good morning. still a threat. that california wildfire has now burned more than 125,000 acres. and while officials say they are making some progress, they have a long way to go. this morning, al takes us right to the front lines. just not true. the husband of the woman who was high and drunk when she killed herself and seven others in a wrong-way crash speaks out and delivers a message to the victims' families. >> a drunk driver did not do this to your family. >> this morning reaction from those families. and vegas vacation.

michael jackson's three children enjoy a weekend on the strip. and an nbc reporter witnesses a strange event while paris gets her hair cut at a hotel salon. what she saw today, wednesday, september 2nd, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today" on this wednesday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm lester holt. finally getting good news from southern california. they're at least gaining some ground against the so-called station fire. >> it is now 22% contained with an estimated 127,000 acres destroyed. 6,000 homes remain under mandatory evacuation, however. and as al will show us in just a moment, the danger still very much present. he has a live report. and that's coming up just ahead. also, the latest on jaycee

dugard's 18-year-long kidnapping ordeal allegedly at the hands of phillip and nancy garrido. during that time period there was a point where phillip garrido was in jail. that meant his wife was alone with dugard. we'll talk about that and a lot more with nancy garrido's attorney in just a moment. lester, were you a fan of "injure r "jurassic park"? >> yeah. >> well, your hopes are answered. there's hopes of bringing woolly mammoths, sabre toothed creatured to lester's home. >> i hope it works out better than the movie. right now let's get to those wildfires in southern california. al is live in los angeles. he'll start us off this morning. al, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. behind me you see the devastation. we're in big tujunga canyon, the epicenter. this is where it started.

it's under investigation. they don't know what started this fire, but the good news is light winds, higher humidity have helped firefighters get a grip on this situation. however, i got to find out firsthand that these firefights can turn really ugly really fast. as the station fire rolls into its second week this morning, firefighters have put the brakes on some of its progress. from the air and from the ground, the 3600 firefighters got an assist from higher humidity. >> a little do you to the weather, but it's primarily due to the firefighting efforts made over the last several days. >> reporter: slowed though not stalled, the station fire has consumed more than 127,000 acres, growing to almost 200 square miles. yet containment grew as well. from 5% to 22%. >> right now if i were in a boxing match, i think we're even. >> reporter: and firefighters spent the night counterpunching

with backfires, fighting fire with fire, a controlled burn of vegetation before the out-of-control fire can reach it first. but mandatory evacuations are still in place for some 6,000 residents like christina and her family. >> i did see lots of neighbors up there, but i'm not going to risk it. they tell me don't be there, i'm not going to be there. >> reporter: we went to see how the community is doing. the heat coming off this hill is incredible. meanwhile, these hand crews, these crews, are working this. they bulldozed out this area to keep the flames from jumping from here over to here and these homes over this ridge. and now the wind's starting to pick up. and this could change at any moment. so it's very, very dangerous at this moment. the wind has shifted and this whole ridge has exploded in flames. we've got to get down. we've got to get down. >> go down.

take your time. go easy. easy. easy. >> reporter: we made a forced and preplanned escape. and, of course, the danger is here, you see this hill, it's exploded in flames. if ashes and embers from that fire make its way down here, these homes are all in danger. of course, not the most graceful exit from a fire scene one has ever seen, lester. however, what is fascinating, these hand crews are working with these firefighters. i spoke with some hand crews that have come as far away as tennessee. so it's pretty amazing stuff to see these crews working with pick axes, shovels, rakes, chain saws, whatever they can take to get that vegetation out and clear it out so that these fires don't have any extra fuel to continue their rampage. lester? >> incredibly brave people. you, too. be careful out there, al. thanks. despite progress, some residents are expressing anger at the loss of their homes.

nbc's miguel almaguer is in los angeles. he has that part of the story. good morning to you. >> reporter: lester, good morning to you. over the last several days we have spoken to many residents who say they were upset they were forced to evacuation and they don't believe ffshs did enough to protect their property. however, the vast majority of folks we have spoken to say firefighters have done an outstanding job, and they applaud their effort. they know two firefighters were killed over the last few days. and they he were grateful for the efforts they have put out. we know the official number of homes burned is at 62. although when the sun comes up here in california today, we do expect that number to drastically increase as firefighters get out and they are able to survey the area. over the last couple of days, this fire has scorched, as al mentioned earlier, over 127,000 acres. this fire does continue to move in several different directions. some 10,000 homes remain threatened. but we're also told that this fire will continue to slow a bit as firefighters gain the upper hand. now many of those evacuees are starting to come home.

unfortunately, lester, many of them will come home to sights like the one behind me. >> miguel almaguer, thank you very much for the update from los angeles. >> very hard for those people right now. still very scary, too. now let's get a check of the morning's stories. ann is off. natalie is sitting in. >> good morning-hurricane jimena is weakening but still packing a punch aimed at the baja peninsula. the storm was a category 3 when it brushed past the resort town of lohs cabos. it can now be seen from the international space station. a bombing in afghanistan this morning killed at least 23 people including that country's deputy chief of intelligence. they were among a crowd of officials inaugurating a mosque. there is new information this morning about the pan am flight 103 bomber who was released from prison last month. he is now in libya where people are marking moammar gadhafi's 40 years in power.

our tom asheville is in tripoli. >> reporter: celebrations in tripoli. but a storm of protests in london as government documents showed britain wanted al megrahi released before he wdied of cancer. >> in response to that, i said we were not actively seeking his death in prison. >> reporter: the libyans have denied al megrahi was released for oil concessions to british companies. >> he was put on conditions. and released on relations. >> reporter: as celebrations in tripoli last night, pictures of al megrahi arriving here two weeks ago were projected on a giant video screen. the welcome he received has angered the u.s. government. libyans have always maintained al megrahi is innocent.

he's now in a tripoli hospital suffering from terminal cancer. natalie? >> tom aspell in tripoli, thank you. in an article posted on the current tv website, laura ling and euna lee says they followed their guide on the border and were on north korean soil for just one minute when they saw two north korean soldiers with guns running toward them, and they ran. they said that they were firmly back on the chinese side when the north korean border guards grabbed them. the two were sentenced to 12 years hard labor and then released. overseas markets are down this morning following tuesday's 185-point drop for the dow. our erin burnett is at the new york stock exchange this morning for us. what are you looking out for? >> it's amazing. these things spread around the world. it started with our selloff. that's what you're seeing in asia and europe. financials fell by the most in two months. it comes down to this. some of the data on housing.

proof the recession is over. the market, though, has surged so much since the spring once more. they want real growth and the road ahead definitely rocky. overnight we got news from american airlines that they'll be laying off 921 flight attendants. traffic is still falling. and it really comes down to jobs. that number we'll get on friday. back to you. >> erin burnett at the new york stock exchange, thank you. and it was a hero's welcome for muhammad ali who visited his ancestral hometown in ireland. he met with distant relatives and then showed off some of his moves for the crowd. still got those moves. it's now 7:10. now back over to meredith and lester. his great-grandfather was from ennis. so an ennisman. >> great to see him. he's still so loved all around the world. now a check of the weather from al. hey, al. >> reporter: thanks, guys. truly the greatest, absolutely. well, as we take a look, see what's going on as s

