is. we'll tell you what he said today, saturday, december 11th, we'll tell you what he said today, saturday, december 11th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. take a look at this. live in minneapolis, minnesota where the snow has been falling. it may bring some 20 inches to the city. we'll have the latest on all the winter weather coming up. >> reminder to a lot of us winter is coming in the weeks ahead. also the theater of elizabeth edwards. here's the church in raleigh, north carolina, where later today the service will take place. hundreds will gather to remember her life. coming up we are going to speak to one of her friends and find out how she will remember mrs. edwards. >> and then we're going to head to italy, where amanda knox is back in court today and actually just moments ago, amanda spoke out telling the judge she was innocent. we'll have much more on her emotional statement. we'll also speak to her parents about the appeal, coming up. plus, the fallout continues from this royal attack. student protesters felted the limo carrying prince charles and his wife camilla. what does it say about the royal security and what impact will it have on the wedding of prince william and kate middleton? we're going to take a closer look at that coming up. let's start again with the big blast of winter from the great lakes down to florida. many are enduring cold, snow, ice and rain. weather channel's scott williams joins us from minneapolis. scott, good morning. >> well, good morning, lester. you know, it's not even winter yet, and minneapolis is already digging out from its latest winter storm. this time it's a triple threat. it's bringing the snow. it's bringing the wind, it's bringing the bitter cold. it's already dumped upwards of about six inches of snow, and overnight you can see it is falling here. it's a light snow. but really, it continues to fall. and we're not done yet here. you can see folks are already out this morning, and crews have been busy, as well. but take a look at some of the sidewalks here. you can see we are finding a lot of snow early this morning. and also, we are also watching the temperatures. they are dropping rapidly. and before all is said and done, we could have feels-like temperatures here well below zero. take a look at the crews over here. they are working trying to clear the sidewalks this morning. so they are used to the snow here. and i spoke with a lot of residents yesterday, and they are taking this latest round in stride here. used to the snow, used to the cold. but really, it is coming really early this year, and we are not done with all of the active arctic weather so far this year. lester? >> all right, weather channel's scott williams thank you. on that point, where is the storm headed? meteorologist bill karins joins us with that part of the story. >> good morning, lester. there's two sides to this storm. we showed you the snowy side. if you're in minnesota, northern illinois, portions of iowa, all of business konlz and michigan you're going to have to deal with snow to get through. some areas up to a foot, foot and a half, especially in central wisconsin. my biggest concern is what's coming behind it. that is the cold air. monday morning when everyone's going back to work and back to school temperatures are going to plunge. this arctic outbreak is going to be worse than the one we just finished with. temperatures down to the teens all the way around the gulf. what's worse is going to be the windchill values. we're expecting minus 30st up here around minnesota, and we could have negative windchills monday morning as far south as tennessee. everyone east of the rockies will be hit by this latest arctic blast. >> we'll see you with more in just a few moments. right now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. in washington the big story this morning is the extraordinary white house meeting between president obama and bill clinton, who was called to the oval office to offer candid advice to the current commander in chief. for more we're joined by mark halperin, senior political analyst for msnbc, and also "time" magazine. mark, good morning. >> good morning, amy. >> in fact, did you happen to turn on the tv around 4:30, you might have thought, whoa is this a time warp? there's bill clinton at the white house briefing room talking to reporters. he obviously had a meeting, a private meeting with president obama. they then had a press conference. obama excuses himself, and president clinton talks and takes questions for about 30 minutes. let's take a listen to part of what he had to say. >> i think the president made a good decision, and perhaps i want my country to do well, the agreement taken as a whole is, i believe, the best bipartisan agreement we can reach to help the largest number of americans. >> so there you have former president clinton defending obama's decision to support the republicans, and to the anger of a lot of democrats, extending those bush tax cuts. how important was this endorsement? will it have an impact? >> well, great lit cal theater. to see bill clinton standing at the podium. as you referred to, president obama after a couple questions said he needs to go and president clinton said, sure go ahead. the first lady needs you. he was there alone at the podium and it was like a time warp. bill clinton is a great spokesperson for the president, for this president. for the democratic party. and his endorsement of the deal, i do think, will make a difference for some democrats. even though his relations with the liberals in the party haven't always been great, no democrat doubts his conviction, and his political judgment, and he, the most important thing i think he said, for the obama administration and for those who want this passed is, this is the best we can do. this is good for the economy. it must be done. but he did it not in an angry way but an optimistic way. and that's, i think, a good reminder for president obama. >> now clinton would not give us the specifics about any advice he may have griffin president obama behind closed doors. but here you have two presidents who during their first terms have dealt with a divided congress, and having for their second terms, and what lesson cos president obama learn from president clinton? >> one is to be optimistic. these tough times for the united states. the very looking for leadership. you can't be soured, though, you've got to be optimistic. but also with a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose. one of the things president obama has done to confuse some democrats