you're going to like it. >> get out there and enjoy it. >> we'll be back in 25 minutes good morning. policy shift. president obama announces a major change to immigration enforcement. >> let's be clear, this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship. it's not a permanent fix. >> why many people say it's a political move to gain a key voting bloc. home-staging? a woman featured on the reality program "house hunters" says the show is a sham and the story line for her episode was a work of fiction. so, how much of reality tv is the real thing? and death-defying stunt. a member of the famed wallenda

family walks a tight rope across niagara falls, but he's not done. we'll hear where he's headed next, today, saturday, june 16th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm tamron hall. >> good morning to you, and good morning to you. i'm jeff rossen. lester holt has the morning off. did you watch that last night? >> i had to be at work early, but i saw it online. >> i didn't either. >> you didn't watch. >> i was thinking two things as he was walking across. of course, we were holding our breath hoping he would make it. he did have a harness on for safety, but i was wondering why someone would want to do this. it's a family tradition. >> there's a tradition in this country, too. evel knievel? i was the only girl in the

country that wanted to be evel knievel. now i want to be a wallenda. >> we could set that up on the plaz gentleman. we have a lot to get to, including the president and a change in immigration policy. >> he sent a message to hispanic populations in colorado, nevada, virginia and other states, the president letting them know he understood their frustration at the immigration system. we'll have a live report. it almost feels like fistfights are normal in hockey, but this hockey mom in massachusetts took matters in her own hands when her son was involved in the fight. she didn't think the refs were doing enough to stop it. you're going to hear what she had to say and sort of what happened, coming up. all right, and later on, lindsay lohan. there are new worries about the actress after paramedics were called to her hotel room. reports friday that she had been rushed to the emergency room prompted new concerns about her health and wellbeing. we'll talk about it and other celebrity news coming up. all right, a lot to get to this morning, but we begin with president obama's major policy shift when it comes to immigration. the president says his

administration will stop deporting hundreds of thousands of young people who are brought to this country by their parents. hispanic groups praised the move, but some critics say it's simply a ploy to appeal to latino voters. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is in washington for us. pete, good morning to you. >> and good morning, jeff. the obama administration describes this policy as a shift in enforcement, focusing on illegal immigrants who are criminals or a danger to national security and giving a break to those who are here illegally through no fault of their own. >> yes, we did! yes, we did! yes, we did! >> reporter: young people covered by the new policy cheered the announcement outside the white house. >> i can't describe it. it's so amazing. i'm so happy. >> reporter: president obama said it's intended to help those brought here illegally by their parents. >> these are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, are

friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag. >> reporter: starting immediately, the government will stop deporting people here illegally who are brought to the u.s. under age 16 and are no older than 30 now, have lived here at least the past five years, are in school or have a high school diploma or military service and have not committed a serious crime. the homeland security secretary says most of them don't even know the language of the country where they were born. >> they've grown up here, they speak the language here, they've stayed out of trouble here, they're getting their education here. they have wonderful talents to contribute to our country. >> reporter: the policy will affect hundreds of thousands, like jessica, who says her father brought her illegally to georgia from mexico when she was 11. now she's a college graduate. >> i want to go to law school to eventually practice immigration law. >> reporter: those who meet these standards will still be here illegally and will not get a leg up for citizenship, but they can apply for relief from deportation for two years,

something that can be renewed repeatedly, and they're eligible to seek work permits. >> well, i think that the president understands that we cannot wait for congress to act on this. they haven't gotten their act together on either side on immigration for a very long time. >> reporter: perhaps reflecting the passion surrounding the immigration issue, the president showed a flash of anger when his remarks were interrupted by a reporter for a conservative website. >> excuse me, sir, it's not time for questions, sir. not while i'm speaking. >> reporter: most republican response has been muted, criticizing the president less for the substance of the policy than for going around congress, which has so far declined to give any relief to young immigrants who want citizenship. >> the status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered and should be solved on a long-term basis so they know what their future would be in this country. >> reporter: many republicans say enforcement at the border must be toughened before immigration laws are made more permissive. >> i think this is merely

pandering, so i'm concerned this is actually not real change, but merely election year pandering. >> reporter: arizona governor jan brewer says the new policy rewards law-blareakers. >> they're going to be competing for jobs with people that have come here legally. >> there's no way to know exactly how many young people will qualify for this new policy, but several estimates say it's at least 1 million. jeff? >> pete williams in washington. pete, thanks. now here's tamron. >> jeff, thank you. mitt romney has turned his focus to the economy as he visits three communities in pennsylvania today. nbc's peter alexander has more from weatherly, pennsylvania. good morning, peter. >> reporter: tamron, good morning to you. after a detour to respond to president obama's new policy on young illegal immigrants, mitt romney is hoping to steer his bus tour back to his primary message. that's jobs and the economy. he makes three more stops today in small towns here in pennsylvania, places that he says president obama has forgotten about. kicking off day two of his

"every town counts" tour, mitt romney's engaging voters in the kind of face-to-face politicking that's become a staple of any presidential campaign. >> in the days ahead, we'll be traveling in what are often called the back roads of america, but i think our tour's going to take us along what i'll call the backbone of america. >> reporter: they are the type of conservative, rural areas where romney largely struggled in the republican primaries. the ambitious five-day bus tour will take romney through key battleground states, new hampshire, pennsylvania, ohio, wisconsin and iowa and michigan, all of which president obama won in 2008. chartering flights between states, the romney campaign is hitting the road on four newly designed buses, each with its own presidential nickname -- jefferson, monroe, grant and ike. ♪ on friday, romney handed out ice cream in a smalltown social alongside his wife ann and

possible vice presidential picks tim pawlenty and kathleen ayotte. and he countered the president's claim that he's standing up for working class americans. >> if there has ever been a president who has failed to give the middle class of america a fair shot, it is barack obama. >> reporter: ann marie pack, a democrat, came with her friend, christine dill, a romney supporter. they disagree politically but share frustrations about the economy. >> we've got kids that are out of college, heading in to college that can't get jobs that even cover their school loans. >> reporter: the obama campaign that quickly derided romney's speech as angry and empty rhetoric has rolled out a bus tour of its own with protesters staging smaller events along the way. ann marie peck just wants solutions. >> i just think it's the animosity between the two parties that, you know, there's got to be a way for them to come together and make everything work. >> reporter: and no republican has won this state, the state of

pennsylvania, in 24 years. by the way, tamron, the next several days also amount to what many observers view as a tryout for vice presidential candidates. tim pawlenty, the former minnesota governor, will be back on the trail with romney today, as well as the congressman paul ryan later in the week and rob corbin, the senator from ohio. >> all right, peter, thank you. quite a lineup there. ari melver is an nbc contributor and with "the nation," and author of "it's classified in 18 acres," good morning to both of you. let's start with the executive order from the president, it means he doesn't have to go to congress as it relates to changing the deportation rules or policy for people between the ages of 16 and 30 here. is this long term, ari, or is it as senator marco rubio referred to it as a short-term solution? >> i think on paper it's short-term and you have a two-year term for people to get work permits and then have to reapply. but let's remember, the dream act was introduced 11 years ago.

congress has looked at this issue for three years. 55 senators supported it, but it was ultimately filibustered, so it's understandable that any president would use their executive powers when they can't get action on the hill. >> nicolle, some people are questioning whether this was legal or not the way it was handled. >> i worked for the last president who actually used the power of the president to do something on immigration perform. president bush went to the oval office and addressed the nation. he and ted kennedy shared thoughts on immigration reform. i think on a policy level, that i was sensible and i think the politics of it are really tricky. we say things are political and it's usually an insult, but it's usually wildly popular. >> absolutely, and it's even caused some republicans to support it, as haley barbour, former governor of mississippi, but senator john mccain was critical of it yesterday. ari, another moment from this speech was a reporter from "the daily caller," neil monroe twice interrupted the president. the president responded.

let me play a little clip of what happened. >> it is the right thing to do. [ inaudible ] excuse me, sir. it's not time for questions, sir. not while i'm speaking. and the answer to your question, sir, and the next time i prefer you let me finish my statements before you ask that question, is this is the right thing to do for the american people. >> ari, the blogosphere lit up minutes after that happened, people wondering what was going on and also questioning, are we seeing this kind of behavior at official events too many times, or is that just perception versus reality? what is it? >> well, i think it's reality. i think people don't like to see any president disrespected in this way. it was uncivil. i don't want to be rude on saturday morning, but this guy's a nobody and i wouldn't care that much if it were just this guy. i think the problem is, we have a role in sort of policing the public debate. i heard lou dobbs yesterday praise the interruption. i think what's more concerning is when people with more

authority and bigger platforms stand up for this. >> and nicolle, quickly here, both the president and governor romney were in ohio discussing the economy, different tones, but it was very interesting. we saw peter's report where this woman said, listen, i just want solutions. you have students who can't pay their loans, people still worried about -- >> isn't she amazing? >> she was absolutely amazing. >> i got chills when i heard her articulate in the most eloquent way than i've heard in a while exactly what both men are trying to tap in to, and not just understand, but solve. they need to solve this feeling that neither party can put their own politics and their own political interests aside to get anything done, and that's going to be the question i think before voters. and i think what mitt romney's doing in these towns, the bus tour, looks not only good and well produced, but i think he's got the right message, and i think this is the moment, when they're neck and neck in november, i think we'll look back at this morning and this week as to when he really got into a groove and started speaking directly to the things on americans' minds.

