good morning. breaking news. british police announce this morning it's possible madeleine mccann may still be alive. as they release this new computer image of what she would look like today, nearly five years after her disappearance. we're live in london with new information on the search. grilling rupert murdoch on the stand. this morning, answering questions about the phone hacking scandal that's shaken his tabloid empire to its core. how much did he know? and did he use his power to influence british politicians? and what a mess. the college freshman gets the chance of a lifetime to meet the president. and then spills her food on him. >> oh, no. >> i'm so sorry. >> it's okay.

>> the president laughed it off, saying at least she's got a good story to tell. she does. and she'll tell it to us in a live interview "today," and she'll tell it to us in a live interview "today," wednesday, april 25th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. madeleine mccann was just 3 years old when she vanished in 2007 from her parents' hotel room. it was during a family vacation in portugal. >> this morning investigators released this age progress image of what she would look like now at the age of 9. so why the sudden renewed interest in this case? we're going to get the latest on that just ahead. and also coming up this morning, the first confirmed case of mad cow disease in the

united states in six years. the government is now investigating, and at least one country is considering suspending the sales of u.s. beef. so how concerned should we all be? we're going to hear from an expert coming up this morning. >> and remember a story we talked about a lot on this show? that north carolina father who shot his daughter's laptop after she posted disrespectful comments about him online? well now an ohio mother is getting attention for a picture she posted on her daughter's facebook page. to deal with her 13-year-old's bad behavior. does this public shaming cross some kind of a line? we'll hear from her and her daughter this morning. but we begin with that breaking news tied to the nearly 5-year-old disappearance of british girl madeleine mccann. nabs's tazim is in london this morning. >> good morning, matt. today has been incredible for the mccann investigation. into madeline's disappearance. british police called a press conference and said they have 195 new investigative

opportunities. therefore new leads into her disappearance. they're looking at 40,000 different items of which there are 100,000 documents which they are trolling through. they've got 37 police working on this at this very moment. the investigation's been going on for a year as far as the british police have been concerned and they're now very actively looking for this case to have some closure. those were their words today. we want some closure on this, and they're putting as much pressure as they can, as diplomatically as they can, on the portuguese police to reopen this case. matt? >> and what's the likelihood of that? i mean, it would have to be those portuguese police to officially reopen the case. are british officials thinking that that's possible? >> well, what they're saying is that they are very noncommittal on that. they were asked whether the portuguese police would take action. they're saying they're working very closely with the portuguese police. they're giving them the best possible evidence that they can.

they're going through three different strands of evidence they collected and they said this is very unique because they're collecting together their own investigation, the portuguese police's investigation, as well as the investigations of private investigators for the mccanns have collected. >> right. >> and they're going through all of that and saying, look, we're going to give you the best possible evidence here in order to encourage you to reopen this investigation. >> and with this age progression image that they've released this morning they're trying to keep this face of this young lady in the public eye and let people know what she might look like today. how involved were the mccanns in helping them create this image? >> the mccanns were consulted very, very closely, they say. they worked with a -- with the mccann family, as well as with a forensic and human investigative office to put together this image. it's very accurate and they believe it has impact. kate mccann in particular is very pleased with the image. she said it reflects their family. not just madeleine herself but

her younger brother and sister as well as what kate looks like today. >> it must be very difficult for them to look at that image. tazeen ahmed in london this morning, thank you very much. here's ann. >> matt, thank you. the senate judiciary committee is expected to grill homeland security secretary janet napolitano today about the secret service prostitution scandal. this as more agents have lost their jobs, and president obama had some frank words about the incident on late night with jimmy fallon. nbc's kristen welker is in denver, colorado, with more on this story. kristen, good morning. >> good morning to you, ann. well, president obama heads to iowa later today. his final stop on a three-state trip aimed at talking about student loans and courting young voters. but the secret service scandal continues to be a major topic of discussion wherever he goes. >> the president of the united states of america, barack obama. >> reporter: president obama showing his lighter side on "late night with jimmy fallon."

but things got serious quickly when fallon asked about the secret service scandal. >> 99.9% of them every day, they're pitting their life on the line, they do a great job. so a couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from, you know, what they do. but, what these guys were thinking, i don't know. that's why they're not there anymore. >> reporter: the comments came just as the secret service announced the result of this disciplinary action for the 12 employees thought to be involved. seven personnel resigned. one is in the process of being terminated. one retired. and three were cleared but given disciplinary action. >> very definitely i'm very happy that heads roll because if heads don't roll there's not going to be any changes made. >> reporter: senator chuck grassley, the ranking republican on the senate judiciary committee, will be among those questioning homeland security secretary janet napolitano when she testifies before his committee today. >> i'm going to ask secretary of

homeland security the extent to which the inspector general is doing an independent investigation and not just looking at what the director of secret service is doing. >> reporter: grassley, who made headlines monday when he suggested in a radio interview the prostitutes could have been russian spies, is also pressuring the white house. he wrote a letter calling for more transparency after the administration conducted an internal investigation, which determined no white house staffers were involved. senior administration officials have accused grassley of playing politics. press secretary jay carney said he hadn't seen the letter, and told reporters, quote, there is no credible, specific allegation of any misconduct by anybody on the white house advance team or white house staff. the president and his secret service detail ended their night on an unexpectedly messy note. during an unscheduled stop at a restaurant in boulder, a young woman spilled yogurt on the president, and the agent's protecting him.

>> oh, look it, you got me. you got me. >> i'm so sorry! >> i'm teasing. that's okay. whose yogurt got on me? >> it was mine. i'm really sorry, it was mine. >> you've got a good story to tell. you can say well, i just spilled yogurt all over the president. >> well, yeah, i'm very embarrassed that story now. but it's a pleasure, the pleasure is all mine. >> getting yogurt on the president is all right, but on the secret service -- >> i'm very sorry, sir. i'm so glad you accept my apology. >> no problem. >> now, the president laughed it off. and the white house really is saying these types of mishaps are always a possibility, especially since the president is frequently interacting with excited crowds, and shaking a lot of hands. ann? >> all right, kristen welker,

thank you so much this morning. meantime, vermont democratic senator patrick leahy is the chairman of the senate judiciary committee, joining us this morning exclusively. senator leahy, good morning. >> good morning. >> you know, today's hearings will be the first time that a member of the obama administration will actually be called to testify about this scandal. what questions do you have, what answers do you want from secretary napolitano? >> i'm going to ask, is this being done thoroughly? is the investigation being done thoroughly. certainly what the director of the secret service has told me, we've talked several times, i believe it is being done thoroughly. i want to know what steps will be taken in the future. obviously, there are going to be changes in what they are told to do, what secret service agents are told to do. i think we should know all that. but one thing we should remember, the vast majority of secret service agents are very dedicated, well-trained men and women. i've seen them over the years,

in all kinds of situations. they'd make anybody proud. and if you do have a few who are not done what they should -- have not been as professional as they should be, well then i think the secret service was right in getting rid of them. i -- i agree with the director on doing that. >> on that point, i want to ask you about something that's in "the washington post" this morning, it's reporting that some of the secret service employees accused in this scandal are saying privately that their conduct does not warrant being fired because their managers have tolerated this kind of behavior in the past. are you going to investigate whether there is a boys will be boys culture that permeates the secret service? >> i think that's a very legitimate question. and i've raised it now twice are the director of the secret service. we'll raise it again in this -- in this hearing. now i've traveled with the secret service in different places, traveling with different

