michael jackson's physician, conrad murray, seen for the first time since the singer's death, as federal agents raid his las vegas home and office. is an arrest imminent? two new medical warnings overnight on the cancer causing risk of tanning beds and the dangerous swine flu threat faced by pregnant women. this morning, important information on both. and saddle up. kathie lee and hoda have put down their chardonnay glasses to head deep into the heart of texas. they're in san antonio heating up the city that's already hot, hot, hot today, wednesday, july up the city that's already hot, hot, hot today, wednesday, july 29th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television you know what they say. you can take the girls out of texas. please.

and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. we have trouble brewing, no question about it. >> i'm meredith vieira. dr. murray is nervous about this michael jackson investigation. doesn't appear to show it? >> this is the first time since the pop star's death we've actually seen dr. murray on camera. he was seen casually walking outside his las vegas home shortly after police wrapped up a search of his properties that lasted for hours. all of this comes less than a week after a similar search on his clinic in houston. we're going to have much more on all this and what investigators walked away with coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> also ahead a senseless and tragic crime in los angeles that would terrify any parent. a 17-year-old girl, kidnapped in broad daylight and murdered just a few hours later. we're going to hear from that girl's family spokesperson. >> on a much, much lighter note we're going to check out where the obama family is planning to spend some of their summer vacation this year. >> but we're going to begin with another critical step in the michael jackson case. more raids, this time in the las vegas home and office of

jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. nbc's jeff rossen is in las vegas this morning. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, meredith. good morning to you. no question, this investigation is growing by the day. think about it, all began more than a month ago in los angeles when michael jackson died outside of his mansion. then, detectives went to houston. now, here we are in las vegas. they've come here to search dr. conrad murray's home. we can't get any closer than this, because he lives in this exclusive country club behind me. but detectives did get in there and walked out with possible evidence. this is our first look at dr. conrad murray since michael jackson's death. in this new tmz video, he's casually walking around his las vegas country club, just after the raid. >> this is the residence of dr. conrad murray. >> reporter: the drug investigation literally landed on his doorstep when federal agents and the lapd showed up at dr. murray's upscale home, the doctor himself was there to

greet them. armed with a search warrant, they went inside and just miles away, police were also rummaging through his medical office. according to the "l.a. times" they were looking for medical records and prescriptions in jackson's time, or any of the 19 aliases he used, including his own son, prince. >> they're looking for hard drives, notebooks, medical files to show notes that would indicate that dr. murray administered propofol to mr. jackson. >> reporter: court papers reveal dr. murray is the focus of a manslaughter investigation. his lawyer wrote in a statement, dr. murray was present during the search of his home, and assisted the officers, seizing cell phones and the computer hard drive. he maintains dr. murray did nothing wrong. >> they know what happened the day that michael jackson died. they're pretty clear about that. what they're looking for is other evidence. did dr. murray prescribe these drugs to other patients, other celebrities? >> reporter: law enforcement sources tell nbc news dr. murray administered propofol to jackson

on the very day he died. officials involved in the case tell the ap they believe jackson had been using propofol for two years, and needed it to sleep. he used it like an alarm clock. a doctor would start the iv drip at night, knocking jackson out. he'd only wake up when the doctor stopped the drip in the morning. >> the drug is very quick acting. it's not just like taking a pill or getting a shot. you have to keep the drug constantly going into the vein the entire time while the person is asleep. a few drops of it and you're asleep, a few more drops of it and you stop breathing. >> reporter: propofol is so strong it's only supposed to be used in hospitals, the patient monitored closely. but in jackson's home the ap reports there were oxygen tanks and iv drips but no sign of a heart monitor. just a stifling hot bedroom, because jackson was always cold. >> i would go past unusual. i would go outrageous. this is an outrageous abuse of this medication. to use it at home, and outside of an operating room, and intensive care unit, it's unthinkable.

>> reporter: important to note here, we still don't know exactly what killed michael jackson. was it the propofol? was it a mix of drugs? was it something else entirely? the entire criminal case now depends on that. that's the next beat here, meredith, is the toxicology report due out this week. now we're hearing it may be delayed until next week. >> all right, jeff rossen, thank you very much. dr. nancy synderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to you, nancy. >> hi, meredith. >> we know that propofol was found in michael jackson's home. >> right. >> now there are these reports that he was given that sedative every evening through an iv drip and reports that may have been going on for as long as two years, and were his doctors, and we have to include more than just dr. murray, because he came on board in may, were the doctors essentially playing russian roulette with him? >> well, i think you can say that this is a collision course that was destined to happen if, in fact, there were a cocktail of drugs, that propofol was just one of them. at some point there's a drug interaction. there are reports that

centermine was found, he had recently lost a lot of weight, he was exercising a lot. if you lose a lot of water during the day you can lose electric lites like sodium and potassium. but if you add a powerful sedative, that can decrease your respiration, decrease your heart, and at some point you're bound to have some kind of interaction. >> i mean this drug is not supposed to be used in this way to begin with. but is there a cumulative effect? >> probably not cumulative. but at some point, depending on what you've done to your body that day, the margin of safety may be that much narrower, and this washes out of your body so fast, which is why when you go to the hospital and have a procedure, you go to sleep and you immediately wake up. but it requires absolutely heart monitoring, lung monitoring, and checking the oxygen saturation in your body. >> how do you reach a point where you would need this kind of powerful sedative? >> you don't need this ever. that i think is the most outrageous part. this is meant to put people into

an anesthetic mode so something can be done to them, like a procedure. it is never meant for anxiety reduction, never meant for sleep. that's an inappropriate use. >> also these reports that michael jackson was always feeling cold, maybe the reason why his bedroom was so hot. what would cause that? >> we know that he was struggling with an eating disorder. in fact, he had lost a significant amount of weight. what happens when you get this skinny, you've seen this with anorexic girls, they always have sweaters on because they can't regulate their body temperature. the fact that his bedroom was kept really hot, the fact he lost weight and was quite skinny and dealt with the massive fluid loss every day as he was exercising, he was probably really cold. that can have an effect on the electrical conductivity of your heart. everything might have just been out of whack that day. but this was an absolute collision course waiting to happen. >> all right, dr. nancy, thank you very much. and dr. nancy will be back in a bit with important new warnings on swine flu and cancer risk of tanning beds. >> let's head over to ann standing at the news desk.

good morning, ann. >> welcome back, matt. good morning, meredith and everybody. we've got some news this morning. a massive car bomb this morning rocked northern spain excloeding outside a police barracks wounding more than 40 people and blowing much of one side off a building. the attack is being blamed on a bask separatist group. more than 100 people were rescued after crewmen speafter clinging to reefs. president obama talked about his own family health care to senior citizens at an aarp town hall meeting on tuesday. polls show senior citizens are among the most skeptical about overhauling the health care system. new figures show that home prices are rising slightly in major u.s. cities for the first time in almost three years, and cnbc's erin burnett is at the new york stock exchange. erin, seems to be some good news. give us some perspective. >> ann, you're absolutely right. in 15 of the 20 biggest cities

in this country prizes rose in may from april but as you said, context is everything. when you compare may to a year ago, prices in this country for homes are still falling at about 17%. and it is that number that is dominating the global market trade so far this morning. stocks around the world are down sharply. in china, which is the world's second biggest market, we've seen the biggest drop in stocks since all the way last fall when the crisis began. and in the u.s., there's going to be some attention on a key economic official who said that we are going to see a painfully slow economic recovery in this country. so we'll get the latest survey of economic growth in the u.s. at 2:00 eastern, ann, and that will be the main focus. >> erin burnett, thanks so much. one of the greatest upsets, german swimmer paul biederman beat michael phelps in the 200 meter freestyle in the world championships. it was phelps' first loss in a major international meet in four years. biederman acknowledged he had an advantage in his body suit. those suits, and even one worn by phelps was banned next year.

