palin and levi johnston say they're not only back together, they're engaged. and mo one will be more surprised than brinstol's mom, sarah palin, today, wednesday, july 14, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on wednesday. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. >> this is something the world, this test, has been waiting for for more than a day and now another delay. what are they worried about? we'll talk to an expert about the possibilities and the concerns coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> plus, if sarah palin is watching this morning, she just received quite a shock. here is the picture that pretty much says it all. bristol palin and levi johnston together with their 18-month-old tripp showing off an engagement ring to "us weekly." >> according to an interview, the couple has not shared the news with bristol's parents, sarah and todd palin. bristol says the thought of telling her mom is intimidating and scary. wait until she sees her later this morning. >> oh, gosh. >> we'll have more on this coming up. >> yikes. also ahead, the 19-year-old alleged barefoot bandit is back on u.s. soil this morning after being deported from the bahamas. apparently he is not happy with the attention that his arrest is getting. the latest in a live report just ahead. a little later in the show we'll talk about the growing dangers of counterfeit goods. $600 billion business. it's mott junot just purses and watches. they are trying to sell you phony prescriptions, even baby formula. could you be putting yourself in danger buying these products? we want to begin on this wednesday morning with the oil leak in the gulf and bp's decision to now delay critical testing on that new ceiling cap. nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson has the latest. anne, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the decision to delay the test came after consulting with energy secretary chu and a team of scientific and engineering experts who are in hughouston a bp's command center looking at the analysis. and it all apparently stems from what's called a seismic survey. think of it as an x-ray of the sea floor that they did yesterday, and that is where the blow-out preventer and the gushing pipe is. and they looked at that survey and determined they needed to do more preparations, more analysis before they could begin this test that may well give them the answer of how to stop the flow of oil into the ocean. it is a high-stakes engineering test at the bottom of the gulf for bp, an attempt to close the valves on its new sealing cap and stop the flow of oil to two containment systems. all in an effort to measure the pressure of the well and maybe even halt the gushing crude. >> let's all hope we get to the higher pressures, which will mean we can make a decision whether we want to leave the well shut in or if not then we'll know we need to continue on as we are with our containment activities and continue to move forward with the relief wells. >> reporter: this test could take up to 48 hours. the relief wells, bp says, are still the best shot to permanently kill the well. when that happens, the work won't end. cleanup crews are a common sight along the shoreline of plaque parish. >> if we take any sense of urgency away from coastal louisiana when that leak is stopped, i'll be very upset. >> reporter: at pmj oil company, a new orleans tradition, the shukers and local oysters are gone. they are trying to hang on. >> it's my work life. i'm done. my family's done. i don't know if our farmers will come back and farm oysters. that's not going to happen. >> reporter: people here want their life back, want their coast back. that's not going to happen until the well is plugged. >> a physics professor at the city university of new york and host of sci-fi channel on the science channel. we have been waiting for this integrity test for over a day and now we're told it's been delayed while more analysis is done. what kind of analysis are we talking about? >> we are the beginning of act three, the final chapter. think of a raging fire hydrant that's out of control. if you stop it too quickly, it could explode. if the pressure is too low, it's worse. it means there's already a leak in the pipe and now they're testing the sea flr to make sure everything is ready for the final capping of this well. >> because they're worried this could be an explosion? >> there could be other leaks and they want to make sure that they do it right. remember, this is the eighth attempt to finally stop that leak and this time they're going slow. they realize they rushed the other eight procedures too quickly. this time i agree with them. they're taking it slow and easy and getting it right this time. >> once they start the pressure test, how is it going to work? >> well, first of all, they have the blow-out preventer that's leaking all of the oil. they cap it. they have three valves there. they'll open and close the valves very carefully. pressure has to be within a window, about 6,000 to 8,000 pounds per square inch. if it's beyond that it could overpressurize and spring a leak. below that, there could already be a leak and we have to start all over again. >> okay. so if it is below that, what do you do? do you take that cap off then? >> you take the cap off and then put a partial cap on and then wait for the gold standard, that is, the relief wells. the relief wells with 90% confidence should choke off this raging fire hydrant once and for all but, again, that also has dangers in and of itself. >> if there is too low pressure, that suggests there is a leak below the floor of the gulf. >> exactly. >> and then that is spreading into the rock pormation. how do you stop that? that's one of the doomsday predictions here. >> the worst case sken cenario the pressure is going to be too low meaning there's already a leak somewhere along the pipe. that's why they're drilling three miles, three miles, down below the surface of the ocean to try to choke it off at the bottom. that's called bottom kill. >> that's what the relief wells are