. n iinck m25utes m good morning. historic visit. a huge welcome for president obama and his family in africa this morning. they visit what was once a point of no return. family tragedy. a stunning murder in florida. a couple who adopted a dozen children, many with special needs, found murdered in their bed. today the search is on for suspects. and the invasion of the ladybugs. millions of the little red beetles are swarming in one colorado community. while residents welcome the bugs, they fear another kind of invader. "today saturday" july 11, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. you couldn't see the leaves on the trees. so many ladybugs. >> you want to stop them. what is that? >> little kids. >> good luck? i don't know if is million is good luck. a lot to get to. including the president's trip overseas. turning out to be quite a summer vacation for malia and sasha. a trip to moscow a meeting with the pope. teed in africa. making for quite a "how i spent my summer essay" when they get back to school in the fall. more in a few minutes. and 'll talk about the growing outrage over the desecration of a graveyard in chicago. many of the graves dug up, bodies moved aside so cemetery worke workers could then resell their plots. the crime scene is widening. all the latest details coming up. first, the president is

wrapping up his week-long trip overseas today. the final stop, the west african nation of ghana. nbc correspondent savannah guthrie is traveling with the president and joins now from ghana. good morning. >> reporter: the president's last stop on his week-long foreign trip and his first trip to africa as the president. the president, first lady and two daughter ace rivd on air force once late last night and this morning the president was welcomed by ghana's president in an elaborate welcoming ceremony. he'll speak to parliament today. why did he come to ghana? this nation is often held up as an example of democracy that's working in africa. in fact, there was a recent election, hotly contested, but a peaceful transfer's power. a stark contrast to a lot of african nations. some are disappointed the president isn'ttaying longer or seeing more countries and not doing a big public event while here in africa, but the u.s. embassies across africa will post watching parties and are

hoping to reach as wide an audience as possible. the president returns to the u.s. tonight. lester? >> nbc's savannah guthrie. here's amy. and an advance look at what's expected to be an emotional visit for the first family pap tour of a castle once used to hold slaves bound for the americas. mara joins us. mara, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. president obama's arrival here yesterday ended weeks of eager anticipation and more apparent than ever in the days leading up to his visit. on these streets, the party started long before the guest of honor aived. members of this fan club, friends for obama, have been celebrating all week. >> such an inspiration. he has stood as that, and yes. >> welcome home. welcome to africa. welcome to ghana.

>> reporter: believing president obama's visit will inspire the entire nation. what does this represent? >> lighting this torch as president obama is coming to ghana to signify that from this time, really change the world. we think everything we do. >> reporter: they are welcoming obama like a native son. for these vendors selling souvenirs it makes no difference president obama's family is from an entirely different country. >> barack obama is kenyan but you're still proud of him? >> yes. >> reporter: the anticipation isn't just on the streets. it's pervasive. you can see today's front page of almost every local paper has obama on it. the streets are full of billboards and signs and the radios are eving playing obama music. ♪ >> it's a song welcoming obama. >> reporter: the obamas will be welcomed outside the capital as well when they tour a former slave castle.

hundreds of thousands of africans were brought here in transit never to see their homes or families again. the visit will be symbolically powerful. in part because mrs. obama is a descdant of slaves. >> it's like a full circle experience. the powers if who left here and the powerful are coming. >> reporter: the castle is expected to be the emotional high point of the trip. it's heartwrenching, an experience that will stay with them forever. >> for more on the president's trip we're joined by cnbc's creef washington correspondent john harwood. john, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. >> the president's been welcoming in ghana, other places, nigeria, kenya to name a few saying, hey, what about us? why ghana? >> i think, lester, what the president wanted to do, try to send a message of identification with africa, but with the kind of africa that he wants to model

for the rest of the world and the rest of the continent. a country that as savannah guthrie just said had a peaceful transfer of power in a democratic electoral process and one that's done a good job, relatively speaking, cracking down on corruption, holding back so many other countries on the continent. >> this trip is steeped in symbolism, the first african-american president making a trip to ghana. does this represent a move and active engagement in areas the u.s. has not previously been? >> well, the president announced before he left italy, $20 billion in aid to try to develop food resources for africa, but, look, if you are the first african-american president and your message is one of hope and change, what is a more powerful way to send that than to go to the most neglected part of the world, show residents of africa that someone like them has become the most powerful person in the world. this is a visit that is going to

resonate not just across the continent in ghana, in kenya, where his father is from, but around the world, lester. >> i don't know if you caught savannah's reference, before his speech to parliament, streamed to other u.s. embassies. is the president still taking pages from candidate obama in terms how he engages as he travels abroad? >> no question about it. barack obama has always in his campaign and now his presidency used social networking, new communication technology as a force multiplier to stream his message in other areas other politicians haven't been able to do. that's why even though he's in ghana which isne of many countries in sub-saharan africa, that message will be heard across the continent and around the world and will resonate especially this trip to the slave castle. i myself visited a differe slave castle off the coast of senegal a few years ago.

incredibly moving and powerful for obama to be there. >> a huge welcome in ghana, as we said. the rest of his trip in europe, not so much. maybe the star power is moving off as he moves into his presidency and comes home to health care. he wants a health care deal done by august. is he going to get it, john? >> i think there's a chance h can get a health care bill out of the house. more difficult in the senate. that is going to be an exclusive focus for barack obama over the next several days once he comes back. disagreements within the democratic party in each chamber of congress. this is a very, very heavy list. there's a reason, lester, for 70 years nobody's been able to get a national health insurance program through the united states congress. barack obama has got his hands full right now. >> and congressman charlie rangel says he wants to offer a surcharge against the rich to pay for it. is that going to be a non-starter, noth among republicans but some democrats? >> difficult to enact. that illustrates the divisions win the democratic party i talk

about. in the senate, a lot of democrats and republicans interested in taxing some of those more lavish health plans untaxed for year, since world war ii, when companies started offering them on the house side they want to tax incomes over $250,000 or $350,000. more difficult to do, because a lot of people say if you're funding a health care program get the taxes from within the health care system. big point's disagreement. the house and senate will have to work that one out. >> good to see you. >> my pleasure. >> here's amy. >> lester, thank you. to florida and a double murder that stunned a community just outside pensacola. killed while eight of their 16 children were inside sleeping. we have the latest. reporter: good morning to you, amy. police are describing these killings as hateful and senselesens senselessless and looking for three suspects picked up on a home security camera at the crime scene.

