consumer advocate clark howard is here with his advice.s your consumer gauge with the numbers that mean the most to you. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ gerri: welcome back to the willis report. in a moment, consumer advocate clark howard sounds off on one of the biggest health care data breaches ever. it's time for a look at other stories in the news. president obama confirmed he is considering sending weapons to the ukraine if diplomacy can't be reached. during a joint press conference with angela merkel the two leaders pledged to work together toward a diplomatic -- with russia. the heaven, hsbc dodged taxes. however, the company maintains the unit has undergone a radical transformation. gas prices are rising. the national average for regular gasoline, 2.17 per gallon. up 12 cents in the past week alone. aaa motorists should expect to pay more in the coming weeks. measles are spreading. the number of measles cases this year has jumped 121 people in 17 states. the cdc reported 102 cases in 14 states. and those are some of the stories in the new

last night consumer expert right on our air, clark howard gave some important advice that you can useight now. >> all you can do is protect yourself. go through the process of freezing their credit. you know, anthem has done what corporate 101 is. well we've give you credit monitoring or whatever. that's a joke. >> that is a joke. here with tips how to freeze your credit is bank rate chief financial analyst greg mcbride. greg, first define what freezing your credit is. what does that mean? >> freezing your credit in contrast to say a fraud alert, fraud alert is putting a do not enter sign on door. freezing your credit is like closing the door locking it with a deadbolt and a padlock. nobody is getting in. basically prevents anybody from accessing your credit report for new credit. unless you thank you that credit report which takes a about a 24-hour period. gerri: talk more about freezing credit. does it affect my credit score? can i get a loan? am i done myself because i've frozen my credit? >> here you it doesn't affect your credit score in any way. now, where it does come into play

clark howard is here to explain. >>> a huge step learning about your health. the feds reverse course, giving go ahead for first ever at home dna testing. >>> if you love bacon, little caesar's is here to unveil bacon wrapped crust pizza. >> watched with bacon it has so much bacon you won't know how to hold it. like that. >> all that and more coming up on "the willis report" where consumers are our business. ♪ gerri: want more money in your retirement account? the government says, it has a solution. the white house working on tackling stockbrokers excessive fees and conflicted advice that can eat into americans investment he returns. greg mcbride bankrate.com, jonathan hoenig founder of capitalist pig peter morici economist and professor at the university of maryland. great to have you here. jonathan i will start with you. big debate with sec and administration. fiduciary duty, i ask you what is wrong with having brokers put their clients interests first? >> that is what brokers, that is what professional do, gerri. the whole notion we need to crack down, regul

with us long-time consumer advocate, clark howard. k, thanks for coming on the show tonight. >> my pleasure. gerri: so the big sell that is getting criticized in the tony robbins book is annuities, indexed annuities fixed indexed annuities. what is your problem with that? >> right. they're trash. they're garbage. this is a terrible, terrible product. and all different levels. first, you look at these indexed annuities. the contracts for them are as thick as a phone book, if we still had phone books. there is page after page that i would, bet you lawyers couldn't tell you what all of it means. but i'll tell you, if you boil it down the problem with these indexed annuities and fixed index annuities they have extremely high costs, and strict limits on how much you can actually earn. the theory is, that you earn the return of the stock market but you don't really. because your return each year is capped by a predetermined contractual amount. in addition you don't get a benefit of dividends which is a big part of the overall growth of stock

clark howard is here to explain. >>> a huge step learning about your health.course, giving go ahead for first ever at

he emerged from a field of six other candidates that included howard dean and wesley clark. his announcement in front of the yorktown in charleston, south carolina is about half an hour. >> this is a first of me, just not because of the occasion it represents, but i have never in my life had that chance to talk to an audience of fluttering fans. and i kind of felt like i might just turn this into a good old baptist revival, folks. this is no ordinary campaign because this is no ordinary time. we have lived through the most deadly attack on our people in american history, the greatest job loss since the great depression, and the greatest loss of wealth and savings ever recorded. but every time our country has faced great challenges, we have come through and we have come out stronger because courageous americans have done what's right for america. this is a time for the same kind of courage. i learned something about service from two people that i wish could be here today. my father, who, as a member of the greatest generation, enlisted in the army air corps even before pearl

