Transcripts For WBAL Today 20110926

will decide her fate. yes, grandmother. prince william opens up about the queen's involvement in planning his wedding and the one thing he had absolutely no say in. what the prince is now revealing for the first time "today," what the prince is now revealing for the first time "today," monday, september 26th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to "today" on this monday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm lester holt in for matt this morning. i think it is fair to say the name herman cain was not on a lot of people's radar before this weekend not really considered a viable candidate for president. >> that's absolutely route riig. but saturday he dominated florida's straw poll with 37% of the vote, more than double any other candidate. is his message starting to connect with voters or was it more of a vote against the republican front-runners? we're going to talk about that to mr. cain straight ahead. also ahead, police are now saying that more charges could eventually be brought against steven powell, the father-in-law of a missing utah mother. this after he was arrested late last week following a search of his home tied to his daughter-in-law's disappearance. he's accused of secretly videotaping the missing mom as well as other females, including children. we'll get the latest and talk to susan powell's parents coming up. plus, if you can believe it, there are actually photographs of marilyn monroe that have never before been seen and we have them this morning. these are remarkable photographs of the hollywood icon before she was famous at her very first modeling shoot. but we begin this morning with presidential politics and herman cain's surprising win in florida's republican straw poll. we've got chuck todd, nbc's political director an chief white house correspondent joining us now. >> reporter: good morning, ann. from new jersey to washington, to florida, republicans are wringing their hands over rick perry's poor debate performance last week which led to an apparent protest vote against him at this key florida republican straw poll over the weekend. meanwhi meanwhile, the president wakes up on the west coast this morning after a night of fund-raisers which included a q&a with lady gaga. >> reporter: it's not technically being called a campaign swing, but president obama certainly is acting like a candidate this week on the west coast for seven fund-raisers. >> i need you to help finish what we started in 2008. >> reporter: it is also a chance for him to find his campaign voice with his base. >> stop complaining. stop grumbling. stop crying. we are going to press on. we've got work to do! >> reporter: the president's newfound voice comes as republican front-runner rick perry seems to be losing his. over the weekend former pizza company ceo herman cain pulled off a surprise upset in the florida republican straw poll beating perry by 22 points. mitt romney placed right behind perry in florida but handily defeated the republican front-runner by 34 points in sunday's michigan straw poll. a state romney once called home. >> rick perry. >> reporter: perry's loss in florida is being blamed on his poor debate showing last week both in substance and style after his impassioned defense of providing children of illegal immigrants tuition breaks at texas state universities. >> but if you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they've been brought there by no fault of their own, i don't think you have a heart. >> reporter: conservatives also worry about his seeming inability to effectively attack romney. >> was before he was before the social programs from the standpoint of he was for standing up for roe versus wade, before he was against roe versus wade. >> i think rick perry is not prepared for this pressure of the presidential stage yet. >> perry's got toer form bet person. >> these are very weak front-runners. >> reporter: in a sure sign that his debate performance is being noticed, he was even spoofed on "saturday night live." >> was it he was before he was before? was he was -- he was before -- border control. >> reminder to chris christie, it's wide open, buddy. >> reporter: well, this morning for folks that want to know, new jersey governor chris christie's office again said he still stands by his decision not to enter the race. i can tell you this -- rick perry plans a series of fund-raisers this week, next week a series of policy speeches and to go a little bit harder at mitt romney to try to calm the waters there. >> chuck, just who is not giving up on chris christie? who's actively still pushing him to run for president even though he keeps insistin iing he will ? >> reporter: look. it is a major of bush donors who have gone to him consistently over the last few months. those calls have been coming in even faster over the last couple of weeks. his office will note that. about a month ago they thought it was maybe governor christy's wife concerned with raising teenagers. i'm told first lady barbara bush called governor christie's wife to roux re-assure her. they raised teenagers back in the early '80s. she called to re-assure her it is not as hard as you think. but it is not her, it is governor christie that's the no on this. >> chuck todd, thanks. herman cain is with us this morning fresh off his win from the florida straw poll. mr. cain, good morning. >> good morning. thank you. >> you bet. congratulations. you won wig, 37% to perry's 15% and perry was widely expected to win. but "the washington post" is reporting that many of the delegates voted for you are saying that they voted for you as a protest vote to express no confidence in the republican field. you want to weigh in on this? >> i think that is absolutely false. i talked to a lot of delegates when i was in florida all last week. it is not a protest vote. look, the message coming out of that victory was quite simple. first of all, the voice of the people is more powerful than the voice of the media. secondly, message is more powerful than money. rick perry and mitt romney, they both spent a considerable amount of money in order to try to influence that florida straw poll. i rented a bus and went all over the state talking to people, sharing my message. that's what made the difference. and we're very proud of that and it is encouraging to us in terms of the fact that the people are listening to the message and not simply, with all due respect, just to the media. >> well let's talk about, though, this other factor which is how rick perry did in the presidential debates. you shine in these pros dengs debatde presidential debates. how much do you think his performance hurt him? >> i think it hurt him a lot. not just in terms of what he said but in terms of how he said it. now that i've been through five debates, i got to tell you, you become -- you become a little bit better at it. you understand the rules. you understand how you have to respond very quickly, which means that it's more than being able to come in with some prepared sound bites. you can't come into a debate like this with prepared sound bites especially when you have as many candidates. i simply come in prepared on the facts and then i respond based upon my emotions, my feelings and what my true opinions are about some of the issues. i think it definitely was a negative for him in the last debate. >> you have been expressing a lot of opinions about the economy. you talked earlier about your message. let's talk about that briefly. are you a business plan. besides reducing what you see as a crushing regulatory and tax burden on business, how would you get corporations to suddenly start investing this $2 trillion in cash that they're sitting on to get this economy moving again, getting people jobs again? >> unlike all of my competitors in this race, they are trying to tinker around the edges by trying to recommend a fix based upon the current tax code. my plan starts with throw out the tax code. it's bold. because this economy is on life support. and then pass my 999 plan. a 9% business plat tax, a 9% personal tax, and a 9% national sales tax. it will replace the payroll tax, corporate and personal income taxes, the capital gains tax and also replace the death tax. business will get excited about it because it will provide certainty. and they won't be penalized for bringing some of those trillions of dollars back home. certainty is what the american business community is looking for. the business community represents the engine of growth. that's why my "999" plan is appealing to so many business people, as well as many workers across america. >> meantime, you saw earlier in our report the spoofing that "snl" gave the republican debates. apparently you were spoofed as well. they made fun of you have you no government experience and you used to run a pizza company. did "snl" help you write your next campaign slogan, sir? >> you may hear that last line in my next debate performance. i loved that "snl" spoof. it didn't offend me at all because it basically was a good spoof about, yes, vote for me and i will deliver. i couldn't have come up with a better one myself so i'm going to take that one and run with it. >> all right, herman cain, thank you so much this morning. it is great talking to you. >> thanks, ann. my pleasure. it is now 7:10. here's lester. >> now to an important decision in italy by amanda knox. she plans to address the court hearing her murder conviction appeal as that case winds down this week. nbc's keith miller is in perugia with the latest for us. keith, good morning. >> reporter: >> reporter: amanda knox is coping, according to her family. but the prosecution's demand that her prison sentence be increased to life, along with six months of solitary confinement has given her a shock. amanda knox has lost weight. she