Transcripts For WBAL Today 20100701

and lawyered up. kyron horman's stepmother hires a prominent defense attorney as she falls under increased scrutiny in the 7-year-old's mysterious disappearance "today," thursday, july 1st, mysterious disappearance "today," thursday, july 1st, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on a thursday morning, i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. the texas coast may have avoided a direct hit by alex, but this morning forecasters are warning of the potential of a lot more tornadoes, dangerous flooding, as that storm now moves inland. >> alex made landfall late wednesday night about 100 miles south of brownsville as a category 2 with winds over 100 miles per hour. the strongest hurricane in the atlantic since 1966. where is it headed now? how much rain could folks in texas expect? we'll have much more straight ahead. >> also ahead, new details in the case of those alleged russian spies and their secret lives here in the u.s., including 28-year-old anna chapman, and the unsuspecting contact she was apparently making while posing as a new york party girl. >> plus three simple things you can learn from cheap skates that could potentially save you thousands of dollars a year. but we're going to begin with alex slamming ashore, spawning tornadoes in texas, and pushing oil from that leak in the gulf further inland. we have three reports beginning with the weather channel's stephanie abrams. she is in south padre island for us in texas. good morning to you, stephanie. >> good morning, meredith. the causeway bridge had the highest wind gust of 66 miles per hour in this vicinity. it's still closed. texas d.o.t. will be inspecting that bridge between 6:00 and 7:00 this morning. they expect it to open just after they inspect it. they don't think there will be any issues. texas d.o.t. also has 340 people out looking for flooding and debris on the roads, and speaking of flooding, highway 100 was impassable during the storm, but fortunately, the floodwaters have receded. we have our next high tide at 8:40 this morning. so we could see more washover. early this morning. meredith what we're hoping is that some of that water that is coming up will take away some of this debris. mounds of it littering the beaches as far as the eye can see. >> stephanie, you know that alex has been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane. is there concern that it could possibly regain strength? >> absolutely not. because what it needs is that warm water in order for itself to strengthen. but now that it's over land, and it's raining itself out, it brought record rainfall. the wettest june day in both mcallen and also brownsville. four to six inches widespread. up to ten inches estimated. and meredith, we are still under a flood watch here as we could see another four to six inches in this area through the afternoon hours. >> all right. keep us posted, i'm sure. stephanie abrams, thank you very much. >> al's upstairs with more on the storm. we're getting all that rain. where is it headed next? >> it is moving on inland in to mexico. it is about 160 miles south of brownsville, texas. just barely a category 1 storm with 80-mile-per-hour winds. moving west, picking up steam, moving west at 12 miles per hour. as stephanie mentioned, they're under a flood watch. we've got coastal flood warnings from central texas all the way to galveston. we've got coastal flood advisories into louisiana, and flood watches, as well, into parts of southern mississippi. here's what we expect as far as the rainfall is concerned. over the next 24 hours, anywhere from 5 to 7 inches of rain from corpus christi to galveston. elsewhere, we're basically looking at about 3 to 5 inches of rain, so that's why we have the flood watches up, ground's already saturated. the rain has nowhere to go. again, we can't rule out the threat, still, of an isolated tornado or two, especially later on this afternoon. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. we'll see you again in a couple of minutes. the dozens of oil cleanup vessels sidelined by the ripple effects from the storm are expected to get back to work today, as the disaster in the gulf is expected to surpass the 140 million gallon mark. nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson is in venice, louisiana. anne, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. well, they're going to try to get back to work together but things don't look very good for that, as the storm has already cost cleanup workers here two days of efforts. and it looks like it could cost them a lot more. as one coast guard official said, we are being held hostage by the weather. yesterday, they had to pull in all 510 skimmers off the waters because the seas are just too rough to get any kind of work done. and then, out at the spill site a lightning strike shut down the discoverer enterprise, one of the ships that collects oil. about 15,000 barrels a day. a lightning strike shut down that ship for about three hours. now, there is a little good news here. the epa announced its results of its first round of tests of dispersants, and it tasted eight kinds of dispersants, and it found that they were all equally toxic, but, they were all equally less toxic than the oil. including the controversial core exit 9500 which is what bp has used throughout the crisis, spraying about 1 million gallons to break up the oil. again, we are under a coastal flood watch here. rain is expected all day and that's going to hamper the cleanup effort. matt? >> all right, anne thompson. thank you very much from venice, louisiana. it's now six minutes after the hour. once again, here's meredith. 34ris in portland, oregon, are reopening an investigation into a massage therapist's claims that former vice president al gore made unwanted sexual advances toward her during a massage four years ago. nbc's peter alexander has the latest. peter, good morning. >> meredith, good morning to you. police will not say why they have reopened this case from an alleged incident that had said to have taken place in 2006. in the past, they said there was not enough evidence to move forward. so important to note right now, no charges have been filed against the former vice president. his spokesperson told nbc news late wednesday mr. gore unequivocally and emphatically denies the accusation. this is the woman making the explosive allegations, 54-year-old molly haggerty, speaking out in the national enquirer. haggerty claims former vice president al gore made unwanted sexual advances during a massage appointment at this upscale portland, oregon, hotel, on october 24th, 2006. gore was in portland to deliver a speech on climate change. portland police say haggerty canceled several appointments with detectives in 2006. but three years later, in january 2009, she finally came forward to police, speaking in an interview that was recorded on tape. >> again, he approached me and he grabbed me, and gave me a big tongue kiss. >> reporter: in the 73-page, 2009 police report, the alleged victim claims gore pinned her down on a bed. she told authorities she feared there would be consequences if she didn't cooperate. >> i finally told him, i said, you're being a crazed sex poodle, hoping that he'd realize how weird he was going, yet he persisted. >> reporter: three months after the alleged incident, hagerty's lawyer told police his client wouldn't pursue the case. and instead wanted to file a civil suit. in this"enquirer" hagerty is photographed with what she claims is evidence in the case, clothing she says she wore the night in question. a spokeswoman for the former vice president tells nbc news, further investigation into this matter will only benefit mr. gore. the gores cannot comment on every defamatory, millions leading and inaccurate story generated by tabloids. mr. gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this accusation when he first learned of its existence three years ago. he stands by that denial. it's another unlikely headline for one of america's most famous families. following al and tipper gore's announcement last month that they were separating after 40 years of marriage. the "national enquirer" recently reported that hagerty's lawyer was offering to sell her story for $1 million. but late wednesday night the tabloid told nbc news, while it practices checkbook journalism, the "enquirer" could not confirm or deny if any money changed hands for molly hagerty's story. >> also important to note that nbc news tried without success to reach molly hagerty. once again, no charges have been filed against the former vice president, al gore, and police in portland will not, meredith, elaborate on exactly why they have reopened this investigation. >> all right, peter alexander, thank you very much. dan abrams is nbc's chief legal analyst. dan, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> so this alleged attack occurred in 2006. she goes to police and you heard her report there in 2009, they close the case, they say they have insufficient evidence. so why now reopen it? >> it's hard to figure out exactly what they might have now. meaning in this type of case, it's corroborating evidence that becomes the key. which is what did she tell other people at the time? what else does she have that could back up her claim? and based on the very specifics of this allegation, the police report, it's hard to imagine what she has that's new, or what they've seen that's new. >> but do you think it's triggered by the national enquirer piece that came out yesterday? >> sure. >> when they talk about the pants that she supposedly has that might have a stain on them and a friend she called right afterwards? >> yeah, i would think that that is why they're reopening this. but, again, based on this type of allegation, even if they have that sort of evidence, you would think, "a," they might have had it in 2009, right? when they're