breaking news. at least three people are dead after a luxury cruise ship carrying 4,000 passengers and crew overturns off the coast of italy. frightened passengers were onboard and sent overboard with dozens plucked from the water by helicopters. we'll hear about the panic and dramatic rescue from an eyewitness. serious heart condition. former presidential candidate john edwards' campaign finance trial is put on hold. will he need surgery before the trial can begin? here comes the snow. old man winter arrives a bit late with biting snow to the north and east.

we'll find out how long it will last today, saturday, january 14, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. i hope you brought your gloves because it got cold yesterday. >> wednesday, it was like near 50. >> it all happened yesterday. in the morning it was warm, and then throughout the day it got -- i mean it's january, right? we shouldn't be complaining. >> midwest got hit by some snow. we're going to track all that coming up. meanwhile there's just one more week to go before the south carolina primary. mitt romney is fighting back at his fw op rivals. we'll head to south carolina for the latest on how that is resonating around the state. all right. and then speaking of politics, late night talk show host

stephen colbert says he's running for president in his native seat of south carolina, but is there a serious message from the comedian's campaign? we're going to take a close look. a real life soap opera for heather locklear. she was rushed to the hospital and treated for an unknown ailment. the queen of southern cooking, paula deen, rumors are swirling that she has diabetes. the whom once said she can't live without butter and a deep fryer change her ways? we'll have that story coming up. we have a lot to get to. let's start with the breaking news. the luxury cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 passenger and crew off the coast of italy overturning overnight leaving thousands to be rescued from the ship and the cold sea. we have the latest. claudio, good morning. >> reporter: some of the passengers said it felt like being on the titanic, and when

you see the dynamics of this accident, you'll understand why. it's a modern-day titanic. this is what's left of the floating temple of fun a few hours after it set sail. thousands of men, women, and families on holiday boarded this ship on friday night for a tour of the mediterranean. the passengers were having dinner when they heard a loud bang. it with us immediately clear that something had gone terribly wrong. >> we were scared because everything started to fall. all the glasses started breaking. and we ran outside. and we looked through the window to see that the sea was getting ready close to us and we realized that the ship was tipping to one side like really fast. >> reporter: the ship hit a rocky reef. how it ended up there is still unclear. the hull was gushed open, quickly taking on water. crew members told nbc that panic quickly kicked in.

>> there were a lot of people falling down and getting hurt and the water was coming in like really fast. it all happened within less than an hour. >> reporter: some passengers said it felt like the titanic. the ship leaned sharply to the right. lifeboats started falling on passengers. some jumped into the icy sea. the shore was 200 yards away. too far for some of them. residents of a nearby island rescued some of them with their boats and put them up overnight in their homes. rescuers arrived soon after by air, sea, and land. divers were deployed to look for survivors. hope faded by the hour. only last night, they waved the shore good-bye. now they must get back. the risky operation still ongoing. divers are searching the ship cabin by cabin because at least 14 of the passengers are still missing. >> claudio, i guess we can

assume that the captain of the vessel knew where he was. do the investigators have any idea why it hit ground and overturned? >> reporter: well, lester, it is still unclear why that ship was there. it's way off course. and it's still unclear whether it was a mechanical error or by the captain who is, of course, being interrogated. >> claudio, thanks very much. now to john edwards. the former senatoor has a serios heart problem. andrea mitchell has exclusive details. >> reporter: for years the john edwards political, family, and legal drama was set aback his wife elizabeth's heartbreaking struggle wither breast cancer. now a year after she lost that battle, it is john edwards' health that is at issue. he was led by the back door in federal court friday and his lawyers presented two letters

from a cardiologist asking for a postponement of his trial on campaign finance charges until he can have medical procedures to further evaluate a heart arrhythmia. a condition that was serious but the court was told not life-threatening. federal judge katherine eagle seen at her confirmation hearing two years ago agreed to postpone the trial to march 26 at the early left. quote, the public has an interest in a speedy trial and this case has already been continued twice, but clearly there are some limitations on mr. edwards due to serious and real health issues. edwards appeared to be fit say courtroom observers but doctors say he should avoid driving and traveling to court for trial until he has that surgical procedure. edwards is charged with accepting about 1 million dollars from campaign donors to hide his affair with rielle hunter, the mother of his daughter francies quinn. he has denied all charges saying

the money was a gift, not a campaign contribution. his eldest daughter kate has been standing by him throughout, as she told me last fall. >> we've always been there for each other in tough times and good times and we've always been close as a family. >> reporter: some say the medical condition is not li life-threatening but edwards did collapse last month while jogging and has complained to friends of sleep apnea, leading to his initial request that his trial be postponed. for today, andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >> now here's lester. >> amy, thanks. later than usual, it's finally beginning to feel a lot like winter. parts of the midwest and northeast are digging out of the first snow of the season. the weather channel's mike seidel is in cleveland. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. i can tell you the season feels like the midwest. the windchill has been 9.

