we'll meet buddy, "today" owner's home. we'll meet buddy, "today" saturday april 24, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'll lester holt. >> the state of arizona sending a strong message to that state's governor. >> they have acted, but it's not obviously netted a lot of protests. phoenix, hundreds showed their disapproval over that new law. the governor signed the bill despite criticism from president obama saying that arizona had been more than patient waiting for the government to act. and in the gulf of mexico, the search has been suspended for those 11 workers missing in that oil rig explosion. and sarah palin had her day in court friday as she testified at the trial of a former college student who was accused of illegally accessing palin's private e-mail account. the defendant is 22 years old, he faces the possibility of 50 years if he's convicted. and switching gears, we just can't get enough of this video of buddy who led a police officer to the scene of a fire in alaska. we'll meet buddy and his owners. >> we're hearing comparisons to rin tin tin and lassie. jose diaz of our sister station in phoenix is following this this morning. >> reporter: when the governor signed the nation's toughest immigration law this friday, it sparked protests, but also opened a very stormy international debate on reform. arizona governor jan brewer friday signed a controversial bill, the toughest state law against illegal immigration in the country. >> i have decided to sign bill 1070 into law because i firmly believe that it's what's best for arizona. >> reporter: arizona is now in direct conflict with the white house where the president approximate welcomed the country's newest americans. president obama used the occasion to call arizona's new immigration law misguided. >> it will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. that includes recent efforts in arizona. >> reporter: for days now, hundreds of protesters have gathered outside of arizona's capitol building hoping the governor would veto the law, calling it a license to discriminate. supporters say the law is long overdue. >> no longer can we sit on the sidelines and be a spectator to the laws of this nation. >> reporter: the law makes illegal immigration a state crime and allows police officers to check the status of people. >> we do no racial profile. when they can't get you on anything else, they throw up the race card. >> reporter: andrew sanchez grew up right outside of phoenix in the mostly hispanic town of guadalupe. >> governor brewer knows that people are watching to see how arizona will enforce the law. >> racial profiling is illegal and it will not be tolerated in america and it certainly will not be tolerated in arizona. >> reporter: critics called the new law unconstitutional, setting the stage for a showdown in court. the law is set to take effect this summer and the governor has called for training so she says any violations of civil rights are avoided. lester? >> and jose the fact that this law does not take effect for several months, that obviously opens up a window for legal challenges, are they expected and could it delay the implementation of this law? >> reporter: great question, as a matter of fact because the government took a couple of days to decide one way or another, some organizations were preparing to file papers. in fact yesterday on my news program, maldaf in los angeles said they're already getting ready to file papers, the question is will this law take effect and start, organizations say, affecting hispanics in the near future? >> a lwas there also a secondar motive here to light a fire under the federal government? george bush couldn't get it done, president obama hasn't gotten it done yet. >> a lot of people say this law was able to exist here because of the political oxygen that exists here because of the lack of leadership in washington regarding immigration reform and there are a lot of people here and you just have to go to the border area and talk to the ranchers and they say, listen, don't i have the right to control my own property? i have dozens of people crossing through here every day and i need some help. now to the latest on that oil rig disaster on the gulf. authorities ended their search late friday but they continue their efforts to contain a massive oil slick. anne thompson joins us with the latest. >> reporter: having suspended the search for the 11 missing men, officials now turn their attention to two issues, first is as you said, trying to contain any environmental damage caused by the accident and then secondly, trying to figure out what caused this disaster. this is what first responders saw, an inferno on the water. >> man, you can feel the heat right now. >> reporter: the intensity of the fire dimming the chances that the 11 missing workers could be found. >> it's very important that we extend our sympathy to the families. >> reporter: the coast guard and the oil companies are trying to prevent an environmental tragedy. a sheen of oil at times up to 100 square miles floats over the gulf, while officials say they don't see any crude spilling from the underwater well head, they are taking no chances. an oil cleanup like this one is attacked on three fronts, oil containment booms sometimes miles long are placed on the surface of the water around the spill. they keep the oil and any debris in a confined area. from the air, planes drop thousands of gallons of chemical disburse sants, this causes the oil to form droplets where they are either diluted or picked up by skimmer boats. despite the disaster, the white house says president obama has no intentions of backing away from his plan to expand offshore drilling announced last month. >> we are going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel, even as we ramp up new sources of renewable homegrown energy. >> reporter: the president wants to expand drilling sights off the eastern gulf of mexico, the mid-atlantic coast and the section of the arctic ocean north of alaska. as crews work to contain the damage, environmentalists worry about sperm whales that feed near the sunken rig. >> there are risks if you expand oil drilling, you'll see these risks off of your shores, so as we make this decision, you need to know that this is coming to your shores as well. >> reporter: crews will also be dealing with some very strong weather today, as you can see, there are high winds along the coast and those winds could push the oil slick toward shore and if that happens t shell fish that is at the heart of new orleans cuisine along with the