and humiliated by the people presiding over the ceremony. and the husband and wife had no idea why they were being made fun of "today," saturday, idea why they were being made fun of "today," saturday, october 30th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. we're already seeing heightened security measures following the discovery of those two suspicious packages from yemen. >> what a day it was yesterday. officials say the packages were actually copy or toner cartridges that contained explosives. they were on their way to two jewish institutions in chicago. the president called it a credible terror threat. we'll have much more of this unfolding story including a live intear view with homeland security secretary janet napolitano. >> and counting down to tuesday' midterm elections. there's another big surprise involving a key senate battle. new revelations about the push to get kendrick meek to drop out in florida. this morning's report says it wasn't just former president bill clinton who was trying to get him to quit. we will tell you who else was involved, coming up. >> plus an arrest has been made in connection with the death of a northern illinois university student. the freshman was reported missing two weeks ago. this morning, a man has been charged with her murder. we'll get details on this disturbing story coming up. >> and on a much lighter snot we will take you behind the scenes of the smithsonian institute, from superman's cape to indiana jones' jacket. we'll give you an all-access tour and give you the secret warehouses. they just kept opening drawers and pulling out the most amazing marvels from movies from days gone by. you're just, wow, that really is the whip. >> the superman cape that al roker wears was not the original? >> no, that's locked safely away. >> a lot to get to this morning. let's start with the very latest on the terror threat against the u.s. a threat that officials believe may have been plotted by al qaeda in yemen. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams has the latest for us. pete, good morning. >> lester, good morning to you. the two packages intended for shipment to the u.s. were stopped before they could get here. and now, officials say one of them contained a significant quantity of high explosives. five times more than what was carried by the underwear bomber on that flight to detroit on christmas day. acting on a very specific tip from saudi arabia's intelligence circuit, authorities in england found a suspicious package addressed to the u.s. inside a laser printer with a toner cartridge, obviously tampered with. protruding wires, a crudely attached circuit board coated with white powder and containing explosives. >> this is at the east midlands airport where that package was intercepted. a freight distribution building was evacuated and the package kapenned before being turned over to the london police for further testing. >> reporter: a second similar package also addressed to the u.s. was intercepted in dubai in the persian gulf. both were sent from yemen. and u.s. officials suspect they originated with the same al qaeda group that was behind the attempted bombing of a u.s. passenger jet on christmas day. >> a u.p.s. plane searched at several u.s. airports, and in the uk -- >> reporter: after a day of intensive cable tv coverage, a plane stopped and searched, the first definitive explanation came from the president himself. >> i want to briefly update the american people on a credible terrorist threat against our country. and the actions that were taken with our friends and our partners to respond to it. initial examination of those packages has determined that they do apparently contain explosive material. >> reporter: the packages were addressed to two chicago locations. a jewish community center, and a synagogue, neither of which knew anything about the packages, the fbi says. as a precaution, planes carrying any cargo from yemen were searched the moment they landed in the u.s. about 15 packages in all. and a passenger plane from the united arab emirates was escorted by fighter jet as it made a scheduled landing in new york because it, too, was carrying a package from yemen. nothing hazardous was found. officials say they don't yet know precisely how the two packages were designed, though they assume for now they were meant to detonate. >> the materials that were found, and the device that was uncovered was intended to do harm. >> one possibility, analysts say, is whoever sent the packages didn't know for certain how they'd fly to the u.s. >> we shouldn't assume that cargo planes was the intended mode of transportation. they may have believed these packages would have been placed on passenger airlines. >> both u.p.s. and federal express have now suspended all shipments to the u.s. from yemen, and british authorities stopped shipments to the uk, as well. >> it's clear that extremely detailed intelligence was the key to this. all the way down to such specifics as the actual tracking numbers of the packages. investigators are now looking at runt shipments from yemen to the u.s., particularly to chicago, to see if whoever sent these packages had earlier tried a test run to see how long it would take to get a package from there. lester? >> pete williams, thank you very much. with us is department of homeland security secretary janet napolitano. secretary, thank you and good morning. >> good morning. >> can you give us any overnight update you have as to the source of these packages? >> no. the investigation is still continuing. but obviously we were able, with the information provided by the saudis, to segregate those packages. they are now being analyzed. they're still being analyzed and looked at. and we continue to put in place enhanced passenger and cargo protections, particularly for any cargo emanating from yemen. >> and i want to follow up, and pete had noted that other packages from yemen. have you accounted for all the packages that have come here recently, and whether there might be any other suspicious ones you need to look at? >> well, obviously we're doing some reverse engineering, as it were, to identify other packages from yemen. but we also are doing it in forward place, in the sense of making sure that all packages or cargo emanating from yemen against the appropriate level of screening. >> what's the best intelligence and the best guess here about these explosives? were they intended to explode on the airplanes themselves? or were they intended to reach those destinations that they were addressed to? >> it's hard to say right now. that's what the investigation is going to look at. one of the things they're going to look at. but either way, it's a specific and credible threat. either way, we want to make sure that we identify who was the perpetrator, and being relentless in our pursuit of that. >> is this a misdirect here or ineptness? a package from yemen to a synagogue in chicago, crudely put together, almost begging to be caught. has that raised some additional alrm bells in your mind? >> in the sense about whether this was just something to test the system? >> exactly. >> well, it may have been. we don't know. but, we view it as a specific and credible threat. we view this as showing how the system actually works. where we have good information sharing partnerships with saudi arabia. where we have good partnerships with the uk, and with other countries in the world. where we have good partnerships with the private sector to enable us to immediately pull the packages. where we have good partnerships, both internationally, but also domestically, so that we can immediately put into place new and enhanced protections for people and cargo, particularly that which emmates from yemen. >> and i'll give you that. some things obviously worked very well yesterday, especially in terms of getting that tip. but let's assume that tip never came in. as i understand it the cargo on cargo planes is not routinely examined. at least under some kind of a federal law. so if there had not been a tip, is there a good chance those packages would have reached chicago? >> you know, i don't really play the what-if game because of the plain fact of the matter is that we have these information sharing understandings, and agreements with our allies. we know we have to have a multilayered system. we know that there's no screening system that in and of itself is a silver bullet where terrorism is concerned. terrorists are constantly pulsing whatever system we have so we have to have multiple layers. and we have to keep changing our system, too, so that predictability doesn't become part of the tools in their arsenal. >> i want to thank you for being with us. secretary janet napolitano. we appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> and now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. news of this terror threat comes just three days before the midterm elections. with the polls showing a possible historic victory for the republicans in congress, president obama is hitting the road for a final campaign push to keep his party in power. nbc's mike viqueira is at the white house this morning. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. this is it. closing arguments in election year 2010. the president plans a weekend blitz to try to help struggling democrats in a year when many are predicting a republican blowout. president obama kicking off a final campaign sprint last night in virginia. the president was on the stump for tom perriello, an embattled house democrat. mr. obama's trip a reward for a vulnerable ally who hadn't run away from the president, in a year when many are, like north dakota's earl pom roy in this last-minute appeal. >> i'd like to introduce myself. i'm not nancy pelosi. i'm not barack obama. >> this sit, folks. we're getting right down, we're getting right down to the end. >> reporter: in ohio, john boehner, the man many expect to be the next house speaker, worked to build what he hopes will be a republican wave. >> you have to accept it. >> no. >> do you have to take it? >> no. >> hell no you don't. >> the president plans a weekend blitz to rally party faithful in tight races. today in philadelphia, then connecticut, and ending his day in chicago. and on sunday, in the battleground of ohio, where he and vice president biden plan to appear together with a separate visit there this weekend from former president -- >> bill clinton! >> reporter: clinton has raised his campaign profile in recent days, but not without controversy after he suggested to florida democrat kendrick meeks that he drop out of the senate race there. it was a last-ditch effort to help independent charlie crist defeat front-running republican marco rubio. on the "today" show meek said it didn't happen that day. >> and the real issue here is he never once said you need to drop out. i never once said i'm going to drop out. >> reporter: while president clinton was careful in his account of the conversation with meek. >> he is my friend. he's the candidate. and he wanted us to talk, as we always have, i have to let him say whatever he wants to say about our