rockefeller, and how are you mr. rock rockefeller?t was when he met james rockefeller. one of those rockefellers who said he was worth $400 million. >> he paid for everything we did. i don't think i ever remember paying for anything. >> reporter: unlike his time slumming it in that san marino guest house, rockefeller, aka christopher chichester was living the high life and seemed to have the money to pay for it. it was fine dining at exclusive clubs, a priceless art collection hanging on his walls, or so he said. >> i was standing there looking at a painting he and came over and introduced himself to me. >> reporter: socialite roxane west met the fake rockefeller at cocktail hour at a posh art gallery. he charmed her like he had those rich widows years before. >> so mild mannered and so soft spoken and very polite and a gentleman. >> reporter: and he asked for the socialite's phone number. when he texted her a few days later, rockefeller told roxane he was given a private tour of the met. it was the beginning of a text message relatio

so nixon and rockefeller had a telephone conversation and rockefeller invited him to come down. he thought that he could bring him more his way, i think. so they suddenly ran to the airport and got on and airplane and the secret service surprised they had to use a car they'd just taken from a counterfeiter to drive him to rockefeller's place. and so they met for hours over dinner at rockefeller's apartment and at the end of it, why, hughes called and said that they changed the platform approach. all the things that we'd been working on now they had to change, including stance on some military issues. and i had no idea this was going on. eisenhower was in rhode island. there is a military school there and he just went for vacation for a few days, so he had no idea and he became very angry because the platform had been changed and he hadn't been consulted and he didn't agree with the positions that had been changed toward rockefeller's point of view. and we had the hard time of controlling him. meanwhile, rockefeller did not press his campaign against nixon at the convention. that

>> we call him clark rockefeller.fy him with and the name he responds to. >> natalie morales sat down with clark four years ago and asked if he killed. the response was this -- my entire life i have been a pass cyst, -- pass cyst, a quaker. i have never hurt anyone. how confident are you that he didn't commit the crimes? >> again, we can't get into evidence in the case. this man has a complex psyche. the comments he made years ago we absolutely stand by, but we are aware of the fact that often what he appears to be saying is -- comes from another place in him that does not necessarily comport with the reality the rest of us see. as far as we are concerned he's maintained his innocence from the beginning. he's maintaining his innocence now. we have no reason to believe he's anything other than innocent. we have not yet presented our case in this matter. i think at the end of the day there will be alternate explanations to what happened here. >> you say a complex psyche. do you think he's insane? >> again, without getti

in 2008 he was arrested in baltimore under the name clark rockefeller. there was an international manhunt. he's charged with kidnapping his daughter. >>> more than 10,000 people stood in long lines and cold weather today to say good-bye to joe paterno. the former penn state football coach was fired as part of the jerry sandusky scandal. to many people paterno will be remembered not only as a legendary football coach but as a charitable member of the community. rosemary conners reports. >> we drove two hours to get here just for this, just to say good-bye. >> reporter: they waited for hours huddled close together with one mission, to see the man who lived as a legend even before he died. known for leading buys into manhood in his four decades as head coach, two of paterno's own football players watched over the casket at all times. >> it's a shame people talk about the best parts once you're gone. i hope he knew that the students were there for them when everyone was dragging him through the dirt. >> fired if what would be his final season in the wake of

for 75 years rockefeller has attracted crowds from all around the world.e work right upstairs i thought it was about time i strapped on some skates to check it out myself. the employees of the rockefeller center ice rink are responsible for everything from sharpening skates, running the rental counter, and even patrolling the ice. skate guards have been policing the rink since 1936. and today a new chapter in rink history would be written. what are the main duties of the skate guard? >> you've got to always be aware of the people skating on the ice, help them out if they need help. >> i got you! don't worry! are you okay? what is a good skate guard? >> always smile, treat the customer positivity. >> excuse me. you can't sit on the railing. sorry. >> sorry. >> what's the most annoying thing on the ice? >> when they play tag or, you know, they're skating backwards, pretty dangerous. >> that's awful. >> yeah. >> after making a mess on the ice, it was time to help clean up. this is the big bad beast. >> that is the zamboni, yes. >> what do you call it for shor

rockefeller famously saying that he was doing god's work or something to that effect to both to build churches he was a very big and he thought that it was a gift from god for him to make money and we've seen lloyd blankfein modern day c.e.o. of goldman sachs quoted in the london sunday times saying he's doing god's work is there something constant throughout history where people appeal to a higher authority to legitimize action whether you're william jennings bryan or a robber baron well yes people refer to the higher power to do them as ever they want to do you know god maybe do it they will maybe do it whatever sure and of course in a country like united states which is always at least publicly people have always said the people of faith were a country which was founded by very religious people even though the founding fathers country were going back things were not very religious people most of them nevertheless we've always had a free market of religion here which is help religion to thrive in many ways and never to believe people who do will think well if they believe in god god