is to say we need to pass this plan, even though there's a lot of stuff in here i don't like. compromise is going to be essential if the country is going to move forward. if washington is going to move forward. bill clinton figured out how to compromise but still show people he was true to his principles, and fighting hard for the middle class. all of those are things president obama can learn from. >> want to get in the question about sarah palin. she was in haiti this week to survey earthquake relief efforts there. everything she's done, everyone has looked at through a prism of whether or not she's going to run in 2012 from her reality show to her speeches, her books. is this trip a serious indication of her intentions? >> who knows. it keeps her options open. one thing sarah palin needs to do if she wants to run for president is show people she's serious and concerned about the wider world, rather than just about herself and all these ways she's making money. a trip to haiti, anybody who goes there spotlights the possible lem. maybe it's not political, but if it is political at least in part it does keep her options open. she needs that broader portfolio, that broader image. >> mark halperin, thanks so much. we appreciate it. now here's lester. >> thanks. now to the funeral for elizabeth edwards, who lost her battle with cancer earlier this week. the service, which is open to the public, will be held this afternoon in raleigh, north carolina. that's where nbc's michelle kosinski joins us live. michelle, good morning. >> good morning, lester. this is really the heart of elizabeth edwards' community. in fact, it was this church where she turned for comfort when her teenage son wade died in a car accident years ago. and you truly feel the deep sense of sadness among those who knew her. to lose her so young, and someone who embraced life the way she did. they say, in life, she was the one who was always comforting them when they felt sorry for her. it's a struggle today. how to memorialize a life so complex, punctuated by heartwrenching tragedy, and good public works. at elizabeth edwards' funeral her 28-year-old daughter cate, an attorney like her mother, will speak to the congregation that could number more than 1,000. >> is this a hardship for us? yes, it's yet another hurdle. >> reporter: elizabeth's story has always been tough to tell. you almost had to mention all she faced. >> the tragic death of her 16-year-old son wade. her battle with cancer and her husband's affair. >> reporter: but didn't want to define her by that. she forged her own path. and the public embraced elizabeth. who didn't try to be perfect. but helped where she could. an advocate for health care reform and others fighting cancer. >> this is an issue that doesn't know political boundaries. it knows moral boundaries. >> reporter: where questions might have been difficult to ask her, in fact, she was the one who openly described her feelings. two months ago. >> part of what i want to do, my story belongs to me and my children and i wanted them to not think of me as victim. i don't want to be a victim. >> reporter: one of her closest friends is also trying to come up with the right words for her eulogy. glen bergenfield knew elizabeth since law school. >> i owe her this. and i feel that i owe her to do it with courage. and i hope i can -- i hope i succeed. because she would. >> reporter: here they are back then, with john edwards, who is not one of the speakers today, but was with elizabeth when she died at home with her children. they have been separated a year. >> john is having a very difficult time for all of the things that have happened. john -- john loved her. john's loved her a long time. and he's lost her, too. >> reporter: elizabeth once said of john on the campaign trail that she married him because he was the single most optimistic person that she knew. but in the difficult years that followed it seemed that she was the one who possessed this boundless hope, and her words are quoted in defining the successful life. that's part of what her friends will try to convey today. lester? >> michelle kosinski, thank you. as you just heard, john edwards will not be speaking at the funeral but elizabeth edwards' daughter cate will deliver a eulogy. karen finney was a friend and also served as her director of communications. karen, good morning. thanks so much for being with us. >> good morning, lester. it's good to be with you. >> what can you tell me about cate's relationship with her mother and how that will likely be reflected in her eulogy? >> well, cate and her mother obviously were very close, and elizabeth actually wrote in her first book, "saving graces" about how cate was really kind of the strong one, after wade passed. and how she really helped both john and elizabeth carry on and get through such a dark time. so i can't think of anybody better than cate to talk about her mother. there was one thing i wanted to point out, lester, i heard you mention that elizabeth had lost her battle with cancer. and i just want people to know, that's not how elizabeth saw it. to her, the battle was -- she knew she was going to die of cancer. the battle was, what do you do in spite of that? how do you make sure that you have a meaningful life, and give back what you can, and draw sort of love and hope and joy from the people around you? and she feels like, in the end, i can tell you that she was very peaceful, and felt like she won, actually. >> your point is well taken. she certainly defined this last chapter in your life, and we just heard a moment ago, in michelle's story, glen bergenfield one of the friends who will be delivering a eulogy. what can you tell me about the relationship of these friends? and the difficult line they're going to walk today trying to honor her? >> you know, today is really about honoring elizabeth, and you know, sharing her stories, about the woman that we knew. glen was a friend from college. so maybe we'll get to hear a little bit about elizabeth in those years. hargrave, actually, is also a dear friend of mine. she traveled with us in the 2004 campaign. she and elizabeth were pregnant with their first children together. they've been friends a very long time. so, you know, i don't know if she'll share some stories from the campaign trail, because there are many. we had many adventures, little side trips to dairy queen now and then. or, you know, also just from their lives together. and i think, you know, so much of today is also about sharing our love for elizabeth, and also making sure the children know that there are