presidents, both republicans and democrats. i've always seen them acting very professionally. if there's something that we haven't seen, there should be -- it should be looked at. you know, it is not just like any ordinary action. these are -- these are people that are part of our national security. they're protecting both president obama, and governor romney. we want the absolute highest professionalism. can you imagine how the world would react if something happened to either one of the contenders for the presidency? and i think that they have to realize they're going to be held to a higher standard than most people would be. >> i know you've got a very busy day ahead of you. thanks for spending some moments with us, senator patrick leahy. >> thank you. >> it is now 7:11. once again here's matt. >> all right, ann, thanks. now to some concern over the first confirmed case of mad cow disease in the u.s. in nearly six years. robert bazell is nbc's chief science correspondent. bob, good to see you. good morning. >> good morning, matt. although this is the fourth

confirmed case in the united states since 2003, and officials are still investigating how a dairy cow contracted the disease. the government is stressing there is no threat to human health. the dairy cow had been picked up by this facility near fresno, california, that takes dead live stock. the facility sent a sample to be tested at the lab at the university of california davis where it turned out positive. there was never an intention to send the cow to a slaughterhouse and officials say that is you're. >> the animal did not enter the food supply at all. >> reporter: bsc, commonly called mad cow disease is a fatal disintegration of the brain and nervous system. it first gained public attention in britain in the 1980s and '90s where more than 180,000 cattle were infected and more than 4.4 million were slaughtered to control the outbreak. the disease is usually transmitted by a rare infectious agent called a prion, though cases can appear spontaneously.

usually the disease is acquired by eating the tissue of an infected animal. animals have been a source of food for cows in britain. in the uk, 175 people, including jonathan sims, got a human form of the disease from eating meat from the infected animals. it left him blind, deaf and immobile from 2001 until his death last year. health officials say milk does not transmit the disease. so the infected dairy cow does not pose a hazard. there was no mad cow disease detected in the u.s. until 2003, when a cow born in canada was detected in washington state. since then, including this case, officials have found three more. >> there are surveillance system we found this detection, we have a very robust system. our food and our cattle population is very safe. and our consumers should not be concerned about this case. . >> reporter: there's some input and economic implications here. south korea is making noises

about not importing u.s. beef. but more importantly, there has to be an investigation to find out whether this is an isolated, mutant cow, or whether it's part of a cluster. so far they say they haven't found it in the feed, which would be a big clue. but there are a lot more investigating that needs to be done. >> and we will follow it. bob bazell, thank you very much. >> now let's get a check of the rest of the top stories from natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. a clean sweep for mitt romney in five states tuesday. picking up victories in the presidential primaries in connecticut, rhode island, delaware, pennsylvania, and new york. as the presumptive gop nominee, romney is stepping up fund-raising efforts in swing states where he faces the toughest showdowns against the president. in a move to woo younger voters, president obama revealed that he and michelle finished paying back their student loans only eight years ago. the commander in chief wraps up a college tour today where he's drumming up support for his extended 2007 law that cuts student loan rates.

without it interest rates would double by july 1st. on tuesday, senate democrats unveiled a $5.9 billion bill to keep that lower rate. tense moments in the sky for a jetblue flight after the plane hit a flock of birds upon takeoff, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in westchester county, new york. none of the 54 passengers was injured. just last week a bird strike forced another new york area plane to make an emergency landing. the first criminal charges have been filed by federal prosecutors in the gulf oil spill case. a former bp engineer was arrested on tuesday. he's accused of deleting hund d hundreds of text messages indicating that more oil was spewing from the blown-out well than the company was disclosing at that time. and lakers forward meadow world peace formerly known as ron artest has been suspended for seven games after throwing an elbow that gave another player a concussion. he'll be sidelined for much of the first postseason round. and an out-of-towner in

paris mistook a subway entrance for a parking garage, and down he went. police cordoned off the area, and the car was pulled out without significant damage. luckily, no one was hurt. but we can't say the same for the driver's ego, which was probably a bit bruised. it is 7:16 right now. back over to matt, ann and al. it can be confusing driving in europe. >> yeah. because they don't have stairs there. going into the garage. >> all right. >> confusing. >> don't know if we'll be driving with natalie! mr. roker. >> don't do that. >> let's see what we've got for you. out west, we're looking at some wet weather coming in. big storm system going to be bringing a lot of rain from san diego all the way up to seattle. we're talking about anywhere from about a half an inch to an inch of rain. especially in southern california. and the pacific northwest. and then we've got a risk of strong storms making their way from lexington, kentucky, back to waterloo, and as far east as columbus, ohio. damaging wind, hail, maybe a tornado or two. looking for anywhere from 1 to 2

inches of rain down through that area. >> good morning. we're off to a chilly start. it will warm up quickly. temperatures get back closer to average. we climbed into >> that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you. rupert murdoch is testifying this morning for the british panel investigating the phone hacking scandal at one of his newspapers. nbc's stephanie gosk is in london with more on this. stephanie, good morning. >> good morning, ann. well murdoch is facing questions today that go well beyond just phone hacking at his defunct

newspaper "news of the world." this scandal has turned into a critique of how the media in this country operates, and a deep look at the influence murdoch's news corp. has had on the highest echelons of the british government. news corp. head rupert murdoch is back under fire, facing a public grilling for the second time. >> the issue of phone hacking, or are they limited to the issue of phone hacking? >> reporter: the last time murdoch faced questions was before parliament. supported by his son james, and protected by his wife. this time he sits alone. >> the shareholders in news corporation will be looking very closely at what sort of performance rupert murdoch puts up. >> reporter: james murdoch was in the hot seat tuesday, once again blaming his subordinates for not telling him about widespread hacking at "news of the world" soon enough. >> their assurances to me consistently were, as i've said, which was that the newspaper had been investigated thoroughly,

but no evidence was found. >> reporter: but evidence was found. that suggested multiple reporters at "news of the world" hacked into the voicemails of celebrities, the royal family, and a murdered young girl. the newspaper was shut down. news corp. was forced to back off of a multibillion dollar tv deal, and there were high profile resignations and arrests. and now the inquiry started by prime minister david cameron is scrutinizing how much influence news corp. has had over the british government itself. critics allege that murdoch owned paper "the sun" endorsed cameron during the election, in return for support of news corp.'s deal to buy full control of broadcaster bskyb. james murdoch vehemently denied the allegation. >> there's absolutely not a quid pro quo for that support. >> reporter: today, it's his father's turn to defend the world's second largest media company. and with it, his own reputation.

