and remembering leslie nielsen. >> surely you can't be serious. >> i am serious and don't call me shirley. >> the veteran actor and one of the funniest men in hollywood has died at the age of 84. we'll look back at his unforgettable roles in classic comedic timing today. monday, november 29th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, welcome to "today" on a monday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. the white house is dealing with the fallout this morning over the release of-up secret communications. >> inner workings of american diplomacy highlighted by set credit negotiations to gossip and could damage u.s. credibility with world leaders. we're going to have much more on those documents and how the obama administration might handle this coming up straight ray head. our our special series called curious medicine, the remarkable surgery that's let a blind woman see again. to make that happen doctors had to implant her tooth in her eye. we're going to hear from that woman and the doctor that's called the tooth fairy. ahead, new details on michael douglas and his battle with cancer. new photos of the actor emerge showing him looking really well. hopefully that's the case. we're going to begin with the latest release of classified government documents by wikileaks. >> this is the third and by far the biggest release of u.s. secrets by wikileaks. some of these leaks pose a serious threat to national security but almost all are stunningly embarrassing. it seems no one is spared in these cables obtained by wikileaks. personal critiques by u.s. diplomats read like a teenager's tweets. s sarkozy. ahmadinejad called hitler. moammar khadafy strange and accompanied by a blond ukrainian nurse. and king jong ill a flabby old chap. >> it's not going to be pretty in many cases. it's going to be very honest and might be harsh, too. >> other cables provided in advance to a number of media outlets reveal secrets of u.s. operations overseas, efforts by u.s. and yemen to hide u.s. involvement and missile strikes against al qaeda. one cable in january says yemen's president sale told david petraeus we'll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours. in a secret u.s. operation to get pakistan to hand over enriched uranium from these nuclear reactors ultimately failfail ed because pakistan leaders were afraid the media would portray it as the united states taking pakistan's nuclear weapons. now that these secrets are out it could jeopardize future cooperation on military and intelligence matters. >> this could shake governments, end programs and could seriously imperil u.s. foreign policy. >> reporter: one of the most embarrassing revelations may involve the u.s. state department. cables that reportedly show secretary of state hillary clinton and condoleezza rice before her ordered u.s. embassies and intelligence services to gather private information on u.n. leaders and diplomats. including computer passwords, even dna and fingerprints. the prime suspect in these massive leaks remains 23-year-old army intelligence analyst pfc bradley manning who remains in military custody. charged with downloading thousands of state department documents, many of which reportedly appear in this latest wikileaks release. now, on the heels of this latest dump of u.s. secrets some members of congress are calling on the obama administration to try to actually shut down wikileaks and charge wikileaks operators with espionage. that's highly unlikely. instead the state department and pentagon are looking for ways to tighten up their security to try to prevent such massive leaks in the future. meredith? >> jim, thank you vur mery much andrea mitchell is our chief foreign affairs correspondent. let's talk about the state department, they worked feverishly to prevent these leaks. what is the biggest concern? >> one of the biggest concerns is the revelation arab leaders led by saudi's king abdullah have been pressing the united states to take out iran's nuclear program. those concern s have been known in diplomatic circles but gives ammunition to fundamentalists in those countries trying to destabilize those regimes. it comes at a time when the saudi king has been undergoing surgery in new york city. the u.s. was already worried about the koiingdom's future. the disclosure that clinton and rice ordered diplomats to spy on foreign capitals. that could endanger u.s. didn'ts who rely on legal immunity in dangerous parts of the world. >> she is heading overseas, secretary of state clinton is heading overseas today to face officials from countries criticized in those cables. how does she begin to repair the damage here? >> she's already spent the weekend calling count parts in great britain, canada, united emirates, france and afghanistan to limit the damage. as i've said, if you ever had a friend who you've said unflattering things about them behind their back, you can only imagine the reaction on some of the embarrassing issues especially when you're talking about the most sensitive issues of u.s. foreign policy. they have already changed the computer system at the state department. there is, i'm told, going to be a government-wide review of whether or not they should be sharing intelligence among agencies. this is one of the key reforms after the 9/11 commission that they should start sharing, talking amongst each other. now they're point their fingers to the pentagon because of that suspect and saying the state department is going to shut doings down. >> andrea mitchell, thank you very much. it's 7:07. republican congressman peter king of new york serves on homeland security. congressman king, good morning to you. is this a threat to our national security, these leaks or a threat to our national dignity? >> it's both. the main one is the national security. all of us are going to see the obvious facts. what's really going to be going, foreign intelligence agencies, enemies, going to be going through these line by line, cables to find out what we knew, when we knew it, who could have given the information, which people and which governments could be cooperating with us. >> couple specific instances here. story about yemen where the leaders of yemen apparently behind the backs of everyone else were saying to the united states, hey, look, you know, keep the air strikes and al qaeda going, we'll continue, they say, we'll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours. how might a cover-up like that impact the leaders of yemen? >> tremendously. because, again, yemen is right now the new battleground in the war with al qaeda. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula operating out of yemen. this puts this government at risk. >> the situation with saudi arabia asking the united states to take auout iran's nuclear infrastructure and others echoing those sentiments. how might that affect the delicate balance in the region? >> in the countries there's a strong jihadist element and gives them more power to work with and could destabilize the governments. >> were you surprised to hear secretary of state clinton and her predecessor, rice, asked to spy on diplomats, united nations, asking for things like computer passwords, dna, fingerprints, this does cross the line, doesn't it? >> i don't think so. they have to do what they have to. >> why doesn't it cross the line? >> they're representing our country. the fact you and i discussing it right now, you can imagine -- >> makes you queasy, doesn't it? >> it puts us on public display. you mentioned other governments are doing -- believe me, we're doing nothing that every government isn't doing to us. it's not put in the public eye. >> you would like to see wi wikileaks, the organization that led as the passenger to be declared an fto or foreign terrorist organization, that would put them in the same category of al qaeda. what's the likelihood of that happening? >> i was disappointed when jim said it doesn't appear the government is going to take tough legal action. if american lives are at risk and top military officials have said that, be serious. go after them for violating the espionage act. their activity is enabling terrorists to kill americans. >> aren't they the messenger? don't you want to take the action against whoever it was that downloaded the documents and give them to wikileaks? >> he was a low ranking pfc who should get the most severe sentence. you're an accessory. wikileaks is an accessory. they're taking information which they know is classified, that causes life, they're as guilty as he is. >> according to the wikileaks website, publishing documents such as these, quote, keeps government honest and better society and reduce corruption -- >> the fact is the government cannot aside a suicide pact. it has to maintain secrets, we owe it to ourselves, allies, and men and women on the frontlines fighting for us. >> peter king. always good to have you here. appreciate it. ten minutes after the hour. let's get the check at the top stories. natalie is at the desk filling in for ann. tensions are running high on the korean peninsula. joint u.s. south korean war games are under way. richard engel is in seoul, south korea. are we looking up to a lead-up of more violence or is this a war of words? >> reporter: it seems more of a war of words and tension at this stage. u.s. military officials have told nbc news that they're not seeing the kind of buildup or actions by north korea that would indicate that the north korean regime wants a war. the situation is very tense, and will remain tense throughout the duration of these joint exercises. also today the south korean president who's come under a lot of criticism here in seoul for not taking a strong enough line against north korea, particularly after a south korean island was attacked last tuesday, he said today if there were to be another attack the north would face consequences. it's something of a warning but nothing like the rhetoric we've seen over the last several days. >> richard engel in seoul, south korea this morning. thank you. a 19-year-old college student charged with plotting to bomb a portland, oregon, christmas frtree lighting appea in court today. pete williams is in washington following the story. good morning. >> reporter: this will be the first court appearance for the man charged in the plot, an american citizen born in somalia. investigators are investigating a fire they believe was deliberately set. the fbi is offering a reward for information about who started a fire discovered sunday morning at an oregon mosque attended by the man accuse the in the bomb plot. pa 19-year-old student born in somalia, a naturalized u.s. citizen, arrested friday night after investigators said he tried to set off what he thought was a powerful car bomb during the christmas tree tree lighting ceremo ceremony. the fbi started investigating him last fall when he was a student at oregon state university. he started meeting with undercover operatives posing as terror terrorists. he wanted to bomb the tree lightninging ceremony. they asked him, you know there's going to be a lot of children there. he answered, yeah, that's what i'm looking for. >> this defendant from the beginning showed a serious determination to commit a violent jihad. >> reporter: law enforcement officials say he became radicalized by reading jihadist websites. a former classmate remembers something he said to him in sixth grade. >> he said he hated americans. it's serious, straightforward, looking me in the eye like he was serious about it. >> there's been no statement from his family. as for the fire at the mosque, the fbi says that's especially distressing, given it was a tip from the muslim community that alerted them to his interest in jihad, natalie. >> pete williams in washington. thank you, pete. nbc news learned an attack on nato service members in afghanistan this morning killed six americans. an afghan border police officer in uniform opened fire on nato troops during an artillery training exercise in a remote area near the border with pakistan. the gunman was killed in the crossfire that followed. this is the deadliest attack in months. it is now 7:14. you're up to date. let's turn it back to matt, meredith and al. >> al roker here with the first check of the weather. good morning. >> good morning. we have a trouble on both parts of the country. activity out west with big area of high pressure. low pressure on the other side of the rockies. that means snow in between with cold air. snowfall amounts anywhere from 3 to 12 inches of snow in some higher elevations between fargo and sioux falls 9 inches. strong storms in texas, little here's a live look at the bay bridge. it is chilly geanch this morning. san francisco one of the more mild spots. 