good morning. thanking the team. president obama gets tearful in a speech to young campaign staffers. with the campaign behind the president now he gets set to deliver his first post electn remarks to the nation today. face to face, gabby giffords and her husband confront the man who nearly killed her just before he is sentenced to life in prison. this morning mark kelly tells us what it was like inside that courtroom in an exclusive live interview. and train wreck. a brand new train being unloaded comes crashing to earth when a

cable snaps. it's going to be a while before it's back ontrack today. friday, november 9th, 2012. good morning. welcome to "today" on this friday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm willie geist in this morning for matt. the president known for his cool, some say aloof demeanor, but we've seen tears twice in the span of a week. >> i think a reflection of the fact this campaign was draining on both candidates but the really hard work begins now. president obama set to speak from the white house this afternoon about the economy and what it will take to stave off the fiscal cliff. we'll have a live report from the white house straight ahead. also new this morning a tough reprimand for members of the highly respected seal team

6. did they divulge classified information to the makers of a popular video game? then a very real drama for one of the young stars of "modern family." 14-year-old aerial winter removed from her home after allegations she was being physically and emotionally abused by her own mother. there are new details in the case this morning and her mother has released a statement to nbc news. we will talk about that. first let's get to the top stories of the morning. natalie morales is over at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. it is back to work for president obama today as he addresses congress about the fiscal cliff, tax increases, and automatic spending cuts slated to slam the economy back into a possible recession in january if the house and senate don't intervene. partisan politics have gotten in the way on the issue as republicans refuse to hike tax rates on wealthy americans. the president is expected to urge congress to come together to extend bush era tax cuts for all but the nation's highest

earners. we'll have much more on this coming up shortly. now to wall street where a two-day losing streak has sent the dow plunging to its worst level since july. cnbc's mary thompson is at the new york stock exchange. what is the outlook for today? >> reporter: well, it could be another tough day for investors, natalie. two main worries hanging over wall street. first of all weakness in europe's economy and concerns we'll fall over the fiscal cliff. this had some investors selling stocks in order to lock in gains and avoid possibly paying a higher tax in 2013. it also has investors selling stock because they fear we'll see a slowdown in the economy if we go over the cliff and of course that could mean a weaker market. speaking of a weaker market it's set up for the worst weekly performance in five months. back to you. >> not good. mary thompson at the new york stock exchange, thanks. seven members of the navy seal team 6 have been disciplined for acting as paid consultants providing classified information to the makers of a popular video game called medal of honor. one of the punished seals was involved in the mission that

took down osama bin laden last year. the punishment is nonjudicial meaning that the seals aren't heading to jail. an iranian jet fired on a u.s. military drone for the first time in acknowledged history. the drone was flying over international waters in the persian gulf on november first and according to u.s. officials it was unarmed, conducting routine surveillance. the unmanned drone escaped unscathed to return back to base. pentagon officials would not speculate on whether or not the incident constitutes an act of war. some amazing new images of malala, the 15-year-old pakistani girl shot in the head by the fanl for her fearless advocacy for female education rights. she is recovering in a british hospital, reading with her father. this as tens of thousands of people worldwide have signed an online petition to nominate malala for the nobel peace prize. and the bigger they are the harder they fall. this brand new, 200-ton train

made it all the way from the u.s. to central west africa before it then fell 20 feet while being unloaded from a delivery ship. the multimillion dollar locomotive might need some very costly repairs. that is one big whoops. >> i'll say. >> remember when you had a train set and you tried to get them on the track? >> you're back from all your travels. >> in the flesh. >> yes, we are. all of our friends out there who have been suffering, when you see it first hand it's really devastating. but the good news is we've got good weather here in the northeast but out west it is going to be a mess. you can already see the snow getting itself together. big storm system making its way across. we have winter storm warnings, blizzard warnings, winter storm watches, snow advisories, all the way to the west coast and as far east as northern minnesota. snowfall amounts in the next 24 hours we're talking about generally 6 to 9 inches but some areas may be picking up to 18

inches of snow in northern north dakota. >> good morning. we are looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend. we expect mostly sunny skies. that's your latest weather. >> thank you. as we said, president obama delivers his first post election statement from the white house this afternoon. the focus? strengthening the economy and avoiding the fiscal cliff, just two of the issues on the president's plate. chuck todd is nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. while the president is about to get knee deep in these

negotiations over the so-called fiscal cliff, dealing with taxes and the debt might be his biggest second-term issue he has some housekeeping to do with the cabinet as he will lose at least five major cabinet secretaries including hillary clinton, leon panetta, and timothy geithner. >> i'm really proud of all of you, and what you -- [ applause ] >> reporter: in a video released by the obama campaign a tearful president thanks his campaign workers. >> what you guys -- what you guys accomplished will go on into the annals of history and people will read about it and marvel about it, but the most important thing you need to know is that your journey is just beginning. >> reporter: now the president is getting ready for big changes, this time to his cabinet. mr. obama's top three secretaries all expected to leave within the next few months, possibly even before the end of the year.

secretary of state hillary clinton has repeatedly said she is on her way out. >> i want to then take some time to get reconnected to, you know, the stuff that makes life worth living, you know, family, friends, the sort of activities that i enjoy. >> reporter: the one-time rival to barack obama may be replaced by another former presidential candidate, massachusetts senator john kerry, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. another candidate? the president's national security adviser tom donilon, and perhaps a more controversial choice, u.n. ambassador susan rice, the obama administration's representative who gave the initial incorrect intelligence explanation of the benghazi attacks. still, most insiders believe rice and kerry are the two front-runners. white house veterans say clinton's eventual replacement will be on solid ground. >> the secretary of state in the second administration has the advantage of a president who has their bearings about what they want to accomplish around the world. >> in treasury the top candidate to replace timothy geithner white house chief of staff jack

lew who has also served as the budget director. the president may decide to keep him where he is and perhaps look elsewhere to another senator or clinton administration veteran. at the pentagon leon panetta's departure may not occur until the spring but the list may include michele flournoy. she would be the first ever woman to head defense. rhode island senator jack reed, a west point graduate and veteran of the armed services committee. then there is john kerry if the president doesn't tap him for state. attorney general eric holder, a long-time political target of conservatives, says he is still undecided about staying on. he reportedly told law students in baltimore thursday, do i have some gas left in the tank? that's something that i'm in the process now of trying to determine. >> these are intense, critical jobs, and, yeah, there is a high burn out factor. >> reporter: many of these announcements, though, are going to be postponed, particularly

treasury, because of the fiscal cliff negotiations. both jack lew and timothy geithner are front and center in these talks with speaker john boehner. >> all right. chuck todd at the white house this morning, thanks. john meacham is a pulitzer prize winning historian and author of the new book "thomas jefferson the art of power." good morning. >> thank you, sir. >> tell me about what's going on in washington right now. everyone is saying the right things. president obama said a couple days ago i'm looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders in both parties to meet our challenges. john boehner said we are ready to be led. is this just honeymoon talk or do the american people have reason to believe things might be different in a second term? >> a lot of it's honeymoon talk. this is the natural result. the president wants to appear magnanimous in victory. the speaker, whose party just lost, wants to be clear that practically he understands that the country voted for an incumbent president as opposed to the nominee of his party, so it behooves him at this point to make the right noises.