he was a rockefeller republican in the great goldwater battle, where conservativism came of age.i do think this, though. newt has been pounded managers leslie, had people he worked with basically turn on him and dump on him down there in florida, which somehow i think may have had some role in the fact that the great fighter and battler of south carolina had no fight in him whatsoever in the monday and thursday debatesç in florida. he let mitt romney punch him silly. and he has lost all his momentum. and john, i'm not going to make any prediction but i thought the battle of south florida would win florida, but romney is surging and it looks like he may win florida. and if he does, it's all over. >> eleanor? >> gingrich was a backbencher during the reagan years and more of a thorn in their side. but there is a video clip of nancy reagan in 1995, after gingrich had led the republicans to power in washington, saying the torch has been passed from ronnie to newt. so he has some claims on that era. but that's not -- that's not his problem, is he reagan enough. he's been promiscuous th

. >> romney is so much like nelson rockefeller in 1964.d to move to th right to get the nomination, and he made himself into a pretzel. meanwhile, barry goldwater, mr. conservative had his way with nelson rockefeller went to san franciscsco, and won the nomination. >> got crushed in the general election. who won n at theext cycle? richard nixon, wh was not a movementonservative. >> is part of romney's narrative against him, that he is a flip- flopper. of all the candidadates, it is hardest for romney to move. when he does that, the flilip-flop will stick to him. >> the documented that fought -- documented a flip- >> it has been widely reported, and my net worth is withthin that number -- between $150 million and 200-some-odd million dollars. >> i don't blame it governor romney for paying that tax rate. i blame the u.u.s. congresess. warren >> buffett's secretary -- >> warren buffett's secretary pays higher tax rates than her boss. how is that going to play in peoria colby? >> not well for romn. he is going to be d dogged by this through th

in massachusetts, it's clark rockefeller because he wears an ascot, you see.but he's facing a grand jury probable cause hearing coming up on whether or not he murdered a fellow in california 26 years ago. the question on a case like this, it's a vintage cold case and the question is whether or not the judge will say there's sufficient evidence in california for the case to go forward while he's still in prison in massachusetts. >> okay. and that is the key, richard. is there sufficient evidence. we're talking about the bodies of two people that were found underneath a pool, a swimming pool, and this happened to be the location that he once rented a place to stay? >> yeah, fred. the standard here for this preliminary hearing is whether or not there was substantial evidence that a crime was committed. it's a very low standard. if the judge finds that, then a trial date will be set for him. meanwhile, his kidnapping charge, his prison time ends halfway through 2012. so if they bring further charges, there's going to be bail an everything else. but when you bring

after all these years, he's still calling himself clark rockefeller.his imposter may soon stand trial for murder. he's being called the world class con man. a german immigrant masquerading as an heir to the rockefeller fortune. now they're trying to prove he's also a cold-blooded murderer. >> do you agree to waive and give up your right to a continuous preliminary hearing? >> i do, your honor. >> reporter: in court the judge was stunned when he wanted to be referred to as clark rockefeller. >> i've never seen a circumstance where the defendant wanted to be referred to as one of his akas. >> reporter: back in 1985, he was living under yet another identity in california. that's when his land lady's 27-year-old son was brutally murdered. his remains were found years later in trash bags buried in a backyard. police suspected him, but he was long gone. years later, across the country, he was hobnobbing with the rich and famous. convincing friends, even his new wife, he was clark rockefeller. >> i'm not saying i made a very good choice of husband. i mean, it

. >> romney is so much like nelson rockefeller in 1964. he is from the northeast, he had to move right to get the nomination, and he made himself into a pretzel. barry goldwater, mr. conservative, had his way with rockefeller, and went to san francisco and won the nomination. got clobbered, but won the nomination. >> got crushed in the general election, and who won the next cycle? richard nixon, who was not a movement conservative. >> as a part of romney's narrative against him -- it is a parcher from the boston area against and that he is if tha -- a part of romney's narrative against and that he is a . -- is a flip-flopper. >> my net worth is within that number -- between $150 million and 200-some million dollars. >> i don't blame mitt romney for paying the taxes he paid i blame the u.s. congress. >> warren buffett's secretary pays a higher tax rate and then her boss -- than her boss. how will that play in peoria, colby? >> not well for mitt romney. he will be dogged by this is the campaign. -- through the campaign. he is a poster boy fo

