Transcripts For WBAL Today 20100519

and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. any incumbent coming up for re-election in november has to be worried after seeing the results of yesterday's primary. >> that's right. in pennsylvania, kentucky and arkansas, the results seemed to show that many americans are not satisfied with the status quo in washington. led by the defeat of 80-year-old senator arlen specter, he left the republican party, you'll remember, and became a democrat last year to try to keep his political career alive. while president obama did support him, he never went to pennsylvania to campaign on his behalf, and this morning some in specter's camp are pointing fingers at the white house for not doing enough to help. more on that and the rest of tuesday's election results coming up in just a couple of minutes. also ahead, the victim of a horrible crime in texas was just 8 when she was snatched from her own bed in the middle of the sni night. she was raped, then left for dead. for the next 19 years she dedicated her life to finding her attacker. she did, but the story does not end there. this morning, we'll hear from her in an exclusive interview. also, american journalist laura ling will be here, along with her sister, to reveal new details about what she and euna lee endured during their five months of captivity in a north korean jail. let's begin this morning with the results of tuesday's senate primaries and the message that voters seemed to be sending to both parties. nbc's kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: morning, matt. it sure seems the message is incumbents beware. all the things that used to be an advantage -- name recognition, all the money, big endorsements -- that didn't work. the longest serving senator in pennsylvania history was defeated by a congressman who's worked here just three years. the democrat who was brushed off by the obama white house and big labor up-ended the pennsylvania party elite. >> over with the establishment! >> reporter: joe sestak knocked out a five-time incumbent, senator arlen specter. a stinging disappointment that ends specter's 30 years in the senate. >> it's been a great privilege to serve the people of pennsylvania. >> reporter: the big switch failed. after decades as a republican, specter became a democrat, convinced, he says, that was the only way he could get re-elected. in kentucky's senate primary, a favorite son of the tea party won big. eye surgeon and first-time candidate rand paul won the republican nomination. his dad is conservative congressman ron paul. >> i have a message, a message from the tea party, a message that is loud and clear and does in the mince words -- we've come to take our government back. >> reporter: paul beat washington, too, trey grayson was the choice of senate republican leader mitch mcconnell. in arkansas, it's far from over. targeted by big spending outside groups, senator blanche lincoln failed to get 50% of the votes, then went on to a runoff. >> i believe i'm a part of the solution to what's not working in washington. i have not been a party of the problem. >> reporter: running as the anti-washington democrat, arkansas lieutenant governor bill halter celebrated. >> it is a great conclusion to the first 1 wee1 weeks of this campaign but we have three more weeks to go to fin irthe job. >> reporter: sometimes early defeat is more self-inflicted. indiana republican mark souder will resign from congress friday after admitting to an affair. >> i sinned against god, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff. >> reporter: as if that weren't painful enough -- >> you've been a long-time advocate for abstinence education. >> reporter: there was a cringe-worthy video. where souder is seen talking about sex education with the woman staffer believed to be his mistress. he does not name her publicly. >> i personally feel like i should have probably abstained from the hearing. >> reporter: a different kind of damaging admission from a democratic senate candidate, richard blumenthal, who sometimes claimed he served in vietnam. >> we have learned something very important since the days that i served in vietnam. >> reporter: but that wasn't true. >> i regret that i misspoke on those occasions. i take full responsibility for it. >> reporter: >> reporter: blumenthal who is connecticut's attorney general surrounded himself with veterans to respond to a "new york times" story that he inflated his military service. blumenthal did not go to vietnam but had been in the marine reserves. >> reporter: i will not allow anyone to take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to our country. >> reporter: so getting back to what voters had to say, there was one race last night that was not a primary but voters in pennsylvania did choose a new member of congress to succeed the late jack murtha, the very powerful democrat. they chose to keep that seat in democrat's hands, selecting mark crist. that is one thing the white house can be happy about this morning. >> kelly o'donnell on capitol hill this morning, thanks very much. david gregory is the moderator of "meet the press." chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. guys, good morning to both of you. >> good morning, matt. >> david, let me start with you and start in kentucky. rand paul is the victor there. he's calling his victory a tremendous mandate for the tea party. he defeated a candidate hand-picked by senate republican leader mitch mcconnell. what happened? >> reporter: well, it certainly is a blow against the establishment because leader mcconnell for the republicans didn't have much sway there in kentucky and the tea party was flexing its muscles within the republican party to send a message about the debt, high-budget deficit as well and the ways of washington right now. rand paul is expected to keep on trucking with that. a republican official says they feel good about his chances in the fall. it also is a sign that republicans look at the tea party and say, well, the positive here is that it may pull the party to the right, get us focused on conservative fiscal issues and that's better than talking about social issues when it talks about our prospects for the fall and then beyond into 2012. >> chuck, let me move on to pennsylvania. arlen specter is out. after 30 years in the senate. and i think there is some finger pointing going on this morning. did barack obama do enough for senator specter? what are we going to be hearing in the next couple of days? >> reporter: well, you may hear a little grumbling from the specter camp but at the end of the day, arlen specter was running in the wrong year to do what he said. remember, when he switched parties he said he was doing it -- he made no bones about the fact that this was about political expediency. well, in this year where there are some angry and frustrated voters, and it's spread out. so far, you can start going back to scott brown in massachusetts. when given the choice of change or more of the same, democratic primary voters in pennsylvania said change. republican primary voters in kentucky, change. all those independent special elections in massachusetts -- change. so sestak has an easier case than specter. the white house at the end of the day said, look, we'll do everything we can financially, we'll give him the president's image but there wasn't much else they could do. >> the only race yesterday where someone was elected and gets the seat in congress was the 12th district in pennsylvania which is where mark critz won. how does the white house feel about that? >> they feel great about it. republicans for weeks were ready to pounce on that result if the republican had won. they made the election in that case a real referendum on the president and on democrats in congress and they lost. this was a district, yes, a 2-1 registration advantage for democrats but it had trended republican. it went from mccain in '08, after going for kerry in '04. this was a hold and the white house will argue that if they can field good candidates, that this is going to make it much tougher for republicans to win in the fall. by the way, this was a case where republicans feel like that tight sestak/specter race got more democrats out to vote in the special election which may have helped. >> chuck, let's end in the state of arkansas where bill halter and blanche lincoln will go to a runoff because lincoln didn't get 50% of the vote. they have three more weeks to sort this out. what are purr ditz say will happen? >> there was a third candidate on the ballot who spent no money. he was basically a proxy for none of the above. he got nearly 55% of 60% of democratic voters who came out and said no to the incumbent. it is hard so see how she survives. hand-wringing part of the white house is, labor is spending $5 million to oust blanche lincoln and it may not matter. whatever democrat wins probably gets trounced in the fall by the republican nominee. >> chuck and david, thanks for your insights this morning. appreciate it. it is now ten minutes after the hour. here's meredith. now to the disaster