Transcripts For WRC Today 20090902

ireicans p ctld e in eofter tt is seat hve ngaoople os a good rning. still a threat. that california wildfire has now p ,tn theim'suatl td fy' burned more than 125,000 acres. pond their legdgg taiusan > th's and while officials say they are thytartreal & making some progress, they have beu we a long way to go. this morning, al takes us righmms right to the front lines. cutest in ra are just not true. the husband of the woman who was high and drunk when she killed trtheye herbavor herself and seven others in a the tailsre rely . b wrong-way crash speaks out and ey cleserow delivers a message to the victims' families. >> a drunk driver did not do oont'sal w w g this to your family. >> this morning reaction from those families. i th>> neinea th and vegas vacation. michael jackson's three children enjoy a weekend on the strip. and an nbc reporter witnesses a >>hi>>at e, strange event while paris gets her hair cut at a hotel salon. what she saw today, wednesday, september 2nd, 2009. le nakes. captions paid for by nbc-universal television llow ke. lhilly al eylnimrt y'rengt thiis o of e common unebfnaku. m live from studio 1a in ate'nesall e rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today" on this wednesday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm lester holt. nt. t n an exrt, yoon'tich iswl filly getting good news from we're back on this wednesday southern california. they're at least gaining some ho wi withore "today," and our cool ground against the so-called sak aid er new quiz show. station fire. time to hit the books and head >> it is now 22% contained with esitt? back to school. we'll test your knowledge on an estimated 127,000 acres yeah gr it its muth o wht some classic back to school deroyed. movies. contestants will watch a clip 6,000 homes remain under hi, everybody. from a famous film and they will it's wednesday. btt mandatory evacuation, however. 's september 2nd. we are excited that you're here >> he cos rinow.esuy areable have to name the film. and as al will show us in just a with us today. moment, the danger still very >> yes, we are very excited. >> why is that, hoda? ey live i d ectems much present. he has a live report. i have my reasons. k kathie lee is right across the and that's coming up just ahead. what are yours? also, the latest on jaycee >> we have a lot of -- we should re go to pophim r the table here. street. clear something from yesterday, now, does aave mth dugard's 18-year-long kidnapping don't you think? >> all right. weet she >> okay. for the ones that don't win, ordeal allegedly at the hands of ualldaat tha ve ht. they get the kathie lee cd. phillip and nancy garrido. somebody wrote in -- who was it that wrote into us and said they during that time period there how do you think the folks will was a point where phillip were upset with us. >> some guy. garrido was in jail. >> some guy wrote in and said he rs h helpay u do across the street? >> i think that'll do really that meant his wife was alone with dugard. we'll talk about that and a lot was upset. well. these are pretty iconic films. anyway -- more with nancy garrido's >> we were talking about there was a survey of america's dirty mostly from the '80s, but i cool. attorney in just a moment. little secrets. nsave an amang think they're going to get them. lester, were you a fan of a lot of people have hygienic he >> a mommy and a daughter from his little secrets they keep, or aring. emat heksa. ochester. hopefully, they'll know. in this 1978 movie musical, the lack of hygienic secrets. >>this >>sot hs tail. "injure r >> this person said -- we gave lead actress had to be thrown "jurassic park"? >> yeah. into the pants she wears in the >> well, your hopes are up our secrets. film because of a broken zipper. answered. there's hopes of bringing woolly i wash my hair a couple times a take a look. week and you don't floss as often as you should. >> hi! he said that was lame. oh, i just love the first day of mammoths, sabre toothed >> he wanted a sexcapade from me school, don't you? >> it's the biggest thrill of my creatured to lester's home. life. >> you'll never guess what's >> i hope it works out better from the '70s. than the movie. i had none. happened? that wasn't until the '80s. >> cri >> probably not. >> they just announced the right now let's get to those >> he said his dirty little goin be 'o wildfires in southern nominees for student council. california. secret was watching us. guess who's up for vice al is live in los angeles. he tgue llyto president? he'll start us off this morning. >> who? al, good morning. artors.a bizar >> reporter: good morning, >> me. >> what's the movie? >> bob from tvsquad.com. lester. behind me you see the >> who we love. >> "grease". devastation. we have nothing personally we'r in big tujunga canyon, the against him. dirty little him to >> it is! >> iconic movie. epicenter. this is where it started. secret. >> he said it was watching us. great one. i saw that when i was just a it's under investigation. lstt t i b. they don't know what started >> that's hardly a dirty little very young girl living in this fire, but the good news is >> co on.ggng on t her england. light winds, higher humidity secret. >> we updated ours a little bit, it somehow escaped me that it have helped firefighters get a oinfe gal was set in the '50s and i grip on this situation. didn't we? thought all american schools i know yours. were like that. however, i got to find out tell the truth. i desperately wanted go to an >> here's the thing. here we go firsthand that these firefights american high school where you can turn really ugly really i have a problem. and that is that i am -- i'm too fast. reute at e paw these could wear leather jackets. as the station fire rolls into crazed about organization and babies. ed.t the's ab3 themn hiert too -- if there's a painting she was 34 in that film. its second week this morning, she was playing a high school firefighters have put the brakes on some of its progress. that's askew in a restaurant, i kid. >> let's go back across to kath. inpe will go and fix -- tovenlobal aasithy'eatehr from the air and from the >> i'll tell you howhis works. >> visiting from vermont. i've been sitting here with you like this, like this, okay? ground, the 3600 firefighters and you're me. this movie -- >> going out with a high school got an assist from higher humidity. and i'm you. and you're like, hey, hey. waing. p.n wi fdeca boy. i like dogs. clean them. >> a little do you to the i'm thinking, what's going on. helyou ks weather, but it's primarily due there's a lamp shade moved a feed them. to the firefighting efforts made >> u.ng to t yd for b nervous creatures that slobber over the last several days. quarter of a millimeter, and you >> reporter: slowed though not all over you. have to right it. >> i told you i've got a ch alittnew get off of me! stalled, the station fire has >> i love that movie. consumed more than 127,000 ia. acres, growing to almost 200 problem. >> whatever that is. >> shown isneing bodakendai 4l dayo y what's the name of it? >> design thing. square miles. >> "clueless." yet containment grew as well. big of a deal. if i cook, rarely, and iou >> yes! >> i nal. ine i't that here you go. from 5% to 22%. there's 100 bucks. >> she was amazing. the director has seen her in the >> right now if i were in a >> , often. boxing match, i think we're >> sometimes. aerosmith videos. even. >> reporter: and firefighters i don't throw out all my pans. spent the night counterpunching with backfires, fighting fire "crazy" and "crying." occasionally i'll go -- is it worth -- i got the pan at she was made whatever and as if with fire, a controlled burn of and all those great -- a baldwin vegetation before the safeway. it's not like it's a good pan. for a really handsome guy. out-of-control fire can reach it might as well just toss it. first. but mandatory evacuations are >> was that the '80s? >> you're a busy woman. still in place for some 6,000 the pan, mwho collects their owk >> '95. >> back across to kath. residents like christina and her family. >> i did see lots of neighbors that i wonder if paris hilton is >> this 1986 iconic school movie te>>zing now upset that we say paris, and we're not talking about her. featured not only rodney up there, but i'm not going to >> i think you're absolutely dangerfield but a young robert risk it. they tell me don't be there, i'm right. >> you know? downy jr. not going to be there. there are two parises in the take a look. world. >> i wished i knew you were >> reporter: we went to see how >> paris jackson went for i think one of her first haircuts coming. >> i'll bet you did, huh? the community is doing. in public ever in vegas. the heat coming off this hill is >> yeah. incredible. >> and she went out and here she they said you wanted a member. meanwhile, these hand crews, is. these crews, are working this. they said she looked really -- >> i can explain that. >> they said you were the towel by chance a reporter from our they bulldozed out this area to boy. >> i can explain that, too. las vegas affiliate happened to >> okay. keep the flames from jumping be sitting in the chair next to explain it. >> i lied. from here over to here and these paris. >> it happens. >> great. that explains it, huh? homes over this ridge. >> it does happen. and now the wind's starting to jason, you don't lie to me. and while she was there, the you lie to girls. pick up. woman who was next to her who and this could change at any >> all right. moment. there seems to be some so it's very, very dangerous at this moment. discussion. what do you think? was her constitututor, she whis >> i don't know. >> you know. >> i don't know. something tohe haircutter. >> yes, you do. the wind has shifted and this then eventually they swept up you said it before. whole ridge has exploded in flames. all of paris's hair, put it in a little zip lock bag and handed we don't have all day. we don't have the fifth hour of we've got to get down. it over to the jackson people. we've got to get down. >> go down. >> yes. take your time. the only reason they're saying the "today" show. let's do this thing. go easy. that would be was so that there easy. could not be any dna collected easy. >> reporter: we made a forced and preplanned escape. >> i don't know. in the ever ongoing maury povich >> hoda, what is it? >> the answer is "back to and, of course, the danger is here, you see this hill, it's school." saga of who's your daddy. >> you said it! exploded in flames. you said it! if ashes and embers from that i blame everything on maury >> it's a hard one. rodney dangerfield still getting fire make its way down here, povich. ever since his show came on, no respect, unfortunately. these homes are all in danger. civilization's crashed. no one knows the names of his >> everybody keeps going on the films. what's notable about this one, air saying i'll tes my dna. of course, not the most graceful sam kinson was it in and jim exit from a fire scene one has the dermatologist. ever seen, lester. the friend, the godfather of the however, what is fascinating, children. people wonder. carey additioned for the part these hand crews are working >> people wonder. and didn't get it because he was you know what? it's such a tragedy for those with these firefighters. i spoke with some hand crews no young. >> let's go back across to kath. children. >> you know what i'm kind of that have come as far away as glad about? they're actually outside. >> jacksonville, florida. >> they're not behind veils. tennessee. so it's pretty amazing stuff to this 1985 theme movie had five they're breathing. see these crews working with they're going to school. brat pack members in its cast. pick axes, shovels, rakes, chain >> they're going to school, right. >> they're with their cousins. see if you can figure it out. >> i think it seems like probably the first time they've >>what's in there? saws, whatever they can take to been out. get that vegetation out and it must be weird for them to finally see what the world is >> where's your lunch? clear it out so that these fires >> you're wearing it. like without seeing it from behind amask. >> you're nauseating. don't have any extra fuel to >> imagine what it's like for the two young girls who've been continue their rampage. held captive by their father who lester? >> incredibly brave people. happens to be allegedly the you, too. >> and the answer is? be careful out there, al. rapist of their mother after all those years, 11 and 15, i think >> "breakfast club." thanks. despite progress, some >> yeah! residents are expressing anger at the loss of their homes. these girls are. >> that story so repulses me. >> thank you, thank you! >> okay. nbc's miguel almaguer is in los that's a classic. angeles. i actually stopped reading it. he has that part of the story. >> john hughes who really made good morning to you. >> reporter: lester, good >> there's another one. morning to you. only in america. back to school movies what they over the last several days we eliot spitzer might be running are with all the films in the have spoken to many residents '80s. this was a fill p he wrote who say they were upset they again for public office. >> eliot spitzer was the one who apparently in two days which were forced to evacuation and admitted being with a prostitute they don't believe ffshs did and i think paying $4,300 to will make every screen writer enough to protect their sick with envy. property. spend time with with this girl. apparently there's a cutout however, the vast majority of that's 2 1/2 hours long. folks we have spoken to say now there's talk. he keeps saying it's not true. firefighters have done an but there is talk that he may where that is right now, no one outstanding job, and they applaud their effort. run again for office. they know two firefighters were what do you think about a guy knows. everyone would like to see that, killed over the last few days. i think. and they he were grateful for the iconic music, of course, the efforts they have put out. who has admitted being with a really sells this film. we know the official number of prostitute and the rest of it >> thanks for coming. saying i'm going to run for homes burn is at 62. office if he, in fact, does? terrific movie critic. although when the sun comes up >> first of all i give here in california today, we do kathie lee's going to come back unbelievable kudos to his wife expect that number to who i think has handled over. just give her the money. drastically increase as firefighters get out and they after this, shinedown is going are able to survey the area. everything with incredible to perform. there's a song called "second over the last couple of days, grace. what a lady. chance." what a lady. you'll love it. after these messages. this fire has scorched, as al she obviously loves this man. mentioned earlier, over 127,000 he's the father of her children. acres. they hopefully are in the this fire does continue to move in several different directions. process of healing their marriage. that's what i would hope for some 10,000 homes remain anybody that's gone through threatened. but we're also told that this infidelity. it's a very hard thing to get fire will continue to slow a bit through and an ongoing process. as firefighters gain the upper however, i'm a big believer in hand. now many of those evacuees are redemption in this country. i mean, if the man has -- starting to come home. there's a thing called saying unfortunately, lester, many of them will come home to sights i'm sorry and not being sorry. like the one behind me. >> miguel almaguer, thank you very much for the update from >> how do you know? los angeles. >> very hard for those people i always think, too -- right now. still very scary, too. now let's get a check of the morning's stories. ann is off. >> the voter wi decide. that's the great thing about natalie is sitting in. america. >> i think in this case the girl >> good morning-hurricane jimena who's the prostitute, they're is weakening but still packing a always the demonized one. punch aimed at the baja imagine if he wins again. she's sort of always that girl. peninsula. the storm was a category 3 when >> to her credit, though, she it brushed past the resort town hasn't posed for any of those girly magazines, hasn't posed nude. there's a picture of her mother in one of these newspapers. of lohs cabos. i thought it was her. it can now be seen from the her mother, the ape doesn't