questioning her, what do you have to back this up, et cetera? it's just hard to believe that now they have more evidence. remember, the longer you get away from the time something happened, the harder a case is, both to investigate and prove. memories fade. evidence disappears. et cetera. so you generally, it makes it harder, as you get further away from the time. >> in the paper, the "enquirer" will not say whether or not they paid her for her story but they did say in the past the lawyer offered to sell the story for $1 million. how much will that possibly hurt her credibility, if that is, in fact, the case? >> a lot. the fact that there's discussion of the civil lawsuit, instead of criminal. the fact that -- >> back in 2006. >> right. allegations, allegations of payoffs, et cetera, that hurts her credibility a lot. both, i think, with the investigators, and in the court of public opinion. >> and the fact that she didn't speak to the investigators until 2009, is that common in a sexual assault case? >> it can be, yes. people can be reluctant to come forward in sexual assault cases. but, the combination of the fact that she waited until 2009, the fact that the authorities then felt that they had insufficient evidence at that time, and now this reopening of the case, does lead you to have questions as to why? what is it that they think they might have that would lead them to reopen this case? now, again, reopening an investigation, let's not overstate that. that doesn't necessarily mean that they're looking at the whole case again, and that they think that there could be something that happened. it literally could be something very procedural where they say look, we've seen some new things we haven't seen before, as a result we're going to take another look at it. but i think it's likely that this investigation is going to open and close without any charges again. >> all right, dan abrams, thank you very much. >> all right. >> and you're going to be back in our next half hour to talk about the kyron horman case as well. let's get a check of the rest of the top stories. ann curry is back at her post at the news desk. >> good morning to you. missed you. great to be back. good morning once again, everybody. in the news this morning, in addition, today, president obama is launching a push for immigration reform and is to explain what he believes a comprehensive approach is the way to fix the immigration system. aides say that today's speech was prompted by arizona's recent passage of its own controversial immigration law. general david petraeus is briefing nato today on his plans for the war in afghanistan. petraeus was confirmed unanimously by the senate on wednesday as the war's top commander. today, the body of the late senator robert byrd lies in repose in the senate chamber. the president and vice president will attend a memorial service on friday for byrd, the longest-serving senator in u.s. history. toyota says more than a quarter of a million cars sold worldwide, including lexus sedans, have potentially faulty engines that might cause the cars to stall. the company is said to be considering a recall. overseas markets are lower after another down day on wall street. on wednesday, cnbc's trish regan joins us now with more on this. trish, what are you watch dag? >> lots of stuff, ann. for one thing, we've got some rather poor economic data out of china that's igniting more fears about a global slowdown. meantime, you've got the jobs report here in the u.s. coming out tomorrow. there was a jobs report yesterday, a private sector jobs report that really indicated things were not looking that great, so overall, people are worried. but i do want to point out the former fed chief alan greenspan on cnbc said that he does not anticipate the economy going back into recession. no double dip there. so we'll see. >> that's a bit of good news. thanks so much, trish regan. also in the news, phish t fbi wiretaps are being played at the trial of former illinois governor rod blagojevich where he is fighting accusations that he tried to profit from filling barack obama's old senate seat. we get details on this story from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: in federal court, it's rod blagojevich, unplugged. >> i've got this thing, and it's [ bleep ] golden. and i'm just not giving it up for [ bleep ] nothing. >> reporter: what he had was the power to fill president obama's senate seat. what he wanted was a cushy new job. according to testimony, then-senator obama said before the election he wanted longtime friend and now senior adviser valerie jarrett to get the seat. on secret fbi wiretaps in the days after the 2008 election, blagojevich discussed how to get a cabinet post or an ambassadorship out of it. but the obama camp wouldn't go along. >> well, okay, so we know he wants her. they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. [ bleep ] them. >> reporter: he talked about appointing himself, just to be difficult. >> i don't want to spite them but i almost want to [ bleep ] -- >> reporter: blagojevich decided the best go-between would be the new first lady. >> he's more henpecked than me. so he listens to michelle obama. >> reporter: there's no allegation that anyone at the white house did anything wrong. blagojevich says he hasn't committed any crimes, and that the fbi tapes are being taken out of context. >> i can't wait to testify to set the record straight, and clarify some of these kmpgss. >> reporter: he'll get his chance when the defense takes over in the days ahead. john yang, nbc news, chicago. and it is now 7:15. let's go back to meredith, matt and al. probably enough said about that. >> yeah. >> for the moment. >> probably. >> nice to see you. how about the rest of your forecast m >> low humidity today, plenty of sunshine, and ice temperatures. 78 to 82 degrees. tonight, clear skies, mid-50's again. and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. the so-called tanning tax, one of the provisions in the new federal health care law, goes into effect today. while it could generate some $2.7 billion in the next ten years, it has some tanning salon users seeing red. nbc's kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill with more on that. kelly, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. most people have never even heard of this tax. it was just a tiny section in that more than 1,000-page health care reform law. but if you visit an indoor tanning salon, you'll pay it. starting today, you'll spend more -- >> it's completely unfair. >> reporter: -- to spend those five or ten minutes under the lamps. >> personally, i don't believe in taxing behavior. >> reporter: but that is the idea. living in the bronze age, an obsession with the perfect tan. for sun lovers. real, and fictional. who feel the burn all the while knowing skin cancer is on the rise. >> but you need sunblock down here. >> no, you gotta use oil. >> reporter: while you can't put a tax on the sun, the so-called safe bake is another story. 28 million tanning salon customers must now fork over an extra 10% because the government says indoor tanning drives up medical costs. >> i don't think it's going to discourage people from doing it. >> yeah, of course, i'm worried about losing business. >> reporter: about 19,000 tanning salon owners are now required to raise prices under the health care reform law. much like taxes on cigarettes are intended to curb smoking. advocates say the 10% tax could reduce indoor tanning. >> here's a behavior that directly raises the cost of health care by increasing skin cancer. so it's appropriate that perhaps some of that cost is offset by this tax. >> reporter: and there's a new public service campaign, aimed at young women. doctors say the deadliest skin cancer, melanoma, is up sharply in women under 30. >> when jamie was a teenager, she would spend her lunch hours going to the tanning salons. >> reporter: some customers say they accept the health risks, and don't want the tax. >> they can also go to the extreme and have police on the beaches walking by and making sure you have your suntan lotion on and make sure it's spf 30 so you don't get skin cancer. >> reporter: and the tanning association say they want people to see this as a women's issue, because most customers, and even most salon owners, are women, so they'd be hit harder with the tax. but backers here in congress say that extra money will help defray the cost of new services and new programs in the health care reform law. matt? >> all right, kelly o'donnell on capitol hill. kelly, thanks very much. just ahead, why is kyron horman's stepmother hired a prominent defense attorney? we'll have new details on that and the 911 calls placed from inside the horman home. first, this is "today" on nbc. i was going to say, i was thrilled when i saw that video of you at fenway park the other day with your son jack. >> i have to say, first of all thanks to the red sox people. they could not have been nicer. i wanted my son, we're baseball fans. may not be red sox fans, but i wanted him to see one of the great parks in all of baseball. the seats were terrible, though. every time big papi used the rosin bag, i got covered in the dust. >> how do you, a yankee fan, get those seats? and i, a red sox fan, am way up in the bleachers? >> i made a very smart call. one very smart call. we can talk after the show. >> all right, we will. just ahead, new details on the femme fatale in the russian spy case. 28-year-old anna chapman and her lavish lifestyle. >> plus what it's like to raise an 18-month-old girl. cone on, kiddo, let's go. hold on a second... come on up here, where your brothers sit. 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. now, get 0% apr for 60 months on a 2010 traverse with an average finance savings of around fifty four hundred dollars. see your local chevy dealer. 