wildlife that is on that shore could be threatened. >> and for more on all of this, we turn to the coast guard official in charge of the operation in the area, she's admiral mary landry, good morning. >> good morning, amy. >> and obviously the loss of life, 11 lives to be specific is what makes this accident so tragic. how tough was it to make to the decision to suspend the search? >> on any given day there's 35,000 workers out there, one loss of life is unacceptable and we have 11. so we have a very, very extensive investigation. the coast guard and the minerals and management to figure out why this happened and to prevent this from happening again. >> the rig sank thursday after burning for two days and on friday you said that visual and sonar monitoring, according to that there was nothing to indicate that there was crude oil emanating from the well head, is that still true this morning? >> that's true, there's no oil emanating from the well head. what we're dealing with is residual left over from the explosion. but the well head itself is not, the blowout preventer, it's presumed that it's activated and there's no crude emanating from that, our goal is to keep that oil spill as far offshore as possible, and we have spoken with the states along the potential affected coastline, but we're remaining confident we can work this oil spill offshore. >> obviously when we hear oil spills, especially in an area like the gulf of mexico, there are so many environmental concerns, we just heard our correspondent anne thompson outline some of them. can you give us an idea at what threat this bill still poses to the environment and what role the weather may play in all of this. >> i think anne had it right, we absolutely are concerned about all the wildlife and the sensitive coastline, the wet lands, we actually have worked with the states preparing for spills like this and we do respond when necessary. so we are focused with the state of louisiana, mississippi, alabama, on preparing to keep this oil offshore, so it doesn't impact the shoreline. the shell fish beds are a big deal around here. >> is there any indication that the oil in the water has washed ashore or how close it may have come to shore. >> it's still at least 30 miles offshore, but first light, we will be up in the air monitoring the location. we have a robust array of resources, offshore skimmers, boom, the weather will affect that, we'll do our best to keep this offshore and we'll keep everybody posted as to our progress. >> admiral mary landry, thanks for taking time out to tell us about this this morning. >> good morning, everyone. we begin in iraq where funerals are taking place this morning after dozens of people were killed friday. four strategically located car bombs timed to maximize the carnage exploded in the streets. 69 people died. it was the deadliest day in iraq this morning. and we're learning more about the thwarted attempts to attack the subways last year. he pled guilty friday to the suicide bombing plot. he said the attack was ordered by al qaeda leaders in pakistan two years ago. on friday an oregon jury ordered the boy scouts of america to pay $16 million for sex abuse. the case was the first of six filed against the boy scouts against this came court in oregon. the "new york post" is showing surveillance video of a man on the ground in need of help and passers by doing nothing. the video shows a homeless man on the ground after having been stabbed and looking for help. one person even took a cell phone picture. the man eventually died from his wounds. and finally, it's the most expensive home on the market in the country. candy spelling, the widow of megaproducer aaron spelling is selling her california megamansion for a bhoping 150 million. it's billinger than the who is, it's on 56,000 acres, boasts 27 bathrooms and a grand stair case based on the movie gone with the wind. that's all for the news, now back to leser and amy and bill. can you imagine trying to sell this house and showing it. here's bathroom number 24. >> i was just thinking about cleaning those 27 toilets. >> i was actually looking for something with 29 bathrooms, but keep looking, you can't always find what you want. >> you say it's going to be a wild weather day, dangerous possibly? >> and unfortunately, when we get situations like this, they can even be deadly, today is one of those rare spring days where we are watching a large area with the potential of not just tornado, but even strong tornadoes that could be on the ground for a long period of time, we're already starting with northern louisiana, look at the whole state of mississippi under a tornado watch, if you live in mississippi, alabama, louisiana, arkansas, tennessee and georgia, make sure everyone in the state and all your friends and family know it's a high risk of tornadoes. it only happens two or three times every year, and it covers jackson all the way up to birmingham, everybody even in the yellow there has a threat of seeing strong tornadoes into the day today into the night tonight. that's the biggest weather story out there today and it will continue into tomorrow for areas along the southeast coast. it's really the high risk of. patricia riley suddenly lost her health insurance after a surgery caused a staff infection. she said her insurance company canceled her coverage after 17 years. she never bought it. >> it didn't make any sense to me. >> well point acknowledges that it cancels its claim after policyholders receive -- critics say the company is looking for excuses to cancel the coverage, called rescission. now they say the company is now targeting women with breast cancer with the intention of canceling their policies. kathleen sebelius called the practice on conationable. >> we're saying to wellpoint, stop the practice of going after people that are sick. let americans have some more health skirn security here. >> today well point fired back saying both her statement and the original statement are inaccurate. wells abo s abo wellpoint does not single out women with breast cancer for rechris, period. it covers mammograms earlier than suggested by federal guidelines. some health experts say insurance companies use rescissions to protect profits. >> they go through their patients trying to find excuses to drop people and when they can find that excuse, they take it. >> this fall, provisions of the new health reform law will make canceling policies after someone gets sick illegal. for today, lisa myers, nbc news, washington. >> and now here's lester. here in new york, an amazing new exhibit