wisdom as you term them, why do you suppose turning 30 has become so pivotal? >> well, it's the kind of thing you hear so many women say. gosh i wish i had known all this before i turned 30. but there's something about that age, particularly for women, when you can start to let go of some of the insecurities, and the worries that plagued you in your 20s. but you still have so much of your life ahead of you. and it really is that moment, as pamela just said, that you decide you need to get down to the business of being a grown-up woman. >> so we've taken a lot of this

great advice in this book and we've brought them down to five essentials. >> right. >> bits of wisdom. one is the ability to fall in love without losing yourself. >> this is a big one. this is such a key thing, particularly young women. with all due respect to that line in jeremy maguire, you complete me. that's kind of a load of hooey. the best way to be happy in a relationship is to go in as a complete person. once you can figure out how to do that you're going to be much happier. >> you won't get lost. find the confidence to quit a job. >> yes. to quit a job well. this is key. you know you don't want to storm off in one of those, take this job and shove it moments. you want to be able to leave the job in such a way that they actually could hire you back again. and that's a very particular skill. >> another skill is to know the comfort of living alone. >> yeah. you know, listen, most of us do want to spend our lives with somebody, but it is really important to know that if push came to shove you could live alone and not only be okay, but actually enjoy your own company. that's a really key skill. and so many young women say,

gosh, it was living alone that that really taught me who i was as a person. >> so as a result that goes back to your first point, being able to come into middle age and have your own sense. >> also you say the knowledge that your body is beautiful. >> yes. i mean listen we all have things we want to improve. we all have things we want to change. you can't change the width of your hips, you can't change the length of your legs. i'm 5'2". i'm never going to be gisele. once you realize that and appreciate your body for what it is you're going to be so much happier. it's a really important moment for a woman. >> waste all that time. >> can you get those years back? >> i know, exactly. and lastly on our list today, and it may be one of the hardest, which is the belief you delve it. >> yeah. i mean listen, whatever it is to you, the job, the raise, the guy, the relationship, the dream, whatever it is, you have to believe you deserve it or nobody else is going to believe that. if you want to teach people to respect you, you have to respect yourself to begin with. it's just a simple thing and it

can sound so klee they but it is at the root of so much happiness, particularly for young women. >> to know your worth. thank you so much. cindy levy always trying to help us. >> thank you, ann. >> and always make women feel better. >> enjoy the book. >> i -- i am. and the book again is called "thirty things every woman should have and should know by the time she's 30." and still ahead, something to make us happy, a live performance from one of the hottest boy bands in the world, called the wanted.

we're back now at 8:44 with the life-changing secret that was kept for years from madeleine albright, the first woman to become u.s. secretary of state. she writes about it in her new book called "prague winter." "today" national correspondent jamie gangel has that story. jamie, good morning. >> good morning, matt. the secret albright's parents never told her was that her family was not roman catholic,

as she always believed, but jewish. and that most had perished in concentration camps during the holocaust. albright admits she was shocked and embarrassed that she didn't know about her family. so she began a personal quest to find out everything she could. >> i knew about the holocaust, i just didn't know it applied to me. >> reporter: every family has secrets. but former secretary of state madeleine albright says nothing prepared her for what she found. this is your life? there were secret police records identifying her parents as jewish. nazi i.d. cards documenting the fate of her family. >> so this would have been your grandfather? and the realization that three of her grandparents and at least 25 members of her family, were killed just because of their religion. what was it like to discover all of this? >> well, it was so -- the number

of people's lives that are then cataloged in this whole other way. very organized, you know, interesting to do research from unless they happen to be people that are related to you. >> reporter: efficient, but in effect death sentences. >> death sentences. >> reporter: for albright, who was just 2 years old when the war broke out, the revelations have been both a fascinating and painful journey. why did you pick that photo for the cover? >> i think it just shows a happy little girl who doesn't know what's about to happen. >> reporter: while her father, a czech diplomat, managed to escape with his immediate family to london, albright now realizes just how precarious it was. >> this is the only picture that i have of me with my grandmothers. we're actually leaving. >> reporter: this letter was written by her grandmother the day before she was sent to the