international space station. a bombing in afghanistan fall far from the tree. this morning killed at least 23 the melons don't fall far from people including that country's the tree. this is a gorgeous woman. deputy chief of intelligence. they were among a crowd of >> please roll the sorry quote. roll it. we dot want to have to worry officials inaugurating a mosque. ere is new information about it tomorrow. this morning about the pan am >> did you think at first it was her? >> yeah. flight03 bomber who was it does look like her. released from prison last month. >> she's obviously a gorgeous he is now in libya where people woman. >> the mom is upset. are marking moammar gadhafi's 40 obviously a friend of hers is years in power. upset saying why is it the girl our tom asheville is in tripoli. ends up being the always horrible person and the guy can >> reporter: celebrations in tripoli. but a storm of protests in her london as government documents gue who er ng showed britain wanted al megrahi released before he wdied of cancer. >> in response to that, i said we were not actively seeking his death in prison. >> reporter: the libyans have denied al megrahi was released for oil concessions to british companies. >> he was put on conditions. and released on relations. >> reporter: as celebrations in tripoli last night, pictures of al megrahi arriving here two weeks ago were projected on a giant video screen. the welcome he received has angered the u.s. government. libyans have always maintained al megrahi is innocent. he's now in a tripoli hospital suffering from terminal cancer. natalie? >> tom aspell in tri, thank you. in an article posted on the current tv website, laura ling and euna lee says they followed their guide on the border and were on north korean soil for just one minute when they saw two north korean soldiers with guns running toward them, and they ran. they said that they were firmly back on the chinese side when the north korean border guards grabbed them. the two were sentenced to 12 years hard labor and then released. overseas markets are down this morning following tuesday's 185-point drop for the dow. our erin burnett is at the new york stock exchange this morning for us. what are you looking out for? >> it's amazing. these things spread around the world. it started with our selloff. that'shat you're seeing in asia and europe. financials fell by the most in two months. it comes down to this. some of the data on housing. proof the recession is over. the market, though, has surged so much since the spring once more. they want real growth and the road ahead definitely rocky. overnight we got news from american airlines that they'll be laying off 921 flight attendants. traffic is still falling. and it really comes down to jobs. that number we'll get on friday. back to you. >> erin burnett at the new york stock exchange, thank you. >> two weeks ago, till her big and it was a hero's welcome race -- as you might already for muhammad ali who visited his know, natalie and hoda are ancestral hometown in ireland. traing for a triathlon. he met with distant relatives and then showed off some of his moves for the crowd. actually, natalie's training. we're back with "today's" which if you're not familiar still got those moves. means swimming, you're favorit it's now 7:10. bing apd running. kitchen. >> if anyone should know how to now back over to meredith and >> withhe race just two weeks make sailing through summer lester. his great-grandfather was from and change away, kathie lee ennis. so an ennisman. iited us up to her house for a sei easy, this guy. day of vigorous training. chris kimball. >> great to see him. well, she, well, held. he's still so loved all around whenever you come, you've got the world. just take a look. now a check of the weather >> we came out today to kathie your gadgets. from al. hey, al. >> reporter: thanks, guys. lee's house because she has the we love that. truly the greatest, absolutely. >> we love you for your gadgets. perfect location for us t tin well, as we take a look, see for this triathlon business that what's going on as far as los we're doing. angeles weather coming up over we're going to swim. the next few days, it is good we're going to run. >> when you grill, there's a and we're going to bike. news for the firefighters. the humidity levels are higher. we're looking at high and kathie lee is going to whole nother grill ware that lounge and she's goi to drink. goes on top of the grill. temperatures 90 to 100. ay? who got the short end of this is the webber professional stick? >> ladies are actually taking it then as we move into tomorrow, seriously. they're actually taking their grill pan. again, temperatures start to aining seriously. drop a bit. we do have areas of smoke, a few >> hoda's -- you know what? we tested other ones. i don't know. a lot of them worked. degrees cooler, but relative i think hoda's going to wing it. it obviously has holes in it. humidity drops a little bit. >> natalie is -- how would i >> yeah. that's kind of a give and take. there's going to be some and then on friday, temperatures describe her? seepage. >> don't say that. continue to fall. annoyingly thin. >> kathie lee, sh's m unfortunately we've got a that's so gross. >> that is really attractive. stronger on-shore flow, but we assistant coach. is that a culinary term? do have cooling conditions going i didn't know that. into the weekend. >> are you ready to feel the the latest, of course, we'll burn? >> should be. >> large holes. have a little bit more coming up things fall through them. in the next half hour on ♪ it has not really high sides. remain under. a and?e?e?e?e?c?c high sides eam foods. >> so ndy. 20 bucks. >> got it. what do we have here. >> one of the things when you're good morning. grilling, you never know when here, we've got a clear, include food is done. >>oh, boy. talking about steak, you go like sky. half an hour after sun rise, this to see when it's ready. now, it is only in the 50s lik a nt wit thir kids time.n the bike for the first around washington and the nearby this is the therma pan. suburbs. >> have fun, you guys! 40s farther west and southern maryland. ha fun! right near the bay, upper 50s and lower 60s. n't we yoselves out! high today, reaching the 70s. see yoin a ltle bit. when you pick up a steak, even in the mountains u incompetent he a littlereat ready pe 30s. foou. oh, i have sucus afternoon professionals do this. lots of sunshine with low insert it into the middle. scheduled. humidity. unbelievable. a few s tomake. >> what's the right temperature? for the labor day weekend, a little light lunch. why am i running? i can walk. depends h >> depends how you like it. >> reporter: and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. 125. >> but pork. and now to the swine flu and ♪ gy cause >> i would cook pork to 140. the number of schools across the >> why is there water here? country already reporting a wave of cases. >> to show you if you want to some predict more than half this country could be infected this fall and winter. calibrate it and test it, look at the temperature here. we're going to talk to homeland it's actually not freezing. >> 37. >> cleaning. >> cleaning is a problem. security secretary janet a lot of these grill brushes napolitano about that in just a don have nice, sturdy handles. moment. first, tom costello is in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. > a goneeo buer you also get gunked up. we're not likely to get a vaccine until october or november. this is the grill wizard grill they say for the vast majority ♪t s throkmweek withreth of people whoontract h1n1, it brush. you can wash them. it comes with an extra one. >> got it. how much? will be similar to a mild case >> $12, $13. of the flu. >> okay. >> the other problem is keeping your hands from burning. schools are stressing basic flu >> uh-huh. >> a lot of the new ones are prevention. the first week of school for sort of plastic. much of the country and h1n11 they're silicone. but it's hard to grip things also making a return. at wake forest university in with them. these gloves are cotton. ot the utte north carolina, 100 suspected the grill light leather grill cases so far. mitt. it actually isn't a mitten. >> like six guys in my hall that you like the fabric? have it. >> yeah, i like it. my roommate's coughing. >> designer colors? everybody's walking around -- i >> designer colors. actually have one in my pocket. one of these. absolutely. we had someone take a 600 degree fire and put their hands three masks. inches above it. >> reporter: and hundreds of suspected cases at the this lasted a minute. university of colorado, the you actually leave your hand university of kansas, and there for a minute. other ones were 10, 15 seconds. washington state. de.ers! at indiana university, returning if you have grill tongs you can students get a swine flu crash ereyou use them pretty well. course. a lot of those silicone mitts -- >> they all get briefed on it, >> they're difficult. they all hear about it. sometimes when you have a big all of our staff are trying to sry g h,ave plate full of food, it doesn't recognize symptoms and how to deal with h1n1. last. >> here's the problems. plates used to be made of paper. >> reporter: in indianapolis, in now they're made of crushed stone, corn, tomatoes, sugar 12-month-old was hospitalized with a soaring fever after both >>rob. exc>> e. ow is nalie doig? cane fiber. some of them, when you pick his parents came down with swine things up. >> they're wobbly. flu. >> the doctor said rotate >> you can see this broke already on the edge. tylenol and motrin. there it goes. we're doing that every three hours, rotating. this is the vanity fair premium still 100 to 103 and then he it'sfoal dinner plate. just drstopped eating and me to keepp with li this is actually made of crushed stone. drinking. >> reporter: in new york >> $4 each? >> no. oue inuta pt nosbout for 14. 27-year-old police officer ryan johnson died. >> i was going to say. >> i just want people to know that's not chip. that this is happening. >> it also doesn't get the without any underlying disease, grease on you. you know, that it can happen and this is the coolest gadget of just prepare for it. >> reporter: since the spring, all. this is called the ice orb. the h1n1 virus has sickened more it actually makes ice. and you can -- it comes out. than 1 million americans and and the trick is you fill it killed at least 500. with a little bit of water. now experts warn half the just about to here. country could be infected during you put this bucket in here. a swine flu surge this fall. ayrehe'sfedif it fills all these areas full of >> i don't want anybody to be sh excitedabout this, alarmed, but i do want everybody cubes. now you have something you can to be prepared. take on a picnic or keep -- it.ou lo youve >> reporter: if you're flying, >> oh! >> what's the price of that? the airlines insist their hepa alo >> this is only about $12, $13. filters will keep the air clean. hoy >> you did >> thankag f yllou >> we have better air quality on t sin stpi s.i ternly weeks. a >> thank you for all of your board an airplane than there is in the average office building. littleconrne rr a mcaft da gadgets. we'll be right back. >> reporter: but if you're sick, please stay away. >> you have to cough or sneeze first, this is "today" on nbc. into your elbow. >>yes. day w 20re going to swim seven don't cough or sneeze into your hand and then reach out to someone. d>>ng please, please, please wash your hands. h tohesee ck >> reporter: exactly the advice elmo is hoping all of us heed. >> wash your hands. e onyour . >> come on, wash with elmo. wash, wash, wash. rything you do is -- >> and when you have to cough or .t.nat ma actythisth sneeze, do it into the bend of your arm. >> sneeze into your arm with c?>> n elmo. t i'. achoo! r of all, iawait. >> reporter: he always has great advice. a vaccines still being tested and analyzed. the government has already bought 195 million doses. uengbethelzine tooomesheon they're waiting for it to be thhow any, deemed safe. the first 45 million doses should arrive at state health departments sometime in october. meredith? >> tom costello, thank you very goth thatorkedharst.oda.it'snot much. swine flu is just one issue on the plate of janet napolitano. she is in new york to kick off national preparedness month. madam secretary, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i couldn't help notice during tess again, t rache is called -- tom's piece when that student hat pulled out the mask from his pocket, his defense against waho>>usen h c d swine flu. calore. you said under your breath, that's not going to do a thing, tch natalie win and c ind which indicates people still airpo aren't sure how to protect lastease - themselves against this virus. , chseycan >> well, the best thing we all can do are the very simple things, the washing of the hands, the coughing into the the pro sleeve. we know that we're going to have if hodp h a big influx of flu cases. w at c a u goo and it's coming back to the northern hemisphere after triathlon thout trning. circulating around the southern > t rudero mn eym not hemisphere. and we're going to, in all likelihood, have them before the vaccine is ready. >ioe ayw to see so we're telling employers and others, have your absenteeism plans ready. know how you're going to continue business as usual. even as we work our way through moref evody. talie, the flu. >> because there could be many, wis t many people who are not at work, ke es ne and that raises, in and of itself, a national security risk, doesn't it, especially in gon witso be autiful ber this. fetin >>onal major essential businesses and governments? >> that's right. and that's why, over t summer, we've been meeting with critical infrastructure businesses and others saying update your plans. be prepared. know who your key employees are, if they are absent, need to be covered. have some telecommunicating plans in place. other things, again, as we work our way through flu season. >> right now the government says it's preparing for a voluntary but strongly recommended flu shot program for h1n1. and these are your numbers, government numbers. half the population might develop this virus, come down with this virus. 