good morning. breaking news. tropical storm beryl making a mess of memorial day for millions of americans, after barreling ashore this morning in florida. flood warnings and watches in effect, and some areas set to get up to a foot of rain. we're there live. busted. a paparazzo claims he was roughed up by justin bieber in los angeles. now police are planning to question the teen pop superstar. this morning, what witnesses who were there are saying about that alleged incident. and honoring our heroes. the country pauses to remember the men and women who have died serving our country, today, memorial day, monday, may 28th, serving our country, today, memorial day, monday, may 28th, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this memorial day monday morning. good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm peter alexander, sitting in today for matt, you're sitting in today for ann. >> we're both here. >> we made it on time, that's the good news. take a look at what's happening to folks who are trying to enjoy their holiday along the coast of florida today. this is jacksonville beach, florida. it is calm right now, but a vastly different scene there when beryl made landfall just after midnight with near hurricane force winds. we'll have the latest on that. >> kind of a rough way to kick off the unofficial start to the summer. but it is not the only concern this holiday morning. people from texas to michigan are dealing with unseasonably warm weather. and the national memorial day concert had to be canceled last night when a line of strong storms moved through the washington, d.c. area.

we are going to get the latest on it all and the forecast to help you plan your day coming up straight ahead. >> if you watched it on tv you would have seen last year's event. we're also learning today about some evidence collected by police in the mysterious disappearance of a 6-year-old arizona girl who vanished more than five weeks ago. it includes what at least appears to be blood inside the girl's bedroom. but are investigators any closer to making an arrest? we're going to have more on that this morning. >> then we're going to lighten things up a little bit for the holiday. we've got a special holiday concert on the plaza from r&b superstar bobby brown. look forward to that. we're going to begin with that severe weather, including tropical storm beryl. really putting a damper on the holiday plans of millions of americans. the weather channel's mike seidel is in jacksonville beach, florida, this morning. mike, good morning to you. >> and good morning, savannah, from triple digit heat in parts of the midwest to the hottest may weather on record in that

part of the country to the second tropical storm of the season, four days before the official start of the hurricane season, millions of americans are enduring some extreme weather this holiday weekend. with maximum sustained winds just below hurricane force, tropical storm beryl made landfall just after midnight near jacksonville, florida, where city officials canceled all outdoor memorial day events. >> everything is going to be shut down. we're really preparing for this tropical storm, and it's all about safety. we want people safe through this storm. >> reporter: from florida to south carolina, the tropical storm has whipped up the surf. creating dangerous rip currents. dozens of beachgoers had to be rescued. many decided to pack it in early. >> well, we planned a beach vacation and then we got down here and we heard that there was a tropical storm coming so we decided that instead of staying and hanging out tomorrow we're going to go back to gainesville. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., a wave of severe thunderstorms forced the annual memorial day concert to be cut short.

>> stop. >> really? >> we regret that due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue this year's national memorial day concert. >> reporter: while the southeast is struggling with heavy rain and wind, other regions are battling the brutal heat. at the indy 500 sunday nearly 80 cooling stations and first aid centers were set up as temperatures soared into the 90s. the heat index made it seem even hotter. >> just now drinking nonstop. really hot. >> reporter: making it one of the hottest race days on record. >> the track temperature is 130, and it is going up. >> reporter: it was so intense, marco andretti reported his boot was melting to his gas pedal. the heat and dry conditions are also making it tough for firefighters battling wildfires in at least six states, including michigan, arizona, nevada, and california. in new mexico, firefighters

continue to battle the gladiator fire, which has charred more than 122,000 acres. forcing hundreds from their homes. and here in florida, we dealt with fires, too, over the past couple of weeks. this rain is a godsend. this part of the country has the worst drought in the entire lower 4, and we've got more rain on the way the next couple of days. 20,000 customers without power in jacksonville, and savannah, just because we've had two named tropical storms before the official start of the season coming up on friday, june 1st, does not mean anything about the upcoming season, but i can almost guarantee you i'll be back out on the beach sometime between now and october with at least one. >> we expect to see you there. stay safe. thank you so much. >> steph abrams is in this morning for al. she's upstairs with more on the impact of this tropical storm. this is much-needed rain in some places. >> that it is. the other good news is it's starting to recede as it moves ashore. the winds are at 50 miles an

hour and it centers 30 miles west of jacksonville, florida. there's our satellite and radar picture. we want to get you a closer look at what's happening with this storm. now, listen to this. this is the second strongest landfall and tropical cyclone in the month of may that we've had in 100 years. so this thing is setting records here. it's going to continue to stay in the vicinity and rain out over portions of florida, georgia, south carolina, north carolina, there's that rain that mike seidel was talking about. we still have advisories that are posted here. we still have tropical storm warnings that extend all the way over to the gulf of mexico. this is going to get picked up by a trough and do a little round-about and head out to sea as we head over the next couple of days. savannah, back to you. >> all right, stephanie. thanks. we're going to get the rest of your forecast in a couple of moments. meantime as the country pauses to mark memorial day, president obama and mitt romney are preparing to ramp up their campaigns, and the polls are showing it is a very tight race, with just over five months to go now until election day. nbc's white house correspondent

kristen welker has the latest. kristen, good morning. >> good morning to you, savannah. even on this memorial day, politics is never far from the surface. the president and mitt romney took the weekend off, but their surrogates were out in force. >> totally committed to romney's election. >> reporter: mitt romney's former rival newt gingrich, speaking on "meet the press," positioned himself as one of romney's most outspoken supporters. >> he's much tougher than i would have thought. he's prepared to do what it takes to win. >> reporter: gingrich was on message. but republican rudy giuliani went off course sunday, when asked to clarify his criticism during the 2008 republican primary of romney's record as massachusetts governor. >> they had a growth in jobs in about 40,000. we had a growth in jobs of about 500,000. so i was comparing what i thought was my far superior record to his otherwise decent record. >> reporter: in a statement, the obama campaign jumped on giuliani's remarks. saying, rudy was right. mitt romney's not a job creator.

the flak comes a week after obama surrogate cory booker went off message. >> this kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides. >> reporter: criticizing the obama campaign for attacking romney's record at investment firm bain capital. campaign aides continue to insist bain is fair game. >> he's very good at making money for his partners. he's not so good at creating jobs. >> reporter: this week, romney will stump in the key swing state of nevada, with donald trump, who recently resurrected his question about whether the president was born in the united states. questions which have been widely debunked. some analysts think trump could be a political risk. >> i think they're trying to take advantage of donald trump's celebrity to help raise them money, help get them more media attention. but you have to be very, very careful. >> reporter: romney will also campaign with senator john mccain. trying to capitalize on his foreign policy credentials. over the weekend, mccain blasted the president. >> this administration has a

feckless foreign policy which abandons american leadership. >> reporter: meanwhile at the west point commencement, vice president joe biden praised the president for winding down the wars in iraq and afghanistan, and paid tribute to the nation's veterans. >> our country owes these heroes, and their families, a debt of gratitude we will never be able to fully repay. >> reporter: out the president and first lady will attend memorial day ceremonies at arlington national cemetery and at the vietnam veterans memorial wall to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the vietnam war. mitt romney will attend a memorial day ceremony in san diego with senator john mccain. savannah? >> all right, kristen welker at the white house. thank you. on this memorial day we are pleased to welcome general martin dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. general dempsey, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. >> we want to talk to you, of course, about 9 sacrifices of our troops but also some of the hot spots in foreign policy today. to that end, let's start in

