Transcripts For WRC Today 20110821

good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. i have not followed the lead-up and build up to this wedding i am intrigued by the money surrounding this kardashian wedding. >> don't feel bad if you didn't send a gift, they're going to make $18 million, the rights to a tv special, $2.5 million for the photos and a lot of big celebrity here, as you might expect. the wedding outside santa barbara, 500 people. lindsay lohan, eva longoria. way over the top, of course, but this is born out of the whole reality tv thing. we'll bring you the latest on that coming up. >> imagine making $18 million on your own wedding. >> i could imagine you could register at crate & barrel and get a nice crock pot. the fall dut opafter releasing the west memphis 3. they spent nearly 20 years in prison over the murders of three boys in arkansas. one of the men was on death row, but a couple of days ago they were all set free. this morning we'll talk to the father of one of the victims who is actually rallying behind the west memphis three. that's ahead. remember the scene in jaws when the shark rammed into the cage. a great white takes them completely by surprise. very scary moment and it was all captured on videotape. we'll show you more of the story and the videotape. i tried it in south africa the cage diving and the thought did cross my mind, how firm is this cage? >> i came out here and i thought, what kind of a person goes into a cage and who does that? lester said, i did that in africa. >> nice to tell the story with both limbs. we want to begin with the battle for libya. this morning the rebels are making a final push to tripoli. it is the center, of course, of the khaddifi regime and khaddifi addressed the situation yesterday on libyan radio urging people to fight against the rebels and all this comes amidst attacks in the capital itself. richard engel joins us now live from zawya. >> we can confirm those reports of intense fighting in tripoli. the battle for tripoli has begun. we are in zawiya and all day seen rebels moving through. they have established a frontline about 15 miles outside of tripoli and we've been watching them reinforce that frontline, bringing in anti-aircraft guns and rockets. but behind that rebel frontline in the center of tripoli itself, there are also pockets of fighting, including fighting just about 500 yards from c khaddifi's presidential palace. he denied that the rebels are making this kind of progress. he said the rebels have been eliminated and he called them rats. clearly from what we've been able to see, the rebels making significant process and fighting ined is the city itself. >> when i spoke to you last night on "nightly news" you were talk about celebrations and the belief that khaddifi and the belief that khaddifi had actually fled. is that what is accelerating this move on the capital right now? >> i think the rebels are clearly celebrating. we've been seeing them drive by us, honking their horns and putting up a victory sign. they don't, many people here don't believe that khaddifi has actually left the country. they are celebrating that they've been able to take towns like zawiya and bring the fight to tripoli itself. when i am here and i spoke with a witness that was about 500 yards away from khaddifi's palace, i could hear in the background on the phone exchanges of fire. so, when the rebels see that they've gotten this close to khaddifi's palace, they think that the end of this war could be near. >> richard engel, thanks. we'll talk to you again this evening on "nightly news." have we reached a turning point in libya? what will it mean for the region and the world? michael sing is director of the washington institute for near east policy and former senior director for the middle east at the national security council. michael, good morning. thank you for joining us. >> morning. >> what might the final hours look like here? are we looking at potentially a bloody, costly battle or might khaddifi's troops lay down their arms? >> the noose is certainly tightening around moammar khaddifi. but you have to keep in mind, lester, libya is a country of 1.7 million live in tripoli. this is no easy task for the rebels and i expect them to lay siege to the city in hope that further uprisings will occur or further high-level defections will occur and khaddifi will fall from within. >> what is your impression about khaddifi himself? is he the guy with the boots on kind of guy or do you think that perhaps he has an exit strategy here and may have already taken that option? >> it's impossible to know what khaddifi will do and if he is, in fact, still there. the rebels are not in a mood to talk to khaddifi or make a deal with him and he gives every indication that he intends to stay until the end. >> the u.s. and nato have essentially thrown their lot in with the rebels, have supported them all the way. do we know what that means? if the rebels take power, first of all, who are the rebels and can the u.s. and nato live with whatever comes next? >> well, i think that will depend very much on what happens inside libya. one thing to keep in mind is that the rebels have avoided certain areas like cert which is khaddifi's hometown. they have not taken some of the towns in the east where fighting is still going on. even after tripoli falls, there will be a big security question in the country. will the opposition hang together? of