the questioning today began by focusing on political influence. going back as far as prime minister margaret thatcher. murdoch says he did not ask thatcher for help in acquiring british newspapers back in the early '80s. the media mogul went on to say that he has never asked a prime minister for anything. ann? >> all right, stephanie gosk this morning. stephanie, thank you. >> a little earlier we showed you part of president obama's appearance on the "late night with jimmy fallon." well the president also gave our colleague brian williams a run for his money when he held jimmy slow jam the news. take a look. >> now is not the time to make school more expensive for our young people. >> oh, yeah. ♪ you should listen to the president ♪ ♪ or as i like to call him, the president zi of the united

statesy ♪ >> the reason it's so important to keep down costs is so we keep college affordable. ♪ and the president knows his stuff, y'all ♪ ♪ that's why they call him the potus ♪ ♪ which means person of top -- what is it? >> jimmy, potus stands for president of the united states. ♪ he's the potus with the mostous ♪ >> seems like a lighthearted moment but there's a real calculation. the president obviously reaching out to jimmy fallon's audience and those young voters he's going to need in the fall. >> exactly. we tend to see presidents and candidates showing up in late night when there is an election obviously. >> remember bill clinton with arsenio hall. >> can we start calling him the preezy of the united statesy? >> coming up, speaking of the president, the college student who came face to face with him and then accidentally spilled food on him. we'll talk to her. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here's a look at one of our top stories. baltimore city police have a third suspect in custody. officials say a family member turned in deangelo carter. hayona davis and aaron

parsons are already in custody for the attack. >> starting to seek normal delays fall into place. accident on or about 83 at belfast road. 5nother crash on southboun 9 at white marsh boulevard. boston street and paine street, another accident. red on the j.f.x. those delays falling into place. shut down from 26th and 27th. update on shawan road. going away from us is northbound traffic. not seeing them here on shawan. southbound is looking good on the bill went -- beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony has a check on your forecast. >> weather is nice and quiet to start the day.

temperatures in the upper 30's and 40's. down to 36 in frederick. temperatures this afternoon get closer to average. they get closer to the 60's after the chilly start. tomorrow, scattered showers and thunderstorms. into the weekend, things cool off again. friday,the low 60's on saturday, and sun and. --

♪ >> you are looking at some of the most gorgeous women in the world. but, only one can lay claim to the title of "people" magazine's world's most beautiful woman. we will reveal this year's choice for the first time in a moment. >> very exciting. >> yeah. 7:30 now on a wednesday morning. 25th day of april, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. got that silhouette of the photo. there it is right there. give you any hints? >> not at all. >> put your hand up like this. >> okay. >> now cut back here. and -- it could be you. could be you. >> i can promise you, it's not me. there's a lot of makeup on my

face. i could frost a cake. it's not me. >> we'll find out who it is in just a little while. >> okay, all right. also coming up ahead this morning the backlash to a mom who posted this photograph on her 13-year-old daughter's facebook page. she says it was the only way to reach her girl in the age of social media. but some parents are believing that the mom went too far. so we're going to tell you what she's now saying about this controversy in a moment. >> and a young bride who lost her husband to cancer just six weeks after their wedding. she says there is actually a silver lining to their story. she'll explain in a live interview. but we begin this half hour with help being brought in in the search for the 6-year-old arizona girl who vanished from her bedroom in the middle of the night. nbc's miguel almaguer is in tucson, arizona, with more on this. miguel, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. despite hundreds of leads, police say they've had no major breaks in this case. investigators say while they are now scaling back their physical search, they have called in on federal officials for extra help.

as investigators began their fifth day in the search for 6-year-old isabel celis, the fbi has deployed a special team to tucson. a behavioral analysis unit is now working with lead investigators. the agents will review some of the 260 tips and once again search the family home. >> the number one thing a behavioral analyst will look at, beyond the local trends and patterns of crime in that particular area, is the family. but not just the direct family. everyone close to the family. >> reporter: tuesday night, hundreds of friends and strangers gathered at the little league field where the 6-year-old used to play. her father's friends offered words of support for isabel's parents. >> still feel like it's the first day it's happening, so sergio, thank you for listening. my prayers are with you and we hope you find isabel soon. >> reporter: isabel's parents told police they last saw their daughter sleeping in their 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 found open, but the case has not been ruled a kidnapping. instead a suspicious disappearance. police say the parents are cooperating, and investigators say they're still reviewing potential forensic evidence collected from the family home. monday, police say specially trained fbi dogs like these may have found something of interest inside the home. tuesday, dozens of police officers finished combing through a local landfill and searching inside neighborhood homes with no major breaks. but today, as detectives scale back their physical search for isabel, the national center for the missing and exploited children has made her disappearance a top priority. >> there are many examples of children coming home safely after days, weeks, even years. we hope it doesn't take that long to bring little isabel home. >> she's lost from her family. >> reporter: hope is what this

community is holding onto. >> protect her from above. >> reporter: tuesday night prayers for isabel, while just a few miles away, federal agents focused on the very place she should have been safe. with the fbi re-entering the family home, the celis family has not been able to return. police have no suspects, and though their physical search is scaling back, they will still have a very large police presence here. matt? >> all right, miguel almaguer in tucson this morning. thank you very much. it's 34 after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thanks. was it a creative punishment or did it cross the line? an ohio mom has raised eyebrows for the way she dealt with her daughter's disrespectful behavior. "today" national correspondent amy robach is here with this story. hey, amy, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. the 'tween and teen years can certainly be a time of rebellion. but when an ohio teen decided to post her gripes on her facebook page her mom took to the same venue to set her straight. denise abbott is the first to

admit raising a 13-year-old is a challenge. her daughter ava was acting out, being disrespectful, denise says, and too much drama with friends aired on facebook for all to see. >> when you put everything on facebook, you have to realize that there's consequences for all of your actions. >> reporter: so when denises repeated attempts to curb the behavior failed, she turned to facebook to teach ava a lesson. >> i decided to do something that i know would totally impact her and that the next time she started that she'd think, i don't want my face all over facebook again with a red "x" over my mouth. >> reporter: denise changed her daughter's profile to read, i do not know how to keep my -- the red "x" is meant to finish that sentence. i am no longer allowed on facebook or my phone. please ask why. my mom says i have to answer everyone that asks. >> you have to adapt your parenting skills with the times. >> reporter: but what some call creative punishment, others may see as a bit extreme. >> this right here is my .45.

>> reporter: like the north carolina father who unloaded nine rounds into his teen daughter's laptop when he discovered what he felt were nasty postings on her facebook page. tommy jordan appeared on "today" with his wife and daughter to explain himself. >> i got down on to her level, on the exact same format she used. she put it on facebook. i put it on facebook. >> reporter: but experts say public humiliation may not be the best teaching tool. >> we know parenting is tough and kids push our buttons. but at no time is it a reason to humiliate your child. >> reporter: denise told nbc news that every parent needs to pick a punishment they think fits their child's personality. she said she felt her daughter was well adjusted enough to handle it. and wanted to offer discipline that would reach ava in the social media world that's such a big part of ava's life. as for ava, she said in an e-mail, i feel like i deserved it, because i was mean to my mom and spoke disrespectful to her in front of my friends. it made me realize that i didn't

want my picture on there like that, because all of my friends were asking me what happened and what i did. now denise accepts that some people are critical of her methods but says in the end she feels her daughter learned a valuable lesson and she adds, she now regularly talks with her daughter to make sure all her facebook friends are people who she actually knows, and she encourages other parents to do the same. one more note, in a poll on her website, more than 70% of parents admit to spying on their teens facebook page, ann. >> all right, teenagers be warned. amy robach, thank you so much this morning. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> ann, thank you so much. we've got some chilly weather here in the east. but warm weather, record-breaking weather again out west. high pressure ridge slides to the east but still keeps the jet stream way above normal up to the north. in the west, record or near-record highs. amarillo, 97. 103 in midland. 89 in dallas. you move to the east and we still have some chilly weather to talk about. we're looking at montpelier,

vermont, 6 degrees below normal. watertown, 47. altoona at only 59 degrees where they've got the curb. >> good morning. it will turn out to be a pretty nice day. it is a little chilly to start today. temperatures will get back to where we should be this time of year, >> and that's your latest weather. matt? ann? >> al, thank you. earlier we told you about the university of colorado freshman, right, who spilled her food on president obama when he made a stop at a restaurant in boulder. let's take a look. >> oh, look it, you got me. you got me. >> i'm so sorry.

