good morning. harsh words. president obama slams the officers in massachusetts who arrested a prominent black scholar in his own home. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they weren their own home. >> did he go too far and rewrite the headlines that should have been about health care reform? raid. dozens of police and federal agents descend on the houston clinic of michael jackson's personal doctor. are they getting closer to filing criminal charges in the singer's death? and dog's best friend. a pet owner grabs old of the jaws of a seven-foot alligator to rescue his family's cherished pet and loses parts of his fingers in the process. we'll talk to him today, fingers in the process. we'll talk to him today, thursday, july 23rd, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. president obama's prime-time news conference last night mostly about health care. but it was the comments he made at the end of that news conference about the arrest of an african-american harvard professor last week that are getting a lot of attention this morning. >> everybody's talking about it. the president said the cambridge, massachusetts, police department quote acted stupidly, end quote, when officers arrested henry louis gates jr. for disorderly conduct after being called to his town when a neighbor suspected a burglary was taking place. of course he had a lot to say about health care, as well. we're going to get to all of that in just a moment. >> also ahead, if you're one of those people who's been told that you should save your child's baby teeth for the stem cells they contain, question is are you being taken for aride? dr. nancy synderman will be here to fill us in on what some doctors are saying about that. >> and we'll have more of my

interview with susan boyle, a singing sensation. we'll also surprise her with the two people that have inspired her most in her singing career. and i get to sing with her. can't wait for that, huh? >> wow. not sure where to go with that. maybe to this first story. the president's prime-time news conference was held last night, and some very strong comments that the president made that had nothing to do with health care. >> i don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in this. but i think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. >> the president was speaking about a man he calls his friend, henry louis gates jr. last thursday, returning home from a week's travel, gates couldn't get the front door of his house open. after enlisting help from his driver, gates pushed his way into his own home. a woman in the neighborhood thought it was a burglary and called police. upon their arrival, cambridge police reported that gates

refused to be cooperative, telling sergeant james crowley, this is what happens to black men in america. other officers were called in and gates was arrested at his home for disorderly conduct amid accusations of racial profiling, the charges were dropped tuesday, and the firestorm appeared to be dying down. until president obama spoke last night using very blunt language. >> number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> so were the president's mentions appropriate? michael eric tyson is an author and commentator who has written extensively about race in america and michael smirconicz is host of the morning show. let's go with dicing and smirconicz. mr. tyson, let me start with you. you think this was a case of racial profiling and it's kind

of emblematic of a larger problem that a lot of black men face in this country. let me ask you specifically about the president's words and his choice of words last night. what did you think? >> i think they were quite appropriate. finally somebody with a bully pulpit stepped up to articulate the growing sentiment and fashions of all americans, not just african-americans, that something has to be done to stem this tide of unfairly targeting black men in particular, latino men in particular, for crimes that all people commit and being suspected of carrying the virus of criminality when nothing more could be untrue. the reality is he used the bully pulpit to tell the truth -- >> you say what all people are thinking. not all people agree with the president on this, and certainly the cambridge police department doesn't agree with it. and the officer involved, the sergeant involved doesn't agree with it. and what about the fact, michael, that he said, i don't have all the facts in the case, but they reacted stupidly. how does that work? >> well, here's how it works, matt. we can assume, usually black men don't have the kind of high profile that professor gates

have and don't usually have a president standing behind them to say look, let's act reasonably here. there are thousands of cases, i believe, in which police people have said things about black people, about black men, they have no kind of social status to back up their words. so i think the president said, look, i don't have all the facts here. but it is clear when a man has proved that he lives in his own home and satisfies the fact that he's not a burglar, to arrest him then, after that fact, is acting rather stupidly and acting not in the best sense of protecting the common good in cambridge, nor protecting the people of cambridge from a potential criminal. >> michael, what did you think of the president's potential use of words? >> i think he should not have used the word stupidly. i think there was probably plenty of stupidity to go around on all sides of this case. what i notice, matt, is that whatever you look like seems to dictate how you view the facts of a case, where none of us were present. and that tells me that in this country we've still got a great deal of ground to cover in terms

of race relations. the president weighed in on disputed facts and came down, admittedly, on the side of a man that he regards as his friend. but if for a moment you look at the police officer's interpretation or side of what transpired, he arrives in response to a 911 call, he's on the porch, he sees professor gates, doesn't know who professor gates is, asks him to come outside, and the first thing that occurs is professor gates says, why? because i'm a black man in america. and from there it escalates. i think one could reasonably reach the conclusion that it was professor gates who lit the fuse on this incendiary situation. >> getting back to the president's choice of words that the cambridge police acted stupidly, isn't this possibly and i'll go to you michael dyson on this one, isn't this one of those cases where both parties deserve the benefit of the doubt? >> well, there's no doubt about that, matt. but here's the point, racial profiling has proved that black men rarely get the benefit of the doubt, and innocent until proven guilty. >> but you keep going to the larger picture, michael, and i'm

asking you about the president's comments about the cambridge police specifically. >> well, i'm talking specifically about the cambridge police. first of all mr. smerconish detailing of the story is from the policeman's viewpoint. professor gates said he was in his home. he showed his i.d. he satisfied the officer that he lived there. and then, when he followed the officer out trying to get his badge number and his i.d., then he refused to cooperate, then when he was on his porch, he was arrested. so the point is that i think that what the president is saying is that when you have satisfied the case that this man is not a criminal, in cambridge, he is not a thief, he is in his own home, at that point, yes, emotions may rise, yes, it's harsh words may be exchanged, but the reality is that no justification to arrest this man when the initial call was for breaking and entering, a potential breaking and entering case. i think at that time the facts justified, regardless of what knowing what happened he was acting stupidly and outside the bounds of the initial call of the law. >> michael smerconish, i know

you've been talking about this on our radio show. give me a sense of what people are saying about it? is it what you said a second ago, it determines how you look that determines your point of view on this? >> it's almost as if i can see where the call coming from and know how folks will weigh in on this. one thing that's not being said by anybody, if you look at that still photograph that shows professor gates in handcuffs, i take note of the fact that there is a pretty large african-american police officer right in the foreground of that picture. and by the way, the guy who took it said, and he's got no dog in this fight, he said that he saw professor gates as being agitated. look, i don't know what happened. i just am surprised that the president seems to think, and i'm a supporter of the president, but i'm surprised that the president seems to think he does know what happened. the truth is, none of us know what happened. >> interesting debate and interesting to get both of your perspectives on this. michael and michael, thanks, guys. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> for more, here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. of course the president's real reason for holding a news

conference was to seek the public's support for his plan to reform health care. so did he change any minds? nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd was there. good morning to you, chuck. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. well, it's been the tenth event on health care in the last ten days that the president held. but last night's news conference was as much a symposium on the issue as much as it was a give and take. >> good evening. please be seated. >> reporter: the president began by trying to calm the political waters of the health care debate. >> so folks are skeptical. and that is entirely legitimate because they haven't seen a lot of laws coming out of washington lately that help them. >> reporter: mr. obama reiterated his pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class. but he said he is open to a tax hike on families whose income exceeds $1 million. >> to me that meets my principle that it's not being shoulder by families who are already having a tough time. >> reporter: the president said he still wants to seek coverage for the 47 million uninsured. but acknowledged he could come up short.