course, we've seen some divisions and once they achieve that goal of getting rid of khaddifi, can they maintain their unity? i don't know that at this point. >> appreciate your insight, thanks. >> thanks, lester. >> here's jenna. thank you. iran has handed down the sentence against two american men who said they accidentally hike under to the country. iran accused them of being spies and as punishment they were sentenced to eight years in prison. ali is in tehran. good morning. >> good morning, jenna. that's right, tehran's chief prosecutor confirmed this morning the sentences for fattal and bauer and the court was considering all of its options including trying her. the sentences were announced by iran state-run media. tehran's chief prosecutor acc e accusaccus announced this morning eight years prison sentence for josh fattal and shane bauer for entering the country illegally. they were arrested a little over two years ago along the iran/iraq border. they denied they were spies, saying they were hiking and crossed into iran by mistake. sarah shourd was released on bail last september. she flew back to the u.s. and never returned to iran to face trial. >> this could be the final -- >> reporter: she recently spoke with lester holt expressing hopes that her friends would soon be released. >> that's what we're praying for. the time for compassion has finally come. >> reporter: before sentencing, many thought bauer and fattal would be freed with time served and a yesture of islamic compassion. now friends are concerned about the toll a long prison term would take. >> it's unclear what that game is and it has to be very tough. >> reporter: the case has highlighted differences among the ruling elite in japan. it was only two weeks ago that iran's foreign minister said he hoped bauer and fattal would be free. the u.s. state department issued a statement, "we continue to express our hope that the iranian authorities would exercise the humanitarian of releasing these two young men." continue its backdoor diplomacy to free bauer and fattal. at this point a mew manitarian option may be the only hope for these two americans. jenna, experts i have spoken to and conventioned wisdom seem to suggest that they will be free, but relations between these two countries is terrible and iran is not in the business of doing the u.s. any favors. if they're not freed in the next two weeks, they could be here for a long time. jenna? >> ali, thank you. here to give us some insight on the iranian legal system and what the sentencing means is karen desoto. good morning. >> good morning. >> the iranian ambassador to iraq and the iranian foreign minister said they fully expect these men to be free and saturday comes and they're sentenced to eight years in prison. what happened there? >> we went from all the top officials saying, hey, it looks like they're going to be freed and then we get this eight-year sentence. but it's a little too soon to panic because we know in recent cases. in fact, iranian american in 2009 was let go. she was a free llance journalis and she was sentenced for eight years on the same thing and was let go during the appeals process. we have not gotten to the appeals process yet. but the disturbing part is there was a trial. america does not have a consulate. we have to rely on the swiss to be our protectors in those and, of course, our minister, the swiss minister went over there and went over to the trial and was not let into the court. some more disturbing reports is that the attorney for the defendants was not allowed to talk to them. and he was hopeful that prior to the trial that he would get an hour or two to speak to them. that's a pretty huge red flag there. >> that must have really hurt their case, also, when you don't even have any communication with your attorney the whole time that you're in prison. >> well, of course, you know, americans would say that the fix is in, but the problem is, it's very difficult for the families to speak out because nobody wants to be disrespectful and it's very nice to talk about defendants' rights. when someone is literally holding a gun to your children's head, you want to be respectful and walk on egg shells and hope that maybe they will let them free and they're not going to be used as a political chip. >> without that communication with their attorney, is a lot of this he said/he said as far as the evidence against these two young men. >> the attorney reviewed the case and no evidence of criminal acts, however, we don't know, you know, what was put on the record. we still don't know what the spying evidence is. so, are they, of course the families are saying most experts are saying that this is really just they're being used as a political chip and, therefore, they're going to be used nuclear arms and as some type of bargaining chip for talks and iraqi soldiers and iran soldiers and the treatment of the soldiers. so, this is just a whole political agenda at this point. >> lots to come in the coming days and weeks. karen, thank you so much for your insight, as always. craig melvin at the news desk with more. >> good morning. president obama continuing his family vacation in martha's vineyard while monitoring the developments overseas in libya and iran. kristen welker is live with more this morning. kristen? >> hi, good morning to you, craig. president obama was briefed on both situations on saturday. but so far no statement on either. he really seemed