conversation. it would be wrong for me to discuss it. >> reporter: and, amy, weeks of campaigning by president obama don't seem to be helping democrats hold onto the house. the two top political handicappers in this town, neutral observers, now say that republicans could gain as many as 65 seats. they only need 39 to take control of the house. amy? >> all right. mike viqueira in washington. thanks so much. president obama doesn't want to lose the senate, but some say a gop takeover would be actually good news for the white house. why? well, chris matthews is the host of "hardball" and the "chris matthews show." he'll be there to answer that question, perhaps. >> good morning, amy. >> let's start in florida with the back and forth between meek and president clinton. now meek saying that charlie chist himself even lobbied to get him perhaps to pull out of that race. what are the implications for this race? may this affect voter turnout? >> one of my favorite shows is "the good wife" on another network and the d.a. in that, the ex-d.a. said the only thing worse than a back room deal is a failed back room deal. this week. and i'll tell you this is a failed back room deal. president clinton's playing the good soldier trying to get meek out of the race. meek isn't getting out of the race, splitting the democratic and moderate vote and progressive vote. it looks like it's going to be rubio. and there's nothing they can do about it now. >> let's turn to nevada where senate majority leader harry reid is trying to fend off tea partier sharron angle to hold on to his very important senate seat obviously. according to the latest polling, too close to call. you can see sharron angle with 49%, harry reid 45%. margin of error 4%. how big of a blow would this be for the democrats? >> well, first of all, i don't think it's over. i think he's got a very good get out the vote campaign set up out there. harry reid is very good to that. he's used to not getting 50%. she looks like she's getting a little scared running that very vicious, i must say, anti-ad she has been running. she doesn't think she's winning. that one is up in the air. clearly people like chuck schumer campaigning for leader. i'm not sure it's going to be much of a blow. the democrats will regroup pretty well if they lose that seat. i'm not sure at all they've lost it. >> all right. let's get to the questions i first coined when i introduced you. speaking specifically to whether or not the republicans win the house, that could be a good thing for president obama where he would have, perhaps, someone to share legislative blame with if things don't get passed, if things don't get forward when it comes to his re-election in 2012. >> it couldn't get any worse. right now pelosi is taking all the heat. the democrats are playing for absolutely everything. this would share the blame. the dangerous thing, amy, and you know this, is if the republicans get control of the house of representatives, they control all tax policy, they basically control regulating or overseeing the regulation of all the agencies. they also get the subpoena power which is frightening. and the republican from california has made it clear as chairman of that committee he's going to use that committee to investigate everything, including the role that president clinton played in this campaign. they're going after everything. it's going to be very much like the congress that took over after world war ii. the 80th, which just began every day with a prayer and ended it with a probe. that's one big danger. >> all right. and lastly your thoufts on this latest terror threat. a lot of people call this an october surprise. how much is terrorism going to play a role in this election when we have so many domestic issues like the economy? >> i think you answered the question. this is about the economy stupid, as james carville used to say. it's clearly not going to be focused away from that. the president was trying to be business-like and professional-like. i think no one is seriously saying anyone has ginned this up. this is a frightening specter we face from al qaeda and arabia and nobody's kidding about it. i don't think it's an issue. not in the campaign. >> chris matthews, thanks so much. >> thank you, amy. >> we want to head over to msnbc tamron hall now at the news desk. she's got the other headlines of the morning. good morning. >> good morning, lester and amy. good morning, everyone. we began with those growing wildfires out in boulder, colorado. more than 100 firefighters battled the flames friday night. which has grown to at least 140 acres. earlier, hundreds of people were evacuated. the national transportation safety board is looking into what caused a one by two foot hole in the fuselage of an american airlines jet. the plane made an emergency landing tuesday when the cabin lost pressure shortly after takeoff from miami. the boeing 757 descended quickly causing oxygen masks to drop. passengers described kay ols and one passenger even sent a good-bye text to his son. fortunately, there were no injuries. pfizer is recalling 38,000 bottles of the popular cholesterol reducing drug lipitor. the recall is due to reports of a musty or moldy older. the company says the smell is caused by a chemical found on wooden pallets used to store and ship bottles. finally pumpkin carving down under. divers but up pumpkins 25 feet beneath the sea surface as part of the annual underwater carving contest that's happening off the key largo -- coast of key largo in florida. something to enjoy. that is the news now back to lester, amy, and bill. a different way, i guess, to enjoy the halloween holiday. not sure about it. look s fun, i guess. >> the pumpkin seeds, where does it go? >> takes a little longer to dry the pumpkin seeds out. >> what's it going to be like for trick other treaters tomorrow? >> honestly, this is really nice. the horrible storm in the middle of the week, all the tornadoes, all the nasty winds, this is our reward. very tranquil weather. it's a little chillier than we'd like throughout the northern half of the country. it is october, almost november. the only wet spot is the west coast. a new storm coming in tonight into the pacific northwest, and also some rain in central california this morning will try to push into nevada and areas of utah as we go throughout tonight. >> good morning. all the precipitation is way up to our north in the great lakes and parts of new england. dry day today, mr. president i of sun, a few scattered clouds and a little chilly. that's your saturday forecast. amy? >> bill, thank you and in just a few hours, jon stewart and thousands of supporters will be in washington for his rally and for a little comic relief. nbc's peter alexander joins us live from the site of today's rally. good morning, peter. >> reporter: amy, good morning to you. what's funny at this hour is that nobody here really knows what to expect. they are permitted for 60,000 people here. on facebook more than 200,000 people said they were planning to attend this event. it will certainly be a day infused with irony as is always the case with anything jon stew ort or stephen colbert. and already the rally to restore fear -- excuse me to restore sanity and/or fear is already changing the conversation about how politics and entertainment intersect. >> it is happening, people! it is happening! >> reporter: and it's happening today at noon. jon stewart and stephen colbert's rally to restore sanity and/or fear. a call to action from comedy central's two biggest stars. thousands are expected to gather on the national mall in what stewart recently labeled a million moderate march. >> i think that we need a little bit more sanity in the world. >> it would be nice. >> reporter: high profile supporters like oprah winfrey, a recent guest on "the daily show" even offered to foot some of the travel bill, sending audience members to d.c. >> you're going to the rally! >> reporter: still unanswered, is it a punch line or a protest? >> this is for the people that are too busy, that have jobs and lives, and are tired of their reflection in the media as being a divided country, and a country that's ideological and conflicted and fighting. >> reporter: for president obama, however, it's all about politics. and the chance to target stewart's left-leaning, young audience. >> thank you. >> reporter: this week, mr. obama became the first sitting president to appear on "the daily show" where he was grilled on his troubled agenda. >> you ran with such, if i may, audacity. legislative it is spilled timidive times. >> my attitude is, if we're making progress, step by step, inch by inch, day by day, that we are being true to the spirit of that campaign. >> reporter: some suggest this weekend's event is a response to conservative commentator glenn beck's restoring honor rally back in august. others say it's just for laughs. >> jon stewart is in this for the comedy, for the entertainment, for the attention. he does want more liberals in office than conservatives. but he also is there for himself, and for his own advancement. not to help democrats win on election day. >> reporter: two popular comedians, restoring sanity and/or fear, and in the process, adding some humor to an ugly political season. >> to send a message to our leaders, and our national media that says, we are here! we're only here, though, until 6:00, because we have a sitter. >> reporter: already some of the details of today's event have leaked out. among the expected musical acts, sheryl crow and the roots. also today, amy, we are expecting a benediction from a name that may be familiar to "saturday night live" fans, that is the father guido sarducci. >> all right, peter alexander, thanks so much for the preview. and we're back. but first, this is "today" on nbc. still to come here on "today," cruel ceremony. the nasty trick that was played on a couple renewing their wedding vows. >> apparently they didn't realize what was happening to them. plus supermarket savings. america's cheapest family shows you how to cut your grocery bill in half. and by the way, they wear that label proudly. they've got great strategies that they say will work for any size family. we'll have more on that as we continue here. >> good morning. the time now is 7:26. here's a look at some of our top stories this morning. police are investigating a suspicious death in northwest baltimore. baltimore city police say they found the body of an unidentified man on the front lawn of a home in the 3600 block of fairview avenue. it happened around 6:15 friday morning. it's unclear how the man died, but homicide detectives are investigating that case. and you may remember this big little guy who's certainly grown over the last two years. sampson, who many of you helped name, took part in the pump son smash at the maryland zoo yesterday. the african elephant used his foot to help smash the pumpkin before he dug in. the event kicked off a weekend full of zoo activities for halloween. now here's john with a look at your halloween forecast. john? >> good morning. the sun is coming out now, and we have some thin clouds and chilly