in the gulf of mexico. newly released video of the massive oil spill shows the situation could be much worse than feared. nbc's mark potter is in venice, louisiana with the latest. mark, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, meredith. after two u.s. senators demanded that bp release those videos which showed dramatically all that oil pouring into the gulf, and more, it seems is coming ashore. the newly released video shows more clearly than ever before plumes of oil and gas pouring from the damaging oil well and pipe. this video shows the smaller of the two leaks where no attempts had even been made to seal the flow. oil can be seen billowing from cracks at the top of the blow-out preventer. another video shows oil pouring continuously from the end of the pipe, the biggest leak. this professor from purdue university says the latest videos convince him his previous estimate of 70,000 barrels a day leaking into the gulf was too low. >> i can't say how much in excess of that 70,000 barrels per day this leak is, but it's -- i would use the word considerable. >> reporter: bp says they're now burning off natural gas while capturing oil from the natural well. bp says it is collecting about 2,000 barrels of run-away oil her day, but the rest is still escaping into the gulf of mexico. louisiana governor bobby jindal says that heavy oil is washing ashore. >> this is the first time we've seen this much heavy oil this far into our well. it is obviously extreming concerning. >> reporter: on capitol hill, administration and oil company officials were again asked to explain their roles in the disaster. interior secretary ken salizar conceded big changes are needed in government oversight of oil companies. >> that responsibility i will say starts first with the department of interior, and the minerals management service. we need to clean up that house. >> reporter: nasa has now released this satellite photo showing the oil spill stretching to the southeast. approaching, but not yet ent entering, scientists say, the warm water loop current which could carry the oil toward florida. tar balls that washed up in the florida keys are being tested to see if they came from the leak or another source. meanwhile, bp says it's making preparations and is on track to try to fully seal that well, perhaps by this weekend or early next week. meredith? >> mark, thank you very much. before i let you go, yesterday when you reported for us live, i'm sure you remember you swallowed a bug. >> i remember that. >> talk about bugs, that has gone viral. more than half a million hits. believe it or not. our most watched video. how are you going to top that? you're going to have to cough up a tar ball or something, mark. you know? well, thanks, mark. we're not kidding you. it is really good for us. >> mark, thanks. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from ann at news desk. good morning, everybody. we begin with very serious news. a deadly and decisive action this morning in thailand. government forces moved to crush protesters who fought back even after their leaders agreed to surrender. nbc's ian williams joins us now by telephone from bangkok. parts of this were actually set on fire. ian, describe what's happening. >> reporter: good morning. it's been a day of chaos and violence in bangkok. it's not over yet. we're still hearing gunfire, many, many buildings are ablaze, including banks, the stock exchange of thailand. now the army moved this morning to crush the protests which have paralyzed the center of this city for two months. they sent armored vehicles, soldiers in. there were many, many casualties, we believe, although i don't have precise figures. around lunch time, the leaders, the red-shirted leaders of the protest, announced that they were giving up. but far from calming things down, that seemed to have triggered this orgy of arson across the city. the government has announced a curfew which will come into place in a couple of hour's time throughout the night. but at the moment, the city is in chaos, ann. >> ian williams covering that story which is still developing this morning. in afghanistan, taliban insurgents lost a pre-dawn offensive against a huge run at bagram airfield. seven insurgents were killed and seven service members were wounded. this is the second taliban strike against nato forces against the capital in two days. several arm armed with knives burst into the dormitory of a vocational college in china this morning. nine students were injured, two severely. the attack follows five recent assaults on younger students that claimed at least 17 lives. mexican president felipe calderon is visiting president obama at the white house today and for the first time in years, immigration reform is expected to overshadow the drug war as the main topic of discussion. overseas markets were lower this morning with markets in asia taking some very hard hits. we've got cnbc's trish regan at new york stock exchange. trish, do we know why? >> ann, investors are just generally nervous right now about the european situation. that's what it's coming down to. germany came out and said they were putting a ban on naked short sales, effectively saying that you needed to own a stock if you were going to bet against it. ann, this is a good thing. this should be in place. but investors are so concerned right now about europe in general that they're react being the opposite way. you're seeing a lot of selling in europe. just real quick on this side of the pond here, there are new rules coming out to prevent any kind of flash crash like we had on may 6th. circuit breakers here on the new york stock exchange and all exchange. >> thank you so much. officials in boulder, colorado unanimously approved regulations on tuesday for the medical marijuana industry. adding an unusual twist. in addition to keeping marijuana dispensers, at least 500 feet from schools, providers of marijuana must also offset 100% of their electricity usage with wind or solar power. look at this amazing video from norway. spring snow melt raised the water level in a river. the current was too powerful for a bridge that started to bend before it gave way completely, all while a cell phone camera was rolling. we're learning now about very happy news this morning. john travolta and his wife kelly preston are expecting. a magazine is reporting that kelly is now three months pregnant. good news comes after the tragic death of their son last year. the couple also has a 10-year-old daughter. that is very lovely news. 7:17. back to matt, meredith and chris. >> it was a terrible story yesterday about their two dogs that they had taken -- i guess they were up in maine and they were hit by a vehicle. very nice news for them. >> mr. roker is off >> good morning. we are off to a quiet start. there is in bill cloud cover but no precipitation. a chance of running into a light rain shower or sprinkle. . >> here's matt. >> chris, thank you very much. the former harvard university senior accused of lying his way into that prestigious ivy school appeared in court for the first time tuesday. nbc's mike taibbi is on campus in the heart of cambridge, massachusetts. >> reporter: this one is hard to believe because one of the world's great universities did believe adam wheeler for two years. in fact, they showered him with academic cash prizes and financial aid before finally coming to believe they'd been had and booting him out. >> how do you plead? >> reporter: adam wheeler said nothing else at his arraignment but he said plenty in his harvard application in 2007. that he was transferred from m.i.t. after graduating from a prestigious private high school with perfect grades and 1,600 college boards. none of it true, prosecutors say. just the start of what they called a continuing criminal scheme for personal gains. >> essence, this is an elaborate, entangled web of lies and deceit in a brazen and offensive scheme. >> reporter: a scheme reportedly exposed last fall when wheeler applied for rhodes and full bright scholarships based on pla plagiarized papers. he was first told he faced an academic disciplinary hearing. >> mr. wheeler told the resident dean he would leave harvard and wasn't going to the hearing. >> reporter: with $45,000 to answer for, he now faces a total of 20 criminal charges of larceny, identity fraud because of the alleged plagiarism, falsifying references, and pretending to hold a degree. some former classmates say they suspected he was a phony right from the start. >> he didn't like engage that many of us in conversation. he'd never attended any of like the transfer orientation events or anything. >> reporter: others laughed at first or even admired the pure audacity before deciding as this senior did that wheeler alleged deceptions demeaned harvard's real students. >> i have worked really hard for my as and bs and ds. don't worry, mom, those ds are mine. >> reporter: wheeler's parents and lawyer had very little to say. though harvard cut ties with wheeler, he allegedly wasn't done with harvard. si citing many accomplishments there when he sited a position at a famed psychiatric hospital. he didn't get it. and tried for a job at t"the ne republic magazine" by falsely listing a 4.0 grade point average. he didn't get that job either. harvard's only comment, they won't comment on an individual case and say falsifying an application would cause one's grades and credits to be revoked, then expelled from school. wheeler didn't make bail, remains in prison and his next court appearance is scheduled for june 9th. >> mike taibbi in cambridge for thus morning. just ahead, a stunning sight in the middle of a busy street. a 14-month-old baby. we'll talk to that little girl's family and the bus driver who stopped just in the nick of time. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ñoçpççç still ahead, a woman's 19-year fight for justice after she was abducted, raped and left for dead when she was 8. wow! chevy traverse. a consumers digest best buy, with a 100,000 mile, powertrain warranty. it seats eight comfortably - not that it always has to. during spring event get 0% apr for 60 months on a 2010 traverse with an average finance savings of around fifty four hundred dollars. only at your chevy dealer. - sure, cake or pie? - pie. - apple or cherry? - cherry. oil or cream? oil or cream? cream. some use hydrogenated oil. reddi-wip uses real dairy cream. nothing's more real than reddi-wip. it makes my skin really silky and velvety. this is my body wash. what do you mean? this is it? why?! oh, don't do that to me! dove creamoil body wash. now with nutrium moisture. nutrium moisture. i'm a believer. the nourishment in dove creamoil goes somehow deeper. i'm happy about the change. change is good. dove creamoil body wash. soak our yards in color. get our hands a little busier. our dollars a little stronger. and our thinking a little greener. let's grab all the bags and all the plants and all the latest tools out there. so we can turn all these savings into more colorful shades of doing. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now get the roundup weed and grass killer pump 'n go at the new lower price of only $15. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> still dealing with problems in the westminster region. closures along route 31 and 140. watch for delays there. at normal delays around the area. 26 miles per hour, backing up traffic on southbound 795 out of owings mills. another accident coming some heavy back up. it stretches all the way back to approaching 32 down through the accident scene. a bit of a delay on 95. we have lanes closed on southbound 295. 40 minutes on the outer loop west side. 11-minute ride down route 32. better bet if you want to take that as your alternate. we have some vehicles of to the side there but it looks like they are about to be cleared. we have some degree that is causing flat tires. oakleigh, a vehicle should be out there shortly. west side delay and the body. -- west side delay at liberty. >> things are pretty quiet today compared to yesterday. we have cloudy skies but no precipitation. slight chance of running into a sprinkle out there. nothing of any consequence. 52 in westminster, 55 downtown. the forecast for today is a mixture of clouds and a little bit of sunshine. high-temperature about 67 degrees. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic and the motion it back and a 25 minutes with another live update. talking to our fans out there in the plaza. we'll talk to her just ahead. inst inside studio 1a, i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. that object in the road is a 14-month-old baby. coming up, that girl's family and the bus driver who found her will join us for an exclusive live interview. "today looks back," ann's unforgettable journey few have made to the bottom of the world. coming up tomorrow on "today," the dalai lama, the exiled leader of tibet will be here live in the studio to talk about how to keep a positive attitude in the face of tragedy. our exclusive live interview with his holiness the dalai lama tomorrow on "today." we begin with the disturbing video out of texas. a bus driver spots a baby-sitting in the middle of the street. it is a story first reported by our san antonio affiliate woai. here's nbc's janet schamlian. >> reporter: the overnight trip is usually uneventually for san antonio bus driver mike hubbard. but on the night this video was taken, had he not been alert, things could have turned tragic. >> i can't tell exactly what it is. it looks like a dog, something moving around. i can't really tell what it was. >> reporter: what he sees is almost beyond belief. a baby in nothing more than a diaper sitting right in the middle of the road. >> i was heavily in shock. >> reporter: not a soul in site. no mother, no father and no idea what to do. >> to me, 8 months old with a pamper. just sitting there. i couldn't tell if he was eating something or not. his eyes got real big when he saw the big old bus in front of him. >> reporter: watch what happens a few moments later. the child's father appears, picks up the baby and walks off with nothing but a word. >> he walks out of the house, whatever that was. he wasn't sitting outside. >> reporter: it all happened last year to this little girl, destiny flores. >> we had the door open but there is a screen door and i had the lock on it but i don't know, maybe i didn't put it all the way and she just snuck out. i really can't even tell you. >> reporter: gonzalez is now fighting to keep destiny and her two sisters. for issues the child welfare agency in texas sayy gond the bus incident. destiny's mom says there are no other problems. >> it was an accident. that's all it was. you know? it could happen to anybody in the world. you know? it was just just an accident. that's all that was. >> luckily i was there to protect that kid. who's to say what could have happened. >> reporter: custody will be determine in the next few weeks after a night a bus driver will never forget. for "today," janet schamlian, nbc news, los angeles. >> destiny's mother catherine are gonzalez is with us exclusively along with her sister and the bus driver, michael hubbard. good morning to all of you. thanks for joining us. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> morning. >> michael, if i can start with you, you're driving your bus through san antonio last may. it is past midnight when you spot something in the middle of the road. you finally realize it is a baby. what is going through your head at that point? >> disbelief. i can't believe what i'm seeing at that time of the morning. i see the baby there sitting in the middle of the street. i was in shock. >> michael, how close did the bus actually get to the baby? >> it looks pretty close but in reality, i would say maybe 12 feet, 10 feet? it's kind of hard to say. >> thank goodness for your quick reflexes. catherine, i know you've signed an agreement with child protective services that does not allow you to speak specifically about destiny. let me bring in your sister lisa to give us some perspective of what happened that night from your family's point of view. destiny was just 14 months old. from what i understand, her mom and her dad, roger flores, were in the living room watching tv. what happened? >> i know they -- with the furniture first of all was away from the wall so there was a way for her to go through behind the so sofa. what they had stated when they called me was that they were watching tv. the girls were getting ready for bed and they were laying down, you know, and they just heard the sound of the bus and when that happened, that's when my brother looked out and he just ran out there and he grabbed the baby -- or grabbed desi and ran in. i know at the time he didn't say thank you or anything because he was in shock and that's when roger went inside and krcathy a checked to make sure everything was fine. called her mom, called me, called my mom, and it was a shock. it was just -- we thank god that he stopped and he was there at the right time. >> catherine, what were you feeling when your common law husband, destiny's father, roger, came running back in the house with destiny. you realized that she had been in the middle of the street? >> i was in shock. i didn't even know what to say. i was just like, you know, how could that happen? you know, we were in the living room. how can that happen? and it was just crazy. i was hysterical. i really was. i was calling everybody i knew and i was hysterical. >> since then, i know, catherine, protective services has investigated your family. last month they took all three children away for a few days, returned them to the family. they say this goes beyond what happened with the incident in the street, that there are issues regarding roger flores possible drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence issues. let me ask you, lisa again, since catherine is not allowed to respond to this directly, is there anything going on in the house that would compel protective services to take away these children? >> no. prior -- to be honest with you, my brother had problems when he was a juvenile from 14 until he was 20. he didn't meet cathy until '04 when they got together so all this is prior. he was getting in trouble but he wasn't diagnosed yet. so that's what makes it a little bit difficult. their relationship is good. he raised arianna since she was little. he's been a good father. he would do everything for them. he would cook for her. they had a very good relationship and just when this happened, it's like there is a bombshell now. they're having to separate. now they're no longer together. he can't see the kid. the drug situation, he said that he did have a relapse which was march 15th after he was unable to see the girls since march 4th. and he just said he had a relapse, that he was stressed out already, that it was just too much for him. that if he did good he was getting punished. if he did bad, he was getting punished. and all he does is he misses his family and he says that he can't have them back. all we want is we just don't want the rights to be taken away. we don't want the kids taken away from the home. they are good parents and it was just an unfortunate accident. >> catherine, if i can bring catherine back in for a minute, catherine, do you feel that your family has been vilified? >> i'm sorry. can you say that again? >> do you feel that your family has been vilified here? >> no. it's not that. it's just, you know, it's been a -- after this has come out, i've had -- i get comments to me daily that i'm a bad mother and i'm not. i'm not a bad mother. you know? this seems like things do happen and whether think they do or they don't, they do. it might not be this -- i'm sorry. it might not be the same situation, but stuff like this does happen and it hurts that other people out there have bad things to say about me like that. >> i know people should know, catherine, you have been taking parenting classes since this. >> i've done everything. i've done everything that they asked knee do. you know? i have no drug history, no criminal history, nothing. you know. all i do is work and take care of my kids. that's all i do. >> you've also moved to a house that's not on a busy street. is that correct? >> yes. i moved. i moved away from there because it was too busy and i was afraid this was going to happen again. i moved out of there. i'm no longer in that location anymore. >> and as your sister said, you had to separate from roger, your common law husband and destiny's father. do you anticipate that if you are allowed to keep the children, that the stipulation will include his not being allowed back in the home? >> i mean that's up to cps. i mean i don't know. that's totally up to them. i don't know how they're going to deal with that. i'm not sure. >> well -- >> my brother understands if they have to break up, as long as cathy has the girls, then that's fine. but he said he'll do whatever he has to. if it's going to break up a family, that it was the five of them for years. it's been the five of them for six years. and he'll do whatever. it hurts him because he does love cathy and he does love the girls, but he says he will understand if they have to break up. >> i know that this custody hearing is in june and we wish you the very best. obviously it's the welfare of the children that is utmost on everybody's minds at this point. catherine are gonzalez, such a hard time for you, thank you so much for joining us. we really appreciate it. lisa, thank you as well. and mike hubbard, thank you so much for being the one behind that bus, the wheel of that bus on that night. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. now let's get a check of the weather from chris cimino who's in for al this morning. >> announcer: "today's weather" is brought to you by starbucks via ready brew. available wherever you buy groceries. we talked about the severe weather a little bit earlier. one of the other products of the severe weather, flooding. heavy rain. you'll see that across the plain states today. flash flood watches in effect for parts of theest central plains, mid mississippi river valley, extreme western tennessee river valley. three to five possible throughout portions of missouri and southeastern sections of kansas. a strong risk of severe weather across much of oklahoma. extreme northern texas today. wet across >> we are off to a fairly quiet start. there is a slight chance of a light rain shower or sprinkle. a mixture of clouds and a little still ahead, a woman abducted, raped and left for dead when she was just 8 years old helps lead police to her attacker nearly two decades later. but first these messages. just in time got te to save best friend forever from the office coffee. best friend forever bravely shared starbucks via with don't talk to me until my second cup before he even had his first. he shared it with i hate mondays who had three cups because it was, after all, monday. premium starbucks via ready brew. now available wherever you buy groceries. ♪ now available wherever you buy groceries. as small businesses are busy reinventing the economy, small business owners have a lot of questions. can paperless billing get me paid faster? 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(announcer) zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed. that means we've got juicy rollbacks, plump rollbacks, and delicious rollbacks. walmart's getting it here faster, so it's fresher. and that's guaranteed. you can almost smell that rollback pie. my name is darrell, and i save people money so they can live better. now to a "today" exclusive, but first a warning to some parents. the images you're about to see are graphic. it's the story of a woman abducted and brutally raped as a child and her nearly two-decade fight for justice. nbc's jeff rossen spoke with her exclusively. jeff, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. it is a miracle she is simply alive. it was a heinous crime. jennifer schuett was just 8 years old, pulled out of her bedroom window overnight, raped and almost killed. she dedicated her life to catching her attacker, a victim-turned-junior investigator. and it paid off -- nearly 20 years later. as a little girl in 1990, they didn't come any cuter than jennifer schuett. like some 8 year-olds, her biggest fear was sleeping in the dark. >> i remember saying, just because i love you, mom, i'm going to go sleep in my own bed tonight. >> reporter: then, the unthinkable. >> i woke up to a man running with me down the sidewalk of our apartment. he had come in through the window and kidnapped me. of course i tried to scream. he immediately covered my nose and mouth. put me in his vehicle and we drove off. i remember him holding a knife to my throat on the front seat of the car and asking me if i was scared. his exact words were, "are you scared, little girl? am i scaring you?" the next thing i remember after that is him dragging me through this field by my ankles. raped me. then he slit my throat from ear to ear and left me in the field to die. >> reporter: it was big news. scary news in the tiny town of dickinson, texas. jennifer's mother was frantic. >> you laylaid in that field fo4 hours. >> um-hmm. i woke up to fire ants crawling all over me. >> did you think you were going to die in that field? >> i knew i was going to die. >> reporter: neighborhood kids playing hide and go seek found her the next day, barely alive. she was rushed to the hospital. the mystery attacker had sliced her next right through her vocal cords. >> i was writing notes in the hospital because i could not physically speak. and they said i would never be able to talk again. >> reporter: from her hospital bed jennifer worked with investigator to build a profile of her attacker. >> when he slit your throat, he tried to silence you. >> exactly. >> seems like it almost made you stronger. >> um-hmm. his plan failed because that plan of his was not in god's plan. it wasn't in mine. >> reporter: just days later, a miracle. jennifer got her voice back. >> these days it is hard to get me to be quiet. >> reporter: in fact, she spent the next 19 years speaking up trying to crack her own case. following leads, nudging the investigators. >> what gave you the strength to wake up every day and keep fighting? >> thinking of children, adults, anyone that could be getting victimized by him. >> reporter: and she was right. her attacker struck again, kidnapping a woman in arkansas and police say he sexually abused her. but this time, he was caught. police ran his dna through the system and they got a match linking him to dna in jennifer's crime scene nearly 20 years earlier. suddenly her rapist had a name. dennis earl bradford, a married welder, a father himself. >> what was it like getting the call, "he's captured, we found him"? >> it was the most amazing moment of my life. >> not a single day goes by where i don't see that face. >> reporter: and soon police had a confession after decades of silence, bradford opened up in this never-before-seen interrogation video. >> i took that little girl out there and i raped her, i cut her throat. >> it was chilling. >> hearing him say those words in that kind of detail. >> right. because it just makes me wonder how he couldn't have