the murders occurred after a break-in at this large rural home in beulah, florida, a small community between pensacola and mobil, alabama. the victims, shot multiple times in their bedroom, around 7:00 thursday night. the billings own several businesses and well known and well regarded because they had 16 children. 12 of whom they adopted. >> bird billings exemplified what is good and decent in society. they've been prominently mentioned in the local media on numerous occasions for outreach and assisted children. >> reporter: ages 8 to 14 were in the house during the murder, but none hurt during the incident. until, police had to wake up some children after being called to the scene by a neighbor. >> at this time we have no

murder established. multiple entrants, forced, into the home. >> reporter: police won't say if anything was taken currently looking for this red van caught on a home security camera leaving the home with the three suspects. police say the house had an intricate security system with multiple cameras but would not say what, if anything, they saw while reviewing those tape. meanwhile, those children now are being cared for by relatives. amy? >> so incredibly sad. mark potter if miami, thanks so much. 11 past the hour. time for more of this morning's headlines. >> peter alexander is at the newsdesk. >> good morning to you at home. passengers onboard a flight in phoenix forced to evacuate their plane last night. more than 300 passengers and crew members onboard using the escape slides after reports of smoke in the cabin. fire officials suspect and electrical problem is to blame. about 15 people suffered minor injuries. the u.s. navy has given up its search for the black boxes

from air france flight 447 that crashed into the atlantic ocean last month. more than 40 days since that crash. investigators say they may never know exactly what caused the plane to go down killing more than 200 people. more than 6,000 people turned out in michael jackson's hometown for a memorial service in gary, indiana. last night jackson fans including his dad, joe jackson, watched performers sing and dance in honor of the king of pop. meanwhile, a guardianship hearing for custody of jackson's children has been postponed to give katherine jackson and jackson's ex-wife debbie rowe time to reach an agreement over who will care for the children. former nfl quarterback steve mcnair will be laid to rest later today. 8,000 fans are expected to gather for the funeral near the former tennessee titans home town in southern mississippi. her 20-year-old girlfriend shot and killed him last weekend before killing himself. finally, a much lighter note. if ladybug, lucky then luck is in the air and on the plants and frankly pretty much everywhere

in colorado this summer. swarms of ladybugs have invaded parts of that state after this year's extra wet spring led to an explosion in the insect populaon. more insects means more food. more food means more ladybugs. it's not a red tree, folks. looks like red bark, it's just more bugs. the neighbors fear this means more tourists and a warning if you're headed in that direction, stepping on a ladybug is bad luck. amy and lester, you better watch where you walk this summer. >> i live in new york and always watch where i walk. >> peter, thank you. weather channel's jim cantore is here with the forecast. good to have you. >> seven out of ten wet weekends, doing okay, rain coming in overnight. let's talk about it. what's happening this morning. active weather moving through the nation's heartland and up through michigan. showers and thunderstorms. this area watched for severe weather this afternoon. we can't get too much rain down

no oklahoma and texas. just going to be talking about big-time heat down that neck of the woods. a slight risk along the cold front eventually pushing to the northeast overnight tonight and return us to sunshine tomorrow. overall, nation not looking bad from a heat perspective, boy, don't tell that to folks in parts of oahoma where it was almo and we're keeping an eye on the weather in florida for the shuttle launch tonight. maybe a few showers and

thunderstorms. lester? >> jim, thanks. now to the widening scandal at a chicago area graveyard. investigators accuse workers of digging up and removing bodies to resell their grave plots. now they say they found more bones at another crime scene. >> this is disgraceful that what these people have had to put up with here. it's an outrage they've had to put up with, and this is getting bigger. it is not getting smaller, and we do not have an end in sight right now. >> meanwhile, the scandal brought to light another disturbing discovery involving a figure who galvanized the civil rights movement. nbc's kevin tibbles has more. >> reporter: hundreds come to the burr oak cemetery trying to locate loved ones they thought had been laid to rest. >> what can you do when you come out here and can't find your family? >> reporter: it is here that emmett till an icon of the sieve is rights movement is also buried. till was just 14 in 1955 when he was brutally murdered in

mississipp his mother, so angered guy the mutilated state of her son's body insisted on an open casket so the world could see. this week in the back of a rundown cemetery garage, authorities discovered his original glass-covered casket rotted and ruined. his body, buried elsewhere in the cemetery had not been disturbed. >> let's walk over ther >> reporter: the reverend jesse jackson who said the till murder exchanged his life looked on in horror. >> boundless greed, disregard for all that matters is what we see here today. >> this must break your heart? >> it's heartbreaking. it's painful to see. >> reporter: emmett till's body was exhumed during a 2005 re-examination into his death and reburied in another coffin. to finded original in such a state compounds his family's anguish. >> this is another -- >> reporter: for many, this should be a museum piece pap symbol of the civil rights movement. >> this is a pivotal part of the

struggle for the america we now enjoy. >> and to see this here today? >> hurts. >> reporter: now the investigation continues into how many hundreds of other families here have suffered similar outrage. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, alsip, illinois. it's now 17 minutes part the hour. once again here's amy. >> thank you. after sending what amounted to a pit stop in bankruptcy court, general motors is back on the road this morning. the ceo promising for the reinvigorated company, "business as usual is over" but as cnbc's phil lebeau reports, for gm, bankruptcy may have been the easy part. >> an exciting day for general motors. >> reporter: 40 days declaring bankruptcy, general motors emerges from court protection leaner and promising to be a greener company focused on the customer. >> we know we have to change. today is about the beginning of that change. >> reporter: backed by $33 billion in federal money. gm used bankruptcy to shed $40

billion in debt. they're closing 13 plants and cutting 27,000 jobs, including 35% of its u.s. executives. a massive restructuring that ran through the courts with incredible speed. >> this is basically michael phelps in beijing. that fast and that remarkable. almost no words to describe it. >> reporter: downsizing from eight brands to four, chevy, cadillac, gmc and buick, gm is also dropping 2,400 dealers across the country. while it still sells one out of every five cars in the u.s., gm has yet to find a way to stop losing market share. >> they've got to talk to customers the way customers are used to being talked to. if that's twitter for some customers that's what it will be. >> reporter: gm started using twitter and facebook to reach younger buyers. the bigger challenge, changing the perception of american whose think they're lackluster and poorly built. now in charge of marketing the automaker, colorful, candid and

sometimes controversial, once called the cars in global warming a crock. >> it's imperial. >> reporter: now has to find the right message to convince skeptics who have written off gm. >> i think there is a desire to see general motors succeed and my job is to translate that desire to succeed into a desire for more people to buy our cars and trucks. >> reporter: for "today," phil lebeau, cnbc, detroit. still to come, the obama family's not so typical summer vacation. first, this is "today" on nbc.