now let's turn to matt, meredith and al. he's already talking about the rematch. >> it's a controversial loss. we want to talk more about that right now with rowdy gains covering the world swimming championships for universal sports. he's in rome. rowdy good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> i'm not one of these people who thinks michael phelps doesn't win every race in the world, but this suit, the one worn by beaderman, this is a real problem for the sport, isn't it? >> well, it is, matt. only because there have been a rash of world records here. there's been 16, in fact, i say 16, because one was broken in the prelims this morning already, there were five the entire time in 2005 in the world championships, the year after the olympics. sort of the barometer you want to use. we still have five days left in the meet. it's pretty chaotic. when you think polyurethane, think rubber. it's a flotation device, and the

kind that biederman n is about 80% rubber, michael's is only about 30%. doesn't sound like much. >> what does it say of all these records being broken? they're kind of useless if it's the suit that's doing the winning? >> there's two ways to look at it. obviously i should be the purist, meredith, but i like it. hey, i'm on the "today" show at 7:15! you know, i wouldn't be on this show if we weren't talking about swimming. i think it's great. it's talking about a sport. and for people who compare it to drugs and stuff, that's just crazy. >> no, but the problem, rowdy, isn't if you're going to ban the suit next year you're setting world records that will never be achieved. it's like giving major league baseball players one season to use aluminum bats. >> that's exactly right. and that's a great comparison matt. that's the problem is they already opened pandora's box last year with the lazr and all these other suits. so it's been going on for 18 months. my dilemma is i feel, you can't

go back. it's impossible to go back now. and that's where i think they're making a mistake by going back. because these world records will last for a generation. you're going to see some of these records last for 15 or 20 years, which i think will hurt the sport in the long run. >> all right, rowdy, good luck. have fun covering the games. >> thanks, buddy. >> all right. and now let's get a first check

>> we are right in the mix of a slight risk categories for severe weather. severe storms possible. right now, a little light rainfall. massive moisture to our west. it will be unsettled, very warm and humid. and humid. that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. now to the latest fallout from the arrest of a prominent harvard scholar. on the eve of president obama's meeting with henry louis gates jr. and his arresting officer, we're learning more about the woman who placed the initial 911 call. nbc's ron allen is in cambridge, massachusetts. ron, good morning. >> good morning to you, matt. people close to the caller say that she has been threatened and

her life has been miserable since it's become known that she made the 911 call. she's especially upset about police reports and an item in the media that suggest she was racially motivated and that she called police because she thought she saw two black men breaking into the home. today she wants to set the record straight. want to say anything, ma'am? >> no. >> reporter: unless now, she's tried to avoid the spotlight. >> hopefully soon we'll be able to have some exchange of words. >> reporter: on tuesday whelan's mother spoke for her. >> it's been too much for her. she felt so -- so worried. >> reporter: lucia whalen worked at a harvard office down the street from professor gates' home. she was on her way to lunch when a woman directed her attention to gates' front door. concerned, whalen called 911. >> me had noticed two gentlemen trying to get in the house at that number 17 ware street and they kind of had to barge in and they broke the screen door and they finally got in. >> reporter: in a police report,

sergeant james crowley writes whalen observed what appeared to be two black males with back packs on the front porch. however during the 911 call she only talks about race when asked. >> were they white, black or hispanic? >> one looked kind of hispanic, but i'm not really sure. >> she wasn't concerned because of their color. she was concerned because of their behavior. >> reporter: in fact, the attorney says whalen spoke to crowley only briefly, to identify herself as the 911 caller. and did not say anything more. >> the truth was, she never reported seeing two black men. she did call 911. she reported seeing two men. but she never once used the word black. >> reporter: tomorrow, the cambridge community's effort to make peace takes on a bit of the aura of a summit between heads of state, when president obama meets with crowley and gates over that much talked about choice of beverage. >> there's no formal -- there's no formal agenda other than a cold beer. >> reporter: the three men will sit at the picnic table on the south lawn, where the president was once pictured with secretary

of state hillary clinton. it's near the swingset visible from the oval office. glenn beck of fox news appearing as a guest on the network's morning program had this reaction to president obama's decision to meet with crowley and gates. >> to have a beer fest is unbelievable. >> why? >> why? >> yeah, why? >> for a teaching lesson of some sort of a -- some sort of a -- who needs to learn what here? this president, i think, has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture. i don't know what it is. >> you can't say he doesn't like white people, david axelrod is white, rahm emanuel his chief of staff is white. 70% of the people we see every day is white. >> i'm not saying that he doesn't like white people. i'm saying he has a problem. he has a -- this guy is, i believe, a racist. >> reporter: a senior vice president for fox news said beck was expressing his own opinions

and his own views, not those of the fox news channel. and the white house had no comment. matt? >> all right, ron, thanks very much. ron allen in cambridge for us this morning. michelle malcolm is a conservative columnist, blogger and author of cultural core up corruption. what's the book about? judge a book by its cover, matt. >> in that particular case i'll get to that in a second. but president obama says the gates situation is a teaching moment. what has he learned, do you think, from this situation and the way he's handled it? >> well, i think he's a racial opportunist. and i think that he has learned that he shouldn't shoot his mouth off when he explicitly admits that he didn't know what happened. >> a racial opportunist? he hasn't gotten to where he is today by being a racial opportunist? >> i think that he took that moment, used a health care conference that was a debacle, basically, and took this story, which is really just a local parochial law enforcement story, to try and ensure some sort of

moment of his racial authenticity. and it backfired because, he was wrong. and he should have admitted it. and i think for a president that has offered up hope and change and new politics, it's just another example. i wouldn't say that's an example of corruption, but i think it is -- it plays into this idea that a man who has hyped himself as something different and something new is nothing but -- >> you conclude all of that based on one mistake he made in terms of a comment he made? >> one mistake? >> this particular comment sets that entire scenario for you? >> no. i think it's clear that that was a calculated mistake. everything that this president does is kabuki theater. >> you think it was a planned question and answer? >> absolutely do. >> the way he handled it and the fallout was something he was looking for? >> i think he overestimated the power of his authenticity in america. and it's just another example of a botched failure. and that's what i filled culture of corruption with. >> sonia sotomayor was cleared

