it's getting there, savannah. >> who wins the baked beans, me or savannah?nk you. >> thank you so much. i'll see you later in the rot d rotunder. >> good one. thank you. >> back to willie, natalie and al for "today's" top clicks. >> it is time for "today's" top clicks. you get to pick your favorite video of the week. >> al points out savannah sounds a little more like edith bunker, archie. she has a little bit of that. >> shekeep working on that, savannah. >>> last week it was a land slide. a lot of us saw this one, little amaiyah fast asleep until her favorite song comes on the radio and she turns from full ram sleep to full "gangnam style." ♪ i mean, who is going to beat that? >> i love the sister's reaction. >> her little sister kills me on that one. >> she gets an assist from her little sister on that one. big winner for you all last week. this week, pretty stiff competition. bakersfield condors, minor league hockey team, bring a live c condor on to the ice during the national anthem. what could possibly go wrong? ♪ banner yet wave o'er the land of the f

i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. we are on a friday field trip in boston this morning. >> we are inside this city's historic hall. we'll get into everything that makes boston such a great place. there's a great crowd outside all fired up. can't wait to get outside and say hi to them. >>> meteorite coming out of russia, absolutely terrifying and frightening. >> this is something you expect to see in a weird movie. you can see that meteorite as it's burning, streaks across the skies in the euro mountains overnight, 900 miles of east of moscow. seconds later you can hear that loud explosion. >> unfortunately there's been some injuries this morning. duncan golestani has more. >> reporter: traveling at 33,000 miles per hour, no wonder people were panicking. streaking across an early morning sky, a burst of light and an explosion of sound. unverified pictures appear to show russian's city's close shave with a meteorite. locals heard and felt the shock wave of it passing. people stunned sbun sure of what they had seen were

savannah! i think i can teach savannah to make gnochi. that's not easy. >> don't get too excited.you can stop now. >> all right. turn it off. turn it off before we all get covered. that's good. put it there. now that you did that, you can have a glass of champagne. >> your turn. your turn. >> don't eat it. it's raw. put it in your hand. >> really? >> come on. and then roll it. >> okay. >> you're going to put it in the flour. yours is a little bit bigger because you're a man. i'm not going to get savannah's hands dirty, nor am i going to get my hands dirty. go ahead. do another one. we're going to take some of those. will willie, i'm going to make you do all the work. dump them in. >> all of these? >> yeah. >> little too much flour? little heavy on the flour? >> you didn't really need to dump the flour. just the gnochi. >> be very specific. >> it doesn't really matter. you cook them. take them out. now that they're all floured i might dip it. >> how long should they be in there? >> two minutes. i make a basil oil. olive oil and fresh basil, let it sit for a couple of hours and toss

savannah? >>> al, thank you. friday's field trip finds us an ideal spot for a winter vacation, miami beach. it's gone through a lot of changes in recent years. now, more people are coming here to stay. miami wants the world to know it means business. once considered just a playground, miami has become an international center of commerce, but a cultural mecca, competing with the likes of new york and london. >> it used to be for retirees and party people. it's become more than that, one of the most vibrant cities, not only in the united states, but in the world. >> new art center is under construction, world class hotels and restaurants. it's all here, as well as something that the others don't have year round, sunshine. >> when our friends across the country were digging themselves out of the snow last week, we had weather like this. why wouldn't you want to do business in miami? >> this was miami less than three decades ago. and this is miami today. that shoreline now part of a bustling cityscape. and the rest o

savannah? >> al, thank you. >>> now to rome and pope benedict's final days as leader of the catholic church. moments ago the vatican announced new details about the pope's life after he steps down. let's get to nbc's anne thompson at the vatican this morning. anne, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. we now know what pope benedict will be called once he retires. if you run into him, you address him as his holiness, bone addict xvi, roman pontiff emeritus. he won't wear the white cape you've seen him wear as pope. and then those shoes that he's so very fond of, they g he will have to switch to brown shoes. he will wear a pair he was given on a trip to mexico. all of those details are coming out as the world gets a glimpse of the sometimes ugly gamesmanship that goes on in this beautiful setting. cardinal keith o'brien, briton's highest ranking catholic and its only vote in the upcoming papal conclave is staying away, accused of improper behavior with four young priests goin