appeared in court this morning looking tired and tense. almost four years behind bars and the strain of the appeal are taking a toll. >> she looks like she's working really hard to pay attention. she's taking notes a lot. i'm really happy for the way she's handling all the really insane things that are being said. >> reporter: in court this morning, family and friends offered encouragement as civil lawyers got their chance to try to convince the judge and jury knox and her former boyfriend are remorseless killers. acting as prosecutors, lawyers representing the three civil cases being heard simultaneously with the criminal trial are all seeking damages. knox and her former boyfriend were convicted of the murder and violent sexual assault of knox's roommate meredith kercher. the kercher family complained their daughter has been forgotten because of all the attention focused on the defendants. the prosecution took two days to sum up its case, calling the evidence rock-solid. but a former fbi agent here as an independent observer calls the evidence weak, blaming the prosecutor for mishandling the case. >> he has never investigated this case. he has simply tried to prove his conclusions correct. and they were wrong in the first place and you can't -- you can't create a zebra by painting stripes on a horse. >> reporter: the appeal trial is attracting international interest. with almost 400 journalists covering the final stage of the appeal. once hostile to knox, the italian press is now speculating that a faulty investigation has produced a weak case. in court, the prosecutor blamed what he called a media circus for attempting to undercut his case led by armchair detectives. the defense will sum up its case later this week and then amanda knox will apparently address the court, the judge and jury. once again, proclaiming her innocence. lester? >> keith miller, thanks. savannah guthrie is "today's" legal correspondent. savannah, good morning. a lot has been made of the dna evidence in the case used to conviction amanda knox. that was taken off the table by independent experts who said it simply candidate there. if you take it off the table, how strong is the circumstantial evidence in the case against knox? >> the prosecutors call it rock-solid but i think it is hardly that. there's some suspicious behavior perhaps by amanda knox in the way she acted in the interrogation. she of course said she was coerced when she was talking to police in the moments and days after the murder. but the dna was really the crucial evidence in this case. it's what tied amanda knox and her boyfriend to the murder scene and these independent experts have all but eradicated that. assuming the judges believe it, they've got a thinner case. >> there's somebody in prison who's already confessed to the murder. >> exactly. forensics strongly tied him to the case and he acknowledged being at the scene. he's currently serving a 16-year sentence. >> the prosecution is doubling down here. the appeals process works both way, the prosecution can appeal and they are actually asking for a life sentence now for amanda knox and that she be kept in isolation up to six months. what's that about? >> as you say, the thing about an appeal in the italian system is that prosecutors get another bite at the apple as well and that's the risk. apparently it is very standard for prosecutors not only to ask for more time but also to ask for an increase in the severity of the type of time. so they're asking for amanda knox to have six months of solitary confinement. by and large though, i think this is one feature of the italian justice system that favors amanda knox. the appeal is not at all what it would be in this country where the only issue is points of law. they can basically retry the case. they have retried the case and i think ultimately she may benefit from that. >> another big difference is the defendant's right to speak to the court unchallenged. she will take that right. it's called a declaration. she can stand up at any time and speak and apparently is going to do that. there is not as much downside as doing that in american court, right? >> absolutely. because if a defendant speaks in the american courtroom that defendant is subject to cross examination. sheer she can just make a statement. think her lawyers will probably tell her less is more, the less said the better. she can declare her innocence, perhaps convey condolences to the kercher family for what they've been through but once again say to the court, look, i had nothing to do with this. >> savannah guthrie, thanks very much. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. good morning to natalie morales at the news desk. good morning, everyone. the two american hikers freed from an iranian prison last week are waking up on u.s. soil for the first time in two years. nbc's ron allen has more. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. now that they're safe on u.s. soil, shane bauer and josh fattal felt comfortable enough to reveal some terrifying details about their terrifying cap titivity in iran. being physically and mentally abused for 781 days. >> sarah, josh and i have experienced a taste of the iranian regime's brutality. >> reporter: the freed americans said they'd spent almost all of their time in complete isolation, locked in an 8x13 foot cell. >> we had to go on hunger strike repeatedly just to receive letters from our loved ones. >> this was never about crossing the unmarked border between iran and iraq. we were held because of our nationality. >> reporter: and finally set free last week, re-united in nearby oman with sarah shower s but released a year ago. >> i've never felt as free as i feel today. >> reporter: they were freelance journalists and students lifk in syria. fattal, an environmental activist, was visiting when they were captured. >> solitary confinement was the worst experience of all of our lives. >> reporter: the men faced eight years for spying. but suddenly last week they were given street clothes, fingerprinted and taken to see a diplomat from oman. >> the first thing he said wn we got to him, he looked at us and he said, let's go home. >> reporter: and just like that, the nightmare ended. >> a $1 million bail had been paid to iran. the americans say they have no idea where the money came from. now they're determined to start life all over again and looking forward to seeing shane and sarah finally get married. >> that will be one happy celebration. thanks so much, ron allen. another deadly attack on a u.s. facility in kabul, afghanistan sunday as u.s. embassy officials say a lone gunman opened fire on cia offices there. one u.s. citizen was killed, another was wounded. the attacker was an afghan who was employed by the u.s. government to work in that building. police are investigating the violent deaths of five people sunday in laurel, indiana, about 50 miles southeast of indianapolis. officers found a man's body inside one home and four more bodies in another home across the street. the victims had apparently been shot to death. gas prices have taking a tumble over the last two weeks, on average dropping 12 cents per gallon. the average price per gallon for regular is now at $3.54 according to the lundberg survey of fuel prices. it was another brave and historic swim for diana nyad as the 62-year-old was forced to abandon her third attempt at a marathon cuba to florida swim without a shark cage. about half-way through the 103-mile trek, doctors warned her that she'd had so many sticks from jellyfish-like creatures that more could kill her. the swollen and disappointed nyad called quitting a "bitter pill" and cursed those damned jellyfish. still she gave us so much and accomplished so mp so congratulations to her for going 67 miles in 40 hours. that's pretty astonishing at 62 years old. >> wouldn't be surprised if she tries again. >> yes, i wouldn't be surprised. she doesn't seem to give up. we'll see. natalie, thank you. let's get a check of the weather from mr. al roker looking especially dapper today. >> well thank you. let's see what's going on. we've got two big things happening. this upper-level low will not move. we were talking about it last week. we'll be talking about it for a good portion of this week. it's got rain spinning around it. you can also see some tropical moisture off the southeastern atlantic coast, talking anywhere from one to three inches of rain along the upper great lakes and southeast coast. in the pacific northwest a powerful cold front will cause a lot of heavy winds, rainfall amounts some areas three to five inches of rain in coastal pacific northwest areas. >> you might hit a peak of the sun. off and >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> al, thanks. it's been a long time coming but over the weekend boeing delivered its first dreamliner. but will the 787 jet really revolutionize the way we fly? cnbc's phil lebeau is at the boeing plant in everett, washington with more. hey, phil, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this is the dreamliner. it is three years late, billions of dollars over budget but at long last, boeing has turned over the keys to the first customer -- the japanese airline afa. now the real test -- to see if the dreamliner changes how we feel about flying. at any given moment nearly a half million people are flying in a boeing plane, and as much as the company hopes they're enjoying the flight, the reality is a lot of people think flying stinks. >> the airline don't care nothing about you. they care about making money in their pocket. >> lost my luggage. no one's helping me. >> reporter: but boeing hopes the dreamliner will make you feel better about flying from the moment you step aboard. >> first thing i notice is it is wide open. >> yeah. i hope so. that's what we want you to