nazi concentration camp. >> i'm going to wash my hair, do some shopping, and clean the house. in the evening, i will prepare dough for the bread to bake in the morning. i hope that once i get to terrazin i will calm down. i would like to ask you, not to waist your strength worrying about us. you will need it for yourself. i promise that i have a very strong will to survive. somewhere, in some foreign land, we will meet again. >> reporter: heartbreaking. >> it just -- it's horrendous. absolutely horrendous. >> reporter: who survived was often a question of luck. one cousin was saved on the children's transport. but her younger sister was killed in the camps. remarkably, some of her drawings survived and albright found this one displayed at the jewish

museum in prague. >> reporter: this is millena. she's done all these ams. ing pictures. because of the pictures while in a concentration camp, and then you look at the face and you realize that this is somebody that looks like me, that -- i mean it's just -- it's poignant. >> going there was the hardest part for you? >> very hard. >> reporter: was there one thing that just hit you the most? >> there's not one thing, i have to say. going to look at the rooms in which they held people, you can kind of feel the screaming, people, or the crowdedness, or the lack of any way of trying to figure out how you get out. and just kind of picturing people that were related to me in this horrible, horrible place. >> despite everything she discovered, albright admits she still wrestles with one

question. why her parents kept this secret. if your parents were here today, what would you ask them? >> tell me what happened. and tell me why you did it. they were such amazingly good people, who i think were trying very hard to put a very, very painful past behind them. >> this is a fascinating book. it's getting rave reviews, matt. i read it twice. it's a great history of world war ii, and also just a heartwrenching personal story. you know, there were skeptics who questioned how albright could not have known about her family. and she really hopes this book will put that to rest, and will honor her family. matt? >> all right, jamie, thank you very much for sharing the story with us. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. guys, i'm home!

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the "toyota concert series on today," brought to you by toyota. >> the british pop musical sensation the wanted formed in 2009 and quickly achieved international success. today the band is out with its self-styled titled u.s. debut ep called the wanted max storage.

tom parker, nathan sieps, steve warren and james mcginnis. men, good morning. >> good morning. >> so congratulations. you must be just thrilled. what are the emotions as you now await today's release of your debut ep? >> pretty overwhelmed to be honest with you. >> yeah? >> we sold two albums in the uk so we're kind of touching everybody in america of what we've been doing. >> congratulations on that. outside all we had to do was say the wanted and people just started screaming. how are you handling the adulation? i mean is there a downside to this? >> the only downside is we've got to go home and walk into our family living room and there's no screams. come on, now. come on. >> meantime, i understand you've been roaming, having a lot of fun, including going to the playboy mansion? >> we did. >> whether you liked that. >> pretty unusual. >> listen i'm now going to step

offstage while you sing the song we're now going to listen to, glad you came. ♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all that counts is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ you cast a spell on me spell on me ♪ ♪ you hit me like the sky fell on me fell on me ♪ ♪ and i decided you look well on me well on me ♪ ♪ so let's go somewhere no one else can see you and me ♪ ♪ turn the lights out now now i'll take you by the hand ♪

♪ hand you another drink and drink it if you can ♪ ♪ can you spend a little time time is slipping away ♪ ♪ away from us so stay stay with me i can make ♪ ♪ make you glad you came ♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all that counts is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ ♪ you cast a spell on me spell on me ♪ ♪ and i decided you look well on me well on me ♪ ♪ so no one else could see you and me ♪ ♪ the lights down now

♪ hand you another drink drink it if you ♪ ♪ can you spend a little time time is slipping away ♪ ♪ away from us so stay stay with me i can make make you glad you came ♪ ♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all that counts is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa oh, oh, whoa i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ♪ ♪ whoa oh, oh, i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ♪ ♪ whoa, oh, oh, i'm glad you came ♪ ♪ whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came

♪ the sun goes down the stars come out ♪ ♪ and all i want is here and now ♪ ♪ my universe will never be the same ♪ ♪ i'm glad you came i'm glad you came ♪ thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thanks, fans. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. person in police custody for a st. patrick's day beating. shayona davis is being held after she was caught on tape beating a man with a high-heeled shoe. investigators say they are

looking for two other people connected. back in a minute with a check on today's forecast. >> a little bit warmer than monday, but still below average for this time that year. slight chance for a couple of rainshowers. high tempera