next friday at the washington convention center. that's it for usa today. we'll be back in 25 minutes with a news update. join us at 9:00 with a full good morning. countdown to new hampshire with just three days to go before the nation's first primary candidates prepare to face off in two big debate these weekend. former u.s. utah governor jon huntsman who has staked much of his campaign in the new hampshire primary will join us live. new video, a another video diary of casey anthony surfaces on the web showing off new piercings. who is behind the release and why are some so fascinated by her after all this time snp? and, baby, i'm a star. now this leading man named arthur is back starring in

another of his mom's iconic movie recreations. what's had it his latest role smp we're going to find out. today is saturday, january 7th, smp we're going to find out. today is saturday, january 7th, 201. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. you know, a lot of people love that day when the tree goes up and it's christmastime, but around here, let's be honest, a lot of us are excited about that day, today, when the tree comes down. >> well, it's coming down today. my office looks right over that tree which is a lovely view, but it's looking kind of dry. >> it's wilting. >> we'll be reminded of a long winter ahead when it comes down. >> that's true.

a lot of presidential candidates will be squaring off this weekend just days before the new hampshire primary. this will be a critical contest for jon huntsman, who has focused much of his debate on the granite state. >> and then we're going to take a look at the job search. 200,000 jobs were added. will it ladd last? then where is baby ayla reynolds. police continue searching for her and her father is firing back at a tv host that keeps raising suspicions at him. and spring fever rather than dark days of winter. >> who is claim complaining? how much long every can much of the nation forget that it is winter? we'll take a look at these record breaking temperatures. >> i'd like to give it a try.

and "pawn stars" is one of the most popular tv shows right now. i love this. i god a chance to individual the gold & silver pawnshop in las vegas and catch a look at the shop that's become a must-see. they have lines that the city complaining to get into the store. >> i'm looking to make sure you have all your jewelry. you didn't hock anything. >> no, i didn't. i did maybe buy a few things, though. let's talk about the race for the white house with just three days to go before the new hampshire primary. the republican candidate res stumping hard in the granite state with former massachusetts governor mitt romney is moving out ahead in the polls. much of the focus is moving to south carolina. ron, good morning to you. >> lester, good morning to you. polls are polls and elections are elections. we'll have to wait and see what tuesday night brings. in the meantime, it's a full speed race to the finish.

breakfast in south carolina, spaghetti dinner in new hampshire. mitt romney is feasting on promising poll numbers, even as the nation's unemployment rate fell to a new three-year low. i'm sure the president will want to take credit for it, for any improvement. guess what? he doesn't deserve it. >> the newest poll gives romney a commanding 22% lead in new hampshire. ron paul at 22%, rick santorum at 13% and the rest in single figures. sharper attacks from opponents are now filling the air. >> timid won't create jobs. >> on friday, romney was casts a moderate. >> i can debate obama and the gap between the two of us is this big. >> the fight to close the gap

between front-runner romney and the pair could make for a highly televised occurrence this weekend. >> if he can emulate the pat buchanan rage, he could get some momentum going. >> one with so large friday morning, the fire marshal and police were called in to reduce the overcrowding. in the meantime, ron paul played to a big audience, dismissing notions that santorum is his chief opponent. >> hardly. >> despite targeting what he calls santorum's record of betrayal in a new ad. and while jon huntsman discuss ed the -- thursday, i'll we giving a key note speech and i'm going to make my unconventional

endorsement. >> an unconventional endorsement herman cain says he will make on thursday, january 19th, two days before the south carolina primary. he described the remaining candidate necessary this race as conventional. we'll see what that means. >> governor, good morning. it's nice to have you on. >> lester, it's an honor. welcome from koask county in the north country. >> thanks. before we talk about the specifics of your campaign, we heard mitt romney there a moment ago not giving president obama a credit for the drop in unemployment. do you give him credit for this improvement in the job picture? >> listen, jobs add more opportunity for people. that's a great thing for this country. and i say the president is getting out and doing his thing. for those that have new opportunity, that's a wonderful advancement. my big concern and my complaint is this, lester. how much better would the numbers have been if the

president had taken the time in the first couple of years to fix our tax code, to clean up this regulatory environment that is knee deep in red tape and have moved us toward more greater energy independence, have moved toward grater free trade relationships with several countries? i believe our job numbers would be significantly higher today. that's the difference between what the president has done and what i would do if elected to president of the united states. >> let's talk about what you would do and the challenge you face. you came in with reported 9% support, tide with support for newt gingerich. you didn't put a push for iowa. are you regretting that now given that iowa gave a lot of attention to a lot of candidates? >> no, not at all. our strategy from the very beginning was to come here to new hampshire. this is a primary. isn't a caucus. it isn't a small sample of the voting public. so i would argue if you get a

ticket out of new hampshire, which i believe we're going to get, we're going to do just fine. that gives you a head of steam going forward. this speaks to the question of electability. you have to establish electability vis-a-vis barack obama or you're not going to go anywhere. >> a lot of people would say 9% is not exactly a ticket out of new hampshire putting you in fourth place. have you put all your eggs in one basket, essentially, here? >> we have to do well here in new hampshire. there was a poll out last night that had us as 16%, probably the best respected poll in recent days and a solid third place. we're going to leave it to the people of new hampshire. meantime, you've got the major endorsement from the "boston globe." in doing so, they gave a harsh criticism to mitt romney. does their endorsement say more about their feelings towards romney than their good feelings towards you? >> no. i thought it was a good endorsement of us. we're out working hard talking about the twin ditch sit, the economic deficit that we face

and the trust deficit we face. americans don't trust their elected officials. i think trust is going to away significant part of whoever comes out victorious in the 2012 election cycle. we've picked up at least half of all the endorsements here in new hampshire, a sign that we are connected with the people on the ground, over 160 more events. i'm proud of our team, i'm proud of our message, and i think on tuesday night the world is going to be very surprised, as they typically are when new hampshire casts their vote. >> it was interesting the globe in its endorsement, i talked about the republican field and say they're all vying for the true conservative. that matters for a lot of the candidates. you've been described as a moderate republican. so are you left, right or center of the leading candidates in this race? >> you know, i'm not big on

labels. my history as governor of utah would be as a consistent conservative. but you know what people want these days? people want leadership. as i stand in these town hall meetings and a vision for a better tomorrow, i'm not sure people are too caught up with the labels. they want leadership, they want trust, they want to believe in the institutions of power again, they want to believe in their elected officials, their down and out. they know they've been dealt a very bad set of circumstances. i'm not sure the labels work in today's environment. i'm not terribly worried about that. i want to speak with my heart and soul and square with the american people on where we are and where i think we can take this country. >> governor jon huntsman, thanks again for joining us this morning. good to talk to you. >> it was a pleasure, left perpendicular. and a program note, nbc's meet the press and facebook will sponsor a live debate tomorrow morning. new job numbers suggest that the economy may be gaining some