president obama's week-long trip to europe and africa is giving his daughter as chance to see the world. norah o'donnell has more on the first family's globtroping

adventure. >> reporter: the obama's daughters will have plent toy write about in their "what did you do this summer" essay. in moscow, mrs. obama and the girls spent time as a national folk dance on a tour of the kremlin and just 48 hours after their dad signed a deal with russia to reduce nuclear weapons -- >> the united states and russia must lead by example. >> reporter: 11-year-old malia obama was spotted wearing not one but two shirts with a peace sign. this while they were in italy, the second stop in their week-long trip. they visited rome, pantheon, the coliseum and stopped to make their own blackberry eng lawsuit oh. ang lotto. later they dressed in black for the family's meeting with pope benedict. >> the obama daughters are having an amazing time as daughters of this president. they're meeting people, having

experiences that are incredible. >> reporter: it's a dream vacation for first daughters malia and sasha. already jet-setters and now drawing attention for being pint-sized fasionistas. the tweens started their trip in matching trench coats designed by j. crew. the obama's girls' second trip overseas, already sightseeing in paris and ndon. could it mean we'll see more of the obama girls traveling this summer? >> michelle for one told her staff she wants to get the girls out of the white house more and she wants to travel with them to be together as a family and the girls can take advantage of all that the parents are experiencing. >> reporter: this is a trip they will never forget. for "today," norah o'donnell, nbc news, washington. and what an incredible experience. cameras are documenting everything you're wearing, saying, doing. >> your dad has a pretty cool job. might as well take advantage of it. only good four years, maybe

eight, but do it while you n. still to come here on "today," in the wake of michael jackson's death, nbc news goes undercover to find out just how easy it is to buy dangerous drugs for cash at a doctor's office in l.a. plus, inside the world of celebrities and drugs we'll talk to a doctor who runs an exclusive rehab clinic and asked by the jackson family to help michael. his story, up next. first, these message ñ 3

and we're back on this saturday morning, the 11th ever july, 2009. taking a look at the crowd outside of the plaza. joining us. inside studio 1a, amy robach along with lester holt. coming up this half hour we're going to talk about moonlighting. lester, you might know a little something about that. >> come back at night. i've got kids in college. >> right. got to pay the bills xaxly. taking a second job, for a lot of people, their hours, pay and benefits get cut. coming up, how to find a second job without losing your first one. >> also coming up this morning, lance armstrong back from retirement making another run at the tour de france trying to win it for the eighth time, but he's a lot older than he was the last time he won the 21-day race. does he still have what it takes

to win? i think the world's kind of watching to find out. first a "today" under cover investigation. police looking into the death of mike many jackson believe doctors may have taken money in exchange for writing him prescriptions for dangerous drugs leading nbc news to investigate how easy it sow to get doctors to prescribe addictive drugs you don't really need. in los angeles, we have more on that. good morning. >> reporter: amy, good morning. it's an open secret around here. if you're a celebrity and you have money, can you get all the drugs you want. these aren't back alley drug deals either. these areeputable doctors in nice offices taking cash in exchange for prescriptions and so this morning we go undercover to show you just how easy it is. ♪ in a town where celebrities rule and anything goes, it's the new epidemic. stars buying off doctors. >> it's not like buying crack

off the street, but it's that simple. >> reporter: that easy? >> easy as ordering a pizza. >> reporter: we're about to find out. our decoy is an ex-performer in hollywood, who's agreed to go undercover for us as long as we hide his identity. we're watching agency he walks into a doctor's office with a lot of cash. he'll see doctor with a reputation for taking care of celebrities. >> made it clear to me that if i walk in his office and pay the fees, and give him the money, i have a doctor, i have drugs, i have whatever i want. >> reporter: and walks inside, you have to remember, he's never met this doctor before. he just made an appointment saying he has a tv pilot coming out. he was with the doctor for only five minutes, and handed over nearly two grand in cash. when he walked out, even we were surprised. prescriptions in one hand, a goody bag of samples in the other. the drugs prescribed, could those kill you?

>> this is a suicide cocktail. these could kill 20. >> reporter: the doctor wrote him prescriptions for four different drugs including a heavy dosage of oxycotton, a schedule two narcotic. 240 pills of the painkiller vicodin, sleeping pill and for good measure, see alice for erectile dysfunction. what did you tell the doctor to get these? >> a strain on my heart and -- >> reporter: did he examine you? >> i didn't even take my shirt off. he did not examine me at all. >> makes me sick to my stomach that people who have sworn such an oath to help their fellow man are actually killing their patients. >> reporter: this doctor runs a luxurious wonderland clinic in malibu. sources say the jackson family called him to run an intervention for michael just

weeks before his death. >> it's the celebrities in this town who allow this to continue to happen. >> it's the celebrities and it's the doctors who feed on greed. >> reporter: the list of dead celebrities is growing. this is scary stuff. >> yeah, this is scary stuff. how many celebrities have to die? michael jackson, ten more? 20 more? how many movie stars before this stops? > . >> reporter: here's the propa loophole in the law to arrest a doctor for over-prescribing investigate verse to prove malice or gross negligence. here told that is difficult to prove in court. the doctors know that and continue to do it. one other note that's important to mention, we destroyed all the pills tr our undercover stint. amy. >> jeff, thanks so much and dr. howard samuels joins us in our los angeles studio. good morning. >> good morning, amy.

>> let's start with the combination of drugs michael jackson was supposedly using, morphine, xanax, demerol, oxycontin. what happens when you mix those types of drugs together in any given recipe? >> in mixing those drugs together you have death. you know, those drugs are just so -- that's what an overdose is. and depending on the amount that you're taking is the, you know, chances of death right there. >> there are reports that michael jackson was also using a drug called diprivan and using it as a sleep aid. can you tell us exactly how dangerous that is? >> well, diprivan is not a drug that is common at all that people get. that's a drug that's really used in hospitals. it is so unbelievable that that drug would be available for anybody outside of a hospital, whether it's a celebrity or

anyone. you know? so it really is outrageous that a doctor would actually sply that to someone for sleep. >> and there are also stories about how when jackson was on tour back in the '90s he had an anesthesiologist who would take him down at night and then bring him back up in the morning. is that a common practice in the medical field for someone who's suffering immense pain and has a doctor traveling with him? >> oh, i mean, you know, it is so outrageous that this is the issue. the issue is that, if you have engh money, and if you have the fame, you can actually have doctors on the payroll for anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 a month, and these doctors, you know, love to have their client and with the money, it's instant death. and that's why this issue really has to be dealt with. i mean, this is an issue that i would love attorney general jerry brown who is doing a great job in trying to prosecute these

doctors, because these doctors need to be prosecuted and there needs to be a lot of heat on this industry to stop this, because it's not just celebrities. it is people with prescription drug abuse that are dying left and right. >> and they were clearly worried about him, and supposedly did try to intervene. obviously that didn't work. what more can a family do in this situation? >> well, you know, to me, the families are the key. you know, i'm a recovering addict myself, and my family intervened on me repeatedly, and if it wasn't for my family, i wouldn't be here today talking to you. my family saved my life. and it's really vital that families get educated as to when someone's behavior changes that the families can get in there and start to help their loved ones. to me, that's really the key. >> all right. dr. howard, thanks for your time. appreciate it. >> absolutely. you're welcome.

and it is time now for another check of the weather. let's head outside to the plaza and the weather channel's jim cantore. jim? >> hey, lester. absolutely beautiful out here now and it's amanda's birthday today. hey, all right. and a cincinnati fan. what's up with that? >> the best team ever, the reds. >> there you go. what is your birthday wish, amanda? >> for the reds to win tonight. >> there you go. check out the weather as we look at big heat, ladies and gentlemen. we are talking texas, 117 degrees yesterday. only three degrees off from the all-time record high for the state. by the way, they got bright and red, death valley, beat them, 116 yesterday. more things back to normal in the next few days. another hot one today. excessive heat warning, heat indices, add humidity into the air, feeling like 115. all the way to the north of that we'll find the active weather. showers thunderstorms from missouri up to ohio on into pennsylvania and new york and right now it is absolutely beautiful outside here on the plaza, and we're going to see

that weather return as we go and for your weather needs on the web, at weather.com. amy, back to you. >> jim, thanks so much. coming up, moonlighting. in you're working a second job, should you tell your boss? the answer just ahead. and later, tag-team parenting. how some families are managing to juggle full-time work and full-time at-home child care. first, these messages. wrench over here? elevs