keep in mind it's a couple degrees below average. so it's taken all this weather to get the temperatures back to average. let's take you back to thursday and friday in upper rochester, minnesota, where we had numerous accidents caused by the snow and ice and strong winds. tractor-trailers getting blown over. a horrible rush hour on thursday morning in st. louis. then we come back to clooevland. yesterday was the cold wind off the lake with four inches of lake effect making up for somewhat of the loss of snowfall. 15 degrees below average. the winter storm warning continues from here to the lakefront until 4:00. let's go up to buffalo. known for its snowy winter. yesterday a record snowfall of 6 1/2 inches, but they're still down 3 feet. look at the whiteout there along interstate 90 as temperatures plummeted. and, again, it's going to stay cold and snowy around the lakes today. but, lester, it does warm up again by the first of the week.

>> that leads to my question. have we opened the door for winter or might we go back to the weather pattern that's kept most of us in sweaters this winter? >> reporter: well, there is no sign on the weather map for any persistent know or blockbuster winters like we've had the past two winters. this may be a subtle change where we get additional shots of cold air. by next week the warm air surges in across the eastern half of the country. so, again, new york city, boston, philadelphia, as you get into tuesday and wednesday, it will be rain, not snow. still no need for the shovels and the blowers toward big city. back around the lakes, some areas may pick up 6 inches of snow. >> mike seidel from the weather channel. scott has more. >> good morning, everyone. we're tracking winter's return, especially around the great sections of the northeast. that's because of a big dip allowing for some of the colder air to filter in over the lake.

now, we have some of that lake-effect snow still ongoing around the snowbelt as we focus on cleveland, erie, buffalo. yesterday, over a half a foot of snowfall. we'll continue to find some snow in the forecast throughout your weekend here around sections of the lake, anywhere from 3 to 5 inches on top of what you have already received. so a lot of folks are excited that winter is finally making a comeback. lester? >> all right. scott, we'll talk to you in a few midgets and get the rest of the national forecast. for now, here's amy. >> thank you. with less than a week to go before the south carolina pry mairks mitt yomny is firing back against attacks from his gop rivals, accused of being a corporate raider who cost people their jobs. peter alexander is in south carolina. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you from the city of charleston. there's going be a forum for a lot of people to make up their minds in the state of south carolina. mike huckabee, the former

candidate in this state is going to be hosting this event. they're going to try to whoo christians here o who represent nearly 60% of the state's voters. campaigning across south carolina friday, mitt romney tried to present himself as a sympathetic conservatives. >> i want to get jobs for america. and by the way, i'm concerned about our poor in this country. >> reporter: at the same time romney launched a new ad responding to his opponents' accusations that he callously killed jobs while running the private equity firm bain capital. >> this is the business mitt romney helped start and this one and this one. >> reporter: he's accused of mischaracterizing the claim. >> he claims. "the washington post" two days ago reported in their fact check column that he gets three pinocchios. now, pinocchios, when you get to the post if you're not telling the truth. >> reporter: but that same fact

check analysis by "the washington post" found gingrich's own supporters guilty too. rewarding them four pinocchios for their facts. >> i'm calling on them to either edit out every single mistake or to pull the entire one. >> reporter: he wrote, romney and his partners made hundreds of millions of dollars while taking companies to bankruptcy. romney's supporters are also targeting rick santorum whose message could target the evangelical christians. >> voting for the bridge to no wrr, a teapot museum, even an indoor rain forest. >> reporter: and rick perry friday took his struggling campaign to target practice, but he was off the mark again during an interview, concerning which three agencies he vows to shut

down. mitt romney very nearly missed his campaign last night in hilton head. he was stuck in paralyzing traffic so bad he needed a police escort. he called in with an event filled with veterans. that was met by a groan when he said he was running late and ultimately cheers when he arrived. >> peter alexander, in charleston, south carolina. thanks, peter. john harwood is cnbc's chief washington correspondent. good morning, john. >> good morning, amy. >> when he talking about creating jobs, destroying jobs, does this continue to dog him if he makes it into the general election, or does he have to get more specific at this point to quiet his critics? >> he's going to be hearing about this all the way to november should he be the republican nominee. a democratic pollster once told me many in this economy as fearful and anxious as voters are, the one mortal sin for voters evaluating candidates is somebody who's going to shift

