good morning. facebook fiasco? the company's stock plunges even further as a probe is launched into problems tied to the social network's debut on wall street. did the lead underwriter, morgan stanley, keep valuable information from thousands of investors? purely random. new details on the motive of a 21-year-old father being held in custody, suspected of allegedly kidnapping and killing a 15-year-old cheerleader in california. this morning his possible connection to other crimes, and why police feared he was going to flee. and dangerous game. a father jokingly puts his young son into a washing machine. seconds later, panic sets in when it starts to spin, and the door won't open.

luckily another man was able to free the child, who is said to be doing okay. but police are now trying to track down the boy's parents "today," wednesday, may 23rd, track down the boy's parents "today," wednesday, may 23rd, 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. regulators are now taking a close look at how facebook's initial public offering was handled, matt. >> that's right. specifically they want to know if the investment bank morgan stanley selectively informed some of their clients that one of its analysts was cutting its forecast. this as facebook stock dropped another 9% on tuesday. so what does all this mean? we're going to talk about it with cnbc's jim cramer straight ahead. >> also ahead this morning, new images of the woman who triggered fears of a body bomb

forcing a u.s.-bound flight to make an unscheduled landing in maine. coming up, the latest on this investigation and we're going to hear from passengers who were aboard that flight, matt. >> and i think this story is going to get a lot of response from parents. a high school freshman who tried to shed light on the issue of bullying with a video and a fake facebook page. it was all part of a school project. but instead of getting a good grade she got suspended. the school will not comment. but she'll tell us what happened when she joins us, along with her parents, for a live interview. >> but we begin with the big story this morning. the new questions surrounding facebook's botched debut on wall street and jim cramer is the host of "mad money" on cnbc. >> good morning, ann. >> as we speak the stock's down yet another dollar from the close yesterday at $30 you're saying? >> yes. >> and that's down more than 18% from its initial offering. what happened? >> well, we're now getting word that it's possible that some of the big boys who get stock, or these very exciting initial public offerings, were being told that perhaps this company wasn't exciting after all, that

facebook may not have been doing as well as we thought. so perhaps they decided to dump their stock, which is a lot of the reasons why this stock has been in free-fall from the beginning. >> a lot of reporters are in "the new york times" for example are pointing to the possibility of this. this would be illegal, if true. >> yes. you can't have selective disclosure to the big guys and not tell everybody. >> this is privileged information if, in fact, it's true? >> it is a violation of the ftc's rules about telling one group of people and not telling everyone. i mean look at it this way, i big guy gets stock, knows the thing to do with that, and buries the public which is all excited about buying the deal. that's why this could be so outrageous. >> we know that morgan stanley is denying this, the big bank handling this ipo process. it is also, this is supposed to be a crowning achievement, this ipo for morgan stanley, right? where, where is it going to go from here? >> it's a crowning fiasco. it's definitely the worst ipo i've ever seen in 30 years. i've never seen anything like this, actually. this was so poorly handled by

everyone, whether it be the nasdaq, which handled the exchange or morgan stanley. morgan stanley is saying listen, this was procedures, same as always. if it's same as always, boy, something really stinks. >> if these reports are true that some investors, big investors, got privileged information before this ipo happened, what would be the repercussions? >> well, the ftc could come in and -- they've got to clean house. anybody who was involved with this could be sanctioned by the ftc because this is exactly the opposite of the way the securities and markets are supposed to work. >> all right. cnbc's jim cramer, thank you for your perspective on this developing story. >> we're learning more about an alarming incident on a us airways flight from paris to north carolina. it was caused by a woman who said she had a surgically implanted device on her. nbc's tom costello covers aviation. he's at reagan national airport this morning. tom, good morning to you. >> hi, matt, good morning. this passenger was in 30-f, row 30-f.

she had no luggage for her trip to the united states. investigators now believe she is mentally unstable, but she caused quite a stir yesterday for the flight crew who managed to play it very cool until the flight was down, and law enforcement on board. it was just after 5:30 p.m. when us airways flight 787 finally touched down in charlotte, north carolina. and passengers certainly had a story to tell. >> it was a bit scary. but we're just glad to be safe. >> reporter: it was just after noon when the flight was diverted to bangor, maine. >> no one really knew what was going on. we thought it was a medical emergency. then they told us that they were low on fuel, because the -- there were strong headwinds. then as we were landing, you could see all the ambulances, and police cars, and it wasn't just one for a medical emergency. there was like a brigade. >> reporter: but the f-15s escorting the flight knew the real reason. the 767 flying from paris to

charlotte, north carolina, with 188 people on board was more than halfway over the atlantic when sources tell nbc news a woman from cameroon with french citizenship passed a flight attendant a note, in french, warning she had a device implanted inside her. while she didn't say it was an explosive device, the flight crew took it seriously. >> she showed them some papers which i thought was a ticket and then they calmed for a doctor, and then the pilot came out of the cabin and took her to the back. and it was just -- >> reporter: they examined her for any signs of surgical scars. finding none, they became convinced she was mentally unstable. >> 7 7 heavy, verify cockpit is secure. >> affirmative, cockpit's secure. >> reporter: nbc terrorism consultant roger countriessy. >> it was only recently where we had a security tletd in the airlines keyed to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. it's not surprising if an airline received this kind of note they're going to take action.

>> reporter: that threat was recent disclosure of a plot to surgically implant explosives on passengers bound for the u.s. once on the ground in bangor the female passenger was removed by police. >> you can see her being carried off in handcuffs. and you can also see the dog right there, and they're holding on to luggage right there. >> reporter: meanwhile the passengers were recreaned and allowed to continue on to charlotte where they arrived about three hours late. >> i'm glad i'm safe. >> reporter: we're told once in bangor the pilot came on the p.a. system and apologized to everybody for misleading them. but there was no panic on board. this passenger, 41 years old, planning a ten-day visit to the u.s. again, no checked luggage. she's now in federal custody and she's likely to face criminal charges. >> all right, tom costello. the crew seemed to handle it really well. thank you very much. >> all right. a lot of other stories making news this morning. and back from assignment, natalie morales to give us those stories. welcome back. >> good morning, everyone. just under six months to go until election day and

republicans are coming together behind mitt romney, who picked up victories in the kentucky and arkansas primaries on tuesday. and now a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll is revealing just how close the race between president obama and romney would be if americans were voting today. romney has tightened the gap with the president by just a bit, coming in at 43%, to president obama's 47%. the president lost two points since this time last month for his handling of the economy. as for how the candidates views on gay marriage impacted voters, it's a wash. even after president obama came out in support of same-sex marriage, 62% of voters still say the candidate's stances make no difference. a senate committee hears testimony today about last month's secret service prostitution scandal in colombia. the director of the agency is expected to testify today that the night of partying did not pose any threat to national security. but one republican senator is challenging assertions that the incident in colombia was isolated. noting a message from veteran

secret service agents that this kind of behavior was tolerated while on the road. actor michael mckean is recovering in a new york city hospital this morning. the laverne and shirley star was hit by a car while walking on the sidewalk in new york city tuesday afternoon. he was taken to a local hospital with a broken leg and facial has indications. he is now in stable condition. former first lady nancy reagan is recovering after a fall that left her with several broken ribs. the 90-year-old had been expected to attend a speech tuesday at the reagan presidential library, but was unable to attend. the fall happened at her los angeles home about six weeks ago. and just call him his royal hipness. take a look. this is none other than prince charles, scratching on the turn tables -- apparently i'm scratching now, too. he's on tour of canada with his wife camilla, celebrating the queen's diamond jubilee. all right. well, nine minutes past the hour. a long video there.