>> nicolle wallace, ari melber, thank you both for coming on. now to jeff. now to a critical election in greece. the vote is considered crucial to the world's financial stability and it could answer the bigger, looming question, will greece still use the euro or not? cnbc's michelle caruso-cabrera reports from athens. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: greece's future is up for grabs. almost no one here wants to abandon the euro, but it could happen after sunday's vote. that could mean economic ruin here and send shock waves through the global economy. either way, greece is in trouble. it is deep in debt after years of living beyond its means, and life here has changed. unemployment is at record levels. needy shoppers line up for donated food. nervous greeks are taking their money out of banks. with drawls of up to 1 billion euros a day. and some people are bartering for goods and services and using an alternative currency they've

created. artem hasn't been paid in months and her partner's salary is down 50%. they joined the barter network so they can feed the animals on their farm. >> i want to use euro, but it's very expensive. i believe that trade, it's better. >> reporter: greece is getting by on billions in loans keeping the country afloat, but that comes at a price, harsh austerity measures forcing taxes up and government spending down. that has caused real suffering here, and this election has become a referendum on renegotiating or even canceling the bailout deal. >> if we keep going, you know, with this austerity policies, the collapse, you know, at the end of the day, waits for us. >> reporter: but greece's lenders say they have no intention of renegotiating and threaten to cut greece off. that could force greece to leave the euro, default on its debt

and stare into an economic abyss. economists worry that the uncertainty caused by all of this could lead to financial contagion that could infect much larger economies like spain, italy, even the united states. so, what happens here this weekend will be watched all over the world. for "today," michelle caruso-cabrera, athens, greece. time now for the rest of the morning's headlines from tom llamas over at the news desk. tom, good morning. >> good morning, tamron and jeff. and good morning, everyone. there's breaking news this morning that saudi arabia's crown prince nayef has died in geneva. the news was reported by saudi news television citing a royal court statement. the interior minister since 1975 was the heir to saudi king abdullah. egyptians have started voting in an election being watched around the world. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in cairo with more on the presidential runoff. good morning, richard. >> reporter: good morning, tom. so far, the voting has been

moderate. there haven't been any real incidents of violence, but this country is polarized, and egyptians face a very important choice. on the one hand, they can choose ahmed shafiq. he was president mubarak's last prime minister, considered close to the old regime. in fact, so close that some call him just a new mubarak. on the other hand, the muslim brotherhood's mohamed morsi, who wants to impose islamic law. that would take egypt down a very different path. now, if shafiq wins this election, which is possible, the muslim brotherhood will likely claim fraud. they will return to the streets and there could be violence. if the muslim brotherhood wins, it's a new kind of egypt under islamic law. >> we'll be watching. richard, thank you. back here in the states, the father-in-law of missing woman susan powell has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, convicted of voyeurism for recording images of his neighbor's two young daughters

in their bathroom. powell's son killed himself and his two young sons in a house fire in february. josh powell was the prime suspect in susan's disappearance. firefighters have managed to contain about 20% of a huge wildfire in colorado, but it could take weeks more for full containment of the high park fire. so far, it's damaged or destroyed at least 112 homes as it's burned across more than 54,000 acres. hurricane carlotta's weakening quickly as it moves north along mexico's resort-studded pacific coast. the now category 1 storm made landfall friday night near porto escondido. forecasters expect carlotta to weaken today to a tropical storm. it's been 21 years since burmese opposition leader aung san suu kyi is about to accept a nobel peace prize she won in 1991. the 66-year-old champion of democracy is being honored this month in european capitals after spending most of the past two decades under arrest by myanmar's military-backed

dictatorship. and daredevil nik wallenda is now the first person to cross niagara falls on a tight rope. on a 2-inch wire suspended 1,800 feet in the air, a tethered wallenda crossed the brink of the roaring falls in less than a half an hour. he never stumbled or even wobbled as he pulled off the stunt on national tv, but he says he did pray a lot. we'll have much more on the feat in our next hour on "today." that's the news. now back to tamron, jeff and bill. and guys, he had a safety harness. >> i know, that's what i said. >> i mean, anybody could do that. >> prayer and a safety harness? i'm done. i could do it today. >> and he says he's going to do the grand canyon next. he's not done yet. >> untethered and don't pray. >> this is a tough room! man, lord. >> i'd do it, if i had a harness. fall 100 times, but -- >> you said it. >> got a big plaza out there. >> they've still got the cables hooked up. >> bill has the weather. >> tamron's dressed appropriately. lots of sunshine out there and beautiful conditions across the country. we are watching the heat building a little bit. this is the time of year we start to turn it up a bit.

we should be in the 90s in chicago. detroit's pretty warm, too. st. louis is back in the oven after a beautiful week with low humidity. the heat has returned. afternoon temperatures, it's a day to spend in the lake or the pool. the only concerns with the rain and thunderstorms are definitely going to be from kansas city to chicago late today. there is a chance for severe storms. it's not going to ruin your entire day, but kansas city to chicago late today. there's a chance for severe storms. won't ruin your entire day. probably a half hour period when the storms roll through that you'll want to stay inside. now a look at the weather outside your window. >> a good saturday morning for you. i'm chuck bell. the sun is shining here in washington. it will be a beauty of a weekend to get outside and enjoy it. current temperatures in the 50s and the 60s. still mid-50s across fairfax and prince william counties. good and your father's day forecast coming up a little later in the show. jeff? >> bill, thanks.

many high-rise condos in miami have been vacant, sitting empty, a sign of south florida's weak real estate market, but a recent survey shows something of a turn-around. now about 90% of the city's condos are either rented or occupied by an owner. so, what happened? here's nbc's natalie morales. >> hello? >> felix? >> reporter: it's a typical day for real estate broker crispiano. he's got a client in his rolls and antonio luciano is ready to pay cash, lots and lots of it. so, where are we going to go today? >> well, my client, antonio, asking me to see something on the beach. ♪ >> reporter: flush with cash from a strong economy, waves of wealthy brazilians are landing on and buying up south florida's shores. here at the "w" on south beach, brazilians own almost half of the condos. >> this is probably one of the hottest right now.

welcome to 1728, three-bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with den, direct ocean. >> wow. this closet is the size of one of my bedrooms. >> reporter: less than five years ago, south florida was ground zero for the real estate crisis with vacant buildings and foreclosures all around. at the same time, brazil's economy was starting to surge as prices there soared, this became the land of opportunity. brazil is minting 20 new millionaires a week and many of them are doing their best shopping in miami. >> well, brazilians love shopping and they love the beach. they love the gucci, prada, louis vuitton, so they have a recognized brand name, they love it. >> reporter: and the brazilian story seems to be far from over, which brings us back to antonio luciano, who was last seen on miami's star island shopping for a house that's on the market for $17 million.