>> i'm teasing. that's okay. whose yogurt got on me? >> it was mine. i'm really sorry. it was mine. >> you've got a good story to tell. you can say, well i spilled yogurt all over the president. >> well, yeah, i'm very embarrassed of that story now. but it's a pleasure. the pleasure is all mine. >> well, the young lady at the center of yogurtgate is with us now from denver, colorado. colby, good morning. how you doing? >> good morning. i'm good. how are you? >> i'm all right. this all seemed like it started really well. you were in the right place at the right time. you got to get up close and personal with the president. and then it took a kind of messy turn. what happened? >> well, basically, secret service brought us a little bit closer to where president obama was supposed to be coming out of the restaurant, and so, we were just waiting there patiently, and then he came down this line

of people, and we knew we were going to be pretty like -- we were pretty close so we knew we'd eventually get to shake his hand. and so i think as he comes towards us a little bit more, paparazzi come rushing behind us and right as i'm shaking his hand the paparazzi kicks the bowl that i had placed on the ground onto the president. and it was mine, so, obviously i took the blame for it. >> in fact, that was impressive. you jumped right in there and said, hey, this is my fault. and -- and -- i think that he was impressed by that. >> well, hopefully. because it technically was my fault that i'd placed it there. but, i mean, i'm not one who spilled it on him or kicked it on him. as some of the stories have been told. so, yeah. >> but then it resulted in a pretty long back and forth between you and the president, you actually got to carry on -- >> yes. >> -- a conversation with the commander in chief. >> yeah. which is really surprising.

i didn't really expect that. i just expected him to shrug it off, try and clean it up a little bit, and then just get on withalking to his car. to leave. so, yeah, it was pretty exciting being able to talk to him for a minute or two, to like try and exchange what just happened. >> colby, it's hard to see from the videotape, but just how much yogurt got on the president? >> it wasn't a lot. honestly, more of it got on me, the ground, and on the secret service. so -- it got on his trousers a little bit, though. >> colby before i let you go, i do want to mention that shortly after you had your run-in with the president you went on to your sorority for initiation. >> yeah, i did. alpha p. >> please tell me this wasn't some kind of a challenge as part of that initiation where you had to spill something on the leader of the free world. >> oh -- oh, my gosh, no.

not at all. like it just -- it was a huge coincidence that this happened the same day that i had my initiation. all in all i'd say it was a pretty eventful and pretty memorable day for me. >> all right. well you've been a good sport about it, colby. thanks very much. nice talking to you. >> thank you. nice talking to you, as well. >> she's right, the president is right, she does have a story to tell. anyway, coming up still ahead, "people" magazine's pick for the most beautiful woman. but first, these messages. i am going to become facebook friends with our babysitter. no. these work, right? no. all right. mom! look what i found in the shed! no! no! no! ♪ ew! were you guys just making out in here? what? no! is it okay if i quit my job and start a blog? no. really? cold cuts from a package? yes. [ male announcer ] in a world filled with "no," it's nice to finally say "yes." new oscar mayer selects deli meat. the tastes you love and no artificial preservatives. it's yes food.

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we're back now at 7:44 with a story that will make parents sit up and take notice. at least 16 teenagers in the los angeles area alone treated for alcohol poisoning in recent months, after they trank hand sanitizer. and some are blaming the internet. nbc's mike taibbi is at children's hospital in los angeles. mike, good morning. >> good morning, matt. you know, hand sanitizers have been around for years. used by millions of people. but because they're alcohol based products and because people can buy them over the counter, some people used them as a way to try and get high and it's mostly teens who have been doing the experimenting. one of the reasons hand sanitizers feel wet when you use them but dry very quickly is because they're made with alcohol. a lot of alcohol. over 60% in most formulas. and that's why you can go to youtube and find video after video of kids saying they're drinking the stuff. they drink it knowing the dangers. >> it could kill you.

>> reporter: but know also that it's illegal and expensive over-the-counter item that you use to get high, just as kids drank hair spray, cough syrup, nyquil and other household products. in l.a. in just the past few months 16 teens have gotten so high on sanitizers, and so sick, they needed emergency care. >> they are not happening at the same time, in the same place. so it is a concern for us that this is a trend that's happening independent of each other. >> reporter: all brand name sanitizers carry warnings. purell even issued a corporate statement saying to discourage misuse purell contains ingredients that impart an unpleasant taste. but some people aren't just swigging or sniffing these products as-is. they learned on the internet how to extract the alcohol content and drink that straight. >> that's about 120 proof. so we're talking about hard shots of hard liquor. >> reporter: now it's one thing to play substance abuse for laughs as in the classic farce "airplane." but there are no laughs in a scene like this.

another from youtube. >> hand sanitizer. right here. just take one big whiff. >> reporter: using purell not for its intended purpose. but in a way that could lead to acute alcohol poisoning and all its consequences. the poison control center's 2010 stats, the most recent available, listed more than 3700 cases nationwide involving hand sanitizers. but only 411 were for teens or older people. the vast majority of cases for kids under 5 who accidentally ingested the product. so, no cause for alarm about a skyrocketing teen trend says the editor of a woman's issues website, just for more prudent parenting. >> talk to your kid about common sense. don't eat things that aren't food. don't drink things that are poison. >> reporter: the director of a treatment center in san diego reminded us that the kids will always try and find some way to get high. for that reason they've banned completely hand sanitizers from their facility.

but she also said the kids will always find a way to try and sneak the stuff in. matt? >> fun being a parent, isn't it, mike? thank you very much. coming up, we will reveal "people" magazine's pick for the world's most beautiful woman. right after 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. can you play games on that? ♪ abracadabra. new hershey's milk chocolate with almonds in pieces. your favorites, in pieces.

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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. until i had the shingles. i have never encountered such a burning sensation... it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com back now at 7:50. it's time to finally reveal "people" magazine's world -- world's most beautiful woman. and here is senior writer alexis

pugh. good morning. >> good morning. >> let us not wait another second. who is the world's most beautiful woman? >> our world's most beautiful woman is -- beyonce. >> good choice. >> very good choice. >> talk to me why. >> okay. we don't need to say it but she's flawless. she's gorgeous. she's a music icon at 30 years old. on top of it she's got this glow going on. she's a new mom. just upped the ante. we really feel like she's the most beautiful woman in the world right now. >> did you interview her for the magazine? did she talk about motherhood? >> couldn't shut her up about it. this is a woman who is very focused, so driven and ambitious she's already gearing up for her first post-baby concert next month. get her talking about her daughter blue ivy and she glows even more brightly. she talks about everything from labor and delivery, how she didn't really feel pretty, tried wearing some lip gloss. >> she didn't feel pretty? >> during labor and delivery. she talked about breast-feeding,

just about her daughter a lot. >> congratulations to beyonce. but we want to mention there are some other people on the list, michelle williams, jennifer hudson made it. jennifer lawrence, kristen whig. >> all beautiful women who are very of the moment. jennifer lawrence, katniss, need i say more? she's so natural. she does the whole tomboy thing on screen and then she cleans up really well and she's just flawless and beautiful. >> also in the most beautiful category you have men. bradley cooper. blake shelton also on the list. >> very beautiful men. blake shelton, country fans have known him for years. i think "the voice," the success of "the voice" has opened the rest of america's eyes. he's got that drawl, he's tall and handsome. and really kind, too. >> anybody bald ever made the list? >> we're thinking about you for next year. i've taken it under advisement. >> meredith, kathie lee also made categories in this magazine. >> yes. rheumatoid arthritis... ...could mean living with joint damage.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check of the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. still tracking problems. heavy delays on 95 out of the northeast. 15 miles per hour on average from the harford county line. all up to the side, so all lanes get by. dulaney valley, fairmount, accident and another one at york road and don kirk road. ballston and haven street, watch for crashed in the city. wilkens ave and southwestern

blvd. delayed from reisterstown road all the way to the outer loop. in towards 29, you will find the base as well. this is the pace of things. average speeds around 15 mi. per hour, and it looks even worse prior to the accident scene. slow go in the area of coldspring. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are off to a quiet start, with a bang-wise. temperatures on the chilly side. upper 30's and 40's. starting to warm up in the city. 53 degrees downtown. it will be warmer than the last couple of days. only in the 40's on monday. degree job., a 20-

we will see a chance for a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. it gets cooler going into the weekend. there could be some