momentum. the unemployment rate is now at 8.5%, the lowest it's been in three years. joining us now with more insight is cnbc's brian shactman. >> happy new year. >> happy new year. 8.5% in december, 8.7% in november, 9.1% back in august. is it fair to say this is a trend? >> yeah, i think it absolutely is. people can pick apart the numbers. better than expected a the 8.5%. better than expected at 200,000. when you look at the employment numbers, you lob off 0.5% in two months. that is significant. the job number of 200,000, that wasn't as much a surprise because the weekly jobless claims have been ticking down consistently, under 400,000. but 8.5% with more confidence in the labor market, more people who don't have jobs, who weren't even looking at entering the workforce, the thought was it was going to tick up and it didn't. but you're right, the trend is the key. >> and let's talk about where those jobs were add. 42,000 new messengers were hired

in december to keep with all of the online sals that were going on with with the holiday sales. how much of these seasonal hires factored into that rate that we got? >> it definitely factors in. u.p.s. added 55,000 seasonal workers. very few of those people are going to get full time jobs on the back end of it, but you have to put it in context. the same month a year ago, that 42 tlous was even higher. so you go back to the trendnd the trend is still positive. >> and any word yet on how holiday sales were this year compared to others? >> i like to split it into two parts. there's the consumer and the companies. the consumer was pretty good. they spent more money than last year and by most accounts they spent money they actually had and got some great deals. but on the company side, they had to discount so much to get people in the door, there's concern about profits. but when you look ate overall, with it was a lot better than

people thought waits going to be. >> another interesting caveat, the construction industry up 17,000 jobs in december. we had a really warm december. did that play a role? >> i'm sure that it did. the housing sector showed a little bit of life late is in the year. but if it's bad weather, people don't work outside. it's just a fact. but you take manufacturing, which is another one that -- >> added 23,000 jobs. >> and they expected 6,000. i've done jobs stores in new york, idaho, i did one about blankets in minnesota. there's a feeling with labor costs in places like china, shipping costs internationally going up, that the u.s. might actually make a move in the manufacturing sector. will it be a huge boom? no. but it could be an underlying strength in 2012 whereas with construction, you need a few more months with good numbers to really believe it. >> brian shactman, thanks so much. we appreciate it. now here is lester. amy, thanks. it felt like a spring day on

friday. the red dots we're about to show you represent the all-time warm record temperatures that were set. get this, it was actually warmer in rapid city, south dakota, than it was in miami. so the question is, where is winter? kevin tibbles takes a look. >> reporter: what's playing in peoria this winter? golf. >> i think the people in arizona are jealous of us today. >> reporter: and in chicago, more golf. and tennis, anyone? >> it's nice, nice to be out here in shorts and a t-shirt. >> reporter: a january warm-up spans much of the nation, including fargo, north dakota, where a year ago it looked like this and today, you get the picture. >> spring has sprung for the day. heading out and about, you'll need sunglasses and a lighter jacket. >> reporter: i was going to use a thermometer as a prop to show you. but this is way more fun. in a convertible in chicago in january. if you don't want to be reminded

of what it can look like, look away now. this was the snow-pocalypse that nailed chicago last winter. and this was new york city exactly one year ago. now the big apple blossoms with shorts and bare feet. >> this was almost like a feet wave. it feels kind of like early spring. >> but not so pleasant for those who depend on winter for their livelihood. ski hills from west to east are struggling and steve casper's snow removal business melted away. towns and cities have been saying millions on road salt they haven't had to use. >> only 16% of the nation right now is covered with snow. so without a refrigerator to cool the masses coming down, they modify very quick sxli we wind up with a lot of record highs. >> this snow in an may not hang on long enough for it to freeze, but until it does, harold is driving his hot rod instead of his snowplow. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc

news, chicago. >> i'm going for a run this afternoon. it might be in short sleeves. i'm not complaining. >> it's pretty nice. >> now over to the news desk where janet shamblian is standing by. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. the threats and warnings between the united states and iran. a u.s. navy destroyer has rescued an iranian fishing boat that had been held by somali pirates. ali, good morning. has iran commented on this rescue? >> good morning, with janet. iran has played down this incident greatly. state television this morning says that the united states claimed to have saved 11 iranian fishermen and it said that the armed forces do not say that this has happened for sure. they're still looking into this and they're still saying they're claims by the u.s. but this is a major coup by the u.s. that same carrier that had saved these freshermen was told by the

iranian government last week when that carrier was in the per shas shan gulf, it would feel the full force of the iranian navy. now that same carrier has saved 11 iranian fishermen, putting the iranian government in an awkward position. janet. >> thank you very much. a texas run away is back in the u.s. after being mistakenly deported to columbia. jakadrien turner was sent to columbia after being arrested in may. her family is happy to have her home, but they also also like some answers. and now to new details on casey anthony's video tyree that has popped up online. anthony's attorneys are claiming it was stolen by someone who hacked into her computer. they fear if someone knows anthony's ip address, they can find out where she's living.

former penn states football coach jerry sandusky has officially waived his arraignment on child abuse charges. he continues to maintain its his innocence he molested ten boys. his next court appearance is a pretrial hearing scheduled for march 22nd. and a dog thought to be lost in an avalanche in montana has made a homecoming. the avalanche claimed the life of his owner, but somehow, the dog showed up four days later at the motel where the rest of his family had been sale staying. he was exhausted and hungry, but he was alive. >> janet, thanks so much. bill karins is here with a check of the forecast. good morning. >> good morning. we talked about where is winter and all that. the sn

a good saturday morning. welcome to your weekend. i'm storm 4 meteorologist chuck bell. wow, what a saturday we have coming your way. plenty of sunshine for your saturday afternoon. temperatures will be nearly 20 degrees warmer than average by january standards. 37 right now in washington. 28 in frederick, maryland. 34 in martinsburg, west

virginia. check out your saturday forecast. sunny and delightful today. highs that's where the cold air has been bottled up this winter. that's your weekend forecast. amy. police in southern california are hunting for a serial killer believed responsible for the deaths of three homeless men in the past two weeks. all of them were stabbed to death in the orange county suburbs of los angeles. here is nbc's george lewis. >> reporter: this chilling picture from a surveillance camera shows the first murder victim sleeping at a shopping center, approached by a menacing looking figure. >> we believite a male wearing dark clothing and a hoodie-type dark sweater or jacket. >> three homeless men living on the streets now stabbed to death. >> we believe these murders are likely committed by the same suspect and we feel he's extremely dangerous to the public. >> it has left other homeless people pretty scared here. >> three dead in three different cities, that should get everybody's attention.