jobs overseas. that doesn't mean he can't answer and he will. he's going to explain why he believes that the private equity industry in general and what he's done with bain in particular is part of making this economy more vibrant and ee fish end. it's a defense recall gumts. >> john, let's talk about this meeting of evangelical conservative leaders in texas. reportedly, they will make a decision whether or not to ask one of the candidates to step down, either santorum, perhaps, or gingrich, so they can have a better shot of taking down romney. romney has a clear lead in the state of south carolina. is that the only way one of these two will gain momentum? >> yes, but i'm not sure, 'my, th that any of these candidates, anybody else in this race, is going to be responsive to what somebody not involved in politics or hasn't been pouring their sweat and their money and their time into running for president. these guys are very committed to this. and we've seen that by the

refusal of everybody but michele bachmann to get out so far. they believe romney is vulnerable and they've got a shot and it may be to the detriment of all of them collectively, but it's hard for somebody to turn out when they don't want to. >> nobody's gotten out now. does that indicate that at this point romney fans are more concerned about santorum than gingrich? >> i do think they're more concerned about santorum than any other individual candidate in this race. newt gingrich is prince employ a danger to romney as a negative force, not as somebody who appears to have the capacity to amass an electoral majority. mitt romney was damaged by what the super pac did to them in iowa. santorum has had much less damage. he's done well in moving up in south carolina. the reality is none of them have

the capacity to take romney down in the long run, which mitt romney is prepared for. >> thanks so much. >> you bet. let's get a check of the rest of the top stories from cnbc's mandy drury. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. despite the protests he's created in mississippi, former governor haley barbour is standing by his initial decision. he's pardoned over 200 people including 17 convicted killers during his final days in office. he spoke for the first time on friday saying he believes in forgiveness. another homeless man has been found to death on friday in anaheim, california on friday. since then three others have been stabbed to death. police believe aulg three are a tick vims the of a serial killer. now they're looking for a link to the fourth man. iran is going to host nuclear investors while tensions grow over the move. we have the latest developments.

good morning, ali. >> good morning, mandy. iranian state tv says it has very strong evidence that washington was behind the it last assassination behind a nuclear scientist, the fifth of its kind in two years. in strong words, the swiss embassy here which represents the u.s. says they have proof to show the attacks were coordinated by the ci amt meanwhile angry mobs attended the funeral of the cia chanting death to america and death to israel. and iran seems to offer a considerable note. they say an inspector was due to arrive but it may not be all that it seems. iran has been blamed in the past with using negotiations in a stalling tactic and they have a powerful speak f of the house who says this wasn't so much a concession but to show the world

that iran's nuclear program is still on track and still making advances despite heavy sanctions and the killing of scientists. and also some very strong words there. iran's top authorities, the supreme leader, who has the final say on all state matters, blamed the attack on the cia and said those that are responsible would be found and punishment would be dealt out to them. mandy, back to you. >> thank you very much for that. penn state president rodney erickson says the school has yet to start making plans to honor the former football coach jerry paterno. he was hospitalized friday due to cancer treatments. he was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer two months ago. he was fine during the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal with sandusky. this youtube video shows a crow tubing. it was captured by a nearby

observer using what is a jar lid. he seems to enjoy doing this. so clever, aren't they? that is the news. lester and amy, back over to you. >> thank goodness they have wings, right? thank you very much, mandy. the weather channel scott williams is back with a check of our forecast. scott, we've been complaining, but it's winter, i suppose. >> yes, it's cold. windy across the country. nonetheless we're still tracking the arctic air around the great lakes as well as the northeast. new york city, a high today of 37. we're looking at more lake-effect snow today into tomorrow. seattle, po a good saturday morning. our weekend is off to a cold start out there, a mix of clouds and sunshine.

temperatures are below freezing in nearly every neighborhood now. 27 in washington, 22, and 25 in leesburg and in montgomery county. more clouds the further north and west and that's a look at your saturday weather forecast. amy? >> scott, thank you. there is some good news on the economic horizon. just two weeks since the new year, americans are more optimistic about jobs, sending consumer sentiment on a steady climb since last august. what does this say about the economy and the stock market in general? mandy drury is here to give us an outlook. good morning. >> good morning, amy. >> what are we seeing in terms of consumer confidence. i know a big force was holiday spending. what is it looking like as we start in 2012? >> you really said it. you nailed it when you said it's all about jobs. obviously we're seeing an improvement in the labor market.

therefore, people are feeling more confident about going out and spending. what we really need to see, though, is to see the they'll pass better consumer confidence is wage gains. i do believe that hopefully will show up in months to come. >> it's showing improvement. >> that's right. absolutely. >> last month, the market was turbulent. >> it was. >> to finish at the same point, it began with -- we're now two weeks since 2012. do you think this is going to be a better year for the market? >> the hope is it will be a better year for the market. it ended in the year skpalktdly where it started up. we know there's a lot of swings up and down during the year and a lot of people feel that volatility will continue. we're waiting to see what happens with europe. if europe goes into a certified recession that could our market, here hurting our sentiments here, but if things pan out a better way than hopefully we're looking at right now, we might see gains of 5% to 10%.