. >> romney is like nelson rockefeller in 1964. from the northeast, he added to move to the right to get the nomination, and he turned himself into a pretzel. the tourist, mr. conservative, has his way -- the purist, mr. conservative, has his with rockefeller, went to san francisco and won the nomination. >> who won in the next cycle? richard nixon? not a movement conservative. >> it is a part of romney's narrative against him, that he is a flip-flop portra -- flip- flopper. of all the candidates, it is hardest for romney to move left. charles is right, he did start moving, but flip-flop will stick to him. >> basketball. >> let's talk about taxes and warren buffett's secretary. >> my net worth is within that number, between $250 million and some-odd million dollars. >> i don't blame mitt romney for paying the taxes he paid. i blame congress. >> warren buffett's secretary pays taxes at a higher rate than her boss. mitt romney pace 13.9%. how will that play in peoria? >> not well for mitt romney. he will be docked by this through the

this is carl rockefell from macy's. under $100. show it. >> awesome. round of applause. >> yes, yes! >> you can go join your daughter. >> our second later is 48 from douglasville, georgia. she says she's never colored her hair before. when we asked what kind of haircuts she gets she said, cheap ones! she was excited to receive a dwlam glam new look. let's listen to her story. >> well, i think you're still in a state of shock so i'm going to interview your daughter as to why you deserve this. tell us why. >> because she's a great mom and she never takes time out of her schedule just to get dressed up and -- >> and your daily routine, makeup routine? >> oil of olay and mascara. >> well, we're going to fix that because you have the whole family here. are you ready for a glam look? >> sure. this is exciting. >> oh, she is with a lot of people. she's here with her daughter, noelle, her mother-in-law cindy and sister-in-law kendra. one last look at johanna before and bring out the new johanna welch! >> wow. >> wow! >> i love it. >> oh, wow, baby. are you rea

he's still calling himself clark rockefeller. he is still maintaining he's innocent. >> wow. to catch more of mike's report on "dateline". >>> up next, a dramatic rescue caught on camera. a woman gets into an accident and is trapped in icy water up to her neck for 90 minutes. >>> first, there's lot going on. here are some things we thought you should know. joe biden had some encouraging works for the caucus today at their retreat. he said he admired their work in congress. he went out on the limb with a prediction. >> win back the house. >> president obama's one line rendition of the soul classic has sent sales of the original song soaring. ♪ i so in love with you >> after that performance at a fundraiser last week at the apollo. sales of al green's "let's stay together" are up 490%. that boils down to 16,000 new digital down loads. the original song was released 40 years ago. number one on the billboards chart. look at al green. >>> ron paul is the master of the one liners at last night's debate in florida. from his remarks on questions about his health to his thoughts on hi

the next different example, one that rockefeller led about five years ago in correct a new york city housing acquisition fund and lisc was one of the beneficiaries. the idea was that commercial pweufrpgs didn't want to -- banks didn't want to put money up for the acquisition of land. they felt that the risk was too great particularly for low income housing. so, a group of foundations came together and put in $50 million risk e first electrictpeurfirsf capital. that allowed the commercial banks to be willing to take the second tier of risk and they put in $250 million. put in the k city third tier of risk. that has built tens of thousands of units of housing without waiting for money from h.u.d. so, again and again what we are seek is that -- seeing is that the marriage of wall street capital, equity and debt structures to government policy is roducing social out kopcomes really going on and it is very powerful and it is very compelling. >> thank you. i think -- shirley. >> another marriage that has worked and created a more sustainable advantage has been the marriage of universities

and it's and it was a joke on areas how they're dead john rockefeller's appeal. here and reaction to. the while. the great depression led to a revolution called the new deal. why has this great depression or small depression not yet led to a revolution or is it possible that we voted for one in two thousand and eight and we didn't we didn't yet know and that's why we got so many because look two things one first of all is that the right got there first with the most money and they set up a fake populist movement and they they they did a real good job mimicking the real deal you talk about the libertarians that you have on your show they did it let's have it till they did a really good deal building a fake mass movement a fake populist movement and then the other side of the coin is that look the democrats totally dropped the ball they let the victory of two thousand and eight slip right through their fingers there's just no there's no doubt about it this was a populist moment and their idea was to do you know clinton to you know to triangulate come to some kind o