34 in oakland and 33 in san jose. 20s this morning out towards fairfield and concord. by noon some spots in the 40s. a slow warm up and high clouds across the north bay. mid 50s today. tomorrow probably more patchy frost, but as more clouds come in, rain chances also increase past the middle part of the week. >>. >> palo alto police are putting out a warping after a man tried to sexually assault a young woman near the stanford shopping center. the woman told police she was walking to meet her mother after spending the night with friends. that's when a man pushed her to the ground from mind and tried to remove or clothes, but she got away. the suspect is a white man in his late 20s over 6 feet tall and 175 pounds. short dark hair and a goatee. more local news in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. see you back here in a bit. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else. add a layer of excitement to your next meal. ♪ try crescent wrapped brie. just unroll it, wrap the brie, bake, and present. that looks really delicious! and so easy. for this recipe and more, visit pillsburycrescents.com. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ 7:30 now on this monday morning, november 29, 2010. we have a nice size of the crowd out on rockefeller plaza. we're going to head outside and say hello to the folks in just a little bit. i'm meredith viera alongside matt lauer. and just ahead, encouraging new photos of actor michael douglas who's recovering from intense radiation and chemotherapy treatments for throat cancer. we'll have the latest on his condition straight ahead. and a blind woman who can now see after a very unusual surgery. her tooth was implanted in her eye. coming up, we're going to check in with her and see how she's doing now. and then three of the biggest reality tv stars around will be here, we'll catch up with the kardashians, kim kourtney and khoe. just ahead, how you can dress like the future princess, using her signature accessory t hat. let us begin with a 21-year-old murdered, her body hidden in a park in upstate new york. now her ex-boyfriend has been charged in the case. jeff rossen is here with details on the case. >> reporter: he was a college student with such a promising future in the ballet. but when she came home for thanksgiving break, this young ballerina, suddenly vanished. there was a massive search for her and when police finally found her, she was dead, murdered, they say, over a breakup. pictures of jenny lynne watson as families everywhere celebrated thanksgiving, this is all her family has. pictures and a flicker of hope. jenny lynne was a junior at mercy hurst college in connecticut. how could she just disappear and would she show up for the holiday? she's been missing since november 19. friends passed out flyers. >> we're just hoping for her safe return and we can see her again. >> reporter: but with each passing hour, even the flicker faded. jenny lynne was missing for a day, then two, then five, then thanksgiving came and went. but then on day eight, a heart breaking discovery, jenny lynne's lifeless body. >> they dumped jenny like garbage. it takes an extraordinary type of individual to do something like that. >> reporter: police say that individual, the killer is this man, stephen piper. jenny lynn's on again off again boyfriend. at one point they were even engaged. prosecutors say it was a turbulent relationship and when she tried to break it off, he wouldn't take no for an answer. >> i'm going to enter a plea of not guilty on your behalf. >> reporter: now piper is charged with murder. >> ms. watson desired this relationship to end in early october, apparently that message doesn't get through to mr. piper. >> reporter: investigators believe piper killed jenny lynn inside her own home, unclear how, and hid her body just a few miles away. late last night, friends and neighbors showed up for a vigil. >> she was brought home to god and she's up there dancing with god now and the angels. >> reporter: her famiriends wer shocked. >> she's always going to be dancing in our hearts. >> reporter: her family is of course so devastated by this, ey actually stayed away from the vigil last night. just too hard this early on. by the way, police focused on the ex-boyfriend pretty early on, in fact when she was still missing, before they found her body, they actually interviewed him twice. piper denied any involvement, but investigators say now all the evidentevidence points to h. they're confident he is the man and he is still in jail. now to the latest on actor michael douglas and his battle with cancer. some photos of the actor taken over the weekend have emerged. >> michael douglas spent the weekend with his wife, katherine zeta jones and his children. he seems surprisingly vibrant. michael douglas is nothing but smiles in his new photos taken just days ago. >> he's in great spirits, he's in great shape. >> reporter: douglas spent the holidays with his wife, katherine zeta jones, and their son and daughter. and disney world for some quality time with mickie and mini. it's been three months since the hollywood icon publicly announced his dire diagnosis, stage four throat cancer. >> i've got cancer, found out about it three weeks ago. >> reporter: weeks later, douglas was on the red carpet promoting "wall street money never sleeps." the only images of the star are paparazzi photos showing a gaunt, pail douglas. >> we have got three intense chemo sessions, he's had radiation every single day. he says he's been through a hell hole and now he's on his way up. >> he said that his wife has been wonderful, very caring, the kids have been to radiation treatments with him. he reads a lot. when i met him, he was reading keith richards' auto biography which fascinated him. >> reporter: douglas's career is thriving. he's gotten rave reviews for "wall street money never sleeps". and "solitary man". >> you've been married how many hearses? >> 34 years april. >> and you never once took her out for a picnic? >> reporter: now douglas is looking ahead to new projects and hopefully a better bill of health following scan results in january. >> he's very optimistic, that there will be a complete cure. he sounds great, he looks great, everyone around him is very, very optimistic. >> and douglas isn't putting his career on hold either. he's already promoting his next movie where he will star as a famous entertainer. >> we wish him the very best. now let's get another check of the forecast from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by chevy. every model is backed by a 100,000 mile, five-year power train limited warranty. >> and good morning, everybody, we have got some beautiful blue skies here, everybody having a good time. we have somebody from canada. but in spokane, washington, they're not loving winter so far. some areas picked up eight inches to nine inches of snow and there's another big storm getting ready to push ons