good morning. heads will roll. three top executives at jpmorgan chase, including one of the most powerful women on wall street, expected to lose their jobs as early as today. this after a $2 billion trading blunder. are big banks back to their old ways? did they learn anything from the financial crisis? and could we be headed for another one? new twist. the father of a missing 6-year-old girl in arizona asks to stay away from these two older children. do investigators think he knows more about his daughter's disappearance than he's letting on. and sexy and he knows it. this 18-year-old's version of the hit party song that's racked up 2.5 million hits on youtube in only four days.

♪ i'm sexy and i know it >> we'll meet him today, monday, ♪ i'm sexy and i know it >> we'll meet him today, monday, may 14th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a monday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. about this:2 billion trading blunder, the head of jpmorgan chase says the company has egg on their face and he admits that he was dead wrong about situations. it looks like the scandal is about to claim its first casualty. >> that's right. as we said three executives are reportedly set to leave that company, including chief investment officer ina drew, one of the most high-profile women on wall street. meantime over at yahoo, another resignation. that company's ceo is out after only four months. some are citing thyroid cancer

as a possible reason. but others say, this is more about lies on his resume than his health. we'll talk about all of that with cnbc's jim cramer coming up straight ahead. >> also this morning there's a young graduate student fighting for her life after she became infected with a flesh-eating disease. a very rare disease. it happened after a zip line accident and she's only had one leg amputated. but her parents who have been spending a lot of time with her in the hospital now say they have reason to be optimistic about her recovery. ear going to talk to them in a live interview. >> and we're going to be talking about the remarkable journey of ted williams. remember him, the so-called man with the golden voice. he spent years battling drug and alcohol addiction before he gained pretty instant fame with this video on youtube. well, now a little over a year later, how's he doing? is he still struggling with addiction? what's next in his career? we'll find out when ted williams joins us in our studio for a live interview. >> it will be good to catch up with him. >> things are going well. >> we're all crossing our

fingers and our toes. let's start with a check of the morning's top stories and natalie morales is at the news desk. >> good morning, ann and matt. good morning, everyone. the wildfire season is off to an ominous start in arizona. fire crews there are battling five separate wildfires across the state. the largest has grown to more than four square miles. hundreds of people have been ordered to evacuate and several buildings have been damaged. forecast calls for dry conditions, and triple digit temperatures. disaster officials say early storm warnings may have prevented injuries when this funnel cloud caught on tape struck sunday afternoon in central new mexico. there was some property damage, most of it, though, minor. the death toll has reached at least 15 after a plane crashed overnight in the himalayan mountains of nepal. it happened about 125 miles northwest of kathmandu. officials say the plane with 21 people on board was trying to land at an airport popular with mountain trekking tourists and hindu pilgrims. police in mexico say many of the 49 people whose bodies were found sunday along the highway

running from monterrey to texas had probably been killed elsewhere. meanwhile mexico's in the middle of a presidential campaign but critics say the candidates running to replace felipe calderon have not put forth detailed plans to combat the country's drug violence. a bomb exploded at a marketplace in northern afghanistan today killing at least nine people including a local member of the provincial council. the attack comes a day after gunmen assassinated the top afghan peace negotiator in the capital kabul. that killing was a setback to u.s.-brokered efforts to bring peace to the country. a study out today says one third of adults with autism have no paid job experience, college or technical schooling. nearly seven years after high sc school. the report in the journal pediatrics says the problem should be urgently addressed as a half m million autistic childn reach adulthood in the next decade. and we got all got a lesson in inspiration this weekend from an ivy league custodian. he came to the u.s. from the

former yugoslavia nearly 20 years ago. and sunday he graduated with a bachelor's degree in classics from columbia university. philipi took the custodian's job could he could get free tuition. and in washington, d.c. one college graduate got a degree, a diplo diploma, and, yes, a diamond. when sarah cooper stepped onstage, boyfriend sam miller got down on one knee. the two have apparently been together since their freshman year but their families urged them to put off the engagement until they were through with school. so not even a minute later, there you go, great proposal. five minutes past the hour. back over to matt, ann and al. of course she said yes. >> a no would have changed the whole meaning of the story. >> that is so cute. anyway. >> wow what a spectacular weekend we had here. i hope other people had the same weather. >> a lot of folks did. however it's coming to a quick close here in the northeast and the mid-atlantic states. we're talking about a lot of rain as we got a stationary front up to our north.

low pressure making its way in to the mid-atlantic region and so the rain continues. we're looking at anywhere from about a half an inch to three inches of rain from charleston all the way to the west of boston. rest of the country, gorgeous day in the pacific northwest, with temperatures in the 80s. could see some records there. 104 in phoenix, arizona today. along the gulf we've got hit or miss showers and thunderstorms. temperatures in the 80s. and we're looking at a beautiful day in the midwest with temperatures there into the low 80s and upper 70s. >> good morning. temperatures will turn a little cooler today. and on the weekend we will have clouds hanging around and often on rainshowers expected all the way through this evening,

>> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. three executives at jpmorgan chase are expected to leave their jobs this week after a trading blunder cost the nation's largest bank $2 billion. ceo jamie dimon addressed those losses when he spoke with david gregory for sunday's "meet the press." >> this is a stupid thing that, you know, that we should never have done, but we're still going to earn a lot of money this quarter. so it isn't like the company's jeopardized. we hurt ourselves and our credibility, yes. and that we've got to fully expect and pay the price for that. >> jim cramer is host of cnbc's "mad money." jim, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> before i talk about what the bank did, let's talk about how they're trying to handle the situation. jamie dimon is out there giving interviews said this was a stupid situation. three executives, it seems, will lose their jobs. how are they doing? >> all right. this makes a lot of sense. because on wall street there's supposed to be some accountability. jamie dimon is saying look, these are the bad guys. the problem is that he oversaw

them. so these guys are little versus jamie. >> not only did he oversee this situation, but a month ago, when it was brought to his attention, he started saying to people that this was a tempest in a teapot. he since admitted today that over the weekend that he was dead wrong about that. does someone like jamie dimon need to step aside? >> no, he will not step aside. there have been many trading losses at many firms. the difference is this guy was supposed to be the smartest banker in the country. these positions, this kind of risk taking, is not -- he can't understand it himself. >> let's talk about what they were trying to accomplish here. all this volatility over in europe, and according to the company, they were trying to hedge against that in another direction. but the way they did that was by going in to even riskier propositions elsewhere. where's the logic in that? >> there was no logic and that's what he's saying. look, this was stupid. i don't think he understood it. the people who put the position on don't understand it. this stuff is too complex. financial engineering is too hard. >> do we have the right to also ask the question, after all that

went down in 2008 with the bank meltdown and the financial crisis in this country, if they're still making these kinds of risky credit default swap investments, have they learned anything? >> absolutely nothing. and these people make fortunes and they won't have to give it back. the outraged american should feel -- >> the obama administration and congress are looking at this very closely. jamie dimon says this gives obama and his administration more ammunition to push forward tougher regulations on the banking industry. is anything going to happen here? >> no. >> despite all this, despite this headline again, still no major advances? >> they're too powerful. they have tremendous congressional mind share so to speak. they'll be able to water down the legislation, and these things will keep happening. that's just the way it is on wall street. >> let me ask you to change subjects quickly. the ceo of yahoo! is out after only four months. apparently he reported to some members of the board that he's battling thyroid cancer. but he's also a guy who's been called in to question for some things he put on his resume in

the past. what's happening at yahoo!? >> i never want to disparage someone who's got health problems. but the fact is he lied on his resume. that's no longer tolerable. >> is that why he's out? >> oh, definitely. there's not even an issue. this man lied on his resume. incredible. there are some parts of wall street and businesses that still have genuine accountability. >> all right. jim cramer. jim, thank you very much. and you can check out jim on "mad money" weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 eastern time on cnbc. it's ten minutes after the hour. here's ann. >> all right, matt, thank you. president obama heads to new york city today to do some fund-raising for his presidential campaign. while mitt romney spent his weekend making an appeal to some of his party's most conservative voters. nbc's peter alexander is in washington, d.c. with this story. >> good morning to you. president obama's re-election team is rolling out a new ad today that attacks mitt romney's central argument for his candidacy, his business credentials from his time at bain capital. but even as the president tries