it's getting there, savannah. >> who wins the baked beans, me or savannah?beans. >> it's a draw. >> wendy, thank you. >> thank you so much. i'll see you later in the rot d rotunder. >> good one. thank you. >> back to willie, natalie and al for "today's" top clicks. >> it is time for "today's" top clicks. you get to pick your favorite video of the week. >> al points out savannah sounds a little more like edith bunker, archie. she has a little bit of that. >> shekeep working on that, savannah. >>> last week it was a land slide. a lot of us saw this one, little amaiyah fast asleep until her favorite song comes on the radio and she turns from full ram sleep to full "gangnam style." ♪ i mean, who is going to beat that? >> i love the sister's reaction. >> her little sister kills me on that one. >> she gets an assist from her little sister on that one. big winner for you all last week. this week, pretty stiff competition. bakersfield condors, minor league hockey team, bring a live c condor on to the ice during the national anthem. what could possibly go wrong? ♪ ba

savannah?> all right, al, thank you. >>> new information this morning on that tense standoff in alabama where a man holding a 5-year-old hostage in his underground bunker since tuesday afternoon. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in mid dms land city, alabama, this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, s savannah. the intense standoff is now entering its fourth day. police are being very cautious, saying the boy is unharmed. now we're hearing from the family of the murdered bus driver for the first time. up this dirt road, police and s.w.a.t. teams are closely watching an underground bunker. in it, a 5-year-old hostage and a man who police say opened fire on a school bus. >> the past few days have not been easy on anybody. >> reporter: the suspect is 65-year-old jimmy lee dike, a loner who distrusts the government. the boy is described only as ethan. the two are holed up underground in a four by six feet bunker, said to be full of supplies, including a television. >> he may have someth

savannah? >> is there still an open question as to whether the substance found inside his home is stroisd or not, or have police basically conceded that they misread the label? >> reporter: in no uncertain terms they said we found steroids, with tesss to troens with needles for injection. it was only when they're done with their testimony that the defense said wasn't it testo -- an herbal remedy. they said, okay, i just saw the first word assumed it was testosterone. so now it's 100% in question, savannah. >> one of the reasons we'll wait to see what happens inside the courtroom when there's a trial. we bring in star jones, who is a legal contributor. as you know, this is a case that will turn on the facts. we've heard a lot of facts inside this courtroom today. do you think there's been significant damage done to oscar pistorius' story? >> circumstantial, yes, indeed. when you put together a homicide case you try to match the story or the statement of the defendant with the forensic evidence.

. >> savannah is brilliant, funny, self-d self-deprecating. >> what do i love about savannah?t. >> you don't see her coming. >> getting awfully perfect to her. >> naturally halie has a heart >> so drop gorgeous, natalie makes you nauseous. >> i hate her. >> i love natalie's energy. >> the epitome of grease. >> makes you feel better about anything. >> what do you love about willie? sn>> he gives great hugs, bear hugs. >> his wit and goodness. a great role model for lot of people. >> kathie lee. >> sends a little message of inspiration your way. >> so much compassion. >> turned public drinking into an art form. >> welcomed me here with a smile. >> for that, i love her. >> what do i love about al? is exuberant joy. he walks in and goes, what' everyone doing, like yelling. >> he brightness my every day. >> what you see is what you get. >> i've only learned recently an outstanding kisser. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the catholic church will give its blessing today for a bill that would repeal a maryland's death penalty. archbishop wi

savannah? >> anne thompson at the vatican for us this morning. i will be live at the vatican wednesday and thursday for the pope's final public audience and last day as the leader of the church. matt? >> savannah, thanks. >>> nascar events, calls for improved safety after the weekend accident that cast a big shadow over sunday's daytona 500. janet shamlian is in daytona beach. good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt. yeah, this was a horrible crash that happened during a nascar race on saturday. more than two dozen people were hurt and these weren't drivers. they were fans hit by flying debris while sitting in the grandstand. a weekend of history and tragedy at the daytona 500. the first woman ever to start in the front position at daytona. but saturday's nightmarish wreck was still fresh on everyone's mind. >> and a terrible crash coming to the finish. >> reporter: on the last lap of the race, one of the cars crashed into the fence and split apart, sending chunks of metal and a tire high in