but it's still friday. sometimes bipartisanship in washington is a little like what mark twain said about tom sawyer and huck finn. there was once an evangelist who came to town who was so good that even huck finn was saved until sunday afternoon. there is a short half life. >> so pessimism about business as usual changing in washington? >> not pessimism. just, it's going to be a very -- nobody's interests have radically changed except that do you have this fiscal cliff. you do have this situation that interestingly washington created. they passed a bill that said at the end of the year the tax cuts expire. we'll sequester money. we're not going to spend it. we're going to force ourselves to make a hard decision. and history tells us that washington makes hard decisions only when they really have to. >> tell me more broadly about second terms. presidents are unburdened by the need to be re-elected but for a lot of presidents they've been fraught the second terms. which way does it cut for president obama? >> the only thing worse than

winning a second term is not winning a second term. it's hard because people get tired. part of the president crying, we haven't often seen a man who has even compared himself to mr. spock from time to time being that emotional. people get tired. people start to move on quickly in the sense of who is going to be the next president yet again. at the same time you get that first year or so where real things can happen and also an important part of second terms has been foreign policy because presidents have a lot more unilateral movement, authority in that zone, and so you get a lot of important things. ronald reagan cut a very important deal with mikhail gorbachev. president clinton almost got a middle east peace deal. so looking at how we deal with iran and even the unforeseen challenges overseas is going to be really important. >> you've written a book about thomas jefferson, your latest biography. how is thomas jefferson relevant today beyond the obvious that he was the founder of the country,

why should we still be interested about thomas jefferson's life in 2012? >> because he would have totally understood the washington -- john boehner, harry reid, and barack obama. he was a tall, cool, cerebral president who won re-election who was actually really good at politics even though he didn't want to act as though he was. so there are some similarities with president obama. jefferson was the greatest politician of the early american republic, and he understood how to get things done. in a ferociously partisan atmosphere he knew how to be a pragmatist, to remain with a basic view. he understood to get along in washington it was really important to understand the politics of the personal which is something president obama has not been so good at. he likes to play basketball with his staff. he likes to play golf with his staff. he doesn't like to reach out to congress. every night the congress was in session when thomas jefferson was president he had dinner with members of congress. that might be one version of hell for some people but it

worked because it weaved attachments to him. it gave him a chance to get things done. i think jefferson understood how to get things done in a fractious capitol. >> good lessons from long ago for our politicians of today. thomas jefferson the art of power. a great new book. good to see you. >> thanks, willie. >> savannah? >> thank you. now to an emotional day in an arizona courtroom as the gunman in the tucson shooting rampage was sentenced to life in prison, but not before he came face to face with one of his victims, many of his victims including former congresswoman gabby giffords. we'll talk to her husband about that in a moment. first, nbc's miguel almaguer is in tucson with more. miguel, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning. many of the victims say they may never truly have closure but this does mark the end to the legal process. it was an emotional day here in court for so many of the survivors who for the first time were able to address the gunman. they arrived at federal court, one by one.

>> we're not going to let him win. >> reporter: shooting victims here together to face gunman jared lee loughner. former congresswoman gabby giffords came face to face with loughner for the first time. standing soically she looked directly at him, holding her husband's hand as mark kelly firmly said, you may have put a bullet through her head but you haven't put a dent in her spirit. after today, after this moment, here and now, gabby and i are done thinking about you. nearly two years since the shooting kelly also spoke about the need for better gun control laws as did many of the victims. >> we've got to find leaders that got courage, people got to be able to step up and say, we can do better. >> reporter: the courtroom was packed. at times the silence was only broken by victims and their families as they wept. shot in the face and leg, ron

barber fills giffords' seat in congress. he told loughner, you must now pay the price. the price for the terror, injury, and pain you have caused. i hold no hatred toward you. now you must live with this burden. the january 8th, 2011 parking lot shooting left a member of giffords' staff, a federal judge, a 9-year-old girl, and three others dead. susie heilman was among the 13 wounded. she brought the youngest victim, christina taylor green, to meet giffords. heilman's voice tremendous bin laden as she said, you turned a civics lesson into a nightmare. i want to shake you and scream at you as if that would matter. mayby stoddard also choked back tears in court. her husband saved her life using his body to shield her from gunfire. as loughner's parents wept, stoddard looked directly into loughner's eyes. you took away my life, my love,

and my reason for living. you murdered by dory. i forgive you. i do not hate you. i hate the act you performed. jared lee loughner never addressed the victims and showed no emotion as he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. when the sentencing was over he walked past his parents but did not seem to acknowledge them. savannah? >> miguel almaguer in tucson this morning, thank you. gabby giffords' husband mark kelly is with us now exclusively. mark, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. >> it could not have been easy to be inside that courtroom. what was it like for you and for gabby to come face to face with this man? did she express anything about it afterwards to you? >> this was something we, you know, we've been thinking about for the last month. before that she wasn't really interested in attending but about a month ago she changed her mind and thought it would be a good idea for her to be there to get some sense of resolution

to what happened. inside the courtroom it was pretty comfortable until the moment that he walked in and then it was pretty intense, you know, to be sitting just probably about 30 feet from where jared loughner was. you know, gabby was sitting up in her chair and sitting up straight, spent a lot of time looking at him. it was the first time she really had ever seen him. >> loughner, of course, didn't say anything, no emotion, no apologies. did you feel when you were speaking that you were getting through to him, that he was listening at all? >> absolutely. as gabby and i went up to the podium i asked judge burns if we could address loughner directly, so we moved to the left side of the podium so we could look directly at him. you know, gabby's eyes were locked on his the entire time as i read our statement, you know, i kept looking up and his expression would change. he was paying attention to what we were saying. he wasn't really happy at

points, and, you know, i almost felt like, you know, during that whole, you know, few minutes that he and gabby were having quite the staring contest. >> in your statement you said gabby struggles to walk. her right arm is paralyzed. she is partially blind. gabby works harder in one minute of an hour fighting to make each individual moment count for something than most of us work in an entire day. how is gabby doing? what strides are you still hoping she'll make in her recovery? >> well, she is doing really well. i mean, her right arm doesn't improve much but her walking improves a little. the thing that we see that improves the most is her ability to communicate. it is also the thing she works the hardest on. you know, i don't see changes over days or even over weeks now but month to month she does improve and i'm hopeful that that'll continue for years. anecdotally from people around the country that have similar injuries, this is something that

you typically if you work hard will improve for the rest of your life. >> you talked about her spirit. there have to be moments though when this is such a struggle when you think about all that has been taken from her. >> yes, it is. you know, it's a struggle every single day for her. it's difficult for her to do almost anything that was easy before. she's not at the point where she can even drive a car. that is something she is looking forward to at some point but as i mentioned in the statement, her vision is an issue as well as her arm. there are things she looks forward to. she is generally in a very good mood and she continues to work really hard on her recovery. >> before i let you go, you gave a stinging rebuke in your statement to political leaders who haven't done anything about gun control. you and gabby are gun owners and supporters of the second amendment. what do you hope will change? are you expecting president obama to do something about gun control in a second term?