to refocus this debate away from same-sex marriage, a senior administration official confirms that immediately after his public show of support the president began privately working to contain the possible damage among religious leaders and voters. gearing up to greet his liberal loyalists in new york city tonight, president obama, who the latest edition of "newsweek" calls "the first gay president" will join openly gay singer ricky martin hosting a fund-raiser co-sponsored by a pair of pro-obama latino and lbgt groups. the political impact of the president's gay marriage endorsement that mr. obama himself acknowledged may hurt him this fall remains unclear, especially political swing states like north carolina and virginia, which mr. obama won in 2008. >> i don't think he's going to lose both. i'm not sure the evangelicals were going to lean toward president obama anyway. >> on "meet the press," rnc chairman said the marriage debate may energize activists on both sides but doubts it will be

a decisive issue for voters. >> at the end of the day, however, this election is still going to be about the economy. >> reporter: still mitt romney this weekend visited the spiritual heart of the kvz movement, liberty university, founded by the late jerry falwell, hoping to strengthen his support among social conservatives. >> marriage is a relationship between one man, and one woman. >> reporter: at the campus where many view romney's mormon faith with suspicion, one theology course even labeling it a major cult, romney never specifically mentioned mormonism. and was politely received. >> he's a really great job considering the fact that he was coming in front of thousands of people that he knew disagreed with certain things. >> are you serious? >> meanwhile, "saturday night live" weighed in, having fun with the president and vice president, after joe biden forced president obama's hand on gay marriage. >> it's not fair, okay? i was the first one who said it should be legal, but now you're the one getting all the credit.

>> that's not true. >> oh! oh, yeah? oh really? then why are you all dressed up? >> i'm going to a gala with lady gaga and elton john. >> oh! see! that should be me. vice president never gets to go anywhere. >> gotta love him as joe biden. mitt romney's son gave us a little glimpse into the romney family mother's day. here is the photo they tweeted of his parents with their two newest grandchildren, david and william, grandkids 17 and 18, with a hat tip to his former rival rick santorum, romney emphasized to graduates this last weekend that strong family values, ann, are key to helping improve the economy. >> peter alexander, thank you so much for your reporting on this. once again here's matt. >> thanks. there are new developments this morning in the investigation into mysterious disappearance of a 6-year-old arizona girl.

her father has now been barred from having contact with his two older sons. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest on this. miguel, good morning. >> matt, good morning. isabel celis vanished over three weeks ago. police still don't have any suspects. her father was the last person to see her and now sources tell nbc news for the time being, he's been asked to stay away from his two other children. >> what did we do? >> reporter: sergio and becky celis say their 6-year-old daughter isabel was kidnapped, snatched from her bedroom as she slept overnight. but now as her disappearance enters day 24, sources say child protective services has asked sergio to keep his distance from his two young sons, from isabel's brothers. >> i don't know that investigators are circling back to the family so much as they never left the family. >> reporter: criminologist casey jordan has been following the investigation. >> there has to be ground for the police or cps to tell mr. celis he can't see his children anymore. isolation, especially from a

family, can cause people to want to cooperate even more fully. >> reporter: police called cps' involvement in isabel's disaearance common practice and say the celis family is cooperating with investigators, though neither parent has been ruled out as a suspect. >> until we find conclusive evidence that leads us down one path, we're not going to close the doors on anything. >> there is no easy way to ask this question -- >> reporter: earlier this month the celis family gave their first, and only, live television interview to "today." >> what do you want to say about questions about whether you had anything to do with your daughter's disappearance? >> gosh, i -- i wish i knew where to begin. we are so frustrated to try to understand why this is happening. >> reporter: isabel's father says he last saw her the night of april 20th. the next morning, he said her bedroom window was open, the screen pushed aside. the family home is surrounded by a five foot wall.

three dogs live on the property. police call the case a suspicious disappearance. despite over 1,000 tips and tens of thousands of dollars in reward money, there's been no break in the case. the celis family sat down with us two weeks ago. >> how are the boys doing? >> they are remarkably hanging in there. so proud of them. >> reporter: but now, as police exhaust their leads, a father, whose daughter is missing, has been told he can no longer see his boys. on mother's day becky celis told me it was important to keep her daughter's name out in the news. meantime sources say cps and police will re-evaluate the parental custody agreement as the case moves forward. matt? >> miguel almaguer in los angeles on this story. miguel, thank you very much. it's 16 after the hire. once again here's ann. >> matt, thanks. defense attorney for john edwards will call their first witness today as the former presidential candidate's criminal trial begins its fourth week of testimony. nbc's lisa myers is at the courthouse once again this

morning in greensboro, north carolina. lisa, good morning. >> hey, ann, good morning. the defense is eager to change the focus of this trial from sex, lies and betrayal to the fine print of campaign finance laws. edwards' defense essentially is, yes, i did wrong, but i did not knowingly break the law. as the defense tries to refocus its case away from john edwards' personal life, the woman at the center of the scandal, rielle hunter, was photographed taking her daughter shopping in north carolina. 4-year-old quinn, who can be seen in this shot dancing for the camera is the daughter of hunter and john edwards. prosecutors chose not to call hunter as a witness. so will she finally be called by the defense? many analysts believe the answer will be no. is calling rielle hunter a huge risk? >> she just brings into the courtroom all the bad things that the jury is no doubt thinking about john edwards. >> reporter: instead the defense is expected to open with a

campaign finance expert. scott thomas. the former chairman of the federal election commission. thomas has said in a sworn statement that the government's case is unprecedented, and that the almost $1 million provided by wealthy donors to keep hunter out of sight are not campaign contributions, as the government alleges. >> it would be evidence, compelling evidence from the regulators, that no matter what else you think about john edwards, there was no reason for him to think that the cover-up of the affair was an election law crime. >> reporter: two other witnesses the defense is suspected to try 20 to eviscerate, the already damaged credibility of edwards' chief accuser, andrew young, and to get the jury to follow the money. under tough questioning, young admitted he pocketed most of the money, almost $1 million. money the government claims were campaign contributions to hide hunter. the biggest decision facing the defense, does john edwards take the stand? even though his own lawyer admits he has been shown to have

lied and lied and lied. will he testify? >> it's highly risky for him to do so. but the stakes are high. but i think at the end of the day, if he doesn't take the stand he's going to have difficulty getting out of this case. >> reporter: edwards' lawyers say he will ultimately make the decision whether to testify. but it's hard to imagine that with his life on the line, a man whose powers of persuasion took him so far would -- won't want to be -- to try to persuade the jury that he did not break the law. ann? >> we'll see what happens. lisa myers, thank you so much. now here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you. the british royal family keeping busy ahead of the queen's diamond jubilee and the upcoming london olympics. everyone from the queen herself to william and kate out in force over the weekend. nbc's michelle kosinski is in london with details on that. hi, michelle. >> good morning, matt. seems like we've been seeing the royal family as we never have before.

