good morning. president obama weighs in on the controversy over a plan to build a mosque near ground zero. >> this is america. our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. >> this as the first family travels to the gulf coast for vacation. bailing out. exclusive video showing the jetblue flight attendant as he makes his dramatic departure from the plane. and playing the odds. are royal wedding bells in the air for prince william and kate middleton? we'll hear what british bookings are saying today saturday, we'll hear what british bookings are saying today saturday, august 14th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. >> less sistter is on vacation. >> we're happy to have you here. >> i brought joe. is that okay? >> you can't come by yourself? >> we're a pair. >> we'll get to joe in a second. we have a lot to tell you about including president obama's strong defend of a proposed mosque near ground zero. >> he spoke out about that about a white house dinner. he said i believe that muslims have the same right to practice their religion than anyone else in this country. it's his first public comments on this and coming up we will get reaction from joe scarborough. and then as part of the heartland continues to struggle with heat, severe thunderstorm warnings and dangerous flooding, tens of thousands in iowa may now be without drinking water for days. we will head live to iowa with

the latest. plus new federal rules on overdraft fees for debit cards take effect this weekend. they're in response to the widespread outrage overrules that would allow the bank to charge you if you go over your credit card limit. coming up, we'll tell you what you need to know so you're not nickeled, dimed or even $20 billed. >> and then we'll show you the exclusive first video of steven slater as the jetblue flight attendant swllid down emergency chute. as we were talking about this, i said i'm kind of getting sick of this story and you said, what, i just heard about it. do you have television? >> i have dreams of doing that actually. we didn't really watch. i did just hear about it yesterday. >> then you can do the story. >> all right. i might jump out the window with a beer. you never know. but first, the president and first lady leave for a weekend getaway oig in the gulf this morning. mike viqueira is traveling with

the president. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. i am standing outside andrews air force base where this morning the first lady, the president and first daughter, sasha, will board air force one to fulfill a promise that the first lady made back in july. a family vacation to the gulf coast for the first family, mixing business and pleasure. and a mess toonlg wary touristses who have stayed away, it's safe to go back in the water. >> this is an opportunity to highlight the notion that this important region of the country is still doing well and open for business. >> reporter: though many gulf beaches are now free of oil, vacationers are slow in coming back. leaving hotels and restaurants starving for tourists at the height of what should be the busy season. this is the president's fifth trip to the gulf since the leak began in april, but the first since it was plugged.

and for mrs. obama, it is a return engagement. back in july, the first lady visited the same white sands and encouraged others to do the same. >> one of the best ways that fellow americans can help is to come on down here and spend some money. >> reporter: there was criticism later when instead of heading south to florida, the obamas went north for a weekend getaway in maine and more when the first lady and daughter sasha spent time at a lavish resort on the coast of spain. but today mrs. obama makes good on her promise to return. the president will meet with local officials on gulf recovery efforts. but as for his own down time, one big question remains. just how far will he go to set an example for other tourists? >> he's going to have some fun. whether or not he gets in the water is up to clearly some debate. >> reporter: to dip or not to dip, whether the president and first family take a swim, the spokesman left that question.

but we should note this isn't the only summer vacation that they will be taking. they leave for ten days in mar is that's vineyard this coming thursday. >> mike, thanks so much. and now here's mika. >> for more on the first family's weekend in the gulf and the controversy surrounding the proposed mosque near new york's ground zero, i'm joined by joe scarborough, my colleague on msnbc's morning joe. good morning, joe. >> a nice hour to start a show. >> 27 hours on the ground. politically is that enough given that they're going martha's vineyard for ten days and especially after michelle obama's trip to spain which some saw as extravagant? they seem to be just dipping in and cutting out. >> they had to do it, though. and this is a trip that was planned a long time ago. if you talk to people in the obama white house, they will admit they made a horribles mistake memorial day weekend when the president went up to chicago instead of going down to the gulf. they knew, they knew back in june that he was going to be

spending ten days in martha's vineyard. they also knew that's unpopular with the american people. so this trip was planned. i'm not saying that it was completely cynical, but they obviously knew before he went there he needed to visit the gulf coast with his family. >> we talked about this on the show. and you thought it was a big mistake not to go down there and spend some time down there. roll up your sleeves and really connect with the people. >> it was a big mistake, but this white house has dodged that political bullet. this is actually a political blessing. they made some terrible mistakes pr wise. they still survived it. if you look at the increases "wall street journal" poll that just came out, this was the one area, handling the bp spill, where the president wasn't upside down. so they made some terrible pr blunders early on. they've righted themselves. >> do you see a difference in approach from the white house given the fact, given the dealings that we've had with them all the time on this, that they're bringing one much their children with them and making it kind of a family vacation? >> right.

and, in fact, we talked to a white house staffer and said should you have brought your entire family for memorial day weekend. get them town therdown there. they said we don't do theater with the children. >> august is a great month for theater. >> it is. you have summer stock, tshakes spear theater. it's good for the kids to go down to the gulf coast and see what's going on.it's good for t down to the gulf coast and see what's going on. i think it's the most beautiful part of america. >> i don't disagree. let's talk about the mosque controversy. the president addressed it last night at a ramadan celebration. >> as a citizen and as president, i believe that muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country.

and that includes the right to build a prailace of worship and community center on private property in lower manhattan. >> first of all, he was fairly unequivocal. do you think this was a preliminary chan political chance he took? >> it is. but here's the thing. everybody should know muslims have a right to build a mosque wherever they want to build a mosque. >> but you hear these politicians saying you can't do it, it's terrible. you're hurting the leg gas siace people who died. >> we should celebrate the fact that we allow people to do that, however the critics will say as president of the united states, you should to what the gufr of new york is suggesting and say i'm going to help you find another place not so close to ground zero to build that mosque. if the president weighed in and said that, he would have a real impact. i would suggest that's what his critics will say she have done. >> new york's mayor actually

came out pretty clearly on this, as well. and a lot of people are applauding him for his political strength because there are been who don't care about the constitution, just want to jump on what will get to people emotionally on this and connect with them. let's talk about afghanistan. we have david gregory there. he has an interview with general david petraeus who replaced general mcchrystal whose career went down in flames after the "rolling stone" article. and in an interview that will air tomorrow on "meet the press," david talked to him about whether or not he felt stifled by the withdrawal date of july of next year. let's listen to the general. oh, we don't have that bite. what he said was -- >> it was a moving quote. >> so moving, we don't have it. he said he doesn't find it stifling and that in fact, the president's been very clear, the vice president has been very clear, that this is a date that this is when it gns sbu conditions based. looking at the polls on the war

and looking at how people feel about it at this point, is there any way petraeus can turn to the president six moments from now, nine months from now, and say we need to drag this out a little more? >> of course. general petraeus is holding all the cards here. he's holding all of the cards. and the fact that the general says that this withdrawal date is conditions based, he sets conditions. if he doesn't feel like -- general petraeus comes out a year from now and says we are not ready to leave, if we leave it will be disastrous militarily, on the ground and it will hurt the credibility of the united states, the president has to follow him. so right now this is a policy that's going to be driven by general petraeus. >> all right, joe scarborough of msnbc's morning joe, i will see you monday morning. don't be late. >> i usually am. >> joe, thanks. the severe weather continues in america's heartland and beyond the heat, tornadoes hit parts of the midwest on friday

killing one person in north dakota and more rain is also expected today in iowa. this as tens of thousands of people in that state remain without water. ron allen is live in ames, iowa with the latest. >> reporter: good morning. the news out here is actually pretty encouraging. the water seems to be dropping everywhere. this area that i'm standing in yesterday was covered with water and as you can see, it's pretty much gone this morning. further in the background there, you can perhaps hear and see a huge truck. it's blowing warm air into that building trying to dry it out. that's happening in a number of places here on campus. beyond the campus in the town of a mc ames, there are tens of thousands of people in this entire community who do not have clean water. city crews worked feverishly to repair flood damage. officials say strict water conservation measures and a boil water alert will lookly remain in place well into next week. >> ames is a town virtually cut

off by flood waters. >> reporter: ames had the worst flooding here ever. hundreds of homes evacuated. visits shut down. roads closed by rising water. in some cases with deadly consequences. police released the 911 calls from a group of local teens trapped in several cars swept off a rural road into a flood swollen creek. >> we're going under water right now and there's nowhere to go. >> reporter: 16-year-old jessica webb did not survive. volunteers handed out free bottled water to every resident who needs it, a gallon a day each. the traffic steady at make shift pickup sites. the flood ironically drained the town's water towers. the saturated ground so heavy, water mains cracked under the weight leaving 55,000 residents with no clean water. >> it is a big inconvenience, but with everything that's happened, at least i can do to help out with the community. >> reporter: it's home it iowa state university. what might hook like a pretty

lake on campus are actually football practice fields covered with water. the residents of this mobile home park say floodwaters rose several it feet. they tried to salvage what they could. like everyone here, joshua drake keeps his eyes on the sky. >> you can see the clouds coming right now. they're talking about another inch and a half, two inches. not good at all. >> reporter: today the forecast is much better, there's very slight chance of rain at least in the ames area. meanwhile town officials are pushing harden couraging residents to conserve water, businesses as well. the town needs every available gallon of water to flush out the entire system. and the sooner that they can to that, the sooner thing will get back to normal sometime the middle of next week they hope. >> ron allen, thanks so much. and once again here's mika. there are new developments in alaska this morning involving the plane crash that killed former senator ted stevens.