8:00 on a wednesday morning. 25th day of april, 2012. weather considerably better than it was yesterday. still chilly, 46 degrees. but, blue skies here in rockefeller plaza. by the way, a little extra excitement out here on the plaza this morning. over here, we have the parks and recreation star stops by. we're going to be chatting with him in just a couple of minutes. >> cool shades. >> always. >> we love rob. >> i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and mr. al roker. what else is coming up?

>> we have a really beautiful story coming up about a couple, fell in love in college, they planned to spend their lives together, and then he discovered some devastating news that he had cancer. they were able to pull together a wedding in three days. a beautiful wedding that was poignant, and powerful for the family. well, he passed away. she is in our studio this morning to tell a story of love, and resilience, and it has really touched a nerve with so many people online, because she's posted these amazing images of their wedding, and of their lives together. it's a real story. >> love that. >> and on a much, much different note, as you know, rosie o'donnell was here earlier this week taking part in our "today's professionals" segment. her comments making all sorts of news online, including lindsay lohan comments.

well, we figured what the heck, let's bring her back? so she's going to be back with star and donny, they'll be back tomorrow. all together for "today's professionals." >> okay. here we go. >> let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk with the headlines. >> good morning again, matt, ann and al. good morning, everyone. nearly five years after british girl madeleine mccann vanished during a family trip to portugal, scotland yard said this morning they believe there is a possibility that madeleine is still alive. investigators released an age progression image showing what she might look like nine as almost a 9-year-old and they said they have nearly 200 leads that should be pursued. scotland yard also urged portuguese police to reopen their own investigation. federal health officials have confirmed the first case of mad cow disease here in the u.s. in six years. the disease was found in a dead dairy cow in california. officials say no meat from the animal was ever headed for the food supply and they say there is no threat to human health. a senate panel questions

homeland security secretary janet napolitano today about the secret service prostitution scandal. meantime the secret service has announced the results of its disciplinary action for the 12 employees thought to be involved. seven personnel resigned, one is in the process of being terminated, one retired, and three were cleared but given disciplinary action. police and social workers visited the home of so-called octomom nadya suleman on tuesday after receiving a complaint of general child neglect. investigators said they found the environment suitable for the children, and decided the youngsters can remain in the home. and now for a look at what is trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online, a day spent courting young voters has made president obama a hot topic online. we told you earlier about the colorado student who spilled yogurt on the commander in chief. well, there's also the goofy photo with a fan on instagram and this video of the president on the news on late night with

jimmy fallon. >> their position is that students just have to make this rate increase work. frankly, i don't buy it. ♪ hmm the monster ain't buying it ♪ >> the president taped the fallon bit during a stop at university of north carolina. tmz says actress lindsay lohan was stunned to hear rosie o'donnell criticize her during a guest appearance tuesday on "today's professionals." rosie said she was not capable of playing liz taylor in a new lifetime movie which apparently surprised the young starlet who thought that they were on great terms. as al mentioned earlier, rosie will be back on "today's professionals" here tomorrow. and comedian russell brand is trending online, after his cheeky appearance before a panel of the british parliament where he testified about his past heroin abuse. >> you were arrested roughly 12

times. >> yes. >> i think the public is -- >> yes. >> does also have some compassion and consideration for the victims of crime, whether crimes committed by people under the influence of drugs. >> partly. there is a question -- what about the victims of the crime? >> well, brand, who's recently divorced from singer katy perry argued that drug addiction should be treated as a sickness instead of a crime. it is now 8:05. let's go back outside to al with a check of your weather. >> all right. thank you so much, natalie. our friends from the march of dimes, what's happening? >> hey, al. we're here to talk about babies today. i'm an employee and mom of 2012 national ambassador for the march of dimes. >> and how do you get information? >> you get information from marchbabies.org. you can go there to sign up for

the walk, fund raise or pop in to a kmart store and make a contribution. >> all righty. thank you. let's check your weather and see what's going on. memphis, tennessee, wmc tv-5 one of the great heritage television stations in his country, sunny and mild temperatures in the mid 80s. you can see the rain coming in to the pacific northwest. also, all along the west coast, rain, down in to southern california. record highs from the plains on up into the mid rockies. risk of some strong storms from eastern iowa in to the west virginia and even into kentucky. we're looking at showers in new england, on into western new york state with upper elevations seeing a little light snow. and it's -- who's 60 today? happy birthday. what's your name? >> vicky. >> happy birthday. >> good morning. we're off to a chilly start. it will warm up quickly. temperatures get back closer to

average. we climbed into >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you very much. still to come we've got actor rob lowe taking his seat in our studio. we'll be talking to the star of "parks & recreation." also ahead a young bride loses her husband after just six weeks of marriage. her touching story of love and heartbreak right after this. [ male announcer ] ever wonder what's behind two little fleas? the next generation and then countless more. how do you kill them? frontline plus. it uses two ingredients. one to kill adult fleas and ticks. plus another to eliminate flea eggs and larvae, annihilating the next generation of fleas.

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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. >> back now at 8:11 with a love story cut far too short. a young bride loses her husband to cancer after just six weeks of marriage. it's a story that generated thousands of responses on our website. moving people in ways we rarely see. we're going to talk to the bride, bethany smith, in just a moment. but first, here's nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: the story of bethany and ryan in some ways is like many others in young love. they met their freshman year at the university of oregon and sparks flew. they were immediately, bethany describes it, joined at the hip. they graduated in 2009, found

jobs, settled in to an apartment, and knew the formality of tying the knot was not far off. in the meantime, they had the world by its tail. as they documented in pictures and home videos. indulging their passion for travel and adopting a cat. they named him boots. but ryan was feeling ill. a colonoscopy in january of last year revealed a large tumor in his colon. what turned out to be stage four testicular cancer. the diagnosis was initially hopeful and the couple tried to continue on with a normal life. ryan surprised bethany with an engagement ring last july. as his condition took a turn for the worse, reality set in. doctors said he had very little time left. in december, with just three days planning, and herculean help from their friends, bethany and ryan were married.

despite ryan's frail condition, it was a day filled with joy. they treasured every moment. >> here's our rings. and yours. they look so good. >> love you. >> reporter: ryan passed away six weeks later. while there is sadness, bethany says she sees a silver lining and hopes others will, too. she found her true life, the kind many spend a lifetime searching. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. >> bethany smith is now joining us exclusively. bethany, good morning. >> good morning. >> you have a big smile on your face. >> i'm excited to be here. >> excited to have you here.