notice. >> reporter: the windows are 65% bigger for a better view and they dim at the touch of a button. there are larger overhead bins, and boeing says you'll be more comfortable because the cabin will have nor oxygen, less dry air and be quieter than any comparable plane. >> at the end of the day, will they truly appreciate all the little nuances of the dreamliner? >> most people are going to say i really like the windows and they will. and that will be true. but there's going to be a lot more going on besides the windows that you can't even see that we did on this airplane. and you're just going to feel better and you're not going to know why. >> reporter: not everyone agrees. aviation consultant michael boyd says you won't enjoy the dreamliner if you're crammed into a seat. >> at the end of the day when you sit on the airplane, after you're boarded and see the pretty blue on the walls and all that, you still have 17 1/2 inches for your rear end to get to tokyo. >> reporter: the days when flying was glamorous are long gone. a recent survey of customer service in 47 industries showed airlines ranked dead-last. united's ceo has seen the stats and he admits, the dreamliner won't impress you if you get bad service. >> if you're not getting good customer service, you won't enjoy the flight. if you do get good customer service, you will enjoy the flight. you and i know the difference between good customer service and bad customer service. >> reporter: by the way, united airlines will be the first airline to flight the dreamliner here in the u.s. it goes into service late spring next year. ann? >> phil lebeau, thank you so much. i know you've got much more on the premier of the dreamliner, "inside the world's most anticipated airplane" tomorrow night at 9:00, 8:00 central on cnbc. the father-in-law of missing utah mom susan powell pleads not guilty after being accused of secretly recording susan and children and police say more charges could be on the way. we're going to talk to susan's parents this morning. but first, this is "today" on nbc. coming up, prince william on the queen's big demand on wedding day. >> that's right. and new photos of marilyn monroe -- after your local news. >> live, local, late breaking. wbal-tv 11 news live update. >> baltimore police forced to shoot a man after reports of a man threatening suicide. we're told officers attempted to talk to the man. there's no word on what caused him to become upset. officers say they were forced to shoot the suspect when he tried to attack them with knives. he was taken to john hopkins hospital. let's check on the traffic. >> good morning. we have delays forming around area. one of them a southbound paris for the expressway. 23 miles per hour. also a crash in hartford county. outer loop of the beltway, we have a crash moved off to the right shoulder. in towns then, another crash at -- in townsend, a crash at joppa. a crash at green mount and monument. a live look at the delays. bellay, outer loop. >> good morning, everyone. low clouds, fog, and drizzle. the temperature right now, 72 at the airport with relative humidity of 94%. a forecast for today, you might get some sun later this afternoon. the high temperatures in the upper 70's. seven-day forecast going into the weekend. will not change all the way through thursday. 40% chance for showers. temperatures in the '70s. thursday night, cold front will move through. temperatures back in the '60s over the weekend. over the weekend. at least there willil [ female announcer ] this is trish. trish uses aetna's personal health record to track her kids' immunizations, get lab results, see her family medical history, and when she's at the doctor's office, she uses it to remember what to ask before she leaves. it helps trish keep everyone in her clan healthy. even on the go. see for yourself, aetna.com. ♪ aetna. know more. get better. 7:30 now on this monday morning, september 26th, 2011. it is a nice start to a new work week here in midtown manhattan. saying hello now to all the people standing outside our window on the world, saying hello to their family and friends at home. meantime, inside studio 1a, i'm ann curry, along side a prince in broadcasting, lester holt. that's my way of saying, for matt this morning. that's my way of seg daying into our discussion about prince william this morning. >> he opens up in a new book about his grandmother, the queen, how she helped plan his royal wedding and on her one demand on the big day. he'll tell us more about that. also coming up, i just find it incredulous there actually are photographs of marilyn monroe that have never before been seen. these are pictures from her very first modeling shoot. we'll show them all to you coming up. >> apparently was a surprise to her husband at the time, didn't kn about it. not happy about it, either. as parents we love our kids to eat well. according to a new survey, either consciously or unconsciously we show a clear bias towards one child. >> it makes me incredibly uncomfortable but this writer is really a good one and he's done a lot of research. he says this is actually part of our evolution and it is probably a good idea for us to fess up. >> the question is what does it do to our other kids? we begin this half-hour with new details on the arrest of the father-in-law in the case of a missing utah mom, susan powell. he's now facing serious charges, including child pornography after a raid on his home tied to his daughter-in-law's disappearance. in a moment we'll talk to susan powell's parents. but first, nbc's miguel almaguer is in tacoma, washington with the latest. >> reporter: good morning. steven powell spent the weekend in jail unable to make bail. detectives say they've just begun their investigation and say more charges could follow. in his first court appearance, steven powell pled not guilty to 14 counts of voyeurism and possession of child pornography. behind bars on $200,000 bails, the father-in-law of susan powell is accused of secretly videotaping the missing mother & and an unknown number of other females, including two sisters from his neighborhood just 8 and 10 years old. police say some of the unsuspecting victims including the children were nude. >> we don't know how many victims there are because we've only looked at 5% to 10% of the photographs and videos. what's most disturbing to us is the weird creepy factor with this is already high. >> reporter: police raided powell's home last month. detectives then saying only the search warrant was connected to susan's disappearance. police now say they've recovered over 1,000 images, some ten years of secret videotapes and pictures. the raid conducted the same day steven powell told nbc news his daughter-in-law had likely run off with another man and often flirted with him. >> susan and i -- it just happened. i don't know -- i think it was more her than me at the beginning but as it progressed, it was both of us. >> reporter: susan's family has always denied steven powell's allegations, calling them victim blaming. >> clearly, blatantly, attempt to assassinate my daughter's character. >> reporter: police say the arrest is not connected to susan's disappearance but susan's sister says steven powell may know something more. >> just knowing that -- what he's capable of, i thought i heard it all, seen it all from that family. >> reporter: susan's husband, josh powell, told police his wife disappeared nearly two years ago after he had taken their young boys camping overnight in a snowstorm in the utah desert. shortly after susan vanished, police named josh a person of interest. but he's always denied any involvement in her disappearance. >> i could never hurt susan or my sons. >> reporter: shortly after susan vanished, josh and his children moved back home here to washington state with steven powell. but after steven's arrest, the boys were removed from the home and placed in protective custody. >> i want them to be with a stable family where they can learn good values and grow up normally. >> reporter: susan's family is now ready for a custody hearing set for wednesday. a legal battle playing out in the same courthouse where steven powell's been charged with multiple felonies and faces five years in prison. since the arrest, the powell family has denied all of our interview requests and late last week they suffered another setback in court -- a judge said they could not publish susan's private journals. ann? >> miguel almaguer, thank you so much. chuck and judy cox are susan powell's parents. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> morning. >> possession of child pornography, voyeurism. chuck, let me start with you. what's your reaction to hearing these kinds of charges against your daughter, susan's, father-in-law? >> very disturbing. i had no idea that this was going on. >> do you think, given that the police are now treating his case as a separate case -- you know, i guess i'm asking what is your thinking about this? are you more concerned that steven powell could have been involved in your daughter's disappearance? judy, want to weigh in on that? >> i feel, being his father, i think it is very possible that he knows something. but that's the investigation with the police. >> chuck, you want to add to that? >> well, it increases my concern but we let the police do their police work. we are very comfortable that they investigated all aspects of our daughter's disappearance and they're continuing to work hard on it. >> have they asked you about what susan may have told you regarding steven powell's behavior toward her, whether she reported any instance in which she caught him videotaping her? >> we discussed all aspects with the police and we have told them that she was uncomfortable with steven. >> you know, i am just trying to get a sense about how you two are wrapping your minds around all the sort of facts of this case. i mean would you say that you are shock by these charges against steven powell? >> oh, definitely. definitely shocked by the charges. we had no idea that there would be this -- that this type of situation was going on. >> does it change the way you look at josh, judy? >> it's hard to look at possibly even the whole family. we just are amazed of -- and shocked and outraged at steven powell. >> i know that at the end of miguel almaguer's report we heard that your grandsons have been removed now from the home. have you been able to see these children, your grandchildren? do you know that they're okay? >> we haven't been able to see them. we heard they were in protective custody and we're glad that they're being taken care of. >> so what is your best hope now as you wait for word about your still-missing daughter, still missing after two years, and your two grandsons now in someone else's care? judy, what is your best hope now? >> well, we're very pleased that the children are staf aafe and f the home. we still want to focus on finding our daughter and we feel with all the energy and actions that have been going on with the police that they are doing their job and i think they're doing an excellent job. >> we hope they're getting close to resolution. they're going to arrest the persons responsible and we're going to find out where our daughter is. >> well, that's what we all wish you the best on that, chuck and judy cox, thank you so much this morning for joining us. our best to you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> now let's get a check of the weather from al. ann, thanks so much. even though we are now just about a couple of days from the first day of october, it feels more like august outside in some places. in the rockies, temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal. 87 in denver. 81 rapid city. in the northeast, temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal. 81 in new york. albany 82. 80 in burlington, vermont. rest of the country today, rain moving into the pacific northwest, showers along the southeastern atlantic coast, wraparound showers and thunderstorms around that upper-level low in the upper great lakes, and the heat continues through the southwest with no relief from the drought in texas. that's what's goin >> we will see some light rain showers today. maybe a peak of the sun this afternoon. afternoon. >> don't forget, can you keep track of your weather 24 hours a day, go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> al, thanks. coming up, just ahead -- marilyn monroe like you've never seen her before. the photos just now coming to light from her very first modeling shoot. but also coming up next, prince william opens up in a new interview about his grandmother, the queen, and her role in planning the royal wedding. coming up after this. 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[ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon. so i'm glad it's with fidelity. they offer me one-on-one guidance to help me choose my investments. not just with my savings plan here at work. they help me with all of my financial goals. looking good, irene. thanks to fidelity, i can stay on top of my financial future, huh? good one. why, thank you. whether it's saving for retirement, college, or anything else, contact a fidelity investment professional today. don't know if you caught the season premier of "saturday night live" this weekend, with the 16th appearance, alec baldwin set a new record for hosting beating steve martin's old mark. want to show you some of the highlights. >> -- while i'm happy for you, i wanted to make sure that you were doing it without the use of steroids or performance enhancing drugs. >> that's ridiculous. >> i've brought along a medical team and an expert on drug use. >> it's either the 7th or 8th gop debate. >> mitt romney might not be the perfect candidate, but he's the perfect candidate in comparison to the other candidates. as to newt gingrich, i have a normal human sized head. next to ron paul, i'm the fonz. >> the 25th anniversary of dvd of "top gun," including never before seen screen tests. >> al pacino. >> i got a need. i got a real need for speed. you got no idea. >> paula abdul. >> no. >> that's a very, very good episode. great way to start the season. >> i'm so glad they're back. >> even herman cain liked it. >> alec baldwin as rick perry was awesome. much more ahead, including how to improve your memory after the age of 50. i'm not looking at you -- >> i'll leave that one and get past that age. plus, photos of marilyn monroe you've never seen before from her first professional photo shoot. we'll show you some of them. but first your local news and weather. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. my walgreens pharmacist recommends bubble gum flavor... and patience. mine recommends antacid tablets -- and only one taco. 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[ male announcer ] with ge's most advanced cooking technology, the café line takes food further. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is an update. >> now for another check of the morning commute with to ekim dacey . >> data problem spots throughout the area. quinn's americross-country at p. the right lane southbound kimco realty green between 35th and 3 6th. the outer loop west side will take 25 minutes all the way down. the outer loop in the northeast corner checking in at 22 minutes all the way to 83. 95 southbound between the harbor tunnel and the beltway, six minutes. in the northwest corner at old court road, almost at a standstill on the outer loop. from 795 down to edmundston. cleve extra minutes on your route this morning. 95 in white marsh, delays southbound from there down to 95 and beyond. that's the latest. >> good morning. same old thing in another department. low clouds, fog, drizzle to start the day. you might get a peak of sunshine later, but visibility is down this morning a little. 71 at the airport, 68 in land -- in randallstown. today, variable clouds. a cool start with a low cloud deck, a chance of rain showers off and on. high temperatures in the upper 70's. nothing will change all the way through thursday. 40% chance of rain. if temperatures in the 70's. things will turn around on the weekend. we will get rid of the rain, but it will cool off. it will cool off. that have earned the keurig brewed seal of approval. the keurig brewed seal is our commitment that the coffee inside will deliver a delicious cup of coffee every time. keurig brewed. look for the only mark of genuine keurig quality. and these are the ones you'll love as dinner. grands! mini pizzas. grands! biscuit dough... plus 3 ingredients make an easy dinner everyone loves. grands! mini pizzas... from pillsbury. ♪ start your morning a whole new way! ♪ ♪ pillsbury grands! biscuits ♪ filled with breakfast ingredients ♪ ♪ ready in minutes! ♪ you gotta taste...mmmm a brand new morning ♪ [ female announcer ] new pillsbury grands! biscuit sandwiches. at different companies... is a pain. but with allstate, bundling policies is easy and can save you money. you should try this instead. thank you...yeah... now she should be an allstate agent. shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. [ female announcer ] introducing the allstate auto + life discount. now when you protect your family with allstate life insurance you can save even more on allstate car insurance. shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. ♪ 8:00 now on a monday morning! it is the 26th day of september, 2011. as you can see, we've turned rockefeller plaza into learning plaza for nbc's second education nation summit. once again we are gathering policymakers, educators and parents to focus on the importance of education in america and how we might improve it. meantime, i'm ann curry, alongside lester holt and al roker. matt's got morning off. it is an important topic we're all playing a role in this today. >> it is. unfortunately the state of our education is not good. more than 55 million kids in k through 12th. we're putting education front and center all week long on the platforms of nbc news. >> what are the biggest problems, where are the solutions coming from? we'll examine the role of teachers, the importance of early childhood education and so much more. tomorrow on "today," former first lady laura bush will be here. of course an educator herself. don't forget, all week long we're going to be showing you how you can take part in helping supply our schools that need supplies part of education nation. >> that's right. we're streaming a lot of this programming that we're doing today and over the next couple days live on our website. pay attention to that. hopefully we'll come up with something -- in fact, i'm talking with lebron james today about his efforts -- >> supporting his hometown schools. we'll talk about something else this morning -- that is, do you play favorites when it comes to your kids? a new survey will raise a lot of eyebrows that asks a lot of parents what do you think. a lot of parents say they actually do play favorites and so the question has been raised by one author, are we actually programmed by biologically to favor one child over another? and if so, why? boy, that's going to be -- >> tough stuff. already plenty of conversations around here today. touchy subject. also remarkable photos of marilyn monroe seen for the first time. we'll take a look at images from her first ever professional photo shoot that are now going up for auction. and a little bit later on, giada didelaurentiis will be here. she'll show you house to make a sauce -- that's why she's crowned the sauce boss! >> looks like we're going to eat. but first let's get a check of the morning's top stories from natalie at the news desk. good