♪ ♪ what would you do ♪ if you had your own zoo? ♪ ♪ would you bounce on a bear? ♪ ♪ let a giraffe brush your hair? ♪ ♪ have an elephant pick out your underwear? ♪ (trumpeting) ♪ willa ♪ willa ♪ will your wildlife stay and play a while? ♪ ♪ 'cause it's so much fun playing willa-style ♪ ♪ (seals barking) ♪ willa ♪ willa ♪ willa's wild life willa's wild life!

dad: so how's the big science project coming? just finishing the earth, dad. wow. the whole solar system. very impressive mobile. mm. looks good enough to eat, huh? willa, uh, isn't mars supposed to be red? i'm sorry. i thought pink would be kanga-cuter. well, pink is kind of like red. okay, kids, it's getting late. how about we let the paint and papier-mâché dry? okay, dad. thanks, jenny. ♪ (screaming) oh, no! willa, what is it? (gasping) oh, my.

(chomping) (burping) hey, what happened to willa's planet project? you mean the one that looked good enough to eat? wait a minute. you mean you... what would make you think that i'd eat it, huh? well... ♪ oh. gus wrecked willa's school project. poor gladys. she worked so hard on that... whatever it was. blinky: oh! oh! i can't bear to see her like this. blinky. bob. snap out of it. we've got to find some way to help gladys. i'm sorry, sweetie. hey, i can go to the store, get some paste, make more papier-mâché and we'll fix it. thanks, dad. oh, you got to believe me.

i didn't do it. the evidence is all over your snout. oh, this? i just found some plaster on the side of the house. (all chattering indistinctly) tiny: i don't think he did it. look, willa, i may be a little rough around the edges, but i have never lied to you. hm. okay, gus. i believe you. willa, willa? what happened? how did these pieces get all over the place? and where'd this red paint come from? dooley, i'm going to need your help to figure out what happened. hm. there could be some clues in all this. hey, this is the perfect chance to use my junior detective kit. magnifying glass, fingerprint powder, evidence bag, donuts. everything you need to solve a mystery. who do you want to be? shady spade, ace gumshoe or sure-clue holmes, detective?

shady spade willa and sure-clue dooley are on the case. this is a complete waste of time. after all, we know who did it. do we? you said you don't think your alligator did this, and you're probably right. look, no teeth marks. since when has gus broken anything without his teeth? what? good job, dooley. you keep looking for more clues around here and i'll follow the drops of red paint. gladys, your problems are over. the boys and i have taken the situation into our own flippers and we have built you a brand-new whatever that thing was. you have papier-mâché? who needs it? we've made it out of something so much better: balloons! balloons make perfect hangy thingies. (popping)

(crashing) um, we'll get back to you. blinky: hang on, bob! we're coming! (laughing) ♪ (gasping) lou, can you give me a boost up to that shelf? oh, sure, willa. hm. seems a bit high for an alligator. why? what did you find? dooley, did you find anything yet? willa, check this out. these smudges look like they could be part of a footprint. if it is, then it's the footprint of someone with big feet. and gus has little feet. (all gasping) (laughing) hey! he could have worn big fake feet.

i still think he's the guilty party. (gulping) hey, maybe someone was outside last night and saw what happened. i'm going to poke around and see what else i can find. gladys, this time we've got it. a brand-new thingamajig made of ice. huh. well, it was ice. we'll get back to you. did you see anything unusual last night? wallace: certainly not. i slept all night in the bathroom, as i always do. the seals can vouch for me. they were in the tub next to me, snoring like the dickens. i do not snore. you do snore. but everything else, sure. we had a long day of rehearsal, so we hit the sack early. without snoring. well, if you must know, yes, i was in the backyard during the night.

i always take a walk under the stars. no, we didn't hear a thing. we were in the garage all night. except when we got the glass of water. thanks, guys. (snoring) hm, bert, i'll put you down for asleep during the night. inky: okay, gladys, this time we got it for sure. we made it out of belly button lint. (wind gusting) whoa! we'll get back to you. (laughing) koko, can i ask you a few questions? oh, sure. i'll be right back. you know, koko, eventually willa is going to find out. (gasping) how did you know? you've been acting very strangely, and you've been hiding your front paws in your pouch. it was accident. i'm sure it was, but you're letting gus take the blame.

well, he's always in trouble anyway. and-- and i-- i didn't know what to do. do you know what to do now? i've called you all here to announce gus is innocent. (gasping) (muttering) everyone has been jumping to conclusions. but if you're going to accuse someone, you need to look at the facts. number one: no one actually saw or heard gus all night. uh-huh. and number two: the red paint was on the top shelf, which is too high for an alligator to reach. (murmurs of agreement) too high for an alligator, but not too high for an elephant. yeah, and they sleep in the garage where the paint was. no, no, no, no, no, no. we didn't do it. right. tiny and lou couldn't have done it either. remember the smudged footprints on the broken pieces? they were too big to be an alligator's and too thin to be an elephant's. that's right. our feet are really big.