michelle kozinski joins us from anchorage with that story. >> reporter: good morning. investigators were firn and he will able to talk to two of the four survivors of monday's crash into the alaskan wilderness. so far evidence seems to indicate that the engine was running normally on impact. but despite reports that they tentatively ruled out member cal failure, publicly investigators emphasize they've ruled out nothing in their search for why. we just stopped flying. those words from one of the survivors. >> he detected no changes in pitch or engine noise and that they were flying along and then they just stopped flying. >> reporter: new photos show more of that scene. the unforgiving landscape, the unnamed survivor said the weather was too rough to fly that morning. the pilot was worried people would get sick. but it cleared some and the

group, including senator ted stevens, one day before the disaster set out after lunch for the remote fishing camp. another survivor, who fell asleep in his seat next to the pilot, remembers waking up after the crash. >> it's still very early. we have to examine a lot of things before we can determine the cause. >> reporter: the single engine otter had terrain awareness technology, but not the latest types of safety equipment that stevens himself had pushed for. so was it the weather that got the best of this legendary alaskan pilot? the owner of the company that hosted the group and later helped search for them spoke for the first time since the accident. >> the weather on monday was better than it had been for most of the previous week, although it was very windy, very turbulent, and the weather conditions in the area were quite volatile. >> reporter: terry smith had just been hired to fly the plane in july. nearly 10,000 hours experience in aircraft. he also knew the route and the area well.

in smith's three decade career, the ntsb documented one accident in 1997, he nosed over a cessna on landing. no injuries. investigators found he failed to maintain directional control. now they look for what happened here in the hands of such skill. >> the pilot was my neighbor. my estimation one of the best pilots in alaska, a guy i've flown with personally for the last 25 years. >> reporter: investigators still want to talk to the two other survivors and they've all been recovering. the most seriously injured, sean o'keefe, was in critical condition. he's been upgraded to serious. two others are in fair and the youngest survivor, 13 years old, is in good condition. >> accomplish she thank you ver. let's head over to the news desk this morning. good morning, everyone. we begin with the continued manhunt for an arizona prison escapee and his fiance

accomplice. police believe more pictures showing how the pair may have altered their appearance. authorities believe mccluskey may be responsible for the murders of a new mexico couple since his escape. bp's oil well is not killed yet. admiral thad allen said friday that the blownout well is not securely plugged and the work on the relief well must go forward. it could take four dayses to get the operation up and running again. s as new flooding hits pakistan, a case of coaler are a has been confirmed. aid workers fear there will be outbreaks of this and other water-born diseases. 1500 people have baby killed and 20 million left homeless from the moon soon rains that began last month. a leading british bookie is so sure that prince william will marry his long time girlfriend he stopped taking bets on a 2011 wedding. so if you still want to wager, it's now simply a matter of

which month and where they will go on a honeymoon. william hill says june 2011 ranks as the most likely month for the royal nuptialses followed by july. their pick for a royal honeymoon? the caribbean followed by the south of france. and we see a confrontation of a different sort. this time a pillow flight in economy class. the horse play captured on a passenger's cell phone. the flight attendants eventually fled for her own safety to the gallonlely after which as you can see passengers gave her a rousing round of applause. and that is the news. now back to amy, mika and bill. >> i'm a mamazed that they had pillows. >> they're all gone all the flights i'm at. >> you can purchase them.

let's turn to meteorologist bill karins who has a check on the forecast. on morning joe, we usually intro you with an insult. >> we don't do that here. we'll be nice. i'll be nice, too. give and take. let's show you the heat wave continues in the middle of the country. this is like the eighth weekend in a row we've talked about the heat. and it will really be bad today from st. louis to dallas to arkansas. thunderstorms in the southeast, but nicer weather for the northern plains including all our friends in iowa. you'll have a pretty dry week ahead and you deserve that good morning to you. lots of fog along the coast and through a lot of the city and into the east bay so we're waking up to 50s out there. a good solid sea breeze. keeping us rather mild. this summer has been mild. the wind right now at about 10 miles per hour across the east side of the bay. you can see that fog blowing well inland. highs today remaining in the 70s, and only a few 80s along the coast, upper 50s and lower

60s, sunset by the way 8:03 t. remainder of the week mild. warmer tomorrow. that's your saturday forecast. amy? it's been one of the the most aggravating and expensive trends in banking, those heavy overdraft fees imposed by the banks when you gopher limit. starting tomorrow, it all changes as new federal rules take effect.limit. starting tomorrow, it all changes as new federal rules take effect. here to walk us through it is nicole from cnbc. under the new rules, banks can no longer charge the heavy draft fee unless you opt in. explain what that means. >> basically gone are the days of those $40 lattes so when you don't have the money to pay for it, so now you are going to have to opt into that. this is somebody that president obama obama signed in last year, slowly starting to trickle in.

so the banks will send and you letter where they're asking to you find another option, to get that money from your savings account or from another credit card. it's no longer going to be automatic. >> so if you don't have that, you just won't be able to buy the latte. >> it will be embarrassing in line for starbucks, but it won't hurt you later. >> because that latte could cost you $40. >> absolutely. >> last year's credit card act now coming into effect. these new rules, though, a lot of talk about it, is it going to change things truly for the consumer or will they just find other ways to charge you fees? >> that's the thing, we are going see some of those bank fees lessen a little bit. there have been times we all get these overdue bills with the big fat red stamp. that overdue stamp will cost us a little bit less. there were times when it would go up to $40. now that's capped at $25. but if your minimum payment is less than $25, it's not going to exceed $20.

and also there's a provision where if your interest rate went up because you did have late payments, the bank has to look at that time again within six months and if you've been on top of your payments, they have to lower it back.ime again within months and if you've been on top of your payments, they have to lower it back. >> we've all had the experience where you get something for christmas, by the time you end up using it, some of the value has decreased and it almost becomes meaningless. >> you get all of these birthday card, you shove them in the drawer and a couple years later, oh, i go find my favorite sweater. now it's going to extend the expire rate to five years. so you have five years to get your act together. also the door mans city laws kick in, so it has to are this the drawer for at least a year before they can start docking. and this applies also to the general gift cards that you get from the visas and things like that. >> that is good news. nicole, thanks so much. and we're back, but first this is "today" on nbc.

[ male announcer ] when meg whitman arrived at ebay, they had 30 people and an idea. meg's job was to make it happen. it took leadership. focus. and the ability to bring people together. meg whitman delivered. named one of america's best ceo's by harvard business review, she grew ebay 15,000 strong and made small business dreams come true. now meg has a plan to create jobs. fix sacramento. and deliver results. meg whitman. for a new california.

still to come on "today," jetblue, we h show you the first video of the jetblue flight attendant deploying the escape hatch and jumping off the plane. plus how did three kids 11, 13 and 15 manage to get themselves aboard a southwest flight all alone? who is at fault? but first we have these messages for you.

good morning everyone. 5:26 is the time. saturday morning, hope you're getting ready for a fun weekend. let's start with news, though. thanks for joining us. i'm garvin thomas. vallejo police are searching for a killer who is considered armed and dangerous. police are looking for 37-year-old alfonso mestis accused of killing a man found in his truck. an autopsy revealed he had been shot to death. investigators say mestis may be traveling with his girlfriend jessica gonzalez wanted for accessory in the murder. people in alameda county

have to skip a dip in the local pool because of new rules on drain covers. authorities say they had to temporarily close several public pools because they don't meet federal safety regulations. under rules that went into effect pool and hot tub owners have to install drain covers so people won't get hair or parts stuck in the drain. the county says 40% of the public pools in the county don't meet the new standards. firefighters north of calistoga worked through the night watching for hot spots from a fire that started yesterday evening. the flames were reported around 5:00 p.m. near tubbs lane. only 10 to 12 acres burned, crews are worried that the sparks could spread to dry grass. highway 29 was shut in both directions north of calistoga for over three hours. no one was hurt. the cause is under investigation. let's get a check of the weekend weather forecast.