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[ female announcer ] depression hurts. cymbalta can help. with 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. time for a check on the morning commute. >> some of the delay is falling into place a little bit later. we are looking at some time traffic pattern. and around mount carmel, things are starting to slow it there. merritt boulevard and westville road, watch for an accident in the dundalk region. here is some water in the road. all lanes are open, though. as far as delays, the heaviest spot is southbound 95, in the red, two miles per hour--- two miles per hour on average. we are experiencing some delays on the west side outer loop. this is a very slow spot did you can take pulaski highway as your alternate. sandra has a check on the forecast. >> it is very comfortable out there. 58 in parkton. only 59 in westminster. it will feel pleasant not only today at 78 to 82 degrees, but more of the same tomorrow. this is after a nice, clear night. for saturday, all warm up. just in time for the fourth of july, we are really going to see a heat surge. up to 94 on the fourth. going to drive for the foreseeable future. -- going to be dry for the possible future. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back in 25 minutes. 7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 1st of july, 2010. about 64 degrees. big change from earlier in the week. we are going to heat things up tomorrow when maroon 5 takes to our summer concert stage for a live show in the 8:30 half hour. if you're here, come on down. it will be a great show. inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer alongside meredith vieira. just ahead an important warning for parents as we enter a long holiday weekend. >> that's right. 70 children have drowned since memorial day alone. and with a lot of families getting ready to head to pools and beaches for the fourth, there's a new safety campaign you need to know about. >> also ahead, she's accused russian spy living as a party girl here in new york city. a case that has catapulted anna chapman into an internet sensation. we're going to get the latest on her arrest and that kind of wild story just ahead. >> totally wild. plus women can now have children much later in life, even after menopause. but just how safe is it for both mother and child? we're going to delve into that coming up. and also hear from the world's oldest mom, who is raising her first child at the age of 71. >> all right. let's begin this half hour with serious news. terri horman, stepmother of 7-year-old kyron horman and the last family member to see him before his disappearance, has now reportedly hired a prominent defense attorney. miguel almaguer is in portland, oregon, with the latest on this. miguel, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. terri horman hasn't made any public statements, and while she's under increased scrutiny, a high profile attorney has confirmed to a local newspaper he is representing the stepmother. although he offered no comment, prominent criminal defense attorney steven house was seen in a car with terri horman and over an hour later, captured driving away. the road that leads to the home terri shired with kyron, the missing 7-year-old, is both secluded and private. much like the situation the stepmother now finds herself in. kyron's father kaine has filed for divorce and moved their 1-year-old daughter out of their home. this as detectives are said to have given terri at least two polygraph tests as terri was pressured by both family and investigators, "people" magazine was inside kyron's home just before his father and stepmother split. an atmosphere of both angst and anger. >> when terri walked in to the room, and into the house, the father, he was still continuing the interview, and they really did not speak and so the reporter could feel that, you know, maybe something, you know, was wrong. >> reporter: something was also wrong after the "people" magazine interview. on saturday, the day kaine horman and his daughter moved out, two 911 calls were made from the horman home. although investigators refuse to release details, we now know the first call was for a physical threat, and the second made hours later, was for a custody issue. terri horman, who helped raise kyron, may not be speaking publicly, but criminal profilers say the new family dynamic speaks volumes. >> here we see a husband and wife split apart, a man running out the door with the child. he really believes at this point that his wife is involved with the disappearance of his son. >> reporter: detectives have never named terri horman as a suspect in this case. but investigators put her picture with kyron's on a flyer distributed to generate new leads. and now it appears a step mom who once stood in between kyron's biological parents is now clearly on the outside. >> we believe her father and her mom, they're at home with her, and some friends will come to see her. but she's pretty much isolated. her husband has left. she doesn't have a daughter. someone she lovesery much. and she's right now, essentially by herself. >> reporter: terri horman may be alone, but this morning, she's in the middle of widespread speculation. david house has represented an nba basketball player in the past, and also taken on previous clients before, and while he's highly regarded in this area, neither he or terri horman are speaking this morning. matt? >> all right, miguel almaguer in portland for us this morning. miguel, thanks very much. dan abrams back now. he's our chief legal analyst. dan, good morning again. we should say right off the bat, just because someone hires an attorney, a defense attorney, especially considering she's been asked to take polygraphs, she was the last family member to see this young boy before his disappearance, that's not an admission of guilt. >> she should have had a lawyer a long time ago. i mean the fact that she's just getting a lawyer now to me is surprising. put the fact that she's allegedly taken polygraph tests, the fact that people are talking about her as a possible suspect, her father has even said he thought there was a 50/50 chance she'd be arrested, of course she needs a lawyer. >> here's one thing that we, you know, we have to talk about. a restraining order against her has been granted in this case. you don't go to kmart to get a restraining order, you go to a judge. so the judge had to have probable cause to issue that? >> it means that there's something else out there that we as the public don't know yet. that the husband knows about. that the court knows about. and that's led this court to say, not only does she have to stay away from him, but she can't be near their child, as well. and i think that's really important to think about. although doesn't necessarily mean she'll get arrested in connection with this case. there's something else we don't know. >> this young boy, kyron, has been missing for about a month now. so obviously the stress level within that family has got to be huge, as it would be in any family. so, does it strike you, when the person from "people" magazine, who was in that home, couple of days before the divorce filing, says there was obvious tension, should are -- is it possible we read too much into that? >> look, we also know that there were 911 calls made from the house on saturday. a couple days -- >> this is a tense situation between a husband and a wife. >> that's right. there's no question that there's tension in the household. but, again, the restraining order, i think, adds something to that. so it's not just husband angry at wife. husband worried about wife. it's literally something where there's a concern for the physical safety of their child. >> right. again, the division in this family, the unified front, has been broken. whether it's been broken by the police investigators or something else, the investigators now use that to their advantage, don't they? >> oh, no question. and i think that it's likely the investigators are giving the family more, or as much information, as they're giving back. because, remember, it's the investigators who are going to determine what happened here. the family may have a thought about it, a position on it, a feeling about it. but ultimately the investigators are going to be the one who make the decision, do we move forward with an arrest? >> so if, in fact, she has hired, terri horman has hired this prominent defense attorney steven house, he's a guy on his website i think it says he's a champion of unpopular causes, what does he have to do first in this case? >> first of all it cuts both ways when you hire a high profile lawyer like that. on the one hand it's someone who knows how to deal with the media attention, et cetera, on the other hand you get sort of lumped in with other clients that this person has had. some of them, as you point out, unpopular. some of them portland trail blazers, et cetera. but one of the most important things i think he wants to do is try not to get her vilified in the court of public opinion. so he's going to focus a lot on what information is released. what information isn't released. trying to figure out exactly what the investigators have, because he doesn't want to be blindsided on this. but he also wants to make sure that the community doesn't start galvanizing together against her at this early time. >> all right, dan, thanks, as always. appreciate it. it's 7:38. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> thank you very much, mr. lawymr. mr. lauer. got some nice friends here. where are you from? >> ohio. >> what part? >> columbus. >> all right, very nice, all right. let's check your weather, shall we, see what we've got going on? afternoon temperatures looking pretty good. 80s and 90s down through florida. we've got cooler conditions along the gulf because of the rain, with of course, alex. 90s to 100s southwest into the plains. risk of strong storms there in the central plains. clouds in the pacific northwest. showers in extreme northern new england, and of course with alex moving vi >> pleasant today. 