>> you know, i don't know if he is going to address that. he certainly, i don't expect him to in the beginning part of his second term but, you know, we have a congress that could address it as well. we've got state legislatures, governors. this is obviously a problem. i mean, we have gun violence that happens time and time again in this country. i think almost everybody would agree that we have a problem. we've got very smart people and we've got committed legislators, you know, that can work on the issue and it should be worked on. i think, you know, repeatedly we lost the opportunity and i hope somebody picks up that mantle and tries to do something about it. >> well, this obviously underscores the need for the issue to be addressed in some way. mark kelly, thank you so much. >> thank you for having me on the show, savannah. >> appreciate it. just ahead, a woman who was denied a job all because of a background check confused her with a criminal. she's not alone. the flaw in the system exposed.

first, this is "today" on nbc. "

. just ahead with aerial winters telling nbc news about the allegations of abuse. [ elizabeth ] i like to drink orange juice or have lemon in my water... eat tomato sauce on my spaghetti. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job.

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get to sears veteran's day sale. get 50% off coats for the family. this 39 inch lcd tv for $279.99. and up to 50% off all mechanics tool sets. this is how to gift. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today at baltimore. >> here's a look at one of our top stories this morning. baltimore city police are hoping to find a person who stole a car with a 7-year-old boy inside. authorities say the suspect drop the chalk off on how to edit bus stop the few blocks away. -- dropped the top off at a bus stop a few blocks away.

here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> let's bring you up-to-date. belair, we'll road, we still have an accident. if you want to head out in the city, smallwood st. and eagle street, watch for an accident. outer loop at 15 miles per hour of liberty road towards edmondson. eastbound i-1/7 from marriottsville towards 29, 32 on the north side outer loop. quick live look at traffic. here is an update in the area of are forever. -- area of harford road. greenspring, looking a lot better. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> beautiful start for us this friday morning. chilly, but we will see the sun shines through the day. 34 in taneytown. at the forecast for today,

mostly sunny skies. average high temperature is 59. a few degrees below that mark. mostly sunny skies, northwest winds at 10 to 15 miles per hour. 63 on saturday, 68 on sunday. next chance for rain will come in monday night and tuesday of next week. that f 7:30 on this friday m,

november 9th, 2012. we are four days away from one direction mania on our plaza. we have the huge sign to remind you. you'll get a chance to win tickets. i'm savannah guthrie alongside willie geist in for matt. i don't know about you but i've been getting a lot of requests for the one direction concert. >> there is a 5-year-old living in my house who is very excited about tuesday. >> i hope she knows somebody. >> she has an in. we're told now people are asleep

already out on 48th street waiting to see one direction on tuesday. >> four days from now. just ahead this morning if you've applied for a job you've probably been the subject of a criminal background check. jeff rossen found a flaw in the system, companies cutting corners and making big mistakes that can keep you from getting hired. more on that coming up. then we'll complete our "twilight" trifecta with taylor lautner here live. >> we'll begin this half hour with new details on the family drama facing one of the stars of the show "modern family." jason, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, willie. 14-year-old ariel winter is part of a quirky yet loving family on her tv show but in reality the teenager has been removed from her home after allegations she was being physically and emotionally abused by her own mother. >> i'm not giving you my design. >> reporter: ariel winter plays alex dunphy the nerdy know it all child on the abc sitcom

"modern family." >> i made this for haley four years ago. you think this got framed? she tossed it in the garbage. >> reporter: now her real family has been swept up in a nasty dispute. a judge removed winter from her mother after the child star and her adult sister accused their mother of abuse. in court papers filed last month they said winter has been the victim of ongoing physical abuse -- slapping, hitting, pushing, and emotional abuse -- vile name calling, personal insults about minor and minor's weight for an extended period of time. a judge granted temporary golan cipel to winter's older sister and ordered the mother not to have any contact with her teenage daughter until a hearing scheduled for later this month. the judge is not saying that the mother abused her. the judge has made a determination that it's in the best interests of ariel to remove her from the house temporarily and giving custody to the sister until all the facts and all the evidence could come out in the case. >> reporter: winter's mother

denies the allegations. in a statement to nbc news she says, i would never abuse her in any way and i have always tried my best to always protect her and do what is right for her. she also says her daughter's claims of abuse are a response to the mother's disapproval of the 14-year-old's relationship with her 18-year-old boyfriend. when i caught them engaging in behavior that i feel my daughter is too young mentally and physically to understand and fully grasp i put a stop to it immediately. being a teenager in love i thought she would cry and sulk and eventually her broken heart would heal. i would never have dreamed she would take it to this level. this is not the first allegation of abuse against winter's mother. the elder daughter also an actress made similar claims two decades ago and as a result was placed in the care of her grandmother. in workman's statement she says her older daughter has come out of the woodwork once it was announced that the kids on the show got a big raise recently. i will only say this. she has only seen her little sister maybe ten times in the

last 14 years. they have no relationship and her motives are not out of love but out of spite. as for winter, she is reportedly back on the set of "modern family." sharing laughs with her fictional family awaiting the next round in this legal drama. >> as a child star it's already difficult enough just dealing with the pressures of working in hollywood but add on a scandal like this and it's really a difficult situation. >> reporter: we reached out to both abc and ariel's reps. both had no comment. we should also mention according to the court documents the judge denied the request by winter's sister for control of the child star's earnings from the television show said to be approximately $500,000. willie? >> jason kennedy, thank you. lisa bloom is legal analyst for avo.com and the author of parenting book "swagger." good morning. >> good morning. >> a lot to sort through here. on the one hand yes there are legal questions but a lot of family issues as well. >> well, that's absolutely right. we have a young girl who is making a lot of money at the age of 14 now embedded in this

family drama. should she live with her older adult sister or should she live with her mother? temporarily the judge has said with the adult sister but generally courts want to keep families together so that is not necessarily going to be a permanent order. >> i wonder what you think about ariel's mother putting out a statement. she did that to us at nbc late last night talking about those charges against the 18-year-old boyfriend. the mother going public on her daughter. what do you think? >> well, consider what is going on here. the daughter says part of the emotional abuse is my mother insults me. then the mother issues a statement essentially insulting her daughter and the other sister or you could say disclosing private facts about her daughter. i mean, is that in her daughter's best interests? this is a young girl who is an actress, a hollywood starlet trying to make a name for herself and the mother issues this long statement saying essentially that her daughter is in an inappropriate adult relationship and also casting aspersions on the sister. i don't think that was the healthiest way to proceed. >> she does have a right does

she not to go to the police if she believes there is statutory rape happening under her own roof. >> that is the implication, right, a 14-year-old girl in an adult relationship with an 18-year-old. of course she does. any mother has that right but she should always be acting in the best interests of the child and i don't think the judge is going to take kindly to that statement. >> the big question here as well as money. you heard jason talking about it, assets in the range of $500,000. how safe are ariel's assets here? >> they're pretty safe. in california we have a law designed to protect the earnings of child stars. we don't want parents of kids who are making money in the entertainment business or any business to spend all that money so the kid turns 18 and nothing is left. the court is going to protect her money regardless of who is watching out for it. >> such a complicated case. thanks so much for clearing it up for us. >> thank you. now let's check on the weather with al. >> hey, hi, guys. how are you? kind of a surprise but that's okay. all the taylor lautner fans here. let's look ahead to your weekend

and show you what we've got going on. mid section of the country up into the northern plains we are looking at some strong weather. risk of strong storms making their way into the midwest. also snow back through the plains. frigid conditions there. eastern third of the country going to be gorgeous. a few showers around the great lakes. sunday, risk of strong storms in the lower mississippi river valley. rain, snow making its way into the upper mississippi valley and another storm coming onshore in the pacific northwest along the east coast. it is going to be spectacular. we need the break. >> good morning. it will be a beautiful day today. mostly sunny skies expected.

we've elected a president, re-elected a president, had a nor'easter, but now we can finally take a break because it's time for the best night of the week, sunday night football night in america! could this be a foreshadowing of the super bowl to come? the texans come in to soldier field. showers, storms, heavy rain likely. mid to upper 50s. it's going to be a big one on sunday night football night in america! we need it. willie? >> al, selling the nfl on nbc. thanks very much. up next, a new rossen report uncovers big mistakes by companies who perform background checks. why they could cost you a job when you've done nothing wrong. and tv personality brooke burke reveals her battle with cancer. on all purchases, back plus a 50% annual bonus.

