university. tod >> reporter: today he'll be the commencement at the final graduation ceremony. it will likely bring a long good morning. breaking news. the chinese human rights activist who made a dramatic escape from house arrest is on his way from china to the u.s. we're live in beijing with the latest. deadly threats, real-life drama for the reality tv star duane "the dog" the bounty hunter. his family at the center of death threats. slap happeny? a reporter learns to keep his distance from will smith. why did the man in black lose his cool on the red carpet? we'll tell you, saturday, may 19, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robak. >> apparently, he's a ukranian journalist. next time you meet will smith, just extend your hand. >> lesson learned. a lot to get to. including the g8 summit. the world's biggest economic powers are meeting with president obama. on the agenda stabilize europe's debt crisis and the military situation in afghanistan. a live report from camp david in a moment. a last-minute no-go for a history making trip into space. space x is one of two firms hired by nasa. all systems were go until the last second.

why the flight was scrubbed, coming up. facebook ipo. a lot of hype and expectation. there were high fives and high angst zit as facebook's big payday got off to a rough start. why it was such a roller coaster day. a possible health risk for baby boomers. according to cdc, 1 in 30 have been infected with hepatitis c and don't know it. new guidelines to help keep you healthy. we'll tell you what those are, coming up. we want to begin with breaking news. chen quangcheng, the chinese activist at the heart of a tug of war is on the way to the u.s., ending a month-long strain between the two countries. angus walker joins us by telephone from beijing. what's the latest? >> reporter: lester, i have bat the airport this afternoon.

on board to newark liberty airport this will be the first time chen quangcheng will have experienced real freedom in around seven years. he has been jailed and illegally detained after campaigns against forced abortions angered authorities. about three weeks ago, this blind human rights activist managed a remarkable escape. slipped away unseen from his village in eastern china, despite round the clock guards watching his every move. >> we've been watching the timing of this. does this suggest the rift has been healed between the u.s. and china? >> reporter: his departure is the result of a face-saving compromise between washington and beijing. chen quangcheng escaped house arrest, made his way to the u.s. embassy, where he sought sanctuary. he was moved to the hospital, where he has been the last two weeks. he was injured in his astonishing escape.

hillary clinton in beijing for high-level talks. it was tense, drawn out, tough diplomacy, but eventually both sides came to the compromise. chen quangcheng has been offered a place at new york university. he will study law which is what he always wanted to do, but denied by those who didn't see his campaigning as fitting in to what the chinese government wants. >> angus walker on the phone from beijing, thanks. now here is amy. >> a busy weekend of diplomacy for president obama. he is meeting for the g8 summit at camp david. mike viqueira has the latest. good morning, mike. >> reporter: last night the president greeted fellow leaders of the g8 at laurel cabin. this meeting was originally to take place at chicago. they shifted it to this quiet,

bucolic setting. leaders mingling among themselves outside the glare of the media. there is a big media contingent. a working dinner inside after the president greeted leaders. they talked about iran, its nuclear ambitions, syria the humanitarian and military crisis. the arab spring as a holwhole. one issue hangs over this meeting. that is greece. over the years, several deals with greece, austerity measures, to deal with the rest of europe. greek voter has other ideas. last weekend, rejected austerity measures and back to the drawing board, and elections in france, of course. fran choice hollande elected on a promise of getting back to a fiscal stimulus and away from austerity. that's something president obama wants to encourage. many leaders will go to yet another summit in nato, where afghanistan is going to be the

main topic. looking for contributions there as well. meanwhile, protests in the streets of chicago, amy. >> mike viqueira at camp david. thank you. once again, here is lester. following a lot of hype, facebook is now a public company. one of the most anticipated initial public offerings in years, but despite soaring expectations, facebook shares closed barely above their opening price. here is cnbc's maria barto romo. >> facebook barely managed to meet its ipo price. >> let's do this! >> reporter: it started ceo mark zuckerbergser ringing the opening bell. the first trade was delayed by overwhelming trade volume that swamped sites like e*trade. >> facebook ipo was biggest. nasdaq had tested all week long,

but obviously, still overwhelmed the system. >> reporter: but finally at 11:30. >> now an officially a public company available for anybody to buy shares. >> reporter: the first trade. $42.05 a share. up 11% from the ipo price. on facebook's website, this update from the ceo. mark zuckerberg listed the company on nasdaq. the stock dropped quickly soon after, trading well below expectations and making matters worse? the volume continued to cause problems with communications. >> what went wrong is when people put in buy orders, now the people put in sell orders, never got the word or confirmation of whether the order went through. >> reporter: even by 1:00 p.m., those problems continued with nasdaq e-mailing traders, saying they were working to deliver pending trade execution status messages from the facebook ipo. once those confirmations starting coming in around 2:00 p.m., the stock started dropping

again, closing 23 cents above the ipo price. so what went wrong? many analysts believe the company was overvalued from the get go. facebook valued at $104 billion. making bigger than companies like mcdonald's or visa. carly fiorina was ceo of lucent when it went public in 1996. the largest of its time. she says it's now up to facebook. >> what's much more important, can this company monetize those relationships? >> reporter: nbc news, new york. >> for more on facebook's ipo, we're joined by cnbc's kala tausche. >> good morning. >> why did the ipo not live up to the hype? >> remember the internet bubble a decade ago? companies were going public that weren't making money and jumping four times, 100% on their first

day. facebook makes real money. a billion dollars last year, so investors thought if that's what happened where they weren't making money, facebook will have a blockbuster performance, where in reality, because it's so big and so mature and does make money, it's going to trade more steadily and more predictably. >> steadily might be a good way to put it. it closed at the initial offering of $38. how are most people describing this? >> describing it as flat lining as a heartbeat there is some potential upside. there were issues on the nasdaq. not enough orders could be processed. record volume. of course, facebook has a billion users and you have to believe that a lot of them are trying to buy the stock before the market opened and couldn't process the orders coming in. >> technical glitches at the nasdaq. what was going on there? >> a simple problem with not being able to match the orders. the issue is, facebook sets its

price thursday night after the bell, $38 a share. overnight, investors think at that price do i want to invest? and they have the morning to put the orders in. if they had an entire day to sift thought orders, we wouldn't have the problem. but they only had a couple hours to deal with hundreds of millions of orders coming in, it simply wasn't enough time. >> you mention the money, profitability. most people who go on facebook go on to talk with their friends, share pictures, not there to shop. how does facebook make money? will it change in the future? >> it might be crazy to know that facebook makes most money on advertising. i know as a facebook user i never clicked on an ad, but some people do. they are pushing sponsored stories from brands like general motors, coca-cola, advertising in your news feed. so have you a brand association with friends' messages popping up as well. they need to move into e-commerce. as a public company, i wouldn't be surprised to see more ads and more companies trying to get you