afghanistan. i'm sure you're well aware of the political debate that goes on in this issue. the nato allies just met in chicago talking about wrapping up the combat mission by 2013. let me put it to you plainly, is it or is it not a tactical advantage for the enemy in afghanistan to know when the u.s. will wrap up its combat missions? >> well, first of all, in chicago, the allies decided that we would, in 13, as you discuss, we would ensure that the afghan security forces were in the lead. but we were also very clear that wouldn't end our combat mission. that will occur in 2014, and of course, with the lisbon agreement we made in 2010. but to your point about a tactical advantage. it can be. but i think that that -- the more important document that came out just before the summit was the strategic partnership agreement, which enters us into a long-term relationship with afghanistan. and what that means in terms of forces, and structure, and purposes, and mission, has yet

to be determined. but i think that should tell the taliban that they can't wait us out. >> on pakistan, sir, i don't have to tell you, the country has refused to reopen those military supply lines in to afghanistan. of course, recently sentenced the doctor who had helped the u.s. find bin laden to 33 years. let me put it to you plainly. our relationship with pakistan, has it ever been worse than it is right now? >> well, not in my experience. and of course, the things you just described continue to be a significant disappointment to us. but we're trying to work through that. pakistan is an important country in the region, and globally. and so we need to work through the relationship. >> do you support the senate's decision last week to withdraw some funding from pakistan? this is a country that gets billions from america. >> yeah, i support -- i think the choices should result in consequences. and i think the senatabilitied appropriately.

>> i want to ask you about our troops, obviously wrapping up the war in afghanistan, as well as the war in iraq. yet we have 33% of veterans of those wars who, in a pew research survey, said they didn't think it was worth it. does a statistic like that bother you? >> yeah, sure. i hadn't seen that particular one. but, i have been in contact with some veterans who have expressed disappointment in the outcome. but you know, they -- in fact you probably saw that in chicago, there were a number of them that gave back medals they had earned. by the way, they've earned -- if anyone has earned the right to do that >> it's them ap and i think that it's incumbent on us to continue to articulate why what we're doing is important. but i remain committed to the path in afghanistan. >> there's no question that a very small percentage of americans have borne this burden of these two wars and most americans haven't served, don't even know someone who has served. what would you want people to do to honor veterans on this day?

>> well, you know, we often greet each other with happy memorial day. and there's a bit of cognitive dissans in that expression for me. so i would ask people to take a moment of -- take a solemn moment at some point during the day, to remember exactly what we are celebrating, and that is we're celebrating our freedom. the freedom that was purchased by more than 2 million men, women, throughout the course of our history. and of course, more than 6400 or so in the past 10 years alone. few families in america have had the tragic experience of being handed a folded flag. and so i would just encourage everyone to remember that those events are life altering for those people, and we owe them a great deal, as vice president biden said at west point. we owe them a debt that we'll never truly be able to repay. >> i know you write a letter to the families of every single fallen service member. it's a pleasure to have you on our show this morning. thank you. >> thank you.

all right. >> and an important day to say thanks to a lot of folks. rolling thunder through d.c. had a chance to meet some of those members. important day across the country. >> we want to check the other stories going on today. tamron hall is in for natalie at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, peter and savannah. good morning, everyone. the crisis in syria and efforts to defuse it are intensifying this morning. activists say government troops killed at least 24 people today when they shelled several neighborhoods. this comes one day after the u.n. security council condemned the massacre of more than 100 people, and at least 30 children on friday in the city of hula. former u.n. chief kofi annan arrived in syria today as an international mediator. a large explosion this morning has rocked the business district in kenya's capital of nairobi. a number of people have been kurred. kenya has seen several grenade attacks but officials say it appears this blast was caused by something much larger.

vatican investigators are poised to make more arrests this week after confirming the arrest of the pope's private butler. paolo gabriele is accused of leaking highly sensitive vatican documents, including the pope's personal correspond to italian media. former british prime minister tony blair is testifying this morning about his close ties to media mogul rupert murdoch. stephanie gosk is in london covering the ethics inquiry. good morning, stephanie. >> good morning, tamron. these hearings were triggered by allegations of phone hacking at the now defunct "news of the world" nooup. but the scope is much broader. it hopes to pull back the curtain on the media's influence over government. tony blair had a close relationship with rupert murdoch while he was prime minister. but was it too close? >> it would be, frankly if people in the media and people in politicians didn't have that interaction. >> reporter: but he acknowledged that the relationship can grow into something he called

unhealthy. >> so papers that take a particular view on a policy, a party or a person, then that is driven with an aggression and frankly a prejudice, that means you crossed the line. >> reporter: murdoch's newspaper "the sun" endorsed blair in the late '90s after the paper had supported the conservative party for years. murdoch was asked about the endorsement, and his influence over blair's policies when he was questioned last month. >> you had extracted as much as you could from mr. blair in terms of policy promises that you endorsed him? >> i think so. >> reporter: blair's personal relationship with the newspaper tie conwould continue to grow. the former prime minister and godfather to one of murdoch's children. a cabinet member in blair's administration tefred he had concerns blair might appear too closely linked to murdoch. >> i didn't want him to say or do anything that might lead people to enter that he was under some obligation to

mr. murdoch. >> reporter: blair went on to say that his friendship with murdoch didn't really develop until after he left office, and that he never would have agreed to be the godfather to murdoch's child if he had still been prime minister. tamron? >> all right. stephanie, thank you very much. and if you are firing up the grill today, be careful about what you bite into. listen carefully. a new jersey man went to the hospital this week thinking he had appendicitis. but doctors discovered he'd actually swallowed the metal bristle from a grill cleaning brush while eating a steak. it lodged in his intestines. he actually had to have surgery. you can see he's walking around okay. let that be a lesson to all of us. a spectacular fireworks show capped a day of festivities marking the 75th anniversary of san francisco's golden gate bridge more than 2 billion vehicles have crossed the span since it opened in 1937. and did you see it? an exciting finish at dario franchitti won his third indianapolis 500.

sato made a move for the lead, even pulled even but crashed on that final lap. yes, oh, is right, franchitti, by the way, as you know, is married to actress ashley judd. a greater accomplishment than winning his third indy. i think some say. now back to savannah, peter and stephanie. and what is even crazier, the track temperature, 130 degrees. >> unbelievable. >> and a very good segue to stephanie abrams who is here for al. >> people cooling off with milk over the head. >> warm milk is never a good thing. >> i thought champagne. it's milk? >> that's the tradition. >> oh. >> try champagne. i think it's a little cooler. >> let invest talk about that heat. it still continues as we head throughout the day today. places like chicago. a record 97 yesterday. you get more of it today. 94 degrees for you. those 90s stretch over portions of the mid-atlantic and down to the gulf coast. otherwise, we have the risk for severe weather around the great lakes, as well. the west is looking good.

>> hot and steamy weather bank on this memorial day. near 90 degrees. low 90's in the downtown area. most >> all right, stephanie, thank you. authorities in los angeles plan to question justin bieber about an alleged physical altercation with a member of the paparazzi on sunday. nbc's kristen dahlgren now has the story. >> reporter: witnesses say it was a completely different justin bieber who they watched go after a paparazzo sunday afternoon. according to reports, the teen superstar and his girlfriend actress selena gomez were leaving this shopping center

near his home after seeing a movie together when the altercation occurred. witnesses say bieber bolted from the van he was driving to confront this photographer, who moments earlier was seen snapping pictures of the couple. as they were pulling away from the parking area. in a press release, the malibu sheriff's office says when they arrived on scene, a man told deputies that as he took pictures of mr. bieber, he was physically battered by the singer. bieber and gomez left the scene before deputies arrived, according to witnesses. the victim complained of pain and requested medical attention. an allegation of misdemeanor battery report against bieber was taken by sheriff's deputies. before the photographer was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and later released. ironically, this recently posted youtube video shows former boxing champ mike tyson giving pointers to justin bieber behind a training bag.