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today national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is here with the details. >> good morning. we all know when you apply for a job most employers will do a criminal background check. we do them here. nothing to worry about, right? because you're not a criminal. well, think again. experts say the background check companies are causing innocent people to lose jobs, mistaking them for drug felons, armed robbers, even sex offenders. it happened to catherine taylor. a stay at home mom looking to get back to work. the red cross wanted to hire her. as an accountant. >> i was supposed to start work the following week. >> reporter: but then suddenly catherine's job offer was yanked. a criminal background check had come back with a long rap sheet of drug felonies. the problem is, it wasn't her. >> i was devastated. it was like my whole world was just torn apart. >> reporter: the company hired to run the background check in

2006, choicepoint, one of the biggest, mixed her up with this catherine taylor, a repeat drug offender with the same date of birth but nothing else in common. they didn't even live in the same state. >> i have never been convicted of anything, nonetheless have a traffic ticket. >> reporter: consumer advocates say these mistakes are happening far too often. take leonard smith. when he applied for a job the background check company, sterling info systems, confused him with this sex offender, who was in prison at the time. it also happened to james hines, an innocent dad. the background check company adp mixed him up with michael james hines, a convicted sex offender in a different state. they don't even have the same first name. the companies say accuracy is important, but errors do happen. >> consumers are losing jobs by the thousands every year because of bad background checks that are run on them.

>> reporter: jim francis is an attorney specializing in these cases. he says too often background check companies rely solely on computers to match the data with no one checking to make sure the results are correct. a billion dollar industry, he says, that is well aware of the problem. if the companies know this problem exists, why not just fix it? >> they would have to spend money on personnel and instituting procedures which would carve into their profits. >> reporter: under federal law, the companies are required to use reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy. >> the error rate is less than 10%. >> we went straight to the industry group representing those companies. >> accuracy is paramount. >> reporter: how do you explain background companies coming back with a different date of birth, different state, just matching a first and last name in some cases. does that seem accurate to you? >> it -- what i will say to that is that the most important thing

is to let viewers know how background checks are conducted. you're speaking of hypotheticals. >> reporter: we asked her about a real life example. i want to show you a picture. this woman's name is catherine taylor. she lives in arkansas and applied for a job with the local red cross. the background check comes back and says she has a long rap sheet of drug felonies. turns out they mistook her with this woman who lives in a different state. how does this happen? >> you know, if there are errors in a report individuals do have an opportunity to contest it so i'm sorry. i just don't know all the facts of that particular case. >> reporter: catherine did contest it but by the time choicepoint cleared it up, that job was long gone. >> they need to have tighter, stricter controls. you're talking about human lives. this has got to stop. >> the company that ran catherine taylor's background check was bought by lexus nexus. they say their systems have

since improved and now they have a 99.8% accuracy rate. experts say if this happens to you, you don't have many options, unfortunately. you can contact the background check company as catherine did and dispute it. the problem is, they have 30 days to investigate. by then the job could be long gone as it was with catherine. the only other option unfortunately, savannah, is to sue the company but once again the job isn't there when you want it. they just go down the list. >> doesn't remedy it if you don't get the job. thanks for bringing the story. appreciate it. up next the blogger and self-confessed math geek who nailed the outcome of the presidential race. plus, "twilight's" taylor lautner live in studio. first these messages. ♪

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hurry up or we'll miss the bus! come on! ♪ whatcha got there, richard? they're for show & tell. wasn't that yesterday? yup, but the class wants me to do it again. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker learned early on just how irresistible their jam really is. so how'd it go today, richard? i shoulda brought more. [ male announcer ] for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. well, president obama was not the only one who had a good night on tuesday. >> in a race that came down to the wire a blogger for the "new york times" accurately predicted the outcome. andrea, good morning. >> good morning, guys.

well, he says he's a nerd and he is trying to make math a little bit cool. nate silver is becoming somewhat of a celebrity with his presidential predictions. his blog called 538 which represents the number of electoral votes is quickly becoming the one to watch come election time. president obama may have been the big winner this week, but coming in a close second, "new york times" blogger, statistician, and self-described greek nate silver. >> nate silver. lord and god of the algorithm. >> for the second straight presidential election silver's 538 blog was pretty close to perfect in predicting the result. he nailed the outcome in all 50 states. when you were a little kid did you have all the answers? >> i think i always had a lot of questions. that's what smart people do. >> reporter: looking for a better way to pick the winning candidates silver created his

own formula for playing the odds in political races. he detailed it in his new book "the signal and the noise." >> people tend to see all this data, all the polls and see the fluctuations and get very distracted by it. in the book i call it noise as opposed to signal. >> romney/ryan will win with 281 electoral votes. >> reporter: avoiding the spin of talking heads silver sticks to the numbers, averaging statewide polls, factoring in for uncertainty, and then running a variety of scenarios for how these probabilities would play out. >> when we say that obama had like a 91% chance of winning the electoral college that meant when we looked at all the combinations of different states he won about 90% of those and romney won the other 10%. >> projecting that. >> reporter: like jonah hill's character in the movie "money ball" silver got his start in baseball predicting player performance. do you think you're the jonah hill of politics?

>> maybe he's the nate silver of baseball. i'm not sure. >> reporter: with four more years for the president, nate has his own vision for the country. >> i think math does not need to be intimidating. it can be fun and interesting and useful. >> reporter: you're making it kind of cool. >> yeah, hopefully right? hopefully kids will pursue more math and science education. we need more of that to compete in this country. >> sales of silver's book "the signal and the noise" are any indication math indeed took a big step up in the coolness factor this week. it rose to number two on amazon behind, any idea what the number one book is? >> no. >> the latest installment of "diary of a wimpy kid." >> hey, very good. nate silver on his trail. >> wimpy kid wins. >> and the nerdy kid. >> they're together. >> there you go. >> thanks so much. just ahead rihanna and chris brown's new duet with a curious title "nobody's business." >> what are they trying to say? >> what she is saying about the collaboration after your local news. ♪

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> time for a check of your morning commute, which is getting busier. we have an accident in westminster. shutdown and valley road. smallwood st., eagle street, those delays and development on the west. 31 on eastbound i-70 towards 29. 22 miles per hour on the north side in a look at the j.f.x., eastbound 32 in the area of 295. live look at traffic. no. cited are for. back of developing from our ford

towards providence. security, west side delays. over to you, tony. >> nice, quiet day for us. the winds have settled on a little bit as well. at the airport, clear skies, 41 degrees. northwest winds at 6 miles per hour. pressure way up there at 3018. 35 in rising sun. not likely we will see frost, even though there was a breeze last night. we will make up to 57 this afternoon. average high temperature is 59. northwest winds at about 10, sunset this evening at 4: 57. going into the weekend, about twice as it gets for this time of year. 68 on sunday. a lot of spots will hit 70 on

sunday. if you take that to go to the ravens game, you take a good one. -- picked a

