headlines lately. justin will be here live to talk about it all today, friday, november 4th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to today on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. as we both know herman cain has been working pretty hard trying to steer the focus away from these sexual harassment allegations that have been dogging his campaign but it could get worse before it gets better, especially if one of his accusers releases a much-anticipated statement today. >> meanwhile cain himself is speaking out once again and it's the person he chose as his interviewer who's getting a lot of attention. the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas. we'll have the latest and talk about this all with republican presidential hopeful michele bachmann. also a controversial case, a teenage driver convicted in a deadly accident that killed a pregnant mother and her son. prosecutors say she caused the crash on purpose, but that driver claims it was not her fault. this morning she's speaking out for the first time. and we're going to have a warning about some of the new hidden fees your bank might be using to get your money. that's a story that's been in the headlines a lot as well. >> it appears that's not over. also, matt last night packed his bags for next week's where in the world adventure. that's five bags. you promise to reveal the first tip. not that i expect that that's going to teach us anything or tell us anything. >> no, no. today i reveal my first clue. today you whine for the first time of the week. >> i've already started. let us begin with the latest on gop presidential candidate herman cain and those allegations of sexual harassment. nbc senior investigative correspondent lisa myers joins us now from washington. lisa, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. cain is now comparing his ordeal to what happened to another black conservative, supreme court justice clarence thomas, who famously complained of a high-tech lynching. but the allegations against cain continue to mount. today we may finally get a statement from one of cain's accusers about what she says was inappropriate sexual conduct. the message was not subtle. herman cain showed up on a conservative website being interviewed by jenny thomas, the wife of justice clarence thomas. >> that is the d.c. culture, guilty until proven innocent. >> this is a circus. >> reporter: thomas was accused of sexual harassment by anita hill during his confirmation hearings. >> this is a circus. >> reporter: cain supporters use that as a rallying cry in a new web video that features thomas himself. >> it is a message that unless you cow tow to an old order you will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured rather than hung from a tree. >> reporter: in the eyes of many conservatives, cain, like thomas, is the victim of the media. >> now we're getting the high-tech lynching of a beautiful man, herman cain. >> reporter: clearly some of cain's supporters are rallying around. his contributions have soared. on thursday cain took a brief break from the controversy to meet with former secretary of state henry kissinger. later he was back to telling sean hannity that all of the allegations swirling around him are false. >> sean, this is absolutely fabrication, man. i don't know what else to say. how many more ways can i say this stuff is totally fabricated? >> reporter: but politico, which first broke the story, is now reporting that the incident with one of cain's accusers was overtly sexual and serious enough that she complained that same night to top officials of the national restaurant association, where cain was then ceo. cain emphatically denies he ever did anything inappropriate. >> did you tell a woman she looked good? that that dress looks hot? >> nope. >> anything -- >> nope. >> any flirtation that you can think of? >> nope. >> reporter: today the other woman who formally accused cain of inappropriate behavior and received a settlement hopes to release a statement of her account, while maintaining her anonymity. >> she had nothing to do with this becoming public and is anxious for it to go away. >> reporter: the national restaurant association has promised an answer today on whether the statement would violate her confidentiality agreement. meanwhile cain says his wife, gloria, is still 200% supportive of him as a candidate and 200% supportive of him as her husband. matt. >> lisa myers in washington. lisa, thank you very much. republican presidential candidate michele bachmann joins us now. congresswoman bachmann, nice to see you, thanks for joining us. >> good morning. good to see you too. >> so we have to figure out what we know here. we know herman cain is vehemently denying these accusations. it's also been reported that at least three women accused him of sexual harassment back in the 1990s when he was the head of the national restaurant association. you're a candidate first, but you are also a woman. as the only woman in this race, i just would like your perspective on all this. >> well, i don't have any comment on this particular issue. i don't have any inside information, there's nothing i know. the one thing i can tell you is that you won't find any surprises with me on my record. i have a very consistent, conservative background and record on policy, and there won't be any surprises. >> yeah, but you've been listening, i know, to what's been going on and you've heard the comments mr. cain has made over the last several days. do you think you are hearing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth from herman cain? >> well, this is garnering a lot of attention and people are going to continue to take a look at it, but again i don't have any comment because i don't have any inside information. >> is a subject like sexual harassment, and if there -- especially if there is more than one instance of it, even back in the '90s, is it a game-ender if it's proven to be true? >> that's something that you all will have to focus on. that's not for me. i'm focusing on iowa, and i'm focusing on turning the economy around and creating millions of high-paying jobs. >> i won't ask you on the specifics anymore, though, but i will ask you about the comments that herman cain has made that he's being singled out because he is a conservative african-american. do you think there is a race element to these accusations? >> you know, again, i don't have any comment on this. i think that, again, what people ask me about all the time is, michele, when in the world are we going to see the economy turn around. it's really desperate