about. >> that's what the relief wells are all about, to kill it at the bottom. it's like winning the lottery. you never get it the first try. you're going three miles to hit an object the size of a dinner plate. >> what if they get the pressure right, suggesting the cap can contain the oil? why would they need to do anymore? if it's able to contain it, why would you need the relief wells? >> we want a permanent fix. a temporary fix is with the capping of the blow-out preventer. we want to kill it it once and for all to make sure there's no more leaks, no more complications so, again, we're entering the beginning of act three. the final participate of act three is when they finally kill it at the bottom. >> dr. kaku, thank you very much. a check of the rest of the morning's stories with ann curry at the news desk. we begin with the major developments in the case of violence in the days after hurricane katrina. four police officers face federal charges accused of shooting unarmed civilians and then trying to cover it up. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is standing by now with details on this story. pete, good morning. >> reporter: ann, these charges are a big turning point in a case that has rocked the new orleans police department. it all stems from a shooting there just as the city was coming to terms with the devastation of hurricane katrina. the new charges involve a shooting that has haunted the city, witnessed by an nbc news camera crew. september 4th, 2005, emergency call, police down as six people cro crossed a bridge over the city's industrial canal heading to a supermark eir brother, a dentist.see when the shootings stopped, two of the civilians were dead and four wounded, all shot by police and all unarmed. now four of the policemen who were on that bridge have been charged with illegally firing those shots, then falsely claiming they acted in self-defense. >> the officers and their superiors lied about what happened and went to great lengths to obstruct justice. >> reporter: prosecutors say one policeman also kicked and stomped on one of the shooting victims, ronald madison, a mentally disabled man, as he lay on the bridge ramp dying. his brother says the charges are a long time coming. >> it's good to see they have the resources to investigate what's going on. find out the truth of what has happened. >> reporter: a lawyer for one of the officers says they acted reasonably in a crisis. >> there's things in that indictment that aren't true. many of them we can prove aren't true. >> reporter: the charges against the four policemen who fired the shots carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty, but the justice department has not decided whether to seek it. ann? >> pete williams for us this morning. during the night a car bomb and gunfight killed three troops in southern afghanistan. they were fighting off an attack on a police compound the taliban is claiming responsibility. today congress is looking at all those extra fees being charged by airlines from everything from checked bags to carry-ons to meals. airlines need to be more up front about what exactly they're charging for. medical experts suggest new guidelines including the use of brain scans to help diagnose alzheimer's disease before the symptoms appear. according to "the new york times" the guidelines -- if the guidelines are adopted, some experts believe the number of people who could be diagnosed with alzheimer's could increase by two to three times. and in last night's all-star game the national league beat the american league 3-1 for its first victory since 1996. the win gives the national league home field advantage in this year's world series. and just before the all-star game, there was a moment of silence for longtime legendary new york yankees owner george steinbrenner, known as the boss. steinbrenner died of a heart attack tuesday at the age of 80. he always said owning the yankees was like owning the mona >> things are pretty quiet here at home. there is still a chance because see a few showers popup and even a thunderstorm up for lunch time. it will clear up later on this it will clear up later on this afternoon, partly and that's your latest weather. matt? al, thank you very much. the alleged barefoot bandit, 19-year-old colton harris-moore appears in a courtroom today after he was deported to the u.s. on tuesday following that high-speedboat chase and arrest in the bahamas. nbc's peter alexander is in miami with with the latest on this story. peter, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. this morning colton harris-moore is right here in miami at the federal detention center. it's just less than 24 hours after authorities paraded him into court in the bahamas. we were inside the courtroom at the time when harris-moore pleaded guilty, calmly, to just a single minor offense. but here in the u.s. he could face much more serious charges. under heavy security, colton harris-moore arrived back here tuesday night capping a long day that began in the bahamas. with the suspect marched to a nassau court wearing clean high-topped shoes without laces, a bahamas t-shirt and a fresh coat of mosquito bites. inside this courtroom the 19 ye 19-year-old fugitive who bohemian police say could have faced several charges including illegal possession of a weapon was surprisingly only charged with one minor offense, for illegally landing this stolen plane in the caribbean nation july 4th. harris-moore who had eluded authorities for two years since vanishing from a halfway house in washington state was respectful and expressionless only repeating the word guilty twice when asked for his plea. harris-moore's bohemian attorney monique gomez. >> he's wanting to get it over with. that's basically it. >> reporter: his sentence, a $300 fine and an immediate deportation, or three months in a bohemian president. the u.s. embassy paid had a fine and less than four hours later harris-moore was back on a flight to u.s. this is where his custody could get complicated with harris-moore accused of dozens of crimes across at least eight states, allegedly