we'll turn back over to matt and ann. >> well, we saw some of the video i think. but either that or the scratching of the music, was the wrong kind of music that you would attach to that kind of scratching. >> you were on assignment. you were having an echo box implanted in your throat? >> i was scratching as i said it. >> welcome back. natalie. >> deejay natty mo. >> mr. roker, what's up? >> let's see what's going on. maybe we can get the prince to do sports next. a lot of rain, miami yesterday, setting a record set back in 1901, streets were turned into rivers. it just kept falling and it is going to keep falling. this rain is going to continue. check it out right now. we can show you the rain falling currently on the radar. there's a weak front that's just draped along the upper level low, just sitting. and it continues to churn out the rain. we're looking at another 1 to 3 inches, maybe some locally areas may get up to 5 inches in the keys. so there's probably going to be more flooding and more airport delays down in southern florida.

that's what's going on around the country. >> good morning. scattered showers and thunderstorms will move back into the area this morning and this afternoon. some could drop locally heavily >> and that's your latest weather. >> police in california say the 21-year-old father facing murder and kidnapping charges in the disappearance of a 15-year-old cheerleader may be linked to other assault cases. nbc's kristen dahlgren is in san jose this morning with the latest on this story. kristen, good morning. >> good morning, ann. this morning we are learning more about how police say they linked 21-year-old antolin garcia-torres to sierra lamar's

disappearance. what they say was a complete stranger abduction, and not his first crime. meantime, even with the murder charge pending, sierra's mother says she can't give up hope that somehow her daughter will be found alive. >> we believe there is no proof right now that she's not out there. and that's the number one priority itself, finding sierra. >> reporter: for sierra lamar's mother, this week's arrest hasn't stopped the search for her daughter. >> you never give up hope on your child, with anything. that's part of being a parent. >> reporter: but tomorrow the santa clara county district attorney's office says it plans to charge 21-year-old antolin garcia-torres with the missing teen's murder and kidnapping. certain he's responsible, after sheriff's kept him under surveillance 24 hours a day for nearly two months. sheriff's say they started watching garcia-torres after dna evidence linked him to clothes

in the teen's purse found on the side of the road just after she disappeared on march 16th. >> it's my belief this was purely random. it was an act with stranger abduction. >> reporter: after the dna link was discovered, authorities say they put a gps tracking device on garcia-torres' car. a red volkswagen jet to they say was spotted in the neighborhood at the time lamar was last seen leaving for school. the suspect's family says there's no way he could be responsible. >> i know he didn't do it. he's not capable of that. there's no motive. they don't have physical evidence. >> reporter: garcia-torres lives with his mother, and 18-month-old daughter and a wife pregnant with another child. in a trailer park just under 10 miles from lamar's home. authorities say they have his dna because of a previous assault arrest. he wasn't charged, but investigators now say dna evidence also links garcia-torres to at least one other assault in the area. authorities believe garcia-torres knew he was under surveillance.

worried he would fleet, they say they moved in for the arrest monday night. forcing a community to face a possibility they have dreaded. >> when we heard of the charges, that kind of took away any hope of her being alive. >> reporter: but her family can't give up yet. and in her pain, sierra's mother made a plea. to the man she believes has the answer she needs. >> it's in your best interest to come forward, to help end this nightmare. miracles do happen. >> reporter: now investigators have been questioning garcia-torres, but they say so far he has given them little information. again, he's expected to make his first court appearance tomorrow. meantime, another search, ann, will be going out for sierra this morning. >> all right. kristen dahlgren, thank you. it is now 7:14. once again, here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you. memorial day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer but it looks like one staple of the season is getting a big head start. experts predict this could be a brutal mosquito season. nbc's kerry sanders is in lehigh

acres, florida. kerry, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. they're small, they're pesky and they want your blood, which i'm going to show you here as i stick my arm in this container. the problem is, as you stated, this year it at peers they're showing up nationwide, earlier than expected. late tuesday night, and into the early morning today, mosquito control was back at it in lee county, florida, fogging with synthetic pyrethium, a pesticide formulated to kill as many of these pesky insects as possible. >> in the united states we're doing a pretty good job of keeping the mosquitoes under control. but we'll never win that battle. >> reporter: in southwest florida, three planes and nine choppers crisscrosses 1,000 square miles doing battle. but this year, entomologists who study mosquitoes say the problem is not just in swampy, humid, florida.

in texas, memphis, atlanta, health officials all report increased mosquito counts. in new york city, 3-year-old jasmin richie learned what it is to hate mosquitoes. parents are not happy with how local government has responded so far to this early mosquito invasion. despite being told these mosquitoes do not show signs of west nile virus. >> my children are under mosquito nets. i want to know what are you going to do today? >> reporter: why so many mosquitoes, and so early this season? the same mild weather that brought our early, and abundant pollen season, is now to blame for the mosquito explosion. >> it's been an unusually mild winter and we did not see the repeated freezes that entomologists say we need to kill off those mosquitoes. so now with the wet season upon us, this could mean trouble. >> reporter: that wet season was evident in south florida tuesday. standing water is a perfect

breeding grund for mosquitoes. the biggest fear, disease. the cdc received reports of 610 cases of encephalitis or meningitis from mosquito borne viruses last year. 47 resulted in death. >> if you develop things like a fever, a severe headache, swollen glands, it is very important to see your health care provider immediately because these could be signs and symptoms of more serious infection. >> reporter: so here is lee county mosquito control, they spend about $13 million a year fighting these pesky critters. but, they say, it's really up to homeowners also to help, doing simple things as taking that potted plant outside and tipping it over if there's some water in there. remember, that water is where they breed. >> did you just kill all those mosquitoes in that little rag there? >> no, it just holds them off. >> yeah. sure. all right you're going to have a great night, kerry. enjoy that. thanks very much. now here's ann. >> all right, matt.

thanks. we're going to now turn to a serious story. the harrowing new details about the deaths of four climbers who perished over the weekend trying to reach the summit of mt. everest. this morning we're hearing from a colorado man who was there. here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: piercing 29,000 feet into nepal's sky, mt. everest is the world's tallest peak. but the mountain is also one of the deadliest. this weekend climbing four lives while three other climbers are said to be missing and feared dead. >> we came across two more bodies that were also not moving at all. >> reporter: john, a mountaineer from colorado was on everest sunday. as he descended the mountain he came across some of the victims. a 16-year-old german doctor, a graduate student from nepal, and a south korean climber who he tried to help. >> his hat was off, his gloves were off. he was kind of looking at me, kind of zombie-like. or anybody that would pass would reach out and try to hand you. the gentleman's hand was frozen

solid. >> reporter: the climbers had been waiting at a campsite like this one in the so-called death zone because of the mountain's icy slopes, and low oxygen level. when the weather finally cleared, an estimated 150 climbers rushed to reach the summit. mountaineers describe the scene as a traffic jam. but soon, a windstorm blew in, there was nowhere for climbers to go. supplies started running out. >> when there's a bottleneck on everest, you have a long line of climbers that really can't pass one another. they're stuck. they're using up their oxygen, and as a result, they get cold, and potentially make bad decisions. >> reporter: it's believed the victims died from hypothermia and brain swelling triggered by the lack of oxygen and high altitude. the bodies are so difficult to reach, they may never be removed from the mountain. the graduate student from nepal tracked the early stages of her climb on facebook. but words of encouragement turned to condolences as news

spread of the tragedy. on everest, the weekend will be remembered as one of the deadliest in history. a mountain crowded with climbers, a trip not everyone would survive. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> pretty dramatic story, matt. >> it is. >> meanwhile authorities in new jersey are trying to track down the parents of a little boy who was put in a washing machine by his father, and then became trapped. natalie is here with that story. >> and we should warn our viewers the video may be disturbing to watch. we want to say the little boy involved is fine. but the video, which already has millions of hits on the web, is sure to get the hearts racing of any parent. it shows how within seconds, a simple prank can turn into a terrifying ordeal. this disturbing surveillance video captures the moment that a became of peekaboo apparently between father and soon quickly turned to terror at a new jersey laundromat. with the boy's mother looking on, the man picked up the boy and placed him inside the washing machine, shutting the door.