morning, everyone. president obama pitches his $450 billion jobs bill today at a town hall meeting in california's silicon valley. at a fund-raiser sunday, he criticized republicans for having what he called an approach to government that will cripple america. meantime, republican front-runner rick perry lost a florida straw poll saturday to underdog herman cain, a former pizza company executive. and there are fresh calls for new jersey governor chris christie to enter the republican race. american college student amanda knox was back in an italian courtroom today where the appeal of her murder conviction is wrapping up. in their closing arguments, prosecutors dismiss new doubts about dna evidence used to tie knox to the stabbing death of her roommate. knox is expected to address the court later this week. a decision on the appeal could come as early as next month. the new york city police department now has the ability to shoot down a plane if necessary. that revelation sunday from police commissioner ray kelly in an interview on "60 minutes," kelly said after the 9/11 attacks new york decided it could not rely on the federal government alone for its security. new hope today in the fight against breast cancer. researchers in california found that by delivering a combination of drugs through a special antibody, patients lived on average five months longer and had fewer side effects than those given the two drugs an they are currently administered. now here's brian williams with a look at what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." good morning. obviously education nation up and running. tonight on our broadcast, the parents taking control of failing schools, firing teachers, firing administrators. it is kind of a parent revolution going on out there. so our education nation report when we see you tonight. for now, natalie, back to you. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online -- lady gaga dedicated a song this weekend to a teenage fan who committed suicide last week after being bullied over his sexuality. gaga also met president obama at a facebook fund-raiser last night but it is not clear if she got to talk with him about her crusade to make bullying a federal hate crime. britain's prince william may be a royal air force helicopter pilot but watch out on the road. a royal photographer revealed sunday that william forgot to release the parking brake when he drove his father's beloved's stin martin convertible on his wedding day. that will do some damage to the brakes. hot in cleveland star betty white is on fire with a new track called "i'm still hot." take a listen. ♪ ♪ guess what i'm still hot ♪ i will get you sweaty ♪ because i'm betty >> yes, she is still hot at 90 years old. hot and wonderful, as always. 8:05 right now. let's go back to al with a check of the weather. >> announcer: "today's" weather from education nation's money plaza is brought to you by microsoft who believes every student has the right to a quality education and that technology can help. we're here at the nbc news education nation experience. a lot to do here. all sorts of videos, interactive quizzes. you can even record a video with a message to share with folks on twitter, e-mail or facebook. in fact it is all very interactive. here's a quiz to find out what kind of learner you are. nothing like -- i think i'm a pretty good listener. you often hum or sing outloud. do i that as well. i'll read anything that's in front of a newspaper, to a cereal box. i certainly do that. and i feel refreshed when i have time alone which i rarely get but, yes. excited about financial goals -- not so much. you tend to talk with your harn hands -- i'm doing that right now. and you can easily express what you're thinking. this will give you an idea of what your kind of learning is. i'm going to keep taking this. let's show you what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. our pick city of the day happens to be temple, texas. sunny and hot. 97 degrees. nbc 6. early week periods, we are looking at above normal east coast, rain in the pacific northwest, above normal temperatures out west. as we get to the midwest it is going to be really wet in the northeast with above-normal temperatures. it is also going to be warm out west and then the latter part of the week cools down. a little bit on the wet side. wet snow showers around the great lakes, above >> you might hit a peak of the sun. off and and that's your latest weather. i'm still working on this quiz, lester. >> good luck with it. al -- thanks very much. up next -- do you favor one of your kids over the other? moms and dads come clean in a revealing new study. plus, never-before-seen photos of marilyn monroe's first professional photo shoot. after this. ahh, one. two. three. one. two. and, three. 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[ male announcer ] join the members of aarp and tell washington to stop cuts to our medicare and social security benefits. back now at 8:10, this morning on ""today's" family," the favorite child. parents will tell you they love each child the same but a growing body of study shows this may not be true or natural. >> mom always liked you best. >> oh, she did not. >> reporter: sibling rivalry goes back as far as cain and abell. the favorite child and power play that follows can shape your personalities and define family dynamics. >> well who's your best friend? >> i have two. hank has been my closest friend since my first year at ibm. then there's robby. >> reporter: "time" magazine reports on this question in this week's cover story. its take -- parents favor one child over another more often than they admit. >> you tend to have one that you tend to get along better with, let's just put it that way. >> reporter: a recent study from the university of california davis found 65% of mothers and 70% of fathers have a preferred son or daughter. the winner is most often the older sibling. research shows first borns are statistically taller, stronger and may have slightly higher iqs. >> i think your first child is always very special. >> reporter: favoritism plays out in the wild as well. the crested penguin mother is known to kick the smaller of her two eggs out of of the nest. of course, some experts believe there is no science to favoritism. >> i don't agree that biologically we are programmed to like one kid more than the other. >> reporter: and the survival of the fittest doesn't explain why the youngest is sometimes the star. >> beaver, do you think for one moment that i'd make you do anything that would make you unhappy? >> reporter: one situation remains universal -- when a certain child is the apple of a parent's eye -- >> this is so unfair. >> reporter: -- the relationship between siblings almost always grows sour. >> you broke my heart. you broke my heart. >> reporter: jeffrey kluger wrote the "time" magazine article as well as the book ""the sibling effect." and also joining us this morning, psychiatrist gail saltz, a "today" contributor. i know you're going to get some push-back on this. it does seem as though there is a lot of new kind of -- there's a new awakening. more and more parents are at least saying in these studies they're willing to admit to this. >> they're willing to admit to it and also kids are willing to come forward and acknowledge candidly without too much pain that, yes, it's always been a given in our family that even if it is an unspoken given, it's always been a given that favoritism exists. >> why do you think it exists? you've looked at all of this research. what is the reason behind this if in fact it is true? >> i mean keep in mind, the whole idea of reproduction is a genetically narcissistic act. the whole goal is to get our genes into the next generation and then for that generation to get their genes into the following generation. given that we are hard-wired to tilt in favor of our biggest, strongest, most charismatic child, this child being the one who is the likeliest to get to the next generation. one of the reasons it often becomes the oldest who's the preferred one is an idea corporations understand -- it is called sunk costs. by the time a child is 2 and the second born comes along, parents have invested two years of time, energy, calorie, love, all matter of resources into this product that's further down the assembly line so we stay invested in it. >> you say this is not just when a child -- we don't make this judgment based on sort of the stages our children are going through. for example the terrible 2s, but really you're saying this is a constant preference and -- but what do you say to people right now listening going heck no, that's not true, i love them both the same. there is this constant insistence that we've also been sort of i think it is learned behavior. we've all learned that we have to continue to insist on it. >> there's a lot that goes on. one of the things, in fairness -- remember, social science isn't physics, it is no the chemistry so there are never any hard, hard empirical answers. there are degrees of favoritism up to shameless and fragrant. we are genetically driven but it is important to remember that even if there is a broad idea of favoritism in one family, you still favor one child in one domain over another. the dad who is a jock may love his son on the football field but the boy may drive him crazy when he's trying to have a simple conversation so he turns to his daughter for that. >> do you agree with it sh. >> biology isn't necessarily destiny. so you can change these things. even if there is some drive, it doesn't happen to everybody and it can be very psychologically motivated which means it can be changed. being aware if you have certain feelings, which may be driven by unconscious things that have to do with your family of origin or other issues that come into