to transact on facebook. >> worth $104 billion now. but does the public offering mean anything to the average consumer? >> still, regardless of the lackluster performance yesterday, still one of the momentous events in american history. the fact that a company that didn't exist eight years ago is able to be created from nothing and is now worth more than bank of america, worth more than become donald's, incredible wealth created and great for the economy. a $12 billion windfall for the state of california alone. a lot of value being created. >> and now hoodies can become the new power suit, right? >> exactly. >> thank you very much. let's get more of the morning headlines from luke russert at the news desk. good morning and welcome. >> thank you very much, amy. appreciate it. good morning, everybody. what was supposed to be a history-making launch into space is scrubbed just seconds before liftoff. the unmanned falcon 9 rocket by the private company space x failed to lift off this morning

in florida. technicians confirm it was an engine pressure problem. they hope to try again tuesday to send a cargo of food and clothing for nasa to the international space station. one student is dead, at least seven others hurt after a bomb exploded in front of their school italy. no claim of responsibility, but italy is seeding with anger over government austerity measures. and firefighters battling brushfires, one of the largest near crown king in central arizona. more residents are preparing to evacuate. warm, dry weather is making it hard for firefighters to control blazes. jurors in john edwards campaign corruption trial are home for the weekend. before being dismissed friday, they asked for a list of trial exhibit, as well as office supplies, suggesting they were settling in for detailed discussion. deliberations will resume monday. more in the case next hour on "today." charges filed in the minivan crash that killed three boston

university students in new zealand. 27-year-old steven hausen of long island, new york, is accused of careless driving. they were on their way to see a volcanic crater. five students, including hausen, were hurt, one still in critical condition. a sweeping new proposal aimed at america's millions of baby boomers. robert bazell explains. >> under the proposed cdc guidelines, those in fourttle, 50s, and 60s, should get a hepatitis c test at least once. more than 3 million americans already have hepatitis c, a liver illness contaminated by contaminated needles, blood transfusions prior to 1992, and possibly sexual contact. and 75% of those are baby boomers, born between 1945 and 1965. according to the cdc, 1-30 boomers has been infected with

hepatitis c and most do not know it. it can cause serious live diseases, including scirrhosis and live cancer. people can remain without symptoms for decades. cdc officials estimate that the new recommendations could detect hundreds of thousands of cases. the need for testing is more pressing now, because new drugs are on the market. if people know they have the virus, serious complications can be treated or even prevented. for "today," robert bazell. a funeral held this morning for mary richardson kennedy, the estranged wife of robert kennedy jr. hanged herself earlier in week. a wake is held near the home in bedford, new york. a day after his father died, a washington state boy hit a grand slam in front of his grieving family. even more incredible, the boy is

not that athletic. 9-year-old josh has never hit a home run in his entire life. he says that's a gift from the man who taught him a love of baseball. now back to amy and bill. >> thank you. bill karins with a check of the forecast. glorious here, what's it like everywhere else? >> gorgeous. east coast, west coast, absolutely perfect. only a few spots that are looking at a little bit of trouble. rain moving through the dakotas today. watch out this afternoon from the central plains up toward minnesota. that's where we could deal with severe storms. and wet weather off the south carolina coast and typical then typical storms in florida. everywhere else, this is one of the best spring weekends of the year. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. >> and a good saturday morning, everybody. i'm meteorologist chuck bell. your weekend is finally here and man, is it going to be a great weekend from a weather perspective. temperatures now in the upper 40s to low and mid 50s.

with bright sunshine out there, it's going to be a toasty warm afternoon. highs into the upper 70s and low 80s with low levels of humidity. and the great weather sticks around tomorrow though i think we'll have more cloud cover end of the day tomorrow. rain chances return by monday and tuesday. that's a look rat your saturday forecast. amy. now to a story of remarkable resilience. army colonel, a west point grad who served in major military conflicts the past 20 years, and after suffering a devastating injury in iraq, his life has taken another surprising turn. >> have you ever thought you would be an action movie star? >> no. >> reporter: he served in kuwait, bosnia, iraq and afghanistan, he was surprised to be cast as a hero in "battleship." a big-budget movie based on the classic board game. the role isn't just a new chapter in his career, but his

life. five years ago, he was severely injured in iraq when huizar mored vehicle hit a roadside bomb. >> i couldn't feel my legs. i knew i wasn't in good shape. >> reporter: gatson lost both legs, at first deciding to isolate himself, he quickly realized he plenty of fight left. >> i couldn't stand quitting. i couldn't stand the sobs, i couldn't stand just giving up. >> reporter: so he got up. literally. becoming the first soldier to test a pair of high powered legs. he got a master's degree and became cocaptain of the new york giants. motivational pep talk leading the team to a 2007 super bowl win and now he's still on active duty and making his acting debut in this movie from universal pictures, a division of nbc universal. >> i'm half a man. >> reporter: a performance driven by real-life struggles. >> power, inner strength, so

unique. >> reporter: colonel gatson's part in the film, not only renewed his own sense of confidence, but inspires servicemen and women around the country. >> very motivating to see him back on his feet. >> reporter: standing tall and movi moving forward. >> you really truly will not be exactly the way you were before. if that's where you are trying to go, you are going in the wrong direction, going backward. >> reporter: one soldier winning battles on screen -- >> i got this. >> reporter: and in life. nbc news, honolulu. >> what an inspiration. it's 18 after the hour. here is lester. >> today marks the second leg of the triple crown. the preakness. nbc's kenny rice joins us from baltimore. good to see up. >> reporter: good morning, good to be with you. >> some nonexperts think of the preakness, the derby, belmont as the same kind of race.

tell me how the preakness differs for the challenge of horses and jockeys? >> reporter: the biggest challenge, they are coming out of the most fwruling race so far, the 20-horse race for the kentucky derby and turning it around in two weeks. won't be another time in their lives where they have two major -- >> we lost kenny, unfortunately. we'll get back to him, find out more. the big question, if the derby winner can continue on at the preakness. with us, kenny? >> reporter: yes, i'm here. >> let me ask you about i'll have another. the horse that won at the derby. does that set it up for a good chance in the preakness? is this a horse that's been steadily improving? >> reporter: lester, he is. this is a horse that's lightly raced. he was a 43-1 shot back in the winter. not many people gave him credit except for his trainer, doug

o'neal. so impressive to win the derby, and bodi meister was so impressive at setting early pace, these two horses really separated themselves from the rest of the field. we will have a great showdown today and the possibility that we might be seeing a horse trying for a triple crown in three weeks in new york. >> we also -- i know there are several new shooters they are called. horses that haven't run in preakness before. how do they look and stack up against this field? >> well, right now, they would have to be considered outside shots, just about all of them. not a lot of buzz, simply because the derby horses look so good in kentucky two weeks ago. a horse, kozetti that comes in here. he raced against bodemeister in arkansas, finished well back. he has been training well and his trainer, del romans won this race two years ago. he certainly know house to get a

horse ready for this particular race. >> every year is a story someone gloms onto. they are talking about d. wane lucas, optimizer's owner. what's the story there? >> reporter: he kind of redefined the way trainers approached horse racing. most importantly, having large stables all over the country. taking advantage of being able to fly horses all over the country to races. that wasn't done back in the '80s when lucas started doing it. he's a hall of famer, set the standard. he's won six triple crown races in a row although one time with three different horses. he comes in here with a big long shot with optimizer. when he shows up, it's like a legendary coach coming back into the coach. you have to wonder why he's here. keep an eye on him. it's a long shot. >> kenny, we'll look for coverage a bit later. preakness stakes begins at 2:30. big race begins at 4:30 eastern time right here on nbc.