representatives for bieber have not responded to the allegations from sunday's altercation, but overnight bieber tweeted, gonna focus on the important stuff, the music. meanwhile on her facebook page selena gomez wrote, thank you so much to my fans for always protecting me and being there for me. can't thank you guys enough. the los angeles county sheriff's office says it is investigating the incident, and at some point will talk to mr. bieber. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. and just ahead, new developments in the search for a missing arizona 6-year-old. isabel celis, as police reports reveal one investigator found apparent blood in the girl's bedroom. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead the over-the-top wedding proposal with more than 3 million hits online.

we're going to hear from the happy couple. >> i think she said yes. on a lighter note we will head outside for a live holiday concert from bobby brown. after your local news and weather. i've worked hard to build my family.

and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, stop taking vesicare and get emergency help. tell your doctor right away if you have severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so use caution while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, and indigestion. i've worked hard to get to where i am...

and i've got better places to go than always going to the bathroom. so take charge of your symptoms by talking to your doctor and go to vesicare.com for a free trial offer. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here's a look at a couple of our top stories. pennsylvania man and his 3-year- old son are lucky to be alive after being plucked from the water after a san boat caught fire. they were traveling down river went the engine stopped. when he went to restart it, the engine exploded.

that there was arrested by a passing vessel, but their boat was a total loss. a man is recovering from critical injuries after he and his girlfriend were shot and stabbed in and their own home. two suspects may have broken in and engaged in an altercation with the couple. officials don't have much else to go on. the alleged break-in happened at the 7000 block in old dundalk. anyone with information is asked to call police. time for your forecast with ava marie. >> vy warm and humid a start. 67 at b.w.i. thurgood marshall. 74 in ocean city. you will feel the heat and humidity as we go through the afternoon. and the in southern maryland, mid-80's and in the mountains. this could spark a shower or thunderstorm today. very isolated.

most of your day should be dry. up to 80 degrees in ocean city. low risk for rip currents in ocean city. this tropical system pushes off shore, mainly through wednesday and thursday. seven-day forecast -- lots more, 88 tomorrow. showers could linger wednesday morning. seventies by the end of the week. ♪

[ male announcer ] everyone at southwest airlines works together for one goal: to get you where you're going. and with flights all over the country to choose from, it's a good thing we love our work. and now we're excited to take you to the beaches of northwest florida. fly nonstop from bwi airport to panama city beach, florida. book all of our destinations online only at southwest.com.

7:30 now on this monday morning, memorial day, may 28th, 2012. weather may not be cooperating in a big section of the country for the unofficial start of summer, but we are not going to let that get us down because we have a live concert from bobby brown coming up in our 8:30 half hour. inside studio 1a, i'm savannah guthrie alongside peter alexander. matt and ann have the day off. i think they feared our dance moves would be too impressive. >> i'll be out there. that's just my prerogative. we'll see how that goes a little bit later. also ahead today the race to stop a dangerous fungus that is killing off frogs in record numbers and even if you're not much of a frog fan like

savannah, we're going to tell you why the issue could actually affect you. we'll explain. >> i don't like frogs. but we want them to survive. then we'll move on to another story, a problem that millions of couples struggle with, infertility. it can be heartbreaking and also costly. why a growing number of couples are heading overseas to find surrogate moms. coming up we're going to hear from one couple who did it, and talk about some of the pros and cons. >> and have you seen this video that we have coming up? speaking of families. we're going to show you how -- well, this is an 80-year-old woman who always dreamed of going skydiving. she finally got her chance, but it quickly became a near-death experience when the woman almost slipped out of her harness during the jump. she's going to share the story in an exclusive live interview that is tomorrow on today. laverne everett, in her own words. can you imagine? >> i can't even watch that video. oh, please tell me. but it ended well so we'll hear from her tomorrow. >> she's okay. we begin with a new look at the

evidence in the disappearance of a 6-year-old arizona girl who vanished from her bedroom more than five weeks ago. here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> i need to report a missing child. i believe she was abducted from my house. >> reporter: from the first 911 call to the last five weeks of exhaustive searches in this desert community, tucson police have been following thousands of leads, questioning hundreds of people, and running into a lot of dead ends in the search for 6-year-old isabel celis. >> we follow up on it. and just doesn't get us there. we need that one break to take us all the way there. >> reporter: isabel's parents say they last saw her on the night of april 20th in her bedroom. when isabel's father woke up the following morning he says her bedroom window was open, the screen pushed aside, and isabel was gone. now, investigators have released nearly 600 pages of documents revealing some of the evidence that could be crucial to solving the case. in isabel's bedroom, one investigator found what appears to be blood on the floor.

outside the home a detective photographed several shoe impressions on and around an electrical box behind the house. during a search of a car outside the celis home, police collected a hat and vinyl shower curtain with dark red-brown or brown stains. and another document refers to photographs taken of handwriting on the wall and inside isabel's closet. >> there's some items that only a perpetrator may know. or only someone who has some type of connection may be aware of, and we don't want to put that information out. so we've exhausted any use of keeping that to ourselves. >> to the person or persons who have isabel, tell us your demands. tell us what you want. >> reporter: in his first public appearance in april, sergio celis made an emotional plea for his daughter's safe return. but so far, investigators say nothing suggested anyone is holding isabel for ransom and police haven't named any

suspects or persons of interest. police also confirm sergio celis made an agreement with child protective services to stay away from his son. but both parents continue to cooperate with authorities. >> my husband is a great father. the kids, my husband loves those boys, loves my daughter, is a great husband. >> reporter: meantime, rebecca celis is trying to keep her daughter's name in the public, attending vigils and updating her facebook page, including this new picture of isabel she posted on friday, with this message -- bring isa home, please, we miss you. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> nbc news analyst clint van zandt is a former fbi profiler joining us now live. clint, good morning to you. >> hi, peter, good morning. >> so i want to begin with some of these new documents that we heard in these reports, 500 pages of them, about footprints that are found on electrical boxes, a side of the home. can you give us any sense of the significance something like that could be for investigators? how do they determine if that's

an important part? >> one of the things you do as an investigator, peter, is you take everything, you try anything that could possibly be evidence. now you know, maybe it rained the day before isabel went missing, so this was a fresh footprint or maybe it's been there for a month. we don't know. but as an investigator, anything you see, if there's a possibility that links to your case, you take it. a week later, a month later, you have a suspect in the case, you get his boot and see if it matches with that footprint. >> and you speak about taking all amounts of evidence that they could find, including trace evidence, there appears to be some bloodstains or at least some sort of dark substance as it was described that was found inside isabel's bedroom. i guess obviously that could be a critical piece of evidence in this point. but you assume that they found that, then that would lead their investigation a certain direction at this point. >> yeah. you know, when you think you have blood, you take a sample, and then, of course, you're able to compare it. you have, we know the authorities took isabel's toothbrush, they took her

hairbrush. so they'll be able to get dna and match the dna with number one, determine if it is blood, and number two, is it her blood? but then, peter, we still don't know the significance of it. we know children cut themselves, they fall, there could be a number of very legitimate reasons for that to be there. but once again, if it's there, we take it, we have it for the future. >> i want to ask you a little bit about isabel's dad sergio. specifically if we've learned anything more about him from these documents. he, of course, made the initial 911 call to report her missing. he is no longer allowed contact with his two sons for, i guess, that's described as undisclosed reasons. one of the officers in these documents report that a friend of isabel's dad approached him at a ball game and said that something didn't seem right about how things had turned out, and that he thought the daughter -- the father may have been involved in some way in this disappearance. how do police focus on parents in a situation like this, without offending, you know, that effort, and not ruling anybody else out? >> sure.