>> more gorgeous conditions. 7376 again. quite pleasant. mostly sunny skies. flight northeast winds again. more the same for the

>> reporter: and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. and now to the swine flu and the number of schools across the country already reporting a wave of cases. some predict more than half this country could be infected this fall and winter. we're going to talk to homeland security secretary janet napolitano about that in just a moment. first, tom costello is in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're not likely to get a vaccine until october or november. they say for the vast majority of people who contract h1n1, it will be similar to a mild case of the flu. schools are stressing basic flu prevention. the first week of school for much of the country and h1n11 also making a return. at wake forest university in north carolina, 100 suspected

cases so far. >> like six guys in my hall that have it. my roommate's coughing. everybody's walking around -- i actually have one in my pocket. one of these. masks. >> reporter: and hundreds of suspected cases at the university of colorado, the university of kansas, and washington state. at indiana university, returning students get a swine flu crash course. >> they all get briefed on it, they all hear about it. all of our staff are trying to recognize symptoms and how to deal with h1n1. >> reporter: in indianapolis, in 12-month-old was hospitalized with a soaring fever after both his parents came down with swine flu. >> the doctor said rotate tylenol and motrin. we're doing that every three hours, rotating. still 100 to 103 and then he just drstopped eating and drinking. >> reporter: in new york 27-year-old police officer ryan johnson died. >> i just want people to know that this is happening. without any underlying disease,

you know, that it can happen and just prepare for it. >> reporter: since the spring, the h1n1 virus has sickened more than 1 million americans and killed at least 500. now experts warn half the country could be infected during a swine flu surge this fall. >> i don't want anybody to be alarmed, but i do want everybody to be prepared. >> reporter: if you're flying, the airlines insist their hepa filters will keep the air clean. >> we have better air quality on board an airplane than there is in the average office building. >> reporter: but if you're sick, please stay away. >> you have to cough or sneeze into your elbow. don't cough or sneeze into your hand and then reach out to someone. please, please, please wash your hands. >> reporter: exactly the advice elmo is hoping all of us heed. >> wash your hands. >> come on, wash with elmo. wash, wash, wash. >> and when you have to cough or sneeze, do it into the bend of your arm. >> sneeze into your arm with elmo. achoo! >> reporter: he always has great

advice. a vaccine is still being tested and analyzed. the government has already bought 195 million doses. they're waiting for it to be deemed safe. the first 45 million doses should arrive at state health departments sometime in october. meredith? >> tom costello, thank you very much. swine flu is just one issue on the plate of janet napolitano. she is in new york to kick off national preparedness month. madam secretary, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i couldn't help notice during tom's piece when that student pulled out the mask from his pocket, his defense against swine flu. you said under your breath, that's not going to do a thing, which indicates people still airpo aren't sure how to protect themselves against this virus. >> well, the best thing we all can do are the very simple things, the washing of the hands, the coughing into the sleeve. we know that we're going to have a big influx of flu cases. and it's coming back to the northern hemisphere after circulating around the southern hemisphere. and we're going to, in all likelihood, have them before the vaccine is ready.

so we're telling employers and others, have your absenteeism plans ready. know how you're going to continue business as usual. even as we work our way through the flu. >> because there could be many, many people who are not at work, and that raises, in and of itself, a national security risk, doesn't it, especially in major essential businesses and governments? >> that's right. and that's why, over the summer, we've been meeting with critical infrastructure businesses and others saying update your plans. be prepared. know who your key employees are, if they are absent, need to be covered. have some telecommunicating plans in place. other things, again, as we work our way through flu season. >> right now the government says it's preparing for a voluntary but strongly recommended flu shot program for h1n1. and these are your numbers, government numbers. half the population might develop this virus, come down with this virus. 90,000 people die from it. why not make this program mandatory? >> well, because health programs

generally around mandatory, and you get kind of pushed back to that. we think overall people will want to get the vaccine when it's ready. and we're going to be pushing it out to the states. and then states, school districts, cities will be in charge of how they distribute it. >> but if there's only going to be enough vaccine for half the population, and that's the numbers we're hearing, how are you going to decide who gets the vaccine and who doesn't get the vaccine? >> well, every state has submitted now a vaccine plan. you know, the vaccine's really focused at the initial level on those most susceptible to this flu, school-age children, adults who have underlying conditions like asthma, pregnant women. so we want to make sure that we roll it out and that it gets to those who need it most first. >> for those states, there's an administrative cost that comes to handing out these vaccines. >> that's right. >> some states like new york, l.a. and boston say they'll pay for that. you're giving the vaccine for free but there's a cost on the other end. will the government pick up the tab on other urban areas since that is so important to stopping

the spread of the disease? >> congress have already appropriated billions of dollars for a vaccine. those billions have already been distributed to the states to help with this. and again, you know, this is a changing environment. we'll have to deal with it day by day. if a further appropriation is necessary by the congress, i'm sure they'll consider it. >> we have heard reports that homeland security has been meeting with the airlines to discuss banning people who are obviously sick from getting on planes. is there any truth to that? >> no. what we've been meeting with the airlines about is making sure that hand washing is easily accessible and that, you know, those kind of things are available on planes for travelers. >> but if somebody is obviously sick, would you recommend that the airline admit them onto the plane? let them board? >> that will be up to the individual airlines. the government is not going to say, you have to ban somebody from a plane. you know, they have that question with other people who show up who look like they're sick and have had it before the swine flu even was spoken about.

so we leave that to the individual carriers. >> on another security issue, over the weekend former vice president cheney slammed the obama administration's probe into the aggressive interrogation of suspected terrorists. he called it a terrible decision, one that undermines morale inside the cia. he also said serious doubts that the president understands and is prepared to do what needs to be done to defend the nation. you're smiling a little quizically. what's your response to that? >> well, i just add it to the list of comments the former vice president has made that i disagree with. i mean, it's a long list at this point. but in any event, listen, i'm a former united states attorney. i'm a former attorney general, a prosecutor. the decisions that the attorney general had to make are difficult about what to look at, what not to look at. and i would never second-guess a prosecutor in that regard. >> madam secretary, thank you so much for your time this morning and good luck. >> thank you. it is 7:19 and once again here's lester. >> all right, meredith, thanks. now to that deadly wrong

manufacture way crash on a new york highway back in july. the widow of the driver who police say caused the crash because she was drunk and high is speaking out. nbc's peter alexander is here now with details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. this is that just-released autopsy report. it is 20 detailed pages showing exactly what police have said in the past. that she had the equivalent of ten vodka shots as well as marijuana in her system at the time of that crash. but her husband, daniel, says those results are wrong. he says it must be a mistake. and now he wants his wife's body exhumed and retested. more than five weeks after one of the deadliest crashes in recent new york state history, daniel schuler spoke out last night in his wife's defense, telling larry king she was a responsible parent and would never drink and drive. >> i know what happened with my wife. she's not an alcoholic, doesn't drink. she's an outstanding mother. >> reporter: but last july, diane, a suburban mother, drove the wrong way on the parkway for