>> the estimates are at least 97% to 98% of americans. >> reporter: using the president's math, that could still lead 9 million to 10 million people without insurance. as for the politics of this debate, the president bristled at the notion he has been blaming republicans. >> you haven't seen me out there blaming the republicans. i've been a little frustrated by some of the misinformation that's been coming out of the republicans. >> reporter: still, he side-stepped the issue of whether it was democrats who are now the stumbling block to reform, even though they hold large majorities in congress. in nearly an hour he only answered ten questioners. at one point drifting from health care into a discussion of the deficit. >> everybody who's out there who has been ginned up about this idea that the obama administration wants to spend and spend and spend, the fact of the matter is, is that we inherited a enormous deficit, but health care reform is not going to add to that deficit. >> reporter: now, there were two

audiences last night, meredith. one was folks that are worried about health care. and they've learned that maybe their taxes won't go up, but somebody's will. probably the most wealthy americans. but then it was congress. and what they learned last night is the president is a lot more flexible on this august deadline. he didn't really say he was going to hold congress to it. and he seems to be flexible about what -- how you would define some of these things like a public insurance plan. meredith? >> all right, chuck todd, thank you. republican congressman eric cantor from virginia is the house minority whip and senator chris dodd is the chair of the senate health, education, labor and pensions committee. the only senate committee to pass a health care bill so far. good morning to both of you. >> good morning, meredith. >> congressman, if i could start with you. you said that health care legislation currently moving through congress is taking us down a dangerous course. did you hear anything last night that would change your mind? >> meredith, what i heard last night was a president that seemed somewhat frustrated that people don't understand what this government health care plan is about.

and, you know, throughout the hour-long press conference last night, i think people still have a lot of questions about what it means for them and their families. what does the government plan mean for them? and you know, it is just imperative, i think, that we get this right. and i think that's where all of us are right now, is to make sure we don't rush to judgment, that we don't just try and get something passed, because we all know what that can lead to, given what this congress has been about over the last several months. >> let me bring in senator dodd, because it's not just eric cantor saying this, it's members of your own party, and increasingly the public expressing this skepticism. what specifically did the president say last night, specifically, that would change minds? >> is that a question for me, meredith? >> yes, it is. >> i think he's trying to calm the waters. you described it well in your introduction. this is a question we're getting a lot more fear, and exaggerations about this. the president said over and over again, this is a plan where you get to keep your doctor, you make the choices, if you like the plan you have, we're not

going to take it away. most people like the plans they have in this country. we need to leave alone that which is working and try to fix that which is broken. he mentioned the 47 million without insurance. there are about 30 million people in this country who are underinsured. we're consuming about 18% of our gross domestic product, 62% of bankruptcies in this country are directly related to health care crises. 50% of the home foreclosures are related to the health care crisis. >> but he still didn't specifically say how we're going to pay for this and i think that's a concern for most americans. >> it's not just the president's call. and eric made this point and i'll make it as well. obviously that's a decision that we in the congress have to decide on how to do this. the shared responsibility. there are various ideas out there that are dploeting around but we need to stick with this. the notion somehow we ought to put this off to a later date, which some seem to be suggesting, i think is wrong. that's a washington answer. this is a problem for 70 years, meredith. it's defied the efforts of every president, democrat and republican, and every congress

for 70 years. if it had been easy it would have been fixed years ago. our job now is to stick with it, because it's no longer unacceptable that we deal with health care. it's unsustainable economically. yesterday the chairman of the federal reserve board made the case again. this problem of health care must be addressed or our economic recovery is going to be difficult, if not impossible. >> what about the charges against the republicans that they are playing politics here? the president referred to republican strategist bill kristol who said even if the republicans want to compromise, better to go for the kill. he also referenced senator demint who said if the president fails here, it will break him. is that what the republicans are trying to do just by politics here? because it sounds like that. >> meredith, that's just another strong man argument. that's just not the case. we have said consistently that republicans do not accept the status quo. but what we want to do is make sure that we get it right. and the president said that, as well. you know, we've got questions of what actually a government health care plan means. i mean, what we've heard in the

president's explanation last night was that somehow the government is going to stop doctors from being able to prescribe what it is that the patient needs. now i don't think that the families out there looking and questioning what a government health care plan is about really want to see that happen. i think they trust their doctors. and we do have a much larger question about how to pay for this. and what we didn't hear last night was the details of what president obama's plan does, which is imposes a huge burden on small businesses. >> all right -- >> that's how he wants to pay for this plan. and right now we've got to be about job creation. >> congressman, we're running out of time. very, very quickly, the speaker of the house nancy pelosi said she thinks she has the votes on the floor to get legislation passed by august 8th when you go on recess. yes or no, do you believe that will happen? >> you know, i think there's still a lot of unanswered questions. and if they get this thing passed next week, it will have to be a changed bill. because right now there are too many unanswered questions.

>> and chris dodd, what do you think will happen on the senate side? >> we've got a good chance. we could keep working at this. but we need to keep at it. again 14,000 people today will lose their health insurance, health coverage and that happens every single day. 400 people in virginia lose it today. 100 people in my state. people out across the country here. this is all washington talk. they're going through an awful lot. every one of us in congress have a good health care plan. if we had to go through what most americans are going through we'd be busy trying to fix this. >> thank you so much for your time this morning. >> thank you, meredith. >> let's move over to the news desk right now. ann is standing by. she's got all the headlines. good morning, ann. >> good morning, matt and meredith. good morning, everybody. also in the news this morning, north korea announced today it will not re-enter six-party talks to end its nuclear program. and it blasted the u.s. for its attitude on the matter. in reaction, secretary of state hillary clinton said this morning that north korea has no friends left to protect it from u.n. sanctions. and she said north korea's nuclear ambitions could provoke a nuclear arms race in the region.

there are reports that one of osama bin laden's sons was killed in a u.s. missile strike in pakistan earlier this year. it is believed that 27-year-old saad bin laden was not the target of the u.s. attack but was among those killed when a predator drone fired a missile at an al qaeda target in western pakistan. there was a show of support last night for private first class bough bergdahl captured by the taliban in pakistan. hundreds turned out for a vigil. six people are hospitalized after a shooting last night at texas southern university. police believe the shooting at a community rally may have been gang related. investigators looking into last weekend's rail crash in san francisco are focusing on human error as the cause of the accident that sent one commuter train slamming into another, injuring more than 40 people. surveillance video of the crash was released on wednesday. general motors says sales fell 15% worldwide in the second quarter of the year, compared to the same period a year ago.

but gm insists the car market is beginning to turn around. as for wall street, cnbc's melissa lee is at the new york stock exchange with more. >> good morning to you, ann. in addition to earnings and the likes of mcdonald's as well as microsoft today, investors also have a big drug deal to digest. bristol-myers is buying medarex for $200 million. the two companies have been developing a promising drug for skin cancer. good news for the american taxpayer. the u.s. government has made a 23% return on its $10 billion investment in goldman sachs through the t.a.r.p. program. that is certainly better than if it had directly invested it into the stock market. >> melissa lee this morning, thanks. and california governor arnold schwarzenegger is defending himself against critics who complained about him going on twitter last week or rather this week brandishing a large knife while talking about budget cuts. on wednesday, the governor said people just need to relax and have a sense of humor. it is now 7:18. let's go back to meredith, matt and al. i watched the tape on twitter and he was trying to be funny.