>> you're talking about people that have nothing. >> police say they're looking for a whie white four-door toyota that may be linked to the killer. authorities are stepping up patrols in orange county and warning homeless people to be vigilant. >> now is a good time nor you to be watching your backs and watching each other's backs out here, okay? >> be careful to not be alone if possible to not go into the dark areas. >> the orange county rescue mission has been handing out safety kids for homeless people. >> has a flashlight, has a whistle, and some suggestions on creating a lot of noise if they feel someone is following them to draw attention to themselves. >> police now hope the public will help them with leads about the identity of the killer, who has made life for the homeless even more miserable and scary. for "today," nbc news, los angeles. still ahead, another video of casey anthony surfaces of the

internet. what does she say? we have

with the "name your price" tool, you tell us what you want to pay, and we give you a range of coverages to choose from. who is she? that's flobot. she's this new robot we're trying out, mostly for, like, small stuff. wow! look at her go! she's pretty good. she's pretty good. hey, flobot, great job. oops. [ powers down ] uh-oh, flobot is broken. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. call or click today.

still to come, he is the prime suspect in the disappearance of nataliee hollow holloway, but now joren van der sloot is on trial for another death. plus, nancy grace. but first, these mess aenlss.

this is a news 4 news break. good morning, everybody. hold up you're off to a great saturday waking up to chilly temperatures. but the temperatures are slowly rising. we're in for another mild and warm day. i'm angie goff. topping your news today at 7:26. former d.c. councilmember harry thomas junior faces up to four years in prison after pleading guilty to two federal crimes yesterday. thomas admitted to stealing more than $350,000 earmarked for youth charities and buying personal luxury items. he also pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. thomas officially resigned from

the d.c. council yesterday. a special election will likely be held in may to fill the vacant ward five seat. thomas will be sentenced in may. meteorologist chuck bell has a look at your saturday forecast right after the break.

welcome back. let's check in with chuck who has a pretty easy forecast today. >> absolutely right, angie. beautiful weather outside today. the sun is just now coming up in our eastern sky. it is going to be a gorgeous saturday afternoon. it isn't going to feel anything like january around here. even though we won't break any records today, it will still be incredibly mild. 37 right now at national airport. 43 in winchester. 40 in annapolis. highs today upper 50s to mid 60s.

a little more cloud cover and cooler temperatures coming our way for tomorrow. next chance of rain doesn't show up until wednesday of next week. >> sounds good. another news and weather update coming up it's the first weekend of the new year. we want to thank our fine group of folks who came out to enjoy this unseasonably winter warm weather. and spend their saturday for us. >> it's feeling good outside. back inside studio 1a, i'm amy robach along with lester holt. coming up in this half hour, where is baby ayla? >> she is the 21-month-old baby who has been missing from maine. her father faced the public and has been seen handing out

flyers. coming up, we're going to take a look at this. and joren van der sloot is on trial for the murder of a peruvian girl. in a surprise move on friday, he postponed a plea in his crime for that trial. why? we'll have the late pest. and a second video has been released. it's a new video that casey anthony looks different from the one that serviced a couple days ago. she's been out of the public eye since being acquitted of murdering her daughter, caylee. we'll take a look at these and the uproar they're causing. but first, it's been 21 weeks when ayla reynolds has disappeared from his father's home. for the first time since her disappearance, her father was out handing out flyeres and asking the public for help.

>> missing 21-month-old ayla reynolds' father was passing out flyer sgleps i just want my daughter home and i'm going to do anything to have that happen. i'd like to have her face on every street corner in america, but it's just taking one flyer at a time and going from there. >> it comes after weeks of secretmy of dipietro. much of it from headline news host nancy dpras. >> she's with the daddy, she goes missing. she's with the daddy the last time, she gets a broken arm. >> reporter: now dipietro says enough is enough. friday, he told the sentinel, nancy grace, please come see me. do you want to spend a day with me. do you want to see what i'm going through? i invite you to. the 24-year-old told police he put ayla to bet bed at his house in maine. he reported her missing the next day. after two weeks of searching

woods and water, police issued this statement. we believe that foul play has occurred in connection with ayla's disappearance. maine state police have not named any suspects. earlier this week on "today," dipietro said there's no way she's involved. >> she's my daughter. she's my child. she's my world. she's everything to me. i love my daughter. i would never do anything to harm my daughter. >> dipietro was taking care of on ayla while her mother was in rehab. in another interview on today last week, she told matt why she worried about ayla. >> he would never let me see her. i would call to talk to her and he would get mad about it. >> investigators insist they are looking for a little girl who is still alive. when asked friday if they think a parent or family member took her, they said, quote, we are considering all possibilities. nbc news, new york.

>> joining us now with more insight is former prosecutor karen desoto. this seems to be another example of these parallel investigations, the police investigation and the public one. >> right. >> when often a family member is the first suspect named, the father goes out, hands out flyers for the first time and that's raised a lot of eyebrows, hasn't it? >> well, yeah. in these cases, because of past cases and more specifically i think you're old enough to remember the diane downs case n 1980s where the mother was accused and convicted of murdering her child. our first instinct as a society is to think that the parents are telling the truth and that something happens. there's a scurry by law enforcement to find that child. now we're in a position where when a child goes missing, everyone is like, have you checked tout parent? >> the susan smith was a classic example of that.

every time we do these stories, i'm always struck by the fact there's no play book for losing a loved one or having someone turning up miss agency to how you're supposed to act or wa you're supposed to do or is there? >> well, there is. there is in instances when children disappeared. 800,000 children are reported missing every year. the elizabeth smart type cases, about 115. so a lot of the times, child murders is done by somebody they know, unfortunately. so they're going to be the first person that you suspect. so, obviously, there are certain red flags as a prosecutor that you do look for. past abuse, whether or not the type of personality of the person, whether they've been in the division of youth and family or family services before, is there a custody dispute going on? so there are red flags. >> and that's from the investigator's side. but in terps of being the person who is missing a loved one, in terms of how you act and what

you say. yeah. because you want a mom to cry. most people expect that when you lose a child, that you want them crying and screaming and in tears. but not everybody emotionally reacts like that. >> in this particular case, one particular cable host, nancy grace, has been very outspoken on her concerns about the father in the case. how do prosecutors view that kind of thing? when these cases become the talk of television, particularly cable tv, are they watching closely? >> well, yes. but in the casey anthony case, obviously, there's a case where the media hint hindered with what happened with the proceedings or at least it was perceived that way. obviously in an investigation aspect, lester, it's great. there's a lot of attention, you can get clues, witnesses. but as far as prrosecuting the case, you're tainting people. you have instances, obviously,

for a prosecutor it's better. for the defense attorney, it gets dicey. but anything that's under the microscope is going to have a totally different affect than if you were trying a case with a normal attorney with a attorney and a judge. >> thanks for your insight. good to see you. for another check off your saturday forecast, let's turn to bill. it's just not right. i don't have a jacket out here. i don't even need it, either. middle 40s. and a happy 13th birthday for you. i always wonder, do you ask for what you didn't get that you wanted for christmas? >> sometimes, yeah. >> and where are you

>> it's just a very quiet weekend forecast. no snowstorms on the way for anyone. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look outside your window. good morning. i'm storm 4 meteorologist chuck bell. outside our window in washington you can see the rising sun in the eastern sky on what promises to be a very nice saturday afternoon. plenty of sunshine. temperatures early this morning now in the mid to upper 30s around town. milder air up across the high terrain. forecast for today sunny and delightful. 20 degrees or more warmer if you want your hour by hour forecast, you can always get that at weather.com. come up, majoritien van der

sloot, he goes on trial tore a different crime. during the first day in court, he makes a surprising request. then lights, camera, arthur. take a creative mom with a flare for film, add one cute baby and you have a recipe for fun. we're going to show you after the message. you should also get it for free. that's why at h&r block... you could get money that's both fast and free on an emerald card. just bring in your tax information and get a refund anticipation check... in 7-14 days, for up to $9,999. you pay nothing out of pocket. hurry. this offer ends february 4th. why pay for fast money when you can get it for free? call 1-800-hrblock to make an appointment. h&r block. never settle for less. by marie claire as one of the 25 beauty products that will change your life because it whitens by removing up to 80% of surface stains. see how it can change your life. crest 3d white. life opens up when you do.