but the man soon realized that this was no laughing matter when he tried to open the door and it wouldn't budge. frantic, the woman screamed for help, as the little boy was tossed around in the machine. the laundromat's owner told the fox tv station in philadelphia she couldn't believe what was happening. >> playing peekaboo with the child in a dryer and in a washer? that's ridiculous! >> reporter: a quick-thinking store employee raced to the machine, shoved away the tables, and shut off its circuit breaker. but with the power off, even he couldn't open the washer's doors, overcome with anxiety the father jumped impatiently and the mother pounded the nearby tables. finally, after 67 heart-wrenching seconds, the employee was able to pry open the door and return the little boy to his parents. >> he's a hero, you know. he saved the child's life. >> reporter: workers at the laundromat called the police when the incident happened but the family had already left for the hospital. they say the father returned

about an hour later to pick up their clothes and told employees his son was okay. but authorities are now looking for that family, and the case has been referred to child welfare authorities, as well, matt, and ann. it's hard to see -- >> nothing funny about that story. >> not at all. >> all right, natalie, thanks very much. just ahead, new scrutiny for the tanning industry in the wake of that jersey tan mom case. are some salons ignoring laws that bar kids from tanning? the results of our hidden camera investigation. but first, this is "today" on nbc. @

coming up why does a high school student suspended for her school project with an anti-bullying message? we'll find out. ♪

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[ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. a state delegate is calling for the resignation of baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake as activists call on him to apologize for insensitive remarks. this comes less than a week after republican delegate pat mcdonough says that "growth in moms of black youth"s are causing problems at the -- "roving mobs of black youthss"

are causing problems at the inner harbor. >> the fog is starting to get heavy in many areas and may have contributed to this accident. be extra careful there. we are looking at heavy delays. westbound, 24 miles per hour from reisterstown to edmondson. yellow towards the bottom left of your screen. westbound 100 on the ramp 2 northbound 97, we have a disabled vehicle causing a back up. 19 miles per hour on the j.f.x. towards the construction zone. 30 miles per hour on average towards the white marsh area. fog is getting heavy at harford road. expect to be delayed. this is what it looks at white marsh. southbound traffic is inching along, but watch for the fog and

give yourself extra time. >> obviously, the fog is the big story this morning. it will be dry for the rest of the commune. visibility is down in some neighborhoods. humidity at 93%. 65 degrees in columbia. once again into the late morning and afternoon hours, thunderstorms develop. highs in the upper 70's and low 80s. 80s. still a

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7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 23rd of may, 2012. and you're looking at part of an anti-bullying video from a high school freshman. she made it for a school project, along with a fake facebook page, and she got suspended because of this. we're going to talk to her about what happened coming up this morning. a lot of questions to be asked, i think. >> puzzling that story. we haven't heard from the school yet on that. there's a hearing later today so we'll know more about that. also ahead the case of a new jersey woman dubbed the tan mom has brought attention to the tanning krad. well, most states have strict age requirements for salons. but are the operators of those salons following the law? you may be surprised what we

found in a hidden camera investigation. >> it was pretty startling stuff. and also are you one of the millions of americans suffering through this bad allergy season? this one is. well dr. oz is going to be here with some drug-free advice this morning to help you out. >> in a weird twist i'm actually having a better season this year than i have in the past. and people are saying it's one of the worst ever. i'm not asking any questions. >> maybe the flower that bothers you is not flowering. >> yet. we begin this half hour with a mysterious case in washington, d.c. the wife of a prominent expert on ocean life seriously beaten in the couple's apartment. and while she apparently can't remember who did it, police have acted as if her husband is a person of interest. we'll talk to him in a moment. but first nbc's justice correspondent pete williams has this story. pete, good morning to you. >> matt, it's been almost seven weeks since the brutal beating was discovered here at the couple's apartment in this upscale section of washington, d.c. now the victim's husband is fighting for the right to stay with his wife in the hospital.

david guggenheim says he rushed back to washington from several days of travel in early april, after family members became concerned that his wife, svetlana, was not answering phone calls. >> i took the next train home in the morning, and came home and found her lying the bedroom floor, a lot of dried blood. she had been there awhile, a horrible black eye, and her left eye, she was shaking, and incoherent. and it was horrible. >> reporter: david guggenheim is a prominent marine biologist. the ocean doctor, he calls himself, appearing recently on "60 minutes" to dramatize threats to underwater life. >> clinically endangered is pretty much the highest level of endangerment. >> reporter: he was a go-to expert during 2010's bp disaster in the gulf. >> this spill is going to move with the currents in the gulf of mexico. >> reporter: but now, he's fighting for the right to stay with his wife, as she recovers from the brutal attack that left

her with a blood clot serious enough to require brain surgery. at first, he was by her hospital bedside almost constantly. but then, he says, washington, d.c. police suddenly blocked him from her room. local prosecutors claimed in court that, quote, it was ms. guggenheim's explicit wishes that plaintiff, her husband, not be permitted to have contact with her. prosecutors said they had a note from a nurse who said mrs. guggenheim indicated it was her husband who attacked her. but family members say she has no memory of indicating that. family members also say she claimed someone else attacked her, but more recently indicated she did not recall saying that, either. police have since allowed her husband to resume the hospital visits. >> she would know i would never do such a thing. even if she didn't remember, you know, she would know that i -- there was no way i could possibly have done something like this. >> reporter: he insists he has the receipts to prove that he was traveling, and was out of town when his wife was attacked. and says he has offered them to

police who told him to hang onto them. >> a combination of the husband's travel records, phone records, and surveillance cameras from the apartment, should help the authorities rule him out as long as they have a very tight time frame of when the actual assault took place. >> reporter: police in washington say they're continuing their investigation, but they've been allowing mr. guggenheim to visit his wife again since late last week. matt? >> all right, pete williams in washington, d.c. this morning. pete, thank you very much. david guggenheim is with us now. mr. guggenheim, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> so, first of all, let me ask, how is svetlana doing now? what's her current condition? >> she's doing better. remarkably better. i hadn't been able to see her for a month, which was agonizing, and i didn't know who i would see when i finally got back to the hospital. but she's herself. she has her faculties. she's thin and frail. she's being fed by a feeding

tube, but she's walking a little bit. >> when you say she has her faculties, is she able to talk now? is her memory returning? >> her memory is returning. she doesn't remember the incident. she cannot talk because she has a trach tube in her throat. but we communicate by writing, and typing on an ipad. >> has there been some communication through a note or through that ipad where you have said to her, do you think i did this to you? and if not, would you clear this up with the police? >> my daughter videotaped her last week signing a statement to that effect. and then interviewing my daughter interviewed her -- >> interviewed her how if she can't communicate? >> well, through nods and shaking of the head, you know, did your husband do this to you, yes or no? and i e-mailed that information, the statement, and the videotape, to the d.a., and to the hospital, and i said, please deal with this.