>> i think he went a bit too far with that surface-to-air missile. >> he didn't actually -- >> no, no. >> we have to contend with that coastal low and you can see it is bringing showers and storms to the eastern shore and the south of annapolis. we are dealing with another system that is going to be approaching as. showers and thunderstorms

throughout the day. that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thanks. and still to come, will michael jackson's personal physician be charged with manslaughter? what investigators were hoping to find during a raid on that doctor's office. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ??

still to come, the owner who saved his dog from the jaws of a seven-foot alligator. lost the tips of a couple of fingers in the process. he'll share his story. >> plus the first grandmother, marion robinson opens up about her life in the white house.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. anticipating the h1n1 of imus will make a comeback in the fall, a clinical the vaccine trial is being lashed at the university of maryland school of medicine. it will begin the second week of august to determine the strengths of the vaccines. results should be in by early september. if you would like to learn more, there is a link on our website, wbaltv.com. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> a few problems to watch for. in howard county, oregon 95, a

disabled vehicle blocking the lane there. sunshine ave and belair road, an accident being cleared there. southbound 95 is backing down in the white marsh area. 15-minute drive time on the outer loop west side. nothing major on the north side outer loop. six minutes on southbound 95. let's give you a live view of traffic on white marsh. plenty of break lights on the beltway northeast. live view of 50 from the eastern shore to the bay bridge. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> you can see the clouds of town, very humid out there. nice touch of showers and storms on the eastern shore and st. michael's. just to the south of the city of baltimore, there is more precipitation to our west. we are between two systems

today, a front approaching from the west, and a chance of showers and storms and a high of 81. there is a tropical system of sure that what to ocean city and eastridge were quite what as well. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news

7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 23rd of july, 2009. we've got some rain in today's forecast here in the northeast. hopefully these people have got parkas or umbrellas handy. hopefully they won't need them too often today. by the way, if they come here tomorrow the weather promises to be a little nicer and we've got a concert out on the plaza, with pop sensation katy perry joining us live out there in our 8:30 half hour. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside meredith vieira. and here's a question for you at home and i'll ask meredith here. how far would you go, jasper, for example, your prized pet dog jasper, how far would you go to protect jasper? >> you want to know how far i would go? >> that's why i asked you our question. >> our dog before jasper was willie and willie once connered a rabid raccoon at 9:00 in the morning and i ran outside with a broom to get that raccoon away. what an idiot i was.

>> did you get hurt? >> no, but after that happened i think that was a crazy thing to do. >> what happened to willie? >> willie's fine. the raccoon -- >> you want to know about me and pets? or is this all about you? >> would you ever save a pet f >> i had a goldfish named willie and i would pretty much go to the depths of his tank to save him. >> which toilet did you flush him down. >> oh, see! m. vieira. >> just ahead we're going to talk with a man from florida who went to extremes to rescue his family's beloved dog from the jaws of a seven-foot alligator. why did he do it? and would he do it again? we'll ask him. >> also ahead, first grandmother marion robinson. talked openly about her experiences living in the white house. we're going to hear from her coming up. >> plus more of our exclusive interview with susan boyle. she dreamed of becoming a famous singer for more than two decades before walking onto the

"britain's got talent" stage and later we're going to have her thoughts on that long strigle and her sudden success. but let's begin with dramatic developments in the michael jackson case. exactly one month after the singer's death. police and federal agents have now raided the office of jackson's personal physician. the doctor who was with him when jackson died nbc's jeff rossen is in los angeles. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. no question about it, the criminal investigation just jumped to the next level. detectives flew from here all the way to texas looking for evidence. searching the office of dr. conrad murray. this morning his own lawyer confirms police are trying to build a case for manslaughter. it was unexpected. los angeles police and federal drug agents showed up at dr. conrad murray's office in texas, armed with a search warrant. he worked out of this medical clinic in houston. they spent more than two hours inside. >> searching for drugs? >> no drugs. this was just records.

>> reporter: according to dr. murray's attorney, detectives collected 21 documents, along with a forensic image of his hard drive. >> just to get a search warrant, the feds have to show that there was probable cause to believe there was a felony committed. just getting that search warrant is a big deal in this case. >> reporter: doctor murray was michael jackson's cardiologist and was with him when he died. in a statement his lawyer said the search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents, they believe constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter. his lawyer has maintained dr. murray did nothing wrong. >> the search warrant carrying that element of surprise may allow the police to seize evidence that may either be hidden or destroyed had dr. murray known they were coming. >> reporter: the lapd has already interviewed dr. murray twice. and just before executing this search warrant, requested a third meeting. author ian halperin says his sources tell him prosecutors are getting help from jackson's own friends.

his book "unmasked: the final years of michael jackson" will debut at number one on "the new york times" best-seller list. >> i have learned that two key sources, a doctor, and a michael jackson insider, are cooperating fully with police, revealing all the details of what went down, including who filled out the prescriptions, how michael was able to get the drugs in exchange for partial or full immunity in the case. >> reporter: a source familiar with the criminal case tells nbc news police are looking into at least 19 doctors. late wednesday, the website tmz posted this video of a coroner's official visiting the office of jackson's former nurse sharalynn lee. she's claimed jackson asked her for propofol or diprivan in the weeks before his death. >> going to get some medical records. >> reporter: proof of an expanding investigation, as new drama unfolds within the jackson

family. questions are swirling around this mystery man who had a front-row seat at michael's memorial service. in her column msnbc.com's courtney hazlett reports the mystery man is omer bachy and family members believe he may be michael's secret fourth child. >> sources are saying it's actually his biological son. they say that he's been on the scene and lived mostly at neverland beginning in the early '90s until the early 2,000s. the family definitely seems to know about this person. this person even referred to himself as michael j. and called michael jackson his dad but they decided it was something michael wanted kept secret so they would keep secret. >> reporter: it is important to know there is still no official confirmation from the jackson family who he is. but all eyes this morning are clearly on the criminal case. experts say it all rides on the toxicology report and whether that little box on the report will be marked homicide. the results could be out by next week, meredith. and really criminal charges could stem from that if that happens.

>> jeff rossen, thank you very much. just gets weirder and weirder. >> no question. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> hey, guys, thanks a lot. how fuzzy i was this >> we are monitoring showers and storms around the area. a lot of activity around

annapolis. storms on the eastern shore around easton and st. michael's. a couple pop of showers as well. good chance of showers all right, some friends from harlem. all right, matt. >> all right, al, thank you very much. now to the latest on the high-stakes fight over who owns a $500 million sunken treasure found off the coast of florida. nbc's kerry sanders has the details on this story. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning, matt. in documents just filed with the federal court, the treasure hunters who found the wreck out there in the atlantic claim it's theirs, fair and square. the ship went down in 1804, on board a half billion dollars worth of wealth, which explains

why there's a lot of hands grabbing for that treasure chest. >> we got a notice coming up on the sonar. >> reporter: silver and gold coins. >> look at them all down there. >> reporter: odyssey marine from tampa, florida, found the frigate named mercedes when her half billion dollar pressure went down. now two years after odyssey quietly found the coins and artifacts about 100 miles off the strait of gibraltar, secretly brought it to the surface and covertly flew it to the united states, it turns out the biggest challenge is figuring out who owns the booty. odyssey claims finders keeper's. it's theirs. spain says not so fast, the mercedes was a naval ship and as a sovereign nation its cargo belongs to spain. peru says spain looted the silver and gold from the inca indians so it rightly belongs to the peruvian people.