>> come over here. >> i like the location. i like everything here. >> reporter: for "today," natalie morales, nbc news, miami. still to come, as we continue on this saturday morning, a pro surfer speaks out for the first time about an accident that nearly cost him his life. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come this morning, achieving a secure, comfortable retirement account. je chatzky is here to take your questions. plus, suffering from jubilee withdrawal? rest easy. >> oh, yeah. >> there's another big celebration for queen elizabeth today complete with royal pageantry.

this is a news 4 newsbreak. hi, everyone. good morning. it is 7:26 on this saturday, june 16th, 2012. i'm richard jordan. topping your news for today a group of students may face charges for shooting two kids with a bb gun. a boy and a girl were walking to rock run elementary school, neither were seriously injured but police caught up with students from a different school. they're still trying to figure out why those students shot the bb gun at the two kids. good news for those who use cabs to get around the district. a $1 surcharge is set to expire. it was put in place to offset

rising gas prices. the commission decided to drop the extra fee. if prices go back up, they're willing to bring that charge back. meteorologist chuck bell has

[ male announcer ] one taste of the new mccafé cherry berry chiller at mcdonald's, and you won't be able to pull yourself away.

made with 100% fruit juice with natural flavors, blended with ice. the simple joy of keepin' it cool. the weekend is off to a nice start. let's find out if it's going to last. meteorologist chuck bell joins us from the storm center with details. >> good morning, everybody. after a beautiful finish to the week yesterday, now all we want to do is keep that nice weather on through the weekend. i'm optimistic that we'll get away with very nice weather. temperatures right now in the upper 50s and low 60s. we'll have plenty of sunshine today. might be dimd out by midlevel clouds. on the whole, a delightful day. and tomorrow more of the same staying a couple of degrees cooler than average. nice and comfy.

if you're headed to the beach down in ocean city, perfect weather on the coastline. surf's up too, richard. back now on this saturday morning, june 16th, 2012. nice crowd out on the plaza. good to see you, too, and a beautiful day here in new york and really across the country today, which is nice for the weekend. i'm jeff rossen inside studio 1a alongside tamron hall. lester has the morning off, of course. coming up this half hour, planning for your retirement. >> in recent weeks, the stock market has been up one week, down the next. that combined with high unemployment makes it difficult for many people to even think about retiring. jean chatzky joins us to sort things out. >> i also know you've been thinking about the queen's celebration. you miss the jubilee more than anything. >> i think about it every night. >> well, pageantry is in the air again in london, another celebration for queen elizabeth, complete with a parade and a

horse-drawn carriage. so of course, we will have a live report from london coming up. >> it actually is a beautiful day. it really was gorgeous. and how real is reality tv? a woman featured on the hgtv show "house hunters" says it's more fantasy than reality, but is that what viewers really want? we'll pose that question to a couple experts. but we begin this half hour with a story of survival. you may not have heard of survival beach, but to surfers on the north shore of puerto rico, it's a secret and sacred place. it's also where 26-year-old pro surfer gabriel esperdero nearly lost his life and now he's speaking out for the first time. our telemundo anchor has the story. >> reporter: puerto rico is a prime destination for international surfers. and for the locals, there is no place like survival beach. >> it looks like a little swimming pool right now. this place transforms into

beast. even like standing here on the shore you get goose bumps. >> reporter: three months ago, internationally ranked pro surfer, gabby nearly died here, experiencing survival's true meaning firsthand. that day was a horrible day for surfing. >> yeah, it was awful. it was probably the worst conditions for big waves. >> reporter: with the wind blowing sideways and the tide very low, a dangerous combination, gabby and two of his friends dove right in. >> we had some friends from the states visiting, and they were out there for the first time, and they were doing really good. they were getting incredible barrels. >> reporter: so, the puerto rican pride kicked in. >> so, yeah, the peer pressure and the competition and all those things got involved. >> reporter: he candidly admits that his eagerness to show off clouded his judgment. >> i started piling for the wave and i immediately knew i wasn't going to make it. i kept going for it anyways. >> reporter: the waves slammed him against a shallow coral reef. >> i didn't realize it at the moment. i just saw like a flash, like a

photographer took a photo of you real close. >> reporter: he emerged from the water unable to see. the impact ruptured his skull with the flap of his skin now covering his eyes. >> when he came up, i heard him screaming. he was asking for help. >> then i just switched into this is my best friend. i've got to do whatever it takes to get him out of the water. >> i was asked him how my face was, if i still had my eyes, if i was bleeding a lot, if my face was okay. >> reporter: in addition to his head injury, gabby also suffered two broken vertebrae and a dislocated shoulder. >> i thought about sharks. i just see so much blood around. i was thinking about the people that were around me that, you know, there's probably going to be sharks some time soon over here. >> reporter: they made a makeshift bandage for gabby's head wound, guiding him through the waves and back to shore. your friends basically saved your life. >> there is no -- i haven't even found a way to, you know, thank them like i want to.

>> reporter: surviving survival beach has given gabby a new purpose. >> definitely right now it's the cool thing to do is wear a helmet, and if there is a way i could make that be a cool thing, that would be awesome for me. >> reporter: for "today," maria celeste, nbc news. >> what a great guy. >> you did something on sharks, right? >> look, it's a dangerous sport, of course. i did a story about thrill-seekers, who jump in with sharks and don't use any cages, but you know. >> the whole blood in the water thing's not good. >> not really. shouldn't throw chum in to things and jump in. >> not with a hangnail. >> an inspirational story. >> let's get a check on the weather from bill karins. we're looking at a beautiful weather for dads out there. beautiful west on the east coast, but the main problem is thunderstorms from the midwest up to the great lakes. that's where we could see a slight risk of severe storms, maybe an isolated tornado or two missouri, eastern kansas. let's talk about dad. father's day forecast still looking nearly perfect from maine all the way down into the

southeast, including atlanta. storms, though, will plague you from areas of indiana through ohio, up into southern michigan. that's where we could see some minor problems during the day. it's not going to rain your entire day, but if you're in those minor problems. want to have alternative plans. >> good morning, everyone. i'm chuck bell. a beautiful weekend to get under way here in washington. the sun is already out. temperatures are starting to inch their way up. we're looking for highs in the upper 70s and low 80s. 55 in manassas right now. 62 in hagerstown, 65 in washington. mostly sunny and delightful today. highs in the and if you have specific plans and you want your hour-by-hour forecast, you can always get there tha at weather.com. overall, a pretty nice weekend.

>> the tough guy who made fun of nik wallenda now won't go swimming with a hangnail? >> i flip-flop. >> you're a flip-flopper. >> that's okay. we have got your back. still ahead, more pageantry overseas as queen elizabeth and the royal family find another reason to celebrate. we are live from london. but coming up next, tips on how to make the most of your money after you retire. but first, these messages. for three hours a week, i'm a coach.

but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. with the red, white, and blue. ocean spray cranberry, white cranberry, and blueberry juice cocktails. [ coughs ] okay, i believe this one is yours? [ clears throat ] did i ever think i would have heart disease. she just didn't fit the profile of a heart event victim.

she's healthy, she eats properly. i was pushing my two kids in a stroller when i had my heart event. i've been on a bayer aspirin regimen ever since. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone. so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i know if i take my bayer aspirin i have a better chance of living a healthy life. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am proheart on facebook. ♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. just one removes more stains than the 6 next leading pacs combined. pop in. stand out.

♪ when i'm sixy-four back at 39 minutes after the hour. this morning in "today's retirement 911," ways to save. it's never too late to save and the sooner you begin, the more time your money has to grow, of course. here to help us is jean chatzky, "today's" financial editor and author of "money rules: the simple path to lifelong security." jean, good morning to you. >> hi, jeff. >> first question right off the top, and of course, we're all watching the volatile state of

the economy right now. >> we are. >> a, should that affect your retirement savings and how much you put in? should you put in more or less? >> well, it should affect what you do as you get closer to retirement. it really hammers home the importance of pulling out enough money in safe investments to get you through three to five years so that you don't have to pull money out of your long-term investments when the market's roller coastering. >> so don't watch that day-to-day and make big decisions based on that. >> definitely not. >> in your book, you mentioned lifelong financial security, and one of your number one tips in the book is to automate. you use that word. what does that mean? >> it's actually money rule under 62. >> look at that. >> and it means when you have the impulse to save, you want to set it and forget it, like it's a commercial. you want to make sure money is going every single month, every single paycheck into whether it's a 401(k) or an i.r.a. this is why 401(k)s work, because the money comes out automatically and you don't have

the opportunity to touch it, but 401(k)s are not enough. you need to do it in an i.r.a., you need to do it in discretionary accounts for 529s everywhere, automating gets it there. >> great tip, automate. we have viewer questions. >> okay. >> bill is on skype this morning from collierville, tennessee, joining us this morning. bill, good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question for jean? >> i have a defined benefit retirement plan with a previous employer and i'm approaching the age at which i can take discounted early retirement payments. what are the factors and calculations i need to consider to help make a good decision about waiting to take full benefits versus the early retirement benefits while i continue to work at my present company? >> okay, so, the first question you have to ask yourself, bill, is do you need this money to live? and if the answer to that is no, then you look at how much additional money you could get by waiting. people face this question all the time when it comes to social security, and we know that for every year we wait from about