>> and at the moment, do you feel you are still being considered, although not technically, but a person of interest in this case by the police? >> yes. >> you arrived home last night, i understand, and actually found police in your apartment with a search warrant. what were they looking for? do you know? or were you allowed to even remain there? >> i was allowed to be there. it was digital media. so hard drives, computers, discs, that sort of thing. and her telephone. >> you say you have receipts that show you were traveling during the time period when this attack occurred on your wife. you've, i understand, shared those or tried to share those receipts with the police, and it's my understanding they have seemed uninterested at the moment in looking at them? >> well, they have seemed actively disinterested in anything that would show that i was out of town during this incident. and the receipts is one example. my brother went to a walmart store in philadelphia, where we

shopped, and found surveillance video, talked to the head of security, and i also told them i wasn't alone during that trip at all except when i was on the train. i gave them the names of all the people i was with and they haven't called a single person. >> i have to ask you, mr. guggenheim, is there a history in your relationship with svetlana of domestic violence? >> never. >> is there a reason why police would be looking at you more closely? >> no. absolutely nothing. nothing like that. our relationship has never been violent, it's a peaceful home. and why they would bar both me and svetlana's daughter, my stepdaughter, anna, from seeing her for weeks, i -- i -- is unfathomable. i mean, this was unhumane to allow svetlana to be waking up from this sort of injury isolated from the people she needs the most around her, her husband and her daughter. >> just quickly, is there any kind of surveillance camera at your home where the beating took

place that might show who went in and out of that apartment during this time period? >> there are two surveillance cameras in our building. and presumably the police have looked at that. but, i don't know. >> and the reason you're speaking out this morning is just so that you can in some way clear your name in this? >> actually not. i -- i'm very confident about my name in this. i'm speaking out because of the way mpd has handled this, and without a court order has kept a family apart at their time of most need. and that should alarm people. >> david guggenheim. mr. guggenheim, thanks for your time this morning. and our best to your wife. >> thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> matt, thank you so much. we are out here with a couple of twins birthdays. what birthday? >> 10. >> double digits. very cool. what's your name?

is she your spokesperson? she's saying everything for you. very nice. happy birthday ladies. let's see what we've got for you today. we've got this big upper level high that's developing, jet stream way up to the north, and so that means we're looking at a lot of heat as we head into the memorial day weekend. hundreds in the southwest into texas. 80s and 90s into the central plains. by thursday, you can see those 90s making their way into the gulf coast. 80s into the ohio river valley. and by friday, even toastier with temperatures in the 80s and 90s. gulf, southwest, and by the time we get well into the weekend, even chicago, looking for highs in the mid to upper 80s. got some nice folks from perry, georgia. >> good morning. it will be a warm and humid kind of day. we will see some scattered showers and thunderstorms redevelop this afternoon.

>> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. up next, are some tanning salons ignoring laws that are supposed to bar kids from tanning? the results of our hidden camera investigation, right after this. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ anti-aging cream undeniably. it creamed unbelievably a $500 cream

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back now at 7:43. this morning on "rossen reports" kids and tanning. it's gotten a lot of attention recently highlighted by the case of the so-called tan mom. are tanning salons allowing

underage kids in to get under the lights. "today" national investigative correspondent jeff rossen was under cover to find out. good morning. >> good morning. you hear about the tan mom. you hear about teens and tanning. up may laugh it off, no big deal. but doctors say it is a big deal. studies show kids who go tanning are more likely to get skin cancer. that's why most states have tough hows about who can use tanning salons. but when teens try to get in the door, are salons actually stopping them? our hidden cameras are rolling. ♪ i'm sexy and i know it >> reporter: she's made tanning this country's hottest issue. >> there's somebody out there who my whole life that doesn't like me because they're jealous, they're fat, and they're ugly. >> reporter: that's the so-called tan mom, charged with bringing her 5-year-old daughter into the tanning booth. she's pled not guilty. >> she never went in. she never went in. >> reporter: but this national spectacle has raised serious concerns about the dangers of underage tanning.

>> if you start tanning as a teenager, you're 74 times more likely to get a malignant melanoma as a younger adult than you would otherwise. >> reporter: right now, 33 states have tough age restrictions at tanning salons. in the tan mom's home state of new jersey, kids under 14 are banned. 14 to 17, must have a parent with them. to give written consent. but we found some salons apparently are ignoring the law, and seemed willing to allow teens in. no questions asked. >> she told you it was for a sweet 16. she told you her age. >> yes, she did. i was in the wrong. and i apologize. >> why did you let her tan? she said her parent's not here. >> i'm going to have to ask you guys to leave, okay. >> reporter: we did an experiment. wiring up this "today" show staffer and sending her into six tanning salons in new jersey. posing as a 15-year-old looking to bronze up. with her another young nbc staffer posing as her teenage friend. first stop, soleil tans.

>> i have a sweet 16 this weekend. i just want to do like a one time. >> here the clerk immediately shuts her down. >> it's the law. anyone under the age of 18 needs parental consent. the parent has to be in here and sign the waiver. >> reporter: two other salons also did the right thing. no parent present, no tanning. but at hot spot tanning in edison -- >> my sweet 16 is this weekend so i just want to get just kind of build on my tan for my party. >> oh, nice. >> reporter: our girl is waved right in. >> come on back. >> reporter: the clerk takes her back to the bed. >> thank you. >> reporter: and that's when we show up. jeff rossen from nbc news. >> hello there. >> reporter: you just sold this young woman tanning package and you never got her parents to sign a permission form. >> yeah, you're right. i did -- the lady that was with her was her mother. >> reporter: really? she thought these two were mother and daughter? >> i apologize to you. i should have asked.

i did something, i was wrong. >> reporter: the owner later told us his clerk violated policy. but next top tantalize. >> my sweet 16 is this weekend. i was wondering how you could show me what kind of beds. >> are you interested in doing a baser for a bronzing package? >> reporter: the clerk doesn't blink even when our staffer writes her birthday right on the salon's form, showing again she's only 15. and there she goes. ready to tan. >> jeff rossen from nbc news. you just allowed this young girl to tan here. she said she was underage. >> okay, i'm sorry. >> reporter: then she walked away. the owner later told us the clerk was fired. because she violated policy. >> the results of your hidden camera investigation are completely unacceptable. >> reporter: new jersey state senator loretta weinberg is pushing for even tougher laws to ban all kids from tanning at

salons. parental consent or not. but the tanning industry is fighting it. >> government should not be getting involved in an outright ban. and we have a sensible parental consent law already in place. it just needs to be enforced. >> reporter: but in some cases are the salons themselves helping kids to scheme? at this next one, tans mania in north brunswick, we were in for a twist. >> i'd like to get a tan, please. it's my birthday this weekend, sweet 16 so i need to get some color. >> reporter: to get her in the owner actually asks her friend, our other staffer, to sign the consent form. even though she's clearly not the girl's mother. >> you just need to sign it. >> oh. i'm just here as her friend. >> cause if she's under 18, you need like a parent's signature. >> i'm not her parent. but -- >> can she sign it anyway? >> she can sign it. >> reporter: that's all it takes and our girl heads to the beds. jeff rossen with nbc news. are you aware that the young

girl you just allowed to tan is underage? >> yes, she was with someone that's 18. >> reporter: but you actually need parental consent in the state of new jersey. >> that's what i asked right here. >> reporter: but the other woman said she was not her parent. >> she said she was her guardian. >> reporter: no, she didn't. >> you were not here. >> reporter: i was watching on hidden camera. >> all right, i'm going to have to ask you guys to leave, okay? >> reporter: in the end three out of six salons, half of them, allowed our girl to tan. doctors say that's putting teens at risk. >> what's at stake here is the health of our young people. and it is up to us to protect young people from themselves. >> reporter: remember, letting underage kids in to tanning salons without parental consent is illegal in many states. the indoor tanning association says most salons do follow the law, and those that don't should be held accountable. ann, you know, officials say the only way to stop this is more enforcement. many states don't enforce this at all. and even when these salons are caught. the fines are minimal, $100.

$200. they need more enforcement and more fines. >> jeff rossen, thank you. we know this is dangerous. thank you. still ahead this morning, what brad pitt had to say in cannes about his upcoming wedding to angelina jolie. but first, these messages. it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest. it's you, fully charged. you know that comes with a private island? really? no. it comes with a hat. see, airline credit cards promise flights for 25,000 miles, but... [ man ] there's never any seats for 25,000 miles. frustrating, isn't it? but that won't happen with the capital one venture card. you can book any airline, anytime.