to lay low yesterday. we just caught a glimpse of his motorcade leaving a social event. he had been at a charles ogeltry's house who is a harvard professor. in the meantime, the race for his job and the race for the white house really heated up. rick perry out stumping in south carolina. he defended some recent controversial comments he made, including one in which he questions the validity of global warming and he called ben bernanke treasonist. john huntsman pounced on perry for those comments saying they are an indication he's not a serious presidential candidate. michele bachmann also out in south carolina recently. she's been running strong in the polls. she's a tea party favorite who's been trying to broaden her appeal. now, political analysts say this race will really come down to one issue, that's the economy. they say it will likely be a referendum on the president himself. if you think it is heated now, it is really going to ramp up after labor day. that's once this vacation is over. melvin. >> craig. >> kristen, thank you. violence, the nfl preseason as two people were shot following last night's game between oakland raiders and san francisco 49ers. one man is in critical condition. he was shot two to four times in the stomach. police say after he was shot he managed to drive to the gate and stumble to security. a suspect was detained in that shooting. earlier another man who had gunshot wounds in the face was found in the parking lot. authorities in the case of missing utah mother, susan powell, have ended this weekend's search of several mines in the nevada desert. police said the efforts were successful, but they would not say what they were looking for or what they found. if anything. this is susan powell's father-in-law with her father as he was handing out fliers back in washington state. her husband, josh, is a person of interest in her disappearance. the attorney for strauss-kahn's accuser believes prosecutors could drop the case this week. he told "the new york times" and manhattan district attorney is seeking to meet with his client tomorrow. the d.a.'s office and lawyers for strauss-kahn declined comment. finally, some remarkable video from a soccer match in mx co. check this out. they're in the middle of a game when suddenly gunshots ring out. players scramble off the field into locker rooms while fans run on to the field in panic. the gunfire was from a police confrontation outside the stadium. fortunately, no one was hurt. that game was suspended in mexico. that's a quick check of the news this sunday morning. let's send it back over to lester and jenna. janice huff is here with a check of the weather. now, here's jenna. >> janice, thank you. up next on "today," speaking out on the release of the west memphis three. are they innocent of murder? 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[ male announcer ] buy 2 bic products and get one free. only at staples. that was easy. they always maintain their innocence and this past friday the men known as the west memphis three were freed from prison. they spent 17 years behind bars for the 1993 murders of three boys in arkansas. a shocking crime that they insisted they never committed. chris buyers was one of the young victims and his father, mark buyers, joins us this morning. thank you for coming on with us. >> good morning, lester holt. >> this was certainly a strange ending in that these men have been freed, but only after essentially pleading guilty one more time, despite the fact they maintain their innocence. for you, who wanted their freedom and for them to be exonerated. what are your feelings about the outcome? >> it wasn't exactly what i wanted. however, any way you can get out of prison on your own power or walking out is a blessing in itself. >> you would have done the same thing in their shoes? >> in a heart beat. >> talk about your relationship with these three men. at what point did you become convinced that the convicted killers of your son were, in fact, not guilty, in your view? >> the summer of 2007 after a meeting with mr. john douglas, who is a retired fbi profiler. >> and then suddenly the evidence, in your mind, didn't add up. >> have you been in contact with these men throughout the years and have you shared your feelings with them? >> i have been in contact with jason and jessie during the hearing and damien and i have written letters back and forth. >> you're not on the same page with all the families of the other victims. another father thinks these men have been guilty. you have not necessarily had all allies in this fight to free these men. >> well, i don't argue with them or speak to them. they had the same opportunity on october 29th of 2007 to meet with the legal team and hear all the evidence and see it for theirself. they chose not to. today i give them the right to be wrong. >> do you feel now that these men are out of prison and they have a chance and may be successful in proving their innocence from outside prison? >> no doubt that you have a much better opportunity in the free world to prove you're innocent than behind bars where you've already been convicted. >> mark byers, thank you for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> you're very welcome. we'll be right back, but first these messages. and when it comes to your family's health, you want the best. now you can have it without paying the most. new petarmor flea and tick protection. it has the same active ingredient as frontline top spot, so it's just as effective against fleas and ticks, but costs about half as much. sure, our dogs may be called pets, but we all know they're family. new petarmor. same protection as frontline top spot at about half the cost. available at walmart and sam's club. still to come up on "today quaetsd keeping up with the kardashians after the wedding. means i stay up all night. tt good mornings? not likely! i've tried the pills, the sprays even some home remedies. then i tried something new. 