one day kate is teaching prince charles how to iron. the next he's doing the weather on the television. seems like they've been up for anything lately, well, sort of, and this weekend saw nearly the entire family kicking back. the royal weekend revved up on friday. with another red carpet evening stroll. william and kate at a dinner honoring britain's olympic stars. kate, of course, took home the gold in compliments for her bright gown with lacy back. her hair tied into an elaborate updo. but uncharacteristically pricey jimmy choo heels worth more than $750. though she did wear them twice in one week. this team is ready for their roles as olympic ambassadors. >> the mood in london will be electric, ecstatic, and amazing. i simply can't wait. ladies and gentlemen, glory awaits you. >> reporter: soon after william

and harry had a taste of glory at a charity polo match that saw both princes site up. and win. kate in another blue dress and high sandals, despite the cold and wind. but it was her cocker spaniel puppy who seemed to steal the show and shared a little love with uncle harry. even the queen and prince fill imseemed to let their hair down this weekend at a royal horse show. the queen decked out in scarf, wellies and enormous smile. laughing with pals. while philip, age 90, hauled around a car battery. for carriage racing that he was judging. ♪ later a star-studded concert. ♪ the house of windsor has been riding high on the wave of pride and admiration among their countrymen and beyond despite austerity at home. even this video of charles and camilla has gone viral. >> this afternoon will be cold,

wet and windy across scotland. >> reporter: their inimitable style, hand motions, too, presenting the weather on the bbc. >> the potential for a few flurries over balmoral -- who the hell wrote these scripts? >> reporter: all the royals have brought them sunshine, not a scandal in their forecast. a big year for britain. this was the first weekend in a very long time there was not 50 degrees and pouring rain. unfortunately, it didn't last. now fingers are crossed that london will have a spring and summer in time for the jubilee and then the olympics. matt? >> all right, michelle kosinski in london this morning. michelle, thank you very much. coming up a 24-year-old woman who contracted a rare disease, a flesh-eating bacteria, she got it in a zip lining accident. now she's fighting for her life. we'll talk to her parents. but first::. this is "today" on nbc.

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still ahead, two youtube sensations. the once homeless man with the golden voice. >> and the teenager whose version of "sexy and i know it" has exploded online. we'll get a live performance from him after your local news.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. maryland lawmakers will return to annapolis for a special session to hammer out the state budget. lawmakers are expected to vote on a plan put together by gov. martin o'malley, senate president mike miller, and michael busch. it involves shifting teacher pensions and raising income

taxes on wealthier individuals and couples. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> a few new accidents to add to the list. be careful at this intersection. dealing with a water main break, westbound and liberty road and milford mill road. slow down on the j.f.x. 15 mi. per hour from coldspring. delays in place on the outer loop. 20 miles per hour towards the harford county line. and let's give you a live view of traffic. update on the j.f.x. southbound towards the construction zone, continue to use the alternates. 95, coming towards us is southbound traffic. looking like a rush hour. tony, over do you know. >> it may take up in intensity

this afternoon, but for now, scattered light rain showers. temperatures in the upper 50's and low 60's. 64 at the airport. we should be able to sneak into the low seventies this afternoon. off and on rainshowers, cloudy skies, high temperature between 70 and 75. chance for rain on tuesday and wednesday. right now looks like a 30%

♪ i ain't afraid to show it show it show it ♪ ♪ i'm sexy and i know it >> 7:30 now on a monday morning. the 14th of may, 2012. an 1-year-old has taken the internet by storm with his unique cover of "sexy and i know it." it's racked up more than 2.5 million hits on youtube in just four days. coming up we're going to meet the aspiring singer behind it. i hate even talking because i think that he sounds so amazing. i'd buy a cd. >> he's got a great voice. so different than a lot of the things you see on youtube where the dog goes and runs under the bed. this guy's got talent. we'll see what's going on here. >> we're going to actually hear a little bit from him. he's going to perform for us.

meantime ann curry along with matt lauer. >> that video kind of changed his life overnight. we'll talk to him about that. and ted williams knows a little about that. he was homeless and addicted to drugs last year when a video made him a household name. >> nothing but the best of oldies you're listening to magic 98.9. >> and that made him a household name. he has since been on all kinds of tv shows. but, his success has come with a few bumps in the road, as well. how's he doing now? we're going to find out more when he joins us in our studio. there he is right there for a live interview. looks good. >> yeah. it's exciting to see him. and also coming up, as parents you know we all try to make sure that our home is safe for our children. well, are you forgetting about a potentially dangerous hazard? coming up a new warning on the dangers of button batteries that young mouths can find very appealing. one mom shares her cautionary tale coming up. we begin this half hour with a georgia woman who is in the fight for her life after she contracted a very rare

flesh-eating bacteria. we're going to talk to her parents in just a moment. but first, nbc's gabe gutierrez is in augusta, georgia with more on this. gabe, good morning. >> ann, good morning. amy remains in critical condition here but her father is calling her survival a miracle. and her friends are hopeful that she'll be able to breathe on her own soon. for the family of 24-year-old anticipate copeland her recovery has been agonizing. >> her fingers basically appear mummified at this point. and it makes me shake to think about it. >> reporter: copeland contracted a rare flesh-eating bacteria almost two weeks ago. she was out with friends along this river west of atlanta, when a homemade zip line broke, copeland fell, badly cutting her leg. days later, the infection spread, leaving the university of west georgia graduate student fighting for her life. >> she is just an extraordinary woman, and -- and with

adventurous in the way that she looks at the world, in the way that she looked at herself. >> reporter: since then her father has been updating the world on her roller coaster recovery, through facebook and blog posts. early last week, aimee opened her eyes this morning. on tuesday, aimee's survival chances are slim to none. but by friday, a breakthrough. she mouthed the words, where am i? and over the weekend, she started to rely less on her respirator. >> we prefer to let time play out, let's see what god's will is for her. and i believe that will will be done. but the most important thing is my daughter is alive. >> reporter: alive and improving. she's already had one leg amputated and doctors thought she would lose all of her limbs. now, while she may lose her fingers, her family is hopeful she'll be able to keep her palms, making it easier to use prosthetics. >> it will be very difficult. her recovery will continue the rest of her life. >> reporter: meanwhile fellow students are fund-raising for

aimee and in her honor donating blood to help other patients with serious illnesses. >> the response of the community has just been blown away. >> right now her parents are looking forward to what they call aimee day. that's the day when doctors will remove that breathing tube, and they'd be able to hear their daughter's voice once again. ann? >> all right, gabe gutierrez. thank you so much. aimee's parent, andy and donna copeland are now joining us. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> i understand you spent some time with your daughter again sunday visiting her several times and you came away with even more optimism, andy? >> oh, we did. it was really -- we actually were able to communicate with her through basically lib reading, which we're becoming quite proficient at it at this point. with the help of a nurse, she had some really nice things to say to us. basically, we just had a conversation, she told us she was thirsty. and i asked her what are you

going to -- what do you want? what's the first thing you want when they remove the tube? and she said ice cream. that made us all laugh. >> i understand that she's got something that's an extremely rare condition that doctors say only happens when there's a perfect storm of bad circumstances. have doctors explained to you how hurting her leg in an accident zip lining could have caused her to have this extremely rare condition? andy? >> we really haven't dwelt on the circumstances surrounding the accident, or her -- the beginning of her infection. our focus is on trying to stay positive, look at the present, and the future. and we believe that future is going to be bright for aimee. >> and speaking of the being present with this, donna i understand that aimee loves music, and that she -- that when she opened her eyes you were playing bob marley and singing with it everything's going to be all right. you want to describe that moment?