almost two miles, then crashed into an suv, killing herself, her daughter, three young nieces and three men in that other car. the news was crushing. >> i kissed everyone good-bye and my wife. >> reporter: a short time investigators made this stunning announcement. >> diane schuelr had a blood-alcohol content of .19%. the legal limit for intoxication in new york state is .08%. >> reporter: a bottle of vodka was found at the scene. toxicology reports also found evidence diane had smoked marijuana. though he wouldn't discuss marijuana, schuler insists his wife rarely drank and the autopsy report showed she had no signs of serious liver damage, evidence to the schulers that diane was not an alcoholic. so what happened? he claims a medical condition is to blame, a tooth abscess, or perhaps the fiery crash may have turned her blood sugar into alcohol. but the autopsy report shows no

evidence diane schuler had any medical issues. the grieving families of the other three victims say schuler's claims are insulting, appalling and beyond outrageous. >> daniel schuler is an absolute liar or else he is trying to perpetrate a hoax. >> reporter: at the end of the interview, he delivered this message to the devastated families. >> a drunk driver did not do this to your family. something medically had to have happened. >> it is a terrible story. child protective services has launched an investigation to determine how much daniel schuler knew about his wife's alleged alcohol and drug use. meanwhile, lester and meredith, his 5-year-old son, brian, the only survivor of that crash, is still in a hospital rehabilitating with broken arms and a broken leg. >> all right, peter alexander, thanks very much. coming up in our 8:00 hour, we'll talk to dr. nancy snyderman and a former prosecutor about how this case has been handled. is it possible there was a

mistake? could they find something if they exhume the body? ahead, the latest on the couple kidnapping a girl and holding her captive for 18 years. we'll talk to her attorneys in

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.

still ahead, what an nbc reporter witnessed while paris jackson got a haircut in las vegas. plus, are scientists getting closer to bringing extinct animals like the woolly mammoth back to life?

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. baltimore county police need your help finding a suspect who they said robbed two woman in a parksville bank. police as a that the man is preying on female customers at night. he jabbed a gun in a car at a drive-through and 1900 block

east joppa road. he told her to give them cash, which he got, then to drive to a school parking lot, where he reportedly sexually assaulted her. police are hoping to catch of the suspect before the crimes escalate. if you have information, call metro crime stoppers. time for a check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> dealing with the new accident on southbound 795. watch for that to affect traffic of there. we are looking a pretty hefty delays on the west side outer loop. westbound saratoga is still blocked at greene street. you can see sap i-95 from south of mountain road to the beltway, at once to get on to the northeast side, at very heavy this morning. this is all due to an earlier

accident. this is a live view of the beltway. we will switch to live a few at white marsh. >> plenty of sunshine out there today. it looks like a high of the 75. winds later at the northeast at five to 10 miles per hour. the trend is a nice, quiet, dry and gorgeous weather day. >> back with another live update in 25 minutes.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 2nd, 2009. another fall-like day here in midtown manhattan on this unofficial final week of summer. inside studio 1a, i'm meredith vieira alongside lester holt. matt has the day off today. coming up, we'll talk for h with the attorney for naeps garrido, the woman accused of holding a woman for 18 years. that attorney has told them garrido told them they actually felt like a family. all that in just a moment. also, michael jackson's three children on vacation in

las vegas, everything appears normal until paris goes to get her hair cut. what happened? an nbc reporter happened to be in that salon in the chair next to paris. she witnessed what happened. we'll hear her story coming up. let's just say it's odd. talk about hairy, would you like to walk among actual woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers, even a neanderthal man? >> you're sitting next to one. >> no, you're not. you might be surprised when you hear how close scientists think they are to making that a reality. we begin on the latest on that 18-year-old kidnapping ordeal for jaycee dugard and the california couple accused in that case. nbc's george lewis is in placerville, california, with more. george, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. we're outside the el dorado county jail where phillip and nancy garrido are being held without bail in protective custody, separated from the rest of the jail population. back at the couple's house, it's quiet today, although with police roadblocks gone, the

curiosity seekers are now dropping by. how does it make you feel looking at the house? >> sick. sad. disgusted. >> reporter: the police search trying to connect the garridos to a string of unsolved murders was apparently unproductive. in the late '90s, the bodies of four women were dumped near where phillip garrido once worked in the neighboring city of pittsburg, california. but a press statement from the police department says, "we did not locate any evidence to connect phillip and nancy garrido to pittsburg's unsolved cases." at the house next door where investigators found a bone fragment they're now analyzing, damon robinson was asked about the two girls phillip garrido allegedly fathered with kidnapped victim jaycee dugard. >> a lot of times i would wave, they would ignore me. and sometimes, say hi, and they would wave, but they wasn't on a verbal level. >> reporter: phillip garrido ran a printing business. and tim allen, one of his customers, recalls garrido

coming by with his daughters. >> it was about 18 months ago. and he introduced each one of them, angel and starlight. and i shook their hands. they were kind of shy and bashful. >> reporter: people also sega read dough's wife, nancy, had very little to say as new questions arise about what role she may have played in the jaycee dugard case. >> in a short period of time, just two or three years after jaycee was kidnapped, phillip was -- went back to jail. his parole had been revoked for four months. so nancy was the only person in that house that had responsibility for this young kidnapped victim. >> reporter: phillip garrido's parole officer paid regular visits to the house. but in all the 18 years that jaycee dugard was allegedly held here, never saw anything out of place. now, because of this case, california governor arnold schwarzenegger says a new look needs to be taken at parole officers and perhaps lightening their caseload.

but given the state's budget problems, that seems like a long shot. meredith? >> gilbert mains is nancy garrido's defense attorney. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, ma'am. >> i understand the last time you spoke with nancy garrido, she's in jail right now, that was on saturday. can you describe her mental state at this point? >> she's distraught. she's scared. she seems to be a little lost at the moment. >> when you say "lost," what do you mean? >> she doesn't seem to be able to really focus well at the moment. >> does she understand why she is in jail? >> oh, yeah. no, we've had a conversation about that. yes, she understands. >> what has she said to you, mr. mains, about her relationship with jaycee and jaycee's daughters over these past 18 years?

what light has she shed on that matter? >> well, what she has said -- what she said that i can tell you about is that there came a time when she felt like they were a family and that she loves the girls very much, and she loves jaycee very much. and that seems a little strange given the circumstance. but that's what she has said to me. >> did she explain to you how jaycee ended up in her home, in phillip's home, to begin with? >> that, i think, invades attorney/client privilege, and i can't really talk about that. >> well, let me talk about what authorities have said. they claim, as you know, that she was the one who snatched jaycee off the street in 1991, that her husband, phillip, was the one driving the car. and authorities also say despite the fact that phillip garrido has pled not guilty in this case, that he did admit to his parole officer prior to the arrest that he, indeed, did kidnap jaycee. so given all of that, how can you possibly argue that your client didn't know what was going on?