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[ male announcer ] get 2 free strips at breatheright.com. your favorites, in pieces. good morning. 8:26. i'm aaron gilchrist. topping your news for today, investigators are investigating a shooting on a toddler in glen arden. prince george's county police say he was hit in the upper body by a stray bullet. he was with other children. right now detectives don't know if the shooting was related to another incident or if another child somehow got hold of a gun. 45,000 verizon employees will be back to work on tuesday ending their two-week strike. however, they still don't have a contract. the workers agreed to return to work while negotiations continue on a new contract. they went on strike when verizon subjected cuts to pensions and higher insurance premiums. police officers from laurel continue their fund-raiser today by sitting on the roof on a dunkin' donuts. officers are on baltimore avenue in college park trying to raise $5,000 for special olympics. this is a statewide fund-raiser at eight dunkin' donuts stores in maryland. they plan to stay on the rooftop until 1:00 this afternoon. a check of your forecast after this break. stay with us. [ man ] i got this new citi thankyou card and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ ♪ there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪ [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it. if you stepped outside already this morning you know it's pretty soupy out there. we're pushinging 80 degrees in some places. chuck bell has more details looking at our forecast. >> hey there, aaron. good morning to you. good morning to everyone out there in the news 4 nation this morning. a cloudy sky but we are getting a few breaks of early morning sunshine in the washington area. these won't last all day long, though. enjoy them while we're here. temperatures starting to move upwards. 76 in downtown. 75 in st. mary's county, maryland. 69 in the panhandle of west virginia. 73 in montgomery county. our forecast for today, mostly cloudy skies. showers and thunderstorms quite likely this afternoon. a slight risk for severe weather as well. today's high up near 90 degrees before the storms come rolling in. tomorrow, clearing skies and 85. tuesday and wednesday look absolutely gorgeous. lows in the 60s. and might even be a few 40s in the mountains by tuesday morning. aaron? >> like the way that sounds. thank you, chuck. a full hour of news and weather at 9:00 a.m. ♪ ♪ we're back on a sunday morning, august 21, 2011. as you can see, we're a little jumpy today. don't stop on our accounts. may have something to do with these folks here with us this morning. say hi to the winners of this year's pogo palooza competition. i want to get to them. >> that looks like something you would do. >> you know what, it does look like something i would do. >> you're the adventures one. >> it's fun to watch. out on the plaza, i'm genjenna wolfe alongside lester holt. before we get to them. we'll talk about this reality wedding that you have not stopped talking about, the kardashian. >> anyway, for the tv star and businesswoman, kim car dannium a very lavish affair and the cake alone cost $20,000, lots of celebrities. this morning more on the kardashian extravaganza. a claer close call with a shark from inside a cage. two divers in the water inside that cage. they thought they were safe and suddenly a massive shark grabs hold of their bait and surges right through the cage. a terrifying moment for the men. just one example of an amazing encounter with a wild animal. we're going to have more of that coming up. plus, as a lot of parents send their kids off to college, the issue of drinking comes up and binge drinking and then we'll talk about some steps being made to help students stay sober. colleges are creating recovery and sobriety programs and a growing trend, one being applauded for reducing the rate of alcohol abuse. we're going to tell you more about that coming up. first, we want to say hi to our pogo sticking champions. this is nick ryan and he's going to take us through the routine in a second and it's jake gartanl and tony stops and dan maho mahony. those are the boys. >> these are some of the winners from poega palooza which we held in last week of july out in costa mesa, california, at the orange county fair. >> what sort of things make you a champion at this sport? >> a lot of different disciplines. the five main competitions we have is big air competition. which is a run-base competition. very much like x-games with skateboards on the ramps and things like that and then we have tech competitions. you the spring-based pogo stick and we have a high jump competition. >> give us an idea, how high do these guys go? they set some world records. >> we set a bunch of records, we didn't set the high jump, which is 9'6", that's held by dan mahony. >> i have to ask you about the learning