>> this is a big concern for almost anyone who has a car. gas prices soared in 2011. will we finally get a break at the pump this year? >> you're absolutely right. 2011 was the priciest year ever. the average american household spend $4,100 on gas. i'm sure there are plenty more who spent more than that. around 10$100 for a barrel of crude oil. last week it was $3.35 for the regular gallon of gas. some places are more than that, some places higher. this teek last week it was sitting around $3.0 9d so the trajectory isn't looking good. >> thank you. appreciate it. still to come on "today," funny business. late-night stephen colbert announces he wants to run for president in south carolina. is this all just for laughs, or could it have serious

consequences? we're back in a moment, but first this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," paula deen, the food network star known for whipping of delicious and fast food dishes may be changing her ways. we'll explain. heather lock ler was rushed to the hospital. first these messages.

we are taking a live look at the white house this morning. we have dry skies out there. it will get sunny and also very cold. we will check in with chuck in a moment. right now, four minutes away from the 8:00 hour. saturday, january 14th. i federal center southwest and capital south closed this weekend. shuttle buses are running between lavonne plaza and eastern market stations and single track iing at friendship

heights and tacoma and forest glen. it should be

welcome back. the sun is already out. let's check in with chuck bell to see what the day has in store. >> good morning, everybody, good morning, angie. it's an awfully cold weekend. winter-time coming to washington. it's been mild all winter long. 28 degrees at the airport. 29 in manassas and 28 degrees in rockville and germ mantown. a mix of clouds and sunshine, breezy and cold. keep windchills in the 20s all day. sunny and cold but not quite so

windy. next chance of precipitation mostly rain on tuesday. angie. >> chuck, thank you. join nbc4 this we're back on this saturday morning, january 14, 2012. winter has set in. those sitting outside on the pla da brave the cold elements. we want to thank them for spending part of their saturday morning with us. back inside studio 1a, i'm amy robach along with lester holt. coming up in this half hour, the sentencing of joran van der sloot. >> this week he confessed to killing a young peruvian woman. new worries for john edwards as the former presidential candidate faces legal problems, he now faces serious health

problems. what are they, and will they delay his criminal trial? we'll talk to a doctor and lawyer about both issues in just a bit. and paula deen is the queen of southern cooking, and many of us who watch her show know she loves to cook with butter, but that soon may have to change. rumors are swirling around the internet that dean has been diagnosed with diabetes. could that be a recipe for a healthier lifestyle? more coming up. >> did you see that dough news with a hamburger in between? sweet and salty. >> i'm sure it tastes good. we begin with a story that put heather locklear in the hospital. she was treated at a southern california hospital after being rushed from her home in an ambulance. nbc's kristin dahl gren has the latest. >> reporter: she was rushed to the emergency room on thursday. her parents and her sister colleen were at her side during her stay. >> i can share with her what her

parents wanted me to share with her fans, and that is this is not a suicide attempt. >> reporter: so what did happen inside the star's thousand oaks imagine? officials say it was colleen who called paramedics, reporting a medical emergency. the melrose place actress was last seen in public tuesday night at a lakers game. >> it looks like a friend of her was playfully trying to take a drink out of her hand. it's unclear whether it was a serious move or just playing around. >> reporter: the star is no stranger to drama. in 2008 she pled guilt to reckless driving. she checked in to treek an zit last year. >> most recently she was tabloid fodder with her split from co-star jack wagner back in november. >> some say she was very distraught over this break-up with jack. >> but for fans who have watched the star for decades from

dynasty to the new melrose place, the concern isn't for her past but for the star's future. for today, kristin dahlgren, nbc news. the weather channel's scott wallace is outside on the plaza. good morning, scott. >> good morning, amy. we have the arctic air. it is definitely moving in across the northeast and new england. take a look at afternoon temperatures. new york city, 37 degrees. 23 in cleveland. we're looking at 20 in green bay, and we'll continue to find some of that lake-effect snow, especially downwind of lake erie and also ontario. so bupding up around the lakes and also the northeast. windy conditions through the northeast. we're looking aet wet weather across the pacific, generous

good saturday morning. your weekend is finally here. a little bit of sunshine getting through our skies in washington, where temperatures are in the middle and upper 20s. most of the suburbs are i the mid-20s and a few colder spots. manas sa, 29 degrees and martinsville, west virginia, 25. breezy and cold today. actual air temperatures in the and, of course, for your weather 24 hours a day you can also log onto weather.com. we have a birthday on the plaza. tell us your name and where you're from. >> martha. >> how old will you be? >> 60. >> all right. celebrating here in new york city on the "today" show. that's a look at your latest weather. lester, back to you. >> all right. the ended of our birthday celebration here. scott, thanks. >> one year after natalee holloway was declared dead by a judge in alabama, another judge in peru sentenced joran van der sloot to 28 years for the murder of a young peruvianwoman.