age 62 until we hit full retirement, we get an additional almost 8% on that money, all the way up until age 70, which is a great return. it's more money than you could probably make on your own, and that's why waiting tends to be the best decision, unless you're struggling and you can't put food on the table and you don't have the ability to live. >> thank you. >> sure. >> bill, thank you so much. have a great saturday. our next question comes from a viewer e-mail, and this is from jan w. in chicago. jan asks, "i've heard the longer you wait to take social security, the more of it you'll get. i have just retired but am in good shape financially and do not need the social security yet. what are the reasons i should wait or not wait to begin receiving?" >> okay, so, essentially the same question. if you need the money. if you can't get by. if you can't pay for your health care, then you take it and you come up with a budget that's going to enable you to last on that smaller sum of money. but the return on waiting is so

great that if you can possibly wait until age 67 or age 70, you want to do it, because we're living so much longer. this is particularly true for women who are out-living men by about seven years. >> jan w., by the way, just "w." she wants her last name withheld. >> w-4 withheld. >> very nice. we're going to the plaza for our next question. mark is out there. hey, mark. >> hi, jean. >> hey, mark. >> i'm mark from syracuse, new york, an optometrist. i am 64 today and my daughter is 16. because of other challenges, we are just starting now. do i stand a chance of paying for her college and ever retiring? >> oh, my goodness. well, happy birthday, and don't be so depressed! >> oh, i'm not depressed. i'm on the "today" show. >> here is the deal. there is financial aid for her college education. there is no financial aid for your retirement, and that's why

you really have to prioritize your retirement savings. you can absolutely save as much as you can for as long as you can, but you sit down with her and you go through what you need to do to fill out those financial aid forms. and also, i've got a son going off to college this year. it's expensive. you want to look with her at colleges that are going to offer her the best deal, which means the colleges that really, really want her to attend and will provide her with merit aid because she's such a great kid and a great student. >> a great student. her grade average is 98. >> see? there you go! >> but she says i only want columbia or nyu. >> well, you're going to have to have a reality check about that. >> and mark should open a different account for her daughter's sweet 16 irks guess. >> a 529 would not be a bad idea. >> jean chatzky, thank you very much. mark, happy birthday to you as well. coming up, more celebrations for queen elizabeth and her husband is back by her side. with a private island? really? no. it comes with a hat. see, airline credit cards promise flights

for 25,000 miles, but... [ man ] there's never any seats for 25,000 miles. frustrating, isn't it? but that won't happen with the capital one venture card. you can book any airline, anytime. hey, i just said that. after all, isn't traveling hard enough? ow! [ male announcer ] to get the flights you want, sign up for a venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? uh, it's ok. i've played a pilot before. ♪ power surge, let it blow your mind. [ male announcer ] for fruits, veggies and natural green tea energy... new v8 v-fusion plus energy. could've had a v8. nfocus lolo, focust sanyagy. let's do this i am from baltimore south carolina... bloomington, california... austin, texas... we are all here to represent the country we love this is for everyone back home

it's go time. across america, we're all committed to team usa. you know you could just use bengay zero degrees. medicated pain relief you store in the freezer. brrr...see ya boys. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. a deep, throbbing, persistent ache. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior,

or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. it's good to be the queen. there was more pageantry, pomp and circumstance in london today to celebrate queen elizabeth's birthday. it seems like there's a never-ending party going on there. nbc's annabel roberts is in london.

annabel, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tamron. yes, more celebrations for the queen today, this time to mark her birthday or her official one, at least, and that comes two weeks after four days of celebrations for her diamond jubilee. and the icing on the cake for the queen today, her husband, prince philip, was fit enough to be at her side. the queen rode out of buckingham palace in a carriage with her husband, prince philip, at her side. thousands turned out once again to cheer her. other royals followed, acknowledging the crowds on their way to another colorful and historic spectacle. they watched trooping the color, a military display involving 1,500 soldiers. the queen took the salute, as she has done throughout her reign, in the early days on horseback riding side saddle. this is prince philip's first official appearance since attending the pageant on the river thames, part of the diamond jubilee celebrations. he spent five days in hospital with a bladder infection,

returning home one week ago, just in time for his 91st birthday. >> it was significant that prince philip was at the queen's side for the trooping of colors. it was very cheery and uplifting to see him there with the queen, because remember, after all these years together, she just looks slightly lonely without him there. >> reporter: she did, though, have william and kate as company as she continued without prince philip, and the public appreciate it. the latest poll find 90% support her. >> the monarchy is at the peak in terms of popularity. the queen really is getting what she deserves and i think it's significant, too, that kate, duchess of cambridge, has been at the side of the queen, completing the apprenticeship, if you'd like, as a royal duchess and princess. >> reporter: trooping the color dates back 250 years. on a hot day, the standing at attention for hours can get too much. no chance of that this mild morning, a good day for the

troops and another great day for the queen. and to mark her birthday, the queen hands out honors in recognition of achievement and actress kate winslet has been made a commander of the british empire. she says she feels extremely proud. looking ahead, on monday, construction workers move in to transform this into the venue for beach volleyball during the olympics. less than five weeks to go, tamron. >> annabel, from one big event to the next, a lot of excitement in london. very good times there. thank you so much. and just ahead, a woman featured on the reality tv program "house hunters" says the show is not as real as you might think. is it built on a weak foundation? we'll take a look. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," walking the tight rope over niagara falls. see how this daring stuntman made history.

plus, fights are nothing new during a hockey game, but a mom coming on the ice to help break one up? yes, it happened. we'll take a look. but first, these messages. nal sl in our grandfather's attic. all right. let her rip! we knew we were onto something. just throw that thing over your back and you could just shoot down any hill. and you get the sky, and you get the sun and the trees... taking your product and making it a reality is really what it's all about. i'm billy smith and i started my business with legalzoom. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. my name is sunshine and i have three beautiful girls. i like taking advil® for a headache. it nips it in the bud. and i can be that mommy that i want to be. ♪ [ male announcer ] take action. take advil®. ur eyes will do the talking. [announcer:] new revlon® photoready 3d volume™ mascara

the round tip brush coats even the tiniest lash. the innovative formula reflects every lash... for a 100% more magnified look. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans.

whelet's get our creativity me, running. then get some blades spinning, paper sanding, and bits turning. let's motor to the only place that carries our favorite tools... for our favorite people... armed with a budget and a mission... and see what happens when we put those tools to work for us. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get this ryobi 18-volt drill kit for the new lower price of just $69.

this is a news 4 newsbreak. >> good morning. it is 7:56 on this saturday, june 16th, 2012. i'm richard jordan. topping your news for today, a traffic alert for drivers in northern virginia, particularly i-66 going eastbound. the left exit ramp from the hov lane to the outer loop of the beltway is closed. signs are posted directing traffic to use the right exit instead. 64-a. v-dot is working on the express lanes project which should be finished later this year. this morning, you can protect yourself from identity theft at the community shred.

it's happening in the annandale campus of northern virginia university cam pu. you can bring up to five boxes for shredding. here are some things to leave out, batteries, combustibles, media electronic equipment and ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

the weekend is here and there's alotgoingonsolet'sfind out if the weather will cooperate. here is a live picture from our tower cam. nothing but bright blue skies out there. a couple of midlevel clouds but they won't be bringing us anything in the way of rain chances for the weekend. great day to get out to wash the car, wash the dog, whatever you need to do. mostly sunny and delightful day. not too terribly humid. more of the same coming our way

tomorrow. but warmer more humid air comes in a risk of a shower monday, then hot and steamy next week. >> thanks. another news update in 25 minutes. welcome back to "today" on this saturday morning, the 16th of june 2012. we've got a great crowd on the plaza waving hello to their friends and family members back home. our special thank you to all of them spending their saturday with us outside on the plaza. i'm tamron hall alongside jeff rossen. lester holt has the day off. coming up, an incredible stunt on niagara falls. >> yeah, did you see this last night? nik wallenda crossed over the falls. he was wearing a safety harness. it took about 25 minutes, made history. this is a family of the wallendas, were no strangers to daredevil stunts. he made it, but we're going to have more of his treacheus walk across that 2-inch tight

rope coming up in just a bit. >> pretty impressive. i mean, we've been saying he was tethered, but look at that. >> he's the man. >> that was amazing. he is the man. then, we're going to talk about reality television. a woman featured on the hgtv show "house hunters" says the show is more fantasy than reality, complete with made-up storylines and homes that aren't even for sale. we'll take a look at how real reality tv is. >> yeah, good question. the tv news business is difficult, but hockey games, those get downright brutal. the fistfights are semi-normal, even at kids' games, but this one was a little different wthan was involved in the fight, so she stormed the ice. >> love it. >> you're going to see what happened and why she did it, coming up. >> she meant business. >> oh, so, lindsay lohan, the actress, gave her fans quite a scare on friday when paramedics were called to her hotel room. it raised new questions about her wellbeing as she's trying to make a comeback. we'll look at how she's doing and the week's other celebrity news. lindsay, again, in the