confessed sooner. >> reporter: for jennifer, the arrest was the victory she dreamed of for years. she spent months planning what she'd say to him. >> you chose the wrong little 45-pound, 8-year-old girl to try and murder. because for 19 years, i've thought of you every single day and helped search for you. >> reporter: but bradford even robbed her of that moment. just last week he hanged himself in his jail cell. you wanted to face him in court. >> i did. >> why? >> to show him that he didn't win and that i'm a strong survivor and to show other victims that no matter what obstacles you come across, or how long you have to wait, that as long as you're strong and determined, you can get the justice that you want. >> reporter: two decades since her attack, jennifer is facing her fears and took us back to the field where it all happened. what's it like to be back here? >> i actually come back here a lot because i know that this could have been my final resting place. i'm very grateful to be alive. >> reporter: today, jennifer is strong. even in the face of a new challenge. >> as a result of him raping me, as an 8-year-old child,ky not have children normally. >> so much was stolen from you. >> i'm an only child. i've always wanted a big family. and to know that i have to now rely on medical advances and do in-vitro. and there is a chance that might not even work. if it doesn't, i'll be sad but i can adopt. i always try to look at the bright side. >> you're overcome a lot. >> um-hmm. and i'll continue. >> reporter: jennifer has now created a website called justice for jennifer where she actually talks to people around the world, victims, helping them fight back, matt, just like she did. just an amazing, amazing young woman. >> i'm at a loss for words. she is incredible. jeff, thank you very much for that story. 51 after the hour. we're back right after this. pollutants and damaging environmental factors weaken your skin barrier, leaving skin dry and vulnerable. new daily skin balance is a scientifically advanced fortifying lotion fortified with provitamin b5, shea butter and ph buffer to give 24-hour moisture while strengthening your skin's protective barrier. put the health of your skin first with new daily skin balance only from eucerin. hmm...what's going on with dad? he seems different. ♪ are you ready? he's not talking about work. ♪ i don't want to work he's not tucking in his shirt. ♪ everybody, now! he's not checking messages every 9 seconds. and now this? ♪ i don't want to play ♪ i just want to bang on the drum all day ♪ [ ship horn blows ] cathy. >> reporter: when it comes to constipation relief... miralax is the one. it's the one. laura ling speaks out about her ordeal in a north korean jail. >> after your local news. to relieve constipation with no harsh side effects. miralax is the only one. restore your body's natural rhythm with miralax. what matters to you? nothing. you don't enjoy things the way you used to. you're sad. anxious. maybe you feel guilty. fatigued. then there's the aches and pains. cymbalta can help. cymbalta treats many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. ask your doctor about cymbalta. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. how are things moving this morning? >> we have a problem that is just cleared in westminster we have elea lot of delays in this area. at least the lanes are open. and everything the good of the top spot. a bit of a delay out of the white marsh area. 30 miles per hour on the west side outer loop. an accident at route 7 in philadelphia road. watch for delays in harford county. washington avenue, downed wires blocking lanes there. southbound to 95, crashed still clearing. take 95 as your alternate. let's switch to a live view of traffic. one of the local clearing. we had a degree in the road. -- one vehicle clearing. we had debris in the road. improving conditions on the outer loop coming towards us. >> this is not going to be the nicest day you ever seen, but a lot quieter than yesterday and monday. we have a lot of cloud cover. 51 in randallstown, to two and a westminster -- 52 in westminster, a 55 in rock hall. we should sneak into the 60s. yesterday we were stuck in the 50's. 20% chance of a rain shower, but basically dry. much better at the end of the week. 81 on friday. >> thanks for joining us. back at 8:25 with another live update. 8:00 now on a wednesday morning, the 19th day of may, 2010. happy people as far as we can see here on the plaza. they'll be even happier friday morning when the hot group the script performs as part of our summer concert series. we're looking forward to that. out on the plaza, alongside meredith vieira, i'm matt lauer. coming up, new details on a five-month ordeal for some american journalists. >> that's right. laura ling and euna ley captured in march of 2009 after briefly crossing in north korea. throughout their captivity laura's sister lisa ling bravely fought for her release. the lings speak out in an exclusive morning interview. also ahead, we'll continue our series, "today looks back." ann will relive an incredible journey she took to the bottom of the earth. we'll hear more about that in a couple of minutes. but first let's say hello to the new miss usa, michigan's rima fakih. congratulations! >> thank you so much. >> your reaction when you heard your name? >> i was just sharing that with the crowd over there. they're like, how do you feel? i'm like you probably heard curtis ask me and me go, after a pizza. it was my way of like telling them i need five minutes. i turned around and they said, i thought you were leaving. i'm like,dy w did i win? they're like, you won! >> you came out in the evening gown and we had a little bit of a near disaster. you almost fell. >> every girl's nightmare right there. >> but you rallied. >> it's my version of a two-step. honestly, everyone asked me if i thought i was going to lose at this point. you know what? after meeting miss universe and being there for two weeks, i realized they were looking for someone who is knowledgeable, someone who can represent usa, someone who knows about the history of their country, who is beautiful on the inside and the outside. i felt like i did so well in the interviews, that shouldn't hurt me. >> you are are a lebanese-american. >> i think they kind of confirmed this morning that i may be the first arab-american to win miss usa. that's a big honor for me. the last time michigan won miss usa was the first african-american. i think michigan is known to make history. i was telling the crowd "go blue" over there. we have a lot of ohio state. yeah! >> we have to ask you about the controversy that's come out since, the pictures of the stripper pole contest dancer in 2007. donald trump says he doesn't hold that against you. given what's happened, you are the miss usa, anything else about those pictures? >> i can't deny the pictures. obviously people can see them on tv right now. i want to make it clear, it is not a super pole contest. it was actually a professional event that my friend who is a deejay had for women. it collected about 150 women and they teach them how to dance and be sexy and -- it was actually doctors, lawyers, everyone in detroit. i got up there to help them support and get the party started to tell women, you know what? hop up here and show them what you learned today. these pictures were taken. obviously they are not the best pictures you can see. but however, i do want to say that it's not what you see. it's so much more. i didn't do anything wrong. mr. trump is obviously a great man. he's actually the reason i went to school and did my minor actually in business, an economics major. he's the reason i always wanted to be involved in miss usa and the business world. just seeing him yesterday -- sunday. wow, feels like yesterday. when he gave me that look after i won, you know that look on "the apprentice"? you'll see me august 23rd in manned lay b mandolay bay. the voters have spoke in washington. after tuesday's primary elections, in pennsylvania, five-term senator arlen specter who switched to the democratic party last year lost the democratic nomination to representative joe sestak. voters in arkansas forced blanche lincoln into a runoff with lieutenant governor bill halter. and the tea party's rand paul secured the nomination in kentucky. new video of the oil spill in the gulf of mexico is supporting the concerns raised by scientists that the leak is worst than previously thought and satellite images show that the spill is stretching toward the current that could take it around the florida keys. meanwhile interior secretary ken salizar told a senate panel on tuesday that his agency has been lax in overseeing overseas activities which may have contributed to the spill. this morning in afghanistan, seven u.s. service members were wound wld taliban insurgents launched a pre-dawn raid on bra bagram airfield. at least ten militants were killed. the mothers of three american hikers imprisoned in iran for ten months are expected to alive today in iran. the hikers were arrested along the iraq-iran border. iran has accused them of spying. it is now 8:05. let's get a check of the weather from chris. >> announcer: "today's weather" is brought to you by the las vegas convention and visitors authority. this summer, send yourself to camp vegas for grown-ups. >> stormy weather in the southth >> we are off to a much better start than yesterday. slight chance of a couple of rainshowers or sprinkles, but generally at friday. high t >> let's send it back over to matt. thanks, chris. new details on an ordeal in north korea. but first, these messages. 