temperatures. it's been down to 36, now up to 37. and at the airport, 82% the humidity. the barometer is high, and we had a light southwest wind, but it's gone calm here in the past 15 minutes, allowing the tts to kind of settle in. again, clear conditions overhead except for these thin clouds coming off a weather disturbance, which is moving into the great lakes. this thing is going to move right across the great lakes toward new england. too high or too far north for us to pick up any rain from it, and high pressure gives us a good day today and really for the weekend. just a few scattered clouds and lots of sun today, cool and dry, 57 to 61 for the high. west to southwest winds at 5 to 10 with a sun set at 6:08 this evening. we go to standard time next weekend, not this weekend. for the trick-or-treaters, on sunday, a high in the low 60's perhaps, but we'll drop into the 50's and then 40's with dry weather as we go into the trick-or-treat evening hours on sunday. >> all right. looks pretty good. thanks for joining us. another update in 25 minutes. see you then. taxes are too high, and maryland families are struggling. and then there's politician andy harris proposing a 23% sales tax on nearly everything we buy. it cuts taxes for millionaires by over $200,000 a year and raises taxes on the middle class. andy harris even promised big oil companies he'd make taxpayers pay for spills like the bp disaster. andy harris on our side? not a chance. the democratic congressional campaign committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. and we're back on this saturday morning, october 30th, 2010. with little edward skis scorehands there. chilly autumn morning in new york. but our thanks to everyone who came out to spend part of their day with us. inside studio 1a, i'm amy robach along with lester holt. last night, an arrest last night in the death of a northern university student. >> the 18-year-old last seen two weeks ago, this morning we have details on who has been charged with her murder. >> plus just how safe are the skies? because of friday's latest scare at some of our nation's airports, homeland security has said passengers may see some changes in security when traveling. we're going to tell you what those may be. >> this next story, a wedding renewal ceremony left this couple insulted and verbally abused. they thought the hotel staff member presiding over their occasion was offering them kind words. but that certainly wasn't the case. wait until you hear what he called them. >> all right. but first, the death for a home invasion killer. he was the karate instructor who orchestrated the killings of the parents of 13 disabled children and now a florida jury says he must pay for that crime with his life. the story from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: leonard patrick gonzalez jr. came back to court to hear his fate, after being convicted of first degree murder in the shooting deaths of byrd and melanie billings near pensacola, florida, last year. the prosecutor told the jury gonzalez deserved to die, and described how he first killed byrd, in front of his wife. >> he wanted to inflict a high degree of pain with utter indifference to the suffering of others. he let her stand there and watch him shoot her husband down like a dog. >> i lost the man who was my idol. >> reporter: ashley, byrd and melanie's daughter, told the jury about her parents, who had 17. four of their own and 13 adopted, many with special needs. >> through an act of great unfairness, these children are victims again. their lives are forever changed. >> reporter: authorities say gonzalez was the ringleader of a home invasion robbery that led to the billings' murders. gonzalez refused to take the stand on his own behalf. and didn't want his mother or wife speaking, either. >> got convicted in the media. >> but his mother and wife did testify, saying painkilling medication altered his personality. >> he helped everybody that he could. when he was on the medications, he was just completely different. >> if you follow your heart -- >> reporter: his lawyer asked for mercy, but the jury took little time to reject the appeal. >> a majority of the jury by a vote of 10-2 advise and recommend to the court that it impose the death penalty upon leonard patrick gonzalez jr. >> reporter: gonzalez will be formally sentenced by the judge, who has now heard the jury's recommendation. mark potter, nbc news, miami. now, to illinois, where a 34-year-old man has been arrested for the death of a college freshman who vanished two weeks ago. this morning, a school and a family mourn her death, and react to his capture. 34-year-old william billy curl was charged with five counts of first degree murder. criminal sexual assault, and arson. police called it a crime of opportunity. >> she had worked to the park, and he was in the park, and, you know, found her. >> reporter: 18-year-old antonate keller, or ten ni as she was called by family and friends, was last seen october 14th. the freshman art student told classmates she was going to a park near the university to work on an art project. >> she was just a very positive, vibrant, sweet, young 18-year-old girl. >> she was such a great person. she had this ray of sunshine to her. >> reporter: days later, human remains were found in the park. and though police have not yet positively identified the remains as those of keller, some of her belongings were found nearby. >> i just really hope she didn't have to suffer. >> reporter: at the university, students are expressing relief at news of the arrest. >> i hope that's the guy, for sure. but hopefully, it does make me feel a lot safer. >> reporter: in a statement released after the announcement the university's president called the crime a senseless act of violence and encouraged students to continue to follow precautionary measures for their safety. william curl could face the death penalty for two of the murder charges. and we want to change gears now and get another check of the weather from bill karins out on the plaza. bill, good morning. >> good morning to you, lester. it's a chilly morning in new england out here. crowd, a bit of hats and gloves on. as far as the forecast goes, looks cool to start the morning but beautiful as we go throughout our halloween forecast. today is just like tomorrow. the only wet weather is going to be in the pacific northwest. a little bit of shower activity through the inner mountain west. it's going to be dry. it's going to be mild, and a lot of people are going to be very happy. there's the halloween night forecast, specifically as we go throughout the early evening period, probably early trick-or-treaters. as i mentioned, it doesn't get any better than this. this is like a beautiful fall weekend. all the little >> good morning. only a few high, thin clouds here this morning. up to the north is where rain and snow is falling. our temperatures have been chilly. we started out in the 30's, but we wind up in the upper 50's to around 60 for the high with and all our friends here came up from south florida. right? and you guys have been very dry. i was looking at something, hasn't rained in some areas of florida in over a month. not going to rain here, either. but they bought the hat and gloves as they came in this morning. they don't even own them down there. if you want your hour by hour forecast, get that at weather.com. >> bill, thanks very much. still to come, cutting your grocery bill in half. shopping strategies from america's cheapest family. >> plus a touch of evil. evel knievel's motorcycle. just one of the hidden pressures from inside the smithsonian institute. our all-access tour just ahead. but first these messages. swing over those rocks...edo took some foolish risks as a teenager. but i was still taking a foolish risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more... and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39% to 60%. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go, boy, go! whoo-whee! if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. don't kid yourself. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah. that's why there's castrol gtx... with superior protection against harmful deposit build-up. don't let deposits hold your car back. get castrol gtx. it's more than just oil. it's liquidngineering. as they do at the beginning ? only air optix® contact lens materials have tricomfort™ technology. they let up to five times more oxygen through the lens than traditional soft contact lenses... ...are designed to retain moisture for comfort all day long... and have superior deposit resistance for cleaner lenses. air optix®, the lens you can survive a long day in. go to airoptix.com for a free one-month trial offer. air optix®, the lens you can survive a long day in. here, take the card. you go to the shops... i'll meet you at the gate. thanks. please remove all metal objects out of your pockets. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4. sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom. how would you like to be called america's cheapest family? to the family of seven from arizona, they consider that title a badge of honor and thigh have easy lessons on how you could cut your grocery bill in half. steve and annette are authors of cut your grocery bill in half and they're here along with two of their children, abby and joe. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> i've got to ask this first off, because is the name real? >> our last name used to be holt. >> come on, now. the name certainly works for you, because it really says what you guys are about. and economizing is what you are about. how much work is it to be a cheap skate? is it a, you know, i'll start with you. >> okay, actually, i don't think it's that much work at all. because we've been doing it for so long. and our encouragement toolks is to take baby steps. we're never expecting anybody to start where we are. we think of ourselves as black belts in this frugality thing. >> but it's a discipline, is it not, to be cheap? >> it is. but you know, it's baby steps. so you just learn a little bit along the way. >> everything you're good at takes time to develop. if you just start where you are, and learn one skill, and master that, whether it's shopping less, whether it's planning meals. whatever -- >> let's talk about that first thing. shopping less. if i make few -- you make fewer trips to the store. >> correct. >> how does that save you money? >> grossers expect about 60% of the items you put in your court are there on impulse. the fewer times you go to the store the fewer impulseite thames you put in your cart. the more you plan the more you save. if you plan four or five meals for the evenings and you go shopping for those once a week you're going to cut your grocery bill in half. >> you go in with a plan. you can also in with a calculator. why? >> because you want to be able to calculate cost per unit, compare prices, make sure you're getting the best deal. it's real simple. >> annette, talk about meal planning. obviously that's key to this if you want to have the organized shopping. how