this week by the senate judiciary committee lindsay graham was the only republican voting in her favor. >> yes, no surprises. fait accompli. >> after the last election, it was said the republicans need to broaden the tent, they need to reach out to minorities, reach out to hispanics. are those six no votes going to hurt republicans down the road? >> no. because they were six principled votes against racial preferences and the idea that somehow identity politics has a place in a court of law. >> why do you think lindsay graham voted in favor? >> i think lindsay graham has a history of pandering to this idea that somehow the party should broaden itself for the sake of pandering to diversity. >> let me ask you about your book. in it, i mean clearly we know by the title where it goes. you take on michelle obama. >> i certainly do. >> in this book. you call her the first crony. >> yes, i do. >> why? >> because she was deep in the politics of the daily machine. her father was a patronage

appointee of daly. she's beholden to the type of hardball politics that barack obama says he is against. her entire professional career was based on nepotism. and now she has brought -- >> wait, wait, wait. that's a very broad comment. her entire professional career? >> that's right. read chapter two and you will find that despite her princeton thesis where she whined and moaned about the old boy network and how she couldn't get ahead because of her skin color in fact is a farce because it was one of those old white boys who put her in that position in the first place and now this team of chicago cronies, susan scherr, valley garrett, david axelrod and a lot of these bundlers that obama had condemned are now instulled in both the west wing and the east wing they're ruining our economy, and i think that the book shatters the entire era of hope and change. now he has -- >> gotta go, real quick. >> but we've documented it very clearly. every inch of his administration is rife with corruption and cronyism and it's about time they looked in the mirror and

admitted it. >> a lot of comments there. this is "today" on nbc. we'll be back.

it is 104 degrees in san antonio. >> talk about hot. that's where kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb have found themselves this morning. hey, guys, nice crowd. >> hello, how are you? >> hey, everybody! okay, actually, it's 85 degrees at what time are we now? >> i don't know. >> after 7:00 eastern time. >> san antonio time. it's an hour earlier than it is in new york. but when the sun comes up, we can't imagine what it's going to be like. >> it was 110 last week. so we're hoping around 105. >> sounds like fun. lots of cool beverages, ladies. love your hats. and we look forward to seeing you in just a little while, okay?

>> all right. >> thanks, matt. >> all right. >> we'll see you riding a bull, aren't we? oh, we lost them. >> yeah. >> oh, yes, yes, yes. i am known for my big mouth but i'm sorry, this is a texas jaw breaker. everything is bigger in texas. >> okay. on that note, kathie lee, thank you. hoda we'll see you in a little bit. we're going to have a lot more from san antonio. i like it. >> welcome. >> more from new york after your local news and weather. >> "today takes a vacation" is brought to you by expedia.com.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. baltimore city councilwoman helen holton is under the microscope again two months after being cleared of bribery charges she and john had practiced are accused of conspiracy -- john paterakis. are accused of conspiracy over bribery law. according to maryland law, the payment should have been properly reported. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> still looking at a busy ride for motorists on i-95. the delay as all the way back to the beltway. that is where we are looking at accident scene taking a two right lanes. left lanes are getting by, but

very slowly. it under 95, one way to go. it is exceptionally heavy from 95 down to the harbor tunnel. he might one to take the side of beltway as your alternate instead. the big problem is southbound 95, 12 miles per hour. we have a water main break and two left lanes closed. delays on southbound 795. north out 83 just past mount carmel, right lane closed with a downed tree. 20 minutes on southbound 95 from the 895 split. that is the latest on traffic falls 11. >> to a light shower activity through the area earlier. mass of moisture to our west. as we like a man with a computer, we have a slight risk of a strong to severe storms later on this afternoon. heavy downpours, because we have and so moist and humid of late.

a little less humid on saturday. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live updapa

7:30 now on this wednesday

morning, july 29th, 2009. a hot, steamy start to the day in san antonio, as a texas crowd welcomes kathie lee and hoda to the lone star state. we have got our fair share of happy faces, as well, lining rockefeller plaza. inside studio 1a i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. we're going to catch up with kathie lee and hoda in just a moment. one thing's for sure, those two have fun wherever they go. >> big welcomes, lake george, key west and now san antonio, texas. nice crowds turning out. we appreciate that. also ahead this morning, two important medical warnings. dr. nancy will join us again to talk about new evidence that tanning beds could increase your cancer risk by as much as 75%. and she'll talk about the specific threat swine flu poses to pregnant women. also ahead, president obama planning a fine getaway next month. we're going to show you where the obama family is headed for vacation. >> but we begin in los angeles, and a senseless crime. a 17-year-old girl, murdered after being abducted as she ran

an errand for her mother in broad daylight. nbc's george lewis has the chilling details. >> reporter: lily burke was a pretty, intelligent, 17-year-old with a promising future. >> she was funny, warm, kind, and empathetic. she was deeply and widely loved. lily was looking forward to going to college, to being a writer, to what was ahead. she had a really bright future and it was cut short. >> reporter: last friday, at the law school where her mother teaches, lily had picked up some paperwork for her mom. it was about 3:00 in the afternoon, lily was approaching her car, parked on this street, when a man apparently accosted her and forced her into the vehicle with him. driving into downtown los angeles, the man had lily try to withdraw money from an atm, but her card wouldn't work. >> as far as we know, he was not armed with any conventional weapon. we don't have any indication that he had a knife or a gun. >> reporter: lily called her mother and father, saying she needed money for shoes, asking for a p.i.n. number to make the

atm work. her father told her the card wasn't set up to do that. this memorial marks the spot where lily's body was found inside the car the next morning. it was about three miles from the place where she was abducted. friday evening, police had arrested a man named charlie samuel on drug charges. they say they later discovered his fingerprints matched those found inside lily burke's car. now he is being held without bail on murder charges. as lily's family mourns. >> if there's anything that people can take away from this marble tragedy it's that life is fragile and that they should live every minute of it. >> reporter: for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> nbc news analyst clinton van sant is a former fbi profiler. good morning to you clint. >> hi, meredith. >> lily apparently made two calls to her parents during this abduction. they said they didn't sense any fear or distress in her voice. we obviously are not privy to

those conversations. but you believe something called a direct code word might have helped to save lily's life. what is a direct code word and how would it have helped? >> i think so. i think this is what parents should have anywhere from a time a child is 3 or 4 or 5 all the way up through college. when my kids were young it was the word fire truck. if they heard that word fire truck, or if they used it in a certain context, that meant something was wrong. in this particular scenario, the victim could have said, well, you know, tell my sister mary that we'll go shopping when i get home. well, she doesn't have a sister mary, so that could have been a direct code to her parents that even though my voice sounds good, there is something going on, and that's something you can carry from childhood all the way to adulthood. >> do you run the risk, clint, of scaring kids if you tell a small child to develop this code word of scaring a child? >> no, i don't think so. i think it's all done in a learning context. this is something just like we teach our children to wear a helmet or knee pads when they ride a bike. we also teach them that, you

know, the world is not perfect. and there are people, just like television shows, who are bad people but your mom and dad are here to help you. one of the ways we need to do this is to think in advance, this is what we're doing with you right now. >> from surveillance tape we know that lily was forced into that car by her abductor. you have said in the past if you're in that situation, whatever you do, don't get into the car, even if there's a weapon involved, scream, run, yell, hit. why is that so important? >> well, i firmly believe, meredith, if somebody wants to take you some place, other than where they originally confront you, that's not a robbery, that's not a kidnapping, and that should be trouble for you. so, you know, the very first thing you ought to do is carry yourself like you belong in the area, like you know what you're doing, because bad guys like vulnerable victims. number two, if you're confronted, run, yell, scream, draw attention to yourself. number three, try to outsmart your kidnapper. throw your keys at him or throw your purse on the ground and run the opposite direction.