still to come as we continue on "today" show, the trayvon martin case, new photos, video, and evidence raises new questions about the controversial case. what it all means. but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come here on "today," a reporter learns the hard way why you don't want to get too fresh with the fresh prince of bel air. and pomp and circumstance for queen lelizabeth as she taks part in a huge ceremony for members of the armed services. but first, these messages.

starting off with a live look outside. it is a picture perfect start to the weekend. it looks like the weather will cooperate for any outdoor plans. we'll get details in a minute. good morning. it is 7:26 on this saturday, may 19th. i'm richard jordan. in the news there is a lot of cleanup to do in a sandwich shop in d.c. today after an suv crashed into it. rescuers took one man to the hospital with serious injuries. two others were slightly hurt. police say a driver lost control of his suv on georgia avenue and euclid street then ran the sidewalk and hit the building. no word yesterday on what caused this crash. today thousands of horse

racing fans are in baltimore for the 137th running of the preakness stakes. the race is the second leg of the triple crown. all eyes will be on a horse named i'll have another. he pulled a major upset earlier this month when he won the kentucky derby. watch the preakness here on nbc 4. we're going to check your forecast com

good saturday morning, everybody. i'm meteorologist chuck bell. temperatures in the mid-50s in the area. still a few cool spots below that. st. mary's county is up to 61 degrees. going to be a great day to be outside. don't forget your sun block. spf 30 or higher. highs today up near 80 degrees. same story for tomorrow but more cloud cover tomorrow afternoon. chance of rain in by monday.

back to you. >> all right, chuck. another update in 25 minutes. but now back to the "today" show. we'll have 90 minutes at 9:00 or news4 today. we're back on this saturday morning, may 19, 2012. a beautiful spring morning here in new york city. we want to thank that great group of people out there, spending part of their saturday morning with us. we'll head outside to say hi to them in a few moments. first, back inside studio 1a. i'm amy robak with lester holt. coming up, latest on a college student with flesh eating bacteria. >> a tough story. she has had her left leg am at the same time ample at the same time amputated.

>> she's got such a wonderful spirit. >> they have got to save her life. dog the bounty hunter in trouble. the reality tv star going through real-life drama, he and his family at the center of a string of recent death threats. stories, coming up. and will smith, star of "men in black," is considered one of hollywood's nice guy. what made him slap a reporter on the red carpet? >> i think i know. >> we'll talk about that, coming up we want to begin with the latest on the trayvon martin investigation. a mountain of evidence released this week with new video, photos, and documents revealing some of what happened the night martin was killed. here is nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: these are the last known images of trayvon martin, moments before his death. the 17-year-old captured on surveillance tape at a nearby 7-eleven, picking up skittles and an iced tea.

many pictures of the victim provided by his parents show him as a youngster. but the day he died, martin was 5'11", 158 pounds. the case centers on what happened next. was neighborhood watch captain george zimmerman, pictured here, after the shooting, aggressive or defensive? was the shooting with this cal tech 9 millimeter justified? he is four inches shorter than martin, but 45 pounds heavier. he likely suffered a broken nose. >> tell me what you heard or what you witnessed? wr we pretty much heard someone yelling outside. >> reporter: 22 witnesses, most police interviews recorded. >> i looked and didn't see anything. >> reporter: but not one actually saw what or who initiated the fight. witness number six saw martin on top of zimmerman.

>> the one guy on top in the black hoody was pretty much just throwing down blows on the guy mma style. >> reporter: mfma. that's mixed martial arts. then the 911 call. one picked up this call for help. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> reporter: it's been unclear who that voice was. martin's mother says it was her son, but his father said in a statement, mr. martin clearly responded no. but in a recorded statement, he said that it was his son. >> that is absolutely positive, george zimmerman. myself, my wife, family members and friends that is george zimmerman. there is no doubt. >> reporter: in the 183 pages of documents, one lead detective writes the encounter between george zimmerman and trayvon

martin was ultimately avoidable by zimmerman, if zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement. the mountain of evidence released so far does not include trayvon martin's text messages nor the police interrogation of accused murderer george zimmerman. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, sanford, florida. >> joining success former u.s. attorney and nbc news legal consultant, kendall coffey. great to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> the court of public opinion weighed on this case weeks ago, absent this kind of evidence. hearing stories, seeing pictures of injuries on zimmerman's head. the witness accounts, proximity of gunshots, does that bolster zimmerman's claim of self-defense? >> don't expect a seismic shift in public reaction. this does more good for zimmerman than it does for the prosecution.

because it tells us there are very important unanswered questions. questions about who started the fight and whose voice it was on the 911 tape crying for help. enough unanswered questions mean unproven facts and we have a long way to go. those are the tools of a defense lawyer, trying to establish a reasonable doubt. >> the national d.a. was criticized for not filing charges against zimmerman. seeing evidence, do you see that in a different light now? does it seem perhaps not unreasonable that the d.a. didn't move forward immediately with charges? >> i think it tells you there was another side to the case that had to be investigated. it doesn't mean that the police and the d.a. did everything they should have done as quickly as they should have done with respect to the investigation. certainly, we are all learning there is plenty of evidence to go in this case, and it's going to be far from an easy case in terms of determining what really happened that night. >> mr. zimmerman has the right to request stand your ground hearing based on the florida law

and get this case entirely thrown t. my understanding, he would have to testify. is that a risk if he testifies in a stand your ground hearing, does that all come out in a trial, assuming there is a trial? >> it absolutely can be used, and it's a giant question. the biggest question, do they go to a stand your ground hearing, where the entire case can be thrown out based on statutory immunity. seems like an obvious thing to do but in a stand your ground hearing, the defense has to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that they can prove self-defense. in front of a jury, all they have to do is create a reasonable doubt. some defense strategies say hold back, keep ammunition dry and keep it for the jury. >> and kerry said there, are no actual eyewitnesss. we learn thad trayvon had a female friend he was on the

phone with, apparently told her version of events, suggesting that trayvon was talking about being stalked by this strange man. this state of mind in both of these -- both trayvon and zimmerman, that what the case really rests on? >> it will come down to that. those are very important things, and i think the girlfriend's. in a way, she's the only voice for trayvon martin, is very helpful for the prosecution and clearly portraying trayvon martin as a person being pursued, essentially being stalked. the most important witness is george zimmerman himself. when a defense takes a stand in a homicide case, it can become effectively a one-witness trial. the jury believes him, he walks. if they don't, he's convicted. and one of the things we haven't seen yet are george zimmerman's own statements given to the police. we have signals from the prosecution that these statements are contradictory. they think they may be able to show george zimmerman was lying