welcome in craig herrera. >> good to see you. the weekend, we've got all of the fog, this summer has been so cool. we continue with that today. a lot going on. san jose jazz festival. sunshine by afternoon. we'll start with a live shot, san jose and beautiful as we look over the city. there is a lot of fog above and clouds. cloud cover. the fog this morning at about 2200 feet deep right off the coast. highs right now or temperatures rather in the 50s. 56 through oakland, 55 in san francisco, it's not on the map but we're about 55 downtown. 56 livermore. so not a big change from the inland spots. san jose, close to downtown and the airport at 61. 53 in napa. the wind is coming in out of the northwest at about 10 miles per hour in some cases and look at fairfield you have southwest winds 25 miles per hour. so even parts of the central valley are cooler than average. right now temperatures are about 1 to 2 degrees cooler inland, along the coast about where we

were yesterday. so what we have today, a little spin off the coast is helping to build that fog and blow it in during the afternoon. with the fog in the afternoon expect more 70s and only a few 80s this afternoon. tomorrow we lose some of the fog a little earlier so we'll see a little more sunshine and more in the way of 80s. meantime, lots of 60s and 70s, only a couple of 80s. >> this cool weather continues. thank you very much. join us again in a half hour for or excuse me, at 7:00 for all of the top stories. at blaz. wow, look at that! so you can go online and check out the news, or you can just catch up with old friends -- hey buddy. you can download videos and -- wow, that was fast. you can do it all from the comfort of home. so, as you can see, it's a -- whoa. i'm gonna just go grab a sandwich. [ male announcer ] introducing our fastest internet with speeds up to twenty four megabits per second. switch to high speed internet from at&t and get one-hundred dollars back via promotion card.

we're back on this saturday morning, the 14th day of august, 2010. you're looking at all of our friends gathered outside our window on the world. we'll head out inside in just a bit. it's a beautiful morning. coming up on "today," this is mika's favorite story, she's new to it, more bumpy skies. >> steven slater was arrested and charged. now new video has been released of the escape hatch being deployed from that plane. i believe he went down that thing with a beer in his hand. we'll see. >> two beers. >> i love him. it's my dream just to like ride outside the window of 30 rock. what do you think? >> might be a little dangerous.

>> maybe not. then lindsay lohan. we talked about her yesterday. she's just 24 years old, she's had more than her share of trouble with the law and addiction. right now she's in rehab for the fourth time. it's the second time she's been ordered by the court. she just served two weeks in jail. is she on the road to recovery? and was there no one in her family who could help prevent it is this we'll find out in just a bit. >> i'm going to ask if you can prevent your child from becoming a train wreck. also, no one stopped them. three florida kids just 11, 13 and 15 hop on a last minute southwest flight to nashville. their parents had no idea her gone and this morning the airline says it did nothing wrong. who is to blame? the answer in just a few minutes. >> it's a tough one to call, as well. >> the airline probably should have known, but 15 maybe looks like an adult. >> 1 parents must be really bumd

out. but first we begin this half hour with a suspected sear eqri killer now in an atlanta jail suspected in 18 stabbings including five deaths. on friday, he agreed to return to michigan to face charges in one of those attacks and as ron mott reports, it could be the first of many criminal charges. eli has abuelazam shovelled in to a courtroom friday steady on his feet if not unsteady about the process to send him back to mitch h mitch to face an attempted murder charge. the first what could be many. >> it's up to to you decide. >> that's the most common sense. >> reporter: his attorney, who missed the hearing, said his client is afraid. >> he's faced with a rather difficult charge. and as a result, he's going to be scared, he's going to be nervous. >> several cases he just walked up and started stabbing. >> reporter: the 33-year-old

abuelazam, an israeli citizen, is suspected of stabbing at least 18 people in michigan, ohio and virginia. five died. terrorizing many in flint, michigan's african-american community. >> all of us have been staying together and sleeping in the same house because we don't know what's going on. >> reporter: and police say they didn't know enough until just recently to link the attacks, which started in late may. virginia authorities actually detained abuelazam after a traffic stop august 5th on an unrelated warrant, a knife and hammer found in his car. but a judge eventually released him. more stabbings followed. also now tied it to the suspect. >> my belief is he selected the victims in leesburg based upon the color of their skin. >> reporter: police caught up to abuelazam again wednesday night here in atlanta only minutes from taking off for tell tel avd a possible escape. >> he looked tense, you know,

scary. >> reporter: delta flight 152 landed without incident or abuelazam, leaving his family in israel stunned. his cousin said we cannot comprehend this. this is not like our family. we are against violence and killing. this is a shock to us. a shock to victims' families, as well, still trying to comprehend their loss and pain. for "today," ron mott, nbc news, atlanta. and it's time now for a check of the weather with bill karins. bill, good morning. good morning. we'll ignore the orange neon shirts, but i wanted to say hello to all our ladys in the north carolina. first time for a lot of these ladies here. and down here, look at these two beautiful blond little bis here. your sign says it's my mom's birthday. i'm guessing this is your mom. are you going to do anything special for her? >> go to the donut shop. >> you can bring me along, too? let's take a look at your

forecast for today. it will be hot in the middle of the country. we'll be 99 in st. louis. 100 in louisville. the heat wave continues especially around the dallas area. 111 in little rock, the heat index. so sizzling temperatures continue. and a little heat in the west coast today, too. 95 in portland. do you have a favorite donut? >> no. >> all right. boston cream for me. >> good morning to you. a lot of fog out there as cloud cover is going to be a mild afternoon. we'll get sunshine in places like concord, livermore, san jose through napa and sonoma. highs in the 70s and a couple of low 80s. 61 in san francisco, a lot of fog and mist and drizzle early along the coast. that will stick around the coast most of the day. and tomorrow as well. seven-day forecast, inland numbers come up sunday and monday, then cool off next week. affair, air, it's only 69 this mondin n

a. coming up next, jetblue drama, new video of the escape hatch being deployed is released and we'll show it to you. but first these messages. all over -- chrone it was a mystery to me. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and with less pain, i can do more of what matters to me. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica.

don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. then i found lyrica. what's inside this little dial? how about three mascaras in one. with almay's new one coat dial up mascara you can go from daytime... to dazzling in just three clicks. the innovative adjustable dial takes your lashes from full, to fuller, to fullest. see, i've just clicked my way to sensational. new one coat dial up mascara, only from almay.

honestly, i'd love to do this for the rest of my life so i have to take care of myself. [ male announcer ] to keep doing what you love, keep your heart healthy. cheerios can help. the whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. it's simple; love your heart so you can do what you love. rheumatoid arthritis going? they're discovering the first self-injectable ra medicine you take just once a month. it's simponi™, and taken with methotrexate, it helps relieve the pain, stiffness, and swelling of ra with one dose a month. visit 4simponi.com to see if you qualify for a full year of cost support.

simponi™ can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious and sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, cancer in children and adults, heart failure, nervous system disorders, liver or blood problems, and allergic reactions. before starting simponi™, your doctor should test you for tb and assess your risk of infections, including fungal infections and hepatitis b. ask your doctor if you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, or develop symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start simponi™ if you have an infection. [ female announcer ] ask your rheumatologist about simponi™. just one dose, once a month. it was the ultimate take this job and shove it moment. a jetblue flight attendant who literally melted down on the job and went out with a bang down the emergency hatch reportedly with two beers in hand. but now steven slater, the rogue jetblue flight attendant, has to

face the consequences. this is new video released of that hatch being deployed. jeff rossen is here with that video and the very latest. did you see the two beerses? >> you don't see the beers, i'm sorry. i've ruined your morning. we've been talking about this for days and day, but we never saw the actual incident until now sans beer. a camera at jfk caught the whole thing and you're about to see it steven slater deploying the chute and sliding off into the sunset. jetblue flight 1052 had just pulled up to the gate. in this exclusive video obtained by wnbc, watch the door in the front of the plane, we're highlighting it. it swings open. the emergency chute inflates and shoots out. wait a couple more seconds and there is steven slater jumping out. that pole blocks the shot a bit, but in slow motion, you can see the jump right there. and with that, steven slater

that history. howard, a radio producer, was in seat 20-b. >> it was done notice look at it and put a little closure on it from my perspective having been actually on the plane. >> reporter: but even with this video outside, there are conflicting stories about what really happened inside the plane. steven slater says a rude passenger hit him with a bag and cursed him out lead to go his ju jump out of plane and folk hero status. what do you want to say to the people calling and you working class hero? >> i'm a little overwhelming. something i had no idea was going on. >> reporter: but now some passengers say slater himself was the problem calling him rude and disgrunt he willed the entire flight. >>s behavior throughout the whole flight was a little bit erratic. he was walking up and down the aisles, slamming the overhead bins. he was slamming the refrigerator door and the ice and whatever they have up there, he was slamming that, as well. >> reporter: on the new video, you can see ground crews working near the plane.