out here in iowa, i want you to know that, it's really desperate, and people want to focus on what is very important, which is the economy. >> let's talk about your plan for taxes then. i can get a hint and i'll take it. unlike a lot of your opponents, you want all americans to pay taxes, even the poor. we know about herman cain's 9-9-9 proposal, we know about rick perry and his flat tax and newt gingrich and his flat tax. what do you want the rate to be set at, congresswoman? >> taxes are only one piece of the puzzle. i want them flatter, fairer, simpler. there are so many other aspects of the tax code rather than just rates. i'm a former federal tax lawyer. i have a doctorate and post-doctorate degree. taxes are extremely complicated. they can't be reduced just to a sound bite. the principles are what's important. people today, only 47% of the american -- 53% of the american people pay any federal income tax. 47% of the american people pay 0 federal income tax. that's not fair. everyone benefits from this magnificent country. everyone needs to pay something, even if it's only $10. everyone needs to be invested. that's what the problem is. that's unique about my plan. i believe we have to broaden the base to include every american. it's about time, and it's only fair. >> some of the other things you want to do, in addition to reforming the tax code, you want to get rid of a lot of regulations, you want to repeal health care reform and wall street reform. can you give me a number of how many jobs you think under your policies you could create in the first couple of years of a bachmann presidency? >> i have no doubt that we would create millions of jobs. remember speaker nancy pelosi said if we passed obama care we would be creating four million jobs. 400,000 almost immediately. that's despite the fact that even the government said that obama care had resulted in 800,000 jobs lost. i can tell you that's the truth here in iowa. i talk to the job creators all the time in iowa. they aren't hiring because of obama care because of all of the tax increases that are involved. it's at minimum $2,000 per employee and then there's other hidden taxes beyond. plus i just talked to a doctor who said to me michele, i sat on the phone waiting 2 hours 15 minutes to get ahold of someone at the irs to get a number to fill out a medicare certificate for one of my patients. that's because of obama care, because obama care is now enforced by the irs with 15,500 new agents. >> you keep talking about iowa. let me ask you about iowa and the polls there which have you very low in the pac and nationally the same thing. in new hampshire many members of your staff resigned en masse. your campaign is surviving on $1.5 million. this at the same time when other candidates are hauling in huge donors. how long can you stay in this race and carve out a path to the nomination? >> well, you know, we are working very hard and we're very strong. we're hiring people on our campaign every single day. in fact we're announcing more new people that we're hiring. not one person has ever asked me about who we're hiring or who our staff is. what they say to me is, michele, i really like your plan. it's real jobs right now at michele bachmann.com because i intend to create millions of jobs just by legalizing american energy production, you create 1.4 million jobs. if you have everyone pay something on the tax code, you get fairness. if you repeal obama care, you also create millions of jobs as well. so mine is a pro-growth, pro-job plan. that's what people want. that's what they're excited about here in iowa. >> congresswoman michele bachmann, thanks for joining us this morning. it was nice to see you. >> hey, good to see you. where are you going to go next week? >> i'm not telling even you. not even you i'm telling. >> give us a tip. everybody wants to know. oh, come on. >> we'll see you very soon. thanks for your time. by the way, she'll be back in a little while to talk about a new book called "core of conviction." coming up this sunday on "meet the press" david gregory will talk to former utah governor jon huntsman. it's now 7:11. here's ann. now to the financial crisis in europe that could have huge ripple effects here at home. the prime minister of greece is facing demands to resign as president obama meets with world leaders in france to discuss ways to fix the world's struggling economy. we have two reports, starting with michelle kosinski in athens. the greek prime minister is facing calls to resign and a crucial confidence vote in parliament today, so what is the latest on his government's future? >> reporter: well, some are calling this a greek drama. the prime minister now says he would be willing to form a coalition government, but at the same time seems unwilling to resign in this strange and stunning situation. talk of the greek government being on the verge of collapse over this referendum issue. now, the prime minister amidst calls for him to resign said okay, that massive bailout under which we live under harsh austerity measures, i'm going to put that to a public vote, causing other european powers to say are you kidding? if people voted no, which they might, that would mean economic meltdown here, a default on huge debt, running out of money and greece abandoning the euro. have world markets been reacting to all of this? absolutely. could continued economic instability on this level here resonate across europe and even into the u.s.? absolutely. so now the prime minister says, okay, okay, no referendum if all the opposition parties work together, everybody accepts the bailout and austerity, however tonight at midnight he faces a confidence vote in parliament. everyone is hoping things will settle out by then because they're finding it hard to believe that anybody would want to shake up this government in this way during such a crucial time. ann. >> such a serious story. michelle, thank you so much. we have nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd. he traveled with the president to the g-20 summit in cannes, france. what does all this mean to the influence can president obama have over these problems that europe is now facing? >> reporter: well, look, this is going to have a huge impact on the united states if europe doesn't solve this problem. it's something that obama administration officials have been emphasizing to the europeans because they think it would hurt the entire economy around the world. now, the president has been sort of playing mediator here, adviser, because one of the things the europeans are trying to set up is a t.a.r.p.