about at least some of the details of what happened that tragic night. and if somebody is lying about whether they killed somebody in self-defense, that could be the kind of thing that tells the jury that this is somebody that ought to be convicted of a serious crime. >> kendall coffey, thank you so much for your insight. >> thanks, lester. all right. bill is back with another check of your forecast. good morning, bill. >> i'm happy. i get to bring everyone the good news, right? usually talking about tornadoes, hurricanes and other stuff. a lot of sunshine and a lot of fantastic conditions for your weekend. 14th day of a row of dry weather in seattle of all places. rainshowers coming in tomorrow. middle of the country, isolated areas of showers and storms. minnesota, not the best of weekend with on and off rain through nebraska. and eventually sunday afternoon and evening it will head toward chicago. overall, for 90%chicago. o 95% of us, it's fantastic. now here's a look out your

window. >> outside of our windows in washington, nothing but sunshine out there. just a few high thin clouds drifting overhead. that's about what you should expect for your saturday. temperatures this morning are in the upper 50s in town. but most of the close end suburbs into the low and middle 50s. highs this afternoon pushing 80 degrees. same story again for your sunday with a high expected near 81. but rain returns monday. that's your weekend forecast, amy, lester. still it come, how is the man with the golden voice doing a year after being discovered? we'll find out. and the queen kicks off her diamond jubilee, live in edgelands as she celebrates s britain's head of state. ...the united states would be on that list. in 25th place.

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tempur-pedic beds now come in soft, firm, and everything in between. ask me how i can finally sleep all night. [ female announcer ] visit a participating retailer and save up to $600 on a tempur-cloud supreme mattress set. [ male announcer ] tempur-pedic -- the most highly recommended bed in america. a little over a year ago, ted williams homeless and living on the streets of columbus, ohio. when a local reporter posted this video to youtube, williams' life was forever changed when his remarkable voice captured the attention of millions. ted williams shares his life story in his new book "a golden voice" how faith, hard work and humility brought me from the streets to salvation. welcome. >> thank you. >> 17 years on the streets from the point you appeared on "today." >> yes. >> do you even remember the

person? >> sometimes i try to forget to tell you the truth. i was a very uncaring person. obviously, i had left my children, my mother, a woman who really put a lot into raising me the right way, and i felt like i abandoned a lot of lives. >> when we first heard your story, everyone wanted to route for you. america loves a good redemption story. you are going to read things in this book, and you are not going to like me. some things you are very ashamed of. >> there is a dark side of it, lester. but there are great stories as well. i'm not too proud of some of those things. >> you hear about people hitting bottom. you read this book, you hit bottom over and over and over again. >> i thought the lowest point, me standing on a street corner begging, and my mother heard me. i do have family in columbus, and they would call my mother with no-good stories. >> you were reunited with your

mother. we recall that moment. how long have you been sober? >> one year. >> when you first came on the show, so much happening so quickly, i worried about you, i thought this guy is going to be overwhelmed. fall back down in short order. what was the pressure like of having to suddenly be thrust into the public eye? >> it was -- a roller coaster of emotions, lester. i had everybody in the world, networks, needless to say, but most importantly, i had all types of offers and being mismanaged so badly, lester. >> everybody wanted a piece of you? >> everybody. >> and they were making people in my camp, stealing, that kind of thing happened. a prayer of desperation, a prayer for deliverance, taken out of that element. >> you were in a position that it would be easy for someone to try to use you. did you feel you were being used? >> i signed a lot of things that

i wasn't aware of what i was signing legally and mondetarily? >> what you doing now? >> i have this book and i have a website. i'm doing personalized voice mails. thank you for calling lester. lester is not available to take your call. i am working for kraft macaroni and cheese. i have a sober living coach. >> i am so glad you have found some equilibrium. what is the takeaway? what do you want people to take away from your story? >> hope, redemption, second chance, spirit ality, a sense of how to give. not what to give, but how to give. no strings attached. and no expectations out of giving. i want people to just give. give and take it to god after that. >> great message. glad you're well. >> thank you, lester. >> ted williams, the book is "a

golden voice." back, right after this.

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2,500 service members marched past her. the queen has a long and personal relationship with the armed forces. during world war ii, as a young princess, she volunteered as the women's auxiliary and several members of her family has served, as recently as prince harry. really today is just a taste of the big jubilee weekend, coming up in two weeks' time. >> and, duncan, some other exciting news coming out of england, the olympic torch has arrived there, marking the countdown to the games. when will it arrive in london? >> reporter: amy, it has a really long journey to go. it will travel 8,000 miles around great britain by road, rails, boat, even horseback, and it will travel within one mile of 95% of the population so a really big buildup in 69 days time it will reach olympic stadium, and the games begin.

amy, it's all happening in london. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. still to come, john edwards, facing the toughest vote of his life. when will the jury come to a verdict? it's the question everyone wants the answer to. but, first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] hot outta the oven, it's the pizza sub!

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the sacha baron cohen of the ukraine? >> apparently his shtik is kissing. >> that's probably what i would have done too. dude, get away. >> just shake his hand. still to come on "today," duane "the dog" bounty hunter. why the fbi is investigating multiple death threats against the star. and millionaire john goodman is out of jail and his manslaughter conviction under appeal. details, coming up. but first these messages. [ female announcer ] i found the best cafe in the world. ♪ nespresso. where there's a grand cru to match my every mood. ♪ where just one touch creates the perfect cup. where no one makes a better cappuccino, latte, or espresso than me.

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good morning. it is 7:56 on this saturday, may 19th, 2012. i'm richard jordan. topping your news today two people are in custody after a shooting outside the rockville metro station. a 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman were both hit around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. authorities arrested a young man at a gas station shortly after the incident. they also arrested a suspect who was with the gunman at the time. investigators believe the shootings were part of an ongoing fight twbetween the suspects and the victim. expect some delays this weekend. closed on the orange line so crews can work on the silver

line extension. the on the red line trains are single tracking between tacoma and forest glen and van ness and friendship heights. and there will be no yellow line service past mount vernon. chuck bell has a look at the forecast after t

the weekend couldn't look any better especially if you plan to be outside. let's get details from meteorologist chuck bell. >> good morning, everybody. yes, indeed, our beautiful weather for thursday and friday has lingered into saturday. nobody's complaining about this forecast at all. mostly sunny weather is on tap for today. and really for most of your sunday as well. temperatures are currently climbing now into the mid and upper 50s in most locations. a few spots, d.c. and annapolis over the 60 degree mark. we're headed for highs today up near 80 degrees.