and at least 25 families claim their descendents of merchants who owned the treasure. >> we figured out that effectively my great great great great great grandfather was on this ship. >> reporter: maurice from houston says spain is fudging facts, calling the mercedes a naval battleship. >> there were women, there were children on this vessel. but a war time vessel? it's a little ludicrous. >> reporter: the legal free for all heated up when a u.s. magistrate recently recommended odyssey hand the treasure over to spain. >> this is the property of spain, it's the grave site of more than 200 spanish navy people, and that everything that was taken from the ship must be returned to spain. >> reporter: odyssey says spain is playing fast with its own language. ancient spanish records call the mercedes a navio. spain translates that to mean warship. the treasure hunters believe

otherwise. they say navio is a cargo ship. >> i don't want to guess what's going on in people's minds. maybe there's just been a mistranslation. >> of the spanish language. >> of the spanish language. >> in spain? >> in spain. >> where the native language is? >> spanish. >> well, that treasure is not far from here, under lock and key. and while nobody has publicly said this, that expression, possession is nine tenths of the law, legal experts say it has it roots with sailors and pirates. matt? >> all right, kerry, we'll wait to see what happens with that. kerry sanders in florida for us this morning. and still ahead, meredith's big surprise for susan boyle. but up next the owner who wrestled his dog from the jaws of a seven-foot alligator. lost the tips of two fingers in the process, will share his story right after this.

we are back at 7:43. it takes a dedicated dog owner to pry his pet from the jaws of

a seven-foot alligator. that's exactly what david did and he ended up in worse shape than his dog. we're going to talk with him exclusively in just a moment, but first nbc's michelle kossen ski is in west calm beach florida with the details. michelle, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. the big gator that lives back here never bothered anybody until saturday morning when it grabbed david brown's 45-pound dog around the middle. >> you're okay. yeah. good girl. >> reporter: reunited with her best friend who just got home from the hospital, you have to wonder if mandy the wheaton terrier knows just how loyal her owner is? >> i saw the wake in the water from the alligator. >> reporter: david brown saw it slice through the sparkling water sate morning and a second later his best pal mandy, sniffing around in the brush, was trapped between the two hungry jaws of this seven footer. >> i just ran straight through the bushes to her. >> reporter: ran at the gator.

to save his trusty friend. >> he had her like this in his mouth. and the upper jaw with this hand and i was hooking his eye and she got out pretty easy and i remember just thinking, that was pretty easy. >> reporter: but then there he is holding a gator's open mouth. he tried to throw the reptile and it snapped off the top of two fingers on his right hand. he considers himself lucky that's all it got away with. mandy was bitten around the middle, but okay. >> she's a really special dog. she's just like all our children. >> reporter: they have had 7-year-old mandy since she was just a puppy and he said his family would kill him if he let anything happen to her. now he can't imagine not rescuing her from the jaws of death. >> i would never got over it. you know. you know, if i hadn't tried to get her free i would have never

lived with myself. >> reporter: you have a best friend for life here? >> yeah, for sure. >> reporter: you may be the most loyal owner. >> yeah. >> reporter: david ground, dog's best friend. wildlife officers caught and destroyed the gator. at least six other people have been bitten by alligators in florida so far this year. and in this case, david lost most of the two fingers on either side of his middle finger left with a kind of a permanent message now to petiting gators everywhere. >> thank you, michelle very much. michelle kosinski for us. david joins us along with his son joseph and the beloved wheaton terrier mandy. good morning to you all. >> good morning. >> hi, meredith. >> you know, david, i think michelle said it right when she said you are dog's best friend, certainly mandy's best friend. certainly how are you feeling? that's quite a chunk that was taken out of you. >> i'm feeling pretty good today. we got a good night's sleep last

night for the first time. so yeah, i'm feeling good today. >> david, take me back. michelle basically explained the story. but that moment after you released mandy from the jaws of the gator and then you realized you're in a little bit of trouble, what's going through your mind? because the gator begins to literally thrash around with you attached to him. >> well, actually, luckily for me, when he released mandy for a split second, he was still frozen and he didn't move. and i'm thinking, okay, that was easy but now what do i do? and i knew i only had a split second before it would start reacting and i just tried to throw him and run to the right. but unfortunately, he caught my right hand. >> was there a moment there when you thought you weren't going to get out of there alive? >> no. no. i didn't think that. but i knew i was in big trouble when he had my hand and he was twisting. but in a split second, he had broken my fingers off and i was free and i was above him so, you

know, i knew i was safe then from him, at least. >> so you're really operating at that point on adrenaline and just getting the heck away from that alligator? >> yeah, that's exactly right. >> i want to talk a little bit about mandy. you bought mandy when she was a pup for your son joe who is sitting next to you. joe, two things, one, what does this dog mean to the family? and what do you think about what your dad did? >> well, what mandy means to us, she's pretty much my little sister, and you know, i hate even calling her a dog. i almost think that's demeaning to her in a way. but what my dad did, you know, is very, very proud of my dad, and very heroic. and i'm very thankful that mandy's okay, and you know, that my dad -- my dad's going to be okay and his hand's going to be okay, as well. >> david, you said you'd do it again if you had to.

did you learn a lesson, though, in all of this? >> yeah. i learned a lesson about being more careful, for sure. you know, it won't happen again. but it wasn't a bad trade. mandy for two fingers. >> mandy's a very lucky and very loved dog. david and joseph, thank you so much. >> could we say one thing? >> sure. >> meredith, my mom's in the hospital in miami, and we'd just like to say that we luch her and that we're thinking about her and we're very, very proud of her. >> and we'll see her tomorrow. >> and her name is? >> kathy. >> kathy. >> kathy, best from all of us at the "today" show, as well. thank you guys very much. and up next, president obama's mother-in-law speaks out for the first time about her life and her role in the white house.

now to the grandmother in chief, president obama's mother-in-law, marion robinson.

she rarely speaks in public. but now for the first time, she's opening up about what it's like to live in the white house, and help look after the first family. here's nbc's norah o'donnell. >> how is it to see your daughter married to the president of the united states? >> you know, excuse me, it's an overwhelming feeling. >> reporter: america's first grandma, for the first time, talked about the honor of living in the white house. >> especially when you come from the south side of chicago and she ended up marrying a person who lived the same kind of life that he did, but they both had great ambitions. >> reporter: her son-in-law campaigned on change. but to her, he's still the same man. >> i remember president obama being a very hard-working individual. and believe me, he still is the hardest-working person i know.

>> reporter: marion robinson was reading a book to elementary school students. >> and on that bed there is a granny, a snoring granny. >> reporter: when she was asked about the president's daughters. >> malia and sasha cannot watch tv, i think. they can only watch an hour a day. but they are at the age now where they'd rather read books or play games with themselves, or grandma is beginning to feel left out. >> reporter: the first lady's mother has always helped take care of her granddaughters. but family members say she really didn't want to move into the white house. now, she says it's great. and she's got a very busy social schedule. the first grandma was front and center this week as the white house celebrated country music. but it was the first lady who turned heads with her new 'do which officials said was just a pinned-up version of her usual style. both the first lady and her mom are looking forward to more

quality time with the girls, taking much of the month of august off. >> my life is wonderful. >> reporter: for "today," norah o'donnell, nbc news, washington. >> seems like a kool-aiddy. >> yeah, i think she's a very kool-aiddy. nice thing to like your mother-in-law. >> yes, it is. >> that's a very good thing. still to come, more of our exclusive interview with susan boyle and the surprises we have. >> first these messages.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> as rain comes into the area, that is going to affect your ride. let's start with the problem spot in joppa road, -- in joppa, of mountain road and singer. traffic lights out at the intersection. 19 miles per hour is the speed on the outer loop. heavier than normal there. delays on the outer loop west side. average speed with edmondson, and southbound 95 backing down from owings mills to the beltway. 50 minutes on the other the west side.