79 degrees for the daytime high. low humidity. on the >> and don't forget, whether you got a hurricane out there or anything, check your weather any time of the day or night, weather channel on cable, weather.com online. meredith? >> al, thank you. and now to new details in that alleged russian spy scandal. nine of the suspects are scheduled to appear in court today, as we learn more about the people arrested in the case. nbc's andrea mitchell has the latest. good morning, andrea. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. intelligence experts are hard-pressed here to figure out just what the russians were thinking. sending ten suspected spies to live under deep cover here, looking like average americans, all except one, anna chapman, who was anything but average. she was a new york party girl, and now an internet sensation. 28-year-old anna chapman, seductive, describing herself as the founder of an online real estate firm. >> i watched this business purely because i wanted to help someone. >> reporter: the fbi says chapman was actually working for russian intelligence. at a starbucks in midtown manhattan or a barnes & noble downtown setting up a closed wireless network on her laptop to pass messages to her handler in a minivan outside. here's chapman promoting herself in a video for a business conference. >> i think the most challenging part of my life, really started when i quit all my jobs, really cut all my salaries, and really did something i wanted to do. >> reporter: the fbi says chapman and the others used invisible ink, secret codes, blending in, and in chapman's case, living the manhattan high life. >> i want -- >> reporter: russian agents buried thousands of dollars in cash upstate to finance their cover stories. >> that's a lot of money to be handing out, you know. that caught my eye because that means that they expected something from it. but there's no evidence that they got very much. >> reporter: no couple appeared more all-american than two of the other suspects, richard and cynthia murphy, seen here in their new jersey backyard. 13-year-old blake played with their kids. >> i was totally surprised. it's -- out of anyone on the block, they would be the last people that you'd expect. >> reporter: wednesday the mailman made his normal drop at the murphy house. neighbors are still amazed. >> i mean, it was nothing that was like suspicious or anything that was odd. >> reporter: and what about the unwitting americans the accused spies were allegedly cultivating for information? >> some of them may have already been contacted. some of them may have picked up the paper this morning and said, oh, my gosh, that's the guy i play tennis with every tuesday. >> reporter: today anna chapman remains in solitary confine month in a brooklyn jail, denied bail. her court-appointed lawyer is considering an appeal. the nine other suspects, though, will have bond hearings today in federal courts from manhattan to boston, alexandria, virginia, and seattle, washington. meredith? >> all right, andrea mitchell, thank you very much. and up next, the startling rise in the number of drownings. 70 in the last month alone. summer safety warning to parents right after this. 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than five dozen children nationwide have already died in drownings. and every one is a case study in how a fun day at the pool can quickly turn into tragedy. expert swimmers aren't supposed to drown in swimming pools. >> that is fast. >> reporter: but 12-year-old brennan, on june 5th, he won five events in a colorado swim meet, and qualified for the all-stars meet. at a birthday pool party the next day, life guards pulled his body from the shallow end. he drowned in four feet of water. >> within a half hour's time, he went from being an excellent swimmer to being pulled from the bottom of the swimming pool. >> reporter: investigators still don't know how or why he died. and unfortunately, his is not an isolated story. across the country, just since memorial day, there have been 70 drownings involving children, and another 80 near drownings. now, for the first time, the consumer product safety commission, the red cross and ymca are teaming up for an urgent summertime pool message. >> you can never know which pool safety tip will save a life. until it does. >> reporter: the numbers are striking. every year, 300 children younger than 5 drown in pools and spas. more than 3,000 end up in emergency rooms. >> drowning is the leading cause of death for children 6 and under. and those drownings are preventable. >> reporter: experts say pool safety is about the basics. life rings and floats should be nearby. never leave a child unattended. fence off private pools to keep kids out. keep kids away from pool drains and pipes. use floating alarms to sound a warning should a child fall in. and in public pools -- >> no please. >> reporter: cpr-trained life guards should never lose focus. >> from top to bottom of that water is our number one priority, to keep you safe. >> reporter: while drennan's death is still under investigation, vigilance, say his parents, is everyone's job. and life guards have a special responsibility. >> life guarding is not a summer job. it's a serious, serious job. life-saving job. and to be aware of what's going on in that pool. >> reporter: there is some good news. since congress started requiring these new drain covers to go over drains at pools, there hasn't been a single case of a child being trapped by a drain, being held down. prior to that law, quite a few children were drowning or being injured. lastly it's not just pools and spas. meredith, here in washington, in just the last year, eight people have died in the potomac river. back to you. >> all right, tom costello, thank you very much. and just ahead, joran van der sloot indicted for trying to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from natalee holloway's mother. we'll get the very latest. maybe about remodeling your kitchen with all new ge profile appliances isn't just how great it will look when you're finished, it's the $1,000 rebate you can receive, which you could use to buy something new in your life, or put it right in the bank. ♪ remodel and renew with a rebate of up to $1,000 when you buy select ge profile appliances. hi, jay bush and duke here to introduce new bush's black bean fiesta....whoa... you can't tell everyone about new black bean fiesta. but it's perfectly cooked black beans, in a zesty "south of the border" chipotle sauce with red and green peppers, onion, and crisp corn. a bold new taste. i know. but i want people to think i'm a great cook. so hide. delicious! can i have your recipe? your secret is safe with me. hello... new bush's black bean fiesta. and try new texas ranchero, along with our other grillin' beans flavors. welcome back. >> yeah. >> you've been out for awhile. >> i was on a shoot yesterday, actually, the day before. you know, i was gone for aheil. you know what i did? i unplugged for 12 days. >> no twitter, no nothing? >> nothing. you know what? you start to shake. and then after a few days, you start to really relax. i mean, it reminded me of what life was once like. >> did you realize after that you really don't need that stuff? >> no i realized i do need it. it's like coffee. you don't want to drink so much that you need it. >> or bourbon. >> anyway. so. i recommend it. >> we'll be back. >> great to be with all you guys. >> coming up, the oldest mother who gave birth to her first child at 70. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] when you drink pepsi, you support the pepsi refresh project. so, this 4th of july, choose pepsi. ♪ it's not ready yet. 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[ male announcer ] remove three times more soap scum per swipe with the new mr. clean magic eraser bath scrubber. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. we want to get another check on the morning commute. sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11 standing by. >> we have an accident coming in the city. frankford ave and radecke avenue, watch for delays and possibly lanes closed there. these delays are falling into place from white marsh towards the 895 split. once you get out of fort mchenry, you are in good shape. a bit of a slow spot on the north side heavier on the west side, 21 miles per hour. 795 looks good. milton avenue, watch for a water main break. no lanes closed catonsville volume-related delays on southbound 83 from mount carmel towards belfast. that's to be a live look outside. this is where things are on the outer loop west side. looking pretty good on 40 west. prior to that, you were going to experience delays. the desolate traffic pulse 11. sandra as a check on the forecast. >> it is 67 downtown. a very low humidity. 61 in westminster. adding for all high today in the upper seventies. winds out of the northwest at 5 to 10 miles per hour. more of the same tomorrow. 80 and sunday. warming up on saturday, into the mid-80s. really warming up on sunday. 94 for the fourth of july. >> back at 8:25 with another live update. 8:00 now on this thursday morning. 