low humidity today. it'll be a mild sunny. linger through the middle of next week. >> thanks. we got another update in 25 saturday morning, the 19th day of may, 2012. a nice, nice crowd outside. the plaza, a nice day in midtown manhattan. thank you for spending part of the day us with. i'm lester holt, along with amy robak, and coming up, the john edwards trial. drama building. >> jurors in the campaign finance case, taking a break for the weekend after five hours of deliberation yesterday. we'll talk to a legal expert about the trial and what we can expect next week. of course, everyone expecting potentially a verdict. >> we've been following the story of this georgia college student suffering from a flesh

eating bacteria, that's literally eating her limbs away. she's showing incredible spirit and will power as doctors work to save her life. how her positive attitude is inspiring those around her. and how you doing? that's the popular catch phrase of the wendy williams show. hear why some say she's the next queen of daytime tv. and i'm not having a good day. can i tell you why? >> yes. >> a, i woke up, no hot water. but it gets worse. because today is your last day. >> it is. >> amy's last day. >> i know, i wore waterproof mascara for a little bit later when i want to thank everybody and say good-bye. >> we have plenty of time. we'll embarrass you later. we're so sad to see you go. and i hate to make that announcement. we'll look back on some good times. >> nine years. five years as a host. i was a news reader for every couple of weekends three years before that. >> let's stop the rumors.

this is not me pushing you out as part of my weekend global dominance. >> we have had fun together. we were in china, denver digging for cold. >> we'll catch up later in the broadcast. we'll get a news update. luke russert with morning headlines. good morning, everyone. the blind chinese activist who strained relation between beijing and washington is on his way to the united states this morning. more from angus walker in beijing. good morning, angus. >> reporter: good morning, luke. yes, chen quangcheng is on board united airlines flight 88 headed to newark liberty airport in new york. a suitable named destination as when he lands and sets off to a new life in exile, it will be his first real taste of freedom in almost seven years. he's been illegally detained, jailed, campaigns against forced abortions has angered authorities. around four weeks ago, in a remarkable escape, he slipped

away unseen from his house, where he's been guarded around the clock by guards. he made it to the u.s. embassy here in beijing, sought sanctuary there. hillary clinton in town at the time for high-level talks, those discussions overshadowed and caused a major rift. in the end, he will study in the states. in the end, the only place he could secure his safety was out of china. >> thank you, angus. world leaders coming to america this weekend to attend a g8 summit in camp david and a nato summit in chicago. we get previews of both from mike viqueira. >> reporter: here at camp david. but there is a cloud hanging over these proceedings, the crisis in greece, going on now a while. another crisis point last weekend when greek voters voted out existing leaders.

greece is in crisis again as they are talking about going back on the austerity agreement. other elections, fran choi s fs hollande elected in france. luke, in the united states, president obama says that they will let the europeans work this out. but there is great concern about economic fallout. later on today, after the president make as a statement at the conclusion of these meetings, heads on to chicago for another summit of nato nations. luke. >> mike, thank you so much. the first attempted launch by one of the two u.s. companies hoping deliver cargo and eventually astronauts, the international space station, failed at liftoff this morning. technicians blame a problem with one of the engines. the launch was scrubbed as the countdown got to zero.

another attempt made early tuesday morning. a funeral being held this morning for mary richardson kennedy, the estranged wife of robert kennedy jr. hanged herself at the age of 52. a wake held at her home in bedford, new york. she'll be buried near the kennedy compound in massachusetts. the facebook ipo, much less than the hype. one of the most anticipated stock offerings in history ended up just 3 cents freewaiday. that means it has a market value of about $104 billion. that's the news. let's head back out to lester on the plaza. lester, take it away my friend. >> bill karins, another check of weather. >> let's check out our friends over here. one of the more interesting people in the crowd this morning. this is peta. a diabetes service dog. very cute little guy. doesn't mind the outfit one bit. peanut has his shades on.

you will need yours too. beautiful weather. middle of the country, severe storms. watch out, wichita northward through topeka, omaha. east coast, a storm system will give us wet weather along the carolina coastline, but that's about it. the rest of the natio carolina coastline. the rest of the nation looking nearly perfect. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. >> good saturday morning, everybody. beautiful weather in the mid-atlantic. it's going to stick around today and tomorrow. for the running of the preakness, for the nationals and orioles. anything outside today and tomorrow, going to be gorgeous. temperatures right now into the upper 50s to around 60 degrees for now. but that's not going to last long. temperatures will zoom into the upper 70s to near 80 degrees today. nice and warm. low humidity. don't forget your sun block though. then tomorrow that's a look at your beautiful weekend forecast. back to amy. >> bill, thank you. the jury in the john edwards campaign corruption trial will

resume deliberations on monday. jurors made several requests for specific evidence and deliberated for about five hours before the judge sent them home. more now from nbc's lisa myers. >> reporter: john edwards and his family left a courthouse on friday, still unsure of his fate. after being handed the case, the jury of eight men and four women, begin weighing edwards guilt or innocence on six felony counts, alleging that he knowingly violated campaign finance laws to hide his mistress, rielle hunter, while he ran for president. soon after beginning deliberations, jurors asked to review exhibits having to do with counts involving $725,000 involving a series of notes sent with checks. they offered for office supplies, a black board and a master list of all exhibits in the case which is hundreds of documents. >> that tells us this jury is

settling in to consider all of the evidence, and they are going to do it in sequential fashion. >> the jury must decide whether it believes john edwards and chief accuser andrew young. they must decide if the money, given by wealthy donors to hide hunter was mostly because they were edwards' friends or because it was tending to influence an election. >> i think this hearing is being asked to chart the outer limits of what is potentially a campaign contribution. i'm not sure they know that. >> reporter: whatever their personal judgment to john edwards, analysts say so far this jury is ready to engage in a thorough evaluation of the evidence. jury deliberations rehuman monday morning. lisa myers, nbc news, greensboro, north carolina. and hampton dellinger in the courtroom covering the trial. >> good morning, amy. >> it's really important to note that in order for edwards to be found guilty, the prosecution

has to show criminal intent. not enough to show that edwards broke the law. explain what that means? >> the statute at issue, the federal elections campaign act requires a knowing and willful violation for it to be crime. it can't just be edwards was involved in the coverup. that has to be part of it. he has to know that these contributions from his supporters to cover up at fair constituted a crime. the defense says edwards couldn't have known that, because it never was considered a crime before and got in some expert testimony to back up their case. >> and we heard in lisa's reports, some of the materials the jury has been requesting, among them, the items related to bunny melon, one of the wealthy donors in this case. does that give you insight to how the jurors are thinking right now? >> it certainly shows there will be no rush to judgment. that's encouraging. this is a first of its kinds case. the law is complex. a new area, and the facts are -- you know, just a mountain of