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"hoo. hoo." that was like, what do you mean he started making hooting noises in this sensitive place? >> we continued to walk across and then at one point he is on the other side. he's on the other side of the river. kind of motioning us, it's okay to come across. so we did. >> i thought how could that be? they weren't supposed to ever go to north korea. >> we're not on that side for -- i don't think more than 45 seconds to a minute before trying to get out of there as quickly as we could. and we proceeded to walk back across to the chinese side. seemed like everything was going to be okay. about mid-way across that ice is when we heard soldiers yelling. >> every worst case scenario played out in my head. >> almost instantly, these two soldiers are on us. they're yelling and the guard that is on top of me standing above me proceeds to kick me with his boot and he kicks this area and my shoulder. >> my first thought was they're going to think they're spies. they are going to o think that they are trying to commite espiona espionage. >> i see the butt of his rifle come down at me. it hit me in the head. and i thought that that could be it. i thought that that could be it for me on the ice. >> my greatest fear is that i would not ever see my sister again. just in one day. >> the thing that i remember first after that blow to the head was walking into this dark tunnel and realizing that we are in north korea, and feeling like i had just landed on another planet. >> laura and lisa ling have now written a book called "somewhere inside," one sister's captivity in north korea and the other's fight to bring her home. ladies, good morning to both of you. laura, we followed your story as closely as we could last spring but we really had no idea what was happening to you. i listened to those details now and it is truly harrowing. you went with euna lee to china to cover these refugees, these women coming across from north korea. you were posing as tourists. you get to the border and had you no intention originally of crossing it. right? >> no intention. >> but there was this guide who you trusted who said to you -- motioned to you that it was okay, so do you believe now that you were being set up by this man? >> prior to that moment, he had been very cautious. there was no real reason to suspect that we were set up. and we followed him. that was my decision. >> and you were captured by the guards who chased you back on to chinese soil, grabbed both of you. you're interrogated. you finally admit that you're not tourists, that you are journalists. you feel that's the best thing to do. and they ship you off to the capital city the detention center and you're separated from euna. can you describe the conditions? >> before we were separated, we were held in a jail along the border. conditions were very dismal, a five-foot by six-foot chamber where we were kept in different cells. when we got transferred to pyongyang, the conditions improved. >> but you were also -- your head had been beaten. you had been beaten around the face. did they continue to beat you after that initial day, march 17th? >> they did not. and i think that -- after that beating, i did live in fear that each day could be my last, because i had experienced that violence. >> but you never knew at any moment whether that would change. >> precisely. >> i know that you were able to make a handful of phone calls while you were in detention over the months that you were there. one of them was to your dad. you left a voice mail to your father. let's take a listen to that. >> hi, daddy. it's your little girl. i don't know when i'll get to talk to you again but i just want to let you know that i'm doing okay and i'm staying strong like you told me to be. and i want you to be strong as well. okay? i love you and i miss you so much. >> what goes through your mind as you hear your voice back at you? >> it is surreal to hear that voice and the fear in that voice. especially now that i'm home and safe. >> laura was able to make four -- called on four occasions. and the calls that i got -- the first time i heard her voice after a couple of months in detainment i was so incredibly emotional and laura knew that her calls to me would have to encompass strategy. i mean we at a certain point became this channel through which the north korean government was communicating to the united states government, i mean through the it would have us. >> it is apparent they want ex-president clinton to go over there as an envoy. you're trying to make that happen. >> it was so complicated. and this went through a process. there was so much information contained in the four phone calls laura was able to get to me. but finally it was determined that the north korean government wanted bill clinton. there was no one else they would accept. >> we were talking about former presidents and some of the highest levels of government, and we just feel grateful that everybody acquiesced. >> we know that the outcome obviously, he went there and he was able to get you back. when did you realize that you were finally home? we all saw that picture of you coming off the plane. but when did it all hit you? >> it all happened so quickly. it was just that morning that clinton arrived that we met him. less than 24 hours later we were home. >> she didn't know that bill clinton was actually going to show up. she had been requesting him, but when he showed up it was a complete surprise. >> now the best news of all, you and your husband are expecting a little girl? >> we are expecting a little girl. it is a huge blessing. >> laura, thank you so much. lisa, thank you. >> the book is called "somewhere inside." laura and lisa ling. back right after this. we use our card. 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[ female announcer ] splenda®. america's favorite no calorie sweetener. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, expresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate box shipping starts at $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. now to our special series "today looks back." this morning, ann revisits one of her most memorable stories. >> for me one of those stories has got to be this trip of a lifetime reporting on the impact of climate change from one of the most remote places on earth. it was an unprecedented look at planet earth. >> we're going to the ends of the earth. >> reporter: the first live simultaneous broadcast from the top and bottom of the globe. >> reporting live from the top of the world in the arctic circle. >> i'm ann curry reporting live from the bottom of the world in antarctica. >> reporter: for my team, it was the journey of a lifetime, a rare opportunity to travel to the end of the earth beginning in new zealand. >> i'm already cold and i'm only in new zealand. but, yeah, our adventure has begun. >> reporter: our goal, to get to antarctica. our dream, to make it all the way to the south pole. each day brought us a little closer. we boarded a u.s. air force c-17 for yet another flight here m mcmurdo. >> that is home to the world's most dedicated researchers. working in extreme temperatures, they gave us a firsthand look at the impact of a climate in crisis. looking at this, there is no way this thing can melt. it looks so formidable. what's the truth? >> the truth is it is a lot more fragile than you'd think. >> reporter: fewer than 7,000 people have made it as far as the south pole. a trip that claimed the lives of countless explorers a century ago, today takes three hours by specially modified military aircraft. that is when they're able to fly. >> i know you've been trying to get down to the south pole, ann. how's that going? >> for about two days now we've been trying to get to the south pole. weather is always a big factor. >> days passed, weather kept us grounded and my colleagues in suspense. >> ann is still in antarctica. >> did she make it? did she not make? >> she'll make it. >> it is time to ask the question, where in the world is ann curry? >> but we vowed to persevere. >> we've been delayed because of weather repeatedly. are we giving up? heck no! in fact, we're scheduled for the next flight out and weather permitting, we're going! >> we finally heard from her yesterday afternoon. that plane yesterday morning never took off. >> finally after 12 days and more than 20 aborted flights, mother nature was cooperating. >> a clear day. you can see the mountains behind me. yep, here's our lc-130. we're actually now taking it heading to the pole. >> highly skilled pilots navigated the