would they switch? notice a difference? it feels a bit tight. [ female announcer ] soap leaves behind soap residue that can cause a tight draggy feeling. with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove cleansers rinse cleaner than soap. ♪ they're good now. just wait till they're mcdonald's fries. ♪ 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 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 found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. jornd van der sloot, he is the key figure in the 2005 disappearance of alabama teen natalee holloway and may soon

plead guilty to the murder of a young woman in peru. >> amy, good morning. it was a dramatic scene in court friday. media from around the world carefully watching his every gesture. shortly after the trial began, it was postponed. after waiting in prison for 18 months, joren van der sloot needed more time to think. he walked into a peruvian courtroom on the first day of his trial. accused in the murder of 1-year-old business student stephanie florez, who police say he beat to death in his hotel room five years to the day natalie holloway disappeared in aruba. if convicted in peru, he could face up to 30 years in prison. but he seemed calm as he removed to face a thee-judge panel, all women.

during the trial, he shook his head in denial. a judge ordered him to sit up straight. but when she asked him, how do you plead? van der sloot said he needed time to think about it. though he says he's willing to confess to the court, he disagrees with the murder charges as they stand. the court gave him to wednesday to make up his mind. legal experts say with the amount of evidence against him, there's little room for negotiation. >> what's his best bet? >> to accept the charges as they stand and adhere to a lower -- >> meanwhile, outside the courtroom, a media circus, including local medicine men who claim they put a curse on the notorious dutchman. as for the victim's family, all

stephanie's father was is for this long process to be over. experts say a likely sentence could be 20 to 25 years, but he could serve only a third of that. coming up next, we're going to introduce you to a little man, look hot how cute he is. we will meet baby arthur after these messages. get married? no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. nice ring. knock it off. ignore him. with the capital one venture card you earn... double miles on every purchase. [ sharon ] 3d is so real larry. i'm right here larry. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. really? a plaid tie? what, are we in prep school? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? i was gonna say that. uh huh...

are hidden in the contours of your teeth & tongue. introducing a breakthrough for aquafresh. new extreme clean pure breath action. its micro active foam penetrates those hard to reach places. and it now contains a mineral compound that captures and neutralizes bad breath odors giving you 80% cleaner, purer breath. for all the confidence of pure breath try new extreme clean pure breath action from aquafresh. [ female announcer ] introducing kleenex cool touch tissues.

the only tissue that actively releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose on contact. kleenex cool touch tissues. a cool new way to soothe.

we have an update on a story we brought you a couple months back. arthur is a big baby boy that's gained worldwide attention from his mom posting pictures of him in movie scenes. >> and it's enough to make baby arthur a star. >> emily cleaver loves watching movies. she loves taking foe poes and she loves her baby boy, arthur. the stay at home moment has come up with an ingenious plan. an enthusiastic and predictable actor. rambo, shaw shank redemption. the godfather. >> i love iconic movies, movies that stick with you, the strong images. i think that's what makes these recreations funny. >> who can forget this scene from the movie, "american

beauty." >> arthur was lying on the bed with me over him with a camera. i was trying to get a shot without him closing his eyes. >> the final product ends up on her website which has received hundreds of thousands of hits. cleaver's first inspiration came one day as she was changing her then 3-month-old, based on this scene from the 1970s thriller "alien. stop the video here. let's just say what happens next is not suitable for morning division. we found them getting ready to shoot "trading places." the props were proving to be a bit of a challenge. >> this is a difficult role. eddie murphy, trading places. it's not easy. lots of preparation for this. i guess that's a yes. >> he's laughing at me because everyone knows it's actually dan

akroid that plays santa. arthur has now learned at 8 months old that when the camera is there, the show is on. >> so arthur is watching a movie right now. but watch what happens when we go in with the camera. >> and he's mugging for the camera. emily says her baby boy is a natural. imagine what they will create when he can actually talk. for "today," stephanie gosk, nbc news, oxford, england. >> when they start talking, that's when they're not as cute. >> then you'll do "look who's talking." >> he's probably one of the cutest babies i've ever seen. look at that. >> very cute. we we're back in a moment.

still to come on "today," another video diary of casey

anthony surfaces on the internet. what does his baby language say? >> and then we're going to switch gears and meet the pawn stars who have struck gold on screen and off. that story, right after these messages. [ male announcer ] ethan allen introduces new and distinctly

beautiful furnishings

from the romance and explorer lifestyles. with 10% savings or 36-month financing, your design aspirations are delightfully attainable. the drawer closes on these offers january 31st. have asked yours truly to teach you about treating frequent heartburn. 'cause i know a thing or two about eatin'. if you're one of those folks who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... well that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. block the acid with prilosec otc, and don't get heartburn in the first place. available at walmart.

this is a news 4 news break. good morning everyone, it is 7:56 on this saturday, january 7th, 2011. i'm angie goff. metro officials are inspecting more than 400 rail cars after a mechanical incident on one train. a brake part detached from the orange line train near the armory station yesterday. no passengers for hurt. metro restored service a short time later. also this weekend, metro will be fixing the tracks on four of its five train lines. on the red line trains will single track between dupont circle and friendship heights.

on the blue and orange lines, trains will single track between the smithsonian and eastern market. on the green line trains will single track between fort totten. when we return, chuck bell has a

we are going to check in with meteorologist chuck bell. chuck, is this one of the best saturday's we've seen in a while? >> absolutely. no doubt about it. it may be the nicest saturday of the entire month of january. that's how confident i am that you're going to enjoy your saturday afternoon. plenty of sunshine coming our way. start off temperatures are seasonably cool generally in the mid to upper 30 s. along the bay and already near 60 across the mountains of west virginia. that warm air is coming our way. plenty of sunshine today. temperatures up near 65 degrees for a high temperature this afternoon. that's more than 20 degrees above average by january standards. cooler tomorrow with some extra

clouds. highs back down near 50 degrees. staying dry all the way through at least tuesday. angie, back to you. >> thank you, chuck. we'll somewhere another news update coming up welcome back on a saturday morning, the 7th day of january 2012. got a great crowd here getting a last look at the christmas tree on rockefeller plaza. we thank them for joining us. you're always invited to join us on the "today" show. outside of the plaza, lester holt and amy robach, coming up in this next half hour, casey anthony is back in the news. was her computer hacked or were they purposely leaked? she's been out of the public eye for some time. we see these new videos, her new hair style, her thoughts. we're going to talk to a couple

experts about her behavior, her body language and what this says about her state of mind right now. >> plus, it is one of the hottest tickets on the vegas strip right now. thousands are lining up every day to get a look inside the golden silver pawnshop and a chance to meet the pawn stars. history channel a's number one show and we get an inside look at all the drama that unfolds on the show. >> a family business and a reality show. it's all laid out to bear. and later on, a teen widow is being hailed as a highway row for doing what she had to do to protect her infant son. she's not the only young person taking life into her own hands in life or death swais situations. we'll get that story coming up. plus, the body found on queen elizabeth aepts's estate on new year's day. but first, let's get a check of the news headlines. >> good morning, everyone.