8:00 on this friday morning the 9th of november, 2012. a crisp, cool morning in rockefeller plaza. al claims it is going to be a nice weekend. >> claims. >> in preparation you are going sans jacket. >> it's not that cold out. i like this. it's very nice. >> you're looking exceptional, willie geist. you're joining us on monday.

did we mention one direction is coming on tuesday? >> i've heard that. >> i feel we should remind everybody one direction will be here in four days on our plaza. >> they will be here on tuesday. a lot of screaming on the plaza right now. i assumed it was for al. they're spelling your name taylor. >> exactly. >> we will have one direction. we'll talk about their new album coming up. we'll also talk about an explosive, exclusive new interview with chris brown in a few minutes. okay. here is the question. how big is the final installment of the "twilight" saga? all right. check this out. fans out in los angeles have actually set up like a tent city to get ready for next week's premiere. look at this. guess what? you're in the wrong place! we've got taylor lautner here. yeah. >> i like doing that. you just have to say "taylor

lautner" and everybody --. >> willie geist. >> and he's here. that willie geist is german for taylor lautner! [ cheering ] >> you could do that all day. the internet as we know goes gaga for the over-the-top wedding proposals. we like to show them from time to time. coming up we'll talk to the guys you can hire and they'll help you put one together. we'll talk to them coming up. >> doesn't seem fair. >> to other guys. i know. >> we'll continue to scream out here on the plaza while we send it inside to natalie at the news desk. >> good morning everyone. in his first white house appearance since winning re-election president obama today will urge congress to pull the nation back from what is called the fiscal cliff. both parties have pledged a new bipartisan effort to avoid automatic spending cuts and expiring tax breaks in january that some fear could plunge the economy back into a recession. arizona prosecutors say they will not file state charges or

seek the death penalty against tucson massacre gunman jared loughner. he was sentenced to life in prison thursday after pleading guilty to federal charges for killing six people and wounding 12 others including arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords. in court thursday giffords looked directly at loughner as her husband declared, after today, after this moment, gabby and i are done thinking about you. new results from election day as washington state votes to approve same sex marriage. washington is now the third state to give same sex marriage the okay by popular vote joining maine and maryland. a united airlines flight was escorted by military jets thursday after the crew declared an emergency because a male passenger was praying in the middle of an aisle. the flight from denver landed safely in washington, d.c. and the man was detained by police. united says the passenger wasn't following flight attendant instructions for landing. gasoline rationing began this morning in new york city

and on long island. to deal with the shortages caused by hurricane sandy drivers can buy gas every other day based on odd or even license plate numbers. mayor michael bloomberg said only 1/4 of the city's gas stations were open because of power outages or delayed fuel shipments. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round up of what has you talking online. "dancing with the stars" cohost brooke burke revealed in an online video thursday that she is going to have surgery for thyroid cancer. >> doctors say that this is like a good cancer to have that. that sounds so crazy but my doctor did tell me this is a happily ever after ending kind of thing. >> the 41-year-old mother of four said the surgery will leave her with a scar on her neck but she plans to make a positive out of the negative and be a really good patient. thousands of twi-hard "twilight" fans already camping out in los angeles for monday's premiere of the sequel "breaking

dawn part two." red carpet guests include "twilight" megastar taylor lautner who will be here live in our studio this morning. the movie opens nationwide next friday. and everyone wants to be the boss, even seven-foot-tall german nba star dirk nowitzki who sang his heart out for this video posted by the dallas mavericks. ♪ ♪ born in the usa i was born in the usa ♪ >> at least he got the lyrics right. the team's time-out videos are usually shown during home games but this one too good for such a limited audience. thought we'd share it with you. it is 8:05. let's go back outside to al with a check of the weather. yeah. >> wow. >> yeah. >> i hope he plays better than he sings. >> he sure does. >> he'll get traded in a hurry. a lot of taylor lautner fans out

here. i love all the memorabilia. who signed this? >> the whole wolfpack except for taylor. >> except for taylor. we're trying to get taylor. >> yeah. >> to get that so you have the whole wolfpack there. my gosh. wow. now in a full moon does anything happen to that? >> yes. it grows fur. >> let's show you what we've got as far as your weather is concerned. pick city of the day, new orleans. wdsu on number 6 on your side. sunny, mild, 71 degrees. and as we look around the country out west big winter storm. we got blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings, winter weather watches from northern minnesota all the way back into the pacific northwest. eastern third of the country looking great. windy conditions in new england left over from that nor'easter. beautiful through the gulf coast. rain and snow showers northern new england. i mean northern minnesota. blizzard conditions through the northern plains. look for showers along the >> good morning..

we are looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend. we expect mostly sunny skies. and that's your taylor lautner. i mean weather. >> half the screaming is for tracy on her 40th birthday. she has 19 of her friends. her husband did this. you done good. we'll be right back and tell you how demi moore is going to celebrate her 50th birthday this weekend. did we mention, al, taylor lautner. i was living with this all-over pain.

a deep, throbbing, persistent ache. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right

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we test-drove the camry, took it on the freeway, and it was just like -- this was the car for me. [ ryan ] it has stuff that guys like, like the rims and the sleekness to the body. and, then, had the bluetooth and the navigation that diana really wanted. [ diana ] and it was an se, so it felt really grounded to the ground. [ man ] grounded to the ground? yes, yes! grounded to the ground. [ male announcer ] see their story and more at the camry effect. camry. from toyota. we're back at 8:11 with what's new, what's up, what's in. as we get set for the weekend ahead we have three experts to help us out. >> let's get started with what is new in entertainment. tarrance jenkins makes his debut on monday. good morning and congratulations.

>> thank you. i love your intro music. >> you like that? >> super cool. >> just for you. let's talk about what's happening this weekend. everybody is talking about sky fall. al, natalie, they've seen it and said it might be the best bond movie yet. >> it is absolutely the best bond movie. i've seen almost all of them and it's my favorite. we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of james bond and he is stronger than ever. this movie is projected to do $73 million to $76 million and will be the biggest yet. >> it's already exploded overseas and now coming to the united states. another one a lot of people looking at "wreck it ralph" an animated movie. >> i took my 7-year-old nephew to see the film. i thought he'd enjoy it but as an '80s baby i loved the movie more than he did. when sonic came out, i don't want to give away too many surprises but if you are a video game fan you'll love it. >> we have to talk about "twilight." taylor lautner is here. >> i pulled up to 30 rock and saw taylor lautner. he is walking down the street right now. his shirt is off. i don't know why. it's cold outside, taylor. put a shirt on, man.