parth. it was like flying inside a ping-pong ball. >> visibility, there's blowing snow. >> then there it was, off in the distance, our first glimpse of the pole. >> ann, can you hear us? >> matt, meredith, i can hear you just great. just a few moments ago we touched down at the south pole. >> yeah! >> our colleagues who had followed the journey, including tim russert, shared in the excitement. before we left, a victory lap. >> this is the ceremonial south pole. okay. you want to see how fast i can run around the earth? okay! that was two seconds. >> to celebrate our team's achievement, getting to one of the most remote places on earth. >> there you go. nbc news has been here. >> our senior executive producer don nash really loved that moment. he really encouraged me to use that for this part of the series. i want to mention since our journey to antarctica, there are more signs how fragile the environment is there. last year the temperature on the south pole was the warmest on record. in february this year an iceberg the size of rhode island shifted off the continent and is disrupting penguin kol niz. >> he said how fragile it is despite what you think. >> i think we need to >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> we now have an accident in the southbound direction at northern parkway. watch for delays developing quickly in that area. if you travel on southbound 95, 40 miles per hour. things are starting to filter out. still an accident blocking philadelphia road and fashioned way. downed wires that have been slain and washington ave. closures in effect -- downed wires in have been slain and washington ave. clues in fact there. at harford road, looking a lot better. much improved right before dulaney valley on the outer loop. in the area of liberty, moving well on the outer loop towards 40. >> this is not going to be the nicest to you ever seen, but an improvement on yesterday at a date before that. only a 20% chance of a sprinkle. but we do have cloud cover. temperatures in the low-to-mid- fifties. 54 in centreville. we should see a little bit of sunshine breaking the clouds. 20% chance of a sprinkle in the forecast. we will take care of this over the next few days. sunshine on thursday and friday, and it gets warmer. 81 on friday. chance for a couple of showers and thunderstorms over the weekend. high temperatures in the mid- 70's. >> we will have another update at 8:55. we're back here at 8:30 on this wednesday morning, the 19th day of may, 2010. wednesday meaning it is hump day and we have a fantastic crowd cheering and shouting in rockefeller plaza. let's hear a little cheering and shouting, folks! just ahead, standing up to cancer. researchers have been making significant progress thanks, in farther, to 2008's star-studded telecast on all of the major networks. >> nbc's brian williams is here to tell us all about it. also ahead, a retired general who's fighting a new kind of battle. this time to improve the lives of children. jane pauley will bring us that inspiring story. also want to mention, it is the last day of our wizarding world of harry potter contest. we're letting you pick the class that will be going to orlando to take a look at this new exhibit. to vote, go to todayshow.com. we'll announce the winner tomorrow. let's tell you about a brand-new movie called "get them to the greek." meredith vieira is in the movie as well. let's take a look at a clip. >> it is such a pleasure to finally meet you. i was getting a little worried. i know you changed your flights quite a few times. i didn't think you'd make it. >> i apologize for our tardiness. the culprit is this gentlemen, aaron green. that's why we're late. aaron, come meet meredith. >> hey, meredith. >> oh, my gosh. >> it is lovely to meet you. >> he looks after me. >> we're joined now by jonah and russell. nice to see you guys. do you have other clothes? >> i wear general form of the same outfit every day. i have two ties and i just switch out. >> how funny are you in the movie, man? >> get out! >> it was so cool. she was so willing to be funny. it was cool. >> it's an homage to you. >> you let me have fake vomit all over myself. >> what was it like working with our meredith here? >> there was much more sexual chemistry. much more flirting. it was very, very powerful. >> your job is to really get this guy to that theater in los angeles. >> yeah. i play a young record executive and i work for puff daddy, sean combes. he's hilarious. he gives me 72 hours to get an off-the-wagon crazy rock star from london to the greek theater in los angeles. everything possible thing that can go wrong basically goes wrong. >> let's talk about your character. what is his basic problem here? >> selfish, baby, drug addict. he's selfish and self-centered and cruel and torturous in his character aaron. >> he's pining over his old girlfriend. >> emotionally, he's yearning. that yearn something directed at jonah. that's natural. a lot of my emotions are projected at him. it's very difficult. >> we also want to mention something. you're connected to the "today" show, this is a weird connection, but you know, you are -- among others coming here to perform. been here a couple of times. coming back this summer. >> you want to stop by and check us out? >> i'll pop along, maybe take notes. >> do you have a wedding day. >> we're getting married this year, not sure when. sometimes it is difficult to connect. >> so good to see you guys. >> thank you for being in it. you're so funny in it. >> thank you. >> nice to see you. let's get a check of the weather >> we are off to a fairly quiet start. there is a slight chance of a light rain shower or sprinkle. a mixture of clouds and a little >> let's go back to matt. coming up next, brian williams will tell you how you can stand up for cancer -- to cancer. excuse me. but first, this is "today" on rs the numbers are staggering. every day cancer kills 1,500 americans. that is one person every minute. >> in september of 2008 an organization called stand up to cancer started a grassroots movement to raise money for cancer research holding an historic fund-raising telecast aired simultaneously on nbc, abc news and cbs news. on september 10th, they will do it again. ♪ i stand for hope >> we asked people to stand up. we asked people to give money. >> what would you pay to stop cancer? >> enough people are standing up and saying they're fed up and they don't want to see this come rolling through their families once again. >> we're working with teams of scientists across the country. and the key word is dlab ration. oftentimes these scientists have been working as individual institutions but stand up to cancer forces them to collaborate to share their resources, their experience, and their expertise. and so it is moving science forward faster. >> we all know that even in the most rarefied and difficult worlds of microscience, being in a room with somebody who's working on it, too, and they say, did you ever -- but i -- what -- yes! it's common communication, conversation and support. they end up supporting each other in ways that they probably never dreamed they could do either. >> and they have to show patient benefit within three years which is really warped speed in the work of cancer research. >> and their work right now is moving in on what could encompass two-thirds of all cancer deaths. >> we delivered on the promise of a new blood test for cancer in a way that is going to actually be informative not only for pancreatic cancer but other cancers like leukemia and brain cancer. that is exciting. by working together new and possible things happen that are really exciting and driving us forward as a team. >> recently scientists and researchers discovered the epi genome which is the material surrounding the dna. sometimes this material sends inaccurate signals and actually causes cancer. they have found by manipulating this material or reversing how it's behaving, they can actually attack the cancer itself. >> we've been treating patients with advanced lung cancer who have failed at least three previous chemotherapy strategies. we've seen very durable responses with marked shrinkage of tumor over months of duration. >> we're going to go back at this and we're going to ask people to give again. >> september 10th, 8:00. >> we're going to have a lot of heaven. lot of entertainers. lot of music. that's the fun part. >> we just want you to know that we're so excited to be standing up with you so let's do it. >> all right. >> "nbc nightly news" anchor brian williams is here to tell us more. brian, good morning. >> thanks for having me. >> why is this so important to you? >> well, doesn't everybody have a personal stake in this? when that was done a few mornings back we shot that, we walk over to a wall and put on the wall the names of the loved ones we were doing this for. katie wrote down her husband and sister. i wrote down my mother and sister. my mother's been gone for almost 19 years. my sister, for four years. a mother of five. fought breast cancer for six years. all of us though, it doesn't make me any different, we all have stories to