-- 15 minutes on the outer loop west side. everything is going well at fort mchenry. you are dealing with this delay approaching white marsh with the rain coming into the area. let's switch over to a live view of traffic at the beltway of the parkway. that delay extends from the beltway to west nursery road. >> we are seeing a very active pattern here. as batch of showers from the lower eastern shore to ride around annapolis and the heart of the city. the rainfall about white marsh as well. all this is associated with an area of low pressure spinning off shore and moving up the eastern seaboard today. bottom line, very humid today. 80 with the cloud cover. washout day in ocean city. tomorrow, we will see in the more sunshine. >> you can check the bottom of

your screen for updated news and traffic information we will have another live update at 8:25.

it is 8:00 on this thursday morning, july 23rd, 2009. we have stepped outside to mingle with the folks starting their morning with us here on the plaza. tomorrow in this very spot, pop sensation katy perry is going to take to our summer concert stage. >> she was fun last time she was here. she's a hoot. she really is. >> anyway, miami meredith vieira. >> we kind of ran out of stuff. >> exactly. >> also coming up, more of my interview with susan boyle. this morning the unassuming, unexpected international star opens up about how long she waited for her big break and also one of her biggest influences. plus we had some surprises for her. we're going to get to that in a moment. >> that interview was terrific last night. >> susan boyle comes across as such a sincere, nice person.

>> she's lovely. >> next to you. >> oh. >> and also, do you save your kid's baby teeth? >> we have a few. >> do you? >> yeah. >> more and more parents these days are being told to save their children's baby teeth because of the stem cells they contain. and if you heard about the different plans and ways you can go about that, dr. nancy synderman is going to be along to tell us what's good and what's not so good. >> the tooth fairy drops them off. >> exactly. >> after he files them and delivers them. >> and brings them back. >> so first the tooth fairy goes through. >> exactly. >> and of course want to remind you that next week, "today" takes a vacation. that's right, monday ann and meredith are up first in new york's lake george. then, matt and i hit the beaches of key west, florida. >> whoo, that's right. will we be wearing speedos?

not likely. and we've got some other fun stops with hoda and kathie lee. and of course, natalie will be going to vegas. a lot of fun coming. >> looking forward to that. >> that's going to be fun. >> we should head in to the news. ann has the latest headlines. >> in the news this morning, president obama takes his push for health care reform on the road today. he's heading to ohio for a town hall and a visit to the cleveland clinic which he touted as a modern medical facility during the prime-time news conference last night. the president reiterated his pledge not to raise taxes on the middle klaas to find a health care overhaul but he said he is raising taxes on people earning more than $1 million a year. the fda is warnings americans about so-called electronic cigarettes, marketed as a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes. the government said tests found dangerous levels of nicotine and carcinogens, including the key ingredients found in antifreeze. a win for gun control advocates. on wednesday the senate voted against a measure that would have allowed individuals with a

concealed weapon permit to carry their firearm across state lines. as u.s. automakers struggle to survive, surprise earnings news from ford. this morning, the nation's second largest automaker says it posted a $2.8 billion profit in the second quarter. and nasa says a spacewalking astronaut was never in any danger on wednesday when problems with his space suit caused carbon dioxide levels to rise. his spacewalk was cut short just to be safe. now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." hey, brian. >> hey, ann, thanks. tonight we're going to talk about something called the summer slide. sounds like fun? it isn't. it's about students who fall behind during the summertime, especially with programs being cut everywhere. we're going to look at one that's expanding. helping kids with fun and with studies and it's making a difference at the same time. we look for you tonight for "nightly news," ann. >> okay, brian, thanks. it is 8:06. let's go back outside for a check of the weather with al. >> another cutie over here. they're all cuties.

but this is the littlest cutie. who is this? >> elizabeth. >> where are you from? >> bethlehem, pennsylvania. >> do you like that? >> yes, she >> we are looking at two major systems, and i wedged between both. showers of the baltimore metropolitan area. approaching some of our northern suburbs.

>> that's your latest weather. now let's head back over to mr. lauer. >> all right, mr. roker, thank you very much. when we come back, thieves getting their hands on your credit card information while you use the credit card. we'll tell you what to watch out for. but coming up next, meredith has a couple of surprises for that lady right there, susan boyle. we'll find out what they were right after these messages. i don't always let my bladder problems...

or the worry my pipes might leak... compromise what i like to do... like hunting for bargains, not always bathrooms. i take care with vesicare. (announcer) once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to reduce frequent, sudden urges and leaks... day and night... if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. tell your doctor right away if you have a serious allergic reaction, severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so take care while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, and indigestion. you deserve better than to always be compromised by urges and leaks. ask your doctor today

about taking care with vesicare. all the delicious raisins. i like the crunchy flakes and the granola clusters. you know, that's why it says "crunch" on there. yeah, but raisins are before "crunch" on the box. even "bran" made it before "crunch." yeah, but look at how big the word "crunch" is. i mean it just dominates the box. i like the box because in the middle of the word... "kellogg's®" is "ello," like a british greeting. "ello govenor." three tasty ingredients, one great combination. ♪ raisin bran crunch®! ♪ from kellogg! it's in your future now. [ female announcer ] discover the power of aveeno positively radiant. with total soy, it's clinically proven

to visibly reduce past damage while advanced spf 30 helps prevent future damage. aveeno positively radiant. you can walk with a purpose to end alzheimer's... by joining us for memory walk. [ man ] you invite three people. [ woman ] and they'll invite three people. and before you know it, you have a team. more than 5 million americans... may not be able to stop the progression of alzheimer's. but we can.

step up. move a nation to end alzheimer's. start a team today. go to alz.org. back at 8:09 with more of our exclusive interview with susan boyle. she rocketed into the spotlight, shocking the world were a voice that sounds like an angel. since then she's had a wild ride, but it didn't come out of the blue. she'd been dreaming the dream for a long time, and when we caught up with her, we made some more of her dreams come true. ♪ >> reporter: you really were, in a sense, plucked from obscurity. although this has been a dream you've wanted for a long time. >> for years. for a lifetime.

>> reporter: susan, when did you realize that you were gifted? that you had a voice? >> i -- >> reporter: you don't think you're gifted? >> i think it's a chance. >> simon had a tear in his eye and i've never seen that before. >> reporter: her magic pipes turned simon cowell into mush and elicited shout-outs from royalty and music icons. >> i think she's fantastic. >> susan's great. >> i hope she knocks this one out of the park. >> reporter: but there is only one man whose praise can take susan's breath away. ♪ and they called it puppy love ♪ >> reporter: i read that when you were growing up as a little girl one of your idols was donny osmond? >> yeah. >> reporter: what was it about donny osmond that you like? >> there was something magical. >> reporter: well, we called donny, told him that we were going to be here talking to you and he wanted to send a message. >> susan, congratulations on all of your success, i think it's

wonderful what's happening with your career, and good luck with this new record that you're doing. some day, it's a prediction, you and i will do a record together. we'll remake "puppy love." come out to vegas and see the show, as a matter of fact, we're going to rename the marquee and have it be the donny and susan show. >> reporter: what do you think of that? the donny and susan show? >> i think it's really good. >> reporter: i don't know if marie would say it's good. would you sing a duet of puppy love with him if he asked you? >> if he asked me, yeah, of course. >> reporter: can you sing a little of it? ♪ and they called it puppy love but i guess they'll never know ♪ >> reporter: and then there's susan's biggest idol, elaine page. she's known as the first lady of british musical theater. and her trademark song "memory" is the one susan chose for her second performance on "britain's