do you do that? do you plan your meals based on what's cheap? >> yes. >> that particular feek? >> as a matter of fact, we tell folks use the ads in the newspaper because they are like a lottery ticket. and if you plan your meal off of the things that are on sale, you're going to be eating the least expensive food, not sacrificing quality, but of course sacrificing price. which is what we're looking for. >> do you buy prepared foods or do you cook from scratch? >> i do cook from scratch. but we tell folks, hey, if your life is eating out at restaurants every night, go ahead and buy prepared foods. take a step in the right direction. >> abby, how does it work out for you? have you bought into the plan? or are you as much -- >> yes. >> you have? >> yes, because it takes a teen to do all this. when they go grocery shopping they're tired. so we need to put stuff away. we need to help make the food. we have to do chores. we have to hold our own in the house. it's not like we're dead weight just living there. >> joe, i'm thinking you're being denied something. whenever i hear somebody being cheap i think, oh, something's being denied. >> i put aside a certain amount of money each week to go out to lunch with some of my friends from school. the places we go out to are the same price as the food that we would get at the school and better quality. >> steve and annette, you said you want people to do baby steps here. but realistically, when you become a black belt, as you are, can you cut your grocery bill, what, a third, a half, what? >> we spend 60% less than the average american family on food for our family. so, yeah. >> and lester, i'd just like to say, and i've said this before, we are the hope and change for america. if folks are struggling to make their mortgage payments, their car payments, if they've been hit by unemployment, or illness, then our two books are going to help them not only to survive, but thrive in these economic times. >> do you freeze food? do you prepare food in advance and freeze it? >> a freezer is like a vault for your special items that you've gotten on sale. >> you want people to go out and get a big freezer? >> buy less expensively. we talk about how to buy used appliances in the book. >> you can start with a small one. our very first freezer was a small little nine cubic foot and allows you to buy and stock up on meat on sale. so that when it's time for your meals you've got like a bank to draw from. >> do you apply these strategies, we're talking groceries here mainly. do you apply these strategies to everything that you consume and buy? >> you become smart shoppers. there are ways to get deals on everything. there's always somebody looking to get rid of the very thing you're looking for. you find that person you're going to find a deal. there's always deals. >> has craigslist changed your life? >> it's awesome. craigslist is one of our resources. ebay, yes. >> well listen, it's great having you guys on. you wear this title proudly. cheapest family. appreciate you coming in this morning. great to have you here. >> up next, crude ceremony. a man officiating over a wedding renewal mocks the couple. we'll tell you more about it after these messages. but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs, if you don't have good knees. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. let's take a look at the stats. mini has more than double the fiber and whole grain... making him a great contender in this bout... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain... in every tasty bite -- frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! didn't know i had it in me. or does frizz make you start over? pantene knows thick hair absorbs more moisture, so we customized a pro-v system to make smooth stay into the second day. frizzy to smooth system. pantene. healthy makes it happen. the pantene re-invention is here. introducing the new pantene custom solutions. with options for your unique hair structure. thick, fine, curly or color. to make the hair you love last and last. put it to the test. find your new pantene. but it's also rich in powerful nutrients that help cleanse and purify your body. cranberries are the ninja fruit. wh-wh-whoa! ocean spray -- tastes good, good for you. like the cranberry, the pomegranate is a superfruit, prized since ancient times. he would know. [ snickering ] also available in light and diet. renewing their wedding vows in the exoptic surroundings of the maldives was meant to be a memory one couple would remember forever. but it wasn't exactly what they bargained for. nbc is live in london with the story. >> reporter: good morning, amy. a simple ceremony at a luxury beach hotel in the middle of the indian ocean has caused a huge media storm. renewing their vows, they said, i do. but i do to what? [ speaking foreign language ] >> a romantic ceremony turned into a joke by these men. this swiss couple paid almost $1300 for an elegant beach blessing in the maldives. and up market tourist destination. in doing so they became a youtube sensation. hotel staff from the resort subjected the unwitting couple to mockery and sexual slurs. most of it too obscene to be repeated. and then posted the video online. golden sand, turquoise seas and all year round sunshine make the maldives the ultimate romantic location. it attracts couples from around the world for that once in a lifetime exotic holiday. but now it's trouble in pair dies. shame faced and emphatic apologies from the maldivesian government whose economy relies heavily on tourism. the maldives is renowned for its warm hospitality and its incident has brought great shame upon our tourism industry and our country. sensing a public relations disaster for the indian ocean island the tourism industry has gone into damage control overdrive. >> i do believe it was a one-off incident. this is not widespread in the maldives. >> reporter: only time will tell if this has tanished the image of the maldives for the long term. but for this one couple, it will be a day they will certainly want to forget. and, amy, two of the resort staff have been arrested while a full investigation continues. and the government's planning to introduce strict new guidelines on wedding ceremonies for tourists. amy? >> thanks so much. what a story. i can't even imagine. we couldn't even tell people what they said. >> the moral of the story, ask for an english ceremony. >> then you know what's happening. we're back. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah. that was me last year for halloween. not one of my proudest moments. >> oh, i think you were amazing, susan boyle. >> i couldn't believe how much you sounded like her. >> maybe this year i should go as susan boyle in her new look. and there you are as simon cowell. >> i tried to do a london accent that came out brooklyn. >> i didn't want to say anything. but i was thinking at the time. >> i was not proud to wear chest hair. that was a disturbing moment in my life, as well. >> we're showing this because on sunday "today," we're going to dress up along with the rest of the team. >> it's a secret. >> we're looking forward to that tomorrow right here on "today." (vet) i love working with animals, but my allergies put me in a fog. so now, i'm claritin clear! claritin works great on all my allergies like dust, mold, pollen, or pets without making me drowsy, cause i want to be alert around this big guy. live claritin clear. indoors and out. promising 25,000 miles a flight only to be told... there's nothing for 25. but they will let me give you the same seat for a big miles upcharge. how's that sound? for that many miles we'll be stuck taking a "staycation." [ imitates engine revving ] [ angie ] i'm through playing games. i switched to the venture card from capital one. vacation, here we come! [ male announcer ] don't pay miles upcharges. don't play games. get the flight you want with the venture card at capitalone.com. whoo-hoo! now this is a vacation. what's in your wallet? philips sonicare is the number 1 recommended power toothbrush by whoo-hoo! now this is a vacation. dental professionals it's no wonder philips sonicare is the toothbrush america loves switch now and if you're not 100% satisfied, we'll give you a full refund. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers. cadillac. the new standard of the world. >> good morning. 9 time now is 67:56. here's a look at the morning's top stories. the department of defense says a maryland marine has been killed in afghanistan. 19-year-old lance corporal terry honeycutt jr. of waldorf died wednesday from wounds suffered last week. he was assigned to a battalion in north carolina. police are investigating a suspicious death in northwest baltimore. city police say the body of an unidentified man was found on the front lawn of a home in the 3600 block of fairview avenue around 6:15 friday morning. it's unclear how he died, but homicide detectives are investigating that case. and crews responded to a hazmat situation at b.w.i. friday. it was apparently unrelated to this weekend's suspected terrorism threats. officials say a package leaking an unknown substance was found just before 8:00 friday night. it was taken away from the airport, and no one was sickened or injured. things are said to be back to normal now. overseas, voters will get an extra 10 days to cast their votes. a federal judge has ordered maryland to extend the deadline to accept overseas ballots. the order was issued yesterday, so rather than ballots being due on november 12, they'll have until november 22 to get them in. the judge was ruling on a judge filed by a member of the national guard who sue the because he said there wasn't enough time for overseas voters , mainly members of the military, to return their ballots. and attention, trick-or-treaters, we want to see your photos and video this is halloween, like this cat in the hat september in by youlocal member, autumn. and check out this southern belle decked out all in pink. share your pictures and videos by becoming a youlocal member online. there's a pink on the home page of our website, wbaltv.com. stay with us. we'll check your hallowe >> goverage a chilly morning this morning, frost and freeze warnings out north and west of the city. it doesn't look widespread, patchy stuff, and it will be expiring here as temperatures start to warm up this morning. so we start with readings like 37 at the airport, 42 in annapolis in the 8:00 hour. temperatures rising, falling just short of the normal for the season, which would be about 62. we expect upper 50's to around 60 for the high here. a little bit cooler to the west. scattered clouds, cool and dry today. we'll put that temperature range up near 60. west to southwest winds at 5 to 10 miles an hour. so not as breezey as it was yesterday. yesterday, those gusts were up into the 30's or so. tomorrow's forecast for halloween, partly cloudy skies, 62 for the high, but trick-or-treaters are out, temperatures will start to fall into the 50's. but at least no rain, just chilly. and monday, tuesday, and wednesday, we'll start to pick up a few clouds, it will be a little