make him choose what he's going to do. number four is fight like a wildcat. don't like that guy take you. and even if he does get you in the car, meredith, there's things you can do. you can jump out the passenger door. you can -- if he's driving your car you can take your foot and jam it on his foot on the accelerator. you can grab the wheel violently and rip it. go into the front of a 7-eleven if you have to. save your life. if he's got you in the front seat, meredith, jump over into the back seat. he can't drive the car and deal with you in the back seat, then you can climb out that back door, and if you're put in the trunk, look for the glow in the dark handle that opens the trunk or start pulling out every wire you can, knock out the taillights and stoplights so a police officer may see it, stop that car to see what's going on. >> in that moment of fear, especially with an adult like this, charlie samuel, taking a young woman like lily burke, or a teenager, a child might not even be able to think that way, they'd be so scared. >> yeah. and this is where we have to

work, meredith, all of us, we have to make sure our first reaction is based on training, based on conversations with our parents, based upon schooling as adults, and not panic. the last thing we want to be is that proverbial deer in the head lights. we want to say, okay, i thought about a situation like this. real quick, a young girl i knew who was going to be kidnapped from the street, bad guy goes up and grabs her by the backpack. her mother had said if that ever happens, slip the backpack off your arms and run. that young girl left the bad guy standing there holding the backpack as she ran down the street screaming. she got away from a guy who had murdered three children before her. >> and i know, clint, very quickly, a lot of people are asking questions today about why charlie samuel was out on the streets to begin with. this was a career criminal, right after he allegedly killed lily burke he was arrested on an unrelated charge. >> sure. yeah, we've got two situations here. we've got the financial challenges for california, where they're trying to put lesser

offenders back on the street again. but realize, what got this guy arrested within 30 minutes of this crime is an active program by the lapd where they're looking for people who look like they don't belong or doing something wrong. after this guy murdered this young woman, allegedly, he's sitting on the street drinking a beer. the police come up, who are you? let me say some i.d. they find a crack pipe in his pocket. they realize he's violating parole. they put him in jail. within the next day the victim is found, they find his fingerprints inside of her car. two and two are put together, they identify him. just think, meredith, what if they would have found that guy in that same situation 30 minutes before he encountered the victim? programs like that are good, where police officers are out on the streets and finding out people that don't belong. ask them who they are. that's not a violation of civil rights, as far as i'm concerned. that may save my daughter or my grand daughter. >> our hearts go out to lily

burke's family. very tragic, tragic event. clint van zandt, thank you so much. >> thanks, meredith. >> and now let's get another check of the weather from al. >> all right, thank you very much, meredith. as we look outside, show you what's happening. the heat continues out west. 104 in olympia, >> john we are expecting a mostly cloudy and muggy day. showers have a visit to baltimore some of this could turn into severe thunderstorms by letter on this afternoon. slight risk category for that. will r

and get weather all day long on the home of "wake up with al" the weather channel on cable or click on weather.com online. meredith? >> al, thank you. now to two health alerts you need to know about. one on the alarming cancer risk caused by tanning beds. the other a serious new warning about swine flu. dr. nancy synderman is back with more on both. >> hi, meredith. we'll get to tanning beds in a second. but for right now you wouldn't think in the middle of july we'd still be talking about flu. but this particular strain has already hit more than 1 million americans, and now there's new evidence that pregnant women with h1n1 flu are more at risk. the swine flu shows no sign of letting up. and with seasonal flu just around the corner, officials are gearing up for a tough fall.

>> we're expecting a dual flu season where we'll probably get a seasonal flu as well as the h1n1. >> reporter: one group in particular worries health officials. pregnant women. according to a report out today, expectant moms account for about 6% of swine flu deaths in the u.s. even though they represent just 1% of the general population. >> later in a pregnancy, there's, you know, less movement of the lungs, and probably more prone to infection. additionally, your immunity to some of the viruses like the influenza virus probably goes down. >> we had our little miracle baby. >> reporter: kelly was eight months pregnant when her complications from swine flu became so severe doctors had to induce a coma to save her life. they then had to perform a c-section in order to save her baby. >> i woke up to be told that i'd missed 30 days of my life. i slept through it, and i was no longer pregnant, and had the baby delivered while i was in the coma. >> if there is a new version of the h1n1 flu that's available as

a vaccine, you'd have to think that pregnant women were one of the groups we want to vaccinate. >> reporter: although pregnant women seem to be at greater risk, experts say the h1n1 does not discriminate. >> they were very healthy. >> reporter: in deerborn, indiana, mark and katrina macintosh's 26-year-old daughter mindy died this week of h1n1. just three weeks after her 19-year-old brother matt also died from the infection. >> it doesn't make any sense. this whole thing doesn't make any sense. i hope they get a vaccine soon. >> reporter: now the big question, how to handle this pandemic as we head into fall. and that's the question that will be on everyone's mind today, when the centers for disease control holds their meeting to update us on the status of h1n1. and obviously, meredith, everyone's questioning will there be vaccine? will it be on time? >> i'm asking you. do you think it will be available in the fall as they first suggested it would? >> i think it will be available in the fall. there are two hurdles. the october deadline may be

tough and the saturation for americans to take it seriously will be an issue. because we will be talking about two different, separate vaccination programs. >> this controversy about tanning beds. cancer experts have moved tanning beds into the top cancer risk category. so how serious is this? >> this was a big move yesterday, and published in the journal lancet oncology linking tanning beds with the same cancer risk as plutonium and ray dan and basically saying they are not safe, and if you use them under the age of 30 as a young woman, your chance of malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, goes up 75%. so for yaeb one who thinks oh, well, better than a suntan outside i'll go to a tanning bed, experts are saying not so fast. >> use makeup instead? >> exactly. >> dr. nancy, thank you so much. still to come, kathie lee and hoda take san antonio by storm. but up next where the obamas are headed on their vacation. right after this.

we're back at 7:46. as you know, all this week, "today" is taking a vacation. but where do you go to relax if you're the leader of the free world? today national correspondent amy robach is here with that answer. amy, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you. you don't want to be known as a flip-flopper in washington. but, president obama and the first family will need flip-flops when they take a vacation next month. as president of the united states, you get to vacation pretty much wherever you want. but when you grew up in hawaii, not exactly a shabby vacation destination, where do you go to get away from all this? >> it's time to scrap this bill.