play. you can change that if you're very aware. you certainly at least can affect your behavior. your behavior should be that you spend special time with each child, that you work to make sure that you are being fair and even in a sense which might mean that you pay attention to certain strengths in certain children, different strengths in others, and their weaknesses. because even a favored child can really suffer from being favored, can feel guilty and cannot have their weaknesses attended to and can be given the idea they're so fantastic and then they get out in the world and actually they have problems. so it is not great shakes to be necessarily favored or unfavored which means as parent you really have to attend to both of those issues which you can only do if you're aware of your own feelings. >> which is the first thing, we're trying to hear about in jeffrey's work. thanks so much. and now here's lester. ann, thanks. before she became one of the greatest sex symbols of the 20th century, marilyn monroe was known as norma jean dougherty, a young bride who became a model. now heifer-before-seen images from her first ever professional photo shoot are hitting the auction block. martin nolan, executive director of julian's auctions, is here this morning. some of these may have appeared in magazines back in the 1940s but largely they are unseen. why? >> the photographer kept the archives intact. what we're selling here is the photographs, negatives and copyright. he was the guardian of the copyright. finally it is in bankruptcy court which have now released these images and we can sell them in our auction in december. >> negatives and copyrights. these are potentially a big investment for someone. >> this is huge here. >> you get the rights to the pictures. >> you can do what you like with the rights. >> help me understand the period of her life. we know she had a tormented life on many levels, a mother who was mentally unstable, a foster child at one point, as an adult, three marriages, drugs, at what point in her life was this all happening. >> at age 16 she was married to jim dougherty. it was the choice of another foster home or marriage. three weeks after her 16th birthday she married jim dougherty who was a merchant marine -- he was in the army really and he was off at war. she was a war bride working in a munitions factory. >> he had no idea she was doing these photos. >> no. and she went to this model agency and they took photographs of her. she appeared in a magazine. his buddy was reading the magazine and he saw the photograph of his wife. >> i understand this tripod, the telescope of that photo is going to be auctioned separately. that has some value as well. >> absolutely. and the camera she's holding there. we're also selling that in. >> it looks like in one of these shots she has six toes in one of the photos. did this start the rumor -- >> this was the start of the rumor that marilyn had six toes, which of course she had not. it is the illusion of the camera, the way it was taken at that time with the light on the sand. so no, marilyn did not have six toes. >> you are also auctioning off a contract that she signed stating shoe was over 21. she was not. >> she was not. in march of 1946 she was 19 years of age. she wouldn't have been 21 until two years later. >>ky show your favorite one here? i think one that you -- >> the favorite one that i like is the one of her in the plaid shirt. she's so natural, she's radiant, she's vibrant and looks like someone who has a really bright future. >> this is a huge investment. you get the negatives and copyright. what will the opening bids be? >> our guide price is probably in the region of $2,000 to $4,000. each photograph will be sold individually, then it comes with the negative and the copyright. of course this is huge interest because this is the first time this has ever come to the market. something with a photograph negative and copyright. corporations are going to be looking at this. this is amazing. >> great stuff. martin nolan, thanks for sharing these great photos with us. frl up next, award winning pasta sauce at home -- after this. hi, mom. how was school today? 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"cooking with giada today," around here we've known her for years because she makes a very special pasta sauce. but now it is official -- she's now been crowned the sauce boss. giada, good morning. >> how embarrassing. >> it is pretty exciting. explain why you're called the sauce boss. there was a competition, "consumer reports" looked at all the different tomato sauces. >> celebrity tomato sauces. and they crowned me as the sauce boss. basically number one beating all my competitors. >> including mario batali, vincent's, rao's -- >> i'm pretty excited. my grandfather would be proud. >> you're just not going to keep this as a secret recipe. you're going to share it with all of thus morning. >> yes. it is very easy to make at home as well. if you don't want to buy the jarred stuff, start with a little bit of olive oil and diced onion. then we add one carrot, a couple of stalks of celery. the carrots, onion and celery actually add a lot of flavor and the carrots add acidity. canned tomatoes sometimes have a lot of acidity. that makes it slightly sweet, little bit of salt, little bit of pepper. let that saute for eight to ten minutes until they soften. then add the canned tomatoes. add chunky tomatoes, you can add whole tomatoes if you want or pureed. >> depending the texture that you like. >> correct. then you let this simmer for about an hour. it needs all the favors -- and on low heat. a lot of people do it on high heat. low heat. >> do you cover it? >> i do not cover it. then i add two bay leafs. big secret. there's no garlic in here. most of people think there's tons of garlic in this. there is not. >> because the onion has just been really able to sweat enough -- >> correct. garlic tends to overpower everything. so i don't put garlic in it. two bay leaves just to give it an herby flavor to it. >> i see here the done sauce. >> you see how reduced it is? first thing you want to do is take out the bay leaf. you don't want to eat it. it is really strong. >> of course not! but we do want to taste this. >> you take this out. and then the secret to tomato basil is obviously lots of fresh basil. >> lots of it. >> a lot of fresh basil which that sauce has, too. sometimes can you finish it with a little bit of butter. i did not. you're done. it just kind of penetrates. >> you don't want to use this all at once. so many things we'll tell people in a second. you want to freeze it. >> i freeze in ice cube trays and i cover it with a little bit of plastic wrap. can you just freeze them like this. this is great for moms, especially like myself. you can take them out, they're like little ice kubs and melt them in a pan. you can melt them in a pan so you can portion out what you need. >> you've given us the secret sauce. >> got the sauce. you can use it as a dipping for your kids. chicken fingers, fish sticks. this is my favorite thing in the world to do. you toast some bread. it is great for breakfast. you rub some fresh garlic on the bread. tiny bit of olive oil right over the top. then you spoon a little bit of sauce. >> come on in here, lester. >> here's your sauce. >> hi! >> this is a great sunday breakfast, by the way. and then if you can get the egg off, you just kind of do the egg right over the top. >> sauce >> live, local, late-breaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> good morning. mindy basara. led the attack on the commute. >> good morning. scattered incidents throughout the area. liberty road, and accidents in sikes bill between white rock road and -- t pimlico iny a the city. beaconsfield at honeygill. woodside at ivandale. slow going on the northeast corner of the beltway. the parkway has a crash in colombia. some big plays around the area. 25 minutes on the outer loop west side. 22 minutes on the northeast corner of the beltway. six minutes, 95 south katrina harbor t -- 65 southbound between the harbor tunnel and the beltway. old court road is slow. 95 in area of white marsh, slow going. southbound has delays all the way down to 895 and beyond. >> low fog and drizzle still hanging around. 7 get the airport right now, 67 in randallstown. we should reach the upper 70's this afternoon. there might be a couple breaks in the clouds. we will keep a chance of showers in the forecast even this afternoon. 79 will be the high temperature. the weather will not change through thursday. 40% chance of rain each day. it should break up by the weekend. sunshine returns, temperatures in the 60's. 40's at night. >> thanks for joining us. another updated at 8:55. 