90,000 people die from it. why not make this program mandatory? >> well, because health programs generally around mandatory, and you get kind of pushed back to that. we think overall people will want to get the vaccine when it's ready. and we're going to be pushing it out to the states. and then states, school districts, cities will be in charge of how they distribute it. >> but if there's only going to be enough vaccine for half the population, and that's the numbers we're hearing, how are you going to decide who gets the vaccine and who doesn't get the vaccine? >> well, every state has submitted now a vaccine plan. you know, the vaccine's really focused at the initial level on those most susceptible to this flu, school-age children, adults who have underlying conditions like asthma, pregnant women. so we want to make sure that we roll it out and that it gets to thoswho need it most first. >> for those states, there's an administrative cost that comes to handing out these vaccines. >> that's right. >> some stes like new york, l.a. and boston say they'll pay for that. you're giving the vaccine for free but there's a cost on the other end. will theovernment pick up the tab on other urban areas since that is so important to stopping the spread of the disease? >> congress have already appropriated billions of dollars for a vaccine. those billions have already been distributed to the states to help with this. and again, you know, this is a changing environment. we'll have to deal with it day by day. if a further appropriation is necessary by the congress, i'm sure they'll consider it. >> we have heard reports that homeland security has been meeting with the airlines to discuss banning people who are obviously sick from getting on planes. is there any truth to that? >> no. what we've been meeting with the airlines about is making sure that hand washing is easily accessible and that, you know, those kind of things are available on planes for travelers. you're listening to the >> but if somebody is obviously music of shinedown, the band sick, would you recommend that the airline admit them onto the that's been rising up the rock plane? let them board? music charts since 2003. >> that will be up to the really? individual airlines. that long. selling more than 6 million the government is not going to albums worldwide. say, you have to ban somebody >> now shine down's new album, from a plane. you know, they have that "the sound of madness," has question with other people who produced a cross over that was show up who look like they're number one on the adult sick and have had it before the contemporary charts for eight swine flu even was spoken about. straight weeks. the boys of the band are with so we leave that to the individual carriers. us. welcome. >> hi, guys. >> on another security issue, over the weekend former vice hi, shinedown. president cheney slammed the at first i thought it was obama administration's probe into the aggressive interrogation of suspected meatloaf. terrorists. he called it a terrible i really did. >> you know what i love? decision, one that undermines when your song can hit number one on a variety of charts. morale inside the cia. he also said serious doubts that shows your hitting all these the president understands and is different demographics. prepared to do what needs to be did you expect that with this done to defend the nation. song, "second chance?" you're smiling a little >> we hoped for it. quizically. what's your response to that? the record itself -- the >> well, i just add it to the list of comments the former vice president has made that i writing, the demoing, the disagree with. actually recording. i mean, it's a long list at this >> i hear you wrote 60 songs to point. pick out the best 11? but in any event, listen, i'm a >> yeah. we always kind of had the rule former united states attorney. i'm a former attorney general, a of thumb for every 100 songs you prosecutor. write, you hope you wrote ten the decisions that the attorney general had to make are really good ones and pray you wrote one phenomenal one. difficult about what to look at, >> let's hear this. what not to look at. >> "second chance." it's a great, great song. and i would never second-guess a >> take it away. prosecutor in that regard. >> madam secretary, thank you so much for your time this morning and good luck. >> thank you. it is 7:19 and once again here's lester. >> all right, meredith, thanks. now to that deadly wrong manufacture way crash on a new york highway back in july. ♪ my eyes are open wide, by the the widow of the driver who police say caused the crash because she was drunk and high is speaking out. way, i made it through the day ♪ nbc's peter alexander is here now with details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to ♪ i watch the world outside, by you. this is that just-released autopsy report. it is 20 detailed pages showing the way, i'm leaving out today ♪ exactly what police have said in the past. that she had the equivalent of ♪ i just saw haley's comet, she ten vodka shots as well as marijuana in her system at the time of that crash. but her husband, daniel, says waved, and said why you always those results are wrong. he says it must be amistake. running in place ♪ and now he wants his wife's body ♪ even the man in the moon exhumed and retested. more than five weeks after one of the deadliest crashes in disappears somewhere in that recent new york state history, daniel schuler spoke out last stratosphe ♪ ♪ tell my mother, tell my night in his wife's defense, father, i've done the best i telling larry king she was a responsible parent and would never drink and drive. >> i know what happened with my can ♪ wife. ♪ to make them realize this is she's not an alcoholic, doesn't drink. she's an outstanding mother. >> reporter: but last july, my life, and i hope they diane, a suburban mother, drovea the wrong way on the parkway for understand ♪ almost two miles, then crashed ♪ that i'm not angry, i'm just into an suv, killing herself, her daughter, three young nieces and three men in that other car. saying, sometimes good-bye is a the news was crushing. >> i kissed everyone good-bye second chance ♪ ♪ please don't cry one tear for and my wife. >> reporter: a short time investigators made this stunning announcement. >> diane schuelr had a me, i'm not afraid of what i blood-alcohol content of .19%. theegal limit for intoxication have to say ♪ ♪ this is my one and only voice, in new york state is .08%. >> reporter: a bottle of vodka was found at the scene. toxicology reports also found so listen close, it's only for evidence diane had smoked marijuana. today ♪ ♪ i just saw haley's comet, she though he wouldn't discuss marijuana, schuler insists his wife rarely drank and the waved, said why you always autopsy report showed she had no running in place ♪ ♪ even the man in the mir moon signs of serious liver damage, evidence to the schulers that diane was not an alcoholic. so what happened? disappears, somewhere in that he claims a medical condition is to blame, a tooth abscess, or stratosphere ♪ perhaps the fiery crash may have ♪ so tell my mother, tell my turned her blood sugar into father, that i've done the best alcohol. but the autopsy report shows no evidence diane schuler had any i can ♪ medical issues. ♪ to make them realize, this is the grieving families of the my life, and i hope they other three victims say schuler's claims are insulting, understand that i'm not angry, appalling and beyond outrageous. >> daniel schuler is an absolute liar or else he is trying to perpetrate a hoax. >> reporter: at the end of the interview, he delivered this message t the devastated i'm just saying, sometimes good-bye is a second chance ♪ families. >> a drunk driver did not do this to your family. something medically had to have happened. >> it is a terrible story. child protective services has ♪ here is my chance, this is my launched an investigation to determine how much daniel schuler knew about his wife's alleged alcohol and drug use. chance ♪ meanwhile, lester and meredith, his 5-year-old son, brian, the only survivor of that crash, is still in a hospital ♪ so tell my mother, tell my rehabilitating with broken arms and a broken leg. >> all right, peter alexander, thanks very much. father, i've done the best i coming up in our 8:00 hour, we'll talk to dr. nancy snyderman and a former can ♪ ♪ to make them realize this is prosecutor about how this case has been handled. is it possible there was a my life, and i hope they mistake? could they find something if they exhume the body? ahead, the latest on the understand ♪ ♪ that i'm not angry, i'm just couple kidnapping a girl and holding her captive for 18 years. we'll saying, sometimes good-bye is a second chance ♪ ♪ sometimes good-bye is a second chance, sometimes good-bye is a second chance ♪ yeah! shinedown! that's a song. that sounds great. >> thank you so much. >> that was excellent, you guys. terrific. all right. we'll be back with much more. first this is "today" on nbc. still ahead, what an nbc reporter witnessed while paris jackson got a haircut in las vegas. plus, are scientisst gngetti closer to bringing extinct animals like the woolly mammoth back to life? good wednesday morning. time is 7:26. i'm barbara harrison. police are investigating a carjacking and kidnapping that ended in a crash. a woman called the police saying she had been abducted at gunpoint at 7:00 last night. she says the man put her in the trunk of her car, drove for an hour and dropped her off in lore ton. the suspect later wrecked her car and fled. the police did take a man into custody but they have not confirmed that it is the suspect as summer turns to fall and kids head back to school, many of us are going to try to get in that kidnapping. those planning to tay metro back into our old routine. >> noing is more beneficial to you healthoutinehan to reagan national this weekend movement. we've asked my frie, yoga may want to reconsider. oach tohe sars help us the airport station will be closed for maintenance all weekend long. the blue and yellow lines will incoore yoga into training close at 9:30 on friday until for all ages. >> sara' been on t f for 5:00 a.m. on tuesday. shuttle buses will be available. tht 30inut whose?e ac travelers should add 45 minutes >> gat poor ft athletes to gtoet to their trip. we will come back with weather il gh. their, ne open utheir aybeests who have exercised induced as orobms breathi. pehe bee so t o youri i ris on kns.t'really itantoet your kids t open hem. itorces y bo toen heree wasying. lof timecrch o this frces everything back >> this is the opposite of what she verdo e da ri >> what opos s'mngtoh ds teni thrybo uphe shoulrs. gh a'sngmeto the yore goi to bend d it beh your head. yore goi to grab mystrare nd, up aegro t strap son nt a tou in her hands lde ohse >> each oh fingpsouching. hodtoowon kn righeo, t. >> ido s.enigh are ten yelayershe u now. opeheottopa , oun.e hlso good morning. blue skies and bright sunshine. still ples p saint into the labor day weekend. trying to get into northeast, tough bound. kennel worth avenue, delays will again past east capitol street. barbara? tonight at 5:00, find out how patients can get treated and released faster than ever before wh ty he 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 2nd, 2009. another fall-like day here in midtown manhattan on this unofficial final week of summer. inde studio 1a, i'm meredith vieira alongside lester holt. matt has the day off today. coming up, we'll talk for h with the attorney for naeps garrido, the woman accused of holding a woman for 18 years. that attorney has told them garrido told them they actually felt like a family. all that in just a moment. also, michael jackson's three children on vacation in las vegas, everything appears normal until paris goes to get her hair cut. what happened? an nbc reporter happened to be in that salon in the chair next to paris. she witnessed what happened. we'll hear her story coming up. let's just say it's odd. talk about hairy, would you like to walk among actual woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers, even a neanderthal man? >> you're sitting next to one. >> no, you're not. you might be surprised when you hear how close scientists think they are to making that a reality. we begin on the latest on that 18-year-old kidnapping ordeal for jaycee dugard and the california couple accused in that case. nbc's george lewis is in placerville, california, with more. george, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. we're outside the el dorado county jail where phillip and nancy garrido are being held without bail in protective custody, separated from the rest of the jail population. back at the couple's house, it's quiet today, although with police roadblocks gone, the curiosity seekers are now dropping by. how does it make you feel looking at the house? >> sick. sad. disgusted. >> reporter: the police search trying to connect the garridos to a string of unsolved murders was apparently unproductive. in the late '90s, the bodies of four women were dumped near where phillip garrido once worked in the neighboring city of pittsburg, california. but a press statement from the police department says, "we did not locate any evidence to connect phillip and nancy garrido to pittsburg's unsolved cases." at the house next door where investigators found a bone fragment they're now analyzing, damon robinson was asked about the two girls phillip garrido allegedly fathered with kidnapped victim jaycee dugard. >> a lot of times i would wave, they would ignore me. and sometimes, say hi, and they would wave, but they wasn't on a verbal level. >> reporter: phillip garrido ran a printing business. and tim allen, one of his customers, recalls garrido coming by with his daughters. >> it was about 18 months ago. and he introduced each one of them, angel and starlight. and i shook their hands. they were kind of shy and bashful. >> reporter: people also sega read dough's wife, nancy, had very little to say as new questions arise about what role she may have played in the jaycee dugard ca. >> in a short period of time, just two or three years after jaycee was kidnapped, phillip was -- went back to jail. his parole had been revoked for four months. so nancy was the only person in that house that had responsibility for this young kidnapped victim. >> reporter: phillip garrido's parole officer paid regular visits to the house. but in all the 18 years that jaycee dugard was allegedly held here, never saw anything out of place. now, because of this case, california governor arnold schwarzenegger says a new look needs to be taken at parole officers and perhaps lightening their caseload. but given the state's budget problems, that seems like a long shot. meredith? >> gilbert mains is nancy garrido's defense attorney. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, ma'am. >> i understand the last time you spoke with nancy garrido, she's in jail right now, that was on saturday. can you describe her mental state at this point? >> she's distraught. she's scared. she seems to be a little lost at the moment. >> when you say "lost," what do you mean? >> she doesn't seem to be able to really focus well at the moment. >> does she understand why she is in jail? >> oh, yeah. no, we've had a conversation about that. yes, she understands. >> what has she said to you, mr. mains, about her relationship with jaycee and jaycee's daughters over these past 18 years? what light has she shed on that matter? >> well, what she has said -- what she said that i can tell you about is that there came a time when she felt like they were a family and that she loves the girls very much, and she loves jaycee very much. and that seems a little strange given the circumstance. but that's what she has said to me. >> did she explain to you how jaycee ended up in her home, in phillip's home, to begin with? >> that, i think, invades attorney/client privilege, and i can't really talk about that. >> well, let me talk about what authorities have said. they claim, as you know, that she was the one who snatched jaycee off the street in 1991, that her husband, phillip, was the one driving the car. and authorities also say despite the fact that phillip garrido has pled not guilty in this case, that he did admit to his parole officer prior to the arrest that he, indeed, did kidnap jaycee. so given all of that, how can you possibly argue that your client didn't know what was going on? >> well, that seems to be a fair question. but the crux of the matter -- or the argument, i think, goes to her mental -- maybe her mental condition at the time and not so much what physically happened. i'm t -- you know, i don't know that i can argue successfully that she didn't know what was going on. >> well, i know that phillip garrido's brother, ron, has said that nancy, in his opinion, was like a robot who would do anything that her husband asked her to do. do you believe that your client's husband had any sort of mind control over her? is that something that you're pursuing, that line of thinking? >> well, i think it would be -- i would be derelict in my duty if i didn't pursue every avenue that was available. and one of them certainly is to look into her state of mind at the time and her -- maybe even prior to that time. >> i know -- i understand that they m when he was in prison serving time for rape and that she was visiting her uncle. that's about all we do know about her. what light can you shed on just whshe is? >> i am five days into this case. i have not seen any discovery. i've talked to my client for two hours. i'm not -- i really can't say right now that i've formed an opinion as to who she is. >> are you having her evaluated or plan to have her evaluated to see if she's incompetent to stand trial? >> oh, i don't think she's incompetent to stand trial. >> you do not? >> there's two very different -- there's two very different criteria to be judged, you know, in that situation. i can't say right now that she is incompetent to stand trial. my plan is -- i think my plan is sometime in the near future to have her evaluated, to have an expert talk to her and to spend some time wh her, yes. >> there was a period in 1993 when phillip garrido was sent back to prison for violating his parole. and at this point jaycee was already, according to the authorities, living with this couple. that would have meant that nancy garrido was alone in that home with jaycee. so wouldn't that have made her jaycee's captor at least during that four-month period when her husband was in prison? >> if all of that is true, that argument certainly can be made. >> what would that kind of argument do to a defense case? >> i don't know yet. >> have you received threats? >> i have been called by friends that said there are threats on the internet about me or about what i'm doing. i just try to ignore those. >> all right. i preciate your time. thank you very much. >> you're welcome. and now let's get a check of the weather from al in los angeles. >> repter: all right. thanks very much, methre.di anasd we check out what's the latest on hurricaneas jimena an show you that we were hoping maybe we'd get a little relief from jimena here in southern california. 