well, you know, police, fbi, we investigate. everybody else speculates. and there's going to be a lot of speculation in a case. peter, when you go through these documents, you see that there are alleged psychics. know that i've never seen a psychic help in a case like this. but psychics come forward. there are people who dream dreams about what happened. there are crazies. there are good sid zens. there are people who say she was kidnapped by a satanic cult, and used as a sacrifice. you know, that doesn't happen. but these people still perpetrate myths like this. >> clint, finally, i want to ask you only recently this was changed from a disappearance to an abduction. i know that's just legal language but what is the significance of that change and the way the police are investigating this? >> well, to me, it's the police are now comfortable that she didn't run away. realize that there are over 800,000 children that disappear or go missing every year. most of them are found. about 110 are these kidnappings where a child is tid capped,

assaulted and murdered. you know when i was 6 years old i was taken by a predator. i escaped within an hour or two. and you know, peter, we give away a dvd, "protecting children from predators" at livesecure.org to try to help parents understand how to protect our children. but in this particular case, law enforcement made a decision she didn't walk away, she didn't run away of her own accord, she's a victim of somebody. whether it's from someone from within the house or without, we don't know. but that little girl is a victim. she needs to be found. and that emotional porch light, both for the family, and for investigators, will never be turned off until she's found or until we find out what happened to her. >> we hope she's found soon. clint van zandt, nice to visit with you. a good memorial day to you. thanks so much. we want to get a check of the forecast from the weather channel's stephanie abrams who is in for al. >> i'm with service men and women. >> my prerogative. >> a little shutout to kimberly

and some beautiful wives at home. hi there. we are seeing beautiful weather here in new york. that is not the case in the midwest. we do have a few showers, these could turn severe as we head into the afternoon hours. watch for the hail and damaging wind, the possible tornadoes. otherwise heat is the story in >> is some areas are waking up with some fog this morning. maybe an isolated shower or thunderstorm. most of the day will >> and for your weather 24 hours a day all you have to do is go to weather.com. peter, over to you. >> all right, steph, thank you. up next why are some frogs dying in record numbers.

the new concern for scientists. and what's being done to keep several species from going extinct. also on a much different note a live concert from r&b sensation bobby brown. well hello, welcome to hotels.com. summer road trip, huh? yep uhuh let's find you a room. at hotels.com, you'll always find the perfect hotel. because we only do hotels. wow. i like that. nice! no. laugh...awe hmm nice huh ooh, yeah book it! oh boy call me... this summer, we're finding you the perfect place - plus giving you up to $100 at hotels.com [ male announcer ] a blt is... good. a blt with hellmann's... is the best. hellmann's is made with real ingredients like cage-free eggs, and exceptional oils and vinegar. ♪ hellmann's. bring out the best.

made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. they're whole-grain good and yummy good. real fruit pieces, 12 grams of whole grains, and a creamy, yogurt-flavored coating. new quaker yogurt granola bars. treat yourself good.

the tree house i built with my dad. (girl) really? yeah. there you go. okay, i'm gonna work on the roof. dad, i'll be right back! (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. you made that for me? well you're making this for me. (announcer) choosey moms, and dads, choose jif.

back now at 7:43 with the worldwide emergency you may have never heard of, because it involves frogs. nbc's tom costello is at the smithsonian national zoo in washington with more. tom, good morning. >> hi, savannah, good morning. you know, we often think of frogs as being rear creepy and yucky but they have a very important place in the global ecosystem. they're a medical benefit to humans. and now scientists are involved in an all-out raise to save frogs from extinction. he may not know it, but frog number 9 is one very lucky frog. but to understand why, you have to journey here. to the jungles of panama. for brian's lifelong love affair with frogs has turned into a life-saving mission. these spectacularly colored creatures are dying in record numbers, victims of a fungus

that's spreading unchecked across the globe. brian is leading the smithsonian national zoo's effort to save them. >> this is the place where a frog is must vulnerable to the infection. >> reporter: already the disease has taken a huge toll. >> so you just saw it sitting there? >> reporter: on the ground in panama, too many dead frogs to count. and the panamanian golden frog, panama's national animal, is now extinct in the wild. so to save these little creatures, brian and his team have built 21st century noah's arks. >> this is a noah's ark for the pain mainian golden frog. >> reporter: fungus free containers in the jungles of panama. >> this is from frogs matter. >> reporter: and research centers in the u.s., free of the disease, while scientists search for a cure. just since 1980, 125 species of amphibians have gone extinct. but experts think the real number could be far higher. and 40% of known frog populations are already in

danger. >> think of the fungal disease like athlete's foot. except that it could kill whales, and rats, and cats, and dogs and you coulds. >> reporter: frogs matter, he says, because they occupy the middle of the food chain. and we're only just beginning to learn of the benefits to humans. like the chemicals they produce that can help with high blood pressure, diabetic ulcers, even blocking hiv transmission. >> i'm not going to hurt you. >> reporter: now researchers are coating the frogs with bacteria that seem to shield them from the fungus. the question, could it save the world's frogs from cytrich? >> so far what we've been doing is swabbing them every two weeks to see if the bacteria persists on the skin. >> reporter: the clock is ticking. the frogs are dying in record numbers worldwide. but if this works, scientis hope to eventually release them back into the wild. >> we're really taking a page out of the biblical story of noah, and we are building very

literal arks to protect these species. from extinction. >> that fungus is already spreading very quickly among the frogs here in north america. but there is no sign so far that the fungus is jumping to other animals or to humans. but, savannah, they are keeping a very close eye for any signs of that. back to you. >> all right, tom costello in washington. thanks. still ahead, one of the most creative and elaborate wedding proposals we have ever seen. we're going to get the story behind the viral video that has now racked up more than 3 million hits in just a few days. but first, preparations reach a fever pitch for queen elizabeth's diamond jubilee. we'll be live in london right after this. 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. pull on those gardening gloves. and let's see how colorful an afternoon can be. with the home depot certified advice to help us expand our palette... ...and prices that keep our budgets firmly rooted... ...we can mix the right soil with the right ideas. ...and bring even more color to any garden. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get memorial day savings with 4 bags of earthgro mulch for just 10 dollars. what if i can't lose the weight?

what if weight watchers can't help me? what if i'm not ready for change? what if i fall back into old habits? what if i lose control? what if i gain it all back? what if there's always an excuse why i can't? what if i can't follow through? what if i fail? shhh. there's only one voice worth listening to and that's the one saying you can do this. i'm standing here still in control of my weight with weight watchers, telling you to believe in that voice. join for $1. weight watchers. believe. because it works.

back now at 7:49. what does it take to throw a party fit for a queen? the queen, by the way, who is celebrating 60 years on the throne. excitement is now building for next week's diamond jubilee bash in london. and nbc's michelle kosinski is at buckingham palace this morning. michelle, good morning to you. >> good morning, peter. a tourist yesterday said, you can feel the electricity here. it's all about history and pride. for an event that is just so rare. sound the trumpets, prepare the horses, get ready for a celebration you will likely not see again in your lifetime. the capital has dressed up for it. >> the place is absolutely

electric. >> we saw to ask how do you get to buckingham palace? >> reporter: even the bells were given a test run over the weekend. they will, after all, have to float down the mighty thames, fit under bridges, plus the largest photo ever of the royal family. part of 1,000 boat flotilla that will also include the queen. >> i think they're concerned it might be too loud. >> reporter: when they pass by, church bells will ring in response. the navy is preparing. so are police helicopters with high tech surveillance. just as some british tabloids are reporting that prince william and katherine have had special training in case of attack or kidnapping attempts during all of this. the mounties, yes those are canadian mounties, were brought in. to share in the jubilee as part of the british commonwealth. the queen is a big fan. >> everyone keeps giving us a second look. because they don't have anyone mounted regularly. the three of us here with the mountainies. quite an honor to be part of that. >> reporter: and a challenge.