and savannah is going to share with us something from nancy guthrie, savannah's mom, how to make a bed with the perfect hospital corners. if you're going to the hospital, this is what you need to know. >> if you want that special hospital feel inside your bedroom. >> that's what i want. has a rail on the side. >> we won't even get into the hospital food. >> whoo! >>> we've been going on the road all this week. last week we were in boston. this week here headed down south to miami, warm weather. we've got so much fun scheduled. we'll eat, drink and be merry. we've got paula deen and pitbull. #todayinmiami and tweet us. we'll have more about that coming up. >> pitbull. mr. 305. >> that's right. >>> natalie has a check of the day's top stories for us. good morning again. >> good morning, david, savannah and al. good morning, everyone. >>> the charge is premeditated murder against oscar pistorius, who wept in a courtroom as prosecutors claim that he shot his model girlfriend reeva steenkamp while she hid behind a locked bathroom door. claiming a noise from the bathroom woke pistorius that

savannah?al, thank you. >>> former south carolina governor mark sanford is hoping for a second chance in politics in the wake of a personal scandal that cost him his marriage. we'll talk to the governor exclusively in a moment. first, his story. in a new campaign ad, mark sanford takes on his biggest hurdle, past scandal. >> i've experienced how none of us go through life without mistakes, but in their wake we can learn a lot about grace, second chances and be the better for it. >> four years ago, san tls ford was a rising republican star, governor of south carolina, with an attractive wife and family. but that promising political career was derailed by an affair with a television reporter in argentina. >> i've let down a lot of people. >> sanford's staff said he was hiking the appalachian trail but he had lied to his staff and was actually visiting his mistress in argentina. >> i've been unfaithful to my wife. i've developed a relationship with a -- started out as a dear, dear friend from arge

savannah? >> crews get ready all across the northeast this morning. people are making sure they are prepared for what's to come and time is almost up. ron mott is in providence, rhode island this morning. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. we're going to start with flurries here. that will, later in the day, give way to bucket loads of snow. at that point it's going to be too late to start getting ready. folks here in new england take pride for always being ready in storms like this. across new england it's time to pay up. a rush to fortify and hunker down on the home front, after last year's unusually quiet winter. the classic nor'easter has returned with a vengeance. >> salt, shovel. >> reporter: millions will need all that and more, forecasters say, from hartford to points north, south, east and west. they stocked up in new york city. >> i'm preparing now for the snow with the ice. >> not mesing around? >> not messing around at all. >> reporter: connecticut

savannah? >> is there still an open question as to whether the substance found inside his home is stroisd or not, or have police basically conceded that they misread the label? >> reporter: in no uncertain terms they said we found steroids, with tesss to troens with needles for injection. it was only when they're done with their testimony that the defense said wasn't it testo -- an herbal remedy. they said, okay, i just saw the first word assumed it was testosterone. so now it's 100% in question, savannah. >> one of the reasons we'll wait to see what happens inside the courtroom when there's a trial. we bring in star jones, who is a legal contributor. as you know, this is a case that will turn on the facts. we've heard a lot of facts inside this courtroom today. do you think there's been significant damage done to oscar pistorius' story? >> circumstantial, yes, indeed. when you put together a homicide case you try to match the story or the statement of the defendant with the forensic evidence.

savannah. >> al, thank you. this morning lawmakers are getting nuances about why the obama administration believes it is okay to use drones to kill expected terrorists including americans. it's an issue that will be key at today's confirmation hearing for the president's pick for cia. michael isikoff is calling this story for us. michael, good morning. >> savannah, good morning. drone strikes, the obama administration's weapon of choice against terrorists are coming under scrutiny. after a disclosure justice department document obtained by nbc news this week that justifies the targeted killing of americans suspected of being top al qaeda leaders. for the first time today the white house is sharing the classified memo that lays out the legal basis for such strikes with members of the house and senate intelligence committees. the move comes at a crucial time as john brenan, president obama's nominee to be cia director, faces his confirmation hearing today on capitol hill. in the war over drone strikes, a major rev

. >> hi, savannah. oscar pistorius sobbed his body shaking as this ruling was read and you could say in many ways this was expected, but this judge kept everyone guessing. his ruling lasted two hours. he criticized the prosecution, then said that it doesn't mean their case is not strong. then he hit pistorius saying he has problems with his story about what happened that morning. ultimately ruling, though, pistorius is not a flight risk, not a danger to the public. he will be released on bail tonight. >> the accused is not a flight risk. >> reporter: listen to the reaction on audio feed at the moment the ruling on bail was finally read. >> the accused has made a case to be released on bail. >> yeah! >> reporter: oscar pistorius entered the court with a calm demeanor looking more collected, even confident than we've seen. head forward, eyes closed. prosecutors picked up their argument, again ripping into pistorius' account of what happened the morning reeva steenkamp was killed in which a claim he was sc