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it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you are prone to or have any infection like an open sore or the flu or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd. [ male announcer ] now learn about a program committed to you and copay assistance that can reduce monthly orencia out-of-pocket drug cost to $5. if you're not satisfied after 6 months, you get that money back. call 1-800-orencia. just ahead a high schooler shines the spotlight on bullying or a school project and gets suspended. we'll talk to her. >> and dr. oz is here with allergy relief.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. what's going on with the fog? >> pretty heavy and the many spots and we're seeing accidence around the area. this accident involves an overturned vehicle. southbound delays developing in howard county. take alternates if you can. telegraph road in severn, accident coming in disabled vehicle and delays behind it on the ramp to northbound 97. south, 25 miles per hour.

looking at a back up in each direction on the northeast corner. j.f.x. southbound selling up quickly towards the construction zone. 15 miles per hour towards reisterstown road. in westminster, another overturned vehicle. here's a quick live look at traffic. you can see how heavy the traffic is towards the possible overturned vehicle. southbound 95 at 32. we will keep you posted. j.f.x., as i mentioned, very heavy. these delays stretch back to northern parkway. >> at least we don't have rain to contend with. thick fog in some neighborhoods. 69 at the airport. humidity at 90%. 63 in parkton. 64 degrees and the rising sun. forecast for today, a mixture of

clouds and sunshine. showers and thunderstorms, back this afternoon. high temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80s. it clears up and gets warmit

8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 23rd day of may. ooh that looks good, 2012. a little frozen ice right now, muggy here in new york city. and we've got a big crowd of people gathered on the plaza. by the way, you're listening to the music of pitbull. that's our way of telling you that come this friday, pitbull will take over the plaza. and there's a guy who can take it over. >> mr. worldwide. >> no question. this friday morning, 8:30 half hour, pitbull live in concert. the music doesn't stop there. we've got a memorial day weekend monday of "today." we've got r&b singer bobby brown on the plaza, as well.

for a concert. meanwhile i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker and coming up, was it a good idea with a bad reaction? >> that's right. you would think it would be a good idea. a high school freshman makes an anti-bullying video. you think that's a terrific idea featuring a fictional girl. the school administrators believe the class project went too far and they have suspended her. we're going to talk to this girl and her parents coming up in this half hour. >> it's been a rough allergy season, one of the worst in memory. dr. mehmet oz is going to be here with medication-free solutions to helping you with your allergies. >> and can we take a second just to brag on some of our colleagues. "today" won three gracie awards last night which honor programming for women, by women, and about women. we were recognized for outstanding news talk show. savannah guthrie won for individual achievement. and our "today's moms" blog was

named the outstanding blog. >> cool. >> congratulations to all involved. we're very proud of that. >> that's a pretty dress on savannah. now let's go inside and get a check of the morning's top stories from natalie. >> good morning, everyone. with facebook stock stumbling since it started trading last week, regulators are now examining whether some investors had an unfair early warning. they want to see if investment bank morgan stanley, which handled the ipo, selectively informed some clients about a negative analysis of facebook's prospects. morgan stanley says it complied with regulations. officials are praising the actions of a us airways flight crew during a midair scare tuesday aboard a flight from paris to north carolina. the plane with 188 people on board was diverted to maine with a fighter jet escort, after a passenger passed a note to a flight attendant, claiming she had a surgically implanted device. doctors aboard the plane examined the woman and found no scars or incision which would

have signified possible signs of a surgically implanted bomb. a little boy in rush hour traffic made for some heart-pounding moments in eastern china. the 3-year-old rode his scooter through a busy intersection forcing drivers to maneuver around him. a police officer rescued the boy around returned him to his grandfather, who was supposed to be keeping an eye on him. now for a look at what is trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. brad pitt is teasing wedding watchers by giving almost nothing away about his engagement to angelina jolie. >> we have no date. and we actually really truly have no date. it's just -- >> it's a rhymer? >> something that made sense to us. well, certainly datewise it's absolutely rumor. i'm still hoping we figure out our marriage equality before then. >> pitt is in cannes promoting his new film "killing them softly." the roaring new trailer for the great gatsby with leonardo

dicaprio is a trending topic on twitter. one thing that might seem out of place, a sound track not by j. gatsby but jay-z and kanye west. and mother nature made sure caleb and sandra will never forget their wedding day. tornadoes provided the backdrop for their wedding photos. caleb's a rodeo bull rider and his bride is a barrel racer. i guess they're used to a little excitement in their lives. that tornado far off in the distance. it is 8:04 right now. let's go back outside to al with a check of your weather. or matt and ann. >> what great wedding pictures. >> it looks like a great picture. that's fantastic. >> i know i think it would be great to have a big weather -- happening right behind you -- in your photographs anyway. speaking of the weather. >> yeah. >> let's go to mr. al for that. >> okay. i don't know how many people would like a tornado during their wedding.

but that's cowboy love for you. we've got some friends from hawaii. the big island. aloha! book 'em dano. there you go. let's show them what we've got for our forecast. phoenix, arizona, and nbc news 12 news. sunny, hot, 103 in phoenix, arizona today. that is going to be toasty. as we look on the satellite, show you we've got a few showers with the pacific northwest. move heavy rain for our friends down in florida where they got dumped with almost 10 inches yesterday. more rain, slight risk of storms in the mid-atlantic states. showers in the pacific northwest. few showers on the big island of hawaii today. >> good morning. anyway. scattered showers and thunderstorms will move back into the area this morning and this afternoon. some could drop locally heavily

>> jack lord. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. coming up we're going to meet that high school freshman who created an anti-bullying video and also a facebook page that caused her to be suspended. her story coming up right after this. [ male announcer ] at p.f. chang's, we serve more than starters. we serve igniters. and now, so can you.

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one teen's project to create awareness about bullying that got her suspended from school. we'll talk to her and her parents in a moment. but first nbc's mara schiavocampo has their story. mara, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. jessica barba is a freshman her at longwood high school. when she got a school assignment to do a project on an important issue she chose bullying. but instead of getting a grade, she got suspended. 12-year-old hailey bennett's facebook page was full of hateful messages, like, shut up already. you smell bad. and no one pities you. a depressed bennett posted, i hate myself. a heartbreaking display of cyber bullying. except, it was all fake. 15-year-old freshman jessica barba says she made up the girl and created the phony account to raise awareness about bullying as part of a class project. jessica also made this six-minute youtube video showing

the fictional hailey bennett facing physical violent and torment day after day until she finally committed suicide. the video ended with the message, speak up, speak out, bullying is 100% preventable. >> i was so excited, i would work on it so hard for the two days straight that i worked on it just to make sure it was done. and made sure it had a good message in it. >> reporter: but jessica's good message got a bad reaction. jessica's family says that a concerned parent saw the facebook page and not realizing it was fake called police, who contacted the school. the family says school officials then suspended jessica for five days, even after she explained that it was an anti-bullying project, telling her, she says, she had created a disruption at the school. >> i started hysterically crying. i couldn't believe i was getting in trouble for something that i worked so hard on, and the only intent of it was good. >> reporter: jessica says the school demanded her facebook

password and took the page down. she also says both the facebook page and the video contained clear disclaimers, saying the girl and her story were fake. >> this is a post that i had posted on my own account, and that it was for a project that i was doing on school bullying. so everyone. >> reporter: cyber bullying is a very real problem. in the last few years several teens have committed suicide, after facing relentless taunting online. internet experts say jessica's suspension provides a teachable moment for students, and the school. >> the people that thought it was a real situation can learn that's what it looks like when a kid is crying for help and crying for help online. that's what it looks like. and let's talk about it. >> they've been teaching us since we were in kindergarten that you should treat people the way you want to be treated and not to bully. then i make some type of movement in it and i get punished for it. >> reporter: we reached out to the school about this story but they said they can't comment citing student privacy

protections. jessica's family says she has a suspension hearing with the school scheduled for later this morning. matt? >> all right, mara schiavocampo. thank you very much. jessica barba is here now along with her parents michael and jodi. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> i've been doing this job a long time, jessica, and usually an alarm goes off when i read something that just doesn't make sense. this doesn't make sense to me. i mean, when i hear what you did, what you created, the work you put in, that you labeled it a fake, in both these places and said it was just to spotlight the issue of bullying, i don't understand how you got suspended. can you -- is there something i don't know? >> no. i just created the video to raise awareness and i don't understand why i'm being punished for it. >> when you walked into the office, you were called into the assistant principal's office, i believe. >> yes. >> to me this seems like something, mom and dad jump in here, that could have been explained in the first five minutes of that meeting without it ever getting to suspension. did you try to explain?