>> well, that seems to be a fair question. but the crux of the matter -- or the argument, i think, goes to her mental -- maybe her mental condition at the time and not so much what physically happened. i'm not -- you know, i don't know that i can argue successfully that she didn't know what was going on. >> well, i know that phillip garrido's brother, ron, has said that nancy, in his opinion, was like a robot who would do anything that her husband asked her to do. do you believe that your client's husband had any sort of mind control over her? is that something that you're pursuing, that line of thinking? >> well, i think it would be -- i would be derelict in my duty if i didn't pursue every avenue that was available. and one of them certainly is to look into her state of mind at the time and her -- maybe even

prior to that time. >> i know -- i understand that they met when he was in prison serving time for rape and that she was visiting her uncle. that's about all we do know about her. what light can you shed on just who she is? >> i am five days into this case. i have not seen any discovery. i've talked to my client for two hours. i'm not -- i really can't say right now that i've formed an opinion as to who she is. >> are you having her evaluated or plan to have her evaluated to see if she's incompetent to stand trial? >> oh, i don't think she's incompetent to stand trial. >> you do not? >> there's two very different -- there's two very different criteria to be judged, you know, in that situation. i can't say right now that she is incompetent to stand trial. my plan is -- i think my plan is sometime in the near future to have her evaluated, to have an

expert talk to her and to spend some time with her, yes. >> there was a period in 1993 when phillip garrido was sent back to prison for violating his parole. and at this point jaycee was already, according to the authorities, living with this couple. that would have meant that nancy garrido was alone in that home with jaycee. so wouldn't that have made her jaycee's captor at least during that four-month period when her husband was in prison? >> if all of that is true, that argument certainly can be made. >> what would that kind of argument do to a defense case? >> i don't know yet. >> have you received threats? >> i have been called by friends that said there are threats on the internet about me or about what i'm doing. i just try to ignore those. >> all right. i appreciate your time. thank you very much. >> you're welcome.

and now let's get a check of the weather from al in los angeles. >> reporter: a a >> good news for us as we head into the labor day weekend, no

major cuts of anything other than beautiful sunshine and comfortable temperatures. 54 at b.w.i. marshall. for the high in the mid-70's, >> reporter: and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. up next, the jackson children's vegas vacation. all the details including an unusual event that occurred while paris jackson got her hair cut right after this.

back now at 7:44. we want to tell you about a weekend getaway for michael jackson's three children, a trip that took at least one bizarre turn. nbc's jeff rossen is in los angeles to explain. jeff, good to see you. >> lester, good to see you. the kids went to las vegas. we're told it was a present just before school starts. they hung out at the pool, they did what kids do. but then paris went to get a haircut, and her chaperone made a weird request, give me all of paris' hair off the floor. >> reporter: all three jackson kids were at the palms resort and casino just off the vegas strip. in these photos you can see paris inside. she walked the halls with her

school tutor, a woman she call sister rose, and several security guards. paris ducked into a salon to get her first haircut ever. and just by coincidence, alicia jacobs was sitting in the chair next to paris, getting her hair cut. >> las vegas. >> reporter: alicia is a local reporter with our nbc station in las vegas and struck up a conversation with paris. >> just a really sweet girl who seemed really happy to be out and about. she even said this was the highlight of her trip in vegas was having a girlie day at a salon. >> reporter: midway through the haircut, she whispered something to the hairstylist, and then it happened. >> she literally got down on her hands and knees and picked up every single trace of hair from the floor and placed it in the plastic baggy and immediately handed it off to sister rose who took it and put it in her bag. i immediately thought, my goodness, they're worried about dna. the truth would finally come out. i think that's exactly what they wanted to avoid. >> reporter: the truth about the kids' biological father.

at least two men claim they donated sperm to michael and could be the dad. jackson's dermatologist, dr. arnie klein, said this on cnn. >> they want to investigate my dna. >> it's a possibility that one or all -- very unlikely all -- that one of those kids may be mine. >> reporter: susan was friends with michael and remains close with the jackson family. >> what they watch is quite controlled which i think is a very good idea. because i think at this stage it could be quite damaging to hear all these things being said about their father. >> reporter: when michael was alive, he shielded the kids from to the t photos. but they've been mask free. here are prince and blankette enjoying a boys day out, walking the streets of santa monica joined this past weekend by their sister, paris, in vegas. >> for 11 1/2 years old, i found her to be gracious, extremely well-mannered, a very cute

personality, an adorable smile and stunningly beautiful. >> reporter: by the way, at the salon, paris got her fingernails painted. i don't know why i'm showing you mine. hers were loud green. she may be one of the most famous children in the world, but lester, she is 11, and mine are just regular. >> you made me look, too, at mine. jeff rossen, thanks very much. coming up next, here's one to ponder. are scientists on the verge of creating a real-life jurassic park? we'll get to you that right after this.

this morning, "secrets of the future today." is it possible to bring creatures from the past back to life? here's nbc's keith miller. >> reporter: ice age humans immortalize giant creatures that walked the earth, and those images could be coming back to life. now experts see the possibility of cloning creatures that have been dead for thousands of years. the recipe for resurrection is not a fantasy. take one mammoth preserved in the siberian permafrost and ex-trablt the genome. next, put it into the egg of a female elephant.

presto, you have a living mammoth. well, that's the theory. can you actually see a time when we have a prehistoric talk, like an entertainment? >> if you asked me that question a few years ago, i'd have said no. but there's been real developments in science the last few years that have actually changed my opinion. and i think it's conceivable now that it could be produced. >> reporter: but where on earth would we put it? the creators of a special habitat in russia say that it could live here. but mammoth expert adrian lister says one mammoth would not be enough. >> these were highly social animals just as elephants are today. you'd need a whole family of them. >> reporter: wouldn't that be a sight, though? >> i think it would be a wonderful sight. >> reporter: and what about the sabre-toothed tiger? >> that could pose a problem for local residents, perhaps. >> reporter: the sabre-toothed tiger is just one of ten beasts that the "new scientists"

magazine said could roam the earth again. how about a giant sloth as high as a house? an armadillo the size of a vw? and the dodo. but the most controversial creature on the resurrection list is human. >> this area behind us is where the first neanderthal was discovered. >> reporter: geneticist have recently cracked the genome of the neanderthal man. but it will be a long time before scientists can bring one back to life. and the ethical issues are, well, mammoth. >> this is very close to the story of frankenstein. we should stay away from this kind of scientific -- sort of scientific action. ♪ >> reporter: but creating a "jurassic park," say the scientists, is pure science fiction. because dna erodes, virtually gone, say the scientists, after 1 million years. and dinosaurs last roamed our

planet more than 60 million years ago. it's unlikely that they'll be back. but then i'll let you tell it. for "today," keith miller, nbc news, london. >> remember the old commercial? it's not nice to mess with mother nature. >> no, i agree. i don't want them to come back and i don't want to cover the story when they get loose either. so think about continue just ahead, more from the husband of that driver who caused a deadly wrong-way crash.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. let's get a check on the morning commute. the sarah caldwell is standing by. >> we are still trying to recover from an earlier accident at the inner loop of harlingen's ferry. -- hollins ferry. the delay is gone but the -- the

delays stretch back to the beltway. southbound 795, at just as you approach owings mills, accident off to the shoulder. if you are heading out on southbound 95 at white marsh, we have an accident reported there. westbound saratoga is still blocked at greene street. 30-mile-per-hour speed of outer lipitor is providence. another accident at churchville and thomas run. speaking of delays, let's get a live view of what is happening on a 97. we will switch over to a live a few white marsh, where it is barely moving. >> right now we are in the upper fifties to low 60s. we will see plenty of sunshine. it will warm us up into the seventies again.

it looks like we are going to be pleasant, with winds light and of the northeast. 81 by friday. 82 on saturday and sunday. for the day, 83 and partly cloudy. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update in 25 minutes. $5 for the sub, huh?