got talent." >> ♪ all alone with the memories of my days in the sun ♪ >> reporter: and i remember the first time you were on the stage with simon cowell he asked you who you wanted to be like and you said -- >> elaine page. >> reporter: have you ever met her? >> no, i haven't. i'd like to one day. >> reporter: would that be another one of those dreams come true. well we have a little surprise for you. elaine? >> oh, my gosh. elaine page. i can't believe it. how are you? >> reporter: we made her speechless. >> are you having a good time? good for you. that's what i want to hear. >> my inbox is inundated with e-mails from friends saying check out the youtube of you. and i didn't know what it was all about, so i went on to youtube, and there you were, singing your glorious voice. so it was a thrill to hear you

and even better to come see you at last now in the flesh. good luck. >> reporter: as we said good-bye, susan was still happy by our surprises so she gave me a little treat, too. if i sang a little of "i dream a dream" would you sing it with me? >> you want me to? >> reporter: yes. ♪ i dreamed a dream in time gone by ♪ ♪ worth living >> reporter: it's a dream all right. and to think that only three months ago, it appeared unfathomable. >> i've not been given the chance before. >> wouldn't that be an amazing thing, if somebody like susan boil could come from her background, a tiny village in scotland, and be a star for the next 20 years, to hold a candle to the likes of barbra streisand. >> it's a kind of dream you kill for. and i don't want it to end. ♪ a dream i dream

>> she wanted to stop singing right away. >> we all wanted you to stop singing. >> ooh, there are dogs out there howling right now. >> that took guts. that took nerve and moxie. >> it was a lot of fun to be with her. and when she saw elaine page. she's idolized her and elaine page is huge in england. major, major musical star. for her that's the woman she most emulates. >> and donny osmond. >> she knocked marie right off there. move on. >> very good stuff. >> lovely lady. up next, should you save your children's baby teeth for their stem cells? that is right after this. so, what's the problem?

these are hot. we're shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it's the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate. alabama. alaska? with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. dude's good. dude's real good. dudes. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

waking up to breakfast delicious. now, we're making it more affordable. with five one-dollar-off coupons... in specially marked boxes of cereal. wake up to breakfast... on kellogg's. the best to you each morning. when people say, hey mike, why ford, why now? i say brace yourself. that gas guzzler in your driveway, just might be, a clunker. but don't panic, it could be a good thing. your ford and lincoln mercury dealers are cash for clunkers specialists. they'll recycle your ride, and get you a big fat juicy rebate from uncle sam. you can get all the details, charts, graphs, etc, at ford.com. why ford, why now? why not? visit your ford or lincoln mercury dealer. i'm thinking now would be a great time.

♪ our natural sweetener is born from the leaves of the stevia plant. it's sparkly and sweet with zero calories and zero grains of doubt. truvia. honestly sweet. find it at your grocery store. i felt this deep lingering pain that was a complete mystery to me. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia muscle pain and then he recommended lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is fda-approved to help relieve the unique pain of fibromyalgia.

and with less pain, i can do more during my day. how sweet is that? lyrica is not for everyone. tell you doctor about any serious allergic reaction that causes swelling or affects breathing or skin, or changes eyesight including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. lyrica may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people. some of the most common side effects of lyrica are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands and feet. do not drink alcohol while taking lyrica. you should never drive or operate machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. if you think you might have fibromyalgia, ask your doctor about lyrica. "today's health" is brought to you by lyrica. >> and this morning on "today's health," stem cells in baby teeth. it turns out that tooth under your child's pillow could be worth a little more than you

think. nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy synderman has details on that. a lot of parents interested. >> a lot of parents. sort of that insurance marker for way down the road. baby teeth were discovered to have stem cells in them about six years ago. and in the same way families have chosen to store umbilical cord blood some parents are paying to store their child's teeth, primarily to get those stem cells. but the question is, should you bank, or are you being taken to the bank? 12-year-old abby mcloan is missing a few baby teeth. >> like here and here and right here. >> reporter: her parents are keeping track of each one. not for the tooth fairy, but for something potentially far more important. abby has type i diabetes, and her parents hope that one day, some day, stem cells from baby teeth might unlock a cure. the idea isn't new. for a few years, many new moms and dads have been banking the blood found in umbilical cords,

considered a rich source of stem cells, right after their baby's birth. but it's costly. and not every frazzled new mom takes the leap. moms like maria mcloan, for whom health concerns about her daughter seemed a far off worry. until abby's diabetes diagnosis when she was just 3. >> neither of us knew anything about diabetes and had no clue that it was such a huge lifelong change. >> reporter: having missed the opportunity to bank abby's cord blood her parents are hopeful about stem cells gathered from those baby teeth. dr. pamela robey is a researcher at the national institutes of health. in 2003, her team discovered that nestled in baby teeth are a few of those same stem cells. building blocks that have the potential to develop into many different parts of the body. >> from that single baby tooth we can isolate between 10 and 20 stem cells. the number is very small but they're very powerful in how

they can divide. >> reporter: but there's a difference. unlike stem cells from cord blood, baby teeth stem cells so far have only been tested in animals. >> in terms of using dental pulp stem cells, it's too early to say how effective they would be in applications outside of the mouth. >> reporter: nevertheless some companies see this emerging research as an opportunity. running ads like these, which seem promising. >> stem cells hold the potential to replace diseased or injured tissue with healthy, functioning cells. >> reporter: abby's parents paid $500 to the national dental pulp lab, one of a handful of u.s. tooth cell banks. for the kid used to collect abby's teeth. they will continue to pay $125 a year to keep them frozen. a price that's half of what it costs for cord blood collection. >> the cost is not so great that we won't pay for this as long as it takes. >> reporter: still, he knows saving baby teeth is a shot in

the dark. and that there's disagreement whether it will ever lead to any cure. >> parents in my practice do ask me about baby teeth and stem cells. right now, there is not sufficient science to recommend saving and banking these feat. >> reporter: but stem cell banks insist they aren't taking advantage of customers. >> there's a wealth of evidence to suggest that these cells are going to become very significant clinical players, hopefully in the near future. we make sure these people are educated, they understand that there are no immediate treatments for this. >> reporter: and some doctors say they're optimistic. >> baby teeth are being discarded every day by parents all around the world. this is kind of a safety net that a lot of people will choose to use just until some further science develops. >> reporter: for their part, the mcloans say that the money they spent is an investment in their daughter's well-being. a small gamble that one day the

tooth fairy will bring the greatest gift, a cure. >> it's very new. we're not naive in thinking that this is going to cure our daughter's diabetes, in even five, ten years or ever. but we feel that if we didn't take advantage of every opportunity out there, we'd be foolish. >> so i guess the simple question is, will any of us be around long enough, will our children be around long enough to see the possible benefits from this come to fruition? >> i think your children will be. but it's still an issue of cost. are you willing to put the money aside and bank this for the future with no promises today that something will be develo d developed? and for some people that $500 is nothing. for a lot of people they say, with no science, why would i waste that money. >> for the people who have been saving baby teeth? >> no good. your dentist has to send them in or you have to wrap it up in tissue, drop it into a glass of milk, refrigerate it and then

get it to one of these private companies. there are no public banks for this. >> thanks very much. >> you bet, matt. >> let's go to washington right now and check in with our friend willard scott. hilly, willard. >> i may have to do some washing. that means your sexy if you've got a space between your teeth. did you know that? happy birthday from smucker's. and we have some sexy people to tell you. sexy seniors. curry, not ann, aldridge, burlington, north carolina, is 100 years old. retired tobacco farmer. planted a large garden, still mows. you ever see tobacco in the field? it's a pretty plant. georgia shoup, memphis, tennessee. three times she tried to get on the show. she hangs in there. boast pet toe salad in the world. potato salad is fantastic when it's right. belinda flannigan, 102.