>> he can't help himself. >> he's excited about this movie and so are we. young girls across the world are already camping out in front of movie theaters for this film. >> a big week here. we have taylor here today and on tuesday one direction comes with their new album out next week. >> this is exciting times. this is their sophomore project. plans to be bigger than ever. i can't wait to see them on stage. >> before i let you go your sit down interview with chris brown, tell me what you got out of him. >> i saw a young man with a tumultuous three years and what i saw from him now is that he's really trying to make some positive changes in his life. he just wants to do the right thing and change. >> thank you and congratulations. >> thank you. monday, man. >> thanks. savannah? >> willie, thanks. moving on to what's up, alicia kyles is a correspondent for e news. let's pick up where they left off. you spoke to rihanna recently about her new collaboration with chris brown. >> i did. rihanna has a new album called

unapologetic and has a single on there with chris brown called "nobody's business." i asked her what are you trying to say with the song? she said it's self-explanatory. the song sings about wanting to be together and saying, hey, get out of our business. tumultuous relationship. >> let's talk about hurricane sandy. nbc did the benefit concert, raised $23 million, and a lot of celebrities are stepping up as well and giving to hurricane relief. >> people are using their platform for good. lady gaga has pledged $1 million to new york and the red cross. jerry seinfeld is doing several stand up routines that will be donating the money to hurricane sandy. a lot of people are out there. susan sarandon tonight is doing a fundraiser. we might have to stop by. >> speaking of celebrating, demi moore had a big 50th birthday party. >> she is turning 50 this weekend but is celebrating in style. she was in abu dhabi, went to india to be with naomi campbell and her boyfriend who had a big party. she has had a rough year, was in

rehab, a break up with ashton kutcher and maybe she is trying to turn it around. >> sad news about brooke charvet and thyroid cancer. >> she said she wanted to tell everybody because people will see the scar but it is ironic she said because this is the healthiest she ever felt in her life so she can't believe she has cancer. >> all right. good to see you. >> thanks. finally what is in. our beauty and style expert is here with everything trendy. let's start off with these. love these. >> leather leggings. >> or pleather. >> i love these. then we've got pleather, $35 and under. >> okay. >> the best thing about these, they add edge like a cozy winter sweater over there or a big trend last fall were the secretary glasses and very feminine, polished, lady like looks. pair that with this and it's edgy and feels very new for the season. >> boots or heels, looks great. let's move over. >> this is the season to start playing hostess.

you found a sight that is going to help us do that. >> yes. mint it.com has launched party decor. i call it pinterest induced paranoia. you see these amazing parties and you can't create it so mint it does it for you. they're inspired by independent designers and look home made but in the best possible way. you maybe could have done it if you were really talented. >> it all comes delivered and ready to go. >> with little thank you notes included and everything. you don't have to do a thing. fun little straws. cupcake stands. >> fantastic. i love it. flavored tea. but this is not just chamomile tea. all kinds of flavors now. >> yes. tea is huge. lady gaga is always carrying her little tea cup. a big resurgence in tea parties. david's tea is opening up all over the united states. the flavors are amazing. movie night with popcorn, banana nut bread, carrot cake and the classic black and green teas and they have these great -- i love these.

this is a steeping mug. you put the tea right on the top when you're done so it's not messy. >> perfect. >> store it right in the microwave. this is the new thing. celebs loving their tea. >> quickly for men it's sort of going back to the country here. right? as i understand hunting gear and that look. >> very manly. this is like not your grandpa's christmas sweater. a moose track shirt. seeing a lot of antlers. american eagle hat. even for home stuff, a desk tray for men with antlers. >> thanks so much. now out to savannah with a special guest with her. >> hey, natalie. i'm here with taylor lautner. we'll make about a thousand screaming girls really happy. ready? >> let's do it. >> okay. taylor lautner is coming up next to talk about the new "twilight" movie. ♪ 99 bushels of wheat on the farm...99 bushels of wheat! ♪

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when the chocolate is hershey's. life is delicious. i want to get a big tv for my big family, for the big holiday. we like to watch big games. we got a big spread together... so it's gotta be big. how about the 55-inch lg tv. it's led and has incredible picture quality... that's big... but i got a little budget. with the walmart credit card special financing you can go big this year. that's big time! alright! [ male announcer ] get the season's hottest brands, like an lg 55-inch led tv. make an electronics purchase of $429 or more on your walmart credit card and get no interest if paid in full within 18 months. america's gift headquarters. walmart. all this week we've been catching up with the stars with the newest and the last "twilight" saga movie. taylor lautner was just 15 when he auditioned for the role of

werewolf jacob black and now he is an older, wiser 20-year-old. maybe this time jacob will finally get the girl. >> i'll keep my distance for now. >> safer for the baby to see how you do with me first. >> since when do you care about arasme? >> take a whif. >> well, i can see what everyone has been talking about. jake, you really do stink. >> taylor lautner is here. good morning. you smell just fine. >> thank you. >> just so everybody knows. >> that makes me feel better. >> it's the end of an era with the end of the "twilight" movies and that had us looking back. we just kind of wanted to go through your body of work. here you are. we'll show you in "new moon" and then "eclipse." >> oh, boy. >> now here we have you in "breaking dawn" part one. >> oh, boy. >> in the finale do you get a shirt is the question?

>> of course i do. of course i do. i didn't know you were talking literally my body of work. wonderful. >> exactly. you have become known for that. those were shot a year and a half ago. >> they were. >> do you -- have you had like a turkey burger since then or maybe some cheetos? >> of course. and plenty of them. i've been able to relax a little bit which has been nice. >> someone really just said in my ear let's see. >> november 16th. there you go. >> how do you feel about the movies ending? you were pretty young when this all started. >> yeah. it's nuts to me that it's coming to a close. i remember when we were just beginning i was saying, man, this is going to go on forever. and here we are those five years have flown by and it's been some of the most amazing years of my life and it's a bummer it's coming to an end. >> well, it's obviously changed your life probably forever. what's been the best part of this whole experience? >> you know, honestly for me i've made so many amazing

relationships with our cast, our crew, and there's a lot of things to take from this but that probably is the most important to me. and even though the franchise is coming to a close, those won't. so that's huge for me. >> and is there a down side to all of this fame? i mean, i wondered if you've experienced hearing loss. because when i hear the screams that seem to follow you around it's kind of deafening. there we go. right on cue. >> the hearing loss is, yeah. look, if that is the worst downside i'm totally good with everything. no. they're amazing out there. >> you know, they're already having a tent city. the premiere is monday in los angeles. >> yes. >> people have literally been camping out. do you think when you walk kind of through there the last time you'll be a little bit nostalgic or wistful for all of this? >> of course. the premieres are so awesome. they're surreal. every single time people ask do you get used to this? i say of course not. this is unlike anything else. and, yeah, it's unbelievable

fans are already starting to camp out. their support is just amazing. we can't wait to get out there and see them. >> would you talk about the movie a little bit? you've been in this bizarre love triangle with of course edward and bella for all of these movies. >> yeah. >> you finally get the girl but it's bella's daughter? >> that's correct. >> you have some explaining to do on that one. >> i wish i could. i mean, the best person to ask would be stephanie meyer the author of the books. trust me. i asked her for explanations quite a bit. and she tries to just keep it simple for me. she's like, look, taylor, stop trying to over complicate it. it's a life long bond between two people and that's it. so it's kind of more of a protector thing in this movie. >> one thing i know you love is sports. >> yes. >> you got to meet an idol, hussein bolt. >> i did. i was in rio. we travel before the movies come out to promote. that is so cool. i'm still freaking out. >> show us the shirt.