bit cool, and by the end of the week next week, rain chances increase. >> thanks, john. thank you for joining us. another update in 25 minutes. good morning. security threat. the latest on the air cargo terror scare. the possible link to al qaeda. and the stepped up response you need to know before heading to the airport. final sprint. the last three days before the midterm elections and the furious weekend campaign blitz by the president. but is it all too late to stop a republican landslide on tuesday? and conquering the canyon. up, down, and rim to rim. the journey of a lifetime for a group of blind hikers. we'll introduce them to you "today," saturday, october 30th, we'll introduce them to you "today," saturday, october 30th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning again and welcome back. i'm lester holt. >> i'm amy robach. enhanced security at the airports following the credible terror threat against the u.s. >> they come as new screening measures are already under way. and they range from high tech machines to old-fashioned pat-downs. we'll have the very latest on the terror scare investigation and what you should expect before boarding a plane. >> also on the trail with time running out. president obama and the democratic party have their backs against the wall, with just three days before the election. they're hoping to turn the tide and keep republicans from taking over on capitol hill. can they do it? we'll have a report on the last lap before tuesday. >> and then a doll of president obama right next to a doll of teddy roosevelt. separated by a century. now in a drawer at the smith stonian institute. >> those were just two of the amazing objects that are actually kept in storage, above the museum, also on a separate secret site. we have an all-access pass to the extraordinary collection coming up, from politics to entertainment, pop culture. very interesting stuff that they can't display all at one time >> very cool. looking forward to that. again this morning with the security scare in the skies. what the president called a credible threat against the u.s. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is in washington with the latest this morning. pete, do authorities now have a better sense of the seriousness of this attempt? >> yes, i think they do. after a lot of confusion yesterday about whether this was the real thing, or a dry run, there were many public statements from various government officials say it didn't look like it was the real thing. now they say, they are quite confident that it was. but, in fact, they say, these two devices, laser printers with cartridges inside them that were stuffed with explosives, had five times the amount of the high explosive called petn, than what was the underwear bomber was carrying with him when he was on that flight to detroit on christmas day. so that is a little less than a pound, but for petn, that's a significant amount. >> and you had reported that this came about from a tip from saudi arabia. i talked to homeland security secretary janet napolitano earlier and i asked her if they hadn't received the tip, would the packages have made it to chicago. let's listen to the response and then i want to talk to you further. >> i don't really play the what-if game because of the plain fact of the matter is that we have these information sharing understandings, and agreements, with our allies. we know we have to have a multilayered system. we know that there's no screening system that in and of itself is a silver bullet where terrorism is concerned. terrorists are constantly pulsing whatever system we have so we have to have multiple layers and we have to keep changing our system, too, so that predictability doesn't become part of the tools in their arsenal. >> pete, she didn't want to play what-if. but clearly the u.s. caught a break here with the intelligence apparatus. what's the thought about what the intended target really was? >> well, based on an initial analysis of the device, it did not contain an altimeter. something that measures barometric pressure which has been used in devices in the past to trigger them to go off when a plane carrying them reaches a certain altitude. so it didn't have that. instead it appeared to have relatively low level things like cell phone receivers and timers. the assumption here is, and i say it's a working assumption, is that the packages were intended to reach their destinations. the two jewish centers in chicago. not -- in other words, the attack was not aimed at the aviation system itself, but rather the synagogues in chicago on the ground. that is the initial assumption here. >> all right pete williams in our washington pure row, thanks. now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. the terror threat comes as millions of americans get ready for the busy holiday travel season and they'll be met with new security and screening measures at the nation's airports. nbc's tom costello reports. >> reporter: enhanced security at the nation's airports is likely to include a show of force, including specially trained, heavily armed teams of officers. stepped up scrutiny at checkpoints. more bomb sniffing dogs, both in terminals and behind the scenes, checking cargo. more officers trained to spot suspicious behavior. and more undercover air marshals. security experts believe passenger planes remain the prime targets. >> the effective way to attack a plane, and the vulnerability we have as an aviation system, is to the terrorists who bring the bomb on the bodies to the checkpoint. that is the number one priority to stop al qaeda. >> reporter: after the so-called underwear bomber tried to bring down a delta plane last christmas, the tsa quickened the rollout of full body scanners that can peer under a passenger's clothes looking for weapons. now in 65 airports. while any passenger can opt out, he or she is then subject to a fill, physical pat-down. well aware what a carefully placed explosive can do to a plane, the tsa is constantly training its officers what to look for. as we saw at a tsa training session in maryland this past summer. >> a very small amount can do an awful lot of gauge to an aircraft in flight. >> reporter: every day, 2 million passengers go through what the tsa calls through a curb-to-cockpit approach to safety that has evolved since 9/11. >> layers are indispensable in securing aviation. the watch list, connecting that as a checkpoint. the technology, the alertness of the people. all of those things go in to it. >> reporter: the tsa announced this week that those pat-downs will now be done with a full hand. no longer the back of the hand. the tsa believes the full hands are the best way to feel for any potential explosives. for "today," tom costello, nbc news, washington. and now here's lester. amy, thanks. now to the tuesday midterm elections. and the final, frantic three days leading up to what could be a record-breaking turnout at the polls. nbc's mike viqueira at the white house this morning. mike, tell me what the president's schedule is this weekend. will he still be implementing that firewall strategy of stops along the way? >> absolutely right, lester. at this point the object is damage control. the president started last night in rurm virginia, down in charlottesville, helping out a house member. his third trip exclusively for a house member. a freshman democrat. the president, a strong ally of the president, perriello. this is something of a reward the trip down there. later today he gets to philadelphia, a key area not phone for the senate race, joe sestak and republican pat tomny in a seesaw battle but some key house races along the line. he goes to connecticut to help with that senate race. then on to chicago, later today another big rally to help democrats keep the seat that he gave up to become president. that senate seat finishes up tomorrow with joe biden in the battleground of ohio. >> democrats obviously hoping to hold onto the senate. but there are some wild predictions about how badly they may perform on tuesday in the house. what are the predictions you're hearing right now about the republican margin of win? >> well, it's increasingly looking like a blowout, lester. all the campaigning the president has done does not seem to be getting any traction at all for house democrats. there are two prognosticatoprog two predictors that everybody considers to be the gold standard in washington. charlie cook and stu rostenburg. they're saying that republicans could gain as many as 65 seats, and perhaps more. they only need, do republicans, 39 to take control of the house and already people here are starting to wonder what the world is going to look like. a lot of analogies going back to 1995, when president clinton, a democrat in the white house, faced a republican congress, as well. this morning in his radio address the president called for a compromise, regardless of what the landscape looks like. called for a compromise in the post election world. >> mike viqueira, thanks very much. >> let's head over to tamron hall at the news desk. >> good morning, amy and lester. we begin with shots fired at the national museum of marine corps in virginia. authorities believe the shooting friday may be linked with recent similar shootings at the pentagon, and a virginia marine recruitment center. no one has been injured in any of these incidents. two of america's funniest men are taking over washington as thousands are expected for a rally at the national mall. nbc's peter alexander is live on the mall with more. good morning, peter. >> reporter: tamron, good morning to you this morning. crowds are already pouring in. this is the rally to restore sanity and/or fear, as it's being called, has a permit for 60,000 people to come. on facebook, more than 200,000 fans have said they expect to be here. do not expect any political voices to be up on the stage today. more likely comedians and musical acts. among those, details are leaking out. we expect to hear from sheryl crow who will be performing, as well as the roots. for fans of "saturday night live" there will likely be a benediction from father guido. for the people who appear, this is clearly no joke. they are upset, and despite jon stewart's best effort to dismiss it, he has any influence over that process, the fact that tens of thousands of people will be here today is clearly testament to his power. >> all right, peter, nbc's peter alexander, thank you very much. an accountant at ohio mcdonald's is under fire after some employees received political pamphlets with their paychecks. the letter suggested they vote for three republican candidates because raises and benefits would continue only if the right people were elected. mcdonald's says the store owner's actions does not represent company pollsy. finally the creepy creature visits a minnesota hospital and it's not a halloween joke. a 3500-year-old egyptian mummy was taken from the science museum of minnesota for a ct scan. researchers hope to learn more about the mummy like his age and how he died. interesting image there. that is the news now back to lester and amy. >> tamron, thanks. >> bill