prosecutors say the shoot chute have hurt them, which is why he's charged with felonies. he's pled not guilty. any regrets? that face says it all. >> i wish the camera shot was a little closer so we could see his expression as he jumped ut of the plane. was he smile willing, was he laughing, can he yell cwowabung after the. >> he says he still wants to an flight attendant for squet blue oig. that is unlikely. airline executives say this is to excuse for what he did regardless of what the reason was. >> i wouldn't mind him on my flight. i have seen in the past couple of days i've been on some nightmare flights and there have been some nightmare passengers. do i feel bad, should i feel bad for kind of feeling his pain? >> nightmare passengers. y it's resonated with a lot of people. over 200,000 people on his

facebook fan page. >> he broke the law. that's the bottom line. jeff rossen p, thank you very much. and up next, all alone. three kids hop on a last minute flight with no supervision. who is to blame for this? we'll find out after these messages. t a wake up call. a heart attack at 57. that was a rough time. my doctor told me i should've been doing more for my high cholesterol. ♪ you should've listened. you're right. now i'm eating healthier and i trust my heart to lipitor. [ male announcer ] when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone... including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple 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. my dad learned the hard way. but you may be able to do something. [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. and about lipitor. moh-ohm. -do you have your lunch? -yes. and you know where your classroom is? uh huh. mom, i can walk from here. what about your... mom, i got it. ♪

[ female announcer ] they're never too big for a little something sweet. kellogg's rice krispies treats. i am a relocation banker at quicken loans. the mcdonalds were relocating from louisiana to texas. in order to get everything done, you have to be efficient. we didn't have to do very much. dana set me up with a personal web site... she can log in and view documents, and he can log in and view documents... ...which worked great since we were in different states at the time. it's not just an online service... it is personal service. that's why i love quicken loans! ♪ southwest airlines is defending its policy on unaccompanied minors after three jacksonville children bought plane tickets to nashville and

flew there without their parents even knowing about it. the three are 15, 13 and 11. mark potter reports. >> reporter: on a summer day in jacksonville, florida, 13-year-old bobby was looking for something to do when 15-year-old bridget sent him a text message. >> i asked him today if he wanted to go to nashville, tennessee. >> reporter: they decided to visit the dollywood theme park using $700 bridget saved from baby-sitting. and without telling their parents, bridget, her 11-year-old brother, cody, and bobby then took a cab to the airport and bought tickets to nashville. >> they told us how much it would be and then we paid him and he put the flight things on our bags and he said you better run because you might miss your flight. >> reporter: the kids say no one at security asked them any questions. >> we just took our stuff out of our pocket, our shoes off and walked through and they didn't say nothing. >> did they ask for you i.d.s or

anything? >> reporter: the kids discovered that dollywood was actually some 200 miles away and got scared and called hole. >> called and said we're in nashville, toward come home. >> reporter: the parents were shocked and angry the kids were allowed to fly without them. the tsa says children under the age of 18 are not required to show i.d. to fly. all they need is a valid boarding pass before entering security. and southwest airlines says under its policies, a 12-year-old can travel alone. as for 11-year-old cody, southwest says he, too, was okay to fly because he was accompanied by two older companions, meaning the 13 and 15-year-olds. now that the kids are back home, many are asking who is to blame. mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> well, the big question, were airline policies broken here. mark is the international editor for travel and leisure magazine. good morning. i think maybe some parents at

home are thinking, wow that's scary, 15, 13, 11, just walk order a plane, paid cash for the tickets. but were any rules broken? >> southwest said it clearly. i talked to them the other day, they said, no, they did not violate any policy. if you're over 12, you can fly on your own. if you're under 12 but traveling with a 12-year-old or older, it's okay. that's their policy and they say people like it. >> right, because sometimes you want to send the kids to grandmas, you don't want to buy the adult ticket. so it's convenient and has been going on for some time. a lot of people are saying does the gate agent have any discretion when they're issuing these tickets, a child paying cash and could she have said where is your mom and dad, do they know you were flying. >> so many alarm bell with respect going off. they're buying tickets with cash, one way only tickets. no parents there, no i.d. any one of those things could have set these this thing in motion to ask for a supervise or

who might come in and sary, hey to do your folks know you're here. >> we actually have a specific statement we want to read out. they say the policy covers children from ages 5 through 11. in this case the 11-year-old customer was accompanied by between older companions. a 12-year-old can travel alone without a parent. many airlines have similar policies on minors traveling alone. so this wouldn't be something specific to southwest airlines. nearly every other airline has a similar -- >> there's not a lot of consistency, but american airlines, it's not 12, it's 15. if you're older than 15, you can travel on your own. if you're under 15 but with a 15-year-old, you can travel together. other airlines like delta and continental, if you're a younger child, you can only travel with an 18-year-old or older person. so there's not a lot of consistency this. >> that's an interesting point. the tsa made a statement, as

well, because people question why they were able to make it throughout check point without i.d. they say passengers under the age of 18 are not required to present identification but are required to have a valid boarding pass. >> nobody in this country illegally who doesn't have i.d. your birth certificate if nothing else. if you came into this country legally, you have some sort of i.d. showing that. everybody, everyone a child, has some form of i.t. and i hope that the tsa will take this as a teachable moment and maybe review their own practice. >> are there security measures in place at most major airports and within this special airline if you have a child traveling under the age of 18 to make sure he or she gets to point b safely? >> absolutely. everybody has an unaccompanied minor program where they will have a chaperone from the airline meet the parents and child at the ticket counter, walk them through security up to the plane, introduce it them to the flight attendant and it at the other end have a chaperone bring them back and hand them off to a designated adult. >> all right, mark, thanks so

much. and we're back, but first this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," lindsay lohan. her mother, dina, tries to set the record straight about her daughter's two weeks in jail. how is her court ordered rehab going? we'll find out. plus, eat, pray, love. why has this adventure spoken so many to its 7 million readers?

activia is better than ever! hey, you guys. want to try activia's great new taste? today is your tasty lucky day! sure, why not? isn't this the yogurt that, you know... helps regulate your digestive system. ooh, i think i'll pass. no, no, no! trust me. it is beyond tasty. okay! mmm! wow! i can't believe it, i love it! mmm, this is really good! new best tasting activia ever! taste it, love it, or it's free! ♪ activia

good saturday morning everyone. time is 5:56. thanks for joining us. i'm garvin thomas. oakland police have released a new sketch in the case of a truck driver killed at the port in june. investigators say this man ended up in a minor accident with another truck driver the morning of june 24, then a fight ensued. eventually the man in the sketch killed the other driver. he's described 5'9", 180 pounds and from 30 to 35 years old. the attack happened on middle harbor road just before maritime street. there is a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. meg whitman has passed the $100

million mark in personal contributions to her campaign to be governor. she recently pumped $13 million into her coffers, totaling $104 million. she promised to spend up to $150 million of her own money to win the governor seat. the legal maneuverings continue over the gay marriage ruling. jerry brown is making his opinion official. he filed documents urging the 9th circuit court of appeals to let gay marriages resume. the move is a response to opponents who urged the court to stop the marriages until the court can hear an appeal. unless the ninth circuit weighs in or they make the appeal to the supreme court next wednesday same-sex marriages will resume. new this morning, a new satellite made here in the bay area lifted off into space. there it goes.

the so-called advanced satellite is on the way to replace the mill star satellite. the new technology will make cell phone, tv and gps reception better and help with military communication. coming up on the bay area saturday scott budman will give us an inside look at the satellite. looks like that is heading off into cloudy skies. that's what we have again in the morning. >> we can't shake that fog. stays with us. going to be with us most of the morning. later this afternoon we get clearing. meantime we'll continue with the mild conditions. here is a live shot of the golden gate bridge. there is shine along the bridge. some of the mist and drizzle. we're in the 50s, the fog at 2100 feet deep a. good sea breeze later this afternoon as well will keep us on the mild side. temperatures along the coast upper 50s, lower 60s. bay side communities 60s to 70s and a couple warmer spots near 80 degrees.

once you head up to ukiah and clear lake in the upper 80s near 90. the rest of the bay area in the 70s and 80s. the seven-day forecast, tomorrow we warm a couple degrees, not a lot, though. monday warmer, then next week we cool down again with more 70s and 80s for afternoon highs in the warm spots. >> thank you very much, craig. we'll have all of the top stories at 7:00 on the bay area saturday. right now, though, let's check in again with the "today" show.