i saw you watching that story with tears in your eyes. and also laughing. as well. it's just been barely three months. how are you doing? >> up and down. it's hard. but i have an amazing support system, and i have a lot of good memories, too. >> there is so much beauty in your story, as well. in addition to these memories. i can see you're still wearing the wedding ring. >> yep. >> do you -- tell us the story of how he proposed. because it was a surprise. >> it was a surprise. i -- one of the reasons -- he's still going through treatment at the time, and i had no focus on the idea of getting engaged at that point. it was one of those things we assumed we'd do it after the fact. so that was one of the reasons

why he decided to propose while he was still kind of in treatment, because he knew it was the only way he would surprise me. and we took a trip to bend, central, oregon for the weekend and he said he was uncomfortable from the drive and needed to pull over. and i was like chemo patient, you know, whatever he needs, we can do. and he -- we were walking down by the water and he just dropped down to one knee and i dropped down to both knees, and freaked out a bit. but, it was -- it was a huge surprise and really special. >> you, at the time, had heard positive news that the prognosis might be good for ryan. >> his original prognosis was 100%. >> and you wanted to wait two years before you got married. why? >> i always told him i wanted to be engaged for two years because i wanted to be able to plan it for two years.

but, when he proposed and he was, you know, still dealing with all the health stuff we pushed it back. we were thinking 2013. just wait until he's healthy, recovered, and we could then start planning from there. >> you didn't get that time. and as time was running out, you realized you had to do something quickly. so you planned this in three days. how did you pull off such a beautiful wedding in so short a time? >> well, it wasn't just me. it was definitely a group effort, and you know, it really just came down to us deciding what was important to us for that day. and making those things happen. and trying to let go of the things that, you know, didn't necessarily need to be there. >> you've said looking back there was more love in that room than i had ever experienced in my life, and looking at these images we can see that love. so many people, 400,000 people, have read this story on today.com, and the responses

have been just beautiful. so many people deeply moved. one commenting, i am singing and not in love and i'm still bawling my eyes out. it's nice to know the precious few who are so very lucky to fall in love like this. may he rest in peace and prayers to bethany for a happy and successful life. how do you respond to this, this, this reaction to the beauty of your relationship with ryan? >> i mean, it's a bit overwhelming. but in a positive way. i think that it's good to know that it brings out the best in people just hearing something like that. i hope it would be a positive influence. i mean obviously we were dealt a very hard situation. but, seeing other people being inspired by it, i guess, could make it a little easier in a way. >> inspired by the strength of the two of you, and the depth of your love, and we're ought of time but i want to quickly ask

that we take a photograph, show your parents, and also ryan's parents, carrie and peter are here, and your parents susan and steve are also here and we recognize them from your wedding. congratulations to your family for the resilience and the beauty of the love you found with ryan >> thank you. >> thank you so much for being here. all right. and we're back right after these messages.

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we're back now at 8:21 with rob lowe, one of the stars of nbc's hit comedy "par "parks & recreation." he plays an energetic and optimistic state auditor who's helping amy poehler's character, leslie knope run for city council. welcome back. >> good to see you. >> you have said this character makes you throw everything you ever knew about acting out the window. how can that be? >> most actors want to be able

to play a character where there's a lot of different choices. what i've learned playing chris is there's only one choice. positive and happy, no matter what the situation is. if i'm positive and happy about it it's always funnier. >> he's a bit of a loon, too. on the one side he is excessively positive. he wants to live to 150. he's a health freak. and then at the drop of a hat, at the littlest thing he goes into a bout of depression. >> yeah. he's a very fragile -- he's like a sue fly. he's strong on the top, very weak on the inside. >> tell me more about this guy. he's trying to dig parks and recreation department out of a big monetary hole. >> right. >> is he kind of one of the spokes that turns the wheel? >> i think chris is, and this is why i love playing him, and the writers do such a great job with him, is whenever he comes on, you really don't know what you're going to get. even though you know he's always going to be positive. and so that's always fun, to play a character that comes on,

and does this thing, and surprises you. >> there's a great ensemble cast on this show. and you said in an interview recently, you said it's always easy to have fun on a movie set, because it's a limited period of time. it's harder to have fun and continue having fun on a sitcom set because it goes on and on. >> right. >> how does that affect your daily life? >> well it makes coming to work not feel like coming to work. right? >> so are you still having fun on this? you've been on the show now a couple of seasons. >> i think this is my fourth. >> 2010. >> i don't even know anymore. that's how much fun that i'm having. what i love about the group of actors, "a," they're funny as all get-out. but they're so entrepreneurial. everybody's writing books and writing scripts and having stand-up acts. they just have so much going on, there's so much energy on the set that isn't just about coming in and making what we're making. >> you talk about that they're all got these other projects. there's an article about you in "success" magazine, talking about the fact that you've been

doing what you're doing in terms of being in this line of work since 1983 i think it was. >> yes. acting since '79, my first tv show. >> a very long time. >> right. >> and you are as successful today, as ever. and it's that question of how you've managed -- a lot of actors experience fame in short bursts. >> right. >> how have you managed to come up with the longevity side of your career? >> well i think a lot of it has to do with having a lot of interests. not just about your career in quotes. i'm interested in writing. so i wrote a book. last year. i love -- i'm lucky to have a great family and i love that, so that keeps you vital. and it keeps you sort of participating in life. i think what happens is you kind of stop participating in the broader world, and then it's really hard to be relevant, because you have no relevant relationship to the outside world. >> but you said something in that interview that almost runs counter to the way i've learned to do things. and you said, one of the things

that makes you so successful is that you learned to say yes. your immediate instinct is to say yes. >> yes. >> and people, i've been taught over the years, that saying yes too often can get new trouble. >> well, it's gotten me in trouble. listen, i hosted the academy awards and sang and danced with snow white once. let's not forget that. >> i was actually going to bring that up. >> listen, there is a downside, the academy awards wants me? where i come from, i say yes. right? and that will -- that can bite new the butt. but more often than anything, it leads to something good somewhere that you might not even be able to connect the dots to. >> i'm one of these people i have to learn how to say no. >> yeah, yeah. well, you may have to go back to saying yes. >> what's the next thing you're going to say yes to? what else is on the horizon? >> we hopefully are back for "parks&recreation" next year. tonight i have a movie premiering at the tribeca film festival called "night fight."

i'm excited about the movie and excited about the festival. >> rob lowe, what a pleasure. >> you bet. >> we are going to have much the >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get at check out the morning commute with traffic pulse 11. >> accident is gone southbound near white marsh. down to 24 mi. our from past mountain road to the white marsh area. heavy volume in the area of harford road towards the harrisburg expressway. the body fights and edgewood, watch for a crash -- liberty heights and edgewood, watch for crash. southbound route 3 and crofton boulevard, watch for an accident.

five times a 26 minutes on the outer loop west side. 14 to get through the outer loop from 795 and at the j.f.x. here is pickwick live look at traffic. white marsh is looking a lot better. live view of traffic on the j.f.x. not the case. plenty of a volume towards the construction zone. >> at least there is nothing going on, weather-wise. we started out in the mid- thirties in some neighborhoods. back in the 40's and now. 53 downtown at the maryland science center. forecast for today, a mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. warmer than the last couple of days, with high temperatures in the upper 60s. scattered showers and

thunderstorms are possible. >> thank you for joining us. another update at 8:56.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning. the 25th of april, 2012. and we're giving some muchish deserved camera time for our big crowd this morning. it's a little chilly out here in rockefeller plaza. but their smiles are warming us up while we join them. i'm ann curry along with matt lauer, natalie morales and al roker. and just ahead we are going to take a test by a harvard professor. >> this is fascinating stuff.