>> none of those. i was there and he found out i was in town and wanted a picture with me and i'm like what are you talking about? of course. >> taylor lautner >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell if you're traveling in the next few minutes, southbound 895, 95 at fort mchenry. we have an accident just prior to the steel bridge. it is backing up traffic down to 20 miles per hour out of the harbor tunnel. inner loop prior to open seven, watch for a crash. heavy delays approaching 795 all the way towards edmondson. risch 24 northbound at the pillars south parkway, and macphail road and will grow, and the exit of note. -- tollgate road.

watergate wrote, dorsey run road, watch for an accident. here is what it looks like it harford road, barely moving towards providence road in outer loop. we will switch to a live view of the outer loop but security going away from us. that is the pace of things all the way on the west side this friday morning. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the pictures on the traffic cameras spell the day out for us. lots of sunshine. you need the visors in the car and the sunglasses and what not. we will see how dry it is later in the day. west, northwest, the barometer is up from yesterday. the upward trend is a good one. high-pressure locked in over us now heard what is left of the nor'easter is moving out to sea. the next room is way out in the northwest of the united states. that is a few days away from us. the forecast is a good one

today. sunny skies -- not even partly sunny or anything. mostly sunny, cool. 54 to 59. a little warmer than yesterday. we keep the rising temperatures in the weekend.

8:30 on this friday, november 9th, 2012. can you feel the excitement in the air? taylor lautner is here. and he has a stand up werewolf. okay? he decided to come out after the interview and say hello to some of the screaming fans who are here to see him. he is a really sweet guy. it was nice of him to stick around. if you can hear us over the din, we'll say good morning.

i'm savannah guthrie alongside willie geist. >> a lot of screams around here. we'll talk it over a little bit. more and more we're seeing these elaborate proposals now where people get married. we've seen some very strange ones lately. it turns out there is a whole business behind it. we'll go behind the scenes of an elaborate wedding proposal in the making. >> the u.s.s. intrepid there. very cool. plus today's pop clicks. we'll give you a chance to vote for your favorite viral. >> i love this. i love this one. >> so good. ooh, ah. >> all right. we'll have that and some other good ones coming up. also want to get a jump on your holiday cards or early shopping for the holidays? we have exclusive steals and deals with jill martin. she'll get you started. we should mention monday is a big day in "today" show history. >> yes. >> willie geist who we all know

and love is going to officially join us as the cohost of the 9:00 hour. we are so excited to have you. >> i'm thrilled to be here. it feels a little strange to say it's the first day considering i'm here with you. i've been told to brace myself. >> yes. >> for what al and natalie might be bringing my way. >> are you the one? >> so that's good. >> actually good news. taylor lautner said he'll spank you. >> much better. >> we'll get the squeels going again. let's check the weather. >> let's look at your weekend and see what we've got. for tomorrow a lot of snow from the plains all the way down into the southwest. risk of strong storms in the mid mississippi river valley. rain in the northern mississippi river valley. sunny and mild through the southeast and the mid-atlantic states. sunday we've got rain ending as snow in the upper great lakes. a slight risk of strong storms in the lower mississippi river valley. another storm comes onshore in the pacific northwest and here in the east sunny and warming

up. we like that. >> good morning. it will be a beautiful day today. mostly sunny skies expected. this weekend you want to make sure you get caught up on all your weather go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. so let's now check in with uncle willie. hello, willie. >> there is nothing like a birthday party with funny little hats, a candle that won't go out. dora, sweet dora is from stevens

point, wisconsin. 100 years old today. and get this. the famous john dillinger. ask h asked her for directions once. probably to a bank. what a memory. and we have henry taylor, grand rapids, michigan, 105 years old. loves reading and watching notre dame football games. yeah, yeah. laura genus, washington, d.c., where we are, good old district of columbia. 107 years old. life long traveler. never been in the same place twice. how about that? i think i feel that way sometimes. and take a look at fred "flintstone" luethke from kingsport, tennessee. 100 years old today. secret to longevity? enjoys life and don't worry too much. worry is a killer. that's the truth. don't worry about that.

helen bruner from hampton, virginia. 100 years old today. and she is a proud world war ii veteran. john and patricia carpenter from parker, colorado, 75 years they've been married. they met working together in a brewery in london. now there's a story for a musical. happy birthday and anniversary. hey, give me a point, mate. now, back to new york. >> all right. thanks. coming up next, how you can make a career out of planning over-the-top wedding proposals. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:37. "the proposal" is one of those important moments in life. these days more guys are popping the question in very elaborate ways. we tagged along with two

proposal planners. yes, they actually exist. to see what it takes to pull off the ultimate fairy tale. >> my name is mars els garret. i just saw in her what i wanted in somebody to spend the rest of my life with. she is just a great person. she's got a great heart. she's my best friend. >> my name is sarah pease and i am a proposal planner. it's my job to plan, design, execute dream marriage proposals. >> my name is james ambler a former papparazzi photographer and now i use my skills to cap your wedding proposals. >> are you marcel? >> yes i am. >> i'm sarah. nice to meet you. tell us about the lucky lady. fill us in. we've been dating for over two years. >> do you have any favorite spots in new york city? >> we love being on the water. she grew up on the water. >> here's the most important question. is she going to say yes? i've got ideas but i'm nervous about are we able to do it in two weeks?

are we going to find a place that works for you and your team? >> it's like the ultimate bank job. >> i've been searching high and low for the perfect location for this proposal and i think i finally found it. strap yourself in because i have the best place for marcel to get engaged. ready? where better than the flight deck of the intrepid? >> i like it. i do like it. >> boom, baby. >> the intrepid is an ideal location. we can hide among the tourists and photograph the proposal as it happens. >> the plan is to have them take part in a fake tour of the intrepid. i'll have their family standing by along with a 75-person marching band. this is going to be big. >> i don't think she'll suspect anything. she has no idea what's going on. i can't wait for the next 24 hours. >> today i've got my dream team for marcel's proposal. we have headsets. we're completely wired up. they're going to be all over the ship. >> we've got a perfect crew of photographers and video guys for this job.

there's going to be a number of people on the tour and we'll also be photographing it from afar. >> sarah, you've got the band. sandra, you're on tour. >> you guys are going to get up into position. >> he just texted me. he's in a cab at penn station. he'll be here in ten minutes. i have photographers hidden at the entrance ready to get shots of their big arrival. >> all right. they're here, people. stand by. >> we are approaching the point of no return. >> he is wearing a suit. she's wearing a yellow dress. they're walking into the front information desk to start the tour now. >> the tour is under way and we are tracking their every move. sandra, i need an update. what are you doing? >> it's super tense. we're just waiting for them to surface at this point. all right. they're on the bridge now. get ready. >> do you want me to get any closer? >> get into position. >> marcel is on the move. >> yes. do you have a restroom? >> he excused himself to use the

restroom. he is going to change into a tuxedo and get ready for the big moment. >> first i have to cue the band to start. then i have to run to marcel and make sure he has what he needs. so we're going to hang out down here. >> get into position. >> oh, my god. that tour guide needs to get into position. that's not good. >> can you confirm that the tour is in position? i need confirmation right now, sergey. >> set to go. >> stay where you are. >> sarah, we're ready. ♪ >> i love you so much. >> what is going on? >> will you marry me? >> yes. >> i love you so much. >> once she said yes it was like the weight of the world lifted off our shoulders.