>> the pronunciation of some of the commands. >> reporter: alongside these guards whose boots take six hours to polish. helmets, another hour. precision. and pageantry. craftsmen in centuries old businesses. artists are putting their hearts into it. >> she just has this meg netism that i can't understand. it's just something that's special. only one queen. >> reporter: street artist and musician who grew up far from palaces in foster homes, sees the queen as a sort of unifying force, a modern link to the shared history. as we speak a stage is being built here right outside the palace for a big concert that will happen next monday. paul mccartney, elton john, many others who will perform for only six minutes each. and for one of those acts prince harry reportedly will join in. on the tambourine. peter? >> oh, boy.

too bad it's such a quiet summer in london over there michelle. nice to visit with you. coming up just ahead -- >> bobby brown live in concert on the plaza. get ready to dance. first your local news. drop in now for sears' big memorial day event. right now, get up to 30% off all kenmore appliances and floor care. plus, get up to 15% off all other brands. and, an extra 5% off all appliances with your sears card. sears. number one in appliances.

♪ [ female announcer ] when is it okay to lose the cover-up? when you can. take the special k challenge... and lose an inch from your waist in two weeks. ♪ my, my, my, my a cover-up free summer begins with special k. ♪ free personalized plans at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose?

with the red, white, and blue. ocean spray cranberry, white cranberry, and blueberry juice cocktails. [ coughs ] okay, i believe this one is yours? [ clears throat ] ♪ ♪ ♪ [ girl ]rumental ] when i started playing soccer, i wasn't so good. [ barks ] so me and sadie started practicing. we practiced a lot. now i've got some moves! [ crowd cheering ] spin kick! whoo-hoo! [ giggling ]

[ announcer ] we know how important your dog is to your whole family. so help keep him strong and healthy with purina dog chow. because you're not just a family. you're a dog family. and on small business saturday bothey remind a nations of the benefits of shopping small. on just one day, 100 million of us joined a movement... and main street found its might again. and main street found its fight again. and we, the locals, found delight again. that's the power of all of us. that's the power of all of us. that's the membership effect of american express.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. the coast guard will resume at two searches on the waters of the eastern shore this morning. one of for a missing boater who was reported over board sunday night. a boat carrying four people struck a jetty in grasonville. two people were taken to shock trauma, but a man is still missing. crews are still trying to find a 21-year-old man who went missing during the swim. time for your weather forecast with ava marie. >> very warm and humid, and it

is only going to get worse into the afternoon tr. 70 at b.w.i. thurgood marshall did mid-to-upper-70's on the lower eastern shore. into the afternoon, temperatures are going to be steamy. 92 downtown, upper 80's into the suburbs. hot and humid, but also a chance for a shower and _. -- sha hour or thunderstorm. most of the day should be dry. the chance for a shower or start extends into southern pennsylvania and the mountains. eastern shore should be mostly dry. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] one of the cooler spots to be on this memorial day parade a cold front comes through tomorrow night. chance for strums into wednesday morning. mid-to-rubber-80's the next couple of days. we may see another chance for

strums on friday and saturday as a powerful corporate heads our way. -- full cold front had our way.

8:00 now on a monday morning. the 28th day of may, 2012. early showers in the new york area. but the clouds have parted and we are getting ready to enjoy a wonderful concert on memorial day from music great bobby brown is going to take to our stage. in just a couple of minutes. outside i'm savannah guthrie alongside peter alexander. matt and ann have the morning off. we've been practicing our '90s dance moves. >> we're joined now by some navy sailors as well who are tray being to break out some moves. >> you got the front row seat. that means you have to dance. >> not sure how that's going to go. >> all right. also ahead this morning we've

all heard of outsourcing jobs. what about when it comes to having a family? >> more and more couples are considering this. they're finding a surrogate in foreign countries. but why? and what are the issues you need to consider before going down that path? coming up we're going to talk about that, and we'll have one couple who will share their personal story. >> just ahead, i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. there's a pecking order when it comes to frozen treats and "consumer reports" have done the research. we will share with you what are the best, ice cream sandwiches, the skinny from skinny cow there. we're going to taste it for you in the name of research. >> favorite ice cream? >> remember the old good humor bar? >> tamron hall is inside at the news desk with today's top stories. >> good morning, everyone. memorial day is off to a stormy start in parts of florida and georgia. the weather channel's mike seidel is tracking beryl which made landfall as a tropical

storm this morning. good morning to you, mike. >> good morning, tamron. out here at jacksonville beach where beryl made landfall a little after midnight. winds at that point were r07 miles an hour, just below hurricane force. it's now moved inland. let's look at the radar and the big spin. it's a slow-moving storm, west at 8 miles an hour. a very heavy band set up this morning over jacksonville. and there's a flood warning for the metro area until 11:15. we've had flash flooding, intersections and roadways and creeks and streams are over their banks. the worst drought in the country is in this part of the southeast so we're getting some rain. a little too much to fast for jacksonville. also, as far as the storm goes, it's going to continue to weaken, but it's slowing down, going to make a right turn so a couple of rainy beach days in this area up through the georgia and south carolina coasts on the way. the good thing is, though, the rain is lowering the fire danger. the bad news, power outages,

tamron, as much as 26,000 customers on the georgia part of the coast without power this morning. a couple of bad days at the beach. a lot of folks have decided to head home early and save some money. they packed it in yesterday. back to you. >> all right, mike. thank you very much. lighter winds are helping crews battle a massive wildfire in southwestern new mexico's gila national forest. it's already raged across more than 90 square miles since last week. smoke from the fire has triggered health alerts. louisiana police have found a bicycle belonging to a university of louisiana student who's been missing for nine days. police say that bike was found in a remote swampy area under a highway bridge about 25 miles from the spot where she was last seen. she disappeared after leaving a friend's house to go home. lady gaga is telling fans she's devastated at having to cancel her sold-out show in indonesia. the show's management canceled

the show because of security concerns after muslim hard-liners threatened violenceshe performed. now, for a look at what's trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. fans are going online to read about justin bieber's weekend scuffle with a photographer outside a shopping center movie theater near los angeles. the photographer claims he was roughed up when he tried to take a picture of the pop star and his girlfriend selena gomez. the couple left before sheriff's deputies got there. now way want to get bieber's side of that story. some ridicule along with praise on twitter. the i do line is the company's first bridal footwear. they include a white sequinned studded boot, a silver suede boot, and a white fluffy flip-flop. yes, that's true. and the world's most popular live lip dub marriage proposal has gotten more than 3 million hits and counting on youtube. portland actor isaac lam created a day amy will never forget.

we'll have more on this outlandish proposal ahead. and the cute couple, they will be here live tomorrow. can't wait to see them. it is now 8:04. now back to savannah. peter, i hope they re-enact the whole thing live on the plaza. >> it's so hard to be a groom these days. you've got to come up with these elaborate proposals. >> she said a real big yes right there. >> exactly. >> let's check in with stephanie abrams on the weather channel in for al this morning. good morning. >> good morning you guys. i love this. mississippi girls love our soldiers. they also love a little bobby brown. are you going to remember all the words? >> i remember. >> to what song? >> every little step. >> what was your favorite song? >> maserati. >> driving around as a kid. no strangers to tropical entities. thankfully they're not dealing with beryl. it is alone the east coast into florida. as you can see now winds are at 40 miles an hour. the winds have to be at 39 miles an hour. so we're just making it. rain, it could be very heavy.

isolated up to a foot is what we could see. and here is a look at a memorial day forecast. otherwise, heat and that threat for severe weather.fo >> hot and steamy weather bank on this memorial day. near 90 degrees. low 90's in the downtown area. most >> bobby brown for all ages. peter, 77 years old, and she's going to be rocking it out. >> all ages rocking it out today, stephanie, thank you very much. thanks, by the way, to the folks here, as well. coming up in just a little bit the great length and great distances that some couples are going to find a surrogate mother.

and live our holiday concert on the plaza, bobby brown. but first, these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] a blt is... good. a blt with hellmann's... is the best. hellmann's is made with real ingredients like cage-free eggs, and exceptional oils and vinegar. ♪ hellmann's. bring out the best.