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>> creditors were calling me every day. it was a really hard place to realize, here i am an adult with children and i can't pay my bills. >> reporter: so the new york state education employee started moonlighting. >> go from ballroom to beaches in seconds flat. >> reporter: selling jewelry at parties. >> the rest of my life what do i have to lose? let me give it a shot. >> reporter: and she's not alone. 10% of americans surveyed by career builders dotcom have taken a second job in the last year. 18% said they planned to get one. >> if you even have a job, the money you're making may not be paying the monthly bills. your pay may have been cut. yo health care costs may have gone up. all of these things combined, people are looking to make more money just to make ends meet and save. >> reporter: with the average workweek down to 33 hours in june, the trend is likely to grow.

for this woman, a silver lining. she really enjoys her second job. itot her out of debt and renewed her self-confidence. >> i wouldn't be telling you the truth if i told you i didn't get tired because i have a very full life. but my life is full of things that i want it to be full of. >> the right way to moonlight we're joined by the co-host of cnbc's "on the money." carmen, good morning. >> good morning. >> that woman clearly it worked out for her. how do you know if moonlighting is right for you? >> she did direct selling. going into something like that make sure it makes financial sense for you. you have to put money up front. what are the odds you'll be able to get the money back and make money? if you get another moonlighting job, an hourly wage or part time, make sure that commuting costs don't te basically any kind of -- gains you make, or childcare costs. make sure it makes financial sense and sense with your full-time job. you have to protect your

full-time job here. so if you know you can be out at 5:00 every single day, you can take the 6:00 p.m. second job. if you have to be there and never know if you'll be there until 7:00 or 8:00, you need a more flexible job. >> leads me to my next question. they don't really have defined it hours. what types work well in a moonlighting situation? >> a lot of workers are working more than usual. go into your local message board. keep it local in your community. whether it's baby-sitting, dogsitting, and also skills. a lot of folks have a lot of skills to easily market online, whether it's photography, editing, events planning. if you can throw a great party, you can probably make some money doing it. >> talk about full disclosure. what are the rooms? are you obligated to tell your first employer you have another job starting at 6:00? >> you're not obligated. my stance on that. don't tell them if you don't have to. here's the thing, you've got to

protect the full-time income first. that always comes first. be very careful. if the two jobs, however, are clashing, that's when you have to make a decision of, do i tell my employer? are they going to be sympathetic and ache to work this out or will i jeopardize my job by tell them? >> the notion you're on your lunch hour, sitting at the computer, maybe work a second job while at lunch at the first job? >> daylighting opinion. >> this could spiral down? >> very, very dangerous thing to do. can you not let your second job fold into your full-time job. on your company computer, anything do you is actually their property and their business. so you have to be careful that they're making sure that they are getting their money's worth out of you and you're not making money on a second job at your full-time b. keep them as separate as possible. a few e-mails here and there, don't go on the website. >> a way to launch a second career, maybe it launches something bigger? >> fantastic way to do that. a lot of women are doing it now. they're finding i don't necessarily like the job i?

full-time but can't get ahead. i really love whether it's selling jewelry or editing a building website, i'm going to do that secondhand and seeing their second job is starting to overtake financially their first job and it becomes a new business. a great, great thing. >> good stuff to think about. carmen, nice to have you on. thanks for being here. catch carmen every saturday night on "on the money" at 8:00 p.m. eastern time on cnbc. we'll take a break and be back after these messages. from a mr. broom. ♪ don't you want me, baby ♪ don't you want me, ohhhh new swiffer sweeper is redesigned... to clean deeper into corners. dry cloths trap and lock 50% more dirt, dust and hair than a bom... with a new dirt grabbing texture. the all new swiffer sweeper... cleans better or your money back, guaranteed.

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commuters may be in for a surprise monday morning. 13 dunkin' donut shops closed down and reopen monday morning looking completely different, though still selling doughnuts. >> a switch to a different franchise. tim is coming to town. ever been to canada you know they're everywhere and in a handful of u.s. states and now clearly they are making their way south. >> we have the tim horton doughnuts here along with dunkin doughnuts. he look a lot alike and even have their own version of munchkins. we're supposed to taste taste this. >> i stopped eating doughnuts a couple years ago, but i can always start again. which is which? >> this is tim horton's. okay. these are very good. >> dunkin doughnuts i. have to take a bite of this. >> uh-huh. >> okay. they taste the same. >> taste the same. they both taste the same, too. >> look the same. >> i can't talk. can you? >> these segments -- okay. anyway, dunkin' donuts diehard,

don't worry. still 400 dunkin' donut stores in the big apple. right back. this is "today" on nbc. ww

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the sun is starting to peek through the clouds over the national mall this saturday, july 11, 2009. good morning. updating the top stories now, the police say two families were terrorized by one man last night. an elderly couple was held hostage. police were called to a jewelry store at 11:30 in the morning after an armed robbery. they fled on foot. stole an suv with a 2-year-old child before barricading himself. the gunman is behind bars. police saying crime ridden neighborhoods are unconstitutional.

the trinidad neighborhood last summer. motorists could not prove they lived in the area. a group called the partnership for civil justice. friday, appeals rules, residents rights were violated. the lower courts must consider it. they are saying the stops were lawful. all officers will be working foot patrol in the initiative of the year. it runs until 6:00 a.m. sunday. the last all hands on, arrests were ma. 13 firearms seized and $40,000 in drugs confiscated. ♪

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good morning, everyone. the weekend is here. we're starting off with a mix of sun and clouds. that's the trend for the day. we are heading into the mid and upper 80s. the humidity is going to increase. we're on doppler. today, partly sunny skies. we're watching a front to bring us late day storms that last through tomorrow. most of today is dry. again, a chance of a storm or two later in the day.