has just opened on the life and times and treasures of king tut. many of the objects are being displayed outside egypt for the first time and matt lauer got a preview. >> it's being called the return of the king, a new exhibit showcasing new revelations about the life and death of ancient egypt's most famous pharaoh. known simply as the boy king, king tut lived over 3,000 years ago and his priceless treasures continue to captivate. >> when people go through this exhibition, they're excited to turn the corner and to see what's next. >> reporter: here to give me a personal tour of the 130 artifacts on display, egypt's passionate head of antiquities. >> every optibject that was usen his life could be used in his after life. >> reporter: the valley of the kings contained over 5,000 objects, many remarkably preserveded. >> there were six chairs found in the tomb with king tut. look what amazing condition it is. >> this was used when he was a child. this is actually a chair of a boy. >> reporter: throughout the exhibit, reminders of a king who began his reign at the tender age of 9. >> the objects in here tell you so much about the life of the king. i was fat natuscinated about the here. >> the idea here, it's to play in the after life. >> reporter: a gate to go to the ancient world, a coffin that once held king tut's liver. this is one of the corner phones of the exhibit. >> this is something that i ask everyone to stay here at least 15 minutes and look at the beauty of the craftsmen of this coffin. >> reporter: the king's treasures last came to the states in the late '70s, record crowds flocked and turned king tut into a culture phenom. since then, in 2009, he led a team that exhumed tut's body. >> when you looked at the actual mum my, what did you learn about looking it. >> when looking face to face, it was one of the best moments in my life. i felt the golden boy deep in my heart. >> reporter: and this year, the much anticipateded answer to the question what killed king tut? he may have died from complications from a broken leg. the golden boy was buried with his golden crown on his head and his dagger by his side. >> that is my favorite piece. >> why? >> why? because look, at the handle of the dagger and look at the way it's made, how long would it take an artist to do that? >> reporter: prices pieces for the after life now brought back to life in a breathtaking exhibit. >> fascinating, think how many thousands of history reminds us how young we are in this country in its history. >> and you have actually been there? >> it's just fascinating. still to come, sarah palin in court when we come back, we'll speak with michelle obama's childhood friend. >> good morning, everyone. i'm lisa robinson. it is 7:25. here's a look at our top stories this morning. two teens have been arrested in connection with a shooting in laurel that happened at a fight at a hotel. marcus roman and another person are facing first-degree murder. in baltimore city two teenagers are behind bars for the murder of an elderly man. his body was found inside an east baltimore carry-out. charles bowman stopped at the greenmount carry-out on his way to work three weeks ago. michael hunter and troy taylor were allegedly looking for quick money. police have stepped up pa patrols in that area. >> people have no love. these youngsters have no love for life. >> i know it is bad and it is getting worse, but we deal with it. you can't stay inside. squ >> flist police say a number of anonymous tips helped them make the arrest. >> memorial services have been finalized for dr. dorothy height. her body will lay in repose at the national council of negro women's dorothy height building. memorial services at 7:00 p.m. at shi wlfment oh baptist church. the funeral planned at the national cathedral. dr. height will be laid to rest here in maryland. she is considered the godmother of the civil rights movement and she marched along side dr. martin luther king. she died tuesday at the age of 98. stay with us we'll check your forecast when we come >> good morning, clouds out there. no rain around baltimore. dees and west there are -- d.c. and west there are sprinkles. most of it along 66 west of the district right now. this stuff is aiming in the southeast. it is not drifting in our direction now. take a wider view of this entire storm system. first a look at the current temperatures. humidity down, barometer up. northeast wind at 7 miles per hour bringing moisture off the ocean. here's the entire storm system. most of the rain is light with this initial batch but there are stronger storms out to the west. that will be in the forecast later in the weekend. today just clouds. showers developing. maybe a few sprinkles and clouds. rain chances go up in the evening with high temperatures around 60. >> thank you for joining us we'll see you back here in 25 minutes. we are back on this saturday morning, the 24th day of april, 2010 and we have a great crowd out on the plaza, we thank them for joining us this morning, we'll be out there to say hi in just a bit. coming up this half hour, man's best friend. >> i don't know if you have seen this amazing video, it's a german shepard that guides a state trooper to a raging fire at the home where he had been. we have the family that's very gateful to their dog buddy. we're going to continue our series couples keeping secrets. it's called digital infidelity. we're going to find out how risky behavior on your computer can put your relationship at risk. and some never before seen photographs reveal the girl who would be queen, it's a new exhibit opening in london at windsor castle today featuring photos and video of queen elizabeth as a young girl. we're going to get a sneak peek coming up. sarah palin made an appearance at to the trial of a former college student who is accused of accessing sarah palin's former e-mail account. kerrey sanders is there. >> reporter: someone hacked into sarah palin's yahoo account and then all the personal information and photographs began spreading across the internet. now if convicted, the 22-year-old who's accused of breaking into the account could get 50 years in prison. 22-year-old david kernell says it was all a prank, but on friday sarah palin testified it was anything but. she told a federal jury the hacked account was a huge disruption to the campaign as well as her personal life. example, palin's son track deployed to iraq used it as long as he could until it was cut off. and palin said she used the yahoo.com account to stay in touch with her family and to stay in touch with her 16 week old so