1st day of july, 2010. that is the view from the top of the rockefeller plaza. what a gorgeous day here in new york. all of our friends who have come here and gathered on the plaza, gearing up for that long, holiday weekend. today we have just the king to thick off your celebration. a live summer concert on the plaza from grammy winners maroon 5. next friday we'll have lady gaga, bringing her larger than life show to our summer concert series. i'm meredith vieira with matt lauer and al roker. how old is too old to have a baby? >> you think for a woman? i was an old father. my first child, i was -- 43, around there. but i mean, there's a woman, we're going to actually meet, who had her first child at the age of 70. >> wow. >> women are having children later and later in life. but we're also going to take a look in this half hour at some of the medical and ethical issues involved when women start having children after menopause. >> on a different topic, we're going to meet some real cheap skates. and we mean that in the most flattering way. absolutely. in fact we're going to show you how you can learn about living a happy life on a lot less than you think you need. >> all right. first let's get a check of the top stories. ann curry is back at her post. >> hey, meredith, thank you so much. good morning once again, v. there is some good news to report about hurricane alex. it's now losing strength, and it's downgraded to a tropical storm. after coming ashore last night south of the texas/mexico border. still some heavy rain and high winds are expected today. there are reports that at least 13 people have been killed in mexico when it was still a category 2 hurricane. and although south texas was spared a direct hit, flooding, power outages, and at least two tornadoes are being reported there. president obama launches a push for immigration reform today with a speech emphasizing the federal government's responsibility to secure borders. and the need for illegal immigrants to own up to their actions so they can begin the process of becoming citizens. supporters of supreme court nominee elena kagan to be confirmed next month by the full senate. she wrapped up her testimony on wednesday before the senate judiciary committee. nine people arrested last weekend as part of an alleged russian spy ring in the u.s. face bail hearings today. on monday, a judge denied bail for another suspect, 28-year-old anna chapman. a new indictment wednesday means cases against joran van der sloot are moving forward on two continents. nbc's michelle kosinski is in lima, peru, with more on this story. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. the judge here has just given the first real sense of how long joran van der sloot will have to wait in prison in his solitary cell for his murder trial. four to six months, and that's at least. so we're seeing this case progress, as well as the one against him in the u.s. on the same day joran van der sloot appealed a judge's decision said his confession to murder will stand in peru. he was indicted in the u.s. on federal extortion charges. that's for allegedly trying to get a quarter of a million dollars out of natalee holloway's mother, in exchange for the location of her daughter's remains in aruba. information the feds say was bogus. ♪ this day was also the somber, emotional one-month memorial for stephany flores. the young business student joran is accused of viciously beating to death in his hotel room here after they played poker together. an especially trying day for stephany's family. her father had to give a statement before the judge as part of the investigation. >> translator: just now i am starting to really feel the absence of my daughter, a month later, and today was very hard. we want the judicial process to move forward in the most transparent way, and with the full weight of the law. >> reporter: officials here say it appears joran van der sloot has now agreed to do a sit-down interview with a dutch tv station. that's expected to happen soon, and his dutch attorney is also expected to come here to help with his case. ann? >> all right, michelle kosinski this morning. michelle, thanks. and on a much lighter note you might just want to see this next story. hollywood legend kirk douglas, now 93 years old, cut the ribbon on wednesday with his wife ann at a los angeles play ground renovated by his foundation, which restored some 400 playgrounds. you can see it brought out the kid in everyone. now let's go back outside to two other kids. >> he looked great. >> i know, didn't he? >> never too old to slide on the slide. mr. roker's here with a check of the weather. it's kind of chilly and breezy out here. >> it is. >> how great is kirk douglas? that is just terrific. hey, we've got some friends here from cleveland who say they love new york city. but, you don't want -- you don't want lebron coming here? >> not leaving cleveland. >> he was looking at a townhouse here. i'm telling you. we'll see. all right. come on, lebron! here, new york! anyway let's take a look, see what's going on as far as pocatello, idaho, news channel 6. sunny and warm, 88 degrees. latest on alex, weakening but still a hurricane, 180 miles southwest -- actually now a tropical storm. 180 miles southwest of brownsville. winds down to 70 miles per hour. it's moving west at 12 miles per hour. we still have flood watches and flash flood watches from brownsville all the way to biloxi, mississippi. rainfall, generally 3 t >> are gorgeous july 1. mostly sunny skies, low humidity. we head into tonight, 55 and >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. still to come on a thursday morning, the man who actually lost his face to cancer, and the woman who stood by him, share their touching story. but up next, how old is too old to have a child? we'll meet the world's oldest mom. ♪ [ man ] blue one. recessed lighting. it's absolutely -- blue one. ♪ [ grunts ] blue one. 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[ female announcer ] maybe the biggest surprise about remodeling your kitchen with all new ge profile appliances isn't just how great it will look when you're finished, it's the $1,000 rebate you can receive, which you could use to buy something new in your life, or put it right in the bank. ♪ remodel and renew with a rebate of up to $1,000 when you buy select ge profile appliances. back at 8:09 with the world's oldest mom. it used to be that a woman's child-bearing years were over when she hit menopause. now thanks to science that's all changing. nbc maura schiavo-campo has details. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. advances in fertility treatment have made it possible for women to get pregnant later and later in life. and in india, where there is an enormous stigma attached to not having children, some women are taking it to the furthest extreme. raji is old enough to be a great-grandmother. born during the great depression, she's lived in this small indian farming village her whole life. but remarkably, this old woman is a new mom. she gave birth at 70, making her the world's oldest mother. now, 71, she spends her days caring for 18-month-old namine, even breast-feeding. what made you want to have a child so late? >> translator: i would have wanted a child, even if i was 100 years old. seeing others with their children, i wanted one, too. >> reporter: the baby was conceived through ivf here at the national fertility center a few hours' drive from new delhi. this small, nondescript clinic is fast becoming ground zero for old women who want a baby. >> translator: i did this because people used to mock us. >> reporter: pressure on childless couples in india can be enormous. after trying to have a child for decades, 66 yield bateri and her husband came to the clinic for help. she got pregnant on the third ivf attempt and in may got her life's greatest wish, three times over. making her the oldest woman ever to have triplets. >> i was very happy when i held them. i felt so happy inside. >> translator: she cried with happiness. >> reporter: the babies, two boys and a girl, were born severely underweight at just 26 weeks. the smallest, just 1.7 pounds. the clinic says in the last few years they've helped more than 65 women over the age of 50 have children. is any age too old? >> no. if you are healthy, the age doesn't matter. >> reporter: but it's not just happening here in india. all over the world, women are deciding that it's never too late to become a mom. in britain, elizabeth became the oldest first-time mom at 66. in 2006, spanish woman maria deladda gave birth to twins at 66. that same year in california, 62-year-old great grandmother janice wolf had her 12th child. here in the u.s., there's no official age cutoff for ivf but many doctors just won't do it past menopause, saying pregnancy late in life carries health risks for the mother, and the babies. >> we didn't evolve to have kids in our 50s and 60s, and some would say god didn't design us to have kids in our 50s and 60s. through science we can push the envelope somewhat with women in their 40s. but the 50s and 60s create other problems that we need to keep in mind. >> reporter: tragically, bateri has learned that firsthand. while two of her babies are growing and healthy, her smallest child died last week, less than a month old. just too small and too weak to survive. 71-year-old raji also isn't well. suffering from what she believes are postoperative complications after her cesarean. though the doctor claims her illness is unrelated to the surgery. >> translator: i've been very weak. i'm on medication. >> reporter: still, she has no regrets. she will not die a barren woman. >> translator: i'm at peace and i'm happy. >> reporter: peace and happiness finally found, after giving birth to a baby, and a lifelong dream. now, aside from health considerations, there's also the concern that older mothers don't have long to live. the spanish woman who gave birth at 66, she died just three years later. but the doctor at the indian fertility clinic said that doesn't concern him at all, and for who cares for the children once the parents are gone is not his responsibility. >> all right, thank you very much. dr. nancy synderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning, nancy. >> hi, meredith. >> -- not my clinic, not my problem goes to the real, moral aspect of this entire issue. >> and there is an ethical issue here. >> there's a cultural aspect and there's a moral aspect. and i think at the end of the day we have to say just because you can move science forward, should you move science forward? we know in some cultures, these indian women, to be barren as one of the women mentioned, means you don't have a place in society. as a woman you don't have your self-worth. but if that technology can work in an outlying clinic in india, it is science that can be applied in any country around the world, and the safeguards and guidelines are, frankly, rather squishy. >> how is it physically possible for these women to get pregnant? >> you pump them up with hormones. you take a younger woman's egg. >> so it's never their egg. >> at the age of 70 i would doubt it. because they really are shrivelled up old eggs. you get a young person's egg. maybe it's a 15-year-old on the street who you paid for eggs and you harvest the eggs. and then you can take an elderly person's sperm, because men create sperm every few weeks. you fertilize that egg and then you implant it in mom, but you keep her pumped up with hormones to allow the pregnancy to continue. however you notice those babies were born prematurely. 