evidence for this jury to consider. and the intent issue here is not just for ed wartsdwards, but th donors. was bunny melon trying to help as a campaign donor or a friend? >> third-party money used to cover up an affair during a campaign as a crime, does that help the edwards' defense team? >> it could, but the judge hamstringed the defense in terms of allowing the defense to bring goo forward a lot of evidence, this was never considered a campaign contribution before. four federal election commissioners were ready to testify that not only it wouldn't be a crime in their eyes, it wouldn't be a civil violation. he only got in a sliver of that evidence. >> interesting, the defense -- the defense seems to have the high confidence level or one could interpret that, they didn't put john edwards on the stand, didn't put cate edwards on the stand, didn't put rielle

hunter on the stand. they put up a very small defense, in fact. does that indicate confidence of an acquittal? >> it might. they got in enough i think to make the argument that not only edwards didn't see this as a crime, but some of the experts didn't as well. on the other hand, so much was excluded by the judge, they wanted maybe to leave as little evidence as possible to exacerbate and highlight how much they were hamstrung at trial. >> laying the framework for an appeal? >> absolutely. >> we appreciate your incite. thank you for joining us today. >> you're welcome. >> and talk show host wendy williams, is she becoming the new queen of daytime tv? and dog the bounty hunter on the receiving end of violent death threats. how he's fighting back, right after these messages. odor that made the whole room stink. [ woman #2 ] even my laundry started to get a funny smell. [ female announcer ] got a bad odor in your high-efficiency washer? clean it with tide washing machine cleaner.

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...and astronaut sally ride's science academy are helping our educators improve student success in math and science. let's shoot for the stars. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this. a polo mogul convicted of manslaughter is waking up in his mansion this morning after being freed from jail. but john goodman's home life is now quite different. nbc's mark potter has details. >> reporter: after john goodman was released from jail, he was driven to the international polo association. he founded the club and has a sprawling mansion there, he will live there under house arrest while his attorneys appeal his dui conviction, which led to a 16-year prison term.

his appeal process could take some time. >> the appeal process could take a few months to over a year. >> reporter: he was convicted of driving his bentley while drunk and slamming into a car driven by 23-year-old scott wilson. his car was pushed into a canal. goodman left the scene without trying to help. >> an electronic monitor will be on to track his movements, and he is not supposed to socialize, not supposed to be seen at parties, as having a good time. >> reporter: goodman will be monitored around the clock by two offduty police officers, for whom he will have to pay. the palm beach county sheriff's office says the cost is $2,000 a day. or more than $700,000 a year. among those allowed to visit are family members and heather hutchins, his girlfriend, whom he adopted as his daughter to protect his wealth. at a hearing last week, trial judge jeffrey kolbath explained

why he wanted such tight security measures. >> the thing i'm most concerned about right now, is he a flight risk? and mr. goodman seems to be the perfect candidate to be a flight risk. >> reporter: but the defense insists he is not a flight risk and will follow all of the rules imposed by the court as he spends the length of his appeal in the comfort of his palatial home under tight controls. mark potter, nbc news, miami. now here is lester. talk show host wendy williams, quickly becoming a household name with her tv show, new line of accessories and a new movie. she has been building her career for years. >> reporter: this wednesday marks the 500th episode of the wendy williams show. her television show in the third season, but williams not new to the ear waair waves. she spent more than 20 years as

a female shock jock. some are calling her a kinder, gentler wendy. well before 10:00 in the morning, the studio audience at the wendy williams show is in full blown party mode. ♪ we are family >> they await daytime's newest diva. >> it's showtime! >> reporter: the show, in its third season, is light and fun talk. built around wendy williams' larger than life personality. >> i like to ask the questions that people would be talking about around their kitchen table. not oh, how lovely. she's on broadway. it's all right, she's on broadway, what have you heard? she's a biybygamist.

>> this is the latest piece in a growing empire. she just released adorn, accessories line for qvc, has a small part in "think like a man" and has a new book. >> wendy started talking before she could walk. >> always talking, giving per opinion. >> reporter: wendy was the middle of three children, raised in new jersey. today, she is still a jersey girl. >> this is where it all goes down, the mom cave. >> reporter: living with her husband, kevin hunter, manager and executive producer of the show, and their 11-year-old son kevin. the family williams longed for and doets on. >> i begged to meet the right man and get married. and we kept having so many miscarriages, and i begged to have a child. >> many are getting know williams for her show. others, she's a familiar presence. >> my first job in new york radio that made me take off.

>> reporter: she spent more than 20 years in front of a microphone, becoming one of the top shock jocks, known for direct, no holds barred interviews, her most famous exchange with whitney houston. >> don't speak to me like i'm a child, >> i wasn't using my powers for evil. i was entertaining millions on the room. >> reporter: a reach she has extended to television. >> wendy williams started out as a shock jock that would ask anything, extremely tabloidy and now she's the queen of all media. >> reporter: their show, renewed through 2014. one more sign of a long career this in many ways seems like it's just getting started. now, williams has a lot of projects in the pipeline. she plans to announce a production deal soon and says she would love to write an advice book. and if you watch the show, you know she is never shy about

giving straight forward advice. lester. >> thank you very much. i have been on her show. i have to tell you, she was a real delight. >> she liked you, i remember that. she wanted a little bit of lester there. nice to get a warm welcome every now and then, isn't it? >> i had a great time. we wish her nothing but the best. still ahead, the fight for her life. an update on a 24-year-old college student who is bravely battling a flesh eating bacteria. first this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," dog the bounty hunter. the reality tv star dealing with serious real life drama, why he's asking the fbi for help. from healthy breakfast items to a new take on ketchup. we'll try some new foods hitting store shelves. first, these messages. a free f. you know that comes with a private island? really? no. it comes with a hat.

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good morning, everyone. it is 8:26 on this saturday, may 19th, 2012. i'm angie goff. topping your news for today, d.c. police are trying to figure out what caused an suv to crash into a sandwich shop overnight. police say a driver lost control of the suv then ran up to the sidewalk and hit the building. rescuers took one man to the hospital with serious injuries. two others were slightly hurt. d.c. police are looking for the person responsible for a deadly stabbing. two men got into a fight outside tyler house apartments on north capital street that's in northwest washington.

it happened last night. police say one of the two stabbed, the other several times in the head and the chest. officers shut down north capital street near new york avenue. the police did not release the victim's name or description of the suspect. and the gates are officially open for the air show at joint base andrews. this free event has performs from the golden nights parachute team and many more. this features vintage military and civilian planes as well as stunts today and tomorrow. representatives from each branch of the military will be there to share their stories. if you head out to the air show, heads up. the public is asked to park at fed exfield or the branch avenue metro station. there are also free stationings to get you to the base.

good morning, everybody. your weekend is finally here and the weather could not be nicer for anything you want to do outside. go up to the preakness stakes with the ball game, the air show. temperatures climbing into the low 60s. we're headed for highs near 80 degrees. we will start to pick up a few more clouds by tomorrow afternoon. then turning into a bit of a showery stretch monday through middle of next week.