we begin with good news for everyone who is looking for a job. the labor department says the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 8.5% in december with job creation up by 200,000. that's the biggest monthly increase in jobs in four years. but it may not last because many of those positions were seasonal hires. the republican presidential candidates faced two debates this weekend ahead of tuesday's new hampshire primary. nbc's ron mott is in dairy, new hampshire, with a preview. good morning. >> reporter: hey, janet, good morning. this race is shaping up to be a run away route. mitt romney is comfortably ahead in the polling here, up 20% in just a few moments he's expected to be up front in front of supporters here in derry, new hampshire, trying to rally the vote to get out on tuesday. wants to prevent the surge that he saw in iowa. ron paul, polling second here in new hampshire, is brushing off notions that he's focusing his campaign solely on rick

santorum. rick santorum is polling third here in new hampshire. he's trying to coaless that conservative vote around his campaign. two debates coming up this weekend. some say this could be the last good chance for other opponents to try to stop mitt romney. >> ron mott, thank you very much. a substantial accident in new zealand today. auto a hot air balloon struck some tower lines. all 11 people on board were killed in that accident. january is usually among the quieter months for troops in afghanistan. you about that is turning out not to be the case. five soldiers were killed friday as a result of an i.e.d. attack. it was a year ago this week that 19 people were gunned down in a grocery parking lot. six people died. 13 others were injured, krug gab

realen giffords. and the calendar says january, but it doesn't feel like it in much of the country. kevin tibbles has more on this unseasonably warm weather. >> reporter: a january warm-up spans much of the nation, including fargo, north dakota, where a year ago it looked like this and today you get the picture. >> spring has sprung for the day. heading out and about, you'll need a pair of sunglasses and a lighter jacket. >> you can see a convertible and a sweater in chicago in january. >> but not so pleasant for those who depend on winter for their livelihood. steve's snow removal business fell to the way. >> only 16% of the nation right now is covered with snow. so without a refrigerator to cool the air masses coming down, they modify very quickly and we wind up with a lot of record highs. >> for "today," kevin tibbles,

nbc news, chicago. when you think of cute babies, rhinos may not be the first animals that come to mind, but check out this one. we are getting our first look at this little girl. at 8:04, that is the news. now back to amy. >> i'm sorry, the rhino is not as cute as the baby pandas. thanks so much. let's head over to bill karen karins right now. >> the poor baby rhino's feelings are hurt, aim. good morning, everyone. you have to explain this. it's your brother's birthday but you got the trip to new york? >> yeah. was had it his wish to get you out of the house?

>> right now there's less than 12 percent of the country with snow on the ground. that includes the mountains and rockies too. the great lakes have been covered this past week. this has been one of the warmest beginnings to january we've ever had. we have had over 1100 record highs reported in the first week alone. only 35 record lows that was hostly in florida with the cold snap this week. we don't have a lot of big changes coming our way. looks like a shot of cold air later this week. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. a good saturday morning to you, i'm storm 4 meteorologist chuck bell. your weekend is off to a great start. this afternoon is going to be one of the nicest days of the month. no doubt about it. mostly sunny skies for your saturday afternoon. temperatures which are starting out generally in the 30s to near 40 degrees will warm quickly now that the sun's out. we're headed for highs in the low to mid 60s around washington.

that's your saturday forecast. lester. >> bill, thanks. now to florida where another video of casey anthony surfaced last night on the internet. this is the second video diary discovered this week of anthony, who has been in hiding since the summer after she was acquitted of killing her -year-old daughter, caylee. anthony's lawyers say she's been hacked and now they're concerned about her safety. we'll get details from nbc's kerry sanders. >> and i'm just starting to figure out my new computer. >> the casey anthony video diary was examined thursday by florida state officials. >> now i have someone to talk to when i'm by myself so i'm not bothering the poor dog because i've adopted. >> in the diary, casey talks about herself more than 40 times. >> united states kind of nice being able to say that i have some belongings that are mine that i'll be able to take with me. it's obviously a different ball game for me because i've never used this before.

i don't know whether to look directly at myself or look up or -- >> reporter: she never once mentions her daughter, caylee. cheney mason believes the video was stolen from casey's hard drive. casey's parents now fear for their daughter's security. >> my complaints are worried for casey's safety and hope this video won't cause her any problems. >> who posted it on youtube? john david brylee, an ohio man says he first found the link asking for $3 to $5 to view the video, but then found a link that was free. >> now she ain't going to make a cent, earth, becauither, because free for anyone who wants to see it. >> i'm excited that i'll be able to skype and, obviously, keep a video log.

>> for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, orlando. >> beth karas is a trutv correspondent. good morning to both of you. thanks for coming on. >> good morning. beth, in a probation hearing, she apparently tells her probation officer that she believes she was hacked. is there any reason she would want this video out there? >> she may be testing the waters to see if she is more popular today than she was when she was acquitted. but that doesn't seem to be the case. when you listen to this, it's 4:20, the audio is muted in three parts where she refers to names of the people she's staying with. so somebody is protecting the identity of where she's saying, information that could lead to where she is. >> we saw the first video, the

new one where she's showing off her piercings. what do you see? >> i see the same psychological profile that i developed for the book which is this is a woman who lives through social media. she has little, it seems, as an internal self, real emotions. so the tools of her trade have to be to broadcast a false self. what does she say she cares about now? her phone, the camera, computer, because now she can reach out in the same way she always reached out, lester, which was from a false self, from behind armor. and she says i'm so glad i own something. it is the case in which the family in which she was raised, she was not allowed to own a thing, not herself, not her emotions, not who watched her giving birth. >> purportedly, this was for her own use. if she thought the public was going to see it, wouldn't she

want to know what the public was going hear? we would want to hear a sense of sadness about her daughter? >> sometimes things are what they are. in order to feel terrible grief at a loss, you need to have real emotions upon which to draw. she's not miscalculating here in items of the hunger of the american people. after all, this has made national and international news, a little video. then she talks about piercings. people get pierced often when they want to know they're there. they literally want the feeling of something going through flesh. this is a woman floating free of any kind of internal self because they arecleveed her from that. >> beth, do you recognize this person? is this consistent with the casey anthony you watched? >> i think she was an actress in the courtroom. she was putting on a church mom demeanor. i think this is more the casey

that we got to know through the jail tapes and through testimony. but i also want to add regarding her not talking about caylee on these videos, she's been fighting tooth and nail not to be deposed in a civil case. there may be an argument that she waved her fifth amendment rights. she's going to stay away from that. >> in one case, it's obvious someone else is operating the camera. you see the camera moving at some point. where else would she do this, though? is there some therapeutic value in doing a video diary in general when you've been through what she's been through? >> if you weren't casey anthony, there might be. but this is for broadcast. this is the an tith cyst the t that someone would ask her to do. find the grief, find the anger at your own ani nienileation in

home where she was suffocated. sit with that. don't go to the newspaper and try to make a million dollars with people watching. >> beth, does she have to be in a specific location? >> no. she has to be in the state of florida and they need to know where she is. >> so her parole officer knows where she is? >> probation. but as long as he know where she is and she has regular contact, that's fine. her probation is a year. you can get early release. >> we know she has been threatened and there was concern raised if someone had hacked her computer, this could be an ip address and they could possibly trace her, right? >> yeah. they could possibly trace her. >> thank you for being here.