we have the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, lester. the sentencing hearing went on and on with both the accused and media anxiously awaiting. how long should joran van der sloot remain behind bars and speculation on how long he'll actually serve. serious stress and dripping in sweat, yore wran van der sloot seemed aggravated as his sentence was laid out in court for more than two hours on friday. a sharp contrast from him smiling two days before when he pled guilty to murder. in the hopes of possibly reducing his 30-year sentence, he confessed to brutally strangling and beating stephany flores to death inside his hotel room in lima. he was sentenced to 28 years, $74,000 in restitution to the victim's family and a deportation from peru once his

time is served. stephany's father and brother were there for the hearing. >> i don't know. the number of years, they're not going to make us happier. >> outside protestering demand add life sentence. they report under peruvian law, van der sloot would only have to serve a fraction of his sentence. >> reporter: is it likely van der sloot will walk in eight, nine years? >> yeah, really it's possible. but i think it's likely. >> reporter: how long do you think he'll spend behind bars? >> best case, i think between 20 or 25 years. >> reporter: his new address, a maximum security prison, home to peru's most nor torous killers

and rapists. cell phones are blocked. they say he had an iphone, big screen tv and a d vdvd player linking him to the outside world. some 3,000 miles away in birmingham, they were also in court. a judge declared their daughter officially dead. >> we've been wanting this emotional process for the last six and a half years. >> reporter: natalee went missing over five years ago. he was never charged and long denied any involvement. natalee's family still blames him. >> everybody knows his personality. thing he's beyond rehabilitation. >> reporter: they share the same grief as the holloways. >> you're always going to have a pain in your heart and you're always going to people it. >> reporter: and this is not the end for van der sloot's dealings with the law. he's been charged with extortion

for trying to sell natalee holloway's family information on her whereabouts. now that he's been sentenced is it possible the u.s. will ask for extradition in the coming months so they can charge him -- face trial on those charges. >> all right. thank you. coming up on "today," president colbert. funny man stephen colbert says he wants to run for president of south carolina. was it just a joke, or could there be a serious side to his late-night antics? but up next paula deen is expected to announce she has diabetes. will the queen of southern cuisine keep up her love affair with high fat fast foods? you feel it working, so you know it's working. and that means you're good to go, for whatever the day brings. new crest complete. unlike ordinary toothpaste, you feel a deeper clean. it's a signal that tells you your whole mouth is clean. you're also protected. because most of life happens outside the bathroom.

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story. >> reporter: she's known for her larger than life personality. her culinary aspiration over the top. >> i'm going to wrap it in bacon and then we're going to deep fry it. >> one of deen's favorite dishes, a combination of a burger, fried egg stuffed between two doughnuts, glazed. >> certainly paula deen's foods look appetized. >> doughnut and bacon. >> thefl anthony bauer dean accused her of being, quote, the worst for america. her deadly diet may be catching up with the 64-year-old. rumors about her having type 2 diabetes would bo shohas them t. >> it would be shocking. >> trying to lighten things up.

>> reporter: realizing the risks of these foods, her son lapp. ed his own show "not my mama's meal." she has taken steps to a healthier lifestyle. that's a twitter last week of deen on a treadmill. exercise in moderation. ingredients you may have to start working in. for today, thong traung. >> i have a southern grandmother. her statement always is everything tats better with butter. i think that's paula deen's statement always. it's not always good for your heart. >> we wish her wov. >> we love her when she comes to the studio. in moderation. coming up stephen co-bar talks presidency in south carolina. this isn't just about laughs. first these messages. ready or not, here i come!

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back in 2007 comedian stephen colbert attempted to enter the primaries but was stymied by fees. now he's back to become president of south carolina. nbc's michelle franzen joins us. >> he's already the leader of the colbert nation. now he's hinting he may want to talk his name into the political ring maybe. >> i have a major announcement to make. >> bordering on the serious. stephen colbert hinted on the colbert report he is considering a presidential run. >> for my possible candidacy for the president of the united states of south carolina. i'm doing it. >> before making announcement,

the political commentator handed over the control of the very real super pac he created last summer. >> i want to form the super pac for all the pacless americans. >> showing on the show how politicians are legally barred from running their own organization. >> you can't have the pac. you could have it run by somebody else. >> i think there may be a guy. jon? >> using jon stewart of an example of how friends and colleagues can oversee a super pac as long as they don't coordinate with the candidates. analysts call it a funny take on the latest loophole when campaign finance reform and the game-changer of presidential politics. >> it allowed these large political action committees that can be funded by an individual that can except unlimited amounts of money and they can directly advocate for or against a candidate.