>> this president has no one else to blame. >> reporter: the white house says the obamas will be spending the last week of august on martha's vineyard. >> i think it's going to be one of the most exciting things to hit the island in a long time. >> reporter: carl and his family have been vacationing on martha's vineyard for generations. >> i'm thrilled, as i think a lot of folks here on the island are. and excited. >> reporter: presidents have vacationed on the island off the coast of massachusetts before. bill and hillary clinton spent time there. so did, that's right, ulysses s. grant. now it's the obamas who will be tapping into an island which also has a rich history as a summer haven for african-americans. for centuries the town of oak bluff has been considered a center of black culture. martin luther king wrote and swam there. >> would it cuff nice to say that the oprah winfreys of the world or spike lees, the levar burtons, branten mar mar s&l

otherwise us off the world have good sense? >> reporter: but the obamas may not be staying in oak bluffs. vineyard veterans are reporting the obamas will stay at the 28 acre blue heron farm. similar places ran for between $35,000 and $50,000 a week. reportedly, the obamas are treating this as a standard vineyard summer rental from payment terms down to questions about bringing the family dog. of course, that's assuming your standard summer rental includes dozens of staff and secret service going along with you. but after six months of this -- who could blame the president if he's looking forward to just a little bit of this? and in case you're wondering, the first dog bo is expected to head to martha's vineyard, as well. >> he better be on his best behavior. >> he better. >> all right, amy, thanks very much. still ahead, why more women are giving up custody of their

children in a divorce. and how harshly they're being judged because of that. but first these messages.

still ahead, kathie lee and hoda's vacation in san antonio. guys, what's coming up? >> oh, well we're here in texas because of our intellectual curiosity. >> yeah. we have to try this in the morning. >> we want to snow why it's called the lone star state. >> and we took a trip on a dude ranch, saddled up, got on horses. we did lassoing. it was frightening. >> for a lot of people. okay. we look forward to it, ladies. we'll see you in a couple of minutes.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in

baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. we want a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> good news on southbound i-95. the accident is clear. the delays are clearing out as well. still sitting delays on 895. southbound on belair road, two left lanes closed with a water main break. problem no. out on the harrisburg expressway. right lane closed with a downed tree. eight minutes, a lot better on southbound 95. 11 minutes on 895 heading towards the harbor tunnel. normal volume related delays there. traffic at 40 west. not too bad on the outer loop at 40. there is a look at your conditions on the northeast outer at harford.

>> we are cloudy and muggy out there right now. the bulk of the moisture is to our west. i checked to be approaching the city of baltimore. upper seventies right now. surging to a high of about 88 or 89 before it is all over. jack, combined with the immense amount of moisture in the air, we could see a strong to severe storms of the standard variety later on this afternoon. unsettled and stormy this afternoon. tomorrow, just a chance of isolated storms. but a chance of scattered storms in the afternoon and friday. we will be a little less humid for saturday and sunday. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update at 8:25.

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good to see you. >> how are you? >> we are back now, just decided to cross in front of the camera. 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's the 29th day of july, 2009. we've got a very nice, very warm and sticky crowd gathered outside on the plaza. this is one of those real damp days. >> and then we've got big storms moving into the northeast later today. >> we're going to be careful about that. in the background, you hear the music? that is our way of reminding you friday morning right here on the plaza, we've got them live in concert in our 8:30 half hour. great show, come on down and check it out. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, al roker. coming up in this half hour you're going to be talking about what boils down to be a very difficult decision for divorcing parents. >> who gets custody of the kids. and more and more you're seeing women are choosing to give up primary custody. when a man does it, that's

considered okay. when a woman does it, many people think it's abandonment. we'll get into that whole debate. >> also ahead. >> of course our good pals, kathie lee and hoda, they have two-stepped down to texas, san antonio. and i understand part of their vacation is a visit to a dude ranch. kathie lee and dudes. look at her. >> i think she's running for office! >> okay. there you go. well, we'll see how it all turns out, along with the river walk there in san antonio. nice crowd. >> a pretty place. >> it's very, very nice. >> first we're going to take a look at the top stories. ann curry is standing by at the news desk. >> thanks a lot, meredith. in the news, a new warning this morning about the effects of the swine flu on pregnant women. researchers at the centers for disease control say that pregnant women who catch swine flu are at least four times as likely to be hospitalized and have a higher risk of complications, including death,

as others with the virus. this research indicates pregnant women suspected of having swine flu should be treated with tamiflu as soon as possible. president obama pitched his health care reform again today at town hall meetings in north carolina and virginia. congressional lawmakers worked through the night in washington trying to hammer out some of the details of a health care compromise. today defense secretary robert gates visited northern iraq and said there is a chance of what he called a lot of acceleration of the pace of withdrawing u.s. troops from iraq. all u.s. troops are scheduled to be out of iraq by the end of 2011. a land slide forced a passenger train off the tracks in southern china, killing at least four people and injuring some 50 others. officials in texas are trying to figure out why balls of sticky tar are washing along shore along a 15 mile stretch of beaches. a massive cleanup is now under way and is expected to take several days. meanwhile, a new report out today on the nation's beaches finds that many of them are polluted. the study finds that 7% of water

samples taken last year violated health standards. the most polluted beaches were in louisiana, ohio, and indiana. and if you want details on how 200 of the nation's most popular beaches fared in the steady, you should go to our website at todayshow.com. and a celebration honoring peru's independence turned frightening on tuesday when a cannon misfired during a military gun salute outside the presidential palace. the cannon blew out windows of a nearby building and seriously injured a young guard. now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." hey, brian. >> hey, ann, good morning. and thanks. a lot going on right now. where do the people stand on everything? the president, health care, congress, and more. well, tonight on "nightly news," we debut our newest poll, the nbc news poll right here when we see you tonight. ann, for now, back to you. >> okay, brian, thanks. it is now 8:03. let's go back outside to meredith and al. >> you're from south carolina. you're used to this weather. >> yeah.

>> her first trip to new york. >> coco

>> for the weekend we will be warm and nice bit a little nicer than we have been. today, showers and storms. the bulk of the moisture is still to our west. we are in the slight risk category for a severe what's your name? >> morgan. >> morgan, you're 16 today? >> yes, i am.

>> happy birthday. >> you said you've never been kissed. you want matt to be your first? mr. lauer? >> that has lawsuit written all over it, al. all right? but thank you for setting me up. happy birthday to morgan. >> thank you. >> happy sweet 16. coming up next, as we change the subject, deep in the heart of texas, kathie lee and hoda down there. they're going to be joined by leon womack for a performance. but up next, women who give up primary custody of their children in a divorce. are they being judged too harshly? we'll talk about that right after this. cappuccinos, you're ready for the mid-morning rush thanks to a good breakfast. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte. medium macchiato, light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos. make one a double. she's fiber focused! i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate, hold the whip, and two espressos, one with a double shot. gonna take more than coffee to stay this focused. stay full and focused through the morning... with a breakfast of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal; an excellent source of fiber that helps you avoid...