curve about something like this. are there a lot of injuries? >> people fall, it's an extreme sport. that's what it is all about. it's dangerous so it's exciting to watch. these guys have been at it a long time. five years, six years, seven years. the sport itself has been around for about 13 years. a bit of a learning curve, but people pick it up. >> thanks for stopping by. we know you were here a couple weeks ago, but it was pouring outside. >> it looks like they'll do just about anything. >> great job, guys. >> nick, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> good luck with everything this year. w it is a very cloudy sunday morning here in the nation's dam. i'm news 4 meteorologist chuck bell. there's a pretty good chance we'll get rain showers and thundershowers. i 60% chance of rain finding its way to your backyard. keep a weather eye to the sky. temperatures in the mid-70s right now. afternoon highs in the upper 80s to near 90 ahead of the thunderstorms, arriving here between 2:00 and 5:00 this afternoon and lasting until 8:00 or 9:00. back to work tomorrow. it will be sunny. retire a long record. it's time to check on weather for, it looks like weather.com. make sure you logon to weather.com for the latest information. now, here's lester. plenty of weddings across the country this weekend, but one is making all the haeadline. kim kardashian and kris humphries. michelle franzen is here to tell us more about it. >> good morning, relester. it was fill would celebrities and plenty of high-priced treats. clearly with this wedding, money was no object. kim kardashian and professional basketball player kris humphries tied the knot in an exclusive and elaborate wedding just outside santa barbara. the setting, the sprawling estate of google executive eric schmidt. overhead, glimpses of the kardashian family and guests arriving. the who's who list of the rich and famous included lindsay lohan, eva longoria and humphries' teammates from the new jersey nets. more than 400 attended the lavish event. >> the kardashians have drawn comparisons between kim's wedding and the royal wedding. i'm not sure it quite reaches that level. certainly in terms of majesty, splendor and pomp and circumstance, it will give the royal wedding a run for its money. >> reporter: kardashian-style, of course. tongue in cheek and chic. with the bride all dressed in wang. vera wang. >> she had three custom dresses whipped up at a price tag of 25,000 apiece. hea >> reporter: her choice, full gown skirt. "people" obtained t eded the ex right to the wedding photos. kim and her sisters are famous for being famous. and savvy at turning that celebrity into fortune. cashing in on all things kardashian from personal appearances and perfume to a new clothing line. and, of course, the popular series, "keeping up with the kardashians." the couple's relationship mrad out on the show. >> you called them so fast. >> reporter: humphries proposed in may with a 20 caret diamond ring. many are wondering if it's for real or just reality tv. >> you have to ask yourself, is this all for show? they got together very quickly and engaged even faster and then you look at them together and they seem really in love. >> after the wedding, earth, wind & fire performed that reception and so did stevie wonder. kim kardashian is shrewd businesswoman. there are reports as much as this wedding gala cost, it may earn kim and her husband nearly $20 million. lester? >> michelle, thanks very much. up next, close call with a great white shark. we'll show you the tape and tell you the story behind it, after these messages. hello! uh, yeah. i don't normally associate with salty snacks. huh. i thought berries were supposed to be sweet. 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[ sponge ] visit dawn-dish.com. so, a couple of divers thought a cage would keep them safe from the most feared predator in the ocean, but, as you'll see in the blink of an eye, a massive great white shark was suddenly part of a "dateline" special "amazing animals caught on tape." >> i really enjoy the outdoors. scuba diving is a new passion for me. >> i was diving for about 28 years. i'm definitely an adrenaline junky. >> this dive site is off of an island of guadeloupe. 160 miles off the coast of baja, california. >> i had a little bit of apprehension on the way out about being that close to the top predator in the ocean. >> you have really warm water and tons of sharks. on the first day, we definitely had an exciting moment. we had a shark actually, a big female come in and grab hold of one of the base. >> hit right at the bottom where i was filming out at the bottom of the cage. >> definitely put some perspective to the whole thing. >> the second day we could see this one shark coming way from the deep and reached the water, the bait with one bite and when she came back in, she just came straight at us. when she hit, it was like the car accident. >> all i'm seeing is the eyes and the nose of that fish. >> huge mouth. big, sharp, white teeth. the shark snapped the whole front of his cage off and came right inside with us. >> at that point it was stuck in the cage and i thought paul was bit and i was next and i knew i had to get out of the cage. this was a 16-foot shark in an 8-foot cage. couldn't see a scenario where i was going to get out of this unharmed. i moved to the side where i knew that there was a trap door and slid that open and i basically sprung out