tell. i think the building anger and resentment against cancer has resulted in this. people are just trying to find other ways. i like the theme, stand up to cancer. i like it. let's show it we're tougher than it, even as it takes our loved ones away. >> there are a lot of individuals out there working on trying to find a way to find a cure for cancer. but the approach that this campaign takes is collaborative effort, these dream teams. it is something pretty new. >> that's right. it's like the old biblical story of the blind man and the elephant. they all come away from it thinking they've touched and experienced something else. well you've got teams for all the best reasons doing research on different strands of cancer, and this says, you know, scientist x is working on this, scientist y. let's bring you all together. we did this telethon, we raised $100 million to date -- like that. and on september 10th we're all going to fly to l.a. and we're all going to come out on stage. there the three of us were. of course now charlie has left the scene and diane has taken over. but it's fun. we're fierce competitors by day, something you guys know something about. and yet, by night when it's a good cause, we come together, half of hollywood shows up, and it's just another way to attack this disease. >> such a good thing. thank you so much. >> good luck. >> again the stand up to cancer fund-raiser is on september 10th on all three major networks. up next, jane pauley will talk to a retired general who's found a new way to help kids. but first, this is "today" on nbc. we're back at 8:44. this morning on "your life calling today," jane pauley is back to introduce us to a former soldier on the mission of his life. jane, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. this is the story of tony, a born leader who re-invented himself by moving his base of operation from the battlefield to the schoolyard. >> every morning i get up and you run around the mall and i run past the vietnam memorial or world war ii memorial and it reminds me of what's important. >> reporter: 50-year-old tony cada isn't the retiring type. until last year, he was a brigadier general, commanding thousands of soldiers. today, he's on the front lines of a very different field of operation. the washington, d.c. public schools. the system has historically been known for low grades and mismanagement. the general is what they needed. and this general was ready for a new challenge. after what? 32 years in the military? >> i felt like i had accomplished everything i ever came in the military to accomplish. >> reporter: nearly two years ago, tony was approached by a foundation that funds a training academy for school superintendents. you were available for an idea and unbeknownst to you this opportunity had been looking for you. >> right. >> and the minute you heard about it? you recognized it. >> i said, yeah, i'm interested. >> reporter: from bosnia to iraq, seeing children caught in the cross hahairs, an idea was forming. then in april of '06, afghanistan. >> a rocket lands in a schoolyard killing one teacher and several children. and i had this crystallized moment where i said, you know, the enemy of my enemy is education. >> reporter: after a heart-to-heart with his wife, tony left the army, took the course and landed the job as c.o.o. of the washington, d.c. schools. he took charge right away. making rounds, upgrading technology, improving lunch food, even fixing the pool at the special needs school. >> wow. >> don't you miss the glamour of the uniform and the salute? >> i'ltell you, it is exciting to be at the eye of the hurricane of education reform in america. i think this is only the beginning. so many of us, our parents want us to be "x" so we become "x." when we're done with "x" we really wanted to be "y" but we sort of forgot about that. and my point is, if you were pretty good at "x," just think how good you can be at "y," something you really wanted to do. >> you had probably many offers and a lot of them lucrative offers. >> sure. sure. >> why didn't you make the money decision more paramount? >> because it makes me feel good. at the end of the day, jane, it's not what we take, it's what we give. >> don't you find it kind of exciting that there are 76 million baby boomers and we're pretty annoying, we've always annoyed everybody. but the good news is that we're finding a way to redeem our purpose? >> right. right now we're facing some challenges in this country. two wars, an education system that is in trouble. so across the board, if we don't cowboy up, then who will? >> today's reality check. tony went back to school. a nine-month program. we may bring a great skill set and lots of experience to re-invention, but we still need to learn new skills even a brigadier general. by the way, tony is also a novelist. he's published two military thrillers, matt. >> that's pretty impressive. you'll be talking more about this on a live web chat. >> i hope you'll join us at noon, eastern time, aarp.org/jane. >> always nice to have you here. thanks. see you soon. up next, meredith convenes a rare meeting of the scratch test. but first, this is "today" on nbc. >> announcer: today's entertainment" brought to you by dulcolax balance. const c constipation relief. we sat down with a cast to look back at nearly a decade of everyone's favorite owinger. >> once time a time there was a lovely princess. >> since the first shrek debuted nine years ago, it's made quite a splash. the first oscar for animated feature, a broadway musical, an amusement park ride. pretty good for a guy that proved it is not easy being green. but even after four movies -- >> donkey, are you okay? >> i'm fine. >> reporter: the lead actors rarely meet since they record their lines separately. playing shrek -- >> i wish i had just one day to feel like a real ogre again. >> reporter: princess fiona. >> personal space is very important to me. >> reporter: puss n boots. >> shrek says to fiona -- >> you are beautiful. >> there was gasped of people going, oh! i didn't know that could be possibly. i rather like that sensation. >> can you tell my future from these stars? >> the first conversation that they have laying down under a very beautiful starry night and they are talking about friendship and human problems. and it was so beautiful. >> look, i'm not the one with the problem. okay? it's the world that seems to have a problem with me. >> i'm not a big favorites person, but i remember i got the biggest laugh in the first one with gingey when they break off his legs, they want to know, tell me where he is. there is this cat and he pretends to be choking on the hair ball and he spits it out. i literally was on the floor laughing. >> can you give us a little bit of the hair ball being coughed up? >> i can't do that. i love this part actually that he does it. he takes a breath and he -- you see the eyes. >> attention all fairytale things. >> you turned it down the first time it was offered. >> quite turned it down. i thought it was the worst title in the history of cinema. i'm like, is that going to be the title you're actually going to move? sounds like a noise you make after 12 molsons. >> i talk to talk about "shrek ever after." i saw it -- not because if i this little part -- i thought it was great. >> are you the witch at the table? >> i'm not sure. i can't even tell my voice. >> to find out, i flew over to the shrek party next door to confer with my fellow witches. we didn't know which choice was which. >> i have a distinctively annoying voice which makes me special. >> maybe we can hire a professional bounty hunter? >> i think i went, oh. >> how many lines do you have? >> i know i have more than ryan seacrest. >> i'm pretty sure that's me. and i think that's kathy melton. is it going to be hard to let it go? >> yeah. ima getting really sad about it. >> are you? you're the donkey. you're the optimist. >> ideally what we should do is say it is a final chapter and everybody say, it's so sad. then let you know five, ten years from now, we'll be like, "we're back!" >> and they lived happily -- >> ever -- >> after. >> they were so cool. "shrek forever after" hits theaters on friday. >> it was just such a stretch, you as a witch. >> hey! we talk about two movies today in which you are a star. >> exactly. exactly. i could be gone. >> thank you so much. ahead, how to improve your health after your local news. ft >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. tough sentences for three called members convicted of starving a 1-0 shot to death. a judge sentenced trevia williams and marcus cobbs for the death of javon thompson. the harshest sentence was reserved for queen antoinette, the cult leader. she was given 50 years in jail. >> we are off to a quiet start on this wednesday. there is a slight chance of running into a little bit of a sprinkle or rain shower. most of you will have a dry day. a mixture of clouds and sunshine. high temperature of 67. we will continue to turn up the heat. thursday and friday should be dry. 81 on friday. chance for a shower or thunderstorm over the weekend, though. >>