>> yeah, that was a really good moment. because i knew she's really in to music, and hearing the music, i think it just gave a real positive outlook, and brought a smile to her face. that's all we want to do. we want to bring out the positive, and just make everything look okay for her. >> how, how much does she know about what's happening to her? >> i don't know that she knows that much. because she keeps asking us the same questions. so i think it's due to the medication that they gave her, which i'm really grateful for, that she doesn't remember a lot and she keeps asking the same questions. so, -- >> what are those questions, andy? >> well, the questions she's asking is, where am i? she asked how long have i been here? and when we told her how long she'd been there, her first concern was, i've got to be working on my thesis. and so she was worried about her schoolwork. and i assured her that dr. rice at west georgia university had

all that under control. he said she'll have plenty of time to finish that later. but her second question we couldn't understand, we actually had to ask the nurse, to come in and help us and the nurse picked it right up right away. aimee was actually concerned about her job. so she was worried about losing her job at sunny side cafe in carolton. that was really amazing. i think it says a lot about our daughter's work ethic. >> and she's obviously a very strong girl. i'm wondering, you wrote something really beautiful, andy, about looking forward to the day when she's taken off her respirator. you call it aimee day. and you're looking forward to that day but you're also concerned about it. because of the conversation you're going to have to have. >> yeah. obviously she's going to have a lot of questions. and there will be a lot revealed to her on that day. a lot of -- you know, a lot of things that are going to generate, i think, some very emotional responses from aimee. but, you know, we just taking

each day at a time. my daughter's strong. she really is. and i think it's through that shared family strength that we have that's really keeping us propped up right now. >> well, andy -- >> as well as the -- >> go ahead. >> i just want to add that the other thing is just the overwhelming response of the community, and our common faith that's been a very important part of this. >> well, i'm glad you've got to get that in as well, andy. dane and donna copeland, a lot of people hoping the best for your girl aimee. thanks so much this morning. >> thank you, ann. >> thank you. >> and let's now get a check of the weather from al. >> obviously a lot of prayers going out for her, as well. and we look to magdalena, new mexico, we've got a, a really amazing piece of video to show you. there was hail falling out of this thing, then all of a sudden you just kind of see things getting blowing around a real mess. luckily there were no really injuries reported, no real damage.

an ef-0 or ef-1 tornado strength at this point. as far as the heat is concerned, out west, strong ridge, that jet stream is way up in to canada, and so we're going to have heat building up in the southwest. las vegas, 99. palm springs, 105. 84 in reno. boise, going to see a high of 86 degrees. rest of the country, cool weather here in northeast. a bit of a trough, warm weather along the gulf coast with temperatures in the 80s. 80s in to the central plains. 70s in the great lakes into the ohio river valley. >> good morning. afternoons a weekend, light rain showers off and on expected all the way through this evening. otherwise, mostly cloudy, high

>> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thanks. still ahead, what's he up to now? we're going to catch up with ted williams. the man with the golden voice, in a live interview. also coming up next, some hidden hazards in your home that's potentially life threatening to your kids. why doctors are seeing more cases of children swallowing button batteries. that's right after this. i knew it'd be tough on our retirement savings, especially in this economy. but with three kids, being home more really helped. man: so we went to fidelity. we talked about where we were and what we could do. we changed our plan and did something about our economy. now we know where to go for help if things change again. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get free one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. chili's lunch break combos are full of delicious choices, starting at just 6 bucks. choose from savory favorites or our new philly cheesesteak sandwich.

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hi, honey. how's the camping trip? well, kids had fun, but i think i slept on a rock. what are you doing? having coffee. ah, sounds good! i thought you'd say that. ah. ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ you're the best! wake up to the mountain grown aroma of folgers. ♪ ... is folgers in your cup! we're back now at 7:43 with an alert to parents. a new report out this morning is highlighting the hidden dangers of button batteries that are found in just about every household. nbc's john yang has details on that. john, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. i bet if we all looked around

our houses right now, we'd find things like a remote control for a stereo, or a remote control for car door locks. inside all these things is something that could end up sending your child to an emergency room. max is a healthy, happy 2-year-old. but when he was 15 months old, there was an episode that still haunts his parents, susan and mark. max suddenly began vomiting but had no other symptoms. they rushed him to a hospital where x-rays revealed the cause. max had swallowed a button battery and it lodged in his esophagus. >> the image is burned into my brain forever. i still see it with his head turned and we just started crying. looked at each other and started crying. >> reporter: the battery had to be surgically removed. >> we just sat there not knowing if he would come out alive or even have a voice. >> he came out of the surgery screaming for us. so that was a very good seen. >> reporter: according to a study published this morning in the journal "pediatrics" every

three hours a child younger than 18 goes to an emergency room with a problem related to a battery. the number of those visits doubled in 20 years. the researchers say that with new, more powerful batteries being sold, the issue is no longer poisoning from the lithium inside. >> that isn't the problem. the problem is the current that's created by the battery when it stops on the way to the stomach in the esophagus. >> reporter: doctors say a three volt battery can burn a hole in the esophagus in less than two hours. resulting in serious injury, possibly including permanent voice damage, or even death. in a busy emergency room a doctor could mistake a dangerous battery for a harmless coin. >> how can you tell the difference between a coin and a battery? >> what distinguishes this battery is that it has what we call a double rim sign which is that double edge around the outside. that's the casing of the battery. >> reporter: the researchers say parents should secure the device's battery compartment. max's mom went to great lengths

to child proof her house. locks on kitchen cabinets and covers on electrical outlets. >> but you never thought about this, right? >> no, never. max actually got this compartment out of the bottom -- >> and that's where the battery was. >> and the battery obviously fell out and he picked it up and swallowed it. >> reporter: like any other happy, healthy, 15-month-old might do. the consumer electronics industry has adopted new standards that would make these devices more secure, like requiring a tool like a screwdriver to open it, or requiring two separate access to open it. but until they're available doctors say the best thing parents can do is simply secure it with tape. >> good information. john yang in washington this morning. thanks so much. up next we're going to meet the teenager who has become a viral sensation with his unique version of a very popular lmfao song. he's going to perform it for us right after this.

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back now with the young singer/song writer from south carolina who is gaining a big following thanks to his arrangement of the hit lmfao song "sexy and i know it." it's already been viewed more than 2.5 million times on youtube. let's take a look. ♪ ♪ everybody stares staring at me ♪ ♪ i ain't afraid to show it show it show it ♪ ♪ i'm sexy and i know it >> he goes by the name noah. good morning to see you. >> good morning, noah. >> stunning. just stunning. you're 18 years old, living at home, you decide to post this early one thursday morning. at what point did you realize it had just gone, gotten to be such a hit? >> probably i would say the next morning, after i posted it, i woke up and it had like 200,000

views, and i pretty much lost my mind. >> that was just the beginning. by the way. you told me the biggest crowd you performed for so far in your life is about 2500 people. >> yes, sir. >> well online alone 2.5 million people have now watched this video. >> yeah. >> that's just in four days. and you're going to do a little more for us in a second and you'll be performing for millions more. what does it feel like? >> just surreal. just really i don't even know how to describe it because i've watched this show since i was young, and i've watched you guys do this. >> don't rub it in. >> yeah, i know. since you were a kid. when you were born, right, you're going to tell us that but listen you know your dad i talked to your dad who was in the studio here, you're self-taught on the acoustic. you're self-taught in terms of how you sing, i mean it's been, i don't know where you got this voice, i mean where you got this performance? >> i just, you know, i'm very blessed. very blessed in my situation and everything. >> we've heard a little from what you posted on youtube. would you play a little more of your version of "sexy and i know

it"? >> sure, sure. ♪ ♪ so when i walk in the spot this is what i see ♪ ♪ everybody stops and staring at mow ♪ ♪ i've got a passion in my pants and i ain't afraid to show it show it show it ♪ ♪ yeah and i'm sexy and i know it ♪ >> what's next on the horizon for you? is there another song out there you're dying to arrange? >> actually, i'm trying to finish up my original album soon. i don't have a date but it is coming. but no, i, you know, i do covers every week. so i usually pick something current or something that i just love, and then try to do something fun with it. >> well, you also got to graduate from high school. you've got a lot going on. >> that's coming up. >> really amazing. we got to call all our friends over. >> exactly. >> right? >> good luck. >> congratulations. >> it's great to have you here. >> thank you so much. >> up next we're going to catch up with another guy who really made a name for himself.

he's the man with the golden voice. that's ted williams. what's he been up to in the last year or so? we'll talk to him right after these messages, and your local news. the capital one cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and who doesn't want 50% more cash? ugh, the baby. huh! and then the baby bear said, "i want 50% more cash in my bed!" phhht! 50% more cash is good ri... what's that. ♪ you can spell. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? ha ha. ♪ what are you lookin' at? i wasn't... not looking at anything... we're not good enough for you. must be supermodels? what do you model gloves? brad, eat a snickers. why? 'cause you get a little angry when you're hungry. better? [ male announcer ] you're not you when you're hungry™. better. [ male announcer ] snickers satisfies. [ son ] mom, computer's broke!