karins is out on the plaza with a check of your forecast. >> happy weekend everyone. of course, what are you dressed up? >> edward scissorhands. >> very good. you had this on yesterday? and you're going to do it tomorrow, too? you going to sleep in it tonight? maybe, right? why not? someone here is turning 50. you don't like to point anything out, get in any trouble. or you're just dressed up as older women. part of the costume. weatherwise, we haven't had a really nasty, nasty hurricane do a ton of damage as we've gone throughout this hurricane season. but this is tomas. this is going to cause a lot of concern, not today, not so much tomorrow, but as we go through the nidal of the week, this storm could possibly be a major hurricane near haiti. we know all about the horrible earthquake that happened near haiti, the least thing they need is a powerful hurricane heading their way. unfortunately that's a possibility, tuesday, wednesday of next week. of course we'll keep all eyes on that. >> good morning. all the precipitation is way up to our north in the great lakes and parts of new england. dry day today, mr. president i of sun, a few scattered clouds and a little chilly. and you are, of course -- >> cookie monster. >> and you have any cookties? >> no, sorry. >> "c" is for cookie. that will complete the costume. >> all right, bill, thanks. still to come my interview with former president jimmy carter. plus blind hikers make the grand trek. their incredible story. [ male announcer ] not one person climbing everest has ever stopped at the drive-thru window for breakfast on the way to the top. new quaker hearty medleys. a whole new oatmeal loaded with delicious fruit, nuts, and four hearty whole grains, working together to make you amazing. does your breakfast make you amazing? [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil. go to takeadvil.com. discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at restaurants. it pays to switch, it pays to discover. what are you waiting for? rush to subway. i'm all over it. [ male announcer ] a big day deserves a better breakfast. take your pick of a dee-licious lineup of our newest $5 footlong breakfast melts -- from the sunrise subway melt to the tasty steak, egg and cheese. they're all around delicious! knock out morning hunger. with breakfast at subway. hard hitting flavor. make it the way you want. [ glazer ] make breakfast the play of the day. at subway. [ glazer ] subway. build your better breakfast. this morning a candid look at life in the oval office from former president jimmy carter. in his new book "white house diary" the former president reveals how he made some of the most difficult and dramatic decisions of his presidency. i sat down with him this week in los angeles. >> well, this book tour got off to a bumpy start. how are you feeling? >> i feel fine. i was just sick for one day. but it got a lot of publicity and maybe sold a few more books when people set sorry for mean but i was recovered almost immediately almost. >> you look great. this is an interesting book because it is, as most people know, a really collection of your diary entries. >> yes. >> every day? did you simply sit down and just note what had happened? >> no, i never wrote down anything. i had a little tape recorder for each day. when something interesting happened to me or i had an interesting thought or when a person left my office, i made a comment. or when i had an emotional experience, i dictated the way i felt. >> this was pretty unfiltered stuff. you describe ayatollah khomeini as an idiot. >> he was. >> you rant about leaks in your administration. when did you go back and listen and read it? >> i didn't go back and listen with any intention of ever publishing any of it. i began about two years ago. >> many of the reviews of this book, mr. president, make reference to the troubled presidency of jimmy carter. the turbulent years in office. this is a collection of your thoughts during the white house years. will reading it change our perceptions, and what people say about your presidency? >> well, i don't really know about that. but it's an unvarnished, unedited, unchanged description of the way i felt in my most intimate moments about being president, about the challenge of the job, plus the challenge of very negative challenges of ted kennedy deciding very early in my term to run against me for renomination. he wanted to take over the white house from me. >> you have some entries in here that are pretty raw about ted kennedy. kennedy made a ridiculous statement concerning the shah and our country accepting him as a refugee. on another page, i met with kennedy, and apparently completely upset. took about an hour to fumble around and we saw we still had issues dividing us. >> that's true. >> why did you put all that in there? >> you have to remember that was written 31 years ago when we were intensely antagonistic, political adversaries. >> you didn't like him? >> no, that's not exactly true. we never had any personal animosi animosity. and i wound up later on, he was one of the champions of my wife's mental health programs and i was very friendly with kennedy after i left office. >> but you did accuse him in his book and through your notes of sabotaging your health care. >> he did. yes, of course. he did it. and i wrote that at the time because it was absolutely true. >> he was a skilled politician. >> absolutely. >> were you as skilled? >> no. >> were you good at the political part of being president? >> no. i think i failed at that in a way. i could have been a lot better leader of the democratic party. because under my presidency the democratic party came apart. >> and what are your thoughts on the current president, president obama? is he a good politician? >> better than i. yes. >> we're about to have this election, and all the analysts seem to think that the democrats are going to lose a lot of seats in the house. why do you think the democrats find themselves on the ropes right now two years after the election of barack obama? >> well, i think that maybe early in his administration, barack obama assumed too much of a responsibility for accomplishing a health package. which he thought would gain the support of at least enough republicans to put it over. it didn't. but, in the process, i think he overlooked an opportunity to concentrate on the economy and on jobs. and i'm not criticizing him, because i probably would have done the same thing in similar circumstances. >> i want to get your thoughts about afghanistan, if we can. >> all right. >> you were the president when the soviets invaded afghanistan. >> yes. christmas day, 1979. >> you were worried that they weren't going to stop at afghanistan. >> that's right, yeah. i don't think that things would have stopped. >> how close were you to committing u.s. troops to stop them? >> if they had moved from afghanistan to an adjacent country, then would have used u.s. military forces to stop them. >> and afghanistan became the sun's quagmire. >> it did. >> is afghanistan our quagmire today? >> it might very well be. if you go down through history the last almost 1,000 years, that region has never been conquered by an outside force. and my hope is that we'll extract ourselves from afghanistan as soon as we possibly can. >> very candid interview. very interesting man. and he really will pretty much answer anything you ask him. >> yes is very refreshing these days. >> i think that many years out of office you've got to become more unfiltered. this is his 25th book he has written. very prolific writer. >> fascinating read, certainly. >> anyway, we've got a lot more to talk about as we continue on this saturday morning. can a hamburger be healthy? i hope so. find out as we tell you how to satisfy your cravings and keep the calories down. satisfy your cravings and keep the calories down. first this is "today" on nbc. everyone knows a fee is a tax. you raised some taxes during that period, particularly the property tax as well as a lot of fee increases. as you know, there's a big difference between fees and taxes. but...they're the same. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. fees you have to define, because they have nothing to do with taxes. fees and taxes are one in the same. if it comes out of my pocket, it's a tax. now he says it isn't true. they have nothing to do with taxes. what? still doing the same thing, paying out more money. typical politician. definitely. still to come on "today," from jim henson's original muppets to ginger rogers' gown, we will take you inside the smithsonian's secret warehouse. >> plus grand feet meet the blind hikers who traveled the grand canyon. ♪ ♪ i was young and i was stupid ♪ i had just turned 17 ♪ a harmonica and a box guitar ♪ ♪ in a canvas-covered wagon stuffed... ♪ [ male announcer ] while the world's been waiting on the electric car, maybe the whole time, the electric car has been waiting for this... the wattstation from ge. it's going to change the way we get to where we all want to go. ♪ i didn't think much of it till i took it apart ♪ [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. ♪ keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. [ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. -is that we're almost... -everywhere. thousands of banking centers. and so many atms. all over the place. the new atm machines are really cool. -no deposit slips. -no envelopes. [ woman ] deposit your checks right here. and get the check images on your receipt. we have banking apps for mobile phones. don't forget online banking. -you can set up alerts. -transfer funds. -view your balances. -thousands of banking centers. -loads of atms. -mobile banking. -online banking. -text banking. i gotta get back to work. [ male announcer ] bank whenever, wherever, however you want. with bank of america. because grandpa said that our name goes on everything we make. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker grew up knowing that putting your name on every jar was a guarantee of quality. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. >> good morning. i'm kerry cavanaugh. the time now is 8-26. here's a look at the morning's top stories. the department of defense says a maryland marine has been killed in afghanistan. 