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8:00 now on this wednesday morning, september 2nd, 2009. summer day here in new york. a bit on the chilly side as we step outside to say hello to all the fine folks who are spending the morning with us. i'm meredith vieira alongside lester holt who is in for matt today. matt's taking a little time off. >> good to be here. >> nice to have you here. >> beautiful fall-like today. >> gorgeous. yesterday was as well. we're going to talk about something i can relate to, taking your kids off to college. you've done it twice. >> i'm done. still paying the check but i'm

done. >> exactly. my second son heads off in two weeks. we'll have advice for parents usually filled with pride and sadness and the urge to feel like they need to get involved. word to the wise, don't. >> did you make the bed in the dorm? >> the first time? yeah. this time i think i won't. i don't think my son appreciated me doing that. >> i know. they look at you like you know what? >> go. >> go. time for you to leave. >> leave some money and go. >> exactly. earlier we heard from the husband of the wife involved in that horrible one-way crash here in new york. the medical examiner came out and she said she was drunk and high on marijuana. the family, the husband questioning that right now. so we'll have a conversation with our own dr. nancy snyderman and a former prosecutor who ask did they get this wroong and also what criminal responsibility there may be out there. >> very confusing and complicated. also later, why city slickers are getting in touch with their inner farmer, raising chickens in the heart of the

urban jungle, believe it or not. i have a friend doing that right now in our town. >> apparently some places -- a lot of places you can have chickens but you can't have roosters because roosters are noisy. >> don't you need the rooster for the chickens? of course you don't. >> biology. somewhere you need a rooster. >> i don't know if you need it for that, though. >> this is a family show. we'll get into another check of the news and go inside and say good morning again to natalie morales. >> good morning to you. better weather has helped firefighters make progress in battling that huge wildfire burning outside of los angeles. but officials fear strong winds could pick up again today. on tuesday crews were able to contain more of the flames by building fire lines around a quarter of the blaze. more than 60 homes have been destroyed and thousands more are still threatened. and the effects of the california fires are being felt more than 1,000 miles away. a thick haze of smoke is hovering over denver, making the skyline there barely visible. asian and european markets are down this morning following

tuesday's 185-point drop for the dow. tokyo's nikkei sank nearly 2% -- 2.5%, and hong kong's seng fell 2%. stocks in britain, germany and france were all down during early trading. hurricane jimena is weakening this morning as it bears down on the baja, california, peninsula. during the night jimena brushed the southern tip of baja as a category 3 storm. it produced driving rain and lashing winds, but fortunately no serious damage reported there. at least 23 people lost their lives this morning when a suicide bomber struck near a mosque in eastern afghanistan. among the dead, the deputy chief of intelligence, one of the highest ranking security officials in president karzai's government. and a powerful earthquake struck southern indonesia this morning leaving at least 15 people dead. the quake was felt over much of java island forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and offices. there are reports of damage. and when a robbery suspect

wouldn't seal his lips in court, well, a judge sealed them for him. the ohio judge ordered the defendant's mouth duct taped after he reportedly kept interrupting court proceedings. later when the suspect could talk, he said he was going to file a complaint. no surprise there. it is 8:04 right now. let's go back outside to meredith and lester. hey, it worked at least. >> it did. >> exactly. we're going to head from natalie over to l.a. and

>> we are going to look gorgeous today. 77 the the forecast high. beautiful conditions. a white northeast winds. 75 but there. nice, quiet, high and dry that's your latest weather.

meredith? >> al, thank you so much. next, the latest on the wrong-way driver who was drunk and high when she killed herself and seven others in a tragic accident. is it possible the toxicology report is incorrect? right after this. bottom. needs work. sorry, son. introducing new charmin ultra strong. its new enhanced diamondweave texture is soft and more durable. more durable so you're left with a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. bottom. check. [ female announcer ] and that charmin softness. new charmin ultra strong. look for it in the new red package. for those who prefer moist wipes, try new charmin freshmates for a cleaner clean.

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a brilliant scarf, and a sense of adventure. pieces you'll love to pieces. at chico's. love it, love it, love it. we're back at 8:10. now to the husband of a new york woman who caused a deadly wrong. way crash in july. diane schuler died along with her young daughter, three nieces and three men in another car. and last night her husband, daniel, spoke out to larry king. >> larry, if you lost a loved one, wouldn't you want to find out the truth what happened? >> sure. >> i know the truth, what happened with my wife. she's not an alcoholic. she doesn't drink. she's an outstanding mother. >> daniel, did you ever see your wife drunk? >> no. >> no. did you ever have a party where you may have all had drinks together? >> sure. a drink or two. at a family barbecue.

>> was she drinking the night before? >> no. >> so this is a total mystery to you? >> absolutely. >> if something were happening to her, something strange, why didn't she pull over? >> i don't know. she probably thought she was fine. >> what do you want to say to the relatives of the people in the other car? >> all i'll say is that a drunk driver did not do this to your family. something medically had to have happened. >> immediately following that interview, we talked with irving who represents the family of guy and michael bastardi, two of the crash victims. here's his reaction to what daniel schuler is saying about the case. >> daniel schuler is an absolute liar, or else he is trying to perpetrate a hoax in this matter. >> we are joined now by dr. nancy snyderman, our nbc chief medical editor. and janine piro, host of "the

judge janine show," a former district attorney where this happened and former county court judge here in new york. good morning. >> good morning. >> dr. snyderman, let me begin with you. every time i hear her husband make this claim, you start wondering, could they have gotten it wrong in the medical examiner's autopsy? talk about toxicology. how reliable are these tests that would tell to the exact point what the blood-alcohol level was. >> blood-alcohol level is probably the oldest toxicology report they have. and they found alcohol in her blood, her urine, her brain, even the fluid in her eyeballs. that is not an accidental finding. and, of course, you know they found it two times legal limits. now, the husband keeps saying he never saw her drunk, but let's remind people that binge drinking it on the increase in this country which means you have five or more drinks at a time at least once a month. and we now know that one out of ten binge drinkers then gets behind the wheel. so whether she was a falling-down drunk every day or

whether she just drank that morning, the reality is, she was drunk. >> one of the points he points of -- i've got the autopsy report in my hand -- he points to the fact that there's no evidence she was an alcoholic, no liver damage. >> that doesn't mean a thing. long-term cirrhosis -- first, it happens in some alcoholics and not others. if you are a period binge drinker, you may not have the long-term effects to your liver than someone who is drunk every day does. so the cirrhosis means nothing. what does mean something is the blood-alcohol level. and the thc. let's not forget the marijuana. >> let me turn to janine. given the fact if we accept this autopsy is correct and toxicology reports, one has to think there would be some criminal liability here. the d.a. in the case says the criminal liability would have lied with diane schuler. she's dead. what would you have done in this case? >> well, you know, first of all, there's no question that the death driver, the drunk driver, here is dead, and every d.a. makes his or her own call.