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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. >> jammed in many spots around the area. we have accidents, one in belair and 22. another one at oakmont road in the fallston region. accident on the inner loop at loch raven boulevard. these continue towards 95 on the northeast corner. in the red on the outer loop north east side and out of the .hite marsh area and ne

in dundalk, milford mill, closures in effect due to a water main break. elkridge, an accident. to under 95 southbound, heavy approaching 100. 83 and padonia, going away from us, southbound traffic is heavy. live view of traffic at old court, coming off of the rams from southbound 795. southbound j.f.x. from coldspring towards 29. tony, over two years. -- over to you. >> so scattered rain showers, but late rain in most neighborhoods. 63 at the airport, 60 in taneytown. temperatures should sneak up to a couple of degrees. 70 and 75 this afternoon.

still a chance for rain on tuesday and wednesday. thursday and friday latinize. 30% chance of a rain shower on ai@@

we're back now, 8:00 on a monday morning. it's the 14th day of may, 2007. we have an alarmingly large crowd gathered on our plaza this morning. even as the beautiful weather of the weekend gives way to some overcast skies in new york city. we're going to get used to these. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, and mr. roker. coming up a guy that we first introduced people to over a year ago, ted williams. the man with the golden voice. he made that youtube video, and it has not all been positive.

even after he kind of gained national prominence, he has had difficulties with addiction, which he had for years before we got to know him. and so the big question is, how is he doing now? the guy we care about, we're going to catch up with him in just a couple of minutes. >> he certainly has a smile on his face. that might indicate something. also coming up this morning, also coming up this morning we're going to introduce you to a pretty amazing family actually a pretty amazing young man in that family. a young man named marshall reed. he was sick and tired of being overweight and bullied at school so just 10 years old, he took charge of the family's diet. and now, collectively, they've lost more than 70 pounds. they're in our studio. we're going to talk with them coming up about how they did it. they actually have a new book out to help other people. >> good for them. >> great story. and then coming up a little later this week, we've got a tough assignment. >> i know. i know. i'm so lucky. i mean, and the "today" show is sending me to cannes. i know i've been there once before. but we're going to go this time we've lined up some big stars

because there are a the movies of course, we've got chris rock, just to name a few people we're getting to talk to. i feel very excited. we start that on wednesday morning. >> isn't cannes where you wrestled brad pitt to the ground one year? >> i pretty much did. i was totally inappropriate. i touched his face. i was having a girl molt. it's completely embarrassing. he forgave me. >> it was jet lag. >> i don't know. i think i just wanted -- i was -- i was an idiot. >> it's going to be fun. >> i won't do that. >> live from cannes. >> but you've got to be in a cage -- >> let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the "n" with a check of all the headlines. >> good morning to you guys once again. good morning, everyone. in the news this morning, heads could roll today at jpmorgan chase just days after word of its $2 billion trading loss became public. ina drew, the firm's chief investment officer and one of the most powerful women on wall street is reportedly set to resign. that leaves two other top executives could be forced out,

as well. sunday on "meet the press" the bank's ceo said he was, quote, dead wrong when he dismissed concerns last month about the bank's trade. meantime, yahoo!'s new ceo is out of a job today after just four months in the position. scott thompson had come under fire for claiming to have a computer science degree that he never earned in college. before he resigned over the weekend, he revealed to yahoo!'s board he has thyroid cancer. lawyers for former presidential candidate john edwards are starting to present his defense today. edwards is accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions in order to hide his then-pregnant mistress. he could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted. and now let's check in with cnbc's mary thompson who's keeping an eye on wall street for us. mary, good day to you. >> good day to you. wall street focusing once again on europe's now 2 1/2-year-old debt crisis. political instability in greece raising speculation the troubled country could exit the region's single curran sit euro. those fears putting pressure on the commodities market where oil is now trading at its lowest

level since 2012. and ahead of its company's much anticipated ipo facebook founder mark zuckerberg turns 28 today. that makes him exactly half the average age of an s&p 500 ceo. natalie, back to you. >> it's going to be a very happy birthday indeed. thanks so much. mary thompson. now for a look at what is trending today our quick roundup of what has you talking john online. first a paler shade of snooki. the jersey shore star tweeted a photo of herself without her trade mark tan. she's staying out of the tanning salon since she is pregnant. she's much prettier. meantime, "saturday night live" fans are lunching online to see will ferrell's return this weekend to host the show. he kicked things off playing george w. bush, with jason sudeikis as joe biden. >> i'm just so sick of the way presidents are always riding me. i'm an adult. >> i've been there. i used to catch grief all the time from president cheney. >> mm-hmm.

>> and the big hitten youtube, one family's very unique way to get their toddler to wake up happy in the car. they crank up the nirvana song. seems to be working. the boy's older brother writes he'd always wake up cranky before they started playing music for him. got to try that one at home with my 3-year-old. 8:05 right now. let's go out to al with a check of your weather. >> i want to try that with matt. >> crank upped nirvana. >> there you go. >> we've got the cuties. what's your name? >> -- the way out. >> are you all related? >> you're all sisters? >> yes. >> where is dad? >> he's down there. >> down that way. >> all these girls. how many bathrooms do you have at home? >> enough. >> you have enough. all right. wow. whoo! let's show you what we've got

for today. norfolk, virginia, tv 10, showers, storms, 78 degrees. and as we show you the mid-atlantic, that's all that rain coming in the north. mid-atlantic later on into the northeast. got a lot of heat out west. where temperatures are going to be into the 80s all the way on up into the pacific northwest. including ann curry's hometown of med ford, oregon. and up in the 80s. look for wet weather up and down the eastern seaboard. 83 in minneapolis today. 77 in chicago. slight risk of strong storms down in the big bend of texas area. >> good morning. temperatures will turn a little cooler today. and on the weekend we will have clouds hanging around and often on rainshowers expected all the way through this evening,

>> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up next we're going to talk to ted williams, the once homeless man who we've gotten to know over the course of some time. anyway he'll tell us what he's up to now after these messages. there's another way to help erase litter box odor. purina tidy cats. only tidy cats has new odor erasers... making it easy to keep things at home... just the way you want them. new tidy cats with odor erasers. grandma, can i have some candy? of course, dear.

♪ [ telephone rings ] how's the camping trip? well, the kids had fun, but i think i slept on a rock. ♪ the best part of wakin' up what are you doing? having coffee. ohh. ♪ is folgers in your cup

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♪ it's gonna be bright bright sunshiny day ♪ live claritin clear with non-drowsy claritin. yeah, it's the new quaker cookie, with chocolate chips, almonds, and, of course, whole-grain oats, so -- uh-huh. mmm. you just... took a bite of my cookie. what? [ male announcer ] new quaker cookies. made with the whole-grain goodness of quaker oats. ♪ ♪ we are back now at 8:10 with ted williams, the man with the golden voice. he was living on the streets of

columbus, ohio, last year, when he was discovered by a local reporter and gained worldwide fame. we'll catch up with ted in a moment but first, a reminder of his story. >> don't forget tomorrow morning is your chance to win a pair of tickets to see this man live in concert. >> reporter: the golden voice that captured the attention of millions -- >> and we'll be back with more. >> reporter: -- comes from a man with a not so golden past. during the 1980s, ted williams was the number one deejay in klum bus, ohio. until he lost his family and home to crack cocaine, and alcohol abuse. the recovering drug addict spent 17 hard years living on the streets. after this youtube video went viral in 2011, he fell in to the national spotlight. appearing here on "today." it's great to see you here. >> this is a dream come true. >> reporter: this emotional reunion with his mother watched nationwide. >> hi, mom. i know, i feel the same way, mom. >> reporter: ted was in and out of rehab after appearing on the