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parents lived, which was the stay-at-home mom and the go-to-work dad. i think that was the only image i had of what a family looked like. >> reporter: at age 20, she married the first boy she ever dated and started a family soon after, having four children. several years later, maria's childhood dream began to unravel when her oldest daughter became ill. >> hannah was diagnosed with cancer a month before her 3rd birthday and she died almostological a year later, a month before her 4th birthday. >> reporter: the tragedy, combined with years of a marriage that was already struggling, led to divorce and the painful custody discussion wasn't what maria expected. >> when claude first suggested to me that he would like to be the parent that stayed in the home and provided the kind of stability and routine that our children were familiar with, my first reaction was, i was horrified. >> reporter: horrified until she woke up one night with a

realization. >> the thing i was afraid of is what other people would think. what kind of mother leaves her kids? >> reporter: so maria did what she thought was absolutely best for her children, and she moved out of the family home. her kids would live with her every other weekend, and summers. and she was right. her unconventional decision was judged. harshly. she remembers her first night visiting her kids' school. >> i walked through the crowd of people, the conversation stopped. and then i could hear, you know, as i passed, it would pick up again. it was like this zone of silence. as i walked into the room and found my seat. >> reporter: child and family sigh kogs dr. charles sophie feels this double standard for women is uncalled for. >> i think it's a wonderful thing for women to say my partner or my husband may be better at this than me. and there's nothing wrong with that. >> reporter: now, 11 years

later, maria is every bit a part of her children's lives. and she still feels her difficult choice was the right one for her family. >> i do think that our children have blossomed and grown beautifully into the lives that they're living now. i hope that the decisions we made were a part of that. >> reporter: and one thing is for certain, it's a difficult and painful decision for either sex. and while fathers are making inroads, mothers still win custody in roughly 70% of divorce cases. meredith? >> natalie, thank you. rebecca sagullia is a mother who gave up custody for her son. judith sills is a clinical psychologist, and editor in chief of marie claire magazine covers this topic in its current issue. rebecca, if i can start with you. listening to maria that must ring a lot of bells with you, too. i know you had some similar experiences. you gave up custody of your son during the divorce. he's now 11 years old. what convinced you, given everything we know about the way women are judged, what convinced you that was the right thing for

you to do? >> well, i think that the important thing to remember is that child custody decisions are very complex. and every family situation is different. and for me, i made the best decision that i could in the best interest of my son. and as parents that's what we have to do. it makes parenting the hardest job possible. >> so was it hard to deal with it, not only privately, but also when peers or colleagues had asked you about the whole issue? >> absolutely. i mean, i agree with maria. i found telling people that i was a noncustodial mom, i found it to be a conversation stopper. for a long time i didn't really feel comfortable talking about it. but, now the more i talk about it, the more i find that people's eyes are open to the reality, which is that over 2 million noncustodial moms are in america right now, and it's definitely increasing. primarily because people are recognizing that fathers can be

amazing primary caregivers and that we shouldn't sell them short. >> judith, i think so many people, and i would bet the majority, more women than men, look at somebody like rebecca and are quick to judge and say, how can you leave your kids? there is a double standard. >> well, for sure. and women are quick to judge other women, as mothers, even if they go to the office. so you can imagine giving up custody. but it comes from a very serious emotional place. we have deeply held social feeling, the mother/child bond is sacred, and good moms protect and nurture their children. therefore, something must be wrong with you. the fact is some good moms can protect their children best by recognizing someone else is the better parent. maybe at this moment. maybe they're emotionally overwhelmed. maybe to get financially on their feet. maybe because in a divorce, mom is desperate to leave the house but she knows the kids need stability. that is the ability to make a

rational, individual decision against a social prize. >> i imagine even though you can make that rational decision there must have been moments that tugged at your heartstrings here. >> absolutely. i remember one incident in particular, where i was trying to be listed on my son's emergency card at school. i just wanted to be able to be notified in the case of an emergency. and even though i'm legally entitled to it because i have legal custody of my son, and even though it was supported by his father and the principal of the school, i actually experienced a great deal of hostility from the vice principal. >> and what about your relationship with your own son? you live 3,000 miles apart. different coastlines. >> well, we have a great relationship. he has been school vacations with me. he's here during the summer and on christmas break. and we also communicate all the time. we call, we text. we have a very active communication. >> so you feel the whole family is comfortable with the decision that was made? >> absolutely.

i mean, our story is not a sad one. it's a story of a happy family that makes it work. >> joanna, what kind of response have you gotten to this article? >> we've got a phenomenal response, actually. for the most part everybody being very pleased to finally read these stories. i think this is a story that has been gradually creeping up. it's increasingly a trend, especially as society becomes less judgmental of men, want to step into that role. we've had a few people who are just like, i'll never understand it. it's insane. what kind of mother is doing this? but i think it was very important to lift the taboo on it. and to say these are real stories, they happen to real people, and the children are just fine. >> but, this issue of the children are just fine, sometimes makes the question of divorce a small one, or a soft one. there is an issue whether the father leaves, or the mother leaves, the issue is what is the relationship between these kids and the parent they're living with, and the parent who's apart? from the social point of view,

women are judged harshly. from a kid's point of view, if dad's gone or mom's gone, i react to that. >> all right, thank you very much. rebecca, thank you so much for joining us. and up next, it's back to texas where hoda and kathie lee get to play cowgirls on a real dude ranch. wow, sweet minivan! ( revs engine ) ha ha! whoo! ( thunderclap ) that's a minivané to you! ♪ it's raining! with the great taste of a mcdonald's mccafé mocha, a better day is possible. freshly ground espresso, real steamed milk, and decadent chocolate. go ahead, mccafé your day. ♪ ba da ba ba ba

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"today takes a vacation" is brought to you by expedia.com. yep, you got it, we're back on day three of "today takes a vacation." kathie lee and hoda are taking in the sights, the sounds, and the cowboy culture of texas. hi, ladies. how you doing? >> howdy, howdy, matt. >> you've all heard of what a dude is, right? well apparently it's cowboys gave out that term to visitors who visited their ranches. and that's what we did. >> so officially that makes us

dudes. don't ask. we spent some time on a dude ranch. so let's take a look. ♪ >> so hot. >> welcome to the dixie dude ranch. now that you're here, it's time to go to work. >> work? >> kathie i'd like for you to meet your designated cowboy, mr. joe henderson. >> name that tune. >> thank you so much. that was just a few years ago. >> and miss hoda, i'd like for you to meet d.c. >> you are a mighty fancy lady.

>> oh, thank you. >> but i've got news for you. >> what? >> we're going to work the fancy right out of you. >> uh-oh. oh, no. >> let's go to work. ♪ our first chore this morning is to get your horses saddled. >> okay. >> you going to show us how to saddle up? >> well, if tornado will behave for you. hold, son. set up there. come on -- >> oh, i got it, i got it. one, two, three. >> there you go. there you go. >> whoo! >> all right! >> tell you what, kathie, let me carry this over there for you. >> oh, thank you so much. >> what? >> why aren't you carrying your own stuff? >> i've got joe. and you don't. >> don't want to break out into a sweat or anything. >> that's right. i like the little purse on the

side. that is adorable. >> i'll get that for you, kathie. >> you're going to have to rename this dude ranch. to dude ranch and spa. watch this, hoda and see how it's done. >> okay. >> put your left foot. that was easy, wasn't it? >> yee-haw! that was so easy. >> it was a cinch. >> there you go! >> i'm sorry, tornado. i'm sorry. >> yee-haw! ♪ oh, what a beautiful morning how you doing, hoda woman? >> i'm okay. >> just okay. >> just okay. you're not on tornado. you're on -- ♪ i've got a beautiful feeling >> fine city slickers. >> slow down, d.c. >> a little closer, yeah. >> not that close. not that close. >> okay.