we live in a society where just about everything has a price tag on it. you can buy almost anything. you can -- but should you, for example, pay your kids to get better grades? should you pay to jump the security line at an airport? the question that is asked in this book over and over again, you can do it. but should you do it. >> hmm. all right. >> and also then we're going to keep it simple in the kitchen. one of our favorites around here, mark bittman, is hire. he's got three quick and easy springtime pasta dishes. guaranteed your family is going to love them. and martha stewart is here to show us how to make some of her favorite treats. >> but before we get to all of that. can we say hello to jason siegel? he's a big star. >> hello. >> of the "five year engagement." great to have you. is it true that you participated in writing this movie? >> yeah, yeah. i'm one of the cowriters.

this is our third collaboration. >> both talented. >> people can identify with this, because no one road to the altar is a smooth one. emily blunt your co-star said you are shameless. does that have anything to do with you exposing your butt in another film? >> i'll tell you, what's a shame. is apparently me being naked is funny. on-screen, in my personal life. if i take my clothes off it's met with hysterical laughter for some reason. >> i understand the full frontal shot got lost on the editing floor, is that true? >> they couldn't find a lens wide enough. >> oh, wow. >> oh. >> as far as when you're doing this kind of comedy, though, it's kind of raunchy. do you know when you cross the line, or where you are? >> well, this movie is actually, it's a bit more adult than any of the stuff we've done. it's definitely raunchy and raucously funny but sort of back

to the annie hall type comedies. it's a movie about an exploration of a relationship over five years. and what a fluid thing power dynamics are over that long. we're growing up a little bit. the kid's growing up. >> emily blunt, of course, such a great star. >> i know. >> i love her. i imagine you two had a great time. >> we've been friends for about five years. that's why i wrote it for her. >> you wrote it for her. >> yeah, i did. i hate romantic comedies where it seems like two viable holiday wood actors have been slumped together because they've had successful movies before and they keirly don't know each other. this seems like two best friends in a movie. what's awesome about being a writer is i get to write love scenes with emily blunt and she shows up and she just has to do it. >> it's on the page. >> jason, it's great to see you. >> congratulations. >> thank you. what a nice, long interview. >> just like your full frontal.

>> well, on that note, "the five year engagement" from our sister company universal pictures hits theaters on friday. and now, a check of the weather. >> thank you. >> let's see what's going on as they congratulate themselves on a job well done. looking at rain up and down the east coast. look for some showers in new england. plenty of sunshine through the gulf coast. record heat making its way through the southern plains. tomorrow, we're looking at that risk of strong storms, moving back in to the central plains. more wet weather along the west coast with mountain snows there. rain here in the northeast. plenty of sunshine along the gulf coast. and sunny and cool in the upper mississippi river valley and western great lakes. >> good morning. it will turn out to be a pretty nice day. it is a little chilly to start today. temperatures will get back to where we should be this time of year,

>> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thank you very much. the nfl draft kicks off tomorrow right down the street here in new york city. the two guys who are joining us now should go somewhere in the ninth or tenth round. we have got andrew luck and heisman trophy winner robert mcquesten. you've had all the fame and adulation. people have talked about you for years and years now. when you finally get drafted and you sign those contracts, your lives are going to change. are you prepared for that? >> ready for the next step. you know, college is great. it will be nice to be at the bottom of the totem pole. >> we get to get in the real

world. >> and andrew it looks like you're going to indianapolis. that certainly seems to be the sign. and that's a great city. it's, of course, though where peyton manning has been one of the most valuable football players of all time. does that -- is that sobering, is that something that you take lightly or do you think about that? >> well, obviously grown up as a kid -- he was my football hero. woke up every sunday to try and watch peyton manning. you know, to go in that situation, you don't create that situation yourself. you kind of always pick up certain things. but you know, i'm up for the challenge, i guess. i know, you know, it would be almost impossible to live up to what he's done. but you know, i'll still try and do it my own way and do the best i can. >> robert, they call you r.g. 3. seems like the fans have already embraced you. that's got to be a big deal. >> i've already seen at least seven shirts with my name on it.

so it's not just excitement. they're not just excited about me. they're excited about the team so i'm happy about that. >> you guys are so cool but are you at all nervous the deals aren't quite done yet? are you nervous about what you're taking on? >> a bit more excited. nerves come with it but definitely excited. >> you're about to win the lottery. >> oh, yeah. >> good luck with that. >> two great playest that we've seen in a long time. we're going to have much more ahead on a wns morning. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:39. and these days it seems as though almost everything is for sale. harvard professor's new book "what money can't buy" takes a hard look at what's up for grabs in our society and asks even if you can buy something, should

we? >> hmm. >> sandel teaches a class at harvard called justice. a course so popular that his lectures have been viewed millions of times online. michael, it's great to see you. good morning. >> good to be with you. >> these questions that you're going to be asking us, actually, a little bit of a twist here this morning, are these money questions, or are these moral dilemmas? >> well, they're money questions that are moral dilemmas. because one of the things that is up for grabs in our society is what role should money play in our lives? >> give us an example then. put us to the test. by the way, are there right and wrong answers to these? or only in the eye of the beholder? >> let's start by having a discussion. you'll be the judge of that. >> all right. >> let's suppose you're running a school. the kids come from tough backgrounds. they're not performing well. they're not reading books. someone comes to you with the

proposal, why don't we offer cash incentives for good grades. let's pay kids $2 for each book they read. third graders, let's say. >> mm-hmm. >> shall we take a quick vote? >> yeah. >> how many would -- how many like the idea? and how many are not -- how many would go for it? >> i don't think so. >> don't we kind of do that anyway in offering scholarships to higher education? >> these are third graders. >> i know. >> so you're all against. >> the three of us are against. >> matt is on the fence. >> i think if it were a small amount of money that they could go out and buy something they wanted they might be in favor. >> $2 per book. >> i say invest that money in books that they really are going to love and read. >> i'm going to give the kids the cash. >> okay. >> so you need to hear from the three. what's wrong with it? >> well, look, i think about with my own son, does he do a certain thing i'm going to get you a toy or something like that. maybe not much different than that. so now that i think about it,

maybe i would go for it. >> it seems the easy solution. but it seems also the wrong solution. has to be other options, number one. but number two, i think that you want reading as an opportunity to be exposed to the entire world. and you don't want people to think that you have to pay them to read. this should be something that they can have themselves. >> maybe what's wrong with it is for the kids who aren't able to read well. and they don't have the same proficiency in being able to read books. they all of a sudden miss out maybe by no fault of their own. >> so there are two objections here. matt's is about fairness. ann's -- ann seems to worry about crowding out the thing that we want to teach, the right attitude toward books. >> the joy and love of reading. >> the love of reading for its own sake. money might chase out that desire. >> exactly. >> you ready for another one? >> well, let me ask you -- has that actually happened? >> it has. >> so it's plucked from the