. >>> i'm john clark live in clearwater, florida, for spring training. and ryan howard made his first appearance here today. listen to ryan as he took the field. >> morning. y'all seen a ghost? that's what it looked like. >> reporter: have you all seen a ghost? that's an eerie comment, considering phils tried to trade him. ryan says he feels good and he looks good. he's lost a little weight it looks like. back out here live. the longest tenured philly athlete, chase utley, he is here as well. i asked him if ruben amaro has come to him with any trade opportunities. chase said no. and he wants to stay here. >> i have so much respect for the organization that i couldn't completely push ruben away and say, absolutely not. i would listen to him out of respect for him and for the entire organization and kind of go from there. i want nothing more than to play for this organization for as long as i can. >> reporter: chase showed up here with a sprained ankle. he actually stepped on a baseball doing infieldwork a month ago. so, he's a little behind. and he's 36 now, so he's -- h

howard hawks. >> deborah clark. >> kirk douglas. >> lauren bacall. >> blake edwards. >> d.a.'re wonderful, sweet people. thank you. thank you. i am totally blind. i lost my sight in afghanistan, but it doesn't hold me back. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. non-24 is a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70% of people who are totally blind. talk to your doctor about your symptoms and learn more by calling 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com. "what is it that we can do that is impactful?" what the cloud enables is computing to empower cancer researchers. it used to take two weeks to sequence and analyze a genome; with the microsoft cloud we can analyze 100 per day. whatever i can do to help compute a cure for cancer, that's what i'd like to do. brings you that "straight from the grove taste"atural from us, the orange juice growers... to you, morin' ma'am. the orange juice lovers. enjoy. florida's natural. ♪ >>> hello. i guess you didn't think it was possible for anyone to overdress for this affair. in the oscars, we

, clark, warren and frederick county virginia all delayed two hours. >> in maryland montgomery county prince george's county frederick, chalsrles calvert. >> washington st. mary's, anne arundel, howard also on a two hour delay. alleghany are now closed. >>> berkeley jefferson, grant, hardy, hampshire, mineral and morgan county schools are closed today. you can find the entire list running at the about thebottom of your screen and on the nbc washington app. >>> here is a live look in charlotte, north carolina this morning. it is 9 degrees there. they have shattered records down south. last year at this time it was in the 70s. people go south in february to escape the cold here but it's there, too. well check out these beautiful pictures from niagara falls. it's so cold the falls are kicking up water and creating cool ice formations. there is too much rushing water for the walls to completely freeze ever. so what was the coldest day ever recorded in d.c.? you can take a look at our app for eight facts about the crazy cold weather. >>> and a father's suv is stolen police think they have identified someone who may have been involved. police say this man is a person of interest in the ki

howard. first and foremost how long will he remain a philly? >> if they can't trade him can he bounce back from a subpar season? john clark clearwater with more on that question. hi john. >> as you know ryan howard is the highest-paid athlete in philly sports. and ruben amoro did try to trade him in the off season and there were no takers. he has been one of the hardest-working phillies down here in spring training. take a look at ryan howard. he's come out early and stayed afterward, getting hitting instructions with charlie manuel and to watch him run the bases he looks better now. he is running without a limp really for the first time since his achilles surgery. he has lost weight. he's in better shape. he is looking good and ryan samberg, phillies manager ryan samberg is very impressed. >> watching him run the bases and go first to third and home to first, for me that was a big difference there and that's got to feel more comfortable. it's got to be pain-free and it's going to allow him to do more things not only on the field, but in the training room and what they do with weights and all of that. it should go a long