sav savannah? >> al, thanks. >>> new jersey senator robert menendez is speaking out for the first time about an anonymous online report limpinging him to trips involving prostitutes in trips to the dominican republic. he is denying the report. kelly o'donnell has the report on capitol hill. >> reporter: he is reacting to the report based on anonymous sources that was posted online right before his re-election in november. i was among a small group of reporters who spoke to menendez right off the senate floor and i made an audio recording of his responses. >> those smears are exactly that, smears, untrue. >> reporter: asked directly if he had been with a prostitute, senator menendez, chairman of the foreign relations committee. >> this hearing of the senate foreign relations committee -- >> reporter: denied that story and grew emotional, saying political enemies launch ed a false attack. the smears -- the smear that is right-wing blogs have been pushing since the election and that is totally unsubst

savannah? >> we'll check back with you in a moment, al. >>> the alabama boy held captive nearly a week in an underground bunker is celebrating his 6th birthday today as new details emerge about the daring raid that freed him. gabe gutierrez has been following this story from midland, alabama. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. a heavy police presence, still two days after the standoff ended. released by the fiche, these are the first images we've seen inside the rural property in alabama where a 5-year-old boy named ethan, seen here in earlier photos, spent six days in captivity. from the outside it looks like a simple mound of dirt. underground, police say they found two explosives. the source describes them as crude pipe bombs. one in the bunker and the other in the pipe that police used to communicate with jimmy lee dykes, who demanded two children on a school bus before killing the driver, charles poland. he wanted attention, even asking police negotiators for a tv re

savannah guthrie is at the vatican. the live images, pope benedict xvi is leaving his apartment at the vatican. he will make his way outdoors to vatican square to st. peter's square in the vatican. and he will leave that square for the last time, shortly, as the leader of the catholic church, savannah. >> that's right. we're seeing the reigning moments matt of the papacy of b pope benedict xvi. he held an emotional meeting this morning with his cardinals. any moment, we expect to see another emotional final farewell. as you mentioned, on the vatican grounds. we see him departing this morning from the papal residence. he took the elevator down, i'm told. in a few moments, he will come into the courtyard. this is the place where we see the swiss guards that protect the pope take their oath. he's showing why, partly, he has decided to take this extraordinary step of adbdicatig the papacy. he's had some trouble with his heart. but he's been speaking with great strength and clarity in the final few days of his papacy. there

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this is a big storm that will bring a lot of snow, possibly the most they've seen in kansas city in 20 years. this part of the country is in a terrible drought and farmers will be happy about anything falling from the sky. this may be coming soon to a side walk near you. just like this trusty mailman in michigan, millions of americans are already being challenged by a fierce winter storm. in can, they're bracing for up to 18 inches of snow in some parts. police in wichita are telling folks to stay home. >> we are asking people to stay off the roadways because of the conditions that are deteriorating. >> reporter: the latest big blast of winter is predicted to hit 18 states, affecting at least 30 million people. all from a storm that hit california and the west coast and is now moving across the country. in tulsa, oklahoma, reduced visibility has led to numerous accidents, some roads impassable and at least one person killed. snow is usually just a four-letter word in places near san d

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this is a big storm that will bring a lot of snow, possibly the most they've seen in kansas city in 20 years. this part of the country is in a terrible drought and farmers will be happy about anything falling from the sky. this may be coming soon to a side walk near you. just like this trusty mailman in michigan, millions of americans are already being challenged by a fierce winter storm. in can, they're bracing for up to 18 inches of snow in some parts. police in wichita are telling folks to stay home. >> we are asking people to stay off the roadways because of the conditions that are deteriorating. >> reporter: the latest big blast of winter is predicted to hit 18 states, affecting at least 30 million people. all from a storm that hit california and the west coast and is now moving across the country. in tulsa, oklahoma, reduced visibility has led to numerous accidents, some roads impassable and at least one person killed. snow is usually just a four-letter word in places near san d