19-year-old lance corporal terry honeycutt jr. died wednesday from wounds he suffered in combat last week. lance corporal honeycutt was assigned to a battalion in north carolina. police are investigating a experience death in northwest baltimore. city police say the body of an unidentified man was found in the front lawn of a home in the 3600 block of fairview avenue. they found it around 6:15 friday morning. it's unclear how the man died, but homicide detectives are investigating. and switching gears, you may remember this big little guy who's certainly grown a lot over the last two years. sampson, who many of you helped name, took part in the pumpkin smash at the zoo yesterday. he used his foot to smash the pumpkin, then he dug right in. it connected off a weekend full of zoo activities all this weekend for halloween. and stay with us. we'll check your halloween >> good morningment temperatures have become much more typical for this time of year. it was only in the 50's for highs and kind of blustery yesterday. and this morning, we start out with a lot of the readings in the mid 50's. a couple of places right down near freezing or so, especially out in far western maryland, so there were pockets that could have experienced a frost or freeze condition, but we warm up during the day today. just short of what would be considered normal, maybe a degree or two warmer than it was on friday, but not as windy. the high near 59 at the airport, and cambridge and 57 in parkton. in the mid 50's out in far western maryland. the specifics, a few scattered clouds, but a lot of sun filtering through the clouds today. stormy activity stays north, so it will be cool and dry around the chesapeake bay region. west to southwest winds at 5 to 10, so not as blustery as yesterday. next weekend is daylight time, so it still gets dark early here. 6:08 this evening is sunset. the days get shorter. tomorrow, halloween. so most of the trick-or-treaters will be out tomorrow evening. don't be put off by the lightning, that's just for the effect. and temperatures will be falling from the 50's into the 40's from the afternoon into the evening hours with a lot of sun and eventually stars and just minimum cal clouds. and rain chances really hold off till late next week. >> thanks for joining us. we continue in 25 minutes.amazi 13 hikers, all of them blind, who completed the 24-mile trek across the grand canyon. when i say across, down from one rim, across and up to the other rim. it's a harrowing climb. they're all here in the studio to talk about their journey, their fears, and the feeling of accomplishment. >> all right. looking forward to that. and then i got to take a journey of a lifetime into some of the secret warehouses of the smithsonian. i can't disclose their location, lester, but what's inside was a treasure trove. george washington inaugural buttons from when he was president to the original very first muppet created by jim henson. it's going to be a lot of fun. >> true american history. and he's back, is there such a thing as a healthy burger? david is here with the answer and some healthy options from some of america's favorite restaurants. say yes there is a healthy burger. >> he didn't look too confident about that. >> all right. i'll test them out and let you know. but first, let's get a check of the weather from bill karins who is out on the plaza with us. bill, good morning. >> a little chilly. it is nice. now this is halloween, and of course the footwear is very important for halloween. it's very important to wear orange shoes on halloween. all right. now, is this part of a costume or your normal footwear? >> we just got them yesterday. >> oh, you just got them yesterday. just happened to fit. were were they on sale? even better and then the stockings on top of it. you're looking good. no costume necessary. a little wizard of oz. just click your heels together. let's talk about the forecast for your halloween. it looks really nice. tomorrow looks pretty good. a little cooler than we'd like in portions of the great lakes. in the west a little bit of rain that's going to move through. i think the pacific northwest is really the only area that's going to be a littling soier than we like for trick-or-treating. maybe even northern idaho into montana. i tell you what, as far as nationwide goes this going to be a really, really nice halloween. hopefully everyone can ebb joy >> good morning. only a few high, thin clouds here this morning. up to the north is where rain and snow is falling. our temperatures have been chilly. we started out in the 30's, but we wind up in the upper 50's to around 60 for the high with i did find a chicago bears fan here. talk about our sunday night football. there's our fans. maybe give those saints another look. big game, super bowl champs versus a team that could easily be in the super bowl this year, steelers/saints, very entertaining. i'm sure there will be costumes in the crowd. that's a look at the sunday football game. amy? all right, bill, thank you. this morning on "access granted" inside the smithsonian institute. the collection includes 137 million objects, artwork and artifacts but only a fraction of them are on exhibit at a time. the rest are in storage in secret warehouses waiting to go back on display. but you don't have to wait to see them. here is our all-access tour. >> name is abraham lincoln, and you, sir, are in a heap of trouble. >> reporter: presidential giants and pint-sized warriors. that's how hollywood sees the smithsonian. but nothing beats the real thing. our insider's tour begins here, several miles outside the capital, and inside these warehouses. for security reasons, the location is secret. what they hold is historic. >> this is the granddaddy of the tractor trailer. it's a 1912. >> and from 1913 a model-t ford. right next to a 1990 corvette race car. curator roger white is my tour guide andakes me from roadsters to dare devils. this is one of evel knievel's bikes. >> ipt a harley-davidson. he customized it a little bit and jumped this particular bike over 14 greyhound buses in 1975. >> reporter: with that, we jump back to the capitol, where the bulk of the collection can be found above the museum. dwight bowers shows the show-stopping entertainment collection. >> that vibration? >> and the first is christopher reeve's costume from superman. >> oh, my gosh. >> you can see the red "s" emblazoned on the chest. >> wow. >> last on display ten years ago the man of steel tights will rest here until exhibited again in 2014. >> this is ginger rogers' costume. and the thing about ginger rogers' costumes is they contain no snaps, snowe closures, she stood on the stage and they dropped the costume on her because dancers didn't show seams. this is harrison ford's indiana jones jacket. >> what size jacket does he wear? >> i can't tell you the exact size. >> you're going to be the first pirate. >> but i don't want to be a pirate. >> okay. looking at that shirt, i start to laugh. that is the puffy shirt. >> this is jersey seinfeld's puffy shirt from "seinfeld." >> the collection seemed endless. the lone ranger's mask and silver bullet. >> heigh ho till ver, away. >> this is j.r.'s hat. >> and white's still collecting. he said he spent years wooing jim henson's family to get his hands on these guys. >> what are you doing? taking a course on visual thinking. >> these are the very first muppets created by jim henson for a local show here in washington, d.c. >> wow. and the first kermit the frog? >> the first kermit the frog which was made out of jim henson's mother's discarded overcoat. >> kermit the frog speaking to you! >> they go on display next month. the museum's mission is to save the things that represent who we are as americans. that's made for some massive collections. some 3,000 riding devices, over 400 quilts, 130 lunch boxes. and about 100,000 political history objects, many of them campaign buttons. >> these are little metal buttons made for george washington's inauguration. >> and these are function ago buttons. >> right. if you look at them, on the back, there's a little pin. this is the beginning of the political button. >> i guess the idea stuck, harry ruben stein and larry byrd, harry and larry, curette the collection. >> when you think of all of those conviekzs. ♪ you like ike i like ike everybody likes ike ♪ >> this is an obama doll. but it's right here in the door next to the teddy rough rider doll. so you have 100 years of campaigning here. >> they say history repeats itself. but to see that you first have to capture it >> we're in the forever business at the smithsonian. so we look at what we think will be of permanent value to our nation. >> and it's pretty incredible, because most of those items in storage will go back out on display eventually. but they can't, they literally don't have the space, even as big as the smithsonian museums are, to display them all all the time. >> what a rare opportunity. i'm thinking about the puffy shirt. that was actually in the studio, remember? >> yes. >> there was a scene, bryant gumbel was interviewing jerry with the puffy shirt. >> it was one of my favorites. that was probably my favorite thing i got to see. coming up next, canyon crawlers. 13 pliend hikers make the journey of a lifetime across the grand canyon. their inspiring story next. know what gets me out of bed early? breakfast at subway! [ male announcer ] a big day deserves a better breakfast. choose from a dee-licious lineup of our newest $5 footlong breakfast melts, like the sunrise subway melt. [ strahan ] subway. build your better breakfast. with the $2.50 breakfast combo. get a 16oz. cup of piping-hot seattle's best coffee and a savory new sunrise subway melt built fresh to your order for just $2.50. subway. build your better breakfast. with the best decongestant. my choice is clear. claritin-d. nothing works stronger, faster or longer for allergy congestion relief without drowsiness. get claritin-d at the pharmacy counter. live claritin clear. hiking the grand canyon is one of the most incredible and demanding journeys anyone can take. a 24-mile trek, and thousands of feet of rocky terrain. now imagine doing it without the ability to see. that's the remarkable story behind one group of hikers from the foundation for blind children in phoenix, arizona. joining us now are seven of those who made the trip. max ashton, dillon owens, tanner robinson, katherine beck and mike armstrong along with mark arkton the leader of the group and james driek, a sighted guide for the hike. what a thrill to have you all here. mark, i want to start with you. you are the ceo of the foundation of blind children. you led a group of mount kilimanjaro about a year or so ago? >> last june. >> last june. what was the point of beginning this series of fascinating and technically difficult climbs? >> well, our -- the most -- the reason we did it, we wanted to prove to the world that the blind and visually impaired can do anything. and i think we accomplished that. but it's also to bring awareness to the blind community and the foundation for blind children and actually to raise funds for our program. >> and it's not as difficult, the grand canyon, i understand is very difficult. you're down one room, across and up the other. >> 8,000 feet on the north room, down to 2,000 feet and back up to 5,000. >> tanner, you were part of the group that did mount kilimanjaro, i understand. can you tell me what the sensation is like when you're descending. when you're going down and you can't see as you're stepping down. what is that like? >> you just get a feel for the open space and what's all around you, and it's -- you get -- in this air, there was a lot of wind blowing that day. you feel that, too. it's incredible to feel just how much is open before you. >> and michael, turn to you, you're a martial arts instructor. you're not the type to back down from challenges. you finished the grueling hike across the canyon. then you went and did it again. >> yeah, i was in