good morning. depending the mosque. president obama weighs in on the controversy over a plan to build a mosque near ground zero. >> this is america. our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. >> this as the first family travels to the gulf coast for vacation. new details this morning in the day city anthony case. the florida mother has been charged with murdering her daughter, caylee, who would have turned five h this week. this morning her grandparents join us live as they continue to look for justice for the little girl. and wild weather. the threat of more severe storm in the midwest as people in iowa still struggle with nooding that has left tens of thousands without clean water. today saturday, august 14th, without clean water. today saturday, august 14th, 2010.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome back to "today." >> lester shot on vacation. >> you look like you were just on vacation. >> i was. >> that plains it. we have a lot to tell you about this morning. >> the first family is going to the gulf of mexico as opposed to maine to show their concern for the people of the region as they try recover from the bp oil spill. their visit comes after criticism of michelle obama's recent trip to spain. we'll have the details about their trip and the president's defense of the mosque to be built near ground zero. that's a big controversy coming right up. and then as part of the heartland continues to struggle this morning with heat, severe thunderstorm warnings, and dangerous flooding, tens of thousands in iowa may be without

drinking water for days. we will head live to iowa with the latest in just a few minutes. plus we'll look at lindsay lohan and what her mother had to say about her daughter in an interview. we'll discuss it with a leading psychologist and top celebrity lawyer. and i don't love these stories, but i'm interested in the parenting aspect of this and looking at how much responsibility dina lohan might or might not have in the very messy situation her daughter keeps finding herself in. >> it is a troubling situation. >> wait until you see this interview. but first the president's trip to the gulf, mike viqueira joins us from andrews air force base in maryland. >> reporter: good morning. i am standing outside of andrews air force base where later this morning the president, michelle obama and first daughter sasha will be fulfilling a promise that the first lady made back in

july, to take a family vacation to the gulf. now, the first family is going to be mixing business and pleasure here. the president has some meetings with local officials now that the well is plugged, that leak well they're still talking about doing a relief well, but for all intents and purposes, no oil has been spewing out for several days now. the concern on the gulf is that the federal government is going to forget about them. the president will be meeting with local officials making an assurance that they will be following through, not just in the sense of cleaning up the environment, but in the sense of getting the economy back on track and there is a lot of symbolism along those lines to go with this visit. seeing the first family on the gulf coast, walking on the beach, maybe even a presidential dip. that question was left open yesterday by robert gibbs. but seeing the president and first family down on the gulf help to go feed that starving tourist industry. tourists have stayed away for fear that the gulf is still full of oil and especially the beaches. that is not the case in panama

city, beach, where he's heading today. >> mike, thanks so much. let's head over to the news desk now where chris jansing has some of the headlines. we begin with president obama weighing in on the controversial mosque being planned near ground zero. the president spoke out during a white house dinner celebrating ramadan friday. it's his first public comments on the mosque. and he said while the world trade center is hallowed ground, religious freedom is one of the nation's founding principles. now to iowa where extreme weather and the worst flooding evers has left tens of thousands without clean drinking water. ron allen is live in ames with more for us. >> reporter: yes, bottled water is the order of the day and we're also keeping our eyes on the skies where it's suddenly overcast. the last thing this community needs is more rain. but there's not a lot of rain in the forecast. that's the good news. bottled water, yes, there's no clean drinking water in this town. it's been that way now for

several days. the weight of the floodwaters here caused damage to the underground water mainses cracking them and contaminating the system. so there's a strong order here for conservation to only use water when essential. the town needs every drop of water to flush out the system so they can get thingses back online. meanwhile people are using bottled water, they're giving it away at distribution points around town. it will probably be that way for several days. a big inconvenience, but necessary to get things back running clean. >> ron allen, thanks. federal officials friday recovered key parts of the plane that crashed in alaska killing former senator ted stevens and four others. one of wings and the tail section were taken from the mountain side where the plane crashed. investigators talked to survivors who said there was no indication something was wrong. ntsb officials say there was technology on board that alerts the pilot of dangerous terrain. it's unclear if that system was working. reports this morning that

sarah ferguson is on the brink of bankruptcy. the times of london says the duchess of york has lost more than $5 million from the collapse of her new york based business. fergie says she may be persuaded to accept bankruptcy by advisers to her former husband, andrew, the duke of york. finally, an olympic gymnast is helping orangutans learn how to climb trees at a dutch zoo. the zoo has opened a new enclosure that allows the orangutans to swing outdoors from tree to tree, but animal managers say the primates have been struggling with the new environment, so they brought in a dutch olympic gymnast for some help. she gave the animals a refresher course on how to chime. you can't make that up. that's the news. back to amy and mika. >> i wonder what that phone call was like. hi, we'd like your help with some monkeys at the zoo. >> if could yyou could do a coud standses in front of -- >> let's hope it works.

>> chris, thanks very much. let's check on the weather. bill karins out on the plaza with your forecast. good morning. wonderful crowd out here this morning. beautiful start to our day here in new england. and it's going to continue to be really nice on the east coast. the problem area will be in the middle of the country. that's where we're talking about this heat wave still. just so hot out there. and it continues. dallas has been 100 degrees every single day this month. today 104. we're also watching severe storms in kansas. northern plains finally bill, thanks g. morning. happy saturday to you. a lot of cuderlo andog cloud co again. it will take till about 11:00 before we see sunshine. a lot will hug the coast and the sun set along the city, the south beach and into downtown you might have low to mid-60s. along the coast we're going to stay in the upper 50s, lower 60s t. rest of the bay area 60s and 70s and a couple of 80s like almaden valley, morgan hill.

a little warmer tomorrow. more sunshine tomorrow afternoon. that's a look at your weekend forecast. the mother of lindsay lohan was very much on the defensive about her daughter when she spoke with matt lauer in an exclusive interview about lindsay's troubles. this morning when we look back at that interview and talk about it with a psychiatrist. but first some of what dina lohan had to say. >> while local is currently in rehab, a court ordered 90 day stay, her mother is now speaking out. dina defended her daughter in an exclusive interview on the "today" show. >> she's 19 years old, went to los angeles and was a young girl and got in trouble. >> reporter: lohan also accused of tabloids of spreading propaganda about her daughter. >> a lot of it is pre-o pre-orchestrated and you're reading things that are not fact. >> reporter: she goes out

partying every night, falling down drunk, not showing up on time to her movie sets. of course they're going to report it. and she blamed the judge for her daughter's incarceration, a 90 day jail sentence for violating patrol on her drunk driving conviction. lohan only served 14 days. >> the judge on her case playeded hardball and now the judge recused herself or she would have been fired. >> reporter: lindsay's been in rehab four times. she's been arrested twice for driving under the influence. and her parents have been the target of blame for the actress' troubles. dina's been spotted going out partying with lindsay, michael talks to celebrity news tv stations about lindsay. >> i had to let her go and survive without failure, there's no success. >> reporter: dina lohan insists that her daughter is doing well. she said she's visited lindsay in rehab and went to see her in jail.

>> lindsay was in with alleged murderers and she's become friends with a lot of them, which is, you know -- lindsay rolls with the punches and she's doing wonderfully. >> okay. joining us now, jeff and gloria, good morning to you both. jeff, let's tart with you. after what we just saw, tell me how that was not a mother in denial. and by the way, not only a mother in denial, but one using the platform to further her notoriety. >> certainly it was inappropriate that she kept going back to the issue with the judge, the judge not being the right kind of person or being too hard to her daughter and not staying focused on what the questions were that matt was propose to go her. but at the same time, you have to understand this is a mother. this is someone who has maternal instincts, wants to protect her daughter and because of that, may be in denial. and maybe there's some guilt on her part that programs she

didn't do as much as she could have. but you can't blame this person because is he wants to protect her daughter. >> what would she be able to fix by going on television? >> i think this is part of the cycle that we see, part of that pathology of trying to get as much fame as her daughter, lk looking like her daughter, partying with her daughter, and certainly those things are inappropriate. >> i say that because she also blames the needed i can't for where her daughter's messy situations, two dui arrest, seven misdemeanor account, every second of it covered by the news media, whether we like it or not. >> sure. the knife cuts both ways. she needs that media. you don't blame the media, you don't get into the blame game as we do sometimes as couples going through divorces. you have to take personal responsibility. the media has made lindsay lohan and dina lohan and so to point fingers at them, it's almost like being an in-grate because

then the career goes away, too. >> she got 90 day. she served 14. let's bring in gloria allred. i would have been happy for a lot more. but with 90 days, is that enough as a sentence? >> i think 90 days made sense under the circumstances because we have to remember, mika, what happened here was that the judge found that she violated the terms and conditions of probation. probation in a sense was a gift to lindsay lohan. i mean, originally for the dui, which could have endangered herself and others, she could have been sentenced to jail in the first place. but instead she got this gift of probation. she needed to go to take her classes, she needed to do it on the schedule that the judge set. apparently the judge found she was not in substantial compliance. she violated the terms of probation. so, of course, she's going to be sent to jail.