i love potato sol add. lives independently, washes dishes, cooks, irons and loves to eat at chinese buffets. here is charlie lewis, redmond, oregon. 101. proud mason, masonic order for 50 years. secret to longevity, simply being lucky and drives to the grocery store once a week. happy birthday mae spilger fox tinton falls, new jersey. 100 years old. retired world war ii operator and she is a descendant of clement moore. 'twas the night before christmas. and we have sue krns araturo of maspett, new york. 100 years old. secret to longevity is surrounding herself with good friends. >> all right, we love you willard.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the board of public works voted to slash $280 million from the maryland budget. health care and higher education took the biggest hit. the board raised the possibility of increasing college tuition. the board needs to fight another $470 million to cut and has its eye on a local government and pensions. a cabinet meeting will be held to discuss the next round of budget cuts. board of regents will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the impact of the cuts. let's look at the morning commute sarah caldwell. >> new accidents since last checked. or down 97 at benfield boulevard, accident there to watch for. no. and on the j.f.x. at ruxton road, a vehicle to watch for.

as you can see from the speed sensors, backing down southbound on 795. glenarden and manor road, watch for a crash. 15 minutes on the outer loop west side. 50 minutes on the northeast side. fife and it's on 795. 395, delays southbound at three, and b w parkway, southbound delays. >> we are looking at a very active hd doppler right now. strong thunderstorms right through the south of baltimore, approaching the metropolitan area. more showers in coming. on the seven-day forecast, showers and storms throughout. by tomorrow, less of a chance. >> another update at 8:55.

♪ it's 8:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 23rd day of july, 2009. starting to cloud over a little bit here in new york city. possibly some rain showers later in the day for these nice people. but for now, all is good. we've got a nice crowd out on the plaza. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira. al roker and ann curry, katy perry out here tomorrow morning in the 8:30 half hour. so if you're in the area, check that out. coming up in this half hour, we have a warning for debit card users. >> yes, you do. criminals have found a way to actually steal your information after you use your card to make purchases, and even if the atm is called skimming. more on how to protect yourself.

>> also we've got a lot of special guests because hoda's taken the time off. so along with kathie lee this morning we've got -- >> mr. steve sherippa. host of a new show called face the ace on nbc. tell us about this. >> this is the show that, it's a little bit of everything. it's reality. it's entertainment. it's a game show. people qualify online. they play online poker. they get to play against the best players in the world. >> how can they possibly beat them? >> because when you play online poker, they play hundreds thousands of hands of poker. sometimes more than people that play live. they're sitting in their house, in their underwear, playing poker. >> hold on, let's just pause and take that in for a second. >> that's right. >> you're eating a grilled cheese sandwich in your underwear. and now if you qualify you play against the best poker players in the world. >> are you playing for a lot of

money? >> no, no, no. they qualify, you play for $40,000. you beat one pro, you win -- if you win that you win, you go for the 200 if you choose. $ 00,000. you go for the third pro you win $1 million. you beat three pros you win a million dollars. if you lose you go home with nothing. >> oh. >> the people who want to be a millionaire. >> exactly. >> you don't have to know poker to play.

>> we have seen active rain and we are checking a thunderstorm cell rolling through along the chesapeake bay and the eastern shore. showers and storms as well. i only up to 81. slight chance of

and that's your latest weather. now let's head back up the plaza to meredith. >> me? >> meredith. >> me. what do you mean me? i don't know what i'm doing.

every night when you go to sleep and put your head on your pillow, tens of thousands of u.s. soldiers are serving overseas. and "today's" jenna wolfe met a woman who made sure it's her mission to make sure those soldiers have a place to rest their heads, as well. >> reporter: good morning. joseph ron, father of two, was a pilot stationed in iraq. like most soldiers he had to balance the grittyness of war

with the emotional weight of leaving his family back home. until one act of kindness brought home a little closer to him. it was an early morning in baghdad. spring of 2005. chief warrant officer joseph ron was in the rec room shortly after getting his orders for the day. meanwhile, at the same time, 6,000 miles away in midland park, new jersey, virginia fawcett was giving her students their orders for the day. >> that's it. >> reporter: little did they know at that time just how big a role they would come to play in each other's lives. shortly after the war in iraq broke out, mrs. fawcett came up with an idea. >> when i found out that the soldiers didn't have pillows to sleep on, they had to fold their clothes to sleep on, i cried. >> reporter: so she gave the kids an assignment. sew one pillow for yourself and

one for a soldier in iraq. how come you're making pillows for the soldiers? >> because they don't have any pillows. >> reporter: kids here start as young as 4 years old. their little heads filled with instructions, and their little pillows filled with heart. >> i see your hand in there. tell me what you're making? >> pillows for the soldiers. >> reporter: the soldiers overseas, right? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: let's test it out and see if this pillow is good. why don't you take a little nap? is it good? >> yeah. >> reporter: that one is a goner? we can put this one up here now? week after week mrs. fawcett was having pillows and shipped them out. never knowing if they'd ever reach the soldiers. but one box did reach a soldier one early morning. >> i wasn't scheduled to fly, and so then i would go use the phones to call my wife and right there was a box of pillows. i thought about it, i just spent last night without a pillow so i grabbed one of these pillows.

>> reporter: as a token of his gratitude, he sent the kids at needlecraft school a letter and a picture of himself in a sandstorm with his new pillow. that pillow, he said, made him feel closer to his own kids back home. after finishing his tour in iraq, joe came home, with his pillow. which his kids now sleep with every night. >> my dad got it in iraq and it's very special to me. >> reporter: and joe's letter of appreciation earned a special place on mrs. fawcett's wall. have you ever met any of the soldiers? >> no, i haven't. i just have my treasures up on the wall there that i got from the soldiers. >> reporter: i'm looking at this framed letter and picture from chief warrant officer joe ron. >> the thing that means a lot to me is that he is holding a yellow pillow. if you notice none of these pillows are sand color. >> reporter: can i ask you if you would read the letter for me? >> i am a pilot in the alaska army national guard. i want to thank you for the

pillows. i use -- >> and when i need it to support my back when i fly. more importantly i want to thank you for the thought and consideration. rt i'd like you to meet chief warrant officer joe rahn. >> oh, how wonderful. how wonderful is this. you've been on my wall for all these years. >> that's what they tell me. >> oh, my gosh. this is the most exciting day of my life. remember this picture on the wall? >> yeah. >> this is joe. >> it told me that somebody cares back home. you know. that's all it meant to a soldier. one little pillow. that's all it does. come on, give me some hugs, you guys. this is awesome. >> reporter: and what's so interesting, matt, most of the children that make these pillows weren't even alive when the war first started. so they didn't really understand why they were doing this. but they understand now. >> i hope after seeing that story more people think of doing things like that. great story, jenna.

thanks very much. it's 8:41. up next, martha stewart throws some shrimp on our barbie. but first, this is "today" on nbc. they have alzheimer's and heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and they've heard that biomedical research offers hope -- that it could control, maybe even cure, their disease. senator barbara mikulski understands the importance of innovative biomedical research for patients, their families, and our economy here in maryland. call senator mikulski today. tell her thanks for protecting the promise of biomedical research and the maryland jobs it provides. it's not just the future. it's life.