still to come, looking to put your house on the market? it's all staging. first, it's one of the highest rated shows on television. amy takes a look inside the gold & silver pawnshop. me accessorie. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. ♪ ♪ most of us want to hear

we've done a good job caring for our mouths. that's why there's a rinse like crest pro-health multi-protection. it helps you get a better dental check-up. ♪ because not all rinses provide all these benefits. so be ready for your next dental check-up. crest pro-health multi-protection rinse. [ male announcer ] try any crest pro-health rinse. complete satisfaction guaranteed, or we'll buy it back. it is one of the most popular reality shows on cable tv right now. we're not talking about the kardashians of "the jersey shore." pawn channel is a number one television show and fans are

flocking to the gold & silver pawnshop on the vegas strip. >> how much do you want for it? >> 10,000. >> i'm seeing like 14,000. >> you're going to make a fortune. >> 15,000. >> rick harrison has spent most of his life making deals. >> how would you make money with this thing? >> but the best deal so far has been the one he and his family inked with tv 2 1/2 years ago. >> i'm rick harrison and this is my -- >> pawn stars made its debut on the history channel in 2009. the show tells the real life triales and tribulations of a family run pawnshop in las vegas. >> it's a little bit history lesson, a little bit game show. >> airing in 150 countries, pawn stars is one of the highest rated reality shows on tv right now. >> i never, ever, if my wildest dreams thought it was going to get this big. >> you can date one of you these things if you put a few things together. you look at the lining. this is from the blanket

company. >> you prepared, you studied. >> that's really me. i don't watch television at night. >> you have a photographic memory? >> i have a pretty good memory. i read every night. i read things like the history of mercury poisoning, the history of salt, the history of gold. how much do you want for it? >> 500. >> no. >> so you bought that car? that car belongs to me, son. >> what's your favorite part of doing the show? >> you want to know the honest truth? yes. >> money. >> the show has proved to be lucrative for the hairon's gold & silver pawnshop. >> i've always been successful. i had a very good pawnshop. but since the show, it's gotten stupid. >> but stupid good? oh, yeah, stupid good. i'm not complaining. >> reporter: the shop has become a must-see on the vegas strip. >> during the summer, we are

getting 70,500 people a day. the city was coming by complaining about the lines outside. >> thousands of items are up for sale. some are just plain odd while others are classic. a vintage coke machine, an old school video game, a refrigerator from the 30s. there are also guns, musical instruments, tons of jewelry and more. what's the strangest thing someone tried to sell you? >> oh, i hear that all the time. i have so many bizarre things. i've had everything from tiffany stocking supporters -- >> used? >> 18 karat gold. i recently bought a bunch of unpublished photos of jimi hendrix on stage. >> these super bowl rings are popular items. but the fans, priceless. >> hey.

>> what do you think of this t-shirt when you look at it? >> i think, wow, they couldn't have picked a more booum beautiful man to put on that t-shirt. >> chum lee is chumlee. he's got a good heart. >> the harrison family says the shop still pawns more than it buys and there's always the chance of being had. >> i bought seven lexuss in a week. i thought i was going to get fired. >> if someone sees that and says, i see it says 60 bucks, i'll give you 40. what do you say? >> not in this case. this case is nonnegotiable. the best part of my job is working with my family. and the worst part of my job is working with my family. >> a family-run business that has struck gold with tv audiences and made these four guys into pawn stars on and off the screen. >> it's been a great ride. and i'm going to ride it until

the end because i know ten years from now people are going to be saying, remember that show about four fat guyes and a pawnshop, what it was called? >> i love his laugh. you know what else i love about the show? who watches it. my grandparents watch it and i've got kids that range from 5 to 15 and they all watch it. it spans all ages and genders and you learn something and you laugh a little, too. >> it's a bit of a gamble for them knowing what the true value of these things is. >> and they've made some mistakes before and they've been painful. >> and they've learned from it, right? >> yes. right? >> yes. >> and w it's my coffee when i want it. you press a button, you have great dunkin' coffee. i got my coffee for the morning, i got my dunkin' k-cup packs for the rest of the day. only available at dunkin' donuts restaurants. america runs on dunkin' coffee.

ahh... so much better than last year.

[ both screaming ] [ growling ] never again. everyone deserves a great vacation at a great price. get on board a carnival cruise and get more fun for all. thanks, mom. who are you calling "mom"? dunkin' sausage pancake bites, delicious like mom's, only easier to carry -- get three for $1.59. still to come on "today," a teen mom is called a hero after she shoots and kills an intruder days after her husband passes away. and some impressive ways to spruce up your home for sale. first, these messageses.

...could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you... ...with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra,... ...humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, blood, liver, and nervous system problems,... ...serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist how you can defend against... ...and help stop further joint damage with humira. aflac... and major medical?

major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do. aflac! pays cash so we don't have to fret. [ together ] ♪ something families should get ♪ ♪ like a safety net ♪ even helps pay deductibles, so cover your back, get... ♪ a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aflac! [ male announcer ] help protect your family at aflac.com. [ beatboxing ] are america's softest... no wonder people want to share them on and on. ♪ send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com. kleenex. softness worth sharing. at kleenex.com. your favorites, in pieces.

[ male announcer ] why do we grow quaker oats? because there are mountains to climb. ♪ dreams to be realized. ♪ new worlds to be explored and hearts to be won. quaker oats. energy to get you going, fiber to help fill you up and help keep your heart healthy. super people eat super grains. ♪ we were skipping stones ♪ and letting go ♪ over the river and down the road ♪ [ female announcer ] at nature valley, we know nature comes together in amazing ways. that's why we bring together natural ingredients, like dark chocolate with toasted oats, or sweet golden honey. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients,

from nature valley. ♪ ♪ i was thinking that i hope this never ends ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. this is a news 4 news break. taking a live look at our city cam it is a sunny, spectacular day. good morning, everyone. it is 8:26 on this saturday, january 7th, 2012. i'm chris gordon. former d.c. councilmember harry thomas junior faces up to four years in prison after pleading guilty to two federal crimes yesterday. thomas admitted to stealing more than $350,000 earmarked for youth charities and buying person luxury items with the money. he also pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. thomas officially resign from the d.c. council yesterday as

well. a special election will likely be held in may to fill the now vacant ward five seat. thomas will be sentenced in may. police in prince george's county are also searching for the driver who hit two people crosses oxy hill road. it happened yesterday morning. investigators say the victims were not in a crosswalk. one is in critical condition. the other was not as seriously hurt. police are looking for a gray compact car with front end damage. right now d dot crews are opening the second phase of the 11th street bridge project by 10:00 tonight drivers will have direct access to 295 from the southeast southwest freeway. the 11th street bridge project is d dot's largest ever costing about $300 million. it's expected to be completed next year. and we'll get a check on

good saturday morning. we are off to a bright and sunny spot. temperatures are in the 30s right around washington. there are plenty of warm air just out to our west. 59 degrees right now in petersburg, west virginia, some of that real mild air is coming our way for the afternoon. mostly sunny, absolutely delightful. the first saturday of 2012 will be 20 degrees warmer than average. up near 65 today. cooler tomorrow, but still above