headlines. >> i know. i hope she's doing okay. she's working on that film and said she was working all night. we'll get a report on that. first, let's get the other headlines of the morning from tom llamas at the news desk. >> good morning, guys. and good morning, everyone. president obama is responding to years of pressure from immigrant rights groups with a major change in policy. the president said friday his administration will stop deporting young, illegal immigrants who came to this country as children. for more, let's go live to nbc's pete williams. pete, good morning. >> tom, the president says this new policy will apply to young people who he says are americans in every way but one, on paper. starting immediately, the government will stop deporting people here illegally who were brought to the u.s. under age 16 and are age 30 or younger now, have lived here at least the past five years, are in high school or have a high school diploma or military service and have not committed a serious crime. those who meet the standards will still be here illegally and they will not get a leg up for citizenship, but they can apply for relief from deportation for

two years, something that can be renewed repeatedly, and they're eligible to seek work permits. perhaps reflecting the passion surrounding the immigration issue, the president showed a flash of anger when his remarks were interrupted by a reporter for a conservative website. >> it is the right thing to do. [ inaudible ] excuse me, sir, it's not time for questions, sir. not while i'm speaking. >> republicans say the president was wrong to bypass congress, which has so far declined to give any relief to young immigrants who want citizenship, tom. >> pete williams. pete, thank you. mitt romney will try to steer his bus tour back to economic issues after a detour caused by the president's new immigration policy. the republican presidential candidate is traveling across pennsylvania today. nbc's peter alexander is on the campaign trail with him. peter, good morning. >> reporter: tom, we're in weatherly, pennsylvania, the first of three smalltown stops for romney on what he calls the "every town counts" tour.

this is his biggest traditional campaign swing so far in the general election cycle. he will be hitting six states in just five days. these are states that president obama won four years ago. new hampshire, pennsylvania, ohio, wisconsin, iowa as well as the state of michigan. he says he's visiting the back roads of america, what romney refers to as the backbone of america. yesterday in new hampshire he was serving up alongside his wife some ice cream at an ice cream social, also serving up a new line of attack against the president, saying that he has not given middle class americans a fair shot. romney insists that these are the parts of the country that the president has forgotten, and so far, the people we've spoken to are here to express their support for governor romney. tom? >> peter, thank you. as part of the countdown to the olympics, torchbearers are carrying the olympic flame through more than 1,000 uk cities, towns and villages before it reaches london. thousands of people lined the thames river friday to watch

adventurer bear grills use a zip line to carry the torch through new castle. the opening ceremony of the 2012 olympic games is july 27th right here on nbc. and not even a car crash could keep a massachusetts woman from getting her hair done this week. check this out. the 89-year-old woman says she was planning to park in a handicapped spot when she hit the gas instead of the brake. she crashed into an office near the hair salon, nearly missing three women inside. everyone escaped without injury and the driver even kept her hair appointment. of course she did! that's the news now. let's head back outside to tamron hall on the plaza. >> yes. >> and tamron, you can't come between a woman and her hair appointment, right? >> no, you cannot come between a woman and her hair. and actually, later in the show, we're going to be playing a little water sports. i've got to protect my hair. meantime, tom, thank you very much. let's go to bill karins for a check on the forecast. we're debating whether 63 is chilly. you're freezing cold. it's not that bad, but she told me it's cold, too.

just teasing. happy 10th birthday to you. >> thank you! >> we've got a couple other birthdays down here. brandon, 15? >> yep. >> and then katie just turned 11. we've got a big old birthday cake. got to get one of those chefs out here on the show today. let's take a look at your weekend forecast. we are looking at carlotta. this was a hurricane, made landfall as we went through last night. it's a pretty strong hurricane when it made landfall in mexico. now it's weakened significantly. that's what happens when a hurricane runs into the high mountains of mexico. acapulco, looks like rainy, windy weather for you. the big concern today, severe thunderstorms rolling from des moines to kansas city to chicago, indianapolis and st. louis. could see a few tornadoes, but i'm more concerned with large hail and damaging winds. we have a beautiful day in store for the east coast, but be careful. we've had a lot of rip current threats over the last couple days along the east coast beaches from the carolinas down through eastern florida. and also in the west, unfortunately for areas just north of seattle, a eastern florida and also in the west, unfortunately for areas just north of seattle, a little rain for the weekend.

that's a look at the national forecast. now a look at the weather outside your window. >> i'm storm 4 meteorology chuck bell. outside our window, the sun is shining. temperatures will stay a little cooler than average tall way through the remainder of the weekend. nice change from last weekend when we had both day in the 90s. annapolis, the warm spot at 70 right now. plenty of sunshine pap de also welcoming in these dancers from cleveland. jazz hands or anything? back to you, jeff. >> bill, thanks. until last night, no one had ever dared cross the misty, treacherous niagara falls while on a tight rope. you can understand why. this morning, there is one man who can say he has done it in dramatic fashion. here's nbc's veronica de la cruz. >> reporter: it's about as dangerous a thing you can do, but when nik wallenda stepped out on to the wire last night, he was on his way to fulfilling

a lifelong dream, to be the first to walk a highwire across the breathtaking but deadly niagara falls. >> the impossible is not so impossible if you set your mind to it and reach for your goals. >> reporter: it's nearly a half mile from the american side to the canadian side and almost 200 feet up. tens of thousands of people on both sides watched. >> absolutely amazing, to have that view. i mean, it is unreal. it's compared to nothing. >> reporter: at each careful step, the wire swayed in the wind. his vision was blocked by a cold mist that coated both nik and the wire. >> the wind was definitely something that you could not train for. it was coming from every which way, and the mist was powerful. there were a couple times where i had to blink so that i could see. >> reporter: nik is no stranger to danger. he was born into the famous flying wallenda family, circus performers for more than 200 years. his great grandfather, carl wallenda, was an international

sensation who thrilled audiences by crossing between skyscrapers without a net until he fell to his death at the age of 73 in 1978. nik earned six guinness records for his daring highwire performances, including this one in newark, new jersey, four years ago live on the "today" show. >> oh, my gosh! >> reporter: dangerous stunts have been outlawed at the falls for 100 years. wallenda needed a special waiver for this attempt, and producers of last night's show demanded that nik wear a safety harness. of course, on arriving in canada, nik had to show his passport. he declared the purpose of his trip was to inspire millions. what's next? >> well, i have permits to be the first person in the world to walk across the grand canyon. >> reporter: for "today," veronica de la cruz, nbc news, new york. >> and so, as you can hear, he is not done yet. grand canyon next. we wish him the best of luck. here's tamron. >> jeff, thank you very much. when you watch families hunting for their dream house on

the popular hgtv show "house hunters," how much of what you're watching is the real thing? a former participant on the show says not much, and like so much of what's called reality tv, there's a lot that's not very real at all. now more from mike taibbi. >> reporter: it's the most watched reality show on hgtv, "house hunters," a video of a journey that's familiar to millions of families, about the the cornerstone of the american dream. >> wow! >> reporter: but now a former show participant, bobi jensen, has called the show a sham, saying a producer made up the story line for her family's decision to move from their former home, a home they actually planned to rent out as an investment. >> now they're itching for more room. >> he said we're a lot more interested in just saying that this house is too tiny for you guys. >> reporter: but she said they had already chosen their new house when the cameras followed them looking at other possibilities that weren't even for sale. >> the jensens leave with this

house high on their list. >> we had two very nice, generous friends agreed to let us just tour theirs and pretend they were part of our lineup of houses we were choosing from. >> reporter: hgtv's reaction? >> in this case, apparently, they couldn't find enough properties to look at, so they ended up choosing friends' homes. this was something we weren't aware of at the time. >> reporter: it begs the question, ten years into the genre that dominates the airwaves, how real is reality tv? or maybe it should be how real do viewers want it to be? for many, the question deserves the same wink as captain rena t renault's famous line from "casablanca." >> i'm shocked to find out gambling is going on in here. >> reporter: but "house hunters" weren't supposed to cross that line of obvious fiction. these chronicles about the most important investment families make was pitched as more journalism than show business for those real estate junkies. >> this is also just to be a voyeur. so, you're looking -- you know, who doesn't love looking inside someone's house? >> reporter: but even bobi jensen, who blogged about the