she only ended up having to serve 13 days out of her 90. what's the problem? >> gloria, you know she's just -- you saw what happened to other starlets who go to jail and come out with the confetti. you knew this was going to happen. do judges have any other authority to, for example, instead of giving them a sentence to jail maybe make them put on a workman's suit and clean up the streets for three months or do something that would publicly embarrass them? >> she probably could have sentenced her to something else. in addition she sentenced her to rehab which i think is a good thing for lindsay. but i think what happened here was lindsay apparently showed disregard and contempt for the court by not complying with the terms of probation, by missing certain classes. so the judge laid down the law and i think that lindsay needs to know she doesn't get to set the rules. the court does. and she's got to follow those rules. >> yes, if i quickly look for a defense of dina, in some ways

you don't have control if your daughter become as train wreck, or do you? >> to you hayou do have controlt but lindsay is an adult. what she can do as a parent is be supportive, but give her the tough love. yes, you want to defend her because of the maternal instinct, but at the same time, if you don't let her mow what's really happening and the consequences, then obviously the courts will do that. >> and then go on tv and talk all about it, right? jeff, gloria, thank you. and up next, cindy and george anthony live right after these messages. ever seen anything like it?

me neither. it's beneful incredibites. uh-huh! it's just the way you like it-- made with wholesome grains, real beef, even carrots and peas. you love the smaller-size, easy-to-chew kibbles, and i love the carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscles. whoa! wait for me! ha-ha. you only think you're getting spoiled. [ woman announcing ] beneful incredibites. another healthful, flavorful beneful. [ female announcer ] 100% baby-smooth perfection has arrived. introducing dream smooth mousse foundation from maybelline new york. it's cream whipped for a 100% baby-smooth look. [ woman ] show me. [ female announcer ] some makeups just cover and leave skin rough, dry. dream smooth hydrates for 14 hours. so skin looks flawless, stays touchably smooth. [ woman ] just like a baby. [ female announcer ] it's ultimate perfection.

100% baby-smooth. new dream smooth mousse. [ woman ] maybe she's born with it. [ female announcer ] maybe it's maybelline. have you tried honey bunches of oats yet? every spoonful is a little different. mmm. they got three kinds of flakes. this is delicious. it's the perfect combination of sweet and crispy. i love it. this is so good. this is great. the magic's in the mix. this past monday, caylee anthony would have turned five years old. her mother, casey, is behind bars in florida awaiting trial for her murder. casey's parents, cindy and george anthony, join us live this morning. good morning to both of you. we mentioned caylee's birthday.

it was monday. and i can't imagine as pare grandparents how you get through a day like that. what was it like for you? >> very difficult. you work yourself up for a week before. i was very anxious about it and not sure if i could get through it or not. and then, you know, somehow you just pull that inner strength through and you just do. >> you talked to our correspondent and i know that you said you feel caylee's presence. and at a court hearing last month, you say you still feel like she's alive. and i imagine you're looking at these pictures, you're seeing these videos, they're television all the time. that's probably a part of it. >> yeah p abo, i'm not certain alive, but there's just some -- there's still that little bit of a doubt in a sense, you know, an uneasy feeling that i have. >> george, how do you describe it? >> i describe her presence every day at our house. and seeing the photos of her,

even just like right now, you're showing her reading that book to her great grandpa. and i can just feel her right now with me. >> i want to turn to casey now. she's behind bars. you've had very little contact with her. i know you write notes to her. why is that the form of communication, how difficult is to see casey and to communicate with her? >> well, everyone now, our notes aren't even private. we knew our video visitation was never private. and it's very difficult because they release just parts what they want to release with it and then it gets ripped apart. and anything she does or doesn't do is scrutinized. if she mile, she miled too much. if she cried, she cried too much. or are they fake tears. so it's very difficult for us as parents to subject her through more scrutiny. >> she is preparing for a trial

that's nine months away and you don't want to put anything in jeopardy. >> absolutely not. >> and something else that was released fairly early on was the 911 call that you made initially. i want to take a quick listen to it. >> i'm talking about a 3-year-old little girl. oh, my god, my daughter finally admitted that the baby-sitter stole her. i need to find her. >> your daughter admitted that the baby is where? >> that the baby-sitter took her a month ago. there's something wrong. i found my daughter's car today and it smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car. >> so much has happened from that day when you made that phone call to where we are now. do you feel like you're any closer to knowing what happened to your granddaughter? >> no, we're not. i mean, because it's just been so long and there's still evidence that needs to be found. i mean, there's still no

connection to caylee's repain ma remains to casey or anybody else. and that's what's very difficult. >> i know you talk a lot about how the evidence the prosecutors has am massed is largely circumstantial. caylee's death can't even be determined exactly how she died circumstantial. caylee's death can't even be determined exactly how she died circumstantial. caylee's death can't even be determined exactly how she died. but she had been missing for more than a month before your daughter came to you with that information. how do you explain that away? can you? >> we can't. and i don't know what traumatic event happened to casey, you know, during that time, too. i believe casey is a victim, as well. >> and, george, i know that you've struggled with this, as well. it's got to be a really difficult thing to try and put together you've lost your granddaughter and your concerns about now losing your daughter behind bars. >> there's some people out there that keep on saying, you know, i don't know how you do it every day. but look at what we've been through. this has been an emotional

roller coaster for two years. look at how everything started and what we're going through day by day, week by week. i mean, for casey, i just want to have the opportunity to go in and see her, just talk to her and tell her i love her. >> george and cindy, thank you very much for your time. i know how difficult this must be. and we're back, but first this is "today" on nbc. [ son ] i'm a good son. dependable. i call my mom every week.

i even bought her a computer with my new citi forward card. then one day... have you seen this? she "friended" me. there's a whole album. [ laughs ] [ groans ] and started posting pictures. ♪ and tagging me. publicly. [ male announcer ] you ought to be rewarded for being dependable. the citi forward card gives you extra points for paying your bill on time and staying within your credit limit. [ woman ] nice tights. what's your story? the citi forward card can help you write it.

still it come on "today," college bound. easing the campus transition. from ways to save money to the coolest gadget. >> plus when to wash to get the most wear out of your clothes. please wash your underwear. but first these messages. hey, you made your own lunch. yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day.

look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. and it starts with healthy skin. discover aveeno daily lotion. the exclusive oat formula is proven to improve... skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in two weeks. get healthy skin for life, with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion.

[ laughs ] this is it! [ all ] 10...9...8... a new school year has so much potential! any resolutions? my resolution is the same as always; keep her full and focused with my fiber. [ all ] 3...2...1... happy school year! [ female announcer ] this school year, make a resolution to give your kid kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. an excellent source of fiber from 100% whole grain. that helps keep them full so they can focus on the day ahead. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused.

good morning everyone. time is 6:26. you are watching nbc bay area, the date august 14th, 2010. thanks for joining us. i'm garvin thomas. this morning vallejo police are searching for a killer armed and dangerous. police are looking for 37-year-old alfonso mesti jr. he has the name capone on his right arm. he is accused of killing nick stanley who was found dead in his truck next to highway 80. an autopsy revealed he was shot to death. they say alfonso may be with his girlfriend. people in alameda county will

have to skip the dip in the pool because of new rules on drain covers. authorities have had to close public pools because they don't meet safety regulations. under new rules that went into effect pool and hot tub owners are required to install drain covers so people won't get hair or other body parts stuck in the drain. 40% of the pools in the county do not meet the new standard. firefighters north of calistoga worked through the night watching for hot spots from a fire started yesterday evening. flames were reported around 5:00 p.m. off highway 29 near tubbs lane. only 10 to 12 acres burned, crews are worried that with the wind sparks could spread to dry grass. five homes were threatened. highway 29 was shut down in both direction north of calistoga over three hours but no one was hurt and the cause is still under investigation. we have had a lot of cool damp

weather. which means fire season has not been bad. >> exactly. high fire danger two or three times. today fog so garvin, a cool mild day. look at this live shot, the golden gate bridge. headlights are on. there is mist and drizzle so yeah, you might need the wipers once or twice to clear off the mist or drizzle. at this hour mostly 50s, not only the coast but in the warm spots inland. 60 in san jose at the airport. 52 in napa. about 55 through livermore. the 7:00 a.m. fog, most of the east bay. by 9:00 a.m. it's still ang the peninsula, east bay, north bay and the coast. at noon it's there. along the coast if you go there layers needed. you'll get clearing in san francisco to manage 62, but most of the afternoon will be cool. we've got this spin off the coast that's helping to build that fog bank. about 2100 feet deep this morning.

then the wind comes in during the afternoon, so even with some afternoon clearing highs are still mild. it's been cool this summer. today we continue with 70s and a couple of 80s for afternoon highs, so no real heat for us, not even in the warmer spots. livermore at 80, 62 san francisco, 73 sonoma, a couple of degrees warmer through the day tomorrow. next week still 70s and 80s for highs. >> thank you very much. we'll be back in a half hour.

we're back on this saturday morning, august 14th, 2010. it is a beautiful summer morning here in new york city and our thanks to all the fine folks who came out to spend part of their day with us. she's very comfortable in your arms. i wanted to ask you, we're talking about this, have you read the book eat, pray, love? >> i'm waiting if the mofor the. >> it sold millions of copies. now of course it is made into a movie. and it really rez natured with a lot of women and men of all ages, so we'll see if that translates to the big screen.