average with highs near 50. back in to you. >> thank you, chuck. join us for a full hour of news 40 today coming up at 9:00 this morning. and we're back on this saturday morning, january 7th, 2012. it's the first full weekend of the new year. we want to give thanks to our friendly folks who came out here on the plaza to be a part of our crowd on this balmy january day outside of the plaza. i'm amy robach along with lester holt. still to come this had a hour, you may not have thought of it, but after you see this story, you will. what would you do if an intruder came into your home? >> an 18-year-old, recently widowed mom of a 3-month-old. when two men tried to break into her house, she called and asked permission to shoot if provoked. neighbors call her the maim make

my day mom. >> she had such composure under an awful situation. then we're going to switch gears and talk about a new series called "open house." bark ra corcoran takes us inside a home and she shows us the dos and don'ts of stamging your home before the for sale sign goes up. why is it all so important? barbara will explain, coming up. then for the new year, all those resolutions about eating. david will show us why some soups are not the rice choice on the road to he'ding healthy. >> a lot to get to. but first, let's get another check of the weather from bill karins. good morning. >> good morning. lester and i were just chatting a little bit. here is the new orleans crew. if you couldn't be there at the game, be here, right? >> absolutely. >> maybe the saints will be on

the super bowl which will be on nbc, by the way. let's get to the weekend's forecast. first thing is now it's time to talk the

football games. nbc, sit on your couch, probably this afternoon, end up sometime late tonight. wild park saturday, these games are indoors. the forecast is mainly for those that will be outdoors. bengals and patriots. then towards tonight, if you like to watch high scoring games, a lot of entertainment, this is the game for you, saints and the lions. best wide receiver there is, calvin johnson and the saints against one of the best qbs around. back to you, amy. >> bill, thank you. she's been nicknamed the make my day mom. this is not a hollywood movie. it was for real for one widowed tooem teen mom. she says she did what she had to do with two intruders broke into her home on new year's eve. now she is being called a hero. >> reporter: home is where

you're supposed to feel safe. so when 18-year-old sara mckinley heard knocking at her door, she grabbed her phone and called 911. >> i've got two gun necessary my hand. is it okay to shoot him if he comes in this door sflp in you have to do whatever you can do to protect yourself. >> sarah had to protect not only herself, but her 3-month-old son. >> is he trying to get in the door? >> reporter: with her shotgun loaded, sarah waited to see if anyone would break in. >> i waited for 21 minutes when he busted in my house. when he did, i shot him. i didn't have no choice. >> the intruder was 4-year-old martin. investigators says he was carrying a knife. authorities also arrested another suspect for the burglary. two days before that shooting, a teenager in a small town in north carolina had to take similar deadly action.

the 14-year-old boy used a shotgun to protect himself as his home was broken into. >> this one has a gun now. >> wa kind of gun? small gun, big gun? >> he had a handgun and he came around the corner, pointed it at me. when he did, i fired two shots. >> and just this week near san francisco, a 90-year-old retired sheriff's deputy shot a burglary in his home. the suspect survived and faces charges of attempted burglary and murder. in each case, those defending their homes have faced no charges. >> you have to make a choice, you or him, and i chose my son over him. >> the second suspect in the oklahoma case is now on the out on bail and has made no pleas or statements. under oklahoma's so-called castle doctrine, he, not sarah, is now charged with murder because the death happened during the commission of a crime. sarah sailg says if anyone try toes threaten her and the baby,

she's be armed and ready. >> now here is lester. now to england where investigators are still trying to figure out the identity of the victim whose body was found on the queen's estate on new year's day. word this morning that staffers are being questioned. we get more now from annabel roberts. >> reporter: the search continues for the riddling clues. investigators picked through the earth looking for anything to help solve this mystery and are still waiting for dna tests to establish the identity of the victim. >> the problem is the victim was quite badly decomposed. we haven't been able to obtain a profile. we're now looking at a different process. that will take slightly longer and we're very xvt confident that we'll get a profile on monday. >> this grim task is taking place just a mile from the queen's estate entrance. the female victim is between 13

and 23 years old and was wearing jewelry. tests have failed to reveal how she was killed. the baby was discovered on new year's day by a staff worker. >> we've spoken to the head game keeper and the estate manager to establish things that happened in the area. >> and what about the royals themselves? they often go pheasant shooting in a field right beside the wood where the body was found. >> we know that a shoot took place on the 28th and there's been some speculation about speaking to people on that shoot. i don't see that as necessary because we know the body has been there since before the 1st of december and, therefore, they won't have any relevant information for us. >> parts of the vast estate are opened to visitors. police want to hear from anyone who noticed unusual activity here this autumn. the queen is being kept informed of developments.

nbc news, london. up next here this morning, staging your home. we'll take you inside a home for sale and give you the dos and don'ts for selling it fast.

[ female announcer ] therese uses dove. molly, ordinary soap. would they switch? notice a difference? it feels a bit tight. [ female announcer ] soap leaves behind soap residue that can cause a tight draggy feeling. with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove cleansers rinse cleaner than soap. with watch your step, folks. keep movin', please. [ announcer ] to do a job well, you need the right tools. [ thuds ] that's not gonna work. so if you're filing your taxes online, make sure you pick the best software available... with h&r block at home. nobody knows taxes like h&r block. we guarantee no other tax software...

will get you more money back. file for free with the very best tool for the job at hrblock.com. h&r block. never settle for less. [ male announcer ] got a cold? [ sniffling ] [ male announcer ] not sure what to take? now robitussin® makes finding the right relief simpler than ever. click on the robitussin® relief finder. click on your symptoms. get your right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy. ♪ robitussin®. relief made simple.

this morning, we're kicking off a new series of today's open house, there are over 4 million homes across the country on the market. for buyers looking to make a deal, it's a great time for buy. for homeowners looking to sell, that means a lot of competition. how do you make your house shine? barbara corcoran says priority number one is to show your house in the best possible light and it's all in the staging. >> when a buyer walks into a nice, bright room, they feel happy. and you know what happy buyers do? they make offers. this house has the wonderful advantage of high ceilings, triple windows, french doors, wide walls, white trim, plenty of lamps and white carpeting. lamps, threeways, lights, lighter, lighter. that's what you want to be.

if you have 40 watt bulbs in your lamps, forget about it. turn on every lamp in your house. another trick to making every room look larger is get the furniture off the floor. get rid of the skirts on your furniture. show the legs in the room. it visually gets larger. it's always smart to make your master bedroom neutral because everyone likes neutral. it makes a room feel much larger. plants are a great way to add a lift and some life to any room. but if you've had your plant for more than a year, chances are it's time for the funeral parlor and get rid of it and get another one that's chunky and full of life because it won't be lost on the buyer. let's talk about clutter. everyone thinks it's about what's on the floor. no, it's just autos much about what's on your wall. if you have a lot of lovely things on your wall webs no problem, but take them all in.

