not natalie morales. she was not letting the world's smartest toddler dump out of that interview. >> does she like these other cards here. what is this one? >> oh, no. >> oh, sweetie, obviously to raise a 3-year-old with such a high iq, it takes a lot as a parent, right? >> i have to go poop. >> she has to go to the bathroom. >> that would have made a segment, uh-oh, where are kathie lee and hoda when you need them. a tip for emy lynn though. i'm not saying you should have pooped on the set, but they have plenty of money for a new sofa, if you want a lesson on how to get out of a "today" show interview, look no further than the vomiting balloon boy, falcon heene. >> they told me it was for some tv show. that's what he was referring to. >> oh! >> that's what he was referring to when -- when he made that statement. >> and i know i want to point out that the sheriff's office said last night, a few moments ago, he got ill. let's take a break so your family can gather itself. >> that's how it's done. when you'

nbc's natalie morales has more on the tutu project. >> reporter: for the last nine years, photographeracross the country, taking hundreds of self-portraits. his ritual was always the same. finds his spot, sets up his tripod, focuses his camera, and then does something -- well a bit out of the ordinary. he strips down to nothing more than a pink tutu. >> i feel like i'm giving everything i have for these images. >> reporter: his pictures have been described as magical from subway platforms to public beaches. parking lots to amusement parks. bob lets his imagination soar. his inspiration, his wife linda. they have been happily married for 24 years. >> i started using this project to get away from things. and to start expressing myself and it turned into this journey. >> reporter: bob's unlikely journey began in 2003 when linda was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. as she faced grueling rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, the tutu project became an outlet for them both. a way to laugh through the tears. >> he forgets about things and becomes this guy in the tutu. >> re

. >> let's go inside to natalie morales at the news desk. >> good morning once again. an aide worker kidnapped last summer in pakistan has resurfaced this morning in a video message released by al qaeda. nbc news cannot verify where or when the video was produced. in it, warren weinstein urges president obama to agree to his captors' demands, saying he'll be killed if the u.s. does not stop air strikes, and if al qaeda and the taliban -- taliban suspects worldwide are not released. >>> the 24-year-old colombian escort at the center of the secret service scandal is spiking out this morning in a "today" exclusive. nbc's michelle kosinski has the story. michelle? >> hi, natalie. she's 24 years old, a mother, has family here, and she was not paid for this interview. she calls the secret service men, stupid brutes. that she says put extremely indiscreet partying ahead of the president's security. >> translator: they like to show off their bodies. great bodies. well-defined abs. they like attention, and we colombian women are not used to that. i was surprised that every time

. >>> let us begin with a check of the morning's top stories from natalie morales joining us from the news desk. hey, natalie. >> good morning, everyone. secretary of state hillary clinton is in beijing as the fate of that blind chinese disdented is now up in the air. nbc's ian williams is in beijing. ian, good day to you. >> reporter: natalie, with the u.s. brokered deal unraveling, the face of chen guangcheng is turning into a diplomatic nightmare for hillary clinton. they were trying to make it look like business as usual. the secretary of state meeting top chinese officials this morning for previously scheduled talks. addressing human rights only in broad terms. >> we believe that all governments do have to answer to citizens' aspirations for dignity and the rule of law and that no nation can or should deny those rights. >> reporter: the real test of u.s./china relations was being played out across town. u.s. officials sweeping into a beijing hospital where the blind human rights lawyer now says he's anxious to get out of china. in a telephone interview, he said, "i want to leave

and back from assignment, natalie morales to give us those stories. welcome back. >> good morning, everyone. just under six months to go until election day and republicans are coming together behind mitt romney, who picked up victories in the kentucky and arkansas primaries on tuesday. and now a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll is revealing just how close the race between president obama and romney would be if americans were voting today. romney has tightened the gap with the president by just a bit, coming in at 43%, to president obama's 47%. the president lost two points since this time last month for his handling of the economy. as for how the candidates views on gay marriage impacted voters, it's a wash. even after president obama came out in support of same-sex marriage, 62% of voters still say the candidate's stances make no difference. >>> a senate committee hears testimony today about last month's secret service prostitution scandal in colombia. the director of the agency is expected to testify today that the night of partying did not p