but a camel's feet are smaller. (all gasping) and you were in the backyard last night. that footprint could just as easily have been a bear's. or a walrus' flipper. i was asleep the entire night. ask the seals. well, if you were asleep, how do you know they were? tiny: yeah, how do you know that? everybody quiet. none of you did it. i know because... (all gasping) well, i knew it wasn't me. but did anybody listen? no. where's the trust? where's the love? koko? it was an accident. i was going to surprise willa by painting mars red, like it should be. tiny and lou must have gone to get a drink of water when i took the paint out of the garage. and when i hopped to get the mobile, it fell down and broke. pieces went everywhere.

so i went looking for papier-mâché to fix it, but i couldn't find any. by the time i came back, everyone had already blamed gus. i'm really sorry. why didn't you tell us? i was scared. i didn't think you'd be my friends anymore. i think we all jumped to conclusions. and they were all wrong. gus didn't do it. and koko, we're still your friends. lou: that's right. tiny: yay! not me. i'm going to-- i'm going to-- ah, i can't stay mad at someone who apologizes. yay! whoa, whoa. all right, all right, hoppy. let's not get carried away. dooley: hey, willa. bad news. when i put these pieces together, it makes a perfect kangaroo footprint. gus may be innocent, but it looks like koko isn't. dooley, you solved the case. but don't worry.

koko didn't do it on purpose. (car horn honking) dad's back. now we can fix our mobile. (lips smacking) mm, looks good enough to eat. relax, it's just an expression. ta-da. that's bonza, love. willa: i'm willa from the qubo channel, and it sure was a wild day today. like all great detectives, dooley and i learned a lot today. first, you shouldn't blame your friends without any proof, as that can lead to hurt feelings. and second, if you're honest about your mistakes, you'll probably be forgiven, even by someone as rough around the edges as good old gus. my friends and i are coming right back, so keep watching willa's wild life on the qubo channel.

good evening, for the first time since a gas line explosion ripped through their neighborhood, residents of san bruno, california lucky enough to still have homes are back in them tonight. but their neighborhood is nothing like the one they left just three days ago. san bruno is south of san francisco, and take a look at this image from google earth taken a few years ago. a typical suburban neighborhood. now, look at that same neighborhood today -- devastation. house after house flattened. at least four people died. six more are still missing tonight. nbc's miguel almaguer is in san bruno. good evening, miguel. >> kate, good evening. after the explosion, there were hours of chaos and confusion. and today there remains uncertainty. we still don't have the exact cause of the blast, the death toll could rise. all of this as some eevacuees go home. >> we will not be allowed to exit your neighborhood until the

re-entry process is complete. >> after three days of waiting, many san bruno residents who narrowly escaped with their lives on thursday, were given the all-clear to go home. doug and betty were among the lucky wunsz. >> i keep thinking i'm going to kiss the ground when i walk in and i can see my house again. even if it's a mess. >> but with 37 houses destroyed and two sustaining major damage, some can no longer call this neighborhood home. federal investigators have not yet determined why the pipeline ruptured without warning. the geyser of fire torched everything in its path, blowing a 30-foot-long section of the pipeline 130 feet in the air. the pipeline owned by pacific gas and electric is more than a half-century old. installed before many of the homes were built. so antiquated it was scheduled to be replaced in the next three years. state leaders plan for congressional hearing this week.

>> i think many questions must be answered by all of us. whose job it is to protect our people. >> as investigators document the damage, recovery dogs discovered more skeletal remains. six people are still missing, 20-year-old jessica morales was killed in the explosion, her boyfriend critically injured when he tried to rescue her from the blast. jacqueline and her 13-year-old daughter were also killed and jacqueline worked for the state agency, pg & e. >> i don't know if she knew there was a 30-inch line in her neighborhood. people usually don't. >> days after the blast, images of the heldish inferno are still surfacing. when doug and betty return dodd their home of 36 years -- relief. >> i have a house. >> we have a house standing. we're happy. >> while some families were able to go home, not everybody will

have a happy homecoming. dozens of homes remain off-limits as federal investigators continue to gather evidence. kate, we're told this investigation could take over a year. >> miguel almaguer reporting tonight, thank you. overseas to iran, where it appears an american woman held since last may may soon be released after days of on-again/off-again negotiations. we have the latest from london this evening. >> good evening, in a sudden about-face fight. a senior iranian prosecutor said on state tv that the authorities will release sarah shourd on bail because of health problems and islamic clemency. she's been detained by iran for more than a year, but today word came that sarah shourd might soon be free. a tehran prosecutor went on state television to announce that shourd would be released