♪ you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 92% of people who tried it said they would buy it again. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. they're whole-grain good and yummy good. real fruit pieces, 12 grams of whole grains,

and a creamy, yogurt-flavored coating. new quaker yogurt granola bars. treat yourself good. new quaker yogurt granola bars. if you made a list of countries from around the world... ...with the best math scores. ...the united states would be on that list. in 25th place. let's raise academic standards across the nation. let's get back to the head of the class.

let's solve this. back now at 8:09. for many couples the road to parenthood is filled with obstacles. but now some are choosing an alternative path that can take them thousands of miles from home. here's nbc's ian williams. >> some day when little jake asks his parents where do babies come from, he may get an unexpected answer. ♪ because this american baby came from india. robert and jason wright are his biological parents. they supplied the egg and sperm for jake's embryo but he was carried in the womb of an indian surrogate mother. >> our child halfway around the world, so it's important for him to know that, that he was very much born and very much loved, and you know, by aisha, as well. >> reporter: their passage to india was born of a desperate

desire for a child that robin was unable to carry after a hysterectomy. >> basically, had written it off and decided we probably wouldn't have kids, and somebody mentioned surrogacy in india. i thought they were crazy. >> reporter: and that's how it seemed when they first set eyes on the infertility clinic, down a dusty side street in a small town. a world apart from their wyoming home. >> in the states we could have never made it work. >> reporter: surrogacy costs in the u.s. can start at around $70,000. but often exceed $100,000. in india, the average surrogacy costs around $25,000, or even less. putting parenthood in reach for working class americans. and in india the market has responded to the international demand with some 1,000 fertility clinics. and a booming surrogacy business now estimated to be worth $2 billion a year and growing. >> 60, 65 surrogates, for

couples all over the world. >> reporter: this hospital where the surrogates stay while pregnant, so their health and nutrition can be monitored around the clock. this is american babies? >> yes, with american baby. >> reporter: now all together that's about ten american babies at the moment. >> yes. >> reporter: most are from impoverished backgrounds, and see their $7,000 fee as a way of transforming their lives. there's no shortage of volunteers. in fact, demand for surrogates is now growing so fast, that they rapidly outgrown this hospital and are preparing to move to another, much bigger facility, on the edge of this town. some clinics encourage the biological parents from meeting the surrogate mother, wanting to keep it all business. for robin and jason, that was inconceivable. >> she's ultimately his mother, as well. and i truly feel that way. that she's -- that he has two moms. >> reporter: but the wrights' journey wasn't without heartache. at first they were thrilled to

learn she was carrying twins. but one died in utero and jake came early at 27 weeks. they rushed from their home in wyoming to care for their son as he clung to life. >> makes you appreciate jake so much more. and it was a great adventure to go through. >> reporter: jake grew and got healthier, until he was given the all-clear to fly. and so they leave india. the crisp new passport in hand saying it all, u.s. citizen jake wright, born in india, and now finally home. for "today," ian williams, nbc news. >> to talk more about this is dr. roshini raj a:contributor. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. >> let's talk about surrogacy just in general, what the appeal is for parents? >> well basically this is often seen as a last resort for couples that have infertility problems where they may have a viable egg and a sperm but the woman just simply cannot carry a baby to term.

so they do look at this as another option. but it can be very expensive. >> which brings us to why people are going abroad in some cases. is it primarily because of the expense is so much less? >> well, that's definitely a huge factor in this. but there's also a lot of legal red tape that goes on in this country that in some ways can be skirted if you go to india. that way many couples after years of trying to find the right surrogate here may use that as an option. >> if you wanted to go down this route what would be the questions you want to ask of any clinic saying they have a surrogate. >> you really with any surrogate, here or india, you want to be very careful about who is this woman? what are your medical issues? what are her habits? how is she going to be cared for during the pregnancy? what kind of medical care will she have access to? nutrition. all these things can play a role. but particularly india because it is so far away, you want to know what kind of role you'll have. how involved can you be? what sort of updates will you get? and certainly you need to think about afterwards, you know, adoption and citizenship,

passports, all these things become an issue. >> one of the key things has to be wanting to make sure that that surrogate is taking care of herself and by extension taking care of the baby. >> sure. >> is there any way to ensure that? >> it's sort of interesting because here in this country, most of the time you get a surrogate, it could even be a woman in another state, you don't have a lot of control over what that woman's going to do. in india, many of the times the surrogate mothers are living in a hostile on a compound, where literally they're being taken care of, they're fed three meals a day. you might actually have more control in that situation than you would in this country. >> now, a lot of folks, obviously, have the husband and wife, their sperm and egg implanted into the surrogate. >> right. >> so it's their biological child. >> correct. >> however there must be an issue, some issues that can happen with the mother's health, the carrying mother's health gestationally. what are those issues? >> absolutely. if the woman who is carrying the baby has diabetes, for example, or thyroid disease, that can affect the fetus, the developing feetous if it's not properly managed. or infectious diseases like hiv,

hepatitis. certainly you would hope these would all be screened for at these clinics. but these are questions you need to ask. >> i know you're a doctor, not a lawyer, but that could be just a host of legal concerns that one would have to consider before going down this road. >> absolutely. and because this is a relatively new phenomenon, you know the legal issues are still very emerging. even in this country, state to state it can different. it's illegal in new york to actually pay a woman to carry your baby. and other states it's legal, but the rights of the birth parents are not necessarily protected. so that the surrogate mother could actually claim rights to have the child. so you really need to contact a surrogacy lawyer, who has a lot of experience in this. >> and the final issue, some people do have concerns that women in india, who are purportedly volunteering to do this may be just in a situation where they have no choice. the fears about it being exploitative. >> well, that fear is very real because when you're talking about $5,000 or $7,000 to a poor woman in an indian village that's a huge amount of money. and often they could be pressured by family members to

do it, even if they don't really want to do it themselves. on the flip side it could give them a huge opportunity they'd never normally have. it's something to think about and you talk to the clinic director about whether this woman is really in this for herself or because she's being pressured. >> lots to consider. dr. roshini raj, thanks for the good information. appreciate it. and still ahead, the must-have apps and gadgets for your summer vacation. but up next, the best frozen treats to enjoy on a hot summer day. we're going to check out a new list from "consumer reports."

drop in now for sears' big memorial day event. right now, get up to 30% off all kenmore appliances and floor care. plus, get up to 15% off all other brands. and, an extra 5% off all appliances with your sears card. sears. number one in appliances. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. ♪ jif to go goes anywhere ♪ jif to go goes here, goes there ♪ ♪ jif to go goes everywhere ♪ goes here, goes there ♪ jif to go, wherever you go uh, do you know this guy? i'm not gonna cry, am i? only if you don't believe in the power of friendship. [ male announcer ] movies right when you want them. watch unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly all for only 8 bucks a month from netflix.

fight both fast with new tums freshers! concentrated relief that goes to work in seconds and freshens breath. new tums freshers. ♪ tum...tum...tum...tum... tums! ♪ [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, all in a pocket sized pack. so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites, served with soup or salad, and fries. starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8.