we were so close, savannah. the president and speaker boehner were just moments apart in reach iing a deal. unfortunately, the republicans were unwilling to do the deal we proposed. the president proposed a balanced approach, one that includes both spending cuts as well as rate increases. >> have there been any recent meetings along those lines? >> there haven't. the issue of the end of the last year and over the last few weeks we've been preparing and gearing up. the president has made it clear numerous times to sit down with the republicans in congress and work out a deal. he has presented a range of options for how we can get our fiscal house in order. he is looking for a big deal. if we can't get a big deal let's at least try to come to terms on a smaller deal that avoids sequestration from kicking in. >> valerie jarrett, have to leave it there. thank you very much for your time. >> thank you, savannah. >>> live coverage of state of the union address starts at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific time right here on nb

savannah? >> miguel almaguer, thank you. >>> rick heltibrick is the man who came face to face with christopher dorner when his car was hijacked. good morning. >> good morning. how are you? >> good. i guess the question is, how are you? what happened? did you recognize christopher dorner the moment you saw him? >> yes, i did. i was coming up camp road, side road off the highway, basically just out driving around, checking out my property, which is a pretty good sized boy scout camp that i run here. and i seen some law enforcement personnel in units in the area and it was kind of based on recent activity up here, kind of seemed like something was in the works. and i had gone down this road to check on my camp. i was heading back up the road, which is half a mile from the highway 38. christopher dorner came out of the snow -- out of the trees. i saw him right away. i saw a vehicle crashed behind him in the snow. he came up to me with his gun pointed at me and i stopped my truck, put it in park, ra

good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning.he little boy, ethan, is supposed to turn 6 years old very soon. that means there's the haunting possibility that he could spend his birthday as a hostage. police are choosing their public comments very carefully, because the suspect might have access to television. ♪ you raise me up >> reporter: south alabama is in mourning. bus driver charles poland's funeral sunday, friends and family remembered a man who died, protecting children. >> his actions spoke louder than any word that is could ever have been said about him. he laid down his life for the kids on that bus. >> reporter: police say his alleged killer, jimmy lee dykes, boarded a stopped school bus and demanded two kids. when poland refused, police say dykes shot him to death and took a boy named ethan with a mild form of autism hostage. >> i wish i could just hug him and hold him and tell him it's going to be all right. >> reporter: dykes has kept ethan in an underground bunker allowing him crackers, coloring books and medicine

savannah will handle that. new trends for your home. savannah will handle that. nbc. ♪ ♪ no two people have the same financial goals. pnc works with you to understand yours and help plan for your retirement. visit a branch or call now for your personal retirement review. >>> this morning on "today's" new home design trends, decorate and color your world. elizabeth mayhew is a lifestyle editor and "today" contributor. it's more about gifts. you get ideas of where the trends are going, right? >> almost 40,000 people come to this show. it really is the place in the u.s. where you see what the trends are. a lot of it is home based. today we're uncovering what some of those things are. >> first one should be obvious. it's flowers. >> but it's wallflowers. this is redefining what you think of wallflowers. great way to create a focal point in your home. tommy mitchell, those are metal, all hand painted flowers. then puts as shadow boxes. you can do one or group them as a whole. it has an old fashioned but updated botanical look and these circles that double as vases. yo

savannah?> al, thank you. >>> former south carolina governor mark sanford is hoping for a second chance in politics in the wake of a personal scandal that cost him his marriage. we'll talk to the governor exclusively in a moment. first, his story. in a new campaign ad, mark sanford takes on his biggest hurdle, past scandal. >> i've experienced how none of us go through life without mistakes, but in their wake we can learn a lot about grace, second chances and be the better for it. >> four years ago, san tls ford was a rising republican star, governor of south carolina, with an attractive wife and family. but that promising political career was derailed by an affair with a television reporter in argentina. >> i've let down a lot of people. >> sanford's staff said he was hiking the appalachian trail but he had lied to his staff and was actually visiting his mistress in argentina. >> i've been unfaithful to my wife. i've developed a relationship with a -- started out as a dear, dear friend from ar

> hello. >> george, it's savannah. an incredibly surprising turn of events. what is the process for replace ing a pope under these circumstances? >> savannah, let's pause on that first statement just a moment. this is a surprise in that it hasn't happened in 717 years, but it's not a surprise in that benedict xvi has, on several public occasions and in his most recent interview book said that if he ever reached the judgment in conscience, as that statement said today, that he could not give the church the service it deserves because of advancing age or ill health that he would abdicate. i think it's a great statement about the humility of joseph ratzinger, as he will become at the moment of his abdication once again. and in a strange way, this is his last great service to the church. he wants the church to have the kind of strong leadership that it needs. as i understand it, the process will unfold rather much like the process would unfold had the pope died except for the fact that the cardinals will obviously now be g

>> hi, jim casey, savannah.isenhower may not have sent any troops into combat, but a lot of what he and his state department did certainly laid the groundwork for the disaster in vietnam starting with -- being installed as president and sending advisers over there in the late '50s. any comments on that? >> yeah, sure. eisenhower is not blameless on vietnam, but in 1954 when the french were failing there at dien bien phu, there was tremendous pressure to send in ground troops from his own, in fact, his own general wanted to use tactical nuclear weaponses as did secretary of state john foster dulles as did richard nixon. and eisenhower said if we send troops, the jungle will consume an army birdie visions. i mean -- by divisions. i mean, he knew how badly an asian land war can go. and his view always was -- he was an all or nothing guy. now, it is true -- and dulles had a lot to do with this -- that when the french got driven out and vietnam was split into two, we backed the south, and we did start putting adviser

let's go back outside to savannah and david. >> ah. mr. roker, it is quite cold out here this morning. >> it's a little brisk but that has not enthusiasm of our crowd. especially this birthday girl, sarah, happy birthday. >> you this. >> where are you from? >> poland, maine. >> you are together. >> yes. >> you got a posse for your birthday. fantastic. happy birthday. let's see what we have going on for you today. our friday field trip, mostly sunny, warm. nbc 6 in south florida, we are looking forward to that. let me tell you. as we check out the country, you can see on the satellite, radar, there is that storm, natalie told you about at the top of the newscast. we have big snow going on. we are talking some places getting 9 to 18 inches of snow. nebraska to kansas, icy conditions into the mid mississippi river valley. slight risk of storms east texas and into mississippi. look for heavy rain later this weekend into georgia. more rain moves into the pacific northwest with mountain snows. high surf advisories along the southern california c

savannah? >> al, thank you.e'll check back in with you in a few moments. >>> in the case of olympic sprinter oscar pistorius, accused of shooting his girlfriend to death on valentine's day, michelle kosinski is in pretoria, south africa, with the latest. >> reporter: his career had him set to race in four continents and his agent just canceled everything. quoting police sources about what allegedly happened inside his home that morning. >> you fall in love with being in love with love, just one love everywhere. >> reporter: full of life is how friends remember reeva steenkamp in her new television show. >> i take with me so many things, things in here and things in here that i'll treasure forever. >> reporter: for many, too painful to watch as new details keep coming as she was allegedly killed on valentine's day at the hands fs her love. reeva's skull was damaged, cricket bat is being xmed. she was allegedly first shot in the bedroom then through a bathroom door. friends say he frantically call them before 4:00

i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm carl quintanilla in for matt this morning. mindy mccready had been trying to get her career and her life back on track, but the mother of two was tormented with her problems by substance abuse and the recent death of her boyfriend. we'll look at the latest in a moment. >>> i'll take a turn and ask the question, what happens to all that lost luggage at the airport? take a look at this jewelry, high-end fashions. this is the lost and found for luggage that never gets claimed and you won't believe what it is selling for now. >>> then a lot of dads have wondered, but this dad actually tried to find out what it's like to be pregnant. he wore a pregnancy suit in an experiment that lasted nine weeks. my back hurts already. he'll tell us all about it later on. >> he looks really good. you look good in that suit, really. >>> we'll begin, of course, with that breaking news, the tragic loss in the world of country music. troubled star mindy mccready has died of a self-inflicted gunsho

i don't know if they do or not, savannah. i know i certainly don't. >> we were a little competitive. >> we had a good time. >> i'm just a cook. i don't know how i got lucky enough to be here amongst all these chefs. >> there's a lot of food. there's also a lot of drink. >> how come you only have the -- >> well, i'll share. we've got one for everybody. >> here we go. >> a virgin. mine's a virgin. >> made you a virgin. >> made you a special one. >> created this special mojito a and virgin for you as well, paula. >> kind of the "today" show colors. did you all know miami has a 24-hour liquor license. >> really? >> we joke about the people on the beach having had a few before the show -- >> seven days a week. >> now it's just us. >> so we didn't violate any state laws. >> good. what happens when they do go 24 hours? that leads us to our next take two, right? >> it does. you need the south beach hangover cure. the party cycle kind of goes around the clock here. >> yes. >> it's called revive. south beach revive, board certified doc

>> now matt and savannah.ith the high and tight. >> that doesn't look anything like savannah. >> no. >> they enlisted matt. he just got into the military. >>> go to our website and vote the most accurate portrayal. i'm thinking willie. >> or angry man. >> i like al. >> today.com. >> the app is i made face. we're doing this, what just for fun? >> it's a hot app. >> number one app. >> why do people do it? >> maybe they can e-mail you in hot mail. >> and sonny will give out my hot mail address. >> no problem. >> tootallwilliegeist. >> it's bouffantwillie@hotmail.com. >>> should we turn more serious and go to natalie for a check of the top stories? >>> we have some serious news. premeditated murder is the charge against olympic runner oscar pistorius, who wept in a south african courtroom as prosecutors claim he shot his girlfriend, model reeva steenkamp, while she hid behind a locked bathroom do door. in an affidavit read by the athlete's lawyer pistorius said he was, quote, deeply in love with steenkamp and had

savannah? we have new information this morning on that tense standoff alabama where a man holding a 5-year-old hostage in his underground bunker since tuesday nbc's gabe gutierrez is at the scene in midland city, good morning. >> good morning. this bizarre standoff is entering its fourth day. # police are being very cautious, but they say the child is being unharmed. now we hear from the family of the murdered bus driver for the first time. # up this dirt road, police and s.w.a.t. teams are closely watching an underground bunker. in it, a 5-year-old hostage and a man they say opened fire on a school bus. >> the past days have not been easy on anybody. >> reporter: a police source says the suspect is 65-year-old jimmy lee dykes, described as a loner who distrusts the government. the boy is only being identified as ethan. police say the two are holed up eight feet underground in a 4 by 6 foot bunker. it's said to be full of supplies including a television. >> i think that he may have something to

. >> 12-month-old savannah has been feeling lousy. her mom brought savannah to the pediatrician. the doctor said infections are one of the most common reasons kids go to the doctor and the number-one reason kids get antibiotics. >> typically they had a few days of a cold virus. the fluid behind the ear that usually trains out cannot train. >> her visit came on the same day the american academy of pediatrics issued new guidelines to diagnose and treat infections. it is an attempt to cut back on antibiotic overuse and resistance. >> revision of the 2004 treatment guidelines, the new matt birk -- new recommendations are for children from six months to 12 years old. it spells out with doctors should prescribe antibiotics immediately. the guidelines explained when it is ok to wait, observe, and recommend pain relievers. >> there are a lot of instances where the kids will get better on their own. >> the good news for savannah, no infection. her mom says it will be treated with lots of hugs and cuddling. >> the new guidelines also suggest ways parents can prevent infections like breast

the great savannah guthrie of the "today" show.n, let me finish with the attacks that don't seem to stop on chuck hagel and how they're really an attack against president obama. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. how do you kr car running like new? you ask a ford customer. when they tell you that you need your oil changed you got to bring it in. if your tires need to be rotated, you have to get that done as well. jackie, tell me why somebody should bring they're car here to the ford dealership for service instead of any one of those other places out there. they are going to take care of my car because this is where it came from. price is right no problem, they make you feel like you're a family. get a synthetic blend oil change, tire rotation and much more, $29.95 after $10.00 rebate. if you take care of your car your car will take care of you. a hairline fracture to the mandible and contusions to the metacarpus. what do you see? um, i see a duck. be more specific. i see the aflac duck. i see the aflac duck out of

and i sign it on the bottom and i think our winner is savannah!morning it is 8:26 on this wednesday february 20th. let's check in with tom on the fo we have winds gusting to 20 to 25 miles-an-hour. it feels like 20. later today highs reaching upper 30. windy and cold. friday increasing clouds might get sleet and snow. chilly rain after that into friday evening. saturday off and on light rain with highs around 50. sunday and monday back with highs near 50. [ male ] that's one creamy muller. [ female ] it's greek-style yogurt. thick, scrumptious, and more protein than those regular yogurts. [ male ] are those almonds i see in the corner thingy? [ female ] caramelized almonds i think you'll find. [ male ] well, who wants ordinary run-of-the-mill almonds when you could have the caramelized kind? if i was this girl, i'd caramelize my whole apartment. [ female ] weird. [ male ] this greek-style yogurt has style. [ female ] you can say that again. [ male ] why thank you. this greek-style yogurt has style. [ female ] okay. stop saying it now. [ male ] you