show and says he's remained sober for the past eight months. his journey, and inspiring story of recovery and redemption. ted writes about his experiences in his new book "a golden voice: how faith, hard work and humility brought me from the streets to salvation." ted williams. welcome back. >> good morning, matt. good morning. >> we ran into each other on the street not far from here a couple of weeks ago and my first reaction was, he looks good. he looks really good. is, is the exterior showing me what's going on inside? >> yes, it is. inside and outside. >> what's going on with you? >> well, right now, matt, i have a book as you mentioned. and i'm -- excuse me i'm so nervous again. here we go. i have a new -- first of all i have a new rooted background. you know, i have a new attorney who's representing me very well. >> good people around you? >> good people around me. great people around me. >> you've been clean and sober -- >> one year, may 4th celebrated, the day that my daughter, i also had a daughter who got married

on may 4th. but it's been one year. >> after we met you, and all that stuff happened, the appearances on shows like this and all the interviews, it was not a simple process going forward and you had steps forward and steps back. you had relapses. >> yes, sir. many of them. >> how many times have you been in rehab since we first met you. >> well, the last time, may 4th, one year, last year i went in for the second time. >> right. >> that was the second time. the first time i left after eight days, or nine days. >> was the intention and the fact that you started to make a little money, was that a problem? i mean, we worried here, i'll be very honest here, we worried that once you got some cash in your pocket you were going to go out and spend that cash on drugs. >> oh, yes, sir, i went to california, and alcohol became the first -- i figured since it wasn't my drug of choice, so to speak, alcohol could be my new drug, you know. i can go and start drinking, and just nobody would know. you know, everybody would know ted was on crack. but they wouldn't know that ted was drinking.

so, yeah. >> is it a struggle every day for you still? >> yes, it is. one day at a time, matt. >> this book is not an easy read. i mean, there are things in this book you're pretty honest about, delinquent parenting, dishonesty with your mother, even your role in prostituting your girlfriend so that you could get money for drugs. why did you decide to write this? >> well, you know, all through that journey, i never stopped praying. i never lost hope, matt. i never did. i would ask god, please, let me mother and mier is stay alive one more year, lord, please. let us, a life-changing turnaround happen in my life so that my mother would not close her eyes, saying i did a bad job raising this child. you know, and every year it would get more and more difficult to accept as i mentioned to you a year ago, that i was going to mark 2010 as another year wasted. but it actually was the year that i found christ in my life. >> you talk about while you were on the street you started hearing a voice. >> yeah. >> and that voice was saying, do something. >> do something, yes. >> do something with your life.

was the voice of -- >> of god. god. i'm telling you. because i was literally would throw stuff on the ground, matt, litter, and then that voice would say, you know, i didn't create this world to look nasty and i would actually walk back as far as a quarter mile to go pick that up and throw it in the trash can. >> you write a couple of the chapters in this book, and they're from your girlfriend's perspective. which is interesting. of what she was going through, and must have experienced during this time. what's your relationship with her life? >> we're doing well. you know, one day at a time. because we've had a big year of using, and so forth. so now this new domesticated life is really well. >> that's perhaps the side of this that people don't spend enough time talking about. everybody thinks the guy who is abusing crack, the guy who is abusing alcohol, is doing this to himself. but it's about the relationships with your girlfriend and your mother and your kids. >> that's correct. >> and so how did you describe your relationship with your children these days? because there was tension there. there's no question about it. >> yeah.

we're doing well. i just -- i walked my daughter down the aisle on may 4th and now she's married and i was able to be a part of that. something i know a year and a half ago, matt, i wouldn't have even thought about, you know, let alone become a part of. >> the reason we wanted to have you back is because we, we, we do care about you and we all learned to really care about you when you were here. and we're going to do this again in five years. what will we be talking about then? >> you'll be talking about my new radio station, my escalade, and -- >> you have your sights set on an escalade? >> oh, i want an escalade bad. i don't know if i'm promoting cadillac now. but i do want one, matt. and my attorney, brett adams, he said keep doing the right path, ted, i'll get that escalade in your driveway. >> in five years you'll be able to say you've been clean and sober for -- >> five >> -- for six years. >> for six years that's correct. i love you matt lauer for real. >> thrilled to have you back and thrilled you're doing well. >> thank you, sir. >> and the book is "a golden

voice." up next we'll meet the 12-year-old who got his family to lose a combined 70 pounds, which is pretty good. [ male announcer ] at banana boat, we test our broad spectrum sunscreen so it stays on in conditions like pool water... wind...

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>> reporter: he was tired of, bullied about his weight at school. >> one of my classmates actually told me, you know, you don't look very good. you're fat. >> reporter: his family ate out most nights and he could barely keep up with other kids at recess. he told his mom alexandra he wanted to get healthy now. >> i just went up to my mom and i'm like, i'm done. i'm not doing this anymore. i'm not putting up with this. i'm going to change myself. >> reporter: the announcement shocked his mother. >> i felt like somebody had thrown a brick at me. because, the amount of parental responsibility, just all of a sudden came washing down on me, was alarming. >> reporter: the two set out to find a solution. the result is a project they call portion size me. to begin the family made a commitment to shape up for 31 days, eating better.

and exercising more. marshall's dad, dan, an army lieutenant colonel, was stationed in iraq when they began. to share the experience with him, they began posting videos about their progress on youtube. >> i am doing this because i have a weight problem and i need to address this. >> reporter: by cooking at home and changing their attitude towards food, the family began to lose weight, in total they dropped more than 70 pounds. marshall is now 36 pounds lighter, and a whole lot happier. >> i had a kid come up to me in the hall in the first thing he says is wow, you look a lot better. and i'm like, thanks dude. >> reporter: and he hopes to encourage other kids to stand up for their family's health. >> my main hope is that the kids, they see these videos and bring their parents in and say, that is awesome. i want to do that. >> marshall reed is now joining us along with his parents alexander and dan and their sister, his sister jordan and marsha and alexander are now the

co-authors of a new cookbook it's called "portion size me: a kid driven plan to a healthier family." good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> i saw you put your arm over him. you're very proud of what he's done. let's talk about first of all how you were able to convince your whole family to do this? >> it really, it didn't take much convincing. my mom jumped right aboard. she's been a really big help. and jordan did take convincing. she wanted -- she didn't really want most of it. but everybody has just been so, so happy to join along and help me, and once i brought it to their attention, i think that they noticed, wow, we do have -- >> alexandra, any mother listening here who understands the pressures of being a mother, first of all, but on top of that you were a former advertising executive. you had a husband in iraq. you were raising two kids. you were eating out a lot. when your son came to you and said this, it must have been an important moment for you. what allowed you to listen to him, rather than just get

defensive? >> he was very convincing. and i knew it came from his heart. and that was probably a very -- it was a sad moment for me, because i knew he was hurting. and any mother doesn't want their child hurting. and i'm happy at that moment, i did listen to him. and we were able to work together and heal ourselves. >> and dan, you're in iraq. and you know you're seeing these videos. you just heard your son saying i have a weight problem. there's a kind of honesty that he sort of faced this with that is really stunning. where did he get this? >> you know, he's always been a very, very good communicator. very thoughtful about everything that he does. so i think it just took a lot of his own introspection to look at where he wanted to be and what he was doing. and decide what he wanted out of it. >> well, you know, obviously he got the support from you. because he now all you three have lost 70 pounds al to the. jordan were you always thin. you didn't have to worry about this at all. what's your thought about all

this? >> i agree that we did have a weight problem. i myself might not have had a weight problem. but i still wasn't eating healthy, as i should be. and even though i wasn't looking to lose weight, i still have had results, i'm happier, i have more energy, things like that. >> let's quickly then talk about the simple goals. you've got eat as many real foods as possible. so that doesn't mean processed foods you're talking about vegetables, fruits, meat, things like that. read the ingredients which i understand you're very good at. pause before you eat, right? get moving. that means exercising. help out in the kitchen. and watch portion sizes. so we'll put this information up online. you want to wave to your classmates who are now watching i understand at your school? i'm sure they're thinking you did a great job this morning. marshall reed, thank you. and all of your family. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> back after this.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> sarah caldwell here. let's get a check on your morning commute. we're tracking a few new accidents since last checked. reisterstown and garrison boulevard. another one on the inner loop at loch raven boulevard inner loop delays in place, along with the outer loop towards the harrisburg expressway. we are also trying closures along westbound liberty and milford mill due to water main break repairs. 108 and ellicott city, watch for a vehicle fire.

washington boulevard and three straight drive, watch for an accident. ate's a quick live look traffic. 83 and coldspring. southbound delays. let's switch over to a live view of traffic at york road. backing down again around 795. tony has a check on your forecast. >> we had rain to contend with to start the day. off and on my rainshowers and that will continue into the afternoon. temperature-wise, low-to-mid- 60's. we should make it up to 73 this afternoon. off and on rainshowers, otherwise, mostly cloudy skies. maybe a thunderstorm on tuesday.