show to blow the whistle on it, says she's still a loyal viewer. >> i think it is pure entertainment and i still enjoy it. >> reporter: and another viewer wrote in response to jensen's revelations that now the guilty pleasure is not in wondering which house each family would choose but in guessing which parts of this reality show are real. for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> ericka souter is a pop culture expert and troy deval is a reality show producer and author of "reality tv: an insider's guide to tv's hottest market." good morning to both of you. thanks for joining me. how surprised should people be regarding these allegations when it comes to "house hunters"? were you shocked, i should ask you? >> well, i work in reality television, so my job is to see where scenes seem a little fishy to me, but honestly, i don't care. it doesn't surprise me. it doesn't change -- >> is that because you're an expert in the business? do the average viewers care? >> i don't think average viewers really care at all about how

real their entertainment is. i think it's a surface question for a lot of viewers. are you entertained is the major question. >> but you know, it's interesting. the creator and executive producer of "the bachelor," mike fleiss, was speaking at a network reality show and said outside of his own show and talent shows, "70% to 80% of shows on tv are bs, and he didn't use the bs. do you agree with that? >> i agree. the problem with reality shows is you have to understand there is a compression of time, there's certain constraints to the availability of resources to you to make a show. sometimes things do have to be a little bit planned out or you might have -- >> even planted? >> sometimes planned, sometimes planted. i can't speak to any particular shows, but it does happen. >> erica, it's interesting, according to the "hooked on house," the blog where the "house hunters" news came from, people have commented that they're upset, disappointed, the show is ruined for them. why are so many people upset to the point where they don't even watch the program anymore? >> people buy into this idea that being a reality star is the

new american dream. a regular person can become rich and famous just for being themselves. and the idea that it's put on and everyone doesn't have a chance to be famous is really disappointing, and it really upsets fans. >> is all reality created equal in that, you know, you've got the talent shows, the dating shows, the makeover shows. is there a different standard of what we're expecting to be real? >> it is. you have someone, a big house full of people, you expect different characters. the jock, the mean girl, the virgin. you expect a lot of different personalities so there's a lot of different conflict. but when you have a show that's about finding your dream home or getting a makeover, you expect a little bit of more true, a true story there. >> more authenticity to the story line. it's interesting, this genre again is exploding. it seems to dominate and some of the most successful shows are reality programs. will we need to see a partial reality disclaimer and a full reality, kind of letting people know that half of what you see may not be real, or is that just out of the question?

>> i don't really know how important it is. when i watch a docuseries or a docusoap, it matters to me that those people are portrayed as the people they actually are and it's a realistic way, but whi think there's a different standard. >> do you agree with troy? are people watching for the entertainment value and don't care if it's scripted or unscripted, it is about basically maybe escapism, if you will? >> deep down, people know there are lots of things that are contrived. how did those two people wind up at the same restaurant with the cameras rolling? but they still like the drama. that's good television, whether it's planted or not. >> well, i'm a reality tv junkie, so i'm still hooked. ericka souter, troy duvolld, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> what's the difference between a hockey mom and a referee? well, the hockey mom knows how to break up a fight. see how, right after this. ♪

[ natalie ] i was born to swim but my hair isn't so lucky. hours and hours in the pool mages it. that's why i love pantene daily moisture renewal. [ female announcer ] the pro-v system nourishes for healthier hair in less than 7 days. [ natalie ] i want to win as an athlete and shine as a woman. [ female announcer ] daily moisture renewal from pantene. hair so healthy it shines. ♪ 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.

to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. [ man ] get the 20 piece mcnuggets. what? that lovely girl, caught your eye? 20 piece mcnuggets are only $4.99. you offer to share them. a conversation begins. that's pretty smart. i been around. [ male announcer ] 20 piece chicken mcnuggets only $4.99, just one of the awesome tastes available only on mcdonald's new extra value menu. the simple joy of being extra smart. only on mcdonald's new extra value menu.

it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest. it's you, fully charged. well, we've all seen parents yelling from the stands during their son's or daughter's game, but one hockey mom in boston took it a step further and put herself right on the ice. >> i love this woman, by the way. yeah, a fan caught this on camera. the video's gone viral. more than 270,000 views so far. take a look. so, look, of course we've seen hockey fights before, especially at little ones' games, but this one ends a little differently. two teams, the boston raptors and the tribe faced off in the midget major tournament. that's the name of it. when a typical brawl broke out

on the ice. as you can see, about a half dozen players get involved. but the referee, who's just off to the right side of your screen as we pull out just a little bit, well, he just stood there. he blew his whistle a little bit, but he let the fight go on. one hockey mom took matters into her own hands. there she is in the pink yelling at one of the refs, and he gives it right back to her. >> get off the ice! get off the ice! >> get off the ice! >> she's ejecting the ref from the game. the stunned players just stopped fighting. they didn't know what to do, so it looks like the hockey mom actually got her way after all. that's what you need to do to break up a fight, apparently, get your mom involved. >> what's it sarah palin says, the difference between a hockey mom and pit bull, lipstick? >> got that right. >> i think she did the right thing. i always see these hockey fights and i'm always like, oh, my, and these are kids. >> but she did the right thing. >> i'm the completely opposite direction. if i'm the teenage son and i'm in the fight -- >> exactly. >> -- and my mom comes out on the ice -- >> yeah? >> i'm doing this.

>> this kid can't show his face anymore. >> you guys think she shouldn't have done that? come on! >> obviously, her kid was probably getting the worst of it. >> no. she was the concerned mom. she took a stand that ref was standing there not -- go, girl. i love her. she's my new hero. >> if she was that concerned, couldn't she have gone over and yanked her son off -- >> she didn't want to mess up a nail. >> i don't think she was concerned with messing up anything. >> you'll need your moms later today after the fight we have in about 15 minutes or so. >> i know. >> can't wait for that. >> she did the right thing, 100% right. >> we have a water world fight battle coming up and i'm real concerned about my fro. >> you'll be fine. >> don't touch it it's like fonzi. don't go there. don't touch the do. gone too far. still ahead as we continue, moving on, an update to the georgia college student who's struggling with flesh-eating back teara. this is a serious story. we have an update on how she's using mind over matter when it comes to her recovery. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

[ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets... ♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪ ...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

still to come on "today," celebrities making headlines. what really happened to lindsay lohan on friday and why are hip-hop stars chris brown and drake fighting over rihanna? we'll take a look. plus, still searching for that perfect father's day gift? listen. we have ideas for the tech geeks to the technically challenged. but first, these messages. c'mon dad! i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy.

instead i got heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw! so it stays on in conditions like sand... sun... 100-degree heat, and ocean water. for uva/uvb protection in seven conditions, banana boat. we've got you covered.

is non-stop to seattle? just carry preparation h totables. discreet, little tubes packed with big relief. from the brand doctors recommend most by name. preparation h totables. the anywhere preparation h.

this is a news 4 newsbreak. good morning, everybody. it is 8:26 on this saturday, june 16th, 2012. i'm angie goff. topping your news for today, good news for those who use cabs to get around the district. this wednesday, a $1 gas surcharge is set to expire. it went into effect in march of 2011 to offset rising gas prices. now that prices at the pump are dropping, the taxicab commission decided to drop the fee. if prices go up again, they're always willing to bring that charge back. in just a couple minutes, dozens of kids will be off to the races. it's the 71st annual washington soap box derby.