26 weeks. going to term for a 70-year-old, that's a feat in itself. >> so what are the medical risks, besides premature birth? >> if you look at mom, you look at all the problems that go with old age, high blood pressure problems, strain on the heart and lungs. you're carrying extra weight, so strain on legs. premature birth, spontaneous abortion. really common. and then bleeding and healing afterwards. that is just the beginning laundry list that you're looking at. >> so what happens to the body after menopause that makes it so risky for this kind of -- >> if you look at how we are as human beings. we start menstruating in our teen years to prepare our bodies to get pregnant. and we enter menopause the time for fertility is done and then we pass into our senior years. and that's just a natural ebb and flow in life. you're supposed to depart this world and leave space for someone else. the problem is, when you try to fool mother nature, and you try to increase pregnancy in older people, there's a risk to mom. a risk to baby. and then that moral, ethical issue. when you die, who is going to take care of that baby. >> you know -- >> we hear this all the time -- and this is one of those times i can just say, life is not fair. men make sperm up to the day they drop dead. you and i are born with the eggs we have, and they die over life. the thing is at the end of the day you have to say this, do you want a parent, or do you want to pop a baby out through the birth candle? those are two very, very different questions. and popping a baby out and bringing life to another human being is not the same thing as parenting. >> bottom line, how old is too old? >> i think the really ethical clinics around this country will really talk very, very candidly to a woman in her early 50s. and really 50-ish is really the cutoff. >> so it's not the end of -- the beginning of menopause then, in your mind. if you're still menstruating in your 50s. >> this is where you have to sit down and talk to the good clinics where they have social workers, psychiatrists, fertility doctors. it's not just about the hormones and the eggs. it's about the bigger, broader question. and the good places, if they realize that a woman is not mentally fit, or this is some kind of gymnastics or a chance to get a guinness book of world records, they will not do this. this is where good doctors say to women, thank you very much for coming in today, but we're not going to proceed. and that takes guts. the doctor in this piece, who is in india, he crosses so many moral and ethical boundaries for me, but the problem is, when there are rogue doctors like this and rogue clinics everywhere, the science can lead the way, and a moral and ethical -- >> -- being barren -- >> but the technology is there. which means people around the country will do it. people around the world will do it. >> dr. nancy synderman, thank you so much. up next, what those cheapskates next door can teach you about saving thousands of dollars every year. right after this. ♪ there's so many ways to love ya ♪ ♪ i mean like, oh, my gosh ♪ i'm so in love -- ♪ make me wanna say oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh-oh ♪ [ horn honks ] [ tires squeal ] oprah: join me and liberty mutual insurance. drive responsibly. take the pledge. it's laughs over a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad. catching up over wood-grilled shrimp and chicken. and with lunches starting at just $6.99... it's an hour you wouldn't trade for anything. that's what's gonna happen here. ♪ because you're tasty with toasty whole grain. 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surprising secrets of the cheapskate lifestyle. cheapskates may look like everybody else, but behind closed doors, there's one thing that stands out. they live below their means. whether they have six figure incomes or qualify for public assistance, they spend a fraction of what most americans spend. jeff yeager is the author of the new book "the cheapskate next door: the surprising secrets of americans living happily below thy means." jeff, welcome back. >> good morning, matt. summertime and the living is cheap and easy. >> i know you love that saying. is that the definition of a cheapskate in your opinion? someone who lives below their means? >> it certainly is. and you know, i don't use the term in the pejorative sense. these are people who are leading a virtuous life. they're happier because they spend considerably less than they earn. >> as a matter of fact for most of my life the cheapskate label has been a derogatory term. you're saying we should emulate these people. >> we have entered the age of thrift and frugality. >> you gave out a questionnaire. you talked to some of these people in your travels. you found that cheapskates on average buy smaller, more affordable homes than the typical american. so are they weighing efficiency and affordability against comfort? >> and against rice. and they've been doing this all along. that's why they're not hurt by the burst of the housing bubble. on average they figured out what they could borrow for a home and spent only about 75% of that. >> these guys did not get caught up in the crazy mortgages? >> they're not losing sleep at night. >> and you also found that something like 65% of cheapskates plan to pay off their mortgages early, or already have? >> actually 85%. >> i need my glasses. six looked like an eight. i've got to pay for better glasses. >> the dollar store has them. >> so they're paying off their mortgages earlier. >> absolutely. >> and they're not only getting out of the financial burden of that, they're alleviating the stress of that. >> and that's the key. that's the key to their lives is they're happier because of it. >> when cheapskates, you felt, pay less for the typical american family on food. on clothing. recreation. far less dining out. i'm curious, do you ever feel that the children of cheapskates might be cheated? >> i think the children are benefited. >> why? >> these are parents who are teaching their kids at a young age about the role that money should play in their life. and that it should be a less important part of their life. they're leaving lives largely of the 1970s. >> this is your second book about cheapskates. let me go through some of these other facts. 75% less on clothing. that fact i mentioned before. they save an average of $3,000 per year by eating meals at home as opposed to restaurants. and they spend 40% less per person per year on groceries. we're talking about couponing. what are we doing? >> half are couponeers. half simply shop the best of the best store specials and cook from scratch. it's all about quality of life. they're enjoying more time with their families at home, because they're spending less eating out. >> so it's a noble calling, according to you. and here's something that surprised me, i have to say. cheapskates give nearly 5% of their annual income to charities. and i'm wondering how that compares to the rest of people. >> it's twice the national average. and i think it makes sense because of the cheapskates i polled, nine out of ten said, you know, this isn't about the money. this is about something bigger in life. a religious belief. environmentalism. it's not about the money at all. >> and some food for thought. you found the divorce rate among married cheapskates polled about half that of the national average. >> now you could say they're too cheap to get a divorce. >> exactly. >> but that's not the case. these are people who talk about money in their marriage, whether they agree with their spouse about it or not and they stress out less about debt and money in general. >> let's give a couple of tips for people how you can save money and not really change your lifestyle. you say order tap water in restaurants. >> if the average american family ordered just tap water with dining out they would save $800 a year. that's a college fund. >> drive a car with a manual transmission. >> older model manual transmission you'll save about $30,000 over the course of your driving life sometime in fuel efficiency and cost to cars and repairs. >> and you want to dry your clothes, do it on a clothesline. >> many garments last 50% longer if you dry them on the line. and they smell better. >> jeff yeager, thanks very much. >> say cheese, matt. >> just ahead, mark bittman, secrets to the fourth of july cookout. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. let's start with a look at the morning commute. still holding onto delays on southbound i-95. plenty of the volume from white marsh to the 895 split. accident at frankford ave just south of radecke ave. fire department activity in essex. cleaning up the roads in the area of eastern boulevard. southbound 95, four miles per hour on average on that stretch. 23 mi. per hour here, perhaps part of it due to disabled vehicle. 