>> i'm so glad we included their families. you could tell it meant a lot to her. >> i'm very excited. i can't wait. i love marcel. whew! >> that's a party. >> i feel good. i'm glad it all worked out. it was all perfect. >> we're going to go celebrate. >> memories to last a lifetime. and the cost? well, sarah and her team start at around $2,000. that doesn't count the photographers. they're extra. >> not knocking on what they do for a living but i think it's cheating. >> yes. >> you know what? guys, you got to be creative and women, too. you can propose as well. you know, to hire a planner is cheating. >> we don't mind the elaborate

proposal. you like that? >> well, no, i don't think you need an elaborate proposal. i think it has to be special. i like how willie proposed to his wife. tell your story. >> you're going to really throw me out on this one. >> so sweet. tell us. >> if i must. we met in sixth grade in home room my wife and i. >> so cute. >> i returned to that very home room to propose to her. it is a long story about how i lured her there and convinced her. we're just going to our old middle school. >> everybody does that. >> how sweet. that's where they met. it has a special memory. >> it feels like it should be more intimate. you shouldn't have a proposal with people talking into their hands with ear pieces but maybe that's just me. >> that's cool. >> the point of no return. >> that is an ominous point right there. >> well, we're back in a plomt. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:45 with new details on a tragic story in ohio. dozens of dangerous animals let

loose terrifying the community and putting people at risk. today national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is back with that story. good morning again. >> good morning. well, this was absolute chaos when it happened. lions, tigers, and bears just roaming around the small town. could you imagine? it was no accident either. a man who kept them as pets let them loose on purpose. would they attack people, destroy homes? scared neighbors were calling 911 and police got the order. shoot to kill. this morning for the first time you'll hear from the first responders on the scene and the warning here some of the images are graphic. >> 911. >> it's complete chaos out there and now it's all snowballed into hell. >> stop shooting animals. you guys are outrageous. >> the story made national headlines in october of 2011 this man, terry thompson, known as a local odd ball, kept more than 50 dangerous carnivores as

pets on his farm. >> he had one line and the next thing you know there was five and then ten. i don't know where he found them all. i have no idea. >> reporter: for some reason a mystery terry decided to let them all loose before taking his own life. the violent animals were out and the town of zanesville, ohio went into lockdown. >> well, right now we're shooting to kill. >> reporter: now in a new msnbc documentary the first responders who came face to face with the animals are telling their stori stories. >> all of a sudden this lioness starts going right at us. she is not running but she's pouncing. i can see her paws hit the ground and she's just pouncing and her shoulder blades pop up out of her back and she gets all the way to the chain link and as soon as she gets there we just start unloading rounds. >> i can remember shell casings hitting off my head. >> reporter: the quiet farm these animals called home

morphed into a bloody war zone. >> it was mind boggling. just constant gun fire. it sounded like i was talking to somebody in afghanistan. >> reporter: six and a half hours of pure mayhem. amazingly, no one was hurt. police got to the animals first. >> there are 48 animals that we had to put down. those animals included one wolf, six black bears, two grizzly bears, and 18 tigers. >> reporter: more than half of those animals have been killed. >> reporter: that night as the zanesville story went national, public support for the sheriff's department quickly went south. >> you've reached the sheriff's office. >> yes, i'd like to leave a message for your sheriff lutz please. ask sheriff lutz if he's ever heard of a hot damn tranquilizer gun. >> reporter: believe it or not for terry thompson keeping exotic pets was perfectly legal. ohio was one of seven states with few if any restrictions.

in the end, just six of terry's animals were recovered unharmed. still secure in their cages. three leopards, two monkeys, and a brown bear. >> terry looked at the animals as kids, but there had to be a reason in terry's mind to do what he did. we just don't know which reason it was. >> now the tragedy sparked a huge debate about exotic pets. now ohio has changed the law now regulating these animals. they must be approved by the state and registered before you can have them. this story is all part of a new series i'm hosting on msnbc called "maximum drama." we'll have a new drama every week, willie, ripped from the headlines with exclusive elements and interviews and as you see in this case the newsmakers actually speaking. >> as you say, the law has changed in ohio but there are still a lot of places across the country where you can own exotic pets at will. >> tigers and lions.

>> thank you so much. catch the premiere of "maximum drama" sunday night at 9:00 eastern time on msnbc. up next we will lighten things up a bit and let you choose your favorite online videos of the week. i don't know what could possibly beat that one. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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. back now with our new series "today's top clicks" where we give you the chance to vote for your favorite viral videos. we launched it two weeks ago but of course had the storm and weren't able to bring you the results. >> we're back this week and the winner of our first showdown on today.com the prank that left elevator riders terrified for an ad the floor was replaced by lg video monitors and appeared to give way. >> amazing. >> can you imagine being in that elevator when that happened? >> my gosh. that is just cruel. >> amazing the floor stayed as clean as it did. >> yes. that one was the winner. okay. we've got three new choices for you this morning. the first nominee is dragon baby, the indy film maker created this, a short film starring his infant son doing battle with a stuffed dragon. pretty good. >> amazing. >> fantastic. well, next up, the latest video from mash up artist barack

stubbs that might sum up how the president feels about winning a second term. >> can't touch this. my-my-my -- can't touch this. >> music hits me so hard. makes me say thank you. >> 49% of the voters. exactly half. >> okay. finally a san diego couple's wedding day from an "i do" point of view. they planted a small camera inside the bride's bow kuquet t capture some candid moments from their ceremony. okay. that's kind of cool. >> that's pretty neat. >> bouquet cam. >> now it's up to you to pick your favorite. with the choiceas gen the elevator scare. >> that was the winner. >> i thought so. >> oh, maybe it's -- okay. >> getting used to this. there are the four choices.

>> dragon baby. >> it's like brackets. >> go to today.com to vote and we'll reveal the winner much more smoothly this time next week. >> i'll read the rules and get back to you. >> very big week here on "today." i came back to ask you to help us finish what we started. >> i need your vote. i need your help. walk with me. walk together. >> and it is anyone's guess who will come out on top tomorrow night. >> this time tomorrow mitt romney will either wake up as president-elect or return to life as a private citizen. >> president obama arrived here in his hometown of chicago with many who say this is a moment filled with anticipation and nostalgia. >> we're already seeing a lot of traffic at polling sites all across the country. >> i'll tell you what was heartening was to see people lined up here at 3:30 in the morning when it was dark. >> americans voted. they voted in temporary tents and by flashlight in the rock

aways here in new york where, after all, an entire region remains crippled. >> it was a late night here on democracy plaza. >> ohio. president barack obama. >> i so wish that i had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. >> and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. we are and forever will be the united states of america. >> good morning. the sequel. a strong storm hits the sandy ravaged northeast. >> within a week and a half the new jersey, new york, and new england coast line having to deal with a hurricane, a superstorm, and now a nor'easter. >> she hasn't had power since the storm hit. >> the heat especially is the big concern right now. we are cold. >> imagine the relief you would feel. >> oh, my goodness. >> are you back together with robert pattinson? >> funny you mentioned that.

keep them guessing i always say. >> keep them guessing. >> that's my question. >> savannah is so cute. >> roger moore, great to have you here. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. two men accused of a series of violent kidnappings are being held without bail this morning. they targeted women waiting at bus stops in both the city and county. they robbed them and in some

cases forced them into a vehicle and sexually assaulted them police. they

terrific morning. chilly and starting out in the 30's. only northwest