>> thank you, chuck. we've got a full 90 minutes of news weather and sports at the top of the hour with news4 today. we will see you starting at 9:00. we're back on this saturday morning, may 19, 2012. it is gearing up to be a beautiful day here in new york city. warm temperatures and lots of sun. i don't see a cloud in the sky. a great crowd here with us this morning. we want to thank them all for being here with us. i'm amy robak along with lester holt. still to come in this half hour, we're going to give you an update on a young woman in georgia, who contracte a flesh eating bacteria. >> this woman is in the fight for her life right now. we want you to know more about her reaction when she learned how serious her situation was. we'll also hear from a man who survived that rare but dangerous

bacteria. >> dog the bounty hunter, he his family has received death threats for days. why authorities are taking it seriously. from snacks to breakfast foods. new food flavors and creations soon hitting the store chevrolets will thchevrolet that wishelves that will wake u our taste buds. amy, her last saturday here on "today," a look at where she's been, all the fun we've had the past several years and try to embarrass you. >> it looks like you captured all of my crazy moments. i'll say my good-byes and athank yous for later. and we'll get a check of weather for there bill karins. >> we'll miss you, amy. these four ladies here want to do a reality show pitch. they came to new york city, and you, take a look at this. had to break your wrist. >> i had a bicycle accident in central park.

>> falls off the bike yesterday, and now you have to go home and have surgery on the wrist. >> i wish you the best. next trip, take it a little easier. i'll take you around, make it safe. weatherwise, sometimes you get too much of a good thing as far as dry, beautiful weather conditions. that's the case from the southeast and the desert southwest. the dry conditions really starting to spread across the country right now, and no wet weather in the southwest. in the west especially this may. fires forming out there. in arizona, problems out there. also colorado. and very little, if any, rainfall this may. and getting into the dry season, we don't expect much either. in the summertime, forecast out for the country. much above temperatures expected. expect in the days, and weeks ad months ahead more stories on the fires and the drought in the west. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. >> i'm storm4 meteorologist chuck bell. it's positively beautiful outside right now.

this great weather will continue for theory remainder of the weekend. temperatures are now zooming into the low 60s thanks to the sunshine out there. temperatures will reach highs today of 80 degrees. cooler toward the shenandoah valley and the mountains. most everybody in and around town near 80 today and tomorrow. and if you like the wonderful people from ligonier high school being to get your hour by hour forecast, get that at weather.com. back to you, amy. we are now learning more about a third case of flesh eating bacteria. this latest case comes on the heels of two women who contracted the potentially deadly bacteria. one of the women recently got news of more amputations. but she is showing a lot of resilience. >> reporter: aimee copeland already had her left leg

amputated. now she will lose her hands and remaining foot. in a facebook posting friday, aimee's father described how he broke the news to her. i took aimee's hands and held them up to her face. she didn't draw back in horror. her dad went on, detailing her strength. held up her hand and mouthed the words, let's do this. days before, he talked about aimee's remarkable resilience. >> she seen her hand, and you know what? i will say it didn't phase her a bit. and i think that talks about how tough she is. >> aimee krcontracted the flesh eating bacteria it entered a deep cut in her leg and she's fighting for life ever since. oddly, another patient at the same hospital is being treated from flesh eating bacteria after falling from a tree while working. a few hours away, in south carolina, lana kuykendall is

also battling the bacteria. she contracted it days after giving twins. >> it just gets worse and worse and worse like every minute. >> reporter: the rare infection, known as necrotizing fascitis is potentially deadly. one in four patients dies. shawn contracted the bacteria in 2008. despite the dire odds, he fully recovered but with a severe scar. >> d >> i do feel very lucky i was able to pull through this with lasting effects. my nurses kept calling me the miracle man. >> she is in the best of care. >> reporter: aimee's family is hoping for a miracle of its own. the hospital won't say if the latest amputations have happened. he cried after leaving her side, not out of sadness, but he was amazed out of aimee's show of courage.

tom tru . >> we wish aimee the best. here is lester. a real-life square for dog the bounty hunter. duane chapman and his family have received numerous death threats via e-mail. the fbi is now involved. >> reporter: he's known for chasing down the most wanted. >> you are going back to oklahoma, son. >> reporter: and sometimes the most violent fugitives. with cameras catching all the action for his reality show, "dog the bounty hunter." but now duane "dog" chapman is the target of death threats, along with threats to murder, rape and kidnap his family, including his wife and children. the tough bounty hunter is so concerned, he's turned to the fbi for help. >> the fact that they did go to fbi and luau fishls, that they needed help with dealing with this, proves he is just a guy who is scared and taking every measure possible to protect his family. >> chapman received several

threatening e-mails beginning april 30th. the first included "i'm going to murder you. i'm going to come to hawaii and murder and you your family in cold blood." over the next few weeks, the threatening es-mails became mor graphic and violent. the fbi in honolulu says agents in los angeles referred the case to their office this past week. the special agent in charge says the fbi cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation unless or until any charges are filed. experts say authorities should be able to find out quickly who was behind the threats, if they are real. >> there is going to be electronic fingerprints all the way from when these e-mails were created until they were passed on to chapman, so ki see the threat against himself and his family. >> reporter: meanwhile, the a & e reality show's latest season is set to begin airing next month. the family business, under fire, in a whole new way. for "today," michelle franzen,

nbc news, new york. up next, new ways to tempt your taste buds, some of the whacky foods popping up in your supermarket. first, these messages. moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno. i found a moisturizer for life. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. bacon?! bacon?

bacon! who wants a beggin' strip? meee! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum, yum, yum... it's bacon!!! mmmmm...i love you. i love bacon. i love you. [ male announcer ] there's no time like beggin' time. in absolute perfect physical condition and i had a heart attack right out of the clear blue... he was just... "get me an aspirin"... yeah... i knew that i was doing the right thing, when i gave him the bayer. i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. so he's a success story... [ laughs ] he's my success story. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am proheart on facebook. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart this one's for all us lawnsmiths. grass gurus. doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun, and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots and a lot more - spring per dollar.

more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. this toro mower is just $334. right now, during toro days. well, some new and very different food products out there which may get you out of your food rut. which should you add to your shopping list? >> today food editor phil

lampert has brought some of the items. >> good morning. >> egg beaters been around a long time. they've added what that looks like is real spinach? >> yes. it's egg beaters florentine. it's made with real eggs with beta-carotene added. there is cheese in it, spinach in it, tomatoes in it. it's one of the easiest and healthiest. zero cholesterol. tasty and it's a wonderful -- a wonderful product. it's on store shelves right now. next up, i want you to taste this. this is apples with blueberry added to it. and then wrapped in yogurt. i found this up -- >> what's the crunch? >> a yogurt crunch. >> really? >> made from a little bit of whey added. a nice healthy tasty snack. >> very good. >> i like that. >> i want more. >> you can't have more until

after. we do all of them. very nice. lentils, lentil crackers are very big. we're seeing more and more gluten free crackers coming out. what i like about these, and anything made from lentils is really high in protein. you know, you've got five grams of protein in it, and have you a good crunch, tasty. >> a little hummus and we're all good to go. >> next what we have, this is a spread which is honey and apricots. no sugar added. >> put it on toast? >> you can put it on toast. >> on lentil crackers? >> that's a good idea. >> taste it plain first. you will get the full flavorer. isn't that nice? >> it's really thick. >> good consistency, i would suggest cooking with it. for those who love ketchup, sir kensington is a really interesting ketchup. >> when you say interesting, that make his nervous.