8:30 now on this monday morning. it's the 26th day of september, 2011. we're very pleased to have jennifer garner and molly shannon helping out with our education nation initiative. right now they're collecting school supplies from people who are on our plaza. it is amazing how many teachers have to use their own pay to buy school supplies for children. the basic things that the kids need to learn. we have a big thanks this morning to both jennifer and molly shannon, and also all our donors this morning. we should also let you know if you can't be here in person, you can also still help, head to our website, today.com. there is even a way to donate to a special school in your community. >> we'll talk to jennifer coming up and molly will be on later on. also, look who's back. you know how much we love florence. flo around here, florence henderson. back along with joy bauer with some important advice this morning on how to look at feel your best at 50 and beyond, including what you can do to boost your memory. we can all use a little help. >> that sounds really good. then kathie lee has the morning off so hoda kotb's got a little special guest co-hosting with her. >> seth rogan is her co-host. got a little bit of summertime still hanging around here. sunshine, temperatures in the upper 70s. look for rain making its way through the ohio river valley. big storm coming into the pacific northwest, bringing heavy rain there, more rain in the northeast, especially late in the day. showers in the great lakes. heat continues in texas. no relief from the drought there, spreading all the way up into central california and >> we will see some light rain showers today. maybe a peak of the sun this afternoon. >> that is one full wagon. folks are still donating. we will be donating -- pregnant and in heels and pulling a wagon. >> i'm very busy this morning. >> all this week you can come donate. we'll tell you how. even if you can't come down, we're going to show you how to donate your school supplies, whether you deposit it back at home or todayshow.com. up next, from the foods to eat to the vitamins to take, florence henderson and joy bauer on feeling your best at 50 and beyond. but first, this is "today" on nbc. when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast, i could use all the help i can get. like nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that's perfect on multigrain toast, even whole-wheat waffles, for a breakfast that my kids love and i feel good about serving. and nutella is made with simple, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa. it's quick, easy and something everyone can agree on. ♪ nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. >> announcer: "today"''s" lovin is brought to you by zyrtec. love the air. back now at 8:30. this morning on "today's woman," feeling good after 50. florence henderson and "today" nutritionist joy bauer had the hosts of a new show called "good food, good deeds," focusing on a positive lifestyle for boomers and beyond. good morning to both of you. first of all, florence, we talked last week and you busted out saying you were 77 years old. >> yes. >> people just looking at you are going to see you as a walking billboard for what you should be doing. >> unbelievable. >> healthy and beautiful at your age. >> well, if you want to be healthy at my age -- which is, as you said, 77, you have to exercise, you have to be aware of nutrition and on "good food, good deeds," meals on wheels allowed us to be able to go out and feed some very hungry seniors who are alone. i didn't know if people realize the problem in this country and how many seniors out there aren't getting -- >> i didn't realize. i didn't realize. and it is really a celebration of food. we toss out healthy, delicious recipes and smart tips for everybody to feel fit and fabulous, like florence, as they age. >> what happens as we age. our metabolism slows down. >> that causes a major loss of muscle. in fact you and joy were talking about some of the questions that should be asked regarding how to speed up your metabolism. >> metabolism is a big one. unfortunately, starting in your 20s, every decade of life your metabolism naturally slows between 1% and 2%. you can tell from this chart. in your 20s if you burn 2,000 calories, in your 40s you're going to lose about 80 calories. in your 60s, another 80 calories. and in your 70s and 80s it starts to slow down as well. good news is there are two things you can do to boost it back up. >> exercise! which i do. >> i think walk being is the go-to exercise for so many people. it's convenient, it's cheap, it's easy on your joints. at least 30 minutes a day. and the other thing to do is incorporate protein at all of your meals. chicken and fish and beans and lentils. because these things also bump up your metabolism. >> what kind of exercise do you do, florence? >> i do treadmill. i work out with a trainer three times a week. also it is very important to do some weights. you know, because osteoporosis creeps in and also arthritis. as a matter of fact, i have arthritis in this hand because i sign every piece of fan mail for almost 60 years in this business. but -- >> oh, poor florence! >> it hurts. i know. >> but at least it's from signing all the fan mail. but there are a lot of things that you can do. >> these foods in particular in fact can be kind of helpful. >> you want to think bright orange. any of the produce items like sweet potatoes and pumpkin an the winter squashes are loaded with nutrients that suppress the aches and pains of arthritis. the other things, spices. t tumeric, the main ingredient in curry, and i love these handy food choppers. >> you can't put this in there. >> no, no. it is vegetables. what happens is you chop up and down, up and down, and it makes -- >> is it hard on arthritis? >> no, because it makes prepping meals much easier than gripping a knife and it is a big complaint with a lot of people because they can't chop things. >> also, i take tons of vitamins. i mean i really do. i read up on -- >> tons. like? >> i take the omegas, hyaluronic acid. we take so many different ones. >> calcium. >> as you get older, it is very important. >> it is hard the older you get to get your b-12 out of your food. you need a little augmentation. is that right? >> it is. because you don't absorb it as efficie efficiently. i think that everybody after 50 should be taking a multi-vitamin that is specifically designed for them. you want at least 100% of the b-12 and ideally 1,000 units of vitamin d. there are a lot of good formulas out there. >> i take more than that with vitamin d. >> do you. >> i think the most thing on "good food, good deeds" we talk about, as you get older you worry about memory loss. you worry about will you be able to remember things. there are things that we can do. >> there are things that you can do. and whether it comes to boosting your memory, we already talked about exercise. i mean that is the magic bullet because exercise, believe it or not, can prevent shrinkage that goes on in our brain as we age. >> and our bodies. >> we know this through science. but also when it comes to meals like this, this is literally a perfect memory boosting meal. it is the omega-3 fatty fish, leafy greens, and i actually even put this on our website at today.com. it is a memory boosting smoothie. because, ann, it is loaded with frozen berries. which you can get year-round. they're inexpensive and they have something that really helps your brain. >> what berries? >> blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, all berries really help your brain and your memory. >> wait, who are you again? >> she's kidding! >> have a sip of this. how fast does this sucker work? like a couple minutes? >> do you recognize this woman? >> hey! >> i'm amazing. >> honey, you're unforgettable. >> i love you. >> that will always be the case. enjoy. thanks so much to both of you for being here. the show is called "good food good deeds," it debuts this wednesday on retirement living television to help our seniors. coming up next, "snl" alum molly shannon's in the house on her new children's book. but first, this is "today" on nbc. it has been ten years since molly shannon walked away from "saturday night live" but her most popular characters live on from her catholic schoolgirl to sally o'malley who wanted everyone to know that she still had it at 50 years old. now molly's first book, "tilly the trickster" tells the story of a mischievous little girl who loves playing tricks on her parents, brother and classmates. molly shannon, good morning. can i ply you away from saying hi to our crowd in the window. it is great to have you back. you heard you musing, ten years. >> i cannot believe it. it goes so fast. but it's great being in my old stomping ground. >> get back to 30 rock. >> i got to say hi to the old gang. >> this really came from you. you used to tell stories to your kids, made up stories about an irish family. they were called the -- >> the maloneys. >> there was a trickster amongst them? >> yeah. i read to them every night. my husband and i both read to them but sometimes they want me to make up stories. so i made up this story about this big irish family with ten kids but their favorite part of the made-up story was when the brothers and sisters would play tricks on one another. i thought that could be good for a kid's book. i also grew up loving the little rascals. i thought it would be fun to create a mischievous girl character. >> as i read, i think kids are going to try some of this stuff at home. >> some of it is okay to try but -- but little kids that age are so innocent that the tricks aren't that sophisticated but i love the idea of them getting together to think of something. >> your daughter, stella, did any of this come from her? is she a trickster? >> she does love tricks. she likes dressing up in little outfits and recently we had a little accident on our slide and she broke her little toe. i had to take her to the hospital. and -- but then when she realized she was going to get crutches she was like this is going to be the best week ever at school. she walk into school, everybody's like where did you get the crutches. and it was funny then when we got home later she was walking around the block with her crutches but she got kind of tired, she said mom moi can you tear me, but then she saw an older couple coming toward her. she like hobbled by them. they were like look at this little girl with crutches. so she loved -- a little tilly in there. >> i was thinking about people writing children's books. of course you thought as you write for children, you're also writing for mom and dad. i told you my kids are grown now but the thing i remember most and adored, the bedtime story ritual. i started to have my favorites. >> i know. >> you're writing for mom and dad, too. >> you are writing for mom and dad. i write it to read orally. i like the once