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8:30 now on a monday morning. the 14th of may, 2012. they say that some showers are moving in. >> i said. >> but at the moment it's really picture perfect. it's 67 degrees. really a great day. we're so happy for all the people who are in our plaza, waving to family and friends back home. meantime, we want to welcome everybody back to the show, and

we going -- >> you know -- the place that chef gordon ramsay puts them through their paces. well gordon is with us this morning. he's up in our kitchen. he's going to show us how to make our next steak dinner. which we like preparing. >> you can even smell that out here outside. either that or i'm just s&l vating at the thought of it. plus liam neeson is going to be near to tell us about his new movie coming out "battleship" which is based on that board game that we all played. >> that's right. and we've also got some added incentive for you to follow us on twitter. we want you to tweet us your best caption for this photo of natalie, savannah, and yours truly. make it fun, clever, educated and clean. be sure to include the hash shall caption today. the winner gets two vip passes to next week's pit bull concert

live on the plaza. >> my caption -- >> for details go to @"today"show. >> remember that deli scene from when harry met sally? >> no! >> you guys champion. >> this is a clean show. stop. >> let's keep it clean. >> this morning. >> listen all the screaming out here was not for us. it's for our next two guests. we're talking about howie mandel, and -- -- for tonight -- >> we love you, yes, yes. >> we love you. >> there you go. >> listen, we had howard stern on on the show last week. we're getting a little glimpse of what the show looks like. how you guys feeling about it? >> i think it's bigger, more exciting and more insane than it has ever been. >> yeah. the energy is to the next level. i mean people lined up around

the block going to travel around the yes. >> like a rock concert. >> i think people are going to be surprised by howard stern. i think you're going to be surprised by how compassionate, passionate, sensitive and serious he is about being the consummate judge. >> and is there complete harmony at the judge's table? >> yeah. >> not if you read the rags. but yes. it's so exciting now. it's like a rock concert. his fans are showing up. >> and your fans, too, by the way. >> pardon me? >> your fans. >> well, howard. >> real close. >> howie. >> and one osborne, and -- >> it's very good. >> what's the most surprising act you've seen so far? >> well, we were just talking about it. but it's a man who does a daredevil act with his own -- >> remember this is morning television. >> wow. >> that's what i was doing. >> wow. okay. >> it's surprising --

>> all right. >> does a guy who comes on and does an act like that have a shot against someone who comes on with a killer singing voice? >> absolutely. that's the beauty of our show. it's any talent. any age. doing that can give you a killer singing voice. >> a falsetto. >> there you go. >> thanks for having us. >> nice to see you. >> they can watch the season premiere of "america's got talent." >> tonight. >> at 8:00. >> don't miss it. >> we want to mention the last time you were on the show here there was a little moment, wasn't there, because you were complaining. you were complaining you're always outside. let's take a look. >> yes, but if this thing takes off -- >> if this takes off, next time i'm on the show, i could be inside. >> last time you were on satellite, too. >> i'm making my way in.

>> standing still. >> you've been inside. now let me bring howie -- >> enjoy this. >> we're going to put howie inside. >> come on. >> what a show. >> what you've been missing. >> i don't know what it's like. >> it's really beautiful. >> kick off my shoes? >> no, no, you take your shoes on. >> let me take off my shoes. i'm not used to being inside. >> there you go, nobody -- >> it's really magical- >> oh, it's great. >> oh, wow. >> i got to see this. >> here you go. >> here we go. take a look. just -- >> oh. my gosh. isn't this like disneyland? >> it is. but i'm alone. >> it's like universal studios. >> yeah, there's nobody here. >> it's just me. >> this is all we've got. >> was it worth the wait? >> no. >> no. >> here, here, come up here. this is where if you when you make it big, you make it up here. >> when you make it big you're doing an interview and there's people waving in the window. >> liam neeson was sitting here just moments ago.

>> liam neeson? >> wow. >> fantastic. >> this is exciting. it seemed like it was going to be something. nothing. not so much. but you want to see something. tonight. 8:00 >> "america's got talent." >> that's what's going on ar >> good morning. afternoons a weekend, light rain showers off and on expected all the way through this evening. otherwise, mostly cloudy, high >> howie's shoes are now on ebay and he's talking with liam neeson. who will be sitting here in just a bit. >> thanks a lot, al. coming up we're going to talk to the legend' -- who led covert operations against some of the word's most wanted terrorists. but first, this is "today" on

nbc.

in the world of espionage, ambassador henry crompton is a living legend. he served for 24 years in the cia's elite clandestine services spearheading the hunt for osama bin laden, and leading the agency's covert response to 9/11 in afghanistan. now he's out with a new book and it's called "the art of intelligence." ambassador crompton. great to see you. it's an honor to have you here. is it nice to be able to talk about some of this stuff after all these years? are there a lot of things that you can't talk about it, still? >> i think it's important the message to the american people in particular, and that's why i wrote the book. yes, many things i can't talk about. and will never talk about. >> some of the -- the headlines that have come out of this already are about the hunt for osama bin laden. obviously the mission was a

great success. but before 9/11 -- >> mm-hmm. >> you write that you had him in the crosshairs. that you thought you could take him out and it was, for a lack of support for a military operation from then-president clinton that prevented that. how sure are you could have killed him back then? >> positive. there were multiple sightings. we had good reporting from various human sources inside afghanistan, going back several years before 9/11, that did not have sufficient authorities or resources to do the job. >> and you talk about before 9/11 you had some 100 or so sources inside afghanistan, they were telling you what was going on with not only al qaeda, but with the taliban. and you were telling everybody you could meet that there was an impending war that al qaeda was going to wage on the west and it didn't seem as if people would listen to you. so when 9/11 happened what was going through your heart and your gut? >> well, when 9/11 happened and you knew immediately that it was al qaeda, and there was a sense of disappointment, heartbreak,

and a sense of required revenge. >> and that's what you set out to do once you got to afghanistan and spent more time there? >> yes. >> and you did it pretty quickly. you did it faster than any of the experts thought you could do in terms of unraveling al qaeda in that country and taking down the taliban. were you surprised? >> i was surprised at how fast it unfolded. i was confident that we would win. but, in the less than 90 days after 9/11, the taliban was basically crushed, and we were moving forward. >> so much is said, and so many headlines these days, mr. ambassador, about the drone program. >> mm-hmm. >> not only drones as a surveillance tool but drones as an attack weapon as well. you were one of the guys who were advocating putting missiles on these drones. and there's been a lot of criticism within pakistan, afghanistan, and other places, that because they strike from a distance, and there is no human on board that ship there have been a lot of collateral, there has been a lot of collateral damage and civilian casualties.

do you think we can win the war on terror without the drone program? >> first of all i disagree with the assessment of a lot 6 of civilian casualties. it's a preprecise weapon and it's a lot better than dropping a 500 pound bomb. >> but there have been instances where families have been taken out and the terror suspect perhaps was not. >> there have been some cases but overall it's a very effective, very precise weapon. in terms of your question about can we win this war without the drones? yes, but i think the drones, first and foremost, are an important intelligence collection cool. they complement what we're doing on the ground, with unilateral sources, with our liaison allies. and in terms of a lethal strike, again, it's very effective, very precise. >> we just saw another successful mission carried out, where an underwear bombing, if you will, was thwarted. a plot to bomb a jetliner heading to the united states. how big a victory, how much more remains to be done in that area, of targeting these small, individual cells that are bent on destroying parts of the west?