>> while we're good morning. a huge welcome for president obama and his family in africa, and a visit to what was once a point of no return. michael jackson mystery. more than two weeks after his sudden death, lingering questions remain. including, will his death be rule add homicide, and will he be buried in neverland? and racing for a comeback. it lance armstrong out of retirement and back in the tour de france. can he win one of the most grueling races in sports for the eighth time? ♪ i want to ride my bicycle welcome back to "today" on a shart morning, july 11, 2009. i'm lester holt along with amy robach and comg up in this half hour, could we be looking at another tour de lance i think we'll call it. >> the eighth stage of the tour

de france. the sight we've grown accustomed to, lance armstrong wearing the yellow jersey hasn't happened yet. he's in third. coming up, his chances to win once again. plus more on a shocking murder in florida. the parents of a large family, 16 children, in all, many with special needs, found shot to death at home while the kids were sleeping. police say it looks like a break-in and they're searching now for suspects. we'll have the very latest on that. that's all coming up. first, president obama is wrapping up his week-long overseas trip with a stop in africa. savannah guthrie is traveling with the president and joins us from the capital of the west african nation of ghana. savannah, od morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. us a know, ghana is a favorite of u.s. presidents. mr. obama is actually the third in a row to come here. to highlight a democracy in africa that's working. the president's arrival in ghana is being treated like a

homecoming. ghana's government rolled out th red carpet to greet the first african-american president to greet them. giving a speechn parliament. on thursday wrapping up the g summit in italy, mr. obama, whose father was from kenya spoke about africa's struggles on personal terms. >> i have family members who live in villages they, themselves are not going hungry, but live in villages where hunger is realand so this i something that i understand in very personal terms. >> reporter: before leaving italy, the president had one more stop, at the vatican to see pope benedict. >> thank you so much. a great honor for me. thank you. >> reporter: a private meeting with the holy father that started quite peb likely. publicly.

first lady michelle obama joined later the first daughters meeting happened away from the cameras and even senior staffers got a meet and greet with the pope. >> hello. >> reporter: this is a short stop in africa which disappointed some people and no big public event scheduled although the white house arranged for u.s. embassies to host screening parties around the continent. in addition to the speech in parliament, the president and first lady will also travel by helicopter to tour cape coast castle a former slave trading post expected to be a meaningful visit. of course, for the president and the first lady who is the descendant of slaves, lester. >> savannah guthrie, thank you. here's amy. to florida, and a double murder that stunned a community just outside pensacola. nbc's mark potter is in miami with the latest. good morning, mark. >> reporter: good morning to you, amy. police are looking for three

suspects who were dressed in black and who were spotted on a home security camera leaving the crime scene in a red van. police have now released pictures of that van and are asking the public for help in locating it. the victims, bird and melanie billings, were each shot multiple times while in the bedroom of their large rural home west of pensacola, florida, that was around 7:00 p.m. thursday. police say the attackers broke into the home through different doors, but would not speculate on a motive and would not say if anything had been taken from the home. now, the two victims were very well known and well rarded in the area. the billings own multiple businesses and also had 16 children. 12 of whom they adopted. some of those children suffered from down's syndrome and had come from abusive home. police say eight of those children were in the home at the time of the killings, but none of them was hurt. some of them were asleep at the time. they are now being cared for by

relatives. amy? >> mark potter in miami. thanks so much. and now here's lester. >> amy, stage eight of a tour de france is under way this morning and chasing the leader, the american is trying for a second comeback. lance armstrong. nbc's john yang is in london with more. john, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. the tour de france is a three-week test of endurance and strength, and one week into it, lance armstrong is still in the thick of it trying to do something that many people say is impossible again. >> lance armstrong! >> reporter: back in what may be the world's most demanding competition after an absence of four years lance armstrong sounds like a very different racer than he was before. >> well, i don't have the se confidence that i had before, but i come with an extreme sense of excitement, and also quite honestly, a heck of a lot of nerves. >> reporter: this is armstrong's first appearance in this 2200 mile race since 2005 when he won a record seven straight

victories. that string began in 1999 just three yea after a near fatal case of test tick cueler cancer. now armstrong eamericaned from retirement to chase an eighth title across the european countryside. it he wins he'll be the oldest victor since 1922. >> it's a difficult race at any age, and especially when you're 37, a cancer survivor and been retired it three years. >> it's not about me. >> reporter: he's fighting more than age. he's fighting his own controversial image, which he's tackled head-on in a television commercial from one of his sponsors, nike. >> the critics say i'm arrogant a doper, washed up. >> reporter: armstrong was in third place at the start of today. six seconds behind the leader, and two behind the favorite alberto of spain. armstrong may be chasing a personal accomplishment, but he's careful to talk about the team. >> i think the team, myself and

alberto and andreas, we went a long way on our rivals today. >> reporter: today's leg is one of those challenging of the race. through the mountains in southern france. three days in the mountains are often decisive. lester? >> thanks. the weather channel's jim cantore is out on the plaza with a check of your forecast. jim, good morning. >> good morning, amy and lester. we're walking and watching aishi yachlt. did he was nor test? >> oh, yes. >> she's going to keep him? >> we'll let him hang around. >> he was great. >> doing this because he's waging, right?ght? >> no, no. >> alex, you're in. tecou fk heas tecort highs ec today. looking good across the nation. especially in the northeast. oh, the sun's back out. this is beautiful. temperatures in the 80s. we're talking 70s for minneapolis today. we start to get into the southern plains and that's where things sizzle once again. you'll see once again

temperatures around 110, 115 degrees and phoenix, 113. hot one in vegas as well. and thunderstorms from missouri to the western great lakes. good morning, everyone. a bit of sunshine out there this morning. tonight, thunder approaches the area bringing a chance of showers and storms. right now, 69. we're heading into the mid-80s. dew points will climb bringing humidity. there's mid and upper level clouds. partly sunny for today. thers a front that slides through late this afternoon and all righta big birthday going out to mom. looks like she's a steelers' fan? >> we are. big steeler fans. >> awesome. jim, it's been more than two weeks since michael jackson's death, but many unanswered

questions about his health, why he die and where he might be buried fop get answers, we turn to a new book, "unmasked" comes out tuesday and een drew, senior editor at " us weekly" magazine. mr. drew and mr. halpern. mr. drew, one of the questions people are wanting to know, where is michael jackson's body? >> we did find out that it is being held in a private crypt or tomb, so to speak, own by berry gordy at forest lawn cemetery where the funeral happened. it's been there. the bigri lgeinng question now is, was the body even at the memorial? there are questions that maybe it was left at the forest lawn or it was maybe shuttled out via a secret exit, because no one really saw it leave the staples center and go back -- >> his brother jermaine voiced the desire he be buried at neverland. is there a disagreement with the

family? there's a legal battle as well? >> mainly joe and jermaine who want it and many close to michael know he didn't ever want to go back there certainly wouldn't want to be buried there again. the other thing going on, of course, is the legalities. the town doesn't really want it there. it's not really equipped. and there are blogs are burying a body in your backyard. you can't just do it. you have to get permits. >> turning to ian halpern, you wrote back in september you didn't thinkichael jackson would survive the year. you said six months and i think were off by a day. what led you to write that and conclude that? >> i infiltrated michael's camp for years as special undercover investigation. i became very close with the people around him, and it was a combination of both physical ailments and a lot of depressions and dependency on drugs in michael's life over the past few years, and he was the perfect candidate, i determined, not to liveore than six

months, because he was afflicted by so much turmoil and so many health problems. unfortunately i was right. >> you had not seen him for a couple of years, but i'm sure like the rest of us, you saw that rehearsal video, that the aeg folks released at the staping center. looked and looks like he still has it. you saw something different. >> a lot of unequivocal nonsense bandied about right now especially by the spin doctors. sure, michael did participate in that video, but if you look closer at the video, his dance moves were definitely off, and that night, he told one close-aid of his, i can't do this anymore. i can't pull it off. that's why i said the day he announced his comeback tour, his residency, i went on national tv in the uk and said i'm not even booking my plane tickets. these concerts will never happen. michael's in no condition to be

doing 50 shows let alone travel to london. michael should have been happening is, insisting that he get the proper medical attention, proper psychological attention that he needed and they should have been more concerned about him. what happened in effe, they were more concerned about the money. >> and police have been trying to talk to a number of doctors who may have prescribed drugs. where saul this leading? >> that's the next wave of drama. two things going on here as well. we have the fight to see exactly how he died. homicide detectives are involved going after all of these doctors including the dermatologist and biological father of the children. the other end of everything that is going on is now the children, everyone is kind of, you know, seeing where they will go. 's will they stay with the family or will debbie rowe be biological at least of the first two, check in and take them away. ge'll see where that goes. >>e' h wave to to end our conversation there. thanks for being here.