for half a million dollars in bail. but he called her an american spy and said her case wil still go to trial, along with those of the other two americans, who will remain in custody. shourd's was detained on the iranian border with iraq in july. along with two americans. they claimed they were on a mountain hike in northern iraq at the time and they denied charges that they were spying. the reversal by the prosecutor's office revealed the struggle for the balance of power among iran's ruling elite. the initial decision to cancel sarah shourd's release has been seen as deeply embarrassing for president ahmadinejad. now it seems as though he may have prevailed. among the reasons cited for shourd's release, her health. when the three hikers were allowed a visit by their parents in a tehran hotel in may, it was clear that a year in iranian prison had taken its toll. shourd's mother has said her daughter has been denied treatment for serious health

problems, including a breast lump and precancerous cervical cells. when the lawyer for shourd and two others met, they said it was the first face-to-face meeting since he was hired by the families late last year. he said shourd will be able to go home in two or three days. the timing of sarah shourd's release is yet to be determined. but with iran under scrutiny over human rights and facing intense pressure over its nuclear program, president ahmadinejad's likely hopes that to soften iran's image before he speaks at the u.n. in new york next week. >> alley. thank you so much. in washington, the big debate over tax cuts took a new turn today, with the house republican leader signaling at least some flexibility on the issue, nbc's mike vicera is at the white house with more. >> president obama returns to washington this week for a short stay. there's new hope tonight for a compromise on tax cuts.

>> god bless america! >> eight weeks before election day, a victory at the ballot box. a conservative rally in washington was the message. the tea party is not losing steam. >> usa! usa! >> with democrats now facing the prospect of being swept if power in congress, today activists gathered here, in sacramento and st. louis. to press for victory in november. >> we've got to stop the spending and stop the taxes. >> a fight over taxes dominates the agenda. at issue extending bush-era cuts. president obama wants them to expire for the wealthiest households making $250,000 or $200,000 for single filers and extend them for the middle class. republicans and even some democrats say with the economy still sluggish, tax cuts should be extended for everyone, including the wealthy. that has drawn fire from the white house. >> on the middle class tax cuts,

let's not hold them hostage. >> we're going to give this very small numb of people at the top, a tax cut that we can't afford. but today, a new opening. >> i'll vote for it. >> top republican john boehner signaled he would not try to block the obama plan. >> if the only option i have is to vote for those of 250 and below, of course i'm going to do that. >> late today, white house press secretary robert gibbs issued a cautious reaction. time will tell if his actions will be anything but continued support for the failed policies that got us into this mess. meanwhile, another tax battle looms. a cut for small businesses. the president has repeatedly hammered republicans for blocking the measure. >> the minority of republican senators have been using legislative tactics to prevent the bill from even getting to a vote. >> and kate, on that small business tax cut, good news for the president, one retiring

republican senator george voinovich of ohio says he's going to turn around and vote for it. that means that that tax cut could be on the president's desk by the end of this week. kate? >> mike vicara at the white house. in this busy hurricane season, we're up to "i" now, "i" for igor. which went from a category 1 this morning to a major category 4. it's moving west, 1,000 miles from land. no threat to the u.s. mainland. when we come back, a weekend of reflection on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. and the lingering debate that's touched a nerve. [ male announcer ] one look can turn the everyday into romantic.

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11th attacks, yet more division and debate today over whether to build a mosque and islamic center near ground zero. nbc's mike taibbi has more tonight. >> on the ninth anniversary, there were the familiar touchstones of remembrance. >> please join us and all new yorkers in a moment of silence. >> the pause of the moments when the plane struck and the towers fell. the pealing of the bells, the reading of those names lost. the vice president was at ground zero. the first lady in shanksville, pennsylvania and president obama at the pentagon, repeating what his predecessor first said right at the attacks. >> we are not and never will be at war with islam. >> later, though, there were competing demonstrations. thousands protesting the proposed islamic cultural center and mosque two blocks from ground zero, and others supporting the center and decrying anti-muslim bigotry.

but the mosque opponents include 9/11 first responders. like this man who had a measured message for the center's planner, imam feisal. >> i'll give him the benefit of the doubt. but however now there can't be any question in his mind, the amount of hurt and trauma he's causing family members. >> in fact as the opposition has grown broader, angrier and seemingly entrenched, more and more muslims have been willing to come out publicly and say, enough is enough. muslims like brooklyn imam daod hanif who thinks they should rethink the islamic center plan. >> if the imam decides to shift it somewhere else, it would be better. >> you think so? >> yes. >> he said on abc's "this week" that such a move would be seen as failure with consequences. >> the headline in the muslim world will be islam is under attack in america, this will strengthen the radicals in the

muslim world. help their recruitment. >> but his fellow muslim imam disagrees. >> it will be considered as a very good gesture on his part. a great sacrifice. >> for now, the 9/11 remembrance that might have been overshadowed by the intensifying debate over islam instead began and ended with its purpose intact. even as the debate will continue. mike taibbi, nbc news, new york. from classics like garlic shrimp scampi and decadent shrimp pasta... to new creations, like crunchy parmesan shrimp. our best value of the year, endless reasons to get together. during endless shrimp, right now at red lobster. dr. scholl's back pain relief orthotics with shockguard technology give you immediate relief

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