but i think that the issue here is really getting to the truth. what are the facts? have a grand jury impanelled. get a report. find out if there are legislative recommendations. let's identify what the facts are. throw everybody in the grand jury under penalty of perjury. what we've got to find out, is there rec reckless endangerment? was she slurring her words as her blood-alcohol would indicate? why did she get back into the car? what time did the calls come in? how long after the calls came in were the police called? why is the husband saying we only had one bottle of vodka for pina colada, and you don't use vodka for a pina colada, and i put it in her car. wait a minute. if your wife doesn't drink, why are you putting it in her car? >> there are other medical conditions the medical report doesn't talk about, she had a tooth abscess. this report says she had natural

teeth. >> a leg problem. you do or don't see a lump on the leg. if you have an abscessed tooth, you'll find pus in the tooth socket. they didn't find that. heart was normal. brain was normal. no sign of a blood clot being thrown or a stroke and the liver being normal. the first thing they said was, autopsy normal. then you go to the toxicology report. and, you know, that toxicology report is strong and stands. now, if the family exhumes the body and they want to double check things, what they can do is pull hair. and you can start to see a time line of drug use over time. it may not be great for alcohol. it will be great for marijuana and other substances. >> they may want to know in this case. >> one of these crazy theories that the heat of the fire caused blood sugar to turn to alcohol in the body, poppycock. >> is it possible one of the things we're seeing here is "a," defense in cases of custody issue with the 5-year-old son who survived, or perhaps defend against future lawsuits? >> well, i don't think there's

any question but that there will be a lawsuit here and that the families are starting to jockey to make sure that their message is the one that gets out there. but nancy's right. dr. snyderman is right. at the end of the day, if they do another autopsy and they pull the hairs as the top forensic pathologist for the new york state police has recommended, it will show us whether or not in addition to that for every inch of hair, you know, whether or not there was drug use by this woman. and how much contributory damage or negligence or recklessness is involved here by the families? >> it may all come out. >> it will come out. >> they've got to be careful. i don't see how it makes things better. they'd better be very careful. >> we've got to end it there. good to see both of you. up next, saying good-bye to your collegebound kids. advice for the whole family right after this.

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tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. i was caught off-guard. but maybe you can learn from my story. have a heart to heart with your doctor... about your risk. and about lipitor. back at 8:20. this morning on "back to school today," saying good-bye to your college freshman. going to college for the first time can be exhilarating and nerve-racking for both students and parents. >> hello, i'm mikko, and this is my stuff going off to college. this is my mother who is really sad to see me go. >> i'm very proud of him and i hope he does very well. >> there's my grandfather. >> hi. how you doing? >> that's my grandmother. >> hi. >> i'm going to miss her cooking. >> the packing and preparing starts long before the day the

entire family loads up the van and heads off to campus. >> come on. i'm going to pack you, too. >> when move-in day arrives, chaos. >> let's go! woo! >> reporter: an endless stream of boxes and bags flows into small rooms, parents put to work unpacking the load. >> hi. i don't know where i'm supposed to go. >> are you elizabeth? >> yes. >> welcome, elizabeth. 214. >> so friendly here. >> reporter: nervous roommates meeting for the first time, looking ahead to a year together, it is hard to know where to start. >> there's no one sitting in our room right now. i'm letting them do what they have to do. >> yes! >> come into my room, let me know mom, i'm home, give me a kiss good night, i love you, and that's what i'm going to miss. >> in terms of our parents as they leave campus today and begin to make the transition for

themselves, one of the things that's important for them to know is that we are here to support them as well, to really help them to understand that their students are growing. they're adults. and students need to handle some of their issues on their own. >> reporter: once beds are made and clothes put away, it's time for the hardest part. >> i love you. >> reporter: that bittersweet good-bye as students start the next chapter of their lives. >> mom, don't start crying on me. >> i love you. >> you can let go any time now. >> i can relate to this. michelle is contributor and parenting expert, michelle, good morning. >> good morning. >> as i'm tearing up when i sent our first boy, when we both did two years ago, now we're about to send our second son to college. and i feel like it's the hardest experience on the mom. but am i wrong? is it hard on all of us? >> it's hard on all of us. i'm voting for the mom as well, but it's a big transition point. and it's that life-changing passage moment that we should be celebrating as well.

>> for parents who are about to take their kids to college like myself, you have words of advice starting with anticipating the fears that your kid is going to have. >> if you really start thinking through, for instance, your child is worried about oh, gosh, what if i have an asthma attack and you let them know there's an infirmary open 24 hours, if you start them knowing simple little tips, it will reduce the worries. for heaven's sake, have that huge, big talk not the day of the drop-off. it's little moments ahead, talking about the credit card and how much. talking about, for instance, another one is safety is the biggest issue on parents' issues. >> sure. >> you know, where you can walk, talk about the binge drinking if you want to. >> concerns about that. >> or, you know, all of those are the big ones. >> how about when you get there to the room, how active of a role should parents be in setting it up and making the bed? >> meredith, this is the big moment when you can do something profound called step back. because all of a sudden your

child is now called becoming an adult. and you want him to own it. this is his new place and his new living environment. stay cool with the roommate scene. be real cool. you can keep the nonjudgmental little face. this is not like arranging a play date. wait for your kid to come to you with any concerns. >> life experience he or she has to go through. for those and many parents who have already dropped their kids off at college, the kids are away, how can you stay connected without being one of those parents that is hovering over the child over the time or being a nag or nuisance? >> the number one thing is ask your child at this point what's the best way to connect? many kids say it's by text. >> texting, right. >> texting. the other thing is what's the time that would be best? the roommate is probably not going to appreciate your 7:00 a.m. wake-up calls. so set up a ritual. >> a schedule. >> a routine and stick with it. you can stay connected with that school and what your child is doing, which is what you really want to do. the more your kid bonds with that school, the better the chance he's going to go back. so find out the schedule.

find out, for instance, the football team. run it off and you can at least start talking to your child about it. >> you know, it's so hard to separate for the parents that there are times, and probably even more than i realize, where the child calls home in the week, two weeks, a month and says, i'm not happy. i'm really homesick. what do you do with that? >> the first thing is mom, know it's normal. the first couple of weeks, all of a sudden there's that ah, ray of -- it's going to hit a little bit down. and homesick pangs will come in. how you respond is critical. if you are too quick to, oh, honey, let me pick up your things and take you home, that's not what you want to do. you want to wait it out, let him know it's normal and help him find ways to bond with the school. >> and that's where they had one of those school advisers on at the end, student advisers, who said we're here to help them with the transition. if i'm having trouble, the mom or the dad is having trouble, do you recommend the pop-in, maybe? no? >> the pop-in, not without asking permission. i think at this point you need

to look to see how's it going? may i show up? the key in life is that you're not losing a kid, you're gaining an adult. >> that's right. and you really raise them to fly >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. a harford county judge has the on the book at a man convicted of raping a woman three years ago. the judge sentenced to glenn raynor to 100 years in prison for breaking into a woman's home in april 2006. it took investigators two years to track him down after interviewing many suspects could police used the sweat from the seat that he sat on during interview to match the dna found at the crime scene. >> a very busy ride in many

locations. on the eastern shore, eastbound 50, a pretty serious accident here. only the left turn lane is squeezing by. watch for those delays. other delays, a pretty standard approaching white marsh towards the beltway. he will switch over and show you what else is going on, because we have an accident at essex, heavy delays on the north and west side, and stop at j.f.x.. a fort mchenry, a left lane closure with the disabled vehicle. going over to westbound 100, watch for accident that there. 36 minutes is your drive time on the outer loop with east side. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> forecast for today is plenty of sunshine. 73 to about 77. winds light and out of the northeast. it looks like we will get down to about 54 again.

a nice day tomorrow. 81 on friday. low 80s to rock the entire liberal a weekend. -- low 80s throughout the entire labor day weekend. >> another update at 8:55.