>> whip it. >> hold on a sec. >> good girl. good girl. >> yeah, hoda! >> whoo! >> good job. >> i got an ear. >> that's a horn. >> that's what i said. ♪ ♪ >> oh. this reminds me of cody. >> come and get it! >> what's for lunch? >> what do you think? beans is for lunch. but y'all are here to help me fix it. >> what? >> yeah. >> no, we're here to eat. >> no, no, no, you're going to serve beans and you're going to help me wash up those pots. >> it's soapy water. whatever will i do? >> i don't know. jump on in there. >> how am i doing? >> oh, man, you're doing great. >> have we worked hard enough? can we eat now?

>> yes, ma'am. >> bring on the beans. >> oh. look at it! >> you know what, hoda woman? >> hmm? >> we could get used to a life like this. >> mm-hmm. >> beautiful place. great people. awesome food. yeah, we could. >> mm-hmm. >> y'all come back, you hear? you get all the boys in town running after you. >> you may get your stud yet. >> oh. >> and we're going to give them to you a little later. even though you forgot our gifts. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara.

owners of the steel mill at sparrows point find themselves at odds with the chesapeake bay association. the environmental group is considering a lawsuit claiming that the mill is not honoring an agreement to clean up pollution that is leaking into the bay. the association is working with public health officials to make sure the area is safe for residents. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> we are trying to wrap rush hour up but we cannot quite do that. accidents and a couple the new spots. some delays prior to that at the beltway. we are also backing out at 198. on the outer loop northeast side, pretty heavy delays there. other problem spots -- southbound 295, accident coming in there. southbound belair, left lanes shut down with a water main break. watch for the north side delays.

23 miles per hour on the outer loop approaching liberty. right lane is still closed with a downed tree. dry times are really heavy. 13 minutes of ad loop northeast side. 19 minutes on the west side outer loop. >> light shower activity already infiltrating the area. keep the umbrella handy. there is mass of moisture to our south and west. that will continue to stream in today. some of the showers and storms could turn severe later on. current temperatures -- it looks like a 78 downtown, 76 at the airport. forecast high is still up there at 89 degrees. good chance of showers and thunderstorms. tomorrow, 20% chance of showers and storms. friday, 50% chance of scattered storms. >> we will have another update

at 8:55.

♪ 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, you'll 29th, 2009. we're enjoying the music of the bells of america mariachi band and traditional mexican band from the dance company from san antonio, texas. okay let's see, ann and i were dazzled, you just returned from key west. >> you were dazzled. we just returned? >> now kathie lee and hoda are two-stepping in texas, where everything is bigger. we're going to check in with them in a moment. >> and it's not over. tomorrow, natalie and amy are going to broadcast live from vegas, baby, vegas. as "today takes a vacation" continues. that should be a lot of fun.

>> lots of fun. >> meanwhile coming up here, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, or pasta, or cheesecake. we're going to show you how easy it is coming up in just a little bit. >> and we've got our money 911, because sometimes life has been giving a lot of people lemons. we're going to help some people out with some advice. >> i love these shoes. >> they're ridiculous. >> they are fantastic shoes. >> they are ridiculous. >> we are taking a the that showers of on the baltimore city area. massive muster to our west and southwest will be streaming in today. already immense amount of moisture in our environment.

that's your latest weather. now let's head on down to washington, d.c. and say hello to willie scott. how are you, dude? >> you're truly a san antonio rose. one of my favorite songs. that's fun. we did the "today" show there years ago. my god, what fun we had. what good food. happy birthday from smucker's, speaking of good food. get yourself a couple of tacos and some nachos and put some strawberry jam on them and you've got a meal. ruth clark, sarasota, florida, 110! getting older every day here. former housewife, enjoys singing in the church choir. and we love her. happy birthday. louis watson, pleasant garden,

north carolina. way up in north carolina. that's as far north as i ever want to be. 100 years old today. retired farmer, entertained billy graham and george beverly shea in her home once. two of the finest people god ever put on this earth. and leonard obermeyer, kalamazoo, michigan. world war ii vet, worked on b-25 planes where he found a bag of over 200 pennies left by one of the rosie the riveters. you remember her. martha batich, akron, ohio. home of the balloon. 104 years old. attributes longevity to having a fantastic son-in-law. what a lovely compliment. that is, indeed. and franklin steinberg, san jose, california, 100 years old today. o say can you see. secret to longevity is his loving wife, helena. i think that's a nice one, too.

god bless. where's the music? recue the tape. we have narcissa jackson. would you all hum around here? i'm missings music. newport, arkansas. 100. known by all as nani. that's it, that's all. now back to meredith in san antonio. >> thank you very much, willard. i'm actually here in new york. coming up next, how to turn lemons into lemonade.

we're back at 8:36. this morning on "today's kitchen," we're back to basics. we're talking about lemons. they provide one of the great flavors, used in all kinds of cooking, and donatella knows the secret of this colorful citrus. donatella, good morning. >> you make it sound so exciting. >> it is exciting. they really can add to a recipe.

>> i know. and they're gorgeous. and there are 100 different things you can do with them. you don't have to just make lemonade. >> most people think there are lemons and lemons. you've got a meyer lemon. >> yeah, these are the best. these are regular lemons. there's nothing wrong with them. but these are from china. they're gorgeous. they're a combination of mandarin orange and a lemon. they have a thin skin. >> taste it? >> it's sweeter. it's less acid and the skin is actually edible. >> you've got some great little gadgets to get the most out of lemons. walk me through those. >> juicing your lemon, all you have to know is keep it at room temperature, give it a little roll and then squeeze. i don't like all these fancy things. i don't know what's going on. i like this. i like this. that's it. >> and then zesting a lemon. when you're making a recipe, what does the zest of a lemon add that lemon juice does not add? >> lemon juice is acid. the zest brings on a sweetness, all these other flavors and it actually acts as like a flavor enhancer. brings out other flavors in the

food. >> you have to be careful to use only the yellow part of the zest, because the white is bitter? >> that's right. go for smaller lemons. if you have meyer. go for meyer. less bitter. >> we're going to make a pasta recipe with some ricotta cheese and lemon zest. how do we get started? >> you have really good, fine quality ricotta cheese. a half a cup of parmesan. this is such an easy recipe. we have our lemon zest. >> how much is too much? because it does add a lot of flavor. >> it is. but it's finely grated and it's a little subtle. you can always add in more later. salt and pepper. >> okay. >> a little salt? >> yes, please. >> obviously we already have the water boiling, a lot of salt, a lot of water. you've got to make the pasta dance a little. >> okay, fine. >> you mix this up. >> get that going. you're going to take this and take the pasta out of here and add it with still some of the liquid from the pot into the pan? >> exactly. it's one of my tricks. now it is such good quality ricotta. >> that it's really sticky and

gooey. >> there's not a lot of water in it. but you can always add just a little lemon juice to the mixture >> we're going to move this along. put that in the pan first? >> no, the pasta. you ready? >> sure. out like this? >> yeah. >> right in. we didn't even saute. >> i'm just going to start to put a lot in here. i promise i won't burn you, promise. >> i'm getting a facial. >> there you go. >> that's pretty good. >> let's pretend we have it all in there. >> let's pretend. you have the perfect cream sauce. that's it. this is like a no-cook sauce. >> you just toss it around? and it coats the pasta evenly? >> yep. >> can we plate that -- it's not really platable right now. let's just pretend that is completely finish it. we garnish it with a little herbs, some parmesan. i want to get to something else. turn it off so we don't burn it. you're making lemonade now, my problem always either too sweet or too tart. >> absolutely. the big secret to lemonade is

simple syrup. otherwise sugar goes to the bottom. simple syrup, sugar, hot water, dissolve. and if the lemonade is too sweet, add a little straight lemon juice into it. the great thing about acid. >> you also made a cheese cake? >> this is my ricotta cheese cake. the beauty about this cheese cake is you make it in a pot. we have an american classic. we have an italian classic. all from lemons. isn't it good? >> this needs to be baked, though. >> how long? >> about an hour. but you really make it in a pot. it's about blending in a pot. you bake it. you dust it with sugar. >> it's really light and delicious. donatel donatella, thanks. good recipes for lemons. we appreciate it. up next, more with kathie lee and hoda, live from san antonio, texas. "today" continues to take a vacationon