that are sparse in the words so you don't get too exhausted or out of breath. >> was it harder than you thought? >> it was. i wrote it to perform it. i write it in my head as if i was reading it like as if i would perform it and read it. so yes, it was harder. i think when you see really good ones you think it is easy but it is really difficult because you have to tell the story quick ln and get in a story and resolve it in a very short amount of time. >> we mentioned in the introduction that people still remember your classic characters from "saturday night live." that must be fun. after all these years people still remind you of those. >> it was so fun. i felt like i really got the right break for me for what i do. i feel so lucky that that happened. and the fact that people still identify with those characters and bring them up to me is such an honor. >> you know how hard that is. when you watch "snl," they had their season remere this weekend, can you watch and enjoy it? are you thinking how difficult this is? >> sometimes when i see the goodnights, i was like, oh, she had a good show, he wasn't in as much. we kind of go up and down. like if you had a good stech on -- but sometimes you were -- some weeks you would never be in the show. so it is really hard. so it is hard because i do know it so i think about more that angle but i still really enjoy it, too. >> you've got a knack for writing children's books. >> thanks, lester. >> hope to see more from you. >> love you! >> thank you, ann! >> so much. oh, my god. >> you got a fan club built in. >> yea! >> the book is "tilly the trickster." >> thank you, lester. up next, mechanical today gates and tom brokaw on the value of teachers. but first, this is "today" on nbc. our 4 new rich & hearty soups really have people talking... [ guy ] ring, ring. hold on a sec... progresso... i love your new loaded potato with bacon. that's what we like to hear. where was i? oh right... our rich & hearty soups.. people love the thick cut carrots... we do too! where was i? progresso. right, our new rich & hearty soups... [ ring, ring ] progresso... switch our phone service? [ ring, ring ] [ ring, ring ] ...no, i think we're pretty happy with our phones. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. >> announcer: da's "today's" education nation" is brought to you by state farm. we are back with education nation today. all this week we are focusing on what it will take to improve education in america. this morning, putting more value on the work teachers do day in and day out in the classrooms melinda gates and tom brokaw, we know teachers are on the front line of what is really a battle in our education system. often they're being told to do so much on a salary of just $45,000 on average per year. then on the other hand, do you have teachers who are underperforming, not making the grade but yet remain in the school systems. and i know that the gates foundation has sponsored a fund measured effective teaching. >> when bill and i started to learn the most important thing in the education system was to have an effective teacher in the front of classroom, we said what makes a great teacher? how do you know if your child has one? we said my gosh, there's not research out there to prove that. we went out to do a piece of research. we videotaped 3,000 teachers across the u.s. school systems, six districts, and we started to learn what great teachers look like so we can spread that practice. we learned three things -- first of all, if a teacher's good one year, they're typically good the next. second is, students actually know whether they have a good teacher. and third, we learned that you have to have multiple things that you measure type offers on, not just the test at the end of the year but other things like peer and principal observations. >> it is the broader sense rather than testing your teachers based on the test scores that they're delivering in the classrooms. >> that has to be one component but definitely there are other things that measure whether a teacher is great or not. >> as you know there is a lot of backlash when it comes to rating teachers based on test scores so it really comes down to how the kids respond and the overall picture then. >> that's right. but you do still need to have the test scores say a teacher who gets a student at this level, how much do they advance them at the end of the year. but not just the test. what do they look like in front of the classroom, do they manage the classroom well, do they explain concepts when the student doesn't understand the homework. those things are predictive about whether the student is actually learning the material or not and whether they'll do well on that test. >> tom, "new york times" columnist tom friedman wrote recently about education in this country, we aren't going to see change until we start to think about this as a national security issue, not a social issue when it comes to education. >> tom and i have been talking about this for a long time. we feel very strongly that the under girding of this country sed case. you can't have a successful economy unless you have people who know how to run it, are entrepreneurial. even educated consumers. you can't have a strong military unless you have people who are educated and comfortable in dealing with modern weapons systems and develop strategic plans. it is also our political system that depends on a well educated citizenry. moreover, we are competing with a rising china and india and they are putting an enormous amount of emphasis on education. melinda and i were talking about this earlier. in the eighth grade in china you have to take physics and biology and math. in america, only 18% of our high school students take those. and we all know that science is a key to the future. so what melinda and bill have done -- it is a great credit to them and it is a great gift to this country -- is that they have taken the kind of episodic values that we know about teaching, they put them together in a way that everyone can learn from them. so that's a big, big step. >> what is the biggest problem in our education system today then, tom? >> people not paying attention. i really believe that we are moving to a different level now because of the gates foundation, every community, they now get it. we've got to do something. so i think the biggest problem has been, oh, if i have's got the money my kids are going to private school and you just have to worry about something else. now we're getting everyone on deck. do you agree with that? >> i agree. hopefully people realizing it means you've got to have a great teacher for every single student. we're finally having that conversation, we're finally talking about the system to change that. >> we're excited about what's going on here this week and hopefully this will get people talking and make that discussion become law, in effect. so thank you very much, melinda gates, tom brokaw. now back inside to ann, lester and al. >> nice to hear their perspective. meantime, in the 10:00 hour, kathie lee has the morning off and hoda has lined up a very special co-host. >> how do you like your lid? >> i think you're doing okay. pretty good. >> do i look normal? >> you look pretty. >> do i look like kathie lee? >> i'll poof it up a little bit. >> i think i look like kathie lee. i'm not drunk enough. >> he's in a new movie called "50-50" and "forbes" magazine recently named him the hardest working man in hollywood. >> i actually caught him on the way in the door. >> you having second thoughts at all? i don't know how she's doing on your hair there. how you doing there, buddy? >> i'm doing okay. it is a little hectic back here. i feel like i've wandered into a strange situation and i can't leave now because i'm on television. i'm just going to go with the flow on this one, guys. >> anybody give you any tips, seth? >> no, no one has given me any tips. are there any? >> just strap in and hold on. >> i know. do you have pepper spray or something? >> we do have an emergency taser. >> that would be great. >> i think she wanted to put her hands in your hair, baby. >> just run them through it, hoda. just do it. >> you two are going to be great. thank you. >> you guys have fun. ahead this morning, separating fact from fiction when it comes to colds and flu. we'll tell you about that and a lot more but first, your local news. >> live, local, late-breaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> good morning. i mindy basara. 8:55. it is a look at one of our top stories. baltimore county police called to the 7000 block of berkshire rode around on a collector last night after reports of a man threatening suicide. officers attempted to talk to the man but were forced to shoot a suspect when he tried to attack them with knives. the suspect was taken to hey! you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat and these are the ones you'll love as dinner. grands! mini pizzas. grands! biscuit dough... plus 3 ingredients make an easy dinner everyone loves. grands! mini pizzas... from pillsbury. >> good morning. chance of showers in the forecast today. off and on. united pinkoson time. high temperatures around 79. the weather will not change must through thursday. 40% chance of rain until then. clearing on the weekends, clearing on the weekends, temperatures in so to save some money, i trained this team of guinea pigs to row this tiny boat. guinea pig: row...row. they generate electricity, which lets me surf the web all day. guinea pig: row...row. took me 6 months to train each one, 8 months to get the guinea pig: row...row. little chubby one to yell row! guinea pig: row...row. that's kind of strange. guinea pig: row...row. such a simple word... row. anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

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