stealing cash, cars, and five planes. investigators say he taught himself to fly. >> a lot of states want the guy and it's in a sense going to be a battle and probably the state that wins or the federal jurisdiction that gets first dibs will be the one where he committed the most crimes or committed the most harm. >> reporter: the fbi says harris-moore will likely be returned to his home state of washington where he allegedly preyed on neighbors for years after a troubled childhood. "the herald newspaper" in washington state reports harris-moore told a psychiatrist in 2008 that his mother was abusive when she'd been drinking. >> colton, is there a message for your mom? >> reporter: after his deportation from the bahamas, many of his victims hope he paces justice. at least one relative says what he really needs is help. and the so-called barefoot bandit's capture in the bahamas was significant, it got him back here to the united states. his attorney there, matt, said that what he wants is not media attention. it's to go home. >> all right, peter alexander in miami pour us this morning. peter, thanks very much. it's now 16 after the hour. once again here is meredith. new details and allegations this morning connected to the disappearance of kyron horman as his mother speaks out about the case. here's nbc's kate snow. to the persons or persons that have kyron, i miss my son so much that i can't worry at times -- >> reporter: desiree young and her husband tony say they can't believe kyron is not alive, can't fathom any other outcome. >> please let him go. just take him to a remote pay phone or somewhere out of the way and tell him to call 911 and tell them who he is. >> reporter: with each passing day, the events swirling around kyron's disappearance seem to grow more bizarre. court paperwork this week revealed the latest strange twist, kyron's stepmother, terri, is accused of starting an intimate relationship with neighbor mike cook who went to high school with her estranged husband, kaine. ey exchanged sexually explicit text messages and pictures. cook admitted texting with terri. >> they were sexting, texting each other. you roll your eyes. . >> i'm sorry. it's, i guess to say it tactfully, it goes to someone's character if you're doing something like that. i mean, it's disgusting. >> reporter: terri, the stepmom, hasn't been seen in weeks. on tuesday her attorney says she will move out of the home she once shared with kyron, her husband kaine, and their young daughter. >> she is agreeing to move out and she's agreeing not to ask for parenting time. >> reporter: kaine's attorney says terri is asking for money to help pay for the move but kaine has no intention of paying. >> he would like some cooperation from her first. he'd like to know where his son is, if he's safe or not. >> reporter: desiree and tony say they're now convinced not only that terri is involved in kyron's disappearance but that there were signs she was plotting something. do you think terri horman planned to do something? >> something with kyron? oh, yeah, without a doubt. i think it was very planned. >> reporter: ahead of time? >> oh, yeah. >> i absolutely believe that terri horman is responsible for kyron's disappearance. >> reporter: and they see red flags in kyron's behavior prior to his disappearance. >> kyron became increasingly unhappy about not spending time with me. he wanted to come live with us. several times he would just break down and just sob because he wanted to stay. >> reporter: desiree is racked with maternal guilt. >> to know that i was 4 1/2 hours away when he needed me to protect him, that's what i feel guilty for. the fact that i had to work that day instead of going to the science fair like i wanted to, that i feel guilty for, too. >> reporter: as for terri horman, she still isn't talking, still not even called a person of interest in kyron's disappearance back on june 4th. for "today," kate snow, mbs news, medford, oregon. just ahead a wedding surprise. bristol palin and levi johnston say they are engaged. bristol was too afraid to tell her mom, sarah palin. we'll have the details. first this is "today" on nbc. just ahead, it seems every day there's more to this story. mel gibson allegedly caught making more racial slurs in yet another heateded audio tape. we'll tell you what's on that and have more details on where that story is going. >> i think this one is aimed at latinos. the mother who has create add website to help her 31-year-old son find a wife. you can meet them both and see if you can help him find his perfect partner. 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[ female announcer ] new kellogg's fiber plus cereal®. positively delicious. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time for a check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> a few problems to get to. in the past half hour we have an accident it, and at washington boulevard, patapsco avenue, an accident clearing northbound. watch for a crash approaching the toll plaza. belvedere and loch raven, you can see delays falling into place slowly but surely. 41 on southbound 95. not so bad out of the white marsh area. live like aou a drive times. 14 minutes on the outer loop with east side. -- outer loop northeast side. here is a quick live look outside. we can see in the area of harford road, harford road looking at it the lead on the out of it away from us towards providence. we will switch to a live view of 895 towards childs street. that is the northbound accident approaching the harbor tunnel toll. tony has a check on the forecast. >> things are quiet after having heavy rain about last night. a few scattered light rain showers. most of it west of hagerstown. they will be around baltimore this morning and as we head into early this afternoon. just a chance for a shower, maybe a thunderstorm up until lunch time. this afternoon we should get some clearing. the temperatures will probably be in the upper 80s to near 90. should be hot in the next couple of days but try tomorrow. 95 on friday. chance for a thunderstorm late in the day. off and o