♪ ♪ i always feel like (announcer) it's right here, it's easy... ♪ somebody's watching me. ...it's the money you could be saving wh h geico. ♪ who's watching? ♪ tell me who's watching. ufuffled music (announcer) 's's right here, it's easy... ♪ i always feel lik somebody's watchg g me. ♪ it's the money you could be saving with geico.

it's day three of "today takes a vacation" and kathie lee and hoda have taken over san antonio, texas. hey, guys. >> hey, meredith. with the cowboy influence in music history, some people consider texas part of the south, others think it's part of the southwest. considering its mexican influence. >> but ask the locals and they will tell you the culture here is so unique, just consider it texas. ♪ >> reporter: where the old west meets glitz and glam, that's where you'll find texas. in a state large enough to hold all of new england, new york, pennsylvania, ohio, and illinois, bigger is definitely better. this state holds three of the country's top ten largest cities. dallas' motto, live large, think big. and they mean it. >> look at my hat. >> reporter: big homes, big bank accounts, -- ♪ they've got big hair down in texas ♪ >> reporter: big hair.

>> it matters, you know, for people to look at it. >> reporter: texas is the biggest producer of oil, cattle, and cotton. it's a state with a big bravado. some think folks here have a certain swagger, a mind-set all their own. >> what always strikes me is that every generation produces another set of texans who have a love for the grand gesture. who have a love of drawing attention to themselves. and who have this weird lust for life. willie nelson, lbj, ann richards, who are full of wit and love to bask in the attention. and you can't help but find these people addictive. >> reporter: it's a state big enough to hold two ranch-loving ex-presidents, 41 and 43. if you want a taste of what really sets texas apart -- >> got to be the western way of life. >> reporter: you might hit up billy bob's texas in fort worth. it is the world's biggest honky

tank. >> we welcome people with open arms. >> reporter: texas even has a language all its own. >> howdy, how y'all doing? smile for the camera. >> reporter: if you seek a higher calling you might spend your sundays at the preston woods baptist mega church in dallas. it houses 28,000 congregants and is home to the biggest choir in texas. >> we like to say it's not a big church, it's a small town. >> reporter: in fact some texans think their state is so unique it could be its own country. in a recent poll 30% feel they have the right to secede. something governor rick perry himself said was an option. some believe it was nothing more than a political stunt. >> laugh at that if you wish, but it resonates. >> reporter: today, texas is more than its own big cliche. most of the 24 million texans have long since traded their ranches for suburbs and cities. and the state's most famous

billionaire oil mn t. boone pickens has a plan for people to use wind, not oil. but in this larger than life state, while some things change, others remain the same. >> the fact is those country western bars are still packed. people flock in to eat barbecue, they buy cowboy boots. you want to get attached in some way to this ideal of being a texan. >> and we got you guys some nice little gifts. >> yeah? >> yes, we did. >> we are going to start with matt, okay. >> who is hotter than matt? >> thank you. >> thank you. >> a lot of people. >> we got you these habanero hot peppers. we saw you with al and saw how al defeated you handily in key west. >> so this is to practice with. >> i could use them. thank you very much. >> then we didn't forget al. >> we got something for al. >> al loves to cook. and i think this is --

>> a pepper grinder. >> they do everything big in texas. >> and meredith, meredith we found something delicate for you. it's a little tiny charm bracelet, and the charm on the bottom is an armadillo. with an "a" on the end, armadilla. >> which happens to be the state mammal. >> and for ann, for ann we have something called a charo, lame, right? >> oh, wow. >> and we didn't forget one other person. hold on, we didn't forget jim bill because we are kissing -- >> oh, you know. >> this is "today" in texas. it was -- >> our friend melissa who has been outfitting us for all of this, she's got a great store called the gunslinger and she had this made up for us. we're going to bring it home to jim bell our producer. >> that's nice of you guys. thanks so much. >> even though you didn't think of us and didn't send us

anything. >> we have stuff. we've got a shell. we've got a shell treasure chest and an extra flatulence pen. >> they have big autographs in texas. big autographs. >> okay. >> this is a very pleasant experience. >> it was. >> still is. >> all right, thank you guys very much. >> see you in a little while. >> very nice of them to think of us. >> much more ahead from san antonio and new york. first, this is "today" on nbc.

the toyota concert series on today, brought to you by toyota. toyota, moving forward. >> it simply would not be a trip to texas without some great country music. hoda and kathie lee have a special guest lined up to thrill the crowd down there. ladies? >> hey, matt. >> hey, matt. >> we're so excited to be with leann womack. >> she was just in new york recently when your new album came out. she is hotter than -- >> how have we been doing in texas so far? we're trying to get our texas on. >> you're doing great. i love the look. >> you're born and raised here, right? >> yeah. in east texas. >> this new album. would kill for these kinds of

reviews. somebody said you sing with the purity of dolly parton and the emotional heft 6 tommy wynette. come on. >> is that because you took the time with this thing? you disappear for three years, you didn't like what was coming out of you in the studio and said i'm going to start all over again and wait until it's right? >> yeah. you know what? just growing up listening to all that stuff, it just became such a big part of me and everything i do, musically i think about that sort of thing. >> are we going to have to wait another three years? >> probably not. >> child or tv? >> you won't have to wait three more years. >> we're going to do san antonio rose. >> okay. >> special for the people here in san antonio. here she is, leann womack.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ >> lee ann womack. and we will be back after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. $10.1 million is how much the baltimore city police department is slated to receive in federal stimulus funds. in times of the same time that the city is beefing up patrols after a rash of violence over the weekend. it will help the department hired 50 new police officers, who will be placed on foot patrols around the city.

mayor dixon says that the increase patrols cannot fight crime alone. >> people have to say that it will allow this to happen or they will speak up. it really comes down to that. >> last year, homicides in baltimore hit a 20-year low but baltimore hit a 20-year low but it still

>> now let's look the best forecast with sandra shaw. >> barry and settled and muggy. a good chance of scattered showers and storms. some of which could be severe. 85 to 88. winds at the south at 10 to 15 miles per hour. torrential downpour as possible with this. we're at a slight risk category for severe storms.

tomorrow, we will clear out a little bit more. we would keep the heat and humidity. just a little less humid. >> another update at 9:25.