65 miles south-southeast of cabo. winds at 105 miles per hour. it's weakened to a category 2. it's moving north-northwest at 13 miles per hour. the path of the storm brings it on shore sometime first later today and then again on thursday. and then it just kind of hangs out around the baja of california as a low-pressure system, not much there. then as we go out to the east, we've got tropical storm erica, 280 miles east-southeast of the leeward islands. moving west at five. a lot of models disagree on what it's going to do. does it become a hurricane? stay a tropical storm? we?c?cwe?cwe?cwe?c?c?ewe?cwewewe good morning. another unusually cool september morning underway. the sky flooded with bright sunlight and a blue sky. it's only 58 in washington. in the cool low 50s in montgomery, fairfax, arlington, prince george's. in the 40s farther west and north an south of east of us in the 50s to near 60 by the bay. highs reaching 70s today all around the region. bright sun, low >> reporter: and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. up next, the jackson children's vegas vacation. all the details a including an unusual event that occurred while paris jackson got her hair cut right after this. back now at 7:44. we want to tell you about a weekend getaway for michael jackson's three children, a trip that took at least one bizarre turn. nbc's jeff rossen is in los angeles to explain. jeff, good to see you. >> lester, good to see you. the kids went to las vegas. we're told it was a present just before school starts. they hung out at the pool, they did what kids do. but then paris went to get a haircut, and her chaperone made a weird request, give me all of paris' hair off the floor. >> reporter: all three jackson kids were at the palms resort and casino just off the vegas strip. in these photos you can see paris inside. she walked the halls with her school tutor, a woman she call sister rose, and several security guards. paris ducked into a salon to get her first haircut ever. and just by coincidence, alicia jacobs was sitting in the chair next to paris, getting her hair cut. >> las vegas. >> reporter: alicia is a local reporter with our nbc station in las vegas and struck up a conversation with paris. >> just a really sweet girl who seemed really happy to be out and about. she even said this was the highlight of her trip in vegas was having a girlie day at a salon. >> reporter: midway through the haircut, she whispered something to the hairstylist, and then it happened. >> she literally got down on her hands and knees and picked up every single trace of hair from the floor and placed it in the plastic baggy and immediately handed it off to sister rose who took it and put it in her bag. i immediately thought, my goodness, they're worried about dna. the truth would finally come out. i think that's exactly what they wanted to avoid. >> reporter: the truth about the kids' biological father. at least two men claim they donated sperm to michael and could be the dad. jackson's dermatologist, dr. arnie klein, said is on cnn. >> they want to investigate my dna. >> it's a possibility that one or all -- very unlely all -- that one of those kids may be mine. >> reporter: susan was friends with michael and remains close with the jackson family. >> what they watch is quite controlled which i think is a very good idea. because i think at this stage it could be quite damaging to hear all these things being said about their father. >> reporter: when michael was alive, he shielded the kids from to the t photos. but they've been mask free. here are prince and blankette enjoying a boys day out, walking the streets of santa monica joined this past weekend by their sister, paris, in vegas. >> for 11 1/2 years old, i found her to be gracious, extremely well-mannered, a very cute personality, an adorable smile and stunningly beautiful. >> reporter: by the way, at the salon, paris got her fingernails painted. i don't know why i'm showing you mine. hers were loud green. she may be one of the most famous children in the world, but lester, she is 11, and mine are just regular. >> you made me look, too, at mine. jeff rossen, thanks very much. coming up next, here's one to ponder. are scientists on the verge of creating a real-life jurassic park? we'll get to you that right after this. this morning, "secrets of the future today." is it possible to bring creatures from the past back to life? here's nbc's keith miller. >> reporr: ice age humans immortalize giant creatures that walked the earth, and those images could be coming back to life. now experts see the possibility of cloning creatures that have been dead for thousands of years. the recipe for resurrection is not a fantasy. take one mammoth preserved in the siberian permafrost and ex-trablt the genome. next, put it into the egg of a female elephant. presto, you have a living mammoth. well, that's the theory. can you actually see a time when we have a prehistoric talk, like an entertainment? >> if you asked me that question a few years o, i'd have said no. but there's been real developments in science the last few years that have actually changed my opinion. and i think it's conceivable now that it could be produced. >> reporter: but where on earth would we put it? the creators of a special habitat in russia say that it could live here. but mammoth expert adrian lister says one mammoth would not be enough. >> these were highly social animals just as elephants are today. you'd need a whole family of them. >> reporter: wouldn't that be a sight, though? >> i think it would be a wonderful sight. >> reporter: and what about the sabre-toothed tiger? >> that could pose a problem for local residents, perhaps. >> reporter: the sabre-toothed tiger is just one of ten beasts that the "new scientists" magazine said could roam the earth again. how about a giant sloth as high as a house? an armadillo the size of a vw? and the dodo. but the most controversial creature on the resurrection list is human. >> this area behind us is where the first neanderthal was discovered. >> reporter: geneticist have recently cracked the genome of the neanderthal man. but it will be a long time before scientists can bring one back to life. and the ethical issues are, well, mammoth. >> this is very close to the story of frankenstein. we should stay away from this kind of scientific -- sort of scientific action. ♪ >> reporter: but creating a "jurassic park," say the scientists, is pure science fiction. because dna erodes, virtually gone, say the scientists, after 1 million years. and dinosaurs last roamed our planet more than 60 million years ago. it's unlikely that they'll be back. but then i'll let you tell it. for "today," keith miller, nbc news, london. >> remember the old commercial? it's not nice to mess with mother nature. >> no, i agree. i don't want them to come back and i don't want to cover the story when they get loose either. so think about continue just ahead, more from the husband of that driver whocause. live picture of a blew sky. 7:56. 58 degrees. good morning. i'm barbara harrison. in the news, the man known as the georgetown cuddler may he struck again. in both instances, a man got into a house and inappropriately touched a female georgetown university student. police are not saying if this is all the work of the same suspect. there are similarities. a white sprem ma sift will e arapped in court this morning. he shot officer steven jons. he was inditd on several accounts, including first-degree rder. we many come backom tto good morning, bright sunshine. unseasonably cool. we will hit the 70s by this afternoon with lots of sun and low humidity. tomorrow and friday, partly cloudy. tomorrow afternoon, highs, upper 70s. near 80 during the afternoon. saturday looking mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s. sunday and monday, highs near 80. good morning. the capital beltway, outer loop at university boulevard, the remnants of an accident over at the shoulder. lanes are open but it is jammed. headed for downtown, nothing blocking but a lot of volume inbound and out bound on the 14th street bridges. coming up tonight on "news 4 at 5:00," recovering from lung surgery in a day. it used to takes weeks. tonight 8:00 now on this wednesday morning, september 2nd, 2009. summer day here in new york. a bit on the chilly side as we step outside to say hello to all the fine folks who are spending the morning with us. i'm meredith vieira alongside lester holt who is in for matt today. matt's taking a little time off. >> good to be here. >> nice to have you here. >> beautiful fall-like today. >> gorgeous. yesterday was as well. we're going to talk about something i can relate to, taking your kids off to college. you've done it twice. >> i'm done. still paying the check but i'm done. >> exactly. my second son heads off in two weeks. we'll have advice for parents usually filled with pride and sadness and the urge to feel like they need to get involved. word to the wise, don't. >> did you make the bed in the dorm? >> the first time? yeah. this time i think i won't. i don't think my son appreciated me doing that. >> i know. they look at you like you know what? >> go. >> go. time for you to leave. >> leave some money and go. >> exactly. earlier we heard from the husband of the wife involved in that horrible one-way crash here in new york. the medical examiner came out and she said she was drunk and high on marijuana. the family, the husband questioning that right now. so we'll have a conversation with our own dr. nancy snyderman and a former prosecutor who ask did they get this wroong and also what criminal responsibility there may be out there. >> very confusing and complicated. also later, why city slickers are getting in touch with their inner farmer, raising chickens in the heart of the urban jungle, believe it or not. i have a friend doing that right now in our town. >> apparently some places -- a lot of places you can have chickens but you can't have roosters because roosters are noisy. >> don't you need the rooster for the chickens? of course you don't. >> biology. somewhere you need a rooster. >> i don't know if you need it for that, though. >> this is a family show. we'll get into another check of the news and go inside and say good morning again to natalie morales. >> good morning to you. better weather has helped firefighters make progress in battling that huge wildfire burning outside of los angeles. but officials fear strong winds could pick up again today. on tuesday crews were able to contain more of the flames by building fire lines around a ha tre60n om hblaz more than 60 homes have been destroyed and thousands more are still threatened. >>and the effects of the california fires are being felt more than 1,000 miles away. a thick haze of smoke is hovering over denver, making the skyline there barely visible. asian and european markets are down this morning following tuesday's 185-point drop for the dow. tokyo's nikkei sank nearly 2% -- 2.5%, and hong kong's seng fell 2%. stocks in britain, germany and france were all down during early trading. hurricane jimena is weakening this morning as it bears down on the baja, california, peninsula. during the night jimena brushed the southern tip of baja as a category 3 storm. it produced driving rain and lashing winds, but fortunately no serious damage reported there. at least 23 people lost their lives this morning when a suicide bomber struck near a mosque in eastern afghanistan. among the dead, the deputy chief of intelligence, one of the highest ranking security officials in president karzai's government. and a powerful earthquake struck southern indonesia this morning leaving at least 15 people dead. the quake was felt over much of java island forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and offices. there are reports of damage. and when a robbery suspect wodn't seal his lips in court, well, a judge sealed them for him. the ohio judge ordered the defendant's mouth duct taped after he reportedly kept interrupting court proceedings. later when the suspect could talk, he said he was going to file a complaint. no surprise there. it is 8:04 right now. let's go back outside to meredith and lester. hey, it worked at least. >> it did. >> exactly. we're going to head from natalie over to l.a. and get a check of the weather with al. hey, al. >> reporter: hey, guys. thanks a lot. and again, as we've been mentioning, this fire 22% contained. 127,000 acres burned. as we take a look, you can see right behind us some of the devastation. we're in the big tujunga canyon, the epicenter of where the station fire started. we still don't know what started this fire. it's under investigation. let's show you what's going on as far as our pick city of the day is concerned. niagara falls. nbc 2 news. sunny and pleasant. 77 degrees. and as we check out the rest of your weather for today, we are looking for a great day in the northeast. i mean, picture perfect through the great lakes, the upper ohio river valley and mid-mississippi river valley. clouds in the pacific northwest. slight risk of storms in central nebraska. >>avy rain along the ?ewe?cwe?ce su> su feels like autumn. temperatures now only in the low 60s in washington and the chess piece bake. elsewhere, 50s. still at this hour. later on today, we will see highs reaching the 70s with lots of sun and low humidity. partly cloudy tomorrow and again on friday. highs near 8 both days. low humidity. saturday, warmer, mostly sunny, highs, mid that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you so much. next, the latest on the wrong-way driver who was drunk and high when she killed herself and seven others in a tragic ci. accident. is it possible the toxicology report is incorrect? right after this. bottom. needs work. sorry, son. introducing new charmin ultra strong. its new enhanced diamondweave texture is soft and more durable. more durable so you're left with a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. bottom. check. 