people here who love them and care for them, and love their mother. >> there are a lot of people's thoughts. but as you and i both know a lot of eyes will be on john edwards, the man who brought her so many years of love but also brought her disappointment in the final chapter of her life. do you know what role, if any, he will have in the service? >> well, he's there. he will be here, obviously, and he'll be here with the children. they're a family. he's their father. he was with elizabeth when she passed. and he's been with the children. i can tell you that he's, you know, moved back in the house and living with the children. so he'll be here today. i'm sure it will be a very tough day for him, as well. >> karen finney, thanks so much for spending time with us this morning. we do appreciate it. >> thanks for letting me talk about my friend. >> you bet. >> all right. let's head over to the news desk now. richard lui is following some of the other headlines. good morning, richard. >> good morning to you, amy and lester. good morning to everyone out there. we begin with that 12-year-old virginia girl missing for a week, and now found unharmed in california. brittany mae smith was found in san francisco with jeffrey scott easley after a tip to police. now the two had not been seen since they were captured on store surveillance video last week while shopping at a virginia walmart. easley was a live-in boyfriend of britney's mother who was found murdered on monday. he has been charged with abduction. and justice for elizabeth smart. a jury rejected the insanity defense and found brian david mitchell guilty of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor. smart reacted to the verdict on friday, saying it is possible to move on after something terrible has happened. coming up at 8:00 we'll speak with the u.s. attorney for utah, and one of the jurors who found mitchell guilty. a single female white-tip shark is likely responsible for at least three out of five attacks on tourists at a popular egyptian red sea resort. investigators saying the shark is still in that area. one victim died after a shark bit her arm last sunday. the resorts at sharm el sheikh have since reopened. then finally for you, smudged, torn, but worth evident $22,500. the lyrics that bob dylan chicken scratched of the times they are a-changing. and they are. somebody says a hedge fund manager bought this right here for some $1500 a word. the beatles handwritten song, by the way, went for over $1 million this year. that is the news. and very expensive words. back to you, lester, amy and bill. right? >> i think my handwriting looks good. >> i think bill karins asked the question of the day, though, why would they open that resort if they haven't found the shark? >> go ahead. >> come on in. >> good morning. >> buffet time. >> richard, thank you. >> let's talk about this forecast, everyone. we've already mentioned all the heavy snow, the gusty winds, the blizzard conditions in the central plains. also a little bit of rain sneaking up alone the east coast and the carolinas. on the west coast, heavy rains likely for friends in the pacific northwest. could see some flooding on the rivers over the next couple of days. you want beautiful warmth you're going to have to go to l.a., san diego or phoenix. those are going to be the best weather spots. >> good morning. high, thin clouds drifting in this morning. rain and snow coming at us from the south and west over the next couple days, but today should remain dry. we'll see more clouds and temperatures in the 40's. >> that's your weekend forecast. lester? >> all right, bill, thank you. britain, the questions continue following the attack on prince charles and camilla, with many demanding answers about an apparent lack of security. nbc's stephanie gosk has the latest. >> reporter: just moments before the attacks,-ish. >> how are you doing? >> reporter: the royal couple were doing what they normally do. waving and smiling, windows open. until a violent group of protesters, who moments before smashed shop windows, surrounded the vintage rolls-royce. when the cro turned, photographer matt dunham was there. dunham captured what has now become the definitive photo of the attack. >> they were basically trapped because they had to step around the vehicle and couldn't see me drive away. the first thing i could see was camilla was -- clearly terrified. >> reporter: a day later charles was pinning medals on royal navy pilots as scheduled. camilla, the future king says, is fine. and so is he. but the london police are under fire. some are calling the failure in security an embarrassment. >> the unpredictability and how they moved about the couple yesterday meant that the protection officers were in a very difficult position. >> reporter: it was not an isolated act of violence. government buildings were damaged. a statue of winston churchill vandalized. some students swung from the tomb of the unknown soldier. >> there is not a right to go on the streets of london, wanting to pursue violence. >> reporter: there is some concern that these scenes are signs of what's to come. that the government enacts some of the most painful budget cuts in this country's history. the anger is growing. >> i actually feel there's such now a disconnect between politics and young people that it will take a generation to heal this rift. >> reporter: the fear is that it could turn into this. the poll tax riots in the early '90s. >> there is a feeling that the squeezed middle, as it's now called, are paying a far too heavy price for what were economic and political mistakes made by governments. >> reporter: more student riots are already scheduled for monday. for "today," stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. now 19 minutes after the hour. here's amy. >> lester, thank you. with the holiday season comes another tradition many of us are very familiar with. tipping. and from your hair stylist to your baby-sitter, it's not easy knowing just how much to give. msnbc financial analyst vera gibbons has some tips for holiday tipping. >> tiz the season. >> yes, it is. and everyone has their hand out, right? we know that there are certain areas where, it's very typical to tip during the holiday. how do we consider or determine who we should give to? >> you should be tipping everyone who's provided you with personal services over the course of the year. just a nice thing to do to show them you appreciate their hard work. how much gets a little bit tricky. it's going to depend on their level of service, how long you've worked with them, w