>> i did. i tried explaining it so much they had the printout of the page, but none of the printouts that they had were the ones where i specified that it was a fake page. >> why was there the disdiscrepancy there. why didn't they have those printouts where you said on this hailey's girl's page this is fake? >> because the person who had seen them and printed them out and sent them to the school hadn't been able to go down far enough to see that it was fake. >> okay so mom and dad i'm thinking you go home, you print that part of the page, you walk back in and none of this would have happened. >> i did print it out. and i brought it to them. and they still -- they didn't really care too much about that. >> by that time you were suspended and they didn't want to hear about it. this is a great idea in terms of the way you went about highlighting the issue of bullying. did you perhaps go about parts of it the wrong way? did you tell a teacher at any point while you were creating these things? >> i had told my teacher that i was super excited to do the

video, i was making a bullying video and that i'll have it on time for her. and i -- she didn't really -- >> when you created the facebook page did you alert a teacher that you would be putting this material out there? >> no. >> and when you finished the video, you posted it on youtube before you turned it in to the school. >> yes. >> might you have now decided that was the wrong order to do things? >> no. i think that maybe it was, but, i'm not too sure if i would rechange the order in which i did it. >> dad, this assignment was meant to teach a lesson. >> absolutely. >> what lesson have you learned from this? >> okay, first off i'm very proud of the things she's done here. okay, she's made other movies and put them on youtube already. so the teacher never got to see it. it was never turned in. she would -- if this wasn't a project she made have made something like this and put it on youtube anyway. >> so how do you feel about her

being singled out? five-day suspension is a long time by the way. >> i think it's extensive. me, myself, i'm not on facebook so i could see how possibly a parent as they're reading down maybe didn't read far enough to see that this is fake. and possibly misunderstood this. >> and real quickly, there is a hearing at, i guess at the school a later later this morning. you won't be able to attend because you're here. what do you want to see as the quick outcome from this? >> listen all that has to happens. all i expect is her be able to go back to school, erase the suspension because it was a mistake and be able to turn in the project. this is a great project. thousands of people love it. and it can be fixed. this can be fixed simple. >> we will follow what happens later today and as this story continues. jessica, thanks very much for being here. we appreciate it. >> thank you so much for having me. >> mom and dad, thank you as well. up next, if you're suffering from allergies like a lot of people are right now, dr. oz's medication-free quick cures for the seasonal allergies. right after this.

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back now at 8:19. this morning on "today's health," coping with allergies. experts say this allergy season is worse than last year and higher pollen counts, and an exceptional warm winter may be to blame. we've got dr. mehmet oz, host much "the dr. oz show." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> is it me or are we just continually having worse allergy seasons? >> they're definitely worse. some of it is urban sprawl. the key thing for folks to understand, if you're going to get through your systems with no medications you've got to make the right diagnosis. >> you want to make sure you're not having a cold. how do you tell the difference? >> colds will come on slowly. allergies hit you quickly. colds take two weeks but no longer to get better. allergies will also last all season. but you've also got to contact pollen. pollen will be obstructed in hot

wind. pollen will also get in your eyes. it will give you eyes as well as nose problems. mold comes from spores in the ground. so moist days will give rise to that. hot, windy day, it's probably pollen. if it's a moist day, it's probably mold. 10% of the population has mold. don't confuse them. >> you want to help us medication-free treat some of these symptoms. including the itchy, watery eyes. what can we do? >> of course on ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. preventing it with sunglasses, big, hollywood glasses. look good with those. >> i'll put them on. >> those will block off the pollen from getting into your eyes. so you look cool but in addition you won't have the pollen getting in there. once in your eyes offgot to get it out. a little bit of warm water with a tear free shampoo. don't forget that pollen sticks to your body. you've got to shower it off before you go to bed. otherwise you're going to be getting it in your eyes all night long.

>> what about an itchy, stuffy nose. >> also common. again you can prevent that. a wide-brimmed hat will allow you to prevent the pollen from getting into your nose to begin with. you won't inhale it. >> a hat? >> a wide brimmed hat. it creates a halo around you so not all the wind coming past you gets into your face. if you've got a lot of products in your hair the product will stick to it. the hat will prevent that from occurring as well. once the pollen is in there, now you've got to deal with the reality you're already plugged up, neti pot is a wonderful idea. it looks like a tea pot. you put a little bit of warm water in there. it's got to be warm. warm water with one packet of salt. they come sold together. and then i won't demonstrate it. you put a little bit of water like this in your nose, turn it over to your side. the water literally washes your sinuses out and the nasal airways. that gets all the pollen or mold out of your nose.

>> so some of us who have never done that before we may be having pollen and stuff up there we need to get rid of. >> you brush your teeth? >> yes. >> why wouldn't you clean your nose out? >> good point. what about avoiding the symptom of itchy throat. >> everyone pay attention to this. a lot of folks keep calling me and saying i'm allergic to fruit, apples and pears and celery. mangoes. what's happening actually is you have allergies to pollen. and there's a cross reaction between proteins found in the skin of these fruits, and the pollen. so what you have to do is either peel the fruit, or vegetable. which is incredibly effective. you won't have that feeling of itchiness in your mouth anymore when you eat these. or you have to bake it or microwave it just for a few seconds. it denatures the protein. your body is being fooled. it thinks you're having a pollen attack but the protein in the skin of the fruit is causing the issue. >> who knew. as usual, telling us something new. by the way we want to mention coming up on your show today you're going to be revealing the

million dollar winner. >> so excited. >> and you've got to check your local listings on that broadcast. now here's matt. >> all right, ann. let's head down to orlando for some birthday wishes from our great friend mr. willard scott. willard? >> beautiful. orlando, florida. the land that's meant for me. happy birthday to a beautiful lady, and her name is laverne and her last name is rhodes. el reno, oklahoma. she's 107 years old. lives on the same family farm where she was born and loves hard work. how about that? beatrice johnston, minneapolis, minu minnesota. 100 years old. excellent artist who loves to paint and teach music. lovely ambition. eleanor, eleanor solomon of new york, new york is 100 years old. she takes daily vitamins and she loves yoga.