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>> no. >> no. did you ever have a party where you may have all had drinks together? >> sure. a drink or two. at a family barbecue. >> was she drinking the night before? >> no. >> so this is a total mystery to you? >> absolutely. >> if something were happening to her, something strange, why didn't she pull over? >> i don't know. she probably thought she was fine. >> what do you want to say to the relatives of the people in the other car? >> all i'll say is that a drunk driver did not do this to your family. something medically had to have happened. >> immediately following that intervie we talked with irving who represents the family of guy and michael bastardi, two of the crash victims. here's his reaction to what daniel schuler is saying about the case. >> daniel schuler is an absolute liar, or else he is trying to perpetrate a hoax in this matter. >> we are joined now by dr. nancy snyderman, our nbc chief medical editor. and janine piro, host of "the judge janine show," a former district attorney where this happened and former county court judge here in new york. good morning. >> good morning. >> dr. snyderman, let me begin with you. every time i hear her husband make this claim, you start wondering, could they have gotten it wrong in the medical examiner's autopsy? talk about toxicology. how reliable are these tests that would tell to the exact point what the blood-alcohol level was. >> blood-alcohol level is probably the oldest toxicology report they have. and they found alcohol in her blood, her urine, her brain, even the fluid in her eyeballs. that is not an accidental finding. and, of course, you know they found it two times legal limits. now, the husband keeps saying he never saw her drunk, but let's remind people that binge drinking it on the increase in this country which means you have five or more drinks at a time at least once a month. and we now know that one out of ten binge drinkers then gets behind the wheel. so whether she was a falling-down drunk every day or whether she just drank that morning, the reality is, she was drunk. >> one of the points he points of -- i've got the autopsy report in my hand -- he points to the fact that there's no evidence she was an alcoholic, no liver damage. >> that doesn't mean a thing. long-term cirrhosis -- first, it happens in some alcoholics and not others. if you are a period binge drinker, you may not have the long-term effects to your liver than someone who is drunk every day does. so the cirrhosis means nothing. what does mean something is the blood-alcohol level. and the thc. let's not forget the marijuana. >> let me turn to janine. given the fact if we accept this autopsy is correct and toxicology reports, one has to think there would be some criminal liability here. the d.a. in the case says the criminal liability would have lied with diane schuler. she's dead. what would you have done in this case? >> well, you know, first of all, there's no question that the death driver, the drunk driver, here is dead, and every d.a. makes his or her own call. but i think that the issue here is really getting to the truth. what are the facts? have a grand jury impanelled. get a report. find out if there are legislative recommendations. let's identify what the facts are. throw everybody in the grand jury under penalty of perjury. what we've got to find out, is there rec reckless endangerment? was she slurring her words as her blood-alcohol would indicate? why did she get back into the car? what time did the calls come in? how long after the calls came in were the police called? why is the husband saying we only had one bottle of vodka for pina colada, and you don't use vodka for a pina colada, and i put it in her car. wait a minute. if your wife doesn't drink, why are you putting it in her car? >> there are other medical conditions the medical report doesn't talk about, she had a tooth abscess. this report says she had natural teeth. >> a odou rpr dobm.m. you do or don't see a lump on the leg. if you have an abscessed tooth, you'll find pus in the tooth socket. they didn't find that. heart was normal. brain was normal. no sign of a blood clot being thrown or a stroke and the liver being normal. the first thing they said was, autopsy normal. then you go to the toxicology report. and, you know, that toxicology report is strong and stands. now, if the family exhumes the body and they want to double check things, what they can do is pull hair. and you can start to see aime line of drug use over time. it may not be great for alcohol. it will be great for marijuana and other substances. >> they may want to know in this case. >> one of these crazy theories that the heat of the fire caused blood sugar to turn to alcohol in the body, poppycock. >> is it possible one of the things we'reeeing here is "a," defense in cases of custody issue with the 5-year-old son who survived, or perhaps defend against future lawsuits? >> well, i don't think there's any question but that there will be a lawsuit here and that the families are starting to jockey to make sure that their message is the one that gets out there. but nancy's right. dr. snyderman is right. at the end of the day, if they do another autopsy and they pull the hairs as the top forensic pathologist for the new york state police has recommended, it will show us whether or t in addition to that for every inch of hair, you know, whether or not there was drug use by this woman. and how much contributory damage or negligence or recklessness is involved here by the families? >> it may all come out. >> it will come out. >> they've got to be careful. i don't see how it makes things better. they'd better be very careful. >> we've got to end it there. good to see bh of you. up next, saying good-bye to your collegebound kids. advice for the whole family right after this. the shimmering tunic with a wink of leather at the hip. the sensuous silk scarf and a shining arm of silver. pieces you'll love to pieces. at chico's. love it, love it, love it. at chico's. love it, love it, love it. was about 30 seconds after i woke up. still not smoking! seven days. nicorette takes just enough of the edge off the need. i still want to light up, but i don't have to. 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(announcer) find it in the allergy aisle next to other zyrtec® products. a heart attack at 53. i had felt fine. but turns out... my cholesterol and other risk factors... increased my chance of a heart attack. i should've done something. now, i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries... in patients with several common risk factors... or heart disease. lipitor has been extensively studied... with over 16 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems... and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you needimple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. i was caught off-guard. but maybe you can learn from my story. have a heart to heart with your doctor... about your risk. and about lipitor. back at 8:20. this morning on "back to school today," saying good-bye to your college freshman. going to college for the first time can be exhilarating and nerve-racking for both students and parents. >> hello, i'm mikko, and this is my stuff going off to college. this is my mother who is really sad to see me go. >> i'm very proud of him and i hope he does very well. >> there's my grandfather. >> hi. how you doing? >> that's my grandmother. >> hi. >> i'm going to miss her cooking. >> the packing and preparing starts long before the day the entire family loads up the van and heads off to campus. >> come on. i'm going to pack you, too. >> when move-in day arrives, chaos. >> let's go! woo! >> reporter: an endless stream of boxes and bags flows into small rooms, parents put to work unpacking the load. >> hi. i don't know where i'm supposed to go. >> are you elizabeth? >> yes. >> welcome, elizabeth. 214. >> so friendly here. >> reporter: nervous roommates meeting for the first time, looking ahead to a year together, it is hard to know where to start. >> there's no one sitting in our room right now. i'm letting them do what they have to do. >> yes! >> come into my room, let me know mom, i'm home, give me a kiss good night, i love you, and that's what i'm going to miss. >> in terms of our parents as they leave campus today and begin to make the transition for themselves, one of the things that's important for them to know is that we are here to support them as well, to really help them to understand that their students are growing. they're adults. and students need to handle some of their issues on their own. >> reporter: once beds are made and clothes put away, it's time for the hardest part. >> i love you. >> reporter: that bittersweet good-bye as students start the next chapter of their lives. >> mom, don't start crying on me. >> i love you. >> you can let go any time now. >> i can relate to this. michelle is contributor and parenting expert, michelle, good morning. >> good morning. >> as i'm tearing up when i sent our first boy, when we both did two years ago, now we're about to send our second son to college. and i feel like it's the hardest experience on the mom. but am i wrong? is it hard on all of us? >> it's hard on all of us. i'm voting for the mom as well, but it's a big transition point. and it's that life-changing passage moment that we should be celebrating as well. >> for parents who are about to take their kids to college like myself, you have words of advice starting with anticipating the fears that your kid is going to have. >> if you really start thinking through, for instance, your child is worried about oh, gosh, what if i have an asthma attack and you let them know there's an infirmary open 24 hours, if you start them knowing simple little tips, it will reduce the worries. for heaven's sake, he that huge, big talk not the day of the drop-off. it's little moments ahead, talking about the credit card and how much. talking about, for instance, another one is safety is the biggest issue on parents' issues. >> sure. >> you know, where you can walk, talk about the binge drinking if you want to. >> concerns about that. >> or, you know, all of those are the big ones. >> how about when you get there to the room, how active of a role should parents be in setting it up and making the bed? >> meredith, this is the big moment when you can do something profound called step back. because all of a sudden your child is now called becoming an adult. and you want him to own it. this is his new place and his new living environment. stay cool with the roommate scene. be real cool. you can keep the nonjudgmental little face. this inot like arranging a play date. wait for your kid to come to you with any concerns. >> life experience he or she has to go through. for those and many parents who have already dropped their kids off at college, the kids are away, how can you stay connected without being one of those parents that is hovering over the child over the time or being a nag or nuisance? >> the number one thing is ask your child at this point what's best way to connect? many kids say it's by text. >> texting, right. >> texting. the other thing is what's the time that would be best? the roommate is probably not going to appreciate your 7:00 a.m. wake-up calls. so set up a ritual. >> a schedule. >> a routine and stick with it. you can stay connected with that school and what your child is doing, which is what you really want to do. the more your kid bonds with that school, the better the chance he's going to go back. so find out the schedule. find out, for instance, the football team. run it off and you can at least start talking to your child about it >> you know, it's so hard to separate for the parents that there are times, and probably even more than i realize, where the child calls home in the week, two weeks, a month and says, i'm not happy. i'm really homesick. what do you do with that? >> the first thing is mom, know it's normal. the first couple of weeks, all of a sudden there's that ah, ray of -- it's going to hit a little bit down. and homesick pangs will come in. how you respond is critical. if you are too quick to, oh, honey, l me pick up your things and take you home, that's not what you want to do. you want to wait it out, let him know it's normal and help him find ways to bond with the school. >> and that's where they had one of those school advisers on at the end, student advisers, who said we're here to help them with the transition. if i'm having trouble, the mom or the dad is having trouble, do you recommend the pop-in, maybe? no? >> the pop-in, not without asking permission. i think at this point you need to look to see how's it going? may i show up? the key in life is that you're not losing a kid, you're gaining an adult. >> that's right. 8:26. 58 degrees in the nation's capitol on this 2nd day of september. i'm joe krebs. those planning to take metro to reagan national airport may want toecr.onde si the airport station will b cledor f maintenance alldoron l. y.theen and cryst at bween 9:30 0 5.m:0. ant u0:0 tuesday. shuttle buses will be available. travelers should add about 45 minutes to their trips 6789. a white su prem ma sift will be arraigned in federal court this morning. james von brunn shot and killed officer steven jons on june the 10th. the 89-year-old was indicted in july on seven counts. if he is convicted, von brunn could face the death penalty. we will take a break and come w good morning. another unseasonly cool day. how is the traffic? i-70 really loaded up. dulles, pretty substantial delays. recovering from lung surgery in a day. it used to take weeks. tonight at 5:00, find out how to get treated and released faster than ever before. ♪ 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 2nd, 2009. we are being joined on the plaza this morning by some fine southern friends, yes, actual chickens here in the big apple. i'm meredith vieira with lester holt and natalie morales. >> you were doing the whole chicken dance. come on. haven't you been on a cruise and done that before? >> i have, yeah. i was doing that last night with a lamp shade on my head, actually. why are these birds here? >> i knew you would ask me that. there's an increasing number of city dwellers raising their own chickens. if for no other reason, than for good, fresh eggs. more on that coming up. >> there's nothing like a fresh egg. >> there isn't. >> if somebody else cleans out the cage. >> there's a lot of other issues we'll talk about. also coming up, of course today is wednesday. so we'll be turning to our panel of experts for our "money 911" segment, advice on how to keep your credit score high and tackling debt. first we'll head back out to l.a. for a check on the weather with al. we miss you, al. >> reporter: well, i miss you guys, too. and i'll tell you, though, our hearts go out to all the people who have lost their homes here and, of course, the two firefighters who lost their lives on monday. but again, the emotional toll here at the station fire has been amazing. let's take a look, show you what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. and for today, what we're looking at as we go into the weekend, mild conditis in the northeast on into the great lakes. wet weather in the pacific northwest is going to continue. hot in the southwest. although a little bit cooler here in the southland in southern california. and for sunday, we're looking for mild conditions in new england. showers along the mid-atlantic coast. wet weather through the?c?e?c?cc a cool aus tomorrow autumn morning underway. low and mid 80s. we are not going to get that. right now 50s. highs reaching the mid and upper 70s. we might get to the 80s on saturday. as we look at the rest of the the labor day weekend, we should have some sunshine sunday and and to check your weather any time of the day or not, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now let's head to washington, d.c., and say hello to mr. willard scott. how are you, sir? >> i'm all right. and you're a good man to be out there. like you say, the firefighters, oh, my gosh, theeople that either lost part or all their home, something else. god bless. we do have some good news today. we're going to celebrate some birthdays from smucker's, s,nd ties j ahe oarf arins around, check out therauht rywbst erjain m.raster ryjam. ame meta wa, pi.ioteed c rapids, iowa. attributes her longevity to taking no medication except for an occasional aspirin and having a sspkyt.unripiat's good drink. i had that y ea ars goo'sdrink. i had that y a on r t on the rocks.weave h hchhascr,t meadow, new york, 100 years old, id reader, loves good mysteries. secret t longevity, rice and kd mb sd can cli really climb a tr. anmeati thom, sng'shie.et els e gaed r gaed evll,beleil ga beeville,lde wardswa a thewa purple heart and the bronze star. how about that? hero.hi gon,faca lpsgo fan,h s t o.ratones gdi o erevyo do th enwhiter, whitenerl way sywape fans, stock car. 100, nicknamed southern belle. enjoys dancing and playing the bee piano. the secret ltyonvige. lloyd harvey, 105, one great ryme v,moinisgitin h harlan cav us unty. an fana.usfi gilbertsville, erllgivitse,lb . anyway, gilbert jus turned 100, she's 98. attributes their marital longevity for never forgetting to say "i love you." lester's back in new york. the hardest working man in new york except for al roker. >> thanks very much. doesn't look like i'm in new york. we're on green acres. coming up, we'll talk about raising chickens in the big city. firsn nb this morning on "today's woman," moving on after a miscarriage. for years it was hard for couples to find support and answers. but now that is starting to change. megan meeney right here in new york is here with more. megan, good morning. >> good morning, meredith. so it's estimated that one in five families experience the pain of miscarriage. i did, and i found it's a loss that many people only whisper about. but more and more women are speaking up, and they're finding support. >> reporter: suzanne is nine months pregnant and finally doing something she feared would never happen. she's preparing a nursery. you've had as many as four miscarriages? >> yes. >> reporter: how devastating is that, then? >> it's been really devastating. the first loss that we had was over three years ago. and the anniversary was