appreciate it. we're going to take a break and be back with more of "today" after these messages. ♪ ♪ i got troubles, oh ♪ but not today ♪ 'cause they're gonna wash away ♪ ♪ they're gonna wash away ♪ ♪ ♪ they're gonna wash away ♪ this old heart ♪ gonna take them away [ quacks ]

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3-year-old asana and 3-month-old. on bath, breakfast and dper changes until 11:00. while their mom, a commercial real estate broker gets to work. >> good morning. >> reporter: they have a complex juggling act. at 11:00, he's off to competitive tennis and the wife takes over working on reading skills. at 1:00 p.m., dad's back. he entertains his daughter with wii and his wife naps with the baby. >> tell me how you first came up with this idea? a financial decision? you wanted the kids not to be parented by anyone other than you and your husband? how did you figure this out? >> really, the latter. i was like, here's everything we need to do. if we figure out a time for everything we need to do, then it will get done.

>> reporter: that time leave as two-hour window for one parent to stayhome, the other to work outside the house, depending on whose appointment is more pressing. >> you have to be really disciplined about it. there are days where it all falls apart. for the most part, it works. >> reporter: by 5:00, he's back out the door teaching until 8:00. once they meet, they plan the next day's schedule before it all starts over again i. actually want to go to a networking function tomorrow evening. >> reporter: there are sacrifices. both of them end up working seven days a week. how much alone time do the two of you guys get? >> alone time? >> either late night. really late night or really early mornings. that's our time. >> reporter: but both say the constant communication has made their marriage stronger. >> it's well worth it, and i'd do it ain. >> i love you, daddy. >> i love you, too.

>> all right. how can you make tag-team parenting work? president of working mother media and psychology dale atkins the author of a book. good morning to both of you. respect we seeing more of this creative juggling going on because of the economy and people not able to afford a nanny, a caretaker and having to work? >> really both. if you can't afford to pay your mortgage then you can't afford expensive child care. there is an economic factor. with grandmother and grandfather working now because of the economy, that family situation might not be in place. there is also the idea that moms and dads especially want to spend more time with their children than they did in the past. especially dads. so the tag-team parenting can take care of two thing. both the economy situation as well as the desire to spend more time with your kids, but it's not easy. that's for sure. >> i was going to point to that. does it take a certain type of couple, certain personality to

pull this off? >> a good question. people need to feel very organized and flexible, that they can communicate well with each other. you have to be forgiving. your partner might not show up at the right time and you have to read their signals. going over the edge and getting stressed out you can step in and help out. people who are resilient and have a sense of humor. you've got to have a sense of hume whir this is going on. >> true. and i want to ask in terms of what this type of situation can do for your career as well. it can also have impact how your employer views you. >> what's happening now is that if your neighbor is laid off, you start to think about your own job and whether it's secure. and so in these times the value of safe time, of actually being in the office goes up, and the comfort level of flexibility, working flexible hours goes down. but we advise at "working mother" magazine, don't let go of flex benefits. don't give up on being honest

with your employer about yr needs and use it's idea of straight talk. going in and talking to your manager about this idea of tag teaming an how you're going to do it. make sure you're confident about what can work for your job. >> we heard a peace that says this made her marriage stronger but i was thinking, wow. maybe for now, but this really can be hard on a marriage. don't couples need to realize that going into it? this is something that could be a struggle? >> they absolutely need to realize. it can make your marriage stronger because you're committed to something, you have a goal, sharing it, working hard to build and tighten up your family. what happens with many of the couples is that they forget about their alone time and they don't put their marriage and their relationship at the high priority as they have time with their children, and what we need to do, remind couples of the importance for them and also for their children to have a good model as a parent. >> how do you find a longtime -- >> you know, everybody's busy scheduling an scheduling every single minute. you schedule time for yourself. >> schedule a date night or a

date breakfast, and you really do. and you also are in touch wit each other by e-mail, leaving each other notes. it's very important to have that time together. one other thing. when people in this economy, they're a bit more stressed. so that the time they're with their children they need to be very present and present with each other as their couples because you don't want to bring that stress to your family. >> great advice. thank you both, appreciate it. we'll be back. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "day," e-mails, cell phones, appear effectually harmless, working lunches, but are you actually technically cheating on your spouse? the answer coming up. plus our expert guide to picking the freshest, ripest fruits and vegetables. first, these messages. delectablé: the taste of freshly ground espresso,

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good morning, everyone. a partly cloudy start to your saturday, but a beautiful day shaping up after all. it's saturday, july 11, 2009. good morning. updating the top stories now. police say two families were absolutely terrorized by a man last night. police were called to a jewelry store after apparent armed rabry. that was in the morning. he disappeared on foot, stole an suv from a family with a 2-year-old child. he barricaded himself in the me of an elderly couple. a probe. the woman who accused berry of

stalking her. detailing why he was arrested. now, it's getting to be too much. one said he walked out of a recent council meeting when barry started acting like a victim. he says he welcomes the probe. >> here is hoping you are ready now to do your holiday shopping. the retailer put out winter merchandise. it usually waits until november. the recession caused them to rethink its strategy. they are hoping you will buy things now that you might not be able to afford. ax1x

good morning, everyone. we are starting off with a bit of cloud cover out thereith mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. we're starting in the upper 60s. 71 down the road in springfield. dew points are in the low 60s. southerly winds bring in moisture. all is quiet at the moment. we have clouds streaming overhead. there's a front off to the west. a front moves through late today into the nighttime hours bringing showers and storms. after that, we clear things out for tomorrow afternoon. still comfortable tomorrow, mid-80s. >> thanks. the new farmers market is

opening in the di.ctri we're back on this saturday morning. july 11, 2009, and thanks so much to the crowd joining us outside on the plaza. is great to have everybody with us. i'm amy robach along with lester holt. still to come this half hour, we're going to talk about emotional affairs. >> emotional affairs. many people in many ways. the idea is you put the bulk of your emotions in the hands of somebody outside of your marriage. the question is, is that cheating on your spouse or partner? we'll find out and look at warning signs and get advice on dealg with this phenomenon. >> and i actually did this yesterday. standing in a dairy aisle looking at yogurt wondering which should i get? light, drinkable, ones with probiotics. the truth about yogurt and if