of the water. >> the shark was able to shake loose of the cage and the dive masters were able to just pull me completely right out of the water. >> out of the water on the swim step and i just remember distinctly going, whoa! >> who needs caffeine in the morning when you can just watch that? you can watch more on tonight's "dateline amazing animals caught on tape." glad that's over with and now here's lester. the statistics are well, sobering. more than 80% of college students are drinking. a third of them do drugs and nearly a quarter of them mean dig noesic criteria for substance abuse or dependence. now, some colleges across the country are giving students a lesson in sobriety. craig melvin joins us with more. >> turned into one to help college students in recovery. this program at texas tech is serving as a model for other schools across the country. ashley is a recovering addict. she's also a senior at texas tech, where she's maintained a 4.0 gapa, thanks to an innovatie approach. >> i was like 20 days sober. >> reporter: ashley is one of 80 students who are part of texas tech's recovery program. >> we provide an affirming, nurturing, supportive environment for students that are in recovery from substance abuse. and, actually, eating disorders, also. >> reporter: the school offers academic support, 12-step courses and relapse prevention classes. it also has a campus center equipped with everything from study pods to a rec room. >> if you notice around the building you see signs that say, this is a safe place. we allow the students to be a part of something where alcohol and drugs are not an entergle factor. >> reporter: 18 to 24 are the fastest groups seeking treatment. texas tech has served as a model for other colleges who have created recovery communities. >> our idea is to help them really be the people they were meant to be before their addiction. >> reporter: staying sober in college can be a challenge for many. yet alone someone who is in recovery. >> the ability to use drugs and alcohol is extremely easy and it's accessible to anyone within a snap of a finger. >> reporter: aaron is a junior who has been clean and sober for four years now. the school provided him with a much-needed network of support. >> it's just helped me out tremendously with staying on track, receiving insupport and direction i need. >> reporter: a sentiment ashley shares. >> i think it's so important to have recovery and that's something the center has given me that i don't have to go to this school and be who i'm going to be friends with. it's like i have this built-in network. >> reporter: like other students like andrew credit texas tech for a chance to go to college, an option he did not think was possible a few years ago. >> i would not have even looked into a university if it was not specifically for the center. >> reporter: these students have higher goals than just staying sober. >> i got clean and sober and that was a thing to conquer in itself. but i don't want to stop here, i want to pursue a life. >> now, it's important to stress that this is a recovery program and not rehab and students have to be clean and sober for nine months before being admitted to that program at texas tech and they must attend weekly recovery meetings. the school has a 94% success rate. it appears to be working. lester? >> craig, thanks so much. joining us now with more insight, jeff a drug education specialist and alexandria is an addiction scientist at the national development and research institute. good morning to both of you. thanks for coming on. alexandria, you have been directly involve would the texas tech program and studied addiction among young adults, why has this become such an important initiative. >> it is an important initiative because there is a growing concern and substance abuse continues to be a growing problem. the number of kids in treatment has almost doubled in the past deca decade. when kids come out of treatment, they don't have the kind of support from their peers. not just a couple of times a week or a couple times a month at a meeting, but all the time, even in an environment where there is so much drugs, they don't have a chance. >> jeff, has this kind of turned college on its ear? there has not been a benign acceptance in the past that drinking is part of going to college and how does this change the culture? >> i think the transition from high school to college is difficult for any student. whether they drink or they don't drink. a lot of emotional things going on. so, i think when you can get kids into an environment where they feel safe, where they can find a peer group that is accepting of them, it does change the environment. right now the standard environment for college, the way we recreate, we drink. >> this changes that cultural paradigm. >> you've spoken freely about the fact that you have your own struggles coming out of high school. how would this have changed someone like you? >> back in 1994 i came out of school. interesting thing, i was class president and i gave the commencement speech and by christmas i was out of school. there wasn't a structure for me to return to. so, college was put on hold for a long time. this would have been a really wonderful place to kind of step in to. >> how do you extend this beyond college? they have this safe place but move into the work a day world and what kind of support do they need after school? >> hopefully, by the time they come out of college, first of all, the recovery would have stabilized enough that less support would be needed but they also build a network of sober friends that probably will last for their lifetime, just like people's college friends will last for a lifetime, but these are in recovery. they don't have to be completely isolated from life either. >> my thanks to both of you. it's an important discussion, which we're glad people are having. right now, just ahead, field of dreams. four baseball fans take a trip around the bases to remember. we'll tell you about that story. around the bases to remember. we'll tell you about that story. first, these messages. roadtrip. vegas. vegas! now?! 