just a few months ago, actually. and i still remember. and he still get sad. >> reporter: she suffered most of her losses privately, honoring her babies in these boxes. >> to our miracle identical twins, you were only with us for a moment, but you will be together forever. >> reporter: suzanne felt it was taboo to talk about miscarriage. her depression and anger especially at work. >> the whole entire staff knew, but they were just too uncomfortable to say something to me. which was sort of too bad in a way because you want the pregnancy, the baby, what y went through, to be acknowledged. >> reporter: for emotional support she discovered the higea foundation. here parents who have experienced a loss give other parents a voice. this doctor started the organization. he says the emotional impact of miscarriage is downplayed. >> people empathize with a baby and a newborn rathethan perhaps even a microscopic fetus. and there's a thought that that loss is a greater loss than perhaps an earlier loss. >> our mission is to help those who have suffered a loss of miscarriage. >> reporter: so women come here to validate their grief, breaking generations of silence. >> no one wants to hear your sad story, but you need to talk about it. and here it's safe. >> the longer it goes, the more i talk about it, the more comfortable it is. >> other members of the group, they smile at you or they just look at you. and they know what you're going through. >> reporter: in increasing numbers women who have miscarried are looking for a place to process their pain. christine and husband, b.j., lost a pregnancy at eight weeks. did anyone say to you, eight weeks, i mean, that's early. you're lucky it was so early. >> absolutely. i got that word a lot. it wasn't just eight weeks. this was, you know, ever since i met the man i knew i was going to marry, this is something we both looked forward to. >> reporter: christine, a writer, posted her bad news on her blog. the response was overwhelming. >> i was shocked at the number of comments that i got, the number of incredibly supportive and personal e-mails that people sent me, sharing their own stories. and that just really spoke to me. >> and we're also going to bring in dr. gail saltz, contributor. good morning to you. >> morning. >> so you listen to those women, and you have been through this, megan, and i have as well, miscarriages, so manyemotions. >> absolutely. grief, the loss. the loss, as they said, not just of the fetus but of this dream of your family or what the future was going to hold for you. a lot of anger at times, why did this happen to me? anxiety. what's going to happen going forward? am i going to be able to have a baby after all or not? and sometimes guilt which can be one of the worst and most corrosive feelings and the reason you really need to, early on, talk to a physician, to somebody who can explain to you, this is not your fault because there's often a lot of guilt. >> when she said guilt, you went like this like you related to that in particular. you just lost a baby four months into your pregnancy. >> right. that was one of my first feelings when the doctor walked out and told me what had happened. i thought, what did i do, you know? it's my body that failed. i must have done something. was it that glass of wine i had saturday night? you know, i colored my hair three days before, you know, the first trimester was over. >> which had nothing to do. >> was i exercising too much? working too much? so i had to process that feeling with the support of friends and family and doctors. you do realize that it's not your fault. >> it's not your fault. >> and you sort of move on from that. >> you're lucky that you had that support. as some of those women were saying, they feel like nobody is there for them. that the subject matter is taboo. why is that? >> it's interesting. i think originally -- and it is passed down, i think, from generation to generation, it was that we didn't talk about female problems. you know, we didn't talk about those things. now we do talk about that, but it's sort of been passed down that this is sort of taboo. i think the reason this one has lived on is that we are not good as a society talking about death. we are not good about talking about mortality and that there can be loss and it can be irreversible. so we still -- this still has been shrouded which is unfortunate because as the women pointed out, talking about it is usually what makes you feel better and able to move on. >> and i found i had three miarriages before my first child and i miscarried twins. they were both early on before the ten-week point. a lot of people said ten weeks. it's what that woman was saying. it's not really a baby, but when you want a baby, that's a baby. >> and the nursery. >> and it's alive in your mind. >> at conception. your fantasy is alive. that's what dies when you have a miscarriage. so it's so undermining to say, well, you're lucky. it dismisses the loss for them. >> how did you get through multiple miarages emotionally? >> a lot of tears and time certainly helped. and i do have the supportive family and friends. and i think doing this piece was therapeutic, talking to other women about it. certainly having a son already at 3 years old is great therapy. you know, go home and squeeze him and appreciate that relationship and obviously i'm already so blessed to have one. but i sort of went throh a me period, i guess, after the last one. i thought, well, i'm just going to embrace. i didn't feel that well when i was pregnant. i thought, well, you know, it's nice to at least haveome energy again. i'm going to exercise. i'm going to have that glass of wine i couldn't have. i did some spa treatments. i did try to treat myself a little bit and, you know, knew that when the time comes, i would know when i was ready to be thinking about this again. >> to try it again. >> it comes in waves. you think it's gone, and then suddenly you're in the grocery store and, you know, a woman walks by with a baby in a bjorn and you're crying. >> and that's the nature of grief. slowly you feel better and then you feel worse. >> and i know you have advice for women who are going through this. we'll put it on our website because we're running out of time. the number one piece of advice? >> giving yourself time, reaching out and creating other relationships so you have the support going through, but waiting a little while before you try again. >> gail, thank you. megan, thank you. >> thank you. we'll be back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. a lot of trends start in big cities like new york and trickle down to the rest of the country. we're going to talk about next a craze that's really taking the opposite path. ever consider raising your own chickens? well, there's some food for thought. ♪ >> our backyard hobby is raising chickens in the city. we're literally five minutes from lower manhattan. my son, shane, at some point when he was growing up, i had said to him, we should get some chickens for the backyard. here we are today with 75 chickens. my chickens love to eat everything. ♪ they eat meat. we don't feed them -- >> pork products. they love pork products. >> they love bacon. >> sausage. >> we have a contract with our chickens. no lay, no stay. as long as you lay eggs, you're welcome to stay. i think everybody member of our family has had a chicken lay an egg in their hand. i think that's more than a dozen. more than a dozen. so you can't get any fresher than right from the chicken to the table. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> just imagine a just-laid egg, a soft-boiled egg and you're dipping a piece of really good bread. it's the best meal. it's fantastic. >> so good. >> it really does make you aware of what you eat and it's easy to do. it's easier than a dog. something we did on a whim, and it's just been fun. >> hi. buzz, buzz, buzz. >> my husband has convinced me to get into chicken raising. ♪ >> there were supposed to be three, and then we found out that you can really only order them in six. >> then lo and behold, we've now ended up with 17 chickens. my father-in-law thinks that we're not -- >> we have computers and cars and everything else. so we're not just living in the middle of nowhere. eli really took to them. every night before he went to bed, he said, "dad, i've got to say good night to my baby chicks." ♪ >> they have personalities. different birds have little different quicks about them. if we end up -- not only the eggs -- but not only the chickens, they've had a good life here. >> we are the chicken club. bock, bock. >> hi, chicken. >> in june when we said we were getting chickens, the other bronx principals, they said oh, you guys are ridiculous. i can't believe this. but now they're all jealous. they all want our chickens. >> i love to collect them all. >> today we had 42 eggs, which is uncanny. so they're scial ladies. it allows us to give the kids something they can touch and feel and smell and taste which they do. >> our egg salad is ready. >> this is my first time at schoolith some chickens. usually i feed the chickens before dinner. >> at first it was total chaos. >> you chase the chickens, they run away. >> they will herd the chickens into the coop. >> enjoy the eggs. >> there's less fortunate families in the school that we identify and give the eggs to. the south bronx is changing. and this is evidence of it. and to have the kids be part of that change is remarkable. >> and decklin walsh is the head of the poultry association. good morning. thanks for being here and bringing your fine-feathered friends. we should mention the association consists of you, your wife and two kids. >> three kids. >> three kids. they've been helping us round up the chickens. the first thing that came to my mind, chickens in brooklyn, it must be against the law. >> absolutely not. new york city is one of the best places to raise chickens. there's no cap on the number of chickens you can have. you can have as many as you can keep clean. >> but you can't have a rooster? >> no, you can't because of the noise. we had a rooster but we had to take care of that. >> where do you start with all this? first of all, you guys were on a farm in pennsylvania and got the idea, right? >> yeah, at a bed and breakfast in the amish country. and my son said dad, is this where we're getting the chickens? i must have lied to him somewhere along the line. we ended up driving back to lancast lancaster, pennsylvania. >> in general, where do you get them? >> well, most people get the chickens in the mail. you have to buy -- we order from a large hatchery in iowa. >> live chickens. >> live chickens come in the mail. they're just hatched and then you get two dozen. they come in a little cardboard box. and our local post office, they know us already. we get mail on sunday. the guys come around, knock on the door, oh, the chickens are here. we get a batch every year. >> just a couple bucks. >> yeah, a couple dollars per bird. >> how do the neighbors react? there's no morning wake-up call. you've got a farm in your backyard. >> yeah, my neighbors are really good with it. we have a dog also. we find it much easier to get somebody to take care of our chickens than our dog because there's a built-in incentive. will you take care of my chickens? sure. you get the eggs. >> any bad encounters with the neighborhood cat? >> no, the cats don't bother them. just this week we had a visit from a raccoon. we're now in a new chapter. >> habitat, we've made in makeshift one with the hay, but you have to have a whole chicken coop, right? >> yeah, you have a henhouse in which there are nesting boxes. then we have a chicken run, for the growing season in the summer, is enclosed. for the rest of the year we give them the whole backyard. >> and it's all about the eggs. >> it's all about the eggs. these chickens eat everything we eat. what makes the taste of the eggs different is what you feed your chicken. they eat what we love, chinese food, thai food, pasta, pizza, everything. we have no food waste. >> thanks for coming along and bringing your friends. by the way, this looks like a turkey. i just wanted to point that out. we'll be right back. first, this is "today" on nbc. still to come, the latest on jaycee dugard's kidnapping ordeal. plus, what it's like to be reunited with elizabeth smart's father after she was abducted. our time right now is 8:55. 62 degrees. clear skies out there. beautiful day on this wednesday, the second day of september, 2009. police think they may have caught the man who object ducted a woman at a virginia metro parking garage. a woman tells police an armed man grabbed her and put her inside the trunk of her car and then dropped her off in lorton, sped away and took off running. police took a mannto custody but they will not confirm he is the suspect in the kidnapping. fewer people in our area will be heading out of town this labor day weekend. 854,000 people will travel 50 miles or more, down 14% from last year. more people are staying home because labor day falls later in the calendar and many children have already started school. e'll take a break and come baca oo at our traffic and weathe good morning. another unseasonably cool morning. a royal blue sky. plenty of sunshine. beginning to warm up into the low and mid 60s. we will hit the upper 70s by late afternoon. lots of sun, low humidity. low humidity through the labor day weekend. tomorrow and friday, partly cloudyith highs near 80. saturday, mostly sunny. mid 80yda aunndor syda and laboy should be partly cloudy with lies near 80. how is our mid-morning traffic. >> we are still jammed up in many locationings. 395 northbound from just inside the beltway all the way to the 14th street bridge. very heavy. a fender-bender at the 14th street bridge. it is gone. the memory remains. still quite slow. earlier issues have been cleared. no issues to report at the wilson bridge. 270. lanes are open. >> joe? thanks very much. coming up on "news 4 at 5:00," it used to take weeks for patients to get back to normal after major lung surgery. tonight at 5:00, find out how to get treated and we are back now with more of "today" on this wednesday morning, september 2nd, 2009. many people, of course, the unofficial end of summer, the beginning of the school year for some people. and some people still getting vacation time out the. whatever your situation, we hope it is as beautiful where you are as it is here in new york where we have a great crowd outside smiling with us this morning. always happy to havehem out there. and they stick around for us all morning long. i'm natalie morales along with lester holt and amy, al is helping out with the fires out in california. matt and ann are off today. meanwhile, speaking of the fires in california, the largest fires have now burned more than 125,000 acres. and keep in mind the peak of the fire season hasn't even really started yet. we'll be checking in with al and getting the latest from him coming up in just a minute. >> yeah, those santa ana winds haven't kicked up. that usually comes later in the fall. >> how the winds picked up and how in the middle of it, the situation can become really precarious. >> i've been out there, it happens like that. >> turns on a dime. also the kidnapping case of jaycee dugard held 18 years and forced to bear two children before being rescued and reunited with her family. the story sends a chill down the spines of parents. a father who's been there will offer advice for keeping your families safe. we'll hear from ed smart, the father of elizabeth who was taken and held for nine months before seeing her family again. plus, we'll have today's "money 911." we have our panel of experts. they are back to tackle your most troubling questions like how to balance the debt on your credit cards and keep a solid credit score. plus keeping up with student loan debt. it's a big issue for many people. natalie, you have a check of the headlines. >> as we've been telling you, higher humidity and lower temperatures are helping firefighters gain ground on the largest of the california fires, the so-called station fire's at least 22% contained. it has burned 200 square miles of brush north of los angeles along with at least 62 homes. hurricane jimena has weakened since it sideswiped the tip of baja, california, peninsula as a category 3 storm. tourists who did not abandon the resort area had to put up with flooded roads but no major damage. today a suicide bomber killed