they're all as healthy as they claim to be. >> and fits and vegetables out there, i always hear, still can't shop for fruits and vegetables figuring which is right and which is not. i always get the melon that's like concrete. an expert here to figure out how to pick the right fruit and make sure it's right. first, special guests with us out here on the plaza. competed on nbc's "the biggest loser" and today will help cheer on the next group of biggest losers as the auditions start today for season nine. sharing their experiences with us. thanks for coming, by the way. >> thank you. >> and damian, give us a sense, why you think the show found so much success, people love to cheer on all of you? >> people see that we have a goal, want to lose weight. learn how to feel better about ourselves. people see that, you know? >> you guys look great. i should point out. fantastic. >> a big crowd lined up across

the street to do the audition. whato you web from your audition? >> i remember it was freezing cold and like two minutes. we had only two minutes to really show our personality and tell them why we wanted to be on "the biggest loser," because we wanted to lose weight. >> all about personalities? >> you've got to let your personality show. and damian and i had fallen in love, just gotten engaged and were about to start our lives together. ours as a love story. >> great. what advice do you have for anyone standing in line? what does it take to get on the show? >> the most important thing y need to come in with is just be yourself. would you ever want to be something that you're not? you have to let your true colors shine through and, therefore, help inspire others, and that's the best part about it. you're transforming yourself as you. don't you fake, be real, be who you are, say what you feel. >> do you think most know what they're getting into? >> no. >> they don't have any idea? >> no idea. >> harder than you imagined? >> kind of one of those things

you have to put forth the effort and know you're going to change. that's why right after this we're going to go over, speak to everyone and basically give them the encouragement and let them realize that today's the day that you're committing yourselves to change. let it into your life and then it will happen. >> and do it because you really want to see a change in yourself and feel great about yourself in the end. >> even if you don't get o the show, you can do it, because we did it, and we did it largely at home. so we just want to support everybody today. >> what an aspiring trio here. >> absolutely. >> thanks so much. good to have all of you here. damian, nicole and tara. another check of the weather now. >> jim cantore, take it away. >> a big hello to my brother, vincent, kind of py you're talking about, he's lost about 70 pounds. trying to trim on down. vinny, i'm rooting for you, buddy. and rooting for these guys, mommy and grandma, is that grandma? the mom? what kind of cookies are the best? the sugar cookies? >> yeah. >> you guys have to thumb

tl te rfoheugr sar s cookies or what? i'm sure everybody gets their share. right? checout the beach. who wants to go to the beach? it's summertime. taouinabg t, yea heerab wego w. me, too. 99 degrees around clearwater, 86 south beach in miami. and replenishing all the beemps after ike, look absolutely gorgeous. a little chilly off the cape. haven't quite gotten that gulf stream up this way, but we will. it's still early on in the summer. the forecast, thunderstorms will race across the upper midwest. an area we'll watch the next couple if das from south dakota through nebraska and missouri, heavy rain, flooding, big hail. once the storms move through here tonight it will return the northeast to more beautiful sunshine. a lou well, good morning, everyone. we are starting off with a bit of sunshine and clouds this morning. we're heading into the mid-80s. dew points will climb.

the humidity will be on the increase as well. we are quiet on doppler right now. there are clouds moving in ahead of the storm system. that gets here late today and tonight. we clear things out for sunday. temperatures this weekend in the mid-80s. let's check your weather, beautiful, buf time here to be in the big city. lester, back to you. ♪ leave me alone i'm a family man ♪ >> jim, thank you. this morning on "today's relationships" emotional affairs. what is the desks? and is it considered cheating? we hit the treats and ask people where they draw the line. >> an emotional affair is when you're in love with someone in your head, dating someone else and don't know if you feel right about it. >> not actually cheating on the person, justice having emotions for someone and act upon it. >> could mean to become emotionally attached to someone.

to love them without the physical aspect of the relationship. ♪ don't go breaking my heart >> anything that makes you think about a person to me is cheating. >> an emotional connection as serious as a physical one. >> emotional cheating is definitely cheating. >> any way you look at it, it's not right. >> is an emotional affair cheating? psychotherapist and contributor robbi has the answer. >> good morning. >> how do you define these emotional relationships here? >> now, it's tricky. but if you are eonmotilyally veining in somebody outside ovef aryoeur mriagnd ahe t'sre a's sexual tiattracon, and they are instveing in you, and there's a secretive aspect about this relationship, you would not want your partner to see what's going on in this other relationship, that usually qualifies as an emotional affair. >> sexual attractions, that's the key that complicates it? >> like you're emotionally married to this other person.

this is the person that you share your intimate thoughtss with. this the person you are investing your emotional energy in. so it feels very much like a sexualized emotional relationship, only it's not your spouse. >> i would think when people would rationalize it saying it's not sexual. it is a friendship and therefore not cheating? >> right. some people really deny it to themselves. we've been taught cheating is when you sexually cross over that line. >> can this be just as damaging even though you're not crossing the line? >> absolute pli anything that's a secret and happening behind your primary relationship that also is interfering with your primary relationship is a form of cheating. >> are societal changes and where we are now in2009, are they creating more opportunities for these kinds of relationships to blossom? >> they are. i mean, in part it was the workplace. we saw the workplace having for women. men and women working side-by-side, increasing sexual

attraction and increase in sharing of or feeling in sync wi another person. people in front of computers that can lead to flirting e-mails, feeling like you have this strong connection to another person. you can have a lot of contact with another person, even when you are in your home, let's say. >> in a healthy relationship, though, it's normal for each spouse or each partner to have a friend. >> right. >> of the opposite sex. so if you are the spouse or partner who suspects that someone here has crossed the line, how do you deal with it? >> it's usually a sign that there's something in the relationship that's not going on. so if you are the spouse and you sense your partner is not emotionally available to you, a lot of arguments are going on, then you want to address what you can do to make your primary relationship a strong one. first you have a conversation. you see if the person is willing to eliminate this other person.

>> eliminate or include you? >> you could do either. either say i want to be included in this relationship, because i'm a part of you and i want to know what's going on, and i want this other person to know that i am the primary partner in this relation. . so if you feel it's really crossed the line, you could say this person is really interfering with us having the kind marriage that i'd like to have. it's time for us to figure out what do we want from each other, to have date nights, to spend time emotionally reinvesting in the relationship. >> what we're really talking about here, this age-old question that if men and women can be friends. >> that's an age-old question. >> can they? >> i think they can. >> plain, old friends? >> i do believe that can happen. it's also the type of friendship. if it's too close, you know, then it's very easy to cross over the line. who do we fall in love with? people we feel in sync with, sharing inner thoughts with. that's where it can be a slippery slope. >> robbi, thanks for coming on.

interesting subject. up next, you've seen them in the dairy case. do you know which yogurt to actually buy? the ansel coming up, but first these messages. the stevia plan, where zero calories taste perfectly sweet. it's nature's ultimate guilt-free indulgence. we promise it won't end up on your conscience or your thighs. try the first great-tasting, zero-calorie natural sweetener born from nature. truvia. honestly sweet. find it at your grocery store.