-like program, just in the way we spent all of that money to try to bail out our banks a couple of years ago, they're going to try to do the same thing to bail out the banks and the government here, including starting with greece. yesterday was a wild day. you had all the leaders together and they're watching all of this news come in from greece. now, what we expect to hear today is that a lot of countries are going to promise more money into the international monetary fund, the imf, and they will help make these loans. one country is not going to promise more money into the imf, the united states, ann. >> all right, chuck todd this morning. chuck, thanks for your reporting on all of this. let us get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. we have tamron hall over at the news desk. natalie is on assignment. >> good morning, everyone. we begin this morning with a check of our markets. after thursday's rebound, cnbc's mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange. good morning. all eyes are on the new jobs report today. >> reporter: absolutely. with all the focus that greece has obviously had and the influencitis had on our market recently, it's really good that we have the october jobs report to help us refocus on what is happening in our own economy, in our own neck of the woods. as for the long return jobs creation picture, not so good. they have forecasted unemployment will stay high at least through 2014, saying that we could see a jobless rate of no lower than 8.5% to 8.7% at the end of next year. the upside of all of that is it possibly means low borrowing costs for longer for us consumers and also for businesses. back over to you. >> thank you. as the holiday travel rush approaches, prices for some air travelers are taking off. u.s. airways and delta are raising fares on many u.s. flights by up to $10 per round trip. united and continental are also raising their minimum price for certain fares.imum price for certain fares. while 2% fewer travelers are expected to fly over this thanksgiving holiday, don't expect that seat next to you to be empty. airlines are cutting down schedules to keep flights full. the texas family judge seen beating his teenage daughter with a belt seven years ago is speaking out. police say it's too late to press criminal charges but he does remain under investigation by other agencies. he released a statement saying his daughter, hillary, posted the tape after he told her he was reducing her financial support because she dropped out of college. judge adams is now taking a paid leave from his post. after 520 days locked in a windowle windowless, steel isolation chamber, a team of scientists emerged this morning. the mars 500 project was intended to simulate a mission to the red planet in realtime to see how the human body and mind would handle such a long journey through space. this is the first time they have stepped outside that capsule since june 3rd, 2010. incredible. and speaking of incredible, you never know what's lurking in the deep. check out this surfer girl just hanging out on a board, chatting it up with some kayakers when, look very closely, two massive humpback whales come bursting out of the water, mouth wide open. it happened in santa cruz, california. luckily, no one was hurt but now they all have a whale of a tale to tell. isn't that unbelievable? it is 7:17. back to matt, ann and al. reason number 99, i don't know how to swim. >> i thought it was pretty cool. i'd like to get in that mars thing. >> this would be the last time i'd ever wear that bathing suit, i'll tell you that right now. >> unbelievable. let's go outside and get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> if uhliyou listen, you hear e seagulls. we've got a huge crowd today. i can't imagine why they're all here. why are you guys here? >> for you! >> justin bieber! >> oh, justin bieber. i mean we've got -- if there are a lot of teenage girls missing today, this is why. it's bieber fever. let's check your weather and we'll show you new york city marathon, it's going to be perfect. 9:00 a.m. start on sunday, 47. by 3:00, 56, light winds. you can't ask for a better day. got a big storm coming into the pacific northwest, down into southern california, los angeles, san diego will be seeing unusual rain. we've got snow back through the rockies and a second system will be coming in later this weekend causing even more >> that was the remix. good morning to you. we are below freezing in santa rosa. 31 degrees. it will be cooler through the next couple of hours. temperatures only in the 60s. it's going to be a chilly day, and we'll show you the bank of the west forecast. as we head through the weekend, we are going to get yet another round of rain late saturday into sunday. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you very much. as first lady michelle obama has made it her goal to get kids fit, it seems like it's also rubbing off on her staff. kristen welker is at the white house with more on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. michelle obama started her let's move campaign soon after she moved into the white house. she said the aim is to raise a healthier generation of america's children, but it seems like it's also having a big impact on those around her. susie morrison is in high gear. in may she traded her morning commute in traffic for a brisk 13-mile bike ride to work, part of her journey toward a healthier lifestyle. >> i'm so full of energy and so excited. >> reporter: susie has lost 30 pounds this year. not easy when you're a pastry chef at the white house, always surrounded by the nation's most sumptuous sweets. >> i used to comment that i was the cookie monster because i love sweets. >> reporter: her new determination to resist is thanks in part to the head of the household, michelle obama. >> go! >> reporter: the first lady has made her let's move initiative a call to action for americans to get healthy, telling al -- >> i work out as much as i can. the thing that i tell families is you don't have to make wholesale changes. >> reporter: words that resonated with susie and two other head chefs at the white house. adam has also lost 30 pounds. >> we try to live by her example. if she can eat healthy and work out every day with her schedule, we should be able to do the came thing. >> reporter: chris has shed 15. >> i wanted to be healthier. i want to be there when my daughter gets married. >> reporter: their method, healthier food choices and more exercise. >> what's the hardest thing for you to resist in this kitchen? >> for me it's probably bacon. >> reporter: on