>> in an upcoming interview with rock center's ted koppel and before making his announcement, colbert described the difference between a pac and the new super pac. >> a pac can only take so much money and spend so much money. i wanted to smend unlimited amounts of money and receive, more importantly, unlimited amounts of money. >> as for the primary, colbert doesn't have much chance getting on the ballot. >> he has actually missed the deadline in south carolina to get on their republican ballot. that was over in november. and south carolina does not allow write-in votes. >> but experts say he may not need to to make his point. >> i don't think stephen colbert has any intention of being the president of the united states. >> and whatever the hurdles, it will not stop him from using the money. new tv ads are set to hit the airwaves of south carolina next week. lester. >> seems to be enjoying himself.

you can watch ted koppel's interview this coming monday night at 9:00 central right here on nbc. we're back in a moment. but first this is "today" on nbc.

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still to come on "today," a cruise ship nightmare. we'll have the latest of the cruise ship that overturned forcing thousands of passengers into the say. what went wrong. >> and then new worries for john edwards, the former presidential candidate awaits a sears of tests for his heart condition. we'll find out. first these messages. something with it... i'm just not sure what... what is it? oh just return it. returning gifts is easier than ever with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. plus i can pick it up for free. perfect because we have to get that outta this house.

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police are investigating a string of home invasions in maryland. they started tuesday with an armed robbery with a home in wheaton, then sexual assault in bethesda and temple hills yesterday. detectives got a surveillance picture of the man when he used a credit card stolen from one of the homes. interior secretary ken salazar gave the national park 30 days to find and alternative to a misquoted text at the martin junior king memorial. many thought it sounded too conceited for dr. king. the park service will work with the king foundation to come up with an acceptable

advertise temperatures in the mid-20s in most suburb toss-upper 20s to 30 degrees in town and alongside the bay. 33 in annapolis. 25 in gathersburg in northern virginia and mid-20s in louden and fairfax and prince william county. we'll call it partly sunny. more sunshine away from the mountains. cloud cover north and west of town. windchills in the 20s with highs only in the mid-30s tomorrow. colder but without so much of a breeze around, it won't feel

quite so bad. next chance for precipitation, mostly rain on tuesday. join us for a full hour today at we are back on this saturday morning, january 14th, 2012. boy, it feels a lot more like january around here finally. we've got a great crowd, bundled up, rightfully so. we thank them for coming out and joining us. great to have you here at home as well. outside of the plaza, i'm lester holt along with amy robach. coming up in the next half hour, john edwards back in the news. his trial is coming up but it's now being postponed. he and his doctors reveal he has a pretty serious heart condition. we're going to find out more about his condition and what that does for his legal case against him. did you hear? "today" is turning 60.

we've been celebrating. we're going hear from anchors past and present on what gives this program its staying power. >> it was quite a lineup yesterday. >> it was a great lineup. everybody got along great. call of the wild. this is the time of year when it's cold and a lot of animals hibernate, and we've got some of those animals in our studio. >> look at that. >> yes. a 600-pound black bear, and we're told he's friendly. >> the note says yo will be feeding him. i like my left hand. >> we've got a ground hog and a tortoise that chill out. we'll find out why they're awake. >> let's hope they're all chill when we get in there. first let's get a check of the top stories, again, from mandy drury at the desk. good morning. one witness called it a scene from the titanic. our reporter is following a

nightmare cruise ship. good morning. were there any americans on the ship? >> yes, indeed. we just heard from the cruise company that there were 129 americans among the thousands of tourists all over the world that boarded this ship last night. we don't know what their fate is yet because news is very sketchy. we don't know whether they managed to get out safely from their sinking ship. the rescue operation still ongoing, of course. it is very difficult. the ship, you might have seen from the pictures, has now tilted over and half of it is under watt efrmt that's why divers are going from cabin to cabin to look for survivors and the missing, the missing that is now believed to be between 60 and 70. so the death toll, which is three at the moment might rise dramatically in the future. an investigation, of course, is being opened whether to find out if there was the cause of a mechanical rohr or hunan error. mandy? >> quite a nightmare indeed. the u.s. marine corps has

taken a formal step toward bringing possible charges against four marines who in a widely circulated video appear to be urinating on the bodies of dead taliban fighters in afghanistan. an investigative group was formed. with one week before south carolina's primary, most of the republican presidential candidates will take part today in a forum in charleston. nc's peter alexander is there. good morning to you, peter. >> good morning, mandy. that is being hosted by the former presidential candidate, mike huckabee. it's a chance to woo the state's conservative christian. they represent about 60% of the voters in this state. meanwhile mitt romney, the front-runner finally responded to a barrage of attacks, accusing him of callously getting rid of jobs. newt gingrich told the people