14 minutes on the outer loop north east side. west side of it, 12-minute ride from the beltway southwest down to 32. we will switch to 95 in the area of joppa road and plenty of volume there. jammed traffic which might marsh all the way to the 895 split. we want to check in with john collins for the forecast. >> we started the morning at 66 for the morning low. look at all the cool air to the northwest. the temperature now was jumped to 67 degrees. north winds at 6 miles per hour, plenty of sunshine. the area of high pressure will keep all the rain and tropical humidity will to our south not only for the next day, but right through the fourth of july holiday weekend. lots of sunshine, northwest breeze, 78 to 82 the high temperature range. >> we will have another update at 8:55. body rested. stress gone. mind sharp. because unisom gave you deep restful sleep all night. morning early birds. unisom. good night. good morning. that's my wish. >> i think it might be more fun if we did all of this with you. >> so let's break this down so you know who we are. yes, it's true we met at a bar. >> i gave him my number -- >> 8:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 1st day of july, 2010. the search is on for her 11th "today" show wedding couple. alex or alexis and david from texas. they sent us their entry on facebook. they're hoping it's going to be them. to enter all you have to do is head to our web site, todayshow.com. or go to a special web page facebook.com/todayshow. keep in mind the deadline is next friday. that's the 9th of july. >> hmm. >> meanwhile, just ahead, the oscar winning film slum dog millionaire that we loved here at today. now he's one of the stars of a highly anticipated new fantasy film "the last air bender" and this time he's the villain. he's conflicted as a villain. but he is the villain. we'll talk to him. >> doesn't look like a villain. >> no. >> got it. >> and a guy who just doesn't act but he lives grilling and cooking. mr. mark bittman is here. with some easy grilling tips just in time for our july fourth backyard barbecue. he just had a terrific article in the "times" telling you how to grill 101 things. >> wait until you see some of the things he's grilling. >> i'm looking at the hot dogs. >> hot dogs with bacon. >> oh! >> bacon. bacon, bacon, bacon. >> hey, by the way, i just want to note, to remind everybody that maroon 5 is here on friday. you know, they're kind of a -- well they're still hip and happening. probably too much for us. we're going to make our show a little cooler. >> before we get to anything else can we say hello to the members of the u.s. national lacrosse team and their coach? they're gearing up for this month's world championships in manchester, england. kevin, max, and matt are here with their coach mike pressler. guys, good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> let's talk about this. the dominant team in the world for a long time. all right? i think you haven't lost a game since 1978 until 2006. what are you guys going to do to bring home the championship? >> well, it's been a four-year plan for us, so very disappointed we were losing the gold to the canadians. we kind of revamped our entire program and schedule and our goal is to go to manchester and bring back the gold for the u.s. >> kevin you played in the last two world championships. you're the veteran on the team. how are you going to advise these younger guys in terms of what they should do on this journey? >> we're going to get back to basics, back to the fundamentals. and we're going in as the underdogs this time around. so, you know, for us it's going to be just, you know, getting back to the simple things. >> meantime, coach, you are one, let me get this right, you are one of the most successful collegiate lacrosse coaches over the last 20 years. that is pretty imesive. and you've served as assistant coach of the national team in 2002. what do you think your chances are this year? >> it's going to be very difficult. we like our team a lot -- >> you just saying that or really? >> really. and our goal is to go to manchester and win the gold, and bring it back to the u.s. and we like our team. great group of veterans. great group of youths. and very, very determined bunch. looking forward to training camp on monday the 5th. and going up to play the all-stars on thursday on tv. so, it's an exciting week for us and then we leave a week from monday, july 12th, for manchester. >> it's a tough game but it is such a great game to watch. it really is. good luck. we wish you the best. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we brought something for you guys. it's a little going away gift from us. >> oh. >> that's adorable. >> these are great. >> oh, i have one, too? >> thank you very much. >> i got al's here. >> wow. >> used to play. >> that's true, isn't it? >> good luck. >> thank you. >> pleasant today. 79 degrees for the daytime high. low humidity. on the >> and don't forget no matter what time of the day or night you need your weather you can check it out on cable or get weather.com online. everybody okay? >> i'm fine. >> we're going to be careful. >> sorry about that. >> oh. >> am i afraid of thunder? >> that's right. >> thunder. >> all right. up next, mark bittman shares some fast and fabulous grilling recipes for the fourth of july. this morning on "how to cook everything today" we're talking about some grilling recipes just in time for your fourth of july holiday. "new york times" columnist mark bittman is the author of "how to cook everything." mark, good morning. >> good morning. >> happy holidays. you're preaching to the choir here. i think just about everything is better on the grill. >> people always want ideas for grilling. which is why the story's been so popular. >> hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, we all know about that. you've got some unusual things here. you're starting off with grilled guacamole. you put the avocado on the grill? >> cut it in half. grill it just until it softens up a little bit. don't use super, super ripe avocados here and scoop it out. grill onion first so you can get some nice, smoky grilled onions. and the usual, tomatoes, garlic, salt, cumin. >> you've got this more over a griddle grill. could you do this on an open flame grill, as well? >> absolutely. that's actually better. we're trying to conserve space here. >> okay. >> artichokes, a lot of people think they're hard to cook, hard to eat. >> these are great. you have to par boil or microwave them a little bit first. five or ten minutes so they become at least half cooked. and then now you've got a sort of soft, half-cooked artichoke and it's very easy to take out the choke. and you just do that with a spoon. >> okay. then what do you rub a little olive oil or butter on them? >> you oil them and then you grill them. the great thing is, i'm not going to finish this. >> that's okay. >> the great thing is you then grill some onions -- >> that's a lemon. >> thank you. look at that. and the juices come right out and now you have this smoky lehman juice. >> because you could also just cut the lemon in half and do that. >> this is really great. if it's warm you get more juice out. >> okay, fine. i'm not doubting you. >> and look at that. how nice. >> all right. >> grilled coleslaw. >> okay. >> you're absolutely going to put the vegetables on the grill. again are you looking for color or are you looking for flavor? >> you're looking for both. you get a little char on there. some nice, dark color on your cabbage and carrots and stuff. chop it up in the food processor. mayonnaise with vinegar -- >> when you're talking about artichokes and cabbage, you don't want to cook them too long on the grill. >> the artichokes we want tender. these you want to remain a little of their crunchiness. so you want to char them a bit, and sear them. >> typical mayonnaise? >> with a little -- >> you wait until this cools down. you don't put the mayonnaise on something warm. >> right, right. >> clams on the half shell? >> clams casino or whatever. the easiest way to open clams, if you don't have someone who wants to do it for you, is to microwave them for half a minute or so and they will pop. >> i didn't know that. >> and this nice mixture of bread crumbs and parsley and garlic. typical thing right on top. you do this hours in advance, and then reheat them on the grill. >> one of the things you don't get this way, normally clams casino they kind of get that crust on the top. >> right. you get a little of that and you get the great smokiness, too. how we doing? >> timewise we're okay. >> good. >> back to things more recognized. it's nice of you to check. you're becoming a director. >> all right. >> you wrapped them in bacon, why? >> we wrapped -- why? matt. why would you wrap a hot dog in bacon? why would you not wrap a hot dog in bacon? >> it's just a heart attack right there. >> if for a penny, in for a pound. >> so you don't cook the hot dog before you wrap it in the bacon? >> the hot dog is precooked anyway. >> all right. >> and as soon as we're done here. now you're talking. >> those are good hot dogs. >> as far as i know these were invented in new haven, connecticut. the bacon wrapped hot dog. >> are you serious? >> yankee doodle. a coffee shop about the size of this piece of apparatus -- >> grilled dessert. >> grilled pound cake. just brush it with a little butter, i mean look at that. how could you resist? and sock chocolate sauce or fruit or fruitcom post, what could be better. >> all these things can be done on open fire grills as opposed to the kind you've got here? >> oh, yeah. >> mark bittman. 