competitors will line up on constitution avenue right in front of the capitol here. right now you can protect yourself from identity theft at the nbc washington pnc bank community shred. it's happening until 11:00 thm at the annandale campus of northern virginia university campus. you can bring up to five boxes to shred. leave out batteries, flammables, combustible, electronic equipment, media materials, binders and hanging files. first, meteorologist chuck bell has a look at your weekend forecast. [ male announcer ] one taste of the new mccafé cherry berry chiller

at mcdonald's, and you won't be able to pull yourself away. made with 100% fruit juice with natural flavors, blended with ice. the simple joy of keepin' it cool. looks like it's going to be a nice father's day weekend. >> yes, indeed, angie. looks like great weather for anything dad wants to do inside or out. especially outside since it's going to be such a relatively calm day to be out in the great outdoors today. temperatures already starting to warm up thanks to the strong june sunshine now. we're pushing 70 in downtown d.c. most of the suburbs are still in the low to mid-60s. a couple of cool hours left. tomorrow father's day, temperature right around 81 degrees after another cool start. enjoy the cool mornings because

heat, haze and humidity come back midweek. back to you. a full 90 minutes of news, weather and sports and the back now on this saturday morning, june 16th, 2012. a beautiful morning here in new york city on a father's day weekend. and our thanks to the great crowd out here on the plaza with us today. they are loud and boisterous, too, the way i like it. i'm jeff rossen alongside tamron hall. and coming up in this half hour, we have an update on that georgia woman who's fighting flesh-eating bacteria. >> aimee copeland is showing the world just how strong she is. she's been keeping up her spirits, despite losing her hands, left leg and left foot, but she's saying no to conventional medicine. details in a moment on her condition. then, we are going to switch gears a bit. as i mentioned, it's father's day weekend, and if you want to get out, please do, to get that

last-minute gift. we have some ideas for you. it's for the techies and also the nontechies. a little something for everybody. >> all right. did you put your request in for father's day? >> oh, they're all in. >> they're all in? it's supposed to be one thing. >> it's several things. >> it's not mother's day! >> i love that. and the movie "rock of ages" is in the theaters now. it's taking us back to the hair band days of the '80s. audiences get to see a new side of tom cruise. we'll hear from the movie's stars and director about how it all came together. >> by the way, it's comments like that that i will get back to you in just a bit because you have a big water fight coming up on the plaza. it's "today's summer saturdays." last week, tamron challenged lester to some tetherball. >> i beat lester. >> look at that! >> look, i'm like derek jeter, michael jordan -- >> it's not even fair. >> you told him to trip me. so, this week -- >> this week we have the water fight. i love this. i do it with my kids all the time. >> what's a water fight? >> it's water balloons, water

guns, no holds barred. we're going for the hair. we're going for the hair, tamron. we're going there. >> who has a ride home? who's taking me home right now? >> by the way, before we go, i just want to -- >> yes. >> bill and beverly, 44 years of marriage. >> yes. >> congratulations. >> very nice. a beautiful couple. b&b. >> b&b. >> i like that. congratulations. let's get a check of the forecast. bill karins standing by. >> tamron, did you say you beat lester last weekend? >> no, i schooled him. i didn't just beat him. he's way in california. >> yeah, i know he is. he's still sleeping. well, good morning, everyone. you came all the way up -- what's your sign say? from north carolina to be on the sh "today" show. you also went to a wedding, right? don't forget the wedding, please. >> yes, for our cousin. >> for your cousin. enjoy that. it won't be quite as good as this, but it will be all right r. let's talk about your weekend forecast. there's a layoff the brides this time of year and on the eastern seaboard, low humidities, very

enj enjoyable. middle of the country is hot or stormy. going from kansas city, st. louis, all the way to chicago. the west coast, dry up to portland. from seattle northwards, though, on father's day, we could see rain unfortunely, but we shouldn't be dealingfath father's day, be a nice day to treat dad outdoors. here's a look at the weather outside you. >> i'm meteorologist chuck bell. the sun is shining this morning. temperature right here at the friendly peacock in northwest washington, 68 at national airport, 67 in beautiful war waldorf, maryland, this morning. 69 in bethesda, chevy chase, silver spring. your forecast and of course, a great father's day to all the dads out there. back to you, jeff. >> bill, thanks, and happy father's day to you as well. an update now on the georgia

graduate student battling a rare flesh-eating bacteria. aimee copeland's condition is improving, but as she gets better, she's opting for a holistic approach to healing. nbc's janet shamlian reports. >> reporter: an undeniable sign of aimee copeland's courage as she recovers from what can be a deadly flesh-eating bacteria. the 24-year-old georgia woman has undergone skin graphs to close what's been called a massive wound in her stomach and hip area left by the bacteria, and she decided, to the astonishment of her medical team, to do it without medication. "aimee refused pain medication and instead opted to meditate through the change," her father. >> there have been some very strong men who would not refuse at least what they call a fentanyl pop to be able to get through that. so, she's so strong and courageous, it's amazing. >> it does require a certain amount of focus and it does require a certain personality to do it. >> reporter: the decision was based on personal convictions.

part of the graduate student's masters thesis is on holistic pain management. her father says the morphine also made her feel groggy and confused. >> any effective treatment that does block pain always will have some side effect. >> reporter: this week, aimee's condition was upgraded from critical to serious and she's now achieved several important milestones -- breathing on her own, no longer needing dialysis, and eating on her own as well. her father called the upgraded condition "a major victory that cannot and should not be diminished." since falling from a snapped zip line over a georgia river last month and contracting the bacteria through a cut in her leg, aimee has lost both hands, her left leg and right foot to heartbreaking but necessary amputations that her medical team says may have saved her life. what clearly she hasn't yield is her spirit. her family says she's got some help in that department. >> people say you use god as a crutch. we're not using god as a crutch. we're using god as a stretcher

because he's carrying us through this. >> reporter: less than a month ago, doctors gave aimee copeland little chance of survival. there's still a long road ahead, but aimee's dad says while his daughter's pain is significant, her courage and determination to beat this are even greater. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. >> and we'll be right back, but first, these messages is gone. but what about your wrinkles. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it has the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce wrinkles in just one week. "why wait if you don't have to." rapid wrinkle repair. neutrogena®. recommended most by dermatologists. 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. so i'm at my best. what makes hershey's pure chocolate goodness that brings people together. hershey's makes it a s'more... you make it special. pure hershey's. ♪ power surge, let it blow your mind. [ male announcer ] for fruits, veggies and natural green tea energy... new v8 v-fusion plus energy. could've had a v8. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans.

it's been a week of celebrities making headlines and lots of them. lindsay lohan causing drama again. chris brown, a brawl at a nightclub. and the material girl finding a new way to express herself. here to talk about it all is "e!" news correspondent alicia corrals. good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> let's launch in, because lindsay lohan, late yesterday i started seeing tweets and reports of her being in some sort of crisis. what happened? >> there had been initial reports that she was rushed to the hospital from marina del rey where she was filming "liz & dick," but now we hear that wasn't in true. producers couldn't get in touch with her, so they called the hospital. he says she was dehydrated and exhausted. >> you raise a eyebrow and wonder what's really going on. >> of course you do.

last friday she was involved in that car crash and then this happens. with lindsay and her history of drug abuse, you never know, but we wish her well. >> they say she was exhausted. >> they say she's exhausted, went to take a nap. code word for exhaustion in celebrity world means they were doing something else a lot of times, but let's hope that's not the case. >> hope for the best. chris brown and drake in a brawl that -- i mean, the aftermath of this nightclub was epic. >> it was epic. that nightclub, whip, it's just -- >> it's in manhattan. >> it's in manhattan. i've been down to the scene. they ruined the inside of that club. i talked to a girl, ingrid, who was injured in the fight, talked to her lawyer. >> so others were injured. >> five people were taken to the hospital. >> that's chris brown, a chunk of flesh out of his face. what happened some. >> this is what this girl is alleging. i spoke to her lawyer. she says she was with chris brown's entourage and a letter came from drake saying something about rihanna and she says bottles started flying and tony

parker was hit with a bottle. >> have police reports been filed? >> police reports have been filed and this woman's lawyer says she plans to sue the club. so there will be lawsuits and it will be the tale of the security tape. >> what, if anything, has er rihanna -- first of all, did she date both of them? >> well, chris brown, yes, but she's been linked to both of them. we saw rihanna and chris brown in the same club nights prior to this. >> what has she said about the brawl? >> she hasn't said much about the brawl and she wasn't there this night. so this is shameful, two young men who should be doing positive things. >> should be. madonna, is it a wardrobe malfunction? >> no, no! it's a madonna malfunction, she pulls it out. >> i love the reenactment. i'm going to be honest -- >> morning tv. >> okay, so, she did -- i'm speechless. >> the first part of her tour, she says she just pulled it out because of no fear, and then in rome later, she flashes her butt. here's the thing, madonna is

controversial. for years she's done these kind of things, but people are saying look, you don't need to do it. you don't need the attention. >> also, people are saying she slammed others for, when m.i.a. gave the middle finger, saying you don't have to do this to stay relevant. >> i think she's like, i'm 53 and i have a banging body, so i'm putting it out there. the thing is, you don't always need shock value. you have wonderful music that can speak for itself. i think a lot of people are like, it's not shocking anyway. >> alicia, always a pleasure to see my twin. >> can't wait to see your water fight! >> well, you can come in and help me. >> uh-uh. not with this hair. >> alicia. thank you, here's jeff. tamron, thanks. if you're still looking for the perfect gift for dad, it's not too late. jason from "new york wired" magazine is here to show us the hottest tech gadgets available, available now for $150 and less. >> exactly, yes. >> most are cheaper than that. let's start here with this product, which is sort of like legos for dads. >> exactly. so, we look at father's day a

little differently. we don't even call it father's day. we celebrate it as greek dad day. instead of neck ties and brunches, we see it as an opportunity to get out with your family and explore science and technology. this is a kit we developed with little bits. basically, you build a circuit by putting these interchangeable parts together. you can customize your own electrical circuit. this is just a light meter that goes up and you turn the dial like this. it's a great way to teach the fundamentals to young children. >> something to do with your kids. >> exactly. it's educational. >> how much does that go for, by the way? >> that is $89. >> so it's inexpensive. the next is the nike fuel band. >> yeah. so, we at "required" are obsessed with self-tracking devices and basically everyone in the office is wearing one of these. this is a self-tracking device that can tell you how much energy you're expending. you set a target every day. you can see the hand here is on flashing green. >> let me just turn it on. >> as you exercise, you set a goal for yourself with the number of points you hope to gain and throughout the day, this will fill up until you get

to that point. it tests how much you're running, walking, tests your heart rate. >> even walking up stairs? >> weightlifting counts, whatever you're doing counts. >> weird plastic hand doesn't come with it, though. >> no. sold separately. >> this one is kind of cool. i was playing with it downstairs. it's a lens for your iphone. >> yeah, that's right. obviously, we all have pretty sophisticated cameras in our pockets now with the phone. we have photo editing apps that you can use. this is sort of that next step. this is a lens that just, you can see it's a set of lenses that clips right on to the corner of the phone like that. there is a -- >> easy to use. >> there is a wide-angle, a fish eye, a macro lens. it's 70 bucks and it can really sort of take your photos to the next level. >> pretty easy, small and light weight. >> yeah. >> we have photos we took this morning. that's the fish eye lens. >> pretty hot. >> you can see -- did you say that's pretty hot? >> yeah. >> that's a flower, hot. >> very hot flower. >> and you can kind of be your own deejay with this one. >> exactly. this is the irave. you hook up one ios device and

then maybe another one, or you can hook up a guitar, a microphone, whatever, and then you can just mix it live. you can record it right here. you know, there's a little cross fader, different levels. there are all kinds of crazy effects you can put on it if you want. you can actually get pretty sophisticated and it's easy to use. >> how much is this? >> 100 bucks. >> so you need a couple ipads, but you buy this in the middle. >> or it works with a phone. you can have one phone and one guitar, whatever. you can do a lot with just one device. >> great. you can scratch records at home. >> you can scratch that right there. >> like that. that's how you do it. this final one is cool, too, for us dads who like to barbecue a lot and don't like to stand in the heat. it's called the igrill. >> i don't like to stereotype too much, but dads tend to like grilling and gadgets so this is the combination of those. this is the igrill. you stick the probe in the meat and it uses bluetooth to communicate with your iphone. you can set the alarm for the temperature you need it to be. you don't have to keep opening the grill. it will beep when the meat's

done. >> and you can sit inside and have a beer or something. >> exactly. >> i love it. great. how much is that, by the way? >> that is $80. >> all right, so some pretty affordable options for dad, all still available now. >> that's right. >> thanks a lot. jason tans, thanks. tom cruise, as we continue, a big hair band star? we'll take a look at his new movie "rock of ages." but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ it's my life, it's now or never ♪ this weekend, a movie adaptation of the tony award-winning broadway musical "rock of ages" hits theaters. it's a love story to the rock anthems of the '80s with a star-studded cast, including tom cruise, who learned to sing for the film. ♪ i wanna rock, rock, rock >> reporter: "rock of ages" is the latest in a string of broadway hits like "hairspray" and "mamma mia!" to go from the

great white way to the silver screen. the jukebox musical brings back aquanet chill yacked hair, silver pant suits and crowd-surfing. yes, that's alec baldwin. it's a boy meets girl story, both looking for fame against the backdrop of the 1987 sunset strip. newcomer diego benita is rocker wanna be drew. the girl, "dancing with the stars'" julianne hough. >> i don't think anybody doesn't want to be a rock star. i mean, we would go to work and sing and dance and act and play goofballs all day. ♪ >> it's really like the first, you know, dude musical. >> reporter: a dude musical told through hits from the hair bands of the '80s -- def leppard, white snake and poison. ♪ looking for nothing but a good time ♪

>> reporter: but what's getting the most buzz is tom cruise's turn as long-haired, leather-clad rocker stacy jackson. the last time we heard cruise sing -- ♪ you never close your eyes anymore when i kiss your lips ♪ >> reporter: director adam shakeman says it really started when he ran in to cruise at a party. >> he said, hey, man, when are we going to make our musical? and in my head, i was thinking, like, never, like, what are you talking about? what am i going to do, like him as captain von trap in "the sound of music" remake? >> reporter: but when "rock of ages" came in, it clicked. he brought in axl rose's vocal coach to train the star. >> he is amazing in the voice coaching. the dude has like a four-octave range. ♪ dead or alive >> reporter: stepping back into the '80s metal scene with cruise, paul giamatti, russell brand and catherine zeta-jones.

♪ hit me with your best shot." >> reporter: they took inspiration from van halen's "hot for teacher" video and based mary j. blige's wardrobe on "dynasty's" crystal carrington. ♪ she loves to laugh, she loves to sing, she does everything ♪ >> reporter: and while the film's young heroine is too young to remember the decade, she says the sincerity of the music is timeless. >> but then it was, like, all about the heart, all about the music. if you didn't write the song, then you weren't a rock star. it was very cool to feel like there was so much heart. >> and we'll be right back, but first, these messages. books ands and on small business saturday they remind a nation of the benefits of shopping small. on just one day, 100 million of us joined a movement... and main street found its might again. and main street found its fight again. and we, the locals, found delight again. that's the power of all of us.

that's the power of all of us. that's the membership effect of american express. i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i got heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw!

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. [ male announcer ] they were born to climb... born to leap, born to stalk, and born to pounce. to understand why, we journeyed to africa, where their wild ancestor was born. there we discovered that cats, no matter where they are... are born to be cats. and shouldn't your cat be who he was born to be? discover your cat's true nature. purina one.

♪ 'cause this is summertime it's that time in the show for "today's summer saturday." every saturday this summer we're going to end the show with a little fun out on the plaza. last week, i challenged lester holt to a vicious game. >> you did very well. >> thank you. of tetherball.

and this week, it was jeff's pick. >> yeah. >> and what did you come up with? >> what i came up with is tom llamas looking like -- >> rambo. >> i don't know what he looks like. it's going to be a water fight. >> right. >> this is what i do with my kids every weekend -- >> great dad! you're going to be good at this. >> great experience. by the way, tamron just told me, you look like such a dad. >> yeah. tom llamas, is that nbc meets rambo? >> it was. john rambo was a drifter. i feel like a drifter today. i've got bill on my team, he's a meteorologist, he understands water. >> i don't understand this, though. >> you told me you're going to target my hair, so -- >> oh. >> nice. >> there we go. >> are you joking me right now? >> nice! swimsuit from the '50s. looking good. >> you went crazy. >> we're going to have a water fight. >> how do we know who wins? >> well, whoever's left. >> it will be obvious. >> the plaza will decide who wins, are you guys good with that? >> all right, here we go. >> here we go. >> ah! wait! ah! ♪

>> what do i do with this? um, jeff, i don't know which send the gun! ah! ♪ >> where is she? ♪ >> all right, we've got to go. bye, everybody! tamron's a bad teammate. we're sitting on a bunch of shale gas.

there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ good morning, everyone. i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie dpof.

straight ahead we're tracking a hurricane that made landfall at a popular resort region overnight. >> plus the president's new immigration policy. derek ward is live. >> senior administration officials and local leaders hammer out important issues in montgomery county. i'll have details coming up. >> i'm chuck bell. the sun is out for now. do you get to keep the sunshine for your whole father's day weekend? the forecast is coming up. >> a chance to help protect yourself from identity theft. it's absolutely free. what you need to know before heading to the washington pnc ba

and now, this is news 4 today. >> hi, good morning. i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie goff. welcome to news 4 today. it's saturday, june 16th, 2012. we'll get started with two breaking news stories. in iraq 25 people are dead in a wave of car bombings. it happened on the last day of a shiite pilgrimage. one bombing this morning killed 14, then a second car bombing just about an hour ago killed 11 more people. a total of 72 are dead wednesday. it was the worst attack since american troops left. in the pacific, carlotta has just been downgraded to a tropical sto