headlines? >> it was. well it's interesting, in new york city schools, they tried it for grades and it didn't work. in dallas they tried it for reading books for $2 for the third graders, it did work in the sense that the kid read more books but the books become shorter. >> hmm. >> what did they take away from those books? >> that's the longer-term question. that's the big question. to the whole point. >> give us another dilemma. >> all right. waiting on line. >> mm-hmm. >> yes. >> at an amazement park these days, if you don't want to wait on line and you have the money you can buy a ticket that lets you go to the head of the line -- >> a fast pass. >> a vip pass. >> that kind of thing. >> at airports, those get up to the security checkpoint. we know that if you buy an expensive ticket or pay extra, you get to jump to the head of the line. >> right. >> how about that. is that -- >> i think it's fair. you pay -- >> if you want to buy i first

class ticket you're going to pay a premium but you pay for the service. >> i think it's fair. >> i do, too. >> i am not sure i think it's fair. it's something i've done, and i have to say that i always feel guilty about it. but -- >> but we do it. >> why do you feel guilty? >> because there's an inherent unfairness to it, i think, you are paying for a service. the one time i came out of a plane and i was in first class, and they stopped everyone who was in coach from even exiting the plane until we all got out and i just wanted to put a bag over my head. it just feels, there's a sense of, i'm kind of better than you. and i don't -- i don't think that is right. >> what do you think, matt? >> i want people to like me, i'm going to say look, the people who are less affluent then are not afforded the same convenience and why is their time not as important as my time? >> would you make a difference between early boarding privileges, so you can put your bag in the overhead bin, that's

a convenience. and or going through the security check quicker? >> hmm? >> is there a difference? >> what we just signed up, a lot of us here, for this system. but they do a security check on you right now, for a fee that allows you to go faster through the line. so it's not like they're letting you go by without security. >> but you're still paying a fee. >> it's about those with money having an easier life than those who don't and there's something fundamentally unfair about that. because not everyone has access to being able to get money -- >> but then -- >> until america becomes fair in terms of how able people can be -- make money, until the playing field is fair, it is unfair. >> just to wrap it up, it's a fantastic book because it forces you to say, we know we can do something, but should we do that thing? did we fail? did we pass? what happens here? >> it's how you debate. >> what you began essentially in the disagreement was the kind of

debate i think we need to have more often in our society about where money and market serves the public good and where they don't belong. >> the book is "what money can't buy." professor michael sandel. professor, michael, thank you so much. great to have you here. up next mark bittman puts a new twist on a classic spring dish, pasta primavera. but should he?

we're back with this morning's "how to cook everything today." a new spin on a classic dish, pasta primavera. mark bittman is here with easy variations you can try at home. mark, good to see you. >> hi, matt. >> pasta primavera a time-honored recipe. >> actually it's kind of a new recipe. >> it's a classic. >> in the spring you should make pasta with spring vegetables. >> we're going to make one here

that's basically a one skillet dish exempt for the pot you're going to boil the pasta in. >> i think all of these are a one skillet dish. we're using fresh pasta which cooks very, very quickly. and we're going to put in some chilies and some olive oil. chopped chilies, and some peas that we blanched in the same water that we're doing the pasta. >> has to be fresh peas? you know you want it to be. >> this is the whole thing. it's spring. you can make this any time with frozen peas. but, so at this point, we're actually ready to put in the pasta but it's not quite ready. just give it another second. >> that's okay. >> we're going to do mint and some parmesan. >> and you know, when i have pasta primavera i don't like it when they put too many vegetables in it. i like to be able to get a sense of the pasta as well and not have it overpowered. >> that's the idea here. is fresh vegetables, a little bit of pasta and a lot of flavor. so really, each of these dishes

features, this one is obviously peas, features one vegetable, pasta, and a lot of flavor. some mint on top. >> a little pecorino? >> and some parmesan, actually. >> perfect. >> all right. so that's one dish. >> that's one. >> what's the twist on this one? >> this is great. this is leeks which a lot of people don't know what to do with. but they brown beautifully. they get very sweet and tender. and they make a terrific bed for this dish. >> but you add something for a little extra flavor kick on this one. >> well, before the leeks we sauteed a bunch of bacon and that's out. and then we cook the leeks in the bacon fat that's remaining in the pan. >> okay. >> and then a nice trick here is some fried eggs. and you cook them just enough to set the whites a little bit. you want the yolk very, very runny. because the remaining -- the heat that's retained by your pasta and the heat in the pan, of course, is going to finish

cooking them. >> what's the dish you taught me how to make with the pasta and the eggs and the parmesan? >> a cash nara. what am i forgetting? nothing. we put the bacon in. and then the pasta goes on top of everything, and essentially, you're scrambling the eggs in the pasta. >> all right. and when it comes out. it looks something -- >> very much like that. parmesan again. >> in the minute we have left. i'm noticing something boiling like crazy. >> that's okay. we want this to be boiling. this is just heavy cream and butter. just, but -- >> okay. tell that to your doctor. >> right. blanche some spinach, take it out and chop it up. really what this is is creamed spinach with pasta. blanch some spinach. it will all thicken. >> nice pasta. >> and that's a beautiful thing. and as is typical with the spinach dish, a little bit of nutmeg. >> fantastic.

mark bittman. three different versions of pasta primavera. well done and quickly done. up next we're going to catch up with the latest contestants eliminated from "the voice." first this is "today" on nbc.

four more contestants eliminated this week on "the voice." joining us now, pip, james

mathai and cheesa. good to see you guys. pip what happened to the bow tie yesterday? last night? >> you know, i kind of i had to drop it for like one performance. because it was kind of getting to the fact where i couldn't do anything without the bow tie and i doesn't want it to like define me. i wanted to be a person without the bow tie. >> now, james, moving on to you, look, you were working as a mechanic, a car mechanic and you said this is it, you don't want to go back to that. so what do you do next? what's next? >> i don't know man. i'm trying to -- i really don't want to go right back to the body shop so i'm going to try to push my career and do some, just stay in music. i'll be pushing it as much as i can. >> wow, that's great. >> mathai, you -- it seemed like adam was really struggling, took him five minutes to finally, finally eliminate you. what do you think was going on there? >> you know, adam has been a

strong supporter of me from like the very beginning. so it's been crazy. but, you know, katrina did awesome and she deserved that moment. she really did. >> wow. and cheesa the judges seemed to really be impressed with your performance, whitney's houston's i have nothing on monday but not so impressed last night. what was the difference between then and now? >> you always definitely notice and i knew that both jamar and juliet were favorites. i tried to come out and do my best. to make it this far i'm very proud of myself and i'm thankful. and cee lo saved me twice so i'm grateful. >> does anybody have any regrets? we've laerd from some people who have been kicked off they felt their team captor, team leader didn't do them justice. any regrets from you guys? >> oh, not at all. no. >> i think it was a fantastic experience. and i have no regrets. everything went exactly how i wanted it to.

>> i agree. >> and do you think this is the beginning of something big for each of you? >> definitely. >> yeah. >> hopefully. >> that's terrific. we sure hope that happens for you. you've been great performers. pip, james, mathai and cheesa, thanks. the semifinals kick off next monday at 8:00, 7:00 central on nbc. we're back in a moment. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. city police have other suspect in custody for the beating of a tourist downtown. a family member turned in deangelo carter tuesday afternoon. two others are in custody in connection with the incident.

poli

>> good morning. we are off to a quiet start this wednesday. it will warm up quickly this afternoon. we will make all the way into the upper 60s. mixture of sunshine and a few clouds. chance for a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. >> we will have another weather update a