behind a movie, a 28-minute blistering movie that attacks mitt romney to pull any inaccuracies or pull it all together. finally we noted the morning that stephen colbert that actually, according to some polls here in south carolina, pulling ahead of jon huntsman, who finished third in new hampshire. says he is now considering a run for president of the united states of south carolina. mandy? >> peter, thanks very much for that. finally, friday the 13th was both a lucky and unlucky day for a hawaiian fisherman. he hit a close encounter of what he said was a 15-foot great white shark. after about an hour the shark lost interest and the fisherman was able to make it back to shore with his catch, which was a 300-pound marlin. that's the news. let's head back outside to amy on the plaza. >> i think that was the longest newscast ever, mandy. i'm just kidding. it's freezing out there. with that let's get a check on

the weather with scott williams. it says 29, right? right. >> why does it say 39? >> we're talking windy conditions across new york city. also temperatures will stay in the 30s. high temperature will be 37 degrees for you in new york city, 33 in the boston area. we are still looking at some of that lake-effect snow downwind of the lake. a little milder for parts of the south plains. and then for sunday, snow for places like seattle and also portland. showers across the south plain, but milder conditions still cold for your sunday in the northeast and new england. and looking ahead to your martin luther king day, on monday, showers moving in to the ohio river a good saturday morning. we're off to a cold start. believe it or not for the first time this year, it will feel

like winter. temperatures in the 20s. we won't warm up a heck of a lot later on. temperatures will climb only to mid to upper 30s for a brief time. winds out of and, of course, the "today" show is celebrating its 60th anniversary, and we have a "today" show baby. tell us your story. >> my name is erin, and i was born on the 20th anniversary of the "today" show. my mom watched the "today" show when she was in labor. >> and you're 40 years old today. all right. happy birthday. that's a look at the weather across the country this weekend. lester, back to you. >> scott, thanks. now more on john edwards and the heart condition that has delayed his criminal trial. he's charged with usele nearly a million dollars in cam pawn funds to cover up an extramarital afafrmt the judge delayed his start date until the end of march because his legal team says he needs more time for

a medical procedure. dr. nissa goldberg is a doctor. karen desoto is an attorney. thanks for coming up. dr. goldberg, the condition is called an arrhythmia. >> it's an abnormal heartbeat. those that are irregular can cause people to collapse and die. s they're life-threatening and can cause concern. >> the producers in the courtroom say he looked normal. would that be typical. >> it's fairly typical for people who have an underlying heart problem. it's not lying a very stressful situation to have someone with a potential for a life-threatening arrhythmia to suddenly have si sympto symptoms. >> life-threatening. how serious can this be? you have this eirregular heart rhythm. >> sometimes it's caused by clogged ar arteries or the

potential for having a heart attack, coronary heart deseechlts what happens is the arrhythmia comes on causes the heart to pump ineffective will i and causes a person to collapse. that's why it's important for us to all learn cpr. >> is this a curable thing, does it have rah operation. >> we have medications and machines known as defibrillators, pace marks. if someone has a very slow heart beat. defibrillators we use for irregular heart beat to shock someone if one comes on. >> let me bring in karen desoto. is this typical for a judge to grant a delay in a trial for health reasons? >> it is very typical. as you know, lester, this is a very stressful situation, so if anyone had any kind of heart problems or any medical problems whatsoever, it will clearly deteriorate by the time you get

to trial. i've about had clients during the course of a trial look fine and drop on the floor in the middle of the trial. the stress from the situation often manifests into physical manifestations. >> but the judge isn't going to take any note that says you're sick. they want specifics. >> yes, the judge in this case had a conversation with the cardiologist and the standard really is whether or not you can aid in your defense. so if your client or the defendant is unable to aid the attorneys, then obviously the judge is going to let it go. and sometimes these things can go on for medical reasons for one, two years. >> and dr. goldberg, we've been using the term surgery. is surgery in the cards for this condition? >> we don't really know what the condition is, but we have procedures that don't require open heart surgery, put in these defibrillators and pacemakers. >> good to have you on. thanks both. coming up, call of the wild. do bears really hibernate in the winter? apparently not in this studio.

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we have a treat for you this morning on "today's" call of the wild. hibernating for the winter. >> seaworld and busch gardens julia scardina is here to tell us how a few animals survive winter. good morning. >> good morning. >> you've about got interesting ones on today. >> definitely on today. winter, you're always bracing for the cold. animals have a strategy for dealing with that. of course, we have a strategy too. we go down to florida or southern california and go visit. >> you brought lily the ground hog who's champingomping away a apple. >> they're the classic hibernator. they'll make a home in about october. they'll drop that body

temperature from 90 or 30 or slo. >> and their heart beat slows down. >> their heart beat slows down. >> and they basically go to sleep. >> they basically go to sleep. which is why they spend all summer and fall building it up. >> punxsutawnatawney phil, we'r waking him up naturally. >> these guys wake up periodically through that because they do urinate and defecate during that particular part of the year. they may eat a little bit. also around february, the males are kind of waking up, even coming out of their burrows and finding females. >> of course they are. >> this is from california. they feel that. the shell is a living part of their body. and these are a threatened species, but, again, you know, they have been -- they cannot only withstand the desert heat