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this morning on "the truth about" we are talking yogurt. we already know it's healthy. with so many brands on the shelves, it's a challenge to make the smartest choice. holly a registered dietitian here to figure it all out. good morning. >> good morning. >> nice to have you here. what exactly are the health benefits of eating yogurt swrnkts it's so good for your body. it helps aid in digestion, and it helps to build strong bones and teeth, because it has calcium. one serving of yogurt has about one-third of your daily calcium needs and a good source of protein. gurt is good for helping prevent gum disease. so that can lead to fresh breath but one of those benefits you might not have thought about before. >> all yogurts aren't created

equal. we should point that out and so many different choices. low-fat, no-fat, fruit on the bottom. what should we look for decide which to pull from the shelves? >> three important things. first it has an active seal, or contains live and active culture, it has the good bacteria to aid in digestion and make sure it's fortified with vitamin c. that helps with the calcium absorption and make sure it's less than 150 calories. less than about five grams of fat. anything other than that might not be the best choice. >> what about all the sugar? if you read the label carefully you see sugar, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame. why do they have all of those additives in there? >> helps flavor the yogurt, which many people don't like plain yogurt. it's base and consumer demand, a lot of it. >> get your own fruit and get the same? >> you definitely can. these added sugars don't negate the benefits of yogurt, but if you want to pass on those, you don't want something else, go

for a plain yogurt. something like plain yogurt still has the great benefits and you can sweeten it yourself with honey or fresh fruit. >> all right. let's talk about the yogurts that claim to be good for digestion. right here. >> right. >> what do they and have are they actually helping? >> these are probiotic yoegers. good enzymes researched and oving to boost immunity or help aid in digestion. there are exciting research going on with these right now. >> a digestive problem, will it help you or help everybody? >> it can help everybody. if you have stomach issues look for these because they have proven research. takes about two weeks for everything to get kicked in and active but these are good options. >> what about drinkable yogurt? my kids like these. i don't know, is it go for them? better than drinking milk? i don't know. >> it's about the same. same benefits in property as yogurt, gum disease and other ideas but it's portable, convenient. health benefits. the drinkable difference is it

either has a little more milk water or juice to thin it down a bit. >> here's something i kind of really started to like. greek yogurt because their thick and filling. when i eat this, maybe i don't have to you know, chow down on something else later somewhere. >> we have found, at myrecipes.com we asked reader, your favorite yogurt? by far, this was number one. a rich, smooth consistency and strained. you still get the benefits of other yogurt, but a little bit of a different con assistantancy and you can substitute it. going with plain, try that in place of sour cream and add it to herbs and spices, use it for dip. lots of ways to use this yogurt. >> holly, thank. great tips for yogurt lovers. the tricks to picking the best and freshest tasting fruits and vegetable at your local market. ♪ there's the other stuff. ♪

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♪ i'll bring you apples, peaching, bananas ♪ summer is a great time to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. finding a melon that's sweet, an ear are corn tricky. cooking life contributor katherine booking is here with tips for picking the best summer produce. good morning. nice to have you here. >> good morning, thank you. >> can we start with watermelons. from the outside, they look the same. >> right. >> some taste like nothing. >> a few tests that are helpful. a yellow patch, this pale yellow, it was ripening on the vine. a tip this is going to be good. you want unblemished, smooth skin and all-over symmetry. a similar problem with melons in general, because, again, this outer shell is just hard to know what's on the inside. >> with the melons you really

want to pay attention to the rind. make sure they're unblemished and smooth. cantaloupe, look at freckling, a good sign. and aroma is a key clue to knowing whether or not it's going to be fresh. >> you still your nose on the fruit in the grocery store? >> you can and you should. >> all bumpy. what are we looking for? >> make sure a good contrast. up see how this is speckly and bumpy? some are very smooth. >> turn towards the camera. >> right here. that's a good sign. again, you want to use all of your senses. smell is equally important. should be nice and fragrant. >> you like blueberries? >> love them. >> always look good. >> whoa, when you put it in your mouth. >> this time of year a good chance to getting good tasting blueberries. make sure they're uniform in size. sometimes the smaller ones are bitter and look for a bluish color and the whites called the bloom, actually a protectant for the blueberries, a sign

they're ripe and fresh. no pesticides. >> make sure they're not stuck together? >> shake the container. it if they are stuck together, you know you have a lot of crushed ones in there. >> very cool. i feel like every time i bring a peach home you've got to put it in the brown bag and let it ripen. >> a lot of times they're not ripe when you buy them in the store. at cooking lite we love peaches because they're versatile. look at creamy yellow color. a good sign you'll have a ripe peach and you want to feel they yield gently. >> you want to be able to push it in a little? >> definitely. if they're green, you know they're underripe. >> ripen them at home with that brown bag, is that an okay tactic? >> depends if you want to use them. use them the same day, you don't want peaches that aren't ripe. >> i feel guilty in the grocery store peeling it back? >> you should. peeling it back, you can see the

kernels opinion that's what you want to see. otherwise you won't know. make sure they're plump and juicy kernels and look at silk, moist and smooth and not all dried out. >> everybody else does. yeah. >> and what aboutavocados? a tough one? >> usually in the store avocados are unripe. you can ripen them at home. look for something that's uniform, unblemished. also you want to make sure if you ripen them at home, again, put them in a paper bag with an apple. apple's speed up the ripening time a little. >> oh. >> yes. makes an ethylene gas that speeds up the ripening process. >> we're out of time. i'm betting the tomatoes should be red? >> often, yes. good call. we'll be right back. >> first these messages. crest whitestrips has created a revolutionary strip

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"today," ar airline just for pets. no humans allowed. and special concert monday. the fray will be here. more fun, giving out tickets for their upcoming tour to the fan who comes up with the most original sign. come down monday morning for the fray. see you right back here tomorrow. see you later on tonight on "nbc nightly news." until then, so long, everybody. thanks for watching. ;ppwú

coming up in about one minute on news 4 today t. weekend edition. >> there's a man in myouse and he has a gun. he's going to kill me. >> that woman described the phone call she got from an employee being held hos tonlg in his home. we'll have the latest. plus, president obama? ghana. they are showing their enthusiasm. we'll explain. no baseball is planned at national's park tonight. the stadium is being transformed into a concert venue. we'll tell you why. weather wise, the weekend is here. we're starting with sunshine. what does it mean. i'll lel you know, coming up in a lit bit. >> news 4 today is coming back.

steve, some storms are acoming. >> they are. but the good news is they won't get here until late, late today. that's late this afternoon. and really into the evening hours. so until that point in time, we're sitting pretty, but it will be warmer than yesterday, and it will be more humid as well. right now, upper 6. we're heading into the mid 80s today. we're starting off with dew points in the low 60s. these will also be increasing as the humidity starts um push into the area. we're quiet on doppler radar, but there are some clouds