♪ 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 2nd, 2009. we are being joined on the plaza this morning by some fine southern friends, yes, actual chickens here in the big apple. i'm meredith vieira with lester

holt and natalie morales. >> you were doing the whole chicken dance. come on. haven't you been on a cruise and done that before? >> i have, yeah. i was doing that last night with a lamp shade on my head, actually. why are these birds here? >> i knew you would ask me that. there's an increasing number of city dwellers raising their own chickens. if for no other reason, than for good, fresh eggs. more on that coming up. >> there's nothing like a fresh egg. >> there isn't. >> if somebody else cleans out the cage. >> there's a lot of other issues we'll talk about. also coming up, of course today is wednesday. so we'll be turning to our panel of experts for our "money 911" segment, advice on how to keep your credit score high and tackling debt.

>> it is still very comfortable outside, plenty of sunshine. 64 downtown, 58 at b.w.i. marshall. a high in the upper seventies today. today.

and to check your weather any time of the day or not, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now let's head to washington, d.c., and say hello to mr. willard scott. how are you, sir? >> i'm all right. and you're a good man to be out there. like you say, the firefighters, oh, my gosh, the people that either lost part or all their home, something else. god bless. we do have some good news today. we're going to celebrate some birthdays from smucker's, our friends, as the jar of life spins around, check out the strawberry jam. and this is meta ilten of cedar rapids, iowa. attributes her longevity to taking no medication except for an occasional aspirin and having a spunky spirit. that's a good drink. i had that years ago. on the rocks.

we have sally schachter, east meadow, new york, 100 years old, avid reader, loves good mysteries. secret to longevity, rice krispies and bananas. and she can really climb a tree. i mean, that's something else. edgar debourge, belleville, illinois, 100, world war ii vet, was awarded the purple heart and the bronze star. how about that? a hero's hero. huge chicago fan, lisps to t s to the games on radio. you ever do that? virginia whitener, martinsville, virginia, for all you speedway fans, stock car. 100, nicknamed southern belle. enjoys dancing and playing the bee piano. the secret to longevity.

lloyd harvey, 105, one great memory, visiting harlan cave in harlan county. buffalo bill, very famous. and finally, gilbert and cathryn ziemer of gilbertsville, kentucky. may be named after the family. anyway, gilbert just turned 100, she's 98. attributes their marital longevity for never forgetting to say "i love you." lester's back in new york. the hardest working man in new york except for al roker. >> thanks very much. doesn't look like i'm in new york. we're on green acres. coming up, we'll talk about raising chickens in the big city. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's woman," moving on after a miscarriage. for years it was hard for

couples to find support and answers. but now that is starting to change. megan meeney right here in new york is here with more. megan, good morning. >> good morning, meredith. so it's estimated that one in five families experience the pain of miscarriage. i did, and i found it's a loss that many people only whisper about. but more and more women are speaking up, and they're finding support. >> reporter: suzanne is nine months pregnant and finally doing something she feared would never happen. she's preparing a nursery. you've had as many as four miscarriages? >> yes. >> reporter: how devastating is that, then? >> it's been really devastating. the first loss that we had was over three years ago. and the anniversary was just a few months ago, actually. and i still remember. and he still get sad. >> reporter: she suffered most of her losses privately, honoring her babies in these boxes. >> to our miracle identical twins, you were only with us for

a moment, but you will be together forever. >> reporter: suzanne felt it was taboo to talk about miscarriage. her depression and anger especially at work. >> the whole entire staff knew, but they were just too uncomfortable to say something to me. which was sort of too bad in a way because you want the pregnancy, the baby, what you went through, to be acknowledged. >> reporter: for emotional support she discovered the higea foundation. here parents who have experienced a loss give other parents a voice. this doctor started the organization. he says the emotional impact of miscarriage is downplayed. >> people empathize with a baby and a newborn rather than perhaps even a microscopic fetus. and there's a thought that that loss is a greater loss than perhaps an earlier loss. >> our mission is to help those who have suffered a loss of miscarriage. >> reporter: so women come here to validate their grief,

breaking generations of silence. >> no one wants to hear your sad story, but you need to talk about it. and here it's safe. >> the longer it goes, the more i talk about it, the more comfortable it is. >> other members of the group, they smile at you or they just look at you. and they know what you're going through. >> reporter: in increasing numbers women who have miscarried are looking for a place to process their pain. christine and husband, b.j., lost a pregnancy at eight weeks. did anyone say to you, eight weeks, i mean, that's early. you're lucky it was so early. >> absolutely. i got that word a lot. it wasn't just eight weeks. this was, you know, ever since i met the man i knew i was going to marry, this is something we both looked forward to. >> reporter: christine, a writer, posted her bad news on her blog. the response was overwhelming. >> i was shocked at the number of comments that i got, the number of incredibly supportive and personal e-mails that people sent me, sharing their own stories. and that just really spoke to me. >> and we're also going to bring

in dr. gail saltz, contributor. good morning to you. >> morning. >> so you listen to those women, and you have been through this, megan, and i have as well, miscarriages, so many emotions. >> absolutely. grief, the loss. the loss, as they said, not just of the fetus but of this dream of your family or what the future was going to hold for you. a lot of anger at times, why did this happen to me? anxiety. what's going to happen going forward? am i going to be able to have a baby after all or not? and sometimes guilt which can be one of the worst and most corrosive feelings and the reason you really need to, early on, talk to a physician, to somebody who can explain to you, this is not your fault because there's often a lot of guilt. >> when she said guilt, you went like this like you related to that in particular. you just lost a baby four months into your pregnancy. >> right. that was one of my first feelings when the doctor walked out and told me what had happened. i thought, what did i do, you know?

it's my body that failed. i must have done something. was it that glass of wine i had saturday night? you know, i colored my hair three days before, you know, the first trimester was over. >> which had nothing to do. >> was i exercising too much? working too much? so i had to process that feeling with the support of friends and family and doctors. you do realize that it's not your fault. >> it's not your fault. >> and you sort of move on from that. >> you're lucky that you had that support. as some of those women were saying, they feel like nobody is there for them. that the subject matter is taboo. why is that? >> it's interesting. i think originally -- and it is passed down, i think, from generation to generation, it was that we didn't talk about female problems. you know, we didn't talk about those things. now we do talk about that, but it's sort of been passed down that this is sort of taboo. i think the reason this one has lived on is that we are not good as a society talking about death. we are not good about talking about mortality and that there can be loss and it can be irreversible. so we still -- this still has been shrouded which is unfortunate because as the women

pointed out, talking about it is usually what makes you feel better and able to move on. >> and i found i had three miscarriages before my first child and i miscarried twins. they were both early on before the ten-week point. a lot of people said ten weeks. it's what that woman was saying. it's not really a baby, but when you want a baby, that's a baby. >> and the nursery. >> and it's alive in your mind. >> at conception. your fantasy is alive. that's what dies when you have a miscarriage. so it's so undermining to say, well, you're lucky. it dismisses the loss for them. >> how did you get through multiple miscarriages emotionally? >> a lot of tears and time certainly helped. and i do have the supportive family and friends. and i think doing this piece was therapeutic, talking to other women about it. certainly having a son already at 3 years old is great therapy. you know, go home and squeeze