of 140 degrees at the surface of the desert, but they can also withstand the freezing temperatures byfurrowing, staying out of the cold and staying in that dormant state. >> they can go without water. >> they have water content in and of themselves. >> look to your right. look at outhe right. >> this is something i never thought i'd get this close to. >> we have a bear cub. >> 160 pounds, i'm told? >> this is ee aisierra's winter weight. she's a black bear. >> bears are very efficient hibernators. we talk about the groundhog having to wake up andure nate and take care of processes and things like that.

ba bears can hieb ber nate, do not urinate, defecate or do anything in those months. >> is she eating strawberries? >> yes. >> i would have thought she would be eating a hunk of meat. >> they love the berries. that's going to give them the car boy hydrates to put on the weight for all those months. >> i feel like you're a brave woman to do that. >> he's 20 years old and i've known sierra for basically almost his whole life. he's saying i want to try those peanuts there. he can have anything he want. >> this is like when we were in colorado. >> exactly. now, they're attracted to people food. >> well, because of the carbohydrate and fat content. they have to build up for those reserves. and that's the problem with not being able to find enough food

during the summer and fall. >> we'll let sierra eat. julie scardina, thank you very much. i never thought i'd get that close to a bear. >> i want to make clear we didn't wake up any of these animals because they live in california and florida. >> all right. you can go back to sleep. >> first, this is "today" on nbc. okay, people, let's get started. pete, did you forget yours? me pete, me use pen! (laughter) sorry i'm late, i was in the 16th century looking for pete's pen. (laughter) guys, guys. take it easy, ok?

pete's mom is videochatting me, and she wants her pen back! ok, alright, well. i just got one. so... yeah, you've got a little... yep, i can feel the wet patch. don't look at it. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.

. kind o a little dance at the end. all week we've been celebrating 60 years of the "today" show. >> that's right. a lot of big names were here in this studio yesterday. they were described as the mt. rushmore of broadcasting. here's what some of them had to say about the "today" show in

their own word. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning all. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> there it is. january 14th, 1952 when nbc begins a new program called "today." >> this show has been a witness to so much of what has shaped our lives over the last 60 years. >> pat weaver had the idea. a country which was new to television at that time would want a place to start its day to find out what happened overnight. >> know where you're going and what the world is like where you're going to. that sounds like a pretty big job. >> dave garroway was a master communicator. he could talk to people. he in a sense was a showman. the window was his ring. >> they were in a big glass kind of fish bowl here. we can look out the window as you can see and see the people who are looking in at us. >> there was a time on the show when women were viewed as the "today" girl. back in those days the women on the show were the ones being chased around the desk.

and then there was barbara sitting at the desk and commanding attention. >> barbara walters here this morning. >> barbara walters was the true -- >> i got your question. >> you certainly have. >> as women evolved and women took a more prominent role in the workplace, we took a more prominent role on the "today" show. >> every woman on the "today" show is now the focus. that's my legacy. >> i'm going to go live and show you a picture of the world trade center. >> every single major news event in the history of these 60 years has been on this broadcast. >> it's kind of like the open square where people come with ideas and where news is passed along. but we also had time for fun. >> another member of our cast, a very hard-working fellow named j. fred mugs. what are you looking at by the way? >> he had a chimpanzee. >> thank you. >> i hope the future of the

"today" show is strongly tied to its past. i hope it continues to be a program that strives to inform people in an intelligent, worldly, sophisticated, and humerus way. >> it's been an amazing ride. there was a party the other night for the 60s anniversary and people have been dancing. oh, my goodness. that's you. >> please turn it off now. it doesn't get better than that. >> there's hoda getting down with you and getting back up again. >> i was pushed up on that stage, by the way. i really didn't want to go. >> yeah, uh-huh. >> i had a gun to my head. >> i can tell. horrible time you had. >> wish you were there, lester, thank you for rolling that. >> back in a moment.

your favorites, in pieces.

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tomorrow on "today," we'll preview the golden globe awards. >> and we'll talk to dolly parton about her new fully. "joyful noise." we'll see you then. >> julie, thanks for bringing sierra and all the o'critters.

%%% good morning, everyone. i'm angie. >> i'm chris, the modern day titanic italian ship cruise a disaster. and a man who terrorized two people who lived in a home might have struck again. >> reporter: metro takes advantage of the three-day weekend to upgrade some safety features. i'm eric gordon and will have more coming up on news4. >> i'm chuck bell. we're off to a cold start on saturday morning.

how long will the cold stick around? your forecast coming up. >> all that and more when you join us minutes.

good morning. i'm chris