>> this will be an ongoing fight. i think that yemen in particular is an important place. you've had recently al qaeda expanding their safe haven there, and in response, ramped up offensive by the yemeni government with u.s. and other allies in support. and matt we will see more and more of these small cells scattered around the world. >> is that our biggest threat right now, the small cells or the individual? >> yes. because it's even a more difficult intelligence target, certainly than a standarding army or a large al qaeda formation in a large safe haven. >> i wish we had three hours to talk about what's in this book, because it's filled with details that i think would surprise a lot of people. mr. ambassador, it's great to have you here this morning. >> thank you. >> and again the book is called "the art of intelligence." up next we're going to switch gears. we're going to the kitchen with gordon ramsay, right after this. guys, i'm home!

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back now at 8:45, and this morning on "today's kitchen," step by step. how to make an inexpensive cut of steak taste expensive. we've got celebrity chef gordon ramsay just back from opening his new restaurt at paris, las vegas, and he'll be dominate being the airwaves between tv shows this summer. gordon ramsay, good morning, how do you keep it together? >> it's an amazing position to be in. i love it. >> you've got two shows opening up i think in june. >> right. >> and then you've got another one later in the summer. you've got this restaurant. >> yes. >> and you're also trying to sort of make americans know that because we see you on tv >> yes. >> but more for your shows and less for your cooking. >> you're absolutely right. but today we're going to talk about a rib cap. something that has become a sort of chef's secret dream. >> mm-hmm. >> because it starts off here. this is a usual rib eye. >> right, exactly. >> you pull that back there and that is the cut we're going to

be cooking for you this morning. >> the secret part of this is you're saying that this is a cut of meat that's a cheap cut of meat that we don't realize yet is going to become very tender. >> early in. >> the rib eye forms at the bottom, there's a layer of fat sa sandwiched in between. the hidden gem goes up to there. not sure why they're not seen in butcher's at the moment. but they certainly will be. >> do we have something special to tenderize such a cut of meet? >> you could eat this raw it's that delicious. we're going to grill this one first. and sort of take it up and make an amazing sort of red wine butter. shallots cooked down with red wine. >> shallots, mm-hmm. >> mixed in to the butter and just a little seasoning. >> that's just butter there. >> butter there. >> that's all butter. >> and worcestershire sauce. by using this you use less salt so it's a deep flavor. >> but you didn't have to marinate this? >> not at all. give that a really good mix.

so i'm just sending smoke -- >> yes, mm-hmm. >> happy mother's day. forgot to wish that yesterday. >> yes. >> you have two different days, mother's day here and mother's day in the uk is back in march. >> did you have to do two of them? >> i had to do two of them. >> this is cooking. do you cook it all the were a through or keep a little pink. >> the secret with the steak is to let it rest. >> let it rest >> really, two, three minutes on each side. four or five minutes and then let it rest. >> done. okay. two, three minutes. and it's nice and caramelized. that's pretty. >> once that's over just start spreading that red wine -- >> butter, shallots. >> put the sauce on there. >> what is better than steak and butter, really? >> honestly, i'd rather marinate it, let it cool down, and then slice it, not be in a rush. >> oh, and then you cook it back on the other side. >> oh. nice. now what point are you going to put this in the oven you said? >> literally two minutes each side. really good sear on it. that red wine, worcestershire

sauce. deep, rich flavor. >> i'm enjoying all the aromas in the room. >> this is exciting part. >> yes. sauce? >> it's rested. >> how long do you have to rest it? >> i prefer resting meat for as long as i cook it. >> so six minutes? >> six minutes and don't be so tempted to dive in there and actually get it sort of eating straight away. you let it rest. >> is that because you want the juices to not go flowing out of it too quickly. >> you take it off the grill now and serve it instantly all the flavor goes out. let it rest. now look at the grain. we don't go against the grain, we lice with the grain. take off there literally. >> that's interesting. >> like butter. >> you don't want to go against the grain because it won't look as pretty? >> actually beef tastes so much more tender when you slice with the grain. go against the grain and the whole thing -- a little taste of it now. >> unfortunately we're out of time and i could talk to you

forever. really. it's been fun. and really delicious. >> really good. >> like butter. gordon ramsay. thank you so much. congratulations with all your success. and your new shows and everything. come back soon. >> definitely. >> coming up next we're going to catch up with liam neeson, star of the new movie called "battleship."

we are back now at 8:51 with award-winning actor liam neeson. in his new movie "battleship" he plays the commander of the pacific fleet. and when one of his lieutenants gets out of line, especially the one who's dating his daughter, well, you don't want to be that guy. take a look. >> i have never, ever seen a man waste them like you. what my daughter sees in you is a great mystery to me. you're a very smart individual. with very weak character, leadership, and decision making skills. enjoy these naval exercises, harper, they're likely to be your last. >> you stay away from my daughter. liam neeson. good morning. nice to see you. >> good morning. >> i guess if you have to spend time away from home shooting a movie, hawaii with brooklyn decker and rihanna, that's the way to go. >> not too shabby. >> you spent a lot of time at pearl harbor. >> spend a few days on board the "uss missouri" where the second world war was officially ended

and the japanese surrendered there. floating museum. the most magnificent ship. my first day, i had 500 cadets saluting. >> had you spent any time at pearl harbor prior to thises? was it emotional for you? almost everyone who goes there says it surprises them how me motional. >> it was kind of emotional. a little bit of my research, of course, the second world war, the attack on pearl harbor, it does. it just -- you just get a little shiver up your spine. >> i mentioned you're co-starring in this one with brooklyn decker and rihanna. on the serious side they are not as experienced in terms of acting as you are. are you the kind of guy who would, in a scene, or after a scene, offer advice? did they ask? >> they didn't. because we had a wonder of director, pete berg who also started life as an actor. he's very, very good with actors. but, yeah, in the past i would. yeah, if i saw an actor was in a

little bit of trouble, or i might suggest something. >> has that always been taken well? do actors always appreciate that or do some actors kind of get up on their heels a little bit? >> usually. i mean, i wouldn't say to a harrison ford or something like that. maybe some of the younger ones. >> rihanna has said that she watched you in "taken" and was taken with you and your performance. it's got to be nice, as a guy who is about to turn 60 -- sorry about that. to hear that one of the hottest young singers in the world today thinks you're kind of a smokin' in that regard. >> she got my check. >> but it's got to be nice, right? >> yeah, of course it is. she's very, very talented, beautiful young girl. very, very good in the film, too. she's the real deal. >> this milestone 60? >> just rub it in. >> no, no, is it -- i mean, look, we've all gone through these milestones. does this one bug you at all? >> it does. it does. >> why?

>> when i'm 60 and a day it will be all right. >> just getting through it? >> just getting through it. my kids want me to have a party, and some friends want to have a party. and i'm saying, look, i'll just -- i'll just stay at home, watch tv, open a bottle of wine. >> you got to embrace it. you really do. mention your kids, and you're obviously getting a lot of work these days. the scripts keep coming your way which is nice. but the tradeoff is you're a single dad. how do you decide these days what is worth you picking up and heading off with? you ever get to bring your kids with you? >> well, they're very, very much ensconced in school, matt, it's hard. i'll have them do something over the summer. spend a few days, you know. but i'm always juggling. and it's a good position to be in, because i am been offered work which is fantastic. some of the jobs are paying jobs. some aren't. but it's always a juggling process. >> you are in demand on both sides of it, at home and professionally. william neeson, good to see you. see you soon. happy birthday in advance.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. city police are investigating an overnight shooting in baltimore. the officers responded to perring court just after 9:00 last night. they found a man, a 22-year-old,

shot multiple times in the head.

>> off and on rainshowers expected. some of the rain could get heavier in the late afternoon and evening hours. cloudy skies, high temperatures of 73. >> we will have