him and appreciate that relationship and obviously i'm already so blessed to have one. but i sort of went through a me period, i guess, after the last one. i thought, well, i'm just going to embrace. i didn't feel that well when i was pregnant. i thought, well, you know, it's nice to at least have some energy again. i'm going to exercise. i'm going to have that glass of wine i couldn't have. i did some spa treatments. i did try to treat myself a little bit and, you know, knew that when the time comes, i would know when i was ready to be thinking about this again. >> to try it again. >> it comes in waves. you think it's gone, and then suddenly you're in the grocery store and, you know, a woman walks by with a baby in a bjorn and you're crying. >> and that's the nature of grief. slowly you feel better and then you feel worse. >> and i know you have advice for women who are going through this. we'll put it on our website because we're running out of time. the number one piece of advice? >> giving yourself time, reaching out and creating other relationships so you have the support going through, but waiting a little while before you try again. >> gail, thank you.

megan, thank you. >> thank you. we'll be back in a moment. 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. yeah. me, too. how sick is the web browsing ? all the apps, gps, video... yeah... you didn't get your blackberry with the verizon network, did you ? no. sorry. so it doesn't work here, does it ? no, but... paperweight mode. all right.

now get a blackberry at our lowest prices ever, like the storm, for just $49.99, plus get another free. blackberry runs better on america's largest 3g network. verizon wireless. a lot of trends start in big cities like new york and trickle down to the rest of the country. we're going to talk about next a craze that's really taking the opposite path. ever consider raising your own chickens? well, there's some food for thought. ♪ >> our backyard hobby is raising chickens in the city. we're literally five minutes from lower manhattan. my son, shane, at some point when he was growing up, i had said to him, we should get some chickens for the backyard. here we are today with 75 chickens. my chickens love to eat everything. ♪

they eat meat. we don't feed them -- >> pork products. they love pork products. >> they love bacon. >> sausage. >> we have a contract with our chickens. no lay, no stay. as long as you lay eggs, you're welcome to stay. i think everybody member of our family has had a chicken lay an egg in their hand. i think that's more than a dozen. more than a dozen. so you can't get any fresher than right from the chicken to the table. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> just imagine a just-laid egg, a soft-boiled egg and you're dipping a piece of really good bread. it's the best meal. it's fantastic. >> so good. >> it really does make you aware of what you eat and it's easy to do. it's easier than a dog. something we did on a whim, and it's just been fun. >> hi. buzz, buzz, buzz. >> my husband has convinced me to get into chicken raising. ♪

>> there were supposed to be three, and then we found out that you can really only order them in six. >> then lo and behold, we've now ended up with 17 chickens. my father-in-law thinks that we're not -- >> we have computers and cars and everything else. so we're not just living in the middle of nowhere. eli really took to them. every night before he went to bed, he said, "dad, i've got to say good night to my baby chicks." ♪ >> they have personalities. different birds have little different quicks about them. if we end up -- not only the eggs -- but not only the chickens, they've had a good life here. >> we are the chicken club. bock, bock. >> hi, chicken. >> in june when we said we were getting chickens, the other

bronx principals, they said oh, you guys are ridiculous. i can't believe this. but now they're all jealous. they all want our chickens. >> i love to collect them all. >> today we had 42 eggs, which is uncanny. so they're special ladies. it allows us to give the kids something they can touch and feel and smell and taste which they do. >> our egg salad is ready. >> this is my first time at school with some chickens. usually i feed the chickens before dinner. >> at first it was total chaos. >> you chase the chickens, they run away. >> they will herd the chickens into the coop. >> enjoy the eggs. >> there's less fortunate families in the school that we identify and give the eggs to. the south bronx is changing. and this is evidence of it. and to have the kids be part of

that change is remarkable. >> and decklin walsh is the head of the poultry association. good morning. thanks for being here and bringing your fine-feathered friends. we should mention the association consists of you, your wife and two kids. >> three kids. >> three kids. they've been helping us round up the chickens. the first thing that came to my mind, chickens in brooklyn, it must be against the law. >> absolutely not. new york city is one of the best places to raise chickens. there's no cap on the number of chickens you can have. you can have as many as you can keep clean. >> but you can't have a rooster? >> no, you can't because of the noise. we had a rooster but we had to take care of that. >> where do you start with all this? first of all, you guys were on a farm in pennsylvania and got the idea, right? >> yeah, at a bed and breakfast in the amish country. and my son said dad, is this where we're getting the chickens? i must have lied to him somewhere along the line. we ended up driving back to

lancast lancaster, pennsylvania. >> in general, where do you get them? >> well, most people get the chickens in the mail. you have to buy -- we order from a large hatchery in iowa. >> live chickens. >> live chickens come in the mail. they're just hatched and then you get two dozen. they come in a little cardboard box. and our local post office, they know us already. we get mail on sunday. the guys come around, knock on the door, oh, the chickens are here. we get a batch every year. >> just a couple bucks. >> yeah, a couple dollars per bird. >> how do the neighbors react? there's no morning wake-up call. you've got a farm in your backyard. >> yeah, my neighbors are really good with it. we have a dog also. we find it much easier to get somebody to take care of our chickens than our dog because there's a built-in incentive. will you take care of my chickens? sure. you get the eggs. >> any bad encounters with the neighborhood cat? >> no, the cats don't bother them. just this week we had a visit from a raccoon. we're now in a new chapter. >> habitat, we've made in

makeshift one with the hay, but you have to have a whole chicken coop, right? >> yeah, you have a henhouse in which there are nesting boxes. then we have a chicken run, for the growing season in the summer, is enclosed. for the rest of the year we give them the whole backyard. >> and it's all about the eggs. >> it's all about the eggs. these chickens eat everything we eat. what makes the taste of the eggs different is what you feed your chicken. they eat what we love, chinese food, thai food, pasta, pizza, everything. we have no food waste. >> thanks for coming along and bringing your friends. by the way, this looks like a turkey. i just wanted to point that out. we'll be right back. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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still to come, the latest on jaycee dugard's kidnapping ordeal. plus, what it's like to be reunited with elizabeth smart's father after she was abducted. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore.

>> good morning. i am mindy basara. the numbers are in, as expected, it is not good news for maryland's past collections for the fiscal year that ended last june showed revenues below their already grim projections. general fund revenues for the year of $12.9 billion below projections. a shortfall of 2.6%. collections from income, corporate income, a sales and business franchise and estate taxes were all down from last year's figures. tobacco tax collections were up 7.8%, but again, lower than predicted. the federal government will reimburse the state of fluthe $2 million it laid out for the inauguration. > back in a minute with a ch

>> let's take a look at the gorgeous forecast with sandra shaw. planned >> of sunshine out, temperatures isf -- >> plenty of sunshine are now, temperatures in the 70's. winds northeasterly still. high pressure continues to dominate, stabilizing things and keeping things quiet and comfortable. >> thank you for joining us. we will have another update at 9:25.