she practices yoga for 50 years. and tomorrow she's going to get up off the floor. how about that? we have jack goldsmith of longboat key just a few miles from here, florida, 102 years old. a proud wwii veteran and loves to discuss politics. don't we all. but don't do that and get in a fight. mary leonard, isn't that a great name, quincy, mass. 100 years old today. enjoys spending all of her time in cape cod. and an occasional glass of jamison. good for her. you can't beat that. and if you will just take a look at another pretty lady savannah lockhart from macon, georgia, 109 years old. dresses up every single day and she loves socializing with young folks. she's a cougar. how about that. that's all. now back to little old new york. >> all right, willard, thank you. up next martha stewart.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. that's check on the commute with sarah caldwell. >> dealing with delays and accidents. southbound 95 at 175, another accident. the other at 32, further south, has been cleared. donaldson ave and telegraph road, a crash. 95 out of the northeast, 20 miles per hour. slow going towards the 895 split and on the inner and outer lips to and from 95 on a priest corner. northwest corner, 18 miles per

hour on average. southbound 795, backed up out of owings mills. stebelton road, watch for an accident. that is an overturned vehicle. here is a live view of traffic. this accident is clearing from the right shoulder. tow truck on at the scene. elsewhere, j.f.x., 41st street, and his backup begins at northern parkway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> so far we have locked out as far as the rain is concerned. that will burn off quickly this morning. 69 degrees at b.w.i., 66 in sykesville, 71 degrees in annapolis. mixture of clouds and sunshine. showers and thunderstorms redevelop this afternoon. this morning it should be dry. just a slight chance for thunderstorms during the day

tomorrow. it clears up on friday and saturday should be dry. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

8:30 now on a wednesday morning. the 23rd of may, 2012. and look here. we've got some sun peeking through the clouds. as we look at our wonderful crowd gathered here in rockefeller plaza. and we're very glad to see them. they are a welcome sight. i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer, al roker and natalie morales. coming up we're going to take a look at some of the nation's

best dishes. >> our tour guide for this is martha stewart. she's scoured the country from region to region to come up with the best recipes, and she's going to take us through some of them. what she found in a new book. coming up in a couple of minutes. >> sounds great. >> also coming up, you can call them mothers of invention. two women saw that their daughters had needs that were not being met so they decided to work and create their own product lines and coming up we're going to show you, and also teach you, about starting your own successful business. >> all right. and if you've ever wondered how the hollywood stars stay in such great shape we've got the secrets from scarlett johansson, jennifer lopez and others. >> first we want to bring you date on our hiring our heroes initiative, we were talking about this, of course, you know, just recently, in partnership with the u.s. chamber of chers. we kicked it off in march. we told you that kiss offered a job to a veteran as a roadie on

their summer tour with motley crue. we've got gene simmons joining us this morning. gene, it's great to have you here. when we, when we announced that you were offering a job to a veteran you got something like 1900 applications. why was it important for you to hire a veteran? >> it is the most important thing that we can do, because we don't use the word volunteer very often. kiss has always been committed to giving fans the best of everything. we start a new tour in july. but then we took the stock of ourselves. here's a gentleman, he doesn't know it yet, here's a gentleman who's had three tours of duty voluntarily. >> well let's talk to you for a second. >> exactly. you've narrowed this down to three finalists. the first one is paul jordan, three tours of duty. she has been, by the way, a die-hard kiss fan for 37 years. >> meeting for the first time. >> nice to meet you. >> and you are one of his idols. paul, come on in here.

>> it's nice to have you. >> you stand right here. >> so what was it about paul that made you want to make him one of your finalists? >> paul has been in iraq and afghanistan three times. he volunteered to risk his life for you and i. he's been wounded twice. i mean, the amount of service, he's been in the u.s. army 21 years voluntarily. if you don't give him a round of applause now i'm going to find out where you live. let me hear it. >> paul you've been looking for work for about the last year and a half or so? >> that's correct. since i retired i've had a really hard time trying to find a job. it's tough for veterans out there sometimes. >> you even have a tattoo of gene simmons is that true? >> yes, ma'am. >> where is it? dare i ask? >> well, first of all -- >> maybe i don't want to ask. >> superman. you ready for the close-up? >> there it is. >> wow. >> there we go.

>> how about that. >> whoa! >> okay. so gene, do you have something you want to say to paul? >> well, it's true. you know you're one of three finalists. there are lots of very deserving people. we should all step up and give our heroes, our vets a job. it's the least we can do. they volunteered for us. but probably something i should tell you. you are the new kiss roadie. we're going out together in july! >> yeah! >> man! >> and paul, what's this going to be like for you? >> dream come true. i've always wanted to be involved with kiss somehow. i mean, i've been a fan since i was 4 years old. and wow, this is -- this is incredible. >> it is a paying gig. it's the real thing. let me tell you something to everybody listening out there. if you've got a small job or a big job it's the least we can do. our heroes go and represent us on the field of battle, voluntarily. then they come back and we throw them back out, here, good luck,

get a job. they should have guaranteed jobs, and you out there, get off your behinds and give our heroes a job. this is in conjunction with the chamber of commerce. give them a job. it's the least you can do. >> gene simmons. paul jordan, congratulations. great to have you here. >> thank you. >> gene simmons, will talk to kathie lee and hoda. mr. roker. >> that's right. >> good morning. it will be a warm and humid kind of day. we will see some scattered showers and thunderstorms redevelop this afternoon.

>> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you. coming up, martha stewart is celebrating america's best dishes. coming up, but first this is "today" on nbc.

martha on "today" is brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available only at macy's and on macys.com. we're back now at 8:38. this morning on "martha on today" all-american foods. whether you live in the northeast, the southwest, or any point in between, our regions are often defined by the meals we serve. and that's the focus of martha stewart's new book called martha's american food, a celebration of our nation's most treasured dishes from coast to coast. hey, martha, good to see you. >> good morning. >> a new jersey girl. you know a lot about this region and yet we're starting this morning out west. >> we are with a beautiful red snapper and fish taco. >> this is something that people go out west a lot of times, say

i've got to try the local food. they love these fish tacos. >> tacos are good and you must really season the ingredients well. that's the secret. >> what are you using? >> one clove of garlic, one sea spoon of salt, a teaspoon of chipotle powder, zest of three limes, a teaspoon of oregano, dry, and a fourth of a cup of chopped cilantro. about a tablespoon of olive oil. this is your rub. >> how long are you going to leave that on there? >> oh, no instantaneous, rub it on and put it on the grill. because everything is very fresh. the dishes in this book are so amazingly tasty. rub that all over your fish. >> this kind of fish cooks very quickly. >> it does. it will take just about oh, maybe four or five minutes. >> all right. >> one side, an then the other. >> we can pretent we've done that other side. it's going to come out looking a little bit like that. >> chop it up like that. tear it with a fork. you can tear that if you want to see how easily it tears.

and then you have your lovely tortilla. you put on some avocado mixed with lime, very simple. >> that looks good. >> this is good. >> so savoy cabbage, some radish, scallions. >> load it up. >> have you ever done a taco bar for a party at your house? >> no, martha, i haven't. >> why not? >> but i will, i promise you. >> this summertime to do this. >> okay. >> and a little sprinkling of the rub. that's your taco. >> fold that up. i'll take that out of your hands. >> eat that with some lime. >> and the whole rest of the country to get to. south and butter milk fried chicken. >> do you like butter milk fried chicken. >> yes, i know all about this. i didn't know you marinate it overnight. >> oh, we do. buttermilk, dry mustard about 1 1/2 tablespoons. cayenne pepper. not all that. >> you know me. i would have dumped it.

>> and some salt. mix that together. pour it over the fire, the three pound fire. you can do that. >> okay. >> and then here's the butter milk chicken, roll it -- oh, forgot. >> you have to let it drain, don't you? >> no. i like it more crusty. more cayenne and some cornmeal in your flour. this is going to make a crunchy fried chicken. and fry it at 350 degrees. use a thermometer. and that's just a little bit cooler than that. >> okay. >> and then this is what it comes out looking like. >> it does. >> i'm going to go attack that. >> try that. >> why don't you go to the midwest now. what do you think of the fish taco? >> mm-hmm. >> and what about you? >> cheeseball. how fitting. >> and i found a -- >> you found ann's blackberry. >> oh, my gosh so this is a cheeseball. it's so in the midwest.

>> love it. >> eat with crackers, eat it on toast. you like cheeseball, right? >> who doesn't. >> two packages of cream cheese and eight ounces of grated cheddar. this is so easy. but the flavoring, again, really -- you can put in the worcestershire sauce. you know your recipe already. >> a pinch of pepper. >> yep. >> and some toasted pecans. >> i put a little more pepper than that. this makes two cheese balls and then roll it in these beautiful chopped pecans. and serve it like that. cold. make sure you get it cold. >> nice and cold. >> all right. see how pretty? >> we're talking about blueberry crepes. >> we talk about the indigenous ingredients of america. blueberries are indigenous america. and cranberries and squash and potatoes. even tomatoes. >> right. >> so all of those things that make america america and then all the ethnic groups that have

come here with all their great, great traditions. >> don't have a lot of time. >> okay here's the blueberries, half a cup of sugar. lemon juice. >> okay. >> cornstarch. and a little bit of salt. >> okay. >> so you can stir that up. put it in this dish. >> don't have to heat it up or anything? >> no, no, no, you're going to bake it. you're going to bake it -- >> i mean you don't have to put it over the pot? >> three quarters of a cup of flour, rolled oats, half a cup and chopped nuts, baking powder, salt. >> you've been eating that? >> oh, no, no, no. >> bake it and that's what it looks like. but here we have all of this -- >> let's have a party. >> fourth of july, or even for memorial day. beautiful, beautiful blueberry crisp. the tacos. oh, isn't this great? cherry lemonade. >> martha, thank you. >> congratulations on the new book, by the way. >> oh, thank you.

>> happy memorial day. >> it's the bounty of america. that's what we should really care about. >> up next two moms who created successful product lines inspired by their daughters. first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:46 with two mothers of invention. christy and carolyn created entire product lines inspired by the needs of their young daughters, willa and maddie. and they're now all joining us along with donny deutsch, the chairman of the ad agency deutsch inc. carolyn, your daughter maddie suffered from some physical illness and that is what caused you to be inspired to start your company. talk to me about the illness that she had. >> maddie was born with congenital heart defects. she had three surgeries, two of them open heart, before she was 5 years of age.

the doctors did a wonderful job, but she had conditions, alopecia, losing her hair and she had psoriasis all over her body, doctors couldn't do much with. as a mother i started researching natural ways of getting her healthy, keeping her that way, and it became my passion. and so we developed some of these products, these remedies, and my husband said you've got to take these to the market. let other people benefit from them. so, that's what we did about 3 1/2 years ago. >> and now they're being sold in major stores? >> they are. about 15,000 retail outlets this year. and for next year, over 30,000. >> maddie, what's your reaction to what your mother has done? >> well, i think my family is really proud of her because we've seen the company grow from the very beginning. and we've seen like all the hard work that she's done with it. >> you feel that your health has been improved? >> yes. i'm completely healthy, i feel. >> and christy you started a skin line because you -- you -- you yourself suffer from skin problems when you were dealing with the sun, right, is that right, and you want to protect

your daughter willa. >> growing up i had terrible acne and the emotional trauma of being a girl with bad skin was pretty intense. i had no skin care regime. and then when i was 29 i had my first facial skin cancer followed by mohs surgery at 29 and then two more years later and every dermatologist i saw said 80% of the lasting damage you've done happened by the time you were 18. and now you're just seeing it show up on your face. so that's why i did want willa and other girls to repeat my story. so i got to work on willa -- >> so you got to work and you created exactly what? >> we created a skin care line, a tight focus on getting girls to start early taking care of their skin. >> spf. >> self-foaming face washes, moisturizers, natural spf, natural lip balms to get them to start taking care of themselves. >> willa, you got involved. you actually helped create some of these ideas the packaging of

them? >> we had a lot of focus groups with my friends and other moms to kind of understand what girls wanted and what moms needed for their daughters. and that was really fun, but i think that was a big part of what the products are right now. >> and looks like we have two moms who've done pretty darn well, donny. you know you're in the profession. they're motivated by love. to what do degree is that powerful in creating successful business? >> they're motivated by love and they're motivated by need. i say to everybody out there. have a journal during the course of your week. and up of a sudden you're trying on a shirt, why don't shirrs fit a certain way or i like a certain kind of applesauce. whatever is missing in your life is probably missing in other people's lives. as simply as you guys did it, and even willa, have focus groups with your friends. what do you think? and then pbs, protect your idea, build it on line. google. how do i build new shoes that have tassels on them, and "s,"

just sell it. it's not brain surgery. but it starts with what am i missing in my life. >> that's great. >> it's a great way for moms and kids to get closer. >> congratulations you guys. >> thank you. >> and thank you. coming up next we've got -- going to take you on a trip to the neon boneyard of las vegas. but first this is "today" on nbc.

they are the iconic marquees of old las vegas the giant neon signs that used to line the streets of what was called the famous strip. well what happens to them when they're retired? "today" national correspondent jenna wolfe took a trip to vegas to find out. >> lucky me. you can't exactly recycle a couple hundred enormous neon signs. so, where do you stash a slice of vintage vegas? today, many pieces sit quietly on a two acre boneyard. or a modern-day museum. ♪ by now, we all know the deal. what happens here, stays here. >> to a night the four of us will never forget. >> there is a tiger in the bathroom. >> reporter: and we're not just talking about our wild weekends. remember those neon signs that used to light up the infamous vegas strip?

♪ well, those signs, once part of sin city's past, are now destined for a place in its future. ♪ come fly with me let's fly let's fly away ♪ >> reporter: this is the las vegas neon museum, where bill marion is chairman of the board. >> this museum is like a history of neon as an art form. but it's also a history of las vegas as a city. ♪ viva las vegas >> reporter: neon signs were popular vegas fixtures from the 1930s through the '60s. today, about 150 rusty signs with broken light bulbs tell countless stories of the rich and famous in america's deck can't desert playground. >> the desert inn sign is a great sign. that's the hotel that brought howard hughes to town. and howard hughes was in the penthouse. they wanted to get rid of him because new year's eve was coming and they wanted the suites for the high rollers. what did howard hughes do? he bought the hotel so that he

wouldn't have to be evicted. if any of the viewers have seen the movie "casino." that's the old stardust. stardust doesn't exist anymore. all that's left is this magnificent sign. >> reporter: the two acre boneyard is also the final resting place for the massive sign that hung above the famous moulin rouge. the first racially integrated casino in las vegas. >> a beautiful sign in its own right. >> reporter: the busty donyard has been the backdrop for wedding photo shoots and even magazines. ♪ >> reporter: artists like carrie underwood and the group the killers also shot memorable music videos here. ♪ you saw the video they did there, right? >> love that. >> reporter: i was in that video. >> no! >> reporter: yes. ♪

>> there was something electric about being in this film. ♪ viva viva las vegas ♪ >> so why the big change of neon heart in vegas? blame it on technology. when new technology took over it was out with the neon bulbs. now it's all l.e.d. and lcd screens. it is all computer program now up and down the strip. >> that's a very cool place. it's like a walk down history. >> if you've ever been to vegas back in the '80s, '70s, '60s you remember some of these iconic marquees. it's really a neat place to go if you have some extra time when you're in vegas and you're not doing those other things. >> new definition of recycling, as well. thanks so much, jenna wolfe. >> thanks. coming up the hollywood diets that actually work. we'll talk about those. but first your local news and weather.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the red cross is helping to relocate a howard county family after the town house caught fire overnight. it started after 2:00 a.m. in columbia.

it took firefighters about 15 minutes to put the fire out and nobody was hurt.

>> if you have a fog in your neighborhood, it should be dissipating over the next few hours. thunderstorms could redevelop this afternoon. . it gets warm over the holiday weekend. >>