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[ male announcer ] buy 2 bic products and get one free. only at staples. that was easy. ♪ for a snack like you ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®. a cross country road trip. four best friends. you visit all 30 major league baseball parks while raising money for charity. not bad for a summer. joining us today all four of those teenagers. welcome to all of you. good morning. >> good morning. >> jack, let me ask you first. how did this idea come to be? you're all baseball fans for a while now. >> of course. we are all baseball fans, childhood friends. so, we love seattle baseball, we wanted to kind of branch out and it was kind of a kitchen table dream to start with and it turned into a reality. >> there's a difference between sitting around a kitchen table and coming up with an idea and sitting down with your parent and going, hey, guys. so, we're leaving for a while by ourselves. because we have this crazy idea. travis, what was that conversation like with the parents? >> our parents are actually very supportive. when we brought up the idea to going to the ballparks they were like, i don't know. and then when we started raising money and they were full in. >> you visited all the ballparks, which was your favorite one? which would you go back to? >> we ranked the ballparks on the best experience. my favorite was the great american ballpark in cincinnati. but we all the different favorites. the other was pnc in pittsburgh and fenway, obviously, we were there on the 4th. that was really sweet. >> you guys were in a van together, day in and day out. can i assume at some point along the way you showered? >> yes. >> where did you stay and logistically speaking, how did you manage to do all of this? >> we were in a camper van so we could sleep in our van so we didn't have to pay for hotels or sxw anything. but most of the nights we would stay with family or friends of friends and get a shower whenever we could. >> travis, we should mention, you raised money via charity. >> we raised money through sponsors and namely root sports, joan soto who gave money towards the trips so we could go out and raise awareness for the edgar martinez foundation which is set up by long-time mariner great which helps support teachers in underprivileged communities. we were actually able to write a check for $10,000. >> the best part of this, jack, you showed up at one of your ballparks and who was there? >> we were actually getting interviewed by our own station and low and behold, one of my childhood heroes shows up right behind us and surprises us. edgar martinez actually patted me on the shoulder and, so, yeah. >> very, very cool. i guess i will ask all of you this. 30 ballparks, 54 days and almost 15,000 miles, would you all do it again? >> in a heart beat. >> no doubt. >> not one night between all of you? >> we never said that. i mean, whenever you're in such a confined space, we were on the road for 54 days, it gets tough. >> there were definitely a lot of times when we were driving for more than 12 hours and, at that point, tensions get a little bit high, but, yeah, we're best friends through and through. >> and still. >> great experience. >> well, we're looking forward to hearing what your next big adventure will be. thank you so much. welcome back. glad you had that experience. >> thanks for having us. we're back right after this. [ martin luther king jr. ] i still have a dream that one day on the red hills of georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. i have a dream today! [ male announcer ] join us at the walter e. washington convention center on august 26th for a live roundtable discussion inspired by the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. savannah guthrie is filling in for david gregory on "meet the press." hey, savannah. >> hey, lester. good morning. coming up on "meet the press" president obama on a bus tour through the heartland. with us, adviser robert gibbs. then, i'll talk to a man who considered getting into this race, inianda's governor mitch daniels. plus, our political roundtable. it's all this morning on "meet the press." >> we'll see you shortly, savannah, thanks. guess what, my biological clock is ticking seeing the good morning. i'm aaron gilchrist. welcome to news 4 on this sunday, august 21st. we are expecting another round of severe weather in the day ahead. in fact, an already deadly weekend. prince george's county fire officials said lightning led to a man's death. . he was electrocuted by torn down trees. prince george's county fire crews say a storm sparked a house fire. five people were displaced in fort washington. flash flooding forced people to swim for their lives. water rose nine feet in the