training for the arizona that i got coming up in april. we went from the south room over to the north rim, camped out with everybody and got up the next morning and did it again. >> obvious to everyone watching here, this is a group that ranges from a lot of ages here. dillon, you're 12 years old. you had brain cancer that took your eyesight. you haven't let it slow you down. was there any fear as you were making this hike? >> no. actually, i was just like a little afraid that i might fall or fall off the side or something. >> and how were you being guided as you were going down? >> i had like jim tell me. there's like a rock. this direction, not the other direction so i don't fall off the edge. >> and max, you're also one of the young hikers, 14 years old. not a lot of teenagers can say they have made this trip, sight or no sight. as you were doing this, were you convinced this was the cool thing to do, or was there a point where you think, what am i doing here? >> well, obviously, at the end you feel this is a cool thing to do. but just actually doing it, extremely difficult. >> nice story to tell afterwards, right? but during the descent -- obviously you all had guides. i understand you were using different techniques. some had bells, some were listening to voices. how do you make your way down? >> well, i used one tracking pole and i hold onto the back of my guide's pack. so i use that to step up, step down, turn right, turn left, things like that. >> and katherine when you heard about the mount kilimanjaro climb, you thought i could never do that. why take on the challenge of hiking across the grand canyon, when, you know, one wrong step and you're taking a pretty rough trip down to the bottom? >> mostly because i was scared. and i just knew that i couldn't let fear and the word "can't" stop me. and i just had to prove to myself that i could do it. go and jim, let me ask you, as you're making this trip down, are there descriptions going out here so everyone can get an idea of what's around them? >> that's was the constant battle the whole time. dillon is telling me about his family and schoolwork and pets and dogs and i'm telling him about big rock, little rock, big cliff, fall right. so there was dialogue the whole time. although it is a little one-sided. >> i bet it was a real bonding hoemt for all of you. >> fantastic. >> what a great, fascinating trip. thanks for sharing the pictures and your stories. it is a very inspiring story. we appreciate you all being here this morning. and up next here on "today," better burgers. eat this, not that style. but first, this is "today" on nbc. women are charged 40% more for the same health insurance as men. domestic violence is treated as a pre-existing condition in eight states. women are abused by their husbands and then by their insurance companies. and last year they tried to end our coverage for mammograms and other preventive services. well i'm proud to say i got the law changed. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition. taxes are too high, and maryland families are struggling. and then there's politician andy harris proposing a 23% sales tax on nearly everything we buy. it cuts taxes for millionaires by over $200,000 a year and raises taxes on the middle class. andy harris even promised big oil companies he'd make taxpayers pay for spills like the bp disaster. andy harris on our side? not a chance. the democratic congressional campaign committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. this morning on "eat this, not that" hamburgers. they're, of course, delicious, and they're also loaded with salt and calories. but is there a healthier alternative? david is the author of "eat this, not that." hamburgers, cheeseburgers, you name it. you have a written statement if it's above 600 calories it's a no go. >> here's the surprising thing we found, in many cases steaks are a surprisingly healthier option at most establishments. and if you choose better burgers, you can lose 15 to 20 pounds over the course of the year, and that's what "eat this, not that" is all about. >> first we're going to start with burger king. look at this thing. it's a pizza burger? >> it's like a pizza burger bomb. this is from the whopper bar that they have in times square. this thing right here, they say it feeds six. but i don't know how much -- how often you go to get fast food with your five friends. this has 2500 calories. >> oh, my gosh. >> this has three days' worth of saturated fat. it would be like eating 60 strips of bacon. and it's this calorie equivalent. all of these fries. >> i love it, the whopper is your alternative. >> get the whopper without the mayo. the mayo is 150 calories and 17 grams of fat. this whopper is only 510. you're saving 2,000 calories. >> ruby tuesday's up next. here smokehouse burger. >> i mean, this thing is -- >> it looks fattening. >> it's bacon enhanced and cheese embalmed and sauce riddled. it's got 1200 calories, and 73 grams of fat. and more than a day's worth of sodium. it's the equivalent of -- the sodium equivalent of eating all of these ritz crackers. 894. here's the great news. this steak right here. the sirloin. it's got 570 calories, and you're getting the onion rings, you're getting the cheese, you're getting the sauce. it's a great substitution and you save 700 calories. >> cheese cake factory where the sizes are big and apparently so are the calories. >> they have an astonishing 90 dishes with more than 100 calories at cheese cake factory. this burger comes in at 1400 calories. it's got a day and a half of saturated fat. it would be the equivalent, the calorie equivalent of eating these seven glazed doughnuts from dunkin' donuts. >> okay. >> now, a minor miracle is occurring at this establishment, and this is the factory burger right here. >> you wouldn't think that that was a better alternative. >> it is. because the pattie is so massive over there. this is 730 calories, you are in much better shape. you have half the salve rated fat. half the calories. half the sodium. >> uno chicago grill is up next. they're known for their pizza, but apparently they've got some really caloric burgers, as well. >> they should rename themselves oh-no chicago grill. this right here, this bring home the bacon burger is 1040 calories. it's 76 grams of fat. it is the saturated fat equivalent of these dozen white castle burgers. >> oh, my goodness. >> so if you're going to go there, i strongly recommend that you get the brew master's grill new york sirloin. >> okay. >> it's 500 calories. you're saving over 500 and plenty of fat. >> okay. t.g.i. friday's. you knew we were going to have a burger you shouldn't eat. >> i'm not a big fan because t.g.i. friday's refuses to disclose their full nutritional information. the jack daniel's burger is 1600 calories. >> oh, my gosh. >> right there. it's got everything on it. it's the equivalent of 30 oreo cookies. and so, again, they only have a few items, four entrees with fewer than 800 calories on their menu. so i would recommend, again, the classic is your loin. >> and that is a big savings? >> 570 calories. you end up saving over 1,000 calories. >> i like steak, too. so you go with the steak instead of the burger when you have to choose. >> and much more filling. >> 15 to 20 pounds a year. david zinczenko, thank you. we're back. ♪ yeah, we really do - ♪ and there's nothing wrong - [ bird squawks ] ♪ with what i feel for you ♪ i could hang around ti the leaves are brown and the summer's gone ♪ [ announcer ] when you're not worried about potential dangers, the world can be a far less threatening place. take the scary out of life with travelers insurance... and see the world in a different light. nothing beats prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn with prevacid®24hr, all day, all night. nothing works better. all day, all night. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. because they have 20% more calcium per chew than viactiv or for the delicious flavors like chocolate truffle and vanilla creme? mmm. -mmm. -mmm. [ female announcer ] hard to say really. new caltrate soft chews, we put the yum in calcium. [ male announcer ] a big day deserves a better breakfast. choose from a dee-licious lineup of our newest $5 footlong breakfast melts, like the sunrise subway melt. [ strahan ] subway. build your better breakfast. with the $2.50 breakfast combo. get a 16oz. cup of piping-hot seattle's best coffee and a savory new sunrise subway melt built fresh to your order for just $2.50. subway. build your better breakfast. and that's going to do it for us on this saturday morning. our thanks to tamron hall and bill karins. coming up tomorrow on "today," we're celebrating halloween. >> we will. so come on down. wear your costume. we're going to be in our costumes. it's going to be fun, trust me. >> live, local, latebreaking -- this is wbal-11 news today, in baltimore. quacks' good morning. i am kerry cavanaugh. quacks' i am jennifer franciotti. here is a look at top stories. the department of defense says a maryland marine has been killed in afghanistan. terry honeycutt jr. died wednesday from wounds suffered in combat. he was assigned to a battalion in north carolina. police are investigating a death in northwest boff -- baltimore. the body was found on the front lawn of a home around 615 on friday morning. it is not clear how the man died. baltimore police are also searching for victims after arrested a man they say sexually abused a boy and impersonated a police officer. officials say he was a volunteer at the school, where the victim is in ninth grade. after gaining the family's trust, the boy's mother agreed to allow her son to stay at the man could go home, where he expose themselves and showed the victim pornography. when the mother confronted the man, he said he was working with the police to catch on-line predators. crux there were no signs in the individual's background that he poses a threat to other children. quarks he denies the allegations and says he is now if -- and is now facing several charges, including the sexual abuse of a minor. up next, dr. tim hyman -- dr. kim hammond what if your pet questions, and the maryland lottery is here to show you some games to play. cox its target out in the 30's, but we are beginning to warm up. everyone knows a fee is a tax. you raised some taxes during that period, particularly the property tax as well as a lot of fee increases. as you know, there's a big difference between fees and taxes. but...they're the same. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. fees you have to define, because they have nothing to do with taxes. fees and taxes are one in the same. if it comes out of my pocket, it's a tax. now he says it isn't true. they have nothing to do with taxes. what? still doing the same thing, paying out more money. typical politician. definitely. >> live, local, latebreaking -- this is wbal-11 news saturday morning, in hd. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. lisa is lucky enough to have the weekend off. >> i am kerry cavanaugh. let's look outside with john collins. if it looks like a decent trick or treating wea.