but, you know, that's a big priority for senator rockefeller in the senate, and i would be surprised if he allowed that to happen. he says public safety provisions are his most -- his top priority as far as spectrum goes. >> guest: yes, i think juliana's right. it would be surprising to see public safety left behind on this issue because that's been one of the main sticking points going forward. i think there's fairly widespread consensus on the need for spectrum auctions, obviously, wireless networks have been a huge issue for the fcc with the at&t merger. so it's been front and center for the last year. the momentum is there, they're really hammering out the details, i think it's fair to say. >> host: when you say widespread, gautham nagesh, do you mean bipartisan? is there bipartisan support for this? >> guest: i think so. in fact, yes. the broadcasters have always been one of the main flies in the ointment when it comes to the auctions. they've expressed support for some of the proposals. lobbyists characterize it as passive-aggressive support meaning they still raise seeming obj

provisions if they can't settle some of the issues on that, but that is a big priority for senator rockefeller and i would be surprised if he allowed that to happen. they are his most top priority as far as the spectrum goes. >> i think that juliana is proud. they would see the public safety left behind on this issue because that's been one of the main sticking points going forward. i think that there is fairly widespread consensus on the need first the options. obviously the wireless networks have been a huge issue with the at&t merger, its in front and center the last year. the momentum is there hammering out the details. >> when you see a wide spread, gautham nagesh, is there a bipartisan support for this? >> yes. the broadcasters have been one of the main plant meant when it comes to spectrum auctions. lovkvist characterized as passive aggressive to me meaning they still raise seeming objections to understand the big as is coming and they have accepted that. >> paul kirby, third issue? >> it will continue to be an issue at the fcc and on the hill is light square, still kind of out there. t

a german immigrant masquerading as a rockefeller.hey're trying to prove he's also a cold-blood eed murderer. >> do you waive your -- i have never seen a circumstances where a defender is referred to in court by was one of his akas. >> reporter: his landlady's 27-year-old son was brutally murdered. his remains were found years later in trash bags buried in a backyard. police suspected him, but he was long gone. years later, across the country, he was hobnobbing with the rich and famous. convincing friends, even his new wife, he was clark rockefeller. >> i'm not saying i made a very good choice of husband. it's obvious that i had a blind spot. >> reporter: when she divorced him, he kidnapped their 7-year-old daughter. he was arrested in boston in 2008. in this globe interview, he talked about the kidnapping from behind bars. >> we had six glorious and wonderful days together. >> reporter: he was sentenced to five years in prison. that's when california detect e detectives used his fingerprints to link him to the california murder. now

you know up until the the mid eighty's ninety's i think it was when it whenever kicked out john rockefeller and the charter modern era is about six or seven year period there were all the states were changing their corporate charter laws and this massive competition on these coasts the delaware end up winning all the new jersey ended up with john rockefeller. prior to that time pretty much every state the united states required that the first sentence of articles of incorporation be this corporations established to enhance or support or serve the community of fill in the blank and to manufacture railroad cars. and that requirement that their first obligation be to serve the community was stripped out in virtually every state during that that little went out basically one decade window and then over the next thirty or forty years every other state took it out couldn't we just put that back where we could we could win the vote one way to do it and then to have some say seeks you don't have a problem right that that is a possibility what's happened of course is gone in the other direction pers

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hey, everybody, welcome, it's wines-day wednesday, one of our favorite days of the week. january 11th and we're so glad you're with us today. hi, hodi. >> hi. >> we have a busy day. >> we sure do. >> we are going to see "sister act" with your good friend. >> we're going again. because it's a big hit on broadway. >> i didn't see the first one. i missed it. >> you're going to love it. my dear friend cara lee carmela is in the role right now -- >> mother superior. >> and cara lee is on our show today, singing our "everyone has a story." stick with that. amazing tribute to this incredible mother. so please stay tuned. don't just hang around for the cute puppies and cats. >> that's all we care about, because the contest is over, so stop trying to send in your pictures. >> it's too late. >> but anyway, we're going to start the voting tomorrow. >> right. >> and on the 16th, i think that's the date that we're going to announce the winner. here

. >> live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> some things never change. oh, my gosh. that's his before look. >> katie's changed a lot, too. >> oh, my gosh, look how cute. >> adorable. >> katie couric and matt lauer and matt lauer. >> very cute. look at matt before as you see him here. and let's look at him today. >> i think he is like a fine wine. he has fermented beautifully. >> i think he looks sexier and more handsome now. >> he grew into the smile. >> he sure did. >> we love him around here. >> we also love jimmy fallon. >> not really. >> lately has been digging on us. >> yeah. for all the wrong reasons. take a look. >> tv news in advance of the season premiere tonight mtv started airing 12 hours of "jersey shore" at 9:30 this morning. seriously, if i wanted to see people getting drunk and acting weird at 9:30 in the morning, i would just turn on hoda and kathie lee. it's easier. i love you guys. i'm kidding. >> we have a news flash for you. >> we're not on at 9:30. >> we're on at 10:00. >> that's when we start getting drunk and weird, okay? >> get your facts righ