we're back at 8:4r 3. this morning on "martha on "today"" we're talking shrimp. martha stewart is here with some tips on cooking these crustaceans as featured in the august issue of "martha stewart living." >> good morning. >> fresh or frozen? can you only go fresh? >> no, you can also have flash frozen. and what we get up here, these are coming from louisiana for the most part. >> right. >> where the shrimping industry is alive and well after katrina. and we did a big story in the magazine, in the current issue, about the shrimping industry. it's a charming story, and the recipes are delicious. >> we've got four recipes to get to. real quickly, people knock

shrimp, high in calcium, high in protein, high in cholesterol. >> you know what? there are so few calories in these dishes, and they're so healthy, i would suggest a good alternative to a lot of other things. >> you're making grilled shrimp with cilantro, lime and peanuts. >> the heads have been removed. these are tails on, shells on for grilling. salt and pepper lightly and you can put them on the grill. >> okay, pop them right on? >> we're using a grill pan here. but the open barbecue is great. once they're all grilled, and watch -- >> that's quick. >> shrimp for all of you guys, shrimp you should, when you're cooking shrimp you do not answer the telephone, you don't go to the bathroom, you don't leave. >> always good when you're cooking, don't go to the bathroom. just remember that. >> they cook so fast. >> we've got four recipes. tell me quickly. >> scallions, a little tiny bit of sugar, wonderful fish sauce. this is a little vietnamese. lime. zest of lime.

cilantro, and peanuts. you toss that up and you have what looks like that delicious. >> there you go, meredith. >> this is barbecue. >> but barbecue shrimp that never go near a barbecue. this is cooked in butter. tabasco. one whole stick of butter by the way, and rosemary. worcestershire, quarter cup. >> this isn't a low calorie one then? >> no. >> and three cloves of garlic. >> how come mine have the head on? >> because that's the best way to cook them, flavorful. and down south everybody loves to just suck on the heads. >> oh! >> oh, martha! >> hey now. >> family show. >> no, no, that's basically -- and look how beautiful these shrimp are. and three or four minutes. just watch it. >> that's it? >> yep. >> salt and pepper. >> and just serve as-is? >> that's what they look like. they're really, really good. >> i love a good cocktail sauce. you say you can make one and it will taste even better. >> this is a remoulade that

we're going to make. this is celery chopped up, mayonnaise, three quarters of a cup. you can use low calorie. spoon of creole mustard and three tablespoons of a good ketchup like heinz or really tasty. stir it up, celery. scallion, the green part of the scallion, and a lot of parsley. >> mm-hmm. >> and we have mangoes, you have your own horseradish, tomato, lettuce. and look, this is a good thing. this is shrimp, ice underneath. >> oh, look at that. >> these are just poached lightly in a -- >> great for parties. put that on the table. >> absolutely. >> yea. >> this is perfect for a warm summer afternoon. >> and for diets. really great if you're on a diet. i don't know if you are, you look so thin. >> oh, come on. >> poached. these are the little popcorn shrimp. >> rock shrimp. >> and they're so good. fresh corn on the cob. just cut it off, cooked. salt, pepper. and that's it basically.

>> and bib lettuce. >> garnish with mint. >> mm-hmm. >> a wedge of orange. isn't it a pretty first course? >> it really is. >> and some nice little avocado. >> that is lovely. >> very pretty. >> and smaller shrimp, too. >> rock shrimp. >> and rock shrimp. we've got some cocktail sauce. >> how are you doing? >> we're still cooking but we're in good shape. >> and all recipes, august issue of "martha stewart living." >> absolutely. >> martha, thank you very much. >> do a little forrest gump. >> up next, how criminals are targeting your debit card information. we'll tell you what you need to know. paú

this morning on ""today's" boomer nation" a sophisticated way crooks are targeting your debit card information. lea thompson, host on retirement living tv's fraud squad covered the topic. >> it's great to be back. it's really fun. fraud squad is all about schemes and scams and scoundrels. and one growing trend we're seeing is debit card skimming. that's when your card information and p.i.n. numbers are toen when you swipe that bank card in the machine. it's important that people know how this works.

so you don't become a victim. >> she came out with this stunned look on her face and she said there's no money in the account. >> she said there's insufficient funds. so i tried a different account. same thing. tried a couple of times. and i thought i didn't know what was happening. >> reporter: kathy and ken st. thomas had been swindled. and all they did was use their bank card to make a purchase. >> they had a camera, they're watching me punch in my number. >> reporter: the st. thomass weren't alone. over 150 people lost at least $100,000 to five criminals who hit atm machines at convenience stores. that's canadian detective jeff castle. he shows us how easy it is to rip you off. >> this is now a video of the atm itself. >> reporter: watch that guy in the red hat walking confidently into that atm. he attached a device that fits over the top of the legitimate card reader. it's battery powered and it

recorded debit card numbers being used. here comes his accomplice. he's got something else under his coat. a long light bar with a pinhole camera concealed inside that recorded people's p.i.n. numbers. >> they can get hundreds of different people's bank information each hour. >> reporter: now all a crook has to do is marry the card number to the p.i.n. number to get into people's accounts. this video helped convict these two. but for kathy and ken, it was a hassle getting their financial lives back together again. >> i just felt like i was robbed. you know, they can do whatever they want when they get that p.i.n. number. >> reporter: studies show most of us don't bother to hide our p.i.n. numbers when we use our debit cards. if you think about it, a debit card is like a blank check. so you've always got to cover it up when you use that card. >> you have some other tips. you say people should choose a complicated p.i.n. >> you know, you would think

we'd all know by now but people are still using their house numbers, their phone numbers, the names of their children. so easy for a crook to get. mix it up. you've got to put numbers, and letters. >> that's a lot harder to remember, lea, that's why we do something like the name of our kid. >> well, that's true. but you've got to come up with something and then you've got to memorize it. 30% of identity theft is from stolen wallets and purses. >> where you've left the p.i.n. number? >> people take a little piece of paper and they write their little p.i.n. number on it. if you've got to write your p.i.n. number down then put it under your mattress but leave it out of your wallet. >> you also say avoid isolated atms. >> yeah, crooks and isolation go together. and i think it's also important to tell people, if you walk in -- like we saw on this tape. if you walk into an atm booth, and there's something fishy about it, something looks like

it's pasted down, it's the wrong color, there's some guy who's kind of lurking around outside, get out of there, call the police, and call the bank. i mean it's really important to call the bank, because only if you call the bank will you be protected and will your money be protected. >> what about the scam artist that we just saw in this piece? what happened to them? >> needless to say, they both got convicted with that tape. the adult only got 90 days in jail and probation. he got out, he went undercover for just a little while, he got back out and did it again. he's a pro. and they've got him again. but you just need to know that these kinds of guys, and gals, are out there. >> and they operate in rings, as well. it's not just an individual here, an individual there. >> that's right. in that case there were maybe 10 to 12 people involved. and they were working together as a team. you know, these things, there's a lot of money in identity theft. and this, of course, is an identity theft. thatan

quite the protection that your credit card does. more of the fraud squad, check your local cable station.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. the state board of public works voted to slash $280 million from a maryland's budget. health care and education to the biggest hit. the board also raised the possibility of increasing college tuition. the governor needs to find another $470 million to cut.

>> simple intention is to take the actions necessary in order to protect maryland and the priorities all of us have for our kids. >> a cabinet meeting will be held today to discuss the next rounds of cuts. an emergency meeting will be held today to discuss the impact.

>> let's take a look of the forecast with sandra shaw. a little rain coming up? >> there is, and it is active on hd doppler. showers and storms and the metropolitan area and eastern shore. another front is pushing to the

west. between the two systems, a very good job of showers and storms throughout the day. another shot of showers tomorrow before a dry saturday. >> thank you for joining us. another update at 9:25.