101 things to put on the barbecue. appreciate it. happy fourth of july. nice to see you. we're going to be back with much more ahead on a thursday. first, this is "today" on nbc. famous for his role in the oscar winning film "slum dag millionaire" in his latest film "the last air bender" he played the prince of the evil fire nation who is trying to stop the one person who can save the world. a task that proves to be easier said than done. >> dev, good morning. >> good morning. >> i've missed you. >> i know i missed you. i missed being here. >> we saw you during "slumdog millionaire." boy is this film different from that one? >> it is a complete 180 degree difference for me. characterwise, costumewise. i mean, in slumdog i played a young boy struggling in the slums, trying to find the love of his life, and in this, he's a prince of a fire nation trying to control fire. >> a conflicted character? >> yeah, he's got a bit of a dark streak to him. and he's got a lot of turmoil going on. yeah. >> were you searching consciously for something very different after "slumwashington" because of all the attention it got? everybody connects you with jamal. >> exactly. i remember walking down the street and everyone would be screaming slumdog, slum dog, dev. i wanted to do something to show i had some versatility as an actor. this script came along and couldn't get more different and exciting. >> and what a director you have. >> yeah. i didn't know what to expect because there's so many rumors about the guy, you know, when you're reading the papers and things and i remember getting the call from him when i was doing slumdog press and he said hey, dev, this is night. i was like in m. night shimlen? he was like, yeah. he's a real family man. it's great to be doing a film for kids and family. >> what i didn't know reading about this film, with all the special effects and the martial arts here, you actually have a black belt in karate. now how did that happen? >> yeah. it's actually called tae kwon do. a korean alternative. but i've been training for eight years and it's crazy. my parents are here today, and they -- it's like all these little gifts they gave me as a kid. you know, they're coming to use in my later life and i really have to thank them for it. i'm so glad i had it. i remember getting the call from night and he said do you know martial arts by any chance? i said yep, eight years worth and a black belt. >> possibly you got it because you were a wild kid. they were trying to rein in your nrpg? >> i was a bit hyper, and just about channeling the energy. i grew up watching bruce lee, and jackie chan and jet lee and all the sort of action stars, so i always aspired to be like them. >> so you got your chance, actually, to do a little bit of that. how are you handling all of the attention that you have gotten since slumdog? i mean you're only 20 years old. >> yeah, just turned 20 in april. but it's -- it was a bit overwhelming. because you just go out and complete security and everyone knows the name and the film you've done. but everyone's been really nice and encouraging. it was a really uplifting experience. and you know, this is my second film, "slumdog" was my first. it's a real, nice confidence boost. >> everybody also, then, you know, with all that attention comes prying into personal life. and i know that your co-star, you've been dating but you don't like to talk about that. that's a private thing. >> yes. >> but i also understand that your mom heard on the internet that you were engaged. i wonder what the phone call from your mom to you was like. >> all this time i get a call from my mom when i'm working on a different country. she said so, i hear you're engaged today and you've bought the wedding kak and so many things happening. there's a new story about her son every day. and she's telling her friends no, nothing's happened. but we always have these funny conversations. a new story. >> so nothing has happened? >> no, no. >> just going to clarify that? >> of course not, no. >> i want to put the camera on your parents again for a second. i said this to them out there in the hall and i wanted to say it publicly, you are such a lovely young man. being so incredibly talented and i credit mom and dad. because it's always mom and dad who do it. still when you're back at home you live at home and you're not embarrassed to say that? >> no, of course not. the little time i get to go back home it's nice to be humbled by those two. i put that lightly. but it's great. i hardly see them and to get a bit of mum's cooking once in awhile. it's cool. >> so great to see you. >> thank you so much. >> "the last airbender" hits theaters today. still ahead, how to create an outdoor oasis in your own backyard. brought to you by the pepsi refresh project. every time you choose pepsi you support the pepsi refresh project. >> back now at 8:50 with what do you care about today? we've teamed up with pepsi and the pepsi refresh project to give away $100,000 grant to a deserving nonprofit organization. >> many of you logged on to our website to tell about an organization doing something great in your community. this morning we reveal our four finalists. >> the bay area food bank is a source of hope for people in need. >> and the need is great right now, in the coastal areas near the gulf of mexico. as a result of the massive oil spill, now in its 11th week. >> i think you can tell by the lines of people that are here, there's a lot of pain in this community. >> our job is to provide food for 24 counties, in southern alabama, southern mississippi and the panhandle of florida. we're on track to distribute over 13 million pounds of food this year. >> part of that effort includes the use of their mobile pantry. trucking food directly to communities, like this one in bayou la batre, alabama, that need it the most. >> it's been really hard for my husband to find a job. he had come down to be a deck hand, and that's not working out because there are so many boats that are out of the water right now. >> i had several people came up and said, you know, we can deal with hurricanes. but we always knew we could eat because we could always get fish or shrimp or oysters or something out of the gulf. well, that's not the case anymore. >> urban artworks is a program that's designed to empower you. we've had some problems in their lives. >> over the past 15 years, seattle's industrial district has experienced a colorful makeover, thanks to mike perringer and urban artwork. a group providing teens in the county's court system a unique way to fulfill their community service. >> i come here every saturday, and i just grew into it. over 5,000 kids have passed through the program so far, creating upwards of 2500 public murals. >> it makes you feel special. i did that. it looks professional. >> i painted on the other side. i painted the top. >> using art as a way to improve young lives. >> recidivism rate is about 6%. national average is about 15% to 20%. so everybody seems to think that we're going in the right direction. >> mission of gateway greening is to help people grow food on underused, abandoned land. land that otherwise would either be attracting criminal activity, or trash. >> for the past 26 years, gateway greening has been reinvigorating st. louis, both its land, and its people. >> we want to keep that soil in our beds. >> those efforts include being partners in city seeds, an urban farm and job training program for former addicts and the underemployed. >> they have country boys, city boys. >> farmers, as they're called, are involved each step of the way, from planting the seeds to selling the harvested produce at a local farmer's market. all while earning money and learning skills for the future. >> how many people are employed is how we measure our success. and right now it's around 60% to 70%. >> it's one of the high points in my life now. >> project surf camp is a camp specifically designed for children with special needs. we work with children with autism. children with down's syndrome. mental retardation. >> each summer, campers, along with an army of volunteers, learn how to hang ten at california's murrow strand state beach. >> you want to go surfing with us? yeah? awesome. >> john taylor's mission with project surf camp is a deeply personal one. >> i've had one leg all my life, and i know the therapeutic value to the water. i really wanted others to experience that. it's amazing. >> it's a sentiment the kids, and their families, share. >> i learned how to fly going on the waves. >> daniel has spina bifida. doctors told me daniel would never walk. as you can see, he's not only walking, but he's surfing. he even has autism. i can't believe it, he's actually having fun. he's participating in a simple activity that is bringing him pleasure, which does not happen often in his life. i think it's wonderful. >> oh, great. >> now that you know the finalsist up to you to pick the winner. although i don't know how anyone is going to choose. you can logon to our website todayshow.com by next tuesday, july 6th to vote. good luck. they're all so deserving. >> meanwhile just ahead. a man who lost his face to cancer is going to share a remarkable story. right after your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. republican robert ehrlich has chosen mary kane to be his running mate in his bid to regain the governor's office. she served as his secretary of state during his first term as governor. the montgomery county resident has served at the u.s. chamber of commerce and is married to a former maryland republican party chairman. the former governor made the announcement on his facebook page. back in a minute with a check on >> now let's take a look at the forecast with john collins. >> it is a very, very nice morning. nice, cool air, a big area of high pressure. as the high moves in little further to the east, winds will become more southerly to buy the end of the fourth of july weekend, considerably warmer. today, lots of sunshine. high temperatures around 80 degrees. northwest winds of 5 to 10 miles per hour. tomorrow, verisimilar to today. a little warmer on saturday. it will be a hot and humid as we go into the early part of next week. >> thank you for joining us. another update at endicott 25. -- at 9:25.