christian gerhartsreiter, who called himself clark rockefeller is accused of robbing a family in 1985. gerhartsreiter was arrested here in baltimore in 2008 for kidnapping his daughter. >>> time now for a quick look at the stories you'll find in the baltimore sun. local wildlife researchers work to rebuild the endangered whooping crane population. >>> the high-end coffee shops moving into the baltimore area. >>> and basketball court, after gary williams and who is not happy about it. for these stories and more, read the baltimore sun. and remember, you can look for the updated forecast, from wjz's first warning weather team. >>> two well-known travel plazas, along interstate 85, will soon get major facelifts. weijia jiang has a sneak peek at what they'll look like. >> reporter: they say rebuilding the travel plazas will not only bring new money into maryland but also hundreds of new jobs. >> reporter: for decades, the maryland and chesapeake houses have offer said drivers along i- 95, much-needed r&r. >> most people traveling make this stop one of their major stops. >> reporter: but p

>>> from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. welcome, welcome. it's winesday, wednesday. january 4th. only three more days to see that tree out there. they're going to take it down. >> that's sunday when that comes down. >> i like it, too. when new year's over, it's over. >> by the way, you guys have been clogging up our e-mail boxes. >> thank you for that. >> and we love it. with all of your photos from our cutest pet contest. people are sending in -- i guess we got 5,000. we just opened it yesterday. >> the problem is the word "pet." >> yes. we're making it cats and dogs. >> for legal purposes. >> not that that's not a pet. somebody loves their alligator very, very much. >> some of these entries are so cute. i don't know how we're going to choose or who does. >> oh, my god. are you kidding? >> that's haley. we've also got -- >> rex. >> how do you choose between a cat and a dog. you really can't. >> sandy. i'm kind of into sandy. smokey. >> oh, my gosh. okay. >> here's the thing. it's like your baby. e

amazing but it was 60 yea ago this week that something revolutionary was happening right here in rockefeller plaza. >> that was the cool little open we did an hour ago celebrating the 60th anniversary of "today" on friday, the 13th. it doesn't seem right to celebrate this on friday the 13th. we are looking forward to kicking off our 61st year as we look at some of the familiar faces who have been part of this program. i'm matt lauer along with al roker, savannah guthrie and ann curry. and it is only -- tell them what you said. >> and chucklehead jones. i feel like i'm doing the weather right now. >> you should. >> it's odd casting but thanks for having me. >> 22-time guest on "today," tom hanks. let's look at one of your early appearances. talking about a little known movie. >> 364 movies. >> i don't get the main girl. that was a reason i was intrigued by the script after playing this rake countless times who ends up in bed several times. >> i feel sorry for you. >> with babes, too, as a matter of fact. it was going to be a pleasure to go to work and not have to strip down. but by the time w

ben was involved when we fought the rockefeller drug laws. we were very successful in making some shifts in the laws in this state and across the country actually. there have been other state governments that made big changes. but as you know, the worst of these laws across the country were the rockefeller drug laws. we had 100,000 kids through the hip hop community. we got activists like hillary clinton at that time. then become governor and helped us a great deal. governor patterson who made the final changes. we fought and sparred and made a change and lots of people came home. but not significant enough change was made at that time. we did more. it's an ongoing fight all over this country. there are state laws and federal laws that are influenced by lobbyists. our biggest impediment in every state and on the federal level has been the lobbyists. as you know, those complexes have very strong lobbyists. even more than any political ideals, it was the lobbyists and money that kept these people in prison and still keeps them in prison. that's

rockefeller didn't go to college . halle berry didn't go to college. >> that is a good example. >> i think she is successful. >> she is hot. >> and let me make a moral point which is correct. freedom ends when force begins a burrcratic official say i am forcing you to go to college. check out their own high school with a 43 percent graduation rate. that is disgusting. >> johnathon, you are talking about them going to college. a program in bermuda. >> john. that is not true. >> we talk to them and help them plan a career. they are stuck in generational levels of low income and stuck in levels and they are stuck if you don't help them out. >> there is your entitlement speech. >> all right. you have to start before you get to the college application process. it comes from educating people from the early stages. >> parents as well. coming up everybody. they were partly to blame for the financial collapse and now government backed loans will help property flippers. we may all be flipping over thisem ♪ flipper. faster than l