natalie morales over at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. in the news this morning, the blind chinese dissident at the center of a diplomatic tug-of-war between the u.s. and beijing has left the u.s. embassy this morning. nbc's ian williams has the very latest now from beijing. good morning to you, ian. >> chen guangcheng left the u.s. embassy this afternoon, after six days under diplomatic protection. he was driven to a beijing hospital in the company of gary loch, the u.s. ambassador, for treatment for injuries incurred during that dramatic escape. he also met at the embassy with his family, his wife and two children. now, chen will be staying in china. u.s. officials say that's his own decision. but assurances have been given about his safety, that he'll be treated as an ordinary citizen, and that his complaints, his allegations of mistreatment, will be investigated. those u.s. officials say he never requested to go into exile in the states. now, u.s. officials say this deal, which they will be overseeing, they will be watching, was struc

i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, natalie morales and al roker.ways the case. in fact, he says some of these meals are the equivalent of a dozen hot dogs. he's going to try to help us, as he normally does, to choose a less fattening option. and he'll help us with that coming up. >>> of course, sunday is mother's day. so if you're thinking about what you need to get mom, well, rosie pope, our mommy expert, is here with some products that can save that special woman in your life some time and money as well. >> and she knows what she's talking about. >> yes, she does. >> sunday, right? >> sunday. >> we are going to rush through that segment. >> that's right. >> i'm boiling water. i'm telling you right now. >> what, are you making soup? >> experts on hand. >>> meanwhile, imagine doing your job for free. jenna bush hager has an incredible story of a teacher who is doing just that, she's teaching for free. >>> and then later on, "today's professionals" tackle the top headlines including hillary clinton's decision to go makeup free. >>> first, let's brin

. >> -- let's go inside to natalie morales. >> all right. thank you guys very much. in the news this morning the fbi is analyzing an upgraded underwear bomb seized as part of a foiled al qaeda plot to bring down a passenger jet bound for the u.s. officials say a cia operation in yemen uncovered the plan about a month ago and followed it closely before shutting it down. intelligence officials say the bomb had no metal parts to get past security screening. they say it was likely made by the same al qaeda expert who designed the failed 2009 underwear bomb along with devices hidden inside printer cartridges two years ago. >>> author maurice sendak who wrote and illustrated the children's classic "where the wild things are" has died. sendak took generations of children on a wild ruckus along with max, a little boy sent to his room without supper. maurice sendak was 83 everys old. >>> a new ally for gop presidential hopeful mitt romney in the race for the white house. one-time rival rick santorum is now giving his endorsement to romney. in an e-mail overnight santorum aske

. >> let us go inside, natalie morales standing by at the news desk. she's got a check of all the headlines. >> hello again. good morning once again, everyone. in the news this morning, three high-ranking officers at the center of jpmorgan chase's giant trading blunder are expected to lose their jobs this week. they include ina drew, one of the most powerful women on wall street, who has one the bank's risk management group since 2005. that group is tied to the $2 billion trading loss which became public last week. >>> the defense takes over today at the john edwards corruption trial. the former presidential contender is accused of scheming to use nearly $1 million in secret payments to hide his pregnant mistress, rielle hunter. his attorneys haven't said if edwards or hunter will take the stand. >>> the father of a missing arizona girl has been told that he cannot have contact with her two older brothers. authorities aren't explaining what prompted detectives and child welfare workers to take the action, but they say it does not mean investigators are

natalie morales, just be glad you do not have to fill underin for larry king the night nancy grace decided to bring her twins for a visit. >> anderson, are you ready? >> yes. >> who should i try to -- you better come hold them. here they go. here he goes. here he goes. here he goes. >> would you want these kids to follow in your footsteps? >> i want to do whatever makes them happy. here she goes. >> want a piece of paper? >> uh-oh. >> uh-oh. >> anderson, what did you do to him? >> i didn't do anything. >> daddy. >> you know, anderson, trying to work with two children is not easy. >> tell me about it. i'm sweating like dripping sweat. >> what do you want for me? try hanging out with nancy grace and her kids. as for the "today" show, they took a commercial break, so disaster averted for the time being, until the next time when the television gods decide to unload on the ridiculous. "piers morgan tonight" starts now. >>> tonight, fame, fortune and the fight for the white house. i'll take you inside george clooney's record $15 million fund-raiser for the president. i'll ask top director rob re

nbc's natalie morales has more. >> in a snazzy online campaign, they pro claim ashton koocher is presidenther in a campaign crisis. >> looking for romance? it is here with worldwide lovers. >> in a series of web videos spoofing dating ads, he plays different lonely characters looking for love. >> i'm sorry. i was holding my breath to look skinnier. >> one in particular is getting the cold shoulder from critics. >> i'm rush. i'm a boly wood producer. i'm looking for the most delicious thing on the planet. >> he wears brown make-up and speaks with an indian action send. >> like kardashian. i would give that dog a bone. i look snooki. >>> the ads seemingly are help to poke fun at his new single status after his high profile split from demi moore. >> your waiting room is like a freak show. >> after the ad was posted online wednesday, critics quickly called it racist. one tweeted, news flash toate pop chips never heard of you before. now i'll see your name and think racists. not yummy snack. a spokesperson said the campaign was created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereo ty

natalie morales is here with a preview of her latest report in her ongoing series for "dateline" -- "good morning. >> good morning to you, lester. well, the parents you're about to meet brought their teens to a demonstration about racial stereotypes in the hopes of teaching us all a very important lesson. it's a subject many parents don't know how to talk about, racial and religious discrimination. >> like, he could be illegal. >> yeah. >> she's a terrorist. that's what people think. >> those negative stereotypes impact each and every one of us. >> reporter: melissa harris perry is a professor of race, gender and politics at tulane university and an msnbc host. >> we have to give our kids the social tools for how to push back against racial bias when they experience it, because it's not a natural thing to be able to do. >> reporter: hoping for a learning experience, these moms have agreed to be a part of a "dateline" demonstration. they're watching on hidden cameras as their teens are asked to eliminate one of three players for a game called "smart, smarter, smartest." >> elijah? >> s

here's natalie morales with a story that has touched a lot of nerves. >> this whole thing's been blownporter: patricia denies she took her daughter anna tanning with her and says she just brought the 5-year-old the tanning salon and made her wait next to the bed while she herself tanned. >> she's my little girl. i'm not going to bring my little daughter into a 90-degree bed. i mean, that's not normal. >> reporter: anna's parents say when anna went to school the next day she told her friends she went tanning with her mom. they think a teacher overheard and called police. new jersey law prohibits persons under the age of 14 from going tanning. >> she got sunburn. >> i tan. she doesn't tan. it's called a tanning booth, and a tanning room. >> reporter: anna's parents say it was a misunderstanding and she got a sunburn from playing in the yard. >> it's traumatizing for a little girl who did nothing wrong but got a little sunburn. >> now the child remains in the home. the family is being monitored by the division of youth and family services. >>> republican senator scott brown and elizabeth

. >> natalie morales is, of course, not here so we've got savannah guthrie. >> yes. >> savannah?. in the news today the man under arrest for the 1979 disappearance and murder of etan patz is expected to make his first court appearance today. new york city police say pedro hernandez has confessed to luring the 6-year-old boy into a store basement and then strangling him. that crime happened 33 years ago today. investigators say a renewed search for remains last month in the boy's soho neighborhood prompted a tipster to call authorities. the case helped focus national attention on missing children back in the '70s. >>> a former california high school football star was officially cleared thursday of the rape and kidnapping charges that resulted in his spending five years behind bars, and the last five on probation. brian banks had pleaded no contest as a 16-year-old to avoid a possible life sentence if tried by a jury. the childhood friend who had accused him contacted banks on facebook last year and admitted, on tape, that she made up that allegation. >>> many holiday air travelers

i'm matt lauer along with al roker, natalie morales and savannah gruthry here while ann curry continuesere with eva longoria. she just saw the curtain fall on her hit show "desperate housewives" and now she's putting her best face forward as one of the l'oreal paris ambassadors. l'oreal, by the way, has been the official makeup artist for the cannes film festival for the past 15 years. eva, good morning to you. >> good morning. i know it's our birthday. l'oreal's birthday. happy birthday l'oreal! >> part of the thing that l'oreal is doing to celebrate is coming out with this book that basically are photographs behind the scenes here. what happens behind the scenes here? >> so much drama. >> drama? >> no, you know, the book is beautiful because it shows us getting ready, and you know, getting the dresses on, and the hair and the makeup. it takes a village for us -- >> it's intense. how many dresses do you come out here with? >> this time i think i came out with 22 outfits. but one dress was in an entire trunk. but that's the great thing about the book is you get to see the people behind

. >>> let's head over and get the rest of the morning's top stories from natalie morales who is looking very springy. >> thank you, ann. good morning, everyone. we begin with jpmorgan chase, the largest bank in the u.s., acknowledging today that it lost $2 billion in trading over the past month and a half. cnbc's steve sedgwick is in london with more. good morning. >> very good morning to you. we're here in london outside the headquarters of jpmorgan, the u.s. investment bank really feeling the heat now. it was supposed to be a hedge position but now it's looking like a loss of at least $2 billion. the thing is this is an open position. the real question marks about the size of the ultimate loss won't happen at the risk management of this group and will the banks now feel more political heat on the back of concerns about circumventing rules, trying to stop them having these kind of positions? a lot of questions remain both here in london and indeed in new york, as well. >> all right. steve sedgwick in london for us. thank you, steve. >>> a major breakthrough in the fight against hiv as

i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, natalie morales, and al roker.akes a lot of people behind the scenes to get them to the next level. talking about moms and dads and family members so this morning we've got some olympic hopefuls with us, and since mother's day is just around the corner, we're going to talk to them and celebrate their moms. as well. >> that's right. and also speaking of family ties, we have martin sheen and emilio estevez joining us this morning live in our studio coming up in this half hour. they've written a touching new memoir about their lives together. it was inspired by the movie they were last year talking about called "the way" we're interviewing them about that. so we'll be talking to them about that, the fegs father/son bond. >> also we're going to be catching up with suzanne somers. she's going to open up about her new book on aging and her sit down with "three's company" co-star joyce dewitt after 30 years of not talking. >> good for them. >> later on, jill martin will be here. we got our steals and deals. everything fro

we'll go over to the news desk with natalie morales with more of what's happening this morning. natalie? >>> good morning, everyone. we begin with the latest jobs numbers out this morning as the unemployment rate falls to its lowest level since january of 2009, but it is not all good news. cnbc's mandy drury has more. good morning. >> good morning again, natalie. you're absolutely right. fewer jobs than expected were created in april with employers only adding 115,000 workers, well below forecasts of 170,000 jobs and even though the unemployment rate ticked down to 8.is% th 8.1% that was an unhealthy drop as you had fewer people looking for work. stocks are moving to the down side today. there is one potentially supportive factor down the line and that is that investors interpret the data as increasing the likelihood of more stimulus measures from the federal bank, the federal reserve. back to you. >> we'll be watching. mandy drury of cnbc, thanks so much. >>> violence overseas this morning as two coalition soldiers are killed in southern afghanistan today. meantime, in neighbor

let's start with a check of the morning's top stories and natalie morales is at the news desk. >> goodning, ann and matt. good morning, everyone. the wildfire season is off to an ominous start in arizona. fire crews there are battling five separate wildfires across the state. the largest has grown to more than four square miles. hundreds of people have been ordered to evacuate and several buildings have been damaged. forecast calls for dry conditions, and triple digit temperatures. >>> disaster officials say early storm warnings may have prevented injuries when this funnel cloud caught on tape struck sunday afternoon in central new mexico. there was some property damage, most of it, though, minor. >>> the death toll has reached at least 15 after a plane crashed overnight in the himalayan mountains of nepal. it happened about 125 miles northwest of kathmandu. officials say the plane with 21 people on board was trying to land at an airport popular with mountain trekking tourists and hindu pilgrims. >>> police in mexico say many of the 49 people whose bodies were found sunday along the hi

back from assignment, natalie morales to give us the news stories. welcome back. >> thank you, matt and ann and good morning. more now on facebook's troubled ipo as the social network shareholders file suit this morning against morgan stanley and facebook itself including ceo and cofounder mark zuckerberg. facebook and morgan stanley are accused of concealing information from the investors just before friday's ipo. the shareholders claim they disclosed a forecast of weekend growth for facebook to only certain clients ahead of trading. the stock has struggled since the ipo though was up modestly after trading opened this morning. >>> just under six months to go until election day, republicans are coming behind mirallas who picked up victories in kentucky and the arkansas primaries on tuesday and now a new nbc news/wall street poll reveals how close the race would be if americans were voting today. romney has closed the gap with president by just a bit, coming in at 43%. the president, 47%. the president lost two points since this time last month where

i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry, natalie morales, and al roker.t's usher. the grammy award winner performing. it's our way of reminding you that come friday, right here on the plaza, we have usher live in concert. so if you're in the area, come on by. that's going to be a lot of fun. and the weather shoulden great by then. >> fantastic. >> really? >> oh, yeah, absolutely. >> anyway, coming up in this half hour the skinny rules. >> that's right. we're going to be talking to bob harper. the tough trainer from "biggest loser" he's out with a new book detailing his keys to losing weight and some of them include, for example, what he wants you to do before every meal that helps you lose weight. so there you go. that's our little tease. >> then how do the stars pull off all those great red carpet looks? jenna bush hager is going to introduce us to a woman who was just named hollywood's top stylist. by the hollywood reporter. >> ooh. and with prom season in full swing, what do you want to do? you want to make sure your teens are protected. you have talke

here with natalie morales and al roker, as well. >> check in with ann in just a little bit. >> ann actually next two weeks, and so ann, what's going on right now? >> well, hey, matt. can i name drop? because if you want to see a movie star, this is where you want to be for the next 12 days. names like reese witherspoon and nicole kidman and bruce willis and robert pattinson and brad pitt just to name a few. anything can happen here on the french riviera. i'm not sure if i can get brad pitt on this balcony once again, especially since i touched his face last time. but we do have sacha baron cohen joining us this morning. he's sitting next to me in a rare, live interview. i don't know if you saw, the dictator was down there on a camel. he seemed to be struggling to get on it. >> he almost fell off actually. but he maintained his composure. >> you think he would have practiced? >> you would have thought. >> he is a dictator. we're talking to the man who plays the dictator, sacha baron cohen coming up in a live interview. very rare, by the way, for sacha to be himself. i'm excited to get to tal

i'm ann curry, matt lauer, and natalie morales.half hour. we've got martha stewart in the house. and this morning she's going to be sharing her creative ideas for bringing the beauty of your spring garden inside. >> then most parents post pictures of their kids online. coming up we're going to talk to the author of a new book who says that may not be such a good idea. he's going to explain why he feels that way and why he'd like some social media sites like facebook, for example, to come with an erase button. and that's a really important concept. >> it is. >> absolutely. and mark bittman is here. he's hard at work in the kitchen. he's going to show us how to turn what we have in our pantries into delicious desserts. >> but first we have a special treat. we get to say hello to, to an actress and former sports illustrated swimsuit cover model brooklyn decker, starring in the upcoming thriller called battleship. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you spent a lot of time running from aliens in this movie. >> i do, i do. >> how i

. >>> meanwhile, i'm matt lauer out on the plaza along with savannah guthrie, al roker and natalie morales just tell you, i know all of you hate me for being here in cannes. we are going to try to bring a little cannes to you guys. we're going to talk about what causes people to think that women here have such great sense of fashion. we're going to show you some roses that you can pick up, even for very inexpensively in the united states. give you a sense of what it's like to be here. as a gift to you coming up in this half hour. >> that was cool. that was john paul gaultier hanging out with ann on the french riviera. >> although ann's going to see that guy a little later. >> in a couple of minutes. >> i don't know what that is. >> what's up with that? >> what else is happening? >> we've got sharon osbourne live in the studio. what's it like to be a judge sitting next to howard stern? and what about those acts? we'll talk to her about the new season of the show. it's going to be good. it's okay. >>> also, don't forget, we have a pretty talented performer, he's lined up to kick off our summ

i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and natalie morales.nt business. our good friend joe bastianich makes some pretty bold claims in his new book when it comes to his industry. why he says we're being taught bad eating habits, and the price of wine. he also takes some shots at some other people in the industry. we'll talk to him in just a little while. and i mean shots. >> yeah. >> shots. >> bare knuckles. >> really. >> okay. we'll take a look at that. and also some money saving advice for you if you're trying to book a flight. conventional wisdom has always told us that you should book early to find the best deals. but is that still the case? just how early do we really need to start looking? we're going to get some answers about what's happening now. >> and then jenna bush hager is here again with us this morning. she has a great story of a special choir giving young kids a new way to look at their troubled cities. >> but first we want to say hello to alicia stone the most recent attention to we won't say given the boot, but shown the doo

i'm ann curry alongside david gregory in for matt, and al roker and we've got natalie morales. do that on "dateline." we challenged kids from everything from handling issues of drunk driving, to stranger danger. this time it's all about peer pressure and discrimination, specifically. how would they react if they saw a clear case unfolding before their eyes, would they stand up for the person? we're going to show you what happens this time around, and it's such a great educational experience. >> really intriguing story. >> absolutely. great for parents to watch along with their kids. >> also we're going to talk about the big feature now in advertising, back to the future. pepsi is now using michael jackson's images to sell their product. as they did years ago. so we'll talk more about that. >> mm-hmm. >> and then we've got the one, the only, the spanish tornado, jose alvarez. >> jose! >> he looks terrific. he's lost like 30 pounds. >> really? >>ize cooking up some great food and he's going to bring us some grea spanish classics. he's, in fact, a spanish classic. >> that he is. >