the deputy chief of allegation in afghanistan an23 others in a blast that targeted near a mosque. a powerful earthquake in indonesia claimed at least 15 lives and rattled homes and offices more than 100 miles from the epicenter. a car bomb in greece blew out windows at the athens stock exchange this morning. one person was wounded. two american reporters pardoned by north korea are describing a violent struggle leading up to their capture. in their first account since returning home last month, laura ling and euna lee write on the current tv website that they crossed a frozen river from china and spent just one minute inside north korea before turning back. they say they were firmly on chinese soil when they were dragged away by north korean guards. and a little game of hide and seek at the white house for first daughter sasha obama. a photographer there captured the president's youngest child hiding behind the couch in the oval office to sneak up on her dad while he was working. not your typical game of hide and seek. must be a lot of great places to hide in the white house for sure. you're up to date right now at three minutes past the hour. and we want to go back to al and get another check on the forecast and also the latest on the situation on the fires out there. al, good morning. >> reporter: well, thanks, guys. and, of course, the problem here is that the winds are moving back and forth. we've got a little bit of a breeze right now. winds are going to pick up later this afternoon. but the good news is humidity levels have come up. so that is helping the firefighters fight these blazes. let's take a look, show you what's going on as far as your forecast is concerned. and here in the south, we are looking -- southland, we are looking at smoky conditions. temperatures again near 100 degrees. when scattered thunderstorms come by, but they should be relatively dry. unfortunately, lightning strikes could set off more fires. as we move on into tomorrow, sunny, areas of smoke, temperatures a little cooler. but the humidity levels drop bit. good news for friday, temperatures continue to drop into the upper 80s. in fact, by sunday, highs will be only in the 70s with a stronger on-shore flow. so that's good news. in fact, hurricane jimena right now 30 miles south of cabo san lucas. that's going to be -- that's not going to bring any relief here, no rain, really. it's weakening, and it's going to make its way into?c?e?c?e?e?o that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. now keeping your kids safe. as investigators continue to examine evidence in the case of jaycee dugard, she was kidnapped at age 11 and held for 18 years in her alleged captor's backyard, bearing two children before being reunited with her family last week. so what lessons can parents learn from this? ed smart is the father of elizabeth smart who gained national attention when she was kidnapped in 2002 and was reunited with her family nine months later and ao with us is dr. janet taylor, a psychiatrist who has counseled victims of abuse and is a contributor to momlogic.com. good morning to you both. good to have you here. >> good morning, natalie. >> ed, let me start with you because i think you can give us a really great perspective on what this family may be going through as jaycee is reunited with her parents. >> you know, i think that their family is -- i mean, it's got to be the most joyous occasion to possibly happen. certainly, you know, there's a lot of difficulty in that. you know, i've been in touch with the national center, and she's doing very well. i mean, it's an important thing. to me, the most important thing that she can learn out of this is that it is not her fault. that nobody has the right to do this to her and that, you know, life is hard sometimes. but there is life after these events. >> mm-hmm. and i know she's receiving a lot of counseling right now as well which i know was essential wit elizabeth in your situation. i know elizabeth has also said to you that she plans to reach out to jaycee and her family. how do you think she'll, you know, be able to help them, and what kinds of things do you think she'll be able to tell them? >> you know, i think that she'll be able to relate to jaycee and help her understand how she's been able to move forward, the issues and the problems that she faced. and what helped her the most and hopefully those things will help her, jaycee, to be able to move forward with her two daughters. >> one of the reactions that a lot of parents have when they hear more about this story is, you know, the question why she didn't try to escape. and i know that's something that you have pretty strong feelings about because it's something that many asked about elizabeth. what do you have to say about that? >> you know, first of all, i think that when you start talking about, you know, why didn't she, it places blame on her. you know, a child of 11 years old, that absolutely was not her fault. but i do believe the thing that we have to do as parents is help prepare our children. and i don't think that we do a very good job of that. they talked to us about, you know, respecting adults when we're children. and they never basically delineate that line where an adult may cross over and abuse a child, and those children have to truly understand th. >> mm-hmm. >> and going back to the other issues that i talked about that, you know, it's not their fault. nobody has a right to do this. and it's okay to tell. those are three things that are absolutely crucial in creating a confidence, a safety for our chdren to be able to move forward with. >> absolutely. and janet, let me turn to you because you can only imagine what she must be going through, being reunited with her family after 18 years, probably thinking she would never get to see them again, but she now has children by this rapist, too. i've been thinking about those children. they're now 11 and 15 years old, too. they were raised to believe, according to reports, that jaycee was their sister. and they're right now being told that their father is a rapist. >> right. >> how do they emotionally go through this andurvive? >> well, there are multiple points here. there's jaycee and her children, there's her biological mom. so all of them need different issues and different transitional points. in terms of jaycee, she's a mother to them and probably has been and their protector. but it's complicated. it's going to take time. it's not easy. you're talking about kids who were socially isolated. now they're with a new family. there are so many issues. but it sounds like they're getting the right support. >> yeah. they must be so psychologically damaged, though, at thi point. >> but they're survivors. and they have the help that they need. but this is going to be ongoing and ongoing. it's not just going to be solved with one swoop of the pen. but i think it's important to understand at every level, they're going to need psychological and social assistance. >> and ed was talking about, you know, as parents, what we can do. we don't want our children to live in fear. and we can only tell them s many times, don't talk to strangers. but is there anything more that we can really do to prepare them if there isn incident like this? >> as parents we worry about our kids' safety. but stranger abductions are extremely rare. there are usually 115 which is a lot to those 115, but on the scope of things, there are 60 million children under the age of 15. but as parents, we teach our kids about contact and memorizing their phone numbers, how to use 911. internet safety. practice what-ifs. what if i was walking with you and i stop to go to the bathroom and someone comes up to you? what if a stranger comes through the door? we practice and prepare them. keep the lines of communication open. and just understand that, you know, it's rare. stranger abduction is rare. but it's talking on a daily basis, as mr. smart said, about all those things about what to do, how a child should react, and even a teenager, when an adult or even another teenager makes them feel uncomfortable. >> absolutely. and ed, let me go back to you because i know that you are so proud of elizabeth and the accomplished young lady that she's become. tell us about her now. how is she doing? what is she doing? >> she's been attending brigham young university for the past couple of years. she actually went to study abroad in london last spring. and she has just -- she is best-case scenario as i see it. it was another miracle. you know, our children deserve the best. ones that have been through such traumatic events need to be given all the love and support. you know, unconditional love from those parents. and i'm sure they're doing that. as parents, i think that one of the most important things that we can do is to give our children the education, the knowledge that helps them move forward. i've been working on a program called rad kids that does that that basically addresses the issues of bullying, molestation, abuse and abduction. and i would encourage parents to go to radkids.org and learn more about that. >> sounds like a wonderful program. we appreciate your time with us. ed smart and elizabeth looks beautiful. you know, again, such a great girl. and we're so glad things turned out so well. >> thank you very much. >> dr. janet taylor, thank you also for you being here as well. coming up next, we're going to switch gears and turn to our money panel to answer your questions about getting back on track right after this. nowhere. who do you feel like seeing? no one. tsur is saymany wdepression hurs is so many ways. sadness. loss of interest. anxiety. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a prescription medathtion at treat maptny symoms 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. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. tend to get better grades. stouffer's easy express is ready from the microwave in under 20 minutes, so you can make something that's good in so many ways. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. is as easy as one, two, three. with covergirl trublend, if your liquid makeup is a two, then your concealer, powder and blush are too. we've got your number, and it adds up to a more beautiful you. the trublend collection from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. well, hello there. that's what i'm talking about. (announcer) does your air greet you? say hello to new airwick imotion. it's the only scented oil with a motion sensor, that sees you and says hi back with a boost of fresh scent. when was the last time your scented oil greeted you? airwick imotion. airwick, it's good to be home. ♪ somebody call 911 ♪ shawty fire burning on the dance floor ♪ it's time for today's "money 911" where we answer some of your big financial questions. our panel of finance experts are cnbc's sharon epperson, david bach and cnbc's carmen wong ulrich. good morning to all of you. >> morning. >> that was very energetic and exciting. our first question is a phoner, halle in st. paul, minnesota. she ha a question about credit card miles. halle,hat's your question? >> caller: hello. i'd like to get extra airline miles using my credit cards. d i previously had a business card and a personal credit card with u.s. bank that was affiliated with northwest airlines. and then when delta airlines merged with northwest airlines, delta was pushing this american express card. so i signed up for the american express because of the promotional miles. and the previous one that i had, u.s. bank, sent replacement visa cards for its new program since their program ended when northwest merged with delta. so now i have three credit cards where i'm getting either miles or points. and all of the parties offer their credit cards for free for the first year. and, you know, they offered sign-up miles and points for signing up. but i don't need to have so many cards. so when it gets to the point where i have to start paying the annual fees, i'm just wondering if there's going to be a down side to my credit score if i cancel one or two of the cards. >> right. that's a big question. sharon, what can people like hallie do? what should they do? >> the reward cards seem like a eat thing, but one thing to keep in mind is how the program works. you may think you're racking up all these miles to get that free plane ticket. it may not happen if something happens to that particular company. the thing to remember about canceling your cards, yes, it can impact your credit score because one of the things you want to look at is the ratio. what is the outstanding balance on all the cards versus the overall credit limit on all the cards. you with a unt to keep that below 20%. when it goes above, that can be an issue. when the cancel the card, that may happen. that's a short-term hit. the other thing is the age of the credit cards. how long have you had them? she hasn't had them very long. what you want to see on your credit history is the length of time you have. the longer you have, the better it looks. if you cancel a card, the newer card, it won't affect your score as much. my advice would be to cancel maybe one card at a time. do the newest card first. >> right. >> and try to make sure, of course, that you've already paid off these credit cards and that you redeem the points. >> reward cards now, especially because what they're doing is basically all the credit cards are pulling away all their perks. if you're building up awards and waiting to are a trip to australia two years from now, it probably won't happen like sharon said. use your rewards now. also the conversion price meaning how many dollars you can get for the rewards is going away. so don't get a card just because of the reward. >> great advice. we have a viewer on skype. dan in buffalo, new york. what's your question? >> hi, my question is i graduated in 1990 with about $20,000 in debt. after making the minimum payment for 15 years, i got it down to $6,000. my question is do schools take more responsibility to make sure how it doesn't affect their life? >> david, what can you do about student loan debt at this point? >> let's talk about the loan you have. you have an income contingent repayment plan. and that plan is specifically designed for people like you who do communityervice. here's the good news. and they may not want me to tell you this, but those payment plans are 25-year plans. if you haven't paid it back at the end of 25 years, they actually forgive the loan. so you're 20 years into that loan which means you've got five more years. you want to keep making the payments every month that you're making. don't fall behind on that. call them back up and confirm with them that you're 20 years into the loan. and, in fact, will they forgive the loan in the 25th year if you haven't paid it back? here's one thing. the irs won't forgive it. they're going to look at that loan that you haven't paid off as ordinary income. so you're goingo need to keep money set aside to pay those taxes when that time comes. >> great advice. our next viewer on the phone, joy in nashville, tennessee. what's your question? >> caller: how do i build my credit history back? i've got a history of late payments with a couple of charge-offs. i'm now better financially set. how do i rebuild my credit score? >> carmen, what is the best way to handle credit scores? >> here's the thing. joy, do you have credit cards now? >> caller: no, i do not. i tried to apply for them, and i get denied. >> all right. here's what you do. the first place to start is forget about anything called a prepaid card. you want to go to a secured card. a secured card works kind of like a debit card. you put money down. let's say $500 down, you use the card against your cash. and that's how you build credit. make sure that you shop around for a secure card that reports to the credit bureau. you can do that at bankrate.com, credit.com. they actually report to the credit bureaus and make sure that your good use of this card actually gets reported and your credit score goes up. then when you use your card right, they'll extend you credit and that will start you back on the road. joy, you should be aback in good shape in a year, two years you carmen sharon, david, thank you so much. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and we're back right after this. en't you tired of bleach accidents? 