[ male announcer ] sometimes, it's hard for james to make up his mind. but corolla was an easy choice. over 80% of all corollas sold in the last 20 years are still on the road today. ♪ it's a choice well made. dang, son! [ male announcer ] another reason you can always count on corolla. from toyota. ♪

back now at 8:21. memorial day, of course, marks the unofficial start of summer, and what is better on a hot summer day than frozen treats? "consumer reports" rates the best of the best when it comes to everything from fruit bars to ice cream sandwiches for their july issue. senior associate editor jamie hirsch is here with the details. nice to see you. >> thanks for having me. >> this is a pretty good gig. how do you go about deciding on the tastes and textures? >> we have trained taste testers. they go through extensive sensory training to make sure they're all on the same page when they're using the word gummy, they all mean the same thing. when they use the word fruity they all mean the same thing. we tried 21 different frozen

treats. as far as ice cream sandwiches and ice cream bars. >> i like that process. can you imagine getting a degree in that. can we start with the fruit bars. ladies are here. >> the 5-year-olds. >> as it were. walk us through if you can. we'll start with the fruit bars. >> okay. >> you talk -- >> we've got the dole fruit bar. >> this is actually the whole foods 365 brand. this is whole foods store brand. let me know what you think. >> i like it. >> do we need terminology? >> feels like gummy. >> that's what our taste testers found. this was the best tasting of the six strawberry fruit bars. >> the whole foods one? >> fruit bars are a good option if you want something a little less caloric. they're all 100 calories. they don't have any fat. they do have some added sugar. >> do they stain your clothing? >> i know, i dropped my ice cream! >> do they stain floors? because we're dripping.

>> the dole strawberry -- these are the best of the best, the ones we're tasting? >> no, we're sampling sort of the top and the bottom. within each category. what do you think of this? >> my least favorite. >> our taste testers agreed with you. it's a little more gummy. has some textural issues. >> gummy. >> i thought they were all good. >> but not as good as the first one. >> eddy's was a good choice but not quite as tasty. >> moving on to ice cream sandwiches. what are we starting out with? >> we're starting with walgreens brand. >> i'll take all three. >> give me that. >> you're melting. >> okay. all right. >> oh, my gosh. >> this is going to get messy. >> tell us about this one. the walgreens one. >> these have all of the ice cream sandwiches have somewhere in the neighborhood of about 150 calories. so when it comes to ice cream sandwiches you should really just go with what tastes good because you're not going to save calories. >> this one was tasty.

>> walgreens -- >> yeah, at walgreens. >> good price, right? >> i think they come to like 55 cents a bar. second up, blue bunny. >> mm-hmm. >> now really, a little more middle of the pack. so with the ice cream sandwiches we found that there were more textural issues and taste issues. aside from the top walgreens rated one. these are crumbly, the ice cream -- >> or skinny cow. >> this is interesting because it has less fat. they have less fat than the other ones. but caloriewise you're almost the same as the walgreens which is the best tasting. so you might as well just splurge the extra 20 or 30 calories. >> this one is round. >> this has more sugar. this has more fat. >> who tries an ice cream sandwich like this? >> i'm an expert. i'm tasting the inside and working my way -- it's like the oreo. >> i don't say it critically. >> always gets on the finger. >> last but not least we have these chocolate bars.

tell us which ones were the best here. this is haagen-dazs. >> this is an absolutely fabulous frozen bar. if you just want to splurge and have something absolutely awesome this is the way to go. these have more calories and fat than ice cream sandwiches or fruit bars but if you really want something delicious, this is like -- >> are you dieting? >> this is spectacular? >> super creamy, vanilla ice cream. very natural. >> what about the next one is what? >> the brand sold at whole foods. this is organic. also very good tasting. slightly less delicious than the haagen-dazs but still really good. if you want something organic, a great option. >> okay. >> it's a disaster over here. >> last but not least. >> this one is melted. >> we're going to try the klondike as we go. thank you for being here. we appreciate it. we'll be back with bobby brown.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson paid baltimore county police are investigating a shooting in towson. the man was shot at 2:45 this morning at loch raven boulevard. no word on his condition. police are investigating to determine a suspect or motive. let's check on the morning forecast. >> being on holiday, a lot of people might have plans to be outdoors. boise, is it going to be humid. already we are pretty warm. 76 at the downtown area. 78 in.

. forecast today, high temperature of 90 around baltimore. mid-80's in the mountains. we cannot rule out an isolated shower or storm. much of the east coast should be dry. here is a look at the seven-day forecast. we expect a cold front pushes away tuesday and wednesday. rain chances by the afternoon. temperatures will stay warm, mid-80's, early week, but that we drop down behind and we are talking 70's by the end of the week. rain chances on friday afternoon into saturday as well. if you plan to travel to ocean city, our latest traffic pulse system, burl, maybe onshore by it thursday. no direct impact at this point, but the waters will be a little bit rushed into the next couple

of days. >> another update at 8:56.

8:30 now on this memorial day monday morning. the 2th day of may, 2012. and we have a big, exciting holiday crowd right here in rockefeller plaza. just ahead, they will be rewarded with a live concert from r&b sensation bobby brown. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie, alongside peter alexander, and bobby brown, we know is a hard-working man. he was in atlantic city until 2:00 last night.

doing a concert. just got in to new york 6:00 a.m. >> and he is ready to play. he's got fans here early this morning, too. >> from boston. >> yes. >> like you guys really are here because they want to be on tv. coming up, not just today a big concert, but these week a series of big concerts. american idol's 16-year-old powerhouse singer jessica sanchez, she is going to be here on thursday. and then on friday, this is one of the hottest acts in all of country music, it's the band perry and they will join our summer concert stage as well. >> coming up this half hour, jennifer hager bush sits down with a true legend, merle haggard. the 75-year-old, had a bit of a health scare earlier this year. now he's back on the road, and we'll hear from merle coming up.

>> merle haggard. >> i say merle. >> you say merle? >> a lot to get to. >> we got that straight. planning a summer very indication? there's an app for that. we're going to tell you a website to help you plan your trip this summer. first let's check in with stephanie abrams who has the weather forecast. >> already feeling like summer even though it's not officially summertime yet. verna brown says this is nothing, huh? >> nothing like albany, georgia. albany is so hot. >> who's going to heat it up on the stage in a few minutes? >> bobby brown! >> bobby brown! bobby brown is going to make it even hotter. let's have a look at our temperatures as we head throughout the day today. warm yet again, record highs in places like chicago, yesterday, 97 degrees. you'll be in the 90s. but a front is coming through. i like to call that frontal passage. around the rest of the country a >> is some areas are waking up

with some fog this morning. maybe an isolated shower or thunderstorm. most of the day will >> and we have some friends visiting from nashville. what bobby brown -- everyone is so excited about bobby brown. what song are you waiting for? >> my prerogative. >> you have some moves? show me -- okay we'll go back to her. now we're going to go to willard with some birthdays. hey there, willard. >> -- strawberries are in perfect bloom. you can't beat them. happy birthday. take a look, if you will.

this is earn est rossi from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. loves to play with his dog and he makes the best chili in town. cora indian, 100 years old today. she loves to do her garden. ted and alice rortvedt celebrating their 80th wedding anniversary and they are crazy about each other. hugging, kissing. gladys banks, 101 years old today. she loves a bit of bible study and is a fantastic dancer. she can put them all to shame. put them all in dancing with the stars. antonio frontino from canton, massachusetts. 100 years old today. a huge boston red sox fan. he enjoys watching television and even better going to a game when he can. cynthia, what a beautiful name

that is, wasserlauf, jackson, new jersey. 100 years old today. and enjoys a spoonful of vinegar every single day for her health. that's it. that's all. now back to the big apple, new york. >> all right, willard, thanks. coming up next, jenna bush hager catches up with country music legend merle haggard. and we are just moments away from a summer concert from bobby brown coming up. but this is "today" on nbc.

he's known as the poet of the common man. merle hag ard has been selling out concerts for decades, singing stories of working class struggles and joy, and despite setbacks he's still on the road at the age of 75. "today" contributing

correspondent jenna bush hager caught up with him in tennessee. >> he was a lot of fun. to say that merle haggard is a legend in country music is an understatement. he's had 40 number one hits. won countless awards. and he received the kennedy center honors for lifetime achievement back in 2010. i sat down with him to see if there's anything that can stop the hag. ♪ merle haggard is hard to scare. but after more than 50 years as one of country music's most influential singer/songwriters, earlier this year haggard feared his show was over. >> the first day in the hospital, they thought my cancer had returned. so it was about the first 30 hours, i was saying good-bye. >> reporter: but this one-time outlaw is still a fighter, and beat pneumonia, stomach ulcers and lung cancer. now he's thankful. but not slowing down. ♪

>> i think when a man quits working, kind of gives up on everything, you know. so retirement is not in the picture at all. >> reporter: actually, just the opposite. at 75, he's back on the road again. belting out his unique voice every night to sold-out auditoriums. ♪ proud to be a rookie >> reporter: called the poet of the common man, haggard started writing songs as a child. a rebel as a teen, haggard was sent to reform school. small crimes led to larger ones and he landed in san quentin prison for burglary. ♪ one day, johnny cash came to perform. that was the concert haggard says, that changed his life. ♪ i walk the line >> the most important thing was he identified with those convicts. they knew that he was one of them, and he conveyed that. his honesty was everything.

♪ i hear that train coming >> reporter: haggard, released from prison in 1960 didn't waste time getting his life on track. he recorded his first song in '62, and had six major hits by '69. in the first nine years of his career, he recorded 30 albums. married five times, he lived hard, on and off the road. he says redemption and responsibility to connect with his audience gave him clarity. to know who he was, and what he want. it seems like music is just really a lot of who you are. >> that's about all i am. you know. that's what i'm for. that's what i do. i eat, sleep and breathe it. and people around me, if they can't handle it, they just have to get away. this is how it is. play loud, guys. >> daughter and sons are even in the band. ♪

son ben is getting rave reviews for his performance with his dad. >> he's really critical. it's good for us. i cherish every minute of it. >> reporter: and for a guy who is most comfortable writing lyrics on the back of a box top, social media seems pretty foreign. but haggard is once again unafraid. >> well, this tweeter thing, i'll tell you what, 13,000 followers. >> reporter: 13,000 poll lores? >> one day they can't stop me now. >> reporter: unstoppable, even at 75. >> i still feel like i'm one song missing. there's one song that i ought to write. that will give me the most satisfaction of any. and i'm still chasing that. ♪ >> and you know, haggard says he doesn't give much thought to his legacy. just that he wants to be

remembered. but clearly his legacy is the hundreds of songs he's written. the iconic style he's created. and, his children who many of them will carry on his foot steps. they're all in his band. it's quite the family affair. >> when you have a coach like that teaching you the lessons of country music, you can't go wrong. >> that's right. >> all right, thanks, jenna. great job. we are back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

the "toyota concert series on today" brought to you by toyota. >> it is memorial day and we are getting the party started early on the plaza, performing one of his most beloved hits, here is bobby brown.

♪ >> come on. you all know what it is. now, now, now. whoo! this one's for all my soldiers out there. ♪ can't sleep at night i toss and turn ♪ ♪ listening for the telephone ♪ when i get your call i'm all choked up can't believe you called my home ♪ ♪ as a matter of fact it blows my mind you would even talk to me because a girl like you is like a dream come true a real life fantasy ♪ ♪ don't matter what your friends tell you we will even fall in love and we will be together in any kind of weather just like that just like that ♪ ♪ every little step i take you will be there ♪ ♪ every little step i make we'll be together ♪

♪ every little step i take you will be there ♪ ♪ every little step i make we'll be together ♪ ♪ can't think too straight i'm all confuse d as a matter of fact, you would even -- because a girl like you, dream come true no matter what your friends try to tell you we will fall in love and we will be together in any kind of weather just like that just like that ♪ ♪ every little step i take you will be there ♪ ♪ every little step i make we'll be together ♪ ♪ every little step i take you will be there ♪ ♪ every little step i make we'll be together ♪ ♪ every little

♪ every little step ♪ every little step ♪ oh, no every little step ♪ ♪ every little step ♪ ♪ no matter what your friends try to tell you we will even fall in love ♪ ♪ and we will be together in any kind of weather just like that just like that ♪ ♪ every little step i take you will be there ♪ ♪ every little step i make we'll be together ♪ ♪ every little step i take you will be there ♪

♪ every little step i make we'll be together ♪ ♪ every little step i take >> bobby brown. thank you. we're going to have more music in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

bobby brown burst on the music scene at the tender age of 14 with the group new edition back in 1983. now he's on tour with his famous group. now he's got the band back to the as it were. bobby brown, nice to see you here today. >> good to be here. thank you. >> i appreciate you making a quick turnaround from atlantic city last night. it has been now this is your first solo album in 14 years called "the masterpiece." you say it's about feeling. what do you tell us about bobby brown? >> i think god has worked miracles with me. the things that i've been through in my life. that's what's on this album. for me to come out at the end of everything, being 7 1/2 years clean from narcotics, i just feel that, you know, now it's a masterpiece. >> the song you're going to play is called don't let me die. a lot of people believe that's a tribute to whitney houston. you want to set the record straight. >> it's actually a song that i

wrote like maybe nine months. it was about me being in love with the woman that i am with currently today. >> alicia. >> alicia etheridge, yeah. getting married in june. it was about her and about her struggle to deal with what i was going through and my struggle to be able to be a grown man for her. you know. don't let me die is just simply is, you know, you saved my life. and i thank you for it. >> there's been news recently because your daughter bobbi kristina has a reality show. and there was some conversation you may have a reality show of your own. do you have a show? >> not as of right now. i'm not saying about reality tv right now. i'm just putting this album out to masterpiece. i'm touring with new edition, i'm touring with my band.

i'm just trying to stay busy. >> you pretty much make up all my junior high memories. i appreciate new edition being back here today. the song is don't let me die. >> don't let me die. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. ♪ ♪ clear that you -- try to fi find ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ don't let me die don't let me die ♪ ♪ don't let me die girl ♪ don't let me die girl ♪ don't let me die ♪ you know who you were you know what we had ♪ ♪ now try to get the pieces back and it hurts so bad ♪ ♪ that i let you walk away ♪ away away ♪ ♪ stop me don't let me die girl don't let me die girl ♪ ♪ don't let me die

don't let me die girl ♪ ♪ don't let me die girl don't let me die ♪ ♪ i'm holding onto these memories that's the only way i'll survive ♪ ♪ oh, ♪ oh, baby ♪ don't let me die girl don't let me die girl ♪ ♪ don't let me die ♪ don't let me go don't let me die girl don't let me die girl

don't let me die ♪ ♪ don't let me die girl don't let me die girl ♪ ♪ don't let me die ♪ baby don't let me go don't let me die girl ♪ ♪ don't let me die girl don't let me die ♪ ♪ don't let me die girl don't let me die girl ♪ ♪ don't let me die ♪ don't let me die don't let me die girl ♪ ♪ don't let me die girl don't let me die ♪ >> don't let me die ♪ baby. >> bobby brown. thank you. we will have one more song from bobby a little bit later. but first, your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. one man is dead while the woman recovers from her head injuries after her boyfriend reportedly attacked her and then held her captive in a northeast baltimore home. that happened sunday afternoon at fenwick ave.

after a standoff, the suspect reportedly shot himself. police say he

>> hot and humid weather to the holiday weekend and a possibility for shower or thunderstorm hit 80's for the next couple of days. >> we are back her