>> also coming up, are you ready for college? about 3 million kids in about two weeks will be heading off to become adults on their own. the question is are they ready. the question is are you, the parents, ready to make that transition. we'll have some advice as to how to smooth the transition and also some cool must have gadgets that you must, must, must have going to college. >> you're about 18 years away from that. >> we'll get to all that but first let's get another check of weather from bill karins. good morning, everyone. a beautiful day out here in new york. many areas of the country have very quiet weather. the tropics are quiet, the heat wave will finally break even in the middle of the thank you. good morning. we have a lot of the cloud cover and the fog. you know it's been this pattern we've not been able to break. we have a spin off the coast that continues to push that deep fog in so we've got about 2100 feet deep at the coast. upper 50s, lower 60s.

not a lot of sunshine and cool. bay side communities in the 60s to mid 70s. and the warm spots are just going to be in the lower 80s. this is the story tomorrow, a couple of degrees warmer. san francisco still a little cool for you. let's send it inside to amy. eat, pray, love, one woman's search for everything across italy, india and indonesia spent 158 weeks on the new york time's best seller list. now the adventures have been made into a movie and its star is also an eat, pray, love fan. >> i want to fgo someplace wher i can marvel at something. >> reporter: julia roberts is back on the big screen starring in eat, pray, love. >> it's one of these rare books that became a true phenomenon. >> reporter: gilbert's post

divorce adventures spoke deeply to many of its 7 million readers. after divorcing her husband, liz traveled to italy, india, and bali learning much about herself as her destination. >> i used to have this appetite for food and for life and it's just gone. >> it's every woman's fantasy, she goes to italy, indonesia, to try to reboot her life. >> reporter: the book even inspired julia roberts who wanted in on the movie. >> all i think about is my meditation room and how to decorate. >> the meditation room is within. decorate that. >> you always talk in bumper stickers. >> she really connected to this character. she really loved the material. >> reporter: eat, pray, love was filmed in the same order as the real life journey. and just like gilbert, roberts admits she gained a few have a pounds while filming the eat

portion. >> i'm having a relationship with my pizza. >> it was under ten pounds, but we were only there for five weeks. that's a lot in five weeks. >> this is my no carb left behind experiment. >> reporter: whether the film will be as big of a hit as the book, remains to be seen, but roberts is hoping it's not just women who eat, pray and love their way to the box office. >> the way i would sell to men would be to say if you want to seat world and maybe understand women a little bit better, there's a reason to go. if you want to see a bunch of cool guys doing cool stuff, that's a lot of manpower in one movie. then go see it for that. and i'm ain a bikini and that doesn't happen a hot. >> can a woman leave her conventional life in order to find herself? joining us is robby ludwig, psychotherapist. good morning. >> good morning. >> as we mentioned, this book is

based on the author's actual life, she went through a painful divorce, had an affair and said i give it all up, my worldly possessions, i'm going abroad for a year and i'm going to write about it. why do you think that that -- because it is a wild one -- resonates with so many women? >> because it's a fantasy. there are so many people who are in their lives and they feel unsatisfied. and they don't know what they need to do in order to find that happiness. and so here's this woman who is being so honest, people relate to her, and she's traveling around the world. she does it almost for all women who are in her situation. it's a wish fulfillment. >> and you mentioned fantasy and that's the truth, because not everyone could afford to give up their job and walk away from what they own and just go on this extravagant vacation to find themselves. should women leave their conventional lives to find themselves? there are others who say they didn't like the book and probably won't like the movie because it seem so in-dull

xwent. >> the person who wrote the book is a writer, so she went with the intention of having a new experience and she was writing during the whole deal. >> she had a book deal. >> so there was purpose there. and the good news is you don't need to leave your conventional life in order to find yourself, transform and discover your own happiness. >> what advice do you have for women who do feel trapped, who really did relate to this woman but don't have the options she had? what can you do? >> here's the good news. you don't have to travel around the world. you can make a small change. maybe it's journaling, maybe it's changing your job, maybe it's changing the way you interact with your friends, maybe it's setting goals for yourself and really following that. >> are there questions you can ask yourself if you're thinking about getting a divorce, if you're thinking about doing something pretty dramatic like that? >> i think you need to think about who do you want to be and how far away are you from that person. what kind of life do you want to lead. and can you do things that are

smart. you don't want to do something that's impulsive and self-destructive because you have to live with those choices and the consequences. >> because the goal is to be happy. >> the goal is to be happy. so if you're not the person you want to be or if your life doesn't really look like you think it needs to look, then step back, work with someone and say what do i need to do in order to make those changes. because they're within reach. and i think the good thing is that if you're really feeling miserable, then you need to make a change, but maybe it can be smaller. >> baby steps. >> right. maybe it's reading the right book. it's the intention. >> robby ludwig, tnkhas so much. coming up, what your student needs for their first year in college. but even in your 30s bones begin to change calcium and vitamin d help keep your bones strong. yoplait has calcium and vitamin d in every cup. keep your bones strong, with yoplait.

ha quick...what color are my eyes? almay intense i-color brings out your natural color so there's no guessing. it's the number one eye intensifying collection in america. and it's my number one too. more women use almay intense i-color than any other eye intensifying brand. the mascara, liner and shadow come in four shade collections. one for every eye color. now that's intense. intense i-color. the number one eye intensifying collection in america. only from almay. only for me. where? it's really good. do you see it? it's called hope. hope? yeah. hope. i don't see any hope. i don't see any hope in here. you can't see it there, but you can see it here... 'cause every time you get a happy meal

or a mighty kids meal some of the money goes to ronald mcdonald house charities. to help lots of kids and families. hope's good! happy meals. the simple joy of helping. ♪ happy meals. the simple joy of helping. there's oil out there we've got to capture. my job is to hunt it down. i'm fred lemond, and i'm in charge of bp's efforts to remove oil from these waters. mau ty tve hhaha thaea oil is no ngwierlong fng into the gulf, but our spotter planes and helicopters will keep searching. we've still got thousands of vessels ready to clean up any oil we find. we've skimmed over 35 million gallons of oil/water mixture. gronp he gulf coast of oil/water mixture. and i love these waters. we'll be here as long as it takes to clean up the gulf. sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

this morning on "today," college bound. 3 million students will be stepping on to campus for the first time and when they do, they will face a whole new lifestyle with its own set of challenges. >> from academic pressure to budgeting that spending money, making the transition to college is not an easy a for everyone. it was not for me. this morning we'll cover all the tools for college bound kids and what they'll need for a successful first semester from online resources to the latest dorm room gear. >> first up, college bound clicks. for students getting ahead means going online. to show us the best resources on the web is regina lewis. good morning. so college students are going to be spending on average $600 for everything they need in their dorm room. school supply, clothes, elect n electron electronics.