clark live in florida. hear from ryne sandberg on his loud and clear speech to the team and how good does ryan howard look? it's all next. [ female announcer ] business travel isn't just about the going. it's also about the going home. and being connected all along the way. whether you're working or recharging do business travel on your terms. acela. take off. >>> hey, i'm john clark in clearwater, florida, for the phillies first full squad workout. manager ryne sandberg gave a team speech. he said he didn't have to give a pep talk. he said veterans is confident even though vegas is picking them to be worst in major league baseball. they went through a 3 1/2 hour workout. it was a long one. ryan ryne sandberg is stressing fundamentals. he also had a big message for the clubhouse. he said last year sometimes the clubhouse was not conducive to winning. so the chemistry needs to be better. he told them the things he expects and he said he was, quote, loud and clear. >> i told them that i learned some things last year. i think everybody in the room that was here last year learned some things so there's some ad

howard is here. take a look he spent extended time with charlie manual working on his swing. ryan has lost some weight and looks good. i'm john clark, comcast sports net. >> we're right back a this. [ female announcer ] business travel isn't just about the going. it's also about the going home. and being connected all along the way. whether you're working or recharging do business travel on your terms. acela. take off. >>> tomorrow going to be a cold start to the day. just not as frigid as we go into the afternoon. we'll be in the mid-30s instead of the mid-20s. you will notice it. it will be sunny. as we go into thursday morning it will be snow. this system come thursday morning we have to wamp the track closely. we'll be right on the edge of it. we get cold into the weekend. we're in the 20s saturday. >> thanks for joining us. the tonight show is next. have a great night. we'll be back tomorrow. thank you, cable for the slower internet upload speeds. for making me wait longer to share my photo albums. thank you cable, because if we never had you we wouldn't know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. in customer satisfacti

clark to explore the louisiana purchase. >> longer than it took for the united states to win world war ii! >> longer than the amount of time during his presidency that william howard taft was stuck in a bathtub! (laughter) they couldn't get him out so after a while, they just drew leg holes in it and let him walk around like that! this is what victory sometimes looks like in a democratic system. maybe you can't stop our country from quenching our ceaseless thirst for the dirtiest of dirty oils the anal of oils but at least now maybe we'll be encouraged to bring that oil in some safer way. >> whether or not the northern leg of the keystone pipeline gets approval from washington, the industry says that oil will get where it needs to go. >> oil companies have turned to trains, barges and trucks to get their goods to market, often with tragic consequences. >> most experts say transporting oil by pipeline is far safer than by rail or by barge. >> jon: trains! and barges! we'll be right back. damn you! (cheers and applause) (cheers and applause) the road. it can bring out the worst in people. but the m-class scans for danger... ...corrects for lane drifting... ...and if

clark will detail the future when we come back. >>> i'm john poruk. cold may be sweeping into our area tonight, but it was beautiful at spring training. >> all of the veterans have reported. here is ryan howard taking the field for the first time. >> good morning. >> are y'all seeing a ghost? >> that is an eerie comment, but he looks good and it looks like he lost weight. the longest tenure philly chase utley is here. he wants to stay here. >> i have so much respect for the organization that i would not completely push reuben away but want nothing more to play for this organization as long as i can. >> chase showed up with a spain ankle. he stepped on an baseball a few weeks ago. chase wore down last season. >> is it a fact that i wear down as the season goes on yeah i would say that's the case. >> that is something for him and i do make an adjustment there, even early on thinking about days off. >> i'm john clark, comcast sports net. >>> sixers also in florida soaking up the ahead in miami. check this out. a razz shot, the newcomer part of that trade. the sixers still lose. the flyers goalie did not make the trip because of a lower body injury. that is sports we'll be right back. >>> and up

delta sigma theta founded in 1913 at howard university who counted our next attorney general loretta lynch, congresswoman marcia fudge, yvette clarke, joyce beatty and brenda lawrence. the first african-american woman elected to congress, shirley chisholm one of my heros. former secretary of labor alexis herman. and their honorable president paulette c. walker. another special shout out to mide bonus daughter, michelle mills, and my mentee mickie grace. phi beta sigma founded in 1913 at howard university, the fraternity of my husband, dr. nathaniel horn. the brotherhood of sleeping car porters a. philip randolph. civil rights icon congressman john lewis, dr. george washington car very james weldon johnson author, politician, songwriter. his works include lift every voice and sing, the black national anthem, allen leroy locks, first black rhodes scholar and former president of the united states, william jefferson clinton and thereby led by president jonathan a. mason. beta phi beta founded in 1920 at howard university, a sisterhood that counts be congresswoman donna edwards, the late congresswoman julia carson, lillian fishburne, fi

school clarke county, alexan winchester manass manpark, all change they are now closed too. >> and as of now d.c. on a two hour delay. howardy also, frederick coun maryland on a two hour delay. >> frederick county virginia closed prince willcounty, county spots vein gentn all closed. st. mary's closed as are charle calvert, anne arundel coun. fauquiy closed rapp closed shenandoah closedll menner, warren clos. page my tin man has a big toe the size of a house. the lion is small like a toy poodle. and has webbed, duck feet. my scarecrow has wooden teeth... and his clothes have tubes on them. and that's dorothy. she looks like me. everyone has a favorite movie. now people with visual disabilities... can find theirs. introducing the first talking guide. from xfinity. >>> news4 begin >> welcome to special extended cove on news4 today. this is a live look outside of our storm team drive through the snow. condit are deteriorati as the snow picks up right in the heart of rush hour. you.m eun yang. >> and i'm aaron gilch. it is 7:00 a.m. we are continuing our special r covere ts morning to keep you informed about this comm i'm getti

clarke county warren and fred drink county all delayed. >> maryland montgomery prince george's county frederick county charles and calvert all twlaed. >> washington county, mayers anne arundel, howardare two hours late as well. we're learning that allegheny county schools are now closed. >>> in west virginia, berkeley jefferson, graptsnt hardy, hampshire, mineral and morgan county all closed. the entire list at the bottom of your screen and of course always available in the nbc washington app. >>> it is not just the schools that are affected by the weather today about that prince george's courthouse closed again. frigid cold temperatures there caused a pipe to burst in the building on wednesday. p that damaged the electrical system. it's left the building in upper marlboro without any heat. no word as to when that building will reopen. you can check the nbc washington app again as you are on the move this morning if you have to be to stay up-to-date on the latest with all the closings and delays around the entire region. >>> 5:33. 5 degrees in northwest washington. you may want to head out to your car a little early today it make sure that it starts. aaa says it is fielding more th

howard, anne a county schools. >> spotsylvania stafford, fauquier county can sleep in an extra two hours along with fredericks about your and winchester city schools. >>> warren culpeper page, king george and clarke county schools all starts two hours late. frederick county virginia and shenandoah county both opening one hour late today. >> we'll double check the tread rick frederick count williamsburg middle school is closed because of pipes burst. all others in arlington are open on time. complete list on the bottom of the screen or online. >>> heads up if you're taking the train up the northeast corridor. amtrak says it adjusted schedules for some acela express and northeast regional trains between the district new york city and boston. chuck bell is monitoring the conditions he is seeing in the storm team 4 x 4. here is a live look. what you need to be watching for when we go to him live at 6:15. >>> developing story this morning. one man is dead after a shooting at a d.c. apartment complex. this happened on 14th street they're brentwood avenue northeast. not far from the rhode island metro station. megan mcgrath live with more on who police are looking for in connection with this murder. >>

howard will talk to him about being a vocal leader this year. >> i would love to. i would help any way i can to bring the trophy pack home. >> in clearwater florida i'm jon clark for comcast sports net. >> i'm nbc 10 with this digital exclusive story. police hailed duane fletcher as a hero to find the woman in this video being violently abducted off a germantown street last year. detectives said he should get the $47,000 award but months later he has not seen a penny. >> nbc 10 did some digging. he should get some of the money but we're asking why. that's not the only problem. tap in right now to hear the full story. >>> and a ground breaking in philadelphia's stinger park. preparing for a half million dollar renovation. the mayor said it's the city's kids who benefit and he had some help from them today tabbing about the work. >> when i came into the office seven years ago i said philadelphia will be the number one city in america. looks like we have two press conferences going on at the same time. it's fine. we'll work it out. he has things on his mind he needs to express. today's announcement is a part of making the green city part of what he wanted it to be. a