put them on one wall. contain them. have a look at this. get rid of the stuff on the counters, in the stinks, wet pungs, out with them. even within the draws, with every buyer opens your draws, your cabinets and you can't afford to have a mess. h. every house photographs the best in the springtime. and a little extra smasht thing to do, like this, take all those shots all through the spring and make a beautiful photo album of how lovely the house looks in the springtime. and joining us right now is "today" real estate contributor barbara corcoran. great to see pup let me ask you this, is it hard to have that conversation with the seller and say, look, you have to get rid of some of this junk? >> the seller never really wants to hear the truth because they love their home and they're a little sad about letting it go.

this was a house that was $400,000 an hour north of new york city in polling, new york, and they did a lot of things right. but that seller had to hear about a lot of things they did wrong. >> and every house, including that house looked best in spring. what other things can you do in the wintertime? especially when you think of dry leaves and all the things that come with winter outside? >> winter is the hardest time to sell. a house with stuff outside is a total turnoff to the buyer. they have have patio furniture. . to photograph a house in the winter, it's almost impossible to get a good, experienced shot. put all the lights on in the inside and take a shot at night. it makes for a great photo. >> will perspective buyers sometimes look in draws and closets? >> they look in everything, including medicine cabinets. but here is the most

interesting. i've watched buyers my whole life walk into houses. when they see a messy closet, they make a wrong assumption that the electric y'allal and plumbing is also a mess. you can't afford to have everything messy. and you made a big point of talking about the light. but if you have a house with big windows and high ceilings, it's easier to give it that feeling. if you don't have that, how can you campaign? >> it's kind of like cheating your way to success if you happen to have those good bones. but a very easy thing to do is to add crown mouldings at $1 to $2 a foot. that constituents the height of the ceiling. but the most important thing to do is to get rid of your curtains and heavy drapes and let the light in. light is the most important quality that buyers look for. >> what about things like ceiling fans, rugs, how do they play? >> rugs are very important because i have watched, always, that buyers will walk in and

wruj the size of the room based on how large the area rug is. and anything that visually gets in the way of the eye when you're looking at the room prosecute why you stand to the corner of that room, like a dark brown ceiling fan, that's what buyers are buying is space. >> a big question about appliances. should you get rid of your rickety dishwasher, do perspective buyers look and say, i want new appliances? >> no. they simply don't make an offer on your house. the as a matter of factest thing you can do is make your kitchen look fresh and bright. you can get a fancy looking frinl rater for backside 22,000. up next, the soup is on. one of the best and worst soups to eat. we're going to get some answer webs next.

i just had it with cable. it just got more frustrating and frustrating.

a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing! i was just in a trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] and here's a special bonus: sign up now and get $300 back with a two-year contract. fios internet -- the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] start saving now. move up to fios for our best price online -- $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years and get $300 back with a two-year contract. or ask us about the option of no annual contract. is change good? in this case, change is very good. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatprice. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/greatprice. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

this morning on eat this, not that, a bowl of soup, it can be the perfect ending to a cold day. but if you're not careful on which one you choose, you can pack on the pounds. dave, author of the "eat this, not that" author of the super market guide is here with some healthier alternatives. i always get nervous because i'm afraid you're going to ruin something i love. >> nope. >> i love tomato basil soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, but i know you wouldn't be okay with that. >> in moderation. has a lot of salt plus this st is the code word for cream. this is a heavy, dairy laden soup that gives you 16 grams of saturated fat. you're getting 520 equalries, the equivalent of these five bowels of honey smack cereal.

>> and 1500 milligrams of sodium? >> yeah. you only need a few milligrams a day. so go with campbell's, go with select harvest. you're getting a fraction of the calories. and you're at zero fat. you're wiping out the fat. >> i like that. i can live with that. now, we have a chicken chowder here. i can already tell by the color which one probably is the least healthy. >> and the problem here is all the fat and salt. this has so much saltwater i expected it to come with a few somali pirates or something. >> good one. >> 18 grams of fat. it's the calorie equivalent of these 80 free toes. so if you're going to go with progresso, go with their southwestern style chicken chowder. it's two cups, 220 calories,

four grams of fat. and the only thing that was different there was the soybean oil. if you look at the ingredients list, it's almost the same. >> now, chili is always a huge favorite this time of year. i'm looking at all of the sausages right there. what's your best bet for chili? >> here, the progress with this stag classic chilly is 1600 milligrams of sodium, a day's worth of fat and 660 calories. so what you do, so you don't have the equivalent of these 11 1/2 jimmy dean sausage links, go with the four bean chili. it has 95% less fat. so if you want a meat based chili, make it yourself with lean meat, plenty of vegetables. but if you do this instead, you make the smart eat this, not that swap, save a few hundred

calories and get a lot of protein and fiber. >> this is interesting because this is curried lentil soup. i would think by that name it's healthy. >> you would. and the problem is it's jam packed with calories and sodium. that's the issue here. it's another day in the salt mines with this one. it's 460 calories. it has 1400 milligrams of sodium. and remember, ounce per ounce, soups are probably the most sodium laden things of anything in the super market. so it's the equivalent of all of these. >> bagel bites? and bagel bites. >> pepperoni bagel bites? >> all 14 of them. so go with the soup from amy's. >> those are great alternatives. but i have to say, when i see something like this, i just want to pick one out. all right. david, thanks so much. and we're back after these messages. ngs, getting the family together for breakfast might seem... ♪ ...impossible. no, no... well how about the purp? ew!

♪ yeah. wow. unless you have eggo® waffles. they're quick and easy to make, and there's something about them... that just makes people move. [ male announcer ] golden crispy outside, warm and fluffy inside. who says breakfast together can't be done? [ male announcer ] eggo® waffles. simply delicious. you can't get taste without good quality. there's no way to cut corners on that. what i put on my table to serve my family is the same thing that i'm gonna be selling to mcdonald's. ♪ i was trying to figure out how i could get rid of 99% of the lead i can pick up traveling through your pipes, and then... [ click ] ...it just clicked. get it? it clicked... like the thing. click. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis.

i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

on this saturday morning, our thank to janet shamblian and bill karins, i think. tomorrow on today, kate middleton is turning 30, did you hear? and then i have a nice sit down interview with jennifer hudson. take cover, everybody.

laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. good morning. i'm angie gof. >> i'm chris gordon. straight ahead on news 4 today,

former d.c. councilmember harry thomas junior pleads guilty to two federal crimes. what's next for the former city leader and the d.c. residents who elected him to represent them. >> more trouble for metro. the incident that has crews inspecting hundreds of rail cars this weekend. >> and giving back. we'll tell you what you can do to help a family who lost everything in a devastating fire. i'm storm 4 meteorologist chuck bell. the sun is shining. this may be the nicest day many the month of january. your weekend forecast is coming up. >> all that and more when you join us for news today in less

you're watching nbc 4. washington's news leader. now live in h.d., this is news 4 today. good morning everyone. i'm angie goff. >> i'm chris gordon. welcome to news 4 today on this saturday, january 7th. we begin with a cloud of federal corruption over the d.c. government. >> former councilmember harry thomas junior now faces time behind bars for stealing city funds to pay for his lavish lifestyle. meanwhile, federal officials they're working on two other high profile investigations. >> news 4's tom sherwood has more on all three cases. >> reporter: guilty as charged. that was harry thomas junior's response toed