this doesn't count the late night pizza calls. how do students learn how to budget their money is this because for a lot of times this is the first time they're in charge of their own finances. >> there is a site that's called mint.com and it can link to your banking account and say here's the break out of what you're spending on restaurants, on gas, on apparel that you can say we're eating out a lot, what's going on here. also a reloadable debit card instead of cash is a good option. >> now you can rent the books? >> this is brand new, yes. it's like netflix for textbookses. they arrive in a signature orange box. it's $3.99 to ship them. free to ship them back. on average this will save students $500 a year and it's so popular, they plant a tree for

every book. they've planted 4,000 acres worth of trees. >> we all know about social networking with kids, but you can use this to help you find a roommate. >> yes, this is also new and really interesting. it's called you room surf. and we're trying to find a match. so think e harmony. i might want to find a perspective roommate, so i'm going to answer question like am i neat, am i messy, am i an early bird, am i a night owl. if i ask you, and you request me, the majority of universities will acknowledge that. >> and for everyone with their cell phones, you can actually get in to the college spirit with ring tones? >> yeah, these are fun. fight songs for ring tones. they're $3.99 thi, they're hund of them. >> regina lewis, thanks so much. >> now to the college bound transition, taking that first step on campus can be a big leap for both kids and their parents.

here with shaome advice is a college admissions expert and ceo and founder of ivy wise. so let's get some investigation. i'm four years away from this. i can't even imagine turning my children over to their own live, their own world, they get to do anything they want. and we know what happens that first year of college. sometimes for four years. they do anything they want. how do parents handle that? >> well, they're going to be experiencing the empty nest feeling and for the first time in 18 year, their child is not living under their roof and so they'll be feeling a little bit out of control. but there's a lot they can do because colleges offer multiday parent orientations, sometimes they have special sections of their websites for parents or parents weekends. so they can know what's going on on campus. >> can we put a gps on them and a little mini cam? is that appropriate? >> the funny thing is on the flip side, there are many parents who will be thrilled about the newfound freedom. this is the time to go do that project they wanted to do or go

travel. >> what about the students? this is a big change for them, as well. >> they have to become independent and responsible very quickly. this is the first time they're managing their meal plan, doing their own laundry maybe, managing credit card. and also they might be feeling home sick especially in that first month because they'll be missing their family and friends and they all of a sudden have to create a whole new support network. so we're telling students to go on facebook actually and join the incoming student group, start socializing with kids online before you goat colleyou college. >> it sounds so good until you have a teen who says i don't want to. they don't want to listen to you. are there ways they get tripped up during the transition? >> first of all, room mates. they have to learn somebody's new has been bits and their musical preferences and it's really important to learn how to compromise. and also the classes. make sure you come to college with an academic plan.

you can go online and choose your courses and professors ahead of time. >> and times you have to let go. and let them learn the hard way. >> exactly. >> that you thi thank you. once again here's amy. here with the latest must have gadgets to get you ready for the classroom and your dorm room is dan costa from pc mag.com. this will give you an edge in the classroom, this isn't just your typical pen and paper? >> no, you can use it as an ordinary pen and paper, but the amazing thing about this pen is it has a bunch of cameras in the tip of it. so every note that you take, it will create a record and record it. and allow them to download on to your pc. so everything that you write will be stored, you'll never miss a note. and the better thing is it records audio. so if you're taking thoets in class and you miss something the professor says, just tap on whatever note you did take and it will play back the lecture from that exact spot. >> very cool. much cooler than it looks by

first glance. a lot of students think they need ear phones in college to study, get into that mood. what's so great about these? >> depending on who your roommate is, you could need ear phones all the time. this is a great way to create a little personal space, we tested them, they're the best head phones you can buy for under 50 bucks. >> and i was saying i didn't have a tv in my dorm room let alone this tv. what make this is so special? >> this is very compact. you're not going to have room for a 50 inch tv, a 40 inch tv. this is 24 inches. it's got 1080 p high resolution, you can get your game systems connected. and also has a built in dvd player. so a good deal. >> dorm rooms are usually messy. but this h will help? >> yeah, this i wish i had. it's a robotic vacuum. it uses a laser system to map your room. it will work on carpets, on

hardwood floors or tiles. just a great robot. >> and for those constantly on the go? >> a cable for either your shart phone or your ipod, this way you can keep it on your key chain at all times. and it's only 20 bucks. >> perfect, dan, thanks so much. up next, how many wears can you get out of your jean, blazers or dresses? we'll tell you. [ female announcer ] jobs leaving. a budget disaster. california on the brink. jerry brown's plan? you run for office and the assumption is, oh, i know what to do. you don't. i didn't have a plan for california. [ female announcer ] with our state in crisis, we need a governor with a plan. you need a real plan, something i'll acknowledge i did not have. [ female announcer ] jerry brown. no plan then. no plan now. meg whitman. a plan for jobs. log on. learn more.

how many times have you hoped could you get just one more wear out of them? if you want your clothes to last, there are general guidelines that will take the sniff work out of the laundry. elizabeth is editor-in-chief of women's day magazine here with answers for us. good morning. >> good morning. >> so let's start off with dry cleaning but that can get extremely expensive if you wear it once and then put it in the

dry cleaning bag. >> most people overdry clean. the more you can stay away from it, the better. things like suits, if you are going to dry clean them, always send both pieces together because you want the same kind of treatment. >> or else they'll start looking different. s >> exactly. cashmere can be washed just like a gentle hfr -- any kind of fine linger lingerie. add something like a woolite into it. you place it in the warm water, let it soak for five minutes. no more than that. gently ring it out and let it dry flat and you will be fine. >> so let's talk about other things. most people know that you have to wash your underwear every si single time you wear it.

let's hope that's the case. >> your bathing suit, wash it every time. also understand that salt and chlorine break down the fabric. testimony shi anything you wear that you sweat a lot in. >> what about formal wear? if i wear to an event, i might not wear it again for a year. >> formal wear, most people don't think about this, but you really should wash it or dry clean it every time you wear it. mostly because it's going back into your closet. things like sweat, odors from the party, any kind of stain that might have happened, whether you spilled wine, it will oxidize over time in your closet and so you might look at it when you go hang it up and not see a stain, but overyou go again, you'll see it about that. >> what about things that two to four times we should be watch something. >> pajamas, for example, you

should wash it two times more than you change your seats. so if you change your seat once a week, do your pajamas two to three times. bras, definitely every two, three times you wear them. lot of khakis are pre-treated with some kind of stain protect tapt tant, so you don't want to use any kind of fabric softener. >> four to six wear, jeans? >> anything you wear to the office where you're mostly just sitting and maybe not doing something active. jeans are great obviously they disguise a lot of dirt. so you just don't want to overwash your clothes and there's absolutely no reason. you can save time and money by not running that machine. >> and i'm guessing this is something else we can wait? >> an outer jacket. so many winter clothes actually, especially if they're wool, don't need to be dry cleaned. you can again save a lot of time and money if you are more judicious about when you wash. >> thanks so much. and we'll be right back after

these messages. hey, max. [ announcer ] your dog's one of a kind. and now, you have the power... [ giggling ] to help significantly extend his healthy years. a groundbreaking 14-year study by purina... proves that puppy chow, then dog chow nutrition, fed properly over a lifetime, can help extend his lovable antics... up to 1.8 healthy years. [ barks ] long live your buddy. oh, max! long live your dog. purina puppy chow and purina dog chow. they're oven-baked flatbread crisps. ♪ with the tastes of sea salt and olive oil. ♪ or sprinkled with italian herbs. ♪ townhouse flatbread crisps. they're perfect for snack time, party time, any time. ♪ new townhouse flatbread crisps. the everyday cracker with the specially-crafted taste.

time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a new liquid gel. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. that's why i got them pillsbury toaster strudel. warm flaky pastry with delicious sweet filling my kids will love. plus i get two boxtops for their school. toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. swimming is♪ y favorite thing. for their school. and only two things can get me out of the water. pruned toes... ♪ and totino's. ♪ we're the kids in america

that will do it for us. our thanks to mika and chris jansing. coming up tomorrow on "today," the first family on their gulf vacation. >> and the best way to spend 100 bucks. we'll have it for you tomorrow. have a great day, everybody. ♪ [ horns honking ] ♪ [ male announcer ] come into an at&t store and experience tv like you've never seen before. ♪

for a limited time, get u-verse tv for only $29 a month for 6 months with dvr included. good morning. next at 7:00 on the bay area saturday, forget jumping into the deep end. people in one county won't be able to dip a toe into many public pools. the weakest link, your browser says the website is secure enough to handle personal information but can you trust it? the new security warning ahead. and suspected serial rapist caught. some in a community are still on edge.

with so many to choose from it's hard to see the difference. but this is the way most dentists choose a toothbrush. fact is, more dentists brush with an oral-b toothbrush

than any other brush. ♪ if you could see what your dentist sees, you'd reach for an oral-b toothbrush too. oral-b.

good morning everyone. 7:00, saturday morning, august 14th, 2010. starting out like so many other mornings this summer with a heavy dose of fog sitting over the golden gate bridge. good morning. i'm garvin thomas here with craig herrera, just is it live or is it memer rex? >> rolls right in. it's cold. cooler than average. it has been this entire summer.