what does interesting mean? >> a little spicy, but thicker than your typical ketchup, and also the first ingredient is tomatoes. what a concept. >> nice deep tang. >> that does have a tang to it. it's good. >> i wouldn't waste it on a burger. put it on a burger to make a burger better. >> french fries? >> french fries the place for it. >> greek yogurt has taken over the yogurt category. the first greek yogurt frozen out there. wanted to give that a taste. >> if i had a spoon i would. >> no spoon. you can just like it. it's okay. >> like the going away president. >> i don't want that on youtube. >> it was good. >> it was good. why didn't we bring napkins, excuse me. >> in my script. >> last up, pistachio chewy bites. this is pistachios held together with agave and cranberries.

very nice. a chewy taste, and i love the fact that they use whole -- >> now we have spoons. >> now you can taste it. >> really terrific tasty snack. >> all these things on the shelves now? >> all on the shelves now. >> okay. these are great. thank you so much, bill. >> thank you. >> all right. we'll be back in a moment, but, first, this is today on nbc.

♪ >> let me say, i hate good-byes. >> me too. >> baa bittersweet day. amy's last day on our program. after nine years, we're saying good-bye. we wish you well. we'll let you have your piece in a moment. but first, a look back. >> welcome back to msnbc.

i'm amy robak. >> more on the jail break in pennsylvania. lester, natalie and janice. >> from nbc news, this is "today," with amy robak. >> welcome to "today" on saturday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robak. >> amy robak in storm battered galveston. >> feeling the brunt of hurricane-force winds. on the other side of the gulf. a couple miles out at sea. and right over there, what's it like to hear the president of the united states call for your resignation? >> did i nothing wrong. >> a pretty big test. he says, oh, your exam is over. >> if i failed my exam and came here it wouldn't make a bit of difference. >> i waited a long time to meet you, a quarter century almost.

hi. oh! what do you do to get ready for the show. do you get nervous? >> i have a little nosh. this is pretty much drip dry, shake it, and wear it. >> the first time a woman has ever been on my bus. >> oh. running downstairs before my entrance, the butterflies hit. ♪ you ready? all right. run. i brought my daughters to their first american girl store experience. you have never been here before. what kind of teeth does your dolly have? i would like to come up and say, the outfit is stunning, stunning. is there anything small about

you? >> i think we both know the answer to that. >> i think we do. >> play ping pong like you play tennis? >> i think you do. you got it. ♪ >> oh, my god. what was that? >> i heard screaming. >> did you hear screaming? >> i did. >> follow me. bring it on. ♪ >> pull! ♪ >> gold!

♪ ♪ >> i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robak. >> i think we've established why you're leaving. >> doesn't that look like the world's greatest job, and i'm going to cry, because i want to thank everybody. i could not name everyone in the studio right now who has made every saturday morning with when that alarm clock goes off worth getting up for. i can see everybody here, tara and david and joe and jimmy and antawn and, of course, lester, have you been an amazing partner. i have learned so much from you.

>> don't do a will smith on me. >> and bill, you know, this is your first day and my last. a momentous. >> pushing me out of the way to go meet tom cruise at a roast for matt lauer. you wanted nothing do to with me. >> i just want to thank, and i forgot the control room. andrea, it's her last saturday as well. didi, all of the producers, kim and kate and they have just all been, molly. all those memories on the road together, it's something we'll always have, and i just want to say how much i have appreciated -- this has been a family and i've been through a lot over the past nine years, and it's really been great. >> we'll miss you a lot. >> thanks, lester. [ applause ] >> we'll hear about your future in short order. >> how about a hug, luke? and my girls are here and wyatt and my husband, and i want to thank everybody for coming out

and showing me support and -- >> we should note the girls brought flower today. which we're pretty sure were pulled from your garden. >> that's okay. that's all right. thank you, girls. all right. and i guess i get to say this one last time. for the road. we'll be right back, but first, these messages. ( telephone rings ) hi, honey. how's the camping trip? well, kids had fun, but i think i slept on a rock. what are you doing? having coffee. ah, sounds good! i thought you'd say that. ah. ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ you're the best! wake up to the mountain grown aroma of folgers. ♪ ... is folgers in your cup! the best in nutrition... just got better. high in vitamins d, e, and b12. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste.

better taste. yum! [ female announcer ] eggland's best. the better egg. not only kills fleas and ticks it repels most ticks before they can attach and snack on us. frontline plus kills but doesn't repel and a tick that isn't repelled or killed may attach and make a meal of us. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii. they claim to be complete. only centrum goes beyond. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete. cause we want to show them something new. you ready? let's go. walmart can now convert your favorite dvds from disc to digital. no way. if hulk smash disc... it's no big deal.

now you'll never break them, scratch them or lose them. we can use that. you'll never break them. so what do you guys think? we love it. it's only two bucks per disc. that's cool. that's the walmart entertainment disc to digital service. bring in your favorite dvds to your local walmart photo center to get started. don't go in there. don't go in there. they don't listen. that's going to do it for us on this saturday morning. luke russert, bill karins,

thanks as always. tomorrow on "today," celebrity apprentice finalist clay aiken will be here. >> saturdays will not be the same without you. it has been a privilege and pleasure to be with you. >> thank you. >> and we wish you good fortune and good luck. >> i really appreciate it. cheers. >> cheers. >> thanks for watching everyone. i'll see you tonight for "nightly news."

good morning, everyone. i'm angie goff. >> and i'm richard jordan. straight ahead on news4 today,

failure to launch. a rocket is scrapped literally second before it went off. what went wrong and what makes this mission so important. some of the world's most powerful and influential leaders are at camp david for the g8 summit. and the impact protesters are having in western maryland. and it certainly is a beautiful way to get your weekend started. plenty of sunshine out there for now. but how long will it last? a check of the forecast coming up. >> all that and more when you join us in less than two minutes. ♪

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone likes a bit of order in their life. virtual wallet helps you get it. keep track of spending, move money with a slide, and use the calendar.

all to see your money how you want. ♪ leaders from the world's largest economies are meeting at camp david in western maryland with nothing less than the fate of the global economy hanging in the balance. the issues that will be discussed today at the g8 summit. we heard pop pop pop pop. about four or five shots. >> shots ring out at a crowded metro station in the middle of the day. who police say pulled the trigger and why they did it. what would a romney presidency be like? >> preparing for november. a look at mitt romney's first campaign ad. thanks for being with us. i'm richard jordan. >> and i'm angie goff. welcome to news4 today on