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( stomach growls ) skipping breakfast to get aad? research shows that women that eat breakfast, like the special k® breakfast, actually weigh less. the special k® breakfast, now in blueberry. so why skip? when you can eat all this... and still weigh less. victory is... sweet. just in case you missed it, last night's episode of "america's got talent" kicked it up a notch. kevin skinner, chicken catcher turned country singer, once again stole the hearts of the judges and even earned him a standing ovation by piers, nonetheless. un dngki sdow gicup owed un dking eor me tnht iigon in tonight for the live results with a performance from the muppets all on "arica's got talent" tonight at 9:00/8:00 central. fun for the whole family. and still to come here, bgog toto cesro thees dressed man in america, the real best dressed man according to "gq" magazine. i don't have time to clean all this. no worries. pledge multi surface is fast and effective. nice. quickly cleaning all these surfaces. fast. wow. i'm done. 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[ barks ] you're right. tonight is a beef stew kind of night. you've made another fine choice. look at those beefy chunks all packed with protein, the real vitamin-rich vegetables, the wholesome grains. and you think you're getting spoiled. it's so good for you too. [ announcer ] beneful prepared meals. another healthful, flavorful beneful. ♪ (whistle blowing) (announcer) with it's huge commercial grade drum high-performance motor and new power wash cycle the maytag bravos cleans your toughest loads proof that only a maytag, is built like a maytag ♪ it's rai ng men ♪ ♪ hallelujah g in♪s rain n i♪t's ining men ♪ ♪ amen this morning on "today's style," yes, it is raining men and really well dressed men. actually the best dressed man in america. "esquire" magazine had its annual best dressed real man contest, and we'll reveal the winner in just a couple minutes. with more than 1,000 entries, the folks at "esquire" narrowed the search to five incredibly stylish finalists. they're here along with nick sullivan, "esquire's" fashion director. >> morning. >> this is your annual contest at "esquire," and these are t real best dressed men of america. >> that's right. it's been about finding regular guys who work and have their normal lives, how they like to dress. >> so over 1,000 entries. >> absolutely. >> how did you decide and what did this year's finalists, how did they differ from last year? >> i think what we found over the last few years, as we've asked people to do online, they've had to invest more time in thinking about how they enter. but it also has shown that guys are changing the way their attitudes r dress. they find it more and more important and more and more useful to their general lives to add importance to the way they dress. and they make statements with their clothing, too, right? >> absolutely. it's about stating your individuality. >> we mentioned this is a contest. you want to tell us what the grand prize is for the winner? >> i want to sign up myself. i don't think i'm allowed to. it's $15,000 along with a ar's supply of grooming products. $10,000 wardrobe from kenneth cole, an amazing watch from swiss watch company and a trip for two to new york. >> very generous. >> fantastic prize. >> let's get to the finalists. let's reveal who they are. and first up is ontario armstrong, 27 years old from philadelphia. he thinks a man can never own too many pairs of shoes. a man after my own heart. thank you, ontario. and what can you tell us about his style, nick? >> ontario has this very good y of sort of melding classic tailoring with some interesting touches. show us your socks. i think he's got the right ones on today. it's hidden most of the time but he knows it's there. >> there you go. thanks, ontario. okay. and he's got a great pair of shoes as we see. >> absolutely. >> that is a staple. thank you. next up, 22-year-old dan. and he's a student right here in new york city. and his style icon he says is robert redford circa "the great gatsby" era. tell us about his look. >> simply american, it's got this sporty look with denim and swede but never predictable. it's not that old-school sporty even though it has a lot of elements that are very classic. >> and he looks great. thank you so much, dan. okay. next for the best dressed real man of america is matthew who is a 27-year-old lawyer. and matthew says he prides himself on a wardrobe that doesn't require him to think all that much before getting dressed in the morning. so some real classic dressing there. >> that's right. and a lot of guys aimhat all their lives is to have a kind of uniform, every detail it properly thought out and immaculate. and that way everything goes together and it works fine. >> all right. you look great, matthew. thank you. kevin cason is next. and at 18, only 18, he says he's proving you can be stylish at any age. tell us about kevin's look. >> kevin's got that very interesting look that you've seen from something like "mad men" which has arrived on the tail of this trend. it's been around for a while before that. >> skinny tie. >> very clean. comes from the late '50s, early '60s which is helping a lot of young guys to get into fashion. >> what inspired you? in fashion? >> i don't know. no reason. >> you say you bought the suit on ebay, right? >> right. >> so you can find a bargain on ebay, also investing in quality, too. >> absolutely. >> thank you so much, kevin. okay. next is from atlanta, georgia, 34-year-old santino lattimore. tell us about his style of dressing. >> santino's got this great way of combining this very sort of comfortable simple sports things but adding a sort of flourish with the scarf. >> very nice. i like the way he accessorizes the whole look. let's bring all our gentlemen out because it is up to you now, nick, to help us reveal "esquire" magazine's 2009 best dressed real man in america. can we have some drum roll first? go ahead, nick. >> absolutely. well, it's a very close-run thing, but i'm happy to announce who the winner is. dan. >> dan! woo! congratulations. congratulations to all of you. and dan, i understand you want to be a fashion designer. so this might give you the right push in the right direction, right? >> hopefully, yeah. >> hopefully. and where does your sense of style come from, really? >> i don't know. probably my mom, to be honest. >> really? >> she's always been very stylh. >> mom knows best, right? >> yeah, she does. >> there you go. we love that. and mom certainly will be very happy to know that this is coming your way, too. >> thank you. >> congratulations to you. >> thanks again. thank you. >> well done. gentlemen, you are all finalists, all winners. so thank you and congratulations. and nick, thanks for being here with us and helping us make the announceme announcement. next, what you could be nand t your childr without realizing it right after this. ah, the first day of school. new pencils, new books... new backpack... looks good. just trying to look our best. eh, gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh, we had a good breakfast so we're ready. gonna be another great year, huh guys?! you bet your 8 layers! yeah! long-distance high 5! oh, carel! hey, watch it. start the school year with an excellent source of fiber. a clinical study showed kids who had a filling breakfast... of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal... had 11% better attentiveness... compared to kids who missed out on breakfast. ( shouts ) keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. compared to kids who missed out on breakfast. according to a study presented by better homes and gardens, definity color recapture. it corrects the ok of wrinkles and discoloration. 50,000 voters. one brilliant winner. (announcer) we all want to stay active. we don't want anything... ...to slow us down. but even in your 30s... ...your bones can begin to change. overti, you can begin to have bone loss. calcium and vitamin d work together to help keep your bones strong. and yoplait gives you... ...20% of your daily calcium... ...and is the only leading yogurt with vitamin d in every cup. keep your bones strong every day... h ..it.wyoplait. now to a story about how resilient the human heart is. a mother and daughter memoir, holocaust survivor rita and her daughter, lori, write about the deep family bond forged in the wake of rita's horrible experience and how it's made a psychological impact not only on rita's life but in the lives of her daughter and granddaughter. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> thank you for being with us. we were just talking about how difficult this had to be to write. such an emotional book and yet so important for people to hear what happened to you. you actually start out the book describing something most of us couldn't even imagine, something that happened to your mother. >> yes. it was 1942. my mother was 5 years old. and her family was told that they had to report to the train station because, you know, presumably to go to concentration camps, although they weren told that. her family decided instead to flee their home and go into hiding. so they first hid in fields for a few months. and then made their way to a polish farmer who was a friend of theirs who agreed to take them into his home and hide them in his attic presumably for two weeks. >> two weeks turned into two years, correct? >> yes. >> rita, you were 5. what memories do you have of that time? did you realize what was happening? >> i did, but had to suppress all of my feelings and actions because we had to be quiet, couldn't make a sound literally for two years. >> you watched your mother and your younger brother die. >> yes, i did. yes, i did. and that was very traumatic. >> and it's something you did not ta about. your husband at first didn't even know what had happened. >> i didn't. i didn't want to bother anybody else with it. i'm sorry, i get very emotional at this point. >> it has to be such an incredible thing to have to relive and to think about and to put down on paper. so why was it important, leslie, for you and your mother to tell this story? >> well, originally my mother wanted to tell the story for a few reasons. she, first of all, had heard these holocaust deniers speak more and more frequently that the holocaust had not occurred, and that obviously upset her, frustrated her, and she realized she was the last generation to be able to tell the story firsthand and set the record straight. she also had begun talking in schools to students. and at first she had been afraid that this would upset children to hear about the holocaust. but she realize ttha they were inspired. they kept writing her letters about how much they had changed their tnking after listening to her. and finally, she wanted to also do a testament to those who had perished in the holocaust in her family. so i thought i could help her tell that story. >> and the impact has been felt in your family. your daughter is here. we want to bring her on. she's here. you all talk about the impact this has had on these next two generations. what has the impact been, the pain that you've clearly seen your mother go through? >> well, there's anxiety. everything just pushes that button, you know.t ferse'ear and there's recollti oonsf losses, very intimate losses. >> most 5-year-olds don't have to witness what you saw. >> that's right. >> and then the impact on me was from the very beginng, i was very afraid to be apart from my mom. i always had that sense that she could disappear at any minute, that the world could come to an end at any moment. so in nursing school, i was afraid to be without her. in high school when i was the student body president and involved in so many things, i didn't go on my senior trip which was just a weekend because i didn't want to be apart from my mother. i went to a local college. so i had that. i had a guilt because i had so much in my life. and my mother didn't. and then when my daughter was born, michaela, i was so determined that my children would not be raised in a fearful way, that they would be strong and confident. and yet -- and she is, but yet i came to see those same fears and separation anxiety in her. >> well, the book is beautiful. and has obviously so much to say and so much for all of us to learn. thank you all for joining us. what a beautiful experience. >> thank you for having us. >> and you can read an excerpt from the book at todayshow.com. we're back in a moment. first this is "today" on nbc. f today's kitchen is brought to you by yoplait. it is so good. ♪ summertime >> this morning in "today's kitchen," meals to make this labor day weekend. maybe you're inviting friends over, perhaps family visiting, but what are you going to make for everybody? our hot chef knows, the food network's "ask aida." good morning. >> how are you doing? >> i'm doing great. what are you making when you have guests coming over. this is one of your signature dishes. >> it's peanut ginger skewers. the idea here is that, you know, you've got kids and all kinds of family members coming over during labor day. this is something for everyone. >> you started off with natural peanut butter. >> i did. >> and you added, what, soy? >> yeah, peanut butter, soy, orange juice, garligarlic, oran zest and red pepper flakes. >> and ginger. >> stir that all up. that's going to go into a bag with chicken fries cut into strips. then you go ahead and soak wooden skewers or if you have metal skewers, skewer them on up. about three pieces on there. and then they're going to go right onto a medium grill. >> you can do that on thendoor grill that we have here. how long do they marinate for? >> 30 minutes up to a couple hours. >> it's pretty much done how long? >> two minutes like that, flip it on over, two or three minutes later on the other side. they'll look nice like this, all charred and caramelized. >> yum. >> right? and i think a little bit of the marinade, about one-third to a half cup. >> to brush on top? >>ctually to use as a dipping sauce. i put it over here for us. >> yum. >> yeah. you've got all the skewers. and then you've got that. and you can finish it off with some extra peanuts, just kind of go ahead and throw it on top here. and some cilantro. >> looks great. >> that way you've taken care of the mayonnaise, the dipping sauce and it's easy like that. good for the kids, the family. >> everybody loves it. it's a people pleaser. >> it really is. >> and everybody loves s'mores. >> this season we're doing stuff -- throw the recipe away and do something a little bit easy. >> that's what i do. i never follow recipes. >> there you go. it's perfect for you. take a banana, split it, pack it with sugar. >> very caramelized on the s'more. >> there you go. >> instead of melting chocolate. >> we love s'mores. >> are we talking? we're not talking. >> there you go. delicious. great. i'm not going to take a bite because it's bound to be a mess. still to come, by the way, a live performance from 9:56. hem joe aueb c ttgh atthn au cght the man atthuc atebdd a w at a vi n. minat etiost have arrestedth a -yeaold22ead maro cedhargnd d a charged acking abduction cesha.rg anspg li or fpo h serace police say he forced the victim in her own car and drove away, finally releasing her in the lorton area. the police were later able to take him into custody. the man known as the georgetown cuddler may have struck again. two break-ins in the last three days where a man got into the house and inappropriately touched a female georgetown university student. police are not saying whether this is the work of the same subject but there are similarities. the white supremacist is in federal court for an arraignment hearing. police say, james von brunn shot and killed officer stephen johns un jone the 10th> osthnnla t pin j ose>> planning to take metroal toea rald reaganoratnty t twad rpmat ntware to coirport statio clededorai f mntenance all deke the pentagon city the pentagon calryst stry l stcie lu bdan s blue andow lineo cllyethowines willloil 9:30 p.m. on friday until 5:00 a.m. on tuesday. shuttle buses will be available. let's get a check now on our weather forecast. here is meteorologist, tom kierein. tom? temperatures are approaching 70. we will reach the upper 70s later on today. partly cloudy thursday and friday, highs near 80. >> how is our traffic? road work slowing things down. outer loop of the beltway, we lose the left lane. elsewhere, looking much better along 395. to and across the inbound 14th street bridge. >> thank you,. 9: